#how about a day off or a stable democratic kingdom

[mariacallous]

The U.S. midterm elections demonstrated that domestically, Americans are sharply divided, with the balance of power nationally almost exactly split between Democrats and Republicans and each believing that the other party is too extreme and a threat to democracy. Yet when it comes to foreign policy, Americans and their political parties are much more aligned. In theory, that should be a good thing. In reality, it is not.

That’s because alignment is based on a continued fantasy of American preeminence globally that may have been true in the middle of the 20th century but has long since passed its expiration date. This la-la-land syndrome has sharp consequences. In not grasping the changing balance of power globally, U.S. foreign policy undermines what remains of U.S. power, not just internationally but domestically.

Nowhere is that fantasy more evident than in how the Biden administration and leading Democrats reacted to the decision of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman cutting his country’s oil output. In response to the Saudi-OPEC+ move to reduce production by as much as 2 million barrels a day, senior congressional Democrats exploded with indignation. Rightly seeing the move as both a deliberate rebuff of the United States and a means to bolster the oil dependent regime of Russian President Vladmir Putin (who will benefit from continued elevated oil prices), Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said on CNN: “Let’s be very candid about this. … It’s Putin and Saudi Arabia against the United States.” U.S. President Joe Biden vowed that his administration would undertake a thorough review of the entire U.S.-Saudi security and economic relationship, and he stated that in light of the crown prince’s actions, “there’s going to be some consequences for what they’ve done.”

Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey went even further rhetorically, saying: “I also must speak out against the government of Saudi Arabia’s recent decision to help underwrite Putin’s war through the OPEC+ cartel. There simply is no room to play both sides of this conflict. Either you support the rest of the free world in trying to stop a war criminal from violently wiping off an entire country off of the map or you support him. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia chose the latter in a terrible decision driven by economic self-interest. The United States must immediately freeze all aspects of our cooperation with Saudi Arabia.”

The language of unilateral high dudgeon speaks to a worldview that puts the United States at the center of whatever is good, just, stable, and orderly and that any who depart from the wishes of the United States are opposed to whatever is good, just, stable, and orderly. Last month, it was Democrats who seized the rhetorical mantle, but Republicans are just as prone. In April 2020, again challenging Mohammed bin Salman, a group of Republican congressional representatives sent a letter threatening punishment if Saudi Arabia did not cut production in the face of crashing oil prices sparked by COVID-19 shutdowns. “Failure to address this energy crisis will jeopardize the joint efforts between our nations to collaborate economically and militarily,” the letter said. “The U.S. military presence in the Middle East region has maintained the stability that provides for the economic prosperity and ensures the security of our two nations.” In that reading, the only thing standing in the way of war and chaos in the region was U.S. military and economic guarantees, a lens that conveniently overlooked the chaos unleashed by the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq from 2003 to 2009 and the complete irrelevance of the United States to the chaos unleashed by the Syrian or Yemeni civil wars.

Of course, the most glaring example of this fun house view of American power was articulated by then-U.S. President George W. Bush on Sept. 20, 2001, addressing a joint session of Congress and the nation to set the course for America’s response to the al Qaeda attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Vowing an aggressive retaliation, Bush declared to the world, “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.” Gray zones be gone.

All of this is just words, but these words reflect a worldview that is then translated into policy. It is a worldview shared by an American foreign-policy cohort that is less divided between Democrats and Republicans and animated by a long-standing belief in the indispensability of the United States to secure global peace and prosperity, as former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright so clearly articulated. It is a view articulated by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and invoked by many others—down to Mike Pompeo, former U.S. President Donald Trump’s secretary of state—that the United States is “the last stand [of freedom] on Earth” and that if freedom falters in the United States, it will be lost globally. It is a view that the United States, having been a global bulwark in the decades after World War II and well into the late 20th century, will always be the bulwark.

You might ask what’s wrong with a bit of self-aggrandizement from a country that still has the world’s largest economy and most potent military? What’s wrong is that it leads to a misreading of the nature of power heading into the heart of the 21st century. A large military cannot easily be used, though it can repel threats. When it is used, as it was in Iraq and Afghanistan, it has led to a weakening of American power because its force was not sufficient to achieve its political ends in those countries and regions. American military equipment has been vital to the defense of Ukraine but so too have far less costly drones supplied by Turkey—and by drones on the other side supplied by Iran. The U.S. military advantage is huge, but when it comes to drones, you don’t have to be huge to make a huge difference.

A worse problem is the mismeasure of U.S. economic and soft power. The former remains massive but also relatively less than at any point since the end of World War II. That is a product not of American failure per se but of the resounding rise of the rest of the non-Western world and the emergence of billions of people in Asia, Latin America, and Africa into—for lack of a better word—the middle class. More evenly distributed global prosperity and a narrowing wealth gap among nations (as former physician Hans Rosling so brilliantly pointed out) has been accompanied by less conflict, longer lives, and caloric abundance. It is undoubtedly a good thing, but it also means that the relative economic power of the United States has decreased.

That has also been accompanied by a decrease in American soft power, of what Harvard professor and longtime security official Joseph Nye described as the American capacity to shape other societies by example. Soft power is difficult to measure, but as other parts of the world have succeeded with their own unique formulas—India and China especially (whether one likes those formulas or not)—the lure of the United States has decreased. That has only been accelerated by an America that is less welcoming to immigrants, workers, and students from abroad, which had been a quiet but potent part of American soft power and global influence.

Again, relative power decline is not a negative for the United States nor the world, but the failure to recognize that and act as if it is still in the 20th century is a negative for U.S. power. One of the crucial tools of coercion that remains available to the United States is that the dollar is the global reserve currency. That allows American governments to threaten countries with eviction from the dollar system or U.S. banks if they do not cooperate with American foreign-policy aims, hence giving teeth to the “you are with us or against us” idea. But coercion backed by relative power declines is leading multiple countries to seek to move away not just from the dollar regime but from continued economic entwinement with the United States. And with multiple alternative centers of affluence globally, that is now more easily done and with less pain than would have been the case when George W. Bush demanded allegiance in the war on terrorism.

There will be no sudden collapse here, but the stance of Americans in the face of a changing world is having the effect of reducing influence and spurring countries to seek alternate relationships and economic systems that do not flow through Washington. Like a death by a thousand cuts, harm will accrete slowly but inexorably until one day, in the face of American saber-rattling, economic or military, other countries will just shrug and ignore it.

Given the vast economic resources that the United States still commands and soft-power reserves that have been depleted but not wholly drained, one can still imagine a more sober recognition of the nature of power in the world today and a more realistic approach to the world’s problems. That wouldn’t change the inexorable move to a world of many centers and dispersed power, nor should it, but it would allow the United States to pursue its interests more effectively and to continue to be a constructive and stabilizing force. One can imagine that, but just now, it requires more imagination in the face of not much evidence. There’s time to shift course, but that time is running short.

[broodybatboy]

Feyre: Merry Solstice! I made you all a little something!

Cassian, confused: Feyre, this is just a framed painting of you and Rhys.

Everyone: 😐😬

Feyre: That’s right. Only the best for you all.

Everyone, lying through their teeth: Gee…thanks!

*later*

Cassian: Ok, these are getting worse, right?!

Azriel: Yes.

#feyre darling your painting sucks #literally the richest high lord and lady and this is what we get? #how about a day off or a stable democratic kingdom #the inner circle #acotar inner circle #acotar ic #rhysand #feyre archeron #feysand #acotar memes #incorrect acotar quotes #acotar meme #azriel #cassian #incorrect acotar #incorrect quotes acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acosf

[kingwuko]

Wuko in the comics

Welcome to my first post discussing Wuko in the LoK comic books!

This first post will be discussing Turf Wars- which unfortunately does not feature Wu. But there are lots of excellent Mako moments, and there are some major plot points that carry over into the next comic trilogy.

Turf Wars is the first LoK comic trilogy released after the finale. Though it was released two and half years after the finale aired, it picks up right where we left off. While the creators confirmed after the finale aired that Korrasami was canon, the last moments of the animated series were a little ambiguous (on purpose, since this was a time when queer representation was just not considered "acceptable" in children's media-it was truly the only way they could get away with it). The comics definitively remove all ambiguity. Turf Wars features multiple frames of Korra and Asami kissing, holding hands, and coming out to their friends and family. 

The overarching plot of Turf Wars is a conflict over the land upon which the new spirit portal sets. There is also conflict between rival Triad gangs, the Triple Threats and the Creeping Crystals, over turf in Republic City following the chaos of Kuvira's invasion. These two sets of turf wars overlap when a business tycoon hires the Triple Threats to secure the spirit portal for him by driving others off. The new Leader of the Triple Threats, Tokuga, is attacked by a spirit defending the portal, causing him to gain a dragon-like appearance and a new agenda-seizing control of all Republic City. In the midst of all this there is a refugee crisis, a presidential election, and Korra and Asami trying to navigate their new relationship once they return to the real world with all their responsibilities.

Notable plot points and character developments:

Korra and Asami canon is confirmed (repeatedly)-They come out to family and their friends

Business owner Wonyong Keum, who owns the land upon which the new portal sits, demands everyone vacate so he can turn it into a tourist attraction for profit-prompting Korra to enter the Avatar state to temporarily drive him away.

An unhappy spirit requests Korra closes the portal to prevent exploitation of the spirit world.

Bolin joins Mako as his rookie detective partner.

Zhu Li is running efforts to care for refugees who lost their homes during Kuvira’s attack and teams up with Asami to begin rebuilding homes for everyone displaced.

Tokuga is introduced as the leader of the Triple Threats, fighting for control of the streets with Jargala, the leader of the Creeping Crystals.

Kya reveals she is queer and gives us a history lesson on the context of LGBTQ+ history in the world.

Tokuga is attacked by the afore-mentioned spirit and his right arm and half his face become dragon-esque.

Raiko is a colossal idiot. He is way too focused on getting reelected and making his decisions based on what his campaign advisor suggests, rather than just, you know, governing his city. He calls the military to occupy the portal, prompting the Airbenders to peacefully protest.

Zhu Li runs against Raiko for the presidency. She rallies more protesters to protect the spirit portal while her husband films her for his newest project- a “docu-mover” which he presumably uses to influence the election. 

Asami and Keum are kidnapped by Tokuga and forced to make a poison gas device bring the city under Tokuga’s control.

The Krew manages to save the day of course, thanks to Asami’s wit, Korra’s unstoppable stubbornness, and back-up from Bolin and Mako. Except Mako, bless him, says he’ll “take care of Tokuga”, and then promptly loses him.

Tokuga mysteriously disappears into the spirit world.

Zhu Li wins the presidency.

Korra and Asami share a lovely, romantic moment where they exchange their first “I love you”s at the conclusion of the comic.

Mako scenes

There is no Wu in the Turf Wars comics (Unless you count one line of dialogue where it is mentioned that the Earth Kingdom is sending supplies to help the refugee situation) - however, there is plenty of Mako! Mako’s primary role in this series is as a detective trying to find and stop the Triads from waging their turf war in the city.

Our first scenes with Mako shows him back to being a detective- and his brother is his partner. He doesn’t seem super thrilled to be working with Bolin, but I think it’s just because he knows how his brother is- not that he doesn’t want to spend time with him. They are trying to track down the new leader of the triple threats and control gang activity. Mako’s arm is still in a sling, he’s got his usual brooding grumpy facial expression, and his hair is spiky again! He and Bolin arrest two-toed Ping and try to interrogate him. Two-toed Ping is weirdly proud of Mako and Bolin for rising up from being “nobodies” to a couple of “bigtime cops”.

They catch up with Korra and Asami, and the four of them are alerted by Jinora that the Triple threats are attacking the Airbenders that were meditating at the portal. Asami gets hurt in the battle and she and Korra share a kiss in front of everyone:

Look at Opal’s sweet face. She looks like she’s barely containing her excitement and is maybe squealing a bit, and she’s looking directly at Bolin which I think is a sweet moment to show their relationship. Bolin calls dibs on the first double date.

Mako probably needs time to process the information....

Mako and Bolin do some detective work to try and find Tokuga. There is an interesting scene where they are questioning Scoochy (We saw him in the first season, he’s the kid that told Korra and Mako the Bolin went to do some work for the triple threats before getting captured by equalists) Bolin tells Mako they should do “good cop, bad cop”, with Bolin being the good cop. Mako gets annoyed, and Bolin asks if he’s grumpy because his exes are dating. Mako insists he’s cool with it- though he’s got a distressed look on his face. They catch up to Scoochy and Bolin actually loses his temper and is rather menacing. Mako pulls Bolin back and genuinely connects with Scoochy- relating to his past, pushing him to do the right thing and help others. I really liked this moment because it shows how much character growth he’s had when you compare the way he treated Kai in season 3. (They are ultimately unsuccessful and Scoochy’s tip leads them to a room rigged with explosives- but I don’t think Scoochy knew that, I think he was fed false info).

There’s another touching scene, after Asami is kidnapped, where Mako notices how upset Korra seems as everyone is trying to form a plan to stop Tokuga. He steps aside to check in and see how she’s feeling. He comforts her’ empathizes with her, and reassures her that they are going to find Asami. At this point he seems to have fully processed that they are together and seems to fully accept it and is very supportive. Not easy considering the awkward position he’s in as both their exes. In this scene, Mako also informs Korra that he can’t firebend with his injured arm.

Mako and Bolin helps Korra to find Asami by requesting help from Jargala- in spite of the fact that Chief Beifong told them not to… They show up for Korra and Asami even if it means risking their jobs. They team up and fight the bad guys together, just like the old days.

We see many examples of how bad the damage is from Mako’s injury in the Colossus. He can’t bend with his left arm, it’s in a sling almost the whole comic, and he really doesn’t seem to be at the top of his game. He told Bolin he would take care of catching Tokuga, but apparently couldn’t and lost him. Mako’s injury is pretty bad and it’s probably really frustrating.

At the end, Bolin decides to quit the force (surprise. The guy loves to hop from calling to calling!). He makes a big dramatic speech to Mako, talking about how it’s time they go their separate ways. Mako is like “Um I’m going to see you at home in like two hours”, so it sounds like they are living together.

What all this might mean for Wuko

So now I’m going to try to tie things back into how all this affects the potential of Wuko- whether that’s for headcanons or fics or whatever- and just try to give you an idea of what this comic means for Wuko shippers.

Wu is governing in the Earth Kingdom right now. It is mentioned by Zhu Li that the Earth Kingdom sent supplies, so one can assume Wu has taken his place on the throne and the Earth Kingdom is in a stable enough position to be sending supplies to aid another nation. Nothing is mentioned about efforts to transform the Earth Kingdom into a democratic nation (we’ll get to that in the Ruins of the Empire comics).

Mako’s primary relationships that are explored are with his brother and with Korra. His relationship with Bolin is just as it always is. He loves his brother even if he is a little exhausted by his upbeat, enthusiastic attitude. We build up on his final interaction with Korra from the animated series and continue to firmly establish them as friends and amicable exes. Interestingly, we don’t get any meaningful Mako and Asami interactions. When he is comforting Korra, he relates to her by remembering how worried he was when Korra was kidnapped by Amon. He doesn't try to say “Yeah I’m really worried about Asami too”, which, to me is bizarre because he and Asami are friends too, right? I don’t know if we should read too much into it though- most likely it was just a writing choice that we aren’t meant to psycho-analyze- but it could also mean he is being careful with his words so that Korra doesn’t wonder if he still has feelings for Asami. The love triangle is completely resolved and Mako is out of the picture romantically with either of them and has no lingering romantic feelings. In other words, he is 100% ready available for a relationship with someone else.

The scene where Kya gives us a history lesson establishes how LGBTQ+ people are viewed in the world of LoK. In short, Korra and Asami are fully supported by their friends and family, and even their enemies acknowledge their relationship without any homophobic tones. The closest we get to homophobia is Korra's father, who, after expressing his happiness at their relationship, warns Korra to be cautious going forward because not everyone will be as understanding. Kya gives us a quick lesson on how same-gender relationships are viewed across the nations: The water tribe, being a patriarchal culture, expects discretion. The Earth Kingdom is not particularly accepting-Kya says that Avatar Kyoshi was bisexual but couldn't affect "real change" and that the earth kingdom is the slowest to accept change and is also militarily repressive (full disclosure I have not read the Kyoshi comics, maybe there is additional insight in those?). And in the fire nation, Sozin made same-gender relationships illegal when he took power (I hope Zuko undid all that when he became Firelord). The air nation is the only one that seems truly accepting-Kya paints a picture of total acceptance and says that Aang was supportive when she herself came out. Korra is worried that maybe her father was right, but Asami points out that a lot has changed over the years and everyone seems accepting, especially in Republic City. 

I think what we can take away from this as far as Wuko goes- is that in Republic City, same-gender relationships are not much of an issue, while in the Earth Kingdom it could be viewed negatively. One could make a case that Wu might have cause to be closeted, while Mako might not. (Feel free to reject this history canon and substitute your own. I’d just as soon say that no one in the avatar-verse cares if you aren’t cis or het).

In conclusion. Mako is just a guy trying very hard to be a good, supportive friend to his exes who are now dating each other. He loves them (platonically) he loves his brother, he’s kind and has matured a lot, but he still always has a grumpy look on his face so it’s time for him to move on and get together with Wu.

Well, that’s Turf Wars. I did cram the plot of three comic books into one post, so I certainly did not hit all the details. If you feel I missed something crucial, feel free to reblog with your own takes. Next I’ll discuss Ruins of the Empire, in which we get lots of Wu and potential Wuko moments, a sizable helping of angst and even some Wu & Korra friendship! RotE is a really fun comic trilogy and I’ll be breaking it down into multiple posts. Thanks for reading everyone!

Wuko In RotE part 1

Wuko in RotE part 2

#Wuko #Mako #Turf Wars #Lok #King Wu #Prince Wu

[newstfionline]

Headlines

State police returning to Portland following deadly shooting (AP) Oregon State Police will return to Portland to help local authorities after the fatal shooting of a man following clashes between President Donald Trump supporters and counter-protesters that led to an argument between the president and the city’s mayor over who was to blame for the violence. Trump and other speakers at last week’s Republican National Convention evoked a violent, dystopian future if Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden wins in November and pointed to Portland as a cautionary tale for what would be in store for Americans.

Snapped Poles, Shredded Roofs: A Long Road to Recovery After Laura (NYT) Hurricane Laura ravaged southwestern Louisiana, leaving weary residents to assess the toll and map a way forward. The damage the storm inflicted was so severe that it will be an immense undertaking just to clear debris. But beyond the physical labor, residents were also stepping into the thicket of bureaucracy that follows a hurricane, with insurance claims and applications for government aid. Officials said that roughly 368,000 customers in the state remained without electricity. Some 17,000 linemen were at work on repairs, but they had a lot to tackle: some 500 transmission towers were destroyed or damaged. In some places, utility companies said, it could be at least four weeks before electricity is restored. CoreLogic, an analytics firm in Irvine, Calif., estimated that the hurricane had caused insured losses of $8 billion to $12 billion. “The story here is going to be the wind damage,” said Curtis McDonald, a meteorologist with the firm.

Burning (NYT) According to researchers, somewhere between 4.4 million and 11.8 million acres in modern-day California burned every year in the earlier times. When people started moving there, and building there, and understandably preferring that their homes not burn, those natural fires were stopped. From 1982 to 1998, land managers in California burned on average 30,000 acres per year, which dropped to 13,000 acres from 1999 to 2017. The backlog is deadly, and one reason the state has become a powder-keg. A February 2020 study published in Nature Sustainability found California would need to burn 20 million acres to become stable.

A Zoom Thanksgiving? (AP) As the Summer of COVID draws to a close, many experts fear an even bleaker fall and suggest that American families should start planning for Thanksgiving by Zoom. Because of the many uncertainties, public health scientists say it’s easier to forecast the weather on Thanksgiving Day than to predict how the U.S. coronavirus crisis will play out this autumn. But school reopenings, holiday travel and more indoor activity because of colder weather could all separately increase transmission of the virus and combine in ways that could multiply the threat, they say. Here’s one way it could go: As more schools open for in-person instruction and more college students return to campuses, small clusters of cases could widen into outbreaks in late September. Public fatigue over mask rules and other restrictions could stymie efforts to slow these infections. A few weeks later, widening outbreaks could start to strain hospitals. If a bad flu season peaks in October, as happened in 2009, the pressure on the health care system could result in higher daily death tolls from the coronavirus.

Rethinking their slogan (Foreign Policy) The latest casualty of the coronavirus pandemic is the long-time slogan of popular U.S. fast food company Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). The slogan, “it’s finger lickin’ good,” has been used by the company on-and-off for 64 years, but KFC announced last week that it is suspending the slogan because it is no longer appropriate in the current health-conscious environment. Health experts discourage people from touching their faces in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and users on social media criticized KFC for implicitly promoting unhealthy habits in its marketing campaigns. The company rolled out an advertisement in the United Kingdom and Ireland that ended with the tagline: “That thing we always say? Ignore it. For now.”

India’s economy contracts by nearly 24 percent amid pandemic (Washington Post) India’s economic output shrank by nearly 24 percent in the most recent quarter, the worst contraction since records began and the largest such drop of any major economy during the coronavirus pandemic. The stunning decline reflects the economic toll of India’s nationwide lockdown and illustrates the depth of the challenge now facing Indian policymakers as they grapple both with a hobbled economy and a raging pandemic. India is currently adding the largest number of new coronavirus cases per day of any country in the world. The Indian economy has not contracted for two consecutive quarters—the definition of a recession—in 40 years. Now the country appears certain to experience a recession and possibly one of unprecedented severity. That kind of economic slump would be devastating in a country like India, where 9 out of 10 workers have no job protections or unemployment insurance, leaving them with almost no safety net.

Indian army says foils Chinese attempt to encroach over disputed border (Reuters) Indian troops foiled an attempt by Chinese troops to encroach over the disputed and ill-defined border in the western Himalayas, the Indian army said on Monday, in a fresh flare-up between the two nuclear-armed countries. Pre-emptive action by the Indian troops was enough to deter the Chinese troops, and the confrontation did not escalate into a clash between the two sides, an Indian military official, who requested anonymity, told Reuters. China rejected any breach of the border by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops, but tensions between the two armies in the freezing snow deserts of the Ladakh region have been running high for several months.

Backing the monarchy in Thailand (Foreign Policy) Protesters gathered in a stadium in the Thai capital of Bangkok on Sunday to rally in support of the monarchy following massive student-led anti-government demonstrations in recent weeks. The event, which attracted around 1,200 people, was organized by the newly-formed pro-monarchy group Loyal Thai. “We insist that the country’s conflicts stem from politicians,” said Warong Dechgitvigrom, a prominent right-wing politician who founded the group. “The monarchy institution has no part in governing the country. The institution is the morale support that connects the people together.” Anti-government protesters have defied draconian laws against criticizing the monarchy in recent weeks to take to the streets to demand the ouster of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, fresh elections, and a new constitution that would limit the powers of the monarchy.

Facial recognition and bathtime bookings: How China’s universities are reopening (Reuters) As COVID-19 cases in China sink to new lows, the world’s largest population of university students is heading back to campus in a migration defined by lockdowns, patriotic education and cutting-edge surveillance equipment. The highly choreographed return comes as Chinese universities revert to in-person instruction for the fall semester after months of pandemic controls. Some universities have strict rules governing how students eat, bathe and travel. Students in Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai told Reuters that they must submit detailed movement reports and stay on campus. At the same time, government procurement documents show dozens of universities have purchased “epidemic control” surveillance systems based on facial recognition, contact tracing and temperature checks. There are more than 20 million university students in China, and most live on campus in shared dorm rooms, presenting a challenge for health authorities. On Chinese social media, students have chafed at the controls, which mirror restrictions on the wider population during the height of the outbreak in March.

With a Wary Eye on China, Taiwan Moves to Revamp Its Military (NYT) China’s growing aggression across Asia in recent months has created fears that it may make brash moves in Taiwan, the South China Sea or elsewhere. The ruling Communist Party’s recent crackdown on dissent and activism in Hong Kong, a former British colony that has long been a bastion of democratic values, has added to those concerns. Beijing’s posturing has forced Taiwan, an island of 24 million, to re-examine with new urgency whether it is prepared for a confrontation, the possibility of which now seems less remote. But there are questions about its readiness to defend its people—with or without the help of the United States. “I have to be honest: Taiwan’s military needs to improve a lot,” Wang Ting-yu, a member of Parliament’s foreign affairs and defense committee, said in a telephone interview. Taiwan’s leaders have been moving to shake up the military and increase spending. Military tensions across the Taiwan Strait have surged in recent months as Taiwan has increasingly become a focal point in the confrontation between China and the United States.

New prime minister in Lebanon (Foreign Policy) Mustapha Adib, Lebanon’s current ambassador to Germany, is set to become the country’s next prime minister as it continues to grapple with one of its worst crises since the end of the civil war in 1990. Adib won support from all of the major parties on Sunday, as well as from former prime ministers including Saad al-Hariri. He will be designated prime minister today just before a crucial visit from French President Emmanuel Macron.

Israeli, U.S. officials on historic flight to UAE to formalize normalization deal (Reuters) Top aides to U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a historic first flight from Tel Aviv to the United Arab Emirates on Monday to finalize a pact marking open relations between the Gulf power and Israel. Even before discussions start in Abu Dhabi, the delegates made aviation history when the Israeli commercial airliner flew over Saudi territory on the direct flight from Tel Aviv to the UAE capital. Announced on Aug. 13, the normalization deal is the first such accommodation between an Arab country and Israel in more than 20 years and was catalyzed largely by shared fears of Iran.

#headlines #news

[yahurit]

Kuvira appreciation post. Hot take, unpopular opinion coming in hot. Of all of the “villains” in TLoK, this one is by a great measure the most relatable one to me. And it’s a hot take because- wait! If you support Kuvira, you support fascism??

The analogous nature of the show is not the end all be all. Did she do harm, and was she wrong? Absolutely. She definitely went too far, but hear me out. Of all of the ‘villains’ in this show, I find her reactions to not only be relatable, but 100% true to character. When it comes to people being themselves and doing what they feel they have to, Kuvira is the richest and deepest example of what happens in a vacuum, where democratic oversight gives compromise to convenience.

She wasn’t the monster. The system that enabled and created her position is to blame. Did she take things to an extreme? Absolutely. Did she have any choice? I’m not so sure.

Do you not remember that before she was thrust into power, she was an artist? She danced, in cooperation with a company that specialized in synchronization and harmony. She was just a small part of a bigger machine, lending her heart and mind as much as she could into a much bigger show intended to be for the good of the hearts and minds of its patrons.

And somehow, this Earth/Metal bender of no harm is called up into the major league and eventually put in charge of the *entire Earth Nation*

Who killed the Earth Queen, Hou-Ting? Not Kuvira. Who vanished and left the job to someone else? Also, not Kuvira. But, hear me out. Who was tasked with making all of these things right and stable again, with zero oversights and one hell of a task to pull off? If you guessed Kuvira, you’re absolutely right. *We don’t care how you make things right, just please give us some stability and hope.*

Keep in mind that nobody asked for that responsibility. There’s an even dozen people just as powerful, charismatic, and caring. And somehow Kuvira gets that role?

As a quick aside, let’s just say that the goal is to create a solid and unified Earth Nation. She did that in a time and place no one else could. She served her function to wild success and much aplomb.

The Great Uniter did a lot of things heavy handed, and I’m not saying her methods were correct. But I’ll fight you over whether she did the best she could with what she was given. And she was given a sickly inbred white elephant as a “gift” with a world of needs and demands. What did Kuvira do? Her god dammed fucking best to maintain it.

In a system that perpetuated everything that was hard about living in the Earth Kingdom, those very same people put her in charge, demanded that she fix it, and then just ignored all of those problems in favor of pinning the outcome on Kuvira.

And rising to the task, realizing she was good at it, and yeah- subjugating the populace she had sworn to protect- was okay sure, some bullshit. But she fucking did it, with almost zero help. Where is the Avatar!? they asked. There is no Avatar right now, this is all we’ve got.

And here is where it gets real hot and unpopular, so let me get to the point.

These high and mighty forces that be. The White Lotus, the government of Republic City, the absence of the Avatar, the Council, and fuck it- the entire Earth Kingdom just said *fuck off let’s make it someone else’s job* and somehow Kuvira rose to the top.

Did she go mad? Power hungry and murderous? Cuss yeah she did, no debate. But I’m referencing an escalation of arms here, and I’m almost done talking.

In the absence of literally any actual cohesive leadership, Kuvira was tasked with a Herculean labor of impossible proportion and still cussing pulled-it-off despite the odds.

And she kicked The Avatar’s ass. While Korra was running around mired in self doubt and emo AF dealing with almost dying from poison, Kuvira was out there keeping her skills sharp and literally never flinching from her tasks and owning her shit.

Was she right? There’s no way to know. Some upstart Avatar with an overblown sense of responsibility got out of her own ass long enough to care, when it was obviously a *wrong or right* issue to Korra who finally showed up several hours late for the first day of school.

Have your inner conflict, sweet Avatar. But you do not get to see the people who are *forced to* have their boots on the ground as people that have the same luxury as your hamfisted version of right and wrong. We are all doing our very best. And most of us cannot retreat or withdraw when things are their hardest. The Avatar did. Kuvira did not, jus sayin.

Does that redeem Kuvira? Cuss nah. But also, it’s not going to stop it from making her my very favorite in the series.

She was amazing, powerful, resourceful, and honest. All things I love 💛

[yeaahishowedupatyourparty]

Chapter One: Blythe Radcliffe

“Damn it!”   “Almost...” “What time did I get?” Blythe panted. She dragged her fuchsia gloves over her face and immediately regretted it, feeling stray balls of cotton stick to her sweaty brow. “Forty-nine minutes, seventeen seconds...” her father, Henry, replied. Something in the way he jogged alongside her with a flippant attitude only irritated her more. “Just four minutes off of your best.”           Pushing open the wrought iron gates, customised with a swirling gold ‘R’ for ‘Radcliffe’ on each side, Blythe let her frustration out on the gravelled driveway, scuffing the toe of her pristine trainer against the sandy chippings.   “Don’t sweat it, sport,” Henry continued, “You’ve got a lot to think about this morning, I could tell you were distracted before we even got to the park.”             Blythe gave what she hoped looked like an appreciative smile. Although, if she was being honest, she didn’t appreciate the sentiment in the slightest. In the twenty-four years he’d spent raising her, she assumed her father had learnt that if she wasn’t the best at whatever she was doing, she wasn’t happy.   “Well, let’s hope I make a better breakfast guest than I do an athlete.” Her words came out sharper than she’d intended, but the irritation mounting in her chest made it impossible for an apology of any shape or size to pass through.         Instead, she widened her strides and created more distance between herself, her father and their family guards, pushing open the heavy oak doors of Radcliffe Manor. Two brass lions, named George and Patrick by her six-year-old self, sat proudly on either side of them acting as bookends to the immaculate hedge that bordered the house.            Once upon a time, Blythe’s favourite thing to do was mount herself upon their backs and imagine she was riding into a make-believe battle which would always have the same ending; her winning and taking her rightful place as Queen of the Amethyst Islands. It might’ve no longer been acceptable to be seen riding garden statues but her fantasy remained the same. The only difference being that as she grew older, the sparkling daydream became a cold and hungry ambition lurking at the end of a ruthless one-tracked mind. “What took you both so long?!” the voice of her mother exclaimed before Blythe had barely managed to kick off her shoes, causing one of their housekeepers to scurry over to pick them up and then leave completely unnoticed. “I was slow,” Blythe shrugged. She studied her mother loitering at the bottom of their curved staircase, fiddling with an antique vase of hydrangeas as if she just so happened to be passing through the entrance hall as they arrived home.   “We got distracted in the town centre, the Independence Day decorations are spectacular this year, Anthea! We must remember to thank the council at the next gathering,” Henry chimed in, closing the doors behind him. The crow’s feet by his narrow blue eyes became more prominent as he approached his wife with a genuine beam, planting a kiss on her cheek. Blythe subconsciously ran the pads of her gloves over her face, as if to smooth out her own skin.           She knew she’d always possessed most of her father’s genes; the slender frame, thick, autumnal hair and high cheekbones were definitely the perks. But it also meant dealing with beady, narrow eyes paired with eyebrows that could barely be seen when exposed to the sun, and a nose that she felt was far too prominent to ever look pleasing from the side. Maybe it was harsh of her to say so, but Blythe would have sooner taken her mother’s doe eyes and heart-shaped face, even if it meant having large hips and a concrete heart.   The glow of the October sun shone through the huge, cathedral-styled windows that lined the front wall of the house, casting vague and fading shadows over the floorboards.        Blythe peeled off her gloves and shoved them in the pocket of her fleece. She barely acknowledged Lucius and Noel, their family’s guards, slip past them and disappear into the central sitting room. In her defence, they weren’t the most memorable of men. As her family’s personal guards, it was their duty to linger in the background as the constant yet comforting aura of stealth that circled the Radcliffe’s estate.    Even in such a low-risk setting with little to stay on guard about, they remained stoic. Sometimes Blythe wondered if they’d even had a non-Radcliffe related conversation before.   “I’m going to take a shower,” she announced. “A quick one,” Anthea took the liberty of adding, untangling herself from Henry’s affections and staring her daughter down with the same heavy gaze she always looked at her with. It’d been loading Blythe’s shoulders with what felt like the weight of the world for as long as she could remember. “The next steamboat to the mainland departs at eight-fifteen, leaving us forty-five minutes to arrive at the palace in comfortable time for the King’s Breakfast. I’ve had Eliza lay your clothes out on your bed for you.” Blythe gave a straight-mouthed smile, not even bothering to make her eyes match the half-hearted attempt at acting as if she had any gratitude towards her mother at all.     The King’s Breakfast. She could actually hear the capital letters at the beginning of each word in how her mother had articulated them; as if together they built the most important phrase to ever be spoken into existence.         Even when Blythe shut her eyes, allowing the citrus scented soaps and cordial water from the shower to trickle over her senses, she could still hear Anthea’s voice echoing around the jewel green en-suite. Her words condensed against the glazed windows, lodged themselves in the drainpipes and inscribed themselves over and over on the thin layer of steam covering her bronze-framed mirror until Blythe had no choice but to acknowledge them. They grew larger and larger; The King’s Breakfast, The King’s Breakfast, The King’s Breakfast; hogging the space both in the room and her mind’s eye, making her shoulders hunch from the internal claustrophobia.          “Enough,” she hissed, either surprised at the fact that she’d vocalised what she was thinking into an empty room or that she hadn’t expected to scorn herself in such a way. She didn’t give herself time to decide. Abruptly shutting off the water, Blythe pulled back the frosted shower guard and reached for one of the soft, pastel towels that hung patiently on the heated radiator by the bath-tub.   By the time Eliza had been sent up to Blythe’s room as her mother’s passive-aggressive reminder of the time, Blythe had just finished glossing her lips over with her favourite lipstick. It was from the Amethyst Royal Collection, founded and worn religiously by the King’s Mother and former Queen Consort, Marianne de Beaumont. Blythe’s signature shade was Imperial Desire, a bold red that popped significantly brighter than the deep Lovers Midnight that her mother often used.        “Your Highness, your mother has sent for you. She’s waiting in the entrance hall” Eliza said meekly. Blythe watched through the reflection of her vanity table as Eliza anxiously wrung her hands, clearly close to crumbling under the pressure of serving the Radcliffe Household on Amethyst Independence Day. Pathetic, honestly. “Of course, thank you Eliza,” Blythe smiled sweetly, satisfied to see the girl’s slight shoulders visibly relax under the fabric of her drab uniform. It meant that she still had meticulous control over her image; she didn’t particularly care for Eliza, but judging by the way she gave a deep curtsey and left the room with a triumphant smile, it wasn’t obvious.      Anthea always kept the stable ladies-in-waiting and handmaids for herself, leaving Blythe with the trembling newbies. She suspected that it was because, thanks to the Law of the Monarch, written by the kingdom’s founding fathers themselves, Blythe was and always would be higher in society than her mother and it made her envious. Or, at the very least, she hoped she was embarrassed about it.            Blythe had always enjoyed History in school for that very reason. Not only was everybody obsessed with the twelve founding fathers who departed from different corners of the globe to claim a piece of the Amethyst Islands as their own, but she also got to bask in the glory of being related to one of them. Nothing satisfied her more than the applause of awestruck looks and jealous grunts from her classmates when their professor would nod in her direction at the mention of Thomas E. Radcliffe, founder of the British Settlement Island.   Her absolute favourite lessons were the ones that deep-dived into the Law of the Monarch, and how the founding fathers had met in City Hall every single day for a year and a half, establishing how they’d run their new country. The result was the first ever Democratic Monarchy; the people would decide which father would be crowned as King and from there, their bloodline would inherit the throne.   Blythe intentionally took her time as she wandered into her closet, on a mission to find the perfect purse to match her outfit as well as raise her mother’s blood-pressure. Sometimes she resented the fact that the people of Amethyst had voted for Jacques de Beaumont of the French Settlement to be their first King. Had they voted for Thomas, she would’ve had the throne secured with only her father’s reign to eagerly wait out. But all wasn’t lost, the first half of being a ‘Democratic Monarchy’ was her saving grace; ‘In the event of the reigning monarch’s abdication, timely or unforeseen demise, or removal from the throne, their eldest, biological child will inherit the throne and succeed as the ruler of the Amethyst Mainland and the twelve Settlement Islands.   Under the circumstance in which there are no legible heirs, parliament will activate the Law of the Monarch; calling for the election of a new royal bloodline. Potential successors will be selected from the eldest children of the twelve Founding Families, and of the opposite sex from the last reigning monarch.’   It was a passage that Blythe had committed to memory. In the unlikely event that King Gabriel de Beaumont would take a step back, there was a small chance that Blythe would become Queen of the Amethyst Islands. She was a crown princess and that was something she had clung to for as long as she’d been aware of it.      Her fingers vacantly caressed a velvety, cream clutch that hung on one of the many gold-plated pegs in her wardrobe. Obviously, there were eleven other girls who were also crown princesses and belonged to their respective settlement islands. She knew them very well. But she also knew that none of them had planned, rehearsed and fantasied about the day they could potentially ascend to the throne with the same precision that she had. Down on Thomas’s Quay, the docile autumn breeze had picked up momentum, causing the deep purple flag of the Amethyst Kingdom to flap furiously on its mast at the end of the dock. Blythe turned gracefully on her heel and looked up at the wide promenade crowded with excited strangers for as far as her eyes could see. A group of girls around her age had taken over a bench that overlooked the ocean, standing on it to snap the perfect picture of her family for their social media feeds. Beside them, an elderly couple leant against the sandy wall that ran the length of the promenade and fondly smiled down at them. Blythe lifted her mouth into the pleasant smile she’d rehearsed in the mirror one thousand times over and gave a wave that was simultaneously for everybody and nobody.         “What a turnout, hey?” Henry smiled, giving an energetic wave to the crowd before turning his back on them. Even still, the flashes from the paparazzi cameras clicked furiously. He placed one comforting hand on Blythe’s shoulder and the other on the small of Anthea’s back as the three of them descended down the dock. Between the crowd’s hysteria and the wind beating against the ocean waves, Blythe just about caught the compliment that left her mother’s lips.   “You look beautiful, Blythe.” She dipped her head slightly. For some reason, Blythe felt reluctant to show genuine gratitude towards her mother’s compliment. It was much easier to just carry on resenting her. “I’ve always said that teal was your colour. It looks gorgeous on ghostly complexions.”       That’s more like it, mother, she thought to herself through a clenched smile. There was always an obligatory nit-pick to go hand in hand with the otherwise harmless comment. Anthea was the Queen of Nit-Picking and pulling things apart for no solid reason, and her target of choice was more often than not her only daughter.   This was hardly the time for a tiff, though. Not only were there hundreds of eyes watching their every move, but Blythe knew that she had a job to do. Her mother could wait.   “Your Highness.” A balding man with rosy cheeks bowed to her before addressing her parents, “Sir...Ma'am...” She instantly recognised him. He was one of the many captains who transported passengers from island to island via the steamboat service. Blythe often saw him during her morning travels to the main island for shopping trips in the Captial or, on rarer occasions like this, visits to the palace. “Thank you,” she said. Graciously, she clasped the gentlemen’s gloved hand in her own and gave him a warm smile, subtly angling her body in the direction of the paparazzi on the promenade. The captain beamed and bowed even lower, causing the crowd above to cheer in adoration. People could call her many things, but she made sure that tactless would never be one of them.         The pearly white steamboats had become somewhat of a trademark to the Amethyst Islands. In the tourist shops on the main island, Blythe had seen hundreds of figurines of them, all destined to be snatched off the shelves and locked away as memorabilia. Each one was replicated with lilac and gold accents running along the railings of each deck and a bright purple wheel. She was sure they even made ones that flew little satin Amethyst flags now, embossed with the golden coat of arms that appeared everywhere if you paid enough attention.       “After spending his whole life on these islands, you would think the illusion of a purple ocean wouldn’t phase him anymore,” Anthea said. The cushioned bench in their sheltered booth dipped slightly as she sat down. Blythe shifted, straightening a non-existent crease in the skirt of her dress and then tugged gently at its empire waistline. “It does look nice,” she offered. Folding her hands in her lap, she kept her eyes fixed on her father, who leant over the railings and was seemingly unphased by the wind that blew around his thick tufts of greying, wavy hair.   “They do,” Anthea agreed. Blythe would’ve been surprised if it hadn’t been the most popular opinion in the kingdom.         Despite playing no part in putting them there, everybody felt a sense of pride towards the amethysts that sat on the seabed. They were embedded in the sand in the form of rocks and geodes, as well as mounted on the walls of mystical-looking caves along the main island’s coastline. Marine biologists, geologists and anybody else who decided to make it their business theorised that the rocks had even been there in the pre-historic era. Meanwhile, activists and self-proclaimed do-gooders were constantly rattling on about how there would’ve been even more if the invaders hadn’t come specifically to mine and make a profit off of them. That included Thomas E. Radcliffe. Blythe didn’t like to associate herself with politics; not publicly anyway. “Are you ready for today, Blythe?” Anthea’s voice pulled her out of her daydream, clouded by the glittering light show of sunlight fragmenting against the ocean's purple waves. “I really think you’ve made good progress with King Gabriel. Everybody has been asking me if you’d be attending his Independence Day festivities, which can only mean one thing.” Blythe reigned in an eyeroll. There it was again. King Gabriel; capital K, capital G. “They suspect we could be together,” Blythe said, finishing her mother’s sentence for her.   “Exactly! Play your cards right today and suspecting will become knowing,”   “Unless he doesn’t ask me to be his girlfriend.”          Anthea’s shoulders stiffened at her daughter’s comment, clutching her chin sharply between her thumb and middle finger in one swift movement. Blythe flinched, but quickly gained composure, meeting her mother’s unshakeable stare with unstable breaths. “You’re going to ensure that he does, though, aren’t you?” Her question wasn’t a question. The way her words seeped through the atmosphere like a deadly virus made that clear. “Your father and I have worked hard for the life you live now, harder than you know. All I ask in return is for you to secure yourself as Queen Consort.” Blythe felt as though her nails were piercing through her skin, but she refused to wince or even react to the pain. “It isn’t that hard.”   “I’m capable,” Blythe snapped, more as a reminder to herself than Anthea. It took her a moment to realise her mother had let go of her. The sensation of a million tiny razor blades burrowed under her skin and coursed across her nerves. “Good.” Anthea rose to her feet, slipping her hand into her purse and tossing a travel hairbrush into Blythe’s lap. “And brush the ends of your hair, you always manage to get them tangled. Even under the shelter. Unbelievable.”   Do not cry. Blythe watched with blurred vision as her mother left the booth and stepped out on to the main deck to join her father, looping a slender arm carefully through his and waved elegantly at the crowd that had amounted across the beach of the main island. It was even bigger than the one back on the British Settlement.          With one aggravated jerk of her knee, Blythe watched the brush roll across the smooth satin of her dress and fall on to the floor with a solitary clatter. Her fists clenched at the material as she exhaled in through her nose...and out through her mouth...in...and then out again.        It never got easier. Blythe Radcliffe wasn’t, and would never be, enough on her own. To her mother, she only meant something if she was Blythe Radcliffe, the love interest, the soon-to-be girlfriend, and the future wife of the dreamy and shockingly single King Gabriel de Beaumont of the Amethyst Islands. If he’d just followed protocol and found a wife before his father’s fatal heart-attack, she wouldn’t be dealing with any of this to begin with. And for that, she almost hated him as much as she hated her mother. Lifting her chin, Blythe gently pushed open the door and painted on yet another rehearsed and effortless smile. The sharp and salty aroma of the Amethyst Ocean revigorated her mind as she glided across the main deck to join her parents at the railings. The roar of the crowd’s excitement grew louder with every wave their boat sailed through. Keeping her eyes fixed on the palace that towered over anything else on the main island, Blythe unintentionally shoved her mother’s shoulder out of the way and stood in the middle of her parents.        At the sight of her, onlookers began to curtsey and frantically wave, their eyes glowing in awe at the presence of somebody who – if fate decided to deal a certain hand – could be their potential Queen. Or, more likely than that, be their future Queen Consort.   She was no longer pretending, Blythe felt powerful and it was in that moment she made a clear decision; she didn’t want to marry, she wanted to rule.

#janeysprojects

[rulystuff]

https://servicemeltdown.com/germany-has-welched-on-its-moral-obligations-before/

New Post has been published on https://servicemeltdown.com/germany-has-welched-on-its-moral-obligations-before/

GERMANY HAS WELCHED ON ITS MORAL OBLIGATIONS BEFORE

Editor’s note: Having traveled on business throughout Germany deploying complex information technology projects, I can vouch for the German predilection with rules, process, programs, and structures. In the end, everything we set out to accomplish as part of our project rollouts we did so on time and on budget thanks to the hard work of our German team members. A nagging irritant that we had to endure, however, was an unflagging emphasis on frugality. This quality of the German character borders on the religious and we are seeing it play out on the international stage. Lest there be any doubt how foundational the belief in frugality is for the German nation, no less a luminary than the great philosopher Immanuel Kant stated in his tome on metaphysical morals that, “Frugality in all things is the reasonable behavior of an honorable person.”

President Trump and several of his administration’s officials have repeatedly pointed out that Germany has been shirking its 2% of GDP defense budget target agreed to as recently as 2014. This is the case despite the fact that the United States keeps over 34,000 troops stationed in Germany at a cost of nearly $6 billion and to which Germany contributes only about 18% in the form of in-kind services. In addition to the troop levels stationed in Germany, the Department of Defense has something in excess of 17,000 civilians in country. Germany’s economy, of course, is the direct beneficiary of so many Americans spending their hard-earned dollars domestically.

To be sure, Germany is not the only nation which chooses to finance national defense on the cheap. But as the largest economy on the continent – at $3.7 trillion, Germany’s GDP is roughly 50% greater than either the United Kingdom’s or France’s – one might expect a less tightfisted commitment than the current 1.3% of GDP which Germany spends on defense. This is a puny sum indeed. In fact, on a per capita basis, Germany spends no more on defense than does the economic basket case that is Greece. Incidentally, as impoverished as the nation of Greece is, it is one of only nine countries of the twenty-nine NATO alliance that does meet its 2% obligation.

Clearly, it is a great comfort to the Europeans that the United States watches their backs, while picking up the tab on roughly 22% of NATO’s expense budget.

The niggardly German defense budget has onerous security consequences for the country and the continent yet there is a new-found outrage at President Trump’s plan to redeploy approximately 9,500 troops stationed in Germany to other theaters such as Poland. That the United States threatens to weaken NATO by its action to remove approximately 25% of its troops from Germany is a spurious claim.

Consider that fewer than half of Germany’s fighter jets are able to fly their missions for lack of parts, and German soldiers are moved to hide their army’s lack of materiel by using broomsticks in lieu of non-existing heavy machine guns during war games. The German argument for its lack of financial commitment to NATO’s defense is as specious as it is creative. It goes something like this: national defense goes beyond military spending. Some types of development aid, the German government says, should count as defense spending. In a nutshell, this is a way of saying that the harboring of more than a million Syrian and other Middle Eastern refugees is tantamount to protecting Europe’s borders from aggressors!

DOES DEVELOPMENT AID INCLUDE WORLD WAR II REPARATIONS?

It is curious that Germany’s apparent magnanimity does not extend to owning up to the disaster and carnage it caused with its aggressive militarism during the better part of the twentieth century. Greece represents a tragic case in point.

During WW II, Greece lost more lives than the United States and the United Kingdom combined. Roughly, ten percent of the population of Greece – in excess of 500,000 souls – perished at the hands of the Butchers of Berlin largely through executions or the famine caused by the destruction of crop fields and animal stock. What is more, the Nazis looted Greek banks, took out sham loans, and confiscated all of the available gold, silver, nickel, and copper in the nation.

The Nazis destroyed houses, farms, public buildings, schools, hospitals, ports, canals, roads, train tracks, and bridges. Similarly, most Greek shipping and all telephone communications were destroyed. In addition, over 1,700 villages were burned to the ground many with the elderly, women, and children hunkered down in their infernal dwellings unable to escape. The Nazi savagery outdid itself in the small village of Distomo located northwest of Athens. In 1944, following an ambush of a Nazi unit by Greek irregulars the Waffen SS returned to massacre 228 men, women and children. The carnage was severe as women were raped before being murdered, infants were bayoneted, the village priest beheaded, and the town burned to the ground. Beyond these atrocities, the Nazis appropriated much of Greece’s antiquities from a number of public and private museum collections as well as from archeological sites. German officers, and before them Italian soldiers of one stripe or another, had a field day boxing and crating antiquities which they then shipped back to their countries of origin. Antiquities which could not be carted off, were wantonly destroyed as to preclude any possible restoration.

The German devastation was so complete that Greece became devoid of the infrastructure, the institutions, and the systems, essential to properly function as a modern nation. In the aftermath of the war, Greece predictably descended into civil war, chaos, and more death. The de-Hellinization of the country was now complete.

WHO OWES WHAT TO WHOM?

It is clever double-dealing that Germany, in league with the Troika – the triumvirate of the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund, and the European Central Bank – dishes out a crippling dose of austerity and browbeats the small nation of Greece on the international stage to meet its loan commitments while it steadfastly refuses to acknowledge its own obligations. We have seen this movie before: Germany made its last payment to American claimants of WW I reparations in 2010.

In 2015, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Dimitris Mardas, announced that Greece was owed roughly $305 billion according to calculations made by the country’s general accounting office. This is a sum that includes actual damages, interest, and inflation. This marks the first time the reparations claim has been formalized with such precision and it’s entirely credible. The Germans, of course, have scoffed at the notion that any monies are due inasmuch as there is no strict legal basis on which Greece can press its claim. This is another German cultural trait at work known as besserwisser or knowing better.

The key, however, is whether the Holocaust visited on the Greeks by its Nazi occupiers hinges on legal niceties or on the moral and ethical behaviors expected of civilized nations. Ironically, Germany was the principal beneficiary of our moral largesse as approximately two-thirds of its war indebtedness, much of it provided by the Marshall Plan, was forgiven. If ever you wondered what explains the German economic “miracle” in the aftermath of the war this is a good place to start looking. The other place to look is at the current roster of household names of German industrial might, names such as Audi, BASF, Bayer, Hoechst, Daimler, VW, Siemens, and Bosch, and wonder how these companies were able to make such a swift recovery after Hitler’s defeat. The answer is indisputable and yet shameful: Germany’s industrial might was built on the backs of over 300,000 slave laborers.

President Trump and his administration should not fall prey to Germany’s dilatory approach to meeting its financial commitments to NATO. Germany has stated that it will meet its 2% target by 2031. It’s reasonable to assume, therefore, that If the Germans are not alarmed about Russian tanks racing down the Autobahn before 2031 then neither should the United States. 

GERMANY PLAYS BOTH ENDS AGAINST THE MIDDLE

Maybe our concern with Germany’s well-being is overblown as the nation is a deft double-dealer. Two examples should make the point: 1) Germany’s sermonizing to America about staying in the Iran Nuclear deal has little to do with mitigating Iran’s threat as a nuclear power.  What it has more to do with is the fact that Germany is Iran’s largest trading partner. In 2017, hundreds of German firms traded in excess of $4.0 billion with Iran. The export-based German economy has no scruples. 2) Germany and Russia are schmoozing about a gas pipeline that would run under the Baltic Sea and double the existing supply of gas to Germany. The geopolitical consequences of such a move would result in increasing Russia’s leverage over the continent’s smaller states, and box Poland out of the gas transit business. And, maybe all of that figures into Germany’s calculus.

When it comes to Poland, especially, the United States cannot welch as Germany has done to nations so many times before. Poland is a staunch United States ally whose recently deployed Patriot missile defense system is meant to counterbalance Russian cruise missiles stationed along the Polish border. The nation is stable, democratic, with a strong and growing free market economy, and always wary of the antics of Germany – and, for all practical purposes its agent the European Union. As I point out in my essay, Globalization: An Anti-Democratic Nightmare in the Making, Germany casts a long shadow over Poland. One can only hope that the first line of the Polish national anthem, “Poland has not yet perished”, will hold true to form.

If German arrogance knows no bounds neither should our vigilance. Consider that a member of the Bundestag – the German parliament – and leader of the third largest political party, the (AfD), Alexander Gauland, said recently that “Hitler and the Nazis were a speck of bird s— in over 1,000 years of successful German history.” Clearly, Germany’s looming political and economic despotism throughout all of Europe must be held in check.

[volcanicpizza]

The Great Emergence

On February 2, 2001, the monster race emerged from Mount Ebott after centuries of living beneath the surface. Paranoia and fear led the government of the United States to scramble to cover up the incident, installing a total lockdown around the mountain. Unsure why this was happening, the monsters waited uneasily for whatever might come next while attempting to make diplomatic overtures through their ambassador, but none were accepted. President Bush feared what the monsters could be planning and sent the military to DEFCON 4, hoping to keep the issue secret for as long as possible while he and the rest of the government attempted to figure out a way to deal with the problem.

The inhabitants of the area around Mount Ebott, however, did not wait for them. Confused as to why there was currently a noticeable military presence around the mountain, some locals sneaked past the military with a variety of ingenious strategies and managed to get pictures and video of the monsters. Once they escaped, they promptly released this media to several major newspapers, not having an Internet connection. By May 6, practically everyone in the country had heard of what was being termed the “Ebott Incident.” Initially, Bush planned to deny everything, but when an incident occurred following a short skeleton monster inexplicably managing to get out of the containment zone and wander into a town, he was forced to admit that the military has been keeping the monsters in Mount Ebott and, in a momentary lapse of control, also stated that they are intelligent and sentient. It was on May 22 that monsters were finally released amid an ongoing storm of controversy with people from all political wings alternatively lashing out at Bush for not releasing the monsters earlier and accusing monsters of being demonic, genocidal freaks. Most of the monsters chose to stay on Mount Ebott or in the surrounding areas due to fear of what the humans might do while monster diplomats attempted to negotiate with the reluctant American ambassadors.

On July 5, 2001, hoping to foster better relations between humans and monsters, King Asgore managed to convince the US government to allow him to temporarily use parts of nearby Harrisburg in order for humans from around the country to be able to come and meet the monsters to see that they genuinely mean no harm. It grants mixed results, as although most people who attend see that monsters are genuinely kind-hearted, the gathering falls into awkward silence after a reporter asks Asgore how the barrier was broken and says that he heard it required human souls to be broken.

Two days later, American intelligence agencies uncovered evidence that several monsters committed unethical acts, including the killing of six human children and unethical experiments by the royal scientist, Dr. Alphys. Acting on their own, some rogue FBI agents attempt to arrest Asgore in the middle of the night, but he is defended by the local division of the Royal Guard, and the agents are forced from the palace and flee. Asgore quietly accuses the Bush administration of attempting to carry out a coup the next day, but President Bush is confused, seeing as he never ordered anything of the sort. (Many conspiracy theorists will still accuse Bush of trying to kill Asgore.) By July 20th, a combined task force made from parts of the Royal Guard (including Sans, who decided to join the Guard to protect his brother) and the FBI manages to finally capture the rogue agents. In the face of arrest, they spill all the evidence they have against Asgore’s regime. For the Royal Guards, this is old news, but they pretend to not know what the agents are talking about. However, once Asgore finds out about this, his sense of honor does not allow him to continue this deception any longer, and he publicly confesses to having killed six human children, offering to appear at a trial for war crimes. Alphys is eventually ignored, as the experiments were done on monsters and not humans, and additionally there’s circumstantial evidence that the prior Royal Scientist began the experiments. King Asgore, however, is placed on trial for war crimes on July 28.

Much to the surprise of the world, Asgore is eventually acquitted following clear presentation of evidence showing that several of the fallen humans killed monsters, with the defense arguing that he was merely attempting to protect his people from a possible genocidal maniac. Following Asgore’s release, he resumes his duties in a shaken kingdom and begins hopeful negotiation over reclaiming ancestral monster land, but despite the considerable amount of gold that he offers all attempts at purchasing any of that land is met with blatant refusal. The only land that the monsters are allowed to keep is Mount Ebott and some of the surrounding land. Attempts by monsters to assimilate into human society frequently end after just a few weeks of racism and segregation. The monsters also attempted to negotiate with other nations as to the possibility of getting land there, but the only thing even close is that the Canadian government agrees to the possibility of allowing monsters to migrate to Canada en masse and settle in parts of Ontario and Manitoba.

The rest of the world has not remained the same, however. Many changes are relatively minor, but the most minor is that Osama bin Laden decided to integrate monsters into his campaign against the ostensibly satanic western world. One day in July, he was extremely incensed following a meeting in which some others argued that, since monsters and the United States are not on the friendliest of terms, they should be trying to steer the kingdom to their side, and in his anger tripped down a set of stairs and broke his neck. Al-Qaeda attempted to pull off the 9/11 attacks anyway, but due to incompetence on their part only one plane was successfully hijacked. Several monsters were in Washington, D.C. at the time for a diplomatic meeting, and as a result the plane was stopped from crashing into the Capitol Building by quick use of gravity magic by Sans. Al-Qaeda, already not in the best state, collapses within months. America does not intervene in the Middle East, keeping the situation there the same as it was before, and there are no massive floods of anti-Islamic sentiment. 

In early 2002, Dr. Alphys proposes the formation of artificial islands off the coast of New Jersey and Long Island in order to provide room for monsters to settle free from human bigotry. The project receives Asgore’s approval, and the most skilled monster mages immediately go to work raising new land in international waters. It is around this time that other nations begin to recognize the Kingdom of Monsters as a legitimate nation. By July 2003, thirteen new islands have been created for monsters to settle in, though the capital remains in New Home for the time being.

The Arab Spring occurred in 2004, destabilizing multiple countries across the Middle East and prompting multiple coups, most notably in Pakistan, where a near-totalitarian military government takes control. The Arab Spring will not end until 2007 and proves massively destabilizing, with multiple nations scrambling to place allied governments in the nations wracked by revolution and some that aren’t.

Following the Arab Spring, world events prove relatively uneventful. Bush wins reelection in 2004 by a slim margin, though the Democrats manage to take control of both houses of Congress due to a gradual dissipation of anti-monster racism. Colin Powell ends up becoming president in 2008, but leaves office in 2012 voluntarily after refusing renomination. He is replaced by Obama, who in the modern day is still president. In other news, Cuba’s communist regime fell after Castro’s death in 2013 from food poisoning and has since been replaced by an American-allied government that is genuinely trying to create a Cuban republic. The monsters mostly keep to themselves nowadays, occasionally aiding the American government in return for maintenance of their tentative alliance, and monster population outside of the Kingdom of Monsters is practically nonexistent save for tourists and exchange students. Many view the kingdom as another North Korea due to its relative isolation and utter lack of democracy, and in reality the kingdom is essentially a benevolent dictatorship. Despite some tension, this world is overall better than ours, with much lower anti-Islam sentiment than our timeline due to almost all Islamic terrorist factions having fallen apart during the Arab Spring (and those that do still exist are, quite frankly, laughably incompetent) and a stable Middle East. Of course, North Korea still exists and is still doing nuclear missile tests, and Vladimir Putin maintains control over Russia. But hey, no timeline is utopian, but for its inhabitants it’s as good as they’ll get.

THE WORLD IN 2017

POINTS OF INTEREST

1. Mount Ebott, the location where the Great Emergence happened, is surrounded by the United States. New Home remains the capital of the Kingdom of Monsters due to the Atlantic Islands not being very industrialized yet, and it’s since become an international tourist attraction.

2. Cuba’s new semi-democratic government is an American ally thanks to the lifting of the embargoes, and is on its way to becoming the #1 tourist destination in North America.

3. Thanks to Puerto Rico, the flag of the USA now has fifty-one stars.

4. The United Kingdom has not left the EU. Yet.

5. Wallonia enjoys considerable autonomy from France.

6. Thanks to the EU backing Catalan independence, the Republic of Catalonia left Spain in 2015 and joined the EU in 2016.

7. Released just now, Serbia v2! Half the size, twice the firepower, and twice the xenophobia! Sponsored by Vladimir Putin. Daily rebellions not included.

8. Some things can’t be changed.

9. You can thank the Arab Spring for the current situation.

10. According to Vladimir Putin, Georgia’s annexation into Russia was backed wholeheartedly by the population, and he has the results of the referendum to prove it.

11. The Pakistani military kindly requests that you not pay too much attention to their troops here or question their business here.

12. North Korea hasn’t changed much from our timeline. President Obama has recently considered making a deal with the Kingdom of Monsters to eliminate the threat it presents.

This map and scenario was a commission for @fnafredux. If you’d like to make a scenario request, please see this post.

#undertale #undertale au #the surface #undertale fanfiction #i mean i guess it is #asgore dreemurr #king asgore #commission #undertale the surface

[itsbenedict]

WBJ4: History

Nefisnios (or, well, no, hm, that sounds way too cool and polysyllabic for the common name of a planet. hm. actually okay let’s say that is the name of the world, but in like a dead language where it translates to “God’s Kingdom”, which is what it’s been called by most of the population for a long time, before they switched back to calling it Nefisnios, or Nef for short, in the interest of secularism.)

uh, where was i

Nefisnios’s history is fairly short. At least, the history of organized civilization is fairly short. For most of its history, Nefisnios was incapable of sustaining stable human settlements. There have been plenty of unstable human settlements, but without any way to combat demons, putting a bunch of people together in one place was just asking to get eaten by the first chump to get outwitted by a demon. The short-lived city-states of ages past were almost always ruled by a powerful wizard, who offered protection from demons in exchange for servitude. They inevitably fell apart once the ruler pissed off some citizen, and that citizen decided to try to fight fire with fire and ended up with way too much fire.

Most of the oral history of this world isn’t a record of the rise and fall of civilizations- the city-states of yore didn’t endure as cultures so much as end up in stories about weird things powerful wizards did. The oral history of Nefisnios is the history of great figures- people who accumulated crazy amounts of power without dying, who wandered the land fighting epic battles against other wizards. Some went down in legend as heroic, others as villainous, but very few of them had lasting impacts on the world (except insofar as some of them, like, rose mountains, or dug seas, or otherwise did huge physical feats that affected the environment.)

The last such figure was Othar the Gold, also known as Rusted Othar in the later years of his reign. He’s sort of the reason the world exists as it does now- he made it his business to eliminate all his rivals, pursuing what is now the dominant philosophy with respect to magic: it’s evil, it’s incredibly dangerous, and as few people as possible should use it- purely for the purposes of preventing anyone else from using it. The best recorded history of Othar was written by his personal scribe, Lucia of the Steel Word. It details Othar’s exploits as he traveled the world, seeking out powerful wizards and heroically murdering them one by one. 

Eventually, Othar succeeded- ancient and powerful wizards died, and their knowledge burned with them. Othar, left as the most powerful person in the world, proceeded to declare himself King of Nefisnios. The part where he stopped killing nefarious evil sorcerers and started being a plain old tyrant? That’s when they started calling him Rusted Othar. (Yes, gold doesn’t rust, that’s part of the venom behind the nickname.) Eventually, his faithful scribe- who had carefully watched Othar over the course of his career, and understood every blind spot and weakness his magic arsenal possessed- bypassed his defenses and stabbed him to death, before he could order the execution of any more of his political enemies.

The current anti-magic secular government of Nefisnios was architected by Lucia of the Steel Word, who upheld Othar’s philosophy, always regretful that her lord became corrupted by power. Lucia discovered a non-demonic magic ritual that created a substance- termed “holy water”- that was toxic to demons and could be used by mere mortals to fight them. This allowed the establishment of mundane police forces, and shortly thereafter the establishment of permanent governments.

It’s been roughly 80 years since Lucia killed Othar, and roughly 20 years since Lucia herself died and passed the administration of her world government to her democratically elected successors. The old times are fresh in this world’s memory...

...and of course, given that everything I just said was written in the Steel Word, by the former head of the world government, there are a few old folks out there who will tell you to take it all with a grain of salt. They might make wild claims about those early days being much different. I wonder... how much truth is there to those claims?

#worldbuilding june #unnamed illegal wizards game

[generalelectionmusings]

Why was this election called at that particular time?

Since the passing of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 for general elections, all six types of elections are held after fixed periods.

The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 (c. 14) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that received Royal Assent on 15 September 2011, introducing fixed-term elections to the Westminster parliament for the first time. Under the provisions of the Act, parliamentary general elections must be held every five years, beginning in 2015. However, a vote of no confidence in the Government, or a two-thirds majority vote in the House of Commons, can still trigger a General Election at any time.

Fixed-term Parliaments, where general elections ordinarily take place in accordance with a schedule set far in advance, were part of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition agreement which was produced after the 2010 general election.

In the wake of the Panama Papers scandal, a petition was created on the Parliamentary Petitions Page that called for a General Election after Prime Minister David Cameron revealed that he had had investments in an offshore trust. After the petition had passed the threshold of 100,000 signatures, the government response cited the Fixed-term Parliaments Act in its reply, and stated that “no Government can call an early general election any more anyway.” Except they could.

On 18 April 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May announced her intention to call a general election for 8 June 2017, bringing the United Kingdom’s 56th Parliament to an end after 2 years and 32 days. She required a two-thirds majority as outlined in the Fixed-term Parliament Act before the motion was passed. Jeremy Corbyn, the Leader of the Opposition and the Labour Party indicated he was in support. The motion was passed the following day by 522 votes to 13.

The conjecture and speculation abounds as to why the election was called. Was this to help Theresa May in securing a mandate that differs from Cameron’s election pledges? These were binding them and, quite frankly, an embarrassment when trying to, say, make spurious changes to the NI system. Were those election pledges suddenly unworkable in a politically changed environment? They seem fairly reasonable manifesto pledges in my humble opinion.

Was this truly to help secure a greater majority to help with Brexit? To call the election, a two-thirds majority was needed. Did she really need more? Really?

Was this to help counter opposition in the House of Lords who might have claimed that she had no mandate that was her own from which to operate?

Was this election called to head off channel four reporting of CPS investigating possible prosecutions of Conservative MPs over electoral expenses fraud from the previous election? If, say, 20-30 MPs lost their seats, the majority would likely disappear followed closely perhaps by a vote of no confidence and the Queen would request the leader of the opposition to form a government.

Or, possibly, the Conservatives had achieved everything they wanted from Parliament in the lead up to Brexit. And subsequent Bills were seen as wholly undesirable to future aims and ambitions.

A few Bills were planned to have the UK adopt EU Workers’ Rights, EU Residents’ Right to Remain and EU Protection of the Environment. These Bills would likely eliminate EU workers as bargaining chips from Brexit negotiations. They might hamper a competitive corporate environment in a post-Brexit world if rights were unfavourable for profit. And protecting the environment would likely hurt ambitions for shale gas exploitation and expansion.

Other bills are also pertinent perhaps to other influences, possibly financial pressure and industry pressure brought to the Prime Minister’s business advisor, her very own husband: Philip May.

Philip works for Capital Group and they have c. £1.4t of assets under management. As these assets are invariably held within favourable taxation environments, then the following Bill would have had incredible ramifications. The U.K. International Trade and Investment Agreements (Ratification) Bill. This would align U.K. Tax Havens like Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands and the Caymans into EU laws and disclose who owned the companies registered there. Calling a General Election causes this Bill to fall and no further action will be taken.

Capital group (according to 2016 reporting) have large holdings in a very large defence firm by the name of Lockheed. There was a pending Bill by the name of the Arms Exports Control (countries of concern) Bill. £10bn of arms licences were issued between 2010-2015 to regimes designated “unfree” by Freedom House. However, in calling a General Election, this Bill also falls and the Arms Industry is protected, including Lockheed.

39% of Conservative MPs are landlords (128 of them). The pending Housing Tenants’ Rights Bill which would have (amongst other measures) prohibited the charging of letting or management agent fees to tenants. In calling a General Election, this Bill also falls.

Two awkward Bills about increasing equality, accountability and responsibility for the NHS were felled by calling for a General Election.

A Bill affecting the Conservative party dominance of the Hereditary Peers in the House of Lords has been felled by calling for a General Election.

Mutualisation of RBS, Child Poverty Reduction, and many others have been delayed or killed entirely by calling for a General Election.

As political manoeuvring goes, this General Election is arguably the most suspect, back-handed and devious ploy I have ever seen. All reasons point to incompetence by opposition parties in allowing this to happen… but they are so desperate for power themselves that they were always going to grasp the chance of an early election. Even more reasons point to business and lobbying power having a massive say in the way this country is run. The political and business information shared between Theresa and Philip May is probably incredibly damaging to the electorate who are losing rights. Losing Environmental protection. EU Right to remain. Corporate tax exemptions. Tenants’ Rights. All obliterated.

So while the Tory journalists and Tory TV presenters feed you the rhetoric about being Strong and Stable and how Theresa is the woman for the job… Ask yourself why they called the election. Ask what they are hiding from you. Ask why no-one challenges the corruption, the possible electoral expenses fraud. Ask why no-one has mentioned the ratification of EU investment laws. Ask why this Brexit must be a ‘hard’ process. It would be my humble estimation that a right wing process is underway to roll back a more liberal minded approach from Cameron. A more right wing focus to satisfy the elite. The 1%. The landed gentry and the corporations.

The entirely unconvincing explanations given for calling the election and the unwilling nature to engage with anyone for debates. Or the public... These are warning bells being ignored. Big flashing lights saying: shady. Or the journalists ignoring all this, coupled with the investigatory powers act (snooper’s charter) should have you very concerned with the political direction and implication of a) obliterating all those pending bills, b) riding roughshod over the electorate with more noise, rhetoric, catchphrases, tag lines and little to no substance, and c) hiding wrongdoings, connections, corruption and influence that the electorate would find abhorrent. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for me to see a much more authoritarian government in future years.

While they talk of the future, do look at the past, do look at the actions. To coin a phrase: they’re deplorable. Perhaps more than even I realise, and I reckon myself to be fairly politically savvy. Thank you for reading, and thank you in advance if you share this about. I shall also add more to this blog going forwards.

#ge2017 #general election #uk #politics #conservatives #tory #vested interest #influence #corruption #business #bills #cancelled #corporate #taxes #tax evasion #tax haven #brexit #eu #rights

[secretagentspydetectiveninja]

The Misadventures of Prince Kim - chapter 18

(aka the royalty AU story)

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17] [AO3]

Max sat alone in his room, trying to study, but his thoughts just kept going back to Kim. It didn’t help when someone knocked on his door – surely that could only be Kim, coming to see how he was doing? But he opened the door to see Alix there instead.

“Oh hello Alix, come in,” he said, stifling a yawn. Perhaps he really should have taken a nap after all. All this pointless pining was more tiring than it seemed.

Alix entered the room and immediately said, “Dude, I really need your help with something.”

Ah, it was finally happening. Surely she must have realized Kim liked her, and wanted his help with that. Of course. It was only a matter of time.

“Yes, certainly, what is it?”

She leaned on her sceptre, absent-mindedly flicking the lid open and closed. “I’m pretty bad at being a ruler. I have, like, no idea what I’m doing. I mean, yeah I know I’m bad at acting the part and doing all the pointless boring ceremonial stuff, but I don’t really care about that. What I want help with is the actual practical aspects of ruling a country, the stuff that will make a difference. You’re good at that, so uh… could you help me out? Please?”

“Yes, of course,” Max replied, taken aback. This was what she wanted help with? Well… he had underestimated her, alright.

“You look so surprised.”

Whoops. “I just… didn’t realize you…”

“Didn’t realize I cared so much? Well yeah, I try not to. But honestly, the pressure of ruling the most developed country in the world is starting to get to me. I know everyone expects a lot from me and I’ve pretty much already let my family down considering what I’m like, so I’m not doing the same for the rest of my country. They deserve a good leader.”

“I’m sure you haven’t let your family down!”

“Trust me, I have. Even fricking Jalil would have made a better pharaoh than me, everyone thinks it even if they don’t say it.”

Her tone and expression hadn’t changed, but her hand was gripping the sceptre so tightly it was going white. Clearly this was affecting her much more than she let on.

“I’ll help you be a good leader, don’t worry,” Max said. “But really, your powers are mostly ceremonial. You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to, the council can just make all the governing decisions for you if you feel you’re not good at it. I’m sure they’d do a good job, considering they’re democratically elected and all. They’ll do what’s best for the people.”

“I don’t want to have to rely on the council to run my country for me, thank you very much. I’ve seen how corrupt other countries can get seriously fast, despite seeming all modern and stable and whatever. I’d rather be properly informed about the direction my country is going in. I don’t want it going backwards just because a bunch of charismatic liars got voted into the council and the monarch did nothing to stop them messing stuff up. That happened once to Rossi, you know.”

Wait, she knew all that? He hadn’t even realized. He always thought she didn’t care about how to rule her country, preferring to just mess around and have fun all the time. Had that just been an act? Or was she simply growing up to be more responsible than she had been in the past?

“You’re right,” he said, “countries can advance or decline very rapidly depending on who’s in charge. I’m proud that you want to be a responsible leader.”

“Do you think my family would be proud too? At least if I tried? They would, wouldn’t they?”

“Of course they would! But even if they wouldn’t, that’s not the end of the world–”

“Yes it is!” She snapped the lid of her sceptre shut so hard it made a loud click. “You’ve always been a good child, really smart and good at everything and always trying hard, your family thinks you’re awesome and to be honest, so does mine, I bet my dad wishes you were his kid instead of me. But all my life I’ve just been really… I don’t know, immature! I want to at least do something to show them that I’m not just some failure, I have to prove myself to them…”

So that was what this was all about. Well, he had something to put her mind at ease.

“Alix, I have to tell you something. During my oracle session with Master Fu, the question I asked was whether the GDP of my kingdom will ever overtake yours while I’m alive. I expected it would, since I’ve got so many plans to boost the economy and that sort of thing, and I didn’t expect you would try that hard with it. But guess what? I was wrong! As long as I live, your country will be ahead of mine. Which means that you will do a good job, no matter what happens.”

Her face lit up. “Wait, are you serious? My country’s economy is going to stay better than yours? But like… you’re Max! You’re so good at that stuff!”

“I know I am. But obviously it seems you’ll be good at it too, at least enough to keep your country going forward for a long while.”

“Yes, nice! That’s so awesome! I mean since you said it’s within your lifetime there’s always the possibility that you’d just die like tomorrow or something but uh… I’ll assume you’re too sensible to suddenly accidentally die. And that I’m gonna rule my country awesomely until then.”

“That’s the spirit. I’ll admit I was a bit jealous when Fu told me. I was annoyed since I didn’t expect you cared or that you would work very hard, so I thought it was unfair, but clearly I’m wrong…”

“Nah it’s cool, I don’t work nearly as hard as I should. But I’ll definitely try harder from now on. So yeah, you’ll tutor me then? How to be an actual good ruler? Don’t worry if you’re busy with tutoring Kim or other kids in the class, it’s okay, but–”

“I’ll definitely tutor you, that’s fine! I enjoy tutoring, actually.”

Alix laughed. “Of course you would. You’re a nerd. Anyway, thanks. If you want in return I’ll see what I can do about getting those annoying trade quotas lifted so your country can make more tech yourselves. I know you hate having to buy it off us all the time.”

“Thank you very much indeed! I’m so glad our countries have such peaceful relations, you know.”

“Well duh.” She poked him in the arm. “We’re best friends, aren’t we?”

“Yes, but I don’t just mean that,” he said, poking her in return. “I mean historically we’ve been peaceful too. Unlike Lê Chiến and Agreste, which might cause trouble for Kim and Adrien one day.”

“But they’re friends, aren’t they? Surely they can sort out whatever rift exists?”

“It might be complicated. If one ascends the throne sooner than the other, leading to one side being friendly while the other is still hostile, it might… well, it might turn into a mess. And I’m not sure Kim would be up for dealing with something like that.”

“That’s why he’s got you,” Alix said, grinning. “You can just advise him through whatever happens, right? It’ll be fine.”

“You seem to have a lot of faith that I’ll be able to fix things.”

“Pfff, it won’t be you who fixes things, it’ll be Kim and Adrien. You can just help, since you and Kim are so close.”

Max felt those longing pangs in his chest again. Yes… he and Kim were so close. Just not exactly in the way he hoped.

That reminded him, shouldn’t he use this as an opportunity to be Kim’s wingman? Perhaps properly getting Kim together with someone else would stop Max yearning after him so much.

“Anyway Alix,” he said, “speaking of futures… have you noticed there’s someone in this class who likes you?”

“Well I should certainly hope there are people who like me, I’m not that scary, am I?”

“I meant in a romantic sense.”

“Oh yeah, but trust me, that girl has someone else she’s crushing on way more than me, even I can tell–”

“And I don’t mean Juleka. I mean someone else.”

“Oh.” Alix frowned, tapping her sceptre thoughtfully. “Are you sure? Because I seriously doubt it.”

“I’m sure.”

“Jeez, it’s not you, is it?”

“Of course not,” Max said, chuckling. “I swear I’ve already told you I’m not into girls, other than friends or occasionally adoptive sisters.”

“Yeah, exactly. Who is it then?”

“I’m not telling you.”

“Oh, okay then, whatever. So anyway – I don’t know what days you’re free for tutoring, I’ve got football on Fridays but other than that I could probably squeeze it in any time…”

She seemed oddly unconcerned. Did she seriously not care that someone liked her? And knowing that was the case, how had she not figured out it was Kim? Practically everyone in the class knew at this point! Either she was just oblivious to a ridiculous extent, or she knew and was pretending not to. Max wasn’t sure which, but he hoped he would find out soon.

The spring dance did turn out to be fairly boring. Every guest who entered the room had to be formally announced by name and title, leading to a long queue outside the door. The music that played was slow and dreary, and the only dancers were couples who had actually been trained in how to perform all these courtly dances – there was no improvising allowed here. Everyone who spoke to each other was being as formal as possible, with curtseying and bowing and addressing people by their full titles, even though usually by this point in the year most of the students hardly ever bothered with such formalities.

Max had insisted on going to get drinks for his friends, leaving Kim and Alix alone before they could protest about it. Kim didn’t know what to do – he couldn’t make a move here, at this boring event, so what was even the point? He looked around, trying to think of something to talk about.

Juleka and Rose were over there, just coming off the dance floor where they had been waltzing together. Evidently both of them must have been taught how to dance at some point in their lives. Neither of them had let go of the other’s hand yet…

“Hey Alix,” Kim said, “just wondering, but is Juleka the chick who asked you out to the autumn ball ages ago?”

“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” she replied. “I’m not spilling anyone’s secrets.”

“I bet it was her. Is it like… common for girls to be into other girls? Before I got to this school I didn’t even know it was a thing.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty common,” Alix said, shrugging. “Being a lesbian or bi or whatever, it’s fine. It’s normal. So is guys who like guys, for that matter. I don’t know why other kingdoms don’t talk about it so much. Probably confuses the heck out of the not-straight part of the population.”

“Yeah, it does,” Kim muttered. “I actually… uh… well, at the winter party I kissed Adrien and got pretty confused because I didn’t realize I liked him. I didn’t even realize it was possible. But yeah, I guess I’m into guys too.”

“Good for you.”

“What does that make me? Does it have a name?”

“Um, I guess it just means you’re bisexual? I don’t know, dude, do some research or something, I can’t say what you are for you.”

Bisexual. Huh. Maybe it would be a good idea to research that at some point. There had to be books in the library about it, right? Or maybe he could ask Max. Max would know everything.

“So, um…” Kim wasn’t sure if he should ask or not, but he was curious. “Are you like… into girls? Just out of interest?”

Alix hesitated long enough for Kim to notice.

“Well no, but…”

“But what?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

It certainly wasn’t nothing, that was for sure, but he didn’t ask anymore. Maybe she just didn’t know or something. Anyway, there was something else he wanted to know more. He walked over to Juleka and Rose.

“Hey Juleka, are you the one who asked out Alix ages ago?”

Juleka looked down, shuffling her feet nervously, mumbling something about it having been practise and that she didn’t really mean it.

“Oh, so are you and Rose sweethearts now?” he asked her, looking between them, since they were still holding hands. Juleka shrugged and mumbled something else, her face going as pink as Rose’s dress.

“Prince Kim,” Rose said, frowning, “you really shouldn’t put poor Juleka on the spot like that, especially not in public! You’re lucky I don’t mind either way, but what if I did? Not everyone is so accepting of things like this! Or what if it embarrasses poor Juleka? Or if she doesn’t want to talk about it? You really ought to think a little before you speak, young man!”

“Sorry,” Kim muttered, wanting to kick himself for being so reckless. He thought he had been getting that under control lately!

“Rose!” Juleka said suddenly, her face even pinker, taking Rose’s other hand into hers as well. “What do you mean by saying you don’t mind either way?”

“Oh, my sweet Juleka! I meant I don’t mind if you think of me as a friend or a sweetheart… I think you’re wonderful either way.”

“But Rose, what about your servant boy Ali from back in Lavillant?”

“I barely even know him! But I know you so well now, you’re my best friend after all!”

Juleka shut her eyes tightly and quickly said, “Princess Rose, will you be my sweetheart?”

“Of course I will! Juleka, you’re so cute, if we weren’t at a formal dance right now I would hug you so hard–”

“Oh Rose, you’re… you’re awesome…”

Grinning, Kim swaggered back over to where Alix was standing, watching with a somewhat amused expression on her face.

“I’m the best matchmaker ever,” Kim boasted. “I just got Juleka and Rose together.”

“It was only a matter of time, Kim,” Alix said, trying not to laugh.

“Oh come on, give me a little credit?”

“Nope, those two were literally on the verge of getting together already, even I noticed it, and I never notice stuff like that!”

Kim laughed, but then realized what that meant. If she never noticed stuff like that, well, she would never notice he liked her unless he made it obvious. But every time he considered it, Chloé’s rejection came to mind and… no. It was too nerve-wracking. Maybe he would do it some other day, just not today.

#this whole story is just one long geography lesson so far tbh #royalty au #miraculous ladybug #ml fanfic #le chien kim #max kante #alix kubdel #and also i guess juleka and rose are in this one a bit #random stuff #the misadventures of prince kim #aish writes

[courtneytincher]

Democracy at Risk: How Distrust Is Eroding the American Way of Life

The Gallup public opinion research organization reported recently that a mere 9 percent of Ukrainians have confidence in their national government. That’s the lowest confidence level in the world (for the second straight year). But if you think that makes Ukraine an outlier, then you are missing the bigger and more important picture: trust in public institutions is weak in many countries across the globe—including the United States, where trust in media, government and democratic norms have waned substantially in recent years. It’s a pervasive global problem that we can’t afford to ignore. There are many reasons for this perfect storm of distrust.First, over the last decade or more, the grip of elites on economic, political and social institutions has grown. Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson detailed in "Why Nations Fail" how long-simmering anger at elites that organized society for their benefit powered the Arab Spring uprisings.Likewise, in many other developing and emerging market countries, getting an education, hospital care, police protection or other basic human services is often only possible when citizens offer bribes—again, something beyond the reach of most rank and file.That leads to a form of anger over state capture, or grand corruption, which Robert Klitgaard has summarized in a neat formula as: corruption = monopoly + discretion - accountability.Rising populist movements in countries such as Hungary, Poland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and France—all members (for now) of the European Union—are feeding off of a similar resentment of elites. These elites appear to be gaining as more modest, working class citizens, are losing economic, political and social ground. And the discontent that plunged the UK into the chaotic and still unresolved process of Brexit was fueled by a sense that the EU has undermined Britain’s capacity to control its own borders and sovereignty.In the United States, wealthier Americans can opt out of the comparatively plebian institutions of public schools (at nearly every level of education), Social Security, basic healthcare and, with elaborate legal avoidance schemes, taxes. Meanwhile, average Americans have increasingly taken prominent note of how the fortunes of the richest have risen much faster and higher than their own. Then there are the gated residential communities, their privileges on air travel and other supposedly public accommodations, and, in some high-profile cases, even relative impunity from criminal prosecution. There’s a very real sense that the game is rigged for the super-fortunate, who profit disproportionately from the hard work and public infrastructures that the less fortunate produce.We also got to this place because of a tenacious mantra, which gained momentum when Ronald Reagan became president: that public institutions—especially government—are the problem. It became an article of faith for many to devalue the work of government officials, to “starve the beast,” or, as anti-tax activist Grover Norquist famously put it, to “get [government] down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.”Entwined with all this is globalism and widely held perceptions that elites care more about people in supply chains in other countries than in their own.Many Americans support policies that emasculate free trade agreements, military alliances (such as NATO) and adoption of global environmental standards and that stem the flow of immigrants who appear to threaten native-born citizens economically and otherwise.So instead of offering refuge to those whose lives have been devastated by conflict and chaos in places such as Syria, the Sahel region of Africa, Central America and Venezuela, some citizens of would-be host countries (often those with the resources to do so) view them as threats, invaders, burdens. As German Chancellor Angele Merkel and other world leaders have discovered, compassion has its political price these days.What do we do about this?We’ve heard this for years, but it’s true: we need stronger “civic education.” We need to help people understand what it means to be a citizen and make them better and more discerning consumers of the services public institutions provide. Civic awareness and public engagement are at historic lows. A recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, showed only 23 percent of eighth graders in the United States attained “proficient” status in civics.At a very basic level, democracy is nurtured by constantly “co-opting” the youngest members of society. There is evidence that effective civic education, through schools and with broader community support and parental involvement, serves as the foundation upon which trust and early formative political and civic participation are built. We also have evidence from the Untied States and the UK that, more broadly, education has a causal relationship to multiple forms of engagement, including voter turnout, group memberships, tolerance, and the acquisition of political knowledge (such as being a regular consumer of news media).While this may sound simplistic, finding and correctly processing information and general transparency builds trust in institutions. A 2017 social scientific study showed that, as people learn more about public institution, they form more nuanced perceptions of it that can lead them to distinguish it from other institutions for which they have little trust. Better provision of those services can make a difference. This means better infrastructure, more professionalism, more funding for greater capacity to deliver.That’s where the role of taxes and the government come in.There is a growing embrace these days in the idea that the private sector—business and nonprofit organizations—can and should play a bigger role in delivering the services everyone needs to survive and thrive. That accounts for the rise of corporate social responsibility activities, some of which do more to burnish the “do-good” reputation of the corporations than to do well by others, as Anand Giridharadas wrote in Winners Take All.Private sector engagement in the delivery of public and social services is admirable and valuable. But, as Giridharadas argues, it doesn’t go far enough to bring about the sort of transformation the world needs.Rather than farm public goods and services out to private providers, we must, instead, use governance mechanisms to achieve better outcomes for as many people as possible. When it has the resources, legitimacy and a sense of fairness, government is in the best position to make the kind of catalytic change that can lift all boats, not just those that are best positioned to rise higher than the others.Restoring trust in institutions is also about resources. Aging populations in Western societies put enormous pressures on national budgets already strained by social protection systems. Without right-sizing expectations about these protection systems or significantly reforming them, it is almost impossible to direct resources to the needs of other deserving public institutions of central government.The institutions of local government are increasingly seen as more responsive to their citizens. While we can debate the accuracy of this perception, it exposes them to increasing demands by citizens. These demands require resources, so they increasingly need to negotiate a reallocation of resources with cash-strapped central governments.Small “d” democratic good governance may have fallen down the popularity ladder, but so much depends upon it. Pandemics, unemployment, violent extremism are complex phenomena. But all are enabled and left unresolved by weak governance systems. That’s one reason why, when the Ebola virus appeared in West Africa, for example, the countries with at least some basic government capacity to fight it were spared the death and devastation we saw in the lesser-prepared countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. The private sector can support the strengthening of these systems, but it is unable to do so directly. Good governance, in part, is about good government, a very old concept. But the part that is directly correlated with trust in public institutions is its responsiveness to citizens, its fairness, its transparency and its inclusiveness.If you look across history at the polities that have had been more stable, prosperous, productive and enduring, you will see that they all had elements of good governance. In Renaissance Italy, many flourishing city states experimented with transparency tools; they hired professional city managers to minimize corruption. And there is mounting evidence that democracies, with citizen responsive institutions, consistently outperform autocracies in the developing world.There are no quick fixes to the crisis of trust that is sweeping the world today. It was years in the making and fed by a variety of factors that went unnoticed or unattended for too long. But there’s also no excuse for continuously turning a blind eye to the global trust crisis. We must examine it before really have no options to undo its damage and strengthen the institutions that are essential to healthy, well-functioning societies.Aleksander Dardeli is executive vice president for strategy and development at IREX, a global nonprofit organization that works to strengthen good governance and access to quality information and education.Image: Reuters

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

The Gallup public opinion research organization reported recently that a mere 9 percent of Ukrainians have confidence in their national government. That’s the lowest confidence level in the world (for the second straight year). But if you think that makes Ukraine an outlier, then you are missing the bigger and more important picture: trust in public institutions is weak in many countries across the globe—including the United States, where trust in media, government and democratic norms have waned substantially in recent years. It’s a pervasive global problem that we can’t afford to ignore. There are many reasons for this perfect storm of distrust.First, over the last decade or more, the grip of elites on economic, political and social institutions has grown. Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson detailed in "Why Nations Fail" how long-simmering anger at elites that organized society for their benefit powered the Arab Spring uprisings.Likewise, in many other developing and emerging market countries, getting an education, hospital care, police protection or other basic human services is often only possible when citizens offer bribes—again, something beyond the reach of most rank and file.That leads to a form of anger over state capture, or grand corruption, which Robert Klitgaard has summarized in a neat formula as: corruption = monopoly + discretion - accountability.Rising populist movements in countries such as Hungary, Poland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and France—all members (for now) of the European Union—are feeding off of a similar resentment of elites. These elites appear to be gaining as more modest, working class citizens, are losing economic, political and social ground. And the discontent that plunged the UK into the chaotic and still unresolved process of Brexit was fueled by a sense that the EU has undermined Britain’s capacity to control its own borders and sovereignty.In the United States, wealthier Americans can opt out of the comparatively plebian institutions of public schools (at nearly every level of education), Social Security, basic healthcare and, with elaborate legal avoidance schemes, taxes. Meanwhile, average Americans have increasingly taken prominent note of how the fortunes of the richest have risen much faster and higher than their own. Then there are the gated residential communities, their privileges on air travel and other supposedly public accommodations, and, in some high-profile cases, even relative impunity from criminal prosecution. There’s a very real sense that the game is rigged for the super-fortunate, who profit disproportionately from the hard work and public infrastructures that the less fortunate produce.We also got to this place because of a tenacious mantra, which gained momentum when Ronald Reagan became president: that public institutions—especially government—are the problem. It became an article of faith for many to devalue the work of government officials, to “starve the beast,” or, as anti-tax activist Grover Norquist famously put it, to “get [government] down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.”Entwined with all this is globalism and widely held perceptions that elites care more about people in supply chains in other countries than in their own.Many Americans support policies that emasculate free trade agreements, military alliances (such as NATO) and adoption of global environmental standards and that stem the flow of immigrants who appear to threaten native-born citizens economically and otherwise.So instead of offering refuge to those whose lives have been devastated by conflict and chaos in places such as Syria, the Sahel region of Africa, Central America and Venezuela, some citizens of would-be host countries (often those with the resources to do so) view them as threats, invaders, burdens. As German Chancellor Angele Merkel and other world leaders have discovered, compassion has its political price these days.What do we do about this?We’ve heard this for years, but it’s true: we need stronger “civic education.” We need to help people understand what it means to be a citizen and make them better and more discerning consumers of the services public institutions provide. Civic awareness and public engagement are at historic lows. A recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, showed only 23 percent of eighth graders in the United States attained “proficient” status in civics.At a very basic level, democracy is nurtured by constantly “co-opting” the youngest members of society. There is evidence that effective civic education, through schools and with broader community support and parental involvement, serves as the foundation upon which trust and early formative political and civic participation are built. We also have evidence from the Untied States and the UK that, more broadly, education has a causal relationship to multiple forms of engagement, including voter turnout, group memberships, tolerance, and the acquisition of political knowledge (such as being a regular consumer of news media).While this may sound simplistic, finding and correctly processing information and general transparency builds trust in institutions. A 2017 social scientific study showed that, as people learn more about public institution, they form more nuanced perceptions of it that can lead them to distinguish it from other institutions for which they have little trust. Better provision of those services can make a difference. This means better infrastructure, more professionalism, more funding for greater capacity to deliver.That’s where the role of taxes and the government come in.There is a growing embrace these days in the idea that the private sector—business and nonprofit organizations—can and should play a bigger role in delivering the services everyone needs to survive and thrive. That accounts for the rise of corporate social responsibility activities, some of which do more to burnish the “do-good” reputation of the corporations than to do well by others, as Anand Giridharadas wrote in Winners Take All.Private sector engagement in the delivery of public and social services is admirable and valuable. But, as Giridharadas argues, it doesn’t go far enough to bring about the sort of transformation the world needs.Rather than farm public goods and services out to private providers, we must, instead, use governance mechanisms to achieve better outcomes for as many people as possible. When it has the resources, legitimacy and a sense of fairness, government is in the best position to make the kind of catalytic change that can lift all boats, not just those that are best positioned to rise higher than the others.Restoring trust in institutions is also about resources. Aging populations in Western societies put enormous pressures on national budgets already strained by social protection systems. Without right-sizing expectations about these protection systems or significantly reforming them, it is almost impossible to direct resources to the needs of other deserving public institutions of central government.The institutions of local government are increasingly seen as more responsive to their citizens. While we can debate the accuracy of this perception, it exposes them to increasing demands by citizens. These demands require resources, so they increasingly need to negotiate a reallocation of resources with cash-strapped central governments.Small “d” democratic good governance may have fallen down the popularity ladder, but so much depends upon it. Pandemics, unemployment, violent extremism are complex phenomena. But all are enabled and left unresolved by weak governance systems. That’s one reason why, when the Ebola virus appeared in West Africa, for example, the countries with at least some basic government capacity to fight it were spared the death and devastation we saw in the lesser-prepared countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. The private sector can support the strengthening of these systems, but it is unable to do so directly. Good governance, in part, is about good government, a very old concept. But the part that is directly correlated with trust in public institutions is its responsiveness to citizens, its fairness, its transparency and its inclusiveness.If you look across history at the polities that have had been more stable, prosperous, productive and enduring, you will see that they all had elements of good governance. In Renaissance Italy, many flourishing city states experimented with transparency tools; they hired professional city managers to minimize corruption. And there is mounting evidence that democracies, with citizen responsive institutions, consistently outperform autocracies in the developing world.There are no quick fixes to the crisis of trust that is sweeping the world today. It was years in the making and fed by a variety of factors that went unnoticed or unattended for too long. But there’s also no excuse for continuously turning a blind eye to the global trust crisis. We must examine it before really have no options to undo its damage and strengthen the institutions that are essential to healthy, well-functioning societies.Aleksander Dardeli is executive vice president for strategy and development at IREX, a global nonprofit organization that works to strengthen good governance and access to quality information and education.Image: Reuters

August 20, 2019 at 06:53PM via IFTTT

#Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

[gyrlversion]

The Daily Mail reviews 1,000 days of incompetence since Brexit vote

Exactly 1,000 days ago today, the British electorate went in unprecedented numbers to the ballot box for the EU referendum.

And when 17.4 million voted Leave, on a 24-year-high turnout of 72 per cent, they gave the Government the biggest democratic mandate in UK history.

With a sense of quiet jubilation, courage, determination and ambition, the people said precisely what they wanted: To cast off the sclerotic bloc’s chains and step out into the world.

Defiantly ignoring the unseemly bombardment of ‘Project Fear’ scare stories from biblical prophets of doom, who warned economic catastrophe would befall Britain, the indomitable public sent a clear message to the politicians: Get us out!

Wednesday marks 1,000 days since the Brexit referendum. Leave voters in Sunderland (pictured) were some of the first people to start celebrating

Despite being visibly stunned by the extraordinary — and unexpected — result, the party leaders agreed to implement the electorate’s will.

Soon, it was said, the country would finally become a truly sovereign nation for the first time in 45 years.

We could halt unpopular free movement, regain control of borders, ditch the loathed Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies, end the European Court’s jurisdiction over British law and set sail on the high seas of global trade with flourishing economies. And, to boot, stop sending billions of pounds annually to the Brussels spendthrifts.

How long ago it now seems! Today the dream, if not dead, is gasping pitifully on life support.

House of Commons Speaker John Bercow has been a staunch opponent of Brexit, despite the referendum result

The culprit? An out-of-touch, elitist Parliament which has shamefully failed to enact the explicit desire of the electorate.

A motley mixture of incompetent MPs, masochistically intransigent Eurosceptic zealots, treacherous Remainers and a supercilious, sabotaging Speaker have conspired to thwart Brexit.

As her deal floundered, no wonder Theresa May was forced to make the embarrassing admission that Britain was embroiled in a ‘national crisis’.

Let us be crystal clear: this is a humiliation for the United Kingdom. There are no two ways about: the failure to pass a deal in the 1,000 days since June 23, 2016, has made us an international laughing stock.

Theresa May’s inability to get Parliament to agree to her deal has left European Commissioner Jean-Claude Juncker aghast

Rubbing salt into the wound, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has suggested watering down the Prime Minister’s withdrawal agreement to a deal so soft it would make an aghast public wonder why they had bothered to leave in the first place.

For millions of moderate, pragmatic people across the nation, the unsavoury events unfolding in Westminster must seem a monumental act of betrayal.

Out in the real world, where men and women have jobs, incomes and mortgages that rely on a stable government, the tawdry antics can have been nothing short of bewildering. All they wanted was a sensible resolution. They must feel foolish for putting so much faith in politicians!

The British economy continues to yield healthy growth since the Brexit referendum, despite warnings from former Chancellor George Osborne

While the incessant squabbling of MPs has brought Government to a standstill, those self-same hardtoiling folk have been getting on with the task of keeping the country going.

And an excellent job they are doing. Figures yesterday show the jobs miracle continuing apace. Employment is at a record high (32.7 million in work) while unemployment has fallen below four per cent for the first time since 1975 — when the UK was on the brink of becoming an economic basket case.

Meanwhile, real wages saw their biggest increase since the 2008 crash. These are numbers the stagnating eurozone can only dream of.

So it is no wonder heads of companies are tearing their hair out — along with the rest of a frustrated, irritated nation — at Parliament’s abject failure to get a deal over the line.

Parliament’s inability to agree to a deal on Brexit has heads of companies tearing their hair out

The International Monetary Fund recently said that if agreement was reached, the resulting economic surge would see UK growth quickly outpace even that of Germany. The prize for delivering Brexit is enormous.

And by their towering incompetence, the preening egotists in Westminster — seemingly more interested in political posturing and clucking about arcane Parliamentary procedure than what is good for the nation — have also jeopardised a £26.6 billion ‘Brexit bonus’.

Raked in by Chancellor Philip Hammond to spend after all EU liabilities had been paid, it was cash that could have been spent on police battling the knife-crime epidemic, our creaking railways, under-strain care system, schools and tax cuts. But now that is at risk of being squandered.

Even Donald Trump’s top adviser, John Bolton, yesterday announced that the U.S. was ready to sign a mammoth trade deal with the UK after Brexit. Talk about killing the goose that laid the golden egg!

Donald Trump has talked of prioritising a trade deal with the UK after the country left the European Union

How on earth has it come to this?

The Mail is the first to admit Mrs May’s Brexit deal is not flawless. There are obvious concerns that Britain could be temporarily stuck in the Irish backstop and governed by EU rules — hampering our chance to sign agreements with economies in the rest of the world.

But there are overwhelming positives. It was a sensible deal that stood the best chance of repairing a nation fractured by Brexit, honoured the referendum result and ensures that our departure will be orderly and amicable

There is no single plan which commands a majority. The British people do not want their desire for independence from the EU stymied by a second referendum, or a Norway-style deal that would leave this country shackled to the bloc without voting rights. But neither do they want a chaotic No Deal.

The Prime Minister has been the only grown-up in the room during the protracted Brexit negotiations

The Prime Minister’s fate for tirelessly and resolutely thrashing out a conciliatory pact? Carping, mockery and duplicity, from MPs on all sides of the political spectrum in Westminster, and sneering from Brussels.

Few come out of the whole sorry debacle with a smidgen of credit — except for the Prime Minister, the only grown-up in the room.

Predictably, even as she battled to salvage her ailing deal yesterday, there was a beauty parade of ambitious Tory ministers keen to peacock their leadership credentials, instead of rallying behind the Prime Minister — whatever their reservations about the deal.

And on an extraordinary day, Boris Johnson, who quit the Cabinet in a fit of pique over her negotiating strategy, was spotted entering No 10 — presumably demanding his price for his (eventual) support.

Boris Johnson visited Theresa May on Tuesday, presumably demanding a price for his support

Meanwhile, despite a lifelong hatred of the EU, Jeremy Corbyn’s stand on Brexit was one of ambiguous evasion. The Labour leader insinuated he supports a second referendum and that, if he did, he might back Remain . . . or not . . .entirely depending on who he was talking to.

This preposterous Marxist’s only desire is to force a General Election. Yet if he seized the keys to No 10, his hard-Left clique would drive the economy into a ditch. That would be a national calamity.

But the most deplorable of all the subversives are the Jacob Rees-Mogg-led European Research Group — the Hard Brexiteers’ trade union. They have insisted on the purist of pure Brexits.

But the supreme irony is that, by hubristically making the perfect the enemy of the good, they risk losing the prize they have sought for two generations: Brexit itself.

Jacob Rees-Mogg and the European Research Group may have cost themselves a chance at leaving the EU

It is difficult to envisage how the hardliners will be able to look each other in the face if Britain is forced to stay in the EU, let alone deal with the anger of millions of voters.

Now Mrs May will write to Brussels requesting an extension, although it is not clear what Mr Barnier, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker et al will offer. Whatever it is, it will undoubtedly come attached with painful conditions.

But if the Prime Minister manages to wangle a third vote on her deal, Brexiteers must decide what they really want: swallowing leaving the EU on her terms, seeing it diluted or consigned to the dustbin of history.

If it is the latter, 1,000 days — and 1,000 potential opportunities — will have been shamefully wasted.

How did victory turn to this?

The post The Daily Mail reviews 1,000 days of incompetence since Brexit vote appeared first on Gyrlversion.

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#Entertainment News

[writer59january13]

the personal as political

     Analogous to turning radio dial upon frequency modulation blaring favorite station suddenly naturally accompanying discernible pronounced surge of static sound waves (especially at broadcaster airing hottest tunes, one feels induced to:i. hurl the bloody high fidelity top of line stereo system (of a down) out the window; ii. inflict self harm preceded via blood letting leeches; iii. upgrading additional memory application for the pseudo donny mass writer of these words.

    Either measure only increases popping, crackling, snapchatting along the bandwidth incorporating other audiological frequencies, particularly where religious channels (despite substantial distances) blast forth loud and clear.

    The same inexplicable phenomena (i.e. intense electronic "noise" arises when adjusting the audio knob to the sole survivor classical station, when Bach in the day, this heir of a renown Kapellmeister (who frowns on adulation, exaltation, or illustration of self) since his upbringing arose from humble origins (species unknown).

    As appreciation of the Latin phrase reductio ad absurdum please let the following Biblical apothegm be totally irrelevant despite admission, allusion without exoneration, collusion with uber collision coverage Lyft Nationwide, attestation, et cetera from this atheist absent any clear cut kindling correlation.    

    "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, "scripture quoting Jesus recorded in the synoptic gospels: I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 

    Rebuttal warning! Do not avert your gaze unless ye can explain how a large animal (usually with at least one hump per dink) can slip thru a hole slightly bigger than a pinhead.

    A hunch that biochemists must be cloning near microscopic dromedary or one mega size sewing needle. Nonetheless and needless to "say", these beasts of burden mainly suitable as caravanserai for ants found in France.          

     While adorned with figurative blinders, this scrivener lacked horse sense asper posting an unbridled bit tinged with political undertones. A reader felt stirred up after I trotted out said spur re: us writing on an undisclosed social media website.                

     The garbled galloping gaffe sparked an online dressing down toward my riding high on the saddle communique titled piece hove crop "Putin (Non Gmo Gluten Free Cheese) On The Ritz. 

    Said unnamed person on BLANK social media platform called me out. This stallion wannabe did not rein in written transgression. Without taking lock, stock and barrel of unfettered poetic disquisition, yours truly admittedly (in the mane) went a foal and did not harness verboten non tack tickle verbiage.  

    No disagreement against deserved, unsolicited reaction to get (figuratively) whipped. This chap does pony up punning about United States government. 

    He accepts withering, trotting out blistering umbrage defying strictures disallowing hinted Democratic or Republican points hoof view. 

    Rather than agitate, dilate (as opposed to early tomb hie death), gyrate Jar Jar Binks (this included for nary a handy dandy blues clues) jesting meaninglessly per singing vapidly yields phone knee baloney.

    Quite understandable my poppycock bolted uncontrollably from metaphorical stable. The unexpurgated missive will not be repeated lest the online facilitator once again take umbrage, and goes hay wire. 

     Perhaps privilege to post future feeble lettered attempts of mine will be immediately corralled.     That outcome preferable versus being jailed, and unable to pay bale!     If this wordsmith fetlock hit, he could choose to expand this pablum add hock (whose barn storming emanates about thirty five miles northwest of Filly), he will not breach codas effecting fearsome heretical invective. 

    He avers that his previous gam bit trespassed outside the parameters decreed by virtual facilitator. Hands held high, yours truly pleaded tubby put in a paddock.      

     Such indiscriminate neigh saying in violation of specific stricture barring politics casts me as no mister Ed, but mane lee in farrier to other riders with threat from online.      

     Hoop fully, all Apollo gees twill be accepted from this matted Harris Tweed Scottish tartan ode dee us pencil necked geek. Obliviousness (came in like a cowpoke and out like a bovine chip from the outskirts of Poker Flats) momentarily loo sing me mum oar rings (matter of fact rudderless syndrome over washing minimal shreds of moost every sketchily etched convoluted asininely worded pastiche of gobbledygook.      

     Noun intent for this subject to be the direct object of textured scorn, ridicule, quilted pun hush ment. Yea, he unwittingly, unintentionally, unequivocally, et cetera impinged on the pro noun sta taboo stipulated off limits of Marcy's Playground veering into the sandbox of politics. 

    Honest tug hod, this plain spoken tired unpretentious varmint steers clear broaching controversial matter, and hence dust newt take objection sans mild rebuke, cuz aye hate to roil hull lee revile reasonable rationale.       

     Ma miner over the fence blithe asseveration for recognition kindled jarring displeasure on behalf of forum moderator, now finds this bone a fide add hock tweedle dum in the snoop doggy dog doubling up as Pooh's house (for Whinny zee Equine you ninny!           

     The innocuous missive not purposely POSTED to incite antagonism, nor does deliberate intent to aggravate, provoke hostility invoking comment against zero tolerance alluding to politically decreed material. this non-confrontational fellow found himself unexpectedly locked in digital crosshairs while in hot water in reference my painted posting regarding politics.

      Aye proclaim genuine heartfelt displeasure at myself for unintended provocation, disapprobation, yet also bring to light that expressing sentiments about one nagging (dog gone) pet peeve tubular theme almost invariably impinges on notions tangential to other than the idea espoused. 

    Thus in my humble opinion, this reasonably cogent, fervent, intelligent, (non-biased) et cetera versatile nebbish wordsmith doth not blatantly, deliberately, flagrantly, et cetera drive his focus along track of controversial route, (and find himself railroaded in the process) without exposing indirect objection pertaining to a hot button issue. 

    Brainstorming bupkis on thy Facebook page will not draw the same degree of ire -land ding ma tushy on a vermin invested clinker with only thin gruel ladled out by an oaf phish shuss jail warden, whose near eternal presence monitoring word manglers (who dangerously split infinities, ply pluperfect phraseology, dangle modifiers, et cetera.

adieu: matthew scott harris

[cchq2]

Brokenshire: Building a stronger and more prosperous future for Northern Ireland

Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, speaking today at Conservative Party Conference in Manchester said:

 (Check against delivery)

 Conference, as you've just heard in that typically passionate, powerful and inspiring speech from Ruth Davidson.... as Conservatives we are proud in our United Kingdom and resolute in support of the special bonds that bind us together.... 

 And it is great to have Ruth as leader of the Scottish Conservatives taking the SNP to task and taking that positive message to the people of Scotland.

 As Conservatives, we're proud of the values of democracy, justice, freedom of speech, equality and basic fairness that define our Country

 Proud in our outward looking approach to the world.

 Proud of our traditions, our culture, our history and what we have achieved.

 And steadfast in our belief that our best days lie ahead of us not behind us.

 It is this spirit of optimism that guides our vision as Conservatives.

 And how our prosperity is enhanced by our precious union of four great nations.

 In this party we value the huge contribution that people from Northern Ireland make to all parts of our national life.

 Business... the arts... science... technology... public service... sport.

 Our clear belief is that Northern Ireland's future is best served as part of a stronger United Kingdom... and the United Kingdom is strengthened by Northern Ireland.

 So let the message ring out loud and clear from this Conference.

 In this party and this Government we will never be neutral in expressing our support for the Union.

  But we recognise and respect that a significant section of Northern Ireland legitimately aspires to a different constitutional future.

 And while all reliable tests of opinion demonstrate overwhelming support for the current constitutional arrangements... we will always abide by the principle of consent and govern in the interests of the whole community.

 As our Manifesto made clear… and our commitment to the Stormont House Agreement sets out… we also know that we need to respond to the issues of the past… recognising the pain that many continue to feel… so that Northern Ireland can look to the future.

 Upholding the rule of law in ways which are just, fair proportionate and equitable.

 And which do not focus unfairly or unjustly on those who served in the security forces whose service, bravery and sacrifice have enabled us to benefit from the peace and stability we enjoy today.

  Making the political settlement work remains our overriding priority and I am determined that Northern Ireland will continue to prosper... continue to progress.... and that we build a Northern Ireland that works for everyone.

 That's the job we are getting on with and I want to thank my great Ministerial team of Chloe Smith and Nick Bourne, my PPS David Morris and our whip Nigel Adams.

 I also want to put on record my appreciation of the work of Andrew Dunlop and that of Kris Hopkins and Oliver Colville.

 We miss Kris and Oliver from the Commons and want to see them back doing the job they both do so well.

 I want to welcome Arlene Foster and her colleagues from the Democratic Unionist Party who are attending our conference this week, as they have before.

 We are and will remain two separate parties with our distinctive identities and values.  On some issues, we will disagree.

 But as two parties we are working together at Westminster in the national interest.

 Providing the political stability our country needs to respond to some of the most significant challenges and opportunities in a generation...

 And standing firm against Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party who would lead our country down a path to economic ruin and leave people worse off… just like they always do.

 That is what working in the national interest is all about.

  Next April will mark the twentieth anniversary of the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement.

 And next December will see the twenty fifth anniversary of John Major signing the Downing Street Declaration which paved the way for it.

 There is no doubt that the 1998 Agreement was an historic landmark in the history of Northern Ireland and Ireland.

 Terrorist atrocities … and the security presence needed to counter them … are no longer a daily fact of life.

 Relations between Northern Ireland and Ireland … and between the United Kingdom and Ireland … are stronger than ever.

 The Northern Ireland economy is continuing to grow as we Conservatives carry on the job of repairing the UK from the disaster we inherited in 2010 from Labour.

 But there is still a long way to go if we are to build the truly enterprise-driven economy that is needed.

 So I’m committed to taking forward our manifesto pledges to develop city deals in Northern Ireland…

to explore the potential to establish a UK Government hub as part of a move of public bodies out of London…

 And to see the devolution of corporation tax … to enable Northern Ireland to compete for business on a level playing field with Ireland.

 But that requires a functioning Executive with stable and sustainable finances.

 Sadly, despite our extensive efforts and those of the Irish government … consistent with the three stranded approach ... Northern Ireland hasn't had a properly functioning devolved government since the start of the year.

 As Conservatives we believe in devolution... believe in decisions being made as close to the community as possible... believe in locally elected politicians getting on with the job and being held accountable by a locally elected Assembly.

 But if the parties remain unable to find a way through we risk heading down a different path.

 Where the UK government will need to provide the necessary political stability and governance... starting with the setting of a budget for Northern Ireland later this month.

 Not because we want to... but because we have to.

 This isn't what I want to see.

 It isn't what serves Northern Ireland's interests.

 And it doesn't need to happen.

  Over the years, the political parties in Northern Ireland have found a way through the issues that have divided them.

 They have shown leadership in resolving hugely challenging and sensitive issues.

 They have created political stability which has been an example to world.

 As President Clinton said to me recently... we just can't go backwards.

 So my message to the parties is now is the time to reach agreement.

 Now is the time to look beyond the issues that divide you.

 Show the resolve you have demonstrated in the past.

 And let's get on with delivering the brighter, prosperous Northern Ireland we know can be achieved.

  The parties have shown that ability to put difference behind them over Bombardier.

 I am deeply disappointed by the initial determination of Boeing’s challenge to the sale of C series aircraft.

 The support that the UK provided to the Bombardier operation in Belfast was and remains compliant with international requirements.

 We will continue to defend UK interests and work with Bombardier to safeguard the jobs and livelihoods of over 4,000 skilled workers and their families in Belfast and across Northern Ireland.

 I say to Boeing this case is unjustified and unwarranted.

 This action is not what is expected of a long-term partner to the UK.

 They need to get round the table and secure a negotiated outcome to this dispute quickly.

  We are also determined to secure a prosperous future for our country as we leave the European Union.

 And I want to make one thing very clear.

 We joined the Common Market in 1973 as one United Kingdom … and we will leave the European Union in 2019 as one United Kingdom.

 That includes leaving the single market and the customs union so that we can strike new trade deals with the rest of the world.

 At the same time, we recognise the need to address the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland, as part of the UK, and Ireland as a member of the EU.

 ... That the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement is upheld,

 … That the Common Travel Area across these islands is maintained

 … That the rights of citizens and relations North-South are preserved

 … That the border for people, goods and services between Northern Ireland and Ireland remains as seamless and frictionless as possible with no physical infrastructure at the border.

 And of course… that there is no border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland or anything that fractures the internal market of the United Kingdom which benefits Northern Ireland hugely.

 Significant progress has already been made as shown in Brussels last week.

 And with sufficient flexibility and imagination on all sides … as the EU itself has called for … we can succeed.

 As for Labour… well they seem to think that Northern Ireland should somehow stay within the EU when the UK leaves.

 We’ll take no lessons from Labour when Northern Ireland matters so much to them, they couldn’t even find time to discuss its affairs on their Conference floor last week.

 Let nobody be in any doubt as to this Conservative government’s commitment to achieving the right outcome for Northern Ireland and the right outcome for the United Kingdom as a whole.

 And that could not be more so than on the issues of co-operation on security and public safety.

 That matters not just in Northern Ireland, but to the UK as a whole, as events here in Manchester in May tragically underlined.

 We stand together with the people of Manchester against those who would seek to divide us.

 In Northern Ireland the threat from dissident republican terrorists remains severe … and as we have seen from their attempts to murder this year they have lethal intent and capability.

 In addition, too many communities in Northern Ireland still live in the grip of paramilitary groups … criminals who use fear and intimidation to exert control to line their own pockets.

 Tackling terrorism and paramilitary activity requires a strategic approach which I believe we have in place.

 So, as ever, I want to underline our thanks and our strongest possible support to the brave men and women of the Police Service of Northern Ireland who … along with our other security agencies … do such a superb job day in, day out upholding the law and keeping people safe.

 In just a few years’ time we will mark one hundred years of Northern Ireland.

 It goes without saying that Northern Ireland’s history has often been turbulent.

 There have been many tragedies and suffering … on all sides.

 But looking ahead to 2021 I want us to be able to present a modern, inclusive, outward looking Northern Ireland as part of a truly global United Kingdom.

 A Northern Ireland that is putting the bitterness of the past behind it … and is uniting for the common good of everyone who lives there.

A Northern Ireland overcoming its divided past … and committed to building a united community.

One Northern Ireland in which everyone has a shared interest.

 I believe that can be a real possibility.

 By restoring the institutions.

 Dealing with the legacy of the past.

 Strengthening the economy.

 And making a success of leaving the EU.

 Make no mistake.

 This Conservative Party and this Conservative team will strive to meet all these objectives.

 And as Northern Ireland approaches its centenary… build a stronger and more prosperous future for all.

 ENDS

[rulystuff]

https://servicemeltdown.com/germany-has-welched-on-its-moral-obligations-before/

New Post has been published on https://servicemeltdown.com/germany-has-welched-on-its-moral-obligations-before/

GERMANY HAS WELCHED ON ITS MORAL OBLIGATIONS BEFORE

Editor’s note: Having traveled on business throughout Germany deploying complex information technology projects, I can vouch for the German predilection with rules, process, programs, and structures. In the end, everything we set out to accomplish as part of our project rollouts we did so on time and on budget thanks to the hard work of our German team members. A nagging irritant that we had to endure, however, was an unflagging emphasis on frugality. This quality of the German character borders on the religious and we are seeing it play out on the international stage. Lest there be any doubt how foundational the belief in frugality is for the German nation, no less a luminary than the great philosopher Immanuel Kant stated in his tome on metaphysical morals that, “Frugality in all things is the reasonable behavior of an honorable person.”

President Trump and several of his administration’s officials have repeatedly pointed out that Germany has been shirking its 2% of GDP defense budget target agreed to as recently as 2014. This is the case despite the fact that the United States keeps over 34,000 troops stationed in Germany at a cost of nearly $6 billion and to which Germany contributes only about 18% in the form of in-kind services. In addition to the troop levels stationed in Germany, the Department of Defense has something in excess of 17,000 civilians in country. Germany’s economy, of course, is the direct beneficiary of so many Americans spending their hard-earned dollars domestically.

To be sure, Germany is not the only nation which chooses to finance national defense on the cheap. But as the largest economy on the continent – at $3.7 trillion, Germany’s GDP is roughly 50% greater than either the United Kingdom’s or France’s – one might expect a less tightfisted commitment than the current 1.3% of GDP which Germany spends on defense. This is a puny sum indeed. In fact, on a per capita basis, Germany spends no more on defense than does the economic basket case that is Greece. Incidentally, as impoverished as the nation of Greece is, it is one of only nine countries of the twenty-nine NATO alliance that does meet its 2% obligation.

Clearly, it is a great comfort to the Europeans that the United States watches their backs, while picking up the tab on roughly 22% of NATO’s expense budget.

The niggardly German defense budget has onerous security consequences for the country and the continent yet there is a new-found outrage at President Trump’s plan to redeploy approximately 9,500 troops stationed in Germany to other theaters such as Poland. That the United States threatens to weaken NATO by its action to remove approximately 25% of its troops from Germany is a spurious claim.

Consider that fewer than half of Germany’s fighter jets are able to fly their missions for lack of parts, and German soldiers are moved to hide their army’s lack of materiel by using broomsticks in lieu of non-existing heavy machine guns during war games. The German argument for its lack of financial commitment to NATO’s defense is as specious as it is creative. It goes something like this: national defense goes beyond military spending. Some types of development aid, the German government says, should count as defense spending. In a nutshell, this is a way of saying that the harboring of more than a million Syrian and other Middle Eastern refugees is tantamount to protecting Europe’s borders from aggressors!

DOES DEVELOPMENT AID INCLUDE WORLD WAR II REPARATIONS?

It is curious that Germany’s apparent magnanimity does not extend to owning up to the disaster and carnage it caused with its aggressive militarism during the better part of the twentieth century. Greece represents a tragic case in point.

During WW II, Greece lost more lives than the United States and the United Kingdom combined. Roughly, ten percent of the population of Greece – in excess of 500,000 souls – perished at the hands of the Butchers of Berlin largely through executions or the famine caused by the destruction of crop fields and animal stock. What is more, the Nazis looted Greek banks, took out sham loans, and confiscated all of the available gold, silver, nickel, and copper in the nation.

The Nazis destroyed houses, farms, public buildings, schools, hospitals, ports, canals, roads, train tracks, and bridges. Similarly, most Greek shipping and all telephone communications were destroyed. In addition, over 1,700 villages were burned to the ground many with the elderly, women, and children hunkered down in their infernal dwellings unable to escape. The Nazi savagery outdid itself in the small village of Distomo located northwest of Athens. In 1944, following an ambush of a Nazi unit by Greek irregulars the Waffen SS returned to massacre 228 men, women and children. The carnage was severe as women were raped before being murdered, infants were bayoneted, the village priest beheaded, and the town burned to the ground. Beyond these atrocities, the Nazis appropriated much of Greece’s antiquities from a number of public and private museum collections as well as from archeological sites. German officers, and before them Italian soldiers of one stripe or another, had a field day boxing and crating antiquities which they then shipped back to their countries of origin. Antiquities which could not be carted off, were wantonly destroyed as to preclude any possible restoration.

The German devastation was so complete that Greece became devoid of the infrastructure, the institutions, and the systems, essential to properly function as a modern nation. In the aftermath of the war, Greece predictably descended into civil war, chaos, and more death. The de-Hellinization of the country was now complete.

WHO OWES WHAT TO WHOM?

It is clever double-dealing that Germany, in league with the Troika – the triumvirate of the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund, and the European Central Bank – dishes out a crippling dose of austerity and browbeats the small nation of Greece on the international stage to meet its loan commitments while it steadfastly refuses to acknowledge its own obligations. We have seen this movie before: Germany made its last payment to American claimants of WW I reparations in 2010.

In 2015, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Dimitris Mardas, announced that Greece was owed roughly $305 billion according to calculations made by the country’s general accounting office. This is a sum that includes actual damages, interest, and inflation. This marks the first time the reparations claim has been formalized with such precision and it’s entirely credible. The Germans, of course, have scoffed at the notion that any monies are due inasmuch as there is no strict legal basis on which Greece can press its claim. This is another German cultural trait at work known as besserwisser or knowing better.

The key, however, is whether the Holocaust visited on the Greeks by its Nazi occupiers hinges on legal niceties or on the moral and ethical behaviors expected of civilized nations. Ironically, Germany was the principal beneficiary of our moral largesse as approximately two-thirds of its war indebtedness, much of it provided by the Marshall Plan, was forgiven. If ever you wondered what explains the German economic “miracle” in the aftermath of the war this is a good place to start looking. The other place to look is at the current roster of household names of German industrial might, names such as Audi, BASF, Bayer, Hoechst, Daimler, VW, Siemens, and Bosch, and wonder how these companies were able to make such a swift recovery after Hitler’s defeat. The answer is indisputable and yet shameful: Germany’s industrial might was built on the backs of over 300,000 slave laborers.

President Trump and his administration should not fall prey to Germany’s dilatory approach to meeting its financial commitments to NATO. Germany has stated that it will meet its 2% target by 2031. It’s reasonable to assume, therefore, that If the Germans are not alarmed about Russian tanks racing down the Autobahn before 2031 then neither should the United States. 

GERMANY PLAYS BOTH ENDS AGAINST THE MIDDLE

Maybe our concern with Germany’s well-being is overblown as the nation is a deft double-dealer. Two examples should make the point: 1) Germany’s sermonizing to America about staying in the Iran Nuclear deal has little to do with mitigating Iran’s threat as a nuclear power.  What it has more to do with is the fact that Germany is Iran’s largest trading partner. In 2017, hundreds of German firms traded in excess of $4.0 billion with Iran. The export-based German economy has no scruples. 2) Germany and Russia are schmoozing about a gas pipeline that would run under the Baltic Sea and double the existing supply of gas to Germany. The geopolitical consequences of such a move would result in increasing Russia’s leverage over the continent’s smaller states, and box Poland out of the gas transit business. And, maybe all of that figures into Germany’s calculus.

When it comes to Poland, especially, the United States cannot welch as Germany has done to nations so many times before. Poland is a staunch United States ally whose recently deployed Patriot missile defense system is meant to counterbalance Russian cruise missiles stationed along the Polish border. The nation is stable, democratic, with a strong and growing free market economy, and always wary of the antics of Germany – and, for all practical purposes its agent the European Union. As I point out in my essay, Globalization: An Anti-Democratic Nightmare in the Making, Germany casts a long shadow over Poland. One can only hope that the first line of the Polish national anthem, “Poland has not yet perished”, will hold true to form.

If German arrogance knows no bounds neither should our vigilance. Consider that a member of the Bundestag – the German parliament – and leader of the third largest political party, the (AfD), Alexander Gauland, said recently that “Hitler and the Nazis were a speck of bird s— in over 1,000 years of successful German history.” Clearly, Germany’s looming political and economic despotism throughout all of Europe must be held in check.