MH17 - Bishop's on Abbott's US mission | Shorten's swinging by | Joe Biden's hovering

JULIE BISHOP AND TONY ABBOTT

Yahoo News July 20, 2014, 1:43 pm Julie Bishop heads to US Australia is taking a lead role in pushing for an international investigation in the crash, with Ms Bishop on her way to the US. Ms Bishop is expected to touch down in Washington for meetings before launching a lobbying offensive at the United Nations in New York. "[Ms Bishop] is there to lead our work at the UN. She's there to give focus to our work at the UN and so that the world knows just how seriously Australia is taking this and there are 36 people who call Australia home who have been snuffed out," Mr Abbott said. Australia wants tougher action from the Security Council, believing a press statement calling for an independent international investigation is not enough. It wants a binding resolution from members and is drafting the text to put to the Security Council for a vote. It would need Russia's support. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will also travel to the US this week for high-level talks on a range of issues, including the Malaysia Airlines tragedy. Mr Shorten is attending the Australian-American Leadership Dialogue, and will meet US vice-president Joe Biden and deputy state secretary William Burns. While he is there, Mr Shorten will be briefed by Australia's representatives at the UN about efforts to secure an investigation into the MH17 crash. ...extract...full @... SOURCE - Yahoo News - here.

Australian-American Leadership Dialogue (AALD) AALD is a not-for-profit NGO, founded as a 'private diplomatic initiative',  drawing together Australian and US achievers from government, the community and the corporate sector, in pursuit of promoting closer Australian-US understanding and ties. Official site AALD - here

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COMMENT

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop's headed to the US on Abbott's mission:   gaining top mileage for US-Australian political advantage.

Bill Shorten, Labor opposition leader, is also headed over for talks; which is strange to a new political watcher.

One would think the opposition would take information directly from the government of the day, rather than have independent discussions.

Shifty Joe Biden is waiting and hovering, and there's even an Aussie-US hybrid NGO in the package.

Shorten's attending AALD, which was formed by Phil Scanlan and his US wife, Julie Singer Scanlan, back in 1992; with the support of Republican President George H W Bush.  

GHW Bush came after Reagan; Clinton followed this Bush and GHW Bush's son, George W Bush, followed Clinton. 

AALD's Scanlan, described as an exceptional networker on his NGO's site, is a former managing director of Coca-Cola Amatil and has now joined the 'strategic advisory board' of Bridge Growth Partners, a New York private equity fund, specialising in technology and financial services.  

Scanlan also happens to be a former Australian Consul-General in New York, before the short-lived Gillard government appointment of Steve Bracks in the role.

Steve Bracks was soon dismissed by Tony Abbott's newly elected Liberal government, in favour of appointing 'Liberal powerbroker Nick Minchin' in Abbott's stead.

Here's some Michin background and what Bill Shorten had to say about on matter of Minchin's appointment:

Mr Minchin ... held several posts in the [Liberal] Howard government, including finance minister. He was instrumental in the then Coalition opposition changing its stance on supporting an emissions trading scheme proposed by the then Rudd government." Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said the appointment of Mr Minchin showed the Coalition government’s jobs priorities were wrong. ''The Abbott government will fight for Liberal politicians - they just won’t fight for ordinary people,'' he told reporters in Perth. The government had ''ripped up the rule book'' with the appointment of Mr Minchin. SOURCE - SMH - here.

Don't know much about Bill Shorten, but I'm impressed he stood up for Bracks.

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OTHER SOURCES

http://www.afr.com/p/business/companies/us_pe_fund_bridge_growth_seeks_tech_zSRp3stk0aFpIIz7AJxNxM

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/former-victoria-premier-steve-bracks-gets-new-york-diplomatic-role/story-fn59nm2j-1226645536753

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/liberal-powerbroker-nick-minchin-appointed-consulgeneral-to-new-york-20140214-32ns5.html

MH17 - Abbott's 'personal' connection & mourning

 Sydney Morning Herald

MH17 crash fallout: world reacts to plane shot down in Ukraine

Date   -   July 20, 201

...
11:02am: Earlier today Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on the ABC's Insiders program that he was personally touched by the tragedy because his daughters had flown on the MH17 some months ago on their way home from Europe. [ :EYEROLL: ]

"We can't let our emotions cloud our judgment but nevertheless these are wrenching times and there would hardly be an Australian who hasn't been emotionally touched by what we've seen, what we've felt over the last 48 hours or so," he said.

"You look at the faces of the dead and they're your neighbours, they're your friends, they could be your kids because let's face it, we are a people who like to travel and my own daughters flew on MH17 some months ago on their way home from Europe. So this is a tragedy which touches us deeply."

SOURCE - Sydney Morning Herald - here.

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COMMENT


Abbott's really scraping the bottom of the barrel here, and so is ABC's Insiders program.

Is it a news program or is it a version of Oprah's afternoon show, for dwelling on vague 'could-have-been' fantasies and Abbott's delicately embroidered 'personal connection' to flight MH17.

Guess when Tony Abbott looks at the faces of those in Gaza getting killed, he doesn't see his daughters in Gaza -- or the faces of his 'neighbours', his 'friends' or his 'kids', so the killings in Gaza aren't at all 'personal' or material for Tony Abbott.


Or it could be Tony Abbott's political bias that's clouding his judgment:

Ms Sattler said Mr Abbott had no Jewish heritage, although she did.

"He is a raving Zionist and has been since he was about 18 or 19. I don't understand why he is, but he is," she said.

Ms Sattler said those who backed the PLO visit were beaten with rolled up newspapers and umbrellas and spat upon during the course of the conference.

She said this made a big impact on her as a 17-year-old activist.

"Thanks to Tony, I have been an avowed Palestine supporter ever since," she said

[SOURCE - The Australia - Nov 2012 - here.]

Here's the Abbott government's position on Gaza:

The Abbott government also challenged the defined legal status of East Jerusalem. ‘‘Occupied’’, Attorney-General George Brandis declared, was ‘‘neither appropriate nor useful’’, and reference to historic events was ‘‘unhelpful’’. In ignoring history, Brandis demonstrates why Australia’s stance lacks moral power. It is wilful blindness to ignore Israel’s expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland in 1948.

The Occupation – ‘‘with a capital O’’ which the Australian government declines to use – is directly linked to the expulsion of Palestinians in 1948 and the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967. To argue history is ‘‘unhelpful’’ is to deny the Palestinian narrative, expunge Palestinian pain and identity, and deflect attention from the legitimacy of a racial state. 

One has to credit a military juggernaut and a covertly nuclear state for its success in framing itself as victim even as it bombs a largely defenceless population. Even as Israel plays warden over Gaza, which has been described as the  world’s largest open-air prison, it perpetuates the myth that it is a state perpetually fighting for its survival.

[SOURCE - Sydney Morning Herald - here.]

The SMH Gaza article is worthwhile reading in full - here.

Getting back to the MH17 flight, which supposedly affects Abbott 'personally'.

Abbott's now the greatest mourner on the face of the planet, or so he would have us believe.

The sad fact is, this is about capitalising on a macabre opportunity:

a) to raise Abbott's profile because of his unpopular social security and medicare cuts (and his corporate boot-licking); and

b) to please Abbott's US masters, because they've invested a lot in Ukraine and they need all the leverage they can get to get things moving along for corporate America.

Tony Abbott ought to be ashamed of himself.   But he's clearly incapable of it.

EX-CIA RAY McGOVERN - FLIGHT MH17 - PRESS PROPAGANDA

Consortium News

Facts Needed on Malaysian Plane Shoot-Down

July 18, 2014

Exclusive: As usual, the mainstream U.S. media is rushing to judgment over the crash of a Malaysian airliner in war-torn eastern Ukraine, but the history of U.S. government’s deceptions might be reason to pause and let a careful investigation uncover the facts, says ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern.

By Ray McGovern
...

Raw Meat for Russia Bashing

But the chance to further demonize Putin and Russia will be hard for Official Washington and its corporate-owned press to resist. The New York Times was quick out of the starting blocks on Friday with a lead editorial blaming the entire Ukraine conflict, including the Malaysian Airline tragedy, on Putin:

“There is one man who can stop it – President Vladimir Putin of Russia, by telling the Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine to end their insurgency and by stopping the flow of money and heavy weapons to those groups.”

Among Putin’s alleged offenses, according to the Times, has been his “failing to support a cease-fire and avoiding serious, internationally mediated negotiations” – though Putin has actually been one of principal advocates for both a cease-fire and a negotiated solution. It has been the U.S.-backed Poroshenko who canceled the previous cease-fire and has refused to negotiate with the ethnic Russian rebels until they essentially surrender.

...extracts only...full @...
SOURCE - Consortium News - here.

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COMMENT

Fantastic article well worth a read.

McGovern is ex-CIA and he severed as a CIA analyst from Kennedy (1963) through to George H W Bush (1990).

McGovern is now an activist.  Further wikipedia detail - here.

Funny enough, McGovern mentioned Korean Airlines Flight KAL-007:

Still, the U.S. press might pause to recall how it’s been manipulated by the U.S. government in the past, including three decades ago by the Reagan administration twisting the facts of the KAL-007 tragedy. ...

But a Soviet admission of a tragic blunder regarding KAL-007 wasn’t good enough for the Reagan administration, which saw the incident as a propaganda windfall. At the time, the felt imperative in Washington was to blacken the Soviet Union in the cause of Cold War propaganda and to escalate tensions with Moscow.

Falsifying the Case

To make the very blackest case against Moscow, the Reagan administration suppressed the exculpatory evidence from the U.S. electronic intercepts. The U.S. mantra became “the deliberate downing of a civilian passenger plane.” Newsweek ran a cover emblazoned with the headline “Murder in the Sky.” - [SOURCE - Consortium News - here.]

Well, well ... and here we have Kathleen Troia McFarland of Fox News, dragging out the corpse of 'mighty' Reagan -- days after the downing of MH17 -- virtually urging Obama on a military course, by the look of it, before she mentions the real agenda:  the corporate one.

Fox News

White House leadership: Reagan on KAL 007 vs. Obama on MH17

By K.T. McFarland
Published July 19, 2014

...

This is Barack Obama’s chance to make history. Will he seize the moment and reverse course? If so, he will restore defense spending.  He will take back all those pink slips he’s just sent to members of the military. He will reinstate the defense missile shield for Poland and the Czech Republic. He will rally our European allies to stand up to Putin.  And he will accelerate American energy independence efforts, so that we and our European allies are no longer subject to Russian energy blackmail.

Now is the time of Obama’s testing. Will history make him a great man? Will he rise up to be a great man who makes history?  Or will he just play out the clock for his last two years in office, hobnobbing with celebrities, playing golf with moguls, and living the good life?  

If so, history will soon move past him, and he will spend the next thirty years as a former president coming in first in polls for the worst president in modern American history.

Kathleen Troia "K.T." McFarland is a Fox News - 

...extract only...full @...

SOURCE - Fox News - here.

The bit about the acceleration of 'American energy independence efforts' is the best bit.  

See, folks, it's all about the Corporate American vultures' agenda.

Anyway, how predictable are the 'corporate owned press'?

Thanks for the laughs Fox News.

Are Americans stupid?

Renew America Article - 

aka 'Are Americans Stupid?'

July 19, 2014
Is the German chancellor an agent of Russia?
By Cliff Kincaid

In the wake of the shoot-down of the Malaysian Airlines plane over Ukraine, various pundits continue to say it is unlikely that Europe will do much about it. But why? It is just a lack of will? Or something else?

The evidence is being ignored by most of the media, but it continues to indicate that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is an agent, or at least a stooge, of Russia's Vladimir Putin.

In an extraordinary development, the office of the President of Russia reports that Putin said on Wednesday that the German Chancellor is "a reputable European leader under whose leadership Germany has made great progress in the social, economic and political spheres."

The message noted "the high level of cooperation that Russia and Germany have reached," and reported that Putin told Merkel "that the further development of bilateral ties regardless of the political situation serves the interests of both nations."

The comments were included in the context of greetings on Merkel's 60th birthday.

The Kyiv Post reports that the people of Ukraine, who are involved in that "political situation" alluded to by Putin, are not amused.
...
He added, "Western and NATO countries believed they could tie Russia into greater military cooperation through engagement, but now have realized that Russia was probably never really interested in that."

This confirms the point made by Air Force General Philip M. Breedlove, NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of the U.S. European Command, who recently told a Pentagon news conference, "For the last 12 to 14 years, we've been looking at Russia as a partner. We've been making decisions about force structure, basing investments, et cetera, et cetera, looking to Russia as a partner."

The truth is that Russia deceived the U.S., and Germany was in on the deception. The real partners are Russia and Germany.

...extract only...
SOURCE - Renew America - here.

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COMMENT

Now they're resorting to smearing Angela Merkel.  LOL.
Pathetic.

Awww, the US was 'earnestly' cooperating with Russia -- er, like they were cooperating with their ally, Germany -- on whom the US was recently caught spying?    LOL.

Deceit is what the US specialise in.  LOL.

RUSSIA - Council on Foreign Relations / Brookings Institution Interview

Council on Foreign Relations

Fueling the Fire in Ukraine

Interviewee: Steven Pifer, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Interviewer: Robert McMahon, Editor, CFR.org
July 18, 2014

SOURCE - CFR - here.

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BLOGGER SUMMARY


Seek step-up of sanctions against Russia.

Outline what constitutes an unbiased investigation

• Ukraine
• Malaysia
• Boeing
• Neutralis:

• Finland
• Austria
• Switzerland

Suspicions of Russian control of eastern Ukrainians rehashed

Bloomberg 2013 Report:

• Russia had $43 billion in foreign currency bonds, circa Dec 2013
• Jan-Feb 2004, drop to $7billion
• March-date, zero

US - blocking lending to select large Russian corporations

EU - blocking all lending from:

• European Investment Bank
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Question:  will Russia be a part of the resolution or the problem

Will sanctions bring Russia to heel?

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COMMENT


This is what stood out for me (not complete summary).

War is much nastier than I imagined.

Being indebted could cripple a country.
It's restrictive  -- particularly if investments and borrowings aren't spread.

Any country that's in debt could find itself dancing to someone else's tune.

Merkel says too soon for further sanctions on Russia

The Hill

Merkel: Too soon for sanctions on Russia

By Justin Sink - 07/18/14 08:17 AM EDT

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday it was too soon to move on tougher sanctions against Russia after the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.

"Regarding sanctions, I'd like to point out that the events with the plane, as far as I remember, were not even 24 hours ago, and at the moment we need to sort out an independent investigation,” the German leader said, according to Reuters. “So it's perhaps premature to draw conclusions before we have access to the remains of the plane.”

SOURCE - The Hill - here.

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COMMENT

Angela Merkel deserves some respect.

She goes on to call for a ceasefire and investigation etc.




 

MHI7 - Australian Sock Puppet Tony Abbott Resorts to Grandstanding & Hysteria

ABC News Go Article
ABC News, 47 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023

Australian PM Lashes out at Russia Over Shot Plane
CANBERRA, Australia — Jul 18, 2014, 3:54 AM ET
Associated Press

An angry Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Friday demanded an independent inquiry into the downing of a Malaysian jetliner and said Russia's response to what he called a crime was "deeply, deeply unsatisfactory."

Abbott criticized Russia's Ambassador to Australia Vladimir Morozov, who met earlier Friday with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

According to Abbott, the ambassador's initial response was to blame Ukraine for Thursday's downing of the Malaysia Airlines aircraft, which killed all 298 aboard, including 28 Australians.

The cause of Thursday's crash was not immediately clear but the area has seen heavy fighting recently between government troops and pro-Russia separatists, with the rebels bragging about shooting down two Ukrainian military jets in the region Wednesday, just a day earlier. U.S. intelligence officials believe the Malaysian plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile.

Abbott told reporters that the idea that Russia can somehow say that none of this has anything to do with them because it happened in Ukrainian airspace "frankly does not stand up to any serious scrutiny." [He's a sock puppet.]

"The initial response of the Russian ambassador was to blame Ukraine for this and I have to say that is deeply, deeply unsatisfactory," he said. "I want to say to the Australian people that as far as I am concerned, when you have a situation where Russian-backed rebels appear to have killed Australians using it may well turn out to be Russian-supplied heavy weaponry, Australia takes a very dim view indeed and we want the fullest possible investigation."

["I have to say" ... LOL ... says it all.

Let's grandstand because Russia didn't provide the response that Tony Abbott's US buddies knew they wouldn't get?  Pathetic grandstanding.  Just for the sake of propaganda. 

Has he no respect for the dead?  Fancy using the deceased for political advantage!
  
As if he seriously expected anything other than the response he got from Russia.]

Abbott said "it's very important that we don't allow Russia to prevent an absolutely comprehensive investigation so that we can find out exactly what happened here." [No indication whatsoever that Russia would or *could* prevent an investigation -- so this is more grandstanding by Abbott, & more besmirching of Russia before the public.  Remember, there's got to be a 'bad guy'.]

"This is not an accident, it's a crime," he said. "And criminals should not be allowed to get away with what they've done. So there has to be a full, impartial international investigation and Russia should certainly not be allowed to stand in the way of that." [TONY ABBOT'S AN IDIOT.  HE WOULDN'T KNOW IF HIS ASS WAS ON FIRE.  HE'S A GRANDSTANDING SOCK PUPPET FOR THE U.S.]

Asked why he was using harsher language than other world leaders in relation to Russia's potential culpability, Abbott replied: "This aircraft didn't come down through accident — it was shot down. It did not crash, it was downed ... over territory controlled by Russian-backed rebels."  [TONY ABBOTT'S BEEN TALKING TO BIDEN.  LOL.]

SOURCE - ABC News - here.

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Daily Mail Article (UK)

Exactly article as ABC Go. 

SOURCE - Daily Mail - here.

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COMMENT

Maybe I'm a cynic, but it sure looks like Abbott is using this tragedy to get some mileage either for himself or for his US masters, grandstanding about demands for an independent enquiry and so on, when Obama has already announced that an independent enquiry will be conducted etc.

Daily Mail is also running the same story as the ABC Go (Disney owned) outlet, so I took a double-take for two reasons:

1)  I couldn't believe the about-face hysteria on Abbotts part.

2)  I discovered that the two whining Abbott articles were exact articles.

More on that later.

What's the bet if the flight in question was the US downed Iran Flight 655, Abbott wouldn't be milking the media opportunity to display his 'outraged' theatrical performance at the US.

Anyway, I'm not convinced by Abbott's melodramatics and I think he ought to carry himself with a bit more dignity than he's shown.

MH17 Ukraine - Why flying over war zone?

The Independent 
Article


...

The jet was travelling east across Ukraine ... co-ordination centre for air-traffic ... said: “This route had been closed by the Ukrainian authorities from ground to flight level 320 [32,000 feet] but was open at the level at which the aircraft was flying.” The plane was flying at the lowest permitted altitude over the area, flight level 330 [33,000 feet], when it disappeared from the radar.

Since the crash, all the airspace of eastern Ukraine has been closed to civil aircraft until further notice. Flight plans submitted by pilots are automatically checked against closed areas of airspace. Eurocontrol said: “All flight plans that are filed using these routes are now being rejected.”

...continued...
SOURCE - The Independent - here.

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COMMENT

Finally, someone addressing why the plane was even flying over a war zone.

Full article is at link provided.


The Independent article mentioned Iran flight 655, so I thought I'd check it out:

Iran Air Flight 655 was an Iran Air civilian passenger flight from Tehran to Dubai that was shot down by the United States Navy guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes on 3 July 1988. The attack took place in Iranian airspace, over Iran's territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, and on the flight's usual flight path. The aircraft, an Airbus A300 B2-203, was destroyed by SM-2MR surface-to-air missiles fired from the Vincennes.

All 290 on board, including 66 children and 16 crew, died.  ... The Vincennes had entered Iranian territorial waters after one of its helicopters drew warning fire from Iranian speedboats operating within Iranian territorial limits.

[Wikipedia]

OMG!
Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and company have nothing to lecture about.
Look at what they're responsible for.

GUARDIAN - MH17 - Hillary Clinton Crows - Action is needed! - Biden Still Yapping

The Guardian Article

MH17: Hillary Clinton says Russian-backed rebels likely shot down plane

Former US secretary of state declares 'Putin has gone too far' as White House criticises Kremlin's arming of Ukraine separatists

    Warren Murray and agencies
    theguardian.com, Friday 18 July 2014 13.41 AEST   

...

A series of remarks by Barack Obama, Joe Biden and John Kerry stopped short of directly blaming pro-Russia rebels for the missile attack on a civilian airliner that killed 298 people.

But Hillary Clinton, the former US secretary of state, was more potent in her statements, saying in a television interview that indications pointed at the Russian-backed side and action was needed to "put [Vladimir] Putin on notice that he has gone too far and we are not going to stand idly by".

Clinton said in an interview with Charlie Rose: "The questions I'd be asking is, number one, who could have shot it down? Who had the equipment? It's obviously an anti-aircraft missile. Who could have had the expertise to do that? Because commercial airlines are big targets, but by the time they got over that part of Ukraine they should have been high, so it takes some planning [to target such a plane].

"And the Ukrainian government has been quick to blame it on terrorists, which is their name for the Russian insurgents. And there does seem to be some growing awareness that it probably had to be Russian insurgents. [More LIES - they're UKRANIANS.  Simple.]

"Now, how we determine that will require some forensics, but then if there is evidence pointing in that direction, the equipment had to have come from Russia. What more the Russians may or may not have done, we don't know.

"Europeans have to be the ones to take the lead on this. It was a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur over European territory. There should be outrage in European capitals."

Joe Biden, the vice-president, said the plane had "apparently had been shot down. Shot down, not an accident. Blown out of the sky."

... article continues...

SOURCE - The Guardian - here.

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COMMENT




And the Guardian is publishing what this proven liar has to say -- why?

Here's a little blast from the past:

Meanwhile, Former Clinton advisor Dick Morris wrote:

 Hillary simply cannot tell the truth. Here's her scorecard:     

Admitted Lies

• Chelsea was jogging around the Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. (She was in bed watching it on TV.)

• Hillary was named after Sir Edmund Hillary. (She admitted she was wrong. He climbed Mt. Everest five years after her birth.)

• She was under sniper fire in Bosnia. (A girl presented her with flowers at the foot of the ramp.)

• She learned in The Wall Street Journal how to make a killing in the futures market. (It didn't cover the market back then.)

SOURCE - Patriot Post US - here.

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If that's not enough, here's Hillary & co on Benghazi:

Townhall.com Article

Hillary Clinton's Big Benghazi Lie
Katie Pavlich | May 08, 2013


 CAPITOL HILL - Testimony given Wednesday on Capitol Hill by Greg Hicks, Benghazi whistleblower and deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Libya, exposed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as a liar.

Hicks, who was on the ground in Libya on September 11, 2012, said Clinton called him around 2 a.m. from Washington to ask "what was going on." Hicks responded by saying the consulate was under attack. He never told her about a protest outside the consulate because there wasn't one.

"The only report that our mission made through every channel was that this was an attack," Hicks said. "No protest."

In his recollection of events the night of September 11, 2012, Hicks stated that U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens called him and said, "We are under attack," just before he was brutally murdered and dragged through the streets. Again, no mention of a protest.

"The video was not instigative of anything that was going on in Libya," Hicks said. "We saw no demonstrations related to the video anywhere in Libya."

Hicks also noted that Twitter feeds were being monitored and showed Ansar al-Sharia took credit for the terrorist attack and had control of the hospital where Ambassador Stevens was taken.

Despite knowing Benghazi was a terrorist attack from the very beginning, after all she was briefed by Hicks who was on the ground, Clinton shamelessly stood in front of the flag draped caskets of dead Americans and blamed a YouTube video anyway. Watch starting at the 6 minute mark. [link to article - here]

    "We've seen rage and violence directed at American embassies over an awful internet video that we had nothing to do with. It is hard for the American people to make sense of that, because it is senseless and totally unacceptable."


 Shortly after, when violence in the Middle East was raging, President Obama in partnership with Hillary Clinton spent $70,000 in taxpayer money on a commercial that aired on Pakistani television apologizing for the "video."

    The American Embassy in Islamabad, in a bid to tamp down public rage over the anti-Islam film produced in the U.S., is spending $70,000 to air an ad on Pakistani television that features President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton denouncing the video.

    The State Department said Thursday the embassy had compiled brief clips of Obama and Clinton rejecting the contents of the movie and extolling American tolerance for all religions into a 30-second public service announcement that is running on seven Pakistani networks. Obama and Clinton's comments, which are from previous public events in Washington, are in English but subtitled in Urdu, the main Pakistani language.

    Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the aim was to get the messages to the widest possible audience in Pakistan, where tens of thousands of protestors angry about the film tried to reach the U.S. embassy before being turned back by Pakistani police. She said embassy staffers had decided the ads were the best way to spread the word. The seven networks have a potential audience of 90 million people, she added.

And then of course, Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice went on five Sunday talk shows to blame the video.

 And so did President Barack Obama and White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.

    "It is in response to a video." -Jay Carney September 14, 2012.


President Barack Obama blamed the irrelevant video in front of the world at the United Nations. Not to mention, Obama  described the man who made the video, who is still in jail after being dragged out of his house and arrested in the middle of the night, a "shadowy character."

    "It was a crude and disgusting video. I have made it clear the United States government had nothing to do with this video."

Hillary Clinton lied, Rice lied, Barack Obama lied, Jay Carney lied, the Obama administration lied. The men in Libya were left to die as military forces were told to stand down.

 Bring on the perjury hearings. What difference does it make? A big difference.

SOURCE - TOWNHALL.COM - here.

---------------------------------------------------------------



How many times has this lying old crow called:  Action is needed?

Some please tell me why she's even getting the time of day?

Pack of liars.

New York Times Opinion - It's all Putin's fault - Biden still yapping

The New York Times Article

Vladimir Putin Can Stop This War
Downing of Malaysia Jet Is a Call to End Ukraine Conflict

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD JULY 17, 2014

Growing casualties on the ground, a major escalation of American sanctions against Russia, a military plane shot down and now the appalling destruction of a Malaysian jetliner with 298 people on board, destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. The Ukrainian conflict has gone on far too long, and it has become far too dangerous.

There is one man who can stop it — President Vladimir Putin of Russia, by telling the Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine to end their insurgency and by stopping the flow of money and heavy weaponry to those groups. But for all his mollifying words and gestures, Mr. Putin has only continued to stoke the flames by failing to shut down those pipelines, failing to support a cease-fire and avoiding serious, internationally mediated negotiations.

President Obama was fully justified in announcing tough new sanctions; the European Union imposed its own less-stringent measures.

It may take a while to fully sort out exactly who is responsible for downing Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine, which Vice President Joseph Biden Jr. said was “blown out of the sky.” American officials said the plane was hit by a Russian-made missile. The pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have denied that they were responsible.

However it happened, it is the worst catastrophe of an increasingly costly and brutal conflict that could and should have ended long ago. If Mr. Putin wanted to make a political point about Russian interests, he made it weeks ago. His sole, cynical interest now is apparently to hurt and punish Ukraine. Mr. Putin and those who support him seem incapable of accepting that their model of government, with all its cronyism, corruption and bullying, is not the one many former Soviet subjects want.  [So they want US cronyism, corruption and bullying?  LOL]

The Russian leaders prefer not to accept that the C.I.A.*did not engineer the preference of many Ukrainians for what they see in the West. They prefer to proclaim that Russia is the victim of American designs and manipulation — a claim Mr. Putin invoked again in response to the sanctions. 

The new sanctions from Washington, which target some of Russia’s largest energy companies and banks and more of its senior officials, are not likely to change Mr. Putin’s mind. But they, along with lesser but still significant European sanctions, should make clear to him that the West will not back down. [The extra-national orgs gang is with you on this?]

And if that fails, how can the innocent victims in the Malaysian jetliner not impress on him that this useless contest must be ended now? [How low can NYT go?]
SOURCE - New York Times - here.

-------------------------------------------
COMMENT


    *Covert United States foreign regime change actions

        1949..........Syrian.coup.d'état
        1953..........Iranian.coup.d'état
        1954..........Guatemalan.coup.d'état
        1959..........Tibetan.uprising
        1961..........Cuba,.Bay.of.Pigs.Invasion
        1963..........South.Vietnamese.coup
        1964..........Brazilian.coup.d'état
        1973..........Chilean.coup.d'état
        1976..........Argentine.coup.d'état
        1979–89....Afghanistan,.Operation.Cyclone
        1980..........Turkish.coup.d'état
        1981–87....Nicaragua,.Contras
        2011–........Syrian.uprising

        [wikipedia]

So now it's up to Putin to solve what they've created?

And the downing of the jet justifies their sanctions?

No mention is made of their real agenda.

Biden gets to yap some more.

And let's pretend it's THE WEST now; not US corporate & strategic agenda that's the driving force in this grab for Ukraine.

The extra-national gang that the US has formed is a great tool; US gets to duck and weave (on a 'my needy European posse' basis) to leverage what Corporate America (& US military strategy) wants -- without having to squarely face off anybody one-on-one or take responsibility (they're hiding behind the skirts of EU, NATO, UN etc).

It's pretty low blaming Russia for what's going on there in Ukraine, and particularly low to try to tarnish the Russians over that downed Malaysian flight.

How about the US pulls out of everywhere it's not wanted around the world?

Naaaah, no chance of that.

Biden yapping will echo around the news stories

Biden says downed jet apparently "blown out of the sky"

Reuters-6 minutes ago

"This is truly a grave situation," Biden said in a speech in Detroit. He said he had ... He spoke by phone to Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko. Speaking of ..

 ------------------------------------
COMMENT

More of Biden's hysteria & propaganda.

Expect this to keep being echoed in news stories.

AUSTRALIA - Tony Abbott comments -- & Biden nips at the heels

Reuters Article

Downing of Malaysian plane 'unspeakable crime' if proven: Australia's Abbott

By Jane Wardell

SYDNEY Thu Jul 17, 2014 6:24pm EDT


(Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said that if the downing of a Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine was a deliberate act, then "it is an unspeakable crime" and the perpetrators must be swiftly brought to justice.

Abbott said on Friday that he believed at least 23 Australians were on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

Abbott was speaking shortly after the European head of Malaysia Airlines said at least 27 Australians were among the 295 passengers on the flight.

If the numbers are confirmed, Australians would represent the second-largest national grouping, behind the Dutch, on the plane that crashed on Thursday.

"It is a very, very sad time, made worse by reports that it might be a crime rather than an accident," Abbott said.

Ukrainian authorities have accused "terrorists" - militants fighting to unite eastern Ukraine with Russia - of shooting down the Boeing 777-200. The rebels denied responsibility.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said the downing of the airliner apparently was "not an accident" and that it was "blown out of the sky". "If it does turn out that this aircraft was brought down by a surface to air missile, there is no doubt that this would be, under those circumstances, an unspeakable crime and the perpetrators should swiftly be brought to justice," Abbott said.

Abbott declined to be drawn on the reason for the crash, saying all reports remained unconfirmed.

"We just have all sorts of reports and claims flying around," he said. "That's all we have at the moment, reports and claims."

Abbott said he planned to speak with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak later on Friday and that Australia would deploy staff to Kiev to assist in an investigation.

Asked if he would still welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin to Australia for the G20 Leaders Summit later this year if Russia were proved to be behind the accident, Abbott hinted there may be repercussions.

"That's a fair question, let's just wait and see exactly what turns out to have happened here," he said.

"But obviously, it is the clear and settled decision of the Australian government that larger countries should not bully smaller ones, that countries should not aid people who are in rebellion against their own government and that international disputes should be settled peacefully in accordance with international law." 

[Does that mean that US & its gang will stop meddling around the world?]

Australia is hosting the G20 Leaders Summit in Brisbane in November.


SOURCE - Reuters - here.

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COMMENT

The more I read the more I'm convinced this is a set up.
Evidence? 
I'm unlikely to believe any evidence that lot comes up with.
Anyone could have shot it down.
Right now there's a fear that arming those in Syria (I think it was), might result in the other side getting their hands on weapons.
Well, who is to say which side had the weapons in the Ukraine and who ultimately fired?
It's just more of the same drama that's been played out worldwide for how long now?


I don't believe anything the US lot are involved in:

Covert United States foreign regime change actions

• 1949..........Syrian.coup.d'état
• 1953..........Iranian.coup.d'état
• 1954..........Guatemalan.coup.d'état
• 1959..........Tibetan.uprising
• 1961..........Cuba,.Bay.of.Pigs.Invasion
• 1963..........South.Vietnamese.coup
• 1964..........Brazilian.coup.d'état
• 1973..........Chilean.coup.d'état
• 1976..........Argentine.coup.d'état
• 1979–89....Afghanistan,.Operation.Cyclone
• 1980..........Turkish.coup.d'état
• 1981–87....Nicaragua,.Contras
• .2011–.......Syrian.uprising

[wikipedia]

Brisbane was probably chosen for the G20 Summit (which attracts protesters) because Brisbane's something of a police state.

If there's protesters, they can expect to have the living crap beaten out of them.

MALAYSIA AIRLINES MH17 - US to assist in investigation - Biden yapping at the heels

Wall Street Journal

2:38 pm ET
Jul 17, 2014

Obama: U.S. Will Assist Malaysia Airlines Crash Investigation


WASHINGTON–President Barack Obama on Thursday said the U.S. would assist in determining the cause of the crash of a Malaysia Airlines plane near the Russia-Ukraine border, telling Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko in a call that evidence at the crash site must “remain in place” until international investigators arrive.

Mr. Obama  called the crash of a Malaysia Airlines ... plane near the Russia-Ukraine border an apparent tragedy. He added he had directed his national security team to stay in close contact with the Ukrainian government.

“The United States will offer any assistance we can to help determine what happened and why,” he said in brief remarks ahead of a planned speech on infrastructure in Delaware, noting officials were trying to determine if American citizens were on board.

“The world is watching reports of a downed passenger near the Russia-Ukraine border,” he said. “And it looks like it may be a terrible tragedy.”

Mr. Obama spoke with Mr.  Poroshenko by phone later to offer “all possible assistance immediately,” the White House said.

Both leaders warned against tampering with the wreckage. “All evidence from the crash site must remain in place on the territory of Ukraine until international investigators are able to examine all aspects of the tragedy,” the White House said.

In another call, Mr. Obama offered condolences to Prime Minister Najib Razak and told the Malaysian leader the U.S. stood ready “to provide any assistance or support necessary,” the White House said

Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday also spoke with Mr. Poroshenko and offered U.S. assistance to determine the cause of crash.

Mr. Biden, speaking at a conference in Detroit, said Mr. Poroshenko had accepted the offer and the U.S. would send a team to Ukraine “to determine what happened.” Additional details, such as timing or the team’s makeup, weren’t immediately available.

Mr. Biden said the plane “apparently had been shot down — shot down, not an accident, blown out of the sky.” He said this “is a truly grave situation” and “there are many questions that need to be answered, and we’ll get those answers and then we’ll take the next steps accordingly.” [Biden's a creep; this is right down his alley.]

U.S. intelligence agencies believe the plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Obama spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin  and reports of the downed jet were briefly discussed. A White House official said the president was also briefed about the crash. The president didn’t note the conversation or conflicting reports of how the plane crashed.

 SOURCE - Wall Street Journal - here.

---------------------------------------------
COMMENT

How fortuitous for Biden.

Guess he's just one really, really lucky guy.

MALAYSIAN FLIGHT MH17 - Australian stock market - set to open lower following international market falls

Australian market set to open lower

By AAP | 18.07.2014 07:03 AM
 

The Australian market looks set to open lower following falls on international markets after a Malaysian airliner crashed in rebel-held east Ukraine in an incident some Ukrainians blame on pro-Russia separatist forces.

SOURCE - thebull.com.au - here.

-------------------------------------

COMMENT

People probably already know this, but this is new to me.
Had no idea how one thing leads to another and affects stock markets around the world.

Business Insider - Russia blames Ukraine & Ukraine et al blame Russia

Business Insider Article

Putin Blames Ukraine For Downing Of Passenger Plane In Pro-Russian Rebel Territory

Russian President Vladimir Putin partially blamed Ukraine for the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane over pro-Russian separatist territory in the east on Thursday, saying it would not have happened if Kiev had not mounted a campaign against the rebels, CNBC reported.

“Without doubt the government of the territory on which it happened bears responsibility for this frightening tragedy,” Putin added, according to Reuters.

Malaysia flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed in the rebel stronghold in Donetsk, just 25 miles from the Russian border. U.S. intelligence agencies confirmed the aircraft carrying 295 people was shot down by a surface-to-air missile.

Shortly after the crash, pro-Russian militants were caught on an audio recording reportedly discussing how they shot down the civilian airliner.

“Ukrainians are blaming the separatists and blaming Russia,” journalist Simon Ostrovsky, who has been covering the crisis in Ukraine for months, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Thursday. “They say that Russia arms the rebels and Russia instructs the rebels.”

Indeed, Russia has funneled arms and support to the separatists for some time, including Buk-M1 missiles, which experts believe was what brought down MH17. Just last month, the U.S. State Department accused Moscow of sending tanks, heavy weapons and rocket launchers, and other military vehicles to the rebels.

“[Ukrainians] have no doubt in their mind this plane was shot down by the pro-Russian separatists,” Ostrovsky said.

SOURCE:  Business Insider - here.

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COMMENT

Don't know what to think.
Story starts off with Russia blaming Ukraine for having responsibility.
But the story is dominated by all parties blaming the East Ukrainians and Russians.

Nobody questioned why the aircraft was over a closed airspace, over a war zone.