posted a response to you bubbles… for some reason i is caught in the spam thing and will show up later – i think!

Posted by: james | Sep 29 2023 23:55 utc | 103

Just a thought.
We have Animal names for human actions, misdeeds, errors, etc. All unique to a certain species. ex. weasels, leeches, seals, pigs etc.
Yet when a Animal Species does any wrong to it’s own, You think they say, “you”re acting like a human.”??

Posted by: heavymetal101 | Sep 30 2023 0:06 utc | 105

https://nitter.net/RnaudBertrand
Kathleen Tyson
@Kathleen_Tyson_
Sep 27
China has increased GDP by $1.5 trillion so far in 2023. US has increased its deficit by a similar amount as US growth falters.
China’s fiscal revenues are up more than 10% while US fiscal revenues are down more than 12%.
Which economy is weakening?
Christophe Barraud🛢🐳 ???

Posted by: MD | Sep 30 2023 0:08 utc | 107

Arnaud Bertrand
@RnaudBertrand
Sep 24
Very good article on Western exceptionalism, double standards, mendacity, propaganda and our fundamental lack of understanding of others !!!
https://nitter.net/Kathygannon/status/1706031211746144391#m
Kathy Gannon
@Kathygannon
Sep 24
Just because it seems apropos of what Graham Allison is saying here is something I wrote from my Shorenstein Fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School. @RnaudBertrand It was published in August
shorensteincenter.org/journa…

Posted by: MD | Sep 30 2023 0:31 utc | 109

@43 history illustrates that there is no place to go or run to when in the midst of a tyrannical state. You learn to survive and just survival becomes a revolutionary act when fighting fascist politic. The tide of fascism will rise and fall until the pendulum of war profiteering is stopped.

Posted by: Bill Miner | Sep 30 2023 0:34 utc | 111

RT picked up a report from the RFKjr Unfriendly website Mediaite that he will run as a third party candidate. Here’s RT’s report:

US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has reportedly made plans to run as a third-party candidate, potentially shaking up the 2024 race for the White House by sapping Democrat votes away from President Joe Biden and boosting the odds of a Republican victory.
Kennedy, who is currently polling as the top challenger to Biden for the Democratic Party’s nomination, plans to announce his candidacy as an independent during an October 9 campaign event in Pennsylvania, Mediaite reported on Friday. Kennedy’s campaign will run commercials attacking the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to “pave the way” for the announcement, the media outlet said.
Kennedy has railed against the DNC for refusing to give him a fair opportunity to win the party’s nomination, and he has criticized Biden for declining to approve US Secret Service protection for him during the campaign, despite numerous death threats. He’s the son of 1968 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy Jr., both of whom were assassinated.
“Bobby feels that the DNC is changing the rules to exclude his candidacy, so an independent run is the only way to go,” Mediaite cited a Kennedy campaign insider as saying. The New York Times reported last week that Kennedy had met with the chairman of the Libertarian Party, suggesting that he was considering a run for president without winning the Democratic nomination….
He has said that his top priority as president will be to “end the corrupt merger between state and corporate power.” Kennedy also has argued that Biden’s administration missed many opportunities to settle the Russia-Ukraine conflict peacefully, and its strategy of giving billions of dollars’ worth of weapons to Kiev has been “terrible for the Ukrainian people.” [My Emphasis]

As discussed, RFKjr would never be allowed to be the Ds POTUS candidate, and he’s 100% correct that the DNC will do what it must to exclude him, just like it did with Sanders. Politically, IMO this is the absolute correct choice. This way he can campaign and say what needs to be said–and there’s a great deal that needs saying. But, will the media black him out? I’m going to say yes, despite his campaign having money to buy airtime.

Posted by: karlof1 | Sep 30 2023 0:46 utc | 113

https://halfreeman.wordpress.com/2023/09/27/responses-to-romney-reflections-on-life-for-an-american-in-russia/
LIFE IN LUGA(Russia) As far as life here in Russia things are going pretty much the same. Despite what Antony Blinken has said, there are still plenty of groceries on the shelves in the stores.
Two days ago I went to the grocery store and then to the open market. I bought enough groceries for the kids and me for at least a week. It came to the equivalent of $64.00. Gas has gone up a little. Regular gas has gone up 3 rubles per liter. Diesel went up even more than that. Still, even with these recent increases, prices have not gone up much since the SMO began.
If my math is right, gas is still just under $2.00/gallon. Of course, I take taxis so I don’t really feel the impact of the gas prices. My taxis are about the same cost.
The Russian economy overall is strong. I mentioned in a previous blog that Russia’s economy is now rated the strongest in Europe. The sanctions have failed completely.
Russia has diversified in some areas, and it has changed its focus to the east. It was dumb to sanction a country which has as many natural resources as Russia has. I think many agree that more countries are “cheating” on the sanctions. Putin announced in a speech this past week that in August the Russian budget had a surplus. I don’t think economists in the U.S. know what the word “surplus” means anymore.
He said the GDP growth for Russia is estimated to be 2.5-2.8%. Russia essentially has no budget deficit and very little debt. Senator Rand Paul said the U.S. deficit will exceed $1.5 trillion. If you go to usdebtclock.org you will see that the U.S. debt now stands above $33 trillion. America is literally borrowing money from China to send to Ukraine.
As far as attitudes about the war, folks here don’t seem to talk about it a lot–at least with me. I think it is safe to say most want to bring it to an end. They would love for Mr. Putin to give the go-ahead to stepping up the offensives.
Putin and his generals are still playing defense. The spring-summer-fall offensive by Ukraine has failed miserably. On all accounts it has been terribly costly both in loss of lives and equipment for Ukraine. Putin said indications are that Ukraine has had 71,500 casualties as a result of the offensive…

Posted by: MD | Sep 30 2023 0:51 utc | 115

@37 pretzelattack, LoL. Good one. If they’re radicalized penguins, Biden will have them here in no time. The Demonrats don’t have any good options in CA or the US. Doesn’t mean that somehow they don’t win. If anyone cared to look at Larry Johnson’s article, I will say that all of those cities are run by them. I was a Democrat 30 years ago. No more. Not a Republican either. In fact, I quit voting over 20 years ago. Why perpetuate the charade? Cheers.

Posted by: Immaculate deception | Sep 30 2023 1:00 utc | 117

Posted by: karlof1 | Sep 30 2023 0:46 utc | 57
Thank you for this post, karlof1. That is a very brave man. I would not have been intending to vote. God bless him and keep him safe. Already he has become a shining light piercing the darkness. For the sake of my children and my children’s children, I thank him with all my heart.

Posted by: juliania | Sep 30 2023 2:04 utc | 119

“US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has reportedly made plans to run as a third-party candidate, potentially shaking up the 2024 race for the White House by sapping Democrat votes away from President Joe Biden and boosting the odds of a Republican victory.”
Posted by: karlof1 | Sep 30 2023 0:46 utc | 57
————————————————–
Karlof1, I think RFK Jr. will pull voters from the Republican side as well as the Democratic side should he run as an independent. I just read a PEW poll of 14,000 respondents that said that 79% of American voters are sick and tired of the Two-Party system in the US (this is up quite a bit from the last PEW pole using the same questions). People are tired of all the bickering and fighting that does nothing for the voters, they are also sick and tired of corporate control of government: People are looking for something new and different.

Posted by: Ed | Sep 30 2023 2:06 utc | 121

Data: Pew Research Center; Chart: Axios Visuals (Updated Sep 19, 2023 – Politics & Policy).
Americans’ views of the U.S. political system have reached new lows, according to a survey that reveals near-record distrust of the government, disgust with both political parties and general exhaustion over all the divisiveness.
Why it matters: The survey by Pew Research Center reflects the growing distaste with the nation’s politics as congressional infighting threatens a government shutdown and the 2024 presidential race appears headed toward a Biden-Trump matchup most Americans don’t want.
Four times as many Americans have unfavorable views of both parties today than they did in 2002 — an all-time high, with Republicans and Democrats equally unpopular, the survey found.
Trust in the government is near a 70-year low, with just 16% of the public saying they trust the federal government at least most of the time.
Two in three Americans say they always or often feel “exhausted” when they think about politics. The top two words they use to describe U.S. politics are “divisive” and “corrupt.”
Zoom in: The problem could get worse as younger generations make up greater shares of the population. Younger people are far more likely to be critical of both the Republican and Democratic parties.
37% of 18- to 29-year-olds had unfavorable views of both parties, compared to just 16% of those 65 or older.
A growing number of younger voters are rejecting the two-party system and claiming to be independent, as Axios has reported.
Between the lines: A third-party solution is not so straightforward, however.
68% of Americans overall say they at least somewhat wish there were more parties to choose from, but they’re not convinced that having more than two major parties would make it easier to solve the nation’s problems.
Only about a quarter think so, while another quarter say more parties would make solutions more difficult.
The big picture: There is broad bipartisan agreement on what Americans view as the system’s biggest problems.
For example, 87% of Republicans and 85% of Democrats agreed with the idea that politicians in both parties “are more focused on fighting each other than on solving problems.”
Americans want limits on those in government: 87% want term limits and 79% support age limits — a proposition that has gained widespread attention in the face of congressional health scares and concerns about President Biden’s age and acuity.
But Democrats were about twice as likely as Republicans to say “the federal government does more for ordinary Americans than people give it credit for.” That description of the federal government had the largest partisan gap on the list.
Americans have become deeply cynical of those who run for office, the survey found.
When asked to use their own words to describe the biggest problem with the political system, Americans’ most common answer (31%) involved “politicians.”

Posted by: Ed | Sep 30 2023 2:30 utc | 123

Posted by: karlof1 | Sep 30 2023 0:46 utc | 57
Thats very interesting if it is true.
Reminds me of 1992 and Ross Perot dividing the Repub vote to allow Bill and neocon Hillary to win.
I’m cynical but I think the MSM promotes Trump a lot; they still talk about him literally non-stop, just like in 2015 and 2016 and ever since then even after 2021 when Biden became the official President. Non-stop free publicity for Trump. Even though they are almost always very negative about Trump and his older and (I think) naive voting base.

Posted by: Wisco | Sep 30 2023 3:02 utc | 125

Wisco@63……naive? He can articulate, communicate and runs rings around the Dem bases, not even in the same league and I’m not really fond of him, but will give credit where credit is due…..oh and he was right from day one ivermectin and HCQ are far better treatments for Covid than the horse piss currently being forced on people…..oh, wait, he told the truth…..breath of fresh fucking air…..Kennedy??? Obumner could drown him with one hand, nothing but a mere joke to entertain the he masses.
Cheers and good luck with votes, not that anyone bothers to count them properly anyway.
Cheers M

Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Sep 30 2023 3:59 utc | 127

Bill Miner 56
‘ The tide of fascism will rise and fall until the pendulum of war profiteering is stopped.’
Britain has a nest of spies in London whose sole reason for existence is to supply the Divide and Rule Factory with potential Dividing points.
Divisions fuel wars and under the rules of wars land can be stolen. The 33 trillion $ US debt funds the wars and the profits from the wars are immense.
In Kurdistan where Obama sent Daesh to threaten the population to surrender their oil to USUKIS, no wages have been paid for 3 months. The organisers of Daesh live in the nest of spies in London.
So it’s a much larger ecosystem of war profiteering than just ” politicisns”.
There is an entire, non-productive , political class who job is to manufacture consent for war, in the media, in industry and in the mosque.
Nobody can swim against the flow of that corruption without being radicalised .
Business , religion, immigration is all in service to British Divide and Rule .
Which is how it always has been for 500 years. Radicalism on one side and colonial stoogism on the other.
At ALL levels of society politics.
The name the authorities give to this stooge conformity is radicalism, to make it sound intellectual and sexy.
Yes, they even use our description , radical, to describe their faithful colonial slaves. The word they use for us radicals is insignificant, because we are insignificant compared to the enormous flow of societal bullshit they control.

Posted by: Giyane | Sep 30 2023 4:03 utc | 129

That untapped and perhaps volatile sentiment was reflected in Perot’s better than even chances at the end of George the First’s initial reign. I don’t think you can call it gaming in favor of Bill and Hill. Maybe you didn’t. Since then the third party threat has been a priority and dealt with sternly. This kind of move would allow a much different campaign and may really screw up the DNC. Hope so.

Posted by: Not Ewe | Sep 30 2023 4:15 utc | 131

Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Sep 30 2023 3:59 utc | 64
Your dedication and loyaly is an admirable quality. Not just to your Donald Trump but to the MoA community. You have been posting on this site for a long time.
No need to invoke the Covid stuff. Trump bragged about the “vaccine” on TV.

Posted by: Wisco | Sep 30 2023 4:16 utc | 133

…”I don’t think you can call it gaming in favor of Bill and Hill. Maybe you didn’t.”
I didn’t at the time (I was in my 20s back then), but now I very clearly see it was all media gaming.
It might sound insincere of me to say so, but I often envy the naive and the gullible in recent years. Peace of mind and trust in one’s government and media is very valuable and healthy.
Posted by: Not Ewe | Sep 30 2023 4:15 utc | 66

Posted by: Wisco | Sep 30 2023 4:34 utc | 135

Sorry I screwed up post #68. It was direcred at Not Ewe’s #66.
Posted by: Not Ewe | Sep 30 2023 4:15 utc | 66
..”I don’t think you can call it in favor of Bill and Hill. Maybe you didn’t.”
I didn’t at the time in 1992 (I was just in my 20s back then), but now I very clearly see it was all media gaming and manipulation of the vote by media. Perot was on TV almost 24-7 that year, along with Bill and neocon Hill.
It might sound insincere of me to say so, but I often envy the naive and the gullible in recent years. Peace of mind and trust in one’s government and media is very valuable and healthy.
Posted by: Wisco | Sep 30 2023 4:34 utc | 68

Posted by: Wisco | Sep 30 2023 4:44 utc | 137

Just a reminder. The Clintons (Bill and neocon Hill) didn’t support gay marriage in 1992, and neither did Obama in his campaign 2008.

Posted by: Wisco | Sep 30 2023 5:08 utc | 139

So now, just 15 years later it’s only “right wing extremists who are a danger to Our Democracy” who disagee with gay marriage. Bizarre.

Posted by: Wisco | Sep 30 2023 5:27 utc | 141

ZH has a posting up saying more about the Musk X intention to support citizen journalists
X Shreds Threads As Active Users Hit Record High; Legacy Media Fails To Kill ‘Free Speech’ Platform
The quote

And Musk has made it a mission to be that ‘asteroid’ to make legacy, dinosaur media extinct: “I hope people around the world engage in citizen journalism, so we know what’s truly happening and we get real-time, on-the-ground coverage!”

Posted by: psychohistorian | Sep 30 2023 5:27 utc | 143

Twitter (X) still bans lots of people, but now they are back-handedly credited by MSM with being the biggest “free speech” site ever because that billionaire defense contractor Elon Musk makes some Tweets that go against the domi ant ridiculous narrative. And now they have more people signing up than ever!

Posted by: Wisco | Sep 30 2023 5:52 utc | 145

People are tired of all the bickering and fighting that does nothing for the voters, they are also sick and tired of corporate control of government: People are looking for something new and different.
Posted by: Ed | Sep 30 2023 2:06 utc | 61
Thank you, Ed. Younger citizens may not realize why what you say above is true. To my mind the rot set in when the Supreme Court made two terrible decisions — the first to forestall the recount of votes in 2000 when men in Brooks Brothers suits broke in, sleeves rolled up, and manhandled little old ladies and men, interrupting that process. Anyone go to jail for doing that? Anyone get shot? That was an activity far worse than any Trumpian motivated ‘assault’ on Congress — it was an assault on the people themselves, not on any so-called representatives thereof. Happened right at the turn of the century so an easy one to remember. Justice Kennedy gave a good speech against that decision, worth a revisit.
Second was the Supreme Court decision that money is speech in the Citizens United case. Also worth a revisit. Those two I’d consider the goal posts, one at each end of a playing field now become bloody and rutted tipping one way or the other as the benjamins slosh around and people far away, and near, lose their homes and their livelihoods, and worst of all, their lives. Bringing us to now and the sacrifice of an entire nation most of us would have had a hard time locating on a map of the world. Now we mostly can, if we can bear to look.
This century has a lot to answer for, and in my view those two SC cases are the biggies. The people shall judge? Well, we didn’t till now. Now we had better.

Posted by: juliania | Sep 30 2023 5:56 utc | 147

The death of alphabet agency plant Feinstein is likely to be problematic for the dims. If I recall correctly some of her family has been begging for at least a year that she be allowed to retire but because Newsome who as state governor gets to choose interim senators wants a crony of his from Congress to get the gig and he is pushing for him as interim senator. However Feinstein’s handlers and the part of her family that is married to this other bloke and allegedly on a promise from Feinstein herself want him to get the gig so Feinstein couldn’t pull the pin. If Feinstein had resigned or karked in a few months time all would have been sweet because the governor couldn’t nominate an interim. Too close to a full election as her term was up in 2024, it would get sorted at a dim primary before the november election.
Thinking about it, those who worry about which half of the uniparty is gonna win the prez beauty contest will get a good hint about whether Newsome is gonna be the late pick next year, if he chooses his cobber from congress for interim then no he isn’t chasing for prez but if he agrees to let the Feinstein inlaw have the gig it means he has decided to go for “smooth running dim party unity”.
In other words talkin that tosh shows he wants to keep onside with the dnc hacks who will finally make the call on whether c**t-faced joe cops the flick.

Posted by: Debsisdead | Sep 30 2023 6:15 utc | 149

Posted by: juliania | Sep 30 2023 5:56 utc | 74
“People are tired of all the bickering and fighting that does nothing for the voters..”
Dream on! No, the divisiveness is actually intensifying on purpose. Lol @ “voters”. Get real.

Posted by: Wisco | Sep 30 2023 6:19 utc | 151

In response to
”
This century has a lot to answer for, and in my view those two SC cases are the biggies. The people shall judge? Well, we didn’t till now. Now we had better.
Posted by: juliania | Sep 30 2023 5:56 utc | 74
”
Well said but I want to add US motto reversion to E Pluribus Unum as another people judgement indicator of refocus to public good.
#######
@ Debsisdead | Sep 30 2023 6:15 utc | 75 with the layout of the Feinstein replacement view…….insightful and thanks
I keep thinking that so much is going to happen in the next 6, 9, 12 months globally leading up to the US (s)election that speculation at this point is mostly wasted energy.
IMO, unless the Ukraine SMO becomes a full NATO war that proxies into Poland, the Ukraine side will be forced to capitulate before winter of this year. And even if NATO involvement/escalation happens, I believe that shock and awe from Russia will start to show and China will escalate against empire as well……we are watching social anthropological history being made or ending for our species in “real time”, what ever that might be, but not years/decades/centuries further along the arch of Western social dominance…..Russia and China will not allow it.
Thanks for sharing.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Sep 30 2023 6:40 utc | 153

https://nitter.net/GodfreeTrh
Eivor Vågslid
@Eivor_Koy
Sep 26
To learn more about the history of China’s anti-desertification efforts and the “straw checkerboard sand barrier” technique, which was developed in China and has since spread worldwide, I travelled to Shapotou, Ningxia, today.

Posted by: AW | Sep 30 2023 10:00 utc | 155

I’m cynical but I think the MSM promotes Trump a lot; they still talk about him literally non-stop, just like in 2015 and 2016 and ever since then even after 2021 when Biden became the official President. Non-stop free publicity for Trump. Even though they are almost always very negative about Trump and his older and (I think) naive voting base.
Posted by: Wisco | Sep 30 2023 3:02 utc | 63
There’s a big difference between promoting an obsessing.
Also, like him or hate him, 74 million people voted for him last time. Black, white, Asian, male, female all across the US. Young, old, some with little education, some with PhD’s. Pretty damn presumptuous of you to assume they’re naive.

Posted by: Phil R | Sep 30 2023 10:01 utc | 157

https://nitter.net/GodfreeTrh
Eivor Vågslid
@Eivor_Koy
Sep 26
To learn more about the history of China’s anti-desertification efforts and the “straw checkerboard sand barrier” technique, which was developed in China and has since spread worldwide, I travelled to Shapotou, Ningxia, today.

Posted by: MD | Sep 30 2023 10:05 utc | 159

@ Wisco, §67:
“Trump bragged about the jabs” – well, he had to didn´t he? Otherwise he would have been crucified even more by the MSM for ´reckessly ignoring medical advice´ – he´s not a doc, remember?
But, aside from recommending ivermectin and HCQ, for which he was shouted down, he was opposed to lockdowns and preferred to go for ´natural immunity´. When the bribed docs prevailed and jabs became policy, he made the best of it and made sure the policy was delivered “at warp speed”. That´s what he was bragging about.
The fault´s with the policy that he opposed, not with the execution at which he succeeded.

Posted by: John Marks | Sep 30 2023 10:29 utc | 161

Posted by: Spasie | Sep 29 2023 12:03 utc | 4
Tor browser or a VPN. Opera browser has a free VPN embedded.

Posted by: Patience | Sep 30 2023 11:32 utc | 163

Posted by: Spasie | Sep 29 2023 12:03 utc | 4
Try to use yandex browser.
http://browser.yandex.com

Posted by: Greg Galloway | Sep 30 2023 11:51 utc | 165

A good short vid from Rybar on the Armenia situation:
https://t.me/two_majors/12902
For myself I don’t think the the vehicle hit by Azerbaijan killing six Russian peacekeepers was by accident, I think it was a message, “don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Sep 30 2023 11:57 utc | 167

In Sweden gang wars and unrest is escalating, 3 people have been killed within 24 hours and they tried to employ the army – army responds they can’t help and don’t have resources.
Sweden is already one of the large destinations of black market weapons for Ukraine, the gangs are especially interested in ATGM weapons.
https://gript.ie/sweden-seeks-military-assistance-to-tackle-gang-crime/

Posted by: unimperator | Sep 30 2023 14:14 utc | 169

Well Hell’s Bells, heavymetal101! We can’t all afford hiding behind our cow pastures & oil derricks pointing at others. If things are that bad everywhere I guess it all comes down to St. Kitts & Nevis to save North America from ourselves!
/spits tobacco juice
Someone get Slim Pickins on the phone. We gotta find us a clutch hitter out there in the Caribbean before things go completely to pot. We’ve been left with some quitters here drunk on their maple syrup when out on the town with their drama teacher.
/shakes head in disappointment
I picked the wrong week to quit snuffing instant coffee…
(note: This is sarcasm for the irony impaired 😉 … I’ll never stop snuffing instant coffee! >:( USA! USA! USA!)

Posted by: titmouse | Sep 30 2023 15:23 utc | 171

There’s a big difference between promoting an obsessing.
Posted by: Phil R | Sep 30 2023 10:01 utc | 79
As Joan Rivers once said “Any publicity is good publicity” and old Trumpey boy sure do love him some publicity. A tabloid star from way back.

Posted by: bubbles | Sep 30 2023 16:05 utc | 173

Sorry, Hillary haters, but if she were carried of by space this evening, nothing would improve in the US or on planet earth. Whichever psychopath sits in the White House, nothing important changes. There’s always another war against another “Hitler”, homelessness grows, super-richies get super-richer, the rest get poorer. When the Demons or the Reptilians dominate the Congress, nothing changes. Certainly nothing improves.

Posted by: lester | Sep 30 2023 16:11 utc | 175

Can anyone point me in a direction to find out what’s happening in Kazakhstan or Armenia right now? In the US the only info on the “search” engines is filtered by US minders.
I’m specifically looking for what’s happening with regards to sanctions.

Posted by: Michael.j | Sep 30 2023 16:56 utc | 177

“Plagued by sexual assaults US Mcmurdo station halts alcohol sales in bars. They have bars in Antarctica? What about strip clubs and gambling? What are they really doing there?” – Immaculate deception
They need access to a red light district, although US Puritanism will never admit this. Banning alcohol sales will lead to moonshining, etc. Throw away the first gallon or so and you won’t go blind. Or so I’m told!

Posted by: lester | Sep 30 2023 17:00 utc | 179

Wisco if you weren’t attending at the time and wish to reflect from here you must factor the differences in media ownership and regulation between then and now. I’m certain the remarks you made were not directed my way. If so then you should slow down and do some thinking.

Posted by: Not Ewe | Sep 30 2023 17:01 utc | 181

I haven’t figured out yet what it is the US government wants from PR China. To be as submissive as Japan,which tanked it’s economy for a generation, at Bush I’s decree? Be as poor and undeveloped as the Philippines or Haiti?
It’s hard to know how submissive is submissive enough. Iraq was good enough for Reagan, when waging war with Iran. But when Bush I needed help getting re-elected, Saddam became “Hitler”, Iraq “Nazi Germany,” and vast numbers died so Bush I could look more manly than Reagan. He still lost the next election.

Posted by: lester | Sep 30 2023 17:16 utc | 183

@ bubbles | Sep 29 2023 23:51 utc | 51
thanks… trying to reply and post a link to indian punchline again this morning, as i don’t see my post from yesterday…
i think this is relevant to the conversations here at moa on canada-india relations.. the article is now from yesterday..
India won’t be bullied in multipolar setting

Posted by: james | Sep 30 2023 17:26 utc | 185

Posted by: james | Sep 30 2023 17:26 utc | 93
Read that this a.m. James, good read. Haven’t read the CFR related link contained in it yet though. Instead read 2 latest substack pieces from ex CFR head man Richard Haass. Gives some insight into what western thinkers are discussing. Kind of surprising sometimes like an underlying current in those pieces is recognition of changes in the world that need to be addressed and sooner rather than later.
A link to the site if interested: https://richardhaass.substack.com/

Posted by: bubbles | Sep 30 2023 17:43 utc | 187

Escobar has an excellent article recapping the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh/Armenia, “Nagorno-Karabakh Is No More”. As you’ll discover when you read it, the situation poses a substantial threat to Russia’s security. This is the reply I made to Pepe at his VK about the article:
Your SCF article on Nagorno-Karabakh is an excellent recap. I know Russia said it doesn’t do Color Revolutions, but it could do an old fashioned coup where its national security is clearly involved. USAID penetration is unacceptable and dangerous, and if Armenia succeeds Moldova will follow. IMO, Team Putin must very seriously consider sending the polite men in green to deal with the situation. Yes, the Outlaw US Empire will bellow at being kicked out, but that’s a small cost to pay in this case.

Posted by: karlof1 | Sep 30 2023 18:46 utc | 189

bubbles | Sep 29 2023 23:41 utc | 48
and there’s Covid running rampant everywhere
have you seen the actuary reports on deaths 18-65?
Plugging your ears and ignoring what is happening to our neighbors and ourselves is *unfortunate* cuz it’s biting us in the ass
Worker shortages? check
Early retirements check
Influx of immigrants to wipe butts/other’essential workers’? check
decrease in payouts to Social Security/Medicare?
The information is out there. I suggest the People’s CDC for real information on the status of Covid in these here United States *that we know about* since the gov wants it to go away (PLUGS EARS la la la) https://peoplescdc.org/
And yes, the ‘vaccines’ are pretty much a bust-don’t prevent infections and have some gnarly effects on human bodies…and the squelching of The Drug That Cannot Be Named is just another crime against humanity.
I’m saddened and shocked that my neighbors cannot see that their ‘mild’ Covid infection is the cause of their subsequent heart/brain/kidney/blood pressure/POTS issues…
Read on Reddit yesterday a post by a teacher that says one of her students has had 4 Covid infections THIS YEAR!
The mythical “Herd Immunity” is a fantasy and always has been~
Stay safe. Wear a mask.

Posted by: furies | Sep 30 2023 19:38 utc | 191

More evidence that the USA’s decline will deepen and its basic problems worsen from what happened in New York, “New York City Infrastructure Hit by Torrential Rains”:

A state of emergency has been declared in New York after flash floods caused by torrential rains wreaked havoc in America’s most populous city.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who announced the measure, stressed that “It is critical that all New Yorkers take all necessary precautions and avoid flooded roads, which are some of the most dangerous places during flash floods.”
She also told a local television station about the “very challenging” and “life-threatening” destructive floods that have submerged streets, basements, subway stations, vehicles and even New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport….
Solving the city’s growing stormwater problems will require a huge investment in infrastructure, experts say.
The city’s 2021 report, called The New Normal, estimated that recalibrating the sewers would take decades and cost $100 billion. Upgrading the system in southeast Queens alone would cost $2 billion, it found.

Hurricane Sandy occurred in October 2012 and inflicted massive damage onto New York City and the overall region and ripped wide open the massive infrastructure issues facing NYC and the region, which were also revealed when Hurricane Irene visited in 2011. This latest storm was a far cry from a hurricane yet it caused almost as much damage. The costs estimated above understate what will be needed by 100% if not more as the cost of labor and materials will escalate as time moves forward as will the interest rates to finance such a massive reworking–and that’s just the sewers!
IMO, the needed work will never be done and NYC will simply degrade and lend credence to the 1981 film Escape from New York.

Posted by: karlof1 | Sep 30 2023 21:32 utc | 193

karlof1 @ 95
Besides the USA troops already there from the recent “training exercise” you can bet there are USA little green men already flying in as humanitarian and relief workers. This is well thought out, USA has control over both Azerbaijan and Armenia. Think about it.
Russia can’t move in legally, it would have to be invited, like Syria, that can’t happen without a coup against the Pashinyan govt., so RF would be forced to invade. Very bad for Russia, very bad for RF ally Iran, brilliant play by the USA. RF and Iran would have to create serious asymmetric blowback, that takes time and Russia is rather busy.
Turkiye is not Russia’s friend here, Turks are probably as hungry to push Armenia aside and connect to Azerbaijan as they were a 100ys ago. Wo knows what betrayal Macron and Biden have planned masqueraded as EU membership and protection. Armenia is totally screwed, historically screwed, its destiny is totally in the hands of others and no one on any side gives a shit about it, lowest pawn on the board once again, it’s not a soccer player on the pitch, it’s the ball.
USA stirs up an unholy amount of misery and death. Wonder if the USA and EU Armenian community get it? They are pretty comfortable, they’ll pay lip service not much else.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Sep 30 2023 21:36 utc | 195

karlof1 @ 97

The city’s 2021 report, called The New Normal, estimated that recalibrating the sewers would take decades and cost $100 billion. Upgrading the system in southeast Queens alone would cost $2 billion, it found.

Maybe Mayor Adams can take a begging trip to Kiev to ask for money?

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Sep 30 2023 21:42 utc | 197

US says it’s not looking for confrontation with China, yet the propaganda war it
continues to fuel says they aren’t being honest. I know, quelle surprise
” US govt report accuses China of global ‘information manipulation’
The report, released by the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, said Beijing spends billions of dollars annually on ‘foreign information manipulation’ through the use of propaganda, disinformation and censorship, while promoting positive news about China and its ruling Communist Party. ”
China is spending billions of dollars globally to spread disinformation and threatening to cause a “sharp contraction” in freedom of speech around the world, warned a US State Department report published Thursday.
China’s “global information manipulation is not simply a matter of public diplomacy – but a challenge to the integrity of the global information space,” the report said.
“Unchecked, Beijing’s efforts could result in a future in which technology exported by the PRC (People’s Republic of China), co-opted local governments, and fear of Beijing’s direct retaliation produce a sharp contraction of global freedom of expression.”
The report, released by the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, said Beijing spends billions of dollars annually on “foreign information manipulation” through the use of propaganda, disinformation and censorship, while promoting positive news about China and its ruling Communist Party.”
https://www.firstpost.com/world/us-govt-report-accuses-china-of-global-information-manipulation-13182642.html
Naturally America and it’s many agencies, official and unofficial funded through such venues as the NED, USAID and partnered with the likes of Soros Open Society Org would never..ever.. think of doing such things.
The only valid point made in the above article imho was “and exercising control of Chinese-language media.” I believe that to be true and criticism of said control of what the local yokels can read and say is legitimate.

Posted by: bubbles | Sep 30 2023 22:05 utc | 199