From Ukraine to Israel to…PIRATES?!?

If you’re relatively new to the issues related to Kremlin propaganda and how it’s affecting other countries (including the United States), I recommend reading some background posts I wrote that explains things in more detail along with links to other sites where you can read more to educate yourself.

I had intended to stay off of Substack for the Martin Luther King Day holiday weekend but the news have been hitting hard and fast. If dealing with Ukraine, Israel, Palestine, Venezuela, Guyana, Russia, and Iran weren't enough, now we are dealing with pirates. Yes, pirates.

In the past I've immersed myself in pop culture versions of the pirates. I've unsuccessfully attempted to observe Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19) a few times. (Let's just say that my attempts at pirate talk leaves a lot to be desired.) I've gone on The Pirates of the Caribbean ride at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. I've looked at the pirate-themed souvenirs aimed at tourists in places like Bermuda and Charleston, South Carolina. I've seen my share of pirate movies like Captain Blood and The Pirates of the Caribbean. They all paint a portrait of pirates as fun-loving mischievous rogue scoundrels (such as Captain Jack Sparrow) that are handsome and likeable underneath their rough-looking images.

The reality is that pirates are generally criminals on the high seas who have stolen, raped, and murdered. One such example are the Houthis, who operate around Yemen, including off the coast of that country. For the last few years they have been working tirelessly to bring slavery back to Yemen. In recent weeks they have gone after commercial ships in the Red Sea while claiming that they were simply supporting Hamas, the group in Gaza who committed those awful terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7. Here's this tweet that lays out the case that the Houthis aren't exactly a group of virtuous freedom fighters trying to be the saviours of Yemen.

Apparently some people have had enough of the Houthis’ antics. Yesterday the US and UK have launched airstrikes against the Houthis, who have vowed revenge for this. And it's all related to what's going on in Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Venezuela,  and Guyana. Iran has been accused of backing the Houthis just like it backs Hamas. Since Iran is aligned with Russia, it's natural that there have already been denouncements of this attack on the Houthis by the usual suspects, such as Donald Trump, who has spoken out against this attack. The Kremlin definitely approves of this, especially if it sows chaos in both Europe and the Middle East.

And then there's the Gen Z Lord Haw-Haw Jackson Hinkle. Since October 7 he has pivoted from posting anti-Ukraine/pro-Russian propaganda to anti-Israel/pro-Hamas propaganda. Here's a recent example of the latter.

It’s kind of ironic that he's writing about true political power coming from the barrel of a gun while he's safely ensconced in his home in Miami, Florida. If he's really serious about using a gun to bring about true political power to the war-torn masses, he should go to either Gaza or the Donbas region of Ukraine and offer his services as a soldier fighting on behalf of the side that is backed by Russia.

Now it looks like he's starting to pivot towards the Houthis of Yemen and, yes, he supports them.

It's very likely that he has his orders from the Kremlin to start tweeting about the Houthis while making them out to be the victims of this aggression by the US and UK. (Never mind the fact that the Houthis were engaged in piracy.)

At the same time, his former Miss Russia fiancee, Anna Linnikova, has been posting messages (which have been screenshot and posted on social media) where she has alleged that her ex had physically abused her, had not paid his taxes in years, and he is less developed—shall we say?—physically in some ways.

But it's not only the right who has denounced this latest skirmish. Some progressive Democrats have denounced this as well.

This anti-attack on the Houthis from both the pro-Russia far right and the progressive far left is basically the Horseshoe Theory in action. Despite the far-right and far-left coalition that has sprung up, many of the top leaders in Congress among the Republicans and Democrats have sided with President Biden's decision to strike against the Houthis.

With all of the scheduled pro-Palestinian protests that are scheduled to be held throughout Martin Luther King weekend, you can be sure that the protesters will mention that incident as they march and wave signs. Apparently this kind of virtue signaling for the Houthis is not exactly endearing to many in Yemen who have to deal with that group on a regular basis. Here's a tweet written by someone who has relatives in Yemen and he is outraged that people like Jackson Hinkle has sided with the Houthis.

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