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sidd

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1350 on: August 19, 2020, 09:54:22 PM »
Re: a goose that lays golden eggs

But as Shih points out, the drive is to make the eggs larger bu, as you say, moving to where  " millions of poor people in another location willing to work for far lower wages"

sidd

sidd

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1351 on: September 17, 2020, 12:22:18 AM »
America's Finest News Source: Shock, Shock, and again, Shock

“As a proud American, it’s almost unimaginable that these kinds of heinous acts could occur on U.S. soil, except for the 64,000 non-white women that were sterilized against their will between 1907 and 1963, and then the thousands more that occurred throughout the 1970s,”

" he believed government-sanctioned eugenics had died eons ago after the U.S. government forcibly sterilized one-third of all women in Puerto Rico, 40% of all Native American women, and tens of thousands of impoverished Black women across the American South"

"revelations like this can really shake your faith in a nation. "

"Baker added that this felt like something that could only happen in Nazi Germany after having been inspired by the American eugenics program."

https://www.theonion.com/shocked-americans-never-thought-they-d-see-forced-steri-1845079051

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sidd

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1352 on: November 20, 2020, 06:16:34 AM »
Cockburn at harpers: presidents unchained

"A few hours before the inauguration ceremony, the prospective president receives an elaborate and highly classified briefing on the means and procedures for blowing up the world with a nuclear attack ... an even more secret briefing occurs, one that has never been publicly acknowledged. In it, the new president learns how to blow up the Constitution."

" the documents outline how to “implement extraordinary presidential authority in response to extraordinary situations”—by imposing martial law, suspending habeas corpus, seizing control of the internet, imposing censorship, and incarcerating so-called subversives ...  at the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department there’s a list of all the so-called enemies of the state who would be rounded up in an emergency. I’ve heard it called the ‘enemies briefcase.’"

"Compiled without any authorization from Congress, the emergency provisions long escaped public discussion—that is, until Donald Trump started to brag about them."

"In 1972, a number of senatorial elders, including the Republican Charles Mathias of Maryland, having noted the use of antediluvian emergency powers to prosecute the disastrous Vietnam War, had instituted the Special Committee on the Termination of the National Emergency. "

"The committee concluded that a president could “seize property and commodities, seize control of transport and communications, organize and control the means of production, assign military forces abroad, and restrict travel”—a state of affairs that the committee reasonably described as “dangerous.”"

"By 1974, the emergencies committee had drafted a bill that ended most existing emergencies and mandated the automatic termination of new ones after six months. Yet the bill’s passage was continually delayed, and its contents were steadily watered down ... the effort “to terminate the national emergency” failed."

"automatic suspension of new emergencies, as originally proposed, gave way to a requirement that Congress should meet twice a year “to consider a vote” on termination. Its force thus quietly diluted, the bill finally became law in 1976, whereupon Congress swiftly forgot about it, never once meeting to vote on whether to end states of emergency. The provision allowing Congress to end them through a “concurrent resolution” that did not require a president’s signature was obviated by a Supreme Court decision in 1983, and any such resolution has required a veto-proof majority ever since."

"So total was Congress’s failure to follow through on limiting emergency powers that in 1977 it actually voted to expand them ...  the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which enables the president to declare national emergencies “to deal with any unusual and extraordinary threat” that “has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States.” The law empowers presidents to sanction countries, businesses, and individuals without warning, without furnishing evidence, and, effectively, without appeal.

https://harpers.org/archive/2020/11/the-enemies-briefcase-secret-powers-of-the-presidency/


sidd

sidd

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1353 on: November 25, 2020, 07:51:10 AM »
Blast from the past, Malloy at scotusblog in 2016: Bribery ? Very legal, very cool.

" the Supreme Court unanimously overturned the conviction of former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell on eleven counts of bribery-related charges"

" a bad day for Americans, as eight Supreme Court Justices all but told us that we must tolerate some level of “pay to play” politics in democratic governance."

"The jury below convicted McDonnell for taking $177,000 in gifts and loans from Virginia businessman Jonnie Williams, Sr., in exchange for championing his company’s tobacco-derived dietary supplement, Anatabloc. At the heart of McDonnell’s appeal was whether his actions constituted “official acts,” as defined by the federal bribery statute, and if so, whether the laws governing the case were unconstitutional."

"arguably, the only reason that McDonnell’s massive pay-to-play operation could even conceivably be viewed as “normal political interaction” is the Court’s recent reversal of decades of precedent that had turned a much more skeptical eye to influence-peddling and big-money politics."

"he appointment of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito in 2005 and 2006, a more conservative Court embarked upon a mission not only to strike down campaign-finance laws it deemed overly restrictive of speech, but also to redefine the types of “corruption” that campaign-finance laws could legitimately target in the first place."

" In its 2010 Citizens United decision, the new five-Justice majority now held that the only cognizable form of corruption in the campaign-finance sphere was “quid pro quo corruption” or straight “cash for votes.” According to the new majority, general concern about donors buying “ingratiation and access” was not a sufficient constitutional justification for campaign finance laws – or at least for the corporate campaign spending ban under review."

"In McCutcheon, the Court continued to narrow the scope of cognizable corruption. Roberts, writing for a four-Justice plurality, held that “ingratiation and access” were not simply unfortunate byproducts of deregulated campaign finance, but “a central feature of democracy.” "

" The Court acknowledges that the governor’s activities were “distasteful” and “crass” and “dishonest,” and that at minimum, he provided Williams with repeated access to governmental decision-makers crucial to his business interests. "

" When campaign-finance laws are invalidated, bribery laws are invoked to save us; and when bribery standards are cut back, campaign-finance laws are the answer. Supreme Court scrutiny in this area is more Procrustean bed than reasonable review. No law is apparently the right fit for the problem at hand, and the practical result is no laws at all, or at the least, greatly diminished protections for public integrity. McDonnell may have won this round, but it is another loss for the rest of us."

https://www.scotusblog.com/2016/06/symposium-is-it-bribery-or-the-basic-compact-underlying-representative-government/

scotusblog is kinda establishment blog watching the US supremes. This _unanimous_ decision shocked them into entertaining some ... dissent ...

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vox_mundi

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1354 on: November 25, 2020, 03:27:14 PM »
Israeli Military Prepares for Possibility Trump Will Strike Iran
https://www.axios.com/israeli-military-prepares-trump-iran-0d0a5725-c410-4f5c-a0ea-9c6f9add4966.html

The Israel Defense Forces have in recent weeks been instructed to prepare for the possibility that the U.S. will conduct a military strike against Iran before President Trump leaves office, senior Israeli officials tell me.

Why it matters: The Israeli government instructed the IDF to undertake the preparations not because of any intelligence or assessment that Trump will order such a strike, but because senior Israeli officials anticipate “a very sensitive period” ahead of Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20.

The IDF's preparedness measures relate to possible Iranian retaliation against Israel directly or through Iranian proxies in Syria, Gaza and Lebanon, the Israeli officials said.

Last week, the New York Times reported that Trump raised the possibility of attacking Iran’s uranium enrichment facility in Natanz in a meeting with senior members of his national security team.

Trump raised the idea after being briefed on an International Atomic Energy Agency report about Iran’s growing stockpiles of enriched uranium, but top officials — including Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — warned about the risks of regional escalation, per the Times.

Trump seemed convinced that it would be too risky to strike Iran directly, but has considered other options, the Times reports.

Israeli minister of defense Benny Gantz spoke twice in the last two weeks with Christopher Miller, Trump's acting defense secretary. They discussed Iran as well as Syria and defense cooperation.

Last Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Saudi Arabia with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. One of the main issues discussed was Iran, Israeli officials say.

Pompeo visited Israel and several Gulf countries last week to discuss Iran. State Department officials traveling with Pompeo told reporters “all options are on the table."

While Pompeo was in the Gulf, U.S. Central Command announced that B-52 strategic bombers conducted a “short-notice, long-range mission into the Middle East to deter aggression and reassure U.S. partners and allies." That was seen as another signal to Iran.

Hossein Dehghan, an adviser to Iran’s leader and a possible candidate in Iran's upcoming presidential elections, told AP last week that a U.S. military strike against Iran could set off a “full-fledged war” in the Middle East.

Senior Israeli officials tell me they expect Israel will get prior notice ahead of any U.S. strike against Iran. But they're concerned that won't be sufficient to fully prepare. Thus the order to the IDF to start taking preparatory steps under the assumption that such a scenario is possible.

-------------------------------------------

... which means they'll need a false flag operation to get the ball rolling ...

-------------------------------------------

Oil Tanker In Red Sea Struck In Mine Attack With Similarities To Past Iranian Strikes
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/37834/oil-tanker-in-red-sea-struck-in-mine-attack-with-similarities-to-past-iranian-strikes

A Maltese-flagged oil tanker was the victim of an attack in the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia earlier today. The damage was attributed to a naval mine, but breached the ship's outer hull above the waterline, which might point to a limpet mine. Limpet mines were employed in a series of attacks on tanker ships that Iran or its regional proxies carried out in the Gulf of Oman last year. So far, no group has claimed responsibility, but Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have targeted commercial ships in the Red Sea in the past.

The MT Agrari, which is flagged in Malta, but operated by a Greek shipping company, TMS Tankers, came under attack early on Nov. 25, 2020, local time. Ambrey, a private maritime security company based in the United Kingdom, said that the tanker had originally set sail from Rotterdam in the Netherlands carrying an unspecified cargo, which it had unloaded at the Shuqaiq Steam Power Plant prior to the attack, according to the Associated Press. Shuqaiq is situated on Saudi Arabia's southern Red Sea coastline around 60 miles north of the city of Jazan and less than 80 miles, at closest, from the Yemeni border.

"The explosion took place in port limits and punctured the hull of the vessel," Ambrey said in its own statement, appearing to refer to the port facilities at Shuqaiq. At the time of writing, the ship was still afloat and there were no official reports of oil or anything else leaking out into the Red Sea. Satellite imagery has emerged on social media showing what could be Agrari still at Shuqaiq's dock and indicators of a potential fluid leak of some kind.
« Last Edit: November 25, 2020, 09:37:13 PM by vox_mundi »
“There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see.” ― anonymous

Insensible before the wave so soon released by callous fate. Affected most, they understand the least, and understanding, when it comes, invariably arrives too late

vox_mundi

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1355 on: November 28, 2020, 02:12:13 AM »
Top Iranian Nuclear Scientist Assassinated
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/37851/everything-we-know-so-far-about-the-assassination-of-the-father-of-irans-nuclear-bomb

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, dubbed the "father of the Iranian bomb," died from his injuries after armed assassins fired upon his car, according to reports by Iranian media.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif condemned the killing and alleged "serious indications" of Israeli involvement.

State media shared photographs of a black Nissan sedan with multiple bullet holes through the windshield and bloodshed on the road next to the car door.

The Pentagon, Department of State and the National Security Council declined to comment. President Donald Trump did, however, retweet a news article and commentary about Fakhrizadeh's death.

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/11/27/top-iranian-nuclear-scientist-assassinated.html
“There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see.” ― anonymous

Insensible before the wave so soon released by callous fate. Affected most, they understand the least, and understanding, when it comes, invariably arrives too late

sidd

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1356 on: December 19, 2020, 05:48:30 AM »
Quilty at intercept: empires make dead kids

"the madrassa, or religious school, where more than two dozen boys between the ages of 9 and 18 slept on the floors  ... A second soldier entered, chose the two tallest boys, and led them out the door ... the others squeezed together as far from the door as they could ... Many were in tears; others couldn’t speak"

“there were many guns.”

“We didn’t hear anything after this. Everyone was silent.”

"12 more boys, their bodies mauled by bullets, lay crumpled on the floor."

"a string of massacres, executions, mutilation, forced disappearances, attacks on medical facilities, and airstrikes targeting structures known to house civilians. The victims, according to these residents, were rarely Taliban. "

"American CIA advisers go by pseudonyms or call signs rather than names. They not only train Afghan unit members, but also choose their targets ... issue detailed pre-mission briefings ... accompany Afghan paramilitaries on the ground during raids. The Afghans and Americans are ferried to remote villages at night by American helicopters, and American assault aircraft hover overhead while they conduct their raids, providing lethal firepower ... "

"four separate raids on madrassas that killed 33 religious students."

"the schools mainly house children whose youth, poverty, and physical distance from their families leave them especially vulnerable."

"The prevalence of boys among those killed in Wardak indicates that 01 was trying to eliminate not only existing enemies, but potential future foes as well. "

" “The more they terrorize, the more our numbers increase,” "Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told The Intercept.

"After years of hearing the sound of warplanes, residents like Abdullah can also distinguish between the sounds of attack helicopters and Chinooks (which are used for transport), jets, drones (known as “bangana,” or mosquito), and the much-feared AC-130, which locals call “jaaz.”  "

“All our dreams went upside down,”

"More than 70 percent of Wardak’s labor force works in agriculture, and only a quarter of girls and women over the age of 14 can read and write. For many parents, sending their sons to a madrassa, where boarding and tuition are free, is more pragmatic than ideological."

“Now, even the common people are being targeted.”

"Taliban, for the most part, stay out of residents’ day-to-day lives ... interactions with Taliban fighters occur when the insurgents come looking for temporary accommodation or food ...  people “don’t have any option,” said Amir Mohammad Malikzai, the governor of Wardak’s Sayedabad District. "

"officials often view acquiescence to the Taliban’s presence in villages as tacit support and treat those who comply with the fighters’ demands as legitimate targets ... a mentality that these people [living in Taliban-controlled areas] are the enemy "

"residents’ loathing for a central government they see as corrupt and having failed to serve their needs, and from animosity toward its security forces."

"If you kill a Talib [in Wardak], you kill a Wardaki."

"The boys’ shoes were old and barely held together with glue ... that morning, they’d asked their father to bring them new shoes from Kabul ... He promised them he would."

"Boys came from across Nerkh that morning. 12-year-old Malik Urfan came from Tokarak on his bicycle; 12-year-old Safi, carrying his bedding for the week, traveled in a shared taxi with his cousin Jalal from Pirdad — as madrassa students, they didn’t have to pay; Kamran, also 12, cut across fields on foot for an hour from Suliman Khwar; and brothers Arman and Rafi, 12 and 9, walked together from nearby Kosai. "

"took the elder students, stood them against the wall, and opened fire in front of our eyes."

"Their father, Mahmoud ... On his way out of Kabul, he stopped at a bazaar and bought two pairs of children’s shoes. "

"In accordance with Islamic custom for martyrs killed in war, they were buried unwashed, wearing the clothes in which they had been executed."

“They are in our country and attacking us. … I will take revenge for my brothers and all the other innocents killed.”

“I knew those boys’ activities. They were children.”

"Throughout the snowy winter after his sons’ death, he refused to wear shoes because he’d failed to provide them for his boys."

"Whenever he sees police or Afghan soldiers, he attacks them with whatever weapon is within reach. He has been beaten several times for his trouble. But his greatest fury is reserved for Americans. “If I take revenge,” he says, “if I kill at least two or three of them, the fire in my heart will end.” "

Read the whole thing, if you have the stomach:

https://theintercept.com/2020/12/18/afghanistan-cia-militia-01-strike-force/

sidd

sidd

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1357 on: December 20, 2020, 08:03:56 AM »
Now this is interesting:

"Pakistan has returned $1bn to Saudi Arabia as the second instalment of a $3bn soft loan, and is turning to China to help pay the rest."

"Earlier this year, the kingdom broke diplomatic norms and pushed Islamabad to repay the $3.3bn loan after Pakistan's foreign minister admonished Saudi Arabia for not criticising India's crackdown in Kashmir. "

"Islamabad sent its army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to Saudi Arabia in August to solve the diplomatic spat, but he was snubbed and denied an audience with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "

"China has come to our rescue,"

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pakistan-saudi-arabia-china-returns-loan-assistance

detail:

https://thefrontierpost.com/china-bails-out-pakistan-to-saudi-debt/

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2258238/pakistan-pays-back-1b-saudi-loan

The reason this is interesting is that for decades saudi has had a guarantee of Pakistan's nuclear umbrella and therefore has extended financial support to Pakistan. And all of the oil satrapys have been built in substantial part by pakistani slave labour. I suppose now with the Israeli accord and the looming end of oil, Bonesaw feel he dont need Pakistan no more, and what with the Aramco wipeout and Yemen massacres, he be a lil short on cash.

And China places another tile.

sidd

sidd

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1358 on: January 08, 2021, 08:00:00 AM »
« Last Edit: January 08, 2021, 08:11:09 AM by sidd »

vox_mundi

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1359 on: January 08, 2021, 11:51:12 AM »
FBI Uncovers Al-Qaeda Plot To Just Sit Back And Enjoy Collapse Of United States
https://www.theonion.com/fbi-uncovers-al-qaeda-plot-to-just-sit-back-and-enjoy-c-1819576375

WASHINGTON—Putting the nation on alert against what it has described as a “highly credible terrorist threat,” the FBI announced today that it has uncovered a plot by members of al-Qaeda to sit back and enjoy themselves while the United States collapses of its own accord.

Multiple intelligence agencies confirmed that the militant Islamist organization and its numerous affiliates intend to carry out a massive, coordinated plan to stand aside and watch America’s increasingly rapid decline, with terrorist operatives across the globe reportedly mobilizing to take it easy, relax, and savor the spectacle as it unfolds.

“We have intercepted electronic communication indicating that al-Qaeda members are actively plotting to stay out of the way while America as we know it gradually crumbles under the weight of its own self-inflicted debt and disrepair,” FBI Deputy Director Mark F. Giuliano told the assembled press corps. “If this plan succeeds, it will leave behind a nation with a completely dysfunctional economy, collapsing infrastructure, and a catastrophic health crisis afflicting millions across the nation. We want to emphasize that this danger is very real.”

“And unfortunately, based on information we have from intelligence assets on the ground, this plot is already well under way,” he added.

A recently declassified CIA report confirmed that all known al-Qaeda-affiliated organizations—from Pakistan to Yemen, and from Somalia to Algeria—have been instructed to kick back and enjoy the show as the United States’ federal government, energy grid, and industrial sector are rendered impotent by internal dissent, decay, and mismanagement. According to statements made by top-level informants and corroborated by leading Western terrorism experts, if seen through to its conclusion, al-Qaeda’s current plot could wreak far more damage than the events of 9/11.

In the past year, money transfers to al-Qaeda cells around the world have reportedly been accompanied by instructions to use the funds to outfit safe houses with the proper equipment to receive American cable news broadcasts and view top U.S. news websites, allowing terrorists to fully relish each detail of the impending demise of the last global superpower.

Additionally, FBI officials made public an internal al-Qaeda video today in which the terrorist organization’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri chillingly exhorts his followers to “take a load off” and “unwind” in the name of jihad, and really cherish the victory over their enemy.

... Al-Zawahiri, who is seen in the video reclining back in his chair, putting his feet up, and flipping on CNN, later shouts “Allahu Akbar!” when a story is aired about the decade-long trend of stagnant wages among American workers.
“There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see.” ― anonymous

Insensible before the wave so soon released by callous fate. Affected most, they understand the least, and understanding, when it comes, invariably arrives too late

gerontocrat

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1360 on: January 10, 2021, 12:42:11 PM »
A view from Kenya

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/09/capitol-storming-us-failed-state-kenya-patrick-gathara
Papa Don's failed state: the US as seen from Kenya

Quote
We had all been bamboozled over the course of decades to believe the US really was what it said it was – a shining city on a hill, a beacon for the nations – not what it did. It was a first-world country that at times behaved like the third-world “shithole countries” (Donald Trump) where the rest of us live. The charade continued even after this with Joe Biden proclaiming that “the scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not reflect the true America, do not represent who we are”.

Not true. In the light of Trump’s self-immolation, I experienced an epiphany. America was not a first world country behaving like a third world “shithole country” –it was a first world shithole country.

The fact is the US had long been such. Its election system was an anachronistic mess long before the storming of the Capitol. Its imperial presidency is still the stuff of third world nightmares and its sycophantic legislature is reminiscent of our daytime realities. It may have more stuff and bigger guns, but at heart the west is simply a richer version of the rest.

I came to see that my thread was not about reporting the US as an African country, as some have suggested. Rather it was about covering it as first world countries should be covered – whether diseased and ethnically divided, in North America or in sub-Scandinavian Europe, or beyond, whether nuclear-armed and oil-rich, with term limits or governed for decades on end by nonagenarian monarchs. We should forgo the propaganda and look at America as America truly is, with all its failures and hypocrisies.

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them,” Maya Angelou told us. America had done just that. I just needed to believe it.

With that, the world was put to rights.

Patrick Gathara is a Kenyan political cartoonist, satirist and writer. His Twitter handle is @gathara
"Para a Causa do Povo a Luta Continua!"
"And that's all I'm going to say about that". Forrest Gump
"Damn, I wanted to see what happened next" (Epitaph)

sidd

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1361 on: January 22, 2021, 06:48:17 AM »
Now this is interesting: China sanctions on ex USA admin

"Michael R. Pompeo, Peter K. Navarro, Robert C. O'Brien, David R. Stilwell, Matthew Pottinger, Alex M. Azar II, Keith J. Krach, and Kelly D. K. Craft of the Trump administration as well as John R. Bolton and Stephen K. Bannon."

"These individuals and their immediate family members are prohibited from entering the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao of China. They and companies and institutions associated with them are also restricted from doing business with China,"

"planned, promoted and executed the crazy moves which have gravely interfered in China's internal affairs, undermined China's interests, offended the Chinese people, and seriously disrupted China-U.S. relations"

http://xinhuanet.com/english/2021-01/21/c_139684840.htm

I note that Trump and family are not on the list. But sanctions come and sanctions go ... here's another sanction that China laid out last july on Lockheed

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/china-sanctions-top-us-arms-company-lashes-out-at-us-over-south-china-sea/story-r0jUA91wLVInKEpzlch3jM.html

And here's Lockheed paying out a token sum two decades ago for leaking tech to China ...

https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/14/world/us-fines-lockheed-13-million-in-china-satellite-case.html

So soon we forget.

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zenith

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1362 on: January 22, 2021, 07:49:10 PM »
Sir Francis Bacon is a much overlooked historical figure which is a shame as he was so influential in many arenas, and it could be argued his vision was the vision for the USofA.

 "Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States and author of the Declaration of Independence, wrote: "Bacon, Locke and Newton. I consider them as the three greatest men that have ever lived, without any exception, and as having laid the foundation of those superstructures which have been raised in the Physical and Moral sciences".[16] Historian and biographer William Hepworth Dixon considered that Bacon's name could be included in the list of Founders of the United States of America." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Atlantis

“The Violence of Impediments”
Francis Bacon and the Origins of
Experimentation
“THE DOMINION OF MAN OVER THE UNIVERSE”
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/students/modules/hi203/group2/bacon.pdf

It's long been understood that Sir Francis Bacon and his Rosicrucian writing group were the authors of Shakespeare. In 1928 Manly P. Hall published "The Secret Teachings of All Ages" which included a chapter discussing this.
Cracking The Shakespeare Code: Part One


They're currently digging up what they believe to be treasure buried on Oak Island, Nova Scotia by the Knights Templar/Rosicrucian/Freemasons. Evidence is indicating 14-15th century activity. It's a tedious show but season 8 episode 8 or thereabouts gets interesting as they're finally getting somewhere. https://www.history.ca/shows/the-curse-of-oak-island/

Many people have forgotten, or never knew, that the inspiration of civilization is all about duality and non-duality - unity. It's been thus since hunter-gatherers built zodiacal clocks and two stone humanoid figures out of stone at Gobekli Tepe, Anatolia. Plants and animals were domesticated thereabouts in due course, and humans were off on a conquest of mind over matter and each other to make the world one (like God) and transcend it. We're still at it, and some people have never forgotten. The USofA is falling but another is rising. A last world war is required.
Where is reality? Can you show it to me? - Heinz von Foerster

zenith

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1363 on: January 23, 2021, 01:20:19 AM »
The USofA has served it's purpose. It allowed the scientific revolution, without church or king interfering, to come to full fruition in the hands of privately owned multinational corporations.

"And this we do also: we have consultations, which of the inventions and experiences which we have discovered shall be published, and which not; and take all an oath of secrecy for the concealing of those which we think fit to keep secret; though some of those we do reveal sometime to the State, and some not." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Atlantis


A last world war between west and east and the world will be one. As Klaus Schwab has outlined power will be transferred to a world government run by corporations. https://winteroak.org.uk/2020/10/05/klaus-schwab-and-his-great-fascist-reset/

Where this will be headquartered will not be the USofA, as anyone with any historical understanding and discernment of the main source of the strife that the USofA is currently undergoing will understand.
 
Where is reality? Can you show it to me? - Heinz von Foerster

sidd

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1364 on: January 23, 2021, 09:33:37 AM »
Roads and ruin: Motlagh at rollingstone on afghan hell

"A 2,000-mile “Ring Road” connecting major cities that was started by the Soviets back in the 1950s had been pulverized by decades of war and neglect. The U.S. government and its NATO partners believed that a new and improved Ring Road system, or Highway 1, would lay the groundwork for a functioning state"

"a story of colossal waste and squandered opportunity."

"In late 2002, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) hired the Louis Berger Group (LBG), a New Jersey-based engineering company, to handle the project; with an end-of-2003 deadline set by the White House, the expected cost was $300 million. "

"Under Obama, USAID cut funding for road construction."

"everyone got paid in a flailing effort to bring stability"

"A forensic accountant who served on a military task force in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2012 and helped assess some 3,000 Defense Department contracts worth $106 billion concluded that about 40 percent of the money ended up in the hands of Taliban insurgents, criminal groups, or crooked Afghan officials. "

"a staggering low with the Gardez-Khost highway, a 60-mile stretch linking the Ring Road to the eastern borderlands. The contract was turned over to LBG, and construction started in 2003. In November 2010, the federal government slapped LBG with the highest ever fine in a wartime contracting case: $18.7 million in criminal penalties and $50.6 million in civil penalties for overbilling. The company’s former CEO had pleaded guilty in 2014 to defrauding U.S. taxpayers of tens of millions. But the project dragged on, unchecked. By the time the road opened, in 2015, costs had ballooned to nearly $5 million a mile, and it became a never-ending boondoggle. A whistleblower later revealed that LBG had, through dubious methods, paid insurgents not to attack the project. "

"In 2016, the special inspector general for Afghanistan (SIGAR), the government watchdog agency that provides quarterly audits to Congress, published a report on the dismal state of Afghanistan’s roads. Some 95 percent of the Highway 1 sections it inspected were either damaged or destroyed"

"Of the $63 billion reviewed by SIGAR, about 30 percent, or some $19 billion, was “lost to waste, fraud, and abuse.” "

"the Taliban exacted a one-time toll of 6,000 Afghanis ($75). Afghan forces were worse,demanding between 1,000 to 3,000 Afghanis ($12 to $37) at each checkpoint, 12 tolls in all. "

" we will fight them until our blood runs dry — 10, 20, 1,000 years — we’ll never get tired of fighting"

"The bloodshed is not likely to end anytime soon"

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/afghanistan-war-taliban-kabul-kandahar-road-1112819/

sidd

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1365 on: January 30, 2021, 07:46:34 AM »
 Imperialistic talk, major Atlantic Council strategy paper proposes Cold War 2.0 approach to China by the US.

"The foremost goal of US strategy should be to cause China’s ruling elites to conclude that it is in China’s best interests to continue operating within the US-led liberal international order rather than building a rival order, and that it is in the Chinese Communist Party’s best interests to not attempt to expand China’s borders or export its political model beyond China’s shores."

"Some question the United States’ ability to effectively mobilize the nation to meet the China challenge as Kennan and the Truman administration did with the Soviet challenge two generations ago. ....

How should the success of this new US China strategy be measured? That, by midcentury, the United States and its major allies continue to dominate the regional and global balance of power across all the major indices of power; that China has been deterred from taking Taiwan militarily, and from initiating any other form of military action to achieve its regional objectives; that the rules-based liberal international order has been consolidated, strengthened, and expanded, rolling back against the growing illiberalism of the present time; that Xi has been replaced by a more moderate party leadership; and that the Chinese people themselves have come to question and challenge the Communist Party’s century-long proposition that China’s ancient civilization is forever destined to an authoritarian future."

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/content-series/atlantic-council-strategy-paper-series/the-longer-telegram/

sidd

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1366 on: March 25, 2021, 07:29:37 AM »
Sjursen goes full baseball: betting line is 18 months for Kabul government

"American military machine was soundly defeated by an enemy that didn’t like fighting either in the dark or cold."

"when I commanded a sandbagged shit-hole (in 2011-12) just miles from Talib-ground zero in Kandahar province at the very crest of the Obama-surge and U.S. troop counts – we prayed for winters and sunsets. "

"they ran kind of on old-timey baseball squad. Sometimes that even worked to our soldierly benefit, giving a strange gentlemanly rhythm to an otherwise vicious war "

"In Afghanistan there was a fighting season, and it usually began heating up right around the kickoff of Major League Baseball’s Spring Training and slowed down around World Series time. "

"The farm-boys lacked the night-vision goggles and penetrating thermal sights"

"The Taliban started playing a bit of night-ball all their own, naturally, as their strength increased and US troop numbers declined. "

"these days the best Talib units are actually outfitted with night-penetrating goggles and scopes. So it’s [night] game on! "

"Afghan GDP is insufficient (oops!) to even pay for its own security forces."

"Vietnam-style, Tet-like offensive by the Taliban in the summer of 2021."

"the Islamist Boys-of-Summer to come in hot right out of the gate this fighting season. And why not? They’re wrapping up no less than 14 months of Spring Training – during the post-agreement pause that hardly any party thought permanent – spent down in their own Sunbelt stadium safe havens of Kandahar/Helmand in Southern Afghanistan and south of the border in Chaman/Quetta Pakistan."

" a draw is as good as a win with respect to how far it advances an insurgency playing with home-field advantage."

" the Talib’s ongoing 20-year refuse-to-lose track record against the New York Yankees of Pentagon-payrolls. The onetime farm team of Islamist farm-boys, has been grinding out gradual but meaningful wins through a combination of grit and technology-canceling tactical-creativity against the global superpower franchise for nearly two decades now. In other words, they’ve all but won by playing the long-game through summer after summer’s worth of seasonal "doldrums”"

"pennant run in ‘21. In fact, they’re the odds on favorites in Vegas and Kabul alike"

"Listen. I don’t mean to go all Pete Rose and bet against my own team, but for a while now the safe money’s been on the Taliban."

"There’s never been much genuine passion or principle behind the dead shark eyes of Washington’s perennial combat cheerleaders"

"there’s a natural parlay available: so, let’s place the over/under on the U.S.-backed Kabul government’s survival at what, say…18 months?"

https://original.antiwar.com/Danny_Sjursen/2021/03/23/this-is-their-year-the-taliban-mlb-franchise-favored-to-win-it-all/

sidd


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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1367 on: April 03, 2021, 10:15:48 AM »
This could go in the media thread too: Kolitch interviews Freeman at brown political review

"The French have a phrase, “déformation professionnelle,” which means that you take on the mindset and reasoning skills of a particular profession and you become narrow-minded because you don’t see the whole picture."

"During my first tour in India, I lost a son due to poor medical facilities and unhealthy conditions. When I came home after two or three years, I had six kinds of worms, dysentery, malaria filariasis, and dengue fever."

"Diplomacy is also negotiation. It is about trying to ensure that bad things that could happen don’t happen. Very often, diplomats don’t get credit for what didn’t happen. But a lot of things don’t happen because skillful diplomats have prevented them from happening. "

"the rudimentary driver of the United States’ confrontation with China is psychology, not strategy. We became the world’s largest economy sometime in the 1870s. That’s 150 years ago. Now we’ve either already been eclipsed, or we’re about to be eclipsed, by China. So we’re afraid of not being number one and we’ve decided that we will hamstring the rise of China. No one on the American side has described where this confrontation is supposed to take us—it’s just an end in itself. "

"there’s not much evidence of China wanting to replace us. They are displacing us in some spheres because they’re big and growing and successful. Do they want to take on our global dominion and hegemony role? No, but we assert that they do. We posit that China thinks and behaves like us: “We had Manifest Destiny and it took us across the Pacific to the Philippines. Therefore, China must have a Monroe Doctrine and Manifest Destiny in mind.” This is wrong. Things don’t work like that. So I would argue that we have inhaled our own propaganda"

"the only way we, the United States, know how to think about international affairs is in military terms. Our foreign policy is very militarized and is driven by military considerations. "

"There is no framework for keeping the peace in the Taiwan area anymore. And I think it’s pretty clear that we’re heading into a war. We seem to be heading toward a bloody rendezvous with Chinese nationalism—and I don’t think that’s too smart. We’re talking about contesting the territory of a nuclear power ... There is an underlying assumption ... that we’re invulnerable and omnipotent. I don’t have any problem with the use of force. But I do have a problem with the foolish use of force by picking fights you’re going to lose. Let’s pick a fight, but let’s make sure it’s one that we can win. So I think that instead of trying to bring China down, which we won’t be able to do, we should be trying to leverage its growing prosperity to increase our own prosperity."

"We should not be approaching the world with the attitude that we have all the answers.  "

"We should be cooperating with China on broad, planet-wide international problems like climate change, nuclear nonproliferation, environmental remediation ... we should not be pushing Russia and China together, which is what we are doing. The one maxim of diplomacy is “divide your enemies”—and we are doing the opposite. "

https://brownpoliticalreview.org/2021/03/the-origins-of-a-distinguished-diplomatic-career-and-the-u-s-china-fight-for-primacy-bpr-interviews-ambassador-chas-freeman/

sidd

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1368 on: April 03, 2021, 10:24:12 AM »
Now this fits right in this here thread: Texas dont wanna fight untill congress declares war

"would require Congress to declare war before the Texas National Guard would be sent into active combat status"

“For nearly eight decades, Congress has not made a declaration of war,”

" It’s about the Constitution, and doing it the right way, and making Congress vote to go to war"

"What are we fighting for?"

“It is absolutely imperative that we hold the U.S. Congress accountable to their sole power to make and declare war, not allow them to defer that prerogative away to the executive branch.”

"the bill was left pending in committee."

https://texasscorecard.com/state/proposal-would-require-official-war-declaration-to-send-texas-national-guard-to-combat/

I fear the bill will never make it outta committee, too many texas defense contractors supplying texas national guard. We shall see.

sidd

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1369 on: April 09, 2021, 01:04:29 AM »
US Spies Peer Into the Future - And It Doesn't Look Good
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56683852

https://www.dni.gov/index.php/global-trends-home

The US Intelligence Community has issued a survey of where the world may end up in 2040.

It warns of a political volatility and growing international competition or even conflict.

The report entitled Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World is an attempt to look at key trends and outlines a series of possible scenarios.

Report: https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/GlobalTrends_2040.pdf

It is the seventh such report with one coming every four years since 1997 from the National Intelligence Council.

The Global Trends 2040 report does not make comfortable reading if you are a political leader or international diplomat - or hope to be one in the coming years.

The latest attempt by the US National Intelligence Council to understand what may happen within and between countries points to uncertainty and instability. It firstly focuses on the key factors driving change.

One is political volatility.

"In many countries, people are pessimistic about the future and growing more distrustful of leaders and institutions that they see as unable or unwilling to deal with disruptive economic, technological, and demographic trends," the report warns.

It argues people are gravitating to like-minded groups and making greater and more varied demands of governments at a time when those governments are increasingly constrained in what they can do.

"This mismatch between governments' abilities and publics' expectations is likely to expand and lead to more political volatility, including growing polarisation and populism within political systems, waves of activism and protest movements, and, in the most extreme cases, violence, internal conflict, or even state collapse."

Unmet expectations, fuelled by social media and technology, could lead to risks for democracy.

... The report says the current pandemic is the "most significant, singular global disruption since World War II", which has fuelled divisions, accelerated existing changes and challenged assumptions, including over how well governments can cope.

The last report in 2017 included such a possibility - imagining that "the global pandemic of 2023" dramatically reduced global travel to contain its spread.

... Climate change and demographic shifts will also be key drivers, as will be technology, which could prove disruptive but also empower those who harness it fastest and first.

... The competition between the US and China lies at the heart of many of the differences in the scenarios - whether one of them becomes more successful or whether the two compete equally or divide the world into separate silos.

 The risk of conflict may increase, with it becoming harder to deter new weapons being used.

... "The world adrift scenario" imagines market economies never recovering from the Covid pandemic, becoming domestically deeply divided and living in an international system that is "directionless, chaotic and volatile" as international rules and institutions are ignored by countries, corporations and other groups.

One scenario, though, does manage to combine pessimism with optimism.

"Tragedy and Mobilisation" imagines a world in the midst of a global catastrophe in the early 2030s thanks to climate change, famine and unrest - but this in turn leads to a new global coalition, driven in part by social movements, to address the problems.
“There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see.” ― anonymous

Insensible before the wave so soon released by callous fate. Affected most, they understand the least, and understanding, when it comes, invariably arrives too late

be cause

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1370 on: April 09, 2021, 12:25:51 PM »
  are 'people gravitating to like minded groups ' or forced there by logarithms  (or is that algorithms lol ) ? b.c.
« Last Edit: April 09, 2021, 03:47:19 PM by be cause »
Conflict is the root of all evil , for being blind it does not see whom it attacks . Yet it always attacks the Son Of God , and the Son of God is you .

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1371 on: April 09, 2021, 02:24:32 PM »
  are 'people gravitating to like minded groups ' or forced there by logarithms ? b.c.

I would tend to think the former.  Historically this has happened, resulting in large followings.  Think Nazi Germany and radical Islam.  People tend to resist being forced, and while they may appear to do so on the surface, are actually fighting against.  This occurred in France during WWII and the Eastern Bloc afterwards.

Globalization has led to more unrest, as those in need have seen what those in power have.  The pandemic has shut that down; no trade, no talk, no travel.  This is likely just a blip in that trend, and will again rear its ugly head as global economies soar.  Possibly with more furor, if some areas fail to match others.

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1372 on: April 16, 2021, 09:19:23 AM »
Now this is interesting: Citi exits retail banking in India, China

"will exit 13 international consumer banking markets, shifting its focus to wealth management "

"part of efforts to ‘double down’ on wealth management, where the growth opportunities are better"

https://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/citi-to-exit-retail-banking-in-india-china/article34330512.ece

Or perhaps because they find that retail banks are much more severely regulated in those heathen countries. Citi shoulda been taken apart after 2008, like Bair wanted to do. But, like the others in the West, they were bailed out.

But, alas, I fear Citi is not long for this world, say a decade b4 being swallowed up by one of the other behemoths.

sidd

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1373 on: April 16, 2021, 09:35:21 AM »
Agreed bank and bank like financial companies need to be broken up. IMO every company that is "too big to fail" is too big to exist and needs to be broken up.

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1374 on: April 17, 2021, 02:24:13 PM »
+2.

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1375 on: April 17, 2021, 05:27:40 PM »
And the private wealth should be limited to a certain "to be negotiated" amount per 1st degree family members, meaning spouses + number of children. The amount can absolutely be high but not phantastically high. The reminder goes NOT to the governements as tax but should be directly converted into wages, electricity, food and water supply for those in need. Also the minimum wages of the lowest salary should be a percentage of the CEO's salary including benefits, bonuses and share options etc. or vice versa, the top salery including all benefits etc. should be a maximum based on the lowest salery, including part time jobs extrapolated.

Or something along these lines. Further +3 of course.

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1376 on: April 18, 2021, 04:42:53 AM »
It should be understood that this is not punishment for success but rather redistributing ill gotten gains. At a certain level prices should be cut and or workers paid more. CEO's often get paid more to cut workers pay or raise prices. That does not make them more successful just greedy.

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1377 on: April 18, 2021, 12:14:15 PM »
At present the push is at 180 to wealth redistribution, something both parties agree on. 
https://wolfstreet.com/2021/04/12/i-now-track-the-most-important-measure-in-the-feds-vision-of-the-economy-the-wealth-effect-and-how-it-impacts-americans-individually/
The Chinese take a different approach, which is not much appreciated by western wealthy elite, it sets a bad example of what can be achieved when the wheal of the general population is the goal.
https://michael-hudson.com/2021/04/americas-neoliberal-financialization-policy-vs-chinas-industrial-socialism/

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1378 on: April 21, 2021, 11:01:20 PM »
But I still think being some certain ethnic groups during the Nazi regime in Germany was better off than being Black in USA today, and it was all well documented, sadly enough!!!!
« Last Edit: April 21, 2021, 11:16:53 PM by Espen »
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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1379 on: April 22, 2021, 01:28:32 PM »
But I still think being some certain ethnic groups during the Nazi regime in Germany was better off than being Black in USA today, and it was all well documented, sadly enough!!!!

This is a ridiculous belief, sadly enough.  You seriously need to re-read your history!  Even the Czechs, who were considered the top of the non-Aryan peoples, were imprisoned, tortured, and executed. 

Espen

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1380 on: April 22, 2021, 05:30:02 PM »
But I still think being some certain ethnic groups during the Nazi regime in Germany was better off than being Black in USA today, and it was all well documented, sadly enough!!!!

This is a ridiculous belief, sadly enough.  You seriously need to re-read your history!  Even the Czechs, who were considered the top of the non-Aryan peoples, were imprisoned, tortured, and executed. 

Prove me wrong! What real rights do black americans have? The US is a shooting gallery and completely derailed.
Have a ice day!

The Walrus

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1381 on: April 22, 2021, 08:14:55 PM »
But I still think being some certain ethnic groups during the Nazi regime in Germany was better off than being Black in USA today, and it was all well documented, sadly enough!!!!

This is a ridiculous belief, sadly enough.  You seriously need to re-read your history!  Even the Czechs, who were considered the top of the non-Aryan peoples, were imprisoned, tortured, and executed. 

Prove me wrong! What real rights do black americans have? The US is a shooting gallery and completely derailed.

You mean besides the potential to become a Senator, CEO, general, supreme court justice or even President.  How many Jews, Slavs, or other ethnics groups were able to accomplish that in Nazi Germany?  I think you are ....
« Last Edit: April 22, 2021, 08:30:27 PM by be cause »

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1382 on: April 22, 2021, 09:09:54 PM »

But I still think being some certain ethnic groups during the Nazi regime in Germany was better off than being Black in USA today, and it was all well documented, sadly enough!!!!


This is a ridiculous belief, sadly enough.  You seriously need to re-read your history!  Even the Czechs, who were considered the top of the non-Aryan peoples, were imprisoned, tortured, and executed. 


Prove me wrong! What real rights do black americans have? The US is a shooting gallery and completely derailed.


Hi Espen, I understand exactly what you are trying to convey, only that you chose one of the only if not THE only example in history that almost nothing can be compared with. Else, looking at your core intention I would agree to that.


As to other commenters, we shall find in any such culture and/or regime groups that dodged the bullets and canon balls, what we really have to look at are the groups and numbers of people that were not so lucky. After all the native americans have been almost extinct and other colored groups have been exploited, killed and harrassed over centuries now, hence yes, nothing compared to what Adolf and Stalin did in only very few years etc. but still not much less reason to be condemned.

Last but not least, the U.S. of A are bullying big parts of the world till this current day, even countries and their companies who they call their friends. (a ridiculous term in any political environment anyways) IMO.

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1383 on: April 22, 2021, 10:22:07 PM »
I am well aware what I wrote, and to provoke is the best way to say important things most times.
The Derek Chauvin case is a good example that was the exception confirming the rule, he was convicted by smartphones not the judicial system!!
Have a ice day!

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1384 on: April 22, 2021, 11:01:58 PM »
But I still think being some certain ethnic groups during the Nazi regime in Germany was better off than being Black in USA today, and it was all well documented, sadly enough!!!!

This is a ridiculous belief, sadly enough.  You seriously need to re-read your history!  Even the Czechs, who were considered the top of the non-Aryan peoples, were imprisoned, tortured, and executed. 

Prove me wrong! What real rights do black americans have? The US is a shooting gallery and completely derailed.

You mean besides the potential to become a Senator, CEO, general, supreme court justice or even President.  How many Jews, Slavs, or other ethnics groups were able to accomplish that in Nazi Germany?  I think you are ....
Just pure window dressing, you see, but you do not observe!
Have a ice day!

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1385 on: April 22, 2021, 11:16:35 PM »
Come on, Espen, WildFit is right. America 2021 is not The Third Reich 1941. It is bad but it is not that bad. And you comparing these two as equal is an insult to six million dead Jews and 50 million WWIII dead.

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1386 on: April 23, 2021, 12:45:02 AM »
I am well aware what I wrote, and to provoke is the best way to say important things most times.
The Derek Chauvin case is a good example that was the exception confirming the rule, he was convicted by smartphones not the judicial system!!

Ok, point taken, thanks for elaboration. Not exactly my way, but nevertheless a valid strategy as can be observed over and over again.

 ;)

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1387 on: April 23, 2021, 01:18:43 AM »
But I still think being some certain ethnic groups during the Nazi regime in Germany was better off than being Black in USA today, and it was all well documented, sadly enough!!!!

This is a ridiculous belief, sadly enough.  You seriously need to re-read your history!  Even the Czechs, who were considered the top of the non-Aryan peoples, were imprisoned, tortured, and executed. 

Prove me wrong! What real rights do black americans have? The US is a shooting gallery and completely derailed.

You mean besides the potential to become a Senator, CEO, general, supreme court justice or even President.  How many Jews, Slavs, or other ethnics groups were able to accomplish that in Nazi Germany?  I think you are ....
Just pure window dressing, you see, but you do not observe!

… and no amount of proof will ever change your position.

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1388 on: April 23, 2021, 11:35:06 AM »
Approving Walrus's posts does not necessarily mean I approve .
  .. a dead Negro in today's USA is just as dead as the 6 million Jews . The suffering in death and after is no less for the individuals and families involved . Murder is always murder .
   If Trump was still in charge I'm sure a pardon would have followed conviction enabling further those who still regret the passing of slavery .. a period as dark in US history as was the German treatment of Jews . Imagine if German police were still merrily victimizing the descendants of Holocaust survivors today ? b.c.
Conflict is the root of all evil , for being blind it does not see whom it attacks . Yet it always attacks the Son Of God , and the Son of God is you .

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1389 on: April 23, 2021, 12:16:28 PM »
Come on, Espen, WildFit is right. America 2021 is not The Third Reich 1941. It is bad but it is not that bad. And you comparing these two as equal is an insult to six million dead Jews and 50 million WWIII dead.

I never mentioned any specific group because there were many both ethnic, disabled, ill and political, you are pulling that card!
Have a ice day!

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1390 on: April 23, 2021, 12:36:41 PM »
Come on, Espen, WildFit is right. America 2021 is not The Third Reich 1941. It is bad but it is not that bad. And you comparing these two as equal is an insult to six million dead Jews and 50 million WWIII dead.

I never mentioned any specific group because there were many both ethnic, disabled, ill and political, you are pulling that card!

Those are the big two. Did you want me to list a litany of every Nazi victim?

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1391 on: April 23, 2021, 01:27:06 PM »
Come on, Espen, WildFit is right. America 2021 is not The Third Reich 1941. It is bad but it is not that bad. And you comparing these two as equal is an insult to six million dead Jews and 50 million WWIII dead.

I never mentioned any specific group because there were many both ethnic, disabled, ill and political, you are pulling that card!
Unusually, I thoroughly agree with Tom.

The German people knew about the mass disappearances of Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, communists and the disabled. Were they bad, uncaring people? No. Did they take to the streets and protest against the crimes of the Nazis? Again, no. Why not? Because they knew that (a) it wouldn't make any difference, and (b) would endanger themselves and their families.

The fact that protests happen in the USA proves that it's better than Nazi Germany. The fact that protesters risk injury and death proves that it's not good (yet).
Step by step, moment by moment
We live through another day.

Tom_Mazanec

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1392 on: April 23, 2021, 02:08:34 PM »
Also, if America is as bad as Nazi Germany because:
Quote
. a dead Negro in today's USA is just as dead as the 6 million Jews . The suffering in death and after is no less for the individuals and families involved . Murder is always murder .
then everybody is as bad as Nazi Germany. Bigotry is part of human DNA/Fallen Nature/Evolution/Original Sin/Whatever. Nobody's hands are perfectly immaculate.

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1393 on: April 23, 2021, 03:08:36 PM »
 Tom .. bigotry is taught .. no 3 year old looks at any other child and sees an enemy . b.c.
Conflict is the root of all evil , for being blind it does not see whom it attacks . Yet it always attacks the Son Of God , and the Son of God is you .

Tom_Mazanec

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1394 on: April 23, 2021, 05:21:43 PM »
b.c., can you honestly tell me that, in your country, there has never been a person killed because of their religion, sex, race, or other "outgroup" characteristic? Even "anti-intolerance" people seem to have an intolerance for people who follow the Morality that has been the bedrock of Western Civilization for almost a hundred generations, until my living memory.

Espen

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1395 on: April 23, 2021, 05:55:38 PM »
Tom .. bigotry is taught .. no 3 year old looks at any other child and sees an enemy . b.c.

Spot on ;)

And believe you guys in Northern Ireland learned it the hard way?
« Last Edit: April 23, 2021, 06:07:49 PM by Espen »
Have a ice day!

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1396 on: April 23, 2021, 07:23:08 PM »
Tom .. bigotry is taught .. no 3 year old looks at any other child and sees an enemy . b.c.

Spot on ;)

And believe you guys in Northern Ireland learned it the hard way?

Exactly!  No one can claim immunity to bigotry.  It is just a matter of degree.  The U.S. is not perfect, but compared to several others, it looks favorable.

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1397 on: April 24, 2021, 12:58:41 PM »
USA is very bad, Nazi Germany was worse, but how does this advance a discussion? Focus on US in this thread, no comparisons needed.

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1398 on: April 25, 2021, 04:07:14 AM »
The US has serious problems without a doubt. Sometimes I think people need some perspective. Discussion of similar issues in China will get you sent to a reeducation camp. There the government actively suppresses dissenting opinions so you will not hear as much about it. Many European countries still have a population that is primarily one ethnicity. In the US Caucasian majority is about 60%. That coupled with the size of the country means in many regions Caucasians are not the majority. Many of the problems minorities have in countries with small populations of minorities are largely invisible to the majority population. As Europe is facing more immigration conflict is increasing there as well. Japan is very Xenophobic. As a nation I think we (the US) take three steps forward and two steps back. I do not believe we are the most tolerant nation far from it. I also do not believe we are the near the worst either. All of this does not excuse our failures it is just that sometimes I hear people from other countries dump on us. These are global problems not just US problems. Keep in mind your shit stinks too.

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Re: Empire - America and the future
« Reply #1399 on: April 25, 2021, 04:31:07 AM »
Well said interstitial.  The problems in the U.S. are larger, because of the larger minority population.   It does appear that it is better to be a minority in the U.S. than most other countries.