I've observed over the last decade the attacks of the elites on selected segments of their society. This appears to be a common tactic of the supposedly enlightened western civilizations in North America and Europe.
From the vile H. Clinton's "basket of deplorables" and Obama's "clinging" to their religion and guns in 2016; to Biden and essentially all of Congress calling students and others "Hamas supporters" and lawbreakers for protesting genocide; and now this example from Britain; this all about vilification and silencing the citizenry to maintain control.
While difficult to observe, these are all the lasts gasps of the fading empire led by the US. Somewhere out there, if hasn't already happened, is the next Suez Crisis that ends the empire.
It's a paradox, however, that the commoners in America believe that a certifiable member of the 1%, Trump, will be the one to save the country. Whatever he may do in his impulsive, vindictive and egocentric way, he will most definitely never threaten the wealth that corrupts our government. Biden, if elected, will simply continue to be the curator of the corrupt system. At this, the deepest level, the two parties, both corrupt, are giving we the people no choice.
While in theory you are right, in practice the two parties do all they can within their power, and it is a lot of power, to make sure that we have no choice. If people would get out in the streets in a rage over the fact that our system is gamed to work against us, then I'd admit change might be coming.
My guess, TomR, is that that "next Suez Crisis" is already in the planning and resourcing stage.
One question that keeps popping up is: And which New Empire will Rise and take the place of the all but Declined and soon to be Falling and Failing American Empire?
And when The American Empire begins disintegration, what will happen to The American Experiment in democratically-elected, representative republican government under a Rule of Law before which all Humans are Equal, and in which all Human Rights are honored, respected, and protected?
I don't think the next Suez Crisis will be the one the West is planning; it will happen to them while they're planning whatever it is they think they're going to do. Ukraine and Gaza may have been part of that plan - but we can see how they're working out.
In terms of what comes next? Alfred McCoy the historian suggested in his 2017 book a future of supra national governance led by transnational corporations, enforced by something like NATO, and a Davos/WEF led financial leadership. Obviously that was before Ukraine, COVID, BRICS, etc. Only one thing is clear, it won't be the U.S.
People are starting to feel the collapse in the price of food, the cost of housing, and the bleak futures for them and their children. But the owners still they think they can mask it with diversions like the NFL, Marvel comic movies, and The Masked Singer. Something's going to shatter the attempted illusion - maybe this year's election travesty.
i’m not talking about anything “the West” is planning, TomR. At least not if, by “the west,” You mean the Governments of the US and its allies in Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia.
And it is hard to find any weaknesses in Alfred McCoy’s prediction regarding a Davos/WEF-controlled and NATOized, militarized West. Had he written that book today after The COVID Event, he could accurately include the World Health Organization as another element of the New Regime, as well.
And while the U.S. as a Nation-State Global Empire will no longer be at the top of the heap, that ~ for lack of a better term ~ “New World Order” very definitely WILL include America’s Ruling Political Class, particularly its Elites.
You concluded: “Something's going to shatter the attempted illusion - maybe this year's election travesty.”
Or another 9/11. Or another Pandemic, but one that kills young and healthy people and not old, sick ones like the last one. Or another 2008esque, Too Big To Let Fail financial “¢risi$.”
If those who benefitted most from the first iterations of 9/11, COVID, and/or the “¢risi$” determine and decide that they have even more to gain ~ economically, politically, and, particularly, mass psychologically ~ from a second edition, Who and/or What is going to stop them?
Stop them, for example, from cancelling that election?
And once again, Dennis, Your Daughters are completely correct: You ~ We ~ Boomers have indeed really Fucked Just About EVERYTHING Up. Beyond repair or even salvaging.
But they ~ and their colleagues, cohorts, and compeers of their age ~ are old enough now that they have begun their part in continuing to Fuck Everything Up even further.
And at some point down the road, Their Children will say to Them the same things They are saying to You today: "MOM, IT'S NOT YOUR WORLD ANYMORE" and "YOU HAVE REALLY FUCKED IT ALL UP...!"
Rule of law of the repressor repressing the oppressed. The MIC needs to end. Wars feed the mitary industrial complex which than feeds the politicians. They rub each others backs while we are taxed to keep it all going. We also send our children to war to die or return messed up. This system of elite empire feed by war and destruction must end. It will be interesting to see what evolves as present empire expires. Could we imagine a world living in peace where the rule of law isn't empire based but rather humanity based.
I have reached a point where the horror of all the evil our country imposes on others leaves me speechless and utterly sad and depressed. The daily bombardment of lies by our oligarch owned Mainstream Press has left this country ( and I fear the entire planet) hopelessly and helplessly bereft of any possibility of improving this nightmare situation of death and destruction along with the destruction of all life on this planet deliberately allowed by the oil,coal and gas companies along with those who run the companies that create machines and poisons that kill everything - every type of animal including human, all plants - including everything edible found on land or sea. The news is full of stories of purposeful death, torture and betrayal. I am now, along with my longtime anti-Americanism, now also anti-Israelist. I find it difficult to decide which Government I despise more. Both governments are as corrupt as it is possible to be, and the citizens of each country have been imbued by their educational systems to go along with whatever their corrupt leaders tell them. Critical thinking has been killed off. Both Americans and Israelis are capable of seeing daily news casts of 100's of thousands of children being murdered or tortured by starvation or other cruelties and believing somehow that this is the fault of the children and their parents so we have no responsability to stop this, while the minority who speak out against it are arrested, beaten or attacked in multiple other ways. (University presidents have devised several unique forms of financial torture for poor young people)
I see no end to this because almost everyone I know has decided to let it go on. Elections are coming in a few months and it appears that almost everyone in this country has decided NOT to try to change anything, but to vote for one of the two most corrupt politicians this country has ever produced. The same goes for Israel. The citizens of both countries prefer to have very old evil men as their ruler than even consider taking a chance on someone who appears noticeably less corrupt. (There are several out there.) Our lying corrupt education system has won out and the students have graduated with a degree in believing lies and being afraid of opposing the criminals who run their lives.
P.S. I just read this quote from West Point Modern War Institute "War happens when a society or its leader is unaccountable, ideological, uncertain, biased or unreliable." Biden fills all those traits, and so does Trump, and we're supposed to choose?
Not only have all recent American Presidents had one or more of those traits and characteristics.
So is American Civil Society, its Economy, and its whole system of Politics, Government, and Governance in different parts "unaccountable, ideological, uncertain, biased, and/or unreliable."
And You are correct that Biden and Trump both have one or more of those traits or characteristics. As did each of America's recent previous Presidents: Obama, Cheney/Bush II, Clinton, Bozo and Bush I, and The Peanut Farmer.
And notice that the U.S. was at war someplace with somebody about something during each of those Presidents' reigns
And as far as Who to Choose? Consider "None Of These Candidates."
Forty-one states and the District of Columbia allow write-in votes on their ballots, including for president;
Arkansas, New Mexico and South Carolina allow write-in candidates for some offices but not for president;
Mississippi allows write-in votes only to substitute a candidate listed on the ballot who was removed, withdrew or died;
Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada, Oklahoma and South Dakota do not allow any write-in votes.
The alternative to Write-In voting is get "None Of These Candidates" officially listed thru established State-specific procedures on every ballot for every federal election in every State.
Before enlightening us with Your judgement of the West Point Modern War Institute and what it is REALLY saying, Dennis, i suggest You learn a little bit about the organization and its publication.
A good place to start that would be to read at least the first few paragraphs of the article ranney cited: THE FIVE REASONS WARS HAPPEN by Christopher Blattman, published by WPMWI on 14 Oct 22.
THE FIVE REASONS WARS HAPPEN
Whether it is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats of nuclear strikes or Chinese belligerence in the Taiwan Strait, the United States seems closer to a great power war than at any time in recent decades. But while the risks are real and the United States must prepare for each of these conflicts, BY FOCUSING ON THE TIMES STATES FIGHT—AND IGNORING THE TIMES THEY RESOLVE THEIR CONFLICTS PEACEFULLY AND PREVENT ESCALATION—ANALYSTS AND POLICYMAKERS RISK MISJUDGING OUR RIVALS AND PURSUING THE WRONG PATHS TO PEACE.
The fact is that fighting—at all levels from irregular warfare to large-scale combat operations—is ruinous and so nations do their best to avoid open conflict. The costs of war also mean that when they do fight countries have powerful incentives not to escalate and expand those wars—to keep the fighting contained, especially when it could go nuclear. This is one of the most powerful insights from both history and game theory: WAR IS A LAST RESORT, AND THE COSTLIER THAT WAR, THE HARDER BOTH SIDES WILL WORK TO AVOID IT.
WHEN ANALYSTS FORGET THIS FACT, NOT ONLY DO THEY EXAGGERATE THE CHANCES OF WAR, THEY DO SOMETHING MUCH WORSE: THEY GET THE CAUSES ALL WRONG AND TAKE THE WRONG STEPS TO AVERT THE VIOLENCE.
Imagine intensive care doctors who, deluged with critically ill patients, forgot that humanity’s natural state is good health. That would be demoralizing. But it would also make them terrible at diagnosis and treatment. How could you know what was awry without comparing the healthy to the sick?
And yet, when it comes to war, most of us fall victim to this selection bias, giving most of our attention to the times peace failed. FEW WRITE BOOKS OR NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT THE WARS THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN. Instead, we spend countless hours tracing the threads of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, America’s invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, or the two world wars. When we do, it distorts our diagnosis and our treatments. For IF WE FOLLOW THESE CALAMITOUS EVENTS BACK TO THEIR ROOT CAUSES AND PRECEDING EVENTS, WE OFTEN FIND A FAMILIAR LIST: BUMBLING LEADERS, ANCIENT HATREDS, INTRANSIGENT IDEOLOGIES, DIRE POVERTY, HISTORIC INJUSTICES, AND A HUGE SUPPLY OF WEAPONS AND IMPRESSIONABLE YOUNG MEN. War seems to be their inevitable result.
Unfortunately, THIS IGNORES ALL THE INSTANCES CONFLICT WAS AVOIDED. WHEN SOCIAL SCIENTISTS LOOK AT THESE PEACEFUL CASES, THEY SEE A LOT OF THE SAME PRECEDING CONDITIONS—BUMBLERS, HATREDS, INJUSTICES, POVERTY, AND ARMAMENTS. ALL THESE SO-CALLED CAUSES OF WAR ARE COMMONPLACE. PROLONGED VIOLENCE IS NOT. So these are probably NOT the chief causes of war.... .
Why should You Not assume that the Modern War Institute located in West Point, New York IS a biased source until You know something about it? As in reading an article or 3?
This interview reconfirms an opinion I have held and believe was recommended to Yul Brynner by French writer Jean Cocteau. “Never argue with stupid people. They drag you down to their level and then beat you.” The British Tory MP certainly qualifies as a stupid individual. The young student woman missed the opportunity to respond in a more direct way. I would suggest to disregard the phony Antisemitism charge and the question about Hamas and point out that Israel has been engaged, in one form or another, in ethnic cleansing even before there was a state of Israel or Hamas. There is more than enough available records of various sorts to show that the early Zionists intended to remove the Palestinian people from their land.
Karl, the surest proof that the antisemitism charge is bogus is that Jewish American billionaires such as Bill Ackman, Robert Kraft, Jerry Steinfeld and wife and Sheryl Sandberg, people who have enjoyed the full benefits of being free citizens in America to rise to the top of society, about as far from victims of antisemitism as anyone could be, are the loudest voices proclaiming it to be a problem on which action must be taken. It is the reddest herring that has ever been presented.
"the right to defend itself" is always invoked and is the perfect example of turning things upside down in an attempt to place Israel in a righteous position. Note that it is the very same thing used by gun advocates to arm up as they claim it is all about defending their homes...the right of self-defense used to cover for a threat to everyone, even the gun owner's family members.
The very basis of Zionism is offensive: to take by force the land and expel the natives from Palestine. This has always been true and makes it ridiculous to decry the current settler controlled Knesset as something we should abhor. The settlers are simply stating boldly what Ben Gurion thought and did in 1948 - take the land and expel the natives. This is pure Zionism as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be unless something is done to stop it.
The dishonesty of the Western Media on Gaza is merely a continuation of the dishonesty of the Western Media ~ and the American Government ~ on America's Proxy War with Russia in Ukraine, and, before that, on The Terror Event of September 11, 2001, and The Forever War it spawned in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and so forth.
tnx for the murray alert, dennis. yes, i can confirm that i persist as a breathing, heart-beating member of the putative congeries of 'homo sapien sapiens' sub-species. nonetheless, it was critical for my questionable 'sanity' [most would classify my membership in that halcyon category as mal-assigned] that i escape for a few days from our present augean stable of shitola and other such dysphoric depredations. so off i ventured on yet another ferry-flounce and island-bounce to remote areas of the philippines where no one could reach me and no electronic devices could contaminate my fevered brain further.
the suella MP might also be reminded that the semitic-speaking tribes have occupied their lands in palestine longer than the hebrew-speaking tribes have who later inserted themselves into that noble group of semites. also, the present population of zioisraelis are far more infused w/ eastern and european DNA than they are of semitic DNA. the european zionists are the classic invading interlopers.
one more point: when the harridan 'braver-man' [hah! what a farce] faStuously and fatuously pronounced how reliant fiona and her protesting peers are on the usufruct of capitalism [in other words, accusing fiona of being a tartuffe], fiona could, in the future, counter that dismissive and distracting declarative w/: "so, how humanitarian an observation is that? you reveal yourself to engender the values of an uber-consuming promoter of 'stuff' over the value of human life, particularly the vulnerable and their children".
We have a Eurasia with its Putin, an Eastasia with its Xi, and an Oceania with a whole gaggle of Big Brother Wannabes running around, two in particular.
the overriding question is why this extraordinary, eloquent, mature-beyond-her years spokesman for campus protestors, the 'incroyable' fiona lali, simply elevate her arm until the zioisrael OCD-er braverman, ceased yet another of her rude, invasive interruptions, giving fiona the floor. then fiona could proceed in her erudite, becalmed modus vivendi to address once and for all, braverman's interrogative trope of the anemic, banausic "does israel have a right to exist?" w/ the rejoinder: "yes, as unequivocally as you and i have a 'right to exist'. however, not on land expropriated... at the end of a gun by interloping, racist thugs... from those who have been settled there and cultivated said-land for thousands of years." then if pressed, fiona could have amplified her pronouncement w/: "nor did the european whites have a right to purloin and ravage the indigenous populations of north, central, and south amenrica." that might have zipped the old fartesse's lips.
fiona could also have addressed the MP virago's tiresome inquiry about supporting HAMAS by asseverating, "yes, i support any oppressed groups' 'right to defend themselves' against their occupying, genocidal oppressors, and if you knew your history, you should recall that HAMAS was instaurated w/ seed-funding from netanyahu's thugs back in the 1980s."
i hope that the next time fiona is afforded an interview before a national or international audience, she can asseverate those points.
Totally Off-Topic. But not really. [And this is NOT from The Babylon Bee]... :
FAKE EYELASHES, BLEACH-BLONDE HAIR: HOUSE HEARING DESCENDS INTO INSULT-FILLED CHAOS by Grace Panetta / 19th News 17 May 24
*** The words exchanged, largely among Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jasmine Crockett and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, were sparked by a jab from Greene. ***
Some of the highest-profile women in the House clashed in a chaotic hearing Thursday night, slinging personal insults and frustrating Chairman James Comer, the leader of investigations into the Biden administration that have so far failed to yield any major bombshells.
The yelling match was instigated by GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia at a meeting of the House Oversight Committee. The committee met to consider a motion to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for not releasing the audio recording of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, who led the investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has already released the full transcript of the interview, but the White House on Thursday claimed executive privilege to withhold the recording, a move backed by the DOJ. White House counsel Ed Siskel argued that House Republicans would selectively edit and “distort” the audio for partisan political attacks.
Earlier on Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee voted on a similar motion to hold Garland in contempt. The Oversight panel was set to hold its hearing in the afternoon but delayed it for a group of far-right members who had traveled to New York City to support former President Donald Trump in his ongoing hush-money trial.
Very quickly, the hearing went off the rails. Greene, a Trump ally and far-right member who recently failed to oust the House speaker, made a dig at Rep. Dan Goldman of New York related to the Trump trial. That prompted Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas to ask: “What does that have to do with Merrick Garland?” and, “Do you know what we’re here for?”
“I don’t know you know what we’re doing,” Greene said. “I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading.”
Greene’s dig spurred a heated exchange with Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who called Greene’s comments “absolutely unacceptable” and demanded her words be taken down.
“That is absolutely unacceptable! How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person. Move her words down.”
“Aww, are your feelings hurt?” Greene sarcastically asked.
“Oh girl, baby girl, don’t even play,” Ocasio-Cortez hit back.
“Baby girl? I don’t think so,” Greene said.
Greene later challenged Ocasio-Cortez on why she wouldn’t debate her.
“Yeah, you don’t have enough intelligence,” Greene hit back, spurring a round of boos and jeers from committee members.
Crockett is a first-term member of Congress from the Dallas area and, while not a member of the progressive “Squad,” often is allied with its members, including Ocasio-Cortez.
Comer struggled to control the situation. After some discussion of parliamentary procedure, Comer ruled that Greene’s dig lacked decorum but did not violate rules against attacking other members. Greene agreed to strike her words but refused to apologize.
Crockett then raised a point of order with an alliterative insult seemingly aimed at Greene.
“I’m just curious, just to better understand your ruling, if someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody’s bleach-blonde, bad-built, butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?”
“A what now?” a stunned Comer replied.
Comer, who wears hearing aids, said the shouting and crosstalk made it difficult for him to quell the unfolding brouhaha as Ocasio-Cortez later moved to strike Greene’s remarks insulting her intelligence.
“I’m not understanding, everybody’s yelling, I’m doing the best I can,” he said.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, the committee’s ranking member, also tried to get a handle on the chaos.
“We’re happy to revive our motion to adjourn, Mr. Chairman,” Raskin joked. “I think these 17-hour days might not work for us.”
The barb-trading then returned to Goldman, who served as a counsel for Trump’s first impeachment trial. GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida knocked Goldman as a “trust fund kid.” Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico also charged that members of Congress in the room not on the committee were drinking alcohol in the chamber well.
“I think my body’s pretty good. I’m going to be 50 this month,” Greene said before the hearing moved on to a vote over whether she would be barred from speaking for the rest of the hearing.
That motion failed, though Greene’s one-time ally and now adversary, GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, joined Democrats in voting in favor.
The hearing lasted over three hours, ending with the committee moving to advance the contempt proceedings against Garland.
SUPPORT FOR 19TH AMENDMENT DECREASES SHARPLY BB.com 17 May 24
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As tempers flared among girl congressmen on Capitol Hill yesterday, all male congressmen found themselves in unprecedented agreement that the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was clearly a mistake.
Stern-faced congressmen glanced at each other in silent unity as multiple girl congressmen erupted into a shameful shouting match during a House Oversight Committee hearing, with all the men sharing the same sentiment that granting women the right to vote and hold office was a severe miscalculation.
"Yeah, the 19th Amendment was a mistake," said Democrat Representative Jamie Raskin. "Back in 1920, I don't think our predecessors had the foresight that this would eventually be the result. We've got to do something to roll things back so we can silence the hen house here."
In a surprising moment of bipartisanship, congressmen from both sides of the aisle agreed. "There's no point in debating it at this point, we all know the 19th is destroying the country," said Arizona Republican Paul Gosar. "It's time for all of us men to come together — Democrats and Republicans — to right this great wrong in our nation's past."
Male congressmen reportedly had their staffers hard at work making plans to meet together at a bar later to get some peace and quiet and iron out some legislation for a change. "It would be nice to get some work done," Raskin said. "We can't even hear ourselves think with all those dames squawking like crazy."
At publishing time, male congressmen were preparing a new motion to have the girl congressmen relegated to a special soundproof girl congressman area.
I've observed over the last decade the attacks of the elites on selected segments of their society. This appears to be a common tactic of the supposedly enlightened western civilizations in North America and Europe.
From the vile H. Clinton's "basket of deplorables" and Obama's "clinging" to their religion and guns in 2016; to Biden and essentially all of Congress calling students and others "Hamas supporters" and lawbreakers for protesting genocide; and now this example from Britain; this all about vilification and silencing the citizenry to maintain control.
While difficult to observe, these are all the lasts gasps of the fading empire led by the US. Somewhere out there, if hasn't already happened, is the next Suez Crisis that ends the empire.
It's a paradox, however, that the commoners in America believe that a certifiable member of the 1%, Trump, will be the one to save the country. Whatever he may do in his impulsive, vindictive and egocentric way, he will most definitely never threaten the wealth that corrupts our government. Biden, if elected, will simply continue to be the curator of the corrupt system. At this, the deepest level, the two parties, both corrupt, are giving we the people no choice.
We, the people, don't have to live with the 2 party system. We are only condemned to live with it because we choose to.
While in theory you are right, in practice the two parties do all they can within their power, and it is a lot of power, to make sure that we have no choice. If people would get out in the streets in a rage over the fact that our system is gamed to work against us, then I'd admit change might be coming.
Let's hope so.
My guess, TomR, is that that "next Suez Crisis" is already in the planning and resourcing stage.
One question that keeps popping up is: And which New Empire will Rise and take the place of the all but Declined and soon to be Falling and Failing American Empire?
And when The American Empire begins disintegration, what will happen to The American Experiment in democratically-elected, representative republican government under a Rule of Law before which all Humans are Equal, and in which all Human Rights are honored, respected, and protected?
I don't think the next Suez Crisis will be the one the West is planning; it will happen to them while they're planning whatever it is they think they're going to do. Ukraine and Gaza may have been part of that plan - but we can see how they're working out.
In terms of what comes next? Alfred McCoy the historian suggested in his 2017 book a future of supra national governance led by transnational corporations, enforced by something like NATO, and a Davos/WEF led financial leadership. Obviously that was before Ukraine, COVID, BRICS, etc. Only one thing is clear, it won't be the U.S.
People are starting to feel the collapse in the price of food, the cost of housing, and the bleak futures for them and their children. But the owners still they think they can mask it with diversions like the NFL, Marvel comic movies, and The Masked Singer. Something's going to shatter the attempted illusion - maybe this year's election travesty.
i’m not talking about anything “the West” is planning, TomR. At least not if, by “the west,” You mean the Governments of the US and its allies in Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia.
And it is hard to find any weaknesses in Alfred McCoy’s prediction regarding a Davos/WEF-controlled and NATOized, militarized West. Had he written that book today after The COVID Event, he could accurately include the World Health Organization as another element of the New Regime, as well.
And while the U.S. as a Nation-State Global Empire will no longer be at the top of the heap, that ~ for lack of a better term ~ “New World Order” very definitely WILL include America’s Ruling Political Class, particularly its Elites.
You concluded: “Something's going to shatter the attempted illusion - maybe this year's election travesty.”
Or another 9/11. Or another Pandemic, but one that kills young and healthy people and not old, sick ones like the last one. Or another 2008esque, Too Big To Let Fail financial “¢risi$.”
If those who benefitted most from the first iterations of 9/11, COVID, and/or the “¢risi$” determine and decide that they have even more to gain ~ economically, politically, and, particularly, mass psychologically ~ from a second edition, Who and/or What is going to stop them?
Stop them, for example, from cancelling that election?
And once again, Dennis, Your Daughters are completely correct: You ~ We ~ Boomers have indeed really Fucked Just About EVERYTHING Up. Beyond repair or even salvaging.
But they ~ and their colleagues, cohorts, and compeers of their age ~ are old enough now that they have begun their part in continuing to Fuck Everything Up even further.
And at some point down the road, Their Children will say to Them the same things They are saying to You today: "MOM, IT'S NOT YOUR WORLD ANYMORE" and "YOU HAVE REALLY FUCKED IT ALL UP...!"
Rule of law of the repressor repressing the oppressed. The MIC needs to end. Wars feed the mitary industrial complex which than feeds the politicians. They rub each others backs while we are taxed to keep it all going. We also send our children to war to die or return messed up. This system of elite empire feed by war and destruction must end. It will be interesting to see what evolves as present empire expires. Could we imagine a world living in peace where the rule of law isn't empire based but rather humanity based.
I have reached a point where the horror of all the evil our country imposes on others leaves me speechless and utterly sad and depressed. The daily bombardment of lies by our oligarch owned Mainstream Press has left this country ( and I fear the entire planet) hopelessly and helplessly bereft of any possibility of improving this nightmare situation of death and destruction along with the destruction of all life on this planet deliberately allowed by the oil,coal and gas companies along with those who run the companies that create machines and poisons that kill everything - every type of animal including human, all plants - including everything edible found on land or sea. The news is full of stories of purposeful death, torture and betrayal. I am now, along with my longtime anti-Americanism, now also anti-Israelist. I find it difficult to decide which Government I despise more. Both governments are as corrupt as it is possible to be, and the citizens of each country have been imbued by their educational systems to go along with whatever their corrupt leaders tell them. Critical thinking has been killed off. Both Americans and Israelis are capable of seeing daily news casts of 100's of thousands of children being murdered or tortured by starvation or other cruelties and believing somehow that this is the fault of the children and their parents so we have no responsability to stop this, while the minority who speak out against it are arrested, beaten or attacked in multiple other ways. (University presidents have devised several unique forms of financial torture for poor young people)
I see no end to this because almost everyone I know has decided to let it go on. Elections are coming in a few months and it appears that almost everyone in this country has decided NOT to try to change anything, but to vote for one of the two most corrupt politicians this country has ever produced. The same goes for Israel. The citizens of both countries prefer to have very old evil men as their ruler than even consider taking a chance on someone who appears noticeably less corrupt. (There are several out there.) Our lying corrupt education system has won out and the students have graduated with a degree in believing lies and being afraid of opposing the criminals who run their lives.
P.S. I just read this quote from West Point Modern War Institute "War happens when a society or its leader is unaccountable, ideological, uncertain, biased or unreliable." Biden fills all those traits, and so does Trump, and we're supposed to choose?
Not only have all recent American Presidents had one or more of those traits and characteristics.
So is American Civil Society, its Economy, and its whole system of Politics, Government, and Governance in different parts "unaccountable, ideological, uncertain, biased, and/or unreliable."
Very well said, ranney.
And You are correct that Biden and Trump both have one or more of those traits or characteristics. As did each of America's recent previous Presidents: Obama, Cheney/Bush II, Clinton, Bozo and Bush I, and The Peanut Farmer.
And notice that the U.S. was at war someplace with somebody about something during each of those Presidents' reigns
And as far as Who to Choose? Consider "None Of These Candidates."
According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Write-in_candidate:
Forty-one states and the District of Columbia allow write-in votes on their ballots, including for president;
Arkansas, New Mexico and South Carolina allow write-in candidates for some offices but not for president;
Mississippi allows write-in votes only to substitute a candidate listed on the ballot who was removed, withdrew or died;
Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada, Oklahoma and South Dakota do not allow any write-in votes.
The alternative to Write-In voting is get "None Of These Candidates" officially listed thru established State-specific procedures on every ballot for every federal election in every State.
And for a little history and resume of NOTC, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/None_of_These_Candidates .
Particularly the section entitled "Notable impact on elections."
You're very welcome, Dennis. Pay particular attention to that section on election impacts of NOTC.
Before enlightening us with Your judgement of the West Point Modern War Institute and what it is REALLY saying, Dennis, i suggest You learn a little bit about the organization and its publication.
A good place to start that would be to read at least the first few paragraphs of the article ranney cited: THE FIVE REASONS WARS HAPPEN by Christopher Blattman, published by WPMWI on 14 Oct 22.
THE FIVE REASONS WARS HAPPEN
Whether it is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats of nuclear strikes or Chinese belligerence in the Taiwan Strait, the United States seems closer to a great power war than at any time in recent decades. But while the risks are real and the United States must prepare for each of these conflicts, BY FOCUSING ON THE TIMES STATES FIGHT—AND IGNORING THE TIMES THEY RESOLVE THEIR CONFLICTS PEACEFULLY AND PREVENT ESCALATION—ANALYSTS AND POLICYMAKERS RISK MISJUDGING OUR RIVALS AND PURSUING THE WRONG PATHS TO PEACE.
The fact is that fighting—at all levels from irregular warfare to large-scale combat operations—is ruinous and so nations do their best to avoid open conflict. The costs of war also mean that when they do fight countries have powerful incentives not to escalate and expand those wars—to keep the fighting contained, especially when it could go nuclear. This is one of the most powerful insights from both history and game theory: WAR IS A LAST RESORT, AND THE COSTLIER THAT WAR, THE HARDER BOTH SIDES WILL WORK TO AVOID IT.
WHEN ANALYSTS FORGET THIS FACT, NOT ONLY DO THEY EXAGGERATE THE CHANCES OF WAR, THEY DO SOMETHING MUCH WORSE: THEY GET THE CAUSES ALL WRONG AND TAKE THE WRONG STEPS TO AVERT THE VIOLENCE.
Imagine intensive care doctors who, deluged with critically ill patients, forgot that humanity’s natural state is good health. That would be demoralizing. But it would also make them terrible at diagnosis and treatment. How could you know what was awry without comparing the healthy to the sick?
And yet, when it comes to war, most of us fall victim to this selection bias, giving most of our attention to the times peace failed. FEW WRITE BOOKS OR NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT THE WARS THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN. Instead, we spend countless hours tracing the threads of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, America’s invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, or the two world wars. When we do, it distorts our diagnosis and our treatments. For IF WE FOLLOW THESE CALAMITOUS EVENTS BACK TO THEIR ROOT CAUSES AND PRECEDING EVENTS, WE OFTEN FIND A FAMILIAR LIST: BUMBLING LEADERS, ANCIENT HATREDS, INTRANSIGENT IDEOLOGIES, DIRE POVERTY, HISTORIC INJUSTICES, AND A HUGE SUPPLY OF WEAPONS AND IMPRESSIONABLE YOUNG MEN. War seems to be their inevitable result.
Unfortunately, THIS IGNORES ALL THE INSTANCES CONFLICT WAS AVOIDED. WHEN SOCIAL SCIENTISTS LOOK AT THESE PEACEFUL CASES, THEY SEE A LOT OF THE SAME PRECEDING CONDITIONS—BUMBLERS, HATREDS, INJUSTICES, POVERTY, AND ARMAMENTS. ALL THESE SO-CALLED CAUSES OF WAR ARE COMMONPLACE. PROLONGED VIOLENCE IS NOT. So these are probably NOT the chief causes of war.... .
Continued at https://mwi.westpoint.edu/the-five-reasons-wars-happen/ ; EMPHASES added.
Why should You Not assume that the Modern War Institute located in West Point, New York IS a biased source until You know something about it? As in reading an article or 3?
This interview reconfirms an opinion I have held and believe was recommended to Yul Brynner by French writer Jean Cocteau. “Never argue with stupid people. They drag you down to their level and then beat you.” The British Tory MP certainly qualifies as a stupid individual. The young student woman missed the opportunity to respond in a more direct way. I would suggest to disregard the phony Antisemitism charge and the question about Hamas and point out that Israel has been engaged, in one form or another, in ethnic cleansing even before there was a state of Israel or Hamas. There is more than enough available records of various sorts to show that the early Zionists intended to remove the Palestinian people from their land.
Karl, the surest proof that the antisemitism charge is bogus is that Jewish American billionaires such as Bill Ackman, Robert Kraft, Jerry Steinfeld and wife and Sheryl Sandberg, people who have enjoyed the full benefits of being free citizens in America to rise to the top of society, about as far from victims of antisemitism as anyone could be, are the loudest voices proclaiming it to be a problem on which action must be taken. It is the reddest herring that has ever been presented.
"the right to defend itself" is always invoked and is the perfect example of turning things upside down in an attempt to place Israel in a righteous position. Note that it is the very same thing used by gun advocates to arm up as they claim it is all about defending their homes...the right of self-defense used to cover for a threat to everyone, even the gun owner's family members.
The very basis of Zionism is offensive: to take by force the land and expel the natives from Palestine. This has always been true and makes it ridiculous to decry the current settler controlled Knesset as something we should abhor. The settlers are simply stating boldly what Ben Gurion thought and did in 1948 - take the land and expel the natives. This is pure Zionism as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be unless something is done to stop it.
The dishonesty of the Western Media on Gaza is merely a continuation of the dishonesty of the Western Media ~ and the American Government ~ on America's Proxy War with Russia in Ukraine, and, before that, on The Terror Event of September 11, 2001, and The Forever War it spawned in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and so forth.
Empire must end.
tnx for the murray alert, dennis. yes, i can confirm that i persist as a breathing, heart-beating member of the putative congeries of 'homo sapien sapiens' sub-species. nonetheless, it was critical for my questionable 'sanity' [most would classify my membership in that halcyon category as mal-assigned] that i escape for a few days from our present augean stable of shitola and other such dysphoric depredations. so off i ventured on yet another ferry-flounce and island-bounce to remote areas of the philippines where no one could reach me and no electronic devices could contaminate my fevered brain further.
Glad you're back.
I won't say welcome back because who would want to be "welcomed" back to hell.
the suella MP might also be reminded that the semitic-speaking tribes have occupied their lands in palestine longer than the hebrew-speaking tribes have who later inserted themselves into that noble group of semites. also, the present population of zioisraelis are far more infused w/ eastern and european DNA than they are of semitic DNA. the european zionists are the classic invading interlopers.
one more point: when the harridan 'braver-man' [hah! what a farce] faStuously and fatuously pronounced how reliant fiona and her protesting peers are on the usufruct of capitalism [in other words, accusing fiona of being a tartuffe], fiona could, in the future, counter that dismissive and distracting declarative w/: "so, how humanitarian an observation is that? you reveal yourself to engender the values of an uber-consuming promoter of 'stuff' over the value of human life, particularly the vulnerable and their children".
We have a Eurasia with its Putin, an Eastasia with its Xi, and an Oceania with a whole gaggle of Big Brother Wannabes running around, two in particular.
thank you, dennis; irrefutably well-researched, balanced, thought out, and divulgated to the rest of BV's readers.
the overriding question is why this extraordinary, eloquent, mature-beyond-her years spokesman for campus protestors, the 'incroyable' fiona lali, simply elevate her arm until the zioisrael OCD-er braverman, ceased yet another of her rude, invasive interruptions, giving fiona the floor. then fiona could proceed in her erudite, becalmed modus vivendi to address once and for all, braverman's interrogative trope of the anemic, banausic "does israel have a right to exist?" w/ the rejoinder: "yes, as unequivocally as you and i have a 'right to exist'. however, not on land expropriated... at the end of a gun by interloping, racist thugs... from those who have been settled there and cultivated said-land for thousands of years." then if pressed, fiona could have amplified her pronouncement w/: "nor did the european whites have a right to purloin and ravage the indigenous populations of north, central, and south amenrica." that might have zipped the old fartesse's lips.
fiona could also have addressed the MP virago's tiresome inquiry about supporting HAMAS by asseverating, "yes, i support any oppressed groups' 'right to defend themselves' against their occupying, genocidal oppressors, and if you knew your history, you should recall that HAMAS was instaurated w/ seed-funding from netanyahu's thugs back in the 1980s."
i hope that the next time fiona is afforded an interview before a national or international audience, she can asseverate those points.
Totally Off-Topic. But not really. [And this is NOT from The Babylon Bee]... :
FAKE EYELASHES, BLEACH-BLONDE HAIR: HOUSE HEARING DESCENDS INTO INSULT-FILLED CHAOS by Grace Panetta / 19th News 17 May 24
*** The words exchanged, largely among Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jasmine Crockett and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, were sparked by a jab from Greene. ***
Some of the highest-profile women in the House clashed in a chaotic hearing Thursday night, slinging personal insults and frustrating Chairman James Comer, the leader of investigations into the Biden administration that have so far failed to yield any major bombshells.
The yelling match was instigated by GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia at a meeting of the House Oversight Committee. The committee met to consider a motion to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for not releasing the audio recording of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, who led the investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has already released the full transcript of the interview, but the White House on Thursday claimed executive privilege to withhold the recording, a move backed by the DOJ. White House counsel Ed Siskel argued that House Republicans would selectively edit and “distort” the audio for partisan political attacks.
Earlier on Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee voted on a similar motion to hold Garland in contempt. The Oversight panel was set to hold its hearing in the afternoon but delayed it for a group of far-right members who had traveled to New York City to support former President Donald Trump in his ongoing hush-money trial.
Very quickly, the hearing went off the rails. Greene, a Trump ally and far-right member who recently failed to oust the House speaker, made a dig at Rep. Dan Goldman of New York related to the Trump trial. That prompted Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas to ask: “What does that have to do with Merrick Garland?” and, “Do you know what we’re here for?”
“I don’t know you know what we’re doing,” Greene said. “I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading.”
Greene’s dig spurred a heated exchange with Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who called Greene’s comments “absolutely unacceptable” and demanded her words be taken down.
“That is absolutely unacceptable! How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person. Move her words down.”
“Aww, are your feelings hurt?” Greene sarcastically asked.
“Oh girl, baby girl, don’t even play,” Ocasio-Cortez hit back.
“Baby girl? I don’t think so,” Greene said.
Greene later challenged Ocasio-Cortez on why she wouldn’t debate her.
“I think it’s pretty self-evident,” Ocasio-Cortez replied.
“Yeah, you don’t have enough intelligence,” Greene hit back, spurring a round of boos and jeers from committee members.
Crockett is a first-term member of Congress from the Dallas area and, while not a member of the progressive “Squad,” often is allied with its members, including Ocasio-Cortez.
Comer struggled to control the situation. After some discussion of parliamentary procedure, Comer ruled that Greene’s dig lacked decorum but did not violate rules against attacking other members. Greene agreed to strike her words but refused to apologize.
Crockett then raised a point of order with an alliterative insult seemingly aimed at Greene.
“I’m just curious, just to better understand your ruling, if someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody’s bleach-blonde, bad-built, butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?”
“A what now?” a stunned Comer replied.
Comer, who wears hearing aids, said the shouting and crosstalk made it difficult for him to quell the unfolding brouhaha as Ocasio-Cortez later moved to strike Greene’s remarks insulting her intelligence.
“I’m not understanding, everybody’s yelling, I’m doing the best I can,” he said.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, the committee’s ranking member, also tried to get a handle on the chaos.
“We’re happy to revive our motion to adjourn, Mr. Chairman,” Raskin joked. “I think these 17-hour days might not work for us.”
The barb-trading then returned to Goldman, who served as a counsel for Trump’s first impeachment trial. GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida knocked Goldman as a “trust fund kid.” Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico also charged that members of Congress in the room not on the committee were drinking alcohol in the chamber well.
“I think my body’s pretty good. I’m going to be 50 this month,” Greene said before the hearing moved on to a vote over whether she would be barred from speaking for the rest of the hearing.
That motion failed, though Greene’s one-time ally and now adversary, GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, joined Democrats in voting in favor.
The hearing lasted over three hours, ending with the committee moving to advance the contempt proceedings against Garland.
Source: https://19thnews.org/2024/05/house-hearing-fight-insults-greene-crockett-aoc/
Nice to know Congress is working to address our most vital concerns.
But this is... :
SUPPORT FOR 19TH AMENDMENT DECREASES SHARPLY BB.com 17 May 24
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As tempers flared among girl congressmen on Capitol Hill yesterday, all male congressmen found themselves in unprecedented agreement that the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was clearly a mistake.
Stern-faced congressmen glanced at each other in silent unity as multiple girl congressmen erupted into a shameful shouting match during a House Oversight Committee hearing, with all the men sharing the same sentiment that granting women the right to vote and hold office was a severe miscalculation.
"Yeah, the 19th Amendment was a mistake," said Democrat Representative Jamie Raskin. "Back in 1920, I don't think our predecessors had the foresight that this would eventually be the result. We've got to do something to roll things back so we can silence the hen house here."
In a surprising moment of bipartisanship, congressmen from both sides of the aisle agreed. "There's no point in debating it at this point, we all know the 19th is destroying the country," said Arizona Republican Paul Gosar. "It's time for all of us men to come together — Democrats and Republicans — to right this great wrong in our nation's past."
Male congressmen reportedly had their staffers hard at work making plans to meet together at a bar later to get some peace and quiet and iron out some legislation for a change. "It would be nice to get some work done," Raskin said. "We can't even hear ourselves think with all those dames squawking like crazy."
At publishing time, male congressmen were preparing a new motion to have the girl congressmen relegated to a special soundproof girl congressman area.
Source: https://babylonbee.com/news/the-19th-amendment-was-a-mistake-think-all-male-congressmen-simultaneously .
Now you're talking!
Fishermen in Gloucester had a saying -
"All fishermen are liers except me and you. And I'm not sure about you."