Open Thread - 11-15-24 - Snake Farm
The plot: Blondie (Clint Eastwood) defeats Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) in a three-way Mexican showdown and then sets his gaze upon Tuco, the last two men standing. After defeating Tuco, and after a faked hanging, and in magnanimous fashion, Blondie splits the stolen money with Tuco (Eli Wallach) and lets him go, in essence he pardons him, as he rides of into the distance. Art imitating life.
Donald Trump's cabinet picks are rolling in like an assembly line. There are shouts of glee and cries of despair echoing across the land as the future settles into the minds of the body politic. Some pundits point fingers, some pound their chests. The nation remains divided, perhaps even more so after the election. There's an eerie calm across the land, for now.
As I see it, there are some Good potentialities among his picks. There is much fat to be rendered from the bloated governmental carcass. That rendering will cause some hurt but really should be done, the behemoth is stuffed like an 86 pound turkey.
The US of A will be none the worse with healthier food and better product regulation. Regulating poisons would also be a huge plus. Health has been neglected for too long in this country for the sake of corporate profit.
I foresee possible Bad consequences looming in the future as well, namely censorship. Consequences that may affect c99 and the internet in toto. In the past Trump had originally voiced opposition to Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1996, which will directly affect c99 and myself, which provides immunity to online platforms from civil liability based on third-party content. The former President has gone quiet since his previous opposition to Section 230 after he launched his social media platform, Truth Social.
We shall see, since the Republicans have also shown a desire to censor social media, albeit from a different angle from that of the Democrats.
There are Ugly storm clouds of war building on the horizon as well, as Trump loads his cabinet with hardliners. The European theater may quell, but the specter of the ongoing and troublesome war in the Mideast continues. Let's hope that the recent bluster emanating from certain voices in the incoming cabinet are meant to bring the antagonists to the bargaining table and not a portent of the future.
In this moment in time, I feel like the dog in this video. Let us hope to be unburdened by what may be, as the US, Israel and Iran face off in a Mexican showdown of three.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and the Dog
0:49
Pack your parachute because it's going to be a long trip to the bottom of the rabbit hole. When we hit the ground floor be careful where you step because it may very well be a snake hole rather than a rabbit hole.
At the bottom of the hole is the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), the bankers dream. CBDC is potentially the holy grail of an authoritarian's dream. They've been talking about it for years now and you know darn well they want it badly. Their problem is: how do they implement it?
A CBDC wont work if there's too much resistance from the people and as of right now there seems to be much resistance to the idea. Again, that pesky internet thing is getting in the way of authoritarian dreams.
The majority of that resistance is emanating from the political right, with the assumption that much of the left is already primed for a move to CBDCs, especially the youth who are already well versed in digital payment systems.
President elect Trump has stated that he's against CBDCs. OK, sure, but I think we'd all agree that politicians have a proclivity to grease the language and tell potential voters what they want to hear, anything to get them to the voting booth.
Trump's also given a thumbs up to Bitcoin. Although they're not the same, blockchain is the common denominator.
It seems contradictory, doesn't it, but isn't much of governmental policy contradictory? Especially when the policy is controversial.
Now let's go down that rabbit hole.
Imagine, if you will, that the economy collapses early on in Trump's second term. The dollar is worthless, the store shelves are bare, jobs are lost and the populace becomes ever more desperate by the day.
Like a hero from an old western the banks ride in to save the day with a CBDC. At first it will be marketed without the programmable component, but as we all know if there's a tool that can be used, sooner or later, it will be used.
In this version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, it's Trump who may lead the right down the CBDC hole.
I've mentioned several times in the past how American politics seems staged and choreographed, and I'm not the only one. It does help to explain the bizarre nature of our political world. Could it be that this theatrical play's purpose is to introduce CBDCs to the American public? Who better to lead the resistance to that project than a manufactured pied piper like Trump. There hasn't been a better huckster of a salesman since PT Barnum.
My premise is perhaps there is a twenty first century script that has been written with the intention of leading us into the arms of a financial prison of our own making, and Trump is the chosen one to lead the American public there, after the fall of the dollar.
With a programmable CBDC and social credit score, complete control will finally be realized.
There may be a snake in the bottom of the hole, after all.
Ray Wylie Hubbard: Snake Farm (3:54)
Comments
Good morning Free Rangers...
Feed Your Head
Jefferson Airplane: White Rabbit
Lyrics
Good morning...
Whitney Webb suggests that TPTB will sell CBDC to the public as a convenience. I think they will offer a small UBI as CBDC, and who will refuse? We'll simply have to wait and see. In the meantime, might be a good idea to buy some metals for bargaining. They've been selling old US (90%) silver dollars at trade day for $30, and I've been buying some most weeks. Just a little insurance.
One of the last conversations I had with the now deceased judge was about gold. He suggested useful things like tools are also a hedge in case of collapse. People in Western NC suggest generators are a good investment. Months after Helene some are stil without power. We've been considering a propane generator for the well house. No power, no water with a well.
I've been working the edge of the woods today knocking down dead trees (saplings) and putting them on the ground to rot. Had to blow the leaves off the winter annual ryegrass so it can grow. I like a patch of green in winter. I need to blow the leaves off the roof but we had 1.3" of rain yesterday and I want it to dry out before I climb up there. At some point, I know I'll need to find help for such chores.
The garden has largely put to rest for the winter. However, broccoli is beginning the head up as are the cabbages. Collards and kale are plentiful. We're bringing in the house plants today as 30's are expected next week. I noticed CO has been getting lots of snow.
There will be good and bad in the Trump 2.0 term. It is another wait and see game to my mind. No doubt the neocons on the right and left have their knives out for him as evidenced by the Thune ascendancy... Much like Trump united populists on the right and the left.
Have a good weekend and thanks for the OT!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Good advice...
about the precious metals, tools and generators.
I'm cautiously optimistic about some of Trump's picks and dismayed by others. Thune, in my humble opinion, will play the same role as McConnell in thwarting some of Trump's agenda. And that, my friend may very well be part of the script, er, I mean plan.
But, as I've stated before, I think the executive branch wields too much power, mostly by executive orders. It will be interesting to see how Trump executes that provision of his office. I think executive orders by the president need to be curtailed.
Be careful on the roof!
Good one
I don't know what will happen with Israel, or anything else, but...I could see them expelling all the Palestinians to northern Gaza, annexing the southern territory and expelling all Palestinian Israelis and building a mile wide DMZ full of guard towers and mines.
PS. we 99% are Alice, and the rest are our gov and the 1%, but you knew that.
Your assessment...
on Israel is plausible.
My big worry is the Iran haters that have been appointed to Trump's cabinet, and yet to be confirmed, but the hard liners should receive little opposition from the senate. It portends bad omens.
And D.C. is the rabbit hole.
It's possible Trump
will attempt a Nixon goes to China. Kinda like N Korea. As for the Iran Hawks all that's needed is for Trump to question their loyalty and they'll roll over and pee themselves.
Yep...
loyalty to Trump is his prerequisite numero uno.
Now, this will be interesting.
.
China, the Guru of Diplomacy, would welcome a formal visit from President Trump.
The irony that is little known here, is that the Chinese people were pulling for a Trump win. Their sole interest is a President that would be good for China. Trump fit that bill because he is perceived as stupid by the Chinese. Kamala Harris was perceived as kind, with socialist instincts. The Chinese have been aware for a very long time, however, that the US is controlled by an elite shadow government, and the President is an actor not a ruler. It is much discussed on the Chinese internet, and the US President is regarded as a proxy of the elite in international affairs.
I feel almost certain that Trump will pay a State Visit to China. He should.
So, why did the Chinese, or some of them I guess, think a
kind person with socialist instincts in the WH would not be good for China? Curious minds want to know.
If Trump is thought to be stupid, I can't say I disagree, did his tariffs in fact not cause Chinese to lose money?
Mary Bennett
Because in the US, those values are rejected.
Therefore, that would put her in a weakened position, possessing only domestic influence. In foreign affairs, she would have no voice among her Overlords, and would be muscled along, doing her master's bidding. The US population is isolated from the world and are absorbed with their own domestic affairs. They are inundated with life-long propaganda about other nations.
Trump would be more likely to stir things up and continue making catastrophic mistakes. such as levying sanctions, embargo, and tariffs that hurt only US consumers; and Trump would continue the profligate corporate corruption that has largely destroyed the functioning of the US economy.
.
China has had strong positive growth every year, even with the economic attacks by the US. This is only to be expected since China has a managed economy. They can instantly shore up any sector that is weakened, and focus internal development wherever advanced innovation is required. The tariffs are applied to Chinese goods AFTER they arrive in the US. The high tariff surcharge is passed along to American consumers who buy the products. The excess cash in the trade is collected at the point of trade by customs, and it disappears forever into general Federal revenues.
The Chips Act embargo was brilliantly overcome, and spurred the development of advanced chipmaking by Chinese technology companies. The embargo of EV vehicles from China is harder to measure. The remarkable low cost, high quality cars and SUVs have created a world wide demand. The vehicles are an economic game changer for the working class everywhere.
The lack of these vehicles and the technology involved is a huge setback for Americans. Chinese automotive manufacture has spread to Mexico and many parts of the world. Meanwhile, Chinese American scientists are starting to return to China, which is wise move.
@JtC
That's a pretty disastrous bunch of Zio-bots that Trump is putting in in foreign policy/defense/intelligence roles: Hegseth, Tulsi (had expected better of her), Ratcliffe, Rubio, Stefanik (Nikki Haley 2.0?), Huckabee...
Maybe am not watching enough MSM to have missed something, but it seems like the Gaza genocide and the fact that Hezbollah is kicking Israel's ass on the ground in Lebanon and attacking Haifa, Tel Aviv and pretty much all of Galilee and Golan on a daily basis have mostly fallen off (been stricken from) the news cycle. And Hamas continues to fight and inflict casualties on the IOF in Gaza.
So, Israel is having serious problems even without Iran jumping in directly - they were in no position to engage in a war of attrition, which is what they have gotten themselves into.
Seems like Trump's filling all those positions with pro-Zio hardliners is creating incentive for Iran go soon and decisively?
Slow and painful slog, but educating people about the true character of Israel and nature nature of our 'special relationship' is worthwhile and necessary.
Some worthwhile X accounts actually covering the conflict:
@RoyalIntel_ Pro-Pal Lebanese Christian
@QudsNen Quds New Network
@OSINTWarfare
@WarMonitors
@DrLoupis Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis
@Bernadotte22 Emelia (believe she is descendent of Swedish Count Bernadotte - UN envoy assassinated in Jerusalem by Jewish terrorists, 1948)
I tend to lean...
that way as well, but I don't think I'd include Tulsi in that list.
But, we shall see.
That YouTube still picture
of Lee Van Cleef makes me think of the Pete Townshend solo album "All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes".
I can't decide between "North Country Girl" and "The Sea Refuses No River" as an exemplar- so I'll just post the latter... The whole album is stellar, though.
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
In my book...
Lee Van Cleef is the quintessential villain, his eyes tell the tale. He's one of my favorites.
Great tune from a great album, thanks ufs.
I can't help it.
Gotta post this one too. Not a lot of people know it...
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Double good...
ditto what I said above.
Heh, great GB&U clip. IMHO, Tuco is one of the truly
great anti-heroes, especially as portrayed by Eli Wallach. Your column recalled to my mind a column I once wrote over at TOP and decided to repost here. Its message isn't on point, but has some application to all those who cast imprecations at those who vote for other third parties of who refuse to vote especially followers of the NuDems.. Simply put, principles matter.
Meanwhile, Tuco has a message for that wing of the uniparty which forever promises things to the hoi polloi and then fails to deliver.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Agreed...
about Tuco. I see parallels between Tuco and Blondie and the current dynamic between present and incoming presidential administrations. They're all thieves, but some have honor, as honorable as a thief may be, that is.
Got a link to your essay?
Tuco's message:
Apropos.
Heh, I re-read it and decided not to bring it over
too obscure and too many flaws.
bwahago
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Speaking of musical connections,
I'm reminded of the late guitarist for Wall of Voodoo, Marc "Chicken Eyes" Moreland.
As a band, Wall of Voodoo was very much inspired by the soundtracks from the Sergio Leone films- Stan Ridgeway primarily wanted to run a film-scoring practice, not a rock band.
When performing live, Mr. Moreland had 3 completely anonymous, bare-aluminum stomp boxes in his very simple guitar rig. Each had only two controls: the in/out stomp switch, and one unlabeled knob for adjustments. In fact, the only inscription on each box was its name, handwritten in Sharpie. And they were named, in sequence: "Good", "Bad", and "Ugly"...
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Wow...
great insight into WoV's musical inspirations. You can definitely hear Leone's influence in that tune, one I hadn't heard before.
Great story about "Chicken Eyes" stomp boxes, and I got to believe "Chicken Eyes" is a direct riff of Angel Eyes. Hah!
Yup. They are, and will always be,
on of my favorite bands of the era. And I enjoyed the hell out of seeing them while they existed. My drum kit expanded to include 3 differently-tuned cheap sauce pans for percussion riffs, entirely as a paean to the late Joe Nannini, their percussionist. I called it the Pandemonium.
And I actually wrote and recorded a protest song that I dedicated in large part to the band, including the spaghetti-western feel, entitled (unsurprisingly) More Land...
The lyrics are as follows:
------
the last great land rush
came and went so fast
did you see it
did you hear it
did you feel it
you know you missed your chance
and the good bits are all taken
there's an on ramp by the wellhouse
and an arby's
and dry cleaners
and a mobil
where the old home used to stand
and that old tree in the back yard
where your childhood days wore thin
is a manhole
or a grease pit
or a light pole
and they'll ask you to move along now
and i hear that they're planning to pave
that last bit of green out west
there'll be t-shirts
they'll sell hotdogs
they'll scalp tickets
and videotape it for the kids
chor: it's a long way from that valley, down to the jersey shore
and they say they just don't make em like they used to anymore
and sometimes you gotta run cause it's so hard to make a stand
but where you gonna go? they're not makin' any more land
outro: those endless cities rose up
and we never even knew
the planners planned, the sellers sold
and all their dreams came true
and now you've gotta walk just so
and stand in line to pay
we never even noticed
just how much we gave away
On edit: I just realized that the file I copied here wasn't the final version, the second couplet on the outro was wrong. Fixed it.
----
I did the twangy lead solo on my bassist's Rickenbacker 4001 bass, through a Fender Champ set to "stun". The year was 1985.
Good times, those- good times...
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Heh...
good lyrics. I'd like to hear the song.
I still have an MP3
of it somewhere, a dub from a cassette worktape. The master, and the test-cutting acetate prior to pressing, didn't make it through the house fire- along with all my other masters. I'll see if I can find it, and send it to you. At least it would give a feel for it....
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Great...
if you find it, send me a PM and I'll give you an address. I will return it to you.
Tough to sum up the Trump team --
other than he wants nothing to do with those with relevant credential. (The feeling may be mutual; although Pompeo seems to be disappointed that he didn't get the call.) Not so much because such people have been dismal failures in the administrations over the past fifty years, but because those were the officials that either tanked his first term or revealed his incompetence.
So far and for the most part, his picks are a collection of amateurs without relevant expertise. With the bar now so low, still expect that the amateurs will fail. The "glue" between Trump and his collection of picks is a self-interested and half-baked libertarian (free market and federal government limited to the military) fantasy:
Deregulation for me but not thee. (Trumpsters don't want or care about healthy foods and drugs.)
Socialism (government contracts) for me but not thee.
Free speech for me but not thee.
Medical care for me but not thee
Guess they'll outsource enforcement of abortion bans and illegal immigration with the feds paying the bills.
If I had to...
pigeonhole his picks in concise terms, I'd say his top priority is loyalty, to himself, which would be in concert with his personality.
That's not to say that he still wont be stabbed in the back, such is the nature of politics.
Loyalty is always at or near
the top of criteria used by Presidents on who they hire. However, with Trump it's exclusively his perception and/or assessment of loyalty to himself. His judgment isn't based on long-standing relationships (he has none) and affinity (changes with the tides) and therefore, has no depth. A revolving cast of characters that catch his fancy or flatter his inflated ego.
I'm not expecting a lot of anything to happen
Replacing the US dollar? This is the fantasy of those who so tightly control it amidst $35 trillion of US debt and the emergence of an alternative financial structure. They will hold on to the dollar until they blow up the planet, for all the power it gives them. I suppose we could always buy things with BRICS currencies. Remember, per Marx in the Grundrisse, that money is only a lien on future labor -- so if there's no future labor, then what of money?
Remember that Trump likes to appoint swamp monsters, then fire them when they behave as expected and hire more swamp monsters. And that's probably what he'll do until some Banderite inj#cts him with l#ad because the Azov Battalion wants more sympathy from the White House. The remnant Presidency of J. D. Vance will be preoccupied with the resultant chaos. Chaos will ensue until something like Food Not Bombs or Revolutionary Blackout Network becomes the de facto government, and I choose those entities because Keith McHenry and Sabrina Salvati appear to me as America's sanest people at this time.
This will be what we get for going along with a "politics" that promotes endless war and secret control of America by alphabet agencies. Most everyone lives in a fantasy world. Vast populations of dupes quail stupidly, today, before tiny cadres of the paid-off. But people don't stay stupid forever.
The Grayzone seems particularly bright today.
The ruling classes need an extra party to make the rest of us feel as if we participate in democracy. That's what the Democrats are for. They make the US more durable than the Soviet Union was.
I think...
I tend to agree, not much will change in the end. The Senate is already set up to be Trump's foil and excuse for the failure of much of his agenda.
Same ol' same ol', Cass.
Should we expect anything different from the most powerful country in the world, when so much power and wealth is on the table? Citizens United has put the monied class in the catbird's seat, and the voter in an endless loop of a "fantasy world", as you say.
The multi-trillion dollar debt is a big problem and as soon as the rest of the world has somewhere else to invest in, the dollar will no longer be king. That day will come, it's just a matter of when.
And you are right, people are waking up to the racket.
This post from Zerohedge
may provide some amusing food for thought.
Ch-ch-ch-changes...
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/vaccine-stocks-slide-further-after-tru...
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
The dynamic...
between "The father of the beautiful vaccines" and the man who would like to end them is really very curious. I don't know how they will reconcile that inconvenient fact. That's two giant egos bumping heads.
The only way I see that relationship working is if Kennedy is mandated to not go after the vaccine manufacturers. The stockholders do seem to be worried though.
The lobbyists spend so much money buying politicians that if Kennedy tried to come down too hard the Trump administration would have every member of congress breathing down their necks.
I really don't know how that's going to shake out.
manno, I am so confused
RFK in bed with trump? Or did I get that wrong?
Why should I even try to understand all of this shit?
Here in my small town neighborhood I think at least small busienesses shut down in the hundreds within two weeks or so.
I foresee hungry people who would never had thought it could happen to them.
I bought a cake today and will it eat as late night supper .... gpsh.
How could a sane person farm snakes. FUBAR.
https://www.euronews.com/live
RFK Jr,. has been nominated...
but still needs to be approved by the Senate, so we shall see.
All politics is local is the saying and that is reflected in the streets and neighbor hoods, not the ivory towers of Washington DC or Berlin.
The snake farm I reference in this piece comes from the song Snake Farm by Ray Wylie Hubbard, see the video at the bottom of the essay. The song is actually about a real reptile house or snake farm near Austin, Texas as a visitor's attraction. My intention was to conflate the snake farm with the seat of power in Washington DC, which also very much resembles a snake farm of the human kind.
Great to hear from you, mimi.
IDK about other appointments but the RFK, Jr. appointment
has a specific purpose. Kennedy, while not a great politician, and I am not aware that he has any significant administrative experience, is a good lawyer, with a fairly impressive record of cases won in the field of environmental law against corporations and govt. agencies. I think the reason for giving him a govt. appointment is to prevent him from bringing more lawsuits. Especially given what I believe are the rapacious intentions of Trump's oligarchical supporters.
On that note, I suspect, cannot prove, that the incompetent appointees are window dressing, yes persons who will pass on whatever orders oligarchy central hands down to them. Meanwhile the MAGAheads can congratulate themselves and brag all over social media about how us hillbillies can so run govt. agencies. See, it ain't that hard if you have God and Trump on your side.
Mary Bennett
Good evening Nastarana...
if nothing else the Democrats have set a really low bar for the Trump administration to exceed.
Howdy all,
Hi JtC!,
I knew when I saw the essay title, I was going to get to hear Snake Farm. Ramona sounds cool.
D.C. is a pit of vipers if there ever was one The duopoly is one two-headed poisonous snake.
I have been to a few great reptile places, or in zoos, houses. They are awesome places. Handled hundreds of snakes, including rattlers. Biggest was a 12+' 90 lbs. Boa Constrictor. It is a lotta snake! You have someone nearby, just in case. It was one of the best mannered snakes I ever held.
Thanks for the OT!
happy trails all! or should I say later gater?
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Good evening dysto...
Here's Ray Wylie himself explaining the genesis of the song Snake Farm:
I think it's still there.
Thanks!
Hi JtC,
That was great! That dude is a Texas treasure! I remember driving by that place, but never wemt/
TYVM!
happy trails!
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Figured it out.
How it's possible to both have the dollar crash AND to end inflation (as Trump has assured us he will do. Turns out to be pretty simple.
Sounds about right to me...
we're going to get to zero one way or another, sooner or later, and probably sooner. It's inevitable.
Well…
.
I decided to watch the movie and I’m 15 minutes in and no one has spoken a word yet….just lots of shots of people’s eyes looking daggers at everyone else. I’ve probably watched it before, but with my brain if it’s been over a year it’s like watching it again for the first time. Same thing with books.
Reminds me of when I was a youngster and we’d go to the movie theater on Saturday to watch a double header western movie. The theater was called the Egyptian and it was huge with a balcony. Fortunately people decided to save it from destruction and it’s still used for plays and movies. Good grief it must be close to 100 years old. Or more…