Saturday, September 23, 2017
America's Jews Are Driving America's Wars
"So it is safe to say that much of the agitation to do something about Iran comes from Israel and from American Jews. Indeed, I would opine that most of the fury from Congress re Iran comes from the same source, with AIPAC showering our Solons on the Potomac with “fact sheets” explaining how Iran is worthy of annihilation because it has pledged to “destroy Israel,” which is both a lie and an impossibility as Tehran does not have the resources to carry out such a task. The AIPAC lies are then picked up and replayed by an obliging media, where nearly every “expert” who speaks about the Middle East on television and radio or who is interviewed for newspaper stories is Jewish.
One might also add that neocons as a group were founded by Jews and are largely Jewish, hence their universal attachment to the state of Israel. They first rose into prominence when they obtained a number of national security positions during the Reagan Administration and their ascendancy was completed when they staffed senior positions in the Pentagon and White House under George W. Bush. Recall for a moment Paul Wolfowitz, Doug Feith, and Scooter Libby. Yes, all Jewish and all conduits for the false information that led to a war that has spread and effectively destroyed much of the Middle East. Except for Israel, of course. Philip Zelikow, also Jewish, in a moment of candor, admitted that the Iraq War, in his opinion, was fought for Israel."
One might also add that neocons as a group were founded by Jews and are largely Jewish, hence their universal attachment to the state of Israel. They first rose into prominence when they obtained a number of national security positions during the Reagan Administration and their ascendancy was completed when they staffed senior positions in the Pentagon and White House under George W. Bush. Recall for a moment Paul Wolfowitz, Doug Feith, and Scooter Libby. Yes, all Jewish and all conduits for the false information that led to a war that has spread and effectively destroyed much of the Middle East. Except for Israel, of course. Philip Zelikow, also Jewish, in a moment of candor, admitted that the Iraq War, in his opinion, was fought for Israel."
Link here.
Monday, September 18, 2017
Sunday, September 17, 2017
All subjective labels are assigned within the context of a narrative
A narrative is the story assembled by a human brain that provides the framework for understanding reality and interactions with it. A person's beliefs and values form the basis for their narrative. Beliefs and values are, in turn, derived from fundamental cravings, which can also be thought of as impulses or urges. These cravings are a function of brain structure and chemistry.
Creating and updating a narrative is an innate function of the human brain. New information, something seen or read for example, is compared against these beliefs and values, judged, and placed within the narrative.
A belief or value can be changed only to the extent that the new one is compatible with the fundamental cravings.
Organizations (e.g., corporations and governments) develop, communicate and promote narratives to gain alignment of thought and action among its members, and to minimize dissent.
Individuals and governments assign labels to support their narrative. A label is a characterization or description of a thing or action that does not describe a physical property. The concept of "truth" does not apply to labels (e.g., one person's "freedom fighter" is another person's "terrorist").
The "truth" of a label is generally gauged by majority opinion concerning a particular belief or value.
What holds true for an individual also holds true for organizations with coercive power.
Creating and updating a narrative is an innate function of the human brain. New information, something seen or read for example, is compared against these beliefs and values, judged, and placed within the narrative.
A belief or value can be changed only to the extent that the new one is compatible with the fundamental cravings.
Organizations (e.g., corporations and governments) develop, communicate and promote narratives to gain alignment of thought and action among its members, and to minimize dissent.
Individuals and governments assign labels to support their narrative. A label is a characterization or description of a thing or action that does not describe a physical property. The concept of "truth" does not apply to labels (e.g., one person's "freedom fighter" is another person's "terrorist").
The "truth" of a label is generally gauged by majority opinion concerning a particular belief or value.
What holds true for an individual also holds true for organizations with coercive power.
Friday, September 15, 2017
Donald Trump Should Embrace a Realist Foreign Policy
"Liberal hegemony is a bankrupt strategy. The United States has worked to topple regimes and promote democracy in six countries in the greater Middle East: Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen. Each attempt has been an abject failure: wars are raging in every one of those countries except Egypt, which is once again a military dictatorship. This campaign has also made America’s terrorism problem worse: Al Qaeda has morphed and multiplied, and we are now at war with ISIS, which is largely a consequence of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq.
In Europe, the United States foolishly tried to integrate Georgia and Ukraine into the West, precipitating an unnecessary crisis with Russia that upset the peace in eastern Europe and made it harder for Moscow and Washington to cooperate on other matters, like ending the bloodletting in Syria.
Spreading democracy, especially by force, almost always fails. It inevitably involves large-scale social engineering in societies that most Americans poorly understand. Dismantling and then replacing existing political institutions inevitably creates winners and losers, and the latter usually take up arms in opposition, which forces the U.S. military to wage costly counterinsurgency campaigns that are extremely difficult to win. The end result is precisely the sort of quagmire we faced in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Trump administration should abandon liberal hegemony and adopt a realist foreign policy. Realism is chiefly concerned with America’s position in the global balance of power, and it shuns doing social engineering inside other countries. Instead, Washington would respect the sovereignty of other states even when it disagrees with their internal policies. Americans prize their own sovereignty, which is why they recoiled at the idea that Russia might be interfering in the recent presidential election. The United States should treat other countries according to the same standard and respect their sovereignty as well."
In Europe, the United States foolishly tried to integrate Georgia and Ukraine into the West, precipitating an unnecessary crisis with Russia that upset the peace in eastern Europe and made it harder for Moscow and Washington to cooperate on other matters, like ending the bloodletting in Syria.
Spreading democracy, especially by force, almost always fails. It inevitably involves large-scale social engineering in societies that most Americans poorly understand. Dismantling and then replacing existing political institutions inevitably creates winners and losers, and the latter usually take up arms in opposition, which forces the U.S. military to wage costly counterinsurgency campaigns that are extremely difficult to win. The end result is precisely the sort of quagmire we faced in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Trump administration should abandon liberal hegemony and adopt a realist foreign policy. Realism is chiefly concerned with America’s position in the global balance of power, and it shuns doing social engineering inside other countries. Instead, Washington would respect the sovereignty of other states even when it disagrees with their internal policies. Americans prize their own sovereignty, which is why they recoiled at the idea that Russia might be interfering in the recent presidential election. The United States should treat other countries according to the same standard and respect their sovereignty as well."
Link here.
Expat Insider 2017: Looking at the World through Expat Eyes
"Now in its fourth year, Expat Insider is one of the largest surveys worldwide offering an in-depth analysis of expat life across the globe. More than 12,500 respondents representing 166 nationalities and living in 188 countries or territories answered our questions, providing unique insights into what it means to be an expat in 2017."
Link here.
When Russia does this it is condemned ...
"What we do know is that Iran and Hezbollah’s permanent presence in Syria is dangerous for Israel, America and the West."
No. Dangerous for Israel and their new BFFs in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. So, who cares? I'd love to see that whole crowd blown to hell.
No. Dangerous for Israel and their new BFFs in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. So, who cares? I'd love to see that whole crowd blown to hell.
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