Latest Effort to Tamp Down Conflict in Ukraine Yields a Mouse; “Minsk” Talks Seemed Prompted Largely by Concern That a New U.S. Administration Will Give Kiev the Wherewithal to Escalate.

The Real News Network interviewed Ray about the anemic results of the October 19 “Minsk” summit in Berlin to deal with the continuing conflict in Ukraine.  Yet another “roadmap” was agreed upon, but that was about all the four leaders had to show for their efforts.  Three of the participants – France, Russia, and the UK (the other is Ukraine) – seem worried that the next U.S. President will ratchet up the violence in Ukraine by providing Kiev with lethal weapons to suppress anti-coup federalists (aka “pro-Russian separatists”).

 

This would increase the likelihood of additional Russian support for those in the eastern Ukraine who were promised a degree of regional autonomy under the original Minsk agreement. It would also increase the danger of wider conflict with Russia – something to which the Clinton team seems not at all averse.

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=767&Itemid=74&jumival=17486

October 21, 2016, (10 minutes)

Why Did Washington Neocon Ventriloquists Manipulate Hapless Joe Biden Into Threatening Moscow With Cyber Attack?  Putin’s initial response.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/radiosputnik/u-s-openly-admits-it-will-hack-russia-as

October 17, 2016 (18 minutes)

 

In an interview with Sputnik Radio’s  “Loud and Clear,” Ray noted that Biden’s remarks were published on Friday, the same day that NBC parroted the views of unnamed U.S. officials that the CIA was about to launch cyber war against Russia.  Ray suggested that – just as the U.S. Air Forces succeeded in scuttling the cease-fire that Lavrov and Kerry agreed to on September 9 — CIA ventriloquists might have been trying to put the kibosh on the negotiations scheduled to resume (this time reportedly with military experts) on Saturday in Geneva.  There, the search goes on to apply “refined” (Kerry’s word) ways: (a) to find the “moderate” terrorists; and (b) to try to persuade them to stop hanging out with bad companions.

Sputnik radio gives Ray an opportunity to explain why one should NOT be taken in by evidence-free media stories treating Russia hacking as “flat fact.”

https://soundcloud.com/radiosputnik/statements-on-russian-hand-in-cyber-attacks-on-us-are-built-on-a-false-premise-ray-mcgovern

October 15, 2016 (three minutes)

This fall’s drumming for war is even more mischievous – and dangerous – than that of 14 years ago, when, simili modo, the existence of “weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq were reported as “flat fact.”  Russia is not Iraq.

Email to Dana Priest of Washington Post, October 15, 2016

 

Following is text of an email Ray sent yesterday conveying his disappointment in Priest’s stooping to participate in the ongoing evidence-starved “blame Russia” media campaign.  With no reply from Priest, Ray has made it an open letter, since it may be of wider interest:

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Ouch,

… Et tu, Judy? … er, I mean Dana.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-refusal-to-accept-government-assessments-on-russian-hacks-dismays-former-officials/2016/10/14/6d1c7f60-8fc4-11e6-9c52-0b10449e33c4_story.html

You are too smart to drink the Kool-Aid — too smart to regurgitate trumped-up charges (no pun intended).  Did you think to check with Bill Binney or any of the other former senior NSA officials that are part of our VIPS movement?  (Bill tells me you even had him speak to your journalism students at the University of Maryland recently about the importance of validating sources!)

If it were a hack, there would be an easily obtained “trace route” for the email packets from the DNC/HRC to “WHO” then to WikiLeaks.  Is it possible you did not know that…were you not curious enough to enquire?

Do you or your Hamburger colleague know the difference between a hack and a leak?  I’m sure you have noticed that Julian Assange gets a whole lot of LEAKS!  Bill Binney, THE expert on such things, believes it was a LEAK — likely by an insider like Ed Snowden or Harold Martin.

Out of residual respect for your former commendable reporting, I prefer to believe the Washington Post simply tacked your name onto that Trump treatment of intelligence briefing stuns experts article on page 4 of Saturday’s Post in order to add some gravitas, some flavor to a stale, tasteless Hamburger.

And of all people to quote!  Michael Hayden, whom one of his predecessor NSA Director (Gen. William Odom) said “should have been court-martialed, and W should have been impeached,” immediately after Bill learned how grossly Hayden had violated the 4th amendment, FISA, etc., etc., all because Bush/Cheney told him too.

Even the mild-mannered Bobby Ray Inman told a NYC Library audience that Hayden had “clearly broken the law.”  (Then, still very much a part of the Establishment, Inman sneaks into Lou Dobbs studio, steals part of my time, and gives Hayden a ringing endorsement for him to be confirmed as D/CIA.  (I was there; I watched it; I mention it because Inman had always seemed to be one of the good guys — until then.  So did you — until now.

And then you quote the torture lawyer John Rizzo….and former CIA Deputy Director John McLaughlin, whom Carl Ford (head of State INR at the time) said “should have been shot together with CIA Director George Tenet” for falsifying WMD/bio/trailers “intelligence.”

Hard to believe you and Hamburger have no better sources – no, impossible to believe.

A “decent respect for the opinions of mankind” would dictate that you not let yourself be used — like Judy Miller — by folks who (hard as it is to believe) seem to truly want an armed dust-up with Russia.  If you cannot resist what Obama himself calls the “Washington Playbook,” then let me suggest you give back your Pulitzer Prize (as I gave back my Intelligence Commendation Medallion after you reported, then courageously, on the CIA black sites for torture).

Et tu, Dana?  Bummer.

Ray

Stepping Back From the Brink: Is Obama Acting As If He is Now in Charge?

Ray speaks to RT immediately after the announcement that talks on Syria will resume.

 

October 12, 2016 (six minutes)

The way Ray reconstructs events over the past several days is the following:

Obama tells Kerry, “Enough already with the War-Crimes charges;” Obama tells Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, “Enough with the insubordination.  We are going to do the only sensible thing on Syria; namely, resume talks Saturday (Oct. 15) in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the foreign minister level.”  The U.S., Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and Iran will take part.

Now, if Kerry can only find out where those “moderate” rebels (labeled a “fantasy” by Obama two years ago, and “unicorns” by Assad one week ago) are hiding, so that the U.S. can honor its promise to separate them out from those rebels deemed immoderate!  Wonder what happened to the “refined ways” of accomplishing this, the “refined ways” that Kerry bragged a month ago.