zazen

It's a general truth, that truth is antithetical to power, but not a total or absolute truth. Truth is antithetical to the unethical gain and use of power - which few people are able to do. Truth seekers become trapped in a kind of moral paralysis when they either reject power altogether, retreating into self-righteous purity, or they fall into confusion, unsure how to wield truth and power together without corrupting themselves in the process. Power isn't anti-truth, in fact the truth is empowering. It's usually the case that the ones we view as having power actually don't have it - power has them! Truth simply collapses the options on the playing field of power and wealth. Instead of having a buffet of good and bad ways to obtain them, you are only left with the good. Power isn't inherently bad, just like the hands aren't. The hands just grab and accumulate - in this case power and wealth. It's the vision of the man, the clarity to see what is the right and wrong way to go about using his hands that makes the difference. Why should having better vision paralyze the use of the hands? This becomes a cynical view of power that dis-engages those from power and is a disservice to the world if anything. Because it leaves those who are blind to pursue and wield power with no counter to their corrupting effects.

The irony of calling on others to spend less on military when you spend as much as the next 9 countries combined lol. The fair thing would be to cap spending as a percentage of GDP, not simply cut spending in half. Because if everyone cut spending in half, the US is still spending 9 times as much. Trump is now threatening BRICS nations with 100% tariffs if they stop using the dollar in trade: https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/brics-is-dead-says-trump-as-he-threatens-member-nations-with-100-tariff-125021400094_1.html ''US President Donald Trump has said that Brics was created for a bad purpose and most people don't want it. He said that Brics is dead and reiterated his threat to Brics nations, saying he would impose a 100 per cent tariff on the bloc if they try to replace the US dollar with any other currency.'' If most people don't want BRICS then why is it such a threat to replacing the US dollar as the reserve currency? What a retarded take. This is essentially how the West has played the game - put others down so you can get up and remain there. Like the following: Westerners will say I’m being anti- West, but I’m trying to be as objective as possible - I’m western myself! And when I see the pattern of history including what’s occurring today, it’s obvious who is playing what part in the world as an agent of stabilisation vs destabilisation. I also think we trip up over ourselves with spiral dynamics jargon and have a halo effect over the West - implying other cultures / nations are by default worse off because of being less developed. Let’s not even get into what being developed means. But we spiral dynamics apartheid ourselves against other nations, spiritually circle jerk and give ourselves a self congratulatory pat on the back from a high horse built on foreign skulls. “Progress bro” “We is developed bro”. Lol

@Nivsch I think Bibi gets scapegoated so a larger segment of Israeli society don’t get blamed. I may even add that Bibi is scapegoated so a segment of the US elites don’t get blamed. Bibi is a symptom of the problem: occupation - which requires the dehumanizing of Palestinian people. That dehumanization stems from a superiority complex which is behind a lot of imperial / colonial behaviour. There are many Israelis who think just like Bibi - meaning that this is a societal issue not just a Bibi one. Obviously not all Israelis, but it’s a sizeable portion. If we even just go by the many polls - it’s usually at least half voting in favour of pretty nasty things. There is a smaller portion of Westerners who think Israel’s actions are just. They suffer from the same sickness as Bibi himself.

@PurpleTree Regarding economy - probably not as good as China says, but not as bad as the West says. A good discussion debunking some misconceptions about China (social credit score etc) https://youtu.be/SVicS79Y93Q?si=7LfUl_EnHVmXVazf

Shahid Bolsens analysis in the video above was correct then: Wants his son in law, Kushners fund called Affinity partners to develop Gaza - of which Saudi has invested heavily. This means gulf states will have a say in the deal. But they have made their stance clear regarding the need for a Palestinian state before any normalization and being against displacement. The audacity to speak on Gaza in such a way - as if it’s an investment.

@Ishanga True, shouldn’t be war mongering to that degree either. For most people they want to maintain their distinct identity as a form of belonging. I think another part is that most people don’t really want to be associated with what America stands for vs what it says it does. I was curious to hear JP’s thoughts on this, he just posted : Gonna check it later.

It’s more a reflection of Western hegemony in decline. Some empires fall backwards and inwards, others forward and outwards in a last attempt - US is falling forward. I’m seeing some seemingly intelligent people on Twitter declare how the US is “so back” lol. All these imperial bootlickers including Musk commenting FAFO (fuck around and find out) to Trump supposedly putting many nations (allies included) and institutions on “notice”. Everyone’s like “omg who’s Uncle Sam gonna come after next and put in place” meanwhile it’s the US who has lost its place as the centre of the world. They’re reframing posturing as strength and a L as a W. This empires lashing out because it’s dying out.

@Jodistrict Shahid is awesome. Not sure how often people click on videos that are shared on the forum but his are just next level. This one is also very good on Trump and the late stage of empire:

Two great videos from two intellectual giants with moral clarity - both covering the state of the world: Jeffrey Sachs Chris hedges

Kushner and his fund want to build plush resorts there. Trump prob getting a hard on thinking of his tacky gold plated skyscraper there. Never mind the billions in gas reserves just off the coast. He will cement himself almost as a prophet amongst Israel. Rather than follow the principles of prophet Jesus of Nazareth - Zionists will lick the ass of Trump and not even wipe the orange off. He loves nothing more than ego stroking, even if that means signing off on drone striking innocents in the Middle East.

A interesting comment from a Canadian - the boycotting of US products itself would be impactful. Trumps under the illusion that US can just create everything itself and be self sufficient - of the major imports from Canada potash would be the hardest to get elsewhere at cost and is used as fertilizer for US agriculture. US oil refineries are configured to process Canadian crude. Re-configuring them would be a 5-10 year process and huge investment. Same with lumbar which is used for housing - to get the same quality and quantity with the environmental protections in place is another 5-10 year process. Pretty ballsy to go after something that will cause inflation in two essentials such as housing and food. Energy, in this case oil, basically seeps into the cost of everything. When it comes to Trump it’s best to go by the heuristic : take him seriously but never at his word. Anything he says may just be and often is just a bargaining tactic for other goals. Other than that, he simply wants to reframe the status quo as a win for his own ego, or to posture American strength to the world. This is why the whole game of calling upon troops with Canada and Mexico which had already been agreed upon. Even with Panama, the whole rhetoric of China controlling it is utter nonsense. They simply operate there as any other country can. Imagine crying about international commerce - what a sign of weakness dressing up as strength. It’s like complaining that the kid who opened a hot dog stand on your street is gonna steal your kitchen. With Greenland too, as if the US can’t operate there when Denmark is the most on team loyal partner to the US. They can simply just ask if they want to do something..lol I think in the macro the US empire wants to consolidate control of its hemisphere as it’s lost control of much of the world. This usually happens with empires - they rise on protectionism, liberalise into laissez-fare free trade at their peak, then defensively become more protectionist in their decline against rising powers, by which time it’s too late to reverse the trend. Same thing happened with Britian. The reason they want free trade at their peak is because they have developed enough productive capacity and are confident they can dominate the free market - so they want open markets to sell all their production to.

From 6-8min below: Ex Finance Minster Yanis Varoufakis talking about Europe being a vassal of the US and the US / Ukraine being behind Nord Stream sabotage, to which the Germans just look the other way: Brilliant take on the state of the world from Colonel Douglas McGregor from the 8 min mark below: No wonder he got multiple applauses from the audience compared to others on the panel parroting empire talking points.

It’s one thing for Gazans to move temporarily while they clean up the place of undetonated explosives and rubble, so they can build temporary housing until permanent housing is built which will take much longer. But these fools are calling for a permanent move. Even if they said they need it to be temporary so they can clear up, we all know they wouldn’t take them back. The irony of Trump saying the place has been full of destruction and blood for decades - while sitting next to the man who’s caused it and who’s state has been a behind it..while he grins. They want to bring Kushner and his fund in with the UAE to develop the strip into plush seaside resorts. Not sure the Palestinians are going to just move that easily to begin with, and Egypt / Jordan aren’t going to concede to that either because it will destabilise them also - not to mention that they don’t want to be accomplices in ethic cleansing or lay the groundwork for a future fight with Israel.

Great vid, I subbed to the guy. Trump said UK was workable - perhaps it will be a Atlanticist alliance of US, UK, Canada - with UK and Canada as subordinates, Australia too. Basically the Anglo speaking world. UK and EU will try to balance between US and China/Asia/Middle East as they are in a weaker position and need whatever investment / cheap energy they can get. Australia will balance because they’re literally in Asia itself. US would rather have their partners isolate themselves to the West in order to check mate China - but they seem to be waking up and realising they need a backbone in order to not get stuck between competing super powers and US wanting to vassalize them totally. So if Trumps Mexico and Canada rhetoric is largely posturing over nothing, what about Panama: This is basically a power in relative decline. The US has lost its global dominance so wants to at least consolidate regional dominance in its own backyard - while it can. It’s like a ex champion no longer able to compete for world titles so they settle for defending their local belt. Nothing shows this more than below:

https://m.jpost.com/international/article-840500 It’s tricky with polls because it can depend on the sample size and who was selected etc. Sometimes these polls are used to shape public perception by creating a false sense of consensus. Despite that, a flawed poll can still signal a disturbing dominant narrative in a society - which this shows.

A different opinion:

@Raze with the razor sharp facts and logic as usual. Let’s see what Trump and Bibi come away with in their meeting this week.

@PurpleTree They aren't conclusive or confirmed by the German prosecutor. First vid from 1:55 sec on wards, as the guy says - it's a development that may get them closer to the truth. Seems more like a scapegoat to avoid facing the reality of the situation. We have to look at the motive, means and incentive. - They lack the incentive: their survival hinges on Western support - especially NATO of which Germany is a major player. Meanwhile, the US weakens Russia’s economic leverage over Europe, forces the continent to pivot to American liquefied natural gas, and tighten NATO’s stance against Russia who they want to weaken. - They lack the motive: Why would Ukraine risk alienating one of its most important backers in the middle of an existential war. Meanwhile, Biden had openly threatened to “end” Nord Stream 2 if Russia invaded Ukraine, making the US motive more clearer and more transparent. - They lack the means: The pipelines buried deep beneath the Baltic Sea and closely monitored. Ukraine doesn't have the stealth capability, specialized diving teams, or precise coordination to avoid detection in waters patrolled by NATO allies like Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. Especially not in the middle of a brutal land war where their resources are stretched. The CIA is exactly the kind of organization specialized in covert operations like this. Sabotage, subterfuge, and destabilization are in the agency’s DNA.

There is something to be said about this possibly helping US re-industrialise over the longer term - but it’s not a guarantee and it does cause short term pain via inflation. Not to mention a damaged relationship with its neighbours. This is a interesting short vid on it: By the time all this happens even at best estimates of 3-5 years - wouldn’t the rapid advancements of AI which the US also want to speed run, end up swallowing the jobs they hope re-industrialising would have created? Many variables at play which makes it hard to predict outcomes. 80% of avocados come from Mexico - so for sure that guac gonna be extra lol

If it wasn’t so clear before - Denmark just gave Russia permission to carry out patch up work on Nord Stream 2. https://www.offshore-energy.biz/denmark-gives-permission-for-preservation-work-on-damaged-nord-stream-2-pipeline/ If Russia really blew up its own multibillion dollar energy infrastructure, why would it be scrambling to preserve what’s left of it? And why would Denmark, a NATO member, sign off on it? The silence from Germany, Sweden, and Denmark about their investigations into the sabotage only makes it more obvious who was really behind it. If even a tiny piece of evidence pointed to Russia, they’d have no issue shouting about it, as they already do so against Russia actions regarding Ukraine. Instead, they’re staying quiet because the truth points in a direction they’re too scared to confront: Washington. This in the backdrop of tensions over Greenland. Europe is finally realising where the true disorder is coming from: across the Atlantic.

Tit for tat now https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/01/trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-china “The leaders of Canada and Mexico have hit back after Donald Trump signed an order authorizing drastic tariffs of up to 25% on their exports to the US, while China said it would complain to the World Trade Organization after it was also targeted by the president. Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, on Saturday night made a televised address announcing concrete measures including a tit-for-tat 25% tariff phased in across C$155bn ($107bn) worth of American products. Trudeau said Trump had put at risk US consumers’ and industries’ access to much-needed Canadian critical minerals and resources including oil, energy and timber. The prime minister promised to work with Canada’s provinces to review dealings with the United States.”

@Leo Gura True, it definitely has its pitfalls and risks. Maybe Russias version of multi-polarity is its polar bears eating us alive. PS I accept your sites cookies 😁