Feb 042024
 
 February 4, 2024  Posted by at 9:40 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,


Jules Bastien-LePage The annunciation to the shepherds 1875

 

RFK Jr Slams American Attacks On Syria and Iraq (RT)
Israel vs. Hezbollah: A New War Will Consume The Entire Middle East (Sadygzade)
Biden’s Justification For Hitting Iran Puts NATO Troops in Danger (Sp.)
US House To Vote On Israel-only Aid Bill – Speaker (RT)
Staffers Speaking Out Shows How ‘Morally Bankrupt’ Biden Admin Has Grown (Sp.)
The Silence of the Damned (Chris Hedges)
Tucker Carlson Spotted In Moscow (RT)
Good Money After Bad: Where Will EU Funds for Ukraine Come From? (Sp.)
Ukraine Coerces Mass-Conscripts Unfit for Military Service – PoW (Sp.)
Is Zaluzhny Getting Ready to Take Down Zelensky? (Scott Ritter)
Taiwan Helping To Arm Moscow – WaPo (RT)
Florida Sends Troops To Stop Migrant ‘Invasion’ (RT)
Germany’s Economy Is Dying. Here’s Why And What Happens Next (RM)
F-35 Jet Fails to Meet Basic Operating Standards in 65 Areas (Sp.)
India Vows To Tackle Population Growth Challenges (RT)
It’s Not ‘Inflation’ – We’re Just Getting Ripped Off. Here’s Proof. (OW)
Imran Khan Sentenced To Third Prison Term In A Week (RT)

 

 


Paris, February 3 2024

 

 

Macron/Farmers
https://twitter.com/i/status/1753757359329919212

 

 

 

 

Putin
https://twitter.com/i/status/1753827565293436943

 

 

Elon Musk: Biden’s strategy is very simple: 1. Get as many illegals in the country as possible. 2. Legalize them to create a permanent majority – a one-party state. That is why they are encouraging so much illegal immigration. Simple, yet effective.

Most people in America don’t know that the census is based on a simple headcount of people (including illegals) *not* just citizens. This shifts political power and money to states and Congressional districts with the highest number of illegals.

 

 

JK Rowling

 

 

 

 

“If we ‘do not seek conflict,’ then let’s get the troops out of there..” [..] “They are not welcome. They are not needed..”

RFK Jr Slams American Attacks On Syria and Iraq (RT)

The US should withdraw its ground troops from Middle Eastern countries that do not welcome them, independent candidate for US president Robert F. Kennedy Jr has said.He said the escalation could have been avoided, reacting in an X (formerly Twitter) post to Washington’s attack on more than 80 targets allegedly linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) in Iraq and Syria in a wide-ranging air assault. US Central Command says it hit 85 Iranian-linked targets in Syria and Iraq in retaliation against the recent “Iran-affiliated” fighters’ attack that killed three US servicemen in Jordan. President Joe Biden’s X post read that the US does not “seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world. But to all those who seek to do us harm: We will respond,” despite Iran denying involvement in the incident.

“If we ‘do not seek conflict,’ then let’s get the troops out of there,” Kennedy said, apparently reacting to Biden’s statement. “They are not welcome. They are not needed,” he added. Kennedy claimed that the current escalation would not have been necessary if Washington hadn’t put its military “in the crosshairs” of Shiite militias. He described the existence of these groups “as a legacy of our illegal war in Iraq.” He recalled that both Iraq and Syria had asked the US troops to leave their territory while Iran would not tolerate America’s military presence on its borders.

Besides pulling US troops “out of the Mideast,” Kennedy urged Washington to forge ties with regional powers instead. The presidential candidate also described the troop presence in the area as “indefensible targets for anyone in the region who wants to provoke a conflict.”Iraq has rebuked the US over the airstrikes, saying they constitute “a violation of Iraqi sovereignty” and “pose a threat that could lead Iraq and the region into dire consequences. The Syrian military, as quoted by SANA news agency, denounced the raid as “the aggression of the American occupation forces.”

Read more …

“If a temporary reduction in the intensity of the fighting in Gaza is achieved, the controversy within Israel surrounding the current Netanyahu government will escalate. Obviously, the end of the conflict would also lead to the end of the prime minister’s political career and those of other prominent figures.”

Israel vs. Hezbollah: A New War Will Consume The Entire Middle East (Sadygzade)

Since the first days of the current escalation, Israeli tensions with Hezbollah have increased. And thoughts of launching military action to the north were in the minds of the Jewish state’s political and military establishment as early as late October. For example, The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, reported that on October 11 US President Joe Biden persuaded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to launch a preemptive strike against Hezbollah because of the risk of a major war in the region. On that day, Israeli intelligence received information about Hezbollah’s intention to invade Israel from several directions, and Israeli fighter jets were already in the air, waiting for orders to attack the group’s facilities in Lebanon. It took about six hours of negotiations and meetings for Israeli officials to back down, WSJ sources said. The situation on the border between Israel and Hezbollah remains tense, and the possibility of a full-scale conflict is real.

This was confirmed by Israeli media, citing remarks by National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi at a closed session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on January 17. Hanegbi also provided interesting details regarding Hamas. According to the official, Hamas’ leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, has taken a harder line during negotiations for the exchange of hostages, which will likely draw out the process of returning the 117 people still held captive since the October attacks on Israel. In his remarks, Hanegbi emphasized that the physical elimination of Sinwar is still a pressing goal for Israeli security forces. However, neither Hanegbi nor other Israeli figures have offered concrete solutions for a long-term arrangement in Gaza. This is worrisome, as the WSJ notes, citing its White House sources. The newspaper claims that efforts to convince Netanyahu to agree to an end-of-conflict option that includes handing over control of Gaza to the Palestinian National Authority have failed.

Instead, Israel intends to carry out a prolonged operation against Hamas. However, recently negotiators from Israel, the US, Egypt and Qatar met in Paris and agreed on the basics of a new deal aimed at releasing the hostages. This was reported by NBC News on January 29. The plan envisions the gradual release of captives, starting with women and children. For its part, Israel will offer limited pauses in hostilities and the admission of humanitarian aid, as well as the release of Palestinian prisoners. The plan has been sent to representatives of Hamas. If a temporary reduction in the intensity of the fighting in Gaza is achieved, the controversy within Israel surrounding the current Netanyahu government will escalate. Obviously, the end of the conflict would also lead to the end of the prime minister’s political career and those of other prominent figures.

Even Washington, Israel’s most important ally, has delivered repeated messaging that Netanyahu must go. No one wants a major war in the region. Hezbollah, which is closely allied with Iran, also does not want tensions to escalate into open warfare. This is demonstrated by its restraint, both in statements by top officials and in attacks on Israeli forces. But if Netanyahu does decide to launch an operation in southern Lebanon, the war will be long and bloody. Representatives of the “Axis of Resistance” led by Iran will lend support with even greater effort. Then the specter of war will become a reality and the Middle East will burst into flames, the consequences of which no one can assess or foresee.

Read more …

“..there’s no leadership [the US] left it up to Netanyahu. He’s the tail wagging the dog..”

Biden’s Justification For Hitting Iran Puts NATO Troops in Danger (Sp.)

On Friday, US President Joe Biden fulfilled his promise to strike Iranian targets in Syria and Iraq, further escalating the region even as the White House insists that it does not seek war with Iran. Michael Maloof, a former senior security policy analyst for the Office of the Secretary of Defense with nearly 30 years of experience, told Sputnik’s Fault Lines that the justification used by the White House could easily be applied by Russia to NATO countries supporting Ukraine. “You’re hearing from congressmen and senators saying ‘but we need to hit Iran for supplying the Houthis and Hamas and Hezbollah,” Maloof explained. “Well, does Russia then have a right to hit US and NATO allies, as a result of supplying weapons to Ukraine to battle Russians?” The United States has placed the blame on Iran for the Sunday drone attack that killed three US service members and injured dozens more on the border of Syria and Jordan.

While the US admits that it has no evidence Iran helped plan the attack, the Biden administration has been clear it blames Iran because the country allegedly funds those groups and other militants. “This afternoon, at my direction, U.S. military forces struck targets at facilities in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militia use to attack U.S. forces,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement released Friday by the White House. “I think that if Biden were to follow through, then that raises a whole new specter of opening up NATO countries to potential attack,” he continued, adding that the US is simply hoping Russian President Vladimir Putin “doesn’t follow through” with that justification. Maloof argued that the US should reevaluate the situation in the Middle East but it’s difficult because the US looks “at the Middle East through the prism of Israel all the time.”

“We’ve got to somehow figure a way out of it. Instead, we’re digging that hole deeper and even though there might be some attempts to try and persuade [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to calm down and have a ceasefire and try to resolve things, it’s doing just the opposite. “The problem is that Biden has left the conduct of the war up to Netanyahu, and Netanyahu knows this and he’s basically dragging us along – we’re captives of Netanyahu,” Maloof explained. “You don’t have any, there’s no leadership [the US] left it up to Netanyahu. He’s the tail wagging the dog,” he added later. Maloof further argued that Israel has been getting the United States to do its dirty work for decades.

“We always hear Netanyahu wanting the United States involved, or us to bomb the sites… This is the way we’ve been conducting ourselves since… 2003 when we invaded Iraq.” Asked by Co-host Melik Abdul how the US should have responded to the attack, Maloof argued that the US should leave the region. “I think we shouldn’t even be in those locations. And I think we should have gotten out some time ago.”

Read more …

Biden will veto it. They want Ukraine on that bill.

US House To Vote On Israel-only Aid Bill – Speaker (RT)

The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, announced on Saturday that he would hold a vote on a “clean, standalone” aid package for Israel that will not entail any spending cuts. The newly proposed legislation is set to include $17.6 billion in additional military funding as well as “important funding for US forces in the region.” The initial $14.3 billion package, rejected by the Senate last year, included an equal amount in spending cuts to the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) and was therefore branded by Democrats as a “poison pill.” “Next week, we will take up and pass a clean, standalone Israel supplemental package,” he wrote in a letter to colleagues sent on Saturday afternoon. “The Senate will no longer have excuses, however misguided, against swift passage of this critical support for our ally.”

The announcement comes as the Senate prepares to vote on a long-anticipated national security supplemental requested by US President Joe Biden, which will include tougher US border controls paired with nearly $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, as well as more assistance to Israel and Taiwan. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Friday that he was preparing to release the legislation text “no later than Sunday” with the first procedural vote coming by midweek. However, Johnson previously criticized the impending deal, calling it “dead on arrival” in the lower chamber if the provisions are what they are rumored to be. The Senate leadership “is aware that by failing to include the House in their negotiations, they have eliminated the ability for swift consideration of any legislation,” Johnson wrote.

The White House previously indicated that it would oppose a stand-alone Israel aid bill, with John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, saying President Biden would veto it. While Washington is struggling to secure additional military funding for Ukraine, Brussels approved a €50 billion ($54 billion) aid package on Thursday, having reportedly pressured Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban into lifting his veto. Orban, who previously called Ukraine “one of the most corrupt countries in the world,” accused the “imperialist EU” of “blackmailing” him into accepting the deal.

Read more …

“The fact that people within the administration who are risking their jobs often to take these actions are speaking out, I think, is important and just shows a real shift in this country..”

Staffers Speaking Out Shows How ‘Morally Bankrupt’ Biden Admin Has Grown (Sp.)

On Thursday, the head of the US Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, who is a world-renowned scholar on genocide, was confronted during a public event over her complicity in the Biden administration’s support of Israel and its actions in Gaza. “You wrote a book on genocide and you’re still working for the administration: You should resign and speak out,” Agnieszka Skyes told US media after recently leaving her job at the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Dr. Margaret Flowers, the co-editor of Popular Resistance, told Sputnik’s The Critical Hour that the disconnect between the Biden administration and its employees shows how “morally bankrupt” the administration’s stance on Gaza has become.

“You have congressional staffers, hundreds of them, that called upon their bosses to support a ceasefire. You have White House staffers, executive office staffers protesting outside of the White House, calling on President [Joe] Biden to demand, you know, to push for a ceasefire,” Flowers summarized. “The fact that people within the administration who are risking their jobs often to take these actions are speaking out, I think, is important and just shows a real shift in this country and just how morally bankrupt this administration is for supporting genocide.” Co-host Garland Nixon noted that, particularly among the USAID employees, they have previously supported policies that “killed unmentionable thousands of people,” but this seems “too far” even for them.

“I think also [that] some of the people that go to work in these institutions don’t fully have a good political analysis of what it is that they’re actually working for,” Flowers responded. “We know that the the USAID, which has ‘AID’ in its name, is an institution that has really worked hand-in-hand with the CIA to undermine governments all around the world to, you know, put in place support for organizations, media, nonprofit groups within countries that are strictly there to destabilize the countries so that the United States can try to overthrow their governments.” “This is an overreach point. I think we’re seeing that in so many different areas, though, right now, the kind of overreach of the United States and its Western allies and the whole world is seeing it but it’s great that folks are seeing it here, too,” Flowers explained.

The shift, according to Flowers, comes because Israel’s actions in Gaza are on display for the entire world to see. “We know that … all of these main, mainstream corporate media outlets are really in place to defend the status quo, and they’ve been doing that. But at a certain point, when you have the rest of the media world publishing the truth about what’s happening and you have public opinion shifting, they can’t continue on that same line as strongly as they were, because they can’t save face by doing that when the rest of the world actually sees what’s going on,” Flowers argued. “This is a huge issue for people, whereas foreign policy has not typically been a strong factor that folks care about. Things have gone so far that people do now,” she added.

Read more …

“..Palestinians have been reduced to eating grass and drinking contaminated water…”

The Silence of the Damned (Chris Hedges)

There is no effective health care system left in Gaza. Infants are dying. Children are having their limbs amputated without anesthesia. Thousands of cancer patients and those in need of dialysis lack treatment. The last cancer hospital in Gaza has ceased functioning. An estimated 50,000 pregnant women have no safe place to give birth. They undergo cesarean sections without anesthesia. Miscarriage rates are up 300 percent since the Israeli assault began. The wounded bleed to death. There is no sanitation or clean water. Hospitals have been bombed and shelled. Nasser Hospital, one of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza, is “near collapse.” Clinics, along with ambulances – 79 in Gaza and over 212 in the West Bank – have been destroyed.

Some 400 doctors, nurses, medics and healthcare workers have been killed — more than the total of all healthcare workers killed in conflicts around the world combined since 2016. Over 100 more have been detained, interrogated, beaten and tortured, or disappeared by Israeli soldiers. Israeli soldiers routinely enter hospitals to carry out forced evacuations – on Wednesday troops entered al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis and demanded doctors and displaced Palestinians leave – as well as round up detainees, including the wounded, sick and medical staff. On Tuesday, disguised as hospital workers and civilians, Israeli soldiers entered Jenin’s Ibn Sina Hospital in the West Bank and assassinated three Palestinians as they slept.

The cuts to funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) — collective punishment for the alleged involvement in the Oct. 7 attack of 12 of its 13,000 UNRWA workers — will accelerate the horror, turning the attacks, starvation, lack of health care and spread of infectious diseases in Gaza into a tidal wave of death. The evidence-free charges, which include the accusation that 10 percent of all of UNRWA’s Gaza staff have ties to Islamist militant groups, appeared in the Wall Street Journal. The reporter, Carrie-Keller Lynn, served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Given the numerous lies Israel has employed to justify its genocide, including “beheaded babies” and “mass rape,” it is reasonable to assume this may be another fabrication. The allegations, of which details remain scant, are apparently based on confessions by Palestinian detainees — most certainly after being beaten or tortured. These allegations were enough to see 17 countries including the U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, France, Australia and Japan cut or delay funding to the vital U.N. agency.

UNRWA is all that stands between the Palestinians in Gaza and famine. A handful of countries, including Ireland, Norway and Turkey, maintain their funding. Eight of the UNRWA employees accused of participating in the Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel, where 1,139 people were killed and 240 abducted, were fired. Two have been suspended. UNRWA has promised an investigation. They account for 0.04 percent of UNRWA’s staff. Israel is seeking to destroy not only Gaza’s health care system and infrastructure, but UNRWA which provides food and aid to 2 million Palestinians. The object is to make Gaza uninhabitable and ethnically cleanse the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands are already starving. Over 70 percent of the housing has been destroyed. More than 26,700 people have been killed and over 65,600 have been injured. Thousands are missing. Some 90 percent of Gaza’s pre-war population has been displaced, with many living in the open. Palestinians have been reduced to eating grass and drinking contaminated water.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1753752270783783330

Read more …

If he can get Putin, that would be great.

“..the Russian leader would wait to sit down with any American journalist until the US population was no longer so “seriously stupefied by Russia-hating propaganda.”

Tucker Carlson Spotted In Moscow (RT)

American journalist Tucker Carlson has spent several days in Russia and even attended a ballet performance at the Bolshoi Theatre, Telegram channel Mash reported on Saturday, sharing several photos of the conservative commentator. Carlson allegedly touched down at Vnukovo airport on a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul on Thursday after several hours’ delay, according to the channel. He was later spotted taking in the ballet Spartacus at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. The conservative commentator has yet to confirm the trip and it remains unclear what business he had in Russia. However, rumors of his intention to interview President Vladimir Putin have been circulating since last year.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not rule out the possibility of Carlson interviewing Putin when asked about it in September, though he explained that the Russian leader would wait to sit down with any American journalist until the US population was no longer so “seriously stupefied by Russia-hating propaganda.” Carlson himself told Swiss outlet Die Weltwoche that he had been prevented from setting up an interview with Putin by the White House. While he expressed dismay that he did not receive more support from his fellow journalists regarding his intention to sit down with the Russian president and questioned why Americans are “not allowed to hear” Putin’s voice, he declined to provide any further details regarding when the interview was supposed take place or how the presidential administration of Joe Biden intervened to stop it.

The former Fox News host claimed previous attempts to secure an interview with Putin had led to aggressive surveillance by the National Security Agency, alleging he was “unmasked” by the spooks and the contents of his emails were leaked to the media in 2021 in order to “paint [him] as a disloyal American” and force him off the cable news network. The NSA denied Carlson was an intelligence target and claimed it never sought to take him off the air.

Read more …

“..According to the European Council, the bloc has set up the so-called Ukraine Facility for the period 2024-2027 to “contribute to the recovery, reconstruction and modernization of the country..”

Good Money After Bad: Where Will EU Funds for Ukraine Come From? (Sp.)

European Union (EU) member states have agreed on a €50 billion ($54 billion) support package for Ukraine over four years, overcoming Hungary’s resistance. But where will the EU get that money? The EU could commandeer interest paid on frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine during its war with Moscow. Europe’s economy is facing stagnation, with zero economic growth for October-to-December period reported by EU statistics agency Eurostat. The Eurozone inflation rate has yet to fall below the target two percent threshold, with consumer prices still remaining high. Against that backdrop EU member states are cutting subsidies, reducing energy consumption and diminishing industrial production. Protests by farmers have rocked the continent since early January. Nonetheless, Brussels has found €50 billion ($54 billion) to support the embattled Kiev regime for four more years. But where will this money come from?

According to the European Council, the bloc has set up the so-called Ukraine Facility for the period 2024-2027 to “contribute to the recovery, reconstruction and modernization of the country, foster social cohesion and progressive integration into the Union, with a view to possible future Union membership.” To that end the EC has allocated €50 billion, of which: • €33 billion ($35.9 billion) comes “in the form of loans guaranteed by extending until 2027 the existing EU budget guarantee, over and above the ceilings, for financial assistance to Ukraine available until the end of 2027,” the document sets out. • €17 billion ($18.5 billion) comes “in the form of non-repayable support, under a new thematic instrument the Ukraine Reserve, set up over and above the ceilings of the MFF 2021-27.” The EC document specifies that revenues “could be generated under the relevant Union legal acts, concerning the use of extraordinary revenues held by private entities stemming directly from the immobilized Central Bank of Russia assets.”

On February 1, CNN claimed that the EU had taken a step towards seizing billions of dollars in interest payments generated by Russian assets frozen in European accounts. Media reported that roughly €200 billion ($218 billion) remain in the EU, mainly in Euroclear, a Belgium-based financial services company. The media outlet highlighted that the EU approved the €50 billion Ukraine package as it “came closer to finalizing a plan” of using the profits from the Russian Central Bank’s sequestred assets — indicating that it has yet to gain access to the funds. Euroclear revealed on Thursday that the frozen Russian assets had yielded €5.2 billion ($5.6 billion) in interest on income assets since 2022.

On Monday, EU member states “agreed in principle” that profits from the Russian assets will be set aside and not be paid out as dividends to shareholders until the bloc’s members decide to set up a “financial contribution to the [EU] budget that shall be raised on these net profits to support Ukraine”, according to a draft document quoted by Euroactive. The document claimed that the levy will be “consistent with applicable contractual obligations, and in accordance with [EU] and international law.” After that the EC would transfer the money to the EU’s accounts and then to Ukraine, the media noted, specifying that the proposal targets future profits and would not be applied retrospectively. It is believed that Russia’s frozen assets in the EU could generate an estimated €15-17 billion over four years, which would be transferred to Ukraine, according to the press.

Speaking to Sputnik last October, Jacques Sapir, director of studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris, argued that any attempt by the EU to grab Russia’s frozen assets or revenues from them could turn into a legal nightmare for the EU leadership and particular member states where the money is being stored. “As a matter of fact, if assets belong to the Russian state legally, you will have to prove that this state is a ‘failing state,’ something impossible,” Sapir told Sputnik on October 29, 2023. “If assets belong to private persons, you need a legal conviction against these persons. If you can’t do both and that you take away revenues to divert them to a third party (Ukraine) this is no less than a theft. Then you will be liable to legal action. But, what is even more important, you will probably discourage all foreign investors from investing in the EU.”

Read more …

“..I said that I have a metal plate in my arm – and now it is still there. They didn’t care..”

Ukraine Coerces Mass-Conscripts Unfit for Military Service – PoW (Sp.)

The Ukrainian Armed Forces are massively conscripting people who are unfit for military service for health and age reasons, prisoners of war told Sputnik. “Caught in such a time that they gave everyone a military ID. They gave everyone a military ID…. I passed the medical examination right away. I said that I have a metal plate in my arm – and now it is still there. They didn’t care,” one prisoner, Nazar Vashkevich, said. Another, Viktor Tkachenko, reported that he had received a draft notice for the fifth time, despite having several confirmed illnesses that preclude service in the army. “I was mobilized. I received a summons, the fifth, at work. It turned out that according to my state of health I was able to serve. Before that I was unsuitable. I had many medical reports: high blood pressure, hernia, pinched vertebrae,” he said.

According to the captives, the Ukrainian Army has begun to take people en masse who do not fit the draft. “Here, look: people over 50. They are already taking 50-year-olds. My grandfather was with me – he is 57 years old. He also has health problems… So where can he fight? How should he go on the assaults? How should he go to the trenches? Why? To get killed right away? And there’s a boy with me, even younger. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He’s 24. He was drafted. It turns out that he is a senior gunner by rank,” Vashkevich complained. Volodymyr Zelensky said in December 2023 that he had been approached by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with a request to recruit an additional 450,000-500,000 men for the army. The government submitted a draft law on mobilization to parliament. The minimum age for mobilization was lowered from 27 to 25 years. The bill caused outrage in the country and was sent back for revision.

Read more …

“..a political arena which, if he remains as a military commander, will be corrupted by his presence.”

Is Zaluzhny Getting Ready to Take Down Zelensky? (Scott Ritter)

President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly summoned the commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, General Valerie Zaluzhny, to a meeting on Monday, January 29, 2024, where he informed his military commander that he was being relived from his position. According to accounts that have appeared in western media, Zaluzhny refused to step down. As of Friday, February 2, 2024, the precise status of General Zaluzhny remains uncertain amid a swirl of rumors regarding his imminent dismissal. The rift between Zelensky and Zaluzhny represents a serious blow to one of the fundamental principles which underpins democratic society—a civil-military relationship predicated on the simple proposition that a democratically elected civilian leadership is the final authority on all matter, including military, and in the case of disputes between the civil and military leadership, civilian authority retains supreme authority.

If the reports of what is tantamount to a refusal to obey the lawful order of his civilian commander in chief are true, General Zaluzhny has opened a pandora’s box which, if left unresolved, could lead to the rapid unravelling of Ukraine’s civilian-controlled government and open the door for the emergence of a government that is either subordinated to the will of the Ukrainian military, or which has been replaced by a military junta. Neither bodes well either for the sustainment of the notion that Ukraine functions as a democracy along the lines of its European and American allies, or for the prospects of stable governance for Ukraine at a time when it faces unprecedented economic, military, and foreign policy challenges. History is replete with examples of civil-military disagreements during times of war.

American history is home for two premier examples—the split between George McClellan and Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, and the disagreements between Douglas MacArthur and Harry Truman during the Korean conflict. However, in both cases when the civilian authority demanded that the military authority resign, the military authority complied. Zaluzhny, it appears, refused to step aside, taking the issue of military defiance of civil authority into unchartered territory. Managing civil-military relations is a complex process that balances the advice the military provides to its civilian masters with the actual oversight provided by the civilian leadership over military affairs. Given the disparity that exists fact-based military reality and the simplified and often politicized fiction that civilian leadership embraces, rifts are not only to be expected, but are in fact a reality that must be anticipated, and mechanisms put in place to keep them from erupting into crises.

One of the biggest problems faced in the civil-military relationship is that of agenda control and information management. While disagreements can and will emerge between military leaders and their civilian masters over military issues, the military can never lose sight of the fact that if the civil-military relationship is to succeed, the military cannot possess an agenda that deviates from that of its civilian leadership. Nor should the military take advantage of the fact that it in large part dominates the flow of information to society about military matters to use the media as a tool to articulate its own agenda.

In the case of the Zelensky-Zaluzhny split, the record seems to reflect that Zaluzhny has, for some time now, been engaged in activities which point to his having an agenda that not only deviates from that of his commander in chief, but in many ways is designed to be in opposition to his commander in chief—an agenda which paints Zaluzhny as a political competitor to Zelensky. Again, the examples of George McClellan and Douglas MacArthur point to the fact that such actions are not unique in the history of civil-military relations in democracies. However, in both of those circumstances, the military commanders resigned their positions when ordered to do so, and continued their political opposition in the civil arena, without the active backing of a military which was obligated to remain loyal to its civilian leadership. Zaluzhny, however, has refused to step aside, taking his differences with Zelensky into a political arena which, if he remains as a military commander, will be corrupted by his presence.

Read more …

Huh, what? Our friends?

Taiwan Helping To Arm Moscow – WaPo (RT)

Companies based in Taiwan have sold Russia more than $20 million in advanced equipment that can be used for weapons production, Washington Post has claimed, noting that Moscow’s defense sector has ramped up purchases in recent months. Citing “trade records and Russian tax documents” obtained by the outlet, the Post pointed to entities in the Russian arms industry that have boosted transactions with Taiwan, with one firm, I Machine Technology, importing over $20 million in CNC machine tools produced on the island since January 2023. The machines were reportedly sent in 63 separate shipments. “The Taiwan-made machines accounted for virtually all of the Russian company’s imports in the first seven months of last year, according to the records, and the company’s sales during that period were overwhelmingly to the Russian defense industry,” the newspaper added, although it did not specify how the CNC machines were to be used.

Former US arms control official Kevin Wolf told the Post that such transfers likely violated sanctions imposed by both Washington and Taipei in response to the conflict in Ukraine. However, an executive from I Machine Technology, Aleksey Bredikhin, argued that this was not the case. Instead, Bredikhin said that any purchases after January were for spare parts only, and did not run afoul of Taiwan’s export controls, which were further tightened early this year. “I’m not buying anything from them except for parts,” he added. Nonetheless, the American official claimed that the CNC machines were “very important for making military items” and could be connected to “military-end uses,” including manufacturing drones. Another executive from one of the Taiwanese producers, Yu Ming Je, questioned the authenticity of the files obtained by the Post, and also insisted that the sales were in line with local laws.

Asked about ties to Russia’s arms industry, Yu said he was not aware of any such connections with his company, adding “Distributors basically have many users.” A close strategic ally of the US and a frequent buyer of American arms, Taiwan has largely fallen in line with the US sanctions policy toward Moscow, imposing several layers of penalties since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in early 2022. In announcing its latest round of sanctions, which mirrored those already imposed by the US and European Union, Taiwan’s economy ministry vowed to “in principle” block all export license applications to Russian firms going forward. The ministry declined to comment on whether such equipment sales violated export rules, but said the government planned to specifically bar sales to I Machine Technology in the future.

Read more …

It’ll be quite the day in Texas..

Florida Sends Troops To Stop Migrant ‘Invasion’ (RT)

Governor Ron DeSantis has announced that he will deploy members of the Florida National Guard to assist Texas in repelling an “invasion” of illegal immigrants. US President Joe Biden’s administration has fought to prevent Texas from sealing the border. Roughly 1,000 soldiers will be sent to Texas, DeSantis’ office said in a statement on Thursday. They will be joined by members of the Florida State Guard, and around 90 members of various Florida law enforcement agencies already at the border. “States have every right to defend their sovereignty and we are pleased to increase our support to Texas as the Lone Star State works to stop the invasion across the border,” DeSantis said. “Our reinforcements will help Texas to add additional barriers, including razor wire along the border. We don’t have a country if we don’t have a border.”

During his first week in office, Biden signed a flurry of executive orders repealing former President Donald Trump’s immigration restrictions. Illegal crossings have surged as a result, with a record 302,000 people caught crossing the 2,000-mile border in December, and more than 10 million entering the US since 2021. Under Biden’s policy of ‘catch and release’, apprehended migrants are immediately released into the US, with orders to show up at immigration hearings years in the future. Texas – which shares more than 1,200 miles of border with Mexico – deployed national guardsmen to the border in 2021 and began constructing razor wire obstacles at popular crossing points. The Biden administration responded by suing the state, and the Supreme Court ruled last month that federal agents could access the border to remove the razor wire. Texas Governor Greg Abbott vowed to defy the ruling and install more wire, arguing that the Biden administration has neglected the constitutional obligation to enforce federal immigration law, and that his duty to protect his constituents supersedes any federal laws.

Although the Department of Homeland Security gave Abbott three days to begin removing the obstacles late last month, a US Customs and Border Patrol official told Fox News that the agency had “no plans” to move in and destroy the barriers after Abbott ignored the deadline. Some 25 Republican governors issued a joint statement of solidarity with Abbott last week, accusing Biden of “illegally allowing mass parole across America of migrants who entered our country illegally.” Florida has been sending law enforcement officers and soldiers to assist Texas since 2021. National Guard troops have built obstacles and observation posts, while Florida Highway Patrol officers have apprehended almost 150,000 illegal aliens and charged 2,102 people with smuggling or human trafficking charges, DeSantis’ office said.

Read more …

“..relocate not only low-skilled component production but also, to a lesser extent, high-skilled production processes..”

Germany’s Economy Is Dying. Here’s Why And What Happens Next (RM)

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, injecting some humor at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, stated that Germany is not the “sick man” of Europe but rather “a tired man,” following the recent years of crisis, in need of a “good cup of coffee.” However, the economic indicators point to something more than fatigue. Although Germany could be described as merely being in a mild recession – the GDP readings, after all, can hardly be called awful – in reality the economy finds itself in the uneasy place of having no clear prospects for an imminent recovery. Initial estimates suggest a 0.3% decline in GDP in 2023, positioning Germany as the only major industrialized nation in the red. Germany’s national debt saw an increase of about €48 billion, reaching almost €2.6 trillion. While this may appear alarming at first glance, it’s crucial to consider the broader economic context. Germany’s debt-to-GDP ratio, standing at approximately 65%, is relatively favorable compared to many Western countries.

Moreover, Germany has implemented strict limits on deficits, demonstrating a commitment to financial prudence. In light of these measures, there is a counterargument that Germany could potentially consider taking on more debt. Sentiment among businesses deteriorated further at the beginning of the year, as illustrated by the ifo Business Climate Index in January, which fell to 85.2 points. Both the current situation and expectations for the coming months were evaluated more pessimistically. The ifo Institute has reduced its growth forecast for 2024 to 0.7%, compared to the previously predicted 0.9%. This downgrade is partially attributable to additional cuts in the federal budget, which became necessary due to a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court that prohibited leftover Covid-stimulus funds from being repurposed.

The German economy is on the brink of a crisis as deindustrialization firmly takes root. Companies, driven by economic considerations, are increasingly relocating their production overseas, posing a significant threat to a nation heavily reliant on industrial output. This trend has immediate and profound consequences that extend beyond the evident impact on industrial sectors. The offshoring of production could entail a surge in layoffs, further aggravating the economic challenges faced by the workforce. In November 2023, according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), German exports experienced a decline of 5.0% year-on-year, while imports recorded a notable decrease of 12.2%.

While the primary focus is on the industrial landscape, it is crucial to acknowledge the interconnectedness of these shifts. A case in point is the German chemical industry, which finds itself in a deep and prolonged downturn, having lost approximately 23% of its production capacity. Furthermore, leading managers have expressed considerable skepticism about a swift recovery. The challenges are exacerbated by Germany’s struggle with high energy costs, particularly affecting industries engaged in global competition. Despite government attempts to counteract these challenges, such as a billion-dollar electricity price package, success has been limited.

Meanwhile, according to a report by Deloitte, an alarming two out of three German companies have partially relocated their operations abroad due to the country’s ongoing energy crisis. This trend is particularly pronounced in critical sectors, such as mechanical engineering, industrial goods, and automotive industries, where 69% of companies have relocated their operations to a moderate or large extent. Key findings from the Deloitte report shed light on the reasons behind this significant shift. Most businesses attribute their decisions to move operations overseas to the combination of high energy prices and inflation. Notably, companies in these industries are planning to relocate not only low-skilled component production but also, to a lesser extent, high-skilled production processes.

Read more …

No, I’m not surprised.

F-35 Jet Fails to Meet Basic Operating Standards in 65 Areas (Sp.)

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter still suffers at least 65 basic deficiencies where it continues to fail to meet basic testing specifications, the Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) said in a report. The JPO [F-35 Joint Project Office] completed the readiness review for JSE [joint simulation environment] trials in September 2023, and certified it as ready for testing, despite 65 deficiencies against the baseline JSE requirements, the report said on Friday. The F-35 program development cycle continues to experience delays due to immature and deficient Block 4 mission systems software and avionics stability problems with the new Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) hardware going into Lot 15 production aircraft, the report said.

“As a result, deliveries of production Lot 15 aircraft in the TR-3 configuration are on hold until more testing can be completed and the avionics issues resolved. …[T]hese delays prevented the F-35 JPO from adequately planning and programming for hardware modifications … of the upgraded hardware configuration,” the report said. Also, the necessary flight test instrumentation, including both aircraft and open-air battle shaping instrumentation, for both, the remaining TR-2 configuration and upgraded TR-3 aircraft, are not all on contract and will not be available in time, the report added.

Read more …

Just yesterday, we saw plummeting birth rates everywhere.

India Vows To Tackle Population Growth Challenges (RT)

The most populous country in the world will constitute a high-powered committee to consider the challenges arising from “fast population growth and demographic changes.” The move was announced as part of India’s interim budget, unveiled on Thursday, ahead of national elections later this year. India’s finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, revealed that the proposed committee will address population-related challenges and form recommendations for the government. The initiative, she stressed, comes as part of the vision of Narendra Modi’s government, which hopes to transform the country into a developed nation by 2047. This development comes against the backdrop of a legislative move to adopt laws to control the population.

Members of Parliament belonging to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rajendra Agrawal and Rakesh Sinha, had earlier introduced separate bills to regulate the country’s population. However, neither of them have passed. Meanwhile, the country’s new census has been delayed for several years. The most recent demographic data available comes from the 2011 census. Although top Indian officials have expressed concern over the population boom, the fifth round of India’s National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) released in 2022 showed that female fertility levels have dipped below the replacement fertility level in all but five Indian states. Despite that, last year, India overtook China to become the most populous nation in the world, as per United Nations (UN) data.

India has the highest number of young people in the world; however, the UN, in a 2023 report, noted that by 2046, the number of older adults in the country will be greater than the number of children younger than 15 years old. In 2022, the median age in India was believed to be 28 years; this is in sharp contrast to other larger nations with significantly higher median ages. An aging population could mean severe economic trouble for India unless the country grows its national wealth rapidly in the coming decades, an analysis in The Hindu newspaper observed last year. In December, India’s Reserve Bank updated the GDP growth projection for the current financial year to 7% compared to the previously estimated 6.5%. Meanwhile, India remains among the top countries with high income and wealth inequality even as the share of the population living in multidimensional poverty fell from 25 to 15% between 2015-16 and 2019-21, the UNDP said in a report last year.

Read more …

“..CEOs crowing about keeping their prices high while their costs go down..”

It’s Not ‘Inflation’ – We’re Just Getting Ripped Off. Here’s Proof. (OW)

Many Americans are still experiencing the sticker shock they first faced two years ago when inflation hit its peak. But if inflation is down now, why are families still feeling the pinch? The answer lies in corporate profits — and we have the data to prove it. Our new report for the Groundwork Collaborative finds that corporate profits accounted for more than half — 53 percent — of inflation from April to September 2023. That’s an astronomical percentage. Corporate profits drove just 11 percent of price growth in the four decades prior to the pandemic. Businesses have been quick to blame rising costs on supply chain shocks from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. But two years later, our economy has mostly returned to normal. In some cases, companies’ costs to make things and stock shelves have actually decreased.

Let’s demonstrate with one glaring example: diapers. The hyper-consolidated diaper industry is dominated by just two companies, Procter & Gamble and Kimberly-Clark, which own well-known diaper brands like Pampers, Huggies, and Luvs. The cost of wood pulp, a key ingredient for making diapers absorbent, did spike during the pandemic, increasing by more than 50 percent between 2020 and 2021. But last year it declined by 25 percent. Did that drop in costs lead Procter & Gamble and Kimberly-Clark to lower their prices? Far from it. Diaper prices have increased to nearly $22 on average. These corporate giants have no plans to bring prices down anytime soon. In fact, their own executives are openly bragging about how they’re going to “expand margins” on earnings calls. Procter & Gamble predicted $800 million in windfall profits as input costs decline. Kimberly-Clark’s CEO said the company has “a lot of opportunity” to expand margins over time.

It’s not just diapers — while many corporations were quick to pass along rising costs, they’ve been in no hurry to pass along their savings. A recent survey from the Richmond Fed and Duke University revealed that 60 percent of companies plan to hike prices this year by more than they did before the pandemic, even though their costs have moderated. Corporations across industries, from housing to groceries and used cars, are juicing their profit margins even as the cost of doing business goes down. And they’re not hiding the ball. Since the summer of 2021, Groundwork began listening in on hundreds of corporate earnings calls where we heard CEO after CEO boasting about their ability to raise prices on consumers. Now we hear something slightly different: CEOs crowing about keeping their prices high while their costs go down.

Read more …

This is what the Dems have in mind for Trump.

Imran Khan Sentenced To Third Prison Term In A Week (RT)

Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to seven years in prison and fined after a court declared their marriage unlawful on Saturday. It was the third ruling against Khan this week. The civil court was set up in Rawalpindi prison, where the ex-PM has been held since August last year on more than 100 charges. The sentences came before a parliamentary election on February 8 that Khan, who remains popular among voters, is barred from contesting. On Wednesday, Khan along with his wife were sentenced to 14-year terms for illegally selling state gifts, and the day before Khan was given ten years in prison for leaking state secrets. He claimed the cable he released contained evidence of collusion between the Pakistani military and US officials to have him removed from power in April 2022.

Khan’s representatives say he will appeal all three cases. The sentences add up to 34 years and will be served concurrently. The marriage case was filed by Bushra Bibi’s former husband Khawar Maneka, who claimed that she did not observe “iddat” – a mandatory three-month waiting period that a woman must abide by under Islamic law after the death of her husband or a divorce, before marrying another man. The Khans have denied wrongdoing. Imran Khan, however, argued that the case was brought to “humiliate and disgrace” him and his wife. “This marks the first instance in history where a case related to iddat has been initiated,” he told reporters.

The court decision has been condemned by members of Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, a PTI official, called the marriage case “fake”, saying the judgements against Khan represent a “mockery of the law.” “The way these trials are being conducted leaves a huge question mark on the February 8 elections. This is a test case for Pakistan’s higher judiciary,” he told Al Jazeera. PTI President Gohar Ali Khan described the trial as “shameful” and vowed to appeal the verdict in a higher court.

Read more …

 

 

 

Bohemian grove

 

 

Giraffe lion

 

 

Branch
https://twitter.com/i/status/1753863250427715898

 

 

Freeman

 

 

Peggy Sue

 

 

 

 

Support the Automatic Earth in wartime with Paypal, Bitcoin and Patreon.

 

 

 

 

 

Home Forums Debt Rattle February 4 2024

Viewing 37 posts - 1 through 37 (of 37 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #151868

    Jules Bastien-LePage The annunciation to the shepherds 1875   • RFK Jr Slams American Attacks On Syria and Iraq (RT) • Israel vs. Hezbollah: A Ne
    [See the full post at: Debt Rattle February 4 2024]

    #151869
    tboc
    Participant

    “It’s Not ‘Inflation’ — We’re Just Getting Ripped Off. Here’s Proof.”

    Must be some type of objectionable “ism” involved here.

    Listen cracker
    but
    No you be shutup and listen for once
    (breathes out heavily)
    Yes this is Humanism, a sign that a person has left the cave and returned. A person that was blinded when they left the cave and blinded when they returned. Now that their eyes have reacclimated to the dim light they are “Enlightened”.
    Why didn’t the person leave the cave after they went back in?
    Obviously you are a hate filled proponent of communism or socialism. You are just another ignorant dark ages oaf still believing in transparency in matters of trade and markets. You must still believe in the human social contract.
    Yes transparency in trade is the basis of discovery. I am called by faith to love.
    Hmmph another myth believing fool.
    Well bubba, i can see you are qualified to make that judgement. Take care.

    #151870
    aspnaz
    Participant

    Let’s not forget, Gaza could be stopped by Washington, If the American people went to Washington in large enough numbers and demanded an end to the genocide, then it would end. But they won’t, the active ones would rather drive trucks to the southern border. What a sick bunch of fucks.

    Americans do not give a fuck about anyone else, most don’t even know where China is, the head of TikTok being quizzed by congress about the CCP; he’s from Singapore you morons. Even the American leaders are ignoramuses.

    Americans’ passive acceptance of their government’s role in genocide is their personal approval. Not only do the American people fund the Israelis and provide the weapons they use to genocide the Palestinians, they also claim they live in the world’s greatest democracy.

    The American people are and want to continue genociding the Palestinians. Evidence: The US is the world’s greatest democracy and there are no huge protests in Washington, so the government must be pleasing the people or the people are simply hopeless.

    If only the American people had the brains and the motivation of the French, the Germans and the other groups of farmers protesting in Brussels and elsewhere in Europe. The Americans people really are the weak link in the chain.

    All I can do is boycot American products, such as beef, detergents, toiletries, semiconductors etc. I have to travel by Airbus in the next week, I am willing to do that because I can see that the European people are fighting their governments. The American people are not fighting their government, they are the slobs of the western world.

    #151872
    Oroboros
    Participant

    • Is Zaluzhny Getting Ready to Take Down Zelensky?

    Over at the Duran, Alex and Alexander have done episodes for quite a while reporting that Zaluzhny has been siphoning off the best war supplies all along and then funneling them into the hard core Nazi ‘elite’ units of the Ukronazi military like Kraken, Azov etc..

    They are essentially Zaluzhny’s own personal ‘SS’ and that he is the real extreme right wing ideologue and that Nazilensky is just the jewish comedian buttplug placeholder.

    Zaluzhny has consistently only used these pampered hard core Nazi units to rescue weak spots in the Ukronazi frontlines but as soon as the problem is stabilized he immediately pulls them out and back to the relative safety behind the lines again. Like he’s keeping them in ‘reserve’

    Well, Ukronaziland is almost out of regular reserves. They are grabbing people at funerals and sending them almost immediately to the front. The commissar thugs (mostly Azov-Kraken) rounding up cannon fodder are taking old men, with medical issues, and Downs Syndrome men, even mental patients.

    Meanwhile the Russians are getting 400,000 volunteer contract soldiers a year to willingly join to defend their homeland. Quite the contrast to Ukronaziland Press Gangs.

    Zaluzhny is the real Nazi here.

    And Putin is going to eventually kill him along with the rest of the main Ukronazi military leadership.

    Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Ukronazi Secret Police, turned down Nazilensky’s offer to take over Zaluzhny’s job, I imagine because he has no front-line command experience but more importantly because he knows not to cross Zaluzhny.

    Night of the Long Knives

    You can’t conduct a war effort with this much intrigue going on

    Ukronaziland 2024

    .

    #151873
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Biden’s strategy

    1. Get as many illegals in the country as possible.
    2. Legalize them to create a permanent majority – a one-party state.

    That the main dish but the side dish from the Tucker/Weinstein interview:

    Why the secretive deluxe Chinese camps in Panama? Segregated from the other poorer camps.

    Why use the poor teeming masses tyearning to be ‘free’ to obscure the Chinese players (and ‘other’ immigrant nationalities) ?

    There are a few more major puzzle pieces not revealed as yet.

    .

    #151874
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Ahhh, the F-35 Lard Bucket

    Sub-sonic not stealth to Russian radar ultra high maintenance boondoggle.

    Typical ‘product’ of the Military Industrial Mafia©

    The Empire of Lies Gangster Nation can not produce ‘weapons system’ that perform either well or as promoted because the systemic graft is so all encompassing that there are simply too many:

    Hands of Gimme and Mouthfuls of Much Obliged

    Profit before performance

    Every congressional district get a Piece of Cake, as a ‘control grid’ to approve ever larger budget yearly appropriations for the Military Industrial Mafia but the whole Rube Goldberg contraption functions like blind men with their hair on fire.

    The Empire of Lies Gangster Nation has no real industrial base that can go toe to toe with Russia’s industrial base.

    It can NEVER produce any weapons system at scale because of base corruption.

    The Empire of Lies Gangster Nation Military Mafia is a Walmart masquerading as a Chuck E. Cheese!

    Hahahahahahahahahaahahaha!

    Hence the steaming pile of turd like the F-35

    Only good for kicking 3rd world folks in wheelchairs and bombing shepherds.

    The Russia AD would toast it like a marshmallow


    The Empire of Lies Gangster Nation Military Mafia

    Thy Name is Clueless

    Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahaha!

    .

    #151875
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Hoeing for Boeing

    The latest ‘weapons system’ to be foisted on dumber than dirt NATO countries

    Sweden and Finland are creaming themselves to get their cold wanker hands on this Baby!

    .

    #151876
    Oroboros
    Participant

    .

    #151877
    Dr. D
    Participant

    Had to repost yesterday’s just now.

    Joe Tzu:
    Yes, there’s a weird thing with war, where this is very often done. This is to keep things UNDER CONTROL. If you just suddenly bombed Tehran or Base X, and Iran was like “Hey I didn’t mean Base X! That’s over the line, you idiots! Now I’m bombing Philly!” THAT is why you tell them. That means it is still under control.

    As yesterday, Joe says he’s keeping it under control by telling them. He’s now ASKING China, Russia, Saudi, all these guys to intervene at our command. Hahhahaha. Surely, you jest. You’re AT WAR with them, you SAID you are at war with them, Joe SAID it’s a war, high gas prices for war, all BRIICS, and now you want all BRIICS to INTERVENE? Hahahaha. And that’s SO you can mass-exterminate 2M brown children? In public? Hahahaha…not funny.

    But that’s not all the Stupid! No! The stupid has just begun! As I said yesterday, Joe is “Controlling the spread of the war in the Middle East vs Iran” by…bombing THREE NEW COUNTRIES that are not Iran. Brilliant! Genius!

    Oh AND telling them ahead of time, although they already know. So the bombing of three new countries will have zero military purpose.

    So their thing, on the phone, to Iran is: “Hi, um, Iran? Ayatollah? Yeah, pal, guy, you know since we had that totally, TOTALLY illegal base stealing – you know, ALL youse guys’ oil – and you shot only THREE people in it…well it’s an election year and you know we can’t just let that pass, we have to bomb you.

    So could you just be a pal and just LET US bomb you all day over that totally illegal base and not do anything back? Yeah, man, it’d totally be a Solid.”

    Um: How about NO?

    So EACH level of this, AND the asking is stupider than the last. But that’s Joe. And our anti-American strategy there, run by Tel-Aviv and London.

    “Elon Musk: Biden’s strategy is very simple: 1. Get as many illegals in the country as possible. 2. Legalize them to create a permanent majority – a one-party state. That is why they are encouraging so much illegal immigration. Simple, yet effective.”

    Sure, but as stated here, there are just SO MANY options once you add 5 new queens to the chessboard. Or 25! Suppose lots of terror attacks, but only on Red states and voting sites? Suppose Americans start shooting them whenever the illegals beat up police and rape people? Oh noes. How about mass conscription or deputization? How about Martial Law and THEN activating them, as, in effect, our WHOLE NEW COUNTRY, and anyone formerly a citizen is now a non-citizen with non-rights, like a permanent #The Purge #OppositeDay?

    Or they, congress, CIA, FBI, can all just admit all their crimes, say “Ya got me” and all be hung. Yeahhhhh, my guess is not.

    “The civil war has begun and the Dems started it.”

    Maybe. But most Blue PEOPLE didn’t know that. Or still (arg!!!). Also ¾ of Republicans were in on it, where Bush started it off with their coming out party as the Patriot Act was a literal re-print of the law after the Reichstag fire. What is good – almost amazing really – was that the Red hats did NOT shoot back, which would have made it all work correctly. Just IMAGINE if both sides were shooting equally, local, state, and Federal level. With this level of Christian forbearance, it’s become overwhelmingly obvious only ONE side is running a war op, and the other side is trying everything to not. That sucks super hard, but it’s a GOOD thing.

    And Democrats? We can probably fix this still if we could get rid of the Blue Republicans like Cheney and Haley and Graham.

    Teacher:
    I’m not sure this guy learned or believes anything, he’s just accommodating himself to the speaker in front of him. When he leaves and meets someone against Rowling, he’ll reverse again. You can see him testing out “What do YOU think? (Mr. Authority) What’s therefore safe for ME to believe?” However, doing this thing causes one, the Logic and #Logos will make a quick, straight line that doesn’t conflict, and the other will make a crooked, broken line that’s confusing. If allowed to experience both over time, the mind will just gravitate to the quick and working. ‘Cause we’re lazy, and God is the Tao, the Wu Wei, the flow and Not-doing. That’s why they have to violently suppress exposure to #Logos wherever it appears, and why it’s a RELIGIOUS war, not a political one. But although that works, for them that takes infinity energy to stop infinity #Reality, and fails.

    I’m not too bent up about it since once you allow opinions, a minute later someone will have a dumb one.

    ““If we ‘do not seek conflict,’ then let’s get the troops out of there..”

    We do not seek conflict. Which is why we occupy three or more countries there, steal their oil, then bombed three more. That’s #Peace!

    “Israel vs. Hezbollah: A New War Will Consume The Entire Middle East (Sadygzade)

    So it seems at this point. Who would back down? If Biden backs down, I approve, and we withdraw all our assets, I approve, but then by definition they will have “Won the war” and “We Lost.” I still approve. That’s what happens when you start a war with no strategy and no army. And also no POINT. So the CIA can self-fund black money? That’s not a reason.

    “It took about six hours of negotiations and meetings for Israeli officials to back down, WSJ sources said.”

    The WSJ and major media source reported it, that means it’s 1) True. 2) False.

    WaPo also claims they were in the room and know exactly each line of what Ze said to Zaluzhny. Suuuure they did. And then Ze had to call Washington to tell THEM. First: why? I thought they were a sovereign country running their own war, and Second: Suuuuure you did. I’m sure Nuland and Bill Burns had nooooo idea their own hand-picked man Budanov was doing this.

    There’s actual trend to this: CIA, via their fake Amazon payoffs, is the leaker to WaPo. State Dept, I think is the historic leaker to WSJ, etc. I you know inside baseball you can follow it, but I don’t care.

    This article is saying “Biden is the peace candidate, because he bombed three new countries.” Yeah, um, No? And I don’t have to know who was the leaker or whether it’s true or false to make that conclusion.

    “• Biden’s Justification For Hitting Iran Puts NATO Troops in Danger (Sp.)

    Again each day: it’s almost like Biden is working for the other side, for the America First team. I mean, there’s nothing I can add to what he’s doing. This is the fastest, most permanent way for us to withdraw home and have it be permanent.

    “• Staffers Speaking Out Shows How ‘Morally Bankrupt’ Biden Admin Has Grown (Sp.)

    There is nothing I can add. Or like “Hot mic” (they are ALWAYS hot) on Joy Bahar saying, “Not another f—ing war…” Of course she SAID it, the point is someone LEAKED it, and the press POSTED it. She’s always SAID it. You don’t actually think they, Bahar, the View, Maddow, actually BELIEVE any of that s—t they say, do you? O’Rielly doesn’t nor any of the Murdoch posse back to 1992.

    “While the US admits that it has no evidence Iran helped plan the attack”

    I’m sure that’ll be G-R-E-A-T at the ICJ Court. “Why did you kill this man?” “He looked at me funny.” “Your Honor, CLEARLY nothing but the best reasons and intent were used here. I move to dismiss.”

    “This is the way we’ve been conducting ourselves since… 2003 when we invaded Iraq.”

    That’s 25 years, when was the USS Liberty? 1968? That’s FIFTY. So how long? When? Why? Whut? Israel is only 80 years old, so that’s like … Day One? But there ain’t nothin’ going on. It’s all a conspiracy theory I tell you. …As we give them $15B more DURING a genocide. They’re going to spend it on halvah and toaster strudel! And not Nikki Hillary’s arms manufacturers at all!

    • US House to Vote on Israel-only Aid Bill – Speaker (RT)

    Tough call. That bill sucks, no one should vote, but they DID have a single-issue. If you don’t like it, vote against.

    “Carlson himself told Swiss outlet Die Weltwoche that he had been prevented from setting up an interview with Putin by the White House.”

    How? On what basis for what law? If Putin sits down at a cafe table, is he supposed to run away?

    “• Good Money After Bad: Where Will EU Funds for Ukraine Come From? (Sp.)”

    From our enemies of course: from European farmers. And the money goes TO our friends: Guys making kiddie porn apps on tiktok. Anyone making the new Grenade Craigslist or AngelasList for Sweden. “Tired of old, used grenades and kerosene that’s unreliable? Call 1-800-‘Merkel’ today! Our deals are burning hot! Murder almost. It would be a crime not to call!”

    “The Ukrainian Armed Forces are massively conscripting people who are unfit for military service for health and age reasons,”

    Since they’re not going to do anything but die it hardly matters. The WaPo/CIA leak inside the Zaluzhny office said he needed 400,000 more men TODAY, and don’t expect any good news in 2024 from the war. Al-rightie then.

    he is 57 years old. He also has health problems… So where can he fight? How should he go on the assaults?”

    Meh. I bet if you attacked the U.S. Population a whole lot of 57 year olds would shoot back. They might be a major threat, even with heart attacks, certainly more than men under 20 in high heels.

    “If the reports of what is tantamount to a refusal to obey the lawful order of his civilian commander in chief are true, General Zaluzhny has opened a pandora’s box which, if left unresolved, could lead to the rapid unravelling of Ukraine’s civilian-controlled government and open the door for the emergence of a government that is either subordinated to the will of the Ukrainian military, or which has been replaced by a military junta.”

    Zu knows that, which is why he did it in this SPECIFIC way, and has been trying to prompt Ze to try it for months.

    “Companies based in Taiwan have sold Russia more than $20 million in advanced equipment that can be used for weapons production, Washington Post has claimed,”

    WaPo. Said by an adult American. Therefore it is 1) True. 2) False. What is this “Advanced” equipment in an amount of $20M that wouldn’t even fill one shipping container and could be carried by hand on a city bus? Pokemon games? Oh CNC tools! Oh in that case, I can’t order them on Amazon or anything.

    I CAN ORDER BUBONIC PLAGUE through the mail, and you’re worried about 4 servos and their rubber bands? GTFO here with that stuff.

    So anyway, “Why am I reading this?” 1) Keep the pot stirring. 2) One group is using the government to destroy their competition, the whole POINT of government and regulation.

    “ Florida Sends Troops to Stop Migrant ‘Invasion’ (RT)

    Okay, great, now Florida is defenseless? A lot of PR and show, Narrative for the People here.

    Luongo interview, and general motif, and on Twitter, “They want us to believe things are worse than they are.” It’s all a tool, a campaign of demoralization. Remember that Russian defector Yuri Bezmenov? No hope = no action.

    “Biden signed a flurry of executive orders repealing former President Donald Trump’s immigration restrictions.”

    I’m not actually sure they were “restrictions”, NPR writers at RT. Also the President can’t pass and un-pass laws. Did you not know? Embarrassing you didn’t pass 4th grade and not even Saturday Morning Cartoons where they showed, “I’m Just a Bill”. But for all of those who missed “Reality” for 40 years, here it is:

    Or a SNL duplicate sketch which is literally an immigration bill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUDSeb2zHQ0

    “I’m an Executive Order, and I pretty much just happen…” That’s it! That’s the whole thing! Thanks President Obama!! Maybe the real headline here is they criticized Obama?

    “Initial estimates suggest a 0.3% decline in GDP in 2023, positioning Germany as the only major industrialized nation in the red. Germany’s national debt saw an increase of about €48 billion, reaching almost €2.6 trillion.”

    All government Debt = GDP. That’s it! We can literally pay people to burn down their own houses, tear up the streets and plant thistles and it’s “Profit”. That’s Capitalism! Right boys? That’s our “Accurate measurement.”

    “an alarming two out of three German companies have partially relocated their operations abroad due to the country’s ongoing energy crisis. This trend is particularly pronounced in critical sectors,”

    Like the guy who jumped off the building: “So far so good!” And that’s Socialism in a nutshell. Yes it works: AT FIRST. That’s why is sells so well. …Aaaaaand then they run out of “Other people’s money” and everybody dies. Like Canada and they got it MAID. Extended fully to the depressed and mentally ill. Get a doctor’s appointment? Not for a year, but here’s the MAID hotline today! And 36 hour waits at the ER. Can you go somewhere else? NOPE. Not in the U.S. either, although the rules are softer and there are like ONE exception, Voluntary cash surgery in Oklahoma for example. Good luck finding one, it’s 100,000:1 megacorp and insurance vs cash doctors. But IN THEORY we’re free, and THEORY is a great place to live since everything works there. In REALITY Pfizer and Excellus will ORDER the State of Texas to arrest any Doctors givin’ me lip. Ask John Day.

    “F-35 Jet Fails to Meet Basic Operating Standards in 65 Areas (Sp.)

    Don’t worry: I’m sure Russia and China will wait while we catch up.

    “Just yesterday, we saw plummeting birth rates everywhere.
    • India Vows To Tackle Population Growth Challenges (RT) “

    Population is dropping on its own. That’s why we need to kill everyone! No, really: probably this actually IS Gates, etc, poisoning everything, sterilizing everyone, eating abortions, lowering sperm count, women destroyed and childless at 40. They will think we should thank them for saving our yeast vat. Are they wrong? Careful how you answer.

    “• It’s Not ‘Inflation’ – We’re Just Getting Ripped Off. Here’s Proof. (OW)

    Yes, I just saw them want $100 for me to ship a standard box slow freight. They wanted $25, just FOR THE BOX, then $100 MORE to ship it. I’m not shipping a horse, folks. I can drive it there for that. I could hire an Uber to drive. And your reason is?

    We just said this week: UPS uses “Software” which means nothing works. No one in the company works. No one in the management works. So 90% of everything they do is waste and they did better back when they used a typewriter and a chalkboard. Yes, prices have gone up, but not 3-fold. Oil is $80 not $180.

    It’s actually worse: not only am — I — getting ripped off, nobody’s getting a yacht either. They’re just blowing the money like 100 monkeys flinging poo at a typewriter. #Winning! OR: We could all do the obvious, and MAKE money. Just sayin’.

    “The hyper-consolidated diaper industry is dominated by just two companies, Procter & Gamble and Kimberly-Clark,”

    Zero competition. That’s Capitalism! Just like Sherman Anti-Trust always dreamed of!

    Well, that settles it: Morgan Freeman is a racist.

    “Americans’ passive acceptance of their government’s role in genocide is their personal approval.”

    Points are well-taken but Americans SHOULDN’T care about anyone else. They’re supposed to stay at home. We then vote for ANYONE who promises peace, reliably. We go to protest and are methodically arrested like a Soviet State because half of every crowd are FBI informants. They’ve been keeping records and infiltrating the QUAKERS for 100 years, since J Edgar. We literally saw them be 13 of 15 provocateurs, the two real guys being broke as s—t, minimum wage, living in an unheated basement office, offered $5,000 just to buy some fireworks, AND REFUSED. They were arrested anyway.

    So exactly what approach would you like us to take? Everything we’re supposed to do: talk, vote, not join the army, we’re doing. As We the People are the herd, we cannot just have one gazelle jump out and frolic with the lions. Or as we discovered, 600,000 gazelles jumping out and frolicking with the DC sharks. Still wasn’t enough, as we already knew, which is why it was only 600k, and totally unarmed, AND only for a sanctioned, permitted Presidentally-protected gathering. NOPE. Not enough. So your strategy demands that Americans go from local city rallies of like 50, as now, to 500,000. Overnight. With no issue, no organization. And that one city won’t be enough, it would have to be all 500,000, in ALL 200 cities, all the SAME day, with no organization or warning to overwhelm them, as they would ABSOLUTELY arrest them even so. Shoot them, and have. Just like Patton and Ike did in the Bonus Army, and gassed their children, 100 years ago.

    And we need to do this for your pet issue, not for our own. FOR somebody else we’ve never met and not the 40,000 per year of our own kids dying. Okay, but that’s not going to work, and it’s not going to happen. Let’s focus on what CAN work, and what CAN happen.

    “Under capitalism, man exploits man.
    Under communism, it’s just the opposite.” ~ John Kenneth Galbraith

    Gosh I love that one.

    #151878
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Watty Pipers classic kids story of ‘can-do’ determination of that little train has issued a new SMO edition dedicated the NATO with a Special Shout Out of de-industrializing Germany!

    I remember the original book as a kid, it was inspirational!

    .

    #151879
    zerosum
    Participant

    (D) …………………………………. ! (R)
    My way……………………………. ! Your way.
    Right way ……………………….. ! Wrong way.
    For ………………………………… ! Against.
    Positive ………………………….. ! Negative
    USA ………………………………. ! Others
    Democracy …………………….. ! Dictatorship.
    Defense …………………………. ! Attack.
    Genocide ……………………….. ! Ceasefire.
    10 million new citizens ……….. ! 10 million illegal immigrants.
    Cheap labor ……………………… ! Slavery.
    Income …………………………….. ! Taxes.
    Revenue …………………………. ! Expenses.
    Rich ……………………………….. ! Poor.
    Housing ………………………….. ! Prison.
    —————-
    https://swentr.site/news/591769-kennedy-slams-usa-strikes-iraq-syria/
    RFK Jr slams American attacks on Syria and Iraq
    The US presidential candidate urged Washington to get “unwelcome” troops out of the Middle East
    ———–
    https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/31/chris-hedges-the-silence-of-the-damned/
    Chris Hedges: The Silence of the Damned
    Our leading humanitarian and civic institutions, including major medical institutions, refuse to denounce Israel’s genocide in Gaza. This exposes their hypocrisy and complicity.
    ——————

    #151880
    Oroboros
    Participant

    And since it’s Sunday, a brief message on the topic of Faith

    Too much goin’ on in da world, too many moving parts to decode

    .

    #151881
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Sorry to keep harping on the O’keefe reams out White House Cyber Security Chieftain

    But …..I think the Big Story here is that NOTHING is decided in the White House about ANYTHING

    Like ever..

    Yeh, you got that right, the ‘White House’ is merely a set location, all hat no cattle kinda thing.

    TS. as Eliot would say…..

    The Hollow Men

    We are the hollow men
    We are the stuffed men
    Leaning together
    Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
    Our dried voices, when
    We whisper together
    Are quiet and meaningless
    As wind in dry grass
    Or rats’ feet over broken glass
    In our dry cellar……

    Mistah Kurtz-he dead
    A penny for the Old Guy

    Colonel Kurtz

    .

    #151882
    zerosum
    Participant

    https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-uk-aggression-targets-sanaa–a-number-of-governorates–ye

    Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces in the Sanaa government: The American-British aggression aircraft launched 48 air strikes during the past hours, distributed as follows:

    – 13 raids on Amanat Al-Asimah and Sana’a Governorate.
    – 9 raids on Hodeidah Governorate.
    – 11 raids on Taiz Governorate.
    – 7 raids on Al Bayda Governorate.
    – 7 raids on Hajjah Governorate.
    – A raid on Saada Governorate.

    These attacks will not deter us from our moral, religious and humanitarian stance in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and will not go unanswered and punished.

    #151883
    phoenixvoice
    Participant

    It’s Not ‘Inflation’ — We’re Just Getting Ripped Off. Here’s Proof.
    Eventually, this behavior by corporate behemoths will sign their death warrants. It creates space for new, efficient firms to operate that are content with slimmer profit margins.

    #151884
    Oroboros
    Participant

    I love the Empire of Lies Military Mafia for shear entertainment value.

    Bellevue, WA Police Department. February 2, 2024

    Bellevue Bomb Squad Responds to Report of a Rocket in Residence

    Yesterday, members of the Bellevue Police Department’s bomb squad responded to a rather unusual call – a report of a military-grade rocket in the garage of a Bellevue residence. Officers later determined the object to be inert.

    .

    On Wednesday evening, Bellevue Police received a call from an Air Force museum in Dayton, Ohio. The museum had received a call from a Bellevue resident who expressed interest in donating an item that had belonged to his deceased neighbor. The man stated that his neighbor had originally purchased the item from an estate sale.

    .

    Yesterday, members of the Bellevue Police patrol division and bomb squad responded to the residence and contacted the neighbor who had called the museum.

    Officers were given access to the reported missile.

    Bomb squad members inspected the object and then learned that it was in fact a Douglas AIR-2 Genie (previous designation MB-1), an unguided air-to-air rocket that is designed to carry a 1.5 kt W25 nuclear warhead.

    There was no warhead attached.

    Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahaha!

    Bomb squad members confirmed that the object was inert and contained no rocket fuel – essentially meaning that the item was an artifact with no explosive hazard.

    Because the item was inert and the military did not request it back, police left the item with the neighbor.

    Stop! Yer killin’ me!

    Duh’merica the Beautiful

    Before it ended up in the neighbor’s garage!

    .

    AIR-2 Genie rocket with a replica nuclear warhead attached.

    #151885
    phoenixvoice
    Participant

    Aspnaz
    Let’s not forget, Gaza could be stopped by Washington, If the American people went to Washington in large enough numbers and demanded an end to the genocide, then it would end…. the active ones would rather drive trucks to the southern border.

    There are “active” folks on both the left and the right. Right-leaning active folks are focusing on protecting the US southern border. And — if my conservative family living in AZ are indicative of the general trend — a large subset of conservative-minded folks have a long history of supporting Israel. My brother-in-law shared with me a video that had carefully cherry-picked data from the past 25years that suggested that the Palestinians had rejected the 2-state solution repeatedly. The video shared facts….but, of course, didn’t include any facts about Israel undermining the 2-state solution or Israel funding Hamas, etc., which is highly relevant to the situation. (I pointed out that, regardless, the run-of-the-mill people of Gaza hadn’t voted in about 15 years, including those who had become adults in that time, and therefore they were largely innocent of any direct responsibility for evidence from the video of not supporting a 2-state solution, and slaughtering these innocents is a travesty, no matter how you look at it.)

    Historically, the “active” segment of the US population that has been sympathetic to Gaza has been the active folks on the left. Now, these folks are in something of a pickle. “Their guy” is in the White House, yet the US is funding
    Israel’s genocidal actions. This is an issue that could fracture the unity of the “Woke” left — and I welcome that happening.

    #151887
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Oregon Supreme Court Blocks 10 Republicans From Running For Reelection

    There’s only 30 Senators in the legislature

    The amendment, Ballot Measure 113, states that lawmakers who miss at least 10 legislative days without an excuse cannot seek reelection.

    The 10 Republicans missed more than 10 legislative days without an excuse

    Woody Allen once said, “80 percent of success is showing up…”

    .

    #151888
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    @DrD From yesterday, comment #151871 ,

    Compare with the SWAT article yesterday. But the police can’t do nothin’! Except shoot anyone they like and get away with it all day for 20 years. But other than that, they’re totally helpless!”

    I think you’re not reading the tea leaves deeply enough on this one, Doc. The cops can NOT shoot anyone they like with impunity like they’ve been doing for 20 years of SWAT supremacy. They can only shoot whoever their BOSSES want shot with total impunity. The cops can NOT shoot illegal immigrants or BLM goon squads or prominent child molesters . . . all of whom have now been guaranteed carte blanche permission and encouragement to fuck up as many cops as they want to (with no fear of punishment).

    In other words, the cops BOSSES are telling the cops in no uncertain terms that any cop who goes off the reservation will be TOAST by shooting any member of the officially protected class. By the phrase “go off the reservation” I mean to say any cop who refuses to shoot good guys and/or tries to shoot bad guys, will be considered to be OFF THE RESERVATION, and subject disciplinary action such as getting their heads kicked senseless by a gang of professional criminal illegal immigrants (who are now part of the PROTECTED class because they’re more than willing to go along with the BOSSES’ agenda.

    #151889
    Celticbiker
    Participant

    All the countries in the world, tiny Yemen is the only 1 to actually do something about this satanicjew blood sacrifice? The rest condone it. Not the people, the muppets “representing” the people. Agenda 21, 30…all signed on. CBDC’s, they all want it. Covid clampdowns and clotshots, they all did it. The humiliation and destruction of Europe and America, the Whites…icing on the cake. Since WW1 and the League of Nations it’s been creeping up on us like a slow rising flood. Now the water is neck high. Goes back to the banks and luciferianjews running them. Thats why no 1 does a fuckin thing about Gaza except watch more people die…murdered, crippled, starved to death. We’re next.

    #151890
    Polemos
    Participant

    D Benton Smith, you said:
    “In other words, the cops BOSSES are telling the cops in no uncertain terms that any cop who goes off the reservation will be TOAST by shooting any member of the officially protected class. By the phrase “go off the reservation” I mean to say any cop who refuses to shoot good guys and/or tries to shoot bad guys, will be considered to be OFF THE RESERVATION, and subject disciplinary action such as getting their heads kicked senseless by a gang of professional criminal illegal immigrants (who are now part of the PROTECTED class because they’re more than willing to go along with the BOSSES’ agenda.”
    If this logic is valid, then doesn’t this also suggest there is no BOSS god who oversees the just and the good and actively brings these about? The kind and the innocent are kicked senseless, and the compassionate and the thoughtful arrested and imprisoned. The governments all reveal their injustice, inhumanity, immorality. The lack of punishment and the inversion of ethics lead one to infer the BOSSES are cruel and mad —for cops and politics and gangs. If this is a worthy inference, it seems reasonable to likewise conclude: the BOSS of BOSSES is cruelest and maddest, the KING of KINGS is worst.

    #151891
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Coincidence Theory rears it’s ugly head

    .

    .

    #151892
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Mean while…..

    Back in the USSA

    .

    #151893
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Regime Change Pedo Jo-Joe Puppet Junta

    Tucker Carlson Spotted In Moscow As Neocons Melt Down Over Potential Putin Interview

    Neocons are going berserk:

    “Perhaps we need a total and complete shutdown of Tucker Carlson re-entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on,” Bill Kristol said.

    X user The Redheaded Libertarian responded to Kristol:

    Barring a journalist from coming home is some KGB shit, Bill.”

    “Tucker Carlson will interview Putin and the media is in panic mode. They’re losing control of the narrative,” another X user said.

    Advice to the Demented Meat Muppet Maggot in the White House:

    .

    #151894
    Oroboros
    Participant

    NeoZioConJobs©

    .

    #151895
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    @Polemos

    doesn’t this also suggest there is no BOSS god who oversees the just and the good and actively brings these about? The kind and the innocent are kicked senseless, and the compassionate and the thoughtful arrested and imprisoned. The governments all reveal their injustice, inhumanity, immorality. The lack of punishment and the inversion of ethics lead one to infer the BOSSES are cruel and mad —for cops and politics and gangs. IF THIS IS A WORTHY INFRENCE [capitalization added by D Benton Smith for emphasis], it seems reasonable to likewise conclude: the BOSS of BOSSES is cruelest and maddest, the KING of KINGS is worst.”

    To respond as succinctly as possible my answer is that the inference you make is NOT valid, and therefore your conclusion from that inference is also logically (and actually) false.

    I think that the most serious flaw in your proposed logic is the leap from Civil Police Force political wangling to Theological Philosophy without touching the ground anywhere in between.

    The Creator of the Universe seems to have bequeathed Free Will to its various more or less sentient inhabitants, like thee and me for example. That means we are free to be wrong and evil, if we so choose, and thus free to invariably experience the inevitable consequences of being wrong in a Universe that follows the law of cause and effect.

    Does that provision of absolute free will make the Boss of Bosses cruel and mad, or does it simply mean that the Boss of Bosses is intractably DEPENDABLE ?

    #151896
    zerosum
    Participant

    Who cares. Football is on.

    ICJ Rules Against Ukraine on Terrorism, MH17


    ICJ Rules Against Ukraine on Terrorism, MH17
    February 1, 2024

    In a blow to Ukraine, the World Court ruled Russia didn’t finance terrorism in Donbass and the court refused to blame Moscow for the downing of Flight MH17.

    By Joe Lauria

    #151897
    aspnaz
    Participant

    Dr D said

    And we need to do this for your pet issue, not for our own. FOR somebody else we’ve never met and not the 40,000 per year of our own kids dying.

    My “pet issues” is that the murderer should maybe take responsibility for the person they murder? Maybe consider not murdering them? Meanwhile you are championing the murderer’s children, that he should care about them first and treat the person he is murdering as a “pet issue”?

    Americans take no responsibility for the actions of their government yet in the same breath celebrate their “greatest democracy on earth” while singing something about land of the brave and free, or some such nonsense.

    You all live under huge delusions, the pretense you have built around yourselves that you are anything other than slaves; the white simply joined the blacks and are now owned by the Jews. Your standard of living is so shite compared to rest of the developed world, you don’t even have affordable healthcare, yet you do nothing to save yourselves, you are impotent through your own choice.

    You are the weak link in the western world, the biggest western country, yet the people are the least likely to save anything, despite all the talk about guns, spending the most killing foreign people, while most of you don’t want to get involved, would never use those guns in anger, don’t even hold a passport and your leaders don’t even know the difference between China and Singapore. Retarded.

    #151898
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Hair Sniffing Pedophile Jo-Joe

    Breaking News:

    Joe Biden’s approval rating is the lowest of any president in the history of the United States.

    Biden’s January approval rating held the worst net approval rating in a US president’s history, with a loss of nearly -17.2 points.

    But Joe Biden got 81 million votes in 2020, right?

    With numbers like these, do you believe Pedo Biden will be the Democrat candidate for 2024?

    .

    #151899
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    I think that there is far too little attention being paid to the speculated upcoming interview of Vladimir Putin by Tucker Carlson.

    I think this for a number of reasons, but the most solidly real of those reasons is the fact that Tucker Carlson is actually in Moscow, going to various places just like a free man doing as he pleases, AND NOBODY STOPPED HIM FROM DOING THAT.

    Think about that for a moment. The deep state absolutely hates Carlson because he reports truthful things about them. That same deep state hates Putin even worse because he is winning the Great Game (despite their most desperate efforts to crush him) and Putin too tends to report dangerously truthful things about them.

    And yet the American “powers that be” (such as they pathetically are) did not stop Carlson (their most hated reporter) from going to the home city of their most feared enemy to meet for the presumed purpose of saying a whole new LEVEL of dangerously, painfully, truthfully new things about America being SO WEAK AND HELPLESS that it could not even stop that event from taking place.

    Tucker wasn’t ANTIFA’ed, de-passported, arrested, shot down accidentally over the North Atlantic, or even seriously criticized in the press.

    Add to this the fact that Putin OBVIOUSLY wanted Tucker to show up, else Tucker would not have been permitted to even cross the Russian border (much less be welcomed with open arms . . . which is how he is being received and entertained.)

    Here’s what I think is going on. I think that the Russian-Yankee War is now over (it’s been predictably unwinnable from the start.) Spoiler: America got it’s head handed to it on a platter. The terms of the Peace Treaty have been energetically negotiated to Putin’s satisfaction and Tucker is now in Moscow to announce those results to the slumbering American general public and the rest of the world.

    Russia chose Carlson as the means of communication because not only does he have the largest audience in the world, but the world knows and believes him as a Truth Teller even when they don’t like what he says.

    My estimate is that the terms of surrender are going to be VERY firm, but surprisingly more benevolent and acceptable than the West has any reasonable reason to expect. It certainly doesn’t deserve good treatment, considering that it has behaved monstrously, had its ass RESOUNDINGLY whupped in all theaters of conflict, and has consequently been forced to surrender pretty much unconditionally.

    Sounds kinda “out there”, I know, but if my analysis is anywhere close to being correct then we are about to hear in unambiguous language what shall be the short and medium term fate of the planet Earth.

    And it’s not going to be as bad as you probably thought it was.

    #151900
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    @DrD

    Don’t bother to take what @aspnaz says very seriously. He’s TRYING to think but so far can’t seem to get much further than adolescent absolutism, which allows very few shades of gray, and absolutely no capacity to consider (or even imagine) that there are thoughts or minds or truths existing at levels any higher than his own. (they don’t call such thinking “sophomoric” for no reason.)

    He IS trying, but needs more practice and experience, which he is certainly getting a fair share of here!

    #151901
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    Oh, and to preempt aspnaz’s outrage at my perceived slight to his cognitive prowess, let me say that I do not disrespect him in the least. In fact I have a rather high regard for him and his potential to eventually learn how to think soundly. If I thought he was a weak sister delicate flower I wouldn’t be so blunt in calling out his errors for precisely what they are.

    He’s tough, and pugnacious, too. He’ll get pissed off, flash back a snotty (and poorly considered) reply and in so doing will reveal yet another of those wrong-headed notions that can be taken up and corrected in it’s turn. It’s a step-by-step process, that is doubtlessly quite annoying for him, but entertaining and encouraging for the rest of us. Hang in there, aspnaz. You’ll get there.

    #151902
    Curlene48
    Participant

    Since the post of January 29, I have been meaning to thank Dora for posting the video at comment # 151407. This is a must-watch as far as I am concerned, about the southern border issue. I had no idea about much of the information shown in this video. Yikes.

    #151903
    zerosum
    Participant

    https://sputnikglobe.com/20240205/us-senate-releases-118bln-bipartisan-deal-on-border-security-ukraine-israel-aid-1116591563.html
    US Senate Releases $118Bln Bipartisan Deal on Border Security, Ukraine, Israel Aid

    The draft text of the bill proposes some $60 billion in additional aid for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel.
    The legislation includes $48.43 billion to provide Ukraine with military training, intelligence sharing, increased US presence in the European Command area of responsibility, and other US support activities through December 31, 2024.
    According to a summary of the spending, some $19.85 billion would go toward replenishing US military weapons and equipment provided to Ukraine from US stockpiles, $13.8 billion to allow Ukraine to rearm itself through the purchase of weapons and munitions from the US defense industrial base.
    Some $14.8 billion would be used for the continued US support to Ukraine through military training, intelligence sharing, increased presence, and other support activities, the summary stated.
    The bill also includes $7.85 billion for direct budget support to Ukraine.
    The proposed bill
    also includes $8 million for the US Defense Department Inspector General (IG) to continue to exercise oversight over US assistance to Ukraine.
    US President Joe Biden supported the bill, urging Congress to swiftly pass it.

    #151904
    WES
    Participant

    NS2 Redux

    Patient: Doc, I have a gas leak problem.

    Patient: Two days ago, I had lunch with the President and had 5 silent gas leaks. Yesterday, I had supper with the Secretary of State and had 4 silent gas leaks. And while waiting in your waiting room, I had 3 more silent gas leaks.

    Patient: Doc, this is becoming a serious problem. What can you do to help me?

    Doc: First, we are going to conduct a hearing test!

    #151905
    aspnaz
    Participant

    D Benton Smith said

    Oh, and to preempt aspnaz’s outrage at my perceived slight to his cognitive prowess …

    You could never outrage me DBS, you are far too clever for that. You are hiding your absense of totalism behind a mock “shades of gray” excuse. Killing babies in Gaza is for you a “shade of gray” while for me, well I suffer from totalism when it comes to murdering innocent babies and their innocent mothers.

    When police officers are shot by black people in the hood, do you think it would be appropriate for the police to take a few bombs and start demolishing buildings in the hood? Killing random black people because you punish innocent blacks for black crime, same as you punish innocent Palestinians for Palestinian crimes? You know, punish the blacks because some black guy killed a cop? Is that also one of your “shades of gray”? Utilising racism for group punishment? Another shade of gray?

    Starting from a position of “shades of gray” is starting from no position at all; begging for concessions before negotiations have even started; maybe that is because you already taste your guilt?

    Posturing your “shades of gray” as the unstated “I am too clever to believe in any principles”. Hopeless, you are so American, it oozes out of you. Did you notice how your Jesus did not start from “shades of gray”? He moved to shades of gray using “grace” but he held very totalist views. Maybe you could read up about him, after all you say you have a spiritual bent.

    #151929
    John Day
    Participant

    Kennedy selling MAGA hats:
    MAGA Kennedy

Viewing 37 posts - 1 through 37 (of 37 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.