The FOIA Request: What You Need to Know About Digging Deep into the Deep State

 

Can the deep state be defeated? That’s the persistent question I get on a daily basis. The answer is yes, and here’s how.

Over the past several decades, the federal government has become a big, intimidating, and sometimes scary behemoth to the America people. As a result, American citizens have become more and more distrusting of their elected representatives, political appointees, and civil servants. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, only 20% of Americans trust the federal government to do what is right all or most of the time.

Turkey fires 10,000 more civil servants, shutters 15 media organizations

In the latest wave of purges after the July 15 coup attempt, Turkey has sacked 10,000 more civil servants and shut down 15 more media outlets.

Ankara said those let go in the new round of dismissals are suspected to have links with terrorist organizations by which is meant U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames for orchestrating the failed coup.

Exclusive: Trump could seek new law to purge government of Obama appointees

As warned about, three times, poison pills will be left behind for the Obama administration’s opposition:

Michael Savage: Obama will sabotage economy on way out

Is Donald Trump the Answer?

Seven Warnings To Donald Trump About Vladimir Putin

CLEVELAND: If he wins the presidency, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump would seek to purge the federal government of officials appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama and could ask Congress to pass legislation making it easier to fire public workers, Trump ally, Chris Christie, said on Tuesday.

Christie, who is governor of New Jersey and leads Trump’s White House transition team, said the campaign was drawing up a list of federal government employees to fire if Trump defeats Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 presidential election.

Iran backs Turkey’s Erdogan as massive crackdown widens

A senior aide to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Teheran backs Turkey’s elected government and expects Ankara to do the same when it comes to Syria.

“We disagree with Turkey on some issues, like Syria. We are hopeful that the Turkish government respects the Syrian people’s opinion and votes and lets the Syrian nation choose their government,” Ali Akbar Velayati was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency.

Greece: Watching the Wheels Come Off

• The Greek Coast Guard recently arrested a “refugee” coming from Syria, who had 200,000 euros in cash. Apparently this Syrian “investor” did not think that Turkey, Jordan or Lebanon — countries that border Syria — were safe for his “investments.” He preferred to deposit his money in Greek “zombie banks.”
• The network of Greek police officers and intelligence agents, cooperating with human traffickers from Turkey in transporting illegal migrants into Greek territory, had such access and influence that police officers and intelligence agents could be transferred from one city to another and from one department to another, to sideline honest officers who stood in the way.

When you visit Greece, the customs officers will put in your passport the stamp of the Greek Republic. You will see the Greek flag waving at Athens International Airport; taxis waiting for customers, gas stations still in operation and public infrastructure being kept at a mediocre level. This, however, is just an illusion. Greece is a collapsing country.

Greece could use ‘parallel currency’ as desperation grows

As was said three years ago, this seems like the safest option in a worst-case scenario. If this backdoor method gains traction in Greece, it would no doubt help avoid a Russian and Chinese invasion via Athens and full economic breakup of the single currency bloc. Other embattled countries might string along.

 

European Central Bank board member floats the idea of an “IOU” system to pay civil servants if country runs out of euros

Greece could start using a “parallel currency” to pay its civil servants if it runs out of cash, one of the European Central Bank’s board members has suggested. His comments come as the country scrambles to reach a deal with international creditors and avoid a default.

Highlighting the desperate situation faced by the country, Yves Merch, a member of the ECB’s executive board and governor of Luxembourg’s central bank, told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia that Greece could resort to using “exceptional tools” to pay its obligations.

Saudi shakeup: New king purges Abdullah’s sons from key security posts

Saudi King Salman has reshuffled the Cabinet and government in what appeared to be directed against his late brother. On Jan. 29, Salman ordered the dismissal of several sons of the late King Abdullah, who died on Jan. 23.

Russia ‘printing money for Syria’ claims report

Russia is printing bank notes and sending them by the plane load to Syria to help the besieged regime pay its soldiers and civil servants, a new report suggests.

Flight records obtained by the investigative website ProPublica showed that at least 120 and up to 240 tons of bank notes were delivered during a ten-week period between July and September.

On eight round-trip trips between Moscow’s Vnukovo airport and Damascus international airport, the “Type of Cargo” is listed as “Bank – Notes (30 Ton)”. Neither their denomination nor value was specified however.

Seven of the eight Syria Air flights were confirmed through international plane-tracking services, photographs from amateur plane-spotters and official air traffic control records.

Each manifest detailed a circuitous route over Iran and Iraq, countries that are friendly to the Syrian regime, rather than the most direct route over Turkey, which has become a foe of President Bashar al-Assad.