Is America's Policy In Syria In America's Interests Or Just Some Americans' Interests?

Abdo Haddad

BrandonTurbeville.com

April 24, 2018

Is it about America’s Interests or some American’s interest?

The military operation launched by the United States, France and Britain against Syria has achieved little to no gains unlike what was promoted by the United States and the West. The message that the United States and its allies intended to send to Syria was so weak that leaders in Washington, Paris and London had better spend money on their countries’ infrastructure or poverty issues. Perhaps the entire scene reflects what many now realize: America does not really have a Syrian strategy.

Is the Syrian conflict beyond the capacity of American officials and analysts, and their inability to have an edge since the outbreak of the crisis? This requires an understanding of a broader and yet unresolved debate about the role of the United States in the region and the world.

The understanding within the US political community, including US officials, analysts in Washington, opinion writers, and journalists around Syria for the past seven years, is generally below standard, unknown or incomprehensible in regards US interests and foreign policy that must be adopted.

At this historic moment, USA are still not sure what they want or do not know what is important for them, but they are bound to make consensus decisions. Some go so far as to say that Americans are no longer sure whether their interests are still possible or realistic given the high cost - morally and financially - with the emergence of new forces competing for global leadership.

OAN's Pearson Sharp Refutes MSM Reports Of Alleged Chemical Attack

One America News Gets Exclusive Access To Underground Makeshift Hospital In Syria

One America News Network
BrandonTurbeville.com

OAN Investigation Finds No Evidence of Chemical Weapon Attack in Syria

One America News
BrandonTurbeville.com

The Truth About The Syria Chemical Attacks - No Evidence of Assad Chem Weapons, Western False Flag Seems Likely

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
April 23, 2018

As the world awaits the OPCW inspectors scheduled to enter Douma and present their findings regarding the alleged chemical weapons attacks there, most researchers and discerning onlookers already have a pretty good idea of what took place. Despite the crowing of Western countries regarding their yet to be disclosed “proof” that the Syrian government launched chemical weapons against civilians in Douma, there has been not one shred of evidence to back them up. Indeed, what evidence does exist seems to prove only that the attack was staged.

Below are a number of reasons that the claims made by the United States, Britain, and Frances are completely false:

The Lack Of Western Evidence

Despite both the United States and France claiming to have clear evidence that the Syrian government used chemical weapons on the Syrian people, with French President Macron stating that he had undeniable “proof,” not one shred of evidence has been presented to their respective populations or even the United Nations, whose own standard for “proof” is a bar set rather low to say the least. Theresa May of Britain stated that her cabinet agreed it was “highly likely” Assad used chemical weapons.

At the end of the day, the undeniable “proof” was nothing more than social media posts, grainy videos, and staged photographs released by terrorist fighters in Douma and the notorious Nusra Front propaganda organization known as the White Helmets. Even the U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis admitted there was no evidence that the Syrian government used chemical weapons. In testimony to Congress, Mattis stated “I believe there was a chemical attack and we’re looking for the actual evidence.” He added, “There have been a number of these attacks. In many cases as you know, we don’t have troops, we’re not engaged on the ground there so I cannot tell you we had evidence even though we certainly had a lot of media and social media indicators that either chlorine or sarin were used.

In other words, the United States, Britain, and France launched an attack on a sovereign nation in service of jihadists terrorists which may very well have caused world war three all on the basis of facebook posts and twitter feeds. However, there is much more to the story as the entire premise of the official narrative coming out of Washington rests on the premise that the West was acting in defense of civilians killed with chemical weapons. In order for the narrative to be true, the Syrian government would have had to use chemical weapons against civilians, the terrorists would have had to present accurate facts, and the West would have to care for the fate of civilians. Of course, none of these premises are true.

Young Hive Bees Poisoned By Insecticides Gathered By Addled Forager Bees

Brandon Turbeville
Natural Blaze
April 16, 2018

New research in both Europe and the United States has demonstrated yet another disturbing link between insecticides known as neonicotinoids and their adverse effects on honey bees. Prior to the research, which was conducted at the University of Buenos Aires by Carolina Gonalons and Walter M. Farina, it was already widely known that chemicals like Glyphosate, a ubiquitous herbicide, is at least partly responsible for the decline in the bee population.

The new research decided to examine the effects of “field-realistic concentrations” of common farm chemicals on young worker bees.

As Sustainable Pulse writes,

The role of worker bees is related to age. Young worker bees perform vital tasks such nest maintenance and care of the eggs and pupae. Later in life they become field or forager bees, and gather nectar and pollen for the colony. These skills involve behavioural plasticity, memory and discernment, so the Goñalons and Farina believe the young bees serve as important bioindicators to study the effects of these chemicals on colony health.

The researchers measured the effect of glyphosate and neonicotinoids on bees by exposing them to a variety of concentrations of the chemicals.

Since the concentration of the chemicals were too low to kill the bees immediately, the testing method was to train the bees to carry out a variety of tasks, administer the chemical, and test the bees’ performance after various levels of the chemicals had been administered. The responses were assessed at 5,9, and 14 days old.

The bees were given outfitted with “tiny bee-sized harnesses” and trained to respond to various levels of smells and sucrose solution. These responses were measured by a number of different methods, but most antennae movement and extension of mouth parts.

Both of the chemicals had a negative effect on the bees’ olfactory learning and reduced sense of taste.

Ultimately, the paper demonstrated that the neonicotinoids and glyphosate negatively affect memory, smell, and taste in young bees. This is concerning due to the fact that the bees require these senses and skills for foraging. Thus, when young bees become brain damaged, the damage to the colony as a whole does not stop there but extends to the period of time when they are expected to take over the reigns of foraging. Clearly, this double tap poisoning of bees in mass agriculture could be contributing to colony collapse.

Indeed, the authors of the study are also concerned that the damages sustained to the ability to forage could threaten the survival of the bee colony as a whole, particularly at the end of summer.

Please note: This author does not condone animal testing.

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Brandon Turbeville – article archive here – is an author out of Florence, South Carolina. He is the author of six books, Codex Alimentarius — The End of Health Freedom, 7 Real Conspiracies,Five Sense Solutions and Dispatches From a Dissident, volume 1 and volume 2, The Road to Damascus: The Anglo-American Assault on Syria,and The Difference it Makes: 36 Reasons Why Hillary Clinton Should Never Be President. Turbeville has published over 1,000 articles dealing on a wide variety of subjects including health, economics, government corruption, and civil liberties. Brandon Turbeville’s podcast Truth on The Tracks can be found every Monday night 9 pm EST at UCYTV. He is available for radio and TV interviews. Please contact activistpost (at) gmail.com.

Reports Claim Syria, Russia Capture British Troops In Douma - UK Gov't Denies

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
April 12, 2018

As the battle for East Ghouta began heating up in 2018, a reader wrote to me and suggested that there must be something incredibly important in East Ghouta for the United States and the rest of the “Western” world to react in such a volatile way. If recent reports coming from al-Mayadeen are true, that reader may be proven correct.

According to a report by al-Mayadeen and FARS News, a number of British troops have been captured in Douma. The source sited by al-Mayadeen say the troops are believed to be part of the “international coalition” and a plan to launch a ground assault in Damascus in coordination with the U.S. The report suggests that the US and NATO as well as Jordan and Israel had planned to launch attacks on Syria from several different fronts. However, as the Syrian military began operations to liberate Ghouta, the plan was disrupted.

The news agency claims that, after the Syrian and Russian militaries discovered the plot, the operation to liberate Ghouta was launched.

Sputnik International writes:

The US and Turkey sought to rescue foreign "militants and agents operating for Israel, Jordan and NATO," now trapped in Ghouta, and move them to Idlib, the source says.

The Turkish initiative to help with the evacuation of Nusra Front terrorists from Ghouta has reportedly been a coverup for "special foreign forces that were among the ranks of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated" Nusra front terror organization.

The White Helmets Are A Propaganda Construct - James Corbett

James Corbett
BrandonTurbeville.com

Interview With Syrians In Damascus, Shortly After The April 14 Strike By The US

BrandonTurbeville.com
April 17, 2018

Interview conducted in Damascus, Syria by Mario Jaillet

US Bombs Syria To Cover Up Lack Of Evidence On Chem Attacks, Discredits Own Claims By Doing So

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
April 14, 2018

After yet another example of brazen Western aggression against Syria, the United States, UK, and France are once again demonstrating to the world who exactly is the biggest to world peace. The entire April 14 assault on Syria by the three powers has been justified by the West as a reaction to an alleged chemical weapons attack that allegedly took place in Douma weeks ago.

The word “allegedly” is incredibly important here because not only is it merely alleged that the Syrian military conducted a chemical weapons attack, it is also merely alleged that the attack even took place. More on that in a minute.

But during the debate about the chemical weapons attack – who conducted it and if it happened at all – the West has claimed to be one hundred percent sure with no doubt whatsoever that the Syrian military personally directed by Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against civilians in a battle it was fighting and winning against terrorists at precisely the worst possible opportunity to do so. This is despite virtually all of the evidence to the contrary.

The Russian government maintained that not only was Assad innocent of the crime he was being accused of but that the West essentially fabricated the whole event.

So with that in mind, let us consider for a moment that the United States is correct that Assad used chemical weapons against his own people and thus still maintains chemical weapons. The United States claims it knows where these weapons stockpiles are and where research is being conducted on those weapons. Indeed, these are the very facilities targeted by the U.S., UK, and France during the March 14th operations.

So the question now remains – if Syria’s chemical weapons research and storage facilities were just bombed by the United States, why weren't the civilians living around these areas currently dying from the chemical weapons that were dispersed as a result of the airstrikes?

Donald Trump Moves To Rejoining The TPP

Brandon Turbeville

Natural Blaze 

April 12, 2018

Donald Trump is proving to be following in the footsteps of his predecessor in terms of the possibility of being the most disappointing president of modern times. His latest debacle now comes in the form of the TPP which Trump pulled out of days after assuming the Presidency. Now, however, Trump has announced plans to move back into the TPP even after campaigning against it as well taken Executive action against it.

It ranks as one of the bizarre about faces of any American president.

As the New York Times writes,

President Trump, in a sharp reversal, told a gathering of farm state lawmakers and governors on Thursday morning that he was directing his advisers to look into rejoining the multicountry trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal he pulled out of days after assuming the presidency. 

Rejoining the 11-country pact could be a significant change in fortune for many American industries that stood to benefit from the trade agreement’s favorable terms and Republican lawmakers who supported the pact. The deal, which was negotiated by the Obama administration, was largely viewed as a tool to prod China into making the type of economic reforms that the United States and others have long wanted.

Both Democrats and Republicans attacked the deal during the president’s campaign, but many business leaders were disappointed when Mr. Trump withdrew from agreement, arguing that the United States would end up with less favorable terms attempting to broker an array of individual trade pacts and that scrapping the deal would empower China.

Horrifying Testimonies Prove You Have Been Lied To About Eastern Ghouta

Bas Spliet

BrandonTurbeville.com

April 12, 2018

During my time in Damascus, I got the opportunity to talk to several civilians from Eastern Ghouta. Their testimonies, totally ignored by the mass media, tell a horrifying story of starvation, withholding of food and medical aid, rape, and the imprisonment and murder of innocent women and children. World peace hangs in the balance as the whole world is busy talking about Syria. Yet, the voices of those with an actual right to testify and share their experiences and opinions, i.e. the Syrian people, are disregarded.

Access my very first video report here.

Show notes:

Previous reports made in Syria

Scrutinised Minds: It’s raining mortars in Damascus again – mainstream media silent

Scrutinised Minds: Syrians rejoice as Jaish al-Islam capitulates – mainstream media pushes chemical weapons meme instead

Why I think the alleged chemical weapons attack will sooner or later turn out to be a false flag assault
Scrutinised Minds: Syria – the last word on chemical weapons

Scrutinised Minds: Syrians rejoice as Jaish al-Islam capitulates – mainstream media pushes chemical weapons meme instead

Monsanto, Big Oil Lobbies Back Smear Campaign Against Ohio Gov Candidate Dennis Kucinich

Brandon Turbeville

Natural Blaze

April 10, 2018

It seems former Ohio Candidate for Governor, Dennis Kucinich, has drawn the ire of Monsanto. Documents released by the Kucinich campaign have demonstrated a link between attack emails aimed at the candidate to two major lobbying firms and statehouse law firms that represent corporations and corporate interests that Kucinich has challenged on the campaign trail as well as during his term as Congressman.

The emails attempt to label Kucinich as a conspiracy theorist, Russian sympathizer, and Trump supporter and encourage the reader to join the writers in preventing the “dangerous” Kucinich from reaching the Governor’s office or winning the May 8 Democratic Primary.

The emails were signed by Herb Hedden of the law firm Vorys Sater and John Gilligan of ICE Miller and were sent statewide last week.

Interestingly enough, Vorys Sater represents Monsanto as well as various oil and insurance interests who stand to lose if Kucinich’s plan to ban fracking and create a system of not-for-profit public health care in the state is enacted. Kucinich has long criticized Monsanto for its food health and safety record and Kucinich’s wife, Elizabeth, has been even more vocal against GMOs and unsustainable farming.

You Have No Rights When It Comes To Vaccines NJ Committee Declares

Brandon Turbeville
Natural Blaze
April 9, 2018

NJ State Congress Committee Declares Citizens Don’t Have The Right To Disagree With Or Skip Vaccines
With the ability to call the United States a free country no longer a viable option, the Federal government as well as the states are working to eliminate the last remaining outposts of individual choice and freedom that remain. This is precisely what the New Jersey state legislature is attempting to do when it comes to the right of individuals and parents to choose whether or not their children are vaccinated.

Many New Jersey residents, however, are not giving up without a fight and that is precisely why the last meeting of the Assembly Health Committee devolved into chaos after the committee voted to launch an assault on individual choice.

The bill, if it passes, will require families to provide schools with a notarized document explaining in detail how vaccination “would violate, contradict, or otherwise be inconsistent” with their religious beliefs if they are seeking a religious exemption. They will be forced to prove they aren’t using the religious exemption as a result of their “philosophical” or “safety” concerns.

The bill will allow students to be exempt from vaccines if and only if they meet the following requirements:

• A written statement submitted to the elementary or secondary school, or the institution of higher education, by a licensed physician requesting exemption "based upon valid medical reasons." 
• Documentation explaining how the administration of the vaccine conflicts with the religious tenets or practices of the student. 
• A written statement, to be notarized, signed, and sworn by the person submitting the statement, which includes an explanation of the nature of the person's religious tenet or practice that is implicated by the vaccination 
• A statement acknowledging that the person understands the risks and benefits of vaccination to the student and the public health and acknowledges that the student may be excluded from attendance at the student's school or institution of higher education in the event of the occurrence of a communicable disease. (source taken from the Princeton Patch) 

Massive Keystone Pipeline Leak Biggest Since 2010

Brandon Turbeville
Natural Blaze
April 8, 2018

The November, 2017 Keystone crude oil pipeline leak in South Dakota turns out to have been the one of the largest U.S. inland oil spills since 2010.

Robynn Tysver, TransCanada Corp spokeswoman, told the Aberdeen American News that some 9,700 barrels of oil leaked during the course of the November 16 spill. The original estimate was 5,000 barrels putting the new number to nearly double what was originally reported.

Environmental, Native American rights, and property rights activists have long opposed the Keystone XL pipeline but ultimately to no avail, with the Trump administration green lighting the project after the Obama administration bowed slightly to public pressure.

TransCanada did shut down the pipeline after the spill but it was up and running again just two weeks later.

The TransCanada spokeswoman told the Aberdeen American News paper that repairs have been made and that a cleanup project had been contracted.

“We have replaced the last of the topsoil and have seeded the impacted area,” Tysver said in an email sent to the paper.

SyrianGirl Video - What really happened - Chemical Attack that lead to missile Strikes on Syria

SyrianGirl
BrandonTurbeville.com
SyrianGirlPartisan
April 10, 2018

Please share this video far and wide before Youtube censors or deletes. SyrianGirl has already had her videos deleted by Youtube in the past.

Syrians Rejoice as Jaish al-Islam Capitulates – Mainstream Media Pushes Chemical Weapons Meme Instead

Bas Spliet

BrandonTurbeville.com

April 8, 2018

Image: © White Helmets
Damascus – Around 4 PM yesterday, 8 April, I was having a very interesting conversation with a tiny Damascene handcraft shop owner who makes traditional Arab oud instruments when the news broke that a deal was struck between Jaish al-Islam – the last remaining rebel group in Douma – and the Syrian government. Under the ceasefire agreement, the militants will release all prisoners in exchange for being provided a safe exit to the northern Aleppean city of Jarabulus within 48 hours. As this meant the final halt of the seven-year-long indiscriminate shelling of the city centre by the Islamist rebels, which has always been largely ignored by the mass media, people reflooded the streets of the capital with a smile on their faces. Finally, they can live in peace.

The shop owner, a Christian, went on to say that he believes that if new elections are to be held, at least 70% of Syrians would vote for President Bashar al-Assad. As Sunnis make up roughly 75% of the population while only 11% are Alawite, this would be incomprehensible if the mainstream depicture of the Syrian government as an Alawite dictatorship is to be upheld. Nevertheless, his estimation is in line with the outcome of the 2014 presidential elections, as well as with several polls conducted by entities openly hostile to the Syrian government, such as NATO and the Turkish and Qatari governments. Due to the successful battle of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) against sectarian terrorism, he believes that Assad’s popularity will only increase. To illustrate why, he told a story about a French delegation that visited the souk where his shop is located once upon a time.

Because it was a holiday, Christian and Muslim shopkeepers gathered to talk and have breakfast together on the street. The French journalists accepted their kind offer to join them, but one of them had a rather strange look on his face. Inquiring him about his facial expression, the shop owner was told by the journalist that something like that would never happen in his home country, especially not between people of different faith. He was confused because he was told that tension and conflict between different ethnicities and religions was the prime cause of the “civil war” in Syria.

It’s Raining Mortars in Damascus Again – Mainstream Media Silent

Bas Spliet

BrandonTurbeville.com

April 8, 2018

Image: An injured man in the emergency room of al-Mwassat University Hospital © Bas Spliet

Damascus – I arrived in Damascus the day before yesterday, on 6 April. With the exception of the city of Douma, the whole of Eastern Ghouta had gradually come under the control of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) since the military started a major operation in February to take control of the insurgents’ last major stronghold in the northern vicinity of the Syrian capital. Fighters from Jaish al-Islam – the only remaining rebel group which, literally translated, means the Army of Islam – were being bussed to other rebel-held areas across Syria, and it looked like the final negotiations were under way. I figured that the last of the indiscriminate mortar shelling which had plagued Damascus over the last seven years had finally come to an end. Unfortunately, I was mistaken.

Soon, the news started pouring in that mutual bombing by the SAA and the rebels had resumed following the breaking down of the fragile truce due to internal disagreements amongst the foreign-backed militancy. According to the state-owned SANA news network, four civilians died and 22 were killed in the indiscriminate attacks targeting the capital’s civilian population of Friday, which was Good Friday for the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Many people visited parades celebrating the Eastern Orthodox Good Friday despite the shelling © Bas Spliet

When The President Wants To Leave Syria And The Deep State Doesn't

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
April 6, 2018

Just over a week ago, US President Donald Trump addressed supporters in Ohio largely focusing on economic issues. As a sidebar, he mentioned that the United States was going to pull its forces out of Syria “very soon.”

"By the way, we're knocking the hell out of ISIS. We'll be coming out of Syria, like, very soon. Let the other people take care of it now," Trump said. "Very soon -- very soon we're coming out. We're going to have 100 percent of the caliphate, as they call it... But we're going to be coming out of there real soon. Going to get back to our country, where we belong, where we want to be."

It seemed that before Trump even stepped off of the podium, Western mainstream media channels were alight with hysteria that the President would dare even suggest removing troops from a place they have no business being and begin the process of ending a war that should never have been waged against the secular Syrian government in support of barbaric terrorists. News media was full of editorials, op-eds, and “reports” questioning the validity of removing these troops, the dangers to the world if America took a small step back on imperialism, and the stupidity of a President who would dare suggest less war and a focus on his own country more so than the affairs of others. Everything from “America would lose face,” to “the Russians will take over the world” was spewed from the typically vitriolic mouths of Western media outlets, not even paying lip service to the idea that war is not the ultimate pre-occupation of the United States.

During the midst of the media dust-up, Trump’s own Pentagon, State Department, and advisors, as well as the ever-present “officials” quoted as sources by mainstream “news” organizations all expressed surprise at the President’s words, with the military even stating that it was, in fact, planning to add more troops.

Trump’s statement may have played well with his audience, his base, anti-war activists, real liberals, and the general population, but it didn’t play well with leftists, the Neo-Cons in his cabinet, the war-obsessed US military leadership, Israeli lobby, or US Congress. As a result, Trump backed away from his own stated policy, met with the unified war front, and decided to remain in Syria.

This isn’t surprising. But it is dangerous.

PayPal Nixes Donations To Animal Rescue In Syria But Our Money Still Funds Terrorists

Brandon Turbeville
Natural Blaze
April 8, 2018

While the United States, Britain, France, NATO, Saudi Arabia, and the GCC continue to fund terrorists in Syria, any attempt at relieving the conditions of the Syrian people on behalf of people of good will in the invading nations is consistently blocked by their governments and corporations as a result of Western sanctions.

The West now has the mantle of having caused over 400,000 needless deaths and the destruction of a wide portion of the entire country. Those in the West who oppose such insanity are even prevented from doing anything on their own to alleviate the suffering. But with the human toll so high, one aspect of the war that is never discussed is the toll it has taken on animals.

Syria was not much different than the United States or Europe in many ways before the war. While the average American may have a picture painted for them by Western mainstream media and Hollywood that would depict all countries in the Middle East as sand-dwelling nomads and stern abusive religious fanatics, the reality of the Syrian culture has always been the exact opposite. Contrary to what many Americans may assume about Syria, the people there have the same concerns as the Americans who are so afraid of them. Syrians simply want to live their lives, find good-paying jobs, enjoy sports, and enjoy their families.

While many Syrians owned pets (it is quite common to see cats and turtles in Syrian homes), the West’s war against the Syrian government has created not only a human refugee crisis and human internal displacement, it has also caused a similar crisis for animals. As Western-backed terrorists took over more and more communities and installed their brutal Sharia law, the Syrian government was forced to liberate these areas by military means. Many Syrians were either killed by terrorists or caught in the crossfire and many others still had no other choice but to flee the conflict. Most of the people who fled had to leave their pets behind.

1986 CIA Document Analyzes Possibilities Of “Regime Change” In Syria

Brandon Turbeville

Activist Post

April 2, 2018

While the connections between the plans to destroy Syria and the Obama administration are generally known, what is even less well-known is the fact that there existed a plan to destroy Syria as far back as not only the Bush administration but also the Reagan Administration in 1983.

Documents contained in the U.S. National Archives and drawn up by the CIA reveal a plan to destroy the Syrian government going back decades. One such document entitled, “Bringing Real Muscle To Bear In Syria,” written by CIA officer Graham Fuller, is particularly illuminating. In this document, Fuller wrote,

Syria at present has a hammerlock on US interests both in Lebanon and in the Gulf — through closure of Iraq’s pipeline thereby threatening Iraqi internationalization of the [Iran-Iraq] war. The US should consider sharply escalating the pressures against Assad [Sr.] through covertly orchestrating simultaneous military threats against Syria from three border states hostile to Syria: Iraq, Israel and Turkey.

Even as far back as 1983, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s father, Hafez Assad, was viewed as a gadfly to the plans of Western imperialists seeking to weaken both the Iraqis and the Iranians and extend hegemony over the Middle East and Persia. The document shows that Assad and hence Syria represented a resistance to Western imperialism, a threat to Israel, and that Assad himself was well aware of the game the United States, Israel, and other members of the Western imperialist coalition were trying to play against him.

I encourage the reader to access my article, “1983 CIA Document Reveals Plan To Destroy Syria, Foreshadows Current Crisis,” to read more about this document.

The question of the Assad thorn in the side of the West continued on for the United States as was evidenced by yet another CIA document from 1986 entitled “Syria: Scenarios of Dramatic Political Change.” Although not an open advocation of destabilization and/or war, the paper does examine the possibilities of destabilization and “regime change” in Syria, most notably in the scenario of mass

Lead Exposure May Be The Hidden Cause Of 412,000 Deaths Each Year

Brandon Turbeville

Natural Blaze

March 30, 2018

According to a new study published in the Lancet Public Health, up to 412,000 deaths a year can be attributed to lead exposure in the United States.

This study also claims that exposure to lead may be in “important but largely overlooked” factor in the 256,000 cardiovascular disease deaths that occur every year.

“Our study findings suggest that low-level environmental lead exposure is an important risk factor for death in the USA, particularly from cardiovascular disease,” the paper reads. “It is not surprising that lead exposure is overlooked; it is ubiquitous, but insidious and largely beyond the control of patients and clinicians.”

As EcoWatch writes,

The researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to study the blood-lead levels of 14,289 people who were 20 or older between 1988 and 2011. Of the 4,422 people who died by the end of that period, those who had high lead levels (6.7 micrograms per deciliter) were at 37 percent greater risk of premature death from any cause and 70 percent times greater risk of cardiovascular death compared with people with lower lead levels (1.0 micrograms per deciliter). 

Based on these risk levels, the authors estimated that up to 18 percent of all deaths every year in the USA (or 412,000 out of 2.3 million annual mortalities) would be among people who had levels of lead above 1 micrograms per deciliter. Further, an estimated 28.7 percent of premature cardiovascular disease deaths (256,000 out of 892000) could be attributable to lead exposure. 

Stop Sharing Petitions – It Doesn’t Do Anything

Brandon Turbeville
Natural Blaze
March 29, 2018

Perhaps one of the most effective means of misdirecting the energy of activists and the public at large taken during the Obama administration was the creation of the White House petition site that guaranteed the White House would address any concern that could receive 100,000 signatures. Of course, the Obama administration routinely ignored many of those petitions and simply refused to listen to others that did reach the signature threshold but that didn’t stop activists from trying.

Now, with the Trump administration, who has never agreed to such a policy, activists are still trying and it’s having even less of an effect.

One has to admit that these petition drives do often have a minor positive effect of raising awareness. They are short, details are kept to a minimum, and they are usually accompanied by one evocative image. That’s about all most people can handle in terms of research and news in 2018. But that’s generally where the positives of sharing petitions end.

The problem with the petition obsession is that it doesn’t actually inform anyone beyond a short burst of text and it gives signatories a false sense of accomplishment in terms of activism. In searching social media, for instance, one can come across a myriad of petition links (sign a petition calling for the end to killing elephants, an end to zoos, an end to glyphosate poisoning, etc.) that contain a few sentences of the problem and ask readers to sign their names to the petition.

What is lacking is any intelligent discussion of the subject with a succinct description of the problem, what is causing it, the responsible parties, and what can be done about it. There is no evidence or citation. Also lacking is any organizational structure to direct the energy of those concerned in a constructive direction that will enable them to do something about the issue.

Catastrophic Bird Decline Due To Pesticides But In An Unexpected Way

Brandon Turbeville
Natural Blaze
March 28, 2018

It seems the trail of destruction left behind by the use of heavy pesticides is never ending. Besides the well-known negative effects of pesticides such as glyphosate on human health and the use of certain chemicals on the bee population, there is now damning evidence that they are taking a major toll on the bird population.

Two studies were conducted in France – one study conducted on the national level and another focused on a large agricultural region – whose results have demonstrated a decline in dozens of bird species, some of them as much as 2/3 decline over the last decade and a half.

Benoit Fontaine, conservation biologist at France’s National Museum of Natural History and co-author of one of the studies that “The situation is catastrophic.”

“Our countryside is in the process of becoming a veritable desert,” he said in National Centre for Scientific Research communique, which also contributed to the research.

Among the species that are exhibiting decline are the common white throat, Eurasian skylark, ortolan bunting, and other birds that were once extremely common.

One bird – the meadow pit – a migratory song bird has declined in population by nearly 70%.

The museum described the bird decline as “a level approaching an ecological catastrophe.”

The researchers are speculating that the reason for the die off is the intense use of pesticide on intensely farmed monoculture crops, particularly corn and wheat. But the problem isn’t that the birds themselves are being poisoned but that there are no more insects left for them to eat.

“There are hardly any insects left, that’s the number one problem,” said Vincent Bretagnolle, a CNRS ecologist at the Centre for Biological Studies in Chize.

EPA Relaxed Dicamba Regulations Following Monsanto Research, Records Show

Brandon Turbeville
Natural Blaze
March 28, 2018

In case anyone might be surprised to learn that the EPA eased regulations on the toxic and volatile herbicide Dicamba after receiving industry research from Monsanto, reports are surfacing that the government agency did just that. Indeed, the agency weakened protections the agency itself set for crops and wildlife habitats after Monsanto presented its own research that showed lower estimates of how far the chemical can drift.

In short, the research that Monsanto provided to the EPA and that the EPA based its revised decisions upon is in conflict with research that was conducted by independent researchers and organizations. No surprise there.

As Johnathan Hettinger writes for Sustainable Pulse and Investigate Midwest,

“The EPA expects that exposure will remain confined to the dicamba (DGA) treated field,” the agency wrote in the final registration approving the use of dicamba in November 2016.

However, drift from dicamba damaged more than 3.6 million acres of soybeans in 2017, according to data from Kevin Bradley, a professor at the University of Missouri.

The drift also allegedly damaged oak trees, wildlife habitats, and other crops, such as vineyards, across the Midwest and South, according to news reports, environmental groups, and complaints filed with state agencies.

Monsanto submitted its research after the U.S. EPA proposed in March 2016 an all-directional buffer zone for dicamba to help protect other crops and wildlife habitats for endangered species. After considering the information, the agency decided to reduce the buffer zone to only a downwind buffer zone, meaning spraying limitations only applied to the downwind edge of a field.

Pipeline Just Leaked 42,000 Gallons Of Diesel Into Indiana Stream

Brandon Turbeville

Natural Blaze

March 27, 2018

In what has now become common place in the United States, a leak from a Marathon Petroleum Corporation pipeline was detected last Tuesday evening. In all, 42,000 gallons of diesel spilled into Big Creek and Posey Creek, Indiana before the leak was even discovered.

Although the pipeline was immediately shut off and workers used two booms to contain the spill before it reached the Wabash river, the EPA is considering the incident “a large spill.”

The on-scene coordinator for the EPA, Kevin Turner, said that he did not believe the spill would impact wildlife and that no fish deaths have been reported yet.

However, the spill traveled four miles before it was stopped and Turner told the Indianapolis Star that “if the product had made it to the Wabash then we would not be able to collect any of it.”

Marathon was moving the fuel from its Robinson, Illinois refinery to its terminal located on the Ohio river in Mount Vernon, Indiana. Turner expects about 60% of the diesel to be skimmed and efforts are underway to recover the fuel.

This is not the only time that a Marathon pipeline has leaked. In April 2016, a pipeline near Mount Carmel, Illinois spilled 48,300 gallons into the Wabash River, as a result of erosion that had exposed the pipeline.

The pipeline was exposed to the river bottom itself due to the fact that it had been buried beneath the river. This is precisely the type of concern voiced by the Keystone XL Pipeline protesters and the Dakota Access Pipeline protesters who pointed out that burying pipelines under the river could cause this kind of ecological damage.

Patrick Stewart Stands Up For Boy Refused Cannabis For 30 Seizures A Day

Brandon Turbeville
Natural Blaze
March 27, 2018

Patrick Stewart Relies on Medical Cannabis Himself – the Star Trek Actor Stands With Alfie Dingley

Great Britain is proving just how great it is, and it is using a six-year-old-boy to do it. Proving that the Western world is a symbol of oppression, not freedom, the UK Home Office has rejected a plea from Alfie Dingley’s family and even MPs to allow Alfie access to cannabis to treat a rare form of childhood epilepsy that can cause up to 30 seizures a day and numerous hospital visits.

Of course, one could ask the obvious question: Why does anyone have to plea to use a plant in a country that never shuts up about how free it is?

For the Dingleys, there simply isn’t 200 years worth of waiting while the dying British Empire is dragged, kicking and screaming into the 21st Century, or any century for that matter. That is why the Dingleys did the only thing they could do for their child – leave the UK and travel to the Netherlands where they could access medical cannabis.

The results aren’t that surprising – Alfie’s seizures were dramatically reduced even at times going more than three weeks without having a seizure.

Unfortunately for them, without medical insurance, the treatments were too expensive so they were forced to return to the UK where harmless plants result in jail.

Still, the Home Office is denying the family access to marijuana because “rules is rules” and “only government and the medical industry can make decisions on health.”

But since marijuana is overwhelmingly harmless, non-addictive, beneficial and most reasonable people understand it to be just another plant, the Home Office had to come up with an excuse to cover up the connections between the drug war, pharmaceutical industry and police state.

Pesticides May Now Be Dropping Hummingbird Populations Too

Brandon Turbeville
Natural Blaze
March 26, 2018

Some species of North American hummingbirds are experiencing a sharp decline and many are now wondering whether pesticides are playing a role.

One individual concerned about the decline and the role insecticides may be playing in it is British Columbia research scientist Christine Bishop who works with Environment and Climate Change Canada. She began looking at different factors that could be contributing to the decline of the hummingbirds and began taking urine and feces samples (in a way that did not harm the birds) to determine whether or not pesticides could be found.

"No one has ever measured pesticides in hummingbirds before. So we decided to try it," she. "It turns out, to our surprise actually, that the birds are obviously picking up pesticides in their food, which can be nectar and also insects."

What she found was a concentration of pesticides to the tune of 3 parts per billion.

"Now what does it mean? Right now we're just understanding what the level of exposure is, and then how is it affecting the population, well that's part of the population dynamics," she said.

The research was focused on the agricultural region of the Fraser Valley and Southern British Columbia which is the core habitat for the rufous hummingbird.

The annual breeding bird survey demonstrates that between the years of 1966-2013, the rufous population on the Pacific Coast declined by an average of 2.67% per years. The survey showed that the Allen’s and broad-tailed hummingbirds were also declining.

Utah Parents No Longer Forced By State To Helicopter Their Kids

Brandon Turbeville

Natural Blaze

March 26, 2018 

First Ever Free Range Kids Bill Just Passed in Utah
A new law set to go into effect on May 8 2018 in Utah will be the first of its kind in America. SB 65 (Child Neglect Amendments) will change what the state of Utah recognizes as neglect to eliminate certain innocuous and natural activities such as children playing in their front yards, walking to school, and otherwise being children.

The law comes as a reaction to a growing movement of total control over families and children being exercised by the state and local governments, social “services” agencies, and schools. One such example is a Maryland couple whose children were held by police due to the alleged neglect of allowing them to walk home alone from a park. Many other similar stories have appeared in media outlets recently such as parents having their children taken as a result of letting them play in the front yard. The latter incident occurred in Canada but it stands as an example of the stunning level to which the police state and control that governments and agencies are exercising over parents and children all over the Western world.

Although Utah has not had any high profile cases of snatching children over “neglect” at this point, the Congressman who sponsored the bill, Rep. Brad Daw, stated that “This bill seeks to ensure it never will.”

It’s Official: US Is Seeking Death Penalty In Drug Cases – But Not For Big Pharma

Brandon Turbeville

Natural Blaze

March 23, 2018

When Donald Trump suggested imposing the death penalty in drug-related cases, many people thought he was just spouting off at the mouth. Unfortunately, his statements were not just typical Trump talk. They are now official Justice Department policy.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions instructed Federal Prosecutors on March 21 to begin seeking the death penalty in drug-related cases where it is “appropriate.”

Sessions and his Justice Department are claiming that the policy is being implemented to counter the opioid epidemic. Sessions’ mandate comes after Donald Trump called for executing opioid dealers and traffickers and for harsher sentences in regards to trafficking.

Sessions apparently did not catch the irony of his statement that “in the face of all this death, we cannot continue with business as usual” as he was in fact calling for more death.

“Drug traffickers, transnational criminal organizations, and violent street gangs all contribute substantially to this scourge. To combat this deadly epidemic, federal prosecutors must consider every lawful tool at their disposal,” he said.

But Sessions did not call for the death penalty for anyone in Big Pharma who is almost single-handedly responsible for the opioid crisis. In fact, he could turn to his own agencies and speak to former DEA agent Joe Rannazzisi who ran the DEA’s Office of Diversion Control.

Rannazzisi states plainly that Big Pharma and its distributors intentionally pumped opioids into American communities knowing that they were addictive and knowing that people were dying. He also says that they did so knowing it was illegal.

Trump’s NAFTA Renegotiation Seeks To Empower Toxic Food Industry

Brandon Turbeville

Natural Blaze

March 23, 2018

After three decades of disastrous Free Trade policies that have seen American jobs shipped out the door, Mexican sweat shops pop up all across the country, and the loss of biodiversity and diversity of the food supply in Mexico, NAFTA is finally being looked at once again. With that second look, a tangled web of interests and perspectives has arisen that are difficult for the average American to unravel, especially given the fact that their media has done nothing but lie to them in regards to the effects of NAFTA on their own economy.

Corporate America and the financial sector are and have always been in favor of the agreement due to the fact that they are able to take advantage of cheap labor and weaker worker and environmental protections in order to maximize profits. Likewise, major international corporations like Monsanto have been able to move into Mexico and Canada, destroying the biodiversity and health of the people living there.

In addition, a host of wealthy oligarchical ideologues who wish to see “one planet” united under the banner of trade have long seen the NAFTA deal as the first step in the creation of the “one world” system by using trade to unite the Americas.

Because these three elements have been in favor of NAFTA, both the U.S. government and American media have thus worked to promote, protect, and expand the agreement since the day it was publicly proposed.

LSD Blurs Boundaries Of Self And Others, Alleviates Depression

Brandon Turbeville

Natural Blaze

March 22, 2018

Yet another study has emerged demonstrating the benefit of LSD in treating various mental health issues.

LSD reduces the borders between the experience of one’s own self and others. For that reason, it affects social interactions.

Researchers at University of Zurich have found that a serotonin receptor in the brain is crucially involved in the psychological mechanisms that involve experiencing both the self and others.

According to the researchers,

Virtually all mental health disorders come with difficulties in interpersonal relations that in the long run negatively affect the progression of the disease. The associated health and social restrictions can only be marginally improved by current forms of therapy. One of the reasons for this is that there has been very little research into the basic neurobiological principles and in particular the neurochemical mechanisms of these kinds of disorders. A further symptom of various psychiatric disorders is distortions of self-experience. People suffering from mental disorders often show either an inflated or weakened sense of self.

The researchers investigated the links between changes in the sense of self and that of social interaction as well as the pharmacological mechanisms that are active and play a role in the process.