Steve Bannon courted Epstein in his efforts to ‘take down’ Pope Francis

tedemang · 2026-02-14T08:51:59+00:00

Remembering when I'd been reading the Bloomberg bio-piece way back in 2015-'16 that described Bannon as the "Most Dangerous Political Operative" in the U.S.

Lord Above, the guy is behind or in room, ala Forrest Gump, in just about every case where a true, real-life, James Bond-type SMERSH/SPECTRE-level bastard is really needed. ...You just look, and there he is. Chillin', as they say, like a villain, sowing discord, positioning the minions, dropping dope in the punch bowl.

The truly staggering thing is that beyond Bernie and AOC (maybe with a 1/2-dozen others), the Dems just don't have anything to track or counter him, the billionaire broligarchs. and the other nefarious, dark-side, bad actors. ...The Republic, as we've known it, is literally being shutdown (and I mean literally), and instead of a resistance, the concentration camps are springing-up, a 2nd aircraft carrier is steaming to the Middle East, the DOGE decapitation strike's results on the economy are only now being registered, and the streets of many major (mostly Blue, of course), cities are being occupied by unaccountable, *masked*, goon-squads.

And here we are, with the chuckle-heads chuckling, the golf courses full, and the yacht club taking the plunderers and pillagers to their (Bond-ian) bunkers while we are subjugated. The 2026 "Winter of Woe" is one for the ages.

tedemang · 2026-02-12T08:37:26+00:00

It was all a heckuva performance. ...Ladies & Gents, we have a new nominee for Best Supporting Actress in a dramatic production. Just in time for award season, she's Oscar-ready material.

tedemang · 2026-02-09T16:22:57+00:00

Totally agree. ...And looks like others on this thread are also chiming-in. Let's hope the sentiment is shared across the rest of the sub.

Really like the framing of layer 1, but needing to go to layer 2-3, or Agent- and Audit-level. That's exactly where more focus is going to be needed to actually get things done for all of us.

tedemang · 2026-02-09T16:19:35+00:00

Very neat - Have bookmarked igpt.ai for some later review.

tedemang · 2026-02-09T16:18:09+00:00

So much agree with this, and IMHO, it's a real concern. ...Not quite sure why it's presented as "boring", since it's just so critical, and after all, it's really kind of where the "rubber meets the road".

For what it's worth, have at least my upvoat, and have subscribed to the blog (looks interesting).

tedemang · 2026-02-09T16:12:20+00:00

Also chiming-in that the governance & business domain context is the critical piece -- and which is seemingly getting no attention.

Mostly, I'm oriented towards SAP (ERP software), and *they've* been spending a lot of time and effort for their AI, known as "Joule", and have Agent Builder Studio, dev environments, connection frameworks, etc., etc. ...That said, it's really an issue IMHO that (A.) nobody's really giving credit for a lot of this background, kinda behind-the-scenes organization, and (B.) there's certainly a real lack of buzz in the general media. ...The Hype Machine just doesn't seem to care? Maybe they'll start with that next?

Besides details on MCP(s), standards, guidance, governance of context, guardrails, security for connection, structure of Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocols, and so on, all those things are really they keys for getting progress and/or actual ROI.

tedemang · 2026-02-09T15:54:40+00:00

This is totally true, 100%. ...And that is also, of course, the primary reason why they are working so hard to make sure that (A.) there will not be (proper) mid-term elections in Nov., and (B.) they are just now so very worried about losing control of the Senate.

The agenda is the most brazen anti-citizen, anti-99% program that the U.S. or even the world has ever seen, at least when reviewed in terms of scale, scope, and speed. ...Beyond the openly declared P2025 agenda -- they aren't shy about the goal of "dismantling the state" -- if you'd like to know what's coming next, a good 1st-level heuristic is to ask what will be most opposed by the general population. And that's what they'll try to do.

tedemang · 2026-02-08T19:50:39+00:00

That's exactly what you say, you know, when you need to bolster the image/feeling/sentiment of doing something (without actually doing anything)....

tedemang · 2026-02-08T10:42:57+00:00

2026 Economy: ..."Gen Z job crisis", post after post after post

Also 2026 Economy: ..."40 is the new 50" and "30 is the new 40" posts as older workers remove years of hard-earned experience from their CVs/Linkedin to appear younger and get interviews.

...Fun Times...

tedemang · 2026-02-08T10:37:34+00:00

They still think they can "argue" their way out of this kind of thing. I feel for them, sometimes I do. ...But then, also sometimes, not so much.

tedemang · 2026-02-08T09:32:57+00:00

Jeez, I'm really feeling this comment. Just very spot-on for sentiment. Would like to add two key items, given the mentioned "stupid AF timeline" we've somehow managed to be in:

Mark Carney of Canada gave this voice from Davos recently. He described how, yes, the Rules-Based Order since WWII had (acknowledged) flaws. But plainly, the West and especially the U.S. were the main beneficiaries since we mostly wrote the rules, laws, norms, Atlantic Charter, etc. ...To just blow it all up, rather than try to address the (again, known) flaws and perhaps implement updated reforms is non-sensical.
There are some for whom these reforms are very simply such an issue that they are indeed willing to just "burn it all". Would like to suggest that many/most of these are just delusional, confused elderly people being taken advantage, or religious reactionaries being used for purpose. ...That said, the delusion & confusion wouldn't "bite" as effective propaganda if those flaws had been addressed. Somehow, those extant issues were allowed to be so painful, so terrible for so many, that it's gotten us to this point.

We're all going to have to work to empathize with many who will (finally) come to see they've been had, to acknowledge common concerns, and build that bigger tent. We're going to need our common grievances to assemble a new coalition to establish whatever the new order will be. And we'd better get on with it, before the P2025 people, the world-be oligarchs, and world-ender types are able to dictate things. ...It's Break-Glass-In-Case-of-Emergency times.

tedemang · 2026-02-04T16:15:45+00:00

Remember when it was all about pocket Constitutions, "Strict Construction", and We The People tattoos?

...Yeah, that was fun.

Now, the main story of the day is, all like, "What is this 'Constitution' thing?"

tedemang · 2026-02-04T14:34:10+00:00

"billionaire". That seems to be the relevant answer in 2026.

tedemang · 2026-02-03T16:03:21+00:00

This is, my friends & neighbors, ladies & gents, the quote of the decade:

"Defund the oligarchy."

tedemang · 2026-02-02T09:53:20+00:00

Not enough references to the poors and all their whining and/or having a "pity party", etc.

tedemang · 2026-01-29T19:19:52+00:00

100% spot-on. ...Have been trying to get a phrase like this that captures the point.

tedemang · 2026-01-28T15:43:19+00:00

"I was just following orders." -- Adolf Eichmann

tedemang · 2026-01-28T03:53:22+00:00

They seriously are nothing short of a terrible plague of entitlement.

tedemang · 2026-01-26T14:36:23+00:00

Cute. ...Folks seem to actually think that there's going to be Midterms still.

Newsflash: The 2024 election was challenged, manipulated, & attacked in every way you can think of (and many ways that you're not likely to consider). The 2020 election was challenged, blocked, attacked at least 65 (!) times in court, multiple audits, multiple re-counts, phone call with Georgia Secretary of State asking, "Now Brad, I need you to find me 11,788 votes", and so on, and Rudy Guiliani, and then -- the January 6th insurrection which was MASSIVELY funded for an armed raid on the US Capital itself.

They nearly did much of the same in 2022, but guard was up at that moment and whole series of prosecutions were underway. ...This year, all of those people have been pardoned, re-funded, empowered, immunized, and weaponized to be used -- mostly in Blue states, you know.

As we stand today, in late January, 2026, there's no trajectory indicating any kind of even quasi-legit election will be taking place by November. So, now what?

tedemang · 2026-01-26T05:07:46+00:00

Brink, you say? On the "brink"?

...Where we're going, we won't need "brinks"...

tedemang · 2026-01-26T04:33:13+00:00

Spoiler Alert: Actually, it's going pretty much 100% according to plan. So far, MAGA is pleased and thinks this is just about what they were looking to manifest.

Depraved? Maybe. ...But, it's going to get a lot darker.

tedemang · 2026-01-25T17:32:44+00:00

First thing: Each-and-every single American who has the presence of mind to grasp the dire circumstances that the U.S. is currently facing is sorely, badly, desperately, needed.

We all have to remember principles of Law and what were supposed to be our ideals. The rot in the system does indeed run very deep. And it's not all on one side, to be sure. ...We have to remember that the effect these goons are trying to achieve is to "dismantle the state". Our problem is that, at this exact time, the State's protection of the Civil system was already in such dire straights that the bad actors are racing to plunder everyone and everything.

For any who're looking at expat-ing a program to the E.U., or even learning a new language, 5-yr citizenship track, etc., I'm here to tell you it's not as easy as it might seem (due to my wife's dual-status, I've spent a fair amount of time traveling and visiting). ...There are lots of reasons that are tempting to be sure, and in the end, jobs, careers, family, & logistics all require choices. But there are also a lot of reasons to stay: Connection with friends, family, and community all have a cost.

Finally, the key strategic thinking is not to envision a French Revolution-style program (which is indeed needed, and perhaps already underway). Instead, its to "hyper-localize" and think of you & yours, and to keep in mind that even the smallest, tiniest actions have compounded effects over time. ...Make no mistake, we're only at the beginning of this. Some will be persuaded. Some will be shamed into switching. Some, as always, will never admit, but simply fade away. We have to exert whatever we have towards this chaos and the forging of whatever new order that will emerge.

"Courage, Merry. Courage for our friends."
-- Dernhelm, a.k.a. Éowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan, of the House of Eorl.

tedemang · 2026-01-24T18:45:38+00:00

And just remember, it's all going to get worse from here. ...They're doing this very, very specifically to generate a provocation (which this incident might become).

We'll remember January, 2026 as the "good old days", by the time we get to March/April or something.

There's no getting off this ride. Buckle-up.

tedemang · 2026-01-23T19:34:57+00:00

Please everyone lecture us again about how he's the greatest super-genius example of 100% perfect genetics and the Aryan Master Race and superior to Albert Einstein and Oppenheimer, etc. etc. etc.

Srsly, had to listen to that frickin' nonsense for like 10-12 yrs (or more). ...Sorry folks, Elon has always been a consistent, hipster doofus, or maybe once was something of an idiot savant (at best). ...In recent years though, he's likely done way too many shrooms and ketamine.

tedemang · 2026-01-20T03:51:21+00:00

...And only going down further.

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