Propaganda - It's Alive and Well and Living in Ukraine

The anti-Russia pro-Ukraine propaganda machine has been working overtime since February 24, 2022.  In this brief posting, we'll look at a prime example of how we are being emotionally blackmailed into believing one side of the narrative.

  

Here is a tweet from Ukrainian Member of Parliament (the Verkhovna Rada)/People's Deputy Lesia Vasylenko on December 26, 2022:

 

Tear-inducing, isn't it?  Poor, sad Marc.

 

Here's what Ms. Vasylenko, a University College London Masters of Law (LLM) graduate, says about herself on her Twitter account:

Unfortunately, Ms. Vasylenko has been caught red-handed.  Here is the actual source of the photograph that she used to manipulate the world:

 

 

The Spanish version of Christina McKenna's  2008 novel "The Misremembered Man" has an identical photograph of a young boy on the cover who, apparently, hasn't aged at all since the photo was taken and is now living in Ukraine and the tragic recipient of a Russian artillery attack.

 

While I realize that both sides in this conflict are seeking to manipulate public opinion, it is interesting to see a prime example of how propaganda is being used.  How Ms. Vasylenko would think that she would not be caught is beyond me.  While the offending tweet has been removed from her Twitter feed, thanks to Archive and a simple Google search, it is still alive and well and living on the internet.

Iran, Russia and the EAEU - Creating an Energy Giant

While the Western world and its lapdog legacy media concentrates on the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the geopolitical landscape of the globe continues to evolve.  Here is news coverage from Mehr News Agency, a news agency of the Iranian government showing how quickly the globe is evolving into a multipolar reality:

 

This trade deal is yet another means by which two of the world's most heavily sanctioned (by Washington) nations can work around the punishment that has been meted out to them as a result of their disobedience to the international rules-based order.

 

This news follows this report from Russia's TASS news service dated December 14, 2022:

 

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU or EEU) is an:

 

"...international organization for regional economic integration. It has international legal personality and is established by the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union.

 

The EAEU provides for free movement of goods, services, capital and labor, pursues coordinated, harmonized and single policy in the sectors determined by the Treaty and international agreements within the Union."

At this point in time, the member states of the EAEU are the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Russian Federation as shown on this map:

The geographic proximity of Iran to the member states of the EAEU make it an ideal trading partnership.

The purpose of the EAEU is as follows:

"The Union is being created to comprehensively upgrade, raise the competitiveness of and cooperation between the national economies, and to promote stable development in order to raise the living standards of the nations of the Member-States."

 

Currently, the Union has a combined gross domestic product of $2.045 trillion and, in 2021, had total external trade value with third nations of $988.2 billion.  Given the current energy crisis in Europe, it is important to note that the EAEU had total oil production of 611.7 million tons (4.551 billion barrels) and natural gas production of 818.0 million cubic metres which will grow substantially once Iran's massive oil and natural gas production reserves are added to the total as shown here:

...and here:

 

There is little doubt that the massive oil and natural gas potential of the EAEU will provide the organization with political power that could be used to put political pressure on its foes in the future even if the Western world believes that it can transition to a green energy future.

In addition and to further complicate the issue, back in 2018, an agreement on trade and economic cooperation was signed between the EAEU and China and its Belt and Road Initiative.  This agreement reduced trade barriers and simplified customs procedures and will further strengthen the group's political and economic clout at the expense of the United States.

 

While Washington definitely prefers that its rules-based international order define the behaviour of all nations, thanks to its widespread and injudicious use of sanctions to punish the disobedient, we will continue to see pariah nations like Iran join its pariah peers in an effort to create a new multipolar global reality that benefits their interests just as the United States has done since the end of the Second World War.  Given the energy giant that is being created once Iran joins the EAEU and its extended trading partnerships, its political and economic clout have the potential to dwarf that of the Western world.

The United States Congress and its Inconsistent Approach to Ukraine

For those that are paying attention, it is pretty clear that those of us who live in the West are being subjected to war levels of propaganda when it comes to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine with the mainstream media carrying out their role as the "performing press poodles" for the anti-Putin and Russia/pro-Zelensky and Ukraine narrative.  That said, it doesn't take much of a search to find evidence Washington's previous narrative about Ukraine and, in particular, the nation's Azov Regiment aka the Azov Battalion, a far-right network which consists of military, paramilitary and political organizations.

  

As is typical of Washington, Congress has taken upon itself to rewrite history.  Here is a prime example; a letter from October 2019 from Democratic Representative Max Rose (New York 11) to then Secretary of State Michael Pompeo regarding the Azov Battalion and requesting its inclusion in the Foreign Terrorist Organization list as a violent white supremacist extremist group:

 

 

Here are the Congressional signatories of the letter:

 

 

A total of 40 Democrats requested that the Trump Administration list Ukraine's Azov Battalion as a terrorist organization, comparing it to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) stating that it "....openly welcomes neo-Nazis into its ranks...".  

 

Not surprisingly, right now, when you click on the original link to the letter, this is what you get:

 

Apparently, Washington’s ruling class seems unaware that the internet never forgets anything.n

 

Here's what the Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point had to say about the far-right movement/Azov Regiment in Ukraine in April 2020:

 

"In recent years, some Americans and Europeans drawn to various brands of far-right nationalism have looked to Ukraine as their field of dreams: a country with a well-established, trained, and equipped far-right militia—the Azov Regiment—that has been actively engaged in the conflict against Russian-backed separatists in Donbas. Most of these ‘foreign fighters’ appear to travel as individuals and at their own expense, according to the author’s review of many cases, but there is a broader relationship between the Ukrainian far-right, and especially its political flagship the National Corps,1 and a variety of far-right groups and individuals in the United States and Europe.

 

Far-right groups remain strong in Ukraine, with the ability to marshal thousands of supporters for protests and rallies, some of whom carry Nazi and white supremacist insignia. The author witnessed one such rally in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in October 2019. These groups have bitterly opposed any suggestion of compromise with Russia over Donbas through the Normandy negotiating process and were prominent at another rally witnessed by the author in Kyiv in the fall of 2019 to oppose concessions floated by President Volodymyr Zelensky....

 

Analysis of social media communications, court documents, travel histories, and other connections shows that a number of prominent individuals among far-right extremist groups in the United States and Europe have actively sought out relationships with representatives of the far-right in Ukraine, specifically the National Corps and its associated militia, the Azov Regiment....

 

In 2014, as pro-Russian groups began to seize parts of the Donbas, a neo-Nazi group that called itself Patriot of Ukraine formed a battalion to reinforce the beleaguered Ukrainian army. Few qualifications were required, and volunteers came from all walks of life. The group soon became better known as the Azov Regiment.

 

Since late 2014, with the gradual modernization of the Ukrainian armed forces and the attrition of the Donbas conflict, the Azov Regiment has become more formally organized, building on its formal affiliation with the Ukrainian National Guard.  This relationship gave it access to better weapons and training; Azov is equipped with tanks and other heavy armor. Azov Media now has 38,000 subscribers to its YouTube channel."

 

In the 2018 edition of the omnibus House spending bill, a provision was added that prevented United States arms from going to the Azov Battalion as shown in this article which appears on Congressman Ro Khanna's website:

..and on this tweet from March 1, 2018:

 

This begs the question.  With the Azov Regiment still very active in the ongoing battle against Russia in Ukraine, what has changed that would allow these same members of Congress to back sending basically unlimited arms to Ukraine since February 2022 which, in all likelihood have been and will continue to be delivered into the hands of what some members of Congress have already defined as a neo-Nazi group, one that 40 current and past Democratic members of the House demanded be declared a terrorist organization?

 

Washington has a pathological desire to see Vladimir Putin permanently relieved of his duties as President of Russia and an obsessional need to destroy Russia for once and for all particularly as the globe evolves into a multipolar reality.

The Canadian Government and the Never-ending COVID-19 Narrative

Some governments around the world appear to be completely incapable of letting go of the COVID-19 narrative, particularly when it comes to their vaccine mandates.  Despite the fact that it is now known (and has actually been for some time if you don't pay attention to just the mainstream media) that the mRNA vaccines do not prevent transmission of COVID-19, the Trudeau government has fallen so far down the rabbit hole that it can no longer see daylight.

  

Here is a prime example of Canada's ongoing gaslighting of its citizens courtesy of Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam and, of course, Canadian taxpayers who funded the production of this video which appeared on Tam's Twitter feed on December 21, 2022 as shown here:

 

Since these sort of Twitter embarrassments often disappear from the internet, here is the video in its entirety:

 

 

So there you go.  The Trudeau government yet again attempting to brainwash young Canadians who are highly unlikely to even be following Tam on Twitter, something that Tam's handlers seem to have forgotten.

  

All of that said, Theresa Tam has a great idea.  Let's all open our doors when we have visitors in our homes during winter while home heating oil, natural gas and electricity prices are at or near all-time highs.  That will fix the environment and put a quick end to the climate emergency that Justin  Trudeau insists is looming, won't it?

 

I'm anxiously awaiting Nuremberg 2.0.  Ho ho ho and a Merry Christmas to all.

Canada - How to Normalize Euthanasia to Its Most Vulnerable

Canada has become one of the world's leading nations in one aspect - the promotion and utilization of euthanasia, benignly labelled as Medical Assistance in Dying or MAiD (which sounds so benign, doesn't it?).  In this posting, we'll look at one of the Trudeau government's moves to normalize euthanasia to young Canadians through funding by Health Canada which is totally funded by Canada's taxpayers.  As background to this posting, my readers should understand that I have spent the past few years volunteering with my local hospice which has given me an insider's view on end-of-life issues.

  

The document which is the subject of this posting appears on the Canadian Virtual Hospice website which you can find here.  Here is a quote from their website about their programs with my bold:

 

"The Canadian Virtual Hospice provides support and personalized information about advanced illness, palliative care, loss and grief, to people living with illness, family members, people working in healthcare, educators, and researchers. The Canadian Virtual Hospice is a division of the International Centre for Dignity and Palliative Care Inc., a registered charity.

 

In 2001, a group of palliative care leaders from across Canada gathered to consider whether a web-based platform could address some of the national gaps in palliative care. They recognized that Canadians need a reputable source for finding information and support, whenever they need it, wherever they live.

They envisioned the creation of a “virtual hospice.” A safe place where:

People without ready access to palliative care specialists can ask questions of a clinical team specialized in palliative care and grief.

People living with illness, families, and others in their care network can find text and multimedia content about managing symptoms and other caregiving topics, accessing financial benefits, navigating the healthcare system, and communicating with their local healthcare providers.

Healthcare providers can easily access evidence-informed, leading tools to better care for and communicate with people living with illness and families.

Educators can access content to supplement lectures and develop assignments for students. 

Researchers can share their latest findings, enabling healthcare providers to stay on top of important developments.

These experts found an enthusiastic supporter in Senator Sharon Carstairs. Her invaluable assistance coupled with financial investments by founding partners allowed the dream of www.virtualhospice.ca to become a reality."

Interestingly, Virtual Hospice has the following partners:

 

Veterans Affairs Canada

 

Health Canada

 

Winnipeg Regional Health Authority

 

Healthcare Excellence Canada 

 

Note that Healthcare Excellence Canada has significant connections to Canada's provincial health care systems through its board of directors.

  

With that background, let's look at how the Canadian government is using Health Canada to promote its euthanasia agenda.  Here is the cover of an activity book that is being used to help young Canadians understand MAiD:

Let's start by looking at who the activity book is designed for as found in this quote from the Information for adults page on page 24:

 

The book opens with an explanation of MAiD:

 

It goes on to explain that a person can have MAiD if they are at least 18 years of age and meet these qualifications:

 

1.) They have a serious illness, disease, or disability that hurts their body or their mind so much that it feels too hard to keep living.

 

2.) Medicines have not been able to help their body or mind feel better,

 

3.) There is no cure; nothing can make the illness or disability go away, even if the person and their health care team have tried everything they could.

  

The person must also be able to understand their illness or disability, all of the treatment options and supports available to them and what MAiD is and how it works.

 

In this screen capture, the authors explain to children how MAiD works, making it seem rather benign:

 

 

The authors explain why someone would want MAiD to a child that barely understands the concept of death:

 

1.) Most people who ask for MAiD have an illness that will cause their body to die no matter what. They are not choosing to die instead of live.

 

2.) They are choosing what will make their body die, when and where it will happen, and who they spend that time with.

 

3.) Other people might ask for MAiD if their illness or disability will not cause their body to die, but it causes too much pain or suffering for them to keep living with it, and there is no way to make the illness or disability get better or go away.

 

In this screen capture, children are encouraged to complete this activity:

 

 

Children are then offered the following:

 

 

What kind of message is the Trudeau government trying to send to Canada's children?  Why are Canadian taxpayers funding what is essentially a colouring/activity book which is normalizing euthanasia to children between the ages of 6 and 12?  Children of this age bracket should not have to face this sort of traumatizing issue until they are adults but, then again, if you normalize euthanasia to the youngest among us, it will be much easier to convince them of the necessity of the procedure for issues like poverty, unemployment, non-life threatening disabilities along with anxiety and depression, mental health issues that are quite common among teenagers.  How far is our society willing to go?

 

Let's close with this video from Simons, a Canadian fashion retailer:

 

 

Glorifying death by choice.  

Canada.  Where hope and socialized health care come to die.

What Big Pharma Doesn't Know About the COVID-19 Vaccines

While the mainstream media, public health officials and politicians would have us believe that the COVID-19 vaccines are well understood and that any negative side effects are either minimal or inconsequential in fact, as you will see in this posting, such decrees could not be further from the truth.

  

Here is a screen capture showing the lead page of a document entitled Summary Basis for Regulatory Action that appeared on the Food and Drug Administration website dated November 8, 2021, keeping in mind that this is nearly 11 months after the first COVID-19 vaccine was administered in the United States (December 14, 2020):

 

This is the FDA's approval document for the COMIRNATY vaccine manufactured by Pfizer and BioNTech and, in this case, was in response to BioNTech's application for approval dated May 18, 2021.

  

The 30 page-long document goes on to outline the chemistry, manufacturing and controls of COMIRNATY, clinical and nonclinical pharmacology, toxicology as well as safety and pharmacovigilance information.  

 

Before we go any further and so that you can understand one of the terms in this posting, let's look at the definition for "humoral response" also known as humoral immune response:

 

"The humoral immune response fights pathogens that are free in the bodily fluids, or “humours”. It relies on antigens (which are also often free in the humours) to detect these pathogens. An antigen is a biomolecule, such as a protein or sugar, that binds to a specific antibody. An antibody/antigen interaction may stimulate an immune response. Not every biomolecule is antigenic and not all antigens produce an immune response. B cells are the major cell type involved in the humoral immune response. When a foreign antigen (one coming from a pathogen, for example) is detected, B cells in the body that recognize that antigen will begin to produce antibodies as a means of fighting off the foreign invader."

  

Basically, humoral immunity is the human body's response to the detection of foreign material (antigens).

  

Now, let's look at section 5 "Clinical Pharmacology" as found on page 15 in the aforementioned document.  Here is the page in its entirety with a pertinent section highlighted:

 

The manufacturer of the COMIRNATY mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is aware that the human body responded to the administration of the vaccine by creating an immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein however, "the exact immunologic mechanism that confers protection against SARS-CoV-2 is unknown."

 

Let's boil this down.  Despite the fact that Big Pharma doesn't understand the immunological mechanism behind their COVID-19 vaccine, they went ahead and requested (and received) approval for widespread administration of COMIRNATY.  That said, it would also be the case that they can't possibly understand the mechanisms that create negative side effects of this product as well, particularly over the medium- and long-term.

 

But, we won't hear that from the mainstream media, public health officials or politicians, will we?  Their philosophy has been to force us to get our COVID-19 vaccines so that we can get some of ourr rights back.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Template for the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdowns

Three years ago, who would have thought that it was possible that governments could lock down their citizens who would, in response to government mandates, be more than willing to sit in their homes, shutter businesses and churches among others and await their bad fortune and "certain death".  Apparently, the United States has long had a plan in place to lock down its citizens as you will see in this posting.

  

Back in 2007, The National Infrastructure Advisory Council or NAIC released its plan for a pandemic outbreak in the United States which is currently available on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) website which has been archived here just in case it should happen to disappear like it never existed.

  

Here is the title page of the report dated January 16, 2007:

 

 

Here is the background to the study:

 

"Though its timing, severity, and ultimate strain remain a mystery, a pandemic promises to test the critical infrastructure of both the United States and the world. Public health officials have long maintained the potential for pandemic influenza is not a matter of if, but rather a matter of when. To avoid an economic and social catastrophe, pandemic preparedness demands full public- and private-sector participation. With that in mind, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff joined Secretary Leavitt in May 2006 to ask the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) to provide them and President Bush with recommendations regarding the prioritization and distribution of pandemic countermeasures to the essential workers in our nation’s Critical Infrastructure and Key Resource (CI/KR) sectors.

 

Given the scope and scale of a pandemic, the Federal government has repeatedly asserted it cannot handle all pandemic preparedness, response, and recovery efforts on its own. In their letter to the NIAC, the Secretaries highlighted the necessity for the public and private sectors to prepare for this serious threat. The Secretaries also emphasized their understanding that successful pandemic planning requires coordination across all CI/KR sectors."

 

The pandemic assumptions were as follows:

 

Here are the estimates used by Health and Human Services for the impact of both a moderate and severe pandemic on the citizens of the United States:

 

Here are the six key issues that the study examined:

 

1.) Identifying and defining "critical services" that must be maintained in a pandemic; ‰ Establishing criteria and principles for critical service prioritization;

2.) Defining critical services priority (with principles for variation, if needed);

3.) Identifying critical employee group(s) in each priority critical service;

 

4.) Building a structure for communication and dissemination of resources; and ‰ Identifying principles for effective implementation by DHS and HHS.

 

The plan contained a list of "essential businesses" that would have to remain functional during a pandemic.  These included:

 

1.) banking and finance sector

 

2.) chemical sector 

 

3.) commercial facilities sector

 

4.) communications sector

 

5.) energy sector including electrical subsector

 

6.) food and agricultural sector

 

7.) healthcare sector

 

8.) information technology sector

 

9.) nuclear sector

 

10.) postal and shipping sector

 

11.) transportation sector

 

12.) water and waste management sector

 

The authors of the study noted that many of these sectors are interdependent; for example, banking and finance requires electricity, information technology, transportation and fuel.  Here is a diagram showing the sector interdependencies which shows how vulnerable the economy has become:

 

 

WIth that background, let's look at how the group recommended responding to a pandemic:

 

1.) Pharmaceutical Countermeasures:  Here is a quote:

 

"Pharmaceutical countermeasures for pandemic influenza fall into two major categories, antiviral medications and vaccines. Each countermeasure comes with positive and negative characteristics defining how healthcare providers may most effectively use them before and during a pandemic. Beyond the characteristics of the countermeasures themselves, current vaccine and antiviral medication distribution plans may be overwhelmed in a scenario demanding swift, nationwide distribution on a scale required to respond to a pandemic. This is particularly true when trying to reach public- and private-sector entities operating across state borders.

 

In preparation for a pandemic, Federal, State, local and private sector officials have begun stockpiling two antiviral drugs on the recommendation of the CDC:

 

Oseltamavir (Tamiflu)  and Zanamavir (Relenza).

 

It was also recommended that the government acquire non-medical interventions such as gloves, respirators and surgical masks including N95 masks.  The study noted that masks:

 

"...may serve two purposes, to limit the spread of disease to healthy populations and to prevent sick individuals from spreading the disease to others...."

 

2.) Social Interventions:  Here is a quote with my bolds:

 

"The public health community is considering a series of measures intended to inhibit the spread of disease. These measures vary in their severity and potential to disrupt day-to-day activities. Federal, State, and local government officials are developing strategies to respond to a pandemic using these methods.  These methods have a historical precedent; health officials have used them in the past to assist in controlling previous epidemics, with varying degrees of success. During a pandemic, the goal will be to slow the virus’ transmission; delaying the spread of the virus will provide more time for vaccine development while reducing the stress on an already burdened healthcare system.

 

The government retains the authority to limit the public’s movement during an outbreak. In addition to border closures, isolation, and quarantine generally represent the most widely known movement control methods. Quarantine is a legally enforceable declaration that a government body may institute over individuals potentially exposed to a disease, but who are not symptomatic. If enacted, Federal quarantine laws will be coordinated between CDC and State and local public health officials, and, if necessary, law enforcement personnel. During previous pandemics, particularly in 1918, many communities used isolation strategies and “reverse quarantine strategies” to prevent the disease’s spread to their community from surrounding populations. The government may also enact travel restrictions to limit the movement of people and products between geographic areas in an effort to limit disease transmission and spread. Authorities are currently reviewing possible plans to curtail international travel upon a pandemic’s emergence overseas.

 

Limiting public assembly opportunities also helps limit the spread of disease. Concert halls, movie theaters, sports arenas, shopping malls, and other large public gathering places might close indefinitely during a pandemic—whether because of voluntary closures or government- imposed closures. Similarly, officials may close schools and non-essential businesses during pandemic waves in an effort to significantly slow disease transmission rates. These strategies aim to prevent the close interaction of individuals, the primary conduit of spreading the influenza virus. Even taking steps such as limiting person-to-person interactions within a distance of three feet or avoiding instances of casual close contact, such as shaking hands, will help limit disease spread....

 

A pandemic will also demand changes in workplace behavior and practices. Businesses may be encouraged to have employees work from home as a means to limit employee interaction. Other steps, such as instituting shift work and altering business processes to minimize employee interaction are likely reactions to a pandemic...."

And there you have the source for CISA/Homeland Security's stay-at-home orders as shown here:

Here are screen captures of the pertinent pages about social interventions from the 2007 report:

 

 

Remember the "two weeks to flatten the curve" narrative from the early months of 2020?  Well, it's nearly three years later and governments are still threatening to use the draconian social measures that they used during the COVID-19 pandemic despite the fact that they have been quite ineffective at preventing the spread of the pandemic and led to significant mental and physical health issues for multitudes of people.  Thanks to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) website, at least now we know where the lockdown plan came from.

A cynic would almost wonder if there wasn't/isn't another agenda at play that doesn't really include protecting us from disease.