{"id":109662,"date":"2014-03-18T07:48:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-18T07:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/?guid=59222b5603a229d8b01851a485e355d3"},"modified":"2014-03-18T07:48:00","modified_gmt":"2014-03-18T07:48:00","slug":"post-crimean-referendum-propaganda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/editorials\/post-crimean-referendum-propaganda\/","title":{"rendered":"Post-Crimean Referendum Propaganda"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\"><b>Post-Crimean Referendum Propaganda<\/b><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">by Stephen Lendman<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Previous articles discussed intense anti-Russian propaganda. It raged up to Sunday&#8217;s referendum vote. On Monday, it continued.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">The New York Times headlined &#8220;Global Crises Put Obama&#8217;s Strategy of Caution to the Test,&#8221; saying:<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">&#8220;(W)ith Russia poised to annex Crimea after Sunday&#8217;s referendum, with a mounting threat to the rest of Ukraine and with the carnage in Syria accelerating, Mr. Obama&#8217;s strategy is now under greater stress than at any time in his presidency.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">&#8220;Mr. Obama&#8217;s strategy&#8221; is his own making. He&#8217;s waging multiple direct and proxy wars. proxy war on Syria. He replaced numerous independent governments with subservient Western ones.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Ukraine is his latest imperial trophy. A previous article said if he can keep it. The battle for Ukraine&#8217;s soul didn&#8217;t end. It continues. It just began. Perhaps years will pass to resolve it.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Obama&#8217;s Iranian intentions are uncertain. Nuclear talks continue without resolution. Rapprochement remains a convenient illusion unless or until proved otherwise. No evidence suggests longterm US hostility eased. Plenty indicates otherwise.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Obama elevated neo-Nazi putschists to power in Kiev. He backs lawless governance. He spurns democratic legitimacy.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">He bears full responsibility for crisis conditions. At issue is what he intends going forward. He risks potential global war. Don&#8217;t expect Times editors and\/or contributors to explain. They support what demands condemnation.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">They repeat the Big Lie. &#8220;Putin invaded Crimea,&#8221; they said. A former unnamed Obama senior national security aid was quoted saying: &#8220;We&#8217;re seeing the &#8216;light footprint&#8221; run out of gas.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Former Bush Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was quoted saying:<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">&#8220;There was a view that if the United States pulled back and stopped &#8216;imposing&#8217; and &#8216;insisting&#8217; in the world, the vacuum would be filled by good things.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">&#8220;But what has filled that space has been brutal dictators; extremist forces, especially in Iraq and Syria; and nationalism.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">&#8220;Pulled back?&#8221; From what? &#8220;Stopped imposing&#8221; its will? How so? Stopped &#8220;insisting&#8221; in the world?&#8221; Fundamental US policies under Democrats and Republicans enforce hardline Washington rules.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Multiple direct and proxy wars rage. Obama only stopped short of starting WW III. Perhaps he intends doing so. Don&#8217;t expect Times and contributors to explain.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Jochen Bittner is Die Zeit&#8217;s political editor. He&#8217;s militantly pro-war. Last year, he complained about Germany&#8217;s unwillingness to wage it.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">He wrote about &#8220;rethinking German pacifism.&#8221; He wants a greater military commitment. Die Zeit&#8217;s editor, Joseph Joffe, urges &#8220;massive&#8221; Middle East war.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Both men aggressively promote escalated German militarism. Bittner got feature Times op-ed space. He took full advantage.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">He headlined &#8220;Is Crimea the Next Yugoslavia?&#8221; He wrote from Simferopol, Crimea. He spoke to a man named Bratislav.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">He said he came from Kosovo &#8220;to protect the Russian brothers from the fascists.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">&#8220;I can tell you,&#8221; he said, &#8220;Ukraine is becoming the next Yugoslavia. Only bigger.&#8221; Other Crimeans told Bittner the same thing.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">He called referendum results &#8220;a catalyst for disintegration. He claimed former &#8220;(d)ifferent cultural and ethnic identities that used to coexist peacefully&#8221; no longer exist.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">He scorned referendum results saying so. Numerous Crimean Ukrainians and Tatars voted in lockstep. They support joining Russia.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Trouble doesn&#8217;t exist in Crimea. It&#8217;s based in Kiev. It&#8217;s headquartered in Washington. It&#8217;s in Brussels and other Western European capitals.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Bittner didn&#8217;t explain. Indeed, the threat of Ukrainian civil war exists. The US\/EU-created monster risks it.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Crimeans want peace and stability. They want union with Russia. They want Moscow guaranteeing their protection.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It&#8217;s their best chance to avoid conflict. It&#8217;s their best hope to survive it it erupts.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Bittner bashed Crimea&#8217;s referendum. He mischaracterized it. He called it &#8220;nothing less than the emergence of two nations within one state.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">&#8220;\u2026Russian control may usher in outright oppression,&#8221; he said. His logic is upside down.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Crimea joining Russia is its best chance to avoid it. He asked whether militants might be attracted to Crimea.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">He stopped short of explaining only if Kiev, Washington and rogue EU partners enlist them to launch Euromaidan 2.0.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">He blamed Putin for what may be planned. &#8220;Chetniks. Cossacks. Fascists. Zombies, Jihadis. Was this part of Mr. Putin&#8217;s plan to enlarge his empire,&#8221; he asked?<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">He called him the &#8220;Kremlin&#8217;s would-be strongman.&#8221; He &#8220;resembles Goethe&#8217;s foolhardy sorcerer&#8217;s apprentice,&#8221; he said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">He pointed fingers the wrong way. He wrongfully blamed him for ongoing events in Crimea. He substituted misinformation for credible analysis.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Before Sunday&#8217;s referendum, The Times headlined &#8220;Russia Moves Swiftly to Stifle Dissent Ahead of Secession Vote.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It lied claiming &#8220;Russian soldiers took up positions&#8221; at Simferopol&#8217;s &#8220;television transmission center.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">None invaded Crimea. None comprise an occupying force. The Times wrongfully claimed they&#8217;re involved in &#8220;a broad effort to muffle dissent over the Kremlin-backed project to guide Crimea through a swift secession from Ukraine.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It spun a scenario of well-armed Russian troops, local self-defense forces called &#8220;pro-secession militia,&#8221; carrying &#8220;whips&#8221; to intimidate anti-self-determination Crimeans.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It claimed tactics resembled what &#8220;accompanied rigged ballots across the old Soviet world.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It alleged fraud. It ignored a legitimate process. It turned a blind eye to what turned out to be a model democratic election. It puts sham US ones to shame.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It claimed &#8220;dissent (was) suppressed by the implicit threat of force.&#8221; No evidence whatever suggested it. None exists.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">&#8220;In a matter of days, the Kremlin has succeeded in recreating the constrained conditions of Russia&#8217;s own civic sphere in Crimea,&#8221; it claimed.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It cited nonexistent &#8220;targeted intimidation (and) an expansive military occupation by &#8216;unmistakably&#8217; elite Russian units\u2026&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">You can&#8217;t make this stuff up. The so-called &#8220;newspaper of record&#8221; reinvents history. It fabricates scenarios it calls news.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It cited Kiev fascist putschists as reliable sources. It repeated one Big Lie after another.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It suggested Russian forces &#8220;could be preparing to occupy parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It called Crimean democrats &#8220;strong-arm&#8221; bullies. It compared them to myths about Putin targeting opponents at home.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It lied claiming &#8220;Crimean journalists (were) ordered not to describe the soldiers on their soil as Russian or to use the word &#8216;occupation.&#8217; &#8220;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It lied again saying &#8220;foreign and local journalists (were) beaten and had their materials confiscated\u2026&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">&#8220;\u2026Russian troops (and supportive elements) &#8220;blockaded\u2026Ukrainian government centers,&#8221; it claimed.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">This type reporting doesn&#8217;t rise to the level of bad fiction. It doesn&#8217;t pass the smell test. The Times has a long disturbing history. It&#8217;s an establishment publication.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It supports wealth, power and privilege. It turns truth on its head. It suppresses vital information. It features rubbish.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It systematically ignores police state Kiev ruthlessness. It lied claiming Crimea&#8217;s model democracy suppresses freedom. It shames itself in the process. The pattern repeats daily.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Neocon Washington Post editors headlined &#8220;US, EU must stay the course on Russian sanctions over Ukraine.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">They lied claiming Russia &#8220;seize(d) Crimea.&#8221; Washington and EU partners &#8220;must fashion a new policy\u2026to counter (Putin&#8217;s) aggression,&#8221; they bellowed.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">They called a model democratic exercise an &#8220;orchestrated&#8221; one. Maybe he plans &#8220;inva(ding) eastern Ukraine,&#8221; they claimed.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">They want Putin &#8220;punish(ed)&#8221; and &#8220;weaken(ed).&#8221; They want tougher measures than ones imposed.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">They want Russia &#8220;massiv(ely)&#8221; damaged &#8220;economically and politically.&#8221; Maybe they want WW III.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Neocons think this way. They promote war and violence. They deplore peace and stability. They endorse imperial lawlessness.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">WaPo editors are some of the worst. Wall Street Journal ones match them. They headlined &#8220;Welcome&nbsp; to the 19th Century.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">The repeated the Big Lie. They claimed Russia invaded Crimea. They quoted John Kerry saying &#8220;on a completely trumped up pretext.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Russia respects its neighbors. It doesn&#8217;t wage lawless aggression. Doing so is a US tradition.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It dates from the 19th century. It continues recklessly out-of-control today. Don&#8217;t expect Journal editors to explain.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">They lied claiming Putin &#8220;consolidated his hold on Crimea Sunday by forcing a referendum with only two choices.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">One was enough given an overwhelming near 97% majority and celebratory victory joy.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Journal editors lied claiming choices offered were to join Russia now or later. False! Crimeans voted on whether to join the Russian Federation or remain part of Ukraine.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">&#8220;Next up for conquest may be eastern Ukraine,&#8221; claimed Journal editors. Russian forces mobilized on its border ready to invade, they hallucinated.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">&#8220;Russian agitators (may) create another &#8216;trumped up pretext,&#8217; &#8221; they claimed. Moscow &#8220;revanchists moved (to create) new world disorder,&#8221; they added.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Putin aims to &#8220;carv(e) up foreign countries when he feels he can,&#8221; they said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Journal editors want &#8220;renewed military deterrent.&#8221; They want NATO involved. They want Western forces deployed near Russia&#8217;s borders.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">They want advanced weapons targeting its heartland. Maybe they want WW III.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">His new book is titled &#8220;Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">http:\/\/www.claritypress.com\/LendmanII.html<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; min-height: 22px;\"><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;\">http:\/\/www.progressiveradionetwork.com\/the-progressive-news-hour<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div><b>Post-Crimean Referendum Propaganda<\/b><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>by Stephen Lendman<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Previous articles discussed intense anti-Russian propaganda. It raged up to Sunday&#8217;s referendum vote. On Monday, it continued.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The New York Times headlined &#8220;Global Crises Put Obama&#8217;s Strategy of Caution to the Test,&#8221; saying:<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;(W)ith Russia poised to annex Crimea after Sunday&#8217;s referendum, with a mounting threat to the rest of Ukraine and with the carnage in Syria accelerating, Mr. Obama&#8217;s strategy is now under greater stress than at any time in his presidency.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Mr. Obama&#8217;s strategy&#8221; is his own making. He&#8217;s waging multiple direct and proxy wars. proxy war on Syria. He replaced numerous independent governments with subservient Western ones.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Ukraine is his latest imperial trophy. A previous article said if he can keep it. The battle for Ukraine&#8217;s soul didn&#8217;t end. It continues. It just began. Perhaps years will pass to resolve it.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Obama&#8217;s Iranian intentions are uncertain. Nuclear talks continue without resolution. Rapprochement remains a convenient illusion unless or until proved otherwise. No evidence suggests longterm US hostility eased. Plenty indicates otherwise.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Obama elevated neo-Nazi putschists to power in Kiev. He backs lawless governance. He spurns democratic legitimacy.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He bears full responsibility for crisis conditions. At issue is what he intends going forward. He risks potential global war. Don&#8217;t expect Times editors and\/or contributors to explain. They support what demands condemnation.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They repeat the Big Lie. &#8220;Putin invaded Crimea,&#8221; they said. A former unnamed Obama senior national security aid was quoted saying: &#8220;We&#8217;re seeing the &#8216;light footprint&#8221; run out of gas.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Former Bush Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was quoted saying:<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;There was a view that if the United States pulled back and stopped &#8216;imposing&#8217; and &#8216;insisting&#8217; in the world, the vacuum would be filled by good things.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;But what has filled that space has been brutal dictators; extremist forces, especially in Iraq and Syria; and nationalism.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Pulled back?&#8221; From what? &#8220;Stopped imposing&#8221; its will? How so? Stopped &#8220;insisting&#8221; in the world?&#8221; Fundamental US policies under Democrats and Republicans enforce hardline Washington rules.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Multiple direct and proxy wars rage. Obama only stopped short of starting WW III. Perhaps he intends doing so. Don&#8217;t expect Times and contributors to explain.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Jochen Bittner is Die Zeit&#8217;s political editor. He&#8217;s militantly pro-war. Last year, he complained about Germany&#8217;s unwillingness to wage it.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He wrote about &#8220;rethinking German pacifism.&#8221; He wants a greater military commitment. Die Zeit&#8217;s editor, Joseph Joffe, urges &#8220;massive&#8221; Middle East war.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Both men aggressively promote escalated German militarism. Bittner got feature Times op-ed space. He took full advantage.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He headlined &#8220;Is Crimea the Next Yugoslavia?&#8221; He wrote from Simferopol, Crimea. He spoke to a man named Bratislav.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He said he came from Kosovo &#8220;to protect the Russian brothers from the fascists.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;I can tell you,&#8221; he said, &#8220;Ukraine is becoming the next Yugoslavia. Only bigger.&#8221; Other Crimeans told Bittner the same thing.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He called referendum results &#8220;a catalyst for disintegration. He claimed former &#8220;(d)ifferent cultural and ethnic identities that used to coexist peacefully&#8221; no longer exist.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He scorned referendum results saying so. Numerous Crimean Ukrainians and Tatars voted in lockstep. They support joining Russia.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Trouble doesn&#8217;t exist in Crimea. It&#8217;s based in Kiev. It&#8217;s headquartered in Washington. It&#8217;s in Brussels and other Western European capitals.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Bittner didn&#8217;t explain. Indeed, the threat of Ukrainian civil war exists. The US\/EU-created monster risks it.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Crimeans want peace and stability. They want union with Russia. They want Moscow guaranteeing their protection.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It&#8217;s their best chance to avoid conflict. It&#8217;s their best hope to survive it it erupts.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Bittner bashed Crimea&#8217;s referendum. He mischaracterized it. He called it &#8220;nothing less than the emergence of two nations within one state.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;&hellip;Russian control may usher in outright oppression,&#8221; he said. His logic is upside down.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Crimea joining Russia is its best chance to avoid it. He asked whether militants might be attracted to Crimea.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He stopped short of explaining only if Kiev, Washington and rogue EU partners enlist them to launch Euromaidan 2.0.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He blamed Putin for what may be planned. &#8220;Chetniks. Cossacks. Fascists. Zombies, Jihadis. Was this part of Mr. Putin&#8217;s plan to enlarge his empire,&#8221; he asked?<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He called him the &#8220;Kremlin&#8217;s would-be strongman.&#8221; He &#8220;resembles Goethe&#8217;s foolhardy sorcerer&#8217;s apprentice,&#8221; he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He pointed fingers the wrong way. He wrongfully blamed him for ongoing events in Crimea. He substituted misinformation for credible analysis.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Before Sunday&#8217;s referendum, The Times headlined &#8220;Russia Moves Swiftly to Stifle Dissent Ahead of Secession Vote.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It lied claiming &#8220;Russian soldiers took up positions&#8221; at Simferopol&#8217;s &#8220;television transmission center.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>None invaded Crimea. None comprise an occupying force. The Times wrongfully claimed they&#8217;re involved in &#8220;a broad effort to muffle dissent over the Kremlin-backed project to guide Crimea through a swift secession from Ukraine.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It spun a scenario of well-armed Russian troops, local self-defense forces called &#8220;pro-secession militia,&#8221; carrying &#8220;whips&#8221; to intimidate anti-self-determination Crimeans.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It claimed tactics resembled what &#8220;accompanied rigged ballots across the old Soviet world.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It alleged fraud. It ignored a legitimate process. It turned a blind eye to what turned out to be a model democratic election. It puts sham US ones to shame.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It claimed &#8220;dissent (was) suppressed by the implicit threat of force.&#8221; No evidence whatever suggested it. None exists.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;In a matter of days, the Kremlin has succeeded in recreating the constrained conditions of Russia&#8217;s own civic sphere in Crimea,&#8221; it claimed.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It cited nonexistent &#8220;targeted intimidation (and) an expansive military occupation by &#8216;unmistakably&#8217; elite Russian units&hellip;&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>You can&#8217;t make this stuff up. The so-called &#8220;newspaper of record&#8221; reinvents history. It fabricates scenarios it calls news.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It cited Kiev fascist putschists as reliable sources. It repeated one Big Lie after another.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It suggested Russian forces &#8220;could be preparing to occupy parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It called Crimean democrats &#8220;strong-arm&#8221; bullies. It compared them to myths about Putin targeting opponents at home.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It lied claiming &#8220;Crimean journalists (were) ordered not to describe the soldiers on their soil as Russian or to use the word &#8216;occupation.&#8217; &#8220;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It lied again saying &#8220;foreign and local journalists (were) beaten and had their materials confiscated&hellip;&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;&hellip;Russian troops (and supportive elements) &#8220;blockaded&hellip;Ukrainian government centers,&#8221; it claimed.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>This type reporting doesn&#8217;t rise to the level of bad fiction. It doesn&#8217;t pass the smell test. The Times has a long disturbing history. It&#8217;s an establishment publication.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It supports wealth, power and privilege. It turns truth on its head. It suppresses vital information. It features rubbish.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It systematically ignores police state Kiev ruthlessness. It lied claiming Crimea&#8217;s model democracy suppresses freedom. It shames itself in the process. The pattern repeats daily.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Neocon Washington Post editors headlined &#8220;US, EU must stay the course on Russian sanctions over Ukraine.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They lied claiming Russia &#8220;seize(d) Crimea.&#8221; Washington and EU partners &#8220;must fashion a new policy&hellip;to counter (Putin&#8217;s) aggression,&#8221; they bellowed.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They called a model democratic exercise an &#8220;orchestrated&#8221; one. Maybe he plans &#8220;inva(ding) eastern Ukraine,&#8221; they claimed.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They want Putin &#8220;punish(ed)&#8221; and &#8220;weaken(ed).&#8221; They want tougher measures than ones imposed.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They want Russia &#8220;massiv(ely)&#8221; damaged &#8220;economically and politically.&#8221; Maybe they want WW III.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Neocons think this way. They promote war and violence. They deplore peace and stability. They endorse imperial lawlessness.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>WaPo editors are some of the worst. Wall Street Journal ones match them. They headlined &#8220;Welcome&nbsp; to the 19th Century.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The repeated the Big Lie. They claimed Russia invaded Crimea. They quoted John Kerry saying &#8220;on a completely trumped up pretext.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Russia respects its neighbors. It doesn&#8217;t wage lawless aggression. Doing so is a US tradition.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It dates from the 19th century. It continues recklessly out-of-control today. Don&#8217;t expect Journal editors to explain.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They lied claiming Putin &#8220;consolidated his hold on Crimea Sunday by forcing a referendum with only two choices.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>One was enough given an overwhelming near 97% majority and celebratory victory joy.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Journal editors lied claiming choices offered were to join Russia now or later. False! Crimeans voted on whether to join the Russian Federation or remain part of Ukraine.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Next up for conquest may be eastern Ukraine,&#8221; claimed Journal editors. Russian forces mobilized on its border ready to invade, they hallucinated.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Russian agitators (may) create another &#8216;trumped up pretext,&#8217; &#8221; they claimed. Moscow &#8220;revanchists moved (to create) new world disorder,&#8221; they added.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Putin aims to &#8220;carv(e) up foreign countries when he feels he can,&#8221; they said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Journal editors want &#8220;renewed military deterrent.&#8221; They want NATO involved. They want Western forces deployed near Russia&#8217;s borders.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They want advanced weapons targeting its heartland. Maybe they want WW III.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>His new book is titled &#8220;Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>http:\/\/www.claritypress.com\/LendmanII.html<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div>http:\/\/www.progressiveradionetwork.com\/the-progressive-news-hour<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1217,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[461],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-109662","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-editorials"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1217"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109662\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}