Hegseth and the Moscow-CREC Dominionists

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/24/trump-pete-hegseth-extremism

Hegseth first appeared on my radar under the first Trump administration as one of the voices defending American war crimes. The post-9/11 world has been a veritable golden age for US Special Forces and the growing lack of restraint coupled with psychopathic behaviour has led to some serious concern within the Pentagon. It's something I wrote about in 2020:

https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2020/01/trump-1079-military-schisms-legality-of.html

When Torture is Right and Moral

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/25/russian-officials-lauding-torture-was-unthinkable-now-it-is-proud-to-do-so

This article appeared in The Guardian in response to the Russian treatment of ISIS-K terrorists who attacked a Moscow concert hall in March of 2024, an act of murder that led to over 100 deaths.

Bush Isn't Funny

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/5/22/george-w-bush-is-not-funny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEg6Ht2pNH0

For several years – but certainly for the past few months we have been subjected to media expressions of moral outrage and disgust over Putin's actions and his invasion of Ukraine. And it goes beyond the media – celebrities, the public sector, corporations and the like have all jumped on this bandwagon. Even a regional Russian Festival was canceled as it was deemed inappropriate to celebrate Russian culture at this time – which ironically it must be noted that about half of the music and dances in the event were... you guessed it, Ukrainian.

The Afghan Legacies of George W Bush and Tony Blair

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/7/31/george-w-bush-should-shut-up-and-go-away

The author of the editorial is correct in exposing a rather startling truth - men like George Bush have no conscience. A man who should be in sackcloth and ashes is instead living the good life and has been largely rehabilitated in the eyes of the American public. 

Rumsfeld: Evangelical Praises for an Unrepentant Mass Murderer

The legacy of George W Bush is being slowly rehabilitated. In many circles it is already complete. The dismal state of the country and world by the end of his presidency has been forgotten and re-written and he's been transformed into cute and bumbling Grandpa George.

But that's not what he was. He tore the Middle East apart, sowed cancerous seeds within American society and its judiciary, used technology for evil means and left behind a legacy of war, mass death, torture, kidnapping, assassination and the like. He was and is a monster and yet he was the darling of the American Evangelicals – one of their own. It's a testimony to the sad and degenerate state of American Christianity.

A Shocking Act: Ryanair Flight #4978

So said the US government in regard to the RyanAir flight diverted by Belarus to Minsk. Ostensibly threatened by a bomb, all admit the move was made by Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko in order to seize an opposition journalist with Western ties.

Trump Administration Threatens ICC

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53012783

On the one hand the US championed the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which was finally activated in 2002 but Washington never had any intention of joining it or being accountable to it. This would violate the American claim to Exceptionalism and the reality that it places itself above the other nations of the world.

And so in this capacity the ICC could function as a tool, yet another instrument in the Atlanticist arsenal – used to bolster the largely phoney but often convenient narrative of democratisation and liberalism.

Bolsonaro and the American Evangelicals

https://www.christianpost.com/news/us-evangelical-leaders-met-prayed-with-brazils-conservative-president-bolsonaro.html

It was hardly surprising to read that Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell Jr. were part of this group that acknowledged and paid homage to Bolsonaro during his March visit.

The Phony Debate Over Haspel and CIA Torture

The media has once again played a false card. This time it's in reference to their coverage of the Gina Haspel nomination. Now director of the CIA, Haspel was and is a controversial figure due to her sadistic reputation and participation in the Bush administration's post-9/11 torture schemes. 

Condor Convictions

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/02/01/cond-f01.html

Operation Condor was a project of cooperation between various Right-wing Latin American governments. They collaborated in the sharing of intelligence and a commitment to destroy Left-wing movements. This included kidnappings, assassination, torture, terror and secret prisons. Spanning the 1970s and 1980s the Condor legacy resulted in the deaths of thousands and the traumatising of whole societies. Even US apologists will admit that Washington knew about it and yet the evidence suggests that not only was the United States in the know, it was managing the project, funding it, as well as arming and training the death squads.

The Pull of the CIA: Italy Capitulates

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-italy-us-cia-pardon-idUKKBN1683ZI

I've been following this story, especially as it has been in the news the past few days. How frustrated the Italian prosecutors and investigators must be. They've laboured to bring this to trial, to hold someone accountable for what was done within their borders, in violation of their nation's sovereignty. They're trying to demonstrate that America cannot act with impunity.

Revertere ad Tenebras: The Black Sites are Reborn

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-prisons-idUSKBN15922L?feedType=RSS&feedName=newsOne&google_editors_picks=true

I have never been remotely convinced that all of these sites are actually closed. Considering that Obama and various figures within his administration have been caught repeatedly telling absolute lies and did all they could to hide and obfuscate regarding their various illegal programmes... why should we believe that these practices weren't reinstated?

Balaam Comes to Langley

https://theintercept.com/2016/11/23/mike-pompeo-religious-war/

Evangelicals have cause to celebrate. Pompeo is just the sort of man they want to see in power and especially at the head of an organisation like the Central Intelligence Agency.