[AmericanThinker] To understand why the government seems determined to tag every citizen of every age with a digital ID, it is first necessary to understand the attitudinal evolution of political elites in Western countries. These elites appear to be losing their faith in the classical liberal emphasis on individual human freedom that was intellectually nurtured in the West by such thinkers as Kant, Voltaire, Locke, Bastiat, Mill, and Spencer and attained its clearest concrete political expression in the American Constitutional Republic. The essence of this revolution in political thought and practice is that it gave common people protection against the potential abuse of power of their ruling elites. Such protections included political theory that rooted individual rights in natural law and Divine Will as well as practical institutions such as the division of power between the states and central government, the further division of those powers between the legislature, executive, and judiciary, the rule of law, courts of law, the Bill of Rights, privacy rights, property rights, elections and so forth.
[Rusvesna] The fact that the CSTO sent peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan is not surprising: such a mechanism plays into the hands of the Russian president, who would not tolerate a new color revolution at his side, said the famous American political scientist Peter Zalmaev.
"It was predictable. Such a mechanism is the least toxic for Putin, it is a kind of alternative to NATO: they say, look what we are capable of. This mechanism, the fourth chapter of the CSTO, is being used for the first time. It would be naive to expect that Putin would tolerate the seeds of yet another color revolution in Central Asia. This is simply unrealistic," said the expert.
According to Zalmayev, Putin understands that if he is very tightly drawn into the affairs of Kazakhstan, a game on two fronts will begin, an open gestalt with Ukraine, it is worth remembering the talks in Geneva.
"It is clear that it will be very difficult for Putin to operate on two fronts, so in the near future he will minimize Russia's participation in the affairs of Kazakhstan. Much will also depend on the consolidation of the elites. I am sure that the dismissal of Nazarbayev from the post of chairman of the Security Council of Kazakhstan was a deliberate agreement," the political scientist said.
Nazarbayev remains the father of the nation, it is impossible to say that they have finally got rid of him, and all this is done by mutual agreement, Zalmayev is convinced. In his opinion, Putin will be happy to withdraw the CSTO troops back.
"It is impossible to say that the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, 'leaked' Nazarbayev, gave him to be torn apart by the crowd. Because Tokayev remains Nazarbayev's henchman and successor, to whom he owes absolutely everything. They are very tied to each other, including in everything related to information about each other's offshores.
Everyone knows how the flight of the late Aliyev, Nazarbayev's former son-in-law, who for several years 'leaked' telephone conversations and documents, ended. Nobody wants such a repetition, but the elites have mutual compromising evidence," the political scientist summed up.
[KP] Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that his country was attacked by international terrorists
The President of Kazakhstan spoke on national television for the third time in a day. And for the third time he did it in Russian, although the state language in the country is only Kazakh.
Russian has the status of an official one, but in recent years Kazakhstan has followed the path of velvet de-Russification, reducing the Russian language in the field of education, document circulation and the service sector.
Nevertheless, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev preferred to voice all his emergency calls on it.
Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev:
Real terrorists, bandits are rampaging at present in Alma-Ata and other cities. They are seizing infrastructure buildings and, most importantly, the premises where small arms are located, - Tokayev said at a meeting with members of the Security Council. - They are fighting with cadets of schools, currently there is a battle near Alma-Ata with an airborne unit of the Ministry of Defense. These terrorist gangs are, in fact, international, they have undergone serious training abroad and their attack on Kazakhstan should be viewed as an act of aggression. Relying on the Collective Security Treaty, today I turned to the heads of state of the CSTO with a request to assist in overcoming this terrorist threat. This is already undermining the integrity of the state and an attack on our citizens, who ask me, as the head of state, to urgently help them. I consider an appeal to the CSTO partners absolutely appropriate and timely. I think that the people of Kazakhstan will support this decision. Together we win.
Tokayev is sure that the riot in the country was organized by international terrorists. According to the President of Kazakhstan, an airport, five aircraft, including foreign ones, have been seized in Almaty. The city was destroyed and vandalized, "residents were victims of terrorist attacks."
Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev:
This is a very difficult page in the history of our state. The main thing now is to protect the country and its citizens, - Tokayev emphasized.
In addition to Kazakhstan, the Collective Security Treaty Organization includes Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Joint exercises of the CSTO collective forces are held regularly, but they have not had to carry out real combat missions to this day.
It was no coincidence that the head of Kazakhstan emphasized that those who are called "protesters" are in fact international terrorists trained abroad. Because according to the CSTO charter, its members can provide military assistance only in case of external aggression. Thus, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev characterizes what is happening in the country not as internal political events, but as a large-scale invasion from outside. Even by the forces of the citizens of Kazakhstan.
In theory, the CSTO forces can at least take control of potentially dangerous sections of the state's border, from where help can come to militants inside the country. And also block the restless cities. If necessary, the member states of the Organization are able to quickly transfer peacekeeping contingents to Kazakhstan, which will perform law enforcement functions, while local security forces will cleanse the cities from bandits and marauders.
Most of these opportunities, of course, are in Russia, which has a wealth of peacekeeping experience. In addition, about 3.5 million Russians live in Kazakhstan, who also need protection these days. The subdivisions of Belarus, which itself in August 2022 almost became a victim of the color revolution, can also join Moscow.
The help of other states can be symbolic. Kyrgyzstan, for example, she has already stated that she is ready to help her neighbors with everything she needs. Consultations in connection with the situation in Kazakhstan were announced.
The Russian Federation will continue close consultations with the Kazakh side and other allies in the CSTO to analyze and develop, if necessary, further effective steps, primarily to facilitate the conduct of the counter-terrorist operation by the law enforcement agencies of Kazakhstan, ensure the security of all civilians of this country, without exception, as well as vital important critical infrastructure facilities, their unblocking and return under the control of the Kazakh authorities. We are interested in the early restoration of normal life in the Republic.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] In my opinion, the most interesting thing about this attempt by unidentified forces is what actually happened with this increase in gas prices.
Was this the last straw from the crazed authorities, who actually made a self-destructive act of tearing themselves away from reality (which was later used by external forces against them), or was it internal sabotage with quite predictable consequences (as it is estimated in the versions about what kind of organization either Nazarbayev himself or Tokayev could have been protesting). I will return to these questions in a separate article.
According to published estimates, the total number of the contingent will be about 4 to 4,500 troops, of which the Russian Federation will field 3000.
On the whole, rather modest volumes. The announced terms of the operation are about a month.
In Alma-Ata, a sweeping operation has already begun more seriously. It is carried out by the Kazakhs themselves.
According to preliminary data, the total amount of damage for two days of brawling was about $100 million, but I think this is a seriously underestimated amount.
It is also worth noting that Western oil companies operating in Kazakhstan also called for the stabilization of the situation in the country.
China supported measures aimed at stabilizing the situation in Kazakhstan.
[American Thinker] The debate is over. After a year spent investigating claims of election fraud, the media has determined that any fraud in the 2020 election was too insignificant to have changed the outcome and Joe Biden legitimately won. Now we can get back to our normal lives, or whatever passes for normal now...except that’s fiction.
In 44 BC, Roman Senators murdered Caesar, claiming they acted to protect the Republic. In fact, they simply sought power. Their coup d’état put the final nail in the coffin of a republic that had been dead in deed, if not name, for decades.
Coup d’états differ from revolutions in that they’re generally orchestrated by or include people within government who seize power—often by narrowly using or just threatening violence—resulting in a rapid transition of power. Revolutions are often longer affairs that include much of a country’s population and exponentially more bloodshed.
Most coups try to keep much of the society and government apparatus intact, merely changing who’s in charge. This illusion of continuity is intended to gain the population’s acquiescence by avoiding the appearance of a bloody civil war.
And that’s exactly what we got. While Donald Trump does not lie in a bloody toga on the floor of the Senate, America witnessed a coup d’état equally as vicious. Many will deny one took place because their guy won but, make no mistake, virtually every American knows one did, even if only 56% admit it.
The moment the coup began to reveal itself Americans knew something was amiss. Many went to bed on November 3rd believing that Trump was leading in enough states to secure an electoral victory, including in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, and Wisconsin. Strangely, however, while America slept, densely populated Democrat counties like Fulton (Atlanta) in Georgia and Allegheny (Pittsburgh) in Pennsylvania "stopped counting" votes only to "restart" later when Biden suddenly got enough votes to swing the state blue. Similarly, Philadelphia stopped "reporting" at 1 AM and later announced Biden had won the state.
The morning of the 4th, as cries of fraud came from red areas across the country, the side that cried "election fraud" for four years suddenly fell silent. Apparently, 2020 had become the "most legitimate election in American history".
Joseph Stalin said, "Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything." That’s exactly how we went from being a constitutional republic to a banana republic, but rather than the United Fruit Company or the CIA running the coup, it was Mark Zuckerberg, Democrats, the FBI, and the media.
After Seeing Latest Jobs Report, Nation Regrets Buffalo Guy’s Failure To Seize Presidency
[Bee] U.S.—As a dismal job numbers and economic data were released this week, many are regretting Buffalo Guy didn’t manage to body-slam Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi and seize the presidency.
The superviolent insurrection on January 6th was initially met with disdain by a majority of Americans, but though they may disagree with the methods, they now find themselves wishing Biden was not the president.
"Really, anyone but Biden," said local homeless man, John Adventure. "I was a proud Biden supporter. Now I’m living in an opium den with a family of opossums. With Buffalo Guy, maybe at least we'd have jobs. Now, where’s my dollar?"
Presidential historian Chester Hornback shared a similar sentiment. "President Biden spends most of his days eating ice cream on a TV set made to look like the White House. It seems like Buffalo Guy at least had the kind of initiative we need to get our economy going again."
Experts agree that in addition to creating more jobs, Buffalo Guy would have restored a sense of grace and dignity back to the White House.
[ZERO] Recently, Democrats have been despondent over President Joe Biden's sinking poll numbers. His policies on the economy, energy, foreign policy, the border, and COVID-19 all have lost majority support.
As a result, the left now variously alleges that either in 2022, when they expect to lose the Congress, or in 2024, when they fear losing the presidency, Republicans will "destroy democracy" or stage a coup.
A cynic might suggest that they praise democracy when they get elected, only to claim it is broken when they lose.
Or they hope to avoid their defeat by trying to terrify the electorate. Or they mask their own revolutionary propensities by projecting them onto their opponents.
After all, who is trying to federalize election laws in national elections contrary to the spirit of the Constitution? Who wishes to repeal or circumvent the Electoral College? Who wishes to destroy the more than 180-year-old Senate filibuster, the over 150-year-old nine-justice Supreme Court, and the more than 60-year-old, 50-state union?
Who is attacking the founding constitutional idea of two senators per state?
The Constitution also clearly states that "When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside." Who slammed through the impeachment of former president Donald Trump without a presiding chief justice?
Never had a president been either impeached twice or tried in the Senate as a private citizen. Who did both?
The left further broke prior precedent by impeaching Trump without a special counsel's report, formal hearings, witnesses, and cross-examinations.
[AmericanThinker] Yesterday's main headline on the Drudge Report was about January 6, 2021, and the right-wing "insurrection." You know, the one where the so-called insurrectionists didn't have any guns. Drudge claims that Americans fear a repeat. Really? That's news to me. (Incidentally, I agree with the rumor that Drudge sold his Drudge Report for millions but still allows the leftist new owners to use his name.)
I work for a multinational Fortune 100 company. I go to country taverns out in the sticks — because that's where I'm from. My life is full of diversity, yet I haven't seen any Americans cowering in the corners of rustic bars or fancy offices, fearing another "insurrection" in which the only folks who were killed were unarmed conservatives.
Since when is marching through a public building without weapons an insurrection? Don't believe everything the rancid media shove down your throat! (How come when leftist groups commandeer police stations, this is not called an insurrection?)
What Americans fear, Matt Drudge, is an American military being subversively weakened by design to accept defeat when the real enemy comes knocking. (Hint: The real enemy is not Russia, Russia, Russia!)
Americans fear being victims of violent crime, economic depression, and endless lockdowns.
A long list of the things Americans fear follows in this vein.
[JPost] Researchers in Spain found the remains of a series of buildings which they believe to be the temple of Hercules (or as he was known to the Romans, Melqart).
Using information obtained through documentary and archaeological data, researchers from the Territorial Delegation and the University of Seville conducted a number of research trips to the area between Chiclana de Frontera and San Fernando in Andalusia, Spain.
The information obtained from these trips revealed a different environment from what was previously believed to have existed in the area. Researchers now believe there was a coastline in the area that was anthropized with a possible dock.
The temple of Hercules is well-known to have been a popular pilgrimage site thousands of years ago and was believed to have been visited by the likes of Julius Caesar, but its location has been lost, and archaeologists have been seeking it for years.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/07/2022 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11 views]
Top|| File under:
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
