Stephen Lendman

Selling war requires inventing enemies, fear-mongering, substituting fake news for truth-telling, manipulating public opinion, and manufacturing consent.

Media scoundrels play along, feeding the public a steady diet of managed news misinformation, suppressing full and accurate reporting - featuring state-sponsored press agent journalism instead of the real thing, most people none the wiser.

Since GHW Bush’s 1991 Gulf War, America raped and destroyed Iraq, Somalia, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and Yemen.

It colluded with Kiev’s war on Donbass, partnered in three Israeli wars on Gaza, and toppled governments in Haiti, Honduras, Paraguay, Ukraine, Egypt and Brazil, along with other coup attempts.

Obama terror-bombed seven countries, destabilized others. Hostile Sino/Russia policies risk nuclear war. In the last generation alone, US aggression caused millions of casualties, endless chaos and horrific human suffering.

Trump so far continues reckless policies of his predecessors, escalating wars instead of ending them.

His April 7 naked aggression on Syria appears prelude for greater war, risking direct confrontation with Russia.

Neocons infesting Trump’s administration lied, claiming Moscow knew about the April 4 Kahn Sheikhoun CW attack in advance, AP News reported, citing an unnamed senior US official.

The accusation is false, yet AP reported it with no due diligence checking, saying “(t)he official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly on intelligence matters and demanded anonymity.”

The source claimed a Russian drone overflew a Syrian hospital, treating CW attack victims. Hours later, “a Russian-made fighter jet bombed the hospital in what American officials believe was an attempt to cover up the usage of chemical weapons.”

Fact: No evidence suggests Syrian responsible for the Khan Sheikhoun attack.

Fact: No evidence suggests either Russian or Syrian aircraft bombed any hospital any time during over six years of conflict.

Fact: AP’s report is fake news, part of a campaign to build public support for escalated US aggression on Syria.

Fact: As president and commander-in-chief of America’s military, Trump bears full responsibility for ongoing US wars of aggression - the highest of high crimes against peace.

On April 8, investigative journalist Mike Cernovich said National Security Advisor McMaster “is manipulating intelligence reports given” Trump.

“He’s plotting…a massive ground war” on Syria, aided by former CIA director/convicted felon General David Petraeus.

“The McMaster-Petraeus plan calls for 150,000 American ground troops in Syria. Many special operations veterans including General Joseph Votel have raised serious concerns about McMaster’s plans for Syria.”

“Sources also suggest that McMaster is sharing classified information with Petraeus, whose security clearance was revoked.”

Other administration officials oppose the diabolical McMaster/Petraeus plan. If Trump buys it, “America will find itself in another massive” regional war.

A Final Comment

On Monday, The Hill cited an unnamed senior administration official, disputing the claim about alleged Russian foreknowledge of the April 4 CW attack, saying:

“At this time, there is no US intelligence community consensus that Russia” knew about the CW attack in advance, adding:

“We don’t have positive accountability yet, but the fact that somebody would strike the hospital potentially to hide the evidence of a chemical attack, about five hours after, is a question that we’re very interested in.”

Neither Russia or Syria had anything to do with what likely was a CIA-orchestrated incident to enlist support for escalated war.

It’s likely coming with potentially dreadful consequences.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He 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 WW III."

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

Visit his blog site at http://www.sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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