Elio Ciol Via Portica, Assisi 1958
KamaColbert
If artificial intelligence had a face, this would be it.
If artificial stupidity had a voice, yep, you guessed it… pic.twitter.com/3HRJI4CpLd
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) October 8, 2024
Trump ad
I would like to thank @KamalaHarris for dropping @realDonaldTrump’s newest campaign ad.
Turn the page indeed. pic.twitter.com/FSVtL5i4qs
— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) October 8, 2024
60m
The internal polling numbers for Kamala Harris are so depressing that the Dems forced her to do some interviews. Her answers on 60 Minutes were so bad that CBS had to edit them to hide her ineptitude. CBS has been caught in a fraud against American voters. pic.twitter.com/cgJDE9pjfq
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) October 9, 2024
Walmart
https://twitter.com/i/status/1843056003497218451
9ft
BREAKING: The storm surge for Hurricane Milton is expected to be 15 feet.
To give you an idea of how deadly this is, here's what 9 feet looks like:pic.twitter.com/0SxfrA9XK3 https://t.co/56ZLtpOIbi
— Financelot (@FinanceLancelot) October 8, 2024
Bridges
Happening RIGHT NOW
This isn’t Kamala Harris’ FEMA
Tonight these regular everyday Americans are working through the night to make bridges for Hurricane Helene victims out of downed telephone poles and trees. This is work by real American you won’t see reported by the media pic.twitter.com/JvlnVhmaq3
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) October 8, 2024
Schiff
Steve Garvey just straight up told Adam Schiff that he's obsessed with going after Donald Trump and also that Schiff has been made a "proxy" by Democrat puppet masters to attack Trump
"How you could get up every morning and have one mission, and that's to go after Trump?"
"Mr.… pic.twitter.com/lpbwAuurvR
— George (@BehizyTweets) October 9, 2024
Casey
https://twitter.com/i/status/1843717457640304834
“..what you need is an interlocutor, and somebody who can actually sit down and talk to both sides.”
• Trump Is The Only One Who Can Bring Peace To Russia, Ukraine – General (JTN)
Former National Security adviser General Keith Kellogg said that former President Donald Trump is the only one who will be able to bring peace between Russia and Ukraine as president. “He’s the only one who can do it,” Kellogg said on the “John Solomon Reports” podcast. “Because what you need is an interlocutor, and somebody who can actually sit down and talk to both sides.” He added that neither President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris could properly talk to the leaders of Ukraine and Russia.
Western leaders had discussions last month about whether or not they would allow Kyiv to use weapons supplied by the West to hit targets deep inside Russia. Top Russian officials warned that if Ukraine started launching long-range strikes with the support of the West, the response won’t “be pretty.” Kellogg said that the war is brutal and needs to end quickly. “I think the president could do that by pulling both sides together,” Kellogg said. “And I think you start with getting both sides to start talking. And I think he can do that immediately.”
“..She has never contributed anything to any of these efforts, and so what I think is selfish is her trying to blunder into this..”
• DeSantis, Dark Brandon, CNN Hit Kamala Over Hurricane ‘Phone Call’ Stunt (ZH)
After completely biffing her 60 Minutes interview (after which the network edited out her word salad), Vice President Kamala Harris has come under fire for accusing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of “political gamesmanship” after reports emerged that he didn’t take her calls ahead of Hurricane Milton. When asked about the alleged snub, Harris said DeSantis was being selfish and “utterly responsible” for not taking her call.
Reporter: There are reports that DeSantis is ignoring your calls..
Kamala Harris: Playing political games at this moment…It's utterly irresponsible and it is selfish and it is about political gamesmanship instead of doing the job that you took an oath to do pic.twitter.com/lySDD98xO9
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 7, 2024
In a Monday evening interview with Fox News, DeSantis said he’s “leveraging all resources available, including from the federal government” to prepare for the storm that’s headed straight for Tampa. DeSantis said he’s been in touch with both President Joe Biden and officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “And so for Kamala Harris to try to say that my sole focus on the people of Florida is somehow selfish, is delusional,” said DeSantis. “She has no role in this. In fact, she’s been vice president for three and a half years. I’ve dealt with a number of storms under this administration. She has never contributed anything to any of these efforts, and so what I think is selfish is her trying to blunder into this,” he continued.
He took her to task on Tuesday, where he said “It’s not about you, Kamala,” adding “She has never called on any of the storms we’ve had when she’s been vice president until apparently now. Why all the sudden is she trying to parachute in and inject herself?” You know it’s bad when CNN and President Biden back DeSantis… “She’s attacking the governor of a state that’s about to get lashed with one of the worst storms,” said CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings, adding “Is she crazy?” And on Tuesday, Biden said DeSantis is doing a great job, and that he gave the governor his personal phone number in case he needs anything.
Holy crap, Joe Biden just said Ron DeSantis has his direct number, is doing a great job on hurricane response, directly undercutting Kamala. Biden hates her. Not hiding it now: pic.twitter.com/Bm95Nh75Iq
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 8, 2024
“..the danger in that is if you don’t define your own candidacy well enough, people will start defining it themselves.”
• Harris’s Biden-esque ‘Hiding In The Basement’ Campaign Has Dems Worried (JTN)
Vice President Kamala Harris has emulated her former running mate’s 2020 presidential campaign in minimizing her time in the spotlight and carefully managing her few public media interactions with friendly outlets. Some Democrats are increasingly worried that what worked for President Joe Biden, may not yield similar fruit for her. “They’re trying to keep her away. It’s like seeing your favorite Hollywood actor, and then they’re on a talk show and they can’t even speak,” former New Hampshire Democratic House Speaker Steve Shurtleff told Fox News. “It’s so obvious she’s been avoiding the one-on-one interviews, and the voters deserve better.” The Harris campaign has long faced scrutiny from its Republican counterpart over its perceived unwillingness to engage with the media and the public outside of a carefully controlled setting.
Indeed, a Fox News analysis released last week found that former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance had participated in at least 65 interviews between them, while Harris and running mate Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., had done a mere 26 non-scripted interviews since making the Democratic ticket. Apart from the infrequency of such events, the lack of substance of Harris’s public statements has also attracted criticism. In a September campaign event, for instance, Vance mocked her penchant for responding to policy questions with seemingly unrelated anecdotes. “Vice President, Harris. What are you going to do? What is your specific plan to solve the inflation crisis that’s making it unaffordable to buy groceries and housing?” he asked. “And Kamala will say, ‘Well, did you know that I grew up in a middle class family? I had a very nice lawn back there in Berkeley, California.’”
“How are you going to solve [the Israel-Gaza conflict] as President of the United States?” he then added. “And Kamala Harris will say, ‘Well, did you know that I worked at McDonald’s for about three months when I was a teenager?’”But while such lines have been ubiquitous at Republican events, such refrains have become more common in Democratic circles as well. Harris is set for a media blitz this week, including appearances on “60 Minutes,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and a town hall event on Univision. The majority of her appearances, the New York Times conceded, will occur on “friendly” networks. Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis outlined the risks of minimizing public appearances and giving softball interviews in a statement to NBC News last week. “The campaign is taking a chance that they can run out the clock and Trump’s weaknesses will be enough to win,” he said.
“But the danger in that is if you don’t define your own candidacy well enough, people will start defining it themselves.” Biden was able to employ his so-called “basement” strategy during 2020 in part due to his substantial polling lead, as well as his decades in the public spotlight and status as a known commodity, in addition to a campaign based on personal hatred towards Donald Trump. But Harris has not been in the national spotlight nearly as long and signs have shown a narrowing race. Her most noteworthy public appearance was her debate with former President Donald Trump, a public event that saw moderators lopsidedly fact-check Trump while giving Harris a pass on several questionable statements. While pundits widely pronounced Harris the winner, she evidently failed to win over a substantive bloc of undecided voters as panels and post-debate polling suggested the needle did not move.
“..Harris’s pledge to gun down intruders stands in stark contrast to her opposition to stand your ground laws..”
The reinvention of Vice President Kamala Harris in this election has been a thing to behold. In politics, candidates often reconstruct their records to secure votes, but Harris appears to have constructed an entirely mythical being. Once ranked to the left of socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders and viewed as among the most liberal members of the Senate, Harris has sought to convince the public that she is actually a frack-loving, gun-toting, border-defending moderate. This last week, Harris sounded like she has hired Neo as her new campaign manager from the Matrix. When asked “what do you need, besides a miracle?” Neo replied “Guns. Lots of Guns.” Recently, that remake was on full display during a softball interview with Oprah, who has endorsed Harris. The Vice President declared that she is a gun owner and “if somebody breaks into my house, they’re getting shot.”
She repeated the claim in a CBS Sixty Minutes interview and noted that she has fired the gun at a pistol range. The gun is reportedly a semiautomatic Glock handgun. Many Glocks are semiautomatics that use 9mm ammunition. When CBS’s Bill Whitaker expressed shock at her gun-toting persona on the campaign trail, he asked if she actually fired it. Harris then did her best Rooster Cogburn, who noted “Well a gun that ain’t loaded, ain’t much good for nuthin.” Harris said that she has of course fired the gun in her trips to the firing range. While she was referring to defending her home, Harris’s pledge to gun down intruders stands in stark contrast to her opposition to stand your ground laws. When she was the San Fransisco District Attorney, Kamala Harris was one of the signatories on the District Attorneys’ amicus brief in District of Columbia v. Heller — in support the handgun ban. The Court rejected the position of Harris and her fellow Democratic DAs and held that there is an individual right to bear arms under the Second Amendment.
Harris’ true grit has delighted activists who are trying to lure male voters back to the Democratic Party. It may not be as thrilling to some in the Biden-Harris Administration including President Joe Biden. As we have previously discussed, Biden and other Democrats have repeatedly denounced semiautomatics and some have suggested that, with a change in the Supreme Court, they might be banned. While the Administration has repeatedly called for a ban on AR-15s, the most popular weapon in America, President Biden has suggested in the past that he might seek to ban 9mm weapons. In reference to guns that use 9mm ammunition, Biden declared “there’s simply no rational basis for it in terms of thinking about self-protection.” It is a call that has been echoed in Canada where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that his government is introducing legislation to “implement a national freeze on handgun ownership.”
He said Canadians would no longer be able “to buy, sell, transfer or import handguns anywhere in Canada,” adding that “there is no reason anyone in Canada should need guns in their everyday lives.” While the White House subsequently tried to walk back his comments, Biden saying there’s “no rational basis” to own 9mms makes the new Harris look . . . well . . . irrational. Both Biden and Harris have made sweeping, unsupportable statements about guns and constitutional protections. For example, despite being repeatedly corrected, President Biden continues to repeat the same false statements about bans on weapons when the Second Amendment was ratified. Likewise, in support of the ban on AR-15s, Harris declared: “Do you know what an assault weapon is? It was designed for a specific purpose, to kill a lot of human beings quickly. An assault weapon is a weapon of war, with no place, no place in a civil society.”
Yet, courts likely would press a Harris administration on why it is seeking to ban this model when other higher-caliber weapons are sold. AR-15s can handle a variety of calibers. However, they are no more powerful than other semi-automatic rifles of the same caliber and actually have a lower caliber than some commonly sold weapons which use .30-06, .308 and .300 ammunition; many of these guns fire at the same — or near the same rate — as the AR-15. None of these weapons are classified as actual military “assault weapons,” and most civilians cannot own an automatic weapon. As discussed earlier, President Biden showed the same disconnect as Harris between the factual and the rhetorical basis for some gun-control measures. He condemned “high-caliber weapons” like 9mm handguns and said “a .22-caliber bullet will lodge in the lung, and we can probably get it out — may be able to get it and save the life. A 9mm bullet blows the lung out of the body.” Biden has not made any comment on Harris promising to blow away anyone coming into her house with her own Glock.
Yet, before condemning Harris for her an implied threat to “blow lungs out of bodies,” Biden should again check both the constitutional and practical statements about handguns. Gun experts mocked the notion that 9mm rounds blow organs out of bodies, but 9mm ammunition is the most popular handgun caliber in the U.S., with more than half of all handguns produced in 2019 using that round, according to Shooting Industry magazine. If Biden pushed a ban, he would target more than 40 percent of all pistols produced in the U.S., including many Glocks. Again, in fairness to Harris, she is not the first politician to reinvent herself on the campaign trail. For now, Harris wants to be clear that “I have a Glock, and I’ve had it for quite some time.” For critics, the reload is a bit much given her record. Yet, in a close election, many activists want voters in states like Pennsylvania to know that Harris is the virtual Jed Clampett of the Beverly Hills set. Indeed, you get the impression that she would use her Glock to frack, if only she could.
“Texas has exhausted all available methods to confirm the citizenship status of the voters in question and is now demanding federal assistance..”
• Texas Demands Biden-Harris Verify 454,289 Unverified Voters (HUSA)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has demanded that the Biden-Harris administration turn over data to verify the citizenship status of nearly 454,289 registered voters in Texas. In a letter addressed to USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou on Monday, Paxton raised concerns that these individuals may have unlawfully registered to vote without having their citizenship status confirmed. Paxton requested Jaddou’s assistance in identifying non-citizens on the voter rolls to ensure only eligible voters cast ballots in the 2024 presidential election, which is expected to be close. “The Biden-Harris Administration is legally obligated to assist States in doing so, and it is imperative that we use every tool available to uphold the integrity of our elections,” Paxton wrote.
Paxton’s request follows an investigation by his office and Secretary of State Jane Nelson, which found individuals who registered to vote without providing a state driver’s license or other state-issued identification. This, Paxton argued, made it near impossible for state officials to verify these individuals’ citizenship. It is not immediately clear when these individuals were registered to vote. “I am not asking for verification of the citizenship of anyone whose voter registration records contains [sic] a driver’s license or state-issued identification number,” Paxton clarified. According to Paxton, over 1,300 non-citizens were found registered to vote during an audit of four randomly selected counties. “That is 1,300 too many when so many of our federal, state, and local election [sic] are decided by a handful of votes,” Paxton wrote.
Paxton noted that Texas has exhausted all available methods to confirm the citizenship status of the voters in question and is now demanding federal assistance. However, it is unlikely that the Biden-Harris administration will respond or cooperate with Texas on this issue. On Sept. 27, the DOJ filed a lawsuit against Alabama after Wes Allen, the Republican secretary of state, inactivated the voter registrations of 3,251 individuals due to a lack of citizenship verification. The DOJ argued that Alabama’s actions violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Allen defended his decision in an interview with Headline USA, stating, “I was elected Secretary of State by the people of Alabama, and it is my Constitutional duty to ensure that only American citizens vote in our elections.”
“..the truth is both parties signed off on a budget deal earlier this year that increased funding for the new mission authorized in 2023 for FEMA..”
• How FEMA Got Into The Illegal Immigrant Business (JTN)
In the midst of the last major budget crisis in Washington, Democrats diverted money and the legal authority to put the nation’s disaster relief agency into the business of caring for the millions of illegal immigrants who crossed the border on the Biden-Harris administration’s watch. And now both parties seem to be trying to obfuscate the truth. White House spokeswoman Karine-Jean Pierre took the lead in trying to suggest it was a “conspiracy theory” to suggest the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was using its resources to aid illegal aliens. Republicans countered with surprise and shock that FEMA had routed $640.9 million in grants to nonprofits aiding immigrants, many of whom have crossed into the U.S. illegally. But the truth is both parties signed off on a budget deal earlier this year that increased funding for the new mission authorized in 2023 for FEMA, which is now reeling from a double-barreled hurricane crisis that has led to frustration over alleged missteps by the agency as millions of stranded and needy Americans in the Southeast await help.
“FEMA, as well as this whole Biden administration has is here to protect Americans, our citizens, and hurricane Helene has put a tremendous burden on us, but, get this, follow these funds that have been directed at anything but Americans: $110 million in FEMA funds went to the emergency food and shelter program to assist migrants,” Congressman Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show Monday. Norman partly blamed the broken budget process in Congress for giving funds to FEMA for immigrants rather than American citizens suffering from a disaster. “If we don’t get back to regular order, John, then there’s no hope for ever having a fiscal sanity plan in place,” he said. “They, the Democrats, play us like a drum waiting to the end of the year.” FEMA has disputed the Republican characterizations in recent days that disaster relief money was diverted to fund illegal immigrants, instead pointing out that Congress appropriated funding for the immigrant programs separately during the budget process.
“This is false. No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts. Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts,” FEMA said in its Hurricane Helene Frequently Asked Questions page. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also denied that FEMA resources were going to illegal migrants at a press conference last week despite her own statements at the podium two years earlier touting the opposite. “Funding is also available through FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter program to eligible local governments and not-for-profit organizations upon request to support humanitarian relief for migrants,” Jean-Pierre said of FEMA efforts to alleviate the immigration crisis.
A Democrat-run Congress that year later created the Shelter and Services Program (SSP) was to replace a similar program formerly run by DHS, which was directed to transfer $800 million of its appropriations in 2023 to the emergency management department. Though FEMA is a subagency of DHS, it represented a transfer of the core responsibility for illegal and legal immigrant support to the agency dedicated to disaster relief. The funding was to stand up the new program which would “support sheltering and related activities provided by non-Federal entities, including facility improvements and construction, in support of relieving overcrowding in short-term holding facilities of U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” according to the Congressional Research Service.
By 2024, the program was well established at the agency when Republicans and Democrats alike voted to fund it to the tune of $650 million with the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024—a minibus bill passed by the House and Senate in March, both with significant Republican support, and sent to President Joe Biden’s desk. Now, Republicans have placed the program under a spotlight after widespread flooding and damage from Hurricane Helene left several southeastern regions devastated and tens of thousands of citizens without basic resources. But, so far, few who originally supported the bill have owned up to their role in passing the budget stopgaps last year funding the very programs being placed under the spotlight.
“Why is this dangerous? In such a scenario, the liberal elite in Brussels could win every time..”
• Von Der Leyen’s New Budget Is A Huge Power-Grab From Brussels (RMX)
Poland’s Piotr Serafin will probably take over as EU commissioner for budget on Dec. 1, but the president of the European Commission is already organizing his most important task: the draft EU budget for 2028-34. The document, seen by Polish media outlet Rzeczpospolita shows that the German, Ursula von der Leyen, wants to dismantle regional policy across the EU, which will have a profound effect on Poland. The money that is currently given to the regions, and largely managed by them (two-thirds of EU structural funds), would be given instead to the governments of the member states. These governments would then divide it as they saw fit, allowing for more centralization and control, a move that would better suit a Brussels looking to expand its control through a top-down approach. Instead of the 530 currently operating programs (including 398 concerning cohesion policy), Ursula von der Leyen proposes 27 national operational programs.
Each such program will include all expenditures that have so far made up cohesion policy and agricultural policy, including even subsidies for farmers. The programs will be divided into sectors, e.g., transport, energy, agriculture, or internal affairs and migration — all under the slogan of simplification. The second slogan repeated by von der Leyen is “flexibility.” She wants to introduce the principle of an “annual review” of the multiannual budget, which she argues will increase flexibility. Money allocated to one area could therefore be shifted to another purpose if necessary. Experts who spoke to Rzeczpospolita unofficially have no doubt that this proposal means the elimination of regional policy, which von der Leyen clearly does not like, which is more control for rural areas on how funding is spent with these rural areas often leaning more conservative.
Why is this dangerous? In such a scenario, the liberal elite in Brussels could win every time. First, when the central government is of a different political color than the local government, the distribution of EU funds can be an element of rewarding its party allies. Let’s imagine a situation where Poland’s Law and Justice (PiS) returns to power and does not transfer money to voivodeships or cities governed by PO. However, in such a scenario, Brussels could turn around and cut funding to Poland if it disagrees with PiS’ policies. In the event that a left-liberal government carries out such actions, it could simply look the other way and allow funds to continue to flow. Von der Leyen also wants the payment of money to be on the condition of reforms at the central level, even if the regions have nothing to do with the lack of reforms.
Finally, the transfer of competencies to the central level means that many regions will not have coherent investment programs. For decades, the EU has been building a regional policy based on the principle of convergence, or raising the level of development of poorer areas. It had a developed methodology, instruments for negotiating programs with governments and regions, and criteria for granting money. The aim of such a policy was also to bring the EU closer to its citizens: local authorities were involved in writing operational programs and the effects of EU money were visible on the ground. Now, von der Leyen proposes throwing this policy in the trash and introducing a transactional method: the government carries out reforms and, in return receives money and divides it between sectors.
“..understanding that the ongoing proxy war in Ukraine must be stopped and the “next [war], which will come,” averted. ”
• Stoltenberg Could Have Prevented Ukraine Conflict, But Fueled It Instead (Sp.)
Former NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg had the power to prevent the Ukraine conflict from escalating, but, on the contrary, he fostered it, said Patrick Pasin. Pasin has been studying the roots of the conflict in Ukraine for a long time, and also said that “he has always scrupulously respected historical facts, especially in the context of the situation between Ukraine and Russia.” In particular, he wrote the book “War in Ukraine: the Criminal Responsibility of the West”, and also helped with the publication of two books by 15-year-old girl Faina Savenkova from Donbass. The French author explained that he was motivated to take the unusual step due to understanding that the ongoing proxy war in Ukraine must be stopped and the “next [war], which will come,” averted.
“Because it’s clear, we see what’s happening in the Middle East and we know that the next step is against China. So we can’t accept that these people can trigger wars, unlawful wars, unjust wars. And that we, and when I say ‘we,’ I mean Russians, Ukrainians, I mean all the people of the world, pay the price,” Pasin underscored. Jens Stoltenberg blatantly lied when he claimed NATO had never promised Russia that the alliance would not expand eastwards, Pasin said, and for that he deserves to be sued. The publisher recalled that during his trip to Germany, Stoltenberg was asked by a German journalist “Didn’t we [NATO] promise to the Russians that we will not go further eastwards?” Stoltenberg answered in German, saying “No… even behind the scenes, never was such an agreement made between the West and the Russians.”
“This was a lie,” Pasin said, pointing to the same German outlet the following month publishing an article with a document confirming the Russian version, proving that there had not only been a promise, but a “commitment from the West and NATO not to go eastwards.” Confirmation of such a commitment can be found in the NATO website archives, the author said. There is a text of a speech by Manfred Wörner, who was the secretary general of the alliance in the 1990s, in which he underscored that “the commitment of NATO not to expand eastwards was a serious guarantee of security for Russia,” Pasin noted. The Russian Federation had no choice but to intervene in Donbass in 2022 due to the law of nations, said Patrick Pasin. Ukrainian forces were “bombing civilians” in complete violation of the United Nations charter, the Minsk agreements, and the articles of the Fourth Geneva Convention, Patrick Pasin told Sputnik.
He took a moment to recall Russia’s numerous efforts to draw attention to the Donbass disaster, noting that Moscow’s own core demands contained in the draft agreements on security guarantees in Europe that it presented to the US and NATO in December 2021 were disregarded. At a January 2022 press conference, President Joe Biden fueled invasion fears, stating he believed Russia was ready to attack Ukraine. US and UK tabloids soon claimed a Russian offensive could occur on February 15-16, which did not happen. Pasin referenced data from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which was monitoring the ceasefire in line with the Minsk agreements. When the Russians did not, as the West had predicted, “invade” Ukraine within the designated timeline, “the [Ukrainian] bombings started immediately,” the writer noted.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces began using “heavy weapons against the civilian population of Donetsk and Lugansk,” he recalled. “It was a serious matter, because the law of nations forbids to bomb civilian populations. That’s what the Ukrainian forces did,” Patrick Pasin emphasized, concluding that Russia had no choice but to protect Donbass. The mainstream media “can’t love [his lawsuit against former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg], because they have been lying for more than two years,” Patrick Pasin told Sputnik. “In fact, they have been lying at least since the beginning of the war. People who want to express a different point of view and simply a neutral point of view, saying that we should listen to the Russians, are fired immediately. And it’s the reason why they sort of forbade Russian media in Europe,” said Pasin.
“..I don’t know what they are trying to convince him of, but when we are alone behind closed doors, the majority [of NATO states] shares the position that I just articulated..”
• Most NATO Countries Do Not Support Ukraine’s Accession – Hungary FM (RT)
Most NATO members are acting “unfairly” towards Ukrainians and do not actually support the country’s desire to join the US-led military bloc, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto claimed on Tuesday during a televised press conference. The diplomat stated that many members of the bloc have been expressing their skepticism and opposition in private conversations. The behavior of a “significant part” of NATO members has been “extremely unfair” to Ukrainians, given that the countries do not talk “honestly” about their real position, Szijjarto said. The minister said he conveyed this to his Ukrainian counterpart Andrey Sibiga during their recent meeting. The diplomat did not reveal how the Ukrainian minister reacted to his remarks.
“Last week I told the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, who was in Budapest, that I don’t know what they are telling him, I don’t know what they are trying to convince him of, but when we are alone behind closed doors, the majority [of NATO states] shares the position that I just articulated,” Szijjarto said. Unlike most NATO states, Hungary has openly opposed Kiev’s membership, believing its accession would result in World War III, he pointed out. Because the accession of new countries must be approved by all of NATO’s 32 members, even a single nation is capable of keeping an aspirant out of the US-led bloc. A similar stance has been repeatedly taken by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who had held the office twice and regained it after the October 2023 election. The potential accession of Ukraine would only “serve as a good basis” for WWIII, Fico believes.
“As long as I am the prime minister of the Slovak Republic, I will lead the legislators, whom I have control over as a party chairman, to never agree to Ukraine’s membership in NATO,” he said last week in an interview with the broadcaster STVR. Kiev formally applied to join NATO in September 2022, citing the conflict with Russia. While many Western states publicly back Ukraine’s aspirations, they have refused to provide a concrete roadmap or timetable for accession. Vladimir Zelensky acknowledged in July that “we will not be in NATO until the war is over in Ukraine.”
“It would be an economic calamity for Americans for the benefit of a foreign country. This is what they call patriotism?”
• American Neocons Get Their Iran War As Congress Sleeps (Ron Paul)
Over the weekend, the Commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael Kurilla, arrived in Israel to “coordinate” with the Israeli military and plan a military strike against Iran. Think about that for a moment: one of the highest-ranking officers in the US military is planning a war in a foreign country against another foreign country which will be fueled by American weapons, American intelligence, and American tax dollars. Did that foreign country – Iran – attack the United States or threaten Americans? No, it did not. What did Iran do to warrant a CENTCOM commander bringing the weight of the US military into play to plan a war – possibly WWIII? It retaliated against Israeli airstrikes including the assignation of a Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran.
It was the Israeli missile attack on Tehran – an unprecedented event – that set off this chain of escalation, but few would know if from media coverage. This war fever between Israel and Iran not only has nothing to do with us, but our increasing involvement actually hurts our national interests in the region. After a deadly and futile three-year proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, the last thing we need is another war in the Middle East, especially against Iran. But make no mistake, war is what we are getting. This Administration has even offered to “compensate” Israel with even more weapons and diplomatic support if they hit targets of the US choosing and avoid others in Iran. Imagine if China sent military officials to Iran to pay Tehran to make sure some US targets were struck and others avoided. Would we consider it Iran’s war against us, or China’s war against us? Both? Has Congress declared war on Iran or even authorized the war? No.
Has this Administration explained to us why Americans suffering after the catastrophic Hurricane Helene are on their own because we need to spend billions on a war that is none of our business? No. The neocons have wanted this war for decades and for them it’s always America last. This war will make us less free, less safe, and much poorer. There will be no benefits at all, only downside. Will the Biden/Harris Administration greenlight Israel taking out Iran’s oil production and other energy facilities? That would mean the average American already suffering under high inflation and an economic downturn would be paying orders of magnitude higher for not just gasoline, but everything. Consider the cost of shipping and trucking and every aspect of our lives that depends on world energy prices. It would be an economic calamity for Americans for the benefit of a foreign country. This is what they call patriotism?
We are sleepwalking into a catastrophic war, lulled into compliance by non-stop media propaganda. More billions will be drained from our economy and many more innocent lives will be lost in this madness. Almost a quarter of a century later we still have not learned the lessons of 9/11. When we go abroad wreaking havoc and destruction on foreign populations who have not harmed us we create enemies who will seek revenge. We harm ourselves. And we risk blowback. The time to oppose this impending war is NOW!
“..four Palestinian Americans launched the most serious threat to Israel’s survival in the economic war that is under way in parallel..”
“Their target is $700 million worth of Israel bonds purchased by the Palm Beach County treasury of Florida on the order of a single man, the county’s chief financial officer Joseph Abruzzo.”
• Israel’s Bond Sale To Americans – How To Stop The Big Steal (Helmer)
Just days before Iran and Arab forces launched their October 1 operation to expose Israel’s military vulnerabilities, four Palestinian Americans launched the most serious threat to Israel’s survival in the economic war that is under way in parallel. On September 24 they filed an 89-page brief in a Florida state court to declare illegal US financing of Israel’s war against Palestine through the purchase of Israeli government bonds with American taxpayer money. Their target is $700 million worth of Israel bonds purchased by the Palm Beach County treasury of Florida on the order of a single man, the county’s chief financial officer Joseph Abruzzo. Starting in September 2023, one month before Hamas launched its break-out from Gaza, Abruzzo signed a purchase of $40 million in Israel bonds. Then from October 10 through March 2024 Abruzzo used county taxpayer funds to buy $660 million worth of securities the Israeli government was issuing to cover its warfighting costs.
Altogether, the Israeli plan is to raise at least $58 billion in new debt this year, with an increasing proportion of this debt to be covered from the US where Goldman Sachs and Bank of America are placing the bonds with small-town officials like Abruzzo. In Abruzzo’s case, the court papers relate, “Palm Beach County is currently the world’s largest investor in Israel Bonds due to the Defendant’s [Abruzzo] $700 million dollar investment in Israel bonds. These $700 million dollars, sourced from Palm Beach County taxpayers’ property taxes, are being poured into a foreign economy that has an increased risk of default. Defendant purchased $700 million dollars of Israel Bonds amidst a housing crisis in Palm Beach County, an education crisis, and a funding shortfall of $732 million dollars in Palm Beach County’s budget that is leading to several capital-improvement projects such as athletic centers, parks, animal shelters, and bridges to be either delayed or cancelled. At the time the $732 million dollar shortfall in Palm Beach County’s budget was announced, Defendant had already invested $160 million dollars in Israel Bonds.”
After his own budget deficit and treasury debt were announced, Abruzzo “invested an additional $540 million dollars in Israel Bonds.” In his public justification, Abruzzo told the Miami press on October 10: “I am proud to show solidarity with the people of Israel and make Palm Beach County the first county in the nation to increase its investment in Israel Bonds following their declaration of war against Hamas.” Six months later, Abruzzo attacked critics of Israel in the Democratic party as it began the presidential election campaign. “Do I hear, especially from the far-left wing of my Democratic party, concerns about investing in Israel? Yes. Are the public leaders in D.C. of the Democratic Party condemning support for Israel? Yes. . . But I would say to them, we’re not going to be deterred. They need to back off and we need to stand united with our greatest ally, Israel.”
At the same time Abruzzo has claimed: “everything I do financially is, down to the penny, putting personal feelings aside,” Abruzzo said. “None of my purchases was done for a political purpose whatsoever. It’s the dollars and cents and getting the most we can for taxpayers. It’s all economic driven.” Abruzzo has also tweeted that “if we don’t balance the federal budget and curb spending, our nation’s future will be unrecognizable. With interest payments on the national debt now exceeding $1 trillion, the urgency for fiscal responsibility should have been addressed…”
“..no one truly wants war – Iran shows restraint, the US and other players seek diplomatic solutions, and it seems that only Netanyahu and his circle are willing to go to any lengths to achieve their goals.”
• Israel’s Unity Is Shaken And It’s Bleeding Support (Sadygzade)
AA year after the events of October 7, 2023, the conflict between Israel and Palestinian factions has not only failed to subside but has also significantly expanded, engulfing the entire Middle East region. The ongoing military operations in Gaza, Israel’s reluctance to engage in negotiations with Hamas, and the recent assassinations of senior Hezbollah leaders and other radical figures have escalated tensions, bringing the region closer to a full-scale war. Despite numerous international calls for a ceasefire and hostage exchange, Israel continues its war with Hamas, showing little interest in diplomatic negotiations. Lengthy and complex negotiations over hostages, in which Hamas proposed various exchange options while Israel delayed decisions or imposed additional conditions, serve as an example.
US officials have frequently criticized Israel for dragging out negotiations, and members of the Biden administration have expressed frustration, stating that Netanyahu’s hardline stance complicates diplomatic efforts for a truce and increases the risk of conflict escalation. In 2024, Israel intensified its military operations beyond Gaza. One of the most significant events was the elimination of Ismail Haniyeh, one of the leaders of Hamas, along with Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah. These assassinations provoked immediate retaliation from Lebanon and Iran. Israel has already been targeted by direct missile strikes from Iran twice, heightening fears of an imminent direct military confrontation between the two nations. Alongside operations against Hamas, Israel launched an invasion of Lebanon, encountering fierce resistance from Hezbollah.
The fighting has resulted in substantial losses on both sides, including civilian casualties. In this context, the international community is increasingly concerned about the possibility of Israeli strikes on Iran, which could trigger a full-scale regional war involving the US. The world watches with bated breath as analysts warn that an Israeli strike on Iran could drag the US into a Middle Eastern conflict. Washington is unprepared for such a scenario, but its alliance with Israel complicates its diplomatic maneuvering. US officials have repeatedly called on Israel to exercise restraint, understanding that escalation could have catastrophic consequences for the entire region. Netanyahu faces a daunting challenge – consolidating power at home while diminishing the influence of the opposition, which criticizes him for failing to protect citizens from terrorist attacks.
Israel’s internal instability, driven by political divisions, is compounded by external threats from Iran and its proxy groups across the ‘Axis of Resistance’. Netanyahu’s strategy aims to address two key issues. On the one hand, he seeks to weaken Iranian influence in the region, viewing Iran as the primary threat to Israel’s security. On the other hand, he strives to maintain control over the domestic political situation, using military operations as a way to strengthen his hold on power and counter opposition criticism. A year after the start of the conflict, the situation in the Middle East has only deteriorated. The military operations in Gaza, the invasion of Lebanon, and the growing tensions with Iran pose the threat of a full-scale regional conflict that could extend beyond the Middle East, potentially involving major global powers, including the US.
Despite diplomatic efforts, the conflict continues to expand, and its consequences could be devastating for the entire region. Many believe that no one truly wants war – Iran shows restraint, the US and other players seek diplomatic solutions, and it seems that only Netanyahu and his circle are willing to go to any lengths to achieve their goals.
“At the end of July 2024, the giant BlackRock, the world’s largest investment fund, posted unprecedented losses, seeing $1.7 trillion go up in smoke within a few months..”
• Good Morning Italy, It’s Black Rock Here (Pacini)
Giorgia Meloni’s leadership is bringing great joy to Italians: unrestrained immigration, taxes and excise duties appearing like mushrooms after an autumn rainstorm, skyrocketing food prices, denial of the freedom to demonstrate, and even a nice award at the Atlantic Council. A resounding success. To crown it all further, she has seen fit to invite U.S. financial monster Black Rock to shop in Italy. At the end of July 2024, the giant BlackRock, the world’s largest investment fund, posted unprecedented losses, seeing $1.7 trillion go up in smoke within a few months. In August, it was discovered that the U.S. fund’s top executives, such as CEO Larry Fink and Chairman Shapiro, had sold their shares for $54 million. The fund in which the wealth of the world’s most powerful banking families is stored is bleeding away, and the sharks running it seemed to be taking off. Certain movements should have tipped us off that something was about to happen.
It is never easy to predict the point of the matter, because these are financial transactions at very high levels and the hidden regions can be many. What is certain is that a capital flight, or rather a sell-off, always suggests something negative. And something has indeed happened. Meloni went to New York on 23 September to receive the Global Citizen Award, an award from the Atlantic Council, NATO’s main think tank. She receives the statuette from Elon Musk and in her speech claims the defense of so-called ‘Western values’ as an answer to the autocracies of the rest of the world. The event, it should be noted, took place in conjunction with the 79th UN General Assembly, just as a reminder of who is in charge of whom. The Italian Prime Minister’s merits? Her support for the European Union, the large amount of money and armaments sent to Ukraine, the presidency of the G7 in 2024 and the work done to strengthen the Atlantic Alliance. A true ‘American girl’.
The next day, delighted with the celebrations, Meloni met face to face with Fink, the head of BlackRock. Which – we learn – could help the government in many ways. Of course, as we know, aid is never ‘free’, but always involves a quid pro quo. What must the two have said to each other? Like it or not, in recent days, the Meloni government has authorized BlackRock to exceed the threshold of 3% in Leonardo, the main company in the Italian-flagged defense sector. In fact, the American fund has become the only private shareholder with such a stake. This is a further qualitative leap in the presence in Italy of one of the Big Three investment funds, Black Rock, Vanguard and State Street, which is now the main foreign investor in companies listed on the Milan Stock Exchange. BlackRock is present literally everywhere: banks like UniCredit, BPM, Mediobanca, Intesa San Paolo, but also companies like Ferrari, in the telecommunications sector with Prysmian, in pharmaceuticals with Stellantis, in energy with Eni and Enel, and in other multi-utilities.
But that’s not all: on the horizon is the issue of the announced privatizations, a very serious business. In order to make the accounts of the Budget Law turn around, the government needs to privatize at least EUR 6 billion, half of which has already been taken through privatizations in Eni. The remainder will apparently be taken from Poste Italiane, a state-owned company that has had excellent growth in 2024. Another attack is planned on Ferrovie dello Stato, already largely privatized for years, which is in the crosshairs of government commissions. We also do not know exactly how much has been promised to Fink in the energy and technology sector, especially with regard to cyber-intelligence and digitization. These operations represent a very strong political stranglehold by the U.S. on Italy, but on Europe in general. There will probably be big mergers of European companies and capital funds, or perhaps something even bigger. What is already clear is that political sovereignty, not just economic sovereignty, is being further attacked and put in check. Because you know, in the 20th century the economy overtook politics and became its main engine, in the words of Karl Marx.
“Our National Priorities Are In Dire Need Of Restructuring..”
• America Is Falling Apart (Whitehead)
A water main breaks every two minutes somewhere in the U.S., resulting in contaminated drinking supplies and boil water notices. One out of three bridges in the U.S. needs repair, endangering hundreds of millions of commuters. More than 42,000 bridges across the country, carrying about 167 million vehicles each day, are in disrepair. It is estimated that 300 million people could face power outages across the United States between 2024 and 2028, due in large part to widespread power grid failures. No wonder U.S. infrastructure received a C- on the Infrastructure Report Card. America is falling apart. Collapsing bridges, buckling roads, overheated railways, deteriorating power lines, contaminated water lines, outdated public transportation, overtaxed power grids, aging ports and waterways, unsafe tunnels and highways, and spotty or insufficient telecommunications assets are all becoming frequent hallmarks of the American way of life.
If the nation is woefully unprepared to deal with climate disasters such as floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts, despite the hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars that have been pledged to shore up the nation’s infrastructure problems, it is because politicians across the political spectrum have failed us. The devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene makes this failure by the government to put the needs of the American people first painfully evident. Entire towns are under water. Roadways have collapsed or are otherwise impassable. Potable water is scarce. More than 1.5 million households are still without power. Clearly, our national priorities need to be re-examined. While the politicians play partisan games with our tax dollars, the nation’s critical infrastructure—both the physical foundations of the nation and the figurative foundations of our freedoms—continues to be neglected and deprioritized in favor of grandstanding, bloated military budgets on endless wars abroad, foreign aid to shore up the infrastructure and military defenses of international allies, and all manner of graft and pork barrel spending.
When all is said and done, the bread-and-circus distractions and sleight-of-hand political theater being trotted out in order to keep Americans distracted, deluded, amused, and insulated from the government’s steady encroachments on our freedoms adds nothing of real value to the lives of the average American. It’s time to fix what’s broken in this country. For starters, we need an overhaul of the nation’s infrastructure. According to Time magazine, “Throughout the country, millions of Americans don’t have access to or can’t afford broadband internet service. In excess of 2 million people live without running water or basic plumbing. For too long, the American public has had to carry on while these deficiencies have gone unattended. The political will has been weak or inattentive, the rewards too far removed from electoral advantage.”
In other words, the politicians who dance to the tune of the oligarchic elite aren’t motivated to do anything about our failing infrastructure because they get nothing out of it: no votes, no money, no power. This isn’t about whether the Republicans or Democrats have better policies. Indeed, both parties’ priorities are disconcertingly alike: both parties support endless war, engage in out-of-control spending, ignore the citizenry’s basic rights, have no respect for the rule of law, are bought and paid for by Big Business, care most about their own power, and have a long record of expanding government and shrinking liberty. This is about the plight of the American people who continue to be treated like a permanent underclass.
“By continuing to push our hardware in a flight environment, and doing so as safely and frequently as possible, we’ll rapidly bring Starship online and revolutionize humanity’s ability to access space.”
• Biden-Harris’ FAA May Finally Greenlight Musk’s Starship Launch (ZH)
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and the Federal Aviation Administration have been locked in disputes on when the Starship mega-rocket will blast off from SpaceX Starbase in Texas. After a month of delays, SpaceX revealed on X that Starship’s fifth launch could begin as early as Sunday. The initial launch date was slated for mid-September. Since the FAA fined SpaceX $633,000 for safety violations in Florida and $633,000 for environmental violations at Starbase – while slowing down rocket launches, the private space company has moved to speed up timelines. Company execs have warned that FAA regulatory hurdles are nothing more than ‘lawfare’ by Biden-Harris admin officials. San Antonio Express-News noted, “Chatter of a mid-October launch began last week when a Coast Guard Notice to Mariners about the launch appeared online.” However, the FAA dismissed that, saying, “We are not issuing launch authorization for a launch to occur in the next two weeks—it’s not happening.”
SpaceX provided more details about the upcoming Starship test flight: “Starship’s fifth flight test could launch as soon as October 13, pending regulatory approval. A live webcast of the flight test will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app. The launch window will open as early as 7:00 a.m. CT. As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to stay tuned to our X account for updates. Flight 4 was a tremendous success. A fully successful ascent was followed by the first ever booster soft-landing in the Gulf of Mexico and Starship making it through a brilliant reentry, before its own landing burn and splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The fifth flight test of Starship will aim to take another step towards full and rapid reusability. The primary objectives will be attempting the first ever return to launch site and catch of the Super Heavy booster and another Starship reentry and landing burn, aiming for an on-target splashdown of Starship in the Indian Ocean.
Extensive upgrades ahead of this flight test have been made to hardware and software across Super Heavy, Starship, and the launch and catch tower infrastructure at Starbase. SpaceX engineers have spent years preparing and months testing for the booster catch attempt, with technicians pouring tens of thousands of hours into building the infrastructure to maximize our chances for success. We accept no compromises when it comes to ensuring the safety of the public and our team, and the return will only be attempted if conditions are right. Thousands of distinct vehicle and pad criteria must be met prior to a return and catch attempt of the Super Heavy booster, which will require healthy systems on the booster and tower and a manual command from the mission’s Flight Director.
If this command is not sent prior to the completion of the boostback burn, or if automated health checks show unacceptable conditions with Super Heavy or the tower, the booster will default to a trajectory that takes it to a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The returning booster will slow down from supersonic speeds, resulting in audible sonic booms in the area around the landing zone. Generally, the only impact to those in the surrounding area of a sonic boom is the brief thunder-like noise with variables like weather and distance from the return site determining the magnitude experienced by observers. Starship will fly a similar trajectory as the previous flight test with splashdown targeted in the Indian Ocean. This flight path does not require a deorbit burn for reentry, maximizing public safety while still providing the opportunity to meet our primary objective of a controlled reentry and soft water landing of Starship.
One of the key upgrades on Starship ahead of flight was a complete rework of its heatshield, with SpaceX technicians spending more than 12,000 hours replacing the entire thermal protection system with newer-generation tiles, a backup ablative layer, and additional protections between the flap structures. This massive effort, along with updates to the ship’s operations and software for reentry and landing burn, will look to improve upon the previous flight and bring Starship to a soft splashdown at the target area in the Indian Ocean. With each flight building on the learnings from the last, testing improvements in hardware and operations across every facet of Starship, we’re on the verge of demonstrating techniques fundamental to Starship’s fully and rapidly reusable design. By continuing to push our hardware in a flight environment, and doing so as safely and frequently as possible, we’ll rapidly bring Starship online and revolutionize humanity’s ability to access space.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1833347271003718107
Costco
Worrisome… pic.twitter.com/6VeRTpc8fo
— Camus (@newstart_2024) October 7, 2024
Shepherd
The Caucasian Shepherd Dog is a livestock guardian dog native to the countries of the Caucasus region and one of the world's largest dog breeds.
This is its size with humans for scale.pic.twitter.com/XjvbEkGY3w
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) October 8, 2024
Bear resistant
Canadian inventor Troy Hurtubise testing out his bear-resistant suit. pic.twitter.com/m9KKFV8ZZd
— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) October 8, 2024
Snow leopard
https://twitter.com/i/status/1843771316983468338
Coconuts
This is how Thai farmers harvest and transport tons of coconuts using water canals, with some of them becoming millionaires. pic.twitter.com/eLkJVRrOR9
— Jean Claude NIYOMUGABO (@jcniyomugabo) October 8, 2024
Dance
Irish dance moves
pic.twitter.com/w0kUsdRC5f— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) October 8, 2024
Support the Automatic Earth in wartime with Paypal, Bitcoin and Patreon.
