I tuned into part of this conference almost by mistake and if what I saw and heard was a reflection of the rest of the conference then I have to question why it took place.

 What I saw was a one on one chat with Richard O’Brien, and undersecretary to another secretary of something or another from the US administration. As it appears, he is as really a propaganda humanoid whose grasp of reality seems tenuous at best.

 Let me give an example or two.

According to O’Brien, Chavez and his socialism completely destroyed Venezuela, and socialism is to blame wherever it is practised for the collapse of countries economics.   Clearly, the US administrations do not believe that people should in any way benefit from the tax dollars they contribute to their governments as that should all go to make the wealthy individuals and corporations more wealthy.  Corporate welfare is alive and well in the USA and all is well in the land of the brave and free in spite of the crushing poverty amongst its citizens.   The truth about Venezuela is that Chavez wanted to free his country from the yoke of using the Petrodollar for the Venezuelan oil and instead use the Euro.  That was simply not acceptable to the US which believes it has the “god-given” right to control the world for their own benefit, and sanction after sanction was levied against that country, causing great hardship naturally. However just as they have done in the past and are still doing now meddling in the affairs of other countries causing leadership changes so friendly puppets can be installed who will bow low to the District of Columbia and give what they are told to give, mostly oil of course.   Now after they have crippled the economy of Venezuela they are saying that socialism is to blame and a rightfully and duly elected president must give way to an unelected CIA backed upstart.   Question for O’Brien – if this unlawful change takes place will the US sanctions be lifted the same day?

 So then it becomes ironic that O’Brien claims the USA is the country which answers the international 911 calls when in fact almost all those calls are made as a result of US actions.  Meddling in Ukraine, causing a coup and installing a friendly president on Russia’s border, creating the ability for the Crimea to vote for and then rejoin Russia, and making support subject to Trump’s personal political gain is hardly answering a 911 call. The list of countries destroyed by US political interference carried out by the CIA in the name of democracy rather than personal and corporate profit is a trait that Columbus must have brought with him when his boat eventually landed on the east coast. It has not changed and will not as long as the American people allow themselves to be herded like cattle to pay their taxes and do what they are told.  O’Brien talked about the generosity of the US abroad through their cost of defence which is really the cost of constant wars without which the military-industrial complex would go broke, and that would mean the end of the American economy. He also mentioned how he valued the young people who fought and died for the protection of their country, somehow ignoring the fact that most of them signed up for a paycheque as they couldn’t find work with their BAs and MAs etc. and if they survived they might even get lucky and get a pension. Survival, not nationalism O’Brien.

 Then there was a question about Africa, earnestly answered by saying that the US stands with Africans, wants to help them get free of despicable conditions, despots, civil wars and such, yet the president of the USA calls these countries “shit holes” and asks why he should help them at all.

 Am I alone in wondering how many sides of how many mouths were speaking for the US at this Forum?

 PS.  Naturally I saw and heard Peter MacKay there – perhaps getting ready to make a bid for the Conservative movement his lies and treachery helped to create for one Stephen Harper and certainly not for the people of Canada.