Suddenly everything has changed in Venezuela.

Following the 'red lines' meeting between Ryabkov and Elliot Abrams in Rome a couple of days ago, after which Ryabkov said bluntly:

“We assume that Washington treats our priorities seriously, our approach and warnings.”

One of those warnings delivered by Ryabkov is understood to have been that no American military intervention in Venezuela will be tolerated by Moscow.

For his part, Abrams sounded as if he had emerged from the meeting after having been given a severe reprimand.

“No, we did not come to a meeting of minds, but I think the talks were positive in the sense that both sides emerged with a better understanding of the other’s views,” he told reporters.

“A better understanding of the other’s views,” means that the American side was given a red line to back off.

So, the Russian Army advanced party has arrived today, 99 in an Il-62 and goodness knows what in an An-124 on a direct flight from Syria.

And now, according to journalist Javier I. Mayorca, Colonel General Vasily Tonkoshkurov, chief of the Main Staff of the Ground Forces - First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Land Forces of Russia, arrived in Venezuela.

So we have one of the most significant Russian Generals now in Venezuela with his staff and protection teams with their equipment coming out the back of the Antonov and I think we can be certain that there is no beachware included.

This is looking more like the start up of Russian ops in Syria. This is the 'what do you need, how can we help' team.

This could be Venezuela transforming from a hedgehog into a porcupine.

Posted by: JohninMK | Mar 24 2019 18:09 utc | 1

It would be nice if the entire US government imploded as a result of this nonsense, but there is no chance of that. In the meantime, the genocidal war against Yemen continues, among other things.

Posted by: Maracatu | Mar 24 2019 18:17 utc | 2

Forget cars. We need electric airplanes.

This is so foolish I wonder if Exxon didn't slip some money to the author or the web site to get it published. It's the kind of "raw meat" which the Climate Change Deniers can and will use with great effect. And I couldn't blame them a bit - it's that stupid!

Electrified long range air travel just isn't going to happen with any current or foreseeable technology, so I see no point wasting time on the issue. Truly carbon-neutral liquid fuels can be made from scratch. For this you need energy and a supply of carbon dioxide - preferably some removed directly from the atmosphere. (indirect carbon-charcoal from trees or crop waste would work too) It's the process which is important here - the German version of this in WW2 using coal or Jimmy Carter's proposal to start with shale would be as bad or worse than what we're doing now.

The Earth is dying, and BS/bandaid solutions are just adding to the problem by wasting the dwindling amount of time we have left.

Posted by: Zachary Smith | Mar 24 2019 18:38 utc | 3

First, two links.

Boeing Will Unveil This 'Loyal Wingman' Combat Drone For Australia's Air Force Tomorrow (2/26/2019)

A Mini F-35?: Don't Go Crazy Over the Air Force's Stealth XQ-58A Valkyrie

The first story is entirely cheerleading - not a hint of anything except the "upside" to the new wonder-weapon. The second one at least drops some hints about the potential for problems.

First, the new drone is slow, and can't always keep up with "mama". Then there is the issue of "reliable communications". Finally, "a UCAV will only be as good as its AI"

Hacking is a problem now. How on earth do they expect to keep a competent enemy from taking over the command of the "loyal wingman" and turning it into an Unloyal Back-Stabbing Wingman"? (years ago Iran took control of one of our state-of-the-art drones and landed it almost intact) And look at the troubles we're having making self-driving cars. Imagine the problem where the Artificial Intelligence is working in 3 dimensions, and trying to make sense out of clouds, birds, and odd radar reflections from the ground. Never mind clever attempts by the enemy to attack it. This thing is carrying some potent weapons, and if it decides a passing airliner needs to be shot down or the big building on the ground needs to be attacked, it'll happen.

Grr...

Posted by: Zachary Smith | Mar 24 2019 19:01 utc | 4

@1 Fascinating. A great chess move..

Posted by: Lozion | Mar 24 2019 19:13 utc | 5

open thread stuff:

NASA reveals secrets of Ultima Thule, the prehistoric space pancake

The color sections seem to be the current view of how Ultima Thule was originally a lot of different 'chunks' which merged in slow-speed collisions. Even at the presumed speed of 3 mph when "Ultima" struck "Thule", I'd imagine there was a certain amount of melting where they hit. Watching this saga is going to be fun!

Posted by: Zachary Smith | Mar 24 2019 19:14 utc | 6

The main reason Mueller has served up his nothing burger is because to produce enough "evidence" to impeach Trump would require publicly exposing the full extent of the Deep State illegal spying, hit squads (his name was Seth Rich) and electoral manipulations so common in the US today. Expect a lot of "national security concerns" being tossed out to "explain" why Mueller can't lay charges against Trump or any of his few real supporters in the US administration. The various Swamp Creatures that have slimed through the Trump administration for 2 years won't be touched by Mueller.

Posted by: A P | Mar 24 2019 19:14 utc | 7

Forgot to add: I am no Trump supporter, other than the fact he was less odious than Clinton. But as the last 2 years shows, not less odious by much. At least the world is not in WW3 yet.

Posted by: A P | Mar 24 2019 19:17 utc | 8

@ A P #6

I thing a lot of people were satisfied with this "investigation". The Hillary bots had a long period of dreaming of Trump being smashed into pieces small enough to be ground underfoot.

And the folks who have finally put Trump firmly under their thumbs must have found it useful in gaining control of the man. For example, even if my "blackmail" theory is overblown, Trump would be at least as terrified of becoming an impoverished felon as he would of having pictures of him in an illegal or compromising position with ..... you name it.

Posted by: Zachary Smith | Mar 24 2019 19:22 utc | 9

At this site we talked recently about Trudeau's servicing of SNC-Lavalin. We've also discussed water wars, including the prospect of the US stealing Canadian water.

Now I read that this same corporation is closely served by traitor politicians who want to collaborate with US looting of the water. It also says that globalization rules require that once water is stored behind dams, it has to be treated as a globalized commodity, not as any kind of necessary national resource. I hadn't known that before but it's no surprise and is in line with all globalist ideology and practice.

(Of course where governments are powerful enough they'll always do whatever they want regardless, either to sell off the land's most irreplaceable elements or to set up barriers under other names. But it seems Canada's political class is determined to carry out a literal fire sale, everything has to go until literally all is desert. We already knew that from the tar sands, which no sane society ever would have started extracting in the first place at such mortal cost to the future.)

So there's yet another reason not to build dams, and to take down any you have. Dams and the hierarchies necessary to build and administer them will never increase security and resiliency, only destroy them. Like any other aspect of the imperial necropolis, dams only destroy, they never build or help anything. (And of course they're not carbon neutral; on the contrary they're a huge source of methane emissions (from the forest and grassland sinks they flood and destroy), along with the rest of the ecological devastation they wreak.)

https://www.globalresearch.ca/snc-lavalin-site-c-bulk-water-export/5671247

Posted by: Russ | Mar 24 2019 19:30 utc | 10

Is Russiagate Really Finished

Nah, it'll never be finished at least among liberal American net denizens who will keep it going long after the end of Trump's second term. The likes of Marcy Wheeler and the idiots over at Lawyers, Guns and Money, for example, are still hard at it.
Is it worth feeling sorry for them? Nah, they've brought it upon themselves and deserve all the grief the get.

Posted by: Ghost Ship | Mar 24 2019 19:32 utc | 11

Poor Travolta..
With Mueller finished, US media turns to… John Travolta for collusion gossip
https://on.rt.com/9qss

Posted by: Zanon | Mar 24 2019 19:35 utc | 12

BTW, I'm glad to see that Viking Sky made it safely to port in Molde today. Apparently the rescue crew were able to restart the engines so that the ship could make it to shelter under its own power. But it makes me wonder why the regular engine crew of the ship couldn't restart the engines themselves. Has Viking Ocean Cruises, the operator, tried to save money by recruiting undertrained and underskilled staff? Does engine automation on cruise liners mean that the operators believe that somebody only needs to press a button to resolve any and all problems? I don't think I'll be travelling on any crusie ships until the issues are clarified.

Posted by: Ghost Ship | Mar 24 2019 19:42 utc | 13

Ambivalence about Brexit, vastly deeper ambivalence among those who can't quite deny that civilization is murdering the Earth and that humanity is committing suicide, yet who can't give up the juice (the worthless junk) and so still revel in stoned space-colonization fantasies.

Posted by: Russ | Mar 24 2019 19:47 utc | 14

And before whom do you have to prostrate yourselves for those fantasies? Precisely the likes of Boeing and Trump/Hillary. (The likes of Muskrat are of course the same thing.)

Posted by: Russ | Mar 24 2019 19:50 utc | 15

Thank you b, another interesting week and, as always, excellent reporting.

I've been waiting for an open thread. BM linked to a Strategic Culture article about Argentina and I think it may be related to a series that Whitney Webb is doing about Argentina. I linked to part one a little ways back but I'll link to it again here. Part 2 hasn't been published yet.
https://www.mintpressnews.com/dark-secret-behind-british-billionaire-joe-lewis-parallel-state-in-argentina-patagonia/256068/

Posted by: mourning dove | Mar 24 2019 20:02 utc | 16

karlof1, this is probably a strange question, but have you ever been involved with a VFD? I ask because you remind me A LOT of someone that was a friend on Facebook. Enough so that I was trying to think of something specific but not too personal because I just had to ask. I deactivated my account in March 2017 and haven't been back, and I'm not even slightly interested in returning despite really missing the people.

Posted by: mourning dove | Mar 24 2019 20:08 utc | 17

My favorite so far:

We Don’t Need to Read the Mueller Report: Even if it is never released, the public already knows enough, by By Caroline Fredrickson, president of the American Constitution Society.

Posted by: vk | Mar 24 2019 20:35 utc | 18

JohninMK @1--

I bet the An-124 was filled with captured NATO arms, particularly TOWs, of which there're many warehouses in Syria packed to the rafters--$billions$ in armaments at no charge! In contrast with France, every Saturday there's a massive Solidarity March in Caracas and other Venezuelan cities in support of Maduro, the government and the Bolivarian Constitution. One of the most important differences between Venezuela and other South-of-the-border regime changes is that an entire generation has grown up under Chavezismo, the Bolivarian Constitution, and the great social changes--literacy and education for the masses being #1--that have occurred over the past 20+ years. Those coming of age now will be even more Anti-USA and Anti-OAS than ever before. This chart shows almost 50% of the current population's coming of age During the Bolivarian/Chavista Age proves that point.

As with Iran and Cuba, the Bolivarian Revolution's ingrained into the government's structure, and perpetuated by society and culture. The penchant for the Outlaw US Empire to task its vassals with killing off the entire Leftist political spectrum leaving only reactionaries and their kin has always been genocidal in scope, and in Venezuela's case would amount to @22 million requiring purging. And let's not kid ourselves--A world filled with docile reactionaries is exactly the sort of prole-based planet the Outlaw US Empire craves.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 24 2019 21:01 utc | 19

The establishment represented by Bill Barr is 110% behind Trump. He is now clear on all charges because Mueller discovered it was Zionist oligarchs who put Trump in power with the help of at least 2 Zionist Russian oligarchs to provide the Russia red herring that served as a massive distraction for the real collusion.

Mueller and Barr both delivered their report and conclusions precisely when the AIPAC EXTRAVAGANZA begins celebrating 4 more years of Trump as Mueller has provided Trump with bragging rights from here to 2020.

While all the establishment may not have been aware that Trump had massive Zionist help in 2016 to make the argumentative distraction look credible in the media, all the establishment is now on board. Trump is the Chosen of the elites, he is holding all the cards. Tomorrow he is signing over sovereignty of the Golan Heights to Israel as a gift to Netanyahu and the oligarchs and the Board of Genie Oil in thanks for conspiring together to ensure Trump became President.

It's all coming together on schedule just in time for the AIPAC CELEBRATION set to HAIL Trump.

Democracy is non-existant thanks to Zionism.

HAIL TRUMP!

Posted by: Circe | Mar 24 2019 21:04 utc | 20

@Posted by: JohninMK | Mar 24, 2019 2:09:42 PM | 1

I wonder whether this is the response to the B-52s incident on Russian borders...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6sfVXYXGFs

Posted by: Sasha | Mar 24 2019 21:10 utc | 21

Disastrous week-end for the 'Globalists':

1. Their take-down of Trump has failed spectacularly.

2. The Russians hauled Abrams' ass into a meeting in Rome last week, and read him the riot act. Then they sent key military personnel into Venezuela to reinforce the message. End of their Venezuelan adventure! (Along with the loss of about a half million barrels a day of oil that is desperately needed for their Gulf Coast refineries).

I'll be anxiously awaiting to see how these clowns double down with ever more foolish and risky adventures, and succeed in making their already rapidly deteriorating situation crash even more quickly.

Posted by: dh-mtl | Mar 24 2019 21:12 utc | 22

I've been thinking a lot lately about the collapse of the Empire - who/what survives and who/what doesn't.
When people talk about collapse, it generally means social/political/economic collapse and there seems to be a consensus that such a collapse would necessarily mean a military collapse as well. I'm not convinced.
One key difference between the US today and the Soviet Union at the time of it's collapse is that the USSR didn't have a military framework that spread out across the globe, the US does. That framework has the infrastructure, resources, supplies, personnel, and equipment to maintain itself in the event of collapse. For me, I'd have to put it in the category of "survives".
The global elite already have their contingencies in place and will be able to ride out whatever comes in luxury as long as they don't actually blow up the planet. So they go in to the "survives" category too. Preppers and some form of militarized police would also likely survive along with those who have a propensity for brutality and violence.
The next question of who/what doesn't survive is too staggering to fully contemplate and leads me to see collapse as a massive depopulation scheme that will leave the Empire entact. It would emerge leaner, debt free, unhindered by any pretence of international law, and having rid itself of the pesky masses and their demands, it would be free to dominate everything that's left of this world.
Be careful what you wish for.

Posted by: mourning dove | Mar 24 2019 21:22 utc | 23

mourning dove @16--

A "VFD"? Of the 39 definitions provided, I've only been associated with a few, like Very Fun Day. No, never had a Facebook account, nor do I want one.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 24 2019 21:26 utc | 24

Russiagate is a nothing burger like the despicable Birhter campaign Trump started directly after Obama's election.
Reactionary rethugs were cheering Libya's destruction along with Killary; only to later scream mindlessly Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi to impede her electoral chances. Tit for tat and reciprocity... Funny how neo-confederates and reactionaries act like little b*tches when the shoe's on the other foot. Now the front goy from Queens can go back to MIGA his way into destroying the republic or what's left of it.

Posted by: Augustin L | Mar 24 2019 21:34 utc | 25

The USS Liberty

Everyone on this site must have heard of the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty during the Six-Day-War in 1967.

Just to recap, the Liberty, which was focused on intelligence - gathering and thus lightly armed, was attacked by Israeli Mystere jets using machine guns and napalm, and by attack boats which hit the ship with several torpedoes. As survivors scrambled for safety the Israelis strafed the lifeboats with machine gun fire.

All the evidence to hand makes it clear that the Israelis knew that the Liberty was American although the motives of Moshe Dayan, who ordered the attack, remain unclear to this day.

Nothing illustrated the validity of the ZOG (Zionist Occupation Government) charge than this incident and the American reaction to it.

For a start while the two hour attack was in progress "Defense" Secretary Robert McNamara called back a US rescue mission, stating "President Johnson is not going to war or embarrass a close ally for the sake of a few sailors".

Leaving the callousness aside, and the fact that the same President used "an attack on a few sailors" (Tonkin incident) to declare war on North Vietnam, the reluctance to "embarrass" a country that was in the process of murdering your servicemen beggars belief.

But what really blew my mind was the story of the Grafton Memorial.

This relates to the privately-funded memorial library to be established in the city of Grafton near Milwaukee twenty years after the attack. As was and still is required in the Land Of The Free, the Israeli connection was played down with the focus almost exclusively on commemorating those who had served and suffered.

Now you'd imagine that local Jews would have at worst kept their heads down, at best supported the project while apologising for the Israeli "mistake".

Not a bit of it! Instead the attack dogs were unleashed, crying - you've guessed it - "anti-Semitism". Rabbi Gideon Goldenholz declared it "insulting to Jews" while James Fromstein of the Milwaukee Jewish Council proclaimed the Liberty incident(!!) to be a "sensitive subject considered offencive to Jewish people everywhere"

I swear I'm not making this up.

But it gets better. The local press turned on the Outrage Button. An editorial in the Milwaukee Journal thundered “where is the outrage in Grafton?  Why is there no outcry?”

Now let me be clear, because we're talking about an upside down world here.

The requested outrage and outcry were against the idea of commemorating American servicemen who had given their lives for their country, because such commemoration might offend the sensitivities
of the people who cost them their lives!

But it gets better still. The full machinery of the national and local government was brought to bear on the memorial organisers.  An $83,000 federal donation was withdrawn, an invitation to the White House to send a representative was ignored (as was a personal invitation to GHW Bush), the local high school refused to provide a band for the opening ceremony, denouncing the organisers as Nazis, while the Commander of a nearby Naval Training Centre was ordered not to attend by Naval brass.

Remind me of ZOG again....

Posted by: anonymous | Mar 24 2019 21:50 utc | 26

mourning dove @22--

The Overseas Empire of Bases is 100% dependent on monies from home for their survival. Once the monies cease coming, decamping will commence.

How closely have you examined the previous Big Economic Collapse and the measures put in place to mitigate its affects if one occurs again? Have you closely examined what made the USSR/Russian collapse so dire for its populace? Having knowledge related to those questions answers is rather important in being able to forecast what might occur within the Outlaw US Empire. Actually, I agree with Hudson that the Executive choice boils down to just two options: Save the banks as Obama did or Save the People as Hoover and FDR attempted.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 24 2019 21:52 utc | 27

As long as the USA "controls" (running up ridiculously massive debt) the money, vis a vis the Petrodollar, the World Bank and its predatory loans, the dollar as global currency with other currencies "pegged" to it, thereby creating massive inflation and poverty in Latin America, the Philippines and every third world shirt hole, AND massive debt in every first world nation, AND trillionaire individuals running loose - friends of the City of London, the Rothschilds AND such people who maintain no allegiance to any nation state. They're holding all the money and the gold.

AND the Massive Military Industrial Congressional Complex which guarantees the value of the dollar via shock and awe (Shuckin' Y'all!) and full spectrum dominance. AND the ability to impose economic sanctions to starve children and the elderly, to get all of Europe to go along with crippling economic sanctions.

Until that changes, the USA is the leader of the free world. It's Morning and America and the corpse of Reagan is smiling.

Posted by: fast freddy | Mar 24 2019 22:07 utc | 28

On Daesh Defeated Announcements:

"Remarkable how those opining about defeat of #ISIS totally ignore the continuing presence of the largest #Alqaeda franchise. The two were joined at the hip when they were born post US invasion of #Iraq . While one part is gone, the other is still alive & kicking #Idlib #Syria"

And even then we know Daesh hasn't been totally expunged as its sponsor moved numerous cells to Afghanistan. Also, recall there was a nasty Pilipino Daesh cell that Duarte eliminated but never took the time to crow about unlike Trump.

That terrorist cells thrive nearby Outlaw US Empire assets is remarkable. But then only one nation has promoted the use of terrorists (Death Squads) as policy since 1945--the USA.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 24 2019 22:17 utc | 29

JohninMK @1

Thanks for pointing out the significance of these developments.
However I have some doubts that Russia is willing to commit itself militarily in South America, long term (as it did in Syria). The country is of little strategic interest (sorry), and the economic and political cost would be huge. Could it be just a bargaining chip, as in: Okay, we leave Vz - if you leave Syria?

(But why no beachware, given the great Venezuelan beaches?)

mourning dove @22

Adding to my reply in the other thread, I found this article very interesting/ worrying:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/02/robot-tax-job-elimination-livable-wage
From an elitist point of view, it doesn't make much sense to share (increasingly scarce) resources with the 'plebs' if they're not needed as workers or soldiers. Why feed them, if it means the rich have to give up some of their privileges? (cf. the debate on pensions and minimum wages)

Apart from that, my guess is that the further from the epicentre (big US cities), the higher the chance to survive a collapse. Which can still be averted by clever politics and international cooperation.

And very OT:
Observing some ducks on a lake nearby, an old question of mine came to mind: Anyone else noticed how Klingon Birds of Prey look very much like flying ducks, and Vulture Class cruisers like swans?

Posted by: smuks | Mar 24 2019 22:32 utc | 30

Mourning Dove @ 22:

Dmitri Orlov has made a career out of comparing the Soviet economic collapse and the looming US economic collapse for the past 15 years. Just Google Orlov's name and take your pick of articles he's written on collapse as a phenomenon from different angles. Or go to his blog CLubOrlov.blogspot.com.

James Howard Kunstler is another writer who has written articles and books on collapse and you can also go to his blog Kunstler.com (which includes his Clusterfuck Nation blog).

Also you don't need to go far back in history to find examples of large nations or empires in meltdown collapse: China went through a major social / political / economic collapse in the late 19th century / early 20th century. India may have suffered economic and social collapse repeatedly during British colonial rule (late 1700s up to 1940s) as a result of almost continuous famines and mass starvation events that followed them.

It is arguable that social and cultural collapse in the US and Britain and several other Western nations has already begun with high rates of opioid (especially fentanyl) addiction leading to reduced life expectancies; and countries like Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria facing demographic collapse and eventually becoming large-scale versions of commuter/dormitory suburbs dependent on remittances from expats working overseas.

Posted by: Jen | Mar 24 2019 22:42 utc | 31

Esses russos na Venezuela, agradam.
Aqui no Brasil, meu grupo de amigos, militares e ex militares, conhecidos de bar, todos estão torcendo para que tudo dê certo na Venezuela.
A maioria de meus conhecidos dizem que, se for para pegar em armas, que seja para depor nossos políticos e o Supremo Tribunal Federal.
Creio que comentei que estamos envergonhados pela escolha que fizemos para Presidente...

Posted by: Proftel | Mar 24 2019 22:43 utc | 32

Tradução do Google horrível!
Peço desculpa.

Posted by: Proftel | Mar 24 2019 22:45 utc | 33

@ anonymous #25

Thanks for the reminder about the public library - even 30 years ago the Zionists were utterly shameless. A couple of links:

June 10, 1989
USS LIBERTY MEMORIAL PUBLIC LIBRARY
Grafton, Wisconsin

and

What's In A Name? Controversy

Posted by: Zachary Smith | Mar 24 2019 23:12 utc | 34

It appears to be obvious that Trump paid Stormy Daniels hush money thru a third party prior to the election. What happened to that rabbit?

There was another story about an abortion which Trump was alleged to have been the actual father.

Why no traction on these items?

It is more clear as to why the golden showers and the Epstein Underage prostitution material stays under wraps (Zio blackmail), but details of the two other issues I pointed to above were exposed already.

Another curiosity is that no tax returns have surfaced. Some accountant, clerk, secretary, and etc. is bound to have had access to Trump's tax returns.

Posted by: fast freddy | Mar 24 2019 23:16 utc | 35

Karlof1,
Volunteer Fire Department. Had to ask, thank you.

I read a lot about the 2008 crash and it's effects. As far as mitigating a future crisis, I have less faith in the system than you. And yes, I've read quite a bit about the Soviet crash and I think that something similar here would be so much worse, for a myriad of reasons. I've also read Hudson even though economics isn't that interesting to me. My point is that the US military is the largest ever on planet Earth. It has massive stockpiles and an infrastructure that would allow it to maintain some kind of framework for a long time, even if the economy and the dollar crashes out. If you want to challenge my opinion, please do. I'd really appreciate it though if you could do it by touching the points I raised rather than making assumptions about my lack of knowledge.

I'm shocked that you assert that Hoover tried to save the people when he had a completely hands off policy. Hooverville? FDR saved capitalism, we could argue about his motives but it's just speculation.

Posted by: mourning dove | Mar 24 2019 23:17 utc | 36

smucks @29
I'm sure it will be better outside major cities, but I live in a small town now, it still looks pretty bleak.

Posted by: mourning dove | Mar 24 2019 23:22 utc | 37

Jen
Sigh. I've read Orlav, I think he's a nihilist who harbors eugenicist beliefs. In none of the essays of his that I've read has he given any consideration to the massive loss of life that would result from a collapse, he is almost giddy in his anticipation of it.
Is your point that my opinion is invalidated unless I'm parroting some "expert"? The US Empire is unlike anything ever seen, other societal collapses don't translate to our current situation. The US doesn't fall without taking a big part of the world with it.
Here's a radical concept - what if the sociopaths running the show aren't incompetent bumbling idiots? What if they are actually achieving their goals?

Posted by: mourning dove | Mar 24 2019 23:35 utc | 38

Before anyone else tells me who and what I should read in order to formulate an opinion, let me say that I really like to read and I read a lot. I also like to THINK, for myself, and to come to my own conclusions. Personally, I appreciate having my views challenged, it helps me strengthen or adapt my positions. However, having my views summarily dismissed and being given a reading list is just insulting.

Posted by: mourning dove | Mar 24 2019 23:55 utc | 39

Morning Dover @ 27.

My evaluation is that the only way that the U.S. can address its (foreign) debt and deficits is by printing money. i.e. more Quantitative Easing.

This will drive down the value of the dollar, making its exports more attractive, and its imports prohibitively expensive. However to really take advantage of this situation, it will require the U.S. to restructure its manufacturing industry to be more internationally competitive, and this will take time (decades).

This will also represent a net transfer of wealth from the rich, whose financialized assets become worthless, to the middle class, whose labor will now be valued.

As I say, this will take a long time, and will greatly reduce the importance of the U.S. dollar, and the U.S. itself, in the world economy, and greatly reduce the ability of the U.S. to carry out military adventures around the world.

The alternative to this is for the U.S. to default on its external debt, which would cause an economic collapse similar to Russia at the end of the 1990s.

Posted by: dh-mtl | Mar 25 2019 0:14 utc | 40

So we are coming on to the 10 yr anniversary of Climategate Emails. Temperatures in the 48 states of the US has declined since then, the last data point is February 2019 with a result of -0.03 degrees C and indeed global temperatures have been flat according to satellite data since 2002-2003. Yet the Alarmists are now in overdrive as the suns activity remains low with predictions that it will remain low in the next couple of solar cycles.

Lets look at the science. GHG’s primarily retard the rate of cooling at night. During the day the reflection of incoming solar energy back to space limits temperature increases and at night an atmosphere will slow the rate of radiational cooling. In neither case will the atmosphere "warm" the planet, the sun does that. True, the night-time planet's surface will be warmer with more GHG and this has increased the mean temperature (avg of daily high and low) but day time changes are minimal due to GHG , except for the urban heat island effect

The most important GHG is in fact water vapor. Anyone who has been out in a desert at night, or a cold winters night where humidity is close to zero will know how rapidly it cools despite todays high levels of CO2. Throw in clouds and humidity and temperatures don’t drop anywhere near as much. This is true even in urban areas where CO2 levels might be twice the global average

The same clouds also affect daylight temperatures, reducing sunlight reaching the earth. Cloud formation is thought to be enhanced by Galactic Cosmic Rays, which in turn is reduced by increased solar activity which has been relatively active over the last 150 years , at least up until recently, presumably reducing cloud cover and increasing temperatures. However, historical measurements of cloud cover are limited , as is our understanding of cloud formation and precipitation processes. Climate models make many untested assumptions and scientists whose models predict higher temperatures receive more grant money from the green backed foundations and government agencies that have politicized science.

Since the end of the last glacial period some 12-15,000 years ago temperatures began rising and sea levels rose in the early holocene. 6000 years ago at the holocene optimum sea levels and temperatures were higher than today, as much as 20 meters higher and 2-3 deg C higher. This was the climate at the birth of mans civilization. Since then sea levels and temperature decreased, despite periodic short intervals of increases due to natural climate cycles, like during the last century. However, climate history suggests we will inevitably experience a new glacial period. Over the last 6 cycles between glacial and interglacial periods the average duration has been 80-100K for glacial periods followed by 10-20 K interglacial periods. Perhaps man is in some small way is delaying the arrival of the next glacial period. Thats doubtful but if true that would be a good thing. 80% or more of the population would not survive the next glacial period.

Arrogance is thinking you know about a science without ever having actually studied anything about it. I question how many climate change alarmists (and many deniers) have made the effort to study it objectively . Anyone who has should enough know how uncertain scientists understanding of climate is in the past and present, and how inaccurate models predictions of climates future have been.

The true essence of a real scientist is objectivity and skepticism - which is why claims of "consensus" and arguing "from authority" are signs of an unscientific mind. Consensus belongs to the political arena, not science. Those who use the word are politicians, some may be disguised as scientists but are in fact politicians and its best to be skeptical of their assertions.

Posted by: Pft | Mar 25 2019 0:18 utc | 41

The Two 'Sort Of New' Air Force One Jets Now To Cost Nearly The Price Of A Nimitz Class Carrier

Two 747s removed from the desert where they'd been baking in the sun for several years now being turned into gold-plated transportation for the Orange POTUS. Nice work if you can get it.

Posted by: Zachary Smith | Mar 25 2019 0:40 utc | 42

Syria's official TV says rebels fire poisonous gas in central Syria

After Trump's magnificent victory in Russiagate, he may want to fire off a few rockets to celebrate. This might be his chance, especially if the apartheid Jewish state tells him it's a good idea.

Posted by: Zachary Smith | Mar 25 2019 0:48 utc | 43

For those who aren't glued to the tube with tournament basketball, here is an off-the-wall read.

Scavenging and the Law

It was a surprisingly good article, and the site owner tossed in this at the end:

JWR Adds: I must concur with the author. In most cases, “Scavenging” is just a polite word for looting. Maritime law differs, with the Law of Salvage for abandoned vessels. But ashore, basically every piece of land, every dwelling, every store, every business, and all that is contained in them entirely belongs to someone, or to their rightful heirs. Behave accordingly! Only in a massive pandemic with a 90%+ mortality rate would there truly be property with no heirs.

By avoiding scavenging you will also likely live longer, as looters tend to get repeatedly ventilated!

In my opinion, should a nasty disaster come up where this becomes any kind of an issue, the average IQ of NRA members will go up dramatically, and at least some of that transformation will happen on account of the aforementioned "ventilation" caused by brighter members of the same group.

Posted by: Zachary Smith | Mar 25 2019 1:03 utc | 44

@mourning dove

Yes, the military potential of the US makes this collapse very unique - my guess it that an abrupt collapse cannot and won't be allowed to happen. No currency implosion imv - it would badly hurt not only the US, but the entire world economy.
If the chain of command remains intact, overseas forces will be gradually withdrawn. Since they're not very integrated in their host states, remaining and getting along with the local societies is not a very probable outcome. But that depends on how quickly the situation in North America deteriorates - worst case, they could stay and seek asylum. Romans and Mongols stayed in their 'colonies' when the Empire collapsed, and over time blended in with the local population.

Posted by: smuks | Mar 25 2019 1:08 utc | 45

Mourning Dove @ 37, 38:

You had said you had been thinking about collapse and whether collapse might also include military collapse. Because you mentioned the US and the Soviet Union, I thought maybe you might like to read what Dmitri Orlov had said and written in the past, just as a starting point. I do not regard him or Kunstler as experts in collapse study or collapse literature or whatever it is called.

I was only making a couple of suggestions and gave some possible examples to show that "collapse" could be happening right now as we speak, depending on how narrowly or how broadly collapse is defined. All you had to do was whether you agreed with what I said or not.

I certainly think that sociopaths don't care whether their actions leave the US better off or worse off or just the biggest pile of smouldering radioactive ash amongst other piles of such. If the US did go down politically and economically, all the military bases it has around the world could be abandoned, and the soldiers, contractors and other people working in them - people like cleaners or kitchen staff - forced by circumstances to make their own way back home, relying on what money they have and the kindness of the host country. Senior officers and the most valuable people might be rescued but I doubt ordinary grunts with no special skills or talent will be. Likewise equipment and facilities that are no longer useful or which contain no valuable technology will be left to rust and leak toxins.

Posted by: Jen | Mar 25 2019 2:02 utc | 46

@45 jen... i thought mourning dove was very dismissive of your comments, but perhaps i am interpreting them wrongly..

@ 22 mourning dove.. i saw your question on the previous thread and felt like answering, but since you brought here again, i'll answer..

what's better - a slow death or a fast one?? what's better - maintaining your dignity, or being treated like a slave but not recognizing it as such?? there's no clear answer, although everyone might have a preference...

i suppose you were just ruminating on the possibilities of the 'collapse' that some of us speak of.. i agree with @27 fast freddys comments, which although not addressed directly to you, seem to answer your ruminations in their own way.. i also like @39 dh-mtl and @44 smuks response to you..

as i see it the unexpected can happen and as it is unexpected and unpredictable, it is not something that is foreseen.. we can speculate on what will happen in the future, but it is easier to see the impracticality of what is happening in the present.. what the usa has going and is doing is unsustainable.. letting economics be the driver of everything on the planet is also unsustainable.. we are likely to see more unpredictable dynamics, whether in the form of climate, or finance.. lots of possibilities can be considered.. i think the less obvious ones are going to take precedence and make reliable predictions less likely, other then to say what is happening on the planet is unsustainable.. the usa epitomizes this as i see it.. if that is late capitalism run amok, so be it.. same deal the unipolar template that the usa seems to want to force on a rapidly changing world.. it is unsustainable.. thanks for asking again on the open thread..

Posted by: james | Mar 25 2019 2:24 utc | 47

and - it goes without saying jens reply was a thoughtful one to you too..

Posted by: james | Mar 25 2019 2:25 utc | 48

b - thanks for all the great posts.. i like your line in this one too -

"The Russiagaters won't give up. They are not only moving the goalposts, but the whole stadium."

this reinforces kadaths viewpoint @2 in the previous post - russiagate is not ''really finished''. too many careers are in jeopardy!

Posted by: james | Mar 25 2019 2:32 utc | 49

Jen,
If you had said that I might appreciate reading... I would have taken it that way, but it seemed to me that you were seconding karlof1. If I misunderstood you, I apologize.
I agree that the US, and the Western world are in a state of decline and that it's very likely that collapse has already started. Here at MoA, I've seen people cheerleading for a sudden collapse, without any thought for the enormous death toll that would result. I think Orlav has greatly contributed to that line of thinking by portraying collapse as the end of the Empire and by ignoring it's effect on the people. My thinking is that collapse and the end of the Empire are not one and the same. I was attempting to consider the issue from a different perspective since I am one of the people who would be very unlikely to survive a sudden collapse.
When a deadly scenario is marketed as a desirable event, it makes me look deeper for some kind of pattern, and I tried to express what I'm seeing.

Posted by: mourning dove | Mar 25 2019 3:24 utc | 50

My two cents on the discussion re: crash of the USA (which would include Canada and Mexico at the very least).

mourning dove says that "My point is that the US military is the largest ever on planet Earth. It has massive stockpiles and an infrastructure that would allow it to maintain some kind of framework for a long time, even if the economy and the dollar crashes out."

Jen states that "he military bases it has around the world could be abandoned, and the soldiers, contractors and other people working in them - people like cleaners or kitchen staff - forced by circumstances to make their own way back home, relying on what money they have and the kindness of the host country."

Let's just speculate that suddenly these bases with "massive stockpiles" no longer receive payment, support, personnel rotations and so on, are left to themselves. Germany, Japan, Iraq, South Korea ... massive bases full of armed soldiers.

Why wouldn't they simply take over the local area they inhabit? Without money they would need to commandeer supplies including fuel and food. Since they are so heavily armed, perhaps they are in fact the only heavily armed force in the region or country, is it not clear that they could become warlords?

Food and fuel.

This is a similar argument to that given recently for citizens to have military-grade guns, that they could use those to gain control of more complex weapons, I assume from the police or military, in the case of the collapse under discussion.

In the same sense, couldn't a rogue US base take control of its host nation's armouries?

I'm just trying to broaden the scope of the discussion ... not sure of historic precedent or even for how long the average overseas base has stockpiles of needed supplies.

What are your thoughts?

Posted by: jonku | Mar 25 2019 3:31 utc | 51

Mourning Dove @ 49: No worries, I was not offended. I tend to think faster than I type and often omit to say things in full.

Jonku @ 50: What you say is certainly food and fuel for thought.

Perhaps the easiest way out for soldiers and other people stuck in a military base abandoned by the US, in a country where they aren't really sure that the local people trust them, would be to hire themselves out to the government in charge and agree to fight as mercenaries or as part of the host country's army.

At some later time, when they have done their duty for x number of years, they can become citizens of the host nation and retire on military pensions.

The other alternative is to agree to train the host country's own army, or give up any military secrets or information they have, in exchange for their freedom. They could also be required to decommission the base and clean up any damage or pollution caused by the base's activities.

Posted by: Jen | Mar 25 2019 4:44 utc | 52

Some interesting perceptions on Hoover-FDR. Karlof1 is correct that they were more alike in terms of agenda. Save the people was not the main agenda however. Morning Dove said FDR saved capitalism , but he really only empowered the change to state partnership with monopoly capitalism, or tried to. The fascist NRA was struck down by the Supreme Court, but WWII restablished it covertly.

Basically Hoover and FDR took the torch from Wilson and brought forth statism and monopoly capitalism, aka fascism. Made possible by the Depression, which was a False Flag by the Globalist Bankers for the purpose of creating conditions for WWII and enriching themselves. In the US 40% of all the banks went out of business. These were all small banks. None of the connected Wall Street banks went out of business. They benefited, as 40% of their competition disappeared. Land owners defaulted on mortgages, the surviving banks foreclosed and took ownership profiting after the war when prices rebound.

Before the war the economy was still in Depression with unemployment over 20% and many on public support. The stock market from its lows after the crash increased 500% by 1938, a situation not unlike today , although obscured by todays fake economic stats that artificially lower unemployment rate and inflation (which masks declining wages )

Hoovers progressive plans were deemed a threat so the crash happened early on in his administration . The Fed unhappy with his criticism as Commerce Secretary over their easy credit fueling speculation refused to expand the money supply . One objective of the Fed was to continue to support the British pound and the reverse the flow of gold from London to NY (which led to the crash in the first place ) as the Bank of England exercised their influence over the Fed and Wall St. This severely constrained Hoovers attempts to lift the economy out of depression and forced him out after 1 term before he could implement his progressive reforms

It was FDR with support of the Globalist Bankers that established the mixed economy , a blend of fascism (Mussolinis corporatism-monopoly capitalism) and socialism (corporate and for non profitable social programs) and balanced budgets be damned. Much of FDR’s New Deal was basically an extrapolation of programs Hoover established in reaction to the depression enhanced by more socialist programs.

In order to disguise his support by the anti-Morgan faction of the bankers who would benefit from Glass Steagall , a propaganda story of Banker collusion to oust the President and take control was carried out by going to the one guy to lead a coup that everyone would have known was the least likely guy to go along with the plot. Major Smedley Butler blew the whistle. A Fake Whistle , although he did not realize it. Fake wrestling was used even then.

FDR and Hoover both saw the importance of a living wage for workers and thus encouraged unions. Hoover was more of a technocrat than FDR and was far less proficient at the use of radio as a tool for propaganda.

Hoover and FDR were both pro-Zionists. However FDR backtracked in the last years of his Presidency and after his meeting with King Saud he suffered an unfortunate death weeks later (perhaps assassinated?) , just months before the war ended. The world would likely be a much different place were he to have lived a bit longer, or if he was not forced to abandon Wallace as VP. Better or worse I cant say.

Today we are left with the remnants of Hooverism and FDR’s New Deal (socialism + fascism) minus the concern for the working class replaced instead by elevation in importance of the 1% elite class, which in its essence is neoliberalism. Democracy today is mainly an illusion or a memory, perhaps even a religion that lacks any real substance, but serves as an opiate for the people

Reality is manufactured by controlling perceptions by information management (education, media, entertainment). We may choose our beliefs from the approved menu. Not sure this is on the menu.

Posted by: Pft | Mar 25 2019 5:06 utc | 53

@40 pft

Thanks for the weekly update, pft.

I can't, for the life of me, understand how people can look at the facts you present and not question in some small way the "consensus narrative" that we are presented with at every questionable media outlet out there (questionable meaning gathering their funds from dubvious sources and riddled with conflicts of interests) at every opportunistic time, whether natural disaster or strong winter patterns which we have experienced the last few years.

The fact that youth seem to be campaigning for awareness and legislation that will no doubt consolidate power within the elite whereby creating a market through penalities for eeking out a plebian existence tells you all you need to know about the merit and virtue of their mission.

The great movie reviewer Gene Siskel used to despise films that put children in dangerous situations as he found them cheap and the sign of a poor director. That same cheapness is on display through the appropriation of youth as placeholders for this globalist messaging. Why? Because the orchestrators of this nefarious mission are too skuzzy for primetime tv. They need youth and hollywood to twist their faces in ghastly horror and form their lips to let out angry diatribes against the things that have helped eradicate disease and have lifted the serfs and slaves of the world out of the muck.

For them, ruminating on the meaning of life through profession, through marriage, through idle aesthetic pursuits, through faith...these are all too time consuming an endeavor for a life. Instead, they want to SAVE THE WORLD! And they want to do it NOW!

But it is as George Carlin laid out with the earth and human toil: after we're gone, it won't take long before the earth shows little if any sign of our creations. It will have wiped us off its epidermis as if we were just a little diaper rash. And it will rejoice with all the things that we made to last in its new paradigm: the earth + plastic.

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Mar 25 2019 5:19 utc | 54

@pft 52

Interesting re: General Butler and the Business Plot. My question is this: if Glass-Steagall's design was to curtail the banking practice of using depositor money for trading, how would this benefit banks, other than the small ones who were pushed out of the thing by the big ones anyway by their ability to outmaneuver them with their huge pool of depositor money? Didn't Glass-Steagall benefit the little banks by curtailing big-bank's ability to run roughshod over conservative banking practices?

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Mar 25 2019 5:39 utc | 55

What do the jubilant, dancing Israelis have to do with the euphoria that will pervade at AIPAC this week in regards to Donald Trump?

Both are watershed moments when Zionists are celebrating in the case of the towers a tragedy in American history that will benefit the greater good of Zionism but contribute to restricting American civil liberties.

In the case of celebrating Trump, they celebrate the subversion of democracy, a co-opted President that is a gift that keeps on giving to Israel thwarting International Law, but whose actions will have consequences on Americans that may take decades to reverse and whose foreign policy has devastating consequences for the people whose countries are targets; Venezuela, Iran, North Korea and very bad consequences for Palestinians, and now,included is theft of land from Syria. Zionism is dangerous, it's spreading and its influence is pervasive. It abuses power, and Trump who is a Zionist is also dangerous and abusing power to the detriment of many.

The following article is required reading for everyone who is underestimating the power and pervasiveness of Zionism.

the great fraud of national Zionism

Posted by: Circe | Mar 25 2019 6:22 utc | 56

@ 55 circe

Zionism or not, wouldn’t the current empire and various others display the same viciousness? Maybe the geographic emphasis would change. But, would the empire (the one that, for instance, genocided native america) be any “better”?

Posted by: oo goo gachoo | Mar 25 2019 9:32 utc | 57

What’s Wrong with Contemporary Capitalism?

Behind today's populist upheavals is a widespread recognition that the economy no longer serves the public good, or even the interests of most of its participants. To understand why, one must identify what has been lost amid so much material technological gain.

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/crisis-of-capitalism-rajan-collier-by-angus-deaton-2019-03

Posted by: John Doe | Mar 25 2019 9:33 utc | 58

Capitalism no longer helps ordinary people, claims economist tipped to become the next Bank of England governor

Capitalism is failing because it no longer helps ordinary people, says a top economist seen as a frontrunner to lead the Bank of England.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/markets/article-6800775/Capitalism-no-longer-helps-ordinary-people-claims-economist.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Posted by: John Doe | Mar 25 2019 9:47 utc | 59

mourning dove

stop whining. if you're so concerned with the direr side of collapse go volunteer your time for a year or two in some African or Middle Eastern refugee camp, where collapse has been the ongoing reality for decades. i'm sure you'd get the gist pretty quickly.

....

odd that a prescient observer like Dmitry Orlov strikes you as some kind of giddy nihilist...i find his lack of denial quite refreshing. and what he doesn't ultimately troubleshoot with his imagination, knowledge, and engineering background, he troubleshoots with dry humor. here's Dmitry...

I went back [to St. Petersburg, 1990] a year later, and found a place I did not quite recognize. First of all, it smelled different: the smog was gone. The factories had largely shut down, there was very little traffic, and the fresh air smelled wonderful! The stores were largely empty and often closed. There were very few gas stations open, and the ones that were open had lines that stretched for many blocks. There was a ten-liter limit on gasoline purchases (link)

Posted by: john | Mar 25 2019 11:08 utc | 60

Posted by: JohninMK | Mar 24, 2019 2:09:42 PM | 1

Like the plan to syrianize Venezuela, kick all Venezuelans abroad, like in Syria and keep the head puppet onboard for trying to convince everybody this is legit and not an ambitious op between US/Russia/Israel respective Deep State apparatuses?

Posted by: Logic gate | Mar 25 2019 11:13 utc | 61

"The Russiagaters won't give up. They are not only moving the goalposts, but the whole stadium."

Not a Russiagater but can someone distinguish an IDF/Mossad operative over the radio from a legit Russian one? Nope because they both spoke their mother languages. See people they (israel) been running Kompromat (under supervision of City/mi6) at both US/Russ and now are on the final op stage that if goes wrong israel is game overed/kaput/est finnie.

Sorry to burst ppls bubble about great leader Putin/Trump etc.
Now they have to move all their pawns faster because 1000000 marched for EU yesterday in London.

Posted by: Logic gate | Mar 25 2019 11:30 utc | 62

They don't even hide their evilness: US official says cumulative sanctions have Venezuela in a "Darth Vader" style grip around the throat.

ABC.net.au/4Corners broadcast its Christchurch massacre redux this evening. NZ is pointing the finger at Racial Supremacists such as Anders Breivik and the failure of Western govts to monitor right-wing groups and individuals who promote Supremacist views.

The program pointed out, with the benefit of hindsight, that there were several OBVIOUS indicators which SHOULD have alerted NZ's (fake) 'security' parasites to the menace posed by the Christchurch shooter.

NZ will launch a Royal Commission into the tragedy and there is reason to be optimistic that it will cast its net wide enough to focus on the corrosive influence of AmeriKKKa's Neocons and other Regime Change parasites and psychopaths in positions of influence.
With a bit of luck Elliot Darth Abrams' name will come up...

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Mar 25 2019 11:58 utc | 63

Environment groups concerned after chemical plant blaze in Houston

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPpPVXyZ19E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx_dvL2ZB70
--------------------

Houston, we have a problem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bti9_deF5gs

Posted by: John Smith | Mar 25 2019 11:59 utc | 64

@John Doe

That's precisely what critics of neoliberalism (deregulated capitalism) have been saying for decades.

The dynamic of ever-increasing social divide and insecurity is bound to drive people into the arms of right-wing populists/ extremists. The same happened in 1930s Europe, and of course parts of the wealthy 'elite' see this (nationalism, racism, anti-modernism) as a welcome distraction and actively support it.
Those who fund today's right-wing parties are, in essence, the same as those who funded the Nazis.

Posted by: smuks | Mar 25 2019 12:02 utc | 65

RT: Special UK armed soldiers in ‘NUCLEAR-PROOF BUNKER’ have been ‘activated’ to prepare for Brexit

Posted by: John Smith | Mar 25 2019 12:25 utc | 66

There's lots of fake arguing among the squatter-vandals. Meanwhile here's just one example of reality. (The groups mentioned in the piece, earnestly jabbering about how a congenitally ecocidal system can reform itself, are part of the fraud of course.)

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1903/S00192/global-check-finds-unique-sharks-are-heading-to-extinction.htm

Posted by: Russ | Mar 25 2019 12:37 utc | 67

Posted by: smuks | Mar 25, 2019 8:02:29 AM | 64

Those who fund today's right-wing parties are, in essence, the same as those who funded the Nazis.

There is a geopolitical difference. Nazis were financed by US/Britain to go to war against the Soviet Union and finish off the British and French colonial empires.

Right wing nationalist parties today are financed by US capital to get rid of the European economic competitor and by Russian capital to weaken Europe's negotiation position as a buyer (and presumably to weaken attempted "regime change" in its backyard).

The geopolitical direction of European right wing populist parties has changed considerably from previous Neo-Nazis and the originial Nazis.

- they are pro-Putin - Russia
- they are pro Israeli and anti-Muslim
- they are pro Trump - Make America Great Again

It just proves that people's opinions go where the money is. Looking at their orientation I would say that this time they are an Israeli invention. Though they obviously are indigenous blockheads used for power games.

Posted by: somebody | Mar 25 2019 12:52 utc | 68

add to 67

Show case

The AfD’s new Jewish chapter would, Mr Fuhl said, focus on “preserving Jewish life in Germany and Europe”, campaigning for fairer media coverage of Israel and pushing for Germany “to withdraw from international organisations that have long been infiltrated by Islamists”. The “Merkel regime” should be “forced to abandon its support for hatred and incitement”, he said.

There have been sneaking cuts in history lessons in German schools. I guess stuff like the above is the result.

Posted by: somebody | Mar 25 2019 13:00 utc | 69

Perhaps someone should carve "Russiagate, RIP 2015-2019" into the facade of just about every news media building in the country and quite a few abroad because as Matt Taibbi actually said this is a much worse event for the United States than WMD. The lies about WMD were just SOP for the liars on both sides in Washington. Russiagate attacked the heart of what the United States is supposed to be. Although that hasn't stopped liberals falsely suggesting that Taibbi was suggesting the outcome of WMD was worse than the outcome of Russiagate.

Actually, I suspect the outcome of Russiagate might result is some real good. Trump will be more free to:

1. negotiate with Kim Jung-Un over the future of the Korean peninsular;

2. negotiate with Russia and China a more modern version of the INF;

3. negotiate probably in his second term, a more workable version of JCPOA;

4. withdraw all troops from Syria and Afghanistan and so on........

Over the last few years Democrats have quite rightly raised questions about what Trump and his followers would do if he lost an election and refused to accept the outcome. With Russiagate, his opponents have demonstrated exactly what they would do if their favored candidate lost an election and refused to accept the outcome, and it really wasd't pretty. And yeah, for all liberals out there, I know HRC won the popular vote but so what.

Posted by: Ghost Ship | Mar 25 2019 13:14 utc | 70

@ Ghost Ship 69

But Trump doesn't want to do any of those things, as his actions prove.

"Over the last few years Democrats have quite rightly raised questions about what Trump and his followers would do if he lost an election and refused to accept the outcome."

I've predicted since before Trump that the Republicans will not accept losing the presidency again. (2012 was an anomaly, since Obama was such a perfect Republican president so beloved by Wall Street.) As for the Dembots, they're just pathetic scum who will try to endear themselves to whatever the rump "order" is supposed to be, as long as Trump isn't there.

Posted by: Russ | Mar 25 2019 13:39 utc | 71

Posted by: Russ | Mar 25, 2019 9:39:42 AM | 70

But Trump doesn't want to do any of those things, as his actions prove.

Trump seems to be playing a very difficult game of trying to change a very large part of American foreign policy. When you look at what he has tried to do, it's pretty clear most of the backwards steps are the result of pushback from the Washington foreign policy establishment. Now that he's clear of Russia gate, it'll be interesting to see what he does between now and the next election.

Posted by: Ghost Ship | Mar 25 2019 14:15 utc | 72

breaking news (turn on sound)
https://twitter.com/i/status/1110045685733310465

Posted by: Don Bacon | Mar 25 2019 14:17 utc | 73

The Jimmy Dore Show: Venezuela Aided Poor Americans With Free Heating Oil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HqA02PaAYc

Posted by: John Smith | Mar 25 2019 14:33 utc | 74

GhostShip 71

With the Trumpbots it's the same 11 dimensional chess as with the Obamabots.

Always the same excuse for how the allegedly principled chief executive who's so intelligent and forcible in every other context somehow, through some wicked magical subversion, is unable to enforce his principles within his own executive domain, which of course is vast and discretionary. (We all know congress and the courts matter little or nothing.)

Posted by: Russ | Mar 25 2019 14:34 utc | 75

Jonku@50
I think you have raised what is,for me, kinda the crux of it. The US has over 800 military bases in 70 countries. There are also an unknown number of other types of military installations which aren't considered bases and aren't in the official count. I think it makes the situation unpredictable at best.

Posted by: mourning dove | Mar 25 2019 14:34 utc | 76

Anissa Naouai, March 24:
‏
Today marks 20 years since NATO bombed the hell out of Yugoslavia, and the first time NATO used military force without United Nations approval.

But it wouldn't be the last...

https://twitter.com/IntheNow_tweet/status/1109801446583820294

Posted by: John Smith | Mar 25 2019 14:42 utc | 77

Hellbent: 78 Days of Bombing Yugoslavia

This RT America special presentation commemorates the 20th anniversary of NATO’s 78 day bombing campaign against Yugoslavia. It examines the lead up to the operation, the nearly 3 months of relentless attacks by NATO and the aftermath 20 years down the road. The special also explores the idea that the NATO alliance had planned the bombing campaign long before any accusations of wrongdoing against Yugoslavia. RT America’s Alex Mihailovich was there when the bombing began. He revisits Serbia now to see how the scars of war still haunt this part of the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ddjyv80kgQ

Posted by: John Smith | Mar 25 2019 14:44 utc | 78

John@59
I think it's a fantasy that a US collapse would resemble the Soviet collapse, for so many reasons. But since you are more familiar with Orlav than I am, I'd really appreciate it if you would point me to anything he's written that considers the death toll that would result from a collapse. I haven't seen anything in what I've read of his work. Maybe I just missed it?

Posted by: mourning dove | Mar 25 2019 14:48 utc | 79

Tucker: The Russia conspiracy is dead

Michael Cohen gave the final word on collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign during his testimony.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iK3k_M9tcY

Posted by: John Smith | Mar 25 2019 14:53 utc | 80

Reading the thread I noticed the thoughts about what happens to US troops stationed abroad as the empire goes down. I have no awe of US military power at all, but I have always heard experts say that the Pentagon is very good with logistics. It knows how to move materiel around, quickly and in large supply.

So closing bases and repatriating troops (and as mentioned, leaving the toxic junk behind) is a skill that I don't see any reason for the Pentagon to lose. And if it follows the ending of the British empire, it will take decades of lowering the flag gradually for the imperial mindset to fade. Maybe even a century, as in the case of England and its rulers. The US will have its few outposts still remaining for decades, even as on the ground the people and polity of the domestic country for the most part get on with being a diminished and newly striving or struggling nation.

There is a lot of ruination in a country. The example of Russia as the USSR went down shows us that the people can starve in misery and some will always be on top. The nation itself remains, although its territories can fragment. The "going down" of the US will be the decline of its dollar and the renegotiating of its debts - because lenders only want interest forever, and never want the principal actually to be paid back. Presumably there will be unrest in civil society for the troops and police to deal with, and all this perhaps lasting several years, certainly for the increased misery of the people as they are forced to absorb the financial losses.

The most vulnerable of the population will die off, in their gradual and largely invisible millions - it's an old US tradition. The nation itself will probably survive, although perhaps the Union might dissolve. All of this would have to take many years, unless natural or human-responsible disasters accelerate the misfortunes.

Ecological impact aside - if such a thing can be put aside - I think the world is clever enough to contain the damage to the north American continent.

Posted by: Grieved | Mar 25 2019 14:54 utc | 81

Has anybody read this article:

Grandmaster Putin’s Western trap or why Russia sells energy for physical gold?

So, after realizing their failure in Ukraine, the West, led by the United States, set a goal to destroy the Russian economy by lowering the price of oil and gas, respectively, as the main budget-forming sources of Russia's export earnings and the main sources of replenishing Russian gold reserves. It should be noted here that the main failure of the West in Ukraine is not at all military or political. And in the actual refusal of Putin to finance this western project of Ukraine, at the expense of the budget of the Russian Federation. What makes this project of the West a priori non-viable, in the near and inevitable future.

Last time, under Reagan, similar actions by the West to lower oil prices led to the success and collapse of the USSR. But the story does not repeat. This time, for the West, everything turns out differently. What Putin answered to the West seems to be both chess and judo at the same time. Where the forces expended by the enemy to attack, is used against him, but with minimal expenditure of his own forces and means of the defender. Putin’s real policy is not public. Therefore, the real policy of Putin, to a greater extent, is always directed not so much at the effect as at efficiency.

Very few people understand what Putin is doing at the moment. And almost no one understands what he will do in the future.

However strange it may seem, right now, Putin is selling Russian oil and gas, only for physical gold.

...............

It's a 3,000 word article from a Russian language web site. © Dmitry Kalinichenko

https://cont.ws/@severro/1260219

I've used MSWord 2013 to translate it. The article clarifies the reducing usage of US$/FRNs and the expanding use of physical gold as a store of value by Russia and others.

I can put the whole article up here, 3,000 words, or you can copy from the website and translate as I did.

Please advise.

Posted by: OhOh | Mar 25 2019 15:09 utc | 82

Grieved @80
The world may be clever, but the sickos running things have their own agenda. I may be kinda paranoid about all this, but being in that category of the vulnerable who will die off, it's really hard for me to take such an optimistic position. I'm seeing a pattern emerge and I can't quite articulate it yet, but I have to wonder if it isn't all part of a really sick plan.

Posted by: mourning dove | Mar 25 2019 15:19 utc | 83

@81 ohoh.. don't post it.. thanks..

Posted by: james | Mar 25 2019 15:26 utc | 84

Grieved | Mar 25, 2019 10:54:29 AM | 80

"I have always heard experts say that the Pentagon is very good with logistics. It knows how to move materiel around, quickly and in large supply."

Why did I read that soldiers had to beg their relatives to raise funds for helmets and such?

"Ecological impact aside - if such a thing can be put aside."

It can't be put aside, but your civilization, including all the "dissidents", i.e. the loyal opposition, will keep pretending so, unto to end like Hitler in the bunker.

Posted by: Russ | Mar 25 2019 15:51 utc | 85

The Matt Taibbi article on Russiagate is a fine example of journalism as it should be practised; not how it is.. An excellent read !

Posted by: eddie | Mar 25 2019 15:52 utc | 86

As the final week in March commences, two fine articles in Strategic Culture provide an excellent intellectual breakfast. Japan's part in the "Multipolar Revolution" is examined by Federico Pieraccini, while the localized "Belt & Road" between Iran and Syria's examined by Alastair Crooke.

Crooke immediately dives into his important thesis thusly:

"As the US tries to consolidate its strategy for weakening and confronting Iran, the contours of an important geo-political strategy, launched by Syria and Iran, are surfacing. On the one hand, it consists of a multi-layered sewing together of a wide ‘deterrence’ that ultimately could result in Israel being pulled into a regional war – were certain military trip wires (such as air attacks on Syria’s strategic defences) – to be triggered. Or, if the US economic war on Iran crosses certain boundaries (such as blockading Iranian tankers from sailing, or putting a full stranglehold on the Iranian economy).

"To be clear, the aim of this geo-political strategy is not to provoke a war with the US or Israel – it is to deter one. It sends a message to Washington that any carelessly thought-through aggression (of whatever hybrid nature) against the ‘northern states’ (from Lebanon to Iraq) might end by putting their ally – Israel – in full jeopardy. And that Washington should reflect carefully on its threats." [My Emphasis]

Crooke notes that the regions actors--the Arc of Resistance--are clearly in control of events and the direction of policy and outlines the reasons why that's so. Not to be overlooked are the articles Crooke cites and links to. The short Farsnews item from last Tuesday surprised me by saying the UAE was one of "the top three destinations of Iran’s outward flow of trade in the first 8 months of the current Iranian year"--differing very much from the impression I'd formed.

Pieraccini in contrast provides us with an introductory note hinting at his essay's contents:

"Relations between Japan and Russia have long been the subject of discussion within international-relations circles. The meetings between Prime Minister Abe and President Putin have been going on for years, yet the situation regarding the peace treaty between the two countries, never signed since the conclusion of the Second World War, is difficult to resolve. While the discussions appear to be about the status of the Kuril islands, they are in reality more profound, covering the role that Japan and Russia play in Asia, especially with regard to the other two regional superpowers, namely China and the United States."

Although present within his previous writings on the topic, Pieraccini omits mentioning the vital aspect deterring the finalization of the Peace Treaty between Russia and Japan--Japan's status as an occupied nation filled with Outlaw US Empire troops and weapons not in full control of its sovereignty, although he makes current economic growth and its future possibilities eminently clear even without mentioning the Korean dynamic. So, while full of information, the essay could be more complete.

Plenty to chew on, but they digest easily!

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 25 2019 15:56 utc | 87

Posted by: OhOh | Mar 25, 2019 11:09:14 AM | 81

What Putin answered to the West seems to be both chess and judo at the same time. Where the forces expended by the enemy to attack, is used against him, but with minimal expenditure of his own forces and means of the defender. Putin’s real policy is not public. Therefore, the real policy of Putin, to a greater extent, is always directed not so much at the effect as at efficiency.

Very few people understand what Putin is doing at the moment. And almost no one understands what he will do in the future.

Putin must still be waiting for MAGA to deliver him "Constantinople"...
Tell us how that went Ohoh...

Posted by: Logic gate | Mar 25 2019 16:06 utc | 88

@84 russ quote "but your civilization, including all the "dissidents", i.e. the loyal opposition, will keep pretending so, unto the end like Hitler in the bunker." that would include the msm here in spades... the msm will not own up to any of their b.s. they peddle.. it's not in their interest to do so... did the nyt ever say it got it wrong on saddams wmds? no.. and it never will on the mueller investigation either... your quote is a good one.. thanks!

Posted by: james | Mar 25 2019 16:12 utc | 89

the usa is one big drama queen... it's part of the reason i get tired of all the stories around it..

Posted by: james | Mar 25 2019 16:17 utc | 90

mourning dove @ 78

the link i provided is long, but it touches on many aspects of the USSR/USA collapse scenarios. and much else. read that for starters.

i don't really understand your preoccupation with a death count. it would be quite impossible to foresee in any case. too many variables, and anyway, you're supposed to be focused on living, not dying.

Posted by: john | Mar 25 2019 16:29 utc | 91

Suddenly everything has changed in Venezuela. Following the 'red lines' meeting between Ryabkov and Elliot Abrams in Rome a couple of days ago
...
So, the Russian Army advanced party has arrived today, 99 in an Il-62 and goodness knows what in an An-124 on a direct flight from Syria.
...
Posted by: JohninMK | Mar 24, 2019 2:09:42 PM | 1

Well, good for you Russia!

Now Russia finally gets the chance to get a serious military foothold on the US doorstep in answer to US provokations on Russia's doorstep, yet the US has to forego the chance to call it a Russian provokation - because it is a pure US provokation! Because of all the US contemptuous and wholly open illegal provokations against Venezuela, Russia can now massively enhance its strategic interests in South America, and there is absolutely nothing the US can do about it. The US is a BIG TIME LOSER from their own sordid misdemeanors.

Any US invasion of Venezuela I assume has to come from the Florida/Carribean region, so Russia has a perfect opportunity to keep military assets in that region in check. And Russia will certainly not miss the opportunity to help give strategic protection, shelter, support and enablement to other allies in South America in need of it against the Hegemon, thereby helping to stabilise and embolden them. The people of South America are facing the possibility of a recovery, I say.

I see this as an incalculably huge geostrategic win for Russia, for the multipolar world, and for humanity. It will be a strategic multiplier for both Russia and China, and especially a stratigic enabler for BRI, which it will help China to exampand more effectively into South America.

It will also massively enhance Venezuela's chances of gaining from the oil in the territorial dispute with Guyana.

Posted by: BM | Mar 25 2019 16:33 utc | 92

@56 oogoo...gobeldigook

Methinks you have a history problem. Must you really go back to the Native American to protect Zionism? You know that's classic hasbara, don't you?

International law has thankfully changed significantly since then although many continue to flout it; Israel being a prime example. First of all, Israel would not exist had it not been for the wave of terrorist acts inflicted on the Palestinians after Zionists started illegally migrating to Palestine in contravention of British decree and also attacking the British that took over Palestine which had been under Ottoman rule prior to that. That's the shet they pulled for starters to wear down the British who were in no mood for a fight at the end of WWII!

The State of Palestine was literally forced into submission by waves of terrorist acts on the Palestinians and then with the godawful partition that never should have happened to compensate Zionist terrorism!

Now, as far as your skewed recollection of history. First of all, the U.S. was NOT an Empire at the time of the genocide of the Native Indian population by General Custer and co.

So let's move on to more recent history when the U.S. actually started to become imperial. Do you agree Kissinger is a prominent Zionist? You could say that Kissinger played a significant role in the bloody evolution of the Empire. I'll return to that. At the start of the rise of Zionism, the U.S. was still the host and Zionists treaded carefully with their influence. Today, you could call it a hidden coup. There is no longer democracy in the U.S. thanks to Zionism. Zionists did not waste any time moving in on government power. The goal of Zionists once they started to achieve prominent legislative and advisory positions in the U.S. Government has been to use U.S. military strength to neutralize and contain foreign competitors, that threatened this susceptible host, and they considered such strategy a means to Zionist empowerment and expansionism. They were 100% correct in that perception. However they used the canard of survival to justify such policy.

Kissinger was responsible for the policies of carpet bombing Vietnam. Kissinger was responsible for regime-change policies in Argentina and Chile that led to brutal crimes committed against the people resisting the coups in those countries. The policies of intervention destined to neutralize South America began with Kissinger. In 2014, the World Jewish Congress honoured Kissinger with the Theodore Herzl Award. Could it be that it was an honour bestowed in gratitude to the founding promoter of AngloZionist imperialism, the greatest manifestation and guarantee of Zionist power? Zionist-led think tanks have since spawned to fabricate the propaganda that promotes the benefits of this two-headed imperialism. Zionism is the generator that propelled the evolution of the Empire and the glue that keeps it together. Zionist lobbies rooted in most Western countries have influenced more foreign policy since WWII any other organized influence. Zionist capital moves economies around the world.

So would the U.S. have achieved this status and committed the atrocities it has in the modern era to become an Empire without Zionist influence on policy and the massive 1% capital that influences, moves, expands and sustains it...Naaah!

Posted by: Circe | Mar 25 2019 16:41 utc | 93

John @90
I'll say again that it's a fantasy to suppose that a US collapse would resemble the Soviet collapse. The Soviet collapse didn't threaten the world economy, a US collapse would. Despite how horrific and devastating it was for the people, the Soviet collapse was mostly contained, a US collapse won't be.
I'm not looking for an estimate as to the number of people who would die, just some acknowledgement that it would be incredibly lethal for many millions of people, not only in the US but around the world. I don't understand how you or Orlav think that this fact is irrelevant.

Posted by: mourning dove | Mar 25 2019 16:42 utc | 94

BM @ 91 and #1 and GS---

Here we see Putin helping Trump stay out of hot wars again..
LOL

Venezuela Military Deploys S-300 Missiles Following Russian Troop Arrival

Posted by: arby | Mar 25 2019 17:19 utc | 95

so, lets just keep letting someone hold a gun to our head, as if we don't some people will die, lol..

Posted by: james | Mar 25 2019 17:19 utc | 96

Don Bacon @72--

Thanks for that twitter link--it was good to begin the day with some levity!

mourning dove @35--

LOL! Our town and many within Oregon are VFDs. No, never have served with one. FDR's New Deal was a blank slate consisting mostly of Hoover's ideas at the outset, which is why FDR didn't go beyond using New Deal as a slogan during the campaign. I read Pft's post on the topic, and his is one school-of-thought's interpretation; mine differs as I insist on reading the works the insiders wrote, particularly those about Harry Hopkins, Robert Sherwood's 930+ page Roosevelt and Hopkins, an Intimate History being one of the best, although it concentrates on the war years. Combined with his granddaughter June Hopkins's book, Harry Hopkins: Sudden Hero, Brash Reformer, which is far more encompassing regarding the Depression years, make them a good place to start. (There are numerous FDR biographies all with differing POV, where I suggest picking 3 to begin with, Kenneth Davis's 5-volume series being a good place to start.) In my library, I have about 40 books related to the Great Depression and FDR alone--far more than books about the War as the Depression Era in reality is far more important. There's really no way to replace deep inquiry over many years, which is the historian's onus.

As for collapse, I suggest learning about the concept of ecological overshoot; and as you might imagine, there's a book, Overshoot: The Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change by William Catton, 1980. Fortunately, there's an excellent interview video on the topic with him on YouTube you can find by using overshoot catton as search terms. Overshoot includes Climate Change as one of its aspects; so, digging into how that will affect commerce and the economy-particularly on the USA's East Coast--and food production everywhere is vital to understand. Just look at the power of the late Winter/early Spring storm that's flooded a massive region in Middle America for an example of future destabilizing disruptions. Making America Great Again in reality ought to be called Insulating/Preparing America for the Future, of which we've seen nothing of substance occur other than cuts to programs designed to provide resiliency.

The last realm to examine regarding Collapse is economic as Capitalism will perish as will any other economic theory based on requiring a continually expanding/growing economy, which is also the basis for many forms of Socialist organization. Instead, Ecological Economics and Steady-State Economics need to be examined as ultimately they are the only viable future economic paradigm. And of course, the politics related to such extensive change must also be developed and implemented. To be sure, the current paradigm will collapse at some future point, but the collapse can be a slowly controlled deflation instead of falling off a cliff provided citizens regain control of their governments in the West.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 25 2019 17:22 utc | 97

Arrogance is thinking you know about a science without ever having actually studied anything about it--pft. that's you. you don't know anything which is why you keep catapulting oil company propaganda like implying there was anything at all substantive in what you call "climategate", or catapulting bullshit like

emperatures in the 48 states of the US has declined since then, the last data point is February 2019 with a result of -0.03 degrees C and indeed global temperatures have been flat according to satellite data since 2002-2003. Yet the Alarmists are now in overdrive as the suns activity remains low with predictions that it will remain low in the next couple of solar cycles.

Posted by: pretzelattack | Mar 25 2019 17:33 utc | 98

https://www.climatecentral.org/gallery/graphics/10-hottest-us-years-on-record

if you did a minute's worth of research you wouldn't spout crap like your comment.

Posted by: pretzelattack | Mar 25 2019 17:35 utc | 99

karlof1
I don't even know where to begin.
I asked you before to please not assume ignorance on my part and if you want to challenge my views, please do so by addressing the specific points I've raised.
It seems twisted to me that Hoover gets any credit at all for the New Deal. FDR was elected in no small part because Hoover refused to take any action to ameliorate the effects of the Depression. That's why homeless camps all over the country were called Hooverville. But now he and FDR were partners? Wow.

Posted by: mourning dove | Mar 25 2019 17:36 utc | 100