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Most Americans Shrug Off Badgering that They Take the New Coronavirus ‘Bivalent’ Booster Shot

By Adam Dick | Ron Paul Institute | September 26, 2022

In the face of incessant media badgering to rush out and take the latest version of experimental coronavirus “vaccine” shot — the “bivalent” booster, the vast majority of Americans are saying “nope” and continuing on with their lives. Three weeks into the all-out push to have every American over 12 years old take the new shot (giving these new booster shots to younger children is up next), it appears that less than two percent of eligible Americans have done so.

The growing resistance to the coronavirus shots pushers’ propaganda gives one hope for America. With each new experimental coronavirus shot Americans are being urged to take, the percentage who acquiesce declines. The line that the shots are needed, safe, and effective has proven a farce on all counts. And the latest shot rushed into distribution has taken the previous shots’ mockery of the process for ensuring safety and efficacy to the next level. The truth is out there; increasingly Americans are seeing past the media hype and finding it.

September 26, 2022 Posted by | Science and Pseudo-Science | , | 1 Comment

YouTube CEO is questioned over censorship of US Senator

By Dan Frieth | Reclaim The Net | September 24, 2022

In a letter to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, Senator Ron Johnson demanded answers on the platform’s COVID-19 moderation policies because of repeated censorship of a sitting senator.

“YouTube has displayed a troubling track record of censoring a sitting United States Senator, the proceedings of the United States Senate, journalists that interview me, and the display of data that is entirely generated from U.S. government health agencies,” Johnson wrote.

We obtained a copy of the letter for you here.

The Wisconsin Republican and ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee asked YouTube to provide the committee with documents “concerning the development and implementation” of its COVID-19 content moderation policies.

The letter highlights several cases, starting in October 2021, where YouTube censored content or suspended the senator.

Johnson also noted that YouTube is not fair in applying its moderation policies, something that was highlighted when the platform’s chief product officer Neal Mohan testified before the Senate on September 14.

“I read the following two quotes that President Biden said on July 21, 2021. The first was, ‘You’re not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations.’ The second was, ‘If you’re vaccinated, you’re not going to be hospitalized, you’re not going to be in an ICU unit, and you’re not going to die,’” the senator recounts in his letter.

“There is no doubt that these two statements are false. I asked Mr. Mohan and the witnesses from the other social media companies whether your companies ever flagged President Biden as a spreader of misinformation. No one even attempted to answer my question.”

The letter demands external and internal communications related to each incident where he was censored.

September 26, 2022 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Full Spectrum Dominance | , , , | Leave a comment

PayPal Could Be Legally Prevented From Banning People For Their Political Views

By Paul Joseph Watson | Summit News | September 26, 2022

Although PayPal has been banning conservatives and right-wingers for years, its recent move to terminate accounts operated by the Free Speech Union and other groups in the UK that opposed lockdowns and vaccine mandates has apparently been a step too far.

Following the controversy, dozens of Conservative Party MPs, including Michael Gove, David Davis and Sir Iain Duncan Smith, signed an open letter to Jacob Rees-Mogg’s Business Department demanding that PayPal be legally barred from imposing discriminatory practices.

The letter asserts that it is “hard to avoid construing PayPal’s actions as an orchestrated, politically motivated move to silence critical or dissenting views on these topics within the U.K.”

This morning, the London Times also published a powerful piece by Jawad Iqbal which highlighted the dangers of allowing PayPal to abuse such powers.

“This is censorship by corporate diktat: the company sets its own rules and interprets them as it sees fit. It appears oblivious to the notion that it is wrong in principle to withdraw vital services from people because of their political views. Would it be acceptable for a supermarket to refuse to serve a customer because of their politics or for a high street bank to refuse to make a payment to a company it deemed politically objectionable?” asked Iqbal.

After questions were asked in Parliament about the issue, a new law could be on the cards that would put an end to PayPal’s crusade against dissident viewpoints.

“Conservative backbenchers are considering launching an amendment to upcoming financial legislation in the House of Commons that would ban companies from freezing campaigners’ accounts,” reports the Telegraph.

“One source said ministers are likely to accept the amendment to the law because Conservative backbenchers will support it.”

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has also demanded answers from PayPal.

The familiar old argument from leftists, who apparently now vehemently support monopolistic transnational corporations using their might and vast resources to impose censorship, is that “PayPal is a private company and can ban who it wants.”

However, at least in the UK, that isn’t strictly true.

PayPal is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which mandates “All firms must be able to show consistently that fair treatment of customers is at the heart of their business model.”

Fair treatment of customers clearly isn’t at the heart of PayPal’s business model, it’s literally the exact opposite.

September 26, 2022 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Full Spectrum Dominance | , | Leave a comment

The Spoils of War

By Eamon McKinney | Strategic Culture Foundation | September 25, 2022

“The spoils of war” normally refers to the plunder extracted from enemies during and after a conflict. However, in light of recent revelations the assumption that wartime plunder is only visited on “enemies” needs to be re-evaluated. While the Empire’s supposed “ally” Ukraine has already been lined up to be dismantled and pillaged by the Western financial powers post war, it seems as if the resources of the Ukraine will not be sufficient to satisfy the American Empire’s insatiable greed. A recently leaked document from American think tank, The Rand Corporation outlines clearly the next stage in the planned destruction of Europe, where friend and foe alike are fair game for the Cabal’s limitless avarice.

The Rand Corp was established in 1946, it is one of many such think tanks the U.S. establishment outsources its thinking to. Made famous by the “Pentagon papers” leak during the Vietnam war, its role in the planning, operation and continuance of that genocidal conflict left few in any doubt whose interests it serves. Funded primarily by the Pentagon, the U.S. Army and the Air Force, it claims that it is non-partisan, meaning that regardless of the incumbent political party, it serves the permanent government, the deep state.

The strategies for the current conflict were drawn up by Rand back in May 2019. Titled “Overextending and Unbalancing Russia”, it follows the Cold War thinking that successfully bankrupted and brought down the former Soviet Union. Firstly, it states that “Russia must be attacked and its most vulnerable point, that of its oil and gas exports which underpin its economy”. To this end “financial and commercial sanctions must be used, and the same time European countries must be made to decrease the importation of Russian gas and replace it with U.S. supplied liquified natural gas”. So, no conflict of interests here.

It goes on to state that “providing lethal aid to Ukraine will exploit Russia’s vulnerability and force it pay a high cost for the war, calibrated to harm Russia without it leading to a wider conflict”. No mention of any “human cost” associated with their plan, for the sociopathic Rand Corp, collateral damage is just the cost of doing business. The simplistic worldview promoted by Rand rarely considers the law of unintended consequences, such as Russia’s destruction of more than 2000 military bases constructed by the west in the eight year build-up in the Ukraine. It completely underestimated Russia’s military might and strategic savvy, and seemed baffled and disappointed that Russia wasn’t fighting the war the way Rand envisaged. Neither did it anticipate the fact that most of the world’s nations declined to join in the American sanctions, which rather than harm Russia’s economy only served to elevate it to new highs. It seems in Washington you still get to call yourself a think tank, even when you are always wrong.

But the Rand Corp has a larger vision. In another recently leaked report from Rand they outlined how the U.S. intends to further profit from Europe’s misery. Titled, “Weakening Germany, Strengthening U.S.” it posits that “there is an urgent need for an influx of resources from outside to maintain the economy, particularly the banking sector” It further states that “Only European countries, bound by EU and NATO commitments can provide these without significant military and political costs to us” Despite the manufactured appearance of close bonds between the EU and the U.S., the latter has become increasingly concerned about their ability to control their European “allies”. Absent the British influence in the EU post-Brexit, the Europeans, particularly Germany and France, it worried may be developing some independent thought and may in time “develop into an American competitor, both politically and economically”.

“Stopping Russian supplies could create a systematic crisis that could have a devastating effect on the German economy and indirectly on the European Union as a whole. The only possible way to ensure Germany rejects Russian energy is to draw it into a military conflict in the Ukraine”. So states the Rand report, that part they got right. So now a beleaguered Germany limps obediently towards its imminent destruction and plunder. A once proud country with a dynamic and thriving industrial sector is now led by fools, traitors and ideologues, all who lack the spine to stand up for the interests of the German people. The Nordstream 2 pipeline would have served the German people and its economy, yet German politicians refused to bring it online, because America told them to. It will be a leaderless Germany that will be the first to be sacrificed and plundered in the service of “American interests”. Yet even the enormous wealth of the German state alone is unlikely to sate Americas appetite.

After Germany which of Americas “allies” will be next to experience the warm embrace of American friendship? France? Holland? Italy? Any country with resources that America thinks can help prop up its own failing economy, is likely already in the crosshairs of American greed. American financial policies have ensured that all the nations it considered in its sphere of influence will suffer mightily in the coming meltdown. Japan, South Korea, and even remote Australia all have resources, natural and otherwise that can be plucked out of bankruptcy at pennies on the dollar. After all, a good crisis cannot be allowed to go to waste, particularly when the crisis was designed for that very purpose.

Henry Kissinger said many years ago, “America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests,” these interests of which the reviled Kissinger spoke, are decidedly not the interests of the American people who have already been looted to breaking point. They are the financial and corporate interests, the same interests on whose behalf all America’s wars and interventions are fought. The “one indispensable nation”, to whom everyone and everything is dispensable, considers anything it sees as its to take.

America has underestimated Putin’s Russia, and Europe as a whole will suffer disastrous consequences as a result. But it has also underestimated the Europeans. If it thinks the limp-wristed European political class is representative of the European people, it has a major surprise coming. Years of malaise and political apathy have put the EU nations into a stupor that has allowed a corrupt class of obedient simpletons to achieve political power. The effects of the Ukrainian conflict are now being felt hard and that anger will be on full display as temperatures continue to drop. The previously docile European people are angry, very angry and the Rand Corp and the masters it serves will soon discover that despite their attempts, Europe is not yet a weak third world country incapable of resistance.

September 26, 2022 Posted by | Economics, Militarism, Timeless or most popular | , , , , , | 3 Comments

Former US Congressman Ron Paul mocks US neocon ties to Iran riots ‘leader’

Press TV – September 26, 2022

Former US Congressman Ron Paul has mocked the claim that a US-government-hired Iranian opposition figure is “leading” what Washington is projecting as a “freedom” movement in Iran amid deadly riots over the death of a young woman.

In a Twitter post on Monday, Paul pointed to the close ties between Masih Alinejad — a commentator for Washington’s official Persian language propaganda network Voice of America (VOA) – and the ultra-rightwing neoconservative elements (neocons) in US politics and ridiculed the notion as “totally legit.”

“Doesn’t it strike anyone as strange that the “leader” of this “freedom” movement in Iran is a US government employee and bosom buddy of the neocons? But hey, sure, it’s totally legit…,” the ex-lawmaker wrote, posting a photo of Alinejad with former hawkish US Secretary of State and CIA Director, Mike Pompeo.

The deadly riots, backed by the Western regimes, in the past week in many Iranian cities have seen armed rioters beating and killing police officers, public works servants as well as ordinary civilians while vandalizing banks and other public and private properties.

The riots — also sponsored and encourage by terrorist groups, such as the Komola, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the Paris-based MKO, as well as UK-based propaganda media networks like the state-funded BBC and the Saudi-financed Iran International – started after the death of an Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, during her brief detention in Tehran by law enforcement officers for failing to adequately observe hijab.

Police authorities in Tehran insist that Amini was not mistreated by law-enforcement personnel, and released video footage showing that she suddenly fainted while attending an educational workshop on the proper observance of the country’s dress code regulations.

After initial peaceful protests demanding official explanations surrounding the circumstances of Amini’s death, foreign-based anti-Iran media outlets as well as opposition and terrorist leaders used it as an opportunity to incite violent riots across Iran.

Meanwhile, investigations to ascertain the cause of Amini’s death are underway with results likely to be made public in a couple of weeks.

On Sunday, millions of Iranians took part in countrywide demonstrations condemning recent riots and foreign sponsorship of violence and vandalism.

The demonstrators reaffirmed their support and allegiance to the Islamic Revolution and raised vociferous slogans against West-backed rabble-rousers.

See also:

CT scan says Mahsa was not hit; BBC says she was brutally killed

September 26, 2022 Posted by | Mainstream Media, Warmongering | , | 2 Comments

Europe’s Biggest Enemy Isn’t Russia Nor Islamic Terrorism, but Israel

By Martin Jay | Strategic Culture Foundation | September 25, 2022

When Joe Biden took office, many pundits said that at least relations between the U.S. and EU would be restored. But the Iran deal is the ultimate test of just how much he loves the old continent.

Just how far will Israel go to scupper the so-called Iran deal from being signed by both Iran and the West? And will it play a fair game or use underhand and covert tactics to achieve its goal of the deal never being signed? Recently, we have seen the talks in Vienna progress as even the Americans say that certain key negotiating points have been taken out of the deal from the Iranians which has made the negotiations move closer to an agreement; we have also seen though Israel pulling out all the stops, from a PR and lobbying perspective at least.

And then there is the murky subject of skullduggery to destroy the talks. If you’re one of these people who believes in fairies at the bottom of the garden or that certain toothpastes can make your teeth whiter, then you might not buy into Israel using Mossad to derail the deal. Attacks on U.S. forces for example in Iraq, supposedly carried out by Iran-backed militias would normally have most people pointing the finger at Iran, proclaiming that Tehran is not at all serious about the deal but just playing along for time so that it can roll out a nuclear bomb. Then there is the curious case of the Salman Rushdie attack, which, again, many would point out could be attributed to the Iranians who still have a very much ‘alive’ fatwa against the British writer. Indeed, even the Supreme Leader is reported to have made a comment against Rushdie when he heard of the knife attack.

Given even the Israeli media have speculated that Mossad did it, it would be easy to conclude an open and shut case right?

Yet the author believes, like the 9/11 attacks in New York, which was the dirty work of Mossad, that these previous attacks can also be attributed to the Israelis who may well be plotting a bigger attack in the U.S. which Iran can be framed for; in fact, Americans are so ignorant of Islam or anything to do with the Arab world, that such an attack doesn’t even need to be linked to Iran but simply “Islamic terrorists” which might have tenuous links with Tehran.

There is no limit for Israel in terms of how far it can go to block the deal as the elite there believes that the Iran deal would exponentially boost Tehran’s power given the impact of sanctions relief on the economy. But the emergence of Iran as a regional player, economically, will always be a threat to Israel especially as it throws the spotlight on the once pariah state and many will see the fraud of hatred between Israel and Iran for what it is. Just as for decades the West goaded the Gulf States about Iran, installing fear to such a point that it was America and the UK who cleaned up on weapons sales, Israel needs to keep this yarn alive that Iran is the threat both for internal politics with their own people and also to justify the obscene amount of military aid which is sent to Israel each year. But any hack in Lebanon who has connections with Hezbollah will tell you that this threat is phoney and that both sides have enormous respect for one another; in reality both sides are fooling their own people into buying into the threat of an attack as it’s good for political support. The recent claims by Matthew Levitt in the Israeli media for example that Hezbollah wants to start some skirmishes with Israel can’t be taken seriously from those who are close to the Shiite group in Lebanon who say simply that Hezbollah is too scared to do such a thing off its own bat; being directed by the Supreme Leader in Iran though is another matter.

Hezbollah and Indeed Israel’s game of smoke and mirrors in Lebanon makes some pundits question whether Iran is really serious about reaching out for a deal with the west to lift its sanctions, or just playing us all along to win time? Surely Israel can’t have it both ways as its desperate antics of late tend to contradict themselves.

Hezbollah serves Israel well as the latter can focus more of defence spending and other such border initiatives in preference for being held more accountable for its governance. For Hezbollah it’s exactly the same. The threat of Israel launching an attack, once again, is the very bedrock of Hezbollah support in Lebanon. Without that threat, the Shia group may well lose half of its support overnight. This is one of the reasons why Israel continues to bomb Syria, targeting Iranian and Hezbollah activities: to keep the dream alive. It’s another reason why Hezbollah has a despondent enthusiasm towards Lebanon securing gas drilling rights close to Israel’s maritime border.

Yet in this time of Europe’s economies diving into recessions, we should ask ourselves what is the bigger picture? If Israel fails to derail the Iran talks and once again the Iranians get a deal which appeases the Americans, then certainly their economy in Iran will return to the billion dollars a month trade with the EU. One minor detail though which is overlooked and carefully airbrushed out of mainstream media’s narrative is the impact on Europe if the deal goes ahead. Cheap Iranian oil being sent to most EU countries which are really suffering from the shortages of oil and gas and its present market price could be a godsend and would enrage the Israelis even further. Europeans and even the British would look at Iran through a more favourable prism. Many would argue that Iran should be brought back in from the cold, in preference to the loathing of Putin and the hatred generally towards Russia. At least we can talk to the Iranians, many will argue. This notion cannot have escaped the attention of the EU dogs of war in Brussels who seem to be detached from all realities about the Ukrainian war and their sanctions towards Russia. Is it that they are banking on cheap oil from Iran saving EU economies? Biden too must have been advised of how things will pan out. But cheap oil for EU countries doesn’t favour the U.S. directly whereas letting the Europeans sink in their own demise will actually boost the U.S. economy according to the Washington Post, So much for the special relationship with Europe. For both Israel and Washington.

September 26, 2022 Posted by | Economics, False Flag Terrorism | , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Industrialist: ‘The Americans control everything in the background’

Free West Media | September 26, 2022

German industrialist Wolfgang Grupp, the CEO of textile giant Trigema, does not understand why Germans suddenly see Vladimir Putin as a mortal enemy. He believes that the US is controlling everything in the background and are the only winners of this war.

The head of the textile manufacturer has taken a stand on the Ukraine war in an interview with BW24.de. Grupp told the portal, “I don’t understand how you can be best friends with Mr Putin for 20 years, be 100 percent dependent on him and within two months you are mortal enemies! That doesn’t make sense.”

Something must have been going on for some time, Grupp suggested. The company patriarch believes that “the Americans are controlling everything in the background so that it remains a world power.” The US, he said, was the only winner in this war.

Grupp: ‘Supplying weapons to Ukraine with great fanfare’

Grupp goes on to say in the interview: “If we deliver weapons to Ukraine with great fanfare for billions and at the same time say: No problem, the citizens and the economy have to pay for it. These are statements that I cannot understand.” He said he had never experienced “ending a dispute by giving one a bigger knife and the other a bigger axe.”

Grupp instead insists on negotiations with Putin. Otherwise, he said, the war could not be ended. His company, said the entrepreneur, has a high financial burden due to the war. Recently he said in an interview with FOCUS online that his costs for gas had increased tenfold in the past two years. He told BW24.de that he was being “punished” for switching to gas.

No slave labour

The textile industry has been mired in controversy because it uses slave labour, overseas sweatshops and a “fast fashion” business model that encourages huge waste and unsustainable consumption. Grupp has avoided these issues through a long-term commitment to manufacturing textiles entirely in Germany – and more specifically, in Burladingen, Schwabia, where its factory is based.

Unlike the vast majority of other textile firms and international clothing brands, Trigema does not outsource any of its production overseas and only imports responsibly sourced cotton. Trigema has been wholly owned by Grupp for more than 50 years.

Grupp is free to voice such an opinion because being the sole owner using 100 percent of his own capital means Grupp is not beholden to any influence from banks or shareholders. It is Germany’s largest manufacturer of t-shirts, sweatshirts and tennis clothing.

‘Old values’

Grupp is considered a man of conservative values ​​such as responsibility, respect and decency. He is personally liable for Trigema – which is somewhat of a rarity these days.

With reference to current corporatist notions, the company patriarch, who turned 80 this year, explained: “Cash in when things are going well and leave losses to the taxpayer in difficult times, that certainly shouldn’t be done!

“Our world is so crazy. I appreciate the old values, I’m traditional. I am responsible for everything, I guarantee jobs.”

Greens bring ‘war and poverty’

The Scholz administration is clinging to its ideological aberrations. In a bill intended to implement an EU directive, the Treasury Department earlier underwrote a 66 billion loan authorization for KfW to provide support to energy companies.

The KfW is a German state-owned investment and development bank, based in Frankfurt. As of 2014, it is the world’s largest national development bank and Germany’s third largest bank in terms of its balance sheet.

Martin Reichardt, AfD state chairman of Saxony-Anhalt and member of the federal executive board, exposed the government’s justification for the additional credit authorization as scandalous: “The credit authorization is necessary so that the confidence of business and the public in the federal government’s packages of measures is not damaged.” The damage to citizens however is huge.

“Those who vote for the Greens choose war and poverty,” according to Reichardt.

The crisis is picking up speed

Fifty  percent of trading companies are threatened by the government’s policies. Every second company in Germany is now facing existential hardships. This was the result of a recent survey by the German Retail Association (HDE) among 900 companies in the retail sector.

The main reason for the development is energy costs, which have risen by an average of 150 percent since the beginning of the year. Stefan Genth, General Manager of the HDE, explains: “On the one hand, energy prices are rising enormously, on the other hand, most of them cannot simply pass the costs on to customers due to the tough competition.”

In addition, there are the additional cost increases due to the Russia sanctions – they too are a direct consequence of the policy of the federal government.

Only 14 percent of those surveyed can add some or all of the rising energy costs to consumer prices. Almost a quarter of the survey participants expect to have to close their own business within the next twelve months. The situation is particularly tense among bicycle dealers, dealers in household appliances and consumer electronics.

Meanwhile, the food industry is already warning of the acute danger of food shortages. “There are significant supply gaps in the daily food supply for people in Germany. The situation is more than serious,” an open letter from the industry warned, which was initiated by the German Frozen Food Institute (DTI) and the Association of German Cold Stores and Cold Logistics Companies (VDKL). Five other industry associations signed the letter, which was addressed to Chancellor Scholz, Federal Minister of Economics Habeck and Minister of Agriculture Özdemir.

The companies now fear that production lines will soon come to a standstill and that refrigerated logistics centers for food distribution will be closed. “The food industry is currently experiencing the worst crisis since the end of the Second World War,” it continued. “The situation is tense and the load limit has been reached, so the companies have to reduce their ranges in an emergency.”

Here, too, the dramatic rise in prices for electricity and gas supply due to sanctions is cited as the reason for the catastrophic situation.

September 26, 2022 Posted by | Economics, Russophobia | , | 1 Comment

US Hard at Work Preparing Taiwan for War with China

By Vladimir Platov – New Eastern Outlook – 26.09.2022

The years leading up to World War I and World War II are often referred to by historians as “diplomatic fever,” because of active mobilization of several powers around the world in both overt and covert alliances. However, such activity was not aimed at preventing conflict, but solely at strengthening their position ahead of the impending war which was their goal all along.

Unfortunately, something similar can be seen in US behavior of late, both in terms of “joining forces” on Washington’s possible European battlefront against Russia, and in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) in confronting China. US recent policies and actions – on the eve of the Chinese Communist Party Congress – have been characterized by the creation of anti-Chinese blocs, unprecedented large-scale exercises in the APAC and close to Chinese borders, and various provocations.

After a provocative visit to Taiwan by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi in early August, the situation around the island, as well as relations between China and the US in general, escalated. China, which considers the island one of its provinces, condemned the visit, seeing it as support by the United States for Taiwanese separatism.

In the interest of containing China, the White House is provoking tensions around the island of Taiwan, blatantly violating the One China principle, which the Americans once accepted as one of the main conditions for normalizing US-China relations. In pursuing the the anti-China strategy, during August alone four delegations with representatives from the US political establishment at various levels travelled to Taiwan. Apparently in coordination with Washington, a number of European Union political delegations also paid provocative visits to Taiwan and showed support for Beijing’s opponents on the island.

Simultaneously with the political anti-Beijing demarches, immediately after Nancy Pelosi’s visit, Chinese territorial waters in the Taiwan Strait began to be violated more frequently by US naval vessels under the pretext of freedom of navigation. On August 27, for example, two US naval vessels, the missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville, made a demonstrative and provocative passage through the Taiwan Strait, which the Chinese Foreign Ministry strongly opposed. To thwart any further provocation by the US, China’s Army has been put on high alert, according to Shi Yi, an official of the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). On August 28, Taiwan’s Armed Forces recorded the sighting of 23 PLA aircraft and eight PLA ships in sea and airspace near Taiwan.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian commented on Washington’s provocation on August 29. “US naval vessels flying the flag of freedom of navigation are carrying out a show of force. This is not a commitment to freedom of navigation, but a provocation against it and deliberate harm to peace and stability in the region. The Chinese side again calls on the US to stop emasculating, diluting and perverting the One China principle, strictly respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries and basic international norms on non-interference in the internal affairs of states, and effectively implement the provisions of the three Chinese-US joint communiqués.”

Continuing to escalate the situation around Taiwan, US authorities in early September announced their intention to sell $1.1 billion worth of weapons and military equipment to Taiwan.

At the same time, the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations approved a bill on September 14 that would provide for a comprehensive expansion of support to Taiwan, including military support. As well as imposing sanctions on Beijing under the pretext of seeking to preserve stability in the Asia-Pacific region, said the Committee’s senior Republican, Jim Risch, commenting on the vote. In essence, this initiative by US lawmakers seeks to revise US policy towards Taiwan and, by extension, mainland China. The bill would make Taiwan a “major non-NATO ally” of the United States, increasing its military aid (not just defensive but also offensive weapons, including missiles) to $4.5 billion over the next four years, making it the largest recipient after Israel, Egypt and Ukraine. China has already said that, if passed, the new bill would come as a shock to US-China relations. And China’s Ambassador to the US, Qin Gang, told Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in a meeting on August 23 that Chinese-US relations would be severed if the law went into effect.

Covering up his aggressive policy towards China with the alleged possibility of a Chinese “invasion” of Taiwan, US President Joe Biden assured in an interview with CBS that the US military would stand up to defend Taiwan.

However, by pushing China into military action, the US, Bloomberg estimates, could find itself in a terrible position in the event of a conflict with China within months or even weeks of the outbreak of hostilities. Pentagon arsenals are empty because of significant arms deliveries to Kiev. And China’s Army today is very technically equipped. Defending Taiwan will therefore be very costly, with the United States having to pay a prohibitive price in both personnel and equipment.

The US Navy is now poorly prepared, inferior in numbers to the Chinese, and US naval bases are underprepared, former US Navy Rear Admiral Charles Williams pointed out in an article for The Hill. Furthermore, the US can no longer act on two fronts; against Russia and China at the same time.

The Times also warns that the United States would suffer heavy losses and take years to recover from an open conflict with the PRC, citing analysis by the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies. In particular, its analysts predict that the US will lose a significant portion of its fleet and some 900 combat aircraft defending Taiwan against China.

In confronting China, regional allies are unlikely to help the US, and even Germany, which intends, according to remarks made in early September by Inspector General of the Bundeswehr General Eberhard Zorn, to “increase its military presence in the Indo-Pacific region to contain China.”

Despite these provocative actions by Washington and Taipei’s push for military action, the PRC government has reaffirmed its determination to pursue national reunification with Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning reiterated the other day that the Taiwan issue is strictly an internal Chinese matter and the US has no right to interfere in it.

September 26, 2022 Posted by | Militarism | , , | Leave a comment

Russian methanol industry shutting down – Kommersant

Samizdat | September 26, 2022

Methanol output in Russia has fallen to minimum levels necessary to keep production plants functioning, business daily Kommersant reported on Monday.

Suspension of trade with customers in Europe and a drop in domestic demand are forcing producers to dramatically reduce output and sell their produce to China at a knockdown price, the paper writes, citing its sources.

In 2020 Russia was the world’s fourth-largest methanol supplier, accounting for 10% of global exports, according to economic data portal TrendEconomy. Among top methanol importers are China, the US and India.

Methanol, the simplest alcohol, can be obtained from natural gas and has a variety of industrial uses. It’s a chemical building block for plastics, paints and building materials and also widely used in the car industry and as a fuel.

There are nine methanol producers in Russia with a combined output of 4.5 million tons a year with nearly half going for export, according to Kommersant. Last year the sector saw rapid growth against a backdrop of high global prices, and Russian companies had plans for further expansion. Russia’s main customer was the EU, and though methanol itself was not targeted by sanctions, transporting it by sea via EU ports became problematic due to shipping restrictions imposed by the bloc. Demand for methanol in China has slowed as well due to the country’s zero-Covid policy and subsequent lockdowns.

Methanol producers want to avoid closing plants completely as restarting them would be costly, however, some factories have already been partially shuttered, Kommersant writes.

September 26, 2022 Posted by | Economics, Malthusian Ideology, Phony Scarcity | , | Leave a comment

ENERGY CRISIS: FLATTEN THE CURVE… AGAIN

Dave Cullen | September 13, 2022

Sources:

https://www.independent.ie/business/budget/mandatory-cuts-in-electricity-use-during-peak-hours-eu-reveals-energy-crisis-plan-41968860.html

https://greatreset.com/

https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/ireland-facing-difficult-winter-eamon-25096124

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/energy-and-resources/electricity-shortage-brought-ireland-close-to-power-cuts-1.4451830

https://worldakkam.com/german-economy-minister-faces-criticism-over-bankruptcy-comments/913292/

September 26, 2022 Posted by | Malthusian Ideology, Phony Scarcity, Timeless or most popular, Video | , | 2 Comments

PayPal shuts account of group who fought to keep schools open during pandemic

By Cindy Harper | Reclaim The Net | September 22, 2022

UsForThem, a UK parents’ group that campaigned to keep schools open during the pandemic, has been banned from PayPal because of “the nature of its activities.” The group says that after the ban, it is unable to access thousands of pounds in donations.

“We were completely taken aback to learn that PayPal was discontinuing our services ‘due to the nature of [our] activities’. No prior warning or meaningful explanation was given, and despite them saying we could withdraw our remaining balance, we cannot,” said the group’s co-founder Molly Kingsley to The Telegraph.

“UsForThem has only ever been fully transparent about the organization’s aims, and our mission statement is on a prominent page of our website for all to read. That makes clear that our core focus is campaigning for children to be prioritized in public decision-making.

“If something about that mission offends PayPal, why could they not be transparent about that? For a small volunteer organization, this has a significant impact on our ability to operate, as presumably was intended.

“It is extremely hard not to draw the conclusion that this is a politically motivated cancellation of an organization that in some way offends PayPal.”

Toby Young, Free Speech Union’s founder, also claimed PayPal banned his account for political motives. The Free Speech Union’s account was also banned, as well as the account of the non-profit Gays Against Groomers.

September 25, 2022 Posted by | Civil Liberties | , , | Leave a comment

Don Quixote… de la Left!

By Jordan Henderson | OffGuardian | September 25, 2022

The pull of Right vs Left Politics is still so strong, at least here in the USA, that I feel the need to state at the outset that my motivation here is not to score any points for the Right. This painting – Don Quixote de la Left – is a picture of the Woke Left.

A few months ago I painted a similarly unflattering and honest portrait of the Christian Right. The intent of these paintings is to serve as open windows presenting clear views of dissenting perspectives.

Critically portraying both wings of the ruling class, makes it evident, I hope, that these works are not part of the Right/Left trap.

Early this year, lines of heavy trucks rumbled across Canada’s frozen north and converged on Ottawa to protest vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers. The protest swelled in number, expanding in scope to a protest against the Medical Police State in general.

The Ottawa Freedom Convoy was sufficiently monumental that even the mainstream “news” was eventually forced to acknowledge its existence whereupon they began slandering it. This coverage did not last long: the current thing changed, the Ukraine War was brought to the front of the world stage, and most everything else was shoved off the stage.

I’m revisiting the Freedom Convoy. I wish to spark additional conversation about it. So I created this artwork. I intend it as a tribute befitting the valorous deeds of the . . . counter protesters and Canadian police; I’ll immortalize their symbiotic relationship.

Like the knights of old, the counter protesters and police sallied forth to subdue the rabble of unruly peasants, putting them back in their proper place firmly under the thumb of the authorities.

The slander against the Freedom Convoy was not particularly sophisticated; it amounted to ignoring that the protest was obviously a protest against the Medical Police State, and instead making up stories about it being a vaguely racist/fascist/Nazi event where the racist/fascist/Nazis inadvertently brought anti-vax signs and forgot the racist/fascist/Nazi signs that they were supposed to bring.

The logic goes like this: If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is definitely a racist/fascist/Nazi.

If they look like, act like, and sound like, people protesting the Medical Police State, then they must really be racist/fascist/Nazis disguised as freedom advocates.

Any evidence that supported the racist/fascist/Nazi narrative was widely trumpeted, and any evidence that contradicted this narrative was discounted – if it was acknowledged at all.

For example: The Nazi flag guy at the Ottawa Trucker Protest, whoever he was, fits the Establishment Narrative, so he represents the Freedom Convoy.

However, Sikhs at the Freedom Convoy, some of whom brought the Sikh flag, were an inconvenient reality that directly contradicted the Establishment Narrative. So according to those who wish to see the Freedom Convoy in a negative light, the Sikh protesters do not represent the Freedom Convoy.

Apparently the Sikh protesters do not represent anything at all; they are just “a Token.”

1 Nazi Flag Guy = Emblematic of the Freedom Convoy.

100 Sikhs = Token/Not Emblematic of the Freedom Convoy.

How does Candice Sero, an Indigenous woman at the protest who was trampled by the RCMP, fit the narrative?

…Well let’s just pretend that didn’t happen; ignore her, ignore tens of thousands of other protesters, ignore why they were there, and what they were about, and let’s get back to focusing on that Nazi Flag Guy.

As a counter-protester helpfully explained:

I tried really hard to de-emphasize issues of vaccination/COVID restrictions that were being used, in my mind, as cynical ‘wedge’ issues, and to emphasize opposing the convoy as a political vehicle of the far-right,”

This determination to see the Freedom Convoy as a racist/fascist/Nazi event, reality be damned, reminded me of the Ingenious Knight Don Quixote de la Mancha.

I built my painting around that famous knight, because tilting at windmills was the principal activity of the Counter Protesters and Police who suppressed the Freedom Convoy.

I present – Don Quixote…de la Left!

Don Quixote de la Left – Oil Painting by Jordan Henderson – 36×52 inches / 91×132 centimeters

September 25, 2022 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Progressive Hypocrite, Timeless or most popular | , | 1 Comment

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