Sunday, August 30, 2020

Bill Crawford: Russians Use Active Measures to Invade America

The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming was a 1966 comedy about an accidental Russian invasion on the west coast. The Guatemalans are coming, the Guatemalans are coming was the comedic response when our president in 2018 projected an immigrant invasion on the Mexican border. Of the two it turns out the Russian invasion was no joke.




"Active measures" to sow discord in the western democracies were institutionalized in the Soviet Union in 1961 when the KGB created its disinformation directorate. In 1967, Directorate D morphed into Service A with a defined political warfare mission. When he became premier in 1982, former KGB head Yuri Andropov greatly expanded the use of active measures to psychologically invade and disrupt democracies.

The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (9 Republicans and 8 Democrats) just completed publication of a five-volume report that details Russian use of active measures “to conduct an information warfare campaign designed to spread disinformation and societal division in the United States…. Operatives used targeted advertisements, intentionally falsified news articles, self-generated content, and social media platform tools to interact with and attempt to deceive tens of millions of social media users in the United States. This campaign sought to polarize Americans on the basis of societal, ideological, and racial differences, provoked real world events.”

(See https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/publications/report-select-committee-intelligence-united-states-senate-russian-active-measures)

Russian active measures are no surprise to the FBI. “We are seeing, and have never stopped seeing, efforts to engage in malign foreign influence by the Russians," said FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Using deception and discord to divide and conquer is an age-old tactic. In a 1787 letter to Thomas Jefferson, James Madison called it “the reprobated axiom of tyranny.”

Salvation Army pastor Harold Laubach, Jr., explained, “The British have used it, the Chinese use it, Mexico has used it, Russia uses it, and it works so well, that many governments use it. Even our own government uses it.”

Worse, our politicians use it on us. Behind most is a political apparatus invoking discord and disunity to stay in power.

“Basically if you can divide a people over small differences, they are much easier to control or to overcome,” said Laubach. The problem we face today is, “for every person that wishes to see and exhibit unity with their Christian brothers and sisters, there is another person, trying to cause arguments, spreading rumors, engaging in gossip, instigating arguments.”

With this growing proclivity among us to tear down rather than build up, how easy it is for Russian active measures to deceive and divide us. The Atlantic reported, “The Russians have learned much about American weaknesses, and how to exploit them.”

Laubach called on us to heed Romans 16:17-18: “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people.”

With apologies to Earl Pitts, who invaded radio in 1968, “Watch out Amurica!” The Russian invasion is real.

“A house divided cannot stand” – Mark 3:25.

Crawford is a syndicated columnist from Jackson

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

New England is not on the west coast

Anonymous said...

The Book of Matthew told us how to spot those who serve "their own appetites":

"You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit." Matthew 7: 16-17.

In Paul's letter to the Galations, he described the fruits that come from a "diseased tree," which include "enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions." Galations 5:19-21.

Paul described the fruit of a "healthy tree" as "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." Galations 5:22-24.

I believe we would do well to examine the "fruits" of those we would follow.

Anonymous said...

The Russians have the American leftist to help them. See who the American communist party is endorsing.

Anonymous said...

Yeah Bill, “Russia” is the foreign country that’s manipulating our politics and buying our politicians (((🇮🇱)))

Anonymous said...

Ezekiel 25:17.
"The path of the righteous man is beset of all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of the charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

Anonymous said...

The United States have many enemies. To keep the lower classes from revolution in Russia the in control elites must always be at war with someone.
There is 2 Russia.
The oligarchs got rich quick by snapping up the country's choicest assets in the turbulent post-Soviet period. Only the best-off 20% of the population is successfully participating in the rise in prosperity.
The richest slice of Russian society has doubled its wealth in the past 20 years, while almost two-thirds of the population is no better off and the poor are barely half as wealthy as they were when the Soviet Union fell.
Remember, Abe Lincoln said "A House Divided Cannot Stand".

Anonymous said...

3:07, This is Ezekiel 25:17: "I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.”

The source you cited is Quinton Tarantino in Pulp Fiction.

Anonymous said...

Brian Keith: Police Chief Link Mattocks...

One of Keith’s stepmothers was screen actress Peg Entwistle, who may be best remembered for committing suicide by jumping from the “H” of the Hollywood sign in 1932.

He served as a machine gunner in the United States Marine Corps in World War II, and received an Air Medal.

When future Family Affair (1966) co-star Johnny Whitaker appeared in the movie The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966), Keith was so impressed by Johnny's acting that he invited him to co-star in Keith's new sitcom.

[on the cancelation of Family Affair (1966)]: We were getting bored, five years is a longtime. I didn't want to do it in the first place. My agent argued with me. He said, 'Do the pilot, it'll never sell. Grab the money and run.' Ten days later, it was sold.

[on his popularity, while playing the forty-five something "Uncle Bill Davis" on Family Affair (1966)]: This is the type of show I love, because it reminds me of what happiness I have with my wife and our children.

Anissa Jones fatal overdose (1976) was of a combination of cocaine, angel dust, Quaaludes and Seconal. The San Diego County coroner said it was one of the most severe cases of drug overdose he had ever seen in San Diego County.

After Family Affair (1966) ended, Brian Keith, who played Uncle Bill Davis, offered Anissa a role on his new show, The Brian Keith Show (1972). She declined, saying she didn't want to act anymore.

[When told he was to speak only Russian during filming]: Terrific, they gave me six whole days to learn the Russian language. (Meteor 1979)

[In 1977]: Russians put different emphasis in their sentences. When we may stress the last word in a sentence, they may emphasize a word in the middle of it.

Was Fluent in Russian.

Was a spokesperson for Camel Cigarettes in the 1950s and a heavy smoker until 1986.

[In 1997]: I was willing to deal with the emphysema, but now I don't think there's much point trying to live on (Terminal Lung Cancer).

[Of his last days]: Forgive me, but I don't want to live anymore. The pain is too bad. There's no point in trying to prolong this agony.

His 27-year old daughter, Daisy Keith, committed suicide 10 weeks before her father followed suit while battling terminal cancer (Self Inflicted Gunshot).

Anonymous said...

Sadly what is going on is, is that the Russians would perfer Trump. The Chinese May rather have Biden, we will never know since the NIA has stopped giving in person briefings to Congress, which should raise flags on every level.

Anonymous said...

Curious how Crawford left out DNI Ratcliffe saying though the Russians are a problem the Chinese are a greater threat. "I don't mean to minimize Russia. They are a serious national security threat, but day in, day out, the threats that we face from China are significantly greater," Ratcliffe said. "Anyone who says otherwise is just politicizing intelligence for their own narrative." DNI So what’s up with some people wanting to ignore China?

Anonymous said...

No one cares that the Russians are helping Trump. They are our closest ally now, but we’ve just got to keep it in the down low so we as a country and political party don’t have to answer for their crimes against humanity.

Anonymous said...

I don't know why, but KF didn't post my earlier comment pointing out that the quote at 3:07 is from the movie Pulp Fiction, not the Book of Ezekiel.

Anonymous said...

The most important part of Crawford's piece is The Senate Intelligence Report on Russian Interference.

I have been reading it since the first volume was available. It is chilling. The British Parliament's investigation on Russian interference in Brexit is as well. ( Russia wanted Brexit).

It's quite disturbing to see so many friends who believe themselves to be Patriots and well-informed quote, post and email Russian propaganda.

The British report is shorter and more easily read, but if you love this Nation, you should read, at least the last volume of the Senate report. Perhaps, you'll stop helping Russia destroy us if you do. Perhaps, you'll learn how to recognize propaganda. Perhaps, those involved in politics will question who is financing them.

I'm afraid you'll have no choice but to know that some in our own government as well as have been compromised by our enemy...at first innocently, perhaps by just not looking a gift horse in the mouth, but now Putin has his hooks into them or they've been attracted to the notion of becoming our oligarchs.

I know reading lots of pages is less pleasurable than being spoon fed slogans or watching a podcast, but you owe it to those who died for our Nation. Have half their guts and read.




Anonymous said...

2:35pm Read the Senate Report.

You might figure out that Russia ( and China and now most of our allies) are smart enough to know it takes two sides to have a destructive conflict and it's the extremes of both that prevent resolution and progress.

They want enough of us on both sides to lose faith in our institutions of government, especially our elections and the rule of law, to throw us into a conflict whose outcome they will determine.

There are many life long conservatives including military officers who are trying to warn you.

Frankly, I'm among the ones who fear it is too late no matter who wins the election. We will likely face armed conflict and much will depend on what our professional military does in the end .

Make no mistake, it is the fault of citizens who decided that what they want to believe or who they want to blame or feeling good about themselves or wealth is more important than the truth and our Nation's ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all citizens, not just some.





Anonymous said...

bill crawford is like most all self proclaimed mississippi intellectuals..............he couldn't find russia on a map.

Anonymous said...

Kingfish.....really....seriously. Why do you post Bill Crawford's drivel? He's either way left of center (advocating socialism - which is no longer tolerable in the mainstream now that everyone's waking up to what it actually is), or he's lukewarm, on the fence - which makes him a useful idiot that allows communities to rot due to mixed messaging and ignorance.

Are you friends with him or something? If Crawford were the pastor at a church, most would find another church after just a few of his sermons. It's 2020 and his style and days are long past.



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