Puppet MastersS


Bad Guys

US, Germany supplied 99% of Israel weapons in 2023, US accelerated deliveries despite Gaza genocide

Israeli soldiers IDF gaza
© AFPIsraeli soldiers on the ground in the Gaza Strip aim at Hamas positions.
A new study has found that the US and Germany supplied almost all of the weapons and equipment delivered to Israel in 2023.

According to data released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), 69 percent of Jerusalem's arms imports came from American manufacturers, while 30 percent were purchased from Berlin.

Italy, the third top importer for the Middle Eastern nation, supplied only 0.9 percent of the total arms purchases.

The Swedish research institute said all of the Israeli Air Force's current aircraft are US-made, except for one helicopter built in France.


Comment: US-made and taxpayer funded, when one considers the billions in US aid.


Comment: See also:


Caesar

Other nations aren't unfriendly, their elites are unfriendly - Putin

putin
Russia does not have unfriendly countries, there are unfriendly elites of these countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.

"There are many achievements, even in those countries that we call unfriendly today. Although we do not have unfriendly countries, we have unfriendly elites in these countries," Putin said at a meeting with cultural workers in Russia's Tver Region.

The president also noted that there are plenty of positive things in the European culture, however there are many issues when it comes to the current life in these societies. He added that today Russia has a unique opportunity to look at the developments in European nations and the post-industrial society as a whole, and to react to it appropriately.

Comment: Two other recent gems from Putin:

On the West:
"[...] the so-called "golden billion" has grown accustomed to being able to "fill their bellies with human flesh and their pockets with money" as they have been "parasitizing" other peoples in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
"But they must understand that the vampire ball is ending," Putin said.
On the sinister LGBTQ agenda:
"We are quite tolerant towards people with non-traditional sexual orientations. We just don't flaunt it, and we don't believe it's right to flaunt it. Let everyone live - the adults - as they want. Nobody limits them in anything," Putin stated, explaining that, basically, there are only a handful of rules which limit the LGBTQ community in the country.
As for children, I have already said many times: 'Don't touch the children.' That's it. This is the first one. And the second one is, we are, first and foremost, a state that is guided by traditional values.



Gold Seal

Ukrainian 'Caliphate': What the West prefers not to notice when blaming ISIS for the terrorist attack in Moscow

crocus
© RT
On March 22, Russia suffered one of the worst terrorist attacks in recent history, in the course of which 137 people were killed and 182 others were injured. The four terrorists who carried out the attack chose one of the largest exhibition and concert venues in the country, Crocus City Hall, in the city of Krasnogorsk on the outskirts of Moscow, which hosts large events every day.

Even though the investigation is still ongoing, the West has already claimed that the Islamic State (IS) is responsible for the tragedy. This was first reported by some media outlets, including Reuters and CNN, and was later picked up by Western officials. For example, on Monday, this was stated by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

However, when we compare this terrorist attack with other IS attacks, we notice more differences than similarities.

Popcorn

Congressional watchdog warns America is at risk of a bond market meltdown

The US Treasury building in Washington, D.C., US
The US Treasury building in Washington, D.C., US, on Sunday, May 22, 2022.
The United States risks a bond market crisis of the kind that engulfed the United Kingdom 18 months ago, sending yields soaring and sparking a run on the pound, according to Congress's independent fiscal watchdog.

The stark warning from the Congressional Budget Office comes as US government debt continues to break records, fuelling concerns about the burden that places on the economy and taking a toll on America's credit rating.

In an interview with the Financial Times, CBO director Phillip Swagel said US government debt — which the Treasury Department puts at nearly $35 trillion — is on an "unprecedented" trajectory.

"The danger, of course, is what the UK faced with former Prime Minister (Liz) Truss, where policymakers tried to take an action, and then there's a market reaction to that action," he told the newspaper, referring to the investor backlash against plans for unfunded tax cuts that forced Truss to resign after just 45 days in office.

Comment: It's perhaps no coincidence that some billionaires have been found to be dumping their stocks, whilst Western governments escalate their belligerence across the planet on their multiple hybrid warfronts:


Russian Flag

Talk of new mobilization 'complete stupidity' - Shoigu

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu
© Sputnik / Alexei DanichevFILE PHOTO
Russia does not need to announce another wave of mobilization to strengthen its army ranks, even if it decides to establish a buffer zone in Kiev-controlled territories to prevent Ukraine from launching strikes on civilians, according to Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu.

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested earlier this month that Moscow could be forced to create "a cordon sanitaire" in Ukraine, to ensure the safety of Russian regions that often face deadly and indiscriminate artillery and drone attacks.

When asked on Tuesday if a new mobilization would be needed to fulfill such goal, Shoigu dismissed the suggestion as "complete stupidity."

Moscow conducted a partial military call-up in September 2022. Shoigu explained at the time that additional troops were needed to "stabilize the situation, protect new territories" and hold the front line, which stretched more than 1,000km. Since then, Russian officials have repeatedly dismissed claims of a looming new mobilization, fueled by increasingly aggressive draft practices in Ukraine.

Comment: The Russians seemingly have no problems recruiting new soldiers, so it makes sense that there would be no reason or need to have a new mobilization. The same cannot be said of Ukraine, however.


Attention

The West's Technofeudalism versus the BRICS growth forecast

Book Cover
© New Eastern Outlook
You'll find an important Russia-India story on page 28 of the Google News results, to care about what's really happening between the two BRICS nations. Many reading this may not know that India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Vladimir Putin on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation and announced the deepening of a strategic partnership between the two countries. Russia and India - strategic partners - isn't that page one New York Times stuff? Well, no.

Naturally, the Western propaganda machine revved up its gears to do damage control. The United States Institute of Peace, which is really a warmongering glee club, claimed back in February the Russia-India situation is fragile. The relationship is so fragile, in fact, that PM Modis quote from News 18 in New Delhi (taken from Modi's Tweet on X) reads:
"I Spoke with President Putin and congratulated him on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation. We agreed to work together to further deepen and expand the India-Russia Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership in the years ahead."
I know the quote does not relay any fragility between nations that have been in good standing for decades. Still, the elites running our feudal/capitalistic system in the West - well, they can still dream. And speaking of neo-feudalism, a new book by the brilliant (if sometimes quirky) Yanis Varoufakis, speaks mightily on what's really going down in the West vs. East geopolicy wars we're in. The book, entitled Techno-feudalism: What Killed Capitalism proclaims capitalism as dead amid "an epochal shift" backwards in time. Varoufakis argues, his points about the technocrats and their fiefdoms by creating the parable below. Insert the first name "Mark" where Jeff is mentioned, and you'll see the truth of the Greek economist's theory:
"Imagine the following scene straight out of the science fiction storybook. You are beamed into a town full of people going about their business, trading in gadgets, clothes, shoes, books, songs, games and movies. At first everything looks normal. Until you begin to notice something odd. It turns out all the shops, indeed every building, belongs to a chap called Jeff. What's more, everyone walks down different streets and sees different stores because everything is intermediated by his algorithm... an algorithm that dances to Jeff's tune."
The man who should have been Greece's Prime Minister years ago uses Jeff (Bezos, the owner of Amazon) to illustrate how we peons and surfs produce value for technology companies simply by tweeting or posting. In Bezos's case, Varoufakis points out that the Amazon founder does not produce capital, but he simply charges rent. He says this isn't capitalism, but feudalism, exacted upon a citizenry unaware of what's happening. I suggest you read The Guardian story about the book here.

Bad Guys

US 'exposed' itself over Moscow terror attack - Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova
© Sputnik / Russian Foreign MinistryFILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
The US is covering up for Ukraine by denying that Kiev was involved in the deadly shooting at the Crocus City Hall outside of Moscow last week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

On Friday evening, a group of gunmen armed with automatic weapons attacked the venue ahead of a rock concert, indiscriminately shooting at civilians and setting the building on fire. The terrorist attack, the worst in Russia's history since the early 2000s, killed at least 140 people and injured almost 200. In the aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement detained several suspects, including four accused of carrying out the attack.

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the latter - who he described as "radical Islamists" - were caught fleeing "towards Ukraine where, according to preliminary data, a window to cross the border was prepared."

Meanwhile, the US, along with many of its allies, insists that Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorists are solely to blame for the shooting, saying there is no indication that Kiev had anything to do with it. Ukraine has also vehemently denied any involvement.

Eye 1

Neil Oliver: The battle has begun....

Neil Oliver
Neil Oliver
...like magicians they're constantly trying to fool us with their tricks & sleight of hand....but, fighting for truth matters!


Jet5

UK military 'couldn't fight Russia for longer than two months'

A Russian military recruit shoots a machine gun during combat tactic and shooting practice exercises.
© Sputnik / Alexey MaishevA Russian military recruit shoots a machine gun during combat tactic and shooting practice exercises.
Britain could not fight Russia for more than two months, the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff has admitted.

Lt Gen Sir Rob Magowan said the Armed Forces would have to manage the "operational risk" that came with not having the resources he would like in future wars.

It comes after Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, told MPs that he had lobbied Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt for more money to be spent on defence in the recent Budget, but failed to secure an increase.

Appearing before MPs at the Commons defence committee, the senior Royal Marines officer said: "We've been very clear that the amount of money we're spending on munitions at the moment ... which is significant ... does not meet, in all areas, the threats that we face.

Light Sabers

US angry with Macron - Bloomberg

Macron Biden
© Brendan Smialowski / WPA Pool via Getty ImagesFrench President Emmanuel Macron speaks with US President Joe Biden.
Sources in the US government are angry with French President Emmanuel Macron, after his suggestion that preventing a Russian victory in the Ukraine conflict could require a NATO military force, Bloomberg has reported.

A senior US official has told the outlet that some in Washington believe Macron might trigger a clash with Moscow. The French leader's justification for his statement has been criticized by allies behind closed doors, according to a report on Wednesday.

After hosting a pro-Kiev gathering in Paris in late February, Macron said that NATO members "cannot exclude anything," including having boots on the ground, and predicted that a shift in favor of that option could come in the future. He later argued that the Russian government should be kept guessing about the extent of Western backing for Kiev. In internal NATO discussions, some people have argued that he achieved the opposite, Bloomberg was told.