EIR Daily Alert Service…Aug 24, 2017, Thursday

by ·

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

Volume 4, Number 168

EIR Daily Alert Service

P.O. Box 17390, Washington, DC 20041-0390

EDITORIAL

U.S. Situation Is Dire: The New Silk Road Is the Way Up and Out!

Aug. 23 (EIRNS)—The U.S. situation is extremely dire and dangerous. The coup operation is in high gear to force President Trump to do the very opposite of what he promised, and that for which he won the election: to restore the economy (specifically beginning with reinstating Glass-Steagall) and to stop the foreign policy of wars—the British Empire policy.

Trump’s rally last night in Phoenix fortunately turned out not to be the bloody battleground the color revolutionists were gunning for. As the crowd was departing, a street fracas, instigated by an attack on police by a few protesters (likely antifa), was held to a minimum. Undeterred, the coup crowd used the event as the occasion for hysterical accusations that Trump is unfit, demented, unhinged, and must be put out of office, if not by impeachment, then by the 25th Amendment.

Leading the charge was James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence (2010-2017) under Obama. Clapper, who assiduously covered up for the Saudi networks behind 9/11, appeared on CNN in the wee hours of Aug. 23, to comment on the Arizona rally, and speak against Trump remaining President! “I really question his ability to be—his fitness to be—in this office…. How much longer does the country have to—to borrow a phrase—endure this nightmare?” CNN’s host, Don Lemon, denounced Trump at length, as “unhinged.” CNN’s commentator Ana Navarro tweeted that Trump, “maybe” is displaying “early-on-set [sic] dementia.”

Obviously, the danger in all this, lies not in the future; i.e., not, “if and whether” the enemy operations will succeed in ousting Trump and taking down the national institutions of the U.S. along with him. The danger is here and now.

Look at the U.S. economy. Millions are suffering from the breakdown. But Trump is under pressure to stay in Wall Street’s grasp; especially, that there be no Glass-Steagall. In Arizona last night, Trump rightly reiterated his goal of creating jobs; he stated again that this will have a “tremendously positive impact on race relations.” But apart from a few jobs here and there, such as in West Virginia and Pennsylvania coal country, saved by exporting coal to Europe, the situation remains bleak. A dramatic reflection of the collapse is seen in the worsening performance of the entire freight rail system east of the Mississippi River. On CSX (one of the two main operators) a train run that might have taken a few days to go from Chicago to western Tennessee, which is already a long ride, recently took 18 days! The delays and jam-ups are now spreading throughout the 21,000 miles of the CSX grid.

Look at the international conflict zones. In Afghanistan, the only approach that can build up the nation and create peace, requires collaboration among all in the region: Iran, Pakistan, India, the nations of Central Asia, Russia, and China. But Trump is under pressure to pursue unilateral action, and even to give in to ploys to try to play off India against the BRICS.

The means to lift us up and out of this collapse and geopolitics is to go with the New Silk Road perspective, and in particular in the U.S., to go for emergency action on Lyndon LaRouche’s “Four Laws.” Go for mass jobs creation. As Helga Zepp-LaRouche spoke of this today, the crucial issue remains, replacing the old paradigm with the new paradigm for development and peace. Remember, as Lyndon LaRouche emphasized at the time, Donald Trump’s election victory Nov. 7, 2016, was not a “national” matter, but an international event of great and historic import.

Look at today’s affairs in the long arc of human history. The danger of a Maidan II in the United States is akin to the danger in the U.S. and Europe at the time of the Weimar Republic. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt got the United States out of the Depression with his New Deal. But Europe sank, and saw the rise of fascism. People must learn from history.

In discussing this today, Lyndon LaRouche issued a call to action: “I am deeply concerned about the situation we’re discussing here…. But the point is, we have to take responsibility for backing up what I’ve been talking about, and what my associates are doing. If we don’t do it, we will be destroyed by what [the enemy] is doing…. We have to win this … the existence of the U.S. depends on doing that job. It’s not making suggestions, but getting a victory over the things that are destroying the U.S. from doing its mission.

“And good luck to us all!”

U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC

Trump in Phoenix: Color Revolution Violence Fizzles, as President Again Calls for Creating Jobs

Aug. 23 (EIRNS)—The rally by President Donald Trump in Arizona last evening, brought thousands out to the Phoenix Convention Center, and some hundreds of protesters outside into the streets, under relative calm, until afterward, when a few protesters—likely antifa—attacked police. Even then, most protesters dispersed, under police use of pepper spray, at first, and then tear gas.

Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams gave a press conference later Tuesday night. She said, “A very small number of individuals chose criminal conduct.” She emphasized that these individuals broke a fence, and, “at one point dispersed gas into and at the police officers. They had their own gas, they threw at police, not our gas.”

As of today, a total of five arrests were made, with one of those on an unrelated warrant. Two arrests are for assaulting policemen. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Thus, the potential scenarios were averted for a bloody brawl—the hallmark of “gang-countergang” operations to orchestrate a clash.

Trump spoke for over an hour, frequently striking the theme that it is “time to rebuild our country.” The opening, and longest segment of his speech was an excoriation of the media and fake news. Trump then touched on many topics, from immigration, to health care, to veterans’ welfare. He ended with his campaign signature expressions:  “We dug the Panama Canal; we put a man on the Moon; we defeated communism; we can do anything…We can make American great again.”

Clapper and Assorted Hyenas Say Trump Is ‘Unfit,’ and To Remove Him

Aug. 23 (EIRNS)—Among the pack of hyenas shrieking that President Trump is “unfit” to serve, and demanding his impeachment or removal under the 25th Amendment, former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper’s remarks last night, following Trump’s Phoenix speech, reflect an intensifying level of hysteria.

Interviewed on CNN’s “Tonight” show, where he was egged on by the virulently anti-Trump anchor Don Lemon, who accused the President of “trying to ignite a civil war in this country,” Clapper asserted that in all of his years in government service, he had never heard a speech as “scary and disturbing” as Trump’s.

“I really question his ability to be—his fitness to be—in this office,” he told Lemon, and that “I also am beginning to wonder about his motivation for it—maybe he is looking for a way out.” Attacking Trump’s “behavior and divisiveness and complete intellectual, moral and ethical void,” Clapper then pointedly asked, “How much longer does the country have to, to borrow a phrase, endure this nightmare?” Prodded by Lemon, “Do you question his fitness?” Clapper replied that the Phoenix speech was “the real Trump,” just like the “unglued, impromptu speech” at the Trump Tower press conference a few weeks ago.

Asked about Trump’s ties to Russia, Clapper had to admit that, as DNI, he never saw any evidence of collusion, but said  “Maybe there is some.” Then, “I don’t understand [Trump’s] fascination with Putin and Russia … unless he’s a kindred soul.” Is Trump “a national security threat?” Lemon suggested. Clapper replied, “He certainly could be.” As for Lemon’s question about “What do we do?”  Clapper said that the key is where Trump stands “with Republicans…. Will the Republicans reach the point that enough is enough?”

Before the Phoenix speech, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) insisted that it’s time to speak up about Trump’s being unfit for office. “We have to quit whispering on Trump,” but rather speak up! “The Emperor has no clothes.” She admitted that the House votes for impeachment “aren’t there,” and therefore the 25th Amendment will have to be invoked. House Resolution 496, introduced by New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, demanding that Trump be formally “condemned and censured” now has 78 sponsors.

Elected Officials Terrorized: Support Removing Confederate Statues, Condemn Trump—or You’re a Nazi

Aug. 23 (EIRNS)—Reflecting the insanity and terror campaign orchestrated by the coup-mongers, Democratic gubernatorial and other candidates are being told that the only agenda items they need address looking toward the 2018 midterm elections are President Trump’s “behavior,” and the need to remove Confederate statues and symbols around the country. The explicit threat is that anyone who doesn’tembrace this agenda, is a white supremacist, a Nazi, or worse.

An Aug. 22 Politico feature claims that many Democratic gubernatorial candidates now have a “rare opportunity” to mobilize the party’s base—around what? Not jobs, or the economy, or healthcare, but around removing Confederate statues! Several candidates around the country are said to be mobilized on this, undoubtedly driven by the fear of the consequences if they don’t.

This is worrying some Democratic strategists, however, who fear that focusing on this issue could alienate some voters. Former Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove introduces some reality. “I wish we could be talking about investing in education and healthcare that helps white working-class people who feel like opportunity is slipping through their fingers. When you end up talking about things like [statues], you’re diverting away from those real issues that concern people every day.”

Those who don’t “take a stand” become targets, as with Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, who is accused of “ducking” the statue issue, and “estranging” African-Americans. Politico quotes former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus, who warns “If you don’t say anything, that’s taking a stand.”

Fusion GPS’s Simpson Testifies before Grassley, Hides Moneybags for Anti-Trump Operations

Aug. 23 (EIRNS)—Glenn Simpson, cofounder of the Fusion GPS company and collaborator of former MI6 agent Christopher Steele in preparing the dodgy dossier against President-elect Donald Trump that was released in January, testified for ten hours yesterday before the Senate Judiciary committee, chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA). According to ABC News, Simpson did not reveal the names of the individuals who paid his company for its “research” into Trump’s alleged ties to Russia.

Simpson’s lawyer Josh Levy told reporters that in yesterday’s session, Simpson “told Congress the truth and cleared the record….” He said that Fusion GPS is very proud of its work, which Christopher Steele used in his 35-page dossier, filled with salacious and uncorroborated allegations about Trump.

As if to prove the usefulness of the dossier to those trying to bring down the President, Levy argued that since there are multiple ongoing investigations into the “issues” it raised, including that run by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, this constitutes proof that the firm’s work “made a significant impact.” As EIR Daily Alert readers can see, lies can have a big impact.

Turning the truth upside down, Levy argued that while there have been desperate attempts by the Trump camp to smear Simpson and Fusion GPS, Fusion GPS “stands by its work.” Simpson did not name the financiers of his research, but reportedly handed over 40,000 documents related to it. Media also report that Steele has handed over his sources for the dossier to the FBI.

STRATEGIC WAR DANGER

Intense Russian, Turkish, Iranian Discussions Underway on Syria

Aug. 23 (EIRNS)—There are significant differences in policy objectives between the three countries, but nonetheless Russia, Iran, and Turkey are in intense discussions to find common ground not only in Syria, where the three countries are the guarantor powers for ceasefire efforts there, but on the Kurdish issue, as well. Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Valery Gerasimov will be in Ankara later this week, following on the heels of U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who was there today, and Iranian Chief of General Staff Mohammad Baqeri, who was there last week. Voice of America reports that Ankara is expected to press Gerasimov for cooperation in a military operation against the YPG (People’s Protection Unit), based in the Syrian enclave of Afrin, which borders Turkey. The YPG is part of the Syrian Democratic Forces which are backed by the U.S. against ISIS in Syria. Russia has deployed military police in Afrin as part of its effort to reduce the overall level of violence in the country.

Meanwhile, Iran’s FARS News Agency reported yesterday that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has denied that there are plans for joint Iranian-Turkish operations against the PKK/PJAK. The wording of the statement, however, clearly does not exclude coordinated efforts on both sides of the two countries’ common border or other forms of cooperation.

With respect to Syria, Iranian Chief of General Staff Mohammad Baqeri said on Aug. 21 that Turkey and Iran have reached an agreement to make sure the government of Bashar al-Assad reasserts control over northern Syria in the areas where the Syrian Kurdish PYD (Democratic Union Party) has declared autonomy.

On the Syria ceasefire effort, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov told reporters on Aug. 22 that the next Astana meeting could be held sometime in mid-September. “According to the

information received from the Russian side, the ceasefire guarantor countries—Russia, Turkey and Iran—plan to hold a technical meeting at the expert level before the end of August to determine the agenda and exact dates for the next meeting as part of the Astana process to resolve the situation in Syria,” Abdrakhmanov said.

The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which took place in Sochi earlier today is also part of the broader picture. Foremost on Netanyahu’s mind was the role of Iran in Syria. Netanyahu is trying to convince both the U.S. and Russia that Iran’s alleged efforts to gain control in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon are a threat not only to Israel, but to the entire world. Netanyahu was accompanied by the Mossad chief who, according to the Times of Israel, was to provide “sensitive, credible and very disturbing detailed intelligence” on the Iranian military presence in Syria. The Israelis have also criticized the Russian-U.S.-Jordanian ceasefire agreement on southern Syria, claiming that it doesn’t address Israel’s security needs.

In Kiev, U.S. Envoy Volker Endorses Ceasefire Proposal on Donbass

Aug. 23 (EIRNS)—U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker is in Kiev where he will be joined by U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis tomorrow. While there’s no report yet from Volker’s meetings today, he was in Vilnius, Lithuania, yesterday, where he was reported to have said that the “ongoing Russian military aggression against Ukraine” is not a challenge for a single state. Rather, he claimed, it’s a risk for the entire European continent. “This conflict should not have taken place at all; so now, we’ve got to stop the human suffering: about 10,000 already deceased in the conflict; millions were forced to leave their lives. It is a challenge not only for Ukraine, but also for all of Europe,” he said.

Volker described as “constructive” his meeting with Kremlin aide Vladislav Surkov in Minsk on Aug. 21, “Where I think we agreed that the current situation, the status quo, is not good for anybody,” he said. Surkov similarly reported that the two sides discussed “new approaches” on the Donbass settlement.

At the same time, the Normandy Four leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, spoke by phone, and issued a joint statement endorsing a proposal by the Minsk Contact group for a ceasefire in the Donbass region for the beginning of the school year. “The leaders expressed hope that the ceasefire would lead to a stable improvement of the security situation for the benefit of schoolchildren and the entire civilian population of Donbass,” the statement said. “On the basis of a stable ceasefire the leaders undertook to continue providing personal assistance to the further implementation of the Package of Measures adopted in Minsk in February 2015.” Volker endorsed the ceasefire proposal. “It seems like a very good idea; we would obviously fully support that, and hope the sides could do that,” he said.

Efforts Made To Whip Up New ‘Chemical Weapons’ Hoax against Syria

Aug. 23 (EIRNS)—Just as the Syrian Army is enjoying significant success in combatting ISIS with the backing of Russian forces, a new “confidential” UN report has surfaced, claiming that North Korea has supplied chemical weapons to the Bashar al-Assad government.

According to media sources, the memo, “seen by Reuters,” alleges that two shipments from North Korea that were headed to the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC), which has overseen the country’s chemical weapons program since the 1970s, were intercepted “sometime” in the past six months. No details are given as to when or where the alleged interception took place, and no information on what was transported.

That hasn’t deterred Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, from claiming earlier this week that President Assad “continues to use chemical weapons in attacks on his own people,” using the allegation that a sarin gas was bomb dropped on Khan Sheikhoun on April 4 by a Syrian plane. She made these remarks on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the 2013 chemical weapons attack in Ghouta, Syria, which killed 1,400 people, which was blamed on the Assad government.

The State Department also used the Ghouta anniversary to demand that the Syrian government cease its use of chemical weapons, fully declare its chemical weapons stockpiles, and cooperate with the Fact-Finding Mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), whose competence the Russian government has correctly attacked, as well as with the UN-OPCW Joint Investigative Mechanism.

U.S. Cuts Economic and Military Aid to Egypt over ‘Human Rights’ Concerns

Aug. 23 (EIRNS)—The Trump Administration announced it will cut some $80 million in economic aid to Egypt, and will hold back $195 million in military aid, pending improvements in human rights and easing of harsh restrictions on civic organizations and non-governmental organizations. A new Egyptian law restricts the activities of the NGOs to economic and social matters.

“We have serious concerns regarding human rights and governance in Egypt,” an administration official said according to CNN. “At the same time, strengthened security cooperation is important to U.S. national security.” The administration claims that during Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s April visit to the White House, it received assurances “at the highest levels” that the law would not be passed. It was.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing regret for the U.S. decision, calling it a “misjudgment of the strategic relations that bind the two countries over decades, and reflects a lack of understanding of the importance of supporting the stability and success of Egypt.”

According to Reuters, the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry canceled a scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner, who will arrive on Aug. 25 as part of a Mideast trip focused on Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, and on resolving the conflict between Qatar, on one side, and Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on the other. President el-Sisi will meet with the U.S. delegation.

COLLAPSING WESTERN FINANCIAL SYSTEM

CSX Rail Delays Hit Freight Shipments throughout Eastern States

Aug. 23 (EIRNS)—The Federal Surface Transportation Board yesterday gave a deadline of Aug. 24 to CSX, the Jacksonville, Florida-based freight railroad company, to provide details on how CSX intends to rectify problems on its freight trains, that are causing big delays for Amtrak passenger service in Indiana and elsewhere.  This is just a small part of the problem.

CSX has 21,000 miles of track in the states east of the Mississippi River, which area is also served by Norfolk Southern. In recent months, CSX has had severe delays and failures to make pick-ups and deliveries. Freight users from coal, to cooking oil, are scrambling to cope. Food processors are switching to trucks where possible; some are on go-slow production. Some have shut.

So, not only is the U.S. rail grid inadequate, lacking high-speed service, electrification, double-tracking and routes, but now the system is breaking down. This has been exacerbated by the cost-cutting reorganization begun by the new CSX CEO Hunter Harrison, who started in March. He closed 8 of the 12 CSX sorting facilities (hump yards) for breaking up and re-assembling trains, among other cuts. CSX is down 2,700 workers since January, out of its total of about 27,000.

Today’s Wall Street Journal gives the example of a CSX freight train from Chicago to Colesburg, Tennessee, which took over 18 days to make the run this month, instead of the usual few days. Mines report coal is piling up for lack of train service.

The Journal also quotes from appeals to the government. The National Grain and Feed Association wrote that poultry farmers are “incurring hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional business costs to make emergency purchases of supplies by truck to keep poultry alive.” The Rail Customer Coalition, representing freight shippers, told Congress that the rail problems “put the health of the U.S.  economy in jeopardy.”

NEW WORLD ECONOMIC ORDER

Developing Nations Want China To Train Their Astronauts

Aug. 23 (EIRNS)—China’s most senior astronaut, Yang Liwei, told press yesterday at the conclusion of 17 days of training of two European Space Agency astronauts, that more than 10 nations, mostly in developing countries, have asked China’s assistance in astronaut training. The goal is international participation in China’s space station, which will be operational in 2022.

“It normally takes about four years to train a Chinese astronaut,” he said. “The time needed to train a qualified foreign astronaut will vary based on each candidate’s individual situation. Considering that we will have our own space station in about four years, now is the time to begin training,” he explained. China has asked that foreign astronauts learn Chinese, so that Chinese can be spoken on the Space Station.

“Our scientists and designers have allocated a considerable amount of resources to the station for international collaboration,” he continued. Outlining the range of ways other countries can participate, Yang Liwei explained that “Foreign countries can work with us on the development of some equipment in the station or place their own devices in it. The station will have adapters that will enable docking with foreign spacecraft.”

Former NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden remarked recently, if the U.S. doesn’t change its non-cooperation policy with China, it will end up “on the outside looking in.”

Reach us at 1-703-297-8434 or www.larouchepub.com

Tags:

You may also like...