@1
I’m not sure what your point is Jay, the SL Prosecutor pursuing the charges against the journalists is a Democrat as are Obama and Kerry who are supplying arms and support to the dictator al-Sisi. The Repugs may also support al-Sisi but that just shows how little difference there is between the two faces of the Uniparty.

Posted by: Wayoutwest | Aug 12 2015 19:21 utc | 3

Possible resumption of major ground fighting?
The Ukraine’s major threat escalation
Breaking News: Donetsk under massive UAF bombardment
As usual, Western media already blaming Russia & People’s Republics
It may be that the next phase of the US’s “fight Russia to the last drop of Ukrainian blood” offensive is imminent.
Ominous developments coming after warnings of “dirty bomb” false flag noted here not long ago…

Posted by: Vintage Red | Aug 12 2015 20:25 utc | 5

massive explosion in tianjin… think i remember there has been trouble and quarrels in relation to some gas pipelines or lng ports? anyone got some hints?

Posted by: radiator | Aug 12 2015 21:58 utc | 7

@6 fairleft.
My guess is that if close enough to occasionally allowed on the internet, evidence US terrorism – by itself, or it’s proxies or state puppets – most of the people still wouldn’t give a shit, or even justify it to themselves somehow.
Porn, sport, infotainment and video games etc, are too much a fine distraction for those that reject moral, ethical and political responsibilities/principles. Then you’ve got political partisanship problem, which quite easily turns to the self admitted evil of support for ‘lesser evil-ism.’ Like we see with Obama, Western supporters of Putin etc.
Or on the far Right side, it would mostly be confirmation of the glorious bloody righteousness that the white (savages) inflict on those coloured “savages”, as they see it.
But If part of a wide spread coverage across some media on a constant basis, only then will the slow realisation, and then possibly change will happen.
It’s important to show the audio and visual anguish of human suffering for that change to happen. Just seeing inanimate dead bodies like we rarely see on the MS news, does not provide the animation of life to get full effect of that spark of life being eliminated or taken away. It’s why when we see a drone or bomb going off in the news against ISIS or whomever the latest self crated enemy is, there is never any life – human or animal – in those videos. Any hint of the horror of war is carefully removed because it’s understood by the empire, leaders and the mass media to not show the barbarity of war and their leaders. For that way change lies.
The Mavi Marmara only got the attention because of those innocence murdered by Israeli State Terrorists. Compare that coverage with of all the freedom flotillas combined, and the Mavi Marmara got the most media attention by far because of those murders.
Another example is the The Vietnam genocidal war by the US, was a real lesson for never again showing the violence of war.
The evidence has to be real and constant. The ‘memory hole’ of really painful to watch horrors, is also a big problem. If we don’t address that going forward, hundreds or even thousands of year into the future ( If humanity lasts that long) what will keep the horror show from keep repeating itself ?

Posted by: tom | Aug 12 2015 23:51 utc | 9

Interesting posts. I think I agree most with Tom. I would have said it differently. I not only don’t think Americans care about what is happening, but they prefer not to know.
The whole pile of dung about our ‘goodness’ we were fed from the moment of conception is really just a rationale for colonialism and capitalist exploitation. That is not going to change … we have it in our DNA … the wars during the ‘Age of Exploration’ (which should rightly be called the ‘Age of initial Exploitation’) continues today unabated. We are a rapacious, cruel, self-centered lot. Our government is NOT out of control — what has evolved is exactly what we want. I’ve said it before, I will say it again: Americans are complicit in the actions of our government. Even when something seems good and noble, reality suggests that it is blatant self-interest that governs.
I’d get depressed, but I take meds to keep the depression at bay. For, you see, I too am complicit. The difference between you and I? I know I am, and am not in denial.

Posted by: Rg an LG | Aug 13 2015 3:08 utc | 11

Re #12 …..
the spent force is US empire. While there are plenty of problems in Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador etc the tide has totally changed. Overall there has been dramatic improvement in the standard of living and level of independence in all these countries.

Posted by: rick | Aug 13 2015 4:49 utc | 13

Wednesday : ‘Committed to dialogue’, Bern removes Iran sanctions

The Swiss Federal Council said in a Wednesday statement that the decision would take effect on Thursday.
“Today’s decision by the Federal Council underlines its support for the ongoing process to implement the nuclear agreement, and its confidence in the constructive intentions of the negotiating parties,” read the statement. “This agreement opens up new political and economic prospects with Iran, including bilateral relations.”
It added that the sanctions had been suspended since January 2014.
As the protecting power for the United States with no embassy in Tehran, Switzerland “has always been committed to dialogue and to keeping communication channels open,” it said.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between Tehran and the P5+1 – the US, Britain, Russia, China, France, and Germany – in Vienna on July 14, “lays the foundation for complete settlement of the nuclear dispute,” the statement said.
The Swiss bans were related to transactions of precious metals, petrochemicals, crude oil and petroleum, insurance and reinsurance, as well as obligations in relation to money transfers.
Bern also removed sanctions against eight Iranian persons and organizations.

Thursday : US warns Swiss companies about Iran sanctions

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Wednesday that US sanctions against Iran will remain in place until the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verifies the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
His remarks came after the Swiss government announced that it’s going to lift sanctions against Iran on Thursday.

Will (Have) the Swiss blow(n) holes in the US’ cheesey attempt to whip them into line?

Posted by: jfl | Aug 13 2015 7:03 utc | 15

Good takes and I generally agree with @9 and @11.
Wanted to add, relevant to me @6, is that it’s clear I was too optimistic, hopefully only for the short run, about the pacifying effect on the Afghanistan/Pakistan violence of China’s big move to create an energy/economic corridor through Pakistan to Iran.
Of course, China knew it would face resistance, from the usual suspects (Saudi and the US). But it has the plan that’s best for the people of the region and itself, and I think it also has the medium-term steadiness, will, and willingness to outpay the US/KSA so the mercenaries and savages die, leave or cool it.
But not in the short run. It sucks for Afghans in the short run. KSA and the US are not on the side of history or geo-economic logic, but they don’t know that and are doing a lot of killing in the meanwhile.

Posted by: fairleft | Aug 13 2015 7:36 utc | 17

16
Israel is not a Jewish state, and is not a Supreme Power, no matter much Netanyahu and his fellow ‘white Israeli’ former Soviet immigrants embrace the Brezhnev Doctrine. They are on the wrong side of history, a rabid fascist Likudnikim that only 24% of Israelis voted for, and you know that. The 300% majority of Israeli citizens, and 7/8ths of American Jews, wish Bibi would clot out and die like Sharon.
I was willing to live and let live, until Netanyahu bitch-slapped US Congress into continued sanctions against Russia, costing American businesses $10Bs in trade losses, then I read in Haaretz that Bibi immediately flew back to Tel Aviv to inaugurate the New Special Free Trade Zone … with Russia!
To paraphrase Die Antwort, ‘Die, motherfucker, die!”

Posted by: Chipnik | Aug 13 2015 8:15 utc | 19

The Likudniks are a kind of fascist (actually, I think comparisons to S. African apartheid are most apt), but the anti-Semitism in these discussions has to stop. It links the far-right right with the outer fringes of the left: the essence of Nazism. (It incorporated the left, though it doesn’t follow from that that Nazism was left-wing. It was ultimately rightist.)
Everyone who yells about “Zionists” controlling everything is a useful idiot. To illustrate your stupidity, I’ll point to Hilter. He blamed the Jews for destroying Germany after WWI. Yet it was the WASPs. Just look at the Dawes plan: orchestrated by WASP banks like JP Morgan. Same with the Young Plan. No wonder the Nazis could count on New York’s WASP establishment for support.

Posted by: Anonymous | Aug 13 2015 10:06 utc | 21

21 spot on
Americans are still fixated with the russian/commie thing…..the moon race,cuba,detente…they seem to have lost focus on rising chinese power….american jews must tread carefully…read the situation in israel carefully and understand what is on offer from china.to think that china would not try to influence israeli politics is blind.
In 10 years time the bar mitzvah boy that is china will have muscle.
Take africa for example
Obama finally made it to ethiopia…the first president to do so…short sightedness on america,s behalf but never to late for “roots and boots” why else would they elect him.
Chinese shipping needs to have the suez canal widened….they just do it …chop chop
They need to have shipping lanes open…regime change along its routes are not a problem…..chop chop
American jews need to understand the iran deal through the eyes of the chinese leadership…and understand what netanyahu is telling them
A

Posted by: mcohen | Aug 13 2015 10:35 utc | 23

Anonymous @24: Why wouldn’t a reasonable person document his/her extremely serious “anti-semitism” allegations with specific quotes of posts/people here? Don’t be a troll, let’s see some evidence.

Posted by: fairleft | Aug 13 2015 11:40 utc | 25

Thank you for the Pinter link. Something most definitely happened.

Posted by: IhaveLittleToAdd | Aug 13 2015 13:03 utc | 27

mcohen 23
*They need to have shipping lanes open…regime change along its routes are not a problem…..chop chop* [sic]
i suggest u check out moa’s archive, lots of info on how china’s legit investments were sabotaged and chinese booted out by the tens of thousands, courtesy of the unitedsnake. from afpak, myanmar, sri lanka to sudan, libya, ……
otoh, i think u’r just being willfully obtuse.

Posted by: denk | Aug 13 2015 15:35 utc | 29

wow 30
kid
u can be damned sure if chinese troops ever enter djibouti, it wont be there
to colonise the country or stage a regime change like the snake.

Posted by: denk | Aug 13 2015 16:15 utc | 31

Rg an LG @11
This is just blame the victim nonsense. Ordinary Americans are NOT complicit. They have little actual say and are made confused and docile by propaganda.
See: Princeton Experts Say US No Longer a Democracy

Asking “[w]ho really rules?” researchers Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page argue that over the past few decades America’s political system has slowly transformed from a democracy into an oligarchy, where wealthy elites wield most power.
Using data drawn from over 1,800 different policy initiatives from 1981 to 2002, the two conclude that rich, well-connected individuals on the political scene now steer the direction of the country, regardless of or even against the will of the majority of voters.

The study only covered 1981-2002. If anything, the oligarchy has strengthened after that time period.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Aug 13 2015 16:52 utc | 33

Jackrabbit @ 33 says:
They have little actual say and are made confused and docile by propaganda
so what you’re saying, euphemistically, is that they’re ignorant and lazy, which i suppose would explain why they’re also fat and getting fatter.

Posted by: john | Aug 13 2015 17:45 utc | 35

Anonymous @21 cites Wasp J P Morgan’s actions as proof that Jews aren’t responsible for everything. Not a happy choice. It turned out after Morgan’s death that he was never the independent force he seemed. He was an agent of the Rothschilds. It is of course true that not every bird-dropping on someone’s shirt has some Jew behind it. There are also other criminal tribes, such as those in India who go greased up and lightly clad at night to commit burglaries and slip out of harm’s way. But there has never been a force so deliberately and unrelentingly destructive of elementary humanity as the pack of Jews. Some Jews such as Gilad Atzmon come close at times to telling the whole truth about their tribe, and Brother Nathanael Kapner – at great moral expense – actually manages to do it. Anonymous @21, do check out Brother Nat. He’s not infallible, though he generally knows what he’s talking about, much of which goyim have no direct access to. And he holds nothing back.

Posted by: sarz | Aug 13 2015 18:13 utc | 37

I don’t understand how the Greeks can vote on the third bailout without having info regarding the promised debt restructuring/re-profiling.
The IMF has backed away. Their involvement seems to be more consultative. They say that they will be involved later but the full bailout is coming from Europe’s ESM and Greek privatizations – so their future role is very doubtful. German’s claim that IMF involvement is politically necessary BUT disagree with the IMF on the form and degree of debt relief!! If the IMF ‘goes away’, Greece faces drip..drip..drip debt relief – essentially debt peonage because they are unlikely to ever grow out of the debt.
I read somewhere last week that the Germans wanted to extend maturities by only 5-years (the IMF says a minimum of 30-years is needed). But today, I read in the Guardian that Europe was proposing some kind of ‘re-profiling as necessary’ (my term, not their’s).
=
At the same time, many on the left (including Greek Left Platform leaders) seem to think that debt re-profiling is meaningless because “the interest rate on the debt is already low”. This is nonsense.
What matters is what interest rate Greece would pay if it refinanced the debt. As a non-program country, Greek refinancing rates would be MUCH higher than they are now (about 1.5%). One estimate is 6% (similar to what Italy pays for long-term debt on the open market). Note: Greece might pay an even higher rate after a GRexit.
A quick calculation show the value that a 30-year extension could provide to Greece:

300bn Euro x (6% – 1.5%)/yr * 30 years = 405bn Euro

I’d estimate that, after discounting cash flows for the time value of money, the value of this re-profiling would be at least half of that amount (> 200bn Euros).
That would be a substantial gain for Greece and explains why Tsipras seized the opportunity to negotiate a new, comprehensive deal. But Greece has little ability, on its own, to force Europe/EG (led by Schauble) to deliver on the IMF’s 30-year minimum.
=
Perhaps, it is better politically to agree to the third bailout and then balk if the debt relief is not what is expected, rather than refuse to agree until the debt relief package is fully specified?

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Aug 13 2015 19:37 utc | 39

Anon #24.
You think what….hope your hairy canary catches fire…

Posted by: mcohen | Aug 13 2015 20:54 utc | 41

first week in june
solly long links aah saw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2011_Jisr_ash-Shugur_operation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Northwestern_Syria_offensive
4 years and the wheel turns
for whom does the wheel turn ?
does a bear shit in the woods,does a turkey fly,does a camel hump…who knows
15 the september

Posted by: mcohen | Aug 13 2015 21:26 utc | 43

I recently found a paper online which is a white paper by an Israeli think tank entitled “State Cyber Advocacy”.
https://archive.org/details/StateCyberAdvocacy
It’s pretty interesting for those who are interested in how the internet and social media are being used in propaganda efforts today.
I found this an interesting admission as well:

governments need to adapt to the fact that a state can no longer control information by controlling the mass media, instead it needs to influence and coordinate multiple networks of information.

Of course we always knew that governments kept strangleholds over their mass media, but you don’t often see it said in so many words. This paper is the blue print for waging social media campaigns now that governments can no longer simply rely on the fact that the citizens had no one to turn to except for (state or private) mass media belching out the same familiar talking points.
Anyway, its a very interesting read I feel. I am convinced that social media has made people more, not less, pliable. And this spells out the avenues of attack. It gives a description of such “social media control rooms” where items are identified to “prmote or react to”. It even contains a case study of Israeli social media efforts during the vicious assault on Gaza, “Cast Lead”.

Posted by: guest77 | Aug 13 2015 23:56 utc | 45

Wayoutwest 36
*You should read the new Chinese Military Strategy White-Paper released in May, it’s an eye-opener and spells out their plans to counter the US especially with their growing Blue Water Navy.*
ever heard of the pnac, a road map to rule the world ….by snuffing out china, russia . i think its now in its third version under obomber. ?
those chinks have the nerve to dream up some counter measure….. twenty yrs too late, hehehe. !
*They are clear about their plans as a rising Capitalist Power and a part of the NWO *
u’r contracdicting yourself.
**************
mcohen 43
*denk 31…………..
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-olander/china-military-push-africa_b_7708368.html *
kid,
huffpost isnt my cup of tea but im just curious abou this *military push* stuff [sic]
so…..turns out that,
murcunts fretting about the motive of chinese peace keeping forces in afria, rofl !
say who…?
those who’ve been raping the *dark continent* for centuries via coups, assasinations, regime change, genocides.
recently recolonised the continent under the ebola scam,
currently bombing seven african countries . !
hehehehehe

Posted by: denk | Aug 14 2015 3:54 utc | 47

hehehehehe
Posted by: denk | Aug 13, 2015 11:54:24 PM | 46
http://blogs.cfr.org/zenko/2014/12/02/guest-post-chinese-troops-in-africa-protecting-civilians-and-oil/
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/china-sending-troops-to-south-sudan-2015-1
denk my girl…jou gat is waar jou kop is……thats why we call it a “gatis”

Posted by: mcohen | Aug 14 2015 7:08 utc | 49

mcohen 48
so according to neocon cfr,
*chinese troops to protect chinese civies and oil installations from murcunt directed *insurgents* !
wow how dare the chinese,!
is that a crime too, under murcunts’ version of
*international law* ?

Posted by: denk | Aug 14 2015 14:30 utc | 51

37;It can’t be genetic,it must be cultural,the Jewish and Zionist criminal activity.
It starts in the Yeshiva,like they accuse the madrassas.

Posted by: dahoit | Aug 14 2015 14:46 utc | 53

D@47
I’m not criticizing China for their military response to the US military shift to Asia.
Their admission that they will project their military power towards Africa to protect their Capitalist exploitation of the continent seems not much different from the US or other Capitalist exploiting powers in the past.
Their Peacekeeping forces under the UN are benign and good PR but regular Chinese Army forces in Africa is a horse of a different color.

Posted by: Wayoutwest | Aug 14 2015 17:24 utc | 55

#24 anonymous
I see ,well drivel it is,however your lack of forward thinking,any sort of vision,is disappointing.before the year end,before Obama,s term is up you might be proved wrong.
Up there it,s all just ants scurrying about but down on the ground the ants clean the bones
Obama going to Ethiopia was important on many levels not just those that seem important to American interests

Posted by: mcohen | Aug 15 2015 4:09 utc | 57

Posted by: Rg an LG | Aug 14, 2015 8:31:54 PM | 56
You are confusing the issue.
A good example of complicitity is the guy that drives the getaway car. You say the American people drove the getaway car. I say that they were fooled into doing so.
For example: The majority of American’s don’t approve of torture. But no one is held accountable, and the government and COMPLICIT MEDIA spin the torture issue(s) by (among other things) asking loaded questions in unscientific polling. Then someone like YOU say: “American’s are complicit!”
And I am NOT saying that actual victims aren’t victims. I am saying that Americans (as a whole) are themselves victims of ‘the system’. To blame them is to point the finger away from the elites that are truly at fault.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Aug 15 2015 14:41 utc | 59

“Hey, we were down with the bank robbery,” says the American public. “You didn’t tell us the guard and teller would get shot!”
Fortunately, I gotta Fast Car, so we’ll make a clean get-away. “I gotta plan to get us outta here….”

Posted by: rufus magister | Aug 15 2015 16:18 utc | 61

@rufus magister, 50:
Yes, last year when I first discovered MoA I posted on the danger of the Kiev junta’s desire to go nuclear (at least within the limits of their technical and military incompetence). Now it seems that since downing jets, blaming shellings on victims, crying “Wolf!” over endless Russian invasions and enough other false flags to be a parody of UN Plaza, the dirty bomb possibility is being raised again.
The junta would be pretty farcical fascists, but they aren’t funny. Let’s hope they’ll be in the same care with the “three boys” above…

Posted by: Vintage Red | Aug 15 2015 19:01 utc | 63

Vintage Red at 62-3 —
I hope we can avoid that kind of grim scenario (many bankers would have fine futures in cleaning public restrooms). But a nice BOC cut.
My favorite deal song has a happier ending, Neil Young’s Eldorado.

Posted by: rufus magister | Aug 15 2015 22:47 utc | 65

rm at 65 —
Hey, that’s OK. You hear “Godzilla” etc. all the time, that deep BOC cut was nice.
I’m sure there will be a little rough and ready justice for those bankers unwilling to clean up after themselves. No doubt a goodly number will so bring righteous wrath down upon themselves.
Mrs. M. leans towards old school tar and feathers. She’s ready now. I am so glad I manage to stay on her good side. LOL!
Payback is a bitch. We are laying on quite a store crimes and misdemeanors, making many of the victims understandably angry.
I saw the article about “Seen” on Russia Insider, but contented myself with the headline. Thanks.
Mussolini put Gramcis in prison to stop him from thinking, and he famously had to resort to Aesopian language in his Quaderni.
Big Brother has us all on work release, Big Data makes it easier to keep tabs on us and force us all into euphemisms and allusions.
“Dangerous” is a wicked hot cut. Came for the killer bass riff, stayed for the paranoid surveillance. Nice drum runs and keyboard washes, too. I cranked it, thanks again. They have a marketing campaign, you know.

Posted by: rufus magister | Aug 16 2015 14:44 utc | 67

Vintage Red at 66 —
It’s hard not to be grim nowadays. The deep cut from BOC was worth it, though. If we have to shoot them in the back seat of a rented car, so be it. But something a little more public and less lethal is my preferred option. Semi-permanent assignment to the dirtiest and most difficult work seems just.
But I’m sure any number of banksters, spies, and enforcers will fail to comply, bringing the righteous wrath of rough and ready justice down upon them. Mrs. M favors tar and feathers herself. I am so glad I manage to stay on her good side.
“Dangerous” rocks. I came for the killer bass riff, stayed for the paranoid surveillance. Cranked it up, thanks.
I saw the headline for “Seen,” thanks for the clip. Mussolini put Gramsci into prison to keep him from thinking, so he resorted to Aesopian language in the Quaderni.
Big Brother has us all on work release (though most aren’t aware of this). Big Data makes it easy to keep tabs on us, forcing us all into euphemism and allusion. “Seen” will be a great tool in that effort.
Isn’t it great to be Rockin’ in the Free World, with our kinder, gentler, and more thoughtful machine gun hand? “Don’t feel like Satan but I am to them.”

Posted by: rufus magister | Aug 16 2015 15:20 utc | 69

rufus magister @69:
“If we have to shoot them in the back seat of a rented car, so be it.”
I’m glad you liked the deep BOC; likewise I think Big Data’s “Dangerous” was a very fine catch that I like much better than the “official” video.
But the image was just riffing off Jackrabbit’s and your analogy @ 59 & 61, and I don’t want to stretch it too far—just that if the PTB unceasingly treat the US people as an easily lied to accomplice to their bloody heists, one of these days they just might find that what goes around comes around.
They’ve strung the US people along for generations, at first with crumbs from their imperial loot and “land of the free” propaganda, but now as the crumbs get microscopic and the “freedom” is confined to free speech zones under the eye of the NSA, the best their propaganda can aim for is to keep people ignorant, confused, depressed and cynical as to alternatives. The only flag waving going on is with the Confederate flag (see below).
I’m seeing the return of an old Nazi meme in new form: “inverted collective guilt.” The Nazis used to destroy whole towns in reprisal for partisan resistance, but as the war went against them the thinking was turned around to say that the world would hold not merely the Nazis responsible for the war crimes everyone knew were being committed, but would punish the entire German people as complicit in them. Today it’s “They hate our freedom” with the “our” implying “We’re all in this together.” The “logical” conclusion: we may as well keep following orders—US against The World.
To take our analogy out of the getaway car, it’d be as though we were to hold French commoners responsible for all acts of the absolutist monarchy, then call them hopeless because there are no signs of resistance and it’s the mid-1780’s already! But 1789 came, after 1945 came the Nuremburg Trials, and the PTB know it. That’s why I think they’ll pull out *all* the stops when they truly feel threatened in their stolen homeland. They know what awaits them:

“The ever memorable and blessed revolution, which swept a thousand years of villainy away in one swift tidal wave of blood — one: a settlement of that hoary debt in the proportion of half a drop of blood for each hogshead of it that had been pressed by slow tortures out of that people in the weary stretch of ten centuries of wrong and shame and misery the like of which was not to be mated but in hell.
“There were two Reigns of Terror, if we would but remember it and consider it: the one wrought murder in hot passion, the other in heartless cold blood; the one lasted mere months, the other lasted a thousand years; the one inflicted death on ten thousand persons, the other upon a hundred millions; but our shudders are all for the horrors of the minor Terror, so to speak; whereas, what is the horror of swift death by the axe compared with lifelong death from hunger, cold, insult, cruelty and heartbreak? What is swift death by lightning compared with death by slow fire at the stake? A city cemetery could contain the coffins filled by that brief Terror, which we have all been so diligently taught to shiver at and mourn over, but all France could hardly contain the coffins filled by that older and real Terror which none of us has been taught to see in its vastness or pity as it deserves.”

—Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

Posted by: Vintage Red | Aug 17 2015 6:57 utc | 71

1989 tam rebellion courtesty of unitedsnake, on the eve of gorbacev’s visit to beijing.
2008 tibet riots, courtesy of the snake, on the eve of beijing olympics.
2009 xinjiang bloodbath, courtesy of the snake, during g8 meeting. hu jing tao had to rushed back to china to deal with the crisis.
2014 ukraine putsch , courtesy of the snake, while moscow was basking in the
limelight of sochi olympics extravaganza.
2015 tianjin monstrous blast, on the eve of beijing’s victory parade commermorating ww2,
a gift from g-o-d or is it the antichrist ?
http://www.counterpunch.org/2007/02/03/the-irony-of-bush-s-indignation/
http://www.tomatobubble.com/id878.html
2022 winter olympics , beijing.
watch out xi, wonder what *present* is *god* comtemplating for china right now ?

Posted by: denk | Aug 18 2015 2:18 utc | 73

After the recent burst of fighting, things have quieted down, at least for now, in the Ukraine. The militias have been quiet, perhaps shushed with the promises of renewed hostilities. Political developments, of course, continue to occur.
Fort Russ has an analysis by the Ukrainian Antifashist.com of some recent events. Avakov’s vacation: Poroshenko will replace him with Eka Zguladze and achieve dictatorial power. Poroshenko has the goods on him, it argues, and has pressured him to gracefully withdraw.

He was not removed with a bang, but offered a softer option. Arsen goes on vacation, from which he will not return. In September, he will announce his plans to run for the mayor of Kharkov. Participation in the campaign is not compatible with working as a Police Minister, so he leaves.

Antifashist then sees Poroshenko moving on to Yatsenyuk. They note his party, the Narodnyi Front, has seen a precipitous drop in support.

Poroshenko, by putting Eka Zguladze in the last position in the military and law enforcement which was not controlled by him, completes the authoritarian concentration of power. Now Yatsenyuk with his “People’s Front” can be removed from politics with no risk. He’s just a rotten tooth that will be knocked out easily by a blow to the jaw.

They offer this description of Zguladze:

Washington totally approves of Eka – a proven colonial manager, and, like all Georgian fugitives assembled in tyrant Saakashvili’s Ukrainian team, wanted by the “Interpol”. In short, a perfect fit.

Certainly, this will increase the control Poroshenko enjoys. But I believe they overstate the degree to which the volunteers are under control. They have not been disbanded, though some were relocated and most placed, formally, under control of the military and the Interior Ministry.
They conclude by noting that Washington will continue to foment disunity among its management team and occasionally undercut Poroshenko, perhaps by insisting on early presidential elections.
Our friend Yats does seem under a little stress, from this account of reporting on Kolomoisky’s TV channel that suggests he might flee. I think he said up front he realized he was coming in to do some dirty work. One would think he’s been promised a graceful exit.

Posted by: rufus magister | Aug 19 2015 0:05 utc | 75

in re 76 —
Just a few weaknesses.
This outcome was highly likely after Syriza won the recent referendum and immediately folded before Frankfurt; the Left Platform and others made it clear they would no longer support the government, and the conservatives would not go on propping Tsipras up indefinitely.
Even before that, if memory serves (I only started paying attention about that time; interesting questions of proletarian leadership and tactics arose), Tsipras and his government had come under serious criticism from various Barflies.
And, he hopes to get a renew majority and mandate, so it’s not a retirement.
But, apart from that, some quality trolling.

Posted by: rufus magister | Aug 20 2015 22:06 utc | 77

A few items on Banderastan.
Is Donbass on the verge of a new offensive and will there be a Minsk-3? Yes, but Kiev probably won’t try to do too much. So they are not likely to suffer their usual defeat and then get saved by diplomatic intervention.
One reason for the restraint — sixth mobilization not going well.
Stephen Cohen worries that Kiev’s Renewed Assault on Donbass Could Trigger US-Russian War. He postulates three possible motivations.

The first possibility is that the Kiev regime understands that it is in a dire political situation, and a renewed military campaign is seen as the only way reignite support from the country.
The second possibility is that Kiev does not want to follow the Minsk II agreement’s provisions under any circumstances. And if it does not want to negotiate, it has to fight. “So it’s a way of avoiding Minsk,” the professor noted.
“And the third possibility… is that Kiev is being pressed by forces in the West to launch this offensive.”

The Saker considers a new offensive likely as well.

To be honest, we are all getting used to ‘cry wolf’ about an impending Kiev regime attack. And this is hardly our fault. Such an attack has, indeed, been impending for a long while already and the junta’s bellicose rhetoric has only reinforced this sense of imminent danger.

Meanwhile, a new party in the making. Sergey Kaplin, its founder, earlier called for Ukrainian nuclear rearmament.

“We will build a real Maidan against the tariffs of Yatsenyuk, we will demand his resignation, and, if necessary, re-elections to the Verkhovna Rada. We will not forgive betrayal. There is no place for enemies of the Ukrainian people in parliament and government.”

Against this background, Andrew Korybko asks, Is Ukraine on the Cusp of a Real Uprising?
So it appear that the atmosphere in Kiev remains one of political instability and popular discontent underneath the clouds of war.

Posted by: rufus magister | Aug 21 2015 11:57 utc | 79

Israeli politician’s Reform Jew comment provokes fury

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been scrambling to extinguish a firestorm after his religious affairs minister questioned the Jewishness of hundreds of thousands of North American Jews.
Speaking about followers of the most progressive branch of Judaism, known as Reform, David Azoulay said last month: “I can’t allow myself to say that such a person is a Jew.” … more than one-third of American Jews identify with Reform Judaism. … The movement, the biggest Jewish denomination in the US, makes large donations to Israel, and many of its members are among Israel’s staunchest supporters.
In Israel, only traditional Orthodoxy – the strictest of the main streams of Judaism – is officially recognised. Its rabbis have been given extensive and often intrusive powers over large areas of Jewish citizens’ private lives, including marriage, divorce and burial.

‘“I can’t allow myself to say that such a person is a Jew.”’
Spoken like a true-blue takfiri, no?
‘In Israel, only traditional Orthodoxy – the strictest of the main streams of Judaism – is officially recognised’
Israelis:Judaeism::Wahabists:Islam
Boycott, Disown, Separate from Israel.
They’ll be coming home to Amerika and beheading Amerikan Jews’ children and grandchildren as infidels. Better to stop them over there.

Posted by: jfl | Aug 21 2015 12:04 utc | 81

Compare and contrast. Principled vs. unprincipled leadership in Greece.
If this is true, sadly we are doomed. France24 says that the European hard-left looks to Varoufakis amid Greek turmoil. There are a number of facts mentioned that signal his total unsuitability for the role.
First, he’s speaking at a French Socialist Party function; they’re out-doing “New Labour” for role as Top (Lap) Dog in DC’s Eurokennel.
More to the point, he remains a member of Syriza, and argues for party unity.

“If the party fails to remain united despite members’ different opinions about the [international bailout] deal, it has no future….”
“Syriza’s failure to implement its original programme is painfully obvious, and an embarrassment for all of Europe’s radical left,” [Sciences Po political sciencist Marc] Lazar told FRANCE 24. “What happened in Greece shows Germany’s overall supremacy, France’s weakness, and above all that it is impossible to change the status quo in the eurozone. Hopes were dashed.”

Ekathimerini recounts the various parties preparations for the election. As noted, Left Platform has split and is standing on its own.

In a statement, the party said the government’s claim to have negotiated with the country’s lenders was a “euphemism” as it led to the country’s third bailout.
The party also accused Tsipras’s aides of “confusing the dictatorship of the memorandum with the democratic operation of institutions.”

For it’s part, Syriza is taking “the opportunity to invite candidates of other political persuasions to join the SYRIZA ticket,” since it no longer has to balance party factions, (i.e., it’s cutting itself from its base, which it has screwed).
Smart move on their part — when you are relying on conservative parties for your parliamentary majority, not your own party members, it’s pretty obvious you’ve sold them out. Get your conservatives inside the party, it doesn’t look quite as bad.

Posted by: rufus magister | Aug 23 2015 14:56 utc | 83

On MoA and elsewhere I’ve been in read-and-learn mode concerning Greece and the Greek left since Syriza formed a government. As all things contain contradictions I wasn’t surprised to find my perspective tacking this way and that—while I have no faith in reformism and social democracy, I was willing to be pleasantly surprised should the “electoral revolt” carry Syriza into true resistance to austerity. But Tsipras & co. ended up selling out in the end, the only question being how much was due to fog of (class) war, how much to ideological delusion and how much conscious deception. Two articles I’ve found insightful that I haven’t yet seen linked here include:
Andre Vltchek’s Greece: Raped, Humiliated, Frightened, but Standing!
Sebastian Budgen’s and Stathis Kouvelakis’ Greece: the Struggle Continues
Both strongly indicate that this struggle is far from over and new formations will arise to continue it (as we are already seeing in the Left Platform’s Popular Unity initiative). Some basic principles:
1—State Power) To break out of this privatization/austerity/debt trap, Greece must give rise to a movement that, if it doesn’t make a socialist revolution, must at the very least confront the bankers’ empire and its NATO enforcers with clear and consistent alternative power. Whether by democratic election, revolutionary action or some combination of these and other tactics, a large part of this will involve forming a truly popular anti-austerity government. This will necessitate facing the contradictions between such a popular resistance government and the capitalist state apparatus, and prepare to deal with the existing state in some successful way—if the bankers meet steadfast resistance, NATO will doubtless try to act first through Greek state forces before calling in Alliance guns (perhaps answering the question of why so much military spending despite austerity).
2—No to the Bankers’ “Europe”) Whatever might be possible from negotiations, such a government’s defense of economic sovereignty necessitates real preparation for leaving the Eurozone. Just as with a union’s vote to authorize a strike, even to be a real bargaining chip such preparations have to be real! Whether from a dogmatic attachment to staying within the Eurozone (or even the EU), illusions that by somehow proving “good faith” through openly laying aside the possibility of returning to the drachma would inspire some level of debt forgiveness, or some combination, to exclude any such preparation was at best to “bring a sword to a gunfight” and at worst conscious betrayal of the Greek people.
3—International Solidarity) This is both class war and an anti-imperialist struggle for sovereignty; such an anti-austerity government must immediately and in an ongoing way build international support. These will be both with other states that may be of potential help (e.g., Russia and China) as well as left popular and politically supportive movements in Europe and globally. The bankers are international and have NATO backing them up—to isolate oneself in battle with them to show “good faith” compounds “bringing a sword to a gunfight” with going it alone against a gang.
4—Mass Mobilization) Such a movement must actively involve and root itself in the Greek people, engaging them in ongoing mass mobilization, activist participatory democracy and dialog up to and including creation of defense committees and workers’ councils. As with preparing to return to the drachma, legal and electoral actions such as the recent referendum must take place not as negotiation-chips but as part of an overall strategy for revolutionary defense of sovereignty, democracy and as economic self-defense. Mass protests, occupations, direct action and strikes of all kinds (workers, students, debtors, etc.) must be likewise coordinated. Since even the referendum provoked a sharp new offensive in the bankers’ economic warfare, emergency measures comparable to War Communism must be encouraged, facilitated and organized by a popular government, to allow popular survival in time of siege (from what I’ve read this has already begun at the grassroots level). And whether open, clandestine or something in between, it is not too early for revolutionary organizations to begin forming workers’ self-defense units. It’s not as if the fascists have been hiding their own efforts in this regard…

Posted by: Vintage Red | Aug 24 2015 6:22 utc | 85

@rufus magister, 74:
Not just a rented car—a rented Ford. Gotta give the capitalists their product placement… 😉
Myself, honestly I’d be fine with a humane, lenient but secure means of dealing with the former ruling classes. Perhaps something along the lines of Wild in the Streets, with the former ruling class packed off to very secure and comfy gated retirement communities where they will enjoy daily doses of LSD. But mine’s not the only vote; there’ll be plenty who will doubtless have grounds to vote with Mark Twain above, whether as eloquently or otherwise.
Whatever justice decrees for them, it has to take them out permanently. As you wrote:
“I would note, though, it’s typically not the revolution per se that is violent, it is the defense of the revolution from the violent resistance of the old order.”
I agree, this is historically the rule. This is also why we have to have no illusions about what we are up against, especially here in the US. It makes for some rather difficult recruitment pitches, though: “Make revolution at the source of the world’s woes, here in the Empire’s power base—the closer we come to success the harsher the PTB will come down on us, to the point of destroying the planet rather than give it up.” When all is said and done we’ll doubtless wish it was as easy as dropping a ring in Mount Doom…
“Of necessity we are complicit, in some way, actively or passively, in maintaining the status quo. Hopefully ones subversive choices outweigh the complicity.”
If we are lucky enough to have work, our surplus labor enriches the capitalist; if we can’t avoid paying taxes, ditto to the repressive apparatus. But as was said in the Chinese Revolution, there is one’s class origin and there is one’s class stand. If we choose the cause of liberation and consistently act on it, we are not complicit.

Posted by: Vintage Red | Aug 24 2015 6:36 utc | 87

Vintage Red at 87 —
Product placement — didn’t Franco’s Guardia Civil and the Argentine junta favor Ford Falcons?
“f we choose the cause of liberation and consistently act on it, we are not complicit.” I think that’s a bit clearer and brisker than my formulation.
I always think of the Firesign Theater skit, “Le Trente-Huit Cunegonde” from “Waiting for the Electrician,” where folks are “returned for re-grooving.”
Keep up the good work!

Posted by: rufus magister | Aug 25 2015 11:35 utc | 89