Anyone for world peace over endless wars, as well as supporting cooperative Russian/US relations is vulnerable to character assassination attacks.
Am I a “Russian agent”, “asset” or “troll” for explaining hard truths on major domestic and geopolitical issues, for opposing Washington’s destructive imperial agenda, for slamming the notion that might makes right, for working daily for world peace, equity and justice, for being against the US aim to rule the world, risking its destruction by endless wars of aggression against one country after another?
On February 2, Dem Rep. Tulsi Gabbard officially announced her candidacy for US president, after indicating earlier she’d run, saying the following:
“We must stand up…against powerful politicians from both parties who sit in ivory towers thinking up new wars to wage (and) new places for people to die…(treating troops) as political pawns and mercenaries for hire in wars around the world.”
“(T)he issue of war and peace” motivated her to run for president. In spring 2017, she stopped accepting political contributions from US weapons and munitions makers.
She joins a crowded field with numerous other announced Dem aspirants for the nation’s highest office – calling for “end(ing) regime change wars that have taken far too many lives and undermined our security by strengthening terrorist groups like al Qaeda.”
Like virtually all others in Washington, she’s far short of a profile in courage. A former DNC vice chair, she largely votes along party lines, including on issues demanding opposition.
She backs the US-installed putschist regime in Ukraine, saying America can’t stand “idly by while Russia continues to degrade the territorial integrity of” the country.
No “Russian aggression” exists anywhere, or threats against other nations, or meddling in foreign elections. Yet Gabbard urged “more painful (illegal) sanctions” on Moscow.
In 2017, she supported the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), imposing illegal sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea.
She’s on the right side of opposing “counterproductive wars of regime change” – in Syria and elsewhere.
She accused “the US government (of) violating (the) law” by aiding ISIS and al-Qaeda, saying:
“The CIA has…been funneling weapons and money through Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and others who provide direct and indirect support to groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda.”
To her credit, she’s likely a voice in the wilderness in Washington, perhaps the only congressional member publicly stating what’s been going on in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
ISIS, al-Qaeda, its al-Nusra offshoot, and other terrorist groups are US creations, used as proxy troops, serving Washington’s imperial agenda.
For partially challenging longstanding establishment policies, an NBC News character assassination report accused her of serving “Russia’s propaganda machine,” calling her “a controversial Hawaii Democrat,” a “favorite” of Russian websites RT, Sputnik News, and Russia Insider, adding:
Her announcement “may be the first stirrings of an upcoming Russian campaign of support for Gabbard” – accusing her of being “a pawn for Moscow.”
“Gabbard was mentioned on the three sites about twice as often as two of the best known Democratic possibilities for 2020, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.”
She responded to NBC News, saying it “used journalistic fraud to smear any adversary of the establishment wing of the Democratic Party – whether on the left or the right – as a stooge or asset of the Kremlin,” adding:
“(T)he neocon/neolib warmongers will do anything to stop me.”
NBC News used fake news provided by New Knowledge.
It’s a company with longstanding ties to the US National Security Agency and Pentagon, part of the endless Russia bashing campaign, caught red-handed fabricating fake news for undemocratic Dems in last year’s Alabama Senate race, falsely claiming Russian meddling, not a shred of evidence suggesting the Kremlin interfered in foreign elections anywhere.
New Knowledge was involved with Oxford University’s Computational Propaganda Research Project’s (COMPROP) disinformation report on alleged Russian use of social media platforms to help Trump triumph over Hillary.
Cold hard facts debunked the fake news claims. Google explained that accounts linked to Russia spent $4,700 for advertising in 2016.
Facebook said US presidential candidates spent “1000x more than any problematic ads we’ve found” – admitting virtually no evidence of Russian use of the platform for improper meddling.
Twitter found no accounts of “obvious Russian origin.” RT, RT America and RT en Espanol spent $274,100 for 1,823 US ads – none supporting one US presidential aspirant over another.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the total amount spent by candidates for all offices in US 2016 elections was around $6.5 billion, including for primary races.
The amount spent by 2016 presidential aspirants was $2.4 billion, including for primaries. In all races, Republicans and Dems each spent around 48% of the total amount (96% combined).
Trump spent $398 million compared to Hillary’s $768 million, nearly double DLT’s amount.
What possible impact could a minute fraction of these amounts connected to Russia have on their campaigns, especially when their ads supported no US candidates.
No Russian meddling occurred online or any other way, no credible evidence suggesting it, nothing connecting Gabbard to the Kremlin.
As explained above, she supported legislation imposing illegal sanctions on Russia, along with falsely accusing the country of “aggression” in Ukraine.
NBC News stands by its fake news report. Anyone opposing Washington’s imperial agenda is vulnerable to be attacked by US major media, operating as mouthpieces for wealth, power, and privilege.
As long as she remains in the race to become Dem nominee for president, Gabbard will be subjected to vilifying character assassination attacks – falsely connecting her to Russia and likely other damning accusations with no validity.
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Award-winning author Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected]. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG)
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
