In Pentagon shakeup, some see bid for more secret actions, less oversight

The selection of John Daniel Caine as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff may signal a new emphasis on irregular warfare, covert and clandestine operations, enabling swifter action with fewer legal constraints and less congressional scrutiny, say former military and senior defense officials who have worked in the intelligence community, special operations, the Defense Department, and the White House.

In Pentagon shakeup, some see bid for more secret actions, less oversight

Rant 02-10-2025: Doveryai, No Proveryai

Pascal did it again! He keeps bringing on David Pyne, without disclosing that he’s a member of the hawkish group, Committee on the Present Danger: China. Pyne is far from neutral on the issue of China!

Related:

The US Scare Campaign Against China (History of the Committee on the Present Danger)

The following statistics are from the Cato Institute, which is affiliated with the Atlas Network via the Koch Network.

Cato Scholar Debunks Trump’s Fentanyl Figures amid Tariff Talk

Decades of drug war tactics have failed, merely shifting production of fentanyl precursors from China to India, Myanmar, other parts of Southeast Asia, and even Canada. Canadian authorities report “superlabs” are shipping fentanyl to drug dealers in Australia and New Zealand and, to a lesser amount, to the US.

Canadian-made fentanyl is an international problem, RCMP says

Fentanyl Trafficking 2023

86.4% were United States citizens

U.S. Citizens Were 89% of Convicted Fentanyl Traffickers in 2022

Fentanyl Is Smuggled for U.S. Citizens By U.S. Citizens, Not Asylum Seekers

The Dark Alliance (PDF)

The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia (PDF)

Internet Archive: Barry & ‘the boys’ : the CIA, the Mob and America’s secret history

A Socialist, Feminist, and Transgender Analysis of “Sex Work” (2020)

The question of women’s liberation is central to any revolutionary project, and thus so is the question of “sex work.” Esperanza Fonseca’s contribution, although coming from a Maoist political orientation with which we often have differences, [1] makes the stakes of this debate crystal clear, as she combines personal experience, public policy research, and historical materialism to argue that Marxists cannot uphold what she calls “sex-trade-expansionary feminism.”

Content Warning: Descriptions of rape.

The right of the subordinated classes of men to buy access to women’s bodies has been used historically to break class solidarity in order to maintain the dominant social relations of the time. This was true in feudal Europe and remains true today: when proletarian and petit bourgeois men get to buy women too, they develop a false consciousness and build solidarity with bourgeois men of their own gender rather than aligning with women of their own class. And because the overthrow of capitalism is only possible by the overthrowing of the bourgeoisie, prostitution serves two great purposes: (1) allows bourgeois men access to a reserve army of women for their pleasure, and (2) prevent class consciousness and thus helps stop the proletariat from organizing as a class.

A Socialist, Feminist, and Transgender Analysis of “Sex Work” (2020)

When was the Democratic Party anti-war?

Once in a while, I listen to “establishment controlled” Democracy Now. Today, I decided to listen to their episode with Bernie Sanders’ former foreign policy adviser, Matt Duss. They talked about how the Democratic Party has become “The Party of War” as if it’s something that’s recently happened. Left out of this conversation was if the Democratic Party was ever anti-war? I don’t recall a time in my life in which the Democrats were.

Read More »

A Giant of Journalism Gets Half its Budget From the U.S. Government

A Giant of Journalism Gets Half its Budget From the U.S. Government

How Sullivan first caught the attention of the U.S. foreign policy officialdom is itself a window into the purpose of the organization. It begins with a coup in the Philippines. State Department official Michael Henning had previously been stationed there. In 2001, the non-profit outlet the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) exposed corruption by then-President Joseph Estrada, a nationalist with a standoffish relationship to the U.S. The exposé led to an impeachment inquiry, which fell short. But it also produced major street protests, leading to his ouster in a coup [EDSA 2]. The journalist’s pen was not just mightier than the sword, but less embarrassing to wield on a global stage in an era where overtly U.S.-backed military coups had gone out of fashion (if not entirely out of the toolkit). Henning was a major booster of PCIJ—which has been the beneficiary of grants from the National Endowment for Democracy—relaying its effectiveness to his colleagues.

The article refers to the Arab Spring and the Yugoslav Wars, but not how the U.S. was involved.

Related:

Front Organizations Behind Hit Piece on Igor Lopatonok:

Wikipedia

Grants from Luminate Group AKA Omidyar Network

Source
Source

A ‘myriad’ of front organizations had “Media Unlocked” banned from TikTok (PCIJ)

PH’s PressONE is funded by several US front organizations

Update to Notes on Ukrainian Government Exposed Surveilling News Outlet (GIJN)

Latin American Center for Journalistic Research (CLIP)

Front Organizations

Breakup of Yugoslavia (Yugoslav Wars)

U.S. Wars and Hostile Actions (WW2 – 2014) (Arab Spring)

Gender and Psychiatry: Pathologized Emotions

As Phyllis Chesler warned us in 1974, gender bias has accompanied psychiatric power throughout its history. Years later, in 2005, in the last annotated edition of Women and Madness , the author insisted on the persistence of this bias, which even today, 50 years later, seems to remain unchanged. Authors such as Ussher, Caplan, Margot Pujal and many others were situated in that same space. With their differences and nuances, they all converge on the same point: gender problems and discomforts produce deep suffering. This suffering leaves marks on our bodies and our behavior.

Gender and Psychiatry: Pathologized Emotions

Brazil’s role in BRICS: “Forewarned is forearmed”

Full video

Lula’s ‘veto’ against Venezuela’s entry to BRICS is a continuation of his general policy.

Brazil’s Performance in BRICS: “An Announced War Doesn’t Kill Soldiers”

Google translates the original title “La actuación de Brasil en Brics: ‘Guerra avisada no mata soldados’” as “Brazil’s role in BRICS: ‘Forewarned is forearmed.’” “Forewarned is forearmed” is a proverb meaning that one gains a tactical advantage if they are aware of potential threats or issues beforehand.

Previously:

Venezuela Rejects Brazilian Government Interference [Amorim has served US imperialism for decades]

Brazil’s Lula toes the Western line and opposes Venezuela’s and Nicaragua’s membership in BRICS

President Maduro Responds to Lula and Petro’s ‘Proposals

Banning Chinese Cars Is Dangerous And Self-Defeating

Banning Chinese Cars Is Dangerous And Self-Defeating

Significantly, the administration is justifying the rule on national security grounds. As Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said, “Cars today have cameras, microphones, GPS tracking, and other technologies connected to the internet. It doesn’t take much imagination to understand how a foreign adversary with access to this information could pose a serious risk to both our national security and the privacy of U.S. citizens.”

Meanwhile:

Mozilla: Modern Cars Are A Privacy Shitshow

All 25 car brands we researched earned our *Privacy Not Included warning label — making cars the official worst category of products for privacy that we have ever reviewed.