The inevitable end result of our last 56 years

[Jeff Carter]

2 hours ago, W. Niederhut said:

Chris,

     Since you have mentioned Mearsheimer again, I'm re-posting Princeton historian Stephen Kotkin's explicit disagreement with Mearsheimer's opinions about Russia, NATO, and the current Ukraine crisis.

     (We discussed this six months ago, and I'm rolling the rock back up the hill.)

     As an aside, I just finished reading Mikhail Bulgakov's 1925 novel, The White Guard, about the Ukrainian civil war in 1918.  Ukrainian nationalists were fighting Russians a century ago.

     Sadly, there's a lot of bad blood there, which Putin has taken to a whole new level.

You’ve got to be kidding. Kotkin’s “explicit disagreement” amounts to determining:

- internal processes within Russia are responsible for historic patterns of autocracy, internal repression, militarism, and xenophobia. These processes and patterns are eternal and endemic to the Russian nation-state. It is therefore NATO’s responsibility to “deal” with Russia -  to defeat it through war, followed by the dismemberment of the Russian nation-state and the dissolution of its “internal processes”.   

 

That is some seriously unhinged craziness. Why would you repost this? Surely you do not endorse this counter-factual madness? Is it not a historic fact that the Western European countries invaded Russia numerous times? (I.e. Napoleon, England’s Crimean adventure, the Nazis…)

I will contrast that war-mongering loopiness with the extremely rational analysis by the US Ambassador to Russia William Burns writing in February 2008, which underscores the basic correctness of Realists in the Mearshimer-Kennan mold:

"NATO enlargement, particularly to Ukraine, remains "an emotional and neuralgic" issue for Russia, but strategic policy considerations also underlie strong opposition to NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia.  In Ukraine, these include fears that the issue could potentially split the country in two, leading to violence or even, some claim, civil war, which would force Russia to decide whether to intervene."

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08MOSCOW265_a.html

[Kirk Gallaway]

I remember when the rumors about U.S. Biological weapons labs in Ukraine first went around. Then I saw Tucker Carlson perpetuate it, saying that we put labs in other countries to avoid treaty obligations. He implied it was sort of like having other countries do our dirty work. Now they're striking this up again.

The areas of East Europe, where East meets West have always been a fertile ground for some neo n-z- movements. Some periods have been more problematical than others.

I was recently in Sarajevo, I did a tour and also went to their Holocaust Museum from  their civil war in the 90's. The tour guide and the fellow in the Museum reaffirmed some of the same information. They still have  neo n-z-s in Bosnia Herzgovina and there still is some occasional tension. The tour guide  wanted everyone to know that there were many centuries of religious tolerance in Sarajevo, with all the major religions living in peace very close to each other like no other city in Europe.

One fact you'd never hear much from West Europeans, until more recently. They both told me there's been no trust of Putin  practically anywhere in East Europe for decades and  that as much as they deplore Putin's invasion of Ukraine, and they were both just happy he didn't invade them.

We hear about the 86 day siege of Mariupal. But back in the 90's Sarajevo  was under siege for 1425 days, or 4 years!, and their only supply lines  were through a narrow tunnel.

Edited September 5, 2022 by Kirk Gallaway

[W. Niederhut]

37 minutes ago, Jeff Carter said:

You’ve got to be kidding. Kotkin’s “explicit disagreement” amounts to determining:

- internal processes within Russia are responsible for historic patterns of autocracy, internal repression, militarism, and xenophobia. These processes and patterns are eternal and endemic to the Russian nation-state. It is therefore NATO’s responsibility to “deal” with Russia -  to defeat it through war, followed by the dismemberment of the Russian nation-state and the dissolution of its “internal processes”.  

That is some seriously unhinged craziness. Why would you repost this? Surely you do not endorse this counter-factual madness? Is it not a historic fact that the Western European countries invaded Russia numerous times? (I.e. Napoleon, England’s Crimean adventure, the Nazis…)

 

Princeton professorial craziness, Jeff?  What planet are you living on?  Planet Sputnik?

Do I need to remind you that the Soviets occupied Eastern Europe for decades after 1944-- even sending in tanks to crush nascent democratic movements in Hungary and Czechoslovakia in the 50s and 60s?

Do you think those people want to live under Moscow's thumb?

Now the Baltic states and other formerly occupied territories are literally tearing down their Lenin statues and Soviet monuments.  And the former Warsaw Pact nations are extremely grateful for NATO protection.  No one has compelled them to join NATO.  They're desperate to join.  You would be, too, if you lived in Lithuania.

So, you are misrepresenting NATO's role in defending liberty and freedom from Putin's fascist, totalitarian yoke-- misrepresenting NATO as the military aggressor.

But the 2022 aggression in Ukraine is Putin's fault.  Period.  He invaded Ukraine, bombing civilian targets, and exfiltrating Ukrainian civilians to his Gulag.  He's a war criminal, by choice.

Do you also deny that Putin is a dictator who now controls the Russian media, and incarcerates political opposition leaders?  A man who has been openly contemptuous of liberal democracy?

 

 

Edited September 5, 2022 by W. Niederhut

[Douglas Caddy]

 

Judge Cannon 'engaged herself in obstruction of justice': Experts sound the alarm on Trump documents ruling - Raw Story - Celebrating 18 Years of Independent Journalism

[Douglas Caddy]

I get Trump solicitations constantly by email. They have me confused with someone else. Here is the latest, which you may find interesting:

 

Patriot,   Former President Trump is going on the offensive and appears to be launching a full-scale fight against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). We here at the America First Policy Institute are joining the fight.    I’m sure you already know the backstory:    The FBI recently raided former President Trump’s home in what could be politically-motivated.    This ordeal should paint a clear picture for us: The deep state is real, and we can’t afford to sit around playing defense while the FBI raids a former President’s home.    We MUST go on the offensive.     And that’s exactly what I plan to do. Will you help me?    Our country is at risk of crumbling into a banana republic run by the most radical leftists in America and an invulnerable deep state. WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FIGHT BACK!    When the news broke, our entire team sprung into action to respond. Within 48 hours, we filed more than 50 Freedom of Information Act requests to expose the Biden Administration and find out who knew what and when.     But I assure you, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is not going to hand over information easily, and we may have to battle with the DOJ for months or even YEARS to uncover the truth fully.    We CANNOT sustain our efforts without you…   Will you chip in before it’s to help ensure our efforts can continue?    Let me back up.    My name is Matt Whitaker…     I was appointed acting United States Attorney General under former President Trump.    In that role, I protected Law and Order both at home and abroad.   Today I am Co-Chair of the Center for Law & Justice at the America First Policy Institute, where we strive to protect and preserve the rule of law in this great Nation.     Together, we will fight back against the radical Left and end its unjust weaponization of the FBI.     The team at America First Policy Institute is the best in the Nation, and we’re ready to make a HUGE difference for our country—ESPECIALLY when it comes to uncovering the truth regarding the FBI raid.    I hope you’ll consider sending in a donation of $25, $35, or $50 today.     Sincerely,    Matt Whitaker  Co-Chair, Center for Law & Justice  America First Policy Institute    P.S. We’ve seen it time and time again. Castro’s Cuba. Stalin's Russia. poopoo Germany. Mao’s China. Great nations fall to tyranny when governments weaponize law enforcement against patriots and political opponents. I’ll fight with every breath to make sure that America doesn’t have the same fate. Will you?   DONATE NOW!

America First Policy Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Tax ID # 85-4202763.

[Benjamin Cole]

6 hours ago, Greg Doudna said:

BERNIE, The Guardian, 9/2/22.

 

---

The US has a ruling class – and Americans must stand up to it
In the year 2022, three multibillionaires own more wealth than the bottom half of American society – 160 million Americans. This is unsustainable.

Bernie Sanders
Fri 2 Sep 2022

Let’s be clear. The most important economic and political issues facing this country are the extraordinary levels of income and wealth inequality, the rapidly growing concentration of ownership, the long-term decline of the American middle class and the evolution of this country into oligarchy.

We know how important these issues are because our ruling class works overtime to prevent them from being seriously discussed. They are barely mentioned in the halls of Congress, where most members are dependent on the campaign contributions of the wealthy and their Super Pacs. They are not much discussed in the corporate media, in which a handful of conglomerates determine what we see, hear and discuss. 

So what’s going on? 

We now have more income and wealth inequality than at any time in the last hundred years. In the year 2022, three multibillionaires own more wealth than the bottom half of American society – 160 million Americans. Today, 45% of all new income goes to the top 1%, and CEOs of large corporations make a record-breaking 350 times what their workers earn. 

Meanwhile, as the very rich become much richer, working families continue to struggle. Unbelievably, despite huge increases in worker productivity, wages (accounting for real inflation) are lower today than they were almost 50 years ago. When I was a kid growing up, most families were able to be supported by one breadwinner. Now an overwhelming majority of households need two paychecks to survive. 

Today, half of our people live paycheck to paycheck and millions struggle on starvation wages. Despite a lifetime of work, half of older Americans have no savings and no idea how they will ever be able to retire with dignity, while 55% of seniors are trying to survive on an income of less than $25,000 a year. 

Since 1975, there has been a massive redistribution of wealth in America that has gone in exactly the wrong direction. Over the past 47 years, according to the Rand Corporation, $50 trillion in wealth has been redistributed from the bottom 90% of American society to the top 1%, primarily because a growing percentage of corporate profits has been flowing into the stock portfolios of the wealthy and the powerful. 

During this terrible pandemic, when thousands of essential workers died doing their jobs, some 700 billionaires in America became nearly $2 trillion richer. Today, while the working class falls further behind, multibillionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson are off taking joyrides on rocket ships to outer space, buying $500 million super-yachts and living in mansions with 25 bathrooms. 

Disgracefully, we now have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any developed nation on Earth and millions of kids, disproportionately Black and brown, face food insecurity. While psychologists tell us that the first four years are the most important for human development, our childcare system is largely dysfunctional – with an inadequate number of slots, outrageously high costs and pathetically low wages for staff. We remain the only major country without paid family and medical leave. 

In terms of higher education, we should remember that 50 years ago tuition was free or virtually free in major public universities throughout the country. Today, higher education is unaffordable for millions of young people. There are now some 45 million Americans struggling with student debt. 

Today over 70 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured and millions more are finding it hard to pay for the rising cost of healthcare and prescription drugs, which are more expensive here than anywhere else in the world. The cost of housing is also soaring. Not only are some 600,000 Americans homeless, but nearly 18 million households are spending 50% or more of their limited incomes on housing. 

It’s not just income and wealth inequality that is plaguing our nation. It is the maldistribution of economic and political power. 

Today we have more concentration of ownership than at any time in the modern history of this country. In sector after sector a handful of giant corporations control what is produced and how much we pay for it. Unbelievably, just three Wall Street firms (Blackrock, Vanguard and State Street) control assets of over $20 trillion and are the major stockholders in 96% of S&P 500 companies. In terms of media, some eight multinational media conglomerates control what we see, hear and read. 

In terms of political power, the situation is the same. A small number of billionaires and CEOs, through their Super Pacs, dark money and campaign contributions, play a huge role in determining who gets elected and who gets defeated. There are now an increasing number of campaigns in which Super Pacs actually spend more money on campaigns than the candidates, who become the puppets to their big money puppeteers. In the 2022 Democratic primaries, billionaires spent tens of millions trying to defeat progressive candidates who were standing up for working families. 

Dr Martin Luther King Jr was right when he said: “We must recognize that we can’t solve our problem now until there is a radical redistribution of economic and political power” in America. That statement is even more true today. 

Let us have the courage to stand together and fight back against corporate greed. Let us fight back against massive income and wealth inequality. Let us fight back against a corrupt political system. 

Let us stand together and finally create an economy and a government that works for all, not just the 1%. 

U.S.

Hillary Clinton Robbed Bernie Sanders Of The Democratic Nomination, According to Donna Brazile---Newsweek

BY GREG PRICE ON 11/2/17 AT 9:09 AM EDT

 

Forgotten (actually buried) chapter of Donk history. 

 

You never got the chance to vote for Bernie Sanders. 

 

 

 

[Benjamin Cole]

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner (Donk) claims that unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena are a “threat” that is increasing “exponentially”.

“At a time when cross-domain transmedium threats to United States national security are expanding exponentially, the Committee is disappointed with the slow pace of DoD-led efforts to establish the office to address those threats,” Warner writes in the report.

https://www.congress.gov/117/crpt/srpt132/CRPT-117srpt132.pdf#page=12

Be afraid, very, very afraid. Even of flying saucers. 

The Donk Senator said threats are increasing "exponentially" ! 

 

[Ron Bulman]

13 minutes ago, Douglas Caddy said:

I get Trump solicitations constantly by email. They have me confused with someone else. Here is the latest, which you may find interesting:

 

Patriot,   Former President Trump is going on the offensive and appears to be launching a full-scale fight against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). We here at the America First Policy Institute are joining the fight.    I’m sure you already know the backstory:    The FBI recently raided former President Trump’s home in what could be politically-motivated.    This ordeal should paint a clear picture for us: The deep state is real, and we can’t afford to sit around playing defense while the FBI raids a former President’s home.    We MUST go on the offensive.     And that’s exactly what I plan to do. Will you help me?    Our country is at risk of crumbling into a banana republic run by the most radical leftists in America and an invulnerable deep state. WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FIGHT BACK!    When the news broke, our entire team sprung into action to respond. Within 48 hours, we filed more than 50 Freedom of Information Act requests to expose the Biden Administration and find out who knew what and when.     But I assure you, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is not going to hand over information easily, and we may have to battle with the DOJ for months or even YEARS to uncover the truth fully.    We CANNOT sustain our efforts without you…   Will you chip in before it’s to help ensure our efforts can continue?    Let me back up.    My name is Matt Whitaker…     I was appointed acting United States Attorney General under former President Trump.    In that role, I protected Law and Order both at home and abroad.   Today I am Co-Chair of the Center for Law & Justice at the America First Policy Institute, where we strive to protect and preserve the rule of law in this great Nation.     Together, we will fight back against the radical Left and end its unjust weaponization of the FBI.     The team at America First Policy Institute is the best in the Nation, and we’re ready to make a HUGE difference for our country—ESPECIALLY when it comes to uncovering the truth regarding the FBI raid.    I hope you’ll consider sending in a donation of $25, $35, or $50 today.     Sincerely,    Matt Whitaker  Co-Chair, Center for Law & Justice  America First Policy Institute    P.S. We’ve seen it time and time again. Castro’s Cuba. Stalin's Russia. poopoo Germany. Mao’s China. Great nations fall to tyranny when governments weaponize law enforcement against patriots and political opponents. I’ll fight with every breath to make sure that America doesn’t have the same fate. Will you?   DONATE NOW!

America First Policy Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Tax ID # 85-4202763.

The grifter at work again.

[Matt Allison]

Trump is going to be indicted.

At this date though, Garland wasn't going to do it this close to an election anyway; now a mere 9 weeks away. So this disgraceful stunt the banana republic judge pulled will not really delay the inevitable all that much. The Ides of November will arrive no matter what.

[Greg Doudna]

1 hour ago, Benjamin Cole said:

U.S.

Hillary Clinton Robbed Bernie Sanders Of The Democratic Nomination, According to Donna Brazile---Newsweek

BY GREG PRICE ON 11/2/17 AT 9:09 AM EDT

 

Forgotten (actually buried) chapter of Donk history. 

 

You never got the chance to vote for Bernie Sanders. 

 

There were machinations, and the superdelegates were heavily for Hillary, and the main argument for Hillary was supposedly electability in the general election against Trump--when I watched and followed for months Bernie always ahead of Clinton in polling matchups against Trump. Polls showed from early right on through to voting day that Bernie would clobber Trump by high single digits, and Hillary also would defeat Trump but by low single digits, less than Bernie. That's what the polls showed, not once or twice but all the time, week after week, month after month--that Bernie was more electable. And yet there was fear among middle-of-the-road grassroots Democrats that it was too risky to go with Bernie, that the threat of Trump was too important to take a chance on the guy who all the polls kept showing would beat Trump by more than Hillary. So, take no chances, nominate Hillary. Did not turn out well (even though Hillary did win the popular vote by low single digits in accord with polling projections).

Of course Bernie was an outsider, not tapped by party insiders to run, not a billionaire financial backer in sight. The nerve--he just announced and started getting votes and small donations--millions and millions of small donations-- outfundraised Clinton with not a billionaire donor in sight for Bernie, all on small donations, unprecedented in American political history.

I was one of those repetitive small donors, worked on the local Bernie campaign, was voted by my precinct caucus as a Bernie delegate. Just broke my heart when Bernie won primary after primary, almost did it, but in the end came up short. Could not quite swing it to carry California, a couple of other things. 

Now Bernie is in his eighties, his days of running for president over but he remains in the Senate. I continue getting the emails from his office. 

Here is one of my favorite clips of Bernie from those days of 2016, just something I saved, good message for young people:

 

 

 

 

[Ron Bulman]

1 hour ago, Matt Allison said:

Trump is going to be indicted.

At this date though, Garland wasn't going to do it this close to an election anyway; now a mere 9 weeks away. So this disgraceful stunt the banana republic judge pulled will not really delay the inevitable all that much. The Ides of November will arrive no matter what.

+

[Kirk Gallaway]

Thanks Greg, Doesn't that capsulate what Bernie's got going for him that no one else has to near the degree?

All this ginned up hype of fear that the"Deep State" allegedly has of Trump that his  complete political neophyte followers  claim on their first rodeo. Multiply that by 10 and you would see the true deep state coming out the wood works in the October before any Presidential election where Bernie was the Democrat nominee. Though that's not to say that all those interests are illegitimate but first, they have to be brought out in the open. .

 

[Benjamin Cole]

3 hours ago, Greg Doudna said:

There were machinations, and the superdelegates were heavily for Hillary, and the main argument for Hillary was supposedly electability in the general election against Trump--when I watched and followed for months Bernie always ahead of Clinton in polling matchups against Trump. Polls showed from early right on through to voting day that Bernie would clobber Trump by high single digits, and Hillary also would defeat Trump but by low single digits, less than Bernie. That's what the polls showed, not once or twice but all the time, week after week, month after month--that Bernie was more electable. And yet there was fear among middle-of-the-road grassroots Democrats that it was too risky to go with Bernie, that the threat of Trump was too important to take a chance on the guy who all the polls kept showing would beat Trump by more than Hillary. So, take no chances, nominate Hillary. Did not turn out well (even though Hillary did win the popular vote by low single digits in accord with polling projections).

Of course Bernie was an outsider, not tapped by party insiders to run, not a billionaire financial backer in sight. The nerve--he just announced and started getting votes and small donations--millions and millions of small donations-- outfundraised Clinton with not a billionaire donor in sight for Bernie, all on small donations, unprecedented in American political history.

I was one of those repetitive small donors, worked on the local Bernie campaign, was voted by my precinct caucus as a Bernie delegate. Just broke my heart when Bernie won primary after primary, almost did it, but in the end came up short. Could not quite swing it to carry California, a couple of other things. 

Now Bernie is in his eighties, his days of running for president over but he remains in the Senate. I continue getting the emails from his office. 

Here is one of my favorite clips of Bernie from those days of 2016, just something I saved, good message for young people:

 

 

 

 

It may shock some here, but I always regarded Bernie S. as the best and most honest candidate for the Presidency in recent years. 

 

[Joe Bauer]

12 hours ago, Douglas Caddy said:

I get Trump solicitations constantly by email. They have me confused with someone else. Here is the latest, which you may find interesting:

 

Patriot,   Former President Trump is going on the offensive and appears to be launching a full-scale fight against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). We here at the America First Policy Institute are joining the fight.    I’m sure you already know the backstory:    The FBI recently raided former President Trump’s home in what could be politically-motivated.    This ordeal should paint a clear picture for us: The deep state is real, and we can’t afford to sit around playing defense while the FBI raids a former President’s home.    We MUST go on the offensive.     And that’s exactly what I plan to do. Will you help me?    Our country is at risk of crumbling into a banana republic run by the most radical leftists in America and an invulnerable deep state. WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FIGHT BACK!    When the news broke, our entire team sprung into action to respond. Within 48 hours, we filed more than 50 Freedom of Information Act requests to expose the Biden Administration and find out who knew what and when.     But I assure you, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is not going to hand over information easily, and we may have to battle with the DOJ for months or even YEARS to uncover the truth fully.    We CANNOT sustain our efforts without you…   Will you chip in before it’s to help ensure our efforts can continue?    Let me back up.    My name is Matt Whitaker…     I was appointed acting United States Attorney General under former President Trump.    In that role, I protected Law and Order both at home and abroad.   Today I am Co-Chair of the Center for Law & Justice at the America First Policy Institute, where we strive to protect and preserve the rule of law in this great Nation.     Together, we will fight back against the radical Left and end its unjust weaponization of the FBI.     The team at America First Policy Institute is the best in the Nation, and we’re ready to make a HUGE difference for our country—ESPECIALLY when it comes to uncovering the truth regarding the FBI raid.    I hope you’ll consider sending in a donation of $25, $35, or $50 today.     Sincerely,    Matt Whitaker  Co-Chair, Center for Law & Justice  America First Policy Institute    P.S. We’ve seen it time and time again. Castro’s Cuba. Stalin's Russia. poopoo Germany. Mao’s China. Great nations fall to tyranny when governments weaponize law enforcement against patriots and political opponents. I’ll fight with every breath to make sure that America doesn’t have the same fate. Will you?   DONATE NOW!

America First Policy Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Tax ID # 85-4202763.

Shameless begging!

A billionaire asking the little people to pay his bills!

Yet, the little people willingly send their hard earned or fixed income dollars.

Trump etal. just chuckle and say...if they're so stupid to keep sending me their money...I gotta keep milking em.

[Douglas Caddy]

 

Watch: New footage shows fake Trump elector escorting Sidney Powell allies into county election office (msn.com)