Now, here’s something I never thought about before:
Comments
Open thread 2/13/2025 — 51 Comments
Kari Lake just blew my mind.
Isn’t the easiest answer to why Jeffries is struggling to mount an Anti-Trump resistance is that the President, Elon, & DOGE have shut off the money tap for the astroturfed protest operations, &, it’s hard to fuel genuine opposition to an agenda that’s popular with the people?
We’ve always thought that the “protests” were astro-turfed, funded by leftist organizations. The sudden de-funding of leftist slush fund NGOs may be having an effect.
No surprises here, once that can o’ worms, otherwise known as USAID, was opened, shaken vigorously and turned inside out…
1) Pre-Jan 20 was very well organized w/ Trump quiet. CoS Susie Wiles has done a great job!
2) Quickly picked Admin & staff pre-Jan 20.
3) Inauguration Day 2025 shows total preparation made by good leader – unlike being unprepared during his first term.
4) Moved fast on illegal immigration promises – plus lots of helpful EO’s.
5) Have to give Trump a Strong on his choice of Pete Hegseth as SoD – and solid work by the GOP Senate to get him confirmed!
6) Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues to expose government waste, cutting regulations, and restructuring federal agencies. Early impact has been *AMAZING*!
Weak:
1) Failed to end Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours.
2) Re-designates Iranian-backed Houthis as terrorists – lets Iran continue to back them!?!
3) neo called it an “unforced error” on Trump’s part. Most commenters agreed. ‘Twas an internet vision of Trump starring as the Hare in ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’. Horrid response to Air collision above the Potomac – horrid response to a National Tragedy. Probably doesn’t bode well for confidence in his future response/s to a National Emergency…?
4) Still early into the Breaking News about ‘Second Buddy’ Putin and President Trump opening negotiations on Ukraine’s future; however, if this is Trump’s opening move in the negotiations, it is an incredibly ill-informed and/or naive one. Thusly, such an opening deserves a spot under the Weak category on the Trump Tally…Geez!?
they have really drawn up the waterworks, ‘when you dial down the ambient noise;
Wait and see. Trump is laying ground work for both Z and P to find an escape hatch.
“UAE ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba backs Trump’s plan to expel Gaza’s population, calling it difficult but unavoidable despite global outrage over ethnic cleansing.”
It’s too early to say whether the UAE is an outlier or not. Will any other Gulf states agree? What about Jordan and Egypt?
the UAE was a party to the Abraham Accords, they give sanctuary to some of the former Fatah people like Rajoub, who were expelled by Fatah, Emir Zayed was one of the targets of the Mueller Report, because reasons,
U.S. President Donald J. Trump stunned the world by offering unprecedented concessions to Russia in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine on Wednesday—seemingly without getting anything in return. Before the formal peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin even started, Trump and members of his administration dismissed the idea that Ukraine could reclaim its territories that Russia currently occupies, slammed the door shut for Kyiv’s hope of NATO membership, and refused to acknowledge Ukraine as an equal member in the peace process.
While Ukrainians and their allies were left in disbelief, Russian state TV and radio stations were full of elated propagandists, who grinned ear to ear and periodically broke out into uproarious laughter.
you have to be more discriminating, julia davis formerly of the Times, would have a clue if it was dropped on her, re the earlier link, david milliband head of the irc, who makes boucoup books at our and the Foreign Office’s expense, is a former Parliament member the IRC’s current function is flooding Europe and America, with
immigrants, his father was a leading British Marxist,
Anyone expecting the Russia-Ukraine war to end by noon on 1/21/25 must be new to American politics. That was one of those promises that we older folk have seen so many time before and had no expectations of it happening like that.
You might as well have included (in the “weak” group) that inflation is still here and eggs cost a lot of money.
Looking like the Trump peace plan for Russia and Ukraine will require the latter to give up some of their territory – primarily the Crimea.
I have mixed feelings about this, because it will demonstrate to Putin that invading another nation will, in the end, prove successful to some degree if not entirely.
On the flip side, the Ukrainian military simply does not have the unlimited manpower that the Russians have to toss into the meat grinder, and there really is no way the Ukrainians have the ability to force the Russians from withdrawing from the territory they now hold.
A big lesson that Putin can take from all of this, is the reluctance of Europe to get engaged in a major way when Russia invades a sovereign nation on its own frontier.
Though Ukraine is not a NATO nation, the conflict does suggest that NATO, to some extent, is a paper tiger and will act in slow motion, and grudgingly at that , when faced with bold Russian aggression.
The Finns, Swedes, Poles and the Baltic Nations realize this and even though they are now all NATO members, they have begun raising their own military capabilities in the event of Russian aggression.
Let’s hope that whatever peace plan results, it does not repeat the ultimate result of the Sudetenland give away and the hope for “peace in our time.”
Once the US has taken Greenland, go nudge Japan and together seize the Kurils. Then? Shrug, and laugh.
Gerasimov’s very clever move, was a stupid mistake, that cost about a million lives, rounding off, now when we’ve restocked our arsenals that came to a very dangerous level, on not only the US but UK, we’ll be ready to challenge him,
in so far, there is any winner it was China, that stood off to the side, the North Korean gambit was stupid, but you encourage stupidity you get more of it,
Who wants to have to re-read Humphrey’s Executor? Really? Damnit. But ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
will the bundestag listen, after magdeberg, they started to
Hamas looked into the mirror, and saw Trump looking back at them. Seems (you never know with Hamas) they will now abide by the agreement, and release hostages on Sat.
If Russia has “unlimited” manpower why do they need North Korean bullet sponges and land mine detectors?
‘…”weak” group…’
Thass right.
If Trump were TRULY a strong president, those hens, in sheer terror, would have been laying extra-jumbo, double-yolks—non-stop, day and night—by Inauguration Day.
That DID NOT HAPPEN.
(PROOF of the—egg—pudding that Trump, for all his crowing, is really just a capon….)
– – – – – – – –
Kinda cool… but don’t try this at home…
The “Woe is me” memes and posts are hitting facebook with a vengeance.
I just saw one that — while I feel for the family — is not entirely true. The person claimed that the non-profit who pays for supplemental vitamins and medicine for their child who has cystic fibrosis is closed.
I looked it up — there is nothing on their website or their facebook page that indicates that they have closed, or at lest temporarily shuttered. Their webpage has a ton of financial information (The officers make a s*** ton of money!) but not really where it comes from. Noodling around on the internet, it APPEARS like very little of their income comes from federal grants. They get some, but not that much.
Even if they get a lot of money from federal grants, they should still be able to operate for a little while.
BTW, their CEO makes almost $400,000. The CDO makes about $370,000. The COO and the Chief Foundation Program Officer make about $300,000 each. Their net revenue was $742,364,218. Their website CLAIMS that they get funding from corporations and private individuals.
If they are severely impacted by the graft being discovered in the Swamp, then they are lying about where they get their money from.
I feel for the woman with the child with CF. But I don’t think hysteria over things that may not have happened helps.
Gee, gee, gee whiz, that’s amazing!
In other news. RFK Jr. confirmed…
From ‘Russian state TV and radio stations’ grinning ear to ear and breaking ‘out into uproarious laughter’ on air – at President Trump’s childish display at negotiating – to President Trump now being compared to Hitler appeaser Neville Chamberlain!?! Sorry, but even circling the TCS Wagons around Trump can’t help him in this disaster he has created.
…Donald Trump’s concessions on Ukraine have played into the hands of Vladimir Putin … ‘I tell you they’re drinking vodka straight out of the bottle in the Kremlin tonight,’ Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton told CNN. ‘It was a great day for Moscow.’
Analysts have warned that appeasing Putin could result in history repeating itself, with former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt accusing Trump of an historical sell-out of Ukraine.
‘It’s certainly an innovative approach to a negotiation to make very major concessions even before they have started,’ he said. ‘Not even Chamberlain went that low in 1938. That Munich ended very bad anyhow.’
Bildt is among a number of experts who have drawn comparisons between Trump’s statements and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s ‘peace for our time’ declaration.
Still too early to tell, but this National Security disaster is starting to ‘Smell’ like Trump has allowed his revengeful side against Ukraine to get the best of him for not giving him Biden’s head—at best!?!?!?!
“Putin poised to invade Europe”, oh pull the other one, it’s got bells on it. It’s not 1950. The “he’s the next Hitler card” got maxed out in 2003. Canada’s just as “poised” to invade the United States as Russia is to invade the EU.
“Spy chiefs” and “analysts” warning us huh, sounds legit! I believe they were warning us about Hunter’s laptop not too long ago…
Not to mention the quotes from Institute for the Study of War, founded in 2007 to flog the Iraq war! Bill Kristol, Kimberly Kagan and bunch of kids with the ink barely dried on their BAs, sounds legit.
I clicked on that link at the Daily Mail when I first saw it. The first “expert” quoted was John Bolton. Oh.
Allow me to deviate for a moment, or two…
Several weeks ago one of the commenters here mentioned the book “State of Fear” (Michael Critchton (sp?)) in reply to another’s post. Something like (paraphrase): You should read State of Fear”. My local library had it, so I did. [Some will disbelieve this since I am not renowned for taking sound advice.] Bottom line: great read, makes one think about a lot of things. It has a serious bibliography and appendix items. Sort of a textbook wrapped with a fictional story.
My point: To that commenter with the recommendation, Thank You.
Ooof, look out Green Monster, you’re in for a peppering: Bregman to the Sox.
Yeah, I don’t expect Putin is “poised to invade” much of anything at this point given the current state of the Russian military and their economy after 3 years of a grinding, stupid war. I’m not saying that Europe shouldn’t take sensible precautions with regard to strengthening their militaries and so forth. I’m just saying that Russia isn’t likely to be launching any new big invasions over the next few years.
Never Run Across A Pool Cover
neo:
I’ll see that and raise you:
___________________________________
Never hit your grandma with a shovel.
It makes a bad impression on her mind.
Sudetenland: The comparison *might* be apt if by the time of the Munich accords Hilter had already had the equivalent of the Stalingrad loss.
John Bolton and Prof. Meirshiemer both need new Credibility Cards. Anti-gravitas.
Actually the moral of the video is:
Never run across a cheap pool cover.
I’m reminded of the time when I walked across the frozen Charles River under a full moon around midnight. It was a near-transcendent experience. It was so bright and silent in the middle of the metropolis.
Of course, that was the late 70s when Boston winters were obscenely cold.
Geez…looks like the Neville Chamberlain comparison is gonna stick.
Probably should add that to the Trump Tally but will give the President a little more time on that one…
huxley — I used to attend a conference that was held right before Christmas at the Copley Plaza. It was also a time when I also use to run regularly. I would get up bright and early before things began in order to do my run: From the Hotel over to the Esplanade, along the river, across the bridge, back down the other side of the river, across the Harvard Bridge and back to the hotel.
Looking now at a map, I am so surprised. It seems to be over a three and half mile run, and my memory is that it didn’t take that long. In my memory, the hotel was closer to the river. Anyhow, I really enjoyed it. I pretty much started my run about 5:00 am. It was nice and quite out, very little traffic and hardly any people.
This was in the 90s and it was purty darned cold. I had the best running tights that I had picked up in Ottawa. And I so enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed attending that conference. Great food, and a great location. And the room rates were really good. If the conference was still held there, I would sign up for it JUST to stay at the Copley. (Conference registration + room was less than the normal rates. But they move the conference all over now.)
Pool covers. There is the movie “Glass” by M. Night Shyamalan where Bruce Willis’ character falls into a pool with a cheap plastic cover on it. It’s a graphic scene of someone wrapped up in plastic in deep water.
As you most likely suspected… but had no inking of the massive scope of the op…
Opening graf:
“Former State Department official-turned-truthsayer Mike Benz sat down with Joe Rogan for three hours this week, where the two went down the USAID rabbit hole.…”
So, something to consider: we’re learning more and more every day about the depth of corruption the Federal government has been participating in domestically. Perhaps it is just possible that our foreign policy has been at least equally corrupt? We’ve seen that a lot of the USAID money, spent here and abroad, has ended in the pockets of the politically connected, so what we do we expect to see when it comes to where our defense money is going, both at home and abroad?
in the 90s, in our vacation from history, that first clinton and then tony blair indulged in myriad ways, the post soviet triumphalism, where the likes of sachs* and summers, imposed shock therapy on the Former Soviet Union, and created the Oligarchs, what part Yeltsin really had in the matter, a small clique of robber barons arose, and the predators that are the Bratva, ‘thats what democracy looked like to the average Russian, this pattern manifested in all of the fmr Republics, whether
Azerbaijan, or Ukraine or Kazakhstan
*pretends to be a dissident voice,
because of the aboce turmoil, the Stavka, General Staff sought to distract the people with a small brushfire conflict,
in Chechnya,
Clinton was laser focused on the Palestinian mirage, and forced Rabin into it, with all the consequences that stemmed from that, he honestly thought Arafat was an honorable man, or maybe there were other reasons, so the Oslo mirage was born, but for some like the figures behind Islamic Resistance, that wasn’t sufficient, so outfits like CAIR were devised to push the erasure of Israel ‘by any means necessary,
Bin Laden, had similar ambitions from his relatively small part in Operation Cyclone,
to topple the kingdoms and republics he didn’t consider sufficiently devout,
llke an ambitious banker, he supported projects in the Balkans in the Caucasus, and East Africa where he was ensconced
in our own hemisphere we ignored the threat posed by Chavez at our peril, his influened suborned
friendly regimes all through out Central America, and by the 90s, some of the bigger prizes in South America,
As those who’ve read my comments here know, a fan of Trump I’m not. But he is a genius at negotiating, wrote a best selling book about it, and managed to win his current office against overwhelming odds including assassination attempts. So for anyone who thinks he’s given away the store to Putin before any actual peace conference begins, you are a fool. No worse, you’re a blind and deaf fool.
Going into this Trump has already laid out a plan of action, got multiple directions he can go if any one part of the plan fails, and has anticipated his opponent’s counter moves before any firm position is stated. To him this isn’t a chess game. It’s the essence of a man who made his fortune dealing in a corrupt gangster environment with politicians on the take, shady businessmen, and threats to his life culminating in his near death. He won’t ask Putin any question unless he knows the likely answer in advance. Nor will he offer any “concession” unless it’s to his advantage.
Negotiating? Trump is the master.
CAIR first surfaced in a speaking tour of a number of universities in 94, they seemed sketchy to me, they were largely an astroturfed organization financed through emirate and saudi money, they seem to be apologists for terrorism, whether in New York, or the Levant or other places,
in the 90s, those of us in South Florida foolishly thought like Fukuyama, the end of history, or arguments about communism in our hemisphere, of course the Western Europeans, the same sort behind UNWRA, jumped in to bail out the Castro regime, the Chavez opportunity to replicate the same ideological progression, was too rich an opportunity, to pass up, through the ballot rather than the bullet,
now the minor point of how the wiley CAP promised populism to return to power, and then delivered shock in it’s CAracazo, is a fish of a different sort, the coup came about two years, later
To [Trump] this isn’t a chess game. It’s the essence of a man who made his fortune dealing in a corrupt gangster environment with politicians on the take, shady businessmen, and threats to his life culminating in his near death.
The Other Chuck:
Well put.
An observation about Russia’s economy after three years of war.
“All of these factors exacerbate mid- and long-term risks, stemming from unsustainable growth, technological backwardness, and labor-force depletion. If (or when) the war in Ukraine ends — and even if it continues — Russia’s dependence on military spending, low-tech exports, and high inflation may lead to economic stagnation of the kind seen in the Soviet Union in the 1980s.”
We know the state of the economy in the 1980s led to the breakup of the USSR.
Also, Russia has been selling oil and gas to India, when, for some insane climate change reason, Biden would not. Today Prime Minister Modi met with POTUS Trump and announced that India would be buying oil and gas from the U.S. as well as military equipment. Russia is losing a customer.
Modi and Trump get along well and are determined to keep peace in the Indo-Pacific region. Hmm, sounds like the Axis of Evil may be looking at another adversary – the world’s largest democracy.
I think Trump is getting his ducks lined up to negotiate with Putin.
Well said, Other Chuck!
Asteroid 2024 YR4 could hit Earth in 2032, NASA says
The asteroid 2024 YR4, discovered in December, has a 2.3% chance of hitting the Earth when it arrives in the planet’s vicinity on Dec. 22, 2032, NASA said last week.
The space rock is estimated to be about 150 to 300 feet wide….
In the unlikely event that 2024 YR4 does collide with Earth, it’ll hit the ground going about 38,000 mph, CNEOS [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies] said….
In 1908, an asteroid about 160-200 feet wide exploded in the air above the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Siberia. While it did not make impact, the force of the blast toppled 80 million trees across an area 830 square miles wide according to NASA.
President Trump has signed an Executive order allowing South African white Afrikaners to apply for refugee status.
Below see video evidence of why Afrikaners need to be able to flee the failing state of South Africa, where officials and party leaders openly call for the expropriation of their farms, for their murder, and for ethnic cleansing.*
Well, I was gonna let the “Neville Chamberlain” comparison slide, but something like that will probably be part of President Trump’s Legacy. So along with that and breaking news of him & his Administration now “backtracking” on the disastrous opening offer of ‘Nato membership and US security guarantees were off the table for Ukraine‘ in the negotiations__I will combine the two under one in the Weak category:
Strong:
1) Pre-Jan 20 was very well organized w/ Trump quiet. CoS Susie Wiles has done a great job!
2) Quickly picked Admin & staff pre-Jan 20.
3) Inauguration Day 2025 shows total preparation made by good leader – unlike being unprepared during his first term.
4) Moved fast on illegal immigration promises – plus lots of helpful EO’s.
5) Have to give Trump a Strong on his choice of Pete Hegseth as SoD – and solid work by the GOP Senate to get him confirmed!
6) Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues to expose government waste, cutting regulations, and restructuring federal agencies. Early impact has been *AMAZING*!
Weak:
1) Failed to end Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours.
2) Re-designates Iranian-backed Houthis as terrorists – lets Iran continue to back them!?!
3) neo called it an “unforced error” on Trump’s part. Most commenters agreed. ‘Twas an internet vision of Trump starring as the Hare in ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’. Horrid response to Air collision above the Potomac – horrid response to a National Tragedy. Probably doesn’t bode well for confidence in his future response/s to a National Emergency…?
4) Still early into the Breaking News about ‘Second Buddy’ Putin and President Trump opening negotiations on Ukraine’s future; however, if this is Trump’s opening move in the negotiations, it is an incredibly ill-informed and/or naive one. Thusly, such an opening deserves a spot under the Weak category on the Trump Tally…Geez!?
5) President Trump may have been a *BIG* ‘wheeling-dealing fish’ in the New York pond, but it is starting to look like he is outta his league in bigger waters. His opening negotiations with Putin has earned him a comparison to Neville Chamberlain—an unfortunate comparison that seems to be sticking. To make matters even worse, ‘US officials have backtracked’ – that will be President Trump backtracking on his ridiculous opening negotiation offer to Putin of ‘Nato membership and US security guarantees were off the table for Ukraine’.
P.S. The horrific events which justify refugee status for white Afrikaners are not new, but have been occurring for many years now.
Shorter Karmi: “I so admire Putin and his claque of oligarchs.”
The Other Chuck is sounding disoriently like a ‘blind and deaf fool‘ once again…
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Kari Lake just blew my mind.
We’ve always thought that the “protests” were astro-turfed, funded by leftist organizations. The sudden de-funding of leftist slush fund NGOs may be having an effect.
No surprises here, once that can o’ worms, otherwise known as USAID, was opened, shaken vigorously and turned inside out…
“…Foreign Leaders Want To Know Exactly How Far US Meddling Went In Their Own Backyards“—
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/forget-america-foreign-leaders-want-know-exactly-how-far-us-meddling-went-their-own
Trump Tally update – 2/13/25
Strong:
1) Pre-Jan 20 was very well organized w/ Trump quiet. CoS Susie Wiles has done a great job!
2) Quickly picked Admin & staff pre-Jan 20.
3) Inauguration Day 2025 shows total preparation made by good leader – unlike being unprepared during his first term.
4) Moved fast on illegal immigration promises – plus lots of helpful EO’s.
5) Have to give Trump a Strong on his choice of Pete Hegseth as SoD – and solid work by the GOP Senate to get him confirmed!
6) Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues to expose government waste, cutting regulations, and restructuring federal agencies. Early impact has been *AMAZING*!
Weak:
1) Failed to end Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours.
2) Re-designates Iranian-backed Houthis as terrorists – lets Iran continue to back them!?!
3) neo called it an “unforced error” on Trump’s part. Most commenters agreed. ‘Twas an internet vision of Trump starring as the Hare in ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’. Horrid response to Air collision above the Potomac – horrid response to a National Tragedy. Probably doesn’t bode well for confidence in his future response/s to a National Emergency…?
4) Still early into the Breaking News about ‘Second Buddy’ Putin and President Trump opening negotiations on Ukraine’s future; however, if this is Trump’s opening move in the negotiations, it is an incredibly ill-informed and/or naive one. Thusly, such an opening deserves a spot under the Weak category on the Trump Tally…Geez!?
gillei’s does a great version of beethoven
https://x.com/Oilfield_Rando/status/1890017210158256176
they have really drawn up the waterworks, ‘when you dial down the ambient noise;
Wait and see. Trump is laying ground work for both Z and P to find an escape hatch.
“UAE ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba backs Trump’s plan to expel Gaza’s population, calling it difficult but unavoidable despite global outrage over ethnic cleansing.”
link: https://x.com/clashreport/status/1889999166757380513
It’s too early to say whether the UAE is an outlier or not. Will any other Gulf states agree? What about Jordan and Egypt?
the UAE was a party to the Abraham Accords, they give sanctuary to some of the former Fatah people like Rajoub, who were expelled by Fatah, Emir Zayed was one of the targets of the Mueller Report, because reasons,
Laughing Kremlin Insiders Say Trump Has Given Putin Greenlight to Expand the War
you have to be more discriminating, julia davis formerly of the Times, would have a clue if it was dropped on her, re the earlier link, david milliband head of the irc, who makes boucoup books at our and the Foreign Office’s expense, is a former Parliament member the IRC’s current function is flooding Europe and America, with
immigrants, his father was a leading British Marxist,
Anyone expecting the Russia-Ukraine war to end by noon on 1/21/25 must be new to American politics. That was one of those promises that we older folk have seen so many time before and had no expectations of it happening like that.
You might as well have included (in the “weak” group) that inflation is still here and eggs cost a lot of money.
Looking like the Trump peace plan for Russia and Ukraine will require the latter to give up some of their territory – primarily the Crimea.
I have mixed feelings about this, because it will demonstrate to Putin that invading another nation will, in the end, prove successful to some degree if not entirely.
On the flip side, the Ukrainian military simply does not have the unlimited manpower that the Russians have to toss into the meat grinder, and there really is no way the Ukrainians have the ability to force the Russians from withdrawing from the territory they now hold.
A big lesson that Putin can take from all of this, is the reluctance of Europe to get engaged in a major way when Russia invades a sovereign nation on its own frontier.
Though Ukraine is not a NATO nation, the conflict does suggest that NATO, to some extent, is a paper tiger and will act in slow motion, and grudgingly at that , when faced with bold Russian aggression.
The Finns, Swedes, Poles and the Baltic Nations realize this and even though they are now all NATO members, they have begun raising their own military capabilities in the event of Russian aggression.
Let’s hope that whatever peace plan results, it does not repeat the ultimate result of the Sudetenland give away and the hope for “peace in our time.”
Once the US has taken Greenland, go nudge Japan and together seize the Kurils. Then? Shrug, and laugh.
Gerasimov’s very clever move, was a stupid mistake, that cost about a million lives, rounding off, now when we’ve restocked our arsenals that came to a very dangerous level, on not only the US but UK, we’ll be ready to challenge him,
in so far, there is any winner it was China, that stood off to the side, the North Korean gambit was stupid, but you encourage stupidity you get more of it,
Who wants to have to re-read Humphrey’s Executor? Really? Damnit. But ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
one of master milliband’s charity cases,
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/02/13/car-drives-into-crowd-in-munich-leaving-several-injured/
will the bundestag listen, after magdeberg, they started to
Hamas looked into the mirror, and saw Trump looking back at them. Seems (you never know with Hamas) they will now abide by the agreement, and release hostages on Sat.
And yet . . . https://x.com/COLRICHARDKEMP/status/1890069117732085976
If Russia has “unlimited” manpower why do they need North Korean bullet sponges and land mine detectors?
‘…”weak” group…’
Thass right.
If Trump were TRULY a strong president, those hens, in sheer terror, would have been laying extra-jumbo, double-yolks—non-stop, day and night—by Inauguration Day.
That DID NOT HAPPEN.
(PROOF of the—egg—pudding that Trump, for all his crowing, is really just a capon….)
– – – – – – – –
Kinda cool… but don’t try this at home…
https://blazingcatfur.ca/2025/02/13/wtf-3665/
I was kinda keen on this other encounter, Barry: https://x.com/AMAZlNGNATURE/status/1889956613248688541
Fast page loading today. Knock wood…
The “Woe is me” memes and posts are hitting facebook with a vengeance.
I just saw one that — while I feel for the family — is not entirely true. The person claimed that the non-profit who pays for supplemental vitamins and medicine for their child who has cystic fibrosis is closed.
I looked it up — there is nothing on their website or their facebook page that indicates that they have closed, or at lest temporarily shuttered. Their webpage has a ton of financial information (The officers make a s*** ton of money!) but not really where it comes from. Noodling around on the internet, it APPEARS like very little of their income comes from federal grants. They get some, but not that much.
Even if they get a lot of money from federal grants, they should still be able to operate for a little while.
BTW, their CEO makes almost $400,000. The CDO makes about $370,000. The COO and the Chief Foundation Program Officer make about $300,000 each. Their net revenue was $742,364,218. Their website CLAIMS that they get funding from corporations and private individuals.
If they are severely impacted by the graft being discovered in the Swamp, then they are lying about where they get their money from.
I feel for the woman with the child with CF. But I don’t think hysteria over things that may not have happened helps.
Gee, gee, gee whiz, that’s amazing!
In other news. RFK Jr. confirmed…
From ‘Russian state TV and radio stations’ grinning ear to ear and breaking ‘out into uproarious laughter’ on air – at President Trump’s childish display at negotiating – to President Trump now being compared to Hitler appeaser Neville Chamberlain!?! Sorry, but even circling the TCS Wagons around Trump can’t help him in this disaster he has created.
Now Putin is poised to invade Europe as Trump casts Ukraine aside: Spy chiefs warn Russia is preparing for large-scale war by 2030 – with president’s ‘peace talks’ compared to Chamberlain appeasing Hitler
Still too early to tell, but this National Security disaster is starting to ‘Smell’ like Trump has allowed his revengeful side against Ukraine to get the best of him for not giving him Biden’s head—at best!?!?!?!
“Putin poised to invade Europe”, oh pull the other one, it’s got bells on it. It’s not 1950. The “he’s the next Hitler card” got maxed out in 2003. Canada’s just as “poised” to invade the United States as Russia is to invade the EU.
“Spy chiefs” and “analysts” warning us huh, sounds legit! I believe they were warning us about Hunter’s laptop not too long ago…
Not to mention the quotes from Institute for the Study of War, founded in 2007 to flog the Iraq war! Bill Kristol, Kimberly Kagan and bunch of kids with the ink barely dried on their BAs, sounds legit.
I clicked on that link at the Daily Mail when I first saw it. The first “expert” quoted was John Bolton. Oh.
Allow me to deviate for a moment, or two…
Several weeks ago one of the commenters here mentioned the book “State of Fear” (Michael Critchton (sp?)) in reply to another’s post. Something like (paraphrase): You should read State of Fear”. My local library had it, so I did. [Some will disbelieve this since I am not renowned for taking sound advice.] Bottom line: great read, makes one think about a lot of things. It has a serious bibliography and appendix items. Sort of a textbook wrapped with a fictional story.
My point: To that commenter with the recommendation, Thank You.
Ooof, look out Green Monster, you’re in for a peppering: Bregman to the Sox.
Yeah, I don’t expect Putin is “poised to invade” much of anything at this point given the current state of the Russian military and their economy after 3 years of a grinding, stupid war. I’m not saying that Europe shouldn’t take sensible precautions with regard to strengthening their militaries and so forth. I’m just saying that Russia isn’t likely to be launching any new big invasions over the next few years.
Never Run Across A Pool Cover
neo:
I’ll see that and raise you:
___________________________________
Never hit your grandma with a shovel.
It makes a bad impression on her mind.
–Spike Jones, “Never Hit Your Grandma With A Shovel” (1942)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qHW883ypzY
Sudetenland: The comparison *might* be apt if by the time of the Munich accords Hilter had already had the equivalent of the Stalingrad loss.
John Bolton and Prof. Meirshiemer both need new Credibility Cards. Anti-gravitas.
Actually the moral of the video is:
Never run across a cheap pool cover.
I’m reminded of the time when I walked across the frozen Charles River under a full moon around midnight. It was a near-transcendent experience. It was so bright and silent in the middle of the metropolis.
Of course, that was the late 70s when Boston winters were obscenely cold.
Geez…looks like the Neville Chamberlain comparison is gonna stick.
Probably should add that to the Trump Tally but will give the President a little more time on that one…
huxley — I used to attend a conference that was held right before Christmas at the Copley Plaza. It was also a time when I also use to run regularly. I would get up bright and early before things began in order to do my run: From the Hotel over to the Esplanade, along the river, across the bridge, back down the other side of the river, across the Harvard Bridge and back to the hotel.
Looking now at a map, I am so surprised. It seems to be over a three and half mile run, and my memory is that it didn’t take that long. In my memory, the hotel was closer to the river. Anyhow, I really enjoyed it. I pretty much started my run about 5:00 am. It was nice and quite out, very little traffic and hardly any people.
This was in the 90s and it was purty darned cold. I had the best running tights that I had picked up in Ottawa. And I so enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed attending that conference. Great food, and a great location. And the room rates were really good. If the conference was still held there, I would sign up for it JUST to stay at the Copley. (Conference registration + room was less than the normal rates. But they move the conference all over now.)
Pool covers. There is the movie “Glass” by M. Night Shyamalan where Bruce Willis’ character falls into a pool with a cheap plastic cover on it. It’s a graphic scene of someone wrapped up in plastic in deep water.
As you most likely suspected… but had no inking of the massive scope of the op…
From “The Fish Stinks from the Head” File:
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/benz-and-rogan-expose-how-usaid-pushed-blacklists-independent-media-while-operating
Opening graf:
“Former State Department official-turned-truthsayer Mike Benz sat down with Joe Rogan for three hours this week, where the two went down the USAID rabbit hole.…”
So, something to consider: we’re learning more and more every day about the depth of corruption the Federal government has been participating in domestically. Perhaps it is just possible that our foreign policy has been at least equally corrupt? We’ve seen that a lot of the USAID money, spent here and abroad, has ended in the pockets of the politically connected, so what we do we expect to see when it comes to where our defense money is going, both at home and abroad?
in the 90s, in our vacation from history, that first clinton and then tony blair indulged in myriad ways, the post soviet triumphalism, where the likes of sachs* and summers, imposed shock therapy on the Former Soviet Union, and created the Oligarchs, what part Yeltsin really had in the matter, a small clique of robber barons arose, and the predators that are the Bratva, ‘thats what democracy looked like to the average Russian, this pattern manifested in all of the fmr Republics, whether
Azerbaijan, or Ukraine or Kazakhstan
*pretends to be a dissident voice,
because of the aboce turmoil, the Stavka, General Staff sought to distract the people with a small brushfire conflict,
in Chechnya,
Clinton was laser focused on the Palestinian mirage, and forced Rabin into it, with all the consequences that stemmed from that, he honestly thought Arafat was an honorable man, or maybe there were other reasons, so the Oslo mirage was born, but for some like the figures behind Islamic Resistance, that wasn’t sufficient, so outfits like CAIR were devised to push the erasure of Israel ‘by any means necessary,
Bin Laden, had similar ambitions from his relatively small part in Operation Cyclone,
to topple the kingdoms and republics he didn’t consider sufficiently devout,
llke an ambitious banker, he supported projects in the Balkans in the Caucasus, and East Africa where he was ensconced
in our own hemisphere we ignored the threat posed by Chavez at our peril, his influened suborned
friendly regimes all through out Central America, and by the 90s, some of the bigger prizes in South America,
As those who’ve read my comments here know, a fan of Trump I’m not. But he is a genius at negotiating, wrote a best selling book about it, and managed to win his current office against overwhelming odds including assassination attempts. So for anyone who thinks he’s given away the store to Putin before any actual peace conference begins, you are a fool. No worse, you’re a blind and deaf fool.
Going into this Trump has already laid out a plan of action, got multiple directions he can go if any one part of the plan fails, and has anticipated his opponent’s counter moves before any firm position is stated. To him this isn’t a chess game. It’s the essence of a man who made his fortune dealing in a corrupt gangster environment with politicians on the take, shady businessmen, and threats to his life culminating in his near death. He won’t ask Putin any question unless he knows the likely answer in advance. Nor will he offer any “concession” unless it’s to his advantage.
Negotiating? Trump is the master.
CAIR first surfaced in a speaking tour of a number of universities in 94, they seemed sketchy to me, they were largely an astroturfed organization financed through emirate and saudi money, they seem to be apologists for terrorism, whether in New York, or the Levant or other places,
in the 90s, those of us in South Florida foolishly thought like Fukuyama, the end of history, or arguments about communism in our hemisphere, of course the Western Europeans, the same sort behind UNWRA, jumped in to bail out the Castro regime, the Chavez opportunity to replicate the same ideological progression, was too rich an opportunity, to pass up, through the ballot rather than the bullet,
now the minor point of how the wiley CAP promised populism to return to power, and then delivered shock in it’s CAracazo, is a fish of a different sort, the coup came about two years, later
To [Trump] this isn’t a chess game. It’s the essence of a man who made his fortune dealing in a corrupt gangster environment with politicians on the take, shady businessmen, and threats to his life culminating in his near death.
The Other Chuck:
Well put.
An observation about Russia’s economy after three years of war.
“All of these factors exacerbate mid- and long-term risks, stemming from unsustainable growth, technological backwardness, and labor-force depletion. If (or when) the war in Ukraine ends — and even if it continues — Russia’s dependence on military spending, low-tech exports, and high inflation may lead to economic stagnation of the kind seen in the Soviet Union in the 1980s.”
For more, read the whole thing:
https://cepa.org/comprehensive-reports/addicted-to-war-undermining-russias-economy/
We know the state of the economy in the 1980s led to the breakup of the USSR.
Also, Russia has been selling oil and gas to India, when, for some insane climate change reason, Biden would not. Today Prime Minister Modi met with POTUS Trump and announced that India would be buying oil and gas from the U.S. as well as military equipment. Russia is losing a customer.
Modi and Trump get along well and are determined to keep peace in the Indo-Pacific region. Hmm, sounds like the Axis of Evil may be looking at another adversary – the world’s largest democracy.
I think Trump is getting his ducks lined up to negotiate with Putin.
Well said, Other Chuck!
Asteroid 2024 YR4 could hit Earth in 2032, NASA says
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/13/asteroid-2024-yr4-could-hit-earth-2032-nasa-says/
President Trump has signed an Executive order allowing South African white Afrikaners to apply for refugee status.
Below see video evidence of why Afrikaners need to be able to flee the failing state of South Africa, where officials and party leaders openly call for the expropriation of their farms, for their murder, and for ethnic cleansing.*
* See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqTUkcpFmFw
Trump Tally update – 2/14/25
Well, I was gonna let the “Neville Chamberlain” comparison slide, but something like that will probably be part of President Trump’s Legacy. So along with that and breaking news of him & his Administration now “backtracking” on the disastrous opening offer of ‘Nato membership and US security guarantees were off the table for Ukraine‘ in the negotiations__I will combine the two under one in the Weak category:
Strong:
1) Pre-Jan 20 was very well organized w/ Trump quiet. CoS Susie Wiles has done a great job!
2) Quickly picked Admin & staff pre-Jan 20.
3) Inauguration Day 2025 shows total preparation made by good leader – unlike being unprepared during his first term.
4) Moved fast on illegal immigration promises – plus lots of helpful EO’s.
5) Have to give Trump a Strong on his choice of Pete Hegseth as SoD – and solid work by the GOP Senate to get him confirmed!
6) Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues to expose government waste, cutting regulations, and restructuring federal agencies. Early impact has been *AMAZING*!
Weak:
1) Failed to end Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours.
2) Re-designates Iranian-backed Houthis as terrorists – lets Iran continue to back them!?!
3) neo called it an “unforced error” on Trump’s part. Most commenters agreed. ‘Twas an internet vision of Trump starring as the Hare in ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’. Horrid response to Air collision above the Potomac – horrid response to a National Tragedy. Probably doesn’t bode well for confidence in his future response/s to a National Emergency…?
4) Still early into the Breaking News about ‘Second Buddy’ Putin and President Trump opening negotiations on Ukraine’s future; however, if this is Trump’s opening move in the negotiations, it is an incredibly ill-informed and/or naive one. Thusly, such an opening deserves a spot under the Weak category on the Trump Tally…Geez!?
5) President Trump may have been a *BIG* ‘wheeling-dealing fish’ in the New York pond, but it is starting to look like he is outta his league in bigger waters. His opening negotiations with Putin has earned him a comparison to Neville Chamberlain—an unfortunate comparison that seems to be sticking. To make matters even worse, ‘US officials have backtracked’ – that will be President Trump backtracking on his ridiculous opening negotiation offer to Putin of ‘Nato membership and US security guarantees were off the table for Ukraine’.
P.S. The horrific events which justify refugee status for white Afrikaners are not new, but have been occurring for many years now.
Shorter Karmi: “I so admire Putin and his claque of oligarchs.”
The Other Chuck is sounding disoriently like a ‘blind and deaf fool‘ once again…