The democratic establishment must adopt the Mamdani recipe:
1. Speak with clarity
2. Be unafraid of what you stand for
3. Follow through with the promises you made to the people who put you in power
4. Dump the consulting class
5. Depend on small donors
6. Avoid the purchasers of politicians.
With this recipe, Mamdani, despite being an unabashed Muslim, and unequivocal about the plight of Palestinians, was elected in a landslide. Republicans and Democrats all want a government that works for them, not one that waffles and takes away their benefits.
And use Independent Media and Tic Tok, Substack, YouTube and other Internet Communications. Think FDR and the radio Fireside Chats. Tell people weekly or even daily what you are doing and why. Tell us how you are being opposed or attacked. Gavin Newsom is one of the few using Media correctly but even he failed to inform people why he vetoed certain Bills. Not good.
The biggest obstacle is the Democratic Party, it plays at being liberal (but not progressive, because it is dependent on Donor Cash and PAC's like AIPAC, run afoul of them and the party will do deep oppo research, to remove the threat.
There is an oh my lawd feinting spell within the heirarchy at the moment, as it looks like the Squad is going to double its numbers, and they went all out to get rid of Platner, his big sin being critical of Israel. The all powerful AIPAC was horified. AIPAC is the tool by which to control the Democratic Party, while End times, rapture, Evangelicals need no Political Action Committee, their religion is self organizing.
Regardless progressives are the enemy of the money powers, that control both parties.
And this is why we need to vote for them and get them into office. They know what needs to be done and will fight tooth and nail to make it happen. A huge blue tsunami needs to happen, so big that the GOP will have trouble claiming voter fraud. By voting for the progressives, we will have a chance to make some changes. One of the things we are fighting for is that the far right wants an Article V to make changes to the Constitution, and you won't like the changes they want. We need to put a stop to that. Get out and vote BLUE!
Why only mentionn AIPAC the one major lobbying org that lobbies for Israel. With a simple search of lobbying org that support, I found the following:
Various organizations actively lobby for Iranian interests and policy changes.National Iranian American Council (NIAC) — This group has been influential in advocating for the easing of sanctions on Iran and promoting diplomatic engagementJ Street — A pro-Israel organization that also supports diplomatic solutions involving Iran.Arms Control Association — This organization has worked alongside NIAC to promote arms control agreements with Iran. Other Groups — Various smaller organizations and coalitions also advocate for Iranian interests, focusing on human rights and diplomatic relationAI can make mistakes. Double check responses. Get AI Answers with Yahoo Scot
Sep 26, 2024 · According to U.S. officials, the groups profiled below are prominent beneficiaries of Iranian government support. The nature and degree of Iranian support vary: while all share some key interests with Tehran, to differing extents they also may act independently in pursuit of their own interests.
Becayse in reports AIPAC has come up time and again. the other PAC's you mention are rather impotent as compared to AIPAC. Forinstance AIPAC is the major funder of Hakeem Jeffries., who is the minority leader in congress., check it out at opensecrets.org
I resent all interference from foreign entities in our elections, be they Israeli, Arab, Russian.
If, by chance, you think that I am being one sided, perhaps an antisemite, then consider this to the extent I am an antisemite, I am an Islamophobe,and a Christophobe.
Actually I am more of a Christophobe than anything else, as I am very concerned and resentful of the effect that fundamentalistic Christians, Catholic and Protestant, are haviing on our politics and government.
But I do resent the power that AIPAC and J Street lobbyists have on our politics. Their money and support shifts to whoever they think will give them the best deal.
William, I don't ever think of you as an anti semite. A few points: I believe supporting Jeffries in Congress is what a lobbying org. does. When you look beyond the tagline and the rhetoric, J Street is not aligned with the pro-Israel community – in fact, they’re aligned with Israel’s loudest opponents. Their words and their actions couldn’t be further apart and I quote: Senator Bernie Sanders forced a vote on two resolutions to block U.S. arms sales to Israel. The military support he wants to end is essential to keeping Israelis safe from terrorism, and is a hallmark of America’s partnership with the Jewish state. But J Street – which claims to be the voice of American Jews – sides with fringe groups like JVP. Not only does J Street back the Sanders effort, the group endorses him and all fifteen senators who voted with him to abandon Israel during this war. You wouldn’t know that from J Street’s homepage.
I am no cheerleader for Israel’s current leadership, but undermining Israel’s security and working to sever America’s support for Israel is not how you send a political message. Creating daylight and friction between Israel and the U.S. only emboldens Israel’s enemies like Hamas, who exploit it to prolong the war and delay releasing hostages."
Iran does its' contributions under secrecy. Bribing is what they are good at. Jews have experienced more violence against them than any other marginalized group in the world. The violence has doubled since Netanyahu has attacked Iran and Lebanon.
Yeh I had that wrong, sorry. J street is lambasting Bibi and Trump (I read Ha'aretz). It is like this with friends like AIPAC you don't need enemies.
FYI, if you have read my comments, here and on Robert Reich's then you are aware that I am a big defender of Israel's right to exist, after all one Jewish ethno state in a world where there are 57 Muslim ethno states, and a hundred Christian ethno states (and yes despite America's constitution, it is a Christian dominated nation, it's laws and politics, and they want to turn it into a ful fledged Ttheocracy (over my dead body).
But Bibi, the Haredi the Likkud and Israeli Right, Ben Gvir, Smotrich all of them are guilty of crimes against humanity, especially their invasion and occupation of Lebanon.
Lebanon is a nation that is 30% Marionite Christian, 30% Shia 30% sunni and the rest split among other religions like the Druze.
Trump is talking to and negotiating with the Christians and the Lebanese Armed Forces. Which is asking for trouble.
The LAF is weak, staffed with volunteers from all sectors, uses weapons left over from the Cold War, it's troops are ill trained if trained, of questionable loyalties, It is under funded, Where as Hezbollah has been super funded by Iran, has the latest weapons, including drones, and their army is well trained, enthusiastic and dedicated.
Trump and Bibi don't have a clue, what they are up against. This is the 1983 Beirut bombing being set up all over again.
Hezbollah use to use young boys, brainwash them to become suicide bombers, not anymore.
They take this kids, that are savvy with a hand controller, train them to be drone pilots and voila, they are taking out IDF soldiers, UN soldiers and soon American soldiers without leaving the safety of their house.
We are led by friggin idiots. Like Whiskey Pete who thinks it is a display of manhood by bombing and killing, and we have officers who go along with this insanity, this madness.
Yesterday Hegseth bombed a couple of Bridges in North East Iran, routes by which China sends equipment and Iran exports.
The bridges will be back in operation in two days if not sooner.
He bombed the shit out of the coast of Iran, again, and again Iran will be up and running the day after.
This is the third time that he bombed a coastal radar installation. The installation monitors sea borne traffic that transits he SOH.
The radar is a cheap portable radar that every ship with any money, including personal ships and fishing dhows have. They just crawl up on the mast, set up their radar and come back down.
And Hegseth brags that he has done something.
We are led by idiots.
Here is the deal. The winner is Iran, because Iran can stand the pain, Trump can't.
Trump has his eye on the DOW, on Wall Street, on the oil futures market, where Barron has become a multi millionaire thanks to Daddy.
Iran is an autocratic theocracy, since Feb 28, the Guardians of the Revolution, aka IRGC have been running the country, with the blessing of the Ayatollahs..
The ayatollah Ali Khameini was to the Shia, as the Pope is to Catholics.
Assassinating the Islamic Pope bereaved Shia worldwide, especially in Iraq, which is majority Shia, and of which the Popular Mobilization Front or Hashsd al Shaab, unofficially runs the country,, and there are the Houthi's which are waiting for the word to close the Bab al Mamdeb strait, if they do that then the pain felt in the world will double.
Asia, especially South Korea and Taiwan depend on LNG from Qatar to produce chips, much of Asia and Africa depend on LNG for fertilizer,
This stupid war launched by Bibi and Donald are responsible and will cause world wide pain and starvation,which is intolerable for the rest of the world, especially the united states, but because the Iranians live under the thumb of autocratic religious fanatics, they have no choice but to bear the pain.
Guess who screams uncle first? Trump tried to make the Iranians scream uncle with his massive bombing campaign yesterday, and it failed.
Meanwhile we are heading, within a week or two,to tank bottom of our strategic reserve and we all will feel the pain.
PS I fill up every time I go to town, Filled up this morning 3.03 gallons cast me $16.16
Gas is down a dollar from two weeks ago, because Donald is putting pressure on companies to lower the price, he can't keep it up.
Exxon, Chevron and IEA said, two weeks ago, that there was only four weeks left, before they hit tank bottom.
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) was a 319 million barrels this morning, of that 287 Million barrels belong to the National Defense Reserve, that we can fly our jets, move our tanks and trucks and fight a war.
We use 20 million barrels per day, and produce 13 million barrels per day.21 million if you include all petroleum products, and the oil companies sell 4 million barrels per day to over seas customers, because the spot price is $120 a barrel or more (very profitable the business of export and import)
FYI, I saw this coming in March and bought a hybrid.
William, I am taking your words and will hold them as a badge of excellence. I'll probably self promote myself to my family, who know I follow you on various substacks.
The ruling class needs to keep us divided by income, race, gender, and religion in order to keep us from realizing we are being exploited by a very small number of thieves. Similarly, we are divided against each other into nations, so that we feel like a gradual migration is an invasion, and we characterize our own attacks on other nations as "defense". Maybe we all will start to wise up, now that Trump has made ruling-class duplicity so obvious.
We have more in common with the working families of the world than the superficial differences the wealth class keeps blasting about in the media they own.
What makes my head hurt is that the MAGAs voted Trump into office and it was a disaster. He let COVID get out of hand, and was only saved by a vaccine miracle thanks to Dr. Fauci, whom Trump later tried to toss in prison. Now Trump's 2nd-term is a train wreck. Even his health secretary is a dead-dog eating antivaxxer. The rest of his cabinet are unqualified nincompoops. MAGAs even elected a Congress full of right-wing sycophants with no sense of dignity or integrity.
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Yes, the Dems left open the door to the WH by trying to hide Biden's dementia. Now we have a president so demented that even some MSM writers are daring to point out that Trump is off his rocker.
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So, will MAGAs prefer a commie libtard over a proven demented president who insults all our allies, invades countries he promised never to do, sends trillions to billionaires, jacks the cost of all healthcare, gas for the car, food on the table, etc., and makes housing unaffordable just because racism clouds their judgement?
Wow! That was an excellent article with a powerful ending in Louise’s Daily Song.
The Democrats have to get on it! Bring it to the voters who are so so confused about everything - thanks to, in particular but not only the Democrats seeming inability to communicate effectively and Trump’s incredible ability to construct a fantasy and communicate it effectively through his weird mangled style.
Thom, so true. The vast majority of our population, the working people, who pay all the taxes to support the running of our country DO basically want the same thing.
This division of direction and ideals must halt if we’re to save the US as a county of opportunity and guaranteed rights of the individual from collapsing.
So many important things have been attacked so quickly and so viciously that we have definitely gone into fight mode as a country instead of build mode. This division and anger isn’t directed at what our real problems stem from.
We want to believe we are right and everyone else is the enemy out of apathy, frustration, and fear. We secretly feel our real enemy is too smart and powerful to fight.
We have to start circling the wagons and start thinking critically to protect ourselves from the big money and greed that got us here instead of merely lashing out and feeling vulnerable.
We the people are the vast majority. We the people do the work to feed and build. We the people deserve decent lives, safe work and play, with clean air, clean water, pesticide-free food. But the same people also want affordable, comfortable modern living, affordable education, and affordable, state-of-the-art modern medical care for ourselves and family. We also want affordable vacations and fun for ourselves and family. Why is this not in our reach? We are still the richest country in the world. But not for long. The buzzards have stopped circling and have landed.
Our money, our hard earned money is being systematically siphoned off to pay for trumped up wars and oligarch greedy, schemes. All this goes into the pockets of power hungry elitist billionaires and people too out of touch with society who believe they are the only ones who deserve a decent life.
These people use OUR power and wealth to herd us into isolated areas of ignorance, too poor— too tired to even help ourselves any longer.
We work and pay for them to live in splendor,
send their children to the best schools, build isolated bunkers to protect themselves from us the ones really paying for all this. They are able to and use their ill gotten gains and tax avoidance schemes to hoard and hide money or use it as if it were worthless tinder to be burned.
We, the people are being systematically dumbed down, hypnotized by media, and drugged into submission, and we are fast becoming some of the unhealthiest people in the world. But, we the people ARE ALLOWING THIS!
We are infighting so much and half of us are brain washed by media like FOX and X that we no longer talked to each other. We no longer travel with our families and see how others so close to us live and work. We’re so full of resentment and fear of losing the we want easy answers that set fire to the other guy—who we refuse to believe is in fact just like us.
Undirected rage is basically unfocused energy wasted. We must as a people turn off the constant chatter of meaningless media. Control AI and treat it like the parasite tool it is. And force the mega rich to pay their debt to us, the ones who make their lives possible.
“That’s the one conversation the billionaires and their bought-off lickspittle politicians are truly terrified of.” Those “lickspittle politicians” include virtually the entire establishment (corporate) Democratic “leadership” class and their calcified, cautious consultants. It is increasingly obvious that our best defense against fascism is the Democratic Socialists of America and the like, a fact increasingly obvious to voters. The establishment Dems are currently working to leverage Graham Platner’s downfall to their craven advantage, and they’ll surely get their panties in knots over the resurrected “commie” charges; they must be ignored. Our 250th anniversary is a perfect opportunity to renew our vows and recommit to a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. We can and must defeat the forces opposed to that ideal, whoever they may be.
Exactly! We have to emphasize that we need to return, in spirit, to the New Deal and The Great Society; with updates to address the 21st Century problems!
I would like to point out that this batch of Corporate Democrats appeared after many actual liberal Democrats were killed. JFK, RFK, MLK, John Lennon, Malcolm X, Medger Evers. And then the numerous plane crashes with liberal passengers like Paul Welstone, JFK Jr, John Denver, and others. Followed by the threats and shootings of today's Candidates and Legislators. I believe that they caved to the Wealthy People funding this a long time ago.
I certainly agree that there could be conspiracies around (I don't think MLK's shooting was ever fully investigated) but sometimes bad stuff just happens too. In the plane crashes you mentioned, as a person who retired from 50 years of sport flying, and hold a commercial pilot's license, I looked at them in some detail. Denver was flying too low in a poorly designed aircraft when he reached back and lost control, JFK Jr. was tired, thought he could handle near-instrument conditions without proper training and lost both the horizon and then his management of the aircraft (unfortunately a pretty common circumstance). Wellstone interested me because I live in Minnesota and was very proud of him. I met people who knew his pilots and they alleged that they weren't very good. Also I well remember this was a really lousy rainy day, not a good day for flying. Basically their plane made a bad approach to a difficult airport. It just should have been abandoned, but they pressed on and that was it.
One of your points that ironically doesn’t get much coverage is the difference in mainstream media coverage between the 24/7 visceral coverage of “record inflation” in 2022 and 2024 that propelled Republicans to victory in both elections versus the relative media silence about Trump’s inflation today. Another big difference is causation. Analysis shows 54% of the “inflation” in 2022 and 53% in 2023 and 2024 was caused by corporate price gouging…precisely to make Biden and the Dems look bad for both elections. Just check out corporate profits, CEO compensation and stock buybacks for those years for the oil industry, meat and poultry industry. A Republican colleague of mine has relatives who raise cattle. The colleague said: “Their fuel and grain costs have gone up, but they aren’t being paid any more for their cattle. So, why have meat prices gone through the roof?” Answer: to cause inflation to give the Republicans an issue to run on in 2022 and 2024. Republicans are still bringing up the “Biden inflation” caused by Republican CEO donors.
Conversely, THIS inflation is caused by Trump’s tariffs and his war with Iran. Still, after at least four years of record and near record profits, plus billions in U.S. subsidies per year, look for the CEOs to temporarily lower prices before the November election to help Trump and Republicans…again.
Good point. Quantitative easing also contributed to inflation then, given how much more money was added to try and offset the worst of the slowdown during the pandemic. And then the Fed stopped putting in money, which took adjustment. There also were bad supply chain disruptions at this time, made worse as people and businesses tried to satisfied their pent-up demands. The Democrats did a terrible job explaining any of this, not that most Americans are very good at understanding economics anyway. People were angry about inflation; as my father said, they will "vote their pocketbooks", and the Republicans jumped on that. Just maybe voters will turn on them now, thanks to the economic effects of this idiotic war. Trump certainly knows how mad people can get over rising gas and food prices, and his promises to immediately lower them are ringing more and more hollow.
An Albanian woman protester put it profoundly simple. Paraphrasing ; “They” think “their” greed & power can justify everything they do. Source; Democracy Now this morning. We must keep “slinging” equitable democratic ideals until this Goliath mentality falls !
THERE IS ONE THING TH HARD RIGHT IS COUNTING ON, THAT WE LOSE HOPE
AND STOP VOTING, STOP FIGHTING. IT IS PEOPLE LIKE YOU, THOM, ADAM KINZINGER,
AARON PARNAS, THAT KEEP OUR ATTENTION FOCUSED ON THE RIGHT TARGETS.
CHURCHILL FAMOUSLY SAID, "THE DARKEST HOUR IS JUST BEFORE THE DAWN".
THAT IS WHERE WE ARE NOW.
AND THE DAWN IS JUST FOUR MONTHS AWAY, WHEN DEMOCRATS WILL TAKE THE HOUSE AND CHANGE THE DOWNHILL CASCADE OF AMERICA. WHEN THAT HAPPENS, TRUMP AND HIS CRONIES WILL BE SO EMBROILED IN UNDER OATH DEPOSITIONS AND SUBPOENAS, AND CONGRESS WILL BE LEANING LEFT, THAT THEIR ABILITY TO CONTROL THIS NATION WILL END.
AND THEN, IN JUST OVER TWO YEARS, TRUMP WILL BE GONE. THE SUN WILL RISE ON A
DAY WHEN SOMEONE ELSE LIVES IN THE WHITE HOUSE, AND AMERICA WILL AT LAST BE FREE OF HIM.
Seems most red hats do not wish to understand that Don Jr, Eric, Jared, the Lutnick kids, and the Witkoff sons are all laughing at them, as the billionaire spawn rake in billions during Massa Donald's 2nd and much more lucrative go-round at his Continental Grift.
The red-hats are un/under-employed wage slaves on Massa T's plantation.
With no prospects, they've gotta hate someone. Right?
Hate the 0.001% . . . Try it. You'll like it.
#VOTE out the irrationals #Draft Jared, Elon, and Alien Miller
Excellent! This is the story the media won't tell, either because they're part of the problem or too locked into their conservative fantasies. This is the story to unite the aggrieved and those with agency, the mature and immature, MAGA and progressive. We must re-regulate malfeasance, demolish tax havens and recapture our purloined wealth (who made this stuff, after all?), put the thieves in jail, and find therapy for those saddled with scapegoats. The American dream is not "get rich quick", but building, holiday sharing, and great sport.
It's clear that the Nazis know that they are facing big headwinds in the upcoming midterms so they are pulling out all stops to manipulate voters. The goes from propaganda spewed by right wing media to getting the crypto industry to put $200M toward the nation wide primary elections but also for the general elections in November.
This attempt to buy off candidates is part of Cheeto's corruption of the presidency in which he has profited by $1.4B from his crypto industry involvement by selling his own crypto business, World Liberty Finance. The Congressional Nazis are also supporting the crypto industry in the shadows hoping the electorate won't notice the proposed Clarity Act which would reduce the oversight of the crypto industry by having it regulated by the CFTC and not the more stringent oversight of the SEC.
Call your senators and representative to stop the Clarity Act(Congressional hotline 202.224.3121) and speak your concern about getting big money out of politics. WE the People demand our Congress men and women are not bought off like Ruben Gallego($10M from crypto) and Angie Craig in Minnesota running on the D side primary against Flanagan who refuses PAC $$$.
We’re experiencing a class war; one declared by the morbidly rich against the rest of us.
The democratic establishment must adopt the Mamdani recipe:
1. Speak with clarity
2. Be unafraid of what you stand for
3. Follow through with the promises you made to the people who put you in power
4. Dump the consulting class
5. Depend on small donors
6. Avoid the purchasers of politicians.
With this recipe, Mamdani, despite being an unabashed Muslim, and unequivocal about the plight of Palestinians, was elected in a landslide. Republicans and Democrats all want a government that works for them, not one that waffles and takes away their benefits.
And use Independent Media and Tic Tok, Substack, YouTube and other Internet Communications. Think FDR and the radio Fireside Chats. Tell people weekly or even daily what you are doing and why. Tell us how you are being opposed or attacked. Gavin Newsom is one of the few using Media correctly but even he failed to inform people why he vetoed certain Bills. Not good.
The biggest obstacle is the Democratic Party, it plays at being liberal (but not progressive, because it is dependent on Donor Cash and PAC's like AIPAC, run afoul of them and the party will do deep oppo research, to remove the threat.
There is an oh my lawd feinting spell within the heirarchy at the moment, as it looks like the Squad is going to double its numbers, and they went all out to get rid of Platner, his big sin being critical of Israel. The all powerful AIPAC was horified. AIPAC is the tool by which to control the Democratic Party, while End times, rapture, Evangelicals need no Political Action Committee, their religion is self organizing.
Regardless progressives are the enemy of the money powers, that control both parties.
And this is why we need to vote for them and get them into office. They know what needs to be done and will fight tooth and nail to make it happen. A huge blue tsunami needs to happen, so big that the GOP will have trouble claiming voter fraud. By voting for the progressives, we will have a chance to make some changes. One of the things we are fighting for is that the far right wants an Article V to make changes to the Constitution, and you won't like the changes they want. We need to put a stop to that. Get out and vote BLUE!
Why only mentionn AIPAC the one major lobbying org that lobbies for Israel. With a simple search of lobbying org that support, I found the following:
Various organizations actively lobby for Iranian interests and policy changes.National Iranian American Council (NIAC) — This group has been influential in advocating for the easing of sanctions on Iran and promoting diplomatic engagementJ Street — A pro-Israel organization that also supports diplomatic solutions involving Iran.Arms Control Association — This organization has worked alongside NIAC to promote arms control agreements with Iran. Other Groups — Various smaller organizations and coalitions also advocate for Iranian interests, focusing on human rights and diplomatic relationAI can make mistakes. Double check responses. Get AI Answers with Yahoo Scot
Sep 26, 2024 · According to U.S. officials, the groups profiled below are prominent beneficiaries of Iranian government support. The nature and degree of Iranian support vary: while all share some key interests with Tehran, to differing extents they also may act independently in pursuit of their own interests.
Becayse in reports AIPAC has come up time and again. the other PAC's you mention are rather impotent as compared to AIPAC. Forinstance AIPAC is the major funder of Hakeem Jeffries., who is the minority leader in congress., check it out at opensecrets.org
I resent all interference from foreign entities in our elections, be they Israeli, Arab, Russian.
If, by chance, you think that I am being one sided, perhaps an antisemite, then consider this to the extent I am an antisemite, I am an Islamophobe,and a Christophobe.
Actually I am more of a Christophobe than anything else, as I am very concerned and resentful of the effect that fundamentalistic Christians, Catholic and Protestant, are haviing on our politics and government.
But I do resent the power that AIPAC and J Street lobbyists have on our politics. Their money and support shifts to whoever they think will give them the best deal.
William, I don't ever think of you as an anti semite. A few points: I believe supporting Jeffries in Congress is what a lobbying org. does. When you look beyond the tagline and the rhetoric, J Street is not aligned with the pro-Israel community – in fact, they’re aligned with Israel’s loudest opponents. Their words and their actions couldn’t be further apart and I quote: Senator Bernie Sanders forced a vote on two resolutions to block U.S. arms sales to Israel. The military support he wants to end is essential to keeping Israelis safe from terrorism, and is a hallmark of America’s partnership with the Jewish state. But J Street – which claims to be the voice of American Jews – sides with fringe groups like JVP. Not only does J Street back the Sanders effort, the group endorses him and all fifteen senators who voted with him to abandon Israel during this war. You wouldn’t know that from J Street’s homepage.
I am no cheerleader for Israel’s current leadership, but undermining Israel’s security and working to sever America’s support for Israel is not how you send a political message. Creating daylight and friction between Israel and the U.S. only emboldens Israel’s enemies like Hamas, who exploit it to prolong the war and delay releasing hostages."
Iran does its' contributions under secrecy. Bribing is what they are good at. Jews have experienced more violence against them than any other marginalized group in the world. The violence has doubled since Netanyahu has attacked Iran and Lebanon.
Yeh I had that wrong, sorry. J street is lambasting Bibi and Trump (I read Ha'aretz). It is like this with friends like AIPAC you don't need enemies.
FYI, if you have read my comments, here and on Robert Reich's then you are aware that I am a big defender of Israel's right to exist, after all one Jewish ethno state in a world where there are 57 Muslim ethno states, and a hundred Christian ethno states (and yes despite America's constitution, it is a Christian dominated nation, it's laws and politics, and they want to turn it into a ful fledged Ttheocracy (over my dead body).
But Bibi, the Haredi the Likkud and Israeli Right, Ben Gvir, Smotrich all of them are guilty of crimes against humanity, especially their invasion and occupation of Lebanon.
Lebanon is a nation that is 30% Marionite Christian, 30% Shia 30% sunni and the rest split among other religions like the Druze.
Trump is talking to and negotiating with the Christians and the Lebanese Armed Forces. Which is asking for trouble.
The LAF is weak, staffed with volunteers from all sectors, uses weapons left over from the Cold War, it's troops are ill trained if trained, of questionable loyalties, It is under funded, Where as Hezbollah has been super funded by Iran, has the latest weapons, including drones, and their army is well trained, enthusiastic and dedicated.
Trump and Bibi don't have a clue, what they are up against. This is the 1983 Beirut bombing being set up all over again.
Hezbollah use to use young boys, brainwash them to become suicide bombers, not anymore.
They take this kids, that are savvy with a hand controller, train them to be drone pilots and voila, they are taking out IDF soldiers, UN soldiers and soon American soldiers without leaving the safety of their house.
We are led by friggin idiots. Like Whiskey Pete who thinks it is a display of manhood by bombing and killing, and we have officers who go along with this insanity, this madness.
Yesterday Hegseth bombed a couple of Bridges in North East Iran, routes by which China sends equipment and Iran exports.
The bridges will be back in operation in two days if not sooner.
He bombed the shit out of the coast of Iran, again, and again Iran will be up and running the day after.
This is the third time that he bombed a coastal radar installation. The installation monitors sea borne traffic that transits he SOH.
The radar is a cheap portable radar that every ship with any money, including personal ships and fishing dhows have. They just crawl up on the mast, set up their radar and come back down.
And Hegseth brags that he has done something.
We are led by idiots.
Here is the deal. The winner is Iran, because Iran can stand the pain, Trump can't.
Trump has his eye on the DOW, on Wall Street, on the oil futures market, where Barron has become a multi millionaire thanks to Daddy.
Iran is an autocratic theocracy, since Feb 28, the Guardians of the Revolution, aka IRGC have been running the country, with the blessing of the Ayatollahs..
The ayatollah Ali Khameini was to the Shia, as the Pope is to Catholics.
Assassinating the Islamic Pope bereaved Shia worldwide, especially in Iraq, which is majority Shia, and of which the Popular Mobilization Front or Hashsd al Shaab, unofficially runs the country,, and there are the Houthi's which are waiting for the word to close the Bab al Mamdeb strait, if they do that then the pain felt in the world will double.
Asia, especially South Korea and Taiwan depend on LNG from Qatar to produce chips, much of Asia and Africa depend on LNG for fertilizer,
This stupid war launched by Bibi and Donald are responsible and will cause world wide pain and starvation,which is intolerable for the rest of the world, especially the united states, but because the Iranians live under the thumb of autocratic religious fanatics, they have no choice but to bear the pain.
Guess who screams uncle first? Trump tried to make the Iranians scream uncle with his massive bombing campaign yesterday, and it failed.
Meanwhile we are heading, within a week or two,to tank bottom of our strategic reserve and we all will feel the pain.
PS I fill up every time I go to town, Filled up this morning 3.03 gallons cast me $16.16
Gas is down a dollar from two weeks ago, because Donald is putting pressure on companies to lower the price, he can't keep it up.
Exxon, Chevron and IEA said, two weeks ago, that there was only four weeks left, before they hit tank bottom.
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) was a 319 million barrels this morning, of that 287 Million barrels belong to the National Defense Reserve, that we can fly our jets, move our tanks and trucks and fight a war.
We use 20 million barrels per day, and produce 13 million barrels per day.21 million if you include all petroleum products, and the oil companies sell 4 million barrels per day to over seas customers, because the spot price is $120 a barrel or more (very profitable the business of export and import)
FYI, I saw this coming in March and bought a hybrid.
William, I am taking your words and will hold them as a badge of excellence. I'll probably self promote myself to my family, who know I follow you on various substacks.
The ruling class needs to keep us divided by income, race, gender, and religion in order to keep us from realizing we are being exploited by a very small number of thieves. Similarly, we are divided against each other into nations, so that we feel like a gradual migration is an invasion, and we characterize our own attacks on other nations as "defense". Maybe we all will start to wise up, now that Trump has made ruling-class duplicity so obvious.
We have more in common with the working families of the world than the superficial differences the wealth class keeps blasting about in the media they own.
What makes my head hurt is that the MAGAs voted Trump into office and it was a disaster. He let COVID get out of hand, and was only saved by a vaccine miracle thanks to Dr. Fauci, whom Trump later tried to toss in prison. Now Trump's 2nd-term is a train wreck. Even his health secretary is a dead-dog eating antivaxxer. The rest of his cabinet are unqualified nincompoops. MAGAs even elected a Congress full of right-wing sycophants with no sense of dignity or integrity.
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Yes, the Dems left open the door to the WH by trying to hide Biden's dementia. Now we have a president so demented that even some MSM writers are daring to point out that Trump is off his rocker.
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So, will MAGAs prefer a commie libtard over a proven demented president who insults all our allies, invades countries he promised never to do, sends trillions to billionaires, jacks the cost of all healthcare, gas for the car, food on the table, etc., and makes housing unaffordable just because racism clouds their judgement?
Wow! That was an excellent article with a powerful ending in Louise’s Daily Song.
The Democrats have to get on it! Bring it to the voters who are so so confused about everything - thanks to, in particular but not only the Democrats seeming inability to communicate effectively and Trump’s incredible ability to construct a fantasy and communicate it effectively through his weird mangled style.
"Weird mangled style" that he calls "the weave." Lol.
I like my version better. Ha!
Thom, so true. The vast majority of our population, the working people, who pay all the taxes to support the running of our country DO basically want the same thing.
This division of direction and ideals must halt if we’re to save the US as a county of opportunity and guaranteed rights of the individual from collapsing.
So many important things have been attacked so quickly and so viciously that we have definitely gone into fight mode as a country instead of build mode. This division and anger isn’t directed at what our real problems stem from.
We want to believe we are right and everyone else is the enemy out of apathy, frustration, and fear. We secretly feel our real enemy is too smart and powerful to fight.
We have to start circling the wagons and start thinking critically to protect ourselves from the big money and greed that got us here instead of merely lashing out and feeling vulnerable.
We the people are the vast majority. We the people do the work to feed and build. We the people deserve decent lives, safe work and play, with clean air, clean water, pesticide-free food. But the same people also want affordable, comfortable modern living, affordable education, and affordable, state-of-the-art modern medical care for ourselves and family. We also want affordable vacations and fun for ourselves and family. Why is this not in our reach? We are still the richest country in the world. But not for long. The buzzards have stopped circling and have landed.
Our money, our hard earned money is being systematically siphoned off to pay for trumped up wars and oligarch greedy, schemes. All this goes into the pockets of power hungry elitist billionaires and people too out of touch with society who believe they are the only ones who deserve a decent life.
These people use OUR power and wealth to herd us into isolated areas of ignorance, too poor— too tired to even help ourselves any longer.
We work and pay for them to live in splendor,
send their children to the best schools, build isolated bunkers to protect themselves from us the ones really paying for all this. They are able to and use their ill gotten gains and tax avoidance schemes to hoard and hide money or use it as if it were worthless tinder to be burned.
We, the people are being systematically dumbed down, hypnotized by media, and drugged into submission, and we are fast becoming some of the unhealthiest people in the world. But, we the people ARE ALLOWING THIS!
We are infighting so much and half of us are brain washed by media like FOX and X that we no longer talked to each other. We no longer travel with our families and see how others so close to us live and work. We’re so full of resentment and fear of losing the we want easy answers that set fire to the other guy—who we refuse to believe is in fact just like us.
Undirected rage is basically unfocused energy wasted. We must as a people turn off the constant chatter of meaningless media. Control AI and treat it like the parasite tool it is. And force the mega rich to pay their debt to us, the ones who make their lives possible.
“That’s the one conversation the billionaires and their bought-off lickspittle politicians are truly terrified of.” Those “lickspittle politicians” include virtually the entire establishment (corporate) Democratic “leadership” class and their calcified, cautious consultants. It is increasingly obvious that our best defense against fascism is the Democratic Socialists of America and the like, a fact increasingly obvious to voters. The establishment Dems are currently working to leverage Graham Platner’s downfall to their craven advantage, and they’ll surely get their panties in knots over the resurrected “commie” charges; they must be ignored. Our 250th anniversary is a perfect opportunity to renew our vows and recommit to a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. We can and must defeat the forces opposed to that ideal, whoever they may be.
Dear Tom,
Exactly! We have to emphasize that we need to return, in spirit, to the New Deal and The Great Society; with updates to address the 21st Century problems!
It’s instructive to ponder what Schumer, Gillibrand, Jeffries, Martin, et.al., would do to FDR and Johnson.
I would like to point out that this batch of Corporate Democrats appeared after many actual liberal Democrats were killed. JFK, RFK, MLK, John Lennon, Malcolm X, Medger Evers. And then the numerous plane crashes with liberal passengers like Paul Welstone, JFK Jr, John Denver, and others. Followed by the threats and shootings of today's Candidates and Legislators. I believe that they caved to the Wealthy People funding this a long time ago.
I certainly agree that there could be conspiracies around (I don't think MLK's shooting was ever fully investigated) but sometimes bad stuff just happens too. In the plane crashes you mentioned, as a person who retired from 50 years of sport flying, and hold a commercial pilot's license, I looked at them in some detail. Denver was flying too low in a poorly designed aircraft when he reached back and lost control, JFK Jr. was tired, thought he could handle near-instrument conditions without proper training and lost both the horizon and then his management of the aircraft (unfortunately a pretty common circumstance). Wellstone interested me because I live in Minnesota and was very proud of him. I met people who knew his pilots and they alleged that they weren't very good. Also I well remember this was a really lousy rainy day, not a good day for flying. Basically their plane made a bad approach to a difficult airport. It just should have been abandoned, but they pressed on and that was it.
One of your points that ironically doesn’t get much coverage is the difference in mainstream media coverage between the 24/7 visceral coverage of “record inflation” in 2022 and 2024 that propelled Republicans to victory in both elections versus the relative media silence about Trump’s inflation today. Another big difference is causation. Analysis shows 54% of the “inflation” in 2022 and 53% in 2023 and 2024 was caused by corporate price gouging…precisely to make Biden and the Dems look bad for both elections. Just check out corporate profits, CEO compensation and stock buybacks for those years for the oil industry, meat and poultry industry. A Republican colleague of mine has relatives who raise cattle. The colleague said: “Their fuel and grain costs have gone up, but they aren’t being paid any more for their cattle. So, why have meat prices gone through the roof?” Answer: to cause inflation to give the Republicans an issue to run on in 2022 and 2024. Republicans are still bringing up the “Biden inflation” caused by Republican CEO donors.
Conversely, THIS inflation is caused by Trump’s tariffs and his war with Iran. Still, after at least four years of record and near record profits, plus billions in U.S. subsidies per year, look for the CEOs to temporarily lower prices before the November election to help Trump and Republicans…again.
Good point. Quantitative easing also contributed to inflation then, given how much more money was added to try and offset the worst of the slowdown during the pandemic. And then the Fed stopped putting in money, which took adjustment. There also were bad supply chain disruptions at this time, made worse as people and businesses tried to satisfied their pent-up demands. The Democrats did a terrible job explaining any of this, not that most Americans are very good at understanding economics anyway. People were angry about inflation; as my father said, they will "vote their pocketbooks", and the Republicans jumped on that. Just maybe voters will turn on them now, thanks to the economic effects of this idiotic war. Trump certainly knows how mad people can get over rising gas and food prices, and his promises to immediately lower them are ringing more and more hollow.
An Albanian woman protester put it profoundly simple. Paraphrasing ; “They” think “their” greed & power can justify everything they do. Source; Democracy Now this morning. We must keep “slinging” equitable democratic ideals until this Goliath mentality falls !
THERE IS ONE THING TH HARD RIGHT IS COUNTING ON, THAT WE LOSE HOPE
AND STOP VOTING, STOP FIGHTING. IT IS PEOPLE LIKE YOU, THOM, ADAM KINZINGER,
AARON PARNAS, THAT KEEP OUR ATTENTION FOCUSED ON THE RIGHT TARGETS.
CHURCHILL FAMOUSLY SAID, "THE DARKEST HOUR IS JUST BEFORE THE DAWN".
THAT IS WHERE WE ARE NOW.
AND THE DAWN IS JUST FOUR MONTHS AWAY, WHEN DEMOCRATS WILL TAKE THE HOUSE AND CHANGE THE DOWNHILL CASCADE OF AMERICA. WHEN THAT HAPPENS, TRUMP AND HIS CRONIES WILL BE SO EMBROILED IN UNDER OATH DEPOSITIONS AND SUBPOENAS, AND CONGRESS WILL BE LEANING LEFT, THAT THEIR ABILITY TO CONTROL THIS NATION WILL END.
AND THEN, IN JUST OVER TWO YEARS, TRUMP WILL BE GONE. THE SUN WILL RISE ON A
DAY WHEN SOMEONE ELSE LIVES IN THE WHITE HOUSE, AND AMERICA WILL AT LAST BE FREE OF HIM.
ALLELUIA !!!
Excellent summary!
Seems most red hats do not wish to understand that Don Jr, Eric, Jared, the Lutnick kids, and the Witkoff sons are all laughing at them, as the billionaire spawn rake in billions during Massa Donald's 2nd and much more lucrative go-round at his Continental Grift.
The red-hats are un/under-employed wage slaves on Massa T's plantation.
With no prospects, they've gotta hate someone. Right?
Hate the 0.001% . . . Try it. You'll like it.
#VOTE out the irrationals #Draft Jared, Elon, and Alien Miller
Excellent! This is the story the media won't tell, either because they're part of the problem or too locked into their conservative fantasies. This is the story to unite the aggrieved and those with agency, the mature and immature, MAGA and progressive. We must re-regulate malfeasance, demolish tax havens and recapture our purloined wealth (who made this stuff, after all?), put the thieves in jail, and find therapy for those saddled with scapegoats. The American dream is not "get rich quick", but building, holiday sharing, and great sport.
Nazi Republicans Buying Elections
It's clear that the Nazis know that they are facing big headwinds in the upcoming midterms so they are pulling out all stops to manipulate voters. The goes from propaganda spewed by right wing media to getting the crypto industry to put $200M toward the nation wide primary elections but also for the general elections in November.
This attempt to buy off candidates is part of Cheeto's corruption of the presidency in which he has profited by $1.4B from his crypto industry involvement by selling his own crypto business, World Liberty Finance. The Congressional Nazis are also supporting the crypto industry in the shadows hoping the electorate won't notice the proposed Clarity Act which would reduce the oversight of the crypto industry by having it regulated by the CFTC and not the more stringent oversight of the SEC.
Call your senators and representative to stop the Clarity Act(Congressional hotline 202.224.3121) and speak your concern about getting big money out of politics. WE the People demand our Congress men and women are not bought off like Ruben Gallego($10M from crypto) and Angie Craig in Minnesota running on the D side primary against Flanagan who refuses PAC $$$.