Understanding the US - Again

[Cyrano]

On the Vivek/Bolton debate, the US has screwed around so much while it was the sole global policeman in a unipolar world, it will be very difficult to undo the damage and rebuild trust.

It cannot isolate since many chicken will come home to roost, neither can it pursue it's interventionist policies in a multi polar world. IMO there are no easy answers.

Perhaps only India can put some tempering influence to prevent the US from getting even more reckless as it's influence declines and as it comes to terms with the rebalancing that's happening and will continue to happen.

That's why even chai biskoot fora like QUAD have some value.

[Mort Walker]

Cyrano-ji,

The plan is simple. The establishment or deep state will divide the world between the US & China. The EU will be embroiled with Russia, India with the Islamists, ME under the control of two US carrier strike groups. East Asia are under the US strategic umbrella. Anyone who challenges the USD supremacy will be crushed. The PRC will happily play along.

[Leonard]

In the Vivek-Bolton TV -- Debate

1. Vivek needs to UP his game & ruthless -- he tries to come across as a "balance beam" ...

2. For Example -- he could SIMPLY have asked Bolton this
a. Who is the USA's #1 enemy today/tomorrow ?
b. If Bolton's ans= Russia -- next Question -- How come the former USSR has shrunk in Landmass since Berlin Wall whereas the Chinese Landmass
Grab has been increasing since WW2
c. if Bolton's ans=China -- next Question -- Why is the USA and US Govt allowing/collaborating with CCP into allow advanced Tech to flow into CCP
related Corp.
3. Hypothetical Question - Mr Bolton - Winnie the Pooh launches Operation Freeeeedom in Taiwan - What will you do as Defense Secretary ?

These type of question - will get the Deep State Honcho's squirming firmly in the hot seat ..

[S_Madhukar]

I guess this only leaves ET or Aliens to sort out the world. Just as long as they don’t land in US as they will be asked to vote in the elections pronto for the Dems !

I think we don’t have any rational actors left among the big powers and best is in the clash of the dinosaurs the little ones must hedge and secure themselves which NaMo is trying. Has happened once before 65M years ago and that is the nature of the world, the meek and pack animals survive not the me myself Dinos

[Vayutuvan]

Blagojevich selected Roland Burris who wasn't favored by Obama & Axelrod, and hence was prosecuted. Trump pardoned Blagovjevich because he had dirt on Obama.

Hmm. Didn't know that. Thanks.

[Cyrano]

The blunder made by Vivek and Republicans in general is to publicly make statements against the deep state. Once you do that, you have painted a huge target on your back all by yourself.

If this deep state is even half as strong as they say, it will do everything possible to make sure you don't win.

Statements like we will cut the bureaucracy jobs by half, dismantle the 3 letter orgs etc etc may get you applause from fans, but not enough votes to win. All said and done, many Americans are proud of their power and how it's wielded by CIA abroad and FBI at home etc etc.

A smarter strategy would have been to focus on what people are really suffering from, promise a few freebies, and ensure that you win first.

Once in the driving seat, what stops you from executing your agenda against the deep state and spinning it in a million ways?

Hopefully Vivek will learn...

[Cyrano]

Mort ji,
Yes that's a possible scenario. But I don't think it will be as simple as that to execute. The rest of the world is getting stronger and there is a real change in global wealth creation dynamic. PRC IMO will face lots of trouble due to it's demographics as will the EU. Bharat is playing it's cards well under MADS.

[Avarachan]

https://unherd.com/2024/10/hurricane-he ... yl-moment/

"Hurricane Helene is America’s Chernobyl moment"
Malcom Kyeyune, October 4, 2024

Bush’s response to Katrina was criticised at the time for being lumberingly slow and ineffective. But the relief effort being mounted now is a pale shadow of what was done a mere 19 years ago, and that makes the silence around this disaster even more ominous.

In 2005, significant planning and resourcing was being carried out days before the storm even made landfall. Ten thousand members of the National Guard had gathered from several states to deal with the damage Katrina was about to cause. The final number who helped with the effort measured closer to 20,000. But those guardsmen did not stand alone: the US Army was preparing to assume overall command of the entire rescue effort through US Northern Command, where its battle staff coordinated response forces over various state lines. The regular Army helped too, including forces from the 82nd Airborne Division and the Army Corps of Engineers.

This time, things are very different. At the time of writing, fewer than 7,000 guardsmen are helping with Helene disaster relief, and there was no equivalent preparation before the storm actually hit. US Northern Command, which can only assume responsibility if it is asked to do so by other government authorities, is not coordinating the overall effort. During Katrina, more than 350 military helicopters were involved with the rescue efforts. This time, in a mountain disaster zone where many more helicopters are needed than in a coastal area, well below 100 helicopters have currently been committed ….

So while it can be said that Bush’s administration fumbled parts of the Katrina relief efforts, they at least did so in the context of America as it existed back then. The planning wasn’t always good, but there was planning. The helicopters didn’t always go to the places they were most needed, but at least they were there in large enough numbers. This is worlds apart from the reality of America in 2024. Today, the institutions are weaker, the deficits are bigger, and the US empire itself — then at the height of unipolarity — is critically overstretched. There aren’t enough helicopters, nor enough troops. A decent portion of the Tennessee National Guard, rather than helping rescue Americans in their own home state, are currently deployed to bases in Kuwait. In 2024, the only way for the US military to source enough men for its various far-flung bases and military commitments is to lean heavily on the National Guard. The Guard is supposed to be the primary muscle when it comes to domestic disaster relief, but as the regular Army is falling apart, there simply aren’t enough resources available anywhere in the system anymore.

[vera_k]

What explains this now?

More Americans identify as Republican than Democrat

Beneath the headline results in many polls, something unusual has turned up with big implications for politics: More voters are calling themselves Republicans than Democrats, suggesting that the GOP has its first durable lead in party identification in more than three decades.

[drnayar]

If anyone wants to understand US state policy this is a good watch . Look at what they spend half their budget on!!

The US military is not for securing its borders etc , the American mil industrial complex has become so big that it literally cannot be audited !

And more than 1000 military bases spanning the globe

[vijayk]

Kamala saying she'll appoint a "Republican" to her cabinet + Liz Cheney campaigning for her + Kamala saying that Iran is the greatest US adversary -> Liz will be put up for SecDef or SecState and another war with Iran. Kamala's signal to neocons/MIC -> Help me win and I will start another war

[Mort Walker]

vijayk-ji,

The defense-aerospace contractors & subcontractors that I do business with are very happy right now. On a late Friday afternoon, parking lots are packed & lots of technicians getting overtime. The service engineers are very busy to meet deadlines & are getting bonuses. If Kamala comes, more hiring will ramp up, pulling some engineers out of retirement or picked up for consulting. Right now if you have any electrical or mechanical engineering expertise with an existing clearance. You can nearly pick your job & location.

[sanman]

Kamala saying she'll appoint a "Republican" to her cabinet + Liz Cheney campaigning for her + Kamala saying that Iran is the greatest US adversary -> Liz will be put up for SecDef or SecState and another war with Iran. Kamala's signal to neocons/MIC -> Help me win and I will start another war

Again - it's the marriage of the Welfare State and the Military-Security State, mid-wifed by the Israel lobby which exists on both sides of the aisle.

That's why Zelensky/Ukraine are now being quickly thrown under a bus, as the Washington elites now run away from Ukraine-Russia War, in order to run toward their newer preferred war against Iran.
This is just like how they ran away from Afghanistan War and towards the Russia-Ukraine War.
Which is just like how they previously ran away from Afghanistan War in 2003, and toward their Iraq Invasion war on Saddam ("Mission Accomplished")

[Vayutuvan]

...On a late Friday afternoon, parking lots are packed & lots of technicians getting overtime.

Mort ji, Trump is promising no tax on overtime.

[sanman]

Vivek Ramaswamy gives back his reply:

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1847858750696411383 ---> This is quite funny: Kathleen Hicks, US Deputy Secretary of Defense, literally says that the US has a very hard time selling the "China threat" to the American public because it's "really hard to demonstrate".

Which makes sense because, as Noam Chomsky once so eloquently put it, the "China threat" is China's very existence: "The China threat is China's existence. The US will not tolerate the existence of a state that cannot be intimidated the way Europe can be, that doesn't follow US orders the way Europe does but pursues its own course. That's the threat." (Src: https://youtu.be/DjjND_ky6t4)

Which obviously is going to be hard to understand for anyone with a functioning brain and a modicum of human decency...

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/Trader_K18/status/1847859732767298010 ---> They cant control China, so China will continue to be a threat.

[drnayar]

posting .. as tragic/funny ..posted elsewhere !!

USA bombing list : the democracy world tour -- Since the end of the second world war
Korea and china - 1950-1953 ( Korean war
Guatemala 1954
Indonesia - 1958
Cuba 1959-1961
Guatemala -1960
Congo - 1964
Laos 1964-1974
Vietnam - 1961-1973
Cambodia- 1969-1970 Guatemala 1967-1969
Grenada -1983
Lebanon -1983-1984 ( both Lebanon and Syria targets )
Libya - 1986
El Salvador - 1980s
Nicaragua- 1980s
Iran - 1987
Panama - 1989
Iraq - 1991 ( Persian gulf war)
Kuwait - 1991
Somalia - 1993
Bosnia 1994-1995
Sudan - 1998
Afghanistan - 1998
Yugoslavia -1999
Yemen - 2002
Iraq - 1991-2003 ( us / uk on regular basis )
Dasis Iraq 2003-2015
Afghanistan - 2001-2015
Pakistan - 2007-2015
Somalia 2007-8 , -2011
Yemen - 2009,2011
Libya - 2011,2015
Syria - 2014-2015

[vijayk]

https://www.piratewires.com/p/how-wikip ... -narrative
How Wikipedia’s Pro-Hamas Editors Hijacked the Israel-Palestine Narrative
a powerful group of editors is hijacking wikipedia, pushing pro-palestinian propaganda, erasing key facts about hamas, and reshaping the narrative around israel with alarming influence

[uddu]

Doug Casey: Flee the USA to Freedom in Argentina

American Capitalists view of the U.S and world

[chetak]

Strap him down and roll up his sleeve and inject him with his own sludge.

Make him fully vaxxed with jabs and boosters and let nature run it's course.


Don’t forget, Bourla is the CEO who didn’t want to get vaccinated with his own product.







https://thepeoplesvoice.tv/pfizer-ceo-f ... d-vaccine/

[Vayutuvan]

https://www.piratewires.com/p/how-wikip ... -narrative
How Wikipedia’s Pro-Hamas Editors Hijacked the Israel-Palestine Narrative
a powerful group of editors is hijacking wikipedia, pushing pro-palestinian propaganda, erasing key facts about hamas, and reshaping the narrative around israel with alarming influence

More here. It is interesting how folks at Wikipedia are c circling the wagons.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia ... or_Notice)

[Vayutuvan]

Also, folks interested in how Wikipedia works and what a cesspool of disinformation it is, take a look at this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia ... y_campaign

This too is about Palestine and some org called CAMERA

On April 21, 2008, the Electronic Intifada (EI) website published allegations that the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) was "orchestrating a secret, long-term campaign to infiltrate the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia to rewrite Palestinian history, pass off crude propaganda as fact, and take over Wikipedia administrative structures to ensure these changes go either undetected or unchallenged." [1] EI published two sets of leaked e-mails from a CAMERA members-only Google Groups mailing list called Isra-pedia, established by a CAMERA staff member [2], [3]. The e-mails have implicated a number of Wikipedia editors.

[Vayutuvan]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Electronic_Intifada

The Electronic Intifada (EI) is an online Chicago-based[1] publication covering the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. It describes itself as not-for-profit, independent, and providing a Palestinian perspective.

History
EI was founded in February 2001[2] by Ali Abunimah, an American citizen of Palestinian descent; Arjan El Fassed, human rights activist based in the Netherlands; Laurie King, an anthropologist and former coordinator of the International Campaign for Justice for the Victims of Sabra and Shatila and the managing editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies in Washington; and Nigel Parry, currently an eclectic Internet consultant, writer and musician based in Pittsburgh.[3]
...

They are given a free pass while some editors were sanctioned saying that they are influenced by CAMERA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee ... in_America

The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) is an American non-profit pro-Israel[2] media-monitoring, research and membership organization. According to its website, CAMERA is "devoted to promoting accurate and balanced coverage of Israel and the Middle East."[3] The group says it was founded in 1982 "to respond to The Washington Post's coverage of Israel's Lebanon incursion", and to respond to what it considers the media's "general anti-Israel bias".[1]

CAMERA is known for its media monitoring and advocacy.[4][5][6] CAMERA releases reports to counter what it calls "frequently inaccurate and skewed characterizations of Israel and of events in the Middle East" that it believes may fuel anti-Israel and anti-Jewish prejudice.[3] The group mobilizes protests against what it describes as unfair media coverage by issuing full-page ads in newspapers,[7] organizing demonstrations,[8] and encouraging sponsors to withhold funds.[8] CAMERA reports it has over 65,000 paying members[9][10] and that 46 news outlets have issued corrections based on their work.[11][self-published source]

Critics of CAMERA claim that it is an ‘extreme Israel advocacy group’,[12] aligned with hawkish rightwing viewpoints; that it pays stipended fellows to write anti-Palestinian articles; and that it employs smear and intimidation tactics, routinely targeting media and journalists critical of Israel and pro-Palestinian activists on campuses.[13][12][14]

[Cybaru]

For republicans in my life, this is for y'all - a republican special.

[Cybaru]

Strap him down and roll up his sleeve and inject him with his own sludge.

Make him fully vaxxed with jabs and boosters and let nature run it's course.

Don’t forget, Bourla is the CEO who didn’t want to get vaccinated with his own product.

isn't this fake?

We know Long lasting plasma cells (LLPC) in the bone marrow which derived from the memory B cells, are the key immune cell that provide longevity to vaccine induced protection. MRNA vaccines are not providing that response. Protien based vaccines are doing a better job. Generally it takes 5-10 years to really understand a vaccine and that is also the time it takes to bring them to market. The short circuited process during covid broke that and there are many answers that are unknown.

https://x.com/vipintukur/status/1851485 ... 30/photo/1

[S_Madhukar]

Niall Ferguson Stuns World Leaders at ARC Australia - "Are we the Soviets now?"
- Cites the Despondency index when citizens don't believe in their system anymore just like the USSR of 80s - hence the rise of socialists
- More deaths by intoxicants like the vodka binge of 80s and 90s destroying Russian TFR
- Elites living well oblivious to the issues of commoners
- Cancel culture


https://youtu.be/IUJMyTJ9gyI?si=9H7Z1P6H2jBCtWhl

[sanman]

Why is the US Dept of Defense quietly authorizing use of lethal force against US citizens?

Dennis Kucinich, the former Congressman from Ohio, has spoken of a Dept of Defense directive quietly authorizing use of lethal military force against US civilians for the purpose of aiding the police in quelling public disorder.

So, is the Biden-Harris govt expecting some mass uprising?

What happened to their Posse Comitatus law?

[Cyrano]

Been listening to JD Vance on Joe Rogan podcast, 90 mins in. JD comes across as intelligent, empathetic, able to step back and down to earth. Genuine and decent fellow.

On many topics like gay rights, big pharma, environment, holding big business accountable etc. he is where the left/Dems used to be couple of decades ago. I find this shift quite interesting.

[uddu]

Talks about Monopoly of U.S Social Media sites


Challenge to U.S tech companies comes from U.S alone and surely not from Bharat. This is a a problem.

[sanman]

Victoria Nuland is promoted to the board of the National Endowment for Democracy (aka. United States of Regime Change)

https://www.ned.org/ned-welcomes-victor ... directors/


She's also expanded the "Axis of Evil" from Putin & Trump to also include Elon Musk:

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/victo ... erference/

[sanman]

Future Growth Hubs Within US

[Vayutuvan]

I am planning to get a house in either NC, Dallas, or Tennessee. Hopefully prices will come down now that Komala is out of the picture.

[Mort Walker]

Vayu-ji,

Lots of foreclosures in the DFW area. However it’s much warmer than NC & Tennessee. The 300 mile I-35 corridor between DFW-San Antonio is where many people are moving.

[Vayutuvan]

Vayu-ji,

Lots of foreclosures in the DFW area. However it’s much warmer than NC & Tennessee. The 300 mile I-35 corridor between DFW-San Antonio is where many people are moving.

Thanks for the tip. Good thing is that I have a direct flight from my native town where I have my main home to DFW. That is very attractive. But taxes are lower in TN. Maybe I can get a foreclosed home for less.

[Mort Walker]

No personal income taxes in Texas, but property taxes are high in many metro areas. That is unless you move one county outside of the metro area. Prices are going to come down, unless Gavin Newscum chases more middle class families out of CA.

[uddu]

Cross posting from U.S election thread
@CollinRugg
Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the Deep State.

1. “Immediately reissue my 2020 executive order, restoring the President's authority to remove rogue bureaucrats.”

2. “Clean out all of the corrupt actors in our national security and intelligence apparatus.”

3. “Totally reform FISA courts which are so corrupt that the judges seemingly do not care when they're lied to in warrant applications.”

4. “Expose the hoaxes and abuses of power that have been tearing our country apart.”

5. “Launch a major crackdown on government leakers who collude with the fake news to deliberately we false narratives and to subvert our government and our democracy.”

6. “Make every Inspector General's office independent and physically separated from the departments they oversee so they do not become the protectors of the deep state.”

7. “Ask Congress to establish an independent auditing system to continually monitor our intelligence agencies to ensure they are not spying on our citizens or running disinformation campaigns against the American people, or that they are not spying on someone's campaign like they spied on my campaign.”

8. “Continue the effort launched by the Trump administration to move parts of the sprawling federal bureaucracy to new locations outside the Washington Swamp.”

9. “Work to ban federal bureaucrats from taking jobs at the companies they deal with and that they regulate.”

10. “Push a constitutional amendment to oppose term limits on members of Congress.”
https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1854716187512651808

[uddu]

@AlinejadMasih
I am shocked. I just learned from the
@FBI
that two men were arrested yesterday in a new plot to kill me at Fairfield University, where I was scheduled to give a talk.

I also learned that the person assigned to assassinate
@realDonaldTrump
was also assigned to kill me on U.S. soil.
The alleged killers also went in front of my house in Brooklyn.
I call on the U.S. government and the future President of the United States to be tough on terror. The Islamic Republic understands only one language: the language of pressure.

I came to America to practice my First Amendment right to freedom of speech—I don’t want to die. I want to fight against tyranny, and I deserve to be safe. Thank you to law enforcement for protecting me, but I urge the U.S. government to protect the national security of America.
https://x.com/AlinejadMasih/status/1854959153770643838

[sanman]

As Trump 2.0 Takes Shape; Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo Dismissed; 'Won't Invite Them...'



Bye-bye NeoCons

[KL Dubey]

Now that the US goremint has started transitioning, I am posting here rather than the US Election thread.

Here is a site that tracks election promises and results:

2016 Trump: https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-mete ... umpometer/

2020 Bhaidanwa: https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-mete ... uling=true

They don't have a page yet for the 2024 Trump promises tracker.