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March 7, 2021
The MoA Week In Review – OT 2021-019

Last week's posts at Moon of Alabama:

> [Steven Adair, president of Volexity,] said his firm tracked the malicious activity back to early January, though researchers in Taiwan identified Exchange software bugs as far back as December.

For much of January and February, the Chinese theft of email seemed stealthy and targeted, Adair said. Then suddenly about a week ago, shortly before Microsoft issued its patch, the activity exploded. The hackers seemed to be dropping webshells on anyone running an Exchange server, he said. It was, he said, almost as if they suspected a patch was forthcoming. <

—
Other issues:

Fukushima Dai-Ichi – 10 years on:

China:

Syria / Turkey:

Covid-19:

Use as open thread …

Posted by b on March 7, 2021 at 14:03 UTC | Permalink
Comments

Pope Neocon the First
Pope Francis is following the neocon playbook.
Compare a current article with a pre-911 book by David Wurmser, neocon crystal ball gazer
and glass eater. The book worm wrote his book during the early lead up to the Iraq invasion.
The book title is delicious, David first wrote it on his bathroom mirror: Tyranny’s Ally.
Tyranny’s Ally
(Hmm…is the Pope being an unwitting ally to the Neocons?)
Yesterday I read that Pope Francis had traveled to Najaf.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/pope-pleads-peace-historic-meeting-powerful-shiite-cleric-iraq
I was struck by this paragraph in the article:

The significance of the meeting is sure to reverberate across borders, given “The 90-year-old al-Sistani has been a consistent counterweight to Iran’s influence.
With the meeting, Francis is implicitly recognizing him as the chief interlocutor of Shiite Islam over his rival, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
News of the meeting heightened long-standing rivalries between the Shiite seminaries of Najaf and Iran’s city of Qom over which stands at
the center of the Shiite world,” an AP report previously explained.

Here is the theory from Wurmser’s book, neocons see Najaf as the key to resetting the Mideast in their favor.
Tyranny’s Ally
by David Wurmser

“Liberating the centers of learning in Najaf and Karbala in the
wake of Saddam’s demise would offer the region and the West a chance
to recover the Shi’ite political structure from the diktat of Khomeini’s
narrow Shi’ite revolution—and to reinstate the traditional dynamic
among Lebanon’s Shi’ites. Prying the Lebanese Shi’ites away from a
defunct Iranian Revolution and reacquainting them with the Iraqi
Shi’ite community could significantly help to shift the region’s balance
and to whittle away at Syria’s power. Without Iran’s ideological domination of the Lebanese Shi’ites, Syria would loosen its grip on them.
Syria’s continued military presence would be exposed as a wrapping
for the very same secular Arab nationalism so despised by these
Shi’ites. A collapse of Iraq’s Ba’thism could be the catalyst for the implosion of Assad’s regime in Syria and, through the Shi’ite community,
of the Islamic revolution in Iran as well.”

Pope Francis or Pope Neocon?

Posted by: librul | Mar 7 2021 14:40 utc | 1

From b’s links
“Four tourists returning home from a trip to the Amazon on Jan. 4 tested positive for the coronavirus. Genome sequencing revealed the same set of mutations Dr. Faria and his colleagues were seeing in Brazil.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/01/health/covid-19-coronavirus-brazil-variant.html
Live under house arrest in exchange for some rich guys to continue having fun while “supporting the economy”. Why not trying the complete sealing of borders just for 3 weeks?

Posted by: Mina | Mar 7 2021 14:55 utc | 2

The idea that China or Russia pose a threat to you is so self-evidently ridiculous, so transparently absurd, that the only way to make you believe it would be to propagandize you, writes Caitlin Johnstone.
https://consortiumnews.com/2021/03/05/countering-the-establishments-message/

Posted by: Mao | Mar 7 2021 15:09 utc | 3

Maybe the Pope goes to Iraq because a visit to Iran would be much more difficult politically.

Posted by: m | Mar 7 2021 15:20 utc | 4

Devil take the hindmost
Making ‘Bend the Curve’ the objective (instead of eradicating the virus) means that demands to relax pandemic restrictions must be heeded every time progress is made.
I imagine a Bart Simpson cartoon:

Bart tells Mr. Burns that “only the old and sick die”;
Mr. Burns: “Eggggcellent”

Capitalism rears its ugly head… blame China.
=
Coverup? Cuomo Sex Allegations Bury His Nursing Home Fiasco
NY Gov. Cuomo’s Nursing Home decisions killed thousands but the media is focusing on allegations of sexual misconduct (primarily) and his under-counting of nursing home deaths. Could it be that TPTB don’t want people focusing on Gov. Cuomo’s Nursing Home disaster because it was part of an epic (and profitable) failure nationwide?
This sly media-assisted coverup is similar to my suspicions of a Trump coverup: his apparent (pretended?) Covid-19 infection of September 2020 came after news that he had lied about the severity of the virus in the first weeks of the pandemic (and dragged his feet on early measures against it). After his (unnecessary) trip to Walter Reed Hospital and his triumphant return to the White House, his pandemic lies were memory-holed.
= = =
“Self isolation at home” (whether the home was a nursing home or something else) was never a good strategy. Eastern countries put people that were suspected of being infected into a quarantine facility and contact tracing in these countries were also much stronger.
Western governments and health authorities have been preparing for a pandemic for a decade or more. They knew that we were overdue for one. Where is the accountability for their clear failures?
=
Profits Uber Alles: The Looming Third Wave
Rapid Spread Of Variants Across Europe Is A Dire Warning For The U.S.

With more variants and mutations than any other country, the U.S. will soon be facing similar or even more dire challenges than Europe if swift action is not taken to stop the spread of variants. We risk losing the progress we have made in declining case rates and unleashing a new epidemic. The U.S. currently sequences less than 1 percent of all coronavirus test samples. It is likely that the variants are spreading faster than the limited data we are recording.
This is simply unacceptable when we have the capacity for far greater surveillance. We need a Federal strategy that coordinates and standardizes the reporting process from different labs. Failing to invest in a national strategy for genomic surveillance would echo the failure to establish a national testing infrastructure in the pandemic’s early days. A costly mistake we cannot afford to repeat.
Not only do variants need to be identified through genomic sequencing but they also need to need to be characterized so we can develop appropriate defensive strategies whether they be public health measures or medical developments. Until we know how each variant evades or reacts to natural or acquired antibodies, those who have been vaccinated need to remain cautious and follow public health guidelines. Now is not the time to be loosening Covid-19 restrictions as many U.S. states are.
Danish public health officials, who have one of the most robust surveillance systems, warn other countries not to ignore genomic sequencing of variants. They emphasize if it were not for their extensive monitoring, they would be feeling a false sense of confidence and would risk exposing their population to dangerous variants by rolling back restrictions.

!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Mar 7 2021 15:28 utc | 5

@Jackrabbit | Mar 7 2021 15:28 utc | 5

They emphasize if it were not for their extensive monitoring, they would be feeling a false sense of confidence and would risk exposing their population to dangerous variants by rolling back restrictions.

Of course, the holy restrictions cannot be questioned. Any lying pretext will do.

Posted by: Norwegian | Mar 7 2021 15:45 utc | 6

Mr. librul
There is no danger of that. Foreigners have been searching for these mythical anti-Iran Shias for decades, to fracture Shia Muslims and cause them to fight against one another; all to weaken Iran and to help maintain their control of Palestine.
The Catholic Church, through this trip, has indicated that they are not enemies of the Shia Muslims. It is a course correction for them after the fiasco of the Vatican Bank and the aide they were providing to the late Mr. Saddam Hussein’s war efforts against the Shia Republic as well as against Iraqi Kurds and Shia Arabs.
Najaf had already been eclipsed by Qum as center of Shia learning by 1950. It has not yet recovered that position. Qum is where all the intellectual action is, in any case.

Posted by: Fyi | Mar 7 2021 15:54 utc | 7

Western media should investigate deaths and serious injuries related to Pfizer vaccine

Christian Daily, a Los Angeles-based media outlet, reported on Friday that according to a whistleblower, COVID-19 vaccinations from the Pfizer shots have resulted in a significant number of deaths and serious injuries in a German nursing home. The report said, “A conscientious whistleblower, who is also a caregiver at the nursing facility where the incident happened, stepped forward to expose what transpired behind the scenes of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, a report says.”
[…]
The coverage reported, “Seven out of 31 people living in the nursing home died after getting injected with their first dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The whistleblower added that after the second dose was administered, one died and eleven more got seriously sick.” Christian Daily analyzed that, “This means that out of the 31 elderly people that got vaccinated in that nursing home, 25 percent of them died shortly after while the lives of 36 percent were jeopardized.”
[…]
The article also looked back to prior deaths from other European countries of elderly people after receiving the COVID-19 vaccines produced by Western companies including Pfizer. For example, 46 elderly people in a Spanish nursing home died following their vaccinations, and 16 senior citizens died after getting vaccine shots in Switzerland.

–//–
Delusional to incite arms races in US, Taiwan: Global Times editorial

If the US is going to significantly increase its military spending, let them do so. In no way will they increase returns for the US. Even if the US peddles its super military strength around the world as the biggest label of its hegemony, increasing military spending on top of its $700 billion expenditure is an addictive spending quirk. The “protection fees” it collects from the world through various means are already high, and it needs to understand the balance between military expansion and economic development.
The US is fully aware that the island of Taiwan cannot be mentioned in the same breath as Israel. The insecurity of the island is suffering from the DPP authorities’ own actions. It’s delusional for them try to create certain kind of security. Political rationality is the real safety belt for Taiwan. Without it, its increased military spending is likely to run counter to its goal of greater security. The amount of military spending they increase cannot support the Taiwan independence ambition at all. Stay awake, do not build castles in the air, and Taiwan will be safe without increasing its military spending.

Related:
China working to make its navy formidable in face of US aggression: Analyst
–//–
China, Russia continue to cooperate on fighting color revolutions, safeguarding political security: Wang Yi

“We will deepen the synergy on the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union, upgrade economic, trade and investment cooperation, and expand cooperation in emerging areas such as scientific and technological innovation and the digital economy,” the foreign minister said.

–//–
Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief plan reflects seismic shifts in U.S. politics

The disparity between the reception to President Obama’s 2009 stimulus plan and President Biden’s is the result of major shifts in politics.

Yeah, the major shift from an Empire in its apex to an Empire in decline.
–//–
China exports spike to highest in decades after COVID-19 hit

Exports spiked 60.6% on-year in the January-February period, well above analysts’ expectations, while imports rose 22.2%, official data showed Sunday.

M.A.G.A.!
–//–
China’s “two sessions” demonstrate vitality of socialist democracy
Clue is in the name: it is “socialist democracy”, not “mixed economy democracy” or “hyper capitalist democracy” or “state capitalist democracy”.
Western internet wizard theoreticians should take note. And then go back to their holes.
–//–
We Expect 300,000 Fewer Births Than Usual This Year
The far-right and the neocons were touting about how a lockdown would cause a new baby boom.
Science and data are not their forte, as always.
–//–
Headline: “we don’t have any vacancies left. Zero vacancies.” says cardiologist on private Brazilian hospitals from São Paulo
“Estamos sem vaga. É vaga zero”, diz cardiologista sobre hospitais privados de SP
What happened to the good ol’ “supply and demand” thing? Shouldn’t the spike in demand automatically trigger a spike in supply in the free market (private sector), according to the ideologues of capitalism?
–//–
The delusions of a senile Emperor:
Not Only About Saving Americans? Biden Says COVID Relief Bill to Help US ‘Outcompete Rest of World’
Meanwhile, interviewing an American on the streets: “we will use this relief cash to pay rent, pay for food, pay for gas and car insurance”.

Posted by: vk | Mar 7 2021 15:58 utc | 8

Mr. M
Yes, in case of a Papal visit to Iran, Protestant Americans might have gotten so enraged as to cause the Vatican be bombed by the United States. Or, at the very least, to sanction the Bishop of Rome and his office.
There were practical reasons for the Pope’s selection of Iraq: existing Christian communities, the destruction of those communities by the American Wars, the more politically neutral ground for meeting Shia scholars, the religious significance of Major, the events of the religious war of Sunni Arabs against everyone else, and lastly the availability of the opportunity to preach and to conduct a Mass.
The Bishop of Rome had already met the state-appointed head of Al Azhar. That needed to be balanced out with an analogous Shia meeting.
The Popes had previously met Iranian political-religious leaders such as Mr. Hojat-al Islam Khatami. Multiple ayatollahs in Qum have communicated with the Pope on issues of religious tolerance as well as terrorism.
Since Anglo-Americans Protestants had made their war against Islam, and especially Shia Islam explicit, the Catholic Church, in my view, had to act to separate itself and Christianity from Protestants’ war.

Posted by: Fyi | Mar 7 2021 16:11 utc | 9

Enjoyed the Graeber piece.
***
Watching the mask-burning ceremonies in Idaho, I was pleased to see the kids in the forefront…as possibly purging and mitigating the immense psychological harm they’ve endured these many months. For a generation to grow up seeing terror in their masked parents eyes must be a horrible thing.

Posted by: john | Mar 7 2021 16:19 utc | 10

Vk quotes: “46 elderly people in a Spanish nursing home died following their vaccinations”
Could you provide any link in Spanish asserting that?

Posted by: Mina | Mar 7 2021 16:30 utc | 11

The Iraqi mess and rise of sectarianism was the direct result of the political organisation imposed by the US/UK after the invasion. They further created the perfect conditions for cyclical outbursts with their idiotic sectarian election laws, allowing parties to be based on supposed ethnicities and religions. Back then we started to see a village/area chasing away all the groups belonging to one family/party/sect in order to make sure the parliament seat would get to what majority lived there.

Posted by: Mina | Mar 7 2021 16:36 utc | 12

Another week, another round of shots.
Is this true?
http://www.radio.gov.pk/06-03-2021/missile-strikes-on-syria-oil-refineries-kill-4
Russia/Syria attacked oil depot used by USA et al to steal Syrian oil? Haven’t seen this in corporate controlled media. Insights?

Posted by: gottlieb | Mar 7 2021 16:37 utc | 13

I’m on Mao’s side on this one:
“Religion is poison”
A pope on a rope, anyone?

Posted by: Duncan Idaho | Mar 7 2021 16:42 utc | 14

gottlieb
Well, b linked to it up above, and then there’s this.

Posted by: john | Mar 7 2021 16:46 utc | 15

Gotta love Sinema calling her detractors sexist, while she played a major part at condemning 50% of poor people who are women into further poverty, by voting no to the increase in minimum wage bill.
So, any American here still thinks their votes matter one bit in this enormously sick clown show?

Posted by: J W | Mar 7 2021 16:48 utc | 16

@15
Thanks John and apologies to b for not looking more closely.
And this was my thought upon seeing the news – so much for Biden’s de-escalation bombing of Iraqi militia somewhere along the Syria/Iraq border.
The Orwellian claim of War is Peace de-escalation is the opposite. Between Israeli airstrikes, US bombing runs, and the shrill rhetoric coming from the usual suspects against Iran, surely the Neanderthal Thinking of an empire in the last throes of its depravity presents a grave existential threat to human civilization – such as it is.

Posted by: gottlieb | Mar 7 2021 16:56 utc | 17

ERCOT overcharged power companies $16 billion for electricity during winter freeze, firm says

Potomac Economics, the independent market monitor for the Public Utility Commission of Texas, which oversees ERCOT, wrote in a letter to the Public Utility Commission that ERCOT kept market prices for power too high for nearly two days after widespread outages ended late the night of Feb. 17. It should have reset the prices the following day.
That decision to keep prices high, the market monitor claimed, resulted in $16 billion in additional costs to Texas power companies. The news of the overcharging was first reported by Bloomberg.

America really is the Land of Opportunity: even when you fuck up, you profit USD 16 billion!
Fuck China: I want to emigrate to America now.
On a side note, notice this piece of economic illiteracy:

In Texas, wholesale power prices are determined by supply and demand: When demand is high, ERCOT allows prices to go up. During the storm, PUC directed the grid operator to set wholesale power prices at $9,000 per megawatt hour — the maximum price. Raising prices is intended to incentivize power generators in the state to add more power to the grid. Companies then buy power from the wholesale market to deliver to consumers, which they are contractually obligated to do.

No. Rising prices incentivize power generators to keep power generators maintaining the least power to the grid possible. Because higher prices raise profitability. Since companies are obligated to buy it no matter the price, the profit is guaranteed, therefore the higher the price, the higher the profit realized. There is no Law of Supply and Demand in the real world; it is a fairy tale created by the clerics of bourgeois economics.
And indeed that is what happened:

The error will likely result in higher levels of defaults, wrote Carrie Bivens, a vice president of Potomac Economics, the firm that monitors the grid operator. She said the PUC should direct ERCOT to remove the pricing interventions that occurred after outages ended, and allowing them to remain would result in “substantial and unjustified” economic harm.
At least $1.5 billion could be passed on to retail electric providers and their customers. Some retail providers have already begun to file for bankruptcy.
[…]
Retail power providers have been in financial distress across Texas since the storm; many were forced to buy power on the wholesale market at extremely high prices.
Brazos Electric Power Cooperative Inc., Texas’ largest power cooperative, has already filed for bankruptcy protection after incurring $2.1 billion in combined charges owed to ERCOT, according to court documents filed Monday.
Many retail power providers complained in filings to regulators that generators of electricity, which were unable to produce enough power during the storm, profited and left retail companies scrambling.
“The ERCOT market was not designed to deal with an emergency of this scale,” wrote Patrick Woodson, CEO of ATG Clean Energy Holdings, a retail power provider based in Austin, to the Public Utility Commission. The pricing failure, he wrote, “has pushed the entire market to the brink of collapse.”

–//–
@ Posted by: Mina | Mar 7 2021 16:30 utc | 11
Not in Spanish, but it’s Reuters (the extra-official Western tabloid):
Fact check: Spanish care home deaths caused by COVID-19, not vaccine
–//–
@ Posted by: john | Mar 7 2021 16:19 utc | 10
So, are you saying Covidiots are… snowflakes?

Posted by: vk | Mar 7 2021 17:09 utc | 18

@ john and gottlieb in various preceding comments with the current ME events links….thanks
The shit show is escalating. Good! That means there will be some sort of movement in the geo-political balance soon and I continue to hope for the better.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Mar 7 2021 17:20 utc | 19

Have any fellow barflies read or heard anything about the rest of the troops condition after the bombing at Ain al-Asad airbase?
Certainly there has to be additional case of PTSD and such to report and what does it say that we are not reading any status on these troops?
The shit show continues until extinction or capitulation

Posted by: psychohistorian | Mar 7 2021 17:32 utc | 20

Posted by: psychohistorian | Mar 7 2021 17:20 utc | 19
Yemen appears to be very hot right now, bombing exchanges between capitals, Jeddah in flames, etc. and Houthis about to take Marib (oil).
And Syria is heating up fast.
Plus the Pope in Iraq.
So yeah, movement.

Posted by: Bemildred | Mar 7 2021 17:37 utc | 21

vk @ 18
So, are you saying Covidiots are… snowflakes?
No, I’m saying that mask mandates are idiotic, and that Covid sees right through them…
…and that here in Italy, with one of the most severe lockdown and masking policy’s in place(and some of the highest death counts as well), I go out every day and experience bland conformity, confusion, and not infrequently terror, in peoples eyes.
But me and my girls are all grown up. 🙂

Posted by: john | Mar 7 2021 17:38 utc | 22

Phil Butler has an interesting read about BNY Mellon and money laundering of Russian money

The key is BNY Mellon, in case I have been too circuitous in my reporting. Megyn Kelly, NBC, and why a network would want Putin to be the villain is just the front story. The world’s biggest bank for high net worth individuals is the backstory. This bank is evil banking and investment villains central, in a world full of lesser evil men and women. There is no coincidence involved here, not in my assessment. The Wall Street collapse, ruining Putin and Russia, and BNY Mellon paying $714 million back in 2015 to settle related lawsuits from little investors the bank was cheating to feather the nests of big investors are all part of the bigger scheme. The same year, the rich man’s bank also paid $180 million to make up for cheating on the foreign exchange market Hillary Clinton was playing when Russia was blamed for MH17. See my report here. The list of BNY Mellon infractions is pretty long, but the most significant one for this story is September 2009, BNY Mellon settled a lawsuit by the Russian government in May 2007 for money laundering (see Irving Trust, Natasha Gurfinkel, and Prince Vladimir Galitzine). The original suit claimed $22.5 billion in damages, but BNY Mellon managed to settle for a few million.
From there the rabbit hole goes much deeper. So, to help you readers pressed for time, enter the all too familiar and notorious Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Yes, I know, I am sorry. But, the connection between the world’s top Putin hater and the piggy bank of western elites BNY Mellon is why NBC and all the other networks need Putin to be America’s top enemy. The Yukos Oil mafioso had his assets with the Bank of New York in the 1990s, and Natasha and Prince Vladimir (nicknamed Mikey) were intimate associates of the now exiled (not Novichok nerve agent poisoned, I might add) oligarch. The story of the ruined Yukos boss, Natasha Gurfinkel, and BNY wheeling and dealing ended with the real perpetrators of massive money laundering throwing some others under the bus, of course. The billions being siphoned from Russia to western players also ended about the same time, just about the time Vladimir Putin was named to replace Boris Yeltsin. Yes, another coincidence that’s not by chance. It’s also no coincidence that the Yahoo! News I cited, ends up throwing the man who put a stop to pirates like Khodorkovsky under the truth bus as well. In the report on BNY money laundering, the new President Vladimir Putin is lumped in as some kind of complicit KGB/kleptocrat, when the obvious truth is his saving Russia for Russians.

The Vested Power Brokers Are Making Putin Public Enemy No. 1

Posted by: Down South | Mar 7 2021 17:49 utc | 23

Iranian Defence Minister Vows to Level Tel Aviv and Haifa If Israel Makes Wrong Move Against Tehran

Posted by: Bemildred | Mar 7 2021 17:53 utc | 24

A rare moment of honesty from the MSM

WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar apologized after celebrating the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has been “really good for (CNN) ratings.”
Kilar made the initial remarks during the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference.
“It turns out that pandemic is a pretty big part of the news cycle, and that’s not going away anytime soon,” Kilar said.
“If you take a look at the ratings and the performance, it’s going well. And I think it’s going well because, A, the team at CNN is doing a fantastic job. And B, it turns out that the pandemic and the way that we can help inform and contextualize the pandemic, it turns out it’s really good for ratings,” he added.

WarnerMedia CEO Apologizes After Saying COVID Pandemic Has Been ‘Really Good For CNN Ratings’
So was the Russia Hoax good for ratings.

Posted by: Down South | Mar 7 2021 17:54 utc | 25

The vaccine passport coming to the US

New York City has unveiled a vaccine passport system that could see anyone unable to prove they have taken the COVID shot barred from events venues.
Anyone attending events where the system is in place will be required to use a phone app or paper version of the pass to display their ‘green’ vaccination and testing status, with state guidelines in place to mandate the scheme.
Dubbed, the “Excelsior Pass”, the system was tested for a second time at Madison Square Garden this week during a New York Rangers game.

New York Tests Vaccine Passports At MSG Rangers Game

Posted by: Down South | Mar 7 2021 17:58 utc | 26

I’m interested in anything Yanis Varoufakis has to say about money but the connection timed out twice. Too much Socialism?

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Mar 7 2021 17:59 utc | 27

Jackrabbit @ 5
The official verifiedTwitter account for the Sputnik V vaccine claims

Sputnik V
@sputnikvaccine
·
Mar 6
The highly contagious coronavirus variant first identified in England is causing another major COVID surge in Europe.
Sputnik V has the same efficacy against this strain and can play a major role in protecting EU countries.

Posted by: Down South | Mar 7 2021 18:09 utc | 28

The pope(s) is/are an oddity, and the Vatican one is sitting on an empire of properties all over the world. Hard to see how these could be seized and redistributed, since the charities are filling up for a lot of dysfunctional activities that one would assume should be carried on by the Italian state.
Sounds familiar?

Posted by: Mina | Mar 7 2021 18:31 utc | 29

thanks b for all the posts, links and insights!
@ librul / fyi…. thanks… i tend to think fyi has this right… qom, as opposed to najaf is the intellectual center, although the west will never tell you this.. the pope visiting seems like a positive thing and i doubt it would be easy for him to visit iran…. also @ fyi – the way you characterize the usa or west with protestant, verses catholic is interesting and i think uninformed… you might know a lot on shia – sunni dynamics, but it isn’t reflected in your comments on the christian religions..
@ gottlieb / john and pscyhohistorian.. as john noted – b gave the link already… i would just like to encourage you all to watch the aaron mate-grayzone video b also linked to up top and which migueljose had linked to on a previous thread.. it is well worth the watch.. indeed nothing has changed in the usa’s ongoing position here..
when is the israel election? i see ksa is concerned and wants netanyahu re-elected… gangsters and crooks like to see their own in positions of power it seems…

Posted by: james | Mar 7 2021 18:31 utc | 30

@ mina – pope… yes, and how about the royal family in the uk too?? these power trippers like to stick together and don’t let go of their spoils from the past easily…

Posted by: james | Mar 7 2021 18:33 utc | 31

This story in Spanish confirms that there was a health problem at a seniors’ home in Andalucia: “>https://www.europasur.es/los_barrios/Junta-desmedicaliza-residencia-Rosario-Barrios_0_1552645529.html”> La Junta desmedicaliza la residencia del Rosario de Los Barrios.

Posted by: lysias | Mar 7 2021 18:35 utc | 32

israel election is march 23rd 2021 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Israeli_legislative_election

Posted by: james | Mar 7 2021 18:35 utc | 33

Western propaganda – even by standards of Mark McKinnon and the Globe And Mail, this puff piece on Navalny is a low point in delusional uninformed assertion. Navalny really does appear as Russia’s Guaido.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-alexey-navalny-may-be-unstoppable-in-russian-political-insurgency/

Posted by: jayc | Mar 7 2021 18:41 utc | 34

@ 36 jayc… mark mckinnon has always been a water carrier for empire… it is best to skip any articles he writes.. i see this hasn’t changed any either… i stopped reading the g and mail a long time ago…

Posted by: james | Mar 7 2021 18:47 utc | 35

@ jayc… at least some of the people commenting get it.. “Navalny is simply the CIA’s next Mikheil Saakashvili.” or “Is this story part of the anti-Russia propaganda campaign that Thompson/Reuters and the BBC have been paid by British intelligence to conduct?”

Posted by: james | Mar 7 2021 18:53 utc | 36

Here’s a Howler:
“Not Only About Saving Americans? Biden Says COVID Relief Bill to Help US ‘Outcompete Rest of World'”
The bill does absolutely nada to help the competitiveness of the USA’s work force, so Biden is spouting pure bullshit, although he probably doesn’t know what his words mean.
/////
And thanks for the important news link to Russia’s interdiction of stolen Syrian oil!!

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 7 2021 19:52 utc | 37

karlof1@39 there is a must read on the saker, an essay on russia & iran. i do not share links as my computer has been known to disobey & i don’t want to send the thread into chaos.

Posted by: emersonreturn | Mar 7 2021 19:55 utc | 38

Thanks for the heads up,emersonreturn @40.

Posted by: spudski | Mar 7 2021 20:18 utc | 39

Dear Leader Biden:
‘Biden showers money on Americans’?! WaPo mocked for ‘Dear Leader’ vibes in Covid stimulus story

Posted by: vk | Mar 7 2021 20:23 utc | 40

@ james 38
Quite probably. I took the time to watch the new Adam Curtis 6-part series Can’t Get You Out of My Head which is a BBC documentary. Given the recent BBC links to British intelligence, I was interested to see what Curtis has to say. Well the first few parts are historical and OK, but the latter episodes are pretty much anti-Chinese and anti-Russian propaganda. Complete with the usual memes like China’s leaders are corrupt, their society is vacant and only cares about money, China is about to collapse, Russia is gangsta land with Putin as the lead gangsta who everyone hates, Russia rising up for Navalny etc etc etc.
The historical reveals of western malfeasance in Asia are used as tools to provide credibility for subsequent attacks on the success of modern eastern models in reducing poverty and all the things Curtis says are problems in the west. Curtis’ work has devolved into a limited hangout. Another one bites the dust.

Posted by: Free Thai | Mar 7 2021 20:26 utc | 41

About the Spanish story, it seems indeed they had been vaccinated on 5/1. This is not the only case where people caught covid right after the vaccination, probably because of reduced immunity. It is NOT said to be efficient immediately after the 1st jab.
https://www.europapress.es/andalucia/cadiz-00351/noticia-junta-interviene-residencia-senora-rosario-barrios-cadiz-afectada-covid-20210131191955.html
Also bad treatment… as in many care homes in the EU and elsewhere.

Posted by: Mina | Mar 7 2021 20:27 utc | 42

@Posted by: james | Mar 7 2021 18:31 utc | 32
Thx for the thanks.

@ librul / fyi…. thanks… i tend to think fyi has this right… qom, as opposed to najaf is the intellectual center, although the west will never tell you this

Thanks, I just reread my post @1 and there is no way anyone could get the impression that I adhere to the Neocon theories nor believe that I give them credence.
Whether neocons get it right or not they cause a lot of mischief and damage, regardless.
Neocons thought they would get a better Middle East by invading Iraq. The neocons sat warm
and cozy in their think tanks while American soldiers died or were wounded,
the civilians of Iraq and beyond have suffered even more.
Neocons are still hoping to “fracture” (as fyi @7 expresses it) the Shia world and then have *their* piece come out on top.
Will the Pope’s visit cause friction between the Shia in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere? The neocons Hope for this Change
and will certainly take what they can get. They want to cause friction, they would prefer factions and then dominance.
Mostly they want the pendulum to swing away from Iran
and have the Shia of Najaf, Iraq play the “central role” (Brookings Institute).
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2021/03/04/the-pope-goes-to-najaf-the-person-and-the-institution-of-sistani/

Less discussed, but perhaps more critical and foundational, is the question of whether this is a visit to Grand Ayatollah Sistani
or to the religious establishment in Najaf, otherwise known as the Hawza. In other words, does the world view the Hawza as an institution,
like the Vatican, or as an individual personified by Grand Ayatollah Sistani? The answer to this question will determine how the world
will approach the Shi’a religious establishment in the future, when Grand Ayatollah Sistani is no longer at the helm.
It will also determine whether the gains that this visit is said to
achieve — from the recognition of Najaf’s centrality to its role in global interfaith collaboration — are durable.

Pope Francis I believe honestly wants a more peaceful world, and who wouldn’t want that. However, we all know the old saying about
where the road paved with good intentions can lead, and if the neocons direct that road it leads to the neocon version of Pax Americana.

Posted by: librul | Mar 7 2021 20:57 utc | 43

@ Free Thai | Mar 7 2021 20:26 utc | 43… thanks.. that is unfortunate and probably rue about adam curtis.. i was thinking of mark curtis, but fortunately they arent the same person! it is all paid for propaganda now, especially in the uk outlets…
@ librul 45.. of course i never suggested you were pushing the neo con ideology either, lol.. i am surprised you have interpreted my words this way.. i guess i will have to be more clear next time! and i am sure you are correct – they want the pendulum to swing away from iran.. but wanting something and getting something are 2 different things, aren’t they? again – so much propaganda, but fortunately not everyone is buying into it…

Posted by: james | Mar 7 2021 21:07 utc | 44

Mr. librul
The authoress of the piece the URL to which you have supplied, is an Iraqi from Al Shamari tribe – which has both Shia and Sunni clans. I suspect she is a Shia Muslim because she expresses hopes for a more international and interfaith role for the city of Najaf. That is not a threat to Qum. And please keep in mind that there are several Shia Higher Learning Schools in every major Iranian city: Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad, Kerman, Rasht, Shiraz as well as outside of Iran – in Kuwait, in Afghanistan, in Lebanon, in Pakistan, in India.
I agree with your estimation of Mr. Pope Francis’ motivations.
I personally think that the Catholic Church is serenely and patiently waiting for the inevitable moment when Protestantism falls on its own petard in Palestine. At that time, the Catholic Church will be there to receive those lost children. The Protestant’s war over Palestine with Muslim & Catholic and Orthodox Christians is the best opportunity to discredit Protestantism in very many centuries – in my opinion.

Posted by: fyi | Mar 7 2021 21:17 utc | 45

Nod in new five-year-plan for hydroprojects near border with India
A draft of China’s new Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), which is set to be formally approved on March 11, has given the green light for the first dams to be built on the lower reaches of Yarlung Zangbo river, as the Brahmaputra is known in Tibet

Posted by: Antonym | Mar 7 2021 21:28 utc | 46

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Mar 7 2021 15:28 utc | 5
I am sorry, putting people in quarantine facilities was not a possibility in western countries. It was hard enough to get people to quarantine at home. People would refuse to go to the quarantine facility social unrest would increase and the pandemic would have been worst.

Posted by: Quiet Rebel | Mar 7 2021 21:51 utc | 47

AFAIK there are no public government investigations into the activities of the numerous bio-warfare / “disease prevention” labs nor MSM reporting about the connected disease events prior to the Wuhan outbreak (or attack). Not even the Chinese dare to push for them, knowing they already bear the brunt of false accusations and punitive economic sanctions. Adverse reactions and deaths due to the experimental “vaccines” are blown off as rare or unrelated. Dirty Fauci and Gates come out smelling like roses along with all their billionaire buddies whose investments got a huge Fed boost. These SARS-CoV-2 variants: are they being developed intentionally and seeded in certain locations in order to make new “waves” to keep the game going? I wouldn’t put it past the genocidal elites.

Posted by: norecovery | Mar 7 2021 21:58 utc | 48

fyi #47

I personally think that the Catholic Church is serenely and patiently waiting for the inevitable moment when Protestantism falls on its own petard in Palestine. At that time, the Catholic Church will be there to receive those lost children. The Protestant’s war over Palestine with Muslim & Catholic and Orthodox Christians is the best opportunity to discredit Protestantism in very many centuries – in my opinion.

Thank you for that post. I see protestantism being pushed onto a zionist sword in Palestine. And I don’t see this slaughter as any form of opportunity for any other than the illegal zionist occupier. Petards are of little use to maimed children.
In what way do you see it as an opportunity to discredit other christian factions any more that they are totally discredited now?

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 7 2021 21:59 utc | 49

Quiet Rebel # 49

I am sorry, putting people in quarantine facilities was not a possibility in western countries. It was hard enough to get people to quarantine at home. People would refuse to go to the quarantine facility social unrest would increase and the pandemic would have been worst.

I gather you do not include Australia and New Zealand as ‘western countries’. Australia used all the empty hotel accommodation and had the army guard them after they discovered that the private sector guards immediately resorted to extortion, guided escorts etc.
The hysterical bubble within which can be seen the writhing snake of the USA is an isolated case.
As a previous poster pointed out the exceptional character of China is that of its respect for harmony. I would add Cuba, Vietnam, Thailand, Russia, plus many of the people of the South American countries to that list.
Certainly the USA is a harmony deficit locale these days.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 7 2021 22:09 utc | 50

@36,@37
jayc and james have, I think, both understood that the mop and pail have been water carriers for a great long while now. The comments section is illuminating as to the mentality and mindset of the g and m in general. How narrow and shallow must the reading beyond the headlines coterie be there?

Posted by: Digital Spartacus | Mar 7 2021 22:09 utc | 51

Mr. Uncle Tungsten
Imam Ali says: “He who has no hope is not with me.”
What hope do Anglo-American Protestants present to the rest of mankind with their war against Islam for Palestine?
Which, within a short period, could lead to World War 3?
None.
And thus those who represent Hope for the future will prevail.
In Iraq, during the Arba’ayin March, you see Catholic and Orthodox priests. They are welcome since they represent, ultimately, the Hope that people from different religions can live and work together within the same country.
That Hope of Ecumenical Cooperation was what made the European Enlightenment ideas so attractive.
Take Hope away and there can only be Death.

Posted by: Fyi | Mar 7 2021 22:09 utc | 52

Fyi #54
Thank you that was well expressed and of course I fully agree. I live my life with a fully committed belief in hope and peace.
However your response skirted my request for elaboration in my post: #51
the string is below.

fyi #47
“I personally think that the Catholic Church is serenely and patiently waiting for the inevitable moment when Protestantism falls on its own petard in Palestine. At that time, the Catholic Church will be there to receive those lost children. The Protestant’s war over Palestine with Muslim & Catholic and Orthodox Christians is the best opportunity to discredit Protestantism in very many centuries – in my opinion.”
Thank you for that post. I see protestantism being pushed onto a zionist sword in Palestine. And I don’t see this slaughter as any form of opportunity for any other than the illegal zionist occupier. Petards are of little use to maimed children.
In what way do you see it as an opportunity to discredit other christian factions any more that they are totally discredited now?
Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 7 2021 21:59 utc | 51

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 7 2021 22:44 utc | 53

@53 Digital Spartacus
The politics of the Globe and Mail should come as no surprise given the ownership (Reuters and the various Baron Thomsons of Fleet).

Posted by: Free Thai | Mar 7 2021 22:44 utc | 54

On the election reform bill – HR1 – making its way through the USA House.
Jimmy Dore flogs the Intercept for being a totally dishonest shill rag for the Dimratss.
It is one of those utterly fake ‘reform’ bills that screw third paties – as you would expect.
Silence from the #Fraudsquad, Bernie Sanders, ‘justice democrats’ (joke) etc, etc.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 7 2021 22:49 utc | 55

Posted by: Down South | Mar 7 2021 17:49 utc | 25
Great recommendation. I found the NEO piece very enlightening and plan to run down those rabbit holes myself before I use that author’s writings to try poking holes in some of my friends and relatives’ (on the liberal side) deep hatred of Russia and Putin. (on the other side, my conservative Trump supporting friends and relatives have chosen, of course, China – and the misinformation on that side is just as wide ranging – See Caitlyn Johnstone’s article from March 4 on the matter).
Posted by: Down South | Mar 7 2021 17:49 utc | 27
I think people are misinterpreting that. Of course a pandemic that makes people have to stay home (many of whom stay glued to the idiot box all day and night) is great for ratings. Pumping gloom and doom on ANY topic is ALWAYS good for ratings too. So it’s no surprise that this person said so. Isn’t that what corporations exist to do? Produce value and profit for their shareholders over and above any moral or ethical causes. In which case, that quote *should* be viewed as a condemnation of Western capitalism in general rather than some unintended slip up betraying a deep dark secret having anything to do with the technical and epidemiological aspects of COVID-19. Remember when CNN’s President was caught on tape saying he would prefer (or be just fine with) Trump winning in 2016, or Les Moonves saying that Trump is good for ratings? Does that mean those organizations actively aided Trump in becoming President? The 4 years of non-stop Trump “hatred” and “negative” coverage sure did make those companies richer.

Posted by: _K_C_ | Mar 7 2021 22:57 utc | 56

gottlieb #13
Russia burns butt of SDF etc…
See this report with a stunning photograph.
Erdogan just got his latest message and his oil smuggling racket (cloaked behind NATO invasion of Northern and Eastern Syria) have an income problem. The fake attacks on the SDF by Erdogan and the fake support for the SDF by the USA are simply excuses to steal Syrian oil and rich farmlands from the Syrian people.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 7 2021 22:57 utc | 57

Mr. Uncle Tungsten
I have answered you.

Posted by: Fyi | Mar 7 2021 22:59 utc | 58

gottlieb #13
ooops I meant to add that b linked it in his opening report.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 7 2021 23:00 utc | 59

al-Mayadeen news Iran not involved Sea of Oman Ship Incident
A new video released by Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen news network [07 March 2021 6:41 PM ]has belied recent Israeli allegations that Iran was behind an explosion that damaged an Israeli ship in the Sea of Oman last week, showing that there has been actually no attack on the ship from the outside.
Al-Mayadeen reported that Iranian drones recorded the footage, which shows the ship that was allegedly attacked on February 26 in the Sea of Oman, was not actually targeted from the outside.
The footage shows that the holes created in the sides of the Israeli ship “were not created by an external attack, but some individuals inside the ship created the holes in order to indicate that the ship was attacked,” the news network reported.
for your comment.

Posted by: snake | Mar 7 2021 23:01 utc | 60

Thank you b for the Vaccine Debacle link
That was a rich read exposing Ursula von der Leyen for the fool. Here is a snip for us barflies to ponder …
“Whatever else you may think about Angela Merkel, one thing you must allow her: she knows a hot potato when she sees one, and she can pass it on to someone else in no time. In the summer of 2020, Germany having just taken over the presidency of the EU27, it appeared that by the end of the year there might be a vaccine or two, to end the lockdowns once and for all. To Merkel this must have smelled like an approaching pack of rats: delays in research, delays in production, extortionist prices, conflicts over national shares and distribution – and above all the nightmare of nightmares: Germany, rich from monetary union, getting the vaccine first and vaccinating its citizens faster than the others, thereby undermining the ‘ever closer union among the peoples of Europe’. What to do? Move it to Brussels, and fast.
“Waiting there for useful employment was Ursula von der Leyen, Merkel’s ex-Minister of Defense, installed at the head of the European Commission by a French President unwilling to surrender the post to one Manfred Weber, Spitzenkandidat of Merkel’s European party family, the EPP, and member of the CSU, the CDU’s Bavarian sister party.”
But do read it as it is such an artful critique written by Wolfgang Streek.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 7 2021 23:07 utc | 61

Quiet Rebel @ 49:
A number of hotels, quite expensive ones too, near my office building are taking in people who need to quarantine for COVID-19 reasons. One of these hotels is a stone’s throw and five minutes’ walk from where I work.
As Uncle T @ 52 says, there were issues with the use of private security companies in enforcing quarantine – the employees of such companies were poorly trained, some had no prior security or medical experience – resulting in cases of extortion and guards even sleeping with people who were supposed to be quarantining. As a result there were outbreaks of positive COVID-19 cases associated with such lapses. I’m still not sure that some state govts have learned from Victoria’s experience of using private security in quarantine hotels.

Posted by: Jen | Mar 7 2021 23:14 utc | 62

Some good news to warm the hearts of the French people:
Member of French National Assembly Olivier Dassault Killed in Helicopter Crash
I know it’s not much, given the lamentable situation you’re into, but at least it will sheer up your Sunday a little bit.

Posted by: vk | Mar 7 2021 23:22 utc | 63

Erdogan and the successor.
Sooner or later the blight that is Erdogan will depart. His fate could look like this or that or perhaps a serene departure.
Cihan Tuğal writes an excellent report in New Left Review that is worth considering. This for example indicates reasonable background analysis: “To start with the economic impasse of the ‘Turkish model’. The akp had entered office in 2002 after the collapse of the ‘pure’ neoliberalism of the 1990s, which had left the traditional parties severely discredited. Financial deregulation had aided export-led manufacturing but rendered the entire economy vulnerable to capital-market shocks. It was hard hit in 1997, when Asian markets plunged into crisis and global cash flows seized up. Coupled with these international dynamics, local mismanagement contributed to severe recessions in 1999 and 2001; social expenditure was slashed amid soaring unemployment and inflation, while annual tax revenue was swallowed up in servicing the public debt held by a few big local banks, at extortionate interest rates.footnote5 A vital aspect of Erdoğan’s hegemony was the promise to resolve Turkey’s longstanding economic problems and to share its wealth among broader sectors.”
The closing paragraphs are insightful and the following wealth of references material mighty helpful.
Salut Cihan Tuğal.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 7 2021 23:28 utc | 64

FYI @ 54, Uncle T @ 55:
I doubt that when Protestantism collapses, very many Protestants will be running back to the Roman Catholic Church unless they belong to Anglican, Lutheran and similar denominations that have retained a full episcopal hierarchy (archbishops, bishops, deacons) and are prepared to accept Roman Catholic doctrines no matter how watered down these might have become under Pope Francis.
Protestantism as it is, is very fragmented and each Protestant denomination has its own administrative structures and belief systems. Those that don’t have episcopal hierarchies will remain independent. Pentecostal and other Protestant denominations that rely on literal interpretations of the Bible and teach their own doctrines about the Second Coming of the Messiah (often at loggerheads with one another) will continue to go their own way. I hear that in some parts of the US, people simply set up their own churches based on whatever they believe they know of the Bible and basic Christian doctrine (often not much) and gather their own following. The megachurches of people like Billy Graham and Jim and Tammy Bakker (in the past) and currently churches like Hillsong in Australia are large-scale variations on this theme of fragmentation and formation of gurus and their networks.
In addition the old mainstream Protestant churches like the Methodists and some of the Presbyterian churches have been losing members over decades and as a result, in order to retain members their politics has been moving in extreme directions, either embracing so-called progressive politics and identity politics, or adopting the beliefs and insistence on literal interpretations of the Bible, depending on their leaders and demands of factions within these churches’ administrations.
The more recent mainstream Protestant churches (Pentecostals and those that emphasise direct contact with God, manifested in phenomena such as speaking in tongues) hitch their wagons to promoting Israel and Israeli interests in the belief that Israel’s existence portends the Second Coming of the Messiah. It is these churches that perhaps we must watch out for, because if Israel were to collapse, the reactions of these churches’ followers – many of whom believe in the Second Amendment of the US Constitution as a God-given right – might be very extreme.

Posted by: Jen | Mar 7 2021 23:40 utc | 65

Posted by: snake | Mar 7 2021 23:01 utc | 62
Evidence matters nothing in an era when israeli heresay is given more credence than established truth.
The politicians will run with the narrative that suits them regardless.

Posted by: Arch Bungle | Mar 7 2021 23:44 utc | 66

Jen #64

I’m still not sure that some state govts have learned from Victoria’s experience of using private security in quarantine hotels.

Thank you and yes, sadly State Governments carry with them a deep learning of the days of the ‘rum corps’ where they collected and distributed bribes of alcohol as the currency of corruption.
Example: you pay the private security company a million dollars to do a job and they quietly slip you a hundred thousand or two for your re-election campaign. Your Minister asks no questions. The cost of the practice is paid by the public in all ways. It is certainly not universal but it applies from local government to the national government level. Ask Rupert and Gina. There are some jurisdictions with corruption commissions that have contained the blatant forms of the practice but they are weak and hamstrung.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 7 2021 23:44 utc | 67

I heard Biden was a deep fake….
Change my mind

Posted by: Dogon Priest | Mar 7 2021 23:46 utc | 68

Quiet Rebel @Mar7 21:51 #49
I disagree. The logic for quarantine is clear and they would’ve been run by local authorities not the federal government (but in accordance with Federal guidelines). And quarantines would not have been lengthy – only about 2 weeks (10 days if you didn’t get sick, 3 weeks if you did).
Quarantining the sick or suspected-to-be-sick would’ve allowed for society to operate normally otherwise. No “lock-downs”. People themselves would enforce mask-wearing and social distancing to avoid quarantine. No government mandates would be needed for that.
<> <> <> <> <> <>
Trump’s & BoJo’s lying and inaction in the early stages of the pandemic indicate to me that the Empire wanted the virus to spread in USA/West. The Trump Administration dramatically increased military spending. In that context, premature deaths of the elderly help to fund MIC by saving money on their care.
And, from the geopolitical perspective of Thucydides Trap, the Empire benefited if:

  • China is inundated with virus while West defeats it;
  • China defeats the virus but the West blames China for its suffering (note Trump’s “China Virus” smear).

!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Mar 7 2021 23:51 utc | 69

Posted by: Antonym | Mar 7 2021 21:28 utc | 48
This is China consolidating their already strong control over the Indian water sources in the Tibetan plateau.
Mohdi (and his successor) will have to consider a far more diplomatic approach to China once those dams are under construction …

Posted by: Arch Bungle | Mar 7 2021 23:51 utc | 70

emersonreturn @40–
Thanks for the tip!! That was a very useful essay that could easily be much longer and deeper. Many will be surprised to learn the origins of Pakistan and Afghanistan. It’s a rather long read, almost an hour, so be prepared.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 7 2021 23:55 utc | 71

suzan on another thread left a very good article on the plight of the farmers in india… it is worth a read for anyone interested…
The Kisans Are Right. Their Land Is At Stake

Posted by: james | Mar 7 2021 23:56 utc | 72

The link for 73.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 7 2021 23:57 utc | 73

The Pope’s visit seems like a clear attempt to bring the Shia into the fold of Sunni-Jewish-Christian reconciliation.
That would split Shia with the Empire’s political and religious authorities deriding Iran’s Shia as nothing more than a state religion to subjugate their people.
!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Mar 8 2021 0:01 utc | 74

Posted by: Jen | Mar 7 2021 23:40 utc | 67
FYI @ 54, Uncle T @ 55:
I am protestant by birth, my mother was not picky about which one, but the family runs Baptist.
Jen has the idea right in general but it is really much more messy.
I would infer the groups fyi is talking about are the evangelicals (which may include Baptists or not, there are many kinds of Baptists. Two-seed-in-the-spirit pre-destinarian Baptist is one I remember from “God Bless You Mr. Rosewater”, which is a timely book these days.)
And the TV preachers are also fond of that sort of thing. They all tend to run heavy to fund raising.

Posted by: Bemildred | Mar 8 2021 0:05 utc | 75

Ansar Allah are going for broke, it seems, as they’re finally striking Ras Tanura:

Brig. Gen. Yahya Sari, a spokesman for the Yemeni group, said that a total of 14 suicide drones and six missiles were used in the operation codenamed “Deterrent Balance 6.”
Ten Samad-3 suicide drone and a Zulfiqar ballistic missile were launched at Saudi Arabia’s major oil port, Ras Tanura, on the Persian Gulf. Key facilities of the Kingdom’s oil giant Aramco are located there. Unspecified targets in the nearby city of Dammam were also hit.

https://southfront.org/operation-deterrent-balance-6-houthi-strike-saudi-oil-port-military-targets-with-14-drones-six-missiles-videos/
The significance of Ras Tanura as America’s chokehold over the global oil supply:

The navy of the Former United States has a base in Bahrain, a majority-Shi’ite, Sunni-ruled, state. It is a base first controlled by the British in 1936 when Britain still had an empire. Just above the base is the oil port, Ras Tanura, a facility the United States built during the second World War and through which most of Saudi Arabian oil flows. That is why the naval base is where it is. By locating a fleet in Bahrain, the Former US grips Saudi Arabia by the throat. It controls whether or not oil flows from Ras Tanura. And since the world needs this oil to maintain breakneck industrialism, it has the world by the throat as well.
Ostensibly, this fleet protects Ras Tanura from whatever. But technology has made the fleet obsolete. In all out war with Iran the ships could not stand a barrage of land to sea missiles. Deadly drones and cavitating torpedoes in large numbers would overwhelm any defenses. Within the first few hours it would be a smoking pile of metal filled with the corpses of American sailors. Although the fleet could close Ras Tanura if there were no war, it could not protect it in war.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/05/29/why-war-with-iran-is-not-a-rational-strategy-for-saudi-arabia/

Posted by: Arch Bungle | Mar 8 2021 0:06 utc | 76

Outlaw US Empire teams with Occupied Palestine to provide practice for Iranian air defense crews, as well as Hezbollah’s missile forces. I always find it curious that “news” reports like these never provide the other side of the equation as I did. To take the training situation further, I wonder if missile defense crews in Occupied Palestine were scrambled for the drill, unannounced or otherwise as it’s obvious that more than one domino falls in this sort of situation. Instead, the article looks at other regional dominoes.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 8 2021 0:20 utc | 77

The poor can suffer what they must. Dimratss treachery exposed in a powerful 13 minute video on $15 minimum wage from Jimmy Dore.
This reverend is mighty p!ssed off.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 8 2021 0:22 utc | 78

Bemildred #77

I would infer the groups fyi is talking about are the evangelicals

Nope Fyi is a fake hiding behind cant and obscurity. That is why I called his post out.
To see if he would prove my surmise. He sure did.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 8 2021 0:26 utc | 79

snake #62

The footage shows that the holes created in the sides of the Israeli ship “were not created by an external attack, but some individuals inside the ship created the holes in order to indicate that the ship was attacked,” the news network reported.

Thank you for that report but I am certainly not convinced of anything after watching that brief video. Low resolution film shot from a long distance is proof of nothing other than paint work blothches above the ships waterline.
Surely there must be some better proof by now with the ship in port being hastily repaired and no doubt about to leave (if it hasn’t already left). That ship holds an immensely valuable cargo I assume and delay costs millions. It is likely booked a year ahead so time is of the essence. I don’t expect a news crew to be allowed on board other than an insurance company team.
Better evidence of anything is still needed.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 8 2021 0:48 utc | 80

Censorship War between Facebook and Russian media and government has escalated to the point where fines will begin to be levied, then ignored, then levied again, and so forth for a few rounds until Russia pulls Facebook’s operating license which will prompt the Outlaw US Empire to defend censorship by placing more sanctions on Russia. At least, that’s what I see coming. And IMO it’s not going to be at all helpful to any rapprochement in relations–which is the whole point.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 8 2021 0:48 utc | 81

Mr. Uncle Tungsten
Unless you apologize to me, I shall never address you on this forum.

Posted by: Fyi | Mar 8 2021 0:49 utc | 82

You can forget about JCPOA: Biden renews ongoing Iranian sanctions.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 8 2021 0:52 utc | 83

Ms. Jen
History attests to the massive changes that the ideas and ideals of Protestanism, as they engaed the minds of men, have poduced. In fact, for more han 180 years, Protestan countries of Northern Europe and America have dominated the face of the Western Civilization.
Yet this faith, by its insistance on dogmatic schismatism, is destroying itself from within, if left uncheck since it is not a religion of Authority & Law.
Polytheistic Mormons and Anglicans are both Christians?
That is one things.
The other thing, which is more pertinent, is to which Protestant Legitimate Religious Authority must the Vali Faqih of Iran send a message for a religious cease-fire across the Shia Lands?
Who speaks for Protestanism is of the same political import as who speaks for Sunni Islam. Who can declare and end to these religious wars? Who speaks for Judaism?

Posted by: Fyi | Mar 8 2021 0:59 utc | 84

The Xerxes Biden treachery in Syria is lucidly discussed here at the grayzone report.
This is Aaron Maté leading a 24 minute report that includes Tulsi Gabbard calling out the warmongering of the USA and other material. It is a well edited investigation and worth the time.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 8 2021 1:07 utc | 85

Mr. Bemildred
The Protestants declared their war for the control of Plaestine in 1919, the Balfour Declaration, issued in the name of the English Monarch who also is the Legitimate Religious Authority of the Church of England.
The war was expanded in 1948 when the premiere Protestant power of its day, the Unjted States created State of Israel.
In 2003, the same Protestant state has declared those Muslim states opposed to her occupation of Palestine to be her enemies as well. Since then, Iraq and Libya were destroyed, Syria was wounded, Lebanon attacked, and Iran was sieged economically to destroy her.
That is where we stand.

Posted by: Fyi | Mar 8 2021 1:08 utc | 86

personal opinion from james…. there is some kind of inverse relationship going on with people from other cultures commenting on the religions of other cultures… here in the west in the culture i grew up in, i think it is hard enough to understand the differences between the different christian faiths, let alone understand the different islamic faiths.. and vice a versa… might be better to step back and acknowledge one’s ignorance and express some humility in all this rather then coming to quick conclusions on the nature of others as a consequence of words on an internet page..

Posted by: james | Mar 8 2021 1:09 utc | 87

@ uncle tungsten | Mar 8 2021 1:07 utc | 87… that is a link that b posted up top and to which migueljose shared yesterday on a different thread.. i acknowledged and encouraged others to watch it as well at my first comment @ 32… glad you discovered it and got something from it too! i thought it was quite good which is why i brought it up as well today, as well as yesterday, lol… i especially recommend it to those living in the us of a…

Posted by: james | Mar 8 2021 1:14 utc | 88

My first question how to reconcile this statement:
“Accomplish More With Exchange When You Subscribe To Microsoft 365® Business Standard! Outlook Support. Automatic Updates. Seamless Collaboration. Always Up-To-Date. Secured Remote Access.”
and the hack followed by a leisurely response. Should’t all those customers take advantage of Google Mail/Docs or equivalent services from Yandex, Yahoo etc.? And save money on Microsoft 365® Business? BTW, did the Lords of Microsoft gain the sole legal use for the number of days in a year? Cornering calendar business?

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Mar 8 2021 1:16 utc | 89

Posted by: Fyi | Mar 8 2021 1:08 utc | 88
You yourself complain that there is no protestant authority to make peace with. And then you talk as though there is protestant authority to make war on Islam. Which is it? Certainly there are parties who are at fault. Ought we not identify them carefully?

Posted by: Bemildred | Mar 8 2021 1:27 utc | 90

Posted by: librul | Mar 7 2021 14:40 utc | 1
Neocons, my ass.
There is no question that Ayatollah Sistani is the premiere Marja of this time.
Najaf and Qom may have rivalries, but no one who knows anything about Sistani and Khamenei would even deign to consider them as spiritual leaders of equal standing. Khamenei is not even a legitimate ayatollah.
Sistani is a genuine Shia scholar. He is a Grand Ayatollah. He is a Marja.
Khamenei is a comrade who is there because other comrades ran into a bomb or objected to Khomeini ordering the summary execution of tens of thousands of MEK political prisoners.
As mentioned here before, IRI has always been a program to hijack Shia Islam and politicize it. Nothing they do remotely resembles the guidance of Shia Imams, who they claim to be fighting for. Sistani is certain to have reached the same conclusions long ago. He is, after all, an actual Ayatollah.
Pope Francis really should have met with Khamenei. They can do the secret masonic handshake and maybe Francis can ask his friend to join him on the Guardian Council for Capitalism!

Posted by: ShiaDragon | Mar 8 2021 1:50 utc | 91

This pope who has just walked on the slaughter fields of Iraq may be intending to splinter the Shia voice of Iraq. I would expect no better from a pope who has a role throughout history of splinter, deceive, divide, profit. Perhaps he admires Pope Julius II.
Take 5 or so minutes to consider this excerpt from the grayzone report that I cited above in #87.
These are christians and shia and sunni and non believer peoples being starved and killed this very day in Syria. The weapon is illegal economic sanctions. Silence from this wretched pope.
The christians of Idlib were summarily murdered by the isil butchers who are armed and supplied by the USAi through Saudi and Qatari etc channels. Silence from this wretched pope.
This papal catholic dagger is as deadly in this world as is the anglican dagger in the hand of the queen of the englanders, as is the sunni dagger in the hand of the king of the saudis, as is the dagger and the dollar in the hand of the president of the usa. etc etc.
These are all silent in their conspiracy to commit crimes against humanity.
The Orthodox Christians with Russia and the Shia believers of islam appear to be one of the few religions that stand with peace and humanity and the downtrodden in the middle east. They are in good company with most marxists in the world in daring to resist this insanity and work toward a peaceful future. Strength to their arm.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 8 2021 1:56 utc | 92

Who speaks for Protestanism is of the same political import as who speaks for Sunni Islam. Who can declare and end to these religious wars? Who speaks for Judaism?
Posted by: Fyi | Mar 8 2021 0:59 utc | 86

Sir, may I suggest that it is not Protestantism that drives the catastrophic Western intervention in the ME, but money and power. Obviously I hardly need remind you that it was not The Prods who launched the crusades all those centuries ago, and of the various European empires around the world that would follow hundreds of years later, both Catholic and Protestant countries were involved. And we shouldn’t forget Orthodox if we include the Russian and Byzantine empires, to be fair. Although they were contiguous, if that makes a difference.
The reason that Protestantism exists is because of a need for people to have liberated themselves from the power and corruption of His Holy Infallibility. The Vatican was itself an empire, and there were good reasons for breaking with Rome. Lots of them. (I’m not religious, btw).

Posted by: Ash Naz | Mar 8 2021 2:02 utc | 93

Chinese scribe charged under new law for Galwan comments
A Chinese citizen doubting his/her government’s official narrative: must be a traitor.

Posted by: Antonym | Mar 8 2021 2:03 utc | 94

Ash Naz #95
Thank you and well said. Consider this example of one pope that I cited upthread.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 8 2021 2:16 utc | 95

Supply chain interdiction of the energy sector here we come
I can’t find any news of the oil depot bombing in NE Syria area as I recall but it could be related to the SA facility bombing.
The way to force empire out of the ME is to break its ability to maintain boots and equipment on the ground and in the air. It takes an enormous amount of oil with critical delivery and storage requirements…which we are reading are being compromised. We also still don’t know what the bombing did to the Ain al-Asad airbase and how much is still functional.
I am of the opinion that because we are reading so little about this weekends attacks that the impact must be significant….time will tell

Posted by: psychohistorian | Mar 8 2021 2:46 utc | 96

Mr. Ash Naz
I recognize the desire for booty and loot in historical empires of yore, e.g. the one constructed by the inhabitants of a poor island Northwest of Europe.
But I cannot see any gains for them in the USD 8.5 trillion that they will have spent in the Near East before this decade is out.
Likewise, I consider the utilization of a Financial “Nuclear” Weapon against Iran as an epitome of emotionally-crafted policy.
Consider: it resulted in collateral damage to US allies and partners. It demonstrated that certain import-export dependent countries using USD and US Financial system, such as Japan and Korea, can easily be starved to death by US.
The Americans gained nothing tangible by such demonstrations. It hurts them as countries will be seeking to reduce their dependence on US Financial system, where Americans, Masters of Transaction, could make money.
To me, these are all grand strategic losses that cannot be explained by the desire for money. It seems to be emotionally based decision out of religious sentiment.
The effort to starve and to otherwise to hurt the Syrian and Iranian people in the middle of a pandemic reeks of religious hatred. For example, the sole vaccine maker in Iran is under US sanctions.
In Yemen, the hatred for the Party of Ali expressed itself in the designation of Ansarallah as terrorists. A few sane US allies convinced Mr. Biden to revoke that designation. Where is the money to be made in Yemen for US?

Posted by: Fyi | Mar 8 2021 3:05 utc | 97

Mr. Bemildred
A distinction must be mase between Political Authority and Religious Authority.
The Political Authority waging war against Islam is one United States.
The unitary Religious Authority under which this Political Authority is waging war does not exist. So, how could the religious war end?
I do not understands the mechanism of US politics and cannot therefore explain how the fragmented schismatic Christian churches are exercising political influence in the United States.

Posted by: Fyi | Mar 8 2021 3:14 utc | 98

Mr. ShiaDragon
Suffice to say that you do not know Islam nor are you familiar with the intellectual and political history of the Shia
Please, go study. The Mantle of Prophet and the Rise of Shia are good starts.

Posted by: Fyi | Mar 8 2021 3:20 utc | 99

@99 Fyi – “Where is the money to be made in Yemen for US?”
You’re right to challenge the money because we see that not all action is focused directly on monetary return.
Why? Because of the US taxpayer and the US populace – the first of which pays money into the war chest and the second of which bears the cost for printing the rest of the money that also goes into the war chest. And similarly for the riches of princes, that are even more magically manifest.
So, if you are a Talmudist, and you have the US and its satraps wrapped around your little finger, and with many fellow travelers broken to the fist like so many birds of prey for you to launch at will and whim, then you can afford to look at the board and call the moves in an almost cerebral way.
Sometimes you call plays that don’t succeed or that don’t make sense or that don’t even enrich you, but it doesn’t matter because you don’t bear the loss. The point is to call the plays that satisfy the visceral needs, and to plan them as a cerebral scheme if you can – but since you are insane, and since most of the other people with power in this world are similarly insane, wise thinking is a lost art.
~~
In this context, there is a plan for Yemen. It doesn’t have to make sense. It only has to satisfy desire.
~~
One day, a force of fighters suffused with virtue and righteous vitality will not only fight its way to supremacy in the theater in which it was first forced to arise, but in further fields, as it fights its way upstream towards the true causes and sources of all its suffering. And that will be a day to behold.

Posted by: Grieved | Mar 8 2021 3:37 utc | 100

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