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Category: Iran

World War III Watch — Week Of April 24, 2023

May 1, 2023

First Republic Bank Is Seized, Sold to JPMorgan in Second-Largest U.S. Bank Failure In History and the Third U.S. Bank To Go Bankrupt In the Last Three Months

By Rachel Louise Ensign and Ben Eisen Updated May 1, 2023, 4:35 am EDT for Wall Street Journal — https://apple.news/ATrZqns0MTaenbR5eQBFtJw

As I’ve stated in previous posts, although financial and economic news doesn’t immediately inspire images of a “world war” to the mind and senses as much as overtly war-like conflict events, these events may pose more of a threat to global peace than military skirmishes in Ukraine or Taiwan or Syria et al. The working theory being that countries accustomed to decades of peace and prosperity, as we’ve had on planet earth for decades now, may and usually will do everything they can to de-escalate military conflicts to avoid large multinational wars, even when attacked in some way — consider the American journalist just captured and imprisoned by Russia in the last few weeks…, or consider the absolute clusterfu+*k of America’s embarrassing escape out of Afghanistan after 20+ years of fighting and then handing it right back over to The Taliban… all those lives lost…. But no world war…. but when economic desperation sets in in a country, watch out — all cards are off the table and a nation’s typical reaction is to lean hard right nationalistic, start chest thumping about “national pride” and “protecting the homeland from foreign threats” and before we know it, someone somewhere does something to what they perceive as a weaker someone and off to war we go. Despite what they say it’s always economically and financially motivated. They need. And when someone needs, all bets of diplomacy or compromise are off. The United States sadly, as many nations around the world, is facing some scary impending economic consequences. We’re just not talking about it yet. (Insert the potential commercial real estate debt crash that is being discussed under the radar at the moment; if you’re aware of it…..). That’s why this sudden trend of large regional banks going bellyup is important.

Concerns Grow as Tighter Lending Threatens $20 Trillion Commercial Real Estate Market

By Ephrat Livni for the New York Times April 6, 2023

The recent banking turmoil added scrutiny to a sector already weighed down by office vacancies, rising interest rates and mounting debt. The turmoil that drove Silicon Valley Bankand Signature Bank out of business last month, rocking the wider banking sector, has analysts bracing for the next possible crisis: the $20 trillion commercial real estate market. Read whole article here

Russian pilots tried to ‘dogfight’ US jets over Syria, US Central Command says

By Oren Liebermann, CNN — https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/29/europe/russia-fighter-pilots-dogfight-us-jets-syria-intl-hnk

US risky business in China

Doing business in China has never been straightforward. But now it’s becoming dangerous for (some) American companies.

On Wednesday, Chinese cops raided the Shanghai offices of US consulting firm Bain, questioning local employees and taking away computers and phones. No explanation was given by the police or the Boston-based firm, but the search was carried out the same day that China expanded its espionage law, giving authorities greater powers to inspect premises and digital devices of local businesses. (This comes a month after China arrested five Americans working at the due-diligence firm Mintz and shut down its Beijing HQ.)

These episodes highlight the increasingly risky environment for US businesses operating in China. As US-China relations get frostier, a whopping 87% of US execs surveyed by the AmCham industry group say they’re pessimistic about the future. [From GZERO MEDIA]

Paraguay holds presidential election with geopolitical ripples

Paraguayans go to the polls Sunday to pick their next president. Domestically, the big story is whether centrist opposition leader Efraín Alegre can beat Santiago Peña from the right-wing Colorado Party, which has almost monopolized power since the country ditched military rule in 1989. But there are also two geopolitical angles to keep an eye on.

First, the election is being closely watched in Taipei and Beijing. If he wins, Alegre has suggested he might switch diplomatic relations from Taiwan to China — meaning that the self-ruled island would lose its last friend in South America. The presidential candidate believes that Taiwan has not invested enough in Paraguay to offset the immense cost of not doing business with China, so he’s made it clear to Tsai Ing-wen: Show us the money or we’ll call Xi Jinping. [From GZERO MEDIA]

A Russian fighter pilot came close to igniting World War III when he fired on a British surveillance plane, since under NATO’s treaty, if one member of the alliance falls victim to an attack, all members of the alliance are obliged to consider it one.https://t.co/JNyDvMj6vz

— The Nation (@thenation) April 27, 2023

First Republic Bank Teeters on the Brink of Collapse — [By Mack Wilowski for Investopedia Published April 26, 2023]. [Transcendence Diaries editorial intro by Ed Hale… Yet another large regional bank in the United States hangs by a nail on its way to bankruptcy. In what might be the third, fourth or fifth (it’s hard to keep track now) major regional bank in the U.S. to head belly-up in the last two months, money’s disappearing faster than The Fed can print or loan it, but it’s still not major news to the majority of Americans. Why? Maybe it’s because there’s no celebrity gossip attached to it. Maybe it’s because it’s not trending on TikTok. Maybe it’s because Americans don’t think anything is important unless the government interiors their regularly scheduled programming — except that no longer exists — to advise them that something really IS important. And the American government isn’t going to do that here. Not now. They’ll let every small, city, county, state and regional bank in America go bankrupt before they’ll ever say a word to the unsuspecting public. By then it’ll be too late. The rich will have gotten all their money out and both The Federal Reserve and The US Treasury will announce that there’s no more money left for the working class. That’s how it always goes. In return, Americans get to claim they enjoy all the benefits and fruits of Capitalism. Strange game. Horrible odds. Why is it important in regards to an impending World War III? The answer seems obvious. When a large regional bank of a country suddenly goes bankrupt, it should be concerning and front page news. Something isn’t right. When 4-5 of them do in a matter of 8-10 weeks, Mission Control we have a serious problem. The last thing in the world you want when confronting an enemy that’s insane and has nothing to lose (Russia), another who literally thinks youre “evil” and calls you The Great Satan (Iran) and another who hold the very financial and economic stability in the palm of its hand (China) is to be going broke faster than you can keep track of. And sure maybe this is just business as usual capitalist housekeeping… But what if it’s not?]

First Republic Bank (FRC) is teetering on the brink of collapse as shares fell to new all-time lows on reports the federal government and the nation’s biggest banks are reluctant to put together a rescue package.

The beleaguered lender reported deposit outflows of more than $100 billion in the first quarter, or 40% of the total.1 That figure would have exceeded 50% if not for a $30 billion injection of uninsured deposits from 11 of the nation’s biggest banks in March.2

In response, shares of FRC plunged almost 50% yesterday, and are down another 30% today. The bank’s market cap fell below $1 billion in intraday trading, a small fraction of its $40 billion peak in November 2021. Its price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio fell as low as 0.7. The stock’s volatility prompted the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to halt trading of FRC 12 times Wednesday.3

To make matters worse, First Republic faces the prospect of losing access to the Fed’s lending facilities if a private deal isn’t reached soon, Bloomberg reported.4 U.S. regulators prefer a private rescue that wouldn’t involve federal authorities seizing the bank, which could further deplete the FDIC’s insurance fund.

Management is scrambling to convince regulators and executives of bigger banks to provide one more financial lifeline. Executives are engaged in a last-ditch effort to improve the bank’s financial standing.

Its options include transferring troubled assets into a “bad bank” or selling off assets at above-market rates. However, other banks may be reluctant to intervene for fear of losing their uninsured deposits and would prefer the FDIC assume control of part of First Republic’s assets.5

First Republic Bank ran into financial difficulty shortly after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank in March, as it had the third-highest share (behind the two collapsed lenders) of uninsured deposits that exceeded the FDIC’s $250,000 limit.

FRC shares tumbled 60% in the first trading session after SVB and Signature Bank’s collapse. They’ve since extended their decline, and are down more than 95% year-to-date.

EARNINGS REPORTS AND NEWSFirst Republic to Cut Staff After 40% Plunge in Deposits

BREAKING: U.S. sanctions Russian and Iranian security services for “holding Americans hostage” https://www.axios.com/2023/04/27/russian-iran-sanctions-wrongful-detention

The U.S. is imposing sanctions on the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and the intelligence arm of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), plus four IRGC leaders, for their roles in the wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens, senior U.S. officials told reporters on Thursday.

Why it matters: The officials said this was the first of multiple rounds of sanctions in the works to punish and deter those who would hold Americans hostage. The practical implications of this step are unclear as both organizations are already under U.S. sanctions.

  • These were the first sanctions announced under an executive orderPresident Biden signed last year to provide new tools to help bring hostages home. 

What they’re saying: “We do think it’s significant that the first round of sanctions are being announced specifically for this type of behavior, because we’re really concerned about this type of behavior,” a senior official said.

  • The sanctions package was already in the works before Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained on espionage charges, which the U.S. and WSJ both say are baseless, a senior official said.

Bloomberg News :: BREAKING :: April 27, 2023 5:56 am Germany in Talks to Limit the Export of Chip Chemicals to China — The move could affect German companies including Merck, BASF. Chancellor Scholz has been striking a harder line on China. Germany is in talks to limit the export of chemicals to China that are used to manufacture semiconductors as Berlin steps up efforts to reduce its economic exposure to the Asian nation. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-27/germany-in-talks-to-limit-the-export-of-chip-chemicals-to-china

April 27, 2023 4:10 am With Zelensky call, Xi Jinping steps up bid to broker peace – but does he have a plan? https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/27/china/china-ukraine-xi-jinping-zelensky-call-analysis-intl-hnk

Hong Kong (CNN) — A long-awaited phone call between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday has received a tentative welcome in Washington and parts of Europe for its potential to increase dialogue toward resolving Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine. It also marks the most concrete step made to date by China to take up the role of mediator that it has for months alluded to playing. But the hour-long conversation, believed to be the first between the two leaders in the fourteen months since Russia invaded Ukraine, also comes with few tangible proposals for how China might help to bridge the devastating, war-torn divide between the two countries. And its timing – at a moment when Beijing is acutely focused on strengthening ties with Europe amid cratering relations with the United States – also suggests there are more drivers than just peace in China’s calculus, analysts say. Ties have been frayed thin since the outbreak of the war, as European leaders have watched in dismay while Beijing refused to condemn the invasion and instead bolstered its economic and diplomatic ties with Moscow, including joining the Kremlin in blaming NATO for fueling the conflict. Efforts from Beijing to repair those relations took a major stumble earlier this week after China’s top diplomat in Paris suggested in a televised interview that former Soviet states have no status under international law – seen as a potential nod to Putin’s view that Ukraine should be part of Russia.

One of China’s most popular and downloaded apps on the App Store, Pinduoduo, listed on the NASDAQ Exchange, has the ability to spy on its users, say experts —- https://apple.news/AJGW-QsJEQb-M9-WGDwccog

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World War III Watch – Week Of April 14, 2023

April 17, 2023

:: BREAKING :: April 20, 2023 10:36 am Nicaragua president Daniel Ortega appeared on a televised interview on COMBATE in Nicaragua today. What he said was no surprise to regular readers of these pages. But to the rest of the world, it came as quite a shock at first. And yet what was so surprising were just how many people once they viewed it, declared how much sense it actually makes. The realization is awakening in mass consciousness so quickly ….

Nicaragua President DANIEL ORTEGA: “World War III is already underway. This is World War III. Why? Because it is the United States and Europe using Ukraine to seek how to disappear Russia. The same thing that happened in World War II… and the first troops that entered the bunker then in Germany were the troops of the Soviet Union. They were the first to enter. In other words, the victory, the great defeat and the victory of the peoples rested on the Russian people, on the Red Army, on the Soviet people. And now we are seeing the same story…

The Russian Federation is fighting a battle for peace. It’s not against a nation. It’s against the fascists, the Nazis who staged a coup d’état there in Ukraine and settled there. It’s Hitler’s children who are ruling there… meanwhile, NATO harassing Russia with more weapons, more bases, and the United States leading the orchestra of international terrorists…”

Nicaragua President DANIEL ORTEGA: "World War III is already underway. This is World War III. Why? Because it is the United States and Europe using Ukraine to seek how to disappear Russia. The same thing that happened in World War II… and the first troops that entered the… pic.twitter.com/1leqANzwgV

— COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) April 20, 2023

APOCALYPSE VOW —Ukraine Joining NATO ‘Guaranteed’ to Start World War III, Russian Official Says

https://www.thedailybeast.com/ukraine-joining-nato-guaranteed-to-start-world-war-iii-russian-official-says

“The war in Ukraine is “guaranteed” to escalate into World War III if Kyiv is allowed to join NATO, a Russian Security Council official said Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise announcement that he had made a fast-track bid for membership into the military alliance just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed almost a fifth of Ukrainian territory on Sept. 30. All of NATO’s 30 members would have to approve Ukraine’s bid, making full membership of the defense group a long way off. “Kyiv is well aware that such a step would mean a guaranteed escalation to World War III,””

BREAKING :: U.S. Treasury’s Yellen Says U.S. China Relationship Is Clearly At A ‘Tense Moment’

YELLEN SAYS U.S. CHINA RELATIONSHIP IS CLEARLY AT A 'TENSE MOMENT' -JOHNS HOPKINS SAIS SPEECH

— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) April 20, 2023

EXCLUSIVE —- Pakistan makes its first purchase of discounted Russian oil —- https://www.investing.com/news/commodities-news/exclusivepakistan-buys-its-first-cargo-of-discounted-russian-crude-oil-3060193 https://twitter.com/deitaone/status/1649056913756389377?s=46&t=mnbi41BC-wcQNxvdeSy6nQ

“The U.S. dollar historically has been the currency of oil trade, but the Ukraine war has eroded its dominance as Russia avoids receiving a currency it has been largely blocked from using by Western sanctions.”

Well, we knew this. Or at least thought we did. And it’s turning out to be true. It doesn’t take much observation to see that neither the millennial federation nor Gen Z have any interest in suddenly turning patriotic, donning some itchy uniforms and traveling great distances to defend America’s strange form of capitalism-gone-wild-but-let’s-still-call-it-democracy half way around the world. One too many Vietnam movies for them. One too many “Iraq has WMDs” for them. And far too much desire to appear to be an Influencer or go viral or be a reality TV star or be a TikTok star or smoke a blunt for 15 minutes. Likes and Views baby do not demand serving in a military.

Kids these days are all too aware of the downsides of enlisting. Potentially getting killed, for one.https://t.co/TjHiGKiBDX

— The Nation (@thenation) April 20, 2023

And then there’s this. An expose’ about how the United States still spends more than every other nation on earth combined on continuing to build up its military. Nothing new there. The problem? It’s an old fashioned, large, clunky, antiquated military better suited to the 20th century. Already the U.S. and it’s various infrastructure is being bombarded by cyberattacks on a near daily basis to which it is completely unable to defend itself against. And that’s during, ostensibly, peacetime. Imagine if these foes continued their attacks as this quickly growing lead up to WW III were to heat up even more, which they will. The risk, the one that everyone in the world seems to see — especially America’s ever expanding enemies — except the bigwigs hiding behind the big doors who seem to be controlling everything in the US of A, is that Russia or China or Iran or any of the other countries now firmly entrenched in the New Communist Alliance will sit 2-3 capable 14 year old tech geniuses down in a little room, perhaps in Cuba or Venezuela, and order them to “take out all the major power grids in the US, along with their water mains and internet just for fun, and the American military response will be to roll out a battalion or two of tanks and a few thousand infantry men. And as funny as this hyperbolic image is, it’s also deeply sad and troubling because of just how true it rings in the hearts and minds of the few left with their wits still about them or smart enough to get it. After the Great Dumbing Down America went through as a side effect of the self-demolition of the Republican Party and their naked criminal-mastermind of an emperor, Donald Trump, it is hard to fathom that there are many. Americans of course won’t notice any of this because they’ll be far too busy hypnotized by their Netflix or their Super Bowl or their $500 a seat Taylor Swift concert or their TikTok. You know, as we write this this evening I can still remember the foolhardy comments I received four years ago when I stated i would never be so naïve and short sighted as to download TikTok onto my own phone nor let my kids do it and at the same time suggested what a genius move it was strategically for China to attack the United States so transparently right out in the open through an app, placed right into the greedy grubby hands of every American absolutely free. How many friends replied with snide or sarcastic remarks such as “yeah right, because the Chinese think I’m so important they want to spy on ME…”. Well that mission has been accomplished. We could write a small book on all the damage that “little app” has already put the country in; but much more importantly it’s about what a ticking time bomb it was set up to be and how now that it’s made the rounds through every digital nook and cranny of the entire populace, corporation, organization and government office it’s fully prepared to achieve any number of the countless nefarious missions China planned for it. Pure bloody genius. The bigger picture here is less about the impending global super-conflict heating up, and more about who the winners and losers are going to be, and given the context and data we now possess, just how completely ill-prepared the United States is for it.

From TIME Magazine :: America’s Military Is Unprepared for Our Age of Advanced Technology — Equipped to face the threats of yesterday, our military needs to reform to keep us safe from the threats of tomorrow —- https://apple.news/ADBcJh1l-QsWQZk1yAdM2BA

For current readers of the Diaries, specifically the new series, World War III Watch, the release of this new article in The Nation today should feel like vindication. For it is. As it very accurately echos everything this writer has been saying here for over six months. Though with a few glaring differences. They are taking a much more conservative approach to the events we’ve been witnessing than I have. They also seem to be operating under the misconception that president Joe Biden “has committed” the United States to anything, let alone “a four-front global crusade”. For those that have seen or heard Joe Biden anytime in the last year or two, it is clear that’s simply not possible. Physically, not possible. They’re also presupposing that the United States is somehow in charge of this current impending global military conflict. Probably because they’re accustomed to the US being at the forefront of most large scale global conflagrations — it’s probably not occurred to them that the United States is in the backseat on this one. At best going for a ride, albeit not driving, not choosing the destination, not giving directions and in the backseat. At worst they’re in the trunk, being taken for a ride by enemies who want nothing less for them than the end of their superpower status forever.

Biden has now committed us to a four-front global crusade against Russia, China, Iran, and a continually shifting terrorist hit list. None of these “enemies” threaten the survival or well-being of Americans.https://t.co/l0Dw9zKwMt

— The Nation (@thenation) April 19, 2023

I’ve been writing about this, first bubbling, now obvious & ever-growing story, in a series called World War III Watch in the Transcendence Diaries for 6 months. I disagree w the notion that “none of these threaten the well-being of Americans”. @evangershkovich comes to mind. ‬

Yet more poking at the Russian Bear by the West with yet even more dangerous, disturbing and completely unnecessary events. The sovereign nation of Russia, one of the oldest conti

US LOOKS FORWARD TO WELCOMING SWEDEN TO BECOME A FULL NATO MEMBER BEFORE JULY SUMMIT: U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY

— Market Rebellion (@MarketRebels) April 19, 2023

Russian foreign minister visits Latin America —- Russia is moving fast now in their travels around the world to collect both more new countries, and some longtime allies such as Cuba and Venezuela, for the New Communist Alliance they seem to be forming with now-seemingly global Head Honcho, China. No longer afraid or intimidated by the once mighty United States, both countries are on a mission to force those lines in the sand and see where everyone stands. America and a deflated Europe suddenly appear small, with the EU battling persistent inflation and weaker global influence, and the United States seemingly constantly battling itself in a strange Cold War Civil War. China and Russia know this is their time if there’s ever going to be one. Details in article below:

Sergey Lavrov spent Monday in Brasilia, where recently elected President “Lula” Da Silva has already irked Washington by both-sidesing the Ukraine war and refusing to sell weapons to Kyiv.

For Russia, it’s no small thing that one of the world’s largest democracies is at least sympathetic to the Kremlin’s version of the Ukraine story. The fact that Russia exports lots of fertilizer to Brazil’s powerful farm industry probably helps.

Lula, meanwhile, has long sought to carve out a role as a leader of the Global South, where many view the faraway Ukraine war chiefly through the lens of food and energy price inflation and are skeptical of American arguments about defending democracy or the “rules-based order.” Still, he has to tread carefully – osgringos are Brazil’s largest foreign investors and key partners on Lula’s climate change agenda.

While Lavrov thanked Lula for his support, the White House, in a tough rebuke, accused the Brazilian president of “parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without at all looking at the facts.”

After Brasilia, Lavrov will visit old Kremlin comrades in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. All are countries where US sanctions have enabled Russia to gain significant footholds in energy, arms sales, and general “rogue-state” bonhomie.

But beyond that, Russia lags well behind the region’s two major external players: China and the US. See our GT below for more.

But it’s not as simple as that. America is still the economic super power in Latin America, by leaps and bounds. See the Eurasia Group article and graphic below.

Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia is on a mission to shore up support wherever it can – particularly among rogue and non-aligned states. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is currently jet-setting across Latin America in a bid to rally support for Moscow’s war effort and send a message to the Americans about its own inroads in the region. But when push comes to shove, Moscow has minimal economic clout in Latin America compared to Washington, resulting in less diplomatic leverage. We take a look at Latin American states’ trade ties with the US and Russia.

FBI arrests two alleged Chinese agents and charges dozens with working inside US to silence dissidents —- https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/17/politics/fbi-chinese-agents

TAIWAN TO BUY 400 US ANTI-SHIP MISSILES INTENDED TO REPEL CHINA

— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) April 17, 2023

CHINA WARNS OF 'MAJOR' MILITARY ACTION IN YELLOW SEA TUESDAY…

— FxMacro (@fxmacro) April 17, 2023

CHINA MARITIME SAFETY ADMINISTRATION: MAJOR MILITARY ACTIVITY TO BE CONDUCTED IN YELLOW SEA ON APRIL 18 BETWEEN 0900-1200 LOCAL TIME

— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) April 17, 2023

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World War III Watch

March 17, 2023

For me it started during the summer of 2021, approximately a year and a half ago. It wasn’t based on news or data, but only an intuitive feeling at the time. Throughout the morning that day I had been feeling a disturbing intuitive sense that something was off regarding international relations and global conflicts. Something bad was about to happen globally and it was major.

I walked into the kitchen where Princess Little Tree (PLT) was cooking all morning and I said “there’s going to be some kind of a war honey. Something big. Like a world war. I can feel it.” But Princess Little Tree is accustomed to my outlandish declarations. She responded by asking me if something had happened that led me to think that. I told her no, it’s just a really strong intuitive sense. As the feeling continued to intensify I continued to repeat to her throughout the day how I was sensing something big, some kind of major global altercation. At some point she said “well let’s note it and put it on the calendar”. So we did. On a hot august day in the summer of 2021. We wrote “PBJ (Prince Baby Joon) sees a world war coming”.

And that was it. Time passed. And we didn’t hear or see much in the way of anything that supported this idea. Until more than a year later when Russia invaded Ukraine. That in and of itself did not raise the hairs on the back of my neck. We had seen this movie too many times before, especially during the Obama years. Then it stopped once Trump was elected and Russia suddenly was on its best behavior. (Interesting that…) But for some reason it got everyone else alarmed. Especially the United states and Europe.

Once the United States and Europe started acting as if the safety and security of the entire world was being threatened by this Russian invasion of Ukraine (it’s not), I started commenting, softly and slowly at first and then more intensely, “this is the beginning of what I was seeing. We’re literally watching in real time what could easily throw us into a world war…”. It wasn’t Russia invading Ukraine. It was the fact that the US and most European countries were so willing to jump into the conflict by suddenly backing Ukraine as if they too were in a war against Russia.

Which of course they were, as the rest of us would soon begin to realize as the months wore on. Pretty soon it was hard to tell who was at war. Sure Ukraine held the little name badge showing they were an official team in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. But the United States is the country actually funding and weaponizing the whole thing. And this along with Europe’s contributions to Ukraine and directly opposing Russia was and will remain historically one of the biggest foreign policy errors in human history. And at this point anyone who claims that the United States is not at war with Russia is not paying attention. Or in denial. Or lying.

[Right here I’m going to tell you that exploring the reasons why the United States decided to go to war against Russia (simply put it’s payback to Zelensky for keeping his mouth shut to protect both Trump and Biden from the criminal repercussions they’d receive if the full stories of their past actions in and involving Ukraine were revealed) is vital but not pertinent to the bigger picture of this impending world war, because this has spiraled so far out of control now, in so many different directions that the US didn’t foresee, that even the strange and abnormal hero status and protection that the United States has bestowed upon Zelensky is not as important as everything else we’re witnessing that appears to be leading us into a large scale global super-conflict that threatens to be the biggest and deadliest in human history.]

Late yesterday, after a slew of concerning events that further showed how quickly the world is moving toward war, the president of Serbia gave a chilling warning about it: “…this is an escalation that has no end. I’m afraid that we may be heading towards the biggest conflict in the history of the world. I wonder if anyone is smart enough not to go through with this, and if anyone understands whatever the consequences of this will be,” Vucic said.

Friday March 17 2023 will go down in history books as the day that signaled the world was headed down a path toward another world war. Out of everything we heard through the newswires Friday that signaled this dark moment, perhaps none was more important nor more important than hearing that the International Criminal Court (ICC) of the Netherlands issued a formal arrest warrant for Russian President Putin for war crimes. It is one of the most surreal and ludicrous actions we’ve seen so far building up to the harsh realities now facing us.

Surreal because one cannot imagine anyone so short sighted to issue an arrest warrant against the president of a sovereign nation, especially not under the circumstances of said president being in the middle of a war with another country. The implications are immense. President Putin is immune to such an action. As any president of any other sovereign nation is. At best this is a foolhardy political ploy that will feed only the hearts and minds of celebrity-minded media maggots with nothing better to talk about. The same anchors reporters and pundits who play Who’s Popular with American politicians every night instead of reporting the news.

To see how ludicrous the action is imagine for a moment if the ICC issued an arrest warrant for American President Joe Biden. The United States would immediately issue a press release decrying the act as not legally binding and not lawfully applicable to the president. Just as the Kremlin did. They would also issue a warning to the ICC and the 123 member countries to not move forward with any such actions in that direction or face the consequences. Just as the Kremlin did.

Most importantly if anyone did take this arrest warrant seriously and do anything to president Biden, the US military would take such swift action to protect our president that it would be over in less than 30 minutes. It would also spell the beginning of the end for that country. One can only imagine the destruction that would befall said country should they do anything that stupid. The same thing would happen if anything were to happen to president Putin. As it should be. It would ring the bells of the first shots that began World War III. If we do not collectively honor the national sovereignty of other countries and their leaders, no matter how much we might disagree with them, then we don’t deserve freedom and liberty as a people. We might as well start building the jail cells to prepare for the forever-1984 world we’d be creating.

After nearly a year of talking about this, trying to get others to see what’s happening, how obvious it is, how deadly it’s going to be, we finally get some confirmation, someone else, someone with a little credibility on the world stage, warning of the same thing. Because it has become obvious now to anyone paying attention.

Many other countries around the world haven’t been as withholding and have already boldly stepped forward to declare their allegiance to one side or the other for all the world to see. Much of it has happened in the last month. I have been shocked how quickly it’s unfolding now. What started out as nothing more than a feeling, turned into a hunch, and then avalanched into a reality composed of a daily series of events that we can now track and dread.

The nations of the world are quickly forming alliances with each other, choosing which side they’re on and filing into place in preparation for this coming world war. The United States seems to be the only nation who hasn’t come clean with its citizens or the media or the rest of the world in admitting what they see happening and what they plan on doing about it.

My guess is that the powers that be in Washington know very well what’s happening, regardless of how dumb and clueless those in the White House, senate and congress appear to be to the rest of us. My hope is that those who need to know do know and they’re just playing it close to the vest to delay the chaos and panic that would ensue if it came out.

In the last month we’ve seen a multitude of incidents announced around the world that should be terrifying to those paying attention, which is the primary problem: not many people are paying attention. And I dont believe that even the events of this week’s news will change that. I’m guessing that for the most part people are waiting to be told by their favorite American news network that they need to be paying attention. Obviously a serious miscalculation for those who care about such things. (And who doesn’t?)

News networks have done a decent job of feeding us about 35% of the facts and news-bites that are important and pertinent to this impending global conflict, but none have dared to analyze the data and report what governments, think tanks and experts are surely already discussing behind closed doors. They’re still spending 99% of their airtime stupefyingly debating political nonsense about the American president or congress or senators they like or dislike. It’s beyond inane the way politics have turned into the favorite plaything of news-as-entertainment. It’s obliterated the way people view and think about world news.

Especially in the climate we’re in now. I’m nothing. A working class singer-songwriter. If someone like me can already start putting the pieces together and notice the world is getting damn close to the largest global conflict in world history, then surely journalists and news producers can. But they refuse to. Or better put they refuse to acknowledge they’re able or willing to. That’s a sure path to mutually agreed upon self destruction for both the media and the people and world they claim to serve.

The media and the government have been so preoccupied with their self professed war with Russia that they forgot the United States has already been in a Cold War with China for years. The potential for China, the second largest economy in the world and third largest super power, already at war with the United States and proud of it, to suddenly form an alliance with Russia, the second largest super power, was almost inevitable. But something we all hoped we’d never see.

That took place yesterday when we woke up to the news that China’s president Xi Jinping is heading off to Russia next week to sign new alliance agreements with Putin. This is the news that we have been dreading.

For context many people think the United States won World War II. What they forget is that Great Britain, France, the United States, along with Russia and China won World War II. So what is a World War III for the United States going to look like with those two superpowers fighting on the other side.

Lest we forget that the United States has a questionably spotty if not a downright bad record of being able to win wars on its own since the end of World War II. Korea, Vietnam, the Iran-Iraq war (which the United States initiated through funding Iraq with tens of billions of dollars and weapons while demanding that Iraq invade Iran until it realized that Iran was still winning after 5 years so they switched course and started secretly funding Iran with money and weapons (see Iran Contra Affair)).

Then came the US attacks of the Middle East in the 2000s where at one point the United States was engaged in a war with six different countries simultaneously but could not realistically make one victory speech about any of them even after 20 years because they couldn’t figure out how to win. Instead they let military personal and soldiers flounder for decades in the deserts not winning nor receiving the necessary support or escalated troop numbers they needed. Eventually the United States told the troops to come home, in Afghanistan for example, with their tail between their legs not having accomplished anything. Once again an American war that didn’t go as planned.

With Libya the US didn’t even bother to start a war. They just bombed the hell out of the country and killed its president and other leaders, which were the only thing keeping the country remotely stable, then abandoned the country and it’s people, leaving it to become one of the top training grounds for Islamic terrorism and ISIS in the world, which is what it is today. This was not winning a war. What it was careless and bad strategy.

These kind of global displays of reckless destruction and stupidity used to work for the United States. Or at least they were usually confident they’d get away with them and there’d be no serious repercussions. But things have changed over the last five to ten years.

Other nations around the earth have gotten tired of them. Traditionally they weren’t able to do anything to stop the US from its careless bullying and bomb dropping. Because they were too small and the United States has too large a military. But with newfound confidence from large economies and a thirst to break free from American global dominance once and for all, along with the advent of new anti-American policies by the second and third largest superpowers, Russia and China, other smaller nations are being heard and welcomed into this new multinational super-alliance. Fast. And the one thing that all of these nations share in common is a hatred of all things Western.

Consider for a moment how many hundreds of millions of people in the Middle East alone who have been dreaming about taking deadly revenge against the United States for the last 23 years. With both Iran and Saudi Arabia forming new alliances with Russia and China in the last few weeks it appears that vision is ever closer for them. The fact that the Saudis would even dare dream of doing such a thing when the US, for better or worse, created the country in the first place and has supported this family of viscous dictators for almost a hundred years is unthinkable. But they did it. Just a week ago. That’s not something the United States ever counted on happening.

Why else would the White House permit the prince of Saudi Arabia MBS to chop up the body of an American journalist, Jamal Kashogi, into tiny pieces and stuff it into a suitcase with no consequences? What would be a capital offense for anyone else is permissible for the Saudis. Because ostensibly we need need each other. But that’s officially changed over the last month. We may still need them. But they don’t need us anymore.

Obviously the worst of all possible outcomes would be if these countries decided to break the United States’ monopoly on oil and the petro dollar, something that’s been contemplated and announced by both and China through newswires several times this year already. The US dollar would plummet instantly. The biggest challenge the United States faces is that it has one of the weakest economies in the world now, very different than 20-25 years ago. They have the largest national debt in human history and a debt to GDP ratio well over 100%.

Normally when a country reaches a Debt/GDP ratio of 60%, they are forced into brutal austerity measures by other countries around the world and are never able to rebuild their economy again. This is because statistical models show that once over 60% it’s impossible for any country to rebuild from that. The debt/GDP ratio of the US now is almost double that. The only thing keeping the United States afloat at this point is it’s large multinational military presence i.e. fear, and it’s monopoly over oil and world currency — the latter would immediately end if the other large superpowers convinced the Saudis it was okay to break this longstanding agreement with the US. The question now is what’s stopping them with new alliances with Russia and China?

The United States can never borrow enough to get out of its debt even by a little because no one else has that kind of money to loan them. The US could theoretically gather every billionaire in the country and strong arm them into assisting it in lowering its debt or in helping it increase its purchasing power. But even if they took every penny every billionaire in America possesses, it wouldn’t make a dent in the 22 trillion dollars of debt the United States has on its books now.

And that’s yesterdays news compared to the latest implosion of small and midsized banks across America, a path that as worrying and traumatizing as it is for most of us to witness, is just getting started. This poses another threat for the United States in being able to fund a full scale war against the new Communist Alliance. Although one may consider that due to how profitable war is for many parties, securing funding shouldn’t be a problem.

At this point only a war can save the United States. A war they would need to win. It’s how they got out of their last debt crisis, the Great Depression. If it weren’t for World War II it’s not likely the United States would’ve come out of the Great Depression to become the largest superpower in the world.

What’s important to piece together is who will be purportedly fighting who. Who are the Allied Powers now? The new Communist Alliance we’re seeing come together now is China, Russia, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, and several smaller Eastern European nations. Will China invade Hong Kong and Taiwan soon and force them to fight in the conflict? Or will the United States come to their aid and start a war with China to defend these important economic houses? Does that imply they would fight with The Western Alliance?

Who is the Western Alliance? The United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Australia, Japan (yes it’s ironic how all the tables have switched sides since the last Great War), the Scandinavian nations, Turkey will fall on that side since they’re so indebted to the US, et al. Think NATO. One can easily see a potential problem. This isn’t the early 20th century. None of these once grand superpowers are as strong or powerful as they once were. Only Germany still poses an authoritative threat militarily to anyone besides the U.S.

It’s important to note that the United States has over 1500 military bases and black ops sites all over planet earth at this time. The second largest mass is that of Russia who only have 640 sites in total. This gives the United States a healthy advantage strategically going in.

One of the later events of yesterday that appeared in the news to add fire to the flames of an impending world war was the announcement that Finland has now decided to join NATO, against numerous warnings against that action at this time by other NATO countries, and Turkey publicly stated they were willing to ratify it. Talk about poking the bear. Not even the United States was willing to consider this, nor the membership of Ukraine for that matter (despite their incessant pleading for it) because everybody knows that was the main reason given by Putin as to why he invaded Ukraine. He doesn’t want Mother Russia to be unfairly surrounded by NATO member countries on his border. Which makes perfect sense. It’s a justifiable concern. Which is why major western countries have been unwilling to let Finland or Ukraine join NATO. It would only fan the flames of an already angry Russia. The fact that this too was announced yesterday was another step toward the wrong direction if what we all want is world peace.

More later. This is just the first in what will surely be more notes about this deeply concerning issue.

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Two More Executed In Iran This Morning For Protesting For Freedom & Equality — What We Can Do To Help

2
January 7, 2023

The so-called #IslamicRepublicofIran has been on a brutal, bloody war path for the last few months — ever since #Iranian citizens started taking to the streets and peacefully protesting for equal rights for women, and basic #HumanRights and freedom for all of its citizens.

#WomenLifeFreedom became a catchphrase and trending hashtag all over the world and Time Magazine named “the women of Iran” it’s Person of the Year.

But since those early days in September when the protests over the savage murder of 23 year old #MashaAmini first started, the people of Iran shifted their stance and started asking the world & those of us who have been supporting them to stop using the #IranProtests hashtag, stop referring to their movement as a protest and to start referring to it as the #IranRevolution Concerned citizens all over the world quickly obliged. #IranRevolution is never NOT trending on Twitter, with upwards of 1500 mentions per hour; and #IranProtests stopped trending months ago.

This was a BIG shift. And an important distinction. What started out as a protest against the Iranian government’s so called “morality police” arbitrarily beating women to death in the streets for not dressing the way they force them to, and against the practice itself of forcing women to wear “hijab” (a long coat past the knees and a head scarf), swiftly turned into a nationwide movement of the people demanding their freedom from the oppressive dictatorship of pseudo-religious men who took control of their government 43 years ago.

At first the government’s reaction was predictable: firing teargas and rubber bullets into the crowds of mostly very young people in their early teens to twenties to disperse them. When that didn’t work they began firing live rounds into the crowds and killing them or arbitrarily picking a few out of the crowds and beating them to death, leaving their bloodied and disfigured bodies lying in the streets as a reminder to others.

When this didn’t work and the crowds continued to get bigger, the #Khamenei government started knocking down doors of people’s homes, kidnapping the children suspected of “participating in protests”, taking them to undisclosed locations and beating them to death until their skulls were crushed in and their faces unrecognizable.

(Parenthetically to show just what a harsh and inhumane reality the people of Iran and the world at large is dealing with, the anguish for the family didn’t, doesn’t, end there; the local government doesn’t return the dead body to the family. Instead they claim they weren’t involved in the murder of said family member and don’t know where the body is, but “for a price” they can “see what they can do to find it”, forcing the families to pay exorbitant ransoms to get their children’s bodies back in order to have a proper burial and memorial. This has been going on for months and is still happening now.)

Officially over 650 young people, some as young as 10 years old, have been killed in this manner, though human rights groups estimate the number to be in the thousands at this point. The government has also targeted and killed doctors, lawyers, well-known journalists and authors, famous athletes and entertainers and anyone else suspected of being pro-equality, pro-freedom or pro-human rights.

And yet the crowds in the streets of cities all across the country continue to get bigger. And so too do the strikes, shutting down whole towns for days at a time. In response, the Iranian government started arresting people, immediately convicting them after mock trials that may only last an hour and handing out death sentences for public hangings.

Amnesty International says “all the convictions rely on forced confessions, beatings and torture”. Instead of arguing with this overtly recriminatory accusation, Iranian State media corroborates it and regularly broadcasts over radio and TV that all the defendants “have lost their rights to presumption of innocence, freedom from torture and other cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.”

This fact too marks a major turning point in the battle for Iran narrative. In the beginning the Iranian government had attempted to spin a tale to the people and the world that the marches and demonstrations were “riots” “planned and instigated by insurgents and infidels from Western nations” in an attempt to salvage solidarity with the general population. Once it became obvious to them that the people weren’t falling for it, the government has taken to a more extreme and overtly authoritarian stance, direct threats against the entire population broadcast over all state run media 24/7.

23 year old #MohsenShekari was the first Iranian publicly executed linked to the protests. He was accused of injuring a member of the government’s “Basij” (military police) and “waging war against God” ( #Moharebeh ).

Admittedly this is an absurd claim to make in modern times, reminiscent of the very reasons why “the dark ages” are called The Dark Ages. Wouldn’t one have to first show some or any kind of evidence that this “god” they speak of exists…? And then furthermore go on to prove that this god is so small minded and insecure that it actually cares if one infinitesimally small, insignificant human could hurt it’s feelings that badly before one goes killing someone? Especially in light of the fact that Shekari never spoke about or against any “gods”. Instead he was demonstrating for equality and freedom for PEOPLE, if anything a noble and godly act.

But no, the truth is that for thousands of years of human history, evil people who lust for power over others have been inventing and using various “gods” to justify barbaric and inhumane acts against their fellow humans. They throw on some silly looking costume, declare themselves “religious” in some way and out come the knives, spears, swords, guns, nooses, guillotines or what have you. It is said that religion is the opiate of the masses, but in a much larger, more profound way, religion is a fear and killing machine.

In the case of Iran, their preferred way of killing in the name of their god is to deliberately choose a large public square — more of a piazza really, where thousands of people go to shop, congregate and share meals together, string up one of their fellow citizens by a noose and publicly hang them to death in front of everybody and then leave the body dangling there as a warning to all that freedom liberty equality human rights and women’s rights are not on the agenda for them and even speaking about such things is punishable by death.

This is what they are threatening to do to internationally beloved Iranian footballer Nasr-Azadani #NasrAzadani who has also been sentenced to death by public execution. The government has already set up a construction crane used for public hangings in a public square in Isfahan to show they are serious about the charges and preparing to carry out his sentence.

In the case of 20 year old Moshen Shekari, the first to be executed, the government hung him from a crane in a prison yard in front of other guards and prisoners, for fear of compelling more intense uprisings by the citizenry. But for 23 year old Majidreza Rahnavard #MajidrezaRahnavard who was executed four days later, his was to be a public affair.

This morning two more Iranians accused of participating in demonstrations for freedom, human rights and women’s rights were executed in Iran. 21 year old karate champion #MohammadMehdiKarami and 20 year old volunteer children’s coach #SeyedMohammadHosseini were both hung to death.

Thus far 41 more protesters have received death sentences, according to statements from Iranian officials. Among those are THREE CHILDREN, who have all been accused of… wait for it…. “corruption on Earth.”

You read that right. The occupying forces of bearded little men cosplaying mullahs, ayatollahs and clerics who currently control the government and resources of Iran against the will of the country’s 85 million people are now sentencing children to the death penalty for “corruption on earth”.

Only a non-democratically elected group of fascist hard-liners could get away with proposing or even uttering such a ridiculously childish and inane charge. For if we weren’t discussing something very real, horrific and life threatening to real people, we’d be wetting ourselves laughing from the idea that there are those who can mention this phrase with a straight face and not burst into laughter themselves.

Clearly MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE by the international community and each and every one of us caring compassionate and humane citizens of the world if we want to sleep at night knowing we weren’t sitting back doing nothing while this barbaric treachery was transpiring.

For democratic or even non-democratic but caring nations all over the world, the actions are simple. A mere sampling of actions they can take TODAY are: immediately deport all Iranian nationals who are in their country working in the capacity of diplomats and close down the Iranian embassies in their country until the Iranian People’s Revolution is successful and completed, deport all Iranians who are in their country working on behalf of lobbying for the government of Iran or any other Iranian industry, levy heavy sanctions against these individuals preventing them from doing business or banking in their country or anything else, boycott all Iranian goods from being imported into their countries, and cut off all exports of goods into their country, issue strongly worded, uncompromising declarations of support for the people of Iran and their right to basic human rights, and condemnations of the current government and its actions against its people, immediately cut the Iranian government off from accessing all international banking and credit institutions, and perhaps most importantly issue a United Nations declaration of R2P (Right to Protection) which guarantees that all member states act quickly and collectively under the authority of the Security Council to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means, to help to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

And this is just a start.

For the average citizen of earth, no matter what country you live in, who wants to support the Iranian people, go online and look for petitions that are asking your country and it’s leaders to take the above actions; email and write letters to your elected officials from the top down telling them you are expecting them to officially and publicly speak out and take more decisive actions to support and defend the Iranian people’s democratic revolution. Then share those petitions with your friends and on Social.

The United States government for example hasn’t done much of anything yet in this regard. There are plenty of Iran government and industry lobbyists living cushy lives in Washington D.C., as well as plenty of journalists and academic apologists for the Iran regime. Outing, deporting and sanctioning them would be a damn good start. But the US government needs to know that we the people actually care about this incredibly historic event and the Iranian people.

IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SHARE IT. A Tweet, an article, a news item or sound byte, an inspiring, moving or disturbing meme or photo…. Every time you see or read something about the struggle of the Iranian people and their battle for freedom and equal rights in this courageous people’s movement of their’s, PASS IT ON. Share it. Don’t let it stop with you. Together we can ALL help the people of Iran break the chains of oppression and tyranny and rise up to join us in becoming a free people. They’re counting on us.

— Ed Hale

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Islamic Republic Of Iran Holds First Public Execution In Ongoing Revolution — It Is Now Time To Strike More and Fight

December 8, 2022

And so it’s begun. The #IslamicRepublic of #Iran has moved from beating and shooting it’s citizens, mainly children, to death in the streets to formal public #executions. No Habius Corpus, no trials. Just a public hanging.

I am still limiting my coverage of the ongoing #IranRevolution to Twitter, print media & TV appearances so as not to invade the more fun family freinds & pets vibe that we all enjoy here on FB.

BUT this is important. Today marks a stark historic turn in the #Iranian people’s struggle for equality, basic human rights, liberty, democracy, and freedom from fascist religious tyranny.

As we’ve already covered, the people of Iran are no longer protesting. They do not wish to be called protestors. They are not involved in protests. Reuters made the mistake below that the New York Times made over the weekend. The people of Iran are fighting for a REVOLUTION. They are freedom fighters. They are revolutionaries fighting for their very lives to overthrow a government of dictators who placed themselves in power 40+ years ago against the will of the people.

In the last 3 days they began the largest nationwide strikes of shops, businesses and industries the country has seen since their democratic revolution of 1953. (Which the UK and USA quickly overthrew.) Our hope of course is that it works. But what they’re asking for, a complete toppling of the current regime and a transition back to democracy and a government elected by the people, is a big ask in a radical Islamic country.

So they and we must be prepared for stage 3. We tried peaceful protests. All it got us was murdered in the streets. We tried appealing to the UN and international community. We got talks, speeches, and a few sanctions and boycotts. We tried strikes. All it got us is public executions.

It is now time for the people of Iran, all of the people, to step up the revolution, take up arms and begin the process of truly taking their country back from these barbarous criminal usurpers cowardly disguising themselves behind religion.

There are over 40 million people in Iran. The government less than 10,000 strong. The Republican Guard, their strongest military unit will quickly turn on this government. Just as their military turned on the Shah in ‘79.

Already the so called Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and his small band of thugs has attempted to appeal to former presidents Khatami and Rafsanjani as well as the family members of former Ayatollah Khomeini for help. All of them have denied him. Most members of his own family are already on the side of the people and the revolution. He’s arrested and jailed both his sister and his neice. He has no support from the outside except Russia and China and Syria — none of which are prepared to see this escalate into a more heated war in the Middle East considering what’s happening in the Energy sector globally at this time and China’s crushing recessionary concerns.

He has absolutely no support from the inside. He is a despised figure, with the most popular slogan of the Iranian people in the streets and from their homes shouting “death to the dictator!” This will make it easy for the people to finally rid themselves of these pretenders once and for all and create a new democratic republic for themselves once and for all.

As always, from the outside looking in, whether part of the exiles, the Iranian diaspora, or any number of freedom fighters from every country in the world, we repeat IRAN WE SEE YOU WE HEAR YOU WE SUPPORT YOU WE FIGHT WITH YOU! 💪✊

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A Small Concession Has been Won In Iran — But the Bigger War Will Continue Until A Full On Democratic Revolution Transpires and the People Are Free Once and For All From Tyranny

December 4, 2022

By Ed Hale Dec. 5, 2022

As a scant selection of American newspapers reported this morning — read the New York Times article here — the Islamic Republic of Iran — the title of the official government of the country of Iran composed of a twisted and corrupt bunch of sexist all-male barbarian murderers who cowardly shroud themselves behind the guise of “religion” (in this case Islam) — announced today that they will disband the so-called “Morality Police”. They also commented that they “might consider loosening laws on how they force women to dress.” (Think “Hijab”).

No you haven’t time-traveled back to the Middle Ages. It’s still the 21st Century. The government of Iran, along with the rest of the Middle East and the Islamic world just doesn’t know it. The dying old guard of the Islamic Republic of Iran may view this breadcrumb as a generous compromise to the Iranian people in hopes it might somehow save them from being overthrown and brought to Justice. But it won’t.

Iranian women do not care about a bunch of old sexist racist homophonic power hungry men “loosening laws on how they are forced to dress”. What they want are equal rights, human rights, absolute and total freedom and autonomy of thought, dress, movement and expression. And they will accept nothing less.

The major faux pas by the New York Times editors in the article above is referring to the “protests” in Iran when over the last few weeks tens of thousands of Iranians both in and outside of Iran have repeatedly asked the media and government officials to stop referring to them as “protests” and instead call the movement what it is: a revolution. They have also asked repeatedly to stop being referred to as “protestors” on social media. And in fact what we have seen is a rapid decline in the originally popular hashtag “IranProtests” be reduced to non-trending as “IranRevolution” is now the most trending hashtag related to the noble cause of this Iranian movement.

The news comes after 75 days of street protests, marches, strikes and demonstrations not only in the country of Iran but in many countries all over the world. The protests originally started after the Morality Police beat to death a 22 year old girl named Mahsa Amini for “not wearing her head scarf properly”. She was rushed to a hospital and within less than a day she was pronounced dead.

The people of the country erupted in protests over the barbarous murder of the young girl, who had done absolutely nothing wrong and was in fact dressed in proper Hijab. The interesting thing about this particular event was that it was not particularly unique — the Iranian government, led by a hardliner religious extremist who goes by the name of Ayatollah Khamenei, a man who is only important in his own deluded mind & labels himself “The Supreme Leader” of the entire country — has been routinely beating women of all ages and classes for how they dress since they took over the country of Iran 43 years ago.

Since the protests began, Khamenei’s government has arrested more than 20,000 innocent protestors, sentenced many to execution without trials, has killed more than 2,000 people at least, many of them just children, some of them as young as 10 years old. THIS is what lit the match of this raging revolutionary fire.

This was different. It will take historians and pundits decades to unpack why this particular event unfolded the way it did and why it led to such an enormous uproar and a sincere attempt at a revolutionary overthrow of a long standing dictatorship that has broad support from both Russia and China. But so far these facts we know are what, at least in part, led to the incredible shift from complacent acceptance of fascism by the Iranian people to full fledged protests, and then soon after, cries for revolution…

To begin with the protests and outcries started with the young people of the country. VERY YOUNG. Gen Z started this revolution. They tend not to believe the old fashioned religious indoctrination that’s been such a bane on the existence of humankind over the last 3,000 years.

They also recognize that the old patriarchal guard of being ruled by old men is over in most countries around the world. And they were willing to fight to end that in their own country, put their lives on the line for it and even die for it. And many of them did. And have died. Young healthy bright brave intelligent children of the revolution turned martyrs to inspire older people to step out of their homes and fight for the just cause of freedom.

It has been nothing less than mesmerizing deeply moving and inspirational to watch them in action over these past 3 months. To witness young high school student Nika Shakarami , 16 years old, sing to her classmates in public — the first time anyone in the world had seen a female do this in Iran in almost 45 years was THE MOST INSPIRING EVENT OF 2022. Period.

For doing so she was kidnapped and beaten to death by the ISRG (Islamic Republican Guard) so brutally that her head was bashed into pieces and her face was unrecognizable to her family or anyone else for that matter. These are the kinds of animals the brave and beautiful Persian people face in their struggle for liberty, equality and basic human dignity.

The men who lead, work in and work for the alleged government of Iran are not people; they are monsters, whose time of extinction came hundreds of years ago, while the rest of humanity evolved. This is precisely why the only way they are able to put on the airs of “government officials” or pretend they started a government or still lead one in modern times is through extreme violence, brute force, fear, threats, kidnapping, mass arrests and executions of its citizenry, and highly censored, government controlled media in all formats.

They disguise themselves with self-imposed religious titles and costumes, quoting alleged “Holy Books” and participating in daily and annual religious rituals in order to attempt to hide behind religion, as opposed to sincerely embracing and practicing the tenets of love, peace, honesty, charity, forgiveness and reconciliation of one; their transparently shallow attempts to mask the wickedness and barbarity of their actions and methods of control don’t fool anyone. Especially not the young people of the country, as we’ve now witnessed firsthand over the last three months.

After the Iranian government murdered 16 year old Nika Shakarami for singing, they then held on to her body for days and refused to give it back to her family, until they paid a huge ransom for it.

Every time I watch the footage of her few brief seconds of innocently singing up there on that makeshift stage, I ball my eyes out like a baby. If anyone lit the match that turned the protests into a full fledged revolution calling for complete government overthrow, it was her brave actions that afternoon. I still cannot watch that footage without crying. But I also always feel extremely inspired and grateful and in awe of her. If she can do it, so too can the rest of us.

Secondly, the Iranian youth are connected to the world through technology and are well aware that freedom, democracy, equality for all, human rights and fairness in a Justice system exist in most of the world. Especially the free world. And Iran is a modern country very tuned in and well aware of the free world and very intent on becoming free themselves.

They know that their country has no business being led by a bunch of self-serving thugs who put themselves at the seat of power and then control an entire country through fake news, false propaganda, secret disappearances, arrests, beatings, violent rapes and murder.

Thirdly they are able to harness the power of said technology to get their message out to the rest of the world and ask for help. This they did. Despite the government regularly turning the internet off completely for days and weeks at a time. They bypassed this through VPN technology.

Fourthly, many of us in the activist communities around the globe saw their messages and video footage, heard their cries to be seen and heard, to be supported and helped in any way possible, and we acted. Boy did we act.

This was the first time I participated in an ongoing activist cause primarily through social media and technology platforms rather than in the streets. Unlike the recent BLM (Black Lives Matter) or MeToo or LGBTQ causes that many of us have so actively and boisterously supported in the streets all over the U.S., acting to support the cause of #IranProtests and then #IranRevolution was not possible in the streets in America. There simply wasn’t enough support for it nor even interest in it by the American people. Globally this cause was being fought and supported online, on social media and using technology.

In many ways this was a turning point that I believe will have very big implications for other people’s movements over the next few years as more and more autocracies and dictatorships crumble under the weight of a newly coalesced more compassionate and humane global citizenry.

Instead of large marches through streets and over bridges chanting and singing and sign waving, a rather small group of us — and even now it still seems to be just a few thousand of us — around the world came together to share every single video and photo and news story leaked out of Iran with the rest of the world. On any given day I will Tweet at least 100+ posts about Iran to my Followers. Those then get picked up by others, who in turn do the same thing.

We got the hacker group Anonymous involved very quickly and they have been a tremendous help. We also simultaneously bombarded government officials from the UN and any other country who would listen to get behind the movement and help in any way they can.

To their credit countries like Canada, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and France have all been helpful. The United States has done nothing to help. But then again the United States likes it’s apartheid states and dictatorships and spends hundreds of billions a year to keep them alive.

Think Chile, China, Israel or Saudi Arabia. Not to mention Afghanistan or Libya which it left in shambles to become Islamic terrorist states and breeding grounds. The US doesn’t like democracies so much. It only uncomfortably endures them.

On a personal note, I also recorded several messages of solidarity with the Iranian people in their struggle in both Farsi and English and spread them around social media to get the word out that “we hear you we see you we support you we fight with you” at the very beginning of the breakout of the protests. One can watch those messages here. The gratitude expressed by the Iranian people was immense. They truly appreciate any help they can get from the outside world.

I also produced a two hour video documentary explaining what was happening in Iran right now and the history behind it and what led up to it to help Americans understand why this was and still is such an important global event, in my opinion more important for world peace than the Russia-Ukraine war. One can watch those videos here.

I also did several TV appearances to help spread the word both to Americans and to the Iranian diaspora around the world to show our support for their noble cause.

But the real key to ALL of this is that we who are fighting for this Iranian cause, whether in or out of Iran, whether Iranian or American or French or Dutch, are now WAY beyond protests. We are beyond a few simple changes being made while the government stays as it is.

Our goal, the only goal is to achieve a full on people’s democratic revolution that provides and guarantees full democratic freedoms, equality and human rights for all the people of Iran. Especially women. Because they are the most disenfranchised. But truly the fight is for all Iranian citizens.

“If you tremble with indignation at every injustice than you are a comrade of mine.” —Che Guevara

What we are looking for and will achieve in Iran….

1. Women presently are forced by the government — all are men — to dress a certain way, with their clothes their hair their makeup their shoes, you name it. While men are allowed to dress however they want to. The reason for this is because if they didn’t hide themselves they would unfairly entice men to do bad things. (Insert laughter and then righteous indignant RAGE here!!!) This must and will end immediately.

2. Women are not allowed to sing in public nor record musical albums, again out of the fear that it would entice men to do bad things. I know this because i visited many music stores in Iran while on a Diplomatic Mission there and i was shocked to see whole record stores filled with CDs of only MEN! It was both hysterical and creepy. This must and will end.

3. An Iranian woman’s testimony to the police or in court is only equal to HALF that of a man’s. When I asked why this was i was told that “it would be impossible to trust a woman to full testimony because they are like delicate flowers and as such are ruled by their emotions and not by their minds or logic.” So it takes the testimony of TWO women to equal the testimony of one man. Now imagine what this portends in cases where a man or a group of men rape one woman. Get it? (Insert more indignant RAGE here!!!!!) This must and will end.

4. People of the LGBTQ community are not just denied any human rights to be how they are or wish to be; they are routinely arrested for being so and often murdered for it. This must and will end.

5. Although Jews and Christians are allowed religious freedom in Iran, though not as much as Muslims since the country is literally a Theocracy ie a country governed by one religion, in this case Islam, every other religion is outlawed. Buddhists, Bahais, Hindus, Sufis, Zoroastrians, even and especially atheists (which i still contend IS a religion) are all subject to arrest or beatings or execution for practicing the faith of their preference. This must and will end.

6. And to segue from there and keep this short and to the point, the country of Iran is governed by an unelected all-male fascist dictatorship who put themselves in power. The people have no say who leads or governs them. The so-called presidential candidates are chosen by the so-called Supreme Leader. The people don’t care about voting for president because they know he does nothing and has no actual power. He’s simply a mouthpiece for the Supreme Leader. No different than China or Russia et al.

The people of Iran want nothing less than full representative democracy. A transparent government of their choosing. With limits on power, term limits and no corruption or religion attached to their government. Complete separation of church and state. They don’t want a Supreme Leader. This isn’t Star Wars. They want a president, a Senate, a House of Parliament and a fair and honest judicial system.

They also want basic human rights guaranteed to everyone. Freedom of speech, assembly, religion, the press, all without fear of being kidnapped from their homes or arrested or beaten or murdered in the middle of the night. They are no different than you or me or anyone else who lives in a democratic republic around the world.

So although today seems like a win for the people of Iran and those of us who have been fighting with them for the last 3 months, it is only a start, and in reality it is more of a desperate last minute of the game play by a terrified group of old dogs who know their time is up.

Yes, getting rid of the so-called morality police is progress. But the only real win, the only acceptable goal the Iranian people will accept now and are fighting for now is for Khamenei and the entire Islamic Republic government of washed out old men to STEP DOWN NOW, LEAVE and HAND THE COUNTRY BACK TO THE PEOPLE.

If they do not, the peaceful protests will very soon turn into nationwide strikes that will shut the entire country down. After that it will turn into an armed people 40 million strong forcing these monsters out or executing them themselves and taking their country back as we’ve seen in numerous countries around the world throughout history.

For those of us on the outside working with the Iranian people in their bold and noble struggle for freedom, we say: WE ARE WITH YOU. WE SEE YOU. WE HEAR YOU. WE SUPPORT YOU. WE FIGHT WITH YOU.

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Activism, Current Events, Human Rights, Iran, Personal Life Ayatollah Khomeini, democracy, forced hijab, freedom, hijab, Human Rights, Iran, Iran protests, Iran Revolution, iranian women, Khamenei, Mahsa Amini, Nika Shakarami

Ed Hale Speaks Up In Defense of the Protesters In Iran In Latest TV Interview

October 12, 2022

اد هیل، خواننده و ترانه‌سرای آمریکایی: این جنبش تمام جهان را تحت تاثیر قرار داده است@Ed_Hale pic.twitter.com/Jb3YnbPtvc

— ايران اينترنشنال (@IranIntl) October 10, 2022
Watch American singer Ed Hale interview about what’s happening in the current Iran protests, what the Iranian people are really like & what challenges they are facing in a revolution

Ed Hale appeared on the Persian news network Iran International this week to discuss the ongoing protests against the Islamic Republic of Iran, what the people there are fighting for, the challenges they face and how we in America can help their cause. Video can be viewed on Twitter or Youtube.

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Activism, Current Events, Human Rights, Iran 2022, ed hale, interview, Iran, Iran protests, Iran Revolution, Mahsa Amini, Nika Shakarami, TV

What’s Happening In Iran & Why It Is So Important

October 8, 2022
Video: What’s Happening In Iran Right Now & Why It Is So Important – Part One: The History
Video: What’s Happening In Iran Right Now and Why It Is So Important – Part Two: What I Learned While In Iran

The last two weeks have been incredible, both inspiring and heartbreaking, for the country and people of Iran and the implications of what a true Democratic Iranian Revolution would mean for the world.

We spent the last week creating a video (that we’ve now split into two parts) to help explain what’s happening in Iran right now in the bigger context of their history and who they are as a people, hoping to increase understanding of the Iranian people, their long, rich history and why these current protests are so vital, not just to the brave women and men on the frontlines in the streets, but also for world peace.

We believe what we are witnessing in Iran right now is historic. We know we are personally taking a big risk by posting the videos due to their openness & honesty, and it is something we are still actively discussing. But we also sincerely believe that our brave friends in Iran deserve all the attention & support they can get, including a real world understanding of who they are & what they’re fighting for. Freedom Justice Equality & basic human rights.

If you have any questions or desire to get more involved to support the cause please feel free to reach out. Together we can. – Ed Hale

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Activism, Current Events, Human Rights, Iran 1979, 2022, affair, Ajax, ayatollah Khamenei, civilian diplomacy, ed hale, Iran, Iran 1953 coup d’etat, Iran protests, Iran Revolution, Iran-Contra, Iraq, Islamic republic, Islamic Revolution, Israel, Khamenei, Mahsa Amini, mosadegh, Oliver North, ronald reagan, Rumsfeld, Sadaam Hussein, Sandanistas, track two diplomacy, visiting Iran

A private little world for me… a private little world for you. The online journals and musings of singer-songwriter author and activist Ed Hale. The Transcendence Diaries have been posting regularly online since 2001. Comments are always welcomed. And so are YOU.

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