Open Thread - 7 September 2016

  pl

Comments

[Walter]

Driving to work this morning and NPR reporting Syrian regime dropped chlorine bombs twice on Aleppo.

[turcopolier]

Walter

IMO the chlorine barrel bomb thing is yet another version of the East Ghouta sarin attack propaganda meme. pl

[Castellio]

For those who haven't read it yet, this may be of some interest: http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/09/07/has-israel-effectively-colonized-the-united-states/

His first paragraph: "We normally think of colonizers as large countries, and the colonized as smaller and weaker nations. But this is not always the case. Colonization does not require occupation. It merely requires the subjugation of the colonized. With ambition, superior information and calculation, and the right mindset, smaller nations can (and have in the past) colonized and dominated larger and nominally more powerful countries."

[turcopolier]

All

http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/79301/hillary-parkinsons-disease/

I continue to think that Trump/Clinton/Kaine/Pence should all have comprehensive physical and psychological exams at somewhere neutral like the Mayo Clinic. pl

[Eric Newhill]

Sir, Absolutely. Did you catch this clip of Hillary over the past weekend in Cincinnati? The coughing is getting worse - and this was when she first came out on stage, fresh. If she does this during the debates, she's in trouble.
https://www.conservativeoutfitters.com/blogs/news/watch-hillary-clintons-violent-cough-strikes-again-in-ohio-video

Not being a completely heartless person, I kind of feel sorry for her. One possibility is that she is postponing a medical procedure that would leave her unable to speak for a while, but that should be done. OTOH, if that is the case, she is doing the republic a disservice to attempt to achieve her personal goals.

[Will]

good, an open thread. a little history and etymology. Jarablus=Europos. In classical Latin the J was pronounced as a y. And some semitic languages lost the p sound, as seen in Butrus=Petros (Peter) or Boulos=Paulus (Paul).

"Carchemish (/kɑːrˈkɛm.ɪʃ/ US dict: kär-kĕm´ĭsh), also spelled Karkemish (Hittite: Karkamiš;[1] Turkish: Karkamış; Greek: Εὔρωπος; Latin: Europus), was an important ancient capital in the northern part of the region of Syria. At times during its history the city was independent, but it was also part of the Mitanni, Hittite and Neo-Assyrian Empires. Today it is on the frontier between Turkey and Syria.
It was the location of an important battle between the Babylonians and Egyptians, mentioned in the Bible (Jer. 46:2). Modern neighbouring cities are Karkamış in Turkey and Jarabulus in Syria (also Djerablus, Jerablus, Jarablos, Jarâblos) [5]; the original form of the modern toponym seems to have been Djerabis or Jerabis, likely derived from Europos, the ancient name of the Hellenistic-Roman settlement."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carchemish

The Assyrians had liberated the Egyptians from the 25th Nubian dynasty and had a good relationship w/ Assyria. So, they made a long journey to try to help them, though unsuccessful. On their way there, they had a little fracas in Palestine. This is the basis for "Armageddon."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Megiddo_(609_BC)

The Assyrians spoke Aramaic. The Babylonians spoke a congnate language, Akkadian. But Aramaic had become the lingua franca of the Middle East. Jesus spoke Aramaic. The Persians had retained Aramaic from the Babylonians as the administrative language of their empire and spread it far and wide. Aramaic is still spoken in some Christian villages in Syria. At least one was recently in the custody of the head-choppers. "On 14 April 2014, with the help of Hezbollah, the Syrian Army once more took control of Ma'loula. "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma%27loula

Syriac is a related language to Aramaic and is used in liturgy of some of the Eastern Churches and spoken by the Assyrian Christians.

There are some that maintain that Levantine language (the language of Lebanon, Syria, and the autochthonous Palestinians) has as strong a connection to Aramaic as to Arabic.

The Maronite monks in the 16th Century printed the first Arabic Christian texts but transcribed them in Syriac. The Ottomans/Osmanlis had forbidden the printing of Arabic b/c as a holy language it should only be scripted by human hands. Eventually, the Monks were able to set up an Arabic printing press. And to all those that conceptualize a war b/n Yahweh and Allah. The Arab Christians use the term Allah for God also. By definition, there is only one Supreme Being- guess he/she can have different aspects. Interesting that Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir was the Maronite Patriarch at the same time that Sayed Hassan Nasrallah was the leader of the Lebanese Shia. Both names incorporate the name "Allah."

The Syriac script has much progeny- Hebrew script, Arabic script, Hindu script, and even Mongolian script.

In discussing Arabic and Aramaic, guess one should always mention the controversy whether the 72 virgins of paradise is a linguistic misunderstanding of a Syriac hymn.

[MRW]

Think Britain.

[LeaNder]

Archive.org does not conserve the historical traces of Obamaorg.com. I noticed. I wish could check on how exactly East Asia surfaced on his Foreign Policy in his 2008 election. Unfortunately/Predictably? it has been erased on Archive.org. ...

http://web.archive.org/web/*/barakobama.org

Does anyone recall having taken a look at the time no matter in which camp.

[David]

A disservice to the republic from a Clinton is certainly not unprecedented.

Personally, I think both Clinton and Trump are doing the country an enormous disservice by running for President.

This s a truly depressing election cycle.

Regards,

David

[MRW]

Colonel,

You’re not alone. Vanessa Beeley is turning out to be one of the only independent journalists reporting from Syria whose observations I trust.

‘White Helmets’: New Breed of Mercenaries and Propagandists, Disguised as ‘Humanitarians’ in Syria by Vanessa Beeley, September 1, 2016
http://21stcenturywire.com/2015/09/01/white-helmets-new-breed-of-mercenaries-and-propagandists-disguised-as-humanitarians-in-syria/

In this article, Beeley references Rick Sterling’s excellent 2015 article Seven Steps of Highly Effective Manipulators—White Helmets, Avaaz, Nicholas Kristof and Syria No Fly Zone. Sterling traces the propaganda flow and names names. He exposes that ultra-lefty (supposedly) organization AVAAZ, the one that inundates inboxes with petitions and requests for donations on a variety of humanitarian causes. Sterling says their spin-off is for hire, and explains how. AVAAZ was co-founded by MoveOn.org, which Soros funds. AVAAZ issues have captured the imagination of many politically active and equally ignorant campus groups.

“b” of Moon of Alabama (and SST commenter) is onto the White Helmets. He has been writing about them for some time.

These two articles show that your opinion that its just more propaganda is more concrete than that. It’s fact.

For those interested, here’s another article to read. I did watch the video. I also downloaded it. I want to preserve it to show my younger relatives when their bobble-headed mouths parrot the crap they hear on teevee or read on Facebook about Syria. This article quotes some of the more salient moments from that video, but I found the video moving nonetheless and worth watching.
"Must see video: US Peace Council returns from Syria, a country fighting 'invasion by the most powerful country in the world' —The campaign to confuse the American people has been intense, but one thing is sure, Syria is fighting an invasion, not a civil war."
http://theduran.com/must-see-video-us-peace-council-returns-syria-county-fighting-invasion-most-powerful-country-world/

[jonst]

Did anybody see Mika interviewing Sen Corker this AM? Fascinating viewing.

[MRW]

As Jihadis lose in Aleppo, stories of ‘barrel bombs’ and ‘chlorine gas’ appear as if on cue
http://theduran.com/as-jihadis-lose-in-aleppo-stories-of-barrel-bombs-and-chlorine-gas-appear-as-if-on-cue/

[Joe100]

I found the video and written assessment compelling. More detailed incident observations and a consistent framework to place them in compared with some earlier speculation on HRC's health.

If this is accurate, I wonder if HRC will come up with some reason to duck the debates..

If anyone in the SST community has substantial Parkinson's disease knowledge, I would be curious what their take is on this speculation.

[Matthew]

Oh, my. We just won’t stop insulting the Russians’ intelligence.

See “https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-administration-says-deal-with-russia-over-syria-at-make-or-break-moment/2016/09/07/14d24c24-750a-11e6-8149-b8d05321db62_story.html?tid=sm_tw

Money quote:

“The proposal calls for a cease-fire in civil war fighting throughout the country, including in and around the besieged city of Aleppo, and the safe, sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance. Once the truce is in place for a specified time period, the Syrian air force is to be officially grounded. Then the United States and Russia are to initiate a joint air campaign against counterterrorism targets.”

[The Beaver]

Thank you Will

On one of the fora that I go to, there were some dual nationals from the US who keep telling us that Palestine is a new word and that it didn't exist before. Someone, who is Lebanese, told them that the letter "p" does not exist in the Arabic language and that's why Frank Lund and his employer, the Ministry of Information in TVL are in error.

I guess the Hasbara crowd don't know Arabic that much ( thus makes one wonder how MEMRI can translate Arabic for whomever is willing to pay) them)

[The Beaver]

LeaNder

Do you mean this one:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jul/16/uselections2008.barackobama

[Haralambos]

Thank you for this. You have provided much background for me to digest.

[MRW]

I think it’s great. It has the country energized and polarized, even if it’s negative. I think we will see this reflected in the number of Americans who tune into the debates, which I predict will be unprecedented. And that is a good thing.

There’s always a lot of gnashing of teeth when someone breaks a mold. And it ought to give somnambulant American intellectuals and poobahs pause about their certainty about the future. (Neoliberal economics and Global Warming being two searing examples.) The future cannot be determined on the probability distributions of the past. Uncertainty reigns during disruptive times, and this is one of those times. We cannot estimate what will happen; we do not have any basis to know because it’s not known yet. There is no calculable probability in disruptive times and those who claim it are fools. (Probability gives you a basis to estimate chances, risks, but this is only possible during stable times—or when the results of the variables are measurable, like a deck of cards—and we ain’t in one.)

[Peter]

Pure comedy

[LeeG]

Any significance to Saudi Arabia's ban on Iranians from participating in the hajj?

[Castellio]

Thanks.

Where is there made a clear representation of the "linguistic misunderstanding of a Syriac hymn."

[Imagine]

Kamikaze Mercedes takes out BMW said to be of Putin's favorite driver, RIP:
https://www.rt.com/in-motion/358535-high-speed-car-crash/

Millenium Report alleges it was done on purpose:
http://themillenniumreport.com/2016/09/did-the-neocon-criminal-cabal-just-send-a-message-to-president-vladimir-putin/

As this was done by the car crossing a busy undivided highway, it would require split-second coordinated timing to pick out the exact right target, plus a suicidal driver. Very difficult shot, and probably many easier ways to make a statement.

So I suspect it's more likely that this was a freak random accident.
But I don't know the craft. What do you think?

[Allen Thomson]

Any comments on the latest tranche of Snowdenalia?

https://theintercept.com/2016/09/06/nsa-menwith-hill-targeted-killing-surveillance/

I think it's unfortunate that it concentrates on NSA activities that seem to be doing useful service against the Islamists. Probably not much that, at least in the abstract, they didn't already know, but reminding them of it can't help.

And, does anyone recognize the city in the satellite picture in the article? The date, time and shadow angles suggest that it's in the AfPak area.

[turcopolier]

jonst

I did. Her behavior reminded me of a not too smart college girl throwing a fit because the boys won't accept her opinions. pl

[turcopolier]

jonst et al

If you enjowyed Mika tis AM I just watched the neocon asshole Chuck Todd and his equally asshole like pal Max Boot assert on the deck of USS Intrepid, an Essex Class carrier, that Russia has not changed n a thousand years and that they must be punished for collecting SIGINT in the US because this was supposedly a violation of "the rules." What rules? Do we not collect against Russia and everyone else. McCaffery and Jack Jacobs tried to slow this neocon avalanche down but without much success, after all, they work at MSNBC. Someone suggested t me that neocon hostility to Russia has something to do with Tsarist pograms. It sounded plausible in this display. pl