The Russian invasion of Ukraine will probably top most of the "Biggest Stories" lists but I am not going to place it there. How can a kinetic European war NOT head the list of biggest stories?
This is not to minimize the conflict, but the fog of war is still, well, foggy. Westerners--this editor included--do not have a grasp of the larger narrative. The why versus the what. What is Putin's agenda? To annex more real estate? To liberate ethnic Russians from a tyrannical regime? To destroy the bioweapons labs on Ukrainian soil? To stand up against NATO expansion and aggression? Multiple motives? All of the above? Some of the above? None of the above?
Once more, Western nation mainstream media speak in unison. Ukraine good, Russia bad. Putin bad, Zelensky saintly and heroic. Given the complexity of the war and the unanimity of both material fact and editorial perspective, it can only be reasoned that their news is scripted.
Reading the English Language Russian new outlets, one gets s counter-narrative that is almost as ridiculous as the Western fairy tale. "Russia Today" "Tass" and "Sputnik" promote an undeniable pro-Russian bias, but they are not as uniform in their perspectives. Whereas the west will generally parrot the same designated daily update, the locals might focus on a war widow, a returned POW, a victim of collateral damage, and other small screen stories.
The Russia/Ukraine War is also complicated by the World Economic Forum's alliance with Ukraine and antagonism towards Russia. American plutocrats also have an unusual loyalty to Ukraine and a similar hostility to Russia. Someday we might have a clearer picture of what is really happening in Eastern Europe. Not now.
Number 1 Story Of The Year: The Canadian Trucker Convoy
This was the most civil insurrection in the history of mankind. It would be the shot not taken heard round the world. Canada is a great country where great people are ruled by slobs. A lot like the US. When the Maple Leaf citizenry decided "we do not accept your vaccine mandate", they did something.
The Canadians staged a trucker convoy and strike. No guns. No bombs. No bloodshed. The ruling class would have preferred mischief and mayhem. They did not get those things. Instead, Ottawa was reminded of who really runs the country. Yes, frosty deep state, you are so so so very important but the people who bring stock the shelves with food might not be entirely irrelevant.
The news media first ignored the truckers and their supporters. Then they fired off their hyperbolic arsenal of defamation, smears, and half-truths, as they gave plenty of airtime to government propagandists. The caricatures played nicely against the contrast of amateur video, that showed nothing but Canadian good cheer.
In a move that was distinctly Canadian, a bouncy house was inflated at the protest's epicenter in Ottawa. Not the way most countries do things. The American colonists had Lexington and Concord. The French had the Reign of Terror. Canada had a bouncy castle. You can't have a revolt without providing the children a safe haven to play.
There is nothing quite like a bouncy castle to bring out the haughty and the bellicose in the upper crust. You would have thought someone brought a crucifix to a vampire convention. Oh the humanity. This vid captures the highlights of the outrage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-_A2Mhxf_Y
All over the world, the Canadian flag was displayed as a symbol of anti-authoritarianism. Ottawa would roar mightily and then slink off with their collective tail between their legs. The truckers would peacefully win the battle and the war. Then the people who really run the country did what they always.do. The truck drivers went back to work.
Number 2 Story Of The Year: The Brazilian Election Protest Blackout.
The second biggest story of the year is the Brazilian election protest blackout. The Number 3 story will be the stolen Brazilian election, but the bigger story is the coverup.
Here is our previous coverage of the cover-up written on December 5, 2022:
On Sunday October 30, Brazil held a presidential runoff between incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (hereafter referred to as Lula).
There were many parallels between the 2022 Brazilian election and the 2020 US presidential election. Each race featured a populist incumbent pitted against opponents who were lifelong politicians plagued by chronic corruption. Both incumbents were absurdly popular, reflected by crowds that would dwarf the throngs drawn by every other politician in their countries' histories. Yard signs, bumper stickers, clothing, etc., that showed support for the incumbents were ubiquitous. The challengers could not draw spectators and not many people displayed support for the unlikable shills.
Despite their grass root support, both incumbents found themselves pitted against institutional establishments, including legacy politicians, the courts, and most palpably, the news media. Let's put aside what happened and is happening in the USA and focus on what happened in Brazil.
First, the news media boldly announced that Bolsonaro had been defeated. The citizenry did not buy the narrative. Peaceful protests--not to be confused with "mostly peaceful protests" featuring newscasters droning on to a backdrop of burning buildings that would set a new standard for American journalistic silliness--followed immediately. There were trucker strikes and highway blockades in Brazil, but not much--if any--reported violence.
The protests were largely ignored by Both Brazilian and world media. In the week following the runoff, there were scattered reports that another blockade was called off, the deniers had accepted their defeat, and Brazil would usher in a new administration as she returned to a state of normalcy.
What happened in November? The details are sketchy, but the storyline is crystal clear. A large majority of Brazilians challenged the validity of the elections, alleging that Lula had used a multitude of schemes to steal the presidency. It became hard for non-Portuguese to find out much of anything. YouTube banned discussion of Brazilian elections and protests, much as they had in the US two years prior. Videos surfaced on Bitchute, Rumble and Odysee, but it was hard to tell if these reports were valid. It would be easy to repackage pre-election footage to an English-speaking audience. Who would know the difference?
The world press loudly ignored Brazil. The Russian media-- "Tass', "Russia Today", "Sputnik"--can be quite heretical when discussing, say, the Ukranian war. They offer a perspective that routinely contradicts the Western mainstream media. When the subject turned to Brazil, the Russian press hit the mute button.
The Iranian press likes to bullhorn protests and civil unrest in the West. No, we are not the only country with disaffected peasants. The Iranian media has reported on recent protests in several European countries. Nothing about Brazil.
Turkey, the Gulf States media, pan-Arab giants Aljazeera and Almayadeen love to discuss Western turmoil, but they would skip on Brazil. "The Jerusalem Post" reported on a Brazilian protest only because it took place in Jerusalem. Sometimes, the African or Asian sites will report on distant events with candor because they are distant events. Too distant this time?
The media vow of silence rumbled throughout the hemisphere and in Brazil it was deafening. Most Brazilian news sites are by paid subscription, but I can tell you that the English language newsies aggressively ignored the biggest story in their country's history. Imagine another 9/11 in New York while "New York Times" refuses to mention anything related to the subject but insists on charging a subscription fee, and you have some idea of just how worthless the Brazilian press happens to be. Who in the world would subscribe to "The Rio Times"?
When we say media silence, we do not necessarily refer to perfect silence. The world media blasted news of Bolsonaro's defeat. They had a series of "dwindling" protest reports. Hardly a day would go by when some far-flung outlet conjugated "dwindle" to describe the Brazilian resistance. The "dwindle" chronicles would give way to the military confirmation template.
Brazil's military intelligence was asked to intervene in the election, and it was widely trumpeted that they confirmed the integrity of the electoral process. Not exactly. Zamisdat linked to multiple reports.
This YouTube vid promotes the orthodox media position.
A translation of a Portuguese language tweet states that the military's verdict was inconclusive.
On November 25, Associated Press released "Brazilian protests intensify; Bolsonaro stays silent" For the next two days, the many customers of AP ran this story to English readers the world over. If nothing else, the many, many echoes proved that AP is still the Lion King of information. Since filing this report, the AP has grown more silent than Bolsonaro.
The Brazilian Silence illustrates the difficulty of amateur journalists and informal networks extracting information from most of the non-English world. Matthew Tyrmand, the Lone Ranger of Brazilian news, has appeared on Steve Bannon's "War Room" and on Tucker Carlson. Stew Peters trotted out Brazilian Congressman, Gustavo Gayer, on his Rumble Channel. "Gateway Pundit" has made a yeoman effort to track events.
There is a popular notion that if an event becomes blatantly obvious, the news media is mandated to cover the story, and cover it accurately. "They can't ignore it." "They got to cover it." "They can't sweep it under the rug." That popular notion is being put to the test.
The sixth largest country in the world has staged peaceful protests for over 30 days. Large gatherings, some of the largest the world (but not its inhabitants) has ever seen. Demonstrations spread across Brazil as well as New York, Israel, Europe, and of course, Qatar.
How long will the Brazilian Silence last?
Update: On December 12, six buses and fire cars were torched outside of a government building in Brasilia. Not only did this event catch the attention of the world press, all were quick to echo the narrative that disgruntled Bolsonaro supporters were the arsonists.
This from Yahoo News: Update: On December 12, six buses and fire cars were torched outside of a government building in Brasilia. Not only did this event catch the attention of the world press, all were quick to echo the narrative that disgruntled Bolsonaro supporters were the arsonists.
As of this writing, the worldwide echo chamber has ratcheted up to chipmunk mode in reporting that a bomb plot designed to disrupt Lula's inauguration on New Year's Day has been foiled. The stenographers are quick to conclude that Bolsonaro is ultimately is responsible for the aborted bombing if only by his rejecting the integrity of the presidential run-off.
Number 3 Story Of The Year: The Brazilian Presidential Election.
In a chilling 2020 USA redux, a wildly popular incumbent president would be defeated by a corrupt and despised challenger. In each race, the challenger was sanctioned by the news media. In each instance, the challenger would win by dominating the ballot counts in strategic areas. In each election, there were credible allegations of cheating. Election fraud may or may not have been proved in either case, but extensive cover-ups were obvious.
The Brazilian people asked military intelligence to investigate. The world media reported that the military confirmed the legitimacy of the official results. That is not exactly true. This is the Associated Press story here parroted by ABC News as well as most of the Western nation news outlets. Reporters who read the fine print offered different versions of the story. These reports were not Xeroxed by major news sites.
It bears repeating that Brazilian English News outlets did not cover the massive protests. When they reported on the election aftermath, they were in lockstep with Associated Press, which is always in lockstep with the rest of the world mainstream media.
Number 4 Story Of The Year: The Stolen Midterms.
We were told that measures were in place to curb ballot fabrication (read ballot harvesting.) False. Everywhere chain of custody could be violated, chain of custody was violated. Every time, this seemed to benefit the Dems.
We were long ago warned about dirty voter rolls in Democratic strongholds. These goldmines of dead and duplicate and "moved from district" voters--as well as illegal aliens--were extracted to maximum benefit by the Party of moral superiority.
These standby measures were not enough. In Maricopa County, Arizona, more than half of the voting machines broke down on election day. Ballots were printed on wrong-sized paper in GOP districts.
In Georgia, we would witness yet another all too familiar data spike that instantly propelled Warnock over Walker. No matter how many coverups and how much media complicity can be choreographed, US elections will not pass the smell test until sweeping reforms are implemented.
Number 5 Story Of The Year: The Dobbs Decision
In essence, Dobbs threw abortion back to the states. Some people consider this to be the biggest story of the year, and they might be right. For people who like to discuss jurisprudence over brandy and cigars, this is the topic of the year. On a more practical level, every woman in the US will still be a tank of gas from an abortion clinic. Dobbs might have far-reaching effects, but not yet.
Number 6 Story Of The Year: Chilean National Plebiscite:
A national vote to determine if Chile would be the next Venezuela. Fortunately, the new Crypto-Marxist constitution was rejected by a 3 to 2 margin. Some people believe that this attempt to ruin Chile was financed by European dark money. Not well verified but well worth examining.
Number 7 Story Of The Year: Nord Stream Pipeline Destruction:
On September 26, the US, more specifically, the Biden administration, likely attacked and damaged and deactivated two major Russia to Europe natural gas pipelines. The Biden Administration has not taken credit for the sabotage but all fingers pointed to the US.
Why would the Bidenistas commit this act of of war? Whether to tweak the nose of a nuclear power or to deprive NATO allies of a source of heat three months before winter, the US citizenry does not benefit from this naked terrorism. This hurts Russia, Europe, the US and possibly all of the West. Cui bono?
It is long overdue that Congress takes a long look at certain influential Americans and their "special" relationship with Ukraine. Long overdue.
Numbers 8 And 9 In No Particular Order: The Swedish and Italian Elections:
Didn't we see this movie? The populist nationalist tapped into Main Street frustrations to challenge the country's ruling class wisdom. Each time the news media and the apex predators strike back with labels of fascism, far right, far right, far right, right wing, and racism Brexit. Yellow Vests. MAGA. Bolsonaro. The upper social strata usually win these struggles but not always.
Italy and Sweden have both been happy face examples of velvet tyranny. Viva progress, Lars. On September 11, Sweden elected a populist prime minister. Two weeks later, Italy followed suit. Davos mourned both losses and abruptly focus on Brazil.
Number 10 Story OF The Year: The US Omnibus Spending Bill:
The Republic was destroyed by looters long ago, but we still pay our bills. That won't go on much longer. The biggest, hardest reckoning is right around the corner.
What is Congress's reaction to the slow-motion train wreck? Keep on writing checks until they start bouncing.
So many angles to this one. The Dems do not have a sense of higher good, not to the country, not to the world, not to the environment and not even to their voters. But the Dems are loyal to their donors. It is a sliding scale of loyalty, but those gave freely to the Dems were richly rewarded by this Omnibus spending bill.
Is Tom Cotton a turncoat or was he a carpetbagger all along? In addition to facilitating the looting and the debasing of the dollar, the GOP turncoats in the Senate minimized the incoming GOP House's fiscal clout for two years.
Unless you are politically connected, this one thousand plus bill will damage your bank book. If you are affiliated with the Ukrainian dictator, every day will be Christmas for a long time to come. The American taxpayer was robbed once more.
Honorable Mention.: China's COVID Backlash.
Social unrest in China? A China Spring? Is it really just about COVID? Will capital flee the Middle Kingdom? Will China start a war in a desperate act of unification? It's a good time to be Gordon Chang.
Honorable Mention: The Mira Lago Raid:
Although this story is significant, no one has a handle on this. A president can declassify anything he pleases. The idea that Trump would have horded illegal documents that could been made legitimate with the wave of a pen is absurd.
Merrick Garland is both morally challenged and vicious. No one would be surprised if he fabricated a crime against Trump to keep him from running for president. Some pundits have said that such a maneuver is inevitable. The Mira Lago raid was a treasure hunt. The Feds were looking for something. What exactly?
Presidential Executive Action Documents? Possibly.
The Dark Journalist muses that the Feds might be looking for something that ties in with the JFK assassination, UFO's and ET's. This editor will make no effort to summarize this five-dimensional Rubik's Cube.
Honorable Mention: Increase In Mortality Across Most Western Nations.
While this is significant, the story is still unfolding. Only the triple-vaxed believe that mRNA is harmless. One year from now, three years from now, ten years from now, the medical treatment people received in 2021 and 2022 might be regarded the biggest story of the Morbid 20's. Let us hope that we doomsayers are wrong.
