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POLL: Americans Support Military-Industrial Complex Above All Else
Eric Zuesse
A new Morning Consult/POLITICO survey, published on 26 April, indicates that most American voters support the military-industrial complex more than they support any other recipient of U.S. federal government spending. The military-industrial complex includes almost all federal contractors, the top ten of which, in the ranking of the “Top 100 Contractors of the U.S. federal government”, are all military suppliers: 1: Lockheed Martin. 2: Boeing. 3: General Dynamics. 4: Raytheon. 5: Northrop Grumman. 6: McKesson. 7: United Technologies. 8: L-3. 9: Bechtel. 10: BAE. Those ten firms would be the likeliest main beneficiaries from today’s America’s extremely pro-military-industrial-complex public, which is clearly revealed in this poll.
2,032 American voters were asked in the poll a list of objectives that might be so important as to justify “the government must shut down.” Only one single objective was close to being supported by an absolute majority of the respondents, so that the government’s going to shut-down would, in those respondents’ view, be justified for Congress to do in order to achieve that given objective, which was stated as: “Increase funding for defense and homeland security.” 47% of respondents (just shy of an absolute majority, which is 50+%) chose that goal as being so drastically important; 39% chose instead the answer, “NOT important enough to prompt a shutdown.” 14% chose “Don’t Know / No Opinion.” In other words: 47% were in support of any member of Congress who refused to vote to fund the government unless the proposed legislation to keep the government going would “Increase funding for defense and homeland security” (increase funding that’s going mainly to those ten firms). Increased spending on the military-industrial complex (which is incontestably the most corrupt portion of the U.S. federal government) is so extremely important to 47% of America’s voters, according to this poll. Those 47% are like a huge cheering section for those ten corporate stocks: they’re willing to shut down the federal govenment if the taxpayer-money going to those ten firms isn’t increased.
Preemptive US Strike on North Korea Imminent?
Stephen Lendman
On Thursday, NBC News said the Trump administration “is prepared to launch a preemptive strike with conventional weapons against North Korea should officials become convinced (it’s) about to follow through with (another) nuclear weapons test, (according to) multiple senior US intelligence officials…”
Pyongyang’s sixth nuclear weapons test could come Saturday - commemorating Kim Il-sung’s 105th birthday, the nation’s founder. The USS Vinson aircraft carrier strike group is positioned off North Korea’s coast, able to launch cruise missile and aerial attacks.
Guam-based US heavy bombers could be used, NBC News said, adding a “US strike could include missiles and bombs, cyber and special operations on the ground.”
Trump Talks Tough on North Korea
Stephen Lendman
On Monday, he called on Security Council members to impose “stronger sanctions” on North Korea, heightening tensions by claiming the DPRK “is a real threat to the world…and it’s a problem that we have to finally solve.”
Pyongyang called the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group deployed off the Korean peninsula “an extremely dangerous act by those who plan a nuclear war to invade.”
China’s President Xi Jinping called for all sides to show “restraint, and avoid doing anything to worsen the tense situation on the peninsula.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Trump will hold a briefing for all 100 senators on North Korea. Reportedly a similar session is planned for House members - both meetings to be held in a “sensitive compartmented information facility” in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Fake News About Russian French Election Meddling
Stephen Lendman
Claims about Russian US election hacking were fabricated. No evidence exists suggesting it.
Accusations without it are groundless. Media scoundrels repeat them anyway, abandoning responsible journalism, serving as press agents for power.
Indisputable evidence proves America routinely interferes in elections worldwide. It ruthlessly wants independent governments toppled, pro-Western puppet regimes replacing them.
A longstanding joke asks why America never experienced a coup - because Washington has no US embassy.
West Ignores Russia’s Proposals to Combat Terrorism
Stephen Lendman
Russia is committed to combat and defeat the scourge America, NATO, Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia and their rogue allies support.
According to its General Staff chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov, US-led Western countries ignore “our proposals to pool efforts in the struggle against international terrorism.”
“Since 2015, Russia has been fighting radical Islamic groups in Syria, containing terrorism away from its borders and preventing its penetration into Russia and Europe.”
“The lack of tight cooperation and interaction between our countries in the struggle against terrorism creates favorable conditions for the Islamic State,” al-Qaeda, and likeminded groups.
Tillerson Vows Forever Sanctions on Russia
Stephen Lendman
According to acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner, Tillerson spoke to (illegitimate US-installed putschist) Ukraine (puppet) president Petro Poroshenko on Monday.
He reiterated Washington’s firm commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity - saying sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control of the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine and fully implements its Minsk agreement commitments.
Fact: The Republic of Crimea is sovereign Russian Federation territory. The overwhelming will of its people by national referendum wants it no other way.
Fact: In February, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said “Crimea…belong(s) to the Russian Federation. We don’t give back our own territory.”
Will War Follow Another North Korea Nuclear Test?
Stephen Lendman
On Monday, Xi Jinping and Trump spoke for the second time by phone on North Korea since the Chinese president’s visit to Mar-a-Lago earlier this month.
Instead of stressing peaceful resolution of the issue alone, Xi said all parties must “shoulder their due responsibilities and meet each other halfway.”
Yet he called for “restraint,” avoiding “provocative actions,” and strictly observing Security Council resolutions to resolve things.
Both leaders want the Korean peninsula denuclearized, Beijing justifiably concerned if conflict erupts, its national security will be threatened.
Preventing it by pressuring Pyongyang to halt further nuclear and ICBM tests appears to be China’s red line. It’s the only country able to get concessions from the DPRK - whether on its nuclear and missile programs remains a test for its leadership.
UK Defense Secretary Loves War, Abhors Peace
Stephen Lendman
Michael Fallon supports arms sales to despotic regimes like Saudi Arabia, Britain complicit in its aggression on Yemen - Obama’s war, now Trump’s.
He’s escalating it recklessly, the UK complicit in US/Saudi high crimes of war and against humanity in Yemen and other regional war theaters.
Fallon praised missile maker MBDA, calling the company a “role model” for business Britain seeks post-Brexit.
It’s “strengthening the reputation of this country,” he blustered. It has “a great reputation (for providing) sterling service.”
Its expertise is mass slaughter and destruction, profiting from doing business with the devil, despotic regimes like Saudi Arabia - using terror weapons and toxic agents, supplying them to terrorists, raping Yemen, brutalizing its own people.
Trump Is Advised by Liars, Like Bush Was
Eric Zuesse
As will be shown here, the U.S. federal government, under President Donald Trump, is repeating the very same deception of the public, in regard to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, that it had perpetrated back in 2002, against Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, under U.S. President George W. Bush. (By contrast, and for secret reasons, the U.S. federal government does everything possible to downplay the barbarisms, such as are occurring in Yemen, that are perpetrated by the fundamentalist Sunni Kings of Saudi Arabia, and Emirs of Qatar, even while exaggerating the barbarisms by the fundamentalist Shiite clerics who control Iran — a key ally of the secular and non-fundamentalist Shiite leader of Syria. The U.S. ‘news’ media display no curiosity, at all, to understand, much less to explain to their public, why that partiality of the U.S. government, in favor of fundamentalist Sunni governments, against any Shiite governments, exists; but, all of the 9/11 jihadists were fundamentalist Sunnis, and Al Qaeda itself is a fundamentalist Sunni operation, as is ISIS; and these facts have something to do with that ‘mystery’, of why the U.S. ‘news’ media and government are so partial in favor of fundamentalist Sunnis, against Shiites. America’s soldiers are actually fighting foreign wars for foreign powers who are claimed to be ‘allies’, but who are actually the ones that invade America and slaughter Americans.)
Here will be documented that Donald Trump is now clearly following in George W. Bush’s (and Barack Obama’s) footsteps, being advised by liars, who deceive the public into invading, on false pretexts — the chief crime for which the Nazi military leaders at Nuremberg were tried and executed. Now it’s America’s leaders, who should be in the docks. This is an ugly reality, in which America’s press is complicit by refusing to report it. Indeed, America’s press is essential to the success of the government’s fraud, which certainly succeeded against Saddam Hussein in 2003, and which is again succeeding against Bashar al-Assad now.
Nightmarish Conditions in Yemen
Stephen Lendman
A Watchlist.org report titled “Every Day Things Are Getting Worse” discusses “the impact on children of attacks on health care in Yemen.”
US-backed Saudi aggression on Yemen caused the near collapse of healthcare in the country. Most medical facilities aren’t operating.
Ones still functioning face severe shortages of everything - doctors, nurses, other medical personnel, medicines and equipment.
Over 80% of Yemenis need humanitarian aid. Around 60% lack access to proper healthcare.
US-supported Saudi terror-bombing bears full responsibility - attacking hospitals and other medical facilities scores of times.
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