The MoA Week In Review – OT 2019-41

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July 21, 2019

Last week's posts at Moon of Alabama:

July 15 – The New Delay Of Boeing's 737 MAX Return Will Not Be The Last One

The total so far is about $8 billion. Each month of grounding will add another $1.6 billion.

July 16 – How The News About Italian Far-Right Fighters In Ukraine Got Confused

The above take was correct: La Stampa, published on July 17 confirms it (machine translated):

The MATRA operation of the DIGOS in Turin, which in recent days has led to the discovery of a weapons depot belonging to a pro-Ukrainian neo-Nazi group from Turin, does not seem to be over. This morning, Wednesday 17 July, two LR-0 "Rockets" were seized for rocket launchers used to arm MB339 aircraft also supplied to the Italian Air Force.
…
The entire operation started following the activity of some Italian fighters with extremist ideologies, who took part in the armed conflict in the Donbass region of Ukraine.

Iran's foreign minister:

Javad Zarif – @JZarif – 0:48 UTC Jul 20, 2019
Unlike the piracy in the Strait of Gibraltar, our action in the Persian Gulf is to uphold int'l maritime rules.
As I said in NY, it is IRAN that guarantees the security of the Persian Gulf & the Strait of Hormuz.
UK must cease being an accessory to #EconomicTerrorism of the US.

July 20 – Putin Confirms: Sergei Skripal Wanted To Go Back To Russia

—
Other issues:

U.S. policy failure in the Middle East:

The Wheels Are Coming Off – Gary Sick/Lobelog

A series of events, some of which got little attention in the media, suggest that the wheels may be coming off the Trump administration’s Middle East policy.
…
Yemen was supposed to yield to overwhelming power. Qatar was supposed to collapse under siege. Iran was supposed to fold when faced with maximum economic pressure. Even the presentation of the economic portion of the Deal of the Century in Bahrain failed to attract the level of investors that had been expected.

There are major shifts in the balance of power underway in the Persian Gulf. They are not what the Trump administration anticipated.

The delusion continues:

U.S. Plans for Post-Maduro Future With Team to Send to Venezuela – Bloomberg

How to defend against U.S. imperialism. Quite long, but an excellent analysis. Recommended:

Michael Hudson: U.S. Economic Warfare and Likely Foreign Defenses – Naked Capitalism

Use as open thread …

Posted by b on July 21, 2019 at 14:44 UTC | Permalink

Comments

Epstein found semi conscious in his cell with marks on his neck, taken to hospital…
So it will end, likely.

Posted by: the pessimist | Jul 25 2019 5:38 utc | 301

https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeffrey-epstein-visited-clinton-white-house-multiple-times-in-early-90s?ref=home

Posted by: Mina | Jul 25 2019 9:32 utc | 302

@ | Jul 24 2019 17:49 utc | 295
Thanks for the enlightenment, may your project be successful, it sounds interesting, almost like remembering the future. Now I am looking forward to reading that when it’s published and will hold off with any opinions until after it’s been read. Opinions come out best that way.
I am becoming persuaded that ecologic collapse will be the prime cause, fundamental of all other collapse; political, economic, social and cultural at the end of the day. “Is there an *American* culture?”, the retort previously used elsewhere was “It’s too early to tell” may be the appropriate reply. The Great Powers of the previous century (20th) all had cultures, most surviving the fall of empire and power.
Two of this centuries Great Powers have their antecedents there but the third Great Power has built their empire and power without historical precedent, control by bookkeeping (and this from a population noted for innumeracy and arithmophobia) that begs the question – can this be maintained and what manner of elite will be required? Certainly not the vast bulk of the population who live in their world of beliefs and make-believe. Consider the educators that were ending their lengthy careers in the early 1960’s; these were the last educators to actually know where their food came from, no teacher since has been so intimately connected with nature and by extension Human Nature. That applies to all but a few advanced economies and those exceptions have been outside the Western hegemonic control, i.e. Russia, China, Iran with India, Pakistan and Indonesia at the margins. Reading commentary even here tends to show little or no grasp of Human Nature as a component of their commentary. Sadness.
Given the Panopticon social incarceration enjoyed in ‘free democratic countries’ little chance for such behaviour will be actually observed, a population atomised, individualised, isolated and enphobiated, what possibly could go amiss, just how does such self-correct? Relying on belief to navigate the treacherous political and economic shoals without the guidance of an accurate map is foolishness of the highest order but that is just what awaits those who wish to take over direction from the current elite, that is if that elite can be found. The maxim: know thyself; please observe if you can, that is the only material at hand to build the bridges over the abyss ahead. The foregoing is merely an opinion (from the edge). Best luck with your project, none-the-less.
I shall attempt being more circumspect henceforth.

Posted by: Formerly T-Bear | Jul 25 2019 9:41 utc | 303

Tulsi Gabbard just made a huge mistake that enlightened those of us that initially supported her. Yesterday she voted to condemn the BDS movement in a non-binding House Resolution. Here’s the text of the bill. As you can see, it immediately posits a lie: “Whereas the democratic, Jewish State of Israel…” That lie is the leading point in all Pro-Occupied Palestine Propaganda. It thus falsifies much of what follows. That such a large number of Congresscritters endorse the lie is despicable and embarrassing. IMO, Gabbard was a fool to vote on this as she just lost a substantial amount of potential support. And after her support for Puerto Ricans she does an about-face and condemns one of the best methods of improving the lot of another colonized and brutalized people. I simply cannot stand for such a lack of morality and ethics and will withdraw my support for her candidacy. One of the big unanswered questions about her candidacy was her views on Palestine, and now we know–she supports the ongoing war being waged on the Palestinian people which makes a mockery of her campaign promise to end regime change wars.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 25 2019 15:18 utc | 304

China has published a new national defense doctrine White Paper, “China’s National Defense in the New Era”. This Global Times article summarizes and provides highlights. I have no comment yet other than saying it’s quite the opposite of the Outlaw US Empire, and likely a lot more honest.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 25 2019 15:53 utc | 305

@ karlof1 | Jul 25 2019 15:18 utc | 304
Although the ‘Tin Drum’ has been banged upon before, I would observe that as long as only two political parties have between them the absolute control of election outcomes, the best position to take is NOT to partake in voting. That way whomever prevails must receive a full 50% +1 of the cast ballots. Any third (or greater number of) candidate reduces that to some percent of effective votes below that 50% +1.
This will only change when there is a third (or greater) party in permanent office that makes the formation of a negotiated coalition necessary to obtain power giving the smaller partner some directive influence over its dominant partner. Only then or when no party is sufficient to obtain majority can the above be ignored even though it may offend some highly developed ‘moral’ sensibilities to do so.
As it is, the division between the two parts is so close that one side cancels effectively the other, it becomes quite simple for another agenda to usurp the election by surreptitiously inserting their own candidate and winning using a small faction to provide the majority and obtain power in that manner. The 1980 election might be a good candidate for such an example.
I realise YMMV.
@ 303 is for you as well. Don’t know why that part didn’t copy or why I had not noticed.

Posted by: Formerly T-Bear | Jul 25 2019 15:57 utc | 306

> karlof1 @ 304.
Tulsi volunteered to go to Iraq and fight, militarily, for the US.
(idk if she is still a member of US forces or quit or has some other status)
No genuine anti-war person would volunteer to fight in such useless illegitimate corrupt wars.
Gabbard has systematically voted to condemn / sanction Russia, afaik?
– > see her voting record.
The spin story upcoming, maybe, .. Tulsi: I am against the wars in the ME but with my military and consequent sincere fighting background experience as a stalwart (sexy) soldier who upholds yada yada, I know when we have to stand up and ACT – against the enemy, Russia, > may emerge.
Or not. It is unpreditable as she is a purely opportunistic pol. Naturally standing up to Israel in any form is the end of her career, so she can’t do it. The PTB champions many types of anti-war discourse to keep up some semblance of plurality.

Posted by: Noirette | Jul 25 2019 17:01 utc | 307

@karlof1 304 I thought of you when I read about this this mourning and wondered what would be your position after coming out so strongly for her. Hats off to you for your position. Sadly I don’t think there’s any way back for this country. Crash and burn then each one of us working together with our neighbors to create a community that benefits us all.

Posted by: so | Jul 25 2019 17:21 utc | 308

yeah, poor Tulsi…she should of listened to her Beatles…
♬♩And so I quit the Police Department
And got myself a steady job♫♪

Posted by: john | Jul 25 2019 17:42 utc | 309

Noirette @307 & so @308–
In my initial letter to Gabbard’s campaign, I called her out on her obeying what was clearly an illegal order–to deploy and wage war on Iraq–along with illustrating the Constitutional issues that made that order illegal. I never received any reply from her or her staff rebutting the points I made. My other big issue with her candidacy was her position on the issue of Palestine, which both campaign websites omitted at the times I visited them. I reported my findings in a comment here that elicited no feedback @5 weeks ago. Her trip to Puerto Rico in support of the demonstrations demanding the governor’s resignation and her recognition of the populace as oppressed by US Colonialism was a bright signal. But her vote against BDS when she could have abstained or vacated the chamber and not voted at all showed a glaring double standard morally and ethically that many of those who supported her cannot ignore. (I found out about her vote when I visited The Saker this morning and saw his write-up and the commentary.) Actually, I’m glad she exposed her bias for it proves she’s incapable of being impartial. And with one double-standard exposed, how many others exist. Is Gabbard better than most other D-Party candidates? Yes. Better than Trump? Yes. But she won’t be better than a host of 3rd Party candidates, and I vote for those with whom I agree. Will she even understand that she made a major mistake? Probably not, although I’m certainly not the only former supporter who’ll email her campaign with the negative feedback she needs to hear.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 25 2019 18:14 utc | 310

Formerly T-Bear @303&306–
When the Club of Rome published Limits to Growth in 1972, I was impressed by the opposition it generated from entrenched interests and determined that the future estimates it made were likely correct. But being a Junior in Highschool at the time, I didn’t think there was much I could do. When I finally got the opportunity to teach however, I included as much about the environment into the subject matter as I could.
As for culture in the USA, I’ve always seen it as sectional, not national despite attempts to harmonize it into one. But there’s a distinction between being “cultured” and “uncultured” that relates to being civil/liberal/tolerant/nonjudgmental/humanistic as opposed to uncivil/closeminded/brutish/barbarian/inhumane, neither of which are dependent of educational level and are often ingrained during the early years of enculturation/socialization within the family–one is not born a bully; one learns bullying from the family. Kamen’s 1972 People of Paradox: An Inquiry Concerning the Origins of American Civilization that won the Pulitzer for history examines what is clearly a paradox, and his findings are just as valid today. The resulting lack of a national culture everyone can recognize has been one of the major reasons why citizen solidarity is so hard to attain. That this is known by the Current Oligarchy and used to perpetuate its ongoing dominance is euphemized as The Culture Wars that have been present since the landing at Plymouth.
What might finally unite the nation is the reality of the Climate Crisis as it cannot be narratived out of existence or covered up or omitted by BigLie Media. We shall see. Thanks again for your input!!

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 25 2019 19:11 utc | 311

@ karlof1 | 311
Becoming that hour here where coaches are about to return to pumpkins, so just acknowledging #311 and noting a slight familiarity with Club of Rome Limits Report with wry observation they are correct in same manner Malthus was. The other reference is fully unknown to me, however those individuals who have received psychological damage seem to learn the behaviour that causes the damage is a successful behaviour and use it in their actions with others. A lot simpler psychological mechanism that your manichean construct. By the time I turned 17 I had visited about 30 states and some 12 countries, a victim of favourable circumstance sure, but the horizons were vastly broader than those who had not traveled; this about 1960.
Signing off for the day. Thanks.

Posted by: Formerly T-Bear | Jul 25 2019 21:16 utc | 312

@310 karlof1… are you still going to be doing work for tulsi’s campaign? i am curious.. thanks for your many posts – some of which i do not read, but mostly as i only can devote so much time to moa! cheers james

Posted by: james | Jul 25 2019 22:20 utc | 313

Formerly T-Bear @312–
Yes, you were fortunate! I’ve always found it rather interesting that leaders of other nations over the years have always promoted cross-cultural ties/exchanges with other nations whereas the USA seldom does anymore. I was fortunate to learn Spanish at an early age since that was the only way to communicate with my Great-grandfather and worked alongside Braceros in my youth; so, when we went to Mexico in 1968 after the Olympics and riots, I was able to converse quite well at 13, which made the locals quite happy. Visited Victoria, Canada in 1967; but my real overseas experience was living and working in Hawaii during parts of the ’80s &’90s where I learned what it was like to be a despised minority–the Haole–although I overcame that stigma and became Kamaaina. I used my surname and ethnicity as a teaching tool–I’m an Iberian Visigoth mixed with differing strains of Celtic: A Mutt like everyone else!

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 25 2019 22:23 utc | 314

james @313–
Thanks for your interest! Read my 310 for my answer and grounds.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 25 2019 22:52 utc | 315

@William Gruff #288
What you write on unions is the theory.
The fact seems more like the union leaders get regulatory/political party captured, then they start selling their constituents out.

Posted by: c1ue | Jul 25 2019 23:07 utc | 316

@karlof1 #311
You said: “What might finally unite the nation is the reality of the Climate Crisis as it cannot be narratived out of existence or covered up or omitted by BigLie Media. We shall see. Thanks again for your input!!”
This appears to be the Ocasio-Cortez line.
Unfortunately, climate has been thoroughly politicized as a liberal endeavor, even before AOC.
It isn’t a coincidence that the big renewable or “anti-climate crisis” companies are all in California; the CARB has been screwing the economy for years ranging from “California grade” gasoline to emissions taxes on car makers (from which Tesla reaps enormous cash selling credits against) to incredibly high electricity prices due to massive renewables subsidies to hybrid/EV tax credits and carpool stickers.
It isn’t randomness, why Trump pushed specifically for the repeal of state tax exemptions from federal taxation.

Posted by: c1ue | Jul 25 2019 23:14 utc | 317

@315 karlof1… i read all the negativity on her, but i didn’t see it until the end where you say – “I’m certainly not the only former supporter….” okay! thanks..
regarding climate change… i get the impression there is a very big push to politicize it as a liberal endeavor as @317 concludes.. i was given a link by mark steyn a few days ago, from my friend who is ordinarily pretty clear on all the smoke screens being thrown up on any number of topics, but not this one apparently…

Posted by: james | Jul 25 2019 23:34 utc | 318

Do Americans who are critical of Israel (note careful phrasing) have anybody to vote for?

Posted by: dh | Jul 26 2019 0:13 utc | 319

@319 dh… it doesn’t look like it… the elephant in the room is the one no one is allowed to criticize…

Posted by: james | Jul 26 2019 2:29 utc | 320

@ dh and james about the elephant in the room
Luckily for Americans and the West in general the rest of the world is going after the global private financial system the elephant is the penultimate proxy for

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 26 2019 2:44 utc | 321

james @318–
The science behind what we see occurring is rock solid; it’s all basic physics and chemistry: The temperature gradient between equator and poles is weakening because of the increase in polar temps and that causes the winds in the upper atmosphere to weaken making the Jet Stream meander more with greater amplitude as it circles the planet; that’s the physics: The ocean is becoming more acidic because its absorbing increasing amounts of CO2 to generate higher concentrations of carbonic acid that is already harming plankton and shellfish at the base of the aquatic food chain; that’s the chemistry. There’s more, but what I’ve illustrated is more than enough. And I’ve reached the point where those professing to be deniers of the science are just admitting their inadequacies, particularly lacking intellectual rigor.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 26 2019 6:00 utc | 322

January 2015 affadavit of Virgina Roberts Giuffre, via TheSharpEdge:
https://twitter.com/TheSharpEdge1/
47. I also had sexual intercourse with Jean Luc Brunel many times when I was 16 through 19 years old. He was another of Epstein’s powerful friends who had many contacts with young girls throughout the world. In fact, his only similarity with Epstein and the only link to their friendship appeared to be that Brunel could get dozens of underage girls and feed Epstein’s(and Maxwell’s) strong appetite for sex with minors.
48. Brunel ran some kind of modeling agency and appeared to have an arrangement with the U.S. Government where he could get passports or other travel documents for young girls. He would then bring these young girls (girls ranging in age from 12 to 24) to the United States for sexual purposes and farm them out to his friends, including Epstein.
49. Brunel would offer the girls “modeling” jobs. A lot of the girls came from poor countries or poor backgrounds, and he lured them in with a promise of making good money.
50. I had to have sex with Brunel at Little St. James (orgies), Palm Beach, New York City, New Mexico, Paris, the south of France, and California. He did not care about conversation, just sex.
51.Jeffrey Epstein has told me that he has slept with over 1,000 of Brunel’s girls, and everything that I have seen confirms this claim.
Another of Espstein’s major backers, Brunel’s MC2 has offices in Miami and and Tel Aviv.

Posted by: Vitkova_186 | Jul 26 2019 6:06 utc | 323

karlof 310, 311, interesting. absolutely, gabbard should have abstained on BDS vote.
it is really difficult for me to imagine what a US citizen whose agenda is anti-war can / could / should / do.
about the climate crisis, the way that will go is already evident. denial as an enforced and propagandized position on the part of Big-Biz (energy, transport, military, war mongers, construction, mining, etc.)
remember Obama had a green energy program and an energy czar – S. Chu. though it wasn’t called ‘new deal’…what became of that? — fracking! which btw is going to collapse rather soon.

Posted by: Noirette | Jul 26 2019 15:57 utc | 324

Noirette @324–
Thanks for your reply! The content of my reply I’m posting to the newest open–heatwave–thread.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 26 2019 16:07 utc | 325

@322 karlof1… thanks…
on a different note – cool graph on military spending by the top 15 countries from 1940s to 2018..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw2Wm8T6tio&t=88s

Posted by: james | Jul 26 2019 22:51 utc | 326

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