30 Seconds To Midnight

By Paul Craig Roberts: Former US Secretary of Defense William Perry warns that the world is on the knife edge of nuclear catastrophe. Such catastrophe can result accidentally from electronic failures or glitches in warning systems and from the recklessly aggressive and unnecessary force buildup against Russia. Conn Hallinan discusses these issues.
I doubt Hallinan is correct about Washington’s military predominance. This is Washington’s view, and this view makes Washington confident that it holds the aces. It is a mistake for Hallinan to encourage Washington in this view. Nevertheless, Hallinan makes it clear that we could all be vaporized at any minute. This extremely high risk has been created entirely by the Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama regimes in which zionist neoconservatives have controlled foreign and military policies.
It is tiresome to hear the argument that nuclear war won’t happen because it makes no sense. William Perry points out that the failure of a 49-cent computer chip resulted in NORAD’s computers signaling that the Soviets had launched 220 nuclear missiles at the United States. Just think about all the failures and glitches in our own personal computers, even the best ones.

Human miscalculation is also an enormous risk. Miscalculation is a dominant human trait. Consider that 50 percent of Americans’ choices of marriage partner are miscalculations as established by the divorce rate.


The mere existence of nuclear weapons means the nonexistence of life on earth. It will happen sooner or later. To raise the risk as the crazed American government is doing with irresponsible provocations of the Russians and Chinese is the ultimate criminal act.
There is no greater threat to human rights than to endanger all life, and that is what Washington and its two-bit punk NATO vassals are doing by increasing tensions between nuclear powers.
The neoconservatives in Washington have replaced nuclear disarmament with a new nuclear arms race. All of the hard work and accomplishments of previous US administrations to ease tensions and to reduce the stockpiles of nuclear weapons has been thrown away by the psychopaths who control the government in Washington.
The Atlantic Council: The Marketing Arm of the Military/Security Complex
By Paul Craig Roberts
July 25, 2016 "Information Clearing House" - How much did the military-security complex pay the Atlantic Council to publish this sales pitch to Poland to load up on US weapons systems?
The sales pitch was written by arms salesmen Richard Shirreff, a partner at Strategia Worldwide Ltd., and Maciej Olex-Szczytowski, a “business adviser specializing in defense.”
The sales pitch is titled “Arming For Deterrence.” The Kremlin is unpredictable, say the arms salesmen, and could at any moment decide to attack Poland. However the Russian regime “respects a show of force” and would back down if Poland has a sufficient inventory of US weapons.
The sales pitch encourages Poland to take many aggressive and dangerous steps toward Russia, such as targeting Russia cities and facilities including RT. But before provoking the Bear like this, Poland needs “to join the tactical nuclear capability scheme within NATO, so enabling its F-16s to be carriers of tactical nuclear ordnance.”
Poland also needs to be able to strike deep inside Russia and for this needs to purchase American long-range JASSM air-launched cruise missiles, the Navy Strike missile coastal missiles, and the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems.
Poland also needs “offensive cyber operations” and “more tandem-warhead Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) capable of penetrating reactive armor, and also anti-aircraft (including anti-helicopter) and anti-UAV missiles. “
The bill for this deterrence against non-existent “Russian aggression” comes to
“some US $26 billion” on top of planned expenditures of US $34 billion. “Poland should move forward expeditiously with procurements,” say the arms salesmen or risk being attacked by superior Russian forces.
The zionist neocons get away with their warmongering because it is profitable for the US military/security complex. Whereas the crazed neocons want real war, the military/security complex only wants the propaganda threat of war. The numerous military/foreign policy think tanks funded by the military/security complex provide the propaganda and made-up threat. This is a dangerous game, because the Russians see a real threat in the hostility that is directed at them.
The anti-Russian propaganda is universal and includes the Olympic Games. Washington wants Russia excluded based on the allegation that only Russians take performance-enhancing substances. What extraordinary nonsense. I have a relative who travels widely to test athletes of every sport, even golf, for the use of performance-enhancing substances.
It is not the Russians who have corrupted “clean sports.” It is the money that the corrupt Americans have poured into sports. To be a champion, to win the Masters at Augusta National, to win a gold medal means to be a multi-millionaire. Sports that people once played for enjoyment are now a lucrative profession.
Money corrupts everything, and it is capitalism that turns everything into a commodity that is bought and sold. In capitalist regimes everything is for sale: honor, integrity, justice, truth.
Everything is reduced to the filthy lucre.
 
Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following.

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