The Demise of Western Democracy?

We've known the US is an oligarchy not a democratic republic from the Princeton Study..."analyses suggest that majorities of the American public actually have little influence over the policies our government adopts." That's old news. The issues today revolve around the blatant hypocrisy of so called democratic countries canceling elections that will see nationalists win office as in Romania where it was actually the opposition party NOT Russia which was interfering., The refusal to step down after defeat as was the case in Georgia and France. The rigging of elections by controlling who has access to the ballot box as was the case in Moldavia. The attempt to eliminate the AdF party in Germany. There was an attempted military coup in S. Korea, and this week the police attempt to arrest the impeached president was thwarted by his personal military guards. And of course all the usual Western tricks of coups and color revolutions as in Bangladesh. Not to mention the US/UK/Israeli support of HTS and other terrorist groups to conduct the coup in Syria on their behalf. I ask what democracy and rule of law does NATOstan support. Looks to me like authoritarian dictatorship rather than democracy.

Let's start with an upbeat message from Alex Krainer, who thinks there is a new awareness growing in the west about the corruption of the leadership and lack of effort to help citizens.

(61 min) Alex Krainer: Syria's Chaos to Spread - Trump's America and Putin's Power Play in Ukraine

In the US we brought in the new year with suspicious twin truck attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas and more....
In fact, 7 Attacks in 3 Days | Violent Incidents Across U.S. Cities: New Orleans, Vegas, NYC
The United States has faced a harrowing start to 2025, marked by a series of violent incidents and alarming events over the New Year weekend. From New Orleans to Las Vegas, New York City, California, and South Carolina, the nation has been rocked by car attacks, shootings, bomb scares, accidents, and plane crashes. Amidst these incidents, there is growing suspicion that the attacks in Las Vegas and New Orleans may be linked due to similarities in the backgrounds of the suspects. President-elect Donald Trump has publicly criticized President Biden's administration for these events, attributing them to perceived failures in border security and rising radicalism. Watch the video above for details.

In the first few minutes Larry Johnson discusses the oddities of these Truck attacks.

The entire 57 min is worthwhile and he circles back to the US terror events later in the clip.

Alex adds some details of a bizarre reporter's visit to the N.O. truck terrorist apartment.

One of the weirdest things about this case is the fact that a virulent Israel apologist named Jenny Taer was apparently allowed by the FBI to walk through Jabbar’s home and shoot footage for a New York Post report despite it being a crime scene in an active investigation. There Taer shows viewers Jabbar’s “bomb-making station”, along with multiple Qurans and Islamic literature. In her report the camera conspicuously pauses on a keffiyeh, a traditional Arab headdress which has become associated with support for Palestinian liberation.

Putting the FBI in charge of this investigation is like putting the fox in charge of guarding the hen house.

Vegas & New Orleans Attackers Were BOTH U.S. Military From Fort Bragg!! (31 min)
January 1, 2025 witnessed two separate attacks, one in New Orleans and the other in Las Vegas, that authorities say bear hallmarks of terrorism. Both attackers — Shamsud Din-Jabbar who drove a truck into a group of New Orleans revelers, and Matthew Livelsberger who reportedly detonated a Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas — have backgrounds in the U.S. military. Perhaps even more suspicious, the two men were stationed at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina at the same time.
Jimmy and Kurt Metzger discuss allegations of ISIS and Al Qaeda involvement in the attacks, and remind viewers about just who was responsible for helping launch these terrorist groups.

Meanwhile as Biden sends even more arms and money to Ukraine this week, homelessness is up 30%
30% INCREASE In Homelessness Since 2023 While Economy Grows!?! (25 min)
The number of homeless in the United States has grown by a third during the Biden years despite steady economic growth since the end of the pandemic. So how did this happen? Why did a rising tide not only fail to lift all boats, but now threatens to drown an even greater number of Americans living on the margins -- and under bridges, on sidewalks and in their cars?
Jimmy speaks with Food Not Bombs founder Keith McHenry about the history of homelessness, why the problem remains so entrenched in the U.S. and why purported attempts to solve it have failed so spectacularly.

Biden & Make-Believe Democracy

Only in the world of political make-believe we inhabit in the West would The Wall Street Journal’s account of Biden’s years-long cognitive decline, and its concealment by his officials, count as a scoop. And only in a world in which the billionaire-owned media alone constructs and polices what counts as reality would the WSJ be able to run this story without also being expected to consider what it signifies about America’s professed democracy. The emperor, we are now told, was naked all along. How did it take more than four years for the fearless, tenacious billionaire-owned media to notice? The WSJ reports that even back in 2021 Biden had what his officials described as “bad days” when his mind worked so poorly he had to be kept away from senior Congresspeople and his own cabinet colleagues. So insulated was he that he rarely met even with key figures directing White House policy, such as the secretaries of State, Defense and the Treasury.
...
The WSJ hasn’t suddenly found out things it didn’t know before. The reason it is coming clean now – as are White House staffers – is that President Biden is almost out the door. The truth is no longer a serious threat to the Washington power system. There will be more revelations about Biden’s incapacity – maybe contained in a future book by Bob Woodward – after his presidency has become a distant memory. When it is safe for the full story to be told. When the lies are no longer important. But more significant than the media deceptions are the fact that much of the public fell for them, not once but over and over again: day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. Why? Because far too many of us are in the grip of the West’s propaganda system. We believe that the billionaire-owned media is to be trusted, that it serves the public good, not private wealth.

What was obvious to most that Biden had lost his mental ability as he lost his way on stage, lost his temper yelling at people, and would suddenly become "Dark Brandon".

Biden Awards Hillary Clinton, George Soros Presidential Medal of Freedom

With just over two weeks left to go in his administration, President Biden has been taking a series of last minute measures to try to ‘Trump-proof’ his legacy and put a spoke in his successor’s wheels. But some of his actions seem designed solely to trigger his opponents. Joe Biden has apparently decided to give one final giant middle finger to detractors on his way out the door, awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, hedge fund shark-turned ‘philanthropist’ George Soros and a slew of celebrities and activists.

My hope is we can get through the next couple of week without Biden, Blinkey, and Sullivan bombing Iran as they have planned.

Another absolutely freakish story in the news today is the revelation from Axios that in recent weeks, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan presented President Biden with options for bombing Iranian nuclear facilities.

Seems the US has mired itself in foreign interventions and has no time for protecting its own citizens. Or perhaps this was another inside job controlled by the FBI. We use the same arrogance and militarization domestically as well as in our foreign dealings.
EXPOSED: Truth about NATO and Russia | Scott Horton Interview (82 min)

Author Scott Horton joins former CIA analyst Larry Johnson to discuss the following issues:
How the US helped provoke the Ukraine war
How the West broke its promises to Russia not to expand NATO
US support for Islamist groups in the Middle East

Ukraine asymmetric war, nihilism elevated to statecraft The Duran (32 min)
The video discusses revelations about Ukraine's losing war status, known by US officials since April 2023. It covers the shift to asymmetric warfare (ie terrorism)) against Russia, continued aid to Ukraine despite its losses, and potential motivations behind these decisions.
Why throw good money after bad? Cause it is a grift coming back into your pocket?

Last Ditch Media Sanctions From The West Against Russia

What almost no Americans understand though, which is largely the fault of mainstream media, is that these military spending sprees are really all about feeding a dual-purpose racket which really has nothing to do with the actual war in Ukraine, which everyone now admits Russia is winning.
On one hand, it is of course pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the 5 main arms manufacturers in the U.S. in a move which could arguably be called illegal state aid; on the other hand the kit which is sent to Ukraine from the U.S. – and the UK – is mainly being sold on a number of black markets, with only about 30 percent or thereabouts actually reaching Ukrainian troops. My own investigation has proved that the Zelensky cabal are selling off the heavy equipment like armoured personal carriers (APCs) and lorry loads of American made assault rifles to dealers in the international arms bizarre of Libya – where Middle Eastern terrorists, or their affiliates in the Sahel buy it at bargain prices. And Trump certainly understands the racket and will want to stop it. Dropping the mother of all bombshells on the Biden legacy by scrapping the sanctions and blocking any more aid would be an effective way to do that.

There's plenty of kick back to US politicians too. Ukraine has a large lobby after all.

(9 min from Scott Ritter)

The chaos in western Asia continues unabated...

Col. Larry Wilkerson: Israel's Path to Self-Destruction: A Nation at Crossroads (50 min)

Europe on the Ropes?
Meanwhile the EU has shot itself in the foot by refusing Russian gas. I suspect the UK/EU/US told 'elensky to shut down the pipeline thinking it would hurt Russia.
Another media lie, it wasn't Russia, Ukraine cut off the EU gas supply from Russia...
Here's the straight scoop from Lena Petrova...

(8 min) This is a problem bound to deepen as:
1) Norway major gas turbine is faulty due to overload for some time (probably a month) and
2) Qatar will stop exporting LNG to EU, due to some strange new EU regulations.

Uncle Sam and Banderite Bandits Destroy Europe

The upshot is that all major Russian natural gas supply lines to Europe have now been terminated. The only one remaining is Turk Stream which runs under the Black Sea to Turkey. But it mainly supplies Balkan countries that are not in the EU. In the space of two years, Russia has gone from being the major supplier of EU gas imports (over 40 percent) to being a minor source. The big winner of the phenomenal market disruption is the United States, whose exports of liquefied natural gas to the EU have tripled. Another winner is Norway, which is not an EU member. Other sources of gas for Europe are Azerbaijan and Algeria. However, the unprecedented extra costs to Europe for this enormous rearrangement in its energy trade are encumbering the EU economies, industries and households with crippling burdens.

I continue to be stunned how the political leadership cares so little for its people. Let them be cold.

‘No More Electricity, No More Aid’: Fico Declares War on Ukraine’s Gas Sabotage
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico slams Ukraine’s alleged sabotage of gas transit, threatening retaliation that could cut critical aid and electricity supplies to Ukrainian citizens in Slovakia. With a €500M loss at stake, Fico vows to reduce support for Ukraine, challenging Zelensky's actions and signaling a shift in Slovakian foreign policy.

Adding to the brewing energy crisis are all the upcoming elections in the EU looking to bring in what they label as "Far Right Parties". As in France where other parties unite to deprive the winning parties from taking control of government. Remember Le Pen won the election in France but since it isn't a majority, Macron united the losing factions to maintain a tenuous hold on power. Austria is in the process of trying the same technique but has not yet managed to pull it off.

The UK elections are fishy too.

(3 min) "Opposition leaders warn that Suffolk County Council is ‘using devolution plans to avoid local elections’" Suffolk News

It also looks like Trump Plans to Get Tough on the UK (5 min)
Explosive revelations emerge as Donald Trump prepares to confront the United Kingdom in an unprecedented diplomatic showdown. This explosive investigation uncovers the deep-rooted tensions surrounding Tommy Robinson's controversial imprisonment and international legal battles. Elon Musk's strategic intervention has sparked a global discourse challenging UK judicial processes, with Republican senators rallying behind a complex narrative of free speech and political accountability. Trump's potential diplomatic pressure threatens to reshape transatlantic relations, exposing critical fault lines in international legal and political systems. Witness an unfolding geopolitical drama that could redefine diplomatic engagement between long-standing allies.

Did you catch Alex' Clown World of the Year Awards?

(a well spent 85 min) Clown World of the Year Awards - 2024

Let's finish up with a last thought from Caity...
Capitalism isn’t the status quo because it’s the best system, it’s the status quo because it’s the easiest system to consolidate power around at this point in history. There’s enough convergence of interests at high levels for disparate factions to back the current model.
That can all change on a dime once the pitchforks and guillotines come out. Real power lies in the hands of the masses, and once enough of us get fed up with the status quo there won’t be anyone dumb enough to stand against us. And from there, creating a better system and a better world becomes very possible.

My thought is that we better be developing some self reliance skills and materials as we move forward into an uncertain future. Here's wishing us all a happy, healthy, productive New Year. And speaking of health, remember that's another area where we are being manipulated.

(45 sec) We regularly eat bacon and eggs but almost always postpone breakfast until after 11 AM.

As Jack explains, chickens and pigs can be raised on small holdings, and bacon and eggs became a staple

Jack Hargreaves delves into the resourceful practices of rural life in the past, focusing on the importance of pigs and chickens in providing essential protein. Learn how families made the most of what they had, from feeding pigs with household waste to the traditional methods of butchering a pig once killed to feed the family. Jack shares fascinating insights into the old ways of farming, including the significance of bacon and eggs in English cuisine.
This nostalgic journey highlights the ingenuity and resilience of country folk in times gone by.
The second half is the pig butchering which some of you might prefer to skip.

I look forward to your thoughts and stories below!