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Bulletins and News Discussion from April 21st to April 27th, 2025 - JD Vance vs Pope Francis, No Items, Final Destination

Image is sourced from this Guardian article.

The Pope's fucking dead.

He gave JD Vance three chocolate easter eggs, exchanged pleasantries for 17 minutes, and then keeled over and died.

What a way to go.

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955 comments

  • With Catholicism suffering from the death of the Pope and undergoing the whole succession ritual now, let's talk about a different religious group that will undergo the exact same process probably very soon. Shia Islam works remarkably similar to Catholicism, where the position of Grand Marja occupies a similar standing to the Pope within the faith. To summarise the position of the Grand Marja to anyone that haven't heard about it, Shia Islam has a lot of small Popes that reach that status after at least 30-40 years of studying theology, the Grand Marja is the biggest Pope out of the them all. A Shia Muslim can follow the rulings of any of the small Popes, but there's an implicit understanding that everyone respects the big Pope and his word is in the end the most important. The Grand Marja right now is a very old and sick Ayatollah Ali Sistani, who coincidentally is the first ever Shia Grand Marja to meet the Catholic Pope, after a historic meeting in Najaf, Iraq a few years ago.

    The discussion within Catholic circles right now is about the conservatism of the next Pope, where Catholics discuss if the next Pope should be woke or not. The discussion around the next Grand Marja is a bit more multifaceted than that even within normie circles that aren't really into theology. I like Catholicism even as a Muslim dude, but the truth is that Catholicism in Europe is basically dead as a relevant political force, while Shia Islam is alive and still very energetic as a political and societal force. The first point of discussion is "how political should the next Grand Marja be?". Sistani is remarkable as the first modern Grand Marja with an active website and everything, but at the same time he's also remarkably media shy and there's still not even a recording of him actually talking. He's also very apolitical, he stood silent during the American invasion of Iraq, he offers no political commentary when it comes to the internal politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and his only outwardly political position was taken during the ISIS campaign across Iraq in 2014, when he declared lawful jihad against ISIS and asked young Shias to join the fight against ISIS, which later led to the creation of the Iran-aligned Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq.

    Now we come to the more woke second discussion point, "should the next Grand Marja be Arab or Persian?". This is basically the eternal Shia idpol dilemma. Sistani is Iranian from the city of Sistan, but has basically lived his entire life in Iraq. The last important Marja before him, Ayatollah Abulqasim Al Khoei was also Iranian, and we have to go back to the 60s to Muhsin Al Hakim, to find a Grand Marja that is considered Arab. Al Hakim is coincidentally the most political Grand Marja in modern history, with his rulings against Arabism and Communism still being debated today and his sons Abdulaziz Al Hakim and Muhammed Baqir Al Hakim were instrumental in the founding of the current Iraqi state after the American invasion. Maybe the Marja shouldn't be Arab if the result is such comprador sons, but that's just my commentary.

    We move on to the next discussion point, "should the next Grand Marja be sympathetic to the Sadrists or not?". A short summary of the Sadrist movement coming now. Big family in Iraq and Lebanon, Musa Al Sadr in Lebanon is the spiritual father of all Shia Lebanese, Muhammed Baqir Al Sadr in Iraq basically creates Shia Islamism in Iraq, he also founds the Dawa Party (biggest Shia Islamic political movement in Iraq during the 80s and later), Muhammed Baqir gets executed by Saddam in the early 80s, Dawa Party moves to Iran, regular Shia proletariat in Iraq starts following his cousin Muhammed Sadiq, Muhammed Sadiq gains popularity as a pretty good preacher who says the anti-Saddam stuff without really saying it, he gets assassinated in the late 90s, the preaching stops after his death but his following moves to his surviving son Muqtada Al Sadr, these Muqtada followers later form the backbone of Iraqi resistance to the Americans, at the same time Sadrists slowly start resembling a cult around the image of the Muhammed Sadiq and Muqtada, big clash between the Iraqi government and Sadrists first in 2008, then it turns bloody again in 2022, but doesn't escalate. There were already some rumblings that Sistani's influential son was trying to move certain pieces in order to create an anti-Sadrist camp in 2022, with him reportedly saying that the Sadrists would be considered soon outside the realm of Shiaism. So question remains, does the next Grand Marja exclude Sadrists from the bigger Shia umbrella, or maybe tries to steer them away from the cult and back into normal religion?

    I have two or three more points to bring up but my attention span is failing me, so I'll bring them soon in a different comment inshallah 🙏. No proofreading of course, please notify me if something is completely incomprehensible. If you've made this far, congrats!

  • 2 days after Brazil's Supreme Court filed charges against Jair Bolsonaro he was hospitalized with a bowel obstruction. 9 days later he started doing live interviews from his hospital bed. Today, the Supreme Court announced if he's healthy enough for that, he's ready for trial.

    Bolsonaro's legal team has 5 days to prepare its defense.

  • The Islamic Resistance Movement in Lebanon, Hezbollah:

    'Hezbollah extends its sincere condolences to the Vatican, the followers of the Catholic Church around the world, and all Christians, especially our Christian brothers in Lebanon and the Papal Mission, on the passing of the Pope of the Catholic Church, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis.

    Pope Francis believed in peace, called for the rejection of wars, and worked with deep faith to instill the values of love and tolerance, and he worked hard to build bridges between religions, civilizations, and peoples in order to establish dialogue, understanding, and justice.

    Through his inspiring stances, Pope Francis embodied the spirit of interfaith dialogue. His prominent meetings with Islamic authorities in Najaf (Iraq) and Al-Azhar (Egypt) were milestones that ignited the flame of love and the message of human fraternity.

    His frank positions calling for an end to the Israeli aggression on Gaza until the last moments of his life, his condemnation of the massacres of our people in Palestine, his demand for the provision of humanitarian aid, his official recognition of the State of Palestine, and his support for the Palestinian cause, in addition to his constant support for Lebanon at all stages and his condemnation of the Israeli aggression against us, embody the sincerity of his call and his commitment to human values that reject injustice anywhere.

    The Lebanese, regardless of their religious sects and ethnic backgrounds, are called upon to recall the words of Pope Francis, who described Lebanon as the following: 'A message of great meaning that expresses a model of coexistence and national unity'.

    And we call upon everyone to draw from his spirit the wisdom and strength to face challenges, and to counter attempts to sow discord and division in our beloved country, Lebanon.

  • Pope Francis survived pneumonia, report reveals likely cause of death. It wasn't pneumonia that Pope Francis battled for months that might be the cause of his death. Italian news agency ANSA reported, quoting sources, that the likely cause of his demise was a stroke, and not respiratory illness. An official confirmation will only come from the Vatican.

    I would also have a stroke if I had to talk with JD Vance

  • I'm not used to writing long posts here but since the French communist youth (MJCF, Mouvement jeunes communistes de France) held its 44th congress recently I thought I might share some takeaways from it. Note however that I am not in France at the moment, nor was I there during the whole run-up to the congress itself, so I am sharing what I've been told by other comrades and what I can gather from the new texts that have been voted on.

    According to our general secretary, the number of members doubled since the last congress in 2022.

    Speaking of doubling in size, since the last congress in 2022 the size the MJCF's policy text grew from 37 pages to 56. Generally, it seems that this new text confirms the return to Marxism-Leninism that had been started by the previous congress, and clarifies many things that have been left merely implied or glossed over. One part of the text that I want to highlight is the way that the text lists the historical and philosophical foundations that make up the MJCF's understanding of Marxism-Leninism:

    "It [the MJCF] draws from the French Revolution the aspiration to truly popular sovereignty, which only the emancipation of the proletariat can achieve. It rejects the bourgeois confiscation of the Republic and human rights, and asserts that only a society free of capitalism will enable the people to exercise their sovereignty fully. It also draws on universalism, the foundation of equality in rights and a necessary step towards genuine equality. It draws on French history to build its political project around the demand for a Social Republic, as opposed to a bourgeois republic.

    It adopts the work of Marx and Engels to analyse and change the social relations of production. It affirms the revolutionary role of the proletariat in opposition to ["antagoniste à" in the original] the bourgeoisie, whose political and economic goal is the abolition of private ownership of the means of production and the need to socialise those means.

    It appropriates Jaurès' contributions to socialist ideas in France, as well as his fights for peace and secularism ["laïcité" in the original]. He saw capitalism as incompatible with any aspiration for peace between peoples.

    It draws from the work and life of Lenin his conception of organisation and the seizure of power. Without a party and without organisation, there can be no revolution and no seizure of power by the working class. It embraces Lenin's analysis of imperialism. It defines imperialism as the supreme stage of capitalism.

    This is what the MJCF calls Marxism-Leninism."

    Contrast this with the policy text of the 43rd congress, where the only mention of Marxism, Leninism or the rest of the movement’s historical roots was this single short sentence:

    "The MJCF embraces Marxism-Leninism as the historic political current to which it belongs."

    But the text doesn't just mention Marx, Engels and Lenin here and leave it at that. Indeed, another change from the previous policy text is that there are now proper definitions of the socialist revolution, of the dictatorship of the proletariat (as part of the new definition of socialism) and of democratic centralism (which has a whole section dedicated to it). They are as follows:

    "Socialist revolution consists of the overthrow of capitalist social relations through democratic control of economic, social and political institutions by the working class and the abolition of bourgeois property. […] The French Socialist Revolution will take a form which is appropriate to the material conditions of the country. It is a long-term construction which requires the structuring and strengthening of the organisation."

    "Socialism is a phase in which the working class has taken control of the state and the economy, but where the reminiscences of capitalism and the reaction of the bourgeoisie remain strong. It is a phase in which workers are learning to manage society themselves, with the defence of their long-term interests at its heart. The dictatorship of the proletariat, i.e. the total exercise of power by the proletariat, is necessary to prevent the counter-revolution of the bourgeoisie and to bring the revolution to a successful conclusion."

    "The MJCF does not operate on the basis of factions. It does not tolerate any strategy of entryism by other organisations into its midst and does not practise entryism in other organisations. Each level of the MJCF respects the decisions taken by the higher level. In return, the higher echelon must take into account the opinions and feedback of grassroots activists, thus guaranteeing that decisions are rooted in the reality on the ground. This ensures the unity of the movement, while guaranteeing that debates take place within the framework provided. The democratic nature of the movement is at the heart of the democratic centralism that the MJCF embraces.

    Democratic centralism can be summed up as follows: ‘total freedom in discussion, unity in action’. The democratic aspect ensures collective decision-making: freedom of debate in the bodies set up for this purpose within the MJCF and constant feedback from members based on their experiences. The centralist aspect ensures unity of action, by respecting the decisions of the higher echelons and ensuring that they are strictly applied, as well as respecting the governing bodies and their members, and respect for national and federal bodies and executives. It implies a permanent link with the movement's management, particularly through regular monitoring in each federation.

    Once a decision has been taken democratically, all members must respect and defend it publicly and show discipline, even in the event of disagreement. In the event of disagreement, it is essential not to express criticism in public, but to discuss matters internally in order to preserve the unity and cohesion of the organisation.

    The NC [National council] is responsible for ensuring the ideological, organisational and militant coherence of the movement at national level. The monitoring system, a prerequisite for mass organisation. Monitoring members of the NC occupy a key position within their federations. They must be able to go there face-to-face several times a year and be available to federal executives, with weekly telephone calls. Executives must be particularly attentive to the profiles of comrades with experience who could be relevant for the monitoring role but who sometimes do not dare to apply to the NC. This issue is linked to the wider issue of under-candidacy for the NC, particularly among our female comrades."

    There are also a lot of other important changes which I'll summarise now. There is a renewed emphasis on class struggle, the need to abolish private propriety and establish a planned economy. On class struggle, that is also shown in the updated section on the European Union, which in addition to being much longer also focuses for a big part of it on the role the EU plays in the domination of capital. Additionally, France's own role as an imperialist power is criticised more in the new text, not only within the EU and NATO but also in relation to former colonies in Africa as well as Kanaky-New Caledonia. And finally, the section on LGBTI rights is also greatly expanded in the new text, with an interesting passage on transition (defined in the text as three things: social transition, administrative transition and medical transition) as well as on the mutilation of intersex people; in contrast, the old text only had once sentence regarding LGBTI people, about how anti-LGBTI discrimination was a cause of patriarchal ideology. Here is what the new text has to say on transition:

    "Transition paths must be facilitated. It is essential that these paths be supported medically and socially.

    It must be possible to change one's marital status at the town hall on simple request, and the process must be streamlined. The use of hormones, regardless of the method used, must be fully reimbursed by Social Security.

    A better understanding of transition paths is needed to provide this support. By transition we mean 3 different things: social transition, i.e. changing first names and pronouns in everyday life and wearing gender-affirming clothing; administrative transition, i.e. changing first names and sex on the civil register; medical transition, ranging from hormone treatment to surgery. A transgender person may undergo some or all of these transitions, sometimes without the support of family and/or friends, leading to social insecurity."

    Overall I'm very happy with my comrades' work and I'm hopeful about the future of the MJCF. I'm a bit bummed out now that I still won't be in France for the next few years to see how these changes will be put into practice concretely within the movement.

  • Comrades, a little breakdown on Pakistan vs India please. Shit appears to be kicking off and I don't trust either government. All I know is that India is basically fascist with those Hindutva freaks in power, and Pakistan has always been a CIA infested state. Where do we stand from an anti-imperialist standpoint, and who's benefiting from this uncertainty right now.

  • this is a really good editorial from a palestinian-canadian

    As a Palestinian Canadian, Gaza feels like the best test I can use to gauge a politician’s actual commitment to human rights. The core principle behind human rights is that they are universal (apply to everyone) and inalienable (cannot be taken away). Over the past 18 months, I have watched Israel violate just about every human right that I learned about in school, while so many Canadian politicians stayed silent. If a politician isn’t willing to fight for the human rights of Palestinians, how can we trust they’ll defend Canadian rights? You might think our existing laws safeguard your rights against those who would take them away, but I’m sure many Americans thought the same thing about due process, too. Things can change fast.

    Supporting politicians who defend Palestinian human rights doesn’t mean I don’t still care deeply about domestic issues. In fact, I would argue a politician’s stance on Gaza says volumes about their commitment to a range of domestic issues, and not just Canada’s responsibility to uphold international law.

    the star is generally on the good end of lib media in Canada but seeing them publish something this strident is a surprise

    oh as a general canada poli post, canada's federal election is 4 days from now. carney and the LPC have very good odds to form a majority government. carney strikes me as similar to starmer for western libs, a technocrat banker that's likely to govern as a right wing neoliberal rather than a white nationalist timbit trump like poilievre

  • U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, ordered the Pentagon to brief Elon Musk on approximately 20 top secret China-related issues, without the approval of a legal advisor or the President – CNN

  • The Swiss under-23 fencing team turns its back on the Israeli team during the medal ceremony of the European Fencing Championship in protest against genocide.

    • Telegram

  • India has suspended the 1960 'Indus Water Treaty' with Pakistan. Additionally, India has closed the Wagha-Attari and the Amritsar-Lahore border crossings with Pakistan.

    India has announced it is withdrawing all its diplomatic staff from Islamabad, and has ordered all Pakistani diplomats to leave New Delhi. There is a full-blown Pakistani-Indian war ongoing in Wikipedia, with Indian editors changing many articles, and Pakistani editors changing them too

    One Pakistani editor managed to change the main front page of the Indus Water Treaty, stating that the suspension by India is a 'publicity stunt by the Modi govt.' and can lead to 'catastrophic nuclear war'. India orders all Pakistani nationals with SAARC visas to leave the country within 48 hours.

    Iran states it considers India's diplomatic actions against Pakistan to be 'regretful', and that it hopes India will take a 'responsible' position.

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  • Super long article about how US intelligence is completely embedded within private security that corps like ebay, Microsoft, and sport franchises use to protect CEOs from getting Luigied:
    https://www.valueaddedresource.net/cia-to-silicon-valley-ebay-cyberstalking-scandal/

    Juicier bits:

    Recently released documents expose new details about the eBay cyberstalking scandal, Senior Security Director Jim Baugh's alleged CIA past and how the revolving door between Big Tech and the US national security apparatus threatens free speech and press freedom.

    At her criminal sentencing, Security contractor Veronica Zea called the culture at eBay under Baugh cult-like, toxic and abusive, weaving a stomach-churning story about how a carefully selected group of mostly young female analysts (nicknamed "Jim's Angels") were systematically broken down through coercive control techniques, sexual harassment and assault, sleep deprivation, and routine exposure to graphically violent content.

    While Zea's letter to the court contains the most shocking revelations about the toxic culture at eBay, Baugh's sentencing letter gained even wider attention due to explosive claims that he had previously served in the National Clandestine Services - the undercover arm of the Central Intelligence Agency.

    Baugh's letter to the judge was surprisingly candid about his government intelligence background - including claims that he worked for the CIA after a stint at Microsoft and that he assisted the CIA and FBI with intelligence gathering activities on a voluntary, unpaid basis after returning to the private sector as an independent security consultant on high-profile protection details including guarding then-Vice President Joe Biden at the 2016 Oscars.

    The letter also revealed Baugh's supposed CIA and FBI code names as well as claims that during his private sector career, he assisted with recruitment of foreign agents and electronic surveillance of foreign leaders; reported observations from international travel and business meetings; and recruited colleagues (including a CEO) to assist the government by allowing the use of their private sector resources.

    Other documents from the criminal sentencing which have not been sealed show that Baugh contends he was hired by eBay specifically for his prior government experience which demonstrated an "ability to solve difficult problems through unconventional means" and that this practice is not uncommon in corporate America, citing a New York Times article about a former CIA officer who was employed by Uber as one example.

    During the time between Microsoft and bgC3 in which Baugh claims to have been working for CIA Clandestine Services, his resume shows he was a Strategic Planner at defense contractor Northrop Grumman, lending plausibility to the idea that he may have at least been contracted to the CIA during this time, if not directly employed by the agency.

  • TSLA 2025Q1 results are out. Keep in mind that "estimated" comes from Tesla-friendly analysts who waited until the last two weeks before the earnings to suddenly drop their estimates, making Tesla look closer to estimates than it was not so long ago. Even so, results are not good. And this is before all the tariff stuff that should seriously hit Tesla's energy business, since they import the majority of the cells and solar panels for their battery storage and solar division.

    Earnings per share adjusted: 27 cents vs. 43 cents estimated

    EPS: 12 cents vs 34 cents y/y

    Revenue: $19.34 billion vs. $21.11 billion estimated

    Automotive revenue dropped 20% to $14 billion from $17.4 billion in the same period last year.

    Earlier this month, Tesla reported a 13% decline in deliveries to 336,681.

    They "achieved" $660 million in free cash flow, but their accounts payable are up by $1 billion (despite lower production), this means that they are probably delaying payments to their suppliers until the end of the quarter to make this quarter look better. Despite the fact that Tesla is supposedly developing all this new stuff - robotaxis, FSD, autonomous robots and so on, their capital expenditures are down by like 50%. It looks like they are already trying to conserve spending.

    [edit] Naturally, the stock is up by 0.5% on this terrible news. The Tesla piggies are going for the worst price/earnings ratio in history.

  • Great post by Comrade Anas Al-Qadhi, member of the Yemeni Socialist Party:

    “Militias? We socialists were the first to theorize this concept in Yemen, and the first to practice it as a path to liberation and struggle.

    Comrade Abdel Fattah Ismail was among the first to develop an ideological vision of the revolutionary militia.

    Our National Front, which defeated the British Empire, was not a regular army but a fighting popular militia. The National Front, the Popular Militia, the Revolutionary Resistance, and the Revolutionary Democratic Party—all were armed revolutionary formations born from the people.

    And comrade Yahya Abu Asba' was the commander of the People's Liberation Army—let’s not forget.

    To the US, Britain, Saudi Arabia, these militias were "terrorist" communist heretics who cursed capital, the Gulf rulers, and imperialist circles!

    But to the people, they were the spark of revolution and the voice of liberation.

    And so are the scruffy Ansar Allah today—those who carry the banner of sovereignty and reject submission.

    The name is no slur, no stigma—it is a badge we wear with pride.

    It is our revolutionary history. This is the people's war, waged by the free, left or right.

    Under Marx’s banner or Ali’s sword, the battle is the same: dignity and sovereignty.

    And you, gentle ones and sons of vipers, have the Americans, Saudis, Emiratis, and British fighting for you!

    You beg the “international community” to return you to Sana’a, to restore your state, to build you a liberal paradise on our land!

    You are rootless, You fled the land when war broke out, and took refuge in hotels and capitals,

    And when the Gulf remittances stop, Your camps collapse into chaos, shouting, and collective breakdown!”

  • The US Department of Justice is setting its sights on Wikipedia, threatening the Wikimedia Foundation's tax-exempt status over allegations of spreading foreign propaganda.

    “Wikipedia is permitting information manipulation on its platform, including the rewriting of key, historical events and biographical information of current and previous American leaders, as well as other matters implicating the national security and the interests of the United States,” [US Attorney] Martin wrote. “Masking propaganda that influences public opinion under the guise of providing informational material is antithetical to Wikimedia’s ‘educational’ mission.”

    Fanatical Zionist and genocide enjoyer Bari Weiss's rag "The Free Press" is leading the charge on reporting this, so it not difficult to imagine what the objective is here. As a relatively new story, the only article I found that isn't part of this reactionary media blitz was in the NZ Herald: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/us-attorney-for-dc-accuses-wikipedia-of-propaganda-threatens-non-profit-status/6TCXK6CRPNFY3JBAB65JEBSM3Y/

    This may amount to nothing, but watch this space.

  • China's Thorium Revolution - 60.000 Years of Cheap Energy - found this on my FYP, never heard of either of these guys, but the guest is completely

    over China's thorium reactor while the host seems pretty stunned at the claims about its potential. Near the end, the host asks what his guest thinks about claims of "China stealing their thorium tech from the US" and is answer is a blunt, "no the US literally handed them their thorium research," and even goes so far as to point out that the US had no interest in further developing thorium reactors because they have no use in creating weapons.

  • US airstrikes continue on Yemen for the 39th night in a row.

    Multiple rounds of airstrikes have targeted Taiz, Hodeidah and Saada Governorates, along with Kamaran Island.

    More airstrikes in Ma'rib Governorate.

    Ballistic missile launched at Israel from Yemen, was reportedly intercepted.

    Warning for potential graphic imagery of casualties during ongoing airstrikes:

    Al Masirah TV twitter

    Xcancel mirror

    The Yemeni Armed Forces released a statement earlier today, about shooting down another MQ-9 Reaper drone, along with launching cruise missiles and drones at US Navy warships. Their anti drone air defence systems are proving very difficult to suppress under current SEAD doctrine.

    In more US military movements to the region, two E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft arrived in Saudi Arabia today, and a third could be on it's way. This is quite a significant development, to move airborne warning and control aircraft to the region.

    Lots of strategic bomber movement within the United States tonight, with a B-52 now tracking east over the Atlantic Ocean. We may see yet another bomber deployment, on top of the 10 USAF bombers currently forward deployed (6 B-2s in Diego Garcia, 4 B-1s in Japan).

    The B-52 is currently approaching two mid air refueling aircraft over the Atlantic.

  • Hundreds of officers belonging to the UAE-backed 'Yemeni National Resistance' have defected to Ansarallah (the Houthis), and gathered in the capital Sanaa for briefing. These officers defected from the UAE-backed 'Yemeni National Resistance', their territory is on Yemen's Western Coast

    They are led by General Tareq Saleh, nephew of the late President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former Houthi ally that defected to the side of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in 2017. It seems almost all of their high command have defected.

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