inflation is just beginning the more biden borrows to keep zelinsky above water the more you food, electric and gas goes up.
and the federal reserve has no power, which is why it is supposed to be.

Posted by: paddy | Jan 5 2023 16:20 utc | 4

As the cost of living crises hits families hard in the dis-United Kingdom, the Westminster government are formulating strict anti-strike laws to try and stop workers from striking. People are striking not because they want to strike and disrupt services, they are striking because they cannot make ends meet and they need a pay rise to match inflation.
This is happening against a backdrop where the Tory government at Westminster are turning a blind eye to the imminent collapse of the NHS, with sick people waiting for in some cases 50+ hours to be seen and some folk being treated in broom cupboards and corridors, whilst dozens of ambulances wait outside the hospitals with patients in the back of them because there’s no beds in the hospital.
Multiple MPs have shares or connections to private health companies, as Chomsky said “If you want to get rid of a public body, first you must defund it, the public will then cry out for something to replace it” and that’s where private healthcare comes in.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jan 5 2023 16:26 utc | 6

All the benefits that come with being part of a nefarious dictatorship.
“Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman being granted immunity from prosecution in US reassuring dictators around the world that they are safe in America.
In September, as a lawsuit was proceeding against him in a federal court in the United States, Mohammed bin Salman abruptly became Saudi Arabia’s Prime Minister, a role with several rights that he had not enjoyed previously as the country’s Crown Prince.
That dubious move paid off on Thursday, November 17, when the US State Department said that bin Salman enjoyed head of state immunity in US courts effectively dooming the lawsuit filed against him for his role in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.”
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/01/04/695707/MBS-Immunity-from-US-prosecution,-Khashoggi-Murder
Speaking of lawsuits, the late Jeffery Epstein’s vile pals are safe for now.
“The US Virgin Islands’ top prosecutor has lost her job days after filing a lawsuit accusing financial giant JP Morgan Chase of turning a “blind eye” to Jeffrey Epstein’s multi-decade sex trafficking operation.
Attorney General Denise George filed a lawsuit in Manhattan last week alleging that the Wall St giant “provided and pulled the levers through which recruiters and victims” of Epstein’s offending were paid in the court filing, according to Bloomberg.
On New Year’s Eve, Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan confirmed to several news outlets on the island that Ms George had been removed from her role amid reports he had been blindsided by the lawsuit.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/jeffrey-epstein-jp-morgan-us-virgin-islands-lawsuit-b2253153.html?amp

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jan 5 2023 16:41 utc | 8

Wonder how to judge Lyle Goldstein.
I find his political commentary on China interesting within the ideological framework of course.
But then, what to think of this?
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/01/05/how-western-tanks-could-change-ukraines-war-effort/
and why emphasize that the Russians could use nukes because the other side is using tanks?

Posted by: AG | Jan 5 2023 16:55 utc | 10

“The plan is to make Stockholder ideology, oops, sorry, *Stakeholder* ideology THE ideology of a new world system of governing. Leading non-governmental organizations — like The UN, The World Bank, The IMF, along with the biggest corporations and investment funds — and of course the governments of America, Europe, Asia and so on — they will kindly ask our new African friends to pretty please join our save-the-world party. The leaders of countries and businesses who don’t want to hop aboard the Stakeholder express, well, they don’t want to make all those groups and people have a sad at them do they? We are all in this together people.” FROM The Great Reset (or else)

Posted by: kana | Jan 5 2023 17:36 utc | 12

Below is a link to Taibbi’s Substack about the Twitter files encapsulated form
https://taibbi.substack.com/p/capsule-summaries-of-all-twitter?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1042&post_id=94664483&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 5 2023 17:49 utc | 14

This will be a consequential announcement for the year ahead: “Establishing the Office of the Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology.”
https://www.state.gov/establishing-the-office-of-the-special-envoy-for-critical-and-emerging-technology/
This office will be running what will amount to a full court press directed against China’s technological and economic development. The specific targets are described:
“the office will provide a center of expertise and energy to develop and coordinate critical and emerging technology foreign policy, and to engage foreign partners on emerging technologies that will transform our societies, economies, and security—including biotechnology, advanced computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum information technologies.”
As described in an important article in Politico, this program will involve investment screening, restrictions on Chinese tech, and a blockade of U.S. sourced tech:
“While American policymakers were previously content to manage China’s technological growth and make sure it stayed a few generations behind the U.S., security officials now seek to bring Beijing’s development – particularly in chips and computing, but soon in other sectors — closer to a standstill.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/26/china-trade-tech-00072232

Posted by: jayc | Jan 5 2023 18:25 utc | 16

My apologies to b. My recent posts on other thread were before I read the diktat here. I heartily disagree while entirely accepting that even a saloon needs rules. It is b’s place and he makes the rules.
Have long wondered what the legal problems are with such discussion in Germany. Barflies don’t need to test that for a reluctant host

Posted by: oldhippie | Jan 5 2023 18:50 utc | 18

The US House of Representatives cannot seem to decide on a Speaker.
Recommendation: … How about Juan Guaido? … He is out of work, and he got a bi-partisan standing ovation by the US Congress a few years ago.

Posted by: Mummer | Jan 5 2023 18:51 utc | 20

«Us trade deficit shrank a lot mostly due to much lower imports.»
There are huge supply problems, e.g. Germany is rather short of medical supplies.
A large part of this is that production in the PRC has fallen a lot due to a lot of people being sick, after the test-trace-isolate approach was largely abandoned, and the PRC government of course tries to prevent the export to other countries of the reduced level of production, reserving it for chinese customers. This has a large impact because the chinese domestic market is nowadays so large that exports are a relatively small part of it than in the past.

Posted by: Blissex | Jan 5 2023 19:05 utc | 22

Posted by: Mummer | Jan 5 2023 18:51 utc | 24
«The US House of Representatives cannot seem to decide on a Speaker.
Recommendation: … How about Juan Guaido? … He is out of work»
I think that he is being kept as a reserve replacement for Navalny if the latter manages to drink something stupid again. 🙂

Posted by: Blissex | Jan 5 2023 19:08 utc | 24

Blissex | Jan 5 2023 19:08 utc | 29
I think the issue over the ’20 Holdouts’ to McCarthy is Ukraine funding. … These 20 (out of 425) are the only principled members who emphatically do not support Ukraine.
And hence, we see the real bi-partisan establishment swamp for who they are. … I hope the 20 Holdouts keep up the pressure. … Democracy in action.

Posted by: Mummer | Jan 5 2023 19:18 utc | 26

This move sets a precedent for Poland’s $1.4 trillion demand for WWII war damages; not to be rejected with a shrug. Germany has been paying reparations to descendants of the Chosen.
Posted by: Likklemore | Jan 5 2023 18:11 utc | 34

I suppose I should sign up for reparations for my grandfather’s family business that was bombed in Central London in WW2. Is there an online form for that?

Posted by: Opport Knocks | Jan 5 2023 19:27 utc | 28

Mummer @ 24, 32, Blissex @ 29:
If the US Republicans continue to delay nominating a Speaker, Juan Guaido might soon have some competition who is eminently qualified for the position. That person is the Ukrainian President. Of course US Congress might have to wait another several months to a year or whenever Zelensky is forced to vacate his current position and go into exile.
After all, a clown circus needs a peoper head clown and Zelensky might teach the clowns in Washington DC some new piano-playing tricks.

Posted by: Jen | Jan 5 2023 19:51 utc | 30

The 20 Holdouts need to continue their votes until they get a Speaker who will not fund Ukraine anymore. … No one will care 10 years from now if the Congress could not find a new speaker for a few weeks. … There is no time pressure.

Posted by: Mummer | Jan 5 2023 20:04 utc | 32

Jimmy Dore would make a good speaker or Katie Halper. I dream on.
With any luck another week or two of indecision will ensue 🙂

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 5 2023 20:20 utc | 34

Ahhh, the great Republican Party, once again snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Posted by: Opport Knocks | Jan 5 2023 20:29 utc | 36

Ben Norton at multipolarista reports on = “Pakistan’s Imran Khan compares his ouster to CIA coup in Iran, criticizes Western colonialism”.

Posted by: u | Jan 5 2023 20:44 utc | 38

@karlof1, #38,
@LightYearsFromHome, #45,
Thank you both for your comments. Karlof1 asked why b hadn’t yet dedicated a thread focusing on what China is doing/not doing, I think there is actually no need for that. In browsing MOA, I found the interest on what China’s responses/initiatives are on all important issues that b throws out threads to discuss, is ever present. There are also very informed people, such as both of you, who expound the geopolitical impacts of China on these issues well enough that we don’t really need for a China-exclusive thread.
Two years ago, Xi talked about China’s new economic strategy of shifting from Export Driven mode to a Dual Cycle mode, meaning cycling earnings from exports to stimulate domestic demand, etc., which fits the points that you are both making. I echo financial matters’s point of China’s need to apply her urban industrial capability to rural consumptions only in the spirit that I thought they haven’t done what Xi advocated fast enough. Maybe they are doing it as fast as practical, but just not advertising so as much.
Anyway, based on what I skimmed from Chinese media and net discussions, I believe 2023 will see a big push on domestic consumption in China.

Posted by: Oriental Voice | Jan 5 2023 20:57 utc | 40

What do you all think of this from TG? It’s cross-linked from Rybar and Milchronicles:
Juan Sinmiedo/Fearless John/Ukraine exposed
There is a possibility that Ukraine, with the help of Western countries, might launch drone attacks on Russian territory in the Far East. Considering the recent attacks deep inside Russia when drones targeted the Engels airbase, chances are that a new attack can be conducted. This time UAVs will hit other critical military infrastructure including aircraft factories that are located in the Far East.
If the attack takes place, the Asia-Pacific will see another surge of instability, which will have its impact on all countries in the Northeast Asia. And Asian states have enough of their own problems caused by North Korea and Taiwan.
On possible drone strikes by the AFU in Primorye and Khabarovsk Territory. A breakdown by @rybar and @milchronicles
After the attempted strike on strategic aviation airfields, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), supported by several Western intelligence agencies, is planning new drone strikes. However, unlike the strike on Engels, the new action could be carried out from abroad, and the targets could be facilities in the Russian Far East.
Which targets are we talking about?
The Gagarin Aviation Plant (KNAAZ) is located in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. It is a strategically important enterprise: Russian Su-35 and Su-35S fighters, as well as the latest fifth generation Su-57 fighters are assembled in its shops. In the last few years KNAAZ has been continuously fulfilling “Gosoboronzakaz” contracts, delivering unique aviation equipment on time. By the end of 2024 the Russian Air Force must receive 22 aircraft, by 2028 their number in the Armed Forces will reach 76.
There are also more than ten Su-35 fighters stored at KNAAZ which, according to the Iranian media, Moscow plans to give to Tehran in the near future.
In addition, KNAAZ is the producer of civilian Superjet aircraft, one of the symbols of Russian import substitution of critical technologies.
The Arsenyev Aviation Plant “Progress”, the only manufacturer of Ka-52 Alligator reconnaissance attack helicopters for the Russian Air Force, is located in Primorsky Krai.
The Russian Air Force has already lost several Ka-52 helicopters since the start of the air defense in Ukraine. Therefore, the defeat of the Arsenyev factory will effectively nullify the possibility of restoring them.
What is the enemy’s plan?
It is likely that a group of drones will be launched from civilian ships from neutral waters – possibly from the waters of the Sea of Japan or the Pacific Ocean. The vessels will be chartered through shell companies.
One of the most likely candidates for such an action is the Chinese Mugin-5 drone, which is well known to the AFU and Ukrainian intelligence.
Another option is the Ukrainian counterpart of the Geraney, the Kulon drone. The launcher with these UAVs can be placed on board the ship and carry out simultaneous launch of up to 40 units.
What could be the signs of preparation for an attack?
A couple of days before the strike (as was the case in Makeyevka or Engels), U.S. spacecraft will observe likely targets, after which the attack vector will begin to be determined. Most likely, the US military TOPAZ satellites will be used for continuous observation of targets, the feature of which is the ability to conduct reconnaissance of targets on the surface of the Earth even in bad weather conditions.
Then it will be the turn of reconnaissance aviation and aircraft of long-range radar detection: the US and NATO aviation will study the air defense activity in the Far East from the waters of the Pacific Ocean. After that, presumably, there will be a strike.
What will this do to the enemy?
The main purpose of possible strikes is not so much the defeat of factories or assembly plants, as an information campaign.
The strike will, first of all, sow panic among the Russian population in the Far East. In the context of the military-political confrontation with the NATO bloc this will become a real assessment of the readiness of the Russian Armed Forces to defend its eastern borders.
Besides, such an action would mean demonstrative destruction or at least damage of some of the newest fighter jets for Iran and putting KNAAZ’s production facilities out of action for some time.
If the GUR and Ukraine’s Western handlers decide to carry out this strike and the attack is not detected and repelled, other strategic targets may become targets in the future, such as the submarine base in Vilyuchinsk or Russian military airfields.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jan 5 2023 21:08 utc | 42

@ Oriental Voice | Jan 5 2023 20:57 utc | 49 about “consumption” in China…and the RoW
One big problem with consumption is packaging and we used to have milk bottle pickups in the US as an example of maybe a more ecological way…..more of other resources but hopefully overall, less long term waste.
The new world needs to not fall into the marketing/sales of consumption for consumption sake trap and for the “consumables”, packaging needs to become part of the consumption cycle.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 5 2023 21:15 utc | 44

LightYearsFromHome @51–
Hard to determine exactly why but Russia has upped its defense alert status in its Far East with most reports citing Japan as the reason. If any suggested attacks were to occur, the ship launching them would die rather quickly as it makes no difference where the ship is located when launching such an attack. And if the launch platform is a sub, NATO would be directly implicated since the Ukies don’t have subs.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jan 5 2023 21:28 utc | 46

uncle tungsten @ 54

What do I think? I think you got the wrong thread, at least.

You’re right, I didn’t read the header figured it was the new open UKR thread. Oh, well, in the words of Emily Litella, “never mind”.
Still, it’s intriguing war info.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jan 5 2023 21:39 utc | 48

Washington Post reports that the white house has ruled out ever sending Abrams to Ukraine, because they are too heavy, require too much fuel and maintenance. If true, that is great news, because Abrams make up vast majority of NATO’s remaining MBTs.
UA might still get the UK’s couple hundred tanks, which they’ve decided to get rid of anyway.

Posted by: catdog | Jan 5 2023 22:01 utc | 50

anger alert
Joseph Ratzinger, preferred pronouns it/its.
It put its vanity above the children entrusted to its care. It outright said it coveted the Pope job only to promote its books – they are so special, you know, they guarantee its eternal glory, unlike the Papacy in itself.
At first, I wished to have all copies of its books erased. What is banned however arouses curiosity, might turn it into a martyr.
Better to have all the books translated into all the earth languages and distributed, free of charge, all over the globe. Illustrated with the faces of the child victims of the pedophile(s?) Joseph Ratzinger enabled as bishop.
May the name of Joseph Ratzinger live through the ages like the name of Vidkun Quisling does!

Posted by: glupi | Jan 5 2023 22:08 utc | 52

uncle tungsten @ 42
Back on track: Jimmy Dore is brilliant, the Diogenes of our day, I had skipped the recent ones with Matte hosting, so thanks. He gets to really stand tall with regards to his ‘force the vote’ and squad criticisms. Proven right across the board.
The Overton Window has moved so far to the right that the only ember left of American democracy glows in the far right. And, that is a very sad and disturbing thing. So, now we wait for the vicious bastards of the far right to save us all?

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jan 5 2023 22:23 utc | 54

This funny Kevin McCarthy meme has been making the rounds…
https://postlmg.cc/R6T3XdDJ

Posted by: Opport Knocks | Jan 5 2023 22:38 utc | 56

“…if you post an article claiming that we are three years into a pandemic (which never happened before)…” wagelaborer @30
Where do you get such information? The Black Death-bubonic plague- lasted for years and kept on cropping up again.

Posted by: bevin | Jan 5 2023 23:13 utc | 58

Interesting times.
When stop means go faster. It is little wonder there so many motorists are badly injured or murdered by car drivers! Deciding on a red light means accelerating to warp speed. Pick any state or city in the USSA. Time to service those Occam’s razor Brakes!
In other news. It would appear Rep McCarthy’s popular vote for the cushy house speaker job. Is looking like it is on track to fail. Notables such as the disgraced geriatric CEO of a convicted tax fraud corporation are backing the beleaguered man. The latest person to throw his hat in the ring demanding he gets the job! Is the CEO of “Twatter(tell no truths found here)*” Elon Who? A man who lost 200 billion dollars at the Wally St casino poker tables. *Twatter is a well-known propaganda arm of the USSA government.
What will happen next? Will this red donkey get up and run?? Or double down on the bribes??? Or is the house of congress divided on polarized lines? More news from the fog-bound city at six.

Posted by: Big Deal Motors On | Jan 5 2023 23:27 utc | 60

I thought I posted this last night but it was late & as you may notice from the typ[os I was in my cups. Personally I support b’s request simply because people have become so fixed in their stances that like 911, jfk’s death & a coupla other issues that unless major new facts surface jaw jaw is pointless.
With that in mind the post I attempted last night argues that the decision to nuke Hiroshima & Nagasaki wasn’t what we’ve been told, to bring about surrender but to ensure the USSR didn’t make any gains in east asia other than those FDR had offered up at Yalta.
I hafta admit I get kinda tired of some of the tosh that is posted here. Still I try not to get angry about it, ‘cos it isn’t the fault of englanders, euros or amerikans that their societies have been subjected to intensive lies aka propaganda, since forever.
The only reason my perception could be somewhat less distorted is because down here in the south most of the problems amerika, england & western europe have generally seemed to be remote from us mob.
Yeah not everyone in this part of the world sees that, however in the 70 odds years I’ve been paying attention, the vast majority of things that the north mob have gotten all stressed about barely raised most citizens down south here to concern, let alone set ’em to worryin’.
That gave many of us the space to be a little more objective about the world and to check out what others thought free of nagging and whining from the elitist types who always reckon their indoctrination outweighs the facts.
The end of the conflict with Japan is a classic example, in that whilst many are happy to acknowledge that using nuclear devices on Japan was likely an act of racism in that if japs had been whitefellas more people would have objected to it, this cruel & inhuman treatment of civilians, letting off that terrible destruction was necessary – else why did ‘the japs’ surrender?
This National Interest article provides a more believable motive for Japanese elites (most of whom had thus far had been unaffected by the nuclear slaughter) to have agreed to a surrender:

“While recognizing that Moscow had no resources to spare as long as its troops were tied down in Europe, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt nonetheless sought to enlist Soviet assistance in the war against Japan once Germany had been defeated. Soviet leader Josef Stalin agreed, aiming to expand Soviet borders in Asia. Stalin began building up Soviet forces in the Far East once the tide of the war in Europe had turned following the Battle of Stalingrad.
At the February 1945 Yalta Conference, Stalin agreed that the Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan three months after Germany’s surrender. The Yalta declaration gave Moscow back southern Sakhalin, which Japan had seized during the Russo-Japanese War in 1904-05, as well as the Kurile Island chain to which Russia had renounced its claim in 1875. Mongolia was also to be recognized as an independent state (it was already a Soviet client), and Soviet interests in the naval base at the Chinese port of Port Arthur (Dalian) and the Manchurian railway that it had controlled before 1905 were to be respected.
Moscow subsequently declared war on Tokyo on August 8, 1945, two days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and one day before the second bomb fell on Nagasaki (though Western historiography has long emphasized the role of the nuclear attacks in compelling Japan’s surrender, newly available Japanese documents emphasize the importance of the Soviet declaration of war in forcing Tokyo’s hand).
A massive invasion of Manchuria began the day after the Soviet declaration of war. Soviet forces also conducted amphibious landings along Japan’s colonial periphery: Japan’s Northern Territories, on Sakhalin Island, and in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. The Soviet invasion of Manchuria created a haven for Chinese communist forces, who had been fighting both the Japanese and Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists, aiding the communists’ eventual triumph in 1948.”

Now knowing what we now know about amerika’s determination to control Asia Pacific – invasion of Korea, Vietnam war – endless coups in Thailand, the Indonesian takeover which resulted in 1 million deaths from USuk trained hit squads. It cannot be a shock that many objective students believe that the real reason for nuking innocent Japanese civilians was to make sure that all the work which began when amerika put Japan under a naval blockade in the hope of preventing Japan from subjecting any of asia to an imperialism that amerika had planned for itself did not get lost because Japan, far more scared of the USSR than USA, didn’t cede ant geography to the USSR, whilst at the same time sending alleged amerikan allies, the USSR, the message that if they didn’t take care, any attempt at the socialisation of any part of Asia could be very lethal indeed.

Posted by: Debsisdead | Jan 5 2023 23:39 utc | 62

@ Big Deal Motors On
This sound like a commercial venture.
Once in office the Speaker is the one who gets the bungs so obviously he has to invest more in bribes to get the job.
Please don’t tell us there are moral principles at work here. It’s business, same as everything else in the West.

Posted by: Giyane | Jan 5 2023 23:40 utc | 64

Giyane @69–
The people you describe aren’t Muslims; they’re merely terrorists. Similar fanatics claim devotion to all religions but cannot be considered adherents for the reasons you provide. Thus, they are essentially animistic. For many centuries, British elite claimed to be Christian, but their behavior proved otherwise, a tradition that is followed today. Same can be said of most elites as they are merely rich terrorists.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jan 5 2023 23:42 utc | 66

@ karlof1 76
Thanks for your response. But they are very educated Muslims and seekers after truth in an age and place of great ignorance.
Britain has housed and watered many of the political assistants tobthe CIA and Mi6 instead best of spies in London.
The doctrine of ignorance was invented by the British with the assistance of the Zionists and introduced as the Muslim Brotherhood in I920 is in Cairo, immediately after the collapse of the Ottoman Caliphate, and it has continued
ever since.
It’s perfectly respectable for Erdogan to build a mosque in Cambridge and Gulf States to build an Islamist University in Oxford.
But the everyday conversion of graduates of South Asian madrassahs to Islamist ignorance is done by the former CIA/ MI6/ mossad operatives from the London nest of spies.
Armed with a portfolio of dodgy proofs taken out of context , the cuckoo’s seek out the lonely young imams who have mastered the Qur’an, but who are socially
isolated from the humdrum worldy lives of ordinary Muslims. These young imams are easy prey for cynical and manipulative old politicos. Prevent, an organisation supposedly trying to prevent terrorism in Britain, in fact serves as a hub where potential radicalees can be notched with theater of radicalisers.
Sick, innit. We wait 1500 years for Islam to be allowed to come to this country without being executed, and when it does come, the same old same old forces of Piratical darkness pervert it to something more Piratical and dark than the original Message.
The way you can tell if somebody is a tired old politico or a genuine teacher, the Litmus test, is that islamists will tell you that Islam is not for everybody, I.e you are the elite and all the rest are expendable and you can eat their property, steal their women and wealth.
Unfortunately the old and tired politicos do not realise that this dictrine jars with the 10 commandments. The best thing they is that they are like the character in Chapter The Cave in the Qur’an who was wiser than Moses. Oh we do like a bit of chilli with our morning scrambled eggs.
Apologies to opponents of religion.The worst politics are to be found in the discussion of truth. Poisonous. Delicious.

Posted by: Giyane | Jan 6 2023 0:23 utc | 68

digital dinosaur @78–
Nice to read a reply from you! You’re correct of course. Alienating China will turn out to be one of the Outlaw US Empire’s biggest mistakes.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jan 6 2023 0:33 utc | 70

Giyane @79–
Thanks for attempting a coherent reply. I do understand your point.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jan 6 2023 0:37 utc | 72

I am watching some faction attacking Musk both through his businesses and propaganda wise
Reuters has a posting up saying 200 million email addresses have been “leaked, researcher says”. Since my government has had its fingers up the ass of Twitter for how-ever-many-years now, 200 leaked email addresses sounds like a cheap shot to me.
It is also interesting to note the silence from the MSM about the Twitter Files reporting….like its going to go away and not grow in street smarts all over world
Is Musk part of some “Western” oligarchy that is ok with a multi-polar world? I am not a Musk fan but the transition to a multi-polar world does not have to include nuclear/biologic extinction by sore losers.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 6 2023 0:50 utc | 74

@ Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jan 5 2023 16:41 utc | 9
Actually, the local Virgin Island newspaper has the full dirt under the carpet bribes inclusive! Paid to the governor, his wife, and several other prominent ruling elite.
Had the AG proceeded with the case? The entire corrupt local government would be looking for a decade long extended vacation at the nearest USSA mainland “club fed”? Paid for by your friendly USSA taxpayer! That is in fact, the ones that do actually pay fed taxes. Unlike a certain geriatric with fake inflated fictional values on assets valued billionaire. Who sponges off his friends and family for his daily tax-free bread?

Posted by: Big Deal Motors On | Jan 6 2023 0:54 utc | 76

In other news going down for the tenth time in a row with Rep Kev McCarthy.
His dead red donkey failed at the starting speaker gate. Yet again!
Clearly, his black-funded slush PAC money is still, not enough to bribe his way to the top job!
Truth is surely stranger than self-creative imaginary fiction. “Occam’s Razor” /s

Posted by: Big Deal Motors On | Jan 6 2023 1:06 utc | 78

glupi #62

May the name of Joseph Ratzinger live through the ages like the name of Vidkun Quisling does!

Agreed and not to forget that he was ably assisted and sustained in his elevation to supreme leader by the equally tainted USA cardinals. Low lifes all.
And today Biden fixes the Virgin Islands Prosecutor for going after Epstein’s Bank or should that be JP Morgan Chase’s Epstein?

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 6 2023 1:20 utc | 80

The night before the New Year’s attack on Russians, there was an attack on US troops occupying a Syrian oil field.
It amazes me that most Americans have no idea that the US is occupying 30% of Syria and is stealing their oil and wheat.
https://thecradle.co/Article/News/19938

Posted by: wagelaborer | Jan 6 2023 2:17 utc | 82

Below is a quote from a new article from The Cradle

According to Baghdad Today news agency, the President of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, Faiq Zaidan, announced on 5 January the issuance of an arrest warrant for former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Zaidan mentioned in a statement that the Iraqi judiciary issued an arrest warrant for former US President Donald Trump, who confessed to giving the green light to kill Iranian top commander Qassem Soleimani and his Iraqi counterpart Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a drone strike in early 2020.
The head of the Iraqi Judicial Council made the comments during the third anniversary of Soleimani’s murder in Baghdad, where several prominent Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Mohammad Shia’ al-Sudani, were present.
In his speech, Zidan denounced the deadly strike and claimed that former President Trump, who officially “admitted to committing the crime,” has been given an arrest warrant by the nation’s highest court.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 6 2023 2:40 utc | 84

Mistakenly posted at end of last open thread. Re-posted here. Hope that this is ok. and correct. McCarthy is an open agent for any paying lobbyist, funds distributed.
Reference: The 2023 vote for House Speaker.
Support for those who wish to change the corrupt processes of the House. Change from within.
quote :
January 4, 2023
Washington, DC
Conservative organizations and the millions of grassroots conservatives we represent are united in our support of the 20 courageous members of Congress seeking to change the status quo in Washington.
Over the past decade, the House has grown increasingly autocratic. Rank and file members are routinely denied a chance to participate in the legislative process, committees are ignored, deals and loopholes for interests abound, and there is virtually no amendment process for any bills, large or small. The outcome reflects the process: bills that cater to a handful of members in leadership and K street lobbyists, but ignore the priorities of the voters.
Months ago, these members made clear that this established way of doing things was no longer acceptable. They made public a series of proposed reforms designed to democratize the House – to engage the broader membership in legislating, and bring accountability back to the People’s House.
Rather than engage them in a good faith negotiation, Rep. Kevin McCarthy has instead maligned both the requests and the messengers. He has publicly and through proxies leveled attacks against members of his own party, including threatening to deny committee assignments for those who continue to oppose him. Moreover, he has failed to answer for, or commit to halting, his coordinated efforts in the 2022 elections to promote moderate Republican candidates over conservatives.
Because of this, he has thus far failed to garner the 218 votes necessary to lead the House GOP conference in three separate rounds of voting. The job of the Speaker is to garner consensus among disparate factions of the party, and unite them.
These members represent the millions of voters across the country who are disgusted with the business-as-usual, self-interested governance in Washington. We stand behind them and beside them in their courageous efforts to find a Speaker of the House who will represent the interests of conservatives. We encourage more conservative members to join their ranks.
/ end quote.
Letter quoted from website and full list of those distinguished persons signed up to above letter at website
https://conservativeactionproject.com/conservatives-call-for-new-house-leadership/

Posted by: Fíréan | Jan 6 2023 3:40 utc | 86

A quick thought. In Canada it’s said that a minority government is better because it has no ability to make significant changes to the existing system, changes which are the prize to majority rule.
This is possible because there are three, often four or five different political parties. If one does not achieve a majority, that party will agree with another party to support a common agenda.
Thus formed, the coalition government with its joint majority of seats agrees to not permit a vote of non-confidence which would bring down the government and force another election.
In the United States I don’t think the republic of states government forbids a third political party, vis. the Texas billionaire Ross Perot running on his own ticket.
However this train of thought leads to a possible insight into US political thought. It’s always two parties fighting it out, and the winner gets the spoils. For two, four and for the executive branch often eight years.
It was explained to me that the main thing which changes in DC with the administration is who gets the federal contracts for street cleaning.
Extrapolate that to the rest of the country, and the rest of the world, and it’s a taste of how others might perceive US federal election results. In Canada it affects economic policy, although as a barfly I am also interested in the geopolitical ramifications. Within the USA there are domestic concerns I understand.
Anyway, perhaps a populace grown used to a two-party system feels most comfortable in a two-party world, where one party is in charge, and has been for half a century. Longer, some might say.
So to sum up, the people of the United States could be quite used to a duopoly and may be constitutionally (sic) unwilling to understand much less accept a multipolar world.

Posted by: jonku | Jan 6 2023 4:51 utc | 88

Sinaloa Drug Cartel Leader Ovidio Guzman Is Captured

In 2021, the U.S. State Department offered a US$5 million reward for information that could lead to the arrest of Ovidio, Joaquin, Ivan, and Jesus Guzman.
“These four criminals partnered to distribute cocaine, methamphetamines, and marijuana in the U.S. from Mexico and other countries from 2008 to 2018. They are high-ranking members of the Sinaloa cartel,” the U.S. State Department pointed out.

Last time the Mexican government arrested this mafioso boss, they released him after the cartel killers ran amok. The cynic in me thinks the USA DEA keeps these creeps in their pocket simply to destabilise AMLO and his fine government.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 6 2023 6:17 utc | 90

Whenever I get a reminder of Epstein and team I immediately reach for some recent commentary by Whitney Webb.
Pour a drink and watch this great discussion on Redacted.
“Journalist Whitney Webb sits down with Redacted’s Clayton Morris for a dense conversation about her bombshell new book on Jeffrey Epstein’s deep connections to the world’s biggest power players. She exposes the deep corruption and cover up at the heart of the western power structure. Check out her astonishing new book.”

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 6 2023 6:39 utc | 92

Big Deal Motors On #114
From what I have seen their trade for vote is generally innocuous other than their request to strip legislation of piggy back addendums and their request for a recall vote for the speaker should that conflict arise.
I would have thought that Kevin McCarthy could do that but methinks he will have no truck with returning power to the legislators and he seeks a dictatorship of the Speaker.
It doesn’t take a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. But McCarthy clearly has no clue how to ride the times we are in. He is doomed afaik and there is no alternative in the wings as the repugnants are are really just fossilised sh!t. I hope this goes on for months.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 6 2023 7:58 utc | 94

ref. Speaker of the House.
House members who are critical of the twenty Republicans who will not vote for nor support McCarthy express a belief that those opposing McCarthy are wanting some personal gain out the negotiation, as that, it would seem, is all that the House is about – personal gain from any debate or negotiation. “What do they want ?”
Where as the (at present) twenty seek not personal gain yet a rightful change to a corrupted system. They are acting in the interests and behalf of the people who they represent, who voted for them. And when looking at the record of McCarthy one can better understand their reluctance and distrust.
https://libertyscore.conservativereview.com/kevin-mccarthy
One might question why do the other two hundred + so adamantly support McCarthy for the highly influential position of Speaker of the House.? ?

Posted by: Fíréan | Jan 6 2023 8:59 utc | 96

Intel Slava makes the following observations regarding the Sinaloa Cartel disruption in Mexico:

There has been some speculation that Mexican authorities did this at the behest of the United States in the lead-up to the meeting of North American leaders next week in Mexico City (https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/tenth-north-american-leaders-summit-preview). There is, however, reason to be skeptical of such; such a violent response by CDS was to be expected after the (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Culiac%C3%A1n)Battle of Culiacán in 2019 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Culiac%C3%A1n). If Sinaloa’s demands aren’t met and they do follow through with their threats, the deterioration in the security situation could place the meeting in jeopardy.
Such would be a blow to U.S. interests, given Washington’s foreign policy of late has increasingly placed an emphasis on the role of Mexico within American strategy (https://www.wbur.org/npr/1127505616/why-the-u-s-might-not-win-the-global-economy-without-canada-and-mexico). Likewise, Chinese reach in Latin America is growing (https://time.com/5936037/us-china-latin-america-influence/), so the more the U.S. has to focus resources on Mexico, the more it is constrained in operating elsewhere in the region to combat this trend.
Finally, there are more immediate political considerations at play. Mexico in 2021 was the 2nd largest trading partner of the United States, with total value of this commerce estimated at $661 Billion. This is important, as Mexican national authorities have previously identified CDS -[Cartel de Sinaloa](and CJNG) as a serious threat to cross border trading relations, given their influence in the Mexican borderlands (https://time.com/5936037/us-china-latin-america-influence/). Disruptions to this trade would affect not just important states like Texas and California, but the national economy at large.
Another issue is that, while “American” elites have no issue with mass immigration into the country, the high levels currently being seen this year are still inflicting enough political heat on Washington that Biden recently announced he would head to the border to observe the situation himself (https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/05/biden-to-visit-us-mexico-border-city-of-el-paso-on-sunday-as-white-house-rolls-out-new-immigration-rules.html). Should cartel violence seriously escalate, this will only exacerbate the problem by creating a genuine humanitarian crisis on the border as Mexican civilians join the movement north to escape the violence (https://www.newsweek.com/increase-mexican-migrants-us-could-signal-failed-state-1681473).
Exactly this sort of situation has been a persistent fear of U.S. leadership since Obama (https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/world/americas/09iht-letter.1.19217792.html)was in office, and it has grown in recent years as the situation in Mexico becomes more precarious (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/opinion/mexico-mormons.html). Time will tell, but the next 72 hours could really set the tone for security issues in North America for 2023.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 6 2023 9:31 utc | 98

Fíréan #118

One might question why do the other two hundred + so adamantly support McCarthy for the highly influential position of Speaker of the House.? ?

The reason is revealed in something I linked earlier from the Jimmy Dore show.(I think I linked that one) Aaron Mate is hosting while Jimmy is surfing or something.
There is a brief walk by interview with one of the notable repugnant congresscritters and she is cross and says something to the effect that: these 20 holdouts took the $ two million campaign funds that Kevin McCarthy was passing out for their election and they should realise they owe him their vote. Now that’s a rough take but the scam is like this… The USA oligarchs fill up the coffers of the next agreed leader of BOTH parties and they dole out the dosh and then the oligarchs can tack on piggyback legislation to anything traversing the house or they can get the speaker who sets the house agenda to hold or speed their heart$ desire!
GRAFT I’d call it but then its business as usual in the world’s finest democracy.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 6 2023 9:44 utc | 100