Oct 202023
 
 October 20, 2023  Posted by at 5:32 pm Finance Tagged with: , , , , , ,


Mondriaan Amaryllis 1910

 

Scott Ritter: US Not Ready for War With Iran (Sp.)
Israel Plans to Turn Gaza Into ‘Hiroshima’ Without Nukes – Sy Hersh (Sp.)
The US, Israel Dare Russia, China To Go To War To Save Arab Palestine (Helmer)
Pepe Escobar: Russia, China Map Out New Economic Order in Beijing (Sp.)
Israeli Gaza Operation Could Be ‘Mogadishu On Steroids’ – Petraeus (RT)
Mike Huckabee: Speaker Battle Shows Some Politicians Don’t Want Change (JTN)
Third Vote for Jim Jordan as Speaker Nominee Friday at 10:00am ET (CTH)
Iran In The White House (Kanekoa)
US Shaping Israel’s Ground Campaign Against Hamas – Bloomberg (RT)
Dem. Billionaire: Trump Foreign Record ‘Pretty Incredible’ In Hindsight (JTN)
Trump Offers To Visit Israel (RT)
Health Canada Confirms Undisclosed Presence of DNA Sequence in Pfizer Shot (ET)

 

 

We had some technical glitches today, hope they’re gone now. Danny and Willie are invaluable. But also, as I wrote to John Day earlier, “Don’t you love life, just for all the crazy stuff? Where would we be without chaos?”

Somewhere along the line, some techie changed the “theme” we use. Big deal, because it changes all fonts and spaces and you name it. We’ll be back to “normal” as soon as Danny’s back from his doctor’s appointment.

 

 

 

 

Nap Maersheimer

 

 

Israeli man Where is your brother?
https://twitter.com/i/status/1714724578797515077

 

 

Archbishop

 

 

Hospital

 

 

Al Jazeera

 

 

Channel4

 

 

Nasr

 

 

 

 

 

 

“..trying his best to muster the steely-eyed stare of a man who means business, “if we don’t, who does?” The answer, it seems, is no one.”

US Not Ready for War With Iran (Scott Ritter)

Generating combat power is one thing. Deploying it in a manner that is logistically sustainable is another. The US was able to deploy some 750,000 troops into the Middle East in 1990-1991 only because it had access to friendly ports and airfields in the region where troops and military material could be offloaded in uncontested fashion. Any general war between Iran and the US would inevitably result in Iran challenging any major US military deployment, which means the airfields and ports that would normally be used to support such a deployment would be under constant Iranian attack. As a result, the US would need to execute a forced entry option into Iran, seizing a major Iranian port city, such as Chah Bahar or Bandar Abbass. This would require a major amphibious effort where the ships containing the landing force would have to run a gauntlet of Iranian missiles that would cripple or destroy the landing force before it got within striking distance of Iran.

In short, the US cannot physically defeat Iran using conventional military power without undergoing a massive mobilization of resources that would be politically unsustainable. This leaves the option of an air campaign. Israel has long advocated for a military strike using air power against Iran. One of the major problems facing Israel is the physical distance between Israel and Iran, which would necessitate the kind of large-scale air-to-air refueling support that only the United States possesses. Israel and the US have carried out joint military training involving the air-to-air refueling of Israeli strike aircraft by US refueling aircraft as part of a training exercise known as “Juniper Oak,” conducted in January 2023. This training also included US bombers and ground forces.

The problem facing the US, however, is that Iran is a huge country which is not conducive to the delivery of a knock-out blow, even if delivered by the combined resources of Israel and the United States. Lindsey Graham’s threat to “knock Iran out of the oil business” may sound good to the opponents of Iran, but it is simply empty rhetoric. If the US and/or Israel were to target Iranian oil infrastructure, Iran would unleash a retaliation which would cripple the oil production infrastructure of the entire Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Such an action would throw the US and global economies into chaos. Moreover, Iran would retain sufficient strike capacity to devastate US military bases in the region and Israeli cities alike. In short, there is no military option available to either Israel or the United States, individually or working in tandem, that can defeat Iran.

In a recent interview, CBS News’ reporter Scott Pelley asked President Biden if the wars in Israel and Ukraine were “more than the United States can take on at the same time.” “We’re the United States of America for God’s sake,” Biden responded, with his trademark bellicosity, “the most powerful nation in the history—not in the world, in the history of the world. The history of the world. We can take care of both of these and still maintain our overall international defense. We have the capacity to do this and we have an obligation to. We are the essential nation, to paraphrase the former secretary of state. And,” he concluded, trying his best to muster the steely-eyed stare of a man who means business, “if we don’t, who does?” The answer, it seems, is no one.

Read more …

“Gaza City is in the process of being turned into Hiroshima with no nuclear weapons used..”

Israel Plans to Turn Gaza Into ‘Hiroshima’ Without Nukes – Sy Hersh (Sp.)

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have every intention of staging in the Gaza Strip something similar to the US destruction of the Japanese city of Hiroshima, only without nuclear weapons, American journalist Seymour Hersh wrote in an article on Substack. “Gaza City is in the process of being turned into Hiroshima with no nuclear weapons used,” Hersh cited sources as telling him. Furthermore, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has every intention “to wipe out Hamas,” with little concern for hundreds of thousands of citizens of Gaza that were told to evacuate and move south of the enclave on October 12, underscored Sy Hersh, referencing unnamed intelligence analysts in Washington. Netanyahu formed an emergency unity government a few days ago with ex-military Chief of Staff Benny Gantz to bring his National Unity party into the governing coalition and join the war cabinet including Defense Minster Yoav Gallant.

Israel has vowed to “destroy” the Hamas movement ruling in the Gaza Strip after its attacks on Southern Israel. After calling up a reported 350,000 army reservists — totalling around a tenth of the country’s workforce — since October 7, Israel appeared to be holding back on an invasion. [..] While the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt remains closed, at some point, “American-made bombs in the Israeli arsenal, including those known as “bunker busters,” may be targeted on the underground tunnel systems where Hamas manufactured the weapons and conducted planning for the horrific attacks in southern Israel on October 7,” wrote Hersh. “Under the Israeli plans, there would be no need for a massive ground invasion,” insiders had informed Hersh, while Israeli troops, “would be needed for hunting down those Hamas members underground who choose to surrender.”

However, the orders to the Israeli military, according to a cited official, would be “shoot on sight,” with surrender not an option. “The official told me that the Hamas soldiers who would emerge from the tunnels desperate for food were seen by the Israelis as starving rats who would be met with poisoned food. The fate of the nearly two hundred hostages, most of them Israeli but known also to include a few Americans, was left unsaid,” wrote Sy Hersh. Accordingly, Netanyahu’s plan, as per the official referenced by Hersh, is to ensure that the Israeli Army destroys the Hamas tunnel system, along with every member of the militant group they can hunt down. After that, the remnants of Gaza City would be purportedly barricaded at the southernmost end. Hamas “stragglers” would be tracked down as Israeli soldiers scored every block in the destroyed city.

Sy Hersh also weighed in on the visit paid by US President Joe Biden to Israel on Wednesday. After earlier sending to the eastern Mediterranean near Israel two US Navy carrier strike groups led by the USS Gerald Ford and the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, Biden pledged support to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s operation in the Gaza Strip. Recalling Biden’s Sunday interview for US media, where he conceded that while Hamas “must be eliminated entirely,” while adding that there “needs to be a path to a Palestinian state,” Hersh suggested that the latter was “not on Israel’s agenda.” His visit had come a day after an attack on the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in northern Gaza, where locals were sheltering from Israeli airstrikes on the enclave.

On October 17, a deadly attack on the al-Ahli Hospital killed hundreds of people. Palestinian authorities and the Israeli army have since been pointing fingers at one another for the disaster. Hamas said that the missile was launched by the IDF, while Israeli officials put the blame on the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement. The entire international community was shocked by the catastrophe, with citizens across the globe rallying in support of Palestine and urging for a ceasefire. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed that the attack on the hospital is an “act of dehumanization.”

Read more …

“The new southern zone will be cordoned off by an Israeli ring of fire, and everything north of the line, including Gaza City will be destroyed, hospitals included.”

The US, Israel Dare Russia, China To Go To War To Save Arab Palestine (Helmer)

Call it a repeat of the SS ultimatum to the Warsaw Ghetto of April 1943 — evacuate and we’ll give you a small chance of surviving, or stay and we’ll kill you for certain. Following the embrace of President Joseph Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the US has endorsed the Israeli plan to force the evacuation of the Palestinians from Gaza City to designated camps in the south. There Israeli forces will allow convoys of humanitarian aid to enter from Egypt and unload after Israeli forces have inspected the cargoes. The new southern zone will be cordoned off by an Israeli ring of fire, and everything north of the line, including Gaza City will be destroyed, hospitals included.

This formula has been pressed on Egypt, the other Arab states, China, and Russia to accept by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, a Portuguese government retiree, and his deputy for humanitarian affairs, Martin Griffiths, a British government retiree. They have emphasized there is no alternative to the destruction of Gaza, and its full absorption into the state of Israel. Reinforcing them, the US has cast its veto of all resolutions proposed in the UN Security Council (UNSC) by Russia, China and the Arab states to create humanitarian corridors under a ceasefire. China is preparing a new UNSC resolution to face the US veto shortly, according to a statement by Zhang Jun during Wednesday’s UNSC debate in New York. In Beijing, President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping discussed between themselves what they plan to do jointly and publicly.

“Over a cup of tea”, Putin told Russian reporters on Wednesday evening, “we talked for another hour and a half, maybe two hours, and discussed some very confidential issues face to face. It was a very productive and informative part of our meeting.” “Informative” in Russian means they were unable to agree to make a public declaration of a Sino-Russian action plan. Instead, Putin announced he is deploying supersonic Kinzhal missiles within range of the US naval and air forces positioned in the eastern Mediterranean and in Jordan. “They have upped and dragged two carrier task forces to the Mediterranean. I want to say – what I am going to say and inform you about is not a threat – that I have instructed the Russian Aerospace Forces to start patrolling the neutral zone over the Black Sea on the permanent basis. Our MiG-31 aircraft carry the Kinzhal systems that, as is common knowledge, have a range of over 1,000 kilometres and can reach speeds of up to Mach 9.”

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Different worlds.

Pepe Escobar: Russia, China Map Out New Economic Order in Beijing (Sp.)

President Xi announced that participants of the business summit at the Forum clinched new infrastructure deals worth a whopping $97.2 billion. That’s the new paradigm. Compare it with the old Forever Wars paradigm: the White House working on a $100 billion package to fund the Ukraine-Israel wars. The 3-hour-long face to face meeting between Putin and Xi was crucial in more ways than one. It was a graphic illustration of Russia-China co-hosting the drive towards a multipolar world. And of BRI working side by side with the upcoming BRICS 11 (in effect on January 1, as Russia starts its BRICS presidency). Putin, sly as a fox, commented that he could not tell us “everything” he discussed with Xi. What he could say is that they went through “the entire bilateral agenda, a lot of issues there: it’s the economy, finance, political interaction, and joint work on international platforms.”

Additionally, “we discussed in detail the situation in the Middle East as well. I also briefed the president on the situation on the Ukrainian track in detail. All these external factors are common threats (italics mine). They strengthen Russian-Chinese interaction.” China-Russia signed the largest deal in their shared history for the supply of grain; 2.5 trillion rubles for 70 million tons of grain, leguminous and oilseed cargo delivered for 12 years. That completely destroys serial US Think Tankland wet dream scenarios advocating a naval blockade as the key strategy for the containment of China, to starve it of food and raw materials. On the energy front, Xi expected the extended Power of Siberia II, or Russia-Mongolia-China gas pipeline to make “substantial progress” as soon as possible. As much as Putin stressed both Russia and China’s “respect for civilizational diversity” as well as the right of each civilization-state to its own development model, what really stood out was his detailed explanation of connectivity corridors.

Putin stressed how “a North-South corridor is being formed in the European part of Russia – from the Baltic to Iran. Seamless railway communication will be organized there.” That was a direct reference to the International North South Transportation Corridor (INSTC), whose main hubs are Russia, Iran and India. That will interconnect, in the medium and long term, with BRI’s central Eurasian corridors. Putin added that “other sections will pass through Siberia, the Urals and Yamal. The Northern Sea Passage will be built – to the Arctic Ocean. The railway routes will run from central Siberia to the south – to the Indian and Pacific Oceans (…) A corridor will also pass from the Arctic to the south – a railway line from BAM to Yakutia will be built, bridges across the Lena and Amur, highways will be modernized, and deep-sea terminals will be created.”

Putin’s characterization of the Northern Sea Route is particularly crucial: “All these transportation corridors from north to south in the European part of Russia, in Siberia, and in the Far East open up the possibility of directly connecting and integrating the Northern Sea Route with major logistics hubs in the south of our continent, on the coast of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. As far as the Northern Sea Route is concerned, Russia is not just inviting its partners to actively use its transit potential. Let me say more: we invite interested states to participate directly in its development and are ready to provide reliable ice navigation, communication and supply. As early as next year, navigation for ice-class cargo ships along the entire length of the Northern Sea Route will become year-round. The creation of the above-mentioned international and regional logistics and trade routes objectively reflects the profound changes that are taking place in the global economy.”

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“..he doesn’t believe the IDF’s operation could be won quickly, and might even take over a decade.”

Israeli Gaza Operation Could Be ‘Mogadishu On Steroids’ – Petraeus (RT)

Israel’s conflict with Palestinian militant group Hamas could become even more violent and drag on for years to come if Israeli forces launch a group operation in Gaza, former CIA chief David Petraeus warned in an interview with Politico on Thursday. Speaking on the outlet’s Power Play podcast, the US general, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, claimed that a ground invasion of Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “could be Mogadishu on steroids very quickly.” Petraeus was referring to the 1993 incident in which three US Black Hawk helicopters were shot down in the capital of Somalia, leading to a fierce battle between local militants and American forces who attempted to rescue the crash survivors.

The former spy chief suggested that if Hamas turns out to be “as creative in the defense” as they were in the “horrific, barbaric, unspeakable attack” on Israel on October 7, “then you’ll see suicide bombers, you’ll see improvised explosive devices, there will be ambushes, booby traps, and the urban setting, again, could not be more challenging.” Petraeus noted that given his personal experience leading armies engaged in counterinsurgency campaigns, he doesn’t believe the IDF’s operation could be won quickly, and might even take over a decade. “It’s hard for me to imagine a more difficult setting than this particular one, and I was one who commanded forces in a number of major urban operations,” the general told Politico. “You don’t win counterinsurgencies in a year or two. They typically take a decade or more, as we saw in Iraq, as we saw in Afghanistan.”

Additionally, Petraeus stated that Israel already needs to think about how it intends to eventually restore and rebuild Gaza once it considers its battle against Hamas won. Meanwhile, Israel’s former defense chief, Benny Gantz, also admitted on Wednesday that the conflict between Palestinian militants and the IDF is unlikely to end anytime soon, and will probably last “for months,” while rebuilding Gaza could take “years. The latest violent conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted on October 7 when the militant group launched a surprise missile and ground attack into the country. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that his country was at war, vowing massive retaliation. So far, the conflict has claimed the lives of more than 3,700 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis, according to official data.

Read more …

The real swamp.

Mike Huckabee: Speaker Battle Shows Some Politicians Don’t Want Change (JTN)

Former Arkansas GOP Gov. Mike Huckabee says that the ongoing battle regarding the next House speaker demonstrates how some politicians are subject to the donor class and don’t want change in Washington, D.C. “In many ways, it is a power play,” Huckabee said on the “John Solomon Reports” podcast. “Some of it is not ideological, but there is an ideological tinge to it. There are people who want to make sure that Washington does not significantly change. And by change, I’m not talking about from the left to right, the Democrats, Republicans, liberals and conservatives. They don’t want the donor class to lose the power that the donor class has.”

Earlier this month, Rep. Kevin McCarthy R-Calif., was ousted by eight Republicans. Many of them initially opposed McCarthy’s speakership, and cited recent budget negotiations as the reason for ousting him. As of now, the House does not currently have a speaker. Rep. Jim Jordan R-Ohio, has lost two rounds of voting. He decided Thursday not to move forward with his bid and instead threw support behind a proposal to elevate Rep. Patrick McHenry R-N.C., from his post as speaker pro tempore to unelected speaker with the powers of the office for a period of time. “There are many members of Congress that are there because of the donor class,” Huckabee explained.

“They have remained there because of the donor class. They’re in power and they have positions because of the donor class. The last thing they can afford is for there to be a downgrading or even a demise of the donor class.” When asked if those opposing a Jordan speakership are doing so because they are afraid Jordan would actually cut government spending, Huckabee said he wouldn’t be too surprised if that were the reason. “There’s no doubt that that’s a part of it,” he said. “If it’s all about that, I don’t know. But I do think that there are people who fear that there could be a level of transparency that we simply don’t have and haven’t had, in probably forever, where the citizens can know exactly when they watched the votes who voted for what and how did that money actually get used? It’s a messy process.”

Read more …

“This internecine professionally Republican stuff has nothing to do with principle centered leadership, and everything to do with self-indulgences and personal affluence.”

Third Vote for Jim Jordan as Speaker Nominee Friday at 10:00am ET (CTH)

After a lengthy and often combative GOP conference earlier today, Jim Jordan’s office has announced there will be a 3rd vote for House Speaker Friday at 10:00am. “The House will vote Friday at 10 a.m. on a third speaker ballot, according to Jordan’s spokesman.” The UniParty Republicans had earlier floated an interim proposal to grant temporary House Speaker Patrick McHenry with additional authorities which would gain Democratic vote support. The concept was to get the House through a round of funding for Israel and Ukraine aid and avoiding a shutdown, until January. However, that effort fell short as the non UniParty Republicans would not agree to the plan.

(Via Politico) – “[…] Republicans are split. Jordan, for now, isn’t ready to call it quits, and some of his backers are gearing up for trench warfare. “I can tell you, nobody in our conference can get to 217 on two rounds, and three legislative days. So I think he deserves more time,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a Jordan ally, told reporters. “I’m in favor of trying. For Jordan, I would go at least another week.” Yet his opponents insist there is no negotiation to be had that would result in him winning the gavel. They’ve already detailed death threats and intimidation efforts that they say have only hardened their anti-Jordan stance.”

The House GOP Speaker’s race is a system of conniving and positioning for a cushy committee assignment, indulgences from the lobbyist control apparatus, office locations and Machiavellian influence for the best junkets and largest leadership PAC deposits. That’s the truth, the non-pretending truth about the system at work behind the GOPe House Speaker vote. This internecine professionally Republican stuff has nothing to do with principle centered leadership, and everything to do with self-indulgences and personal affluence.

Read more …

X thread. Pretty crazy what Patel has to say.

Iran In The White House (Kanekoa)

Kash Patel highlights the unbelievable connections between three senior Biden intelligence officials—Robert Malley, Ariane Tabatabai, and Maher Bitar—and their associations with Hamas and Iran. On June 29, 2023, Robert Malley was placed on unpaid leave from his role as Joe Biden’s special envoy to Iran, and his security clearance was suspended due to an ongoing investigation into the potential mishandling of classified materials. On September 29, 2023, Semafor reported that Malley was involved in funding, supporting, and directing an Iranian intelligence operation to influence the United States and allied governments, as revealed by a collection of Iranian government emails.

These emails suggested that Malley facilitated the placement of an Iranian agent of influence named Ariane Tabatabai in sensitive positions within the U.S. government, initially at the State Department and later at the Pentagon, where she has been serving as Chief of Staff for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations. On October 16, 2023, Revolver News reported that Maher Bitar, who is Senior Director for Intelligence Programs on Joe Biden’s National Security Council, was also an executive director of the “Students for Justice in Palestine” group that reportedly responded to the recent Hamas terror attack on Israel by organizing a “Day of Resistance” in support of Hamas’ “historic win” against Israel. Bitar was photographed wearing a black and white “keffiyeh,” a symbol of Palestinian nationalism, and standing in front of a sign that reads, “Divest from Israel Apartheid.”

Kash Patel has pointed out that Maher Bitar plays a significant role in determining intelligence prioritization for President Biden, even though there is a photo of him wearing Palestinian attire, calling for the economic and political boycott of Israel. Robert Malley, who recently had his security clearance suspended by the FBI, installed Ariane Tabatabai at the Department of Defense as the Assistant Chief of Staff for the Special Operations Office.Do you know what she did in 2014? “She emailed Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and asked for permission as a U.S. citizen to take a trip on behalf of the US government. This individual is still employed at the DOD.” Unbelievable.

Kash Patel
https://twitter.com/i/status/1715019075653394819

Read more …

“..the role and influence of the US in the Israel-Hamas conflict are “deeper and more intense than any exerted by Washington in the past.”

US Shaping Israel’s Ground Campaign Against Hamas – Bloomberg (RT)

The US is exerting unprecedented influence over Israel’s plans for a ground campaign against Hamas in Gaza, fearing that a massive attack could result in other regional actors joining the conflict, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing sources. According to the news outlet, while early into the conflict, Israel promised “coordinated strikes from the air, sea and land” on Hamas; its military later indicated that the ground operation “might be something different from what you think.” Bloomberg notes that this change in tone came after an unprecedented string of visits to Israel by high-ranking US officials, including President Joe Biden himself. According to three unnamed senior Israeli officials interviewed by the news agency, the role and influence of the US in the Israel-Hamas conflict are “deeper and more intense than any exerted by Washington in the past.”

While the US reportedly wants to see Hamas’ military infrastructure in Gaza destroyed, it seeks to limit civilian casualties in the Palestinian enclave, which is home to over two million Palestinians. In addition, Washington is concerned that Israel’s ground campaign could draw Hezbollah into the conflict; the Lebanon-based Islamist militant group maintains close ties to Iran, the report noted. This could potentially open a second front in the conflict, which could throw the entire region into turmoil and derail the White House’s efforts to stabilize the Middle East by promoting peace between Israel and Arab countries, the article says. While Biden on Friday condemned the Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians and signaled that he would ask the US Congress to approve additional security aid for Israel, he cautioned the Middle Eastern country “not to be blinded by rage.”

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with his country’s service members stationed near Gaza, telling them to “get organized, be ready” for the offensive. “Whoever sees Gaza from afar now, will see it from the inside,” he said. The conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted on October 7 when the Palestinian militant group launched a surprise missile and ground attack on the country, with hostilities resulting in thousands of dead and injured. In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel to be in a state of “war” and vowed retaliation. According to the latest official data, the fighting has claimed the lives of more than 3,800 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.

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“So much of the work that happened in that administration turns out to have been right. And that’s what’s so frustrating for me..”

“The work on the border wall, we didn’t like the messenger, so we killed the message. Turned out it was right.”

Dem. Billionaire: Trump Foreign Record ‘Pretty Incredible’ In Hindsight (JTN)

Amid ongoing chaos in the Middle East and American involvement in multiple conflicts on the global stage, one Democratic billionaire is reevaluating the Trump administration’s tenure, which notably saw the U.S. enter into no new major wars. Former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya, a Democrat who increasingly leans toward the political right, said that “Trump Derangement Syndrome” has prevented people from honestly evaluation the administration in a recent episode of the All-In Podcast. “What those guys did was pretty incredible, in hindsight,” he said. “To really be able to, like, find long-lasting peace is just a real example for the world.” Palihapitiya cohosts the podcast with his friends. He had previously been critical of the administration, calling him an “an idiot savant, minus the savant” last year, according to the Epoch Times.

The billionaire went on to highlight the Abraham Accords, a landmark diplomatic agreement that saw Israel normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, while paving the way for similar developments with other neighboring nations. Apart from the Trump administration’s international accomplishments, Palihapitiya conceded that Trump’s efforts to build a border wall had largely been vindicated amid a broader surge in illegal crossings. “So much of the work that happened in that administration turns out to have been right. And that’s what’s so frustrating for me,” he said. “The work on the border wall, we didn’t like the messenger, so we killed the message. Turned out it was right.”

Read more …

Trump and Israel is not a great combination.

Trump Offers To Visit Israel (RT)

Former US President Donald Trump has said that he may visit Israel in the near future. Trump’s statement came after he harshly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his apparent failure to predict Hamas’ attack on the Jewish state. “I may, I may go,” Trump told reporters outside a courthouse in New York, where he is facing a civil fraud lawsuit. “But I believe in letting them do what they have to do,” Trump continued, “They have to straighten it out. What’s happening in Israel is all of those people dead would have never happened… if I were president.” During his term in the White House, Trump oversaw the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the signing of the Abraham Accords, under which Israel normalized relations with Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates.

Trump often touted his close personal relationship with Netanyahu, and described himself as “history’s most pro-Israel US president.” That relationship has since deteriorated. Speaking to Fox News last week, Trump claimed that Netanyahu “was not prepared” for Hamas’ surprise attack. “He was not prepared, and Israel was not prepared,” Trump said, adding that the Israeli PM “has been hurt very badly because of what’s happened.” At a campaign rally in Florida several days later, Trump said that Israel needs to “straighten out” its intelligence agencies, and that Netanyahu “let us down” by declining to participate in the 2020 airstrike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

Trump’s comments about a potential trip to Israel came a day after President Joe Biden returned from the country. Biden met with Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, where he promised additional military aid to Israel, and cautioned the prime minister not to become “consumed with rage” in responding to the Hamas attack. Israeli warplanes have been striking Gaza for almost two weeks, killing almost 3,800 Palestinians and wounding more than 12,000, according to the latest figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry. At least 1,300 Israelis have been killed in the same period, according to the Israeli military.

Read more …

Open the windows! People have a right to know what they’re dying of.

Health Canada Confirms Undisclosed Presence of DNA Sequence in Pfizer Shot (ET)

Health Canada has confirmed the presence of a Simian Virus 40 (SV40) DNA sequence in the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which the manufacturer had not previously disclosed. There is debate among scientists with regards to the significance of the finding, with some saying it has the potential to cause cancer, and others saying it poses little to no threat. “Health Canada expects sponsors to identify any biologically functional DNA sequences within a plasmid (such as an SV40 enhancer) at the time of submission,” the agency said in an email to The Epoch Times. “Although the full DNA sequence of the Pfizer plasmid was provided at the time of initial filing, the sponsor did not specifically identify the SV40 sequence.”

The regulator said that after scientists Kevin McKernan and Dr. Phillip J. Buckhaults publicly raised the presence of SV40 enhancers in the vaccines earlier this year, “it was possible for Health Canada to confirm the presence of the enhancer based on the plasmid DNA sequence submitted by Pfizer against the published SV40 enhancer sequence.” Both scientists have made waves after discovering plasmid DNA in the mRNA COVID-19 injections, warning it could potentially alter the human genome. However, the two share different degrees of concern about the significance of an SV40 sequence—which is used as an enhancer to drive gene transcription during the vaccine manufacturing process—being present in the shots.

Mr. McKernan, a former researcher and team leader for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Human Genome Project, told The Epoch Times he suspects Pfizer didn’t disclose the presence of the DNA sequence due to the association of SV40 with polio vaccines. He said while there is no evidence the sequence is carcinogenic, he has concerns about its integration into the human genome. The polyomavirus Simian Virus 40, an oncogenic DNA virus, was previously removed from polio vaccines due to concerns about a link to cancers. Polio vaccines used in the late 1950s and early 1960s were found to be contaminated with SV40 as the virus was present in monkey kidney cells that were used to grow the vaccine.

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Climate

 

 


Both blocks are the same color. use your finger to cover the middle line. An example of the Cornsweet illusion using shading and gradients to challenge perception, an optical illusion that was described in detail by Tom Cornsweet in the late 1960s

 

 

Cat. Door.

 

 

 

 

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  14 Responses to “Debt Rattle October 20 2023”

  1. I had a cat who knew that a doorknob required torque to operate. He’d stand on a dresser near the door, front feet on the knob, and rock fore-back until the click. Bastard!

  2. Look beyond your conditioning

    Hostages:
    203 + all the foreigners, (approx. 500), not allowed to leave Gaza

    The foreigners are probably the aid workers and would not want to leave their jobs.
    ———-
    If USA can help Israel … Iran and Russia etc. can help the Arab World.

    Israel has placed all their heavy equipment, (tanks, etc. ), in unprotected and easy targets for missiles, drones.

    The USA has brought its navel fleets within target distance.

  3. “Biden Lifts Sanctions On Venezuela Dictator Maduro In Exchange For Oil

    Some random Guido lifted sanctions…

    “World’s Electric Grids Incapable Of Supporting Renewable Energy Goals: Agency

    What??? Where did this come from?

    “Biden Departs For Israel To Preside Over Opening Ceremonies For World War III” –Bbee

    “Liberals Replace Star Of David On ‘Coexist’ Sticker With Hamas Paraglider” –Bbee

    “4D Chess: Biden Offers The Palestinians $100 Million In Exchange for None of the Hostages” – Bbee

    Wow! You’re right! …But he made them pinky-promise not to use it for terrorism.

    “Texans Strangely Unconcerned About Global Day Of Jihad” –BBee

    “Republicans Sure Glad Nothing Important Happening In World While They Sort Out Speaker Mess” – Bbee

    First time Americans have been safe since the LAST shutdown. Can you imagine what they would have passed if Congress was in session right now? They really need to keep this up until the local war is passed over.

    “It Is Beginning:
    Alleged “companies” are starting to fail that really are nothing more than cash furnaces existing on the back of “free” money poured in through various “venture” and “investment” funds” — Denninger.

    This is the POINT of Powell, in contrast to Davos, as Luongo constantly says. Davos will fund a Pal, regardless of how stupid they are. Wall Street exists to allocate capital to ACTUAL projects. Therefore, at 0% all ideas are funded. Turkeys, pigs, and Dodo birds fly, regardless of how dead they may be. At 5% — to say nothing of 20% — only GOOD ideas are funded. Ideas that DON’T WASTE CARBON, as these guys are so fond of criticizing. Unfortunately, as everyone said since the day Greenspan lowered rates 20 years ago, THERE IS NO WAY OUT. All these ideas funded at 4%, 3%, 2%, 1% will now all go dead bankrupt and be liquidated at enormous loss. That’s what happens when you’re an idiot, because they never should have been funded in the first place.

    It takes time – more time that you would ever DREAM – I think the last time with The Bernanke it took like 9 months to a year to blow it all into a crater. Way longer than it ever should, and people deny everything, admit nothing, make counter accusations in the meantime.

    What was this case? Among thousands?

    “The latest boo-hoo is Convoy which apparently has folded; it was not, as you might think, an actual trucking company.

    Rather it was a broker that tried to get in the middle of the person shipping and the company hauling. They’re not the only one in this space; Uber has a division doing it (well, at least for now) along with some others and there is risk in here for independents that haul for these folks because they are neither the buyer or the seller of the product being moved and if you don’t get paid you’re in a long line of creditors — and probably screwed.

    When money is flying around everyone’s a genius.  But when volumes start to come down the premium that you as a shipper would have to fork up to get priority goes away and thus the margin against which you can arbitrage…… disappears!

    This is a company that allegedly raised $900 million and near as I can tell……its gone!”

    Well there’s another billion we’ll never see again. $10 for every working American, PLUS 100 other companies just like it right behind.

    “US Lawmakers Demand Biden Declassify Intelligence On Gaza Hospital Disaster

    “”Homeland Security Immigration Officer On Leave After “F**k Israel” Post”

    Soo… Are we doin’ free speech today or not doin’ it? Asking for a friend. Gosh when you have firm principles held in good faith, life is so simple.

    “As long as it takes.” …Which equals One Year. Then we get bored and wander off to another war.

    Warsaw Ghetto Genocide is pressed by “UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, and his deputy for humanitarian affairs, Martin Griffiths, a British government retiree.”

    And we thought Saudi and Sudan was over the top for the human rights commission. “Hold my Beer.”
    Well, Iran being bombed and oil going up, with Iran getting screwed and MBS getting helped should drive a wedge between them. Weird world. I mean, maybe not. Nothing’s happening with them, it’s all US.

    “Israel’s conflict with Palestinian militant group Hamas could become even more violent and drag on for years”

    How? Again, with what men? If they are going to genocide about a million men this week, then who will fight for years? Does that mean he’s a liberal because he’s bad at math?

    “They’ve already detailed death threats and intimidation efforts that they say have only hardened their anti-Jordan stance.”

    Gosh, but whom? That sounds like a crime. Did anyone bother to file a report, unlike so many? Did anyone check the FBI outgoing phone logs?

    “an Iranian agent of influence named Ariane Tabatabai where she has been serving as Chief of Staff for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations.”

    Holy #$%@. You all better back that up. In a way, it’s what we all knew: our government is for sale and there are essentially no Americans running it.

    ““So much of the work that happened in that administration turns out to have been right. And that’s what’s so frustrating for me,” he said. “The work on the border wall, we didn’t like the messenger, so we killed the message. Turned out it was right.”

    Uh-huh. And? And…? The future starts today, you know.

    “Israel needs to “straighten out” its intelligence agencies,”

    Yeah, they were so mad at them no one’s been fired. Like us. In fact, we doubled their budget and created a new department of redundancy, DHS. So Mossad is blind for 7 hours, 7 hours every soldier was having a taco. Huh. Gee that’s funny. I suppose all the cameras went out right then too?

    “Simian Virus 40 …, with some saying it has the potential to cause cancer,”

    That was the one they got initially in the polio vaccine and were elated. It’s been part of the process ever since. Check the cancer stats for Americans and look for the charts.

    Random news, Long term gold trader Jim Sinclair dies of a heart attack as very old age.

    Anyone heard what Nicole Foss is up to? With no Trump, has she shed TDS?

    “Automatic Earth refers to what I see as a “blue print” that exists within nature; a plan within each organism to automatically generate a particular form or pattern that is then, inevitably flawed. It is where the pattern breaks that we are told something: a draught, a trauma, an interaction, the slash of a chainsaw…. a crack in the earth. The flaws in these pre-destined forms become a record of time and of labor and they tell the story of the life that made them.” — McKenna

  4. I can’t even formulate an opinion of the Palestine/Israel situation other than stop killing and terrifying people.

    The involvement of Biden people with Iran and Palestine made me do a double-triple-quadruple take:

    –So they’re on Iran/Hamas’ side in passive response to Israeli actions? (for money or ideology?)
    –Wait no, they suckered Iran/Hamas into this for Israel? (for money or ideology?)
    –Waitwait, no, they suckered Israel into this for Iran/Hamas?
    –Waitwaitwait no, they suckered BOTH parties into this war for… a devious plan?
    –or they’re just monkey with a hand grenade? Random shit happens?

  5. Glad the site is ok. The cat was awesome. The blocks made me question my grip on reality.

  6. The hard pressed narratives and dismal theatre become more evident each and every day.. They try so hard to make this bullshit REAL, it backfires and just seems absurd and sad. All that adrenechrome ain’t makin em smarter.

  7. Burning Leopards, dual tag team double tap

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1715066397376876669

  8. Happy to see TAE back; as to the new format…we’ll see… 😉

  9. Well, sort of back. Archives are not yet available, and I use those for links.
    And now we are in “wartime” instead of “virustime”.
    If your stress levels haven’t notched up a few ticks, I want to know your formula.
    And yet I return…
    WW1
    Redux.

  10. Somewhere, the wisdom of the past blogs still exist.

  11. A senior Israeli official speaking to The Times of Israel identifies the two hostages released by Hamas as Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie [18-years old].

    The pair, who both have American citizenship, have been transferred to the International Red Cross ahead of their arrival in Israel, the official says.

    The two are residents of Evanston, Illinois outside of Chicago and came to Israel this month to celebrate a relative’s 85th birthday and the Jewish holiday season, according to their rabbi.

    The Raanan family had been celebrating Simchat Torah in Nahal Oz, a kibbutz in Israel about a mile from the Gaza border when the Hamas onslaught began.
    https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-diverts-ammunition-ukraine-israel-yet-another-blow-zelensky

  12. Israel Amassing Fleets Of Tanks On Northern Border Of Gaza – Ground Invasion Appears Imminent
    https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/israel-amassing-fleets-tanks-northern-border-gaza-ground-invasion-appears-imminent

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