Thanks.
The link to Elijah J. Magnier through X doesn't work here.

Posted by: bevin | Mar 3 2024 14:32 utc | 1

Thank you 'b'

This is a must go-to every Sunday.

Keep up the good work.

Posted by: Don Firineach | Mar 3 2024 14:36 utc | 2

And the result of Boeing management's outsourcing was very clearly predicted by anyone with a brain before they even made the announcement. It only got worse from there as bean counters replaced engineers throughout the company, the experienced programming staff from their facility up the hill from my house were all laid off and cheaper contractors brought in. Since management thinks that all programmers are the same the programming for the MCAS on the 737 MAX was done by a company which normally writes software for financial institutions. They had no experience writing programs which dealt with real-time inputs or multiple inputs, so the MCAS and it's "failover" each were assigned one of the angle of attack sensors. The "failover" procedure (not included in pilot training) was:
1) Disconnect the primary MCAS if pilots thought it was having issues
2) Land the plane
3) Turn off the failed MCAS, since it couldn't be turned off in flight
4) Turn on the backup MCAS
5) Take off again

That's how bad things have gotten at the largest aircraft manufacturer in the Untied States.

Posted by: Brian Bixby | Mar 3 2024 14:38 utc | 3

1. Does any one know of a pretty comprehensive chronological collation of alleged Israeli crimes since Oct 7? I was keeping track for the first couple months then now it's become a blur of bombings until this Flour Massacre.

2. Any recommendations of the best sources for most damning video/photography evidence? What telegram channels etc...i am still surprised so many people I know STILL dont really know/believe whats going on. Thanks.

Posted by: ZT | Mar 3 2024 14:39 utc | 4

Thanks.
The link to Elijah J. Magnier through X doesn't work here.

I have changed the link. Please reload and try again.

Posted by: b | Mar 3 2024 14:54 utc | 5

"The link to Elijah J. Magnier through X doesn't work here.

I have changed the link. Please reload and try again."

Posted by: b | Mar 3 2024 14:54 utc | 6

Thanks, b.

Posted by: canuck | Mar 3 2024 14:57 utc | 6

Posted by: Brian Bixby | Mar 3 2024 14:38 utc | 4

Comprehensive post-you really know what you are talking about on this subject.

Thanks.

Posted by: canuck | Mar 3 2024 14:58 utc | 7

@bevin #1

works for me in the Emerald Isle

snippet:

'Hezbollah has the capability to sustain a daily launch of 500 rockets and missiles for at least a year, a testament to its significant arsenal capable of inflicting significant damage on Israel's infrastructure, energy, economy and military and civilian population.

This mutual recognition of the potential for widespread destruction serves as a powerful deterrent against escalation to all-out war. Both sides are acutely aware of the devastating consequences of such a conflict, not only in terms of immediate military casualties, but also in terms of long-term effects on civilian life and national stability. This understanding underpins a cautious approach to engagement, with neither party eager to provoke a situation that could spiral into an uncontrollable war. While the balance of power is skewed in terms of conventional military strength, it is balanced somewhat by the capacity for sustained and effective resistance, ensuring a delicate stalemate that neither side is willing to disrupt without considering the serious consequences.'

Yet Israel appears to be set on serious escalation. 2006-reloaded?

Posted by: Don Firineach | Mar 3 2024 15:13 utc | 8

This is good at Mondoweiss today.

"...On February 24, Yaakov Godu, an anti-government demonstrator in Haifa, Israel, whose son Tom was killed by Hamas in Kibbutz Kissufim on October 7, told a reporter from Haaretz that members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government are “deranged messianic envoys.”

"This is the government that President Biden treats as a friend and ally with whom the U.S. has a few differences. He and his envoys show no sign that they understand whom they are dealing with or what it would take to stop them from dragging the world into the conflagration that they and their apocalyptic Christian allies in the U.S. are praying for.

"Calling members of Netanyahu’s cabinet “deranged” and “messianic” is not a figure of speech....."
https://mondoweiss.net/2024/03/redemption-through-genocide/

Posted by: bevin | Mar 3 2024 15:16 utc | 9

Yes, The magnier link works well now. Thanks- as Don says @9 a very interesting article. This is a new world militarily.

Posted by: bevin | Mar 3 2024 15:25 utc | 10

"....gender-transformative mine action..."

I'm guess that means sending little boys into the minefields so their balls get blown off?

Fortunately, these bizarre campaigns for the return of castrado culture only really appeal to the middle class, so I say "Go for it!" and "Full speed ahead!". The world will become a better place as the middle class removes itself from the gene pool.

Posted by: William Gruff | Mar 3 2024 15:31 utc | 11

Another crazy week gone by were every day there is historical events unfolding, this week was probably the most epic so far, but as we know, next week and the next few months are going to be crazier. Who said the end of empires was always a gradual event taking decades?
Thanks b for all your work, you might need to take on extra staff though with the way things are turning out.

Posted by: Eoin Clancy | Mar 3 2024 15:36 utc | 12

thanks b! great work..

@ bevin | Mar 3 2024 15:16 utc | 9

it's in moa's list of links here too, lol...

@ William Gruff | Mar 3 2024 15:31 utc | 11

canada is doing a good job of all that, i can promise you..

Posted by: james | Mar 3 2024 16:14 utc | 13

The guncotton story is hilarious. Uyghurs, provided with a safe, prosperous and comfortable life by their country, produce cotton that can then be made into clothes or, if necessary, into gunpowder.

While the westerners, actively being genocided and forced into poverty, starvation, homelessness and desolation by their countries, can't produce cotton, or much of anything else needed for their "elites" to wage war against the horrible abusive "non-democracies" like China that supposedly treats the Uyghurs so badly.

And if the westerners do manage to produce the arms and cannon fodder soldiers that their elites need to win against China and Russia, then the westerners will go straight to Gaza-style concentration camps where they will be hacked, poisoned, shot, crushed and shredded to death by a few select armed torturers in the style of the Ukrainian football-hooligan-nazis-turned-special-forces.

Posted by: Michael A | Mar 3 2024 16:19 utc | 14

The guncotton story is hilarious.

Posted by: Michael A | Mar 3 2024 16:19 utc | 14

---

Especially considering that there are a number of pathways to direct chemical synthesis of cellulose.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0144861722001266

Pursuing a direct synthesis pathway would require new investment, which may not be profitable.

Posted by: too scents | Mar 3 2024 16:49 utc | 15

This is an excellent analysis of the true productive capacity of relative nations versus the GDP statistics which are so heavily skewed toward services in the West (and open to manipulation through the counting of financial service costs as output etc.).

“During wartime, services lose their importance relative to agriculture, industry and construction. It then becomes necessary to calculate the share of the goods-producing sectors across different economies in order to have an accurate understanding of how they really compare,” says Sapir.

Russia is between China, where services represent only 49% of GDP, and countries like the United States, France and Italy, where services represent at least 75% of GDP. Germany occupies an intermediate position, with 69% of its GDP coming from services.

Looking at the share of productive industry then Germany is only 90% of Russia’s in terms of productive industry, while France is a mere 44% of Russia’s industrial power.

China is even further ahead, with Germany equivalent to only 11% of China’s productive industry, and even the US is only 34% of China’s productive power, according to Sapir.

Russia is backed by the industrial power of China and Iran, while having more then enough raw materials on and under its home soil (something that cannot be said for raw material import dependent Europe). When looking at productive power, the West is now significantly below that of China let alone China+Russia+Iran. And those nations have much less extractive oligarch controlled MICs, meaning that they can produce weapons designed for warfare at reasonable prices rather than weapons designed for outsize profits. Also, the RIC don't have the costs that the US has in maintaining and defending its global network of bases.

And Russian industrial power is no idle boast; the Kremlin has been putting all those factories to good use, which has caused a military Keynesianism economic boom.

Russia’s industrial production has been running hot all of last year and, after a dip in December, expanded by 4.6% in January, RosStat reported on February 29. (chart), Russia’s manufacturing PMI has done even better, surging in February to post 54.7, up from 52.4 in January, putting in its biggest gains in 13 years, S&P Global reported on March 1, driven by massive state fixed investment into military production. PMIs in the rest of Europe remain deeply in the red, with Germany doing worst of all, although analysts say the bulk of the slowdown may be already over. Russia is on course to spend a whopping 8% of GDP on defence this year, far outstripping most of Europe, which has yet to reach the 2% of GDP mandated by Nato membership.

“When it comes to gross production, China’s share is three times the US’ share, six times Japan’s, and nine times Germany’s. Taiwan, Mexico, Russia and Brazil now have higher gross output than the UK. Canada is further down the ranking, in 15th place,” says Baldwin.

https://www.intellinews.com/long-read-china-and-russia-the-industrial-production-superpowers-that-could-win-a-war-314926/?source=ukraine

And Germany's industries are about to be gutted as they lose the Chinese market and face increasing competition among the Other 7 Billion (mostly from China) and in Europe itself (again China). In addition, at any sign of European nations getting directly involved in Ukraine I would expect Russia to immediately stop all LNG and oil exports (even the indirect ones) to Europe, creating a new fossil fuel price shock there. Plus of course any other Russian-exported goods that Europe relies upon.

Posted by: Roger | Mar 3 2024 16:55 utc | 16

- Redemption through genocide - Barnett Rubin / Mondoweiss, Mar 2 2024

This article is not so great actually. I'm getting really sick of hearing how it's actually christians who are behind the genocide carried out by Israel and supported overwhelmingly by Biden and Zionist members of the democratic party (not known as a bastion of Christianity). This article seems to want to twist the genocide into another reason to hate trump and his desperate confused support among rural workers. In other words to keep Genocide Joe and his Genocide Dems in power.

Perhaps it's because I don't live in a rural community, but the only people I still see speak favorably about Israel in real life are American Jewish Zionazis.

Much better however is this one: Pankaj Mishra / LRB, Mar 7 2024

Very nice, subtle historical review of the movement of Zionists from supporting the memory of the Holocaust to carrying out their own. This is the real story. The Zionists have become Hitler in the modern world. Most "Christians" that support the slaughter are elites motivated by mana, not some real belief in the second coming. The nonelite second coming crowd are largely a tiny sect of kooks with no broad cultural or political influence in most of the US.

Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Mar 3 2024 17:00 utc | 17

Note how natural are the mannerisms and gestures of interviewer and interviewee.

https://pravda-en.com/world/2024/03/03/352956.html

https://t.me/llordofwar/300868

🇺🇦 Well, at least he made you laugh — on Zelensky's sanctions against Assad

🇸🇾 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in an exclusive interview with Russian journalist Vladimir Solovyov.

Posted by: anon2020 | Mar 3 2024 17:17 utc | 18

There is an excellent book written by Richard Slotkin, "The Mythology Of The American Frontier: Regeneration Through Violence" (part of his brilliant trilogy that also included "The Myth Of The Frontier In The Rise Of Industrialization: The Fatal Environment" and "The Myth Of The Frontier In Twentieth Century America: Gunfighter Nation") which covers the five century US history of the use of violence against the Other as a means of civilizational cleansing. A cleansing of class antipathies through spatial expansion and a focusing of hatred upon the Other.

The Western history in general is redolent with such "regeneration through violence" from the Prussians onwards, including of course all of the colonial conquests that gave outlets for elite violence and dominance and jobs for the lesser thans (such as a surprising number of Irish in the Imperial British project). Europe has always viewed those to the East as Others. After the Soviet Communist Other disappeared, a new one had to be created in the shape of "Moslem Terrorists" and now of course back to (dictator-lead) Russia and (communist!) China and (Moslem) Iran.

The Zionist project had to find an Other that was not European, as they themselves were a product of Europe. So they fell on the easy trope of bad Moslems (Palestinians, even though quite a few of them are not Moslems) which goes all the way back to the European Crusades. The follower ship and impact of the Scofield bible in the US is much larger than Pankaj Mishra considers, and that bible's text has been explicitly and repeatedly manipulated to provide greater support for Israel (published and supported and therefore given legitimacy by an Oxford University Press managed by Henry Frowde, a member of the Christian Zionist brethren). As the Palestinians stand in the way of the "Reclaimed Israel" required for Scofield's prophecies to come true, they are deemed to be the expendable Other.

Israel is just another Western colonial project, but backed up by extensive religious propaganda in the US which still holds sway with 20% of Americans in the form of the Scofield Bible. Netanyahu is attempting his own societal "Regeneration Through Violence" to both save himself from jail and to advance the extreme Zionist project that he has supported throughout his life. Just another day in the life of Western Imperialism.

Posted by: Roger | Mar 3 2024 17:51 utc | 19

Jacques Baud is one of the most thoughtful analysists on Ukraine because he's spent a lot of time in Ukraine and doing deep dives into Russian military policy, but lesser known in the English world since he mostly talks in French. His history of the Ukraine conflict is one of the best. Thanks for that link.

Posted by: Matthew | Mar 3 2024 17:57 utc | 20

Posted by: Roger | Mar 3 2024 17:51 utc | 19

Some (future) historical perspective on Zionism here:

https://www.resilience.org/stories/2012-11-21/in-the-twilight-of-empires/

Posted by: Jams O'Donnell | Mar 3 2024 18:12 utc | 21

@ Roger | Mar 3 2024 16:55 utc | 16

thanks roger.. germany is a fascinating study for a number of reasons..

@ Ahenobarbus | Mar 3 2024 17:00 utc | 17

thanks.. good to know.. i read the first one, but not the 2nd one you mentioned..

Posted by: james | Mar 3 2024 18:14 utc | 22

On this day in history- well 2018 - Russophobia changed gears with the PR warriors of the sceptic islands little Britain zio warriors final plan to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in The Great Game …

The hilarious Novichok show in MoD centrals town of Salisbury ( City makes it sound much bigger than it really is)

It had the whole script and actors ready - just needing some actual Russians - in walk the ‘likely lads’ who hang around with gym bunnies- and go on working holidays together’ , tweedle Dee and tweedle Dum.

They were sent to the headmistress to show they were dupes - not old school Moscow trained KGB hoods.

https://www.rt.com/news/438356-rt-petrov-boshirov-full-interview/

I enjoyed the comic value which in hindsight is even better given the weather conditions over the few days they were there. ‘We went even when the trains were uncertain, there’s a steeple and a clock! we got wet, we went back to London, bought new shoes and for some dumb reason we braved the non-running trains and weather and went back again the next day, we got cold and wet and came back to London again…
(Canned laughter).

Posted by: DunGroanin | Mar 3 2024 18:17 utc | 23

Thanks for the Week in Review, b. FWIW, I think Trudeau was summoned to that gathering in Ukraine, and maybe was feeling a bit irreverent (it’s all money laundering anyway, isn’t it?) That said, I found the paragraph after the one you posted, quite interesting and full of possibilities:

“Support for Ukraine from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Funding: $30 million
This funding will support ongoing engagement by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service with the Ukrainian Intelligence Service, including for intelligence collection, and enable the provision of material support.”

Well. That should be good for Ukraine. It’s amazing how these agreements can speak with a degree of pragmatism when they want to. Like the joint statement with Meloni who visited yesterday:

“Today, we have agreed to further deepen our political, economic, and strategic ties and elevate our already excellent bilateral relationship by committing to establish the Canada-Italy Roadmap for Enhanced Cooperation. This Roadmap will set out ambitious, concrete plans to collaborate, over the next 3-5 years, in priority areas, including energy security and the shift to a sustainable energy future, climate change and biodiversity, migration, sustainable economic growth, and research and innovation, including on artificial intelligence.”

Or that hydrogen agreement with Germany that was initiated a few years ago.

https://www.canada-germany-energy-partnership.org/energy-partnership/

Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Mar 3 2024 18:18 utc | 24

China puzzles me as they are vulnerable and tied into the global dollar system. Would they give up almost a trillion dollars in Treasury securities as the probable cost of taking back Taiwan?

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/what-china-keeps-its-secretive-commodity-reserves-2021-08-05/

Besides gold, they have huge commodity reserves, however. I suppose these can be expanded much further and give them a huge degree of control over pricing, buying cheap or dumping into elevated prices. The problem with Glazyev's ideas about a new currency is how do you warehouse it? OTOH, maybe the yuan is almost there.

Posted by: Eighthman | Mar 3 2024 18:29 utc | 25

Israel is just another Western colonial project, but backed up by extensive religious propaganda in the US which still holds sway with 20% of Americans in the form of the Scofield Bible. Netanyahu is attempting his own societal "Regeneration Through Violence" to both save himself from jail and to advance the extreme Zionist project that he has supported throughout his life. Just another day in the life of Western Imperialism.

Posted by: Roger | Mar 3 2024 17:51 utc | 19

That may be so, but it is they, the Zionazis backed by the, not so Christian dems, that are doing this here, now, today.

Christian America is almost completely non-existent outside of a fringe at this point. Politicians that pander to Christianity are just seeking mana. To even suggest working class christian Americans are in anyway to blame for the savagery of the Zionazis is just filthy spin by the same Zionazis who always need a white Christian heterosexual male to blame. If they don't exist as a power anywhere in the west, then they must be invented.

This atrocity is led and carried out by Zionazis of Israel and their useful idiots in the democratic party. Period. Trump would probably not be any better, but fact is he's not doing it. They are. Let them choke on it all by themselves.

Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Mar 3 2024 18:44 utc | 26

Israel is just another Western colonial project, but backed up by extensive religious propaganda in the US which still holds sway with 20% of Americans in the form of the Scofield Bible.

Posted by: Roger | Mar 3 2024 17:51 utc | 19

That may be so ...

Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Mar 3 2024 18:44 utc | 26

Salaam, I suggest to you that it ain't so. Roger in another comment has "Iran" as an "industrial power" in the same sentence as China. One of the most ridiculous things I have read in a long time on MoA.

The Zionist project came into realization in the British Empire and even then the ruling classes were conflicted by it. Someone has already posted criticism of Balfour by other Jewish elements of empire. This internal conflict of external patrons over Zionistan is characteristic of its history. My read of it is that even in the elite circles the full story of why this project "must" go on is not fully understood. So minimally in a technical sense, the entity is an occult project.

Throughout its history, Zionist entity has been fully supported by both sides of the "Great Game" (which takes two grabby and greedy players to play, let us not forget) and modulo the recent "spat" between Russia and Zionistan, they have had full support of superpowers then and now.

What we know it is not:

It is not an "aircraft carrier" nor a prized 'base' for US. US has those in Qatar and Bahrain. A tiny entity that a paramiliary outfit like Hezbollah can credibly threaten is not an ideal base, is it?

It is not a "colony" since colonies are supposed to be a source of lucre not a sinkhole for imperial funds. Zionistan has been costing the West money from the get go. This is some shitty colonial enterprise.

It is not required to "keep Arabs in line" since Arabs were prostate before the Anglos from day 1. When Roosevelt and Saudi king sat in a boat together and made strategic long term commitments -- a Philby was involved -- the Arab was not motivated because of Zionistan. In fact, Zionistan is a liability for Arab clients, is it not?

Zionistan has *always* been a liability and *always* nevertheless supported. No empire, ever, has tried to hold on to such a losing colonial misadventure. It would have been shut down decades ago if it was merely a "colony".

The only conclusion, given the occult roots of European flirtation with Hebraic matter going back to the Reformation; historic and continued confusion in the ranks of imperial elite themselves about the entity; given that even as early as 1799 a French general (who some say was backed by Banksters, as some claimed Danton was ..) was entertaining creating a homeland for the Jews in the "holy lands"; and finally because this piece of real estate comes attached to 3 messianic Abrahamic religions which (together) prophecy a World Government lead by the Messiah of Israel in Jerusalem; is that this is a very long running project is in fact precisely designed as the platform to usher in a world government.

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 3 2024 19:44 utc | 27

" And the result of Boeing management's outsourcing was very clearly predicted by anyone with a brain before they even made the announcement. It only got worse from there as bean counters replaced engineers throughout the company,
That's how bad things have gotten at the largest aircraft manufacturer in the Untied States.

Posted by: Brian Bixby | Mar 3 2024 14:38 utc | 3 "

Bean counters are just part of the problem.

https://rumble.com/v4fgag3-meritless-diversity-hires.html

Posted by: Moonie | Mar 3 2024 20:11 utc | 28

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 3 2024 19:44 utc | 27

I fear you've missed Roger's point, which is to contextualise Israel's foundation in the long half-millenium of European colonialism. His point doesn't prohibit other interpretations, but it is salient.

I will note, however, a persistent trend among posts in recent times: a lack of generosity and courtesy. Multiple angles of interpretation are possible and one doesn't have to say 'you are wrong' to assert your POV. Why not cut-and-paste this as a beginning: "Thanks for those insights Roger. I'm not sure I agree with X though...". Of course many dogmatic posters have to assert themselves by braying aggressively, so they are lost causes. But if a post makes a genuine contribution, I'll always h/t regardless of whether I agree with it or not. Indeed, some especially well-crafted and well-argued posts have changed my mind on many occasions.

Posted by: Patroklos | Mar 3 2024 20:19 utc | 29

@Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 3 2024 19:44 utc | 27

Nearly 100% agree. I have been saying much the same for quite a while too.

Obviously no nation can compete with Chinese billion + industries. Iran however has considerable numbers of Engineers coming online every year.
Look it up.
They are going to be a top industrialised nation. Equaling Russia, Japan, South Korea …

Posted by: DunGroanin | Mar 3 2024 20:35 utc | 30

Good piece today in Arktos Journal analyzing the deleterious effects not only of 'cultural Marxism' but also 'cultural capitalism / cultural consumerism' explaining both their common roots in materialism but also how they differ.

While cultural consumerism leaves us feeling weak and empty, it also sees people just as cogs in the machine. As such, they are completely interchangeable. If a cog breaks, it can be replaced, and if there is a cheaper cog that can be imported from another part of the world, then that is the most reasonable choice from the view of the liberal mindset. It is precisely this view, led by cold materialism, that wants to solve the problems of the demographic winter in Europe by importing “replacements” from the third world. On the other hand, it is also one of the reasons for the demographic downfall as it convinces both men and women to put their careers first and, in the meantime, to live as carefree as possible. This is just as destructive towards the family and nation as cultural Marxism. But if cultural Marxism is mostly hostile to our traditions and cultural heritage, cultural consumerism has a different approach. It does not only see national culture, history or traditions as an obstacle to the borderless world but also as an opportunity. It degrades and exploits once-sacred traditions, rituals, historical monuments and symbols by diminishing them to something that can be traded. Once important rituals and historical sights become entertainment for tourists. Ancient symbols and heroic or mythical figures from our history become the names or logos of the brands on the shelves of shopping malls, and so on. What was once held sacred becomes just another product or service that can fill the pockets of merchants. This is an attitude of a truly soulless society.

This is why when we talk about the ills of modern society, we should not only criticise cultural Marxism but also focus on cultural capitalism — or liberalism — and on the culture of consumerism that has poisoned the soul of the West and is stretching its claws all across the world, hoping it will prevail over all peoples and nations of the planet. It is like a giant steamroller levelling the diverse surface of humanity into one unrecognisable mass of tame workers and consumers. McDonald’s in every village, Coca-Cola on every table, a smartphone in every pocket, and a television with a Netflix subscription in every living room. Multiracial and possibly LGBTQ+ families gather by the table to enjoy any brand of soft drink and a takeout, prepared by the local fast food or an “ethnic” restaurant. Such is the glimpse of the future that is already taking shape. To reject this poison we should simply stop looking for happiness and fulfilment in the constant buying of new things and in being only passive consumers. The first step is to become the main character of your own life, to search for real-life adventures and to reawaken the spark of creativity within your soul.

https://www.arktosjournal.com/p/cultural-marxism-and-cultural-consumerism

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 3 2024 20:47 utc | 31

This mutual recognition of the potential for widespread destruction serves as a powerful deterrent against escalation to all-out war. Both sides are acutely aware of the devastating consequences of such a conflict, not only in terms of immediate military casualties, but also in terms of long-term effects on civilian life and national stability. This understanding underpins a cautious approach to engagement, with neither party eager to provoke a situation that could spiral into an uncontrollable war. While the balance of power is skewed in terms of conventional military strength, it is balanced somewhat by the capacity for sustained and effective resistance, ensuring a delicate stalemate that neither side is willing to disrupt without considering the serious consequences.

https://twitter.com/ejmalrai/status/1764004317890068875

The Magnier piece b linked is excellent laying out various layers, both overview of competing strategies and chronicle of reciprocal tactics in the current SMO-like conflict in and around Lebanon.

Interestingly, if you changed some of the place names and other particulars, this essay on X could well apply to the SMO in Ukraine in that although men are fighting and dying for real on both sides, at the high command level it appears both sides have agreed to certain limits in escalation so that a true 'war' will not ensue. In War, the goal is to bring the enemy, an entire State, to its knees ideally surrendering unconditionally; but neither of these operations are Wars in that sense.

Whether or not any sort of conspiracy theory can explain it, this mutual consent to fight without escalating into actual war is a curious aspect shared by both these seemingly very different conflicts.

That said, what’s happening in the West Bank and Gaza seems like something very different with one side determined to ethnically cleanse the other once and for all, a process which many are describing, understandably, as a classic ‘Western settler-colonial enterprise’ although here there is no Empire for which this is a colony, rather Israel is a new-old Empire of the Chosen, therefore above all others.

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 3 2024 21:16 utc | 32

Does anyone know what happened with the project of restoring democracy in Niger through sanctions and, eventually, a crusade by joint democratic forces of ECOWAS. The last I read was that the project was distinctly unpopular in Nigeria, for multiple reason. E.g. there is a huge overlap in ethnic composition of Niger and northern Nigeria, to the point that opponents of the venture had a majority in Nigerian parliament. Without Nigeria, putative democratic crusade would have to enter through Benin and Togo and be probably duly clobbered by much more motivated troops from Niger and Burkina Faso, so crusade fizzled. But what happened to sanctions that were creating acute electricity shortages in Niger and probably other hardships as well?

I think I know partial answer. Africa uses much less electricity per capita than other continents, and Sahel countries (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Sudan), order of magnitude less. So your average Sahelian probably does not use air conditioning, washer/drier, microwave, fridge etc. And some essentials, say, refrigerator in a store, can run using a diesel generator, and diesel may be imported from Libya and Algeria. Nevertheless, some international trade and trade routes are necessary, and remember, making life hard for fellow Hausa speakers in Niger is unpopular in Nigeria.

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Mar 3 2024 21:28 utc | 33

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 3 2024 19:44 utc | 27

I fear you've missed Roger's point, which is to contextualise Israel's foundation in the long half-millenium of European colonialism. His point doesn't prohibit other interpretations, but it is salient.

Posted by: Patroklos | Mar 3 2024 20:19 utc | 29

Salaam. Good effort, patroklos.

"Russia is backed by the industrial power of China and Iran"

We can admire the audacity of the ideologically motivated management of "truth" here. Can you put some numbers, you know factual matter, here for us Roger to trully admire your work? Tons, and Watts, and stuff like that, you know, "industrial power" metrics. TIA!

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 3 2024 21:33 utc | 34

Scorpion | Mar 3 2024 20:47 utc | 31 ....

Very sadly true ..... liberal / neoliberal so-called "free market" economic cultists can never rest till absolutely everything, everywhere, and everybody, has a "for sale" price-tag stuck on.
As disposable commodities.

Posted by: Cynic | Mar 3 2024 21:42 utc | 35

Nearly 100% agree. I have been saying much the same for quite a while too.

Obviously no nation can compete with Chinese billion + industries. Iran however has considerable numbers of Engineers coming online every year.
Look it up.
They are going to be a top industrialised nation. Equaling Russia, Japan, South Korea …

Posted by: DunGroanin | Mar 3 2024 20:35 utc | 30

Salaam. I was born in Iran and have a good sense of the natural telents of my homeland which are considerable. In fact so considerable that the West for nearly a century did everything it could to insure Iran would not industrialize.

And in the recent era of 'blessed reign of the clerics' it were none other than Russia and China that along with "partners" made sure Iran remains in a 'retarded development' regime via their 'special seats' on the UN security council. It is rather upsetting on many accounts. This UNSC and "partners" seem very united when holding back nations like Iran but damn just can't work as "good partners" when it comes to projects like Zionistan. What a 'puzzle' it must be to imperialists and aunti-imperialist fans worldwide, this 'disconnect' between propaganda and actual facts.

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 3 2024 21:43 utc | 36

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 3 2024 19:44 utc | 27

I think you raise some good and fair points. However with respect to the relationship between Israel and the US, one must keep in mind that the majority of the civil and military aid money isn't sunk into Israel but comes back ashore via weapons systems contracts and the military surveillance-think tank-financial complex. I.e., much of the money is repatriated to Wall Street banks and the arms industry which of course includes those high up in the organizations and their major shareholders.

In short, in addition to the outsized influence of Zionists borne of their infiltration of government, media and financial sectors, it's mostly about the Benjamins which is one reason the stated reasons for Israel's "importance" and "special relationship" with the US has morphed over the years and after the Cold War.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Mar 3 2024 22:37 utc | 37

Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Mar 3 2024 18:44 utc | 26

While you correctly point that the current crop of dominant Zionists isn't exactly consisting of Christian zealots, the faction of Christian Zionism should not be discounted. It is revealing, however, that there are more imporatn factors and ideological trends that propel Zionism in the contemporary west.

Fundamentally, Zionism has morphed into western supremacism, which is an absolutely important element of neo-colonialism. It is no coincidence that this ideology is so prevalent in the Anglosphere where the messianic chauvinism is an intrinsic part of the state ideology. And it goes without saying that it serves the class interests of the oligarchy.

In short, this ideological trend justifies imperialism which is a pillar and an integral part of late stage capitalism. I mean, there is a reason why this type of supremacist crap always pops up in the west and that is because the latter is the stronghold of neoliberal, corporate capitalism.

Posted by: Constantine | Mar 3 2024 23:14 utc | 38

In short, in addition to the outsized influence of Zionists borne of their infiltration of government, media and financial sectors, it's mostly about the Benjamins which is one reason the stated reasons for Israel's "importance" and "special relationship" with the US has morphed over the years and after the Cold War.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Mar 3 2024 22:37 utc | 37

Salaam. This is an ahistoric narrative given the multifront support for the project over the past century+; and given that the Cabal is the one printing money out of thin air it also does not compute that they need an aggrevating and dangerous (for that is what this project is, dangerous) project that costs them so much in prestige and good will and all that other good 'soft power' matter simply to extract wealth from their subjects (that would be you and me) and hand it over to their arms manufacturers. They've been doing that for ages without zionistan. It is also incorrect in that Zionistan hosts many RnD centers of important companies, in various high-tech sectors.

Look, we all agree something is seriously wrong with our world and has been for a long time. We should be all on the same side. As I said before, it is my opinion that simply denying false narratives (from whatever quarter) will inevitably damage the hidden power in the world.

Think of truth speaking as an arrow shot from a Bow aimed at heaven. Just shoot the arrow, it will find its target ..

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 3 2024 23:33 utc | 39

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 3 2024 23:33 utc | 39

Look, we all agree something is seriously wrong with our world and has been for a long time. We should be all on the same side. As I said before, it is my opinion that simply denying false narratives (from whatever quarter) will inevitably damage the hidden power in the world.

Think of truth speaking as an arrow shot from a Bow aimed at heaven. Just shoot the arrow, it will find its target ..

Also divestment, boycott, walking away, ignoring, not buying story lines etc.. Latest from Dark Futura / Simplicius wherein is considerable polling data about the views of the 1%, most of whom have masters and doctorates and come from the same 12 university level institutions; from which the conclusion:

Naturally, the authors are representative of Rasmussen’s intellectual and affluent beau monde—one of them a political science professor at University of Maryland, the other a WaPo writer and fellow at some beltway NGO-linked ‘foundation’ which incubates precisely the type of establishment flacks in question.

Such people usually end up coronated as ‘senior fellows’ or, even more risibly, ‘scholars’ at these dubious foundations; ambiguous and self-styled monikers meant to evoke erudition and authority, in actuality standing for nothing more than empty anointment by corporate-globalist institutions who’ve designated them as reliable factotums and Co-Glo agenda disseminators.

Unfortunately, there is no solution for the societal split. Institutions receiving corporate funding of any kind can be deemed captured, as there are always strings attached. This leaves the only way forward as to shun, desecrate, and vilify any and all institutions so that the break can eventually resolve into a total decoupling from original and authentic society. Once a parallel system is developed, the empty ‘institutions’ of former consequence should desiccate and shrivel into flaky carapaces, to be trampled underfoot like locust crusts.

https://darkfutura.substack.com/p/americas-super-elite-disconnect

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 4 2024 0:07 utc | 40

The domination of Zionists over American and wider Western policies toward Israel was rising gradually. The roots were indeed in colonial attitudes inherited from the time of colonialism, but the tree did not grow in one day. Consider what USA did during Suez war. During 6 Day war, Israel was clearly on "our side", while Syria and Egypt on "Soviet side", but for some decades USA did hamper the growth of settlements (not too effectively, but it had slowing effect). Before the fall of Soviet Union, the competition between the blocks had tempering effect, even absolute monarchs in the Persian Gulf had the will to resist when pressed to far, and some type of popular revolution or a revolt of younger officers was plausible.

Bill Clinton played a dirty game during his peace process, but not overtly.

Perhaps "unipolar moment" was when hinges started to wobble more and more, until US support to Israel became totally unhinged in early years of Obama administration. Constrains of block competition were removed, there was no further need to accomodate "lower classes", lest they get attracted to Communism, or to accomomdate leftists or nationalists around the globe. It was time to reap. What to reap? Lobby groups were quick with suggestions, and since there was no obvious limit on what was possible, we got a feeback loop: more funding to the lobby groups, more successes of lobbying, more funding etc. Gradually, intra-party politics in USA degenerated to "money primaries", with few exceptions that were odd balls in Congress. Perhaps the same happened in other countries. And AIPAC became mother of all lobby groups.

Well funded and increasingly successful, AIPAC alumni were coveted by other lobbies, foreign governments seeking favors in Washington were hiring them. Participation in "money primaries" was particularly popular among Jewish businessmen. Perhaps there was some competition, like the most impressive tchotchke to display to envious guests. "This is my congressman, my Senator, my very own prime minister of Israel" -- the latest being tchotchke of all tchotchkes, the owner, Adelson, raised to incredible heights, interviewing presidential candidates begging for approval. In 2016, things were SERIOUSLY out of whack. In primary Republican debates, the standard answer to the question "what would you do in a case of a crisis in the Middle East" was "I would call Netanyahu first". This brazenness was a bit smaller among Democrats, e.g. Schumer would know what to do without a phone call. Some differences were amusing, because Republicans, while uber-supportive of Israel, were often totally ignorant, hence the promise of making phone calls.

A parallel process was the rise of ideological dominance of think tanks across the collective West. Think tanks are lobby instruments, so the mechanism is the same, funding, success, more funding ... although with additional sinister element, namely think tanks connected to military-industrial complex are also connected to intelligence agencies and deep state in general. So the funding, success cycle was embedded in strategic planning on the principle that everything is possible, any reward, any punishment. And, until now, no collective plan is too insane.

As everyone was busy lobbying, getting lobby funding etc., Israel was left to her own devices, namely, there was no detriment on growing more extremist except for internal politics. However, what passes for Israeli liberals, was based on the conviction that Israel cannot go to far without loosing external support. As they were proven wrong again and again, they got thoroughly discredited. As above, nothing was too insane.

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Mar 4 2024 0:29 utc | 41

https://jeffjbrown.substack.com/p/chinese-democracy-two-china-writers

Jeff Brown report - or rather two links to reports - on Chinese democracy. Interesting for those who haven't read much on it. They have 20% higher participation rates than in US.

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 4 2024 0:31 utc | 42

This UNSC and "partners" seem very united when holding back nations like Iran but damn just can't work as "good partners" when it comes to projects like Zionistan. What a 'puzzle' it must be to imperialists and aunti-imperialist fans worldwide, this 'disconnect' between propaganda and actual facts.
Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 3 2024 21:43 utc | 36

For those with an axe to grind... be careful or along with your fingernails you will grind your axe away to nothing.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Mar 4 2024 0:33 utc | 43

There is no better analysis of the colonial and imperial roots of Israel, than Fayez Sayegh's "Zionist Colonialism in Palestine" (1965).

You can read it here:

https://redsails.org/zionist-colonialism-in-palestine/

It is this colonial dynamic which turned the Jewish settlers into modern day Nazis. They now fit in very well with the West.

Posted by: Ringo | Mar 4 2024 0:35 utc | 44

Lavrov at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum had to be divided into two parts for the two sessions he attended, Part One, https://karlof1.substack.com/p/lavrov-at-the-antalya-diplomatic
and Part Two, https://karlof1.substack.com/p/part-two-lavrov-at-the-antalya-diplomatic

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 4 2024 0:39 utc | 45

ZH has two postings up I want to note existence of

Lawyers Who Voided Musk's "Excessive" $56 Billion Pay-Plan Seek $6 Billion Worth Of Legal Fees

the quote

In case you were wondering whether or not the lawyers challenging Elon Musk's pay plan were doing pro bono work on behalf of Tesla shareholders, that answer is starting to look like a resounding "no".

That's because it was reported on Friday that the lawyers who voided the "excessive" $56 billion pay plan are seeking $6 billion in Tesla stock as compensation. After all, who would know better about excessive compensation?

The fee works out to $288,888 per hour, a report from Reuters said. "We recognize that the requested fee is unprecedented in terms of absolute size," the three firms said in a filing at the Court of Chancery in Delaware.

This is adding to the GDP of the US don't ya know..../s

"New Car Inventory Has Exploded Higher"

the quote

"Prices have been trending downward for roughly six months now as automakers are sweetening deals to keep the sales flowing," Erin Keating, executive analyst for Cox Automotive, said in the report.

The downward pressure is mainly because new vehicle inventory has surged. As of January, it stood at 2.66 million units, a 49% jump in the past year, according to Cox data.

....
This is great news for prospective car buyers - but terrible news for the millions of folks who bought cars during the Covid mania and are underwater on their auto loans.

The average price for a new car in the US is a bit above $47K....out of my range by a factor of 10. Auto sales represent the pulse of the US consumer spending.

The Hollywood media shit show that represents empire rolls on....but for how much longer in its vacuous state?

Posted by: psychohistorian | Mar 4 2024 0:51 utc | 46

Boeing-Spirit: lipstick on a pig. The issue is systemic to US capitalism and culturally ingrained. Nothing has been fixed and nothing will be fixed. Shareholder returns are God, so people must die, and they will. By the hundreds.

Jussy Tru-doh: a leading candidate for most feminine man to have lived in modern times. This clown is redefining the term effete. Sophie must have thought she was in a lesbian relationship. No wonder she left him.

The ZOG polluting Palestine: rehabilitating the Third Reich's reputation by committing crimes against humanity that are beyond-the-pale magnitudes worse than anything done by the NSDAP. The very existence of the Neo-Pharisaic Talmudists IS the Holocaust. The old definition has been rightfully retired.

Emmanuella Macron: should honorably retreat to a pied-à-terre in Amiens with his crew of big, muscular black men. They'll "take care" of his needs every night. Acting like Pétain to collaborate with хохол Nazis isn't a good look for this power bottom.

Robert Ford: whining concern troll BS. Your country is going to get everything it deserves. Everything. That's the price you pay for letting Satanic Talmudists take control of your government, media, and banking enterprises, not to mention aiding and abetting the world's most grotesque examples of violent white supremacism in the Ukraine and in Palestine.

China/US/the coming supply-side inflation: "We had to destroy the West in order to save it." History has a sense of poetic justice. The West can say its final farewells to buying power; "nice knowing ya" for over 500 years.

Posted by: Matthew | Mar 4 2024 1:02 utc | 47

Barfly Tools is my saviour. :-)

H/T to the following folks for maintaining some sanity here of late, and generally providing good intelligent commentary/content and dte objectivity:
Jake Blanchard
Tom_Q_Collins
Cynic
bevin
Milites
Patroklos
sean the leprechaun
Acco Hengst
psychohistorian
and others too many to list

Posted by: Lavrov's Dog | Mar 4 2024 1:04 utc | 48

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 4 2024 0:07 utc | 40

Salaam. I like to make a distinction between governing elite and ruling elite. The former are servants, and the latter do not require Ivy League credentials to sit on their priviliged perch in the socio-economic plantation owned lock, stock and barrel by the ruling elite. They own it. They don't sit on boards. They don't do conferences. They don't write white papers. They OWN the plantations.

https://www.natlawreview.com/article/us-department-commerce-publishes-proposed-rule-imposing-know-your-customer-and

There is a clear unified position viz a vis "the people" in the global elite. The future they invision is a domesticated humanity. My thesis is that boiling these human frogs slowly requires a lot of 'theatre' which is what we discuss here on MoA.

To 'disrupt' all this, we simply need to disrupt the narratives. Imaging if we refused to "buy" their propaganda. Divest from that.

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 4 2024 1:08 utc | 49

Why do we really need the infini-rich to move forward, wherever that may go, just to move in some way forward, even if it leads to demodernization due to inevitable toxic mine pit closures? No -- We don't need the ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) for anything. Let's remove them. Don't need no communism -- just remove the infini-rich psychofascists and be free again!

I really hope the 'left'-'right' bickering will die down. As for me, I am not 'left', 'right', communist, capitalist, etc, etc. All I really want to do is put the ruling super-rich leeches, the infini-rich at the top, in their proper place. It's a very simple idea, really.

Start a petition to demand a law or even constitutional amendment to put the infini-rich where they belong on the power ladder. Anyone who is found to possess greater than $4,000,000 (U.S.) dollars (or equivalent) in assets is taken to jury court, which confiscates $3,600,000, bringing them down to a measly $400,000. This would have to be adjusted for food and shelter inflation now and then, and is based on 200 ⛌ the $20,000 (current) dollars per year a very poor individual could subsist on without food allowances, housing assistance, etc.

This would solve our problems since individuals who own too much in assets become fascist megalomaniacs who use their money-power to take over and sadistically ruin the lives of the commoners. It would solve almost everything. So please sign this petition!

Posted by: blues | Mar 4 2024 1:09 utc | 50

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 3 2024 23:33 utc | 39

I think we may be talking past one another. What I was trying to say is that it is ultimately all about the money for those American Zionists, their enablers (of any religion or atheist/agnostic) and dual-citizen American-Israelis who support the Zionists, and that money is their tool to exert power over all of us. Israel - to them, at the end of the day - is a conduit through which to funnel funny money back to themselves or their cronies. The point of my post was to state that the justifications for Israel's "special relationship" w/ the USA insofar as the PR campaign behind it have morphed over the years, but the "perks" haven't.

Posted by: Lavrov's Dog | Mar 4 2024 1:04 utc | 48

Thanks. Karlof1 deserves a H/T as well, IMO.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Mar 4 2024 1:10 utc | 51

Repost:

I think your misconception of the West as a monolithic entity is similar to the elites who convinced themselves democracy was just a concept to deceive the people who nominally they served.

The trouble about the concept of democracy is that once it imbeds itself in the public consciousness it’s very hard to remove. All comments concerning the West should really be prefaced with, ‘the current Western leadership….’, as there is an increasing awareness in many countries, that comprise the West, that it’s leaders are little more than the puppets of unelected tyrants.

Tyrants who have successfully leveraged the post-Cold-War administrative state, they presided over and that has expanded massively beyond it remit, to gaslight its populace and disguise their subversion of political norms for personal enrichment.

Putin is probably more than aware [ finally now ] that the current situation, vis-a-vis the West, is transitory so he needs to act quickly to exploit the incompetence of the current puppets, before democracy asserts itself and they are replaced by more competent leaders. [snipped]

Posted by: Milites | Mar 3 2024 11:33 utc | 262
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2024/03/ukraine-sitrep-retreat-continues-for-lack-of-defense-lines/comments/page/3/#comments

Posted by: Lavrov's Dog | Mar 4 2024 1:26 utc | 52

Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Mar 3 2024 18:44 utc | 26

I hate to disagree but you're actually wrong on some of that. I live among many evangelical Christian endtimers who attend church in huge numbers and they're all about Christian Zionism in full support of the current regime's genocide.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Mar 4 2024 1:29 utc | 53

This would solve our problems since individuals who own too much in assets become fascist megalomaniacs who use their money-power to take over and sadistically ruin the lives of the commoners. It would solve almost everything. So please sign this petition!
Posted by: blues | Mar 4 2024 1:09 utc | 50

Look you're are definitely right here 'blues', but it needs much more than a petition to turn things around. And a major global collapse is probably the only sure way to begin to fix it. Check out the following, and keep thinking about the issue. Extreme Mega Wealth is THE issue of the day bar none. It is why we are where we are.

The End Times.
immiseration
noun 1. economic impoverishment

Step One is: Stop the Wealth Pump
Understanding Societal Collapse and Donald Trump, with Complexity Scientist Peter Turchin
A Poly Crisis aka Multiple Crises laying one upon another compounding their impact.
What leads to political turbulence and social breakdown? Is there any way to stop history repeating itself today? Peter Turchin has mined 10,000 years of data to find the answer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGhBTKzrJEY

the four warning signs of that Disintegration phase and the first one is what you call popular immiseration so talk us through what that is ... sure so the four warning signs just to give a preview is
1 ) declining living standards for the general population, the technical term is Immiseration, or economic impoverishment.
2) even more important is Elite Overproduction
3) the State Weakness is the third one and
4) depending on how large and powerful the country is External Influences can also play a role

With Immiseration here the concept that I use I call it the wealth pump. It's the perverse Wealth Pump that at some points it gets turned on and it starts pumping income and wealth from the general population workers or even peasants for example in medieval societies and delivers this wealth to the Elites.

The generic thing that's that tends to happen is that when you are in the middle of an integrative phase the elites get relaxed they think that life is going to be good for everybody and then as they start reconfiguring the economy in such a ways that they direct more and more of the fruits of the economy to themselves they become selfish Elites

Why? Because they can right, it's known there is a term for it the Iron Law of Oligarchy. People are tempted to translate their power into good things for themselves. So what that does then it leads to especially in societies where there is no economic growth like in medieval times or the modern times this leads to Absolute Immiseration of the population.

[...] What is an Elite first of all? Who are the elites?

I use neutral sociological definition simply a small proportion of the population who
concentrate Social Power in their hands. So these are like military nobility, let's say
in medieval England (Baron's Bishops Knights) or the Mandarin class in Imperial China
or the the proverbial one percent in the United States today, (and the IT millionaires
from Silicon Valley, Hedge Fund managers, high paid News media personalities, to
Elon Musk.)

All right so this Elite concentrate four sources of Social Power which is: coercive
economic, political, or administrative, and ideological power. Don't forget
ideological very important soft but very powerful kind of power.

Anyway the next question becomes is how are Elites recruited and related so to
speak? Essentially this requires a pool of people who want [are ambitious egotistical
and desire] to occupy [powerful / leadership] Elite positions in business and politics.

Now, there is always more Elite aspirants than positions and while some degree of
competition is good because it weeds out the bad ones and more less energetic, but
excessive competition is destructive because it's like a game of musical chairs.

[...] METAPHORICALLY there will be one individual who will do something sneaky like
stand by a chair and while everybody's moving and then people will figure it out
and so then now they will crowd and start you know pushing each other, then fist
fights and so on it will quickly escalate fast to chaos.

And that's essentially why you see the degradation of the social norms and
institutions governing elections in the United States ... and everything else too.

@ 24 mins approx.

What produces conflict because of inter-league conflict between Elites is one of the
leading causes of disintegration and an example of how conflict between Elites then
cause Elites to mobilize people lower in the economic pyramid to fight on their behalf
and is the classic example of being possessive of your chosen Billionaire or supposed
billionaire, it's now a Billionaire Counter-Elite fighting against another Billionaire
Counter-Elite who mobilizes the Grievances of the Masses who are left out the system
in order to fight Elite Games or preserve their established positions of power rather
than to reconfigure the nature of a society for the good of everyone involved!!

[...] "Still, we need the elites, the well educated skillful and capable. We need managers, we need intelligent and wise thought leaders. We need all those people who are good at organizing things and who can occupy the important positions of power and influence. But we need and want Pro-Social leaders who are working for the benefit of the whole of the population rather than for the narrow benefit of the ruling class only!

We need the elites, but somehow you have to constrain them to act for the benefit of all, and in the past that has been done successfully and societies have thrived. We need to worry about the health of societies and how do we get better health or societies? By getting much better science. "

America Is Headed Toward Collapse
History suggests how to stave it off.
By Peter Turchin

We examined dozens of variables, including population numbers, measures of well-being, forms of governance, and the frequency with which rulers are overthrown. We found that the precise mix of events that leads to crisis varies, but two drivers of instability loom large. The first is popular immiseration—when the economic fortunes of broad swaths of a population decline. The second, and more significant, is elite overproduction—when a society produces too many superrich and ultra-educated people, and not enough elite positions to satisfy their ambitions.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/06/us-societal-trends-institutional-trust-economy/674260/

Psychologically also known as Pathological Narcissism matched with privileged unearned Wealth. What happens when the Rules of the Game are Biased towards the already Wealthy?
SEE short explanation of the 'Pernicious' Effects of Economic Inequality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RC7KQSdxR0

Not so easily fixed when they control everything now. Once upon a time the mega wealthy were taxed at 90% rates. Now they are essentially not taxed at all and get to decide who gets is elected and what Laws will be written and passed. It did not used to be this way after WW2.

Posted by: Lavrov's Dog | Mar 4 2024 1:57 utc | 54

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 4 2024 1:08 utc | 49

Salaam. I like to make a distinction between governing elite and ruling elite. The former are servants, and the latter do not require Ivy League credentials to sit on their priviliged perch in the socio-economic plantation owned lock, stock and barrel by the ruling elite. They own it. They don't sit on boards. They don't do conferences. They don't write white papers. They OWN the plantations.

Good point, though beyond the scope of the Rasmussen data that was the principal subject of the article cited. Also, I think the owners work through the secretaries who by and large view the world and speak the language their masters demand, no?

Of course there is usually a difference between those pushing global warming, for example, from the top for manipulative power-control reasons (and know the narrative is false) and those executing the policies (who perhaps even believing the jargon once they've drunk the faustian kool-aid of accepting money and status via the agency of these ghouls).

I do find it significant that these highly educated and generally high IQ people are the most brainwashed and fascistic. I think it says a lot about just how dangerously corrupt the US education system has become. 'Lose your Soul all ye who Enter Here' type deal.

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 4 2024 2:04 utc | 55

By coincidence, more for @ blues | Mar 4 2024 1:09 utc | 50 about the mega wealthy elites - worse in the US than anywhere else -- Empire Control Central of the World.

America's Super-Elite Disconnect
https://darkfutura.substack.com/p/americas-super-elite-disconnect

""Rasmussen said that this project has revealed the scariest single polling number he has seen in nearly 35 years of studying popular opinion. According to his data, 35 percent of the elite 1 percent (and 69 percent of the politically obsessed elite 1 percent) said they would rather cheat than lose a close election. Among average Americans, 93 percent reject cheating and accept defeat in an honest election. Only 7 percent reported they would cheat. -source"

This is most stunning if only for the reason that it presents by far the widest margin of difference of any of the other questions. It alone explains many of society’s ills, including how readily the influence-wielding elite were already proven to use their considerable wealth and reach to put a ‘thumb on the scales’ of the 2020 election.

It’s not surprising, then, this pervasive culture of amorality reflects in all the current narratives leading to the 2024 election:

... The above article from Foreign Affairs—the official journal of the Council on Foreign Relations—is particularly emblematic in this regard, specifically because the CFR in many respects represents the 1% super-elite totem pole under discussion. The conclave is made out of not just one particular class—like world leaders—but seeks to network and uniformize the entire fabric of the upper echelon, from business elite, bureaucratic royalty, and even top pop culture influencers like Angelina Jolie, who was a member for years.

In the ‘liberal’ West this tiny consort of elites pass off their own self-serving agendas with phony euphemisms couched as ‘democratic ideals’, when in reality the people have no say in any of it. That’s why this version of ‘liberal democracy’ is nothing more than a counterfeit guise to carry out geopolitical objectives necessary for the continued dominance of the world banking and financial elite."

2014 - Beware, fellow plutocrats, the pitchforks are coming
Nick Hanauer is a rich guy, an unrepentant capitalist — and he has something to say to his fellow plutocrats: Wake up! Growing inequality is about to push our societies into conditions resembling pre-revolutionary France.
https://www.ted.com/talks/nick_hanauer_beware_fellow_plutocrats_the_pitchforks_are_coming?language=en

Maybe one day .... but don't hold your breath waiting.
"If not now, when? If not us, who?"

Posted by: Lavrov's Dog | Mar 4 2024 2:26 utc | 56

From Rasmussen - please read it. Powerpoint presentation of Elites Polling data

https://www.rmgresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Elite-One-Percent.pdf

Posted by: Lavrov's Dog | Mar 4 2024 2:38 utc | 57

Canada pledges millions to 'gender-inclusive' effort to remove landmines from Ukraine

I personally don't have a problem putting all the transvestites to work clearing landmines.

Posted by: Perimetr | Mar 4 2024 3:07 utc | 58

Thank you b, both for your posts this last week and for this compilation. I especially appreciated the article by Jonathan Cook about British politics. There was also one on the righthand sidebar to that about the recent election of George Galloway - I would recommend that for additional reading.

"...For those with an axe to grind... be careful or along with your fingernails you will grind your axe away to nothing."

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Mar 4 2024 0:33 utc | 43

Peter, thank you! This I totally love - it's you all over (as the Scarecrow in "The Wizard of Oz" said about himself lying in bits and pieces back in the day.)

;)

Lavrov's Dog @ Mar 4 2024 1:57 utc | 54, you comment that "... Now they [the ultra-rich] are essentially not taxed at all and get to decide who gets is elected and what Laws will be written and passed. It did not used to be this way after WW2."

That is indeed how it is now, and it is the source of almost all present ills. The curious thing with which I will supplement your comment is that, during WW2, for some communities not immediately affected by the large and monstrous war itself, having to survive on rationing and other hardships along with losing loved ones in the actual fighting, something developed that is hard to quantify, a sort of simple nobility of purpose.

I don't think I am being overly romantic in saying this, but a natural truthfulness, perhaps like that arrow to heaven, just that, was present in the everyday lives of those left behind waiting for things to end and life to return. I was an infant at the beginning of that, and five years old at the end. It didn't go on as long as some of the recent wars have done; it was just a worldwide happening. And I discovered as life went on that my outlook on life was and still is vastly different from that of my sister who was born after peace came. It just is.

So I would slightly change your final phrase to "...during and after WW2." Because I think what we went through then, whether engaged in combat or 'safe' at home, forged the steel of spirit on which everything, until now, has relied upon for stability.

That is finally gone, eroded away for all to see that it has done so. And maybe it is most important for my generation, fast departing as well, to keep on bearing witness that we experienced this and to keep on saying that it will inevitably, mysteriously, come again, as it no doubt did for previous generations: a strength for all to rely on, to benefit from --

-- out of the darkness, as we all experienced then.

Posted by: juliania | Mar 4 2024 3:22 utc | 59

750,000,000 genetically modified mosquitoes recently released. Residents not allowed to vote on it.
The Brave New World emerging thxs to Gates and WHO which he helps fund and DARPA...

https://www.globalresearch.ca/why-gates-pentagon-releasing-gmo-mosquitoes-florida-keys/5745027

Oxitec, Gates and DARPA

What further draws suspicions about the entire gene edited mosquito release in Florida is the fact that the Oxitec project is being supported by two highly controversial agencies—The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA. Gates— not only a major financial backer of the gene-edited COVID-19 “vaccines” of Pfizer and Moderna, and the largest private donor to the WHO–has funded gene-editing research for more than a decade. Gates is well aware of the malevolent potential of gene-editing technology. It can be used as a bioweapon maker. In 2016 Gates declared, “the next epidemic could originate on the computer screen of a terrorist intent on using genetic engineering to create a synthetic version of the smallpox virus.” In July 2017, John Sotos, of Intel Health & Life Sciences, stated that gene editing research could “open up the potential for bioweapons of unimaginable destructive potential.”

In 2016 Gates’ foundation gave $1.6 million to the PR firm, Emerging Ag, to block a broad effort to get a UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) moratorium on gene drive technology until its safety could be established. According to emails obtained by ETC Group, Emerging Ag recruited more than 65 experts, including a Gates Foundation senior official, a DARPA official, and scientists who had received DARPA funding. They were successful.

Entomological Warfare?

DARPA has been working for several years on genetic editing of mosquitoes. Through its “Insect Allies” program, DARPA has been working, using CRISPR gene-editing and gene drive technologies, on manipulating the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. The US Department of Defense has spent at least $100 million in the controversial technology known as “gene drives” making the US military a top funder and developer of the gene-modifying technology. “Gene drives are a powerful and dangerous new technology and potential biological weapons could have disastrous impacts on peace, food security and the environment, especially if misused,” said Jim Thomas, co-director of ETC Group, an environment safety group. “The fact that gene drive development is now being primarily funded and structured by the US military raises alarming questions about this entire field.”

Entomological warfare is a type of biological warfare that uses insects to transmit diseases. The Pentagon, using DARPA research, has allegedly performed such entomological tests secretly in the Republic of Georgia and Russia. Is the DARPA development, together with Gates’ foundation and Oxitec, of the gene edited mosquitoes a covert program in entomological warfare?

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 4 2024 4:09 utc | 60

i too recommend the article that @ Ahenobarbus | Mar 3 2024 17:00 utc | 17 recommended..

Pankaj Mishra / LRB, Mar 7 2024

a quote from the long article - " In 1982, shortly before Reagan bluntly ordered Begin to cease his ‘holocaust’ in Lebanon, a young US senator who revered Elie Wiesel as his great teacher met the Israeli prime minister. In Begin’s own stunned account of the meeting, the senator commended the Israeli war effort and boasted that he would have gone further, even if it meant killing women and children. Begin himself was taken aback by the words of the future US president, Joe Biden. ‘No, sir,’ he insisted. ‘According to our values, it is forbidden to hurt women and children, even in war ... This is a yardstick of human civilisation, not to hurt civilians.’"

here is the link again

The Shoah after Gaza
Pankaj Mishra

Posted by: james | Mar 4 2024 4:49 utc | 61

Posted by: james | Mar 4 2024 4:49 utc | 61

Thanks james. I appreciate you reposting it because I missed it the first time. Thank you to Ahenobarbus as well for the original post.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Mar 4 2024 5:38 utc | 62

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Mar 4 2024 5:38 utc | 62
Posted by: james | Mar 4 2024 4:49 utc | 61

Hi Tom and James,

Yes, I also thought it was great, and had elsewhere posted a link to a YouTube video of his giving the corresponding 'talk', for those who want to just watch it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w3Pe00I_Ro

Cheers,
Ron

Posted by: Ron | Mar 4 2024 5:46 utc | 63

Posted by: Ron | Mar 4 2024 5:46 utc | 63

Excellent! Thank you as well.

I also wanted to say thanks to Posted by: Lavrov's Dog | Mar 4 2024 2:26 utc | 56 for the TED talk video of the rich guy talking about pitchforks. I disagree with him on capitalism insofar as it will ALWAYS trend to what we've got now, at least without STRONG regulations and a real welfare state, but it's a good thing they are being honest. Too bad it's from 10 years ago and they've now doubled and then tripled down on the wealth gap policies. All this shit about entrepreneurs and consumption....blah blah blah. It's a philosophy that is based on endless resources and labor in a resource and labor limited environment.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Mar 4 2024 5:50 utc | 64

Interesting article about the Chinese-American semiconductor war (via Arnaud Bertrand)

A New Era for the Chinese Semiconductor Industry: Beijing Responds to Export Controls - American Affairs

Posted by: Petri Krohn | Mar 4 2024 6:17 utc | 65

What's the biggest genocide in the history of the world, orders of magnitude more horrific than the holocaust, the soviet gulags and any wars?

https://m.jpost.com/health-science/who-are-the-jews-behind-the-coronavirus-vaccines-649405

Posted by: Michael A | Mar 4 2024 6:57 utc | 66

Re: economic collapse in the U.S. ?

Ask yourself what happens when the Federal, State, and Local Governments no longer can fund massive deficit spending with cheap low interest debt ? 42% of GDP is Gov’t spending.

Ask yourself if you think Gov’t employees are going to allow their plush pensions to get squeezed by inflation etc ? (Gov’t employees include Police and Military)

For a hint of things to come - read up on The Spanish Civil War and The Chinese Warlord period.

De-Dollarization matters

Posted by: Exile | Mar 4 2024 7:39 utc | 67

Awesome week in review b,

With the British budget approaching the madness continues.

British government designs fiscal policy within a flawed framework – result = poor policy

https://billmitchell.org/blog/?p=61607

All you will hear in the UK over the next 10 days is the OBR - office of budget responsibility and the IFS- institute of fiscal studies.

The equivalent of the IMF and the World bank pulling the strings. The OBR and IFS are neoliberal constructs riven by fiscal conservatism - The money scarcity crowd. The gold bug crowd who are so furious the gold standard was not reintroduced, act as if we are on one anyway. Act as if the UK use the euro.

They should be jailed the lot of them as they are supposed to be there to serve the public not the vested interests.

Posted by: Echo Chamber | Mar 4 2024 9:06 utc | 68

You know that Biden's attempts to provide food aid to the civilians of Gaza is an insincere sop because he has chosn a method that is both
(a) the flashiest way of doing it while being
(b) the most inefficient way of doing it.

If he sincerely wanted to provide aid to the people of the Gaza Strip then he'd accept that it is a STRIP of land running along the Mediterranean Sea, and so he'd assign that task to the landing craft of the US Navy's 6th Fleet.

And if the IDF wanted to do a replay of the attack on the USS Liberty, well, bring it on, Bibi.

Let's see how tough your bully-boys really are when there is a Nimitz-Class carrier providing air cover for the operation.

Posted by: Yeah, Right | Mar 4 2024 10:43 utc | 69

Good point, though beyond the scope of the Rasmussen data that was the principal subject of the article cited. Also, I think the owners work through the secretaries who by and large view the world and speak the language their masters demand, no?

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 4 2024 2:04 utc | 55

The whole 'point' then Scorpion is that the article that is breathlessly promoted by NYPost (flag) is garbage serving above. There is no reason to believe that the fabled 1% even are cognizant of their masters much less speak their language. Here is one of the study's schools:

https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/collex/exhibits/building-long-future/john-d-rockefeller/

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 4 2024 11:18 utc | 70

Quoted by Lavrov's Dog @56: "...35 percent of the elite 1 percent (and 69 percent of the politically obsessed elite 1 percent) said they would rather cheat than lose a close election."

It is much worse than that. Few, particularly among the "elite", will willingly apply the label "cheater" to themselves, so the poll questions are flawed. Try the following:

Given that those voting for your political opponents are "voting against their own interests", if you were in a position (tallying votes, for example) to correct the votes of those voting for your political opponents, would you do so?

I posit that close to 100% of elites, and a like percentage of people suffering from "Trump Derangement Syndrome", would answer an emphatic "Yes!".

Literally every single TDS victim I have posed this question to in a neutral and non-confrontational way has asserted they would eagerly "correct" the votes of "deplorables" if they were in a position to do so, and it would be for those "deplorables" own good and for the good of democracy.

You see, that isn't "cheating" according to the delusional. That is just saving someone else from making a terrible mistake. Helping rig the election then becomes a noble deed rather than a heinous crime. TDS people will thus happily subvert democracy, and will even feel proud of having done so.

Granted, my evidence is purely anecdotal, and not from a properly randomized poll, but I've yet to find a single TDS victim or "elite" who wouldn't enthusiastically endorse cheating, assuming the matter was framed properly. Hint: lead into your investigation with an off-handed and casual discussion of how terrible the "deplorables" are. Bring up all of the imagined "deplorable" crimes of racism, sexism, trans-phobia, and so on to get these indoctrinated well-educated delusionals nodding in agreement before you slip in the key point that those "deplorables" need important political issues decided by their "betters". "We certainly cannot entrust democracy to anyone so stupid as to vote for Trump!"

Agreeing with the above is the same as agreeing with cheating, but check it out for yourselves to see how universal that support for cheating is among the "professional-managerial class" in general, and among non-STEM Ivy Leaguers in particular. It is not really even that big of a secret. Those who would cheat just reject negative labels like "cheater" because within their delusions their deceptions and frauds are noble and selfless acts.

Posted by: William Gruff | Mar 4 2024 12:07 utc | 71

@ Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 3 2024 21:43 utc | 36

Shalom to you too sunof27 - Btw 27 what?

Being born somewhere is not the same as being raised or lived there, I am sure you can agree.
I did say I nearly 100% agreed with your comment I was responding to.
But with your reply, it has reversed to nearly 100% disagree!
Which makes me sit up and wonder how I can be feeling two different things so close apart - it may be that I misunderstood something, as we all do.

Did you look up , about STEM numbers across the world and trends ?
Do get back to me when you have maybe we can get to some concurrence about that.

———————————-

Anyway to expand the conversation at the bar on this fine sunny but chilly Monday lunchtime in London.

Geopolitics are Politics are Personal - to rephrase that old Feminist call to arms.

Perhaps you missed that Xi and Putin have followed the UN ‘legalities’ in terms of sanctions against Iran expiring before proceeding with a fast track into their SCO - which has been the main driver of the POLYCENTRIC Resistance to the Imperialists ?

BRICS as a second class G7 is done, as much as the unipolar who invented it.
A game that the China and Russia have played along with whilst forging the Resistance.
Their BRICS+ is an even jollier whiz - like the smart mark playing along with being a sucker knowing at all times the con being played …

Syria survived as did Iran the 5 countries in 7 years or was it 7 in 5 grand plan of the ‘00’s?

Now to see which way the other crew of that ‘first world’s support ship go?
SA seems to have jumped first!
Brazil and India are Humpty Dumpties - without their populations willing to be the million boots on the ground led by Aryan generals , the Collective West has no hope of any invasion of anywhere bigger than a tiny island near their back yard. (Watch out Cuba!)

Posted by: DunGroanin | Mar 4 2024 12:44 utc | 72

@Posted by: Ringo | Mar 4 2024 0:35 utc | 44

Thanks for that - would have saved me many hundred hours of digging out individual bits of history to connect for myself if had seen that years ago!
It appears pretty comprehensive.

Curiously, it seems to miss out the fact that the British Government was already moving towards ‘a natural homeland‘ much earlier - at least as early as the 1840’s!

Which drags the ‘Zion Dream’ back to earlier periods and centuries. Formed by a minority of peoples. Not restricted to a belief the single religion of Judaism as practiced by the Semitic peoples of the ancient Levant.

That is where my earnest efforts have found the dots of history heading. To a period when Zionism wasn’t even invented - a period when the proto-Zionists were peoples of a different ‘definition’ and had Other Ambitions.

After all those Old Ones already ‘owned’ the European Empires and were instrumental in building the American one by the ruse of Independence - to form the greater empire than the British.
It should have been unnecessary to colonise the Levant as an alien minority peoples - which could easily be wiped out by a new ‘great horde’ from virtually any point of the compass!

So clearly there seems to be some explanation lacking about why exactly that had to come around! Why set the Herzl dog running at Basle? Why wait for the Balfour bs? Why wait until the WW2 ends to find another supposed ‘legal’ connivance to set up the actually ‘illegal Apartheid Entity’ in the Levant under cover of some obscure religion. With its future citizens almost forced into settling a land which was already long occupied.

I’m sure other historical records exist which will equally be rediscovered to show the grand criminal conspiracies. Or we can wait for the POLYCENTRIC world order to instigate their courts that will drag the truth into the daylight of the C21st.

Posted by: DunGroanin | Mar 4 2024 13:21 utc | 73

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 3 2024 19:44 utc | 27

Zionistan has *always* been a liability and *always* nevertheless supported. No empire, ever, has tried to hold on to such a losing colonial misadventure. It would have been shut down decades ago if it was merely a "colony".

The only conclusion, given the occult roots of European flirtation with Hebraic matter going back to the Reformation; historic and continued confusion in the ranks of imperial elite themselves about the entity; given that even as early as 1799 a French general (who some say was backed by Banksters, as some claimed Danton was ..) was entertaining creating a homeland for the Jews in the "holy lands"; and finally because this piece of real estate comes attached to 3 messianic Abrahamic religions which (together) prophecy a World Government lead by the Messiah of Israel in Jerusalem; is that this is a very long running project is in fact precisely designed as the platform to usher in a world government.

I missed this post of yours earlier for some reason. It is very clarifying. I have a general working theory, at least as regards the affairs of men, that there are always many layers and levels in play. This is partly why there are so many differing but also reasonable points of view. Whether one emphasizes economics, finance, ideology, dialectic materialism, eschatology, spirituality, racism, art, compassion, psychology or whatever one can craft intelligent views explaining most of what goes on through any such particular lens. (When a great statesman can align many of these layers and levels then the state becomes powerful; when too many are misaligned, there is dysfunction.)

To some Israel may indeed be an imperial aircraft carrier in the Middle East even though, as you point out, there are other and better ones. To others, it is the tip of a regional democratic spear, even though it's a piss-poor example of democracy like nearly all democracies these days. Or it's an eschatological mission to fulfill tribal superiority aspirations or biblical prophecy; or cosmic justice, that a cosmopolitan tribe wronged for millennia can finally have their covenanted homeland back versus always acting as separate, and often subversive, element within host populations.

Right or wrong, accurate or deluded, all these views carry interpretive and motivational weight for those holding them. But again, I found your quick analysis of several of them quite clarifying, for which: thanks.

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 4 2024 13:24 utc | 74

Perimetr | Mar 4 2024 3:07 utc | 58
*** " Canada pledges millions to 'gender-inclusive' effort to remove landmines from Ukraine"

I personally don't have a problem putting all the transvestites to work clearing landmines.***

In linked report, quoting the Canadian regime:

** "Project activities include conducting non-technical surveys and subsequent manual clearance in targeted communities; providing capacity building to key national stakeholders; and establishing a gender and diversity working group to promote gender-transformative mine action in Ukraine." **

It is little wonder the West is in such a mess when there is a proliferation of high-paid (though self awarded, of course) senior administrators and politicians who actually think in such a jargon-stuffed way. Total detachment from reality, real life and real people.

Recall that just after the US/UK/NATO destruction of Iraq, the Blair regime (UK) sent a squad of feminist "rights" advisers to the survivors of a massively-blitzed public already doused in depleted uranium dust and devoid of water, food, electricity and medical supplies.
PC/wokist harangues being what was most urgently needed?
Nothing more was reported about that absurdly insensitive initiative...

Posted by: Cynic | Mar 4 2024 14:09 utc | 75

Michael A | Mar 4 2024 6:57 utc | 66 ...

Plus the promotional efforts of Fauci -- who got to the top via the bio-warfare route.
Ie., seeking to control and kill rather than help people.

Posted by: Cynic | Mar 4 2024 14:29 utc | 76

Gilbert Doctorow:

The war hawks in Washington DC want to get rid of Olaf Scholz ????

https://gilbertdoctorow.com/2024/03/04/9718

Posted by: WMG | Mar 4 2024 14:52 utc | 77

Posted by: William Gruff | Mar 4 2024 12:07 utc | 71

Funny, likely mostly true. If in some strange hypothetical scenario, the choice 20 odd years ago had been between say GWB (Bush II) and Bernie Sanders, and myself having been the same number of years younger, I might have considered switching some of my relatives in West Virginia's vote. LOL. These days anyone who thinks that Biden or any Democrat is a qualitatively better option than Trump is truly delusional. But then, delusion is a defining and qualifying trait required for membership in the PMC and 'upper crust' of the Democrat elite.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Mar 4 2024 15:13 utc | 78

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 4 2024 13:24 utc | 74

We're in agreement, Scorpion. Multiple narratives serve the intellectual/emotional/psychological/spiritual 'needs' of various layers of the pyramid. The tippy top is imho occult and some flavor of demonic. They have progressively openned their kimono over the past 100 years, to the overt celebration of all things spooky and occult.

Re. earlier post, just to clarify: there was a trope about men in NY's commuter rails: Wall Street Journal readers, NYTimes readers, and NYPost and there was another one which I forget. Every class had their assigned paper and each paper told its audiance its daily programming.

The fact that an establishment exists is neither shocking nor alarming. Has there ever been a realm without an establishment? And where else are these people supposed to go for schooling? It's not shocking that most of the people in the 1% went to these schools. But it is informative (never mentioned by NYPost) that many of the truly influential figures in the establishment came from nowhere, went to their home state school and then because of merit were recruited into to very priviliged recesses of the establishment. We don't hear about these people but these are the ones who 'seed' the intellectual ground sometimes decades before the NYPost 1%ers come around and proceed to *implement* their ideas. So consider that the survey is actually serving elite needs by reinforcing societal divides. It is our UNITY that they fear.

btw, the school that was not mentioned - NYPost readers would not be super excited over CalWho? - amazing list, eh?:
https://edurank.org/uni/california-institute-of-technology/alumni/

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 4 2024 15:17 utc | 79

That link is actually full of ads.

Here is something more civilized to peruse:
https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/techer

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 4 2024 15:20 utc | 80

Janet Yellen speaks as if stealing Russian assets was no big deal, with no effects.

https://headlineusa.com/fed-chair-tight-lipped-on-foreign-nations-evacuation-of-gold-from-u-s/

Meanwhile, the Fed doesn't want to talk about foreign nations withdrawing gold because they don't trust the US.

Posted by: Eighthman | Mar 4 2024 15:33 utc | 81

An FYI to Aussie barflies: One of my readers John Shipton provided me with info about an event this Saturday in Melbourne, Night Falls in the Evening Land: The Assange Epic, in which he's one of the scheduled participants.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 4 2024 16:33 utc | 82

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 4 2024 11:18 utc | 70

The whole 'point' then Scorpion is that the article that is breathlessly promoted by NYPost (flag) is garbage serving above. There is no reason to believe that the fabled 1% even are cognizant of their masters much less speak their language. Here is one of the study's schools:

https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/collex/exhibits/building-long-future/john-d-rockefeller/

This comment I found baffling. NYPost? Rockefeller-Gates and 1% not cognizant and ??? Sorry, don't understand.

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 4 2024 16:49 utc | 83

john helmer from yesterday..

THE GOOD GERMANS ARE BLOWING SMOKE

Posted by: james | Mar 4 2024 17:00 utc | 84

MYths

1] We'r fighting Jews/Israel's wars

uncle sham was born a bandit...
A Taste for EMPIRE

by Valdas Anelauskas

The capitalist logic of expansionism led U.S. elites to seek not just a continental but a global empire. Hence, even before the smoke had cleared at places like Wounded Knee, greedy eyes were being cast across the waters of the world as the country's business and governmental leaders contemplated the acquisition of colonies in a variety of strategic locales. Given the climate, it was no overstatement when in 1898, on the eve of the Spanish-American war, the editors of the Washington Post opined that, "We are face-to-face with a strange destiny. The taste of Empire is in the mouth." Or, as Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge more accurately framed the matter about three years earlier, "We have a record of conquest, colonization and expansion unequaled by any people in the Nineteenth century. We are not about to be curbed now."

2]

Washington takes orders from Tel Aviv

Washington sanctioned Tel Aviv for arms sales to China !

3]

Jew control USA is going after China

War on China has been a FUKUS led campaign since ENA

4]

Jews control the world

How come the only people indicted by ICJ have been black and.....Jews. ?
**
Not a single gardenist had to face the music at ICJ ??

Speak volumes about who's the real controller.

5]

This is not the xtian's way, its the jews way

forchrissake !
The international xtian brohood has been the most rapacious colonisers EVER since they fanned out from England to colonise the ROW.
tHEIR gringo cousins took over that white man burden mantra, without missing a beat...

William McKinley clothing the robbery in the following words:

“...there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all (all of Spain’s possessions) and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God’s grace do the very best we could by them, as our fellow men for whom Christ also died.”

Sen. Albert Beveridge in the U.S. Senate,

“We will not renounce our part in the mission of our race, trustee, under God, of the civilization of the world,” “Where shall we turn for consumers of our surplus? Georgraphy answers the question. China is our natural customer....The Philippines give us a base at the door of all the East.”

6]
MOA'S resident pop

white man dindunuthin, its the Jews fault

white man dragged screaming and kicking by the joos to the killing fields...

JIm 'mad dog' Mattis of Fallujah's fame

“Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.”

Fallujah’s mass graves are silent witness to the diligent obedience to Mattis’s orders.

“Actually, it’s a lot of fun to fight … It’s fun to shoot some people. I’ll be right upfront with you …”,

7]

Trump is different from all the previous ones, he's for the people !

FFS
Trump announce upfront he's a MIC appointee, just like every one before him.

From the horse mouth...

We’re also put nothing a massive budget request for our beloved military.

(APPLAUSE)

And we will be substantially upgrading all of our military, all of our military, offensive, defensive, everything, bigger and better and stronger than ever before. And hopefully, we’ll never have to use it, but nobody’s gonna mess with us, folks, nobody.

(APPLAUSE)

It will be one of the greatest military build-ups in American history. No one will dare question as they have been because we’re very depleted, very, very depleted. Sequester. Sequester. Nobody will dare question our military might again. We believe in peace through strength and that’s what we will have.

(APPLAUSE)

Posted by: denk | Mar 4 2024 17:11 utc | 85

Meanwhile, the Fed doesn't want to talk about foreign nations withdrawing gold because they don't trust the US.

Posted by: Eighthman | Mar 4 2024 15:33 utc | 81

_____

Or perhaps the Fed doesn’t want to risk exposing the paucity of its gold reserves.

Posted by: malenkov | Mar 4 2024 17:22 utc | 86

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 4 2024 15:17 utc | 79

Now I just read this your other comment explaining the earlier one.

Where did the NYPost get into this (US's oldest newspaper, I believe)?

As to the occlusion/occult at the top, I would tentatively agree except there is also primordial goodness in the mix too (perhaps at the very bottom - or all around?).

At a certain level of understanding, the entire relative world on display is a giant Game. Games have rules. The bad guys learn how to twist the rules, even break them, but they are constantly relating to them nevertheless. (For indeed they are rules because they are always there.)

Good people may follow them or may be doing what they are told mindlessly, which is not enough (one of the many dangers of organized religion and spiritual cults). In a way, the bad guys are good for they serve to wake the asleep out of their complacent, compliant slumber.

Virtue is something developed, worked at, fought for; it doesn't just happen, though all of us experience brief periods when everything seems to just fall into our laps like magic. (And then we get arrogant or complacent and need waking up again...)

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 4 2024 17:25 utc | 87

@scorpion

(Yes, that's a timely reminder.)

In the interim an interesting paper landed on my browser and here is an interesting bit from the paper pre-liminaries that can help sharpen our analytical lens regarding the emerging world consensus on regime management which is (per your OP) tending towards totalitarianism in the West and of course has been par per course in the East.

Software in the natural world: A computational approach to emergence in complex multi-level system

Here we investigate systems whose macroscopic levels posses a certain degree of causal ‘self-containment’ with respect to their microscopic instantiation, which we describe as emergent. In other words, phenomena taking place at an emergent macroscopic level depend causally solely on other phenomena at the same level, without being causally affected by more fine-grained distinctions observed at more microscopic levels. To illustrate these ideas, consider a simple scenario where a computer is running a script that executes the command c=a+b.

Crucially, the value assigned to the variable c depends on the values assigned to a and b, but doesn’t depend on peculiarities of the physical substrate over which program is running (e.g. the spin of the electrons that make the transistors, etc). This relative ‘autonomy’ from its substrate is a key feature of what software is: software is always ‘running on top’ of hardware while having some ‘life of its own,’ following its own rules irrespective of many of the fine details of the substrate over which it is instantiated.

Following this line of thinking, one can say that a system is running software when it has a macroscopic scale that is causally closed with respect to lower scales. Technically speaking, causal closure takes place when interventions at a set of macroscopic (i.e. aggregated, coarse-grained) variables are sufficient to guarantee specific outcomes on other macroscopic variables. Consequently, ‘programs’ can be understood as specific (sets of) relations between macroscopic variables that do not depend on specific microscale instantiations — in fact, one can imagine many different microscale instantiations with precisely equivalent macroscopic behaviour.

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2402.09090.pdf

Since blockquote does not permit highlighting, here is the key insight from above:

"systems whose macroscopic levels posses a certain degree of causal ‘self-containment’ with respect to their microscopic instantiation"

a system is running software when it has a macroscopic scale that is causally closed with respect to lower scales

So given my innate predisposition to disregard ideological colorings and narratives when observing the changes in the world order in the past 3+ decades (since I started paying attention), it was noted that at the highest visible, public, levels of the world order ("macroscopic scale" per above) there is a disconnect between the cooperation of the actors at that level -- see recent gathering at Davos where friends, frenemies, partners, and rogue ones were all present and having discussions -- and the lowever level dynamics that are featured as primary dynamics in the official geopolitical narrative (which has its assigned imperialist and anti-imperialist [sic] factions).

For example, I remind again of the completely lockstep (pi) march towards "social distancing" and "vaccination" and "Covid-19" and universal suppression of any dissenting or questioning voices (even or specially if from technically informed authoritative sources). Another example is 9/11 where again the top level had uniform consensus that we are facing a "new world of terror and fighting terror" and no a single nation on this Earth called bullshit on the official 9/11 story.

This behavior, however, is not "emergent" in my opinion. But it is maps well to what the above states: a macroscopic layer that is "causally closed" to the lower level 'substrate' dynamics. Now the substrate here are Nation-States and the Software is New World Order.

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 4 2024 18:50 utc | 88

@Lavrov's Dog | Mar 4 2024 2:38 utc | 57

Those elites are really lovers of 'democracy'!

Posted by: Don Firineach | Mar 4 2024 18:59 utc | 89

p.s. do note that the authors of the paper, while insisting on emergence at the macroscopic scale, inadvertantly have admitted another example of causal disconnect in layered systems: programming. For example, "Global economy" they cite in their very first sentence in the paper can hardly be termed an 'emergent system'. We all know Globalism was discussed and planned and implemented. Now I am not sure if the authors are trying to neutralize conspiracy thought in the 10% (the target audiance of the paper) or possibly hinting that it is in fact "programming" ..

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 4 2024 19:32 utc | 90

Posted by: denk | Mar 4 2024 17:11 utc | 85

Hard to argue your points, but- to play devil's advocate - who's ultimately financing it all, collecting the interest on debt? The gringos and sLimeys - and Romans, Spanish, Dutch, Germans, Belgians, etc. have always had a taste for blood and were and are easily motivated to go out and "bring peace" or "Christianize" the savages and brutes.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Mar 4 2024 21:45 utc | 91

Here we go again. It wasn’t stolen, rigged, or unfair elections in Iran.
The vote was held, but it was “marked by low turnout,” and it was won by — you guess it — “hard-liners.” That is all you need to know.

Posted by: Sakineh Bagoom | Mar 4 2024 22:00 utc | 92

re blockquotes not allowing highlighting,

Of course they allow highlighting. Here is an example:

I am thinking of a number…
I am thinking of a number…

Posted by: Sakineh Bagoom | Mar 4 2024 22:05 utc | 93

Sorry if this is the wrong thread, and I know I’m late to the show, unfortunately I still need to work for a living, but I just watched the speech by Sunak, made after Galloway won his election, and I’m struck by how (nearly) hysterical it was. Being a Yank, I’m not sure what to make of it. I know there are plenty of people from the UK on these threads, and so I ask, WTF was that? Is it a call for a police state? Do a majority's of Brits buy into Sunak’s fear-mongering?

Posted by: KMRIA | Mar 4 2024 22:15 utc | 94

The micro-macro differences is for a sure a good observation, similar to ones often made viz cell phones: the physical components in raw form are bits of metal and plastic; then when made into functioning parts they become the hardware; and then the software running on that hardware base is yet another entirely different level; the three layers know nothing of each others workings, essentially being different but parallel dimensions. Then any youtubes watched comprise a fourth distinct experiential dimension.

However: when someone watches a youtube, whether or not all dimensions know of each other, nevertheless they contribute to the same overall happening, or Oneness aspect. The hardware, software and movie file all must function well and together for the user to have a good viewing experience which is one overall event comprising four (though we could describe more) dimensions, each created to work with the others, making them not entirely separate after all.

So: yes, they are very different, but also, yes, they are related; some aspects are disparate whilst others are seamlessly integrated. Like in the human body all the major viscera have entirely separate functions and yet each is affected by all the others; and just like body, speech and mind.

This makes determining the meaningfulness of how higher and lower political levels overtly harmonize or not perhaps moot, though I like you felt the Covid response was a glaring red flag of Global Governance for those with eyes to see it.

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 4 2024 22:20 utc | 95

Oops. The preceding addressed to:

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 4 2024 18:50 utc | 88

and

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 4 2024 19:32 utc | 90

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 4 2024 22:22 utc | 96

Re: the Rasmussen poll. How do you randomly poll the 1%? How do you even go about contacting the 1%? Are their phone numbers publicly available? Does someone possess a list of the 1% along with their phone numbers? Do the 1% tend to answer random calls from unknown numbers?

Has everyone gone daft?

This blog has gone to hell. Most of the great thinkers I used to come here to get a feel for their interpretation of current events are no longer here, what's left are a bunch of midwit erudites, at best.

The curse of becoming a popular place where everyone is welcome to speak up whether they have something valuable to say or not, anonymously of course.

Posted by: David F | Mar 4 2024 23:24 utc | 97

Posted by: Sakineh Bagoom | Mar 4 2024 22:05 utc | 93

I was using "underline like this quoted text should be" but that doesn't seem to work for me at all.

////

So: yes, they are very different, but also, yes, they are related; some aspects are disparate whilst others are seamlessly integrated. Like in the human body all the major viscera have entirely separate functions and yet each is affected by all the others; and just like body, speech and mind.

This makes determining the meaningfulness of how higher and lower political levels overtly harmonize or not perhaps moot, though I like you felt the Covid response was a glaring red flag of Global Governance for those with eyes to see it.

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 4 2024 22:20 utc | 95

The key point is that there is a 'causal disconnect' between the layers in that the higher layer ("software") is fully 'causally independent' of the nature and phenomena of the substrate 'it is running on'. This is -not- true of an organism that while hierarchical and layered still maintains a holistic unity. The closest thing we have in nature is mind in body but even then the mind is certainly affected by the body.

Posted by: sunof27 | Mar 4 2024 23:39 utc | 98

Posted by: David F | Mar 4 2024 23:24 utc | 97

The insulting tone of your comment aside (and some with which I agree), here's the Rasmussen presentation. You got me thinking about what methodology they might have used to determine who's in the 1% on an actual individual basis, and it provides no useful information!

https://www.rmgresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Elite-One-Percent.pdf

So I went out and dug up the following myself:

https://committeetounleashprosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Them-vs-Us_CTUP-Rasmussen-Study-FINAL.pdf

Here's the stated methodology:

Survey Methodology

This report is based upon two separate surveys of 1,000 Members of the Elites. They were conducted online by Scott Rasmussen on September 11-26, 2023, and September 14-29, 2023. RMG Research, Inc. conducted fieldwork for the survey.

The Elites are defined as those having a postgraduate degree, a household income of more than $150,000 annually, and living in a zip code with more than 10,000 people per square mile. Approximately 1% of the total U.S. population meets these criteria.

These parameters were determined after observing numerous surveys indicating that these elite segments of the population consistently exhibited views that were distinct from the general population. The sample was lightly weighted by gender, age, and race to reflect the demographic profile established through surveys of Registered Voters.

Seventy-three percent (73%) of the Elites were Democrats, and 14% were Republicans. The margin of sampling error for the full sample is +/- 3.1 percentage points.

The study also examined a sub-sample of elites, adults who attended Ivy League schools or other elite private schools, including Northwestern, Duke, Stanford, and the University of Chicago. Roughly half of those we classify as “elites” attended one of these schools. For the purpose of this study, we label those who attended one of these schools as “Ivy League Graduates.”

Comparison results shown for all voters were asked in independent surveys of 1,000 Registered Voters, each conducted between May and September 2023.

So yeah, whatever, but maybe it helps answer your question.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Mar 4 2024 23:42 utc | 99

To my above comment, I find it very, very hard to believe that such a massive percentage of people in their "1%" group are Democrats compared to Republicans. There are massive holes in this methodology and the one that leaps out immediately to me is this one: "ZIP codes with more than 10,000 people per square mile!

That's ridiculous! It excludes MANY very rich people who don't live in densely populated cities. Such people live around me. Oil country and the ZIP codes outlying Houston, specifically.

In essence, Rasmussen's stupid poll was conducted among urban college graduates who make above a certain income and who went to a select group of colleges/universities.

In light of this, I really don't see the use at all, unless we re-define or re-label the subjects of said poll "The upper class urban elites in the DC area, NYC, Chicago, LA, Silicon Valley, and the various other pockets of very wealthy folks such as around Sandia National Labs in NM.....etc."

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Mar 4 2024 23:48 utc | 100