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COVID Backpedaling is Classic Gaslighting

by | Mar 4, 2022 |

The term Gaslighting has gained usage over the past decade as a fixture of pop psychology. Broadly, the term describes a pattern of manipulation that victims experience in abusive relationships. 

Psychology Today defines it thusly

Gaslighting is an insidious form of manipulation and psychological control. Victims of gaslighting are deliberately and systematically fed false information that leads them to question what they know to be true, often about themselves. They may end up doubting their memory, their perception, and even their sanity. Over time, a gaslighter’s manipulations can grow more complex and potent, making it increasingly difficult for the victim to see the truth.

Today, New York City announced that it will be suspending all vaccine requirements and mask mandates in schools. This rollback is just one of a growing wave across the nation, and even the globe. 

While some have pronounced that the COVID regime is crumbling, the web of inconsistent and illogical policy, and the pattern of restrictive easing and reimposition of lockdowns has always been the main feature of COVID-tyranny. 

It is also a feature of gaslighting. It is especially intense when the abused attempt to leave the relationship:

A primary goal of gaslighters is to keep the victim hooked. If a victim disagrees with or questions their abuser, he or she may try to make themselves seem as if they themselves are being victimized by their targets. Alternately, they may try to lure a partner back with positive reinforcement. Many people eventually find a way to escape a gaslighter’s influence, leaving the manipulator to search for a new target; often, they already have another victim in mind.

The primary goal of a gaslighter is to get the victim to doubt their own sanity to make them easier to control. A gaslighter’s main weapon is information. 

Does the following sound familiar?

A gaslighter will initially lie about simple things, but the volume of misinformation soon grows, and the gaslighter may accuse the victim of lying if he or she questions the narrative. They typically deploy occasional positive reinforcement to confuse the victim, but at the same time, they may attempt to turns others against the victim, even their own friends and family, by telling them that the victim is lying or delusional.

So, as restrictions lift across the nation, and indeed, the world, should advocates of liberty declare victory? Shall we take to the streets in celebration? 

Or, as before, is this just another cycle of abuse?

Biden Leads State of the Union with Anti-Russia Tirade

Biden Leads State of the Union with Anti-Russia Tirade

by | Mar 1, 2022 |

President Joe Biden opened his State of the Union address with an all-out attack on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, framing the conflict in Ukraine as a battle between “light” and “darkness.” He pledged to “save democracy” and closed his remarks with an exhortation to Ukrainian troops, saying “go get him” while shaking his fist – likely referencing Putin. 

The anti-Russian portion of the speech drew loud and frequent cheers from the galley of blue and yellow-clad congressmen, all as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States was prominently seated next to the first lady.

Biden said there is strong global support for Ukraine and that Putin’s Russia had been isolated from the world, touting a recent round of sanctions that targeted Russian banks. He also announced a campaign targeting the assets of wealthy Russians living abroad. 

The president expressed support for the “proud” Ukrainian people, and while he vowed to send additional aid, Biden again emphasized that the US would not defend the country with its own forces. 

NATO unity took center stage in the anti-Russia tirade, with Biden calling to deploy more US forces to defend the territory of member states. He added that Putin may extend his military operation beyond Ukraine and seek conquest elsewhere in Europe, saying “when dictators don’t pay a price, they keep going.”

Biden argued that Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine has made NATO stronger than ever and that a review of the current historical era will show a Russia in decline. With NATO’s refusal to back up Ukraine with direct military reinforcement, it appears the West hopes to weaken the Kremlin with the blood of Ukrainians and exploit fears generated by the war to prod other European states to become more militaristic toward Moscow. 

Biden claimed the conflict in Ukraine as the sole fault of Putin and Washington’s overtures for diplomacy with Moscow were met with a stone wall – though his administration made virtually no effort to meet reasonable Russian security requests.

While he made few substantial announcements during the mostly rhetorical address, the president did declare the American airspace would be closed to all Russian craft, following suit after the European Union and other Western allies took similar steps.

In a bit of good news, Biden pledged to do more for victims of the burn pits – military waste disposal sites known to have conferred a range of debilitating diseases to soldiers. While he has thus far disappointed those pressing for justice on the issue, Biden acknowledged on Tuesday night that his own son may have died of cancer caused by a toxic burn pit, which could be a sign that he will take the issue seriously.

Hillary Clinton Wants to Turn Ukraine into Afghanistan

Hillary Clinton Wants to Turn Ukraine into Afghanistan

by | Mar 1, 2022 |

Former Secretary of State and failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has called to arm up an insurgency to repel Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, joining a growing number of pundits and officials suggesting that Washington should hand Russia its own costly, years-long occupation akin to the US (or indeed Soviet) experience in Afghanistan.

Clinton made her case during a Monday night appearance with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, recalling that during the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s, resistance fighters “had a lot of countries supplying arms and advice,” which, she continued, “didn’t end well for the Russians.”

“So, I think we have to watch this carefully. We have to provide sufficient military armaments for the Ukraine military and volunteers. And we have to keep tightening the screws,” Clinton added.

While the Soviets certainly wasted blood and treasure in Afghanistan, it also cost the Afghan population dearly. Over one million died during the war. While the Afghan mujahedeen did eventually force the Red Army into retreat, Osama bin Laden was able to establish roots in the country in the process, later helping to reignite conflict in a nation riven by violence and war for some 40 years straight.

The Joe Biden administration appears to be on board with the insurgency plan. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said the US is working on the logistics of bringing weapons into Ukraine, while the White House is requesting billions in additional aid. At least hundreds of millions will go to provide arms to Ukrainian forces. 

The administration is unlikely to meet resistance in Congress, with House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith (D-Washington) already giving a full-throated endorsement to the scheme.

“We need to be prepared to support them in that fight. I think we need to be prepared to support that insurgency in a similar way that we supported the insurgency in Afghanistan,” he argued at an event last Thursday.

The Plan All Along?

While most public figures will present this strategy as a reaction to Russian aggression, there are signs it was in the works for years. 

Speaking on the potential for a Russian invasion of Ukraine during a 2014 panel, influential hawkish grand-strategic greybeard Zbigniew Brzezinski said:

“If the major cities, say Kharkiv, say Kiev, were to resist and street fighting became a necessity, it would be prolonged and costly. And the fact of the matter is—and this is where the timing of this whole crisis is important—Russia is not yet ready to undertake that kind of an effort. It will be too costly in blood, paralyzingly costly in finances. And would take a long time and create more and more international pressure.

 

Accordingly, I feel that we should make it clear to the Ukrainians that if they are determined to resist … we will provide them with anti-tank weapons, hand-held anti-tank weapons, hand-held rockets—weapons capable for use in urban short range fighting. This is not an arming of Ukraine for some invasion of Russia. You don’t invade a country as large as Russia with defensive weaponry.”

 

 

While President Barack Obama was skittish about providing weaponry after backing the 2014 ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, the Trump and Biden administrations have since followed Brzezinski’s plan to the letter. Under Trump, the White House transferred billions in anti-tank missiles and other arms, while American forces were deployed to teach local troops how to use the weapons. Meanwhile, the CIA has brought Ukrainian militants to the US to train in insurgency tactics as administration officials now debate whether to do more of the same. 

While it is unclear if Biden intended to provoke a Russian invasion by flatly rejecting Moscow’s security concerns in the region – all the while arming Kiev to the teeth as it wages war on Russian-speaking separatists – senior officials have predicted such an incursion could be a very expensive decision for Vladimir Putin.

“If war breaks out, it will come at an enormous human cost to Ukraine, but we believe that based on our preparations and our response, it will come at a strategic cost to Russia as well,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters several weeks ago.

State Officials Pass Anti-Russian Measures to Virtue Signal Support for Ukraine

State Officials Pass Anti-Russian Measures to Virtue Signal Support for Ukraine

by | Feb 28, 2022 |

As supporters of Ukraine make loud displays of solidarity amid Russia’s invasion – including boycotts on Russian vodka – state governments in the US are virtue signaling their own support with proposals for bans and prohibitions on the country’s exports. 

A bill introduced last Friday by Massachusetts Democratic state representative Patrick Kearney calls for an outright ban on “the purchase and/or consumption by any and all consumers and entities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts of any and all product[s] made in Russia.”

It’s unclear how Kearney intends to keep residents from drinking or eating Russian-made products, but other states have proposed more practical measures, with New Hampshire’s Republican Governor Chris Sununu ordering state liquor stores to pull all Russian-made booze from their shelves. The state’s laws dictate that liquor may only be sold through government-run outlets, effectively meaning a ban across all of New Hampshire.

Similar orders were issued by the governors of Ohio and Utah, while a North Carolina state senator is pushing the NC Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to follow suit. 

Texas Governor Greg Abbott stopped short of any official measure, but did call on retailers in the Lone Star state to stop selling Russian products, declaring that “Texas stands with Ukraine.”. 

 

In Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf and the liquor control board instituted a ban on Russian goods, while the state’s treasury is actively working to divest from Russian companies. The legislature is seeking to codify the policy into law, though it is largely symbolic as the state’s Russia-based holdings are reported to be minimal. 

While the moves are unlikely to have a noticeable impact on Russia’s economy, they highlight deep anti-Russian sentiments built up over the past decade and inflamed by Moscow’s military action in Ukraine. Following years of fake scandals ranging from Russiagate to Bountygate, Americans were primed to see Vladimir Putin as the ‘New Hitler’ – certainly not the first US ‘adversary’ alleged to be a madman resembling the Nazi leader.

North Korea Conducts Missile Test After Declaring ‘New Situation’ With China

North Korea Conducts Missile Test After Declaring ‘New Situation’ With China

by | Feb 27, 2022 |

North Korea has conducted a ballistic missile test which it said would help launch new reconnaissance satellites into orbit. Japanese and South Korea officials announced the launch early Sunday, saying the munition traveled 190 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan. 

While the Joe Biden administration condemned the test, it has largely ignored the Korean nuclear file since coming to power and has done little to advance diplomacy on the peninsula. Late in 2021, South Korean President Moon Jae-in attempted to broker an official end to the Korean War, which was never terminated with a formal armistice or treaty. It does not appear his effort will be successful before the end of his term next month, however.

The latest missile test follows a call on Saturday between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. A North Korean readout of the call said the two nations agreed to strengthen bilateral ties under “a new situation,” though gave no indication of what that could mean. 

“In the new situation, the Chinese side, together with the Korean side, will promote the continuous development of the friendly and cooperative Sino-DPRK relationship,” the readout said, calling to promote “peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region.”

The missile test and North Korean announcement come soon after the conclusion of the Chinese-hosted Olympics in Beijing. After conducting a flurry of seven tests in January, Sunday’s launch was Pyongyang’s first since the start of the games.

Facebook, Twitter Greenlight Ukrainian Neo-Nazi Posts

Facebook, Twitter Greenlight Ukrainian Neo-Nazi Posts

by | Feb 27, 2022 |

The Azov Battalion is an essential element of the Ukrainian National Guard that America has supported with numerous weapon shipments. It is also a neo-Nazi militia that has been fighting separatist forces in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region since 2014.

azov

Ukrainian fighters stand alongside the logo of the Azov Battalion, which features Nazi-inspired ‘Wolfsangel’ and ‘Black Sun’ symbols.

Once on Facebook’s ‘Dangerous Individuals and Organizations’ list which barred any discussion of Azov on the platform, users will now be able to feely praise the group. The Intercept reports: 

According to internal policy materials reviewed by The Intercept, Facebook will “allow praise of the Azov Battalion when explicitly and exclusively praising their role in defending Ukraine OR their role as part of the Ukraine’s National Guard.” Internally published examples of speech that Facebook now deems acceptable include “Azov movement volunteers are real heroes, they are a much needed support to our national guard”; “We are under attack. Azov has been courageously defending our town for the last 6 hours”; and “I think Azov is playing a patriotic role during this crisis.”

Twitter also appeared to be on board with allowing the militia to spread its bigoted views. In a post from the verified Ukrainian National Guard account on Sunday, a video shows an Azov soldier dipping a bullet in pig lard to kill Muslims fighting for Russia, who he describes as “Orcs.” (Islamic doctrine forbids the consumption of pork.) 

However, some 12 hours after the tweet went live, Twitter appended a disclaimer to the post noting that it had violated the site’s “rules about hateful conduct,” but added that it would remain accessible as the information “may be in the public’s interest.”

The Facebook and Twitter policies are in line with comments from former Pentagon official Evelyn Farkas, who told Newsweek “They have right now existential issues to deal with, and the far-right groups are helping defend Ukraine.”

“So at this moment in time, the Ukrainian government needs all the help it can get from its citizens, regardless of their ideology,” she added.

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