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In the meantime, non-stop rumors of American troop movements suggest Trump is seriously considering a ground invasion of Iran, ostensibly to "reopen the Strait of Hormuz." Which actually is open, just now on Iran's terms. The US president apparently seeks to return shipping there to the status quo ante. But can he do it with a small landing force? And would such a move even work? It's D-Day for the West as we knew it: do, or die.
Running Time: 01:37:39
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Reader Comments
The upshot is, we're being played, yet again, and will be paying more to the rentier class.
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'Strait Theatre And The Coordinated Energy Realignment' by Morgan [Link]
" This was not a war. It was a restructuring exercise carried out under the cover of one. The U.S. has done this before — manufacture or accelerate a crisis, let the disruption clear the board, then move in as the stable expensive alternative. Gulf of Tonkin. Iraqi WMDs , Ukraine. The pattern isn’t new. What’s new is the scale of the commercial infrastructure that was already waiting to absorb the outcome. Energy infrastructure was repositioned, trade corridors were reset, proxy liabilities were burned off, market share was redistributed, and the region’s financial architecture was quietly re-engineered while the public drowned in spectacle. The violence supplied the legal, political, and insurance rationale for outcomes already mapped in filings, planning documents, and funding commitments years before the first fake missile was launched. They called it a war. It was a business deal and they were all in on it..."
"...Nothing here requires much interpretation because the sequence is already on the record, and what it shows is not a set of isolated events but parts of the same larger realignment. The plans were in place before the strikes, the financial positioning came before the supposed trigger, and the only consistent military air presence over those corridors was American. What followed was a chain of outcomes that fit together with remarkable precision: Iran’s proxy layer was removed, Iraq’s competing route was delayed, Gulf redevelopment advanced under wartime cover, U.S. LNG picked up market share, and Iran’s path toward reintegration was opened..."
"...The financial system has a long and documented history of wars that happen to benefit the people positioned to benefit from them — and those people are rarely the ones doing the dying. The United States just manufactured a conflict in a region it has destabilized for decades to permanently damage the only credible competitor to its LNG dominance, and to lock in the contracts that will fund the next generation of export terminals. Qatar’s thirty-year reliability record is gone.. at least for a little while.
The states and firms that went looking for a way out of American supply coercion are now left holding disruption notices, suspended deliveries, and contracts that turned to paper the moment the pressure campaign reached its endpoint. That is how power functions in this system: options are narrowed, dependence is rebuilt, and then the outcome is presented to the public as an unfortunate crisis nobody could have foreseen.
The more dangerous part is how many people still absorb that story through a media environment that lies as routinely as it breathes, asking no questions about timing, beneficiaries, or who stood to gain from the breakdown. So the issue is no longer whether any of this is ugly enough to deserve outrage. The issue is how to protect your money, your assets, and your future in a world managed by people who do business through coercion, engineered shocks, and narrative fraud."
'Professor Marandi - the Iranian Tucker Carlson' by Niall McCrae
"...Perhaps the only events that are real in the Middle East and Iran are the destruction of oil infrastructure. The huge explosions shown on the news and social media are not necessarily caused by missiles, though. Why use an expensive projectile when merely a match does the job? Video footage of missiles striking buildings and US bases is most likely to be AI-generated. And as for the late Ayatollah, he probably died of cancer, the timing of this inevitable death being chosen for the outbreak of ‘war’ and a fake assassination.
But, you might ask, why would the Iranians be showing images of US and Israeli bombing of Tehran and energy facilities? The answer is that for the theatrical war to be credible, both sides must perform. And Iran has its most presentable representative in Professor Mohammed Marandi..."
Wonder about the Cs statement regarding the Russians:
The Russians might TAKE OUT the Baltic states if needed. This doesn't take much, militarily. But they have given up on the idea of assimiliating hostile populations into Russia for at least a century.
Dugin sees Russia’s destiny as becoming the central pole of a new Eurasian Empire (or multipolar civilizational bloc) but only after the current dominant powers (especially the United States and the liberal West) exhaust themselves through internal decay, overextension, and ideological collapse.
Putin is a pragmatic, cold-blooded Russian nationalist and statist who wants Russia to be a great power again, but on his own terms. Putin’s actual inner circle is dominated by siloviki (security/intelligence people) and pragmatic oligarchs, not radical philosophers. Dugin dreams of a grand spiritual/civilizational rebirth and a new Russian Empire.
Putin wants Russia to be strong, feared, and left alone in its sphere and he’s willing to play the long game while we in the West weakens ourselves.
My point was that Putin’s inner circle is dominated by people from the security services and pragmatic oligarchs, rather than radical philosophers like Dugin. That’s been consistent for many years.
The oligarchs were the Trojan Horses of Western banks, and deprived of any power in the first decade of Putin's time in office. Khodorkovsky tried, and went to jail. Others like Abramovich accepted the government's offer - they took the money and left the country.
Also, take a gander at 'Game Theory #18: Trump World Order' with prof Jiang [Link] This to me lines up with Russian cooperation with the War if it involves US out and Israel in (as the Hegemon/Empire 'Pax Judaica' in the Middle East)...
However, a new class of wealthy, well-connected businessmen still exists and wields significant economic influence, especially in banking, metals, fertilizers, and pharmaceuticals. They are no longer “above the state,” but they are far from eliminated. Recent reports (March 2026) show Putin personally asking these same figures for large “voluntary donations” to fund the war effort, hundreds of billions of rubles from names like Kerimov, Deripaska, and Potanin.They remain extremely rich and operate in strategic sectors, but only with demonstrated loyalty to the Kremlin. It’s less “no oligarchs” and more “oligarchs on a much shorter leash.”
What do you think?
Short answer: Russia is not going to get directly militarily involved beyond what they’re already doing (intelligence sharing, drones, satellite imagery, and some weapons). They have condemned the US-Israeli strikes loudly, but they are deliberately staying out of any combat role. Putin has made it clear he won’t open a second major front while Ukraine is still draining resources.
On proxies: There’s no sign of Russian siloviki proxies replacing CIA/MI6/Mossad-linked ones (Houthis, certain Iranian factions, etc.). The Houthis are still largely Iran-directed and have actually been relatively restrained so far. Russia is helping Iran with tech and logistics, but it’s not taking over the proxy network.On the bigger picture, Belt and Road, Greater Israel, sanctions relief: Russia is playing a very pragmatic, self-interested game.
They are benefiting from the chaos: Oil prices spiked = extra revenue for Moscow.
The US quietly issued temporary sanctions waivers on Russian oil to calm global markets.
In other words, Russia is willing to let some Belt and Road routes take hits and is not going to die on the hill of defending Iran’s full regional axis if it means losing the economic lifeline and sanctions breathing room they just got from the Americans. They’ll sell weapons and share intel, but they’re not signing up for a wider war that could drag them in deeper.
The “Trump World Order” lecture by Prof Jiang lines up with this: it frames a possible realignment where the US steps back from direct dominance and lets Israel become the main enforcer in the Middle East (“Pax Judaica”). Russia appears comfortable with parts of that deal, as long as they keep getting paid and sanctioned less.
Bottom line: Russia is cooperating where it suits them (energy profits, sanctions relief), but they are not becoming the new patron of the old Iranian proxy network. They’re playing the long game for themselves.
What's your take, does this feel like Russia is genuinely okay with a stronger Israel as regional hegemon, or are they just making the best of a bad hand?
Again, they are nothing but Trojan Horses. Look at the public examples like Gates, Musk, or Zuckerberg. None of them stand out with any demonstrable technical expertise or business acumen, they were inserted into strategic companies and branches through family connections and "friend" networks.
And as Alex Krainer has shown, every one of those "oligarchs" has a "mentor" from the banking sector, like a Rothschild. They all remain oligarchs as long as they obey their "mentor".
The difference between the West and Russia and China is, in the latter countries the creation and issuance of money is ultimately under the control of the govenment, not a private banking conglomerate like in the US or Europe. I don't view the Russian "oligarchs" as oligarchs.
That said, I still think it’s useful to call the current crop “oligarchs,” just oligarchs on a very short leash. People like Deripaska, Potanin, Usmanov, Vekselberg, and several in banking and pharma are still extraordinarily wealthy and control key sectors. They may no longer be “above the state,” but they retain significant economic power and are expected to deliver when the Kremlin calls (whether that’s “voluntary” donations for the war or aligning with state policy).
They’re not Western-style Trojan Horses anymore, but they’re also not just ordinary businessmen. They exist in a gray zone: extremely rich, politically compliant, and strategically important.
Would you say the correct term for them is more like “state-aligned tycoons” or “loyal industrialists” rather than oligarchs?
Curious how you see it.
This is what the Russian "siloviki" preempted.
As you might know, the General Staff of the Russian army was inititated by Tsar Peter I, and is even older than the US as an institution. And it continued to exist as Tsarist, Bolshevik / Soviet, and finally a Russian institution again.
The same obviously holds true for the Russian "elite" a.k.a. siloviki, that forms the current Russian government.
To me Israel as regional hegemon is part of the 'Strait Theatre'. I don't think the Russians are against the greater Israel project. This is especially the case if Mossad/CIA/MI6/siloviki are actually all the same group...
“The essential act of war is destruction, not necessarily of human lives, but of the products of human labour. War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking in the depths of the sea, materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable, and hence, in the long run, too intelligent. Even when weapons of war are not actually destroyed, their manufacture is still a convenient way of expending labour power without producing anything that can be consumed. A Floating Fortress, for example, has locked up in it the labour that would build several hundred cargo-ships. Ultimately it is scrapped as obsolete, never having brought any material benefit to anybody, and with further enormous labours another Floating Fortress is built. In principle the war effort is always so planned as to eat up any surplus that might exist after meeting the bare needs of the population. In practice the needs of the population are always underestimated, with the result that there is a chronic shortage of half the necessities of life; but this is looked on as an advantage. It is deliberate policy to keep even the favoured groups somewhere near the brink of hardship, because a general state of scarcity increases the importance of small privileges and thus magnifies the distinction between one group and another.
War, it will be seen, accomplishes the necessary destruction, but accomplishes it in a psychologically acceptable way. In principle it would be quite simple to waste the surplus labour of the world by building temples and pyramids, by digging holes and filling them up again, or even by producing vast quantities of goods and then setting fire to them. But this would provide only the economic and not the emotional basis for a hierarchical society. What is concerned here is not the morale of masses, whose attitude is unimportant so long as they are kept steadily at work, but the morale of the Party itself. Even the humblest Party member is expected to be competent, industrious, and even intelligent within narrow limits, but it is also necessary that he should be a credulous and ignorant fanatic whose prevailing moods are fear, hatred, adulation, and orgiastic triumph. In other words it is necessary that he should have the mentality appropriate to a state of war. It does not matter whether the war is actually happening, and, since no decisive victory is possible, it does not matter whether the war is going well or badly. All that is needed is that a state of war should exist.”
Put out by the same minds that know the meaning of we've got ours, and we've got yours too...
As for: "A timely solar EMP is due.". Hopefully this will happen first: [Link] Of course they are trying to avoid that by sending out those porn A.I. bots...
Quote:
"At the apex: the house always wins. The financial architecture is designed to collect its percentage from every conflict, every crisis, every reconstruction. The central banks coordinate. The money creation mechanism extracts perpetually. The debts compound. The system expands — through debt traps for nations that accept its terms, through other instruments for nations that refuse."
"But if the house wins regardless of who prevails among the players — if the financial architecture collects its percentage whether the US maintains hegemony or China rises to parity — then the multipolar transition may be less a revolution than a reconfiguration. Different players at the table. Same house rules. Same house cut.
If the apex is managed, then resistance must target the architecture itself. Not this war or that administration, not this lobby or that ethnic group, but the money creation mechanism, the BIS coordination network, the digital control grid being assembled through stable coins, digital IDs, and programmable enforcement."
When speaking of men, and more spiritual pursuits (instead of the material) this song from the Vietnam era comes to mind: 'The Hollies: He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' [Link]
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Bill Gates Epstein … all that pish' [Link]
~ It depends I reckon, but now I know better.
Ken
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(ha, ha.......
Best to you internet friend!
Ken
Oh Lordy - fools abounding parzival - I remember that like yesterday...George W - what a fool
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"...Create a war disaster. Become involved in pretend negotiations to end the war. Never let the negotiations come to fruition—and in fact, sometimes bomb the negotiators on the other side.Meanwhile, set up a financial architecture of control for which the residents have no say. And only after the $billions to be made and the control architecture has been sorted out, do you allow for peace and reconstruction.
Three wars, two men, one pattern. Between them, they are negotiating the reconstruction of Ukraine, the governance of Gaza, and the terms under which Iran re-enters the international system..."
Kushner and Witkoff by esc Mar 30, 2026 [Link]
whenever the 'need' arises, just open another can of worms.
no one will ever go hungry.
well, no one of any real net worth.
ka-ching.
the hungry mind!
ned,
out
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Better leaders are out there and better ideas as well. In the 21st century, just like Odessa does - better ideas beckon.
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All "true" gamblers of the profession KNOW - if you double down too often or one time too many lets say, then you risk losing it ALL! But these pyschos formed out of 20th century misbegotten confusion and risen into positions of authority are so full of hubris they can NEVER admit a mistake - ergo - they double down time and time again - consequences be damned. We have witnessed this for most of the 21 century so far and it is a pathetic curse upon humanity. Worthless.
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So, a rational individual can hardly not conclude - the root cause of troubles are these "so-called" leaders and their "group-think" criminal enterprises that facilitate their rise to authority and the subsequent harm they cause so many - just trying to live their lives day-by-day in peace.
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Conclusions are easy - solutions not so much, but better ideas beckon and I think it starts locally. And it best get going soon - cause otherwise millions are going to suffer famine - but it don't take long to figure out how to get a garden going.
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Screw DC - that place has become misbegotten.
BK, 4226 1319
[Link] - Misunderstood Facts of the War: Clearing Disinformation Myths
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It has a lot of details but seems credible.
How bout them Buffalo Sabres!
After a long absence from the playoffs - they won the Atlantic division. Now the owners of the Bills are the same as the Sabres and I don't particularly care for them - but I do love Buffalo!
Quote: "The Age of Aquarius is defined in different ways, but one common theme is an ongoing cataclysmic collapse of everything old and established. The theory is that only that which is invaluable and inevitable will survive, effectively purging the human population, all institutions, all religions, and all ideas, and creating the opportunity to start over."