Brazil’s biggest evangelical church is a big criminal organization and money laundry:
Igreja Universal teve movimentações atípicas de quase R$ 6 bilhões em apenas um ano
This has always been the truth about Christianity: their only God is the Money God (“Heavenly Father”).
–//–
EU tries not to lag behind US in its attempts to ‘punish’ Russia – Lavrov

“Unfortunately, the EU has chosen the path of sacrificing its own geo-political and strategic interests for the sake of immediate wishes not to lag behind the US in what is called “punishing Russia.” We have got accustomed to this,” Lavrov said.

In chess, we have something called a “losing move”. A losing move is one in which the chess player – in an developed but balanced position, or even a favorable one – makes a move which, at first glance, is winning or developing favorably, but in actuality busts his/her position open and practically (excluding a blunder from the adversary) loses the game. A losing move is often just recognized as such by a much better player analyzing the game or after the game is over (20/20 vision).
In this case, it’s Lavrov – the proverbial better analyst – calling the EU’s losing move right on the spot. Historians from 100 years from now will point to these anti-Russia decisions as the beginning of the end of the EU.

Posted by: vk | Sep 13 2020 15:01 utc | 4

@b
Re: Stephen Walt
1. Systematic efforts to intimidate the media.
As if the media isn’t already captured by the intel agencies, DNC and RNC and others
2. Building an official pro-Trump media network.
This is a negative? When the DNC already has MSNBC and CNN, the Republicans have Fox?
If he was outlawing the above, that would be a dictator move.
3. Politicizing the civil service, military, National Guard, or the domestic security agencies.
Because current and former heads of the CIA, FBI, Army, Navy, Air Force and what not taking up commentator positions in CNN isn’t politicization?
4, Using government surveillance against domestic political opponents.
Good God. FISA surveillance of Carter Page and others? What a moron.
5. Using state power to reward corporate backers and punish opponents.
Like Obama, Bush, and Clinton were any different. Zero cred.
6. Stacking the Supreme Court.
Nominating judges is what sitting Presidents do. Did Obama or Clinton nominate any conservative judges? More idiocy.
For that matter, it should be noted that Neil Gorsuch voted for the eastern Oklahoma Indians in the McGirt vs. Oklahoma Supreme Court decision.
7. Enforcing the law for only one side.
Ugh. Again, as if this is different when there’s a Democrat in the White House.
8. Really rigging the system.
Yes, that’s why there are still elections and he’s behind in the polls. Because he’s “REALLY” rigging the system.
9. Fearmongering.
This is a legit complaint, but again: FDR pushed the US into World War 2. JFK kicked off Vietnam. LBJ pushed the Vietnam war effort into overdrive. Fearmongering is a tool used by people on all sides, at different times.
10. Demonizing the opposition.
One word: deplorables.
All in all, my tiny bit of respect for Stephen Walt: gone forever. Yet another partisan f***.

Posted by: c1ue | Sep 13 2020 15:17 utc | 6

“Trump down-played the virus spread and the virus effects for as long as he could. It’s very difficult to not see that as deliberately allowing the pandemic to gain a foothold and cause a CRISIS! that Trump/Deep State could use to further their agenda. Trump used the CRISIS! to bailout Wall Street and then Boeing. And his Administration’s seemingly inept actions have been a boondoogle for Big Pharma.”
Posted by: Jackrabbit | Sep 13 2020 15:02 utc | 6
Ok, b. was wrong. Nevertheless, the above analysis is yours. You are still endorsing it, although it’s quite obviously wrong.
Trump has answered Woodward : The reason why he downplayed the epidemic was that he wanted people not to panic.
Everybody knows that for Trump, in this year 2020, nothing matters more than to get reelected.
It is easy to seee that he preferred to sacrifice some lives rather than to sacrifice the economy. Ockham tells us that’s the actual Trump’s plot.

Posted by: Parisian Guy | Sep 13 2020 16:06 utc | 8

Parisian Guy @Sep13 16:06 #9

Trump has answered Woodward : The reason why he downplayed the epidemic was that he wanted people not to panic.

Bullshit. He KNEW that the pandemic was a serious threat but had no effective policy to address that threat until it grew to a CRISIS! that he could exploit via bailouts, looting, and China-bashing.
!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Sep 13 2020 16:26 utc | 10

NemesisCalling @Sep13 16:22 #10
We know that you’re a Trump apologist, Nemesis. But this is impossible to downplay.
Trump recognized the seriousness of the virus threat and yet didn’t address it effectively and lied to the public.
!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Sep 13 2020 16:30 utc | 12

thanks also, for all your do b!
@ jackrabbit… 1 point for a good post that has enraged the local trump supporters, lol…
here in canada the talk of guaranteed basic income is gaining traction…. i find it fascinating… cbc link to this here…

Posted by: james | Sep 13 2020 16:37 utc | 14

b
can you sideline all comments that have a ‘word’ longer than 65 or 70 characters long such as @16 – Parisian Guy’s second link which destroys page width? It would be reasonable that links using longer ‘words’ (unbroken by hyphen line of characters in the link), to be accepted, use the A HREF you have provided that avoids page extension. If those who are bright enough to write their commentary, they should be bright enough to use A HREF without calling their mothers for help.

Posted by: Formerly T-Bear | Sep 13 2020 17:33 utc | 16

Sorry for mix up, posted this on election thread
Some thoughts and comparisons with past models on peace between Israel and Persian Gulf Arab States, and US designs to implement a new security architecture for western Asia.
In early 70s when Americans were waist high in Vietnam quagmire and Watergate, Brits knew they had enough, no longer could afford policing the Persian Gulf and maintain their bases in the area. As of the result, the rearrangement of political and security architecture for Persian Gulf region became essential and necessary. In short years most disputes between the Arab states and Iran was resolved, Bahrain and UAE became independent states friendly to Iran, Iran reclaimed her sovereignty to several PG islands, Iraq and Iran’ dispute on Shatt al Arab water way was resolved, same with Kurdish insurgencies against the governments, Iran and Egypt restarted their relation, etc.. This (fake, unsubstantiated) political changes were arranged (mostly by British and Americans) to calm the political atmosphere in the region, making possible for Iran to become the” Police of Persian Gulf” to protect the new and old Arab fake but Rich states around the Gulf while the western powers no longer could afford doing so.
To make a new security arrangement to secure the western investments and interests by Iran in the region. Iran was to become capable to purchase massive amount of new and modern armament and training from the west with little money she was earning from her oil production. While Iran, and most of the oil producing gulf states were suffering from lack of any meaningful infrastructure. The solution to make these countries purchasing power capable of affording massive increase in purchasing western armament and infrastructure, came with a substantial increase in their only source of income, the oil price. What is called the “Petrol Dollar” recycling was created to recycle their earning from oil with Arms and Good from the west, a win, win solution. Meaning US will print unbacked fiat currency which everyone will need to have to purchase oil from the Persian Gulf oil producing states and oil producing states will purchase military goods and other services from (western) oil purchasing states.
By now we all know how long this fake security arrangements worked, yes less than 5 years, with Iranian revolution in 79 the west had to return to the region to protect its Arab client states. The Shah with full political, economic and military support of west could not protect himself from internal revolute, nevertheless the Arab statelets. The fact is, after Iranian revolution of 79 the west never was able, to arrange a meaningful lasting security architecture, in western Asia, to secure its Arab and Israeli clients and interests. Amazingly, while during all this past forty years since the Iranian revolution, besides its Arab client states all major regional Sunni Muslim states of Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan were in full cooperation with the US to restructure and maintain a new security architecture for western Asia outside of Iranian influence. It Never worked it never will, historically is impossible to make such an arrangement without Iran.
The reason I brought this up is, I see a similar even more clumsy and desperate new arrangement is forming up by the west to secure this small, low density high value Persian Gulf statelets. Apparently, this new arrangement is through utilizing Israel as the securing umbrella state, the so called Israel peace with Arabs states in the Gulf, this while unlike the Shah’ time at least on surface Turkey and Pakistan are officially not supporting this efforts.
It is not too difficult to understand peace with Israel, may bring some comfort and approval for Arab sheikhs and monarch while out of their choice they know US like Brits are leaving. But these Arab rulers know peace with Israel will not be accepted in their own Arab streets specially among rebellious Arabs youth. The fact is that these client Arab states more than external security that Israel supposedly can provide, need internal security from their own ever growing rebellious Arab youth. In fact, the recognition of Israel by these rich Arab monarchs makes them to be more insecure internally. Egypt and Jordan after peace deals and recognition of Israel, internally became less secure and more of police states, so was the Shah of Iran.
Looks like all signs are pointing to the direction of western states moving and making new arrangements to leave western Asia, Arab western clients should know they wouldn’t last, Historically and naturally Turkey’s influence will grow in eastern Mediterranean, and Iran’ in central Asia, Persian Gulf region.
Once my father ( a historian) told me, one can rewrite history book as one wish, but you one can’t recreate the geography. Geography of the Persian Gulf is the bitch for US.
Kooshy

Posted by: Kooshy | Sep 13 2020 17:53 utc | 18

@Parisian Guy #16
Indeed. I put up a link several months ago from a Florida Republican polling firm saying Florida was going for Trump.
When I was actually there 2 weeks ago (Orland and Miami), support for Trump was universal among the people I talked to – but of course this is not any type of representative group.

Posted by: c1ue | Sep 13 2020 19:01 utc | 20

as much as i like tracey’s reporting overall he tends to throw in random bullshit that taints the overall argument. the supposed COVID spike from the protests being a good example as it never actually happened. (PDF) nor are the violent “protests” a majority. that’s leaving aside the semantic parlor trick of calling dickhead white kids who come from out of town to burn stuff down “protestors” as opposed to “trust funder asshole cracker honkey retards”.
(waiting for the inevitable pedantic asshole Martin Princes of the internet to nitpick methodology on both studies…)
and despite what little readability hitchens may have i’m tired of the cowardly couching of reasonable opinions in “well, ____ is a rapist monster who kills and eats black orphans, buuuut…” nobody cares if assange or putin or maduro or ____ (insert the emmanuel goldstein of the day) lives up to your WASPy brit standards of behavior so get off the goddamn fainting couch and act like an adult.
whatever. he’s still less annoying than his dead prick brother.

Posted by: the pair | Sep 13 2020 19:09 utc | 22

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented U.S. President Donald Trump with a doctored video which showed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas calling for the murder of children, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Bob Woodward in his new book “Rage”.

No doubt Netanyahu also told Trump that Abbas was for killing ducks, and the children who fed them – a trick he learned from Gina Haspel.

Posted by: David G | Sep 13 2020 20:06 utc | 24

Posted by: Laguerre | Sep 13 2020 19:01 utc | 20
US doesn’t have a choice here like Brits didn’t I still remember Vietnam and US moving out, internal pressure and poverty and class distance is mounting in US, like it or not the focus becomes on foreign adventures expenditure. This is all about the “Arab NATO”, with Israel as the lead axis like US is for the NATO confronting Iran and Turkey influence over western Asia. In the security design Israel and Arab have the same security need and that’s all the reasons they need to be allies. But this concept unlike NATO from start is wrong and untannable, since firstly the insecurity threats are against unpopular Arab monarchs and not against their states or territorial integrity so the Arab streets not only is not concerned but may even become a threat itself, secondly culturally and religiously US and Europeans were a match, in this case not even close , third Israel has never been attacked by Turkey or Iran or Shia, Israeli security concerns comes from the same Arab street that she is becoming allied with. After theses recognitions opening of embassies and flights, I suspect it becomes much easier for Sunni Arab militarist to infiltrate into Israel.
IMO Saudi Arabia has no problem and is ready to jump on the wagon but perhaps is waiting for a signal from Trump for a later date closer to elections, as big foreign policy win, which is not these countries including Israel and the Real NATO countries have no say on their foreign affairs period.
cheers

Posted by: Kooshy | Sep 13 2020 20:23 utc | 26

Posted by: snake | Sep 13 2020 20:10 utc | 26
You do understand, don’t you, that this is US national policy, not a question of Biden or Trump. As long as there are no US casualties, nobody will be bothered to say no. The investment is not that important.
The Saudis aren’t really moving to Russia, that would be a big mistake, nor Iraq getting together with Iran, according to my reports.

Posted by: Laguerre | Sep 13 2020 20:38 utc | 28

I can’t understand people at this late date – both the Trump worshippers and despisers, and regardless of where they stand on the coronavirus panic – who still take Trump’s words as evidence of what he “really meant” or “really knew”. Hasn’t Trump’s lifetime spent publicly saying whatever was convenient to him at the moment – generally whatever he thought his interlocutors wanted to hear that would also advance his own interest, completely unmoored from any concern with external reality – been enough to show that to be a sucker’s game? (Though it is possible over the long term to use his words forensically to suss out certain tendencies, or even such few primitive beliefs as he does actually hold, such as that a nation’s trade surplus or deficit are equivalent to a business making or losing money.)
If Woodward could prove that Trump knew a material fact (as opposed to a judgment about a fact) earlier than acknowledged, that could be newsworthy. But while the seriousness (or otherwise) of this coronavirus is a (disputed) medical fact, Trump coming down one way or another on it at any given moment tells us nothing about the outbreak, or even what he “knows” or “knew” about it.
This is not to say I’m against Trump facing the consequences for being caught lying, same as anybody else – consequences Trump may be increasingly nervous about as he faces the possibility of having to move out of the presidential palace in a few months only to face motivated New York prosecutors looking hard at his businesses after decades of letting him ooze past the law with only a few minor scrapes.

Posted by: David G | Sep 13 2020 20:58 utc | 30

Thanks very much, b, for posting the correct link to the current UCSF video – lots of positivity in that, so it was enjoyable.
I’ve always felt the covid case count to be rather a relative statistic, not too meaningful as far as numbers go since it depends so much on the ability of states to do an accurate count. Unlike smaller entities such as New Zealand, which are able to do this more efficiently.
The information that leaving out such a questionable statistic and concentrating on deaths gives a declining rate is very good news indeed. Plus I liked Dr. Gandhi’s insistence that it is okay to talk in terms of herd immunity! She’s a good egg.

Posted by: juliania | Sep 13 2020 21:08 utc | 32

One of the former fighter pilots who encountered a mysterious flying object off the coast of California in 2004 says the unidentified phenomena committed an “act of war” in the unexplained encounter.

https://www.rt.com/usa/500504-declassified-ufo-act-of-war-radar/
That’s it: time for the U.S. to declare the universe a rogue state. Uncle Sam can start with sanctions to starve all the little gray twerps out there into compliance – and note that the U.S. military defines outer space as beginning at 50 miles altitude, rather than the international (and NASA) standard of 100 km, so that’s millions more cubic miles of ionosphere to blockade on top of all the galaxies. If that doesn’t garner an acceptable response, the new Space Force can be loosed on a stubborn, undemocratic cosmos. Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer will lie on their backs and piss upward in a show of support, with no conceivable ill effects raining back down on them.

Posted by: David G | Sep 13 2020 21:39 utc | 34

I am amazed by speculation on US Middle East actions, motivations and intentions by various barflies.
IMO US foreign policy, and more recently domestic policy, has been held in total captivity by the zionist cabal since at least 1917 when Woodrow Wilson sent Henry Morgenthau Snr on a later aborted “peace” mission to Turkey.
https://middleeastrealitycheck.blogspot.com/2010/11/diggers-who-died-for-israel.html
Importantly, the US, with an eye to the proposed future land grab, did not declare war on Turkey alone among the Central Powers in WW1.
US motivation is always first and foremost Zionism and allowing the thief to keep the stolen property. All other current and future developments should become clear in this context.

Posted by: Pail | Sep 13 2020 21:45 utc | 36

Posted by: Pail | Sep 13 2020 21:45 utc | 37
I don’t doubt you’re right. US policy succeeded British policy in the same sense. There are limits to a colonial policy, though. Especially one where war is declared on all surrounding neighbours. One day those fortified borders may fail.

Posted by: Laguerre | Sep 13 2020 21:56 utc | 38

Chevrus | Sep 13 2020 14:17 utc | 2:

Herbert wrote the first three novels in rapid succession …

Maybe too rapid. I’ve always thought the second and third volumes would have benefited greatly from an editor forcing Herbert to knock his ideas into more coherent shape – there are even misspellings in the 1970s paperbacks I read, though these may have been fixed since. (I also read the first post-trilogy book, but stopped there.)
Now I see on Wikipedia that “Dune Messiah” wasn’t published until 1969, following “Dune” (1965), so not that rapid. I’ve always felt that after the first book there was a sloppiness that undermined the strength of the saga.
When discussing the films, it should be remembered that this was one of Lynch’s more compromised works, with him being denied final cut and disowning the originally released version. (I know other cuts have been released subsequently; I’m not up on how Lynch feels about them.)
Fans who don’t know about it should try to see the documentary, “Jodorowsky’s Dune”, about Alejandro Jodorowsky’s failed effort to film the novel. That’s a movie I would like to have seen!

Posted by: David G | Sep 13 2020 22:15 utc | 40

the seriousness (or otherwise) of this coronavirus is a (disputed) medical fact, Trump coming down one way or another on it at any given moment tells us nothing about the outbreak
________________________________
Well said.
The same people that proclaim trump has told 20000 lies are somehow convinced that one lone statement by trump is not his usual bullshit
I will say it again -> trump’s primary skill is making other people act deranged.

Posted by: jinn | Sep 13 2020 22:53 utc | 42

Posted by: Kooshy | Sep 13 2020 17:53 utc | 19
> Some thoughts and comparisons with past models on peace between Israel and Persian Gulf Arab States, and US designs to implement a new security architecture for western Asia.
So you start with this, but then spew quite a bit of smoke in the direction of Iran, which is obviously not Arab. Noted.
> In early 70s when Americans were waist high in Vietnam quagmire and Watergate, Brits knew they had enough, no longer could afford policing the Persian Gulf and maintain their bases in the area. As of the result, the rearrangement of political and security architecture for Persian Gulf region became essential and necessary. In short years most disputes between the Arab states and Iran was resolved, Bahrain and UAE became independent states friendly to Iran, Iran reclaimed her sovereignty to several PG islands, Iraq and Iran’ dispute on Shatt al Arab water way was resolved, same with Kurdish insurgencies against the governments, Iran and Egypt restarted their relation, etc.. This (fake, unsubstantiated) political changes were arranged (mostly by British and Americans) to calm the political atmosphere in the region, making possible for Iran to become the” Police of Persian Gulf” to protect the new and old Arab fake but Rich states around the Gulf while the western powers no longer could afford doing so.
Ask your father the “historian” does changing “Policeman” to “Police” does a “wish” fulfillment? Kooshy’s father said, listen here son, “one can rewrite history book as one wish!”
Kooshy took extensive notes that day!
1975 Algiers Agreement
The Three Occupied UAE Islands: The Tunbs and Abu Musa
> To make a new security arrangement to secure the western investments and interests by Iran in the region. Iran was to become capable to purchase massive amount of new and modern armament and training from the west with little money she was earning from her oil production. While Iran, and most of the oil producing gulf states were suffering from lack of any meaningful infrastructure. The solution to make these countries purchasing power capable of affording massive increase in purchasing western armament and infrastructure, came with a substantial increase in their only source of income, the oil price. What is called the “Petrol Dollar” recycling was created to recycle their earning from oil with Arms and Good from the west, a win, win solution. Meaning US will print unbacked fiat currency which everyone will need to have to purchase oil from the Persian Gulf oil producing states and oil producing states will purchase military goods and other services from (western) oil purchasing states.
Kooshy Sr. would be proud of you! You have managed to erase OPEC, and existing (regrettable historic) evidence that shows the West went “nuts” about oil prices and Shah’s role in making it happen. And outside of Nixon and Kissinger, even in the US there was strong opposition to arming the Shah.
There are many videos on youtube, for the interested reader, where Shah of Iran was interviewed in the 70s about both of these topics. The tone of the interviewers throughout is interrogative and borderline rude. They questioned him about the price of oil. They asked “why does Iran need so many tanks”?
UPITN 17-4-78 Pahlavi Shah of IRAN interviewd on a range of subjects
> By now we all know how long this fake security arrangements worked, yes less than 5 years, with Iranian revolution in 79 the west had to return to the region to protect its Arab client states. The Shah with full political, economic and military support of west could not protect himself from internal revolute, nevertheless the Arab statelets.
Sadam Hussein backed down after locking horns with Shah of Iran. Sadaam attacked Iran and killed quite a few after your darling revolutionaries gutted and destroyed Iranian military, per your master’s instructions.
The security was working and this is why Iran had to be subverted internally. But BUS, UK, France, and Germany, BBC, even Air France, all chipped in to support the “internal revolute” [sic].
> The fact is, after Iranian revolution of 79 the west never was able, to arrange a meaningful lasting security architecture, in western Asia, to secure its Arab and Israeli clients and interests.
Right. Someone important in the trilateral commission wrote the book announcing their plans about this. Educate yourself, Kooshy. Z-big-news is you are yet again blowing smoke here. Shah was removed precisely to create the environment of chaos in the area.
“The fact is, after Iranian revolution of 79 [Iran] was never able, to [regain a measure of its former position, reputation, income, and quality of life, to say nothing of freedoms]”. There, fixed it for ya.
Btw, the Petrodollar agreement never included Iran. It was and remains an agreement between USA and House of Said.
> Once my father ( a historian) told me, one can rewrite history book as one wish, but you one can’t recreate the geography. Geography of the Persian Gulf is the bitch for US.
Haha. Too ‘Kooshy’ by a anglo-zionist mile, buddy.

Posted by: conspiracy-theorist | Sep 13 2020 22:56 utc | 44

As for the stimulus bill, anyone who thought it would be passed in the first week Congress was back was delusional. It was obvious that in an election year, it would be fought tooth and nail right up to the election (and perhaps beyond). Both sides are motivated to use it to score partisan points. But both sides are also motivated to pass something so they can use that in the election.
I continue to expect another $1200 stimulus check, if nothing else, simply because both sides will want to claim they “helped” the average voter. The rest of the haggling will continue over the business support, unemployment, etc. But I don’t expect any bill to pass before the last week of October. And if it doesn’t, it will be swept away by the fight over a contested election, in which case we won’t see any more assistance until sometime next year – if ever.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Sep 13 2020 23:17 utc | 46

the ruling class both fight with each other and are united against the working class. HRC and DT can be both best friends and want to stab each other in the throat in the quest for the imperial purple. but mostly the potus who drank the flint mi water is correct when he said, “it’s an intramural scrimmage.” and so perhaps trump’s and hilary’s real rivalry is over who can drape him- or herself in God and patriotism the most while branding the “enemy” w/some variation on the “communist” label. they both create conflicts and gamble on the outcome in the stock market vel sim, with as much criminality & profiteering involved as one can get away with. some obvious truths can be uttered (“people make money off of war!”) but class betrayal won’t be tolerated.
public opinion is just another resource to be exploited. but since the US empire is being checked abroad, methods mostly reserved for foreign lands or minorities will move ever closer to home for all of us. especially as the USG has no plans for a response even to the immediate needs of the wildfire victims, much less long-term strategies for anything but “heckuva job Bernie” levels of staggering incompetence and denial of reality.
who was it that said California is the end of the world? I guess we can’t run away from our karmic debt to the earth any more, can we? took capitalism about 100 years mas o menos to destroy California.

Posted by: jason | Sep 13 2020 23:34 utc | 48

Dune.
The David Lynch original looks better to me.
b.
The list of re-made “Hollywood” movies which are superior to the original is still awaiting its first entry…

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Sep 13 2020 23:51 utc | 50

jinn @Sep13 22:53 #43
I wasn’t going to comment on David G’s ludicrous attempt to excuse Trump but since you have now seconded it, I feel compelled to address this nonsense.
US government officials were briefed on the looming pandemic in late January. One Senator sold stocks based on the information that he received and passed on the information to his top donors.
So Trump wasn’t just mouthing off. His statement to Woodward confirms that HE KNEW that the virus was a real threat. And, as I previously mentioned, Trump WASN’T playing down the virus just to keep the public calm – in the six or seven weeks before declaring a National Emergency, Trump did virtually nothing to stop the virus or prepare for a pandemic outbreak. His shutting down air travel between USA and China was merely a band-aid – travelers could easily book flights via third-countries and were not subject to scrutiny when they arrived in USA except that they could self-identify as feeling sick if they wanted to spend two weeks in self-isolation (I don’t think USA even had any quarantine measures at that point).
The Trump Administration also approved selling millions of dollars of PPE to China despite knowing that USA was likely to be affected by the pandemic within weeks.
And in February 2020 the Trump Administration showed no interest early warnings of community spread in Washington State. As detailed by the New York Times, a researcher who wanted to test samples for community spread was told not to. When she did it anyway and found community spread, she was told to stop testing.
Then there’s the New York outbreak, which apparently came from Europe. How did USA miss the outbreak in Europe (especially in Italy) and thereby completely fail to take measures to prevent that vector of transmission?
Once the pandemic arrived in USA, the Trump Administration continued it’s inept response. And that’s why USA leads the world in coronavirus deaths.
Too many “mistakes” were made for anyone to believe that the Trump Administration didn’t deliberately allow the pandemic to spread.
!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Sep 14 2020 0:19 utc | 52

Effectively blocking, or even just delaying, the virus outbreak in USA would have meant that a bailout of Wall Street and Boeing might’ve been impossible.
The US economic expansion – the longest expansion ever – was already weakening by January 2020. If it had weakened further, many would suspect that the proposed Wall Street and Boeing bailouts were not due to the virus but to crony capitalism.
It’s also interesting to note the superbly-timed ARAMCO IPO. Despite years of delays, it finally came to market about two months before the pandemic was first recognized. Wow.
!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Sep 14 2020 0:40 utc | 54

v @36–
Within Outlaw US Empire Cold War propaganda, denouncing anything as “Stalinist” carried a rather specific message that is was first most certainly evil and secondly inhuman, and ipso facto something the 100% wholesome and goodly West would never ever do. In this case, we have an ally of the Outlaw US Empire engaging in just that sort of behavior, so I used the proper pejorative to denounce it–savvy?

Posted by: karlof1 | Sep 14 2020 1:02 utc | 56

Some have been following Matthew Ehret’s thesis examining what perhaps could have been and why, and he’s added another few pages. Beware his premises. In this installment, Ehret writes that the
“Munroe Doctrine” was “America’s anti-imperial foreign policy since 1823.” That couldn’t be more incorrect which is too bad since the initial tenor of his essay was excellent.

Posted by: karlof1 | Sep 14 2020 1:23 utc | 58

David g and steven re: body snatchers
Terrific movies, but after growing up with the Sutherland remake, I came to the original with Kevin McCarthy second. And I think it is the better. Great score, terrific lead in McCarthy (“They’re coming! They’re coming! You’re next! You’re next!”), tight script, good locations. With the remake, it lulls in the third act before a great finale/twist with Sutherland.
Aliens from Cameron isn’t quite a remake…although very similar to Ridley Scott’s plot. I feel it is a superior film than the original and in my top 10 greatest of all-time.
Thin Red Line by Terrence Malick is the superior to the original, although how can you go wrong adapting from James Jones? Malick’s world building and visual directing/editing is truly that of an auteur/master.
John Carpenter’s The Thing is definitely a remake that obliterated the original. Fantastic film and acting from Kurt Russel.
Just watched the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with the daughter. Amazing, timeless classic. The Burton remake was loud and obnoxious…definitely not warranting a rewatch.
Very, very rare to have a remake better than the first.
Egregious attempts:
Robocop (Verhoeven)
Invisible Man(s)
All the horror remakes really
Psycho

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Sep 14 2020 1:31 utc | 60

karlof1 @Sep14 1:09 #58
Yes, it’s true that official stats don’t reflect reality. Even the rose-colored glasses of establishment economists revealed an expansion with weak job growth made up of part-time and low-paying jobs.
But US media report on official stats and those official stats could not hide that a slowdown in US economy was threatening an OFFICIAL recession because Trump tax cut ‘sugar high’ had run its course.
During 2019, the Fed had reduced interest rates three times and had conducted stealth QE. They were “out of bullets” as 2020 began.
SeekingAlpha 2020 Economic Outlook (published January 6, 2020). See section II: Macroeconomic Outlook where key economic indicators are signaling a recession.
Banks Get Tough on Shale Loans as Fracking Forecasts Flop (published Dec. 23, 2019)

Banks have begun to tighten requirements on revolving lines of credit, an essential lifeline for smaller companies, as these institutions revise estimates on the value of some shale reserves held as collateral for loans to producers, according to people familiar with the matter.
The tightening financial pressure on shale producers is one of the reasons many are facing a reckoning going into next year. Chevron Corp. said Dec. 10 that it plans to take a charge of $10 billion to $11 billion, roughly half of it tied to shale gas assets, which it said won’t be profitable soon. Royal Dutch Shel;ll PLC said Friday it will take a roughly $2 billion impairment, and other companies are expected to follow suit in writing down assets, according to analysts and industry executives.

Wall Street and Banks have provided hundreds of billions of dollars in loans to the fracking industry which are nearly worthless (published October 13, 2019):

Figures show fracking has been the focus of intense financing, with Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America providing about $80bn over three years, much of it linked to the Permian basin in Texas.

<> <> <> <>
Also noteworthy: Trump had said that he would not sign an interim trade agreement with China. Yet he decided to do so just as the pandemic was recognized. This friendly gesture came soon before a pandemic would spread from China eventually leading to Trump blaming China for spreading the virus worldwide.
!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Sep 14 2020 1:57 utc | 62

@: karlof1 | Sep 14 2020 1:23 utc | 59
I read the essay earlier today and was puzzled by Ehret’s consistent spelling of Monroe as “Munroe.” Is this a new type of signaling device? For what? For whom? Egret does link to a description of the Monroe Doctrine which reveals the misleadingness of his over simplification, “America’s anti-imperial foreign policy since 1823.” I found the essay well worth the read.
Hope you’re doing okay on the coast. It sounds like hell in the west. I have family in the cascades.
///////////////
@ several earlier posts on the href thing
I cannot get the href link to work on the older computer I prefer to use for writing, not that I write very much during this time of year.
I have a newer “device” that can do the href function but it is horrible for writing, kind of like trying to smear out a sentence while being constantly interrupted by suggested alterations and random inaccuracies that need tedious correction. I understand why …’s is becoming a substitute for other punctuation as it’s too labor intensive to get to the correct typepad screen on devices.
I prefer to see the link’s information in the body of the link although the A HREF makes text more compact and smooth.

Posted by: suzan | Sep 14 2020 2:42 utc | 64

caitlin johnstones latest – Let’s Be Real: President Biden Would Probably Be More Hawkish Than Trump

Posted by: james | Sep 14 2020 3:19 utc | 66

I found this interesting: Why Today’s India is on the Wrong Side of History
Relates to vk’s comment @5 about the EU’s losing move to help the US contain Russia.
The article refers to Western hegemony as resting on technological dominance. Is control of advanced technologies today similar to control of spice/melange in Dune? Will have to rewatch the 1984 version and look forward to seeing the Denis Villeneuve version.

Posted by: Canadian Cents | Sep 14 2020 3:46 utc | 68

Well, I have to apologize to everybody who was annoyed by the effect on this page displaying because of my href in comment #16
@Daniel G
Yes, I’m on MoA with a smartphone. The underline tag doesn’t work, and I stopped to use the href tag long time ago. And since I don’t comment everyday, I had fully forgotten about the problem with long url. I remember now having in the past being annoyed by that mistake when it was made by other people.
@to everybody
I’m still waiting for someone commenting the polls here https://www.thetrafalgargroup.org/
These polls give most of the Swing States to Trump.
Experience from 2016 and 2018 tells that Trafalgar polls are the most reliable ( see url in my damned comment #16)

Posted by: Parisian Guy | Sep 14 2020 4:04 utc | 70

Below is another short post from Xinhuanet that is about finance this time and I comment afterward
”
BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) — The State Council, China’s cabinet, on Sunday unveiled new rules to regulate market access of financial holding companies.
The new regulation requires non-financial companies or other eligible entities, which control at least two financial institutions doing business across financial sectors, to apply to and get approval from the People’s Bank of China to establish financial holding companies.
The move is aimed at plugging regulatory loopholes and deepening financial reforms amid efforts to maintain market order, reduce risks and enhance support for the real economy, according to a notice released by the State Council.
The regulation, which will take effect on November 1 this year, specifies rules on a wide range of issues concerning the market access of financial holding companies, including registered capital, shareholders, actual controllers, capital replenishment and risk management.
”
Is China going to open up its financial sector enough to let it be overwhelmed/controlled by Western finance? I hope not and want to believe that China won’t be fooled again.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Sep 14 2020 4:14 utc | 72

pyschohistorian @70, agreed that financial domination and the dollar’s reserve currency status is a big part of Western hegemony. And to enforce that the US will use military power (ex. against Hussein in Iraq, against Ghadaffi in Libya when they planned to move away from the USD.)
Military power could be seen as derived from control of technologies: ex. guns/armor vs natives in the Americas, guns and iron/steam gunboats vs Chinese junks in the Opium Wars (before which China apparently had the largest economy in the world), nuclear weapons, and these days hypersonic missiles, GPS, 5G, drones, AI, etc.

Posted by: Canadian Cents | Sep 14 2020 4:42 utc | 74

@ Grieved #74 and Canadian Cents # 75
To CC I say that the power of the example of working “socialism” is greater than the power of any military. In a military MAD locked world the power of a social concept and the example of the way that concept is actualized forces the conflict into new territory….social merit.
To Grieved I say that your private spice debt analogy and may resonate with more than the rentier concept. I agree with your take on China’s position…..It is up to the aggressor to point out the glaring difference in social contract/organization.
When we are done with all this social reorganization stuff, can we set the stars again as humanity’s vision? I have spent the last week in Corvallis, OR not being able to see the sun….or stars. Oregon has more than doubled its previous forest fire loss so far and the season is not over and some of the biggest fires are at 0% containment……

Posted by: psychohistorian | Sep 14 2020 5:05 utc | 76

Posted by: psychohistorian | Sep 14 2020 4:09 utc | 72
It’s great that you found what I consider the shiniest pearl of the many that Lavrov dispensed in his speech, and that is that to befriend someone against somebody is the contradiction of friendship itself. Usually journalists pick the headline that better suits their employers, that one was missed and curiously the chinese picked it up.

Posted by: Paco | Sep 14 2020 9:50 utc | 78

About coronavirus:
Common colds train the immune system to recognize COVID-19
Does the Common Cold Protect You from COVID-19?
As titles above say common cold infection(s) in the past could be the factor that decides severity of coronavirus infection. That could be the reason in some countries coronavirus infections are milder than in others.
Adding to the pieces linked above: training immune system of an individual is one thing. Evolutionary selection of more resistant individuals over course of several centuries is another. It is quite possible that in areas where common cold is really common the population is both genetically more resistant to coronaviruses AND trained against these. In that respect common cold might have acted as a crude vaccine.
Note: Common cold is caused by several families of viruses Coronaviruses contribute to less than 1/6th cases of common cold.

Posted by: pppp | Sep 14 2020 10:49 utc | 80

Re: “Mulan”
Carefully read the post by karlof1 @30 again. Very carefully read it and ask yourself what Disney is trying to accomplish here. Note that the purge and corruption of Chinese cultural heritage taking place in Taiwanese school textbooks is not an accident. Similar purges and corruption occurred in the textbooks in Eastern Europe immediately following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Step one in the upcoming color revolutions. The point of this was to put capitalists (through their publishers) in control of populations’ history, which allows the capitalists to control those populations’ views of themselves, which in turn eventually gives capitalism control over their individual identities through mass marketing.
While Eastern Europe crumbled before the capitalist ideological onslaught like poor and naive farm girls being easily recruited into prostitution by sophisticated urban pimps, China is a tougher nut to crack. China has a millennia old culture of respect for and commitment to one’s community. More importantly, they have an honor-based culture in which one’s social status develops from merit and character. These have to be eradicated for capitalism to take power in China. The population has to be corrupted such that the interests of the individual are elevated above those of the community, and the honor-based source of status must be replaced with victimhood-based status.
I’ve not seen Disney’s “Mulan”, but I don’t have to in order to know that it contains subversive messaging intended to promote victimhood-based status and “elevate” the individual over the community (atomize the community). I seriously doubt that Disney sufficiently disguised this poison for the Chinese population to be able to find it palatable. My guess is that it will either flop in China, or be viewed as a comedy in which Chinese culture is conspicuously and farcically Americanized.

Posted by: William Gruff | Sep 14 2020 11:27 utc | 82

ARM ditches Samsung bid; sold to Nvidia:
UK tech giant Arm Holdings to be sold to US company Nvidia in $40bn deal
No British government in sight here to block the sale to a US tech giant…

Posted by: vk | Sep 14 2020 11:57 utc | 84

The final blow to the “China silenced whistleblowers and witheld information” nonsense:
China acted quicker in COVID-19 epidemic than SARS: WHO report
I know what the problem is: SARS only killed Chinese; that’s why the West didn’t complain at the time.
You see, as long as it’s just yellow people dying, everything is right in this world for the Westerners.

Posted by: vk | Sep 14 2020 12:13 utc | 86

Rabbit said:
I wasn’t going to comment on David G’s ludicrous attempt to excuse Trump but since you have now seconded it, I feel compelled to address this nonsense.
__________________________________________
The statements David G made were factually correct while your above statement is counter-factual.
Neither of us was trying to make excuses for trump.
The revelation that trump lied to the public about the virus is not the bombshell that you are pretending it is. Everybody already knows that. This is about as much a bombshell as the revelation that water is wet.
I personally find this story to be just another bit of trump Kayfabe. I don’t know why you would trust the story that Woodword and Trump are feeding you. My prediction is this will end up helping Trump more than it hurts. I can’t explain how that will work but if it happens I won’t be the least bit surprised.

Posted by: jinn | Sep 14 2020 12:33 utc | 88

post by karlof1 @30
Response by 46=> Meanwhile I continue to recommend “Mulan”<=by: Richard Steven Hack @ 46 Response by Gruff Re: "Mulan" Carefully read the post by karlof1 @30 again. by: William Gruff @ 83 Sorry guys , but I am in the dark.. on what is Mulan? and text book rewrites of Chinese history.. thanks for some kind of explanation. SOME INSIST: Evidence the U.S. Is a Dictatorship, Not a Democracy http://thesaker.is/evidence-the-u-s-is-a-dictatorship-not-a-democracy/<==re Ashino @ 90.. <== yes, There is little doubt the USA is a four year cycle dictatorship but not completely. its spilt there is a domestic USA (Article I) and an International USA (Article II) A read of the constitution explains Article I is about the elected people in America.. the idea is the governed domestic knows best about domestic America.. So the governed people are isolated from the general population in state and voting districts. There each person is allowed 3 votes each in the election cycle.. 2 votes for the two senator representatives to journey to DC to represent the interest of one's home state (isolation by state); but remember there are 50 states. voters in one state have no input to the candidates or their elections to the Senate that occur in other states. so 98 senators are elected without any input from those who elected the 2 Senators that make up the 100 total number of Senators<=the elections of these two senators are isolated to the home state of the person casting the vote. Isolation happens in the voting district. There each voter is allocated one vote in isolation from those who vote in 424 other voting districts. There are 425 voting districts. Your one vote goes to appoint one person to be member of the house of representative to represent the people from your local voting district (where you live). <= but there 425 local voting districts (the voters in those districts are isolated from the national population) Within a district, each voter gets to vote only for the person running for the position to be appointed to represent his or her home town <=local voting district.. essentially one vote. So three votes is it.. Isolated by state =2 votes, isolated by voting district =1 vote per voter, that it. So Americans have no at-large vote and very little control over the make up of either house of Congress and nothing whatsoever to say about who is elected to be the President and the Vice President. Article II of the Constitution (is about the President & VP) does not allow any voter to vote for either the President or the Vice President.. [yes they are big deal popular elections but whatever their outcome it does not matter, the President and the Vice President are selected by the nearly secret very poorly known or understood electoral college. Article I (congress (house and senate) are about domestic America.. Article II ( the President and the Vice President) have veto power over Article I. and exclusive authority over the military and foreign affairs..

Posted by: snake | Sep 14 2020 13:49 utc | 90

@Ashino | 90
I have not read of Iran participating in any military drills “In Russia” and the Telesur link does not work. But the second RT link is correct in that military drills will be held in the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean by China, Iran and Russia as explained in this Fars News Agency article.
Iran also conducted naval drills” at the end of last week – practising for the ‘big one’ at the end of the month maybe? )))

Posted by: AtaBrit | Sep 14 2020 14:00 utc | 92

When I saw the 1984 David Lynch version of Dune I thought it was garbage. I still do. But it is still better than what I’ve seen from the 2020 version.

Posted by: JasonT | Sep 14 2020 14:47 utc | 94

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Sep 14 2020 15:18 utc | 96
Woodward & Trump: I’m not sure what is going on there, but whatever it is, I don’t believe it. Bunch of liars are not going to suddenly burst out the truth out of civic mindedness. The political equivalent of “Look! A bird!”

Posted by: Bemildred | Sep 14 2020 15:42 utc | 96

Unfortunately, the hopeful message presented in the first article I posted @30above was been torpedoed, “KMT cancels delegation to Straits Forum”. Why?
“The Kuomintang (KMT), an opposition party in the island of Taiwan, announced on Monday that it will not send a delegation to attend the Straits Forum that is scheduled to be held in Xiamen, Fujian Province, because it felt ‘insulted’ after a mainland TV news program said the KMT is asking the mainland for peace amid the intense cross-Straits situation.”
Bologna!
“However, after the KMT announced its decision, a news program of China Central Television (CCTV) reported the development with a Chinese headline on Thursday saying ‘Taiwan Straits on the brink of war, this man (Wang) will come to “ask for peace” (in Chinese: Qiuhe).’ The headline had a significant impact on public opinion within the island, as many people considered it an insult….
“Li Hong, an anchorwoman of the CCTV news program, also explained that ‘Qiuhe’ means ‘seeking peace’, which was not meant to insult the KMT at all, but the party and the media of the island widely claimed that ‘Qiuhe’ means ‘begging for peace’ and the pro-separatist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), as well as other pro-separatist groups in Taiwan, are using the incident to hype anti-mainland sentiment.”
And what entity is famous for twisting words/phrases into something they don’t mean? More from article:
“Li Xiaobing, an expert on Taiwan affairs at Nankai University in Tianjin, said the KMT is falling into a trap set by the DPP, because the DPP doesn’t want any communication with the mainland, so it used the CCTV item and distorted the news headline into an official insult, to hype the anti-mainland sentiment among the public of the island.
“‘Within the KMT, party members have no consensus on sending a delegation, and KMT president Chiang is also reluctant to send a delegation, since he wants the party to stay away from the mainland. So the CCTV case is just an excuse for pro-localization forces within the KMT to force the leader to cancel the visit,’ Li Xiaobing noted.”
And there’s more to it when you read the entire item.
IMO, push is becoming shove as it’s the Outlaw US Empire that’s behind the rise in tensions. As I reported last week, China needs to keep the moral high ground regarding genuine international public opinion–which differs vastly from BigLie Media narrative. Xi just finished conferring with the EU, but I don’t know if Taiwan was part of that. I don’t see Taiwan being an outlier much longer. It’s quite possible whoever speaks for China at the UNGA will explain how the outlier will finally be reeled back into China’s total fold. Such an operation might even begin the moment that person begins speaking since China can’t allow the CIA to further entrench itself and deepen its distortion of Chineseness within Taiwan.

Posted by: karlof1 | Sep 14 2020 15:58 utc | 98

Bemildred @Sep14 15:42 #97

Woodward & Trump: I’m not sure what is going on there, but whatever it is, I don’t believe it. Bunch of liars are not going to suddenly burst out the truth out of civic mindedness. The political equivalent of “Look! A bird!”

This is what I think is going on:
TPTB are adding to the BLAME CHINA! narrative.
If lame-brained, ego-centric Trump knew how bad the virus was … then the Chinese MUST HAVE KNOWN TOO!
And we see the blame China narrative continuing with other crapola like this: ‘Rogue’ Chinese Virologist Joins Twitter, Publishes “Smoking Gun” Evidence COVID-19 Created In Lab.
But that doesn’t mean that Trump didn’t deliberately allow the virus to spread. Or that he did so via a naive political calculation (as b has asserted).
!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Sep 14 2020 16:19 utc | 100