Reserve currencies come and go. They usually go because the nation that issues the reserve currency abuses the situation. Delusions of world domination, endless wars and endless welfare are embraced. These terrible ideas are then financed by money that's created out-of-thin-air. This can go on for awhile, and it usually does, but only until the rest of the world refuses to go along anymore. The U.S. fell into the empire trap a century ago, and the world is starting to say: "That's enough."
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) came out swinging against a move by a fellow Republican Senator to ban the popular social media app TikTok by unanimous consent. Citing the First Amendment of the US Constitution, Sen. Paul vowed to resist any attempts to restrict the speech of Americans. Also today...US Senate (finally) votes to repeal the disastrous 2002 Iraq War authorization. And: a sneak peek into a corrupt DC court.
We learned from the "Twitter Files" that Biden Administration officials exerted tremendous pressure on US social media companies to silence and "disappear" posters with opinions the government didn't like. Now, Children’s Health Defense Director Robert F. Kennedy, Jr is doing something about it: suing those very government officials for violating the US Constitution! Also today: Why does the US keep blocking a UN investigation of the NordStream sabotage? Finally: Will AI put you out of work?
Like the PATRIOT Act after 9/11, the RESTRICT Act introduced in the Senate is using a "crisis" to decimate our core Constitutional liberties. The bill gives any presidential administration the power to simply end any social media company it deems a "national security threat." Also today: US pressuring Europe to break with China - will it work?
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen admitted over the weekend that US sanctions on Iran are not "changing behavior" of the government in Tehran, but vowed to strengthen the measures anyway. Sanctions don't work? Sanction harder! Also today: US staying in Syria regardless of escalation. And...why were the cops egging Jan 6th protesters to go into the Capitol?
By Ron Paul
Last week saw a sharp increase in attacks on US troops occupying northeastern Syria, with a drone strike against a US base blamed on “pro-Iran” forces and a US counter-strike said to have killed at least 19 people. After the US retaliation, another strike by “pro-Iran” forces hit a number of US sites in Syria. It may be just a matter of time before there are more strikes against the 900 US troops based in Syria against Syria’s wishes. One US contractor was killed last time. Next time it could be many more Americans. What’s behind the sudden escalation? Fundamental changes in the Middle East over the past month have highlighted how indefensible is the continued US occupation of Syria and Iraq. Take, for example, the recent historic mending of relations between former arch-enemies Saudi Arabia and Iran which was brokered by Washington’s own arch-enemy, China. US policy in the Middle East has long been “divide and conquer,” dating back at least to the Iran/Iraq war in the 1980s. US switching sides in that war guaranteed that the maximum amount of blood was spilled and that the simmering hatreds would continue to prevent any kind of lasting peace. Then the US invaded Iraq twenty years ago and turned Iraq into an Iranian ally. That’s neocon foreign policy for you: a 100 percent failure rate. So this month China, which is interested in creating a regional transportation corridor that would include Iran, came in and instead of bombing, invading, and occupying - Washington’s modus operandi – actually brokered the restoration of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Republicans and Democrats in the US both love to attack China, but China has achieved what the US has resisted for years: peace in the region. Should we be surprised that the continued US occupation is not welcome in the Middle East? The United States occupies that huge chunk of Syria where the oil and agriculture is located and the goal appears to be producing profits for US multinational corporations from stolen natural resources and preventing the natural wealth of Syria to be used to rebuild that country. Is it any wonder why the US is so unpopular in the Middle East? How hypocritical is it that the Biden Administration has spent $100 billion of our dollars to expel Russia from occupying proportionally less territory in Ukraine that Washington occupies in Syria? And Washington claims to stand for the “international rules-based order,” while they decimated an Iraq and Afghanistan that did not attack us, and before that a Serbia that could not have threatened us if it wanted to. The end of the US occupation of the Middle East is upon us and the sooner we realize that the better. We have no business meddling in their politics, occupying their territory, and stealing their resources. Americans joined the US Military to defend the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, yet they have been manipulated by corrupt DC officials into occupying foreign lands and stealing their oil. Maybe this is why the US military cannot meet its recruitment goals? Here's an easy way to protect US forces in Syria from further “Iran-allied” attacks: Bring them home. Tomorrow. Do not wait another day!
With bank failures occurring once again, the topic of "fractional reserve banking" is getting some much needed attention. How do banks work in the current "system"? Is it how banks should work? Banking is a legitimate and valuable service. However, when banks work in collusion with government, it produces nothing but trouble. Business and government must be kept separate. Banking is certainly not an exception.
Legendary investigative journalist Seymour Hersh is back with another blockbuster claim: The strange visit of the German chancellor to DC was to brief him on a CIA cover story meant to distract from Hersh's claims that Biden green-lighted the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines! Also today: Why is Washington so uninterested in China's plan for peace in Ukraine? Finally - 20 years later some Republicans still cannot let go of the use of force authorization.
The takedown of a US unmanned aerial vehicle near Crimea earlier this month may signal that Russia has had enough of US involvement in the Ukraine war. But Washington keeps pushing for new "wonder weapons" to be fast-tracked to Ukraine. How much further can DC push before a big push-back? Cluster bombs, Patriot missiles, and Abrams are all being readied for transport. This time will new weapons turn the tide?
Today's historic visit of China's newly-re-elected Premier, Xi Jinping, to Russia further solidifies what would have hardly been imaginable not long ago: A strong Russia/China alliance against the US and its satellites in the EU. How did Biden bungle this so badly? Also today: Another day, another hundred million for Ukraine. Finally: Iraq war 20 years later - Washington has learned nothing.
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