Jan 132025
 
 January 13, 2025  Posted by at 10:52 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,


Pablo Picasso Self portrait 1906

 

Trump Blew The Overton Window So Wide Open, Anything Seems Possible (Peters)
Trump’s Plan For Greenland ‘Not A Crazy Idea’ – Former Top NATO Commander (RT)
Greenland ‘Most Welcome’ To Join US – Musk (RT)
Trump Energizes Greenland Independence Movement (Mish)
Trump: California Fires ‘One Of The Worst Catastrophes’ In US History (JTN)
Ukraine Must Acknowledge Territorial ‘Reality’ – Trump Adviser Waltz (RT)
Biden Laying Russia Sanctions Trap For Trump – WaPo (RT)
Anti-Russian Sanctions Killing German Companies – Wagenknecht (RT)
Poles Tired Of Ukrainians – Defense Minister (RT)
The Walls Close in on Zelensky (Jim Rickards)
In the Western World You Become Respectable by Selling Out the People (PCR)
Weaponizing Law Enforcement Against Americans (Spivak)
Tulsi Gabbard Now Supports FISA-702 to Get Confirmed as Head of DNI (CTH)
Biden Eyes Preemptive Pardons Amid Trump’s Return (RT)
Vance Says Trump Won’t Issue Pardons for Violent Jan. 6 Defendants (ET)
Biden Calls Meta Decision to End Fact-Checking Program ‘Really Shameful’ (ET)

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1878102416429883684

Cali Fire

How Trump was made a felon. Listen well.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1878395613018026473

JD
https://twitter.com/i/status/1878456747850956958

Tucker Newsom

 

 

 

 

 

 

“..the feasibility of a policy idea depends not on its inherent merits but on whether it falls within the range of public acceptance..”

Trump Blew The Overton Window So Wide Open, Anything Seems Possible (Peters)

“Wayne, would you like to be governor of Canada?” asked Trump, speaking with his buddy Gretzky, tugging at the Overton Window with all his might. “MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN,” the President-Elect tweeted on Truth Social, sending his oldest son north with a box of red hats. He wouldn’t rule out taking the Panama Canal by force. And with each such suggestion, the window widened further. The Overton Window is a concept in political science and sociology that refers to the range of policies or ideas considered acceptable in public discourse at a given time. Like most things in life, I learned about it rather late. “We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring that covers a lot of territory, the Gulf of America. What a beautiful name,” Trump said at Mar-a-Lago, prying the window open so wide that nearly anything seems possible, plausible, probable.

Say such things enough times, amplify the words using our AI-enabled social media machines, and presto, nothing’s shocking. But not only that, AI will soon converge with quantum computing. “The Willow processor performed a computation in under five minutes that would take one of today’s fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years. It lends credence to the notion that quantum computation occurs in many parallel universes, in line with the idea that we live in a multiverse,” wrote Google, presenting its latest breakthrough, cracking our perception of reality. As the window widens fully, not only is nothing impossible, but almost anything can seem reasonable. The right and left tails of every distribution lengthen and fatten. And we are left unanchored, adrift, in an endless sea of wild possibility, volatility. “I’m going to give you a report on drones about one day into the administration, because I think it’s ridiculous that they’re not telling you about what’s going on with the drones,” pledged the President-Elect.

Windows. John Overton posited that ideas travel through stages, moving from being seen as extreme or unthinkable to becoming widely accepted and adopted as policy. Democracy was once considered unthinkable. Universal suffrage too. Emancipation. Most things that matter have traveled this path.

Here are Overton’s six stages:
• Unthinkable – outside of acceptable thought.
• Radical – at the edge of discussion.
• Acceptable – starting to gain traction.
• Sensible – reasonable and widely discussed.
• Popular – widely supported.
• Policy – acted upon and implemented.

Overton introduced this framework to describe how the feasibility of a policy idea depends not on its inherent merits but on whether it falls within the range of public acceptance. He argued that public policy is constrained by this “window” of acceptable ideas and politicians tend to stay within the window to maintain public support. But what was yesterday’s unthinkable can become tomorrow’s policy as the window widens, shifts left, or right. And what moves the window is naturally tied into one of life’s great mysteries, the superorganism we call humanity. Overton’s framework helps us make sense of society, markets too, risks, opportunities. I try to look at emerging investment themes through this lens. With each move of the window, power structures shift, capital flows adjust, new winners emerge, incumbents struggle or fail. The nimble survive, thrive.

With such stakes, those with influence are desperate to guide the process. Politicians, propagandists, business leaders, religious leaders, union bosses, authors, artists, athletes, advocacy groups, lobbyists, social media influencers, and now AI. There was a time, not so long ago when it was radical or even unthinkable to call network news fake. No longer. And now we openly joke about Canada becoming our 51st state. Where that leads is anyone’s guess, but the window has widened. Greenland’s Prime Minister announced today that he’s ready to speak with Trump. I started trading in 1989 and never in that time has the Overton Window shifted this rapidly across so many dimensions. There’s no precedent for it in modern history. And this dynamic is becoming a new market fundamental.

But it’s not just Trump. Javier Millei has thrown open an anti-statist libertarian window that had been nailed shut for as long as I’ve been alive. Argentina had the best performing stock market in the world last year. This is breathtaking change. And in roughly two short years, we went from the FTX apocalypse to serious talk of strategic sovereign Bitcoin reserves. That window is wide open. Intertwined with both Millei and Bitcoin is radical talk of sovereign insolvency throughout the western world. Before it’s over, make no mistake, we’ll be talking about massive entitlement cuts. But for today, that idea is stuck in the unthinkable stage.

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The best idea for Greenland?!

Trump’s Plan For Greenland ‘Not A Crazy Idea’ – Former Top NATO Commander (RT)

US President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to acquire Greenland from Denmark is not a “crazy idea,” former NATO supreme allied commander in Europe, James Stavridis, has said. He, however, dismissed the possibility of military intervention, instead advocating for economic engagement as a means to strengthen ties with the region. Speaking at ‘The Cats Roundtable’ with John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 radio on Sunday, the retired admiral described Greenland as a “strategic goldmine for the United States,” highlighting its geopolitical position and abundant natural resources. “It sits at the very top of the North Atlantic. It protects approaches to our own country – the Atlantic Ocean – so it is geographically very important,” Stavridis said. He added that the region is rich in rare minerals and likely has vast oil and gas deposits.

“And it’s huge, a huge land mass. It’s three times the size of Texas,” he said, agreeing with the host that Greenland is “almost a better deal than Alaska.” “And here’s my point. We already almost bought Greenland,” Stavridis said. “We almost bought it at the same time when we bought Alaska, back in the 1860s. So it’s not a crazy idea.” The former NATO commander ruled out using “military force to attack Greenland or Denmark,” arguing that the US should focus on economic engagement to counter Russian and Chinese influence in the region. “We could do an awful lot in terms of business, investment, box out the Russians, box out the Chinese, and work very closely with Greenland,” he said. He added that Greenland “doesn’t have to become the 51st state, but it could certainly be an economic objective for us.”

Trump first floated the idea of purchasing Greenland in 2019, a proposal that was swiftly rejected by Danish and Greenlandic officials. He revived the idea last month, describing the ownership of the Arctic island as an absolute necessity” for US security. Greenlandic pro-independence prime minister, Mute Egede, ruled out selling the island but said on Friday that he was “ready to talk” with Trump. “We have a desire to be the master of our own house,” he said. Although Denmark rejected Trump’s proposal, Copenhagen has reportedly floated to Trump the possibility of boosting US military presence on Greenland, which already hosts an American base. A self-governing Danish territory since 1979, Greenland has gradually been pursuing greater sovereignty. The island currently has its own government, but Denmark retains control over foreign affairs and defense.

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US needs an arctic base.

Greenland ‘Most Welcome’ To Join US – Musk (RT)

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has expressed support for Greenland potentially becoming part of the United States, after incoming President Donald Trump renewed interest in acquiring the Danish self-governed island. Musk made the remarks on Sunday, writing on X: “If the people of Greenland want to be part of America, which I hope they do, they would be most welcome!” In doing so, he was responding to a recent poll by the University of Copenhagen indicating that the majority of Greenlanders favor independence. Musk’s comments came after Trump voiced support for the acquisition of the island, describing it as an “absolute necessity” and a “national security” matter. The president-elect first suggested purchasing Greenland during his first term in 2019, but the idea went nowhere at the time due to opposition both from Greenland and Denmark.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede has rejected the possibility of selling the island to the US, but said on Friday that “we are ready to talk” with Trump. He noted that “we have a desire for independence, a desire to be the master of our own house… This is something everyone should respect.” On Saturday, Axios reported, citing sources, that Denmark, Washington’s NATO ally, had sent “private messages” to Trump signaling that it is open to discussing boosting US military presence in Greenland. The island of about 60,000 people is already home to a US military base and plays a key role in NATO’s defense because of its strategic location, which allows it to control vital Arctic shipping lanes that are gradually becoming more navigable due to global warming.

An autonomous territory of Denmark since 1979, Greenland has been gradually seeking more sovereignty. The island currently has its own government, but Denmark retains control over foreign affairs and defense. A 2019 poll indicated that 67.8% of Greenlanders favor independence from Denmark within the next two decades.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1878454609720606735

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They’ll always depend on someone. Just got to choose who.

Trump Energizes Greenland Independence Movement (Mish)

The Wall Street Journal reports “Trump’s Talk of Buying Greenland Energizes Island’s Independence Movement”. “Greenland is a self-ruling part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Danish government says it is willing to grant Greenland full independence if there is local support, and recent Greenlandic elections and polls indicate there is. Trump’s recent threat of a trade war with Denmark is changing the negotiating dynamic, says Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies. The Danish government now might be more open to agreeing a divorce deal that includes some continued payments to ease Greenland’s path to independence, he says. “My prognosis is that the Danish government will accept it in the next few years,” he says.

“An independent Greenland would then be free to forge its own security or economic ties with the U.S., Denmark or anyone else. In April, Greenland goes to the polls in a vote that could fire the starter gun on independence for the territory of 57,000 people. The last time elections were held, pro-independence parties got 80% of the vote. The prime minister of Greenland made a New Year’s address to the nation saying that a draft constitution for the country has been prepared and that the independence process should be triggered. “It is now time to take the next step for our country,” Múte Egede said. “Like other countries in the world, we must work to remove the obstacles to cooperation—which we can describe as the shackles of the colonial era—and move on.”

“A 2009 Danish law lays out how Greenland can take the first step in the process: It must notify the Danish government, the two must negotiate a divorce agreement and the deal must then be ratified by a referendum in Greenland. The Greenlandic government has commissioned legal experts to work out the details of how step one would work with a two- year deadline. Pro-independence campaigners in Greenland would like to adopt a “free association” model, similar to the relationship between the Marshall Islands and the U.S. or the Cook Islands and New Zealand. Some of Trump’s advisers have privately acknowledged a sale of Greenland is unlikely, but an expansion of U.S. military and financial presence on the island is a possibility. A poll in 2021 showed that 69% of Greenlanders favored more cooperation with the U.S., compared with 39% who favored tighter cooperation with China.”

Trump’s Offer to Buy Greenland. Some people thought I was crazy when I posted Trump’s Offer to Buy Greenland Is Not as Preposterous as it Sounds. A free association model may be more likely, but don’t rule out an outright purchase. There are only about 59,000 Greenland citizens. I proposed an offer of $2 million each. That would only be $118 billion. Greenland would be cheap at double the price if I am correct about the mineral deposits.

Critical Materials Risk Assessment. Our Department of Energy has placed some of the rare earth minerals we need for weapons systems, wind turbines, batteries, semiconductors, cell phones, and aircraft on a critical materials list. Nearly all of them are mined or refined in China. If Trump increases tariffs on China by 60 percent, China could easily shut down rare earth exports. I have been warning about this for years China controls more than 80% of the world’s supply of tungsten and about 90% of global magnesium production China has an effective monopoly over processing major heavy rare earths – Dysprosium (Dy) and Terbium (Tb), and Light Rare Earths – Neodymium (Nd) and Praseodymium (Pr).

On December 3, I commented China Halts Rare Exports Used by US Technology Companies and the Military. This is China’s advance salvo at Trump tariffs. It comes one day after the Biden administration expanded curbs on the sale of advanced American technology to China. The US gets rare earths from allies who get them from China. But don’t rule out the possibility that China shuts off all access.

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“There is death all over the place.”

Trump: California Fires ‘One Of The Worst Catastrophes’ In US History (JTN)

President-elect Donald Trump blasted California and Los Angeles officials for their handling of the wildfires that have been raging for nearly a week. “The fires are still raging in L.A.,” Trump wrote on Truth Social early Sunday morning. “The incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out. Thousands of magnificent houses are gone, and many more will soon be lost. There is death all over the place.” He said that this is turning out to be “one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our Country.” “They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?” he continued, according to The Hill. Last week Trump wrote on Truth Social that “Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California.”

“NO WATER IN THE FIRE HYDRANTS, NO MONEY IN FEMA. THIS IS WHAT JOE BIDEN IS LEAVING ME. THANKS JOE!” Trump posted later that day. Newsom pushed back on X regarding Trump’s claim about the water restoration declaration. Newsweek, among others, fact-checked the claim about the water restoration declaration and concluded, “The notion that Newsom therefore turned down a ‘declaration,’ referring to federal action that Trump introduced anyway, is not accurate. However, it is clear that the governor has opposed Trump’s actions on water policy, drawing a sharp response from Trump in turn.”

The death toll has climbed to 16 as of Saturday evening. LA County has declared a local health emergency as over 40,000 acres have burned, according to Cal Fire. While this is clearly a combination of natural and environmental phenomenon, arson, and government failure and mismanagement, this catastrophe will be analyzed and characterized for decades to come, often through a political lens as the region and the country come to grips with the realities and implications on the ground.

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They take it step by step.

Ukraine Must Acknowledge Territorial ‘Reality’ – Trump Adviser Waltz (RT)

It is not possible to “expel every Russian from every inch” of soil claimed by Ukraine, including the Crimean peninsula, incoming US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz has admitted. Acknowledging “that reality” has become a major step toward resolving the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, Waltz told ABC News in an interview on Sunday, adding that this idea is now in the process of being accepted by Ukraine’s backers. “Everybody knows that this [conflict] has to end somehow diplomatically. I just don’t think it’s realistic to say we’re going to expel every Russian from every inch of Ukrainian soil. Even Crimea – President[-elect Donald] Trump has acknowledged that reality, and I think it has been a huge step forward that the entire world is acknowledging that reality,” Waltz stated.

Waltz suggested that accepting the fact that returning to Ukraine’s original post-Soviet borders is unrealistic now opens the way to addressing the question of “how do we no longer perpetuate this conflict and how… we no longer allow it to escalate in a way that drags in the entire world.” The remarks appeared to be reminiscent of statements previously made by other close Trump allies, including his vice president, J.D. Vance. Shortly ahead of the November election, Vance suggested Kiev could end up in a situation where it decides to cede some lands to Russia.

The stance signaled by the incoming US administration sharply contrasts with the goal repeatedly proclaimed by Kiev of regaining the entirety of its post-Soviet territory. This has been accompanied by an explicit refusal by Ukraine to engage in any meaningful negotiations with Russia. Moscow, however, regards the five formerly Ukrainian regions, including Kherson, Zaporozhye, Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as Crimea, as integral parts of its territory. Crimea broke away from Ukraine in the aftermath of the 2014 Maidan coup in Kiev, joining Russia via a referendum shortly thereafter. The four other regions were incorporated into Russia in late 2022 after the local population overwhelmingly backed such a move during separate referendums. Last year, Moscow demanded that Kiev pull its troops out of the areas it still controls in its former regions in order to begin the long-stalled negotiation process.

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“Key obstacles include the legal framework under which the sanctions are authorized and the likelihood of strong congressional resistance..”

Biden Laying Russia Sanctions Trap For Trump – WaPo (RT)

The administration of US President Joe Biden has set a sanctions trap for President-elect Donald Trump, making it politically and legally challenging to roll back sweeping measures targeting Russia’s energy sector, according to a report by the Washington Post. The newspaper claims that Biden’s actions could create significant hurdles for Trump if he seeks to lift the restrictions. Key obstacles include the legal framework under which the sanctions are authorized and the likelihood of strong congressional resistance. Republican lawmakers have previously pushed for tougher penalties, potentially complicating Trump’s efforts to reverse course. “It’s entirely up to [the next administration] to determine whether, when, and on what terms they might lift any sanctions we put in place,” a senior Biden official is quoted as saying. However, current sanctions laws give Congress the power to block any move to ease restrictions.

This framework leaves Trump with limited options, potentially forcing him to maintain the pressure on Moscow despite his calls for a quick settlement in Ukraine. Michael Waltz, Trump’s incoming national security adviser, has argued for leveraging the sanctions to encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin into peace talks. In an article for The Economist before the election, Waltz wrote: “If [Putin] refuses to talk, Washington can… provide more weapons to Ukraine with fewer restrictions. Faced with this pressure, Mr. Putin will probably take the opportunity to wind the conflict down.” Targeting oil giants Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, as well as 183 oil tankers, the latest US measures are designed to strike at Russia’s energy industry, which helps fund its budget. They also tighten the US Treasury Department’s license, restricting Moscow’s ability to be paid in dollars for energy exports.

The timing – just days before Trump’s inauguration – has drawn accusations from Moscow of deliberate sabotage. “Of course, we are aware that the administration will try to leave the most difficult legacy possible in bilateral relations to Trump and his associates,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said ahead of the sanctions announcement. Biden officials have framed the sanctions as a long-term strategy. “We believe our actions are leaving a solid foundation upon which the next administration can build,” one official said, predicting the measures would cost Russia billions in monthly revenue and force “hard decisions” between sustaining its economy. With the sanctions tied to bipartisan legislation, any rollback is expected to face resistance in Congress, leaving Trump constrained as he takes office, the Washington Post added.

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“The sanctions have nothing to do with morality, they have nothing to do with human rights, they have nothing to do with the love of peace, they are simply a stimulus program for the US economy…”

Anti-Russian Sanctions Killing German Companies – Wagenknecht (RT)

Western sanctions imposed on Russia are “killing” German companies and enriching the American economy, Sahra Wagenknecht, the leader of Germany’s left-wing BSW party, said during an election conference on Sunday. The delegates of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice (BSW) gathered in the city of Bonn to adopt the platform for the Bundestag election that will take place next month. During her speech, Wagenknecht refused to blame Russia for the ongoing Ukraine conflict. “The sanctions have nothing to do with morality, they have nothing to do with human rights, they have nothing to do with the love of peace, they are simply a stimulus program for the US economy and a killer program for German and European companies,” Wagenknecht said.

She called for the restoration of the gas imports from Russia. “We simply have to tie our energy imports with the criteria of the lowest price and not any kind of double standards or ideology,” she stated. The left-wing politician condemned Washington’s foreign policy, alerting the audience about “the blood trail of US proxy wars” around the globe. She stressed that the German chancellor must not be “a vassal” of the US. BSW co-leader Amira Mohamed Ali said that the party stands for “a strong, fair and sovereign Germany.” The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party held its conference in Riesa, Saxony on Saturday. The delegates rejected a motion condemning Russia and called for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict. The snap election was called after Germany’s ruling three-party coalition collapsed last month due to disagreements over the budget.

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“..especially when people here see young Ukrainian men driving the latest cars or staying in five-star hotels.”

Poles Tired Of Ukrainians – Defense Minister (RT)

Poles are “fatigued” of Ukrainian migrants in their country, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz has stated. The official partially attributed this sentiment to the sight of young men leading an ostentatious lifestyle in the EU nation instead of defending their homeland. Nearly a million Ukrainians currently reside in Poland, according to UN estimates. While Poland opened its doors to those fleeing the neighboring country following the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, attitudes towards Ukrainians among Poles have somewhat soured since then. In an interview to the Financial Times published on Sunday, Kosiniak-Kamysz said: “Of course there is fatigue in Polish society, and it is understandable especially when people here see young Ukrainian men driving the latest cars or staying in five-star hotels.”

In October, the official voiced identical criticisms, arguing that young Ukrainian men flaunting their wealth were an affront to Polish taxpayers, who contribute to Warsaw’s military and financial aid to Kiev. Around the same time, the Center for Public Opinion Research published a poll indicating that some 67% of Polish citizens were in favor of deporting male Ukrainian migrants back home. Referring to a recent spat over the delivery of the remaining Polish MiG-29 fighter jets, the defense chief on Sunday also suggested that the Ukrainian leadership would do well to “remember that when others were only sending helmets, we sent tanks.”

In November 2024, Kosiniak-Kamysz similarly suggested that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky had a “short memory.” A month prior, Kiev slammed its NATO backers, and Poland in particular, over their failure to provide previously promised Soviet-era warplanes. Warsaw clarified that it needed the remaining MiG-29 fighter jets to ensure its own security before the F-35s that it has ordered arrive. In his interview to the FT, Kosiniak-Kamysz also ruled out deploying Polish peacekeepers to Ukraine once Kiev and Moscow seal a truce, calling for “greater burden sharing and diversification within NATO” instead.

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“Trump has his work cut out for him. But he is the only person in the world today who stands a chance at ending this war.”

The Walls Close in on Zelensky (Jim Rickards)

The walls are closing in on Ukraine’s President Zelensky. In a meeting with allies in Germany this week, the embattled leader requested NATO troops on the ground in Ukraine. “Our goal is to find as many instruments as possible to force Russia into peace. I believe that such deployment of partners’ contingents is one of the best instruments. Let’s be more practical in making it possible.” Nothing about this proposal is “practical”. Even if Zelensky is speaking about peacekeeping troops as part of a settlement, which isn’t clear, it’s still a fundamentally crazy idea. Simply put, it would bring us to the brink of nuclear war. Of course, this isn’t the first time Zelensky has suggested that NATO should send troops to fight and die in this war. But this latest instance is noteworthy because it comes just ahead of President Trump’s inauguration. Given the circumstances, the move signals desperation.

President Trump has stood his ground on this issue thus far. Just this week he acknowledged that NATO’s courtship of Ukraine was a major cause of the war, noting that if Ukraine were to join the Western military alliance, “then Russia has somebody right on their doorstep, and I could understand their feelings about that.” Trump correctly blames Biden for promising Ukraine NATO membership and escalating the war. In early December, Trump’s team conveyed the message that Ukraine would need to make major concessions to end the war. Those concessions will probably involve giving up land already captured by Russia, agreeing to a form of disarmament, and pledging to never join NATO. This was an important shift, as it became clear even to the biggest hawks that Ukraine wasn’t going to recapture much, if any lost territory. And forget about Crimea.

Trump’s views on Ukraine are certainly unique in Washington D.C., But his base is ready for the war to end, and this issue was one of the keys to his landslide victory. Meanwhile, it’s unclear whether Zelensky and the Ukrainian deep state would agree to such concessions. It’s also unclear whether they truly have a say in the matter, unless they’re prepared to go it alone against Russia. But it’s also not clear if Russia would agree to such a deal. Putin could insist upon an end to sanctions on Russia, and a return of their frozen assets.There’s also a chance that Russia won’t want to give Ukraine a break to re-arm itself. NATO has already pulled a fast one on Russia once, during the Minsk accords from 2014-2021. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has admitted this peace deal was in actuality a stall tactic to give Ukraine more time to build its military capabilities.

So President Putin may want to press the attack, eliminate Ukraine’s military capabilities, and gain more territory. Russia is advancing along almost the entire frontline. Its use of hypersonic missiles, artillery, drones, and guided glide bombs has devastated Ukrainian strongholds. Ukrainian forces have been forced to fall back into far less favorable defensive positions, and this does not bode well for their outlook. The waste of life in this conflict is exponentially larger than the public has been told. In December of 2024, President Zelensky claimed that only 43,000 of his nation’s troops had been killed in the war so far. In truth, upwards of 600,000 Ukrainian soldiers have likely died. On paper, the Ukrainian army is over one million strong. But across the line, foxholes are empty. Where are all the soldiers?

Russia has likely lost at least 100,000 soldiers KIA as well, though they haven’t released any specific numbers. When the truth about this war comes out, it will shock anyone who is still paying attention at that point. Make no mistake. Trump has his work cut out for him. But he is the only person in the world today who stands a chance at ending this war. I believe he’ll get it done. But the cost in terms of geopolitical capital may be high.

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Paul Craig Roberts: “I keep waiting [for] the day that every member of the French Legion of Honor is arrested for being a patriot..”

In the Western World You Become Respectable by Selling Out the People (PCR)

Two themes to which I return are the difficulty of effecting change and the disappearance of ethnic nations in the West. What is going on right now in France is a story of both together. Marine Le Pen’s political party, National Rally (formerly National Front), is the largest French party, but it is kept from office by all other parties combining against it. Le Pen’s party has stood for French ethnicity as opposed to a diverse Tower of Babel. In Europe an ethnic-based national state has become associated with Hitler’s Third Reich. Consequently, the French establishment has branded the National Rally racist and even Nazi. By branding the National Rally in this way, the French establishment endeavors to make Le Pen’s party, not immigrant-invaders, the main threat to France. The French establishment and French left-wing have equated hating Le Pen with resisting fascism.

But it is not working. Native French are awakening to the fact that their civilization and their culture are being transformed by waves of immigrant-invaders and that France is ceasing to be French. So the French establishment has focused on Marine Le Pen herself with the lawfare made famous in America with the false indictments of Donald Trump. Le Pen faces the prospect of a devastating prison sentence plus five years of political ineligibility on the charge that she used European Parliament funds where she is represented to pay for National Front employees. All parties do the same thing, but the investigation was limited to Marine Le Pen. We are witnessing the French establishment’s selective use of law to eliminate a perceived threat.

On January 7 Le Pen’s father, Jean-Marie, the founder of the party, passed away. The French left-wing, or perhaps it was the Establishment, celebrated his death with fireworks on the Place de la Republique. French Establishment commitment to diversity, the EU, and globalism requires the death of a French patriot to be celebrated. I keep waiting [for] the day that every member of the French Legion of Honor is arrested for being a patriot. One would think that the insult to Jean-Marie and the sentencing of Marine would strengthen Le Pen’s party as France’s only representative. But according to an article by Pierre Levy the National Rally’s new leader, Jordan Bardella, craves respectability. He has succumbed to the temptation of gaining office by making the National Front acceptable to the establishment.

The question in my mind is: Will Trump also choose to become respectable? When change is desperately required, dictatorships are more easily overthrown than democracies. In democracies the system permits well-financed interest groups to dominate the countries political, legal, media, entertainment, and educational institutions. A ruling establishment becomes institutionalized in the countries’ institutions. Attempts to bring governance back to service to the people from service to the establishment requires the equivalent of a religious revival or the blood of a Leninist revolution, the consequences of which can be worst than what was overthrown. Over the course of my lifetime I have witnessed the dissolution of the belief system that is Western civilization. The voices that have attempted to defend civilization have been weak. The very definition of civilization has changed. Are Western peoples sufficiently aware and educated to face this challenge?

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“Above all, the administration must not redirect targeting—it must eradicate these stains on the American soul.”

Weaponizing Law Enforcement Against Americans (Spivak)

Reports released by two House committees in December shine a harsh light on the deceptions and oppressive tactics utilized by numerous federal agencies, the Intelligence Community, and leaders of the Democratic Party. During the last year of the first Trump Administration, agencies within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), State Department, and Justice Department (DOJ) initiated improper contacts with media in an effort to censor conservative views. These agencies also took steps to interfere in the 2020 election to benefit Joe Biden. The Biden-Harris Administration supercharged the weaponization of the federal government against the American people. With the active participation of the media, the administration followed a whole-of-government effort to collude with, and coerce, the media to suppress and censor conservatives and others who opposed progressive goals.

It threatened parents with terrorist “threat tagging” and visits from the FBI for speaking their minds, stretched statutory authority beyond recognition to prosecute Donald Trump and his supporters, harassed and penalized whistleblowers, invaded bank privacy, sent heavily armed federal agents into private homes, and brought an unprecedented barrage of litigation against states to force them into compliance with the administration’s unconstitutional goals. On December 17, 2024, the House Administration Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight (Administration Subcommittee) released its report on the events surrounding January 6, 2021 and the politicization of the Select Committee (January 6 Committee) established by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi to investigate those events. Three days later, the House Judiciary Committee’s Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government (Justice Subcommittee) released a 17,000-page final report detailing the administrative state’s and the Biden-Harris Administration’s repressive censorship enterprise and other abuses.

Based on the evidence described in these reports, there are two inescapable conclusions: (1) regardless of the administration in office, the Deep State in DHS, DoD, DOJ, IRS, the Intelligence Community, and other agencies have arrogated to themselves unconstitutional and unlawful powers to infringe individual liberties, expand rules, and use force to suppress conservatives’ goals, religion, and free speech; and (2) the Biden-Harris Administration, Pelosi, and leading Democrats endorsed, supported, facilitated, and led the expansion of these efforts. These reports are products of extensive investigations and include copious evidence. Though the Administration Subcommittee’s report can be faulted for its angry tone, a vainglorious pandering to its chairman, Barry Loudermilk, and sometimes hyperbolic conclusions, it provides compelling evidence of wrongdoing.

Broader in scope and more thoroughly researched, the Justice Subcommittee’s report is the product of a detailed inquiry into a broad betrayal of trust. Justice Subcommittee Chairman Jim Jordan is to be commended for uncovering problems and taking steps that have already ameliorated some of these practices. The findings in these reports show why the Trump Administration must clean house. That is why Trump has nominated sometimes controversial individuals such as Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel, Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi, John Ratcliffe, Russell Vought, and Rick Grenell. It explains Trump’s impulsive, properly withdrawn nomination of Matt Gaetz and the creation of DOGE as an advisor outside of government. It is why so many of Trump’s appointees have expressed concern about the agencies they have been selected to lead. Above all, the administration must not redirect targeting—it must eradicate these stains on the American soul.

Read more …

Feels like the Matrix.

Tulsi Gabbard Now Supports FISA-702 to Get Confirmed as Head of DNI (CTH)

As the story is told, and it aligns with every scintilla of researched data on the darkest and deepest elements of the Deep State, DNI nominee Tulsi Gabbard has reversed her position and will now support FISA-702, the warrantless searches of American communication and electronic metadata. Apparently the FISA process and the 702 aspect (specific to American citizens) is the line in the sand the Senate Select Intelligence Committee has drawn. If Tulsi Gabbard does not support it, her confirmation is in doubt. As a result, she has reportedly reversed her position and now supports it. This is absolutely par for the course.

It should be remembered, in the last reauthorization of FISA-702 congress exempted themselves from the warrantless search and surveillance system used by the U.S. Intelligence Apparatus. Congress forbids the FBI or any entity with access to the NSA database, from being allowed to use the process to search themselves or their staff. However, every other American does not enjoy this same protection. After spending years asking every representative of consequence why they support the FISA-702 process, I can tell you every one of them says they believe it is needed because the IC tells them there are just too many domestic terror threats that need to be monitored. It is impossible to find a person in DC who will forcefully try to stop FISA-702 reauthorization.

If you ask me why in hindsight, I now take the position that FISA-702 is the gateway to the massive surveillance system currently being put into place using Real ID and the AI facial recognition software provided by Palantir (CIA exploit). In essence, the gateway that allows the full-scale surveillance state, is opened by the prior authorization of FISA-702 that negates any 4th amendment protection. Why? Because all of the surveillance mechanisms within the network being updated and enhanced by AI search and capture, comes from the IC being allowed to exploit the NSA database. That same database access allowance is the targeting mechanism for FISA-702. If warrantless searches of the NSA database were stopped, the Palantir/IC and Tech Bro collaboration could hit a brick wall. Against this backdrop, the SSCI telling Tulsi Gabbard that her nomination approval is contingent upon her support for FISA-702, simply makes sense.

WASHINGTON DC – […] Multiple senators from both parties who met with the former Hawaii lawmaker in recent days told us they emerged from those sessions unsure about Gabbard’s position on the 702 program. During these meetings, senators have pressed Gabbard on her previous public statements on the issue, as well as her votes against 702 reauthorization throughout her eight years in Congress. GOP national security hawks in particular viewed this as problematic, we’re told, fueling renewed doubts about her confirmation prospects. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, suggested on a WSJ podcast Wednesday that Gabbard should disavow her previous opposition to the 702 program.

“Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) also sent us a statement Thursday night supporting Gabbard’s 702 stance — a key indicator of how the GOP leadership is thinking about her nomination. “Tulsi Gabbard has assured me in our conversations that she supports Section 702 as recently amended and that she will follow the law and support its reauthorization as DNI,” Cotton said. That last part is important because, if confirmed as DNI, Gabbard would need to certify the statute annually in order for intelligence collection to continue under the 702 program. This is also a big part of the reason why the DC Deep State will easily confirm Kash Patel to be Donald Trump’s FBI Director. Kash Patel is a big believer in the value of FISA-702.”

Read more …

“Asked if he would pardon himself, Biden dismissed the idea, saying, “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

What does that say about those he did hand a pardon?

Biden Eyes Preemptive Pardons Amid Trump’s Return (RT)

US President Joe Biden is considering issuing preemptive pardons for individuals who may be targeted by the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump. Trump, who defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, is set to return to the White House on January 20. “There’s still consideration… but no decision,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Friday, in response to a question regarding potential preemptive pardons. “It depends on some of the language and expectations that Trump broadcasts in the last couple days here as to what he’s going to do.” Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race in July after concerns arose within the Democratic Party following a June debate performance against Trump which raised doubts about his viability as a candidate. He ultimately endorsed Harris, who lost the general election to the Republican candidate, Trump.

The president-elect has expressed intentions to prosecute perceived “enemies,” including Harris and “the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family.” Trump also criticized Biden for pardoning his son Hunter in December. In a reversal of his pledge to not do so, Biden pardoned Hunter, who was convicted of tax evasion and gun charges and was set to be sentenced in December. Trump called the decision a “miscarriage of justice,” while referencing the people who were jailed for the January 6 Capitol riots. “Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The president-elect also called for investigations into former President Barack Obama and Liz Cheney, a high-profile Republican critic of Trump.

Ahead of the November 2024 election, Trump threatened unprecedented prosecution for individuals he accused of potential election cheating. “Please beware this legal exposure extends to Lawyers, Political Operatives, Donors, Illegal Voters, & Corrupt Election Officials,” Trump posted on Truth Social. He previously claimed widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Trump also stated last year that he would fire Jack Smith, the Justice Department’s special counsel overseeing criminal investigations into the Republican president-elect. Smith resigned on Friday. Biden described Trump’s intentions to prosecute political opponents as “outrageous.” Asked if he would pardon himself, Biden dismissed the idea, saying, “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

The president likely possesses the constitutional authority to issue broad preemptive pardons for federal offenses committed in the past, even if charges have not yet been filed. However, this authority does not apply to state crimes or future offenses. The types of pardons Biden might consider would generally fall within his executive power.

Read more …

More pardons. But these ones are not pre-emptive.

Vance Says Trump Won’t Issue Pardons for Violent Jan. 6 Defendants (ET)

Vice President-elect JD Vance said on Jan. 12 that individuals who were violent during the U.S. Capitol breach on Jan. 6, 2021, “obviously” should not be pardoned. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to use his clemency power for people who have been charged in connection with the incident over the past four years. Those who “protested peacefully” on Jan. 6 should receive a pardon, Vance told Fox News. He added that there is also a “little bit of a gray area” in some of those cases. “I think it’s very simple,” Vance said. “If you protested peacefully on Jan. 6 and you’ve had [Attorney General] Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned. If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned.”

More than 1,500 people have been charged with federal crimes in connection with the Capitol breach, according to Department of Justice records. A number of people were charged with misdemeanor offenses for entering the Capitol in an unauthorized manner, and some were charged with felonies. Leaders of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys groups were convicted of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors described as plots to use violence to stop the peaceful transfer of power from Trump to then-President-elect Joe Biden. Vance said on Jan. 12 that he believes that “a lot of people” have been “prosecuted unfairly” over the past several years. “We need to rectify that,” Vance said. “We’re very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law.”

Also on the morning of Jan. 12, Vance responded to critics on social media who said that his comments to Fox News didn’t go far enough, with some saying that all Jan. 6 defendants should be pardoned. “I’ve been defending these guys for years,” Vance wrote on social media platform X. “The president saying he’ll look at each case (and me saying the same) is not some walkback … I assure you, we care about people unjustly locked up. Yes, that includes people provoked and it includes people who got a garbage trial.” That comment came in response to a prominent conservative social media account’s statement on Jan. 12 that new footage has shown “cops shooting innocent J6 protesters and [Vance] goes on Fox News and tells the world that only non violent protesters should get pardoned … better rethink what you just said JD.” Vance noted that he donated to a Jan. 6 “political prisoner fund” and was criticized over it during his run for Ohio’s Senate seat.

In a wide-ranging news conference last week at his Florida Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump suggested that he would initiate “major pardons” for individuals arrested in the aftermath of Jan. 6. A reporter asked him, “You said on your first day of office you were going to pardon Jan. 6 defendants. Are you planning to pardon those who were charged with violent offenses?” “Well, we’re looking at it, and we have other people in there,” Trump said. “People that didn’t even walk into the building are in jail right now. “We’ll be looking at the whole thing. But I’ll be making major pardons, yes.” The president-elect has said on multiple occasions that he would carry out the pardons quickly after he is sworn into office on Jan. 20.

Read more …

Fake anger.

Biden Calls Meta Decision to End Fact-Checking Program ‘Really Shameful’ (ET)

President Joe Biden has shared his disapproval at Meta’s decision to do away with its current social media fact-checking program. This week Meta, which owns the Facebook and Instagram social media platforms, announced it would stop using its third-party fact-checking program for U.S.-based content review purposes. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he made the decision because the existing fact-checking program has become “too politically biased,” resulting in censorship and a loss of trust. “It’s time to get back to our roots around free expression on Facebook and Instagram,” he said in a Jan. 7 video statement. Asked for his opinion on the move at a Jan. 10 press conference, Biden said, “It’s just completely contrary to everything America is about.”

Up until this week, Meta had partnered with the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) to run its third-party fact-checking service. The IFCN is administered by the Poynter Institute, which also operates the PolitiFact fact-checking publication. “The idea that, you know, a billionaire can buy something and say ‘by the way from this point on, we’re not going to fact-check anything’ and you know when you have millions of people reading, going online reading this stuff it’s—anyway, I think it’s really shameful,” Biden said. Meta is not doing away with fact-checking outright. Rather, Zuckerberg said Meta’s platforms will move toward a “more comprehensive community notes” style system, similar to the one employed by social media platform X. He will start the new model in the United States.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1878485939091025933

Rather than relying on a fact-checking organization such as the IFCN to review content, X’s community notes feature allows users to weigh in directly. X users may suggest a fact-checking note on controversial posts on the platform, and then provide feedback on whether a suggested fact-checking note is itself accurate, and necessary for the particular post. Posts that have been flagged with sufficient community input display an attached fact-checking note explaining why the particular post is inaccurate or may be missing important context. Zuckerberg also announced that Meta’s content moderation team will be moved out of California to Texas “where there is less concern about the bias of our teams.” Zuckerberg and other Meta officers have defended the move as needed to restore free speech and expression to their platforms.

In a Jan. 7 blog post, Meta’s chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, said as well-intentioned as their prior fact-checking efforts had been, “they have expanded over time to the point where we are making too many mistakes, frustrating our users, and too often getting in the way of the free expression we set out to enable.” “Too much harmless content gets censored, too many people find themselves wrongly locked up in ‘Facebook jail,’ and we are often too slow to respond when they do,” Kaplan said. Meta’s fact-checking and content moderation decisions had been a point of contention during the 2020 presidential election cycle.

In October 2020, the Meta platforms reduced the reach of posts linking to articles by The New York Post concerning a laptop that then-candidate Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, had reportedly abandoned at a Delaware computer repair shop. The New York Post’s articles detailed the contents of the laptop, including documents indicating the elder Biden had some level of interaction with his son’s foreign business partners. In a Jan. 10 interview with podcast host Joe Rogan, Zuckerberg alleged that officials in the Biden administration routinely contacted Meta, with demands that they remove or suppress certain content, including memes and satirical posts. “Basically these people from the Biden administration would call up our team and like scream at them and curse,” Zuckerberg said.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

Starlink
https://twitter.com/i/status/1878673305588359296

 

 

Tumbling
https://twitter.com/i/status/1878690946340270500

 

 

little men
https://twitter.com/i/status/1878695718132813987

 

 

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Home Forums Debt Rattle January 13 2025

Viewing 28 posts - 41 through 68 (of 68 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #179246
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    Although adherents of the pagan deity Pachamama don’t practice human sacrifice as part of their worship now in the “modern” age (at least not openly that I know of) they still do practice animal sacrifice including the ritual killing and burning of birds, sheep and lamas. The human sacrifice part of it now (allegedly) consists of the symbolic burning of clothing.

    I feel so relieved that their pagan blood rituals now involve 20% less blood.

    #179247
    jb-hb
    Participant

    God is not an asshole

    Theopsychology – The attempt to deduce the personality and moral princiles of a God, or an ordered cosmos, b observing the events and beings that God or order create.

    Look at everything from tooth decay to senility to schizophrenia to children being born only to die of starvation. God ISN’T an asshole? God hissed through the vents at Auschwitz. He IS – by our standards and from our perspective.

    There’s no question on that score. The question is, what does it MEAN?

    Playing Hearts of Iron, I’d sometimes choose to play Czechoslovakia. KNOWING I was doomed. Fight the good fight, hold of Germany for as long as possible, see what kind of noble last stand I can make.

    Or in Sid Meirs’ Civilzation, put every setting on the hardest one and then fight tooth and nail against hordes of jet airplanes and tanks with your chariots and phalanxes.

    Maybe it is a serious game that you play for keeps and any waiving or softening cheapens the activity?

    But it is totally fitting for the Old Testament God to be doing all the stuff he does, surely.

    #179253
    WES
    Participant

    We Need To Stop Meeting Like This!

    Does anybody else suffer from this problem?

    Whenever, I just start peeing, or just start sitting on the throne, to do God’s business, my Wife always suddenly shows up, needing to go pee or poo really, really, badly, and can’t wait, until I am finished my business!

    It isn’t like my Wife can always hear me everytime I enter the bathroom, as she is pretty deaf and rarely wears her hearing aids inside the house!
    She certainly doesn’t see me eveytime I enter the bathroom either!”

    There must exist some kind of hidden synchronization force that now afficts me!
    This force even follows me to the cottage, too!

    I thought maybe this is covered in the wee fine print in our marriage contract, but my eyes are too blind to find the marriage contract, never mind to read it!
    So that isn’t a viable option to explore, to find out the cause of me always meeting my Wife in the bathroom.

    While I am thinking about it, this brings up another pet peeve of mine!
    Why is it, that my Wife always insists upon trying to start a conversation with me, without her hearing aids on?
    It isn’t like I know how to sign language!
    I don’t, and couldn’t see well enough to see anybody signing, anyway!
    The reason has gotta be in the marriage contract, somewhere!

    #179254

    It’s dykes that hold the water back
    If flooding ain’t the issue;
    And naught can hold the crying back-
    With tears, you need a tissue.

    It’s reservoirs that you require
    When living in the tinders.
    Aquarius will fill your needs:
    Or live among the cinders.

    #179255

    I probably should have spelled it “dike”. (Sheepish smile).

    #179256
    jb-hb
    Participant

    The wife will up and start talking to me from ANY ROOM IN THE HOME no matter where I am. Without yelling to account for whatever distance I may or may not be at. I never do this. I come into the room and talk, usually after making eye contact.

    The wife will be out of the kitchen all day. I get in there to clean, make us dinner, make myself something for the week — she comes in with something to do or nothing to do and unerringly and continually stands in the next place I need to be standing. I cannot tell you how many people I’ve known over the years that were able to hang out in the Kitchen without activating the world’s most advanced and accurate A2/AD defenses. ALL of them, though.

    She’s always insisted on 2-bathroom dwellings, so toilet-synergy hasn’t come up yet.

    She knows I need glasses to see fine detail at a 0-3 feet distance, nevertheless always, when sharing something, holds her phone up 1′ from my face “Look at this!” and follows, to maintain that distance, when I back up.

    #179257
    Dr D Rich
    Participant

    @tboc

    When I was 6, I told my Dad those words don’t have to offend and those who take offense are uniformly putting on an act.
    Join the Navy and learn to swear.
    Play sports and you have swear.

    Anyhow, I’m trying to wrap my mind around the recommendation to give Tulsi Gabbard a chance.
    And I arrive at the folksy place where Tulsi is a genuine talent just unfairly overlooked through a couple decades or less since she’s not that old.

    Then I come to this position.
    There’s no way I’d advise participating in that projection.

    #179258
    those darned kids
    Participant

    There are no ‘perfect’ nominees anymore than there are “perfect” solutions.

    You sound like spoiled children.

    i refuse to support war criminals.

    i’d rather be a spoiled child than complicit in the decapitation of toddlers.

    #179259
    tboc
    Participant

    Dr. D here on the Emerald Coast I have spoken with those who believe the Bible was used as a study guide during the time the Epistles were written. No knowledge of Nicaea.
    There is for the most part no knowledge of the different styles, writers or the dating of texts using linguistics for understanding the individual books even less the Torah as a whole.
    Knowledge of The 95 Theses (Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences) nonexistant.
    The more “Old Testament” a sect becomes the more Calvinistic.

    I see a graph of more knowledge less knowledge subsets along a time axis.One subset maintains a larger base of points, though the distrubution appears to be probablistic. The smaller subset appears to be more deterministic. The plots are not parallel.

    appears to be probablistic.= no one knows how or why any point is placed – (although not random)

    #179260
    tboc
    Participant

    knowing more than a medieval scholar is a fairly low bar

    #179261
    those darned kids
    Participant
    #179262
    jb-hb
    Participant

    The main challenge in a parallel seawater firefighting system will be getting the piping right

    #179263

    You have to respect my identity!
    In my every deed, it’s reflected!
    But if you point out my identity,
    I will secretly have you inspected.

    #179264
    WES
    Participant

    Being Drawn And Quartered:

    “Drawn and quartered” is a common expression we frequently use.

    But what really happened to people, who were actually “Drawn and Quartered”?
    You know, like in the illustration!
    Your arms and legs tied to 4 horses that then stretched and then tore your body to pieces!
    Giving true meaning to the expression, to be “Drawn And Quartered”!

    Well, this didn’t happen in England, but the French were still rather fond of drawing and quartering people!

    Instead, English Law sentenced people to be Hanged, Drawn, and Quartered, instead!
    How nice of them!

    However, being Hanged, wasn’t quite the type of hanging you are used too!
    Instead, they put a rope noose around your neck, than hoisted your body and feet off of the ground, in order to to restrict the air flow to your lungs.

    The amount of time people were left hanging, varied, but they certainly were not trying to kill you outright!
    Killing you by hanging, would completely defeat the “Drawn and Quartering” parts of the sentence!
    They only wanted you half dead, so you could still enjoy the humiliating public drawning!
    Again. the “Drawn” part, didn’t quite mean what you might have thought it did!
    You know the exciting part, with the 4 horses!
    Nope, you only got to be pulled by one horse!.

    Instead, after hanging until half dead, you were then unhung, before being tied to a horse drawn sled!
    If you were lucky, you also had some company on the sled!
    Still, it was a rather rough and uncomfortable ride over the ground, none-the-less.

    Then you were dragged for miles, to be publically humiliated before reaching your final place of death.
    People could throw stuff at you, to voice their displeasure!

    Then once you reached the place for your death, the Quartering part of your sentance occurred.
    Hopefully by this time, if you were lucky, you were more dead than alive.

    Here your head was usually cut off and displayed to the crowd before being stuck upon top of a pike for further disply and viewing.
    Then most likely your prives were cut off, along with your heart, and thrown into a fire, to be burnt.
    The symbolism was very strong here!
    “May your soul burn in hell!”
    Then you were disembowelled and your intestines pulled out!

    Oh, yes, I almost forgot!
    That fire wasn’t solely to burn your organs and soul!
    It was also to better burn and torture you, while you were still alive!
    It was very useful for heating up iron pokers and melting lead!
    Lots of pain inflicted here!

    If you were exceptionly unlucky, they first cut your prives off and threw them into the fire, then disembowelled you by pulling your intestines out and then throwing them into the fire too, just to inflict a little additional extra pain, all while you were still sort of alive!
    After doing all that, and more, then they cut your heart out and threw it into the fire to burn,too.
    So now, finally you are dead, and suffer no more pain.

    Now your dead body was finally cut up into quarters, finishing the Quartering part of the sentance.
    Now, your body could be more wìdely shown, in 4 different places at once, as a warning.

    Congratulations, you have just successfully completed your lawful, but very gruesome, sentance, to be “Hanged, Drawn, and Quartered”, English style!

    I only set out to see what it was like to be “Drawn And Quartered”.
    Sadly, that curiosity will have to wait for another day.

    If you were a woman, they spared you from being Hanged, Drawn, andcQuarted by burning you at tge stake!

    #179265
    zerosum
    Participant

    How does insurance work.
    Irregardless of the actual value.

    Life insurance. You die, policy pays the amount you paid for in your policy.
    Disability insurance. The policy pays the amount you paid for in your policy.
    Auto insurance. Total wreck, policy pay the amount you paid for in your policy.

    House insurance. House destroyed, battle to get paid the amount you paid for in your policy.
    Content replacement insurance. Prove it, battle to get paid the amount you paid for in your policy.

    #179266
    John Day
    Participant

    @zerosum: Those were just chemtrails coming from the planes, not fire retardant, except for that one big plane at the link:


    @jb-hb
    : I was making a point in an attempt to be persuasive when I said that “God is not an asshole”. Your points about existence are appreciated.
    “The nature of life is suffering”, said the Buddha.
    “Different gods” in the old testament and new testament was my closing assertion…

    On my bike ride/meditation, it occurred to me that only state-based religions advise their followers to commit genocide, as in “slay the Midianites”, and “the only good commie is a dead commie”, etc.

    #179267
    zerosum
    Participant

    Joke
    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/house-republicans-weigh-sweeping-57-trillion-spending-cuts-fund-trumps-domestic-agenda

    House Republicans Weigh Sweeping $5.7 Trillion In Spending Cuts To Fund Trump’s Domestic Agenda

    #179268
    zerosum
    Participant

    FACTS ARE IRELEVANT

    #179269
    John Day
    Participant

    Police Came for An English Father As His Child Was Being Abused https://www.independentsentinel.com/police-came-for-an-english-father-as-his-child-was-being-abused/

    Reporter: They were watching this flat where your daughter’s being abused. They weren’t going in to save her, but they did go in to arrest you twice.

    Father: Yeah. They arrested me a second time, took me down [to] a police station, kept me in there. About an hour and [a] half later – they didn’t put me in a cell. They put me in a room. They took me out of the room; they took me through the police station into the front bit where the public go to report crimes. Took me outside and said, right, go home because if you go back to the flat, we’re going to arrest you for stalking, and I don’t know if you know or not, but there’s [sic] serious new stalking laws coming, and we’re going to arrest you for stalking the occupants of that house.

    #179270
    WES
    Participant

    Zerosum:

    For Trump, cutting both the Ukrainian and Israeli war expenses, would greatly help him on the domestic front.

    However, on the Ukrainian war, the US has only just started trying to accepted that the Russians can’t be driven out of their current positions!
    The CIA is still running this war.
    Notice now there is no hurry to send aid to Ukraine.
    Sadly, a rather long road to travel before reaching current realities.

    jb – hb:

    My Wife will shove her phone in my face, even though I can’t read the tiny screen very well!
    Just has to show me!

    As for when I am working in the Kitchen, whether making breakfast, lunch, supper, or a snack, I am always in my Wife’s way, no matter where in the kitchen, I stand!
    I often have to retreat to my kitchen office chair, where I read my tablet, until she finally leaves the Kitchen, before resumming my cooking/cleaning efforts!
    My Wife doesn’t cook, period!
    I do all the grocery shopping too!

    #179271
    John Day
    Participant

    Wildfires in LA shift and head toward neighborhood of Kamala Harris

    Wildfires in LA shift and head toward neighborhood of Kamala Harris

    #179272
    WES
    Participant

    Yes, may Kamala be unburdened by what was.
    May her house insurance be cancelled!
    Watch the US military step in!

    #179273
    zerosum
    Participant

    Pardoned
    https://abcnews.go.com/US/special-counsel-david-weiss-releases-final-report-hunter/story?id=117639491
    Special counsel David Weiss defends investigations as ‘impartial’ in final report on Hunter Biden probes

    By Lucien Bruggeman, Alexander Mallin, Pierre Thomas, and Olivia Rubin
    January 13, 2025, 5:28 PM

    Weiss’ report — 27 pages in length plus hundreds of pages of public filings — caps a yearslong and politically fraught probe that remained a source of seemingly endless fodder for President Biden’s political opponents in Congress and elsewhere.
    Weiss’ prosecutors examined Hunter Biden’s years of drug and alcohol abuse, his controversial foreign business dealings, and his procurement of a gun in 2018.
    ——-
    https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/hunter-biden-report-read-pdf-special-counsel-david-weiss-rcna187526
    Read the special counsel’s final report on Hunter Biden
    The Justice Department has released special counsel David Weiss’ findings on the president’s son, who received a pardon in December.

    Jan. 13, 2025, 3:25 PM PST
    By Shawn Cox
    —————
    https://www.justice.gov/storage/Report-of-Special-Counsel-Weiss-January-2025.pdf
    Report on the Investigation Into the
    Criminal Conduct of Robert Hunter Biden
    Special Counsel David C. Weiss
    Submitted Pursuant to 28 C.F.R. § 600.8(c)
    Wilmington, D.E.
    January 2025
    ————
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weiss_special_counsel_investigation
    ————–

    #179274
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    @jb_hb

    The wife will up and start talking to me from ANY ROOM IN THE HOME no matter where I am. Without yelling to account for whatever distance I may or may not be at. I never do this. I come into the room and talk, usually after making eye contact.

    Your wife is testing two things that she really cares about. Firstly, she is testing whether you are paying enough attention to her, and secondly she is testing whether you care enough about her enough to drop whatever you were wasting your time on and start doing what really matters.

    Do not fail either test.

    And by the way, good on you for the way you initiate communication with her (going to the room she’s in, making eye contact, etc.) when it’s your needs that you are attending to. That’s what is expected and just part of your job, too. Partnership is a demanding and work intensive contract. Doing all of those things is just holding up your end of it.

    #179275
    jb-hb
    Participant

    God being inconsistent and changing his mind several thousand years into recorded human history (that we know of) is ITSELF a story – inside of a book filled with disjointed stories.

    Since a lot of the stories are a bit disjointed, the big overarching story seeming – I’d argue BEING – inconsistent are no great concern if you’ve already bought into things being a mess and that being ok. Since life itself is a mess, perhaps the bible being a mess kind of works, in a way.

    God’s son being born of a virgin around 12/24, dying for humanity mostly by being nailed to something, descending to hell for 3 days, and being resurrected triumphant is the greatest story ever told, and it should be no surprise it made its way into the Bible. “We’ve got the best stories. Believe me. Believe me.”

    Take God telling Isaac to sacrifice his son. What would I do? What would I do if he told me to sacrifice some random stranger, not even my kin? “Sir I do not approve the content on your channel. Murder is wrong. I will recommend against you to my friends and associates. Unsubscribe.”

    But the STORY OF of Isaac IS spiritually rich, wholesome, moral. (from someone else’s non atheist perspective.) An environment in which human sacrifice is still quasi-customary, an otherwise asshole god working out a better deal, the underlying symbolism as to why. THE UNIVERSE exacts human sacrifice, so the symbolism should be fairly easy to extrapolate if one does not insist on literalness.

    Pretty much every story is like that – it is true and moral, so long as you understand it as a tale like Lord of the Rings – instructive, meaningful.

    Obviously if you take it literally, God is an asshole. And obviously, he IS. The whirlwind saying to Job “I yam what I yam.” Implacable, irresistible, deeply horrifying. That’s REALITY. No other God makes SENSE for this reality. (I am ready to give a non implacable non merciless reality a try, of course – the demand exceeds the supply)

    Jews and Christians certainly have no monopoly on this. The discipline of Psychology didn’t discover much new that wasn’t already taught through Greek myths. Psychology even gave up and lifted all the Greek names and symbolism. Fine, Greek Mythology. We give up. You knew everything already.

    If Zen or Tao holds deep mystical meaning, wholesome and nurturing etc, (while IMHO being claptrap) I fail to see why we should scoff at Christianity (also claptrap) when surely it has just as deep good wholesome everything as the others. Is JRR Tolkien a monster because of what Orcs and Mordor do to Gondor and Rohan?

    I’m working on getting my Atheists for Jesus tshirt screen printed and up on Zazzle. Should be able to quit my new job and stop working all this mandatory overtime. I typed this while working overtime. The call center is paying me time and a half plus 15% shift diff to write stupid things on TAE. Fools!

    #179276
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    @jb_hb

    In reading your gripe list against God I could not help but notice that all of the complaints you have are about human shortcomings, not divine error or arbitrary changes. Giving humans free will comes with certain unavoidable risks, including the risk that selfish humans would misrepresent the lessons, advices, revelations of Truth, and so on. The Bible was written by people, many of whom exercised their free will in a manner calculated to give them undue advantages over other humans. Assigning those crimes to God is a bum rap.

    Religions are a map, not a destination, and maps can be screwed with (and usually are.) Here’s a rule of thumb that won’t steer you wrong : if something is truly good and beneficial then it is Godly, If something is false, stupid or evil (almost interchangeable concepts) then it’s NOT Godly.

    Before you spend a lot of time, money and materials on the massive print job ask yourself where all that “stuff” came from in the first place. Do you think it just spontaneously popped up out of some “quantum foam” and started working together perfectly to make a Universe that runs better than a Swiss watch? If so, then where did the fucking quantum foam come from?

    C’mon, man, you KNOW that there is a Creator, and that by definition that “Maker” is divine. Your biggest gripe is that you don’t know much about Him. So find out. You’re a smart man. Quit your damn whining and find out!

    #179277
    WES
    Participant

    I don’t talk about religion much but today the Bible keeps perking to the surface.

    My Father was very religious, so I was raised going to church every Sunday.

    Yeah, I learned about the old and new testaments, two very different books, for sure.

    Judging by the way the old testament was written, what is currently happening in Gaza, is no surprise.
    It is about what you would expect of anyone cherry picking their way through the old testaments.

    I prefer the new testaments, if I had to chose between the two books.

    But color me cynical about organized religions, in general.
    I guess I have seen too much of the world.
    And I don’t like to be controlled or told what to do, either.

    As a result, my 2 children never went to Church growing up, so religion is a foreign concept for them.

    #179289
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    WES makes a good point about the Bible popping up a lot these days, in places where you might least expect it, by people from whom you would expect it even less. I mean, like literally, a professional career Bible scholar on Joe Rogan? How about Tucker Carlson, Sean Ryan and Alex friggin’ Jones.

    And that consequently their listenership stats go UP, not down.

    If I was a statistician, atheist or otherwise, I believe that might give me pause

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