Unfortunately, Blinken/Nuland/Sullivan/Austin/Biden (along with half-wits like Lindsey Graham and the war mongering press, namely the NYT and Washington Post) are all radical neocons. For them there is only one acceptable outcome--the destruction and break-up of Russia. Each time they are facing a new turning point in the war, they double down and send additional weapons which before were deemed not in play. They have decided to play nuclear chicken with Russia, and they clearly don't give a damn about the possible consequences. The inmates are running the asylum.
Amazing isn't it, a foreign policy team even worse than Donald Trumps'. It's a very scary team of sociopaths that live in their own self-made disinformation bubble. I am wondering how many more double downs they have left in store.
I agree wholeheartedly, Bill, about the point at which talks can begin. It will be a fairly fleeting moment during which both sides can claim to have met objectives. May the leaders on both sides have the wisdom and courage to press for an end to the conflict. Before, as you observe, the consequences ripple outward.
"Let both sides declare victory as they hash out a compromise that ends the killing and destruction"
Ukraine agreed to a peace deal over a year ago but never held up their end of the bargain.
In Africa Vladimir Putin recently showed off a peace agreement that was signed in March 2022 by Ukraine last year when peace talks were hosted in Turkey.
It was called the Treaty on Permanent Neutrality and Security Guarantees of Ukraine.
And Russian troops actually started to pull out of the Kyiv area as required by the Treaty....
But what happened? Boris Johnson happened. The Biden Administration happened. The E.U. happened. All of these Western governments showed up to talk Ukraine out of this.
Good analysis of the military aspects of this. I sincerely pray that a point arrives at which both sides can call it a win and end this thing, however, I am not confident the US has the moral compass to do that.
The shooting war counteroffensive must be going badly for Ukraine since we don't hear much about it. The PR war of course is unabated. Note the recent hit song by Tony and the Blinkens: "All we are saying, is give war a chance". (sarc)
ADVANCING LIBERTY: 4 ESSENTIAL, FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES by Michael Boldin / Tenth Amendment Center 112122 [Part 1 of 2]
The “American revolution” was about much more than the war for Independence. In fact, as John Adams noted, the revolution was “effected before the war commenced.”
A “radical Change in the Principles, Opinions, Sentiments and Affection of the People” was the “real American Revolution.”
If we’re going to go from the largest government in history today – to a true “land of the free,” we’ll need to lean in on some of the wisdom and strategy of the founders and old revolutionaries.
Here are 4 essential principles to help the people set the foundation for the Constitution and liberty – whether the government wants us to, or not.
~ 1. RIGHTS ARE NOT GIFTS FROM GOVERNMENT.
It’s not really “liberty” if it requires a government-issued permission slip.
When it comes to the founders and old revolutionaries, that means we’re talking about natural rights.
Samuel Adams put it this way in 1772: “Among the natural rights of the Colonists are these: First, a right to life; Secondly, to liberty; Thirdly, to property; together with the right to support and defend them in the best manner they can. These are evident branches of, rather than deductions from, the duty of self-preservation, commonly called the first law of nature.”
In 1776, John Dickinson reminded us that “our liberties do not come from charters, for these are only a declaration of pre-existing rights.”
And Thomas Paine noted that “it is a perversion of terms to say that a charter gives rights.”
~ 2. CONSTITUTIONS DON’T ENFORCE THEMSELVES.
They never did and they never will.
Writing in support of ratification, Dickinson, who was a primary author of the Articles of Confederation, acknowledged that even the best constitution can only “promote” a “good administration,” but it cannot guarantee it.
In Federalist 48, James Madison lamented that many seemed to rely on the ability of documents to restrain government power. But he wrote that such a “parchment barrier” could never do the job on its own: “A mere demarcation on parchment of the constitutional limits of the several departments, is not a sufficient guard against those encroachments which lead to a tyrannical concentration of all the powers of government in the same hands.”
In short – something else is needed to keep a government in check beyond pointing them to the rules they’re supposed to follow.
~ 3. IT’S UP TO THE PEOPLE TO DEFEND THEIR OWN CONSTITUTION AND THEIR OWN LIBERTY.
Whether the government wants them to, or not.
Dickinson emphasized that enforcement of the Constitution is ultimately up to “the supreme sovereignty of the people”: “IT IS THEIR DUTY TO WATCH, AND THEIR RIGHT TO TAKE CARE, THAT THE CONSTITUTION BE PRESERVED; Or in the Roman phrase on perilous occasions—TO PROVIDE, THAT THE REPUBLIC RECEIVE NO DAMAGE.” (all caps in original)
Thomas Jefferson put it this way: “A free people claim their rights, as derived from the laws of nature, and not as a gift of their chief magistrate.”
And future supreme court justice James Iredell summed it up like this during the North Carolina ratifying convention: “The only resource against usurpation is the inherent right of the people to prevent its exercise.”
Not just a mere good idea, or something to try after everything else fails. The ONLY resource.
Here’s the “but”
~ 4. IT’S NOT GOING TO BE EASY. OR FAST.
To go from the largest government in history to an actual “land of the free”
In a 1790 letter to his friend, the Rev. Charles Clay, gave us the strategy: “The ground of liberty is to be gained by inches.”
Each step forward needs to be relentlessly followed by another, and another, and another: “We must be contented to secure what we can get from time to time, and eternally press forward for what is yet to get.”
There is no silver bullet to take down the empire – it will take tireless fortitude and perseverance, because, as Jefferson knew, it takes time to persuade the people “to do even what is for their own good.”
Facing the monster state of today isn’t going to be easy – we won’t, as Jefferson noted, go “from despotism to liberty in a feather-bed.”
But as the old saying goes, duty is ours.
A lot of people seem to prefer sugar-coating how bad things are, especially at a time like this when every message we get is about choosing team A over team B (or vice versa) for the fate of everything under the sun.
But we prefer to be straight-shooters.
When it gets down to it, Thomas Paine summed it up best: “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.”
And/Or, as Yogi Berra once put it: “Gee, It seems like deja-vu all over again.” And as somebody else will no doubt be sounding the alarm soon: “CHI-COMMS 90 miles from the Florida coast!!!” {Anybody know how close that puts them to Mar-a-Lago?]... :
A CHINESE LISTENING POST IN CUBA: WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE US by Peter Zeihan 062023
The news of a “new” Chinese listening post in Cuba sparks the question: why is Cuba so important to the US? No, we’re not talking about cigars. We’re talking about Cuba’s role in American strategic planning.
With control of the Florida Straits and the Straits of Yucatán, Cuba commands access to the Gulf of Mexico. For those who need a refresher, the gulf is critical to American power, capital generation, agriculture, and energy, second only to the Mississippi system. Hence the whole Cuban Missile Crisis back in the day.
Now I’m not worried about China playing any significant role in Cuba because they’ve had this post for years and China cannot command power at a distance. However, this doesn’t mean things won’t get interesting with Cuba. There are only a few ways that I could see this playing out.
Option one is the diplomatic route of bringing Cuba into the North American family or even NAFTA. Option two is the military route, which would involve America’s favorite pastime of overthrowing the government and/or occupation. OR Cuba and the US can meet somewhere in the middle and play a good ole fashion game of economic warfare.
In all reality, the US will probably just wait this out…unless a real threat to American security decides to try its luck.
Or as SNL’s The Church Lady might have once put it: “How bloody, fricking con-VEEN-ient.” But what the hell? With the elimination of the National Sovereign Debt Ceiling deal crafted by our fearless leaders in Swampland, who among the American people care? They’re not paying for any of this… :
PENTAGON SAYS ‘ACCOUNTING ERROR’ PROVIDES EXTRA $6.2 BILLION IN UKRAINE MILITARY AID:
The Pentagon claims it overestimated the value of weapons it sent to Ukraine by Dave DeCamp / antiwar.com 0620
The Pentagon on Tuesday claimed that an “accounting error” has freed up an additional $6.2 billion to spend on military aid for Ukraine.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters that weapons sent to Ukraine from US military stockpiles using the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) were overvalued by using the cost to replace the arms rather than the depreciated value.
“In a significant number of cases, services used replacement costs rather than net book value, thereby overestimating the value of the equipment drawn down from US stocks and provided to Ukraine,” Singh said.
Reports first surfaced in May that said the Pentagon may have overvalued weapons it was sending to Ukraine. At the time, the estimate was that the error would account for at least $3 billion in new funds for Ukraine, which has more than doubled.
ELECTIONS ARE LIKE A TOY STEERING WHEEL FOR BABIES: by Caitlin Johnstone 062223
Part 1 of 2:
Voting in a western “democracy” is like that bit in the opening intro of The Simpsons when Marge is driving with the baby and the baby has a toy steering wheel. The baby thinks she’s driving the car but it’s just a fake toy to keep her busy and let her feel like she’s participating.
--- ALL THE WORST ATROCITIES IN HUMAN HISTORY HAVE BEEN PERPETRATED OR PERMITTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE WHO PERPETRATED THEM. NONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST EVIL PEOPLE ARE IN PRISON. THE LAW ISN’T THERE TO PROTECT YOU FROM BAD PEOPLE, IT’S THERE TO PROTECT BAD PEOPLE FROM YOU.
THAT’S WHY YOU SHOULD ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS BE DISTRUSTFUL OF ALL EFFORTS TO EXTEND THE LAW AND EXPAND GOVERNMENT POWER OVER YOU. IT’S NOT HAPPENING BECAUSE YOUR GOVERNMENT WANTS TO HELP YOU. YOUR GOVERNMENT IS NOT YOUR FRIEND.
--- Republicans push war with China while sometimes acting as skeptics on Russia warmongering, Democrats push war with Russia while sometimes acting as skeptics on China warmongering. This creates the illusion of opposition while giving the war machine everything it wants.
Which happens to be the job of the two-party system: creating the illusion of having a democratic choice between two opposing parties while ensuring that both parties advance the same overall agendas.
--- The best advice I can offer about US-China tensions is to ignore the words and watch the actions. Ignore what officials say about wanting peace and supporting the One China policy, and just watch all the US war machinery that’s being rapidly added to the areas surrounding China.
THE US EMPIRE IS BETTER AT INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE MANIPULATION THAN ANY POWER STRUCTURE THAT HAS EVER EXISTED IN HUMAN HISTORY, but what they can’t spin away is the concrete maneuverings of solid pieces of war machinery, because they are physical realities and not narratives.
--- Trump’s recent comments about taking Venezuela’s oil are another good illustration of THE REAL REASON MAJOR FACTIONS OF THE IMPERIAL BLOB DISLIKE TRUMP. IT’S NOT BECAUSE HE’S “ANTI-WAR” OR “FIGHTING THE DEEP STATE” (HE ISN’T) — IT’S BECAUSE HE’S A SLOPPY EMPIRE MANAGER WHO MAKES THE MACHINE LOOK AS UGLY AS IT IS AND CAN’T BE TRUSTED TO KEEP THE QUIET PARTS QUIET.
--- Gotta hand it to the empire for successfully duping rightists into believing anti-communism is somehow an anti-establishment position and not the exact same pro-establishment position that was propagandized into their parents, their grandparents, and their great-grandparents.
“Oh you’re an anti-establishment rebel are you? What does that look like in practice?”
‘Hating communism, being mean to people whose sexuality is different from mine, and voting Republican.’
“Ah. So pretty much just being a conservative and supporting the establishment, then?” …….
--- IT’S ACTUALLY KIND OF ADORABLE HOW THE PENTAGON HAS GOTTEN SO COMFORTABLE SUCKING OUT FUNDS FOR KILLING RUSSIANS THAT IT’S NOW AT A POINT WHERE IT JUST GOES “OH HEY LOOK, WE JUST FOUND A FEW BILLION DOLLARS LYING AROUND ON THE GROUND! OH WELL, MIGHT AS WELL THROW IT AT UKRAINE!”
--- Many people who are suspicious of our ruling power structures hold an assumption that our world is being micromanaged by a shadowy cabal of elite “Thems” whose sinister plans dictate every major event in our world, but it really doesn’t work like that. Conspiracies among the powerful happen of course, but most of the ugly things we see are more the result of a blind confluence of mutually reinforcing forces like capitalism, the US empire’s push for unipolar hegemony, war profiteering, and partisan politics.
It’d probably actually be better for us if the world really was being tightly controlled by a small cabal of elites instead of being blindly driven by a convergence of unthinking power interests, because at least such a cabal wouldn’t be imperiling their own lives by pushing nuclear brinkmanship and environmental destruction like a bunch of idiots.
--- INNER WORK IS A SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVERYONE WHO IS CAPABLE OF IT. HUMANITY’S EVOLUTIONARY AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE HAS LEFT US ALL FULL OF TRAUMA AND DYSFUNCTION, AND IF YOU’VE GOT THE TIME AND RESOURCES TO HELP CLEAR YOUR SHARE OF THAT FROM OUR SPECIES YOU REALLY SHOULD. I’m not saying you have to spend years in the Himalayas, or even go to therapy if that’s not where it’s at for you, but you ught to do something to bring consciousness and healing to your inner processes rather than just letting unconscious conditioning pilot your whole life.
It also happens that WORKING ON YOURSELF AND CLEARING YOUR UNCONSCIOUS BULLSHIT WILL MAKE YOU A LOT HAPPIER AND LEAD TO MUCH WISER DECISIONS AND A MUCH BETTER LIFE. SO THERE’S REALLY NO REASON YOU SHOULD KEEP COASTING ALONG AND STILL BE THE SAME PERSON TEN YEARS FROM NOW THAT YOU ARE TODAY.
War in the 21st Century, The Age of Transparency: Providing press releases detailing upcoming strategic moves, weeks in advance. Is there anyone who didn't know about Ukraine's counteroffensive a month ago? US generals have been talking about it publicly at least that long. Kind of like artillery barrages in WWI ... Whatever happened to, um, what was it called? The element of surprise? Old school stuff, I guess.
Further irrefutable evidence that the Decline of the American Empire ~ and with it, the Nation-State of the United States of America ~ has all but ended, and that its Fall has all but begun. Almost like it was planned, or something…:
MORE BAD NEWS FOR TEST SCORES: 13-YEAR-OLDS SEE MAJOR DROP IN READING AND MATH by Lexi Lonas 062123
Experts say the culture shock and whiplash from the extended period of remote classes is only one of the psychological and academic factors behind rises in student behavior problems.
Math and reading scores have taken another blow as schools struggle to rein in pandemic learning loss, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
Average math scores for 13-year-olds fell nine points from the 2019-2020 academic year to the current one, according to the NAEP’s Nation’s Report Card. Average reading scores fell four points over the same time.
Average scores for 13-year-olds in reading are at their lowest point since 2004 — and in mathematics since 1990. But for the lowest-performing students, scores in math are thrown back to 1978, while reading has dropped to levels seen before 1971.
“The ‘green shoots’ of academic recovery that we had hoped to see have not materialized, as we continue to see worrisome signs about student achievement and well-being more than two years after most students returned for in-person learning,” said NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr about the national test scores, which were released early Wednesday morning.
Robert F Kennedy, Jr delivered a Foreign Policy speech in New Hampshire Tuesday nite that bears watching and listening to. A video of the speech is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZUZZTtZw_s .
Unfortunately, Blinken/Nuland/Sullivan/Austin/Biden (along with half-wits like Lindsey Graham and the war mongering press, namely the NYT and Washington Post) are all radical neocons. For them there is only one acceptable outcome--the destruction and break-up of Russia. Each time they are facing a new turning point in the war, they double down and send additional weapons which before were deemed not in play. They have decided to play nuclear chicken with Russia, and they clearly don't give a damn about the possible consequences. The inmates are running the asylum.
The most corrupt US administration ever
"Doolally Biden destroyed the China peace initiative before his envoy Blinker had even unpacked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY6IAX21IT8
Amazing isn't it, a foreign policy team even worse than Donald Trumps'. It's a very scary team of sociopaths that live in their own self-made disinformation bubble. I am wondering how many more double downs they have left in store.
I agree wholeheartedly, Bill, about the point at which talks can begin. It will be a fairly fleeting moment during which both sides can claim to have met objectives. May the leaders on both sides have the wisdom and courage to press for an end to the conflict. Before, as you observe, the consequences ripple outward.
America hasn't won a war since 1946. It's not relevant. Feeding the machine is.
Cheers
"Let both sides declare victory as they hash out a compromise that ends the killing and destruction"
Ukraine agreed to a peace deal over a year ago but never held up their end of the bargain.
In Africa Vladimir Putin recently showed off a peace agreement that was signed in March 2022 by Ukraine last year when peace talks were hosted in Turkey.
It was called the Treaty on Permanent Neutrality and Security Guarantees of Ukraine.
And Russian troops actually started to pull out of the Kyiv area as required by the Treaty....
But what happened? Boris Johnson happened. The Biden Administration happened. The E.U. happened. All of these Western governments showed up to talk Ukraine out of this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rgcw52a6sg&t=14s
Good analysis of the military aspects of this. I sincerely pray that a point arrives at which both sides can call it a win and end this thing, however, I am not confident the US has the moral compass to do that.
The shooting war counteroffensive must be going badly for Ukraine since we don't hear much about it. The PR war of course is unabated. Note the recent hit song by Tony and the Blinkens: "All we are saying, is give war a chance". (sarc)
Heh. Triple-Plus Good One.
Chris Hedges: NATO has DESTROYED Ukraine Destruction and Waged War on Free Speech
Chris Hedges explains the roots of the backlash on journalists that has occurred since the Ukraine conflict began in February 2022.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYJC6B9vefw
ukraine has not come close to any aspect of breeching russian federation prepared defensive lines.
they have been decimated by atgm armed skirmishers backed by ground attack aviation, preregistered arty, and set/on call anti armor mines.
further russian isr and ew degraded ukraine advance preparation and control.
even if air superiority were attempted, and the infrastructure for that hugely more than f-16, russia has answer.
we may see the shift toward defense, and the rewriting of basics of maneuver warfare.
with further questions about the us’ huge investment in deep strike and doctrine.
it seems some in us army are studying.
that said in late 1970’s novel just such tactics as seen here were used to stop a Soviet advance in fulda
U.S. : We are determined to fight until the LAST Ukrainian !
What the damned hell ever happened to that thing they call NEGOTIATION!
Ohhh, guessing that isn't POLITICALLY ACCEPTABLE F ME
ADVANCING LIBERTY: 4 ESSENTIAL, FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES by Michael Boldin / Tenth Amendment Center 112122 [Part 1 of 2]
The “American revolution” was about much more than the war for Independence. In fact, as John Adams noted, the revolution was “effected before the war commenced.”
A “radical Change in the Principles, Opinions, Sentiments and Affection of the People” was the “real American Revolution.”
If we’re going to go from the largest government in history today – to a true “land of the free,” we’ll need to lean in on some of the wisdom and strategy of the founders and old revolutionaries.
Here are 4 essential principles to help the people set the foundation for the Constitution and liberty – whether the government wants us to, or not.
~ 1. RIGHTS ARE NOT GIFTS FROM GOVERNMENT.
It’s not really “liberty” if it requires a government-issued permission slip.
When it comes to the founders and old revolutionaries, that means we’re talking about natural rights.
Samuel Adams put it this way in 1772: “Among the natural rights of the Colonists are these: First, a right to life; Secondly, to liberty; Thirdly, to property; together with the right to support and defend them in the best manner they can. These are evident branches of, rather than deductions from, the duty of self-preservation, commonly called the first law of nature.”
In 1776, John Dickinson reminded us that “our liberties do not come from charters, for these are only a declaration of pre-existing rights.”
And Thomas Paine noted that “it is a perversion of terms to say that a charter gives rights.”
~ 2. CONSTITUTIONS DON’T ENFORCE THEMSELVES.
They never did and they never will.
Writing in support of ratification, Dickinson, who was a primary author of the Articles of Confederation, acknowledged that even the best constitution can only “promote” a “good administration,” but it cannot guarantee it.
In Federalist 48, James Madison lamented that many seemed to rely on the ability of documents to restrain government power. But he wrote that such a “parchment barrier” could never do the job on its own: “A mere demarcation on parchment of the constitutional limits of the several departments, is not a sufficient guard against those encroachments which lead to a tyrannical concentration of all the powers of government in the same hands.”
In short – something else is needed to keep a government in check beyond pointing them to the rules they’re supposed to follow.
Source: https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2022/11/21/advancing-liberty-4-essential-foundational-principles/ .
[Part 2 of 2]
~ 3. IT’S UP TO THE PEOPLE TO DEFEND THEIR OWN CONSTITUTION AND THEIR OWN LIBERTY.
Whether the government wants them to, or not.
Dickinson emphasized that enforcement of the Constitution is ultimately up to “the supreme sovereignty of the people”: “IT IS THEIR DUTY TO WATCH, AND THEIR RIGHT TO TAKE CARE, THAT THE CONSTITUTION BE PRESERVED; Or in the Roman phrase on perilous occasions—TO PROVIDE, THAT THE REPUBLIC RECEIVE NO DAMAGE.” (all caps in original)
Thomas Jefferson put it this way: “A free people claim their rights, as derived from the laws of nature, and not as a gift of their chief magistrate.”
And future supreme court justice James Iredell summed it up like this during the North Carolina ratifying convention: “The only resource against usurpation is the inherent right of the people to prevent its exercise.”
Not just a mere good idea, or something to try after everything else fails. The ONLY resource.
Here’s the “but”
~ 4. IT’S NOT GOING TO BE EASY. OR FAST.
To go from the largest government in history to an actual “land of the free”
In a 1790 letter to his friend, the Rev. Charles Clay, gave us the strategy: “The ground of liberty is to be gained by inches.”
Each step forward needs to be relentlessly followed by another, and another, and another: “We must be contented to secure what we can get from time to time, and eternally press forward for what is yet to get.”
There is no silver bullet to take down the empire – it will take tireless fortitude and perseverance, because, as Jefferson knew, it takes time to persuade the people “to do even what is for their own good.”
Facing the monster state of today isn’t going to be easy – we won’t, as Jefferson noted, go “from despotism to liberty in a feather-bed.”
But as the old saying goes, duty is ours.
A lot of people seem to prefer sugar-coating how bad things are, especially at a time like this when every message we get is about choosing team A over team B (or vice versa) for the fate of everything under the sun.
But we prefer to be straight-shooters.
When it gets down to it, Thomas Paine summed it up best: “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.”
Source: https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2022/11/21/advancing-liberty-4-essential-foundational-principles/ .
And/Or, as Yogi Berra once put it: “Gee, It seems like deja-vu all over again.” And as somebody else will no doubt be sounding the alarm soon: “CHI-COMMS 90 miles from the Florida coast!!!” {Anybody know how close that puts them to Mar-a-Lago?]... :
A CHINESE LISTENING POST IN CUBA: WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE US by Peter Zeihan 062023
The news of a “new” Chinese listening post in Cuba sparks the question: why is Cuba so important to the US? No, we’re not talking about cigars. We’re talking about Cuba’s role in American strategic planning.
With control of the Florida Straits and the Straits of Yucatán, Cuba commands access to the Gulf of Mexico. For those who need a refresher, the gulf is critical to American power, capital generation, agriculture, and energy, second only to the Mississippi system. Hence the whole Cuban Missile Crisis back in the day.
Now I’m not worried about China playing any significant role in Cuba because they’ve had this post for years and China cannot command power at a distance. However, this doesn’t mean things won’t get interesting with Cuba. There are only a few ways that I could see this playing out.
Option one is the diplomatic route of bringing Cuba into the North American family or even NAFTA. Option two is the military route, which would involve America’s favorite pastime of overthrowing the government and/or occupation. OR Cuba and the US can meet somewhere in the middle and play a good ole fashion game of economic warfare.
In all reality, the US will probably just wait this out…unless a real threat to American security decides to try its luck.
Continued at https://attackthesystem.com/2023/06/20/a-chinese-listening-post-in-cuba-what-it-means-for-the-us/
Or as SNL’s The Church Lady might have once put it: “How bloody, fricking con-VEEN-ient.” But what the hell? With the elimination of the National Sovereign Debt Ceiling deal crafted by our fearless leaders in Swampland, who among the American people care? They’re not paying for any of this… :
PENTAGON SAYS ‘ACCOUNTING ERROR’ PROVIDES EXTRA $6.2 BILLION IN UKRAINE MILITARY AID:
The Pentagon claims it overestimated the value of weapons it sent to Ukraine by Dave DeCamp / antiwar.com 0620
The Pentagon on Tuesday claimed that an “accounting error” has freed up an additional $6.2 billion to spend on military aid for Ukraine.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters that weapons sent to Ukraine from US military stockpiles using the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) were overvalued by using the cost to replace the arms rather than the depreciated value.
“In a significant number of cases, services used replacement costs rather than net book value, thereby overestimating the value of the equipment drawn down from US stocks and provided to Ukraine,” Singh said.
Reports first surfaced in May that said the Pentagon may have overvalued weapons it was sending to Ukraine. At the time, the estimate was that the error would account for at least $3 billion in new funds for Ukraine, which has more than doubled.
Continued at https://news.antiwar.com/2023/06/20/pentagon-says-accounting-error-provides-extra-6-2-billion-in-ukraine-military-aid/
It's like a Monopoly card: "Bank error in your favor!" :-)
It reminds me of a saying by my 6th grade teacher: "Figures never lie, but liars figure."
ELECTIONS ARE LIKE A TOY STEERING WHEEL FOR BABIES: by Caitlin Johnstone 062223
Part 1 of 2:
Voting in a western “democracy” is like that bit in the opening intro of The Simpsons when Marge is driving with the baby and the baby has a toy steering wheel. The baby thinks she’s driving the car but it’s just a fake toy to keep her busy and let her feel like she’s participating.
--- ALL THE WORST ATROCITIES IN HUMAN HISTORY HAVE BEEN PERPETRATED OR PERMITTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE WHO PERPETRATED THEM. NONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST EVIL PEOPLE ARE IN PRISON. THE LAW ISN’T THERE TO PROTECT YOU FROM BAD PEOPLE, IT’S THERE TO PROTECT BAD PEOPLE FROM YOU.
THAT’S WHY YOU SHOULD ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS BE DISTRUSTFUL OF ALL EFFORTS TO EXTEND THE LAW AND EXPAND GOVERNMENT POWER OVER YOU. IT’S NOT HAPPENING BECAUSE YOUR GOVERNMENT WANTS TO HELP YOU. YOUR GOVERNMENT IS NOT YOUR FRIEND.
--- Republicans push war with China while sometimes acting as skeptics on Russia warmongering, Democrats push war with Russia while sometimes acting as skeptics on China warmongering. This creates the illusion of opposition while giving the war machine everything it wants.
Which happens to be the job of the two-party system: creating the illusion of having a democratic choice between two opposing parties while ensuring that both parties advance the same overall agendas.
--- The best advice I can offer about US-China tensions is to ignore the words and watch the actions. Ignore what officials say about wanting peace and supporting the One China policy, and just watch all the US war machinery that’s being rapidly added to the areas surrounding China.
THE US EMPIRE IS BETTER AT INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE MANIPULATION THAN ANY POWER STRUCTURE THAT HAS EVER EXISTED IN HUMAN HISTORY, but what they can’t spin away is the concrete maneuverings of solid pieces of war machinery, because they are physical realities and not narratives.
--- Trump’s recent comments about taking Venezuela’s oil are another good illustration of THE REAL REASON MAJOR FACTIONS OF THE IMPERIAL BLOB DISLIKE TRUMP. IT’S NOT BECAUSE HE’S “ANTI-WAR” OR “FIGHTING THE DEEP STATE” (HE ISN’T) — IT’S BECAUSE HE’S A SLOPPY EMPIRE MANAGER WHO MAKES THE MACHINE LOOK AS UGLY AS IT IS AND CAN’T BE TRUSTED TO KEEP THE QUIET PARTS QUIET.
--- Gotta hand it to the empire for successfully duping rightists into believing anti-communism is somehow an anti-establishment position and not the exact same pro-establishment position that was propagandized into their parents, their grandparents, and their great-grandparents.
“Oh you’re an anti-establishment rebel are you? What does that look like in practice?”
‘Hating communism, being mean to people whose sexuality is different from mine, and voting Republican.’
“Ah. So pretty much just being a conservative and supporting the establishment, then?” …….
Part 2 of 2:
--- IT’S ACTUALLY KIND OF ADORABLE HOW THE PENTAGON HAS GOTTEN SO COMFORTABLE SUCKING OUT FUNDS FOR KILLING RUSSIANS THAT IT’S NOW AT A POINT WHERE IT JUST GOES “OH HEY LOOK, WE JUST FOUND A FEW BILLION DOLLARS LYING AROUND ON THE GROUND! OH WELL, MIGHT AS WELL THROW IT AT UKRAINE!”
--- Many people who are suspicious of our ruling power structures hold an assumption that our world is being micromanaged by a shadowy cabal of elite “Thems” whose sinister plans dictate every major event in our world, but it really doesn’t work like that. Conspiracies among the powerful happen of course, but most of the ugly things we see are more the result of a blind confluence of mutually reinforcing forces like capitalism, the US empire’s push for unipolar hegemony, war profiteering, and partisan politics.
It’d probably actually be better for us if the world really was being tightly controlled by a small cabal of elites instead of being blindly driven by a convergence of unthinking power interests, because at least such a cabal wouldn’t be imperiling their own lives by pushing nuclear brinkmanship and environmental destruction like a bunch of idiots.
--- INNER WORK IS A SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVERYONE WHO IS CAPABLE OF IT. HUMANITY’S EVOLUTIONARY AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE HAS LEFT US ALL FULL OF TRAUMA AND DYSFUNCTION, AND IF YOU’VE GOT THE TIME AND RESOURCES TO HELP CLEAR YOUR SHARE OF THAT FROM OUR SPECIES YOU REALLY SHOULD. I’m not saying you have to spend years in the Himalayas, or even go to therapy if that’s not where it’s at for you, but you ught to do something to bring consciousness and healing to your inner processes rather than just letting unconscious conditioning pilot your whole life.
It also happens that WORKING ON YOURSELF AND CLEARING YOUR UNCONSCIOUS BULLSHIT WILL MAKE YOU A LOT HAPPIER AND LEAD TO MUCH WISER DECISIONS AND A MUCH BETTER LIFE. SO THERE’S REALLY NO REASON YOU SHOULD KEEP COASTING ALONG AND STILL BE THE SAME PERSON TEN YEARS FROM NOW THAT YOU ARE TODAY.
Source: https://caitlinjohnstone.substack.com/p/elections-are-like-a-toy-steering ; EMPHASES added.
War in the 21st Century, The Age of Transparency: Providing press releases detailing upcoming strategic moves, weeks in advance. Is there anyone who didn't know about Ukraine's counteroffensive a month ago? US generals have been talking about it publicly at least that long. Kind of like artillery barrages in WWI ... Whatever happened to, um, what was it called? The element of surprise? Old school stuff, I guess.
Further irrefutable evidence that the Decline of the American Empire ~ and with it, the Nation-State of the United States of America ~ has all but ended, and that its Fall has all but begun. Almost like it was planned, or something…:
MORE BAD NEWS FOR TEST SCORES: 13-YEAR-OLDS SEE MAJOR DROP IN READING AND MATH by Lexi Lonas 062123
Experts say the culture shock and whiplash from the extended period of remote classes is only one of the psychological and academic factors behind rises in student behavior problems.
Math and reading scores have taken another blow as schools struggle to rein in pandemic learning loss, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
Average math scores for 13-year-olds fell nine points from the 2019-2020 academic year to the current one, according to the NAEP’s Nation’s Report Card. Average reading scores fell four points over the same time.
Average scores for 13-year-olds in reading are at their lowest point since 2004 — and in mathematics since 1990. But for the lowest-performing students, scores in math are thrown back to 1978, while reading has dropped to levels seen before 1971.
“The ‘green shoots’ of academic recovery that we had hoped to see have not materialized, as we continue to see worrisome signs about student achievement and well-being more than two years after most students returned for in-person learning,” said NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr about the national test scores, which were released early Wednesday morning.
Continued at https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4059142-more-bad-news-for-test-scores-us-13-year-olds-see-as-much-as-40-year-drop/ .
Robert F Kennedy, Jr delivered a Foreign Policy speech in New Hampshire Tuesday nite that bears watching and listening to. A video of the speech is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZUZZTtZw_s .
For those not into watching videos, an overview and analysis of the speech in which Kennedy terms himself “The Peace Candidate” is available at https://www.nysun.com/article/rfk-jr-speaking-in-new-hampshire-bills-himself-as-the-peace-candidate .