Venezuela 2019: Nightmare Deja Vu For 1980s Peace Activists.

by Jerry Alatalo

Bruce Cockburn’s “World of Wonders” was first released in 1985, during the U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H.W. Bush (1980-1988) administration, the era which saw the infamous Iran-Contra scandal explode across headlines worldwide.

hile this generation’s young people learn about coercive economic measures used against “target” nations like Venezuela, described in an official U.S. Army “Unconventional Warfare” manual, and published by WikiLeaks – Canadian artist/musician Bruce Cockburn was writing songs about the International Monetary Fund and the connection between money, natural resources and war more than 30 years ago.

One wonders: where are all the famous artists, musicians, sports and movie/TV celebrities from across the Earth who hold strong personal positions on the important matter of war and peace? If any by chance pass this way, perhaps they will digest, and become sparked to take action by, the clearly inspirational peace message delivered by the great Canadian artist Bruce Cockburn.

“Call It Democracy” | Bruce Cockburn | 1985

Padded with power here they come

International loan sharks backed by the guns

Of market hungry military profiteers

Whose word is a swamp and whose brow is smeared

With the blood of the poor

—-

Who rob life of its quality

Who render rage a necessity

By turning countries into labor camps

Modern slavers in drag as champions of freedom

—-

Sinister cynical instrument

Who makes the gun into a sacrament

The only response to the deification

Of tyranny by so-called “developed” nations’

Idolatry of ideology

—-

North, south, east, west

Kill the best and buy the rest

It’s just spend a buck to make a buck

You don’t really give a flying fuck

About the people in misery

—-

I-M-F … dirty M-F

Takes away everything it can get

Always making certain that there’s one thing left

Keep them on the hook with insupportable debt

—-

See the paid off local bottom feeders

Passing themselves off as leaders

Kiss the ladies, shake hands with the fellows

And it’s open for business like a cheap bordello

—-

And they call it democracy. And they call it democracy. And they call it democracy. And they call it democracy…

—-

See the loaded eyes of the children too

Trying to make the best of it the way kids do

One day you’re going to rise from your habitual feast

To find yourself staring down the throat of the beast

They call a revolution

—-

I-M-F … dirty M-F

Takes away everything it can get

Always making certain that there’s one thing left

Keep them on the hook with insupportable debt

—-

And they call it democracy. And they call it democracy. And they call it democracy. And they call it democracy…

(Thank you to BruceCockburnVEVO at YouTube)

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Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn became most focused during his musical career on war and peace during the 1980s and the administration (1980-1988) of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H. W. Bush. Bush would go on to become president for one term (1988-1992).

Many have become concerned about a man who had a large role in covert wars of aggression in Central America in the Reagan-Bush administration, Elliot Abrams. People are extremely concerned about Donald Trump’s appointment of Elliot Abrams as his so-called “point man on Venezuela”, and especially worried about the fate of innocent Venezuelans if there were a repeat of the covert mass murdering days of Reagan-Bush.

#HandsOffVenezuela.

Bruce Cockburn is now in his 70s, still very active with songwriting and performing, – and probably feeling a strong sense of déjà vu, sadness and frustration when seeing what’s occurring in Venezuela. Our guess is that in 2019 the more mature, decades wiser Bruce Cockburn in his mind’s eye has images of potential weapons to finally, successfully battle and defeat this generation’s war criminals. Mr. Cockburn probably held out hope through the many years that his earlier powerful antiwar-message music would never have become relevant – again.

Peace.

Canadian singer/songwriter and peace activist Bruce Cockburn in studio creating/working on his latest musical collection: “Bone on Bone” (2017)

Live performance by Bruce Cockburn – Summer 2005:

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An Open Letter to the American People from President Nicolás Maduro

President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela has sent an extremely important message – addressed to the good people of America…

Tony Seed's Weblog

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

If I know anything, it is about peoples, such as you. I am a man of the people. I was born and raised in a poor neighborhood of Caracas. I forged myself in the heat of popular and union struggles in a Venezuela submerged in exclusion and inequality. I am not a tycoon, I am a worker of reason and heart. Today I have the great privilege of presiding over the new Venezuela, rooted in a model of inclusive development and social equality, which was forged by Commander Hugo Chávez since 1998 inspired by the Bolivarian legacy.

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Captain Brittany Ramos-DeBarros: “They Want Us To Believe The Lie…”

by Jerry Alatalo

nited States Army Reserve Captain Brittany Ramos-DeBarros, veteran of the war in Afghanistan, faces retribution from her military superiors. She speaks out about her experience in Afghanistan and what she has learned with respect to the truth of why America initiates wars, which, from the military’s harsh reactions, suggests a continuing emphasis on secrecy, silence or non-transparency fueling the U.S. soldier/war organizational culture.

During a public event speech which put her in legal jeopardy, Captain DeBarros told the crowd gathered:

“They want us to believe the lies that the precious lives of our soldiers are being spent for the protection of our freedoms. But I spent a year witnessing the bravery and beauty of the Afghan people – men and women, fathers and mothers, risking their lives and their families to overcome oppressive organizations that we funded and enabled.”

While appearing for a new documentary promoted by Veterans for Peace, Brittany DeBarros describes the essential experience of contrariness as someone both in the U.S. military and speaking out against American involvement in war:

“It feels like a moment where your life feels like … the sum of your life means, could be made explicit in that moment. And you have to make a decision about what matters enough to you to put yourself at risk, and what risk you’re willing to take in order to defend that.”

Her and a growing number of American veterans of war are frustrated in the near absence of awareness in the people of the United States with regard to current levels of military engagement now occurring by their armed forces:

“People don’t realize that we’re at … almost at the height of what our bombing campaigns have been, – that we’re dropping a bomb every 12 minutes when you average out the numbers.”

“What is driving a lot of our actions is very likely not what we think, which is freedom and, you know, protecting our country and bringing democracy to the world, and liberating oppressed peoples, as it’s been sold to the American people.”

Captain Brittany DeBarros and her fellow veterans opposed to war feel,  – after learning about the lies they and their fellow Americans have been told regarding military operations in Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere around the Earth – that their voices are just as important to become heard as the generals, admirals, Secretaries of Defense, Presidents … and so on.

“I believe what I heard someone else say, which was: ‘If someone can stand in uniform as an officer and as a leader, and speak about why we should be in war, – why shouldn’t I as a leader be able to stand in my uniform and say that we shouldn’t be at war?'”

She also expresses her shocked amazement and frustration in knowing that, not taking into account the nation’s civilian population of 330 million-plus being unaware, even her own fellow soldiers are often-times “out of the loop” on the true levels or magnitude of military operations being carried out by United States armed forces around the world.

“When there’s that little awareness … awareness-raising is ground zero.”

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For more information, please visit AboutFaceVeterans.org 

(Thank you to The Peace Report at YouTube)

Humanity At Crossroad 2019: 9/11 Truth Or World War III?

by Jerry Alatalo

ravel around the Earth in the new year 2019, put the following assertion to people in various nations and regions, and responses will range from total confusion and befuddlement to full awareness and agreement. The assertion is that humanity faces in 2019 the simple yet immeasurably important choice of either embracing the effort to uncover the truth of 9/11 or experiencing the horror of World War III.

The choice of working to get at the brutal truth of what transpired on September 11, 2001, commonly spoken of as the “day that changed everything”, has emerged after the legal team comprising the Lawyers’ Committee for 9/11 Inquiry took steps leading to the future implementation of a Special Grand Jury process – to assess evidence of explosives being used to crash New York’s World Trade Center Towers 1, 2 and 7 on 9/11.

For millions around the world already firmly convinced that 9/11 was what is increasingly recognized as a “false flag event”, the Lawyers’ Committee’s successful push for the Special Grand Jury represents metaphorically a legal document which has been written with all the necessary provisions and terms thought out and placed correctly, with the only remaining step (the Grand Jury process, presentation of evidence) being the signing of names and dating.

The top concern for many supporters of the Lawyers’ Committee for 9/11 Inquiry is that World War III becomes initiated before the 9/11 Special Grand Jury have the opportunity to do its immeasurably vital work: exposing the horrific-but-necessary truth that the world on September 11, 2001 witnessed the largest covert military false flag operation of the 21st century – arguably in all of human history.

Imagining the choice humanity faces in 2019 – between 9/11 truth and world war – as a minds-eye viewing of two gigantic dams filled to near-overflow might offer a way of fully appreciating the current sobering reality. Lawyers’ Committee for 9/11 Inquiry might be perceived as the water flowing into the dam of 9/11 truth, historically poised to overflow and destroy the wall of lies which have persisted for more than (17) years.

The other choice humanity faces, the other dam ready to burst, might be perceived as the water flowing into the rising-tension tide world war scenario, represented by those individuals responsible for directing the planning, logistics and carrying out of the massive crimes on 9/11, along with the criminal wars of aggression across (17) years the false flag psychological operation was precisely engineered to facilitate.

From that imagined perspective humanity now must choose which “dam” to destroy. Destroy the Big Lie of 9/11 and the result is destruction of the potential for world war. Observing that negative world events, circumstances and realities on the ground of a military nature have been criminally advocated based on false, devious foundations birthed or created on September 11, the simple truth is that factual science revealing what happened obliterates those false foundations and the co-existent immoral, continuing excuses for prolongation of “endless war”.

Therefore … the successful, continuing efforts of the Lawyers’ Committee for 9/11 Inquiry is our choice for Top International Story of 2018.

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