Rick Wilson called Witkoff and Kushner the undertakers for Ukraine. They look the part, but we can shorten that name to just "takers". Moscow was about what they could take for TRump and themselves.
Treason with Benefits: Kushner & Witkoff Play With Putin:
TRump has blood on his hands while claiming he has saved millions. Gaza. Ukraine. Venezuela. USA. He wants to steal Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal. Greedy, grifting, gas-lighting, geriatric psychopath who is losing his battle with dementia---that's our president. The Daddy meme? We all know what he thinks about doing to one of his daughters.
Survive. Protest. Prosecute. Take-back. Heal. See you in the streets..
And now with his national security strategy he aims to turn the world into one big corporation controlled by him and his buddies. This is more alarming than direct military action.
Also issued a 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) of the United States of America. It did so quietly, although as foreign affairs journalist at Politico Nahal Toosi noted, the release of the NSS is usually accompanied by fanfare, as it shows an administration’s foreign policy priorities and the way it envisions the position of the U.S. in the world.
The Trump administration’s NSS announces a dramatic reworking of the foreign policy the U.S. has embraced since World War II.
After a brief introduction touting what it claims are the administration’s great successes, the document begins by announcing the U.S. will back away from the global engagements that underpin the rules-based international order that the World War II Allies put in place after that war to prevent another world war. The authors of the document claim that the system of institutions like the United Nations, alliances like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and free trade between nations that established a series of rules for foreign engagement and a web of shared interests around the globe has been bad for the U.S. because it undermined “the character of our nation.”
I assume that Congress had no input.
Republican members who have publicly expressed skepticism or outright opposition to Ukraine policy include:
Senator Mitch McConnell (Former Senate Leader): Criticized the peace plan, stating that "Rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous to America's interests" and likened the plan to a "capitulation like [former US President Joe] Biden's abandonment of Afghanistan" in an article by the Atlantic Council.
Senator Roger Wicker: As the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, he said the so-called "peace plan' has real problems, and I am highly skeptical it will achieve peace," according to KSL.com.
Representative Don Bacon: Publicly opposed the proposal, saying the plan "amounts to Ukraine surrendering to Russia," as reported by CNN. He also criticized the envoy involved in the negotiations, stating they "cannot be trusted."
Representative Brian Fitzpatrick: Called for a shift in approach, describing an incident related to the peace talks as "a major problem. And one of the many reasons why these ridiculous side shows and secret meetings need to stop," according to KSL.com.
Senator Lisa Murkowski: Expressed opposition to ending the war on Russia's terms, stating that "ending it on Russia's terms would be a devastating mistake that plays right into Putin's bloody hands," according to Responsible Statecraft.
Senator Thom Tillis: Disagreed with Trump's rhetoric towards Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, saying he wears a pin to send the message that "I support Ukraine and that I think that Vladimir Putin is a liar," as mentioned in an AP News report.
Thank you for those observations Alis. Can this level of corruption, incompetence, and just plain crazy go on much longer? Epstein files, pardons for bribes, treason, payoffs to Putin and kickbacks from the Saudi's, and on and on.
Excellent comments, Alis! Yes, he definitely has blood on his hands although neither he nor any of the media in his thrall would admit it because they're terrified of The Wrath of Trump (not a Star Trek meme but it does seem to fit here).
Increasingly, the independent media is taking hold. They tell the truth and despise what he has done to people.
Started watching the independents on YouTube a year ago. I like Meidas Touch Network, IHIP News, Adam Mockler, Keith Edwards, Secular Talk with Kyle Kulinski, Harry Sisson, The Dangerous Ones (they're fun), Pod Save America, The Daily Beast, Occupy Democrats, Hysteria, The Bulwark, and The Lincoln Project.
Good choices. As I'm laser-focused on Ukraine, where my mother was born and where my ancestors of many generations were buried, I follow Kyiv Post, Kyiv Independent, Meduza, Euromaidan Press, Uniform, U24, UI, and certain excellent journalists on Medium. And you're obviously a good person to follow as well.
If Hegseth, is Trump next? Al Green (D-Texas), recently made a public speech demanding immediate impeachment action and announcing a "countdown to impeachment" on the House floor.
2. Baghdad By the Sea is the center for BIG News. U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators are holding a second day of talks in Miami around Trump's peace plan on Friday. Thom documented on Thursday that if a Ukraine proposal was shaped to benefit a foreign power tied to Kushner’s money, that’s not diplomacy: it’s corruption…
"Why it matters: While the Ukrainian and Russian public positions appear irreconcilable, U.S. officials continue to believe compromise could be within reach even on the most sensitive issue of territory."
As far as I'm concerned, this is a complete acquiecence of Krasnov to Putin.
The Ukrainian delegation in Miami is headed by chief negotiator and national security adviser Rustem Umerov and Ukrainian military chief of staff Gen. Andrii Hnatov.
They met with Witkoff and Kushner on Thursday evening for two hours and resumed on Friday morning. Witkoff and Kushner briefed the Ukrainians in detail about the meeting with Putin and about new ideas to try and bridge the gaps between the parties, according to a source with knowledge.
As I reported earlier, most of the current scam was planned here in Bagahad By the Sea when the Saudis and Trumps had a public lovefest last month. Witcoff's son is a business partner and close friend of the Trump kids.
Steve Witkoff, a real estate developer and a special envoy under the Trump administration, has an extensive network of business connections, primarily in real estate and a new cryptocurrency venture, with several ties to the Trump family, Russian-linked individuals, and Middle Eastern nations.
Key Business Connections
Donald Trump and Family:
Longstanding Relationship: Witkoff and Trump have been friends and business partners for decades, originating from their shared history in New York real estate.
World Liberty Financial: Steve Witkoff and his sons Alex and Zach co-founded World Liberty, a cryptocurrency company, in partnership with the Trump family.
Advisory Roles: During Trump's first term, Witkoff served on the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups and became an informal advisor on various issues.
Len Blavatnik:
Real Estate Partnerships: Blavatnik, a billionaire born in Soviet Ukraine with U.S. and U.K. citizenship, is a key business partner of Witkoff.
Major Projects: They partnered on the development of the luxury One High Line project in New York City and the Ocean Terrace and Belgrove developments in Miami/West Palm Beach.
Russian Connections: Blavatnik made his initial fortune by investing in Russian oil assets alongside sanctioned Russian oligarch Victor Vekselberg, who reportedly has close ties to Vladimir Putin.
Middle Eastern Entities (Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia):
Sovereign Wealth Funds: Witkoff's firm has received hundreds of millions in financing tied to Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds, particularly from Qatar, often via intermediaries like the private-equity firm Apollo Global Management.
Diplomatic/Business Overlap: These business ties have drawn scrutiny as Witkoff serves as a special envoy to the Middle East. His sons have also sought investments from Gulf nations for Witkoff Group projects and the World Liberty crypto venture.
UAE Deals: World Liberty secured a $2 billion transaction with MGX, an investment firm backed by the Emirati ruling family. This coincided with Witkoff advocating for the U.A.E. to access advanced A.I. chips, raising significant ethics concerns.
Park Lane Hotel: A consortium including Witkoff and Howard Lorber sold the Park Lane Hotel to the Qatari Investment Authority for $623 million.
Other Notable Connections:
Blackstone: In 2015, the Witkoff Group secured a $256 million refinancing of the Woolworth Building from Blackstone, whose chairman, Stephen Schwarzman, previously sat on the advisory board of a Russian sovereign wealth fund.
Howard Lorber and Bennett LeBow: Witkoff's network includes Howard Lorber and Bennett LeBow, fellow real estate and business figures with whom he has partnered on various ventures.
Jared Kushner: Witkoff has worked with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and former Middle East envoy, on diplomatic missions and both have business ties to the Middle East.
Witkoff has faced significant scrutiny and questions from U.S. senators and ethics watchdogs regarding potential conflicts of interest stemming from his simultaneous business dealings and diplomatic roles. He has reportedly sold an interest in his company as part of a divestiture plan but maintains a significant ownership stake.
Is it just me, or is the "Daddy's Home" card a way for the Useful Idiot in the White House to lean into his grotesque identity as someone who "likes young girls"?
If corporations are people, and therefore have the same rights as human beings (Citizens United), why do voters pay a higher percentage of their income than corporations? A tax of 15% is a token joke considering that global trade depends on a Navy that minimizes piracy, a standing Army that discourages invasions (well, used to anyway), and railways and highways that enable the delivery of their stuff to factories and retailers.
Dear Thom, One of your phrases is wrong. You should correct it: Replace this phrase:"..kennedy and his fanatical antivaxxers SEEM to have a different agenda..." Make it say. "...are PURPOSELY aiming to produce more PREMATURE death and disease in American humans..." All his actions and policies point directly to that outcome.
With our 83 (known) killings of Nicaraguan boatmen, who were evidently guilty until proven innocent, we citizens of the United States are confessed murderers. We are accumulating indelible stains at an unprecedented rate, in innumerable ways. It isn’t clear that we’ll ever have the integrity or the fortitude to confront our sins.
I believe 2025 is merely the staging-ground for a truly dynamic and interesting 2026. Trump has lost his mind - that fact will become increasingly clear in the coming year - with the Congressional election acting as a "topper." Time to turn up the heat in every way on the madness.
Most of us ? clearly want? a human being to be accountable for military strikes. But those who want to do this without accountability are well on the path to having AI do the whole thing…detect a boat in a general area, bomb it, confirm all life forms are dead, repeat if necessary.
And how about those armed robot dogs… that can be made to act as a pack? Unlimited in numbers?
These as yet undiscussed unquestioned options are akin to the cloud of nuclear arms, only they can be utilized with more specific impact and will be used.
Or just not make needless forays into foreign lands? So many options to avoid having sent you there in the first place. I can understand your comment on one level of course!
I think we have achieved a level of technical advance in these areas that maybe it’s past time to ask the people what they want and stop using our own tax dollars to control and police us.
Regarding the 15% minimum global tax. That tax applies to corporations that pretend sales made in a high-tax country, like the US, are made in a low-tax haven, like Switzerland, which charges 2%. The low-tax haven must now charge 15%. Switzerland signed that tax convention and now charges 15%, while at the same time giving grants for innovation of 13%, meaning the effective tax rate is again 2%—such an easy loophole.
The effective solution is to require corporations to disclose sales in every country (where the product was delivered) and allow that country to tax the corporation at its corporate rate.
Instead, the Biden government promoted this 15% global minimum tax solution.
Curiously, Trump intends to eliminate that to make it easier for the tax havens, so they don't have to go through this subsidy-granting process. But the danger to the American economy is that when the Democrats get back in power, they will sign America back into the 15% minimum global tax convention and trumpet it as a great solution to corporate tax avoidance when it does nothing.
"A compromise solution, brokered in part by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, was US agreement to drop the revenge tax from the OBBB, while other ministers agreed that the OECD Pillar Two [15% tax] measures would not apply to US-based MNCs. Thus, the minimum 15 percent corporate tax rate no longer applies to the subsidiaries of US multinational corporations."https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economics/2025/how-us-multinationals-escaped-global-minimum-corporate-tax
I resent foreign businesses that do not register to do business in this country, but benefit from our market. I resent that Bessert promotes the interests of non compliant businesses.
I watch but don't bet on your Canadian economy. Canada is a cosigner of the agreement for a 15% global minimum corporate tax, known as the Pillar Two solution developed by the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework.
I'd bet if I could. E.G. Vanguard has a Canada (VCN) fund that has earned 29% YTD I'd like to bet, but Vanguard will not sell it to Americans although it's a listed security on the Toronto exchange TSX.
I read that privates of the military do NOT have to swear to disobey any illegal order - only the officer ranks and above - is this true?
Admiral Halsey certainly did, but perhaps he is hedging on the decision because a military rebellion is still being organized, and they are not ready to give "the game" away (not a game at all of course).
Another question -
Since the Supreme court has just folded on protecting our vote, it is fast becoming vital that the military not work to support the Lame Duck Felon and his cronies to kill the life of the United States Constitution.
What is the best way forward for us? - we are certainly the 60% or more majority.
Just wondering: If the US becomes fascist is a new world order, perhaps called the "Concert of Democracies" possible? If it was to work it would have to be like a symphony orchestra playing heavenly music. https://halbrown.substack.com/p/if-the-us-becomes-fascist-is-a-new
Hal I've posted this many times.. George Orwell was a prophet, His Oceania is a Technate of America (map https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:34227574) is it a coincidence that the map includes Greenland, Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia), Eurasia with Russia as overlord, East Asia with China as overlord. What he doesn't account for is the Muslim world and the global south. Saudi Arabia will rule over the Mid east and north Africa, and the global south will be exploited for it's resources, by the great powers competing.
Democracy as we know it is dying, the species cannot tolerate or deal with freedom and choice. Look at Europe. Hungary and Slovakia have slid into authoritarianism, the Czech Republic is on the edge, Moldova is barely hanging on, authoritarianism in France, Germany and Poland is resurgent, even in Norway, Belgium and Denmark.
This takes me to unfettered and avaricious consumption, the 20th Century saw such a rise in technology and the standard of living of the world, that the species engaged in consumption at a geometric scale, and as a consequence befouled the air, land and water that they live in, live off and drink.
The population expanded geometrically, and the species produced more waste than it can dispose of, and to feed the billions of hungry mouths, has resorted to producing toxins to kill weeds and fertilize vegetation growth.
These toxins kill the pollinators, and without pollinators we don't have vegetables and vegetation. Without vegetation herbivores starve, without herbivores carnivores and omnivores starve.
The consequence of our mass consumption, as well as our wars to exploit resources is desertification and destruction of the global south and that drives migration, and migration drives authoritarianism
Democracy had a good run, and am thankful that I lived during that era, but humans can't handle freedom and choice, they want a Big Daddy to make the decisions for them, so they don't have to accept responsibility or think.
Too many of us, male and female, are like Stepford wives
The only great replacement would be just about any career Statesman replacing Donald after the right wing extremist Congress came out of their caves and got the 60 vote majority required to use the 25th Amendment to bring some sanity back to the American people. His card is certainly cringeworthy!
Russia Russia Russia-Treason Treason Treason
Rick Wilson called Witkoff and Kushner the undertakers for Ukraine. They look the part, but we can shorten that name to just "takers". Moscow was about what they could take for TRump and themselves.
Treason with Benefits: Kushner & Witkoff Play With Putin:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DOHZRR0yx4Eo
TRump has blood on his hands while claiming he has saved millions. Gaza. Ukraine. Venezuela. USA. He wants to steal Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal. Greedy, grifting, gas-lighting, geriatric psychopath who is losing his battle with dementia---that's our president. The Daddy meme? We all know what he thinks about doing to one of his daughters.
Survive. Protest. Prosecute. Take-back. Heal. See you in the streets..
And now with his national security strategy he aims to turn the world into one big corporation controlled by him and his buddies. This is more alarming than direct military action.
Also issued a 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) of the United States of America. It did so quietly, although as foreign affairs journalist at Politico Nahal Toosi noted, the release of the NSS is usually accompanied by fanfare, as it shows an administration’s foreign policy priorities and the way it envisions the position of the U.S. in the world.
The Trump administration’s NSS announces a dramatic reworking of the foreign policy the U.S. has embraced since World War II.
After a brief introduction touting what it claims are the administration’s great successes, the document begins by announcing the U.S. will back away from the global engagements that underpin the rules-based international order that the World War II Allies put in place after that war to prevent another world war. The authors of the document claim that the system of institutions like the United Nations, alliances like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and free trade between nations that established a series of rules for foreign engagement and a web of shared interests around the globe has been bad for the U.S. because it undermined “the character of our nation.”
I assume that Congress had no input.
Republican members who have publicly expressed skepticism or outright opposition to Ukraine policy include:
Senator Mitch McConnell (Former Senate Leader): Criticized the peace plan, stating that "Rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous to America's interests" and likened the plan to a "capitulation like [former US President Joe] Biden's abandonment of Afghanistan" in an article by the Atlantic Council.
Senator Roger Wicker: As the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, he said the so-called "peace plan' has real problems, and I am highly skeptical it will achieve peace," according to KSL.com.
Representative Don Bacon: Publicly opposed the proposal, saying the plan "amounts to Ukraine surrendering to Russia," as reported by CNN. He also criticized the envoy involved in the negotiations, stating they "cannot be trusted."
Representative Brian Fitzpatrick: Called for a shift in approach, describing an incident related to the peace talks as "a major problem. And one of the many reasons why these ridiculous side shows and secret meetings need to stop," according to KSL.com.
Senator Lisa Murkowski: Expressed opposition to ending the war on Russia's terms, stating that "ending it on Russia's terms would be a devastating mistake that plays right into Putin's bloody hands," according to Responsible Statecraft.
Senator Thom Tillis: Disagreed with Trump's rhetoric towards Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, saying he wears a pin to send the message that "I support Ukraine and that I think that Vladimir Putin is a liar," as mentioned in an AP News report.
His hunger for territory, money and power is unlimited. This is Hitler 2.0.
Thank you for those observations Alis. Can this level of corruption, incompetence, and just plain crazy go on much longer? Epstein files, pardons for bribes, treason, payoffs to Putin and kickbacks from the Saudi's, and on and on.
Thought the first four years and COVID was long---those were nothing compared to this literal murder and mayhem, so I feel you, G2.
I'm demonstrating today. Hope you are with friends too.
Excellent comments, Alis! Yes, he definitely has blood on his hands although neither he nor any of the media in his thrall would admit it because they're terrified of The Wrath of Trump (not a Star Trek meme but it does seem to fit here).
Thanks Porter. He is a pathetic black-hole.
Increasingly, the independent media is taking hold. They tell the truth and despise what he has done to people.
Started watching the independents on YouTube a year ago. I like Meidas Touch Network, IHIP News, Adam Mockler, Keith Edwards, Secular Talk with Kyle Kulinski, Harry Sisson, The Dangerous Ones (they're fun), Pod Save America, The Daily Beast, Occupy Democrats, Hysteria, The Bulwark, and The Lincoln Project.
Good choices. As I'm laser-focused on Ukraine, where my mother was born and where my ancestors of many generations were buried, I follow Kyiv Post, Kyiv Independent, Meduza, Euromaidan Press, Uniform, U24, UI, and certain excellent journalists on Medium. And you're obviously a good person to follow as well.
1. Big news is the vulnerability of Hegseth https://thanedar.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-shri-thanedar-introduces-articles-of-impeachment-against-secretary-of-defense-pete-hegseth
If Hegseth, is Trump next? Al Green (D-Texas), recently made a public speech demanding immediate impeachment action and announcing a "countdown to impeachment" on the House floor.
2. Baghdad By the Sea is the center for BIG News. U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators are holding a second day of talks in Miami around Trump's peace plan on Friday. Thom documented on Thursday that if a Ukraine proposal was shaped to benefit a foreign power tied to Kushner’s money, that’s not diplomacy: it’s corruption…
"Why it matters: While the Ukrainian and Russian public positions appear irreconcilable, U.S. officials continue to believe compromise could be within reach even on the most sensitive issue of territory."
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/05/ukraine-peace-talks-witkoff-kushner-putin
As far as I'm concerned, this is a complete acquiecence of Krasnov to Putin.
The Ukrainian delegation in Miami is headed by chief negotiator and national security adviser Rustem Umerov and Ukrainian military chief of staff Gen. Andrii Hnatov.
They met with Witkoff and Kushner on Thursday evening for two hours and resumed on Friday morning. Witkoff and Kushner briefed the Ukrainians in detail about the meeting with Putin and about new ideas to try and bridge the gaps between the parties, according to a source with knowledge.
As I reported earlier, most of the current scam was planned here in Bagahad By the Sea when the Saudis and Trumps had a public lovefest last month. Witcoff's son is a business partner and close friend of the Trump kids.
Steve Witkoff, a real estate developer and a special envoy under the Trump administration, has an extensive network of business connections, primarily in real estate and a new cryptocurrency venture, with several ties to the Trump family, Russian-linked individuals, and Middle Eastern nations.
Key Business Connections
Donald Trump and Family:
Longstanding Relationship: Witkoff and Trump have been friends and business partners for decades, originating from their shared history in New York real estate.
World Liberty Financial: Steve Witkoff and his sons Alex and Zach co-founded World Liberty, a cryptocurrency company, in partnership with the Trump family.
Advisory Roles: During Trump's first term, Witkoff served on the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups and became an informal advisor on various issues.
Len Blavatnik:
Real Estate Partnerships: Blavatnik, a billionaire born in Soviet Ukraine with U.S. and U.K. citizenship, is a key business partner of Witkoff.
Major Projects: They partnered on the development of the luxury One High Line project in New York City and the Ocean Terrace and Belgrove developments in Miami/West Palm Beach.
Russian Connections: Blavatnik made his initial fortune by investing in Russian oil assets alongside sanctioned Russian oligarch Victor Vekselberg, who reportedly has close ties to Vladimir Putin.
Middle Eastern Entities (Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia):
Sovereign Wealth Funds: Witkoff's firm has received hundreds of millions in financing tied to Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds, particularly from Qatar, often via intermediaries like the private-equity firm Apollo Global Management.
Diplomatic/Business Overlap: These business ties have drawn scrutiny as Witkoff serves as a special envoy to the Middle East. His sons have also sought investments from Gulf nations for Witkoff Group projects and the World Liberty crypto venture.
UAE Deals: World Liberty secured a $2 billion transaction with MGX, an investment firm backed by the Emirati ruling family. This coincided with Witkoff advocating for the U.A.E. to access advanced A.I. chips, raising significant ethics concerns.
Park Lane Hotel: A consortium including Witkoff and Howard Lorber sold the Park Lane Hotel to the Qatari Investment Authority for $623 million.
Other Notable Connections:
Blackstone: In 2015, the Witkoff Group secured a $256 million refinancing of the Woolworth Building from Blackstone, whose chairman, Stephen Schwarzman, previously sat on the advisory board of a Russian sovereign wealth fund.
Howard Lorber and Bennett LeBow: Witkoff's network includes Howard Lorber and Bennett LeBow, fellow real estate and business figures with whom he has partnered on various ventures.
Jared Kushner: Witkoff has worked with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and former Middle East envoy, on diplomatic missions and both have business ties to the Middle East.
Witkoff has faced significant scrutiny and questions from U.S. senators and ethics watchdogs regarding potential conflicts of interest stemming from his simultaneous business dealings and diplomatic roles. He has reportedly sold an interest in his company as part of a divestiture plan but maintains a significant ownership stake.
Is it just me, or is the "Daddy's Home" card a way for the Useful Idiot in the White House to lean into his grotesque identity as someone who "likes young girls"?
He’s no doubt showing his preference for young girls but is now extending this to include all of America in his f*fest. As if we didn’t already know.
If corporations are people, and therefore have the same rights as human beings (Citizens United), why do voters pay a higher percentage of their income than corporations? A tax of 15% is a token joke considering that global trade depends on a Navy that minimizes piracy, a standing Army that discourages invasions (well, used to anyway), and railways and highways that enable the delivery of their stuff to factories and retailers.
I absolutely get sick to my stomach even looking at the picture of the idiot-in-charge.
How many others out there are like me?
You got at least 50 more from our demonstration today, Dudley. Oh, and 2 frogs, a unicorn, and Uncle Sam!
Every day brings a new blot, a new corruption. At this rate there will be nothing left of democracy or the rule of law long before Nov 2028.
That “Christmas “ card is an abomination, just like this president.
That's Project 2025 folks, the TechBros, and the Crypto-Creeps' plan, Linda.
Card was missing a For Sale sign.
Dear Thom, One of your phrases is wrong. You should correct it: Replace this phrase:"..kennedy and his fanatical antivaxxers SEEM to have a different agenda..." Make it say. "...are PURPOSELY aiming to produce more PREMATURE death and disease in American humans..." All his actions and policies point directly to that outcome.
With our 83 (known) killings of Nicaraguan boatmen, who were evidently guilty until proven innocent, we citizens of the United States are confessed murderers. We are accumulating indelible stains at an unprecedented rate, in innumerable ways. It isn’t clear that we’ll ever have the integrity or the fortitude to confront our sins.
I believe 2025 is merely the staging-ground for a truly dynamic and interesting 2026. Trump has lost his mind - that fact will become increasingly clear in the coming year - with the Congressional election acting as a "topper." Time to turn up the heat in every way on the madness.
What are the odds we'll have an election?
Most of us ? clearly want? a human being to be accountable for military strikes. But those who want to do this without accountability are well on the path to having AI do the whole thing…detect a boat in a general area, bomb it, confirm all life forms are dead, repeat if necessary.
And how about those armed robot dogs… that can be made to act as a pack? Unlimited in numbers?
These as yet undiscussed unquestioned options are akin to the cloud of nuclear arms, only they can be utilized with more specific impact and will be used.
As an ex-grunt, circa Vietnam, too bad they couldn't have replaced me with a robot.
Or just not make needless forays into foreign lands? So many options to avoid having sent you there in the first place. I can understand your comment on one level of course!
I think we have achieved a level of technical advance in these areas that maybe it’s past time to ask the people what they want and stop using our own tax dollars to control and police us.
Regarding the 15% minimum global tax. That tax applies to corporations that pretend sales made in a high-tax country, like the US, are made in a low-tax haven, like Switzerland, which charges 2%. The low-tax haven must now charge 15%. Switzerland signed that tax convention and now charges 15%, while at the same time giving grants for innovation of 13%, meaning the effective tax rate is again 2%—such an easy loophole.
The effective solution is to require corporations to disclose sales in every country (where the product was delivered) and allow that country to tax the corporation at its corporate rate.
Instead, the Biden government promoted this 15% global minimum tax solution.
Curiously, Trump intends to eliminate that to make it easier for the tax havens, so they don't have to go through this subsidy-granting process. But the danger to the American economy is that when the Democrats get back in power, they will sign America back into the 15% minimum global tax convention and trumpet it as a great solution to corporate tax avoidance when it does nothing.
We didn't do it unilaterally.
"A compromise solution, brokered in part by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, was US agreement to drop the revenge tax from the OBBB, while other ministers agreed that the OECD Pillar Two [15% tax] measures would not apply to US-based MNCs. Thus, the minimum 15 percent corporate tax rate no longer applies to the subsidiaries of US multinational corporations."https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economics/2025/how-us-multinationals-escaped-global-minimum-corporate-tax
I resent foreign businesses that do not register to do business in this country, but benefit from our market. I resent that Bessert promotes the interests of non compliant businesses.
I watch but don't bet on your Canadian economy. Canada is a cosigner of the agreement for a 15% global minimum corporate tax, known as the Pillar Two solution developed by the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework.
I'd bet if I could. E.G. Vanguard has a Canada (VCN) fund that has earned 29% YTD I'd like to bet, but Vanguard will not sell it to Americans although it's a listed security on the Toronto exchange TSX.
I read that privates of the military do NOT have to swear to disobey any illegal order - only the officer ranks and above - is this true?
Admiral Halsey certainly did, but perhaps he is hedging on the decision because a military rebellion is still being organized, and they are not ready to give "the game" away (not a game at all of course).
Another question -
Since the Supreme court has just folded on protecting our vote, it is fast becoming vital that the military not work to support the Lame Duck Felon and his cronies to kill the life of the United States Constitution.
What is the best way forward for us? - we are certainly the 60% or more majority.
Nah. Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) provisions regarding unlawful orders apply to all service members, including enlisted personnel.
Just wondering: If the US becomes fascist is a new world order, perhaps called the "Concert of Democracies" possible? If it was to work it would have to be like a symphony orchestra playing heavenly music. https://halbrown.substack.com/p/if-the-us-becomes-fascist-is-a-new
Hal I've posted this many times.. George Orwell was a prophet, His Oceania is a Technate of America (map https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:34227574) is it a coincidence that the map includes Greenland, Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia), Eurasia with Russia as overlord, East Asia with China as overlord. What he doesn't account for is the Muslim world and the global south. Saudi Arabia will rule over the Mid east and north Africa, and the global south will be exploited for it's resources, by the great powers competing.
Democracy as we know it is dying, the species cannot tolerate or deal with freedom and choice. Look at Europe. Hungary and Slovakia have slid into authoritarianism, the Czech Republic is on the edge, Moldova is barely hanging on, authoritarianism in France, Germany and Poland is resurgent, even in Norway, Belgium and Denmark.
This takes me to unfettered and avaricious consumption, the 20th Century saw such a rise in technology and the standard of living of the world, that the species engaged in consumption at a geometric scale, and as a consequence befouled the air, land and water that they live in, live off and drink.
The population expanded geometrically, and the species produced more waste than it can dispose of, and to feed the billions of hungry mouths, has resorted to producing toxins to kill weeds and fertilize vegetation growth.
These toxins kill the pollinators, and without pollinators we don't have vegetables and vegetation. Without vegetation herbivores starve, without herbivores carnivores and omnivores starve.
The consequence of our mass consumption, as well as our wars to exploit resources is desertification and destruction of the global south and that drives migration, and migration drives authoritarianism
Democracy had a good run, and am thankful that I lived during that era, but humans can't handle freedom and choice, they want a Big Daddy to make the decisions for them, so they don't have to accept responsibility or think.
Too many of us, male and female, are like Stepford wives
I think Orwell would redraw the map today but he certainly was a visionary.
We can now redraw our own - a useful nightmare...
Thanks, Thom.
The only great replacement would be just about any career Statesman replacing Donald after the right wing extremist Congress came out of their caves and got the 60 vote majority required to use the 25th Amendment to bring some sanity back to the American people. His card is certainly cringeworthy!
Sorry to make it seem harder, Rick, but it's a 2/3 requirement in the House and Senate.
Daddy probably ain't goin' no where under the 25th. Still hoping though.
Trigger warning.