Reflections from the Heart of the Empire: Silly World Leaders and Serious Natural Calamities

Plus a weird nomination, new divestment from Israel, and a cat

• The Libertarian Party nominated 38 year old Chase Oliver to be its 2024 presidential candidate. Oliver is gay, and his platform is typical Libertarian stuff, including “removing the regulatory burden on the pharmaceutical industry” and solving the health care crisis by health savings accounts(I swear I just heard George Bush). Meh.

• Whenever you see a rainbow flag coming, you know there’s some serious bullshit behind it.—Kurt Metzger

• Oliver’s not your Ron Paul-style Libertarian. He reportedly supported Covid lockdowns and mask mandates, which doesn’t sound very libertarian to me.

• Cleveland’s historic St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Church, famous for it wedding scene in The Deerhunter, caught on fire yesterday. The fire was mostly contained to the roof where welders had been working.

• It’s a beautiful church and a cultural treasure, built in 1911. Personally, I’d rather see the $15 million in taxpayer dollars the Cleveland Browns want go to restore that church.

• Speaking of fires, there have been several incidents of engines on Boeing jets catching fire in the last two weeks(just search for “Boeing engine fire”). Well, at least their gross negligence is consistent. How would you like to look out your window in flight and see this?

• I don’t fly anymore unless I absolutely, positively have to, and then it will be on a plane made in France. Any questions as to why?

• The pier the US built in Gaza fell apart in a storm on Tuesday. I’m so proud. American engineering is second to none when it comes to collapsing bridges and piers and such.

Before After

• Compare and contrast to this Roman aqueduct that has been functioning for 2000 years. Those Romans simply did not understand planned obsolescence, which is why American engineering is superior.

• “As we recognize the state of Palestine, we must, at the same time, derecognize the state of Israel, because those are the two sides of the same coin.”  —Zolani Mkiva, South African MP. I really have no problem with that.

• Donald Trump said he would have bombed both Moscow and Beijing if Ukraine and Taiwan had been attacked on his watch.

• Nobody except Democratic partisans believe that. Not me, not Putin, not Xi, and most definitely not Trump himself. Remember he is first and foremost a carnival barker.

• The University of Copenhagen has decided to divest itself from all firms operating in occupied Palestinian territory.

• Belgium has opened a probe into “Russian interference” in EU Parliament elections. Well, golly gee whiz, where have I heard that one before? I wonder if Hillary is getting a commission for selling that line to gullible Europeans. I bet she is, for methinks I hear a cackle.

• France has lifted the state of emergency in New Caledonia, although a curfew remains and the indigenous people have not budged on their demand to keep new, mostly wealthy and mostly French, immigrants from voting in local elections.

• Georgia’s Parliament overrode a presidential veto of its foreign agent, law, requiring all NGOs with foreign funding to register as foreign agents. It seems a lot of Georgians don’t want a CIA-sponsored color revolution.

• Iceland’s Blue Lagoon volcano has erupted, forcing the evacuation of the spa there and the nearby town of Grindavik.

• Over 400,000 Texans are without power in the Dallas area after a series of severe storms rolled through the area.

• Yup, that thar was some serious wind. Mysteriously, there were no reports of politicians blowing hot air at the time in that region.

• Homeless people have been evicted from Edinburgh, Scotland, to make sure that tourists come to see Taylor Swift, the most mediocre top woman singer in country music history, are not forced to look upon material reality.

• The Biden Administration has proposed tariffs on Mexican tomatoes, which if passed will increase the price by about 21%. I love tomatoes. It’s bad enough the price of eggs has doubled. Democrats, this in not the way to win votes.

• Big Pharma has begun a push for bird flu “vaccines.” No doubt they will try to make them mandatory. Fun fact #1: There has never been an effective vaccine for influenza, and probably never will be one because the virus mutates so quickly.

• Fun fact #2: If you have had bird flu before, and if you’re older than about 10 you probably have, then you are already partially immune. Don’t let them scare you.

• Delhi, India has been enduring a suffocating heat wave with temperatures reaching almost 50C(122F). At least 60 people have died.

• Whatever happened to only mad dogs and Englishmen going out in the noon day sun?

• German Chancellor Olaf Sholz said that Ukraine won’t be able to join NATO for “at least another 30 years.” Plain English translation: Ukraine, you ain’t NEVER gonna join NATO, so get over it. But we’ll keep letting y’all die in job lots so long as our MIC is making Big Bucks.

• North Korea is now attacking South Korea with balloons carrying garbage. I’m not sure what this is supposed to accomplish in the South, but it’s certainly an innovative way to dispose of one’s trash.

• I would like to give my special thanks to all of my new subscribers over the last 30 days or so, in particular to those in the UK(11 of you!), Canada, Morocco, Algeria, Kenya, Ireland(finally!), France, Spain, Germany, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Austria, Australia, Thailand, India, South Africa, Nigeria, Italy, Switzerland, and Romania. In the US, thank you to new subscribers in 42 states, with my first subscription from Big Sky country in Montana. You are all greatly appreciated!

• Finally, firefighters in Washington state rescued a cat named Blue which had somehow managed to get its head stuck in a tire.

  

Thank you for reading, good day, and as always, good luck.