PB253

At the risk of upsetting the entire internet, the annexation of those four Ukrainian territories seems like a great time to end this war to me. Does anyone honestly believe a significant percentage of the people who live there want a massive counteroffensive on their doorstep? I don't.

The west knowingly provoked this war, the thing experts warned for years would happen did happen, and now Ukraine lost some territory. Rather than risking millions or billions of lives escalating this conflict, it seems sensible to draw a line under it. You can yell "Putin bad!" and "International law!" all you want, but it's just a cold hard fact that after the annexation the US/NATO/Ukraine tandem is going to be presented with the choice of either ending the bloodshed or massively, massively escalating it. Pretty easy choice, in my opinion.

Reading by Tim Foley.

This Would Be A Wise Stopping Point For This War

The moronic narrative that the invasion of Ukraine was "unprovoked" poses a massive obstacle to peace, because if Putin is just attacking and invading countries solely because he's crazy and evil it means detente is impossible and he won't stop until he's decisively crushed. If it's accepted that the US empire has played no role in provoking Putin's actions, that means there's nothing the empire could do to make continued Russian aggression less likely apart from regime change, or at least severely crippling and punishing Russia militarily.

Reading by Tim Foley.

The Narrative That This War Was "Unprovoked" Prevents Peace

The western political/media class has been dismissing as "conspiracy theories" all claims that the US is likely responsible for last month's sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, even while leveling the exact same accusations against Russia without ever using that term. Which probably says a lot about the way that label has been used over the years, if you think about it.

Reading by Tim Foley.

It's Only A 'Conspiracy Theory' When It Accuses The US Government

None of this would be happening if this proxy war was as just and righteous as its proponents are pretending. If your proxy war demands nonstop perception management at maximum aggression to manufacture public consent for it, your proxy war is probably immoral and bad. If maintaining public support for a proxy war requires nonstop PR spin, aggressive propaganda from the mainstream news media, banning of Russian media, and giant troll information ops amplified by think tanks and government agencies, it probably shouldn't have public support.

If you need to aggressively psychologically manipulate a population to get them to support your agenda, censor their speech, and disrupt their online discourse with astroturf trolling ops, it's because you know your agenda is not something they'd choose to support on their own. If you need to manipulate people into supporting something, it's because it's not worthy of their support, and you know it.

Reading by Tim Foley.

A Good And Righteous Proxy War Wouldn't Need Such Cartoonish PR

We're being driven toward nuclear war on the completely fictional claim that Putin is a Hitler-like megalomaniac who's just invading countries completely unprovoked, solely because he is evil and hates freedom, and won't stop invading and conquering until he's stopped by force.

The news media aren't telling people about the western aggressions which led to this war. They're not telling people the US is keeping this war going with the stated goal of weakening Russia and is rejecting peace talks and refusing to push for peace. All people are being told is that Putin is another Hitler who won't listen to reason and only understands violence. The world's two nuclear superpowers are being pushed closer and closer to direct military confrontation based on a complete fiction which omits mountains of facts.

Reading by Tim Foley.

We're Being Pushed Toward Nuclear War On A Fiction

sunday plains.

78rpm Disc 203: The McNulty Family: Rattigan's Fancy/Blackberry Blossom (reels)

This week's disc again features the melodeon playing of Ann McNulty and the dancing steps of her daughter Eileen. The were recorded in 1942 and released on the Decca label (12258).

From the Ted McGraw Collection, McGraw 78 00-619.

McGraw 78 00-619

The McNulty Family: Rattigan's Fancy/Blackberry Blossom (reels)

My beat for episode 271 of The Producer's Corner

Samwell - Grimey Drip (TPC 271)

Armed with a special guest co-host, our heroes dive into one of the more bizarre holiday specials to lurch out of the 80s.

We Just Watched... ALF's Special Christmas (With Jeff May)

Lose Control 23

Readings of all Caitlin Johnstone's articles, usually by her co-writer Tim Foley.