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THE DOOM OF RUSSIA

russ-sovt-expansion[This Monday’s Archive, “The Doom of Russia,” was originally published on March 18, 2004.  Appended to it, as in the original, is “A Short History of Russia,” written for the Reagan White House in 1985. Together, they provide a historical context not only for Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, but more widely, its inability to join the West after the collapse of the Soviet Union, choosing instead to remain its adversary.  Your thoughts are welcome on the Forum.]

TTP, March 18, 2004

Last week, Vladimir Putin was re-elected President of Russia with over 70% of the vote. Does this portend the re-animation of the Soviet Russian Empire, led by a man with an unchallenged grip on power, possessed with a deep nostalgia for the glory days of the USSR, and determined to bring back those days again?

No, it means that Russia has taken itself out of the global game. It means that Russia has no future. It means that Russia is resolutely determined to screw itself.

Monopolies of power rarely work in today’s world – especially ossified ones. Putin may look young and energetic, but worked his whole life for the KGB – and every member of his cabinet now is a former Soviet apparatchik. There isn’t a single new thinker among them.

All of them are trapped in their past. In the Kremlin and in the totality of influential academic and journalistic thought in Russia today there is a complete absence of rational analysis of Soviet-Russia history and why the Soviet Union collapsed. There is never an accounting or realistic appraisal from anyone in government or academia.

There is only nostalgia. There is nothing but nostalgia. As Lionel Barrymore would say at the end of a play: “That’s all there is – there isn’t any more.”

This thinking is not imposed upon the oppressed Russian masses whose yearning for freedom is stifled by the tyrannical elite. No, it is reflective of common thinking. The recent elections demonstrate that Russians as a whole simply do not want a real democracy like those emerging in their former colonies of Eastern Europe, with real pluralism, small business growth, and economic freedom.

Americans have a naïve tendency to look upon the world as a place where everyone wants the political and economic freedom that we have if they had the choice and opportunity to have it. Maybe in a lot of countries, but not in Russia.

Let’s draw three bottom lines from this.

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SKYE’S LINKS 06/29/23

disappear-jean-pierre-actKarine Jean-Pierre Throws Smoke Bomb And Disappears When Asked About Hunter Biden Texts

Yes, it’s the Babylon Bee reporting Fake News You Can Trust! So we begin this edition of Skye’s Links with a Babylon Bee-worthy event that actually happened. On Monday (6/26), a Harvard University professor famous for scientific papers on honesty was suspended for her fraudulent paper on honesty.  I kid you not!

Harvard Scholar's Study on Honesty Retracted After She Is Accused of Faking It

bide-does-liberty

Here is a brief summary of the current state of the union:

"Blatant Political Corruption": The Rot In America's Democracy Explained In Under 1000 Words

administrative-state-deconstruction

The Administrative State has long been a huge and growing problem, and conservative efforts to mitigate it have done little to correct its tyranny.  Here is a fine easy to read article on how the Administrative State has spread like a cancer, how attempts to excise it have failed and why they did so, and suggestions for a more effective path forward:

A Century Of Impotency: Conservative Failure And The Administrative State

Here we go – jump right on in!

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2024 HOW TO OUT-COMPUTE THE DEMOCRATS

deaddemvoters[This may be the most consequential article you will ever read.  Jay Valentine has the key to preventing Dem voter fraud from stealing elections, and thus our country’s future, in 2024. If you donate to one political cause this year, please consider donating to Jay’s c3 tax-deductible Election Watch, and volunteering to help his work however you can.]

In 2024 Republicans cannot "out-fraud" the Dems, cannot "out-ballot-harvest" them, cannot "out-lawfare" them, cannot "out-media" them, cannot "out–contribution mule" them, cannot "out–Justice Department" them...but sure as hell can out-compute them — and that may do it.

The Democrats own the election apparatus — voting equipment, ballot-manufacturing, vagrant habitats, election commissions, media intimidation of judges not to look at election fraud and driving out any lawyer who raises a valid case.

The key is: electioneering, by both sides, currently runs 1970s technology. Dems make good use of obsolete relational tech; Republicans, not so much.

So, in 2024, there is an opportunity to out-compute the Dems.  Here's what it may look like.

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THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR BIDEN?

The other shoe drops for you, Joe
The other shoe drops for you, Joe

Something changed last week inside the Beltway that suggests the people who run the Democrat Party now realize President Biden’s tenure in office is not sustainable beyond 2024.

The “tell” was not, however, the latest revelation by IRS whistleblowers about his corrupt administration. It was instead the sudden awakening of the White House press corps.

The same “reporters” who snored through more than two years of preposterous claims by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and her predecessor simultaneously woke up last Friday (6/23). Correspondents from CNN, CBS, NBC, and even the New York Times aggressively questioned Jean-Pierre about the metastasizing Hunter Biden scandals.

This wasn’t spontaneous. The word has gone out that regime change is coming. Thus, the “news” outlets that usually repeat Biden’s claim that he and his son never discuss the latter’s business deals actually reported the testimony of IRS whistleblowers who allege political interference in their Hunter Biden investigation.

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HOW CAN THE DEMS GET RID OF JOE?

making-a-pointless-joeThe Biden hits just keep coming.  Trust in government is collapsing.  Americans are starting to wonder what passes for "normal" in Washington, if there is any such thing there now.  According to Pew Research, only about 20 percent of Americans trust the government to do what's right.  That leaves 80 percent who expect government to do what is wrong — as in morally and ethically wrong.

Joe's fundraising is also lackluster.  Politico reports that the Dems are concerned that Joe isn't inspiring their donor class anymore.  If this keeps up, the party isn't going to have the money it needs to steal the next election.

As my grandmother would say, the Dems are in a pickle.  Panic is beginning to set in.  They're looking forward to 2024 with no successes, inadequate money, voter pessimism, and a candidate who can't walk across a stage without falling or shaking hands with Harvey the Invisible Rabbit.

Three years into the mess they created, the Dems are coming to the realization that they didn't hitch their wagon to a weak horse; they hitched it to a dying horse.  They need to do something — fast.  They need Joe off the 2024 ticket.

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TWO SHORT VIDEOS PERFECTLY SUM UP THE CLIMATE CHANGE SCAM

Frost Fair on the Thames in 1608
Frost Fair on the Thames in 1608

While it's obvious that humankind can destroy its local environments (and has been doing that for millennia), it is equally obvious that the Earth's climate trends are unaffected by humankind's limited industrial abilities.

I just caught up with two videos from May that show just how ridiculous the climate scam is...and how it's being used to enrich our most powerful geopolitical opponent to our great detriment.

First however, a few points about climate from a history major's perspective. They show that we are inconsequential — the climate changes due to its own rhythm.  In the scheme of things, humans account for only a small percentage of CO2 in the atmosphere. So read on – then enjoy the videos.

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY – THE BLACK MANED LION OF ANGOLA

jw-the-lion-of-angola August, 1983. It was pitch-black dark as I and a couple dozen heavily-armed UNITA guerrillas were rumbling over the roadless Angolan bush in a huge captured Russian truck. Suddenly there was an entire pride of lions running in front of the truck’s headlights. As they scattered, without warning a massive black-maned male jumped in front of us. The driver didn’t have time to swerve – we crashed into him full on, killing him instantly.

The UNITA fellows had me pose with him the next morning – obviously with no rifle as I was not hunting. It was to memorialize a tragic ending to a magnificent animal. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #125 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE LION ROCK OF SIGIRIYA

lion-rock-of-sigiriyaRising 600 feet above the jungles of central Ceylon (Sri Lanka) is a gigantic rock column revered for millennia as Sigiriya – Lion Rock from Sanskrit. It’s flat on top, used over centuries as a Buddhist monastery and a fortress by kings. In 480, King Kashyapa had the image of a lion carved into the rock as the entrance gate to his fortress-palace on top. All that’s left are the lion’s paws that you see.

It was a risky climb via stone stairs carved into the rock getting to the top. Today there’s a much safer wooden staircase. It’s a pilgrimage site for Sri Lankans where they get to celebrate their history and enjoy the gorgeous view on top. It’s a marvelous experience for you to participate in. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #158 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE AVATAR MOUNTAINS

avatar_mountains The gigantic forest-covered stone pillars of Zhangjiajie in a remote region of Hunan are so famous for being a featured location in the Avatar movie they’ve been renamed the Avatar Mountains.  You can take a cable car through them to view them from above.  Hard to get to and certainly worth it. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #269 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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MONTEZUMA’S CASTLE

montezumas-castleWhen American explorers came upon this extraordinary cliff dwelling in 1860s Arizona, they dubbed it “Montezuma’s Castle” on a whim. The Aztec ruler had nothing to do with it, of course. The Anasazi people built a number of these marvelous structures in the Southwest, high up on cliffs above a river that seasonally flooded.

For hundreds of years the Anasazi flourished, skilled agriculturalists and brilliant at constructing vast irrigation systems. Yet it all came to naught with a devastating megadrought with no rain for many decades, culminating in the collapse of the Anasazi culture and abandonment of their cliff dwellings by the early 1500s.

Another lesson that it is nature that control’s the Earth’s climate, not us. You’ll find Montezuma’s Castle above Beaver Creek south of Sedona. It’s a marvel not to be missed. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #194 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE LESHAN GIANT BUDDHA

leshan-giant-buddha Carved out of a cliff face of red sandstone on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau over 1,200 years ago by Buddhist monks, the 233 ft-high Leshan Giant Buddha is the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world.

I took this picture from a boat on the river that runs past it. As you can see by Buddhist pilgrims working their way down the stone steps on the side and in front carrying umbrellas, it’s raining. Rain is so frequent here that a sophisticated drainage system was incorporated into the statue when it was built. It is still in working order. Behind the Buddha’s head, between his two ears, and scattered throughout his body, there are several hidden gutters and channels carrying out the rainwater that have kept the inner areas dry and prevented the Buddha from eroding since the 8th century.

Knowing this adds to the wonder of beholding this extraordinary achievement. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #268 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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DONALD TRUMP LEAVES A VOICEMAIL FOR ADAM SCHIFF

Note: Shawn Farash is the world’s greatest Trump impersonator.

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HALF-FULL REPORT 06/23/23

The Global Authenticity Problem


This week saw the loss of a tourism submarine in the vicinity of the wreck of the Titanic. The U.S. Navy determined what happened last Sunday but supported the psyop of a significant search for survivors to control the media narrative for a few days.

The White House desperately needed to divert public attention away from Hunter Biden’s legal troubles and the special privileges awarded high-profile Democrats. After last week’s assassination of Trump’s character in court, the two-tier justice system would have been too easy to see.

The submarine failure and loss bring to light the continuing problem of computer simulations and how the scientific, engineering, and medical fields are being gutted as organizations hire for everything except merit. The big assumption that talent is redundant in the age of sophisticated computer algorithms is widespread but dead wrong. Just ask the passengers on the sub.

Five years ago, Greta Thunberg, the autistic niece of a prominent Rothschild and financed as such, predicted that today would be the day that life perished on Earth. It seems that the math was wrong.

The world locked down three years ago based on a faulty epidemic simulation at East Anglia University. The science, it seems, means the Narrative is propped up by computer output.

Ukraine is finding the Spring Offensive more challenging than the wargames predicted. German software failed to account for many hurdles that would have been visible if conventional red-on-blue wargames were conducted. The problem is not initiative, logistics, or similar things. The problems Ukraine faces today appear to have been baked into the cake by the simulation designers. This must be fixed.

Russia and China face a similar problem: they simulate their plans, commit them to action, and then move without a corrective feedback loop to their central planners. The head of the Wagner Group calls the failure to give Putin accurate damage assessments an outright lie. Russian forces are not destroying masses of Leopard II tanks, nor are the casualty numbers nearly as low as RT.com tells the world.

Our Deep State is a mess, and our economy faces serious problems. But we have feedback loops forcing the woke to go broke and the public to abandon support for corrupt politicians. We have these mechanisms. Russia and China do not.

In the end, the self-correcting culture wins.

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SKYE’S LINKS 06/22/23

trump-vs-alienTrump Against the Narrative


Merrick Garland’s DoJ continues to throw everything imaginable at Trump, including some very sketchy interpretations of the Insurrection Act. The stink of Desperation is everywhere as the government unites against Meritocracy. Trump must run the table in the courtroom, but the likely outcome is the SCOTUS eventually finding the Insurrection Act unconstitutional.

The Narrative is collapsing everywhere. It turns out that Fauci fabricated false studies and used his influence to place them in leading journals at the very start of Covid-19. This was a cover-up of epic magnitude, and the healthcare industry slurped it up wholesale. Even if the peer-review process had not been falsified, data was not fabricated from thin air, and major medical journals were not corrupted, the scientific establishment should have detected the fraud.

But the fraud went undetected by the majority. The few doctors and scientists calling it bunkum were attacked like injured fish in a shark-feeding frenzy.

Our government lies, and so do most institutions. Dishonesty might be a feature of bureaucracy.

So how is the world responding to highly credible whistleblowers through highly credible attorneys, disclosing that the United States government has alien technology? And has been studying it for more than 80 years? Is this yet another psyop? Or is it true?

Unless they slap the evidence down on the proverbial pickle barrel, the alien technology is just another narrative. A.I. can make anything appear real, even if the evidence is presented openly. Hollywood is throwing out the green screens made obsolete by A.I.

But then again, it might be true…

ESG, on the other hand, is falling like a lead balloon. Fifteen Trillion Dollars has been pulled from ESG funds since the start of the Bud Light protest. That is a Trillion with a T.

Larry Fink of BlackRock might not be the Gnostic immortal and enlightened divine being that he fancies himself. ESG is not over, but the smart money is bailing out before Woke goes full broke.

China is failing too. A handful of U.S. Navy destroyers in the Indian Ocean can stop their fuel imports from Iran and Saudi Arabia. A Ukrainian drone can blow their pipeline from Russia.

China lacks food, fuel, water, and labor. Like Japan during the 1980s or BlackRock gorging itself on cheap credit, economic bubbles are eventually exposed as foolish and destructive.

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PLATONIC CONSERVATIVES

Plato 427-347 BC
Plato 427-347 BC

[This Monday’s Archive, “Platonic Conservatives,” was originally published on October 1, 2003.  To what extent do you think it applies to those conservatives today who are rooting for the dollar and the American economy to crash, for Russian barbarism to win and Western Civilization to loseThey were among us twenty years ago – are they among us for the same reasons today?  Your thoughts, please!]

TTP, October 1, 2003

There is an organization of conservatives which has met in private thrice annually since 1981.  As a member for over 20 years, I am obliged not to mention its name or membership.  Suffice it to say that virtually every major conservative figure in America belongs.

Its meetings are the only place where all the leaders of the entire conservative movement can get together to socialize and strategize.  During the Reagan Presidency, the organization played a principal role in creating popular support for the “Reagan Doctrine” which successfully eliminated the Soviet Union.

My wife and I have formed many close friendships with its members and always look forward to attending its meetings.  Having just returned from its latest at the end of September, I regret having to report to you that it was the most disappointing in two decades.

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