More claims by Israel that it is coordinating with Russia on its demands that Iran leave Syria and its threats to force same - ie blazingly illegal threats and demands. Russia denies none of this, that I've seen, and says nothing in response to Israel's criminal threats to attack Syria and to dictate to Syria, to attack both of its allies and country comrades in arms.

This is that Russia, by the way, who claimed to stand up for international law - or yeah maybe that was all just empty words from a very empty man, Putin, words from a cipher.

More than that, Israel claims and seems to be coordinating with both Russia and the US towards attacks in Syria and maybe even on Iran?

Russia has turned backstabber in this war and maybe that was always its intention. What it wanted from the beginning was leverage, as far as I can see, a place at the table of power, a hand on the levers controlling world trade in oil - basically a place of power in the Hegemon's gang. Russia's best friends now appear to be Saudi Arabia, Israel and - it hopes - the US.

Posted by: paul | Jun 17 2018 16:32 utc | 1

I was impatient and put this up on last weeks Open Thread about an hour ago....

Nomi Prins: The Central Banking Heist That Put The World At Risk

The take away quote:
"
“What we’ve witnessed, since 2008, is the unbridled ability of the so-called people at the top to implement socialism for the banks,” Prins tells me. “If anyone had said we are going to give $21 trillion to the global banking sector, it would never have happened – so we’ve had a backdoor process instead, under the pretense it would help ordinary people.”
"

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jun 17 2018 16:47 utc | 2

@1 You still havent told us how your job works. Are you paid by the post, hourly or by commission?

Posted by: Lozion | Jun 17 2018 16:59 utc | 3

His avatar on Zero Hedge is Blankone and Putin bashing is his only commentry.

Posted by: Winston | Jun 17 2018 17:06 utc | 4

thanks b! your site is very helpful for following what is going on internationally...

the 2 topics of interest of mine presently are -

"The U.S. and the UK blocked a Swedish resolution at the UN Security Council that called for an immediate ceasefire at Hodeidah." that is most unfortunate.. at some point the usa/uk will be held accountable..

the other topic is the mueller investigation... it seems like a complete sham, as does the whole usa political system at present... i think this is what an empire in steady to fast decline looks like...

Posted by: james | Jun 17 2018 17:11 utc | 5

it would be better if folks ignored those paid for or not trolls...paul is a permanent feature of moa.. ignore him is the best recipe..

Posted by: james | Jun 17 2018 17:13 utc | 6

here is the 52 minute pepe escobar interview that karlof1 shared in a previous thread.. i encourage everyone who hasn't seen it to watch it... it will bring you up to speed on a number of topics that are of interest to everyone here at moa.... thanks again karlof1!

Posted by: james | Jun 17 2018 17:16 utc | 7

@2 psychohistorian

Excellent article, thanks for the link. Nomi knows all this stuff, and she's right. And Liam Halligan, a financial journalist I greatly respect, wrote the article. Recommended.

~~

I encountered a wonderful concept the other day on the Keiser Report, where they said in passing that the great irony of the Hegemon's position was that it couldn't use its massive financial power because whenever it did, it simply forced alternatives to arise.

This is why every financial move by Trump is producing the opposite result. Another ZH article says that the Russian sell-off of US Treasuries was a move to cover Rusal and the sanctions placed on its former CEO, Deripaska. Mr. Trump Attacks Aluminum, Russia Attacks The Debt. The tariffs on aluminum compelled the Chinese to create a Yuan-denominated futures contract on industrial metals - convertible to gold at Shanghai, of course. The instability of the overnight tariffs created a more enduring stability than before, resting on gold, which satisfies concerns about transfers between nations.

Every time the US flaunts its Dollar supremacy, it pushes customers away from the Dollar.

~~

But it's not just Trump, nor just the financial markets. It's every theater and every plane of activity. Every use of bullying, drives former allies away. Every posture of aggression runs the supreme risk that the US military will be exposed as ineffective, and if that happens, the Pentagon is finished, and the generals know it.

The US has power left in the financial sector, but can't use it. The US has no power left in the military area, and cannot show it. Syria, Korea, the theaters are growing where the US has had to step down.

Even the fog of propaganda is wearing increasingly thin. The US State Department just issued a warning to its people about traveling to Russia. It's risky, they say. But ticket sales for the World Cup are up by 25% from the US, the largest foreign customer.

I'll have to stop, but fortunately, the examples go on and on.

Posted by: Grieved | Jun 17 2018 19:26 utc | 8

Mate would have got the idea from Stephen Cohen, Russia expert, Nation contributor and husband of the Nation editor.
But Cohen has certainly got it from Alt-media - here or similar.
It is pretty clear. I used to get inundated with adds with jokes of dubious taste. It might have been a psychological attempt to unearth my latent sexism and racism and make me vote a certain way. But I'm pretty sure they just wanted me to click on someone else's ad.

Posted by: michael d | Jun 17 2018 20:02 utc | 9

Yesterday, the Saudis told us they had never really wanted to conquer the port at Hudaydah that they’d spent two days failing to conquer. Today, we learn that they hadn’t really taken the airport that they claimed to have taken yesterday.

For years now, the “fringe right” in the US has been freaking out about foreign troops operating inside the US. So, “Why Isn’t Anyone Talking About the Israeli Military Coming to Alaska?”

Here’s a very good article on the goings-on in Nicaragua:
a Case Study in Historical Amnesia & Blindness

The US & Nicaragua:

One of the topics at the Bilderberg Meeting was the NEOM Project, which turns out to be a centerpiece of the Smart Cities program. The goal is to build an enormous mega-city right at the point where the borders of KSA, Egypt, Jordan and Israel meet.

“Neom Zone will operate as an autonomous region with its own judicial system, labor laws, tax system and governing framework (to the exclusion of sovereign laws such as foreign policy and military strategy). Commercial laws will be based on the finest global standards. This will provide a fair and effective system of governance.”

This seems to be a lovely vision of the completely-controlled “smart” future for those fortunate enough to survive into their Brave New World.

And yes, investors include the City of London, IMF, Russia’s Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), etc. All those wonderful people in whose hands the future of humanity will rest…. until or unless we rise up and restore our personal and national sovereignty.

http://www.neom.com

http://www.neomzone.com

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 17 2018 20:27 utc | 10

Speaking of bizarre cities of the future, have y'all checked out the newly created capital of Kazakhstan? Astana is the location of the Syrian peace talks brokered by Russia. It was built far from any other major site.

It's got some strange and highly ritualistic/symbolic architecture.

Welcome to Astana>, Kazakhstan: one of the strangest capital cities on Earth

(dig into the links to see the most amazing stuff)
Welcome to Astana

"The country's new capital has risen fast from the northern steppe and is already a showpiece for 21st-century Kazakhstan. Astana (Астана) is scheduled to go on rising and spreading into a city of over one million people by 2030."

There's that 2030 date that keeps showing up on UN plans and the above Neom Project... all about the "smart cities" where everything and everybody is hooked into the internet all the time.

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 17 2018 21:35 utc | 11

Sorry, I didn't embed the second (and by far most graphic) link to Astana didn't correctly.

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/kazakhstan/northern-kazakhstan/astana

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 17 2018 21:37 utc | 12

Back to Jordan. Here's a Zionist planning for the US to "regime change" Jordan, install an Israel-friendly puppet and turn it into Palestine. "Deincentivize" Palestinians to stay and "incentive" them to take their "right of return" to Jordan (where none of them have ever lived).

Yep. It looks like the very "color revolution" looking protests in Jordan are not just about economics.

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 17 2018 22:47 utc | 13

Interesting article from the Independent. Just like in Syria, alqaeda is our ally now:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/al-qaeda-group-leader-claims-fighting-alongside-us-backed-coalition-forces-yemen-a7713321.html

Posted by: Dave G | Jun 17 2018 23:04 utc | 14

Not US air strike, not coalition air strike, thus an Israeli air strike, right?

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201806181065498477-usa-bombs-syrian-positions/

Read the US denials and they finger who else but IDF?

Doing what the US wants done and what Israel rationalizes as its next war--Syria/Iran.

Russia would know. De-confliction would have been arranged if US or coalition.

Posted by: Red Ryder | Jun 18 2018 1:06 utc | 15

Daniel @ 10:

"... One of the topics at the Bilderberg Meeting was the NEOM Project, which turns out to be a centerpiece of the Smart Cities program. The goal is to build an enormous mega-city right at the point where the borders of KSA, Egypt, Jordan and Israel meet ..."

Yes, that mega-city would be at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba where Taba (Egypt), Eilat (Israel) and Aqaba (Jordan) almost meet. This is where the Sinai Peninsula meets southwest Asia. Curious to know if Tony Blair might have an interest in that NEOM venture since he and his family took holidays in Sinai while he was British Prime Minister.

Posted by: Jen | Jun 18 2018 1:21 utc | 16

"Bringing Julian Assange Home"
(John Pilger, June 17, 2018)
https://www.globalresearch.ca/bringing-julian-assange-home/5644447

Posted by: imo | Jun 18 2018 2:05 utc | 17

Re Aaron Mate
It's entirely possible he reads you regularly and saw your post when you first published, but on 2/20/18:

AARON MATÉ: Let’s talk about the indictment, Max. Reading through it, the prosecution alleges some clear political motives, a preference, basically, for Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump and a strong distaste for Hillary Clinton, also support for some, also, the encouragement of Russian trolls to disparage Republicans like Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. There does appear to be some political motives there in whatever the Russians, whatever these alleged suspects were doing. But also, there’s a strong commercial component in the sense that the accounts that the Russians are accused of creating were used to essentially, as a scheme in which vendors would pay them money for retweets at sometimes $25 to $50 a pop. It seems to me that there is both a commercial motive here as well as a political imperative, as well. I’m wondering your thoughts on what this indictment tells us.

Posted by: UserFriendly | Jun 18 2018 2:52 utc | 18

The ongoing Holocaust in Yemen, funded, sponsored and stage-managed by FRUKUS, and who knows how many other Christian Colonial Mockracies, raises some troubling questions.

1. How democratic are Western Democracies?
2. How many of the Western Govts participating in and supporting the Yemen Holocaust are doing so with the endorsement of an overwhelming majority of their citizens?
3. Have the citizens in these Mockracies been consulted?

We in Oz are becoming frustrated and impatient with the deafness of the US/Zionist-occupied Turnbull Govt. There is a small but increasingly strident and public appeal for his govt to grow some balls and demand that the UK Govt release Julian Assange from illegal detention so that he can be repatriated to Australia.
So far, the govt is sticking with its favourite meme, that the fact that Assange hasn't broken an Australian law is 'irrelevant' to the govt's position - although Turnbull is yet to clarify whether that position is Prone, Supine or the flagrantly submissive Prostrate?

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 18 2018 3:03 utc | 19

US adds further threats of attack to actual attack. Perfect time for Putin to rise to the occasion, reminding the US that it has no business in Syria at all and certainly no right to dictate to the Syrian government in its own country and to back the f off.

Of course none of this will happen. Instead Putin will attempt to persuade Assad to stop being a silly and accept the carveup of his country. Might makes right!!! If that doesn't work Putin will look on placidly and happily as the US decimates whatever helplessly exposed Syrian forces it decides to destroy, as always weirdly fighting on the side of the terrorists. Heck, Putin may even provide helpful coordinates to the US...

Posted by: paul | Jun 18 2018 3:06 utc | 20

Syria state media says US-led coalition hits regime position in east

Syrian state media said overnight Sunday to Monday that US-led coalition aircraft had carried out a deadly strike on a regime position in the country’s east near the Iraqi border.

“Aircraft of the American coalition bombarded one of our military positions in the area of Al-Hari southeast of Albu Kamal” town in Deir Ezzor, state news agency SANA reported a military source as saying, adding a number of people had been killed.

Posted by: Oui | Jun 18 2018 3:13 utc | 21

"Assad: US, Israeli, Turkish Troops Occupying Syria"

From Information Clearing House:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/49664.htm

Posted by: ben | Jun 18 2018 3:25 utc | 22

@2
I like Nomi Prins but that is a complete mischaracterization of QE. Functionally there is no difference between dollars and bonds except that bonds pay interest. The Fed hasn't figured that out yet cause they are dumb. QE involved the Fed swapping dollars for bonds (so actually removing an interest stream from banks) and swapping poorly performing Mortgage Backed Securities, MBS, for dollars, which was letting them off the hook a bit.

She then tried to tie QE / ZIRP to asset price rises. She isn't wrong but what she fails to mention is that since bank reserves can not leave the banking sector to make loans, that was literally the only thing banks could do with that money. http://neweconomicperspectives.org/2012/05/quantitative-easing-and-commodity-prices-an-mmt-approach.html

Additionally she calls for higher interest rates, which is the same thing as calling for higher unemployment. That is the intended effect every time the Fed Raises the funds rate, make sure that less people have jobs so that we can avoid inflation.

She makes a few other good points, but those sure are 3 whoppers.

Posted by: UserFriendly | Jun 18 2018 3:37 utc | 23

Daniel@11

According to this Astana is to be the capital of the new Khazaria .

https://philosophyofmetrics.com/the-new-khazaria/

Posted by: Pft | Jun 18 2018 3:49 utc | 24

@1 You still havent told us how your job works. Are you paid by the post, hourly or by commission?
Posted by: Lozion | Jun 17, 2018 12:59:42 PM | 3

His Her avatar on Zero Hedge is Blankone and Putin bashing is his only commentry.
Posted by: Winston | Jun 17, 2018 1:06:40 PM | 4

I've always assumed 'paul' is either Caroline (We Con The World) Glick or Masha (Putin's an eevil dictator) Gessen. It plagiarises some of Gessen's memes and abrasive phrasing idiosyncrasies.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 18 2018 4:29 utc | 25

Pft. I don't know about that Ashkenazim are Khazars thing. The genetic studies I've seen do show that only some of them carry any genetic markers of the founding population in Palestine. Most that do are men (Y chromosome, not mitochondrial), which could support the idea that Jewish priests migrated there to help with the conversion of the Turkic/Mongol Khazars.

But the Times of Israel article on which the one you posted is based.... is a satire piece.

I've read some articles that outright state that Astana is the planned World Capitol. Could be.

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 18 2018 4:36 utc | 26

On the other hand paul could be the Jeff who stopped commenting @ MoA after he was asked if the 'little magazine' he edited was called The Atlantic? Then again Jeff's approach was a bit subtler than paul's, which makes paul more Masha-ish than Jeff-ish.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 18 2018 4:55 utc | 27

Assad interview, too much to summarize.
For those of you opinionating about Russia and Iran and HezB in Syria, read this:
http://theduran.com/assad-us-and-israeli-intervention-prevents-reconciliation-in-syria-interview/

Posted by: mauisurfer | Jun 18 2018 5:14 utc | 28

@ UserFriendly with the drive-by critique of my Nomi Prins link

Obfuscate much? Dollars and bonds are the same, banks can't loan, higher interest rates equal higher unemployment,....sigh

So tell us MoA barflies, do you think humanity should stick with global private finance or make it all totally sovereign public utilities?

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jun 18 2018 5:22 utc | 29

userFriendly #23

Your first criticism of Prins is simply wrong, not an obfuscation. During qe the fed was paying the banks the value of the bonds that were carried on the banks books. They were not paying market value. Many of those bonds if traded on the open market would have received below 20 cents on the dollar.

If the banks had carried those bonds on their books at market value the 4 largest banks in the US would have been in bankruptcy in 2009. That is why there was so little opposition to qe then -- who in right mind wanted to lose their bank deposits?

Posted by: ToivoS | Jun 18 2018 5:36 utc | 30

Daniel@26

Satire is sometimes used to discredit inconvenient truths and fake satire is used to present such truths in a way not to be taken seriously so the author can escape the consequences. And sometimes it is what it is and no more. I thought the article I linked to had some interesting points regardless of the Times link

As to what is true and what is not, i dont know. Eran Elhaik who is an Israeli presented a scientific paper suggesting it is so, I read it but its over my head.

Posted by: Pft | Jun 18 2018 6:45 utc | 31

User Friendly@23

Its true bank reserves can not leave the banking sector to make loans. There are ways of reducing the reserve requirement such as by selling off some the loans they make after packaging them up as securities, etc.

However, 90% of the reserves (2.2 trillion) that interest is being paid on now are excess reserves. These payments are made by the tax payer indirectly because most of that interest is earned from USTS which the Fed is obligated to return to the Treasury Department unless they spend it on expenses (like interest on excess reserves).

Meanwhile liquidity of dollars is drying up in the Eurodollar market due to tax cuts allowing corporations to repatriate some of their 3 trillion dollars of accumulated profits sitting in offshore Eurodollar accounts, and interest rate increases causing yields on treasuries and LIBOR rates to spike, which means inflation down the road and a repeat of the 2007 collapse

They know what they are doing.

Posted by: Pft | Jun 18 2018 7:01 utc | 32

How legal is it for UK/US/Fr to be fighting side by side with the Sudanese troops, when their commander in chief's arrest is requested by the ICP in The Hague?
https://www.icc-cpi.int/darfur/albashir

Posted by: Mina | Jun 18 2018 7:02 utc | 33

Mina 33

Got any links for that about western troops?

Posted by: Zanon | Jun 18 2018 9:50 utc | 34

re 23 and 33

The point that is being missed here is that the Fed is creating fiat (*not* money, which has intrinsic value, rather "legal tender") out of thin air to make its "asset swaps". It is an unsterilized process that inevitably will lead to hyperinflation.

The reference supplied in 23 How Quantitative Easing Really Works notes "quantitative easing is an asset swap. The Fed creates electronic credits and swaps them with existing financial assets. If the Fed is buying government paper, it is essentially trading one government liability for another, swapping a demand deposit electronic credit for a longer-dated government asset."

Interestingly enough, "How Quantitative Easing Really Works" directs us to a second reference If The U.S. Stopped Issuing Treasuries, Would It Go Broke , which states "the Treasury doesn’t have to issue bonds at all. In fact, since the Treasury does control the electronic printing press, it could legitimately buy stuff with money it prints out of thin air." Indeed! In fact, the Treasury is mandated by the Constitution to create and regulate *money*, defined by the Constitution as being gold and silver.

Which brings us to the question, why turn this process over to to a privately owned Central Bank (i.e. the Fed)?

Posted by: Perimetr | Jun 18 2018 11:42 utc | 35

sorry, I meant to direct my comment to 23 and 32 (not 33)

Posted by: Perimetr | Jun 18 2018 11:45 utc | 36

Daniel, thanks to the link to the "planning video":

Here's a Zionist planning for the US to "regime change" Jordan, install an Israel-friendly puppet and turn it into Palestine. "Deincentivize" Palestinians to stay and "incentive" them to take their "right of return" to Jordan (where none of them have ever lived)…It looks like the very "color revolution" looking protests in Jordan are not just about economics.

Openly planning war crimes on national television. Who else could get away with it? The host is incredibly respectful to this would-be Eichmann. Great that there appears to be a less restrictive alternative to YouTube out there.

Anyone who hasn't seen that video, don't miss it. They are only conspiracy theories when they aren't true.

-----------------

The problem of Paul @1. Always first, always the same message. Certainly an assumed identity under a bland biblical pseudonym, as Hoarsewhisperer notes:

I've always assumed 'paul' is either Caroline (We Con The World) Glick or Masha (Putin's an eevil dictator) Gessen. It plagiarises some of Gessen's memes and abrasive phrasing idiosyncrasies.

Substance, Paul alleges at various times that Vladimir Putin is some kind of offshore trillionaire or is betraying the Syrian, Crimeans, Chinese or whatever deal Russia's president happens to be working on.

Trillionaire counterpoint. When you wield the kind of power Putin has: 1. you don't need money 2. money will compromise you 3. you will have no access to your money if you are ever pushed out of power (whether regime change or organic political change). Vladimir Putin would not be foolish enough to put his (financial) eggs in a Western basket at this point. Yes, he may have some assets safely stored away in Malaysia or Iran but really there is nowhere either his money or his person would be safe if the US were successful in orchestrating a colour revolution. See Colonel Ghaddafi and Saddam Hussein and Manuel Noriega. Counter-point: Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos were able to keep most of their ill-gotten luchre ($5 to $10 billion), though Ferdinand Marcos only survived two and a half years to enjoy them.

Syrian counterpoint. Paul writes:

Russia denies none of this, that I've seen, and says nothing in response to Israel's criminal threats to attack Syria and to dictate to Syria, to attack both of its allies and country comrades in arms…This is that Russia, by the way, who claimed to stand up for international law - or yeah maybe that was all just empty words from a very empty man, Putin, words from a cipher. More than that, Israel claims and seems to be coordinating with both Russia and the US towards attacks in Syria and maybe even on Iran?

Paul seems to be suggesting that the President of Russia conduct an on-going twitter war with Israel's prime minister and every other senior Israeli official. This is not how the President of Russia conducts business. He makes careful public policy statements and deals in facts on the ground.

Right now Russia is hosting the football World Cup (a bad idea in my opinion as long planned major sporting events give the West too much leverage for too long over Russian policy) which it does not want disrupted in mid-event (for those who don't know a FIFA World Cup is over one month of non-stop football) with countries like Spain, France and Germany withdrawing their teams (all of those are realistic contenders), with Denmark, Sweden, England all standing actively by to support such a mid-event boycott. Rocking the boat right now would be silly.

After the Maidan debacle during the Sochi Olympics, I can assure you the army, navy and air force are standing by near Ukraine and in Syria. Starting a war of words which would provide justification for overtly hostile acts which could quickly escalate would be undiplomatic and stupid.

As President of Russia, Vladimir Putin shown himself to be diplomatic, highly intelligent and very brave (see meeting the angry families of the Kursk sailors almost alone or facing down the US in Syria in September 2015) with a long track record. Anyone expecting rash acts from V. Putin is either foolish, misinformed or deliberately spreading misinformation. After months of observation, Paul has firmly placed himself in the misinformation category.

Structural problem of Paul: Paul is a lurker with automated software to alert him immediately to a new thread. He jumps in first or within the first five posts to spill his poison.

Potential solution one: "Just ignore him" as James advises is a big mistake. That means almost the first information than newcomers, search visitors or occasional readers of MoA read is Paul's smears of Putin. So as in this thread we all take our shot at Paul's bait. Problem here is the thread goes off-topic. Instead of focusing on Israeli, Saudi and American war crimes in Syria, Palestine and Yemen (among other places) or illegal sanctions (China, Russia, North Korea, Palestine, etc…), we are defending Russian foreign policy on our heels.

Potential structural solution two. Ban Paul;. Just don't let Paul comment at all. That is not what MoA is about though. Unlike the SJW/progressive or alt-right sites in the US or most mainstream sites in Germany or UK, b doesn't ban people for dissenting. To receive a blanket ban at MoA, it's necessary to either threaten, harass, incite illegal acts or spam. This is an impressive policy and prevents the site from acquiring too much of a "me-too" backslapping atmosphere (see alt-right and SJW sites above). Paul doesn't overtly violate the rules regarding threatening, though he comes close on spam. Banning Paul altogether would be against b's and MoA's founding principles.

Potential structural solution three. Paul's main technique is to derail discussion with an early post. As Paul likes to knock b's threads off the rails and seems to be doing so in an automated way (there's no way Paul just happens to be first so often), it would be fair play to hold his posts and let them out later in the comment structure.

I.e. Paul comments first with his usual anti-Putin vitriol. Paul's comment is held. When comments get to about thirty to fifty (average thread seems to be seventy to one hundred twenty these days), b releases Paul's comment with a date/time stamp that put it in real time at comment 33 or 42. This allows Paul the right to interact with b's material without derailing every discussion. If this lack of priority attention causes Paul to go elsewhere, hélas. If this lack of priority attention causes Paul to create sock puppets or alternative egos, ban those (that is openly violating the rules of MoA or any well-run forum which includes no sock puppets or masquerading).

b is a very smart man who's been running MoA successfully for decades now. I'm sure he'll find a way to deal with new breeds of trolls. Alas, keeping the trolls from breeding is dull but essential husbandry to leave room on the trails for intelligent conversation.

Posted by: Uncoy | Jun 18 2018 12:25 utc | 37

German Interior Minister Seehofer holds press conference (Live RT) after challenging Merkel over immigration. Seems increasingly like she's just got a yellow card...? Who's next? Looks like Assad outlives another one...

Posted by: imo | Jun 18 2018 13:02 utc | 38

Glad the msm is slow dripping the no Russia collusion bad news out there. Not enough crying rooms available yet for all the students.

Posted by: morongobill | Jun 18 2018 13:06 utc | 39

34
The links have been provided in b's article and by commenters, referring to French special forces on the ground and as for the UK and US direct involvement it is also documented.
On top of that, the UAE is using its base in Eritrea, famously one of the most democratic on the planet
https://openmigration.org/en/analyses/5-things-everyone-should-know-about-eritrean-refugees/

Posted by: Mina | Jun 18 2018 13:11 utc | 40

Houthis have been doing fairly well in stopping the attack on the port by ground forces.
Saudis have pounded the city by air, of course.

Colonel Cassad, Monday report:

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/4259411.html

Many videos, Ruptly video of airport showing it is still in hands of the Houthis.

Use Yandex browser for automatic translation of Russian.

Briefly about the battle for Hodeidah to June 18.

1. The battle continues to evolve on a collision course. Striking force of the invaders trying to get through to Hodeidah directly through the airport. 16 the vanguard of Hadisov under cover of aviation UAE broke through to the runway of the airport of Hodeidah and were fighting on its territory. The Houthis defended in the chain of buildings in the Northern part of the airport. To take the airport immediately failed.
2. During the 17 th of June, the Houthis prodoljai reinforcements to Hodeida and prepare the expected counter-attacks by the prolonged flank of the invaders. By the evening of the same day they managed to achieve tangible success. Mobile group again overran the positions covering the road of Mokha-al-Hudaydah, again cutting the line of supply, this time in three places.
3. Immediately after the break to shore, the Houthis started to shoot the machine of the invaders on the track, causing a lot of damage in manpower and technology. the enemy fled in panic, throwing the dead and equipment. Taken two small village near the highway, based on which the Houthis will try to hold a blocking position on the coast, to thwart the advancing shock troops.
4. Today, we are likely to see attempts to dislodge the Houthis from the coast and to restore the broken supply. Likely to be hastily created two unlocking groups that should be on a converging path to move towards each other. This will reduce the pressure on the front line of Houthis at the airport.
5. The Houthis continue to turn, reinforcements from the Western regions of the country, in order to compensate for losses in the fighting near al Hudaydah and increase pressure on the stretched flank of the shock group.
6. In the French mass-media there were leaks that French special forces acting together with the invaders in the district of al Hudaydah. MO France doesn't disseminate the aims and objectives of the units operating in conjunction with the UAE.
7. The parties understand that the battle for al Hudaydah is crucial. For the Houthis lose face severe strategic consequences and increase the likelihood of losing a war without external support. If IBB survives, the plans of interesantov it would be a severe blow to Iran and will maintain effective "Afghanization" of Saudi Arabia.

Posted by: Red Ryder | Jun 18 2018 13:19 utc | 41

Mina
I tried to google it but found nothing but western forces in South sudan?
In which article did b bring this up?

Posted by: Zanon | Jun 18 2018 13:36 utc | 42

Beshir is head of north sudan. here is a ref to the sudanese trooos. it s neveer been a secret

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-44500455

Posted by: Mina | Jun 18 2018 14:27 utc | 43

...
b is a very smart man who's been running MoA successfully for decades now. I'm sure he'll find a way to deal with new breeds of trolls. Alas, keeping the trolls from breeding is dull but essential husbandry to leave room on the trails for intelligent conversation.
Posted by: Uncoy | Jun 18, 2018 8:25:06 AM | 37

b's attitude to trolls is measured and quite tolerant. The people who most commonly get banned here are those who waste a lot of space by attempting to dominate a thread with a blizzard of long repetitive comments, and those who use personal smears as a ploy for 'winning' a debate. That's as good as it gets, imo. People are entitled to express unpopular opinions and b's tolerance is broad enough to make it virtually impossible for the Thought Police to apportion blame to b for opinions expressed by commenters.
And "Don't feed the troll" is still excellent advice.

Before Xymphora's comments were DISQUSed, long threads and aggressive debate were the norm. And the only thing he banned anyone for was bearing false witness i.e. "putting words in my mouth."
That bar was sometimes a bit TOO low to produce a fruitful debate. But only occasionally, and probably because trolls tends to be obsessed with one issue.

My pet peeve has long been blog owners who can't resist obsessive-compulsively trolling their own commenters in every thread - aka Rowan Berkeley @ niqnaq and Pat Lang @ SST. Such micro-management is a bit Small World-ish in a "Haven't you got a hobby?" kind of way...

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 18 2018 14:41 utc | 44

- Gareth Porter shares his thoughts on the summit between Trump and Kim Jung Un. He thinks that North Korea had a very clear plan what they wanted to achieve.

https://consortiumnews.com/2018/06/11/us-public-being-misled-on-trump-kim-summit/

Posted by: Willy2 | Jun 18 2018 15:36 utc | 45

Grieved at 8: This is why every financial move by Trump is producing the opposite result. Hmm, Opposite to *what*?

Trump's first foray tariff was against solar panels from China (30%, > down over time) and washing machines (50%, > down over time. Why that who knows.) Who was outraged, even noted it? Silence from the MSM.

Trump tariffs on steel and aluminium are very similiar to Bush J.’s in 2002 (wiki) -> 8 to 30%, Can, Mex exempt (NAFTA), plus other ‘allies’ like Turkey, etc. The Bush tariffs were scotched a year or so later, 03 - 04, didn’t ‘perform’ or whatever, all forgotten now, but Bush did the same to keep a simulacrum of favoring ‘industrial’ workers in the US, to no particular result of any kind.

Symbolic moves to sneakily keep some supporters on board.

No coal mines + well paid workers will revive in Appalachia, as for steel workers, it’s complicated, but no good result.

The US despite its reputation for ‘free trade’ levies consequent tariffs on all kinds of stuff. This site gives the details (from Gov) and has tools to make an Excel spread sheet (did not test), complicated. The MSM can cherry pick and tout whatever in function of their own interests.

https://www.usitc.gov/tariff_affairs/tariff_databases.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_United_States_steel_tariff

Posted by: Noirette | Jun 18 2018 15:37 utc | 46

Grieved @8--

A further example's provided by Garrie as he details the reasons why China's not to blame for the West's decline. Hudson's noted the driving force behind the decline as the Financialization of Capitalism. That the Outlaw US Empire lacks what most other nations have--a state-directed Industrial Policy--has long been noted as one of its major liabilities, which is one of Garrie's major points. China of course is well known for its very detailed multiyear policy planning. That's like a well couched World Cup team facing a bunch of players collected from the slums, tossed onto the Pitch and is only proficient at scoring Own Goals--which team will be the likely winner is all too easy to predict.

Just how dimwitted and lacking in education Officials of the Outlaw US Empire are is made plain to see by the "47 Demands" made by Pompeo when, as Pepe Escobar's made very clear:

"The Singapore joint statement is not a deal; it’s a statement. The absolutely key item is number 3: “Reaffirming the April 27, 2018, Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

"This means that the US and North Korea will work towards denuclearization not only in what concerns the DPRK but the whole Korean Peninsula.

"Much more than “…the DPRK commits to work toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula”, the keywords are in fact “reaffirming the April 27, 2018, Panmunjom Declaration…”

"Even before Singapore, everyone knew the DPRK would not “de-nuke” (Trump terminology) for nothing, especially when promised just some vague US “guarantees”." [My Emphasis]

Kim must surely feel he's dealing with a host of dotards. I imagine he'll refer to the demands as suggestions for negotiations while resuming talks with Xi, Moon and Putin over what should constitute the next series of moves. I expect Moon to harness the momentum furnished by his party's big electoral win to press forward with those aspects of the Panmunjom Declaration he can affect, particularly his government's relations with the military occupation.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 18 2018 15:40 utc | 47

Faced with disastrous situations like those in the Middle East, where wars can easily escalate to damage the whole world, Putin's strategy is to steadfastly hold to principles of multilateral relations, even between intractably mutual enemies like Israel and Iran. Putin said: “I think that we should not only bear in mind everything that hinders the normalisation of relations between the two states, but we need to analyse all the aspects and minimise the negative side of this process. This is in the interests of Iran, I am sure this is also in the interests of Israel and the entire international community. When I recently spoke in my Address [to the Federal Assembly] of the progress we have made regarding Iran, you may have noticed that I said we should maintain the security of all the nations in the region, including Israel. This is an important aspect, without which it would be difficult, even impossible to move ahead.” – News conference of Vladimir Putin, 19 December, 2013.

On the volatile Syrian front where direct hostilities between Iran and Israel, or even between Russia and the USA, could easily escalate to, Putin publicly pointed to positive aspects: “So far, we have managed to agree on many issues, including the southern de-escalation zone, where Israeli and Jordanian interests are also present.” – Meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club, 19 October, 2017.

Even though it appears to be now impossible to extract Israel and Palestine from the present mutually destructive trajectory, Putin still supports a so-called “two-state solution” and the independent Palestine that comes with it: “Russia takes an even-handed position and pursues a policy aimed at settling the conflict and ensuring the interests of all the people who live in that region, including the interests of Israel.” – Excerpt from Putin's Talk with German and Russian Media, 7 April, 2002.

While Russia is allied with Syria and Iran in preserving the sovereignty of Syria, and the USA and Israel have repeatedly tried to destroy that sovereignty, Putin balances the needs of these allies with the need to reassure Israel that Russia also acknowledges Israel's position as a key state in the Middle East:“We discussed today the issues of arms supplies to Syria and the Iranian nuclear programme. We always discuss these issues when we meet with the Israeli leadership. You do not need to ask in future, did we discuss these questions or not. We always discuss them.” — Press Statement and Answers to Questions Following Talks with President of Israel Moshe Katsav, 28 April, 2005.

The negotiations with rebel Syrian leaders at Astana, that has led to the withdrawal of many Islamist forces to Idlib, allowing Syrian military forces to focus on reclaiming more of their territory, aligns with Putin's strategies, achieving a reduction in civilian suffering in Syria that what almost no-one would have considered possible only a year earlier.

Despite constant provocations by Western powers, Putin has continued to promulgate optimism with the conviction that humanity can win despite ostensibly contrary indications, which has made the possibility of reaching win-win outcomes all the more likely.

Posted by: Ray Bergmann | Jun 18 2018 15:41 utc | 48

@45 Willy2

That's a good piece, and it makes the point that tends to be invisible: that North Korea developed nuclear weapons not simply to prevent the US from attacking it directly, but also - and perhaps preeminently - in order to have a bargaining chip to get the US to stop the war exercises. So it has played out, with the "freeze for freeze".

Personally, I don't see NK's nuclear capability as a strong enough lever in itself to drive the US out of Korea. It was perfect for the exercises. What will get the US out finally and completely, in my view, will be the progressive steps taken by both Koreas towards reunification. This will engender a force of popular will and global support that even the US will have to accord with. This can take its own time, and it will be elegantly finessed by the Asians.

Posted by: Grieved | Jun 18 2018 15:47 utc | 49

Ramin Mazaheri, a journalist I have praised here before, is writing an 11-part series on Iran. Mazaheri is Iranian, an intelligent and knowledgeable socialist, and an excellent writer and journalist, currently based in Paris for PressTV.

This will be an excellent and profound source of knowledge about Iran. I confess I know nothing about this nation, and western propaganda and imperialist stereotyping hasn't helped. His introductory article is at the Saker here: The WSWS, Iran’s economy, the Basij & Revolutionary Shi’ism: an 11-part series

Mazaheri has an ongoing discussion/dispute with the World Socialist Web Site, so don't be put off by the ink he gives to this in his intro piece. He gets up to speed on Iran and already I've found his information fascinating and extremely valuable, almost unique journalistic reporting, in my limited experience.

Mazaheri just finished an 8-part series on China that I found priceless. He drew a lot from Jeff Brown's work, and illustrated how the democracy and economy of China works. Along the way, he blew away the myths about Mao, and showed how today's China is definitely a Maoist country, building its own version of a socialist and socially just nation.

He was also in Cuba for a short time during this, and gave us a useful view of that successful revolutionary society. Mazaheri is a socialist, and knows how to see the robust economic and moral success that such a system can demonstrate. In this age of rags and tatters, caused by predatory capitalism, I find his reports from the successful revolutions increasingly welcome and hopeful.

Posted by: Grieved | Jun 18 2018 16:04 utc | 50

Here we have the illegal bullets used by the Zionists to kill and maim unarmed Palestinians. This ought to be sufficient proof to label the IDF and their political masters terrorists of the 1st degree, as if enough proof didn't already exist.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 18 2018 16:31 utc | 51

Karlofi @ 51
Thanks for that link, pure gold, will be following that closely. Knowledge is power. Especially in these times. Can you beleave here in u k it is vertualy impossible to find out the truth about enything.how the hell did that happen and what effect would it that have on elections/democracy . Hence were we are now! I'd appreciate eny more Iran inside truth. Thank you

Posted by: Mark2 | Jun 18 2018 17:00 utc | 52

Sorry my above comment wos for grieved @ 50

Posted by: Mark2 | Jun 18 2018 17:17 utc | 53

The zionist state has arrested one of their own,for spying for Iran.graun.

Posted by: dahoit | Jun 18 2018 17:43 utc | 54

@51....enough proof exist you are right.... no need to fake news it. Some twiteratti claiming something while providing zero actual proof is just more 'Russia did it ' nonsense......

Posted by: Tannenhouser | Jun 18 2018 17:56 utc | 55

psychohistorian @29. It continues to surprise me how few endorsements your very reasonable call for making finance a public utility gets.

So many of the ills of this world are the direct results of private finance, but people seem to prefer to grab at the “low hanging fruit” of specific acts (that can be easily tied to private finance). And they prefer to blame specific personalities or sub-industries of the “Vampire Squid.”

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 18 2018 19:24 utc | 56

pft @31. Yes. I actually got the sense that some of that Times of Israel article was “kidding on the square” - the term former comedian, Senator and sexual molester (but full-time Zionist) Al Franken coined for using humor to expose (or cover up) an inconvenient truth. My point was that the author of the article you linked treated it as a straight news story.

Yes, Ashkenazim genetics are only tentatively related to the founding populations of “the Holy Land.” What I have not seen are any studies showing exactly the population from which they are most closely descended, which is why I won't make a statement of fact about it. I notice that the PBS celebrity geneaology show, “Finding Your Roots” which runs DNA tests on their guests, and ascribes percentages to populations like “European” and “Sub-Saharan African,” etc. has a separate category they call “Ashkenazi.” Many prominent Jews they’ve tested come up as 95% to 100% “Ashkenazi.” They are the most homogenous group yet tested.

But though I’ve scanned their website, and those of the labs they use, and sent emails asking for clarity, I can find no answer to what they mean by that term in terms of genetic heritage.

It’s a historical fact that the Khazar elite converted to Judaism, and a reasonable supposition that their descendants make up at least a significant portion of what is called “Ashkenazi Jews.” It’s also a historical fact that other Jews from Palestine/Israel migrated to Europe both before and after the Jewish Revolts against Rome. And so chances are at least some Ashkenazim are descendants of those migrants.

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 18 2018 19:26 utc | 57

Rachel Maddow cracks the case: Putin controlled Trump to get him to meet with North Korea (Video)
http://theduran.com/rachel-maddow-cracks-the-case-putin-controlled-trump-to-get-him-to-meet-with-north-korea-video/

Posted by: Zanon | Jun 18 2018 19:27 utc | 58

karlof1 @51. I have not yet seen any ballistics reports on the bullets/fragments surgically removed from Palestinian protesters. The wound patterns do suggest some sort of “hollow point/dum-dum/butterfly” rounds, but other factors could also produce such devastating wounds. I think it most likely the IOF are using some sort of hollow-point in at least some cases, but I am troubled by the medical teams failure to produce such rounds as proof.

FWIW: Hollow point bullets are banned by Convention for use in war. But they are NOT banned for other uses against human targets. They are the standard ammo used by FBI and police departments in the US, for instance. They are also the preferred type for home and self defense rounds for private use.

The same is true of “tear gas.” Not permitted in war, but perfectly fine to use against civilians by domestic forces.

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 18 2018 20:11 utc | 59

@29 psychohistorian

I'm no fan of the status quo if that is what you are implying, but that doesn't mean I am ready to jump on board just any reform. Specifically, if you are referring to Positive Money, that looks very much like a revival of Milton Friedman's monetarism to me.

My ideal reform would be Glass Steagall and campaign finance reform as a constitutional amendment. Stricter underwriting standards, post office banking, and a federally funded locally administered Job Guarantee.

@30
Yes, they overpaid for MBS. Like I said.

@32
I don't disagree with most of what you said. Except that taxpayers don't pay for anything.

They know what they are doing.

@35
Your fears of hyperinflation are unfounded. Hyperinflation only happens when a government prints money to try and buy more things than it is capable of producing (Zimbabwe) or if it does so to try and pay debts denominated in a foreign currency (Weimar). We have been dramatically undershooting inflation for a long time now.

The Fed is nominally independent supposedly to allow it to make politically unpopular decisions without blow back on the current people in power. It's leaders get appointed by the president, and confirmed by the senate. All it's profits get returned to the treasury. That doesn't mean it isn't captured by Wall Street, just like every single other aspect of our government.

@50
I'm not against public finance per say. See my link in this comment about positive money. I am skeptical of giving all that power to one place, all it takes is one corrupt government to inflict a world of hurt; and it isn't like we are super good at avoiding those. That doesn't mean there shouldn't be any role for public finance though.

Posted by: UserFriendly | Jun 18 2018 20:16 utc | 60

@59. Civ use is considered self defense round. FWIW I think they use a small round, .22 IMO. I read an article that suggest from the US made Ruger 10/22 with aftermarket match grade components.
It makes more sense to me than hog rounds in this particular scenario.

Posted by: Tannenhouser | Jun 18 2018 21:21 utc | 61

Tannerhouser, the IDF did start using .22 ruger "less lethal" rubber coated bullets, and recently OK'd use of standard "full metal jacket" .22 rounds for close-range rock throwers. But near as I can tell, no such rifles are being used at the Gaza "security fence." The use of sub-sonic, rim-fire .22 rounds for targets in ranges of 100 to 300 meters, as most casualties have been, would seem inefficient.

For one thing, they are so underpowered that hollow-point rounds are generally not able to even mushroom except from close ranges. As far as I know, Match grade ammo is all round-nose, FMJ.

The rifles that have been photographed along the "security fence" all fire NATO 5.56 or 7.62 cartridges. This Zionist apologetics magazine actually does a pretty good job of explaining it. They insist that IDF is not using actual hollow-points, while I think it most likely they are. But it does trouble me that considering we have thousands of casualties, we haven't seen reports of the specific bullets discovered.

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 18 2018 22:05 utc | 62

@57 daniel, I have hintd about this in another open thread but do a search about the Kabars. It will lead you to Hungary, home of Soros and his ilk..

@37 Thank you Uncoy for addressing poster #1. Im sure our barkeeper will decide what best course to follow..

Posted by: Lozion | Jun 18 2018 22:20 utc | 63

@7 james, have you seen a transcript of Escobar's interview by any chance? I prefer reading to watching.. txs.

Posted by: Lozion | Jun 19 2018 2:01 utc | 64

Ah, the splendor of the games!

Vesti News has a lovely 5-minute clip of some of the scenes in Russia as the World Cup shows us what loving fanaticism feels like:
A Feeling of Awe and Wonder: World Cup Guests in Moscow Taken Aback By the Splendor of the Games

We have football, to remember our greatness. It's a fun and smiling video. There is much darkness in the world, but in the ordinary people themselves - despite the bad rap they get at every philosophical turn - there is much brightness, and much to remind us of the power of the people.

Posted by: Grieved | Jun 19 2018 2:03 utc | 65

james @7

I was a bit disappointed by the Pepe interview. Sorry. :(

I didn't really learn anything. Most MoA-ers already know much of what he covered. And I was a bit taken aback when he points to "sources" close to Trump and the KSA ruling family. That caused me to note that Pepe furthers established narratives like the Chinese threat to the West; focus on personalities over policy; and Trump as outsider.

Pepe is well know for his coverage of China's Belt and Road Initiative. But the West hasn't ignored or failed to understand that development. It is really that policy has been hijacked.

And pretending that Trump's personality, style, or way of thinking has much impact on policy seems to me to be a disservice to readers. Our faux populist political leaders serve establishment goals, not the other way around.

The interview also ignores controversial subjects like the Palestinians (in the news due to USA having moved its embassy to Jerusalem), Turkey (b/c of Erdogan's recent pro-Palestinian rhetoric?), and Assange.

Then there are whoppers like:

>> the CIA is interested in fomenting a coup in KSA;

>> going public with closeness of Israeli-Saudi relations is (entirely) due to MbS - Kurshner bromance?

>> One must understand 3,000 years of Chinese history in order to have relations with China. Really? 50 or 1,000 years is not enough for a productive relationship? LOL.

Lastly, I also found it funny that he adamently states that he won't try to predict the future but then speculates on future scenarios for the demise of the Empire. Now, I'd agree that there has been severe mismanagement, tremendous waste of resources, and astonishing hubris (one might even say, 'exceptional'!) but it is difficult to predict how it all turns out. For example, the Chinese seem to make many of the same mistakes (e.g. ghost cities) and their desire for control seems to be at least as great our that of Western elites.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jun 19 2018 2:47 utc | 66

Right with you, Jackrabbit. When karlof1 posted Pepe's interview, I responded in part:

I took some exception with his opening comments about Trump being an “outsider,” but then he goes on to say that Trump had to be an insider to even get into the election. And he says KSA was one of the 7 countries on the Rumsfeld memo to destroy in 5 years. It was not, nor would it need to conquered since KSA has always been controlled by first Great Britain and then the US, and since the creation of Israel, by what I call the AZW Empire. Odd for Pepe to say that, especially since near the end he says KSA “follows blindly what the USA tells them.”

But as regards our pipeline discussion, he states as a matter of fact that Syria has “won the war.”

... the US, France and now Italy have thousands of troops in Syria, and thousands more in Jordan and Israel. The US has plainly stated it has no plan to ever pull out of Syria. Today we learn the US is back to funding the White Helmets, and despite officially voicing “concern,” is still responsible for KSA’s war against Yemen.

So, in the end, it’s still clear that the AZW Empire is not done in Syria. A lot depends on what Russia does. I sure hope Putin sees Syrian and Iranian sovereignty as in Russia’s interest.

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 19 2018 3:07 utc | 67

@62Daniel. A tricked out match grade 10/22 would be more than enough to wound at the ranges you suggest. I'm no expert by any means. Yes most match grade ammunition is RN FMJ, there are however some shooting sports like Bullseye shooting where flat nose round is sometimes used as it punches a more easily identifiable hole in paper targets. In my mind IDF using the standard issue X-95 (I think this is the standard now anyways for IDF) with it's 5.56 NATO round,I believe anyways would seem inefficient. Check out 22plinkster on YouTube to see what a .22 is capable of. Either way karlof1 is right it's horrible and the round is less important than the act, I just don't think they are using the hog rounds.

Posted by: Tannenhouser | Jun 19 2018 3:12 utc | 68

Daniel @67:

Odd for Pepe to say that, especially since near the end he says KSA “follows blindly what the USA tells them.”

And Pepe's reasoning is also very confused/suspect: that USA wants all the oil and to establish a huge base. Why would USA want the headaches associated with occupation? In MbS, they have what the want: a pro-Israel, pro-Western puppet.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jun 19 2018 3:45 utc | 69

@64 lozion.. i haven't seen a transcript.. i am like you and much prefer a transcript.. if one becomes available and i see it, i will share it..

@66 jr.. it is true much of what pepe shared is known to moa readers, although he was communicating off the cuff and it wasn't written, his grasp of the wider picture and what it all points to is something that i think is generally missed.. especially when folks are looking at the micro events, it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture.. i think pepe has a very good grasp of the big picture here and that is really the major take away from the video as i see it.. russia, china and etc are in the ascendancy and usa/uk in the descendant..

trump just seems like the perfect president to further the erosion of usa world power..

i think you are being a bit hard on pepe, especially given the off the cuff nature of the interview.. teh topic of cia in regards what has happened in ksa - i think that is actually valid.. things have not worked out in ksa the way the cia had hoped.. i don't claim to know just what they had in mind, but mbs was not the horse they were riding up until recently, if even now...

@69 jr.. further comments on ksa - cia - mbs... i don't believe all is clear here, but i do believe ksa is skating on very very thin ice at present and pepes suggestion that mbs will be taken out is very real... again, you appear to want to dismiss this main feature from his interview, and dwell instead on what the cia did or didn't do.. bottom line - i do believe mbs is not long for the job... time will tell..

Posted by: james | Jun 19 2018 4:08 utc | 70

jackrabbit - is this your basic argument? i would agree with you if it is!

It Doesn’t Matter Who is President

Posted by: james | Jun 19 2018 4:26 utc | 71

.223, or nato 5.56 ballistic tips. can do a lot of damage. Essentially a hollow point bullet with plastic inserts. My guess is they are using something like that. .22 caliber projectiles are also fired from larger necked down cartridges. Most of the victims of the Israeli snipers are losing limbs. A 45-50 grain projectile traveling at 3600 to 4000 fps will do that. Perhaps lower velocity than that with the ballistic or similar tip will take off a limb.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Jun 19 2018 5:17 utc | 72

Hey, remember how last week the Bilderberg Meeting covered the NEOM Project? The enormous mega-city they want to build right at the point where the borders of KSA, Egypt, Jordan and Israel meet?

Well this week, Trump announced a $One Billion Dollar construction project right there! What a coincidence, eh? And sure, it includes solar panels and other stuff specified by NEOM, but he’s selling this as a project for Palestinian jobs, so it’s like totally different.

I wonder if the Palestinians who aren’t moved into Jordan by the plan the Zionists laid out above will be “incentivized” to move to Sinai?

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 19 2018 6:18 utc | 73

anyone has any comments on the 'child snatching and partent deporting' bullshit happening in the US.

or is it that kids from south america don't count?

or is it that some crimes are more digestable then others?

whats anyones guess what is gonna happen to these kids who have been seperated from their parents with out any - any - record keeping to facilitate re-uniting them with the parents? Or who still are somewhere in a gulag in the US while the parents have already been deported.

Slave labor?
Sex slaves for deserving Incels working for the white house?
future broodmares for slave labour, cause white people in the US don't pick no fucking lettuce?

anything? even only a tiny little bit of something?

no?

no?

Posted by: Sabine | Jun 19 2018 7:29 utc | 74

Like clockwork, in roll the ad-hominems…

At MoA, as Hoarsewhisperer pointed out, the rule is to play the ball not the man. It appears you didn't follow through to my professional profile. What b does (creating the content) is a full time job. Developing strategy, organising fundraising and building tools to manage the comments on a very busy and controversial sites is another full time occupation. Why does it disturb you Peter that someone is lending a shoulder to put an end to the new troll onslaughts at MoA?

In any case, thanks for the suggestion to repackage some of my longer recent MoA comments.

• What does China’s Silk Road really offer Central Asia and Europe?
• How to defang machine enhanced human trolls.

Here's a fresh post in response to your comment: The trouble with comments (on alternative media). Star Trek reference deliberate. Includes Six Battle-tested Rules to Help Publishers Nurture an Intelligent Comments Section. This is new content in response to you.

It takes many years to build up an active following on a weblog. Not only should articles be incisive and on a particular subject but they must be prolific as well. It's not a goal I've set myself as 1. I know the price all too well. 2. I'm otherwise engaged on the technical and organisational side.

Posted by: Uncoy | Jun 19 2018 15:45 utc | 75

@73 peter au and @74 daniel.. interesting observations and etc.. thanks!

@75 sabine.. i haven't been following this, but according to a friend all this has been happening at least as far back as obama's presidency... it is a hot topic now given trump is president?? that doesn't seem to make sense... that is the little i know about it..

personally i pick lettuce from our own backyard at present, but i am a canuck, so maybe it is different..

Posted by: james | Jun 19 2018 15:49 utc | 76

I see b has chosen to help attack the perfidious Amnesty International (AI) via a retweet on his twitter. Earlier today I found a link to this rather dated Dr. Francis Boyle AI-related letter I'd never read at Eva Bartlett's Twitter which is very damning testimony about the essentially treasonous behavior by AI given its stated mission. Given its history, it would be good for the world if AI didn't exist since it works for Empire, not Justice, right along with Human Rights Watch.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 19 2018 16:21 utc | 77

Yet another Twitter tidbit retweeted at Partisan Girl's feed: A video of the recent Orthodox Jews Convention in Nassau two weeks ago during the speech by their Grand Rabbi, whose words must be heard/read to be believed as coming from a Jew about the Zionist Abomination.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 19 2018 16:32 utc | 78

i get a kick out of pat lang, LOL..

"Pat Lang

Just another nasty stupid anti-US jab. You are banned again.

12:43 p.m., Tuesday June 19 | Other comments by Pat Lang

Reply to Pat Lang

Pat Lang’s comment is in reply to james:

[Visit james's profile]

is it possible you'e projecting onto turkey what the usa typically does? it looks like i might be able to post onto your site ..."

Posted by: james | Jun 19 2018 17:02 utc | 79

karlof1 78
After reading the article at the world zionist site a few years back on the need to convert jews to zionism, I have often wondered what the jews thought of the zionists. Interesting link thanks.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Jun 19 2018 17:32 utc | 80

@ 78 karlof1 / 80 peter... the issue of zionism and how it sits with some in the jewish community is a complicated issue, but it has been going on for a long time... for more insight one can read philip weiss at mondoweiss.net for more ongoing insights.. http://mondoweiss.net/

Posted by: james | Jun 19 2018 19:14 utc | 81

karlof1. Thanks for a clean version of Boyle's letter.

Yes, Zionism only became "normal" in the Jewish communities after 1948, and especially after the big PR/propaganda campaign after the 1967 war.

Even the majority of Jewish survivors from WW II's atrocities preferred to either go back to their homes or go to the US (Britain being third choice). Few wanted to be shipped off to Palestine, but that's where the Zionists wanted them.

Most of the pre-1948 Palestinian Jews opposed Zionism, and their descendants still do.

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 19 2018 20:24 utc | 82

Sabine @74. I for one am thrilled that the Democrats are finally criticizing Trump for something that's really horrible.

Yes, this has been policy for decades, but Trump has accelerated it (as he's escalated most of the horrible things this country does). So, it'd be great if this sparked some real "resistance," instead of the faux "pussy hats," "show us your taxes" malarky while giving the "madman" ever more power and military strength.

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 19 2018 20:29 utc | 83

Daniel & Sabine--

As anticipated, here's a brief announcement of the GOP's further plan to rape the Homeland to pay for its tax gift to the 1%. If you go that site's main page, you'll see numerous articles detailing some of what Trump and his not always GOP allies are doing. (I was once a very active commentator there but got exiled since I was just as critical of Democrats who were heavily funding and penetrating the site at that time. Since the election, CD's become a bit more critical of the Ds, but mostly because CD lost a huge proportion of its readership and donation base due to its 2016 antics--I wasn't the only longtime user exiled.)

Unfortunately, only a few decent people exist in national politics, and they're not necessarily Ds. The Coercive Bureaucracy's even worse, which includes the so-called regulatory agencies like the SEC, EPA and such. The Swamp is more massive than many can conceptualize. But as we've seen, it makes no difference which party wins POTUS as both are beholden to the 1%. But the Grassroots appear to be shaking as resistance mounts--and such is aimed at both parties. Lots of animated, angry politics during the nominating process for mid term elections needs to see an escalation in the numbers of angry, animated voters nationally.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 19 2018 22:26 utc | 84

karlof1. I completely gave up on CD about midway through the Primaries in 2016. So much so that I am very skeptical of their "resistance" even now, though they are of course correct that this new budget is even worse than last year's.

In that article, they cite deeply embedded Democratic Party establishment neoliberal organizations, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Center for American Progress. One just can't have enough Podestas and Brocks, eh? ;-)

And YES to the "so-called regulatory agencies." I heard Ralph Nader point out a couple decades ago that even though many were created with only good intentions (and of course, he personally was largely responsible for some of their foundings), eventually the very groups meant to be regulated infiltrate and misdirect the agencies.

In a remarkably Libertarian way, he said that it would almost be better if such agencies didn't even exist because people come to trust them, and so believe we are being protected when actually it is quite the opposite.

I signed up to campaign for our Congressional District's Democratic candidate. She seems to be a sincerely progressive woman, and our district seems to have a legitimate electoral system. But the Dems managed to defeat most of the really progressive, anti-war, anti-corruption candidates in the Primaries yet again.

So, I'll do what little I can locally, while keeping my eye on the global. :-)

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 19 2018 23:36 utc | 85

@ 78 karlof1 / 80 peter... the issue of zionism and how it sits with some in the jewish community is a complicated issue...
...
Posted by: james | Jun 19, 2018 3:14:55 PM | 81

No it's not. It's as transparently simple as Zionism is bogus...

There weren't enough Good Jews to counter the schemes of Zionists. There still aren't and never will be. People can make up their own minds about whether that reality prevails by accident or design but the results of that simple factoid speak for themselves.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 20 2018 2:08 utc | 86

hoarsewhisperer.. i think it is a bit more nuanced and complicated then that, but lets agree to disagree then...

Posted by: james | Jun 20 2018 4:16 utc | 87

Hoarsewhisperer
Like it or not, Trump seems to have acquired zionism, I think along with his son in law.
Kushner is most certainly a zionist and Ivanka converted to Jew to marry him.
A quick look at Ivanka in wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivanka_Trump and dad will do anything for his little girl.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Jun 20 2018 4:44 utc | 88

I recently watched a US oriented doco on the earlier space race to the moon. I had been wondering why, with all the sanctions, US continued buying Russian rocket engines.
Back in the early sixties, the soviet Union developed a very efficient rocket engine. This was the forerunner to the current RD-180.
The reason the US is still buying them is that the US has not mastered the tech/metallurgy requirements to build engines or more specifically, the combustion chambers, that are as efficient as the RD-180.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Jun 20 2018 8:14 utc | 89

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Jun 20, 2018 4:14:27 AM | 89

Interesting angle. I assumed that NASA buys orbital/ ICBM rocket motors from Russia because Russian military hardware is circa half the price which USG Depts are obliged to pay The Swamp's M-IC for locally-made equivalents. I Googled list prices for Russian and US fighter jets. Russia's are much cheaper than their US equivalents. If one knew the Model No. of the relevant Russian & US rocket motors then one could Google the list prices for those too.
NASA's budget has been the target of a 'slimming program' for more than a decade.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 20 2018 15:55 utc | 90

how about the usa dropping out of the UN human rights council? no more pretense! the same country murdering innocent people since the 2nd ww, with the most military bases around the planet of any country, always in bed with whatever atrocity israel wants to commit to - have finally decided that it no longer matters that they are in the UN human rights council.. i agree..

Posted by: james | Jun 20 2018 16:10 utc | 91

@ james in comment 91 talking about US shedding pretense of morals

I live in this rogue nation that thinks it is doing Dog's work and morals be damned. It is a secret/myth exactly who Dog is.

This won't end well for some and many will be hurt in the process but it is nice to see progress made towards confronting the issues without the facade or pretense of being other than "Might makes right".

On to the new order! May it be more humanistic than the last one.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jun 20 2018 17:27 utc | 92

This is the documentary on the development of the NK-33 engine, the forerunner of current Russian rocket engines. This engine that had been developed in the sixties then warehoused was simpler and 4-5 times more efficient than US rocket engines of the nineties.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMbl_ofF3AM
The Engines That Came In From The Cold - And how The NK-33/RD-180 Came To The USA

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Jun 20 2018 17:58 utc | 93

Peter AU 1 @89

That's a most interesting point. Besides buying Russian rockets, today, the US has to hitchhike on Russian rockets to go to the ISS. And yet President Trump™ announces a new branch of the military to "dominate" space.

BTW: does anyone else remember President CareBear making a similar announcement late in his term? With search engine algorithms twisted beyond comprehension, my quick search failed to return any results, but I remember reading and commenting about that.

Either way, what does this all mean? The US will "dominate" Russia in space using Russian rockets and even launching from the Russian cosmodrome?

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 20 2018 18:37 utc | 94

James and psychohistorian regarding Niki Halley announcing the US is out of the Human Rights Council...

Could it be that Niki has realized that she is neither human, nor right? ;-)

Nah. It's probably just furtherance of the "Make Greater Israel Again" Job #1 of the US.

Posted by: Daniel | Jun 20 2018 18:41 utc | 95

The interesting part that I forgot to mention was what think was called the direct cycle engine. Both the US (ex nazi) and Soviet rocket scientists thought these engines could work in theory but were impossible to build. The Soviet honcho in Charge of the space program wanted it built so he went to Sukoy who not only built the direct cycle engine, making it simpler and more efficient, they also developed the metallurgical knowhow, which is the same as metallurgy required for jet turbine blades, to develop the high pressure - high temperature combustion chamber which greatly increased on the gains already achieved with the direct cycle.
Until the US acquired one of these engines for testing in the 90s, they thought it impossible to build the direct cycle engine.

Seeing that documentary brought me back to the thought that the Soviet Union have tested avenues in electronics that the US did not explore which gives them extra building blocks of scientific data for electronic warfare.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tcTwW2_WrU
I suspect Russia is as far ahead of the US in electronic warfare as it is in rocket engines.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Jun 20 2018 19:27 utc | 96

UNHRC News Item: "Russia welcomes US pullout from UNHRC, says council can work better now."

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova: "Our US counterparts have shown boorish cynicism – they are reluctant to admit that they have human rights issues themselves but at the same time, they continue attempts to reshape the council to make it serve their needs, stressing that there was no place for persistent violators of human rights in the council."

The 3 biggest violators: Outlaw US Empire, Zionist Abomination, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Two down, one left to go.

One of the best treaties to ever come from the UN is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a treaty which owes its existence to the superhuman persistence of Eleanor Roosevelt, and the one major treaty ratified by almost every nation on the planet yet remains unratified by the Outlaw US Empire--for reasons that ought to be self-explanatory. This lack of ratification's probably the best indicator regarding the actual commitment to the protection of human rights by the Outlaw US Empire and its only 2 remaining allies, NATO notwithstanding. I find it extremely hypocritical of the Rainbow Coalition that it hasn't demanded UDHR ratification as its core goal; in reality, such action is off its radar, thus begging the question: How can the Rainbow Coalition say it fights for everyone's rights when it doesn't?!

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 20 2018 19:38 utc | 97

Peter AU 1 @96--

"I suspect Russia is as far ahead of the US in electronic warfare as it is in rocket engines."

As I've mentioned before, I worked for an EW/SigInt unit when I was US Army Reserve during the 1980s. We were so good at our job, we were always tasked as Team Red--Soviet--in wargames and consistently beat regular army with our older equipment, better personnel and com-discipline. Not much has changed since then--high-tech fosters hubris destroying proper discipline and procedures, which are there for excellent reasons. During Vietnam, NVA followed Soviet procedures and discipline and hands-down won the EW battle using antiquated WW2 equipment. What's changed since is Russian equipment's now better than US/NATO gear--several generations better in some strategic cases. (You may recall some of the comments made by PavewayIV on this topic over the past several years.) But at the tactical level, it's almost always lack of com-discipline that provides intel to the opforce.

When looked at closely, it's clear Russians and Chinese display confidence, not cockiness; they understand why they operate as a team, not as an Army of One as the US Army touts. I'm sure many of their generals look at Mattis for example and wonder how in the world did he ever rise to his current position. Inept bunglers armed with nuclear weapons need to be treated with caution, which is what we see being done. Being protected by two large oceans was a boon for an expanding Outlaw US Empire; now those two oceans act as a boon for the rest of the world as the Outlaw US Empire slowly contracts to hide behind its oceans.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 20 2018 20:13 utc | 98

karlof1 98

Although I was thinking in purely technical terms and electronic warfare as in disabling enemy equipment rather than gathering intel, what you add about discipline makes a hard to beat combination.
From what I can see of the Russian troops in Syria, apart from military discipline, there seems to be a lot of self imposed discipline as in not wanting to let their country down.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Jun 20 2018 21:01 utc | 99

james @71: ... is this your basic argument?

Yes and no. I've gone quit a bit further.

1. Obama and Trump apologists argue that they were turned by the Deep State. As though they are really good at heart and fought the good fight to no avail.

I believe that they knew what their (limited) role would be from the start. That they accepted that certain groups would control certain policy issues - very much in keeping with our 'Inverted Totalitarian' form of government.

The more that things "go off the rails", the greater the imperative that the Presidency is held by a faux populist that can lie believably. The faux populist comes in different guises but the function is the same: lightening rod; distractor; fix-er.

2. No real populist has a chance. And the most powerful and connected almost certainly know that "the fix is in". And therein lies another distinction in what I have said vs Orlov (and others): nothing is left to chance. The "choice" we see is bogus. Either candidate will carry out the establishment's wishes. Furthermore, it appears very likely that Obama and Trump were both meant to win the Presidency. Weren't they each the most capable of the job of 'faux populist'? John McCain and Hillary are almost the anti-populist!

3. I've also outlined how the 'faux populist' leadership model works. For example, hateful critics from the opposing Party and apologists have important roles. And each President's fundamental policy stance (Yes We Can!, MAGA!) becomes a pivot for the next president.

Furthermore, the whole system depends on the 'trap' of the 2-party system. Thus requiring that each side hate the other.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jun 20 2018 22:51 utc | 100