WSWS has an examination of the Presidential affair – examining several forms of crises liable to take place, as, of course, disease and fiat dollars more or less explode… “Trump floats delaying election, both parties appeal to military as umpire”. excerpt> ” “Crucially, a contested outcome lasting beyond Jan. 20 would force the military to make an implicit decision about who is commander in chief. According to the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, Trump would cease to be president on noon of Jan. 20 if Congress does not certify him as the winner, passing his authority as commander in chief of the military to the acting president, the speaker of the House of Representatives.” ”

Posted by: Walter | Jul 31 2020 14:39 utc | 4

@ 5 migueljose – jen on the previous thread posted this which goes with your supposition… my own thinking is you are both correct… a way to vilify china will be gotten, some way, some how… it is where we are at the in the msm propaganda news stream..
“In other news I have seen online, I intuit that the Western MSM will very soon focus obsessively on a coronavirus outbreak in Xinjiang region in NW China.
So far there have been 254 confirmed cases with 73 recoveries and 3 deaths.
Of course The Fraudian frets that a mid-July outbreak in Urumqi which then jumped to Kashgar (300 km away) will threaten the one million Uyghur people incarcerated in the concentration camps that so far have escaped being photographed by US satellites and their images made available to the likes of Bellingcat and similar “citizen journalist types” who work with open-source material.
Posted by: Jen | Jul 31 2020 0:19 utc | 39″

Posted by: james | Jul 31 2020 15:16 utc | 6

ptb @2: “Seems to be continuing the pattern of reversals. Earlier he indicated he would move to kick out US troops by letting a relevant treaty expire, then changed his mind this spring.”
Duterte knows full well who he is up against. He has to dance to avoid ending up dead. Things happen in the Philippines that we don’t hear much about, but you can easily guess if you have an idea how the CIA operates. That said, Duterte’s reversals are two steps forward and one step back. It may not look like it at times but he is making progress for his country.

Posted by: William Gruff | Jul 31 2020 17:07 utc | 8

@migueljos | 5
Thanks for the poses. Excellent reading.
“Uighur connection with Turkey, lots of history, along with where he thinks it’s headed. Commenters push back on him a bit”
Turkey has played a very duplicitous and pernicious role regarding the Uyghur. Sadly, the last part of that is its current betrayal of these ‘Turkic’ peoples in allowing their illegal and forced extradition to China.
Turkey only recognises its own superiority both nationalistically and religiously (Muslim Brotherhood!). It’s century long play to appropriate ‘Turkic’ history and culture is simply a part of this attempt to establish a ‘people’ to which it belongs and which it presides over.

Posted by: AtaBrit | Jul 31 2020 17:21 utc | 10

The violent Left….ORCS.
The new Internet Meme; pass it on……

Posted by: Michele Baillie | Jul 31 2020 17:28 utc | 12

“Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez decries statue of Catholic saint, Damien of Molokai as ‘white supremacist culture'”
AOC is either the dumbest or the most cynical politician who ever lived; maybe both, they seem to go together. It is hard to see what capital Damien could have made out of the situation. One lone person who voluntarily went to live among 600 lepers; with no authority whatsoever other than the hard-won respect that he slowly accumulated through self-sacrifice and love. Someone who stayed there for years until he contracted the disease; and remained there for years until his fingers, nose and ears rotted and began to drop off; and remained there nonetheless until he died.

Posted by: carl | Jul 31 2020 17:41 utc | 14

AFRICOM confirms HQ is leaving Stuttgart, German defense minister says US withdrawal is ‘regrettable’
USA’s shift to the Western Pacific (Australia) is taking shape. This withdrawal of American troops and personnel from Germany points to the direction of European long-term decline in importance, as it seems the USA is opting for a more aggressive, less in-depth model against the Russian Federation. Either it believes the Russian Federation will fall soon (after Putin’s death) or it is giving up Europe altogether. Both scenarios imply in Germany’s (the EU) decline.

Posted by: vk | Jul 31 2020 18:08 utc | 16

@8 William Gruff
Yea. He may also be playing hard-to-get with the US while still negotiating status of US bases. Their expansion may yet be the outcome if Trump (i.e. Pompeo) makes the right offer.
Either way, the loyalty of third parties has definitely become a seller’s market.

Posted by: ptb | Jul 31 2020 18:19 utc | 18

carl | Jul 31 2020 17:41 utc | 14
should you ever speak to a native Hawaiian, I suspect you would get an earful about these wonderful Christian priests who brought the beauty of the Inquisition and splendor of the Crusades to their islands.
same script as a lot of other places, first the missionaries, then come the Marines.

Posted by: dan of steele | Jul 31 2020 18:29 utc | 20

Will the Japanese Middle Class ‘Die Out’ Amid Rising Poverty & Hazy Economic Prospects?
Short answer: yes.
Long answer: yes, for sure.

Posted by: vk | Jul 31 2020 19:30 utc | 22

@karlof1 | 21
Simply don’t know enough about the US to comment and it’s difficult for a European to comprehend, to be honest; nonetheless a fascinating piece. Cheers.

Posted by: AtaBrit | Jul 31 2020 19:48 utc | 24

William Gruff @23–
Went out on the ocean fishin’ the last two days. Wednesday was nice and quiet on the squawk box. Thursday there were about 8x the amount of yahoos out on the briny jabbering away. On the way back, several of those yahoos already back on the beach were yammering like the dude in the article, having no clue about much of anything. It was either turn it way down or grab the mic and give them a lecture. I decided it best to just turn the volume down so I couldn’t hear it over the engine’s roar as the non-mask wearing set will die with their biases on. Once upon a time, I thought someone would make the connection between the message in The Sons of Kate Elder and the Wall Street capture of the Executive, particularly the regulators, which was already very apparent in 1965 when that movie was made. Alas, it seems I’m the only one who ever got that message. Watch it and I’m sure at least you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 31 2020 20:06 utc | 26

@ karlof1
I read the article, but I’m thinking the author is attempting to conflate things that don’t mix.
I had first heard of “Boogaloo Boyz” about a month ago, and thought it might be a new militia movement. My first reaction was that it might be composed of veterans of the many US wars–in the US Army the MOS for Infantry is 11B, or in military speak “Eleven Bravo,” but often referred to as Eleven Boogaloo among the infantry. I thought things might be fixing to get very interesting. But no, some quick Googling turned up that the Boogaloo Boyz were mostly vicious video game soldiers living in their Moms’ basements, who liked to dress up and make noise on the internet but rarely in the real world. In sum, they are hardly a militia, and I’m surprised the author of that article would treat them as such, and they will shirk from violence from any source.
That is not to say that there aren’t real militias, or groupings of the aforesaid vets who after multiple tours of being forced to be bad cops and targets in foreign lands where they are universally hated and rules for killing are lax, are not going to shirk from violence. However, some of the more virulent of those groups are neo-nazi or skinhead (which are certainly not going to support BLM, or the cops for that matter); ultra-conservative/libertarian anti-government types (who oppose the government but also oppose the BLM/antifa which they see as the mirror image and just as dangerous–plus they have spent years learning to keep a low profile lest they be jacked with by the Feds, so why expose themselves now?); and you might lump in veteran’s groups which are often also biker clubs (which also don’t support BLM/antifa or the government, since the government is firmly against any militia or biker clubs, but will certainly turn up to protect what they deem “their” protected areas and might, in limited ways, “back the blue” mostly a legacy of their military discipline). In sum, I don’t think any bona fide militia groups take the rioters as a serious uprising nor see any reason to get involved unless and until it starts to impact them.
Those “backing the blue” are rarely what I would think of as militia, they are just armed citizenry who have a vague distrust of the government but are appalled at the visions of post-apocolyptic, Mad Max breakdown they see (or imagine) in areas where BLM/antifa rule. The main reasons there are no [organized] militias supporting the rioters is because the rioters are not organized themselves, have no real agenda or demands other than a summer of childish destruction and breaking quarantine. It’s a crying shame, too, because there is so much that should be protested against, so much injustice and stunning inequality and the end game of a class warfare that only one side realized it was fighting…but the protests have been hijacked by the very entities who should be “the bad guys,” and turned into violence for political gains, and divisiveness to further entrench animosity among the lower classes to prevent them from uniting. Unfortunately, after decades of brainwashing the regular people of the US know they are angry, they know things are wrong, but they have been propagandized into thinking cutthroat capitalism is the only way, few are educated enough to know better, and there is no strong leadership to lead them out of the darkness.

Posted by: J Swift | Jul 31 2020 22:39 utc | 28

@karlof1 | 21
“Given their intense dislike of mask wearing, perhaps they’ll suffer a severe culling by COVID.”
If you consider a 0.1% infection fatality rate a severe culling, then they certainly are!

Posted by: Leser | Jul 31 2020 22:52 utc | 30

“Rumors Of Structural Faults” – China’s Three Gorges Dam Could Be Nearing collapse
“Concerns are rising that China’s Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest dam, could be on the verge of collapse triggering a devastating 250-foot tidal wave that would wipe out cities, reported The Sun. “
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/rumors-structural-faults-chinas-three-gorges-dam-could-be-verge-collapse
Near panic yesterday starts searching in DuckDuckGo and guess what freaking fake news. These were the same news old news since early June from you know who ZeroHedge, Fox News…Epoch Times, NTD…

Posted by: JC | Jul 31 2020 23:04 utc | 32

Taiwanese dictatorship:
Elementary school students in Taipei forced to kneel before Chiang’s body
Indoctrinated children through violent coercion: that’s a low blow, even for a liberal.
–//–
@ Posted by: JC | Jul 31 2020 23:04 utc | 32
I hear stories about the Three Gorges “imminent catastrophe” since it was being built here in the West. It’s all bullshit (unless the West is planning a terrorist attack against the dam).
@ Posted by: jared | Jul 31 2020 22:45 utc | 29
The republican model (as in republic, not the GOP), is doomed to collapse by design. We know that because the fate of the original republic – Rome – survived to our times in very well documented form (it is the best documented period of Rome’s history).
The story goes more or less like this: at the beginning, when there are true external threats (e.g. Carthage) and a lot of land to expand to (Gaul, Greece, Asia, Hispania), the system works as focus is directed to survival and to prosperity. Competition between candidates is healthy, and the winner really is the most capable administrator/general (Consul). When the issues being put to vote are cosmetic, the system also works.
But, when class struggle arises (see the Gracchi land reforms) and shit gets real, the system quickly collapses. The democratic game becomes too puerile to decide such important issues. Political polarization then builds up (in Rome’s case, the polarization between the Optimates and the Populares). Political polarization then leads to civil war, which then leads to perpetual dictatorship (empire).
In Rome’s case, the Optimates (Lucius Cornelius Sulla) initially won. Sulla’s first political speech as Rome’s dictator was deafened by screams of political enemies being executed in the background. It was pure extermination. But class struggle always leads up to revolution, and the Optimates’ cause was already lost. When Sulla died of old age, his utopia had already crumbled. His successors quickly undone his conservative reforms, as the economic contradictions were insurmountable. The populares, even after being exterminated, quickly came back until their ultimate victory under Gaius Julius Caesar, whose government would be directly continued through Gaius Octavius Thurinus (future emperor Augustus).
It is good to highlight here that even political extermination didn’t stop the flux of History in the Roman Republic. Sulla killed whatever popular he found, and restored through sheer force the old republic. That didn’t last one decade, as the populares’ cause was on the right side of History. Revolution happened either way. This is a warning for both the Liberals (Democrats) and the Neofascists (Republicans) in the USA, in a way that they should not feed themselves the illusion the extermination of the other faction will ever fix America. It won’t: the USA’s fate is already sealed.

Posted by: vk | Jul 31 2020 23:22 utc | 34

it is clear to me that the PTB are discouraging an investigation into the possibility that cell towers and other sources of emf sources are increasing the likely hood that the virus on contact with a human cell will be successful in infecting its human victim.
The amount of increase RF might cause in the infection probability (likelihood) by a virus c/n/b established because the PTB are unwilling to allow the data to be assembled to answer this question. Considering that the virus pandemic began in Wuhan China and that in the two and one half months just prior to the pandemic announcement between 7500 and 8000 cell towers were installed. Dr. Pall gave the number. In the past few days i have made inquiry to many people whose homes and work are not close to cell tower coverage; I am amazed the correlation no cell tower low to no infection in the surrounding population. but i have not run an controlled experiment.
Also I have previously reported that a EU Patent application claims holes are made in cells when RF is applied. Last months issue of Science normal articles provides more than sufficient evidence to suspect that cell tower radio frequencies and/or any other, wireless or by wire, source of emf (intensity, frequency in contact at the interface between virus and human are likely, or at least highly suspicious to be catalysts to infection.
Here is some cast in stone evidence. A EU Patent application [EUPA] EP 0710718A1.. published 08.05.1996 Bulletin 1996/19 application number 95115195.0 filed 5.10.1988 the application number of the earlier application in accord with Art. 66 EPC:88909944.6 published 8.05.1996 bulletin 1996/19 application number 95115195.0 date of filing 05.10.1988 which paragraph 54 “Method of and apparatus for cell poration (makes holes in cells) and cell fusion using RF electrical pulses.. (my own experience in infecting cells using ultra sound and RF).
Line 55 of the EUPA says this is a method for the poration and fusion of cells using RF electrical pulses. The alternating electric field induces cell congregation… the RF porates or fuses with .. very high efficiency.. animal cells, human cells, plant cells, protoplasts, erythrocyte ghosts, lipsomes, vesicles, bacteria and yeasts.
the EUPA says: the method has the unique ability to porate or fuse cells in very small or very large (like pandemic size) numbers.
The EUPA goes on to say: “During these prorations or fusions, ..a variety of chemical agents, including DNA, RNA, antibodies, proteins, drugs, molecular probes, hormones, growth factors, enzymes, organic and inorganic chemicals can be introduced into these cells.. and new biological species can be produced.. ”
There is just so much literature on the subject and virtually nothing about infection except mask and gloves. This black out occurs at a time when Viral Pandemic is the center narrative around the globe? Why ..?
Clearly the EU Patent applications makes the claim emf can cause membranes of living cells to become porated..and also it can cause cells to merge.. That is remote or local rf likely will make holes in human cells, and holes in cells likely will speed up or make more likely infection by any virus that uses cell pores to gain entry to live living human cells. ..
SARS Covid 19 makes holes in the double membrane of human cells, after it deals with ACE-2 Receptor. The double membrane surrounds and encapsulates the live human living cell. My own lab experiences says when viral elements won’t infect target cells , one tries RF amd various other wired and wireless methods to see if the infection can be made to happen, because such methods so often work. Nearly any source of energy whether in electrical or optical media might make it possible for a virus to circumvent the ACE-2 Receptor step or it might even increase the attraction between S1 and the ACE-2 Receptor. S2 porates the cells.
Why are nearly all alternative websites refusing to make infectivity a major issue ?? There is no patient if there is no infection. B has to my knowledge never denied a discussion where discovery and exposure of an industry practice might point to a possible abuse of humanity?

Posted by: snake | Jul 31 2020 23:55 utc | 36

The Three Gorges Dam isn’t going anywhere. Despite its elaborate appearances, it is a simple gravity dam, though of truly enormous proportions. The biggest car/truck bomb in human history would hardly scratch it. It would take a nuke to ding it, and a strategic nuke at that, not a little tactical one. Why the western capitalist mass media thinks we’re going to fall for their effort to induce mass hysteria is beyond me.
… uh, you’re not really falling for it, are you?

Posted by: William Gruff | Aug 1 2020 0:16 utc | 38

Posted by: William Gruff | Jul 31 2020 19:41 utc | 23 From that article the “boogaloos” sound like the good guys.
Yes, the article makes clear that there are at least two different groups of “militia”. As usual, it’s not an “either-or” situation.
Militias in general tend to be “law and order” types who support the US Constitution. However, the “law and order” part frays when it appears to them that there *is no* “law and order”. That’s *why* militias form historically in the US – when there is the perception that either the government has exceeded its authority *or* that there is no “law and order” on the *street.* Then the militia forms to *restore* “law and order*.
This book gives the history of the militia movement in the US from the Revolutionary War up through today. Discusses the meaning of the 2nd Amendment as well as that is the usual flashpoint these days. Concludes that while the Anti-Federalists wanted one depiction of the militia, the Federalists wanted another, so in fact the 2nd Amendment is a compromise. The original wording made clear that firearms possession was an *individual* right, the compromised version allows for defining the militia as more a *states’ right”. Nonetheless it’s clear that most of the Framers could never envision the notion of a “disarmed” America such as the anti-gunners are arguing for today.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Aug 1 2020 0:42 utc | 40

More 5G bullshit from the troll. ‘Nuff said.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Aug 1 2020 0:49 utc | 42

uncle tungsten 39
I consider Covid19 part of the great game – not because of it possibly being a bio weapon, but because it in its own way is in the game. It has certainly greased the slope for the US economy which is now going downhill very fast, but it was no more than a blip on the screen for the Chinese economy due to the different lines each country took in response to the virus.
US has turned on China because China’s economy was beginning to eclipse the US economy. Poor handling of the virus by the US have put them a long way behind … I guess now its just a matter of waiting to see how insane the US is and if they decide to risk all to take China down. UK, Canada, Australia are sort of following along because of the anglo supremacy thing.. like they’re trying to straddle a fence but cant touch the ground on either side.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Aug 1 2020 1:21 utc | 44

Sunny Runny Burger & Grieved
A little innovation goes a long way. Reminds of a war game I read about, US vs Iran. Iran used messengers rather than electronic coms and defeated the US side. I guess those playing the Iranian side broke the rules.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Aug 1 2020 1:33 utc | 46

Posted by: donkeytale | Aug 1 2020 0:50 utc | 43
Please permit me to rant… I happen to be one of “a sizable number of cementers…. to see Trump remain President… guarantee civil war here rather than in China.” Trump ain’t helping anyone but his god, himself and family in that order….
Ever since Trump show “The Apprentice”. I just loath him and it never ceased to amazed how anyone can vote for that idiot. I really can’t decided who is more evils Obama, Trump, Biden or Clinton… Is this the America turn out to be so stoopid?

Posted by: JC | Aug 1 2020 1:39 utc | 48

Thanks, Jackrabbit @ 3 – I didn’t understand all of that, but certainly the main points about the Skripals being triple spies, which the Brits kept from absconding with some of their not so secret issues makes sense. However, the lies upon lies issue and why the ptb had to compound those isn’t at all clear, perhaps needs some of b’s careful sleuthing as to why that whole fabrication got concocted in the first place.

Posted by: juliania | Aug 1 2020 1:58 utc | 50

@ 51 juliania.. i think it is fairly obvious why it ( skripal saga) was concocted as it was – the hate russia meme was and still is in full swing, although the hate china meme has started to over shadow it quite a bit the past year…. usa- uk and 5 eye msm propaganda is pretty blatant and obvious as i see it..

Posted by: james | Aug 1 2020 2:08 utc | 52

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Aug 1 2020 1:54 utc | 50
RE: Millenium Challenge 2002
Yep, I remember that. The thing was that Van Riper just did what the Iranians say they are going to do, and it worked just like you would expect. Not really innovative stuff. Obvious. The problem is/was the Navy likes big expensive platforms, you just kind of standoff and bomb your enemies, see, none of that unpleasant war of attrition.
Sometimes I wonder is one of the main reasons nobody has actually started a war with Iran yet is that exercise.

Posted by: Bemildred | Aug 1 2020 2:11 utc | 54

That’s my conspiracy theory-story and I’m stickin’ to it! LOL. 🙂
I reckon US is just going to shit on greased skids. Lol 🙂

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Aug 1 2020 2:48 utc | 56

Peter AU1 @Aug1 2:48 #57
I actually put “conspiracy theory” in quotes at first but then thought that people here would get the humor so I changed it to italics.
!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Aug 1 2020 2:52 utc | 58

It’s too soon to predict the result of the forthcoming Presidential election. Trump’s got lots of Cheap Tricks up his sleeve. He pulled one this week when he cast doubt on whether he’d step down if he ‘lost’ to a Dem candidate. But it had the desired affect. Now everyone is getting their knickers in a knot over ‘legalities’ – which is pretty amusing in a lawless, fascist, povery-stricken shithole like the USA.
It’ll be 2016 all over again once Trump starts reminding voters that AmeriKKKa is run by profe$$ional politicians who would sell their grand children + their next-door neighbor’s job for A Few Dollars More…
“It’s unfair what’s happened to The People of America. And we’re gonna stop it. Simple as that.”

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Aug 1 2020 3:12 utc | 60

donkeytale
the almost complete shut down of Middle East commentary by b
This statement is exaggerated. There are many people doing ME commentary – b can not shut that down. And b allows wide-ranging discussion in the Open Threads (that’s why they’re there!) where ME topics are often discussed.
I suspect that what your complaint is that b is neglecting ME and other issues to focus on Covid. But that is also incorrect.
On July 28, b wrote the post: “The Epidemic And Hizbullah Add To Netanyahoo’s Problems”. b had a series of 3 articles related to China before that. One of these had nothing to do with Covid at all: “U.S. Asks China To Make More Nuclear Weapons”. On July 20 b wrote this story: “Industrial Accidents In Iran Are Just That”.
=
… the wealthiest around the world and in the US (his people) become more entrenched and further enriched.
This is a good point but not well developed. And it’s tacked it on to a spurious one.
Trump is not the populist he claims to be. In fact every recent President – include Democrats Clinton and Obama – have worked to advance the interests of the power-elite.
The economic pain – which will grow more severe – is already being blamed on China. Trump says the US economy was PERFECT before China deliberately spread the “China Virus”.
IMO those who think that a Trump re-election helps to bring USA down are very mistaken. And those that think that Biden will bring any real change, or is the lesser evil, are just as deluded as Obama supporters were. Too many fall for the partisan bullshit.
!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Aug 1 2020 3:36 utc | 62

Okay, I’ll bite, Jackrabbit – sorry if I haven’t followed your line of thinking on CIA and Hillary …wanting to elect Trump??? That really doesn’t make sense to me. That would mean everything about the really outrageous campaign against Trump’s presidency has been orchestrated so we chumps wouldn’t guess they really were secretly rejoicing?
Sorry, I just don’t buy it. But of course, I could be wrong. Who knows what dark deeds are being secretly devised behind all these curtains of lies? (A good reason to suppose there is a God who sees and who will someday reveal to us mortals what has really been going on. I can’t wait to find out.)

Posted by: juliania | Aug 1 2020 4:03 utc | 64

In recently unsealed court documents involving dead child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, a woman named Virginia Giuffre, who publicly accused Epstein of sex trafficking, said that she once saw former Democratic President Bill Clinton on Epstein’s island with “two young girls” from New York.
In the questioning by lawyer Jack Scarola, Guiffre was asked, “Do you have any recollection of Jeffrey Epstein’s specifically telling you that ‘Bill Clinton owes me favors?'”
“Yes, I do,” Guiffre answered. “It was a laugh though. He would laugh it off. You know, I remember asking Jeffrey what’s Bill Clinton doing here [on Epstein’s island] kind of thing, and he laughed it off and said well he owes me favors.”
https://www.newsweek.com/bill-clinton-went-jeffrey-epsteins-island-2-young-girls-virginia-giuffre-says-1521845

Posted by: Mao | Aug 1 2020 4:15 utc | 66

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1288818160389558273

Posted by: Mao | Aug 1 2020 4:28 utc | 68

@ Haassaan | Aug 1 2020 4:11 utc | 66 with the 2 cents on the Boogaloo Militia Movement…
Thanks for that. I am wondering if this group or similar understand that the West is run by those that own global private finance? Do they understand the West is top/bottom and not left/right?
I ask these questions because back when I was more exposed to folks with that orientation of thought I felt that there is a common understanding and mistrust of finance folk that crosses the conflated left/right memes. This common ground of feelings about the private finance folks is one that needs to be explored and expanded, IMO.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Aug 1 2020 4:31 utc | 70

Interesting extract from Xymphora’s July 31 blog entry…
Tweet (trappedpatriot):
“So they screwed up bigtime on the redactions for the Ghislaine Maxwell release today. You can literally copy and paste the redacted pages into notepad and read them. Check out document #143 for a great example. #Epstein #Maxwell”
The trick works (I’d like to think it is not a mistake but some direct action by a court employee who is tired of all the lies). From document #143 (a deposition of Maxwell where her lawyer instructs her not to answer most, but not all, questions:
…
I can wait for the Official Version but I’d be interested to hear if any of MoA’s resident sleuths have found the copy/paste assertion to be true?

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Aug 1 2020 5:07 utc | 72

@74 hoarse
Not holding my breath but my ears are perked.
It looks like they highlighted what was to be redacted in adobe instead of scanning redacted documents manually.
Somebody screwed up? Intentionally? Mistrial for Maxwell?
Looks like Clinton “dicking (underage) blondes.” I am shocked!
Trump is looking clean and I would have already guessed it with his foray into the porn industry w/ Stormy Daniels. Whereas with paedophiles, it is about power and domination, when you are into a chick like Daniels, you are staying simple and “keeping your cart wheel in worn ruts.” (Tao Te Ching)

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Aug 1 2020 5:55 utc | 74

Not everything is lost on the eastern front, Belarus looks shaky and possibly heading for a Maidan Minsk style after the 8th elections, Armenia flooded with NGO’s in the midst of a shooting conflict with Azerbaijan, and the poles going at it again about the presidential plane crash in Smolensk back in 2010. Empire never sleeps, no matter the crumbling.

Posted by: Paco | Aug 1 2020 7:08 utc | 76

And with the excuse of punishing Germany for not paying up about 6K US troops to be deployed closer to the Russian border. Pom-pedo must be happy.
pedo
Del lat. pedĭtum.
1. m. Ventosidad que se expele del vientre por el ano.

Posted by: Paco | Aug 1 2020 7:16 utc | 78

Posted by: Grieved | Aug 1 2020 4:29 utc | 70
Good luck with that! The neocons don’t care what the Pentagon thinks.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Aug 1 2020 7:53 utc | 80

Paco @79
Al Jazeera reported recently that Lukashenko was accusing Russia of sending ‘mercenaries’ (from the Wagner Group no less) to disrupt the elections. Despite his overtures to the West it’s surprising to see him trafficking in Baltic State-level Russophobia. b suggested in a previous post that the Kremlin may have tired of his nonsense and is backing a different horse in this race, any speculation in that direction?

Posted by: Paora | Aug 1 2020 8:29 utc | 82

Re Iran
US could not attack Iran conventionally but with Trump’s earlier fixation on nuclear weapons I think he was going to give that a try. Putin must have thought so to as he very publicly laid Russia’s nuclear umbrella over Iran and maintained the status quo.
It was after this meeting the Russian envoy made the point plain and public in the presser that Iran was an ally of Russia.
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-iran-us-israel-drone-ally-1445802

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Aug 1 2020 9:03 utc | 84

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Aug 1 2020 9:03 utc | 88 US could not attack Iran conventionally
The US is perfectly capable of *attacking* Iran conventionally. The only thing to question is whether the US can *defeat* Iran in the sense that Iran “surrenders” officially to the US. *That* is in my view impossible short of the US actually killing thirty million Iranians by nuking Iran.
Which in turn I believe even Trump would not do. He really would get Pentagon pushback on that, as well as from every US ally and the UNSC, because no one wants to get the geopolitical hear from being the first country to use nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear country (this isn’t WWII any more, before anyone brings up Hiroshima.)
As for Putin declaring Iran an ally, that does *not* mean that Putin would risk a nuclear confrontation with the US over Iran. Not going to happen – even if the US nuked Tehran. Putin’s charge is to take care of Russian interests – and having Iran as an “ally and partner” does qualify as an “interest”. But it is *not* an *overriding* interest. Putin would not be authorized by the Russian people to risk their country being nuked over a bunch of Persians and if he did, they’d kick his butt out at the next election – and rightly so.
Current Russian military doctrine (discussed here specifies the following:

The section on use begins by repeating the formulation in the last two Russian military doctrines (translation from the Russian Embassy in the U.K.): “The Russian Federation shall reserve the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it and/or its allies, as well as in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation with the use of conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is in jeopardy.” Like the doctrines, Foundations underlines that the president of the Russian Federation makes any decision to use nuclear weapons. However, unlike the doctrines, it then, in paragraph 19, outlines four conditions that could allow for (not require) nuclear use:
credible information that Russia is under ballistic missile attack (the missiles don’t have to be nuclear—this isn’t specified—but in many cases, it’s hard to tell before they land);
the use of nuclear or other WMD by an adversary against Russian territory or that of its allies;
adversary actions against Russian critical government or military infrastructure that could undermine Russia’s capacity for nuclear retaliation (so, for example, a cyber attack on Russia’s command and control—or perhaps one that targets Russian leadership could also qualify); and, finally,
conventional aggression against Russia that threatens the very existence of the state.

The primary requirement is the use of nukes or “WMDs” against Russia, or conventional weapons where their use is an “existential threat”, i.e., Russia is about to be defeated on a conventional battlefield.
the phrase “and/or its allies” almost certainly does *not* include Iran. There are two “alliances” to which Russia is a party, according to Wikipedia:
1) Collective Security Treaty Organization: Military alliance with 6 former Soviet republics: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
2) Union State: an alliance between Russia and Belarus (also already covered by 1).
Russia and Iran do not have any formal military or mutual-defense alliance agreements. Russia and Iran are “allied” only with regard to Syria and Islamic terrorism in general. Russia is willing to sell Iran arms, obviously. Equally obviously, that does not indicate a willingness to risk nuclear war.
Putin made the following statement in June of 2019:

After talks Friday with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, Putin said that “relations between Russia and Iran are multifaceted, multilateral” and that “this concerns the economy, this concerns the issues of stability in the region, our joint efforts to combat terrorism, including in Syria.”

Nothing in that statement indicates a willingness to use Russia’s nuclear arsenal to threaten the US to prevent a US attack on Iran.
It is of course *possible* that some in the Pentagon, the Deep State, and/or Congress, may interpret that to be the case. But I think the primary restraint on any President would be the heat for a first use of nukes on a non-nuclear country – even if the alleged “reason” was that Iran was developing nukes.
Even severe damage to US Navy assets in the region would not be sufficient to justify the use of nukes against Iran, in particular because the only viable target for nukes would Tehran or some other major Iranian city.
It is just possible that a tactical nuke would be used against a heavily buried facility involved in nuclear weapons development (or more precisely, alleged to be so – because Iran won’t be developing nukes regardless of any US attack.) But even that would likely produce more heat than the US would want – and if it was done, it would be done as covertly as possible and then denied by the US. And even in that case, Russia would not threaten a nuclear response over that.
Of course, if the US leadership were to become even more unhinged than Trump, or say, the Russian leadership after Putin were to become more hawkish, then all bets are off. But under current conditions, it’s not going to happen.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Aug 1 2020 9:55 utc | 86

This is a very good interview of Nassim Nicholas Taleb on the EconTalk Youtube channel. Well worth watching for the hour or so.
A Youtuber posted these notes:

The risk of ruin vs the risk of variation. I first need to survive. There systemic risks to be avoided that then allow me to take other risks elsewhere. Unlike other risks, the collective risk from infectious diseases doesn’t scale linearly from individual risk. If I don’t pay attention, the risk will be higher for everyone else. If we both wear masks perhaps we’re not just reducing the risk of infection by p but by p². If we reduce viral load, perhaps we’re reducing infection of others as much as 99%. Pandemics are existential risks. Pandemics have multiplicative risks. Others like dying from drowning in swimming pools are Chernoff bound (non-multiplicative). Rationality does not scale. People doing the right thing may not look rational. Pandemics are the fattest tail of them all. They got to be nipped at the bud. If we don’t know if masks work, the more we should wear them. When there’s uncertainty in the system it makes decisions much easier. Science is not about evidence. Science is about properties of stuff which may or may not include forecasts. Science is about describing a process. Rigorous science includes computation of asymmetries. Science is not accounting. Science is about understanding phenomena.

One point made was that you should treat all pandemics the same: as soon as they kill, say, one thousand people, take them seriously because you don’t know what the ultimate morbidity will be. And that applies to this pandemic – because no one knows where it will stop or how much ancillary damage will be caused to even young victims over their lifespan.
And as for “forecasting”, he points out that science is not about forecasting. Even epidemiologists don’t understand that. It’s about describing phenomena. You can make models, but models and statistics are not that useful when it comes to “fat tail” events.
He describes how historically Europe dealt with the plagues. They used quarantine liberally as part of their normal economic behavior. Ships that came in from suspect ports were refused entry, and ships in general were quarantined as a matter of course. When one ship was allowed to skip quarantine by the Mayor of Marseille – because he owned the ship – half of Marseille died.
Everyone should watch this interview and learn something about dealing with risk, and especially pandemic risk – which as he points out is an even greater risk than nuclear war.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Aug 1 2020 10:22 utc | 88

Putin’s speech March 1 2018
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56957
“In this connection, I would like to note the following. We are greatly concerned by certain provisions of the revised nuclear posture review, which expand the opportunities for reducing and reduce the threshold for the use of nuclear arms. Behind closed doors, one may say anything to calm down anyone, but we read what is written. And what is written is that this strategy can be put into action in response to conventional arms attacks and even to a cyber-threat.
I should note that our military doctrine says Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons solely in response to a nuclear attack, or an attack with other weapons of mass destruction against the country or its allies, or an act of aggression against us with the use of conventional weapons that threaten the very existence of the state. This all is very clear and specific.
As such, I see it is my duty to announce the following. Any use of nuclear weapons against Russia or its allies, weapons of short, medium or any range at all, will be considered as a nuclear attack on this country. Retaliation will be immediate, with all the attendant consequences.”
Patrushev from my link above.
“In the context of the statements made by our partners with regard to a major regional power, namely Iran, I would like to say the following: Iran has always been and remains our ally and partner, with which we are consistently developing relations both on bilateral basis and within multilateral formats”
Patrushev went to the meeting as a presidential envoy. After Putin’s 2018 speech, I wondered who Russia considered an ally as I had not seen Russia name any. I tend to think Patrushev had reason to publicly name Iran as an ally at that presser. My guess is Israel and US were trying to get Russia to stand aside while they attacked Iran.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Aug 1 2020 10:52 utc | 90

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/war-between-greece-and-turkey-now-real-possibility-165465.
By the way. this article really ruffled some feathers in Turkey.
Posted by: AtaBrit | Jul 31 2020 17:10 utc | 9
That sounded like standard anti-Turkish stuff. Greece and Turkey have been on the point of war for nearly a century, since the Greeks actually invaded Turkey, to recover Ionian “rights” in Anatolia from the 5th century BC. And the American Enterprise Institute too! A well-known left-wing institution.

Posted by: Laguerre | Aug 1 2020 11:33 utc | 92

Kay Fabe @ 96
Thank you for that excellent summary of the Epstein, Maxwell racket inc background.
That’s MOA At it’s best. This entire post is first rate. I in tend to just listen and learn.
It’s on thing knowing about the curuption, another thing being able to do something about it !
This is why I beleave the only true politics now is street politics, wheather we like it or not.
There is more now that unites us than devides us. Left Right politics will include a lot of mistrust.
Media misinformation being the deliberate course of that. Along with media self-censorship. Until we resolve that. Civil war is enevitable!

Posted by: Mark2 | Aug 1 2020 11:55 utc | 94

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Aug 1 2020 10:52 utc | 95 I tend to think Patrushev had reason to publicly name Iran as an ally at that presser. My guess is Israel and US were trying to get Russia to stand aside while they attacked Iran.
Nonetheless, the two statements do not constitute an official declaration that Iran is an ally in the sense of being under the Russian nuclear umbrella, as the countries in the list I quoted from Wikipedia are. The Collective Security Treaty Organization “charter reaffirmed the desire of all participating states to abstain from the use or threat of force. Signatories would not be able to join other military alliances or other groups of states,[3] while aggression against one signatory would be perceived as an aggression against all.”
That’s a military alliance which specifically declares those countries as “allies” in the military sense and specifically states that an attack on any of them is an attack on all of them.
Putin nor anyone else in Russia has specifically stated that Iran is an ally in those same terms. Putin’s reference to Iran as an ally applied to economic matters and the security of Syria.
There is an article at Stratfor which I cannot access, but the tagline says: “Nikolai Bordyuzha, secretary-general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), said Feb. 25 [2020] that Moscow’s nuclear umbrella has been extended to other CSTO member countries…” In other words, the nuclear umbrella didn’t even cover the former Soviet Union countries until this year, apparently. From another article I found, Russia extended the umbrella to Belarus in 2000. Another article I found says this:

Finally, Russia has created its own military alliance through the Collective Security Treaty (1992) or “Tashkent treaty”. In 2002, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was created, with a view to parallel NATO. As of June 2009, the organization included Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, which are implicitly covered by a Russian nuclear guarantee. Even though Russian officials refer sometimes to all Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS) countries being protected by Moscow’s nuclear forces, it is reasonable to assume that only CSTO countries are effectively under the Russian nuclear umbrella.

So I simply don’t see any reference anywhere to Russia explicitly extending its nuclear umbrella outside of the former Soviet Bloc countries. Again, all of the references made by Russians – Putin or otherwise – to Iran as an “ally” do not reference a military dimension. Of course, it’s always *possible* that Putin or some future Russian leader *would* extend that umbrella to Iran, depending on future circumstances. But it seems highly unlikely.
I repeat: There is no chance that Russia will go to nuclear war over Iran. Or even conventional war against US military assets engaged in an attack on Iran because that would risk escalation to a nuclear level. The most Russia will do is supply arms and intelligence to Iran.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Aug 1 2020 13:20 utc | 96

@Kay Fabe96
@Bemildred98
Totally agree with both on Barr. His name burned into my brain around 1999 when I picked up a bombshell book from my local library by Terry Reed: https://www.amazon.com/Compromised-Clinton-Bush-Terry-Reed/dp/1561712493
Reed was a Vietnam vet, Air Force pilot, then recruited into CIA, worked with private companies connected with CIA, then continued to tangle himself into training pilots in Mena AK in the early 80s. The book is an autobio which they always leave a ton of stuff out– I will when I write mine (LOL)- but Reed tells the story of the Contra cocaine/arms ratline running through Bill Clinton’s Arkansas, names names: Barr, HW Bush, Barry Seal, HW’s friend Felix (he killed Che)Rodriguez,the drug addled–and involved– Bush boys (W and Jeb). At one point in his story Barr appears in Arkansas and threatens Clinton.
If anyone can refute this story please do. I have not been able to in over 20 years. The book is hard to get now, very expensive, but might be in some libraries. disappeared from mine.
Here’s a youtube clip on him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H01_dY6atfc
Bottom line, my guess is that Reed was like many, ambitious young up and comer who used his position and skills to climb until he found himself in a tangled web: a mafia cell that easily could have snuffed him. Barr, Clintons, Bush’s,… they’re all players and they play by mafia rules.

Posted by: migueljose | Aug 1 2020 13:31 utc | 98

The “no-fly zone” issue is covered in a second video suggested when this one almost ends…It is also told that Obama opposed at first the destruction of Lybia, along with the important participation of some NATO superpowers on basis of geopolitical interests and, of course, looting of always…It was a coalition of the willing with assorted goals…althoughm ainly benefitted the US in its cursade on the ME…
All these wars have happened to destroy kinda powerful nations ( competing economic/military powers…), like Lybia in Africa and Yugoslavia in Europe on behalf of others´hegemony…

Posted by: H.Schmatz | Aug 1 2020 13:41 utc | 100