Drums of War

Extremely worthwhile.

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That tailfin again:

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Nothing to see here.

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Maybe something to match the X-37B?

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Bullshit propaganda from the White House (via Kelly prob)

All nations train to attack other nations. It’s called training. The US runs simulated attacks on China, Russia, North Korea, etc. every fucking day. You can bet that China, Russia and others do the same.

This is more red meat for trumpian fear.

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Not just Trumpian. I’d expect the establishment Dems to run with this as well; they’ll likely argue that Trump is “too soft” on China or somesuch.

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The time to get nervous is when US forces train for strikes on US targets.

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And Mr Prince wants a chunk:

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Clip from “Sir, no Sir!”. More in thread.

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I’m sure that this will end well.

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Manufacturing consent. As always.

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Worthwhile video.

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There’s a war in Yemen? /s

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And we can’t feed poor people. We have no decent health care…

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Spenser Rapone has a podcast:

The Clifton Hicks episode is particularly good.

I encountered something interesting today.

Early in the morning, I posted this article:

Russian Military Aircraft Shot Down Off Syria Coast

with the cynical comment
the ruskies blame israel.

Today, the headline is * Putin Calls Downing of Russian Plane in Syria ‘Tragic’ and Absolves Israel*

so, I looked at the wayback machine
https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/18/world/middleeast/syria-russian-plane.html

turns out that the first version-- the one that prompted my cynicism-- ledes with

Syrian antiaircraft missiles shot down a Russian military aircraft carrying 15 service members off the Syrian coast Monday night, the
Russian Defense Ministry said.

Moscow angrily blamed the Israeli military for what appeared to be a case of friendly fire, saying the Iraelis were conducting air raids in the area and had given only a minute’s warning, too little for the Il-20 surveillance plane to fly out of harm’s way.

Since the beginnings of great power involvement in the Syrian civilwar, the parties have made extensive efforts to avoid accidents or
misunderstandings that could spiral into a wider conflict. The shooting down Monday night seemed to validate those fears, as Russia warned of possible retaliation.

“We reserve the right to take adequate measures in response,” said Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, according to the news agency Interfax. “As a result of the irresponsible actions of the Israeli military, 15 Russian servicemen died. This absolutely does not correspond to the spirit of Russian-Israeli partnership.”
The Defense Ministry also said that Israeli jets were using the surveillance plane as a “shield” when it disappeared from radar screens over the Mediterranean Sea, 22 miles from the Syrian coast. The aircraft had been returning to a Russian air base near the Syrian port city of Latakia, and the Defense Ministry said it had organized a search-and-rescue operation after the plane disappeared.

The article now reads

Putin Calls Downing of Russian Plane in Syria ‘Tragic’ and Absolves Israel
JERUSALEM — Syrian forces accidentally shot down a Russian military plane after an Israeli airstrike on Syrian territory, Kremlin officials said Tuesday, the worst case of friendly fire for Russia in the Syrian war.
The accident on Monday night briefly caused a crisis in Russia-Israel relations as the Kremlin blamed the Israelis, underscoring the risks of escalation from unintended consequences among the different forces operating in Syria.
All 15 Russian service members aboard were killed in the antiaircraft barrage that downed the plane, which had apparently been misidentified by Syrian gunners as Israeli.

So, apparently, the new york times changes the story.

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#TheAssistance strikes again:

The crimes of empire are entirely bipartisan.

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