GREAT HYPOCRISY

KIM PETERSEN—It might be argued that Americans merely voted for the candidate who they considered would be best for the economy and a better life at home in the US. However, were that so, it would still be damning, as it would indicate their personal economic fortunes take precedence over their country destroying the lives and economy of other human beings.

The US election produced a damning result. And with Trump loading his incoming cabinet with Zionists this augurs poorly for a peaceful and loving world.

MIKE WHITNEY—Moreover, in a high-intensity combat scenario in either eastern Europe, the China seas, or the Persian Gulf, the maintenance demands for US aircraft would overwhelm its proximate supply. Mission-capable rates would plummet even lower than their notoriously abysmal peacetime standards.

The US would, quite literally after only a few days, see sub-10% mission-capable rates for the F-22 and F-35, and sub-25% rates for almost every other platform in the inventory. It would be a huge embarrassment for the Pentagon … but hardly a huge surprise…..

Simply put, US air power as a theater-wide undertaking could not be sustained in the context of a non-permissive regional and global battlefield against one or more peer adversaries.

SCOTT RITTER—A splendid, must-watch interview with Scott Ritter who comments on a variety of pressing topics: • The latest developments in the Middle East—Lebanon/Hezbollah vs Israel and the farcical ceasefire •  Biden’s rump regime in Ukraine bringing the world so much closer to a nuclear confrontation with Russia, while the establishment media barely touch on the subject, preferring celebrity gossip, sports, and Trump criticisms to a national debate on the issues of war and peace confronting the US • Scott and Nima review Trump’s nominations so far, deeming them almost uniformly a disgrace, all warmongering Zionist Neocons in key positions: Marco Rubio, Mike Waltz, and the notorious Russophobe (and professional big mouth anti-communist) Sebastian Gorka, as “Senior Director for Counter-terrorism”.  This bunch, avers, Scott, will surely seek a war with Iran, and a worsening of the war in Ukraine. Trump, notes Scott, in the pocket of AIPAC and particularly the Adelsons, and with a “national security” team full of Neocons, is probably committed to some kind of US conflict with Iran. The man is pitifully inadequate to deal with the political complexities of the real world.

A Jewish-American film-maker expressed her solidarity with the suffering of the Palestinian people at the Venice Film Festival last September. “I stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine and their struggle for liberation.” Her brave statements were welcomed by many in the audience, probably contrary what might have happened if the venue had been in the USA.

Jewish American filmmaker Sarah Friedland expressed her solidarity with the Palestinian people as she accepted the Luigi de Laurentiis prize for best first film for Familiar Touch.

She expressed her solidarity with the Palestinian people on the 336th day of what she referred to as “Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the 76th year of occupation”. She stated that she believes it is the responsibility of film workers to use the institutional platforms they work through to redress “Israel’s impunity on the global stage”.

EDITORS—In the wake of an ugly eruption of violence on the streets of Amsterdam, the media coverage of the story has been put under the microscope with editors scrambling to revise headlines, rework narratives, and reframe video content.