Saturday, July 2, 2016

Hacked Emails Confirm NATO To Provoke Conflict With Russia, U.S. Has Another Close Call With Russian Ship



Hacked Emails Confirm NATO Push To Provoke, Escalate Conflict With Russia | Zero Hedge



Just two weeks ago, a huge scandal erupted within another 'union' as Germany slammed NATO for "warmongering" destroying the fictional narrative that 'innocent' NATO was merely reacting to evil Russian provocations. Furthermore, as NATO accelerated its encirclement of Russia, with British soldiers deployed in Estonia, US soldiers operating in Latvia and Canadians in Poland, while combat units are being increased in the Mediterranean... 


NATO found another excuse for war, assessing that it may now have grounds to attack Russia when it announced that if a NATO member country becomes the victim of a cyber attack by persons in a non-NATO country such as Russia or China, then NATO’s Article V “collective defense” provision requires each NATO member country to join that NATO member country if it decides to strike back against the attacking country.


Now, as The Intercept's Zaid Jilani and Lee Fang expose, retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove (yes an ironic name for a warmonger), until recently the supreme commander of NATO forces in Europe, plotted in private to overcome President Barack Obama’s reluctance to escalate military tensions with Russiaover the war in Ukraine in 2014, according to apparently hacked emails from Breedlove’s Gmail accountthat were posted on a new website called DC Leaks.


Der Spiegel reported that Breedlove “stunned” German leaders with a surprise announcement in 2015 claiming that pro-Russian separatists had “upped the ante” in eastern Ukraine with “well over a thousand combat vehicles, Russian combat forces, some of the most sophisticated air defense, battalions of artillery” sent to Donbass, a center of the conflict.

Breedlove’s numbers were “significantly higher” than the figures known to NATO intelligence agencies and seemed exaggerated to German officials. The announcement appeared to be a provocation designed to disrupt mediation efforts led by Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In previous instances, German officials believed Breedlove overestimated Russian forces along the border with Ukraine by as many as 20,000 troops and found that the general had falsely claimed that several Russian military assets near the Ukrainian border were part of a special build-up in preparation for a large-scale invasion of the country. In fact, much of the Russian military equipment identified by Breedlove, the Germans said, had been stored there well before the revolution in Ukraine.

The emails, however, depict a desperate search by Breedlove to build his case for escalating the conflict, contacting colleagues and friends for intelligence to illustrate the Russian threat. Karber, who visited Ukrainian politicians and officials in Kiev on several occasions, sent frequent messages to Breedlove — “per your request,” he noted — regarding information he had received about separatist military forces and Russian troop movements. In several updates, Breedlove received military data sourced from Twitter and social media.

Karber, the president of the Potomac Foundation, became the center of a related scandal last year when it was discovered that he had facilitated a meeting during which images of purported Russian forces in Ukraine were distributed to the office of Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., and were published by a neoconservative blog. The pictures turned out to be a deception; one supposed picture of Russian tanks in Ukraine was, in fact, an old photograph of Russian tanks in Ossetia during the war with Georgia.

Breedlove stayed in close contact with Karber and other officials who shared his views on the Ukrainian conflict.

“Phil, can’t we get a statement to counteract the Russians on use of force? what can I do to help? If the Ukrainians lose control of the narrative, the Russians will see it as an open door,” wrote retired Gen. Wesley Clark, who forwarded on his messages with Victoria Nuland, the assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. He also passed along concerns from the Bulgarian president that Bulgaria might be Russia’s next target.

In other messages, Clark relayed specific requests for the types of military aid desired by Ukrainian officials. In addition to radar systems and other forms of military equipment, Clark recommended that Breedlove “encourage Ukraine to hire some first rate pr firms and crisis communications firms in U.S. and Europe.” He added, “They need the right tools to engage in information warfare.”

Ukraine did hire several D.C. lobbying and communication firms to influence policymakers.In June 2015, the government signed a deal with APCO Worldwide, an influential firm with ties to senior Democratic and Republican officials.

In an email in February 2015, Karber told Breedlove that “Pakistan has, under the table, offered Ukraine 500 TOW-II launchers (man-portable version) and 8,000 TOW-II missiles,” adding that deliveries of the anti-tank weapons could begin by the end of the month. “However,” Karber wrote, “Pakistan will not make these deliveries without U.S. approval; moreover they will not even request that approval unless they have informal assurance that it would be approved.”


With all that in mind, we return to German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier's recent exclamation that "anyone who thinks you can increase security in the alliance with symbolic parades of tanks near the eastern borders, is mistaken," and given the 'proof' above that it is indeed NATO that is provoking and warmongering, the unprecedented reality in which NATO's biggest and most important European member is suddenly and quite vocally against NATO and as a result may be pivoting toward Russian, we for one can't wait to see just how this shocking geopolitical debacle for western neocons and war hawks concludes.










A Russian ship again made a close approach to a U.S. Navy ship in the Mediterranean Sea in an encounter that American officials are labeling "unprofessional."
On Thursday, the Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudryy came within 150 yards of the guided missile cruiser USS San Jacinto -- two weeks after the same Russian ship came within 315 yards of the American destroyerUSS Gravely.
The USS San Jacinto was operating near the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, where it is conducting flight operations against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria.
According to Captain Danny Hernandez, a spokesman for U.S. European Command, the Yaroslav Mudryy positioned itself about 650 yards from the American cruiser. "Then, Yaroslav Mudryy repeatedly informed San Jacinto over VHF radio of its intended course, as the Yaroslay Mudryy maneuvered towards and unnecessarily close to USS San Jacinto before turning away," said Hernandez.
According to a defense official, the Russian frigate came within 150 yards of the USS San Jacinto. The Yaroslav Mudryy then maneuvered within San Jacinto’s wake, though at much farther distance of approximately 3,000 yards behind the cruiser, the defense official said.
The Russian Defense Ministry released video to make its case that it was the Gravely that had acted unprofessionally. However, a U.S. official said that the video was a case of selective editing since it was the Russian ship that was weaving in and out of the Gravely's wake. U.S. European Command said the Russian vessel's actions that day were intended to intentionally disrupt the operations of the nearby aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman.









Days after Daesh (the Islamic state) claimed responsibility for suicide bombing attacks on Turkey’s largest airport, the pro-jihadist twitter account reported that the group is preparing attacks on major air havens in America and Britain, said to be carried out over Independence Day weekend.

London Heathrow, LAX and New York's JFK are said to be targeted by Daesh in the upcoming days, SITE Intelligence group, a non-governmental organization specialized in tracking jihadi networks’ activities revealed, citing a pro-Daesh twitter account.

According to the account, jihadists may either mount an explosive device in one of the three airports or directly attack planes en route from the United Kingdom to the United States.

The threat comes amid the preparations to July Fourth weekend in the US, considered to be one of the busiest periods for American airports during a year. This year authorities expect that up to 43 million of Americans will be traveling across the country, most of which by plane.
US authorities refuted the report as non-credible, saying there are no grounds to consider the Twitter post as an “executable plan” of terrorists.
Earlier, the FBI said they had no information about possible terror attacks against the US during the upcoming holiday, but called on the public to remain vigilant.





















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'Brexit May Not Be Formalized' - 'A More Centralized EU Could Be Built Rapidly'



You can always count on the Daily Bell having a well-reasoned insightful view so I am always interested in what they are saying about current events: 


Elite Jiu Jitsu: Brexit May Not Be Formalized and a More Centralized EU Could Be Built Rapidly | The Daily Bell



The president of France has launched a scathing attack on Republican candidate Donald Trump, saying relations between the US and Europe would be complicated if the New York tycoon wins the White House.  In comments that were surprisingly outspoken for a sitting head of state about another country’s political candidate, François Hollande urged Democrats to work to ensure the victory of Hillary Clinton. –UK Independent



The Brexit Vote and Hillary’s troubles are being broadcast by the mainstream media, which surely means they are thematic elements of a larger narrative.
Usually, in this modern era, reality is exactly the opposite of what’s taking place.
Let’s look at the Brexit first.
We’ve explained in numerous different ways how the Brexit vote may actually advance authoritarianism and centralization.
And we’ve also mentioned that Brexit may not result in the full disengagement of Britain from the EU.
Here, from the UK Guardian:


Throughout the campaign, Cameron had repeatedly said that a vote for leave would lead to triggering Article 50 straight away. Whether implicitly or explicitly, the image was clear: he would be giving that notice under Article 50 the morning after a vote to leave. Whether that was scaremongering or not is a bit moot now but, in the midst of the sentimental nautical references of his speech yesterday, he quietly abandoned that position and handed the responsibility over to his successor.
And as the day wore on, the enormity of that step started to sink in: the markets, Sterling, Scotland, the Irish border, the Gibraltar border, the frontier at Calais, the need to continue compliance with all EU regulations for a free market, re-issuing passports, Brits abroad, EU citizens in Britain, the mountain of legislation to be torn up and rewritten … the list grew and grew. The referendum result is not binding. It is advisory. Parliament is not bound to commit itself in that same direction.

Is this why Boris Johnson announced recently that he would forego any attempt to gain the Prime Ministership?
It has been suggested there is some sexual scandal in his background.
But he could simply have  realized he was not willing to subject himself and his family to the pressure of formally removing Britain from the EU
This is NOT information that is being widely circulated by the mainstream media.
The narrative circulated by the mainstream media has to do with the anger “elites” feel about events now occurring.
The mainstream media is controlled around the world. This is the message they are providing us:

“Elites” feel angry about the way events are evolving.
The mainstream media is giving considerable space and ink to these sorts of comments.
An additional statement by Hollande in the article:


“[Trump’s] election would complicate relations between Europe and the United States. But let’s look beyond this scenario and become aware of a deep and lasting trend in the US – Americans no longer [intends] to be the policemen of the world.
“Europeans should understand and plan accordingly for their defence. For their economies. For their commercial policy. And for the protection of their cultural industries.”

Hollande wants us to believe that “elites” are being challenged in Europe and the US.
Things have changed. The elites are rocked on their heels.
Actually …
Brussels is in the process of setting up its own army and has also informed member states that it intend to reduce or remove many of their powers.
And Britain may never formally leave the EU. In fact, the next Prime Minister may be someone in the “remain” camp.
Now let’s examine the election in the US.  Currently it seems that Hillary is in a good deal of trouble.
Maybe Trump has a chance to become president.

We are not sure of the ways his presidency could be used to fulfill elite goals. That’s partially because narratives become clearer once events have taken place.
But it seems to us, as we have written in the past, that a larger narrative is being developed that sets “populism” against “globalism.”
The idea is to identify globalism as a sophisticated and necessary solution to the world’s problems. The kind of populism that Trump and Brexit represent are due to be discredited.
That’s one feasible narrative. There are others. Rush Limbaugh believes Hillary will not be indicted and that the present speculation is designed to discourage the opposition once it become clear that she is not in legal jeopardy.
Perhaps. Certainly events will become clearer as they unfold.

Conclusion: The larger political panorama rarely benefits individuals. Nor does it facilitate individual human action. Do what you can to take care of yourself and your family without counting on political trends.




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Persecution Increasing Systematically, Iranians: 'Death To Israel', Normalcy Bias - The Desire For Status Quo



After Fallujah, ISIS Moves to Lebanon and targets Christians | Fox News



On Monday, June 27, just before the break of day, figures approached the sleepy border village of al-Qaa, a predominantly Christian community in northeast Lebanon.
The streets were slowly beginning their morning bustle as residents shook off a lazy weekend and resumed their business. Not far from a group of homes, a blast suddenly shook the town awake. Three more blasts followed shortly after the first. The intruders had detonated themselves, killing five and injuring 15 others.
On the evening of the same day, as family members and neighbors gathered outside a historic church to mourn the victims of the morning’s attack, two assailants riding a motorcycle threw a grenade at the crowd and then detonated their own suicide vests. Another 13 were wounded. 
In all there were eight suicide bombings that day alone.
While no particular organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, nearly all experts believe it was carried out by ISIS fighters who infiltrated al-Qaa from nearby Syria. It is also a commonly known fact that in Lebanon’s sprawling refugee camps some ISIS fighters have found refuge for their families. Their jihad -- in effect -- subsidized by the disorganization of the international community.
Make no mistake, the targeted village for one reason: it is Christian.
This brazen attack demonstrates that ISIS remains particularly attracted to Christian blood. Of all the places they could have targeted, they chose this Christian village. It was as high a priority target to them as the airports in Brussels or Istanbul.
This incident is a sober reminder that ISIS, though having lost control of Fallujah in Iraq last Sunday, is still determined to carry on its ‘holy war’ against Christians.  And while ISIS has accrued a horde of enemies along its path of destruction, Christians remain at the top of the terrorist group’s hit list.
The persecution Christians are facing under ISIS is, simply put,   unprecedented, but it also goes far beyond the so-called Islamic State.  
The largely unreported attacks of the ISIS-affiliated Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria have almost always targeted Christian communities. Boko Haram killed more people than even ISIS in 2014 even as the Islamic State marched victoriously across Iraq and Syria, capturing a contiguous piece of land larger than the United Kingdom.
It is becoming impossible for Christians to live without fear in almost all of the Middle East, and now even in the historic, Christian enclave of Lebanon. They now face similar concerns in much of Africa.



There is no doubt that Obama is striving for a goal. He is seeking to bring in at least 10,000 Syrian refugees by September. There is also no doubt that this goal will be reached and possibly surpassed.
The U.S. accepted more than 2,300 Syrian refugees in June alone, sending the fiscal year total soaring past the 5,000 mark and putting the government on track to surpass President Obama’s goal of 10,000 by the end of September, but raising questions about screening out potential terrorists.
June’s numbers set a monthly record for the Homeland Security and State departments, which committed resources received earlier this year to streamline the process — in what critics say amounted to corner-cutting — to get back on track toward Mr. Obama’s political goal.
Of those accepted in June, more than 99 percent are Sunni Muslims. Just eight identified themselves as Christian, eight identified as a non-Sunni form of Islam, and one reported having no religious affiliation.
With this disproportionate amount of refugees to population, it should cause us to wonder if this pattern is accidental of purposeful. Also, with the huge danger that Christians face in European refugee camps, one should wonder why they are not being given more consideration.



So what is the scoop in South Asia and who was behind these gunmen who stormed a restaurant popular with expatriates in the diplomatic quarter of the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka today? Security officials in Bangladesh denied a report by ISIS that 24 people were dead in the assault.
The media is telling us that ISIS is behind the attack. After all, ISIS English-language magazine Dabiq carried an interview earlier this month with their purported leader in Bangladesh, Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif, who claimed that the country had become its base of operations in South Asia.
In 2013 alone, 84 bloggers in Bangladesh have been serially hacked to death in their homes by Islamists with no links to ISIS. Now they are telling us the terrorists are ISIS. So what is the truth?

This propaganda supports U.S. government agenda in the Middle East to ratchet up its struggle with the other superpower, Russia. The truth is that what sprouted the Islamist agenda is the struggle between the U.S. and Russia over Afghanistan. All that the U.S. had to do was to let Russia have Afghanistan and we would not see all these problems today.
Nothing ever changed, and, in fact, politics love ISIS. When it comes to the Orlando massacre, it's brownie points for the LGBT. When it comes to Erdogan, it's because of the need to combat ISIS that NATO has to comply with Turkey’s demands. When it comes to Japan, ISIS serves Shinzo Abe’s agenda to militarize Japan. When it comes to the Kurds, their state needs to be established, since they are persecuted by ISIS.
ISIS, as it turns out, is the best thing for agenda-driven policies since sliced bread.
And if you think the situation in Iraq and Syria is being resolved soon, think again: it is spreading to South Asia. Today, 98% of Pakistanis support Jihad, and they have no problems with all the blood and gore that ISIS spills.
But the one trillion dollar question is will the world leaders secure Pakistan’s nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of Jihadis? It doesn’t look like it, and the prospects of ISIS gaining nuclear bombs are very likely, as the news from Pakistan reveals. To ensure that no nuclear weapons falls into the hands of Jihadis, there is only one option: the US must take control of Pakistan’s nukes and disarms Pakistan, as the West should have disarmed Muslim nations from Islam. But is this scenario even feasible? Hardly. Only Christ will do this.



Iranians staged anti-Israel rallies across the country Friday for the annual al-Quds Day events established by the late ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, with protesters condemning the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and chanting “death to Israel.”
Tens of thousands of people marched in the capital Tehran for the rallies held each year on the last Friday of Ramadan. Some protesters trampled the Israeli flag, and also chanted “down with the USA.”
Iranian state media reports that similar rallies were taking place throughout the country.
Iran, which does not recognize Israel and has called for its destruction, has marked al-Quds Day since the start of its 1979 Islamic revolution. Al-Quds is the historic Arabic name for Jerusalem, and Iran says the day is an occasion to express support for the Palestinians and emphasize the importance of Jerusalem for Muslims.



A hostage situation has developed at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A group of heavily-armed gunmen has taken about twenty hostages, after killing at least one police officer in a battle fought with guns and grenades.
CNN notes that a 52-year-old Hindu priest was hacked to death with machetes while gathering flowers this morning, the latest in a series of gruesome murders perpetrated by Muslim extremists.
It is not yet certain if the cafe assault is directly related to that murder, but eyewitnesses quoted by the New York Times reported hearing the attackers shouting “Allahu akbar!” (which the Times, of course, gingerly translates to “God is great!”) as they detonated crude explosive devices inside the cafe.

Both the Islamic State and Al Qaeda have been floated as potential culprits. The U.S. State Department just yesterday announced the designation of Al Qaeda’s regional wing, Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), its own terrorist organization. The State Department notes the group’s involvement in numerous secular blogger murders:
Update, 3:45 PM Eastern: The Amaq News Agency, the media organization linked to ISIS, has claimed the Bangladesh attacks as “ISIS fighters.”
Update, 5:00 PM: Amaq is also claiming that the murder of the Hindu priest on Friday morning was the work of ISIS fighters.



Bangladeshi forces stormed an upscale Dhaka restaurant to end a hostage-taking by heavily armed militants early Saturday, killing six of the attackers and rescuing 13 captives including foreigners. The military said 20 hostages were killed during the 10-hour standoff, and a survivor's father said the attackers spared people who could recite verses from the Quran.
The attack marks an escalation in militant violence that has hit the traditionally moderate Muslim-majority nation with increasing frequency in recent months. Previous attacks involved machete-wielding men singling out individual activists, foreigners and religious minorities.

About 35 people were taken hostage Friday night when gunmen stormed the popular Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's Gulshan area, a diplomatic zone, during the Ramadan holy month. Two police officers were killed at the start of the attack.
Paramilitary troops who mounted the rescue operations in the morning killed six attackers and recovered explosive devices and sharp weapons from the scene, Brig. Gen. Nayeem Ashfaq Chowdhury said. He did not identify the hostages.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condemned the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State group, and she said security officials arrested one of the militants.
"Because of the effort of the joint force, the terrorists could not flee," Hasina said in a nationally televised speech, vowing to fight militant attacks in the country and urged people to come forward.



Beware Your Dangerous Normalcy Bias | Gerold's Blog


Most people like to think of themselves as rational human beings. Not many people like to admit they having biases, idiosyncrasies and prejudices. Fewer still believe that our brains are deceptive. 
For instance, we rely on memory and believe we can recall events. Yet, neurologists know that we do not ‘recall’ memories. Instead, we recreate them each time we supposedly ‘remember’. We fill in more gaps every time we remember an event. This is why eye witness testimony is so unreliable. Ten witnesses see the same event ten different ways and the more often they retell the event, the more it changes.
I am about to burst another one of your bubbles. You already know there’s no Santa Claus, no Easter Bunny and no Tooth Fairy. Well, there’s also no such thing as a rational human being except perhaps the TV character Data on Star Trek: the Next Generation, and he’s an android; not a human.
Our brains are incredible and remarkable organs. There’s still no computer capable of matching the human brain. However, that doesn’t mean we are free of biases. Many of our biases are useful in everyday situations by providing us with short-cuts and assisting our decision-making process.
Unfortunately, these helpful biases can also be dangerous when used in the wrong situation. Addressing and confronting our biases and fears is the most important factor for survival and the first step in doing so is recognizing them. Survival isn’t some weird cult-thing. Almost every day we hear about one disaster or another: hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms, floods, terrorist attacks, economic collapse, etc. We think it won’t happen to us … until it does.

It is natural to gain comfort and security from that which is familiar and predictable. We are creatures of habit. Conversely, when we’re faced with the abnormal or unfamiliar, our stress levels can increase to the point where our ‘fight, flight or freeze’ instincts kick in.

This desire for the status quo is called the ‘Normalcy Bias’ and although it can be a natural defense mechanism, normalcy bias is one of the most dangerous biases we have. It goes by many names. It is also called the normality bias, analysis paralysis, incredulity response or the ostrich effect.

With a normalcy bias, we project current conditions into the future. Normalcy bias is a form of denial where we underestimate the possibility and extent of a looming disaster even when we have incontrovertible evidence that it will happen. We assume that since a disaster never has occurred, then it never will occur. Consequently, we fail to prepare for a disaster and, when it does occur, we may be unable to deal with it.

Our public indoctrination education system encourages conformity. Contemporary society subverts personal responsibility and self-reliance. The ass media filters the propagandanews and politicians lie like rugs so most people are clued-out to what is really happening. Plus, evolution favors paralysis because running triggers a predator’s chase instinct. These reasons plus the insidious effect of normalcy bias explains why so many people are attached to inaction and delusion (“it may happen but not to me”) and thus refuse to accept disaster even when it’s staring them in the face.
Normalcy bias causes people to act as if life is going on as normal while the world is falling apart around them. They’ll say everything will pass as the disaster worsens.
There are many examples of such denial throughout history. Here are several such examples of normalcy bias:
A) Although a few fled, many people in the Roman City of Pompeii in 79 AD watched for hours as Mount Vesuvius erupted without evacuating until it was too late. Then, when the volcano violently erupted, it buried the city and countryside in 4 to 6 meters of pumice and ash killing many of Pompeii’s 20,000 inhabitants.
B) The Nazi Holocaust provides another horrific example. Normalcy Bias explains why so many Jews ignored and underestimated the obvious signs of danger even after they were required to wear yellow stars, possess a ‘J’ stamp ID card and discriminatory laws targeted them and their businesses. Many Jews could afford to have moved but stayed and perished because of their Normalcy Bias.
C) When Mount St. Helens volcano began rumbling in Washington State in 1980, Park Rangers issued warnings for resident to leave and blocked access to keep people out. Some residents ignored evacuation warnings and other campers and sightseers walked or drove around the barricades to get into the park. They’d always camped there and since there had never been a disaster before; their normalcy bias prevented them from understanding the possibility of one happening. Then the volcano violently erupted and 57 people were killed.
D) Before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, inadequate preparation by both governments and citizens as well as constant denials that the levees could fail are an example of normalcy bias as were the thousands of people who refused to evacuate. After the hurricane, many of the Louisiana Super dome refugees were unable to cope with the disaster. Many people couldn’t understand that a hurricane could devastate their city and, unable to help themselves, they waited in vain for government help that never came as murders and rapes escalated, sewers backed up, and food and water ran out. Normalcy bias left them unable to deal with the disaster.

F) It’s possible for an entire nation to exhibit normalcy bias. Almost 50% of Amerikans say they are “worse off” financially than four years ago. They see from the news that the Middle East is in chaos, that the U.S. is embroiled in half a dozen unwinnable wars, untold millions of Amerikans are unemployed, 50 million Amerikans are on food stamps and almost HALF of all Amerikans receive government assistance of one sort or another. Yet that “worse off” group believes that President Obama’s handling of economic issues and National Defense as “favorable” and, according to Lisa Schneider, “they defend his positions, agendas, and actions wholeheartedly, while at the same time, the Middle East is more chaotic/unstable than ever, and our financial collapse is imminent here at home.”

The Pareto Principle (“80/20 rule”) which applies to so much human activity probably also applies to the Normalcy bias. In 2007, I emailed my first of many “doom & gloom missives” to everyone on my email distribution list. Not wanting to overload peoples’ inboxes with unwanted emails, I asked how many people wanted such future articles sent to them. 20% said yes. I suspect the remaining 80% are probably more susceptible to normalcy bias than the 20% who said ‘yes’.
In other words, some people will never take preventive action even when disaster is staring them in the face. Just as some Pompeii residents watched the volcanic eruption for hours, many people succumb to negative inertia and do not act until it is too late.
Another contributor to the normalcy bias is peer pressure and the fear of being labeled as a nut. Even when someone believes that a disaster is imminent, people can be uncomfortable with the possibility of being scorned by their friends or co-workers.



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Friday, July 1, 2016

'EU Wants An Empire' - Expansion Being Planned



"EU Wants An Empire" - Brussels Plans To Expand Into Middle East, Africa | Zero Hedge



The latest EU foreign policy document, titled “A Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign And Security Policy“, calls for an extension of the Union's influence in regions as far as Central Asia and Central Africa.
It also outlines “gradual synchronisation and mutual adaptation” between different member states’ individual defence strategies.
The executive summary of the document reads:


It is in the interests of our citizens to invest in the resilience of states and societies to the east stretching into Central Asia, and to the south down to Central Africa. Under the current EU enlargement policy, a credible accession process grounded in strict and fair conditionality is vital to enhance the resilience of countries in the Western Balkans and of Turkey. Under the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), many people wish to build closer relations with the Union: our enduring power of attraction can spur transformation in these countries.



The documents speaks of transforming the current EU system and commits to the deliverance of a global governing body.




EU Foreign Policy Cheif Federica Mogherini writes in the foreword:



We will invest in regional orders, and in cooperation among and within regions. And we will promote reformed global governance, one that can meet the challenges of this 21st century. We will engage in a practical and principled way, sharing global responsibilities with our partners and contributing to their strengths. We have learnt the lesson: my neighbour’s and my partner’s weaknesses are my own weaknesses. So we will invest in win-win solutions, and move beyond the illusion that international politics can be a zero-sum game.


The latest plan outlines how how the EU wants autonomy in defence and security matters.
“European security and defence efforts should enable the EU to act autonomously while also contributing to and undertaking action in co-operation with NATO,” the Brussels document reads.
“Member States need the technological and industrial means to acquire and sustain those capabilities which underpin their ability to act autonomously.”

The fear of a European army was at the core of the Brexit campaign as Armed Forces Minister Penny Mordaunt warned that if Britain were to stay in the EU, it would be forced to join the EU’s army.
According to reports from Brussels, the Global Strategy document was kept secret as the UK was preparing to hold a referendum on its EU membership out of fears that it could affect the outcome by boosting the “Leave” campaign’s popularity.

Several European politicians have recently voiced support for the creation of an EU army. As RT reports:



Meanwhile, EU officials repeatedly voiced the idea of forming the Union’s own armed forces. On June 26, the head of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, Elmar Brok, said that the EU needs a common military headquarters that could pave the way for a united EU armed force, which would make the block’s policy much more effective and strengthen its role in the world.

In 2015, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called for the creation of a united European army, which he said would be aimed at “deterring” Russia and strengthening the alliance.


“The EU wants its own Empire as former Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso made clear when he was in charge,” UKIP’s defence spokesman Mike Hookem said. 
“This global strategy by the EU is yet another reason why last Thursday’s result was a lucky escape for the UK.”










The global economy is "here" and "done," President Obama said Wednesday — the question now is under what terms it will be shaped.


Obama spoke at a news conference that was dominated by questions about global trade, the effects of Brexit, and Donald Trump. It followed a summit meeting with the leaders of Canada and Mexico in Ottawa.


"Integration of national economies into a global economy, that's here, that's done," Obama said. Speaking on the second day of a stock market rally, which came after sharp drops following Great Britain's vote to leave the European Union, Obama said it was important not to draw analogies to what happened with Brexit with trade relations between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Obama said ordinary people with concerns about global trade "have a legitimate gripe with globalization."






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