Two interesting essays from the Strategic Culture.
How America’s Adult Children Who Never Grew Up Became Dostoyevsky’s Demons
His narrative as whole is patently false: albeit the millennial generation and Gen Z are indeed infantile, it is not their fault the USA is heading to a nonsensical crusade against China and Russia: the USG is still firmly under Boomer and Gen X control (Trump himself is almost 80, the same age of his only competition, Joe Biden).
Whatever is happening in the USA right now, is doing so with inter-generational collusion. There is no generation wars in the USA.
However, it’s still, from a historical point of view, a very interesting diary report from a (seemingly paleoconservative) boomer seeing his Empire decaying in the hands of his grandchildren.
–//–
The Quiet Return of Feudalism
When 2008 broke out, the very first person to come to publicly condemn the crisis was Sarah Palin. Her first instinct? To protect the sanctity of the word “capitalism”. In the occasion, she claimed (paraphrase): “No! This is not capitalism! This is Crony Capitalism!”. Thus the term “crony capitalism” was first used in human history (probably).
Those blowhards know what they’re doing, even though they look like idiots. They have class consciousness. They know for which side they fight, and against which side they’re fighting against. They secretly read Marx (as the Swiss banker, in a Freudian slip, let it out at the outset of the crisis). The only people who abhor Marx are the cucks from the working classes, who believe in bourgeois bullshit.
When I jumped to the end of this essay (recommended by the Editors), I quickly saw it was from The American Conservative. Now I know why they use the term “Neo-Feudalism” instead of the good old “Capitalism”. They want to protect their masters.

Posted by: vk | Jul 16 2020 15:25 utc | 3

re: florida covid numbers
Latest FL state report. 52% increase in cases in the past 10 days.
Age breakdowns for the past 10 days (subtracting report data of july 6th from july 16th):
15-24: 17% (1687 per day)
25-34: 21% (2161 per day)
35-44: 18% (1811 per day)
45-54: 17% (1771 per day)
55-64: 14% (1396 per day)
65-74: 7% (753 per day)
75-84: 4% (414 per day)
85+: 2% (218 per day)
This age distribution does not seem to have changed much in the past 10 days vs before.

Posted by: ptb | Jul 16 2020 16:33 utc | 5

Richard S Hack: what meaning do you wish to convey when you put *asterisks* around words? Is the asterisk meant to function like “quotation” marks? This is not a smart ass question nor an attempt to be a grammar policeman.

Posted by: Absurdio | Jul 16 2020 16:39 utc | 7

US Underestimates China’s Sustainability
https://sputniknews.com/analysis/202007161079899396-why-the-us-has-no-chance-of-winning-either-a-cold-or-a-hot-war-against-china/
“…Washington underestimates China’s resilience based on its sophisticated culture and “dialectical spirit of Confucius, Lao-Tse, and Gautama Buddha” which have many times helped the nation overcome dramatic historical challenges and paved the way to its socio-economic and political transformation.”

Posted by: JC | Jul 16 2020 16:53 utc | 9

Absurdio @7
Asterisks are probably habit. In Google+ (a less sucky version of Facebook that got shut down after the 2016 election debacle because Google recognized that it was enabling free mass communication that bypassed corporate controlled, one-way, top-down media pipelines) the asterisk served as markup for posted text rendering it bold. Here it still sorta functions to set text apart without having to type full bold or strong HTML tags.

Posted by: William Gruff | Jul 16 2020 17:13 utc | 11

Corruption:
How a Struggling Company Won $1.6 Billion to Make a Coronavirus Vaccine

Novavax just received the Trump administration’s largest vaccine contract. In the Maryland company’s 33-year history, it has never brought a vaccine to market.

Posted by: vk | Jul 16 2020 17:33 utc | 13

Another link to Huawei’s CFO Meng Wanzhou
What does the fate of Alstom tell us about the Huawei case?
https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d514f3445544f34457a6333566d54/index.html

Posted by: JC | Jul 16 2020 17:47 utc | 15

Posted by: Kadath | Jul 16 2020 17:16 utc | 12
This in the Turkish media, but whether it means anything, I can’t say
https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/el-sissi-claims-libyas-eastern-tribes-authorize-egypt-to-intervene-war-torn-country/news

Posted by: Blue Dotterel | Jul 16 2020 18:16 utc | 17

“Ben Norton
@BenjaminNorton
·
Jul 13
Another day, another US threat against Venezuela: On a trip to US Southern Command in Florida,
Trump threatened “Something will happen with Venezuela” and Washington “will be very much involved.”
He also bragged of imposing murderous “historic sanctions””

Posted by: arby | Jul 16 2020 19:19 utc | 19

Interesting that kind of talk from Trump is completely accepted and not even a blink. He is talking about a country that has in no way threatened or done a damn thing to the US.

Posted by: arby | Jul 16 2020 19:54 utc | 21

JB @ 8
Thanks for the link.

Posted by: Digital Spartacus | Jul 16 2020 20:49 utc | 23

Early article debunking the UK Russian vaccine hack story:
The “Russian vaccine hack” is a 3-for-1 deal on propaganda (by Kit Knightly)

Posted by: ADKC | Jul 16 2020 22:20 utc | 25

Christian J. Chuba 18
The gas tank that exploded near Tehran can be seen on google maps satellite view. A spanner to undo some plumbing or a small battery drill plus an igniter is all that’s required. One video shows a small glow that then flares very bright for several seconds before dying back to a glow. A small leak being ignited and then heating the tank until it ruptured would cause something like that.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 16 2020 22:56 utc | 27

2Q GDP growth results for China “China’s Q2 GDP growth crushes Washington’s lies: Global Times editorial”:
“The 3.2-percent growth is definitely one of the best in the world. More importantly, it was achieved during China’s consolidated epidemic prevention. In this period, small outbreaks of infections appeared in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province and capital Beijing, but they were quickly put out before affecting the economy across the country.
“That was totally a different story from the US, which forcibly reopened economy regardless of the actual condition, and thus lost control of the epidemic. China has developed an effective mechanism to combine epidemic prevention and economic recovery, assuring its economic activities won’t lead to resurgence of the epidemic. Thanks to this mechanism, China continues to improve, and the country is on track to the sustainable revitalization of its economy.” [My Emphasis]
That’s very bad news for Trump and Company as real Outlaw US Empire GDP continues to shrink thanks to the continual free money given the Financial Parasites. But the Chinese understand there’s still much to do:
“The impact of the epidemic on the economy is considerable. Some companies have closed, while others have suffered from sluggish operations. Many people have felt the pain of reduced income. China needs to be able to eliminate the impact of the epidemic while achieving zero new cases, remove the excessive epidemic prevention efforts of local governments, accelerate the expansion of domestic demand, and further translate the epidemic prevention achievements into all-round economic and social prosperity. This is a big challenge.
“Facts speak louder than words. China’s achievements and prosperity in the fight against the epidemic will eventually crush all kinds of lies made by the US, prompting world public opinion to seriously consider: Why is China able to do all this, and how absurd is the US’ blame game, and what a terrible consequence of self-deception?….
“We will find that the attacks from the outside are not so important. China, first of all, is a country that serves its people. [My Emphasis]
At some point you’d think the West would figure out the secret to China’s success is in the bolded sentence above. The irony is that rationale is exactly the one proclaimed by the US Constitution’s Preamble. It’s not the profits that are evil; it’s the Parasites who get favored over the people such that all profits flow to them and the people are left with a Dickensian Horror.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 16 2020 23:09 utc | 29

karlof1 #29
The USA cannot serve the people, it has no memory of the value of the people. Such memory is anathema to elitism, anathema to control, anathema to narcissism.
Such is capitalism – the gas chamber of people’s rights and ambition and love for the future.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jul 17 2020 1:08 utc | 31

JC @32–
Thanks for your reply! IMO, China has already announced what it will do; it will continue doing what it’s now doing. Read the last part of the Global Times Editorial I linked and you’ll see those words.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 17 2020 1:50 utc | 33

Bolivian coup leaders are requesting OAS intervention to prevent the national elections now scheduled for September, as it appears that MAS has retained its popularity and is poised to return to power.
https://twitter.com/KawsachunNews/status/1283406438375841792

Posted by: jayc | Jul 17 2020 2:35 utc | 35

Below is another Xinhuanet link showing China developing multilateral relationships with other nations
Chinese FM hosts C+C5 foreign ministers video meeting
A take away quote
”
BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) — Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday attended and presided over the first China + Central Asia (C+C5) foreign ministers meeting via video link.
Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Chingiz Aidarbekov, Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, and Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov attended the meeting.
Wang said the Chinese government attaches great importance to developing strategic partnerships with Central Asian countries. Cooperation between China and Central Asia is based on the common needs of both sides. “It does not target any third party, nor does it affect bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the region.”
”

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 17 2020 4:42 utc | 37

I watched CGTN TV live. Colorado having nightmares – shortage nurses and healthcare workers. I was thinking Colorado governor needs to do make direct call to Xi Jinping, and within 24-hrs airlift 40,000 seasons Covid-19 workers to Colorado, may be even include 1,000 beds’ hospitals.
Further, Zou Yue in Dialogue with Einar Tangen and two other guests’ Topic: “Taiwan and Cross-Strait Ties” Former in Taiwan military, Professor Yen Chen-Shen. This is the first time CGTN invites a Taiwanese to their program, as usual Einar Tangen comments as expected. I am correct, Taiwan wanna good relation and mend relationship with China, Trump cannot be trusted and will throws Taiwan under the bus… Must watch if you can connect to CGTN. Again the Topic: “Taiwan and Cross-Strait Ties.”

Posted by: JC | Jul 17 2020 4:55 utc | 39

Posted by: Absurdio | Jul 16 2020 16:39 utc | 7 Richard S Hack: what meaning do you wish to convey when you put *asterisks* around words? Is the asterisk meant to function like “quotation” marks? This is not a smart ass question nor an attempt to be a grammar policeman.
Sorry, missed your question.
It’s for *emphasis* – without resorting to all caps or the like.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jul 17 2020 9:31 utc | 41

Posted by: William Gruff | Jul 16 2020 17:13 utc | 11 Asterisks are probably habit. In Google+
Close. I never was on Google+ for more than five minutes – and no one else was, either, which is why it shut down. 🙂

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jul 17 2020 9:36 utc | 43

Posted by: Lurk | Jul 16 2020 22:34 utc | 26 do you also seriously expect other people to believe that all the deaths and all the exhausted medical personnel in hard-hit areas worldwide are merely badly produced fakes?
Yes, he does, and so do all the other morons posting here with similar notions.
Along with stupidity and ignorance, these people are afflicted with cognitive dissonance. Supposedly, according to an article I posted over in the virus thread, they are also afflicted with “empathy fatigue” – which I doubt, because most of these morons never had any empathy (not that I’m noted for it, either.)
Mind you, I fully believe that the elites are taking advantage of the crisis to further their agendas. It’s what they do. And they may have even had plans in place before the pandemic (if not specifically for a pandemic) to do so. But they didn’t *create* the pandemic – not unless someone comes up with some real evidence that the virus itself is man-made – which, so far, they haven’t come close to proving or producing anything other than a “connect-the-dots” chain from here to the moon.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, as the saying goes. I’m perfectly happy to listen to *plausible* conspiracy theories – but not BS ones.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jul 17 2020 9:46 utc | 45

JC #39

I watched CGTN TV live. Colorado having nightmares – shortage nurses and healthcare workers. I was thinking Colorado governor needs to do make direct call to Xi Jinping, and within 24-hrs airlift 40,000 seasons Covid-19 workers to Colorado, may be even include 1,000 beds’ hospitals.

Thank you for your good intentions with that proposal but I doubt the United States of Belligerent Intentions would do anything other than use such a visit as a means to take the entire team hostage at the first covid death. They would then use the entire farce USA legal apparatus to launch a civil claim against China. They would do everything possible screw the Chinese good will into a malevolent means to attack.
The USA has incinerated its goodwill and the chance for its people to benefit from another country and their goodwill. Recall the Huawei CFO kidnapping in Canada and soon to be dragged to the USA for a humiliation. There is nothing the USA likes better than to humiliate women and Trump is a spectacular pussy grabber. No JC, the goodwill is over unfortunately.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jul 17 2020 10:14 utc | 47

Richard Steven Hack @42
Kit Knightly covers your points by simply saying there is a lack of evidence.
The problem with your post is that you obscured the allegation which is that Russian “state sponsored hackers” have been attempting to steal “medical secrets” from British (i.e. UK) pharmaceutical researchers; i.e. you superimposed a US-centric viewpoint and buried what is a UK issue/allegation.
Your conclusion is that “we’re seeing here is the same scam used during the 2016 election” just reveals that, unfortunately, you, like the vast majority of Americans, are stuck on Trump.
Kit Knightly conclusions are qualitatively differently, i.e. that it is an intelligence operation intended to:
1. Further demonise an “enemy” (Russia).
2. Promote the vaccine.
3. Enhancing the idea that Sars-Cov-2 is a unique global threat which puts us all in danger.

Posted by: ADKC | Jul 17 2020 11:29 utc | 49

This is related to the un-badged Federal officers riding around Portland snatching people off the streets like Hitler’s Gestapo…
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Says President Trump Is Invading Portland as an Election Stunt
Her comments come in the same hour that acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf landed in Portland.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jul 17 2020 12:12 utc | 51

Just watched a video on Twitter of a guy on a bicycle in Portland riding down the street past a cop van. A cop literally *smashed* him off his bike and he was then jumped by at least four cops. Allegedly the biker was told to stay off the street and didn’t obey. Can’t see that justifying this level of assault. The “justification” noted below is the same crap cops always pull out.
The tweeter updated:
Dan McCarthy @DanMcKATU 17h
Update: I just got a response from Portland Police. The cyclist’s name is Brandon Thomas. Police say they arrested him for “Interfering with a Police Officer and Disorderly Conduct.”

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jul 17 2020 12:38 utc | 53

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jul 17 2020 12:18 utc | 52
We don’t need the police to know that..BLM/antifa rioters can’t be a real threat because are deeply linked to the “politically correct area”..they are part of the establishment..On the other side boogaloo boys/Q dummies are a totally different thing..rural yanks are well armed people and even determined.Living in conspiracy-mode sometimes can be dangerous for others if you have a good supply of weapons.

Posted by: LuBa | Jul 17 2020 13:36 utc | 55

Separating CPC from Chinese people for targeted attack a delusion of US elites
Moral of the story: Westerners shouldn’t talk shit about something that transcends their imagination. Humility is good: Jesus (the Western God) Himself told you so, so you should walk the walk.
–//–
Commentary: China’s economic bounce good news for global recovery
Moral of the story: Westerners should stop behaving like ungrateful bitches.

Posted by: vk | Jul 17 2020 14:09 utc | 57

Fukushima localities speak out against dumping radioactive water in sea
This is absurd. Call Greenpeace. Call the WWF. Call the UN. All the governments of the world (West), unite!
Oh, wait: this is not happening in China. Never mind.
–//–
Samsung keeping eye on struggling SoftBank unit
And no one’s batting an eye over this. If it was Huawei, the MSM would be bananas calling for “Chinese imperialism”.
But since it’s Samsung, it’s fine.
Remember, kids: it’s only unfair when China’s doing it. Only capitalism has a license to kill.
–//–
‘W6 tril. put into hedge funds at risk’
This is why I have my doubts over South Korea’s “exemplar” containment of the pandemic (only -1.8% fall in GDP Q1). Moon’s government quickly resorted to financialization of the South Korean economy and, contrary to the other western countries, it promptly got an unlimited swap deal with the Fed (i.e. it became irrelevant how many USDs South Korea hemorrhaged, and it hemorrhaged a lot).
The problem here is not the amount (officially) stated. W6 trillion (some USD 5 billion) is not that much. The problem is those are all hedge funds. God knows the domino effect their bankruptcy would trigger in the South Korean highly leveraged economy.

Posted by: vk | Jul 17 2020 14:33 utc | 59

So timely.
– US alerted Israel, NATO to disease outbreak in China in November –
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-alerted-israel-nato-to-disease-outbreak-in-china-in-november-report/

Posted by: Fog of War | Jul 17 2020 15:05 utc | 61

China downplays Covid risk to … trick U.S. into ending all lockdowns to spread virus and infect more Americans. I am replying to myself in anticipation of the next Neocon headline. I am convinced that our Info warriors have a basket of contradictory headlines to anticipate any possible outcome. This is after all the only thing we are good at. Oh wait, we are also good at bribing other people to do bad things.

Posted by: Christian J. Chuba | Jul 17 2020 16:08 utc | 63

@61
Great post. I agree completely.

Posted by: 450.org | Jul 17 2020 16:18 utc | 65

Posted by: ADKC | Jul 17 2020 14:12 utc | 58 You take issue with my use of the word “debunked” and omit that I preceded this with the phrase an “Early article…”. You are perhaps over focussed on a “word”.
It doesn’t matter whether it was an early article or a late article. The term “debunk” means to expose a falsity. In that sense, the article “debunked” the story. But without any evidence presented, it is merely a set of assertions. Anyone can make an assertion that this is some sort of intelligence operation. Without evidence it remains merely an assertion.
I tend to think that a proper debunking exposes falsity by either presenting contrary evidence or demonstrating that a logical proposition is faulty. Neither was done in that article.
“The problem with your post is that you buried that this is about the UK intelligence services. A lot more attention needs to be given to the activities of UK intelligence services (in the US as well as the UK).”
I agree that more attention should be paid to the UK Deep State. However, my primary concern was to establish that the narrative as presented was probably not factual in the same way that the 2016 hacking hoax was not factual. So the fact that my post did not address the UK intelligence aspect is irrelevant. It doesn’t matter which side of the pond the story originated.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jul 17 2020 16:43 utc | 67

Very interesting article by a Ph.D. in Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania History:
Australia is Reclaiming Oceania
Didn’t know about this facet of Australian imperialism. I thought it was exclusively fruit of American intervention, but it seems anti-China sentiment in Australia has very solid domestic roots.
That’s how you do op-eds: a real expert on the subject without editorial constraints.

Posted by: vk | Jul 17 2020 17:01 utc | 69

China refuses to be baited and will continue to do its development and extended plans. That’s been the continuous message sent almost daily by official Chinese press editorials like this one:
“It no longer makes sense to keep reasoning with the US. It seems impossible for Beijing to wake up the current US administration. But China must not step back at this point and should keep making its case. The US is trying to repeat its lies until they become the truth, and China will not allow it. Lies need to be refuted. Chinese voices in global public opinion are too few.
“China needs to remain sober in the face of the US government attack against it. The US is stronger, yet the interests of the country, different parties and politicians are intertwined. China should avoid being led by the nose by the US. The game between the two powers must not be dominated by Washington. While the US plays its tricks, China must fight its own way.”
This morning the wife and I agreed that Trump’s demonizing China isn’t going anywhere. Instead, Trump ought to hold China up as an example and say–If China can defeat the virus, we can too and do a better job of it: MAGA!! But that type of enlightened idea will never surface within either party. Today, above the fold, we were treated to further anti-Russian propaganda–hacking the vaccine makers. But Russia has already developed an anti-COVID-19 drug and has no reason to hack anything. Indeed, Russia’s ahead of the Outlaw US Empire in most high-tech realms, as is China. What’s being attempted is very clear–it’s today’s version of the Two Minutes of Hate as an election ploy by TrumpCo as explained in this interview with the co-author of Angernomics–TrumpCo is trying to escalate “Tribal Rage” within his followers in a manner akin to what’s done to enrage angry sports fans.
Hatred, Demonization, Polarization, Tribal Rage, Moral Outrage–pretty much every Orwellian trick in the book’s being thrown at the Outlaw US Empire’s electorate while the looting continues by the Financial Parasites.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 17 2020 17:45 utc | 71

bevin @56–
Thanks for highlighting Armstrong’s essay about “The Russian Playbook,” as I hadn’t reached that site in my daily perusal yet. This observation’s outstanding:
“He has a point: the Lincoln Project, and the others shrieking about Russian interference, take it for granted that American democracy is so flimsy and Americans so gullible that a few Facebook ads can bring the whole facade down. A curious mental state indeed.”
I discovered Armstrong does a Russian Sitrep that’s similar to the main story. Halfway through the article, I had Rocky, Bullwinkle, Boris, Natasha, and Walter all swimming in my head laughing away/. And I completely agree here:
“There is no Russian Playbook, that’s just projection. But there is a ‘playbook’ and it’s written in English, it’s freely available and it’s inexpensive enough that every pundit can have a personal copy: it’s named From Dictatorship To Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation and it’s written by Gene Sharp (1928-2018).”
The following paragraph reveals something quite interesting: BLM is tied to Sharp’s Regime Change NGO, The Albert Einstein Institution. Further evidence that the Deep State continues to try and undermine TrumpCo, while TrumpCo sends its own troops to places like Portland, Oregon to counterattack. Good comments to that article, BTW.
The Playbook’s clearly 100% Projection. 109 days until Election Tuesday.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 17 2020 18:40 utc | 73

Apparently Putin has ordered ‘snap’ military drills in the Black and Caspian seas. It couldn’t have anything to do with the out of the blue Azerbaijani aggression towards Armenia could it? The very aggression that Erdogan seems so desperate to get involved in. Only today he said that Turkey’s “missiles, air defence systems, tanks are at Azerbaijani’s command”!
A NATO member once again stirring trouble for Russia?
But, Turkey is overstretching it’s influence and strength … That much is very clear.

Posted by: AtaBrit | Jul 17 2020 18:59 utc | 75

jesus, they’re really going after craig murray. First the trumped up bogus charges regarding his reporting on the alex salmond trial, now they’re blocking him from joining the journalists’ union.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2020/07/calling-all-nuj-members/

Posted by: pretzelattack | Jul 17 2020 19:16 utc | 77

Trump’s “Secret Police” activities in Portland, Oregon might force governor Kate Brown to call out the National Guard to rid Portland of the illegal Federal Agents who are clearly violating their oath of service–adherence to and protection of the US Constitution. This article says Oregon’s being used as a test case. This is the earlier article I linked to above. Excerpt:
“Oregon’s Democratic governor and other state lawmakers are demanding that President Donald Trump immediately remove all federal law enforcement officials from the streets of Portland after alarming video footage posted online late Thursday showed unidentified officers dressed in combat fatigues arresting Black Lives Matter protesters without explanation and throwing them into unmarked vehicles….
“Brown said she told Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf to ‘remove all federal officers from our streets’ but he refused, claiming that Portland ‘has been under siege for 47 straight days by a violent mob.’
“Wolf’s response, said Brown, shows ‘he is on a mission to provoke confrontation for political purposes. He is putting both Oregonians and local law enforcement officers in harm’s way.'”
Excerpt from the above first linked article:
“”Unmarked federal agents in combat gear are pulling protesters off the street and jailing them without charge,’ tweeted Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). ‘That is what a police state is all about. Now is the time to defend our Constitution. Now is the time to come together and defeat Trump’s authoritarian policies.’
“Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called the conduct of federal law enforcement ‘outrageous’ and said the Trump administration ‘should not be using unidentified federal officers as a secret police force to terrorize U.S. citizens and violate their constitutional rights.’
“”Usually when we see people in unmarked cars forcibly grab someone off the street we call it kidnapping—what is happening now in Portland should concern everyone in the U.S.'”
—ACLU
Senator Merkley sent this tweet to Trump:
“Get your DHS lackey and uninvited paramilitary actions out of my state. Our communities are not a stage for your twisted reelection campaign.”
I’m 3 hours away from Portland and thus have no firsthand observations to report, although I do know we have a few barflies living there. IMO, there’ll be some serous outcomes to this as yet unfinished event. Senator Wyden’s just as pissed as Merkley. During BushCo, the Fed’s counter-terrorism task force was ousted from Portland and the state for its targeting legitimate Anti-war and anti-Bush organizations, so there’s some element of revenge in play, too. IMO, it’s very likely this will escalate and get very ugly over the weekend. @73 above, I reported Armstrong’s discovery that BLM is linked to a regime change NGO founded by Gene Sharp, which clearly raises the intrigue level and signals the possibility that this is much bigger than what it seems.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 17 2020 20:33 utc | 79

karlof1 79 “BLM is linked to a regime change NGO founded by Gene Sharp, which clearly raises the intrigue level and signals the possibility that this is much bigger than what it seems.”
Alistair Crooke
“This important ideological shift needs to be absorbed: Big Philanthropy, Big Tech and Big CEOs are with the ‘woke’ and BLM militants, and are ready to release Big Funding (some of these foundations have resources that eclipse those of states). Big Philanthropy gives BLM $100m (including $40m from Ford Foundation for capacity building). And with big funding – inevitably – comes ‘guidance’ (apolitical ‘naturally’). There is a multiplier effect here too, as Big Philanthropy, Big Tech and Big Biotechnology act as an interconnected network system. They foresee a (dehumanised) tech and AI-led future, led by a multicultural aristocracy (i.e. ‘them’).”
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2020/07/13/is-this-awokening-a-revolution-or-not/

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 17 2020 20:53 utc | 81

Ethiopia and Egypt are angry about water they might learn to share.
Here

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jul 17 2020 21:50 utc | 83

karlof1 82
Everything that is happening in the US is knee jerk reactions to surface problems.
Roosevelts peech for his last election would be now screamed down in the US as communism. With the cold war and McCarthyism, US trapped itself in a narrow ideology, the opposite side of the spectrum, no different to early communism. The US now needs a number of socialist measures, especially when it comes to crime, racism and police use of force. The massive privatized US prison system that provides a huge amount of slave labour .. jeez that really is taking capitalism to the extreme.
As for the anti China forces, five-eyes appear to me to be committed to keeping China down as that commenced in 2011- MSM and all governments are participating in this – but five-eyes do not want to burn their bridges with China, or perhaps they just want to tread carefully when trying to take China down.
Trump on the other hand seems intent on burning bridges and a fast decoupling.
As for your thoughts about another group on the west coast, it is a possibility. Five-eyes is about anglo supremacy whereas on your west coast there could be a group somewhere along the lines described by Crooke, that I would term as multinational globalists.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 17 2020 22:37 utc | 85

Sputnik has picked up the story and published this that IMO fails to detail how tense the situation is between city and state officials and the Feds sent by Trump clearly as provocateurs. There’s no specific byline, so I doubt the reporting was done from Portland.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 17 2020 23:18 utc | 87

Well, this is precisely what I’ve been worried about since Trump was elected… (Unfortunately the article is at BusinessInsider, which requires turning off your ad blocker – I’d advise doing so, then turning it back on and restarting your browser.)
Israel keeps blowing up military targets in Iran, hoping to force a confrontation before Trump can be voted out in November, sources say

“It’s one thing to ask hard-liners to take the long view on an incident like Soleimani in light of the worldwide COVID crisis and a host of other factors,” the official told Insider, referring to the shift in global attention to the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s another thing to conduct a rapid series of operations without a strategy, and I fear the Israeli plan here is to provoke an Iranian response that can turn into a military escalation while Trump remains in office.”
With a broad belief among America’s allies that Trump is unlikely to win reelection, Israel’s apparent shift in tactics toward high-pressure “kinetic” operations seem to reflect a belief that under a Biden administration, there would be a move to save the 2015 nuclear deal that had been scuttled by Trump.
“There would be a lot less appetite for adventures and secret missions to blow up nuclear facilities under a Biden administration,” said the EU official.
I think the EU official is wrong about that, but there is no doubt that Trump is Israel’s best chance to start a war between the US and Iran. Ayalet Shaked once said, in regard to annexation, “There is no better time” (than under a Trump administration). And then Israel started annexation.
The question now is: Will Iran hold off on retaliation until the election is over, betting that Trump will be defeated due to the pandemic and economic crisis, and that things will be better under Biden? (And they are probably wrong about Biden, too.)

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jul 18 2020 0:06 utc | 89

@79 karlof1
Interesting times in Portland and the semi-sovereign state of Oregon for sure – thanks for the links and updates.
How to parse this?
I see a pantomimed performance where the audience keeps being shown the US Constitution by the narrator or chorus or whatever the device of the play is, to secret winks and chuckles about the real meaning of things as the events unfold in their dramatic, attention-claiming way.
But the narrator is the universe itself, and no worldly player, deep state or otherwise, is scripting this enactment.
So this is a gripping thriller in many ways. Pardon me if I seem fey, but pardon events also if they seem surreal at times.
The Constitution is coming to life – vibrant, life-affecting life and with biting importance at the local level – and we remember that we are a union of republics and there is a rule of law, born of Ben Franklin’s Republic, “if you can keep it, madam.”
It’s as if to say that every abuse of the Constitution is well worth it when it depicts the Constitution’s meaning in local, pertinent ways. For the Constitution itself is not harmed, but only the act that contravenes it – and this, my friend, I do believe, is what we are seeing.
~~
The glass is always half full and half empty. After a lifetime of filling the glass, I’m becoming resigned to the half emptiness. But the half fullness is fully worth another life, or twenty.
~~
ps..since life became so surreal, I became fey. But my aim is steady, if the republic should call.

Posted by: Grieved | Jul 18 2020 1:34 utc | 91

Posted by: Grieved | Jul 18 2020 0:33 utc | 90
Would believe me, I’m still using Opera version 36.0.2130.80 and OS WinXp? I know the end is near.
I’ve got another similar laptop OS Win10. Backup. Both laptops installed Yandex and Firefox browsers. I prefer Opera and Yendex only backup if Opera unstable. Firefox just testing.

Posted by: JC | Jul 18 2020 1:57 utc | 93

@ Greived
The only thing that is certain in life is death. Judging when that will happen is a bit of a toss up as nobody bothers to put an expiry date on our birth certificates.
For me, I have been lucky enough to see my children develop and make their own way in the world and even see a few grandchildren. Perhaps not much of an ambition in todays society …

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 18 2020 3:07 utc | 95

@95 Peter
It’s the only ambition there is, and I suspect you’re convinced of this too. I’m very pleased to hear of your fulfillment. Thank you so much for sharing that warm glow of human life.
It’s current society that isn’t much in terms of matching that eternal human ambition…

Posted by: Grieved | Jul 18 2020 4:14 utc | 97

Below is another Xinhuanet posting that shows escalation in the war of words
”
BEIJING, July 17 (Xinhua) — China supports multilateral frameworks, including the United Nations, in tackling challenges and seeking common prosperity, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday.
He made the remarks in a speech titled “Firmly Uphold Multilateralism and Build a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind” at a high-level conversation of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, “Multilateralism after COVID-19: what kind of UN do we need at the 75th anniversary?”
“Seventy-five years ago, our fathers’ generation won the epic victory of the World anti-Fascist War following a heroic struggle,” Wang said, adding that the ensuing decades witnessed the founding of the United Nations which has played an indispensable role in maintaining peace and promoting development.
Seventy-five years on, the world has seen profound shifts, accentuated by the enormous impact of COVID-19, he said.
The myriad challenges before the international community have driven home the fact that this is an era of inter-connected interests of all countries, and the world is “increasingly an indivisible community with a shared future,” he said.
In the face of unprecedented changes in a century, the role of the UN can only be strengthened, instead of being weakened, while its authority must be safeguarded, Wang said.
The world needs a United Nations that safeguards world peace and security, and fairness and justice, a United Nations that advocates harmonious co-existence across different races, systems and cultures, a United Nations that champions common development by addressing the North-South gap, and a United Nations that keeps abreast of the times and effectively responds to global challenges, Wang said.
Wang put forward four proposals as following:
First, the world needs to uphold multilateralism and reject unilateralism and protectionism. “We must always stand on the side of multilateralism and international justice. We must uphold the international system built around the UN, safeguard the World Trade Organization-centered multilateral trading regime and speed up the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We need to say no to unilateralism. We need to oppose any act of walking away from international organizations and treaties or replacing them with something out of nowhere. No one should challenge or undermine universally recognized rules out of selfish interests,” he said.
Second, the world needs to support greater democracy in international relations and reject hegemonism and power politics. “Issues that matter internationally must be addressed through consultation between nations and governments. Any country claiming that its own interests should always come first and be placed above the common interests of the global community is doomed to failure. The basic norms governing international relations, such as respect for national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs, must be observed by all,” he said.
“Countries, irrespective of their size, strength and wealth, are equal. Consultation, cooperation and benefit for all should be our guiding principle,” he said, adding that “dialogue and consultation should be the way forward in addressing differences and disputes, rather than unwarranted unilateral actions such as economic blockade, financial sanctions, acts of bullying and power politics, and still less gross interference in other countries’ internal affairs,” he said.
Third, the world needs to safeguard the international order underpinned by international law and reject unlawful acts and double standards. “We must firmly uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. We need one single set of rules, not double standards or selective application of these rules. It is unacceptable to use the rule of law as a pretext to infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of other countries or even undermine peace and stability,” Wang said.
Fourth, the world needs to call for solidarity and cooperation and reject self-conceit and beggar-thy-neighbor practices. “In fighting the disease, we must always follow a people-first approach and put saving lives above all else. The world needs to come together and give the World Health Organization full support in playing its statutory role. Any politicization, stigmatization or name-calling associated with the virus must be rejected, so should scapegoating and blame-shifting,” he added.
China is a firm proponent and practitioner of multilateralism, which has all along supported the UN in playing an active role, upheld its authority and stature, Wang said.
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, China fully supports the work of the UN, and will fully deliver on the actions announced by President Xi Jinping at the 73rd World Health Assembly so as to contribute to the global efforts against the pandemic within its capability, he said.
China is ready to work with all parties in keeping with the trend of the times and guided by multilateralism, and build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful post-COVID-19 world that enjoys lasting peace, security and prosperity for all, he said.
”

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 18 2020 6:18 utc | 99