Reflections from the Heart of the Empire: Foundations Crack
and goats on the lam
The Israeli Government sanctioned the Israeli newspaper Haaretz after it published an editorial accusing the Government of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.
According to the Washington Post, Israeli reservists are increasingly refusing to show up when called on to do their bit for Eretz Israel.
Maybe that’s why Israel just agreed to a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon, though they bombed Lebanese civilians up until the very last minute because that’s what genocidal maniacs do. (below: apartment building in Beirut)
Ukraine has run out of “willing recruits.” Now they are drafting men who are legally blind, and veteran soldiers are too tired to give a damn. As one of them told The Economist,
In 2022, I was ready to tear the Russians apart with my teeth. In 2023, I just needed rest. This year? I almost couldn’t give a fuck.
Over a million Brits signed an online petition demanding new elections just months after Labour won the last one because a head of lettuce is clearly a better choice than Keir Starmer, and Parliament is required to hold a debate on the matter. I quiver with anticipation. (Below: Starmer posing as…I don’t know! But it sure doesn’t look natural)
Maybe eliminating heating subsidies for seniors, imposing a 20% inheritance tax on family farms, unabashedly supporting a genocide, and poking the Russian bear to kowtow to Blackrock aren’t popular with the British people. Who knew?
Romanian voters shocked the US Empire by eliminating the two long-dominant legacy parties in the first round of parliamentary elections.
In Austria, a “far-right” party in favor of ending sanctions on Russia won a plurality in parliamentary elections. Isn’t it interesting that whenever an anti-establishment party wins in the West, it is always called “right-wing?”
Ever wonder why the Chinese are able to invest so much in the developing world while those same nations are rejecting US Empire overtures? Well, if the Chinese offer you a $3.5 billion port and the Americans offer to sell you some trains made in 1985, as happened in Peru, which one would you pick?
French President Emmanuel Macron’s government survived a no confidence vote only with the support of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally Party.
Remember when American Democrats and British Labourites told us that Le Pen was a Nazi and Macron was a great guy? Yeah, so do I.
Comcast announced that it will be dumping USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and the Golf Channel into a new, completely separate from NBC company called…wait for it…Spinco. How perfect is that? Anyway, Comcast is getting rid of them because nobody watches them anymore.
But wait! There’s more! Joe Rogan asked Elon Musk if he could take over Rachel Maddow’s slot on the soon to be former MSNBC if if the South African gazillionaire buys the network, and Musk replied “Deal.”
Please gods, let it happen. I think I feel anticipatory schadenfreude.
Speaking of Joe Rogan, he slammed both Biden and Zelensky for risking nuclear war. His advice to Biden,
There should be some sort of pause for significant actions that could potentially start World War III. Maybe that would be a good thing that we would like to avoid from a dying former president.
Democrats have finally given up on their failed 8 year lawfare campaign against Donald Trump.
Trump’s Cabinet picks keep coming fast, furious, and contradictory. There are everything from neocon warmongers to anti-imperialists, members of the Blob in good standing to determined reformers. The question is whom will have the most influence, and nobody, not Trump, not the appointees themselves, not me, and not you or anyone on social media, knows the answer yet.
The anti-imperialist Broad Front won presidential elections in Uruguay, tossing the US-backed neoliberals out of power.
One bright spot: As of this writing, Ukraine has fired no more ATACMS missiles into Russia after that one Russian demonstration of their new kinetic energy weapon. Is MAD back? I certainly hope so. It was our best friend during the Cold War, and it has a proven track record.
Finally, police in Kent, Washington detained two goats after they had wandered around the town having a great time chasing pedestrians. No charges were filed since they were just kidding around.
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At my house, we send those who make bad puns to their room. Go to your room. Also, bwah!
Hillary, especially, seemed to think that if she just referred to Trump as a convicted felon enough times, we would give a flying F about whatever she said. All I thought was that Hillary should be a convicted felon.
I was just remembering when Dems would whinge about the GOP having more media outlets than they did. Radio, whatever. So now, they managed to turn all of @MSM into lying lap dogs - and they still lost. Deeds, not empty words. IMO, the Dems will never really understand that enough to actually do that. They think in terms of better lies, that's all. That is their platform and mission.
Either the West's dimwit murderous leaders grew up playing with G.I. Joe and do not understand that war and death are real - or perhaps they need to be given G.I. Joe sets and sent to their rooms and not play with real people's lives.
How I know I may be getting old - when I type G.I. Joe, I think about a guy named Joe who has gastrointestinal issues. Or is an internal medicine doctor. I blame pharma TV advertising.
Netanyahu, I think I read, is only accepting a cease-fire so that Israel can concentrate on killing Palestinians.
Oh, also! Happy Thanksgiving to everybody!
I am going to try and stay away from YouTube. I can't fix anything dire anyway. Or maybe just click a lot on babies and pets and Big Bang and Nate Bargatze so my algorithm is not filled with strife and sorrow.
So - I scored BOGO frozen turkey breasts from Publix (the only barely affordable way to get them, but I just do not like anything else turkey-wise) and there is champagne and pinot grigio, and all the usual stuff, green bean casserole, etc. Two years ago I would have been avidly reading the Dollar Tree $15 Thanksgiving dinner article, so yeah, I have stuff to be thankful for!
And special thanks to OB, for all you give us.