Another reason to question whether that really was Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Worth a relook, especially the section on the "death" of Osama bin Laden as it raises questions about the purported death of Al Baghdadi.

Prince Turki, a moment of your time, please; you see, unlike your Kingdom, where people have utterly no right to either dissent, or to have any choice in those who represent them, there is something to be said about the way in which the US government was originally set up, as a representative government.

It is not that way now, but it used to be.

Yes, this country has a long way to go to deliver on many of its promises to all of its citizens.

But that being said, your Grace, it appears to many Americans that what you are experiencing, in Saudi Arabia, is a moment where intense, unbridaled tribal Feudalism is butting heads heads with 21st century, and the results just look pretty damned ugly, particularly with a 24/7 news cycle, which does, occasionally get it right about your country.

Shall we go over some of those issues, before I get to Yemen, please?!? Gee, I KNEW would understand, Prince; thanks.

Saudi "therapist" advises men on how to beat their wives

Saudi Arabia; 10 reasons why women flee

Religion in Saudi Arabia (where practitioners of other faiths are forced to worship in private, and can get assassinated for attempting to convert a Muslim away from their faith

And of course, there's that wonderful nicety your country's "flavor" of Wahhabism still encourages, that of female genital mutilation.

The Prevelance of Femail Genital Mutialtion in Saudi Arabia

Do I have your attention, right now, Prince Turki?!?

Can you tell me, Your Highness, that NONE of the above is true, with a straight face, when you understand that the entire world, looks at your country aghast, because of its denials of basic human rights, particularly when it comes peaceful freedom of expression; faith; to representative government, and to women?!?

So now, let's "talk turkey", Prince Turki, about your country's latest meltdown, and I am addressing the war in Yemen; three years on, and even with the best US-enabled weaponry and military assistance, you have not been able to get Yemen forces to yield.

In fact, as of late, you have experienced some rather horriific bombings on home turf, which apparently you never expected.

Yemeni women, children, and the medically fragile elderly all are getting assassinated with absolutely zero discrimination; and sir, I will have to tell you, I hate putting up the following images of what life looks like on the ground for the Yemeni people you are killing; but I promise that I will stop posting these the moment you stop assassinating children, women, and the medically infirm in this country, OK?!?

Yemeni Children, getting blown up with Saudi bombs and killed outright, or crippled for life

Yemeni children, dying of hunger, courtesy of Saudi/US Port blockades, so no desperately needed food can come through

Images: Yemeni children dying of cholera, because Yemen's water infrastructure has been destroyed, and the water possibly weaponized

Finally, Prince Turki, I would suggest to you, and this is something you most probably already understand; everything has a life cycle, from people; to governments; to planets; and for the stars themselves.

But I can promise you that history .... will not be particularly kind to you, nor toward the incessantly brutal regime for which you are "carrying water", here in the US.

Oh yes, later this week, the weapons makers will take your money for their bombs, and convince themselves that they have done "something of value" for "stability" in the region; of course, the sheer, stark reality here is, they have done nothing of the kind, except to insure that this genocide in Yemen is going to continue, and God only knows for how long.

So it is fine with me, if you scold our (theoretically) elected government officials, and those corporations they serve; to "get over it" regarding the assassination of Kashoggi and your war in Yemen; as we both understand, any reasonable read of US history suggests that assassinations have been part of statescraft for the US for some time.

but please, sir, do NOT tell me, as a Christian Pacifist Activist to "get over it" when, by collaborating with Saudi Forces in Yemen, this country, whose nationality I share, becomes guilty of war crimes. as it unfortunately has many times over in its history.

What else can we expect from a hideously apartheid, self-declared theocracy with nuclear weapons?!?

This is why the BDS movement needs to move forward, and rapidly; most Israelis speak Hebrew, but are bilingual in economics.

I am hoping that some of the folks I look on as "The Adults in the Room" on geopolitics, will work the phones like crazy to calm the environment down here, and get each country to back off this prelude/dance toward war.

(Russia's President Putin) Vlad, and Sergei (His Foreign Secretary, Lavrov) you gentlemen know what I mean; please.

Such a war would be an absolute and unthinkable horror for not only for the region, but would also most probably set the entire world on fire.

Cui Bono?!?

Who benefits from this unrest?!?

As these demonstrations attest, someone is hell-bent to remove any last facade as to how non brilliantly the US "Pacification" of Iraq has gone, with the country's people experiencing daily slides into more poverty, corruption, and more skirmishes with government officials.

But even these alleged "Elite Units" of the Iraqi Military security forces, are having trouble, holding their own, as witnessed by this article, published barely 24 hours ago:

Anti-Government Protestors Defy Bloody Crackdown in Iraq

And what if these Iraqi forces are unable to put down the unrest, what does the US government's military say to Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s government?!?

It will most probably say, that in light of the fact that Iraq still cannot protect itself from protestors, US troops will remain in Iraq on a (semi) permanent basis.

To whoever wrote this, (who must have "male attributes" of titanium, which click mightily when they walk),an industrial strength, major congrats for calling this what it most probably is; an elaborate hoax, to forward a US corporate/governmental agenda.

Gabbard has been the only one telling the truth about these wars in these debates; and as a combat Vet who has actually SEEN combat, my bets are on her assessments right now.

IF I had the power to do so, I would introduce a national legislation requiring all currently serving members in the House, Senate, and White House, to have their kids drafted first, and serving on the front lines, throughout any war the US may conjure in the future.

When you're playing with the lives of kids whose parents you don't know, and probably never will, that phrase "collateral damage" doesn't mean much, other than an academic whitewash of murder.

And I know this kind of legislation has as much chance of getting passed, and not vetoed, as does pigs discovering that they are aerodynamic.

But I would almost be willing to bet that, if it becomes their kids, or other peoples' kids whose parents they know in Congress or in the Administration, who will be heading up the front lines of these despicable wars for profit, suddenly, we will be finding a multiplicity of other ways to achieve what leadership of the US wants to achieve economically and geopolitically.

What I would suggest to the readers of this blog is, if you do not have a large freezer, now would be the time to get one, perhaps sharing the costs with friends or family or neighbors.

This issue of a protein shortage, coupled with how much US land cannot be planted or harvested in time because of the wicked weather which has bruised many of the areas where arable crops used to be grown, may well lead to massive food insecurity, particularly for the already-pressed on the lower part of the socio-economic spectrum here and elsewhere.

This also means, that you can have a reasonable amount of decent food for yourself and your family before it shoots up astronomically in price, because of its scarceness here.

You may also want to get some full-spectrum vitamins (non-GMO) for yourself and your family, to make sure that they are getting a reasonably decent supply.

I know that our vegetarian readers look at rice and beans, as the major protein sources for them; and you can, now, get some great, in fact, gourmet recipes in this direction.

But if there was ever a time in our lives, when prepping made totally logical sense, that moment has to be now.

(Sigh) To the legal-eagle minions surrounding President Trump who have advised him that this is a completely reasonable; lawful; and moral; why the hell are you feeding the man this codswallop that this is a perfectly legal thing to do, under international law?!?

Can Trump's real supporters who actually care about Trump's "legacy" as President, PLEASE, gently remove these people from Trump's presence, and put them into the " Rubber Room Wing" of the White House (it's GOT to have one, by now), feed them brilliantly, keep them comfortable and healthy, but primarily safe from expounding upon any position on international law for, oh...let's say... the next one hundred years or so?!?

Because my big question on this planned US move, is to ask Russia's President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov, precisely what they are going to do about this, to disabuse President Trump from this notion that it is perfectly swell to do this to a sovereign country with which we are not (at the moment) at war?!?

Lord, PLEASE tell me that Trump is not ready to march into Syria for its oil, only to encounter a shooting war with the Russians; the US military does not have the money; the manufacturing; the weaponry; or the troop strength, to bring a successful outcome to a conventional war with Russia over Syria's oil.

There are a number of things I find very disturbing in the narrative, including, of course, that this is the 6th time this guy has allegedly been killed; and again, killed by being blown to smithereens, courtesy of the US attack team, coupled by the effects of the explosive belt he was allegedly wearing at the time.

How would the US have confirmed that it was actually him, without dental records, or DNA?!?

One has to confess, that comparing the earlier pics of the guy, more current images suggest that he had turned into rather one very heavy, if not morbidly obese, person; so my question is, was it the same person as the person who was depicted in those earlier photos?!?

But what about the kids he allegedly killed with him?!? Are these children merely collateral damage, and no one knew quite who they were, or what their relationship with Al Baghdadi was?!?

And of course, underlying my concerns here, is the reality, that whoever President Obama got shot up, in Abbotabad, Pakistan, was NOT Bin Laden; the guy died of natural causes in December of 2001.

Bin Laden died in Afghanistan in 2001, not in 2011 in Pakistan: American scholar

Osama Bin Laden has been dead since December 2001

And it is very interesting to me, what was done with what should have been "evidence" from the alleged hit on Bin Laden in Abbotabad, Pakistan: if, in fact, the US military got "the right person" here, why would these images be subject to a purge?!?

This article goes on to state:

"US military chief ordered his subordinates to destroy any photographs of Osama bin Laden's body or give them to the CIA. Eleven days after the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011, the US military's top special operations officer ordered subordinates to destroy any photographs of the al-Qaida founder's corpse or turn them over to the CIA, according to a newly released email.

The email was obtained under a freedom of information request by the conservative legal group Judicial Watch. The document, released on Monday by the group, shows that Admiral William McRaven, who heads the US Special Operations Command, told military officers on 13 May 2011 that photos of Bin Laden's remains should have been sent to the CIA or already destroyed. Bin Laden was killed by a special ops team in Pakistan on 2 May 2011.

McRaven's order to purge the bin Laden material came 10 days after the Associated Press asked for the photos and other documents under the US Freedom of Information Act. Typically, when a freedom of information request is filed to a government agency under the Federal Records Act, the agency is obliged to preserve the material sought – even if the agency later denies the request."

I am almost ready to bet, that if any FOIAs come forward for the alleged (and of course, 6th, definitive) assassination of Al Baghdadi come forward, that we can look at a purge of any imagery which President Trump may have actually viewed from the Situation Room.

After all, Americans have become singularly accustomed to its government lying to them, to start wars and/or occupations of places with specific, extensive natural resources ; it will be interesting to see where President Trump and his "Spin Cycle Team", take this.

And a companion piece, also at blacklistednews.com, has this take on the alleged assassination:

"NO PROOF": RUSSIA DISMISSES TRUMP'S BAGHDADI VICTORY LAP AS ‘PROPAGANDA’ The article goes on to state: "SOURCE: ZERO HEDGE
Moscow is dismissing President Trump's celebratory statements on the US special forces raid which allegedly killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as but premature 'propaganda'.

Detailing some of the dismissive statements to come out of Russia hours following the major White House announcement of the terror's leader's death — or what's become the Trump administration's own "bin Laden moment" — The Daily Beast cites Russian state TV correspondent in the United States Denis Davydov as saying “Trump has elections coming up in a year and this announcement of al-Baghdadi’s liquidation will add some points for the Commander-in-Chief.”

To anyone on any medical device requiring electricity in the affected areas; you need to call the medical professional who prescribed this for you, and ask what "back-up plan" should be.

Were it me, in some area like this, I would really think hard and fast about getting a generator, to prevent any disruption in what the device did for me.

I never used to believe that I lived in a country where war criminals ruled; now, it is impossible for me to believe otherwise.

Our Presidents have, through the on-going corruption of the military industrial complex, aligned with other influences (such as Tel Aviv, wanting the US to take down every government it doesn't like in the Middle East, which means all of them) US Presidents have become War Criminals of the highest order, including President Obama; he was just a little more shifty about it than an is "in your face" Trump Administration.

Obama Officials Incomplete Reconing on their Failure in Yemen.

President Obama Could End the Killing in Yemen in Hours

America should see Saudi Arabia's War on Yemen, and the real horror of it

As a Christian Pacifist Activist, I will never advocate violence; that being said, I have grave concerns about just how Barr's programs intend to "work around" both the US Constitution and Bill of Rights, to accomplish the goals of Barr's programs.

And this.... is one of the "best options" the DNC believes it has with which to clobber President Trump in November of 2020?!?

Tom Perez, where the hell are you, when the facts of the matter speak for themselves?!?

Don't worry; in light of the fact of how owned Congress is by Big Pharma, the result will (almost always) be higher prices for drugs which come along with a staggering number of side effects, making taking that medication an almost death-defying experience for most patients.

One of the issues conveniently left out of this analysis is, how long will Russia wait to disabuse President Trump over the statement he has made about "controlling Syria's oil"?!?

I am not a betting person, but I would almost be willing to bet, not for long.

(Sigh) Dear Trump Administration; your timing could have possibly been worse on this issue, but I do not know how.

The festering relationship between India and Pakistan, over the status of Kashmir, appears to be coming to a head; both are nuclear armed countries.

We see this, published just a couple of weeks ago from the asiaforum.com:

China remains Pakistan’s key partner
12 October 2019 The article goes on to state:

'While meeting with a visiting Chinese military delegation led by General Xu Qiliang, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan termed ties with China an ‘anchor for regional stability’. The visit of the military delegation came amidst rising India–Pakistan tensions over India’s unilateral revocation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, stripping Indian-controlled Kashmir of its autonomy. The action led to a series of measures by China and Pakistan, again proving China to be Pakistan’s irreplaceable ally.'

IF in fact, the above is true, where do you think that India will go for their nuclear control switches?!? Russia, perhaps?!?

And are you thoroughly unable to fathom the fact that when the US pulls away on something like these controls, nature abhors a vacuum, and there will be another country more than willing to help india achieve its goal, legally, or illegally?

I am having a palm to forehead moment right now, at velocity, upon reading this.

Absoflippinglutely unbelievable, but yet it happened... under Obama's watch.

As long as these institutional jackals, who are supposed to be political- party neutral, continue to play with the lives of people in power in DC, in order to perpetuate their little games of "GOTYA!! politics, We the People have utterly zero representation whatsoever.

This absolutely sickens me, the way in which Democratic "Apparatchiks" care so little about the people of this country, that they find their game so all-consuming (and consuming of our alleged representatives' time ) that it is given the highest priority within their agency.

Henceforward, the acronym FBI will be the abbreviation for Federal Bureau of Incompetence; they have just utterly tarred the reputation of the agency, in a way from which it may never really recover.

When you were a kid, did you ever imagine that the FBI would simply make something up, and lie to Congress and/or the American people, in order to throw a couple of individuals under the proverbial bus, as the old phrase goes?!?

Funny; neither did I.

Good; this appeared to have been peaceful; but ripping off former workers in this way is unconscionable in the extreme.

The effects of these demonstrations remind me of the US government's push to confiscate all US fire-arms, to make the coming "pacification" of Americans more "easy" for government officials; looking at the anger and frustration so many Americans are experiencing right now, I somehow wouldn't hold my breath, that such actions are ultimately going to have the desired effects.

Mr. President, a word, please; neither the United States, nor Israel, has the right to invade a sovereign country, and profit from its natural resources, to keep its government from using its natural resources for reconstruction.

And whoever gave you any cock-eyed notion that this was either legal, or moral, should be crate-trained, like a little puppy, so as not to let its foulness further pollute the already criminal opinion so many, both around the world, and within this country, have of the US government right now.

When I was a kid, and easily impressed by public school propaganda, I used to believe that this country would, or could, do no wrong; then came the VietNam War, and I have never been able to trust this government ever since.

And it has not been helping that ever since your inauguration in 2017, you have added a new, and truly ignoble title, to that of the Office of the President of the United States: The United States' Merchant of Death in Chief, a role you obviously relish, particularly with regard to the Saudi monarchy and government, with which the US military and government are deeply "in bed", through the continuation, and aiding and abetting, of Saudi war crimes in Yemen.

When I was a kid, I could never have imagined that I would be living in a country run by war criminals; unfortunately, that has absolutely become the case with the Unhinged, Surveilled State of Amerika, and one can vote, and vote, and vote, hoping and praying something will change, yet nothing ever does; it is simply a case of which war criminals are in power at any given time.

I had so hoped, during the last election cycle, that your administration would, somehow, be different, given your campaign rhetoric, and that those promises about being less war-centric, as a method for the US government to achieve what it wanted, both geopolitically, and financially, might possibly be honored.

They have not been honored, no will they be in the future; simply put, you are just another frightful, massively disappointing caricature of a politician, driven by your obscene obeisance to Tel Aviv, and the financial desires of the people in the military/industrial complex, who surround you. and advise you.

But a question which should be keeping both you, and your advisors, up nights is the following; what is Putin's Russia going to do to keep this oil theft from becoming permanent?!? Mr. President, are you and your advisors ready to bring this country to war against Russia, for defending Syria's sovereignty?!?

How in the world would Reuters know that the killings were done by "an Iranian-backed militia"?!?

The short answer is, they don't; Iran was simply a convenient country to blame for this escalation in violence.

Were I a betting woman, I would almost be willing to bet that those militia members doing the shooting and killing, were either American or Israeli military; this would be "the justification" for stopping the American withdrawal from the country, as its leadership is currently demanding.

Could it have been some of Muktada Al Sadr's people, former members of his Mahdi Army, which gave the US and Debathified Sunni militias such grief after the fall of Saddam Hussein?!? Possibly.

But again, why would Al Sadr's people give the US its excuse for staying in-country?!?

The guy may be many things, but stupid is absolutely not one of them; the fact that he is still breathing air, readily testifies to his mental acuity.

That last paragraph, regarding "Syrian territorial integrity", is nothing less than a miracle here.

But I am very concerned that President Trump has decided to leave US military to guard the oil fields from ISIS; one has to wonder just how soon we may see one, or many, shooting incidents against both Turkish and Russian military.

I am not holding my breath right now, that the US government and military do not want a confrontation here; but again, if that is not the case, why are they not bringing our troops in Syria home?!?

Military action from one NATO member against another, cannot be good for the organization's image, or that of the US for that matter.

And it appears that the President has absolutely no "plan B", if the situation of unwanted troops on Syrian soil brings the shooting war to a head.

Mr. Coughlin, a word, please.

We know who you are and what you represent; The Gatestone Institute The Wikipedia article goes on to state:

'Gatestone Institute is a conservative think tank with a focus on Islam and the Middle East. It was founded in 2008 by Nina Rosenwald, who serves as its president. Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former national security advisor, John R. Bolton, was its chairman from 2013 to March 2018.'

First, I would like to politely ask just what NATO should do with Turkey at this time?!? Invade, perhaps, with Russia coming in to assist the Turks, as they did so remarkably well with Bashar Al Assad's Syria?!?

And what, sir, about the US nuclear missiles, still held at Incirkik?!? Would you suggest some kind of decap strike through which to secure them, then take a beeline out of Turkey, to store them "somewhere safe"?

It looks like the nearest NATO country, and relatively new to NATO participation, is Bulgaria Map: Turkey and Surrounding Countries

We are looking at a nearly 2 hours in, and two hours out; this is way too long to insure safely getting in, and getting out, of Turkey, without affecting a successful decap strike on Istanbul first; at what cost to NATO and Turkish military personnel, Mr. Coughlin?!?

Apparently, Mr. Coughlin has a difficult time getting how NATO has really been ignoring Turkey, as it continues surrounding Russia with NATO troops and equipment in both Europe, and particularly in former Communist entities:

US boosts number of high-precision weapons in sea waters surrounding Russia – Navy chief

Amid rising tensions, NATO chief pitches confrontation with Russia to US Congress

Preperations for War: NATO/US Intelligence Activities Increase around Russian Border

Folks, just because something would be the most ham-fistedly, pig-headedly stupid thing for NATO and the US to do, regarding Russia, is utterly zero guarantee that they won't do it.

And I would like to also politely remind Mr. Coughlin, that the US was attempting to sell Erdogan, his Military, and all of Turkey on a still-flawed, horribly dysfunctional defense system in the F-35 fighter.

F35 Flaws are being hidden, so LOCKHEED-MARTIN can declare that the development phase is done.

Pentagon is battling the clock to fix serious, hither-to, unreported F-35 problems

F-35 Fighter Jets Face Serious Flaws, Report Finds

F-35 faces most critical test

And forgive me, Mr. Coughlin, but why in the name of Heaven, is the US President Trump attempting to "sell" our NATO ally, Edrogan's Turkey, on the concept of buying these still very flawed fighters, when the world has seen precisely how wonderful the Russian S-400 defensive system has worked in Syria?

The point is, sir, when the US and NATO push Turkey away from them, Turkey is going to behave as the one which has been slighted here; that no one in the State Department, Pentagon, or White House saw this coming, was absolutely a catastrophic failure of imagination on their part.

When you hear or see a major bank write, or utter, words like this, it is time to get truly serious about making certain you have only enough cash in the bank to pay the bills, and find ways to invest, other than the US dollar.

But if the Dutch Central Bank is moving their gold reserves to a secured military facility, it appears that they are just about as serious about this as is a heart attack.

Forgive me, but have the writers of this "report" been channeling Al Gore's and Greta Thunberg's writings, using a dart board to determine what to include, and what to exclude?!?

Because what this feels like, from our Military, is another pitiful bid for yet more money for their already-bloated, unaccountable programs, trying to drum up sympathy by using the "climate change ruse", when they cannot prove just precisely what was done for the last budget round by Congress.

I would like to politely mention that, to get what it wants, geopolitically and economically, China makes trade deals and agreements; to get what it wants, geopolitically and economically, the US government rains down war and death.

What is wrong with this picture?!? BLOODY EVERYTHING, FOLKS!!

Prayers for all affected here, and also that the professional and volunteer fire fighters involved can get this blaze out.

But if, in fact, PG & E can be proven culpable, they should be sued out of existence, broken up, and become a true utility company, dedicated to service for all California.

There is a sister article posted, also at zerohedge.com, which deserves some attention as well, and that is:

"My House Could Be Burning Right Now; Los Angeles-menaced by wildfires, burning across California

(Sigh) Vice-President Pence, a word, sir, please; I seem to have read a Biblical injunction about "taking the moat out of one own's eye, before removing it from someone else's" (this can actually be found as follows: Matthew 7:5)

The US record on human rights, both at home and abroad, has not been stellar, and I hate it when someone who's political system I despise, does hit the nail on the head, as has this person, Ms. Hua Chunying, done.

Ethnic tensions, particularly in our inner cities, still run horrifically high; a gold standard for education, which educates all of our kids to be numerate, literate, good with money, and brilliantly capable of critical thinking, is just not there.

The only thing our kids seem to be groomed for, is how to be content consumers, of both the political codswallop they are force-fed, and wanting "stuff" which will inevitably put them into an horrific debt situation, which their leadership extols as the "new normal."

And please do not have the inimitable gall and hubris, Mr. Vice President, of calling China "racist", when our inner city kids bear the brunt of some really bad decisions made in the Bowels of Power in DC, which include wars for economic gain, in which many of them have fought, and will be fighting, due to the "economic draft" they face, because they never got the skills in school to get out of that trap.

And the hell of this is, sir, that you know that you and your cronies are completely satisfied that it will never be YOUR kids who will have to go through this "economic draft" because of the huge power of sheer nepotism nearly all of you can wave at the world, and have them do your bidding.

Just ask Hunter and Joe Biden about that, if you do not believe me, sir.

My late Father was a Democrat; to see the twists, turns, and machinations of a party which got thieving, lying Bill Clinton elected as President for two terms, and attempted to run his wife, Hellary, all over any other possible candidate in 2016, were he alive to see this, would surely have broken his heart.

I wish Gabbard well; she is nearly the only Congressional Representative for whom I have a modicum of respect.

This... is about to get interesting :-)