Bringing Light Into Darkness - News & Analysis

Legs of the Chair that Support the Egregious Wealth Disparity that Undermines both our Democracy & Democratic Aspirations

Tonight, we blend a number of instructive themes from previous Bringing Light Into Darkness investigative journalistic presentations we have presented over the years. Who benefits from War? Our discussion includes the revolving door of Generals and Pentagon officials that sit on defense contracting boards and are paid handsomely. Many of them also are hired guns if you will, considered military experts, for the major news networks who actively preached opposition to ending the US Afghanistan two-decade war and argue against negotiating a peace settlement in Ukraine as we speak while at the same time are on the payroll of those companies whose sales and the value of their stocks soar as a result of perpetuating war not seeking peace. All of this is hidden from the “news and analysis” consuming US public. Meanwhile President Biden signed into law a spending package that includes a record breaking $782B for the annual US defense budget that a small handful of the largest defense contractors disproportionately benefit from. These defense contractors are identified.

According to the 'Cost of Wa'r at Brown University, Pentagon spending for the Afghan War alone has cost over $14T. Over the last two decades $2.5 billion dollars have been spent on lobbying. Meanwhile we cite the source study that estimated in 2011 waste, fraud and abuse totaled $31B- $60B. How does this serve the public interest?

We also detail domestically how corporate interests, strengthened by 2010 Citizen’s United Supreme Court decision, exert enormous influence within our country, often outside public knowledge, and how a considerable amount of influence, behind the curtain if you will is exercised by corporate generated legislation, much a direct product by the corporate interest group, the 'American Legislative Exchange Council' (ALEC). We excerpt previous BLID shows one featuring Austin investigative journalist Mary Tuma, that seek to unveil how influential the corporate-state law collaboration nature and profile of ALEC has been and how by its disproportionate influence on our laws again, outside public awareness, undermine our democracy.

The Brazilian Election of Lula & the Return of Regional Integration

Tonight, Dr Guillaume Long joins Bringing Light Into Darkness. Guillaume is a senior policy analyst at the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) who prior to joining CEPR, held several cabinet positions in the government of Ecuador, under President Rafael Correa, including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Culture, and Minister of Knowledge and Human Talent. Most recently, he served as Ecuador’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva.

Show Outline: BLID addresses and/or explicates the following:

1. We document the evidence that points towards the fact US foreign policy influence, consistently puts into power and seeks to keep in power governments and policies that promote greater wealth inequality that harm the quality of life for the majority populations by stunting the 21st century economic development and independence of Latin America economies. We give detailed evidentialry examples.

2. During Lula’s earlier 8yr presidency in Brazil he lifted close to 20% or 40 million Brazilians out of poverty, essentially eliminated hunger and provided access to higher education to the poor, in a country today which numbers some 215 million. This too is a government we sought to replace. Why?

3. Our guest defines the historical significance and connection of the Monroe Doctrine and Roosevelt Corollary vs Simon Bolivar’s attempts to unify the south and its relevance to the 21st century and the Cold War.

4. Our guest acknowledges positive outcomes of the 'pink tide' period regarding improved living conditions for majority populations but also is critical of their lack of focus on promoting diversity in their economies away from one or two main commodities centuries of colonialism and neocolonialism had shaped.

5. What is “lawfare” what prompted its evolution into a US foreign policy tool and how is this new US foreign policy intervention method used to continue the US inordinate influence on the governments that come to power in the nations of the south.

6. Our guest details how was it executed in Brazil & Ecuador and enabled Bolsanaro to come to power in 2018 following bogus corruption charges against Lulu and a show trial that led to his incarceration for 580 days and speculates on the US role.

7. Divide & Rule counterweight was the creation of regional representations in the form of ALBA and UNASUR which was created in 2009. Our guest explains the significance of the potential relaunch of UNASUR following Lula reelection.

Please join us!

If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. Malcolm X

Siempre fieles, Pgatos 11/7/22 [email protected]

The Brazilian Election of Lula & the Return of Regional Integration

Tonight, Dr Guillaume Long joins Bringing Light Into Darkness. Guillaume is a senior policy analyst at the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) who prior to joining CEPR, held several cabinet positions in the government of Ecuador, under President Rafael Correa, including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Culture, and Minister of Knowledge and Human Talent. Most recently, he served as Ecuador’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva.

Show Outline: BLID addresses and/or explicates the following:

1. We document the evidence that points towards the fact US foreign policy influence, consistently puts into power and seeks to keep in power governments and policies that promote greater wealth inequality that harm the quality of life for the majority populations by stunting the 21st century economic development and independence of Latin America economies. We give detailed evidentialry examples.

2. During Lula’s earlier 8yr presidency in Brazil he lifted close to 20% or 40 million Brazilians out of poverty, essentially eliminated hunger and provided access to higher education to the poor, in a country today which numbers some 215 million. This too is a government we sought to replace. Why?

3. Our guest defines the historical significance and connection of the Monroe Doctrine and Roosevelt Corollary vs Simon Bolivar’s attempts to unify the south and its relevance to the 21st century and the Cold War.

4. Our guest acknowledges positive outcomes of the 'pink tide' period regarding improved living conditions for majority populations but also is critical of their lack of focus on promoting diversity in their economies away from one or two main commodities centuries of colonialism and neocolonialism had shaped.

5. What is “lawfare” what prompted its evolution into a US foreign policy tool and how is this new US foreign policy intervention method used to continue the US inordinate influence on the governments that come to power in the nations of the south.

6. Our guest details how was it executed in Brazil & Ecuador and enabled Bolsanaro to come to power in 2018 following bogus corruption charges against Lulu and a show trial that led to his incarceration for 580 days and speculates on the US role.

7. Divide & Rule counterweight was the creation of regional representations in the form of ALBA and UNASUR which was created in 2009. Our guest explains the significance of the potential relaunch of UNASUR following Lula reelection.

Please join us!

If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. Malcolm X

Siempre fieles, Pgatos 11/7/22 [email protected]

Being Acculturated to Hate Russia & Why we Should Question Everything our Government & MSM tell us About Ukraine Crisis

Tonight, investigative journalist and geopolitical scholar Mike Whitney joins Bringing Light Into Darkness as we examine contradictions in US government and Mainstream Media (MSM) misrepresentations in their framing of the unfolding US-NATO-Russia- Ukraine military crisis

Show Outline: BLID addresses and/or explicates the following:

1. We show how we are taught and acculturated to hate Russia through one sided xenophobic and at times outright arrogant presentations by US government figures and our MSM uncritical acceptance of those allegations despite the dearth of supporting evidence of those government claims. We document a series of examples.

2. We show how despite US allegations that are proven to be false continue to be believed by a US public that is victimized again and and again by US foreign policy false claims that lead to extended unjust wars and conflicts

3. We discuss how on the one hand we sabotage and undermine Ukraine - Russia Peace talks and then lie to the US public saying all choices about how to move forward in the conflict are sovereign Ukrainian choices.

4. We discuss and suggest the overall geopolitical motivations driving US foreign policy behavior and potential Russian motivations including national security concerns that go nearly completely unreported by our mainstream press.

5. We detail press briefings by US government regarding claims by Turkey & the US back in late 2015 and early 2016 surrounding the shootdown of a Russian fighter plane near the Turkish border to give an example of the contempt US government figures have for those that honestly assert a desire for evidentiary proof to support their words.

6. We discuss the content of recent articles published by our guest concerning the overall crisis in Ukraine and the logic used to support his assertion that this is a selfish US driven war against Russia and that our concern for Ukraine is therefore a fiction.

We invite you tune in tonight to Bringing Light Into Darkness, critically study the show content and presentation and let us know what you think of its representation.

If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. Malcolm X

Siempre fieles, Pgatos 10/31/22 [email protected]

Being Acculturated to Hate Russia & Why we Should Question Everything our Government & MSM tell us About Ukraine Crisis

Tonight, investigative journalist and geopolitical scholar Mike Whitney joins Bringing Light Into Darkness as we examine contradictions in US government and Mainstream Media (MSM) misrepresentations in their framing of the unfolding US-NATO-Russia- Ukraine military crisis

Show Outline: BLID addresses and/or explicates the following:

1. We show how we are taught and acculturated to hate Russia through one sided xenophobic and at times outright arrogant presentations by US government figures and our MSM uncritical acceptance of those allegations despite the dearth of supporting evidence of those government claims. We document a series of examples.

2. We show how despite US allegations that are proven to be false continue to be believed by a US public that is victimized again and and again by US foreign policy false claims that lead to extended unjust wars and conflicts

3. We discuss how on the one hand we sabotage and undermine Ukraine - Russia Peace talks and then lie to the US public saying all choices about how to move forward in the conflict are sovereign Ukrainian choices.

4. We discuss and suggest the overall geopolitical motivations driving US foreign policy behavior and potential Russian motivations including national security concerns that go nearly completely unreported by our mainstream press.

5. We detail press briefings by US government regarding claims by Turkey & the US back in late 2015 and early 2016 surrounding the shootdown of a Russian fighter plane near the Turkish border to give an example of the contempt US government figures have for those that honestly assert a desire for evidentiary proof to support their words.

6. We discuss the content of recent articles published by our guest concerning the overall crisis in Ukraine and the logic used to support his assertion that this is a selfish US driven war against Russia and that our concern for Ukraine is therefore a fiction.

We invite you tune in tonight to Bringing Light Into Darkness, critically study the show content and presentation and let us know what you think of its representation.

If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. Malcolm X

Siempre fieles, Pgatos 10/31/22 [email protected]

Gaming our Healthcare System by Ripping Off the US Public Tonight, our guest Dr James G. Kahn, emeritus professor of health policy, University of California San Francisco & leading researcher in the cost and effectiveness of health intervention programs, and in US health care financing reform joins

Show Outline: our guest addresses and/or explicates the following:

1. Medicare, a medical insurance program for people over 65 and younger disabled people and those on dialysis and Medicaid, the government assistance program for low income patients' medical expenses are billed by providers. Rates are based on diagnosis by providers. If providers are not properly supervised they can upcode diagnoses and charge the government for unneeded and/or unprovided services. The result is a fraudulent one in which the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) which funds Medicare & Medicaid and also has the functional authority to monitor the amounts paid from an insurer to a provider has not been doing its job of protecting US taxpayers from profiteering and fraudulent charges resulting in the lining the pockets of insurance companies and providers.

2. According to our guest , as a result he estimates that we are spending in excess of $25B a year in extra payments because CMS has failed to adjust for this overcoding And this money will increase to about $600B over the next ten years in overpayments if CMS is not reformed. Our guest details how because of our incredibly complicated and inefficient system another 600B per year is overpaid to providers and insurance companies

3. The result is an enormous wealth transfer from the public sector, namely our taxpaying dollars, to the wealthy. We have the most egregious levels of wealth inequality of advanced nations to begin with and this is a just another 'legal' mechanism built into a system that defrauds the majority population on behalf of the one tenth of one percent.

4. We spend 2x as much than other wealthy nations on our healthcare system yet we are do much worse than our peer countries by every possible metric particularly 'process measures' including: 1) access to care; 2)How likely people are to have a doctor; 3) How quickly can people be seen when they get sick; 4) The rates of people in the US in postponing or skipping medications or healthcare because of financial barriers. As a result of a broken health system that allows profiteering to the health deficits of the majority population our guest [points out that US life expectancy compared to other advanced nations is shameful and has has dropped some 3yrs in the past two years . Our guest was a co author of a 2022 study that found if we had a single payer healthcare sstem like our peer countries we could have saved some 338,000 US lives from Covid alone. Tonight he details how Medicare Advantage is a rip off from US taxpayers.

If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. Malcolm X

Siempre fieles, Pgatos 10/24/22 [email protected]

Gaming our Healthcare System by Ripping Off the US Public Tonight, our guest Dr James G. Kahn, emeritus professor of health policy, University of California San Francisco & leading researcher in the cost and effectiveness of health intervention programs, and in US health care financing reform joins

Show Outline: our guest addresses and/or explicates the following:

1. Medicare, a medical insurance program for people over 65 and younger disabled people and those on dialysis and Medicaid, the government assistance program for low income patients' medical expenses are billed by providers. Rates are based on diagnosis by providers. If providers are not properly supervised they can upcode diagnoses and charge the government for unneeded and/or unprovided services. The result is a fraudulent one in which the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) which funds Medicare & Medicaid and also has the functional authority to monitor the amounts paid from an insurer to a provider has not been doing its job of protecting US taxpayers from profiteering and fraudulent charges resulting in the lining the pockets of insurance companies and providers.

2. According to our guest , as a result he estimates that we are spending in excess of $25B a year in extra payments because CMS has failed to adjust for this overcoding And this money will increase to about $600B over the next ten years in overpayments if CMS is not reformed. Our guest details how because of our incredibly complicated and inefficient system another 600B per year is overpaid to providers and insurance companies

3. The result is an enormous wealth transfer from the public sector, namely our taxpaying dollars, to the wealthy. We have the most egregious levels of wealth inequality of advanced nations to begin with and this is a just another 'legal' mechanism built into a system that defrauds the majority population on behalf of the one tenth of one percent.

4. We spend 2x as much than other wealthy nations on our healthcare system yet we are do much worse than our peer countries by every possible metric particularly 'process measures' including: 1) access to care; 2)How likely people are to have a doctor; 3) How quickly can people be seen when they get sick; 4) The rates of people in the US in postponing or skipping medications or healthcare because of financial barriers. As a result of a broken health system that allows profiteering to the health deficits of the majority population our guest [points out that US life expectancy compared to other advanced nations is shameful and has has dropped some 3yrs in the past two years . Our guest was a co author of a 2022 study that found if we had a single payer healthcare sstem like our peer countries we could have saved some 338,000 US lives from Covid alone. Tonight he details how Medicare Advantage is a rip off from US taxpayers.

If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. Malcolm X

Siempre fieles, Pgatos 10/24/22 [email protected]

Bringing Light & Lifting the Fog of US Propaganda with Scott Ritter

Tonight, our guest Scott Ritter returns to Bringing Light Into Darkness to discuss a host of connected themes regarding historical context and unfolding conditions in the US led Ukraine-Russia NATO conflict. William Scott Ritter a former US Marine Corps intelligence who served with the UN implementing arms control treaties and with General Norman Schwarzkopf in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm in Iraq. Ritter oversaw the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), as a United Nations weapons inspector, from 1991 to 1998. He famously warned Congress and anyone who paid attention that there was no WMD. This life experience led him to later became a critic of United States foreign policy and challenge many of its public claims including those in Ukraine

Show Outline: Following a short geopolitical contextual introduction our guest addresses and/or explicates the following:

1. In addition to current nuclear war threat and the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 Ritter shares the 1983 Able Archer NATO nuclear threat that followed Autumn Forge military exercises and how President Reagan addressed it with the INF Treaty of the late 1980s and the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty that followed which protected Europe

2. Under Putin the living standards demonstrably improved for the majority Russian population, while previous to Putin the CIA and NATO worked to import Wahabbist Islamic fundamentalism into Chechnya with the design to create a new Afghanistan-like impact that would tear Russia apart as we sought to have other nationalities break away from Russia as well as part of a strategy to dismember Russia. In 1996 we stole an election to have our guy Boris Yeltsin elected.

3. Who was provoking who? NATO multiple 2021 military exercises on Russia’s border preceding the Russian invasion and with NATO knowledge, Ukraine’s bad faith in using the 2015 Minsk agreement to buy time to build up their forces – aka“Diplomacy in NATO terms”

4. And in 2015 US built permanent training facility in Ukraine following coup to train Ukraine forces to fight in the Donbass

5. Nuclear doctrine of Russia and Russia clear warnings of a redline and their good faith effort to pursue diplomatic path that the US rejected.

6. NATO enhanced Opportunity to Promote Inter-operability making Ukraine’s non membership in NATO a myth as they trained Ukraine military to NATO standards

7. Focus on ratio of Ukrainian vs Russian military deaths rather than loss of occupied land. Preserving the ability to fight more important than territorial gains.

8. Join the pursuit of social justice! Only an informed electorate can successfully pursue our democratic mandate!

If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. Malcolm X

Siempre fieles, Pgatos 10/17/22 [email protected]

Bringing Light & Lifting the Fog of US Propaganda with Scott Ritter

Tonight, our guest Scott Ritter returns to Bringing Light Into Darkness to discuss a host of connected themes regarding historical context and unfolding conditions in the US led Ukraine-Russia NATO conflict. William Scott Ritter a former US Marine Corps intelligence who served with the UN implementing arms control treaties and with General Norman Schwarzkopf in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm in Iraq. Ritter oversaw the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), as a United Nations weapons inspector, from 1991 to 1998. He famously warned Congress and anyone who paid attention that there was no WMD. This life experience led him to later became a critic of United States foreign policy and challenge many of its public claims including those in Ukraine

Show Outline: Following a short geopolitical contextual introduction our guest addresses and/or explicates the following:

1. In addition to current nuclear war threat and the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 Ritter shares the 1983 Able Archer NATO nuclear threat that followed Autumn Forge military exercises and how President Reagan addressed it with the INF Treaty of the late 1980s and the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty that followed which protected Europe

2. Under Putin the living standards demonstrably improved for the majority Russian population, while previous to Putin the CIA and NATO worked to import Wahabbist Islamic fundamentalism into Chechnya with the design to create a new Afghanistan-like impact that would tear Russia apart as we sought to have other nationalities break away from Russia as well as part of a strategy to dismember Russia. In 1996 we stole an election to have our guy Boris Yeltsin elected.

3. Who was provoking who? NATO multiple 2021 military exercises on Russia’s border preceding the Russian invasion and with NATO knowledge, Ukraine’s bad faith in using the 2015 Minsk agreement to buy time to build up their forces – aka“Diplomacy in NATO terms”

4. And in 2015 US built permanent training facility in Ukraine following coup to train Ukraine forces to fight in the Donbass

5. Nuclear doctrine of Russia and Russia clear warnings of a redline and their good faith effort to pursue diplomatic path that the US rejected.

6. NATO enhanced Opportunity to Promote Inter-operability making Ukraine’s non membership in NATO a myth as they trained Ukraine military to NATO standards

7. Focus on ratio of Ukrainian vs Russian military deaths rather than loss of occupied land. Preserving the ability to fight more important than territorial gains.

8. Join the pursuit of social justice! Only an informed electorate can successfully pursue our democratic mandate!

If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. Malcolm X

Siempre fieles, Pgatos 10/17/22 [email protected]

Bringing Light & Lifting the Fog of Propaganda with Mike Whitney

Tonight, our guest Mike Whitney joins Bringing Light Into Darkness to discuss a host of connected themes regarding unfolding conditions in the US led Ukraine-Russia NATO conflict. Whitney is a renowned geopolitical and social analyst based in Washington State. He initiated his career as an independent citizen-journalist in 2002 with a commitment to honest journalism, social justice, and world peace. Show Outline, what we explicate: Who sabotaged the Peace Process? And….

1. Is there an intentional misinterpretation and misrepresentation of Russia/Putin position on nuclear weapon use as claimed by Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov?

2. To get to a more honest understanding of the Russia position we examine the words of an important 9/28/22 article written by Ambassador Antonov.

3. Our main focus is around the geopolitical reality that goes unmentioned in the US mainstream media, namely the US has been precipitously losing its economic ‘unipolar’ economic world dominance over the last few years, and as a result arguably, its foreign policy is increasingly taking on more desperate means to economically attack its major economic competitors, Russia and China and other perceived adversaries to that economic dominance.

4. The attack and sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines last week should be seen in this context and we examine the deleterious impact on the EU nations as well as Russia of this infrastructure terrorism as we discuss those likely responsible.

5. Searching for a motive: In a world where Germany and Russia are friends and trading partners is there a need for US military bases?, Would there be a need for expensive US made weapons and missile systems? , Would there be a need for NATO? Would transactions no longer have to happen in the dollar?

6. In addition to the Antalov article we review a Pepe Escobar article and its revelations that mentions attack attempt by Kiev saboteurs on 9/22/22 on Turkish Stream - pipeline from Turkey to Russia-- and 9/21 naval drones in Crimea; weeks ago there were US helicopters overflying sabotaged pipeline locations; a UK "research" loitering in those same waters since mid September; and NATO tweeting about new unmanned systems at sea on the same day; Whitney questions the curious absence of words words from US intelligence agencies or White House following the explosions despite their close surveillance of the area.

Please join us tonight as our guest brings light to a number of important considrations our MSM is tially ignoring. You can request an audio copy of the show by emailing [email protected] to more closely study the show content. Join the pursuit of social justice! Only an informed electorate can successfully pursue our democratic mandate!

If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. Malcolm X

Siempre fieles, Pgatos 10/3/22 [email protected]