Quote from: K-Dog on Apr 05, 2026, 12:17 PMWe could make a good movie about this, but the reality is we are now experiencing the collapse of complex civilization.

Except for the collapse part anyway. Have any recent global population figures showing significant reductions? Hell, the Great Chinese famine doesn't even qualify as enough of a population decline to trigger the collapse that you and RE pretend has been happening for years now, if not decades.

Quote from: K-Dog on Apr 23, 2026, 12:43 PMDr. Michael Parenti demonstrated that fascism was and is actually very rational. It very rationally serves the interests of capital.

On an Economic level, Fascism & Capitalism are virtually identical.  Fascism just adds ideological and sociological elements like Nationalism, Racism, Eugenics, Militarism, Police State, etc.  Capitalism is rational too, it's just not a very equitable system and incredibly wasteful of resources.

RE

https://tasnimnews.ir/ is now blocked.  Trump continues to be cuked by Israel.



If anybody in the White House bothered to check with Iran they would know including Lebanon in the cease fire is non-negotiable.

But Trump is a cuk.

For years, fossil fuel advocates spruiked oil, gas and coal as "reliable" energy. That narrative has been reversed. Fossil fuels have become expensive and unreliable, while renewables are cheap, reliable and secure.  For the first time ever, more than 50 nations will gather next week in Colombia to hash out how to wind down and end their dependence on coal, oil and gas. The history-making conference was planned before the Iran war. But this year's energy crisis has greatly raised the stakes.

Problem solved!  I was getting worried. 🙄

RE

Counting on a fool(s) to make America great again was not smart.




Pepe Escobar on US-Iran Ceasefire, Yemen, and Geopolitics (April 20, 2026)

The Ceasefire is "Hanging by a Thread"

Following a US naval attack on an Iranian cargo ship in international waters, the fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran is hanging by a thread. Pepe Escobar, the renowned Brazilian geopolitical analyst, assesses that the Trump regime has no strategy whatsoever. He characterizes the US leadership as being directed by "a psychopathic sociopath with acute dementia, and a drunken former platoon commander in Iraq."

An Act of War with No Justification

Escobar argues that the attack on the Iranian cargo ship is unequivocally an act of war and a clear violation of the ceasefire. Crucially, he notes there is no justification for this attack, because even if the ship had been carrying arms or jet fuel, it would not violate international law. As the victim of aggression, Iran retains the full legal right to seek help from friendly states for its defense.

The Red Sea & Yemen's Role

In response to rising tensions, Iran's government has threatened to call on its Yemeni ally, Ansarallah (the Houthis), to close the Bab el-Mandeb strait—a crucial chokepoint for global maritime commerce. Escobar, who visited Yemen in 2022, was deeply impressed by the Ansarallah leadership, noting their strong moral, ethical, and spiritual commitment to defending Gaza. While Ansarallah forces have been relatively quiet for the past six weeks, they remain a potent potential factor in the conflict.

China's Calculated Stance

China has officially expressed concern over the renewed instability around the Bab el-Mandeb, advocating for an immediate ceasefire and insisting the waterway remain open for normal passage. However, Escobar notes that China is a "master of understatement." While they maintain good relations with both Iran and Saudi Arabia (their primary oil supplier), China is not dependent on the Bab el-Mandeb or Strait of Hormuz, thanks to alternative pipelines from Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Myanmar, plus extensive domestic production.

China's Primary Interest: Keeping the Strait Open

Despite projecting an image of impartiality in public, China's primary, concrete concern is ensuring the Bab el-Mandeb strait remains open for international maritime commerce. Any disruption to shipping through that strategic waterway would negatively impact China's economic interests, even if their energy supplies are diversified.

With Americans focused on Donald Trump's deeply unpopular war against Iran, far too few Americans are focusing on another disastrous Trump idea: increasing the Pentagon's budget to a colossal $1.5tn. Just as Trump's Iran war has hurt millions of Americans by sending gas prices skyward, Trump's supersized Pentagon budget will hurt millions of Americans because Trump, to help finance that budget, is pushing for painful cuts in health, education, and housing programs.

Regardless of how many social programs are cut, the only way this could ever be financed is by debt monetization.  The Chinese won't dribble out their mountain of USTs, they'll spray them on the market wholesale with a firehose.  Given His Trumpness low popularity and political capital, there's little chance of this budget going thru as proposed, but what it will do is lock up the CONgress Critters in fruitless jawboning, nothing will get done and we'll have yet another budget crises, this time maybe ending in a default to really trash the value of the dollar.

Hard to imagine how one man could possibly have done more to destroy what was left of Amerika in such a short period of time than The Donald.  Osama Bin Ladin as POTUS would be less destructive.

RE