By Richard Turpin, World BEYOND War

Isolation has not prevented Kiribati from suffering the depradations of colonialism, militarism, and capitalism.

David Swanson asked me to write about Kiribati after I wrote to him to point out Costa Rica is not the only “full-fledged and totally independent country to be entirely demilitarized.” Kiribati, and other small countries I suspect, have no military. In Kiribati’s case this was a deliberate decision taken by the first President and Government of Kiribati as it was becoming Independent in 1979. Like Costa Rica it has almost certainly benefitted from that foundational decision. Many other newly independent ex British colonies suffered from coups and military rule as a result of the British policy of promoting nationhood on the British model: Westminster type parliament, independent judiciary, and a military force. It was interesting interviewing Sir Ieremia Tabai, the first President and a leading campaigner at the time when it was an issue, stating that the motivation was heavily economic – we are a small country with very little money so we can’t go wasting it on buying guns. If only more leaders would adhere to such basic commonsense!

But first of all a bit of an introduction to Kiribati, as most people have never heard of us and even fewer know much about us. Kiribati sits right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean but tending to the Western side. It is the only country in the world with a claim to be in all four hemispheres, north, south, east and west, spanning as it does the Equator and the 180 meridian, the International Date Line. There are 33 islands spread over 3000kms from west to east along the Equator. The population is currently 130,000 and rising fast, with more than half living in the capital Tarawa. The population is over 90% ethnically homogenous Micronesian, I-Kiribati, with its own language and unique culture. Kiribati dance is a unique cultural form and is central in the culture, an integral part of every occasion from the opening of Parliament to weddings, birthdays, and public holidays. It is one of the main ways in which the culture preserves itself, the Kiribati diaspora using it as an excuse to come together wherever they are and teach it to the children.

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by Tracy Turner

The preceding nuclear pollution article, "Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster: 2024 Aftermath, Risks, and Insights, " examined the millennial-spanning consequences of nuclear disasters like Chornobyl and Fukushima, atomic testing, and depleted uranium warfare. The article detailed the health risks of radioactive isotopes such as Plutonium, Cesium, and Polonium and their ongoing impact on the environment and human health.

The Legacy of Nuclear Power: Environmental Injustice and Racial Exploitation

The previous nuclear pollution article discussed extraordinary contamination of soil, water, and food items and radioactive long-term health consequences for the affected populations—especially the "downwinders" who are exposed to nuclear fallout. The nuclear narrative previously discussed atomic power from its origin in the Manhattan Project to its modern applications , which have been thoroughly implicated in racial and environmental injustice. The article covered Chernobyl and Fukushima ongoing radioactive disasters, as Infinity Pollution.

Many consider nuclear power a technological marvel, the prospected clean energy of the future. Still, in reality, nuclear is far darker when we consider its historical and continuing impacts: uranium mining, nuclear testing, and waste disposal. The fallout from atomic development has disproportionately harmed marginalized communities, Indigenous peoples, and people of color. From the development of the atomic bomb in the United States to nuclear testing across the South Pacific and the Soviet Union, atomic energy has been part of a long history of exploitation, displacement, and environmental degradation. Nuclear power, in all of its forms, is steeped in systemic racism, ecological colonialism, and the exploitation of vulnerable communities.

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By David Swanson, World BEYOND War

I do see a problem with justifying the U.S. Civil War while recognizing the damage done by of regrettable dreams of vengeance...

I wasn’t going to read The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates because I’m doing what I can to end the genocide and occupation, and because Coates seems like such a nice guy that it saddens me that he nonsensically defended the U.S. Civil War.

I’m very glad that I did read it. I did so because someone led me to believe that in it Coates changed his mind about the Civil War. This turned out to be a misunderstanding that grew out of the fact that in the book he does slightly change his mind about a different — much more popular — article that he had written in the same magazine, one about reparations.

I’m glad I read the book because it is full of useful information and perspectives on the life of the author, on racial injustice, on propaganda, and on rebellion. One insight in particular strikes me, and it is related to what Coates regrets about his article on reparations, namely his use of the example of German reparations to Israel.

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By Kathy Kelly, World BEYOND War

The Biblical Book of Job chronicles a string of catastrophes relentlessly plaguing the main character, Job, who loses his prosperity, his home, his health, and his children. Eventually, an agonized Job curses his own existence as well as the god that created him.

Numerous interpretations of the story exist, and more than one version has circulated through the ancient Near East. One version concludes with Job avowing repentance. “I know that my redeemer liveth, and so I repent in dust and in ashes.”

The Latin root for the word ‘repent’ is pensare – to think. ‘Repent” suggests an effort to rethink.

Job’s surprising repentance has been on my mind as calls increase, in 2024, for the United Nations to rethink its relation to Israel as a member state. Increasingly, civil society groups are pressuring Permanent Missions to the UN to eject Israel as a voting member of the General Assembly.

To paraphrase Pankraj Mishra, writing for the New York Review of Books, a stunned world has watched with disbelief as the United States provisions Israel with weapons enabling a mass murder spree across the Middle East.

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LifeSiteNews

The president-elect praised the former Democratic congresswomen and said she'll bring a 'fearless spirit' to the intelligence community as a member of his cabinet.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he would nominate former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

Gabbard, a former Army lieutenant colonel and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, is known for her staunch non-interventionist foreign policy. After leaving the Democratic Party in 2022 over its “warmongering” and “woke” positions, she joined the Republican Party and endorsed Trump’s presidential bid earlier this year.

“As a former Candidate for the Democrat Presidential Nomination, she has broad support in both Parties – She is now a proud Republican!” the statement added. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights and securing Peace through Strength. Tulsi will make us all proud!” Trump said in a statement.

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During a discussion with president-elect Trump’s former Office of Management and Budget Director, Russ Vought, Tucker Carlson posited that the outgoing administration is attempting to saddle Trump with a global conflict. “If you doubt how serious the opposition is to the public, not just to Trump, but to the majority of the country that voted for him, They’re trying to leave him with World War III on the way out,” Carlson urged. Russia is furious about the Biden administration lifting restrictions on use of US developed long range missiles, and Putin has repeatedly stated that such a move would mean NATO countries are at war with Russia. Carlson continued, “I can’t imagine a more desperate or evil thing for Tony Blinken, who I think is desperate and evil, in my view, to do. Leave him with a war?”

Washington will continue to provide military aid to Kiev, spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre has said. The US will not alter its policy regarding the Ukraine conflict in light of what Moscow described as a “combat test” of its new state-of-the-art intermediate-range ballistic missile against a Ukrainian military target, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a news briefing. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday that the nation’s military have launched a new hypersonic ballistic missile – the Oreshnik – targeting a military industrial facility in the Ukrainian city of Dnepropetrovsk. The strike was in response to what Putin called the “aggressive actions of NATO member states against Russia.” “We were aware of Russia’s launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine,” Jean-Pierre said later on Thursday. She also claimed that the US had “briefed Ukraine and our close allies and partners in recent days” about the impending strike.

The ICC issued warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant earlier this week. Several Western states have pledged to execute an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Hague-based court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu along with former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Ibrahim al-Masri. West Jerusalem claims that al-Masri is already dead. The warrants are for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the Gaza conflict. The decision has elicited mixed reactions in the West. Several nations emphasized their respect for the independence of the court, while others voiced support for Israel. The Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, and Norway all claimed they would meet their commitments and obligations under the Rome Statute and international law. However, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stressed that the ICC was “wrong” to put Netanyahu and Gallant on the same level as Hamas. Austria also said that it would obey the decision, but its foreign minister, Alexander Schallenberg, added that the warrant was “utterly incomprehensible.”

He wants to deter the even greater provocations that the West might now be plotting, such as destabilizing and then invading Belarus, with the intent of coercing him into freezing the existing LOC and then possibly accepting the deployment of Western/NATO peacekeepers there. Putin surprised the world on Thursday when he addressed the nation to inform them that Russia had tested a new hypersonic medium-range missile earlier that morning in an attack against a famous Soviet-era industrial complex in the Ukrainian city of Dnepropetrovsk. He explained that this was a response to the US and UK recently allowing Ukraine to use their long-range missiles inside of Russia. Their decision resulted in the NATO-Russian proxy war in Ukraine “assuming elements of a global nature” in his words. As was explained here with regards to the “moment of truth” that this latest phase of the conflict led to, he was faced with the choice of either escalating or continuing his policy of strategic patience, the first of which could foil attempts by Trump to reach a peace deal while the second could invite more aggression. Putin chose the former and did so in a creative way that few foresaw. The Oreshnik missile system whose existence he disclosed on Thursday has Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs).

The only thing worse than being guided in your thoughts and actions by delusion is... shared delusion. When Crazy draws a crowd then you have a problem. The crowd that Crazy draws is called, Mob. Crazy and Mob are what you would call rap partners in The Joint... in prison. Two people brought together by... hmm? right! Brought together by shared delusion. Delusion falls into two main camps. Most delusions tend to create two main perspectives and then... there are little camps that come about through magnetic similarities. You've heard that birds of a feather flock together, and that is true with every species. People shouldn't try to mix in with those they have no magnetic associations with, cause... when you get found out... they jump you. This happens everywhere. What do I mean when I say 'jump you?' Well, I don't... necessarily... mean that they literally jump you, although in certain circles and environs that is exactly what happens. It means they turn on you at the level... where that sort of thing happens... at the level it happens at. It could be everything from whisper campaigns and shunning to blanket parties. It could be everything from a dirty look to death and dismemberment. A lot of it is cultural. You find a different kind of justice in The Hindu Kush than you do on Wall Street or the salon society of The Upper East Side.

Unfortunately, a machine has not yet been developed that can take one back in time and undo terrible mistakes being made due to lack of appreciation of possible downstream consequences of certain actions. If Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary had been somewhere else other than in Sarajevo back in June 1914 Serbian Gavrilo Princip might never have been able to assassinate him and the European system of military alliances might never have been triggered to start World War I. Going through the subsequent history of wars since the Great War, there are certainly any number of historical mistakes or omissions that might have been rectified to stop those wars from starting in the first place.

The bill which already passed the House shows how the charge of anti-
semitism can be used as a coercive political tool to silence Israel’s critics.

The Antisemitism Awareness Act is a wrecking ball designed to pulverize the First Amendment. While the alleged intention of the bill is to make Jewish students feel safer on campus, the real purpose is to put an end to the anti-genocide demonstrations that have broken out across the country and to prevent the criticism of Israel. The proposed bill invokes a dodgy legal mechanism to derail the protests and to silence Israel’s critics. By using a broad and ambiguous definition of antisemitism, the bill compels university administrators to crackdown on free speech invoking sketchy claims of discrimination. Political analyst Paul Craig Roberts summed it up like this: “if universities …don’t suppress student protests against Israel’s massacre of civilians in Gaza and Lebanon they will lose their accreditation and federal financial support.” In short, universities are being encouraged to quash the free expression of political ideas to preserve their federal funding. This helps to illustrate how Zionist lobbyists are now engaged in a full-throated assault on constitutionally protected civil liberties, namely free speech. https://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/?p=299124

A majority of Americans approve of Trump’s plans for the nation over the next four years. According to new Pew Research Center polling, 53% of Americans either “strongly” or “somewhat” approve of Trump’s plans. 46% disapproved. In particular, respondents were confident Trump will do a good job in key areas like the economy, foreign policy, immigration and justice. Nearly 60% of Americans said they were “very” or “somewhat” confident that Trump will handle the economy well, while 54% felt the same about justice, and 53% said Trump will make good decisions with regard to foreign policy and immigration. Pew polled nearly 10,000 people in the aftermath of the election. They also found that the American electorate is “warming” to Trump. Forty-three percent of respondents said they have a “warm feeling” towards Trump: an increase on the 36% who said the same in 2016, and the 34% in 2020.

Vote marks fourth time Joe Biden’s administration has vetoed a UNSC Gaza ceasefire resolution since Israel’s war began. The United States has vetoed a resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) demanding an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as Israel’s bombardment of the Palestinian territory continues. The US voted down the measure on Wednesday morning while the 14 other members of the council voted in favour. While the resolution called for the release of captives held in Gaza, Washington had voiced opposition to its demand for an “unconditional” ceasefire. “We made clear throughout negotiations that we could not support an unconditional ceasefire that failed to release the hostages,” Robert Wood, the deputy US envoy to the UN, said during the session in New York. “A durable end to the war must come with the release of the hostages. These two urgent goals are inextricably linked. This resolution abandoned that necessity, and for that reason, the United States could not support it.”

Four years ago, most people had no idea what Covid-19 could bring, and so plenty of common sense, logic and even scientific basis flew out the window when trying to prevent ourselves from catching it, or worse, dying from it. We were all lied to about almost everything, but many of us caught on to those lies early on, especially when it came to the vaccines and the mask wearing. First off, you simply can’t breathe properly with a Covid mask on, of any kind, and there’s plenty of science (we’re talking over 150 studies) to back up the many BAD health outcomes that come from wearing a Covid face diaper regularly. Pay it forward 4 years now, and some germophobic fanatics are STILL wearing their Covid face diapers 24/7/365, even when they are alone in the car, or walking outside alone. It’s insanity on top of insanity, but you see it all around you every day. These folks never read REAL science about the dangers of wearing these masks all the time. For instance, not only do the masks breed bacteria in the mouth, throat and lungs, but they limit proper oxygen intake, while recycling what you already breathed in and used. This is very bad folks. Follow the bouncing ball. Oxygen deprivation, also known as hypoxia, can come on slowly over time, leading to many of the horrific health outcomes that the Covid jabs also create

New internal dissent letters are again blasting Washington for its unwavering support of the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. The US government is lobbying Democratic senators to vote against legislation that would halt $20 billion worth of arms sales to Israel, according to US officials who spoke with the Times of Israel on 20 November. “Biden aides have argued that the weapons in question are essential for Israel’s defense and won’t be delivered for another year or two, ‘so the likelihood of them being used in this iteration of the Gaza context is very low,’” the Israeli daily cites the sources as saying, adding that officials from the White House, State Department, and Pentagon have reached out to “various lawmakers on the fence about how they might vote.”

The Oreshnik missile flies at a speed of Mach 10, or 3 km per second, retired Russian Army colonel and military analyst Viktor Litovkin told Sputnik, explaining why it can't be intercepted by modern air defenses. “The unique feature of the Oreshnik missile system is that, firstly, it is a medium-range missile – it flies to a distance of 1,000 km to 5,500 km – and secondly, it is hypersonic, flying at a speed of Mach 10," retired Russian Army colonel and military analyst Viktor Litovkin told Sputnik. Mach 10, or 10 times the speed of sound, equates to 3 km per second, the pundit noted. There is not a single air defense or missile defense system in the world capable of intercepting those hypersonic missiles, Litovkin stressed. "The West does not have missiles that fly at such a speed or hypersonic missiles at all," the pundit continued. "Although the US has repeatedly boasted that it has such missiles, it has never demonstrated a missile flight. They appeared to show missiles that flew at a supersonic speed of 5.5 times the speed of sound or Mach 5.5. However, hypersonic speed begins at Mach 6-7."

U.S. consumers have piled up the largest mountain of household debt in the history of the world. If the federal government was not almost 36 trillion dollars in debt, the fact that U.S. households are nearly 18 trillion dollars in debt would be making a lot more headlines. Sadly, our entire society is absolutely saturated with debt at this point. Government debt on all levels is spiraling out of control, corporate debt has ballooned to absurd levels, and consumers have been gorging on debt as if there will never be any consequences. Unfortunately, a time of reckoning has arrived, and it is going to be incredibly painful. On Wednesday, we learned that total credit card debt has surged to a brand new record high of 1.17 trillion dollars… Collectively, Americans now owe a record $1.17 trillion on their credit cards, according to a new report on household debt from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Gabbard is well positioned to become the most influential advisor to President Trump regarding the critical foreign policy and national security problems that will be faced by his administration. President-elect Donald Trump has sent shockwaves through the national security establishment by appointing former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as his nominee for the position of director of national intelligence. Social media is ablaze with criticism and condemnation of both the nomination and Gabbard, primarily over past statements she has made critical of U.S. policy regarding Venezuela, Syria, Ukraine, and Russia. Apparently, Gabbard, who serves as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves and has served in combat in Iraq, is somehow deemed “un-American” for daring to speak out against bad policy. It doesn’t matter that history has shown her criticisms to be well-founded.

Donald Trump’s Attorney General nominee, Pam Bondi, delivered a bombshell presentation in 2020 exposing the Biden family’s ties to the corrupt Ukrainian gas company Burisma.

During her revelations on Ukraine corruption, the big three networks—ABC, CBS, and NBC—went dark,… pic.twitter.com/AmAKyXt4YC

— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) November 22, 2024

Donald Trump’s Attorney General nominee, Pam Bondi, delivered a bombshell presentation in 2020 exposing the Biden family’s ties to the corrupt Ukrainian gas company Burisma. During her revelations on Ukraine corruption, the big three networks—ABC, CBS, and NBC—went dark, completely ignoring the story. Trump names former Florida AG Pam Bondi as attorney general after Gaetz withdraws https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/trump-names-former-florida-ag-pam-bondi-as-attorney-general-after-gaetz-withdraws/?utm_source=featured-news&utm_campaign=usa

Seth Meyers Goes Quiet as Ex-NBC Anchor Torches Democrats for ‘Insulting’ the Working Class

“It is tough love time for the Democratic Party. I think it needs to be stripped down and rebuilt.”

Here's how they alienated working-class voters, according to Brian Williams:

1.… pic.twitter.com/IOD81MzfNI

— The Vigilant Fox (@VigilantFox) November 22, 2024

“It is tough love time for the Democratic Party. I think it needs to be stripped down and rebuilt.” Here's how they alienated working-class voters, according to Brian Williams:

1. Ignoring Rising Costs: "A 12-pack of Bounty [paper towels] is $40. Rich folks don't feel that. Poor folks already switched to Sparkle during the COVID lockdown."

2. Touting Stock Market Success While Ignoring Economic Hardship for Regular People: "I think telling them that the Nasdaq is gangbusters is further insulting. It's insulting."

3. Downplaying Border Issues: "I think the biggest unforced error of the Biden administration by far was the border.... To tell people it's not a problem is insulting."

4. Providing Benefits to Migrants While Ignoring Citizens: "For the working class to see incoming migrants getting welcome bags, debit cards, and motel rooms is probably insulting as well."

5. Failing to Address Biden's Cognitive Decline: "I want to know who thought it was a good idea that Joe Biden stand for another four years at 80 years of age and 37% popularity."

Adam Carolla illustrates the slippery slope of the 'progressive' movement:
Adam Carolla: "It's called a progressive movement. And if you take progressive and movement, it means it just keeps going. They never pump the brakes
It always starts with something reasonable. You go,… pic.twitter.com/lVRTijt0ia

— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) November 22, 2024

Adam Carolla illustrates the slippery slope of the 'progressive' movement: Adam Carolla: "It's called a progressive movement. And if you take progressive and movement, it means it just keeps going. They never pump the brakes It always starts with something reasonable. You go, Why shouldn't a gay couple be allowed to marry so they could have the same rights and privileges, you know, insurance and stuff, you know, whatever. Give it to them and then we can move forward and we won't have to argue about this thing. And then they go, Well, what's wrong with a little trans story hour? Well, we're thinking about trans kids, you know, getting healthy breasts cut off when they're 13 and taken puberty blockers. And you're like, No, I'm not. And they go, I interesting. I didn't know you're homophobic and bigoted. You're like, what is going on? Well, what's going on is they keep going." It's a 'progressive movement' in the same way that lemmings perilously progress off of a cliff. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/11/adam-carolla-explains-problem-progressives-they-never-stop/

This is why “Anti-Semitism Awareness Act” is worst ever made unconstitutional law and how it is outlawing the Gospel and Bible literally

Excellent explanation by Matt Walsh don't skip pic.twitter.com/jpqi9wyInA

— Furkan Gözükara (@GozukaraFurkan) May 3, 2024

This is why “Anti-Semitism Awareness Act” is worst ever made unconstitutional law and how it is outlawing the Gospel and Bible literally.

No counter measure exists against this weapon. The missile attacks targets at a speed of Mach 10, which is 2,3 km to 3 km per second. - (1.86 miles. per second) Modern anti-aircraft defense systems in the world and the anti-aircraft defense systems created by the Americans in Europe cannot intercept such missiles. This is out of the question. I would like to stress once again that it was not Russia but the United States (Biden, the democrats and rhinos) that destroyed the international security system. And by continuing to fight clinging to their hegemony they are pushing the whole world into a global conflict. - President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin