Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Bulger's World and America's Great Past (and Present)



Mr. Bulger has no fans in but we should be asking what kind of country allows such a man to thrive in a world of crime, corrupt police and FBI, prisons out of control, and politicians and officials of the state on the take: a country for, by and of criminals (with guns galore) from the various gangs, different "mafias," gangsters and banksters, CEOs of corporations that break the laws all the time (pollution, price fixing, bribes, etc), tax cheats and all sorts of criminals in high places committing sex crimes -- even in the ministry with evangelicals as well as bishops and cardinals covering it up, government violating the rights of minorities and women, putting children in detention camps, illegally suppressing the vote, etc). Our President wants to make "America Great Again" -- a country with more Bulgers and his enablers, big and little, than ever! Who would have thought the Whore of Babylon would turn out to be a man? Well, this stinking rot is the product of capitalism and we have a chance in six days to rally the decent electorate surviving in this swamp and get out the vote, and begin the long process of cleaning the Augean Stables of the effluent left behind by Trump and the GOP and conservative Democrats who created and empowered him, and ponder the creation of a new economic system.
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NYTIMES.COM
One of America’s most wanted gangsters for 16 years, he was beaten to death by fellow inmates in West Virginia. His murderous life inspired books and films.

Past Due Bernie!

"In February, along with two of my colleagues, Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, and Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, I introduced Senate Joint Resolution 54, calling on the president to withdraw from the Saudi-led war in Yemen. We did this for two reasons. The first is that the war is a strategic and moral disaster for the United States. The second is that the time is long overdue for Congress to reassert authority over matters of war." Better late than never -- this slaughter has been going on for four years. The two reasons are noteworthy: 1) the slaughter is bad for the US; 2) Congress should decide whom we slaughter. What about the people of Yemen? "The likely assassination of the Saudi critic and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi underscores how urgent it has become for the United States to redefine our relationship with Saudi Arabia, and to show that the Saudis do not have a blank check to continue violating human rights." It took the "likely assassination" of Khashoggi to underscore the urgency of questioning our dealings with Saudi Arabia? Saudi Arabia has been funding jihadist terrorists for generations and we have not only turned a blind eye but helped finance some of them as well. Bernie is a "socialist" -- it's about time he got around to this.


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NYTIMES.COM

Opinion | Bernie Sanders: We Must Stop Helping Saudi Arabia in YemenCongress needs to step in to end our complicity in the kingdom’s human rights abuses.




Monday, October 22, 2018

NYT Article Provides Fertilizer for Thought


So, the Russians are against fracking in Europe and have a safer fertilizer which puts much less toxic cancer-causing cadmium into the food supply which they want to sell in the European market and so support those Europeans who want to enact saver environmental regulations re fertilizer safety: beware it's Putin again trying to take over the world! This is one group of capitalists trying to grab market share by producing a better product -- this is normal inter-capitalist rivalry according to their own "free-market philosophy" but of course when the "Russians" [a general term for evil forces emanating out of the Kremlin - excluding only those who have pro-American and anti-Putin sentiments who are the "opposition"] are involved nothing is as it appears and the "whiff of intrigue" permeates the atmosphere. Western, and certainly American, companies obviously don't have any connections with their governments.
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NYTIMES.COM
A proposed environmental regulation has become an unlikely source of geopolitical tension, raising concerns about Russian influence over Europe’s food supply.

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Trump to Ramp Up Chances for Nuclear War

So the US wants to leave the treaty because the Russians are threatening the Europeans (after NATO encamped on its borders) and it's the Europeans who want to keep the treaty. It is pretty obvious who is stirring up tensions and is a threat to the future of humanity -- and it isn't Russia.
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NYTIMES.COM
President Trump has been moving toward leaving the treaty because Russia has been violating it and because it is constraining American efforts to counter China in the Western Pacific.

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Khashoggi Killing Will Blow Over ( Oil, Arms, & Putin didn't do it!)

"On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that four of the men identified by Turkish media as part of a 15-man hit squad sent from Riyadh to silence Khashoggi were members of [Prince] Bin Salman’s personal security detail. Another, Tubaigy, holds a senior position in the Saudi interior ministry." Rogue elements? We have a rogue element in the White House! Prediction: This will blow over for 3 reasons -- oil, arms sales, and Putin didn't do it.
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THEGUARDIAN.COM
Press reports leaked audio suggesting journalist was drugged, killed and dismembered

Friday, October 05, 2018

"Blackwater," Afghanistan and China


Comrade Prince? This is a revealing article about the Afghan War and Erik Prince of Blackwater infamy. The following quote is noteworthy:"Mr. Prince is positioning his pitch as a cheaper middle option between continuing a largely failed military strategy at an expensive annual tab of tens of billions of dollars, and a complete security withdrawal that some fear would abandon 17 years of costly Western efforts to remake Afghanistan." Prince, whose Blackwater  mercenary company has gone through many name changes (it's now called Frontier Services Group) wants to privatize the Afghan War based on 1) the fact that the American military is utterly incompetent despite its bloated budget (its never recovered from its defeat by the Vietnamese peasant army) and faces defeat again in Afghanistan or at best a stalemate with no end in sight and 2. "Blackwater" mercenaries can do a better job and cheaper (allowing the US military to leave with its head held high even if its tail is between its legs). Prince and "Blackwater" have been getting the cold shoulder from the US since the massacre in Iraq (Nisour Square 2007) resulted in poor public relations and necessitated the name changes for "Blackwater." But don't discount Prince's future, as the next quote indicates: "His business has since gone through several reincarnations. His latest venture, the Hong Kong-based Frontier Services Group, has contracts in Africa and Asia, and is backed by Citic Group, a large state-owned Chinese investment company." The Chinese government has the controlling interest in "Backwater" now and it's primary mission is protecting Chinese businesses and personal in Africa and elsewhere. The Chinese are pragmatic and efficient and it would be a lesson in understanding the real world if Prince, now effectively an employee of Qi Jinping, were to succeed where the Soviets and Americans have failed. The Afghan business would no doubt be set up as an independent entity.

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NYTIMES.COM
Some Afghan officials say Mr. Prince is trying to influence presidential elections to pave the way for his plan to privatize the war for President Trump.

Tuesday, October 02, 2018

US Hands Off Nicaragua


The Left should be louder in demanding "US Hands Off Nicaragua" as Trump openly plans to ruin the country"s economy. Reagan redux!
MORNINGSTARONLINE.CO.UK
Steve SweeneyMonday, October 1, 2018 Nicaragua's Ortega attacks US intervention at Managua peace rally Government supporters wave Sandinista flags on top of the Metro Center roundabout during a pro-government march in Managua, Nicaragua, in September 2018 NICARAGUAN President Daniel Ortega warned a....