Thursday, February 9: Nord Stream Uncovered
Nice pipeline ya got there...be a real shame if someone were to...remotely blow it up
Remember that random/conveniently-timed explosion that destroyed the Nord Stream gas pipeline in Europe a few months ago? You know, the one that US officials tried to blame on Russians or claim they knew nothing about? Well it turns out it was a deliberate attempt at sabotage that was likely coordinated by the US all along. Shocking!
The pipelines are multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects designed to carry Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Sweden and Denmark, whose economic zones were obviously affected by the explosion, have both concluded that the pipelines were blown up deliberately, but have not said who might be responsible. Enter Seymour Hersh, the investigative journalist who won a Pulitzer for uncovering the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam, and who also broke stories on the Watergate scandal and the torturous conditions in Abu Ghraib.
Hersh reports that last June, Navy divers operating under the cover of a widely-publicized NATO exercise known as BALTOPS 22, planted remotely triggered explosives that would destroy three of the four Nord Stream pipelines months later. This is according to a source with direct knowledge of the operational planning. The denials from the white house and American intelligence agencies only further illustrate how culpable they are. Adrienne Watson, a white house spokesperson, said in an email, “This is false and complete fiction.” While Tammy Thorp, a spokesperson for the CIA, similarly wrote: “This claim is completely and utterly false.”
The bozos doth protest too much, methinks.
Side Items
Sanctions Only Worsen Earthquakes Death Toll: The earthquakes in Turkey and Syria have a compounding effect on the challenges those citizens already face every day. Overnight, the death toll jumped to over 17,000 people, with that figure only climbing higher. One of the factors contributing heavily to the extent of the devastation is the economic sanctions levied by the US and other western powers against Syria. The murderous Assad regime in Damascus is still unwelcome in much of the international community, sanctioned by the US and European countries, which are reluctant to route any humanitarian aid directly through the government. Officials have made clear the quake won’t change that
Disney Making Money: The corporate giant announced a sweeping restructuring plan this week that will result in 7,000 people losing their jobs in an effort to save ~$5billion. This announcement came around the same time it was revealed that sequels to Toy Story and Frozen are in the works. It’s clear what the priority is for Disney, and it certainly has nothing to do with making dreams come true
NBA Trade Deadline Rush: Russ Westbrook got the boot from the Lakers, KD ditched the Nets for the Suns, Kyrie played his first game as a Maverick, the Timberwolves are still unclear on what direction they’re going. There’s a lot going on in the league this week, as teams try to get their rosters set for the remainder of the season. LeBron managed to sort out some of the problems in LA by dealing Westbrook, giving himself a glimmer of hope that his team won’t let him down like they have all season (narrator’s voice: “They would still find a way to let him down.”)