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Fri, 01 Dec 2023
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Bullseye

Israel has damaged Israel's reputation far worse than its enemies ever have

Israelflag
© unknown
Israel raging at Hamas for killing Israelis is like a man raging at his shadow for darkening his floor. It's maddening to see grown adults acting like Hamas are these foreign invaders who attacked Israelis out of the blue because of a hatred for Jewish people, like they're internet-radicalized neo-Nazis from eastern Europe or something.

Hamas attacked Israel because Israel is a murderous and tyrannical apartheid regime who butchers children and makes lives miserable for the Palestinian people. The violence on October 7 was the echo of the violence Israel has been inflicting on Palestinians for generations. Only a fool gets angry at his echo for talking back to him.

Israel has done more to damage Israel's image in the last seven weeks than anti-semites did in the last seven decades.

If you've ever wondered why society's most famous and influential voices all have dogshit status quo politics, just look at the current purge of pro-Palestine actors in Hollywood. If your own elite class interests and having loyalty to your rich friends isn't enough to keep you supporting the empire's information interests, you'll just get thrown out.

The influence which comes with celebrity status means you'll become a threat to the establishment power structure if you start sharing ideas and information which go against its interests. That's why there are so many safeguards in place to prevent that from happening. If you're forcefully critical of US foreign policy you won't be permitted to rise to celebrity status by the Hollywood gatekeepers who are responsible for US cultural hegemony and propaganda, and if you manage to sneak past the gatekeepers they'll throw you right out on your ass when you make it clear you're not a trustworthy empire loyalist.

Comment: Caught up in headlines and minutia, we are reminded of the big picture and what role we play.


Arrow Down

War in Ukraine is lost - retired US colonel

Macgregor
© Wikipedia
Douglas Macgregor
Ukraine and its Western backers have already lost the conflict with Russia, former Pentagon adviser Douglas Macgregor claimed on Friday. The retired US Army colonel and decorated veteran urged Washington and Kiev to enter peace negotiations with Moscow as soon as possible.

Macgregor's comments came at a time of depleting Pentagon funds available for Ukraine, after President Joe Biden's administration failed to push a $105 billion spending package through Congress, a significant part of which was supposed to go to Kiev. The president was forced to sign a stopgap spending bill instead, which only included funding for domestic government agencies.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Macgregor claimed the US has "sent almost all of our war stocks, weapons systems and ammunition to Ukraine," adding that Washington does not "have a great deal left."

"The war in Ukraine is lost," he concluded, calling on the "fools" to "Make Peace."

Smoking

Team Biden's war on cigarettes will only end in tears

biden cigarettes
© Getty Images
One of the most enduring lessons of American history is that the banning of liquor sales and consumption ("the noble experiment") was a colossal failure. Drinking didn't go down much, but the profits ended up going not to legitimate businesses but bootleggers and the mob, while the murder rate soared to all-time highs in American history. It was the policy that made America's most famous gangster, Al Capone, famous -- and rich.

I was reminded of this when I saw recently that the Biden administration's Food and Drug Administration wants to ban menthol cigarettes. Menthol flavorings account for approximately 37% of cigarette sales. That demand will not disappear but it will be driven underground, creating more significant risks to consumers.

Ninety years after the failure of Prohibition, we are going to try it again with smokers. Ironically, many of the same liberals who campaigned for three decades for the legalization of marijuana and other soft drugs (something I generally support) now want to effectively ban smoking.

Vader

Biden admin to lift nearly every restriction on Israel's access to US weapons stockpile

us american weapons shipments military
© U.S. Air Force
U.S. Air Force personnel unload a KC-135 Stratotanker at an undisclosed location, designated by the military as within the U.S. Central Command “area of responsibility,” on Oct. 23, 2023.
By easing virtually all limits on Israel's use of the stockpile, Biden could undercut U.S. military preparedness and congressional oversight.

The White House has requested the removal of restrictions on all categories of weapons and ammunition Israel is allowed to access from U.S. weapons stockpiles stored in Israel itself.

The move to lift restrictions was included in the White House's supplemental budget request, sent to the Senate on October 20. "This request would," the proposed budget says, "allow for the transfer of all categories of defense articles."

The request pertains to little-known weapons stockpiles in Israel that the Pentagon established for use in regional conflicts, but which Israel has been permitted to access in limited circumstances — the very limits President Joe Biden is seeking to remove.

SOTT Logo Radio

NewsReal: Dublin Riot, Mass Migration, and Israel's Final Solution

wilders milei dublin riot newsreal
© Sott.net
This past week saw election victories for 'right-wing populists' in two Western countries, a premeditated mass stabbing by a Muslim migrant in Ireland which prompted a 'far-right' riot, and ongoing genocide in Gaza bringing the death toll to 20,000 Palestinians. On this NewsReal, Joe and Niall provide context for the worst rioting seen in Ireland's capital in a generation, note the obnoxiously pro-Israel stances of Argentina's new leader Javier Milei, and the Netherlands' (likely) new leader, Geert Wilders, and ponder what next for the 'final solution' in Palestine...


Running Time: 01:50:42

Download: MP3 — 76 MB


Star of David

This Israel has no future in the Middle East

israel tanks gaza invasion
© AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg
Israeli soldiers manoeuver armored military vehicles along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023
The Gaza war may turn out to be the beginning of the end, but not for Palestine.

Israel's sadistic war on Gaza, the culmination of a long series of criminal policies, may well prove suicidal in the long term and lead to the demise of the mighty "Jewish State".

Indeed, Israel's deliberate, industrial-scale murder of the Palestinian people under the pretext of "self-defence" won't enhance its security or secure its future. Rather, it will produce greater insecurity and instability, further isolate Israel and undermine its chances for long-term survival in a predominantly hostile region.

In truth, I never thought Israel could have much of a future in the Middle East without shedding its colonial regime and embracing normal statehood. For a short while in the early 1990s, it seemed as if Israel was changing direction towards some form of normalcy, albeit dependent on the United States. It engaged the Palestinians and Arab states in the region in a "peace process" that promised mutual existence under favourable American auspices.

Bad Guys

Argentina - A political earthquake

Milei argentina president
© YouTube
Javier Milei, president elect of Argentina
On Sunday, 19 November, the extreme neoliberal Javier Milei won the run-off elections with 56% against 44% for the present Peronist (center left) Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa. This is more than a surprise. On 23 October, during the first-round vote, Massa had a 36% to 30% lead. Massa is an experienced economist and well-versed politician. Milei is neither.

However, Milei boasts he will drastically reduce Argentina's inflation, currently more than 140%, get rid of the Argentine Central Bank and adopt the dollar as the national currency, replacing the Peso. This is just one of his radial neoliberal measures he plans for Argentina.

Introduction of the US dollar as the national currency is the most drastic measure Milei announced way ahead of the elections - and it would be more than surprising if Argentinians just 22 years after the economy totally collapsed (2000-2002), precisely because then-President Carlos Menem's dollarized Argentina in 1991 by pegging the Peso 1:1 against the dollar. Already then, the argument was "fighting inflation."

Comment: How much suffering do the Argentinian people need to undergo before they can spot the scam? Joining BRICs could have been a lifeline, giving them space to reorganize and access to huge, fair-trading markets. But electing a demagogue loon seems to have scuttled that positive future.


Star of David

Argentina's president-elect Milei wears kippah at havdalah, vows support for Israel

argentian milei rabbi loyalty israle
© Radio JAI
Argentina's Milei wears kippah at havdalah, vows support for Jews and Israel
Milei once famously declared, "My law is the Torah."

Argentina's President-elect Javier Milei paid a visit to the traditional Eleventh neighborhood in Buenos Aires, known for its significant population of Orthodox Jews. During his visit to Hevrat Pinto on Saturday night, he participated in the havdalah ceremony and received a special blessing from the renowned Kabbalist Rabbi David Pinto.

Milei has expressed his intention to dedicate his time to an in-depth study of Jewish sources after his presidential term. At the event, he also voiced his unwavering support for Israel's right to self-defense, denounced Hamas terrorism, and called for the return of hostages. Furthermore, he announced his plan to relocate the Argentine embassy from Herzliya to Jerusalem.

Comment: Not everyone is onboard with Milei's interest in Jewish Kabbalah:



Presidential frontrunner reveals Judaism conversion plans

Milei has promised further upheavals:


Quenelle

US Navy 'monitoring' Houthi's seizure of yet another Israeli-linked vessel

Central Park oil tanker

Central Park oil tanker
Another suspected piracy incident is unfolding this time in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen on Sunday, as multiple news agencies are reporting that an Israel-linked oil tanker has been boarded by unknown militants. The emerging headlines have surprisingly thus far had little observable impact on oil prices, at a moment of growing security concerns and fears for international shipping in Mideast and Gulf regional waters.


Comment: Maybe the international financial community appreciate that the Houthis have explicitly stated that it's only Israeli-linked ships that they're targeting? Lest we forget the US has been seizing Iranian-linked vessels over the past year and the international community weren't too concerned - that's not to say, however, that this situation won't escalate.


At least 22 crew of the Liberian-flagged Central Park, managed by Zodiac Maritime, are now believed to be held hostage. The Associated Press reports, "Attackers seized a tanker linked to Israel off the coast of Yemen on Sunday, authorities said. While no group immediately claimed responsibility, it comes as at least two other maritime attacks in recent days have been linked to the Israel-Hamas war." If done by the Houthis, this marks the first such piracy attack from Yemen during the Gaza truce which has successfully held, which went into effect Friday.

Comment: See also: Video shows Israeli-owned ship ablaze after suspected drone attack


Magnify

South Korea's top intelligence officials resign

South Korea
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol accepted the resignation of the head of the intelligence agency and his two deputies on Sunday (Nov 26), his office said.

Yoon's office did not specify any reasons for the resignations. But local media have reported there were troubles during previous personnel reshuffles at the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

Kim Kyou-hyun, a veteran diplomat with expertise in US and North Korea affairs, had overseen the NIS since Yoon took office in May 2022.

Comment: Amid such an unprecedentedly turbulent period in geopolitics, and considering South Korea's allegiance to the US, and the West more generally, one wonders just exactly what's happening behind the scenes: