Respectfully, they are not "delusional". They are liars who are lying to meet an objective. I wish it was only the case they were misinformed public servants, but they are not. They are servants of the MIC and WEF, not the citizens of the USA. We are finished as a Republic.
Respectfully, as a former born-again-evangelical who studied the word, what kind of God sends delusions to the people he loves? I think humans are plenty capable of doing evil on their own without divine intervention.
Trump had FORCED China and Canada back to the trade table talks as he was VERY successfully rewriting global trade and inspiring “rational nationalism “ globally. Trump’s trump card was India.
If you missed Modi’s visit to the US, and Trump’s visit to India, ( well over 100k in India giving Trump standing ovations, I recommend looking them up.
subtle stuff. like in saudi dont cross your legs its seen as an insult. biden sits crossed leg meeting MBS. giving a f about culture helps a lot making friends when travelling.
Modi Used Trump and US as a endorsement prop ( modi is making India matter in the world) for his election campaign which was just weeks away. The idea was to impress the country bumpkins in India who get 4 hours of electricity daily and shit in the fields having no toilets or running water at home. That is all he does 24X7.
What exactly was Trumps Trump card in India? If I recall right wallmart withdrew from indian dreams to have a retail presence after a 20 year wait and nearly $20 billion investment.
Amazon continues to be only allowed to be a market place not allowed to sell directly.
Ford had to withdraw from India because it couldn't make enough profits loosing billions.
The much hyped and talked about Harley Davidson push by Trump to keep it relevant in India also failed and it had to withdraw too. India uses these giant companies to draw investment in sectors and force them to localise so the market niche develops and indian business can learn from them and indian talent can gain experience from them and populate the indian competition too.
In many ways to replace China. A vast nation that was making definite strides in economic growth, barely having touched mechanization and cost of labor that was well below China. (The facts on India's growth Trump spoke of while in India and Texas, were all true.) Many things failed post global COVID policy, many trends stopped. They, India and the US, were "using" each other.
Post Trump and post COVID policy, and since the irrational Biden actions, the BRICS are rejuvenated on steroids, and now, much more fully set against the US and Europe. Under Trump the "silk road" was looking to move in a far different direction.
Hello Simplicius, excellent synopsis of the video here. If you haven't reviewed already, I'd recommend reading the blog and the watching the youtube videos of former Soviet naval officer Andrey Martyanov. He breaks down quite a bit of military actions at the operational and doctrinal level and it would be interesting to see your take on his views. He regularly debunks western pol-sci journos, think-tank analysts, bureaucrats, and politicians as well with his usual blunt and unrestrained Russian humor. Cheers!
Thanks. Yes I've been a fan of Martyanov for a long time, haven't watched recently just due to being so busy and having limited time as I have my hands full with the research and writing required for my own two blogs, but will try to catch up in the future. My only critique of his is, along with the Saker, him and Martyanov have been the two chief proponents of what I'd consider the extreme side of the pro-Russian sphere where I think sometimes their views have been slightly too rosy for my tastes. I am a little more critical in my approach, though no where near the *other* extreme of the 2D doomers and Strelkovites. It's difficult to characterize it without people taking my words out of context, as I don't mean to outright call him an 'apologist' or things of that nature. I just think that sometimes some analysts like that are a little too quick to justify or excuse various things on the Russian side. Or not criticize the Russian leadership/military leaders for certain grave oversights. One example of which in my view is the drone situation, and that Russia really dropped the ball in not having prepared and invested in UCAV/drone capabilities much sooner, whereas many other analysts often dismiss this fact or excuse it away.
I'm not as quick to defend some of Russia's rationale and sometimes poor decision making, though I usually temper it with explanatory insight rather than pure criticism. But, that's not to speak badly on Martyanov, like I said he has great info and experience, and ultimately he may even be *right* in terms of some of the points where we may disagree. There are many points of contention in this field that all of us are simply guessing at and won't know the true answers until the conflict is over and the dust has settled.
yah I was a little lazy in asking, but I sincerely do appreciate your commentary under the "main" blog so I was definitely curious. Not trying to 'out' you but have you ever commented at Moon of Alabama under a handle/pseudonym? You would be a most welcome contributor there and my own handle is "TC" (acronym and I'm sure anyone who spends time there can figure it out - as can the deep/surveillance state).
Late in the day, 42 degrees North, 123 West. I am awake, not woke. Puppets, comes to mind. The marionette type. Something about the terminology…woman-child, man-child. Delayed development, arrested cognition. GodSpeed, Mother Russia💙🇷🇺❤️
What can they do differently? I don't know, from what I can see strategically the global world is moving on from the 20th century system set up by the US, besides some vasal states like the EU and others that cant resist bullying for the present time, most of the world will be setting up a multinational, independent system for trade and dealings that should have happened naturally after WW2.
Russia need not do anything to the USA that the USA leadership isn't already doing to the USA.
The House passes a $4 Trillion increase in the debt limit to $35-36 Trillion, and pResident O'Biden says not enough.
So there is no need to stick a dagger into the heart of a nation that has already cut both wrists. A nation blissfully bleeding out, silencing her own people, having destroyed her own industry, now beached like a dying whale for the whole world to see.
If you look at T bonds, they aren't pricing in anything apocalyptic. In fact, the bond market's (by far the biggest and most liquid securities market in the world) reaction can be described as "whatever".
I find the below to be more interesting.:
Kim Dotcom on Twitter: "In a prank call with a fake Zelenskyy Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, admits at least 2 more upcoming interest rate hikes followed by a long period of high rates with significant negative effects on the US economy and the US labor market. https://t.co/vDb19Ed5ux" / Twitter
ITS ALL OVER. USA military now starting to come to grips with REALITY. TRUTH. Russia is obliterating Ukraine military. 750 KIA's yesterday, 6 air defense systems destroyed. It will only get worse for Ukraine from here. We will go to 1,000 KIA's per day very soon. It is a BEATDOWN. As I have said before, you can ignore the truth, but you cannot ignore the consequences of the truth. USA military now staring at the consequences of the truth. The world is changing rapidly now, very rapidly. Biden will disappear by end of this year. Are you positioned to prosper from what is coming?
I thank Simplicius for his excellent highlighting of the ways and means of the deep state.
Even more, I congratulate Simplicius for employing, for the first time in my reading history, the word "freight" as an active verb:
"The reason this absurd scene had me gobsmacked is because of how it gives a frighteningly eye-opening look behind the walls of power, and freights us with the realization that we are being led by actual craven, juvenile, and low-intelligence man-children and woman-children."
this exchange is some of the problems uncovered reviewing why things went so badly in the pacific in 1941 and early 1942. the scarcity of shells is partly representative of an american military disdain for logistics.
send f-16 to some field in ukraine and see how long it takes for them all to be grounded and a few fall out of the sky for a critical break on the plane.
here is a ditty (been around the us military since ww ii) about the subject of us logistics:
Logisticians are a sad and embittered race of men who are very much in demand in war, and who sink resentfully into obscurity in peace. They deal only in facts, but must work for men who merchant in theories. They emerge during war because war is very much a fact. They disappear in peace because peace is mostly theory. The people who merchant in theories, and who employ logisticians in war and ignore them in peace, are generals.
Generals are a happily blessed race who radiate confidence and power. They feed only on ambrosia and drink only nectar. In peace, they stride confidently and can invade a world simply by sweeping their hands grandly over a map, pointing their fingers decisively up terrain corridors, and blocking defiles and obstacles with the sides of their hands. In war, they must stride more slowly because each general has a logistician riding on his back and he knows that, at any moment, the logistician may lean forward and whisper: “No, you can’t do that.” Generals fear logisticians in war and in peace, generals try to forget logisticians.
looking at gao report on tactical aircraft readiness the f-16 failed to meet budgeted readiness the past 11 years you can presume why the generals are not hot to send it to a peer level war.
The great exchange was where the General claimed that the US is great at end to end logistics and Russia is bad at the last mile after the railway ends. Given that the US lacks the quantity of munitions even needed for a lengthy real war it is hard to believe that they have a logistics system in place to transport quantities that they do not even possess! Shipping supplies and diet cokes to some port or permanent base in Iraq is also not quite the same thing anyway as supplying a 1200km front line right across Ukraine. Yet more inconsistent dissembling by the Pentagon bureaucrats that the congress critters failed to challenge.
Every single one of those Congress Critters upon appointment to that committee has had a visit from the Men In Black from No Such Agency bearing the two brown paper envelopes: one containing evidence of crimes they have already committed and the other containing evidence of crimes they *will* be fitted up with if they don't henceforth toe the various lines.
Eunuchs. At least at Byzantium and Beijing the Eunuchs held real power.
I would split out academics, think tanks, and politicians (the incompetents) from the DoD and Pentagon planners (the competents). I'm not sure where to place US Generals, some in one camp, some in the other.
My guess is the first group simply refuses to listen to the second group, ie they believe their own b******t.
"... Once again this proves how utterly unqualified American generals, planners, military ‘experts’, and think-tankers were in ever estimating a near-peer type of conflict. ..."
Russia has been somewhat luckier because their military is designed for a Western European facing conflict, and designed to combat one enemy: a NATO ground force invasion supported primarily by air and space assets.
At some point in the "several decades-out" future that may change as the global balance of power shifts.
With respect to driving defense spending higher, this is a political play so the Congressman can go back to his district and say "there's more money coming down the pike, even if we win."
"... Conveniently, he adds this will now ‘drive defense spending higher.’ ..."
Bear in mind the US has started its election cycle, and nobody wants to tell their constituents there's no more money coming., ie separate the political theater from what may happen the day after elections are concluded.
That was one of the scariest things I have ever seen. World War 3 is clearly underway where it counts, and within the world's 2nd largest nuclear power, nobody is in charge or even aware of events.
Meanwhile, if the idiots in Congress DO get their way and war is declared on the cartels, I'm not sure I'd give this USA Skinsuit even 5 years as a going concern. Not sure how to feel about that one - but the Cartel Wars are likewise here already in the USA, even if many are characteristically ignorant. They WILL ramp up going forward.
Grab the popcorn, pull out your guitars, and practice those Narcorridos, everyone.
You need lots of weapons to fight lots of war, what a revelation! I guess Iron Man and the Avengers wont be riding in to the rescue in a future war. But on the bright side, lots of nice defence spending to buy new yacht over the coming years, so the Scandinavian luxury shipbuilding industry will have good revenues
Yep, the U.S. is used to dropping a few bombs then paying off the generals to secretly switching sides, and they got drunk on that style of conquest. Now against real opponents who won't bend over they are having an epiphanic moment
Like your analysis. Basically the generals and bureaucrats who testify know the Congressional Idiots don’t have access to any real data, since it is all classified and compartmentalized. They know these representatives are just ego slime who want to look good to the people who elected them to do a job that they are too lazy and fearful of doing. They obey party orders and instructions. I was too nauseated and angered by it to watch the entire hearing.
The bureaucrats are polite as they as ask for more money. They probably are coached on double speak and talking without releasing any information. That ability to talk nonsense goes on their resume. After the meeting they laugh and celebrate about fooling the committee once again.
And the idiots nod their heads pretending they understand something. An average intelligent person on a committee should do their own research and not rely on witnesses to educate them about the war, but not these worthless critters who are just in it for the high salary. It’s embarrassing to watch them as if they are first graders listening to a teacher instead of being knowledgeable enough to ask insightful questions in providing oversight. It is also the fault of inattentive voters who elect stupid, soulless, spineless people to represent them. Every single department in our government is run by people who get promoted beyond their competence level. We are going to have to wipe the slate clean and start over sometime in the near future. Maybe losing the war will be a good time to drain the swamp.
Exactly. This is the true purpose of the CIA, which is to feed fake data to the president so as to inform his policy into exactly the direction "they" want it. And considering that "they" (the CIA) are totally controlled by foreign interests, by way of firstly being controlled by other foreign intel agencies like Mi6 etc., that means we have the old tail wagging the dog scenario.
It's so easy to control policy in the U.S.
You just have the CIA write a fake report that says Assad gassed a bunch of people. There is *zero* oversight or auditing of this report. The president is then compelled/obligated to act on this report, if he doesn't, there is an appointed cabinet that has the power to remove him, so that threat is always hanging over him.
There is an appointed cabinet who can remove the president?? ? The military is duty bound to intervene in the event of foreign interference but too corrupt to do anything
So President, Erdogan fell suddenly ill during a speech and has cancelled some activities. This occurs shortly prior to an election. Turkey was forced to approve Finland joining NATO. Maybe they threatened him with another earthquake. Do you think his illness is natural or a NATO attempt to assassinate him?
As someone with many contacts in the Beltway circle I formerly called friends, I think you're wrong here. You're ascribing too much internal competence to some imperium in imperio.
These people are true believers. It's what makes them so good at lying; the best liars lie so well because they believe their own lies. The very best liars mostly even believe their own lies without having to convince themselves to do so.
Yes, we have situations where the various agencies of the security apparatus fabricate reports or do even worse things that they should know are immoral or short-sighted in order to manipulate the levers of power. What they don't do is understand that that is what they are doing. They are masters of, or more accurately mastered by, cognitive dissonance, and they truly believe they are doing the right things for the right reasons. Those who feel doubts either successfully quash not just those doubts but that part of themselves able to feel them, or they fail to attain any organizational importance whatsoever.
It's not as simple as levers of control and corruption and running the country into the ground for private benefit or ulterior motive. These people are fanatics, shielded from a recognition of their fanaticism by that fanaticism itself. It makes them terrifyingly blind and stupid in situations which do not map well to their totalizing political theories.
Good comments. Only quibble is to embrace both and not either or.
I agree that the vast majority of bureaucrats are groomed and cultivated true believers. That's always the way criminal cartels function.
That doesn't mean however that there aren't psychopaths and sociopaths at the top of the pyramid that know exactly what they're doing and manipulate people and processes to their desired ends.
The real trick is to realize one begets the other. Ideological commitments that over time reveal themselves to be so disjoint with reality but require fanatical adherence beget sociopathy. Similarly, sociopaths find such ideological commitments attractive.
I agree with your comment, and respect your retraction, which shows maturity.
It's also the media reinforcing this. The powermongers believe the media and the media reports what the powermongers want to hear. Obviously the NYT, CNN, etc but also the British Guardian newspaper, which did some good journalism previously, is now totally Spook Central and regurgitates childish anti-Russia nonsense.
Your faith in the power of UK money and MI6 is touching, but misplaced. The US has most of the power and most of the money in this relationship. The UK and US governments are equal only in arrogance. The UK has been a busted flush ever since it was told to shut up and sit down by the US during the Suez crisis. The incompetence of UK governments is way ahead of anything in the US, especially over the last 20 years, and even the unbridled nastiness of MI6 can't make up for that. Any outside control of the US can only be by international money.
Also, no mention by any of the congressmen about the gun powder factory with which the military depends for much of its munitions in Minden, LA blowing up.
Lol. And my S&W will fire without me pulling the trigger! Baldwin’s initial defense! Doesn’t CIA Billy get that a powder factory blowing up when we are facing munitions shortages in a proxy war is way too much of a coincidence? Cars are designed with crashes in mind, so let’s all go out and hit the telephone pole this afternoon. Lolol.
"After the fall of the Roman Republic, the constitutional balance of power shifted from the Roman Senate to the Roman Emperor. Beginning with the first emperor, Augustus, the Emperor and the Senate were technically two co-equal branches of government. In practice, however, the actual authority of the imperial Senate was negligible, as the Emperor held the true power of the state. As such, membership in the senate became sought after by individuals seeking prestige and social standing, rather than actual authority."
That's from Wikipedia about the Senate during the Roman Empire.
Basically just change "After the fall of the Roman Republic" to "After the assassination of JFK" and change "Augustus" or "the Emperor" to "the US deep state" and it's all perfectly true.
They didn't disband the Roman Senate, they just took away all their power quietly.
When they killed an elected President on a major American street, in broad daylight, packed full of people, with no repercussions, the US stopped functionally being a republic or democracy.
I'd say the real transition in US to Executive primacy began w Lincoln and his war against state rights. Thereafter power increasingly shifted to Imperial City and away from states. The amendment allowing for direct election of US senators rather than selection by state legislators was key. Then came Teddy Roosevelt, Wilson, and finally FDR who created and grew the praetorian guard known as the Intel Community along w federal police. Since FDR it's been Executive dominance w legislature and judiciary being props in the show. And by Executive i don't mean President so much as the deep state bureaucracy formed and swollen in that branch. Indeed, grown into what Sundance calls the Fourth Branch. Of the post ww2 presidents, all towed the line or got killed or ousted. Obama was a full eager participant.
Respectfully, they are not "delusional". They are liars who are lying to meet an objective. I wish it was only the case they were misinformed public servants, but they are not. They are servants of the MIC and WEF, not the citizens of the USA. We are finished as a Republic.
Respectfully, as a former born-again-evangelical who studied the word, what kind of God sends delusions to the people he loves? I think humans are plenty capable of doing evil on their own without divine intervention.
Being a former born again evengelical does not necessarily mean you have turned your back on God.
JWG says, "Respectfully, they are not "delusional". They are liars..."
Yep, although liar and delusional are orthogonal.
Trump had FORCED China and Canada back to the trade table talks as he was VERY successfully rewriting global trade and inspiring “rational nationalism “ globally. Trump’s trump card was India.
If you missed Modi’s visit to the US, and Trump’s visit to India, ( well over 100k in India giving Trump standing ovations, I recommend looking them up.
subtle stuff. like in saudi dont cross your legs its seen as an insult. biden sits crossed leg meeting MBS. giving a f about culture helps a lot making friends when travelling.
Modi Used Trump and US as a endorsement prop ( modi is making India matter in the world) for his election campaign which was just weeks away. The idea was to impress the country bumpkins in India who get 4 hours of electricity daily and shit in the fields having no toilets or running water at home. That is all he does 24X7.
What exactly was Trumps Trump card in India? If I recall right wallmart withdrew from indian dreams to have a retail presence after a 20 year wait and nearly $20 billion investment.
Amazon continues to be only allowed to be a market place not allowed to sell directly.
Ford had to withdraw from India because it couldn't make enough profits loosing billions.
The much hyped and talked about Harley Davidson push by Trump to keep it relevant in India also failed and it had to withdraw too. India uses these giant companies to draw investment in sectors and force them to localise so the market niche develops and indian business can learn from them and indian talent can gain experience from them and populate the indian competition too.
So tell me again what was the Trumps Trump card?
In many ways to replace China. A vast nation that was making definite strides in economic growth, barely having touched mechanization and cost of labor that was well below China. (The facts on India's growth Trump spoke of while in India and Texas, were all true.) Many things failed post global COVID policy, many trends stopped. They, India and the US, were "using" each other.
Post Trump and post COVID policy, and since the irrational Biden actions, the BRICS are rejuvenated on steroids, and now, much more fully set against the US and Europe. Under Trump the "silk road" was looking to move in a far different direction.
Hello Simplicius, excellent synopsis of the video here. If you haven't reviewed already, I'd recommend reading the blog and the watching the youtube videos of former Soviet naval officer Andrey Martyanov. He breaks down quite a bit of military actions at the operational and doctrinal level and it would be interesting to see your take on his views. He regularly debunks western pol-sci journos, think-tank analysts, bureaucrats, and politicians as well with his usual blunt and unrestrained Russian humor. Cheers!
Thanks. Yes I've been a fan of Martyanov for a long time, haven't watched recently just due to being so busy and having limited time as I have my hands full with the research and writing required for my own two blogs, but will try to catch up in the future. My only critique of his is, along with the Saker, him and Martyanov have been the two chief proponents of what I'd consider the extreme side of the pro-Russian sphere where I think sometimes their views have been slightly too rosy for my tastes. I am a little more critical in my approach, though no where near the *other* extreme of the 2D doomers and Strelkovites. It's difficult to characterize it without people taking my words out of context, as I don't mean to outright call him an 'apologist' or things of that nature. I just think that sometimes some analysts like that are a little too quick to justify or excuse various things on the Russian side. Or not criticize the Russian leadership/military leaders for certain grave oversights. One example of which in my view is the drone situation, and that Russia really dropped the ball in not having prepared and invested in UCAV/drone capabilities much sooner, whereas many other analysts often dismiss this fact or excuse it away.
I'm not as quick to defend some of Russia's rationale and sometimes poor decision making, though I usually temper it with explanatory insight rather than pure criticism. But, that's not to speak badly on Martyanov, like I said he has great info and experience, and ultimately he may even be *right* in terms of some of the points where we may disagree. There are many points of contention in this field that all of us are simply guessing at and won't know the true answers until the conflict is over and the dust has settled.
What's your other blog?
The other one linked under this same account, which you can access I believe by clicking on my name here:
https://darkfutura.substack.com/
yah I was a little lazy in asking, but I sincerely do appreciate your commentary under the "main" blog so I was definitely curious. Not trying to 'out' you but have you ever commented at Moon of Alabama under a handle/pseudonym? You would be a most welcome contributor there and my own handle is "TC" (acronym and I'm sure anyone who spends time there can figure it out - as can the deep/surveillance state).
Also thanks for the reply. I was FINALLY able to subscribe as a paying member just now. Fucking Google had my ZIP code wrong.
I subbed to Dark Futura recently and really like it.
Late in the day, 42 degrees North, 123 West. I am awake, not woke. Puppets, comes to mind. The marionette type. Something about the terminology…woman-child, man-child. Delayed development, arrested cognition. GodSpeed, Mother Russia💙🇷🇺❤️
Of course the American leadership are hypocrites. The question is what is Russia proposing to do about it.
What can they do differently? I don't know, from what I can see strategically the global world is moving on from the 20th century system set up by the US, besides some vasal states like the EU and others that cant resist bullying for the present time, most of the world will be setting up a multinational, independent system for trade and dealings that should have happened naturally after WW2.
I love it! Two cats talking to each other; only on Simplicius' blog...🙂
Or is it Schroedinger's Cat talking to itself?
😀 Maybe, but I won't say which one's dead and which one's alive.
I took two semesters of quantum mechanics. I have a special relationship with that cat (and he's addressed in both, but mainly the first). :-)
The words "resist bullying" are doing the work here.
Russia need not do anything to the USA that the USA leadership isn't already doing to the USA.
The House passes a $4 Trillion increase in the debt limit to $35-36 Trillion, and pResident O'Biden says not enough.
So there is no need to stick a dagger into the heart of a nation that has already cut both wrists. A nation blissfully bleeding out, silencing her own people, having destroyed her own industry, now beached like a dying whale for the whole world to see.
If you look at T bonds, they aren't pricing in anything apocalyptic. In fact, the bond market's (by far the biggest and most liquid securities market in the world) reaction can be described as "whatever".
I find the below to be more interesting.:
Kim Dotcom on Twitter: "In a prank call with a fake Zelenskyy Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, admits at least 2 more upcoming interest rate hikes followed by a long period of high rates with significant negative effects on the US economy and the US labor market. https://t.co/vDb19Ed5ux" / Twitter
https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/1651550282449584128
Thank you for watching this and giving your valuable assessment.
I wasn’t strong enough at this time to stomach it.
I don’t have the words to communicate how loathsome and repulsive are these kind of humans.
I don’t know have any idea how we can get rid of this infestation or if it’s even possible.
But I know, in fact I’m sure of it,they’re gonna completely and absolutely destroy the country to a point no return if they aren’t some how removed.
ITS ALL OVER. USA military now starting to come to grips with REALITY. TRUTH. Russia is obliterating Ukraine military. 750 KIA's yesterday, 6 air defense systems destroyed. It will only get worse for Ukraine from here. We will go to 1,000 KIA's per day very soon. It is a BEATDOWN. As I have said before, you can ignore the truth, but you cannot ignore the consequences of the truth. USA military now staring at the consequences of the truth. The world is changing rapidly now, very rapidly. Biden will disappear by end of this year. Are you positioned to prosper from what is coming?
I thank Simplicius for his excellent highlighting of the ways and means of the deep state.
Even more, I congratulate Simplicius for employing, for the first time in my reading history, the word "freight" as an active verb:
"The reason this absurd scene had me gobsmacked is because of how it gives a frighteningly eye-opening look behind the walls of power, and freights us with the realization that we are being led by actual craven, juvenile, and low-intelligence man-children and woman-children."
Kudos, magister!
Thanks, I really try to diversify my verbiage Lol.
Kudos for getting the word moiety in there, the other day. Very nice.
this exchange is some of the problems uncovered reviewing why things went so badly in the pacific in 1941 and early 1942. the scarcity of shells is partly representative of an american military disdain for logistics.
send f-16 to some field in ukraine and see how long it takes for them all to be grounded and a few fall out of the sky for a critical break on the plane.
here is a ditty (been around the us military since ww ii) about the subject of us logistics:
Logisticians are a sad and embittered race of men who are very much in demand in war, and who sink resentfully into obscurity in peace. They deal only in facts, but must work for men who merchant in theories. They emerge during war because war is very much a fact. They disappear in peace because peace is mostly theory. The people who merchant in theories, and who employ logisticians in war and ignore them in peace, are generals.
Generals are a happily blessed race who radiate confidence and power. They feed only on ambrosia and drink only nectar. In peace, they stride confidently and can invade a world simply by sweeping their hands grandly over a map, pointing their fingers decisively up terrain corridors, and blocking defiles and obstacles with the sides of their hands. In war, they must stride more slowly because each general has a logistician riding on his back and he knows that, at any moment, the logistician may lean forward and whisper: “No, you can’t do that.” Generals fear logisticians in war and in peace, generals try to forget logisticians.
looking at gao report on tactical aircraft readiness the f-16 failed to meet budgeted readiness the past 11 years you can presume why the generals are not hot to send it to a peer level war.
The great exchange was where the General claimed that the US is great at end to end logistics and Russia is bad at the last mile after the railway ends. Given that the US lacks the quantity of munitions even needed for a lengthy real war it is hard to believe that they have a logistics system in place to transport quantities that they do not even possess! Shipping supplies and diet cokes to some port or permanent base in Iraq is also not quite the same thing anyway as supplying a 1200km front line right across Ukraine. Yet more inconsistent dissembling by the Pentagon bureaucrats that the congress critters failed to challenge.
Every single one of those Congress Critters upon appointment to that committee has had a visit from the Men In Black from No Such Agency bearing the two brown paper envelopes: one containing evidence of crimes they have already committed and the other containing evidence of crimes they *will* be fitted up with if they don't henceforth toe the various lines.
Eunuchs. At least at Byzantium and Beijing the Eunuchs held real power.
So says the former president of the galaxy man!
Very well said...I agree
Are those the “folders” the Speaker was said to be passing out when he took over the House Leadership?
I would split out academics, think tanks, and politicians (the incompetents) from the DoD and Pentagon planners (the competents). I'm not sure where to place US Generals, some in one camp, some in the other.
My guess is the first group simply refuses to listen to the second group, ie they believe their own b******t.
"... Once again this proves how utterly unqualified American generals, planners, military ‘experts’, and think-tankers were in ever estimating a near-peer type of conflict. ..."
Russia has been somewhat luckier because their military is designed for a Western European facing conflict, and designed to combat one enemy: a NATO ground force invasion supported primarily by air and space assets.
At some point in the "several decades-out" future that may change as the global balance of power shifts.
With respect to driving defense spending higher, this is a political play so the Congressman can go back to his district and say "there's more money coming down the pike, even if we win."
"... Conveniently, he adds this will now ‘drive defense spending higher.’ ..."
Bear in mind the US has started its election cycle, and nobody wants to tell their constituents there's no more money coming., ie separate the political theater from what may happen the day after elections are concluded.
That was one of the scariest things I have ever seen. World War 3 is clearly underway where it counts, and within the world's 2nd largest nuclear power, nobody is in charge or even aware of events.
Meanwhile, if the idiots in Congress DO get their way and war is declared on the cartels, I'm not sure I'd give this USA Skinsuit even 5 years as a going concern. Not sure how to feel about that one - but the Cartel Wars are likewise here already in the USA, even if many are characteristically ignorant. They WILL ramp up going forward.
Grab the popcorn, pull out your guitars, and practice those Narcorridos, everyone.
I'm glad you, too, internalized the implications of the video!
I did watch part of this and thought it looked pretty bad. After reading your well laid out synopsis of this charade, I realized it was even worse.
You need lots of weapons to fight lots of war, what a revelation! I guess Iron Man and the Avengers wont be riding in to the rescue in a future war. But on the bright side, lots of nice defence spending to buy new yacht over the coming years, so the Scandinavian luxury shipbuilding industry will have good revenues
Yep, the U.S. is used to dropping a few bombs then paying off the generals to secretly switching sides, and they got drunk on that style of conquest. Now against real opponents who won't bend over they are having an epiphanic moment
Like your analysis. Basically the generals and bureaucrats who testify know the Congressional Idiots don’t have access to any real data, since it is all classified and compartmentalized. They know these representatives are just ego slime who want to look good to the people who elected them to do a job that they are too lazy and fearful of doing. They obey party orders and instructions. I was too nauseated and angered by it to watch the entire hearing.
The bureaucrats are polite as they as ask for more money. They probably are coached on double speak and talking without releasing any information. That ability to talk nonsense goes on their resume. After the meeting they laugh and celebrate about fooling the committee once again.
And the idiots nod their heads pretending they understand something. An average intelligent person on a committee should do their own research and not rely on witnesses to educate them about the war, but not these worthless critters who are just in it for the high salary. It’s embarrassing to watch them as if they are first graders listening to a teacher instead of being knowledgeable enough to ask insightful questions in providing oversight. It is also the fault of inattentive voters who elect stupid, soulless, spineless people to represent them. Every single department in our government is run by people who get promoted beyond their competence level. We are going to have to wipe the slate clean and start over sometime in the near future. Maybe losing the war will be a good time to drain the swamp.
Exactly. This is the true purpose of the CIA, which is to feed fake data to the president so as to inform his policy into exactly the direction "they" want it. And considering that "they" (the CIA) are totally controlled by foreign interests, by way of firstly being controlled by other foreign intel agencies like Mi6 etc., that means we have the old tail wagging the dog scenario.
It's so easy to control policy in the U.S.
You just have the CIA write a fake report that says Assad gassed a bunch of people. There is *zero* oversight or auditing of this report. The president is then compelled/obligated to act on this report, if he doesn't, there is an appointed cabinet that has the power to remove him, so that threat is always hanging over him.
There is an appointed cabinet who can remove the president?? ? The military is duty bound to intervene in the event of foreign interference but too corrupt to do anything
So President, Erdogan fell suddenly ill during a speech and has cancelled some activities. This occurs shortly prior to an election. Turkey was forced to approve Finland joining NATO. Maybe they threatened him with another earthquake. Do you think his illness is natural or a NATO attempt to assassinate him?
As someone with many contacts in the Beltway circle I formerly called friends, I think you're wrong here. You're ascribing too much internal competence to some imperium in imperio.
These people are true believers. It's what makes them so good at lying; the best liars lie so well because they believe their own lies. The very best liars mostly even believe their own lies without having to convince themselves to do so.
Yes, we have situations where the various agencies of the security apparatus fabricate reports or do even worse things that they should know are immoral or short-sighted in order to manipulate the levers of power. What they don't do is understand that that is what they are doing. They are masters of, or more accurately mastered by, cognitive dissonance, and they truly believe they are doing the right things for the right reasons. Those who feel doubts either successfully quash not just those doubts but that part of themselves able to feel them, or they fail to attain any organizational importance whatsoever.
It's not as simple as levers of control and corruption and running the country into the ground for private benefit or ulterior motive. These people are fanatics, shielded from a recognition of their fanaticism by that fanaticism itself. It makes them terrifyingly blind and stupid in situations which do not map well to their totalizing political theories.
Good comments. Only quibble is to embrace both and not either or.
I agree that the vast majority of bureaucrats are groomed and cultivated true believers. That's always the way criminal cartels function.
That doesn't mean however that there aren't psychopaths and sociopaths at the top of the pyramid that know exactly what they're doing and manipulate people and processes to their desired ends.
The real trick is to realize one begets the other. Ideological commitments that over time reveal themselves to be so disjoint with reality but require fanatical adherence beget sociopathy. Similarly, sociopaths find such ideological commitments attractive.
Going back and re-reading your comment again, I see I read more into it than you put there, so I retract the first paragraph of my response.
I agree with your comment, and respect your retraction, which shows maturity.
It's also the media reinforcing this. The powermongers believe the media and the media reports what the powermongers want to hear. Obviously the NYT, CNN, etc but also the British Guardian newspaper, which did some good journalism previously, is now totally Spook Central and regurgitates childish anti-Russia nonsense.
Your faith in the power of UK money and MI6 is touching, but misplaced. The US has most of the power and most of the money in this relationship. The UK and US governments are equal only in arrogance. The UK has been a busted flush ever since it was told to shut up and sit down by the US during the Suez crisis. The incompetence of UK governments is way ahead of anything in the US, especially over the last 20 years, and even the unbridled nastiness of MI6 can't make up for that. Any outside control of the US can only be by international money.
Also, no mention by any of the congressmen about the gun powder factory with which the military depends for much of its munitions in Minden, LA blowing up.
so what you're saying is, if it's not blowin' up, they're not workin' hard enough.
Lol. And my S&W will fire without me pulling the trigger! Baldwin’s initial defense! Doesn’t CIA Billy get that a powder factory blowing up when we are facing munitions shortages in a proxy war is way too much of a coincidence? Cars are designed with crashes in mind, so let’s all go out and hit the telephone pole this afternoon. Lolol.
I got a kick out of that headline earlier: https://i.imgur.com/3f86lrj.jpg
"After the fall of the Roman Republic, the constitutional balance of power shifted from the Roman Senate to the Roman Emperor. Beginning with the first emperor, Augustus, the Emperor and the Senate were technically two co-equal branches of government. In practice, however, the actual authority of the imperial Senate was negligible, as the Emperor held the true power of the state. As such, membership in the senate became sought after by individuals seeking prestige and social standing, rather than actual authority."
That's from Wikipedia about the Senate during the Roman Empire.
Basically just change "After the fall of the Roman Republic" to "After the assassination of JFK" and change "Augustus" or "the Emperor" to "the US deep state" and it's all perfectly true.
They didn't disband the Roman Senate, they just took away all their power quietly.
When they killed an elected President on a major American street, in broad daylight, packed full of people, with no repercussions, the US stopped functionally being a republic or democracy.
I'd say the real transition in US to Executive primacy began w Lincoln and his war against state rights. Thereafter power increasingly shifted to Imperial City and away from states. The amendment allowing for direct election of US senators rather than selection by state legislators was key. Then came Teddy Roosevelt, Wilson, and finally FDR who created and grew the praetorian guard known as the Intel Community along w federal police. Since FDR it's been Executive dominance w legislature and judiciary being props in the show. And by Executive i don't mean President so much as the deep state bureaucracy formed and swollen in that branch. Indeed, grown into what Sundance calls the Fourth Branch. Of the post ww2 presidents, all towed the line or got killed or ousted. Obama was a full eager participant.