07/7/15

Pro-Marxist Sells Greece to Moscow

The coverage of the economic disaster in Greece, a strategic NATO country, has mostly ignored the role of Vladimir Putin’s Russia in the growing global turmoil.

Reports continue to circulate that a new European Union (EU) bailout deal with Greece is possible, as Yanis Varoufakis, a self-described “erratic Marxist,” has resigned as finance minister. But these developments appear to be for the purpose of diverting attention away from the fact that Greece has already become, in effect, a satellite of Moscow.

The Greek regime is a Moscow-backed left-right coalition led by Alexis Tsipras, the pro-Marxist and pro-Russia head of Greece’s “Coalition of the Radical Left.” Tsipras, who presented himself as a moderate when he spoke at the Brookings Institution on January 22, 2013, was a member of the youth wing of the Greek Communist Party, the KKE.

The political party known as ANEL (The Independent Greeks) is supposed to be a “conservative” party in the ruling government and yet it is pro-Russian. This reflects Putin’s cultivation of right-wing forces throughout Europe and even in America.

Back from a recent visit to Russia, Tsipras is now counting on cheaper gas and increased Russian investment from Moscow. The prospect of Russian military bases in NATO territory—Greece—cannot be ruled out at this point.

Tsipras previously signed a memorandum that is designed to make 2016 into the “Year of Greece-Russia relations.”

After his coalition won the elections in January, Tsipras received a congratulatory call from President Obama. The two leaders “reviewed close cooperation between Greece and the United States on issues of European security and counterterrorism,” the White House reported.

That alleged “close cooperation” has been replaced by a Greek deal with Moscow.

It seems like just another foreign policy disaster under President Obama, except in this case the stakes are huge. NATO notes that “Greece is strategically located in the Southern region of the Alliance, in close vicinity to South Eastern Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and North Africa.”

But other than expressing a vague hope that European leaders would devise a plan to allow Greece “to return to growth and debt sustainability within the Eurozone,” Obama has been AWOL on the crisis, leaving it mostly in the hands of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The subject of reports and even a book suggesting she is a Russian agent, Merkel knows full well that Tsipras and Putin have been undermining the NATO alliance at a time when the West fears a Russian invasion of another former Soviet republic.

For example, in the report, “Stop Putin’s Next Invasion Before It Starts,” Terrence K. Kelly of the Rand Corporation argues that “The United States needs to seriously consider stationing forces in Eastern Europe to support the nation’s commitment to protect the independence of the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania—NATO members all—against the specter of Russian aggression.”

Some news organizations have alluded to Russia’s role in the current crisis. “Russian President Vladimir Putin feted Tsipras in St. Petersburg last month as bailout negotiations took place in Brussels,” noted Michael Birnbaum and Griff Witte in The Washington Post.

During that meeting Tsipras discussed energy and the “Greek Stream” gas pipeline project with Russian Gazprom chief Alexei Miller during a meeting in St. Petersburg. In fact, Russia and Greece signed a deal to construct a Turkish pipeline across Greek territory. Tsipras also met with representatives of the new development bank for BRICS countries, referring to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, “who expressed their intense interest in cooperating with Greece,” one report noted.

“Russia has its eye on Athens, trying to break European unity to put an end to economic sanctions imposed over its actions in Ukraine,” Birnbaum and Witte noted in the Post.

But the situation is far more serious than the Post lets on. Syriza’s 40-point program includes undermining NATO, the global battle against Islamic terrorism, and Israel:

Closure of all foreign bases in Greece and withdrawal from NATO.
Withdrawal of Greek troops from Afghanistan and the Balkans. No Greek soldiers beyond our own borders.
Drastically cut military expenditures.
Abolition of military cooperation with Israel. Support for creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.

Syriza, a Greek political party, is a member of The European Left (EL). Member Parties of the EL are described as “socialist, communist, red-green and other democratic left parties of the member states and associated states of the European Union (EU) that work together and establish various forms of co-operation at all levels of political activity in Europe, based on the agreements, basic principles and political aims laid down in the EL Manifesto.” The chairperson of EL is Pierre Laurent of the French Communist Party. Tsipras is the Vice-Chairperson.

In addition to the support from these international Marxist political parties and groups, Tsipras met with the leftist Pope Francis on September 19, 2014. Tsipras said, “We pleaded with him to continue struggling against poverty and to speak in behalf of the dignity of humans as well as the structural causes behind poverty which are the inequality in the distribution of wealth and the rampant behavior of the financial markets. …we agreed that the dialogue between the Left and the Christian Church must go on. We may have different ideological starting points; however, we converge on common values, like solidarity, love for the fellow human being, social justice, and our concern regarding world peace.”

“For the first time ever the head of the Catholic Church will meet a leader of the radical Left,” is how Tsipras described the meeting with the pope at his “Change Europe” website.

In their book, EUSSR, Vladimir Bukovsky and Pavel Stroilov argued that the European Union was itself a project of the old Soviet Union, and that the EU has always been subject to manipulation by Moscow and its agents. Based on this analysis, what’s happening in Greece is part of a process of pulling Europe as a whole to the left and away from the United States.

The eventual goal, some observers say, is the removal of the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency, a development that would strike a mortal blow to the global capitalist system.

12/17/14

Jeb Bush sets his sights on the Oval Office

By: Richard Cameron
RedState

The only obstacles in his path are conservatives and Jeb Bush’s progressive agenda.

Jeb Bush spiffing up his globalist bonafides with the World Affairs Council

Brace yourself – Jeb Bush will run in 2016.

Although he’s still dancing around it and acting coy, Jeb Bush has already decided to run for the GOP Presidential nomination next year. A sure sign of this is a puffed up portrait of his term as Governor of Florida planned for release next Spring. It won’t be a hardcover, but an ebook – which indicates that since no one but hard core Bush-bots are likely to read or purchase it, the ebook will be used as a marketing piece, or what others including myself, would term campaign propaganda.

The reason Bush is sitting tight until next year to announce, is the same reason presidential candidates on both sides of the dual party aisle are holding back; he doesn’t want to make himself a target this soon. It doesn’t matter. He’ll be a target (not a literal one), before, during and after his official announcement.

It’s hard to discern what broad appeal Jeb Bush will have to anyone who is not an admirer of the Bush family political dynasty, the endless wars they’ve presided over, the imperialist behavior of their presidencies, or the violence they’ve inflicted on the Constitution. He certainly is not a conservative.

It’s not as though Jeb did anything more than pay lip service to reductions in government spending. In fact, Florida’s budget expanded by 27 percent during his terms in office. And if you liked the federal bailouts of the Banksters on Wall Street in 2008, you’ll surely be impressed with Jeb Bush’s personal financial dealings, one of which is outlined by Gary W. Potter, PhD. Professor, Criminal Justice at Eastern Kentucky University:

Jeb Bush had a role in yet another Savings and Loan fiasco when he defaulted on a loan from Broward Federal Savings and Loan. Broward Federal loaned $4,565,000 to J Edward Houston, a real developer in February, 1985. The loan was secured only by Houston’s personal guarantee. On the same day, one of Houston’s company lent the same amount to a partnership made up of Jeb Bush and Armondo Condina for the purpose of purchasing a building in Miami.

The Bush-Condina partnership was required to repay the loan only if revenues from the building were sufficient to cover the repayment. Bush and Condina made no payments on the loan at all and in 1987 Houston defaulted on the loan and the Bank sued both Houston and Bush-Condina. In a sweetheart settlement with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Bush and Condina only had to repay $500,000 of the $4.5 million loan and got to retain ownership of the building which had been the collateral on the loan.

In 1991, the FDIC sued the officers and directors of Broward Federal charging that the loan ultimately used by Bush and Condina was an example of the bank’s negligent lending practices. The Bush-Condina loan played a key part in the failure of Broward Federal which cost taxpayers $285 million.

Needless to say, Jeb had no problem with defining the 2008-2009 Fed bailouts as being necessary.

Jeb Bush has proven to be all over the map with just about every matter of public policy. For starters, he was against gay marriage, before he was for it. He was opposed to corporate welfare until he saw the opportunity and campaign donations that come with supporting it.

He touts a goal of 25% renewable energy by 2025 (a complete absurdity), but claims to champion a free market approach to national energy policy. Jeb Bush contradicts himself on the question of immigration reform. He opined in the Wall Street Journal in January 2013:

“A practicable system of work-based immigration for both high-skilled and low-skilled immigrants — a system that will include a path to citizenship — will help us meet workforce needs, prevent exportation of jobs to foreign countries and protect against the exploitation of workers.”

But a few months later in March, he said:

“I think there has to be some difference between people who come here legally and illegally. It’s just a matter of common sense and a matter of the rule of law. If we’re not going to apply the law fairly and consistently, then we’re going to have another wave of illegal immigrants coming into the country.”

Bush is another in the warfare state Amen chorus of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)49% and Rep. Peter King (R-NY)35% – men who see the military as a hammer and every potentially adverse situation internationally as a nail. Jeb Bush, who never so much as donned a military uniform, unhesitatingly proposes that the United States risk a hot war with Russia by aggressively rattling sabers in their backyard.

He was also supportive of the idea of invading Syria to overthrow Assad’s government, thus paving the way for ISIS to establish Damascus as the capitol of their desired world Caliphate.

Michael Brendan Dougherty in The Week, sums up a position that Jeb Bush fiercely defends and that puts him at odds with a large swath of GOP voters:

The George H.W. Bush style of domestic policy that both his sons inherited is one of giving liberal programs half the funding and authority liberals want, but dolloping on so much conservative-branded “accountability” that it can be sold to the right. Poppy pushed “standards-based reform.” W. did No Child Left Behind. And Jeb is the leading GOP advocate for what’s become of Common Core. Whatever the merits, being identified so closely with a Bill-Gates subsidized education scheme hated from the right wing to Louis C.K. will prove costly.

Jeb Bush is in sync with the oligarch investment class, but finds the conservative base of the GOP incomprehensible. Jamelle Bouie writing in Slate explains why:

Since leaving office, Bush has lived in the realm of corporate philanthropy, where wealthy executives give huge sums for a variety of unconservative causes, like climate change and Common Core. It’s a world of vocal centrism, where Michael Bloomberg is esteemed and the fights are for gun control and calorie labeling, not traditional values and the repeal of Obamacare.

In fact, Bush has participated as a board member on corporations such as Tenet Healthcare and Inno-Vida, both of which have been beneficiaries of the crony capitalism aspect of Obamacare. Jeb believes Obamacare is lucrative, which explains his attacks on conservatives like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)95% who are focused on unraveling it legislatively.

Cementing this is his recent comment dismissing efforts to repeal Obamacare, “We don’t have to make a point any more as Republicans. We have to actually show that we can, in an adult-like way, we can govern, lead.”

At the end of the day though – what should be the Silver bullet against any realistic chance Bush has at claiming the nomination – is his insistence on promoting amnesty, despite the clear evidence that the election we just had in November was a repudiation of ‘immigration reform’.

Bush touts Hispanic ‘Family Values’ as being essentially superior to those of Americans. Remember the “Yes, they broke the law, but it’s not a felony. It’s an act of love”, quote? Jeb is not relenting:

“If we are going to be young and dynamic and aspirational, we have to control the border. Most people that come to this country come for their families, plain and simple. So, they break the law, there should be penalty — they pay a fine, they should get back of the line, they should learn English, they shouldn’t get government subsidies. They should work. All those things are the price to pay for coming illegally.”

At the same time, Bush warned not to “ascribe evil motives for people wanting to put food on the table for their families.”

Of no interest to Bush are the millions of Americans that have been displaced in the job market by this invasion of locusts. And as I have pointed out in considerable detail, Bush has to know he’s lying about the conditions he outlines for the path to citizenship.

No illegal will ever pay any fine, be denied any government subsidies, get in the back of any line, be required to learn English or pay any back taxes. This is all complete fiction. Best summing up why a Jeb Bush candidacy should be a non-starter are Bush’s own words:

“If you run with big ideas and then you’re true to those ideas, and get a chance to serve and implement them and do it with passion and conviction, you can move the needle. … And that’s what we need right now in America. I have no clue if I’d be a good candidate, I hope I would be. I think I could serve well as president, to be honest with you. But I don’t know that either. I think you learn these things as you go along. I know a Republican can win, whether it’s me or somebody else.”

Jeb, you may be uncertain of your qualifications, but we aren’t uncertain of your lack of them. Sorry Jeb, but unless Sheldon Adelson has his way, it will be “someone else”.