Bring on Gulf of Tonkin 2, the Niger uranium forgeries, and a whole host of other ‘Merica acting badly events from the folks who thought up Middle East regime change and, lest we forget, STUXNET and other computer crime like Duqu and Flame. Hell, let’s toss in those mysterious undersea cable cuts (to isolate countries/regimes or install data drops – you did know about glimmerglas, right?) while we’re at it…it’s almost time for another serving of them, anyway.
So much for the hyperbole and examples of bullshit behavior that belies how we have abandon the moral high ground (accelerating our decline as a world leader, shades of Rome) and let’s get down to how to stampede ‘Merica into [yet another war] that 60% of the population is dead-set against.
Step 1: Spin to Win
We will likely never know the absolute truth about whether the US had a hand in the chemical weapons use which is alleged to have taken place in Syria. But the US/corporate/mainstream press is not interested in balanced reporting so much as toeing the line. Still, here’s a good summary which lays out in no uncertain terms allegations that the gas attack didn’t happen as reported by the corporate press.
Step 2: Play the Blame Card
Next come headlines like “Confident Syria used chemicals, U.S. Mulls Action.” And don’t miss the headline “Senior Administration Official: ‘Very Little Doubt’ Assad Regime Behind Alleged Chemical Attack.”
Step 3: Hope No One Thinks Things Through
This morning’s latest development is that “U.N. team headed to site of alleged chemical attack comes under sniper fire, turns back.”
Unfortunately for the powersthatbe, what we do a fair amount of around here is turn our brains on. And this morning’s “sniper fire” report and turning back the U.N. team is just dandy because it frames the one question which would tell us the truth of what’s going on:
Step 4: Pending Events
Other than spool up reports that the British Navy is getting set for a first strike on Syria?
We wouldn’t be surprised to head the word spread by spun media that it was rebel fighters who were doing the shooting at the UN inspectors this mroning, but in fact, that’s the $64-billion dollar question of the day. Since the “inquiring minds want to know” logic outlined above is childishly simple, we wait to see how long it will take for the pro-war media to jump on the briefer’s mentioning [on deep background and not for attribution] that the shots were from Syrian forces.
I anticipate that development to come around by this afternoon….but for now the Washington Post coverage reports “The United Nations did not say which side had fired the shots. It urged “all sides .?.?. to extend their cooperation so that the team can safely carry out their important work.”
We’ll keep an eye on oil prices and the previous metals for hints of what’s to come. But for some keen insight into the media war going on before the shooting war drags the West in (or, is that before we smell enough money to be made?) it will be instructive to see where blame comes from and which media labels the snipers first…
Step 5: Keep the Saudi’s Pressing
Take a look at the Wall St. Journal article about how Saudi prince Bandar bin Sultan al-Saud is working to topple the Assad government.
Yep, there’s them Saudis in play, again.
In the Background of Egypt
This from our news analyst fellow in the wilds of Winnipeg:
Dear Mr. Ure,
I wonder if Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood versus military rule fracas obscures the plan. Bear in mind that Egypt’s largest conglomerate with strong interests in media, telecommunications, and construction is owned by a family from the nation’s Coptic religious minority. A while ago the super-yacht set celebrated a member’s birthday in the budding tax haven of Montenegro offering some intriguing dot-connecting opportunities.
Dots hell…what about the legendary casinos? Surely there’s gotta be some dough to recycle there…
More after this…
Fizzle at the Open
A downside initially of about 25 points on the Dow wouldn’t be surprising this morning because of a big miss this morning in the Census Durable Goods report. How big? Well…
New Orders
New orders for manufactured durable goods in July
decreased $17.8 billion or 7.3 percent to $226.6 billion,
the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This
decrease, down following three consecutive monthly
increases and followed a 3.9 percent June increase.
Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 0.6
percent. Excluding defense, new orders decreased 6.7
percent.Transportation equipment, also down following three
consecutive monthly increases, led the decrease, $16.7
billion or 19.4 percent to $69.7 billion. This was led by
nondefense aircraft and parts, which decreased $14.5
billion.Shipments
Shipments of manufactured durable goods in July,
down three of the last four months, decreased $0.8
billion or 0.3 percent to $228.8 billion. This followed a
0.1 percent June decrease.Computers and electronic products, also down three of
the last four months, drove the decrease, $0.9 billion or
3.2 percent to $26.6 billion. This followed a 1.1 percent
June increase.Unfilled Orders
Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in
July, up five of the last six months, increased $4.4
billion or 0.4 percent to $1,034.3 billion. This was at the
highest level since the series was first published on a
NAICS basis in 1992, and followed a 2.1 percent June
increase.
All of which argues for some softness in the market but the big economic story tomorrow morning will be the monthly Case Shiller-S&P Housing report, so we will have that to deal with tomorrow morning.
Spies & Lies Dept: Appalled at ‘Apalachee’
And if you think that’s bad, just wait until you read the revelations about how the US spied on member nation’s UN communications. Apalachee, you’ll read, was the program name under which the US went far beyond looking for terrorists. Seems we went looking for all kinds of useful information. A typical quote from the article:
“…In an internal presentation, the NSA sums up its vision, which is both global and frighteningly ambitious: “information superiority.” To achieve this worldwide dominance, the intelligence agency has launched diverse programs with names like “Dancingoasis,” “Oakstar” and “Prism.” Some of them aim to prevent terrorist attacks, while others target things like arms deliveries, drug trafficking and organized crime. But there are other programs, like “Blarney” and “Rampart-T,” that serve a different purpose: that of traditional espionage targeting foreign governments…”
Of course, I have no quarrel with fighting terrorism, but spying on other nations? Seems to me that again this crosses over from a ‘Merican role as a world leader taking the more high ground to something more base and frankly reminiscent of Don Vito Corleone’s way of doing “binness.”
Oh, and did you notice the Obamanistas are putting up Cass Sunstein (a longtime Fearless Leader favorite) to be on an overnight panel? Yep, I can’t make up headlines as good as the Washington Post on this one, for sure: “Obama pick for NSA review panel wanted paid, pro-government shills in chat rooms.”
In case you didn’t notice (although they use multiple personality software to hide their tracks, but only a bit) they’re out there…
With democracy like this, who needs tyranny?
Mega-Fire
Turning into one of the biggest in the history of the state, that runaway Yosemite fire is going stronger than ever this morning. Some of the details covered well over here, but in the meantime, the real issue is when will the weather and winds cut fire crews a break?
Snoop Proofing the Web?
Want some good news in the wings? Well, try on this report that the Internet Engineering Task Force is looking at ways to have the coming versions of the Web include improvements which will make snooping into your private affairs more difficult…
Still, if you’re a dyed-in-the-wool realist, yeah, this is years off…so for now the Constitutional guarantors of protection from warrantless search are wasted on the ‘net.
Brian’s News Tip
The link is to the article “Jobs, Robots, Capitalism, Inequality, And You and it came with the note:
Sound familiar? Thanks for your work!
Aw, shucks….but that’s why we have the problems we do, I suppose….
