Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Marco Rubio will be joining a long list of psychopaths as the next US secretary of state. A few of Trump’s cabinet picks might have a hard time getting past the Senate, but not Rubio. He’s the exact type of blood-guzzling swamp leech those creatures on Capitol Hill adore. Psychopathy is almost a job requirement for secretary of state, because the title entails a responsibility for helping to roll out the violence and tyranny which serves as the glue that holds the US empire together. As secretary of state you are responsible for whipping up international consensus for brutal economic sanctions regimes, drumming up support for heightened aggressions against the official enemies of Washington, and making up excuses for the criminal abuses of the US and its allies.” (11/19/24)
“Some 15 years ago, on December 5, 2010, a historian writing for TomDispatch made a prediction that may yet prove prescient. Rejecting the consensus of that moment that U.S. global hegemony would persist to 2040 or 2050, he argued that ‘the demise of the United States as the global superpower could come … in 2025, just 15 years from now.’ To make that forecast, the historian conducted what he called ‘a more realistic assessment of domestic and global trends.’ Starting with the global context, he argued that, ‘faced with a fading superpower,’ China, India, Iran, and Russia would all start to ‘provocatively challenge U.S. dominion over the oceans, space, and cyberspace.'” [editor’s note: If this meant an end to the empire and the restoration of a constitutional republic, what is the downside? – SAT] [additional editor’s note: “Restoration of a constitutional republic” isn’t even on the table – TLK] (11/19/24)
“In a year of major elections worldwide, one consistent theme so far has been a desire for more accountability in governance. Voters have tossed out incumbents, defied autocrats, and forced political rivals into partnerships. In particular, young people have demanded better economic performance. One election stands out on that last note. In Sri Lanka last week, citizens elected a new Parliament with one party winning a majority large enough to make reforms without opposition. Corruption was the most vocal concern. But beneath that lay a desire for equal access to opportunities for wealth. ‘Sri Lankans want to see a Government that works for them, not against them – a Government that acts in the national interest and upholds the rights and dignity of every citizen,’ observed Daily Financial Times, a newspaper in Colombo, the capital.” (11/18/24)
“The world desperately needs to pull the plug on fossil fuels. So agree most of the official delegates from nearly 200 nations who have gathered this month by the Caspian Sea for the 29th annual global ‘Conference of the Parties’ on climate change (COP29 for short) in Azerbaijan’s capital city Baku. But not all the estimated 70,000 attendees at this year’s COP are practicing what they should be preaching. Private jet arrivals at Baku’s international airport, news reports note, have just doubled. What makes that such a big deal? Practically nothing symbolizes wanton disregard for our Earth’s environment more dramatically than private jet travel. A corporate executive taking a single long-haul private jet flight, points out the Travel Smart Campaign’s Denise Auclair, ‘will burn more CO2 than several normal people do in an entire year.'” (11/19/24)
“Over the weekend, President-elect Donald Trump selected Chris Wright to run the Department of Energy, demonstrating that climate realism and U.S. energy dominance will be front and center when the new administration assumes power next year. Chris Wright is not a household name but he will soon play a pivotal role for the American people, who have suffered immensely under four years of the Biden-Harris administration’s climate alarmist policies. … Unlike Biden’s Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, Wright does not buy into the pseudoscience claiming that climate change poses an existential threat to humanity. ‘There is no climate crisis,’ Wright plainly stated last year in a video on his LinkedIn page.” (11/19/24)
“German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has said damage to two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea looks like an act of sabotage and a ‘hybrid action,’ without knowing who is to blame. A 1,170km (730-mile) telecommunications cable between Finland and Germany was severed in the early hours of Monday, while a 218km internet link between Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland Island stopped working on Sunday. The incidents came at a time of heightened tension with Russia and Pistorius said ‘nobody believes that these cables were cut accidentally.’ The Swedish and Lithuanian defence ministers said they were ‘deeply concerned’ that the cable connecting their two countries had been cut. ” (11/19/24)
“Like a chronic disease, Rahm Emanuel has flared up once again in the Democratic Party. Last week, self-acknowledged ‘hack’ David Axelrod suggested that the former House member, Obama chief of staff, and Chicago mayor should pioneer the party’s future as chair of the Democratic National Committee. Unsurprisingly, the idea has started to pick up momentum, as we have seen many times before when Rahm is desperately seeking a job. But before we get there, Emanuel, currently the U.S. ambassador to Japan, will have to answer for some of his personal financial maneuvers while serving in a government job.” (11/19/24)
“She’s trying to have her cake and eat it, too. Comedian Whoopi Goldberg is still playing the victim at the expense of a New York bakery she claims refused to prepare her birthday desserts over her left-wing political views. Holtermann’s Bakery — a Staten Island institution in business since the tail end of Reconstruction — was thrust into the national spotlight after Goldberg claimed she wasn’t served due to her ‘politics’ last week. ‘There seems to be a lot of talk about the dessert I requested for my birthday show,’ the actress and ‘The View’ co-host said on her Instagram …. She reiterated the technicality that she ‘never mentioned the name of the bakery or the location’ — despite its name being revealed in the press within hours as a direct result of her tirade — before retreading the same evidence-free complaint.” (11/19/24)
“President-elect Donald Trump is exactly right to remove the federal government from our educational system. This is one giant step toward restoring parental authority and excellence in our schools. America’s founders never intended for us to have a national Department of Education, and they specifically did not want the government intruding into education. They knew such overreach would lead to the destruction of our schools and our nation, and now we have modern proof that they were right. Thank God, Trump seeks to dismantle the national Department of Education. It’s a constitutional move, and it cannot come soon enough! Since our founders made clear that federal intrusion into education is destructive, how did we end up with a national Department of Education and massive federal influence over our schools?” (11/19/24)
“Google has said it would harm consumers and businesses if it is forced to sell Chrome, the world’s most popular web browser. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) will propose the measure to a judge on Wednesday, Bloomberg has reported. Judge Amit Mehta ruled Google operates an online search monopoly in August, and has been considering what remedies or penalties to impose. The DOJ has not commented on the report — but Google has made clear it is a proposal it opposes. ‘The DOJ continues to push a radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues in this case,’ said Google executive Lee-Anne Mulholland in a statement. Google will also reportedly be asked [sic] to establish new measures around its artificial intelligence, Android operating system and use of data.” (11/19/24)
