The Game is Poker, not Chess

Clyde Lewis hosts the “Ground Zero” radio program. Clyde usually writes an accompanying article, which he posts on his website (http://www.groundzeromedia.org/). Clyde’s December 8, 2014 article is, “A MISSILE CALLED CHRIST.” The topic is, as Clyde writes, “The latest resolution by the US Congress calls for renewed political, and military support for Fascist and Neo-Nazi-sympathizing regime in Kiev, Ukraine, which will include:

US aid for Kiev regime to keep using its military against ethnic Russians in east Ukraine.
US funding for more weapons and military support in the Ukraine.
More US funding for foreign language, pro-US, and anti-Russian propaganda throughout Eastern Europe and in countries bordering Russia.

In all but name, this US resolution is preliminary declaration of war, moving Washington right up to the final step, which is a formal declaration of war. Based on its recent record of engaging in foreign conflicts, it is unlikely a final declaration will come, as the US has already set numerous precedents already by waging Wiemar-style undeclared wars, or by simply bypassing its domestic checks-and-balances by waging any war through NATO.

The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved a document which strongly condemns Moscow’s actions against its neighbors, calling them a policy of aggression.

Passed with 411-10 votes, the resolution slams Russia’s “continuing political, economic, and military aggression” against Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova and the “continuing violation of their sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.”

The resolution calls for Russia to stop supporting local militias in eastern Ukraine and for the cancellation of Crimea’s decision to join Russia. In addition, it calls on Moscow to withdraw its troops which the US claims are in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.

The House calls on President Barack Obama to provide Ukraine with defense equipment and training.

This secret war against Russia has slowly grown into a major problem that will face America in the future and may contribute to instabilities that have already been used as a smokescreen here in the homeland.”

If you are wondering what this has to do with chess…is chess not a war game? When it comes to war much has been written alluding to chess, such as the most famous statement of the cold war, given by Jeane Kirkpatrick in a speech given during the 1988 Barrick Lecture Series at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas “Russia is playing chess, while we are playing Monopoly. The only question is whether they will checkmate us before we bankrupt them.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeane_Kirkpatrick#Political_views)
Could it be that the Great Game continues? Consider this from, “Putin in Ukraine: The game is poker, not chess,” by Jim Picht, Communities Digital News:

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2014 —”Russia’s President Putin has been called “delusional” and a “chess master,” accused of playing recklessly or brilliantly in Ukraine. House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Rogers, R-Mich., told “Fox News Sunday” that “Putin is playing chess, and I think we’re playing marbles.”
The truth is that he’s neither delusional, brilliant, nor a great leader. He does, however, know which game he’s playing: The game is poker, not chess.” (http://www.commdiginews.com/politics-2/putin-in-ukraine-the-game-is-poker-not-chess-11536/#m9401FFEJbfBKS74.99)

Later Clyde writes, “Obama seems to be doing what both Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt did during war time. Wilson was frustrated that Congress wouldn’t grant him unbridled power over natural resources, so he too invoked the powers given him under an executive order to assume absolute and unilateral authority much like what President Obama is doing now.

Barack Obama has been briefed and convinced that continued war or in his words “The Right War” will bring to the United States a better and more sound economy. He already has indicated through actions (similar to those of FDR against the Japanese) that he is more than capable of pushing a potential enemy into attacking us. Obama has taken the draconian measures of economic sanctions against Russia and has funneled money to neo-con traitors to make deals with neo-Nazis in order to destabilize the areas that Putin is stepping in to protect

You do not have to be a war planner to understand this game of chess. History has given us an example of FDR’s moves before the attacks on Pearl Harbor.” (http://www.groundzeromedia.org/a-missile-called-christ/)

Actually, the most famous chess quote of the cold war, and arguably the most famous of all-time, comes from President John F. Kennedy, who “…may have played chess. He received a very nice chess set as a birthday gift in 1962 from a very close friend. In a Cold War statement, referring to the USSR, he said, “We play poker, they play chess.” (http://www.chess.com/article/view/us-presidents-and-chess)

The Truth is Out There

This post will be devoted to answering several recently received emails and to share recent developments related to subjects written about in other recent posts. To begin, I wrote in the post of October 14, Georgia Chess News, “I recently noticed an announcement in the local Decatur Dispatch for a chess club at the Tucker library on the second and fourth Tuesday evening in which it is stated, “No children. Please.” I did not have the tabloid in front of me when writing and was working from memory. I will be the first to admit my memory, especially short term, is not what it used to be. It has been pointed out to me that the word “children” was not used in the announcement. This is correct. The announcement reads, “For adults 18 and older only, please.” I stand corrected.
There is an article by John Markoff, Making Robots More Like Us, in the NY Times. “In a shift from robots made for factories, designers are putting the “human” into humanoids so they can interact in public.” I especially like the way robots “interacted” with humans in the Terminator movies. You can find the article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/29/science/making-robots-more-like-us.html?hp&_r=0
This goes hand in hand with, “A Chip In The Head: Brain Implants Will Be Connecting People To The Internet By The Year 2020,” By Michael Snyder, on October 29th, 2013. http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/a-chip-in-the-head-brain-implants-will-be-connecting-people-to-the-internet-by-the-year-2020
The odds are I will not be around then, and neither will the game of chess. I do not see how the game can withstand the melding of man and machine. What will be the point if every player has ready access to a program rated 6666?
One of the received emails was in regard to the post of October 20, Chess Has Been Fukushimaed. Although I regret having “upset and frightened” a reader, I must admit to also being upset and “frightened out of my wits” at the implications and possibilities caused by the disaster. I must, though, take exception to the reader when he writes, “If it were as bad as you say, I would have seen something about it on CNN, or the other national news stations.” Please! The corporate controlled so-called “news” programs are nothing more than infotainment desperately seeking viewers to satisfy sponsors just as any other program on any other station. They are content in titillating viewers with the latest on Broccoli Spears and her Basic instinct moment; Lady Google in all her Gaga glory; and Smiley Virus, the latest in a long line of good girls gone bad. Fortunately for We the People there is the internet. But for how long, I cannot help but wonder…
Because of the email I decided to make a point of asking people what they knew of Fukushima. I questioned people, usually much younger, in restaurants, coffee shops and book stores. Although not what one would consider a scientific poll, and much too small for any kind of random sampling, it was the best I could manage. The answers received were mostly that it was off the radar. Most were under the impression it was “not a problem.” Or that it, “had been cleaned up.” When I told them a little of what I have learned, they refused to believe it, telling me it could not possibly be true or else they would have heard about it from the media. The few who were interested, and had their gizmos handy, checked out several websites I mentioned, read the headlines, and said things like, “This is sooooo spooky!” This was from a young woman near Emory University. None of the Emory students with whom I talked was even vaguely aware there was a problem.
On the Coast to Coast AM radio program on the night of October 27, Helen Caldicott, “talked about the devastating nature of the Fukushima disaster as well as the dangers of nuclear power in general.”This is the worst industrial accident ever to occur, but it’s not over,” she cautioned. Caldicott explained that two of the Fukushima power plants are crumbling and, should another earthquake strike the area, one building could collapse and release massive amounts of radiation into the atmosphere. Meanwhile, at the other building, over 250 tons of highly radioactive uranium sits 100 feet above the ground in a cooling pool, which could come crashing to the ground, causing massive fires and releasing irradiated water into the Pacific Ocean.
Aside from the potential danger, Caldicott said, 400 tons of radioactive water is currently being emitted into the ocean every day as thousands of additional tons have being collected in faulty tanks which are both faulty and susceptible to future earthquakes. She stressed that the unprecedented complexity of the disaster, as well as political and economic interests, have resulted in an inadequate response to both solving the crisis and raising awareness over the dangers still posed by it. She accused the Japanese government of “cutting corners” in an effort to save money in the disaster clean up and also blamed national pride for the lack of requests for international assistance. “This is a global, ongoing public health catastrophe and no one’s attending to it,” she lamented.”-From: http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2013/10/27
How about this headline:
The California coastline is becoming like a dead zone.
“If you haven’t been to a California beach lately, you probably don’t know that the rocks are unnaturally CLEAN – there’s hardly any kelp, barnacles, sea urchins, etc. anymore and the tide pools are similarly eerily devoid of crabs, snails and other scurrying signs of life… and especially as compared to 10 – 15 years ago when one was wise to wear tennis shoes on a trip to the beach in order to avoid cutting one’s feet on all the STUFF of life – broken shells, bones, glass, driftwood, etc. There are also days when I am hard-pressed to find even a half dozen seagulls and/or terns on the county beach. You can still find a few gulls trolling the picnic areas and some of the restaurants (with outdoor seating areas) for food, of course, but, when I think back to 10 – 15 years ago, the skies and ALL the beaches were literally filled with seagulls and the haunting sound of their cries both day and night…
NOW it’s unnaturally quiet. (And especially at night.)” From-http://planet.infowars.com/outdoors/california-coastline-becoming-like-dead-zone-fukushima-to-blame
This is not something that may occur in the future, but is happening NOW! For example, “Yale Professor Charles Perrow is warning that if the cleanup of Fukushima is not handled with 100% precision that humanity could be threatened “for thousands of years“…
“Conditions in the unit 4 pool, 100 feet from the ground, are perilous, and if any two of the rods touch it could cause a nuclear reaction that would be uncontrollable. The radiation emitted from all these rods, if they are not continually cool and kept separate, would require the evacuation of surrounding areas including Tokyo. Because of the radiation at the site the 6,375 rods in the common storage pool could not be continuously cooled; they would fission and all of humanity will be threatened, for thousands of years.” From-http://thetruthwins.com/archives/28-signs-that-the-west-coast-is-being-absolutely-fried-with-nuclear-radiation-from-fukushima
There you will also find a film that has been posted on YouTube, Fukushima And The End Of Humanity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH3AlPmavDk You will also read, “Every single day, 300 tons of radioactive water from Fukushima enters the Pacific Ocean.”
If you go to the website of Helen Caldicott (helencaldicott.com) you will find an article, Endless Fukushima catastrophe: 2020 Olympics under contamination threat. http://www.helencaldicott.com/2013/09/endless-fukushima-catastrophe-2020-olympics-under-contamination-threat/#more-614 There you can read the comments left, including this one: “Rafi Metz on October 24, 2013 at 8:30 pm said:
In a recent video I heard Ms. Caldicott saying that it may be necessary to evacuate the entire Northern Hemisphere. If that happens, who will maintain all of the hundreds of nuclear power plants throughout that hemisphere? The answer is: “No one.” They will all eventually melt down. Fukushima is just the beginning.”
Or is it the end? Humans cannot exist when the oceans die, and the radioactive water from Fukushima is killing life in the ocean. Those in control have absolutely no idea what to do other than continue pumping life killing radiation into the life giving ocean. What happens to the game of chess pales in comparison. At this point I am thinking of the end of one of my favorite songs from youth. It is by Country Joe and the Fish. The name of the song is, “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die-Rag.” It concludes with, “Well there ain’t no time to wonder why, Whoopee! we’re all gonna die.” http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/88285/