Targeted Citizens,
Alastair Crooke, They Rule Over Dysfunctional Ruin, but They Rule
Crooke unpacks the shifts in global governance patterns, alliances, strategy and tactics here, in the dysfunctional-never-fixed post-2008 western world.The "creative class" of limousine-liberals ("managerial technocrats") rules for the oligarchs, abandoning the working-class, in favor of a broad coalition of special-identity constituencies.
This necessitates a marginalization of the "middle class", the economically-productive-class. Their needs and demands can also be ignored, though, reducing costs.
In the declining real economy, the model of value-extraction-from-assets dominates. There is no actual investment in production. Even oil refineries are not being refurbished, let alone built. This is short-termism. That term may be ending very soon. It may be starting to crumble.
Since government is failing, notably in some cities, "weaponized government failure" is directed against political opponents and those who actually demand the city-services for which they are paying. The cities can be managed despite the flight of this productive group of people, but keeping enclaves of the very wealthy and large populations of the poor, who rely upon government support, no matter how bad their lives become.
"Governance" is a task for effective governments. It is being abandoned, to "rule" over the needy and un-demanding, while serving the few elite lords.
This is apparent in Europe, as well as in the US. not all oligarchs are in agreement. The tightening of monetary-policy is taking a toll on the models of some oligarchs worse than others. This may be an elite power struggle, which seems appropriate. The current ruling-coalition is operating on a cancerous model of consuming anything which remains healthy and living. Perhaps things will get much worse before there is a shift to a more constructive economy.
This destruction of economic demand is not in a form that serves society. We can do much more with less, since less appears to be the future in store for all of us. We could make things that last 20 years again, instead of 3 years...
The Atlantic has come under fire for suggesting that all the terrible pandemic-era decisions over lockdowns, school closures, masking, and punishing an entire class of people who questioned the efficacy and wisdom of taking a rushed, experimental vaccine - for a virus with a 99% survival rate in most, should all be water under the bridge.
"We need to forgive one another for what we did and said when we were in the dark about COVID," writes Brown Professor Emily Oster - a huge lockdown proponent, who now pleads from mercy from the once-shunned...
..One cannot help but notice that the timing of the Atlantic's appeal for passive forgetfulness coincides with the swiftly approaching midterm elections, in which polls suggest a much greater chance of a conservative upset than Democrats previously expected. Though the Atlantic doesn't admit it, there is a growing political backlash to the last two years of meaningless lockdowns and mandates, and Democrats were instrumental in the implementation of both. A large swath of the population sees one party as the cause of much of their covid era strife.
Perhaps the mainstream media is suddenly realizing that they may have to face some payback for their covid zealotry? “We didn't know! We were just following orders!” It all sounds rather familiar.
"We need to forgive one another for what we did and said when we were in the dark about COVID," writes Brown Professor Emily Oster - a huge lockdown proponent, who now pleads from mercy from the once-shunned...
..One cannot help but notice that the timing of the Atlantic's appeal for passive forgetfulness coincides with the swiftly approaching midterm elections, in which polls suggest a much greater chance of a conservative upset than Democrats previously expected. Though the Atlantic doesn't admit it, there is a growing political backlash to the last two years of meaningless lockdowns and mandates, and Democrats were instrumental in the implementation of both. A large swath of the population sees one party as the cause of much of their covid era strife.
Perhaps the mainstream media is suddenly realizing that they may have to face some payback for their covid zealotry? “We didn't know! We were just following orders!” It all sounds rather familiar.
Peter McCullough MD points out that for those who have recovered from COVID, the vaccine-products provide only risk, very real risk, including heart attack, stroke, paralysis, pulmonary embolism and death. Many of these stem from widespe=read induction of blood-clotting for months after one of these injections. Don't get another, right?
Vaccinating After Recovering from COVID-19, Begging for Trouble with Blood Clots
Revealed: The Former Israeli Spies Working In Top Jobs At Google, Facebook And Microsoft:
The Israeli Defense Forces’ (IDF) Unit 8200 is infamous for surveilling the indigenous Palestinian population, amassing kompromat on individuals for the purposes of blackmail and extortion. Spying on the world’s rich and famous, Unit 8200 hit the headlines last year, after the Pegasus scandal broke. Former Unit 8200 officers designed and implemented software that spied on tens of thousands of politicians and likely aided in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Overly optimistic? The PC Warriors Strike Back!
Musk Neuters Twitter 'Ministry Of Truth' Ahead Of Midterms
Elon Musk just did that to Twitter's content moderation thought police with just weeks to go before midterms - cutting the number of employees who can access censorship tools from hundreds to around 15 people last week, and reducing their ability to influence discussion on the platform...
..They also won't be able to banish highly credentialed doctors and researchers posting divergent Covid-19 narratives.
All but the most 'high-impact violations set for manual review' will remain on the platform, according to people familiar with the matter...
All but the most 'high-impact violations set for manual review' will remain on the platform, according to people familiar with the matter...
..On Monday, Yoel Roth, Twitter's head of safety and integrity, tweeted on Monday that the company was addressing an increase in offensive posts.
"Since Saturday, we’ve been focused on addressing the surge in hateful conduct on Twitter. We’ve made measurable progress, removing more than 1500 accounts and reducing impressions on this content to nearly zero," he wrote, adding "We’re primarily dealing with a focused, short-term trolling campaign."
"Since Saturday, we’ve been focused on addressing the surge in hateful conduct on Twitter. We’ve made measurable progress, removing more than 1500 accounts and reducing impressions on this content to nearly zero," he wrote, adding "We’re primarily dealing with a focused, short-term trolling campaign."
Brazilian President Bolsonaro entered office due to backing by the military, big business and global finance. He has apparently been narrowly defeated by former President Lula, who spent a long time in jail after lawfare attacks upon him, which were later reversed.
It is likely that oligarchic alliances in Brazil, backing these two candidates, are different from the alliances we have in the US or Europe. The truckers, to whom Bolsonaro has been a patron, are striking and blocking roads until they hear from him. He's publicly silent, but currently meeting with heads of the Brazilian military forces.
The completely-electronic voting system in Brazil is open to suspicion. Such systems can be "audited", but not actually Audited.
Again, it is hard to know whose interests will be served here. Both presidential candidates seem to have about the same globalist-approved finance ministers.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/brazilian-truckers-protest-bolsonaro-loss-block-hundreds-of-roads
Pepe Escobar has the view that Lula is back, and is skilled and thoughtful, one of the original founders of the BRICS group, which now supports the bid for a new global trade currency and format. He promises to serve one 4 year term, 2023 through 2026. As above, that remains to actually be seen at ground level.
Comeback kid Lula in the eye of a volcano
Comeback kid Lula in the eye of a volcano
THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY is quietly broadening its efforts to curb speech it considers dangerous, an investigation by The Intercept has found. Years of internal DHS memos, emails, and documents — obtained via leaks and an ongoing lawsuit, as well as public documents — illustrate an expansive effort by the agency to influence tech platforms.
“Platforms have got to get comfortable with gov’t. It’s really interesting how hesitant they remain,” Microsoft executive Matt Masterson, a former DHS official, texted Jen Easterly, a DHS director, in February. In a March meeting, Laura Dehmlow, an FBI official, warned that the threat of subversive information on social media could undermine support for the U.S. government. Dehmlow, according to notes of the discussion attended by senior executives from Twitter and JPMorgan Chase, stressed that “we need a media infrastructure that is held accountable.” (er, "coerced"?)
..ExxonMobil, which held a 30% stake in Sakhalin-1, announced in March that it would withdraw from the project. But after vacillating for more than half a year, Japan decided not to follow in Exxon's footsteps.
Meanwhile, Russia set up a new company to take over the project under a presidential decree that has in effect forced investors to choose sides. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is a stakeholder in Tokyo-based Sakhalin Oil and Gas Development -- which owns 30% of Sakhalin-1's current operator - along with other investors including Itochu, Japan Petroleum Exploration and Marubeni...
As a result of the chaos, operations at Sakhalin-1 have been virtually shut down, and Japan has imported no oil originating from the project recently, so losing its stake will not have an immediate impact on the country's fuel supply.
Russia has transferred operations of the Sakhalin-2 natural gas project to a new company as well. Japanese investors Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. decided to retain their stakes in the project, and their continued investment has been approved by the Russian government.
Translation: the upcoming G-20 will be rather awkward as Japan's PM Fumio Kushida, an anchor pillar of the G7 in Asia, may decide to sit at the table next to Xi and Putin.
Russia has transferred operations of the Sakhalin-2 natural gas project to a new company as well. Japanese investors Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. decided to retain their stakes in the project, and their continued investment has been approved by the Russian government.
Translation: the upcoming G-20 will be rather awkward as Japan's PM Fumio Kushida, an anchor pillar of the G7 in Asia, may decide to sit at the table next to Xi and Putin.
This may be a cover-story if some American soldiers have already been captured in Ukraine and need to be traded-out.
"A small number of U.S. military forces inside Ukraine have recently begun doing onsite inspections to ensure that Ukrainian troops are properly accounting for the Western-provided weapons they receive, a senior U.S. defense official told Pentagon reporters Monday". “This subversive action of Kiev grossly violates the Istanbul agreements and, in fact, puts an end to their humanitarian dimension. It is now obvious to everyone that the Black Sea humanitarian corridor is being used by the Ukrainian side for military sabotage purposes,” Nebenzia said, referring to Saturday’s drone attack on Sevastopol.
Russia “cannot guarantee the safety of civilian ships participating in the Black Sea initiative,” Nebenzia added, as “we do not know what other terrorist attacks Kiev is preparing with the support of its Western sponsors.”
Putin said Moscow was suspending its participation in the deal, but not fully withdrawing from it.
The deal was promoted to “secure the interests of the poorer nations,” he said, adding that, according to Russian intelligence, the real structure of Ukraine’s grain exports is vastly different.
“We agreed to that [grain deal] precisely in the interests of the poorer nations,” the Russian president said. “On the whole, it looks like 34% of [the Ukrainian] grain gets to Türkiye, 35% or even more is taken by the EU nations and only between three and four … or five percent, according to our Agriculture Ministry … goes to the poorer nations,” Putin said.
'Trusting and Verifying"
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