Best of the Web:


Gold Coins

Best of the Web: Russia's shift to gold is offensive hit in global currency war on punitive dollar hegemony - analyst

Ekaterina Blinova
Sputnik
Sat, 04 Jan 2020 13:40 UTC
gold
© Sputnik / Pavel Lisitsyn
Gold has been ticking higher since late May 2019, driven by recessionary indicators, economic volatility and scares within the overnight lending market, says American economic analyst Pye Ian, a private equity executive and former precious metals commodities trader. He explains how the price of the yellow metal could go beyond $5,000/troy oz.

Gold demonstrated impressive performance gaining over 17 percent in 2019 and continues to rally: on 31 December, February Comex gold settled at $1,523.10, up $4.50.

Major Eurasian nations, including Russia, China and India are boosting the yellow metal's positions by acquiring and producing bullion. In late December, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that Moscow could consider investing part of its National Wealth Fund in gold. Being worth $124 billion as of 1 December 2019 Russia's National Wealth Fund amasses revenues from the country's crude oil exports.

Comment: See also:

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TV

Best of the Web: What does the US attack on Iran portend? RT America panel discussion


RT America
Fri, 03 Jan 2020 12:39 UTC
sanchez soleimani RT America
© RT America
A world-renowned panel of experts joins Rick Sanchez for this special on the act of war that was the US's assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

University of Tehran Professor Mohammed Marandi gives us the latest from Iran, while Congressman Ron Paul discusses the military-industrial complex.

Former UN Weapons inspector John Ritter, Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal, former US diplomat Jim Jatras, NRS Special Correspondent Michele Greenstein, and Boom-Bust host Christy Ai discuss why this attack occurred and what will happen next.

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Binoculars

Best of the Web: Iran says US, immediately after airstrike killing General Soleimani, asked them to 'get revenge in proportion to what we did'


Gulf News
Sat, 04 Jan 2020 21:21 UTC

Comment: This is another sign that neither 'WW3' nor anything resembling it is on the cards. But there may be even more to it...


Soleimani funeral
© AFP/SABAH ARARIraqis mourn over a coffin during the funeral procession of Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, and eight others, in Kadhimiya, a Shiite pilgrimage district of Baghdad, on January 4, 2020.
Washington asked Tehran to respond "in proportion" after US forces killed top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards said.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed Soleimani, the commander of its Quds Force foreign operations arm, had been killed on Friday in a US air strike near Baghdad airport.

After the attack, the Americans "resorted to diplomatic measures... on Friday morning", Rear-Admiral Ali Fadavi told state television that night.

They "even said that if you want to get revenge, get revenge in proportion to what we did", he said, quoted on the broadcaster's website.

Comment: Most interesting. This means Trump expects blowback. Immediately after ordering the airstrike, he pleaded with the Iranians to keep it 'within reason'. On the one hand, it's audacious and merely rubs salt into the wound. On the other, maybe he's trying to convey to them that he was compelled to do it...

What War Was Trump Trying to Stop by Killing Iranian General Soleimani?

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Star of David

Flashback Best of the Web: Netanyahu caught on tape in 2001: 'America is a thing you can move very easily in the right direction'


Sott.net
Tue, 15 Jul 2014 13:54 UTC
Image
A shorter version of this video circulated a few years ago, in which Netanyahu could be heard boasting in 2001 that Israel 'controlled the U.S.'

In this apparently extended version, the Israeli PM can be heard describing Israel's true strategy vis a vis the Palestinians. Have a listen...


Comment: This video makes Netanyahu look like a really good negotiator to the die-hard Israel-firsters. To them, he is trying to ensure that if and when Palestinians get their own state, it will be as small and meaningless as possible. At which point, Israel can move in for the kill, or for exploitation of a small impoverished state at their leisure.

From an Israeli perspective, this can only increase their support of him, which may be the reason that it was filmed and released. On the other hand, to those impartial or sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, this video exposes Netanyahu as a liar and as THE clear impediment to peace in Palestine/Israel, as such, it undermines everything he and his supporters in the West have ever said about the situation.

The most troubling thing, however, is his glib attitude about the 'absurd' fact that Israel 'never has to worry about US support' - no matter WHAT it does...

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Bad Guys

Best of the Web: 3,000 more US troops headed to Middle East as coalition members suspend ops in wake of Soleimani murder


RT
Fri, 03 Jan 2020 19:53 UTC

Comment: Four more years, four more wars?


Leyen
© AFP / Maja HitijThen-German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen speaks with a Kurdish Peshmerga and German soldiers in Iraq.
Members of the international coalition gathered to fight Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) have suspended operations in Iraq after the targeted assassination of a top Iranian general by the US.

Germany's Bundeswehr will put on pause all military missions in Iraq, it announced late on Friday night. That includes both operations aimed against IS and training of Kurdish troops. There are around 130 German soldiers deployed in Iraq at the moment, including 27 stationed at the Taji military base 30km (18 miles) north of Baghdad.


Comment: The German troops are not allowed to leave their bases.


The same security lockdown is true for the 70 soldiers from Sweden, who act as advisers to the Iraqi military. "We have to see what happens. We cannot go into details for safety reasons, but we have paused and taken it hour by hour," explained Swedish military spokesperson Kristina Swaan.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the situation serious for the 140 soldiers the country has in Iraq, but wouldn't comment on whether it was necessary to bring them home as a precaution.

NATO, which has many of the same members as the anti-IS coalition, has suspended its training operations in Iraq too, spokesman for the alliance Dylan White said. NATO has hundreds of personnel under its aegis in the country.

Comment: U.S. forces are also pausing operations, because Baghdad is forcing them to:
"After the recent events that have taken place, it was decided to limit the work of US forces in Iraq. The US side has been notified ... They can act only with Iraqi consent, but after such a stab in the back, we will, of course, limit their activities," Khalaf stated.

The spokesman also added that an investigation is currently ongoing to ascertain how the information of Soleimani's movements, such as his flight from Damascus to Baghdad and onward transport from Baghdad International Airport, was shared with the US.

"Yes, an investigation is underway. The investigation will concern everyone who could have had any information inside the [Baghdad International] airport," Khalaf remarked.

He also stated, echoing comments made by Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yehia Rasool earlier on Saturday, that Iraq had the capability to defend itself, even if NATO suspended military training in the country.

"Iraq is able to cope with this task on its own, as well as with the task of protecting its territory. Of course, coalition forces provided air support, but the Iraqi military did everything else," Khalaf remarked.
But that's not stopping the Americans from sending an additional 3,000 troops to the region.

And, somewhat ominously, Kataib Hezbollah are warning Iraqi forces to avoid U.S. bases starting tomorrow evening: "Security forces must stay clear of American bases by a distance not less and a thousand metres starting Sunday evening," al-Mayadeen quoted the militia as saying.

Meanwhile, American politicians are chiming in on the idiocy of this move, including NYC Mayor de Blasio:


Former Virginia State Senator Richard Black:
In a statement to RT on Friday, retired Virginia Senator Richard Black said the assassination "may presage a new war of aggression — this time, against the Iranian people." Black noted that the commander of the IRGC's Quds Force had led the fight against both Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorists and Al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria. "We are not genuinely fighting a war on terror. I fear that in a sense, we are becoming the terror."

The former senator, who retired at the end of 2019, cautioned against further escalation in the Middle East, recalling a claim predating the 2003 invasion of Iraq that regime change in Tehran was the ultimate objective. "I pray that we draw back from the vast war that looms," Black added. "Neither our soldiers nor our people have a voice to stop it."
Presidential Candidate Tulsi Gabbard:



And Ron Paul:


See also:

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Vader

Best of the Web: The US unwittingly raised up Iran's Qassem Soleimani. Then, just as ignorantly, they killed him

Scott Ritter
RT
Fri, 03 Jan 2020 19:14 UTC
Qassem Soleiman rally
© AFP / Tauseef Mustafa / File
The US is unprepared for the consequences of its assassination of Qassem Soleimani, if only because it knows nothing about the reality of the man it murdered, and can't gauge the impact of his death on Iran or the Middle East.

Qassem Soleimani, an Iranian military commander whose paramilitary organization, known as the Quds Force, helped position Iran as a modern regional power, was assassinated on January 3, 2020, on order of the President of the United States, Donald Trump. American political leaders of both major parties have been united in their description of Soleimani as an evil man whose death should be celebrated, even while the consequences of his demise remain unknown.

The celebration of Soleimani's death, however, is born of an ignorance regarding the events and actions that shaped the work he directed, and which defined the world in which he operated. While the US has cast Soleimani as a byproduct of Iran's malign intent in the Middle East, the reality is much starker: Soleimani is the direct result of America's irresponsibly aggressive policies. In a world defined by cause-effect relationships, the link between Soleimani and the United States is undeniable.
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Heart - Black

Best of the Web: Hundreds of thousands gather in Baghdad to mourn war heroes Soleimani and al-Muhandis


RT
Sat, 04 Jan 2020 18:02 UTC

Comment: ...and in Najaf. And in Karbala. And in many other cities across the Muslim world.

Trump just united the Shia Muslim world in a way Iranian leadership couldn't have dreamed of.

So much for 'Iraqis cheering the death of Soleimani' (Pompeo), and 'Iraqis wishing Iranian influence be gone' (also Pompeo).

The US will be sending home body bags if they don't get their troops out of Iraq ASAP.


soleimani rally
© Sabah Arar / AFP
Massive crowds have gathered in Baghdad for a funeral procession for Iran's elite Quds Force leader, Qassem Soleimani, Iraqi militia chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and others people killed in a US drone strike on Friday.

Mourners and supporters of Major General Soleimani and al-Muhandis, who was the deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), are holding photos of both men along with Iraqi flags and flags of the Shia group Hezbollah. Many are dressed in black and are heard chanting "death to America."

Iraq's prime minister, Adel Abdel Mahdi, is also attending the ceremony. He stepped down in November amid mass anti-government protests, but has retained his post in a caretaker capacity.



Comment: Does it look like these Iraqis are "dancing in the streets" for freedom, "thankful that General Soleimani is no more"? That's what Pompeo would have the world think.



Either he's a liar, or such an idiot that he believes his own propaganda:
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo exaggerated the reaction of Iraqi citizens to the death of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, The New York Times reported on Saturday, citing eyewitnesses who said that celebrations occurred on a much smaller level than Pompeo implied.

The newspaper reported that while the video itself was authentic, there were a number of inconsistencies with what Pompeo portrayed, and what actually happened on the ground. The New York Times cited eyewitnesses who claimed that the group of men carrying the flag was very small and that the celebration was over in less than two minutes. The newspaper also stated that citizens were running, not dancing as Pompeo stated, in the video.

​The fact that the video had been viewed almost five million times, along with Pompeo's caption, sets a dangerous precedent for factual news reporting, the newspaper stated. The State Department did not respond immediately to a request for a comment on the allegations, submitted on Friday evening, the newspaper reported.
Here was the scene in Tehran today:


And in Kashmir:
The assassination sparked protests in other countries as well, especially in those with sizable Shia Muslim populations. A handful of rallies were held in the Indian-controlled part of the disputed Kashmir region, where people flocked to the streets to voice their anger over the murder.

Hundreds of protesters also marched in the northern Indian town of Budgam, carrying portraits of Soleimani and chanting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans.


"We will take revenge of their act so that they will bow down. And it is going to be a lesson for our future generations," said an Islamic cleric who led the protests, while another scholar insisted that the US and Israel "will be destroyed very soon."

A similar rally was held in the town of Kargil, where locals turned up in large numbers to mourn the death of the prominent Iranian commander. Footage from the scene shows residents carrying portraits of Soleimani and placards reading "Down with the USA." Large banners portraying Iranian leaders could also be seen hanging from several buildings in the town.

In case there's any doubt just how allied Iraq and Iran are, here's the Iraqi PM side-by-side with the new commander of the Iraqi PMU:


The US can send another million troops to Iraq if it wants, but it has already lost the battle for hearts and minds.

See also:

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Star of David

Best of the Web: Polytheism and human sacrifice in early Israelite religion

Valerie Tarico
Huff Post
Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:26 UTC
Is that a 3,000-year-old picture of god, his penis and his wife depicted by early Jews at Kuntillet Ajrud?
FILE PHOTO: Is that a 3,000-year-old picture of god, his penis and his wife depicted by early Jews at Kuntillet Ajrud?
The following is an interview with Thom Stark, a scholar of ancient and modern religious texts. Stark is currently an M.A.R. student at Emmanuel School of Religion in Johnson City, Tenn. His first book, released in October, is called The Human Faces of God: What Scripture Reveals When It Gets God Wrong (and Why Inerrancy Tries To Hide It). In chapters 4 and 5, Mr. Stark systematically lays out evidence that polytheism and human sacrifice were practiced widely as a part of early Yahweh worship.
I have to start with a question that may sound rude. Most people would expect that someone writing about human sacrifice and polytheism in the Bible would be an atheist or agnostic. And yet you describe yourself as a very committed Christian. Help me put the pieces together.
Well, I hail from the Stone-Campbell tradition, an anti-creedal protestant movement that is committed to discovering what the Bible says, even if what the Bible says contradicts what orthodox Christianity has historically said. That commitment to the Bible over the creeds is what underwrote my biblical studies, and ironically is what made it possible for me to come to the realization that the Bible isn't inerrant, and that what "it says" often depends on which book in the Bible you're reading.

Comment: See also: Also check out SOTT radio's:

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War Whore

Best of the Web: The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act: Why Washington is both corrupt and ignorant

Philip Giraldi
Strategic Culture Foundation
Thu, 02 Jan 2020 11:08 UTC
syria
© Defense.gov
The creatures that lurk through the corridors of power in Washington DC have refined corruption to the point where almost anything goes and almost no one is ever held accountable. Traditionally, Congressmen reward their various constituencies by inserting riders into larger pieces of legislation that grant money, exemptions or favors to certain groups or individuals. It is sometimes referred to as "pork." The recent bloated omnibus spending bills totaling $1.4 trillion, which passed through Congress and were signed off on by President Donald Trump, were for the shameless denizens of Capitol Hill a gold mine. The process was so corrupt that even some Senators like Ted Cruz joked that "Christmas came early in Washington. While you were with your family, while you were shopping for Christmas, the lobbyists were spending and spending. I present to you, the massive omnibus bill that Congress is voting on."

And no one is more corrupt in Congress than some of those at the top of the food chain, where the Speaker and the Minority leader in the House and the Majority and Minority leaders in the Senate have the final say on what gets cut and what remains. The lugubrious Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is one of the most adept at milking the system to buy his continued reelection in a state where he is actually not very popular, with an approval rating of only 37%. Within the current spending bill he has managed to include more than $1 billion worth of federal spending and tax breaks for some choice constituencies among the Kentucky voters. A tax break for the state's whisky distillers alone came to a projected $426 million for 2020 and there were also breaks for the state's thoroughbred horse industry as well as hundreds of millions of dollars more for new federal construction.

One can only wish that politicians would actually commit themselves to doing good for the American people, but the sad reality is that they spend so much time raising and distributing money that they only respond to constituents with the deepest pockets or those who make the most noise. Rarely does anyone actually read the bills that are being voted on. Part of the omnibus spending bills was the $738 billion dollar defense policy component, and, as in the case of the larger amounts intended to keep the federal government funded, the devil is frequently found in the details.

Comment: The incredible thing about the American Empire is how successful it has been despite being so wrong about so much for so long.

How is that possible?

Under normal circumstances, if a business or family were to make decisions based on information that is directly orthogonal to truth, they'd fail.

Yet when the giant behemoth known as the US govt does this, systematically, it somehow eventually wins... even when it loses on that specific issue!

The only idea we can suggest is that the US, in its advanced state of entropy (at the level of beliefs/information), is somehow 'willed' or 'directed' by a foreign entity - and not necessarily one of this world - and that this 'alignment with some higher power' somehow staves off the manifestation of its entropy at the level of material things...

Now, for many Americans, that's a no-brainer. They would say, "Of course! God/Providence is on our side!" But that can't be the case because God without Truth is not 'the one true God'...

See also: Merry Christmas in Syria: Liberated from terror by Russia, oldest Christian country celebrates birth of Jesus

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Black Magic

Flashback Best of the Web: October 2019: Mossad chief 'predicts' assassination of Iranian counterpart Soleimani


Times of Israel
Fri, 11 Oct 2019 08:58 UTC

Comment: Considering that the only country in the world which perceives Iran as a threat to its existence is Israel, and in view of today's news of General Soleimani's murder, this piece of info is highly relevant.


Yossi Cohen
© Flash90Head of the Mossad Yossi Cohen speaks at a cyber conference at Tel Aviv University on June 24, 2019
In an interview published Thursday, Mossad chief Yossi Cohen said a potential Israeli assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, the head of the elite Quds Force in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was "not impossible."

In a profile piece for ultra-Orthodox newspaper Mishpacha, Cohen was asked about Soleimani's claim that Israeli aircraft targeted him and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut during the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

"With all due respect to his bluster, he hasn't necessarily committed the mistake yet that would place him on the prestigious list of Mossad's assassination targets," Cohen said.

"He knows very well that his assassination is not impossible. His actions are identified and felt everywhere... there's no doubt the infrastructure he built presents a serious challenge for Israel."

Iranian media also reported last week that Tehran stopped an "Israel-Arab" plot to eliminate Soleimani.

Comment: See also: Caitlin Johnstone: US assassination of top Iranian military official may ignite World War
Many are understandably claiming that this geostrategically pivotal confrontation was precisely what Trump was installed to facilitate all along. The largest donor to any campaign in 2016 was oligarch Sheldon Adelson, who gave $25 million to the Trump campaign, and who in 2013 said that the US should drop a nuclear bomb on Iran. After Trump's election win, Adelson gave another $5 million to his inauguration, the largest single presidential inaugural donation ever made. Newt Gingrich, another of the billionaire's hired politicians, has said that Adelson's "central value" is Israel.


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