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They are unlikely to be revelatory, will shatter no myths, nor disprove any assumptions. Cabinet documents exist to merely show that a political clique – the heart of the Westminster model of government, so to speak – often contain the musings of invertebrates, spineless on most issues such as foreign policy, while operating at the behest of select interests. Hostility to originality is essential since it is threatening to the tribe; dissent is discouraged to uphold the order of collective cabinet responsibility.
The recent non-story arising from the cabinet documents made available as to why Australia participated in a murderous, destructive and most probably illegal war against Iraq in 2003 proves that point. The documents available showed, for instance, that a country, without mandatory parliamentary consultation, can go to war under the stewardship of a cabal influenced by the strategic interests of a foreign government. The Howard government, famously buried in the fatty posterior of the US imperium, was always going to commit Australian military personnel to whatever military venture Washington demanded of it. (In some cases, even without asking.)
It was modish to suggest during the “Global War on Terror” that governments with fictional weapons of mass destruction might pass them on to surrogate non-state actors. It was fashionable to misread intelligence material alleging such links, and, when that intelligence did not stack up, concoct it, as Tony Blair’s government happily did, sexed-up dossiers and all, in justifying Britain’s participation in the mauling of Iraq.
The larger story in the recent documents affair over Iraq was what documents were withheld from the provision to the Australian National Archives in 2020. In his January 3 press conference, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albaneseoutlined the process. Normally, cabinet documents would be released two decades after their creation. Such documents are provided to the Archives three years in advance by the government of the day. But on this occasion, 78 were omitted from the transfer, enabling Albanese to point the finger firmly at his predecessor, Scott Morrison. (Those documents have since been transferred to the Archives.)
“Australians have the right to know the basis upon which Australia went to war in Iraq. Australians lost their lives during the conflict and we know that some of the stated reasons for going to war was not correct in terms of the weapons of mass destruction that was alleged Iraq had at the time.”
Australians, he went on to say, had “a right to know what the decision-making process was”.
The mistake in question had to be corrected, and the Archives had to release the documentation provided to them. A constricting caveat, however, was appended to the declaration: the release of the documents had to “account for any national security issues […] upon the advice of the national security agencies.”
The caveat is a good starting point to suggest that this documents saga, and the restrictions upon the disclosure of the missing 78 Cabinet records, are set to continue. For one thing, Albanese has added to the farce of secrecy by commencing an independent review that is barely worth that title. The review is to be chaired by the very sort of person you would expect to bury rather than find things: Dennis Richardson, former director of the Australian Secret Intelligence Organisation and former head of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
Richardson’s appointment continues a practice of partisan control over a process that should be beyond the national-security fraternity. There are fewer strings of accountability, as would apply, say, to the Commonwealth Ombudsman. There are no terms of reference outlined. Short of simply being a political manoeuvre that might cast a poor light on the previous government’s practices, it is unclear what Richardson’s purpose really is apart from justifying the retention of any of the said documents from public view.
Either way, he will be on a tidy sum for the task, something which he is becoming rather used to. As The Klaxonreports, Richardson has been well remunerated by the PM&C for previous work. A $50,000-a-month contract was awarded to him last year for “strategic advice and review” between August 2 and October 31. The department refuses to state what it was for, preferring the insufferably vague justification of some “need for independent research or assessment”. Be on guard whenever the term “independent” is coupled with “inquiry” or “assessment” in an Australian government context.
A media release from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet further notes that no department official or Minister has a direct role in the release or otherwise of the documents in question; the Archives will have the final say on whether those documents will be released or otherwise, whatever Albanese says. Researchers, transparency activists and those keen on open government, are almost guaranteed disappointment, given the habitual secrecy and dysfunction that characterises the operation of that body.
If there is a true lesson in this untidy business for the Albanese government, it must surely lie in the need to debate, discuss and dissent from matters that concern the entanglement of Australia, not merely in foreign wars but in alliances that cause them. That, sadly, is a lesson that is nowhere being observed. Howard’s crawling disposition has found its successor in Albanese’s obsequiousness, in so far as foreign conflicts are concerned. Wherever the US war machine is deployed, Australia will hop to its aid with gleeful obedience.
And as for anything to do with revealing the Australian decision-making process about the decision to invade, despoil and ruin yet another Middle Eastern state in 2003, one is better off consulting records from the White House and the US State Department.
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Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He currently lectures at RMIT University. He is a Research Associate at the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG). Email: bkampmark@gmail.com
Featured image: A Long Range Patrol Vehicle-mounted SASR patrol in western Iraq (Licensed under Fair Use)
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“Leave the World Behind” depicts the unraveling of society in the wake of a surprise attack by an unknown assailant. Many believe the film, produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, predicts a cyberattack on the U.S. power grid
A cyberattack that will make the COVID pandemic look like a minor inconvenience in comparison has been repeatedly “promised” in recent years by World Economic Forum (WEF) founder Klaus Schwab
“Leave the World Behind” doesn’t preach preparedness ideologies or indulge in apocalyptic fantasies. Instead, it offers a glimpse into the potential ramifications of societal breakdowns and the human condition’s capacity for both despair and resilience
It urges viewers to confront their own vulnerabilities, fostering a critical examination of our dependency on interconnected systems and the importance of building individual and communal resources
Take inspiration from the film, not to live in fear, but to act with intention. Build your own “ark,” hone your skills and cultivate a strong community around you. By embracing preparedness, you can face the uncertainties of the future with resilience and hope
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Video
In the video above, Patrick Bet-David, Adam Sosnick, Tom Ellsworth and Vincent Oshana with the PBD Podcast discuss whether Barack Obama’s chilling new Netflix film based on Rumaan Alam’s unsettling novel, “Leave the World Behind,” might be predicting that a cyberattack on the U.S. power grid is imminent.
Certainly, a cyberattack that will make the COVID pandemic look like a minor inconvenience in comparison has been repeatedly “promised” in recent years by World Economic Forum (WEF) founder Klaus Schwab and other globalists.
Lightly-Veiled Narratives
“Leave the World Behind” doesn’t just depict the unraveling of society as we know it in the wake of a surprise attack by an unknown assailant, it serves as a stark wake-up call for us to consider our own preparedness for a world without the familiar crutches of modern infrastructure.
Forget zombies and alien invasions; this film dives into the scarier, more plausible possibility of a slow, insidious breakdown of the systems that underpin our daily lives. Approaching this film with awareness helps unpack several lightly-veiled narratives.
Technocratic centralized global agendas like The Great Reset, depopulation, or social credit scoring systems that will erode autonomy could manifest through engineered crises that rally public obedience. Whether it’s from bioterror events, cyberattacks, lockdowns or strategic electric grid sabotages that override liberty for “security,” societal PTSD primes people to accept new norms for stability.
Totalitarian tip-toe tactics and manufactured chaos lets hidden hands manipulate populations toward desired power shifts disguised as natural outcomes. Disaster births massive opportunities for control when the public is too overwhelmed to scrutinize capital flows or ask questions.
Cui Bono?
Who benefits? Those who orchestrated the crisis. Interestingly, one of the false narratives this film tries to casually embed in the public psyche is that there is no shadowy cabal pulling the strings. Quoted from the film:
“A conspiracy theory about a shadow group of people running the world is far too lazy of an explanation, especially when the truth is far scarier. No one is in control. No one is puling the strings. When an event like this happens, the best even the most powerful people can hope for is a heads-up.”
“Do you actually believe that no one pulls the strings?” Bet-David asks. I for one don’t. There’s ample evidence to show that certain groups, organizations and individuals are paving the path for humanity, oftentimes decades in advance, if not longer. Schwab has even admitted as much. During remarks at the May 2022 WEF Summit in Davos he told the carefully curated audience:1
“The future is not something that just happens. The future is built by us, by a powerful community, as you here in this room.”
Conspiracy Theory or Cautionary Tale?
Whether “Leave the World Behind” proves conspiracy theory or cautionary tale, arm yourself with provisions and principles that will check any tyranny rising from the orchestrated ashes. We the people, united, will never be defeated. Where decentralization flourishes, so does freedom.
This controversy extends beyond the film’s story, weaving into questions about media’s potential to influence real-world events and the anxieties of a society constantly on the precipice of change.
The film centers around the Sanford family, their idyllic Hamptons vacation shattered by cryptic warnings of a brewing catastrophe. As communication networks flicker and the familiar hum of infrastructure fades, the Sanfords are forced to confront a sobering reality: Their existence depends on a web of interconnected systems precariously balanced on the edge of collapse.
This vulnerability, mirrored in countless aspects of modern life, becomes the film’s central theme, serving as a stark reminder of our reliance on electricity, internet and logistical supply chains that now seem so easily disrupted.
Predictive Programming?
But “Leave the World Behind” isn’t merely a cautionary tale: It’s a catalyst for uncomfortable questions. Some speculate it constitutes predictive programming due to the inclusion of cryptic signs and symbols. Predictive programming theory suggests media subtly expose future agendas in a way audiences ingest without resistance.
In the video above, Dutch legal philosopher Eva Vlaardingerbroek discusses the predictive programming angle of the film on Bannon’s “War Room.” Like many others, she believes the film is showing us what globalists like the WEF have in store for us.
Archie, the Sanfords’ son, sporting a T-shirt emblazoned with the word “Obey” throughout the film, throws suspicion into the narrative. The “Obey” T-shirt is a reference to the 1988 John Carpenter film “They Live,” which similarly deals with society’s obsession with mass media and the public’s inability to see the body snatchers for what they were. In short, people were unable to see reality as it was.
Is Archie’s “Obey” T-shirt simply a nod to the childish expression of rebellion, or a chilling foreshadowing of a future where compliance becomes paramount in the face of chaos?
Adding further fuel to the fire is the film’s production company — Higher Ground Productions, cofounded by Barack and Michelle Obama. This connection, many say, also suggests a veiled agenda.
Dangers of Relying on Modern Conveniences
The Sanfords’ reliance on modern-day comforts and technology highlights the dangers of complacency and the fragility of our existence. In contrast, Mr. Scott, the enigmatic neighbor, embodies preparedness and resourcefulness. His stockpiling of supplies and proactive approach showcases the power of personal responsibility in the face of crisis.
“Leave the World Behind” doesn’t preach preparedness ideologies or indulge in apocalyptic fantasies. Instead, it offers a glimpse into the potential ramifications of societal breakdowns and the human condition’s capacity for both despair and resilience. It urges viewers to confront their own vulnerabilities, fostering a critical examination of our dependency on interconnected systems and the importance of building individual and communal resources.
Easter Eggs Hidden in the Movie
While there have been many articles written about the hidden messages in the movie, most of them miss the most important ones. In my view, it is these Easter eggs that push the movie into a good watch. There is no doubt in my mind that these concealed communications had nothing to do with the Obamas, who produced the film. They were far more likely put in by editors of the film.
The video above helped me identify the ingenious and intricately concealed Easter eggs embedded in the movie, which illuminate the imminent importance of trust as a pivotal element in the catastrophic circumstances depicted in the movie. Within this cryptic storytelling, the vital role of trust during tumultuous times is unraveled.
The narrative strategically implies that the values and structures individuals build their lives upon might become obsolete overnight, and it exposes the unfortunate reality that amidst turmoil, human nature often leads to a disintegration of unity, where trust erodes, and individuals tend to betray rather than help one another. As such, the film unveils the inherent vulnerabilities in human interactions.
At its core, the narrative hints at the unsettling reality that in a crisis, human relationships will likely falter. This exposes vulnerabilities as people, driven by instinct or desperation, might betray one another, leaving the very essence of trust fractured in the face of adversity.
The video above has a completely different take on Rose’s character. Her childlike innocence amidst the chaos is a stark contrast, and her naiveté serves as a lens through which we witness innocence amid the turmoil, as she grapples with an unfamiliar situation.
Rose symbolizes a profound truth about trusting oneself — an attribute that often wanes as individuals transition into adulthood. Her role as a surrogate for all children becomes evident, offering a profound lesson amid turbulent times.
Children, with their unwavering trust in themselves, can serve as powerful role models and teachers in tumultuous moments. Rose’s innocence mirrors this unwavering trust, highlighting a valuable lesson lost in the journey to adulthood — a reminder to rekindle trust in oneself, especially in times of uncertainty and upheaval.
Rose’s obsession with watching the final episode of “Friends” may also be symbolic of her desire for resolution, an answer to the question, “How does it end?” which is something the viewers of “Leave the World Behind” do not get.
Avoid Venturing Outside Your Home During the Initial Chaos
While the film may raise uncomfortable questions about media manipulation and societal control, it also offers a beacon of hope — the hope that by acknowledging our vulnerabilities, fostering resilience, and engaging in honest conversations, we can emerge from the shadows of potential collapse more informed, adaptable and empowered.
I believe there is a very real possibility that the scenario the movie depicts could happen. Given everything we know, it would be foolish to ignore this warning and be unprepared for a disaster like this.
In case of a grid failure and infrastructure collapse, understanding that chaos will prevail in the streets is crucial, and must inform your decisions and preparations. And, the longer the grid failure persists, the more severe the chaos will become. While lockdowns might not be enforced, venturing outside of your property will be perilous.
Being able to stay sheltered at home will be paramount for safety, considering the risks of harm or worse amidst the chaos. So, preparation is key; identifying and acquiring essentials now, while you still can, is crucial. Two fundamental necessities stand out: food and water. Both are addressed in the sections below.
Food Prepping
Most prepping advice is clueless about optimal health, and while their suggestions of crackers and beans will keep you alive, it will also worsen your health.
After careful analysis and reflection, I suggest you consider stocking enough of the healthy provisions listed below to last you for two to eight weeks, as they will improve your health. If you are storing larger quantities, it will be helpful to rotate your food items and eat the oldest ones first.
Healthy Carbs
Consider stocking several pounds of fruit for each adult. These items are perishable and may only last up to two weeks. Fruit is, without a doubt, the healthiest carbohydrate you can consume. Choose your favorite fruits. Bananas are less than ideal because of their tendency to create higher tryptophan levels. The fruits should be ripe and sweet; otherwise it is best to avoid them.
You can store fruit juices in your freezer. They are typically in plastic bottles and if you freeze them the plastic expands and will accommodate the extra volume, whereas if they are in glass the container will break. The best commercial juice is the Evolution brand, as it is cold pressed and unpasteurized. Uncle Matt’s is one of the next best.
White rice stores well and is far better than brown rice, the fibers of which don’t digest well and therefore feed endotoxin-producing bacteria in your gut. It is not unreasonable to store eight 20-pound bags of white rice as an emergency source of calories for yourself, pets and your community. It can be stored for years as it is mostly pure carbohydrate with very little fat that can go rancid and, unlike most all other grains, has virtually no linoleic acid (LA).
Protein/Fat
In nature protein typically comes with fat, so I combined them. You can easily store a few months of meat in a freezer, but vegetarians will need other options. Meats from ruminant animals (not chickens or pigs) is typically very low in LA and are therefore the better choice. Also stock up on a high-quality protein powder. Make sure you enjoy the taste. I use our Collagen Complex Protein powder, which tastes great.
Eggs yolks are one of the finest nutrient dense foods on the planet as they contain both choline and vitamin K2. I personally consume six egg yolks a day from chickens I raise to have a very low LA content. I would caution against consuming much of the egg whites long-term. If a crisis catches you short of food, then it would be helpful to have the extra protein from egg whites. Just be sure to cook them first.
It is best to consume your egg yolks raw, which can easily be done by creating a smoothie or putting them in the white rice, which turns to rice pudding if you add a sweetener.
There is compelling science to support that butter and ghee should be considered essential because they contain odd-chain saturated fats like pentadecanoic acid and heptadecanoic acid. Both fats are ultimately metabolized to succinic acid, which is an important nutrient to keep the Krebs cycle moving smoothly. You can also drink milk for both fat and protein. It is mostly water, though, so it’s less than ideal for long-term storage, as it takes up so much space.
Shelf-Stable and Nonperishable Foods
You may also want to stock up on freeze-dried foods, which have a shelf life of 25 years or more. Other good long-term storage options that do not require refrigeration include canned salmon, canned cod livers, sardines in water (avoid ones preserved in vegetable oil), powdered milk and whey and other nutritional powders you can mix with water.
Ideally, you’ll want to store food in a cool, dark place with low humidity. Bags of rice are best stored in a sealed food-grade bucket with some oxygen absorbers. Vacuum sealing food can also extend shelf life. Fermented vegetables are also easy to make and will allow you to store fresh veggies (ideally from your own garden) for long periods of time.
Your favorite dried beans can also be a useful source of food as they can be soaked in water and sprouted, and some can even be consumed without cooking. But experiment with these before you just store them and aren’t sure if they will work for you.
Electricity for Preserving and Cooking Food
You can be highly confident that at some point you will not have any electrical power for a few weeks. There are two primary survival needs for electricity and both are related to food. One is preserving your food and the other is cooking it.
There are two options and for many it would be helpful to consider both. One is solar and the other is a gas generator. Neither of these solutions is cheap and can easily cost over $1,000 to 10 times that, or more, depending on your needs.
A starting place to research your options would be Amazon, to give you an idea of the more inexpensive options.2
While solar roof panels would be ideal, if you are hooked up to the grid and selling your electricity back to your utility, which most people do, then you will be unable to use your solar system during an outage as there are safety switches installed in most systems that prevent them from turning on, as it could put current into the system when repair technicians are working on downed lines.
If you have a generator and enough fuel, you could likely pulse it on and off to keep your refrigerator and freezer cold. Ideally, you will want to pair your generator with a battery storage solution like the ones from Yeti. This is an example of a 3,000-watt model3 that could run your freezer and fridge for 12 to 24 hours depending on how big they are.
If you don’t have a generator, then a small 12-volt refrigerator4 could be used. You could purchase solar panels for about $1/watt of power and pair it with a battery so you can store the energy.
You just need to determine how many watts you need for your refrigerator and secure the appropriate size pane. The refrigerator in the example above requires about 50 watts per hour or 1200 watts per day. A 250-watt solar panel should produce about 200 watts per hour when the sun is shining.
If it is cloudy, you won’t get much power, but it could theoretically power the refrigerator depending on sunlight availability. You can always purchase more panels for security. The benefit of sticking with a DC refrigerator is that the solar panel can power that directly, and there is no need to use an expensive inverter to convert the DC power from the solar panel to AC current.
Other options that will allow you to cook water and food during a blackout include (but are not limited to) solar cookers, which require neither electricity nor fire, small rocket stoves, propane-powered camping stoves and 12-volt pots and pans that you can plug into a backup battery.
Water
You’ll also want to secure a potable water source, as you can survive far longer without food than you can without water. An ideal system to consider, especially if you also have a garden, is to install a large cistern to collect rainwater.
Since I have a full acre of land that I grow food on, I have a 5,000-gallon cistern that collects rainwater from the gutters on my roof. This serves to augment my irrigation system but is also a large emergency source of water. Another strategy is to install a series of connected rain barrels to your gutters.
If you live next to a river or pond or have a swimming pool, you may not need a cistern as you can simply filter the water from them. I discuss this and other strategies in “How to Secure Your Water Supply for Emergencies.”
Also remember to stock up on means to purify less-than-ideal water sources. Examples include water purification tablets or drops, and/or independent water filtration systems that can filter out pathogens and other impurities (meaning a filtration system that is not tied to the tap in your home, in case pumps go down and you have no tap water).
Even a small survival water filtration system is better than nothing, as drinking contaminated water can result in serious illness and/or death. Having a rain barrel connected to your gutter downspout is a good idea. You can use it to water your garden, and in a worst-case scenario, you have a source of fresh water to drink, cook and take sponge baths in.
Be Prepared
“Leave the World Behind” reminds us that while societal collapse may seem like a distant dystopian fantasy, a little foresight and preparation can transform you from a helpless victim into an empowered survivor.
You can take inspiration from the film, not to live in fear, but to act with intention. Build your own “ark,” hone your skills and cultivate a strong community around you. By embracing preparedness, you can face the uncertainties of the future with resilience and hope, leaving the world behind, not with panic, but with the strength to navigate a new path forward.
I would encourage you to do the mental exercise of imaging if the scenario depicted in the film occurs. The obvious plan is to do everything you can to survive the two to four weeks during the chaos. You will want to avoid traveling at all costs as there will be a great risk in doing that. So, let’s make like a Scout, be prepared, and get everything you need to hole up in your home for this possibility. If it happens you will never regret being prepared.
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Fox News legal analyst Jonathan Turley stated Sunday that President Joe Biden’s connection to his son, Hunter Biden’s, “corruption” is cause for impeachment given the “enormous amount of evidence.”
Turley appeared on “Fox News Sunday” to discuss the process for the president following the House’s recent resolution to launch an impeachment inquiry. Fox Host Shannon Bream asked the legal analyst about his thoughts on those who claim that there is no “smoking gun” evidence on Biden.
Turley pushed back against the argument stating that not only has there been an “enormous amount” of evidence against the president and his family, but that most people agree it is “influence peddling.”
“It’s simply not true. I mean, there’s been an enormous amount of evidence put together by the House committees – millions of dollars that have gone through a labyrinth of different accounts and shell companies to Biden family members,” Turley stated.
“There are Biden associates, who said that what the president has said publicly is nonsense, that he did know about this influence peddling. And most people agree that this is influence peddling. This is corruption.”
Turley continued to state that there is no necessity to “really show” that the money had “directly” gone to Biden for him to be impeached, emphasizing the “standard” in federal cases that have involved bribery and other similar crimes.
“But I have to correct one notion that is being bantered about and that is that you have to really show that money went directly to the president. That’s not the standard that in federal cases involving bribery and other crimes, giving money to a principal’s family members is in fact a benefit under federal law. Otherwise, everyone would just give money to family members and say it’s not a bribe, it’s not impeachable,” Turley stated.
“And by the way, it is impeachable. I was lead counsel in the last traditional impeachment trial, my client was impeached because benefits were given to a judge’s family member. So many of these congressmen repeating this argument voted on that impeachment and said, it is impeachable.”
The House passed a resolution Dec. 13 to open an impeachment inquiry into Biden, voting 221-212. Following the vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson released a joint statement with fellow Republicans Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik.
The four Republicans stated that not only did the House take a “critical step” into the investigation regarding Biden’s involvement in his family’s foreign affairs, but that “authorizing the inquiry puts us in the strongest position to enforce these subpoenas in court.”
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The original source of this article is Daily Caller
I was just reading several comments by German anons this morning on 4chan about how finances are tight and how difficult life now is in Germany. Actually there were several threads complaining about inflation made by anons from Italy, Austria, Latvia and France.
Apparently German anons think that the prices of everyday goods have shot up unreasonably and they think that Germany will fall behind the rest of the world in the next couple of years.
Then a few Americans joked that they were surprised that this was happening, because for the longest time Germany had been on the bleeding edge of technological innovation and manufacturing precision. This is what americans think of Germany.
Some of you already know that I’m somewhat of a distant admirer of Germany. That’s why I could never bring myself to talk about Germany in a negative light, or at least not frequently.
You know, the fastest and most sensible solution to this problem would be diplomacy right? I think so. Sincerely. I’m not sure if the Russian people would even be open to diplomacy now given all the Russophobia that they have been subjected to by Baerbock the last 2 years. But you never know until you try.
Dunkle Wolken über Deutschlands energiepolitischer Zukunft (Symbolbild:Imago)
Die Ampelregierung hat die Energieversorgung immer unsicherer und teurer gemacht. Die “Energiewende” im Namen der “Weltklimarettung” ist eine unsoziale gigantische Umverteilung von unten nach oben – ohne jeden Einfluss auf das Klima. Kurzfristige Gewinner sind nur die Profiteure. Wir alle sind die Verlierer dieser unsinnigen Politik.
Deutschland hat fast die höchsten Energiekosten in der Welt. Nur wenige kleinere Länder können die Kosten noch toppen. Die Ampelregierung führt die hohen Kosten auf die Folgen des Ukraine-Krieges zurück. Preiswerte Erdgas-, Erdöl- und Kohlelieferungen aus Russland seien wegen des Embargos ausgeblieben und hätten durch teure Importe aus anderen Ländern ersetzt werden müssen. Doch Russland hat niemals einen Lieferstopp verhängt. Die deutsche Regierung hat ihn mit ihrem Embargo selbst verhängt und damit langfristige Lieferverträge gebrochen. Mit dem Verzicht auf preiswerte Energie aus Russland wurden die Industrie und die Wehrfähigkeit von Deutschland entscheidend geschwächt. Es gilt nach wie vor: Energie ist die Grundlage für Macht und Wohlstand. Denn ein Liter Erdöl oder ein Kubikmeter Erdgas liefert die Leistung eines Menschen für 100 Stunden. Mit Energie vervielfachen wir unsere Leistung. Es war ein schwerer Fehler, auf die Energie aus Russland zu verzichten.
Die “Energiewende” geht weiter
Zusätzlich hat die Ampelregierung noch die Förderung von teurer und zweitklassiger Fakepower intensiviert. Gemeint ist der Wind-, Solar- und Biogasstrom, der ohne Subventionen und Einspeiseprivilegien keine Abnehmer finden würde. Für die Stützung der “Energiewende” sollen nach Angaben von Bundeskanzler Scholz jährlich über 100 Milliarden Euro eingesetzt werden, die zur Hälfte aus dem Klima- und Transformationsfonds kommen sollten. Nach Schließung des grundgesetzwidrigen Fonds durch das Bundesverfassungsgericht soll das Geld nun durch höhere CO2-Abgaben fließen.
Die vom Wetter abhängige, ständig schwankende Fakepower ist weder plan- noch regelbar. Sie kann kein Stromnetz stabil halten. Dazu wird Strom aus konventionellen Kraftwerken gebraucht. Nur er hält die Netzfrequenz stabil und regelt das Netz auf die verlangte Leistung. Wenn der Wind nicht weht und die Sonne nicht scheint, müssen diese Kraftwerke die gesamte Stromversorgung übernehmen, denn ausreichend große Stromspeicher gibt es nicht. Pumpspeicherwerke und Batterien bieten nur einen lächerlichen Bruchteil der benötigten Speicherkapazität.
Fakepower für Wasserstoff fehlt
Abhilfe soll die Speicherung der überschüssigen Fakepower als Wasserstoff schaffen. Wasserstoff soll elektrolytisch mit Fakepower aus Wasser gewonnen werden, um bei Bedarf mittels Verbrennen in Gaskraftwerken wieder verstromt zu werden. Die zweifache Energieumwandlung (Fakepower zu Wasserstoff und dann zu Strom) sowie die Zwischenspeicherung unter hohem Druck schlucken viel Energie. Am Ende der Kette sind 90 Prozent der eingesetzten Fakepower verloren. Dieser Weg ist eine riesige Energievernichtung. Von den konventionellen Energieträgern Kohle, Erdöl und Erdgas landet dagegen etwa ein Drittel als Nutzenergie beim Verbraucher – also mehr als das Dreifache im Vergleich zur teuren Fakepower.
Energievergeudung ist ein Markenzeichen dieser “Energiewende”. Zum Bau und zur späteren Demontage von Windkraftanlagen werden etwa 10 Prozent der gesamten von der Anlage erzeugten Energie benötigt. In den langen Stromtrassen für den Windstrom von Nord nach Süd geht viel elektrische Energie verloren. Das gilt auch für die Trasse nach Norwegen und die geplante Trasse nach England. Bei Starkwind und zuviel Sonnenschein gibt es mit jeder neuen Fakepower-Anlage mehr Überschussstrom, der unter Zuzahlung entsorgt werden muss (negative Börsenpreise). Mit viel fossiler Energie muss das gesamte Stromnetz verstärkt werden, um Fakepower einzusammeln und zu verteilen.
Hohe Energieverluste
Die Verstärkung des Netzes kostet viel Geld. Die Netzkosten wurden bisher zu einem großen Teil aus dem Steueraufkommen bestritten und so vor dem Verbraucher versteckt. Dieser staatliche Zuschuss ist mit Jahresbeginn weggefallen. Nun werden dem Verbraucher die Netzkosten direkt in Rechnung gestellt. Die Netzkosten steigen um mehr als 3 Cent je Kilowattstunde. Dies ist eine indirekte Steuererhöhung.
Jeder weitere Ausbau der Energiewende macht die Energie noch teurer. Es müssen Doppelinvestitionen bezahlt werden: Fakepower-Anlagen und Regelkraftwerke. Preiswerte und sichere Braunkohlekraftwerke sollen durch mit grünem Wasserstoff betriebene Gaskraftwerke ersetzt werden. Woher der grüne Wasserstoff kommen soll, bleibt offen. Immerhin ist erkannt, dass in Deutschland nicht genügend Fakepower gewonnen werden kann zur Erzeugung des benötigten Wasserstoffs. Die Energiepolitik der Ampel beruht auf einem Wunschdenken ohne Faktenbezug. Es sind märchenhafte Visionen von Ideologen.
Was ist zu tun?
Dabei könnte die Regierung kurzfristig und nachhaltig eine sichere und bezahlbare Energieversorgung erreichen, wenn sie faktenbezogen handeln würde. Der Stromverbraucherschutz NAEB hat die dafür notwendigen Maßnahmen zusammengestellt, die hier nochmals zusammengefasst werden:
Energiewende stoppen, EEG beenden, keine Wasserstoffwirtschaft.
Heimische Braunkohleverstromung nicht stilllegen, sondern ausbauen.
Steinkohlekraftwerke reaktivieren. Keine CO2-Abscheidung.
Energiebezug aus Russland wieder ermöglichen.
CO2-Steuer in allen Segmenten beenden. Klimaschutzgesetz aussetzen.
Keine Heizungs- und Dämmvorschriften. Gebäude-Energien-Gesetz aussetzen.
Keine Subventionen für Batterie-Mobilität und Treibstoffe.
Im geringeren Umfang hilfreich ist auch die Wiederinbetriebnahme der Kernkraftwerke, die noch nicht demontiert sind.
Wie es sein könnte…
Mit diesen Maßnahmen würde Deutschland kurzfristig wieder konkurrenzfähige Energiekosten haben. Die Abwanderung der Industrie würde gestoppt. Investitionen würden wieder getätigt, die wirtschaftliche Arbeitsplätze und wieder mehr Steuereinnahmen bringen. Die sozialen Belastungen könnten wieder aus dem Steueraufkommen gezahlt werden statt mit Krediten. Die Verwaltung ließe sich deutlich verkleinern, da viele Genehmigungen überflüssig würden. Steuern könnten wegfallen oder reduziert werden. Die Kaufkraft der Einwohner würde zunehmen, Bauen würde sich wieder lohnen. Ohne die übersteigerten Dämm- und Heizvorschriften könnten Wohnungen gebaut werden, deren Mieten bezahlbar wären.
Doch nicht nur die Ampel-Regierung, sondern auch die CDU will die Energiewende im Namen des “Weltklimaschutzes” weiterführen. Das neue CDU-Programm beweist dies. Wir stehen insofern an einer Kreuzung: Schafft die Politik die Abkehr von der teuren “Energiewende” – oder lassen wir es weiterhin zu, in eine Zeit mit Stromausfällen und Stromsperren geführt zu werden?
Die ganze Welt muss sich gegen die Angelsachsen und Globalisten vereinen. Globalisten zerstören die Weltbevölkerung. Wer nicht im Bereich der Impfungen gestorben ist, wird verhungern, was die Globalisten tun.
Aresolution introduced in the House last month calls for the US to drop the charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who faces up to 175 years in prison if extradited to the US and convicted for journalism that exposed US war crimes.Advertisement
The bill, introduced by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), expresses “the sense of the House of Representatives that regular journalistic activities, including the obtainment and publication of information, are protected under the First Amendment and that the federal government should drop all charges against and attempts to extradite Julian Assange.”
Assange, who’s been held in London’s Belmarsh Prison since 2019, has a hearing scheduled at the UK High Court on February 20 and 21 to appeal his extradition to the US, which is likely his final chance. Ahead of the hearing, WikiLeaks and Assange’s supporters are asking Americans to contact their House representatives and urge them to support Gosar’s resolution.
Click here to find your representative, or call the House switchboard operator at (202) 224-3121. Tell them to support H.Res. 934 to protect the First Amendment and press freedom.
So far, the resolution has eight co-sponsors: Reps. James McGovern D-MA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Eric Burlison (R-MO), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Clay Higgins (R-LA).
WHETHER REPORTING FROM the Middle East, the United States, or anywhere else across the globe, every CNN journalist covering Israel and Palestine must submit their work for review by the news organization’s bureau in Jerusalem prior to publication, under a long-standing CNN policy. While CNN says the policy is meant to ensure accuracy in reporting on a polarizing subject, it means that much of the network’s recent coverage of the war in Gaza — and its reverberations around the world — has been shaped by journalists who operate under the shadow of the country’s military censor.
Like all foreign news organizations operating in Israel, CNN’s Jerusalem bureau is subject to the rules of the Israel Defense Forces’s censor, which dictates subjects that are off-limits for news organizations to cover, and censors articles it deems unfit or unsafe to print. As The Intercept reported last month, the military censor recently restricted eight subjects, including security cabinet meetings, information about hostages, and reporting on weapons captured by fighters in Gaza. In order to obtain a press pass in Israel, foreign reporters must sign a document agreeing to abide by the dictates of the censor.
CNN’s practice of routing coverage through the Jerusalem bureau does not mean that the military censor directly reviews every story. Still, the policy stands in contrast to other major news outlets, which in the past have run sensitive stories through desks outside of Israel to avoid the pressure of the censor. On top of the official and unspoken rules for reporting from Israel, CNN recently issued directives to its staff on specific language to use and avoid when reporting on violence in the Gaza Strip. The network also hired a former soldier from the IDF’s Military Spokesperson Unit to serve as a reporter at the onset of the war.
“The policy of running stories about Israel or the Palestinians past the Jerusalem bureau has been in place for years,” a CNN spokesperson told The Intercept in an email. “It is simply down to the fact that there are many unique and complex local nuances that warrant extra scrutiny to make sure our reporting is as precise and accurate as possible.”
The spokesperson added that the protocol “has no impact on our (minimal) interactions with the Israeli Military Censor — and we do not share copy with them (or any government body) in advance. We will seek comment from Israeli and other relevant officials before publishing stories, but this is just good journalistic practice.”
One member of CNN’s staff who spoke to The Intercept on the condition of anonymity for fear of professional reprisal said that the internal review policy has had a demonstrable impact on coverage of the Gaza war. “Every single Israel-Palestine-related line for reporting must seek approval from the [Jerusalem] bureau — or, when the bureau is not staffed, from a select few handpicked by the bureau and senior management — from which lines are most often edited with a very specific nuance” that favors Israeli narratives.
A shaky arrangement has long existed between the IDF censor and the domestic and foreign press, forcing journalists to frequently self-censor their reporting for fear of running afoul of prohibited subjects, losing their press credentials, and potentially being forced to offer public apologyOpens in a new tab. CNN, like other American broadcasters, has repeatedly agreed to submit footage recorded in Gaza to the military censor prior to airing it in exchange for limited access to the strip, drawing criticismOpens in a new tab from those who say the censor is providing a filtered view of events unfolding on the ground.
“When you have a protocol that routes all stories through one checkpoint, you’re interested in control, and the question is who is controlling the story?” Jim Naureckas, editor of the watchdog group Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting, told The Intercept.
CNN’s team in Jerusalem are the “people closest to the Israeli government,” Naureckas added. “In a situation where a government has been credibly accused of singling out journalists for violent attacks in order to suppress information, to give that government a heightened role in deciding what is news and what isn’t news is really disturbing.”
WHILE CNN HAS used its standing to obtain raw footage of human suffering inside GazaOpens in a new tab, it has also pushed out near-daily updates delivered directly from the IDF to its American and international viewers and embedded reporters alongside Israel soldiers fighting in the war.
Early in the war, on October 26, CNN’s News Standards and Practices division sent an email to staff outlining how they should write about the war.
“Hamas controls the government in Gaza and we should describe the Ministry of Health as ‘Hamas-controlled’ whenever we are referring to casualty statistics or other claims related to the present conflict. If the underlying statistics have been derived from the ministry of Health in Gaza, we should note that fact and that this part of the Ministry is ‘Hamas-controlled’ even if the statistics are released by the West Bank part of the ministry or elsewhere.”
The email goes on to acknowledge CNN’s responsibility to cover the human cost of the war but couches that responsibility in the need to “cover the broader current geopolitical and historical context of the story” while continuing to “remind our audiences of the immediate cause of this current conflict, namely the Hamas attack and mass murder and kidnap of Israeli civilians.”
Photo: Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images
The email further instructed reporters and editors to “make it clear to our audiences whether either or both sides have provided verifiable evidence to support their claims.”
In a separate directive dated November 2, Senior Director of News Standards and Practices David Lindsey cautioned reporters from relaying statements from Hamas. “As the Israel-Gaza war continues, Hamas representatives are engaging in inflammatory rhetoric and propaganda. Most of it has been said many times before and is not newsworthy. We should be careful not to give it a platform.” He added, though, that “if a senior Hamas official makes a claim or threat that is editorially relevant, such as changing their messaging or trying to rewrite events, we can use it if it’s accompanied by greater context.”
The language of the directives mirror similar orders from CNN management at the start of the war in Afghanistan in 2001, when Chair Walter Isaacson orderedOpens in a new tab foreign correspondents at the network to play down civilian deaths and remind readers that the violence they were witnessing was a direct result of the attacks on September 11.
Also in October, CNN hired a former IDF soldier to contribute writing and reporting to CNN’s war coverage. Tamar Michaelis’s first byline appears on October 17, 10 days after Hamas’s attack on southern Israel. Since then, her name has appeared on dozens of stories citing the IDF spokesperson and relaying information about the IDF’s operations in the Gaza Strip. At least one storyOpens in a new tab bearing only her byline is little more than a direct statement released from the IDF.
According to her Facebook profile, Tamar Michaelis served in the IDF’s Spokesperson Unit, a division of the Israeli military charged with carrying out positive PR both domestically and abroad. (Last year, the Spokesperson Unit was forced to issue a public apologyOpens in a new tab for conducting psychological operations, or “psyops,” against Israeli civilians.) Michaelis recently locked her profile, which does not indicate the dates of her service in the IDF, and she did not respond to a request for comment.
“Tamar Michaelis worked with CNN on a freelance basis for a few months last year, and worked in the same way as any freelancer, within our normal guidelines,” the CNN spokesperson wrote. Read Our Complete CoverageIsrael’s War on Gaza
CNN’S GAZA WAR coverage, regardless of where it originates, has been subject to the news organization’s internal review process for reporting on Israel and Palestine. According to an email reviewed by The Intercept, CNN expanded its review team over the summer — as the highly controversial overhaul Opens in a new tabof Israel’s judicial system moved through Israel’s Parliament — to include a handful of editors outside of Israel, in an effort to streamline the process.
In a July email to CNN staff, Jerusalem Bureau Chief Richard Greene wrote that the policy exists “because everything we write or broadcast about Israel or the Palestinians is scrutinized by partisans on all sides. The Jerusalem bureau aims to be a safety net so we don’t use imprecise language or words that may sound impartial but can have coded meanings here.”
But because the protocol could slow down the publication process, Greene wrote, “we have created (wait for it…..)
The Jerusalem SecondEyes alias!”
The CNN spokesperson told The Intercept that Jerusalem SecondEyes “was created to make this process as swift as possible as well as bring more expert eyes to staff it across the day, particularly when Jerusalem is dark.” The spokesperson did not respond to a question about whether CNN has a similar review process in place for other coverage areas.
“Israeli bombings in Gaza will be reported as ‘blasts’ attributed to nobody, until the Israeli military weighs in to either accept or deny responsibility.”
The CNN staff member described how the policy works in practice. “‘War-crime’ and ‘genocide’ are taboo words,” the person said. “Israeli bombings in Gaza will be reported as ‘blasts’ attributed to nobody, until the Israeli military weighs in to either accept or deny responsibility. Quotes and information provided by Israeli army and government officials tend to be approved quickly, while those from Palestinians tend to be heavily scrutinized and slowly processed.”
REP. ILHAN OMAR is introducing two pieces of legislation to block U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, citing atrocities committed by both countries. The U.S. made high-profile sales to both countries in December, shoring up their offensive capabilities amid the possibility of a regional war and a growing risk of confrontation with Yemen’s Houthis.
The Saudi bill is the Minnesota progressive’s latest attempt to hold the Saudi regime to account for its sordid human rights record. It would stop the sale of aircraft support, intelligence sensors, and other materiel relied upon by the Royal Saudi Air Force amid a blockade that has devastated Yemen’s population. In December, the State Department approvedOpens in a new tab a $582 million sale to Saudi Arabia to renew its drone surveillance system.
The UAE also recently escalated its involvement in the war on Yemen, leading to Houthi rocket attacks that have eroded the sense of security the Emirati states had cultivated. Omar’s measure would prohibit the sale of high explosive rockets, radar systems, and other military equipment to the UAE. In December, the State Department approvedOpens in a new tab an $85 million sale of high explosive rockets and defense-related radar equipment to the UAE.
The closely focused bills make no mention of regional dynamics. In a statement to The Intercept, Omar pointed to human rights abuses committed by both countries as the basis for the legislation. “These sales go directly against our values as well as the cause of peace and human rights,” Omar said in a statement to The Intercept.
President Joe Biden campaigned in 2020 on making Saudi Arabia a “pariah” for its murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying that there was “very little social redeeming value in the present government in Saudi Arabia.” Since becoming president, however, the Biden administration has authorized billions in weapons sales to the oil-rich monarchy. In 2021, Omar introducedOpens in a new tab similar legislation to block a $650 million sale of missiles and other weapons to the kingdom.
“It is simply unconscionable to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia while they continue to kill and torture dissidents and support modern-day slavery,” Omar said. “Saudi Arabia executed over 170 people in the last year alone — including executions just for Twitter posts.”Read Our Complete CoverageMaking a Killing
Last year, Saudi Arabia sentencedOpens in a new tab a retired teacher to death for posts on X critical of the Saudi royal family and calling for the release of imprisoned Islamic scholars. The year prior, Riyadh sentencedOpens in a new tab a 72-year-old dual U.S.-Saudi citizen to 16 years’ imprisonment for posts on X critical of the Saudi regime. Saudi Arabia also sentenced a Saudi Ph.D. student residing in the U.K. to 34 years’ imprisonment for simply following and retweeting activists critical of the regime.
Though Saudi Arabia formally abolished slavery in 1962, its coercive treatment of migrant domestic workers has been describedOpens in a new tab by Human Rights Watch as “clearly” amounting to “slavery.” The Biden administration acknowledges this, describing slavery without using the word “slavery”; the State Department’s most recent report on the country’s human rights practices stating that “forced labor occurred among migrant workers” and that Saudi law “does not prohibit or criminalize all forms of forced or compulsory labor.”
In 2013, U.S. law enforcement officials reportedly investigatedOpens in a new tab a “possible case of modern slavery” at a Saudi diplomatic compound in Virginia involving two women from the Philippines. A State Department spokesperson said that the investigation was complicated by the possibility that suspects enjoyed diplomatic immunity, which has prevented prosecution in previous cases. A similar case in London involving a Filipina domestic worker exploited by a Saudi diplomat made its way to the U.K. Supreme Court, which ruledOpens in a new tab that diplomats cannot hide behind diplomatic immunity in slavery cases.
Omar also condemned the UAE’s secret arms sales to Sudan. In September, a New York Times reportOpens in a new tab revealed that the UAE was engaged in a sophisticated covert operation to supply weapons to the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, a paramilitary linked to Russia’s Wagner Group that is carrying out ethnic cleansing in Darfur.
“The United Arab Emirates have been violating the UN arms embargo in Darfur to support the RSF, which the State Department recently determinedOpens in a new tab is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Omar said. “They have also been arming the Ethiopian government, which has been accused of atrocities in Tigray, Amhara, and Oromia.”
“Refugees International is shocked by today’s New York Times report,” Jeremy Konyndyk, a former top USAID official under the Biden administration, said of the news in a press release, adding that “the UAE has allied itself with the perpetrators of the 2003 Darfur genocide.”
Russia and China’s strength to face down U.S. aggression is one assurance of a better world taking shape.
The emergence of a multipolar world is a reminder that the world has a lot to be optimistic about – despite the ravages of conflict and manifold perilous tensions.
Russia and China’s strength to face down U.S. aggression is one such assurance of a better world taking shape.
Out with the old and in with the new. There is an unerring sense that we are witnessing not merely one year giving way to the next.
The world is undergoing truly historic changes that are related to the inexorable decline of the U.S.-led Western order and the emergence of a multipolar global order.
The United States is still undoubtedly a global power with hegemonic ambitions. Its possession of hundreds of military bases in over 100 countries around the world is a testimony to its formidable military strength.
Nevertheless, the Washington-dominated Western order – or so-called “rules-based order” – is in fateful decline. The emergence of a multipolar alternative order is illustrated by numerous fora, the BRICS with its growing membership, the increasing influence of the G20, and the dynamism of the Eurasian economies. All these developments bear witness to the demise of the Western order.
The substantial move away from the U.S. dollar as the premier currency of trade is perhaps the most consequential manifestation of the global shifts in power.
Empires rarely expire quietly as millennia of history show. There is always a hard-bitten struggle to maintain privileges and monopoly control. The fading of the U.S. is no different. The empire is going down screaming and kicking.
This would account for the mainspring of tensions and conflict in today’s world. The proxy war in Ukraine against Russia, the eruption of genocidal violence in the Middle East and the incendiary tensions in the Asia-Pacific with China are all related to the U.S. loss of imperial power.
Given the appalling violence and danger of these conflicts escalating into a conflagration, we nevertheless conclude the year with hopeful realism.
Russia, China, and many other nations are steadfastly refusing to capitulate to U.S. aggression.
The American empire is cornered by its own corruption and internal crisis. There was a time in history when Western powers could shoot their way out of trouble by starting wars overseas under all sorts of false pretences.
Those days are over. The U.S. and its Western partners are bankrupt in every way, financially, morally and politically. The world can see that as clear as the fable of the naked emperor.
Russia, China and other nations that aspire for a new, fairer world based on respect for international law and the founding principles of the United Nations are not going to pander to the geopolitical blackmail of the U.S. and its dying Western empire.
Despite the grim circumstances existing in parts, the world has much to look forward to in terms of achieving international cooperation, development and peace. Signs of hope are all around us.
When an empire goes down there is much grinding and gnashing. But it goes down and the world goes on.
Der Friedensstifter 