It is extremely disturbing that the American public does not complain about their government's corrupt policies. The level of pushback from the public is literally near zero. I suppose that it is going to take some really hard times to get people to respond to the corruption and criminality. Case in point, Senator Mendez gets caught with trunkloads of cash and gold stashed in his house, but the Blue Team voters will not be shocked that there might be gambling going on in this casino. And of course they won't be worried that the Biden crime family is also on the take. I am wondering what it will take to get the public to start complaining, but I have a feeling that it won't happen until some real disasters cause a lot of pain here in the US.
Lockheed will continue to be paid for support jobs on F-35, F-16 and F-22 largely caused by their design and production failures: cost plus good margin!
'War is, among many other official scams, a racket!' S. Butler.
And the American people will go right along with that, Bill. With No Questions Asked and No Answers Demanded.
Just like they have gone along with No Questions Asked/No Answers Demanded about "The Forever War" ever since 9/11.
Just like they have gone along with the war in Ukraine ever since its seed was planted with Obama's coup back in 2014 and it moved to center stage in February 2022.
Just like they have gone along with perpetual Budget Deficits and a ballooning national, sovereign Debt spiraling higher and higher ever since the bought and sold politicians, entrenched bureaucrats, and anointed appointees in DC discovered how easy it is to do that and to get away with it.
As i have said several times in the past here on BV and elsewhere: A Nation and its People get the government, the system of governance, and the governors it deserves.
And here we are.
It will be interesting to see if there actually is an election in November 2024 [410 days from today]. And even if there is, will there be an Inauguration and seating of a new Congress in January 2025?
War has always been a priority and so-called defense spending has wasted as much if not the most of tax payer's money than any other thing. Linking again @https://nothingnewunderthesun2016.com/
WASHINGTON SHOULD LIFT THE STRICT RESTRICTIONS ON THE NUMBER OF U.S. GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL ALLOWED IN UKRAINE AND BEGIN STATIONING MILITARY ADVISERS WITHIN THE COUNTRY AND ACROSS ITS DEFENSE APPARATUS.
Sending advisers would increase the number of Ukrainian soldiers who receive top-of-the-line training. It would enhance Washington’s understanding of Kyiv’s material needs, allowing U.S. policymakers to fine-tune the aid they already provide and offer psychological assurance to Ukraine. Positioning U.S. advisers inside Ukraine would let Washington better champion crucial defense reforms that could pave Ukraine’s path toward NATO and EU membership. Advisers would give the United States an added layer of oversight, as well, ensuring that aid is both optimized and employed responsibly. And, critically, deploying advisers would deliver these results at a reasonable cost.
Some officials might fear that by sending advisers to Ukraine, the United States will prompt Russian President Vladimir Putin to escalate the conflict. If Washington put U.S. troops on Ukraine’s frontlines, it might. But it is possible to send noncombat advisers in a way that would keep U.S. combat troops out of the war. Past Western assistance has not changed Moscow’s behavior. So long as the United States places its advisers inside Ukraine but outside the battlefield, this decision won’t either.
U.S. advisers could, of course, still come under attack: no one in Ukraine is truly safe from Russia. EXPERTS MIGHT ALSO FEAR THAT—SHOULD WASHINGTON PUT BOOTS ON THE GROUND—IT WILL INVARIABLY LEAD TO AN ENDLESS AMERICAN MILITARY COMMITMENT. BUT KYIV DOES NOT WANT WASHINGTON TO DEFEAT RUSSIA ON ITS BEHALF; IT IS NOT SOUTH VIETNAM. WHAT UKRAINE WANTS IS MORE U.S. ASSISTANCE, WHICH IT DESERVES TO RECEIVE.
This CounterPunch article might shed some light on what's wrong with America, Bill?
'What is 21st Century Fascism? The Dictatorship of Big Money'
Twenty-first-century fascism is the dictatorship of big money. Finance, fossil fuels giants, other large corporations, and the military-industrial complex, have effectively merged with the state, calling the shots in Washington. An immense surveillance and propaganda machine is at their disposal. Narrative and information control is the first line of defense but the militarized police state acts when all else fails. Big money wants total control and tolerates no rivals.
The dictatorship of big money is impossible without institutional racism paving the way to a new form of institutional fascism.
New Fascism for a New Century
Common understandings of fascism rely heavily on 20th-century European history. By those terms, there is no fascism in the US today, except the small neo-fascist gangs. Trump does not check all the boxes by the old definition.[1] If fascism is to have any real meaning — beyond a deceptive get-out-the-vote strategy by Democrats — then we need to rework old interpretations to find the fascism that evolved specifically to our time..................................
It is extremely disturbing that the American public does not complain about their government's corrupt policies. The level of pushback from the public is literally near zero. I suppose that it is going to take some really hard times to get people to respond to the corruption and criminality. Case in point, Senator Mendez gets caught with trunkloads of cash and gold stashed in his house, but the Blue Team voters will not be shocked that there might be gambling going on in this casino. And of course they won't be worried that the Biden crime family is also on the take. I am wondering what it will take to get the public to start complaining, but I have a feeling that it won't happen until some real disasters cause a lot of pain here in the US.
Lockheed will continue to be paid for support jobs on F-35, F-16 and F-22 largely caused by their design and production failures: cost plus good margin!
'War is, among many other official scams, a racket!' S. Butler.
And the American people will go right along with that, Bill. With No Questions Asked and No Answers Demanded.
Just like they have gone along with No Questions Asked/No Answers Demanded about "The Forever War" ever since 9/11.
Just like they have gone along with the war in Ukraine ever since its seed was planted with Obama's coup back in 2014 and it moved to center stage in February 2022.
Just like they have gone along with perpetual Budget Deficits and a ballooning national, sovereign Debt spiraling higher and higher ever since the bought and sold politicians, entrenched bureaucrats, and anointed appointees in DC discovered how easy it is to do that and to get away with it.
As i have said several times in the past here on BV and elsewhere: A Nation and its People get the government, the system of governance, and the governors it deserves.
And here we are.
It will be interesting to see if there actually is an election in November 2024 [410 days from today]. And even if there is, will there be an Inauguration and seating of a new Congress in January 2025?
You deserve better, Jeff.
Do not reply to this. Accept that you deserve better!
Is that an order?
My days of giving orders ended long ago. As did yours of taking them.
Heh. Roger That, Colonel. Just sent You an email on this whole deserving thing.
Yes, they had to make such an exception for "our" national security. The stench is beyond putrid--both in lost lives over there and corruption here.
Bill, you forget. Congress is also exempt from a Government shutdown.
That's too bad. :-)
Sad, but true; the very people who would shut down our government are themselves immune to the consequences.
Ran across this article about Zelensky and Ukraine. It seems pretty balanced. https://harpers.org/archive/2023/10/the-tragedy-of-volodymyr-zelensky/
War has always been a priority and so-called defense spending has wasted as much if not the most of tax payer's money than any other thing. Linking again @https://nothingnewunderthesun2016.com/
All the Ukraine soldiers-in-training will wear OD green t-shirts with "essential worker" on the back. (sarc)
According to FOREIGN AFFAIRS magazine:
WASHINGTON SHOULD LIFT THE STRICT RESTRICTIONS ON THE NUMBER OF U.S. GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL ALLOWED IN UKRAINE AND BEGIN STATIONING MILITARY ADVISERS WITHIN THE COUNTRY AND ACROSS ITS DEFENSE APPARATUS.
Sending advisers would increase the number of Ukrainian soldiers who receive top-of-the-line training. It would enhance Washington’s understanding of Kyiv’s material needs, allowing U.S. policymakers to fine-tune the aid they already provide and offer psychological assurance to Ukraine. Positioning U.S. advisers inside Ukraine would let Washington better champion crucial defense reforms that could pave Ukraine’s path toward NATO and EU membership. Advisers would give the United States an added layer of oversight, as well, ensuring that aid is both optimized and employed responsibly. And, critically, deploying advisers would deliver these results at a reasonable cost.
Some officials might fear that by sending advisers to Ukraine, the United States will prompt Russian President Vladimir Putin to escalate the conflict. If Washington put U.S. troops on Ukraine’s frontlines, it might. But it is possible to send noncombat advisers in a way that would keep U.S. combat troops out of the war. Past Western assistance has not changed Moscow’s behavior. So long as the United States places its advisers inside Ukraine but outside the battlefield, this decision won’t either.
U.S. advisers could, of course, still come under attack: no one in Ukraine is truly safe from Russia. EXPERTS MIGHT ALSO FEAR THAT—SHOULD WASHINGTON PUT BOOTS ON THE GROUND—IT WILL INVARIABLY LEAD TO AN ENDLESS AMERICAN MILITARY COMMITMENT. BUT KYIV DOES NOT WANT WASHINGTON TO DEFEAT RUSSIA ON ITS BEHALF; IT IS NOT SOUTH VIETNAM. WHAT UKRAINE WANTS IS MORE U.S. ASSISTANCE, WHICH IT DESERVES TO RECEIVE.
Full article at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/why-america-should-send-military-advisers-ukraine ; EMPHASES added.
Vietnam all over again.
Shhhhh. Somebody out there may agree with You.
Here's a suggestion for a Constitutional Amendment.
All Congressional salaries and perks shall be forfeited for the duration of any government shutdown.
Pretty good trick. Simply declare that your government organization is exempt from any government shutdown.
tell me this isn't so
This CounterPunch article might shed some light on what's wrong with America, Bill?
'What is 21st Century Fascism? The Dictatorship of Big Money'
Twenty-first-century fascism is the dictatorship of big money. Finance, fossil fuels giants, other large corporations, and the military-industrial complex, have effectively merged with the state, calling the shots in Washington. An immense surveillance and propaganda machine is at their disposal. Narrative and information control is the first line of defense but the militarized police state acts when all else fails. Big money wants total control and tolerates no rivals.
The dictatorship of big money is impossible without institutional racism paving the way to a new form of institutional fascism.
New Fascism for a New Century
Common understandings of fascism rely heavily on 20th-century European history. By those terms, there is no fascism in the US today, except the small neo-fascist gangs. Trump does not check all the boxes by the old definition.[1] If fascism is to have any real meaning — beyond a deceptive get-out-the-vote strategy by Democrats — then we need to rework old interpretations to find the fascism that evolved specifically to our time..................................
https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/09/22/what-is-21st-century-fascism-the-dictatorship-of-big-money/