We are now officially in “Roll On The Floor Laugh Your Ass Off” territory. The United States and Europe, which are on the precipice of economic collapse, are blaming Russia for their problems. I suppose when you are deaf, dumb, blind and stupid to boot, it is wonderful to have Russia around to blame for everything.
Are you ugly? That is Russia’s fault. Fat? Putin did it. Broke and bankrupt? A nefarious commie plot by Putin and his Russia cronies, who are not communist. But why let troublesome facts get in the way of telling a gargantuan lied.
This headline from Bloomberg, Holiday Season Airfares Soar on Pricey Fuel and Revenge Travel, is representative of the collective dishonesty and madness that has seized Biden and the clowns of Europe:
Russia’s strategy of curbing supplies of natural gas to Europe has sparked a full-blown power crisis and spurred a rush for alternatives such as diesel that can be used for heating, industry and electricity generation. That’s creating a shortage of jet fuel — which is made from the same type of oil as diesel — just as demand soars.
Airfares to Europe and the Americas from Asia have at least doubled from pre-pandemic levels on the back of limited capacity, as well as the jump in jet fuel prices,” said Mayur Patel, head of Asia at OAG. Prices aren’t likely to get back to 2019 levels until at least early 2023, as it will take a while for “the frenzied travel demand that has built up in recent years” to taper off, he said.
The surge in aviation fuel is most pronounced in Europe, where the energy crisis is most acute. Prices there are up about 56% this year, with Asia and the US not far behind. By comparison, global oil benchmark Brent crude has risen around 21%.
Excuse me. Russia’s strategy? Now I realize that the demented Joe Biden cannot remember what day of the week it is, but what is the excuse for a supposedly professional economic news outlet like Bloomberg. Let us stroll down memory lane. Do you remember this announcement from the Biden White House in early March of this year:
Today, President Biden will sign an Executive Order (E.O.) to ban the import of Russian oil, liquefied natural gas, and coal to the United States – a significant action with widespread bipartisan support that will further deprive President Putin of the economic resources he uses to continue his needless war of choice.
The United States made this decision in close consultation with our Allies and partners around the world, as well as Members of Congress of both parties. The United States is able to take this step because of our strong domestic energy infrastructure and we recognize that not all of our Allies and partners are currently in a position to join us. But we are united with our Allies and partners in working together to reduce our collective dependence on Russian energy and keep the pressure mounting on Putin, while at the same taking active steps to limit impacts on global energy markets and protect our own economies.
These guys make Alec Baldwin look like a professional firearms safety instructor. They are not shooting the director. They pointed the gun at their own heads and pulled the trigger. BOOM! The United States and Europe imposed sanctions on Russian oil and gas and shutdown the international financial system, which provided a mechanism for Russia to sell oil and gas to the west, and that is Putin’s fault?
I have always lived by the motto, if you’re going to jump out of a plane at altitude make sure you have a parachute attached to your body. The same principle applies to imposing economic sanctions. If you are going to try to punish one of the world’s largest producer and exporter of oil and gas, make damn sure you have ample alternative supplies.
Paying higher airfare is chicken feed compared to the economic ass whipping the United States and Europe, especially Europe, are now starting to feel. Here is some cheery news, also courtesy of Bloomberg, about the energy tsunami that is clobbering Britain:
Soaring energy bills are threatening to put six in 10 British manufacturers out of business, according to a survey that lays bare the extent of the crisis facing the next prime minister.
“The current crisis is leaving businesses facing a stark choice,” the report said. “Cut production or shut up shop altogether if help does not come soon.”
Just taking a wild guess here, but it seems that losing 60% of your manufacturing capability is a pretty big deal and might, just might, hurt the national economy of the Brits. Again, I’m spitballing.
The news from Germany is similarly bleak:
German exports and imports both fell in July as surging prices and the war in Ukraine threaten to send Europe’s largest economy into a recession.
The trade surplus shrank to 5.4 billion euros ($5.4 billion) from 6.2 billion euros in June, as exports dropped by 2.1% and imports by 1.5%, Germany’s statistics office said Friday. Goods sales to the US, the country’s biggest market, fell by almost 14%.
Why is that? What could have caused such economic turmoil in Russia. Reuters provides a tantalizing clue:
Germany faces the “bitter reality” that Russia will not restore gas supplies to the country, the German economy minister said on Monday, ahead of planned halt by state energy giant Gazprom (GAZP.MM) of exports to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
“It won’t come back … It is the bitter reality,” Robert Habeck said in a panel with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Russia will halt natural gas supplies to Europe for three days at the end of the month for unscheduled maintenance to the Nord Stream pipeline, Gazprom said on Friday, piling pressure on the region as it seeks to refuel ahead of winter.
Golly gee willikers. It only took the Germans six months to figure out that kicking Russia in the testicles would make Russia reluctant to be friends and sell the Germans gas at cut rate prices. The Russians understand how to fix the problem, but many European leaders are blind, intransigent and certifiable cretins:
“The energy security of Europe without Russia is impossible,” Volodin wrote, noting that the EU had two options: “The first one. Lift illegal sanctions against our country and launch Nord Stream 2. The second one. To leave everything as it is, which will lead to problems in the economy and make life even more difficult for citizens,” he said, according to Reuters’ translation.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnston accused Russia of weaponizing natural gas in retaliation to western sanctions at a press hearing on Wednesday, though he emphasized Europe would not back down from its support of Ukraine, with countries like Germany shifting away from Russian energy supplies entirely. Europe is also on track to meeting its natural gas storage targets this winter, a positive sign as countries try to get by without Russian energy flows.
There you have it. The west impose sanctions on Russian oil and gas, but it is Russia, not the west, that is weaponizing gas. I have a suggestion for Vladimir Putin–let the western politicians and their people who embrace sanctioning Russia, suck on the results. Winter is not here yet, but it is nigh. Soon the stinky, sweating Europeans who have been compelled to cut back on hot water and air conditioning will be shivering in the hovels trying to figure out how to kindle a fire without putting their whole complex up in flames. I recall another relevant aphorism, “revenge is a dish best served cold.” Looks like Europe has conjured up its own wintry buffet. Bon appétit.
Hi everyone from the ‘heart’ of Europe..happy labour day there.
2 excellent links:
Great Game Ukraine – Long Proxy War V
Failure. Desperation. Doubling Down. Contradictions.
https://les7eb.substack.com/p/great-game-ukraine-long-proxy-war
Europe Prepares to Freeze
Get Ready For A Long, Cold Winter
https://thewaywardrabbler.substack.com/p/europe-prepares-to-freeze?utm_source=%2Fprofile%2F41551885-brad-pearce&utm_medium=reader2
First very massive protests started today in Prague and as usual in Paris.
Photos and videos below this link
https://twitter.com/GarlandNixon/status/1566112922665099264
Zero hedge also has this piece:
“Europe On The Brink:” 70,000 Czech Protesters Flood Prague Over Energy Crisis
nb: Prague has a medium size population of +- 1.3 million, though this is huge(some say 100.000). PM called protesters ‘traitors’ and ‘Putin idiots’
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/europe-brink-70000-czech-protesters-flood-prague-over-energy-crisis
❗️In Germany, from October 1, the streets will be patrolled by the military to prevent riots
This was announced by German Defense Minister Christina Lambrecht.
Defending democracy again in Germany, I guess. This is turning even more evil than it was already.
The West probably will double down and provoke Russia as never before. The UK and the US will lead the way into a suicidal nightmare that may become reality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM8evVhzHPI
“and provoke Russia as never before”
Provoking only happens when the “target” is provoked.
If there are any adults in the room behind dummies like Truss they probably do understand that between their decision to do something stupid to Russia and theirs and their families meeting with the Devil (since Creator won’t want their filthy souls in his realm) will be about 15 min in the US and I guess about 4-6 min if they live their miserable lives in London.
No, u are wrong privately owned companies are being threatened to do what the government wants them to do!! This war should never have begun! But the US poked the pig so many times, it finally said ” enough!” There could have been peaceful resolutions, but the US wanted nothing to do with peace. This is all part of the Global Reset and they don’t care who the hell will pay the price, as long as it enriches the Elites, and it serves to attain the Global Reset! Putin knows this. He wants no part of it. He will not allow the EU to run his country, as they are other countries!
Something like you reap what you sow.
” you reap what you sow”
Not likely.
Often what you sow germinates, although part of why Ukraine is an attempt to lessen such mutations, not restricted to Ukraine but including Bulgaria, Romania and elsewhere.
Another example of the glutton who wished to gobble up all the sausages – known as STASI if memory serves. Whatever happened to them?
Leftist are slow learners. They believe in this:
“I’m from the Government and I’m here to help.”
my father (naturalised Australian), was Yugoslav communist party member and still can not admit that socialism was bad, and that SFR Yugoslavia was artificially made country.
February 23 — i.e. before the SMO was launched — the WH announces sanctions against and suspension of NS2 even before the Germans did!
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/02/23/statement-by-president-biden-on-nord-stream-2/
No. You’re the slow learner. The privatization of gas and oil refineries in the UK has caused the 100% inflation in utility bills that everybody is screaming about. The profits for these private for profit corporations is phenomenal now, record breaking. They are using the anti-Russian sanctions to make a killing. If there were publicly owned gas and oil refineries this type of price gouging would never be happening. Gazprom is state owned, and Russians enjoy very low oil and gas prices, mr ‘communism is evil’ clown.
All European countries are artificial. Yugoslavia not much younger than Germany or Italy, and about same age than most countries coming out of Austro-Hungary. And wuite old compared to actual territory of Poland. Ukraine is the stellar example of an absolutely artificial country, whose borders we are so generously protecting!
I grew up in Yugoslavia, without communist privileges, as my dad inherited family business and were not considered “working class”.
However, my superb education was free. So was our health care. My family had a box in theatre each season. As a student I travelled with my Yugoslav passport throughout Europe without visa. No new fangled Balkan states can claim that today.
Most people owned homes they lived in, be that houses or flats. We lacked some Western shiny beads in our stores. But were not lacking home alpliances, cars, trains, busses or airplanes. Work did not destroy families as it does today.
Your dad knows what you do not. There are differences in this world, and pluses and minuses everywhere. Workd is not ever going to become an IKEA style modular national models. The diversity, the global societal ecology will survive the attempt at shoving us all into a few genetically modified national brands.
It is you, not your dad, that has much to learn.
“my superb education was free. So was our health care.”
leftist/socialist belief –free lunch — price always need to be paid — if you did not realise there is no more SFRY — it is gone — that is why I live in Australia today.
my dad was taxed in execs of 60% and he did not have a clue, he was a slave to the state.
by the way we left in 1995, were unlucky to experience civil war and hyperinflation
estimated deaths: c. 130,000-140,000 and Displaced: c. 4,000,000 –that is your free education and free healthcare result.
And yet it was less artificial than colonial statelets left after it.
The country was formed in 1918 immediately after World War I as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes by union of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs and the Kingdom of Serbia. It was commonly referred to at the time as the “Versailles state”.
Woodrow Wilson was basically godfather.
Like all socialist ideas and utopias –end up in tragedy in WW2 and in 1991.
combined number of dead and displaced –who knows.
I still call myself Yugoslav and cry when I listen ‘Jugoslovenka’ by Lepa Brena
I was born and raised in Yugoslavia, and still reside in the area (by some coincidence, my sister lives in Australia just like yourself). You are not in a position to give me Wikipedia history lesson.
I agree with Bianca’s last sentence.
Socialism for the Uninformed by Thomas Sowell
Socialism sounds great. It has always sounded great. And it will probably always continue to sound great. It is only when you go beyond rhetoric, and start looking at hard facts, that socialism turns out to be a big disappointment, if not a disaster.
While throngs of young people are cheering loudly for avowed socialist Bernie Sanders, socialism has turned oil-rich Venezuela into a place where there are shortages of everything from toilet paper to beer, where electricity keeps shutting down, and where there are long lines of people hoping to get food, people complaining that they cannot feed their families.
This are some books that I read in last 20 years:
Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt
The Law, by Frederic Bastiat
Leftism From de Sade and Marx to Hitler and Marcuse by Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn
Liberty or Equality by Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn
The Menace of the Herd by Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn
Basic Economics 5th Edition by Thomas Sowell
Economic Facts and Fallacies Sowell Thomas
Bureaucracy by Ludwig von Mises
Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth by Ludwig von Mises
Liberalism In the Classical Tradition by Ludwig von Mises
Omnipotent Government The Rise of the Total State and Total War by Ludwig von Mises
Socialism An Economic and Sociological Analysis by Ludwig von Mises
The Anticapitalistic Mentality by Ludwig von Mises
Road to Serfdom by F. A. Hayek
Democracy The God That Failed by Hans Hermann Hoppe
Wall Street Banks and American Foreign Policy by Murray N. Rothbard
The Case for a 100 percent Gold Dollar by Murray N. Rothbard
What Has Government Done to Our Money? by Murray N. Rothbard
Education: Free and Compulsory by Murray N. Rothbard
The Mystery of Banking by Murray N. Rothbard
Mises on Money by Gary North
Honest Money by Gary North
Once I had an online discussion about religion with a religious guy from Iran (me being an atheist). I had less problems in explaining my point then, than I have now. I guess years of sanctions made their Kool-Aid weaker than the stuff server Down Under.
“..Yugoslavia was artificially made country” – was that so bad? It had, under Tito, the best living standards in all of Eastern Europe, as he had very cleaverly and smartly combined two systems – communism and capitalism, something no-one, before him, managed to do! China has learned that from him. There was no unemployment in Yugoslavia at that time and everybody was living side by side without wanting to kill each other. Is it better now?! You..moron.
Ludwig von Mises explained that you can have capitalism or socialism –middle way end up in socialism, and socialism does not work.
President Tito was a dictator, living standard was better also because “free money” from the west and east, German reparation for WW2, the foreign debt grew at an annual rate of 20%, and by the early 1980s it reached more than US$20 billion.
I remember as a kid, coins laying on the ground, no one wants them no value, parents salary in the millions of Yugoslav dinar…
is it better now, if you mean in this new states that come on — I do not live there, but probably same turn coat people are in charge — socialist by different name.
All the “new states” are colonies (in military, economical, and cultural sense). BiH even has foreing appointed governor.
Everything is owned and controlled by foreign companies, i.e. foreign capital. You probably think that capital is a socialist thing too.
The only thing missing in your posts is involvement of Putin in the whole thing.
you say; All the “new states” are colonies
well the foreign debt grew at an annual rate of 20%, and by the early 1980s it reached more than US$20 billion.
But we where slaves to Tito and party oligarchy as well, –taxes including inflation probably more than 60% — big Army, big police, big bureaucratic apparatus are not producers –they cost big money.
I do not have problem with Putin, I live in Australia and my enemy is big Australian government which taxing me around 40%. Russian people should decide if they like Putin or not.
Yes, all the “new states” are colonies, and I am one of the natives. You should ask one of the Aboriginal Australians what’s it like to be liberated in the name of democracy and freedom and equality and progress and stuff. We no longer own the land we walk on, nor the air that we breed. Colonizing Slavic lands was the goal of Anglo-Saxons for many centuries.
20 billion dollars debt was nothing compared to the economy the state had. You should compare that to the current debt of G7 countries. Yugoslavia did not implode because of the debt, but was destroyed by The Empire using good ol’ divide and conquer method (referred locally as “zavadi pa vladaj”). The whole thing was also a big testing ground for the colonization of ex Soviet countries (including the events in Ukrajina mirroring those from Krajina).
Regardless of how shitty Yugoslavia was, what remained was worse, and it’s all downhill from that. I guess that causes cognitive dissonance in you, because it does not fit with your ideology (whatever the name of it is). Maybe you should lay down those books you are quoting, and talk to real people a bit.
Australian government is not leftist/socialist/whatever but fascist. You fail to recognize that because it doesn’t fit in your ideology (whatever the name of it is).
Socialism does not work, Ludwig von Mises explained in 1922.
you say:
“20 billion dollars debt was nothing compared to the economy the state had. You should compare that to the current debt of G7 countries”
All western nation are bankrupt — debt will not be paid,
MY opinion is this one on democracy:
Democracy’s Road to Tyranny by Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn
“Regardless of how shitty Yugoslavia was, what remained was worse, and it’s all downhill from that.”
I did not suggest it is better or worse I do not live there.
you say: “it does not fit with your ideology”
I see myself as conservative by way of Edmund Burke. For me best societies where North American between 1620-1913 ( period between 1620-1775 was best )
and Switzerland until 1950,
You say:
Australian government is not leftist/socialist/whatever but fascist.
there is no difference between 2 of them they are both big government totalitarian regimes.
In one means of production are nationalised in another you are owner only on paper in reality you are shop manager –government say what you can do or not – Mussolini system is implemented everywhere today — in China too
Thomas Sowell:
Unlike the Communists, the Fascists did not seek government ownership of the means of production. They just wanted the government to call the shots as to how businesses would be run.
They were for “industrial policy,” long before liberals coined that phrase in the United States.
Indeed, the whole Fascist economic agenda bears a remarkable resemblance to what liberals would later advocate.
What is fascism? Fascism is simply Marxism under the guise of a capitalistic facade. Mussolini was a Marxist. As a Marxist, he began to realize very early that Marxism was unpopular with the masses, that while people might like all the things Marxism promised, they did not like the abolition of private property, nor the abolition of freedom, nor the abolition of many other things that were essential to Marxism, and so he saw the future in terms of giving the people the facade of a free society while actually socializing it. In Fascism, people retain title to their homes, or their businesses, but they are so regulated and so controlled, that they are simply owned by the state, but held by individuals in their own name.
Gary North:
The American political system has been soft-core fascist for almost a century. Liberals love to call conservatives fascists. The problem is, the liberals are right. Of course, well-informed conservatives like to call liberals fascists, and they are correct, too. Everyone who believes in the efficiency of the so-called government-business alliance is a fascist.
The fascist State was always an attempt to control private industry by means of inflation, taxation, and regulation. Fascism was always a system of keeping the big boys alive and happy at the expense of the taxpayers. Of course, the faces changed. The system was always one gigantic system of cartels, regulation, and fiat money. It was, in short, everything that the critics of modern capitalism say is wrong with capitalism
Aqui no Brasil, temos um ditado (que veio do futebol):
Vocês combinaram com os russos?
Parece que não…
Here in Brazil, we have a saying (which came from football):
Did you combine with the Russians?
It seems not…
Good Night, Larry.
Finally CNN got an Exclusive interview with the famous Mr. Waggner of Russian special forces. You won’t believe what he said!…> https://t.me/russianhead/6388
Yes, I have to say the ‘Russia weaponising gas’ routine annoys the bejezus out of me too.
I am heartily sick and tired of being taken for a mug by a bunch of political pygmies.
Lets see what Liz ‘Bonehead’ Truss does.
She will likely start a war with a bear.
And lose…..
Don’t hold your breath. You already know that she will be worse than “Bojo the warmongering clown”. It’s a pity that with this type of leadership, the UK will become a third world country in a few years.
Hello Larry I remember meeting you in an interview on a YouTube channel in Argentina, there you presented your analysis, beginning in September the European economies would be in collapse, the union would collapse because of it and Russia would be at an advantage, well my friend, you are very good in your work, I think we’re seeing it. I send you a greeting from Cordoba, the land of the fernet and the asado. Sorry for mi inglés.
Gracias Marcos. Pase´muchos noches tomando mate y comiendo asado en Cerro De Las Rosas. Saludos.
WOW! As always, what a read! How do these morons get in office. I have to guess, it takes a lot of overtime by the media and the deep state to make these leaders look appealing to the average uninformed nitwit.
Thanks Larry! We could use a thousand more like you. And millions more that would be willing to be educated.
A pigs ear!
Larry there is no other way of describing it.
BUT they will never admit it. Pride+self delusion and “a lamp post for one,” awaits them all.
If German politicians do not care what German voters think, why should the friendly world bother what happens.
October : the Government’s begin to fall and Boris Johnson should get arrested for war crimes. He and Brandon are responsible for all those dead men in trenches. That includes the wounded, the amputees and those with artillery induced insanity.
Putin offered a peace deal. Rejected by the usual suspects.
The blame game is because the unholy fusion of post-marxist leftism and crony cartel corporatism has failed hard at their attempt to peacefully transform the formerly United States into a 2nd Soviet Union (this time with open borders) that would serve as a springboard for planetary unification. Their grand social and political engineering experiment, in which the children of the West are the lab rats, is failing and none of them know where to go next.
The end of the Cold War saw balanced intelligent people breathe a sigh of relief that the communist madness was over. Communist China was still around, but they couldn’t even feed themselves and their idea of manufacturing was making cheap knockoffs of Soviet military hardware. No one wanted to make their country more like China, so we didn’t see them as a threat, until the globalists decided to move half of our industry to their country (which made China $) and fill our STEM graduate schools with their students (one way for them to spend the $, in addition to bribing American institutions and politicians).
The trash infesting Western Civilization saw the end of the Cold War as an opportunity. “Thank goodness those Soviets are gone! They were making our global movement look bad! We’ll do communism right this time! Let’s rename it multiculturalism and call anyone who disagrees a racist.”
However, biology is real. Sexual and ethnic differences are real. Blank slate egalitarianism is simply incorrect. The different peoples of the world all have different preferences for how to organize themselves socially, politically, and economically, and these preferences are harmonized with their different biology. Culture (behavior) and genome coevolve. There is no one sized fits all legal and political system that governs disparate peoples equally well, because each has their own mores (sub-legal preferences for behavioral standards), and where mores conflict formal legal regulation then inflicts one group’s mores on all the other groups, because there can be only one in a multicultural country.
Diversity is a civilizational problem to be managed. We Americans used to get around the very real differences between our European populations through traditional federalism (distributed local sovereignty for maintenance and perpetuation of people, culture and community). Multiculturalism is taking people who used to be in stable intact communities and mixing them all up so that they lose their old cultures and adopt the inauthentic synthetic culture being pushed by Hollywood. It’s not working and it’s not going to start working. God help us all, because when these internationalist social engineers started failing during their first attempt a century ago during the Soviet War Communism period, their eventual consensus solution was to blame their Russian lab rats and murder them by the tens of millions to try to force it to work. The Russians will NEVER let these crazy people back into power in their country.
TXT DE MERDA !! VAI ESTUDAR !!
Just reflecting that Europe is about to experience exactly what it intended to inflict upon Russia. There’s something refreshingly Biblical about that. Something about pits and snares?
Amen!
Hosea 8:7:
> For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk; the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.
Replace “bud” with “bug” and that describes Europe’s situation today.
Poor Ruskies, they are taking a heck of a beating. The author is a DC bottom feeder, hope he has a better handle on his clients’ cases:
https://amgreatness.com/2022/08/06/ukraines-war-today-are-we-winning-or-losing/
There is no fix for terminally stupid.
There is. Its contained in “terminal”.
What’s interesting to me about such articles are how they seem mostly projection about our very own situation, as most of the assumptions being made about the Russians are the very reverse of the truth: they are instead true of us. Especially the paragraph at the end:
“Russia and its people are sick today. Sick with hatred of everyone and everything not its own, sick with phantom limb pains of imperial glory that will never be again…”
and ends with:
“Russia desperately needs a cure from what ails it. A humiliating defeat in this war is the beginning of that cure.”
He’s talking about the US, not Russia here.
You may not believe what the reality is in the Ukraine/Russia war, or the issues that led up to it, but the rest of the world is watching, and they are not subject to the mass MSM propaganda that floods the ‘collective’ west. They know the score and which side their bread is buttered. BRICS and the various Russian/Asian alliances will grow in leaps and bounds as a result, and the ‘collective’ west will be marginalized, shunned and left in the dust economically and militarily.
European countries are democracies which means that they don’t have to care about the desires of the voters. If the population doesn’t like it they can be arrested.
Putin was quoting Scripture (Prov 26:27), imagine that:
“Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.”
Putin’s rendition was closer to the form found in an African saying:
“He that digs up a grave for his enemy may be digging it for himself”
He was quoting an old Slavic saying.
What is going on in Europe gives the lie to the Putin weaponizing gas and closing the spigot nonsense.
The Hague and other municipalities are suing the government for an exemption to sanctions mandating that they cancel their contracts with gazProm, because they are not receiving bids on their tenders, and even if they did, it would mean the price would jump by 10-12×.
At the end of the day, when all the dust is settled… UKR, RUS, EU will still be neighbors.
Mongol hordes, Teutonic Knights, Napoleon, Hitler…
Hopefully, parties involved find a better way to manage their relations.
Even if the SMO ends, seeds of hatred have been sown between UKR-RUS… the sense of loss, anguish and anger…
there will be a long period of counter-terrorism and more importantly, healing amongst UKR-RUS for peace between the Slavic brothers to return.
I hope and pray that RUS and BEL remains humble and helps to lift its slavic brother- UKR- from this traumatic history and not only come out stronger, but with a clear understanding of what the price of peace is and what it means.
this situation has some similarity to the “Konfrontasi” situation in ASEAN during 1960s between Indonesia and Malaysia… though this UKR-RUS issue is much larger in scale. Being from ASEAN, which has emerged with a better understanding… I’m hopeful that rational people and peace can return to UKR-RUS-BEL.
I guess you still haven’t cottoned on to the fact that Ukraine is a deeply divided country, between the east and the West.
Russia is not invading the Western part (for now, if ever), they are freeing the eastern part from an eight-year occupation by hostile to the population semi or full on fascists, who for all that time destroyed their lives, their livelihood and infrastructure.
They claimed those lands as belonging to them, but did their utmost to further alienate the population. And no, from all indications by non MSM sources, and those living there: Russians are welcome.
As to the western part? maybe Poland will get its pound of flesh after leaving NATO and promising to not arm the region. We will see how that plays out.
Thank you, Larry! Just to share…..this gives me hope….maybe?
“ Western sanctions are backfiring, and some Europeans are awakening to how their governments sacrificed their livelihoods for NATO’s proxy fight against Russia in Ukraine. What’s happening in Prague could spread like wildfire throughout the EU. ”
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/europe-brink-70000-czech-protesters-flood-prague-over-energy-crisis
from your lips to god’s ears. :o)
I’d like to offer yet another perspective to unimaginable self-inflicting actions we all observe for a while now. Look at them through the eyes of Mr. Schwab and other lovely people from Davos. The hara-kiri of the western societies looks absolutely awesome from their point of view. Self destruction is being done voluntarily and thoroughly with insanity of a zombie, and Ukrainian black hole is swallowing humans with consistency none of us saw before. I can imagine a smile of ugly satisfaction of the face of collective Davos.
Almost every single European leader has already been bought by the WEF. It was their initial plan to cripple the countries financially as the entire west is bankrupt. They wanted a broke and helpless people crying for a saviour….any saviour and along comes the WEF on it’s white steed to the rescue, slaves aplenty just begging for any solution…..even chipped bodies and eternal servitude.
Why does the behavior of the USA/GB/NATO remind me of the film “Independence Day”? But with reversed roles. The BRICS are not the aliens. 😉
https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2022/0903/1320380-russia-energy/ the mainstream media in Ireland pathetically accusing Russia of weaponising gas and oil. In Ireland we are expected to believe this nonsense as bills skyrocket. The hypocrisy and fantasy are almost palpable at this stage. Our ‘leaders’ are stooges and are sacrificing us, but of course they’re ok.
As an european, I find amazing why we follow all the sanctions that the US wnated to impose at Russia.
Russia is our bigger supplier of energy and yet “let´s sanction their oil and Gas” and now the price cap on oil ( again following the US in this madness).
Yesterday there was a peaceful “gathering” in Prague against this crazyness. I believe more are coming, but less peaceful.
Love your articles.
Cheers from Portugal
“it is wonderful to have Russia around to blame for everything.”
Some would tend to “moderate/replace” wonderful with useful since doing so facilitates the opponents’ continuing wonderment, and consequently some have recognised and practiced this for many years.
The self-indulgence of schadenfreude and other forms of emotionalism such as “Roll On The Floor Laugh Your Ass Off” used to assuage insecurities is best left to opponents to practice with increasing iteration.
When some clowns in formal dress announced the end of history and the objective of full spectrum dominance; and effectively continue to do so to date with a modicum of self-interpreted “success” given the immersion of some in illusions such as “hegemony”, some sent out for blinis with honey to have with tea, but understood that regular consumption of such was prejudicial to continued well-being of waist lines and largely curtailed this practice.
As to other modes of celebration, some understand that sitting on laurels can lead to itching rashes.
I realize now that no one is this stupid. The leaders of the we west are doing this on purpose. Some say that the Great Reset is just a conspiracy theory. I have come to the conclusion that it is real. The leaders of the west are causing the prices to go up to drain all the money from the middle class and poor to give it to the rich. Also, to bring about depopulation and drug to the eyeballs, anyone who is left, to keep them under control. Of course, the police and military will back them up, more than likely. Just have to do a couple false flags to scare people so that they don’t know what is going on and don’t know where to turn. Except to those in power. They are already telling people in Africa to start eating bugs if they are hungry. This has be highly planned out by the top 1% and the governments of the west.
Seems clear to me they are trying to gin up population of the west for a NATO war with Russia. Same deal with the ZNPP…. some EU dork said Russian occupation of ZNPP threatens EU with nuclear catastrophe thus Article 5 should kick in.
You don’t seriously think West will allow itself those lose this world history changing war do y’all? Just slink away? I think not. At some point those who wield the power and control the levers of empire will make a move to preserve its dominion.
We are headed into dangerous times better Russia does.
“Seems clear to me they are trying to gin up population of the west for a NATO war with Russia.”
Perhaps you do not have sufficient clarity in respect of What are the United States of America and how are they facilitatated ? or the present updated, in respect of usage of biological weapons, nuclear doctrine of The Russian Federation?
I don’t understand the excitement.
Sanctions were threatened and then imposed… “from hell”.
Obviously, they did not lie, only the people have, as so often, not listened properly …
Ian W and Victor–as to Liz Truss: Agreed, she could well be the witless stooge who orders a nuclear first strike.
Bad as Truss is, what is really bad is the political system and machinations that boosted her along into the place where she could even remotely be considered Prime Minister quality. And this result is not a flaw, but rather a feature. Uncanny similarity to the system and machinations Stateside that would retain Brandon in power over four decades as though he stood for anything good.
Again, Stateside, there is a lot of chin music about treason, but the actual–and threatening to the future of the U.S.–cases go un-identified and un-remarked.
I guess she will be TweedleDee to Sturgeon’s TweedleDum.
Russia, Putin & Gazprom are quite good at playing chess. They have manoeuvred the EU into a situation of eternal check by confining the manoeuvral space of the EU to only one move: Open North Stream II. With each other move the EU tries to make the check up that is automatically being forwarded back to them is: [Check!] Open North Stream II [Check!]. North Stream I has been shut down indefinitely. What to do? [Check!] Open North Stream II [Check!]. Winter is coming. What to do? [Check!] Open North Stream II [Check!] . The whole energy market, both in the EU as well as the US, has gone crazy. What to do? [Check!] Open North Stream II [Check!]. But instead of opening North Stream II the EU leaders are clinging religiously onto their Green dream of wind and solar energy + electric cars + a deindustrialized Europe. They rather starve than open North Stream II, therewith admitting defeat in having played chess with Putin. At present it has already become more costly to fill up the tank of a electric car (which driving turns into a horror when the winter is really cold and you have to turn up the heating) than the tank of a gasoline car.
It is horrible to think of all the accidents that may happen as people “innovate” to try and stay warm.
Chess match is not over yet. You have EU officials talking of nuking Russia like Liz Truss. Some are saying Nuclear Plant Russia controls threatens Europe so it’s article 5 time. They and media are ginning up tons of hate for Russia so our soldiers will fight with popular support.
No one is as treacherous as the West and they are pretexting to start a war and then stealing resources is always have for 5 centuries now.
How dumb the Western “leaders” are not to understand a very-very basic, elementary school dictum:
Option 1: West Initiates War – Russia Retaliates with Nukes – The End
Option 2: Anglo-Saxons Urge Poles / 3Balts / Germans / Other Dummies to do their bidding a la WW2 – Russia retaliates by “deleting” all actual decision-making centers [including “CTRL-DLT” those spaces where “billionaires” think they’d be “safe” – i.e. NZ, AU, etc.] – The End
Option 3: US urges its vassal Liz Truss to do some stupidly bats**t crazy stuff like nukes – 6 min later UK no more – US ponders what to do about it (the 5th and all that) for, well, about 15-30 seconds and sends a text to Putin – “Dear Beloved Friend, let’s just pretend that nothing’s happened and be BFFs again, OK?!” — The End
Any other options I missed?!
The EU has deliberately, over many years, deregulated energy to profit the big banks in NY and London. Gazprom has faithfully supplied the EU with piped gas at steeply discounted prices under Long Term Contracts, instead of under Futures Contracts, which benefit those banks and traders.
This is, of course, all part of UN 2030/ WEF Great Reset plan.
Blessings to All
Golly gee willickers, maybe I’m spitballing too.
Lets see, create a fictitious pandemic, shut down private business across the west under the pretext of a flue virus that is no more lethal than the normal flues which appear yearly and employ draconian tyrannical means violating every concept of rule of law and peoples elemental natural rights, to force all to be injected with an experimental DNA cocktail even people who choose to not be. And any who raise questions or refuse to comply is portrayed just as the Russians are. As the villains in all this.
Same actors create a proxy regiment factory employing a regime of corrupt Ukrainian oligarchs and fully organized armed to the teeth Nazi military battalions, have them mount a punitive terror and reprisal raid on the frontier of a region of people who are legitimately under the protection of a fully negotiated UN brokered peace treaty, let loose a barrage of thousands of tube and rocket artillery on their towns and cities along this 1200 kilometer border, bring that entire “army” to this border place it in unmistakable offensive stance, and when these peace treaty protected people plead for help from the Russian’s because all other parties to the peace treaty pretend to know nothing, the Russians who helped in the peace treaty reacting to moral and humanitarian necessity, the nations financially backing this corrupt proxy regime they helped bring into power in a coup/regime change operation then institute draconian sanctions on all Russian products, citizens, criminally confiscate 36 billion of Russian out of country assets, without an iota of any due process, it is Russian wealth and property literally stolen outright, and then destitute every private business in Europe with energy costs which exceed everyones business and home capability to pay for, thus putting all out of business and the prospect of civilization freezing to death.
The behave not to know anything about it and blame the Russians for every conceivable happenstance and consequence.
And all I hear is those behind, responsible for, hindered or instigated as convenient, or committed in broad daylight outright all these terrible things, mind boggling violations of law and 1000’s of years of established diplomatic time honored traditions, are stupid or ignorant of the consequences? And the Russian people are to blame for everything.
There is a pattern to all this.
Looks exactly like what it all is, thats deliberate intent with fully planned foresight and malice. All of it. Reckless hate. From an unknown cabal of psychopaths and megalomaniacs operating in secret. No wonder 88% of the rest of the world population is rebelling against this evil hegemon. Latest effort, not to de-escalate but escalate this insanity is a group of unelected elites order the world to pay Russia what it deems is to be the price for their energy. Yeah its stupid in the sense its preposterous diktat. But its cold calculating intent to impose economic tyranny.
Larry, very nice piece, but you are too kind – or mean to Cretins!
Clearly the Russian strategy of slowly turning up the pain dial, rather than immediately jumping to a complete break has worked in Russia’s favor – it allowed Russia to work the diplomatic side with the developing world, lull Europe into a false sense of security, all spring that there was plenty of time and options to fix their problem. It also allowed the supply chain to slowly pinch, which due to stores takes time.
And it gave time to deplete NATO stockpiles and prove military competency (as if defense was planned since 2008 or 2014) to dissuade NATO from inserting battalions with the nuclear card risk.
Whats completely missing by the MSM economics experts is that the pain to date is before these supply chain detanglements have really gained traction. The neon shortage has only started to hit ICs, titanium is still available (+10%). And inflation is only just getting started (it too has a 6 month lag) and double digit. So how will Germans react to Weimar like triple digit inflation? Or the US (printing press goes brrr.) Sounds like a story I heard once…
And strength of the US energy infrastructure is a joke. I read in trade journals about supply trouble in oil production due to covid personnel loss all the time. Something like 10% the US workforce is sick at any time these days, and its not as if there is a lot of redundancy in the lean O*G patch, plus add in that fracking has never actually made any money and you do not have a healthy industry (once the strategic reserve is empty).
I look on the bright side.
The globalist megalomaniacs and kleptomaniacs in power in Europe and in the Uniparty in the US will lose their freedom and kleptocracy. Imperialism is a psychopathic ideology that mankind has outgrown.
i wish russia could get her truth told, over and over, to the world.
the people would turn on their governments so fast if they knew the half of it.
Most of The World is not sanctioning Russia. North America and Western Europe are not The World, in spite of what mainstream media are saying.
Larry,
You mentioned Eugene Hasenfus in an article last week. Did you know his boss at the time, John Mcraney?
Whenever this topic comes up – remind your normie friends that Gazprom is delivering it NG at dirt cheap prices same as always.
It’s out gallant NATO Allie’s who are charging us 5 and 10 times more for NG.
Heads will explode
On a lighter note. I heard from an owner of liquor store here in Ohio that demand for Russian vodka has never been higher!
Not for everything is Russia to blame. Today in many places in Holland the electricity grid experienced a short blackout. In Canada the same happened and there the link was made with too many drivers of electric vehicles connecting at the same time to the grid in order load their car.
In Holland the phenomenon of electric power blackout is still quite uncommon, but I expect that this will happen more and more often in the future. From the Dutch perspective power blackouts are an event that typify ‘underdeveloped’ countries. I do not understand the obsession of EU leaders with electric cars as the solution for keeping the West wealthy & independent from Russian fossil energy (two curses: ‘Russian’ + ‘fossil’). No one seems to be willing to understand that the electric power grid is and will be powered by fossil energy (coming from Russia).
My father always said, “Never ascribe to malice what can be explained by incompetence.” That’s just crazy talk, in my opinion, but in the whole Ukrainian adventure, including the sanctions war, there is more than enough of both in the controlling powers of the west.
It seems to me that incompetence might account for western actions in February and March, perhaps even April, but by the time we get to August the consequences of those actions have been clear to everyone for months. The fact that our misleaders cling to these policies when they don’t have to should be ample proof to anyone that these policies benefit those officials and their cronies. Pick your own conspiracy, but you can’t blame this on mere stupidity.
The actual effects of any policy are the real policy.
Anything else is lies.
The leaders of the West are Evil and Sociopathic but not Cretinous. Their subjects, soon serfs , many soon corpses, formerly known as citizens are Cretins. Worse Cowards to let this happen, worst of all in America where we have more guns than hands.
My fellow Americans nothing can be done for you until you decide to live.
Ta
Gosh, Larry,
Your post totally made my day, I just could not stop laughing!!! Excellent, simply superb article, full of precious gems like these:
We are now officially in “Roll On The Floor Laugh Your Ass Off” territory.
These guys make Alec Baldwin look like a professional firearms safety instructor.
I have always lived by the motto, if you’re going to jump out of a plane at altitude make sure you have a parachute attached to your body.
Golly gee willikers. It only took the Germans six months to figure out that kicking Russia in the testicles would make Russia reluctant to be friends and sell the Germans gas at cut rate prices.
I recall another relevant aphorism, “revenge is a dish best served cold.” Looks like Europe has conjured up its own wintry buffet. Bon appétit.
Thank you! Super witty, very funny, and totally to the point!
Just to let you know in case you haven’t been following it that Ukraine, Military Summary channel on YouTube is reporting several Ukrainian successes today, September 4. Also reported by both Ukrainian and Russian sources, apparently, that Russia attacked a Ukrainian hospital caring for wounded military. I haven’t seen a rebuttal, yet. It all sounds like fantasy.
Just to let you know in case you haven’t been following it that Ukraine, Military Summary channel on YouTube is reporting several Ukrainian successes today, September 4. Also reported by both Ukrainian and Russian sources, apparently, that Russia attacked a Ukrainian hospital caring for wounded military. I haven’t seen a rebuttal, yet. It all sounds like fantasy.
Excellent, thanks.
But please permit me a minor editorial change.
In the sentence: “The United States and Europe imposed sanctions on Russian oil and gas and shutdown the international financial system, which provided a mechanism for Russia to sell oil and gas to the west, and that is Putin’s fault?” – shouldn’t the term “a mechanism” be substituted by “the primary mechanism”?