Narrated Version | While J.D. Vance was speaking in Munich, the U.K. was demanding encrypted data from Apple. For the first time in nine years, America may fight back
Trust me, I'm a spook, i lie, cheat and steal for a living. I overthrow governments and start wars but I might do some good stuff from time to time. Sorry, the FBI since Hoover has been a criminal organization. The CIA, even worse. The five eyes should be renamed, the five evils.
I'm curious how far Taibbi is willing to go down this line— i.e. the cheerleading of Trump's realignment with the European extreme right and with Putin's Russia? Will the vanquishing of Ukraine be a turning point? How about the election of German Nazi's who will predictably censor speech in radical ways? I know he's couching this all as a free speech issue, but history will show that while Trump was blaming Ukraine for the Russian invasion and casting his vote at the UN with Russia, North Korean and Israel, Taibbi was not only silent but cheerleading his efforts.
There is some history to support the Russian invasion being provoked by years of meddling by the West. I’m not condoning it, but perhaps it could have been avoided by the implementation of the Minsk Accords or Agreements agreed upon in 2014.
I get and support Matt’s issue was the Dem suppression of free political speech. But Musk/Trump/Vance are no better.
The suppression of protests against the Gaza- even by Jewish people, is concerning. And the verbal brush up Trump had with the governor of Maine over trans participation in female sports(which I find perilous BTW) ended with him threatening retaliation. Then a couple of days later a rule allowing parents to apply for SS numbers for newborn infants via a simple and effective “ check the box at the hospital” was rolled back in Maine.
Matt asked early on how to cover the Trump administration. My suggestion was to cover how they - and the dems- are f——-g over the working and middle classes. Elon Musk has my best interests at heart? I think not.
I admit I’m frightened by the vehemence of many posters on the site who are almost orgasmic in their enthusiasm for Musk’s chainsaw approach. I must state that I’m a 71 yr old retiree who worked for over 50 years and depend on SS and Medicare along with my 401k. Seeing the double whammy of the dismantling of the SSA and the stock markets is unsettling.
That’s a very thoughtful analysis, which i find sorely lacking on these pages. You are spot on about how to cover this era— there would have been a valuable place for Matt to cover the venality of both parties, but he seems
to alternate between heartily cheering on Trump / Musk moves that should concern any thinking reporter to complete silence about the worst abuses. I would be very concerned about your social security. A big lie has been told and perpetuated by the likes of Matt Taibbi that Elon is somehow interested only in government efficiency. When it comes time to decide between protecting your hard earned benefits or his $20 billion in government contracts to populate mars, trust me he will choose the latter.
Taibi has been pushing for free speech. The extreme radical left (who controls the Democrat party) continues to push totalitarianism or, at best, authoritarianism, which I'm guessing you support based on your comments. This makes the radicals of the Democrat Party the greatest threat to citizen rights in our republic.
Anyone looking at the history of Ukraine and Russia will find a complex relationship that was undermined by US intervention (CIA and USAID) in their elections. The oblasts in eastern Ukraine (which are >80% Russian) wanted to leave and join with Russia after the US-sponsored regime change. Ukraine has been at war with these separatist oblasts for eight years. Russia has come to their aid to end the bloodshed. Their invasion was intended to end the war quickly but was unsuccessful, leading to the 3-year war.
There are no innocent parties involved. The US interfered in the elections and funded regime change. Ukraine, steeped in corruption, engaged in an 8-year war on their citizens, and Russia invaded their neighbor.
The Democratic Party's war hawks decided it was a good idea to interfere with the negotiations at the beginning of this three-year war. Biden has been on the wrong side of every significant foreign policy decision for the past twenty years (assessment by Obama) and has maintained his perfect record of incompetence. With little strategic US interest in Ukraine, these war hawks launched a massive propaganda campaign to secure hundreds of billions of dollars as grants in military and non-military aid. With minimal supervision, this leads to even more corruption. The war has left Ukraine's infrastructure badly damaged, Easter cities leveled, three million refugees, and one million dead (a giant cluster F). This is the Biden- Zelensky legacy to the world. Trump wants to end the war, and people like you, Biden, and Zelensky are cheerleading for more death and misery. You are some swell person.
Believe me, there is no viable extreme radical left in the current Democratic Party. I’m well to the left of the Dems and really wish joker Boris Johnson hadn’t been dispatched early on the quash the peace talks in early 2022. I hated HRC and hated Biden but voted for them as the lesser of evils while simultaneously holding my nose and throwing up in my mouth. I must take some responsibility for unleashing Biden on Ukraine.
Ok Here's your chance. You say that Taibbi is concerned about free speech, as presumably you are. Then defend this post by Trump.
Donald J. Trump
@realDonald Trump
All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter.
927 ReTruths 3.39k Likes
Mar 04, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Mind you we already knew that Trump cares not one iota about free speech. In his first term he had to be talked down from bringing the National Guard in to shoot peaceful protestors. Taibbi has been silent as a mouse.
Never has there been a president with totalitarian instincts like Trump. I know some on the Right like to pretend Trump's fawning over Putin and Kim Jong Un is somehow strategic, but now the mask is off. Trump is now regularly and daily trying to emulate them at home and abroad.
Your retelling of Ukraine is shameful. It is a stupid war of aggression that need never have been launched by Putin and Russia. The blood is all on Putin's little hands.
I am posting this everywhere (and multiple times). It is just too funny. Amazon bought the rights to James Bond. So, here is my version of a Bond-like adventure featuring some familiar names.
Title: Tail of the Dragon
Summary:
In the year 2019, American born MI6 agent Matt Taibbi—now a seasoned operative in an era of cyber warfare, biological weapons, and corporate espionage posing as a globetrotting journalist and podcaster—is deep in pursuit of a ghost. The leader of the nefarious global criminal organization SHADOW, disappeared after his last known operation. Intelligence suggests he is alive, using a new alias: Jeffrey “Jeff” Bezos, the billionaire CEO of Amazon.
Bezos has abandoned traditional criminal networks in favor of a front as a tech mogul, operating from a secret facility in Wuhan, China. His latest scheme? A world-altering biological weapon, a virus engineered to disrupt global economies while consolidating power within a handful of multinational corporations.
Act 1: The Chase Begins
Matt Taibbi, under orders from Sir Richard Moore KCMG, Chief of MI6, the UK Secret Intelligence Service, follows a lead from Mackenzie Scott, Bezos’ former wife. She tells him that a secret lab in Wuhan, connected to a mysterious research project, is being bankrolled by Bezos' foundation. The project, under the guise of pandemic preparedness, is, in reality, an engineered virus designed to destabilize the West while allowing Amazon and other corporate interests to consolidate control over supply chains, logistics, and e-commerce.
Taibbi infiltrates an exclusive gala in Shanghai, where Bezos is in attendance, meeting with Chinese business elites. Disguised as an investment consultant, Taibbi subtly pries information from Dr. Yuki Morita, a top geneticist who once worked at the Wuhan Institute of Virology but defected to Amazon. Morita reveals that the virus, dubbed Project Cerberus, has been tested on select populations, with plans for a controlled global release.
Taibbi’s cover is blown when Bezos recognizes him—after all, MI6 is well-known to those who operate in the shadows. Taibbi narrowly escapes a deadly ambush in Shanghai, engaging in a brutal chase across rooftops, dodging drones, and exchanging gunfire with Bezos' private security force, a paramilitary unit known as The Titans.
Act 2: The Heart of the Virus
Taibbi tracks Morita’s associate, Dr. Li Na, to Wuhan. With help from his old ally Walter Kirn of the CIA, Taibbi infiltrates a research lab under the guise of a WHO investigator. He discovers that Cerberus is a highly contagious respiratory virus, capable of mutating and spreading faster than any known disease. Unlike previous bio-weapons, Cerberus is designed for selective targeting, making it the ultimate tool for economic and political warfare.
The plan? Bezos—through his Amazon contacts—has already placed massive financial bets against small businesses, airlines, and traditional brick-and-mortar companies. When the virus forces lockdowns, only companies with strong e-commerce and digital infrastructure will survive, and Bezos’ empire will reign supreme.
Before Taibbi can report his findings, he is captured by The Titans and taken to Bezos’ secret stronghold—a high-tech underground fortress beneath the Wuhan lab.
Act 3: The Villain’s Monologue
In a classic spy movie villain move, Bezos gloats. He explains his vision for the world:
• A future where small businesses are eliminated, replaced by monopolistic supply chains he controls.
• Governments, crippled by economic ruin, will turn to corporations for survival, effectively making him the world's true leader.
• The virus is simply “an accelerator”—a way to push humanity into his version of the future.
Taibbi, of course, has other plans.
Act 4: Escape & Showdown
Using a concealed G-4 Quartermaster-issued EMP watch, Taibbi disables the facility’s security grid. He fights his way through The Titans, taking down Bezos' second-in-command, a cybernetic-enhanced enforcer named Damien Roarke, in a brutal melee.
In the chaos, Taibbi releases a counter-agent, developed by Dr. Li Na in secret, which could neutralize Cerberus before a worldwide outbreak. He plants explosives throughout the lab, setting a 15-minute countdown before the entire facility is destroyed.
Bezos, refusing to accept defeat, attempts to escape via a private hyperloop train beneath Wuhan. Taibbi chases him, leading to a final battle on a high-speed train. After an intense fight, Taibbi ejects Bezos from the train at 300 mph, sending him plummeting into the Yangtze River.
Or so it seems.
Act 5: The Aftermath
With Bezos presumed dead and the Wuhan lab destroyed, the world narrowly avoids catastrophe. The counter-agent is distributed, and MI6, in cooperation with the CIA and Chinese authorities, erases all traces of Project Cerberus.
As Taibbi recuperates in the Maldives, enjoying a moment of respite with Dr. Li Na, he receives an encrypted message.
You're sloppy in this one and it disappoints. You started your piece with incorrect facts. The San Bernardino shooters were a married couple NOT 2 men.
Looks like Democracy Didn't Completely Die in Darkness. It was just a coma. A ray of light penetrated the ossified cretinous catacombs of the WaPo Cult -- "Journalism(TM)"s most saurian sanctuary for reptilian rejectors of Enlightenment values. OK, that may be a too-broad and cynical brush, but social movements don't do nuance. Probably the light of money did it. Jeff Bezos' money.
Well whatever. It's a win! Amazing what happens when adults get a gravitas injection, however it happens . . .
"What The Actual F**k": WaPo Reporters Melt Down, Editor Quits After Jeff Bezos Makes Hard Pivot Towards "Personal Liberties & Free Markets"
Tyler Durden's Photo
by Tyler Durden
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025 - 10:48 AM
Remember when the Washington Post refused to endorse Kamala Harris in the home stretch of the 2024 election and the entire organization went full Handmaid's Tale? Now multiply that by 100...
For his second act, owner Jeff Bezos announced on Wednesday morning that the Post's opinion pages will be "writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets," in addition to the standard fare.
On Feb 28th, Friday, there is a general strike where people of The Resistance won't buy anything, except from small businesses. Spread the word. It is not in all media streams.
PS -- Actually, we should have a few meetings here and there about taking some kind of action. We have our own problems and don't need to tell Europe anything.
Trust me, I'm a spook, i lie, cheat and steal for a living. I overthrow governments and start wars but I might do some good stuff from time to time. Sorry, the FBI since Hoover has been a criminal organization. The CIA, even worse. The five eyes should be renamed, the five evils.
I'm curious how far Taibbi is willing to go down this line— i.e. the cheerleading of Trump's realignment with the European extreme right and with Putin's Russia? Will the vanquishing of Ukraine be a turning point? How about the election of German Nazi's who will predictably censor speech in radical ways? I know he's couching this all as a free speech issue, but history will show that while Trump was blaming Ukraine for the Russian invasion and casting his vote at the UN with Russia, North Korean and Israel, Taibbi was not only silent but cheerleading his efforts.
There is some history to support the Russian invasion being provoked by years of meddling by the West. I’m not condoning it, but perhaps it could have been avoided by the implementation of the Minsk Accords or Agreements agreed upon in 2014.
I get and support Matt’s issue was the Dem suppression of free political speech. But Musk/Trump/Vance are no better.
The suppression of protests against the Gaza- even by Jewish people, is concerning. And the verbal brush up Trump had with the governor of Maine over trans participation in female sports(which I find perilous BTW) ended with him threatening retaliation. Then a couple of days later a rule allowing parents to apply for SS numbers for newborn infants via a simple and effective “ check the box at the hospital” was rolled back in Maine.
Matt asked early on how to cover the Trump administration. My suggestion was to cover how they - and the dems- are f——-g over the working and middle classes. Elon Musk has my best interests at heart? I think not.
I admit I’m frightened by the vehemence of many posters on the site who are almost orgasmic in their enthusiasm for Musk’s chainsaw approach. I must state that I’m a 71 yr old retiree who worked for over 50 years and depend on SS and Medicare along with my 401k. Seeing the double whammy of the dismantling of the SSA and the stock markets is unsettling.
That’s a very thoughtful analysis, which i find sorely lacking on these pages. You are spot on about how to cover this era— there would have been a valuable place for Matt to cover the venality of both parties, but he seems
to alternate between heartily cheering on Trump / Musk moves that should concern any thinking reporter to complete silence about the worst abuses. I would be very concerned about your social security. A big lie has been told and perpetuated by the likes of Matt Taibbi that Elon is somehow interested only in government efficiency. When it comes time to decide between protecting your hard earned benefits or his $20 billion in government contracts to populate mars, trust me he will choose the latter.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/02/elon-musk-doge-trump-mafia-dahlia-lithwick.html
You and I must be listening to different podcasts. I don’t see taibbi cheerleading anything
Taibi has been pushing for free speech. The extreme radical left (who controls the Democrat party) continues to push totalitarianism or, at best, authoritarianism, which I'm guessing you support based on your comments. This makes the radicals of the Democrat Party the greatest threat to citizen rights in our republic.
Anyone looking at the history of Ukraine and Russia will find a complex relationship that was undermined by US intervention (CIA and USAID) in their elections. The oblasts in eastern Ukraine (which are >80% Russian) wanted to leave and join with Russia after the US-sponsored regime change. Ukraine has been at war with these separatist oblasts for eight years. Russia has come to their aid to end the bloodshed. Their invasion was intended to end the war quickly but was unsuccessful, leading to the 3-year war.
There are no innocent parties involved. The US interfered in the elections and funded regime change. Ukraine, steeped in corruption, engaged in an 8-year war on their citizens, and Russia invaded their neighbor.
The Democratic Party's war hawks decided it was a good idea to interfere with the negotiations at the beginning of this three-year war. Biden has been on the wrong side of every significant foreign policy decision for the past twenty years (assessment by Obama) and has maintained his perfect record of incompetence. With little strategic US interest in Ukraine, these war hawks launched a massive propaganda campaign to secure hundreds of billions of dollars as grants in military and non-military aid. With minimal supervision, this leads to even more corruption. The war has left Ukraine's infrastructure badly damaged, Easter cities leveled, three million refugees, and one million dead (a giant cluster F). This is the Biden- Zelensky legacy to the world. Trump wants to end the war, and people like you, Biden, and Zelensky are cheerleading for more death and misery. You are some swell person.
Believe me, there is no viable extreme radical left in the current Democratic Party. I’m well to the left of the Dems and really wish joker Boris Johnson hadn’t been dispatched early on the quash the peace talks in early 2022. I hated HRC and hated Biden but voted for them as the lesser of evils while simultaneously holding my nose and throwing up in my mouth. I must take some responsibility for unleashing Biden on Ukraine.
Ok Here's your chance. You say that Taibbi is concerned about free speech, as presumably you are. Then defend this post by Trump.
Donald J. Trump
@realDonald Trump
All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter.
927 ReTruths 3.39k Likes
Mar 04, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Mind you we already knew that Trump cares not one iota about free speech. In his first term he had to be talked down from bringing the National Guard in to shoot peaceful protestors. Taibbi has been silent as a mouse.
Never has there been a president with totalitarian instincts like Trump. I know some on the Right like to pretend Trump's fawning over Putin and Kim Jong Un is somehow strategic, but now the mask is off. Trump is now regularly and daily trying to emulate them at home and abroad.
Your retelling of Ukraine is shameful. It is a stupid war of aggression that need never have been launched by Putin and Russia. The blood is all on Putin's little hands.
I am posting this everywhere (and multiple times). It is just too funny. Amazon bought the rights to James Bond. So, here is my version of a Bond-like adventure featuring some familiar names.
Title: Tail of the Dragon
Summary:
In the year 2019, American born MI6 agent Matt Taibbi—now a seasoned operative in an era of cyber warfare, biological weapons, and corporate espionage posing as a globetrotting journalist and podcaster—is deep in pursuit of a ghost. The leader of the nefarious global criminal organization SHADOW, disappeared after his last known operation. Intelligence suggests he is alive, using a new alias: Jeffrey “Jeff” Bezos, the billionaire CEO of Amazon.
Bezos has abandoned traditional criminal networks in favor of a front as a tech mogul, operating from a secret facility in Wuhan, China. His latest scheme? A world-altering biological weapon, a virus engineered to disrupt global economies while consolidating power within a handful of multinational corporations.
Act 1: The Chase Begins
Matt Taibbi, under orders from Sir Richard Moore KCMG, Chief of MI6, the UK Secret Intelligence Service, follows a lead from Mackenzie Scott, Bezos’ former wife. She tells him that a secret lab in Wuhan, connected to a mysterious research project, is being bankrolled by Bezos' foundation. The project, under the guise of pandemic preparedness, is, in reality, an engineered virus designed to destabilize the West while allowing Amazon and other corporate interests to consolidate control over supply chains, logistics, and e-commerce.
Taibbi infiltrates an exclusive gala in Shanghai, where Bezos is in attendance, meeting with Chinese business elites. Disguised as an investment consultant, Taibbi subtly pries information from Dr. Yuki Morita, a top geneticist who once worked at the Wuhan Institute of Virology but defected to Amazon. Morita reveals that the virus, dubbed Project Cerberus, has been tested on select populations, with plans for a controlled global release.
Taibbi’s cover is blown when Bezos recognizes him—after all, MI6 is well-known to those who operate in the shadows. Taibbi narrowly escapes a deadly ambush in Shanghai, engaging in a brutal chase across rooftops, dodging drones, and exchanging gunfire with Bezos' private security force, a paramilitary unit known as The Titans.
Act 2: The Heart of the Virus
Taibbi tracks Morita’s associate, Dr. Li Na, to Wuhan. With help from his old ally Walter Kirn of the CIA, Taibbi infiltrates a research lab under the guise of a WHO investigator. He discovers that Cerberus is a highly contagious respiratory virus, capable of mutating and spreading faster than any known disease. Unlike previous bio-weapons, Cerberus is designed for selective targeting, making it the ultimate tool for economic and political warfare.
The plan? Bezos—through his Amazon contacts—has already placed massive financial bets against small businesses, airlines, and traditional brick-and-mortar companies. When the virus forces lockdowns, only companies with strong e-commerce and digital infrastructure will survive, and Bezos’ empire will reign supreme.
Before Taibbi can report his findings, he is captured by The Titans and taken to Bezos’ secret stronghold—a high-tech underground fortress beneath the Wuhan lab.
Act 3: The Villain’s Monologue
In a classic spy movie villain move, Bezos gloats. He explains his vision for the world:
• A future where small businesses are eliminated, replaced by monopolistic supply chains he controls.
• Governments, crippled by economic ruin, will turn to corporations for survival, effectively making him the world's true leader.
• The virus is simply “an accelerator”—a way to push humanity into his version of the future.
Taibbi, of course, has other plans.
Act 4: Escape & Showdown
Using a concealed G-4 Quartermaster-issued EMP watch, Taibbi disables the facility’s security grid. He fights his way through The Titans, taking down Bezos' second-in-command, a cybernetic-enhanced enforcer named Damien Roarke, in a brutal melee.
In the chaos, Taibbi releases a counter-agent, developed by Dr. Li Na in secret, which could neutralize Cerberus before a worldwide outbreak. He plants explosives throughout the lab, setting a 15-minute countdown before the entire facility is destroyed.
Bezos, refusing to accept defeat, attempts to escape via a private hyperloop train beneath Wuhan. Taibbi chases him, leading to a final battle on a high-speed train. After an intense fight, Taibbi ejects Bezos from the train at 300 mph, sending him plummeting into the Yangtze River.
Or so it seems.
Act 5: The Aftermath
With Bezos presumed dead and the Wuhan lab destroyed, the world narrowly avoids catastrophe. The counter-agent is distributed, and MI6, in cooperation with the CIA and Chinese authorities, erases all traces of Project Cerberus.
As Taibbi recuperates in the Maldives, enjoying a moment of respite with Dr. Li Na, he receives an encrypted message.
One word.
“Survived.”
Bezos—is still out there.
And Taibbi knows this war is far from over.
________________________________________
THE END… OR IS IT?
https://open.substack.com/pub/checkbook/p/bezos-buys-bond?r=16kgq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Copyright © 2025 Hugh Greentree
Start writing the teaser for the sequel, baby.
You're sloppy in this one and it disappoints. You started your piece with incorrect facts. The San Bernardino shooters were a married couple NOT 2 men.
I wish we would have a President who would say about this, "The bombing of London will begin in five minutes."
@Kevin Beck
Why fire the butler?
He might burn attractively?
Looks like Democracy Didn't Completely Die in Darkness. It was just a coma. A ray of light penetrated the ossified cretinous catacombs of the WaPo Cult -- "Journalism(TM)"s most saurian sanctuary for reptilian rejectors of Enlightenment values. OK, that may be a too-broad and cynical brush, but social movements don't do nuance. Probably the light of money did it. Jeff Bezos' money.
Well whatever. It's a win! Amazing what happens when adults get a gravitas injection, however it happens . . .
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/what-actual-fk-wapo-reporters-melt-down-editor-quits-after-jeff-bezos-makes-hard-pivot
"What The Actual F**k": WaPo Reporters Melt Down, Editor Quits After Jeff Bezos Makes Hard Pivot Towards "Personal Liberties & Free Markets"
Tyler Durden's Photo
by Tyler Durden
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025 - 10:48 AM
Remember when the Washington Post refused to endorse Kamala Harris in the home stretch of the 2024 election and the entire organization went full Handmaid's Tale? Now multiply that by 100...
For his second act, owner Jeff Bezos announced on Wednesday morning that the Post's opinion pages will be "writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets," in addition to the standard fare.
FREE PALESTINE
FREE PALESTINE
On Feb 28th, Friday, there is a general strike where people of The Resistance won't buy anything, except from small businesses. Spread the word. It is not in all media streams.
Great job Matt, thank you!
Well, you can always tell your abject colony or satellite to "shove it". You always could. But what's the payoff? There doesn't seem to be one.
PS -- Actually, we should have a few meetings here and there about taking some kind of action. We have our own problems and don't need to tell Europe anything.