EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis). The selection of Marco Rubio for the State Department, Pete Hegseth for DoD, and a few others known either for their Deep State ties or mainly for their pro-Zionist views has created a lot of commotion in the conservative ranks. Some thought that this was not a good sign. Below, Larry Johnson makes some excellent points: 1) Trump is not de facto given to the Zionists. 2) The “weak” stature of both Rubio and Hegseth means basically that “rump will be running the show”: If they do not follow orders, they are out.
I would add one point to make things more straightforward: Trump will not have much room to maneuver because the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are lost. I am not sure how many of our readers realize that during the latest attack of Israel on Iran with three waves of F-35s, the last two waves were “locked in” by the Russian radar of the S-400s and had to turn back without shooting their missiles… It was a massive defeat of Israel. As we speak, I am reading information from various sources that Israeli delegations are back and forth from Moscow asking “for a deal.”
In other words, the facts on the ground will largely dictate Trump’s foreign policy, along with the decision (or not) to turn to a rather “isolationist” policy. In my opinion, this isolationist turn will be necessary for America to have enough space and time to recover from the severe decline it is dealing with.
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What is Donald Trump Doing?
Let me state up front that I am no “Trump fan-boy.” But I am sure that what I am about to write will lead some of you to accuse me of that. So be it. When you listen to my interview earlier today with Danny Davis, I was quite disturbed by the news (still unconfirmed) that Trump planned to appoint Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. Rubio is a lightweight on all counts and not a deep strategic thinker.
But then came tonight’s stunner — Trump named Fox News host, Pete Hegseth, as his nominee for Secretary of Defense. Wow!! Hegseth, apart from having served in the Army, has no experience managing a gargantuan bureaucracy like the Department of Defense. What the hell is Trump thinking? I think it is simple — he is installing loyalists in key positions who are not compromised by or beholden to the military industrial complex or the defense lobbyists in DC. I know one of those lobbyists (we used to be neighbors) and I guarantee you he is livid tonight. Trump is sending the Deep State an unmistakable message — I will be running the show.
Hegseth also is not a creature of one of the many Washington “think tanks,” which are funded in large measure by the military industrial complex and the Zionist lobby. Trump did not select Hegseth because the former Army officer has a great plan for reforming the bloated, corrupt U.S. defense complex. He chose him because Hegseth is expected to follow orders and do what Trump wants. Anyone want to bet that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who were announced to oversee the Department of Government Efficiency, will be taking a big whack at the DOD?
Trump also named former Congressman and former Director of National Intelligence (aka DNI), John Ratcliffe, as the nominee to head up the CIA. That is an excellent choice in my view. Ratcliffe is a straight shooter and not a self-seeker aspiring to be President, like Mike Pompeo. By virtue of his previous stint as the DNI , Ratcliffe knows where some of the bodies are buried at CIA and will play a key role in releasing the JFK files.
I know there are many of you convinced that Trump has fallen under the sway of the AIPAC/Zionist crowd. You may be right, but I think there is some hope that Trump is not fully captured. Let me remind you of some past incidents. First, on a Sixty Minutes interview following his 2020 defeat, Trump excoriated Bibi Netanyahu for being the first one to come out and congratulate Joe Biden. Trump used an expletive to describe Netanyahu. Second, most of the Jews in the United States — at least 70% — cast their vote for Harris, not Trump. Third, Trump reportedly has warned Netanyahu that the war in Gaza must be over by January 20th.
I am making a nuanced point. Trump is not reflexively going to submit to the radical Zionists. Worth recalling he also has good relations with the Haredim — the ultra-Orthodox Jews who reject the State of Israel. While I am not suggesting that Trump will side with the Palestinians, I doubt that he will be like Biden, giving Israel everything it needs to continue the carnage.
Let’s not forget that Trump wants to be liked. He made some promises to Muslim Americans as well. I do not think that Trump fully appreciates how isolated the United States is among Israel’s Arab and Muslim neighbors. MBS in Saudi Arabia, who was on the verge of cutting a deal with Trump four years ago to engage Israel in diplomatic relations, is speaking with a different voice now. There will be no relationship with Israel until there is a secure Palestinian state. To underscore that point, the Saudi Defense Minister traveled to Tehran to meet his Iranian counterpart last week.
While I’m willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt, I stand by my belief that if Trump takes the US to war in Iran or China, he will destroy his Presidency, and possibly the nation. My advice, let’s wait-and-see what Trump does his first week in office. At that point, if I am wrong, I will take the drubbing I deserve. Until then, keep your powder dry. Trump is trying to do something with the bloated US Government that has never been attempted, at least until now.
.America once was great.
Revelation 18:21-24 is about the final judgment and destruction of the great city Babylon, symbolizing the ultimate overthrow of worldly powers and systems by God’s righteousness and justice.
.The scene in Revelation chapter 18 is set in the great city of Babylon, a symbol of the world’s corrupt and sinful systems. The city is described as a place of immense wealth, luxury, and immorality, where merchants and traders have grown rich from the extravagant desires of the people. However, Babylon’s downfall is imminent, as it is prophesied to be destroyed in a single hour by God’s judgment
.21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more;
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.22 And the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more,
.23 and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery.
.24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.”
.In this particular passage, we see the aftermath of Babylon’s destruction. The once bustling city now lies in ruins, with smoke rising from the rubble. The merchants and traders who had profited from Babylon’s decadence stand at a distance, mourning the loss of their lucrative trade. The scene is filled with a sense of desolation and despair as they realize that their wealth and power have been brought to nothing.
“Trump will not have much room to maneuver because the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are lost.”
Not sure what Nick means that the two current wars are “lost”. If he means that there will eventually be a cease fire in Ukraine, most likely with territory concessions by Ukraine, he is right. However, that’s not a win for Russia. Its a huge loss as a matter of fact. It showed its weakness in subduing a much more weaker opponent, to the point of having North Korea, of all people, send troops. The casualty count so far, has surpassed 700,000 dead and wounded. At a nation that is facing demographic decline. And after almost 3 years of bloody struggles, Russia has not achieved its plan and Ukraine is still fighting.
As for the Middle East war, if Nick means that Israel lost the war, he is wrong. Israel has knocked the hell out of Hamas, Hizbulah, and has bombed Iran to the point of Iran not retaliating. Let’s see other countries doing the same.
Not every war ends as WWII ended, by the total destruction and capitulation of Germany, Japan and Italy. WWII was one of the few wars that ended in total victory for one side. Victory or loss is now measured by other means. If Israel had lost the war, it would have been wiped off the map, according to Iran’s and its allies expressed goal. That has not and will not happen.
I know you do not like the truth – you are a subscriber of the NY Times after all… Yes, both wars are lost. And I have been explaining it before they started. When the Soviet Union lost the Cold War it was because they lost the arms race. The same way now America so far has lost the arms race. We can only produce 500-600 Patriot missiles a year. Therefore WE LOST THE WAR. PERIOD.