Hayami Gyoshu Tea bowl and fruits 1921
At first I thought of RFK: don’t let them come at you with these antisemitism charges. But after seeing him yesterday in the House, I think maybe he is looking for this. That way he can show everybody that he’s not afraid. Everybody including his own party, who tried to silence/censor him there. Not the GOP, but his own party!
MASSIE: “Wow, the irony and cognitive dissonance from the other side of the aisle is deafening… This is a hearing on censorship that began with an effort, with a formal motion from the other side of the aisle to censor Mr. Kennedy”
Debbie Wasserman Schultz Has Just Put a Motion Forward to Censor Robert F. Kennedy Jr from Further Testimony
This is wild… pic.twitter.com/buNN8NeKCj
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) July 20, 2023
BREAKING – EXPLOSIVE: @RobertKennedyJr puts Democratic Congress members trying to censor him in their place with fiery open remarks during a hearing to expose censorship. It's shocking that in the United States of America, people are being censored for speaking the truth! WATCH! pic.twitter.com/MKQMk2INAu
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) July 20, 2023
RFK fires back
"Every Democrat on this committee believes that we need to end that polarization. Do you think you can do that by censoring people? I'm telling you, you can not."@RobertKennedyJr pushes back against accusations that he is anti-Semetic. pic.twitter.com/PITWsdW9jL
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) July 20, 2023
Morris
BREAKING: Journalist Emma-Jo Morris (@EmmaJoNYC), who broke the Hunter Biden laptop story for @NYPost but was immediately censored by the state on social media in an attempt to influence the 2020 election, just delivered a mind-boggling testimony on the extent of censorship in… pic.twitter.com/FSBuQ5tfwW
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) July 20, 2023
Putin 2009
https://twitter.com/i/status/1682198027056865284
The Guardian is not done with RFK yet. An actual editorial this time.
“The lawyer trades on his family’s image while spreading dangerous ideas. No wonder Republicans hype his bid for the Democratic nomination..”
“Voters, including independents, are not giving Mr Biden credit for the improving the economy or other achievements. That may not be fair. But it’s a fact.”
• RFK Jr: from Camelot to Conspiracy-Mongering (G. Ed.)
Robert F Kennedy Jr, campaigning to be the Democratic nominee for the presidency, likes to call himself a “Kennedy Democrat”. His own siblings disagree. His uncle’s presidency, like his namesake father’s career and presidential campaign, had an aura of hope and responsibility as well as glamour. RFK Jr talks vaguely of overcoming divisions, but in reality trades upon a peculiar blend of “cynicism and credulity”, as one commentator notes. Most recently he claimed that “Covid-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese,” in comments reported by the New York Post. However jarring the remarks – he partially backtracked later – they sit comfortably with his long history of fomenting conspiracy theories and his nonsensical, anti-scientific views. He has falsely linked childhood immunisations to autism and wifi to cancer and “leaky brain”, claimed that HIV does not cause Aids, and suggested that chemicals in drinking water could make children transgender.
One of his sisters warned that his latest comments put people’s lives in danger. So much for the Kennedy legacy. Nor does he look like much of a Democrat. He is being hyped by billionaires and rightwing broadcasters such as Sean Hannity, and has gained traction among Republicans rather than Democrats. Some see his campaign primarily as a vehicle for his ego and brand, which may be less damaging to President Biden’s chances than a possible third-party bid by Democratic senator Joe Manchin and Republican former governor Jon Huntsman’s No Labels group. A poll this month suggested that a “moderate, independent third-party candidate” could gain about 20% of the vote and result in a second term for Donald Trump. But talk up Mr Kennedy enough and he might have a marginal effect in denting President Biden.
Others suspect that Mr Kennedy wants the Republican vice-presidential slot. Steve Bannon and Roger Stone have both floated the idea of a Trump-Kennedy ticket. None of this has prevented him finding up to 20% support among Democrats in polls. Camelot nostalgia and the celebrity factor have clearly played a large part in that. Mr Kennedy has never run for any public office, still less held it, but boasts that he’s “been around” politics since he was a little boy. The lack of enthusiasm for the sitting president is also potent: most Democrats do not want him to run again, although they indicate that they would vote for him over Mr Trump. Voters, including independents, are not giving Mr Biden credit for the improving the economy or other achievements. That may not be fair. But it’s a fact.
Mr Kennedy’s appeal goes deeper, however. He has found a home in the world described by a new book, Conspirituality, where new age spirituality and the “wellness” industry overlap with the politics of paranoia, as well as alongside the Trumpian right. Distrust of institutions, suspicion at the marriage of state and corporate power, and fear and sadness at the despoliation of the environment are in themselves reasonable concerns. But the political ambition that feeds upon and mutates them into more poisonous beliefs is unpalatable.
RFK disinformation dozen
Take a few minutes to watch @RobertKennedyJr obliterate @StaceyPlaskett’s unhinged opening statement.
Shoutout to @RepThomasMassie for yielding his time to RFK Jr. to refute her baseless smear campaign. pic.twitter.com/cpWH5fAxUI
— Meara (@MillennialOther) July 20, 2023
More Guardian. Make war not peace.
• China Complicit In Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine, Says MI6 Chief (G.)
The head of MI6 has accused China’s government and its leader, Xi Jinping, of being “absolutely complicit” in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in a rare public address in Prague. Sir Richard Moore, who has been chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service since 2020, also offered comment on the extraordinary mutiny in June by the mercenary Wagner group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin. Shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine, Xi and Vladimir Putin signed a “no limits” partnership between their countries. After the war began, China’s government sought to present itself as a neutral peacemaker, and there have been signs of Xi’s dissatisfaction with events, but in practice Beijing refused to publicly censure or discourage Russia, and senior officials often expressed direct support.
“When Putin invaded Ukraine, the Chinese very clearly supported the Russians,” Moore said at the event hosted by Politico on Wednesday. “They have completely supported the Russians diplomatically, they’ve abstained in key votes at the United Nations, they’ve absolutely cynically repeated all the Russian tropes, particularly in places like Africa and Latin America – [by] blaming Nato and all of this stuff.” Moore said MI6 now devoted more resources to China than any other mission, which “reflects China’s importance in the world and the crucial need to understand both the intent and capability of the Chinese government”. His comments are likely to spark an angry response from Beijing, and follow a recent speech and essay by Bill Burns, in which the CIA director warned of Beijing’s “actions” accompanying its powerful rise:
“Russia’s aggression poses a formidable test. But China is the only country with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to do so.” Moore said the balance of power between Russia and China had shifted in the latter’s favour, and this had hurt Putin’s prestige in Russia. Putin’s power had also been affected by the Wagner group revolt in June, Moore suggested. “You don’t have a group of mercenaries advance up the motorway towards Moscow and get to within 125km of Moscow unless you have not quite predicted that was going to happen,” he said. “Prigozhin was his creature, utterly created by Putin, and yet he turned on him.”
“..The question is, how many people will die in these four years, while we finance the supply of arms for 20 billion euros..”
• New EU Grant To Ukraine Means Years More Of Fighting – Hungary (TASS)
The EU leadership’s proposal to allocate 20 billion euros in military assistance to Ukraine over four years will prolong hostilities in the country for years to come. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations of Hungary, Peter Szijjarto voiced this opinion on Thursday. He was taking part in a meeting with his colleagues from the EU countries in Brussels. Szijjarto said that EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell proposed to allocate 20 billion euros to finance arms supplies to Ukraine over a period of 4 years. “This practically establishes the military regime for years,” Szijjarto said at a meeting with Hungarian reporters during a break in the session.
“So now you should not think about peace [in Ukraine], not only in the short term, but also in the long term,” the Hungarian Foreign Minister stressed. His press conference was broadcast on his Facebook page (banned in Russia, owned by the Meta corporation, recognized as extremist in Russia). sSpeaking about the meeting of the EU Council at the ministerial level, Szijjarto said: “To sum up briefly what has been said in recent hours, I can tell you that they don’t really want to talk about peace.” “What does the European Union say? It will be a war zone [in Ukraine] for four years.”
“Such a proposal is shocking. The question is, how many people will die in these four years, while we finance the supply of arms for 20 billion euros. And how many Hungarians [from the Transcarpathia region] will die in these four years?” the Foreign Minister said. In his opinion, the last 500 days have proven that the Ukrainian conflict cannot be resolved on the battlefield, and the more weapons that are delivered there, the more dead there will be. “Therefore, we are asking Brussels, Berlin, Paris and Washington to bring peace, not weapons, to our neighboring country,” Szijjarto said.
Also check video ‘Agent Zelensky’ – Part 2.
• Ukrainian Counteroffensive Stumbles Over Russian Minefields (Scott Ritter)
Doctrinally speaking, Russian air and artillery fires do not become decisively engaged until an attacking force reaches the first line of prepared defenses, after which both air and artillery will be brought to bear on pre-designated “fire sacs” which the attacker is pushed into by a combination of minefields and defensive positions. Even here the Russians avoid decisive engagement, pulling back to a second line of defenses likewise defined by obstacle barriers consisting primarily of minefields. Russia has been fighting this way since the 1980’s, when the Soviet Ministry of Defense moved away from the “fight until you die” approach of holding on to a defensive position to adapt their tactics and operations to the reality of the modern battlefield. Any officer who has studied Soviet and/or Russian operational art is knowledgeable of this fact.
The problem is that for the past 20 years, the United States military and NATO have not been focused on fighting the Russian threat, but rather dealing with low-intensity combat in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere. Therein lies the source of General Zaluzhny’s frustration—the NATO trainers who ran the Ukrainian forces earmarked for the ongoing counteroffensive through there paces in the training grounds of Germany were anything but experts on the subject they were teaching—the reduction of a fortified position in depth. Too many assumptions were made about the viability of untested NATO mine-sweeping technology, while too little attention was paid to the reality of Russian defensive warfare and the role played by mines in impeding any advance.
Old school Cold Warriors, especially those who participated in the last major breaching assault against a heavily mined fortified defensive position—the Iraqi forces dug in along the Kuwaiti border with Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm in February 1991, understand what it takes to methodically clear a minefield that is covered by enemy direct and indirect fire. The answer is firepower that meets or exceeds that available to the enemy. Ukraine possesses nothing close to the fire support available to Russia. {..] There is no easy way to clear a minefield. It is slow, dangerous, laborious work that must be undertaken by properly trained and properly equipped forces who are protected from enemy fire by the overwhelming application of friendly suppressive fires. Ukraine lacks this capability, and General Milley knows it. The fact that General Milley fails to admit this, and encourage the Ukrainians to stop their lemming-like appointment with death, is an indictment of his lack of professionalism as a soldier, and the United States as a society totally lacking in humanity.
Scott Ritter Investigation: ‘Agent Zelensky’ – Part 2
“We can push with 10 brigades but it won’t work because the mines are everywhere, every half a meter there are mines..”
• ‘Vast’ Russian Minefields Zapping Morale Of Ukrainian Troops (Sp.)
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu earlier said that since the start of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in early June, Russia has wiped out more than 26,000 Ukrainian soldiers, while also obliterating over 1,200 enemy tanks. “Vast and dense” minefields laid by Russian forces proved to be the most “daunting obstacle” for Ukraine’s counteroffensive, a UK newspaper has reported. According to the paper, these minefields “are destroying NATO-supplied armor, wounding soldiers and zapping morale.” As an example, the news outlet quoted a Ukrainian special forces unit commander as saying that the Russian landmines are having a devastating effect on Ukraine’s attempts to push forward. “We can push with 10 brigades but it won’t work because the mines are everywhere, every half a meter there are mines,” the commander, who was only referred to by his first name Sultan, told the newspaper.
Referring to a “painfully slow” offensive, the newspaper cited unnamed “frontline” Ukrainian soldiers as blaming Russia’s minefields, calling them “a hidden threat that has become a psychological torment.” The media outlet pointed out that Ukrainian troops have to tackle “miles of open fields littered with thousands of mines: anti-tank, anti-personnel, improvised explosive devices and an array of booby traps.” The publication added that even though the US-made Bradley fighting vehicles and German Leopard 2 battle tanks provided some protection, mine strikes finally “put many vehicles out of commission, halting advances, and leaving the [Ukrainian] troops to trek on foot through minefields while under fire.”
Ukrainian military leaders have, meanwhile, urged their Western allies to supply more mine-clearing equipment to Kiev, such as M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge systems (MICLICs). The US has already provided Ukraine with “some” of this equipment, “but not to the extent that was promised,” according to the newspaper. Ukraine’s much-hyped counteroffensive kicked off on June 4 after months of delays over a lack of military supplies from Western donors.
“a lack of confidence in the leadership of some commanders of the Legion is a pervasive problem, with devastating effects.”
• ‘My Mates Have Died And Are Dying’ in Ukraine – Australian Mercenary (Sp.)
Moscow earlier recalled that all those foreigners, who are fighting on the side of Ukraine in the special operation zone, remain legitimate targets of the Russian military, “who successfully obliterate them.” Foreign mercenaries in Ukraine are threatened with repercussions for spreading information about some “incompetent” Ukrainian commanders, who are putting them in danger, a former Australian soldier currently serving with the Ukrainian International Legion has told an Australian radio station. The former Aussie serviceman, who was only referred to by the call sign “Bush,” singled out the leadership incompetence of some Ukrainian commanders, adding that some mercenaries have been threatened with jail for trying to leave Ukraine.
“The simple fact is that it is a meat grinder out there. My mates have died, and are dying. This is a matter of life and death and this needs to be solved, pronto,” he pointed out. The Australian soldier of fortune admitted that he “has seen things out here that, from a military perspective, are beyond unacceptable and are unfortunately hurting Ukraine.” He also argued that some mercenaries had not been paid at all for their service in Ukraine. When asked whether he fears for his safety in speaking out, the man said, “Absolutely, 100 percent.” The Australian radio station also referred to a recent recorded exchange, in which “the Bush” reportedly tells a Ukrainian commander about a broken system that made it impossible “to do tasks as simple as transferring men from one unit to another.”
In the recording, “The Bush” also bemoans the fact that his mates’ concerns about particular commanders within the Ukrainian International Legion are being ignored. “We will not continue to serve in a military that mistreats us,” he was heard telling the commander, who reacts by admitting that Legion members are angry and frustrated, according to the Australian radio station. Separately, the media outlet cited “the Bush” as saying that although some Australian members of the Ukrainian International Legion are more experienced in operating the Australian-made Bushmasters armored personnel carriers that were recently delivered to Kiev, they are prevented from using these vehicles.“We have been expressly ordered that we cannot use this equipment — only the Ukrainians can use it.” the former Australian soldier said.
“The Bush” was echoed by former Australian Army officer Glenn Kolomeitz, who told the Australian radio station that foreign mercenaries in Ukraine “are threatened with jail and all manner of nonsense,” if they ask to leave.
Kolomeitz described some of the threats received by Ukrainian International Legion members as “horrendous” and “shocking.” He also accused Ukrainian commanders of “disregarding the planning and just sending troops in, Ukrainians and Westerners, into these battles without the benefit of these operational plans.” According to Kolomeitz, “That’s seeing a lot of people being killed to little effect, to little battlefield effect.” The Australian radio station quoted both Bush and Kolomeitz as saying that “a lack of confidence in the leadership of some commanders of the Legion is a pervasive problem, with devastating effects.”
They can deny they’re NATO.
• UK Intel ‘Freelancers’ Helped Ukraine Target Crimean Bridge – The Grayzone (RT)
Ukraine’s drone attack on the Kerch Bridge was most likely planned by former British military intelligence agents who signed a contract with Kiev in 2022, the independent outlet Grayzone has reported citing leaked documents. A “cabal of British military-intelligence freelancers” led by Chris Donnelly has worked with the Odessa office of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) since April last year, Grayzone said in a report published Wednesday evening. The outlet had published leaked documents proving their partnership in October 2022, after the first attack on the Crimean Bridge. “A review of leaked files previously revealed by The Grayzone provides a solid basis for again blaming Donnelly’s cabal,” the outlet noted in reference to Monday’s drone attack that killed two civilians and orphaned a 14-year-old girl.
Donnelly is described as “a senior intelligence operative and former high ranking NATO advisor.” He is allegedly using a “transnational nexus” involving companies such as Prevail Partners and Thomas in Winslow, to manage “London’s contribution to the proxy war at arm’s length.” The two companies signed a “technical support” agreement with the Odessa branch of the SBU in April 2022, according to Grayzone, which included the use of surveillance drones to “monitor coastline and Russian movement” and access to satellite imagery to assist military and black operations. A “geospatial intelligence” specialist at Prevail provided the SBU with a presentation titled “Kerch Bridge info pack,” which laid out various plans to blow up the bridge built in 2018 to connect Crimea to the Krasnodar Region on the Russian mainland.
“One speculative plot involved detonating a vessel containing ammonia nitrate directly under the bridge,” according to Grayzone. The proposal “approvingly cited as an example to emulate” the August 2020 explosion in Beirut, which killed at least 214 people and devastated the Lebanese capital. According to Grayzone, the British advisers have also provided Kiev with assistance in targeting alleged “Russian collaborators” in territories under Ukraine’s control. Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, boasted to Western media in October 2022 that intelligence services were “shooting them like pigs.”
This is how bad the equipment situation has become. Setting up repair shops.
• Repairing Damaged Ukrainian Military Hardware Would Be Nightmare for West (Sp.)
Hundreds of Western-made Ukrainian armored vehicles have already been damaged or destroyed by Russian forces amid Kiev’s counteroffensive, which continues to show no signs of succeeding. The US and its allies’ “main effort” for Ukraine is currently shifting from delivering military hardware to “repairing and sustaining” it, an American media outlet has reported. The outlet cited the Pentagon’s acquisition and sustainment chief, William LaPlante, as saying that the US Department of Defense (DoD) is now in the process of setting up repair facilities in Europe. “We’re translating [training and repair] manuals, we have to do much more together so there’s going to be more of a focus on that” by partner nations, LaPlante, who is also at the helm of a working group to deal with repairing damaged Ukrainian military equipment, added.
The outlet noted in this vein that “while the sustainment working group has made strides, the realities of national politics and government bureaucracy also have a say.” As an example, the outlet mentioned a botched plan by Berlin and Warsaw to create a joint repair center in Poland for Ukrainian Leopard 2 tanks. The plan reportedly fell apart due to disagreements over the cost of the work, “leaving some damaged tanks to sit unused as they await repair.” “There’s so much [damaged Ukrainian] equipment that is lying around on the battlefield that will probably be repaired on the one hand. And they’ve got stockpiles of it and they don’t know what to do with it,” Michael Maloof, a former senior security policy analyst in the Office of the US Secretary of Defense, told Sputnik.
According to him, this reflects “the most obvious” problem that the US is “running low on new equipment to get to the destination.” “But I perceive that there will be other nightmares as a result of trying to come up with repair stations and moving the damaged equipment in and out of locations, the costs for repairs, [and] the availability of parts,” Maloof pointed out. He warned that tackling these issues might prove difficult given that “Ukraine relies almost entirely on different types of equipment from different countries coming into the country”. When asked how feasible for Western countries would be to synchronize all the processes related to repairing the damaged Ukrainian military equipment, the ex-NATO analyst said that “the process would be a nightmare.”
Can’t use the Black Sea anymore. Looks like checkmate. And this was your own move. Maybe if you ask Putin nicely…
• Kuleba Urges EU To Expand Opportunities For Export Of Ukrainian Grain (Az.)
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the European Union (EU) members to urgently expand all available opportunities for the export of Ukrainian grain, Report informs via RBC-Ukraine. According to the minister, while Russia “destroys the grain initiative”, strikes at Ukrainian ports and tries to make money on rising food prices, Ukraine and the European Union should make every effort to simplify food exports from Ukraine. In particular, by maximizing the capacity of the alternative transport corridors “Ways of Solidarity”. Kuleba said that with such steps, the Russian side is trying to eliminate Ukraine from the market as a competitor, forcing end buyers, consumers in Asia and Africa, and “finance the Russian military machine.”
According to him, the ideal scenario would be a complete cessation of the naval blockade of Ukrainian ports. This will be possible when Ukraine receives the first F-16 squadron, which will be able to patrol the sky and sea lanes. Kuleba also expressed gratitude to those EU countries that are already making an active contribution to the aviation coalition, and called for the implementation of all procedures as soon as possible. “At present, Ukraine has proposed to the UN and Türkiye to continue the work of the grain corridor in a trilateral format, including ship inspections at the Joint Coordination Center. We are awaiting their response. I urge you to support our request in your engagement with the UN and the Secretary-General,” the minister noted.
Putin grain deal
https://twitter.com/i/status/1682032069206216704
FD-1023
• Grassley Releases Bombshell FBI Doc Discussing $10MM Biden Bribe
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has released a bombshell FBI document dated July 30,2020, in which a respected confidential human source (CHS) alleged that then-presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden received $10 million in bribes. The document, a FD-1023 form, also alleges that the boss of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy firm which employed Hunter Biden to the tune of $80,000 per month, thought Hunter was a moron. Hunter Biden “was stupid, and his (Zlochevsky’s) dog was smarter,” but the Burisma boss “needed to keep hunter [sic] Biden (on the board) “so everything will be ok.”” As the Epoch Times notes, the CHS said he traveled to Burisma’s office in Ukraine in 2015 or 2016 with a man named Oleksandr Ostapenko.
During the meeting, Vadim Pojarskii, chief financial officer of Burisma, told the source that the company hired Hunter Biden “to protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems.” Burisma contacted the source to seek assistance in buying an American company to merge with in the hope that it could go public in the United States. After an investigation of Burisma by Ukraine Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin was disclosed in 2016, the source told Mykola Zlochevsky, the owner of Burisma , that the disclosure would have a negative impact on the prospective initial public offering. Mr. Zlochevsky replied that Mr. Hunter Biden “will take care of all of those issues through his dad,” according to the document. Mr. Zlochevsky was also cited as saying that it cost $5 million to pay one Biden, and $5 million to pay another Biden.
The source replied that payments to the Bidens would complicate matters and the Bidens did not have experience with the oil and gas sector, according to the document. Mr. Zlochevsky said his dog was smarter than Mr. Hunter Biden but that he needed to keep him on the board “so everything will be okay.” Both Mr. Hunter Biden and Mr. Joe Biden had told Mr. Zlochevsky that Hunter Biden needed to remain on the board, Mr. Zlochevsky said. Around the same time, Mr. Joe Biden, the U.S. vice president at the time, was pressuring Ukrainian officials to fire Mr. Shokin. “We’re leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor’s not fired, you’re not getting the money,” Mr. Joe Biden said at a public event about the interaction, referring to a $1 billion loan guarantee he threatened to withhold. “Well, son of a [expletive]. He got fired.” Mr. Shokin has said that the threat was cited when he was ousted. He said in a sworn statement that then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko “asked me to resign due to pressure from the U.S. presidential administration, in particular from Joe Biden.”
Poro
Video emerges of Ukrainian President admitted he fired the prosecutor investigating Burisma for VP Biden.
"Despite the fact that we didn't have any corruption charges, WE DON’T HAVE ANY INFORMATION OF HIM DOING SOMETHING WRONG, I asked him to resign”
— Mike Sperrazza (@MikeASperrazza) July 20, 2023
“..most lawyers would have reversed engines out of troubled waters, but Goldman plowed full speed ahead..”
• Rep. Dan Goldman Demolishes Biden Defense in Whistleblower Hearing (Turley)
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) often goes where wiser members fear to tread. On this occasion, Goldman may have delivered one of the most damaging moments for the Democrats. In the course of just a few minutes, the freshman New York congressman seemed to demolish the defense of President Biden. Goldman was trying to get the witnesses to say that there is no evidence that President Biden was personally involved in the alleged felonies of his son. He raised the shocking WhatsApp message that Hunter had allegedly sent to a Chinese official with foreign intelligence contacts. In the message, Hunter wrote: “I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight. And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father.”
Most Democrats have avoided the message, which is incredibly damaging and seems to contradict the President’s long denial of any knowledge or involvement in his son’s dealings. Goldman pressed veteran IRS investigator Gary Shapley about his suggestion that Joe Biden discussed the foreign dealing with his son. Shapley eagerly said that he would be happy to explain but Goldman cut him off and said that he did not have time for such explanations. At this point, most lawyers would have reversed engines out of troubled waters, but Goldman plowed full speed ahead. He said that the references to Joe sitting next to his son does not mean that they actually discussed his business. Goldman then went even further and raised a “lunch where Joe Biden came to say hello at the Four Season’s hotel to a lunch that he was having with CEFC executives.”
He then reads from the record in how Biden associate Rob Walker described the origins of the meeting with the Chinese officials to get his dad to stop by: “Hunter told his Dad that ‘I may be trying to start a company or try to do something with these guys.’ “ Goldman then pounced and said slyly “Now let me ask you something, that doesn’t sound much like Joe Biden was involved in whatever Hunter was doing with the CEFC if Hunter Biden is telling him that he is trying to do business with them, does it?” That is when Shapley stated the obvious: “No, but it does show that he told his father that he was trying to do business and . . . ” Goldman finally hears the train whistle and tries to get off the track: “OK, well that is true that Hunter Biden does try to do business, that is correct.”
Too late. Goldman was citing the testimony of Walker that Joe Biden not only came to a lunch on Hunter’s foreign dealings, but did so after being told that Hunter wanted to lay the foundation for such a deal. This is the same Joe Biden who has repeatedly told the American people that he never discussed any of Hunter’s deals and had no knowledge of such deals. He has maintained that denial as evidence has mounted contradicting him. Even when he flew his son to China where Hunter cut lucrative deals, he insists that they never mentioned that deal.
“..we are now looking at peak cheap energy at a time when asset markets are in bubble territory with debts and deficits at levels which can only result in an implosion..”
• A Catastrophic Debt Implosion Can Be Incredibly Quick (Von Greyerz)
Coming back to Dante’s Inferno, the 9 circles of hell are: 1. Limbo – where there is no god, 2. Lust, 3. Gluttony, 4. Greed, 5. Wrath, 6. Heresy, 7. Violence, 8. Fraud, and 9.Treachery. Many of the 9 sins in Dante’s Inferno apply to today’s world but maybe Gluttony is one of the more fitting to a self indulgent Western world. Cerberus, the three-headed beast of hell, guards the gluttons mauling and flaying them for eternity. (Sounds pretty horrible. A more modern version might be the song “Hotel California” by the Eagles – “You can check out any time but you can never leave”.) Also Homer wrote about Cerberus. What we do know is that in this final phase that probably started in 1913 with the foundation of the Fed and accelerated from 1971 when Nixon closed the gold window we have seen the required excesses or gluttony that inevitably lead to a severe punishment.
We have seen historical bubbles in all asset markets whether in Stocks, Bonds, Property and many others. We have also seen debt explode, especially since 1971. As always in the final stages of an empire, real growth first slows down and then stops. The primary driver of economic growth since the second half of the 1700s has been the discovery and use of energy on an industrial scale, starting with the industrial revolution. The growth of the economy is not driven by money but by energy. As Tim Morgan of Surplus Energy Economics states:“The economy is a surplus energy equation, not a monetary one, and growth in output (and in the global population) since the Industrial Revolution has resulted from the harnessing of ever-greater quantities of energy. But the critical relationship between energy production and the energy cost of extraction is now deteriorating so rapidly that the economy as we have known it for more than two centuries is beginning to unravel.”
The dilemma is that the Energy Cost of Energy is constantly increasing. In 1990 that cost was 2.6% of fossil fuels and is estimated to be 12% in 2025. According to Dr Morgan, with the current Energy Cost of Energy, the real economy as well as prosperity has started to decline and that trend will continue for several decades. Fossil fuels still represent 83% of all energy globally and renewable energy is unlikely to make any significant difference in the next few decades. So we are now looking at peak cheap energy at a time when asset markets are in bubble territory with debts and deficits at levels which can only result in an implosion. Again let me emphasise that cheap energy is a prerequisite for economic growth.
So, what are governments doing about this? They are clearly aware of the risks and this is why they invent all kinds of events that will enable them to control the people. This includes Covid lockdowns, forced vaccinations, climate control, CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currencies), wars and unlimited rules, regulations and laws. The US for example now has over 300,000 laws controlling all aspects of daily life and making everyone a likely daily felon.
“..They do not want people to afford a home because then there would be no need for 15-minute cities..“
• Freedom Flyers (Martin Armstrong)
Have you ever noticed a decorative eagle plaque above a home in America? This was once a popular symbol back in the day to symbolize freedom from mortgage payments. Homeowners would adorn their houses with this symbol to indicate that they were free from the bank and owned their home free and clear. Around 40% of owner-occupied homes have been paid off, further adding to the housing inventory crisis. The 2022 Federal Housing Finance Agency reported in 2022 that 84% of outstanding mortgages locked in a rate below 5%, while 63% secured a rate at or below 4%. Mortgage rates surpassed 8% last week and those who own are unlikely to sell. While some point to double-digit mortgage rates in the past, it was not difficult for buyers to put down 40% upfront since housing prices were low in comparison to wages.
This was also a time when the cost of living supported a traditional lifestyle where only one partner was required to work. Although COVID and low rates created strong demand, the underlying issue is the Great Reset. Institutions are set to own 40% of all single-family rentals by 2030, precisely on time for Agenda 2030. Regular buyers have been outbid by institutions coming in with cash payments. BlackRock is now the largest landowner in America. This is all by design. They do not want people to afford a home because then there would be no need for 15-minute cities, and forever renters living in ADUs. The inventory issue will not recover because no one can outbid the institutions who do not need to borrow money.
Elijah
Hollywood actor invited Zelensky to the US to recover from drug addiction
Hollywood actor Elijah Wood, known for the film "The Lord of the Rings", turned to the President of Ukraine with a proposal to undergo treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.
“Hi Vladimir, you have a… pic.twitter.com/v3PFgRo1zn
— Spriter Team (@SpriterTeam) July 20, 2023
Mantis
https://twitter.com/i/status/1682018991781412866
Mercator projection
Raven
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