Captain Kangaroo for Boris?

Boris Johnson is finished as UK Foreign Secretary.

America May Beckon...

Like David Beckham's twilight appearances with soccer Los Angeles, Boris Johnson can sell his skills in Britain's former colonies.

We in New England, USA, weaned on the daily morning children's show "Captain Kangaroo," are ready for a remake - bumbling Boris fits the bill.

Boris Johnson's lovely Bullingdon Club elocution will please the colonial ear, and it's elegantly humorous to imagine Boris may be labeled Aussie (Captain Kangaroo had no clear relationship to Australia; the name references his big pockets).

Welcome Boris - Our People Need Laughter too!

Belligerant Americans

Watching television news in the USA is miserable. Too many commercial messages. Too little news, served in tiny chunks, along with "human interest" narratives and partisan political posturing.

One point is clear from the networks I watched: social problems are too often presented as partisan political debates, rather than as unambiguous issues requiring a community solution and professionally-applied corrective measures.

Americans: please get together to define social problems.

Americans: please look beyond partisan politics to those manipulating your outlook.

We can solve our problems by cooperating.

We can only solve our problems by cooperating.

Republican Outrage

I don't like Trump, I don't like Hillary Clinton.

Especially I don't like George W. "Baby Bush"...

His smirking face is completely repulsive. But worse, Republican Party high crimes surrounding Bush were plain to see -- long before the "smash & grab" of Trump and associates.

Republican strategy during the 2004 Bush - Kerry election contest showed cruel cynicism, rudely dismissing American patriots and sacrifices.

During the Vietnam War, George W. Bush served domestically in the Texas National Guard with some distinction. He was criticized for prolonged absences. Bush family political leverage kept him from harm.

John Kerry, (who's not terribly likable either), went to Vietnam as a US Naval officer. Kerry was deployed in combat areas, his unit attracted enemy fire, he was wounded, he was decorated for heroism.

Bush, comparatively, was a snot-nosed silver-spoon trust fund baby.

So Republican strategist schemed to tear-down their opponent. Kerry's military record was questioned, and his decorations for VALOR were deliberately tarnished (links here & here).

Sullying American military service records for temporary political gain is unacceptable. Many of my friends & relatives honorably served in America's military, including my brother, father, and grandfather. Scheming politicos belittling servicemember's risks and sacrifices is wrong, outrageous, and deeply offensive.

America's Republicans have NO honor.

Today's Trump Republicans and Murdoch media loudly claim the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) has strong political bias. Americans grow more insecure as the President and his underlings cultivate widening institutional distrust.

BAD

Melania Don't Care

Mrs. Donald Trump, Slovenian model-turned-rich-American wife, reportedly visited a migrant screening camp run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement - ICE, wearing a jacket bluntly stating:
I REALLY DON'T CARE - DO U?

Cold.

ice cold

ABC of Melania Trump : Armani, Bon-Bons, Brazilians, Champagne ...

Sudden Scare Stories of North Korea

Americans: Please withdraw nuclear weapons from Korea. Support US troops - Bring soldiers Home. 

Militarists will lose budgets  -   so seek to frighten us.

But Korean families & businesses see happy prospects for Korean peace.

God Bless.

Dishonor Revealed

All of Japan has been exposed to a recent Nihon University football play, where Taisuke Miyagawa delivered the opposition quarterback a late hit designed to injure (宮川泰介選手と日大アメフト部の悪習). The offending player now openly claims his coaching staff ordered the dangerous tackle, to force the opposing star out of the game.

WATCH the infamous dirty play here (link)
( blue quarterback, late hit from behind )

Japan is widely discussing dishonor.
The New York Times analyzes the impact:
"The play — and what led to it — has touched off nationwide examination of deep-rooted cultural dynamics, including what the Japanese call "パワハラ  power hara," or harassment by those in power who force underlings to do things against their will." (link)

But surely rot and パワハラ "power hara" reach to the very top.

In Japan's political world, the powerful evade responsibility - as 'soldiers' coverup corruption.  And in the USA, payoffs & powerful lawyers hide leadership misdeeds. Sad!

Stand Proud?

Yesterday, the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles were disinvited the day before visiting the White House by US President Donald J. Trump.

He released a statement claiming disagreement over the National Anthem.

There are many ways to protest national indifference.

Let's Be Creative!

Pretend innocence

Nobuhisa Sagawa (佐川宣寿) was Director General of Japan's National Tax Agency and accused of corruption, a crony in Prime Minister Abe's ultra-rightist Moritomo scandal.

Some see Sagawa here looking childlike & innocent; others see a dangerous viper.

I see burikko ぶりっ子, worst sleazy scum of Japan.

Compromised Media, Hazardous Online Tools

Trump whips-up Yankee patriotism; as similar shenanigans are orchestrated elsewhere, boosting nationalists elsewhere. Aggressive chauvinism hurts.

When guns are quiet we must discuss heroes, cowards & homeland myths.


Only Militarists Rejoice

Much disinformation.
Tough to know what's happening...
Might the combatants provide us resources to escape the battlefield?

http://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/psygroup.pdf

Lost Faith in Media

Some media outlets are trashy.

I cannot watch FOX News productions. Rather than countering mischaracterizations & drivel, better to imagine them in a closet shouting & screaming at each other. Turn it OFF -- let their personal issues receive silence.

I never liked or trusted America's NPR (National Public Radio). My wife likes Terry Gross & "Fresh Air" but their propaganda pains me all the more when it erupts. Here's an example:
Fresh Air Terry Gross & RJ Lifton 18Dec2001 - Gay Disinformation.mp3

In 2001 days, "GAY" was a slur - ... & the gay premise is total bullshit.

I've had respect for the BBC, but this week one report is beyond poor:
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-44290824/north-koreans-dare-to-criticise-vampire-leader
A smuggler displeased with the DPRK's leadership is "interviewed"

We could write the same bullshit about England's Evil Queen, where surely some shadowy unattributed subjects are resentful & embittered, deeply frightened of covert retribution for their disloyalty. Shame on the BBC!

Here's similar extreme propaganda via Chosun Ilbo from Korea:
https://www.mindwatch.com/2018/03/facing-misinformation.html

We're deliberately directed away from pressing problems...

TRASHY

Prayer Really Works for T

Worried for the unfortunate? You're a LOSER
Leaders exemplify No Remorse

Sad!

Common Corruption, Japanese-style Disclosure

Corruption is all too common almost everywhere.

Japan has special patterns of criminal disclosure. When one or two corrupt practices are uncovered, a cascade of reports can ensue. Leaders bow & apologize en masse, hoping personal fallout is minimized when everyone's dirty together.

A good example a few years ago (early Nov. 2013, link), was when top restaurants in Ginza, Hibiya, central Tokyo and around Japan began to admit they served poor-quality and substitute ingredients rather than the excellent foods advertised. Dozens of 'great' restaurants suddenly admitted wrongdoing. Shameless? Smart? The public ate it up.

Now Finance Ministry corruption (link, Moritomo scandal) dovetails with Defense Ministry wrongdoing (link), hiding the logs of Japanese troop deployment in Iraq. Public interest is forgotten - bureaucrats deceive lawmakers charged with administrative oversight, under the direction of ... unknown individuals

So very coincidental the reports are released on the same day... ?  Not.

Truth & demonstrative sorrow are both missing...

No Fingerprints! Joel Zamel

We've now all heard of Cambridge Analytica, their parent SCL Group, and reported improper use of Facebook data. Cambridge Analytica claimed wide effectiveness and impact on elections and world affairs in their marketing, but were unprepared to be spotlighted.

Cambridge Analytica has now closed down / gone underground.

Parallel operations being investigated surround Joel Zamel.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-who-is-joel-zamel-australian-israeli-linked-to-mueller-s-trump-probe-1.6104963

Three interesting articles have looked at Mr. Zamel's work with PSY-Group, Wikistrat and WhiteKnight. The above analytic Haaretz article is best (seems behind a firewall already, but perhaps cached here)

Earlier, the New York Times painted a portrait of mystery:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/19/us/politics/trump-jr-saudi-uae-nader-prince-zamel.html

The Wall Street Journal worried about a "secretive private intelligence firm" deeply linked to Israel promising to "shape reality." Foreign interference in the American domestic political process, even by friendly Israel, raises huge questions & concerns.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/mueller-probe-expands-to-israeli-entrepreneur-with-u-a-e-ties-1526763816

The WSJ downloaded Psygroup.com marketing materials and now host a helpful link where PSY themselves describe "covert and legal techniques and tactics" (including "honey traps"):
http://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/psygroup.pdf?mod=article_inline
(direct web presence has now disappeared at psygroup.com)

Maybe Mr. Joel Zamel is being treated unreasonably. Zamel is professionally represented by attorney Marc L. Mukasey, chairman of white collar defense at the law firm Greenberg Traurig. Yet even the lawyer is under the spotlight for family ties and being a close buddy to Rudy Giuliani (link).

---------------------

Now another article in Haaretz clarifies the story, but so sinister!
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-trump-russia-mueller-probe-the-israel-connections-1.6116639
(or cached version here)
Too deep for me. Wanna know more? You research & blog yourself...


---------------------
This leads to my headline above. I was wholly ready to move-on from shadowy Joel Zamel to the most recent Red Sox box score. But let's have a look at the guy...

A search on 21st May 2018 turned up no certain images of Joel Zamel.

I searched for יואל זמל (Joel Zamel in Hebrew; or ג'ואל זמל ?) and got article links but no photos.

PSY promises to "sway opinion and emphasize (or de-emphasize) issues of relevance to our clients." CEO Joel Zamel has a very low profile. UNNATURAL

from http://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/psygroup.pdf

Cleanup can be too perfect. Should we see professionalism in the fact we cannot find traces of Joel Zamel?

No fingerprints at all --- signals careful work & cleanup.

P.S. - (early October 2018) After months of quiet, Psy is Back in World News (links - first two in Hebrew)
---------------------------
P.P.S. - Joel Zamel photo, released late 22 May via sbs.com.au, notes:
"Publicity-shy" Zamel "cultivated an air of discretion" & "low profile"...

 >> Belated single selected image release is more odd than nothing at all << 

Joel Zamel     photo released on sbs.com.au

Fire Dance, Namaste

Our world seems increasingly nonsensical... or counter-intuitive. Bipartisan bailout of big finance and industries with public funds was corrupt, but we're already warped from capture of the U.S. economy by militarism. Democracy offers endless war and force-fed corporate media. "Just Say No" ain't working. Outside now I see morning sun, and hear birdsong.

😄

PS: the strongest stimulant I've had in the last 24 hours was lassi (yoghurt drink)... but I did help squelch the flames of a guy on fire (he should be OK)

Payoffs, Bribery, Hush Money are COSTLY

Lawyer-to-the-Stars, Michael Cohen, reportedly paid a lady the amount of $130,000 to say nothing about his client's unadmitted sexual encounter.

Client Donald Trump reportedly was oblivious to the transaction. Lawyer paid with his personal funds, and secured a signed contract promising future silence.

Trump denies ever schtupping Ms. Stormy Daniels.
Trump denies managing the hush-money payoff.
Trump has now belatedly admitted compensating Cohen for the payoff.

UNBELIEVABLE     ...     sleazy

Welcome to the United States of America

Now I Like Ike

To the Last American

Likud & the ultra-right lead US to war.

Haiku until lame

 
Haiku until lame
Occupied Territories
White House, Pentagon.

So Cute!

Our leaders spewed $5 trillion on Iraq: US$5,000,000,000,000. to poor result ... taken from schools, seniors, communities, and our next generation -- corroding America's health. 

Iran's cleavage promises to cost more. 

Skip the Gold Star

It's a Beautiful Day

 - except we hear martial music & drums to WAR

Why's America messing with that part of the world?

Work w/ other major powers... or we're rogue 

JUST SAY NO!

Peace Today at Panmunjom...

Border from inside hut (gravel S.Korea; sand DPRK North Korea)

Panmunjom Peace Summit

Historic meeting in Panmunjom, Korea!

After many decades of Japanese colonialism, and 'protective' military occupation of South Korea by the USA since 1945, perhaps the Korean people can begin to make their own, more peaceful future.

Constructing Peace - A Great Challenge

Protest over pudding, as Japan shoves divided Korea's leaders closer together.

Former colonial ruler Japan is not invited to tomorrow's intra-Korean summit in the Demilitarized Zone, but photos of dessert depicting Korean islets contested by Japan now sour relations with Tokyo (link).

Dokdo / Takeshima are just 0.2km² - twice the size of Yankee Stadium, but disproportionately controversial.  PEACE is more important!

Grubbing for Wealth?

                                                                                                                                                 photo:  In-seok

Kissing Earth: Execution pit prep

The US Department of Homeland Security seeks to compile databases and possible blacklists of "media influencers" - Bad News!
(link: Forbes)   (link: The Japan Times)   (link: PEN)

DHS press secretary Tyler Houlton (link) asserts that categorizing and assessing media people is "nothing more than the standard practice of monitoring current events... Any suggestion otherwise is for tin foil hat wearing, black helicopter conspiracy theorists"...

But in fact analyzing (and penalizing) media "sentiment" is a process familiar to the Gestapo. 

According to the Statement of Work, the private-sector contractor must have "Ability to analyze the media coverage in terms of content, volume, sentiment, ... reach, ... influencers, ... momentum, circulation." No detailed rubric is publicly provided by Government to how "sentiment" is determined.

Former government officials in South Korea have been convicted and are now in prison for compiling and operating similar "blacklists" of their enemies (link). That Jan. 2018 court ruling was clear: "... once the government discriminates against those who think differently, it leads to totalitarianism."

The Korean government had 9473 people on their known "blacklist" (문화예술계 블랙리스트 - link) and also a "whitelist" ("화이트리스트") of favored media actively funded & supported. Creepy!

Classifying media sentiment & Enemies List creation is far more dangerous than "monitoring current events"

Lance Armstrong Swindle "settled"?

Payoffs keep Lance wealthy & out of jail.
Bad News for anti-corruption:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/19/sports/cycling/lance-armstrong-postal-service.html

Americans are overly cocooned from the World
For sheltering an admitted criminal and never even trying to send this rich swindler to jail, our society enables further crimes. America's youth sees cheating rewarded. People outside the nation see: sports, money, cheating, doping, USA USA

Lance Armstrong's a permanent SHIT stain on the American flag. 

Cheating and Doping = East Germany and Old Glory USA

This swindler disgraces every American.

Armstrong - shit stain on our flag. Expel the Bum.

Sports, Money, Cheating, Doping, USA USA

Postcard Tax

Taxation Reform: Most Americans now file a postcard or less, and pay almost no tax...

Such lucky people in the best country ever.

Grinning politicos = Shameless LYING scum

What to Do with Trump?

Madeleine Albright's Sunday article "Will We Stop Trump Before It’s Too Late?" (link) wields highly-provocative first paragraph imagery: Mussolini was executed together with mistress Clara Petacci, and Hitler "suicided" w/ Eva Braun, Who'd depart with Trump?

Seriously, Fascism doesn't start & stop w/ Trump.

We easily & harshly criticize German silence under Hitler, but Americans disregard our own burials: Genocide of indigenous peoples; undocumented & unpunished torture; American exceptionalism; manifest destiny; theft of native land; corporatist corruption; forced servitude of kidnapped Africans (without transgressor punishment or victim compensation); militarism & perpetual war...

Very few Americans know or care about (link):
Vergangenheitsbewältigung

US War Crimes continue

Silence is complicity.

Remembering Casey Sheehan, d. 2004 April 4

Militarism is a never-ending plague.

The USA posts armies around the world, in a huge waste of lives & resources. So Sad!

Bring Our Troops Home!

Washington DC's elite have sacrificed far too many people and production on weapons and death. Both Republican & Democrat, most top politicos are militaristic... perhaps from sucking at the teat of defense contractors & their donations? Our huge military itself has a lot of votes!

There's substantial US militarist support for bringing troops home and out of harm's way. We've no business in many overseas dusty outposts! 


Here's a good anti-militarist article (link):

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/10/23/shee-o23.html

Paradise Jeju

Springtime hope! 

... or Realpolitik: Prepare to survive the Worst.

Korea's Jeju island, 3 April 1948, was horrible. Massacres proceeded for many years. Silence lasted decades. Other peoples suffer similarly today.