May 13, will be the 100th Anniversary of Fatima so I pray: 
 "Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus! Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!" (Italian below- Traduzione italiana in basso)

I love you mother! And I love your Son; my Lord, my Savior, my Brother, my Father and my Friend. The One who came into the world as a man, and showed us how to love God and others. He showed us with his life how be good and obtain eternal life. He lived a humble hard and simple life, yet we didn't recognize and appreciate Him. We made him suffer unjustly because of our wickedness; our malice, our selfishness, our our pride, insensitivity, our stupidity- for our sins, He was tortured, beaten, abused, ridiculed, and then crucified. Jesus, paid our debts, for our inequities, our evil- so that the gates of paradise would open once again, and we can be admitted in!
Praised be the Lord! Jesus the Way the Truth and the Life!




Il prossimo 13 maggio sarà il 100 ° anniversario di Fatima, e quindi prego:
"Ave Maria piena di grazia, il Signore è con te, benedetto tu sei tra le donne e benedetto è il frutto del tuo seno Gesù! Maria santa, madre di Dio , Pregate per noi peccatori, ora e all'ora della nostra morte. Amen! "




Ti voglio bene madre! E amo anche il tuo Figlio; mio Signore, mio Salvatore, mio Fratello, mio Padre e il mio Amico. Colui che è venuto nel mondo come uomo, e ci ha mostrato come amare Dio e il prossimo. Ci ha mostrato con la sua vita come essere buoni e ottenere la vita eterna. Ha vissuto una vita, una vita dura e semplice, ma non lo abbiamo riconosciuto e apprezzato. Lo abbiamo fatto soffrire ingiustamente per la nostra malvagità; La nostra malizia, il nostro egoismo, il nostro orgoglio, la nostra insensibilità, e la nostra stupidità - per i nostri peccati. E' stato torturato, picchiato, abusato, ridicolizzato e poi crocifisso. Gesù, ha pagato i nostri debiti, per le nostre iniquità, il nostro male- per aprirci le porte del paradiso ed essere ammessi!
Lode al Signore! Gesù, la Via, la verità e la vita!

 A LETTER TO THE SCHENECTADY GAZETTE
This past Wednesday April 12, 2017, the Opinion Section of the Schenectady Daily Gazette published a letter by Mr. Lief Larsen. It was titled "Others should be outraged over Syria."

Mr. Larsen talked about the atrocities in Syria (against civilians) and said the following: 
"The USA responded with force to that use of banned chemical weapons (by the Assad regime) and rightfully so in my opinion." He also asked: "Where is the rest of the world? Is it assumed by others that it is America's sole responsibility to police the world against these kinds of crimes? I think not. I think that other nations should take a hard look at which direction their moral compass is pointing."

I think that the rest of the world is looking and wonders where president Trump got the proof that Assad, the Syrian president, gassed those families. I suspect that this latest US missile strike reminds the rest of the world (and many Americans- including me) of how the Iraqi war started- with faulty intelligence, or lies by George W. Bush and his administration.
And now it is the Trump administration that seems to be positioning for war. In fact, several days ago the US dropped a huge non-atomic bomb on Afghanistan's terrorist hide outs, or underground tunnels.

The world also sees how US confrontations are escalating with Russia on a weekly basis, and how accusations are fueled by many American politicians and the mainstream media. They are inciting and feeding the fire (war rhetoric) by constantly accusing Russia of being an aggressor.  

The world asks these questions; Who is the world's bully? Who is the real aggressor? Is it Russia or the USA? So, let's look at the facts, instead of listening to US propaganda. 

The US has military bases all over the world. Russia has only a few. The USA has about 20 aircraft carriers. Russia no more than three! The US has NATO troops on the borders with Russia! Russia has none on our borders!

According to the WORLD MILITARY BALANCE REPORT, the US spends a lot more, than Russia (double- 50% more). In 2015 the USA spent as much as 11 rich countries! Which include China, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Russia, India, France, Japan, Germany, South Korea Brazil and Australia! The US military budget in 2015 was almost $600 billion! $597 BILLION to be exact!  (Source: www.businessinsider.com/us-military-spending-dwarfs-rest-of…) 
 
Mr. Larsen, don't you think that this is immoral? When there are almost 47 million Americans living in poverty? And 800 million poor in the world? Isn't this a taxpayer waste of resources? Millions that could be better used to fund the US economy? By investing in clean renewable energy, saving the environment, funding research and education (instead of slashing them!), and investing also on needed social programs for working families?

No, instead President Trump is proposing to increase military spending by 10% in FY 2018 (an increase of $54 billion), in addition he wants to cut education by 13.5%, cut the EPA, health care, medicare, and many other programs that benefit the middle class. 
Isn't this an outrage!? Don't you think that the world sees this hypocrisy? I do, and so many Americans! And that's not all! This president has already spent over 20 million on golf trips to Florida! And there's more! Trump is on pace to surpass 8 years of Obama travel spending! And he's only been in office several months!  I wonder how big his tab will be by the time he leaves office! Remember we're paying his tab with our tax dollars!

On 12 April, Trump spent millions in bombing Syria,  but now he plans on cutting foreign aid, and DOESN'T CARE THAT 20 MILLION ARE ON THE BRINK OF STARVATION! On April 12, I also read, and was saddened by an article (also published in the Schenectady Gazette), written by Max Bearak and Laris Karklis, both from the Washington Post. It was titled: "Wars in four countries brings famine to 20M!"
I quote only one paragraph below, that tells you how the US, and Britain, contribute the suffering of poor African nations. 

"The physical destruction has mostly been the work of the Saudi-led coalition – advised and supplied by the United States, Britain and others – that has sided with Yemen’s Sunni president against the Houthis, a Shiite militia that controls the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s western coast."  (Source: https://www.abqjournal.com/986243/starving-to-death-wars-in-four-countries-have-left-20-million-people-on-the-brink.html) 
 



Mr. Larsen, I suspect that we get our news information from different sources. I personally look at many news sources, because that's the only way to tell the truth form propaganda. I read local and major newspapers, the Internet and Italian news. 
So, it is fair to say that the rest of the civilized world asks why the US accuses others (lately Russia) to be the aggressor and others of being murderers, when the  US has its share of sins!? I'll just mention its past wars, like the Iraq war and the policy of regime change (like the ones in Iraq and Libya). Which have resulted in millions of refugees fleeing their countries and seeking safety and peace in Europe. Has president Trump shown compassion and opened the doors to these miserable people? No! That's what the world sees too! A president and his administration that has no heart! NO COMPASSION!

So, I am not convinced, and neither is the rest of world, by this missile attack, for this simple fact; Syrian children have been dying, left and right, and this president doesn't care enough to intervene to stop the slaughter and destruction!

It is evident that many US media outlets have become one sided; they present a distorted side, a crooked portray of facts- partial pictures of the facts/truth. The media paints a pro-war and anti- peace reality; it paints distorted views, half truths and incomplete truths. In other words, the media is manipulated by self serving interests (the war/defense industry/ business) that aim to deceive the public with the objective to convince Americans that the only solution is bombing other countries, and/or starting another war.

A LETTER TO NY STATE LEGISLATORS IN WASHINGTON. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, and Congressman Paul Tonko.

I was appalled at the President's missile strike of the Syrian Air Base this past April 7th. Syrian children and families have been suffering and dying since the start of the Syrian conflict in their country, and also while sailing the Mediterranean fleeing persecution and certain death. 

Yet this President, instead of helping those families in search of peace and security, unleashes a missile attack on an insignificant target. And many people (including democrats in Congress) defended his despicable actions. And had even the courage to applaud him!

I wonder where the President got the proof that Assad, the Syrian president, gassed those families. This missile strike reminds me how the Iraqi war started- with faulty intelligence, or lies by George W. Bush and his administration.

Now it is the Trump administration that seems to be positioning for war. In fact, just today, the US dropped a huge non-atomic bomb on Afghanistan's terrorist hide outs, or underground tunnels. US confrontations with Russia are also another signal that confirms my hypothesis (my suspicion- trying to start another war), which is going on a weekly basis, and which is fueled by many American politicians and the mainstream media. They are inciting and feeding the fire (the war rhetoric) by constantly accusing Russia of being an aggressor. The question is, who is the bully? Who is the real aggressor? Let's look at the facts, instead of listening to propaganda. According to the WORLD MILITARY BALANCE REPORT, The US spends a lot more, than Russia (double, or 50% more). In 2015 the USA spent as much as 11 rich countries! Which include China, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Russia, India, France, Japan, Germany, South Korea Brazil and Australia! The US military budget in 2015 was almost $600 billion! $597 BILLION to be exact!
(Source: www.businessinsider.com/us-military-spending-dwarfs-rest-of…) 
 
This taxpayer waste of resources could be better used to fund the US economy; by investing in clean renewable energy, in saving the environment, and on social programs for working families.
Instead President Trump is proposing to increase military spending by 10% in FY 2018 ($54 billion), cut education by 13.5%, cut the EPA, health care, Medicare, and many other programs that benefit the middle class.

I hope that you will work for peace and try your best to oppose the Trump administration, and stop the madness of increased military spending and cutting of social programs, AND prevent the US from further BOMBING of OTHER COUNTRIES!

IT IS CLEAR THAT AMERICANS DO NOT TRUST THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA ANY LONGER- NO WONDER- THEY TELL US ONLY WHAT THEY WANT! 

The PEW Research Center provides this sobering data.
"For the second time in a decade, the believability ratings for major news organizations have suffered broad-based declines. In the new survey, positive believability ratings have fallen significantly for nine of 13 news organizations tested. This follows a similar downturn in positive believability ratings that occurred between 2002 and 2004.
The falloff in credibility affects news organizations in most sectors: national newspapers, such as the New York Times and USA Today, all three cable news outlets, as well as the broadcast TV networks and NPR." 
 (Source: http://www.people-press.org/2012/08/16/further-decline-in-credibility-ratings-for-most-news-organizations/)

What can people of goodwill do to protect life and the truth? I think we should all speak out! We must protect all human life and the environment. This could be accomplished if we take money out of politics- we must ask our politicians to reverse Citizens United and Roe-vs-Wade. As a Christian, another antidote to all these problems is prayer- asking for God's intervention and support- because things, America's moral integrity, is down in the tubes!

The first problem, is the disregard for society's needs, by allowing Citizens United, corporate money to manipulate our democracy in order to serve the needs of corporate interests. Hence, our democracy has fallen into the trap of corporate greed. It has been sold as a prostitute to make profits! 

The second issue is the total disregard for human life, which happened in 1974, when America legalized  of Roe vs-Wade. This immoral legislative act has turned America into an abortion wasteland! The USA government has allowed the destruction of human life- with this Supreme Court ruling,  that promotes a culture of death! So far over 60 million babies have been aborted! The life and future of a country has been cut short with this abomination!

Then, there are other issues that promote the destruction of life in America.  I will only mention two to be brief, but to the point. America is one of a few select countries that still uses the death penalty as a deterrent for violent crimes. Besides the fact that this system of justice (executing criminals)- is immoral,  it has also been proven that it doesn't work! It doesn't reduce crime! 

Finally, we and guns- millions of them! In fact, the USA is the most armed country in the world... and guess what? It is the most violent too! Yet, many people believe that the more guns- the better! They think that it will reduce crime! WRONG! The USA is the bloodiest nation in the world! Gun violence causes over 33 THOUSAND DEATHS IN THE USA EVERY YEAR!  So, the lie of more guns are needed, is also used as another excuse to prevent crimes, when instead they destroy life. Who preaches this lie? The gun lobby in Congress and those who make and sell them! Over 33 thousand/year are killed by guns in the USA. And others are executed with the death penalty, an inhumane way of administering justice! The USA is the one of the few countries in the world still using the death penalty, as deterrent which doesn't work- often innocents receive this inhumane and atrocious unjust punishment! 

I hope and pray that the USA will change course, and that people get together and speak out against this corrupt government and generation, which has no respect for human life and our planet. America cannot solve the worlds problems by dropping bombs, being a bully, lying/deceiving and assuming, or making the public believe, that by changing a regime, things will turn out dandy! Look what happened in Libya, in Iraq, and now in Syria! Its about time that American leaders learn to refrain from using/abusing and squandering Americas' wealth by spending it on more weapons, and senseless, immoral, and costly both in human terms and the hard earned tax dollars. When will America learn from recent past mistakes of the Iraq and Vietnam wars?

The USA shall REAP WHAT She SOWs - 
QUELLO CHE gli USA SEMINA LO RACCOGLIERA'!

Trump has quickly turned into another puppet of the Washington Republican war mongers; the war lobby, the war machine/industry, and the corporate interest who care about profits over human life! Simply shameful. The missile strike that he ordered last week, stinks like the Iraq war, which was based on lies and deceit! Where is the proof that the Syrian government used chemical weapons? It seems to me that this is like the weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) accusation the USA has made before! Yes,  the USA slapped a similar accusation against the regime of Saddam Hussein at the UN! 
But no one ever found those weapons of mass destruction! In fact, Saddam Himself confessed (after he was caught and put in jail, during CIA interrogations), that it was a lie that he often said in order to discourage Iran from attacking his country! 

So, President Trump's recent missile attack is typical American imperialistic move! The American bloodhounds, the warmongers, are thirst for blood! 


Let's not be deceived by them again! Let's not fall in their trap and give them the OK to start another war, and cause more human misery! And what for! Oil? Power to control the Middle East and the Mediterranean? How much power does the USA need? It's power should be used for peace and to help people in need, not to bomb!

Today many of our State and national leaders, in both parties worship the mighty dollar and outright deceiving of the American public with lies/deceit/propaganda & misinformation. They waste our hard earned dollars for wars and the exploitation of the environment. They support a culture of death; with abortions on demand, the death penalty and guns for everyone- without any sensible controls. Why? All for profits, for greed and power! 

This is unsustainable and unless the US changes course, we're headed for disaster and more suffering. I hope and pray that people get together and speak out against this corrupt government and generation, which has no respect for human life and our planet.


America cannot solve the worlds problems by dropping bombs, being a bully, lying/deceiving the public into believing, that by changing a regime, things will turn out dandy! Look what happened in Libya, in Iraq, and now in Syria! Its about time that trigger-happy American leaders learn to refrain from using/abusing and squandering Americas' wealth by spending it on more weapons, on senseless, immoral and costly wars; both in human terms and financially. When will America learn from recent past mistakes, like those of the Iraq and Vietnam wars? it seems to me, that unless the public speaks out, nothing will change! 
I encourage you to write to president Trump and his vice President, and to our political representatives in congress, and tell them to waste our tax dollars and human life in weapons and wars!

 AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT TRUMP AND VP PENCE

Pr. Trump and VP Pence,

I've written you and the Vice President several times in the last month or so, but neither one of you has had the courtesy to respond me.
 

Your latest move- bombing a Syrian AF base on April 7th,  was also a big disappointment! You wasted millions of taxpayers $ on missiles- when you could have used that money help those Syrian children who are fleeing their country and dying in the Mediterranean! Shame on both of you!

 The bombing a Syrian AF base several days ago- is at the top of the list of my dissatisfaction with your actions, behavior and policies. 

Pr. Trump, with all due I understand your impulsive action- you were saddened and moved by those children that were gassed in Syria.

I wonder why you were not shocked by the thousands of Syrian children that have died in the Syrian civil war. So far over 5 million people have fled Syria! And many others from Libya because of civil unrest. Those poor people have no other choice, but to risk their lives by sailing the Mediterranean in flimsy, overcrowded and unsafe boats in search of security and peace. 
I see this every week. I watch the Italian news on TV, and I see the grim and heart breaking images of children and their parents risking their life while crossing the Mediterranean Sea into Europe. Not all of them make it, many die during their crossing. These are people fleeing from their war ravaged countries and running away from famine, persecution and abuse. Yet, you Mr. President, refuse to let them in! 

I was really saddened and appalled that you, Mr. President, reacted only now (on April 7, 2017) to those children's misery- just because you happened to see them on TV now?!? 

Let me respectfully remind you that children of refugees have been dying everyday since the Syrian war started! And many others have perished from even earlier times! 
Why? In addition to Syria there has been civil chaos/unrest in Libya- which had been caused thanks mostly to misguided US foreign policies! That promote regime change! 

And now you are also turning your back on these people who are seeking safe place to go! They left their countries in chaos and anarchy, but yet, you're slamming the door in their faces! That's simply shameful! How can you, and the VP Pence, call yourselves Christians? 

 I encourage you to read the following article published by
The Conversation.

"Will we ever know what was used?

"In order to establish the identity of the substances used in Khan Sheikhoun, a combination of information needs to be gathered and assessed. In particular the results of chemical tests on wipe samples, soil and clothing samples must be determined and verified.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Fact Finding Team would be the most authoritative source to reveal the nature of the chemical(s) used,

and we will await their report. However, in the past these reports have been inconclusive owing to the time taken to gather chemical samples, limits of detection, specificity and the presence of mixtures.

The conflict in Syria involves the government military forces, the rebels, ISIS and the Kurds. It is sometimes hard to know where the chemicals might be coming from (for example, from neighboring countries), or whether they have been produced or sourced locally." (Source: https://theconversation.com/what-we-know-about-the-april-4-chemical-attack-in-syria-76012?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=facebookbutton)

(This info. on refugees was not included in my letter- it's just for the readers of this blog)
More than a million migrants and refugees crossed into Europe in 2015, sparking a crisis as countries struggle to cope with the influx, and creating division in the EU over how best to deal with resettling people. The symbolic milestone was passed on 21 December, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said, with the total for land and sea reaching more than 1,006,000.
The figure covers entries via six European Union nations - Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Malta and Cyprus.
The vast majority arrived by sea but about 34,000 made their way over land via Turkey. Winter has not stemmed the flow of people - with 54,518 people reaching Europe by sea since the start of 2016.
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911

Mr. President, again, with all due respect, let me refresh your memory! You promised during your presidential campaign that you would not support regime change policies! And now it seems to me that you are gradually moving in that direction.

You are also planning on increasing defense spending by 10%, or 54 billion dollars! When the US is the biggest spender in the world! We spend more than the combined military budgets of 11 rich nations; that include Russia, China, Britain, Germany, Japan, etc.! You also want to increase our atomic arsenal, as if the 6,800 we already have are not enough to destroy the world hundreds of times over! By the way, Russia has only a few hundreds more, only 7,000!

You also plan on cutting education by 13,5%! Congratulations! Is this your idea of making America better? It won't be better for most Americans because we're not rich! I'm not! And neither are most American families. In fact, in case you haven't seen it on TV, we have to work for a living! We are called the the middle class! 

 

You also plan to repeal/replace Obama Care, but neither you, and neither your administration and the Republican Congress, have yet been able to come up with a sensible alternative.

Mr. President, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I have to be honest with you, and I must tell you that your policies will not make America better, but miserable! Why, because your policies do not take into consideration the needs of the 99%, the vast majority of Americans who work for a living!
America will be better, but not for us, it will be a lot better for defense contractors, weapons makers/seller, the the rich and the corporations, and I guess it will also be better for you and the VP!

If you do not respond to me, I will not be surprised, and neither will I be disappointed- I expected this reaction from you and the VP Pence too. No, I'm not a Democrat, I'm an independent- And with all due respect, sir, I tell it the way I see it! I simply do not like your policies, and I don't like you personally because I think that you're selfish and don't care for America- so far you've shown that you care only for your own interests. In fact, if you really cared for America, and had compassion for people, and those Syrian children and their families, you would have found different and more sensible compassionate solutions toward immigrants. Who after all are the backbone of this nation. 

And lastly, you wouldn't have used force, by wasting millions of taxpayers dollars in bombing an insignificant target in Syria. This was only as a theatrical show of force. You should try diplomacy, listening to the people's needs and talking to foreign/US leaders in trying to bring peace in Syria. The US needs compassion not bombs- to make friends not enemies.

The world has many problems, and two at the top are right now are the destruction of the environment and terrorists. And it seems to me that you are fighting alongside these two enemies of the world! You are leaving the environment at the mercy of corporations and the fossil fuel industry by undoing all the good work that has been accomplished so far, and you may not realize it, but you are making more enemies for America by discriminating against Muslims and building a useless wall with Mexico! 

Mr. President and VP, you can both rest assured that at the next elections, that I, and I'm sure many other Americans, will not vote for you, and neither will we vote for any of your republican friends! You're making America great for yourself, not us! America will be better, but not for us, it will be a lot better for defense contractors, weapons makers/seller, the the rich and the corporations, and I guess it will also be better for you and the VP!

 

AMERICANS MUST NOT FALL INTO ANOTHER TRAP- A WAR WITH SYRIA & RUSSIA- WE MUST NOT REPEAT WARS LIKE THE IRAQ AND VIETNAM!
By Ottavio Lo Piccolo. Posted on FB, sent to the Sch’dy Gazette, SOON TO BE SENT TO: Congressman Paul Tonko, Senators Schumer & Gillibrandt. 

The US media mainstream is applauding Trump's cruise missile barrage on a Syrian Air Force base that destroyed 20 Syrian war planes. But where is the proof? How do we know that it was Assad's regime who used the chemical weapons? What if the gassing was done by rebels? Rebels who want to draw the US into Syrian conflict! Or could it be the CIA behind these actions, in order to make the US public angry, and give America another excuse to start another war? Like the Iraq war. The one built on lies by the George W. Bush administration, who declared, at the United Nations, that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (or WMDs), hence they had an excuse to invade Iraq. 

It seems to me that our country is being drawn into another immoral and unnecessary war with Syria and Russia. A war, that like the Iraqi war, is a false flag, something based on lies and deceit by some people/agencies of our own government. The US government and Western media are accusing Syria of gassing its own citizens.

What about the 9/11 attack? Why was all the evidence destroyed by the US government? Why there was no luggage and/or airplane parts/debris at the site of the 9/11 crash sites in Washington and Pennsylvania? Why was the hole on the pentagon wall, that was caused by the aircraft, only 5 meters in diameter? When the jetliner that crashed into it- a 727- with a diameter of 30 meters! Many people think that it was a missile- not an airliner. Too small was also the crater- the hole on the ground- caused by other jetliner that crashed on that fateful 9/11 day on the Pennsylvanian field.  Here too- there were no aircraft parts/debris, and no luggage dispersed on the crash site!
And why did the FBI confiscate all the video of the aircraft that slammed into the Pentagon? Because they didn't want everyone to see the evidence! This is an illegal confiscation of evidence from justice! Why? To hide what?
All the leads seem to point to one shocking conclusion; that the US government was responsible for this attack on its own people! Why? It was a false flag! A cover-up to deceive the American public, and to turn public opinion against Islam- against Muslim countries. In particular (at that time), the US usurped its military power against Iraq- a much poorer country?
Why? Because US leaders didn't like Saddam? He wasn't collaborating with the USA. So for the US he became a brutal dictator.
Or was it because of power/control and oil? It seems evident that it was for the latter reasons; power/control & oil. Hence the USA had an excuse to invade and destroy that country? 

Today many in the US government accuse Russia of colluding (interfering, meddling, or screwing it up for their own benefit) in the US presidential elections. I love this country, although I'm a naturalized citizen, who served in the US military for 30 years (4 active and the rest w/the Reserve Forces)- I am for justice- I will tell the truth because I love peace, I respect all life our environment and all people.
So, where is the truth? Many in our government and mainstream media also accuse Russia and China of being militarily aggressive! When the USA is the country that has the biggest defense budget in the world- more than the combined budgets of 11 richest countries, including Russia, China, Britain, Germany, and many others! Who has its army on the Russian border? The USA with its NATO alliance! can you imagine if the Russians and/or the Chines had troops near our borders? It would be WWIII!

 

That is why now AMERICANS no longer TRUST their own government and MAINSTREAM MEDIA ANY LONGER- THEY TELL US ONLY WHAT THEY WANT! 
The PEW Research Center provided this evident sobering data in August of 2012. And I quote:

"For the second time in a decade, the believability ratings for major news organizations have suffered broad-based declines. In the new survey, positive believability ratings have fallen significantly for nine of 13 news organizations tested. This follows a similar downturn in positive believability ratings that occurred between 2002 and 2004.

The falloff in credibility affects news organizations in most sectors: national newspapers, such as the New York Times and USA Today, all three cable news outlets, as well as the broadcast TV networks and NPR." (Source: http://www.people-press.org/2012/08/16/further-decline-in-credibility-ratings-for-most-news-organizations/)
 

Today many of our State and national leaders, in both parties worship the mighty dollar and outright evil by deceiving the American public with lies/deceit/propaganda & misinformation. They waste our hard earned dollars for wars and exploitation of the environment, and support a culture of death; abortions, the death penalty and guns fro everyone. Why all for profits and power! This is unsustainable and unless the US changes course, we're headed for disaster and more suffering. I hope and pray that people get together and speak out against this corrupt government and generation, which has no respect for human life and our planet.

 

According to TRUTHOUT, an online blog that claims to sift (searches) the truth; fact (reality) from fiction (fairy tales, bull), and rhetoric (bull, baloney) from reality. We know that the following  is true the USA isn’t involved in the Syrian conflict because of a pipeline but because of its own selfish interests and maintaining military and economic control in the middle east! 

I urge you to read their article, titled: The War Against the Assad Regime Is Not a "Pipeline War" , which was published on Wednesday, September 21, 2016 By Gareth Porter, Truthout | News Analyst. Their last 4 paragraphs are very concise, to the point and tell the truth behind the lies and smokescreen, the false flag that out government wants to set up again, so that we go along with their lies!

The US supports Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia in their ill-conceived plan to overthrow the Assad regime because of its egotistic-controlling-imperialistic instincts. TRUTHOUT said, and I QUOTE: 
“It was primarily a function of the primordial interest of the US permanent war state in its regional alliances. The three Sunni allies control US access to the key US military bases in the region, and the Pentagon, the CIA, the State Department and the Obama White House were all concerned, above all, with protecting the existing arrangements for the US military posture in the region.
After all, those military bases are what allow the United States to play at the role of hegemonic power in the Middle East, despite the disasters that have accompanied that role. The degree to which the US determination to preserve its present military profile in the region is illustrated by the case of US-Qatar relations over that tiny monarchy's arming of extremist Sunni groups in Syria in 2012. The Obama administration was very unhappy with Qatar's choice of proxies in Syria, and the National Security Council discussed a proposal to pull a squadron of US fighter planes from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar as a way of putting pressure on the government over the issue, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal.
But the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which had moved its headquarters to Al Udeid in 2003, argued that the base was critical to its operations in the region, and that it was about to renegotiate its agreement with Qatar over the use of it. The Pentagon supported CENTCOM's opposition to any move that would disturb relations with Qatar over the issue and vetoed any such pressure on Qatar. The administration ended up doing nothing about the issue, and in 2013, the US-Qatar Defense Cooperation Agreement originally reached in 2003 was renewed for another ten years.

The massive, direct and immediate power interests of the US war state -- not the determination to ensure that a pipeline would carry Qatar's natural gas to Europe -- drove the US policy of participation in the war against the Syrian regime. Only if activists focus on that reality will they be able to unite effectively to oppose not only the Syrian adventure but the war system itself.”
(Source: http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/37685-the-war-against-the-assad-regime-is-not-a-pipeline-war
 
You may say, how do you know that this article is factual. I will mention only two facts, two US shameful failures, two immoral and unjust wars that the USA has fought; the Iraq and the Vietnam wars. Both of these conflicts were based on lies. THE ONLY REASON TO FIGHT A WAR IS TO DEFEND YOURSELF! Not to bully/control others and take/deny their resources, so that others cannot have them for their benefit and their own people! 
 
I urge you to pray for peace, but also take action; write to your political representatives in Congress and tell them not to get the USA into another senseless, bloody and costly immoral war.