by Stephen Lendman

Today's MSM is a lying machine. Inconvenient truths are buried. Misinformation rubbish substitutes. Upside down reality reflects things.

Illegitimate Kiev fascist putschists are called democrats. Southeastern Ukrainian freedom fighters are called terrorists.

Daily events should scare everyone. Truth-tellers are vilified. So are peacemakers.

Warmakers win peace prizes. Media scoundrels support what demands condemnation. They deplore government of, by and for everyone equitably.

They support the best democracy money can buy. They glorify war in the name of peace. Nations are destroyed to free them. Monied interests alone benefit. Popular interests don't matter. Nor doing the right thing.

Nor rule of law principles. Nor democratic values. Nor fundamental human and civil rights. Wealth, power and privilege mean most.

Madness defines US policy. MSM war on truth supports it. Cheerleading irresponsible policies risks the unthinkable. Forewarned does no good.

A companion article discussed Ukraine's October 28 farcical parliamentary elections. Ones despots love.

Rigged to exclude democrats. Results mattering most known before voting began.

Ukraine's sham electoral process substitutes for legitimacy. Don't expect media scoundrels to explain.

The New York Times headlined "Ukraine President Claims Win for Pro-West Parties," saying:

Oligarch president Petro "Poroshenko hailed Sunday’s vote as a resounding endorsement of his government's efforts to break free of Kremlin influence and shift hard toward Europe."

"I asked you to vote for a democratic, reformist, pro-Ukrainian and pro-European majority," he said. "Thank you for having heard and supported this appeal."

Ukrainians "powerfully and permanently supported Ukraine's course toward Europe." According to Poroshenko:

Results showed "a landslide vote of confidence from the people."

"The results, if confirmed by official tallies expected on Monday, would complete a transformation of the government that began in February when President Viktor F. Yanukovych fled after sustained, bloody street protests over his decision to align more closely with Russia," said The Times.

"Expanded power for pro-Western parties is certain to be cheered by the United States and its European allies, which have staked a huge political and financial bet on Ukraine's ability to emerge from its current crisis as a stable state, and especially to be able to repay its debts."

Irresponsible Putin bashing followed. So did The Times saying Poroshenko prioritizes Southeastern Ukrainian interests."

Times misinformation substitutes for truth and full disclosure. It's longstanding policy. It persists relentlessly.

Poroshenko cares only about wealth, power, serving his Western masters, and benefitting from doing so.

He doesn't give a damn about Southeastern Ukrainian rights. Rejecting fascist rule. Demanding real democracy. Deserving universal support.

Poroshenko is a convenient imperial stooge. Selected to serve Western interests. So-called "landslide vote of confidence from the people" is pure rubbish.

Democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovych fled for his life. Safe haven in Russia likely saved him. Otherwise perhaps he'd be dead.

Fascists operate this way. Opposition isn't tolerated. Especially anything resembling democracy.

Ukraine is a fascist police state. A tyrannical one and then some. An illegitimate one. A ruthless anti-democratic one. Don't expect The Times to explain.

Instead if quoted putschist prime minister Arseniy Yatsunyuk ludicrously saying:

"We strongly believe that the new government, together with the new Parliament and the president will deliver real changes."

He means perhaps more ruthless than ever. Opposition bloc leader Yuri Boiko called Sunday's elections "the dirtiest ever." Outright fraud characterized things.

Expect same old, same old going forward. Perhaps worse than ever. Cloaked with the veneer of electoral legitimacy. The fake kind with none at all.

It bears repeating. Don't expect The New York times to explain. Or Washington Post, saying:

"…Ukrainians on Sunday elected the most pro-European parliament in their country’s 23-year-old history, firmly backing an effort to steer their nation away from Russia's orbit."

"The work of the new legislature will be critical to Ukraine's prospects for overcoming its towering challenges."

"The election was a final step to empower President Petro Poroshenko, who was elected in May after protests toppled Ukraine's previous leader and unleashed the worst conflict between Russia and the West since the Cold War."

"The new parliament (includes) a host of new faces." They're clones of entrenched previous ones.

So-called election observers lacked legitimacy. US funded National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute monitors praised Kiev's electoral process.

They called rampant election rigging mostly disruption free. Vote-buying and other electoral fraud didn't matter. Nor entrenched interests. Nor massive corruption.

Business as usual alone matters. Popular interests are verboten. So is real democracy.

Ukraine's version is pure fantasy. Police states operate this way. Ukraine is Europe's worst by far. Its government has no legitimacy whatever.

Not according to the Wall Street Journal. It praised what demands condemnation. Ukraine's tilt toward Western Europe. "(A)way from Russia."

Challenges remain, it said. "(N)ot least the Kremlin's unwillingness to countenance Ukraine's efforts to forge closer economic and political ties with Europe."

"Russia annexed Crimea and has supported a separatist insurgency in Ukraine's east after a pro-European protest movement ousted the country's Moscow-backed president in February."

Fact check:

Russia supports Ukraine remaining neutral. Democratically governed. Independent. Not allied with one side against the other.

Crimeans voted near unanimously to join Russia. They rejected fascist governance.

Moscow justifiably accommodated their wishes. Doing so showed responsible policy. Polar opposite America's, its rogue European partners and Ukraine.

The Wall Street Journal supports capital's divine rights. Popular ones are verboten. Its longstanding WSJ policy.

So is irresponsible Putin bashing. He "cut off fas supplies amid a payment dispute and has given no sign it is pressing separatists to adhere to a peace deal agreed upon last month," the Journal said.

Fact check:

Ukraine's gas payments are hugely in arreas. It owes Russia billions of dollars.

It rejected generous Moscow discount plans to resolve things. It bears full responsibility for what's ongoing.

On October 29, talks continue in Brussels. At stake in assuring uninterrupted gas supplies to Europe as winter approaches.

The ball is in Kiev's court. Talks last week proved fruitless. So did earlier ones.

Ukraine is bankrupt. No sources of financing its repayments were found.

According to EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger, Kiev's failure to repay debt is key to resolving things.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak believes possible financing sources "include guarantees by top-class European banks, bridge loans and funds from the EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) or the European Commission."

They don't include Gazprom's transit payments as an offset for Ukraine's gas debt.

Putin expects resolving things next week. "We'll fulfill all the terms of deliveries accurately and on time, in compliance with all contractual obligations," he said.

It remains to be seen if he's right. Otherwise Kiev might again siphon off Russian gas illegally.

Through its export pipeline. "And then, of course, a crisis is possible, which is very undesirable for us," Putin explained.

Russia contracts with customers longterm. European countries are guaranteed specific gas volumes over specified time periods at agreed on prices.

Moscow is a reliable supplier. It never violated contractual terms, said Putin. It has no intention to do so going forward.

It wants payment assurances. All suppliers operate the same way. Ukrainian demands are unreasonable. Over-the-top.

Resolving things with Russia remains uncertain. Ukraine will bear full responsibility for failure to do so.

Russia shows "no sign it is pressing (Southeastern Ukrainians) to adhere to a peace deal agreed on last month," said the Journal.

"The elections called by Mr. Poroshenko…aimed at supporting his attempts to end a conflict with Russia-backed separatists in the country's" Southeast.

False! Their intent is solidifying fascist rule. Assuring it nationwide.

Eliminating Southeastern Ukrainian democracy. Doing so by brute force.

It bears repeating. Fascist regimes operate this way. Ukraine represents its European reemergence.

Its government threatens regional peace and security. Washington provides support and encouragement.

What happens going forward remains to be seen. Disturbing signs suggest bigger trouble than before.

Don't expect media scoundrels to explain. Or expose illegitimate Kiev governance.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.