Power Despises a Vacuum

Ron Unz suggests intelligent people might prefer a better sort of despot, if we absolutely have to have one, and I consider the chaos of our Anarcho-tyranny effectively despotic.

http://www.unz.com/mwhitney/putins-blitz-leaves-washington-rankled-and-confused/

Well, for years I’ve been telling people we should consider the approach taken in some European countries a few hundred years ago…

When a country was sufficiently badly managed, it would sometimes invite some foreign leader to come and assume power in order to set matters right.

It seems to me that although the American people are generally pretty good, our ruling elites are absolutely dreadful, possibly among the worst in the world. So I think we’ve certainly reached the point at which a delegation of American notables should consider traveling to Moscow and offering the American throne to Putin, suggesting that he establish a new Dual Monarchy, or perhaps a slightly different version of Jerry Pournelle’s old Co-Dominion.

Furthermore, given our own serious national infestation of worthless Oligarchs, his selection would be particularly apt, given his long and successful past experience in dealing with such greedy and troublesome individuals. Indeed, I suspect that the vast majority take flight from our shores even as Vladimir I was making his triumphal entrance into DC, much like rats immediately flee at the faintest whiff of “cat”…

Tony Abbott Threatens Peace, Sacked the Next Day

http://takimag.com/article/the_assad_approach_michael_warren_davis#axzz3ldWaW2h2

"Readers of Taki’s Magazine must be itching for a bit of good news in the midst of all the rubbish being talked about the refugee crisis in Europe. Well, here it is: Australian prime minister Tony Abbott is now the first leader of the anti-Assad coalition to admit that Western intervention in the Syrian civil war was a massive cock-up."

...and then he was replaced by a "Republican". No election necessary!

Mr Turnbull first rose to international prominence in the mid-1980s as the brash young lawyer who represented Peter Wright, a former senior British intelligence operative with MI5, who took on the British government in the famous Spycatcher case. Mr Turnbull succeeded in blocking Britain's attempts to prevent publication of Wright’s memoirs.But the case marked the beginning of a prominent career in which he made millions as an internet entrepreneur and Goldman Sachs banker before turning his attention to becoming prime minister. An MP since 2004, he is one of Australia’s wealthiest politicians and lives in Point Piper, one of the nation’s most exclusive suburbs, with his wife Lucy Turnbull, a former lord mayor of Sydney.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/11864253/Australian-prime-minister-Tony-Abbott-ousted-by-staunch-republican-Malcom-Turnbull.html

You can Make This Stuff Up, Evidently

real headline -

Chattanooga shooter was possibly troubled; motive a mystery.

I guess we'll never know!

By Deception Shall You do War, (and commenting)

If it's not food, don't swallow it.

I’m very interested in the phenomena of “professional trolling”, especially evidence of organized campaigns. Reference to various sub-types based on methods/goals, as well as various levels of competence, leads me to wonder if there isn’t a site devoted to this phenomena. The art seems fairly advanced, but the critical response seems fragmented and unorganized. The Saker has mentioned that the current war is about 85% propaganda, 10% factual and 5% kinetic. Given the importance of the informational aspect, I’m sure that all sides devote considerable resources to the study and practice, but as in all matters of intelligence, methods and techniques are held closely and amatuers can only speculate on these things. Do you know of any open resources that regularly speak of such matters?

Lately, I’ve grown very suspicious of counter-trolling; those that engage with the diluters, often with very extensive factual and historical cut-and-paste jobs, especially on subjects that have been beaten to death (from my perspective), chiefly the holocaust and the general subject of Jewry, 9-11, and others. The subjects have been discussed at ludicrous length, nothing new is ever presented, and virtually no-one is dissuaded in their notions. I strongly suspect that 99% of this counter-narrative is in-house hasbara and the remaining 1% obsessives with greatly varying levels of knowledge and talent. Insulting Jews on Unz, especially on posts by such as Shamir, Gottfried, Mercer, Finkelstein is just so stupid and counterproductive, not to mention rude, that it’s difficult to believe that it isn’t simply bait for the unwary or damaged minds.

In the meanwhile, do not feed the trolls!

Hey, Vern! Trick or Trump?

My recollection is that Russ Verney was the brains behind Perot’s run, and that he personally dynamited Buchanan’s run when he determined that Pat was too right-wing. He also jerked support from Jesse Ventura when Jesse was getting too popular. It is my opinion that he was a Democratic Party operative all along and was also involved with the Dick Armey Libertarian fiasco, possibly with Armey’s knowing cooperation; its hard too say, but Armey may have been smarter than he’s given credit for.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Verney

The function of third parties as spoilers for one or the other “real” parties is generally unrecognized, as well as the methods of cooperation between them to crush their own reformers, for the benefit of their ostensible opposition. The Libertarian party was subverted early on to become a sink for those voters unwelcome in the mainstream, although it was seriously libertarian when it was formed.These tendencies, (as well as the propensities of candidates such as Mondale, Dukakis, Dole, McCain, and Romney to run curiously lackluster campaigns – “take a dive”, if you will), lead one to suppose that what is unseen and prior to the actual elections is determinative rather than the ass and elephant show. That’s why Justin Raimondo’s theory of Trump as false-flag candidate makes so much sense: roll up all the conservative votes for one seemingly real and serious candidate, dispose of him one way or the other e.g. Muskie crying, ” the scream”, McCain pretending (or not) to be crazy, etc. I think Trump, being a pretty smart guy is in on it, but I’m hoping he will see how desperate people are for a lifeline that he will start to buy into his own bullshit and go for it for real. I’m trying to find out if Verney is involved in any way, because he seems to be the or one of the main Machiavellian vectors of the deception circus. It’s a club and we aren’t members.

Credit where Credit Due

What I don't get is why they specifically tax alcohol and tobacco at a high rate to discourage use, but tax income. Wouldn't they want to encourage people to use more "income"? Unless that's the point, which I'm starting to think. payday loans? subprime loans? I'm guessing poorer people use more credit? in my time, you couldn't get credit unless you didn't need it. strange days have found us.

quote of the day: (comment at Zero hedge)
"Can't wait to have my iPhone, iPad, Macbook air in my Apple backpack and the Apple watch on my wrist so i can check my Twitter and Facebook account, while riding my Segway."

to the Starbucks, to drink three dollar coffees. because free WiFi...

Russian Orthodoxy

response to a comment on Peter Frost at Unz Review

http://www.unz.com/pfrost/the-last-push-back-against-liberalism/

"What Putin really needs to do is to Prussianize and Protestantize the Russian Orthodox Church and culture in general.”

I’m pretty confident that this will not happen, by Putin or anyone else. Whether or not this assertion is true, I lack the intellectual chops to debate, but the Orthodox take their religion seriously to an extent that westerners can’t really understand. They are very prickly about it and talk of things that happened a thousand years ago like it was yesterday.

I first went to the Saker blog to try to understand what the hell (almost literally) was going on in Ukraine, but stayed, fascinated by a window on a really complicated social and historical environment forged by hundreds of years of tribal warfare and hatreds, but I was most surprised by his really strong views on, and support for his Church. Americans can’t really grasp this, I think. Many of us that even consider ourselves religious don’t approach this level of seriousness and generally view other, or even non- religions quite tolerantly. We are wide and shallow with respect to beliefs, comparatively (and to our advantage, until recently, in my opinion).

Their faith is most likely why there even is still a Russia in existence and why it will probably continue after America becomes Brazil. We would do well to follow their example in some respects, and if our story ever gets even as fractionally horrendous, I hope we can

250 Heavyweight

Many of my friends own vintage BMW /2 series bikes, and I have been alert to any good deals;  there aren't any. I've seen roached bikes with frozen engines sell for more than 2 g. I know, what inflation?

This is a 1964 R27 250cc. Same frame as the R50, half as many cylinders. Probably slow, which I hope to determine after finding out why no spark. Crying out for solo seat.

Real Headline

Angelina Jolie left speechless after Iraq refugee trip.

Thank you, lord. It would be awesome if it sticks. Someone should start a crowd fund to send her again if her ignorant yap resumes its flapping  speech returns.

George am Koan

The master was asked a question concerning money by a young student
"Master, I do not understand money..."
"Give me five imperial credits."
"I have none. I work all day for enough coin to buy a little food and a place to sleep. I can never see any surplus. Yet many others live lives of ease and comfort. I cannot see the path they follow."
"I will loan it to you."
" Very well, I owe you five credits..."
"You owe 5.50 @10%. Do you now understand?"
"Very well, master!"

The Screwtape Memo

A commenter on the Saker blog advocated sending 10000 russians to Syria in order to "butcher" ISIS. I imagine this guy is either stupid or provocative, but whatever his motivation, please, enough already with the butchering. I got this note the last time I was worshipping Satan. Evidently, Hell is virtually overflowing from the previous butcherings, not from lack of accommodations, but a huge bottleneck in HS*, partially related to sheer numbers, but mostly because of legacy criteria, (one strike, you're in). They haven't worked their way past about 1930 yet.  From the memo:

 "A lot of these new migrants have no records of behavior that might bar admittance; they mostly just seem to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Frankly, I believe the problem is external; that [redacted] is sending their less desirables along with our guys, for whatever reason, or our methods have worked too well, and that many are really that anxious to emigrate. It seems more likely that the higher value immigrants that we would like to see are still "hedging", and meanwhile  we're stretched simply processing in these draftees and slackers. We need more with some leadership and know-how and a proven record of service. 

This system was built to handle a couple of dozen daily, with a good mix of easily accommodated  and enthusiastic souls, along with the dregs, of course, but this mix is just toxic, and not in a good way. Where are Poppy, Cheney, Kissinger? Do they still have "other priorities"? I'd say they earned their rightful place, and about time. We need some help down here; even the demons are starting to just phone it in, but we are more than ready to resume the morale-boosting as soon as we get some new meat better quality initiates."
Screwetape

*Hell Security