So what is it really with Syria?

https://www.facebook.com/100011508494298/videos/317445908649023/
From those of you not on FB, a Canadian journalist- Eva Bartlett - reported to the UN that the Western media is spreading misinformation (not for the first time I imagine!). So she said the information being displayed and the 'news' reported are heavily influenced by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) - which is a one-man show in Coventry, England and the White Helmets (founded in 2013 by ex-military officer) which has drawn a lot of international funding - to the tune of U$100 million, to help the people of Eastern Aleppo but no-one there has heard of them or has been helped by them!  She said unnamed activists are not credible and I recall several video diaries of frightened young people recording their final goodbyes as the soldiers of Assad's army drew near.

Initially, the blame was laid at the feet of climate change - a prolonged drought forced farmers to migrate to urban areas, who then couldn't find work and resulted in a sort of rebellion which provoked a strong reaction from Damascus. http://gtobserver.blogspot.com/2015/09/syrian-refugee-crisis.html

But looking at the larger picture: Assad's Syria and Iran (according to a nutter illuminati-warning video on YouTube)- and North Korea are the few countries remaining where the Rothchilds' bank is not influencing fiscal policy.  Also, Assad like Saddam Hussain had dared to defy the West's concerns about their fuel supplies and Assad had refused the allow a natural gas pipeline through his country from the Middle East to Europe-- apparently the reason why Afghanistan was invaded according to conspiracy theories abounding at that time.   I can't help thinking-- so much violence and disruptions in ordinary people's lives and wondering about all the repercussions and unwanted consequences....

Good movies

Was lucky to view two movies, which could be considered extended documentaries, that highlighted the actions of two extraordinary Americans-- Captain Chesley Sullenberger in the movie Sully and the ex-Nebraska cop, Kathryn Bolkovac in the movie Whistleblower.
It is always good to see people who are good at their jobs in action.  The first was a re-enactment of a jet airliner being successfully landed on the Hutson river; the opening scenes were the Captain's nightmare of crashing into a skyscraper in NYC, bringing up memories of the 9/11 tragedy. The director made note of the other first-responder teams which resulted in no loss of life, considering people were in the Hutson River in January!  Surprisingly, the film highlighted that it was not plain sailing for the Captain who lost quite a few sleepless nights in the immediate aftermath, having to justify his actions which were later proved to be the only feasible course as there were initial disputes about the left engine still being viable. Literally seconds counted!  It is still a mouth-opening feat however you look at it and one I find still unbelievable...except it happened!

The second was a bit more stomach-turning. Whistleblower noted the big-money contracts given to corporations during crisis situations and how there is no accountability and cover-ups on a grand scale with the accompanying exploitation of the poor and vulnerable who all this money is purported to be helping.  The real life corporation DynCorp - given a similar name in the Movie had since renamed itself as DynCorp International and basically carrying on with the same shit of/with no accountability. And the perps in this case got off scott-free!  So in the movie this cop applies for a post to police post-war Bosnia, she gets lucky to befriend a Dutch soldier earlier on and a policeman in the Bosnian police force who actually wants to do good. The movie gives glimpses of the lives of traffic-ed young women lured from Eastern Europe with promises of jobs-- not prostitution -- and who are forced into prostitution.  In this instance it seemed the US policing branch were heavily involved-- first as clients then as enforcers for the traffickers and even trafficking the girls across borders themselves. I had backpacked in that area before the War and found the grey concrete jungle creepy-- the movie shot several scenes that I got worried for her while she investigated, as she didn't have the usual other cop watching her back...
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/un-sex-trafficking-whistleblower-feted-in-film-2192045.html
and she earned the disapproval of her fellow (male) officers and superiors.  Those in charge in the UN accepted the goings-on as part of the human collateral of the post-War. Sadly because there appears to be no mechanism in place - French UN peacekeeping soldiers were accused of rape and sexually exploiting girls and children in the Central African Republic and other African soldiers within the UN peacekeeping force were accused of something similar in the early part of 2016...the film was set in 1999...so looks like the movie didn't make the impact it should of!
My only criticism of the movie was that they tried to be authentic by using accented people but I found it difficult to understand what they were saying - also in some scenes when the actors were using low voices - and feel subtitles would have been handy.

The US is a 'Nation of Law'

Smiles-- the sarcastic tone is unfortunately unreproducible in print.... Ps-since writing this piece I am pleased to report that there has been an announcement that the pipeline would be re-routed to avoid the Indians' land/water source AND Trump sold his shares in the company running the pipeline to avoid conflict of interest!

Was watching this video on a friend's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish/videos/843137762494399/ 
and when I went back to check the dates..it did not come up in the regular posts and she had to specifically put it on my page.

So for those of you who don't have FB accounts..here is it in a nutshell leading up to the present violation of the Sioux nation rights at Standing Rock:

An environmental assessment was commissioned out by the company who is building the pipeline - Energy Transfer Partners (ETP)- a U.S. Fortune 500 natural gas and propane company, founded in 1995.This sadly is par for course as over here it is only the mining and forestry (foreign) companies who can afford to do environmental assessments using local people involved in environmental issues, usually called in after the project has already started.  A Google search revealed that they have had mishaps with pressurised gas or liquid gas facilities but have not had much experience with crude oil management. So the Indians have valid concerns about the possibility of the Missouri River and by extension, their drinking water being contaminated. In view of concerns expressed, the Federal body granting approval is reconsidering and has been taken to court for that by ETP-- delaying until Trump and his climate change disbelievers get in to give the green light - confident of course because the President-elect has stocks in the company, which will naturally escalate with approval..it's all about the money!

The 1852 Fort Laramie treaty which the (white) settlers forced the Sioux people to sign stipulated that 'they shall never be invaded of disturbed'. This lasted until someone decided the Railroad across the new nation took precedence and violated the treaty-- leading to over-hunting of buffalo-- the Indians' main food source leading to conflict and a second treaty...it's all about the money!

The 1868 Treaty which stipulated that the Sioux were restricted to their new assigned places and no whites allowed - this lasted until gold was discovered in The Black Hills in 1874 (clearly the whites were not respecting it!). General Cluster invades and opens up the area to white settlers - the Sioux refuse to sell the Black Hills and Cluster meets his end in the Battle of Little Bighorn...hardly noble!...it's all about the money!

In 1890, The US Army is called in to avenge and show the coloured people who is more powerful at the massacre of Wounded Knee and wipes out a South Dakota tribe, rewarding their soldiers for bravery in action and precipitating the decline of the Sioux people. The wrongs done to them were acknowledged by the Courts in 1980. So they were offered compensation--- how can you work out what cultural and actual genocide is worth in monetary terms?....some things are not all about the money!

Leading to today's news of the native peoples being charged for trespassing on their land and again the law enforcement and army being used to protect corporate interests...not unlike their foreign policy of putting puppets into place and using that country's police and armies for corporate interests--  Nigeria springs to mind but really it can be any country you care to think about...it's all about the money!
But from the link below: officialdom say: 'senator-john-hoeven-addresses-misinformation-nodapl-protests-floor-speech/

"Twice challenged and twice upheld – including by the Obama administration’s own appointees – the federal courts found that the Army Corps had followed the appropriate process, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe was properly consulted, and the project could lawfully proceed,” Senator Hoeven said. “In total, the Army Corps held 389 meetings, conferred with more than 55 tribes, and conducted a 1,261-page environmental assessment, before finding that this infrastructure project has no significant environmental impact.”

Surely the EIA (environmental impact assessment) would document the people's concerns and in the appraisal stage try to resolve the the conflicts of interest BEFORE proceeding?  A reporter from that area on YouTube reported that the tribes did not turn up for the consultations and are just protesting  for monetary gain but the Senator reported above that correct procedure was followed. Those with time and inclination can follow the link below but it begs reason why they would not have stuck to the original plan and bypass the put-upon Indian tribes with a their long history of being discriminated against.

 The blow by blow account:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bKBWD8yEq3sw82_SOXxtjAEM9-wm2Yj99CnZBUtMx2M/htmlview#gid=0

From the online newspaper: The Independent