-- By Tom Phillips
President Trump is kneeling on the neck of American democracy, and we are gasping for air. The only thing in his way is the US Constitution, and that will be his next target.
A classic coup d'etat is in progress, with all the earmarks of tactics school children learned to watch out for in the 1950s. FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover wrote a book on the truth-defying tricks of the Soviet communist party -- the "Masters of Deceit."
The KGB's playbook -- adapted from the Bolshevik revolution -- was designed so that a small, determined group could seize power over a large nation, and make it look like the people's choice. The key was co-opting legitimate protests, turning them violent, creating chaos and confusion, and then presenting the party as the only force that could restore order. And both the KGB and CIA used this tactic during the Cold War, fomenting unrest as a pretext for seizing power in countries as big as Indonesia, Iran and Afghanistan.
Now it's come home to America. Following the police killing of George Floyd, multiple sources reported violence instigated by young white men, heavily masked, smashing windows and setting fires. Local people then took the opportunity to pillage, helping themselves to a sliver of America's luxury consumer wealth. And TV News did its part, constructing a lurid loop of riot footage to accompany the news night and day -- a misleading mashup that makes it appear the entire country is in flames.
Just before he called governors to demand a military crackdown, our president talked by phone with Vladimir Putin. The White House says they had an airy discussion of G7 invitations, the successful US space shot, and steps they're taking to fight the pandemic. Pardon my skepticism but I think there was another item on the agenda.
Putin, the former KGB whiz kid, is today's Master of Deceit. The President of the United States is his Apprentice. Their playbook comes courtesy of the KGB and CIA, which manipulated the world for decades, fooling journalists like me into reporting phony crises that resulted in the rise of client regimes. Now they'd like you to believe those black-clad masked invaders are just irate citizens; that what you see on TV is what's happening in America.
Do yourself a favor, America. Walk out into the real world today and see how it compares with the president's fever-dream.
Then try to breathe. The worst is yet to come.
-- Copyright 2020 by Tom Phillips
President Trump is kneeling on the neck of American democracy, and we are gasping for air. The only thing in his way is the US Constitution, and that will be his next target.
A classic coup d'etat is in progress, with all the earmarks of tactics school children learned to watch out for in the 1950s. FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover wrote a book on the truth-defying tricks of the Soviet communist party -- the "Masters of Deceit."
The KGB's playbook -- adapted from the Bolshevik revolution -- was designed so that a small, determined group could seize power over a large nation, and make it look like the people's choice. The key was co-opting legitimate protests, turning them violent, creating chaos and confusion, and then presenting the party as the only force that could restore order. And both the KGB and CIA used this tactic during the Cold War, fomenting unrest as a pretext for seizing power in countries as big as Indonesia, Iran and Afghanistan.
 |
| George Floyd |
Just before he called governors to demand a military crackdown, our president talked by phone with Vladimir Putin. The White House says they had an airy discussion of G7 invitations, the successful US space shot, and steps they're taking to fight the pandemic. Pardon my skepticism but I think there was another item on the agenda.
Putin, the former KGB whiz kid, is today's Master of Deceit. The President of the United States is his Apprentice. Their playbook comes courtesy of the KGB and CIA, which manipulated the world for decades, fooling journalists like me into reporting phony crises that resulted in the rise of client regimes. Now they'd like you to believe those black-clad masked invaders are just irate citizens; that what you see on TV is what's happening in America.
Do yourself a favor, America. Walk out into the real world today and see how it compares with the president's fever-dream.
Then try to breathe. The worst is yet to come.
-- Copyright 2020 by Tom Phillips
