Incongruities in the News

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Jonathan Pollard, a paid spy for Israel described by Michael D. Shear as "one of the country's most notorious spies," has been pardoned from his life sentence. It strikes me as hypocritical for the US government to sentence anyone to prison for spying when the government itself spies on everyone everywhere. All Americans including members of the House and Senate, congressional staff, military officers, foreign governments including the leaders of Washington's closest allies, and foreign businesses are spied upon. No one is exempt from Washington's spying.

Washington claims that its worldwide spying does no harm. So how did the very limited spying of one person -- Pollard -- a civilian employee of Naval intelligence do so much harm as to warrant a life sentence? What some of us would like to see is a life sentence for NSA.

What disturbs me about the case is that it is Pollard, who spied for a foreign country, who is released. In contrast, Manning and Snowden who spied for the American people are locked away, Manning in a federal prison and Snowden in his Russian exile. Julian Assange, who merely did his job as a journalist and made available to newspapers documents leaked to him, is confined to the Ecuadoran embassy in London.

It seems to me that if Pollard who spied for Israel can be set free, so ought to be Manning, Snowden, and Assange who spied for the American people and reported the illegal activities of the US government and the dangerous impact of Washington's illegal activities on the liberty of Americans. Pollard is a hero to Israel, not to America, and it is Pollard who is released. Manning, Snowden, and Assange are heroes to America, and they continue to be confined.

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The Dutch or the Europeans, whoever it is that has responsibility for investigating the downing of the Malaysian airliner, MH-17, is unable to get a report released. What does this tell us? It tells me that the facts don't support the propaganda that Russia is responsible. You can bet your last dollar that if there was any evidence of Russia's responsibility, the report would have been out long ago. Only Russia has complied with the evidentiary requirements of the investigation, turning over all evidence in its possession. Washington refuses to release the information from its spy satellite that was directly overhead at the moment of the airliner's destruction, and Kiev refuses to release its communications with the airliner that directed the airliner to change course and to fly over a combat zone...

In place of the withheld report, there are planted "leaks" in the media claiming that the report has concluded that Russia is responsible. These "leaks" make news everywhere, but the denials of the false leaks by the investigators never receive the same media attention.

Apparently, there is still a mite of integrity left in the Dutch. Washington can block the report but not completely falsify it. So now Washington is pushing a UN International Tribunal on the airliner crash in hopes of getting the result Washington wants.

A person can't help but wonder why Russia did not conduct the investigation, inviting in the European governments with complete access to all available information. The remains of the airliner fell on territory friendly to Russia. If Russia had conducted the investigation, we would have transparency. Instead, what we have is a report that can't be issued and Washington calling for a new investigation that it can fully control. To prevent Russia's frame-up, Russia had to veto today (July 29) the resolution in the UN. Now Russia is accused by the West speaking with one voice of hiding its complicity in the attack on the airliner and opposing justice for Malaysia. At some point the Russian government needs to understand that its faith in the West is a mistake and that when Russia relies on Western good will, Russia cuts its own throat.

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We have an economic recovery, allegedly, one ongoing since June, 2009. Tell that to the millions of "discouraged workers" who have been unable to find a job, have given up looking for nonexistent jobs, and are not counted as among the unemployed as measured by the fake 5.3% rate of unemployment.

The stock market, not too far below its highs, is used as evidence of recovery. However, the stock market is supported by companies buying back their own shares and by the liquidity that the Federal Reserve has poured into the financial system. Dan Strumpet reported in the Wall Street Journal that a mere six companies account for more than all of the gain in market-capitalization in the S&P 500. How's that? We have a recovery in which a mere six companies participate -- Amazon, Google, Apple, Facebook, Gilead, and Walt Disney Company.

Sounds like a rip-roaring recovery.

In the second quarter of this year the US economy contracted by 1.4%. Second quarter durable goods orders, minus commercial aircraft orders which are placed years ahead and do not reflect the state of the present economy, are in annual decline. Second quarter new home sales fell 7.3%. And Wall Street still hypes hope and recovery.

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