Politics

[Red Leg]

I got on board a flight from Dar to Arusha with my Swiss army knife. I was moaning about not putting it in my checked luggage, but as there was no one standing around the attendant told me I could keep it in my pocket in exchange for the 17$ in one dollar bills I had in my hand for tips and such. Still have the knife!

I never walk through any third world airport without a fold of twenties in my pocket.

 

[PARA45]

 

[CoElkHunter]

I believe we should be reinforcing Taiwan NOW with Patriot missiles and other advanced defensive technology. With our focus on the Middle East over the last two decades, China has implemented and surpassed us in MANY areas of military technology. I'm not a betting man, but I can see Xi invading Taiwan before Brandon leaves office. I know I would. Hopefully, the Taiwanese high end computer chip factories (92% of the Worlds'!) have wired their industrial complexes to "blow" when China invades, as I have ZERO confidence in Brandon's response. He IS the epitome of a modern day Neville Chamberlain. If Taiwan falls, IMHO it's just a matter of time before China dominates and controls the TRILLIONS of dollars of cargo travelling through the South China Sea and a later focus on the vast natural resources of Australia and other countries. Call me "chicken little", but the sky WILL fall if China takes over Taiwan.

 

[Ray B]

I worked for several months in The Kingdon of Tonga in 2001 & 2002. during that time I met the King (who has since died) and was familiar with the family's preferences. The king and his successor were pro-American however the new king's sister was very pro-China and was in a position to sway policy to favor the Chinese military. If China were to take over Taiwan, it already has convinced the Solomon Islands to restrict access by US & UK military ships, so if Tonga were added, china would have a link across the SW Pacific and could virtually cut shipping to New Zealand, Australia, Vietnam, Thailand and India from Pacific coast ports in North and South America or through the Panama Canal to Atlantic ports.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I worked for several months in The Kingdon of Tonga in 2001 & 2002. during that time I met the King (who has since died) and was familiar with the family's preferences. The king and his successor were pro-American however the new king's sister was very pro-China and was in a position to sway policy to favor the Chinese military. If China were to take over Taiwan, it already has convinced the Solomon Islands to restrict access by US & UK military ships, so if Tonga were added, china would have a link across the SW Pacific and could virtually cut shipping to New Zealand, Australia, Vietnam, Thailand and India from Pacific coast ports in North and South America or through the Panama Canal to Atlantic ports.

If China were to take over Taiwan, all bets and political alliances from these other countries with China are OFF! The US and its allies in the region would have to subjugate these Chinese minions to ensure the absolute free flowing of shipping of material and goods throughout the world, including military assets. Time to play hardball and let the chips land where they fall. The only other option is nuclear war in which everyone in every country loses forever.

 

[Major Bonkers]

Here is an interesting article that lists some of the ways America is benefitting from the war in the Ukraine. To summarise: (1) the rapid destruction of German industry: BASF chemicals seems particularly badly hit; (2) the substitution of US gas for Russian (at 4 times the price); and, (3) the sale of armaments to European states that are rapidly rearming.

Meanwhile, if I was a Chinaman, I would be wondering whether anyone would notice if I wandered across the Amur River and helped myself to a bit of the Russian Far East.

 

[mdwest]

Meanwhile, if I was a Chinaman, I would be wondering whether anyone would notice if I wandered across the Amur River and helped myself to a bit of the Russian Far East.

Notice… or even care…

The Russians don’t have a whole lot of friends on the world stage right now…. I’m going to bet most of the world would actually enjoy knowing the Chinese were busy grabbing natural resources for free out of former Russian far east territory rather than bilking African and South American states out of billions in the process of raping their lands for resources

 

[Red Leg]

Here is an interesting article that lists some of the ways America is benefitting from the war in the Ukraine. To summarise: (1) the rapid destruction of German industry: BASF chemicals seems particularly badly hit; (2) the substitution of US gas for Russian (at 4 times the price); and, (3) the sale of armaments to European states that are rapidly rearming.

Meanwhile, if I was a Chinaman, I would be wondering whether anyone would notice if I wandered across the Amur River and helped myself to a bit of the Russian Far East.

There is indeed some history of testiness with respect to the Amur.

Thanks for sharing. I always am genuinely amused at the Machiavellian capabilities that Europeans are capable of vesting in the US government. I also am trying to imagine the eye rolling among my colleagues within industry with respect to the notion that the "Inflation Reduction Act" is actually an America First effort to boost domestic manufacturing. From their perspective, the whole greening and regulation aspects of the act are an incentive to offshore more, not less production. I know my old corporation (a really big one) has put on hold a pair of new manufacturing centers for the foreseeable future. Of course, whether or not Europe can be competitive with that Asian and Southern Hemisphere production is another issue.

The most amusing line to me in the whole article was "if Putin would be willing to renounce aggression against his neighbours" there could be a formula for lasting peace in Europe. It is so similar to Hitler's "this is my last territorial demand in Europe" as Chamberlain cravenly agreed to allow Germany to extinguish Czechoslovakian independence seeking the same "reasonable" solution. The French were thoroughly in the midst of that diplomatic fiasco as well.

My fundamental problem with Russian security demands is that they no longer have the military might to enforce such dictats. Yes, Russia can launch a bunch of nuclear weapons, but self-annihilation is a poor foreign policy choice. Putin is dictator of a regional power with a GDP barely half that of Great Britain. I think it is in Europe's absolute interest to remind Putin of that in the strongest possible terms. Ukraine obviously is offering that opportunity. Perhaps even Solovyov is sensing that shift in history.

It is interesting, that the author's thesis has become the major talking point on Russian TV over the last couple of weeks. The European economies are collapsing, Europeans will starve, Europeans will freeze, the whole support of Ukraine effort is an American ploy to dominate the continent and ruin its competitors in Europe, etc. It certainly seems to play well in Moscow.

 

[Major Bonkers]

Orwell's novel of repression '1984' tops Russian bestseller lists​

The chap in the last paragraph seems to have got the wrong end of the stick, though.

 

[Doug3006]

I’m reading that the western media is waking up to the fact that China’s official COVID numbers may be a bit understated. You don’t say!

Since lifting their insane restrictions last week, China (population 1.4 billion) reports SIX deaths related to COVID. The US reported 469 just for Tuesday!

The truth is that China is going to experience a huge surge in cases. As we’ve seen, surges don’t stop at international borders. The CCP’s perfidy once again becomes every nation’s problem.

 

[Doug3006]

I’m reading that the western media is waking up to the fact that China’s official COVID numbers may be a bit understated. You don’t say!

Since lifting their insane restrictions last week, China (population 1.4 billion) reports SIX deaths related to COVID. The US reported 469 just for Tuesday!

The truth is that China is going to experience a huge surge in cases. As we’ve seen, surges don’t stop at international borders. The CCP’s perfidy once again becomes every nation’problem.

 

[Doug3006]

Sorry. Looks like I posted twice. Not sure how I did that.

 

[steve white]

Here is an interesting article that lists some of the ways America is benefitting from the war in the Ukraine. To summarise: (1) the rapid destruction of German industry: BASF chemicals seems particularly badly hit; (2) the substitution of US gas for Russian (at 4 times the price); and, (3) the sale of armaments to European states that are rapidly rearming.

Meanwhile, if I was a Chinaman, I would be wondering whether anyone would notice if I wandered across the Amur River and helped myself to a bit of the Russian Far East.

There is certainly a mountain of timber going unused in Siberia...

 

[cpr0312]

 

[Newboomer]

There is certainly a mountain of timber going unused in Siberia...

That could prove very interesting---Get Russia to fight on two fronts when it can't hold it's own on one now.

 

[Doug3006]

Seems to me…..Russia is in no position to fight a 2 front war. China doesn’t need to invade and occupy Siberia to get cheap access to Russian natural resources. As one of Russia’s only “friends” those resources are certainly theirs for the asking.

 

[jpr9954]

 

[spike.t]

We are now on 19 hour power cuts here in Zimbabwe, send over some greenies to see what happens when you turn off coal power stations.

Shouldn't have been so greedy using all and more of your kariba water allocation......but waiting for our cuts to ramp up ....as the fktards sell electricity to sa etc....if they didn't probably wouldn't be any cuts here......

 

[spike.t]

I never walk through any third world airport without a fold of twenties in my pocket.

Now you tell me....

 

[spike.t]

Ohio teacher forced to resign after refusing to call students by preferred pronouns: Lawsuit

An Ohio teacher is suing her former employer after she allegedly was forced to resign for refusing to call students by their preferred pronouns.

www.foxnews.com