J.A.Kosmos
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J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantAs Goebels knew and the great Jaqcues Ellul pointed out again and again, propaganda only works when based on facts. They distort it, twist it, magnify or silence the facts. This I think is the case with climate change. Very real but very very distorted.
J.A.Kosmos
Participant“We should learn to like beauty.”
Amen! A lot of our problems stem from this in my view. A human who cant appreciate beauty is a spiritual amputee. So many ways to frame it and one way is Ian Mcgilchrists from The Master And His Emissary, letting the left hemisphere rule leaves us less than half wise while at the same time giving us the illusion that we are completely on top of things.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantFrom yesterday.
Interesting that the money laundering scandal in Sweden hasn’t broken through more in other western media. It is now all the major banks here that are involved, the CEOs of two banks have been forced to resign and a former prime minister, Göran Persson, has stepped in as CEO of one of them. In the show on TV Anders Åslund who works for The Atlantic Council but is only presented as a proffessor of economics says that the worst crime a bank can commit is breaking the US sanctions. I am sure they are corrupt like all other large banks but the way it is all presented gives me bad vibes. Sweden is developing some system to circumvent the sanctions on Iran with a few other EU nations and maybe that would help circumvent Russia sanctions aswell? Could be punishment from the US perhaps.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantSorry about the misspelling of your name Raúl.
I was thinking about the money laundering scandal involving Swedens biggest banks Nordea, Swedbank and SEB and denmarks Danske Bank.
In the television exposure all those agencies and State Department fronts were represented without disclosure of who they were except for Utrikespolitiska Institutet, which nobody in the general population are aware of. And there were no other voices heard. In my eyes this must be connected to the U.S economic sanctions agains Russia. I am guessing alot of Russian buisness has been done via Scandinavian banks through the Baltic States. I mean its hundreds of billions of SEK or tens of billions of EUR so it must be more than just Russian crime? Or it would be in Russias interest to stop the outflow? Haven’t read much about it outside of Swedish media so just wondering if the story has reached you? In the exposure on TV they interviewed Browder and they tied the whole thing together with Magnitsky, Mannafort and Andrei Kozlov, and Putin of course so its one scandal involving all those elements.
Sorry if my first post wasn’t clear?
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantReposting this I read in an old thread since I think I posted to late for it to be noticed and it has to do with the Danske bank affair.
Noticed something new in Swedish state television recently, concerning the alledged money laundering scandal involving Scandinavian banks. Swedish state television has aired a series if “digging journalism” documantaries but when you google the people who are interviewed they all belong to various organisations like The Atlantic Council, A Journalistic organisation I cant remember the name of now which is funded by the US State Department and USAid, and Utrikespolitiska Institutet (obviously a part of Swedish secret services. Never seen anything so openly angled in Swedish Television. Yes one Russian troll factory doc where everyone involved also work for The Atlantic Council and US State Department organisations. Have you read anything on this scandal Raül? It ties in to the Magnitsky affair and the murder of Andrei Kozlov. Seems like a part of the economic war on Russia by the US.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantSince I saw al jazeeras under cover report on the Israel Lobby (not that I wasn’t aware of Israels behaviour before) I’m afraid Israel is laying the ground work for a new wave of real antisemtism not the weaponized kind they are using right now. They are not making “conspiracy theories” difficult to conceive of. I understand that they are in a tough position and endless conflict must breed a lot of paranoia and controlling behaviors but I think it will back fire at some point.
And good point about the similarities between these seemingly very different people and situations. The technique of propaganda is incredible now.
Noticed something new in Swedish state television recently, concerning the alledged money laundering scandal involving Scandinavian banks. Swedish state television has aired a series if “digging journalism” documantaries but when you google the people who are interviewed they all belong to various organisations like The Atlantic Council, A Journalistic organisation I cant remember the name of now which is funded by the US State Department and USAid, and Utrikespolitiska Institutet (obviously a part of Swedish secret services. Never seen anything so openly angled in Swedish Television. Yes one Russian troll factory doc where everyone involved also work for The Atlantic Council and US State Department organisations. Have you read anything on this scandal Raül? It ties in to the Magnitsky affair and the murder of Andrei Kozlov. Seems like a part of the economic war on Russia by the US.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantRaül: First thing I read of him so I was very impressed. High hopes for more good ones might not come to fruition then.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantEric Zuesse is definitly a new favourite. So enlightening. I feel ten times more up to date from reading his article that you posted yesterday.
Among other things i makes clearer the reason why one person can think of Trump as a fascist and another of him as an anti imperialist. Depends on what time you heard him speak and on which issues. Also expands the term neo conservqtive to people I didnt think of as such before. Great!
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantAnd by the way a far right conservative party is leading the polls here now, the social democrats are loosing hegemony and the conservative block is by far the biggest if thay choose to cooperate with the far right (think a cleaner version of Svoboda) and it seems they will. Wonder what Sweden will look like ten years from now.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantDr. D: A Swede who grew up in a communist workingclass home at that. Went to commie camp and when the adults talked revolution we kids got to throw darts at a picture of Ronald Reagan. As far away from the American culture as can be I guess. Now I have friends who ask me if I would have been a gun toking republican if I lived in the states.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantThank you Raül!
Have to recommend Vice’s special on Ukraine where they follow the conflict from the maidan on the ground. They dont get into much background but follow the events as they happen both political and the battles. You get to see the whole Crimea thing from the perspective of ordinary people and soldiers. I think there are around 110 short episodes on youtube. Really good to combine with articles like the one from Zuesse and the one from Stockman yesterday. Highly recommend it.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantBoogaloo: Regarding your comment from two days ago. Yes, yes, yes! I do have alot of learning to do. Happy to admit that.
Raül and the rest Dr. D. I am sorry for my ignorant push back the last few days. Just needed to get out some of the inner dissonance that has been growing in me the last year or so visiting TAE.
I hope it is forgivable. I read here on my favorite information hub that I have interpreted as very much in line with The Limits To Growth and environmental concerns both artcles and comments saying it is all a conspiracy concocted by elite bankers and old time aristocrats, good to get opposing views but frystrating because yes I am probably harboring still alot of binary thinking. I get the impression I am a bit younger than the average commentator here? I hope that is why I seem so naive and ignorant to most of you.
On Trump it is the same. Alot of confusing input. I hope it is because I am trying hard to get out of my binary thinking by reading differing views. Leftist, Libertarian (both right and left), some mainstream news, some right wing.
I do think when I started reading TAE I saw it as a back to the land, anti debt, environmentalist, power critical compass but it is much more and much more complex. Think I needed to get some of my pent up childish ideas out even though it was embarassing for me.
J.A.Kosmos
Participant“Outside an ancestral environment (or a small village), you cannot be both ethical and striving for people to like you.” -Nassim Nicholas Taleb
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantRaül: Like I said I get it, I think I like it when it comes down to it. I dont agree that you clearly critique Trump at times, but I see it between the lines. Guess I’m not smart enough but I feel I am in good company in that case. I’m partly playing the devils advocate here because no one of the readers who seem to disagree with your stance seem to want disscuss it openly in the threads any more. Keep it Raül!
J.A.Kosmos
Participantzerosum: Im in my thities, trying the best I can. Slowly getting disillusioned and hopefully wiser.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantCant avoid it, need to get this out of my system.
My point is exactly, how to differentiate you from people who speak as though they know what you mean when you leave out all information on the issue and let us fill in the blanks of why exactly you are not in Trumps camp. I think I can fill them in, I’m pretty sure of it but I cant know because you leave it out. Last post from me for a while. Think it sums up my analysis of why you get so much anger directed at you.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantIn another thread he insinuated I think aimed at me everyone who dislikes Trump is duped by msm. That post was only aimed at him.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantWell Raül you have taken a concious desicion to just leave out what you dont like about Trump. I have’nt seen you spell it out once, and thats where the problem lies. If its even a problem. Anyone can project whatever they like on you just saying your not in his camp but without specifying why. I dont understand why the perplexes you? People will fill in the empty space. I think I know things you dont like about him but I dont know because you haven’t told us even once. It’s fine but dont be supriced by the effects. Do you get what I mean or am I crazy? It seems so obvious to me. Vacuum >projection.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantDr. D its not just from them. Come on. He is saying things, associating with people and ideas and loads of independent thinkers hate his guts completely regardless of the Democrats insanity based on statements and policy. There might be a grand conspiracy involving seemingly independent people but in spite of your complex, interesting thinking in general I think you simplify this question. And I really dont appreciate the strawman thing earler, I am not in the filter bubble you accuse me of. I read Raül daily, Kunstler, Orlov, you every time you post, no CNN, MSNBC. I agree with your basic values, I see merit in your views on Trump but I still dont trust him.what if he wrangles control over the spy agencies and media. Think he will give them up? I dont, thats where we differ.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantI agree with his words and I am sorry for my pouring into the comments here last few days but this gnawing feeling about this issue has been with me for a while. I think for me at least and you seem to still get alot of flak from confused readers I have needed some.more clarity. I get it I think more and more but at the same time Dr. D is filling the vacuum speaking for you and boschovitz aswell, dont know if they agree with each other but both seem to think they know exactly where you stand. This strategy of leaving out things is interesting but I think you are opening yourself to qlot of projection. If people who think Trump is horrible feel repelled at TA and people who think he is great or the lesser evil feel you speak for them. How long before you loose cintrol of where you stand. I dont know this is how I see it anyway.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantAnd by the way it doesnt take much digging to see libertarianism and facism being much more cozy companions than you would excpect from time. Hayek has been a big favoirite of plenty of facists for example.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantFacism ran very much on promising German and Italian buisness more freedoms, if they followed Hitlers lead and Nazi doctrine, and at the same time promising the people more wealth and power in the nationalist collective. Its well documented in the documentary Fasiscm Inc. and in other places. And Trump, Guilliani and Bill Barr is shrinking the surveillance sector? Not so sure about that. They are definitly trying to take controll of it but Trumps “law and order” rethoric is classical totalitarian lingo. I guess we’ll see. Me I have not spent one our watching or reading any of the media you cite in one year so I am not among the people you try to bunch me together with, and I am not at all sure Raül agrees with the views you hold on this because he never stated it clearly. Yes I question Trumps motives and I could build aålmost as cohesive narativ showing he’s bordering on fascism. And thats the problem I guess and why it fractures friendships in a fractal way from personal friendships up to states and blocks of states. I guess Noam Chomsky, Chris Hedges, Michael Hudson are way to left to you but I value their point of view and from what I can tell they are conserned about the similarities to fascism. You are way more well read than me, probably older and wiser and seemingly extremely sure of yourself and how everything fits together so I’ll yield and try to keep the similarities to the rise of fascism I see until its a clearer, if it ever becomes clearer. Maybe the othersneaky totalitarians manage to get him out or dead and we’ll never know so that friends and allies can bicker for all forseeable time.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantJohn: I have a similar story. And yes it takes so long and life gets in the way and changes the process when you do something with as many incremental steps as preparing for a lower energy future. Very rewarding process though I must say.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantV. Arnold: Nicole was part of TAE. Her dissapearence is interesting to me at least. Its not just a personal relqtionship, its an intelectual relationship that has been exposed publicly. That the polarisation of our time has reached in to TAE, actually breaking it apart is something that concerns me deeply, and saddens me. I would have thought they were immun to it. To me TAE is very important and now that the reason for the split is becoming clearer its almost like realizing my intelectual parents divorced. Its obviously ideological/intelectual i. e not necessarily private. But if Raül says this should not be disscussed here I will respect that.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantV. Arnold: Well honestly that is just the curse of being influential on other peoples worldview, no? Especially in controversial times and topics. Something you sign up for when you put your thoughts into writing and post them online and especially when you try to make a living from it? He generates debate, one of the most important functions of thinkers making their ideas public.
J.A.Kosmos
Participant“This is how we roll.
What the Trump impeachment inquiry really shows is that elites on both ‘sides’ – Republican and Democrat, the Giulianis and Bidens of this world – are elbow-deep in money-laundering the plunder of the planet’s last resources. There are *no* good guys here – Jonathan Cook”
Thank you Raül! this little text clears things for me.
J.A.Kosmos
Participant*Trump International Escorts that is
J.A.Kosmos
Participantboscohorowitz: That is how you interpret Rauls strategy. You are probably right but I dont feel he has ever told it as clearly as you do which makes me think this is more your view than his. I agree with you and Raül if he agrees that you interpret him correctly. But I just dont see the strategy of ignoring all critique of Trump as an antidote to there being no serious opposition to him in the U.S. It is up to him of course and like I said I enjoy it as well but only because there are other good places online to get what I think TAM is missing.
I am chocked by Nicoles twitter feed but I guess she is even more afraid of what Trump represents than what the status quo represents which if you choose other venues than TAE is not completely illogical. For example Trumps prostitution service buisness Trump International seems to be connected to Robert Maxwell and so to Epstein and so to Israeli surveilence firms and so on, interesting thing to follow since the Whitney Webb articles. Normally TAE is where I would follow these things but increasingly I have to turn elsewhere. I still love Raüls writing but I wont be silent about the things I dont like or dont understand in his writing. Apparently many readers fell confused, maybe its not just because we are dumb but also because Raül has not managed to be clear enough? I am open to being less bright than most who usually post here but hey there seems to be plenty of us among his readers. I know he has explained his position qnd it is the same as Kunstlers but maybe if he gets that much missunderstanding from loyal readers who are not confused pro-dems he should make it even clearer? TAE Stance On Trump for Dummies could be a good post? Its his choice and I respect the choice but it makes TAE a little bit less central to my daily orientation.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantIts obvious Raül and Nicole has fallen on different sides of the fence, wish they would both stay up above the theater but apparently they had to take sides in this elite charade between protofacist Trump, yes this critique of him is easily verifiable and closetfascist Dems. Its a mess and there are no good guys involved. And I dont care that Raül says he is not a Trump fan, obviously he is not looking to convey a balanced analasys, and ai known its out of contrarianism to the news but still the effect is support for the man. Matt Taibbi and Naked Capitalism manages to show the hollowness and madness of the Dems and still tell us how awfull Trump is. Still enjoy TAMs take on it through Raül but its squarly on the Trump side of the balance while Matt and NC are the ones rising above the rest.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantI have a little “conspiracy theory”. I think Trump and his guys orchestrated this whole thing to get the Dems to make fools of themselves. The whistleblower is really working for Trump. Probably not but I just can hardly believe the Demd to be this stupid, but I guess they are.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantHehe! True. A text that is probably equally often or more often misrepresented than The Third Industrial Revolution by both detractors and fanatics. But when a single detached quote that so obviously doesn’t represent the work in question gets thrown around as much as that one it gets a bit tedious.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantDr.D: I like and agree with your pirate analogy. I do not agree with you on the climate question. I just react to that tired quote taken out of context from that book. I have actually caught one person, who used that quote as if he had read the book, of guard, by reading the book myself and then asking him to debate it with my since the book obviously is not saying anything similar to what most apcc deniers are saying it is. At that point he admitted to never having read it and wrote a mile long name drop e-mail of rouge scientist online all of whom I could easily connect with various right wing think tanks. Both sides of this question are infected with evil elite opportunists trying to twist it their way.
I really enjoy your writing, gives me new perspectives but just had to call that cliché quote.J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantLets take another quote from The First Industrial Revolution and see how evil a white paper it seems to you just from that small part.
“What
is needed is a reformulation of the appropriate levels of decision-making so as
to bring the points of decision making as near as possible to those who enjoy
or suffer their consequences. There appears to be a common human need fot
ethnic identity, whose roots arc deeply buried in the past of the human race
Equally, there appears to be a widespread tendency among people, even In
ethnically homogeneous communities, to be identified with the affairs,
prosperity and environment of their community. It is suggested that a greater
number of points of decision making are necessary, ranging from the strictly
local to the international. This could ease the load on central governments and
help to humanise the system.”J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantDr.D: If you read the whole book though you will see the part you quote comes from two conclusions the Club Of Rome claims to believe are true. First that those threats are real and second that you keep large goals in focus for mankind through common enemies. The logical conclusion is to solve the first problem with the second problem. There is nothing in that book that indicates faking environmental problems is the way to go. Might be the case anyways but that quote taken out of contexts does not mean much.
J.A.Kosmos
Participant“Seeing this video makes me think I should really start talking more about finance again. If only because after all, that’s where we come from. ”
Yes please! Would really like that.
Thought provoking artcle “About Trump”. Some things that dont quite square with me but its a good narative and I will keep it in mind when I watch Trump from now on. The narative though describes someone deeply interested in history, well read enough, is Trump? And it just fits a bit to perfectly with the authors view of things, to perfectly aligned with the truth according to the author. Might be a bit of wishful thinking in there? But what do I know.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantIt all seems like nonsence. Can they really hope to get Trump out with this. Maybe, or maybe Michael Hudson is right, listened to an interview with him today by SNA radio, that Trump is the Democrats favorite choice for president because he’s the only one who can get through all the deregulation for the finance sector and push through lots of reforms that put the last nails in the coffin of the middle class without loosing popularity and then he can be sacrificed when they crash the economy to gobble up all the assets of the indebted masses, companies and the state. Or thats my interpretation of what he meant in other words.
On a side note have you listened to Matt Taibbi and Katie Halpers Apodcast Useful Idiots Raül? Think you might enjoy it, they take the same stance as you on Trump hence the name of the pod. Really funny and with great guests. Check it out if you have’nt.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantFrom my Scandinavian perspective there are only two right wing parties in the U.S. The Democrats are far right of our biggest right wing party, or I have to correct mysalf since the former fringe real far right party the Swedish Democrats might now be the biggest party. I dont even understand how Bernie Sanders, AOC, Hillary and Biden can be part of the same party, makes no sence. After watching the first day of public hearings I understand Illargis standpoint better, the Democrats appear like insane clowns but I still think Trump is corrupt and tried to pressure Zelenski. They’re all corrupt to different degrees. While this spectacle is going on Trump and Bill Barr are continuing rolling out the totalitarian surveilence state all his predecessors have increased. Turning the patriot act on Americans with any history of mental illness, should be what 50% by now? And further militarizing the police and sending it to terrorize people of color calling it the surge, just like Bush called the push into Iraq. Seems like all roads lead to totalitarianism in the U.S now.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantRedshift: Heh! Reacted the same way. There are some quite belivsble hypothesis pointing to our entire universe being on the inside of a black hole inside another universe in another black hole. Just reading Lee Smolins book The Life Of the Cosmos and it let me see for the first time how the universe is part of a fractal in just that way mentioned above.
Regarding the rest of the content of the post I just see the U.S system deteriorating as an effect of entropy, in this case I informational entropy, there is so many years of black propaganda, white propaganda, public, private and foreign propaganda, public relations, advertisement and so on mixed in to the informqtion flow that you cant get much certainty about anything out of it. Cambridge Analytica shows Trump is as implicated in that process as any of them but not the worst.
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantSorry to hear the Debt Rattle is not working out. Checking in is a daily ceremony. Struggling financially myself so have’nt been donating, sold some artwork and donated all the money (not much) to you Greece project though. Will start donating but for above reasons my donations will not make much difference. Although I feel sad about the news I also look forward to see what comes out of your change of focus. Keep up the good work Raül!
J.A.Kosmos
ParticipantYes obviously they are trying to use her the way you describe but she made clear that they are wrong about their green growth and no o e alive could make a clearer impession than her in the minds of young people of how wrong they are.
I dont villify Putin but i dont really view him as a very interesting source on this, he’s as invested in the oil, gas and growth game as any of them, his life depends on keeping it up at at least the same rate as now. And Zero Hedge is interesting as a counter balance on economics but on questions like this it is just a vile page, the comments sections reflect that well. It begins as a Life Gaser article for christ sake. Not impressed. -
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