19 Comments
User's avatar
NFO's avatar

In a sane world, I’d preface this with an “O/T,” but here we are…Scott Ritter’s home raided by FBI today:

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/fbi-raids-ny-home-ex-un-weapons-inspector-outspoken-anti-war-pundit-scott-ritter

Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

Just about to press "Publish"

Expand full comment
johnycomelately's avatar

Seems like AIPAC‘s blitz is to ensure it gets its ducks in a row and controls the political process before Israel goes down an irreversible path.

The media blitz failed and now they’re bypassing public opinion and unashamedly and blatantly bribing the process.

Expand full comment
Mike richards's avatar

‘Who rules America?’ - ok, israel. But who rules israel? NOT God. Who does? Anything that can be dredged up with morals south of a Meatgrinder Nuland.

Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

It's an interesting question, and one that's not so easy to answer. However I suggested an answer in quoting a recent Alastair Crooke article:

https://thealtworld.com/alastair_crooke/the-1948-irgun-re-born

Technically Israel is ruled by an extremely fractious coalition led by Netanyahu. However, the most extreme elements exercise outsize influence. Who leads them? Moshe “Bogie” Ya’alon, former Chief of Staff of the IDF, had an answer:

“When you talk about Smotrich and Ben Gvir: They have a Rabbi. His name is Dov Lior. He is the Rabbi of the Jewish Underground, ..."

Crooke adds:

"Rabbi Dov Lior has been **described by Netanyahu as the “élite unit that leads Israel”,** because of his influence and control over the settler forces. The 1948 Irgun, drawing heavily on the Mizrahim, is being reborn?"

Which suggests that Israel is, in a practical sense, ruled by an apocalyptic cult led by Dov Lior. What this means is that military leaders no longer have a lot of say military policy, for example.

Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

In a sense you could say that just as Iran has an ayatollah and a president, so too, in practice, Israel has a rabbi who leads and a president.

Expand full comment
Mike richards's avatar

Thanks Mark - it’s the supremacist nature of the israeli lunatic fringe that gets my goat, and that drives the worst of their excesses. They are actively making themselves the skunks of the world, and will inevitably be treated as such even by their current ‘friends’.

Expand full comment
Mike Runnels's avatar

As a long time reader, and the first person I go to each morning, I gotta tell you you are losing me with your anti Israel daily rants. I doubt you care. Im not an everything Israel does is ok, but my bottom line is the same as the 60-70% who support Israel. They are our only ally in the ME, and Hamas started it. I sympathize with them not wanting to get wiped out again. The political system is absolutely corrupt, and Israel is a small part of it. Maybe a little balance here, and just maybe some of your umbrage could be spread around? I fear you are developing a TDS attitude towards Israel. Thoughts from the peanut galley, Mike Runnels.

Expand full comment
Mike richards's avatar

‘I sympathize with them not wanting to get wiped out again.‘ Poor babies, they just want to live and let…. um…oh yes the genocide. Moving on, nothing to see here.

Israel collects useful idiots by buying them or by browbeating them.

Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

"you are losing me with your anti Israel daily rants"

I don't rant. I reason. That's what distinguishes me from you.

"you are losing me ... I doubt you care."

Correct.

"They are our only ally in the ME"

Does an ally--which Israel is emphatically and legally NOT--utilize its wealthy diaspora co-ethnics to corrupt another country's republic by buying off politicians so that they vote in favor of a foreign power while voting to destroy democracy at home with Prog policies?

"Hamas started it."

1917. But let's see, Israel has killed--according to the premier medical mag in the world--something like 250k and counting, it continues its practice of ethnic cleansing, of extra judicial imprisonment and punishment, of systematic torture.

"my bottom line is the same as the 60-70% who support Israel."

I would put the percentage of Israel supporters whose views are based on 1) misinformation, 2) immoral ethical ideas, 3) willingness to tolerate America being run by a foreign power at about 100%.

Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

Assigned listening:

The Awesome Power of the Israel Lobby w/John Mearsheimer

https://youtu.be/mwuPufdXZq8

Expand full comment
Steghorn21's avatar

AIPAC should take their victories where they can because they tide is turning against Israel.

Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

"AIPAC recently spent $300,000 on ads targeting Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who has voted against several pro-Israel bills in recent months. AIPAC wasn't even trying to hand him a loss in his primary, which he won handily. Rather, it was AIPAC's opening salvo against a potential Massie 2026 run for the Senate seat of retiring Minority Leader Mitch McConnell."

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment removed
Aug 7
Comment removed
Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

LJ argues, IMO conclusively, that the current crisis in the ME is a "planned escalation by the United States."

@ 13:00 https://youtu.be/_kAbM5r3-a8

Expand full comment
Steel's avatar

at 26:30 in that video, Daniel Davis puts up a clip of General Jack Keane (ret.) - Institute for the Study of War chairman....who seems to suffer a slip of the tongue and says 'axis of resistance' when I'm sure he was supposed to say 'axis of evil'. He accidentally let out the truth.

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment removed
Aug 7
Comment removed
Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

You're misrepresenting me. It's not that WW3 is the preferred outcome, it's that if it comes to that they''re willing to risk it. Obviously they wanted Russia to be crushed by the sanctions, just as they wanted every other country--Iran, for example--under sanctions to be crushed without resort to military war. No doubt they hope to force Iran and Russia to back down. At which point they will push again. There's a reason why all those US forces--including the USS Wasp, for rescuing Americans in case of war--are flooding the region.

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment removed
Aug 7
Comment removed
Expand full comment
Steghorn21's avatar

I think it will be ruled by incompetence and lies.

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment removed
Aug 7
Comment removed
Expand full comment
Steghorn21's avatar

We tend to think that evil and incompetence are incompatible. I think the DS has bridged the gap.

Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

Yes.

Expand full comment