Poll Watch: 69% of Americans Oppose Iran War

2 Comments

1. The Kiss of Judas in the Age of Inflation

   Back then, a good 2,000 years ago, the Kiss of Judas fetched a mere 30 pieces of silver. In the context of that era, it was certainly a lucrative deal.

   The Romans already knew back then that “Tempora mutantur” (times change), so it’s no surprise that in times of inflation, widespread moral decay, and rampant greed, prices have skyrocketed.

   Later, it will cost a billion—not in 1923, but in the year 2026. For that, however, there’s still a medal. A little bonus, so to speak. The ultimate kicker, however, is that this dubious deal was sealed on Ukraine’s “Statehood Day”—the day on which the Brussels-controlled war province celebrates its independence.

   Future historians will have to judge whether the price at which the Kyiv regime is selling out its people into eternal servitude to war is appropriate.

   At the same time, an agreement was signed that establishes and launches a future defense industry partnership. In September of this year, 19 Ukrainian and other European defense manufacturers are set to lay the groundwork in Brussels for the production of joint defense equipment at Western European sites.

   Noteworthy in this context is a meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing” that took place last Monday in Paris. The planned multinational force, which is to be deployed to Ukraine, will be tasked with reorganizing, rebuilding, and restoring the combat readiness of the battered Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). Combat readiness against which adversary?

   The planned and openly stated intention to escalate the threat against the Russian Federation as a coalition of warring parties can only lead to the consequence that, ultimately, the alliance will lose a partner.

   This loss is necessary to eliminate the permanent threat and the constant danger of war in a sustainable and lasting manner. Recognizing and acknowledging this, however, does not seem to affect the strategic considerations of the war-obsessed West.

   https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/2077342498112913568
   https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/2077346477643383111

   https://archive.is/NL0GT

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

   “Remigration” in African terms
   By Hans Hofmann-Reinecke (Cape Town)

   Several hundred thousand immigrants from even poorer neighboring countries work in South Africa. At first glance, this seems paradoxical, since more than eight million South Africans themselves are unemployed; the unemployment rate stands at over 30 percent.

   Now, a growing political movement claims that unemployment is caused by immigrants and that they must therefore be expelled from the country. However, the situation cannot be compared to that in Germany: the unemployed who have “been living here for some time” receive virtually no support, and unemployed immigrants receive nothing at all.

   Back to Malawi

   On Saturday, I will likely see my longtime, loyal housekeeper—let’s call her Lilly—for the last time. She has to leave South Africa because she is a foreigner. She comes from Malawi. In case you haven’t heard of the country: it lies west of Mozambique, from which it is separated by the 500-kilometer-long Lake Malawi, one of the deepest and most water-rich lakes on the globe—an African Baikal, so to speak.

   Among the 50 African nations, Malawi ranks among the top in terms of scenic beauty, but unfortunately among the lowest in terms of prosperity. This has led many Malawians to seek—and find—their fortune abroad.

   Today, an estimated 100,000 immigrants from this beautiful yet impoverished country—mostly “informal” workers—live in South Africa. Most arrived after the end of apartheid, starting in 1990. In the wealthiest part of South Africa, the Western Cape, many of them have found work in a wide variety of service industries: as nurses, gardeners, restaurant workers, tradespeople, vineyard workers, or domestic helpers.

   Isn’t that surprising, given that South Africa itself suffers from extreme unemployment? Why is there a need for foreign workers? What do the Malawians have that their South African brothers and sisters do not?

   Countries and Tribes

   Now, it is a very delicate matter to attribute or deny certain qualities to people based on their ethnicity or nationality. Historical facts, however, cannot be denied. Malawi was a British colony from 1891 to 1964. And despite all the accusations that can be leveled against these colonizers, one must give them credit for providing the colonized people with a thorough education.

   The black population of South Africa did not experience anything comparable during the same period. Three generations of British education have left their mark on the Malawians to this day. The national language is English, alongside Chichewa, the language of the Chewa tribe, which constitutes the largest ethnic group.

   However, throughout Africa, national identity is less defining than tribal origin. In Malawi, the Chewa are distinguished by their high interpersonal intelligence and quick wit. This makes them stand out even in South Africa, where highly refined manners are already the norm.

   March & March

   South Africa, too, has its ethnic camps. The largest groups are the Xhosa and the Zulu. The former have a largely sedentary, agricultural history, while the latter have a warlike one. They are native to the northeast of the country, and there, in Durban, King Shaka International Airport is named—in keeping with tribal tradition—after Shaka Zulu, the legendary and feared military leader from the early 19th century.

   Now, the Zulus are also leading the attack on informal migrants in the country. Led by former radio host and activist Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma from Durban, mass protests are being called for under the slogan “March & March.” She is also the one behind the specific call to deport the migrants by the end of June.

   https://i.ibb.co/hRNxxYNf/Ngobese-Zuma.jpg

   Is this significant? If you’ve read her name carefully, you may have noticed the “Zuma.” Jacob Zuma was President of South Africa from 2009 to 2018 and still wields considerable influence in the ANC, the party that holds a majority in Parliament (though it has not held an absolute majority since 2024).

   Remigration—that is, the deportation of undocumented immigrants as of June 30—has not yet been enacted into law by Parliament, but many of those affected are taking the threat seriously. This includes my friend Lilly from Malawi, who now faces a 3,000-kilometer bus journey.

   Back to the Future
   By Hans Hofmann-Reinecke

   From June through December 1945, the men pictured here were interned at the “Farm Hall” estate in England. The aim was to find out from them how far Germany had progressed in building an atomic bomb. What no one could have known—and what wasn’t all that interesting anyway—was that one of them would soon commission the first small modular reactor (SMR) on a commercial scale. That was two generations ago.

   During my studies, I spent several semesters at the “Institute for Pure and Applied Nuclear Physics at Christian-Albrechts University” under Professor Erich Bagge in Kiel. His photo can be found at the top left, above that of Werner Heisenberg, the founder of quantum physics, and three pictures to the left of Otto Hahn, the discoverer of nuclear fission. The portraits are arranged alphabetically, so their position is not related to their scientific achievements. The picture simply shows the company the then 30-year-old kept.

   https://i.ibb.co/RZWYMz7/physicians.jpg

   I had the great honor of being invited on occasion to Professor Bagge’s home in Kiel, which was also graced by his three lovely daughters. The conversation always centered on curious questions about the construction of the German atomic bomb and the individuals with whom he had been interned at the time. Bagge, however, always steered the conversation toward a small nuclear reactor, such as one that could be used to power ships.

   No Pipe Dream

   Such a ship—172 meters long and weighing 26,000 metric tons—was in fact already under construction at the Howaldtswerke shipyard in Kiel. The keel was laid in August 1963, and the discoverer of nuclear fission, after whom the ship was named, was present at its launch in June 1964: Otto Hahn.

   Conventional ships are powered by engines that burn coal or oil and emit CO2—but this particular model burned uranium. Inside a pressure vessel 3.5 meters in diameter and four meters high, a nuclear reactor generated steam to drive a turbine, which in turn delivered 50,000 PS (about 35 MW) to the propeller shaft. The fuel consisted of about two metric tons of uranium enriched to between 3.5 and 6.6 percent.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sGmMVnX8kM
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Hahn_(ship)

   In 1968, four years after its launch, the “Otto Hahn” entered service and set sail across the world’s oceans. After four years, it had covered nearly half a million kilometers—more than ten times around the Earth—and had to return to port. For the first time, it had to “refuel,” that is, replace the spent fuel with fresh fuel.

   Only the U-235 was actually “consumed”—and just 22 kg of it! However, it didn’t simply vanish into thin air; instead, it was split into lighter nuclei that are extremely radioactive. The U-238, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the fuel rods’ weight, didn’t do anything—it was just along for the ride. However, it did capture neutrons in the reactor and, in the process, transformed into radioactive substances—some of which are very long-lived.

   Disposing of these hazardous materials wasn’t a problem back then. That was handled by the reprocessing plant in Sellafield, England.

   The Tainted Term

   When I’m asked about my profession and I answer “nuclear physicist,” I get an emotionless nod; but if I say “atomic physicist,” my conversation partner takes a step back and adopts an expression as if they’d just spotted a hand-sized, hairy spider on the opposite wall. Ever since Hiroshima, the word “atom” has been synonymous with unbridled destruction and inhuman suffering. That is the historical curse that these bombs have forever seared into the consciousness of Western civilization.

   And that means this term can be used as a powerful tool for manipulation. Who would be against the “phase-out of nuclear power”? That would mean taking responsibility for hundreds of thousands of radiation victims—and who would want that?

   By 1979, the “anti-nuclear” movement was already in full swing, and the “Otto Hahn”—the flawlessly functioning, emission-free nuclear-powered vessel—fell victim to it. Imagined risks caused insurance premiums to skyrocket, and ports were urged not to allow the ship to dock. It was the end of this marvelous vessel, which had operated flawlessly for eleven years. The reactor was removed from the ship and replaced with a diesel engine. The name was also changed. Now the vessel was “nuclear-free.”

   The Balance of Ignorance

   The nuclear reactor described consisted of modules that were manufactured and assembled at the factory. It was, in other words, exactly what is known today as a “Small Modular Reactor (SMR),” which is predicted to play a key role in the future global electricity supply.

   Were they already capable of that 60 years ago? Were they even allowed to do that? Who had built this marvel? It was “Deutsche Babcock & Wilcox Dampfkessel Werke,” based in Oberhausen in the Ruhr region, and “Interatom” from Bensberg. The project was led by the aforementioned Erich Bagge, who had earned his doctorate in nuclear physics under Otto Hahn.

   It’s truly astonishing what can be achieved when top-notch professionals are given free rein. Today, 60 years later, business and science are being run by fake PhDs, kitchen helpers, and college dropouts—and it takes longer to repair a neglected bridge than it did to build a technical marvel.

   A political balance is achieved when the ignorance of those in power matches the ignorance of the bottom 50 percent of the population. This then results in a stable majority. We are currently witnessing a bitter struggle to preserve this harmony.

   Prof. Hofmann-Reinecke in an Interview:

   These conferences, organized by the UNFCCC, have been held for 30 years. The first one had fewer than 100 attendees. For the conference in Brazil—which, after all, takes place in what is actually a rather uncomfortable climate with extreme heat and humidity—between 50,000 and 80,000 people are expected to attend.

   For some reason, interest in these events has grown enormously. So a tremendous number of people are attending. I believe there’s a completely different reason for meeting there than simply exchanging the latest scientific data.

   Driven, argued, and justified by “global warming,” fuel is subject to tariffs, and there’s emissions trading and so on. And from these sources, a total of 100 billion has accumulated by the year 2024. 100 billion is the result of the assumption that the Earth is warming, and that this warming trend can only be halted by putting a price on carbon consumption.

   If this conference were to conclude, “Professor XYZ has irrefutably proven that this is all scientifically untenable!” then they might as well just call it quits. Then they wouldn’t even need to meet again next time, because there wouldn’t be another 100 billion generated from tariffs and emissions trading.

   I can’t prove it legally, but a reasonable explanation is this: a massive business sector has emerged here in which money is being extracted from the average consumer, against which they have no means of defense. This money is collected and distributed among perhaps 50,000—or maybe more—clever individuals.

   There’s a Spanish proverb that goes: “The fool lives off his work, and the clever man lives off the fool.” This principle also seems to underlie this whole “climate change” phenomenon and the massive business deals associated with it.

   Since the medieval sale of indulgences, this has certainly been one of the world’s biggest business models—with the only difference being that the medieval sale of indulgences at least produced something like St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, which is still standing today, whereas nothing remains of this whole climate issue.

   Reply

2. And that should be.

   Reply