News & views (notr related to the wars in Ukraine and Palestine) …
Back to Main
June 23, 2024
Open (Neither Ukraine Nor Palestine) Thread 2024-149
Comments
Re: De-Dollarization
Question Barflies = if interest payments on Federal Debt consume 30-35% of Federal Revenue in 2025…..will that effect Washington’s ability to fund wars ?
What are the options of the Federal Government ?
Posted by: Exile | Jun 23 2024 16:22 utc | 1
Some analysis of foreign holders of US debt here: https://wolfstreet.com/2024/06/19/the-foreign-holders-of-the-ballooning-us-debt/
Foreign investors have continued to add to their holdings of Treasury securities over the years, but the US debt has grown far faster, and so the share of the debt that is held by foreign entities has been declining for many years. In 2014-2016, foreign investors held over 33% of the debt. Their share is now down to 22.9%
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jun 23 2024 16:28 utc | 2
Re: De-Dollarization
Question Barflies = if interest payments on Federal Debt consume 30-35% of Federal Revenue in 2025…..will that effect Washington’s ability to fund wars ?
What are the options of the Federal Government ?
Never mind funding Washington’s ability to fight wars.
What are the options to find men and peer matching equipment to fight wars. Or even enough shells to Match Russia alone? Or at least the steel for shells.
That is beyond US and Nato.
Volunteer countries like Ukraine only come along once in a while.
https://worldsteel.org/data/steel-data-viewer/
Meanwhile the Dollar is still doing well in currency markets – plenty of demand for US debt right now.
Posted by: Mickey Droy | Jun 23 2024 16:44 utc | 3
Meanwhile the Dollar is still doing well in currency markets – plenty of demand for US debt right now.
Posted by: Mickey Droy | Jun 23 2024 16:44 utc | 3
____
— “still” being the operative word here…
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 16:47 utc | 4
The CEO of the Washington Post is in big trouble. Hardly surprising, since he is a favorite of Rupert Murdoch. Apparently, he pressured an editor to kill a story about the CEO’s shady dealings. The editor quit, and the story blew up. You can get the details easily, just type “Washington Post scandal” into a browser. For example Washington Post CEO Will Lewis’ status ‘increasingly untenable’ as newsgathering controversies mount
Since I avoid reading the corporate media, I missed the story when it first surfaced a few weeks ago. Apparently the story was broken by an NPR reporter.
The corporate media always has an agenda. Investigative reporting by the CM is dead. This is a hit piece by someone for someone. My question to the bar is: who is gunning for this guy and why? Do they think this scandal will “tarnish” the reputation of the Bezos Post? Why has Bezos personally stepped in? He must have known what a slimy shitweasel the CEO is. Damage control?
Does this imbroglio have any bearing on the election? Is it a distraction for whatever shenanigans they expect to pull about Biden? Is someone on the right trying to cripple the “left’s” flagship newsrags?
This is at least a two beer conversation.
Posted by: john brewster | Jun 23 2024 16:52 utc | 5
Not a comment, but questions.
When I first heard of the HarmonyOS of Huawei my impression was 100% open source. Looking at the FreeBSD model of source code, a very excellent code base can be developed (of course Apple took the open source code and was allowed under FreeBSD licensure to privatize lots). No – apple does not send back much code base to FreeBSD. The same thing happened with CUPS – printing.
Back to Huawei and then the detention in Canada for approx. 1 year of their CFO (and daughter) awaiting extradition to usOfa. And sanctions from Hades. How much of that was due to the possible loss or detriment to intelligence gathering of 5 Eye that an open source model would pose is a very open ended question.
Every 6 or 9 months or so I poke around to see about the status of Harmony, but if any barflies are plugged into knowing if other non G7 phone companies are adopting Harmony and also if there is much addition to the code base via non Chinese coders I would appreciate.
Posted by: paxmark1 | Jun 23 2024 17:00 utc | 6
Funny headline from Brookings today:
“Putin and Kim are creating a crisis—Can the US and China rein them in?”
Am I the only one who finds it strange just how blind Western Imperialism is to China’s clearly stated “no limits” partnership with Russia. The RC in the west is truly insane to believe that they can seek a war over Taiwan and simultaneously expect China to come bail them out when their ridiculous foreign policy gets them into trouble.
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jun 23 2024 17:08 utc | 7
US Dollar is expensive because Treasuries pay the highest interest rate of major currencies – not a good sign.
data from April:
10Y Bond Country
0.862% … Japan
2.286% …| China
2.432% … Germany
2.952% …| France
3.773% …/ Canada
3.847% …| Italy
4.288% … U.K.
4.631% … U.S.A.
Posted by: Exile | Jun 23 2024 17:08 utc | 8
Still a long shot, but I’d love to see the anointed Heir Apparent to 10 Downing Street get kicked out of his constituency seat: https://skwawkbox.org/2024/06/23/hundreds-sign-up-for-feinsteins-insurgent-campaign-as-starmers-odds-lengthen/
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jun 23 2024 17:21 utc | 9
@paxmark1 #6: Thanks. That’s an interesting catch.
Posted by: Dr Wellington Yueh | Jun 23 2024 17:27 utc | 10
Re: De-Dollarization
Question Barflies = if interest payments on Federal Debt consume 30-35% of Federal Revenue in 2025…..will that effect Washington’s ability to fund wars ?
What are the options of the Federal Government ?
Interesting question. It’ll probably be monetised – ie, the Federal Reserve (“The Fed”) will just “print money” (ie, expand its balance sheet) to pay it.
If the debt itself is already owned by the Fed, then it’s not inflationary. If the debt is owned by other institutions – and it gets spent into the wider economy – then the effect is inflationary.
Much has been made of the recent end of the petrodollar “agreement”, but according to this article:
https://www.aier.org/article/sense-and-nonsense-on-petrodollars/
it was never a formal agreement to begin with, and thus didn’t recently “end”.
Nonetheless, if Saudi Arabia doesn’t impose penalties on companies/countries wishing to buy oil in currencies other than the USD, I wouldn’t be surprised if they will come under significant pressure by the US government. MBS & Co. must know this, so they must be feeling pretty confident that they’re able to withstand US pressure… or intend to use it as a bargaining chip of some kind.
Posted by: Observer | Jun 23 2024 17:27 utc | 11
Re: De-Dollarization
and may be this by Vijay Prashad
“The Reign of the Dollar”
June 22, 2024
“Recent speculation in India about the collapse of the Saudi petro-dollar agreement with the U.S. proved false. Vijay Prashad considers three factors that can feed such a rumor.”
https://consortiumnews.com/2024/06/22/the-reign-of-the-dollar/
Posted by: AG | Jun 23 2024 17:37 utc | 12
john helmer has a few articles up, including one from yesterday on the latest episode in the skripal saga…
BRITISH GOVERNMENT INVENTS PHANTOM SKRIPALS TO REFUSE TO TESTIFY IN THE NOVICHOK INQUIRY
Posted by: james | Jun 23 2024 17:40 utc | 13
@1 exile
Re:interest payments
As long as the American dollars are acceptable as currency in most of the world it’s fine.
When usd is no longer considered valuable between non us parties they will have to buy things in the US triggering the long awaited us hyper inflation. A crazy amount of usd circulates in the world, particularly in 100 usd paper bills, so when it comes home it’ll overturn the us economy. It’s already felt in the stock market and housing market with ancillary effects in retail goods.
But when the usd becomes worthless for non us transactions, like because of sanctions that’s when it’ll go crazy in a self reinforcing doom loop.
At the moment it’s manageable it’ll be a few years or more before it becomes critical. I’d look for China refusing usd for its manufactured good as the tipping point
Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Jun 23 2024 17:45 utc | 14
What is the realistic strategy for “de-dollarisation”?
By John Ross
https://mronline.org/2024/06/18/what-is-the-realistic-strategy-for-de-dollarisation/
Posted by: bevin | Jun 23 2024 17:48 utc | 15
This might end up solving China’s huge energy consumption problems and even the world’s.
“Privately-run Chinese fusion company, Energy Singularity, has built the world’s first fully high-temperature superconducting tokamak, and used it to produce plasma, state media outlets have reported, citing the firm.
The creation of the device, dubbed HH70 and located in Shanghai.
“According to the developers, as cited by Chinese media, the HH70 tokamak is smaller and cheaper to assemble than its predecessors. The device uses a magnetic system made from high-temperature superconducting material, commonly known as REBCO (Rare Earth Barium Copper Oxide).
It can reportedly be manufactured on a large scale, reducing the cost of Energy Singularity’s tokamaks. Moreover, the HH70 device, according to the company, is only 2% the size of conventional tokamaks – providing a major advantage in the race to produce a commercially viable device.”
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 23 2024 17:50 utc | 16
@3 mickey droy
Re: material and human resources in the west.
Don’t kid yourself the US is perfectly able to draft and nationalize productive resources the arm and man a formidable army
They just have to drop the anti white racism and DEI requirements for all businesses which they Will do, probably under a second Trump administration.
It’s not clear they understand the need to do so though, they’ll need a wake up call to right their ship. I suspect a shocking loss to military assets will do it. Given past history it’ll be a false flag but “patriotic” fools will fall for it again, they always do
Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Jun 23 2024 17:51 utc | 17
Meanwhile the UK government spends £12,000 quid a minute on nuclear weapons, when its NHS, schools, roads and general infrastructure is in a terrible state not to mention the cost-of-living-crisis that sees children going hungry on a daily basis and people unable to put their heating on because its far too expensive.
https://www.declassifieduk.org/britain-spends-12000-a-minute-on-nuclear-weapons/
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 23 2024 17:55 utc | 18
How George Soros, Mi6, Greece, the EU and the USA forced Macedonia to change its name even though the people of Macedonia didn’t want changed to North Macedonia, those force planned and staged a coup.
But the forces of evil want to go one step further.
Officials have since repeatedly made clear they consider the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to be all but inevitable. This is despite 98% of Bosnian Serbs opposing membership, due to NATO’s central role in the criminal destruction of Yugoslavia during the 1990s. There are covert British efforts to promote NATO in Serbia too, where over 80% of the population opposes joining.
https://thegrayzone.com/2024/06/14/british-meddling-macedonia-unravels/
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 23 2024 18:03 utc | 19
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 23 2024 17:55 utc | 18
Yet the sheep still want to vote for Sir Queer Smarmer, in the naive hope that things will change for the better…
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jun 23 2024 18:03 utc | 20
Jeremy Rhymings-Lang (20).
The only difference between the parties that can provide a PM in England (Labour/Tories) is the colour of their rosettes.
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 23 2024 18:05 utc | 21
Peter Lee has been providing regular coverage of tensions in the South China Sea on his China Threat Report on Patreon. He describes the current manufacturing of a flashpoint between China and Philippines – in the works for some years now – as “the biggest US government gaslighting operation since the Bush administration sold the Iraq invasion in 2002.”
He points out that the simplistic U.S. narrative, describing China as an aggressive and expansionist power, entirely ignores the primary document governing relations between all parties on South China Sea issues:
Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (2002)
https://asean.org/declaration-on-the-conduct-of-parties-in-the-south-china-sea-2/
As convincingly argued by Lee, it has been, in fact, the Philippines which has breached this agreement, particularly in regards to dispute resolution and the maintenance of a status quo since 2002. The exact opposite is being loudly insisted in the western media and foreign policy circles, to the extent that the most hawkish voices are demanding immediate implementation of US-Philippines mutual defence agreements lest there be an appearance of “weakness”.
Posted by: jayc | Jun 23 2024 18:13 utc | 22
“……If the debt itself is already owned by the Fed, then it’s not inflationary. ….”
Interest Rates are set at the margin, meaning real 3rd party creditors. The Federal Gov’t will still have to pay the Federal Reserve (Banking Cartel) interest payments. That hits the Federal Budget hard
Posted by: Exile | Jun 23 2024 18:20 utc | 23
As long as we avoid war in North America, the US government and economy will just slowly decline. When immigrants stop believing Hollywood’s image pf tje IS and stay home, you’ll know that the Evil Empire is over.
Posted by: lester | Jun 23 2024 18:31 utc | 24
“Re: De-Dollarization
Question Barflies = if interest payments on Federal Debt consume 30-35% of Federal Revenue in 2025…..will that effect Washington’s ability to fund wars ?
What are the options of the Federal Government ?”
Posted by: Exile | Jun 23 2024 16:22 utc | 1
The current debt load of the US is unsustainable; the PTB are corrupt, immoral scoundrels but they are not stupid. They know they have come to their Rubicon- either they fadeaway or double down politically, economically (more debt) and militarily-they have course chose the latter.
The Empire has to expand or its finished-so that’s why WW3 is inevitable as they will double down till it becomes nuclear war.
Has anyone read any good analysis of the Norinchukin Bank bond sell-off? That will also have an effect on the dollar.
Posted by: Patroklos | Jun 23 2024 18:47 utc | 26
John brewster | Jun 23 2024 16:52 utc |
There are some things that bother me and some things that don’t.
One of the biggest is to conflate, misidentify, who’s who, what’s what
(like when people say something’s coming when it’s already here, and has
been for a long time, e.g. America is near ruin)
But, for my money, there’s no better tip-off to someone destroying
their own credibility in a single shot is accusing something of being
Left when it’s not, and you knew better you’d never make the mistake
in the first place (e.g. Biden, Dems, Progs, the media, higher ed., the FBI/CIA, etc.)
The Left has no power in America. Control no institutions, no corps, no
political organs, branches of government. In fact, the Left doesn’t even
have representation. No media. No say in schools. No say in government.
I understand John you put Left in quotes when calling the WaPo it’s flagship,
but c’mon, even that is just weird, because why, why are you reinforcing a canard,
the deliberate dumbing down of political speech.
Posted by: jimbo | Jun 23 2024 18:48 utc | 27
The Robert Koch Institute is the legally responsible authority for infection control in Germany. A few months ago, the redacted minutes of the meetings on the AOVID-19 pandemic were released, which are now available in a largely unredacted version. The minutes of 20.9.2020 contain the following sentence about the vaccines
“Approval at FDA before US elections is not desired, nor at European agency, i.e. there will not be first results before November.”
“Not desired” by whom? This can only mean that the FDA and the European regulatory authorities were receiving instructions from the US to delay the authorizaton of the so-called vaccines. However, they were not receiving these instructions from the US government but from forces that wanted to harm the Trump administration so that Trump would lose the upcoming elections. And so it came to pass.
Of course, they also publicly claimed that the “vaccines” would be the way out of the pandemic and save million of lives. This was of course not true but let’s say it was: The protection of the health of the population wseems to have been of far less concern to the people giving the instructions than scoring points against Trump.
For more information on other revelations of the “RKI files” in English, see:
https://x.com/SHomburg/status/1736092690826060125
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDbOBJ_MwH0
Posted by: Cherrycoke | Jun 23 2024 18:53 utc | 28
This is a good channel on China and geopolitics, and this is interesting:
Emergency Announcement! Potential Death Penalty For Taiwanese Separatist
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jun 23 2024 18:55 utc | 29
Patroklos @ 26
There always Sean Foo, he’s on top of this stuff:
Major Banking Giant To Sell $63 Billion In US Treasuries – Expect Bigger Failures & Losses
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jun 23 2024 18:59 utc | 30
I understand John you put Left in quotes when calling the WaPo it’s flagship,
but c’mon, even that is just weird, because why, why are you reinforcing a canard,
the deliberate dumbing down of political speech.
Posted by: jimbo | Jun 23 2024 18:48 utc | 27
—-
Way to miss the point. Obviously there is no “left”. There is the uniparty. This WaPo thing is an intr-uniparty knife fight. I asked what is going on.
You did not answer, but spent two paragraphs stating the obvious,.
Posted by: john brewster | Jun 23 2024 19:03 utc | 31
This is a good channel on China and geopolitics, and this is interesting:
Emergency Announcement! Potential Death Penalty For Taiwanese Separatist
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jun 23 2024 18:55 utc | 29
I’ve been subscribed for about a month now. Good content … I;m surprised it’s still up on youtube.
Posted by: HB_Norica | Jun 23 2024 19:08 utc | 32
@ LightYearsFromHome | Jun 23 2024 18:55 utc | 29
Would the “Taiwanese separatist” happen to be the Taiwanese “president”? 😁
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 19:14 utc | 33
Mexico rising. Tennessee… not so much.
A couple of weeks ago we went to western Tennessee for our niece’s wedding. Our side is mostly upper Midwest CNN watchers, the groom was named after Jefferson Davis, red teamers who still hate Abe Lincoln (I brought it up, my mistake). Everyone behaved, no fights, but my takeaway from the locals who attended is that they were not hard scrabble hicks like many of their ancestors: some were into “sales”, including the groom, the youngsters were in community college, no one in the trades. Meanwhile, the caterers were all Black and the gas stations were mostly Black and Mexican. West Tennessee is stil set up like the feudal plantation system before the Civil War: a more defined caste system than the bluer regions.
The small towns have lots of Mexican shops so I stopped in a taqueria and struck up a conversation with a Mexican lady and she laid out her version of what was going on. There is a large Mexican presence in West Tennessee but they don’t cross at the southern border anymore. The biggest employer is Tyson and the workers are “contracted”, most are from the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca, they receive a temporary work permit and are flown to Memphis. Others are contracted to work in various big ag jobs and many are “returned” in the Fall. According to the lady the system has been in place for years and works ok for them. She also talked about the election: she loves AMLO and is a big supporter of Claudia Scheinbaum, talked about how much AMLO has done in her home town in Oaxaca. She mentioned improved health care, way more schooling, roads, public transportation just since AMLO started in 2018. Her accounts line up with other Mexican friends of mine: farmers, truck drivers, teachers all say he was the real deal. One mentioned how similar he has been to Lazaro Cardenas in the 1930s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A1zaro_C%C3%A1rdenas
My prediction: Mexico will join BRICS within a couple of years. If Scheinbaum survives (I think she will) Mexico will emerge as a key force in Latin America. Scheinbaum has strong ties to Cuba and is proud of the summers she spent there as a kid (Mom and Dad were commie types). She promises to continue AMLO’s move to put mineral/petroleum resources into public ownership, like Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Iran. US doesn’t like that.
Here’s a link to a podcast if you want more on Mexico: two young guys who live there and speak English. Both were raised in the US, one writes for Jacobin but he seems pretty good.
https://www.youtube.com/@SoberaniaPodcast
Posted by: migueljose | Jun 23 2024 19:15 utc | 34
@ migueljose | Jun 23 2024 19:15 utc | 34
I grew up in West Tennessee and still visit family there: your observations are spot on.
By the way, you don’t comment here often enough.
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 19:21 utc | 35
How does the US ever crash? No matter what the Fed. Gov ever does or who predicts disaster, doom doesn’t appear. They get away with ‘printing dollars’ with no end in sight. How does this ever end?
Covid schools us in this. There was a big burst of inflation after they sent checks to people to prop up the US economy. The economy reacted with inflation because that money didn’t represent real goods or services created by the economy productively. Everyone has free money so prices go up.
The danger to the US is any decline in productivity – when fewer or the same goods are made but people get paid more. I would argue that this is the outcome of DEI policies, reparations, tariffs on China, Unionization, and more retirement (without corresponding productivity increases) and sanctions generally. The US fell out of the top 10 competitive economies – and the graph looked bad, like a fast drop.
Anything that you get less of that costs the same will be the problem. It’s coming.
Posted by: Eighthman | Jun 23 2024 19:26 utc | 37
@ bevin | Jun 23 2024 17:48 utc | 15 with the link to the trash piece by this John Ross guy.
What a piece of propaganda BS.
No where in this posting is there a discussion of the difference between public and private finance.
Lets obfuscate the de-dollarization concept even more so we can claim, at the least, that it is not time yet to do such.
And money backed by America has to be better than gold or a breadbasket of commodities/currencies….sigh….pathetic
Hey bevin. You keep telling us the Rothschilds are no longer in charge of our world but never tell us why the world is still attempting to instantiate the Balfour Declaration created by them if they aren’t in charge anymore.
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jun 23 2024 19:40 utc | 38
Hello
I have heard or read a couple of things, but I do not know if their is any truth in them, so would be grateful for more details.
Within the last year I read that the US had told Saudi Arabia that if the Saudi’s withdrew their money from US treasuries that the US would take that as a declaration of war by Saudi Arabia.
Another whisper I heard is the US has not publicly publish up to date data on their gold holdings – something like the last announced total dates from the late 1950s or 1960s – before the US paid its debt to Germany and France in gold around 1970.
It has been said by Tim Watkins [Consciousness of Sheep website] that Britain cannot have a much lower interest rate than the US because there would be a run on the pound.
I think it was Peak Prosperity website podcast that said the US dollar is remaining high because most of the rest of the world’s economies are even worse than the US’s.
Posted by: Bill R | Jun 23 2024 19:41 utc | 39
US Dollar is expensive because Treasuries pay the highest interest rate of major currencies – not a good sign.
data from April:
10Y Bond Country
0.862% … Japan
Posted by: Exile | Jun 23 2024 17:08 utc | 8
Until very recently the Japanese 10 yr was pegged at .25% for years by the BOJ just in the last 2 years they gave up the ghost in this very illiquid bond market as the govt. owns like 60% of the inventory and it ids a very little secondary market trading…the definition of illiquidity.
Anyways, the Elite borrow in Japanese yen for fuck all interest, convert to dollars then buy US S and P 500 stocks that pay a 4% dividend or so and, the US dollar strengthens against the yen so they make money on the currency as well and they leverage the trade (borrow against the stock 50% on margin) to double their take- inotherwords the Elite make fortunes dong fuck all and nothing productive is accomplished.
Its finalization, just tricks that have nothing to do with organic growth economically- and its the last stage of capitalism which is now really crypto-Fascism with the gov and the Oligarchs controlling the economy, the media and the changing morals-Woke, LGBYQA, asylum cities et al..
Mexico (cont’d)
A few more observations and guesses.
Tyson’s use of Mexicans to work in their processing plants is not new. Cargill has a hog processing plant near me in Illinois. Locals have mixed opinions but overall they grumble a bit and accept it since the jobs are horrible. However, if Mexico (Scheinbaum) follows China’s approach they stand a chance of changing the migrant stream from a one way drain out of Mexico to a two way stream with more and more Mexicans going back or going back and forth. One of the podcasters I linked to is an example. His name is Jose Luis Granados Ceja: born in Mexico, family emigrated north when he was 5, raised in California then Canada, now back in Mexico. The key difference with Mexico today is that they are building their public sector, much like China did when they raised the poor into the middle class. US oligarchs didn’t see that coming.
Second point: the border crisis. Mexico is carrying a huge load as a transit country and the US needs to cooperate in order to manage it from both sides. Mexico has been pushing hard to fund long term solutions: invest in Latin America instead of sanctions, coups, propping up local thugs and narcos and oligarchic extraction. I look for Scheinbaum to increase pressure on US to give back. Her administration has plans.
Third point: drugs, narcos, guns. Mexico is insisting more and more on “sovereignty” and will continue to articulate the realities and advocate more for the US to step up– or, at least leave them alone. Mexico knows they won’t get much– if anything– but both sides know that Mexico is getting stronger and will likely use its leverage in the coming years.
Imagine a BRICS country as a neighbor!
Posted by: migueljose | Jun 23 2024 19:44 utc | 41
Col. Cassad:
Terrorist attack in Dagestan.
1. In Makhachkala, militants attacked a traffic police post – 1 officer was killed, 6 were injured.
2. Derbent – attack on a synagogue and church. Several people died, including a local church priest and police officers.
3. Plus an attack on a PSS post on the Russian border with Abkhazia – 1 person was killed, 3 were injured.
4. In total, 5 policemen were killed and 9 were injured.
The numbers are not final. It is obvious that the attack is coordinated in nature, with a high probability of coordination of these attacks at the level of foreign intelligence services.
Subsequently from Col. Cassad:
The two killed terrorists turned out to be the sons of the head of the Sergokalinsky district of Dagestan, Magomed Omarov. He has already written a letter of resignation and has been taken into custody.
Official comment (Russian) on the introduction of the CTO regime in Dagestan.
Posted by: Maracatu | Jun 23 2024 19:49 utc | 42
Cluster munitions on Sevastopol Beach. Reaper drone logged doing laps offshore at the time. Only zionazis previously called kids on a beach fair game
Posted by: Hankster | Jun 23 2024 19:53 utc | 43
This guy posts really good stuff on Chinese business and how it relates to the west. He’s an American investment fund analyst living and working in China. Apparently we’re dumb as dirt and about to get a jolly rodgering by the Chinese. I find it quite sensible.
https://www.youtube.com/@Inside_China_Business
Posted by: HB_Norica | Jun 23 2024 19:54 utc | 44
Posted by: Exile | Jun 23 2024 18:20 utc | 23
All profits from the federal reserve are credited to the treasury not the primary dealer banks. It is privately run by those member banks but still owned by the USG. They make their money by rigging the system through the management of the fed not from owning it.
Posted by: badjoke | Jun 23 2024 20:08 utc | 46
Profits less reserves credits to Treasury, losses are eaten by Treasury
https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/other20240112a.htm
Posted by: Exile | Jun 23 2024 20:17 utc | 47
Mexico
Is Scheinbaum pro or anti Genocide ?
Posted by: Exile | Jun 23 2024 19:24 utc | 36
short answer: she’s horrified by the genocide. What will she do about it? I don’t know.Apparently most Mexican Jews are wealthy and did not vote for her because they think she’s with the peons. The number of Jews and Palestinians in Mexico is small but about the same.
two links from what I think are pro zionist publications
1. “But she has previously put a stance on the record about Israeli military action in Gaza — in a letter to the editor of La Jornada, a major Mexico City newspaper, in January 2009, when she was a professor and Israel and Gaza were locked in what would ultimately be a three-week war. In it, she cited her Jewish background in making an argument that could apply just as easily today.
“Because of my Jewish origin, because of my love for Mexico and because I feel like a citizen of the world, I share with millions the desire for justice, equality, fraternity and peace, and therefore, I can only see with horror the images of the state bombings,” she wrote at the time, adding, “No reason justifies the murder of Palestinian civilians … Nothing, nothing, nothing, can justify the murder of a child.”
https://www.jta.org/2024/05/30/global/jewish-liberal-claudia-sheinbaum-likely-to-win-this-weeks-mexican-presidential-election-polls-show
2. “My maternal grandparents came to Mexico fleeing Nazi persecution. They were saved by a miracle. Many of my relatives from that generation were exterminated in the concentration camps. Both families decided to make Mexico their homeland. I was raised as a Mexican. Loving its history and its people. I am Mexican and that is why I fight for my country. I cannot and do not want to deny my history, to do so would be, as León Gieco says, to deny the soul of life. But I am also a citizen of the world, because of my history and because that is how I think it should be.
“I am referring, of course, to libertarian, humanist, non-racist men and women who fight for peace … ‘Imagine,’ as John Lennon composed. Therefore, because of my Jewish origin, because of my love for Mexico and because I feel like a citizen of the world, I share with millions the desire for justice, equality, fraternity and peace, and therefore, I can only see with horror the images of the state bombings. Israeli in Gaza … No reason justifies the murder of Palestinian civilians … Nothing, nothing, nothing, can justify the murder of a child. For this reason, I join the cry of millions around the world who are calling for a ceasefire and the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian territory. As Alberto Szpunberg, Argentine poet, said in a recent letter: ‘that is what it is about: saving a world, this unique and anguished world that we all inhabit, that belongs to everyone and that today is called Gaza.’”
https://jewishjournal.com/news/worldwide/372011/quick-facts-about-mexicos-jewish-president-elect-claudia-sheinbaum/
Posted by: migueljose | Jun 23 2024 20:22 utc | 48
Posted by: migueljose | Jun 23 2024 20:22 utc | 48
Thanks for your Mexico reports, they are a breath of fresh air.
Posted by: Paco | Jun 23 2024 20:33 utc | 49
HB_Norica @ 44
We’re are on the same wavelength, I was going to link that too, it’s exceptional info on China, he keeps it short and to the point too. I rarely go back over old vids with topical stuff but I recommend doing that to anyone interested, all good stuff.
Seeing it is ruthlessly distrustful MoA it’s important to note he is also doing Christian work in China, he himself did a vid on it, but he seems real and honest, I’ve learned never to let down my guard but so far my BS detector has never moved from zero, and if he was Falun Gong or the like the Chinese would have booted him long ago. If the Chinese who are nobody’s fools trust him, reckon I can too. Start here:
Welcome to Inside China Business
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jun 23 2024 20:47 utc | 50
speeding toward a nuclear war in Europe?
from which the USA expects to survive unscathed…..
think again, Jack Sullivan, and Tony Blinken, you war-mongering sociopathic fools
https://gilbertdoctorow.com/2024/06/23/jake-sullivan-and-the-softening-up-operation/
Jake Sullivan and the ‘softening up operation’
“….Another was the testimony of a Russian war correspondent on the meaning of the remarkable proliferation these past few days of Ukrainian drones reaching a thousand kilometers or more into the Russian heartland. What we hear in the daily news is that all sixty or seventy of them were shot down by Russian air defenses. What this expert contributed was an interpretation of this news that a global, and in particular an American audience should hear.
The Great Game panelist explained that this is clearly part of a ‘softening up operation’ launched by the Americans, and by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, if we may be more precise, intended to deplete the Russian air defenses in advance of the serious attacks to be made in the months ahead using the F-16s that are about to be delivered to Ukraine and the longer range American missiles that Sullivan in the past week allowed Kiev to direct as it sees fit deep into Russia……
….Superior intellect and even a prized law degree are not a vaccine against stupidity, as we see in the daily actions of Mr. Sullivan. Another proof of the same point is his colleague over at the State Department, Tony Blinken…..”
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jun 23 2024 20:49 utc | 51
migueljose @41
The USA has literally robbed Mexico’s central bank multiple times… actually sent the Marines in and grabbed the gold. I am sure you are aware of that but it needed mentioning because it is tough for Mexico being USA’s neighbor. In the same way that the CIA fosters huge criminal gangs like al Qaeda and ISIS in the Middle East, they cultivate the criminal syndicates in Latin America. Mexico is pretty much the training ground for CIA shit-stirrers because it is a safe place to make mistakes. If some CIA operators get themselves in trouble, they can be quickly and easily extracted. If the local authorities object, then the US will threaten with the Marines, and Mexico has had enough experience with that to be cautious.
The point I’m making is that Mexico has huge potential to be one of the flagship BRICS countries, but they must somehow drive the CIA/gangster/death squads out first, otherwise they will never be allowed the stability to stand up. The Empire will keep pulling the rug out from under them. CIA death squads will continue to rampage across the country murdering anyone who pushes back against the Empire’s compradors. The Mexican people are clearly fed up with the death squads, but the CIA’s gangsters have powerful friends to the north. It will take a fight, as in with guns, to get rid of the CIA. I am unsure that Mexico is ready for that fight yet.
Posted by: William Gruff | Jun 23 2024 20:50 utc | 52
@ William Gruff | Jun 23 2024 20:50 utc | 52
You know, Gruff, on those all too rare occasions when you can get beyond your obsession with homosexuality, you post really good stuff, this comment being a fine example.
But I suppose you’ll be back to form soon enough.
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 21:25 utc | 53
The Houthis made a music video mocking Biden and Sunak and it is a banger. Because we all need a good laugh.
https://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1804237240417034611
Posted by: Ghost of Zanon | Jun 23 2024 21:33 utc | 54
Posted by: migueljose | Jun 23 2024 20:22 utc | 48
In my Mexican (in-law) family we have ardent pro and cynical anti AMLOistas. (I am a neutral observer.)
Are you familiar with the work of Annabelle Hernandez? She recently published “La Historia Secreta” in which my wife tells me links between AMLO-Scheinbaum and various cartels are revealed. (Though that doesn’t necessarily mean much.) She also says AMLO’s family got rich whilst he was President.
Here is a recent article about her wherein both AMLO and Scheinbaum dismiss her as a fantasist:
https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2024/05/23/anabel-hernandez-responde-a-amlo-y-sheinbaum-tras-descalificaciones-a-su-libro-por-que-lo-han-censurado/
And here a recent Youtube following her book release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K85Fzv9KDbc
My wife says that narcos caused her book’s first edition to sell out in about only a week; apparently her info is so good they read her to get inside dope about rival cartels!
@ jayc | Jun 23 2024 18:13 utc | 22
re: Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (2002). . .Lee, it has been, in fact, the Philippines which has breached this agreement, particularly in regards to dispute resolution and the maintenance of a status quo since 2002.
Thanks for that from Peter Lee.
.. .and in Manila they actually have a free press!! . . .in the person of Rigoberto Tiglao who has said. . ..
> Stop this gutter level of arguing over the SCS issue . .I FOUND it shocking for this respected paper that a column — written by its newly appointed executive editor, Chin Wong — has gone to the gutter level of discourse
>Delusion or publicity stunt, or both. . .I would think that after several attempts by the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard to deliver construction and repair supplies to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, which were easily foiled by the China Coast Guard, the latest June 17 being the most violent incident, the following would be inarguably clear. These attempts were the result of President Marcos Jr. and his military brass’ deep delusion that they could ignore China’s position that Ayungin Shoal, which it calls Rén’ài Jiāo, is part of their sovereign outlying archipelago called Nansha Qundao. This was declared as such in Chinese maps in the modern era and enshrined in their laws, among them in its 1958 Declaration on China’s Territorial Sea.
> We have become a leaderless nation . . .THE China Coast Guard’s pouncing on our vessels to prevent them from supplying the beached BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal reveals what has become of this nation since President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. took power: We have become a leaderless nation.
Tiglao writes for the Manila Times and here.
Posted by: Don Bacon | Jun 23 2024 21:43 utc | 56
Posted by: Ghost of Zanon | Jun 23 2024 21:33 utc | 54
The Houthis made a music video mocking Biden and Sunak and it is a banger. Because we all need a good laugh.
https://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1804237240417034611
Hilarious!!
Interesting how the Arabs just have to put on a hat and those sidelock things and they look 1000% Jewish. Could it be that they are all the same people?
I read something years ago that hypothesized that Jews were originally a Yemeni tribe because in the old Bible the word used for Pharaoh comes from Yemeni not Egyptian. I suspect they are a Red Sea people going back millennia. But anyway…
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jun 23 2024 17:21 utc | 9
As a life-long Labour supporter I would sooner vote for Thatcher than that dual-passported cunt, Starmer. However, it would be the ultimate irony – and ignominy – to lose to a (superficially) fellow traveller such as Feinstein.
How about this for another piece of shit:
https://skwawkbox.org/?s=akehurst
Posted by: horseguards | Jun 23 2024 21:54 utc | 58
michaelj72 @ 51
The Great Game panelist explained that this is clearly part of a ‘softening up operation’ launched by the Americans, and by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, if we may be more precise, intended to deplete the Russian air defenses in advance of the serious attacks to be made in the months ahead using the F-16s
Which is why Putin despite the incessant criticism from trolls here has been going slow and why it’s still an SMO. NATO is trying to make Russia blow it’s wad early in the war, so that as described in the quote, they can pour in where they are strong, with air power and navy and destroy Russia.
Putin to his credit caught on in time, not early enough, but in time, that NATO was excited the RFAF was over extended beyond the Dniper, he pulled back because the entire Russian expeditionary force was exposed to NATO air strikes, even possibly a nuclear strike that would not be inside Russia’s borders. NATO made mistakes too, they hesitated and were too heavily invested in the sanctions blitz, arrogant and self assured that their cleverness sufficed, the unexpected WW1 infantry war blew their minds. Now they’ve composed themselves and are ready to apply their real strength, air and naval power.
Russia has been holding back because it sees Ukraine as a prelude to a bigger war, Ukraine is the dance gladiators do at the start in the arena, as they move around and around each other before the first blow comes. Putin would be extremely negligent to not expect war on all fronts. So far the Russians have been a step ahead, I doubt they are letting their missile defenses get depleted, I doubt it has ever fallen below 50% since the start and I bet their production is probably much higher that anyone thinks. They will let enemy missiles through and accept the destruction if necessary, no matter how terrible, that is also part of their war fighting history.
One way to save on missiles would be to take out all the air surveillance over the Black Sea, that would well fuck up Sullivan’s depletion plans. I think there is some sort of tacit threat/quid pro quo going on, Russia doesn’t fuck with NATO ISR and NATO won’t sink Russia’s fleet, and I mean NATO directly not the Ukraine proxy with ATACAMs and USVs. I think NATO sank the Moskva because it hazarded to use its EW against something belonging to NATO in the sky. Russia’s between a rock and a hard place, but it knows that, seems par for the course in every war they’ve fought, they’ve always proved up to task. As grotesque as the Nazis were NATO today takes it to utter farce, fools don’t win wars.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jun 23 2024 21:57 utc | 59
Posted by: Scorpion | Jun 23 2024 21:41 utc | 55
The cartels are not buying books to read. They are mostly made up by under 50’s and have zero problems morally with pirating any book they want. Books these days, for the most part, are purchased as a way of bribing the author or making a political statement. See all these books got sold so it must be true! It’s bullshit. Book sales figures that involve politics have no correlation to general interest or engagement in the content.
Posted by: badjoke | Jun 23 2024 22:03 utc | 60
The Philippines, the next Ukraine
While eyes are focused on Gaza, Ukraine and Lebanon, another front is being prepared on China’s doorstep.
I have updated and extended a post which I put on the wrong thread last week.
Caitlin Johnston filed a piece recently entitled:
The West Has Been Planning To Crush China For A Very Long Time
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/the-west-has-been-planning-to-crush
Here is a quotation that Caitlin included regarding the recent increasing militarisation of the Philippines by the USA.
Antiwar’s Dave DeCamp writes:
Three of the Philippine bases will be located in northern Philippine provinces, a move that angers China since they can be used as staging grounds for a fight over Taiwan. The US will be granted access to the Lal-lo Airport and the Naval Base Camilo Osias, which are both located in the northern Cagayan province. In the neighboring Isabela province, the US will gain access to Camp Melchor Dela Cruz.
The US military will also be able to expand to Palawan, an island province in the South China Sea, disputed waters that are a major source of tensions between the US and China. The US will be granted access to Balabac Island, the southernmost island of Palawan.
The new locations are on top of five bases the US currently has access to, bringing the total number of bases the US can rotate forces through in the Philippines to nine. The expansion in the Philippines is a significant step in the US effort to build up its military assets in the region to prepare for a future war with China.
My wife and I have recently returned to China after a lengthy visit to Palawan. Midway down the western coast near Sabang, which faces the disputed Spratlys and Second Thomas Shoal, I was told of a Philippine naval base nearby which is receiving US troops and equipment (so essentially a tenth US base). Further north, when at Port Barton, also on the west coast, there was considerable traffic of military planes and helicopters all through the days. As for the new base on Balabac, it gives ready access to the Second Thomas Shoal, where the strife between the Philippines, egged on by the US, and China, has just reached new heights, and interestingly being the southernmost part of Palawan is a mere 60 km from the Sabah province of east Malaysia on Borneo: perhaps its dual purpose is to persuade Malaysia not to step out of line.
As for the northern bases, as we were travelling to the Philippines in early April, a consignment of US military equipment was arriving there to take part in exercises involving US and Philippine forces on an unprecedented scale. It included a Typhon missile system which can deliver nuclear armed Tomahawk missiles with a range of 2000 km. Shenzhen is about 1000 km away, Shanghai is also in range. The increasing militarisation of the Philippines against China places it in the front of the queue to be the USA’s next sacrificial proxy dummy, once Ukraine is completely wrecked.
As the United States steps up its campaign to provoke China into war, the Philippines has lined up behind Washington, increasingly transforming the country into a lead attack dog in the region for American imperialism. Seeking to obscure the fact that the country has now been placed on the front lines of a catastrophic conflict, the Philippine ruling elite is demonizing China and people of Chinese ethnicity with absurd and lurid claims that Beijing is infiltrating spies into the country.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/06/21/zkuv-j21.html?pk_campaign=newsletter&pk_kwd=wsws
Consequently another indication of the hardening of anti-China policy has been that Chinese citizens are now all but unable to obtain tourist visas for the Philippines. The Chinese, pre-Covid, amounted to the majority of Philippine tourist traffic, but that has of course collapsed, particularly since they now can go visa free to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, with catastrophic effect on the tourist sector and the Filipinos and Filipinas who depended upon it. At Port Barton we asked permission to take a short cut through a substantial beachside resort which looked quiet, I asked how many guests they had and the answer was “none”. All due to that turncoat Marcos who campaigned on maintaining good relations with China as Duterte had done, but as soon as he was elected, he was off to Washington (although there are rumours that he was promptly leaned upon by the usual suspects).
MANILA, May 18 2022 (Reuters) – Philippines president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Wednesday said his country’s ties with China will expand and “shift to a higher gear” when he takes power, signalling intent to advance outgoing leader Rodrigo Duterte’s pro-Beijing agenda.
But the policy is not without opposition. Last week, Sara Duterte resigned her governmental posts, but has retained her vice presidency and looks to be preparing to contest the next election. The rule is just one term of six years, although it is being rumoured that Marcos is preparing to abolish it.
As you may have guessed by now, this turn of events has had personal implications for me. About the time of Marcos’s election, I was in the Philippines arranging an SRRV. This is a life time residence permit. Having married a Chinese woman last October I then began an application to have her put on it. She had be present in the Philippines to complete the application and this depends upon getting a tourist visa to enter there, and this now entails making an application online to a consulate to arrange an appointment! After two failed attempts we discovered that the only way was to engage an agent and pay an extortionate fee which undoubtedly covered the payment of bribes to consular officials. We finally succeeded and earlier this month she had the visa put in her passport. We can now come, stay and go as we please, but our interest in spending more time there with US missiles potentially aimed at our apartment in China has somewhat evaporated.
The Philippines’ GDP per capita, in the region second only to Japan in the 1960s has floundered since, and at $3,499 is outranked by most comparable neighbours. The scale of the poverty beggars belief. The main problems in the Philippines are:
1. Rampant corruption of which the public are perfectly aware, and will admit to you. Readiness to provide bribes is de rigeuer In dealing with the authorities.
2. Very poor education standards, I have a chart which shows the Philippines at the bottom of STEM attainment of about 90 countries (needless to say China, Singapore and Hong Kong rank at the top). Sorry I don’t have the link.
3. I think 80% of the population is Catholic so most poor families have many more children than they can afford.
4. Infrastructure is very poor. With only 130 km of rail remaining, no freight and no urban MTR services, the 2019 Global Competitiveness report gave it the lowest efficiency score among other Asian countries in terms of efficiency of train services, receiving a score of 2.4, and ranking 86th out of 101 countries globally (Wikipedia).
5. Consequently about 2% of the population, about 2 million, among them some of the most highly qualified, and more than half are women largely working as nurses or else as often poorly treated servants, works abroad to send money home to support their families.
Essentially, then, the Philippines is already a failed state. The peso is now down to 59 to the dollar (it was 2.00 in 1962) while in PPP terms it is about 19, so imports aside it offers a very low cost of living to a foreigner. A few cities such as Manila and Cebu are rich in parts but elsewhere in town and country the poverty – families typically living in makeshift sheds barely fit to house chickens with no utilities, and waste ending up in a river or sea – has to be seen to be believed. The people still pay the price for the near five centuries of misrule and almost unbroken colonisation of their country, first by Spain and then by the USA who evicted the Spanish in 1902 and then forgot to leave. And now once again they have recolonised it to use it in plain sight in this cynical, malicious fashion. I once saw a monument on the waterfront at Subic Bay which celebrated the government vote by 12 to 11 in 1991 to have the remaining US naval force there removed from the country (the air base at Clark had recently been destroyed by a volcanic eruption at Pinatubo). If I return to the Philippines I must pop around there to see if it has since been quietly removed.
Posted by: Walt | Jun 23 2024 22:07 utc | 61
speeding toward a nuclear war in Europe?
…
Jake Sullivan and the ‘softening up operation
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jun 23 2024 20:49 utc | 51
Meh, MoA did just eat my comment, another try:
Looks like the US is manufacturing consent for European boots on the ground in Ukraine; several reports of Russian sabotage in various EU countries, the latest from today.
WSJ: Russian Saboteurs Behind Arson Attack at German Factory
https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/russian-saboteurs-behind-arson-attackat-german-factory-c13b4ece
Use archive to read the full article, won’t post the link since it’ll probably be eaten again.
The author is a colleague of Gershkovich, a frequent visitor of events of Atlantikbruecke and just met two weeks ago with several German journalists who were working on things like PanamaPapers, LuxLeaks etc… and we know who did those leaks.
Pro-Ukrainian Twitter is calling for NATO retaliation already and Ukrainian channels are talking about a “big battle” in Aug-Sept… so something is definitely up here. I think Pepe was right when he said: this will be the summer of living dangerously.
Also interesting: the VOLT party which got a good outcome in the recent EU election (especially with young people) is calling for a centralized European intel agency and “nuclear protection” as well as further military spending; also, prominent members are starting to call for boots on the ground… oh, and of course they’re explicitly pro-zionism – you can’t make that up, really!
This all smells like another set up by the three letter agencies – nobody did know this party a year ago and it did put thousands of election ad posters in German citites, way more than the other parties but nobody knows from where they got the money for this – as said, this has been a tiny party so far, never reached 0,5% and now it’s 3% in Germany & 5% in the Netherlands…
Posted by: Multipolar Panda | Jun 23 2024 22:16 utc | 62
Funny music videos aside, the dawn of cheap autonomous suicide boats does not bode well for globalism.
Just imagine the Houthis franchising their business model.
Ansar Allah: Pyongyang
Ansar Allah: Caracas
AnSar Allah: Malaysia
Try to defend against THAT. Empiris go-brokium rapidus.
Posted by: Ghost of Zanon | Jun 23 2024 22:23 utc | 63
@ William Gruff | Jun 23 2024 20:50 utc | 52
You know, Gruff, on those all too rare occasions when you can get beyond your obsession with homosexuality, you post really good stuff, this comment being a fine example.
But I suppose you’ll be back to form soon enough.
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 21:25 utc | 53
Is it Gruff’s or your obsession?
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jun 23 2024 22:23 utc | 64
Is it Gruff’s or your obsession?
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jun 23 2024 22:23 utc | 64
______
I *am* homosexual. What’s your excuse?
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 22:26 utc | 65
Oh, I just found out that this Volt party is looking to expand to, surprise: Armenia, Georgia & Moldova…
A quote? Here ya go:
“Zooming out to a geopolitical horizon, closer cooperation between the EU and Armenia would counter the Russia-Iran axis and its direct threat to our security. Finally, it would allow us to shape our end of the Chinese Middle Corridor transport route and create a more green, equitable and human rights friendly trading partnership with Central Asia.
Armenia has a fragile but dynamic democracy. like Georgia, it is fighting for its life to become a normal country, part of the European family.”
More?
“Volt wants to establish an EU Ministry of Defence to ensure the security of our union. This will be a centralised institution to oversee all European defence efforts, that should be empowered to identify and remedy its own needs. Volt wants the EU to focus on becoming a global defence innovator for current and future defence technologies, while promoting the prohibition of nuclear weapons and reducing global stocks.”
Several calls & papers on:
– An autonomous military and civil defence capability
– Advancing the EU’s defence industrial strategic autonomy
– Ensuring a comprehensive strategic deterrent
– Define hybrid threat threshold for triggering mutual defence clause
– Transfer of French nuclear weapons to the EU
– Create a European Ministry of Defence
– Establish a European Military Headquarters and Military Academy
But look for yourself:
https://volteuropa.org/news/ukraines-fight-for-future
It doesn’t get more obvious than that; looks like military is their main interest.
Posted by: Multipolar Panda | Jun 23 2024 22:29 utc | 66
But, for my money, there’s no better tip-off to someone destroying
their own credibility in a single shot is accusing something of being
Left when it’s not, and you knew better you’d never make the mistake
in the first place (e.g. Biden, Dems, Progs, the media, higher ed., the FBI/CIA, etc.)
The Left has no power in America. Control no institutions, no corps, no
political organs, branches of government. In fact, the Left doesn’t even
have representation. No media. No say in schools. No say in government.
I understand John you put Left in quotes when calling the WaPo it’s flagship,
but c’mon, even that is just weird, because why, why are you reinforcing a canard,
the deliberate dumbing down of political speech.
Posted by: jimbo | Jun 23 2024 18:48 utc | 27
Totally agree, Jimbo. The left is not in power or even close to power anywhere in the west, and even less so in the US.
But that’s the Dems game: promote a divisive lifestyle racial and gender politics that is revolting to everyone, make Christians upset and, viola, it’s “leftism”. All while they commit genocide, push for nuclear WW3, destroy the rights and living standards of all workers and further empower a handful of billionaire oligarchs.
And it’s even more odd that conservatives immediately accept the Dems act as “left” and even socialist!
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jun 23 2024 22:34 utc | 67
Is it Gruff’s or your obsession?
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jun 23 2024 22:23 utc | 64
______
I *am* homosexual. What’s your excuse?
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 22:26 utc | 65
I couldn’t care less because it’s doesn’t matter, does it? It’s not politics, it’s what turns you on, so who cares?
However, it matters to Imperialism. They thinks it’s really the most important thing. They want us to talk about it instead of say war, poverty, class, genocide, etc.
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jun 23 2024 22:38 utc | 68
@Walt | Jun 23 2024 22:07 utc | 61
Thanks for that on Philippines. The pro-China Dutertes apparently are wanting to move back into power, re-enacting the sensible efforts to improve the economy (including BRI) and not continue with the US military scenario which we all know is a loser. I too touched on that on my 56 above.
Posted by: Don Bacon | Jun 23 2024 22:40 utc | 69
I couldn’t care less because it’s doesn’t matter, does it? It’s not politics, it’s what turns you on, so who cares?
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jun 23 2024 22:38 utc |
____
We’ve had this discussion before, fuckwad. I was kicked out of a Marxist org because — I quote — “we don’t want deviants like you.” So you can take your unreconstructed Abrahamism and shove it.
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 22:42 utc | 70
So here’s the problem for me, Ahenobarbus: older American Marxists are frantic, panicked homophobes. No room for me there! And the younger sou-disant Marxists think that people like Angela Davis, whose outfits cost more than I make in a month and whose tongues are surgically unremovable fro Hillary Clinton’s clit, are communists. There is indeed no Left in the USA, although maybe Gloria La Riva (whom I voted for in 2020) might convince me otherwise. But as for you: Fuck you.
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 22:49 utc | 71
Walt @ 61
U.S. advises Philippines on warship repair on China-claimed atoll
Good background, thanks. The Philippines is either a second front on China or a fallback from encountering too much difficulty with using Taiwan as bait.
I’ve been thinking the USA wants to turn this ship into a serious incident, maybe a casus belli, the USA sure has a history of that, the Maddox in the Tonkin incident, the Pueblo with the DPRK, and of course the Maine. 99.9% of the Golden Billion sheeple have never heard of the Sierra Madre and haven’t a clue it’s a rotted out, derelict WW2 ship grounded on purpose to wind up the Chinese, nor that the CIA has been cooking this up for a while.
If and when the Chinese finally board it, or drag off, or blow it up the USA and their Golden Billion msm will raise the battle cry that the Chinese savagely and unprovoked sank a Filipino naval ship and its courageous crew. They’ll do a Wag the Dog thing and interview survivors and crying family. Remember the Sierra Madre! Anyone wanna bet?
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jun 23 2024 22:52 utc | 72
Welp, it didn’t take long for things to devolve to pre-sabbatical state around here, did it?!
Re: the Ansar Allah music video, pretty darn good! My only quibble would be that in the case of the Gaza genocide and Zionism writ large, Hasidic Jews (such as the one depicted in the vid) are generally anti-Zionist/anti-Israel. I’m sure many of us caught the links here, I think before b had his procedure done, where idiot white Zionist Karens are spitting on Hasidic Jews or trying to steal the keffiyehs they were waving in NYC as part of the anti-Genocide pro-Palestine protests.
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jun 23 2024 22:55 utc | 73
Posted by: Don Bacon | Jun 23 2024 22:40 utc | 69
Yes I saw your piece after I posted mine. Thanks. Interesting and apposite.
The media always focus on China’s claims, ignoring the complex situation of multiple claimants in the region.
A “leaderless nation” indeed. We know who is in charge now.
The next election due 2028, a lot could happen before then.
Posted by: Walt | Jun 23 2024 22:55 utc | 74
Re: The Philippines and “Indo Pacific” in general, here’s NYT cheerleading the USG’s “China deterrence” initiatives.
https://archive.ph/yckmR
Many of the graphics don’t function at the archive.is version, but the text is readable. As a matter of my profession, I track US “defense” initiatives in the Pacific and let me tell you. Google or go to SAM.gov to see the insane amount of money Uncle Scam is committing to “containing” China – and by no means is it only about Taiwan. Off the top of my head, there are at least $100Bn in active solicitations (RFPs) currently advertised for military construction in the “Indo Pacific” at this very point in time.
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jun 23 2024 23:01 utc | 75
Any reason that MoA’s platform is automatically flushing archive . is links?
Tried to share one on the “Indo-Pacific” from NYT (which is paywalled of course) and my whole comment got automatically disappeared.
TL/DR version: The US currently has at least $100Bn in *active* solicitations listed at sam dot gov for military construction alone – all with the stated aim of “containing” or “deterring” China in the Pacific. And by no means is it predominantly dedicated to Taiwan. If anyone thought Uncle Scam had already militarized dafuq out of that part of the world, you ain’t seen nothin yet. Australia, Philippines, Diego Garcia, Guam, Indonesia, etc. Seems to me way more $ allocated than just the typical MIC boondoggle, IOW, I think something big is coming.
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jun 23 2024 23:04 utc | 76
Re: the Ansar Allah music video, pretty darn good! My only quibble would be that in the case of the Gaza genocide and Zionism writ large, Hasidic Jews (such as the one depicted in the vid) are generally anti-Zionist/anti-Israel. I’m sure many of us caught the links here, I think before b had his procedure done, where idiot white Zionist Karens are spitting on Hasidic Jews or trying to steal the keffiyehs they were waving in NYC as part of the anti-Genocide pro-Palestine protests.
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jun 23 2024 22:55 utc | 73
____
Yes, and my non-spiritual blessings be upon those Hasidim, but they are a small minority among Jews. And recall what happened to the righteous minority after Genesis Chapter 18.
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 23:04 utc | 77
Any reason that MoA’s platform is automatically flushing archive . is links?
____
Surely we all know by now, Tom_Q, that Typepad is a piece of garbage and no doubt manipulated beyond the site owner’s control.
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 23:09 utc | 78
paxmark1 @ 6
Breaks Western Monopoly! HarmonyOS’s Biggest Upgrade, Surpasses Linux, Drops Android Compatibility
I follow all things China pretty closely, I’d love to check out a Huawei PC running Harmony, I could care less about phones, for some reason (I lived 45ys w/o one) I find them boring and all the same. IIRC the link provided by HB_Norica has a vid on Harmony, that it is now 100% unchained from Android and I believe Linux. It can’t be sanctioned or blocked or not updated in any part by the west.
I’m thinking the PC operating system and mobile OS of BRICSlandia?!
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jun 23 2024 23:14 utc | 79
@ LightYearsFromHome | Jun 23 2024 23:14 utc | 78
(*makes mental note to get new phone with Harmony OS next time he visits the in-laws…and hopes US Customs won’t confiscate it)
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 23:17 utc | 80
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 23:09 utc | 77
Yes, we’ve all known that, but the archive . is thing is new. Never had any issues posting archived links before.
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jun 23 2024 23:24 utc | 81
Re: homosexuality
At the risk of hurting feelings which I find to be a detestable goal, I would echo Gore Vidal and say there is no such thing as a homosexual.
But that also means there is no such thing as a straight person.
But that does not mean that everything is permitted. Nor should be.
Shelf your proclivities. If you want to inhabit a moral society, you must behave morally. Outside of marriage, sex is a dead-end.
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jun 23 2024 23:27 utc | 82
re NemesisCalling | Jun 23 2024 23:27 utc | 81
Roman Catholic Hitler worshipper says what?
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 23:29 utc | 83
Saudi can and will price and sell oil in any currency. The last thing USA and the EU want is a disruption in oil trade which cripples their economy and gives bumper profits to Iran, Russia and the like.
For this reason all bargaining chips are with the Saudis and none with USA.
China already buys oil and gas with their own currency which makes sense as Saudi has large imports from China. India buys oil paying in Saudi currency which is earned by Indians working in Saudi.
De-dollarization is happening. It is a slow process. The impact is seen is high US interest rates offered to investors in new US debt which is a sign of desperation and in fast growing US public debt which piles up by $1 trillion every 100 days.
As long as USA keeps bleeding itself with 4.631% on new debt there will be buyers.
De-dollarization on side side and a bleeding the US economy to sustain the global dollar to slow down de-dollarization happens on the other hand. Both are part of the same process.
Posted by: Jason | Jun 23 2024 23:30 utc | 84
“I couldn’t care less because it’s doesn’t matter, does it? It’s not politics, it’s what turns you on, so who cares?”
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jun 23 2024 22:38 utc |
____
“We’ve had this discussion before, fuckwad. I was kicked out of a Marxist org because — I quote — “we don’t want deviants like you.” So you can take your unreconstructed Abrahamism and shove it.”
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 22:42 utc | 70
Anyone who discriminates against homosexuals is an idiot.
I don’t know if Ahenobarbus is anti-homosexual, but if he is he is a misanthrope, in my opinion.
@82 malenkov
The labels you use have condemned sensitive souls to be misunderstood and so marginalized. Thx a freaking bunch.
Kafka was gay, right?
Heraclitus must have been gay, too.
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jun 23 2024 23:34 utc | 86
I don’t know if Ahenobarbus is anti-homosexual, but if he is he is a misanthrope, in my opinion.
Posted by: canuck | Jun 23 2024 23:31 utc | 84
____
As I’ve sad many times before: he and Gruff are typical old-school Marxists: reject God, keep Leviticus. Hardly surprising since so many of them are Ashkenazim, and the rest were raised to hate fags anyway.
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 23:34 utc | 87
Some U.K. general election action from feeling tremors rather than consuming any mainstream media.
It’s oddly perturbing to find the likes of Mercouris and Cristaforou , the two Alex’s, hailing Nigel Fartage , that slippery, poxy , whorish C**t. I rarely use that for anyone unless I am happy to get into a fight with them. Others are being excited by his supposed grabbing the agenda and ‘persecution’ by the media for his supposed pro Putin, pro Russia stance!
This follows on from everyone being excited by Gorgeous George Galloway for supposedly leading a change coalition.
Anyway. Fartage is not pro-Russian.
His Party is not a party with members.
The comments they refer to are nearly a decade old and were made in the EU Parliament where he was trying to stir up BrexShit. With his anti EU platform.
There are so many other real facts about Fartage – the main one being he was a Murdoch trained hood who represents the gazillionIre classes. They funded ukip and AfD and other ‘rightist’ popular revolt parties in Europe. That led to the post austerity film flam BrexShit referendum. And many ills the world so far. After which he was instantly briefed directly by Murdoch and a day or so later appeared alongside Trump in his first campaign.
Another interesting fact is there are very few political posters in house windows across the country. But there are Lots in Corbyns constituency- where the ex leader of the Labour Party having been ousted from the said party by that other stinking c**t Starmer. Corbyn is experiencing undying support from the majority of the people he has represented for nearly 4 decades. Who will for the first time in their lives not vote for Labour but for the man they know and trust. Meanwhile Starmer in the adjoining ‘safe seat’ constituency in London is being challenged by an independent too! Normally he would have called on Corbyn to shore up the Labour supporters, but most people see what Starmtrooper did to JC and are unwilling to give him their support.
It will be hilarious if he loses as well as the outgoing unelected idiot c**t , Sunak!!
Still a couple of weeks to go as the nation is consumed by the Euro football competition – footy is a religion for a majority of the England supporters as they recite their prayers “com eonn inggggerlan” until the inevitable failure in the KO stage.
Posted by: DunGroanin | Jun 23 2024 23:37 utc | 88
William Gruff | Jun 23 2024 20:50 utc | 52
“You know, Gruff, on those all too rare occasions when you can get beyond your obsession with homosexuality, you post really good stuff, this comment being a fine example.
But I suppose you’ll be back to form soon enough.”
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 21:25 utc | 53Posted by: William Gruff | Jun 23 2024 20:50 utc | 52
Most serious anti-homosexuals feel that way because their unconscious mind desires same sex relations so they project their disgust with this notion onto the other .
Do some reflection Gruff.
>>Kafka was gay, right?
Kafka’s several girlfriends would beg to differ, and there’s no evidence of boyfriends. Of course, maybe Jew = fag in your book.
>>Heraclitus must have been gay, too.
Well, he was Greek, right?
>>Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jun 23 2024 23:34 utc | 85
Enough of your nonsense.
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 23:37 utc | 90
@ DunGroanin | Jun 23 2024 23:37 utc | 87
Okay, but Corbyn’s behavior is seriously underwhelming, to put it mildly. Does Starmer have photos of him raping boys, or what?
As for Galloway, he’s from perfect, but he’s the best the UK has on the national scene. So there.
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 23:42 utc | 91
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jun 23 2024 22:52 utc | 72
Tried to read your link but it must be paywalled.
You may well be right about the US plotting for a casus belli, but the links below that article suggest that while the US is still pushing, the Philippines may be backing off. Perhaps there is opposition building there.
South China Sea: Philippines says it won’t start a war, after clash with Chinese Coast Guard
South China Sea: South China Sea situation deeply concerning, U.S. East Asia envoy says
South China Sea: Philippines wants China economic ties despite tensions: top official
I do think, at first sight, a glance at the map to where the Second Thomas Shoal is situated does make the Chinese claim seem somewhat far fetched. Then I remember that the US still occupies Hawaii, Guam…
Posted by: Walt | Jun 23 2024 23:48 utc | 92
Yes, we’ve all known that, but the archive . is thing is new. Never had any issues posting archived links before.
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jun 23 2024 23:24 utc | 80
Yes, seems new, happened to me today with a comment containing an archive . ph link.
Posted by: Multipolar Panda | Jun 23 2024 23:49 utc | 93
Yes, we’ve all known that, but the archive . is thing is new. Never had any issues posting archived links before.
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jun 23 2024 23:24 utc | 80
_____
I’m guessing that Typepad’s “86 list” is dynamic and augmented by the Typepad owners.
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 23 2024 23:53 utc | 94
Roman Catholic Hitler worshipper [sic] says what?
@ malenkov | Jun 23 2024 23:29 utc | 82
We’re supposed to be impressed, I suppose, by the insults you cast on the waters with ecstatic abandon. Perhaps you seek to convey a weird impression of Gore Vidal with your childish nonsense. For my part, I take note of another unreliable source of literary opinions, in you. Why people want to humiliate themselves, hereabouts, with meaningless hateful blather, to this slanderous extreme, is far beyond my ken, malenkov.
Does it ever occur to any of you that few indeed have any reason to take an interest in your heartfelt convictions? That is to say: Who gives a fig for all your stupid opinions? I encounter too many drunken postings around here, lately. (Drunks? On these barstools?)
Posted by: Aleph_Null | Jun 23 2024 23:54 utc | 95
From Ken Klippenstein’s new Substack blog:
https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/for-biden-and-the-media-everything?
If paywalled, let me know and I can copy/paste. I will say that in this piece he seems credulous about the 2016 Russian “meddling” allegations but has been known to criticize the Russiagate bullshit in the past.
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jun 23 2024 23:58 utc | 96
@ Aleph_Null | Jun 23 2024 23:54 utc | 94
I’m going to be charitable and assume you’ve never read any of NemesisCalling’s previous comments.
Just as you never read anything of Jem Bendell’s before you pronounced anathema.
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 24 2024 0:06 utc | 97
Posted by: DunGroanin | Jun 23 2024 23:37 utc | 87 — Tory,Labour, Lib-dems, Reform: Capital first and Genocide the New-Norm. The Kerenski moment before the Storm. — I have been reading hither and thither that Yaxley-Lennon takes 10,000grand a month from Israel; have you heard of this? Odd it is that he should be released, on appeal, a just in time delivery to support the Faragian cause; or am I just imagining things? All seems very contrived to me. Losing on purpose! —– Thanks b, get well, and if you haven’t already, check out spirulina, green clay, activated charcoal.
Posted by: Red | Jun 24 2024 0:17 utc | 98
Outside of marriage, sex is a dead-end.
I care to dissent. Here’s my argument:
First, I will staunchly affirm that human desire is surprisingly varied, nuanced, and colourful. I keep on learning about how subtle it really is. However, I could not have possibly learned as much about this thing if I didnt’t get a chance to open a space with others to communicate about this. Which does not necessarily involve touching anyone, including self, though it just as well might.
Good sex is about trust, but there are instances where there is trust with a complete stranger. The point is that everyone is different there, and there is no point in claiming that all should be in this or that way. Indeed, I am afraid this would be a lot about personal insecurities of some kind – from which does not follow that insecurities are disallowed, far from it! I firmly believe we have to make sure to get along with empathy and understanding, which requires openness to get there, and a solid sense of humour or other way of robustness to deal with all the incompleteness of communication, and perhaps one’s own more specific desire and everything that relates to it.
So good sex relies on an empathic relationship of cultivated understanding. To quip, a well-maintained kink is 50% psychoanalysis; and it’s a fun way to bring hidden traits – Selbstanteil – to light and healing if you have a partner that is able and willing to go there with you.
If you believe that sex is only about reproduction, I will offer my over-the-top romanticized pet utopia that has societies caring for their children as a group effort, however not necessarily as a default mode. At least in the many cases that sees families breaking apart in the west before kids are ready, this notion would make a lot of sense.
I will also say that, personally being ‘straight’, I came to understand that I do not want to be intimate with a woman who I’d not entrust with having my child. The reverse also holds, which has been particularly painful for me to learn. Even if one or both parties are not able to rationalize their position, it must still be respected.
Now extend this to gay folks. Their being together does not imply a family with offsprings, so there is no need to protect something as sacred as the female AS-IS (for I believe the Yoni is one of the true spiritual middles of our human conduct).
Bottom line, I pride myself in having heartwarm and thorough relations with the gay men I meet, and I’m glad to share here that my experience has been good all around.
Posted by: persiflo | Jun 24 2024 0:19 utc | 99
Posted by: persiflo | Jun 24 2024 0:19 utc | 98
Great comment. And I have to say, on the balance I’m with canuck and Aleph_Null on this thread. There is no need to proactively interject insults even if there is a history of such insults coming from another party. Yes, some regular denizens have ongoing feuds and the like, which is also immature (I admit to taking part in them myself). It creates a dynamic where potential new commentators who may have something novel and important to say are unwilling to open themselves up to ridicule or insult and makes for a cliquish and boorish whiskey bar.
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jun 24 2024 0:26 utc | 100