The good news about the Trump Presidency: stupid can be good!

[Note: This column was written for the Unz Review]

Just a few days shy of the one year since the inauguration of Donalt Trump as President of the United States I think that it would be reasonable to say that pretty much everybody, besides the Neocons and a few unconditional supporters, is now feeling quite appalled at what the past year brought to the USA and the planet. Those who hated Trump don’t hate him any less, while those who had hopes for Trump, such as myself, now have to accept that these hopes never materialized. I think that if we imagine a Hillary Presidency then the word “evil” would be a good way to describe what such a Presidency would most likely have been like. Likewise, if I had to chose a single word to describe the Trump Presidency, at least so far, I think that this word should be “stupid”. I won’t even bother, as I had initially planned, to list all the stupid things Trump has said and done since his inauguration (those who think otherwise might as well stop reading here). I will say that it gives me no pleasure writing this because I also had hopes that Trump would fulfill at least some of his campaign promises (even though most of my support for him was based on the fact that he was not Hillary who, I still believe, would have brought the USA and Russia to war against each other). Furthermore, each time I recall Trump’s inauguration speech I have this painful sense of a most important and totally missed opportunity: to finally restore the sovereignty of the USA to the the people of the USA and to return to a civilized and rational international policy. Alas, this did not happen and that is a reality we have to accept and deal with.

I also want to clarify that when I say that the Trump Presidency can be best summed up with the word “stupid” I don’t just mean The Donald himself. I mean the entire Administration (I don’t mention Congress, as Congress as been about stupid for as long as I can recall it). If you wonder how I can call an entire administration “stupid” even though it is composed of often brilliant civil servants, lawyers, academic, technical specialists, etc I will simply reply that I don’t judge an administration by the resumes of those working for it, but simply by its output, what it actually does. If what this administration produces is a lot of stupid, then this is a stupid administration.

Stupid can mean a lot of different things. For example, it can mean stupid threats against North Korea. That is a very frightening kind of stupid. But there is also a very good kind of stupid. For example, I think that the decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is a wonderful kind of stupid which I warmly welcome.

Why?

Because it is the kind of stupid which tremendously weakens the AngloZionist Empire!

Think of the damage this truly stupid move did to not only the US international reputation (which indeed was already pretty close to zero even before this latest move) but also to the US capability to get anything done at all the the Middle-East. The military defeat of the USA in Iraq and Afghanistan and the political defeat of the USA in Syria just needed a little something to truly make the USA irrelevant in the Middle-East and now, thanks to Donald Trump, this has now happened! Furthermore, there was a dirty little secret which everybody new about which has now become a public fact:

USA= ISRAEL & ISRAEL=USA

Again this is all very good. Even better is the fact that the only ones disagreeing with this would be Honduras, Guatemala, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Togo, Nauru and southern Sudan and, of course, Israel.

The US foreign policy has become so outlandishly stupid that even the most subservient US puppet regimes (say, the UK, Norway, ROK or Japan) or are now forced to condemn it, at least publicly. A lot of credit here goes to Nikki Haley who, following this catastrophic vote, decided to make things even worse by blackmailign the UN and all its member states. Finally, President Trump himself sealed it all by giving Nikki Haley’s speech a very public endorsement.

So stupid as this may have been, and stupid it really was, in this instance the results of this stupid were nothing short of a blessing for the Middle-East: even Hamas is now finally talking again with Hezbollah and Iran!

Just as we can sincerely thank President Obama for pushing Russia and China into each other’s arms, we can now all thank Nikki Haley and Trump for uniting the resistance to the state of Israel and the entire AngloZionist Empire. I can just about imagine the jubilation in Tehran when the Iranians heard the good news!

But good stupid does not stop here. The fact that the US elites are all involved in a giant shootout against each other by means of investigations, scandals, accusations, talks of impeachment, etc. is also a blessing because while they are busy fighting each other they are much less capable of focusing on their real opponents and enemies. For months now President Trump has mostly ruled the USA by means of “tweets” which, of course, and by definition, amounts to exactly nothing and there is nothing which could be seriously called a “US foreign policy” (with the exception of the neverending stream of accusations, threats and grandstanding, which don’t qualify). There are real risks and opportunities resulting from this situation

Risks: when nobody is really in charge, each agency does pretty much what it wants. We saw that during the 2^nd half of the Obama Presidency when State did one thing, the Pentagon another and the CIA yet another. This resulted in outright goofy situation with US allies attacking each other in Syria and Iraq because they all reported to different agencies. The risk here is obvious: for example, when US diplomats made an agreement with Russia in Syria, the Pentagon torpedoed the very next day by attacking Syrian forces. The recent attacks on the Russian Aerospace Forces base in Khmeimim (and the latest drone attack on that same base) would exactly fit that pattern. The Russians have been complaining for months now that the USA are “non-agreement capable” and this can clearly be a problem and a risk.
Opportunities: when nobody is in charge then the AngloZionist Empire cannot really bring its full force against one specific target. This of a car or bus in which all the passengers are fighting each other for the control of the steering wheel. This is bad for them, but good for everybody else as the only place this car or bus is headed for is the ditch. Furthermore, since currently the US is, at various degrees, threatening no less than 9 countries (Afghanistan, Syria, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Turkey, Pakistan, China) these threats sound rather hollow. Not only that, but should the USA get seriously involved in any type of conflict with any one of these countries, this would open great opportunities for the others to take action. Considering how the US elites are busy fighting each other there and threatening everybody else there is very little change that the USA could focus enough to seriously threaten any of its opponents. But this goes much further than the countries I mentioned here. There is a French expression which goes “when the cat’s away, the mice will play” and this is what we might see next: more countries following the example of the Philippines, which used to be a subservient US colony and which now is ruled my a man who has no problems publicly insulting the US President, at least when Obama was President (Duterte seems to like Trump more than Obama). There have already been signs that the South Koreans are taking their first timid steps towards telling “no” to Uncle Sam.

I am not trying to paint a rosy picture of the situation which is bad, no doubt about that. Having ignorant fools in charge of nuclear weapons is not good, by definition. But I do want to suggest two things: first, that no matter stupid Trump is, Hillary would have been infinitely worse and, second, that there are also some good aspects to the current vacuum of power in Washington, DC.

If we can agree that anything that weakens the AngloZionist Empire is a good thing (including for the American people!), as is anything which brings its eventual demise closer, then there is a lot to be grateful for the past year. The Empire really began to crumble under George W. Bush (thanks Neocons!), and that process most definitely continued under Obama. However, Donald Trump is the one who truly given this process a tremendous acceleration which has, I think, brought it to a qualitatively new level. The risks ahead are still tremendous, but so far the Empire is losing and the Resistance to it is still winning. And that is a very good thing.

The Saker

Siotu on January 13, 2018 · at 8:37 pm EST/EDT

Vok Tak

This is hilarious stuff! Just look at that list of politically correct whiners and whingers virtue signalling their worthless emotive guts out! Muck- all of what they write.

Re President Trump’s off-the-cuff comment (assuming he actually made it)

The US President has a point. Importing large numbers of people from places which are backward socially, educationally, productively and culturally is both expensive and destructive. The costs are well known and understood. Unfortunately, it is trendy throughout the western political establishment, along with their various soft headed followers/acolytes, to pretend the costs and the destructive consequences do not exist. Experience throughout Europe and elsewhere proves otherwise.

It is better to limit immigration according to strict criteria – cultural compatibility and a record of proven productivity would be a good start.

Re Norway.
🔹Universal healthcare
🔹Paid family leave
🔹Shorter work weeks
🔹More vacation time
🔹Incredible education system
These are not the utopian panacea socialists like to pretend. Each of these supposedly free lunches is hugely expensive and has to be paid for one way or another. Someone always has to pay. So, let us consider the funding mechanism, who will eventually be made liable and where that leads.

The export of oil products is responsible for nearly half of Norwegian export revenue. For the moment Norway government is in the position of being able to utilise imposts and tributes extracted on oil revenues to partially support its largess (in reality a mass bribe). Simultaneously, the debt of Norway has reached around half of the GDP (government debt alone exceeds 27% of GDP and don’t forget that GDP includes government consumption, it is not a measure of productive output alone). On-going borrowings (debt) is also being used to support the largess. Freebies are not really free.

Notice the oil windfall is not being directed to pay down debt or build wealth for a decent future. Instead it is merely consumed (for example, those give-aways bulleted above). We can readily see the direction Norway is headed in that the household debt to disposable income is worse by far than that of the US (and the US is not very good in this regard). There is growing debt throughout the country and should interest rates increase there are sure to be troubles to come (of recent times interest rates have been very, very, very low with inter-bank rates even straying into negative territory, which is another way of saying savings are being consumed rather than growing or being directed towards productive purposes- it is a safe bet to expect increasing interest rates or, failing that, significant price increases of goods and services). Damn! Look over there. The maître de is ringing up the lunch bill! Don’t look at him. Avoid his eye or he’ll bring it over. When he does come see whether he’ll take an IOU!

Half of Norwegian exports go to the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. Much of this is oil and gas based. Notice, though, the similarity to the UK in that the oil windfall is used to support the welfare economy. In the case of the UK the resource is tapping out. Norway has been somewhat more farsighted in that exploration has continued so that future oil and gas streams are more secure than are those of the UK. The elephant in the room though is looming change to markets. A reordering is inevitable. For instance, Russia is very active in the oil and gas markets. One direct pipeline to Germany and it is major trouble for Norway. Meanwhile the UK exits the EU and further develops its own energy infrastructure, as it now must (assuming Her Majesty’s government does not want to continue relying on Russian petrochem supplies- notice here who it was the UK turned to for purchase of needed petrochem). Netherlands is dropping towards severe economic decline, as is France, and oil income necessarily reduces as economies falter and the ability to pay falls away as well. Who next to export to? Russia? Eastern Europe? Italy? Spain? Turkey? Ukraine? Where exactly? Meanwhile those debts still cry out for servicing. Who do you suppose is going to be on the hook to pay for that? Oh yes, the people of Norway. How inconvenient. Funny how free lunches inevitably turn out not to be free after all. Oh heck, the lunch bill is about to be presented any time now!

Productivity is nothing special in Norway (actually it’s very ordinary and when you take out the buffering effect of oil exports things look, charitably speaking, “average” to poor). R&D is dismal. Capital investment is crippled. Both of those bode ill winds for the future. In the end swingeing taxes on what is left of the productive class is not ever going to be enough to compensate for the loss of income from external sources (and the addiction to borrowing can’t go on forever either). Nor will it be sufficient to cover all the debt servicing. In fact, such taxing wrecks what is left of the productive economy, discouraging productive, entrepreneurial and innovative achievers. We can already see a sign of troubles to come in the national immigration data. Emigration from Norway has ramped up dramatically, growing from ~22,000 in 2005 to ~41,000 in 2015 and 2016. Let’s not forget foreign nationals in Norway now consist of more than 16% of the population. Overall it isn’t just those or the free lunch drones moving on either. This doubling of emigrants is exactly where the US President ought to start looking if it is indeed decent productive people he seeks to have immigrate into the USA. Certainly the opportunity is available for him and it is a growing one! When that lunch bill hits, expect pressure to emigrate to climb further yet.

In the end what you have with Norway is a nation of some five million persons, mostly socialist, foolishly relying on life-long subsidy (much of it funded from oil/gas industry expropriations) and “endless” debt to live a life-style well beyond that which most can earn or which they can honestly afford (on the basis of actual productive output). A reckoning is coming. It would be safe to expect that the emigration of Norwegians is at an early stage and that the volume will increase as people seek to escape.

Note: To provide an indication of the significance of the oil/gas revenue to Norway, compare Norway with Russia. Both receive around half of their export income from oil/gas. Russia earns around four times as much as Norway does (exporting higher volumes, well beyond what Norway achieves) but it has a population some 28 times higher. The impact per capita is important, as is how the revenue is disposed. Again, it is vital not to underestimate just how massive the windfall oil/gas revenue is for Norway. Neither ought one to ignore the fact that such revenues are not permanent and that HOW they are directed has major consequences. Norway has been running its affairs just like a drunk in a brothel with a stolen credit card. As soon as the card is maxed out you just know there is going to be lots of pain.

127 Comments

Anonymous on January 11, 2018 · at 12:34 am EST/EDT

“Furthermore, each time I recall Trump’s inauguration speech I have this painful sense of a most important and totally missed opportunity:…”

Every time I recall Trump’s speech I see Boy-Bush huddling under a plastic sheet rain coat with the proverbial 0.01% grinning smirk.

Clear message, imo: the sh_t is gonna hit da fan with this one!

I’m not sure it’s happened yet — apart from fires, cyclones, big freezes and rumbling in Yellowstone — but 2018 is looking to be an inflection point on so many horizons that only a fool would try and predict 2019+ at this stage. About the only reasonable geopolitical constant is likely to be that Assad will not be gone!
Zagame on January 11, 2018 · at 12:45 am EST/EDT

Dear Saker,
I am from Australia and like everybody that voted for Trump was hoping Trump would pull the country out of the deep chasm.
I would like to hear your take on this Qanon fella that is tweeting (I know tweeting is for twits) and being uncoded by Jerome Corsi and others and downloaded on u-tube and reddit.
Regards Zagame.
- Joy on January 11, 2018 · at 1:55 am EST/EDT
  
  IMO, regarding Q, well, that is a black box and a waste of time trying to figure out. Q is at least partly true, but almost certainly laden with disinfo, but maybe the good kind of disinfo designed to drive the deep state people nuts.
  
  I agree that Trump is playing the fool and destroying the AZ empire. What is far from clear is whether that is an accident or not. In reality, Trump always knew about the deep state and the secret world government behind every deep state. Trump also knew that pedophilia and satanism are the elite religion and culture. He certainly knew what happened to JLK, RFK, MLK, George Wallace, Reagan (almost), Paul Wellstone, JFK Jr and many more.
  Ok, how does one openly oppose the Fed, Israel, CIA, FBI, Pentagon, Neocons, Goldman Sachs and the media? Answer, you don’t. You bow to your inbred idiot masters and give them enough rope to hang themselves. Give the Israelis what they want, praise the CIA, praise Wall Street, and attack the enemies of the neocons with maximum bombast. Excellent! Piss off Pakistan and Russia at the same time, brilliant! Now what happens, the US forces in Afghanistan could be forced into a Khyber Pass retreat overnight with withdrawal of cooperation with logistical support.
  Third act, the dastardly enemies of the USA surround OUR TROOPS in Afghanistan. Don’t expect any help from Iran. Or China. The generals panic, beg the president to save them. Hero Trump authorizes a bold rescue mission to evacuate the troops, they are reunited with their families, speeches, parades, happiness. Except, the Taliban resumes power and destroys the opium fields again. Wall Street is suddenly short of a trillion dollars a year in drug money to launder. The US financial system fails. People are angry. Trump discovers that many rich people and institutions are (gasp) pedophiles and satanists. He seizes their assets, the national debt gets a lot smaller, people are happier. Then the Fed is abolished and assets siezed. One can dream …
  - Anonymous on January 11, 2018 · at 3:51 pm EST/EDT
    
    re Q: whoever is presenting this now very large volume of eclectic tidbits seems to be close to Trump: my guess some psy-op military intelligence related or background group. QANON is an interesting new technique for creating an Internet buzz, and the thrust seems to be anti-establishment. Check out the QANON ‘map’ for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKD5BsxJvZ4
    
    It’s only been one year of Trumpism, and that year began with Trump the political novice in an incredibly weak position except for strong deplorable support. Who could Trump turn to? Those opposing any anti-imperial or anti-globalist Trump message to the deplorables were deeply embedded in virtually every agency of government.
    
    The foaming at the mouth hatred of Trump by the snowflakes and company, inside the United States and out was without precedent. Spoke to someone who had visited a liberal, identity politics enclave in Western Canada, soon after Trump was elected, who found that merely mentioning Trump’s name was enough to create a near apoplectic riot of hostility.
    
    There was immediate talk of impeachment, killing him, declaring him unfit for office, he was depicted as a Russian puppet; European politicians declared his election a disaster; much of global mass media attacked him with a fervour previously only bestowed upon Putin.
    
    Massive voter fraud on behalf of Hillary gave the impression that Trump was somehow not the popular choice, whereas in the real world people could drive through many parts of the US with Trump signs everywhere and nary a sign for Hillary. Trump spoke to enthusiastic overflow crowds and Hillary resorted to hiring actors to come and cheer her on.
    
    Then we get the Bleak House length tedium of ‘Russia did it’ nonsense which has rebounded with delicious irony via the Mueller meltdown upon the investigators and their henchmen. And the initial united Republican Democrat opposition to Trump is looking weakened.
    
    Stupid is imo too simple and pejorative a word to describe what we have witnessed. Yes, there has been a good deal of stupidity,along with bombast, and dishonesty, coming out of Trump and his chosen people. But there have also been signs of cunning from Trump. For example, his use of Twitter to spark media attention via outrage and directly connect with the peope in bite sized bits, meant that the ability of the mass media to control and mediate what people ‘swallowed’ – heard about and from Trump – was stymied.
    
    The principle of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer may be at play here, during the first inning of the Trump presidency. Hard to tell whether an actual contest, not just a completely rigged show, is still on. Like a lot of people, for me the actual situation remains murky. The swamp is not a swamp; it’s actually a gigantic festering poisonous extremely well established sewer. Any bit of good intention in Trump has got its work cut out for it.
    - Someone. on January 11, 2018 · at 5:00 pm EST/EDT
      
      “Spoke to someone who had visited a liberal, identity politics enclave in Western Canada, soon after Trump was elected, who found that merely mentioning Trump’s name was enough to create a near apoplectic riot of hostility.”
      
      You shouldn’t take such Canadian views too seriously. The enclave would hate Hillary just as much when they figure out that her values don’t actually mirror Canadian values. Anti Trumpism is a specific form of anti-Americanism. Most Canadians are to some degree, anti-American. Not from real animosity toward the US, but from just being Canadian.
      - Todd Millions on January 13, 2018 · at 9:14 am EST/EDT
        
        Any Canadian worth their snow shovel ought to know(and Remember) how the “Hep C” blood got into the Red Cross of Canaduh supply chain. Via the Arkansas Prison system.
        And who set up the “numbered holding company” in charge of -Disposal After the FDA condemned these stocks for use.
        Even with the massively rounded down Official causality and time frame and non partisan cover up of this jolly prank(10 factor on dead),
        Hillary should have being slipped thru an ice hole over this -before the bust up of Yugoslavia.
        Shoveling as much gravel into her slot as a Quebec ballot box, before a St. Lawrence sea way burial
        would not have proved problematic.
        As to PIMPUS- Surely the Donald and Conrad Black could have bunked in the same suite?
      - Jim Miles on January 18, 2018 · at 6:56 pm EST/EDT
        
        A bit late perhaps, but the recent one day meeting in Vancouver re North Korea only demonstrated that at least for the Canadian government then U.S. foreign policy is the foreign policy that Canada adopts.
        
        Most Canadians would probably have been happy with Hilary, except for those, as in the U.S., supported Trump.
  - JQ on January 11, 2018 · at 4:41 pm EST/EDT
    
    Well put Joy. All is not what it appears. Trump is anything but stupid, or he would be either dead by now or forced out of the WH. He has projected a stupid persona and clearly is emotionally triggered easily, but it does appear he is playing an intelligent long game. His goals are America first focused -rebuilding American economy. His actions, however conveyed, actually indicate a withdrawal from globalism and neo-conism. He is also becoming very effective at targeting and taking out enemies in MSM and Congress,. with more to come.Trump has made some foolish mistakes, and his egotism is too much to bear most of the time, but he does seem to have an end in mind, and largely fulfilling what he really campaigned on. Time will tell, but its too early to throw him under a bus. He has a tall order on his hands, with the MSM and most of Congress as the swamp creature enemies.
  - Rolf on January 15, 2018 · at 8:48 am EST/EDT
    
    Beautifully dreamt!
- Random Person on January 11, 2018 · at 3:50 pm EST/EDT
  
  I dabbled for a while with the Q community. They are convinced that Trump is a genius and is at this moment draining the swamp of an evil, satan worshiping cabal that launders money through foundations and enjoys sexual encounters with children. The Q people would say that the Saker mistakes Trumps’s genius for stupidity.
  
  It is impossible to reason with these people. They take Q’s slogans literally: “There are no coincidences”, “Everything has meaning, everything is related”, “The future proves the past”. They are like an ancient Mayan or Aztec people who believe a solar eclipse is a sign from the gods to stop sacrificing virgins at the altar.
  
  The Q community (specifically CBTS stream) banned me from commenting on their posts, because my views didn’t comport with their “red pill” dogma. Still, I check their Reddit to see if any of their prognostications come true. As of yet, nothing seems to have happened.
  - tomo on January 11, 2018 · at 9:33 pm EST/EDT
    
    let’s not forget that Trump is a psychopath – (like Hilary) – there was a study done by Oxford University they scored both candidates on the Psychopath Test . I diagnosed them myself about a year at least before that study.
    Psychopaths cannot care about anyone even if they wanted to – it’s the nature of their sickness. But they are masters at lies and acting and telling their victims exactly what they want to hear.
    Trump is very obviously a coward – you can tell by his body language he has no balls, he is just a loud clown – and I actually celebrated when he won the election – I still think he is better than the other more evil psychopath Hilary.
    Putting psychopaths in positions of power is like putting a fox in charge of a hen house.
    that’s why it’s very important for more people to learn to spot psychos and to understand how they lie – both individual psychos -and psychopathic exploitative ‘cultures’ i.e. Zionists
    - Armando on January 21, 2018 · at 8:37 am EST/EDT
      
      You diagnosed re motel y? Unprofesional, worthless, not a serious mental health profesional
- Carmel by the Sea on January 12, 2018 · at 2:18 pm EST/EDT
  
  Greetings Zagame,
  
  Q-Anon formats his information (disinformation?) in questions. He has said Zero about Israel.
  That makes Q-Anon very suspicious in my eyes as IsReal is up to its eyeballs Machevillian shenananigans.
  I do not trust him.
  
  If someone knows otherwise please post link. Thank you.
  - David Hollander on January 12, 2018 · at 2:32 pm EST/EDT
    
    Interesting Carmel, I haven’t heard of Qanon before. I am somewhat reminded of Assange. When Wikileaks first came on the scene in 2006 the litmus test was the presence of information relevant to 9/11 and relevant to Israel. It’s interesting to me that Assange still seems to have quite a good reputation in the on-line community. The peculiar events of October 2016 forgotten though never explained to any credible extent. Still, disinformation must have substantial legitimate and useful content. Otherwise, it will be rejected out of hand.
    - Carmel by the Sea on January 12, 2018 · at 3:13 pm EST/EDT
      
      Greetings David Hollander,
      
      I did not know about the mysterious figure that goes by Q-Anon either until some time ago.
      As I said before his information , more like disinformation to me, comes in a question format. Weird.
      People try to understand the puzzles/ questions he poses and then they answer his questions to THEMSELVES. Weird.
      
      Let me introduce you, please, to Q-Anon:
      https://tigerteam.net/archive/qanon-q-and-a.pdf
      
      God speed to you!
      
      Carmel by the Sea
      - Dude on January 12, 2018 · at 6:49 pm EST/EDT
        
        Go here to get an alternative view Q and his cult:
        
        https://www.reddit.com/r/TopMindsOfReddit/
orm on January 11, 2018 · at 12:45 am EST/EDT

Yes, indeed! All is not what it appears to be. I reckon Benjamin Fulford is in possession of a lot of good inside info and, if even half of it is true then, we are seeing the end of Babylon. Keep your head down and your powder dry. A quick perusal of Zero Hedge today may convince that the end of the present system is in the offing.
Anton G. on January 11, 2018 · at 12:47 am EST/EDT

Saker, Maybe the in fighting between the factions of the Mafia that rule the USA is just a show ie. a psyop. Secondly. when the USA empire falls it will not be because the Amerikan people/sheep resist but because the owners/rulers are self destructive degenerates.
- tomo on January 11, 2018 · at 9:35 pm EST/EDT
  
  after more then a decade spent in the US – I agree with you. People overestimate these idiots in charge of the US Psychocracy. I’ve met these people and their children (attorney generals, former ambassadors to UK etc – none are that bright or happy – many die from drug overdose
Bob Jackson on January 11, 2018 · at 1:32 am EST/EDT

On MoonofAlabama, a few months ago (sorry, I can’t find the link), one commentator put it a little more positively.

He thought President Trump had found himself too boxed in to do what he wanted, so he gave the neocons free rein to do what they wanted, but made sure they failed every time, so he was left roughly where he wanted to be in the first place.

The comment was too far down the page to attract debate, and I still don’t know how true it is, but it does make sense, in a wacky kind of way.
Ann on January 11, 2018 · at 1:36 am EST/EDT

Hi Saker, the only reservation I have in being positive about the Jerusalem move is in this article

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/48467.htm –

its by Phil Giraldi and he discusses the amount of laws – real laws that are being put into place by the Trump admin to protect Israel – once these laws are established they will make it impossible to dismantle Israeli supporters – its very scary to read the second half.

But I like in the second part of your article about the bus and the steering wheel – that really is happening in the US –

I hope alot more Americans vote for Rand Paul next time…its sad because he’s not perfect – and I know it seems that I’m contradicting my first sentence – but he’s the only chance of a change of direction and he’s not a perfect one – but definitely a real one.

In fact the longer people delay in getting the Libertarians a place in the WH – the less good the Libertarians are going to be doing – BECAUSE of their stance on Israel. I understand the whole thing about ‘the Pledge’ which obviously Rand and Ron have taken – which was exposed by Cynthia McKinney years ago – I’m sure all your readers have seen this video of her –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_VNOk7Wv5A

but if a person wants to get into the senate – they all have their various ideas about how to change the system – and the Pauls have obviously said that to get into the senate you have to sign the Pledge –

I mention the Pauls because of something that’s happening to me in the present times –

In my hometown what is concerning me the most – its Canada, but we are copy cats of the US policies – it just takes a few years – what’s concerning me is the privacy laws, which Rand Paul is very clear about –

I have government officials walking through my gate even though it says ‘no trespassing’ and banging on my door – thankfully these guys aren’t armed yet – and demanding i do ‘this’ and ‘that’ because of a neighbor’s complaints –

In the Libertarian movement this is a REAL no – no – I’ve listened to Ron Paul about the sovereignty of a person’s home – I’ve even heard him say that no cops should be allowed onto a private property owner’s land.

So, overall, I would like to stress the changing of the laws of the land. The Constitution is another word for it – with the Israeli Lobby but also with the Feds….its so serious.
- Serbian girl on January 11, 2018 · at 7:26 am EST/EDT
  
  I hadn’t seen this vídeo. I didn’t know that they have to sign a pledge to Israel!?! I know the Israel lobby is influential, what I didn’t know is that it was so explicit and out-in- the-open. How do they get away with this?
  
  And the US is up in arms about “Russian meddling”..
  
  Thanks Ann! Btw, what makes you think Ron Paul took the pledge? He was always an outspoken Israel..
  - tomo on January 11, 2018 · at 9:42 pm EST/EDT
    
    there is a good explanation of how they get away with it – in Matt Taibi’s great and funny book The Great Derangement. IT’s done through religion – he infiltrates a born again ‘christian’ boot camp and experiences the politics and pro-israel game they play.
    Also Americans are very greedy on average so are easily and cheaply bribed by Zionists.
    I am a Serb also and I lived in the US for a decade or so – whenever you are perplexed about something strange that Americans do – it’s pretty safe to assume they are fearful and not that bright and have no clue what they are doing. And have been brainwashed from childhood to always and forever wait for their ‘master’ (imaginary or otherwise) to solve their problems. Passivity and all other slavish attributes are very much valued by the victims of Stockholm Syndrome. They also lack the social dimension, loyalty, camaraderie I remember from living in Serbia. Isolation makes them more vulnerable to psychopathic exploitation.
  - Ann on January 11, 2018 · at 9:46 pm EST/EDT
    
    Hi Serbian Girl – about whether or not Ron and Rand Paul have taken the oath-
    
    I don’t know for sure if either of them have, I’m only guessing – but in reality – look at the struggle Cynthia is going through now because her integrity won’t allow her to take the pledge – so she has NO funds for campaigning.
    
    Both the Pauls are in the government – Rand is actually a SENATOR – which is much higher up the food chain, that a congressman – which is all Ron Paul ever made it to –
    
    Its actually amazing that Ron Paul is so famous – he’s very outspoken, as are some of the present congressmen today actually – like Tulsi Gabbard – and there’s others too – really GREAT people.
    
    But do you know HOW HARD it is to get to the Senate ? And then the presidency is still like another planet away – and Rand Paul is ALMOST there – so people that find a tiny bit wrong with Rand are just being arm chair perfectionists – he’s ALMOST there – he should be supported – do you think – I don’t mean you Serbian girl – I mean the nit-pickers who don’t like Rand Paul because he’s this and this and not that and that –
    
    Do these nit pickers think that just because they think that Tulsi Gabbard is better than Rand Paul that she’s going to WIN ?
    
    I wonder if all and I mean ALL the people that read alternative media – would get off their high arm chairs – and vote for Rand Paul, because he’s the best positioned of any – AND he’s very against military intervention which truly is the most important issue of all – no one can deny that Rand Paul is against military intervention – he’s against every single military intervention and often he’s the only SENATOR who is –
    
    If all of us were to vote for Rand Paul – hehe – I’m not even an American — so I’m speaking figuratively – if EVERYONE who is against military intervention – ignored the other nit picky problems with voting for Rand – my question is this —-
    
    WOULD WE WIN ??
- Anonymous on January 11, 2018 · at 6:42 pm EST/EDT
  
  Tulsi Gabbard is more competent than Rand Paul. The major questions are if she’ll run for president and if she’ll be able to free herself from the death grip of the banks, large corporations, agencies and other evildoers.
vot tak on January 11, 2018 · at 1:50 am EST/EDT

Saker

In my opinion, the policies the trump regime have followed are essentially the same a clinton regime would have followed. At least in the macro sense, there would have been differences in detail. The reason I think clinton would have been worse is she would have met a lot less resistance than trump is getting. Also, while I think clinton and trump are fairly equal in level of stupidity, I think she would not have looked and personally acted as stupid as trump. A least probably not on a daily basis. :-D

So, yeah, I agree a clinton regime would have been worse, but from a somewhat different vantage point.
- TRM on January 13, 2018 · at 10:50 pm EST/EDT
  
  Hitlary would only say what was written on her script so yes she would spew stupid stuff less. She goes by the script written for her all the time so it is not her but her speech writers that you are hearing.
Norwegian on January 11, 2018 · at 1:51 am EST/EDT

Thank you for mentioning the Norwegian puppet regime. Their faces turned grey in an instant when Hillary lost.
- B.F. on January 11, 2018 · at 9:39 am EST/EDT
  
  I am sorry to hear this. In Europe Norway always enjoyed high esteem because it did not join the EU. People somehow had a different opinion of Norway than they did of other European countries.
Auslander on January 11, 2018 · at 1:52 am EST/EDT

While I must admit that President Trump has been a huge disappointment to his supporters, the very fact that the incredible amounts of vitriol heaped on him 24/7 from everyone including the toilet scrubbers on Pitcairn Island starting before the election results were in speaks volumes about what a disappointment he is to the rino/neocon/other-side-of-the-aisle herd. For heaven’s sake, these buffoons were talking impeachment long before President Trump was given the oath of office! The very best moment, the one that is always an encouragement to me when I get a little irritated at the positively imbecilic filth poured on the sitting President, was when I saw just how much H. D. Rodham et al. thought the oval orifice was in the bag when Newsweek’s already printed and on the way to the news kiosks ‘Madame President’ edition had to be hurriedly recalled and destroyed when the vote tabulation was known. Don’t worry, I’ve got it page by page, preserved in an electronic file on a chip.

Over the year the depth of the entrenched bureaucracy’s hatred for him and their machinations to first prevent his victory in the election and since the moment of their cataclysmic loss to move heaven and earth to destroy him and his administration is the stuff of legend……and outright treason. The good thing is Hillary Diane Rodham is not, thank God, the president of USA. The bad thing, for many, is the entrenched bureaucracy and the current presidential administration are tearing themselves to shreds with all this infighting. Another good thing is while they are fighting each other the neocon bureaucracy is at least hobbled in what they can do to continue their goal of destroying the world as we know it short of going nuke.

What the final outcome will be, none of us know, all we can do is conject. However, the next three, and quite possibly seven, years will go down in history one way or the other. As for The World, most leaders of countries are not fools. Some are rubbing their hands with glee watching USA rip itself apart, some are appalled and fearful, some are simply standing and watching. The top leaders, President Putin of Russia and Xi of China, are carefully watching and in my opinion doing their level best to continue with their plans of broad economic and military cooperation while, I think, carefully giving what difficulties they can to the neocon/rino ongoing coup attempt in Foggy Bottom. The entity known as ‘eu’ does not matter a whit, it is simply a colony of Washington. It is up to Putin and Xi to make sure this mess does not destroy everything they are building and at the same time prevent the coup fomenters from success. We’ll see in the end what happens but the fight one way or the other is ongoing and will continue for years.

Auslander
Author

Never The Last One http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGCY8KK A Deep Look In To Russia, Her Culture And Her Armed Forces

An Incident On Simonka https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ERKH3IU NATO Is Invited To Leave Sevastopol, One Way Or The Other.
- Ilja on January 11, 2018 · at 4:52 am EST/EDT
  
  Let me quote you: “The entity known as ‘eu’ does not matter a whit, it is simply a colony of Washington” – It is, indeed. And what if the Washington does not have the power to run the colony anymore? Then you have a group of countries on very high level of economical and technological development, which has to decide their fate on their own. I would propose that following statements are highly probably truth:
  -the Washington is in decline. Therefore It will loosing the ability to rule over it’s political colonies in the future, so they will gain independence
  -EU itself rely on resources from the neighbors, Russia and Middle East particularly. Transition of it’s dependence to American resources is highly impractical, because of enormous costs and sensitive naval infrastructure, so this is not an option
  -industrial and human potential of EU countries is by order of magnitude bigger than the one of Russia and so it is their market
  -if we strip of usual political declaration about “deep cultural ties” and “endless friendship” between Russian and Chinese people, the partnership between the two is a matter of immense mutual benefit in present geopolitical situation and therefore tied to current conditions i.e. temporary
  -the Russians are culturally and historically much closer to the Europe, than to Asia
  -if the central Asia is sometimes described as a “soft belly” of Russia, although protected with barrier of huge mountains and connected to sparsely populated areas, than Europe could be easily described as “jugular vein” of Russia, because of it’s direct connection to most inhabitated, industrialized and farmed areas, without any geographical barrier at all.
  I don’ know how about you, but it seems to me, that it is Europe, which is crucial for future development. And the Chinese and Russians seems pretty aware of that. Since there are doubts about what the EU is, what it wants to be and lacks unifying visions, the outer players are trying to increase their influence as much as possible and no one could predict the final outcome.
  - Dr. NG Maroudas on January 11, 2018 · at 6:20 am EST/EDT
    
    I have always regarded Western AND Eastern Europe as one cultural unit. And Europe as part of EurAsia. And America as Europe’s biggest colonial area. Must stem from my childhood in the War days, when we were all on tte same side fighting fascism.
  - Nussiminen on January 11, 2018 · at 8:46 am EST/EDT
    
    My BS detector suggests that the above comment was written by the very same Euro-chauvinist who suggested that Russia should give higher trading priority to whatever fabulous, God-forsaken Euro-trash is squatting closest to her western borders (along the lines of ‘European values’) than to China. As if honesty, decency, and plain mental faculties were of secondary importance to Russia’s choosing of her own business partners.
    
    “I don’t know how about you, but it seems to me that it is Europe, which is crucial for future development.”
    
    Absolutely nothing of the sort. Europe is being utterly and irretrievably destroyed by the curse of neoliberalism accompanied by Russophobia and US vassalage. Europe has zero positive contributions on offer to humanity at large. This time, I leave it as an exercise to the reader what I think Russia should do about it.
    - Anonymous on January 11, 2018 · at 6:56 pm EST/EDT
      
      Excellent response. The only aspect you should’ve added is that Russia stretches from Europe to Asia. Giving one side more privilege over the other would be plain stupid and since many politicians of the EU are looking down at Russia it would be twice as stupid to attempt to establish closer ties with the EU. Russia is on the right course. The Chinese don’t appear to be as deceitful as EU politicians, so closer ties with eastern (and southern) neighbors makes more sense.
  - Nate on January 11, 2018 · at 9:45 am EST/EDT
    
    You’re looking backwards, most EU countries are in such demographic decline that they will not be viable a generation from now. In fact the EU’s current colony status is an early symptom of that disease.
    - Ilja on January 11, 2018 · at 12:57 pm EST/EDT
      
      Nate -A big lot of European history is turning in circles. So look forward may be the look backward. I don’t claim to know, what the outcome will be, only suggest that Europe is (and will be) very important for Russia. More than the US at the end of the day, not only because we share the same continent. And the Russia is vital for Europe as well.
      Nussiminen- I’m afraid that your BS detector doesn’t work well this time, I don’t know, which suggestion you mean. I didn’t even know, that Euro-chauvinism exist. Since Europe is anything but homogenous, I thought it was impossible. BTW if you expect Chinese comrades are more keen about orthodoxy, than Su 35s and natural gas, it does show you adhere to spiritual values, which I appreciate. But sometimes is useful to be less strict with judgments based on what you were teached on seminary while kneeling in the corner, facing cold walls and repeating ten. Just go out and wath the sun shine, yeah? Smile a little.
      - Anonymous on January 11, 2018 · at 7:04 pm EST/EDT
        
        Nussiminens assessment seems to be the closest to reality. Remember history! The French (EU) tried to invade Russia and failed. The Germans (EU) tried to invade Russia and failed. The US, Czechs (EU) and several others of their allies tried to “assist” (nice euphemism for invasion) the Russian White forces and failed. Did I forget any invasion? Now you’re advocating for closer EU-Russian ties?
        
        Ilja on January 12, 2018 · at 3:27 am EST/EDT
        
        Jesus, I’m not advocating for closer EU-Russia ties, I personally don’t give a f*ck about them. And this is definitely not a matter of my personal opinion. I see improvement of such ties as a natural development, after colonial rule of the US over Europe will weaken. OBOR initiative is precisely aimed ad this goal too. Eurasia is simply one big connected landmass, and it is natural for all involved parties to benefit from the fact.
        Regarding the history, French (EU) abused Germany (EU), Germany (EU) invaded France (EU), Belgium (EU), Poland(EU), Holland(EU), Luxemburg (EU) and almost all of the rest of (EU) in blodiest war in known history, Italy fought France, Spain fought Britain, France fought Portugal, Austria fought Turkey (NATO) and occupied Czechia, Turkey occupied Bulgaria (EU, NATO) and Sweden fought pretty much of all fucking EU. Twice… And that’s just a bit.
        So the Russians are the only ones here who’s been harmed? Oh please! We were biting on each other here all the time. Even Slavs, which is a huge group I have the privilege to belong, although we share common language (we understand each other well) and consider ourselves brothers, still we almost constantly fighting. Russia /Ukraine/ Poland ties is a telling example. Get Russian, Ukrainian and Polish guy, sat them on one table for drink, food and palaver and you will have problem to tell them apart. They will be like a brothers. Literally. But separate them and ask each from the group what he thinks about the other two nations (nations, not people). The response will probably vary from very critical view to hatred.
        In the end of the day, does cultural differences and historical wounds make so much harm to relationship of the nations? Not at all. Tito’s Yugoslavia hold together very well for a while, Czechs and Germans are good friends although Czechs were occupied with massive atrocities during the 2nd world war a then violently forced whole massive (30% of population) German minority to leave. So geographical features and most of all momentary balance of power plays crucial role of which the Sino- Russian ties are now most telling example. If you hallucinating about unbreakable unity of the two, and strong cultural ties, you are terribly misguided by empty political language. China needs Russia, Russia needs China. Desperately, because their survival is bounded to that coalition. It is that simple. Both empires would benefit from closer ties with EU and it’s reciprocal, so they will, sooner or later.
    - Armando on January 21, 2018 · at 8:45 am EST/EDT
      
      They will still have more people than the beginning of XX century. Was europe not viable then?
Simon Chow on January 11, 2018 · at 1:57 am EST/EDT

If the evil Empire really collapse, and I have an ingling of its economic/financial collapse ala the USSR, the Russian-China partnership must rapidly fill the political, military and economic vacuum. Before global chaos sets in. But the Russian-Chinese partnership needs more time to mature. That’s why I think that China will financially and economically prop up the evil Empire for a few years more – until 2025, before easing away the props.
Donaldo on January 11, 2018 · at 2:05 am EST/EDT

Always enjoy the Saker and as an American I have greatly been concerned for my nation every since the killing of Kennedy…something had to be wrong and the Vietnam war sealed it for me…The American political class were heading into insanity & the rest of nation was already bipolar. Things only have gotten worse with time.
That Trump won the election (as crooked as it was, is a miracle in itself) because the great American Boobus, as a whole recognized, for a long while, that they were being used and abused. As frightful as Trump might be, he is our best hope and if any here have read the new executive order to basically freeze (& steal back) the assists of despicable people that stole them in the first place and the threats (I pray this pans out) to send to “Gitmo” those pedo’s and treasonous bastards who, in total, are the Deep State…I keep my prayer beads close to my heart and fingers crossed. “God let it be.” This order is a two edged sword…we all recognize that, but for this level of evil, we need it and hope that it is sheathed quickly before it is used against the common people.
If Trump reserves a cell for himself and Nikky Halley…so much the better, but for now, a war of fantastic furiousness is being fought for the soul of the country and perhaps for the fate of the world.
I pray for all the good, and especially for Trump, to keep him from igniting war anywhere else, but to pursue the evil in our own house. If that can happen, and there are no guarantees, then there may be a future after all.
And in the future, if this heinous evil, also in Belgium, London and other places the elites carry on their foul satan worship; can be erradicated or at least severally pruned…then Trump will have severed us all well.
vot tak on January 11, 2018 · at 2:14 am EST/EDT

Here is an example of the trump regime’s “draining the swamp” which the media, which supposedly has it in for trump, mostly turned a blind eye to.

Trump Administration Waives Punishment For Convicted Banks, Including Deutsche — Which Trump Owes Millions

http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capital/trump-administration-waives-punishment-convicted-banks-including-deutsche-which

“The Trump administration has waived part of the punishment for five megabanks whose affiliates were convicted and fined for manipulating global interest rates. One of the Trump administration waivers was granted to Deutsche Bank — which is owed at least $130 million by President Donald Trump and his business empire, and has also been fined for its role in a Russian money laundering scheme.

The waivers were issued in a little-noticed announcement published in the Federal Register during the Christmas holiday week. They come less than two years after then-candidate Trump promised “I’m not going to let Wall Street get away with murder.”

The guy is just as duplicious and criminal as clinton, and likewise scraped the bottom of the swamp to fill his regime posts. This is what I mean in the previous comment about trump and clinton being essentially the same thing.
- Anonymous on January 11, 2018 · at 7:08 pm EST/EDT
  
  Almost all banks are criminal institutions. They create money out of thin air and lend it for interest. What’s the intention of this article? Incidentally Deutsche bank is creditor of Donald Trump. Should Deutsche Bank be treated in any different way than the other criminal institutions? Is this some kind of economic warfare? Punishing Deutsche Bank whilst letting the others off the hook is hypocrisy par excellence.
Arayik on January 11, 2018 · at 3:18 am EST/EDT

A man who built a multi billion business empire in super competitive capitalist economy is stupid? Hardly so. A more plausible scenario is that Trump knows EXACTLY what he is doing. He plays the fool, and maybe that is the only viable strategy in the current situation. And maybe, the only way for him to cut off Israel from USA is by recognizing Jerusalem and hurting Israel. Trump is using calculated ambiguity all the time. This is probably the smartest and shrewdest president since Nixon. I despised him and reluctantly voted for him, now I sort of admire him.
- Full Spectrum Domino on January 11, 2018 · at 4:33 am EST/EDT
  
  Agreed Arayik.
  
  With trepidation I endorse the favorable Roger Stone/Jerome Corsi interpretation of Trump and am at odds with Saker’s harsh assessment. Trump is hacking through the Deep State’s many traps and snares at great personal peril. He gambled correctly that the Jerusalem giveaway wouldn’t cause an eruption in the ‘Arab streets’. This was at odds with decades of Foggy Bottom ‘received wisdom’. And are we not seeing NK and SK sitting down together for talks?
  
  I would guess there is some kind of quid pro quo afoot where he’s ceded the international portfolio to the Neocons in order to focus on his domestic agenda where the stock market and economy are surging ahead due in large part to his tax plan. Remember, a strong domestic economy, factory growth, historically low black unemployment, etc. are all implicitly nationalistic and anti-globalist.
  
  So, we may see an inward-out strategy where he gathers back and affixes his foreign policy imprimatur in a second term. I also think the Russian collusion debacle is in the process of boomeranging badly back onto the Democrats. This process could culminate in a Truth and Reconciliation Commission aimed at rooting out the systemic and widespread corruption at DOJ, the DNC, FBI, CIA, NSA and IRS. The Democrats are the domestic arm of globalism. The scale of corruption is without precedent.
  
  A related observation:
  
  It seemed incautious of Lady Lynn Rothschild to tweet in 2/17 that Russian collusion architect and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta was an ‘idiot’ in the aftermath of the Clinton election loss. No doubt it was already clear from her vantage that that ball was destined to roll back onto its initiators with a vengeance, especially as the Clinton gate-keepers would not be in power to manage the trajectory. If you’re going to railroad the other guy with bogus charges, better make sure you’re still the sheriff. That tweet was revealing to me. I believe the Lady will be proven right.
  
  The Neocons may understand they have a short interval to start WW3. So that could be the footrace. We’re still streets ahead of where we would be under a Clinton presidency. I truly shudder at how close we came.
  
  The task Trump has set for himself it truly mammoth. Moreover it will be typified by progress measured in 2 steps forward one step back. With all due respect to Saker whom I rarely disagree with, Trump the Insane (or the Incompetent or Cowardly) are misreads. Largely pejorative reads of Trump gather their steam from CIA/Operation Mockingbird renditions and 25th Amendment/impeachment ploys.
  
  I stand ready to stand corrected provided we’re all left standing post-Trump.
  
  –FSD
  - Ilja on January 11, 2018 · at 6:21 am EST/EDT
    
    It is extremely difficult to manage the transition of an empire from hegemonic to regional role without doing much harm. What I totally agree with you is the fact, that Trump is doing this well. But I’m not sure if this is due to his abilities or something else. I actually believe, that he is chosen by destiny to do what he does,be that by the hand of God is pushing his unconscious mind to make these steps, or some group of people manipulating him to do so (the group of people guided by the very same hand of God). I admit, that is a totally religious view but never mind. I’m considering if he is aware of that and I guess he’s not. Think it was the same with Gorbatschev at the time of USSR dismantle. From Russian point of view surely looks like a catastrophe, but keeping in mind the other possible outcomes, it was “soft landing”.
    - Full Spectrum Domino on January 11, 2018 · at 9:49 am EST/EDT
      
      I didn’t want to belabor the religious angle. But yes, I think of Trump as Cyrus the Great II. And I believe he is an authentic late arriver to Christianity. Putin is a Christian too. Notice how every arrow fired at Trump kills the archer of which Bannon is but the latest fatality. Mueller, Hillary, all the Deep State (bad) actors will succumb
      –on a cultural level, Kathy Griffin, the NFL, CNN.
      
      Now, is he eccentric? You bet. But he is a great counter-puncher and his instincts are uncanny. I think he’s God’s man. A strange instrument indeed. How contrarian is that lol?
  - Arayik on January 11, 2018 · at 6:56 am EST/EDT
    
    The widespread corruption at DOJ, the DNC, FBI, CIA, NSA and IRS is not accidental. It is in tune with Americans’ declining morals. As the population is, so is the leadership, or vice versa. No brainer. One man or a group of men can’t change anything of such magnitude. When the population’s heart and soul is utterly corrupt, they choose and maintain leaders after their own likeness. It is like in Russia, people don’t know what self governance is and don’t have personal initiative, they are used to government handouts and laziness. Even though Russia has so much wealth and resources, the life of average Russian sucks. And one man can’t just come and create prosperity. These things take many decades. As much stubborn and sinful as Americans are, it is a fantasy to expect things to change for the better in the next 50-100 years.
    The Saker is definitely puzzling in some of his analysis of certain things. Like I don’t understand why there is so much anti Semitism on this site and why he can’t see Trump as being a total genius and practical results oriented guy. The guy is not foolish, he is totally fearless, big difference.
    - vot tak on January 11, 2018 · at 6:36 pm EST/EDT
      
      Pentagon bots in your comments? US Army wants AI tool for social networks
      
      https://www.rt.com/usa/415609-us-army-ai-language-bot/
      
      “The US military’s involvement in social media communication in other nations is hardly surprising. The Pentagon was among the pioneers of state ‘astroturfing’ campaigns – online propaganda and social media manipulation through ‘sockpuppets’, which are fake online personas purporting to be real people advocating whatever views the US military wants them to.”
      
      Swarming drones against Russian bases in Syria, while swarming comment sections of non zionist websites. Very busy little guys…
    - Anonymous on January 11, 2018 · at 7:28 pm EST/EDT
      
      You must be kidding when you’re writing that Russians are used to government handouts and laziness.
      
      Are you aware that US employment statistics are entirely rigged? Some people estimate the true numbers of unemployed US citizens as high as 40 million. Millions of people are on food stamps. For several years now Doctors Without Borders treat US citizens who’re too poor to go to a doctor. Are they too lazy and deserve to starve?
      
      Maybe some upright US businessman should teach those lazy slobs how to create a successful company.
      
      Maybe someone else will come along and will explain those too lazy to use their brain that increasing automation will result in even more unemployed “lazy” citizens who will starve to death without government handouts. An alternative could be higher wages and reduced working hours, but since that will ruin the plans of the money changers nobody will come up with such a suggestion.
      - Arayik on January 12, 2018 · at 12:31 am EST/EDT
        
        That is true America is gradually becoming as shitty a place as Russia. Socialism has already crept in to society. If you don’t have money for medicine, you die, that is how it has always been done. The only way that the USA is paying for free medicine or subsidizing anything is by either printing money or taxing the productive part of society. I personally didn’t have money for dentist for a year and had tooth ache, I saved and paid for it. Of course if u can somehow get it for free why not.
        Also, most of the reason people are unemployed in USA is because they are lazy and stupid and entitled. I had a business for a decade so I know. It is harder to find employees than for employees to find a job. Any businessman knows this. I even went to former Soviet Union countries recently where I could see A LOT of jobs but not many willing to work. That is life. Most people in this site start their assumptions with socialist idealism, like, people are always victims and companies are always monsters. LOL. I grew up under socialism for decades, under free education where teachers were our god’s, and free hospitals where cats and mice where walking freely. It is the most traumatic time of my life. Socialism is %100 demonic. But socialism having less food to distribute, solves the obesity problem as socialists are all very thin malnutritioned people. And in socialism the state is the God of that people, rewarding and punishing people. Destroy all the world’s borders and let’s see where people will choose to go and live. Even in USA, when one state becomes too socialistic, misery follows and people leave for more capitalistic states.
        
        Anonymous on January 12, 2018 · at 1:58 am EST/EDT
        
        I wasn’t aware that I’ve been writing to some financial expert. Since you’ve been a successful businessman you could enlighten me as to why it had been harder to find employees than employees finding a job. I’m quite curious to get information from a qualified source.
        
        What’s your expert opinion on those 40 million unemployed US citizens? Would you recommend some of them to look for employment at SAM’s club (assumed they’re able to move their lazy asses)?
        
        Your analytical skills in analyzing the situation regarding the view of many people on companies as monsters are amazing. I’m still shuddering at the thought of all those tree-huggers trying to raise awareness of the moonscapes of Canadian oil-sand fields. Probably those tree-huggers have been sponsored by socialists in order to undermine the economic success of the oil industry. Another annoying aspect are all those EPA regulations. They’re blocking corporations from making decent profits. Who really cares about some leaky oil pipelines (except those whose drinking water is contaminated) as long as the gas prizes are affordable?
        
        I’m looking forward to read your answers.
        
        Arayik on January 12, 2018 · at 4:55 am EST/EDT
        
        The rule of a wise businessman is hire slow fire fast, I didn’t follow this rule until much later and suffered a lot. I was hiring young people who were 19-20, who had been out of high school for several years and never had a job before, thinking companies were being mean not hiring those young guys just because they didn’t have experience. It turned out that I ended up literally adopting them and teaching them every little shit along the way since they had gone to state schools and had read a lot of blogs criticizing corporations. That is what your government school systems devastating effects are on those youngsters. Someone who is 19 should already have 5-6 years of experience working in the real world, but no, they come with their entitlements and demands and complain that the economy is bad and corporations are evil. Yeah, corporations are not charities you idiots, neither are banks. And yes there is a lot of injustice done by big corporations, amazon ended up demolishing my small business because they have easy access to free money and I didn’t, but I am not going to weep and cry about it, since I can’t do anything about it, just move on and find something else to do and be content with whatever you have at the moment. And one thing you should never forget, something in a way to console your bereaved soul, is that, don’t forget that the most difficult part of life is the first 100 years.
        
        Uncle Bob 1 on January 12, 2018 · at 5:16 am EST/EDT
        
        There are a couple of your statements I find interesting.
        
        ” Someone who is 19 should already have 5-6 years of experience working in the real world”
        
        I don’t think we expect 13 or 14 year old kids to have jobs. Maybe in some countries.But child labor is very rare here.
        
        “don’t forget that the most difficult part of life is the first 100 years.”
        
        Yes,as probably 99.9% of people die before they get to a 100.
        
        Arayik on January 12, 2018 · at 2:35 pm EST/EDT
        
        The 100 year thing was meant for humor, obviously. The first one where young people start work early, I actually have a lot of friends who homeschool their kids and they put them to work in their early teens, even some who are 5-6 years old. In USA you can actually give a job to your 5 year old and claim it as tax deduction in the IRS. I know people who do this in the state of Colorado. They have Home based businesses, like dog breeding, and their kids run the business. I also met a family, their 6 year old son had an actual lawn mowing business. The nanny state can come and try to tell you once in a while what rights you have and what rights you don’t, but you can always tell them to go to hell. Like one time I was standing in front of my home at 12 midnight smoking, and one police officer pulled up in his cruiser and asked me what I was doing standing there. LOL. I asked him if there was a law preventing me to stand there and he started stuttering and left.
        People send their kids to state schools where they learn no shit, then complain why no one wants to hire them with no real life or work experience. Even those companies that hire them and spend money and train them for months, %90 of them quit the first 2-3 months as they don’t have the habit and work ethic and focus and loyalty. I had employees whom for many months and years trying to convince not to watch YouTube when working, or to look on my face and not on their iPhones when we would have a company meeting, or to show up at work at 9 and not 11:30 am every morning.
        I understand that there is a lot of injustice on the side of big corporations, BUT, when someone wants to write about those things, he should at least be a person who launched a company and went thru the whole cycle, that way he would have more balanced view of reality.
        
        Uncle Bob 1 on January 12, 2018 · at 5:31 pm EST/EDT
        
        I’m not sure about which immigrant group you come from.But home-schooling in the US as a whole is very small.Growing maybe,but still as of today very small in numbers.And yes many kids (far more in the past than today) “work” at part time businesses,i.e lemonade stand,lawn mowing,car washing,etc.But that isn’t considered the same as having a “job” to most Americans.Again, some immigrant families do use their children in family businesses.But the numbers of those businesses in today’s US is still very much a minority of businesses. But lastly,if we follow your logic,almost none of us would be able to post comments here.Since extremely few of us have had long careers in politics,government services,military commands,run banks or other financial institutions,etc. Nor, lived in most of the countries we comment on regularly.
- Mathias on January 11, 2018 · at 6:02 am EST/EDT
  
  “A man who built a multi billion business empire in super competitive capitalist economy is stupid?”
  
  Was it Krugman or Stieglitz who mentioned that Trump with nut of $200 million in 1976 from his father would have had now $12 billion property with just sitting on chair and waiting dividends and capital gain flowing and doing nothing at all. Trump managed with his business get just $4 billion.
  
  Not so great businessman at all.
  - neo-leo on January 11, 2018 · at 7:19 am EST/EDT
    
    good point, come over once to Europe and have a look on all the great castles and properties of those now irrelevant people “just sitting on chair and waiting ….”
    
    I basicaly agree with the opinions about Trump to be found on http://www.voltairenet.org/en
  - Anonius on January 11, 2018 · at 8:23 am EST/EDT
    
    Wasn’t there a bankruptcy or two on the way to that $4B?
  - Serbian girl on January 11, 2018 · at 12:04 pm EST/EDT
    
    Mathias, I have to agree with you! A multi-million dollar inheritance, rising real estate prices and a low interest rate environment… anybody would’ve become a billionaire in those circumstances. Steve Bannon was the brains behind Trump’s brilliant election campaign. But now that Bannon, Flynn etc are gone, it is clear that Trump is an empty vessel. He is now surrounded by arch-zionist Jared Kushner and doing the bidding of a handful neocon generals. A great disappointment to all those who believed in “drain the swamp” and peace with Russia.
    - Siotu on January 11, 2018 · at 2:10 pm EST/EDT
      
      Hate to break it to you Serbian Girl but you are completely unaware of how to retain a fortune, let alone how to grow it. Not “anyone” would have been able to retain such a fortune or build on it. It is exceptionally difficult to do and it demands great skill, intelligence, discipline, persistence and passion 24/7. It is much easier to theorise about it and dream about it rather than doing it.
      
      Most people are ignorant when it comes to generation of wealth (which is why they are not wealthy). Interestingly enough, much of the elite themselves suffer a not dissimilar fault. They are not good at generation of wealth. They desperately seek to wealth despite their personal inabilities and shortcomings. That is why they set out to tilt the tables using regulations, rules, legislation, cronies, monopoly, oligarchy, criminality, subversion, violence, coercion, bribery, fraud and the like. They use nefarious means to guarantee themselves market control (that is, control over other people) and hence a short-cut to revenue. They seek a path towards the suppression and/or elimination of upstart competitors. Hence their great keenness for the tool of government. They understand the nature and function of government perfectly well. It is here they have their advantage, for most people are ignorant when it comes to understanding the nature of government.
      - Serbian girl on January 11, 2018 · at 5:46 pm EST/EDT
        
        Siotu, why does your first sentence remind me of the sales pitch used by hedge fund managers to justify their exorbitant fees?
        
        I’m sure Trump is reasonably smart, but I find it excessive to claim he is a genius (and somehow playing 4D chess) for making money in a market where prices only ever go up? Central banks have pumped trillions of dollars in QE into asset prices..Real estate market, and stock price are at record historic highs.
        
        As for the latter part of your statement, the “elite” you refer to are in fact large corporations who seek to maintain their competitive advantage through regulations and barriers to entry. For high-net- worth individuals, however, the strategy that probably worked best over the passed few decades was buy & hold.
        
        BaronAsh on January 12, 2018 · at 2:03 pm EST/EDT
        
        I am not an experienced businessman, but I believe viz ‘where prices only go up’ is an over-simplification of the US commercial and residential real estate market, especially when leverage (loans) is brought into play. There have been some severe and protracted downturns along the way which wiped out many investors and developers.
        
        Personally, I find Trump a strange mix, but generally he is a Larger-than-Life type character. He is very experienced with negotiating in both private and public sector contexts, very familiar with nuts-and-bolts practicalities, in the top 1% of senior management who know about how nearly every trade works, clearly has vision and skills (often under budget ahead of time), ruthless (have to be in cut throat Mafia-ridden NYC real estate scene) and so forth.
        
        I think a reasonable view is that he is a flawed/flamboyant character with an unusually broad and deep skill set, such that the WH has not seen in several generations. I also think that the Saker underestimates the level of hostile incoming ordinance he has been taking, which is truly extraordinary, and that he is still standing at all is also extraordinary.
        
        I believe that a counterpunch is coming and that the upcoming IG report will prove a seminal part of that.
        
        What scares me most about Trump is the level of pushback he has encountered – and as the Saker rightly points out has not managed to outflank or master yet, which he has to do – and what will happen if he is displaced. How he is displaced of course matters: on the one hand they can get a congressional majority in 2018 and simply box him in and then vote him out in 2020. Benign. On the other hand, they could bring down the Republic with an assassination. Or paralyze the nation with a twisted impeachment or criminal process which will bring the country to the verge of civil war.
        
        Maybe the Saker is right though, that when all is said and done, he is not on top of the situation nearly as much as his supporters believe, and really what he is doing is Presiding over the Decline of the West. I think a new Eurasian Civilisation is rising, one that will bring in a new Golden Age. I hope that the US can become tangential partners to this in its own hemisphere. For this to happen, the AngloZionist Financial-Military-Intelligence stranglehold has to be broken.
        
        And disregarding all the tactical speculations, right now still have NO idea if Trump is on board with making America both Strong and Good and Productive and Harmonious again etc. or merely a pawn fulfilling a personal ambition and trying to make a family legacy which includes his daughter becoming the FFP – First Female President. (It will be Kamala Harris…)
        
        Siotu on January 12, 2018 · at 4:43 pm EST/EDT
        
        Serbian Girl
        
        You write, “…why does your first sentence remind me of the sales pitch used by hedge fund managers to justify their exorbitant fees?”
        
        I don’t know how your mind operates, so I am baffled as to why you’d ask me such a question- unless of course it is an attempt to smear. Naturally that would be beneath you so I’ll charitably leave it at that.
        
        Quoting again, “I’m sure Trump is reasonably smart, but I find it excessive to claim he is a genius (and somehow playing 4D chess) for making money in a market where prices only ever go up?”
        
        It would be interesting to see what his IQ actually is, although to be fair IQ is not a predictor of success. In this world there are plenty of high IQ individuals who are failures. Still, yes it would be interesting to know what his IQ is.
        
        As far as the market only going up is concerned, although you are perfectly correct in the observation that “Central banks have pumped trillions of dollars in QE”, it is not correct that this has meant all the asset prices have only gone upwards such that a buy and hold strategy is all that’s necessary. During the career of businessman Trump there have been times when various assets have had precipitous declines, much volatility and instability (the more widely known examples being the start of the GFC in 2007/8, the crashes of ’01/02 and that of ’87, and there were various sectoral and regional upsets as well- it is quite false to state that assets have only gone upwards when a brief review of historical fact demonstrates the opposite). To navigate through these challenges, especially when highly leveraged with significant debt to service, is not as simple as you may like to pretend. Note also that Trump is a property developer and business operator. His business activities involve him with the set up and operation of functional businesses with all the vagaries that involved. Not so simple.
        
        Quoting, “Real estate market, and stock price are at record historic highs.”
        
        For now.
        
        In my opinion these highs are exactly as you identify. I’d go even further and classify them as bubbles. All bubbles eventually burst. This time around is not going to be an exception.
        
        Quoting, “As for the latter part of your statement, the “elite” you refer to are in fact large corporations etc.”
        
        Owned by…….? Controlled by…..? I’ll answer that for you. They are mechanisms owned and controlled by specific people.
        
        Quoting, “For high-net- worth individuals, however, the strategy that probably worked best over the passed few decades was buy & hold.”
        
        That is not quite right. Holding an asset incurs significant costs. These have to be satisfied. That demands revenue to achieve. That is, income must be generated from somewhere. Further, in order to continue to acquire assets, further income is required. One cannot merely purchase assets and hold them. One must ensure there is a continuing and sustainable revenue stream. Not quite as easy to achieve as is commonly thought.
        
        Serbian girl on January 13, 2018 · at 8:12 am EST/EDT
        
        No, Siotu, I was not trying to smear you. I attenpting to make a joke (not very good at that I admit) at the totally condescending tone in your comment.
  - Siotu on January 11, 2018 · at 1:41 pm EST/EDT
    
    Krugman or Stieglitz! Such great visionary businessmen in their own right….!
    
    Actually neither is a businessman. Both are nowhere near running anything in business, not even their own careers. Paid mouths the pair of them. Members of the elite idiocracy.
  - Arayik on January 13, 2018 · at 12:37 am EST/EDT
    
    I actually wasn’t talking about commenters but those people who write lengthy main articles on big Corp’s transgressions. I think everyone has a calling in life and a family to feed and they got to do what they got to do as an occupation and most people have things to say. I don’t throw stones on anyone.
- Anonymous on January 11, 2018 · at 7:10 pm EST/EDT
  
  Everybody can create a multi billion dollar business if she/he is permitted to declare bankruptcy several times without having to fear the decline of the own living standard.
  - Serbian girl on January 11, 2018 · at 8:02 pm EST/EDT
    
    He’s basically a real estate mogul who made money in a real estate bubble. Regarding his intelligence, he sure didn’t pass any of it along to his “White House advisor” air-headed moron, daughter Ivanka…
    - Siotu on January 12, 2018 · at 4:49 pm EST/EDT
      
      Serbian Girl
      
      It is puzzling why Ivanka Kushner is in the White House in such a influential role. Obviously her father trusts her, but does she possess much knowledge and expertise and experience? The media reports unfavourably in the main. Trouble is that it is difficult to know for sure what is going on inside the White House. There are so many stories and reports about. Much of those stories are contradictory to each other. And, of course, there is the elephant in the room, does one trust what the media is reporting?
  - Siotu on January 12, 2018 · at 3:57 pm EST/EDT
    
    Quoting, “Everybody can create a multi billion dollar business…..etc.”
    
    But obviously not you, for if you knew anything about doing such at thing you’d not have written the statement you did. The fact is that creating and maintaining, let alone growing a multi-billion dollar business is extremely difficult. Not everyone can do it. Few attempt it. Fewer succeed at it for very long.
    - Anonymous on January 13, 2018 · at 12:14 am EST/EDT
      
      Huh, … you’re capable of performing telediagnosis?
      
      If you’re quoting someone you should quote at least without distorting the message. My sentence contained a second part. if she/he is permitted to declare bankruptcy several times without having to fear the decline of the own living standard.
      
      Got the difference? Creating a multi billion dollar business with rules rigged in ones favor is easy. Creating a multi billion dollar business with the same rules for everyone is more tricky and deserves more respect. Nevertheless do I refuse to worship billionaires.
      - gT on January 13, 2018 · at 4:55 am EST/EDT
        
        Agree with everything you and Serbian Girl are saying. I’ve often observed how stupid people in a poor city remain poor, yet when they move to a rich city they suddenly become rich. Its like a rich city offers so much opportunities that its almost money for nothing. And then I moved to a rich’ish city myself (something I had vowed I would never do), and realized that I should have moved 10 years earlier.
        
        NYC has been the richest city in the world for a good half a century now, Trump found himself in the right environment with an inheritance to boot, even a stupid person can make it big in those circumstances. Thats why more Jews reside in NYC than in any other city on this planet.
        
        ‘Tel Aviv proper has a smaller population of Jews than New York City proper, making New York City the largest community of Jews in the world within a city proper’
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews_in_New_York_City
        
        Some definitely require the services of stock brokers and the like, some don’t.
        
        (Removed for language,MOD)
      - Siotu on January 13, 2018 · at 1:31 pm EST/EDT
        
        Gosh Anonymous, you were appropriately quoted without alteration of context or of meaning. No distortion has been made. So there is no need to get emotive, but were you to calm down and look very carefully you’d see this bit, “…..etc.”
        
        Now I understand you missed it first time around. Look again and reflect on that “…..etc.” just a little. And be honest about it this time. Now, as it happens it means the quote continues, but your entire post is obviously not being repeated for the sake of brevity. This is a well known and understood convention. To be a little more specific, it is expected a reader would have already read the original submission in its entirety. I certainly have. And, no, your post taken in its absolute entirety makes no difference whatsoever to the successful rebuttal of it.
        
        Note: The rules of bankruptcy are the same for everyone. They are defined in specific bodies of legislation and regulation, State and Federal. You can start a business (or several) just as other people have done and should it fail the law provides for you to declare that business or those businesses bankrupt without the business failure necessarily affecting certain of your personal assets (assuming you are not proven to have been careless or reckless in your dealings as defined at law). This is basic stuff and you really ought to read up on commercial law prior to commenting in ignorance. Failing that, ask a liquidation specialist or receivership practitioner to instruct and educate you. It is an interesting field to learn about. As with many matters there are good and bad aspects to it, but it is definitely interesting and you’ll not be wasting your time.
        
        As it happens, Donald Trump faced commercial and personal bankruptcy and even wrote candidly about what that experience was like for him, the challenges he faced and how close he came to being wiped out completely. We are lucky enough to have that all admitted in one of the books he wrote well prior to expressing interest in running for the US Presidency. In brief, his lifestyle was certainly altered alright. Every aspect was controlled and he had to answer to others directly for everything he did day to day, including personal expenditure. He strove to get out of trouble and he did, but it took him years of sustained concentrated effort. This would have been extremely demanding and stressful. One may suppose that the alternative concentrated the mind and kept him motivated. Still, as he admits, it still could have gone either way.
        
        In summary, it is clear that you do not have much experience in business and lack specific knowledge of what it is like. If you did you’d not have written howlers such as this, “Creating a multi billion dollar business with rules rigged in ones favor is easy.”- as if you’ve even ever tried. It is never easy and that is why even with favourable conditions vanishingly few ever make the attempt, let alone succeed at it.
        
        Anonymous on January 14, 2018 · at 8:05 pm EST/EDT
        
        Again some attempt at performing telediagnosis?
        
        I’ll skip your last paragraph, because I regard it as an attempt to gain background information.
        
        Serbian girl correctly pointed out that Donald Trump got some seed money from his family (simply by being the son of wealthy parents). (On a side-note: With the Heinz family Trump also has some rich relatives.)
        
        Before making such statements such as “The rules of bankruptcy are the same for everyone.”, you should educate the readers about the specifics. Each self-employed craftsman takes a higher risk than someone able to launch a LLC or some other form of incorporated business right from the start. Guess who’ll face a higher risk if the business runs into financial difficulites?
        Another aspect of bankruptcy laws are the different types. Credit card debt and debt from a student loan will stay forever with people.
        Those laws may apply for everyone, nevertheless it’s a difference if someone can start a business without having to worry about payments for a prior education.
        
        Considering the rigged rules you’re ignoring the loopholes created in different laws: remember what I’ve written about the difference of being self-employed or incorporating business. That’s not the only rigged rule in favor of those who’re already wealthy. For example Warren Buffet first bought Tim Hortons and then used this company to reincorporate Burger King in Canada to more favorable conditions (https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2014/08/26/warren-buffett-burger-king-and-the-big-money-behind-inversion-deals/#29b8379b49eb). The legal use of tax havens is also written down in the laws. It’s always funny to watch US politicians wail about Panama or the Cayman Islands whilst one of the largest tax havens is located amidst US citizens: Delaware. A few months ago Paradise Papers made some headlines. Wouldn’t you agree that the rules are rigged in favor of large corporations? A few comments further down I’ve included some links that provide information of subsidies to large corporations.
        
        Since Donald Trump is born in New York City and it’s his home turf, he had an easy start. Further, he didn’t start with just 20 bucks in his wallet. Only once Donald Trump faced the risk to take a hit on his personal belongings (https://www.quora.com/How-much-did-Trumps-6-bankruptcies-cost-American-taxpayers). Do you really think he would’ve had such a career if he had been born in Botswana or if he had put all his money into business projects in Detroit? Actually someone doesn’t even have to be from Africa. Someone from a small town in Indiana moving to New York City will face major difficulties in starting a business. You need some deep pockets in order to start a company in NYC, San Francisco or several other Californian cities due to the extreme differences of rents, food (a pizza can easily cost up to 30 dollars), electricity, etc. For creating a large business of the kind Donald Trump started, you don’t necessarily need to be the smartest. A heavy share of luck is needed, as well as rules in your favor.
        
        Since laws apply for everyone: Why did president Obama bend the rules and bail out many of the large banks? Seems, some are more equal than others.
        
        Despite your (admittedly smart) attempt at a rebuttal of my comment I’m still refusing to worship billionaires.
  - Arayik on January 13, 2018 · at 5:17 pm EST/EDT
    
    Trump launched something like 26 businesses, only 2-3 went bankrupt. How many businesses have you started and how many workplaces did you create? Unless you believe it is the responsibility of the state to create and provide jobs to citizens.
    Declaring Bankrupcy is part of the genius. And what is wrong with declaring bankrupcy once in a while ?
    Most of the people that I know that never declared bankrupcy are those on Welfare or those who sit on the couch and never get out there and never make mistakes, perfect people. All they do is criticize others who live in the real life and therefore often stumble in the struggles of life. Americans have very strange morality when it comes to certain things. Like, when I was young, I was pursuing this American girl for marriage, and as soon as she learned I had declared bankrupcy she ended our relationship. So, she is 24 years old, already divorced once, her mother had been divorced too. Basically, they have a significantly f**ked up family and personal lives, and managed to mess things up, and they see someone’s bankrupcy as being immoral? LOL. Having a state subsidized job is not immoral, divorces are ok, having homosexual kids is minor inconvenience, but bankrupcy is taboo. You couldn’t be more humorous. People living in glass houses and throwing stones at others.
    - Anonymous on January 14, 2018 · at 5:17 pm EST/EDT
      
      Thank you for another expert opinion. Maybe you can help me figuring out the difference between subsidies and welfare. For example the oil and gas industry gets welfare (yes, that’s what subsidies should get called) by state funding of research and development, direct funding, and tax expenditures (http://insideenergy.org/2016/11/04/ie-questions-how-does-the-government-subsidize-oil-and-gas/ and https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/aug/07/fossil-fuel-subsidies-are-a-staggering-5-tn-per-year). The banks got subsidies by bank bailouts. They even forwarded a huge chunk of the taxpayers money to their own welfare queens in form of bonuses (http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=8214818). Why should any banker get a reward for crashing the economy? With regard to your own failed business: You’re aware of the massive subsidies amazon (Jeff Bezos) gets (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/03/amazon-goodies-tax-breaks-hq-city and http://www.businessinsider.de/trump-gop-tax-reform-bill-may-save-amazon-facebook-google-billions-2017-12?r=US&IR=T)? If you think it to be fair that you had to struggle (finally) fail with your business against such a behemoth like amazon, then it’s a sign that you’re still not aware that financial power and the power to blackmail governments is a weapon in the hands those corporations. Would you be okay if some billionaire came along and would build large high rises surrounding your property, so that sunlight can reach you only if the sun is direct above? The hospitality of US citizens surprises me big time. You’re immigrating to the US, bashing their educational system and would let the poor starve to death and they still tolerate you amongst them.
      
      Finally let me get to the bankruptcies of Trump. For outsiders it’s difficult to estimate done to taxpayers (https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2011/04/29/fourth-times-a-charm-how-donald-trump-made-bankruptcy-work-for-him/#69fac38f7ffa and https://www.quora.com/How-much-did-Trumps-6-bankruptcies-cost-American-taxpayers), but it’s pretty safe to assume that taxpayers had to pay the bill for some of his business ventures.
      
      Indeed it is smart if you can shift responsibility for business failures to others (taxpayers), but referring to such persons as geniuses is disingenuous itself.
      - lighta on January 15, 2018 · at 1:02 am EST/EDT
        
        Arayik is a lost cause.
        His idea is simple, people should work and shouldn’t get help. If they fail and die good the other will be better… (He actually not say that but I feel is a bit Darwinist).
        While it’s true socialism encourage laziness somewhat capitalism (and in our case ultra-capitalism) promote individualism at best and often corruption (when people want to help there relative…).
        So what’s best ?
        
        Anonymous on January 16, 2018 · at 4:58 pm EST/EDT
        
        I don’t think that he’s a lost cause. If you read his responses you can see that he shows signs that he’s willing to self-reflect and reconsider his previous opinion. If that’s happening right now my comments have been worth time and effort.
- ruca on January 12, 2018 · at 12:58 am EST/EDT
  
  Hello Arayik. Have a look at this and let me know what you think.
  
  https://imgur.com/a/DTeK7
  - Arayik on January 15, 2018 · at 12:47 am EST/EDT
    
    True subsidies and welfare are essentially one and the same thing. I totally agree with you. I think what you missed was, there is nothing, absolutely nothing you and I can do about it. So move on. I dont have time to waste on useless protests which is sure to produce zero results. I accept life and reality as it is, so I have stress free life. I only live once and have decided not to stress over things, even such injustices, because there is nothing I can do about those things. Of course, if the state authorities one day arrest Jeff Bezos and his likes and hang them from gallows in the city center, I will exceedingly rejoice for a long time. I would even be content if he perished in a car accident or died from slow killing cancer. But then, someone else is going to come along and continue his abominable deeds. So, chill.
Ilja on January 11, 2018 · at 3:31 am EST/EDT

While I think too that erosion of political power in the US is the sign of decline it’s imperial ambitions and as such a good thing, I can’t imagine any mechanism how could people in the US will take their power back. What I can imagine instead are different cliques and groups fighting for the best chunks of flesh from imperial corpse. May be the entire “stupidity” of US policy is a sign of this is already happening.(Better not to imagine how the struggle for nuclear weapons control may look like in this context. In USSR there was a heavy built sense for hierarchy and discipline and yet there were numerous incidents of arms trade with their massive inherited military after the empire failed. I don’t believe that Americans have such discipline either on personal or group level). Only after there is nothing more to fight for, the people will get their power back. So yes, it will be good for the American people, but probably not for this generation. Keeping in mind, that there were some “small” groups of nations that may have feel a little offended about what Americans have once said or even done to them, one might imagine the situation that they could feel such development as an opportunity to get back what is theirs (may be even with interest). So we can easily assume, that the time for Americans for managing their own on truly democratic principles can thus be postponed after the colonial bills are paid. So may be some generations more.
Anonymous on January 11, 2018 · at 3:39 am EST/EDT

I’d probably use the word “stupefy” (stupefied) to describe the general situation of concern.

It invokes themes such as shocked; stunned; unable to think or feel properly; to put into a state of little or no sensibility; benumb the faculties of; put into a stupor; to stun, as with a narcotic; a shock, or a strong emotion; to overwhelm with amazement; astound; astonish. (typical web definitions)

The question is: Is Trump simply sharing his ‘genius’ with the US and world; or is he the ‘narcotic’ shock being administered by …?

Some forms of parasitoid present interesting analogies — e.g. the Jew Wasp (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN2XMyxAs5o )

Zombification of the current US corporate began long ago with a sting to the neck on Jared Kushner’s pillow
( https://forward.com/fast-forward/362898/when-bibi-slept-in-jared-kushners-bed/ )..

As these eggs progressively hatch in the ‘Homeland’ hegemonic host one wonders if/when the vast poor ocean of American people (e.g. Clinton’s “basket of deplorables”) will wake up one day to just how they have been set up for a certain ME entity (especially from 9/11 onward under a cloud of collective cognitive dissonance) and then begin to perhaps question the historic meanings behind the ‘Final Solution’ which emerged in Nazi Germany mid-20th century.

In spite of all the surface bedazzlement, could it be that ‘Occupied Palestine’ is being kept within the US collective unconscious as an external dumping ground final-solution for the dangerous Semite ‘trash’ — as seen from a deplorable basket rim?

Unlikely scenario? … just keep an eye on Porky Poroshenko and his Ukrainian chocolate factory turning out the latest batch of Bandera’s boys. Canada’s political sympathies for Ukraine largely result from the large Ukrainian expat population residing there. And it’s only just north of the US border and there will be no Mexican ‘Trump’ Wall that side.

What I find interesting is all this ‘agency’ implied with Trump. Much of this unfolding is quite mechanical and whether a sane ‘genius’ or not, Trump is simply a convenient tool and external symptom of a deep misanthropic malaise festering within the bowls of the Beast. Ultimately it is ‘General Fate’ that drives this limp show — even if the usual suspects’ animal sacrifices to it within their cave temples below golden domes proceed at a pace.
_smr on January 11, 2018 · at 5:08 am EST/EDT

There are factions inside the Jewish Mafia that runs the West.

The by far most powerful group are the Globalists, that have been running the show for some centuries. Enough said.

The second group are the Patriots. Think Trump, Netanyahu, MBS. Their pseudo-ideology is totally congruent with that of the Globalists except for a tiny detail: they want to protect their own skin and that of their nation from the utter destruction Globalism brings about. : )

The clown show that results from the mud wrestling between these two Mafia wings has dominated 2017, and as long as Trump stays around, will continue to do so. Good so.
- gT on January 11, 2018 · at 8:42 am EST/EDT
  
  Great info, Trump was always pro-Israel from the word go, but anti-Globalist at the same time. Hillary was always pro-Israel and pro-Globalist. Repeatedly on the net there have been inferences that Israel was supposed to die along with all other countries, even that Israel was created to start WW3, during which lots of countries were supposed to die, including Israel. Then when all nations are dead then the phoenix of the New World Order would arise from the ashes and ‘God’s chosen people’ would govern the whole planet.
  
  So it seems like some are content with stealing the land from the Palestinians and some more from that neighbourhood while others are like, who cares about Israel when you can have the whole planet. Neither grouping is going to achieve their desire.
Bev Jenner (Mr) on January 11, 2018 · at 5:44 am EST/EDT

Thank you.
And Thankyou for the free pdf of your book.
The loneliness Was an Ilusion , as I suspected.
Will definitly Buy the sequel,
to read as I sit and view , on the very edge of the internet , in the heart of the southern alps of Australia .
Erno Linnola on January 11, 2018 · at 5:58 am EST/EDT

And that was indeed the only true reason why i hoped Trump to win election.
_smr on January 11, 2018 · at 6:20 am EST/EDT

“USA= ISRAEL & ISRAEL=USA”

Inasmuch the USA and Israel are limbs, organs of the same organism (Jewish Mafia) this statement is correct. But considering that all limbs, organs of an organism have completely different properties, functions, tasks to fulfill, this statement doesn’t tell as anything useful.

Project Israel, one has to understand, was never about a nation state called Israel, as advertised, this was just the pretext.

Project Israel, understood correctly, has been a very sinister and clever scheme by the Jewish Mafia to make their fascist mafia-ideology, pretentiously called Zionism, the dominant political force of the Jewish world.
And what an unbelievable success it has been! Zionism has completely relegated all other expression of Jewish sentiment, culture, philosophy, spirituality to the gutters!

Zionism has de facto destroyed Judaism. Not only that, but the creation of Israel has put the Jewish Mafia, who has been hiding quite comfortable behind millions of proxies in past centuries into the spotlight.

The blow-back from this particular ironic ’irony of history’ has gained momentum only recently, and will bind an ever increasing percentage of Zion’s energy requirements in the coming years and decades. Just saying.
ne on January 11, 2018 · at 7:30 am EST/EDT

I think it is somwhat paradox to use MSM information, values propagated by MSM and/or those behind to judge a situation, e.g. Trump. In the rest I agree with the saker.
Und based on “Stupid is as stupid does, sir”, I wonder if not the opposite is 100% true.
neo-leo on January 11, 2018 · at 7:31 am EST/EDT

I think it is somwhat paradox to use MSM information, values propagated by MSM and/or those behind to judge a situation, e.g. Trump. In the rest I agree with the saker.
Und based on “Stupid is as stupid does, sir”, I wonder if not the opposite is 100% true.
Merca on January 11, 2018 · at 7:49 am EST/EDT

It’s good to read divergent but well articulated points of view like the ones arguing Trump is not stupid. I’m just gonna disagree with the statement “A man who built a multi billion business empire in super competitive capitalist economy is stupid?”. To accomplish such an enterprise you don’t have to be smart, just unscrupulous, evil, perilous risk-taker. I’m not sure that’s a good combination of things to run a nation, or even a concert of nations having weapons of mass destruction at hand. I feel this current strategy is like playing with fire. I hope you all are right and Trump succeeds but I’d like to see more signals of that. I also used to have expectations with Trump.
A123 on January 11, 2018 · at 7:51 am EST/EDT

Don’t let the Soros/Globalist push-polls tool you. Trump is quite popular among citizens and becoming more so. He is executing a very smart strategy at home and abroad.

Jobs & Raises = POPULARITY

The cleverly designed tax cuts are a huge benefit:
http://dailysignal.com/2018/01/03/businesses-raise-wages-give-bonuses-wake-tax-cuts/or
The State and Local Tax [SALT] provisions directly target the establishment in high tax states.

Even more important is his highly intelligent attack on the underpinning of the Globalist establishment. Reducing regulation:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trump-kills-16-regulations-for-every-new-one-crushing-2-for-1-goal/article/2629177currently

Recovering from the submissive policies of Obama and his State Department will take time. His stand against trade exploiters, killing TPP and probably NAFTA, is a good first step.

He is appointing judges that burdening America and it’s Constitution at a rapid pace. Even fake-CNN has been forced to covers his success in this front.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/15/politics/trump-judges-nominees/index.html

How could a “stupid” person orchestrate this much success?
- Anonymous on January 11, 2018 · at 7:47 pm EST/EDT
  
  Yes, those tax reductions are highly effective. Now with those tax cuts in place the US government has to look in other places for money to finance its few social spending. Another positive aspect of those tax cuts is that now European companies start wailing, because they fear for their competitiveness. Sooner or later they may be successful and this will result in cuts for social spending as well. Greed and stupidity truly doesn’t know any borders.
Redford on January 11, 2018 · at 8:18 am EST/EDT

It’s a bit sad to come here and find, for once, something packed with wild departires from facts. Just one exemple:

Trump was invited to launch in the Forbidddn City in China.

Putin (or Obama, or nearly anyone) never were.

It’s a hard fact. If your world view isn’t compatible with that fact, it needs refactoring.
Larchmonter445 on January 11, 2018 · at 8:38 am EST/EDT

I imagine a Hegemon so entangled in disastrous policies, so hamstrung by debt, so immersed in corruption and the “disappearance of Trillions–now totaling close to $10 Trillion, that it can no longer adapt to the evolution of International Power structures that oppose its 75 year-old post-WWII institutions of rule.

However, I don’t think “stupidity” will bring the Hegemon to ruin.
There is never anything smart about Empire to begin with. It is usually a development of filling a vacuum, dominating those who have deep and wide needs.

Presently, many of the first tier and second tier nations around the globe have a choice they did not have for seven decades. They can choose sovereignty and relationships with the Multi-polar nations challenging the Hegemon’s Empire.

Information has illuminated the failings of Globalism and the emptiness of American culture. The entire Western Civilization is undergoing a “sex change”. It is transitioning from the spiritual and intellectual roots of Renaissance to a godless, cult of Feudalism.

This retreat from the Republic to the Cult is unacceptable as model for nation-states.
The Eurasian world particularly is deeply rooted in its own civilizations and cultural values.

So, there are forces of choice in play. The Grand American Stupidity of the 21st Century, begun by George W. Bush, embellished by Obama-Clinton and adapted by Trump, is a Strategy of Empire. With a massive economy, massive military and seven decades of hegemony as starting point for today’s strategies and missions, nothing stands in the way of the behemoth from doing the stupid thing over and over. Ultimately, failure will result in replacement by new International Powers. The question is when? And will this actually happen as we think.

China-Russia, Eurasia, the non-vassal assemblage of nations will make the rules, we assume. But will this actually happen, even though all signs seem to show it will.

The US is being devoured by “flesh eating bacteria” called Liberalism. The young minds of most of its people are filled with Liberal Cult dictums. The adults have had their economic foundations destroyed so they are dependent on the Cult’s handouts.
The spiritual life of the society is being poisoned by drugs. The government is a fascist surveillance state that is dispensing lies and false information in unprecedented flows from MSM and Social Media. There is only one generation alive in the country that knows the Truth, and it is retired and getting old and marginalized. The rest of the country is mind-massaged, struggling to find some verities.

Trump offered hope. And he may deliver economic salve to help the nation stand and dominate the globe for another decade. Certainly, he is rebuilding the military and it will push back hard everywhere against the Multi-Polar potential. Its Indo-Pacific QUAD is part of the containment of China and Russia in the Asia Pacific zone.

Though “stupid” may be the proper characterization of US governance and global policies, that does not mean it is ineffective. Hegemony is about Power, and stupid power is just as dangerous and controlling as smart power.

The Globalists want Feudalism as the reigning system. They are well on the way to achieving that goal. For 95% of the human race this is bad and seemingly stupid. But it is still moving ahead. It may be it never happens. But we are facing a world in the next ten years that may have no Putin directing Russia and no Xi directing China. Then what?

Stupid will still be in office (Pence, Ryan, Haley, you name it) in the Oval Office and DC.
The US economy will have rebuilt the military and rebuilt some of the infrastructure. The Hegemon will still stand in the way in MENA, South Asia, Indo-Pacific, maybe the Arctic, Africa, Latin America, Space and throughout the Internet Cyber universe.

Stupid may Rule stronger than ever by then. It has ruled for seven decades.

Just because the beast is stupid does not mean it will fail and fall.
B.F. on January 11, 2018 · at 8:43 am EST/EDT

An excellent article, as always. A few points need to be added. Trumps election campaign was unusual from the point of view that he had the support of 200 admirals and generals, both active and retired. While it is true that I favored Trump over Hillary, I could never really comprehend why 200 high ranking military officers would support Trump, who did not have any political or military experience. Looks like we have out answer. The military and neocons needed a puppet in the White House, and it would appear that they got one. Trumps whole foreign policy initiative is a complete reversal of what the promised during the elections.

Trump may not have been under neocon control before becoming President, but he is certainly a neocon puppet now, continuing where Obama stopped. Perhaps he is more than a puppet, perhaps a sacrificial stooge. Not only was the election process anything but dignified, with vicious accusations between Trump and Hillary, but the post election developments were anything but mature, with childish vilification of Trump by the media, intelligence services and political establishment. I am still wondering if Trump was put into the White House as a pawn for the ultimate vilification of Russia and China, giving the neocons an excuse for military action against both countries. Time will tell.

Finally, one has to wonder if the Washington political establishment, the US media and Wall Street are aware what the rest of the world is thinking, watching all this. I have my doubts. It would appear that they all are still living in the past, thinking that the world will accept any nonsense coming out of the US. It will not. As the article points out, even US allies are turning against it. America better wake up.
- Robert on January 12, 2018 · at 2:26 am EST/EDT
  
  “… The military and neocons needed a puppet in the White House, and it would appear that they got one.
  …
  I am still wondering if Trump was put into the White House as a pawn for the ultimate vilification of Russia and China, giving the neocons an excuse for military action against both countries. …”
  
  Your observations are correct, very much so.
  
  A couple of weeks following Trumps election, F. W. Engdahl wrote a thorough analysis on the topic, titled “The Dangerous Deception Called The Trump Presidency”( https://journal-neo.org/2016/11/25/the-dangerous-deception-called-the-trump-presidency/ ), where he accurately predicted:
  
  “… I state clearly my conviction, and please recall this as Trump Presidency policies unfold after January 20, 2017 to see if I am correct or not:
  Donald Trump was put into office to prepare America for war, a war the banks of Wall Street and the US military industrial complex are not presently in a position economically or industrially or otherwise, geopolitically, to win. His job will be to reposition the United States for them to reverse the trend to disintegration of American global hegemony, to, as the Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz Project for the New American Century put it in their September, 2000 report, “rebuild America’s defenses.” …”
Arthur G Brina on January 11, 2018 · at 11:45 am EST/EDT

Stupid is as Stupid does. Stupid is not good. It is dangerous.

Stupid has set the U.S. on track toward open warfare against Hezbollah, SAA, and Iranian forces in Syria, backed by Israeli air power. Stupid means that USAF/IDF will fly around Syria in the face of the Russian presence and dare the Russians to do anything about it.

Stupid has set the U.S. on course to use US /IDF special operations forces -plus mercenaries from Russian-speaking countries- in the Donbass, to conduct acts of sabotage and assassination, all the while daring the Russians to do anything about it. At least Donbass is close enough to the centers of Russian military power, that Russia is perfectly capable of doing something quite decisively. This time -unlike Georgia 10 years ago- there will be so many non-Ukro military personnel involved, that it won’t be ignored. It could devolve into not-so-proxy war of Spetznaz vs. Special Ops; and -no- the Spetznaz will not win every firefight.

Forget China. The U.S. isn’t going to mess with China and China won’t do anything to mess with America. The two economies are very dependent upon each other, albeit for very different reasons.

Forget Turkey. The Turks are feckless, and will play up to whichever side can pay them off the best.

The Arab League knows who the 800-lb. gorilla is. So do the EU, the Turks, and the Chinese. The Likudniks have wrapped a tight web around Donald Trump. And so do the Russians. He is only shown the world in the way that the Neocons want him to see it.

As long as the U.S. domestic economic numbers are improving, there is no way that this is going to change. And that is not good!
- B.F. on January 11, 2018 · at 12:17 pm EST/EDT
  
  US domestic economic numbers improving ? Yes, I read something about that. Those are Government numbers. However, nothing has been said about the gigantic US foreign and domestic debt, which can never be payed off.
  - Peter on January 11, 2018 · at 2:08 pm EST/EDT
    
    Remember…debt does not matter in the USA.
    - B.F. on January 11, 2018 · at 3:17 pm EST/EDT
      
      Only because the US was forcing the rest of the world to use the dollar in international transactions. However, those days are coming to an end.
    - Anonymous on January 11, 2018 · at 11:19 pm EST/EDT
      
      Tell this to those imprisoned because they couldn’t pay their fines (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/48562.htm).
teranam13 on January 11, 2018 · at 12:27 pm EST/EDT

When push comes to shove, if and when the neocons in State, in the Military and in the CIA get it together which they are doing in the mid East in order to create a combined incident ( attack on Russian forces in Syria–testing, testing– or Iran), Trump will knee jerk support them.

Just on a psychological level:

He was sent to a military school as an unruly adolescent by a demanding father so these men became his mental male mentors. Putin, however, was enrolled into Judo and martial arts by a wise father and so his internal male mentors are much, much different. Both want to win but their inner resources are differently molded as is their style and basic goals.

I no faith in someone who can over chocolate cake order the launch of missiles into another country just because he can do so and it makes for great screen play for his political theater of the absurd.

Yes, some hapless civilians living in nearby shanties to the attacked base were killed.
Richard on January 11, 2018 · at 2:10 pm EST/EDT

“… the political defeat of the USA in Syria …”

Yes, its plan “A” – to totally vanquish Syria and remove Assad – has completely flopped, thanks to Russia’s resolute military intervention, along with Iran’s and Hezbollah’s invaluable help.

On the other hand, it is clear that the USA under Trump did manage to achieve something it had been unable to achieve under Obama. Which is, along with Kurds et al., to set down its foot in the entire portion of Syrian territory that lies to the east of Euphrates. Just look at the South Front’s map of 8 January 2018, https://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/09jan_syria_war_map.jpg .

Call it a “consolation prize”, or “plan B”, or whatever you like, but it is the reality, like it or not. All the acolytes’ wishful spins galore notwithstanding (“just wait till the SAA & allies finish the job in Idlib and then move to the east”, or “just wait till international negotiations (:-D) about the future of Syria commence”, etc., etc…). When/if anything actually changes there, kindly announce it then – but not before.
Anonymous on January 11, 2018 · at 2:17 pm EST/EDT

Good stuff. Now write an article on what the USA would be like if Hillary were elected.
Sanjin on January 11, 2018 · at 5:52 pm EST/EDT

Mr. Trump is inessential figure. US political establishment, after Kennedy, does not allow wise and charismatic presidents. system has working vertical of governing which is functioning( e.g. deep state). that is why the Americans are offered a choice for president miserable and insulting. we saw how the American public polarized and were red in the face because of anger. of course, there are problems maintaining verticals of governance – the biggest nuisance is the interference of democracy that is inevitable.
that is perhaps a secret how the US can functioning with such *stupid* presidents.
that is also why american agencies always want to first remove charismatic presidents in other countries because it is doing a great deal of work in destroying a political community of a state and splitting society into irrelevant and helpless parts. in Syria, Asad is important “piece” to destroy country. plan A was to destroy Syria as a functioning state, not just to remove president from power.
about Mr. Trump, it would be inappropriate to claim that Trump is stupid, but his honest political stupidity keeps him alive. I’m sure of that.
US will not break so easily unless there is a catastrophic imbalance in the interests of the deep state. although it is possible but I think it is unpredictable. Although the deep state complex “organism” still has the finest number of “parts” that are brought to balance. judging by the disappearance of past empires, always the trigger of the fall is almost unimaginable.
Anonymous on January 11, 2018 · at 6:26 pm EST/EDT

The bus isn’t headed for a ditch. It’s headed for a large gathering.
- vot tak on January 11, 2018 · at 7:12 pm EST/EDT
  
  “The bus isn’t headed for a ditch. It’s headed for a large gathering.”
  
  Looks that way.
  
  US Plan to Remove Nuke Constraints May Shift View That Nuclear War ‘Unthinkable’
  
  https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201801111060668716-us-nuclear-weapons-warheads/
  
  “Trump’s new nuclear policy is significantly more hawkish than the posture adopted by the Obama administration, which sought to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in US defense.”
  
  The trump regime is developing nukes to be actively used, against non nuclear armed opponents. These zionazis are preparing for full scale war to maintain dominance.
  
  These psychopaths make hitler and his 1000 year reich nonsense appear sane.
Victor on January 11, 2018 · at 6:54 pm EST/EDT

I’m loving the Trump presidency for all the reasons the Saker has outlined. I’m from Ireland and back in the day when I and others criticized George Dubya’s invasion of Iraq or Obama and Hillary’s destruction of Libya we were labelled as “anti-American” by Ireland’s arm-chair neocons. Many of them hoped that Clinton would win the presidency in 2016 because they had a soft spot for her and Bill going back to their part in the Northern Ireland peace process in the ’90’s. They were stunned when she lost and now they are openly calling for Trump to be removed / impeached / assassinated, clearly with no sense of irony. Long live Trump!
Jimmy the Lock on January 11, 2018 · at 7:08 pm EST/EDT

You know what isn’t positive? The apparent green light the Israeli’s have been given to ramp up their diabolical persecution of the Palestinians. I do hope that this will all eventually backfire on Israel, but in reality unless the US empire crumbles soon no one will lift a finger to help the Palestinians.
vot tak on January 11, 2018 · at 7:25 pm EST/EDT

Analysis Reveals ‘Stable Genius’ Trump Speaks Like Fourth-Grader

https://sputniknews.com/us/201801111060677875-analysis-trump-speaks-fourthgrader/

“The website, Factbase, conducted a thorough analysis of the US President’s interviews and speeches, ranking his speaking skills on the Flesch-Kincaid grade level scale, and here’s their conclusion.

Donald Trump has repeatedly boasted of being “like, really smart,” which was dispelled by numerous lexicological tests, studying for vocabulary, comprehension levels, and English language complexity. In order to analyze Trump’s speaking skills, researchers tried to distinguish between his actual speech and remarks written by the speechwriters, even excluding social media posts from the data.

Following a series of tests, Trump’s speech level was determined to be that of a mid-fourth grader, defining him as the worst speaker since Harry Truman, who spoke at almost a sixth-grade level.

“By every metric and methodology tested, Donald Trump’s vocabulary and grammatical structure is significantly more simple, and less diverse, than any President since Herbert Hoover, when measuring “off-script” words, that is, words far less likely to have been written in advance for the speaker,” wrote Factba.se CEO Bill Frischling in the report.

According to the Flesch-Kincaid formula, that initially was used to assess the knowledge of the military, the top three on the grade level list were Herbert Hoover (11.3), Jimmy Carter (10.7) and Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama (9.7).”

Check out the comparison graph, trump got only 2/3rds the rating bush (take your pick) got. Could it be worse? Maybe a chew gum and walk test might be in order. :-D
vot tak on January 11, 2018 · at 10:49 pm EST/EDT

Like massa, like quisling (or is it monkey see other monkey do, monkey imitate?).

The quisling:

Trump Asks Why US Has So Many Immigrants from ‘Sh*thole’ Countries – Report

https://sputniknews.com/us/201801121060690923-trump-us-immigrants-shthole-countries/

“On Thursday, US President Donald Trump inquired of lawmakers in the White House, “Why are we having all these people from sh*thole countries come here?” while talking about immigrants from Haiti and Africa.

Trump’s comments occurred while speaking with legislators about immigration protections, the Hill reported. Instead, according to people in the meeting, the president said the US should accept more immigrants from places like Norway.”

Their massa:

‘He’s a Goy from Kenya’: Jewish Convert With Valid Visa Denied Entry to Israel

https://sputniknews.com/news/201801041060523238-Jewish-Convert-With-Valid-Visa-Denied-Entry-to-Israel/

“A Kenyan citizen was recently detained at the airport and deported from Israel, despite having a valid tourist visa.

Yehuda Kimani, a 31-year-old Jewish convert, believed he had the permission of the Israeli ambassador in Nairobi to study at a Conservative yeshiva in Israel, but when he arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport in mid-December to begin his studies, he found border authorities had different ideas.

Kimani was detained and not allowed to contact his sponsors in Israel, according to Haaretz, and put on a plane to Ethiopia the following morning. According to the Jerusalem Post, officials feared “he would remain [illegally]” in the country after his three month visa expired. Why Kimani was suspected of such duplicity, the Interior Ministry never said.

However, Israel’s troubles with African immigrants do not end with refugees and asylum seekers. Even legal immigrants and their descendants face increased hardship in Israel, including forced sterilization. A scandalous story by investigative journalist Gal Gabbay broke in early 2013 about Ethiopian immigrant women being forced to accept birth control treatments, or surreptitiously given them without their consent or even knowledge, as a condition of entering the country.”
- vot tak on January 12, 2018 · at 9:38 am EST/EDT
  
  ‘No other word but racist’: UNHR spokesman slams Trump’s reported remarks on ‘s*** countries’
  
  https://www.rt.com/news/415690-no-other-word-but-racist-trumo/
  
  “There is no other word one can use but ‘racist,'” a spokesman for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said, as quoted by Reuters.
  
  “You cannot dismiss entire countries and continents as ‘s***,’ whose entire populations, who are not white, are therefore not welcome,” the spokesman said.”This isn’t just a story about vulgar language, it’s about opening the door to humanity’s worst side, about validating and encouraging racism and xenophobia.”
  
  Meanwhile, some turned trump’s bigotry against him:
  
  ‘Why would Norwegians come?’ Twitter blows up at Trump’s s***hole slur
  
  https://www.rt.com/news/415700-trump-norway-twitter-immigrants/
  
  “Why would people from Norway want to immigrate here? They have actual health care, and longer life expectancy,” Stephen King‏ wrote on Twitter.
  
  Like anyone would leave Norway for this s****.
  — Amanda Guinzburg (@Guinz) January 12, 2018
  
  Funny how Norway isn’t a “s**** country” despite embracing everything Trump supposedly abhors: high taxes, big government, liberal social values, something resembling socialism.
  — Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) January 12, 2018
  
  @realDonaldTrump no one from Norway wants to come to this s**** country. They have healthcare for all, family leave, free education and real gun control. https://t.co/yL0gmS55Yw
  — Michael J. McDonald (@MMStearnsCastle) January 11, 2018
  
  Of course people from #Norway would love to move to a country where people are far more likely to be shot, live in poverty, get no healthcare because they’re poor, get no paid parental leave or subsidized daycare and see fewer women in political power. #s***
  — Christian Christensen (@ChrChristensen) January 11, 2018
  
  My parents both came from Norway, god rest their souls.
  If they were alive today, they would know better.
  They’d have stayed in Norway, or maybe have chosen a less s**** country.
  Like Zimbabwe.
  — Brian Hjelle🇵🇷 (@Brian_Hjelle) January 11, 2018
  
  Trump: “Why are we having all these people from s**** countries come here? Why not people from Norway?”
  
  Norwegians: “Why would we move to a country with a s**** President?”
  — Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) January 11, 2018
  
  The Racist in Chief thinks we need more immigrants from Norway.
  
  Some things about Norway:
  🔹Universal healthcare
  🔹Paid family leave
  🔹Shorter work weeks
  🔹More vacation time
  🔹Incredible education system
  
  WHY WOULD THEY WANT TO COME HERE??? pic.twitter.com/F30NCOsx1p
  — ☃️Dr. Donna Noble☃️ (@DonnaNoble10th) January 11, 2018″
  - Siotu on January 13, 2018 · at 8:37 pm EST/EDT
    
    Vok Tak
    
    This is hilarious stuff! Just look at that list of politically correct whiners and whingers virtue signalling their worthless emotive guts out! Muck- all of what they write.
    
    Re President Trump’s off-the-cuff comment (assuming he actually made it)
    
    The US President has a point. Importing large numbers of people from places which are backward socially, educationally, productively and culturally is both expensive and destructive. The costs are well known and understood. Unfortunately, it is trendy throughout the western political establishment, along with their various soft headed followers/acolytes, to pretend the costs and the destructive consequences do not exist. Experience throughout Europe and elsewhere proves otherwise.
    
    It is better to limit immigration according to strict criteria – cultural compatibility and a record of proven productivity would be a good start.
    
    Re Norway.
    🔹Universal healthcare
    🔹Paid family leave
    🔹Shorter work weeks
    🔹More vacation time
    🔹Incredible education system
    These are not the utopian panacea socialists like to pretend. Each of these supposedly free lunches is hugely expensive and has to be paid for one way or another. Someone always has to pay. So, let us consider the funding mechanism, who will eventually be made liable and where that leads.
    
    The export of oil products is responsible for nearly half of Norwegian export revenue. For the moment Norway government is in the position of being able to utilise imposts and tributes extracted on oil revenues to partially support its largess (in reality a mass bribe). Simultaneously, the debt of Norway has reached around half of the GDP (government debt alone exceeds 27% of GDP and don’t forget that GDP includes government consumption, it is not a measure of productive output alone). On-going borrowings (debt) is also being used to support the largess. Freebies are not really free.
    
    Notice the oil windfall is not being directed to pay down debt or build wealth for a decent future. Instead it is merely consumed (for example, those give-aways bulleted above). We can readily see the direction Norway is headed in that the household debt to disposable income is worse by far than that of the US (and the US is not very good in this regard). There is growing debt throughout the country and should interest rates increase there are sure to be troubles to come (of recent times interest rates have been very, very, very low with inter-bank rates even straying into negative territory, which is another way of saying savings are being consumed rather than growing or being directed towards productive purposes- it is a safe bet to expect increasing interest rates or, failing that, significant price increases of goods and services). Damn! Look over there. The maître de is ringing up the lunch bill! Don’t look at him. Avoid his eye or he’ll bring it over. When he does come see whether he’ll take an IOU!
    
    Half of Norwegian exports go to the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. Much of this is oil and gas based. Notice, though, the similarity to the UK in that the oil windfall is used to support the welfare economy. In the case of the UK the resource is tapping out. Norway has been somewhat more farsighted in that exploration has continued so that future oil and gas streams are more secure than are those of the UK. The elephant in the room though is looming change to markets. A reordering is inevitable. For instance, Russia is very active in the oil and gas markets. One direct pipeline to Germany and it is major trouble for Norway. Meanwhile the UK exits the EU and further develops its own energy infrastructure, as it now must (assuming Her Majesty’s government does not want to continue relying on Russian petrochem supplies- notice here who it was the UK turned to for purchase of needed petrochem). Netherlands is dropping towards severe economic decline, as is France, and oil income necessarily reduces as economies falter and the ability to pay falls away as well. Who next to export to? Russia? Eastern Europe? Italy? Spain? Turkey? Ukraine? Where exactly? Meanwhile those debts still cry out for servicing. Who do you suppose is going to be on the hook to pay for that? Oh yes, the people of Norway. How inconvenient. Funny how free lunches inevitably turn out not to be free after all. Oh heck, the lunch bill is about to be presented any time now!
    
    Productivity is nothing special in Norway (actually it’s very ordinary and when you take out the buffering effect of oil exports things look, charitably speaking, “average” to poor). R&D is dismal. Capital investment is crippled. Both of those bode ill winds for the future. In the end swingeing taxes on what is left of the productive class is not ever going to be enough to compensate for the loss of income from external sources (and the addiction to borrowing can’t go on forever either). Nor will it be sufficient to cover all the debt servicing. In fact, such taxing wrecks what is left of the productive economy, discouraging productive, entrepreneurial and innovative achievers. We can already see a sign of troubles to come in the national immigration data. Emigration from Norway has ramped up dramatically, growing from ~22,000 in 2005 to ~41,000 in 2015 and 2016. Let’s not forget foreign nationals in Norway now consist of more than 16% of the population. Overall it isn’t just those or the free lunch drones moving on either. This doubling of emigrants is exactly where the US President ought to start looking if it is indeed decent productive people he seeks to have immigrate into the USA. Certainly the opportunity is available for him and it is a growing one! When that lunch bill hits, expect pressure to emigrate to climb further yet.
    
    In the end what you have with Norway is a nation of some five million persons, mostly socialist, foolishly relying on life-long subsidy (much of it funded from oil/gas industry expropriations) and “endless” debt to live a life-style well beyond that which most can earn or which they can honestly afford (on the basis of actual productive output). A reckoning is coming. It would be safe to expect that the emigration of Norwegians is at an early stage and that the volume will increase as people seek to escape.
    
    Note: To provide an indication of the significance of the oil/gas revenue to Norway, compare Norway with Russia. Both receive around half of their export income from oil/gas. Russia earns around four times as much as Norway does (exporting higher volumes, well beyond what Norway achieves) but it has a population some 28 times higher. The impact per capita is important, as is how the revenue is disposed. Again, it is vital not to underestimate just how massive the windfall oil/gas revenue is for Norway. Neither ought one to ignore the fact that such revenues are not permanent and that HOW they are directed has major consequences. Norway has been running its affairs just like a drunk in a brothel with a stolen credit card. As soon as the card is maxed out you just know there is going to be lots of pain.
Anonymous on January 11, 2018 · at 11:39 pm EST/EDT

I think Trump is doing better than I expected, for the reasons the Saker outlined. However, I do not believe he is stupid. Over the top yes, but I think he manages that part of his presidency better than people give him credit for. He’s trolling a lot of people, irritating them, distracting them.

What he is doing is slowing the globalists down significantly, This is beneficial because i allows the rest of the world to strengthen themselves. This alone could be vital to humanity’s future.

There is no way to ever know if Americans fighting Americans is what Trump planned for, but its a pretty decent outcome all things considered.

He has little chance to achieve the goals the Saker would like to see but I never thought he really had much of a chance to accomplish those things given everything arrayed against him.

But he is succeeding in stopping others from achieving their goals. I think he’s a world class pain in the ass.
Amir on January 12, 2018 · at 12:35 am EST/EDT

Trump is Jeltsinizing the US of A. For us, who live here, it will be uncomfortable as we will go through a variant of the type of contraction that USSR went through. But for the planet and the wider world, it will be a blessing that the empire turns on itself, at least if a cateclismic disaster does not swallow us all up.

If one has to choose between a ruthless
Queen-Wolverine-Hillarator-in-Sheeps-Clothing or a clueless Pied-de-Trumpeter-Donald, the latter would be a blessing for mankind.
Anonymous on January 12, 2018 · at 5:39 am EST/EDT

I think the strategy is to appear stupid. I think goal is to have the US perform the role of the King of the South. He has recently placed his tents between the holy mountain and the sea with his first ever facilities in Israel. He must face his doom without allies…the good book says.
Elten on January 12, 2018 · at 6:11 am EST/EDT

Regretfully you did not mention the Dutch puppet regime. Their hair turned instantly white when Killary lost. Actually the Dutch and the Norwegians are engaged in fierce competition for the title of Most Faithful Puppet, a fight in which the The Netherlands are currently slightly at disadvantage, as they are purchasing only 37 useless F 35 ‘fighters’ (aka JSF) against the 52 ordered by Norway.
sonia on January 12, 2018 · at 11:42 am EST/EDT

great, erudite on-the-mark article. So grievously sad for America I used to know. In WW2 we were the heroes. Since then we have deteriorated because of, well, stupidity, larceny, and corruption. Trump is among the worst leaders we have ever endured.
Our debt is insurmountable and escalating daily. Trump is out to lunch and appears to have a phenomenally low concentration span on any subject. Woe is us. No solutions. I predict that the end of this year will not be good.
fredrick on January 12, 2018 · at 12:30 pm EST/EDT

The Pollyannas are RACIST by saying those “shithole” brown counties are incapable of being civilized without WHITE LIBERALS to guide them.
WHO is calling those countries SHITHOLES? The do-gooders who INSIST those countries are so AWFUL that their populations HAVE to come to America to be safe, free, fed ….. THAT is who is calling those countries SHITHOLES.
DavidB on January 12, 2018 · at 3:05 pm EST/EDT

‘When the cat’s away the mice will play” – not just French, it’s a very common saying in English (at least in Australia).
Full Spectrum Domino on January 12, 2018 · at 5:13 pm EST/EDT

Apologies in advance for the length.

There is a school of thought that Trump has been sent in by a subset of the elite to dispatch the current ensconced, thoroughly depraved/corrupted elite subset. Subset vs. subset. I’ve always felt that, albeit in slightly different vein.

A few years back I published an essay ‘The Janusian Class’ where I pose the notion (hardly original) of a tripartite class system. I’m wondering if the Inner Party (what I called International Capital) is purging the rent-seeking elite across the board –culture and political— because the latter has become completely putrid as it is wont to do and it’s time for a restart, a new empire. There’s no doubt this purge is systematic and orchestrated. I can only find the essay now on Dissident Voice:

https://dissidentvoice.org/2015/03/the-janusian-class/

By the way, if we know their names, they are part of the rent-seeking elite and not International Capital, and I would suggest that includes the banner surname Rothschild, a family that surely has come to regret the eponymous 1940 movie that forever made them the mascot for IC. Publicity is pathologically shunned at this level. Youtube is littered with endlessly repetitive Rothschild conspiracy stuff. I’m a little skeptical. It’s too ubiquitous.

Nathaniel Rothschild has been a debacle living up to an impossible legacy and there is said to be a feud between he and his father, a very un-Rothschild-like development. Absent two centuries of compounding behind them the Rothschilds –or any family for that matter– could never replicate their accrued fortunes in the current crowded and over-intermediated/financialized society we inhabit today. No doubt a lot of mythos, dissipation and divided inheritances stalks the family as Niall Ferguson suggested in his recent rather fawning book on the subject.

I remember being floored by a comment Joel Skousen made a couple of years ago when asked what the names of this transcendent class are. He said ‘we may not know’. Keep in mind this is a guy who’s made a life study of precisely this topic (and his Uncle Cleon before him with…The Naked Communist 1958!). If the Skousen clan is still in the dark, what chance do arm-chair students have?

That had always been my thinking as well, so it was nice to find a confirming voice. Secrecy is key due to the tiny numbers of this group. I question whether these people even have passports or SSNs. They are trillionaires, a hermetic culture-apart and with an entirely antithetical spiritual praxis to our own. Maybe my imagination runs away with me but I don’t think so.

Of course there is the highly publicized merchant class –Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos, a subset of the rent-seeking elite. These are the beaming faces we see on Fortune magazine covers. I’m talking potentially of wealth accumulation and compounding that dates to Babylonian times. These folks have no ego-driven desire to curry favor with us. And yet, they reserve their true contempt for the striving Janusian Class, as do we. (Think the Clintons as strivers #1.) As for we the masses, they have shepherded us for millennia and understand our impulses, perhaps even respect us in an odd way. Though I believe they have strict rules preventing ‘cross-pollination’.

Anyway, the Trump/Q Anon revelations are a concerted assault mounted by IC against the prevailing rent-seeking elite. So we have an ostensibly ‘populist/nationalist’ movement orchestrated by the highest social strata on Earth. I settled on the term rent-seeking elite after encountering it on the Philosophy of Metrics blog. I believe the blogger over there, JC, also harbors similar views on Trump’s true mission, but I haven’t been there much since it sprouted a paywall. But I also call it the Janusian Class because it must perform to the wishes of IC while appearing ‘responsive’ to the masses. Two-facedness is an institutional facet of this sandwich class. Their cloying and striving makes them inauthentic and ultimately discardable.

I guess my key point is we are not enmeshed in a simple us-versus-them structure, but rather a two-tiered elite consisting of the bosses and the bosses’ bosses. Again, apologies for the length.

–FSD
- Anonymous on January 13, 2018 · at 2:53 am EST/EDT
  
  Maybe those “hiding in the shadows” are called BlackRock (and whatever those asset managers are called)? (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-12/blackrock-crosses-6-trillion-in-assets-tax-law-bolsters-profit) BlackRock alone manages 6.3 Trillion Dollars. Chip in other asset managers and you’ll get some more Trillion Dollars. Who’s the owner of all that money? To some degree “the people” are the owners. Each municipality that hands over the money of pension funds to professional asset managers is part of the game. It’s a vicious cycle: Let’s assume there’s some guy called Bob and Bob is working for General Electric. I’m not too familiar with the exact procedures of the US pension system, so let’s assume GE pays the fees for Bobs pension into a fund. Now let’s assume the manager of that fund hands over the money to BlackRock. Someone over there at BlackRock may decide that it would be wise to invest heavily in GE stock. Already at this point we’ve got two problems: (1) The fund manager and (2) the manager at BlackRock want to earn their share as well. Let’s assume they’ll get their money only in case of success. Okay, as written before, the money is invested in GE stock. With a large chunk of GE stock BlackRock can influence the decision of the board of directors of GE. If ROI is too low the shareholders can pressure GE management to act, so the managers and their client can get the return they expected. One of the most favored ways of cutting costs is offshoring jobs or firing employees. Do you remember Bob? Well, one day Bob’s foreman comes along and tells Bob that he’s fired, because revenue wasn’t as good as expected. Of course, Bob is extremely pissed and blames (to a certain degree correctly) those incompetent managers at his company, but the main thing he’s missing is that it’s all a cycle. The most upsetting part of this story is that the money managers can simply hold their hands into the money flow and grab their fees. With some state managed pension fund something like this wouldn’t happen, but to many people that’s communism.
  
  Of course adds the extreme inequality to the problem as well, but you should also keep in mind that many billionaires are billionaires on paper only. Often their wealth is in the companies assets or the assessment of the company value (for example facebook: probably their computers, office buildings and furniture are just a fraction of the value, whilst the most part is due to it’s value in the stock market).
Anonymous on January 13, 2018 · at 12:01 am EST/EDT

Whether Trump is stupid or a very stable (snicker) genius is immaterial because he is merely a puppet just like Obama before him.

Like all American regime rulers, Trump dances to the tune of his Wall Street/Pentagon masters.

The idea that Trump is not a puppet of the American Empire’s oligarchy is one of the great psyops deceptions of recent times, right up there with American deceptions about Iraqi WMDs or the bogus US War on terrorism.

And TrumpBots are simply the mirror image of the ObamaBots as they both bring to mind P.T. Barnum’s famous quip about how there’s a sucker born every minute.
- Ahmed on January 13, 2018 · at 11:31 am EST/EDT
  
  Yup, agree with you completely. I can’t believe so many people still get fooled by politicians. Every single one of them will do the bidding of the bankers and MIC. If that’s not the swamp, I don’t know what is. I told my self I would never trust any politician. It’s just safer to operate that way since most of them were controlled. If a “good,” “honest,” “not controlled” politician comes through, they would have to do without my support. I would have to doubt them as chances are almost 99% that it’s a psyop. On the 1% chance that they’re actually honest, I hope God gives them the best, but can not support them. Just looking through history, even the president’s people consider the “good” or “not controlled” ones had some innocent blood on they’re hand. I will not support a person who even has the blood of one innocent person on they’re hands, let alone the hundreds of thousands to millions of blood that is almost guaranteed on the hands of every president. One poster mentioned it above, how this type of political system guarantees the worst, most morally bankrupt politicians make it to the top positions. I agree with that statement 100%.
  
  May God bring an end to this era of tyrants. Take care my friend.
shea on January 13, 2018 · at 4:25 pm EST/EDT

Hey Saker!

I just read an analysis by a former Professor of mine, and this one and his are almost point-for-point the same! I was wondering if you read him? https://zeroanthropology.net/2018/01/11/what-happened-to-the-american-empire/
If you don’t know him, he’s a scholar of globalization and transnationality, one of few academics I’ve ever encountered who takes a firm anti-imperalization position. His core argument is that globalization and neoliberalism are avenues for US imperialism that benefits a very small group, the Transnational Capitalist Class, who have made the US their seat of global power.

For anyone else seeing this comment, I strongly recommend taking a look at his site.

his posts are throrough and well researched and the language accessible to the layman.

Cheers all

shea
lighta on January 14, 2018 · at 11:57 pm EST/EDT

Is the resistance really gaining momentum or everyone will be turn into zombie with a full police state that will then cover the word. 1984 ahead.
What would be your predicted time line Saker ? surely the USA losing influence but when will hegemony will truly be broken ?