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Angry locals waving Spanish flags chase migrants down the street after thousands invade enclave - as Army is called in
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 4: Opinion
7 13:18 Abu Uluque [234] 
1 11:22 mossomo [140] 
4 13:40 Abu Uluque [261] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
6 23:55 Skidmark [250]
3 12:44 NoMoreBS [198]
1 09:29 Grom the Reflective [235]
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0 [205]
0 [209]
0 [189]
20 21:23 trailing wife [682]
2 10:21 MikeKozlowski [220]
5 20:40 Jefe101 [275]
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Page 2: WoT Background
2 17:28 Grom the Reflective [186]
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6 11:34 Mercutio [277]
1 07:15 Whiskey Mike [230]
2 14:02 Dopey Photch2701 [220]
1 17:30 Grom the Reflective [264]
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3 17:34 Grom the Reflective [242]
1 01:54 chris [175]
Page 3: Non-WoT
2 14:30 DarthVader [212]
1 13:17 Seeking Cure For Ignorance [156]
3 14:13 Abu Uluque [206]
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Page 5: Russia-Former Soviet Union
1 13:55 mossomo [137]
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2 11:49 Grom the Reflective [201]
Page 6: Politix
13 18:06 Skidmark [435]
-Great Cultural Revolution
John Cleese: 'Some Cultures Are Better Than Others'
[ZERO] Legendary Monty Python star John Cleese has drawn a clear line in the sand, declaring himself a "culturalist" who believes some cultures are superior to others.

"I am not a racist. I am a culturalist," he stated in a post that now has over ten million views, adding "I believe that some cultures are better than others. I prefer cultures that do not advocate stoning, pederasty, wife beating, female genital mutilation, and beheading opponents. Call me old-fashioned..."

Cleese had earlier made plain his preference for Lowe over the rest of the political class, stating he trusts the Great Yarmouth MP "more than any of the other leaders." The Metro reported the comments as Cleese pushed back against the predictable pile-on.
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/31/2026 09:36 || Comments || Link || [234 views] Top|| File under:

#1  How very un-DEI. John does not appear to be very concerned about future employment.
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/31/2026 9:54 Comments || Top||

#2  Well, given the level of human sacrifice aka abortion on one side, we may be quibbling some points. The matriarchy has been doing a good job of disestablishing Western Civilization.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 07/31/2026 9:59 Comments || Top||


#4  Proper cultural numerics and equitable human longevity outcomes can only be achieved through government enforced vaccinations.

I thought the science on this was settled.



Posted by: Besoeker || 07/31/2026 10:18 Comments || Top||

#5  Superior Cultures understand this. The wheel, personal safety, written language, how they treat cats and dogs, the ability to feed yourself, there are metrics.
Posted by: mossomo || 07/31/2026 11:20 Comments || Top||

#6  Remove most of Asia, the ME and Africa. All shit cultures with shit countries run by shit people.
Posted by: DarthVader || 07/31/2026 12:43 Comments || Top||

#7  I wouldn't call him old fashioned. I think stoning, pedastry and beheading are about as old fashioned as you can get. Some cultures have evolved beyond that...although some of these cultures now might be backsliding.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 07/31/2026 13:18 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
Cuba Falling: A Lot Happened Last Week. Let's Talk About It.
[PJMedia] There's been a lot going on with Cuba over the last week, and I promise you that every single day last week, I sat down to write about it, but my mind wandered onto the next shiny object — to Venezuela

...a country in Central America that sits on an enormous pool of oil. Formerly the most prospereous country in the region, it became infested with Commies sniffing almost unlimited wealth. It turned out the wealth wasn't unlimited, the economy collapsed under the clownish Hugo Chavez, the murder rate exceeded places like Honduras and El Salvador. A significant proportion of the populace refugeed to Colombia and points south...

or El Salvador or Costa Rica or Nicaragua or the Georgia governor's race. I've admitted in the past that I'm a little bored with all of it, and I feel like the way Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
has played out has distracted the Donald Trump
...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party...
administration from working toward liberating the Caribbean nation from the Castro regime and 67 years of communism.

The truth is it's a complicated process. This isn't Venezuela. We likely won't have a clean and tidy(-ish) ending to the regime. You can't just take out one guy, neutralize his cronies, cut off their revenue stream, and start over with Marco Rubio
...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration...
in charge. The Cuban regime is older, more decentralized, and designed to withstand such moves. The power lies within the Communist Party, the military’s economic empire (GAESA), and a deep security apparatus.

There's also the media problem. The number of MSM fake news stories from anonymous sources about Cuba is exhausting, and it drives me insane how many prominent people report on them or share them as if they are fact. For example, for a while, there was this idea that the Trump administration's goal for liberating Cuba was the end of this year. It was fun to buy into, and I didn't find it all that outlandish pre-Iran, but Rubio put a stop to that kind of talk last week when speaking to the press.

"No, look, guys, global affairs are not like — we’re not a miniseries, like, you get in three episodes and it’s over," he said. "I mean, global affairs are difficult. You’re talking about a system that’s been in place since 1959. You talk about a country that’s suffered tremendously because of poor leadership and a bad economic model. You’re talking about a regime that’s survived all these years because they had a foreign sponsor, be it the Soviet Union or Hugo Chavez. They don’t have that anymore. So it’s — these are complex things that take time, and obviously we’re prepared to do what we can do to effectuate a positive change in Cuba because it directly impacts our national security."

He added: "It’s a failed state. But I’ve never laid out any timeline as to what change would look like or when it would happen. I wish it was tomorrow because they deserve it; the people of Cuba deserve a better future."

One thing Rubio did confirm — and Trump has hinted at this in the past — is that this is his project. "I work on this issue more than anybody else," he said, and I think that's fairly obvious.

That said, let's get to the news. The actual, factual, verifiable news.

THE BIG STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT
The biggest Cuba-related news from last week was the 100-page report from the State Department called "Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism." I haven't reported on it yet for two reasons. One, I wanted to read it myself. Two, I'd already reported on some of it over the last year, so I felt like it wasn't quite the bombshell the State Department wanted it to be. However,
alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk...
I've come around to realizing that it's a good report because it centralizes the information in one location, it helps build a case against the regime for whatever comes next from Trump and Rubio, and it supports the administration's current anti-far-left terrorism stance and actions it plans to take against it.

So I'm going to hit some highlights here. You can skim them or check out the entire report yourself.

  • The report paints Cuba as what it is. Rather than calling it a failed dictatorship, it's an ideological threat to the United States, as well as a threat to our national security.

  • Rather than relying on military action against the U.S., it has used irregular warfare to infiltrate, including espionage, infiltration of U.S. institutions, recruitment of American activists, providing a safe haven for terrorists, and creating or supporting ideological networks designed to turn segments of American society against the U.S. government and system.

  • And not just in the United States, but in other Latin American countries as well — it's trained groups that helped lead to the Sandinista victory in Nicaragua in 1979; supported Puerto Rican terror groups like FALN and Macheteros; and created alliances with Hugo Chavez. I've written about this in the past, but before he got into politics, Nicolás Maduro barely had a high school education. His only formal schooling was a year in Havana at Fidel Castro's commie training camp.

  • Cuba essentially had spies within the U.S. government, like Ana Belén Montes, a senior Pentagon analyst, or Victor Manuel Rocha, a U.S. diplomat who was arrested in 2023 after working as an agent for Cuba for over 40 years.

  • The regime especially liked to push black holy warriors, supported groups like the Black Panthers, and granted asylum to many black criminals, like Assata Shakur.

  • It highlights the Venceremos Brigade, which has brought at least 10,000 U.S. citizens to Cuba since 1969 to identify potential activists, build relationships, and strengthen radical organizations.

  • It also highlights the Cuban Institute of Friendship with Peoples (ICAP), which has a presence in 150 countries and direct ties to Cuban intelligence, as well as the National Network on Cuba, which is connected to groups like the Democratic Socialists of America, Communist Party USA, Code Pink
    ... a U.S. anti-war group. The group describes itself as a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming activities. It was founded in 2002 by Jodie Evans, Medea Benjamin and of the other usual antiwar suspects. Its website lists hysterical allegations of US war crimes, and states that thousands of civilians were killed in Fallujah in 2004. Maybe it was millions. Benjamin was a 2000 candidate for the U.S. Senate on the Green Party ticket. She lost...
    , and the National Lawyers Guild.

  • It also says that Cuba is a meeting point for countries and groups hostile to the U.S., like Russia, China, Iran, Venezuela, Paleostinian Marxist organizations, Hamas
    ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
    and Hezbollah-linked networks, and members of Iran's Axis of Resistance®.

There's more, but hopefully, that gives you an idea, and I think most of us sort of already had an inkling that all of this was true, but maybe we didn't know how deep. Now we have it in writing. This will be an essential tool for the Trump administration going forward.

THE REGIME RESPONSE
Of course, the Cuban regime came out swinging in response to all of this. The face of the regime, "President" Miguel Díaz-Canel, posted a long thread on X, basically calling Rubio a thief (the regime hates our dear Secretary of State with a passion), claiming the U.S. is just using all this information to start a war, and he accused our country of being the genocidal aggressors or something like that.

SANCTIONING THE MEDICAL BRIGADES
Just when I think there's nothing left to sanction in Cuba, Rubio surprises me. Last week, he came out and designated "nine entities and two individuals whose activities perpetuate the regime’s control over Cuba’s energy, financial, and exploitative overseas medical labor sectors."

"Those sanctioned today have also tried to evade our prior sanctions on the Cuban regime and its enablers," he added. "These designations include four entities associated with sanctions evasion efforts linked to U.S.-designated Grupo De Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), three entities operating in Cuba’s energy sector, and two entities and two individuals responsible for the exploitation and forced labor of Cuban medical workers through the regime’s overseas medical brigades."

What I find most interesting about this is the sanctioning of the medical brigades. Just to recap, they're essentially a forced labor program that sends doctors and other medical professionals overseas to work in countries that don't have access to that kind of labor. On the surface, it sounds like a smart humanitarian gesture, but the reality is that the regime gets rich on the backs of these people and treats them incredibly inhumanely. It's been compared to slavery or human trafficking in the past. Earlier this year, several countries, like Jamaica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Guyana, removed themselves from the program under U.S. pressure.

After losing access to cheap Venezuelan oil that it would mostly resell, the medical brigades are one of the last reliable foreign currency streams for the regime. I sort of suspect we might see more sanctions related to the program in the future.

PROTESTS CONTINUE
Cuba's crumbling energy grid has suffered multiple nationwide collapses this month, and people are fed up. When the power is on, rolling blackouts can last from 20 to 70 hours. The regime blames the U.S. "blockade," which isn't really the problem. And the people know better. They're taking to the streets chanting "turn on the lights," "freedom," and "down with the dictatorship." They're banging pots and pans, they're blocking streets, and they're setting the trash that piles up on the roadsides on fire. In some areas, there has been an increase in regime "security," which seems to have plenty of fuel for its vehicles, but overall, people are continuing to lose their fear. Heck, they're even protesting during the daytime now. Previously, it was all at night.

U.S. HUMANITARIAN AID
It's hard not to feel bad for the Cuban people who are caught up in all of this through no fault of their own. It's also important that while the United States is applying this maximum pressure, we stay on top of the humanitarian situation caused by the regime. Total collapse could become a huge problem for our country.

Rubio has promised $100 million in aid to the people of Cuba, in the form of food, hygiene kits, and medical supplies, but he would only do it if it didn't go through the regime first. Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum made a big deal of sending similar supplies earlier this year, and they ended up in military-controlled stores sold at ridiculous prices and only for people who could pay with U.S. dollars.

The regime claimed Rubio was lying about the aid, and it stood in the way of allowing it into the country, but last week, it finally began to flow through Catholic Relief Services and will benefit approximately 700 families. It will be distributed through local parishes so that the regime can't get its hands on it.
Posted by: trailing wife || 07/31/2026 00:00 || Comments || Link || [261 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Cuba has been failing for 70 plus years. Let them fail.
Posted by: chris || 07/31/2026 1:55 Comments || Top||

#2  Cuban doctors providing excellent medical care around the world
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/31/2026 1:57 Comments || Top||

#3  Cuba has failed. That is not the issue. It remains an income source for regime members. It’s the same in Iran and Venezuela. The current state for failed countries is the equivalent to a hostage situation. The Afghanistan model appears to be to put the kidnappers back in charge and the pay a weekly $40M ransom.
Posted by: Super Hose || 07/31/2026 11:48 Comments || Top||

#4  Rather than relying on military action against the U.S., it has used irregular warfare to infiltrate, including espionage, infiltration of U.S. institutions, recruitment of American activists, providing a safe haven for terrorists, and creating or supporting ideological networks designed to turn segments of American society against the U.S. government and system.

Oh, you mean like Karen Bass?

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and Cuban Intelligence, The real Russian Collusion?
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 07/31/2026 13:40 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Deadly West Bank gunfight underscores peril as Palestinians organize against settler attacks
No mention whatsoever of deadly Palestinian harassment of Israeli communities and and those driving on the main roads, whether recently or ongoing for decades. This is just about Jews behaving badly.
[IsraelTimes] With friction points moving inside Palestinian cities as settlers carry out violent raids in Areas A and B, residents are getting together to confront assailants, raising fears of armed clashes

Violence in the West Bank has escalated sharply in recent months. But even by those standards, last Friday’s deadly incident on the outskirts of the northern West Bank village of Tell seemed to mark something new and harrowing.

The clash began when an ideologically motivated settler group entered Tell, located in Areas A and B of the West Bank, and was confronted by local residents. The ensuing melee between radical settlers, later joined by Israeli troops, and Palestinian villagers resulted in six deaths: two Israelis and four Palestinians.

Much of what occurred remains in dispute, but all sides agree that whatever happened did not start that sweltering morning. How it ends, many fear, may be even more cataclysmic.
Posted by: trailing wife || 07/31/2026 06:00 || Comments || Link || [140 views] Top|| File under:

#1  So disarm Gaza but militarize Samaria and Judea.
Is that their plan?
Posted by: mossomo || 07/31/2026 11:22 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
11[untagged]
4Hamas
4Govt of Iran
2Govt of Iran Proxies
2Hezbollah
2Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
2Commies
2Sublime Porte
1[untagged]
1Govt of Saudi Arabia
1Migrants/Illegal Immigrants
1Nut Jobs
1Pak Taliban (TTP)
1Palestinian Authority
1al-Shabaab (AQ)

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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2026-07-31
  Angry locals waving Spanish flags chase migrants down the street after thousands invade enclave - as Army is called in
Thu 2026-07-30
  Nigeria: Scores killed as JAS, ISWAP Clash escalates in Lake Chad Islands
Wed 2026-07-29
  Iran and US trade strikes, shattering brief lull in fighting
Tue 2026-07-28
  JNIM repelled an advance by Africa Corps mercenaries near the village of Hadj Wéré, north of Niono (Ségou region)
Mon 2026-07-27
  US military boarded a tanker in the Arabian Sea
Sun 2026-07-26
  
Sat 2026-07-25
  CENTCOM completes 13th consecutive night of strikes against Iran
Fri 2026-07-24
  US escalates Iran campaign as B-1 bombers launch from UK
Thu 2026-07-23
  U.S. Air Force B-1B heavy bombers struck Iranian weapons-production facilities in Tehran on 11th night of strikes
Wed 2026-07-22
  Trump ordered resumption of direct US-Leb flights as Syria foiled Hezbollah smuggling attempt and Israel called for UNESCO to prevent weaponizing ‘cultural heritage’
Tue 2026-07-21
  Somalia says strike kills one of founding Al-Shabaab leaders
Mon 2026-07-20
  Iran's Defense Minister killed in US attacks on Iranian military base, 3 airbases
Sun 2026-07-19
  UN Official: Al-Qaeda Still Maintains a Presence in Afghanistan
Sat 2026-07-18
  US strikes Iran for the seventh consecutive night
Fri 2026-07-17
  US strikes Iran for sixth consecutive night, as deescalation chances appear to fade


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