What is the piebald deer, the rare animal recently spotted in Western Pennsylvania? CBS Pittsburgh
Kentucky Man Declared Brain Dead Wakes Up Moments Before Organ Harvesting ZME Science
How Zombies and Vampires Help Me Grapple with Disaster Atmos
Climate/Environment
Pollution is one of the top drivers of biodiversity loss. Why is no one talking about it at COP16? Environmental Health News
‘Electric plastic’ could open door to new generation of implants and wearable tech Science
Hydrogen: Green Solution or Energy Colonialism? Green European Journal
Water
IN FOCUS: Water, water everywhere – why Southeast Asia’s overbuilt capitals need new ways to survive Channel News Asia
Pandemics
The NHS is warning people in the UK about the ease at which this COVID variant is spreading and that they’re still contagious for at least 10 days.
Meanwhile, the CDC wants us at work and kids in school while infectious for the sake of record profits. https://t.co/6Q2f239eW5 pic.twitter.com/WLFTpr3LNq
— Jammer (@AcrossTheMersey) October 21, 2024
Japan
First Ever Fighter Jet Lands on Japanese Aircraft Carrier: Joint F-35B Ops with U.S. Marines Planned Military Watch
China?
China looks to turn a page with Japan, Britain, and Israel. Pekingnology
Huawei’s latest AI processors were allegedly made by TSMC: Report Tom’s Hardware
***
The Effectiveness of U.S. Economic Policies Regarding China Pursued from 2017 to 2024 RAND
Do protective tariffs boost growth? Policy Tensor
How China-Bashing Fuels the Fentanyl Crisis Nonzero Newsletter
Syraqistan
“Our Job Is to Flatten Gaza. No One Will Stop Us.” Drop Site
As Gaza burns, Israeli settlers make ‘real estate’ plans Middle East Eye
IMF slashes Israel growth forecast Globes
Israel says 230 trucks have reached north Gaza in 9 days since aid was blocked for two weeks Times of Israel. Commentary:
I’m a reporter on the ground in North Gaza, and I’m here to tell you that no aid has entered the besieged area for the past 21 days. The Israeli and American governments are spreading inaccurate information.
— حسام شبات (@HossamShabat) October 22, 2024
***
US, Israeli terms for Lebanon revealed: ‘Surrender, not ceasefire’ The Cradle
Israel Is Hurting Hezbollah. But It Can’t Rely on Lebanon to Finish the Job Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Panic in Beirut as Israel threaten attack on capital’s hospitals The New Arab
***
2 US service members injured in Iraqi raid targeting ISIS leaders ABC News
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukraine – Zelenski Begs Russia To Renew Deals He Had Botched Moon of Alabama
South Korea mulls arms for Ukraine as North accused of sending troops Al Jazeera
***
UK to provide Ukraine with $2.9 billion military loan, to be repaid with proceeds from frozen Russian assets Kyiv Independent
EU Approves $38 Billion Loan For Ukraine, Funded By Frozen Russian Assets RFE/RL
US ‘very close’ to finalizing $20B share of G7 loan to Ukraine, Yellen says Politico
Poland to close Russian consulate in Poznan, citing alleged sabotage attempts Reuters
Turkey quietly curbs military goods exports to Russia following US warning, FT reports Kyiv Independent
***
Ukraine’s population has fallen by 10 million since Russia’s invasion, UN says Reuters
Ukraine Rewilding: Will Nature Be Allowed to Revive When War Ends? Yale Environment 360
Spook Country
Class of 2018 CIA/Pentagon Democrats Continue to Advance Hawkish Policies in Congress Covert Action Magazine
US intel assesses Russian operatives behind fake video trying to smear Tim Walz CNN
Russia and Iran may fuel violent protests after US elections, intelligence officials say Euronews
His country trained him to fight. Then he turned against it. More like him are doing the same AP
2024
In battleground Georgia, poor people see no reason to vote. That decision could sway election AP
Election Exclusive: British Advisors to Kamala Harris Hope to “Kill Musk’s Twitter” Racket News
Trump
Trump campaign files complaint over ‘foreign interference’ by ‘far-left’ Labour Party in US election The Independent
TRUMP: ‘I NEED THE KIND OF GENERALS THAT HITLER HAD’ The Atlantic. Commentary:
why is it only CIA people amplifying this story https://t.co/Deri60ddRb
— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) October 23, 2024
Neocons Circling Trump Campaign Consortium News. The deck: “Neocons maneuver through the shifting sands of power in Washington to make sure no matter who wins, they remain in charge, writes Daniel McAdams.”
Kamala
Detroit Muslim leader ejected from Kamala Harris rally, deepening rift between Democrats and Arab Americans Detroit Metro Times
Doug Emhoff, Ritchie Torres reassure Michigan Jewish voters Harris supports Israel Times of Israel
Just in Pennsylvania: 57% of Biden 2020 voters who are undecided/voting for another candidate say they’d be more likely to vote for Kamala Harris if she pledges an arms embargo to Israel.
0% say they’d be less likely. https://t.co/fNxmQ4ec1z pic.twitter.com/k0DjiszX42
— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) October 23, 2024
Biden
Biden says Trump should be locked up ‘politically’ Reuters
The Mark of Kaine: The Biden Administration Under Fire for Virginia Lawsuit over Non-Citizen Voter Removals Jonathan Turley
Immigration
Arrests for illegal US-Mexico border crossing falls to more than four-year low The Guardian
Democrats en Déshabillé
Man-Hating Proves Unpopular with Men The Wayward Rabbler
AI
The AI Investment Boom Apricitas Economics
Healthcare?
A Prescription for Fixing the US Healthcare System Conversable Economist
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
Lawsuit Argues Warrantless Use of Flock Surveillance Cameras Is Unconstitutional 404 Media
Imperial Collapse Watch
Welcome to the defense death spiral Responsible Statecraft. The deck: “At the current spending rate, in another generation we will have a lot of rich contractors and no aircraft or Naval fleets to speak of.”
US envoy to NATO questions EU’s ‘buy local’ strategy on weapons Politico
BRICS
Russia’s expanded BRICS meeting sends jitters around Europe Euronews
IMF and BRICS: no return to Bretton Woods The Next Recession
The Bezzle
The SEC greenlit Bitcoin ETF options trading. Here come the big fish Quartz
Air taxis and other electric-powered aircraft cleared for takeoff with final FAA rules The Verge
Maine man made homemade bombs and dropped some from drones officials say AP
Class Warfare
Amazon Says It Has a First Amendment Right to Union Bust 404 Media
Cracked Skull, Fractured Bones Show Danger for Rivian Factory’s Workers Bloomberg
Dare We Dream of Peace in Our Time? Other News
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Nooks And Crannies
(melody borrowed from Mustang Sally by Wilson Pickett)
Nooks And Crannies (uhh! huh!)
Buttered English Muffin slides right down
(O Lord, what I said now!)
Nooks And Crannies could well be (O Lord!)
How Hamas knocks Jewish soldiers down (huh! Oh yeah!)
They’ve got tunnels way underground, now
(Ohhh!), I guess you can’t fight who ain’t walkin’ around! (Huh!)
(What I said now!)
(Listen) All those Hamas guys they wait in the rubble (on every side!)
If they got no shot they head back to their bubble (on every side!)
Settin’ up a crossfire—now you’re in trouble! (on every side!)
(Huh!) Then they disappear just like a soap bubble (on every side!)
This is why every morning (whoa!) you be countin’ up who done died! (huh!)
(What I said now!)
(Lookee here!) You fools been throwin’ bang bangs since 1945 (huh!)
These days all you do is kill our kids and women
The source of all your pride!
Nooks And Crannies now may be (O Lord!)
Hamas hides in Nooks And Crannies, now! (huh! O Lord!)
(Lookee here!) You done knocked all of Gaza down
(Owww!) But Hamas fires back at you from every mound! (huh!)
(Listen what I said now, yeah!)
(Listen to it one more time y’all)
All our Hamas guys they wait in the rubble (on every side!)
If they got no shot they head back to their bubble (on every side!)
Inspired a bit by Antifa:
Melody
“A deadly little flurry of fringe black ops” – sung to the tune of “The Surrey with the fringe on top”
BRICS and kids and beasts better scurry
When we take them out in a flurry
We’ll just take them out in a hurry with a fringe black-op
Watch that drone and see how it flutters
Camera films the kill with its shutters
Nosy kids on the scene with their mothers and their skulls will pop (pop!)
The squeals are horrid, the upholstery’s red, we’ll send ’em to regions nether,
With clear war crimes you can count on Uncle Sam, in case there’s a change in the jurisdictional weather!
Poll numbers drop then we’ll send Stinkin’ Blinken
Ain’t no finer stooge I’m a thinkin’
You can keep your diplomacy if yer thinkin’ Bibi’d care to swap
For that deadly little flurry of fringe black ops!
Oh yes, Lindsay would love to take a ride in it, really? Care to sing it with me?
BRICs and kids and beasts better scurry
When we take them out in a flurry
When we take them out in a hurry with a fringe black op
Watch that drone and see how it flutters
Camera records the kill with its shutters
Nosy kids on the scene with their mothers and their skulls will pop (pop!)
The squeals were horrid, the obituaries read, we’ve sent them to regions nether
With AIPAC goons we’re Nuremberg-proofed, in case there’s a change in jurisdictional weather!
Poll numbers drop then we’ll send Stinkin’ Blinken
Ain’t no finer stooge I’m a thinkin’
You can keep your diplomacy if yer thinkin’ ‘at we’d care to swap
For that deadly little flurry of fringe black ops!
2 marvelous parodies…
Our NYC upper west side neighborhood is a favorite with dachshunds.
We even have a piebald dachshund on our block.
Gary Larson would love it here.
“Israel Is Hurting Hezbollah. But It Can’t Rely on Lebanon to Finish the Job”
Either these guys don’t get it or else they are deliberately trying to muddy the waters and making it sound like Hezbollah could be removed by a political process which will hand Israel the win. Not going to happen. Lebanon is made up of many disparate groups but all of them are backing Hezbollah here as they have fought five division of the IDF to a standstill in their invasion of Lebanon. They know that Israel wants to occupy Lebanon up to the Litani river again and perhaps also a zone north of that river. There are already settler groups publishing maps showing where their settlements will be built in southern Lebanon. And the Lebanese? Israel has demonstrated in their actions that you don’t negotiate with ‘untermenschen’ but just try to kill your way to success.
Israel doesn’t want to come to any ceasefire, no matter how favorable the terms. We see time and again that they kill anyone who is in a position to negotiate with them. They put out this ridiculous “proposal” so that not even the most Fascist Maronite faction can accept it and then let the Western press screech about how the Arabs don’t want peace.
They’re betting it all on being able to pull the US into fighting theit war with Iran, then…profit. That’s why they’re so openly committing endless war crimes for the world to see. They are planning to start such a massive regional bloodletting that their crimes in Gaza and Lebanon will pale by comparison.
They know that the US military and financial power is fading fast and this is the last chance to grab the Eretz Israel they want and leave all of West Asia in the condition of Syria or Gaza.
I wonder if at some level Antony Blinken understands that his fate is to go down in history as a “beard” for Bibi’s genocide. You can kind of see it in his sunken face.
Fellow Chris, assuming that anyone in elected positions in the west truly cares when brown people from foreign countries die is, I’m afraid, relying on facts not in evidence.
Blinken will no doubt be recognized as an awful Secretary for what occurred during his tenure. But I expect him to suffer no consequences from that designation. Now or later.
My only hope is that his children will despise him and never come see him when he is sick and dying. And that his passing will be unnoticed and lonely; after long pain and misery. His idol was Kissinger and he has surpassed him in evil, simply by inaction.
not a Chris but went to school with one,
agree with both of you. I believe he is one of the unfortunate US apparatchiks who will be openly regarded as an utter failure upon leaving office rather than by historians looking back at his performance.
Maybe the zionist entity will come to a ceasefire when there are no longer any idf soldiers left to kill the Palestinians, or the Lebanese, or the Syrians, or the Iraqis, or the Houthis, or the Iranians, etc.,etc.,etc. Or the old, the very old, the sick and dying, the children, the infants, mothers giving birth to babies. Maybe when there’s no longer any idf murderers around to take aim and put a shell in some three-year old. Maybe.
The NVA/VC were done after their huge defeat in Tet Feb 1968!
Centuries ago the European power used to say that the British would lose every battle in a war except for one – the last one.
But hey if the Israelis think that they are so great that they can defeat Hamas in Gaza, the West bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran itself, who am I to disagree?
Hubris precedes nemesis.
I don’t think even they believe that. They’re failing badly in Gaza and Southern Lebanon. They just want to start a war between Iran and the US to bail them out.
Well, if God is your realtor…
The only “democracies” recognized by the “Foundation for Defense of Democracies” are those who fully support the Zionist project for a New Middle East.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_for_Defense_of_Democracies
So if the leadership and non-Hezbollah political factions in Lebanon don’t go along, then it’s time for some good old fashioned “democracy promotion,” the kind that has proven so successful for the US. Bombs away!
I had originally typed a further comment expressing my feelings about the FDD, but I was afraid it might have promoted “violence and hatred” toward the organization, so I self-censored. I’ll just say that it would be hard to come up with a more Orwellian name – and in the swamp of DC “think tanks” that’s saying something.
I really hope they don’t believe that, given the nature of the political system in Lebanon, or they are even dumber than I thought they were.
>Election Exclusive: British Advisors to Kamala Harris Hope to “Kill Musk’s Twitter” Racket News
In an explosive leak with ramifications for the upcoming U.S. presidential election, internal documents from the Center for Countering Digital Hate—whose founder is British political operative Morgan McSweeney, now advising the Kamala Harris campaign
It’s not “advisor” but handler, if I can speculate. It’s only recently that I’ve been studying the history of the re-corporation of the U.S. into the British Imperial system. John Wilkes Booth close affiliation with British intelligence is not mentioned in Wiki, but if you search alternative history sites, it is documented.
Philip K. Dick mantra of “The empire never died” in VALIS is true. It’s a shift changing phenomna that manifests in exoteric and esoteric ways unbeknownst to most of us.
May be someone can say something smart about this:
(to me it´s a bit like a diversion from the real stuff)
Why Elon Musk’s million-dollar presidential lottery is ominous
By Sam Butler
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/why-elon-musks-million-dollar-presidential
About ideas to turn the US into a corporation.
There is a CT on the right that the US was already turned into a corporation in 1872. Meanwhile MAGA has been suspicious of the Thiel/Vance relationship since Vance was announced as VP candidate, though ATM there seems to be a “wait and see” attitude.
One dollar, one share, one vote.
I read this piece hoping to find out why everyone is freaking out so much about the petition. Unfortunately I remain unenlightened. It begins by talking about the petition and the lottery and then segues straight into theories of post-democratic government. The lottery/petition never gets another mention and there’s no discussion of why it represents a step in that direction (as I guess we’re supposed to conclude it does?)
The rest of it reads like a typical libertarian fever dream, perhaps having a bit more of a Snow Crash flavor than usual with the hundreds or thousands of competing ‘franchulates’ – I guess that’s the Musk influence. I do think these people should take the time to actually read Snow Crash, and decide whether that’s the kind of world anybody in their right mind would want to live in, before trying to push us all in that direction. But I guess people of all ideological stripes are prone to viewing their pet utopian concept through rose-colored glasses.
Comments like this on DropSite illustrate the problem of today´s closed blog communities. They are usually applauding the author. And expanding his narrative in e.g. such a purely affirmative way as this – (but what does that help to truly look beyond the curtain???):
“History repeats itself and this experiment has been tried before with Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany. As large corporations consolidated their control over the German economy they decided to back Hitler financially. He promised to discipline labor and effectively stimulated the economy with rearmament. However the notion that any one corporation could control the state was proven completely false. The state is by its nature coercive. It possesses a army. The dictator can compel any corporation to conform to his policy. The minute a Musk tries to impose his corporate interests on a Hitler like dictator he will find out who has the real power. How does the state operate in circumstances where there is no accountability? Like a mafia. Trump makes it very clear that he wants personal benefits from power. If Musk studies China he should look at what the purge of Communists on the corporate take was all about. Musk will be the first to go the minute he tries to control Trump.
German corporations came out of WW2 with a wrecked economy and their factories in ruin. There will be no US unscathed coming out of an imperialist war with nuclear weapons to rebuild Musk’s empire.”
There is so much half correct or too superficial/clichéd on the Nazi history at a closer look which makes it even worse since equating Musk/Trump with Hitler/German heavy industry is already just…well do I have to say it?
And apparently nobody asks: How have we ended up here in the first place??? This is so elementary school level.
On the other side Grim does interesting stuff on the Democrats not the GOP and Scahill too e.g. see his great conversation with Hamas past summer. And the decision to leave INTERCEPT after HE had co-founded it must have come a long painful way.
Trump to be on Rogan reported by Politico
Trump set to go on Joe Rogan’s podcast
Can you imagine Kamala Harris talking to Joe Rogan for an hour or so? No, I can’t imagine it either.
The article claims team Harris is in talks with Rogan as well. These two going on Rogan has been going around for a week or so. My PMC friends would love to see her go on. They think he is a Russian asset and Kamala would destroy him.
It would be interesting to see them both do it. I don’t think Rogan is a fan of either.
Going by memory, I think that several months ago he said that he wouldn’t vote for Trump. Of course that does not mean that he would vote for Harris instead. I don’t listen to the guy so don’t know how he will go politically.
Rogan is the archtype for the undecided voter: they know something is rotten in Denmark, wince at Dem. cultural war issues, wince at RINOs, wince at Trump, libertarian/agnostic towards abortion.
If this was 1986, we’d call 40% to 60% of Rogan listeners Reagan Democrats.
I am both shocked and not shocked by the fact that some PMCs out there might seriously believe Rogan to be a Russian anything. And I am not really a great fan of his podcast, either.
Politically speaking though, I do remember that on one or two occasions he mentioned Bernie Sanders as someone he might lean towards. Not sure if that is the case this election cycle, but I suspect that a lot of the Rogan-watching male types could be rather easily swayed by social-democratic ideas. Harris, of course, is anything but.
And I won’t even tough the concept of Harris “destroying” anyone in an interview. Any kind of an interview. Harris, in my opinion, can do ok if she memorizes a few index cards’ worth of answers and recites them back, as she more or less had at the debate. Any kind of a live interaction, however, even with the most deferential of interviewers…ugh. And that’s even before one gets to the substance.
I remember when Jennifer whatever her name from Hilary’s camp thought she’d get kidnapped by Russians. It’s only been, what, almost 10 years now? These people really need to let it go and take a breath. Russians in every closet!
Yeah, I remember that. She was taking a taxi somewhere and realized that the driver was Russian-born so felt that her life was in danger and had a panic attack. Thought that she might be kidnapped or something.
You had something similar after Trump won in 2016. NC had a story about some well-off guy in New York that had a guy fixing something in his apartment. Suddenly the guy realized that the repairman might be a MAGA voter and was stressing out because he might be attacked by him.
I have had people tell me they won’t walk their dog down a street if it has MAGA signs. I don’t know if there is anything worse than stage 5 TDS, but there should be.
Maybe it should be given a designation and maybe the ACA can provide insurance for the cure, if such a thing exists.
‘If you or a family member are suffering with TDS, please consult a doctor.’
Russians are so incompetent that they need to break down western appliances to get access for microchips for their weapons.
…but so ruthless and evil that they can control a media market w/330+ million people at the touch of a button. Putler is bad!
FWIW here’s the Sanders/Rogan podcast:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2O-iLk1G_ng
It’s a good (and frequently compelling) introduction to both men. It remains the only Rogan podcast I have watched, and I confess that if it’s typical, I don’t understand why Rogan has gotten the bad press he has. He was respectful, asked good questions, and used the format skillfully to create a fascinating and in many ways classic interview with Sanders.
I was also struck by how remarkable it was to see a lengthy one-on-one conversation of substance with a presidential candidate. No compressed time format, no commercials, no one-upmanship from multiple hosts, and no other annoying features of the modern day media. Not only do we get a lot of detail on the policies of the candidate, but also just a good sense of the person and a feeling for how he would do in a leadership role.
IMO Rogan would be doing a tremendous public service by speaking with each presidential candidate in this kind of format.
Rogan: The most accurate description of my podcast I’ve ever read.
First politician to toke will probably win the election. And it doesn’t seem likely to be Kamala.
The end of Harris would be “Rogan was disrespectful, combative…..”
“I grew up with people who were proud of their laws.” – Kamala Harris. IMO, that line is the penultimate incarnation of what Dem study groups and pollsters have trid to achieve for decades – a policy free campaign line that tells voters absolutely nothing about where the candidate stands, so team blue can continue grift and benefit from serving their wealthy donors, while laying the ground for the next line that has something to do with “values” that are then use to exclude/lawfare/sanction/bomb/genocide those they identify as not having the correct values. Kamala isn’t smart, so she just arrived at that perfect inflection point by asmossis, obsorbing the BS around her in which she and Team Blue exist in. Who needs focus groups and polling consultants when we have Kamala – the amalgamation of decades of Dem focus groups & polling consultants.
Was that meant to be ,proud of their lawns?
The corollary to which is; “Keep off of my laws you deplorable punks!”
“assmosis?” That’s a keeper! Forget “low information voters,” now we are working on, no, we have perfected, “low information Politicians.”
(At this point, I usually type: Stay safe. However, at the present state of affairs, the odds seem not to be with us.)
Kamala grew up with people who were proud of their lawns that were manicured by cheap labor made possible by lax immigration policies.
When Trump did Lex Fridman they only talked for 40 minutes and Lex tacked on a postscript monologue and it is labelled on youtube as 60 minutes. Rogan normally goes for over two hours.
Trump’s evaluation of the value of his own time is huge. To me the most important thing is how much time actually goes. The format is long form podcast. That is what the customers are consuming. When he cuts out at the thirty minute mark or whatever that is showing disrespect to the customers but maybe I shouldn’t mention that.
On the other hand if he sticks it out for two hours (very unlikely) I would be impressed. If they smoke dope it would be epic. : )
>Panic in Beirut as Israel threaten attack on capital’s hospitals The New Arab
Eighteen people, including four children, were killed in a violent strike in the late hours of Monday near Beirut’s largest public hospital, as Israel bombarded the city’s southern suburbs for another night.
This is the end of the U.N. What emerges out of the ashes of Gaza/Lebanon is unclear. What is clear is that the organization that was created at the end of WWII is no longer a viable institution for holding accountable those forces that hold human life in the same stead as Nazis. The UN can no more recover from the ongoing ME genocide than can the legitimacy of Arab leaders who stand by and offer no more than empty phrases. And for internal American political discourse/dynamics, it too will forever be changed by the millions who have seen who really controls the politicians, media, and social media platforms.
Truly this is a time where “the old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.”
I suspect that is the intent of Israel and the US, to destroy the UN as a body. Has been as far back as Clinton leading a coalition of the willing to bomb Kosovo, against UN resolutions. As far back as Israel ignoring any and every UN resolution. The West wants its Crusades, its spoils, more than it wants world peace.
Perhaps the UN as currently structured needs to be destroyed for it to be rebuilt, elsewhere, in another form with a more effective structure.
Whatever emerges as a world stabilizer and peacemaker will be BRICS led, I think that’s the attraction of BRICS, its hope.
BINGO!!!
>A Prescription for Fixing the US Healthcare System Conversable Economist
I don’t have a one-size fits all answer for how to fix the US healthcare system either… it’s important that people have a better sense of what health insurance actually costs…CBO estimates at “$8,900 a year for individual coverage and $21,600 a year for family coverage.
What I conclude from the article is, to paraphrase Thucydides famous quote from Melian Dialogue, that the poor will suffer what they must and the powerful will do what they will.
I feel this is a canary in a coal mine problem. ACA is a joke by any social good metric. As the problem insurers had was they weren’t monitoring hmos for years and their billing practices.
Then with work from home, I wonder if the non c-suite types are cognizant of the state of businesses.
The economist never cared about cost,, but I suspect insurers are losing on a number of fronts, part time workers, people qualifying for medicaid.
Crazy how a problem that all other rich countries and many mid income countries in the world has been able to solve easily. Right up there with the “Peace in the Middleeast is so hard”.
That’s pretty funny. You really believe that, or are you jesting?
America is full of problems that are only problems because America made them problems, because the problems are so profitable for our oligarchs.
This is the second Japanese aircraft carrier named Kaga. The first one was involved in Attack on Pearl Harbor and Battle of Midway, and was fighting Chinese before WWII officially started.
You can tell Anne Applebaum didn’t write this, because Stalin and Mussolini are missing from the title.
Trump must be thinking of generals like von Manstein, Rommel, Guderian, etc. The man has a point. You think of US generals these days and you think of Hodges, Breedlove, Milley, Petraeus which is not good.
Trump arguably has a point. The historic hagiography for (example) Patton and MacArthur downplay their flaws.
With 80 years behind us, ya….a rrasonable person could argue that the bad choices of Patton and MacArthur ( among other) were basically bailed out by the humble Detroit assembly worker who just flooded the battlespace with weapons
That is why the Allies won WW2. Not because it was a just war, not because they had right on their side but simply because the Allies had more soldiers, more weapons, more tanks, more airplanes and more resources to spend. It is that simple and there is no point pretending otherwise.
Let’s not forget Russia’s contribution to the war effort in the east.
What, 26 million +/- military and civilians, destruction across the fronts that if any of our idiots in charge here knew of first hand or as a nation we experienced in our homeland, might like change a few minds in thinking about war and it’s consequences.
thank you – Russia is rarely brought up as the reason Germany lost WWII – and the sacrifice of the Russian people has never been fully appreciated by the West – there was a 20 episode documentary narrated by Burt Lancaster called “The Unknown War” which is on youtube and is quite good at describing in detail what occurred –
Not to pretend I know these things, but Dwight Eisenhower made clear what was crucial in the World War was the manufacturing base and logistics. I accidently found this assertion in papers of Eisenhower.
Also, I am reminded that Kutuzov was portrayed by Tolstoy in the manner of an Eisenhower or Grant, relying on the strength of the nation or production and logistics.
Having read on this subject extensively, I would agree with you.
There was also all that easy-to-pump oil from Texas.
And the iron ore from northern Minnesota.
and of course, the US/UK fought the JV team in 1944 France and Italy while the Soviets faced the German A-team. (Not to downplay the heroism and sacrifice in the West and Mediterranean, of course….just that the war in the East was a different plane of savagery and scale)
The only great German general from WWII was Walter Model, a true genius of defensive operations.
Thanks to him, the Soviet offensive was greatly slowed, and when he was tasked with operations on the Western front, he crushed the allies during Market Garden and in the Hurtgen Forest (not famous in the West but more brilliantly fought than Market Garden). For some reason, as I’ve matured, I’ve found defensive operations much more interesting to study than offensive.
Considering the forces available to Model and the fact that aggressive operations were not his forte, he did decent work during the Battle of the Bulge, which could only occur thanks to his defensive victory in the Hurtgen Forest.
My dad fought in the North African campaigns and thought that Rommel was a very great field general who dealt with the problem of rapidly diminishing resources – particularly a shortage of fuel – with something approaching genius. His descriptions of the US officer class during the invasions of Sicily and Italy cannot be repeated here other than that a lot of good men’s lives were wasted because of bad strategic decisions, although he did make exceptions of those US officers promoted in the field, most if not all of whom had a capacity to lead their men in battle whilst ensuring their survival as best they could. He remained in contact with some of those he fought alongside until his death.
As a Republican, reach further back in time and refer to the likes of Grant and Sherman?
Or would that alienate part of the base?
Re; Air taxis and other electric-powered aircraft cleared for takeoff with final FAA rules
Appropriately placed under “The Beezle,” as the eVTOLs mentioned– Archer, Joby, and Wisk– will never be commercially-viable in their present form, let alone serve as “air-taxis.” First, they use tilt-rotors (think Osprey, and it’s safety record). Second, they’re big machines and won’t be landing in all but a few driveways, so walking out your front door to a waiting “taxi” won’t be an option for most of us. Third, two of the three require pilots: where will these come from and how much do they cost? Oh, and good luck insuring these aircraft and their operations.
That said, these are American companies. China has already solved all of the aforementioned problems that I listed and will likely begin actual “air-taxi” operations (not “demo” or test-flights, but commercial operations) this year, within weeks from now. “Taxi” may be a misnomer for China’s machines: aside from tourism or sightseeing uses, they will offer straight-line routes from fixed points within urban areas, just like a bus stop. Thinking in terms of ROI, the overseas cost of one of these machines is around $300k ($200k within China)– not really comparable to the multi-million dollar American machines: who’s operators are gonna see a profit sooner? And these Chinese aircraft will be cheap to ride– subsidized, in some cases (basically a requirement: the commies still aren’t eager to use their government apparatus just to satisfy rich folk’s whims).
These new FAA rules are very necessary for development to take place within the nacent eVTOL industry, but presently, these American companies are mostly just money-burning operations, and a lot of investors will get scorched. Eventually an American company may emerge to offer competition to China’s (many) eVTOL companies, but I’m not seeing it yet.
US Navy vets are wringing their hands about the declining number/readiness of combat ships and the tragic inadequacy of US shipyards. The tactical aviation is aircraft in full rate production in 1980 when Ronald Reagan began his splurge. Same with US Army armor and helos! F-35 needs an engine that cools all its electronics and not break all the time.
The US has been spending at Reagan levels in real $$ since W Bush started going after bin Laden. This huge spending is on “operations” trying to kill off Taliban and raise up al Nusra! So much money while China is building naval vessels! Russia is turning out artillery ammunition!
Israel is contributing to the expensive disarmament o the US.
Dovetails perfectly with getting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and social programs gone.
Political Will, Political Won’t.
Faster US disarmament please!
Like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWN6XGUAhZU&t=75s
“Man-Hating Proves Unpopular with Men”
Just re-watched that “Man enough to vote for Kamala Harris” advertisement video in this post and noticed something I missed the first time around. Their clothes. Look how clean they are. The guy sitting on the back of a pickup truck loaded with hay, the old dude in a garage with a bike, the guy supposed to be ready to ride his horse. All brand new. The production crew could have just picked up some dirt from the ground and threw it on their clothes so they looked used but did not. They were amateurs. In Hollywood, they have professionals that will take a set of actor’s clothes and after a lot of bashing and treatment will make them look like they are very well-used clothing. This mob did not even see that it was a problem. Too much in a hurry to get back to brunch?
Re man hating
“Nearly every day there is a clueless op-ed from a major publication blaming misogyny for Kamala Harris’s polling problems. Of course, the implication is that men could only think she is incompetent and unfocused because of misogyny. Donald Trump’s attacks on her are also said to be sheer misogyny, despite that he has been equally or more nasty to Joe Biden and any number of other men and very little of what he says about Harris specifically relates to her being a woman.”
Since Harris and her surrogates find so much bad in their opponents, even if they are simply men, is there anything good to be said about her? I’m wracking my brains. Even the joy thing seems fake amid all the nasty slogananeering.
But hey Bill Gates is in her corner not to mention the Cheneys. Surely that will bring the doubters around.
Meanwhile that Racket link–no paywall–very much worth a look.
Frankly, most men I know could give a rats ass about Harris’s gender, or anyone’s for that matter. All we want is competence in a President, one that will crack a few heads if needed to make life better for the average Joe and Jane. Get the job done like we have to each day. Not someone that’ll sell us out to corporate and donor interests, with a final cackle/laugh about feeling the joy while sending us into Armageddon.
Given my complete disgust with Harris, I of course reject the “misogyny” argument. But I saw a clip of Trump riffing on Harris last night. It was a good example of something that happens over and over with me; every time I start to feel the least bit sympathetic to Trump, he opens his mouth and I say f**k him, the hell with it. In this clip he said nothing whatsoever about policy or anything specific. He simply ridiculed her as dumb, and as a “radical leftist” (he’s used “communist” in the past) who was even more “leftist” than “Bernie” or “Pochahontas”. He continued in this demagogic vein while the crowd cheered. Despite my feelings toward Harris and the Democrats, watching Trump only increases my feelings of hopelessness. Such a performance does nothing but reinforce the ignorance of his followers and the accusations of the Democrats (legitimate in this case – Trump did sound like a misogynistic asshole). It does not educate in the least; it does not address any of the real issues that might underlie some of the everyday concerns of the MAGA folks. It only makes them feel good by making fun of the opposition while completely misidentifying the enemy and obfuscating the real issues. That’s what demagogues do.
Add this to Trump’s recent comments regarding Israel, and even Ukraine (such as letting Putin know he was serious by threatening to bomb Moscow to get him to negotiate). I still see the National Security Establishment and the “CIA Democrats” as the greater danger, but only because Trump would have no real power to do anything positive if elected. I doubt if he has the will or capacity to do so either. His only value from my point of view is to serve as a possible wrench in the gears of the Machine.
Very true of Trump. Opens his mouth sometimes and sheer garbage comes out. But, at least he is sentient to some degree whereas Harris is the most vapid and pointless candidate I’ve ever encountered. Lots of gestures and no meaning.
Trump is at least interested in the American people–I think that interest is real according to someone I knew who knew him well. This caring is important because the Democrats like the German Greens are globalists who only care about the international oligarch class, clearly. So I voted for the rascal in hopes that he listens to people like Tulsi Gabbard and others who were once part of the real left.
Happily voting for Stein here in OR. I”m with you on Trump. I don’t want him to win, but I *sure* do want the Dems to lose…….
This is why people should vote anyone but Trump or Harris, if other names are available on their ballot…
In battleground Georgia, poor people see no reason to vote. That decision could sway election AP
Thanks to the AP, I learn that “the pandemic has largely receded”. Exhibit A for the media lying to us.
Exhibit C: C for Covid.
The borg is out to destroy Musk.
https://jonathanturley.org/2024/10/23/musk-mania-european-censors-warn-musk-that-they-may-level-fines-based-on-all-of-this-businesses/
I believe Space X now launches over half of all payloads worldwide. So perhaps he should go on payload strike.
That article in today’s Links says that the UK wants to “Kill Musk’s Twitter.” Maybe it is time that Musk takes the gloves of and goes after those Brits in the US trying to interfere with the US election. Make a big deal of it on Twitter because if Kamala gets in, they will do a Tik Tok to him and force him out of his ownership of Twitter. Or maybe he will go to visit his factory in Germany and will be arrested there like the owner of Telegram was in France.
It’s not just Musk/X being censored. This discussion by Mike Benz goes into depth on the emerging censorship complex and how they use Europe’s lack of 1st Amendment type protections to censor US media platforms. Musk is the only AFAIK who is fighting it.
https://x.com/ShawnRyan762/status/1836820804715302935
If the EU and USA are fining entities for “disinformation” they should allow financial recovery, with punitive damages and possible jailtime, for governments, when subsequent discovery shows the disinformation was actually accurate information.
If the system encourages risk free revenue grabs for the “disinformation police” we will see even more disinformation claims.
Add in jailtime for those found making false disinformation claims and the USA discourse could improve as media types vet their information for fear of “doing time”
I feel like I need to say something about the comment train that happened the other day on the McDonald’s post.
I will preface this with a comment about what happened in my office yesterday – 1 discrete event – another recurring daily event.
A large number of people are not getting vaccinated – they are refusing right and left. They are not having their kids vaccinated. The last 4 years of this administration has literally destroyed the public perception of public health and medicine and their reputation.
A 22 year old man was in my office yesterday – he will very likely not be alive for much longer. A few years ago – he had a severe head injury – and had to have a device installed to help him with that. Two years ago, long after it was obvious that there were efficacy problems with the vaccines and they are non-sterilizing, his specialist refused to change the battery in the device until he was vaccinated. After many weeks of back and forth, the kid did get vaccinated – and had COVID about a week later for the first time. 3 months later, the patient was diagnosed with advanced widespread non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
So these things haunt me. Along with several other patients with all kinds of immune issues, clotting issues, and cancer issues. It seems very out of control to me based on my experience – but since no one is sharing or analyzing official data – it is very hard to know. But THIS IS ALL BEING DONE UNDER THIS ADMINISTRATION. As well as the initial vaccine mandates in the first place.
I still have several young families who are struggling because they refused to participate.
The absolute explosion in health problems – non-COVID related – is just something I never thought I would see. ABSOLUTE SILENCE from this administration.
I do hear things from the Trump side – about all of these things. So that is what I am talking about in comparing evil. They are a complete wash on genocide and endless wars ( although I do feel that Harris is a complete failure on this – we may have at least a small chance with Trump).
But most importantly – this Democrat feels strongly – the current iteration of the Democratic Party must be put down as best we can – like a rabid dog. For all of the reasons above, what they have done to the mental health of their side, what they have done to our civil liberties, censorship ( I fully believe if Harris is elected, sites like NC will be gone), and the destruction of our military. Not to mention the wide open border. They must be punished – in a way that it will be thought twice in the future before anyone ever dreams of doing this again.
I may be naive – but that is why this Democrat will be voting for Trump – handcuffs and indictments please.
I felt the need to clarify after what was being said the other day. As a physician with my nose in people’s health all day long – we are in a bad way.
Even if it were not for Ukraine & Gaza I could never again vote Democrat because of the CV19 mandate to get vaccinated.
I am seeing occasional reports of court cases like the one yesterday at the NY Supreme Court that reinstated all employees that were fired for being unvaccinated with back pay, so some good news.
https://x.com/yopasta/status/1848802112018518513?s=51
To counter-argue a bit, Trump was at the wheel when “Operation Warp Speed” was hatched. I knew the fix was in when I found out that after the phase III trial, which led to the vaccine receiving provisional approval by the CDC, or the FDA, or whatever regulatory agency did it, they took the control group and vaccinated all of them.
That was the “burn the ships” moment. Without a control group left unvaccinated, there was no way to do long-term studies on the side effects of the vaccine. Someone should have perp-walked the Pfizer and Moderna execs on that very same day, and read them their Miranda rights on national TV.
They knew that the mRNA vaccines were novel and untested, and they knew that they weren’t sterilizing, and they still went ahead. Now, I can give Trump somewhat of a better grade than Biden/Harris, simply because you have to remember that 2020 was a year when we all thought we’d die from the coof. I distinctly remember those days, and there was a real sense of fear and dread that at least partially mitigated the culpability of officials in making rash decisions. Like DeSantis shutting down the border in Florida at the state line, or the idiotic CARES act handing out PPP loans like candy with no verification steps that it was an actual business with a track record of earnings.
Then there were the mandates which ruined many folks careers. That all happened under Biden/Harris.
However, when it comes down to it, all of these people failed us. Trump, Biden, Harris, Wallensky, Fauci, Wall St. crooks who cheer-led operation Warp Speed because it would save the stonk market.
Que se vayan todos!
There was also the “backdoor” mandate. I was one who refused to get the shots for reasons I won’t get into, but they were justified to myself.
Then Biden decided to put a bullseye on our backs and say we could remove our mask if we had been vaccinated. That was the most underhanded thing I’ve ever been a part of and I was furious. I was being shamed into taking something I didn’t trust or want.
Then, within days, I hear so many people saying “if they won’t get the shot let them die – they deserve it. I hear that to this very day. Thanks Biden.
I’m fairly certain that Fauci would have pushed either party to mandate the vax. Perhaps Trump would have resisted, perhaps not. Failure all around on an institutional level.
There’s certainly a lot of rage; My failed time on Dating App after 6 months is drawing to close, no reason to renew, but those women that were anti-vax were particularly vicious, and equating COVID safety to getting the shot. No one thought COVID-safety might involve wearing an N95/respirator, appropriately. Thanks Biden!
At a job I know, because they have federal contracts, even having gone 100% remote, everyone was required to get the shots. Needless to say, some people quit. That requirement magically went away later, when Biden decided not to fight for the mandate.
So which was it? An essential public health requirement that necessitated people losing their livelihoods, or something not worth fighting to enforce?
What a joke.
Thanks @ChrisFromGA for this very important and still relevant description of the actual events and the perpetrators. NC may not be well known, but it does get read, and now your excellent summary will enter the Library of Congress (I think? I may have the wrong federal institution that is archiving NC.)
I was lucky to keep self and immediate family away from the mRNA “vaccines”. Still had to get that useless J&J or lose my job though, then watched as Joe Biden declared the pandemic over as my boss and co-workers, earnest well-meaning liberals to a fault, all got it multiple times afterwards. None of them mask but I’m sure they all have the latest “booster”.
Testify! Same here. It’s always about the “lesser evil” and Trump is the lesser evil – especially considering his evolving team and possible staff. It my include RFK Jr. Tulsi Gabbard and other, true liberals. In Harris’ camp is Cheney (dad and daughter), Blackrock and now clearly revealed, British censorship experts. I see a clear choice and my highest priorities are health care, non war, and freedom of speech as ordinary people try to come together on major issues such as these. The only time I ever voted Repub was against Hillary Clinton. 2nd time the charm?
And Doc, you’re right. It was Assange initially but has grown dramatically to include Wilmer Leon, Scott Ritter and could soon include NC, the Duran, Black Agenda Report, etc.
>For all of the reasons above, what they have done to the mental health of their side, what they have done to our civil liberties, censorship ( I fully believe if Harris is elected, sites like NC will be gone), and the destruction of our military
Yes to all that and IIRC you had mentioned mental health of the nation(?) in a previous comment.
Mark Hallerin mentioned this in an interview with Tucker Carlson, the exact time the subject is discussed is in the timeline below the clip.
https://tuckercarlson.com/tucker-show-mark-halperin?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAqhFXDOyzxM4i37RQPISr37J_lm4N
Halperin also discusses what he feels is the greatest scandal in journalism, covering up Biden’s mental decay ( and to think there were screech’s for Trump’s removal under article 25 soon after his election).
I can understand the left melting down again after a Trump win but likely it’ll be exponentially worse.
I watch this clip from after Trumps first win, I want to laugh my ass off but it’s really so sad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDYNVH0U3cs
Heh. I still remember the immediate reaction including the pussyhat marches, demanding… something! What a joke.
Where were those same marchers when Biden got in, and didn’t codify Roe v Wade, or after it was overturned? I still don’t remember any reaction akin to Trump’s election in 2016!
Brunch is calling!
Watching it again after seven(!) years, I couldn’t suppress a laugh.
I remember watching the Tea Party with fascination in the 1990’s as they took over the Republican Party. It is obvious that the Democrat Party will never allow such a thing to happen to them. There is too much money to be made. Perhaps the mercy killing of the Harris campaign by Trump will change the party? I really doubt it but who knows. I think there would have to be a greater scandal, one where party people are in jail for that to happen.
As a practical matter, the Democrat Party controls a ballot line; So the Party itself can’t really ever go away exactly. And it is resistance to takeover it seems. What passes for the Left in the US doesn’t have the fruit for it. Without a recent history of radical labor, having been thoroughly purged by the Democrat Party decades and decades ago, what group would actually takeover the party, anyway?
Today we have the Democrat Party takeover by “moderate” Republicans, so I think that is where we’re at.
This country shall continue to descend into rot.
IMDOC: ” the current iteration of the Democratic Party must be put down as best we can – like a rabid dog.”
Absolutely, same applies to all the Potemkin ‘left’ parties, the UK’s Labour party first in line. I understand the desperation to get rid of the Tories, but until the BLP (and their fellow travelers in other nations) are purged of neo-liberal careerists, what hope is there? There’s a just a Bataan Death March, going at medium speed or fast speed.
Voters opposed to war, slaughter, rightwingery, need to toughen up and STOP voting for fake libs and the phoney left, with-hold it for 20 or 30 years if necessary. You want to run as a neo-liberal warmonger ‘dem’ or ‘nu-lab’? Hope you enjoy it, cause you ain’t getting in. We’ll vote for the Looney party before you lot of criminals.
Ain’t gonna happen of course, but if it did…
I am also very angry with this WH and will vote against them. I won’t vote for Trump either although the Kennedy/health thing is for me the one positive to vote for in this election. I emailed Ayanna Pressley (for whom I voted in her primary against Mike Capuano, to my regret, and in that general) to say I’d vote against her because of her party’s enthusiasm for war and genocide.
So, yeah, Democrats are repulsive. So are never-Trump Republicans and pro-Trump opportunists. The Because-Markets/Go-Die paradigm is independent of party and both are subordinate to it. This understanding guides my vote.
I feel some urge to vote for Trump as a way to stick it to Biden/Harris/Dems but I won’t because he’s very obvious not right for the job. And I would therefore regret a rage vote later.
This: “So, yeah, Democrats are repulsive. So are never-Trump Republicans and pro-Trump opportunists. The Because-Markets/Go-Die paradigm is independent of party and both are subordinate to it. This understanding guides my vote.” 100%!!
I understand the feeling of wanting to punish the Democrats. But I don’t believe a loss will be examined for lessons learned, they think everyone else is wrong so there is no point in thinking that voting for Trump or a Republican winwill teach them a lesson. Hilary still thinks she should have one and it anyone’s fault but hers – Russia, deplorables, misogyny, etc. Harris will use all those same excuses if she loses.
Last, without a viable third party, how does putting the Democrat party out of business help at all? It’s not like the Republicans can be relied upon to fix anything related to the social safety net. Trump is for continuing the genocide in the Middle East, that reason alone should stop anyone from voting for him.
Were I American it would be Stein or a write in. This from a Canuck who would have stopped voting a few elections ago if not for our NDP party
> Last, without a viable third party, how does putting the Democrat party out of business help at all?
It’s the other way around. The only way to put the party out of business is with a viable third party. We could have had one in 2016 and 2020 if Sanders had been willing to stick to policy promises. When the party rigged the primary so he couldn’t be their candidate he should have taken his voters to a third party. Once you split the party’s vote like that a few times the right-wingers in the party have to leave to join their bipartisan friends in the Republican Party.
Similarly, if the Republicans had prevented Trump from being their candidate in 2016 then he could (if he chose) split their vote and make them undetectable for a decade or more.
This is the only way I can see to use the electoral system we have to effect change. But so far we don’t have any left-populist political movements that have any serious interest in pursuing that route. You have to be ready to be hated by everyone to go down that road and that kind of courage is not typical of so-called progressives. So this year I can’t vote for change since it’s not in the ballot. I will therefore vote my conscience.
Btw, voters for the insurgent 3rd party must also be ready be hated by everyone too (or lie about their vote).
That’s what I was saying .Tom. Unfortunately, very unfortunately TINA.
I think it’s even worse than this since the evidence suggests that TPTB are already very good at subverting left-populist political movements and are starting to show now real skill at profiting from right-populist political movements.
I have never voted for a Republcan either. This year I will not vote but I am afraid that I am leaning toward the Orange Thing. To me, this election is not about Trump and Harris, it is about the Democratic Party. In West Asia we have seen – are seeing – what happens when a country is governed by a bunch that believes that they are superior to other people and that it is their destiny to do what they want. Whether they call themselves God´s Chosen People or the Exceptional Nation, the Zionists and the Democratic Party are cut from the same piece of cheese. Manifest Destiny is reborn in these folks, if it ever died. The look in their eyes when they go into one of their rants tells it all. Their hegemony is non-negotiable, and they will burn the house down rather than lose it. They are mad dogs.
A recent piece by Chris Hedges painted the contest as between the oligarchs (Trump) and Corporatism (the Democratic Party). As noted above in comments, the only possible virtue in a Trump administration is that he might throw a wrench into the machinery that the Democratic Party has been putting together for several years, and that has accelerated during the mental absence of a chief executive. Though the goals of Trump´s supporters are equally vile, Trump´s takeover of the Republican Party has left the party with not much in the way of ¨talent¨ to rebuild the Full Spectrum Dominance machinery.
Trump doesn’t have the smarts or determination to take on “the new fascism”, i.e. this security/public/private monopoly on policy and ideology. And I think that Full Spectrum Dominance machine will get stronger in opposition to him as it did so dramatically 2016-20. So I think the choice is really more grim than you suggest.
With Trump in WH it will be 4 years of him failing to get much done (he has no strategy and no administrative political chops, he’s just good at campaigning) while his opponents do endless law-fare, Russiagate, impeachment, Jan-6s, counter-espionage investigations etc.
With Harris we get more normal with every day: war, genocide, attacks on free-speech, hate-speech laws, surveillance, domestic counter-terrorism.
We know what both options look like because we’ve had them both before.
Agree absolutely. If you’re going to get by with a duopoly, both halves must be open to the public. I don’t care what state you live in, try to get involved with your local party next off year. They will not have anything for you to do, go away kid, you’re bothering me will be their response (after they try to shake you down for money).
I can’t speak to policy but I can reverse engineer all of their campaign decisions because all of them were made in small rooms with too few people none of whom dared disagree with the least insightful but most powerful person in the room. No organization can survive this kind of top>down management horrorshow.
Democrats must be reformed or replaced. Or maybe go with the realignment and take your libertarian beliefs with you to your next GOP caucus. Any success on that front would drive the neos out of the GOP and into the welcoming arms of the liars who now own the Democrat party.
Agree that the dog needs to be put down, but it will be a few years before that’s possible due to the TDS.
I talked to one of the infected last night who claims to be an independent voter but mouths every Democrat platitude to the point that I wonder if Rachel Maddow has her hand up his nether regions and is using him as a puppet. A vote for Stein is a vote for Trump, a vote for nobody is a vote for Trump, blah freaking blah blah blah blah. When I try to simply point out that we do have more than two choices, Stein voters likely would never vote for a Democrat, or even that Stein and Trump are actually different people whose last names are spelled not at all alike, it all falls on deaf ears. Try to point out to this man who loathes Republicans all the once reviled Republicans who have joined the Democrat cause and it doesn’t matter. Point out that the Palestinians, who he has always supported, are being slaughtered to the point of genocide, and he can overlook it.
There is just no getting through to people like this who seem blissfully unaware that we have two Republican parties these days. It’s the fryolator guy with zero power base we should be very afraid of, and not the party already in power who is aligned with the spooks, the corporate media, the neocons, big tech, etc. I really don’t get how otherwise intelligent people have completely lost their minds.
But given that they have, I do now understand how the Nazis were able to take power back in the day, which used to be a mystery to me. Because I see it happening all over again in the US, especially given the US’ explicit support for them in Ukraine.
I’ve slowly come to the realization that a large percentage of the US adult population has lost the capacity for critical thinking. / smh
Kind’a like this, sort of:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOcx9wLBVi4
adding: keeping people in fear suppresses the critical thinking part of the brain. Man, has the Dem party/MSM worked to stoke fear in people. / my 2 cents.
Keeping people in fear??? Que up Kamala – from C-SPAN via Twitter
Harris speech
And this is circulating among my PMC friends, who, I might add, are absolutely freaking out.
What (Really) Happens If Trump Wins?
Complete with sub heading that says; Like Hitler, Trump Has Made Clear His Plan is Dictatorship, Not Democracy. Complete with pictures of Hitler, concentration camps, burning piles of bodies.
How many days of this crap is left?
It’s not just fear. It is the overwhelming amount of information and ways we are distracted by the increasing complexity of daily life that tech was supposed to ameliorate and instead the opposite has happened. We are not only radical materialists but we are becoming anti-logic, anti-reason, and radically against thinking beyond the most obvious comic book version of reality. The problem, in case you haven’t checked it out, is our absolutely broken educational system that ignores the science of learning and, even more importantly, the development of the heart. Without heart life is pointless.
Thank you. I agree. Also, I find the current Dem candidates focusing on women’s health with the “my body, my choice” phrase absolutely hypocritical. Really, you Dems? Where were you 2 years ago? People were extorted to get an experimental jab, or else: lose your job, be denied life saving medical care, be shunned by your friends and family, your children denied access to school and daycare. (And Birx finally admitted they knew the jab didn’t work as advertised per their own testing, they “hoped” it might help.) And now you’re running on “my body, my choice”? / hollow laugh
Do I sound a bit angry? Sorry. I have two words for the current Dem party — words not printable here.
Even just sticking to the abortion issue they are blatant hypocrites. Conservative, pro-life TX Democrat Henry Cuellar had a pro-choice, progressive, female, non-white primary challenger, Jessica Cisneros, just a couple years ago. Guess which one the Democrat “leadership” supported?
I know. The leadership went to Texas and campaigned for him.
Dem estab apparently only cares about keeping the issue alive to campaign on.
Never forget who adamant feminist Hillary Clinton picked to be her running mate in 2016. Sure Kaine could be considered “pragmatic” rather than anti abortion, but then part of the reason that Democrats never codified Roe was pragmatism. Democrats were always pragmatic about the value that was added donations and yes even getting undecided voters that was the threat to women’s reproductive rights. It was of more value to them under threat than settled law.
Yup I am that cynical about their stated priorities. Because over and over they prove that what they say they believe in has nothing to do with their actual priorities.
adding, I don’t much like T. At this point I’ll vote for him or Stein, anyone but the Dem. (I was a registered Dem for decades. No more.)
To add a bit of levity to the thread, if that’s possible, here’s a Star Trek spoof on T from 4 years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1DM8Chsr_0
I think a lot of “non-COVID related” health problems could plausibly be caused or furthered by COVID.
I’ve read plenty of studies (many posted on NC) linking prior COVID infection to all sorts of nasty illnesses, including but not limited to diabetes, heart disease, stroke, dementia, depression, “loss of executive function,” personality changes, and immune dysfunction.
I can’t quite recall if this was a paper or not, but someone in the know (as in: a doctor) commented–maybe it was even you!–that they’re seeing a large increase in cancers and that the immune system plays an important role in suppressing pre-cancerous cells. If indeed, as some research has shown, COVID infection damages T-cells, it follows that at least some of this surge in cancer could be attributed to COVID.
Too bad they deliberately destroyed the jab control group by jabbing them. Now there’s no way to compare what’s happened to the jabbed vs the unjabbed over time.
There are other countries’ studies, but of course, any contrary study to the big pharma narrative is discounted or completely ignored.
Exposing yourself on a recurring basis to corona virus cast mRNA kicked off s protein is like getting covid!
I have seen too many sudden cardiac deaths and raging cancers since the vaxx to ignore the harm.
We do have a non vaxxed control, children whose parents protected them.
One study on cardiac effects showed the vaxx cohort harmed.
Yeah, mandates for a vaccine that doesn’t significantly reduce transmission are not a good idea and alienating. I’ve been leery of mRNA vaccines from the beginning, and the gaslighting about them hasn’t changed my thoughts. I do get vaccinated, with the J&J/Janssen while it was available, and now with Novavax. I doubt Novavax will be around much longer, either. Still no reason for mandates, though.
I looked over the initial study Pfizer published and when I saw they got their infamous 90+% efficacy by the simple expedient of not testing for infection but going by a small set of symptoms it was clear the fix was in. Eliminating the control arm cemented my misgivings.
As for Democats, as an old person my feeling is they lost their way decades ago. In a fit of “hope and change” I voted for Obama – so much for hope or good change. Stein is on the ballot where I live so will go with her like I’ve done before.
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/10/22/7480901/
Third cohort of Ukrainian pilots completes training in UK; Ukraine’s ambassador attends graduation – photo
More details: The ambassador added that “very soon, these guys will head into battle”.
https://x.com/RoyalAirForce/status/1848784584697151506
Today the latest graduation of Ukrainian pilots from RAF Elementary Flying Training took place, attended by Armed Forces Minister @LukePollard
& Ukrainian Ambassador General Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
The next step is advanced fast jet training & conversion to F-16 with partner nations.
I think that I heard it in one of Alex Christoforou’s videos that the US is done with training Ukrainian pilots to be F-16 pilots. Most can’t get past the English language barrier. Instead they are going to start training them at the flight school level on which means that it will take several years until they become qualified fighter pilots. Will there still be a Ukraine by then?
This is the batch from scratch. In the tweet, there are photos of those magnificent men and their flying machines. They are half way between Sopwith Camel and Supermarine Spitfire.
Piebald deer are not at all uncommon on Whidbey Island in WA. We see several every year. The species there is the Black-Tailed Columbian.
Kentucky man awakens just prior to his organ harvesting was set to begin… Yikes! Best reading the fine print on when they can or do legally declare an individual as brain dead..
Sounds like a bit of hurried incompetence…just maybe. IDK,but maybe a few extra minutes would not harm or damage those organs? Oh and the depiction from the article sorta reads like a pivotal scene from that film The Island…with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson…
From the article:
“Doctors declared him brain-dead and, in accordance with his wishes, prepared him for organ donation.”
Sounds like he listed himself as an organ donor on his drivers license. Now some docs or hospitals don’t wait until the body is dead before harvesting begins. / shudder )))(((.
Perhaps brain death needs to be redefined in light of recent research: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/02/new-science-of-death-brain-activity-consciousness-near-death-experience
Perhaps every organ-donor cardholder needs to cancel their organ-donor cards.
Ouch! That Atmos piece on zombies/vampires uses a different typeface to distinguish links from plain text.
Horribly ugly, and inefficient.
“First Ever Fighter Jet Lands on Japanese Aircraft Carrier: Joint F-35B Ops with U.S. Marines Planned”
Of course if a military conflict broke out between the US and China, China would have to hit those Japanese carriers, even if Japan was not in that conflict, as they could not be certain if they had US squadrons on them to hit China with.
Reminds me that decent part of the funding for the (new version of) the movie Midway came from Chinese sources. Guess thd name of kne of the Japanese carriers sunk there…
Why the Brits sunk the French Navy that run to Nord Africa / Oran? from German occupation in WWII… Better safe than sorry.
Welcome to the defense death spiral – Responsible Statecraft
“Rather than trying to add every conceivable gadget to each airplane, ship, and ground vehicle, the military should simplify designs. A quality weapon is one that is just capable enough to perform the intended task.”
The same applies to the auto industry and their surveillance EVs.
And non-EV autos, too.
The issues addressed in the article could be a reason why Israel is doing it’s rampaging now. With dependence on mainly the USA having their back, they have to notice the decreasing ability of the USA to supply them with military support. This is in addition to the even more hawkish political changes within the country.
This problem will not be solved until the U.S. loses a serious war. The military reformers have been hammering the problem (with no support from the MSM), since the ’90s. The incentives are wrong and we have far too many generals and admirals. The whole military must be restructured, and the neocons have to be pushed out of office. Somehow.
At least on the national level nothing is set to fundamentally change: support for genocide and resettlement/ethnic cleansing in the Levant, Russophobia, and Neo-liberal/parasitical economics. That being the case why bother to vote for candidates for national office? That is my choice. How does one support genocide and retain their fundamental humanity? Is hating and fearing Russia, desiring its defeat and dissolution in any sense rational? Neo-liberal economics is an engine that devours all and demands more. The US empire/NATOstan/combined West flails about as it careens along its suicidal path blind to the smash up ahead.
Today’s indi.ca postings perfectly encapsulates my feelings:
The Genocide Inside
I was at a party and a friend asked, “how’s the work/genocide balance?” I laughed and he laughed but God knows we’re dying inside. I go through each day with this low level of impenetrable sadness behind my eyes. There’s just this sadness in every moment, under the table at every meal, in the shadows of my children, ruining every happiness I feel. It’s something I forget about but always remember. I can avoid it but, like a void, it’s still there. Genocide is the death of a people, and I am a people. I’m also dying inside.
The martyr philosopher Basil Al-Araj said, “every Palestinian (in the broad sense, meaning anyone who sees Palestine as a part of their struggle, regardless of their secondary identities), every Palestinian is on the front lines of the battle for Palestine, so be careful not to fail in your duty.” I feel this, I feel Palestine as part of my aragalaya, and I feel it my duty to at least write about the genocide I’m living through.
I have no work/genocide balance because my work is genocide. I have seen terrible and incredible things and most days I don’t write as much as recite. Since the ghetto uprising, I have seen the ghetto liquidation. At the same time I have seen partisans lighting up tanks in the street like Roman candles. I have seen dying men pray with their dying breaths. I have seen heroes throw sticks at drones rather than give up. I have seen Jesus’s words, when He said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Next to this—next to literally all there is—I have nothing to offer. All my words are worth less than dust on a Palestinian child’s sandal. God said there are times that test men’s souls. It’s an open book test, but I’m still failing. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Come at me bro, He said. Mohammed recited, “Beware of a trial that will not only affect the wrongdoers among you. And know that Allah is severe in punishment.” We have been told, and told again. These are two prophets from the same God. There are many paths to this information, I’ve seen the Buddha’s path and turned around to check my phone instead. As Al Pacino said, “I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew, but I never took it. You know why? It was too damn hard.” And so it is. They say a coward dies many times before his death. Certainly feels like it.
The only thing that gives me some pride is that I have sacrificed something. I gave up money, Medium cut my earnings from $1,200 to $200 and algorithmically disappeared me from view. The FBI came looking for me in America (where I don’t live and am not a citizen) and asked if I pose “any risk of acting in support of a terrorist organization beyond first amendment protected speech.” I cry because I don’t. I know God is watching for action, the Feds don’t have to rub it in. I’m happy because these meagre sacrifices are at least sacrifices, and I know God likes that sort of thing. So I offer these words and the costs they’ve incurred next to the dust on better people’s sandals.
That’s the genocide inside. The pain of living through the mass murder of a people, and being a people too. The pain of being held in extermination, concentration, and torture camps, and of being made to watch others suffer in front of you. The only proper response to genocide is resistance, a people’s resistance to the extermination of a people. And, for me, that’s the only thing that gets me through the day. Seeing Hamas fighters blow up Merkava Tanks, and cheering them on. Seeing Hezbollah fighters lose their top ranks, and fight even harder and smarter than before. And supporting the Resistance, whatever that costs. I guess that’s the way to deal with the genocide inside. You have to do something, outside, about it. I invite you to Read the Resistance directly, for a start.
I too feel a pall everyday. Palestine servanda est.
“The Genocide Inside”
Thank you for this essay.
Thank you, Kouros.
I feel like a coward and a collaborator for not resisting. As Indrajit Samarajiva’s Warning/Introduction points out, we will be watched. And as I think about the consequences of the FBI visit it becomes clear that I am in fact a coward and therefore a collaborator. And my self pity isn’t going to help anything.
The least I can do is to eschew both Harris and Trump and vote for Jill Stein.
Thanks! Indi.ca is one of the truth tellers. We need more. I’ll do my best locally. I posted one of his truths recently – haven’t checked yet to find out if FB embargoed it. Here’s to The Resistance in America!
Do protective tariffs boost growth?
who ya gonna believe, your lying eyes or me?
what a load of garbage, it ignores the american system, which was not just tariffs, the smoot hawley new deal, was the american system.
the load of garbage uses the irrelevant GDP statistic as growth.
———
today’s internationalism and globalization is a war economy.
Bill Clinton started it all with his anti-labor moves and that linkage between international interest that sort of conceals the class interest
Marx: “If free traders cannot understand how one nation can grow rich at the expense of another, we need not wonder. These same gentlemen also refuse to understand how one class can enrich itself at the expense of another.”
Marx was also very aware that in order to develop, states must play a major role. They must implement tariffs to protect their infant industries from competition against which they are not yet able to stand up.
” free trade is just too silly to teach.
The free trade theory assumes that everybody gains from trade and that all trade is voluntary and it’s all a choice free market and that an absence of tariffs is going to make economies more equal and more competitive.
And that’s just the opposite of how the world economy actually works, because the real effect of free trade is that the dominant countries all became dominant by protecting their industry.”
And the real result of free trade is when countries are forced into a trade deficit, their currency is going to decline and then they have to go to the International Monetary Fund that comes in and it imposes austerity and specifically anti-labor policies.
The IMF’s role is to aim at what Bill Clinton aimed at when he invited China into the World Trade Organization.
You want to keep a pool of labor, what Marx called the reserve army of the unemployed, not in the United States, but in the non-industrialized countries that basically are kept devaluing the price of labor throughout the world.”
adam smith and marx knew this well, keynes came around eventually: You want to build up your productivity by technology, and often this requires protective tariffs and capital controls and subsidies to new capital investment, research and development.
Marx was very clear that national independence was a prerequisite to development for the reasons exactly that you have recognized.
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/08/imperialism-how-the-struggle-of-both-classes-and-nations-creates-our-world.html
——————–
Ha-Joon Chang – Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism
Related content
Ha Joon-Chang
New America Foundation, 2008
Level: beginner
Perspective: Institutionalist Economics
Topic: Globalization & International Economic Relations
Format: Lecture / Presentation
Duration: 01:05:00
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU9DgfOMpmo
Ha Joon Chang exposes the main ideas of his book Bad Samaritans, namely that historically states have developed and industrialized by making policy interventions related to industry protection, tariffs and subsidies and not by opening their markets to free trade. Chang elaborates on the examples of Japan, the US, Singapore and Germany amongst others to show that an interventionist path to development has been the regularity and not an anomaly. In the end of the lecture, he argues that they idea of a level playing field should be replaced by a trade order that accounts for differences in power and economic capacities of different countries. The last 20 minutes are questions and answers.
————
Franklin argued, the American manufacturers could not survive unless they were protected from low-wage competition
GDP in america under protectionism was far superior for workers than billy clintons poor GDP performance
To sum up, the free-trade/market policies are policies that have rarely, if ever, worked
Few countries have become rich through free-trade, free-market policies and few ever will.
under world wide protectionism, world GDP grew higher and more equitable than under free trade
Dr. Ha Joon Chang plainly through historical records proves that free trade is bad for the poor and democracy
http://www.profitatanyprice.com/2015/04/free-market-policies-rarely-make-poor.html
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Free-market policies rarely make poor countries rich by Dr. Ha-Joon Chang
Thing 7
Free-market policies rarely
make poor countries rich
by
Dr. Ha Joon Chang
—————————-
China got rich through protectionism and investing in its people. their real growth rates are staggering under protectionism.
There are a few countries that did get rich via free trade (although it’s the other countries’ free trade system rather than their own): including, somewhat ironically, Ha’s own country, South Korea. It is fairly clear that, without some form of free trade (easy access to imported raw materials and to markets for exported industrial products), South Korea could never have gotten out of poverty: it had no natural resources worth speaking of and had too many poor people. In fact, in the age of imperialism, most imperial powers pretty much passed it by because there’s no economic prospect there (with important consequences for future development of Korea–unlike its neighbor Japan, Korea was very late to encounter European visitors of note.). (Japan and China being two important exceptions–it was too important for reasons of geography, though, not for economic prospects.) One should note that South Korea didn’t enrich itself by opening itself to the rest of the world, obviously–which is what people imagine “free trade” to be. But some form of “managed/negotiated free trade” is not necessarily a bad thing for growth, especially for countries lacking in domestic inputs or markets.
actually all through out south korea’s rise, they were protectionists. Adam Smith and Karl Marx clearly explained the rise of south korea.
the AP article just cannot grasp why people are becoming radicalized.
the supreme court created the american police state, that has created a occupational army of tin gods drunk with power, that intimidates, dominates and terrorizes the american people, called the police force.
bill clinton and joe biden provided the police state with policies that have terrorized and impoversihed vast segments of our society, and armed the police to the teeth.
“In early 2020, a man with a raging hatred for police and an interest in building a militia in Virginia came to the farm, eager to learn.”
i am betting these people have had run ins with the american militarized police state. for something as simple as jay walking.
“bill clinton and joe biden provided the police state with policies that have terrorized and impoversihed vast segments of our society, and armed the police to the teeth.”
The administrations.
The Bush administrations as well, jeez…all the 9/11 things they were HUGE contributors too.
It’s Bush administration folks that Kamala is also hanging out with now. Cheney.
You can just say administrations from the 90s until today.
Something from the sports desk…entry of a glistening new arena for a long ago very lackluster, moribund sports franchise that called San Diego it’s home. It’s as though competing for the top of the NBA lottery selection was the penultimate goal for a certain former owner who shall go unnamed.
And now…your Los Angeles Clippers opening their new season in their very own basketball home court! I wonder if Bill Gates is on the VIP list? Heh heh.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/41931055/how-steve-ballmer-brought-clippers-intuit-dome-life
Friends were Clippers season ticket owners in 1990 or 1991 and convinced me to join them, and despite knowing what a dreadful team they were, I went ahead in the saga…
A couple of Hollywood writers were seated behind us and they’d always managed to sneak in some hooch and were well plastered by the 3rd quarter, which matched well with the Clippers style of play, I think they won 19 games that season, the highlight of which was when they played the Bulls or Boston, so you could watch Jordan or Bird.
My buddies would bet on every game and had no allegiance to the Clips when it came to wagering, and I can still hear them yelling for a meaningless basket late in the game to beat the point spread.
If either Harris or Trump had believably promised to stop the Genocide in Gaza I would have voted for them.
As it is they have both promised to continue violating both the Leahy Amendment and the Genocide convention by continuing support to Israel.
I can’t think of a clearer “High Crime” than violating US and International Law to enable the brutal murder of innocents by the hundreds of thousands.
Which is what Biden is doing and what both Trump and Harris have promised to continue.
I haven’t read all the comments today so apologies if this has already been discussed.
That article about the “CIA Democrats” does actually quote the WSWS article but I think it’s worthwhile relinking the original article here: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/09/17/hgaj-s17.html
Mind you, the WSWS people have been warning us about the infiltration of the Democratic by the security state for a while. Even before this one during this election.
I have searched their site for some of their history on this:
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/06/07/rjto-j07.html
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/11/20/yyxo-n20.html
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/08/07/bhiv-a07.html
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/12/10/ndoh-d10.html
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/12/09/prtl-d09.html
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/11/03/wrzg-n03.html
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/20/ciad-a20.html
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/20/ciad-a20.html
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/03/07/dems-m07.html
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/09/24/pers-s24.html
These articles go back 6 years and are a random selection. Obviously CIA interference in the Democratic Party is a real issue. It shows why they are like they.
I’m just offering this here to gather some of this stuff together. There is a lot more of it.
Thank you. This is very useful. My view, FWIW, is that an ally/asset relationship between the spooks and the Democrats began after Obama “looked forward and not back” on the torture they committed in the War pn Terror. And in due course, “Bloody Gina” became head of the CIA under Trump. It’s a funny old world.
thanks too!
p.s. What about Covert Action Magazine´s archive and Kuzmanov´s stuff? His take on Jan. 6th e.g. was comprehensive I think.