Sep 212022
 
 September 21, 2022  Posted by at 8:00 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,


Max Ernst Untitled 1913

 

Russian Lawmaker Reveals Mobilization Plans (RT)
Checkmate (Schryver)
Four Occupied Ukraine Regions Plan Imminent ‘Votes’ On Joining Russia (G.)
Russia Will Support Donbass Referendums – Duma Speaker (RT)
Kiev Vows To Use Force Against Breakaway Regions (RT)
Peaceful Solution To Ukraine Crisis Currently Not Possible – Russia (RT)
The West Is Waging A War To Destroy Russia (Kornilov)
US General Claims Huge Ukrainian Successes In Air (RT)
Ukraine Unlikely To Get US F-16s Soon – Politico (RT)
Germany’s Die Linke On Verge Of Split Over Sanctions On Russia (G.)
Europe’s Economy And Living Standards Are Plummeting (OR)
Has Biden Passed The Point Of No Return In Provoking China? (Fomenko)
The Worst Socioeconomic & Geopolitical Crisis in History – Celente (USAW)
Americans Drowning In Long-Term Credit Card Debt (ZH)
America’s Open Wound (Edward Snowden)

 

 

With a 12-hour delay, Vladimir Putin has declared a partial mobilization in Russia (300,000 reservists?!), citing the need to protect a 1,000 km frontline with Ukraine. Details will be forthcoming. Lots of rumors swirling around, the most interesting of which is perhaps that Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina allegedly submitted her resignation. A condition for her staying on was no mobilization. How she feels about this partial one we will find out.

One thing that is obvious is that it is no longer Russia vs Ukraine. That 1,000 km frontline requires a lot of non-Ukrainian forces and weapons. Obviously, the upcoming elections in four Ukraine regions, perhaps as soon as this weekend, carry the potential of Russia needing to protect these regions vs attacks. They have largely Russian populations, and Putin is sworn to protect these people.

 

 

 

 

Excess death
https://twitter.com/i/status/1572032165478801408

 

 

 

 

Szamuely

 

 

 

 

This is from yesterday, well before Putin’s speech at 8 am Moscow time:

Russian Lawmaker Reveals Mobilization Plans (RT)

Amending the criminal code with provisions for mobilization, martial law and wartime doesn’t necessarily mean Moscow is about to declare a draft – or war, Russian lawmaker Andrey Kartapolov clarified on Tuesday. Kartapolov, who chairs the Defense Committee of the State Duma, was the co-author of the amendments the lower house of the Russian parliament approved on Tuesday. Among other things, they establish criminal penalties for crimes committed during “wartime,” “martial law,” or a “mobilization period.” Fears that this means a mobilization are “absolutely unjustified,” Kartapolov told the Parliamentary Gazette.

“There will be no general mobilization. The president has spoken about this more than once and is directly speaking through his press secretary Dmitry Peskov and many other politicians at the federal level.” Having a law is not the same thing as mobilization, Kartapolov argued, adding that the amendments were “not specifically linked to the special military operation” in Ukraine, but were designed to function “for a long time, at least until they are no longer needed.” The adopted amendments include harsher punishments for looting or going AWOL during wartime, or committing any crime during a period of military mobilization. They also criminalize the sabotage of defense contracts.

Kartapolov also confirmed that the militias of the Donbass republics would be integrated into the Russian military, in case Donetsk and Lugansk vote to join Russia later this week. This would “significantly change the situation in a number of ways,” he said. Donetsk and Lugansk declared independence in 2014, after a US-backed coup in Kiev. Moscow recognized them in February, shortly before launching the military operation in Ukraine. Territories of Zaporozhye and Kherson under the control of the Russian and Donbass troops also announced on Tuesday that they would vote to join Russia later this week.

Read more …

Will Schryver thinks it’s all a done deal.

Checkmate (Schryver)

It is a foregone conclusion that Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporozhye, and Kherson regions of the former Novorossiya will be re-assimilated into the Russian motherland. Odessa will follow at some point in the not-so-distant future. And the empire’s refusal to acknowledge the legitimacy of these developments will prove utterly irrelevant. Western media and puppet politicians can scream “Russian aggression” and “sham election” all they want, but the unadorned fact is that these regions are overwhelmingly ethnic Russians whose collective desire is to be reunited with what they view as a powerful and ascendant Russia.

In conjunction with this shrewd political act, Vladimir Putin will almost certainly announce later today a major escalation of Russian military action in Ukraine – very likely at least a partial mobilization of Russia’s as yet untapped military might. This will result in a rapid acceleration in the ongoing process of annihilation of the Ukrainian military, its mountains of NATO weaponry, and its numerous “foreign volunteers”. This, of course, presents the empire with an existential dilemma. The defeat of NATO’s proxy army, weapons, and leadership in Ukraine at the hands of the Russians will be viewed all around the world as an unprecedented defeat of American hegemony; a watershed moment that will carry with it profound geopolitical consequences.

As I have argued for months now, it will mean the end of NATO as a credible military alliance. It will mean the end of the European Union as presently constituted. In other words, a decisive defeat of the empire’s aspirations in Ukraine will be viewed in Washington, London, and Brussels as an existential threat – which it is. And, as such, it is difficult for me to envision them submissively acquiescing to the outcome.

Read more …

Where better to turn for background info than the tried and tested Guardian?

Four Occupied Ukraine Regions Plan Imminent ‘Votes’ On Joining Russia (G.)

Four Russian-occupied regions in Ukraine have said they are planning to hold “referendums” on joining the Russian Federation in a series of coordinated announcements that could indicate the Kremlin has made a decision to formally annex the territories. Moscow may be betting that a formal annexation would help halt Russian territorial losses, after a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive that has reclaimed large portions of territory in the Kharkiv region. The occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions have said they are ready to hold “polls”, which will be universally viewed as rigged, as soon as this week, with announcements also made in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Some Russian media have reported that Vladimir Putin may deliver a speech on Tuesday evening on a potential annexation.

As Ukrainian troops begin making advances in the Luhansk region, Russia may be worried that it can’t win on the battlefield and threaten a potential escalation, including a formal declaration of war or even a nuclear attack, by claiming to defend its own territory. “Everything that’s happening today is an absolutely unequivocal ultimatum to Ukraine and the West,” wrote Tatiana Stanovaya, an expert on Kremlin politics and founder of R.Politik. “Either Ukraine retreats or there will be nuclear war.” “To guarantee ‘victory’, Putin is ready to hold referendums immediately in order to obtain the right (in his understanding) to use nuclear weapons to defend Russian territory.” Also on Tuesday, the Russian state Duma passed new amendments to the legal code that directly refer to “mobilisation” and “martial law” and introduce criminal liability for desertion or wilful surrender during that period.

The Kremlin has so far resisted a full mobilisation, likely due to fear of a political backlash. Now, however, it seems that the Kremlin may be willing to go further than before, including using nuclear blackmail in order to freeze the war and solidify its territorial gains in Ukraine. The decision has not been publicly adopted by the Kremlin or Vladimir Putin. However, senior Russian officials, including the former president Dmitry Medvedev, have supported calls for the referendums. In a post on his Telegram page, Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s security council, said that the referendums would “completely change the vector of Russia’s development for decades”. They would also prevent a future Russian leader from reversing Russian support for the Ukrainian regions, he wrote. “That is why these referendums are so feared in Kyiv and in the west,” he wrote. “That is why they need to be carried out.”

Read more …

Remember that Russia declined to recognize the 2014 votes in Luhansk and Donetsk until February 2022.

Russia Will Support Donbass Referendums – Duma Speaker (RT)

Should the Donbass republics vote to join the Russian Federation after holding public referendums, Moscow will respect that decision, Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the lower house of parliament, said on Tuesday. During a plenary session of the State Duma, Volodin stated: “if in the course of a direct declaration of will they say they want to be part of Russia, we will support them.” He added that the people of Donbass “must understand today that we expect them to freely express their will.” Volodin’s comments came as the leaders of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics announced that they will be holding referendums on joining Russia, with the votes set to take place between 23 and 27 September.


The Russian-controlled Kherson and Zaporozhye regions of Ukraine have also confirmed they will be holding similar referendums on the same dates. The Deputy leader of the Kherson military-civilian administration, Kirill Stremousov, stated that residents want to join the Russian Federation as soon as possible because they fear being left behind, and want “guarantees” that Moscow will protect them from Kiev’s forces.

Read more …

Perhaps the main reason for the partial mobilization.

Kiev Vows To Use Force Against Breakaway Regions (RT)

Senior officials in Kiev have dismissed as irrelevant plans for a number of current and former Ukrainian regions to hold referendums on whether to join Russia. Andrey Yermak, President Vladimir Zelensky’s chief of staff, described the proposed votes as “blackmail” by Moscow. “This is what fear of defeat looks like. The enemy is afraid and uses primitive manipulations,” he said in a post on social media on Tuesday. Yermak added that “Ukraine will solve the Russian question,” insisting this could be done “only by force.” Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba also downplayed news of the upcoming referendums, dismissing the move as a “sham.”


“Ukraine has every right to liberate its territories and will keep liberating them whatever Russia has to say,” he tweeted. The condemnations and threats came in response to bids by the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as Ukraine’s Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, to hold referendums on the question of joining the Russian Federation. The votes could take place as early as this week. Kiev previously threatened any person who takes part in such a plebiscite with criminal prosecution. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said participants could be sent to prison for up to 12 years.

Read more …

Crystal clear.

Peaceful Solution To Ukraine Crisis Currently Not Possible – Russia (RT)

The armed conflict in Ukraine cannot be resolved through negotiations under current circumstances, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, as cited by Interfax. Asked if there was a path towards a diplomatic settlement, Peskov said that “at the moment, such a prospect cannot be observed,” the news agency reported. Moscow blamed Kiev for the suspension of peace talks. In late March, the two parties discussed a draft peace agreement, which would make Ukraine a neutral state in exchange for security guarantees given by major world powers. However the Ukrainian government ended talks in April, after accusing Russian troops of having committed war crimes, an allegation that Moscow said was based on falsified evidence.


Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has since declared that his country will only be satisfied by defeating Russia on the battlefield and pushing its forces from the entire territory claimed by Kiev. That includes Crimea, the former Ukrainian region that rejoined Russia after an armed coup in Kiev in 2014. Moscow considers Crimea to be under its sovereignty and its status not subject to discussions. Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on Kiev’s position last week stating: “Zelensky said publicly … that he is not ready to talk to Russia. Well, if he is not, fine by us.” Earlier this month, Ukraine launched a major military counter-offensive in the north east, forcing Russian troops to pull back from some areas. Another of Kiev’s attempts to make gains in the south was far less successful and reportedly resulted in serious casualties and loss of military equipment.

Read more …

A friend pointed out that RT’s articles pop up at other places, a sort of workaround of the ban. For most articles that is not necessary, since they’re short and I can just copy them. For longer ones, I’ll try to use for instance this site, azerbaycan24.com.

The West Is Waging A War To Destroy Russia (Kornilov)

And here comes Bucha 2.0: Another provocation where Ukraine has allegedly discovered “mass graves of victims” shortly after Russian troops have withdrawn. This time in Izium. What it amounts to is clear evidence that along with the development of the military conflict in Ukraine, the informational “special” operation against Russia is intensifying. It’s not even about Kiev’s reaction – officials there concoct primitive fakes against our state and the army non-stop, around the clock. The indicator here is the way in which this provocation was immediately picked up by Western politicians, who are already urgently calling for an “international tribunal” to punish Russia. Meanwhile, the West’s media, in a united push, is putting unfounded statements about “mass executions and torture in Izium” on its front pages.

[..] Now the masks are being thrown off and the cadre of Russophobes can openly articulate their long-held dreams. The Daily Telegraph recently featured the former NATO commander in Europe, General Ben Hodges, in a high-profile article about preparing for Russia’s disintegration. Hodges, who is employed by CEPA – a lobby group bankrolled by US arms contractors and NATO – is arguably one of the most active ‘talking heads’ about the Ukrainian crisis on Western television right now. The general hopes the collapse of our state will be fueled by our ethnic diversity and he hopes that Western economic sanctions will create a situation in which it will be impossible to feed 144 million people. The American has clearly not thought how these arguments could also be applied to his home country, which has been torn apart by racial divisions in recent years.

Below Hodges, the idea has been cheerfully picked up by less well-known figures operating on the ideological field of Russophobia. The Polish magazine New Eastern Europe published an article about deconstructing Russia and reconstructing the “post-Russian space,” calling it a risky but inevitable scenario. The authors called on the West to lead the process of our state’s disintegration right away. This is echoed by the Canadian-British professor Taras Kuzio on the pages of the Atlantic Council, a NATO-aligned pressure group and the main mouthpiece of Western Russophobes. He, too, cheerfully declares that the process of “the collapse of Putin’s Russian empire” has begun.

Hodges’ theses are repeated almost word for word by Estonia’s top Kremlinologist Vladimir Yushkin on the pages of the website of the International Centre for Defence and Security. However, he adds nonsense about the allegedly developing “colonization of Siberia by the Chinese” –which tells us he doesn’t know how to use statistics.

Read more …

Anti-aircraft defenses on the ground. But a one-sided claim.

US General Claims Huge Ukrainian Successes In Air (RT)

Ukrainian forces have prevented Russia from gaining air superiority over the frontline in their country, while causing serious damage to Russian air power, a four-star US general reportedly claimed. Soviet-built anti-aircraft defenses fielded by Ukraine have managed to shoot down at least 55 Russian aircraft, Gen. James Hecker told the annual Air Force Association conference on Monday, as reported by Politico. The general, who commands the US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA), spoke during a panel discussion about the conflict in Ukraine. Hecker said Ukraine’s use of anti-aircraft weapons has denied Russian ground forces the air support they needed. He said the situation has surprised Western military analysts. Ukraine is seeking to beef up its air defenses, and the general suggested that eastern European nations, who have old stockpiles of Soviet weapons, should transfer them to Kiev.


The top US official also claimed that Ukraine’s air force has mostly remained intact since the start of the conflict, retaining about 80% of its fleet, contrary to reports from Russia. The Russian military claims to have inflicted heavy losses on the Ukrainian air force throughout the conflict. As of Monday, it said it had destroyed 294 Ukrainian warplanes and 155 Ukrainian military helicopters. Part of the panel discussion focused on US efforts to arm Ukrainian warplanes with AGM-88 High Speed Radiation Missiles (HARM) anti-radiation missiles, which were recently included in US arms shipments to Kiev. Hecker said fitting the US-made weapons to Soviet-made aircraft “was quite an effort” for US military contractors and acknowledged that shooting them from F-16s was a better option, according to Breaking Defense outlet.

Read more …

“.. it could take two to three years before Kiev could actually get them..”

Ukraine Unlikely To Get US F-16s Soon – Politico (RT)

If the US decides to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, it could take two to three years before Kiev could actually get them. That’s according to a Politico report, citing US Air Force General James Hecker. Hecker, who heads US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) is said to have made the prediction during a speech on Monday at an annual Air Force Association conference. According to Politico, Hecker put the delay down to logistical and training issues, but said he believed that Ukraine could get the US-made warplanes sometime in the future, because “folks are starting to think more long term.” The outlet reported last week that the US government was considering sending F-16s and Patriot long-range anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, expecting that the conflict with Russia would last for years.


Washington has stepped up its arms shipments throughout the conflict, eventually agreeing to provide multi-launch rocket systems, such as HIMARS, as well as long-range artillery platforms. The US has been sending increasingly heavier weapons to Kiev, stating that it would provide military aid for as long as it takes to push Russian forces from every part of the territory that Ukraine claims under its sovereignty. However, the Pentagon has so far refrained from sending some of its more sophisticated weapons, such as heavy armor or fighter jets, instead agreeing to facilitate transfers of Soviet-era equipment from third countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic.

Read more …

“..how dumb is the idea that we can punish Putin by pushing millions of German families into poverty and destroy our economy..”

Germany’s Die Linke On Verge Of Split Over Sanctions On Russia (G.)

Germany’s Die Linke could split into two parties over the Ukraine war, as the ailing leftwing party’s indecisive stance over economic sanctions against Russia triggered a series of high-profile resignations this week. The German Left party’s future has hung in a precarious balance since it snuck into the national parliament last autumn under a special provision for parties that win three or more constituency seats. Should three of its 39 delegates resign from the party, Die Linke would lose its status as a parliamentary group and attached privileges over speaking times and committee memberships. Party insiders say such resignations are a matter of when, not if, after a week of vicious public in-fighting over a speech in which the former co-leader Sahra Wagenknecht accused the German government of “launching an unprecedented economic war against our most important energy supplier”.

Supporters of Wagenknecht, a controversial but prominent figurehead, are already hatching plans for a breakaway party to compete in the 2024 European elections, the German newspaper Taz reported this week. Such a split would be likely to spell the end of Die Linke, 15 years after it was founded in a merger between the successor to East Germany’s Socialist Unity party and former Social Democrats disillusioned by their party’s direction under Gerhard Schröder, and just under a decade after it formed the largest opposition force in the Bundestag’s 2013-17 term.

In her speech last Thursday, Wagenknecht had called chancellor Olaf Scholz’s left-leaning governing coalition “the stupidest government in Europe” because it imposed sanctions on Russia, which supplied over half of Germany’s gas needs before the start of the war in the spring. “Yes, of course the war in Ukraine is a crime”, Wagenknecht said. “But how dumb is the idea that we can punish Putin by pushing millions of German families into poverty and destroy our economy while Gazprom makes record profits?” The speech was greeted with applause not only by the Linke leadership but also by delegates of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).

Read more …

“European products are becoming uncompetitive on the world market: their price is much higher because of the cost of electricity and gas.”

Europe’s Economy And Living Standards Are Plummeting (OR)

The ill-considered sanctions against Russia have exposed the most acute problems of Europe which is rapidly losing its economic power. A tremendous amount of businesses are on the verge of bankruptcy. A flood of migrants from Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine requires more and more budget spending. Funds are also being used to support the Kiev regime. As a result, Europe’s economies are deteriorating and living standards are plummeting. In Britain 60% of enterprises are on the verge of closing due to higher electricity prices. This is reported by the analytical group Make UK, representing the interests of British industry. 13% of British factories have reduced working hours and 7% are temporarily closing down. Electricity bills have risen by more than 100% compared to last year.

In Germany, according to the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, the number of firms and individuals went bankrupt in August alone rose 26% compared to the same period last year. The figure was significantly higher than German analysts had forecast. According to experts, during the autumn the number of bankruptcies will only increase. This is connected with the increase of the cost of production processes, in particular with the rise in prices for energy. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz acknowledged that many Germans have faced with rising prices for fuel and food. Most countries in Europe were in a similar situation. But the authorities are sacrificing the quality of people’s lives in order to continue to exert pressure on Russia. At the same time, many experts believe the stopping of Nord Stream will cause Europe’s worst energy crisis in decades.

This circumstance has already caused a sharp rise of prices of energy resources on the European market. As a result, energy bills of European households have increased. According to Goldman Sachs’ analysts, its cumulative cost will peak in early 2023, increasing by 2 trillion euros. It has also led to a record depreciation of the European currency over the past 20 years. The increased cost of gas, heat and electricity has an adverse effect on the living standard of the people. But an even more dangerous problem is the falling liquidity of European products produced at the new cost of energy. European products are becoming uncompetitive on the world market: their price is much higher because of the cost of electricity and gas.

Attempts by EU leaders to introduce a price cap on energy from Russia have completely failed. European countries are themselves to blame for the problems they face this coming winter because of reduced gas supplies from Russia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. According to him, “Europe reaps what it sows”, while Turkey “has no problems with gas supplies”.

Read more …

As long as you don’t recognize Taiwan as an independent state, you’re meddling in the internal affairs of China.

Has Biden Passed The Point Of No Return In Provoking China? (Fomenko)

It’s not the first time Biden has made such direct comments regarding American involvement in a potential conflict. It’s actually the third time in a year. Yet each time, the White House has walked back on it stating the “policy has not changed” regarding the island. But at this point in time, it can hardly be described as a gaffe worth overlooking, and Beijing is no longer likely to see it that way. In their eyes, the US policy of “strategic ambiguity” is coming to an end, with America moving irreversibly toward the de-facto support of Taiwan independence to contain China. When the United States normalized relations with the People’s Republic of China in the 1970s and accepted the “One China Policy,”Congress quickly imposed the “Taiwan Relations Act” on the Presidency in order to legally entrench US commitment towards the island.

By stating that the US would support “peaceful reunification” but in the process was obligated to give the island a “means to defend itself”- the policy of strategic ambiguity was born, that is the lack of clarity as to whether the US would directly intervene in the event of a contingency. The US has made periodic weapons sales to the island which has enraged Beijing, yet things otherwise remained stable for decades bar one crisis in the 1990s. But now, we live in a completely different world. The US is increasingly abrogating its commitment to the “One China Policy” and “strategic ambiguity,” increasingly giving unconditional support to Taiwan with a view to obstructing reunification altogether. Whilst the US continues to speak of maintaining the “status quo” it is quite obvious that its actions have sought to completely undermine the equilibrium between the two by backing Beijing into a corner.

Nancy Pelosi’s highly provocative visit, and the scores of hawkish US congressmen who have flowed in after, talk of the US pre-emptively placing sanctions on China over Taiwan irrespective of whether it invades or not, and the advancing of the Taiwan Policy Act which aims to give Taipei billions in military aid. China’s stern response to these provocations, which involved considerable military exercises, did not deter the US or make it think twice at all. Rather, events in Ukraine – where Washington supports Kiev against Russia – have only emboldened the US to push forward with the Taiwan issue even more, precisely because it sits on the side lines and allows other countries to be destroyed whilst selling its arms and using mass media coverage to market it. Now, for example, Taiwan wants to buy HIMARS launchers from the US in 2023.

Read more …

“Nobody is talking about peace . . . and don’t you dare talk about peace. . . . We are being driven to war by mentally ill people . . . All they want is control.”

The Worst Socioeconomic & Geopolitical Crisis in History – Celente (USAW)

“We are facing the worst socioeconomic and geopolitical crisis in modern history. The Covid war, this happened and that happened because of the pandemic. There was no pandemic. This happened because of politicians, little pieces of scum crap . . . one after another said close down your business, don’t go outside, don’t go to the beach, close down the swings and don’t let kids go and play. You have a socioeconomic crisis, the likes of which are unprecedented, and the damage caused by the Covid war is incalculable. (The CV19 Vax is part of Covid War.) Office occupancy rates are at about 45% tops. So, all the businesses that depended on commuters are gone. 30% of dry cleaners are out of business.

No more happy hours. In New York City, there are about 1,300 less people that clean office buildings now. This is real. People forget that in 2019, Germany was going into a recession. There were protests and demonstrations going on all over the world. . . . People were taking to the streets and protesting a lack of basic living standards, government corruption, crime and violence. It was one of our top trends. This is before the Covid war. They artificially propped up the governments. It was the Federal Reserve and the central banksters. They artificially pumped up the economies. There is almost $8 trillion pumped into the U.S. economy by the government to artificially prop it up. . . .

When you look at the Covid war, the draconian, demonic mandates and lockdowns that they imposed on businesses, when you look at the Ukraine war, the sanctions and the stupid things they are doing, they are creating the worst socioeconomic and geopolitical crisis in modern history.” Celente points out, “Nobody is talking about peace . . . and don’t you dare talk about peace. . . . We are being driven to war by mentally ill people . . . All they want is control.”

Read more …

Let rates rise…

Americans Drowning In Long-Term Credit Card Debt (ZH)

In June we reported that consumer credit – particular revolving credit – was through the roof, as tapped-out consumers relied on credit cards to make ends meet. This has only gotten worse.. Acccording to an Aug. 30 report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, credit card balances increased by $46 billion from last year, becoming the second-biggest source of overall debt last quarter. While both student and car loans hit all time new highs at the end of the 1st quarter. And so it comes as no surprise from Bloomberg that more US consumers are saddled with credit card debt for longer periods of time. According to a survey by CreditCards.com released on Monday, 60% of credit card debtors have been holding this type of debt for at least a year, up 50% from a year ago, while those holding debt for over two years is up 40%, from 32%, according to the online credit card marketplace.

And while total credit-card balances remain slightly lower than pre-pandemic levels, inflation and rising interest rates are taking a toll on the already-stretched finances of US households. “About a quarter of respondents said day-to-day expenses are the primary reason why they carry a balance. Almost half cite an emergency or unexpected expense, including medical bills and home or car repair. The Federal Reserve is likely to raise interest rates for the fifth time this year next week. Credit-card rates are typically directly tied to the Fed Funds rate, and their increase along with a softening economy may lead to higher delinquencies. Total consumer debt rose $23.8 billion in July to a record $4.64 trillion, according to data from the Federal Reserve.” -Bloomberg. The Fed’s figures include credit card and auto debt, as well as student loans, but does not factor in mortgage debt.

Read more …

CIA.

America’s Open Wound (Edward Snowden)

Our glittering nation of laws observes this year two birthdays: the 70th anniversary of the National Security Agency, on which my thoughts have been recorded, and the 75th anniversary of the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA was founded in the wake of the 1947 National Security Act. The Act foresaw no need for the Courts and Congress to oversee a simple information-aggregation facility, and therefore subordinated it exclusively to the President, through the National Security Council he controls. Within a year, the young agency had already slipped the leash of its intended role of intelligence collection and analysis to establish a covert operations division.

Within a decade, the CIA was directing the coverage of American news organizations, overthrowing democratically elected governments (at times merely to benefit a favored corporation), establishing propaganda outfits to manipulate public sentiment, launching a long-running series of mind-control experiments on unwitting human subjects (purportedly contributing to the creation of the Unabomber), and—gasp—interfering with foreign elections. From there, it was a short hop to wiretapping journalists and compiling files on Americans who opposed its wars. In 1963, no less than former President Harry Truman confessed that the very agency he personally signed into law had transformed into something altogether different than he intended, writing: “For some time I have been disturbed by the way CIA has been diverted from its original assignment. It has become an operational and at times a policy-making arm of the Government. This has led to trouble…”

Many today comfort themselves by imagining that the Agency has been reformed, and that such abuses are relics of the distant past, but what few reforms our democracy has won have been watered-down or compromised. The limited “Intelligence Oversight” role that was eventually conceded to Congress in order to placate the public has never been taken seriously by either the committee’s majority—which prefers cheerleading over investigating—or by the Agency itself, which continues to conceal politically-sensitive operations from the very group most likely to defend them.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

 

Dan Aykroyd SNL 1978
https://twitter.com/i/status/1572332575137402882

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Human chain

 

 

 

 

Support the Automatic Earth in virustime with Paypal, Bitcoin and Patreon.

 

 

 

Home Forums Debt Rattle September 21 2022

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 77 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #116406

    Max Ernst Untitled 1913   • Russian Lawmaker Reveals Mobilization Plans (RT) • Checkmate (Schryver) • Four Occupied Ukraine Regions Plan Imminent
    [See the full post at: Debt Rattle September 21 2022]

    #116408
    Afewknowthetruth
    Participant

    You can watch Putin’s speech, (and get an absurd commentary from Lies R us as a bonus) here:

    #116409
    Afewknowthetruth
    Participant

    If you’re not feeling unease today, you’re not paying attention.

    #116410
    Veracious Poet
    Participant

    We are facing the worst socioeconomic and geopolitical crisis in modern history. The Covid war, this happened and that happened because of the pandemic. There was no pandemic. This happened because of politicians, little pieces of scum crap . . . one after another said close down your business, don’t go outside, don’t go to the beach, close down the swings and don’t let kids go and play. You have a socioeconomic crisis, the likes of which are unprecedented, and the damage caused by the Covid war is incalculable. (The CV19 Vax is part of Covid War.) Office occupancy rates are at about 45% tops. So, all the businesses that depended on commuters are gone. 30% of dry cleaners are out of business.

    No more happy hours. In New York City, there are about 1,300 less people that clean office buildings now.

    The natural progression of “Emergency Powers”.

    As previously mentioned, 25+ years ago I was part of a group of men around the USofA that tried to educate people out of their ignorance (99% of the public didn’t have a clue), alerting them of the related toxic manifestations (suspension of Natural Rights + Constitutional restrictions + MIC Wars of Conquest et al.), further warning our fellow “citizens” of future atrocities & crimes against the Republic (not to mention humanity at large) that without a doubt would be committed by sociopath “little pieces of scum crap”.

    Outside of our core group *crickets*…

    Yesterday Dr. D mentioned briefly during his daily commentary:

    We haven’t rescinded an “Emergency” since before WWII. They’re all still in place. Because: emergency. That means you have no God-given Rights. And we have no accounting for the money. Ever again. Why would we stop? Everything I do in an emergency is now “legal” so Make me.

    Again, *crickets*…

    America’s inability to coalesce around the underlying truth that “Emergency Powers” have perverted/transmogrified the former Democrat Republic, with it’s intended goal of Inalienable Natural Rights for All, into a Military/Banking Empire where only the “Rich & Powerful” have “rights” & protection from harm.

    I do realize that it’s been 89 years since the establishment of the “Emergency Powers” abortion, that such a multi-generational phenomena has become embedded into the society, but I am constantly amazed to witness “aware” commentary (here & elsewhere) constantly churning through the blow-by-blow symptoms of the underlying rot like dogs chasing their tails…

    I honestly have achieved a level of acceptance where The Empire under “Emergency Powers” is the undeniable reality, but I have to mention “You ain’t seen nothing yet”.

    The so-called “Emergencies” that have been fomented over the last 20+ years are clearly manufactured & have become increasingly despotic (9-11, financial crises, COVID+Vaccines, Jan. 6, Ukraine et al.) leaving me to wonder, what’s next?

    The last thing I have to say (I’m almost at a loss for words), is that the madness of the collective EGO in the USofA is breathtaking in it’s ability to absorb & ignore the onslaught of chaos unleashed by those wielding “Emergency Powers” ~ Mass formation psychosis indeed!

    Peace to all,

    Gary

    #116411
    Dr. D
    Participant

    Thinking again — problem is I can’t see signs, measurements, gauges, effects – that the basic problem is the runaway compounding interest. So Europe, the present center of the problem, can’t get enough money to sustain. To shelter money they have stopped paying out. To Russia. So the sanctions have nothing to do with Russia, with war, with energy, which is why they are so implausibly illogical. And yes, they need Ukraine to hypothecate 300:1 but even that is short-term. At the same time, the U.S. is capable of adding money, but needs a premise or can’t get it over. So the premise is war. No questions asked. We are bailing out Europe’s banks, exclusively, which is why none of the “weapons” are getting anywhere near the front. There are no weapons, there are no soldiers. Only money. And only half the people/government are for it, so only Congress is bought, the Fed presently is not, nor the people except in theory, if they have to spend money or do anything, they’re not.

    Although that idea improves sense, there are still a lot of problems. If Russia uses Euros, anywhere Russian Euros are is “IN” the banking system. So it would help compounding in my guess. Although gas shelters money to banks, the banks now won’t get paid by the people, which is only changing WHICH default they experience, and no help, except they can murder themselves now and increase fascism. And they + the U.S. government, we know print money for no reason. $40 Trillion missing? Are you sure the $100 bill Treasury plates aren’t missing? Plates for U.S. T-bonds?

    Nevertheless, keep it in mind because otherwise their war makes no sense, and our funneling of money that doesn’t arrive makes no sense. “Where’s my money, Brian?” You just got more than the initial ‘08 bailout, now where is it?

    AND, if they’re playing for time, what are they trying for? Surely they have “A Plan”. Like taking over Zap, or a plan “We will all remember like Kennedy.”

    Mobilization: Well that’s not good. Where did you get the idea you could mobilize NATO against Russian border, then bomb some nuclear power plants and have nothing happen? A: They don’t/can’t care, since if it falls, they will die anyway. Taking us all with them is a benefit, not a liability.

    “the Russians will be viewed all around the world as an unprecedented defeat of American hegemony; a watershed moment that will carry with it profound geopolitical consequences.
    As I have argued for months now, it will mean the end of NATO as a credible military alliance. It will mean the end of the European Union as presently constituted.”

    See, here’s what I thought would occur. But that’s not a single, sharp, historical event.

    “including using nuclear blackmail in order to freeze the war and solidify its territorial gains”

    Yes, but they haven’t gotten to Odessa to solve the problems there, and land locked the nation. So my guess is, they can’t “freeze the war” at all, which means this statement makes no sense, won’t occur, and something else is happening.
    Guardian says this to meta-dialogue-presume that Russia is losing. They’re losing by having already erased most of the Ukrainian army and taken two provinces and are about to finalize their gains. That’s #Losing in #OppositeLand.

    If so, the article isn’t worth considering, because it’s made of nonsensical ideas that have no reality on the ground. But: “The Guardian”, so obviously. That’s little help to us about what IS happening.

    I just need to know how many flats of beans to buy this year. (All of them? They will only be more expensive next year.)

    Yermak added that “Ukraine will solve the Russian question,” insisting this could be done “only by force.”

    Learning to identify the language styles, this sentence is all emotional implication and means nothing. What is “The Russia question?” Who posed this question we apparently all know? What do you mean by “Force?” How will you deliver this force without a functional army?

    Kiev previously threatened any person who takes part in such a plebiscite with … up to 12 years.”

    Yes, but you get much longer for having the thermostat over 65f in Zurich. Freedom!!! Probably they will arrest anyone who DOESN’T rat out their neighbors as well as an accessory to this terrible, terrible crime. Meanwhile, Newsom is wearing a sweater inside on TV when it’s 110f in California.

    “The West Is Waging a War to Destroy Russia (Kornilov)”

    That would make it a voluntary, violent, war of aggression. Obviously. The problem is it’s not obvious to low-information voters, which is most of them.

    “The general hopes the collapse of our state will be fueled by our ethnic diversity … in which it will be impossible to feed 144 million people. The American has clearly not thought how these arguments could also be applied to his home country, which has been torn apart by racial divisions in recent years.”

    Sure they have. Joe was on TV just last night saying how he would hunt and kill half the nation again. The half that is extremely well-armed and largely well-trained. If they started that war, it would mirror Ukraine in which untrained, unhealthy, unready, unwilling people are drafted to fight far fewer well-trained, highly motivated, highly military thinkers. Gruesome. Pickett’s Charge. Let’s not try it. Blue hair is not camouflage.

    However, the projection of these psycho-narcissists holds true. They only say what they see, and they only see themselves. So we can count on it being true, and them telling us their plans every time.

    “the collapse of Putin’s Russian empire” has begun.”

    Read as above. Everyone knows the “American” Empire is already over, unrecoverable, although the pieces haven’t come to rest on the ground yet.

    “Ukraine Unlikely to Get US F-16s Soon – Politico (RT)”

    Note of how desperate and helpless they are. “Please, please give us your 46 year old planes. Just one. We’re not asking for the 80 year old ones.”

    I thought this was a war, not a re-enactment or classic car revival. Can you send them some saddles and Jane Austen costumes as well?

    “The speech was greeted with applause not only by the Linke leadership but also by delegates of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).”

    If the Left and Right agree all the time, are they really Left and Right? A: No, none of these words have meaning anymore except ‘You’re a smelly stupidface.’

    Europe’s Economy and Living Standards Are Plummeting (OR)”

    And I would expect this is minimum 30 days late for the reporting period. That would mean, dropping so fast it might be twice as bad as even this article suggests. But they did their job well: as they stopped the existence of bread, French Bastille-style, they also psychologically arranged for there to be no opposition, no blowback, and no resistance. Thinking if they tried this before staging the psy-op, people would have gone to town hall and be unified to shed them. Now they are not and let it happen, even as they know with more certainty than ever that they will freeze and starve.

    Why this emotion, mental construction, how it’s arranged, I don’t know yet, but I can see and feel it. Here too: limp, no resistance. Not no emotion, but emotion dissipated and not focused, which is all they need. (For good men to do nothing)

    “As long as you don’t recognize Taiwan as an independent state, you’re meddling in the internal affairs of China.”

    This is interesting, since, expanding on Day’s history of the matter, the reason we say “One China” and no more, is that Taiwan is supposed to be the REAL government of ALL China, not the CCP. That’s from Chiang Kai-shek retreating there (Japan?) in 1949 and never surrendering. So technically the Chinese Civil War is still running, and Taipei is the seat of government. That’s my understanding, and it’s past history, irrelevant until it isn’t. Perhaps the commenters can add to it.

    Anyway, that’s why specifically we agree on “One China” policy: it’s Taiwan’s China. And Chiang is our ally, not Xi. Let’s add the requisite “Every one of these morons is drooling insane, veins-in-their teeth, broke-from-reality psychos if they think the U.S. could do anything across 10,000 miles of ocean and beat China in their own backyard. That’s a special kind of stupid.” “Land War in Asia” type stupid. If the entire U.S. was NOT a wreck, AND we only had China alone to fight, with no one allied with her, we couldn’t beat China. Much less as a 3rd world country fighting three fronts including our own civil war.

    “Americans Drowning in Long-Term Credit Card Debt (ZH)”

    This has also changed. The slow blinking-in of rules has standard rates being 28% now. That’s worse than what used to be Guido break-your-kneecaps Mafia boss rates. Which were only allowed and raised when Volcker’s base rate was 20%. Now rates are 3%, Credit is 28%, and they’re claiming they need a bailout. Just can’t figure out how to make money at a 25%p.a. spread and the government collecting for you. Too hard. So what’s compounding? If they were paying 8% with some jockeying, but now 28%, that’s 3-4x worse than ‘08? If you were bankrupt in a year then, you’re now bankrupt in just 3 months? Time is a killer in bankruptcy and business.

    Within a decade, the CIA was directing the coverage of American news organizations, overthrowing democratically elected governments”

    As 100% of the time in history when you create a secret service. He should source this, as “Conspiracy Theorists” say it’s true. However, all of these events are public record as legal fact. Worse, the CIA has merged with all corporate governance, with CIA contracts to Amazon, running WaPo, then sharing purchase info. Facebook takes direct calls from Congress or CIA and shuts off accounts within minutes. (Dore just showed the date stamps). All FB, YouTube, Twitter info is logged and entirely, openly shared, with representative hired and working in the building with the clearance codes. (P.S. why are you using them?)

    Merger of Corporation and State. Only worse: only that part of the State that has no voting or accountability. That openly contradicts the President every day on TV. The Voting part — be it the Congressman or the People — have no effect whatsoever on the Secret State. As warned, published, advertised, and designed.

    #116412
    Dora
    Participant

    Gonzalo Lira round table talking about the CIA, the US intelligence community, and other topics.

    #116413
    oxymoron
    Participant

    Blue hair is not camouflage.


    Genius.

    #116414
    EoinW
    Participant

    Old peanut Head fled to Taiwan and the civil war continues. Interesting. I’d never thought of it that way. Can’t blame them as I’d never want to live under CCP rule.

    BTW did Sitting Bull ever surrender or are the Sioux about to reclaim the US mid west? Don’t send those F-16s to Ukraine! We’ll need them to carpet bomb South Dakota.

    #116415
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    Regarding our current Cuban Missile Crisis redux, I take comfort from considering that US troop morale is surely at an all-time low. It’s faith in its commander(s)-in-chief(s) is surely dismal.

    Therefore, I see it likely that our boys will refuse to launch missiles, or at least most of them will do so. Same thing happened in the 70s/80s. Russian military personnel refused to follow orders. Said orders were just machine errors, but they couldn’t know for sure at the time even if they believed so. I assume that their lack of faith in their leaders, per the dismal Soviet reality of that time, is why they chose to risk major punishment rather than obey apparent orders.

    For all the AI going around, I don’t think that Skynet is in charge quite yet. I have more faith in the common man than many people here have in the omnipotence of TPTB or in the mass hypnosis formation gullibility of people. Yes, “the people is a great beast”, but individual persons are individual persons, and some of them are fairly savvy and decent characters.

    But it is also likely that we may soon discover what a nuclear exchange is like.

    #116416
    John Day
    Participant

    Boscohorowitz signed off with this last night:
    “As much as I want to dismiss the risk of nuclear war, that is based on emotional wishful thinking powered by the usual logical fallacies. When I remove my emotional bias and remove the logical fallacies, I must concede that nuclear war is eventually inevitable, and we seem to be approaching a zone of maximum inevitability.”

    There are rumors that the aliens don’t want nuclear war on this planet and are capable of preventing launches. Stories from the silos go back a long time… Rumors…
    What is the nature of intelligent life in the cosmos?

    I think individual Russians, including the nuclear sub commander who had a nuke and did not launch while being depth-charged off the coast of Cuba, have made spiritual decisions to not kill millions, every time they have been painted into that corner by protocols.
    That is my opinion.

    #116417
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Energy is the Master Resource

    Period

    Eurotardistan will NEVER have cheap energy again.

    Never.

    Eurotardistan will NEVER be competitive on the world market place ever again in producing anything cheaper in price than from the East.

    Maybe truffles and champagne, maybe.

    All the cheap affordable resources, energy being the most important, are flowing East and will NEVER return in at least the next several generations, if ever.

    Everyone and their children will be dead and gone before Russia ever gives resources to Eurotardistan, thats how long, at a minimum.

    They say science advances one funeral at a time.

    The entire Collective West ‘leadership’ will have to dieoff before the East ever trusts the West.

    This is generational.

    Eurotardistan has lost the where-with-all to even develop much less transition to another energy infrastructure.

    Too late.

    Way too late, their fate is sealed.

    Winter is coming and no heat for you!

    Eurotardistan will be the new capital of the emerging Third & a Half World

    Not quite the outright open sore of the classic third world country poverty, but damn close.

    I’ve told my EU friends to run for their lives.

    Some did (to Thailand), most didn’t or can’t.

    The EU sheeple, on the rump ass sub-continent, are spineless gutless jellyfish, soyboys and childless cat women.

    They will never rebel.

    Hopelessly confused by their satanic blood drinking Euroturd Lords & Masters.

    Another Thousand Years of Serfdom & Humiliation

    Bend Over!

    Standing in the road tweeting while a lava flow destruction envelopes them.

    Hey, maybe they can finally warmup.

    Tot ziens

    .

    #116418
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Here is an interesting tour of a supermarket in St Petersburg after 6 months of Collective West sanctions.

    Wow, they’re really biting!

    In Russian Supermarket after 6 Months under Unprecedented SANCTIONS! Can You Believe It?

    #116422
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    While we pray to the aliens (me too:) ), I’ll also note this: today’s Russian military personnel have high morale and high confidence in both their commanders-in-chief and their weapons systems. This makes them more likely to pull the nuclear trigger than they were during the Cold War, when Soviet morale was very low.

    But they are not my worry. My worry is USA nukes, and I am happy to say that I perceive today’s USA military personnel as having very little confidence in their commanders-in-chief and their weapon systems.

    I place my hope in, again, the common man.

    Ordinary Man

    But I’m all for help from the aliens or demiurges or whoever, if anyone, rules the stars above.

    #116423
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    “The EU sheeple, on the rump ass sub-continent, are spineless gutless jellyfish, soyboys and childless cat women.”

    Yeah, well your mother was a cow and your father smelled of boysenberries.

    What exactly, I wonder, is this chronic denunciation of so many people about? It’s fun to pick on victims of circumstance? The masses are tragic and frustrating but they are also real live human people. Classing them as hopelessly deluded sheeple smacks of classifying Jews as despicable parasitic semi-human vermin. Oh well, whatever gets ’em into the cattle cars, I suppose.

    #116424
    zerosum
    Participant

    People are dying before their time

    WRONG or RIGHT

    Causes
    1. Conflicts – Ukraine/Russia, diminishing resources, have/have nots, sanctions, immigration, other opinions
    2. Covid/vaccine
    3. Opioids/pain relief
    4. Starvation
    5. weather/wrong place/wrong time
    6. Money – credit card debt
    ———-
    Conflict
    re-assimilated, legitimacy, collective desire, democratic voting/election
    irrelevant
    “Russian aggression” and “sham election”

    submissively acquiescing to the outcome
    ———-

    • Russia Will Support Donbass Referendums – Duma Speaker (RT)
    • Kiev Vows To Use Force Against Breakaway Regions (RT)

    ———-

    Creating the Worst Socioeconomic & Geopolitical Crisis in History – Gerald Celente

    Creating the Worst Socioeconomic & Geopolitical Crisis in History – Gerald Celente
    By Greg Hunter On September 17, 2022 In Political Analysis 228 Comments

    Celente points out, “Nobody is talking about peace . . . and don’t you dare talk about peace. . . . We are being driven to war by mentally ill people . . . All they want is control.”
    ———
    https://edwardsnowden.substack.com/p/americas-open-wound
    America’s Open Wound
    The CIA is not your friend

    Edward Snowden
    ———–

    #116425
    boscohorowitz
    Participant
    #116426
    John Day
    Participant

    And there was this, with Bush/Cheney still in office. Rumor was they were going to nuke Iran. Working airmen on the ground in Barksdale reported the nukes under the wings of the B-52. They were supposed to keep quiet. Military Times picked up the story.

    On 29 August 2007, six AGM-129 ACM cruise missiles, each loaded with a W80-1 variable yield nuclear warhead, were mistakenly loaded onto a United States Air Force (USAF) B-52H heavy bomber at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and transported to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. The nuclear warheads in the missiles were supposed to have been removed before the missiles were taken from their storage bunker. The missiles with the nuclear warheads were not reported missing, and remained mounted to the aircraft at both Minot and Barksdale for 36 hours. During this period, the warheads were not protected by the various mandatory security precautions for nuclear weapons.[1][2]

    The incident was reported to the top levels of the United States military and referred to by observers as a Bent Spear incident, which indicates “an unexpected occurrence involving nuclear weapons or nuclear components that does not fall under the NUCFLASH or BROKEN ARROW categories”[3] or “a nuclear incident involving a nuclear weapon/warhead or nuclear component”. In the Army and Air Force, this term includes a ‘significant incident’ as defined in DoD Directive 5100.52″.[4]
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_United_States_Air_Force_nuclear_weapons_incident

    #116427
    zerosum
    Participant

    If you cannot feed your extra people/slaves/immigrants/soldiers/sheep, you will fail.

    #116428
    zerosum
    Participant

    Seizing territories full of useless hungry mouths to feed is a path to failure.

    #116429
    John Day
    Participant

    Biden keeps saying Putin is threatening to use nukes…

    Russian President Vladimir Putin in his own major speech addressing the Ukraine conflict announced a ‘partial mobilization’ of national forces – or rather of reserve units, as the Kremlin is now clarifying. Calling the moves “urgent, necessary steps to defend the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Russia,” Putin said that Russia is fighting the full might of NATO. The US and its allies, he said, are seeking to “destroy” Russia.

    Putin also accused the west of using “nuclear blackmail” against Russia noting that “if its territorial integrity is threatened Russia will definitely use all the means at its disposal” to defend Russian territory. “This is not a bluff,” he had stressed. US officials were quick to condemn what they said is a severe “escalation” of the “war of aggression” against Ukraine. Putin’s speech additionally included an order for fresh mobilization of 300,000 “reservists”. The White House issued an initial statement saying it takes Putin’s words about nuclear weapons “seriously” – but that it still doesn’t see the need to increase America’s nuclear readiness and strategic deterrents.
    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/watch-live-biden-answers-putins-ukraine-escalation-un-speech

    #116430
    John Day
    Participant

    China doesn’t want an independence referendum in Taiwan, which would be cause for war.
    China cannot support an independence referendum in “Ukraine”, but has to support Russia for very practical reasons of survival, hence the very-conservative wording.

    China Reacts To Putin Speech, Urges Immediate Ceasefire & Dialogue
    https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/china-reacts-putin-speech-urges-immediate-ceasefire-dialogue

    #116431
    zerosum
    Participant

    Why are Canadians allowing Trudeau to declare war against Russia

    ….. Trudeau said that they will not recognize a democratic vote to join Russia……..

    #116432
    zerosum
    Participant

    Why are USA citizen refusing to enlist, (by disqualifying themselves), and therefore, refusing to join the war against Russia.

    #116433
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    The world battlefield is revealing deeply profound truths as fundamental forces are (as they must be) brought into play as primary weapons in this great war. Yes, of course, it’s war.

    But before going into that, and while you still think this is worth reading, there are two things that have been brought to my attention by others who are much wiser then me, which I now feel it is my duty to pass on to you as well.

    The first one has to do with truth and the other one with “sin” [or whatever word for WRONG suits your fancy]. Time is short so let’s get right to the point.

    Truth is better than lies because truth works and lies don’t.

    Things are better than money because you can’t eat money.

    Money tries to steal things but since money is a lie (it pretends to be equal to things, but of course it is not, so the pretense is a lie) it doesn’t work as well as “things” work (things are the actual STUFF composing the REALITY that is actually the WORLD we are in), so when “money”(lies) battle “things”(truth), the fight always turns out the same. Ultimately truth wins because it works better.

    Do something the right way and then do it the wrong way and it’s
    Correct.

    So when lies go into battle with truth, which one do you suppose is going to win? The way that works better or the way that works worse?

    Yup.

    So that’s who is going to win this war.

    So what is (and I stress IS !) the big lie that “money” is trying to pass off? Well, recently money has been selling the idea that one can (actually and literally) GET more than one GIVES. The people who think that this idiotic nonsense is true can only accomplish that feat of stupidity by ONLY looking at ONE side of an arrangement which patently obviously has TWO sides. Because they are only looking at one side they are only seeing or understanding that one side and have thereby made themselves TOTALLY BLIND TO THE SIDE THAT THEY ARE TAKING FROM. I mean to say TOTALLY blind. The “takers” have become so blind to the “givers” side that they no longer recognize the need for the “giver” side to even exist.

    Yes, folks, it is the case that people who believe the moronic nonsense that there can be a taker when there is no giver, have indeed attempted to take over the reigns of the entire world.

    The consequence of that idiocy is the war that is quickly rising all around you complete with explosions and blood and pain and death. The REAL kind.

    The irrevocable reality is that in order for one entity to GET something (anything) then some other entity had to have made that something (anything) in the first place and then given it up. Think of it as a physics phenomenon as much as it is also a moral precept.

    Therefore, attempts to get more than one gives, (and I mean EVERY and ALL such attempts) will ever and always end in the destruction of the entity who attempts it. The destruction is caused by the fact that they are wrong. There are ZERO exceptions to this law of the Universe. I would change it for ya if I could, buddy, but I just cain’t getter done! I’m just another assshole like you!

    If you would like to survive and be happy then you must immediately and ASSIDUOUSLY start giving back fairly to those you are taking from. And while you’re at it, love them as you love yourself.

    We now return to your regularly scheduled programmed entertainment. Please don’t spin that dial.

    Post Script:

    I cannot deny that the above essay did come from my hand, my signature is stuck to it right there in plain sight. But on the other hand I do not think I am smart enough to have come up with much of it on my own. I have a fairly high opinion and regard of myself, and in my opinion I am not clever enough or wise enough to have come up with it by myself. For that reason, and for more reasons, I believe that it was assisted. The only thing I want to take credit for is to have recognized it as true when I saw it, and for fulfilling my duty to pass it on to others.

    #116434
    Maxwell Quest
    Participant

    “There are rumors that the aliens don’t want nuclear war on this planet and are capable of preventing launches. Stories from the silos go back a long time… Rumors…”

    More than rumors, the evidence is incontrovertible to any brave enough to look. Once this is understood, your ideas about life (and evolution) are forever changed. ET’s can come and go at their leisure, using tech that is beyond human comprehension.

    The $64,000 question is this: Is there an interstellar “prime directive” that prevents them from interfering in the affairs of other planets?

    #116435
    phoenixvoice
    Participant

    Regarding commenter Chooch and the vitriolic rails against him and those who stand up for him…

    For as long as I remember I typically enjoy speaking with people who I know hold views that differ from my own. Even when I completely disagree, I am enriched by seeking to understand others’ beliefs and what leads them to that conclusion.

    I also understand the frustration when I am trying to communicate something complicated to someone, and (unbeknownst to the both of us) some element of the communication is an emotional trigger for one (or both) parties which serves as an obstacle to communication. This happened with my spouse a week ago Tuesday. A part of the concept I was speaking of must have triggered some latent fear he had…I found myself saying, ok, ok, don’t believe what I am suggesting is true then, just think of it as fiction so that I can point you to some of the possibilities that it opens up. And…a couple of weeks before that it was a trigger in me, an inadvertent reminder of a troublesome situation years ago, that suddenly had me on the defensive on irrational grounds.

    It happens. Own your own response.

    #116436
    zerosum
    Participant

    Peace
    Ukrainian territorial integrity –
    1. According to Russian history.
    2. According to UN declaration.
    3. According to democratic vote and desires of the resident population involved.

    #116437
    Polemos
    Participant

    Regarding the ‘aliens’ and the nukes, I’m convinced that Lynch in his recent season of Twin Peaks was trying to get people to understand that a nuclear detonation is not simply a massive release of destructive energy in our 3D space resulting in a hot fireball, radiation, concussion, but it is also a release of all such and more across multiple dimensions (as in, action spaces constitutive of a perceived/inhabited reality for conscious agency). Humans who think Einstein-Minkowski spacetime is our new fundamental reality (though daily living in Newtonian-Cartesian coordinate space) are not up-to-date enough that cutting edge physics has inverted the “egg/chicken” question: consciousness does not live within a spacetime and finds itself generated from objects long since pre-existing within, but rather all-pervasive consciousness creates the dynamics of the reality it subjects to its own evolutionary unfolding. (Ask Donald Hoffman). This consciousness manifesting as humans —at least the mostly conventional kind— restricts itself from the vast endlessness of possibilities it is always already exploring across manifold evolving realities, but there are many other forms taken through which it explores. And some of these other forms are deeply aware of the limitations of not just the human expression but their own, yet are just as open to all the possibilities of their choices evolving towards integration or disintegration of/through/with others —to choose to prolong self as distinct or recognize others as One. Blowing open holes in reality, especially with the intention to create these holes as weapons to disintegrate others from the totality of the One whom one is: this is an act of Great Evil, likely to call attention not just from those who seek integration of all into One through love but also those who seek disintegration of all others through hatred (at root: fear) and rejection of the One. The former recognize the shame of the weapon and its working, and for the sake of love come to try and heal the fear and redirect the suffering, whereas the latter recognize the threat of the working and the opportunity for exploitation of such ignorance and hubris and accomplishment.

    The many others didn’t travel from planets light-years away (though some will and have) but have always already been around us, not only because they are us from the past and the future and the sideways, but also because we are theirs, whether pets or cattle or children or grandparents or exhibits —you choose as much as they do. Before we were caught up in the electrochemical soup of a human holobiont and took it to be ourselves, we were the photons freely circulating in harmonious currents, resonating along magnetic fields traversing an evolving universe connecting the massive, living wells of light and radiance, and once freed of the experiences these bodies facilitate, we learn again to shed what cannot be remembered to renew what within cannot be forgotten. Or, out of fear, curiosity, self-imposed exile, sense of humor, desire to hide, desire for punishment, insatiable craving, longing to learn ever more, we climb back into some soup’s skull or ganglia or nodes or distributed computational matrix and forget in order to dramatize further the unfolding narrative of this planet, this well, and its neighborhood of hosts.

    #116438
    Maxwell Quest
    Participant

    “If you would like to survive and be happy then you must immediately and ASSIDUOUSLY start giving back fairly to those you are taking from. And while you’re at it, love them as you love yourself.”

    Well said, John!

    Either the Universe is based on law or it is not. I believe it is based on law. Either the Universe is just or it is not. I believe it is just. If so, then what is our duty? To learn the law and live it.

    Once you realize that you never “get away” with anything, that thinking so is just an illusion, you start walking life’s path with greater earnestness. Swindle your neighbor out of his life savings, and one day the same will happen to you. If your Karma is good, it will happen in the same incarnation so that you have the opportunity to learn more quickly. If not, you may be allowed to dig a much deeper hole that will take multiple incarnations to extricate yourself from.

    In the beginning, you follow the law because it is in your best interest. Later, you do it out of love for the law and others.

    #116439
    zerosum
    Participant

    Finally the gloves are coming off.
    https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/09/russia-announces-partial-mobilization-the-gloves-are-coming-off.html#more
    Should current Ukrainian attacks on civilians and infrastructure in Russia and the Donbas regions continue, we can expect that the Russian forces will start to degrade Ukrainian infrastructure on a large scale.
    The electricity and railway networks would be the primary targets.
    (energy infrastructures)

    Text of Putin Speech Announcing Partial Mobilization


    Text of Putin Speech Announcing Partial Mobilization
    Posted on September 21, 2022 by Yves Smith
    So we are also posting a machine translation and will replace it with an official English translation when one becomes available. Update 6:30 AM EDT: official translation now posted below.

    We are also posting an English version of the mobilization order, which here and apparently in the original Russian has Item 7 missing.
    Putin states:

    In its aggressive anti-Russian policy, the West has crossed every line. We constantly hear threats against our country, our people. Some irresponsible politicians in the West not only talk about plans to organize the supply of long-range offensive weapons to Ukraine – systems that will allow strikes against the Crimea and other regions of Russia.

    Such terrorist strikes, including with the use of Western weapons, are already being carried out on the border settlements of the Belgorod and Kursk regions. In real time, using modern systems, aircraft, ships, satellites, strategic drones, NATO carries out reconnaissance throughout southern Russia.

    In Washington, London, Brussels, they are directly pushing Kyiv to transfer military operations to our territory. No longer hiding, they say that Russia should be defeated by all means on the battlefield, followed by the deprivation of political, economic, cultural, in general, any sovereignty, with the complete plunder of our country.

    Nuclear blackmail was also launched. We are talking not only about the shelling of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which is encouraged by the West, which threatens a nuclear catastrophe, but also about the statements of some high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO states about the possibility and admissibility of using weapons of mass destruction against Russia – nuclear weapons.

    For those who allow themselves to make such statements about Russia, I would like to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for some components more modern than those of the NATO countries.

    And if the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. It’s not a bluff.

    You can theoretically find the order here: http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/69391

    #116440

    As for Laetitia James’ case vs the entire Trump family, I haven’t seen any details, but I betcha it’s about what everyone in real estate does, certainly in NYC. That is, exaggerate property prices where that is handy, downplay them where the opposite is true. It may not be 101% legal, but 102% of property owners do it. How big a loan can I get? X. How much interest do I want to pay on that loan? X-Y. It’s what everybody does every day of their lives. Just, in NYC real estate, you’re talking large numbers. It’s not a real estate thing, it’s anyone trying to sell anything, it’s business. I have a real fine poodle here! What’s worth? $1,000! How much does it eat? Hardly anything, don’t worry.

    And nobody ever brought it up until they figured they could use it against Trump’s re-election campaign.

    #116441
    Maxwell Quest
    Participant

    “If you would like to survive and be happy then you must immediately and ASSIDUOUSLY start giving back fairly to those you are taking from. And while you’re at it, love them as you love yourself.”

    Oops! The above was from DB Smith, not John Day. My apologies.

    #116442
    zerosum
    Participant

    It’s not a bluff.
    Wake up!
    Stop your useless chattering
    Your leaders are taking you to another useless war.

    #116443
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    @MaxwellQuest

    I understand the swapped-ID because the core message of what I received (and passed along) is just the sort of noble wisdom you would expect from a guy that walks the walk as steadfastly as John.

    #116444
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    Dmitry Orlov’s latest take on Russia’s Special MIlitary Operation in Ukraine:

    With a Baseball Bat

    #116445
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    The best help and protection that we can afford to our heroes closer to the front in this conflict, and who have consequently suffered more abuse at the hands of those who would harm us, is for the rest of us to become so many and so strong that our heroes become the LEAST of the bad guy’s problems.

    #116446
    zerosum
    Participant

    Transnistria (locally called by its Russian name: Pridnestrovie; and occasionally, in English: Trans-Dniester) is a de facto state in Eastern Europe that has declared independence from Moldova, although is currently recognised by 5 UN member states (Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru, and Syria)

    https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/27/europe/transnistria-moldova-ukraine-russia-war-explainer-intl/index.html
    How Transnistria, a Russian-backed region in Moldova, is getting pulled into the war in Ukraine
    By Rob Picheta, CNN
    ( Old story of Russia destroying its own infrastructures by missiles on itself)
    Updated 1719 GMT (0119 HKT) April 27, 2022
    Two radio towers in the territory were damaged by explosions in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Transnistrian Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement. On Monday, a series of explosions had been heard in Transnistria’s capital Tiraspol, near the Ministry of State Security building, according to Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti.
    Ukraine described the blasts as a planned provocation by Russian security services. Ukraine has also blamed Russia for firing cruise missiles Tuesday at a bridge across the estuary of the Dniester River, suggesting Moscow is attempting to cut off the southwestern corner of Ukraine that borders Moldova.
    The explosions, and a drip feed of comments by Russian officials regarding the region — including a senior Russian commander saying that the army’s plan to capture southern Ukraine would open up a land corridor stretching to Transnistria — have raised intense concern in Moldova that the disputed territory within its borders is included in Russian President Vladimir’s war strategy.
    Transnistria is unrecognized by the international community, which considers it a part of Moldova. But the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, essentially has no control over the territory, which declared itself a republic more than three decades ago.
    ——–

    #116447
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    Just came up with a pejorative word joke for Democrats. There are quite a few such cheap shots out there already, but they’re starting to show the wear, so here’s a new one to expand your choices when it’s appropriately inappropriate to drop into a conversation : “The Degenocratic Party.”

    #116448
    Mr. House
    Participant

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/new-york-sues-trump-alleges-fraudulent-asset-valuations

    I don’t like the guy but this is a bit much. If only we’d have gone after the bankers and others in 08 with charges like this, but ya know, too big to fail.

    #116449
    John Day
    Participant

    I’m getting that lovely glow of vanity, Y’all.
    Keep it up!
    No, STOP!
    Auugh!

    Thanks for channeling the taking-giving analysis , DBS.
    Here is something about the Jubilee cycle, which might end this Sunday:

    “In biblical times, the laws of the sabbatical year and the jubilee were created. In the sabbatical (seventh) year there was to be a remission of debts and in the jubilee (50th) year, land, which had been sold to pay of debts, was to be returned to its original owners, and slaves were to be freed. There may be academic debate about the degree to which the sabbatical year and jubilee were a regular part of life in ancient times, but there is no doubting the principles that underpin them. That is, people find themselves in debt for various reasons, often no fault of their own, and it is the duty of an ethical society to ensure that these people are not permanent social outcasts.”
    https://rac.org/jewish-values-and-debt-relief

    Thanks for the thoughts on life-forms, Maxwell Quest and Polemos.
    A friend of mine who is a computer whiz for NASA says that nuclear detonations tear-apart conscious interdimensional-beings, and that’s a big problem for them, so they need to defend themselves by preventing these acts. NASA says nothing about it. I have no particular way to independently assess any of this, so I’m just taking notes and paying attention and trying to see the divinity within all conscious beings, as a practice to reduce conflict. (It can be kind of tickling to see that the asshole in the big truck tailgating you is a viewpoint of divine-consciousness, while being completely oblivious to the fact.)

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 77 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.