“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

Christmas - the Season of Peace

Our nation's self-image since WWII is in large part a promoter of peace in the world and our communities. The story goes - We are not perfect, but try our best. Except this year is different. It is harder to ignore US government, NGO, corporations and many of our citizens are addicted to killing people for personal gain. It does not have to be large dollar amounts, simple paycheck or pension is adequate for many. This week's vote process in the United Nations Security Council we were left exposed providing opportunity and assistance in the destruction of a native population from their historical home.

Blank stare of PTSD is showing up in more of our public officials. They can not ignore their individual actions to protect evil.

Peace sometimes has to regain its momentum by the collective us realizing how bad life actually can become. Peace in our personal lives, community and world is not a bucket list goal to be checked off as completed. Peace is an elusive state to achieve and easy to loose. At a baseline level, easy to say, hard to continually practice - being at peace with oneself and consistent in our actions.

If a method to stimulate change for peace is effective it needs to be evaluated for infiltration when the technique is used again.

(The biggest danger of the CIA is their techniques were taught to many different intelligence groups and and multiple agents became freelancers.)

Mike Benz: How Dangerous is the CIA? (25:12 min)

My conversation with former State Department official Mike Benz, delves into the intriguing intersection of music festivals, concerts, and intelligence operations, specifically focusing on the CIA's alleged use of these cultural events to influence and facilitate regime change. Mr. Benz, drawing upon his expertise and experience, will provide insights into the covert strategies employed by intelligence agencies in leveraging the universal appeal of music to shape perceptions and catalyze political change.

We'll explore the historical context of such practices, examining instances where music festivals and concerts may have served as platforms for disseminating information, fostering dissent, and fostering cultural movements that align with the geopolitical objectives of intelligence agencies. Mike Benz sheds light on the intricate balance between entertainment and political manipulation, exploring how these events become conduits for covert activities and diplomatic agendas.

NATO is a mess and the Russians are winning

The British are about to sign a Naval Security Pact with Ukraine, doubling down on their support for the sinking Volodymyr Zelensky-led country.

Meanwhile, Germany is upping its arms commitment to Ukraine, even though its arms stockpile is practically empty. Both the UK and Germany are emptying their wallets and their arsenals while the US is trying to do the same thing.
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The key point is that it will take five more years (eight years total) to deliver Harpoon missiles to Taiwan. It is even worse for other war stocks such as 155mm and 120mm ammunition.

The weakness and problems of the American defense industrial base pale in insignificance to the manpower shortages affecting most NATO members as well as the US.
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Ukraine is also facing a huge shortfall in manpower and its use of draconian recruitment efforts is unpopular and could force Zelensky to resign. Impressed and dragooned soldiers don’t fight effectively and are only canon fodder at best.

Worse still, many of those who resisted the Ukrainian draft (some of them paid off draft administrators in amounts typically of $1,000) come from the Ukrainian nomenklatura, namely the upper classes or those with high-level skills or those from politically connected and privileged families.
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Fixing NATO is a very difficult problem because it has been pretending to be an offensive alliance and not a defense system. With its mission corrupted and its border with Russia vastly expanded (almost all of Eastern Europe and Finland), NATO’s ambition to add Ukraine is a country too-far because this time the Russians did not accept NATO’s expansionism goal.

Pepe Escobar: Yemen Ready to Stare Down a New Imperial Coalition Sputnik Globe Dec 20, 2023

Ansarullah Supreme Political Council member Muhammad al-Bukhaiti felt compelled to re-stress the obvious: “Even if America succeeds in mobilizing the entire world, our operations in the Red Sea will not stop unless the massacre in Gaza stops. We will not give up the responsibility of defending the Moustazafeen (oppressed ones) of the Earth.”
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Which countries will suffer?

◾️Difficulties in shipping on the Red Sea will primarily affect Egypt's economy. The week-long blockage of the Suez Canal in 2021 cost the world $10 billion. This time, the amount of damage could be much greater.

◾️Israeli port Eilat has lost about 85% of its revenue due to the Houthi attacks, the port director said

◾️Jordan's economy is also suffering due to the growing crisis. Cargo handling at the port of Aqaba decreased 16% last month. The number of ships arriving at the port of Aqaba, which is Jordan's only outlet to the sea, decreased by 14%.

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So far, on one side we have Yemen virtually ruling the Red Sea. On the other side, we find UAE-Saudi-Jordan tandem, in the form of an – alternative - cargo land corridor set up from the port of Jebel Ali in the Persian Gulf across Saudi Arabia to Jordan and then Israel.

The corridor uses logistical tech from Trucknet: that’s truck-based overland connectivity in practice, reducing transport time from 14 days via the Red Sea to a maximum of 4 days on the road, 300 trucks a day, everyday.
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To offer much needed relief of so much insanity: almost casually, President Putin recently remarked that the Northern Sea Route is now becoming a more efficient maritime trade corridor than the Suez Canal.

What is on your mind today?