Anonymous ID: ea71f4 Sept. 9, 2018, 8:22 p.m. No.2954572   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4584 >>4643 >>4773 >>4993 >>5214 >>5295

Moscow Has Upped the Ante in Syria

 

As Syrian forces back by Russian launch the final showdown in Syria against jihadist extremists, the potential for a U.S.-Russia confrontation has never been greater, as VIPS warns in this memo to the president. September 9, 2018

 

MEMORANDUM FOR: The President

 

FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity

 

SUBJECT: Moscow Has Upped the Ante in Syria

 

Mr. President:

 

We are concerned that you may not have been adequately briefed on the upsurge of hostilities in northwestern Syria, where Syrian armed forces with Russian support have launched a full-out campaign to take back the al-Nusra/al-Qaeda/ISIS-infested province of Idlib. The Syrians will almost certainly succeed, as they did in late 2016 in Aleppo. As in Aleppo, it will mean unspeakable carnage, unless someone finally tells the insurgents theirs is a lost cause.

 

That someone is you. The Israelis, Saudis, and others who want unrest to endure are egging on the insurgents, assuring them that you, Mr. President, will use US forces to protect the insurgents in Idlib, and perhaps also rain hell down on Damascus. We believe that your senior advisers are encouraging the insurgents to think in those terms, and that your most senior aides are taking credit for your recent policy shift from troop withdrawal from Syria to indefinite war.

 

Big Difference This Time

 

Russian missile-armed naval and air units are now deployed in unprecedented numbers to engage those tempted to interfere with Syrian and Russian forces trying to clean out the terrorists from Idlib. We assume you have been briefed on that — at least to some extent. More important, we know that your advisers tend to be dangerously dismissive of Russian capabilities and intentions.

 

We do not want you to be surprised when the Russians start firing their missiles. The prospect of direct Russian-U.S. hostilities in Syria is at an all-time high. We are not sure you realize that.

 

The situation is even more volatile because Kremlin leaders are not sure who is calling the shots in Washington. This is not the first time that President Putin has encountered such uncertainty (see brief Appendix below). This is, however, the first time that Russian forces have deployed in such numbers into the area, ready to do battle. The stakes are very high.

 

We hope that John Bolton has given you an accurate description of his acerbic talks with his Russian counterpart in Geneva a few weeks ago. In our view, it is a safe bet that the Kremlin is uncertain whether Bolton faithfully speaks in your stead, or speaks INSTEAD of you.

 

The best way to assure Mr. Putin that you are in control of U.S. policy toward Syria would be for you to seek an early opportunity to speak out publicly, spelling out your intentions. If you wish wider war, Bolton has put you on the right path.

 

If you wish to cool things down, you may wish to consider what might be called a pre-emptive ceasefire. By that we mean a public commitment by the Presidents of the U.S. and Russia to strengthen procedures to preclude an open clash between U.S. and Russian armed forces. We believe that, in present circumstances, this kind of extraordinary step is now required to head off wider war.

 

For the VIPS Steering Group, signed:

 

Philip Giraldi, CIA Operations Officer (retired)

 

James George Jatras, former U.S. diplomat and former foreign policy adviser to Senate Republican leadership (Associate VIPS)

 

Michael S. Kearns, Captain, U.S. Air Force, Intelligence Officer, and former Master SERE Instructor (retired)

 

John Kiriakou, Former CIA Counterterrorism Officer and Former Senior Investigator, Senate Foreign Relations Committee

 

Edward Loomis, NSA Cryptologic Computer Scientist (ret.)

 

Ray McGovern, Army/Infantry Intelligence Officer and CIA Presidential Briefer (retired)

 

Elizabeth Murray, Deputy National Intelligence Officer for the Near East, National Intelligence Council (retired)

 

Todd E. Pierce, MAJ, US Army Judge Advocate (ret.)

 

Ann Wright, retired U.S. Army reserve colonel and former U.S. diplomat who resigned in 2003 in opposition to the Iraq War

 

https://consortiumnews.com/2018/09/09/moscow-has-upped-the-ante-in-syria/

Anonymous ID: ea71f4 Sept. 9, 2018, 8:36 p.m. No.2954756   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>2954722

Calm down look at the sauce 'WSJ' and red text 'siting unnamed US officials'

 

Let me rephrase for you The MSM says Assad approved gas attack an anonymous source says!

 

Discernment Anon.

 

WWG1WGA

Anonymous ID: ea71f4 Sept. 9, 2018, 8:40 p.m. No.2954798   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4993 >>5214 >>5295

Syria Begins Reconstruction of UNESCO World Heritage Castle Near Homs

 

HOMS (Syria) (Sputnik) - Syrian specialists have proceeded with the works to reconstruct Krak des Chevaliers castle, which was occupied by militants during the fighting in the Syrian city of Homs, Khazan Khanaf, a chief engineer responsible for the reconstruction works, said on Monday.

 

The 11th-century castle has been recognized by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Site.

 

"We are trying to keep all in a pristine state. The militants' shells crashed through [the castle's] roof, which let water in and put at risk the monument. We have reconstructed the roof by ourselves," Khanaf said.

 

According to Khanaf, restorers have much work to be done, in particular, they will have to restore the castle's old frescoes.

 

The Syrian authorities are currently reconstructing a number of historical monuments across the country, destroyed by the members of illegal armed groups. The Western countries and UNESCO have pledged their assistance to Syria in this regard on numerous occasions, however, they have not joined the works carried out by the Syrian and Russian specialists so far.

 

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201809101067888209-syria-begins-homs-unesco-heritage-reconstruction/

Anonymous ID: ea71f4 Sept. 9, 2018, 8:51 p.m. No.2954929   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5017

Exclusive – Mo Brooks: Likely 15M Illegal Aliens in U.S., Giving Blue States 20 Additional Congressional Seats

 

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) says the counting of illegal aliens when dividing up congressional seats and electoral college votes is a violation of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

 

Brooks, along with the state of Alabama, are suing the federal government for their counting of illegal aliens, rather than citizens, in congressional apportionment and the dividing up of electoral college votes.

 

In an exclusive interview with SiriusXM Patriot Channel’s Breitbart News Saturday, Brooks revealed that should the Congress continue dividing up congressional seats and electoral college votes based on all persons in each district—including illegal aliens—rather than the number of American citizens, that the state of Alabama is set to lose a congressional seat.

 

Brooks said:

 

We’re probably in the neighborhood of about 15 million illegal aliens in America now. 15 million comes out to roughly 20 congressional seats and 20 electoral college votes. Each congressional seat has roughly 700,000 to 800,000 people in it. [Emphasis added]

 

So, if you count illegal aliens in the Census for the purposes of distributing political power, that’s the number of congressmen per state or … the number of electoral college votes per state, you’re talking about … 20 electoral college votes and congressmen that are taken from states that follow our laws, that help our border patrol agents, and help our ICE agents … shifting those 20 congressional seats and 20 electoral college seats to states like California that have large numbers of illegal aliens in them. [Emphasis added]

 

I personally believe that’s wrong, on a policy level, but I also believe it violates the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution because it dilutes the voting power of citizens who live in states that don’t harbor an enormous number of illegal aliens. [Emphasis added]

 

As Breitbart News has reported, the counting of only American citizens to divide up congressional districts and electoral college votes would shift power away from the affluent, metropolitan coastal cities of the U.S. and towards middle America.

 

For example, California has an estimated three million illegal aliens, a total of about 5.3 million noncitizens, and a total population of about 39.5 million residents. Currently, California has 53 congressional seats, the most in the country.

 

If California’s congressional districts were set by the number of citizens in the state, it would potentially lose three to five congressional seats, leaving the state with about 48 to 50 seats.

https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/09/09/mo-brooks-congressional-apportionment/