We Need a Leader in the White House‚ Not a Biden

Breaking a new act is a crapshoot. To minimize the risk‚ record labels often sign musicians with proven track records. The combination of Soundgarden’s frontman with Rage Against The Machine (sans Zach de la Rocha) would seem like a sure shot. But Audioslave was one of those blue chip “marriages” that nearly blew apart before it got rolling. After de la Rocha’s departure from Rage Against The Machine‚ guitarist Tom Morello‚ bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk decided to press on. It was Morello who asked Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell to come on board. Cornell was initially agreeable but soon bailed‚ saying things weren’t moving in the direction he hoped (whatever that means). Was that the end of that? For a while. But Cornell was persuaded to return. The video for debut single “Cochise” used the equivalent of a medium sized city’s 4th of July fireworks. The good news was the group had pyrotechnics of its own. Following an impressive debut album (cleverly titled “Audioslave”) and an equally successful tour‚ Audioslave released their platinum-certified sophomore album “Out Of Exile” in 2005. Audioslave did something later in ’05 that would have been typical of Rage Against The Machine. They performed in Cuba. The U.S. State Department actively discouraged any contact with that country or its citizens but Audioslave went anyway playing their songs and tossing in Soundgraden tracks (“Spoonman” and “Black Hole Sun”) and Rage songs (including the classic “Bulls On Parade”). Returning to U.S. soil‚ the group began work on their third album “Revelations.” The 2006 release‚ with the single “Original Fire‚” was produced by Brendan O’Brien (who had previously worked with both Soundgarden and Rage Against The Machine). But in February 2007‚ word arrived that singer Chris Cornell had left Audioslave‚ effectively ending the supergroup. The recent decision by other bandmembers to participate in a Rage Against The Machine reunion tour was listed among the reasons. “Due to irresolvable personality conflicts as well as musical differences‚ I am permanently leaving the band‚” said Cornell. “I wish the other three members nothing but the best.” Eventually‚ Cornell returned to Soundgarden and Rage Against The Machine reformed with de la Rocha. The post Audioslave appeared first on RockinTown.

from GoldSilver (w/ Mike Maloney): TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

by Ethan Huff‚ Natural News: The Government Accountability Project (GAP)‚ a whistleblower protection organization‚ has announced a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request aimed at shedding light on Big Tech’s involvement in censoring posts and content about the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine‚ Ohio. The incident‚ which occurred in early February 2023‚ received global attention […]

by Paul Craig Roberts‚ Paul Craig Roberts: I have come to the depressing conclusion that the white ethnicities that constituted the nations of Western Civilization have degenerated into such insouciance and stupidity that they have no possibility of survival.  They sit mindlessly in front of TV absorbing their brainwashing and indoctrination.  They can’t pay their rent‚ mortgage […]

  Contemporary but less famous than the Punic Wars‚ Rome’s Macedonian Wars helped transform the city-state into the first pan-Mediterranean power. In contrast to the drama of the Punic Wars‚ which saw the Romans pushed to the edge‚ the defeat of Macedonia seemed a simpler affair. But the descendants of Alexander the Great fought hard‚ to defend their power and their country‚ and showed a remarkable ability to recover from defeats and take a stand again against the seemingly irresistible rise of Rome.   It took four conflicts between 215 BCE and 148 BCE for the Romans to transform the ancient monarchy into a new province.   The First Macedonian War‚ 215-205BCE  The Triumph of Aemilius Paulus‚ 1789‚ Carle Vernet. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art   The First Macedonian War was a sideshow to the Second Punic War (218-201 BCE) which brought Hannibal to the gates of Rome. This war without major battles often appears as little more than a footnote to the great events underway in Italy but it brought the Romans into the affairs of Greece and the Aegean.   When news of Hannibal’s great victories spread to Macedonia Philip V (221-179 BCE) made an alliance with the Carthaginian in 215 BCE. It has been argued that this aimed‚ not at an invasion of Italy as the Romans claimed‚ but at pushing back the recent Roman presence in Illyria (roughly modern Albania) on Macedonia’s border. While the Romans were more concerned with defending Italy than Illyria they could not risk Macedonia aiding Hannibal in any way and so they aimed at making Philip fight his war on his side of the sea.   The aims of the adversaries dictated the course of the war. With few resources to spare the Romans did not send any large armies across the sea and instead relied on their fleet and local allies to keep Philip busy. The Macedonians struck at the Roman-controlled cities along the Adriatic coast and eventually made headway after a poor start and captured the city of Lissus in 213 BCE. An invasion of Italy though was out of the question as Philip’s fleet was incapable of challenging Roman control of the sea.   Tetradracham of Philip V. Source: the American Numismatic Society   This command of the sea allowed the Romans to find allies to continue the war in the absence of significant Roman resources. The most important of these were the Aitolians‚ a federal league in central Greece that had frequently fought the Macedonians. To the south‚ the Spartans joined the war on the Roman side due to their long-standing rivalry with Philip’s ally‚ the Achaian federal state. Across the Aegean‚ the kingdom of Pergamon‚ fearful of a powerful Macedonia‚ sided with Rome. These alliances brought Rome even further into Greek politics.   This was not enough‚ though‚ to stop the war from developing into a stalemate. The Roman fleet and its allies kept Philip busy fighting in central and southern Greece but could not threaten Macedonian power nor Macedonia itself. If Philip ever had ambitions of crossing the sea‚ his inability to capture the whole Illyrian coast and the need to fight on several fronts stymied them. Gradually the war petered out. Pergamon withdrew to defend its heartland in Asia Minor. The Aitolians made a separate peace in 206 BCE and Philip and the Romans agreed to the peace of Phoenice the following year.   Under the terms of the peace‚ Philip kept some of the newly captured territory in Illyria. This and his defense of key Macedonian-controlled land and allies probably made the outcome satisfactory. The Romans too had achieved their aims. With minimal resources‚ they had kept a Carthaginian ally out of the war in Italy long enough for it to be won. However‚ this drawn conflict solved nothing in the long term.   The Second Macedonian War‚ 200-196BCE  Roman Republican solider‚ 2nd century BCE: Source: Louvre   War resumed barely five years after the end of the first conflict. Freed from the Second Punic War the Romans were no longer distracted and for the first time could seriously confront Philip.   Following the first war‚ Philip sought to gain new territories east of Macedonia‚ bringing him into conflict with Pergamon and the Rhodians. These two‚ along with Athens‚ which had its own dispute‚ called on the emerging power in the region‚ Rome. The aristocratic Senate managed to overcome a certain amount of war weariness amongst the Romans and by 200 BCE the Roman fleet was again on the offensive as Rome‚ Pergamon‚ the Aitolians‚ Rhodians‚ and Athenians went to war with Philip.   The Macedonian phalanx‚ via Livius.org   The war started slowly for this Roman alliance. A number of brutal Roman attacks on cities allied with Philip earned them a reputation for barbarism‚ while attempts to invade Macedonia made little progress. The war turned in Rome’s favor with the arrival of a new commander in 198 BCE‚ Titus Quinctius Flamininus. Young‚ ambitious‚ and a fluent Greek speaker Flamininus was a wise choice on both the military and political levels of the war.   Quickly the war started to go against Philip. The Achaians‚ a key Macedonian ally‚ defected to Rome‚ threatening Macedonia’s long presence in Greece. Thessaly‚ just south of Macedonia‚ was invaded. Philip tried to block the Roman advance at the gorges of the river Aous‚ but Flamininus got around his position and inflicted a significant defeat. Though Philip had lost allies and soldiers in the recent battle‚ his main army of more than 25‚000 men remained intact. When a round of peace talks collapsed‚ this army was now Philip’s best chance to settle the war.   At Cynoscephalae in Thessaly‚ two of the ancient world’s most famous military units‚ the Macedonian Phalanx and the Roman Legion‚ confronted each other. This clash would be the first major battle after two decades of intermittent conflict. Flamininus invaded Thessaly in early summer 197 BCE and both armies moved around the plains searching for supplies and each other until they collided at the battle at Cynoscephalae.   Map of the 2nd Macedonian War. Source: Wikimedia Commons   The collision of the two armies was a surprise‚ one that benefited the Romans. Flamininus and Philip now drew up their roughly similar-sized armies. Philip likely had around 25‚000 soldiers to the 30‚000 under Flamininus. Coming down from the top of the Cynoscephalae hills‚ Philip initially pushed the Romans back‚ but the other half of his army was attacked and quickly overwhelmed. At this critical moment‚ the difference between the Roman and Macedonian armies told. In the absence of the king‚ one half of the Macedonia army was defeated while the other half could only continue to advance. Out of the Roman army‚ one unnamed officer was able to seize the initiative and broke away with a small group of soldiers from the advancing Roman right to attack the undefended flank and rear of the phalanx. Unable to turn and face this new threat Philip’s army broke. 8‚000 were killed and 5‚000 captured for the loss of around 700 Romans (Polybius.18.27). The flexibility of the Roman legion had triumphed.   In the aftermath‚ Philip was forced into a new peace with Rome. He was able to keep his throne‚ and there was no Roman occupation of Macedonian‚ but the king’s power beyond his borders was broken. Flamininus declared the Greek cities free of their long submission to Macedonia.   The Third Macedonian War‚ 171-168BCE  Stater of Flamininus‚ 196BCE. Source: The British Museum   After Cynoscephalae‚ Macedonia was reduced to its own borders‚ but within those borders‚ Philip V continued to reign‚ and over the next two decades‚ he and his son Perseus (179-168BCE) rebuilt their army and their kingdom.   The image we get from our Roman or largely pro-Roman sources is one of continual Roman distrust of the Macedonian monarchy. Philip and Perseus did not follow an aggressive foreign policy‚ and they often bowed to Roman demands‚ but the careful rebuilding of their army led to suspicion. By the late 170s‚ the Roman senate was willing to listen to complaints against Perseus from Greek allies‚ and by 171 BCE‚ Roman legions were again on their way to Macedonia.   The war did not start badly for Perseus. 171B CE brought a minor Macedonian victory at the battle of Callinicus. The following year Perseus raided the Roman naval base at Oreus on Euboia and thwarted invasions of Macedonia. The Romans improved their position in 169 BCE and managed to get over the passes of Mt Olympus and into Macedonia itself before progress stalled. It took the arrival of a new veteran commander‚ Lucius Ameilius Paullus‚ to change the situation.   As 168 BCE opened‚ Paullus and Perseus faced each other in southern Macedonia with roughly equal forces of around 39-40‚000. Perseus took up a strong defensive position with a river between himself and the Romans. Perseus feared the Romans getting around his defenses by the sea. In the end‚ they did so by land. When a Roman force suddenly descended from the mountains behind Perseus‚ he was forced to retreat towards the town of Pydna.   Plan of the battle of Pydna‚ 18th century. Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France   By late June‚ the two armies met somewhere near Pydna‚ but the confrontation that would be remembered as the battle of Pyda that developed on 22nd June started accidentally. A skirmish developed in the afternoon as scouts from both sides clashed over a breakaway horse. This skirmish gradually drew in more and more troops until a general battle unfolded. Once the legion and phalanx clashed‚ the battle was quickly over. The flexibility of the legion again gave it the advantage as Roman soldiers advanced into the gaps in the Macedonian phalanx. With its unity broken‚ the phalanx quickly disintegrated‚ and the Romans massacred the defenseless army killing perhaps as many as 20‚000 (Livy‚44.42).   Perseus was soon cornered on the island of Samothrace and surrendered to Paullus. This time the Romans did not leave Macedonia intact. Perseus was shipped off to adorn Paullus’ triumph‚ and the now kingless Macedonia was broken up into four separate states. This seemed to be the end of Macedonia.   The Fourth Macedonian War‚ 150-148BCE   Silver coin of Perseus. Source: British Museum   Almost two decades after the disaster at Pydna‚ a brief Macedonian revival came from an unexpected source. In the late 150s BCE‚ a man named Andriscus‚ believed to be from Aeolis in Asia Minor‚ emerged‚ claiming to be an illegitimate son of Perseus. A circuitous route took him from the Seleucid court in Syria‚ via arrest in Italy‚ to Thrace on the borders of Macedonia‚ where he was proclaimed Philip VI.   The Romans underestimated Andriscus and were again distracted by the war against Carthage. The separate states Macedonia was divided into were unable‚ or unwilling‚ to defeat this new king and by 149 BCE Andriscus was ruling a reunited Macedonia. The first Roman force of just one legion was defeated and its commander was killed. The following year a larger force of two legions arrived under Quintus Caecilius Metallus. This army quickly forced its way into Macedonia and crushed Andriscus’ army at a second battle of Pydna. Though he fled back toward the Thracians who had previously supported him‚ Andriscus was beaten again and handed over to the Romans. This was the last mention of him in the historical record.   With this rebellion crushed‚ the Romans did not risk leaving the Macedonians to rule themselves again‚ and Macedonia finally became a Roman province. The crushing of Rome’s former ally‚ the Achaians‚ immediately after meant that by the end of the Macedonian wars‚ the conquest of the Macedonians and Greeks was complete.   The Rise of Rome and the Fall of Macedonia  The monument of Aemilius Paullus‚ Delphi. Source: The Pausanias Project   The fall of Macedonia was not preceded by a decline. Since the mid-fourth century‚ Macedonia had been a wealthy and well-organized kingdom with a powerful army. This was enough to dominate Greece and launch the conquest of the Persian Empire. Philip V and Perseus had their faults but they were competent kings and leaders. The wars with Rome were close contests‚ and it is possible that both decisive battles‚ Cynoscephalae and Pydna‚ could have gone differently.   They did not for several reasons. First‚ by the late third century‚ Rome’s control of Italy was more complete and effective than Macedonia’s rule of Greece. Hannibal was in Italy for several years and won over some states but never broke Roman control. In contrast‚ various Greek states sided with the Romans and invited them across the sea. Second‚ and more decisive‚ was the difference in the two military systems. The Macedonian phalanx of pikeman was still a powerful weapon‚ but it had severe weaknesses. The phalanx needed to stay united‚ fight on level ground‚ and could only face an enemy to its front. Therefore it lacked flexibility. This was not a problem until the Macedonians met a people who fought differently. The Roman army was just as well organized and disciplined but more flexible (Polybius‚18.32). Its individual soldiers were more autonomous and its officers could take initiative. During the key moments at Cynoscephalae and Pydna this made the difference and wrested rule of the eastern Mediterranean from the Macedonians.

A proposed bill in the California State Senate would require certain vehicles to install speed-limiting devices. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D) introduced legislation to mandate vehicles starting from model year 2027 to include ‘intelligent speed limiters.’ California Bill Would Require New Cars Come Equipped with Speed-Limiting Device https://t.co/zl7LKBD29a — Gardner Goldsmith (@gardgoldsmith) January 25‚ 2024 If the proposed bill becomes law‚ the technology would prevent California drivers from going over 10 mph above the speed limit. Wiener used the excuse of traffic injuries and deaths in California to justify the legislation. “The alarming surge in road deaths is unbearable and demands an urgent response‚” Wiener said in a statement. “There is no reason for anyone to be going over 100 miles per hour on a public road‚ yet in 2020‚ California Highway Patrol issued over 3‚000 tickets for just that offense. Preventing reckless speeding is a commonsense approach to prevent these utterly needless and heartbreaking crashes‚” he continued. California would become the first state to require new vehicles be equipped with speed governors — technology that limits how fast they can be driven — under legislation by San Francisco state Sen. Scott Wiener. https://t.co/oZVKvrRXqm — San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) January 24‚ 2024 The Hill reports: Intelligent speed limiters — which the state senator referred to as “speed governors” — prevent vehicles from surpassing a certain speed‚ by harnessing GPS and on-board camera data to determine limits on a specific roadway. The National Transportation Safety Board‚ Wiener’s office stressed‚ has repeatedly recommended the installation of such technologies in all new passenger vehicles. These devices will also be required in all cars sold in the European Union beginning this July. “Preventing reckless speeding is a commonsense approach to prevent these utterly needless and heartbreaking crashes‚” Wiener said. In addition to its focus on intelligent speed limiters‚ S.B. 961 would also require the installation of side guards on trucks and trailers. Such guards‚ according to Wiener’s office‚ could help “reduce the risk of cars and bikes being pulled underneath the truck during a crash.” This equipment — which would be installed on every truck or trailer that weighs more than 10‚000 pounds — would need to be able to provide crash protection for a midsize car at any angle and any speed up to 40 mph‚ per the bill. Sen. Wiener introduces a California bill to physically stop cars from going 10 mph over the speed limit https://t.co/ijkWgMXaVt — Ben Owen (@hrkbenowen) January 25‚ 2024 Unsurprisingly‚ there has been opposition to the proposed legislation. The Los Angeles Times explains: The legislation is likely to be met with some opposition from certain trucking groups that have similarly opposed federal legislation regarding speed governors. Todd Spencer‚ president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assn.‚ opposes the legislation‚ which he believes is not the correct way to make roads safer. Spencer advocates for increased police presence to monitor speeders‚ but said that changes in speed are sometimes necessary to drive safely. “There are times drivers may want to speed up enough to switch lanes‚ to move away from certain unsafe situations. Our preference is for drivers to have the maximum ability to do that. We don’t think technology or even most well-intentioned regulations should obstruct that‚” Spencer said. But Wiener says surging traffic deaths in California — 4‚407 people died in crashes in 2022‚ a 22% increase from 2019 — make the legislation a safety imperative.

WASHINGTON — A military panel at Guantanamo Bay‚ Cuba‚ recommended 23 years in detention Friday for two Malaysian men in connection with deadly 2002 bombings in Bali‚ a spokesperson for the military commission said. However‚ under a previously secret provision of the plea agreement disclosed after the panel's recommendation Friday‚ and a separate sentence reduction Friday by the presiding judge‚ both men may face a far shorter sentence: about five years. Mohammed Farik Bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir Bin Lep already have spent about 17 years awaiting trial at Guantanamo. The winding down of the case against them marks comparatively rare convictions in the two decades of proceedings by the U.S. military commission at Guantanamo. The extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah killed 202 Indonesians‚ foreign tourists and others in two nearly simultaneous bombings at nightspots on the resort island of Bali in October 2002. The two defendants denied any role or advance knowledge of the attacks but under the plea bargains admitted they had over the years conspired with the network of militants responsible. The sentence recommendation still requires approval by the senior military authority over Guantanamo. The two are among a total of 780 detainees brought to military detention at Guantanamo under the George W. Bush administration's "war on terror" following the Sept. 11‚ 2001‚ attacks on the U.S. There have been only a handful of convictions over the years — eight‚ according to one advocacy group‚ Reprieve. Defendants in some of the biggest attacks‚ including 9/11‚ remain in pretrial hearings. Prosecutors are seeking negotiated agreements to close that case and some others. Overall‚ the prosecutions at Guantanamo have been plagued by logistical difficulties‚ frequent turnover of judges and others‚ and legal questions surrounding the torture of detainees during CIA custody in the first years of their detention. The military's head of defense for the Guantanamo prosecutions on Friday blamed the Bush administration's early handling of the detainees — which included holding at secret "black sites" and torture in CIA custody — for the more than 20-year delay in the trial. The slow pace "was extremely distressing and frustrated the desire of everyone for accountability and justice‚" Brig. Gen. Jackie Thompson said in a statement. Thirty detainees remain at Guantanamo. Sixteen of them have been cleared and are eligible for transfer if a stable country agrees to take them. "The time for repatriating or transferring the cleared men is now‚" Thompson said. He said the same for three others held at Guantanamo but never charged. As part of their plea bargains‚ the two Malaysian men have agreed to provide testimony against a third Guantanamo detainee‚ an Indonesian man known as Hambali‚ in the Bali bombings. Under military court rules‚ Bin Amin and Bin Lep normally would receive no credit for the roughly two decades they have already spent in detention. The pretrial agreement disclosed Friday would spare them from serving the much longer recommended sentence on top of their years awaiting trial‚ the defense lawyers for the two men said. Relatives of some of those killed in the Bali bombings testified Wednesday in a hearing in advance of sentencing‚ with the two accused in the courtroom and listening attentively. A panel of five military officers delivered the recommendation after listening to the sentencing testimony. The U.S. and Malaysia may agree to transferring the two to their home country‚ said Brian Bouffard‚ the attorney for Bin Lep.