Pet owners often see dogs as soulmates and value them more than human lives Sciety Labs
The Kong Edition Why is this interesting?
Did NASA’s Perseverance rover find evidence of ancient life on Mars? The plot thickens Space.com
Climate/Environment
US Property Insurance Costs Hit New High as Disasters Worsen Insurance Journal
Insurance in the Polycrisis Phenomenal World
Subsidies for Fossil Fuel Firms Have Doubled Since 2017, Now $35 Billion a Year Truthout
THE LEGAL FIGHT TO MAKE CORPORATIONS COVER CLIMATE LOSSES Atmos
Pandemics
COVID-19 accelerates vascular aging Nature
Respiratory viral infections prime accelerated lung cancer growth BioRxiv
As a health scientist, it’s shocking that up to 3,300 Americans are expected to die (excess deaths) as a result of this week’s infections. https://t.co/CSCsTSz0fH pic.twitter.com/ZYxs9JkZHO
— Mike Hoerger, PhD MSCR MBA (@michael_hoerger) September 10, 2025
Are You Ready for Measles’ Wrath? MedPage Today
Nepal
Hilton hotel charred, minister chased into river: Shocking videos show extent of Nepal chaos Hindustan Times
China weighs risks as social unrest rocks strategic partner Nepal South China Morning Post
Thank you, Arnaud. The way I see it, following the so-called 12-point deal that was inked in India and which helped mainstream the Maoists also excluded a large section (one may argue, a majority) of the country whose demands for a referendum on the 3 critical issues- federalism,…
— Siddhi Aryal (@SiddhiAryal) September 10, 2025
Small sums, but worth noting:
If you have reservations about 🇳🇵Nepal’s coup d’état being orchestrated by 🇺🇲US Deep State, take a look at the fund allocations at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) for 2024
Here are projects in Nepal which got grants for this year: pic.twitter.com/IRyy5ofoQV
— Lisa Singh (@YakushinaLisa) September 9, 2025
India
China?
Mexico plans 50% tariff on Chinese cars before US, Canada talks Business Times
ASEAN faces a tighter middle-income trap East Asia Forum
South of the Border
Inside the CIA’s secret fight against Mexico’s drug cartels Reuters. ‘“Sicario is a good movie, but bad U.S. policy,” [Ralph Goff, a former CIA operations officer with extensive experience in covert and paramilitary operations] said, referring to a 2015 thriller about a CIA-led paramilitary operation inside Mexico. “Drugs are a consumption problem, not a production problem. We can’t just kill our way out of this.” That assumes it is about the drugs, however.
Venezuela Overcomes Economic War and Reaches 90% Food Self-Sufficiency Telesur
The United States is preparing a false flag operation involving simulating an attack on U.S. military personnel, accusing Venezuela, and justifying a direct military aggression against the country. https://t.co/gA4Ct6gl5u
— Camila (@camilapress) September 10, 2025
Syraqistan
Maps: Israel has attacked six countries in the past 72 hours Al Jazeera
Israeli raids on northern Gaza kill 33 Palestinians, as more die from famine The New Arab
Israel Kills at Least 35 in Heavy Airstrikes on Yemen Antiwar
Between Trump, Netanyahu and Qatar: Who Knew What When Israel Struck Hamas in Doha Haaretz
Alastair Crooke: Middle East on the BRINK – Russia Rains Down Drones & Missiles! Dialogue Works
***
Zionism is Just an Internationally-Acceptable Form of Jewish Terrorism Alon Mizrahi
The billionaire class want you thinking Israel controls the West Jonathan Cook
***
Snapback sanctions, any hostile action will nullify Iran’s new deal with IAEA: FM Press TV
Old Blighty
Keir Starmer sacks Peter Mandelson over Jeffrey Epstein revelations The Guardian
From the Links archives:
BREAKING: Keir Starmer picks close friend of Jeffrey Epstein Peter Mandelson as new UK ambassador to US.
Here is “Petie”, as Epstein called him, wearing a £21,000 Patek Philippe watch whilst shopping with the paedophile in the Caribbean island of St Barts in 2005 pic.twitter.com/rLQ6QoCYzd
— Double Down News (@DoubleDownNews) December 19, 2024
European Disunion
Ursula von der Leyen’s EU speech was an exercise in delusion UnHerd
‘Our voices just aren’t heard’: ‘Block Everything’ protesters meet heavy police response in Paris France24
Macron Marks Time Tocqueville 21
VERIF’ – War in Ukraine: No, the French army did not disobey Emmanuel Macron TFI (Machine translation)
New Not-So-Cold War
Telegram channel MilInfoLive on the Poland drone thing:
During the night’s combined strike on targets in Ukraine, the largest-ever “incursion of unknown drones” into Polish territory took place.
Previously, “lost” drones had occasionally entered EU airspace and Poland in…
— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) September 10, 2025
Poland’s Ex-President Duda Exposes How Ukraine Tries to Pull Allies into War Hungarian Conservative. From last week, still germane.
Experts react: Poland just shot down Russian drones over its territory. Is Putin ramping up his war on Europe? Atlantic Council. “Experts.” But also a pretty good summary of how situation is being covered across Western media.
NEW!!! Top US House Democrat on foreign policy @RepGregoryMeeks accuses Trump of emboldening Putin after russian drones enter Polish airspace pic.twitter.com/WscVtuTgGR
— Alex Raufoglu (@ralakbar) September 10, 2025
Trump on Russia’s incursion into NATO: ‘Here we go!’ CNN
Poland allocated largest share of new EU defence programme, with €44bn in loans Notes from Poland
Weimar Republic
No shooter in custody after Charlie Kirk killing as ‘investigation and manhunt’ continue, Utah law enforcement says The Salt Lake Tribune
Charlie Kirk murder the latest in political violence plaguing Trump, Congress and courts USA Today
Chaos erupts on House floor over Charlie Kirk shooting Axios
A Dangerous Moment Notes from the Circus
We need a massive, national, federally-mandated de-radicalization campaign.
Imprison radical leftists
Blacklist communist professors
Remove incompetent local leadersWe need a new House Un-American Activities Committee.
We need the Insurrection Act.
— Harrison H. Smith ✞ (@HarrisonHSmith) September 10, 2025
Trump blames the ‘radical left’ for Charlie Kirk’s killing, before a suspect is identified NBC News
The collusion between the global Left and radical Islam is the greatest danger to humanity today.
Charlie Kirk saw the danger and warned about it. But the bullets of the despicable murderer struck him.
Thank you, Charlie, for your support of Israel and for your struggle for a… pic.twitter.com/1mSL2Fu8Pg
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) September 10, 2025
Again: I’m not speculating about the shooter. I just have been stunned how quickly people have jumped with certainty to partisan conclusions. Because in extremism spaces, the Charlie Kirk Hater to Nazi pipeline is canon. It’s how we got a generation of antisemitic extremists.
— Robert Downen (@RobertDownen_) September 10, 2025
***
Senior Russian MP says Kirk’s assassination was warning to Trump TASS
I posted this nearly a month ago.
Yes, it’s true.
My source was second-hand, but it came up during a conversation about Rightwing Zionist influencers. https://t.co/mg4uwJKXfj
— Harrison H. Smith ✞ (@HarrisonHSmith) September 10, 2025
You may not have noticed Charlie Kirk undermining Israel.
But the Zionists sure did. pic.twitter.com/a8m5zups4g
— Syrian Girl (@Partisangirl) September 10, 2025
Groves of Academe
College students increasingly believe violence is justifiable to stop speech The Argument
The Uniparty
House Passes NDAA to Push Military Spending Approved This Year Beyond $1 Trillion Common Dreams
Imperial Collapse Watch
China’s gallium grip squeezing and eroding US military’s edge Asia Times
Accelerationists
Worse Than a Polycrisis Un-Diplomatic
The Silicon Valley Consensus & the “AI Economy” Edward Ongweso Jr.
Tesla’s Dangerous Doors Bloomberg
DOGE
MAHA
Democrats en déshabillé
Senate Democrats lay out framework for crypto market structure bill The Hill
Harris calls Biden’s re-election bid reckless in new memoir BBC
Police State Watch
ICE is Eating the Soul of America Doomsday Scenario
Immigration
Trump orders transporting Korean workers to airport without physical restraints: foreign ministry Yonhap
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
US Investment in Spyware Is Skyrocketing Wired
Google’s former security leads raise $13M to fight email threats before they reach you Tech Crunch
Mr. Market
Oracle stock gains 36% to post best day since 1992, adding $244 billion in value CNBC
AI-Capex is the everything cycle, now
Just under 50% of GDP growth is attributable to AI Capex pic.twitter.com/0nacpaOtHf
— Random Walk (@MosesSternstein) September 9, 2025
Class Warfare
2025 farm income projections paint grim picture for farmers trying to break even WHO13
The Power of the Starbucks Model Dissent
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Harrison H. Smith ✞ @HarrisonHSmith
We need a massive, national, federally-mandated de-radicalization campaign.
Imprison radical leftists
Blacklist communist professors
Remove incompetent local leaders
We need a new House Un-American Activities Committee.
We need the Insurrection Act
We also need a designated martyr in order to get McCartyism on armed steroids.
Just sayin’.
Wouldn’t the murder of Charlie Kirk make him the designated martyr?
…only in the American League
It’s up, going…going, it’s outta here! Home run!
Grand (Old Party) Slam!
Hit for Six feet under
(utilizing my online cricket translator)
Wouldn’t making him a martyr also remove an occasional “moderate” thorn in the side of the MAGA extremes? A twofer, if you will…
Not one to reach for the tinfoil hat, but I find this murder all too convenient given many of the things currently going on.
Irony bonus points in the death of Charlie Kirk as he was talking about gun rights and his last words were ‘We must be real. We must be honest with the population. Having an armed citizenry comes with a price. That is part of liberty’ BANG!
https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/worth-it-charlie-kirks-gun-laws-claim/news-story/246640da7e32747905ed4111878c1f57
Feel sorry for his widow and their two very young children. Hope she did not see the video of him being shot in the throat.
How does it feel now you’ve been less than impressed
By a man with a mind like the gutter press
So disappointed to find it’s no big sin
Lying about everything
Shot with his own gun
Now the NRA is keeping mum
Shot with his own gun
Now somebody has to pay for the assassin who got away
What’s on his mind now is anyone’s guess
Losing their trail despite authorities attempts
Spending ev’ry day on the lam
He comes without warning
Leaves without feeling
On your marks, man, ready, set
Let’s use him to score political points and get upset
The little rabble-rouser got in the way
And he got hit by an emotional ricochet
It’s a bit more now than dressing up a folly
Flying the flag at half-staff seems so melancholy
Oh it’s too sad to be true
Your claim a blue murderer’s killed you
Shot with his own gun
Now the NRA is keeping mum
Shot with his own gun
Shot With His Own Gun, by Elvis Costello
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX4uKkTrdzA&list=RDbX4uKkTrdzA
p.s.
The original song is by far my favorite tune in regards to premature ejaculation, with Elvis near the top of his game lyrically~
Holy crap on a cracker. How these “opinions” on or about the far right and MAGA tendencies, mostly a legitimate group and worth it to point out flaws of a political movement, are formulated seems beyond my comprehension. An assassination of convenience, if that is indeed a suggested action?
Good morning on 9/11 too. 24 years of the American GWOT.in the subsequent after effects of that awful attack.
Every group with legitimate gripes can be hijacked and used as an instrument by nefarious actors persuing their own interests. Particularly in this day and age of technology aimed to shape and manipulate our cognitive processes. Wouldn’t be the first time.
Not only groups with legitimate gripes. Look at the German Greens. They grew out of the anti-nuclear energy, environmental, peace, new left, and new social movements in the 80s, got hijacked, and are now pro-war, bellicose, fascist in government while ignoring their voters.
Re: ” … pro-war, bellicose, fascist in government while ignoring their voters.”
Golly gee, Rev, sounds like the US Democratic Party :-)
I was hiking hut to hut in the French Alps with friends when shift happened, and a few days later when we walked back down to Pralognan, our first indication that something happened was a French tabloid newspaper in color with a picture of the 2nd plane hitting the tower in living color, hello not so brave new world!
If you had immediate travel plans, you were somewhat screwed in the aftermath, but it didn’t effect us, as we weren’t going home until late September.
You wouldn’t believe the solidarity we saw on the streets of Europe, ad hoc street memorials everywhere, and when my Yank accent slipped out at the cash register of many retail stores, an outpouring of sympathy flowed my way from a complete stranger.
It’s amazing how fast that goodwill was squandered, isn’t it.
Was in the City and watched much of the aftermath from my roof. That solidarity was something yet within days it was already being twisted to allow atrocities like the Patriot Act and throwaway war in Afghanistan. I say throwaway because the Bush administration was pissed they had to go there first and still had to work to get to Iraq.
I knew a few of the firemen lost that day. But unfortunately I have numerous ambivalent feelings between grief for them and the innocence lost because of those events AND furious anger at what was done in the aftermath and is still justified since. (And it is long since the acknowledgment of that day should have become private.)
When I arrived back at LAX on September 29th, I was greeted by every other jalopy on the road sporting a plastic old glory waving furiously from a window jamb…
p.s.
The 6 degrees of separation were on full display for yours truly, in that one sister lived 4 doors down from where one of the pilots in Colorado and knew him, and another sister worked with some of the Raytheon people on a doomed flight, while one of my friends on the trip lost his cousin on Flight 93.
We’re on a train somewhere reading the International Herald Tribune days later and the other friend sees a name on the casualty list, and being a most unusual name-it triggered a response- and out of his wallet he pulls a business card of the very same fellow he’d interviewed for a job, in early September.
I think it was about two months after, when I took my nexr plane ride. For a fairly routine flight pre 9/11 from RDU to FLL, it now became very necessary to plan ahead for checked baggage. I just do not recall what guardrails or TSA checks were already implemented, but surely the scanners were in use.
National Guard roaming the halls of the airport it all seems so quaint in hindsight. Seems like since that period we’ve sacrificed a great amount of personal liberty to “feel safer”. Others mileage may vary.
I can tell you the exact date to the Iceman I cometh in Bolzano, twas on Sept 15th, and we left our bags at the check-in at the railway station there, and i’ve never had luggage gone over so very thoroughly on land or air, by the Carabinieri… one of them sporting an assault rifle around his pretty little neck.
The Iceman himself, yeah whatever if you like ice-age human beans contorted into a pretzel shape.
His gear though, oh my gosh, a must-see visit.
And I understand there was no REI back then~
o,s,
My long-time backpacking partner was hiking across the High Sierra east to west leading up to 9/11 and after, starting from Cottonwood and ending up at Crescent Meadow in a circuitous route of around 90 miles and was in Kern Canyon when he noticed no flights overhead-which was his key something was amiss.
No tin foil hat needed. The elite never let a crisis go to waste. For many of them this inspires tears of joy as they know how valuable a gift they were given.
I find this murder all too convenient given many of the things currently going on
I agree. There’s definately a split in the “conservative” movement, especially with regards to Israel: Kirk was young, popular, and could not be trusted to not go off-script. We immediately see his death used to justify the acceleration of political and civic repression.
But Kirk seemed to have talent at making enemies too, and at this point, anyone who claims to know the shooter’s motives is pushing an agenda.
It will make for fun and games if they nab the shooter and he turns out to be a hard-right MAGA supporter.
” . . anyone who claims to know the shooter’s client’s motives is pushing an agenda.”
Fixed it for ya.
Something to compete with the firing on Greta’s flotilla.
I read some more of the links and saw this:
You may not have noticed Charlie Kirk undermining Israel.
But the Zionists sure did. pic.twitter.com/a8m5zups4g
— Syrian Girl (@Partisangirl) September 10, 2025
It could all turn into “The Streisand Effect”.
Never heard of the guy until today.
And I keep up with the news.
A fringe figure, big in a niche circle with some power, that is being used to try to create more authoritarian control.
Rampant, murderous fascism all over the globe and fools are still buying and selling “the communist threat”.
OIFVet: Well, things are starting to look downright safe and cozy here in the PIIGS, and Bulgaria would be an honorary PIIG. Meanwhile:
On murder in Utah Valley: First, I want to dispel ideas of “civil war.” Those of you living in the U S of A, Canada, and England don’t want civil war. Don’t evoke it. I recall horrifying descriptions of the Romans calling the gods of the city of Veii (a major nearby Etruscan town) to desert the city before the troops went into Veii and slaughtered anyone carrying arms.
Instead, for an understanding of what goes around then comes around, I note that a commenter here at Naked Capitalism used the expression Years of Lead.
Yes, Gli Anni di Piombo. Italy from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, which included the assassination of President Mattarella’s brother, Piersanti, who was then the president of the Region of Sicily. U.S. intelligence agencies have fingerprints all over these years of Italian misery.
I was reading the comments early this morning, because I couldn’t figure out the import of the Kirk assassination.
Lifting from yesterday’s comments so as to keep these ideas in front of everyone:
From astute commenter raspberry pie, a description of the suspect that, I believe, is accurate:
“I’m putting my marker on a young guy with conservative-leaning politics but with some unexpected non-conservative positions thanks to being entirely too online, grew up hunting, and Q-type online group adjacent through the chans. The inciting issue would be something related to a niche right wing extremist grievance and/or minimizing of Epstein. Someone who saw the PA attempt on Trump and thought, I could have made that shot.”
{Whoever the man is, he has extensive training in use of a rifle.}
From ChrisRUEcon, human dynamo and ornament of Chicagolandia, context:
“So for me, that’s three assassinations of significance so far:
Brian Thompson
Melissa Hortman
Charlie Kirk”
I’d add to the list the two Boeing whistleblowers:
Joshua Dean
John Barnett
As well as Aaron Bushnell.
Now, it may turn out that the shooter is a former Marine, a duck hunter, and a plain old Dad, which is going to turn out to be embarrassing for some quarters.
As a leftist, I know from past experience that the Left will get blamed. Predictably, some “Harrison H. Smith” (the H. stands for HUAC, natch) is already foaming at the mouth, as you point out and as Rev Kev reiterates below. HUAC, what Lillian Hellman called Scoundrel Time.
Heck, the cupcakes didn’t rise. It’s the Left that did it!
Meanwhile, liberals will be looking on, waiting for the left to be suppressed. After leftists are dragged off and some unionists get shot, liberals will post memes about “We invented the weekend.”
Yup, I continue to think that I got the heck out of Dodge right on time in 2020. The EU crazy is not as scary as the US crazy – yet. And down South might be a whole lot easier to weather it given certain cultural and lifestyle inclinations of the natives.
That said, being a leftist and American at heart, I am not at all happy about what’s happening. It’s like something straight out of Schrodinger – both very American and very, very un-American .
Mr. Kirk was killed by a shot to the neck. The shooter was either 4-5 inches low on his head shot, or 6+ inches high on his chest shot. At approximately 150 yards.
It was effective, but not necessarily a mark of marksmanship.
The furious efforts to spin Kirk in every direction for various political agendas is impressive, but not the least bit surprising.
Since this event will be (has already been) used to (1) maximize partisan theater, and (2) push some other very important issues out of the news cycle, I want to thank you for mentioning the two Boeing whistleblowers. When I saw your comment I realized: “holy s**t, I completely forgot about those guys!” This demonstrates the tremendous power of the media to shape what we do and don’t talk about – or think about – even when we consider ourselves “knowledgeable” about current events. Thanks for the humbling reminder.
I just went to X to follow up on the SyrianGirl tweet for more on Kirk on Israel/Zionism. At the top of my feed was a tiktok from another X poster, KAGdrogo, of Kirk talking about the need for an investigation into whether the Israeli army was ordered to stand down on October 7. https://twitter.com/KAGdrogo/status/1965945010421203238
This all runs very much against the grain of MSM portrayals of Kirk as a cheerleader for Zionism, and it greases the rails for a toboggan run into conspiracyville, with a pro killing Kirk to silence a significant critic of Israel and promote a crackdown on the left here. Gah.
But Kirk was loved by Israel. And because he was loved, it just had to be some radical jew-hater… do I need a sarc-tag?
Although the shooter still might turn out to be some random, lone-wolf whack-a-do, the vultures are in a frenzy trying to feed off of his death.
…is it possible that the Zionists couldn’t plant a poisoned pager on him?
From the link: “The viral clips of Carlson’s anti-Israel rant, including a bizarre attack on billionaire Bill Ackman, have led to criticism of Kirk and his organization, calling them out for platforming messaging toxic to Jews and Israel.” Love? Really?
welp, my evidence-free guess is that the shooter got radicalized by Ukraine propaganda (of all things).
single shot (likely 5..56, AR-15 type) from 200 yards, dude spent a lot of time on a range (or very lucky guy)
the Florida Trump would-be assassin allegedly got radicialized after contact with pro-Ukraine elements
Maybe it’s time to have a look at Wang Huning’s (CPC Politburo member) book America against America to see if it’s still valid. Has anyone here read it enough to recommend or recommend against it?
one of the suspects released from questioning had a pellet gun.
Cue the endless fountain of tin foil. (eg, big, political events always attract dumb nuts v. team “everything is a false flag”)
Didn’t help when a MSNBC contributor suggested that Kirk was shot by ‘a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration.’
https://www.rt.com/news/624447-charlie-kirk-shooting-msnbc/
Pardon my ignorance, but I had never heard of Charlie Kirk before this nor had I, to the best of my recollection, seen his name mentioned on NC. Seems to me just another American murder.
So, serious question here: Is this a case of the right wing, with media connivance, making a convenient martyr out of a nobody?
Horstwurst?
I too had never heard of cap’n Kirk…
He was once the author of an article or tweet that appeared on NC and Lambert at the time was incredulous that he was the source.
For people like me who do not live in the USA, Charlie Kirk was as unknown as those other names appearing in the aforementioned “three assassinations of significance so far” — Brian Thompson and Melissa Hortman. When horrified reports of Kirk’s death started pouring in, my reaction was “Charlie who?”
Mildred…see my comment above.
This shit – exploitation of a murder – reminds of the BS narratives like “the war on Christmas”.
I use to dismiss the “war on Christmas” as a right wingnut talking point to hype up their fans as it was so convenient as a talking point. And then this happened-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik4JHMPU2WQ&list=RDik4JHMPU2WQ&start_radio=1
Peak Biden White House, that one.
yes, that is the key aspect.
99% of Normie-Americans of all politics did not know of Charlie Kirk. Kirk was polarizing among a narrow, but very deep part of the Social-Media-sphere.
Now that blood has been shed….this train has no brakes.
Much like the Tunisian market seller, or the driver who got lost in Sarajevo, this murder may unleash a lot of brewing pressures
Isn’t Trump, and for that matter Biden before him, already cracking down on the left? Those Columbia protestors were the true left as opposed to the fake Progressive Except for Palestine left.
Second thought is that if people are going nuts over Charlie Kirk–who I never heard of–what would have been the reaction if Trump had actually been killed last year? Back then there were reportedly some of the now pearl clutchers on Twitter hinting that they wouldn’t mind if someone took out Trump.
To be sure with Trump back in office he seems to be trying to prove the TDS crowd right all along. But here’s suggesting the great American 21st century hysteria is not just on the right.
Also just sayin’: This was perhaps a shot across the bow of Congress critters like of MTG.
Ever hear of Horst Wessel? People like Stephen Miller and this Smith character will need extra rations of moisturizer for all the gleeful rubbing together of palms. To them, this kind of assassination is like 9/11 to the PNACers.
Could well be, with the difference that Wessel was a street thug with no following, while Kirk was seen as a “moderate” and commanded a fairly sizable influence amongst the youngs. The latter could have been a problem, should Kirk have decided that things were becoming too authoritarian for his liking. One look at the rhetoric on the internets and we see how his putative mourners are renouncing Kirk’s supposed commitment to talking to the other side and advocating decidedly Wesselian means of “dialogue” with “the left.”
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/09/charlie-kirk-killing-assassination-reactions-right-wing-grief-outrage-retribution/
“THIS IS WAR”: Some Right-Wing Figures Call for Retribution Following Kirk Killing
“More people will be murdered if the Left isn’t crushed with the power of the state.”
We need to hang all the extremists.
Perseverance on Mars…. who else has been able to receive these transmissions?
‘Harrison H. Smith ✞
@HarrisonHSmith
We need a massive, national, federally-mandated de-radicalization campaign.
Imprison radical leftists
Blacklist communist professors
Remove incompetent local leaders
We need a new House Un-American Activities Committee.’
Because McCarthyism worked out so well the first time around. I suppose that they can substitute Chinese influence instead of Soviet influence but they should leave the CIA and the Army alone this time around-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism
I suffered through McCarthyism for 17 years and lived to tell the tale.
I suffered through McCarthyism for 17 years, and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.
Old joke: a guy and his dog find an old lamp on the beach. Guy picks up the lamp and cleans it off, and a genie comes out: O Master, thank you for freeing me, you have three wishes. What do you command?
Guy thinks for a second and says, “first wish: I wish my dog could talk”. Genie makes a gesture, a bolt of magic shimmers the air, and poof, the wish is granted.
Guy now turns to the dog and says “ok buddy, you have two wishes”.
heh heh, that could be me.
Why is it whenever I read “value of a human life” I feel like I’m being purity tested? Damn straight I value my dog and my three cats more than some random member of my species. So sue me.
Not too bad, but I wonder how that worked out. So many people turn to pets for the loss of human contact. I wonder how much of that substitution is a matter of control?
Thinking of the old Who song Substitute makes me wonder how many ways we replace something essential with something ersatz. The old Firesign Theater coffee advertisement comes to mind “Ask for Ersatz Brothers coffee, it’s the real thing!”
I suppose one should be grateful that pets can help fill the void for us. Perhaps one day, like in the futuristic movie Blade Runner, it will be too expensive to find and keep animals. There will always be a work around. I hope this song parody doesn’t make Kris Kristofferson turn over in his grave:
It’s less of joke, and more of self-pat-on-the-back. Probably because dogs don’t do it, and humans require achieving something notable before.
I did a little digging and wanted to save others trouble. Wow I guess I know so little about the alt-right landscape, having never heard of Nick Fuentes etc. Anyway, starting at about 4:01:00 in, here is a debate Charlie Kirk moderated at a Turning Point USA summit in July(?) 2025 between libertarian Dave Smith and (Israel supporter?) Josh Hammer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt2R5-d2NZ4
The crowd and YT comments clearly loved Smith, who at least in the opening lays down some pretty basic facts (to my ear) portraying the problematic role of zionism in US foreign policy. I haven’t pieced together how this would substantiate the idea of turning against Israel.
I had heard of Kirk and his organization, but it was this event that really brought him to my attention. The reason was the controversy about Israel, or more accurately (as you imply), the strongly *critical* feelings toward Israel of many young conservatives in attendance. If I remember correctly, Kirk was trying to keep the peace while studiously avoiding any direct condemnation of Israel himself, which opened him up to criticism from both sides. Those looking for a motive here might need to dig further.
“Between Trump, Netanyahu and Qatar: Who Knew What When Israel Struck Hamas in Doha”
Haaretz throwing shade on Qatar and, kinda, defending Trump. Hamas was in Qatar because the US asked that this be allowed about a decade or so again and Netanyahoo was pumping money into it for Hamas. But Trump absolutely knew of that attack and I can prove it. Qatar and the US operate together the aerial defenses of that country and before the attack commenced, the US shut down the aerial defenses of that country. Qatar also had Patriot batteries as well as a dozen THADD batteries but the US turned them off as well. Qatar spent untold billions for those aerial defenses but when the time came, the US shut it all down and that country was totally vulnerable. If they had been working we would have heard reports of interceptions but there were none. How many other countries are looking at their own US-supplied equipment with deep suspicion right now. I said yesterday that this attack produced losses all across the board for the US and this is a major one. I bet that Turkiye is glad they went with Russian S-400s rather than Patriot batteries.
Suppose the IDF aircraft were sqwalking transponder signal the Qatari (were they US contractors?)controllers were “expecting”?
Today is the anniversary of the bloody coup in Chile.
The more important one of the two nine-elevens. Or, at least, the consequences from the “successful” experiment in neoliberalism under the barrel of a gun have been echoing ever since.
The first 9/11(73)
Salvador Allende
Last Words to the Nation
I was almost into the ranks of teenagerhood when Chile con carnage happened, and the thing I remember most was the photographer that chronicled himself being shot and killed a few months prior as things were clearly festering, wonder what his F-stop was?
https://www.wgfilm.com/final-image
Maps: Israel has attacked six countries in the past 72 hours – Al Jazeera
It’s worse when one considers that for close to two years and nearly EVERY DAY non-combatants have been murdered.
It takes massive cooperation, economically and militarily, in the region and the world to do be able to do this.
Yet, think about it…another player in the conflict Iran is still preached to, even by alleged allies, about “escalation” and “restraint”.
Many more in power invested, literally and figuratively, in the survival of monstrosity.
These are simple and obvious statements, but necessary for keeping perspective about what really needs to be defeated in total.
Anti-Islamic biker gang members hired to run security at controversial Gaza aid sites (Guardian)
The investigation found that more than 10 members of Infidels MC, a US biker gang that uses the Crusader cross as its symbol and whose members have anti-Islamic tattoos, have been hired by UG Solutions and deployed to food aid sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. According to the BBC, seven members of the gang are in “senior positions overseeing [GHF] sites”.
They include the gang’s leader, Johnny “Taz” Mulford, who is a “country team leader” for UG Solutions and had recruited others to work for UG solutions in Gaza. He has the numbers 1095 tattooed across his chest – the year that Pope Urban II launched the first Crusade.
Mulford, whose affiliation with GHF was public, accidentally sent an email to the BBC telling other leaders of the group not to comment on inquiries – inadvertently revealing the identities of several other senior Infidels members also working for UG Solutions.
What were the qualifications for the job? Because I know a lot of unemployed racist morons…
“VERIF’ – War in Ukraine: No, the French army did not disobey Emmanuel Macron”
This article is saying that it is false and now as it has been officially denied, it is probably the truth. It was only early last year that the Russians hit a hotel in Kharkiv killing about 60 French ‘mercenaries.’ Mercenaries that had the military skills to fire missiles into Russia. Every mercenary knows how to do that, right? Macron might be desperate to send the French military into the Ukraine but the generals are saying aww, hell no.
Just made my annual donation to NC. Been reading since the beginning (2006?). First heard of Ian Welsh, JMGreer, and a lot of others here. So thank you, and blessings to all
China weighs risks as social unrest rocks strategic partner Nepal – South China Morning Post
“Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Wednesday afternoon that China hoped all sectors in Nepal could “properly handle domestic issues and restore social order and national stability as soon as possible”.
Seems like the approach they are taking with the other unrest in the neighborhood -Myanmar: “Just don’t touch our property and I hope you figure it out.”
I keep thinking of the C.J. Sansom series that take place during reign of Henry VIII of England, and the parallels for our times. (Should Our Times be capitalized?)
There are the obvious similarities: both today’s US and the England of the first half of the 1500’s, are ruled by loud and autocratic men, orange, corpulent and serial monogamists, with lots of pieces on the side.
Henry upended the Established Church and attacked its hierarchy, so vividly portrayed in “Dissolution.” An early DOGE operation.
The Establishment took sides: fleeing to the New Order and receiving government positions as well as being showered with the lands so recently owned by The Church. Some preferred to retain the Old Faith, but had to do it in secret, or risk burning at the stake, as a warning to others who might have similar ideas.
The Commoners, like the series protagonist, the lawyer Matthew Shardlake, tried to keep their heads down but sometimes got swept up the in various manias. And, of course, in the final book, the Commoners got themselves organized to do a mass rebellion. Alas.
I was sorry to hear of Sansom’s death: he, like so many writers of ‘fiction,’ even ‘historical fiction,’ seemed to have the ability (or perhaps it’s a disability) to pick up on the undercurrent of cultural and political vibes and translate that into a heck of a good story.
“Venezuela Overcomes Economic War and Reaches 90% Food Self-Sufficiency”
‘Previously, Venezuela was a net importer of 85% of its food. Today, we have overcome the economic war and our situation is different. We have reinvented ourselves, we have reinvented ourselves for the better, and now Venezuela produces 90% of all food, ensuring full national supply’
Maduro is a monster who has to be stopped. Doesn’t he know that countries should only grow export crops and use the money earned to buy food crops from the west along with paying their IMF loans off. It’s the natural order as recommended by all good economists.
Geeky interlude:
Gallium Nitride (GaN) is a new material for microcircuitry. Both China and Russia began applying it to military integrated circuits well ahead of US and EU.
The GaN has better heat endurance and so the IC can conduct more power…. the effect is better radars in smaller aircraft like the Su 57….
US is catching up but SPY 6 radar (installed on the Flight III Aegis destroyers, a new hull etc,.) may have baselined older material, I do not know.
RE: Harris calls Biden’s re-election bid reckless in new memoir
Was it really Biden being “reckless”? Last I checked, there was no law that said members of an incumbent’s political party were not allowed to primary them. And, in fact a couple did, and Biden made sure they were marginalized. One of those disgruntled Dems is now Trump’s head of HHS – how did that work out? Did any Democrats stand up on their hind legs and decry this behavior? Why didn’t any of them get in the race? No, they were all happy to let Droolin’ Joe run again so a bunch of anonymous apparatchiks could continue running the show from behind the scenes.
If the Democrat party really wants to get reckless, go ahead and nominate dim bulb Kamala again the next time around.
“The billionaire class want you thinking Israel controls the West”
It has been said that if you want to see who really has power, look to those that are not allowed to be criticized. I rest my case.