Go for it, guys. But don’t forget to take your share of the national debt, and give up all the federal monies you’ve been getting for people and projects. No doubt there will be a few other documents to sign, too, on your way out the door.
[Fresno Bee] To encourage us to think about the unthinkable, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists sets a Doomsday Clock, showing how close humanity is (in metaphorical seconds) to the "midnight" of apocalypse. California now needs an Independence Clock, showing how close we are to that seemingly unthinkable moment when our state might seek to depart the United States, and become an independent nation.
That prospect has drawn closer courtesy of the U.S. Supreme Court. First, justices overturned a century of legal precedent that had allowed California communities to limit public gun possession — endangering laws that have saved lives.
Then, the court reversed Roe v. Wade and eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion — a right enshrined in our state Constitution and supported by majorities of Californians of every political party, region and demographic group. These decisions were like earthquakes — unsettling but unsurprising. They were enacted by a far-right court majority that exists because America’s anti-democratic Constitution gives less representation and less voting power to Californians, both in choosing a president (who nominates justices) and in electing a Senate (which confirms them).
The two decisions follow a fusillade of federal failings that have harmed Californians. These include a pandemic response that cost nearly 100,000 Californian lives; a generation-long "war on terror" that killed more soldiers from California than from any other state; attacks on our efforts to end the drug war and police abuses; attempts to cancel our environmental laws; denial and delay of disaster aid; accusations that our elections are fraudulent; and the violation of the rights of our immigrants and their families. To cope, California has had to behave more like a separate nation than a state. We have adopted our own immigration policy, signed our own environmental treaties with other countries, funded our own research on subjects from guns to stem cells, and successfully pressured corporations to privilege our state regulations over national ones.
#1
I looked at their state website a couple of years ago and California had a state "Depart of" you name it for every possible thing you could imagine. Each "Department" requires money (taxes) to staff and function to push that departments state regulations on anything that moved across the ground. I had never seen so many state departments until I went to the California state government website.
Posted by: Black Charlie Slairt1430 ||
07/03/2022 0:39 Comments ||
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#2
As long as there's an Electoral College - this will never happen. With 55 Electoral votes (20% of 270), the Donks will never let California go and risk their game day advantage.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
07/03/2022 0:47 Comments ||
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Secession, ummmmm ! I seem to remember some other "Democrat" run states pulling that stunt, Because DC became over powering in constant new demands and state related issues. But the north needed the food, goods and Tax Revenues.
So who wants to be the next General Sherman and march through SF and LA? Because according to CALIF Gun Laws and the abundance of liberals, there won't be much of a fight.
#9
But the north needed the food, goods and Tax Revenues
Apparently not. The South was destroyed economically by 1865 and would not recover till WW2. Somehow America grew through out the 19th and the early 20th Century without all of that.
Here's a better deal. Renegotiate the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo with Mexico. Return the coastal land from above San Diego and its I-10 corridor to just north of San Francisco to include the Bay. Since its a treaty modification, it will only require the approval of 2/3rd of the Senate.
#10
A good part of the Civil War starting was money. Why else would Lincoln say, when a cabinet member sais why don't we just let the south go, "My god, man, who would pay our tariffs?' 80% of the federal coffers were funded by the tariffs the south paid.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
07/03/2022 7:45 Comments ||
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#11
..hard to collect any taxes when the US Navy blockaded the place for years.
#12
Sure, we let them go. Give them about 6 weeks to fully collapse and for all the few remaining humans to leave, then declare war, wipe it clean and settle it with actual humans.
#13
How many harbors are on the West Coast of the US? Vancouver/Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles/San Diego. Secession ain't going to happen.
#16
Y'all are really cute. It's an article by the failing Bee (Fresno/Sacramento). It's not happening.
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/03/2022 11:14 Comments ||
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#17
Не так быстро, приятель! Мы были здесь первыми, и мы вернем наши земли североамериканского наследия, прежде чем вы успеете моргнуть! Тогда как сказал товарищ Хрущев "Мы Вас ПОХОРОНИМ!"
Нэнси, Гэвин и Шифф будут одними из первых, кто отправится в путь!
Not so fast, mate! We were here first and we will reclaim our North American heritage lands before you can blink! Whereas Comrade Khrushchev said, "We will BURY you!"
Nancy, Gavin and Schiff will be among the first to hit the road!
#18
^I'm from San Francisco; and my previous job required me to memorize it's street grid. I volunteer for the General Sherman job for the good of the sacred Union!
#19
(Ah, that was cathartic@ Actually, I support California's right to leave if it wants. And there's no need to burn San Francisco. It will manage it on it's own... again.)
#22
"But if California slides into the ocean,
like the mystics and statistics say it will.
I predict this motel will be standing,
until I pay my bill..."
-Warren Zevon
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/03/2022 12:38 Comments ||
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#23
Makes me want to ponder leaving the USSA myself.
#27
We ship the entire EPA, DoE, and BLM personnell to CA and replace what agencies we decide to keep with people representative of real America instead of passive-aggressive Econazi pawns of Vladimir Putin.
#28
Hey, #22 & #26 You guys win the New Rantburg Endorsement > The TWO THUMBS UP citation!
👍👍 Great Music #22
👍👍 Best Suggestion to Solve a Problem #26
And that ain't no Bull >🐂. < SH-T!
Go ahead, buy a vowel and solve puzzle.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] 1. Lisichansk. The city was liberated today. There is a cleanup going on. The remnants of the group fled through Belogorovka to Seversk, where they plan to build defenses. In the coming days, Lisichansk, like the entire Lisichansk direction, will leave military reports. The liberation of the LPR from Ukrainian occupation will most likely be announced after the capture of Belogorovka. In fact, this problem has already been solved.
The enemy has lost all the major cities on the territory of the former Luhansk region. The Gauleiter of the territories of the LPR occupied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine was actually left without work. Another heinous crime of the aggressor! Of course, we are waiting for the calculation of the real losses of the enemy (how many fled, how many remained) + trophies.
2. Soledar. The Seversk-Soledar line will become the next line of defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, covering Artemovsk and the Slavyansk-Artemovsk highway. The enemy has already brought up reserves here and expects to delay the offensive of the Russian troops after they finish clearing the Lisichansky salient. So far, our troops are fighting in the area of Nikolaevka and Disputed, and also working on Verkhnekamenskoye, through which the advance to Seversk will go. In Berestovoye and Belogorovka (other) no changes.
3. Artemovsk. PMC "Wagner" achieved success in Klinovoe, knocking out the enemy from the village. Prerequisites are being created for further advancement to Artemovsk. Pokrovskoye is still held by the enemy. On the south-eastern outskirts of Artemovsk, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are equipping positions in residential buildings, expelling residents.
Also, fighting continues in the area of Kodema and Semigorye, where our troops are trying to cut off the grouping defending the Novolugansk and Uglegorsk thermal power plants from the main enemy forces.
#1
Little-known fact: in addition to bombing their targets, the Doolittle Raiders were instructed to expend their machine gun ammunition on ground targets. They strafed schools and other civilian locations, outraging the Japanese. The Japanese combed Zhejiang and Jiangxi for the downed aviators. Over 50,000 Chinese died in the operation.
#3
They strafed schools and other civilian locations
They didn't have the fuel or the time to deviate from the flight plan. That was even compromised by the decision of taking off way too early because they feared their presence was compromised by a sighting by a Japanese fishing boat. They stripped the aircraft of those weapons for a wee bit more distance. Nice try.
#4
^^ Met a relative's friend that helped prep the Doolittle aircraft at the Mid-Continent Airlines Hanger in Minneapolis.
The aircraft were stripped of armament to the point that they would have pretty much been sitting ducks for even one Japanese fighter aircraft. The weight saved was mostly used for fuel storage with some interesting jury-rigging.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
07/03/2022 8:30 Comments ||
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#5
The Japanese offensive was to push the Chinese far enough back to remove the potential for American bomber bases. The Americans had planned and built bases for B29s in China but the capture of Saipan and Tinian made logistics way much easier.
No. It didn't happen. I have that directly from the mouths of several of the Raiders, face to face with me.
The Japanese military at that time was embarrassed and mortified beyond words that the raid happened. They invented a great many offenses to explain their inability to prevent it and to punish the Raiders they captured.
I'd like to politely ask you to look things up again and reconsider your opinion.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/03/2022 10:09 Comments ||
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#7
I suspect truth and facts don't play much of a part in the intent of #1. Americans are bad, and the Juice are even worse.
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/03/2022 11:39 Comments ||
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#8
Really? The machine gunning is described in the book "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo." They definitely had machine guns. They also made sure to drop their incendiary bomb over flimsy housing in a civilian area. That's what incendiary bombs are for.
What's with the sudden shame and excuses? I thought bombing and strafing civilian targets was OK.
#11
Five total mentions of "machine gun" in the entire book. Only mention of firing at Japanese was one plane firing towards a Japanese cruiser on the way in. One mention was of stateside training flights. Two mentions on the same page were of after arriving in China and negotiating with guerilla fighters. Only other mention involved the ability to unmount the single machine gun on the plane if they were shot down and needed it to fight.
No mentions of schools or hospitals in Japan. All mentions of schools were of the ones the flight crew members attended growing up. Oh, and one mention of Japanese bombing a university in Shanghai. All mentions of hospitals either in the US or China.
I did this research in 5 minutes using the find in book feature of my Nook reader, using the 60th Anniversary re-release of Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo. So, what I report here is what was found by that method. No accounting for hidden text in the Russian version, I am sure...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/03/2022 13:16 Comments ||
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#13
It's call "Thirty Seconds" for a reason. They're flying 'tree top level', the most fuel burning altitude, and as fast as they can for the approach. That's about as much time just to release the bomb load and keep moving.
#14
Great job, MM, but Mike K's comment was enough for me. It was an incredible act of American courage and ingenuity.
Posted by: Matt ||
07/03/2022 14:57 Comments ||
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#15
Shame? Excuses? For what exactly. One of the most daring raids ever. They destroyed most of our base at Pearl. Then a few months later we bombed their capital city, boo hoo. They initiated the war and decades before 1941 for that matter. They proudly carried the torch of Total War, you know Nanking for only one. Their bullying death cult massacred civilians for the sport of it.
#19
[From Wiki] The modifications included the following:
- Removal of the lower gun turret.
- Installation of de-icers and anti-icers.
- Mounting of steel blast plates on the fuselage around the upper turret.
- Removal of the liaison radio set to save weight.
- Installation of a 160-gallon collapsible neoprene auxiliary fuel tank, fixed to the top of the bomb bay, and installation of support mounts for additional fuel cells in the bomb bay, crawlway, and lower turret area, to increase fuel capacity from 646 to 1,141 U.S. gallons (538 to 950 imperial gallons, or 2,445 to 4,319 L).
- Installation of mock gun barrels in the tail cone.
- Replacement of the Norden bombsight with a makeshift aiming sight devised by pilot Capt. C. Ross Greening that was dubbed the "Mark Twain". The materials for this bombsight cost only 20 cents.
Two bombers also had cameras mounted to record the results of the bombing.
Looks like they might have kept the side gunner positions and the top dorsal turret. Wouldn't be able to do much ground strafing without the lower turret.
All I can say for certain is what the guy I met said, that they were pretty much stripped of armament for the mission.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
07/03/2022 16:32 Comments ||
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#20
LOL of course he doesn't confess to war crimes in the book. But it's a total lie what the other posters were saying, that machine guns weren't fitted.
They did indeed have orders to spray ground targets with machine gun fire. The one incident the author of the book confesses to is shooting up a yacht. The incendiary was definitely dropped on a civilian area, he definitely pleads guilty to that in print.
The fact that they indiscriminately shot at ground targets is part of history. I thought this was common knowledge, especially among people who apparently know history well. They didn't choose their targets, they just sprayed the ground with bullets, and what do you know shot up a school and other unarmed locations. Remember, the entire point of the mission wasn't to strike a meaningful blow, it was to spread terror. And what do those who commit acts of deliberate terror usually do?
#23
In the '20s and '30s, it was always the Nazis and the Communists fighting & brawling in the streets of Germany, two sides of the same coin going for the same hearts and minds.
[ConservativeTreehouse] It is very curious timing in this article from Newsweek, containing massive geopolitical implications, using identified Saudi Arabia sources, would come in advance of Joe Biden’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Is this strategic geopolitical pressure from Saudi leader Mohamed Bin Salman (MbS) ahead of the meeting with Biden; or is this a genuine possibility that looms as likely? If the former, then Joe Biden is being geopolitically slow roasted by Saudi Arabia for his previous disparagements and ideological hypocrisy in his visit. If it is the latter, well, then the tectonic plates of international trade, banking and economics are about to shift directly under our American feet.
We have been closely monitoring the signs of a global cleaving around the energy sector taking place. Essentially, western governments’ following the “Build Back Better” climate change agenda which stops using coal, oil and gas to power their economic engine, while the rest of the growing economic world continues using the more efficient and traditional forms of energy to power their economies.
This article from Newsweek is exactly about this dynamic with Saudi Arabia now potentially joining the BRICS team.
NEWSWEEK – Finland and Sweden’s green light to join NATO is set to bring about the U.S.-led Western military alliance’s largest expansion in decades. Meanwhile, the G7, consisting of NATO states and fellow U.S. ally Japan, has adopted a tougher line against Russia and China.
In the East, however, security and economy-focused blocs led by Beijing and Moscow are looking to take on new members of their own, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, two influential Middle Eastern rivals whose interest in shoring up cooperation on this new front could have a significant impact on global geopolitical balance.
The two bodies in question are the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS. The former was established in 2001 as a six-member political, economic and military coalition including China, Russia and the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan before recruiting South Asian nemeses India and Pakistan in 2017, while the latter is a grouping of emerging economic powers originally consisting of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) upon its inception 2006, and including South Africa in 2010.
Here is the money quote:
[…] “China’s invitation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to join the ‘BRICS’ confirms that the Kingdom has a major role in building the new world and became an important and essential player in global trade and economics,” Mohammed al-Hamed, president of the Saudi Elite group in Riyadh, told Newsweek. “Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is moving forward at a confident and global pace in all fields and sectors.”
[…] “This accession, if Saudi joins it, will balance the world economic system, especially since the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest exporter of oil in the world, and it’s in the G20,” Hamed said. “If it happens, this will support any economic movement and development in the world trade and economy, and record remarkable progress in social and economic aspects as Saudi Arabia should have partnerships with every country in the world.” (read more)
That would essentially be the end of the petrodollar, and -in even more consequential terms- the end of the United States ability to use the weight of the international trade currency to manipulate foreign government. The global economic system would have an alternative. The fracturing of the world, created as an outcome of energy development, would be guaranteed.
Posted by: NoMoreBS ||
07/03/2022 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11128 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
#1
More importantly, the end of the petrodollar would mean the end of US wars abroad. We destroyed Libya and Iraq in part because they began accepting other currencies for oil instead of dollars. Libya wanted a gold-backed dinar for all of Africa to trade with. Nope, can't have that! A war that brought back the return of literal human slave markets was the answer, and it worked very well. The dinar is a threat no more.
#2
It would be nice if we could articulate what our national and international priorities are--whether they are economic, political, ideological, etc.--and then plan and act accordingly. I know that is too much to ask, especially when we experience such whiplash every 4 years or so. But a boy can dream.
Posted by: Tom ||
07/03/2022 13:24 Comments ||
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#3
An interesting possibility of joining BRIC's, but it will not solve Saudi's biggest long term problem.....
[ConservativeNewsDaily] Back when Jesse James prowled the land, the savings of the citizenry was constantly under threat by bandits looking to heist their money. These days, the money itself is stealing the savings of people in the form of high inflation and crashing financial markets.
Yesterday, we pointed out that the first half of the year was the worst for stocks since 1970. The S&P 500 dropped by around 20 percent, just shy of the 1970 bear market record of 21 percent. The Nasdaq Composite was down by 29.5 percent, the worst decline ever. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 15.3 percent, the worst since 1962.
We must confess, however, that things were even worse than we thought. Those declines are in nominal terms, meaning they do not take into account the massive inflation we’ve experienced in the first half of this year. Stocks were falling in dollars terms, but those dollars themselves were declining in value. As we’ve pointed out again and again, inflation introduces chaos into financial calculations that can often conceal deep points of economic stress.
Michael Hartnett, the chief investment strategist at Bank of America Securities, ran the inflation-adjusted numbers in a note for clients this morning. He found that this has been the worst start of the year for the S&P since 1872, the year Jesse James and Cole Younger led their gang to rob a bank in Columbia, Kentucky, and ended up shooting a teller who refused to open the vault.
As bad as that sounds, Hartnett points out that 2022 is looking like the worst year for government bonds since 1865. Government bonds fell 15.4 percent in the first half of the year, even before adjusting for inflation. Year over year, they were down by around twice that. And that is before adjusting for inflation (which is hard to do when measuring bonds issued in a variety of currencies from all around the globe.)
This does not mean that there was no money to be made in the first half of the year. As everyone knows, oil and gas prices have exploded higher. Commodities overall had their best inflation-adjusted first half of the year since 1946, according to Hartnett. Oil rose 46 percent, natural gas 74 percent, and iron ore 28.2 percent.
Posted by: Galactic Coordinator Scourge of the Nebraskans9501 ||
07/03/2022 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[11125 views]
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#1
Third world Venezuela 2.0
Posted by: Black Charlie Slairt1430 ||
07/03/2022 0:24 Comments ||
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#4
As with Obama the only people they attack are Americans. Help and support all others outside of this country. Upon Biden's return from Europe he immediately kicks America in it's private parts.
#5
History is about to repeat itself. Roosevelt had alienated business. As with the energy industry Biden has or is in the process of destroying it. The big difference between the two is Roosevelt was a pragmatist. All will be reborn by the right people. It will be as if it were a war declaration. Socialists manufacturing could never deliver but a capitalist effort would produce massive results quickly. Who shall lead this effort. The great coordinator. I can think of only one man that could manage such a grand effort.
The kind of thing that in Pakistan only could be published in English, because it’s really about what Pakistan lacks.
[Dawn] IS it some international conspiracy — or perhaps a secret weapon — that allows Israel to lord over the Middle East? How did a country of nine million — between one-half and one-third of Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... ’s population — manage to subdue 400m Arabs? A country built on stolen land and the ruins of destroyed Palestinian villages is visibly chuckling away as every Arab government, egged on by the khadim-e-haramain sharifain, lines up to recognise it. Economically fragile Pakistain is being lured into following suit.
Conspiracy theorists have long imagined Israel as America’s overgrown watchdog, beefed up and armed to protect American interests in the Middle East. But only a fool can believe that today. Every American president, senator and congressman shamefacedly admits it’s the Israeli tail that wags the American dog. Academics who chide Israel’s annexation policies are labelled anti-Semitic, moving targets without a future. The Israeli-US nexus is there for all to see but, contrary to what is usually thought, it exists for benefiting Israel not America.
Continued on Page 49
#1
The view from Pakistan - AKA the national hallucination.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/03/2022 8:49 Comments ||
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#2
That weapon was brain power.
Can't argue with that. Also, if most of the people you've come in contact for the past 3000 years have tried to kill you, natural selection comes into play with the dumb and unlucky being eliminated from the gene pool.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/03/2022 10:02 Comments ||
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#5
So, basically he's acknowledging 'all y'all moslemnicious sasquatches are just way dumber than them and that's why they've managed to subdue you for this long. Thank Allan they're dumbing down at last!'
#9
When I worked in Saudi (quite some time ago), there would be articles about twice a year in the press lamenting the backwardness of the Arab nations and wondering why it could be.
Since I was a foreign worker dependent on the goodwill of the Kingdom, I did not comment.
Posted by: Tom ||
07/03/2022 13:26 Comments ||
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#10
The writer doesn't mention corruption or socialism.
The strength of these two forces keeps Pakistan in the under $2k per capita GDP.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
07/03/2022 13:50 Comments ||
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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.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Little-known fact: in addition to bombing their targets, the Doolittle Raiders were instructed to expend their machine gun ammunition on ground targets. They strafed schools and other civilian locations, outraging the Japanese. The Japanese combed Zhejiang and Jiangxi for the downed aviators. Over 50,000 Chinese died in the operation. 
