Oct 162024
 
 October 16, 2024  Posted by at 9:00 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,  Add comments


Peter Stackpole Sophia Loren in a Manhattan Coffee, NYC 1958

 

Trump Promises Government Position For Musk (RT)
California Gov’t Blocks New Musk Rocket Launches, Citing Trump Support (JTN)
Staying In Touch With Putin Would Be ‘Smart’ – Trump (RT)
Hungary Publicly Backs Trump (RT)
Fani Willis Tries To Block Nathan Wade From Testifying To Congress (JTN)
Walzing Around Free Speech (Turley)
Zelensky Wants West To Fight Russia – Exiled Ukrainian Opposition Leader (RT)
‘Elite’ Ukrainian Troops Surrender In Kursk Region – Chechen Commander (RT)
The Road to War (Paul Craig Roberts)
This Will Destroy the Dollar (Jim Rickards)
Emirates Flags ‘Serious Talks’ With Boeing (RT)
Trust in US News Media Hits Record Low – Gallup (RT)
British Government’s Novichok Trial Reveals A Toxic Shock (Helmer)
Druzhba: Oil Mega-Pipeline That Evaded US Sabotage (Sp.)

 

 

This goes fast!

 

 

Twitter/X videos don’t embed properly. Hope that is temporary.

 

 

PA mail-in

O’Keefe

Youngkin

 

 

 

 

 

 

“We’ll have a new position: secretary of cost-cutting. Elon wants to do that..”

Trump Promises Government Position For Musk (RT)

Former US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump has promised to create a new office specifically for SpaceX and Tesla boss Elon Musk should he win the November election. The presidential hopeful made the remarks as he appeared on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures. Trump praised the billionaire as a “great business guy” and a “great cost-cutter,” floating a possible White House role for him. “You think of him for science and rockets and every time he’s telling me about a new screw that was developed. He’s developed a new screw. Screws are difficult and it’s made out of titanium and it’s so exciting,” Trump stated. “We’ll have a new position: secretary of cost-cutting. Elon wants to do that, and we have incredible people. He’s running a big business,” he added, claiming Musk has already shown interest in taking such a role.

Trump also spoke about Musk’s ambitious space plans, stating the latter had promised him to “get to Mars before the end of my administration, which will be long before, hopefully, China or Russia.” Musk has long been an open backer of Trump and has repeatedly made bold statements in support of the Republican. Earlier this month, he made a surprise appearance at a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, calling the November vote “the most important election of our lifetime” and claiming the opposing side “wants to take away your freedom of speech.” Separately, Musk attacked those fellow billionaires who are backing Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, suggesting they were “terrified” of a potential Trump victory given that many of them were likely on the Jeffrey Epstein client list. Trump suggested that Epstein’s “black book” could be made public if he wins the election.

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SpaceX is what Boeing and NASA once were.

California Gov’t Blocks New Musk Rocket Launches, Citing Trump Support (JTN)

The California government denied an Air Force request to allow Elon Musk’s SpaceX to increase its California rocket launches, citing Musk’s politics. The Department of Defense and a large bipartisan coalition of lawmakers endorsed the launch expansion, with some center-left housing activists attacking the vote as no different than the California Coastal Commission’s consistent denial of housing. The Air Force and Space Force had requested that the California Coastal Commission allow SpaceX to increase its annual permitted launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara from 36 to 50. “Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA while claiming his desire to help the hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet,” said Commissioner Gretchen Newsom at the meeting. “I really appreciate the work of the Space Force,” said Commission Chair Caryl Hart at the meeting.

“But here we’re dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race and he’s managed a company in a way that was just described by Commissioner Newsom that I find to be very disturbing.” The bipartisan Congressional coalition signing a letter of support included a wide range of members of Congress, from leading Democrats Pete Aguilar, D-Redlands, and Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, to Republicans Michelle Steel, R-Fountain Valley, and Darrel Issa, R-San Diego. Creating a reason beyond political considerations, Commissioner Dayne Bocho said, “I do believe that the Space Force has failed to establish that SpaceX is a part of the federal government, part of our defense.” NASA currently does not have any of its own active vehicles for transporting goods or humans to space, and must rely either on Russia, or on American commercial partners such as SpaceX, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Boeing’s Starliner was sent to space in June for its first manned mission to the International Space Station. The eight day mission has now turned into an eight month mission due to the Starliner capsule being deemed unsafe to bring the astronauts home; soon thereafter, one Russian Soyuz capsule went to the station, after which NASA sent up a SpaceX Dragon capsule to carry back the stranded astronauts. Boeing, which has outsourced (and significantly offshored) 70% of its design, engineering, and manufacturing, has lost $33 billion over the past five years following reliability concerns and two fatal crashes of its new, best-selling 737 Max 8 plane due to design, maintenance, and training-related issues. As noted by conservative leaders, Musk cited the state’s policies — specifically its new rule banning parental notification for gender change requests from K-12 students — for his official relocation of X, formerly known as Twitter, and SpaceX to Texas.

“First Newsom drove SpaceX to move its headquarters out of California,” said Congressman Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, on X. “Now, his Coastal Commission is denying their launch plan because the commissioners don’t like Elon’s political posts.” First Amendment advocates wondered how it was legal to consider Musk’s legally protected political speech in its regulatory actions. “While the commission can consider the nature of SpaceX’s activities and their environmental impact, the First Amendment forbids government agencies from leveraging regulatory power to stifle protected speech,” said the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a pro-First Amendment legal nonprofit, in a statement. “That was true when Florida’s government punished Disney for opposing Gov. Ron DeSantis’s education policies, it was true when a New York agency leaned on insurance companies to cut ties with the NRA because of its political advocacy, and it’s true here.”

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“If I’m friendly with people, if I can have a relationship with people, that’s a good thing, not a bad thing..”

Staying In Touch With Putin Would Be ‘Smart’ – Trump (RT)

Former US President Donald Trump has refused to confirm or deny contacting Russian President Vladimir Putin since leaving office in 2021, but said that doing so would have been “a smart thing.” Trump has repeatedly vowed to use his “great relationship” with Putin to end the Ukraine conflict if he is elected next month. American journalist Bob Woodward’s latest book, ‘War’, which was published this week, claims that Trump secretly spoke to Putin seven times since leaving office in 2021, and sent Russia Covid-19 testing equipment in 2020, while he was still president. Trump’s campaign initially declared that “none of these made up stories by Bob Woodward are true,” but in an interview with Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait on Tuesday, the former president struck a more ambiguous tone.

“I don’t comment on that, but I will tell you that if I did, it’s a smart thing,” Trump told Mickelthwait. “If I’m friendly with people, if I can have a relationship with people, that’s a good thing, not a bad thing, in terms of a country…he’s got 2,000 nuclear weapons and so do we.” Trump maintains that the Ukraine conflict never would have begun if he had won the 2020 election, and that President Joe Biden’s “stupid words” antagonized Putin into launching his offensive in February 2022. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ promise of open-ended support for Ukraine risks dragging the US into “World War III,” he has repeatedly declared. After meeting Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky last month, Trump boasted that he had a “very good relationship” with both Zelensky and Putin and promised to “get [the Ukraine conflict] resolved very quickly” if he wins November’s election.

According to his running mate, J.D. Vance, Trump would likely start talks with Russia, Ukraine, and European stakeholders to establish a demilitarized zone along the current front line, with Ukraine agreeing to stay out of NATO The Kremlin has cast doubt on Trump’s promises of peace, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggesting that he does not “think there is a magic wand” that can stop the fighting overnight. Peskov confirmed last week that Trump did indeed send Covid-19 tests to Russia in 2020.. “But about the phone calls – it’s not true,” he added.

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“They already had great cooperation during Trump’s presidential term. Since then, they have maintained this relationship..”

Hungary Publicly Backs Trump (RT)

A victory for Donald Trump in the upcoming US presidential election would be the best outcome for Hungary, the country’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview with RIA Novosti on Tuesday. Budapest will respect the choice of US voters regardless, he added. Szijjarto had previously said US-Hungarian relations were strongest when Trump was in the White House and that Trump’s reelection would improve the chances of securing peace in the world. “We are very proud of the fact that President Trump usually refers to his friendly relationship with [Hungarian] Prime Minister [Viktor] Orban,” Szijjarto said. “The two of them enjoy a great relationship both on a personal and professional basis. They already had great cooperation during Trump’s presidential term. Since then, they have maintained this relationship,” he revealed.

The Hungarian foreign minister went on to say: “If I look at the US elections from the Hungarian angle … it would be much better for us if Trump were elected by the Americans. “On the other hand, I would like to stress that, since we are not American citizens, we always respect the results of the elections in the United States, regardless of the outcome. We try to build the best relationship because this shows respect for the will of the American people,” Szijjarto concluded. Orban and Trump established close relations during the latter’s presidency, and the Hungarian leader has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Republican’s current campaign, saying earlier this month that he would “open several bottles of champagne” if Trump were elected. Both have also advocated for a swift diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict, and Orban has said on more than one occasion that there would be a greater chance of reaching a peace deal if Trump were to win.

Meanwhile, Szijjarto had earlier denounced the US Democratic Party’s nominee Kamala Harris over her comments regarding the Hungarian prime minister. Last week, during an appearance with Stephen Collbert on CBS News, Harris was asked about Trump’s relationship with world leaders, including Orban, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. In response, the US vice president described them as “dictators, autocrats, and people who could rightly be called killers.” Szijjarto said later: “This is outrageous. It’s unacceptable to speak about my prime minister in such a manner. It shows a complete lack of respect for him and the Hungarian people.” He also suggested that such words were “definitely not the best start” for any future relations. The latest polls show the Democratic and Republican nominees locked in a dead heat with less than a month to go. Election day is November 5, although early voting by mail has already started in some states.

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He knows too much.

Fani Willis Tries To Block Nathan Wade From Testifying To Congress (JTN)

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seeking to block former special prosecutor Nathan Wade from testifying before Congress, arguing he might “improperly divulge confidential information.” In a letter released Monday to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio., the Georgia attorney said that Wade’s testimony could violate protected privileges that are upheld by the Fulton County District Attorney’s office. “I am concerned that your demand for Mr. Wade’s testimony would force him to improperly divulge confidential information that is protected by privileges held by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office and demands that Mr. Wade violates State Bar of Georgia rules that govern conduct of attorneys,” the letter reads. Republicans reacted angrily, suggesting a coverup. “What is she trying to hide,” the committee’s GOP majority asked on its official X account.

The letter was written on Oct. 11 and the House Judiciary Committee released it on the social media platform, X on Monday. A GOP-led U.S. House panel subpoenaed Wade as part of an investigation into his romantic relationship with Willis. Last year Willis indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants over their efforts to challenge the 2020 election results in Georgia. A Trump co-defendant tried to have Willis removed upon learning she and Wade, whom she appointed as special prosecutor in the case, had a romantic relationship. Among the arguments was that Willis financially benefited from the deal, considering, in part, Wade was paying for them to take romantic vacations together out of the funds he was paid in the case. Willis requested in the letter to Jordan that he retract his request for Wade to testify.

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“..Now the public is being asked to vote for the most anti-free speech ticket in centuries..”

Walzing Around Free Speech (Turley)

On Sunday, Walz’s dance partner was Fox News host Shannon Bream, who seemed to be fighting vertigo as the candidate tried to deflect his shocking prior statements on free speech. Bream asked Walz about his prior declaration that there is “no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech”— a statement that runs counter to decades of Supreme Court decisions. Walz notably did not deny or retract his statement. Instead, his interview ironically became itself a flagrant example of misinformation. First of all, misinformation and hate speech are not exceptions to the First Amendment: Whether it is the cross burnings of infamous figures like KKK leader Clarence Brandenburg or the Nazis who marched in Skokie, Ill., hate speech is protected. Yet both Harris and Walz are true believers in the righteousness of censorship for disinformation, misinformation and malinformation.

The Biden administration defines misinformation as “false, but not created or shared with the intention of causing harm” — meaning it would subject you to censorship even if you are not intending harm. It defines malinformation as “based on fact, but used out of context to mislead, harm, or manipulate.” So you can post “true facts,” but would still be subject to censorship if you are viewed as misleading others with your pesky truth-telling. Furthermore, “book bans” are not equivalent to the Harris-Walz censorship policies. After years of supporting censorship and blacklisting, Democrats are attempting to deflect questions by claiming that the GOP is the greater threat. “We’re seeing censorship coming in the form of book bannings in different places,” Walz told Bream. “We’re seeing attempts in schools.” First, a reality check: The Biden-Harris administration has helped fund and actively support the largest censorship system in our history, a system described by one federal court as “Orwellian.”

These are actual and unrelenting efforts to target individuals and groups for opposing views on subjects ranging from gender identity to climate change to COVID to election fraud. While Walz and others rarely specifically reference the book bans in question, Florida is one state whose laws concern age limits on access to graphic or sexual material in schools. School districts have always been given wide latitude in making such decisions on curriculum or library policies. Indeed, while rarely mentioned by the media, the left has demanded the banning or alteration of a number of classic books, including “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Of Mice and Men,” under diversity or equity rationales. I have long opposed actual book bans perpetrated by both the left and the right. However, school districts have always made such access and curriculum decisions. Finally, Walz and others often sell censorship by citing the dangers of child pornography or of threats made against individuals.

Walz on Sunday followed Hillary Clinton’s recent pro-censorship campaign as he employed such misdirection. “The issue on this was the hate speech and the protected hate speech — speech that’s aimed at creating violence, speech that’s aimed at threats to individuals,” he claimed. “That’s what we’re talking about in this.” First, he’d said there is no protected hate speech. Second, the law already provides ample protections against threats toward individuals. What’s most striking is that, after years of unapologetically embracing censorship (often under the Orwellian term “content moderation”), the left does not seem to want to discuss it in this election. Democrats in Congress opposed every major effort to investigate the role of the Biden administration in the social-media censorship system it constructed. Many denied any such connection. Elon Musk ended much of that debate with the release of the Twitter Files showing thousands of emails from the administration targeting individuals and groups with opposing views.

Now the public is being asked to vote for the most anti-free speech ticket in centuries — but neither Harris nor Walz want to talk about it in any detail. The result may be the largest bait-and-switch in history.

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“He called on Europeans to prevent their continent from “sliding into the darkness of neo-Nazism.”

Zelensky Wants West To Fight Russia – Exiled Ukrainian Opposition Leader (RT)

Parts of Europe could be turned into “a concentration camp” as Kiev tries to provoke a war between the West and Russia, exiled Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk has warned. Writing in an article for the Other Ukraine news outlet on Monday, Medvedchuk suggested that the primary goal of Vladimir Zelensky’s so-called ‘victory plan’ – which he has been touting to Kiev’s foreign backers – is to push the collective West “into a war with Russia under the leadership of Ukraine and Zelensky personally.” Pointing to how some officials in Kiev have already hailed Ukraine as “the most democratic country in Europe,” claiming it would be “at the top of the EU member states” if it joins the bloc, Medvedchuk suggested that citizens in some European countries could soon be compelled into military service, similarly to how this is enforced in Ukraine.

“Why should men be caught on the streets for war with Russia only in Ukraine? Everything is moving towards the fact that such a ‘festival of democracy’ will be held throughout Europe, and the Ukrainian Territorial Recruitment Office (TCC) will teach this to their European subordinates,” Medvedchuk wrote. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has already suggested that the EU should prepare for war with Russia, he added. Medvedchuk suggested that “Zelensky’s advanced methods” could be used to increase taxes on the population in some European countries in order to fund the military. EU officials could also follow Kiev in banning certain nationalities, religions, and cultures, he warned. “Some may think this is nonsense and an inappropriate joke, but we should remember history,” Medvedchuk said.

“Not long ago, people were burned alive in Europe for the ‘wrong’ nationality and ‘wrong’ political views,” he added, recalling that many Nazi death camps during World War II were guarded by ethnic Ukrainians, who had become “part of the punitive system in Europe.” “Today, it is not Russia, but Nazi Ukraine that dreams of being the gendarme of Europe. And this is a very real scenario, since the process of turning Europe into a concentration camp has been launched,” Medvedchuk claimed. He called on Europeans to prevent their continent from “sliding into the darkness of neo-Nazism.” Medvedchuk was leader of the Opposition Platform – For Life party, formerly the second-largest group in the Ukrainian parliament, until his arrest in April 2022. The party was banned three months later, and Medvedchuk was sent to Russia in exchange for several Ukrainian POWs in September. Since then, he has headed the Other Ukraine movement and acts as chairman of its council.

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“..the units that they considered to be the most unassailable and elite, they are also beginning to slowly lean toward surrendering, as they want to stay alive..”

‘Elite’ Ukrainian Troops Surrender In Kursk Region – Chechen Commander (RT)

Many members of the ‘elite’ Ukrainian units that invaded Russia’s Kursk Region often surrender because they are no longer able to fight and want to stay alive, Major-General Apty Alaudinov, the commander of the Akhmat Special Forces from Russia’s Chechen Republic, has said. In an interview with Russian journalist Vladimir Solovyov on Tuesday, Alaudinov rejected Kiev’s claims that Russian soldiers executed nine Ukrainian service members in Kursk Region, many of whom were drone operators. The general dismissed the claim as a psyop, arguing that Ukraine “needs to create fake news to discourage its military from surrendering,” as many of its soldiers “openly say they can fight no more.” Despite these efforts, he added, Ukrainian soldiers “often decide to surrender anyway.”

“What’s interesting is that the units that they considered to be the most unassailable and elite, they are also beginning to slowly lean toward surrendering, as they want to stay alive,” he said. According to Alaudinov, Russia is ready to spare even those who serve in the Aidar Battalion or Azov units, which have been accused of having neo-Nazi sympathies, if they lay down their arms. The general uploaded a video earlier in the day featuring a soldier claiming to be a Ukrainian serviceman who once served in the Aidar Battalion. Standing against a backdrop of Russian and Chechen flags, he said he surrendered voluntarily and asked Alaudinov for help in obtaining Russian citizenship and joining the Ahmat Special Forces.

Several Western media outlets have reported that the Ukrainian military is struggling with exhaustion, low morale, and desertion, with many of the reinforcements arriving at the front suffering from inadequate training, a factor which only exacerbates the above-mentioned issues. Ukraine launched a large-scale incursion into Kursk Region in early August, reportedly committing some of its best troops to the offensive. While they initially made some progress, the incursion forces were halted and later pushed back, according to Moscow. Ukraine has lost more than 23,000 troops since the start of the attack, the Russian Defense Ministry has reported.

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“The Democrats don’t want the US fighting in behalf of Greater Israel prior to the November election, and Putin doesn’t want war prior to the BRICS meeting.”

The Road to War (Paul Craig Roberts)

The Third Reich is universally demonized, but it was nevertheless far more representative of the German people than the present German government. The present day German government represents the immigrant-invaders. Hitler represented the German people. He rescued them from the unfair burden of the Versailles reparations. He cured inflation and put Germans back to work. He gave them transportation–“the peoples car” — Volkswagen. As David Irving has documented in his histories, Churchill’s War and Hitler’s War, Hitler was forced into war by the British and French. The British gave an unenforceable “guarantee” to the Polish military dictatorship that resulted in Poland refusing to return to Germany the German populations torn from Germany by the Versailles Treaty. Blocked from rescuing Germans via diplomacy from Polish persecution, Germany made an agreement with the Soviet Union to divide Poland in half. Hitler struck first and the Soviet Union soon followed, but the British and French only declared war on Germany.

That is how WWII started. It started when the British and French governments declared war on Germany. Hitler had made it perfectly clear that he did not intend or want war with England and France. Once the British and French governments started the war, it only took Hitler a few weeks to destroy their military forces. Hitler offered England amazing peace terms, including the protection of the British Empire by German forces. Churchill hid the peace terms from his cabinet and ordered the fire-bombing of German cities, a war crime. We are experiencing the same thing in Ukraine today. Washington engineered a coup and overthrew the Ukrainian government and installed a puppet. The puppet began oppressing the Russian areas in Eastern and Southern Ukraine that were attached to Ukraine by Soviet leaders for administrative and political reasons. Ukraine would not stop the persecution and artillery bombardment of the Russian populations and forced Russia to intervene.

Washington and its NATO puppets quickly widened the war, which was headed into WW III until, apparently, Washington backed away from the threat of sending long range missiles into Russia herself. We don’t know for sure, but that seems to be the case. No sooner than we are, hopefully, spared this avenue into war than we find ourselves on another road to war: an Israeli/US attack on Iran. Washington keeps sending more forces allegedly to “protect Israel,” but realistically to support an attack on Iran. Iran is the target, because Iran is in the way of Greater Israel. Not long ago Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, held up a map of Greater Israel–from the Nile to the Euphrates. Just the other day the Zionist Israeli Finance Minister enlarged Greater Israel. It now includes Saudi Arabia.

The purpose of neoconservative Washington’s “wars against terrorism” in the Middle east–Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria until Russia blocked Obama’s attack on Syria–was to end the flow of arms and money to the Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon. Israel coveting the water resources, the Litani River, twice invaded Lebanon intending to occupy the area. Twice a third world militia–Hezbollah–drove the vaunted Israeli Army out. Ever since the Israeli’s have been scheming to have Americans do the job for them by attacking Iran. If Iran can be destroyed, Hezbollah will be without arms and money, and Zionist Israel can expand. This is what the Middle East situation is about. Christian gentiles and Muslims have to die so that Israel can expand. The Muslims will die, because they are disunited and have been for many centuries, thus pissing away their power. The gentiles will die because they have been made guilty by the Holocaust narrative.

“Christian” evangelicals, who are not Christian in any sense, think that it is God’s will for Americans to die for Israel. This is the level of intelligence in the Western world. Putin’s lack of force is one reason we are facing the risk of nuclear Armageddon. Putin let the conflict in Ukraine widen to the point that his back was to the wall, and he had to say “missiles sent into Mother Russia means the US and NATO are at war with Russia.” Both the outgoing and incoming NATO Secretary Generals said, “There is no reason to believe Putin. He never does anything.” Obviously, these statements reveal that the West is not convinced that Russia will fight, no matter what insults and provocations are heaped upon Putin and Russia.

In the Middle East, after showing proactive leadership and preventing Obama’s Invasion of Syria, Putin again became reactive, leaving all initiative in the hands of Israel and Washington. Consequently, the lack of Russian, Chinese, and Iranian leadership has resulted in the same war conditions arising in the Middle East. For reasons difficult to understand, Russia, China, and Iran have not announced a mutual defense treaty. Such a treaty would immediately end the conflict in the Middle East. Both Israel and Washington are insane, but they still realize that they have zero chance of surviving a conflict with Russia, China, and Iran. So, where is this treaty than can stop World War III? The Democrats don’t want the US fighting in behalf of Greater Israel prior to the November election, and Putin doesn’t want war prior to the BRICS meeting. Therefore, the can will be kicked down the road. But the issue is far from resolved.

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“The BRICS currency is very far along in establishing itself as a viable payment currency.”

This Will Destroy the Dollar (Jim Rickards)

The subject of a BRICS currency is confusing to most observers and is a fraught topic even for many experts. We’ll call the potential currency a BRIC for convenience although no formal name has been announced. The starting point is to distinguish between a payment currency and a reserve currency. A payment currency is used to settle purchases and sales of tradable goods and services. A reserve currency is the denomination of the currency in which national savings are invested, typically in U.S. Treasury securities or gold. Some currencies perform both functions as reserve and payment currencies especially U.S. dollars and euros. A finance minister or central banker can move from one to the other; currencies earned can be invested as reserves or reserves can be sold to finance purchases. Still, it’s important to bear the distinction in mind when evaluating the use case for each currency, especially BRICs. Put differently, a flaw or deficiency in one usage does not preclude the other.

The BRICS currency is very far along in establishing itself as a viable payment currency. The prerequisites are: agreed-upon value (which can be fixed to another currency, floating or pegged to a weight of gold), secure payments channels (basically high-speed, encrypted digital pipes for authenticated message traffic), digital ledgers and an agreed issuer (the NDB based in Shanghai may be suitable for this purpose but another institution could be created). The single most important element is a sufficiently large membership in the BRICS currency union such that a recipient of BRICS payments can use them for purchases in many jurisdictions for many goods and services. This last point is where most alternative currency payments arrangements fall down. Russia can sell oil to China for yuan (which they are currently doing) but they are constrained in terms of where they can spend the yuan (basically limited to Chinese manufactured goods and semiconductors).

The same issue arises when Russia sells oil to India (for rupees) or weapons to Iran (for rials). The seller is limited in terms of what they can buy with the trading partner’s currency. This constraint goes away in a currency union with 15 or 20 members or more. If Russia earns BRICs from China, they can buy Embraer aircraft from Brazil or semiconductors from Malaysia. For that matter, use of a payment currency in a multimember currency union is not limited to members. With access to the payment channels, non-members can nevertheless agree to receive the BRICS currency in payment confident in their ability to spend it among the other BRICS members who are trading partners. The proof of this is the eurozone, which is currently a 20-member currency union with a single central bank and worldwide acceptance of the euro. Moving from a payment currency to a reserve currency is more difficult. The prerequisite here is a large, liquid bond market.

That bond market has to be surrounded by extensive transactional and legal infrastructure including: securities at all maturities (30 days to 30 years), an underwriting system (primary dealers in the U.S.), an auction system for sales of new issues, a repo market to finance inventories, futures, options, other derivatives (swaps), settlement channels, custodians (DTCC, others), etc. Above all, holders need a good rule of law regime on which to rely in the case of disputes or defaults. All of these elements exist in the reserve currency bond market nonpareil — the U.S. Treasury securities market. None of it exists in the form of a putative BRICS bond market. It would likely take 10 years or longer to create reserve currency infrastructure with the biggest single impediment being the rule of law. That said, there are several interesting developments taking place. The first is that the U.S. is squandering its rule of law advantage with sanctions on Russia, the freezing of the assets of the Central Bank of Russia and efforts to actually steal those assets and convert them into a $50 billion loan to Ukraine using structured finance.

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“..has had to make significant and highly expensive amendments to our fleet programs as a result of Boeing’s multiple contractual shortfalls..”

Emirates Flags ‘Serious Talks’ With Boeing (RT)

The president of Emirates, one of the world’s largest international airlines, has said the carrier will have “serious conversations” with Boeing after the US manufacturing giant announced that its 777X model will be further delayed. Boeing confirmed last week that the first delivery of its widebody aircraft will be postponed to 2026, nearly six years after the 777X aircraft was due to reach customers. Commenting on the delay, Emirates president Tim Clark stated on Monday that the airline “has had to make significant and highly expensive amendments to our fleet programs as a result of Boeing’s multiple contractual shortfalls, and we will be having a serious conversation with them over the next couple of months.” The United Arab Emirates flagship carrier is also one of Boeing’s largest widebody customers, with an outstanding order for 150 aircraft.

The first 777Xs were originally scheduled for delivery in 2021, but the company has repeatedly pushed back the launch date. In August, the manufacturer suspended 777X flight tests after discovering cracks in a critical component connecting engines to wings. The delivery delay comes as the company grapples with certification hurdles and labor strikes involving nearly 33,000 of its US workers. The ongoing strikes have undercut the production of Boeing’s best-selling planes such as the 737 MAX, 777 and 767, and halted its 777X test program. Last week, Boeing also announced plans to cut 17,000 jobs over the coming months, representing nearly 10% of its workforce, as the aerospace giant’s losses continue to mount.

Clark expressed frustration over revised timelines for 777X deliveries, which have been shared by other airline executives awaiting supplies amid strong travel demand. “Given the Type Inspection Authorization halt on the 777X with no clear timeline for the restart, coupled with strikes entering a fourth week, I fail to see how Boeing can make any meaningful forecasts of delivery dates,” he stated. Emirates has had to launch a $3 billion retrofit program to include 191 aircraft to accommodate the postponement. The program involves upgrading the carrier’s existing fleet of Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft, installing next-generation seating and overhauling the interiors to extend their operations. With extended delays, the airline has been forced to extend the lifespans of existing jets, increasing aircraft maintenance costs.

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“A large gap remains between Republicans and Democrats, with only 12% of the former expressing trust in media reporting against 54% of the latter.”

Trust in US News Media Hits Record Low – Gallup (RT)

Less than a third of Americans trust US news media, a record low figure, according to a new Gallup poll published Monday. This year’s poll showed a 1 percentage point drop of Americans who believe the media reports the news fully and accurately from last year. The trend has been on a downward trajectory since 2018. For the third consecutive year, the number of Americans who claim to completely distrust the media remained higher than those who trust it. The new poll, however, demonstrated a slight drop, with 36% of respondents expressing complete distrust versus 39% in 2023. Meanwhile, those having “not very much” confidence in the media grew to reach 33% this year. A large gap remains between Republicans and Democrats, with only 12% of the former expressing trust in media reporting against 54% of the latter.

However, the partisan gap has actually been narrowing in the last couple of years. According to data aggregated by Gallup, in 2022, for instance, some 70% of Democrats expressed confidence in the media. The pollster sampled 1,007 adult Americans living across the country. The survey was conducted over the first two weeks of September via phone interviews. Respondents were picked randomly for the survey. Gallup first asked Americans the question back in 1972 and has conducted the media trust poll on an almost yearly basis since 1997. While in the 1970s, the trust rate hovered around the 70% mark, it had deteriorated to around 55% by the late 1990s, and has continued to drop over the past two decades.

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Sounds barely serious.

British Government’s Novichok Trial Reveals A Toxic Shock (Helmer)

In the first day of public hearings directed by retired judge Anthony Hughes – titled Lord Hughes of Ombersley (lead image) – the evidence compiled over six years by the police, secret services, CCTV records, and witnesses is that Novichok, identified as one of the world’s fastest acting nerve poisons, was sprayed on the front door-handle of Sergei Skripal’s house in order to kill him by direct contact. “As each of them touched the front door-handle on the way out of the house, that they were poisoned with Novichok,” reported the judge’s chief counsel, Andrew O’Connor KC. “It was this door handle that was the source or, in their [police] term, the ground zero of the Novichok contamination”, (O’Connor page 19, line 13, page 24, line 6). In the official narrative, it then took at least two and a half hours to act on the alleged Russian assassination targets, Sergei and Yulia Skripal, as they sat on a bench in the centre of Salisbury town after drinking at a local pub and then eating at a restaurant.

That was between 1:30 pm and 4 pm on March 4, 2018. Between the prosecution’s alleged murder weapon and the attempted murder, 120 to 150 minutes had elapsed. This contrasts with the official narrative of the Novichok poisoning of Dawn Sturgess on June 30, 2018, that between contact with the poison and her fatal heart attack the elapsed interval was “between about 9.30 and 10 o’clock that morning” — less than 30 minutes. The evidence of the two assassins – Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov — charged with attempted murder of the Skripals includes “plentiful evidence of their movements and actions and we will review it in detail during the coming hearings. The evidence is complex and of course the detail matters. For today’s purposes, I propose simply to outline the effect of the CCTV evidence regarding Petrov and Boshirov’s movements in the course of their two visits to Salisbury.”

In the summary presented to Hughes’ courtroom for the first time of CCTV imagery, there is no evidence at all that the assassins came close to the Skripal house, neither on their first walking tour of the town on March 3, nor on the following fateful day, March 4. “Of course the detail matters” – but there is no fresh evidence of how close or how far the alleged assassins came to the Skripal house. All that is now alleged in the photographic and map displays presented during the hearing is that “both Petrov and Boshirov and the Skripals are in very much the same area at very much the same time. One has to aim off course because two of them are on foot and then there’s the car. But it does seem at least possible that Boshirov and Petrov may even have been in the vicinity of Sergei Skripal’s house at the time that the Skripals were leaving.”

For the inquiry team and its police and government sources, O’Connor admitted the CCTV evidence for the allegation that Boshirov and Petrov sprayed their poison on the Skripal door-handle is missing. “They were then lost from the view of CCTV cameras for 31 minutes before they re-emerged at the junction of the High Street and Bridge Street — that’s the blue marking to the right that you can see there – and walked back towards the station. You will hear evidence, sir, as to where they might have been and what they might have done during that 31-minute period.”

Read more …

“Druzhba is also one of the most technically-sophisticated manmade engineering projects in history.”

Druzhba: Oil Mega-Pipeline That Evaded US Sabotage (Sp.)

Tuesday is the anniversary of the creation of Druzbha – the world’s longest oil pipeline, and one of the most technically sophisticated pieces of man-made engineering every created. Here’s what’s important to know about the project, why it was conceived, and why the US and its allies tried, but failed, to stop it. October 15 marks the 60th anniversary of the inauguration of the Druzhba (‘Friendship’) oil pipeline. Conceived in 1958 at a meeting of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance – the Soviet-led analogue to Western European integration, Druzhba helped forge closer economic links between the USSR and its Eastern European allies, and eventually, between Russia and the whole of Europe. Drawn up to aid an economic boom being experienced by Eastern Europe, Druzhba was built to replace more costly and infrastructure-intensive rail-based oil deliveries.

Sourcing oil from the Volga-Ural oil and gas basin and starting off in Almetyevsk, modern-day Tatarstan, Druzhba runs west to Mozyr in Belarus, where it splits into two routes – one to eastern Germany via Poland, and another through Ukraine toward Bratislava in Slovakia, Prague in the Czech Republic and Budapest in Hungary. Members of the Soviet-led economic alliance, namely Albania, Hungary, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, contributed equipment and know-how, with the USSR and Poland delivering 730,000 tons of 420-1,220 mm pipes, East Germany pumps for pumping stations, Hungary automation equipment and communications gear, and Czechoslovakia valves and fittings. The US sought to sanction the project into submission, slapping restrictions on Western European sales of large-diameter pipes to the Eastern Bloc after the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. Russian Chelyabinsk’s industrialists saved the day, creating pipes of the necessary diameter.

The success of the project led to the construction of a second line – known as Druzhba-2 and running along the same route, in 1974. With Moscow selling oil to allies via long-term contracts, Eastern Europe was largely insulated from the oil shocks suffered by the West in the 1970s and early 1980s. Between 1971 and 1980, Hungary’s material national income rose by 62%, East Germany’s by 59%, Poland’s by 73%, Czechoslovakia’s by 57%, and capital construction in these countries grew 1.9, 1.7, 2.2, and 1.8 times, respectively. This allowed the region to build tens of millions of new apartments, industrial goods and finished products ranging from cars and electronics to household goods. After the USSR’s collapse, Germany’s reunification and the European Union’s expansion, Druzhba became a key source of fuel for Europe’s economic prosperity, helping Eastern Europe with its difficult transition to the market, and Germany in its effort to build on its status as an industrial powerhouse.

Accounting for expansions (including extensions to deliver oil to southern Germany and Austria), Druzhba holds the record as the longest oil pipeline network in the world, consisting of a whopping 8,900 km of pipe, 46 pumping stations, 38 intermediate pumping stations, and reservoirs that can hold up to 1.5 million cubic meters of oil. Druzhba is also one of the most technically-sophisticated manmade engineering projects in history, crossing the Volga, Oka, Don, Dnepr, Dniestr, Vistula and Dunabe rivers and hundreds of smaller waterways, thousands of roads and railways, the Pinsk Marshes and the mountains of Carpathia. The pipeline has an estimated capacity to pump up to 2 million barrels per day, or nearly a fifth of Russia’s total oil output. Until recently, it accounted for up to half of all Russian oil exports.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Home Forums Debt Rattle October 16 2024

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 59 total)
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  • #171612

    Peter Stackpole Sophia Loren in a Manhattan Coffee, NYC 1958   • Trump Promises Government Position For Musk (RT) • California Gov’t Blocks New M
    [See the full post at: Debt Rattle October 16 2024]

    #171615
    V. Arnold
    Participant

    Peter Stackpole Sophia Loren in a Manhattan Coffee, NYC 1958

    …an absolutely gorgeous woman…

    #171616
    Dora
    Participant

    Is Clinton throwing Harris under the bus? I wonder what her real polling numbers look like.

    https://x.com/greg_price11/status/1845869475863597075

    #171617
    Dr. D
    Participant

    Snowing in October: Global Warming! We’re all gonna dieeeeee!

    “Trump’s MENTAL COLLAPSE Gets Worse at Chicago Event: He can barely speak!” –MeidasTouch

    Yeah, if only. Would you like 20 videos on how Ukraine is winning the war too? Oh and following tradition, it’s OUR fault Israel can’t get it up and shoot Iran. Honest! Not that they’ve been savaged by the missiles, have no air defense, and have no means to escalate from here without getting hammered. Everything that happens is the fault of the United States. Otherwise, countries and leaders would have to take responsibility for themselves, and we can’t have that!

    “Trump Destroys Bloomberg Editor-In-Chief, Receives Standing Ovation In Chicago

    Yup, he was so destroyed he didn’t notice, then got up from his chair and continued on his high status, 6-figure job of fame and fortune, instead of, say, being destroyed by making $15/hr with no benefits, no health care at Denny’s. THAT would be “Destroyed”. Oh, that’s what you have in mind for all of us? Yeah, we noticed.

    “The 2024 Election – The Last Election We Will Ever Have” –Armstrong

    “We are just too far gone. They think they can rig this election and retain power. The Computer has been projecting MAJOR civil unrest with this election regardless of who wins, and this will be the last election. Everything is just too far gone anymore to save anything. I don’t know what else to say. The Democrats will say this was rigged or Russia interfered again, and the Republicans will be calling it illegal for the aliens. If Trump wins, we will be back to Russian nonsense, and he is not my president. I do not see any way out. This will get bad into 2026.”

    The 2024 Election – The Last Election We Will Ever Have

    Yes, but you see we’re done circling. Last go-round, we would have an equal Civil War 50-50 and level the country. Now we’re at 2/3rds America, with the Derp State outnumbered. Maybe that’s the best we can do. The point is, it matters when the battle starts, who has the initiative, who has the moral high ground. We have most of those things, or at least a much as we’re likely to get. Of course as a citizen, we’re against violence and only in self-defense as is the Human Right. But it seems certain it will come to that in this Window. By delaying…from 1992, 94, 2001, 2008, 2016…we’ve now changed the field substantially and people can at last understand what they’re fighting FOR, but also AGAINST. They had to SEE, and FEEL what would happen, what they don’t want, shoved down their throats every day, so they would know why they should fight back and restore order. Sorry that sucks.

    Getting back to a rule of Federal Law would be good enough. And Federal Law #1 is the Constitution.

    Speaking of, so not much coverage of the NY Appeals who did everything except yank the licenses of the Lawyers in the Trump case. Ha! No: stop there. NY is ultra-blue, with ultra-blue, ultra-corrupt, ultra-partisan, with anti-law employees in every chair at every level from the dog catcher to the Gracy Mansion. Their governor killed 5,000 people and laughed it off as a joke, fully supported from Erie to Montauk. Their Capital City supported Epstein, Weinstein, and Nexium for decades. You can get an “Open-Season” all-Rape pass from the Manhattan DA for a small campaign donation — ON THE BOOKS. They are the host for Hillary’s Senate win, having lived there for 60 seconds before the election.

    …And the NY Appellate court tossed the Trump indictment out the 33rd story window? Doesn’t that tell you something? NOT ONE of those judges is an honest man…or they’d be in the East River. As we well know by 200 years of non-stop corruption there. So they are corrupt ON BEHALF of Trump here? Who’s holding their chain?

    Yeah, sounds like something Luongo would say: Wall Street has had it with the M——-g Snakes on this M——–g Plane. They’re taking out Faction G. Ruining all business in NY is … bad for business in NY? Who knew? But they’re all one club, all the same. Right? Those ruling for are the same as those ruling against, as going to jail = not going to jail. Being bankrupted is the same as getting rich. As this NEW YORK court keeps Cheeto out of jail, and keeps him rich enough to pay people in the election. …AND HE KNEW IT. Look at his behavior. He’s well informed about it in the background. He knows. But he needs YOU to know, which means we need this pantomime so YOU, the people of America, the world, and investors of NY know and get PROOF of what’s going on out there.

    They’re shutting down Russian Rev 2.0 being run on us. But that means it will come into the open (as in 2026) because otherwise they will all be rounded up and killed without a fight. So they HAVE to fight. But against 1/3 of the U.S., and 20 states? Or against 2/3 of the U.S. and all 50 states? …As we now see in Washington, Oregon, and CA, having had enough. NY having had enough, with the Mayor, Police Chief, etc all arrested, indicted and brought to heel.

    By whom?

    Well unless there are two sides I don’t see, the same people running NY Supreme Court and letting Trump off. Arresting all police in NYC, Trump’s hometown, means less election rigging in the rigged city, the rigging you don’t get in bright red hillbilly counties by rural Pennsylvania? NY abuts Pittsburgh you know. And rural VT, and Canada. So although doesn’t seem like it, it’s the same island of Blue in a sea of Red that Illinois is. And Georgia, and Colorado, and….

    “They are telegraphing their plan to steal PA!”

    They are going to keep counting…and counting…and counting…because the rulz are: we count until we win, then we stop! So all media is on this now: NY Times as well, this plan is definitely in play. Weird ‘cuz it’s a weak one and isn’t new. I’d look for Elias, who instead doesn’t allow any purges, even of bad names, and arrests anyone who contests and “Files paperwork.” What they may do is queer the vote – their favorite word – such that no one can figure out anything. Then Harris stays in! Forevah! Like Zelensky, our democratic hero!

    O’Keefe: yes, the “Demoralization” campaign, which I thought was the “de Morale – ization” campaign. But no, it is to erase all Morals in society, all notion, even the ghost of what is right and wrong. So you can get 30 million vote checkers all to have no idea whether it’s right or wrong to lie with every name, and cheat every vote. That’s moral right? If it’s done for a good cause?

    This works because the crime itself may be a misdemeanor, erroneously certifying federal records, a paperwork error. The system is protected because, how on earth would you get a million guys to all commit a misdemeanor? Oh, like this, that’s how. Ask Bezmanov. Like 250 million out of 300 million Americans would commit any crime they can get away with – heck, schools are filled with woman teachers making out with 11-year-olds. (this week), you think they won’t do a PAPERWORK error? And if the other side obeys the law, it only HAMPERS them.

    “A government for a moral society and unfit for any other” – John Adams.

    “”Do you think that non-citizens, when they’ve self-identified as a non-citizen, should [vote]”?

    Yes, but as I’ve said, like most of the country can hear that now and no sparks go off, because they have no morality, reason, or limits. They have, in fact, there is, no morality without God or a Creator. Man will always justify everything to himself.

    ““get to Mars before the end of my administration, which will be long before, hopefully, China or Russia.”

    Yup, we’re going to beat China from Mars. Now that we’ve reached Mars, should we bomb it?

    “The California government denied an Air Force request to allow Elon Musk’s SpaceX to increase its California rocket launches, citing Musk’s politics.”

    Wow, you’re not supposed to SAY that. I really appreciate the honesty for a change now, though. Now CA will have no leverage since all companies will leave there.

    “First Amendment advocates wondered how it was legal to consider Musk’s legally protected political speech in its regulatory actions.”

    The Party comes first, comrade. And the glorious eternal revolution. That gloriously, eternally kills eternal, infinite people in said war actions.

    “According to his running mate, J.D. Vance, Trump would likely start talks with Russia, Ukraine, and European stakeholders to establish a demilitarized zone along the current front line,”

    Hahahaha. You’re kidding, right? We’re going to have a Korean DMZ 70 years after seeing how THAT worked out, and ALSO allow the remaining Ukraine into NATO? Okie dokie then. I’ll watch. Here’s a hint though: You and Whose Army?

    “Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seeking to block former special prosecutor Nathan Wade from testifying before Congress, arguing he might “improperly divulge confidential information.”

    Citizens can just remain “Confidential” from the government? I’ll have to tell that to the Judge next time I’m subpoenaed. Telling them if I saw the suspect on the night of the murder might reveal proprietary trading information.

    “improperly divulge confidential information that is protected by privileges held by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office”

    Uhhh, not an expert here, but what information could that possibly be? All State’s Prosecution and State’s Evidence is Public. As in: Public. They work for the Public. But never fear: Republicans! They’ll say that’s fine for them. If he doesn’t want to be under oath, he can skip it and bring donuts for everyone.

    ““..Now the public is being asked to vote for the most anti-free speech ticket in centuries..”

    That should be hyperbole, but, I actually think it isn’t. Of course EVERY new candidate gets a new plaque on their wall, in an unbroken string of new lows going back to Lincoln, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay.

    And question of Walz: don’t we have more to ask him about, as everyone from his town is bringing up his School Record, made public at School Board Meetings? That they called him “Touchdown Timmy” because the coach really loved touching them “down there”, sexing up a sleeping with a student football player? Soooo….this is what happens when you don’t do your duty and let that pass at the time, not to scandal yourself and make trouble, possibly bad trouble: then the guy becomes Governor and President, using his crimes as his CV. Do. Your duty.

    “We’re seeing censorship coming in the form of book bannings in different places,” Walz told Bream.”

    No they are not, as they cannot understand active and passive rights. Their “Banning” is that I aren’t forced to PAY for your porn. You can buy it on your own dime and read it to your own kids, idgaf. Weirdo.

    So that’s the #Opposite of banning. Letting you get whatever book you want and do whatever you want with it = banning. Yup! You’re insane alright! Touchdown Timmy on the case.

    “the primary goal of Vladimir Zelensky’s so-called ‘victory plan’ – which he has been touting to Kiev’s foreign backers – is to push the collective West “into a war with Russia under the leadership of Ukraine”

    That is, K-Pop Mafia. Their homeland. Joke’s on you: we’ll lose! We couldn’t win a war with Mexico right now, much less 12 time zones 10,000 miles away. We couldn’t beat Russia in 1950 when they lost 20 million people and had the technology of 1919. When we had 1 Million men in Europe, and all Europe was armed. They didn’t dare then. So okie dokie, tell me all about it.

    “Ukraine has lost more than 23,000 troops since the start of the attack, the Russian Defense Ministry has reported.”

    In Kursk alone, which is 10,000/mo or 2.500 a week. And you wonder why they keep it open.

    “The Muslims will die, because they are disunited and have been for many centuries, thus pissing away their power. “

    Wow, somebody noticed the Arabs and how they treat Palestine. Is that legal? I thought everything had to be the fault of the United States, and everyone else is given a free pass. …As a non-person. China? Doing nothing? Also a permanent veto member? Nope, never mentioned, not their fault, can’t do nothin’. Only us. Other 10 top nations who could do that same? Nope, they don’t exist, only us.

    “”Both the outgoing and incoming NATO Secretary Generals said, “There is no reason to believe Putin. He never does anything.”

    …I mean, except invade Ukraine and annihilate NATO, what have the Russians ever done for us? Just because Russia is already in a war, lost 100-200k men, and have enthusiastic enlistment for 2M more certainly means Russia never does anything. If anything indicates Russia never acts, it’s most certainly arranging Hypersonics in Yemen and taking all Africa, what. Other than destroying NATO, they’re helpless.

    “So, where is this treaty than can stop World War III?”

    You dips—t, A PIECE OF PAPER DOESN’T END A WAR. That’s what Minsk was. So they can sign any paper they want and will immediately ignore it like every treaty in 400 years – ask the Indians, either one. Wars end when ONE SIDE COLLAPSES. They are INCAPABLE of war. So you want a paper that gives the NATO/West a time-out every time we’re losing? F– that. PCR like other Republicans believes if there are rules, no one will break the rulz. What are you, tripping balls right now? WTF is wrong with you, you’re a grown ass adult. THEIR WORDS MEAN NOTHING, if anything from the last 20, 50, 100, or 500 years shows anything.

    THERE IS ONLY WAR until every Neocon/Neolib is removed. That’s a big ask, but we have no choice about it. They made sure.

    ““The BRICS currency is very far along in establishing itself as a viable payment currency.”

    I mean, kind of. It’s not a currency. That alone is important. It’s a system. He’s describing the system needs options. Right. What he doesn’t mention in the excerpt is that the present system is extractive and increasing as they fail. So the WEST is causing everyone to take the trouble to leave, not the East. The more they take, the more it makes sense to leave, and the faster they do it. That means money is leaking, but the more it leaks, the more they have to charge and steal to stay in place, which means the faster it goes, in a self-enforcing feedback loop. We can easily reverse this, but no nation ever does.

    “• Emirates Flags ‘Serious Talks’ With Boeing (RT)

    Okay, who wants planes that fall out of the sky that you can’t get parts? That’s like buying Soviet special. “Closing the Collapse Gap with the Soviet Union.” Also can’t tell what they cost since we have inflation. …That we also lie about, so it may be 2% or may be 20%. Put that in your contract: nah, I’ll just go elsewhere.

    “there is no evidence at all that the assassins came close to the Skripal house,”

    My first question. So the world’s most totalitarian state, with cameras that make Orwell blush, have no photos or evidence of them at all. 31 minutes missing? Okay, who erased all that footage? Did all ten cameras go out in the cellblock while the Bobbies shopped online for expensive cars? Video footage only disappears in one direction: if it helps the accused, it’s never found.

    The US sought to sanction [Druzhba] into submission,”

    Aaaaaaand it worked as well as every other sanction, everywhere in time.

    Okay, aside from this noise and distraction, what’s really going on?

    #171618
    Oroboros
    Participant

    .

    #171619
    Oroboros
    Participant

    .

    #171620
    Oroboros
    Participant

    .

    #171621
    Oroboros
    Participant

    All the breathless headlines about stealing votes and stuffing fake mail-in ballots

    You had FOUR FUCKING YEARS is straighten out that shit Duh’merica.

    So you’re actually stupid enough to be “concerned” about election fraud three weeks before the “election”?

    Grow the fuck your self

    Oh, that’s right Duh’merica, you’re incapable of adult behavior under any circumstance, even the life & death kind.

    Curl up and die Duh’merica, you’re a worthless sack of poo.

    Blow it out you’re ass Duh’merican

    .

    #171622
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Medical NEWS FLASH:

    .

    Empire of Lies “Department of Problem Solving”

    Here, let me help you solve that……

    .

    #171623
    Oroboros
    Participant

    They wouldn’t come out of the shadows, being cowards and all….

    So Decapitate them, literally, and piss down their neck holes, that should do the trick

    .

    #171624
    Oroboros
    Participant

    More “voting advice”

    .

    #171625
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Grow the fuck up Duh’merica

    Oh, that’s right, you can’t, you’re a “special needs country”

    .

    .

    .

    #171626
    Oroboros
    Participant

    .

    #171627
    Oroboros
    Participant

    .

    #171628
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Government

    Learn how to fuck them right back

    .

    #171629
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Duh’merica

    Get Out the Vote Public Service Announcement

    .

    #171630
    Oroboros
    Participant

    In the Empire of Lies All Roads Lead Away From the Truth

    .

    #171631
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Remember on “election day” if you see this sign, it’s too late

    .

    #171633
    Dora
    Participant

    The Democrats release an ad attacking Jill Stein, a third-party candidate, 3 weeks before the election.

    #171634
    Oroboros
    Participant

    .

    .

    #171635
    Oroboros
    Participant

    .

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    #171636
    zerosum
    Participant

    Free speech
    Opinion
    Parallel universes
    Opinion manipulators exist (Democrats and Republicans)
    It’s all in your head
    ———–
    Alternate history lesson
    The Road to War
    Paul Craig Roberts
    October 15, 2024

    This site offers factual information and viewpoints that might be useful in arriving at an understanding of the events of our time. We believe that the information comes from reliable sources, but cannot guarantee the information to be free of mistakes and incorrect interpretations. IPE has no official position on any issue and does not necessarily endorse the statements of any contributor.

    —————
    • Trust in US News Media Hits Record Low – Gallup (RT)

    ———–
    Vladimir Zelensky’s so-called ‘victory plan’
    https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3282617/zelensky-unveils-victory-plan-ukraine-faces-precarious-moment-war?module=perpetual_scroll_0&pgtype=article

    President Volodymyr Zelensky presented Ukraine’s much-debated victory plan at parliament on Oct. 16, though some parts remained classified.

    The proposal is comprised of five points: an invitation to join NATO, a defense aspect, deterrence of Russian aggression, economic growth and cooperation, and post-war security architecture.

    The plan involves three secret addenda that have been shared with international partners. David Arakhamia, the ruling party’s parliamentary leader, said the classified parts would be presented to faction leaders.

    “If the plan is supported, we can end the war no later than next year,” Zelensky said in the parliament in the presence of Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, and Western diplomats.
    ————

    https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-iran-lebanon-gaza-hamas-10-16-24-intl-hnk/index.html
    Israel’s plan to strike Iran is ready, source says
    By Alex Stambaugh, Kathleen Magramo, Jessie Yeung and Antoinette Radford, CNN
    Updated 7:59 AM EDT, Wed October 16, 2024

    Lebanese authorities say the number of Israeli attacks in Lebanon has passed 10,000. Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time in several days. And the mayor of a southern Lebanese city was killed in a strike on Wednesday, according to state media.

    ———

    #171637
    zerosum
    Participant

    Reflection
    Doe anyone expects the U.S to have a free and scrupulously fair and legal election, so that the result will be accepted by everyone.

    #171638
    Just Some Randomer
    Participant

    @Zerosum

    I certainly don’t expect the election to be fair, scrupulously or even approximately. I would further add that while I have zero expectation of it being legal in every case, we must also consider that some parts of the country have been specifically legislating to permit blatantly irregular activities – making them ‘Legal’ but not fair.

    I am genuinely of the opinion that no matter what the announced results of the voting or, more precisely, of the vote counting are, a very large part of the population will not accept them. There’s a lot of hyperbole out there on the interwebs about the possibility of civil war/conflict/whatever post election, and it’s not easy to dismiss the thought of a ‘Fiery but definitely not mostly peaceful’ scenario out of hand.

    #171639
    Oroboros
    Participant

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    #171640
    Noirette
    Participant

    re. prev. thread.

    Conversation. jbhb, the very appellation Human Ressources is nuts. (I once knew someone who taught a course on HR, absolute rubbish.) Ppl who are remunerated for their work, are, ppl / workers / employees / staff / and down the chart, the team in charge of repair, etc.

    This HR stuff is an added layer to ‘management’ that absorbs or grabs a good chunk of cash / profits, and engages in weird social engineering. Though one needs to distinguish between what used to be called Personnel Admin (in a large Co./Entity, in charge of payments, empl. records, deductions for pensions, etc.) which is (was) legit, who now call themselves *HR specialists.*

    ————————————

    News.

    On: “US Emergency Workers Hunted by Militia” (Wapo.)

    U.S. Military Now Authorized to Kill Americans on U.S. Soil?

    New DoD Directive Drops.

    Just ahead, intriguingly, of the November elections, the U.S. military has granted itself permission to unleash “lethal force” on the civilian population in cases of “national security” emergency. (…)

    As the U.S. prepares for one of the most controversial and closely watched elections in its history, a concerning update to DoD Directive 5240.01 has quietly been put into effect. Reissued on September 27, 2024, this directive governs the Department of Defense’s (DoD) intelligence activities and now includes provisions authorizing lethal force in certain circumstances when assisting civilian law enforcement. While the directive forbids assassination, it opens the door to lethal interventions under “national security” conditions (…)

    https://armageddonprose.substack.com/p/us-military-now-authorized-to-kill

    article has many legal details I can’t address, but imho but the direction is clear and should be of concern….

    #171641
    Oroboros
    Participant

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    #171642

    Anyone seen a reason why the X videos no longer embed/show? It’s a nuisance. I may have to steal some of Oroboros’ pics to live up the place.

    #171643
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    The Sophia Loren in the photo looks very much like my wife, Ruey, when both were of the same age. Eat your hearts out, dudes. And she’s as smart as she is good looking. In fact the only down side to our 51 year matrimony is that she is as 100% German as any Rhine maiden of lore, and consequently quite challenging to cohabitate with successfully. But, I’m a diligent worker and can report that so far so good.

    #171644
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    @jb-hb
    It’s a war of attrition because “attrition” is what the Russians see as necessary to the attainment of their strategic objective, which is to eliminate the threat that America currently proactively poses to Russian national security.

    As such, the mere defeat of Ukraine would be completely inadequate because that circumstance would leave NATO and the United States still strong enough to fight again another day after upgraded rearmament, and maybe successfully that time. Why take the chance when there is a better and more durable solution? It makes little sense to just kick such a ‘guaranteed-to-be-dangerous’ can down the road when it is possible to kick them OFF of the road entirely, into a hole that they are digging for themselves, and thereby removing themselves( to THEMSELVES , fer crying out loud!) as a serious threat to ANYONE for generations to come?

    “America” [and I use the term loosely] wants Russia weakened to the point that it becomes a helpless victim and unable to prevent the Great Western Vampire Squid from sucking Russia DRY of its natural and national resources. We all know for certain that the US does indeed full INTEND to do precisely that, by the way. That specific goal is not an unintentional consequence of the Collective West defending itself, or a bright idea that just suddenly popped into their head out of nowhere. It is its primary and motivating OBJECTIVE. The current batch of NeoCons aren’t the first or only ones who explicitly declared devouring Russia whole to be their goal. The NeoCons and Zionist’s are merely the latest iteration of the rapine beast known as EMPIRE.

    That nasty urge is what MAKES them into an Empire, it’s by action and intent. It isn’t merely the defining characteristic of Empire. It is the CAUSITIVE characteristic. The desire and intention to rob others to serve self is both part and parcel of an Empire’s plan and purpose in the first place. That purpose is to rape, pillage and burn as the DELIBERATELY CHOSEN BEST means of acquiring, holding and WIELDING wealth and power. The “burning down” part of the technique is to ensure that the same helpless victim can be raped, pillaged and burned again later on, and more easily next time due to the victim’s perpetually weakened state.

    The perpetual maintenance of divided and weakened vassal states and outright slave colonies is what ALL Empires do, because that is what is NECESSARY to do in order to become and continue to be a hegemonic Big Dog.

    That’s where attrition comes into play, as the right tool for the right job.Taking down the Big Doc when it goes rabid requires attrition. The reasons and reasoning of why attrition is the best method is probably better understood by examining the etymological history of the word, “attrition”.

    attrition (n.)
    From early 15c. Old French, attricioun, “a breaking.” From the1540s the word has been used in the sense of “abrasion, scraping, the rubbing of one thing against another,” from the Latin “attritionem”:  (nominative verb form:  attritio”), literally meaning “a rubbing against,” noun of action from past-participle stem of “atterere “to wear, rub away,” figuratively “to destroy, waste”.

    The sense of “wearing down of military strength” is from World War I (1914). Figurative use of that became common usage in the 1930s.

    Back formation of attrition, as the verb “attrit” was first used in military parlance by the U.S. Air Force in 1956.To “attrit” means to “wear down or grind down by means of sustained actions,” It attained currency during the Vietnam War. Related: Attritted; attritting; attrition [End of Definition]

    Based on those definitions and history it sounds like things haven’t changed much since Latin was the common tongue.

    It is literally BAD STRATEGY to hurt your enemy so severely that they sue for peace immediately to preserve their power. That approach leaves them both still well armed, still well financed and STILL YOUR ENEMY.

    The correct strategy is to wear them down to nothing (literally!) by manipulating them into CONTINUING to waste their resources in a fruitless effort to maintain their hegemonic thirst for empire. Start SLOWLY taking away what the Empire needs (Ukraine for example, or the Dollar as World Reserve Currency). The Empire will then compulsively waste the lives of it’s soldiers, the existence of the critically valuable armaments, and viability of its currency in the fruitless effort to KEEP that threatened bit of property. They literally CANNOT not do that. Properly and PATIENTLY handled attrition can continued until the enemy has removed itself entirely. When the inner circle of the Empire has canceled, expelled or eaten the last of its young, then it simply is no more. It is gone. By its own hand (with a little help from its former and intended next victims).

    After that it’s just the simple and PATIENT process of exterminating those soldiers and destroying that armament. Obviously this only works if you are, in reality, stronger and more durable than your enemy. You can’t “wear the other guy down” very effectively if you’re wearing down faster than he is and don’t have the surplus resources to get you through.

    So, by all means keep the pressure on by means of judiciously effective steps to take back what the Empire has taken. These judiciously measured steps are carefully intended to NOT defeat the enemy, but to make such a defeat so possible and likely that the Empire is compelled to throw its human and material resources into your carefully prepared “meat grinder”. In other words, create circumstances that COMPELL your adversary to sacrifice its troops and armament (and be made weaker by the day), at much much smaller expense to you (who becomes stronger by the hour).

    That progression has an unavoidably singular conclusion. But ya have to stick with it and not be tempted to “CRUSH!!!! your enemy. “CRUSHING” enemies doesn’t pay for shit. Attrit them instead, and then buy and sell stuff with them as willing partners. It sure pays better, and far far fewer people have to die for it.

    #171645
    Just Some Randomer
    Participant

    @DBS: “The correct strategy is to wear them down to nothing (literally!) by manipulating them into CONTINUING to waste their resources in a fruitless effort to maintain their hegemonic thirst for empire.”

    Quite so. You might recall that this is exactly the strategy adopted by Osama Bin Laden.

    In his media appearances and addresses throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Bin Laden carefully laid out the strategy by which he would antagonise and provoke the West, through the use of escalating terrorist attacks, into “bleeding wars.” It was by these wars that Bin Laden stated that he would exhaust and bankrupt the United States and its Western allies.

    Source: https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/a-strategic-victory-for-osama-bin-laden/#:~:text=In%20his%20media%20appearances%20and,he%20would%20exhaust%20and%20bankrupt

    And of course we fell for it because the prospect of a forever war to feed the MIC was too tempting to pass up.

    #171651
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    @JustSomeRandomer

    Yup. It’s working like a charm. At some point, however, the strategy progresses to the point that the former empire collapses for realsies, and it is at that juncture that the attrition strategy oft goes awry. The temptation is to conquer, occupy and colonize the collapsed Empire. “Don’t do it, Batman! It’s a trap!”

    It’s a tempting trap, alright, and guaranteed 100% fatal if taken internally. “CRUSH!!!” that enemy! Take his stuff!, SUBJUGATE that arrogant sonuvabitch! Great idea, numbskulls! Turn 90% of a friendly population into enemies as revenge against the 10% who done you wrong. What could go wrong?

    Naw. Don’t “CRUSH!!!” anybody who you don’t absolutely have to as a last and critically necessary resort. Just keep attritting them until all but the last small handful of the irrecoverably insane see the error of their own ways by their own free will. Keep the bloodshed to a minimum as best you can without actually losing anything important.

    #171652
    zerosum
    Participant

    Ask the Jewish demonstrators.
    Making changes is hard to do if you are not the one with the power.
    ———
    It’s easy. Find the right dominoes and you’ll be able to lower the price of energy.

    ———–

    #171653
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Speaking of “attritting”

    Russian capture 5 Ukronazi soldiers from a “penal” battalion

    Soldiers who were criminals in Ukronaziland thrown into the Russian meat grinder.

    Nobody will miss them.

    But they were sharp enough to surrender first.

    What were all five of them in jail for before being in the Ukronaziland army?

    “What were you locked up for?”

    “Rape”

    “All five of you?”

    “Yes”

    Hahahahahaha

    Nazilensky is scraping the bottom of the barrel

    https://www.bitchute.com/video/xDiSXJnXqQiS

    #171655
    Oroboros
    Participant

    .

    .

    #171656
    Oroboros
    Participant

    Unlike Obomber….

    .

    #171658
    zerosum
    Participant

    Example:
    Power/gov. are over reaching against, peace, cease fire demonstration.

    https://globalnews.ca/news/10812072/samidoun-canada-terrorist-entity/
    Samidoun, group behind ‘death to Canada’ chant, listed as terrorist entity

    By Sean Previl Global News
    Posted October 15, 2024

    The Canadian and U.S. governments have designated the Pro-Palestinian group ‘Samidoun’ as a terrorist entity and added one of its Vancouver-based organizers to a U.S. terror watch list. Rumina Daya reports.

    Canada has listed Samidoun, a pro-Palestinian group behind a rally where people chanted “death to Canada” and burned the Canadian flag in Vancouver earlier this month, as a terrorist entity.

    Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc made the announcement on Tuesday and noted that the listing was made alongside the U.S. Treasury Department’s own decision to list the group as a specially designated global terrorist entity.

    “Violent extremism, acts of terrorism or terrorist financing have no place in Canadian society or abroad,” LeBlanc said in a statement.

    “The listing of Samidoun as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code sends a strong message that Canada will not tolerate this type of activity, and will do everything in its power to counter the ongoing threat to Canada’s national security and all people in Canada.”

    #171659
    zerosum
    Participant


    Zelensky’s Ultimatum To The West
    On The Brink Of Defeat
    Military Summary 2024.10.16

    #171660
    WES
    Participant

    Just remember the sole purpose for admitting the Ukraine into Nato/EU is to put European taxpayers on the hook to guarantee the full face value of all Ukrainian government issued bonds (held by BlackRock).

    Rule # 1: Don’t ever forget that!

    #171661
    John Day
    Participant

    Not Legally Justified https://drjohnsblog.substack.com/p/not-legally-justified

    Paul Craig Roberts looks at the implications of declaring that the US Army can go in with the intention to kill Americans if the Secretary of Defense approves it.
    The Biden Regime Has Just Issued a Very Suspicious Directive Permitting Military Intervention in US Domestic Affairs terrists
    The Department of Homeland Security has flagged individuals questioning COVID-19 origins, vaccine efficacy, and election integrity as potential domestic terrorism threats. Is a coup being set in place?
    A new Department of Defense directive 5240.01 issued September 27, 2024, just prior to the November presidential election allows the US military to use lethal force against American citizens in assisting police authorities in domestic disturbances.
    A report on this development lists these civil liberties concerns:
    Right to protest: There are fears that expanded authority could suppress legitimate protests.
    Privacy rights: Increased military involvement in domestic intelligence gathering could infringe on privacy.
    Due process: The military’s role in law enforcement could bypass standard due process protections.
    Freedom of speech: The broad definition of “national security threats” could target individuals for their political beliefs…
    ..Here are some Constitutional concerns:
    Challenging the Posse Comitatus Act: This Act traditionally limits the powers of the federal government in using military personnel for domestic law enforcement… ..Unless Trump cuts a deal with Democrats not to hold them accountable and also a deal with the Ruling Elite not to interfere with their control, I can see no way that either will permit Trump to be President.
    The Biden regime and the Trump Justice (sic) Department and FBI are criminal operations. I can see indictments and arrests for those who have weaponized law enforcement. The Ruling Elite and leading Democrats such as Hillary Clinton and John Kerry can all be arrested, honestly unlike Trump and his supporters, for insurrection as they have openly called for the overthrow of the United States by demanding the overthrow of the First Amendment of the US Constitution. No fooling, this is treason. The US is the Constitution. https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2024/10/14/the-biden-regime-has-just-issued-a-very-suspicious-directive-permitting-military-intervention-in-us-domestic-affairs/

    Meryl Nass MD points out that it is not a law, passed by Congress, but a Department of Defense “directive”: DOD challenges Posse Comitatus doctrine: issues directive saying the US military can kill Americans on US soil https://merylnass.substack.com/p/dod-challenges-posse-comitatus-doctrine

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