Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Israel Strikes Iran Again -- The tit-for-tat attacks between Israel and Iran may have entered a new round as the Israelis attacked the Iranian city of Isfahan. The initial reports are, as usual, confusing and contradictory. However, it appears that drones and possibly missiles were involved launched from within Iranian territory. That is the bad news. The good news is that there seems to have been no loss of life and that Iran has stated it does not intend to retaliate. That does not change the fact that the attack keeps the embers of violence smoldering and that this can all go pear shaped quickly. (19 April)
Senate Drops Mayorkas Impeachment -- The House of Representatives impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday. The body sent two articles of impeachment to the US Senate for the trial. The articles allege the Heimatschutzminister of not enforcing immigration laws, of making false statements to Congress and to obstructing oversight into DHS policies. He denies the charges. On Wednesday, the Senate was sworn in to act as jurors. Then, the voted almost immediately to toss out the charges. The case is over and done with. And the GOP looks sillier than before [17 April]
Trump Jury Selection Speeds Ahead -- Donald Trump has become the first former US president to face criminal trial. The trial began yesterday in Manhattan. The charges stem from the hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels to keep her from telling her story before the 2016 election. Mr. Trump is alleged to have falsified more than 30 business records including invoices and checks to cover this up. The Trump legal team has been dreading this trial because it is pretty easy to explain, it is full of salacious behavior and the DA has the documents that tell the story. They have tried to delay at every opportunity, but jury selection has begun, and there is every change that process will be done by Friday. Accountability has begun. (16 April)
Iran Attack on Israel is Half-Hearted -- The theocrats in Tehran launched 300 or so drones and missiles at Israel Saturday night. This was in retaliation for the Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria two weeks earlier. That attack killed a few bigwigs in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and embarrassed the mullahs. Had they not responded, there would have been some trouble domestically. At the same time, a serious attack may have created a situation in which Israel felt it had to escalate. So, Iran did the only sensible thing. It attacked Israel, let the world know the drones were coming hours later and they let almost every vehicle get shot down. Israel has decided to let this go now. [4 April]
Vietnamese Billionaire Sentenced to Death or Fraud -- In many countries, the populace worship billionaires. They have their own material aspirations, and they seem to have an affinity for those who have allegedly made it. Not so in Vietnam. Truong My Lan, who is chairwoman of Van Thinh Phat, got the death sentence this week for her cheating. The court convicted her of embezzling about 3% of the national GDP. Even by the crookedness of western billionaires, this is a big sum. At the same time, she had a series of shell companies that allowed her to get away with much of her scheming. While extreme in the outcome, it does show that not every nation is in love with robber barons. [11 April]
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21 Years Online
Volume XXII, Number 59
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