®Monomakhos

Losing the “Mandate of Heaven”

by

One of the principles of ancient Chinese statecraft is known as “the Mandate of Heaven.”  It’s shorthand for what we in the West would call “political legitimacy.”  As long as the Emperor enjoys said mandate, his reign would be a happy one.

Earthquakes, floods, famines and what-not happens when that mandate is lost.  Or should I say, the response to such disasters.  If the Emperor dithered in the face of catastrophe, remaining safely ensconced within the walls of the Forbidden City, cavorting with his concubines and having praise lavished upon him by the court eunuchs, then it was essentially open season on him.  His very dynasty –to say nothing about his personal safety–was not long for the world.

We saw this during Hurricane Katrina back in 2005.  For George W Bush, this storm presaged that the remainder of his term in office would be a miserable one.  Even though he did the will of the Oligarchy as far as the Middle East was concerned (that’s why he wasn’t impeached), he left office with Nixonian-level approval ratings in the mid-thirties.

We are seeing a replay of this with Hurricane Helene.  So far, the devastation far surpasses anything we saw during Katrina.  And the response by the Federal government is worse.  Far worse.  In fact, it’s criminal.  One could easily say that the dilatory response is by design.  It’s either that or sheer incompetence.  https://barsoom.substack.com/p/hurricane-helene-and-the-lost-mandate

Why are so many saying that FEMA’s response is by design?  Well, when one considers two of the states that are affected (Georgia and North Carolina) are swing states, then certain unpleasant dots can be connected.  If many of the devastated counties are rural ones, then this could tip these states in the “blue” direction, primarily because many of thousands of homeless were Trump voters.

Where will they go?  Will the polling stations be open by November 5?  Even if they are, many of these people are wiped out.  They don’t even have cars to get to the polls.

Then there’s the fact that Alejandro Mayorkas, the already-impeached director of FEMA openly admitted that they were out of money.

So where did all that money go?  What a silly question!  That emergency relief money (funded by your hard-earned tax dollars), was used to settle illegal immigrants in small towns all over America.  Like Springfield, Ohio.  And no, contrary to the corporate media flunkies, these are “legal” immigrants only because of legalistic legedermain.

In reality, these are alien invaders who were encouraged by the Federal government to game the system and given Temporary Protective Custody.  See how that works?  Think of a world in which you could rob a bank and by yelling “Ollie-Ollie-Oxen-Free” you get to keep the money.  Even this analogy fails.  It would be more like if the police stood down and told you that that was all you had to do.

Stories like the X post (above) by Elon Musk abound.  Volunteers are showing up trying to help and are actively being turned away.  If this isn’t dereliction of duty, nothing is.

The question is “why?”  I ask again:  is it incompetence or is it intentional?  (Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as “weather modification” technology.)

Regardless, the response by Vice President Harris has been abysmal.  Coming on the heels of Tim Walz’s comical performance at the recent debate, one can visualize the loss of the Mandate of Heaven playing out right before our eyes.  And not to the Democrats’ benefit.

Still, I’m sure that the Oligarchy has a few more tricks up their sleeve.  At this point, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if these hurricanes, coupled with an attack on Iran by the Israelis (or visa versa) doesn’t cause a “postponement” in the election.

 

Comments

  1. Three weeks to go to Election Day, with early voting already underway in earnest across much of the country. Partisans from either side will insist that there is no reason it should be a close election, and yet due to the extreme polarization in America, it is. Evaluating what passes for quality polling in the current environment shows a horse race with any leads within the margin of error. If not a coin flip, it’s pretty close. Personally, at this date I’d give Harris an edge, but only a 60/40 edge. That said, I tend to agree with the sentiment that the swing states will likely break in the same direction, the only question being which way. If it’s towards Trump, it’s probably enough for him to eke out a very narrow victory. If it’s towards Harris, not a blowout, but relatively decisive. Especially considering the political environment we find ourselves in.

    It’s been remarkably static for the past several weeks, which perhaps explains attempts to juke the national polling averages a bit with a flood of right-leaning polls. What I found most interesting recently wasn’t that Trump posted internal campaign polling on his social, but that the best they could give him was more or less a dead heat.

    And so we come to the home stretch of campaigning. In this, unlike polling, we are starting to get a pretty stark contrast. Harris is ramping up an intensive media blitz for the home stretch. Among other things she is apparently doing Fox News tomorrow! Meanwhile Trump followed up on running away from a second debate, to running away from 60 Minutes and now to ducking questions at his own friendly town halls. It doesn’t seem like he can take the strain of campaigning any longer, despite the Herculean efforts of the MSM to sanewash his babbling and pretend it’s coherent argument or policy, he’s reaching levels of incoherence than is actually breaking the limit of what can be covered for. And we still have three weeks of this to go. Watching the Baghdad Bob responses to last night’s townhall and the disaster at the Economic Forum in Chicago today should be grimly entertaining. But it’s hard to run out the clock when you have to push all the way through to the finish line and break that tape.

    • “Joseph Stalin: ‘The people who cast the votes don’t decide
      an election, the people who count the votes do’.”
      https://www.socratic-method.com/quote-meanings/joseph-stalin-the-people-who-cast-the-votes-dont-decide-an-election-the-people-who-count-the-votes-do

      ‘… The quote by Joseph Stalin, “The people who cast the votes don’t decide an election, the people who count the votes do,” is a thought-provoking statement that challenges the traditional understanding of democracy. At its core, the quote suggests that the individuals who hold the power to count and tally the votes wield an incredible influence on the outcome of an election, potentially superseding the collective will of the voters. …

      Their role extends far beyond the mere act of counting ballots; they hold the power to shape the political landscape and determine the course of a nation. Stalin aptly recognizes that without the proper scrutiny and transparency in the vote-counting process, democratic elections can become susceptible to abuse. … ‘

      If the election is run honestly,
      ‘Awful’ will beat ‘Empty’.
      Trump will win

      If it is not run honestly,
      ‘Empty’ might win.
      well…

  3. This is excellent, you should watch it:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW_6Cesbgpc

    Alexander Krainer is someone I’d never heard before. Krainer explains the economic history of the West over the last several centuries broadly and brilliantly and the interactions with Mercouris are golden.

    The rub is that the rise of the Eurasian Alliance is unstoppable and is particularly calculated to replace Western economic imperialism with a more decentralized and equitable system. But Krainer’s explanation of the foundation of Western monetary policy – money creation as the creation of debt and essentially extracting debt service from the economies in a vampiric manner, benefiting only the banking oligarchs, until the economies are saturated with debt and the Ponzi scheme has to be refinanced. This keeps both the populations of the West and the Rest relatively impoverished in contrast with actual investment in economic development and trade.

  4. How Scotland [UK] does politics:

    *Ewing compares SNP treatment of Salmond to Stalin’s of foes*
    https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24652875.ewing-compares-snp-treatment-salmond-stalins-foes/

    ‘ The SNP’s treatment of former first minister of Scotland Alex Salmond has been described as “pathetic” and “shameful” by one of the party’s MSPs.

    Mr Salmond – who died after suffering a heart attack on Saturday in North Macedonia – resigned his party membership following allegations of sexual offences and went on to become leader of the Alba Party in 2021.

    He would later be cleared in the High Court of all offences and would accuse figures in the Scottish government and SNP of a plot against him, which was denied.

    But Fergus Ewing – a long time friend of Mr Salmond and a member of perhaps the most well-known Scottish nationalist family – likened his party’s treatment of the former leader to that of Joseph Stalin of his foes.

    Mr Salmond delivered the eulogy at the funeral service for Mr Ewing’s mother Winnie, the legendary SNP politician, who died last year.

    “Over the past years, the party he transformed and led to victory turned against him and quite literally erased him from their history,” Mr Ewing wrote in the Times.

    “They tried to pretend he did not exist. They never talked about him or even uttered his name.

    “He made them. They in turn spurned and shunned him.

    “In a way it was comparable to Stalin who, after removing ‘enemies of the state’ would wipe all traces of them from official photographs.

    Mr Salmond’s death drew tributes from those he had formerly been close to, including his deputy and successor Nicola Sturgeon, who acknowledged the “breakdown” of the relationship between the two, but praised him as “an incredibly significant figure in my life”.

    But Mr Ewing attacked what he said was a lack of “contrition” in the tributes.

    “In the so-called tributes from some in the leadership over the past few sad says, not one single word of contrition has been uttered for this ugliest of defenestrations,” he wrote.

    “In the past three years, it was my privilege to work with Alex on all sorts of matters.

    “By far the most important of all was to obtain truth and justice for the way he was the subject of what I believe was a concerted campaign by some of the ‘top’ people in the land.”

    He went on to describe a “malevolent and wicked campaign” which, if it had succeeded, he said could have ended with Mr Salmond having “died in a prison cell”.

    Mr Ewing concluded that, until “the truth of this scandal is exposed, Scotland as a country is diminished”. … ‘

    Alex Salmond posed by far the most serious challenge to the very existence
    of the UK Union since Charles Edward Stuart lost on Culloden Moor in 1746.

    He was also the ONLY major political figure in the UK who opposed NATO’s
    bombing of Serbia and its subsequent assaults on Libya, Syria, etc.
    The UK Deep State Establishment so hated and feared him, their fingerprints
    are all over the attempt to have him die in prison for alleged sexual offences
    (including rape) – from which he was acquitted by a jury including nine women.

    This proved deeply embarrassing to his successor as First Minister
    and Leader of the Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon,
    who squandered a whole series of Parliamentary majorities
    pursuing (not Scottish independence, but) woke policies
    such as an attempt to have rape accused denied trial by jury
    on the grounds that too many juries were acquitting the accused.

    QUOD ERAT DEMONSTRANDUM

    Sturgeon feared that her failure to pursue independence
    might lead to Salmond’s displacement of her as leader,
    just as he had previously displaced another successor
    (John Swinney) when he failed to advance the cause.

    The UK Deep State was also so deeply terrified of a return
    by Salmond to the front line (after they lost out over Brexit),
    it is little wonder they would try to *trump* him into oblivion.

    Meanwhile a Scottish Police investigation into the disappearance
    of monies donated to the SNP to campaign for indendence
    (which monies were in the care of the SNP’s then treasurer,
    who just happens to be the husband of Nicola Sturgeon)
    which investigation led to her arrest and release without charge
    after a police raid on their marital home, seems to be going nowhere
    due to lack of co-operation from the SNP and the Justice Department.

    Purely coincidentally [!] of course, Nicola Sturgeon resigned
    as First Minister shortly before all this became public news.
    She had served her purpose and was no longer required.

    Thereafter, Alex Salmond died of a heart attack in North Macedonia
    (well, he was overweight and very likely mRNA ‘vaccinated’; still…)
    and the SNP got itself thoroughly wasted in a UK General Election;
    and is set to face the same in the next Scottish Parliament Election.

    Job done!

  8. There is no doubt in my mind now that Ukraine, as a sovereign nation, has been given a divine blessing and the Mandate of Heaven. The war between Russia and Ukraine has been going on since 2014, and it’s been almost three years since Russia formally invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

    Ukraine, against all odds, still exists.

    Very soon, Russia will have much bigger fish to fry in the south, and will soon have to give up on its designs for westward expansion. Patriarch Bartholomew will be completely vindicated.

    The way the world is going, attention is now shifting away from the war in Ukraine and instead towards the Nation-state of Israel and Iran. With the rise of the BRICS alliance, Russia will have military obligations to defend Iran against the Israelis, and the war in Ukraine will come to an end. The BRICS alliance is ultimately more valuable to Russia than having a war in Ukraine.

    • Ukraine a “sovereign nation”? Then let them finance this war.

      Ukraine was, is and always will be an artificial construct. No less than Poland, Romania and Hungary have their eyes set on parts in the west of that country. I’m sure they’ll get their bite of the apple in due time.

      • Regardless of who becomes U.S. president, the focus of war is already shifting to the south, with the Nation-state of Israel as the prime instigator, and with the U.S. as their longtime major backing, mainly thanks to our “Christian” Zionists.

        • “…the Nation-state of Israel”

          I suggest a slight modification here:

          “…the Apartheid Nation-state of Israel”

          • . . . or “Occupied Palestine”.

            Ukraine is close to being over. Germany has cut them off. Everyone is looking at the ceiling and the floor. Really, the war in Palestine/Lebanon does not affect the Ukraine war that much from the Russian perspective except as a second front against the Borg. And all the Russians are really doing is updating Iran’s missile, missile defense and radar capabilities along with giving them some of their surplus armaments.

            Before the war, and you can look this up if you want, I said if Russia invades that what it would take would be the Donbass and Novorossiya (along the south). That’s precisely what they’ve done.

            It is no miracle that Ukraine has held out this long. If Russians were accepting the same rate of loss that they have in WWII or some other wars, this thing would have lasted about six weeks, at most.

            What is a travesty is that Washington has forced the Ukrainians for this long to feed soldiers into a meatgrinder. In the end, the men and arms will run out and that will be that. And, in fact, we are quite close to that point because we are seeing Western countries give up on further arms shipments and among the dead Ukrainian forces we are increasingly seeing more dead NATO personnel and Americans.

            It likely won’t matter after next January. Harris is “tied” at best in all the swing states. Translation: She’s trailing badly, possibly by double digits. Trump will simply cut off all assistance to Kiev and the Banderites will flee to Lvov.

            The Israeli-Iran conflict is a more dicey matter. The Zionists are checked if not checkmated. Hezbollah in Lebanon is repelling them nicely causing more casualties than the Israelis are used to. And those are the cooked numbers that Tel Aviv feeds the credulous.

            But that is the least of Israel’s problems. Some say up to 2 million Jews have fled Israel already. Haifa has filed for bankruptcy, transit having been eliminated by blockades, etc. The economy there is in what would, in any other circumstance, be called abysmal. Its GDP contracted by 4.1% in the weeks after the October 7 Hamas-led attacks. And the downturn continued into 2024, falling by an additional 1.1% and 1.4% in the first two quarters. (see, https://theconversation.com/israel-11-months-of-war-have-battered-the-countrys-economy-237915)

            And those are the official propaganda numbers released during wartime to improve moral. God really knows how bad it is there.

            Death by a thousand cuts. More soldiers called up, less workers to produce. Northern Israel is still largely uninhabited due to Hezbollah rockets.

            Hamas is still largely intact, as is Islamic Jihad. Israeli actions on the West Bank are just further radicalizing Palestinians there. Hezbollah and Iran are causing real damage and have the potential to cause a hell of a lot more.
            Hezbollah is unrelenting despite losing Nasrallah, perhaps because of losing him. And Iran has shown that it can strike effectively deep in Israel wherever it wants to with hypersonic missiles.

            Russia is equipping the Iranians with the best air defenses available. And Iran is revisiting its policy on not actively pursuing nukes at the same time that Russia has revised its nuclear doctrine. They’re approaching a mutual defense treaty and the smart money says Russia will support Iran against Israel.

            Netanyahu is suicidal and he’s going to drag a lot of Zionists down with him. And even the US won’t be able to do anything about it. We would have to occupy Lebanon and Iran to make it stop and since the end of the draft we can’t even field a real combat force against anyone other than token opposition. Plus, the advent of hypersonic missiles means we can’t even get substantial forces over there without them be blasted to hell.

            It’s all a combination of a charade of acting tough – bluffing when you’re holding a losing hand – and a systemic inability to understand that the age of the American Century and Western hegemony is coming to a crashing halt. It is unthinkable for the Victoria Nulands and the Anthony Blikens of this world because it has always been America’s planet.

            The stars might lie but the numbers never do.

            NATO can’t win in the Ukraine and the US cannot win in Israel. It just all has to play out. The election complicates it some because some people are hedging their bets and others are acting while they have time so it throws off the interaction of forces a bit since everyone is not doing their damnedest. But politics is always that way.

            Russia has killed dead over a half million Ukrainians while suffering probably less than a fifth of those numbers. Ukrainophiles have never realized that the Russians were never fighting a war for territory or about territory. The relentless assault of Kiev on the Donbass impelled them to go in and liberate a number of Russian speaking regions. The twin aims of the Operation were demilitarization and denazification. Many of us were curious as to how this was going to be achieved, though we knew Putin and his staff were extremely formidable characters. It turned out to be simple:

            Kill off the army (while capturing as many prisoners as possible). Attrition. That’s the war Russia is winning hands down. If America/NATO/Ukraine are fighting a different war; i.e., one to preserve as much territory as possible, then they will surely lose. Ain’t gone be no treaty. The Russians will advance as long as there is resistance and that can’t last indefinitely. They will move no faster than they need to in order to accomplish some predetermined balance of maximum enemy attrition in exchange for minimal Russian losses. If the war teach us anything, it teaches us that that is what’s going on.

            PS:

            Regarding the “Mandate of Heaven”, I believe the Dems have lost it decisively. It’s a combination of incompetence, corruption, entitlement and a malevolent ideology. There is a principle in business that employees rise to their level of incomptence. That is what you are seeing in the Dem Party. All the talent is on the right and the GOP establishment is dead. Biden, Harris, Buttgag, Sullivan, Warren, Sanders, et al. couldn’t run a crap game in prison.

            The Dem donors have been had and the end is nigh. At least that’s my best guess. Who really knows?

      • I think there’s some projecting going on by the Phanariotes here regarding the relationship between the Ukraine war and the ME war. For America and the West, it is true that the focus is shifting from the Ukraine to the ME and the consequence of that redirection of funding and arms from the Ukrainians to the Israelis. So it will be increasingly difficult for the West/NATO/US to fight these two wars. Matter of fact, my bet is that America simply walks away from Ukraine, one way or another. The MSM will simply quit talking about it and we’ll hear more about the ME, China, etc.

        That is not the case at all for the Eurasian Alliance. Russia has proven it can more than handle the Ukraine and shows no signs whatsoever of redirecting armaments from the Ukraine effort to Iran, etc. Russia has a staggering capacity to produce arms which has only increased during the war. The RF can outproduce the entire West by multiples when it comes to arms and this has been well documented.

        Though there has been a substantial flow of missiles, missile defense systems and some other arms to Iran, but this does not detract in the least from the Ukraine war effort. Russia will never give up on Ukraine. Ukraine IS Russia. It is politically incorrect to point out to the historical fact that all Russians are aware of: “Russia” is Great Russia (the RF), White Russia (Belarus) and Little Russia (the Ukraine). That is why it was an immovable red line. There will be no retreat and the only way the war ends is Ukrainian surrender. No other possibility. The West simply doesn’t have the power to obtain any other result. This is Russia’s front yard and this was a fool’s errand for the neo-cons.

        Mark my words and we’ll check back in six months. And do not believe Western propaganda because it is the Empire of Lies. If you don’t believe them about Vietnam, about Iraq, about numerous military adventures in Latin America and throughout the world over the post-WWII period . . . then why in the world would you believe the West on anything else?

        • The term “Little Russia” originated with Byzantine clerics, perhaps beginning in the 13th century. The designation “little” originally meant that is was closer to Constantinople, whereas “Greater Russia” was farther away. However, the primary distinction made between “Little Russia” and “Greater Russia” was that they were politically separate entities.

          For example, in 1361 the patriarch of Constantinople created metropolitan sees of “Little Rus” in Halych and Navahrudak, and he also created metropolitan sees of “Great Rus” in Vladimir and Kiev. At that time, Little Rus was ruled by the Catholic king of Poland, who called himself the “King of Lechia and Little Rus”. Whereas the metropolitan sees of “Great Rus” were under the Muslim dominion of the Golden Horde.

          The term “Little Russia” is now seen as pejorative. It’s modern usage denotes the idea that “Little Russia” belongs to “Great Russia”. This idea has persisted mostly in Muscovite circles, perhaps since 1654 when the Russian Tsar began styling himself as the “The Sovereign of all Rus’: the Great, the Little, and the White.” This title originated with the Treaty of Pereyaslav, signed in 1654 by the Cossack ruler that gave “Little Russia” military protection from the Tsar against Poland. However, even under this Treaty of Pereyaslav, the lands of “Little Russia” remained under Cossack rule rather than being under the Tsar. The original usage of “Little” and “Great” indicated that the two did not belong together, and that there was indeed a political separation between them.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Russia

          • Beware Wikipedia. It is a political tool of the Deep State. And besides, you actually do not want to make the case you seem to be making because originally in Byzantine usage, as witnessed in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine itself (see below) “micra rosia” referred to the Halych Metropolis and “macra rosia” referred to the Kiev Metropolis.

            https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CL%5CI%5CLittleRussia.htm#:~:text=Little%20Russia%20(Mala%20Rus%27%2C,the%20Principality%20of%20Galicia%2DVolhynia.

            What is also apparent from the above article in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, which I expected to be more biased, is that this usage gradually disappeared and a new nomenclature emerged:

            “The name Little Russia does not appear in 15th- or 16th-century documents. Only in the first half of the 17th century did it begin to be used in church correspondence between Kyiv and Moscow. Until almost the end of the 17th century the names Rus’ (Latin: Russia), Ruthenian land (Polish: Ziemia Ruska) and Red Rus’ (Latin: Russia Rubra) were used in chronicles and maps to designate western Ukrainian territory. The term Great Rus’, which had been applied originally to the eparchies of Kyiv metropoly, was used later to refer to the territories of Novgorod the Great and then Suzdal and Moscow, although until the 18th century those territories were usually called Muscovy in books and maps.” – Encyclopedia of Ukraine (above)

            It is worth remarking that the reason “Great Rus'” migrated east stems from the fact that Kiev was destroyed under the Mongols and the center of the Rus’ political power moved north and east.

            Actually, I am told that native Russians sometimes refer only to Western Ukraine as “Malorossiya”, when the term is used at all, and what has been conquered at present and up to the east bank of the Dniepr as Novorossiya, which dates from the time of Catherine the Great.

            Truth be told, what the terms Great Russia and Little Russia actually refer to are akin to how we say “major” and “minor” and have nothing to do with greatness in the sense of glory or even power. The Byzantines called the region around Galicia-Volhyna and the western parts Rus Minor and the rest moving east became known as Rus Major or Greater Rus, much like Greater London or Greater New York. This reflects the fact that the original state of Rus’ was centered at Kiev.

            Here’s a good, short rundown of the origin and history as it relates to Ukrainian separatism:

            https://www.husj.harvard.edu/articles/whats-in-a-name-semantic-separation-and-the-rise-of-the-ukrainian-national-name#:~:text=The%20term%20Little%20Russia%20(Malaia,to%20the%20Orthodox%20Kyiv%20metropolitanate.

            This dates from 2004 before much of the sh*t hit the fan.

            For President Putin’s treatment of the issue, see below:

            http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/66181

            • The best thing about Wikipedia
              is often not the actual entries
              but the list of references
              to be followed up…

              …by diligent researchers.

    • Patriarch Bartholomew will be vindicated for what? For going into another bishop’s territory and dividing the Church when that Church is going to go right back together under Russia? After all the crimes committed against the UOC because Bartholomew made them a target of a schismatic church that now wants nothing to do with Bartholomew.

      Even AI has an interesting take on what’s going on.

      Question: What tensions exist between Metropolitan Epiphany and Patriarch Bartholomew now that Metropolitan Epiphany no longer wants to be part of the Orthodox Church under Bartholomew?

      Answer: As of my last update in October 2023, any tensions or disagreements between Metropolitan Epiphany and Patriarch Bartholomew would stem from the evolving dynamics within the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and its relationship with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, rather than from an outright desire to sever ties. In recent months, there have been discussions and reports regarding Metropolitan Epiphany expressing a desire for more autonomy or independence from the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

      These tensions may relate to a variety of factors:

      1. **Leadership and Autonomy**: Metropolitan Epiphany might seek greater autonomy for the OCU, wanting it to function more independently and assertively within the wider Orthodox world, which could lead to friction with the authority of Patriarch Bartholomew.

      2. **Political Context**: The geopolitical situation in Ukraine, especially in the context of the ongoing conflict with Russia, affects church relations. Metropolitan Epiphany’s position can be influenced by the broader national narrative and the desire for a distinctly independent Ukrainian church free from perceived outside influences.

      3. **Internal Church Dynamics**: The OCU comprises various factions, some of which may hold differing views on the role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Internal disagreements about governance and relations with Constantinople can lead to tensions.

      4. **Pastoral and Ecclesiastical Decisions**: Disagreements may arise regarding certain pastoral or ecclesiastical decisions that reflect different theological or liturgical approaches.

      If the situation has further progressed and Metropolitan Epiphany has openly indicated a desire to separate from ties with Patriarch Bartholomew, this would represent a significant shift in the ecclesiastical landscape.

      • Gail, there’s a clear shift in focus away from Ukraine and onto the war between Israel and Iran. It’s still the same proxy war between the U.S. and Russia though, except that it’s shifted to the south, to the Mid-East. Because of this, I believe Russia is soon going to give up on Ukraine. At the very least, Ukraine will be put on the back-burner. Russia already has what it wants there. Supporting Iran and maintaining the BRICS alliance is really what’s most important for Russia now. Next, it will be important for Russia to make a dramatic show of their military might in the Mid-East to gain support for the BRICS alliance.

        The Church in Ukraine is not going to go back under Russia at this point. Yes, there is still ecclesial division in Ukraine, but that will have to be negotiated somehow. The only clear path forward is to have an united and autocephalous Ukrainian Church. It hasn’t happened yet, but that is what Patriarch Bartholomew wants for Ukraine. No, he doesn’t want division.

        • RE: “The Church in Ukraine is not going to go back under Russia at this point”

          Some of these Churches still belong to the MP, Joseph. I doubt they’re going to say, “You can just go ahead and keep them.” Lavra has to be returned with all it’s relics. The bulldozed parishes need to be rebuilt. – They better restore Lucas’ parish where he was baptized (the little kid they made cry), or they will personally have to answer too me! – The monks in jail will need to be released and there will have to be some restitution for the havoc they caused.

          Many of the Ukrainian Churches still belong to Russia. They’re not just going to let these go.

        • Joseph: “I believe Russia is soon going to give up on Ukraine.”

          I think not.

          Joseph: “Russia already has what it wants there.”

          No, Joseph. What Russia wants is:
          de-militarisation, de-nazification;
          and NO NATO in Ukraine.
          Ergo, the battle continues.

          • Brendan, NATO’s days are probably numbered. I doubt it will be around for much longer. NATO, just like the U.N., is dependent on U.S. exceptionalism and superpower dominance. If the U.S. withdraws or collapses, then it all falls apart.

            The BRICS alliance is supposed to be exclusively an economic alliance, but that could easily change. What BRICS is determined to do is to end U.S. exceptionalism and superpower dominance, thus really bringing about the end of NATO. Without NATO backing, Ukraine is really no threat to Russia.

            • Joseph: “Without NATO backing,
              Ukraine is really no threat to Russia.”

              NATO exists. NATO is backing Ukraine.
              Until Russia achieves its objectives,
              Ukraine poses a threat to Russia.
              Russia has been lied to before,
              over Minsk I and Minsk II.
              Russia will continue.

              • Yeah, that’s the way I see it. It’s curious: the Russians have not only succeeded in demilitarizing the Ukrainian armed forces but have started the process of atritting NATO.

                Cheekily, they have said that they’d have no problem with the Ukraine joining the EU. Why do I say “cheekily”? Because if the EU takes in whatever’s left of the Kiev regime, said regime will be even more of an albatross around the neck of Brussels than is Greece.

    • Joseph: “Ukraine, against all odds, still exists.”

      …despite the best efforts of the West to destroy it.
      Being unable to destroy and plunder Russia,
      they chose to destroy and plunder Ukraine;
      while forcing it to fight an unwinnable war.

      They don’t care which lot of Slavs they get killed
      so long as they get the land and the resources.

      An independent viable Ukraine was perfectly achievable
      had the UkroNazis stopped persecuting Russians
      and implemented the terms of Minsk II,
      or honoured the Istanbul agreement.

      But they would not, so:
      Que sera, sera.

  9. Losing the Mandate of Erin?

    “US political advisor steps down after calling for
    Israel to ‘drop napalm’ on Irish peacekeepers”
    https://www.thejournal.ie/al-aquidi-drops-advisor-over-tweet-to-drop-napalm-over-irish-peacekeepers-6511393-Oct2024/

    A FORMER TRUMP administrative advisor has resigned from his position as an advisor for a Congressional candidate’s campaign in the fallout from a post to X he made last week calling for Israel to “drop napalm” over Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon. 

    Republican candidate for Congress, Dalia Al-Aquidi, stated that she “unequivocally condemn[s]” her former advisor’s post on X on Sunday. 

    Matthew RJ Brodsky had previously advised Trump administration’s Middle East peace team and the White House’s Palestinian-Israeli peace team. On Sunday, he posted to X, saying: “Israel should carpet bomb the Irish area and drop napalm over it”. 

    Irish troops are deployed to the area under UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. UNIFIL is Ireland’s largest overseas deployment as part of a joint Irish and Polish Battalion, including a contingent from Hungary and Malta.

    The mission was established through a United Nations Security Council resolution that was passed to compel Israel to withdraw from Lebanon in the wake of their 1978 invasion of the country.

    At the time of the post, Brodsky was working as an advisor for two Republican candidates for Congress: Al-Aquidi and John Nagel.

    In a statement issued today, Al-Aquidi said that her campaign had requested and accepted Brodsky’s resignation as campaign manager.

    “Mr. Brodsky recognized that stepping down was necessary following recent statements on X that do not reflect my values or the principles of my campaign,” she said. “I unequivocally condemn his statement.
    I personally extend my sincerest apologies to the people of Ireland and anyone affected by the actions of a member of my campaign team.”

    “As someone who has always been a steadfast supporter of the Jewish community both in my district and globally, I remain committed to promoting peace and upholding the dignity of all people, particularly our allies. These are the values I will carry forward into the general election.”

    In the immediate aftermath of the comment, Al-Aquidi had distanced herself from Brodsky’s comment, on Monday saying: “I want to clarify that the statement below does not reflect my campaign, policies, or personal beliefs. I stand firmly against all forms of violence.”

    John Nagel, whom Brodsky is advising in the election for the US Congress in Minnesota, has yet to comment. Nagel is an outspoken supporter of Israel and is strongly critical of Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and Joe Biden.

    • It’s difficult for me to say this (as I’ve been pro-Israeli for most of my life) but Netanyahu, Ben Gvir and Smotrich have gone off the rails. If they keep this up as well as threaten sympathetic countries like Ireland, then Israel will implode within 5-10 years, having exhausted whatever good will they had in the past.

  10. Here is some earlier [1916] weather news from Asheville NC:

    “Meet the 108-Year-Old 1916 Major Hurricane that Brought 8 Feet
    of Flood Water to Asheville, NC & Covered All of Biltmore”
    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/10/08/meet-the-108-year-old-1916-major-hurricane-that-brought-8-feet-of-flood-water-to-asheville-nc-covered-all-of-biltmore/

    ‘ With all the climate alarmist hype about Hurricane Helene (and yet more coming with Milton) it seems appropriate to introduced everyone to the Year 1916 Major Hurricane Number 4 that preceded the year 2024 Hurricane Helene visit to Asheville with the headlines shown below… ‘

  11. “Still, I’m sure that the Oligarchy has a few more tricks up their sleeve. At this point, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if these hurricanes, coupled with an attack on Iran by the Israelis (or visa versa) doesn’t cause a ‘postponement’ in the election.”

    This is why I have been saying that the whole election campaign is a distraction. The bottom line is, that Trump will not be allowed to take office, under any circumstances, no matter what happens.

    The Sherman tank (so to speak) has already tipped over the edge of the cliff. All there is now, is to brace for impact. How? Well, Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhie tells us all how:

    The Church of Christ Cannot be Closed or Cancelled
    https://orthochristian.com/163835.html

    At this point, we must take the Stoic attitude that we will do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do, regardless of outcome. As Oswald Spengler so well said:

    “Optimism is cowardice. We are born into this time and must bravely follow the path to the destined end. There is no other way. Our duty is to hold on to the lost position, without hope, without rescue, like that Roman soldier whose bones were found in front of a door in Pompeii, who, during the eruption of Vesuvius, died at his post because they forgot to relieve him. That is greatness. That is what it means to be a thoroughbred. The honorable end is the one thing that can not be taken from a man.”

    • Spengler: “Optimism is cowardice. We are born into this time and must bravely follow the path to the destined end. There is no other way. Our duty is to hold on to the lost position, without hope, without rescue…”

      Moi: “Orthodox Christianity is optimistic,
      whatever the claims of Oswald Spengler.”

        • If Trump is really is the Commander in Chief, we won’t be having an election that has to be certified.

          It’s not Hopeum to look at Trump’s executive orders, which Biden has kept in play, and do some research on the special powers it gives the president of the executive order until the crisis has passed if Congress allows it to go through. . . which they did. Also look at what powers it gives the military. THEN you’re in a position to etter decide what’s going on and more importantly, what’s possible.

  12. I’ve come across multiple accounts about the measly $750 FEMA relief being denied, or that applicants must have access to a smart phone and internet, or that it isn’t a check but a loan. While shocked, I’m no longer surprised by a now full-on weaponized FEMA.

    To grasp the beyond-abysmal response by the current admin, one must see it through the eyes of these tyrants that have already proven they will stop at nothing to maintain power. As the saying goes, “An evil man will burn down his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes.” – Sun Tzu “The Art of War”