Politics

[Red Leg]

A rather long but quite balanced assessment of the current situation in Ukraine by Lewis Page. The sort of detailed analysis one rarely sees on a US site of any direction. Our failure to provide ATACMS is really frustrating and perplexing - particularly with the UK is providing Storm Shadow.

The summary captures my sense of the conflict pretty closely.

Kori Schake, senior defence analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, perhaps put it best in a recent interview with CNN: “For about 5pc of US defence spending last year, and zero American military casualties, the Ukrainians are destroying the Russian military. And that is absolutely in America’s interests.”

Looked at that way, Western military aid to Ukraine is an excellent investment: we should clearly be sending more of it.

A horrifying embarrassment for Putin stands to test Zelensky’s nerves of steel

Ukraine is waging a shadow war in Russia – and risking its ultimate vengeance

www.telegraph.co.uk

 

[PARA45]

Minus the yellow places too.

 

[bowjijohn]

I

I don't feel put on the spot at all...just telling you how it is.....which regardless of your interaction with padres you don't seem realise the actual reality....simple

I’d sooner believe someone who knows someone who used to live in Zambia over a Zambian any day (I jest)

I’ll probably get into trouble for this but the American who knows everything about Southern Africa was a common phenomenon - and probably still is

Being a tourist and living and coming from our troubled and complex world are two very different things

 

[Boyd Brooks]

 

[CoElkHunter]

Medicaid is one thing. However, Medicare I'd say is untouchable politically. Those that are on Medicare have paid into it much more than they are taking out (for the most part) and any proposal to mess with it would have huge political repercussions. Between, Medicare premiums, Part B and prescription coverage people are paying about $2K or so a year in addition to all the payments they have made during their working lifetime.

I must admit, once I turned 65 it was a good option for me. My medical insurance through one of my companies was about $900 a month. Quite a bit of savings once I got on Medicare.

Social security once I get on it at 70 and a half should pay me enough for a tuskless elephant/buffalo hunt a year.

"should pay me enough". Ha! Ha! Ha! Maybe for airfare in baggage class and a box of bullets .... reloads! LOL

 

[spike.t]

I

I’d sooner believe someone who knows someone who used to live in Zambia over a Zambian any day (I jest)

I’ll probably get into trouble for this but the American who knows everything about Southern Africa was a common phenomenon - and probably still is

Being a tourist and living and coming from our troubled and complex world are two very different things

Ermmm...he is from Germany I believe....so you safe

 

[Hank2211]

They believe in the devil with the same fervour, as they believe in God.

@Foxi, do you know Christians who don't believe in the devil? If so, perhaps we should call them "people who call themselves Christian." My version of the Bible seems pretty clear on the point.

 

[bowjijohn]

Ooops !

 

[Brent in Az]

Disturbing!

 

[Tanks]

"should pay me enough". Ha! Ha! Ha! Maybe for airfare in baggage class and a box of bullets .... reloads! LOL

According to my SS printout/calculations it comes to about $4,500/month. I have paid the maximum for a very long time. So, $54K/year should be enough for the hunt I was talking about.

 

[spike.t]

I

I’d sooner believe someone who knows someone who used to live in Zambia over a Zambian any day (I jest)

I’ll probably get into trouble for this but the American who knows everything about Southern Africa was a common phenomenon - and probably still is

Being a tourist and living and coming from our troubled and complex world are two very different things

Well not a Zambian but should be at least an honorary one...First came here in 1990....got involved in a fishing lodge around 1993/4....then another game ranch which my partners had to sell ...and at same time had bought the land where Takeri is....and married to a gorgeous wild Zambian girl....so yeah think I have a slight idea from over the years ... having seen some unbelievably massive changes in this country....

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

Muslims aren't a great number but they are in control of a big part of the wealth here....

I will weigh in on this religion in Zambia religion question based on information that my Zambian born wife is telling me as I write. “Gather your intelligence locally.”

Muslins in Zambia

• The Muslins in Zambia are primarily eastern Indians who are descendants of British Citizen Indians. There are however some Muslins from West Africa in Zambia and some of them control large companies, mines, and so on.
• Zambian Indians were paid high wages to fill jobs as teachers, doctors, and other “professionals”. Their relatives would then be designated teachers and doctors, even thought they had no education. This was the source of some or much of their wealth.
• The “rich” Indians were and probably still are very politically connected.
• The Indians almost never married any Zambians. They kept their money in the Indian community.

Christians in Zambia

• Many white people went to Africa as Christian missionaries.
• In most poor countries such as Zambia, most people put faith in God to deliver them from poverty.
• Today’s Zambians may not be as religious as the population was 30 years ago, but they are likely much more religious than the populations today of many Western countries.

Zambians in USA

• As an example, of the dozens of Zambians in the USA that my wife knows well, almost all of them are “God fearing” if not religious.
• The example above is the only example I have for Zambians in the USA…

 

[Red Leg]

Well not a Zambian but should be at least an honorary one...First came here in 1990....got involved in a fishing lodge around 1993/4....then another game ranch which my partners had to sell ...and at same time had bought the land where Takeri is....and married to a gorgeous wild Zambian girl....so yeah think I have a slight idea from over the years ... having seen some unbelievably massive changes in this country....

I will offer supporting testimony that she is not only a truly lovely woman, but she also is an extremely politically astute and well connected member of the Zambian body politic.

 

[spike.t]

I will offer supporting testimony that she is not only a truly lovely woman, but she also is an extremely politically astute and well connected member of the Zambian body politic.

Thanks Joe...she also thinks you and your family are lovely people...

 

[Wheels]

Think it was around 3 years ago, the usa ambassador to here had to leave and go back to usa for giving the government shit... on I think it was whichever day then was gay day or whatever called...the usa embassy was decked out in flags etc backing it....and he spouted off about the anti gay laws here....didn't go down well and caused a diplomatic spat...the latest president HH has also stated its a Christian country and won't be changing any laws, as the family is no 1 in how society is....and he is a usa fanboy....but yeah one way to piss off countries here is to start on this subject....people are religious and you see churches slowly being built as money comes in...and some pretty big ones....also quite a few Muslims here. I think SA is one of the few countries in Africa that the alphabet sex isn't illegal. Also I believe that in Uganda some similar law changes were tried a few years ago but the top court ruled against them as possibly unconstitutional..but can't remember 100% if that was the reason. So it might not get through. It also was watered down by the president , as the death penalty was going to be applied to anyone caught in a homosexual act, which even he said was going too far...and also from memory that anyone appearing to be gay could be arrested which was dropped ...could be wrong as read it a bit ago but that's the general gist of it...here I think with quite a few people the attitude is if they not making it obvious then no issue...but people are prosecuted so especially as a white tourist don't push your luck if you are that way inclined....

Tanzania is definitely more religious than the west. I am sure Zambia fits the same mold.

Most of my friends in Tanzania are either devout Christians or devout Muslims. Most of them were excited in January 2009 when Obama was being inaugurated and I was in country. A couple years later, Obama signed legislation regarding gay marriage. They all thought that was sacrilege and everyone of them had a 180* change of opinion on Obama and wanted him to lose the 2012 election.

Also, the societal stance against homosexualtiy in East Africa, predates Christianity and probably Islam, which has influenced the coast for over 1,000 years. The west pushing for change will only drive Africa toward China and the BRICS.

 

[Major Bonkers]

A fine article here on the extraordinary failure of the American state and the subversion of its democratic institutions; sometimes it helps, at least to me, to set out in simple terms the slow progression of conspiracy and failure. And to think that you gave up the beneficent rule of King George for this!

On the Durham Report​

BY DANIEL JUPP
The Hillary Clinton campaign invented a conspiracy that didn’t exist to try and get a rival presidential candidate defeated.
They then falsified ‘evidence’ by paying a former foreign spy to create a dossier.
The heads of the FBI and CIA knew it was all an invention and not real. They met with departing President Obama and presented a report detailing that this evidence was a Hillary campaign invention.

The FBI knew. The CIA knew. Obama knew. Comey knew. Brennan knew. How many more knew?

Inventing Russian collusion was a serious insult to Russia as well as a corrupt lie against Trump. All of the Obama era picks in US intelligence knew it was false and would know it damaged relations with Russia.
None of them admitted it was false. Quite the contrary. They pretended it was true.
None of them said it was false when the FBI launched an investigation whose sole evidence was this dossier. An investigation into a serving President, for links they knew didn’t exist.
Now it seems that all of this is treason.

And so on, if you want to read the rest of it.

As it happens, I am reading about the Catiline conspiracy in the late Roman republic, which was suppressed by Cicero - You have managed not merely to ignore the laws and the courts, but to overturn and shatter them. [...] I have now achieved my objective, to make all of you see that a conspiracy has been openly formed against the state [...] leniency, then, is no longer appropriate: the situation demands firmness.

If only: Cicero had the leading conspirators strangled to death in the Tullianum after only a discussion in the senate, and without trial.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

@Red Leg , without giving any secrets away has the counter offensive begun and how are things going?

 

[mdwest]

Someone call Bernie Sanders quick!

 

[Scott CWO]

I will offer supporting testimony that she is not only a truly lovely woman, but she also is an extremely politically astute and well connected member of the Zambian body politic.

Yes and seemed to me she knew everyone in Lusaka!

 

[spike.t]

Yeah you could be correct