Puppet MastersS


Pistol

Cool?

numbers
© UnknownNumbers in the sand - a deadly message
"I'm very concerned for [the president's] life. And James Comey, in my view, should be held accountable and put behind bars for this."
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard
"Cool shell formation on my beach walk," Jim Comey, former FBI Director wrote on Instagram about the message "86 47" laid out in seashells on the sand that he came across, innocently. You'd have to ask yourself: what was "cool" about that, exactly? Especially if, as Mr. Comey claimed on X soon after, that he didn't know what it meant. Are things that you don't understand "cool"? Is it just "cool" to learn that you can spell stuff out with seashells? (Who knew?)

Maybe he was surprised to learn that people other than Jim Comey fans might see his cute coded clip and conclude that it wasn't such an innocent little gag. "47," of course, refers to Donald Trump in the cavalcade of US presidents. Among the not-strrictly-fans was DNI Tulsi Gabbard, who went on TV hours later and said that Mr. Comey should go to prison for it — in so many words. You must suppose she meant after the appropriate procedures: an FBI deposition, a grand jury, an indictment, a trial. After all that, we'd probably get to the bottom of what JC meant by "cool."

Arrow Up

Washington ready to resume Russia-NATO security talks - Bloomberg

Session NRC
© NATO/Getty Images/Anadolu AgencyA session of the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels, Belgium • January 12, 2022
The US has proposed resuming long-stalled security talks under the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) framework as part of efforts to negotiate a peace deal in the Ukraine conflict, Bloomberg has reported.

The report comes ahead of direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations.

The NRC, a forum created in 2002 for dialogue between the US-led military bloc and Moscow, effectively ceased practical operations in 2014. That year, Crimea joined the Russian Federation after holding a referendum following a Western-backed armed coup in Kiev. The council met to discuss the situation in Ukraine 11 times, until the conflict's escalation in 2022, after which NATO cut off all communication.

The US has reportedly offered to revive the NRC format as part of its efforts to talk Russia into freezing the Ukraine conflict. Last month, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow and reportedly attempted to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire that would suspend fighting along current front lines, in exchange for sanctions relief and US recognition of Crimea.

"The US has since added new details to the proposal, including an offer to revive security talks under the NATO-Russia Council," the outlet wrote on Thursday, citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter.

Bad Guys

Why the Russia-Ukraine peace talks are doomed

Dolmabahce Palace Russian, Turkish Ukrainian flags
© Sputnik / Sergei KarpukhinRussian, Turkish and Ukrainian flags are seen ahead of the Russian-Ukrainian talks at the Dolmabahce Palace, in Istanbul, Turkey.
Diplomatic tensions are rising once again. Just days ago, the focus was on Moscow's 80th anniversary Victory Day parade. Now, all eyes are suddenly on Istanbul, where direct talks between Russia and Ukraine - the first since the spring of 2022 - could take place as early as Thursday.

The significance of these prospective talks has snowballed. What began with Russian President Vladimir Putin responding to a Western call for a 30-day ceasefire starting May 12 has now escalated into a high-stakes international spectacle. Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky initially appeared ready to reject the proposal outright, but after pressure - bordering on an ultimatum - from Donald Trump, he reversed course.

Zelensky, however, introduced his own conditions. He demanded that talks be held at the highest level immediately, or not at all, and threatened new sanctions against Russia if his terms were ignored.

Stormtrooper

France leading West's 'party of war' - Russia

Gendarmes parade on July 14, 2018 in Paris.
© Luc Nobout / IP3 / Getty ImagesGendarmes parade on July 14, 2018 in Paris.
Moscow has slammed President Emmanuel Macron's push for more sanctions over Ukraine.

France has emerged as one of the leaders of the "hybrid war" against Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said. She made her remarks after the EU agreed to its 17th package of sanctions.

France, together with the United Kingdom, proposed the 'Coalition of the Willing' to take a more proactive role supporting Ukraine in its fight with Russia in February 2025 after the new administration of US President Donald Trump moved to adopt a more conciliatory stance towards resolving the conflict.

"It is common knowledge that since 2022, Paris has been one of the most uncompromising participants in the West's hybrid war against our country," Zakharova said during a press call on Thursday.

Bullseye

Will the GOP bury the Patriot Act and resurrect liberty? Or is it mere theater?

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna
© Jabin Botsford/The Washington PostRep. Anna Paulina Luna attends a House Oversight and Accountability Committee organizational meeting on Jan. 3, 2023.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida has thrown down the rhetorical gauntlet with her American Privacy Restoration Act, a bold move to torch the Patriot Act, dismantle the surveillance state, and drag the Fourth Amendment back from the abyss. Is someone in Washington daring to challenge the dystopian machinery that's been obliterating our liberties for over two decades?

Luna didn't mince words with Breitbart: the Patriot Act, she said, has let "rogue actors" in our intelligence agencies erect a surveillance behemoth — unaccountable, sprawling, and the envy of every tinpot dictator in the world. Born in the post-9/11 hysteria, this legislative monstrosity gave the NSA carte blanche to rifle through our calls, texts, emails, and metadata without a warrant. All they had to do was whisper "terrorism" and call it "relevant."

The Patriot Act was pitched as a temporary shield against the specter of jihadists after 9/11. "They hate our freedom," we were told, as Congress set about eradicating that very freedom. Congress has been reapproving this abomination every few years like obedient lapdogs.

Arrow Down

NATO state considers subjecting older citizens to military service

Finland has proposed raising the maximum age of reservists from 50 to 65 amid wider militarization within the EU.

Finland's Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen.
© NurPhoto / ColaboradorFinland's Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen.
The Finnish Defense Ministry has submitted a proposal to raise the maximum age for military reservists to 65, according to a press release published on Wednesday. The move is part of a broader militarization trend among European NATO member states.

The proposed reform would apply to all citizens liable for being called up who were born in 1966 or later, potentially adding 125,000 personnel to Finland's reserve forces over a five-year transition period. If enacted, the total number of reservists is projected to reach one million by 2031, the Defense Ministry noted.

Currently, rank-and-file soldiers are removed from the reserves at age 50, while officers exit at 60. The proposal would not apply retroactively to those already over 60.

According to the ministry, refresher training for 50-65-year-olds would be organized for those assigned wartime duties. No upper age limit would be set for military service volunteers.

The bill is expected to be submitted to the Finnish Parliament before its summer recess begins in late June.

MAGA

TRUMP the NARCISSIST? Colonel MacGregor EXPOSES the "Deal Maker" Myth!

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Colonel Douglas MacGregor calls out Donald Trump's narcissistic obsession with being the "deal maker," in a discussion with Neil Oliver, arguing that real estate tactics don't work in foreign policy, and discusses how Trump's inconsistent handling of Yemen and Ukraine has damaged America's global credibility.


Die

Let's just get on with the planned Istanbul peace talks on Thursday, whether or not Putin and Zelensky meet

Zelenskysnake
© SCF/KJN
Zelensky should stop playing to the international press gallery in the hope that Russia cancels.

As we gear up for the first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine since the failed Istanbul talks of March 2022, a complex game of brinkmanship is underway.

Not surprisingly, in my view, President Putin ignored the coalition of the willing's ultimatum to Russia to embark on an unconditional ceasefire for thirty days or face massive new sanctions. Instead he proposed what the Americans have been pushing for since Trump assumed office, direct bilateral talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday 15 May.

I have long argued that the only route out of the war in Ukraine is through talks. Compromise was offered by both sides in the first round of Istanbul talks in March 2022. Any new negotiations will require compromise from both sides, but the difference today is that the cards are more heavily stacked in Russia's favour than they were in 2022.

Against this backdrop, President Zelensky has called on President Putin to meet him personally in Istanbul on Thursday. From my perspective, this appears an attempt to call off talks if Putin doesn't show up.

Blue Planet

No rules, no rulers: The unraveling of the old world order and the role of Russia

Putin globe
© Alexei Druzhinin/SputnikRussian President Vladimir Putin
The day is not far off when the very notion of "international order" will lose its former meaning - just as happened with the once-theoretical concept of "multipolarity." Originally conceived in the mid-20th century as a way to balance power among great states, multipolarity now bears little resemblance to what its originators had in mind. The same is increasingly true of international order.

In recent years, it has become commonplace to say that the global balance of power is shifting and that previous leaders are no longer able to maintain their dominant positions. This much is obvious. No group of states today is capable of enforcing its vision of justice or order upon the rest of the world. Traditional international institutions are weakening, and their functions are being re-evaluated or hollowed out. Western Europe, once a central pillar of global diplomacy, appears to be in the final phase of its strategic decline - a region now better known for procedure than power.

But before we join the chorus, lamenting or celebrating the end of one era and the start of another, it is worth asking: what exactly is "international order"? Too often, this concept is treated as a given, when in fact it has always been a tool - one used primarily by states with both the means and the will to coerce others into accepting certain rules of the game.

Arrow Up

Germany could reintroduce military draft - defense minister

germans
© Martin Schutt/picture alliance/Getty ImagesMembers of the Bundeswehr's Home Guard Regiment 5 • courtyard of Ehrenstein Castle in Ohrdruf • May 8, 2025
Boris Pistorius says the Bundeswehr needs to boost enlistment amid tensions with Russia.

Germany may be forced to revive conscription if not enough people join the army voluntarily, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said.

Berlin abolished conscription in 2011 but has recently considered bringing it back, citing "threats" from Russia. According to the broadcaster N-tv, the Social Democrats and Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats agreed in their coalition deal to introduce the so-called "Swedish model," which combines selective mandatory and voluntary service.