Are the neocons running circles around President Trump? His Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has opposed the president’s moves to open dialogue with North Korea from the get-go. Now he has managed to scuttle a visit to Pyongyang by showing Trump a letter from a North Korean official that is reported to be “belligerent.” That was enough for Trump to cancel Pompeo’s trip. Meanwhile, South Korea is pursuing good relations with the North regardless of US backtracking. Washington is reportedly considering sanctions on its South Korean ally if Seoul continues on a peace path with Pyongyang. More on this bizarre turn of events in today’s Liberty Report:
The Liberty Report
Sanctions, Russia, Tariffs…With Champion Of Liberty, Rep. Thomas Massie
Why is Congress so obsessed with starting a new Cold War with Russia? Are they all gripped by group-think? Who do sanctions hurt most? And how can people visit with Rep. Thomas Massie and Ron Paul later this month? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report with a very special guest!
‘What Is The Empire’s Strategy?’ – Col Lawrence Wilkerson Speech At RPI Media & War Conference
Did you miss the Ron Paul Institute’s Media & War conference last weekend? Did you attend? Whatever the case, you won’t want to miss our opening speech by Col. Lawrence Wilkerson. Tune in to a special episode of the Liberty Report:
Afghan War A ‘Total Failure’ – Should We ‘Privatize’ It?
We are approaching the 17 year anniversary of the US war on Afghanistan. It is a slow-motion disaster, with our “enemy” the Taliban gaining more ground each year. Spending four trillion dollars and wasting thousands of lives in a war we are losing has led many, including Blackwater founder Erik Prince, to declare the Afghan war a “total loss.” Prince has a plan that he claims would “win” the war by using far fewer US troops and spending far less money. But what is “winning”? What is the policy? Why are the Taliban our enemies in the first place? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:
Special Report: Senator Rand Paul on His Recent Trip To Russia
Ron Paul Liberty Report host Ron Paul is joined by his son, Sen. Ron Paul (R-KY), to discuss the Senator’s recent trip to Russia. What was discussed? Where is this new dialogue going? Will Sen. Paul’s efforts pay off and result in better relations? Or will the neocons, Democrats, and deep state continue to collude to invent a new Cold War? Join today’s Liberty Report:
Why Does Facebook Use NATO To Help Censor Users?
Facebook is using a NATO think tank, the Atlantic Council, which is also funded by the US government and foreign governments, to help it determine which posts are authentic and which are fake. The Atlantic Council is hardly an unbiased judge, however. It is extremely hawkish and has even encouraged US military strikes against Russian assets! Why is a US government funded entity involved in limiting speech? More in today’s Liberty Report:
Pompeo Slaps On Major Russia Sanctions…Over Unproven UK Poisoning!
Is Pompeo launching a coup against his boss? By kicking in sanctions on Russia – invoking a 1991 US law on chemical weapons – the US State Department is further poisoning President Trump’s efforts to improve relations with his Russian counterpart. If President Trump refuses to enforce the sanctions, he will hand a political gift to Democrats who believe their election fortunes in November rest on endlessly screaming “Russia, Russia, Russia.” And what are these new sanctions all about? The totally unproven, full-of-holes claims that the Russian government was behind the Skripal “poisoning” in the UK in March. We untangle some of this madness in today’s Liberty Report:
Senate Moves To Seize The Internet – Do We Need More Government Censorship?
Senator Mark Warner’s (D-VA) office has drawn up a proposal for the US government to become much more involved in the Internet and particularly social media. They tell us for our own good they must protect us from “disinformation” and be able to determine the identity of each social media account as well as the user’s location. Ironically – or not – this is pretty much what the Chinese government is doing with its social media and search engines. Is this the direction we should be heading? Is there a better solution? Tune in to today’s Liberty Report:
Shocker: AP Reports On US/Al-Qaeda Coalition In Yemen
The independent press has long reported the seeming collusion between the US and al-Qaeda in the war on the Houthis in Yemen. Now the most mainstream of mainstream media outlets – AP – has concluded a blockbuster report that reaches the same findings. The US and its allies in the war on Yemen are so focused on curbing “expansionist” Iran that they are actually looking the other way – and even in some cases funding – al-Qaeda. More on this in today’s Liberty Report:
New Sanctions Kick In: Trump Declares (Trade) War On Iran…And EU!
Starting tonight, US sanctions on Iran and anyone who does business will kick in. Did Iran attack someone? Threaten someone? No. President Trump has unilaterally pulled the US out of the nuclear agreement and now demands that all US allies follow suit and, de facto, abrogate the treaty. The Europeans are making a lot of noise, claiming that they will back up any EU businesses that remain in Iran. That won’t hold. Brussels will cave. But no one seems to be thinking about unintended consequences. Who stands to benefit the most from Washington’s obsession with regime change in Iran? China, which is already rapidly expanding its economic presence in Iran. More on this colossal Trump blunder in today’s Liberty Report:
Neocons Demand ‘Crushing’ Sanctions on Russia
You can always count on the neocons in Congress to ignore reality, ignore evidence, and ignore common sense in their endless drive to get us involved in another war. Last week, for example, Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R-NC), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and others joined up to introduce what Senator Graham called “the sanctions bill from hell,” aimed at applying “crushing” sanctions on Russia.
Senator Graham bragged that the bill would include “everything but the kitchen sink” in its attempt to ratchet up tensions with Russia.
Sen Cory Gardner (R-CO) bragged that the new sanctions bill “includes my language requiring the State Department to determine whether Russia merits the designation of a State Sponsor of Terror.”
Does he even know what the word “terrorism” means?
Sen Ben Cardin (D-MD) warns that the bill must be passed to strengthen our resolve against “Vladimir Putin’s pattern of corroding democratic institutions and values around the world, a direct and growing threat to US national security.”
What has Russia done that warrants “kitchen sink” sanctions that will “crush” the country and possibly designate it as a sponsor of terrorism? Sen. Menendez tells us: “The Kremlin continues to attack our democracy, support a war criminal in Syria, and violate Ukraine’s sovereignty.”
There is a big problem with these accusations on Russia: they’re based on outright lies and unproven accusations that continue to get more bizarre with each re-telling. How strange that when US Senators like Menendez demand that we stand by our NATO allies even if it means war, they attack Russia for doing the same in Syria. Is the Syrian president a “war criminal,” as he claims? We do know that his army is finally, with Russian and Iranian help, about to defeat ISIS and al-Qaeda, which with US backing for seven years have turned Syria into a smoking ruin. Does Menendez and his allies prefer ISIS in charge of Syria?
And how hypocritical for Menendez to talk about Russia violating Ukraine’s sovereignty. The unrest in Ukraine was started by the 2014 US-backed coup against an elected leader. We have that all on tape!
How is Russia “attacking our democracy”? We’re still waiting for any real evidence that Russia was involved in our 2016 elections and intends to become involved in our 2018 elections. But that doesn’t stop the propagandists, who claim with no proof that Russia was behind the election of Donald Trump.
These Senators claim that sanctions will bring the Russians to heel, but they are wrong. Sanctions are good at two things only: destroying the lives of innocent civilians and leading to war.
As I mentioned in an episode of my Liberty Report last week, even our own history shows that sanctions do lead to war and should not be taken lightly. In the run-up to US involvement in the War of 1812, the US was doing business with both France and the UK, which were at war with each other. When the UK decided that the US was favoring France in its commerce, it imposed sanctions on the US. What did Washington do in response? Declared war. Hence the War of 1812, which most Americans remember as that time when the British burned down the White House.
Recent polls show that the majority of Americans approve of President Trump’s recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Among Republicans, a vast majority support the meeting. Perhaps a good defeat in November will wake these neocon warmongers up. Let’s hope so!
Assad Wins: Voting With Their Feet, Syrians Come Home
With the Syrian army’s liberation of the southwest complete, there remains just a single province in control of ISIS and al-Qaeda in the country. The “bloodbath” that the “experts” warned about if Assad regained control not only did not come to pass, but tens and hundreds of thousands of Syrians are returning home. Once the neocons got it all wrong. So what’s next? Join today’s Liberty Report:
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