jbnw

@jbnw

I’m not going to try to address everything in this post. It would take too long and accomplish nothing.

One particular point might be worth pursuing, though. The author writes: “The EU is disintegrating, NATO will be ended by this conflict….” I’m not seeing the slightest evidence of that. The EU lost one member through Brexit, but tha…[Read more]

@jbnw

Technically, I mean, according to the media and government we aren’t.  Realistically, we very much are.  Our weapons, our supplies, troops on the ground for both stated reasons and clandestine ones.

But you won’t get that level of depth from that question, not from AI, Congress or media, anyway.  It will likely maintain the fictions th…[Read more]

@jbnw

No, but they could just use cousin. That’s what we do in my family. I’ve never heard of a cousin getting promoted to nephew. 🙂

@jbnw

Medicare for All would cover everyone (therefore, cradle to grave). I’m not sure of your point of reference! I’d be willing to give you my thoughts at the same time I’m willing to admit that some things within the Medicare system would need to be fixed (for everyone). The original 2016 M4A conversations on Bernie Sanders (probably now…[Read more]

…for the last 20 years. @jbnw @mizzgrizz He’s the typical privileged western elitist. He has an inflated conception of US power. His mr. personality act isn’t going to fool anyone. He’s an arrogant snot, not a diplomat at all.

@jbnw

The UN document – https://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/UA_150212_MinskAgreement_en.pdf – simply recites the provisions of Minsk II. It says nothing about why the process broke down. As is common in such cases, each side blames the other.

And, of course, no discussion of international agreements on this subject can be com…[Read more]

@jbnw

Yes, the newer one is a remake. I watched a bit of the old on too on You Tube. Looks like they spent a lot more money on the newer one. 🙂 The actor who played the first Poldark has a small role in the newer one.

I posted in MM a few days ago….

Lawrence mentions that one of the former UN heads – perhaps Boutros Ghali – once said that – paraphrasing of course – Strong states don’t have to do diplomacy.  There you have where the US is – academically, the media, intelligence agencies, etc., etc.  It’s all about American exceptionalism and the lack of n…[Read more]

to get your family here and hoped that they would get here soon! So glad they finally made it as well as your pup and kitty.

I wish you and yours the Happiest of New Years, @jbnw

And to all of the JPR family members, Happy New Year!

@jbnw … This has been one year, hasn’t it?

Here’s to the endurance to desire to see what’s around the corner with a positive outlook. I somehow see some things changing the “heavy” after first quarter.

@jbnw and JPR friends!

Smokey says 2023 has got to be better.

@jbnw

There was this paragraph that sort of mentioned it:

A peace will soon be declared. Russia will keep the Donbass and Crimea in recognition of the facts on the ground. Both sides will be better off for this. The Donbass is ethnically, linguistically, religiously, and culturally Russian, which is why it voted overwhelmingly for assimilation…

[Read more]

Biden puts too much faith in his surrounding insulation during the ridiculous situation he continues to think is right. As @jbnw says, nobody wants a war state. They just want to be allowed to be a country and have a degree of dignity and normality.

There IS no dignity in parading in front of the podium with this actor, all the while pretending…[Read more]

with has said @jbnw

and add that Russia doesn’t have the overhead built into its military budget that the US has…Overhead for lobbying, Congress, academia, media etc., etc…Further as I have heard from people like Brian Berletic at  New Atlas, the US has been fighting wars for empire (i.e., countries in the global south (Vietnam-Afghanistan…[Read more]

@ohiobarbarian @jbnw

I would do both formats, so why not that? I have to read up more on administering Telegram, assuming I can use it better than I do now on my MacBook Pro. You’d think I’d be able to do that, but I do a lot of things outside of social media.

Also, should we put the Twitter question to a poll, OB?

Thanks for your insight @jbnw

I think the takeaways are still terrifying regardless of which side currently has an advantage

@jbnw

You write: “If she’d been arrested at a US airport for a Schedule 1 drug (marijuana) she could have had exactly the same prison sentence and the President would be speaking about the success of US drug laws.”

Well, actually, if the feds had arrested her at a U.S. airport for marijuana possession, Biden would have pardoned her (link).

@soryang

You write: “The example of South Africa is misleading, as the US was dragged kicking and screaming to that outcome.”

Yes, the example of South Africa would be misleading, or at least incomplete, if it were offered in support of the assertion that the U.S. is consistently a paragon of moral virtue. I didn’t make that assertion. In fact,…[Read more]

@ohiobarbarian @mrdmk @jbnw @soryang

The Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 employed provisions similar to those of the contemporary sanctions on Russia. You can read a summary here. Below I’ve copied the parts of the summary that refer to trade (the Act had other parts in addition to sanctions).

Was this just ineffectual virtue s…[Read more]

@jbnw wow! When did the hamsters get back on the wheel here. I thought jpr was done for good