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My Statement to Congress

Posted by M. C. on March 10, 2023

In testimony to the House Judiciary Committee about the Twitter Files, a few words about why state-funded “anti-disinformation” and free speech can’t coexist

Matt Taibbi

https://open.substack.com/pub/taibbi/p/my-statement-to-congress?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android

Editor’s note: at around 10 a.m. EST this morning, Michael Shellenberger and I will be testifying at the “Hearing on the Weaponization of the Federal Government on the Twitter Files” for the House Judiciary Committee, in the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. Just before, around 9:00 a.m., we’ll also be releasing a TwitterFiles “Statement to Congress” thread, which will be submitted to the record. It contains some surprises. My opening:

Chairman Jordan, ranking member Plaskett, members of the  Select Committee,

My name is Matt Taibbi. I’ve been a reporter for over 30 years, and an advocate for the First Amendment.  Much of that time was spent at Rolling Stone magazine. Over my career, I’ve had the good fortune to be recognized for the work I love.  I’ve won the National Magazine Award, the I.F. Stone Award for independent journalism, and written ten books, including four New York Times bestsellers. I’m now the editor of the online magazine Racket, on the independent platform Substack.

I’m here today because of a series of events that began late last year, when I received a note from a source online.

It read: “Are you interested in doing a deep dive into what censorship and manipulation… was going on at Twitter?”

A week later, the first of what became known as the “Twitter Files” reports came out. To say these attracted intense public interest would be an understatement. My computer looked like a slot machine as just the first tweet about the blockage of the Hunter Biden laptop story registered 143 million impressions and 30 million engagements.

But it wasn’t until a week after the first report, after Michael Shellenberger, Bari Weiss, and other researchers joined the search of the “Files,” that we started to grasp the significance of this story.

See the rest here

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The Global Movement For Freedom of Expression That Julian Assange Has Inspired

Posted by M. C. on March 9, 2023

https://rumble.com/v2c9uew-the-global-movement-for-freedom-of-expression-that-julian-assange-has-inspi.html

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MY FIFTY YEARS WITH DAN ELLSBERG

Posted by M. C. on March 9, 2023

The man who changed America

Dan was showing me an insider’s love, just as he and Patricia radiated love and acceptance to all their many friends and admirers who, like me, will never forget the lessons he taught us and what we learned. 

https://open.substack.com/pub/seymourhersh/p/my-fifty-years-with-dan-ellsberg?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android

Seymour Hersh

Daniel Ellsberg at a press conference in New York City, 1972.

I think it best that I begin with the end. On March 1, I and dozens of Dan’s friends and fellow activists received a two-page notice that he had been diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer and was refusing chemotherapy because the prognosis, even with chemo, was dire. He will be ninety-two in April.

Last November, over a Thanksgiving holiday spent with family in Berkeley, I drove a few miles to visit Dan at the home in neighboring Kensington he has shared for decades with his wife Patricia. My intent was to yack with him for a few hours about our mutual obsession, Vietnam. More than fifty years later, he was still pondering the war as a whole, and I was still trying to understand the My Lai massacre. I arrived at 10 am and we spoke without a break—no water, no coffee, no cookies—until my wife came to fetch me, and to say hello and visit with Dan and Patricia. She left, and I stayed a few more minutes with Dan, who wanted to show me his library of documents that could have gotten him a long prison term. Sometime around 6 pm—it was getting dark—Dan walked me to my car, and we continued to chat about the war and what he knew—oh, the things he knew—until I said I had to go and started the car. He then said, as he always did, “You know I love you, Sy.”

See the rest here

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Attack Of The “Pro-Ukrainian Group”: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix

Posted by M. C. on March 9, 2023

Caitlin Johnstone

https://open.substack.com/pub/caitlinjohnstone/p/attack-of-the-pro-ukrainian-group?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android

The latest New York Times report on the Nord Stream pipeline bombing is something else. According to NYT’s anonymous US government sources, the pipelines were blown up by a “pro-Ukrainian group” who had no known connections to any military or intelligence agency, but somehow had all the information, skills, diving equipment and military explosives necessary to carry out such an attack. 

It’s actually insulting how stupid it is. It reads like a small child lying about who broke the lamp in the living room; “Uhh, some bad guy came in and broke it, then he left. He was wearing a black cape and had a twirly mustache.” At least respect us enough to make up a better lie than “Yeah it turns out it was just some random people with a boat, man! It’s crazy I know!”

They literally wrote an entire article without ever addressing how bizarre it is to just keep referring to the alleged perpetrators as just a “group”. Like that’s a thing. “Yeah you know, one of those Groups we’ve all been hearing about in the news. You know Groups, they sail around the world destroying international undersea energy infrastructure.”

Caitlin Johnstone @caitoz

Remember kids, Sy Hersh’s Nord Stream report is untrustworthy because it is unproven and relies on anonymous sources.

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4:45 PM ∙ Mar 7, 20235,041Likes1,371Retweets

Imagine having to tell this Scooby Doo-esque tale about a yacht of Ukraine-loving mischief-makers who pranked Europe’s energy supply like it’s a real thing. Like, “Oh come on, who among us has not taken a boatload of military explosives to go blow up international pipelines for fun with their friends?”

❖

I’m finding myself growing more and more enraged at the way war with China is being aggressively pushed in Australia. There’s nothing more evil than starting a completely needless war for power and profit. The people who are pushing this monstrous depravity should be afraid to go out in public.

See the rest here

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Fauci’s Lies Exposed… Jim Jordan Goes Ballistic Over Scientists’ Lab-Leak Flip-Flop | ZeroHedge

Posted by M. C. on March 9, 2023

So three days after they say it came from a lab, they changed their position, and the only intervening event was a conference call with Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins. Again, a call that Mr. Redfield (CDC Director at the time) was not allowed to be on … And then three months later, Shazam! They get 9 million bucks from Dr. Fauci. Why, isn’t that something?”

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/faucis-lies-exposed-jim-jordan-goes-ballistic-over-scientists-lab-leak-flip-flop

Tyler Durden's Photo

BY TYLER DURDEN

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) was on fire Wednesday during the first COVID select subcommittee investigating the origins of Covid-19, where former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said he was “sidelined” from internal debates over the origins of the virus, and that former White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci didn’t appreciate Redfield’s support for the theory that it emerged from a lab.

“This was an a priori decision that there’s one point of view that we’re going to put out there, and anyone who doesn’t agree with it is going to be sidelined,” said Redfield. “And as I say, I was only the CDC director, and I was sidelined.”

The 71-year-old Redfield told Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) that his support for the lab leak theory likely prompted his exclusion.

Former CDC director Robert Redfield

“I think I made it very clear in January [2020] to all of them why we had to aggressively pursue this,” he said. “And I let them know as a virologist that I didn’t see that this was anything like SARS or MERS. … And they knew that was how I was thinking.”

Jordan then focused the conversation to two top Fauci advisers – Dr. Kristian Andersen and Dr. Robert Garry – who suddenly changed their stance on lab leak theory. The two notably emailed Fauci on Jan. 31, 2020 where they suggested that anomalies in the virus pointed to a non-natural origin. According to Anderson, the virus had “unusual features” that “(potentially) look engineered,” and that other scientists “all find the genome inconsistent with expectations from evolutionary theory.”

Jordan went on a tear…

See the rest here

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Why Is the US So Unhappy That China Offered a Peace Proposal? – Antiwar.com Original

Posted by M. C. on March 9, 2023

It is interesting, though, that Europe may have less difficulty with all of these points in the Chinese position paper. Europe, too, has suffered US violations of sovereignty and US coups. Europe is also less opposed to China and Russia’s claim of the indivisibility of security.

https://original.antiwar.com/Ted_Snider/2023/03/08/why-is-the-us-so-unhappy-that-china-offered-a-peace-proposal/

by Ted Snider

On February 24, China published its “Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis.” The US reacted very negatively very quickly. They reacted more negatively even than Ukraine.

What is it about the Chinese proposal that so unnerves the US? It is not even a fully developed settlement proposal ripe for negotiation. There was no hurry to take it off the table. It is merely a declaration of China’s position and a pledge that China is willing to assume “a constructive role in this regard.”

In a first response so comical it could only be intended for public consumption, the US discredited China as a broker because they are not neutral in the war in Ukraine and then scolded them for considering sending weapons to Russia.

Though neutrality may be a desirable stance for a peace broker, the US, who has many times in recent history demanded the role of broker without the requisite neutrality, has reserved the right to encourage or discourage peace talks in the war in Ukraine while being blatantly un-neutral in the war in Ukraine: far less neutral than China.

And as for considering sending weapons, the US has crossed the line of consideration by over $45 billion. That’s a lot more than “considering.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that the US has “information that gives us concern that [China is] considering providing lethal support to Russia in the war against Ukraine.” He said that China is “strongly considering providing lethal assistance to Russia.” CIA Director William Burns repeated that claim, reporting that “We’re confident that the Chinese leadership is considering the provision of lethal equipment.” The claim is reportedly based on information “gleaned from Russian government officials.”

However, at a March 2 White House press briefing, when National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby was asked how serious the Biden administration thinks China is about sending Russia weapons, he responded, “We actually don’t know.” When asked at a previous press conference why the US had not shared any of the intelligence, Kirby answered that “I just don’t have any intelligence to speak to today.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen repeated the lack of knowledge. On March 5, she told reporters that the US had not provided Europe with the evidence: “So far, we have no evidence of this. . . .”

Even President Biden said, in a February 24 interview that “I don’t anticipate – we haven’t seen it yet, but I don’t anticipate a major initiative on the part of China providing weaponry to Russia.”

When the US finished attacking China, they at last turned to attacking China’s proposal.

See the rest here

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House Votes Down Resolution to Withdraw Troops from Syria – News From Antiwar.com

Posted by M. C. on March 9, 2023

Guess how my Rep, war party water carrier Mike Kelly, voted.

“It also received support from some progressive Democrats, including Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Ro Khanna (D-CA).”!!!!!!!!!!!

https://news.antiwar.com/2023/03/08/house-votes-down-resolution-to-withdraw-troops-from-syria/

The House on Tuesday voted down a War Powers Resolution introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) that would order President Biden to withdraw all US troops from Syria within 180 days.

The resolution failed in a vote of 103-321, with 56 Democrats and 47 Republicans voting in favor of the bill. Click here for the roll call to see how each representative voted. In a statement after the vote, Gaetz vowed to continue his effort to end US involvement in Syria.

“There is no role for the United States of America in Syria. We are not a Middle Eastern power. We have tried to build a democracy out of sand, blood, and Arab militias. Time and again, the work we do does not reduce chaos. Oftentimes, it causes chaos – the very chaos that then subsequently leads to terrorism. While today’s vote may have failed, my fight to end forever wars and bring our troops home has only just begun,” he said.

The resolution was led by Gaetz and cosponsored by four other Republicans, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), and Matt Rosendale (R-MT). It also received support from some progressive Democrats, including Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Ro Khanna (D-CA).

The Congressional Progressive Caucus was circulating a message to its 100 members in the House to support the bill. But the vote shows that the majority of Congress still supports the US occupation of eastern Syria, where there are currently about 900 US troops deployed.

The US insists its presence in Syria is about fighting ISIS remnants, but it is also part of the economic campaign against Damascus. By backing the Kurdish-led SDF in eastern Syria, the US controls about one-third of the country, an area where most of Syria’s oil fields are located.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley made a rare visit to Syria over the weekend and said continuing the fight against ISIS was worth staying in the country. But the Syrian government, its allies, and other countries in the region are sworn enemies of ISIS. They would continue fighting the group once the US is gone, something Gaetz pointed out when debating the resolution on the House floor.

“Both Assad and Turkey are in stronger positions today to put downward pressure on ISIS, and maybe if we weren’t giving weapons to people shooting at Assad, Assad would have every incentive to be able to engage ISIS in a way to ensure that it doesn’t come back,” Gaetz said.

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Classical Gas – Lucas Imbiriba (Mason Williams/Tommy Emmanuel)

Posted by M. C. on March 8, 2023

Another jewel in my Latin and Flamenco journey of discovery.

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The Cold War Racket Is Back

Posted by M. C. on March 8, 2023

The modern war racket started in 1913 with Fed and never left.

by Jacob G. Hornberger

https://www.fff.org/2023/03/07/the-national-security-establishments-renewed-cold-war/

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has issued a direct critique against the U.S. government’s policy of containment when it comes to China. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, the critique is unusual in that it comes directly from China’s leader rather than indirectly through governmental spokespersons. 

The Journal article quotes Shirley Martey Hargis, fellow at the Washington think tank Atlantic Council, who suggests that Xi might just be shifting the blame for economic problems in China. “It’s either take the blame or shift it,” she said. 

Notwithstanding China’s economic problems, however, the fact is that Xi is right. There is no denying that U.S. national-security establishment, led by the Pentagon and the CIA, have been pursuing a Cold War policy of containment against China, with the aim of renewing its old Cold War racket. 

Of course, as the Russians will attest, the Pentagon and the CIA have been doing the same with them — doing everything they can to gin up their old Cold War racket against Russia, just as they are doing against China.

Take a look at this map. You might be shocked, or maybe not. It displays the number of U.S. military bases near China. Tom Orsag, a freelance leftist journalist, points out that “China is effectively encircled by US bases all across the Pacific.” Orsag adds, “The U.S. is the biggest bully in the Pacific, with rings of military bases blocking and threatening China.”

Now, take a look at this map. It depicts the number of Chinese military bases near the United States. Number? Zero! In fact, according to an article at Eurasia Times entitled “Over 750 Military Bases Across 80 Countries: How US Military Overshadows China In Projecting Power Overseas,” China has the grand total of one foreign military base — in Djibouti, which is more than 7,000 miles away from the United States.

Take a look at this map. It shows the number of U.S. military bases near both Russia and China. 

See the rest here

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Tucker Carlson Shows How The “January 6th Committee” Lied About Jan 6th

Posted by M. C. on March 8, 2023

The Ron Paul Liberty Report

https://rumble.com/v2c4bdc-tucker-carlson-shows-how-the-january-6th-committee-lied-about-jan-6th.html

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