David Goldman recently sat in on a conclave of the "best and the brightest" to discuss the state of the national security landscape. These individuals were 'former' members of the National Security State, but no doubt they are channeling the mindset of the folks in charge.
His report was not reassuring. It suggests that those who rule us might be many things, but they are without a doubt delusional.
Simple. The sociopaths who rule over us would without hesitation destroy 99% of life on earth if that were the price of dominion over whatever was left.
The reason "Don't Look Up!" was funny was because it rang true.
Bela, most readers would not know those words come Daniel's Book in The Bible
“And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
This is the interpretation of the thing:
MENE; God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it.
TEKEL; You are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting.
PERES; Your kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
That writing on the Wall appeared at the State Dinner the king of ancient Babylon, now called Iraq, put on for 1000 of the elites of his kingdom after 'they praised the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood and stone.'
In other words, from then to now 'It's the economy, Stupid!
Persia is now called Iran and the illegal US invasion of Iraq in 2003 violating the very same International Law Putin is DEMONIZED for violating increased Iran's influence in the Middle East..
There have been over 1,000,000 deaths because of that Illegal US invasion making the US a MUCH BIGGER BUTCHER than Putin and much less of a butcher than Israel's Netanyahu the US protects because everything happening in the Middle East because of Israel's MASSACRE is prefaced by 'Iran backed proxies.' Israel has been urging the US to attack Iran for years and the Writing's on the Wall.
'The writing's on the Wall' with Biden talking like that precluding any prospects of a Diplomatic resolution, people may not know the Bible History, but most everyone knows what's implied by the adage.
I wrote about 'MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN' 11 years ago in
On Crocus, a lot of the details so far in the public domain don't add up.
The operation doesn't fit standard IS patterns - payments and escape rather than martyrdom.
And the rather odd perps don't seem capable of having executed it without more sophisticated help than some guy with an old white French car.
But the strangest thing to me is Russian security taking an hour to arrive at the essentially unguarded venue, then traffic cops intercepting the Renault with unarmed terrorists hundreds of miles away 5 hours later.
Why would Budanov with or without CIA/Mi6 handlers have organized such a risky immediate retreat of the rather dumb paid non-martyrs toward a forested area of the Russian border where his Neonazi 'Freedom of Russia Legion' operates.
A spokesman for the FRL said almost immediately: Putin will blame us, but it was his false flag.
Budanov has screwed up escapes for his terrorists before, but if this was his operation he's even more clumsy than I thought. Why wouldn't he have helped real IS terrorists who'd delete most evidence by martyrdom, rather than use 4 amateurs (but with some training) who accepted only $5,000 and thought they'd be welcomed and helped onward by the FRL rather than disposed of on arrival in Ukraine to minimize risk for their employer?
IF it was a Russian set-up with a trail of evidence pointing to the FRL, that would fit a lot of strange details better than a half-baked GUR-FRL hit initially intended for the nationalist event at Crocus on 8 March, but postponed.
Its often claimed Putin staged large-scale terrorist attacks in the 90s as a casus belli against Chechnya.
But would he really be dumb enough to stage a false flag full of holes in order to extend the war in Ukraine - especially the flight to the FRL, which also for Budanov if he was in charge would surely have been seen as too dumb?
I just don't get it. It seems like some kind of double double bluff, with a lot of smoke and mirrors.
Having re-read my questions, maybe Budanov arranged it to look like a Russian false-flag attack implicating him?
But that still has a lot of holes, including botched security at Crocus and interception of the unarmed nonmartyrs five hours later by traffic police.
After the Salisbury poisoning, the FSB agents went on Russian TV to say they were there because they'd heard interesting things about the cathedral tower.
I understood that as an in-your-face admission that the failed hit was ordered by Putin to discourage dissent, and he was happy to broadcast his threat to any other potential dissidents.
Maybe he knows that enough people will believe his version of Crocus to move the domestic dial in his favour, and doesn't care too much about clever critics or collateral damage.
Again, bottom line: it was Putin or Budanov. Either way, Budanov's life insurance premium has just skyrocketed.
Good read. Regarding the Biden administation and the US media saying that they had previously warned Moscow about a possible terror attack, why would Russia believe anything the US has to say about preventing Russian deaths when thay are openly arming a foreign army to kill Russians? Not to mention it's like you warning the police that your business partner might be murdered and then when he turns up dead you're shocked that they consider you their prime suspect...
Since it will be difficult to prove whether the CIA or MI6 are connected with it, and even whether the Ukrainian secret service actually has anything to do with it, there is only the Indiez because di9e alleged assassins left for Ukraine. Does anyone really believe that the Ukrainians would have let them live. Of course, they would have tried to liquidate them in order to interrupt a possible chain of evidence. It is understandable if Putin wants the masterminds, but with all due respect, how does he or she want to act. his security services manage this, the assassins talked about the fact that they were contacted by phone via Telegram and no personal meetings took place. The only thing that is striking is that the Wertewesten referred to ISIS very quickly. Perhaps it was hoped that the assassins escaped undetected. The fact that the huge intelligence agencies are often cumbersome is not a novelty either.
I don't know if you are aware of what your statement implies? Russia and its president have always attached great importance to evidence, which distinguishes him from Western politicians, as we have just experienced, and not for the first time. But let's remember the Iraq War and the statements of Western, especially US politicians, about the alleged existing Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, which are still being sought today. I don't know if it's real or just put into the world like that. Putin is said to have once said that if I were the USA I would have found the weapons of mass destruction. But back, for the West and its propaganda machine, evidence is secondary, especially when it comes to Russia, it is always Russia and especially the Russian president. That is exactly why it is important that the Russian side first determines all the evidence and then comes to the public. By the way, I would have done one thing instead of the Russian side when Navalny died, I would have invited leading international pathologists and forensic doctors to follow the autopsy. If I want to win over my friends and all those who are skeptical about the Western narrative, I must not fall into Western patterns
The question should then go on, why doesn't he have to prove it? I try to make it visible on the basis of Germany. Do you know the book or the movie (there it becomes even clearer) "DER UNTERTAN" by Heinrich Mann. As long as people and all of us were allowed to experience it during the last 3 years marching in lockstep without contradiction, people like Soros, Gates and Co. will have the say - see also the planned laws / regulations of the WHO. The US Senator Graham has now let the cat out of the bag what it is about in the Ukraine and it was never about anything else in all the wars - Rights !!
Biden is acting like a child. Name calling and insults are provocative bluster. True leadership is a void in Biden's character. Resolving problems and issues requires respectful and intelligent communication of positions and goals. Efforts could be made that lead to resolution of the war, but Biden and his kind of rhetoric prevent a starting point. If he was a true and effective leader, Biden would make a call and have a face to face meeting with Putin to begin a process to end the war. Instead he is like a 12 year old bully picking on a 6 year old.
Compare Nordstream II and Crocus attacks...the US "knew" within the hour who done it and held press conferences within hrs...even less with Crocus. Two years on and "can't find out who did Norstream II". Dali takes out the bridge in Baltimore..literally next door to DC...and 24 hrs later its "maybe contaminated fuel".
What is not reported in the US but reported elsewhere is mind-boggling to contemplate. What's not reported here is that the 4 terrorists were inadequate with handling firearms, cried like children when caught, and identified they received their rudimentary training in a camp outside Istanbul. The Russian security services notified the Turks who raided the camp the same night. The following morning around 11 o'clock Mr. Zircon obliterate 2 SBU headquarters in Kiev and Odessa. The next day a NATO command HQ in Chasov Yar area was hit and a Polish Brigadier General and several US officers eliminated. The Russians know...
"Methinks the lady doth protest too much" always comes to mind...now the US has painted itself in a corner...again. Delusional people filled with their own hubris are running this country into a brick wall. The Russians know this and are being very careful and measured in their actions; to quote Col. Baud's most definitive book, they see events like a movie...we view them as photographs suspended in time.. devoid of cause and effect. We are doomed to suffer the consequences over and over from short-sighted and ill-conceived strategies whereas they play the long game.
How will the Russians react? Probably with an escalation within the next month. as for the idea that not calling Putin president will delegitimize him is as ridiculous as declaring yourself victorious when the battle is not yet over
Dmitri Trenin said it very clearly recently. The West doesn't fear Russia and that's why the escalation continues.
According to him, Russia needs to declare a no flight zone in the Black sea and do nuclear tests again to show what's at stake here.
I agree with Trenin. Putin has been too soft. Too soft on Ukraine and on the West. Russians are very enduring and patient but one that's over, thing will escalate rather quickly.
Perhaps, Russia should start hitting energy and water supplies in Ukraine and cause a refugee flood towards Europe, which will then cause regime changes in Europe.
The time to place nice with the West ended yesterday. I don't think Putin has realized that, yet.
I appreciate the "realpolitik" assessment and it requires a complete suspension of all moral judgements to be able to view, with pragmatism, the situation now and the future dangers. However, NOT providing the correct weapons for Ukraine to win the war against an enemy who invaded, is a bit like paying protection money to keep a gangster at bay. Every year that passes since 1991 is further evidence that a peaceful Russian Federation is still a pipe dream and a de-centralized Russian confederation would be a big improvement. and less of a threat. Accepting the Russian invasion of Ukraine 10 years ago has lead to completely predictable outcomes. As has been said before, Biden has managed to design and execute the absolute optimal strategy for maximizing death and destruction in the Ukraine and making the future more unstable.
Easy to come to a conclusion like that if others are dying.
first of all, your comment ignores this history of the conflict and the fact that Kiev used its military against its own people in the Donbass after Crimea was taken.
secondly, how many Ukrainians need to die before people in the West realizes the war can't be won? 10,000? 100,000, 1,000,000?
My aunt lives in Ukraine and all cemeteries are exploding. Who will be left to rebuilt the country? A Ukrainian victory is delusional and comes with an insane cost.
Oh yeah, and let's not forget why Russia took Crimea and who financed the coup in Kiev...
Ukraine needs warm live bodies more than anything else. If you are so worried about Ukraine, the various paramilitaries supporting the regime in Kiev gladly accept foreign volunteers. I suggest you join them.
For that matter, even if post-1991 Russia really were guilty of every bad thing it is accused of, that would be but a pimple on the ass of the War On Iraq alone.
You said nothing worth responding to. If you would like to provide some intelligent and informed commentary worthy of a response then feel free to do so. You contributed nothing to what is still a serious, and difficult to resolve question.
As I pointed out - even if Russia really were guilty of everything it is accused of (it isn't but whatever), that would be nothing compared with America's crimes in Iraq alone.
US trying-very-hard seems like a stretch. In practice Washington has given Kiev the wink-and-a-nod at every cycle of escalation, looked the other way at every atrocity, and carried on with military support and political/media cover thru it all.
David Goldman recently sat in on a conclave of the "best and the brightest" to discuss the state of the national security landscape. These individuals were 'former' members of the National Security State, but no doubt they are channeling the mindset of the folks in charge.
His report was not reassuring. It suggests that those who rule us might be many things, but they are without a doubt delusional.
Read it here:
https://asiatimes.com/2024/03/america-has-no-ukraine-plan-b-except-more-war/
Simple. The sociopaths who rule over us would without hesitation destroy 99% of life on earth if that were the price of dominion over whatever was left.
The reason "Don't Look Up!" was funny was because it rang true.
We are led, not by well-meaning children, but by full-blown sociopaths.
Anyway. V.V. Putin could cure cancer and Biden would bitch about all the doctors that he put out of work.
It surprises me that Turkiye is stepping up.
The inscriptions "Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin!" were posted on the walls of four capital cities, Washington, Berlin, London and Paris.
Bela, most readers would not know those words come Daniel's Book in The Bible
“And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
This is the interpretation of the thing:
MENE; God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it.
TEKEL; You are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting.
PERES; Your kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
That writing on the Wall appeared at the State Dinner the king of ancient Babylon, now called Iraq, put on for 1000 of the elites of his kingdom after 'they praised the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood and stone.'
In other words, from then to now 'It's the economy, Stupid!
Persia is now called Iran and the illegal US invasion of Iraq in 2003 violating the very same International Law Putin is DEMONIZED for violating increased Iran's influence in the Middle East..
There have been over 1,000,000 deaths because of that Illegal US invasion making the US a MUCH BIGGER BUTCHER than Putin and much less of a butcher than Israel's Netanyahu the US protects because everything happening in the Middle East because of Israel's MASSACRE is prefaced by 'Iran backed proxies.' Israel has been urging the US to attack Iran for years and the Writing's on the Wall.
'The writing's on the Wall' with Biden talking like that precluding any prospects of a Diplomatic resolution, people may not know the Bible History, but most everyone knows what's implied by the adage.
I wrote about 'MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN' 11 years ago in
https://rayjc.com/2013/09/01/signs-of-the-times/
On Crocus, a lot of the details so far in the public domain don't add up.
The operation doesn't fit standard IS patterns - payments and escape rather than martyrdom.
And the rather odd perps don't seem capable of having executed it without more sophisticated help than some guy with an old white French car.
But the strangest thing to me is Russian security taking an hour to arrive at the essentially unguarded venue, then traffic cops intercepting the Renault with unarmed terrorists hundreds of miles away 5 hours later.
Why would Budanov with or without CIA/Mi6 handlers have organized such a risky immediate retreat of the rather dumb paid non-martyrs toward a forested area of the Russian border where his Neonazi 'Freedom of Russia Legion' operates.
A spokesman for the FRL said almost immediately: Putin will blame us, but it was his false flag.
Budanov has screwed up escapes for his terrorists before, but if this was his operation he's even more clumsy than I thought. Why wouldn't he have helped real IS terrorists who'd delete most evidence by martyrdom, rather than use 4 amateurs (but with some training) who accepted only $5,000 and thought they'd be welcomed and helped onward by the FRL rather than disposed of on arrival in Ukraine to minimize risk for their employer?
IF it was a Russian set-up with a trail of evidence pointing to the FRL, that would fit a lot of strange details better than a half-baked GUR-FRL hit initially intended for the nationalist event at Crocus on 8 March, but postponed.
Its often claimed Putin staged large-scale terrorist attacks in the 90s as a casus belli against Chechnya.
But would he really be dumb enough to stage a false flag full of holes in order to extend the war in Ukraine - especially the flight to the FRL, which also for Budanov if he was in charge would surely have been seen as too dumb?
I just don't get it. It seems like some kind of double double bluff, with a lot of smoke and mirrors.
Having re-read my questions, maybe Budanov arranged it to look like a Russian false-flag attack implicating him?
But that still has a lot of holes, including botched security at Crocus and interception of the unarmed nonmartyrs five hours later by traffic police.
After the Salisbury poisoning, the FSB agents went on Russian TV to say they were there because they'd heard interesting things about the cathedral tower.
I understood that as an in-your-face admission that the failed hit was ordered by Putin to discourage dissent, and he was happy to broadcast his threat to any other potential dissidents.
Maybe he knows that enough people will believe his version of Crocus to move the domestic dial in his favour, and doesn't care too much about clever critics or collateral damage.
Again, bottom line: it was Putin or Budanov. Either way, Budanov's life insurance premium has just skyrocketed.
Good read. Regarding the Biden administation and the US media saying that they had previously warned Moscow about a possible terror attack, why would Russia believe anything the US has to say about preventing Russian deaths when thay are openly arming a foreign army to kill Russians? Not to mention it's like you warning the police that your business partner might be murdered and then when he turns up dead you're shocked that they consider you their prime suspect...
Since it will be difficult to prove whether the CIA or MI6 are connected with it, and even whether the Ukrainian secret service actually has anything to do with it, there is only the Indiez because di9e alleged assassins left for Ukraine. Does anyone really believe that the Ukrainians would have let them live. Of course, they would have tried to liquidate them in order to interrupt a possible chain of evidence. It is understandable if Putin wants the masterminds, but with all due respect, how does he or she want to act. his security services manage this, the assassins talked about the fact that they were contacted by phone via Telegram and no personal meetings took place. The only thing that is striking is that the Wertewesten referred to ISIS very quickly. Perhaps it was hoped that the assassins escaped undetected. The fact that the huge intelligence agencies are often cumbersome is not a novelty either.
He doesn't have to prove it as long as he believes it. And he will react accordingly.
I don't know if you are aware of what your statement implies? Russia and its president have always attached great importance to evidence, which distinguishes him from Western politicians, as we have just experienced, and not for the first time. But let's remember the Iraq War and the statements of Western, especially US politicians, about the alleged existing Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, which are still being sought today. I don't know if it's real or just put into the world like that. Putin is said to have once said that if I were the USA I would have found the weapons of mass destruction. But back, for the West and its propaganda machine, evidence is secondary, especially when it comes to Russia, it is always Russia and especially the Russian president. That is exactly why it is important that the Russian side first determines all the evidence and then comes to the public. By the way, I would have done one thing instead of the Russian side when Navalny died, I would have invited leading international pathologists and forensic doctors to follow the autopsy. If I want to win over my friends and all those who are skeptical about the Western narrative, I must not fall into Western patterns
The question should then go on, why doesn't he have to prove it? I try to make it visible on the basis of Germany. Do you know the book or the movie (there it becomes even clearer) "DER UNTERTAN" by Heinrich Mann. As long as people and all of us were allowed to experience it during the last 3 years marching in lockstep without contradiction, people like Soros, Gates and Co. will have the say - see also the planned laws / regulations of the WHO. The US Senator Graham has now let the cat out of the bag what it is about in the Ukraine and it was never about anything else in all the wars - Rights !!
Biden is acting like a child. Name calling and insults are provocative bluster. True leadership is a void in Biden's character. Resolving problems and issues requires respectful and intelligent communication of positions and goals. Efforts could be made that lead to resolution of the war, but Biden and his kind of rhetoric prevent a starting point. If he was a true and effective leader, Biden would make a call and have a face to face meeting with Putin to begin a process to end the war. Instead he is like a 12 year old bully picking on a 6 year old.
Compare Nordstream II and Crocus attacks...the US "knew" within the hour who done it and held press conferences within hrs...even less with Crocus. Two years on and "can't find out who did Norstream II". Dali takes out the bridge in Baltimore..literally next door to DC...and 24 hrs later its "maybe contaminated fuel".
What is not reported in the US but reported elsewhere is mind-boggling to contemplate. What's not reported here is that the 4 terrorists were inadequate with handling firearms, cried like children when caught, and identified they received their rudimentary training in a camp outside Istanbul. The Russian security services notified the Turks who raided the camp the same night. The following morning around 11 o'clock Mr. Zircon obliterate 2 SBU headquarters in Kiev and Odessa. The next day a NATO command HQ in Chasov Yar area was hit and a Polish Brigadier General and several US officers eliminated. The Russians know...
The fast US response on the Crocus shooting surprised me and is very unusual to say the least.
"Methinks the lady doth protest too much" always comes to mind...now the US has painted itself in a corner...again. Delusional people filled with their own hubris are running this country into a brick wall. The Russians know this and are being very careful and measured in their actions; to quote Col. Baud's most definitive book, they see events like a movie...we view them as photographs suspended in time.. devoid of cause and effect. We are doomed to suffer the consequences over and over from short-sighted and ill-conceived strategies whereas they play the long game.
Didn't surprise me in the slightest, because they are not honest.
Putin just destroyed the Key bridge. Tit for Tat. Occam’s razor. Seems obvious.
That's the first thing I thought of when I heard about the Key bridge...
How will the Russians react? Probably with an escalation within the next month. as for the idea that not calling Putin president will delegitimize him is as ridiculous as declaring yourself victorious when the battle is not yet over
Dmitri Trenin said it very clearly recently. The West doesn't fear Russia and that's why the escalation continues.
According to him, Russia needs to declare a no flight zone in the Black sea and do nuclear tests again to show what's at stake here.
I agree with Trenin. Putin has been too soft. Too soft on Ukraine and on the West. Russians are very enduring and patient but one that's over, thing will escalate rather quickly.
Perhaps, Russia should start hitting energy and water supplies in Ukraine and cause a refugee flood towards Europe, which will then cause regime changes in Europe.
The time to place nice with the West ended yesterday. I don't think Putin has realized that, yet.
I appreciate the "realpolitik" assessment and it requires a complete suspension of all moral judgements to be able to view, with pragmatism, the situation now and the future dangers. However, NOT providing the correct weapons for Ukraine to win the war against an enemy who invaded, is a bit like paying protection money to keep a gangster at bay. Every year that passes since 1991 is further evidence that a peaceful Russian Federation is still a pipe dream and a de-centralized Russian confederation would be a big improvement. and less of a threat. Accepting the Russian invasion of Ukraine 10 years ago has lead to completely predictable outcomes. As has been said before, Biden has managed to design and execute the absolute optimal strategy for maximizing death and destruction in the Ukraine and making the future more unstable.
Easy to come to a conclusion like that if others are dying.
first of all, your comment ignores this history of the conflict and the fact that Kiev used its military against its own people in the Donbass after Crimea was taken.
secondly, how many Ukrainians need to die before people in the West realizes the war can't be won? 10,000? 100,000, 1,000,000?
My aunt lives in Ukraine and all cemeteries are exploding. Who will be left to rebuilt the country? A Ukrainian victory is delusional and comes with an insane cost.
Oh yeah, and let's not forget why Russia took Crimea and who financed the coup in Kiev...
Ukraine needs warm live bodies more than anything else. If you are so worried about Ukraine, the various paramilitaries supporting the regime in Kiev gladly accept foreign volunteers. I suggest you join them.
For that matter, even if post-1991 Russia really were guilty of every bad thing it is accused of, that would be but a pimple on the ass of the War On Iraq alone.
All the Russian Federation has to do is to join the modern world and stop its thuggish behavior.
That is non-responsive.
You said nothing worth responding to. If you would like to provide some intelligent and informed commentary worthy of a response then feel free to do so. You contributed nothing to what is still a serious, and difficult to resolve question.
As I pointed out - even if Russia really were guilty of everything it is accused of (it isn't but whatever), that would be nothing compared with America's crimes in Iraq alone.
good assessment
God Favours Russia - https://les7eb.substack.com/p/ukraine-long-proxy-war-vi-god-favours
________
More generally - The Decline of The West - https://les7eb.substack.com
US trying-very-hard seems like a stretch. In practice Washington has given Kiev the wink-and-a-nod at every cycle of escalation, looked the other way at every atrocity, and carried on with military support and political/media cover thru it all.