Reflections from the Heart of the Empire: The Bells Toll a Song of Collapse

Plus a crazy Russian(NOT Putin) and rampaging camels

• In a devastating blow to the US Empire, Saudi Arabia announced it will not renew the 50 year long contract it signed with Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon in 1974 to sell oil only in American dollars.

• The petrodollar is dead, and Joe Biden killed it by weaponizing the dollar against Russia. For a deep dive into this, Jimmy Dore has a great 15 minute discussion on it. Very basically, this is what will happen:

• Oblivious to what the Saudis were about to spring, Genocide Joe Biden eloquently laid out his vision for US Empire foreign policy in Normandy on the 80th anniversary of D-Day by saying,

Freedom—worth it. Democracy—worth it. America—worth it. Then, now, and always. We cannot surrender to the bullies; it is simply unthinkable. If we do, freedom will be subjugated, all Europe will be threatened.

• In totally unrelated news, back in America, if the election were held today…

• That’s right. Trump is within striking distance of Biden in New York, partly due to a surge in support for him, or at least revulsion for Biden with Black and Latino voters there, resulting in Democratic ads aimed at rural white voters to try to offset the swing.

• Crack Hunter Biden, Genocide Joe’s son, was convicted of being so stupid even the national security state couldn’t protect him from himself.

• Also because the Empire managers want you to think that the American justice system is fair after all the lawfare waged on Trump, and Hunter was told he had to take one for the Family because he’s been fucking up for decades, but fair?

• My sense of symmetry is comforted by Hunter’s conviction. Now we have the first convicted criminal running for president against an incumbent criminal who damned well should have been convicted whose son is a convicted chip off the old block. It’s like Beavis and Butthead Meet the Sopranos.

• The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that sexual abuse of Palestinians is standard operating procedure for the Israeli Army in Gaza.

• Meanwhile, most European voters concluded that the establishment parties of the Ukraine War, inflation, censorship, wokeness, the Green Grift, and the WEF just plain suck. (Renew is Macron’s party, BTW)

  

• French President Macron’s party lost so bad he decided to call snap elections before the French built a snap guillotine in Paris.

• The New York Times said that a Patriot missile defense system was going to be deployed to Ukraine from Poland. The Poles said it wasn’t going anywhere.

• There has been much ado lately of one Russian frigate and one nuclear submarine visiting Havana, and of one American nuclear submarine visiting Guantanamo. All I can say is

• American and Russian ships have been visiting Cuba at the same time for over 60 years. They haven’t shot at each other once, and they’re not about to start now. Both the US Empire and Russia are using these visits now to hype up fear or patriotic sentiment or to distract you from other shit they really are doing, but this isn’t a thing you have to worry about. It’s damned near routine.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Ukraine must withdraw its troops from all of the former Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia before meaningful peace talks can begin.

• This isn’t much of a much, since Russia already controls about 90% of the territory in question and the rest is, well, the front line.

• Meanwhile, Russian Duma Deputy Vitaly Milonov proposed closing all Russian sex shops and dropping all their sex toys on Ukraine, which is consistent with all the other puritanical shit he has called for. It’s nice to know the Russians have their crazies, too. Nostrovia, Vitaly!

• Finally, two camels escaped from the petting zoo in the Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, and went on a strolling rampage which injured absolutely no one before they returned home. PETA said the animals panicked because of all the noise and petting they are subjected to every day. I guess this is what panicked, rampaging camels look like:

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

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