Open (Neither Ukraine Nor Palestine) Thread 2024-158
News & views not related to the wars In Ukraine and Palestine ...Posted by b on July 6, 2024 at 15:27 UTC | Permalink
next page »Biden won't give up so easily. Most likely the far-left will win the elections again.
Posted by: AI | Jul 6 2024 15:37 utc | 1
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Would that be the Party for Socidlism and Liberation, or the Socialist Equality Party?
Posted by: malenkov | Jul 6 2024 15:44 utc | 3
War drums, both in the Muddle East and in and around Ukraine appear to have somewhat muted their beat. Is this the lull before the storm? It is not impossible to calculate that the Israeli "general staff" has finally gotten through to Nuts n' Yahoos that an assault on Lebanon would be a case of terminal cancer for the Zionist Entity. The battles in the Donbass and surrounds are still hot and heavy. However, the possibilities of Western intervention seem to be fading somewhat...possibly connected with the ruptured republic's November (S)election.
This comment encompasses both Ukraine and Palestine. However, these interconnected struggles have worldwide impetus and on a geostrategic level are of concern to all of humanity. The engineered human fear-factor, directed at the "serfs" may be turning to the bird-flu hoax and possible mass-injection mandates. Meanwhile migrant crises further muddy the waters.
Many have come to believe that hatred is the polar opposite of love and compassion. Not so. Hatred is a mere derivative of fear...the most powerful weapon of the ruling financier elites.
Posted by: aristodemos | Jul 6 2024 15:46 utc | 4
Posted by: malenkov | Jul 6 2024 15:44 utc | 3
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Do not know but what happened in 2020 is a reminder to all and can be repeated again. I am sure they will try once more.
Posted by: AI | Jul 6 2024 15:52 utc | 5
Posted by: AI | Jul 6 2024 15:37 utc | 1
Far left hasn't existed in the USA since the 1970's. What you have is the centre-right democrats vs the slightly further right republicans and they all work for the same doners who fund their campaigns.
Posted by: HB_Norica | Jul 6 2024 15:59 utc | 6
@ aristodemos | Jul 6 2024 15:46 utc | 4
i agree with you that hatred, or ignorance is born out of fear... for many, fear is a much stronger force then love or peace... that has to change, and we have to make the change individually and ultimately collectively.. until that happens, we will continue to struggle...
Posted by: james | Jul 6 2024 15:59 utc | 7
Biden is set to hold a meeting on the sidelines next week during the USA-led neo-NAZI nato summit with terrorist, comedian and usurper zelensky. Apparently they will also discuss providing country 404 with air defense systems, the continuing support for the Zionist project and the genocide in Gaza as well as the way forward on how to contain the mighty People's Republic of China as a matter of survival, national security and preservation of democracy and human rights.
Posted by: AI | Jul 6 2024 16:37 utc | 8
My deconstruction of the US oligarchic Project 2025 plan, produced by the Heritage Foundation. Donald Trump may be trying to disassociate himself from this but he is tightly linked to the Heritage Foundation and his Agenda 47 closely matches Project 2025. Project 2025 represents the oligarch plan to remove what is left of democracy in the US and independent thinking and public-spiritedness in the state apparatus, to produce what Hamilton fully envisaged; unchallenged rule by the oligarchy for the oligarchy. With a significant tilt toward the domestic oil and gas producers that form a significant part of Trump's donor base (and that of the Heritage Foundation).
@Posted by: HB_Norica | Jul 6 2024 15:59 utc | 6
The "far left" was wiped out in the US during Woodrow Wilson's 1917-1921 fascist state, and then the "not so far left" wiped out by McCarthyism in the 1950s. The anti-communist "left" of the 1970s were more libertarians and non-communist "critical" scholars.
It is about an issue b don’t really want to talk about so much, but once he made an article about that vax adaptation of the national health institutions was on purpose shifted till after the elections in 2020 to not give DT an advantage because of his warp speed program. This got proven now. By the long story of publishing the corona protocols of the German RKI. This is an article in German about this. In the last part there is the proof for b‘s observation. Not just because of this I think we are not finished with this topic.
Posted by: rico rose | Jul 6 2024 17:04 utc | 11
Posted by: Scorpion | Jul 6 2024 14:37 utc | 242
(continuing discussion from last open thread)
Thx for the reply. The difference between the two scenarios was that one will have a defined watershed moment where a galvanization occurs. This would entail the elite engineering a crisis that pits the two subject groups in the population against each other: the conformists and the dissenters.
In the other scenario, these situations in Palestine and Ukraine, for instance, would fade away into obscurity with no defined resolve, and more boondoggles would emerge that distract us from organizing/galvanizing ourselves over mutually beneficial terms (i.e. a populist consciousness that combines the empathy of the left with the hands-off/isolationism of paleoconservativism).
So to boil it down even further: a watershed moment will galvanize the conformers to the elite that will permit the central planners in the west sweeping new powers to further entrench themselves. The conformers will applaud this under the guise of finally "doing-something," similarly to the emotional appeal following 9/11, Pearl Harbor, etc.. The conformers will think something is actually happening and they will equate this with the good.
The dissenters, like those who fought against the vaccine mandate and entering WW2 in the United States, will be smeared and dismissed from the popular commons.
There WILL BE a watershed moment that galvanizes and sets us on a quickening trajectory. If you do not believe this will happen, you must then assume that this slow-motion erosion in the west is, in actuality, their plan for a Neo-Feudalistic age where the elites the world over are in bed with each other.
But we get back into Hegel's World Spirit when we talk about a force in history that can not be totally controlled by the elites. Indeed, the purpose of this post is really to sniff out whether or not an individual clings to Hegel's conception of history or is an atheist to it: meaning that one believes the world elite have a mastery over the ability to steer the population to its will or they are merely grasping at straws.
In Hegel's conception of World History, there are World Historical Figures, such as Socrates, Jesus, Genghis Khan, Caesar, Napoleon, Putin???) that arrive on the scene announcing a new paradigm, whether they are conscious of this or not.
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 6 2024 17:07 utc | 12
Biden won't give up so easily. Most likely the far-left will win the elections again.
Posted by: AI | Jul 6 2024 15:37 utc | 1
Troll city! So, the Dems are the far left? That party applauding and arming neonazis in Ukraine? That party planning, funding and defending a massive ethnic genocide in Gaza?
So, if that's the far left, what is the far right in you mind, "AI"? I mean with a far left like the Dems, who needs a far right?
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 6 2024 17:10 utc | 13
Project 2025 represents the oligarch plan to remove what is left of democracy in the US and independent thinking and public-spiritedness in the state apparatus, to produce what Hamilton fully envisaged; unchallenged rule by the oligarchy for the oligarchy. With a significant tilt toward the domestic oil and gas producers that form a significant part of Trump's donor base (and that of the Heritage Foundation).
Project 2025: The US Oligarchs Double Down
Posted by: Roger | Jul 6 2024 16:57 utc | 9
Well, they aren't going to have much more to do after the Dems. They already did agenda 2020. I suppose these guys will, unlike the Dems, just come out and say there is no democracy, the oligarchs are your overlords, bow before them and love WW3.
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 6 2024 17:16 utc | 14
I'm going out on a limb here, even before reading this 'tell it like it is' from Michael Hudson:
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/07/michael-hudson-we-need-a-new-political-vocabulary.html
I was taken aback reading the Haaretz interview with Jill Stein. I voted for her last time around - this time her responses were not oppositional to the Democratic Party. I was saddened.
I presently do not trust the US voting system, nor that of the west as a whole. As I said, I intend to change my affiliation, which I have had since the beginning of this century when I voted for Ralph Nader, because his views were being kept out of public discourse. Matters have gone downhill ever since. I shall now be a registered Independent, in honor of the Jeremy Corbyn win in Britain. Bravo and health to him and his constituents.
Everyone must make their own choice this year. And stay out of the sun as much as possible. Best wishes to us all.
We do need a new political vocabulary! Thank you, b; and thank you, Michael.
Posted by: juliania | Jul 6 2024 17:28 utc | 15
Posted by: juliania | Jul 6 2024 17:28 utc | 15
Thanks juliana. More astute analysis from Michael Hudson. I haven’t seen the Haaretz interview with Stein but will look for it. I was going to vote for her as well…for the third time. If she is sheepdogging for the the Dems, I’ll just stay home.
Posted by: KMRIA | Jul 6 2024 18:01 utc | 16
I think we are not finished with this topic. 11
Nope not even. Covid is an ongoing mass disabling event that everyone seems to be ignoring-
West Coast is off the hook in cases now as is many other locations thruout the world.
We keep letting mutations happen and get endless variants with their own versions of 'immunity'...for *60* days! And then you can catch it again! And again and again...
The brain damage is becoming evident -- organs damaged with even an 'asymptomatic' infections, which is estimated to be up to 60% of the spread--that is why masks are so important in stopping the spread.
Our government now expects us to become infected with Sars-Cov2 twice a year...and 'long covid' is decimating our work force (see pilots who can't fly anymore).
The rich are taking precautions with far UV lights in their kid's schools, good air filtration, TESTING (not done anymore cuz 'it's just a cold now').
There is no evidence that one infected that individuals clear the virus; kinda like chicken pox, HIV, Epstien-Barr....
This is a NEW DISEASE only 4 years and change old...we are still learning about the ramifications of repeated infections...and the impacts on the working class and future generations.
This is a dystopia where individuals are suppose to stay safe all by themselves without help from the government (LITERALLY WHAT THEY ARE FOR) and the very concept of 'public health' has been beat to death by phony ass libertarianism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HGi81LsXtA
Posted by: furies | Jul 6 2024 18:03 utc | 17
The anti-communist "left" of the 1970s were more libertarians and non-communist "critical" scholars.
Posted by: Roger | Jul 6 2024 16:59 utc | 10
This is the "left" which completely cashed in by joining the Democrats and US Imperialism. As you say, they were anti communist, in other words anti Marxist and anti working class. In place of the working class, they sought to build an impotent, divisive fake left of outsiders (read gays, blacks, women) The political movements spawned in that era, black power, feminism and gay pride have all been neutered and added to the traveling circus of the Democratic Party. These "movements" have been reduced to political brands and are now used as a weapon against any genuine socialism, workers movement or anti war movement.
The good news: that's becoming increasingly obvious to everyone.
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 6 2024 18:08 utc | 19
@12 addendum (to scorpion)
RE: your view that social heirarchies remain
This is where we diverge. I don't think the Taoist view truly holds there exists a social pyramid where the upper-crusts perpetually look down their nose, as exists today in the western world, at those on the bottom. Or a phenomenon of a reversion to the mean where things naturally work themselves back to this live-and-let-live social order.
I think what we are seeing today is the fruit of thousands of years of repression of the real Taoist principles that are hastening to reassert themselves because this is what they do.
Think of the upper-crusts in the west that exist merely to cheat each other and indulge themselves on the way to the top. Think of our politicians who clearly have to embody psychopathic characteristics to be screened and vetted and allowed to proceed to the next brass ring. This paradigm exists for all leadership roles in the west, with the exception of private businesses that may be managed by true innovators or who are guided by their principles.
And this dovetails so perfectly into what I have been thinking about lately: and that is Jung's conception of the introvert/extrovert personalities and the privileging of the extrovert ideal in the west.
In Susan Cain's book, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that can't stop talking," the idea that the introvert personality has lost influence in the west as a result of the industrial revolution is beautifully founded on research and examples that point to something lost that has been catastrophic for the west. I really implore people to read this book because it establishes through science, marketing, and good writing that the privileging of extroversion in our social-heirarchy has been a terrible, self-inflicted wound to the western mind.
These are some of the points Cain makes in her book:
-Extroverts reinforce the supremacy of extroversion by unconsciously dismissing the less competitive aspects of introverts (intellectualism, thinking-before-speaking, not having a quick wit); this is clearly evident in the utility of the "job-interview" where first impressions matter so intensely. The study Cain cites is one where extroverts were shown to be stimulated/charged when amongst other extroverts; they responded more favorably to fellow extroverts. Think of a panel of extroverts in the CIA interviewing for a replacement: this produces an echo chamber.
-The culture of personality, right around the turn of the 20th century (the advent of marketing/advertisement), usurped the culture of character. In 1860, most people lived in the country and lived lives marked by routine, duty, familial responsibility. The advent of urbanization meant swarming to the cities, interacting with people you did not know and competing with them and thereby trying to assert yourself as "special." This was the advent of the culture of personality. As an aside, shy, quiet people became to be pathologized as homosexual and this tendency carries on today.
-Eastern countries (SE Asia) seem more introverted/reserved (with the exception of India, probably); the two most extroverted countries in the world, by survey: the U.S. and Israel.
The book was and still is a solid thesis on the pathology of the western mind's tendency towards pathologizing introversion.
Ultimately, Carl Jung knew that introverts, by virtue of themselves, seem to torpedo their own chances for success and appear to extroverts as pathological, even though they are an integral piece to a healthy functioning west that is clearly in wane. This is the tragedy of the west, IMO.
...
But to get back towards the social heirarchy in the west, by reintegrating introversion into the western mind, which means deconstructing the privileging of extroversion, we truly risk upending the entire social pyramid that for centuries has privileged personality over character.
As a lifelong, suffering introvert, one could probably instruct me by saying that this desire to be accepted by extroverts is antithetical to my introverted nature. But this would be to perpetuate the myth of capitalism that proceeds from the idea of infinite possibilities if I just go out there and bust my ass.
But talk to any introvert and they will tell you, we just can't! It is not in our nature to do so. We have minute aspects of extroversion in our personality (yin/yang), but this is often not enough to move the needle in a job interview and, recently, I was passed over at work for a promotion for this very reason, where another dude that does not have my aptitude was chosen because of his better gift of gab.
What are we to make, then, on the ascendancy of China and Russia? Russians always seem cold and distant to western Europeans and this is their intrinsic bias against the Slav. Putin is able with words but taciturn and wily. Same with Xi. Are we witnessing the return of the culture of character where relations between two different bodies is judged by their past actions and not what they present in the moment?
Extroversion privileges presence. To deconstruct this, we have to think about absence. In Taoist philosophy, what is valued is not the vessel, but the space inside.
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 6 2024 18:08 utc | 20
Posted by: rico rose | Jul 6 2024 17:04 utc | 11
I just looked through the docs and that is really a great find, Rico! It absolutely validates b‘s assumption of election meddling by the health authorities. Also, it’d be perfect scandal material but I we can be pretty sure that not a single MSM outlet will report about this… I hope b does read your comment.
Posted by: Multipolar Panda | Jul 6 2024 18:09 utc | 21
US information operations have launched a carefully timed probe into Chinese Olympic swimmers involved in an alleged doping scandal. Despite officials from WADA claiming the allegations are “utter nonsense”, the US Congress has appointed an “anti-doping regulator” who has already made up his mind and will ensure headlines focussed on Chinese “cheating” will run concurrent with the Olympic competitions.
https://www.politico.eu/article/china-cheating-threate-wreck-paris-olympics-anti-drugs-chief-travis-tygart/
Investigative reporter Rick Sterling has been following the case, and similar situations involving Russian athletes. An article of his from May sets out the basics which reveal the extent of the bad faith exhibited by the US on these issues:
https://www.laprogressive.com/foreign-policy/western-media-ignites-war-on-china-in-sports
Posted by: jayc | Jul 6 2024 18:17 utc | 22
Posted by: juliania | Jul 6 2024 17:28 utc | 15
The Hudson piece cited from NC is an excellent analysis. All differences between D's and R's are superficial. While we all wait to see whether Dementia Joe finally admits his compos mentos just got up and went, or if his reign ends in a medical emergency, we have to ask what difference would it make if a literal vegetable were elected President? A rutabaga, perhaps?
The Blob controls DC. Should Trump somehow be allowed to take office again, he won't change anything of substance. He will make some noise about the border, and his executive orders will be stymied by the judicial branch, again. Meanwhile, the bloated Leviathan state will grow ever more bloated, and the Chosen will have veto power over any legislative or executive branch decisions.
Posted by: Ghost of Zanon | Jul 6 2024 18:23 utc | 23
/cheep
In such lulls after rutting bull duels is the time to 'cheep' warnings when a predator is prowling. ^_^ When it's too quiet best to tell on that likely intelligence operation you accidentally see. Peace comes from vigilance and warnings giving away position of bad actors plotting. :)
Just thinking about why the Lil Bird Network is useful sometimes... See something, say something, thwart a villain scheming a tragedy. Nothing I know per se, but given how the biggest bulls have been rutting and attention has been away from the tall grass, just a feeling for these types of moments. :) May it only be a feeling that passes.
/flies away
Posted by: titmouse | Jul 6 2024 18:30 utc | 24
Meanwhile, everyone’s favorite Real Roman Catholic, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò,was excommunicated yesterday.
Posted by: malenkov | Jul 6 2024 18:58 utc | 25
This is a dystopia where individuals are suppose to stay safe all by themselves without help from the government (LITERALLY WHAT THEY ARE FOR) and the very concept of 'public health' has been beat to death by phony ass libertarianism.
Posted by: furies | Jul 6 2024 18:03 utc | 17
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Phony? I’d say it’s quintessential libertarianism. Try as I did, I couldn’t get it through my brother’s head that even if health care weren’t a human right, poor-people diseases could lay him low too. Microbes have this annoying disinclination to inquire as to social or economic class when finding new homes, after all.
Posted by: malenkov | Jul 6 2024 19:07 utc | 26
@nemesiscalling: thank you for both interesting, multi-faceted posts. Couple of clarifications:
No matter the system or revolution, you always end up with some sort of pyramid class structure. Hereditary transmission of class is one of many options but all of them end up as pyramids making class a universal hierarchical-structural constant. Meanwhile, people filling roles within it, unfolding situations, cultural mores and policy decisions etc, are in continual flux. Pointing out this yin-yang co-existence of the unchanging and the changing is what I described as somewhat Daoist.
The constant elements lead us towards valuing principles and character, that which is ultimately most important to transmit multi-generationally (as opposed to status or wealth). Also well exemplified by Jefferson’s recommendation to excise corruption (what to change) and return to foundational principles (what to preserve or restore).
Your point that there is a deeper power within the course of events that can never be fully controlled (by evil elites etc.) is well taken. This too goes back to principles and character. Not coincidentally does the root word for Virtue also relate to Strength/Vigor and thus also Spirit.
In the West we broke our perennial Keepers of Spirit, the Churches, and collectively embraced values-eroding materialist secularism. So here we are.
How we find a good way forward from this starting point is hard to discern, but Jefferson’s suggestion to eradicate entrenched corruption sounds like the right way to start. Virtue will naturally flourish once the pernicious weeds are uprooted.
The "far left" was wiped out in the US during Woodrow Wilson's 1917-1921 fascist state, and then the "not so far left" wiped out by McCarthyism in the 1950s. The anti-communist "left" of the 1970s were more libertarians and non-communist "critical" scholars.
Posted by: Roger | Jul 6 2024 16:59 utc | 10
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In all fairness, there was a modest rebirth of the “far left” in the early 1930s thanks to the Great Depression. It was FDR’s almost singular genius (I say “almost” because he had predecessors like Bismarck) to rescue capitalism by co-opting bits of the progressive and/or socialist agenda, thus neutering it. There’s no better proof of this than his abandonment of the New Deal in 1937, which led to another recession that ended only once he adopted a war economy.
Posted by: malenkov | Jul 6 2024 19:19 utc | 28
Posted by: jpc | Jul 6 2024 15:38 utc | 2Someone needs to talk to Biden.
I imagine the situation is that he is definitely on the way out but is negotiating protection for himself and his family before doing so whilst ensuring he doesn't overplay his hand and invite a lethal shot (injection) in the dark. His brother, sister and son all need such protection as well. I suspect his only leverage is that just as they have dirt on him, he has dirt on them and has made arrangements to have it released if he is not well treated.
Possibly he still believes he can persuade them to engineer another win and just needs another week or two to accept that those pulling invisible election levers have stepped away from the console - which he does not control.
For fun I did an I Ching consultation about it and the classic commentary mentions that the resultant Hexagram has to do with the sixth month, which this lunar year happens to be from July 10 - Aug 10th. For everyone's sake let's hope he steps down.
There were two Casts, one by coins and one by date and time, both decidedly negative, both advising retreat or halt. They both confirmed my sense that he should simply resign from the Presidency due to ill health and let the media praise him to High Heaven and go back to Delaware as one of the Changing Lines suggests.
https://baronbrasdor.art/2024/07/05/yi-biden-post-debate-prognosis-33-12-1-44/
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 6 2024 18:08 utc | @ #20
Consider extroverts get their attention the same way a squaking wheel gets the grease; a quiet introvert must wait their turn for any excess lubrication.
Add to your excellent review of "Quiet", you might add to your considerations both "The Wisdom of Psychopaths" by Kevin Dutton, and "The Reactionary Mind" by Corey Robin. Another on the subject of psychopathy for a well rounded inquery into the subject would be "The Psychopath Inside" by James Fallon. The takeaway about psychopathy is that there are two basic ways decisions are made, through emotions or by rational thought. Much paralleling the difference between introvert and extrovert on several levels. Recommend all three be read at leisure without distractions.
Posted by: Formerly T-Bear | Jul 6 2024 19:49 utc | 30
"In Hegel's conception of World History, there are World Historical Figures, such as Socrates, Jesus, Genghis Khan, Caesar, Napoleon, Putin???) that arrive on the scene announcing a new paradigm, whether they are conscious of this or not."
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 6 2024 17:07 utc | 12
Hmmmnnn...I believe in Tolstoy's analogy from, 'War and Peace":
"If Napoleon hadn't been born, France would've had to invent him"
@ malenkov | Jul 6 2024 15:44 utc | 3
@ Ahenobarbus | Jul 6 2024 17:10 utc | 13
Gentlemen, gentlemen. Remember your political science: 3 rights makes a far left.
Posted by: despondent | Jul 6 2024 19:57 utc | 32
And then you can catch it again! And again and again...The brain damage is becoming evident -- --that is why masks are so important in stopping the spread.
Posted by: furies | Jul 6 2024 18:03 utc | 17
About that brain damage...
Just make sure you are up to date with your vaccination. At least two each year.
And masks. Masks, masks, masks. Never forget to wear a mask.
Posted by: 2+2=5 | Jul 6 2024 20:08 utc | 33
Posted by: juliania | Jul 6 2024 17:28 utc | 15 Everyone must make their own choice this year. And stay out of the sun as much as possible. Best wishes to us all.
We do need a new political vocabulary! Thank you, b; and thank you, Michael.
<=The best course of rebellious action would be to try to become a part of the electoral college process in your state.. as an elector you can cast a vote that really counts..
Posted by: Scorpion | Jul 6 2024 19:14 utc | 27
No matter the system or revolution, you always end up with some sort of pyramid class structure.Jefferson’s suggestion to eradicate entrenched corruption sounds like the right way to start.
How we find a good way forward from this starting point is hard to discern, but Jefferson’s suggestion to eradicate entrenched corruption sounds like the right way to start. Virtue will naturally flourish once the pernicious weeds are uprooted
<= the problem is secrecy is allowed to those who have access to government. those who contract with government and those who operate and run the military.. until the defense of "national defense or national interest" and the superior/inferior information divide is removed nothing of substance will ever permanently change; the behaviors that lead to turmoil and defeat will always prevail... After every revolution comes a trend to return to the same corrupt system and the only way to change that outcome is to allow the masses to continuously audit the affairs, efforts,plans, actions etc. of all of those who have relations with and those who are connected to the government.. Government has separated itself from the people; making tracking and controlling government corruption a matter justice and fairness.
<=I have suggested a global 2nd government, with its own court, and tenancies embedded within the bosom of every nation state so that the people in every state can audit the affairs of those who govern. The authority of this 2nd government would be limited to those who have relations with government ( I call the 2nd government the audit government because the idea is that everyone is an auditor empowered 24/7 with the right and charged with the duty to audit the affairs of government). I believe this is the only solution with potential to eliminate the oligarchy that develops and takes over after each revolution.
Posted by: jpc | Jul 6 2024 15:38 utc | 2
Someone needs to talk to Biden. <=why, Biden knows the election process is so rigged he can the election from his grave.
Posted by: snake | Jul 6 2024 20:14 utc | 34
Don't expect Biden to walk away soon. . .some words from a "background press call yesterday (Jul 5)
MODERATOR: Good afternoon, and thank you all for joining us today for our NSC background call to preview the NATO Summit. As a reminder of the ground rules, this call is being held on background with the contents attributable to a senior administration official.
Next week, you’ll also see a strong demonstration of U.S. and Allied support for Ukraine. Allies will reaffirm that Ukraine’s future is in NATO; will make significant new announcements about how we’re increasing NATO’s military, political, and financial support for Ukraine. This is part of Ukraine’s “bridge to NATO.”
When the Biden-Harris administration took office, only nine Allies were spending at least 2 percent of their GDP on defense. Today, a record 23 NATO Allies are at or above the minimum level of 2 percent of GDP for defense spending, more than twice as many as in 2021 and nearly eight times higher than when Allies first set the 2 percent benchmark a decade ago.
Cumulative defense spending for European Allies is also collectively exceeding the 2 percent spending mark for the first time, and these numbers will continue to improve.
Our Allies are not just spending more on their defense, they’re also spending more on American platforms and munitions. This spending is helping to revitalize production lines across the country and securing jobs for American workers.
On Tuesday evening, President Biden will welcome NATO leaders, and he and Dr. Biden will host a 75th anniversary commemoration event at the Mellon Auditorium, which is the site of the original signing of the North Atlantic Treaty, which of course established NATO on April 4, 1949. It’s also the site of the 1999 50th anniversary commemorative event hosted by President Clinton.
On Wednesday, the President will welcome Sweden as the newest member of the Alliance at a meeting of NATO’s 32 Allies. And that evening, he and Dr. Biden will host NATO leaders for a dinner at the White House.
On Thursday morning, NATO will hold a meeting with the EU and with NATO’s Indo-Pacific partners — that’s Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand — to deepen our cooperation.
In the afternoon, also Thursday, there’ll be a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, after which the President will host an event with nearly two dozen Allies and partners who have negotiated and signed bilateral security agreements with Ukraine, which is the event that I mentioned earlier.
MODERATOR: Great. Thank you so much. For our first question we’ll go to Aamer Madhani with the Associated Press.
. . .And then secondly, more broadly, how will the President be addressing with the other leaders their concerns about, you know, the elephant in the room, about his performance at the debate and whether, you know, just more broadly, that he remains up to the job?. . .Look, on the second question you asked, I mean, here’s what I’ll say: Look, foreign leaders have seen Joe Biden up close and personal for the last three years. They know who they’re dealing with, and, you know, they know how effective he’s been. What the President has done over the last three years is to reinvigorate the NATO Alliance, including expanding it, making it more capable. He has stood up to President Putin’s unprecedented aggression against Ukraine by mobilizing a coalition of — minimum of 50 Allies and partners to provide capabilities to Ukraine. And he has worked to invigorate our partnerships around the world, including in the Indo-Pacific and in other regions. So, I’m just going to leave it at that. . .here
Posted by: Don Bacon | Jul 6 2024 20:21 utc | 35
Larry Johnson posts a good discussion of Biden's condition, on his sonar21 site. From my own experience of dementia patients, it sounds like Johnson has also had intimate encounters with this kind of thing. His amateur diagnosis of "Parkinson's Dementia" is definitely in the neighborhood, as he lists the specific symptoms we see constantly exhibited by Biden.
"Everyone who's gone through this with their mother or father knows, there comes a time you need to take away the car keys." And if you expect dear old Dad to be grateful for your foresight, you've got another thing coming.
Stepanopoulos' demeanor, throughout yesterday's interview, was surprisingly adversarial. "We love you, Dad, but how are you going to feel after you wrap the Lincoln around an oak tree?" (Words to that effect.) Stubbornness being one of those symptoms, we now hear open discussion of invoking the 25th amendment to force Biden out of office immediately, against his will. For instance:
The New Yorker is absolutely plastered with news and commentary in this vein, right now. They barely have room for KS of UK, kissing the king's hand! David Remnick and the New Yorker gang, along with George Stepanopolous, can be taken as representative of Democrat Party powerbrokers, tearing their hair out.
Posted by: Aleph_Null | Jul 6 2024 20:27 utc | 36
Posted by: Aleph_Null | Jul 6 2024 20:27 utc | 36
I think it would be a mistake if the Republicans invoked the 25th amendment. Why do anything when we have an election in November in which Bidet will more than likely lose if he makes it that far. Plus, we here in the USA deserves what we get with Bidet. And it wouldn't make any difference, IMHO. Who would be put in charge? Kamela? What a joke. Then who is next in line? Mike Johnson. Uniparty victory!
The drama would last for several news cycles, though, and everyone could blame the Repubicans. I can see why the Democrats and the MSM might be keen on this rarely used lawfare toy to do some dirty work!
Posted by: lex talionis | Jul 6 2024 20:40 utc | 37
@ lex talionis | Jul 6 2024 20:40 utc | 37
To be clear: It would not be Republicans invoking the 25th amendment. They'd surely love to see Biden stay put.
Invoking the 25th would come out of Biden's own cabinet, and it's being seriously contemplated by Democrat luminaries. They'd prefer to have Kamala Harris running for president as an incumbent. (I really couldn't care less, except I'm at risk for an overdose of vicarious shadenfreude, or something.)
Joe Lauria (one of the human beings, imho) noticed something interesting about yesterdays interview...
About midway through what was billed as the most consequential interview of Joe Biden’s political career, he uttered the most consequential words in the interview: “I am running the world.”
Those five words explain why he refuses to withdraw from the race and confirm what most Americans deny, but which most of the world knows: U.S. presidents act as world emperors.
https://consortiumnews.com/2024/07/06/biden-im-running-the-world/
Posted by: Aleph_Null | Jul 6 2024 20:49 utc | 38
Posted by: KMRIA | Jul 6 2024 18:01 utc | 16
I wouldn't go so far as to suggest not voting for Jill Stein. It may be searchable more generally. I looked but couldn't find the Haaretz interview, either here or at NC (where I did find one that featured both Michael Hudson and Jill Stein, from May of this year). Her positions then were stated strongly so I am still unsure if I will be persuaded to vote for her. I felt in the Haaretz interview that was (linked by a commenter when I read it,) that her statements weren't strong enough, though I know she has taken pro-Palestinian stands elsewhere.
Posted by: juliania | Jul 6 2024 21:01 utc | 39
33
I have no firm position on the 'vaccines' for covid.
I mask when out in public.
I use a nasal rinse after coming home from town.
Also take Ivermectin prophylactically-make fun away~
Haven't had Covid yet (haven't tested positive but???).
Stay safe out there. It's survival of the skeptical and 'introverts' at this point.
Posted by: furies | Jul 6 2024 21:16 utc | 40
Do not watch 'Evil on Trial' on Netflix. If you ask: 'why do we need yet another parade of American historians telling us about the rise of Hitler as though he were a monster in utero?' then watch episode one. The expression that Hitler just 'wanted to make Germany great again' was used three times. So you see where it's headed.
The worst kind of liberal bullshit. The presentation of Nuremburg trials made me laugh out loud. Pious crap that only a blind fool would buy. I wager any intelligent person watching it would be wondering, is not the USA the most abject hypocrite in world history?
Posted by: Patroklos | Jul 6 2024 21:46 utc | 41
Partroklos @ 41
Hitler was a Liberal ?
Blimy thats news to me,
Ya learn something new every day.
(Sarc)
Posted by: Mark2 | Jul 6 2024 21:56 utc | 42
re “Someone needs to talk to Biden” —
new RT headline: Biden says he’ll only listen to ‘Lord Almighty’
— in other words, Hunter Biden.
Posted by: malenkov | Jul 6 2024 21:56 utc | 43
The expression that Hitler just 'wanted to make Germany great again' was used three times. So you see where it's headed.
Posted by: Patroklos | Jul 6 2024 21:46 utc | 41
____
No doubt a deliberate “pre”-echo of “Make America Great Again”…now where have we heard that one before?…
Posted by: malenkov | Jul 6 2024 21:59 utc | 44
Compulsive quibbling syndrome
HB_Norica@6 The center of mass of the ruling class has moved to the far right. Back in the day, there were still significant support to take down Nixon's overreach. People like H.L. Hunt, a financial of the John Birch Society, was something of an outlier then. Not so today. But then I've always insisted that the real movement to support Trumpery came from the genuinely rich and the local nabobs who thought they were rich, not so much working class, of any color.
An often overlooked aspect of "McCarthyism" was the purge of the Communists from the unions. That was the key.
Ahenobarbus@19 Working class Blacks, women and gays (and others) uniting with ruling class politicians so that a few can advance into the petty bourgeoisie is class collaboration, true. Also true, "workers" who aren't Blacks, women and gays (and others) uniting with ruling class politicians against working class Blacks, women and gays (and others) while accepting in practice the handful who manage to parley their payoffs into some money and position---plus petty bourgeois immigrants, unlike the working class unemployed crossing the border from sheer desperation--that's class collaboration too. Look at the last Tory cabinet for a good example of identity politics in action. You shouldn't uphold class collaboration. That's anti-Marxist, just as much as the "cultural Marxists," insofar as those people are really a thing, rather than a right-wing talking point.
Aleph_Null@36 may be correct in citing speculations about Parkinson's. Two points, first, almost trivially, Parkinson's is not a dementia as such. It can be accompanied by dementia too. But Parkinson's in an elderly person can be as debilitating as any other medical condition. Illness is often not good for the temper either, not everyone rage only against the night, some rage against people around them. Maybe Biden is too physically ill to work well.
Patroklos@41 Making Germany great again however was exactly something Hitler wanted. So did most of the aristocracy in the armed forces, the industrialists and bankers and their journalists, some portions of the so-called middle classes. Blaming it all on Hitler personally is an indirect way of apologizing for the whole German ruling class. Similarly, anyone who wants to blame Trump personally while ignoring the ruling class and military and police and local rich (they think) who support Trump is also an excuse. It's just as much an excuse when people who admire Trump pretend he's a demigod hero, rather than another swamp creature.
It is hard to see how people who like to excuse Trump's failure to do what he promised in his actual term by orating about how it doesn't matter who is president can get outraged if Biden can't provide a front for whoever. Whose president doesn't matter, they said. The people who say they support Trump as a chaos agent of accelerationism should switch to Biden as even more chaotic, if they weren't merely making excuses. The Democrat/socialist/cultural Marxist crowd who conflate the subverters of civilization with the DNC/Swamp/Deep State/PMC who think it's a plot can't provide any explanation of why they didn't force Biden out way back when. Nor can they explain how Biden the puppet can even pull back on the strings.
The second point is that the claim has always been, Biden has been Weekend at Bernie's since 2019. This is simply not true. Gossip about rich donors complaining they were deceived is retroactive BS by people making excuses for their change of mind. One simple explanation, Biden's physical decline has accelerated rather recently (possibly because untreated to prevent providing ammunition for Trumpers?) and the stress of the campaign is taking its toll. And the panic at losing the presidency, which most certainly does matter for individual interests, is compounded by this discovery, all the more severe because the Democratic Party is not united. Biden got the job in the first place as the old familiar face, a reliable economic conservative who wouldn't really change anything, just bandaids and a cookie and a pat on the head. The other simple explanation, is that the ruling class has finally decided either to go all in on Trump or at least let him run amok (unlike Nixon) serenely confident that they won't really lose anything...except maybe Biden rolling back some of Trump's tax cuts. (Not that Biden even promised to!) Thus, they deliberately split the Democrats by dumping Biden. It's a way of not even fighting the election, taking a dive. Have missed any other sensible explanations lurking around the board.
Posted by: steven t johnson | Jul 6 2024 22:11 utc | 45
The expression that Hitler just 'wanted to make Germany great again' was used three times. So you see where it's headed.
Posted by: Patroklos | Jul 6 2024 21:46 utc | 41
____
No doubt a deliberate “pre”-echo of “Make America Great Again”…now where have we heard that one before?…
Posted by: malenkov | Jul 6 2024 21:59 utc | 44
Only one question remains, do they want to:
Option 1. Burn Trump
Option 2. Normalize Hitler
Option 3. All of the above
Posted by: Newbie | Jul 6 2024 22:12 utc | 46
Stein is a Zionazi pretending not to be. No one can be trusted in US politics - the entire body has been infected at every level.
Posted by: Matthew | Jul 6 2024 22:14 utc | 47
Only one question remains, do they want to:
Option 1. Burn Trump
Option 2. Normalize Hitler
Option 3. All of the above
Posted by: Newbie | Jul 6 2024 22:12 utc | 46
______
Yes.
Posted by: malenkov | Jul 6 2024 22:31 utc | 48
I'm not saying its bad in america but ther's so few sane people there, they found it far easer to lock 'them' up.
Posted by: Mark2 | Jul 6 2024 22:31 utc | 49
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 6 2024 18:08 utc | 20 and Posted by: Formerly T-Bear | Jul 6 2024 19:49 utc | 30
I think it's somewhat on topic. Are either of you familiar with the author whose books address "the sociopath next door, the ruthless vs. the rest of us"?
I downloaded the epub not long ago, but haven't started reading it yet.
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jul 6 2024 23:47 utc | 50
@ Mark2 | Jul 6 2024 22:31 utc | 49
Not really. The USA is so successfully propagandized that it’s not necessary to lock up dissenters. They’re just ignored. Dissenters can say all they want; few listen.
Posted by: malenkov | Jul 6 2024 23:48 utc | 51
"I felt in the Haaretz interview that was (linked by a commenter when I read it,) that her statements weren't strong enough, though I know she has taken pro-Palestinian stands elsewhere."
Posted by: juliania | Jul 6 2024 21:01 utc | 39
Well, she was arrested protesting the genocide at UCLA and even at 2:00 am she was pretty articulate .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxDYqMTjA9U&t=5s
Posted by: jr | Jul 6 2024 23:53 utc | 52
"I felt in the Haaretz interview that was (linked by a commenter when I read it,) that her statements weren't strong enough, though I know she has taken pro-Palestinian stands elsewhere."
Posted by: juliania | Jul 6 2024 21:01 utc | 39
Well, she was arrested protesting the genocide at UCLA and even at 2:00 am she was pretty articulate .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxDYqMTjA9U&t=5s
Posted by: jr | Jul 6 2024 23:53 utc | 52
I'm sorry, that was in St. Louis
Posted by: jr | Jul 6 2024 23:56 utc | 53
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 6 2024 18:08 utc | 20
Thank you for this book recommendation, NemesisCalling – this sounds absolutely interesting and since I'm also one of those introverts I just snatched a copy of it... and while browsing the Audible inventory I've found and added "The Dawn of Everything" by David Graeber as well as "Underground Empire - How America Weaponized the World Economy" by Henry Farrell. Phew, 42+ hours of fresh content...
Posted by: Multipolar Panda | Jul 7 2024 0:11 utc | 54
The "far left" was wiped out in the US during Woodrow Wilson's 1917-1921 fascist state, and then the "not so far left" wiped out by McCarthyism in the 1950s. The anti-communist "left" of the 1970s were more libertarians and non-communist "critical" scholars.
Posted by: Roger | Jul 6 2024 16:59 utc | 10
Nice summation. The Democrats are about as left as Ernst Rhom at this point.
Posted by: Honzo | Jul 7 2024 0:18 utc | 55
Suggestion for news of the week (from Kit Klarenburg):
To say the least, Starmer has clear, grave questions to answer about what he knew about [Jimmy] Savile’s crimes, and the role he and his then-agency played in insulating the serial pedophile and necrophiliac from justice. The same British media that has fueled Starmer’s ambitions has aggressively shielded him from critical scrutiny on the matter. What follows are the dimensions of a very British coverup...
https://thegrayzone.com/2024/07/06/keir-starmer-scrutiny-protected-savile/
Posted by: Aleph_Null | Jul 7 2024 0:21 utc | 57
Joe Biden Hates Black People
@realnikohouse
You can take the segregationist out the 60’s but you can’t take the 60’s out the segregationist 🤷🏽♂️
Quote
HOT SPOT
@HotSpotHotSpot
·
11h
Black woman who is smitten by Biden’s presence has the ultimate look of disappointment when he completely ignores her in order to take a selfie with the old white lady next to her
https://x.com/realnikohouse/status/1809582709997482246
Posted by: Menz | Jul 7 2024 0:23 utc | 58
Posted by: steven t johnson | Jul 6 2024 22:11 utc | 45
Some very nice quibbles there. The only one I'd quibble with is that the people who say it doesn't matter who is president are making excuses for Trump and are outraged by Biden. It structurally matters very little who is president, the American system of 'checks and balances' that maintains the class dictatorship of the bourgeoisie is very powerful and effective. This in no way excuses Trump, because he has plenty of points of agreement with the PTB, such as defending the sacred Zionist Entity that make him a despicable criminal no matter what his intentions were on other matters. Similarly, the only reason I can think of, which is my reason, not to be outraged at Biden is that one's capacity for outrage is simply exhausted. The fact that his crimes, like Trump's, are ultimately perpetrated by the institutions of state, finance, and corporate does not in any way excuse him fronting for them, or profiting from the crimes. It's simply useless to invest energy on outrage at the behavior of any of the individuals, each and everyone of them will be replaced with more of the same the moment they leave, unless the system as a whole is broken.
Posted by: Honzo | Jul 7 2024 0:31 utc | 59
In regard to "the left is gone", here an example of the deep intelligence state helping to get rid of Corbyn:
How an obscure intelligence-linked party fixed a second Brexit referendum and torpedoed Corbyn https://thegrayzone.com/2022/09/24/intellligence-brexit-referendum-corbyn/
Oh, and some investing background re Keir Starmer:
"Keir Starmer faces renewed scrutiny over allegations he protected Jimmy Savile"
https://thegrayzone.com/2024/07/06/keir-starmer-scrutiny-protected-savile/
In other news, according to WELT the NS2 bombing has been planned for 10 years, starting way before 2014, by (surprise no. 1) a Ukrainian group but according to intelligence circles that was only a false-flag and (surprise no. 2) the Russians have done it. Oh, and some Polish & US agents already discovered all that and inspected the yacht way before telling anyone, lol, what a coincidence! Hmmm, will this be the reason for a NATO involvement?
Anyway, it's only available in German unfortunately and Google Translate doesn't work with the archive site, but here you go:
https://archive.ph/FExOe
Posted by: Multipolar Panda | Jul 7 2024 0:33 utc | 60
In regard to "the left is gone", here an example of the deep intelligence state helping to get rid of Corbyn:
How an obscure intelligence-linked party fixed a second Brexit referendum and torpedoed Corbyn https://thegrayzone.com/2022/09/24/intellligence-brexit-referendum-corbyn/
Oh, and some investing background re Keir Starmer:
"Keir Starmer faces renewed scrutiny over allegations he protected Jimmy Savile"
https://thegrayzone.com/2024/07/06/keir-starmer-scrutiny-protected-savile/
Posted by: Multipolar Panda | Jul 7 2024 0:34 utc | 61
Urks, I'm sorry for the broken double posting :-(
Posted by: Multipolar Panda | Jul 7 2024 0:34 utc | 62
Denise Wheeler 🌊💙
@denisedwheeler
76 photos of Trump and Epstein together. So far.
76
I don't have that many photos with any friend, let alone a child raping sex trafficker.
https://x.com/denisedwheeler/status/1809665028347285711
Posted by: Menz | Jul 7 2024 0:37 utc | 63
Abdurahmane Tchiani reminds me of Steve Biko, a formidable thinker.
DD Geopolitics
@DD_Geopolitics
🇧🇫🇲🇱🇳🇪 BREAKING! The presidents of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso signed a charter on the creation of a confederation.
The primary objective of the 1st Summit of the Alliance of Sahel States (ASS), involving the leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, was to adopt a draft document for the creation of an AGS confederation, according to the
Nigerian Press Agency (NAP).
The summit, held in Niamey, is chaired by Niger's leader, Abdurahmane Tchiani. Presidents Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso and Assimi Goita of Mali are also in attendance.
On Saturday, General Abdourahamane Tiani, the military leader of Niger, stated that the people of his country, along with those of Mali and Burkina Faso, have "irrevocably turned their backs" on the West African bloc, ECOWAS
https://x.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1809633439890698299
Posted by: Menz | Jul 7 2024 0:53 utc | 64
@54 panda
It's a fantastic audio book. You will enjoy it immensely and it should be a comfort for those who find themselves often at odds with the prevailing notions of masculinity in our country.
There is definitely hidden power in the world ready to come back onto the scene. But the trick is, and the author does a great job of this, not to reversely pathologize extroversion. We need the sanguine ones, too.
@ 30 t-bear
Will look into them, ty.
To me, the psychology of psychopaths seems to me the wanting integration of binary opposites, like rationalism and emotion. Too much of one leads to displacement of the other. I think both introverts and extroverts can suffer from this and are indeed currently.
@ scorpion
Yes, you reference Jefferson and that is exactly who I would conjure to help America now. Him, Emerson, Thoreau.
And I would agree that there will always be classes within a system, but it's just that when the way is prevailing in the empire, the top does not scorn the bottom nor does the bottom mistrust the top. They are almost indifferent to each other and happy in their place. Urbanization has helped to ruin this balance. Meanwhile, elites in this country and upper classes seem to not understand the forces that are squeezing the poor right now. Strictly looking at the cost of a single-family home with these interest rates and it is enough to turn one pale. How are the working poor able to purchase a home? Just barely but the contract is horrific and their premium is unsustainable considering the downturn likely coming.
Did Benjamin Franklin say they will ruin your country first by inflation and then by deflation? The pressure the lower classes are under currently is immense. And the pitilessness of the wealthy is deafening. Same with the drug epidemic.
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 7 2024 1:04 utc | 65
Re: that quotation above
Dubious origin. Glad I looked.
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 7 2024 1:08 utc | 66
The primary objective of the 1st Summit of the Alliance of Sahel States (ASS),
Posted by: Menz | Jul 7 2024 0:53 utc | 64
I have read of this before
They really need to call it the Sahel States Alliance.
Posted by: UWDude | Jul 7 2024 1:49 utc | 67
Nice summation. The Democrats are about as left as Ernst Rhom at this point.
Posted by: Honzo | Jul 7 2024 0:18 utc | 55
This one can see.
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 7 2024 1:55 utc | 68
Rohm is actually a perfect historical analogy. He was a fascist that was pro LGBTQ before the US came up with that tortured term.
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 7 2024 1:58 utc | 69
The EU was too democratic... meet the EPC, or EU/natogrid
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Political_Community
https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/526728.aspx
There seems to be inexhaustible ressources for summits.
Posted by: Minaa | Jul 7 2024 2:50 utc | 70
Posted by: 2+2=5 | Jul 6 2024 20:08 utc | 33
*** And masks. Masks, masks, masks. Never forget to wear a mask.***
Which in turn will reduce the effectiveness of facial recognition surveillance by agencies of those who rule.
So .... everyone will have to be chipped.
No escape.
All for their own good, of course.
Posted by: Cynic | Jul 7 2024 3:42 utc | 71
Biden won't give up so easily. Most likely the far-left will win the elections again.
Posted by: AI | Jul 6 2024 15:37 utc
______
Would that be the Party for Socidlism and Liberation, or the Socialist Equality Party?
Posted by: Malenkov | Jul 6 2024 15:44 utc | 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
You guys are full of it! There is no "far-left" party anywhere close to winning state power via an election in the United States. If I am wrong, then name the far-left party that is endangering the two capitalist parties that control, and own, the political system in the US. The Democrats and the Republicans are two cheeks of the same ass, i.e. the capitalist ass. which is controlled by billions.
In other words, people in the US (and most Western countries) live in a class dictatorship and don't even realize it.
Posted by: Ed | Jul 7 2024 4:17 utc | 72
There is no "far-left" party anywhere close to winning state power via an election in the United States. If I am wrong, then name the far-left party that is endangering the two capitalist parties that control, and own, the political system in the US. The Democrats and the Republicans are two cheeks of the same ass, i.e. the capitalist ass. which is controlled by billions.
Posted by: Ed | Jul 7 2024 4:17 utc | 72
That's true, Ed, but you could have said there was no existing international opposition to US imperialism 15 years ago. And here we are. In other words, let's not worship the accomplished fact.
And for the record, the SEP is close to what a revolutionary party would look like. Sadly, it only talks the talk, you know.
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 7 2024 4:37 utc | 73
The Democrats and the Republicans are two cheeks of the same ass, i.e. the capitalist ass. which is controlled by billions. OOPS, should read billionaires.
Posted by: Ed | Jul 7 2024 4:48 utc | 74
The expression that Hitler just 'wanted to make Germany great again' was used three times. So you see where it's headed.Posted by: Patroklos | Jul 6 2024 21:46 utc | 41
I had, well ... a few glasses of vines. And I told myself not to write anything when UI. But here I am thinking loud.
What was Hitler's goal if it wasn't "making Germany great"?
I never thought about it, I don't have an opinion and I don't have an answer.
I am just wandering what is the answer?
P.S. The nation I belong to is an "eternal enemy of Germany ".
Posted by: 2+2=5 | Jul 7 2024 5:11 utc | 75
I have come to a conclusion that everything around us is a reality show.
Some are officially recognized as such and some are pretending to be something else.
Posted by: 2+2=5 | Jul 7 2024 5:28 utc | 76
ZH has a posting up with the tile
Here's Where American Troops Are Stationed Overseas?
the quote
With a military budget bigger than most countries’ GDPs, the U.S. military manages to station troops in nearly 170 territories, on every continent in the world.
The numbers
Japan - 54.8K
Germany - 35.1K
South Korea - 24.2K
Italy - 12.4K
UK - 10.1K
Guam - 6.6K
Bahrain - 3.5K
Spain - 3.3K
Turkey - 1.7K
Norway - 1.4K
Rest Of World - 16.1K
90% in top 10 countries
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 7 2024 5:48 utc | 77
What was Hitler's goal if it wasn't "making Germany great"?
I never thought about it, I don't have an opinion and I don't have an answer.
I am just wandering what is the answer?
Posted by: 2+2=5 | Jul 7 2024 5:11 utc | 75
Read Mein Kampf.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 7 2024 6:11 utc | 78
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jul 6 2024 23:47 utc | 50
No, I am not familiar with that specific book but its subject, if supported by research would not be far different from the two I had referenced. It seems most readers of the subject have in mind only the dysfunctional form of psychopathy that damages others where non-emotionally based rationality can resolve complex many factored problems that confound the emotional mind. The quality is found many places; in (tribal) elders, experienced warriors and military hierarchy, surgeons and medical personnel, corporate and business CEO's to mention a few that require quick and effective decisions that emotional responses would hinder.
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 7 2024 1:04 utc | 65
Along side the introvert/extrovert dichotomy, note should be taken of the current phenomenon in the country, the division into two nearly equal political cults, neither having the ability to speak WITH an other and barely with one sharing their cult's ideology (analytical observations rarely made), at best, communication is AT the other. Listening, which is the basis of communication and negotiation has become a lost art with few practitioners. Houses divided against themselves don't stand for long, particularly built on the shifting sands of lies. Interesting times dead ahead. Get popcorn.
Posted by: Formerly T-Bear | Jul 7 2024 7:02 utc | 79
Read Mein Kampf.Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 7 2024 6:11 utc | 78
It is so complex that can not be put in one or two sentences?
Tramp's political program could be described in one word.
Posted by: 2+2=5 | Jul 7 2024 9:15 utc | 80
fjb and his horrible family are career criminals with long ties to org. crime, he will look out for number one like he always has. He will NEVER resign
Posted by: stale face | Jul 7 2024 9:20 utc | 81
The "far left" was wiped out in the US during Woodrow Wilson's 1917-1921 fascist state, and then the "not so far left" wiped out by McCarthyism in the 1950s. The anti-communist "left" of the 1970s were more libertarians and non-communist "critical" scholars.
Posted by: Roger | Jul 6 2024 16:59 utc | 10
So to be clear you believe the Weather Underground and the Black Panther party were both "libertarian"?
Posted by: HB_Norica | Jul 7 2024 11:02 utc | 83
We do need a new political vocabulary! Thank you, b; and thank you, Michael.
Posted by: juliania | Jul 6 2024 17:28 utc | 15
Yes. Language be the tool we use to describe reality. If used innacurately we create an innacurate reality.
Posted by: Tannenhouser | Jul 7 2024 11:26 utc | 84
@ Posted by: furies |
I had what was probably certainly the Covid early 2020- it knocked me out worse than any flu I had previously had., I get man flu bad. Two weeks incapacitated. 6 weeks recouperation. Only felt better after months. By the time the first miracle vaccines were being rolled out to the elderly first - I decided I would wait until everyone who needed one , had theirs because I already had recovered from Covid and had anti-bodies!
Lucky for me that I was able to avoid the first jab from that altruistic, science based assessment.
By the time the second jabs were beginning to be rolled out and to children and the young and healthy in late 2021 - I got the Covid flu again, it felt like the previous one , this time there were tests - it came out positive for Covid. I got better after 4 weeks.
So I had at least two sets of infections 18 months apart.
The first Covid strain that arrived in the U.K. in late 2019/early2020 (there has been no data about when exactly?) and the second one, most likely the Omicron strain which must have been different enough to override the immunity I had got from the previous infection/s (obviously subsequent mutations through that period which my body fought off without any symptoms).
I know exactly that the second infection was from a business traveller who had just returned from abroad and had a bit of a cough - I was in their vicinity for no longer than 10 minutes!
So to be clear - I AM NOT A COVID DENIER.
Now,
I’ve not had a single Covid Vaxx.
Also so far no flu vaccines.
I am supposedly in the vulnerable age group.
I don’t wear mask unless was forced to for short periods in shops and public transport.
Simple question @ furies.
The question cutie is-
Why am I not dead?
Why has everyone who I know who has had multiple vaccines also thereafter had , and still get Covid after being vaxxed?
Why are some people I know getting mysterious pains in their chest and legs and joints?
Why am I immune from such afflictions ?
I can tell you that I DONT BELIEVE IN THE WESTERN VACCINES.
We can get into the science of epidemiology and politics of stealing public funds with fake tests and masks and geopolitics of population control and any number of conspiracy theories and realities.
However until anyone can answer why I am not dead having refused vaccines and been in environments where I worked with hundreds of peoples daily - until that explanation contradicts my scientific assessment - I say that your position is pseudo scientific bullshit and spreading fear to the gullible.
Posted by: DunGroanin | Jul 7 2024 11:35 utc | 85
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 7 2024 6:11 utc | 78
In broad strokes Hitler was right. He recognized that Germany's great potential was being held back by circumstances of geography. They were resource poor and were always going to be vunerable to naval blockade unless they expanded eastward and found the resources they needed in Eastern Europe.
Of course there was the crusade against "jewish bolshevism" and his whole racial purity thing but if you had to boil everything down to one sentence it was Germany needed the food, mineral and energy resources of European Russia to be anything more than a large European nation subservient to superpowers.
The M-R pact with the Soviets and was to buy the time Germany needed to make sure they weren't again fighting a 2 front war ... the main event war always Soviet Russia.
Same holds true today. Germany needs Russian resources to play with the big dogs.
Posted by: HB_Norica | Jul 7 2024 11:38 utc | 86
@ laguerre
Since you are the only one I am fairly certain to be French I would like to ask you a question concerning the last election in France.
There was much talk not that long ago about the Mouvement des gilets jaunes and it slowly faded down the memory hole. I suspect that some form of that movement still exists. In your opinion, how did that group vote and more importantly, how will they vote in the run-off?
thank you
Posted by: dan of steele | Jul 7 2024 11:38 utc | 87
"For fun I did an I Ching consultation about it "
https://baronbrasdor.art/2024/07/05/yi-biden-post-debate-prognosis-33-12-1-44/
Posted by: Scorpion | Jul 6 2024 19:28 utc | 29
Interestingly enough on a slight tangent.
It's been said.
Back in the day Nancy Regan wouldn't let anything happen without consulting her astrologer.
A world run by loons.
Posted by: jpc | Jul 7 2024 11:51 utc | 88
Why are so many people so satisfied with the capitalistic system while it is clearly destroying the biological base of our existance?
There are almost no riots, almost nobody questions this society. The rebelion is now more seen as misbehavior like farthing, something shamefull....
Posted by: vargas | Jul 7 2024 12:52 utc | 89
The simplest way to explain the behavior of any bureaucratic organization is to assume that it is controlled by a cabal of its enemies.
- Robert Conquest
https://www.isegoria.net/2008/07/robert-conquests-three-laws-of-politics/
Posted by: jared | Jul 7 2024 13:20 utc | 90
"For fun I did an I Ching consultation about it "
https://baronbrasdor.art/2024/07/05/yi-biden-post-debate-prognosis-33-12-1-44/
Posted by: Scorpion | Jul 6 2024 19:28 utc | 29
Interestingly enough on a slight tangent.
It's been said.
Back in the day Nancy Regan wouldn't let anything happen without consulting her astrologer.
A world run by loons.
Posted by: jpc | Jul 7 2024 11:51 utc | 88
In a random world, statistical curves may help. Though uncorrelated same form distributions may be a better guide than mere chance…
Posted by: Newbie | Jul 7 2024 13:29 utc | 91
Posted by: vargas | Jul 7 2024 12:52 utc | 89
Why are so many people so satisfied with the capitalistic system.
<=an interesting question, I do not think the capitalistic system relevant to explaining what appears to be intended silence.. its more like the entire system is run by third overseers party, who have dictated that government detach itself from those it governs (government will be a dictator and it will use digital platforms and digital technology to isolate and protect itself from those who are the governed. The governed seem to have accepted that detachment..
The haves own the government, and the have nots are naively happy to be its slaves.. there is little understanding among the slaves that alternative structures and merged and shared conditions are even possible. It is the wish of the third party that each tier in the vertically separated system live and let live. Its only at the interface that things happen..and those happenings rarely involve many people at once.. so they go generally unnoticed?
This divided society was engineered by those who control the distribution of propaganda, those who use and hide behind secrecy, and those who have the advantage of wealth. More or less America has been divided vertically into two completely different societies, each segment avoiding as much as possible those in the other society, while the activities of each society is regulated by that unseen third party?
Posted by: snake | Jul 7 2024 13:30 utc | 92
I suspect that Biden administration is simply waiting for right momment - suspect it is planned and orchestrated for max drama. Kamala seems calm.
Trump held a debate with a potato, and lost.
Posted by: jared | Jul 7 2024 13:35 utc | 93
for what its worth, looks like nato, the peaceloving, purely defensive organization, is doing everything possible via their sockpuppets in bosnia i hercegovina to start another war in the balkans.
or rather to be clear, to further forment killing of slavic people. this seems to be their (nato) prime objective since the 90s.
Posted by: Justpassinby | Jul 7 2024 13:49 utc | 94
We do need a new political vocabulary! Thank you, b; and thank you, Michael.
Posted by: juliania | Jul 6 2024 17:28 utc | 15
Yes. Language be the tool we use to describe reality. If used innacurately we create an innacurate reality.
Posted by: Tannenhouser | Jul 7 2024 11:26 utc | 84
The problem with this is that it prevents from learning from the past. We have to guard the vocabulary of the past; in the words of Confucius 'rectify the names.' The whole purpose of the mangling of political terminology is to prevent people understanding the wisdom of the past- in particular, of the Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist-Maoist variety. When woke trans activists can be promoted by the 'left' corporate media, academia and government institutions while being reviled as 'cultural Marxists' by the 'right,' coherent discussion is impossible. What are we to 'replace' the term 'Marxist' with, without abandoning that entire body of theory, practice and knowledge? 'Left' and 'Right' once had reasonably clear meanings- the first referring to those who wanted to limit state power over individuals and the second those that favored tighter government control over the population. At the moment the mainstream discourse has so thoroughly mixed these elements across the left/right spectrum that they have no meaning- corporate leftwing communists vs nationalistic rightwing free speech advocates. Is the solution calling one side Blue and the other Red? Personally, I resent the GOP stealing the traditional symbol of the worker's revolution. At least this allows the 'sides' to contain the least coherent mish-mash of contradictory ideas, unconstrained by any traditional ideology.
We don't need new terms unless we have truly novel ideas. We need to recover the terms that hundreds of years of history have used to analyze political reality.
Posted by: Honzo | Jul 7 2024 13:51 utc | 95
However until anyone can answer why I am not dead having refused vaccines and been in environments where I worked with hundreds of peoples daily - until that explanation contradicts my scientific assessment - I say that your position is pseudo scientific bullshit and spreading fear to the gullible.
Posted by: DunGroanin | Jul 7 2024 11:35 utc | 85
Well put.
I'm of the same take on the subject as you.
Had two shity day's and that was it.
Got a flu years ago that stopped me for a week solid.
Posted by: jpc | Jul 7 2024 13:52 utc | 96
There are almost no riots, almost nobody questions this society. The rebelion is now more seen as misbehavior like farthing, something shamefull....
Posted by: vargas | Jul 7 2024 12:52 utc | 89
There's rebellion all right ... we don't go out on the street and march any more but we sure as hell show our displeasure with our emojis, likes and snarky posts. A pacification tool AND the means of surveillance all at once ... and we though TV rotted the brain back in the '70's. We were so naive.
I was a working guy to busy for marches and protests by my Mrs was an avid peace / *.rights protester in the '70. She and all her friends don't march any more but they do have a FB group .... just like we protest the war on MoA.
Posted by: HB_Norica | Jul 7 2024 13:58 utc | 97
Roger@9 "...what Hamilton fully envisaged; unchallenged rule by the oligarchy for the oligarchy." Forgot this. Again, quibbling is compulsive. Jefferson is not as democratic as imagined. It's not even the slaveholding, it's the general perspective of the big planter on top of his mountain feeds barbecue and booze to the little farmers, then goes to his club (Congress) or maybe the executive mansion, to save the world with their wisdom. There's a reason Jefferson's northern allies were people like Aaron Burr founder of Tammany Hall, Elbridge Gerry(mander) or the Clintons of New York (no, no relation but rich bosses all...nephew DeWitt at least found a project that wasn't just a boondoggle, namely the Erie Canal.) I've wondered for years now if Jefferson didn't write the Northwest Ordinance to plan for the South to make new states to their west while the non-slavery states would be unable to settle new states to their west crippled by the prohibition of slavery. Result: Slaver stranglehold on the national Senate, at the least. Extremely prescient and politically cunning, yes, but Jefferson was much smarter than I am, so I think he really could have been playing 11-dimensional chess. As I recall, Jefferson was one of those classicist who admired Cicero, the nouveau riche (well, by Rome's perverse snobbery) defender of the status quo.
Hamilton on the other hand admired Caesar the popularis. He hobnobbed with Francisco Miranda the Venezuelan predecessor to Bolivar. He was in the Manumission Society (though it was his "friend" Laurens who was the truly committed abolitionist, contra Lin-Manuel.) When he was a big deal in the national government the US was favorable to L'Ouverture in Haiti, quite the opposite of Jefferson the viciously counterrevolutionary when he looked at Haiti. Even the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion was about a national government, not the conference of state oligarchies Jefferson envisioned with his States' Rights, the earliest ideological manifestation of slaveholder treason. Looking up to England's system wasn't looking up to oligarchy, England really was vastly more free than France or Turkey (still a big deal by the way) or Russia. That's because of the Puritan Revolution, dead kings. Judicial review back then was Edward Cooke defying the Stuarts and the Magna Carta and for that matter it was "Wilkes and Liberty!" too. There's an interesting book by I think Christian Parenti laying out a case worth considering. The proper conclusion is twofold I think: Democracy that leaves capital free is hopelessly outdated and the vision of men dead over two hundred years is too. But also, political conservatives of today are hopelessly self-deceived, that all the Founders (Hamilton was one, in the revolutionary army) and the Framers (two distinct groups!) are almost all far more to the left than any are comfortable admitting even to themselves. Political conservatism is a betrayal of the revolutionary heritage that defines the best America in my opinion. Something of a quibble true but it's compulsive.
Ahenobarbus@69 "...Rohm is actually a perfect historical analogy. He was a fascist that was pro LGBTQ before the US came up with that tortured term." Roehm is indeed a fine example of class collaborator, a nobody trying to rise by brute force into the ruling class. He apparently thought that his self-indulgence was merely an appropriate use of privilege by one of the superior people and it's entirely doubtful that he cared about any solidarity with sleazy working class gays, unlike his Uebermensch self. More like Peter Thiel than Pete Buttigieg. But Roehm's fate is also a perfect historical analogy! THe aristocratic Junker-dominated officer class insisted that the parvenu class-climbing Roehm, basically a non-com be murdered by the conservative demigod "Hitler." Siding with those guys because they were early culture warriors against the moral rot destroying civilization is class collaborationist politics at its bloodiest.
Ahenobarbus@73 "And for the record, the SEP is close to what a revolutionary party would look like. Sadly, it only talks the talk, you know." But the SEP's talk is counterrevolutionary. They cover it up by calling it anti-Stalinism. But in practice they orient to every wrecking every sign of leftism. They hated Corbyn vastly more than Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak put together. They are against every union and scream betrayal against every strike leadership. Their counterrevolutionary talk is their purpose, their walk. They are totally dedicated to putting the -ite in Trotskyite. If you really want to know what may be useful in Trotsky, read Trotsky's Dictatorship vs Democracy, aka as Terrorism and Communism. Compare their professed support for Brest-Litovsk and the assault on Kronstadt, adhered to for cover, to their positions on everything since. As far as I can tell, they aren't even the kind of Trots who polemicize against the Shachtmans and Burnhams and state-caps and bureaucratic collectivism. The Sparts at least could do that much!
Posted by: steven t johnson | Jul 7 2024 14:00 utc | 98
The "far left" was wiped out in the US during Woodrow Wilson's 1917-1921 fascist state, and then the "not so far left" wiped out by McCarthyism in the 1950s. The anti-communist "left" of the 1970s were more libertarians and non-communist "critical" scholars.
Posted by: Roger | Jul 6 2024 16:59 utc | 10
So to be clear you believe the Weather Underground and the Black Panther party were both "libertarian"?
Posted by: HB_Norica | Jul 7 2024 11:02 utc | 83
I can't speak for Roger, but to the extent the Weather Underground had an ideology I would classify it as Anarchism, which is well established as a petty bourgeois formulation. However, its legacy seems to be Libertarianism, which shares the anarchist fantasy of individualism in a society somehow immune to theft and violence despite having no mechanisms of state. In fact, the contract orientation of Libertarians relies heavily on a state apparatus able and willing to enforce those contracts at every turn.
The Black Panthers were communists, never anti-communists. They carried out their struggle in 'low-ideology' terms, but they followed the basic principles of the Chinese Communists better than anyone in the west. They were crushed because they were, in essence, creating armed Soviets in black communities around the US.
Posted by: Honzo | Jul 7 2024 14:03 utc | 99
Re WSWS, forgot to add that the standard of political discourse is so bloody low that even WSWS can provide useful information. That's not a glowing tribute to them, it's an indictment of the MSM.
Posted by: steven t johnson | Jul 7 2024 14:03 utc | 100
The comments to this entry are closed.
Biden won't give up so easily. Most likely the far-left will win the elections again.
Posted by: AI | Jul 6 2024 15:37 utc | 1