Not too much really new today, after the flurry surrounding the Dem ploy to use Trump to neutralize the GOP House. We’ll have to see how that develops, and how Americans react to the increasingly farcical—if it weren’t so sad—quality of public life. And especially the disgraceful conduct of virtually all establishment politicians. So we’ll do a bit of a roundup.
Starting with Ukraine and their missile that landed in Poland, there are two items. The first is an article: US Told Zelensky To "Tread Carefully" After Missile Hit Poland. The main point here is that Zelensky, for quite a while, simply ignored US admonitions, which were apparently delivered by Jake Sullivan, who used to carry Hillary’s briefcase before his promotion to NSA. Consider this and what it says about who runs the US:
The [CNN] sources said that President Biden did not speak with Zelensky on Tuesday night or Wednesday despite requests from the Ukrainian leader for a call.
The US is in a hot proxy war with the other major nuclear power, Ukraine is the proxy for us but we’re supply the equipment and munitions and, increasingly, manpower. We also provide leadership and direction for the Ukraine military. So when Ukraine calls for a drastic escalation and asks to speak to the POTUS, the POTUS … goes to Delaware and lets underlings handle the situation? The biggest open secret in the world today is that Zhou simply isn’t in charge. Seems dangerous to me.
Meanwhile, anonymous NATO diplomats would be livid at Ukraine’s transparent lies, except they’re not allowed to be livid except anonymously. The US calls those shots, too.
An unnamed diplomat from a NATO country expressed frustration with Zelensky after he denied the missile was Ukrainian.
"This is getting ridiculous. The Ukrainians are destroying [our] confidence in them. Nobody is blaming Ukraine and they are openly lying. This is more destructive than the missile," the diplomat told Financial Times.
Who feels sorry for these bozos? Not me. But the whole thing looks increasingly shambolic. Meanwhile, winter approaches.
The second Ukraine item is Scott Ritter in a 14 minute discussion about the missile fiasco with a Polish Youtuber, Ania K:
Notably, in this video Ritter makes the argument both ways—that this event was a deliberate Ukrainian provocation, or that it was an accident. He notes the role of the three Baltic states—who are controlled by Western intel services—in propagating the hoax narrative that this was a Russian missile. It’s an interesting contrast with Poland, which apparently was in early contact with the US, as opposed to Estonia, for example, which is run by MI6. The possibility of orchestration for escalation is certainly disturbing. It’s worth your 15 minutes or so.
Another relatively brief video deals with the UK economy. This is Alex Mercouris, just returned to London from the West Country. It’s an interesting discussion on the state of the UK—they’re apparently experiencing an egg shortage, currently. To give a flavor for it, Mercouris states that things are going from bad to worse so quickly that he thought the people in the West Country seemed “shellshocked”. He openly states that Britain is simply no longer a first world country. The solution that will return the UK to economic growth, according to the Davos plants Sunak and Hunt, is—ready for this?—more immigration! They must be channelling Schumer, but that solution is apparently going over about as well as Schumer’s schtick on immigration did in the US.
Don Surber unabashedly backtracks today—and I salute him. In his post Trump 2024 Don takes out after the Republicans in both House and Senate. He’s disgusted by what he sees and, like me in a comment yesterday, he’s saying that maybe Trump is all we have between us and the Flood. Brief excerpts:
After the election, I posted a well-reasoned piece, "Life after Trump," which concluded because Trump-backed candidates did much poorer than Republican governors in Georgia, New Hampshire and Ohio, Trump cannot win the purple states (although Ohio is red).
I stand behind that post because I am obstinate and no pundit likes to publicly admit he is wrong.
But I was wrong.
He will win and he will win big because Americans are fed up with both parties now.
...
Post-election, Republicans in DC have shown they no longer are worthy of my support.
12 Republican senators -- including West Virginia's Shelly Moore Capito -- voted to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which will force Christian bakers to make wedding cakes or face jail and bankruptcy.
The Dirty Dozen showed they are not RINOs. They are Democrats who vote for tax cuts.
But wait. There's more.
Breitbart reported, "A handful of Senate Republicans … hope to pass an amnesty in the lame-duck Congress.
…
The treachery continues in the House. Kevin McCarthy is fumbling the ball either deliberately or through incompetence. We may wind up with the black supremacist Hakeem Jeffries as House speaker because of this.
...
In boxing, this is called taking a dive. Why reward such treachery?
...
Republicans did nothing about Russiagate. Republicans were silent about Obama using the FBI to spy on Trump. Republicans failed to protest the Bob Mueller witch hunt. Republicans have not gone to court and demanded the release of the J6 protesters. Republicans did not protest the raid on Mar-a-Lago.
What the heck am I, Don Surber, getting in this relationship? I vote Republican and they act against my political interest.
Millions of Americans are asking the same question of both parties.
...
Republicans have shown they do not want to Make America Great Again. This no longer is the Party of Reagan. It is the Party of Liz Cheney.
But most American do want to live in an America that is great again.
In a world where Republicans built the wall in 2017 like I voted for in 2016, Ron DeSantis would be the standard bearer in 2024 and I would be happy.
I do not live in that world. I live in the world where it is Donald Trump or go home. We all do. We will rise again bigger and stronger than ever before.
After the election, I did not see it but I see it now.
I apologize.
There’s much more at the link—naming names. You can quibble with Don about some of what he says, and there’s more to life in America than DC politics, but when all is said and done he’s making a strong point.
As a bonus, here’s another fine piece today by Don:
Like I said, DC is a cancer on the country. Waiting for anything to happen in that place that is in the best interests of America is a fool's errand. The Founders never envisioned a place so corrupted with power and if they did...well, Thomas Jefferson had a solution but ,to speak or write anything like he said invites DC to destroy your life. Any change in this country is going to come at the state level. THAT is the country the Founders envisioned yet getting there is a war most Americans are unwilling to fight.
Had a peek at Luongo's blog recently.
A bit disappointed he apparently has nothing to say about the Fed's three-month "test" of the CBDC "digital dollar".
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/economy/fed-banks-digital-dollar-test
He did mention it two years ago, but it seems his position on Powell has evolved since then.
https://tomluongo.me/2020/10/06/real-rates-rising-inflation-digital-dollars/
(For those not clued-in about what's a CBDC, I recommend this little vignette: https://theupheaval.substack.com/p/just-say-no-to-cbdcs )