N.B. As many of you know, Ray’s written work often appears first on Consortiumnews.com, which suffered a cyber attack last week. Repair work continues but some links may not work for a while. Here is a brief explanation:

March 7, 2016

 

From Editor Robert Parry:

​Last week Consortiumnews suffered a sophisticated “denial of service” attack via encrypted malware so subtle that it was missed by multiple virus scans and was only spotted by a tech examining the files manually. Whoever was behind this attack, the ugly reality is that such assaults are the modern equivalent of mobs smashing the presses of old-time newspapers that challenged the status quo. In such cases, the goal was to silence dissent by raising the price for telling the truth.

Today, we find ourselves in so-called “information warfare,” an insidious concept in which powerful interests view critical facts as “enemy propaganda” that must be shut down. Though these interests already control much of the major media, they are remarkably sensitive to challenges from independent information sources.

These forces justify attacks to silence sources of dissent that challenge the dominant official narratives. Cyber-attacking Web sites is just one tactic in that “war.” Shutting down contrary information, in turn, makes people easier to manipulate into actual wars and other costly adventures. It is important that such intimidation not be successful.

There were/are too few activists in Germany

Zain Raza of activism Munich e. V. interviewed Ray in Berlin in late 2014. They discussed the Bush/Cheney program of systematic torture; the complicity of over 50 European governments in enabling kidnapping and secret prisons; why President Obama is afraid to take on the CIA and NSA, etc., etc., etc.; Edward Snowden; and history’s lessons regarding what happens when there are not enough activists to expose government crimes.

(13 minutes)

http://www.actvism.org/en/news/interview-former-cia-analyst-ray-mcgovern/

 

​In case you missed … Newly released Hillary Clinton emails on assault and ejection of Ray from her speech at GWU five years ago

Hardly as significant as the brutalization of Iraq, Syria, and Libya; nonetheless, quite telling in its own way (it happened right in front of her; she did not miss a syllable).

From the non-profit Partnership for Civil Justice Fund:

February 18, 2016

http://www.justiceonline.org/newly_released_emails_on_assault_and_ejection_of_veteran_from_clinton_speech

 

 

​U.S.-RUSSIA AGREEMENT ON SYRIA

Very soon after today’s announcement of the U.S.-Russia agreement on a partial cease fire in Syria, RT International conducted a Skype interview of Ray for comment.

It was not difficult: First, the situation on the ground has changed markedly, thanks to Russia’s military intervention starting in late September 2015, and Obama’s decision to cooperate with, rather than confront Moscow. What is new is the personal commitment of both President Obama and President Putin to make this detailed arrangement stick.

Ray suggested that Obama’s ability to exert the necessary influence on Washington’s “allies” – Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Israel – is less than Putin’s ability to influence Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Hezbollah. Ray further suggests that Obama was right the first time, when in early August 2014 he told Tom Friedman that the idea of arming “moderate” rebels in Syria has ”always been a fantasy.” And that is surely one reason they are so hard to find.

(12 and a half minutes)