“How George Soros's Youth Informed His War on the West” | @amuse

	@amuse ⁦‪@amuse‬⁩   13/4/2025, 1:49 am

Both J and I used to very much admire George Soros and his Open Society charity work. 

Until we learned what he was doing in America by funding the election of far-left Attorneys General and District Attorneys, who were ideologically soft on crime, a clear line, for us, to the lawlessness that we've seen for a decade or more across Blue cities and states. Policies that have destroyed the character, the very social fabric of cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Chicago and many others. 

If you look Soros up on Google you'll read that such thoughts are "right wing conspiracy theories". That it's all nonsense. But it's not. Look at the evidence. Follow the money. Look at AGs and DAs he has supported, and what they've gone on to do in their cities and states. Unapologetic, one might add, for the very real, very deep and observable harm their crazy policies have done. Shame.

This is a well argued article by "amuse", whoever s/he be.

United States Allies remain United States Allies....

China aside, all other countries increased their 
holdings of US Treasuries in 2025

President Trump is the the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he apparently (we don't have details), ended up with some sort of deal agreed with NATO over US involvement in Greenland. 

This is -- of course!  -- being mocked on the likes of CNN. Whose latest go-to talking point is that "Allies are deserting the US, and making up with China". [E.G.]

Do tell. 

One of the best ways to measure just how much countries trust the United States, how much they trust any given administration, or any given set of economic circumstances in the United States, is how much money they have invested in US Treasuries. Since I learned to walk it's been one of the most quoted stats by the cognoscenti. "How are Treasuries doing?"

"Treasuries" just being the American name for US Government Bonds issued by the Treasury Department. Where they borrow your money, promise to pay you a certain amount of interest (the "Coupon") and to give you your Principal back at the end of the term. 

If the US economy is not trusted, countries will pull their money out of US Treasuries. If they don't like an administration, or how it's handling the economy, they'll pull money out of Treasuries. If countries Sell Treasuries, their price will go down, and the interest rate on the basis of that price will go up (because the Coupon remains the same)*. Hence the importance of the trend of Treasuries. They affect the overall creditworthiness of the US and of its short and long-term interest rates. 

So, now back to the reality of what the likes of CNN and other Trump-haters are saying. Which, to repeat, is along the lines of: "American allies hate what Trump is doing, they don't like his grab for Greenland, and are going to look elsewhere, like to China, for support and economic engagement. Meantime they're dumping their Treasuries, which will put upward pressure on US interest rates."

Well... no. 

The Treasuries tell a different story.

 U.S. Treasury International Capital (TIC) site (of the US Treasury Department) has a Table of the monthly Treasury holdings by country. I've taken out some of the main players and summarise them below to 2025, up to the latest, which is to end November 2025: 

Key points I notice: 

1. All countries except one, have increased their holdings of US Treasuries in the last year. On average by nearly 10%. 

2.  China is that one country that has reduced its holdings in the same period, by 10%. 

3. Overall, countries, including all US Allies, have increased their holdings, by a total of $US 738 Billion. 

4. Japan and the United Kingdom have always been, and remain, the largest holders of US Treasuries. All US allies have substantial holdings of Treasuries. 

5.  Denmark, suzerain of Greenland, holds only $10 B in Treasuries, while the bottom of the Top Twenty chart above, Israel has $107 B, ten times more. So, Denmark threatening to sell down its holdings, is, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “irrelevant”. 

6.  China has not just recently started to reduce its US Treasuries holdings. It has done so since it reached its highest holdings in 2013, in the middle of the Obama presidency:

The only time China holdings went up since 2013
was during the Trump first administration

China's reduction of US Treasuries beginning in 2013 was signalled a the time. I remember it. It correlates closely with the arrival of Xi Jinping to the leadership in 2012. Xi is temperamentally anti-west (See "Document 9"), pro China's self-reliance, pro finding investments for its massive surpluses other than buying the "World's safest investment", US Treasury Bonds. 

In short, there's no evidence, from the holdings of US Treasuries, that US allies are upset by Trump's agressive moves like his one on Greenland. 

And the China divestment has been going on for over a decade.

 

==============================

* The inverse relationship between Bond Prices and Interest Rates: 

One of the first things I learned in Economics 101, in 1969. 

When Bond prices go up, interest rates go down.

When Bond prices go down, interest rates go up. 

EG: There's a Bond issued with a price of $100 and a Coupon of 5%. That means you pay $100 for the Bond and you get paid $5 every year. i.e. 5%.

If the price of the Bond goes down in the secondary market, to, say, $90, the Coupon remains 5% (it never changes), and so the buyer of that Bond, paying just $90, would still get the $5 every year for which he has paid only $90.  $5 divided by $90 = 0.0556, or 5.56%. 

Mass illegal immigration to the US is the Dems voting strategy

The Democrat open borders plan to entrench single party rule, explained in under two minutes 1. Flood the country with untold millions of illegals by land, sea, and air from all over the world. Enough to eclipse the populations of 36 individual US states so far 2. Prioritize

Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) 10K likes · 439 replies x.com

Not so long ago, I would have thought this was simply a crazy conspiracy theory. It is not. We now have enough evidence, including repeated statements from Democrats themselves, that opening the borders to 10s of millions of illegal immigrants, during the Biden administration was a deliberate policy with a specific aim: the creation of a group of people beholden to the Democratic party. In the 1960s it was the Black vote, via Lyndon Johnson's policies in the South, the downside of which was Welfare Dependance. Today it's this. The illegal immigration scam. As described succinctly by the Wall Street Apes on X. 

By the way, this has happened already in the State of California. Which has been Democrat for decades. Where they pursued the above policy, before Biden and his cronies did. 

The post above in full: 

The Democrat open borders plan to entrench single party rule, explained in under two minutes 1. Flood the country with untold millions of illegals by land, sea, and air from all over the world. Enough to eclipse the populations of 36 individual US states so far 2. Prioritize the needs of these millions of non-citizens over the needs of the American citizen, with free flights, buses, hotels, meals and phones, ensuring their loyalty to the political party that imported them 3. Keep them in the country at all costs, even when they commit violent crime like murder and rape. Attack the language used to describe the criminals, as opposed to the criminals themselves. Slander critics as racist 4. Ensure their privileges are made irrevocable with city and state sanctuary laws that act as population magnets. Codify permanent status and ensure non-cooperation with ICE 5. Count the non-citizens in the census that will determine congressional apportionment in the House of Representatives. As of now, that would equal 13 extra congressional districts a tremendous amount of electoral power 6. Wage a massive, heavily funded lawfare campaign to change state voting laws that legalize mass mail-in ballots, no signature verification, and no proof of citizenship requirements, making it nearly impossible to prove voter fraud 7. Lock in the permanent voting majority with campaign promises of lavish benefits and permanent privileges, enshrining generational fealty to the Democrat Party 8. Win elections 9. Entrenched single-party rule has been achieved The best part? Your tax dollars are paying for it

If the Iranian Mullahs fall. What next? | Dinesh D’Souza

The Left always hated on Dinesh D’Souza. And so, in my past days, I’d kind of ignore him too. In recent years I’ve listened to him more. I find him clearly and knowledgeably spoken. I rarely disagree with his takes. And certainly do not in the above video, that I’m 100% on board with.

The downfall of the theocrats in Iran, the hardline Mullahs and Ayatollahs is good, first and foremost, for the people of Iran, who yearn for freedom. Good for the West and good for the Middle East. Good for peace on earth. Good for goodness vs evil. Good for women and minorities. Good for Free Speech.  Good for the LGBTQ community …even as they’re in cahoots with the Mullahs in the Red-Green alliance. Good for the Middle East. Good for anti-Qatar hypocrisy. Good for Sunni Arab states that are keen to make up with the local superpower, Israel, but don’t want to do so openly, while Iran is there supporting terrorist proxies in the region. Good for all of that. 

In short: the downfall of the Iranian Mullahs would be … Good!

I asked Grok for a summary:

The video is a ~25-minute interview on the "Stand Tall Israel" channel (uploaded January 16, 2026) featuring conservative author/filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza. Titled *"Dinesh D’Souza: If Iran Falls, Radical Islam Collapses — Here’s What Happens Next"*, it explores the potential collapse of Iran's regime amid ongoing protests.

Key points:

- D’Souza views the 1979 Islamic Revolution as radical Islam's capture of its first major state, making Iran unique compared to groups like ISIS, Hamas, or the Taliban. The regime's obsession with Israel stems from Israel's effective resistance to radical Islam.

- Current protests differ from past ones (e.g., 2009 Green Movement) due to Trump's supportive rhetoric and promise of aid, contrasting Obama's perceived sympathy for the regime.

- Pre-1979 Iran under the Shah was secularizing/modernizing; the revolution reversed this, creating a durable theocracy.

- If Iran's regime falls, it would demoralize radical Islam globally, reshape Middle East power (Iran as a top Muslim state with nuclear ambitions), and weaken its influence.

- D’Souza critiques rising anti-Israel sentiment among some conservatives (e.g., Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens), calling it recycled antisemitism and illogical (e.g., "Israel controls America" claims).

- He warns of the "Red-Green Alliance" (leftist progressives + radical Islam) dominating media/academia, amplified by Qatar's subtle influence and the Muslim Brotherhood's infiltration in the West using freedoms to undermine them.

- Freedom-loving Iranians increasingly admire Israel; Western societies risk enabling forces hostile to liberty.

Overall, it's a geopolitical/civilizational analysis framing Iran's fall as a potential turning point against radical Islam, while criticizing shifting Western attitudes toward Israel. 

109 Koranic calls to kill non-Muslims.

	Amy Mek ⁦‪@AmyMek‬⁩ 🚨 Flashback: Remember When Anti-American Jihadi Ilhan Omar Was Sworn Into Office in 2017? She Didn't Just Use a Quran—She Used a GIGANTIC One! Does that mean she wants you to KNOW that not only does she support this Jihad manual (that's NOT compatible with our Constitution), pic.x.com/WfgkXZgKVa   19/1/2026, 12:16 pm

I noted this about the Koran when I first read it, at the beginning of this century. That it is scarily violent. So much so, it made the hairs on the back of the neck stand up. Scary. I thought at the time, 25 years ago already, that "if this is what we are dealing with, we're in trouble."

And indeed, it was and remains what we are dealing with. And so we are in trouble. Where we have congressional representatives swearing an oath on this horrid manual of terrorism against non-Muslims.

The Koran, a foundational document that calls on its cultish members to kill or to subdue all non-Muslims, all those who do not accept the teachings of the "perfect man", Muhammad, the personal mass murderer of Jews, who personally struck off the necks of 800 Banu Quraish tribe of Jews then living in what is now Saudi Arabia. We are informed of this act, proudly, by the Sirah, the standard Islamic reference on Muhammad's life. Muhammad who gave us the Koran (his "recitation" of what was told him by the angel Gabriel) back in the seventh century. 

Some people counter with "Oh, Amy Mek is just cherry picking. There's equally violent verses in the Bible."  Indeed there are. All of them in the Old Testament which is "abrogated" by the New Testament. Christians are allowed to discuss and reinterpret the Bible. That's "Biblical Exegesis". The violent verses in the Koran are not abrogated. Moreover, Muslims are prohibited from Koranic exegesis; questioning the Koran is blasphemy, punishable by death. 

Here's a simple summary of why the Koran and the Bible are not equivalent in terms of violent verses  

1. Abrogation. The violent verses in the OT of the Bible are abrogated by the peaceable verses in the New Testament. 

2. Exegesis (critical study): this is allowed and encouraged by Christians. Koranic exegesis is not permitted by Muslims. It is viewed as Blasphemy, punishable by death. 

None of the Koranic violent verses Amy Mek quotes is abrogated. They are all still very much in force. We see practical examples almost every day in the west. Like the other day, 15 killed on Bondi Beach. By two followers of Muhammad. Just doin' Allah's needed thing. 

Islam always was and remains today, an ideology, far more than it is a religion. It is a model for the whole of one's life. Hence ideology. As an ideology based on the teachings of a supremacist and genocidal warrior-king, it is clearly more dangerous than a religion. It calls on followers to make all non-adherents follow their rule, their society, their values, under the governance and oppression of Muslims, the "perfect people" who follow the "perfect man". 

Sent from my iPad

Governors take no responsibility for the regulations that drive out businesses

 

Sophia Miller on the easy target of the incompetent Gavin Newsom. 

Newsom has, almost single-handedly, ruined the very fine economy of California. 

Now Newsom stands by while companies leave, but says he has "no apologies" for instituting the most draconian legislation in the United States. Legislation which strangles businesses, like Tesla. 

Tesla has moved to Texas, taking its 15,000 jobs with it. 

Elon Musk has compared this regulatory tangle to the Lilliputians who tied up Gulliver. Each of their tiny ropes did nothing. But their sheer number of ropes tied him down like a strangled hog. (Elon has suggested that there be a policy: no new laws until at least 3 or 4 or 5 existing laws are repealed. And make every new law enacted have a sunset period). 

Elon has said that there are so many regulations in California, that basically building things there has become illegal. Because one or other of the many dozens of regulations is going to find your project non-compliant. 

When he had SpaceX there, Elon complained that they could build a whole new rocket more quickly than the bureaucrats could pass a piece of paper from one desk to another....

Sophia Miller at around 15:45, et seq:

California now has to pay higher interest rates to borrow money. This means the state's debt costs go up, which leaves less money for schools, roads, and public services. That leads to more cuts, which in turn causes more people and businesses to leave. The spiral continues.

And here's the kicker: the governor's office has spent the last year trying to spin this as a temporary setback. They've called it a "market correction." They've blamed federal policy, corporate greed, and even climate change. But they haven't taken responsibility for the policies that caused it.

In a press conference in April 2025, the governor was asked directly whether California's regulatory environment played a role in Tesla's departure. His response: "We make no apologies for holding corporations accountable to the highest environmental and labor standards." In other words, we'd do it all again.

But here's the reality check: accountability without competitiveness is just economic suicide. You can have the highest standards in the world, but if nobody can afford to meet them, you don't get clean industry—you get no industry. And when you have no industry, you have no jobs. When you have no jobs, you have no tax base. And when you have no tax base, you can't fund the very programs you claim to care about. It's not complicated. It's math.

So where does this leave us? Let me recap the chain of events, because it's important to see how each piece led to the next:

California imposed a complex, slow, and expensive regulatory system on manufacturers. Tesla tried to navigate that system and found it financially unsustainable. Tesla moved operations to states with simpler rules and lower costs. Other manufacturers followed. California lost jobs, tax revenue, and economic momentum. The state responded by raising taxes and cutting services, which accelerated the exodus. The fiscal crisis deepened. The spiral continues.

And through it all, California's leadership refused to admit that their policies were the problem.

Here's the broader warning: what happened in California is not unique. It's a case study in how ideologically driven policy—disconnected from economic reality—can destroy prosperity in less than a decade. Other states are watching. Other countries are watching.

The lesson is clear: if you want to attract investment, create jobs, and build a sustainable economy, you have to make it possible for businesses to succeed. You can't regulate your way to utopia. You can't tax your way to prosperity. And you can't ignore the trade-offs.

Arabs created the "Palestinian" identity in 1960 | State Department

🚨 important 🚨 Declassified U.S. State Department telegram quoting an Arab League meeting in Lebanon in August 1960, when Arab states decided to create a "Palestinian entity" aimed at undermining Israel through UN manipulation & military action. With the help of the Soviets,

Hamas Atrocities (@HamasAtrocities) 447 likes · 12 replies x.com

Yasser Arafat, Mr Lubra Lips, was the force behind branding all of what the Arabs of the Levant wanted to achieve: namely the destruction of Israel and extermination of the Jews. As had his elder cousin before him, the Hitler-loving and Nazi-loving Sheikh of Jerusalem, Amin al Husseini. 

Yasser it was who was repeatedly offered a Two-State Solution, offered a fixed homeland for the Arabs of Levant, but who repeatedly rebuffed the offers and instead promoted Intifadas. That is, the random bombing, the random massacre, of random Jewish mothers and children. Only to have the world turn around and say, to Israel   : "Israel, when are you going to try harder."

Italy -- Georgia Meloni -- stands up for western values. Yay!

Dr Steve Turley, above, on important developments in Italy. 

Georgia Meloni, PM of Italy, draws the line. We are Europe -- she says -- and we have our values. If you want to come here, you must adhere to those values, not those of your medieval ideology. 

Is it fair? You bet! And long overdue. Just look at Iran. Why are the people there uprising? Because they hate the ideology that they've been oppressed by since 1979. Where ex-Muslims are revolting, as Harris Sultan shows. Just the latest of 8 uprisings. Where over 12,000 have already been slaughtered by the regime. 

I do hope Trump does a Venezuela on it. (even though, as I write, he's toning down his tough talk. Don't go soft on us now, Donald!).

Italy -- Georgia Meloni -- is just trying NOT to be the next Iran. Trying NOT to be swallowed by fascistic Islamic ideology. 

Islam is most clearly a wicked ideology. 

It is an idology that is supremacist, homophobic, misogynist, racist, anti free speech, anti non-Muslims. Also: anti-drink, anti-music, anti-dance, anti-films, anti-women's hair. Pretty much anti everything that makes life worth living. (and that does include women's hair...).

You could argue people who adhere to this ideology should not even be allowed into our western countries. Or allowed into liberal Asia: Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Korea. I would argue that. I would happily take that side of a debate. 

But if you can't bring yourself to that level of discrimination, then at the very least we must follow the lead of cara Georgia. To say to these guests in our countries: 

"Very well, if you insist on moving to our countries, we expect that you follow our de-minimis demands. Do not insist on your own public oppressions. Oppressions of your women and ours. Oppressions of our rights to enjoy drink and music. Do not insist that your women dress in bags and cover their faces. Do not insist that we close our pubs. Do not insist that we follow Halal dietary cruelty. Do not insist we follow your Ramadan fasts. Do not insist that areas you've colonized are no-go 'Sharia Zones'.

"We're done. We will not stand for it."

Imagine. Italy being Roman! If you had to choose between living under the Roman Empire of the Islamic Caliphate, which would you choose? For me it's easy. It's Rome every time. Rome, aka the West, wins every time. 

It's too much to expect that what Georgia Meloni is doing will win out against the European Blob. The Blog of Angela von der Leyen. Or the Blobs of Macron and Merz. Or the Blob of Keir der Sturmer's Islamic Britain. Which are in thrall to the idea that the west is Bad and Islam is Good. Who are even more in thrall to the idea that the dollars flowing from Islamic regimes to the west are wery wery welcome. 

But still one can hope. It's Georgia, cara Georgia, who's given us that hope.

Auguri Georgia!  Auguri Bella!

ADDED: 

I thought Iran was majority Shia Muslim. Turns out that it's majority "Atheist, Agnostic or None", a total of 37%. That's the plurality, vs Shia Muslim at just 32%. The ancient traditional Persian religion of Zoroastrianism still has 7%, more than I'd've thought. (If you'd've asked me). 

Stats for 2020. I'll bet Iran's become even less Shia since then

Iran murders more than 12,000 young protesters

 

Vale Scott Adams

Scott Adams died on January 13, at the age of 68. 

I first came across Scott Adams when he had an interview with Sam Harris. The theme was Trump, and the fact that Scott had been one of the very few to predict a Trump win in 2016, mainly on the basis of his view that Trump was using classic persuasion techniques. 

Over the years I've watched his morning shows, Coffee with Scott Adams, with some regularity. I found him a unique mind. Often I didn't agree with his views, but if I didn't, I had to think hard to work out why. For much else, I was either persuaded or agreed with him. The one thing about him that really got on my goat was that he was a very defensive character and if people criticised him, he got very tetchy. 

These are what I think will be my lasting memories of his "teachings" (as he called them):

One movie two, screens. How we can see the same thing, but have very different readings of it. See, eg, the recent ICE shooting of a young woman protester, which has plenty of video. The Dems say it was "murder". The Reps say it was "self defence". 

Framing: how you frame something can have a big effect. He framed drinking alcohol as being drinking poison. That's pretty strong stuff!

Talent Stacks: work at adding each talent you have to the stack of existing talents, until you become a unique talent stack, useful to many employers. 

Systems over goals. This is one of the best one of his teachings. It's important. It seems to me that the Dems in America are all about Goals, which they see as being important and makes them feel good; and Reps, who are all about Systems, that making something better is the better way to go, rather than reaching for the impossible goal. 

I'll quote from the Grokipedia article on Systems over Goals: 

In his 2013 book How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life, Scott Adams introduced the systems versus goals framework as a core element of his personal success philosophy, arguing that pursuing repeatable processes yields better long-term outcomes than fixating on discrete targets.[59][60] Adams summarizes that goals put individuals in a state of "nearly continuous failure" until achieved, while systems let one "succeed every time [they apply them]."[61] He defines a goal as a specific, future-oriented objective—such as losing 20 pounds or running a marathon—that often fosters discouragement and dependency on willpower.[61] In contrast, a system comprises habitual actions performed regularly, like maintaining a healthy diet or exercising daily, which generate incremental progress and daily satisfaction regardless of ultimate attainment.[62][59]

Adams attributes his own career achievements, including the syndication of Dilbert in 1989, to systems-oriented habits such as consistent content creation and skill-building rather than rigid milestones.[60] He posits that systems enhance probability of success by compounding small wins and adapting to setbacks, whereas goals risk demotivation upon non-achievement or complacency post-success, citing observational evidence from high achievers who prioritize routines over endpoints.[59][62] For instance, in career advancement, a goal might be "get promoted to manager," inducing anxiety during the interim, while a system of networking daily and upskilling continuously builds momentum and opportunities organically.[60]

The framework extends to broader life domains, including fitness and business, where Adams claims systems reduce reliance on fleeting motivation and align with human psychology's preference for immediate reinforcement.[59] He illustrates this with dieting: a weight-loss goal creates binary failure until met, but an "eat right" system succeeds with each compliant meal, sustaining adherence over time.[61] Adams has reiterated this concept in subsequent writings and podcasts, positioning it as a tool for probabilistic success in uncertain environments, though he acknowledges it complements rather than replaces all forms of planning.

Grok: Scott Adams

Greg Gutfeld: "Scott Adams was a MONUMENTAL person". Scott Adams, a non-traditional thinker. 

Adam Carolla: “Scott Adams was an interesting, intelligent, successful man” who made people think outside the bounds.

Carl Benjamin: “The media is terrible about the death of Scott Adams”. 

The allegedly “racist” thing that Scott said was in 2023 when he commented on a Rasmussen poll showing 52% of Blacks in America thought “it’s not OK to be White”. A commenter on Akkad notes: “[Scott’s] ‘controversial’ take was that we have no obligation to associate with people who hold open and explicit disdain for us based on skin colour”.  

Scott was interviewed a lot after this issue. But always by Black podcasters and bloggers, all of whom in one way or another agreed with him. Not a single one of the legacy media interviewed him.

Israel is the wrong target: It's Radical Islam, stupid...

My God, this might be the loudest mic drop I've ever seen in the history of debating 🤭 bookmark and post every time a zombie PR Jihad propagandist comes at you with the AIPAC/Israel "aid" talking point 🔥

Gal G., Adv 🇮🇱 (@ICK_GalG) 9K likes · 321 replies x.com

Sentinels

The Brave Women of Iran fight for freedom

While in the American state of Minnesota, currently engaged in a "war" with the Federal Governmenet (in its own words), its Lt Governor Penny Flanagan, donned a Hijab, a symbol of female servitude, to "show respect" to the Minnesotan Somali community, which has been defrauding American taxpayers to the tune of over $9 Billion. 

Never once in the years I've been following Islam and related issues on this blog, have I seen women, women who are allegedly "liberated", stand up for women of the world, for women in the Middle East, in countries like Iran, where they are oppressed far more grotesquely, far more murderously, than they are in the U.S..

Shame on the "Liberal Women" of the West who do not stand up to for the rights of women around the world. Ana Kasparian is one such hypocritical woman. And an Iranian woman claps back. 

Shame on legacy media, like the BBC, who do not cover the very big story of the demonstrations in Iran. Which may turn out to the be biggest story of the year. Or even the decade.

"Iranian women abandon Sharia law..." on Sahar's Channel.

Grok Imagines. By "Grok Imagine".

 

How “Free Speech” became a Right wing thing… | Konstantin and Elon

	Elon Musk ⁦‪@elonmusk‬⁩ Censorship is the hallmark of an actually fascist state   12/1/2026, 7:58 pm

Konstantin Kisin of Triggernometry podcast, talks to ex Aussie Deputy PM John Anderson.

Quoted above by Elon Musk.

Remember when Elon bought Twitter and turned it into X? October 2022. 

At the time, the Left went crazy. Melted down in anger. They also predicted that Elon would fail. They tried everything to make him fail. Like calling for advertiser boycotts. To which Elon once famously responded, on a stage with Andrew Ross Sorkin: "you think you can influence me with advertising. Fuck you!" 

I remember an old Leftie friend of mine asking me if I, like Elon, was a "free speech absolutist". This was said as a criticism. Being hard line for Free Speech was a Bad Thing, for her. She'd been told that by her reading of the headlines (and only the headlines, she proudly told me) from the Guardian. 

All that's happened to X since Elon bought it, is that it's become a lot better. Like, a whole lot, lot, better. More features, more openness. More people using it. Making more money than ever. Competitors on the Left, like Blue Sky, are failing. 

By Pew Polls X is the least biased social media platform. It is also the most widely read. And most used by people of real influence. Leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, artists. And yes, even our lovely Social Justice Warriors!

Sent from my iPad

BBC fails to cover the Iran story

This is a huge story. The potential downfall of the Islamic Revolutionary Regime. Which has brutalised its people since 1979. 

But the BBC has signally failed to cover it. Because it doesn't fit their narrative. Which is: Islam good, the west bad. And all that goes with that. 

If the demos in Iran manage to topple the theocratic, Islamist regime, it will be good for the people of Iran. Which may become "Persia" again. And good for the region -- for they won't be supporting the likes of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. And because they won't be funding terror and assassination cells in the west. 

But for the Beebs it's like "nothing the see here". 

In the above video, an ex presenter at the BBC, Sally Jones, talks to Mark Dolan of TalkTV. 

"From here on out it's gonna be nothin' but smooth sailing for us Jews...."

3000 years ago in Egypt

Family Guy's take on the "Jewish question". Which I wrote about a bit more at the post last year.

The irony: things are worse today than they've been for nearly a century. I've never seen such open, clearly expressed, almost proud, but ultimately vile, anti-semitism in the whole of our little planet. Aka: "Jew hatred". It's here, there and everywhere. 

Whither Germany? (Spoiler: it's all about Energy)

 

There's a lot of interesting talk amongst these three gentlemen. About the future of Europe and of its most important component, Germany. Having been told about professor Tarik Cyril Amer, by an Occasional Reader. I don't agree with much of what Amer says, but some of it, yeah sure. 

One criticism: when they're talking about what happened to make Germany so weak, as it is today, and what could be done about it, they do no mention the single most important thing: Energy. 

Energy = Growth. Less energy, or more expensive energy = less growth. 

Germany embarked on a "transformation", from fossil fuels and nuclear to wind and solar. It's been an expensive failure. Major industries have decamped. Because they can't afford the energy. 

Therefore. One simple answer to the question "what can be done about Germany?" is this one: "Open up to every energy source that is available. Nuclear, gas, fracking, and, yes, even coal.". Open up to it all. 

But, no. The Greens have got them too much in thrall. As I've said before about the Greens. They're the single biggest reason that the world now has a carbon dioxide issue. They alone. The Greens have destroyed the planet. Because of their safetyist hate on Nuclear. 

“The Maduro effect: US raid accelerates Asia’s drift away from Washington” | SCMP

The Maduro effect: US raid accelerates Asia's drift away from Washington scmp.com

 You have to read past the headline. 

If you only read the headline, you'd think the South China Morning Post is actually talking about "Asia". In which case, Wow! Damage to US — Asia relations! Can't be good!

Read further past the headline and it turns out they're talking about three countries: Cambodia, Laos and North Korea. Sure they're in Asia. But they're the poorest and worst governed of Asia. 

• These three are 54 million population out of 4.85 Billion in Asia, or just 1.08% of the total. They are inconsequential. 
• Each one is a one party authoritarian state. You'd expect them to be worried about the legitimacy of their own rulers. 
• None of them has been known for making wise decisions. From the insanely murderous Pol Pot in Cambodia to the Kim family in North Korea, they've made one bad decision after another. 
• Meantime who in Asia are getting closer to America? The countries that matter. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, India. (We leave China aside. Of course they're against whatever America does).

In sum: The above article is bogus drivel. I guess “click bait” would cover it.

Canberra 13 years ago today…

“The Singularity is here” | Elon Musk & Peter Diamandis

 This is a very long video on Peter Diamandis’ YT channel with Dave Blundin. Also one of the most comprehensive interviews, to help us understand the grand visions of Elon Musk, the most consequential human on the planet.*

A lot of focus on energy.

Energy determines wealth and growth. On energy “Solar is everything”. Elon is also full on with nuclear. But big pic and long term, he says, the Sun is our biggest supplier of energy. We’re far away from using even a fraction of one percent of the Sun’s energy. 

Grok: “We use roughly 0.01% of the Sun's total energy output that reaches Earth (≈ 0.00001% of the Sun's total energy production).”

Timestamps:

00:00 - Navigating the Future of AI and Robotics

04:56 - The Promise of Abundance and Optimism 
10:02 - Energy: The Key to a Sustainable Future 

15:00 - The Role of Education in a Changing World 

41:34 - Health, Longevity, and the Future of Humanity 

51:14 - AI's Impact on Labor and Employment 

55:34 - Universal High Income: A New Economic Paradigm 

58:25 - Navigating the Singularity and AI's Acceleration 

01:02:55 - The Role of AI in Healthcare and Surgery 

01:08:51 - Ethics and AI: Programming Values into Machines 

01:14:43 - The Future of Space Exploration and AI's Role 

01:35:01 - The Chip Shortage Crisis 

01:44:16 - Simulation Theory and Consciousness 

01:49:45 - The Search for Extraterrestrial Life
02:00:01 - The Future of Robotics and AI Integration

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*You don’t agree? That Elon is “the most consequential human on the planet”? Then who? What other entrepreneur? What other politician? What other scientist? 

“How not to get your ass kicked by the police “ | Chris Rock

In the wake of a young woman killed by ICE agents in Minnesota, here’s an old post from comedian Chris Rock. It’s wise advice from Chris Rock. I only wish it had been promoted more. Tell your kids that if they're stopped by the police they should obey the orders of the police. Instead of telling your kids and especially telling young Black men that the “police are out to murder you”. That’s not the case, proven by exhaustive statistics analysed by Harvard professor Roland Frier. 

If the young woman killed in self defence had followed Chris’s advice she would be alive now. Instead she tried to run over an ICE agent carrying out a legal action. Sad… 

PS: I posted this vid in 2021, and also earlier. Where I commented on professor Steven Pinker, Harvard psycholinguist, himself a leftie, who made the case that cutting back on police numbers (today's “Defund the police”) is crazy and only leads to more crime (gee!), harming most of all minority neighbourhoods. This advice of Pinker's -- to maintain and respect officers of law and order -- has been comprehensively ignored by his party. As has, sadly, Chris Rock's video advice. 

“If you have never lived in Venezuela…” | Stephan Subero

Via Mike Netter. 

I’m going to say this once, and I don’t care if it makes people uncomfortable.

If you have never lived in Venezuela If you did not grow up there If you did not watch your country collapse in real time If you did not stand in food lines If you did not watch your parents lose everything they built If you did not have to leave your home with nothing Then shut the fuck up. You do not have an opinion. Your opinion does not matter. And you don’t get to lecture anyone about what’s happening there. I’m Venezuelan. I lived there most of my life until my early twenties. I watched my country go from a functioning democracy to full blown socialism right in front of my eyes. This is not politics to me. This is trauma. Before socialism, Venezuela was not perfect, but it worked. There was trade. There was money coming in. There was investment from the US. There were jobs. There was food. There was medicine. My family had five businesses. We had our home We had investments. We had a future. Then the government started nationalizing everything. Private companies were taken. Foreign investors were pushed out. Imports were blocked. Price controls destroyed production. Corruption exploded. And everything died. Not slowly. Violently. People didn’t suddenly become poor because of “capitalism” or “the US” or whatever bullshit slogan people like to repeat online. They became poor because socialism destroyed incentives, destroyed production, destroyed trust, and destroyed hope. People today in Venezuela are not debating ideology. They are trying to survive. They are trying to find food. Trying to find medication. Trying to keep their families alive. So when I see people in the West posting from comfortable homes, full fridges, stable currencies, and safe streets talking about “imperialism” or “US bad” or “Trump this or that” No. It’s not complicated. You’re just ignorant. China is not rebuilding Venezuela. Russia is not rebuilding Venezuela. Cartels are not rebuilding Venezuela. They are stealing. They are extracting. They are draining what’s left. If the US comes in and reinvests If refineries get rebuilt If infrastructure gets restored If imports open back up If food, water, and medicine become accessible again If people can work and earn with dignity Then yes. Let them take all the oil they want. Because at least something gets built instead of destroyed. This is something to celebrate. Not because it’s perfect. But because for the first time in a long time, there is hope. Hope that families can eat. Hope that people don’t have to flee their country. Hope that Venezuela can function again. If you’ve never lived through a country collapsing If you’ve never watched socialism destroy everything around you If you’ve never had to leave your home because staying meant starvation Then again Shut the fuck up. This isn’t theory. This isn’t politics. This is lived experience. By Stephen Subero. Singer

=====================

Me: Socialism is horrible. I've seen it. I've lived it. I know it.

Socialism makes people poor and wretched. It encourages corruption, fraud and waste. It's the most destructive ideology of the 20th century, a period with plenty of destructive ideologies.

Venezuelans everywhere delighted by Maduro arrest | Nicholas Freitasis

Nicholas Freitas is a Green Beret who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Green Berets are like the Delta Force that carried out the snatch and arrest of Mr and Mrs Maduro last week. So he know a thing or two about the whole issue.

He supports the operation. As does every single Venezuelan I’ve seen since. Not just “most” Venezuelans, but every Venezuelan. That’s key and appears to be ignored by the Leftie Luvvies demonstrating in Times Square to “bring back Maduro”. When a year ago they were mocking Trump for not having Maduro taken down. Literally no way to win any Democrat approbation. Now when you’re Donald Trump. 

Nick is worried about “regime change” and what Trump means when he says “we’re in charge” of Venezuela. For now. Temporarily. So am I and so are many. But I do believe Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio has thought this through and the upside for Venezuelans can be massive and positive. 

Let me summarise the Upsides:

Good for Venezuelans. Check out YouTube. It’s nothing but wild celebrations from Venezuelans worldwide. 

Many of the 8 million Venezuelans who fled return home.

Less drug traffic

Less human trafficking

Less involvement in Venezuela by China, Iran, Russia.

“Kill the chicken to frighten the monkeys”. Putting the fear of god into dictators everywhere.

What are the Downsides?

Chaos and failed state. But it’s a chaotic failed state already.

Having to listen to whining from anti-Trumpers about how awful this is …

That’s it. That’s all I can think of. 

Democrats try to reinstate Maduro | Vince Dao

 

Dems be like:

“You can’t arrest Maduro! That’s illegal”. (Margaret Brennan, CBS)

Also Dems:

“Why didn’t you arrest more Maduro regime members?” (Margaret Brennan, CBS)

Chuck Schumer be like:

“Why didn’t Trump arrest the illegal, illegitimate Maduro?” (2020)

Also Chuck:

“We have to top Trump doing anything in Venezuela” (2025). After Trump has arrested the “illegal, illegitimate Maduro”. 

Vince Dao reveals (above vid) more unequivocal— gargantuan! — Democratic Hypocrisy.  Every Democrat and legacy media was calling for Maduro’s ouster in 2020. Every Democratic and legacy media is calling Trump a bully for achieving Maduro’s ouster, in 2025. 

That’s some industrial level hypocrisy right there. 

What went down in Caracas on 3 January…

A fighter pilot, Max Afterburner, nom de internet of Ryan Bodenheimer, comments on briefing by General Dan Caine, after the stunning and stunningly successful arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro in the middle of the night in Caracas. 

Super interesting for War Nerds. (“Cry havoc! And let loose the Nerds of war”). 

Venezuelans are ECSTATIC

Everyone is happy. Venezuelans especially. 

Oh, wait.... there's a bunch of white, middle-aged, mostly women, who aren't happy.

 Who think it's a Very Bad Thing. That America arrested a man, Nicolas Maduro, who has been indicted for a decade. Who has impoverished, murdered, imprisoned and traficked his people and his country. 

But, for those lefties in Times Square, it was done by Trump. Ergo: Bad. Man... 

Sheesh... 

Capitalism = Wealth. Socialism = Poverty

Poland becomes capitalist in 1990 and the economy Zooms. 

Venezuela becomes socialist in 1999 and is impoverished. 

We know that these are "correlations with causation". The cause of the Zoom for Poland, the cause of the impoverishment for Venezuela, in each case, the causes were the policies followed. 

We know this because we study the individual examples. And because we have plenty of other examples out there. 

Eg: The difference between North and South Korea. Eg: The difference between the old East Germany and West Germany. North Korea, East Germany, both run as Socialist economies, both grindingly poor. South Korea and West Germany, both run as Capitalist economies, both wealthy. 

We also know that in every single country that socialism has been tried, it's failed. The people have got poorer. The economy has tanked. Repression and dictatorship abound. 

Then there's China. Socialist until the late 1970s. Then more capitalist. Aka, run by allowing market forces to operate. That was what raised hundreds of millions of Chinese out of poverty. Not socialism. But the exact extent to which the authorities allowed market forces, capitalism, to operate. That was the exact extent to which they prospered. 

I saw the effects of socialism when I first arrived in socialist China in 1976. The only vegetable you could get in winter was cabbage. Bread was unavailable. Shoes and clothes were rationed. Rice was rationed. Meat was rationed. Then Zhao Ziyang began the "Four Modernisations", the Chinese version of Market Forces. Lo! China prospered. 

Yet, in New York's Times Square, yesterday, we saw crowds of people calling for more socialism. For more Communism. For more of the "Bolivarian revolution". For Maduro do be released. For America to become socialist, communist even. 

There's no teaching some people. Some people are immune to the lessons of history. Some people will never learn the lessons of history, not matter how much you tell them. I think we just have to live with that reality and simply not let them near the levers of power. Because we know, to a moral certainly, what happens to a successful economy when you turn it Socialist. In a word: Penury. In another word: Ruination. 

Venezuela: Maduran Hypocrisy — Dems on full display.

Brandon Lehman is a smart young YouTuber who I’ve followed for years. He usually has knowledgeable take on world affairs, from a conservative perspective. 

You want the Left perspective, go to any of the legacy media, CNN, MSNBC, BBC… 

In the vid above Brandon reckons the Dems are going to lose Hispanic support for refusing to recognise that Venezuelans themselves, in Venezuela, in the United States, around the world are ecstatic that Maduro the dictator has been arrested. They “praise the Lord” and thank the United States… and even Donald Trump. 

While they are lectured and hectored by white inner-city wokesters on how wrong they are. Let’s see how that plays out in the elections. 

Notes:

Most countries did NOT recognise Nicolas Maduro’s 2024 election.* At the time every Democrat denounced him and his grab of power. 

Most countries recognised the opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzales. The Biden administration even set a bounty of $25 million (later $50 million) on his head. A bounty means a guy is presumed criminal, not a legitimate president. A legitimate target for bounty hunters; in this case the US Armed forces. 

Brandon features Dem Senator Chris Van Hollen in full-blown hypocrisy mode. Condemning Maduro when Biden was in power, slamming Trump when he does something about Maduro. 

The rest of the Dems I’ve seen quoted since the capture and arrest of Maduro, are venting their hypocrisy in exactly the same way. Amazing. I mean the shamelessness of it!

Meantime: What’s happening to the “Rules Based Order?” by Carl Benjamin. Carl mentions that the Venezuela economy has fallen 80% since Maduro came to power in 2015. That’s EIGHTY! Percent! I Fact checked that and it’s correct, according to the IMF, the World Bank and Council on Foreign Relations. 

Since Maduro, 8 million Venezuelans have fled the country, for safety and money reasons.That’s the largest single emigration from any single country, ever. 

And this is the man we now see Democrats in the United States marching on the streets in support!? A man they reviled less than two years ago!? 

=======================

* Countries that did recognise Maduro. The Usual Suspects, the “dodgy disreputables”:

- Russia

- China

- Iran

- Cuba

- Nicaragua

- Bolivia

- Honduras

- North Korea

And these are the ones that Dems want to hitch their wagon to?! 

ADDED: “Marco Rubio has balls of steel”, by Greg Foreman, financier.

Old dog. Young dog. NYE 31 December 2025