World Affairs

[rsc204 21,805]

2 hours ago, OcramsRzr said:

Turkey should be kicked out of NATO and the EU. Edrogan is worse than Putin and Trump combined.

Well we're halfway there then, because Turkey is not part of the EU.

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

6 hours ago, OcramsRzr said:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39064657

 

Turkey should be kicked out of NATO and the EU. Edrogan is worse than Putin and Trump combined.

Careful what you wish for. Turkey will let loose 2 or 3 million refugees into Europe, quite possibly unvetted too. Worse Turkey supports Jihadist groups in Syria.

[Dreadnought 8,226]

Well -- I am pleasantly surprised by the news this morning -- it has restored my faith in the Russian People.

The riot police are busily beating up and arresting protesters in Red Square -- all on camera, no less!

It appears that Vlad IV (Putin) had another political opponent "hit" -- this time in the Ukraine where he had fled for fear of his life. 

Makes me think of the assassin Stalin sent to Mexico City to kill Trotsky.  Just like "the good old days".   Once KGB -- always KGB.

It brings me joy to see a bit of rain fall in Putin's life.  He's had waaaay too much fun jerking America's chain while he plays Trump like a cut-rate violin !!

[Odainsaker 2,133]

So, now that the dissident targets have been arrested or eliminated, what did the Leader of the Free World have to say about it all?  Nothing, not even a late night Tweet from on the porcelain throne.  It took some shaming of the Administration by an incredulous Senate to finally get a mere acting spokesman for the State Department to issue a statement.  The magazine Foreign Policy offered this article by Daniel B. Baer, reposted by "Business Insider":

"Trump's silence on Russia's corruption protests shows just how big Putin won"

Sad!

 

[Dreadnought 8,226]

On 3/30/2017 at 2:59 AM, Odainsaker said:

So, now that the dissident targets have been arrested or eliminated, what did the Leader of the Free World have to say about it all?  Nothing, not even a late night Tweet from on the porcelain throne.  It took some shaming of the Administration by an incredulous Senate to finally get a mere acting spokesman for the State Department to issue a statement.  The magazine Foreign Policy offered this article by Daniel B. Baer, reposted by "Business Insider":

"Trump's silence on Russia's corruption protests shows just how big Putin won"

Sad!

The "Con man" in the White House was also painfully silent the last time the North Koreans launched a missile. 

We have put a self-centered "pansy" in charge of the most powerful and influential nation in the world -- a world that looks to us to lead.

And this "Fool" worries about the size of the crowd at his inaugural speech while Vlad IV undermines Europe, Nato, France, and God only knows what else.

And "The Fool" -- even more sadly -- tweets about wire taps because he ACTUALLY BELIEVES the unprincipled gossip he sees on Fox News !!!

Putin is playing a Chess master's game, while Trump has to declare bankruptcy at Monopoly !!

May God preserve us all -- the American voter, in their infinite stupidity -- has given Putin a gift he could never have won on any battlefield.

[krbe 193]

Interesting times in St Petersburg, with tons of speculation going around. RT had a male American bellydancer who had studied in Moscow to give an English-speaking account...

In the meantime, Fox News is not breaking that story, according to the Donald's Twitter feed. Looks like his handlers have been reassigned too, since he's not aware of it yet.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

Edrogan had to resort to not only mass propaganda and threatening 'no' voters but also straight up ballot stuffing to get a slim 'yes' result.

[Dreadnought 8,226]

On 4/3/2017 at 9:32 AM, krbe said:

Interesting times in St Petersburg, with tons of speculation going around. RT had a male American bellydancer who had studied in Moscow to give an English-speaking account...

In the meantime, Fox News is not breaking that story, according to the Donald's Twitter feed. Looks like his handlers have been reassigned too, since he's not aware of it yet. 

YES -- I think Ivanka and Jared have taken him in hand.  Bannon has been sidelined, and O'Riley is about to be dropped from Foxx News -- which means Donald will quickly lose interest.  Plus -- he might actually have learned not to quote so much of that made-up conservative crap he gets off the radio or TV.  I think daughter and son-in-law are a bit smarter than "dad".

Recently saw an article in "The Week" (a US weekly news magazine) claiming that Nikolai Gorokhov (a Moscow lawyer probing the "whistleblower" death of Sergei Magnitsky) fell from -- or was pushed out of -- a fourth floor window the day before he was due in court to re-open the Magnitsky case.  Magnitsky had claimed he uncovered a massive tax fraud by Russian officials -- for which, he was thrown in prison and died there in 2009.  A close associate of Gorokhov's stated that he was thrown off the building.    The "official" version said he fell while trying to hoist a piano up to his apartment -- !!!

I will say this -- with "Vlad IV" in charge, Moscow seems a right lively little town.  NEVER a dull moment.  Piano -- RIGHT !

[Dreadnought 8,226]

On 4/17/2017 at 1:25 PM, OcramsRzr said:

Edrogan had to resort to not only mass propaganda and threatening 'no' voters but also straight up ballot stuffing to get a slim 'yes' result.

The man is nothing more than a bad Hollywood re-make of yet another Fascist dictator. 

Looking back through history, the Turks were always tough fighters -- but, more often than not, were poorly led. 

People like Erdogan lead, and they simply follow.  Too bad they don't have a revolutionary streak in them.

[LexusInfernus 908]

1 hour ago, Dreadnought said:

 Too bad they don't have a revolutionary streak in them.

Well they did. But that was mostly centered in their army which has been completely purged of critics and possible opposition. 

[Dreadnought 8,226]

Very interesting --

Trump sacked the FBI Director this afternoon.

"The Night Of The Long Knives" has begun !    Smells like a "Watergate-style" coverup is coming.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

Turkey's "president" ordered an attack on protesters. This attack on US citizens on US soil technically qualifies as an act of terrorism and an act of war. The sane response is to declare Erdogan a persona non grata and kick Turkey out of NATO.

[Dreadnought 8,226]

On 5/19/2017 at 0:19 PM, OcramsRzr said:

Turkey's "president" ordered an attack on protesters. This attack on US citizens on US soil technically qualifies as an act of terrorism and an act of war. The sane response is to declare Erdogan a persona non grata and kick Turkey out of NATO.

Don't hold your breath --

Erdogan is another one of those "strongman types"  (we call them dictators) -- Trump likes him.  Right about now, my guess is that Trump wishes he was a dictator.

[Sabretooth78 808]

On 5/20/2017 at 1:59 PM, Dreadnought said:

Don't hold your breath --

Erdogan is another one of those "strongman types"  (we call them dictators) -- Trump likes him.  Right about now, my guess is that Trump wishes he was a dictator.

Exactly.  That'll happen once he also stops kissing the Saudis' ehhh errr rear end.

Meet the new boss.  Same as the old boss.

(But his supporters are convinced he's different and has changed everything!)

[Dreadnought 8,226]

2 hours ago, Sabretooth78 said:

Exactly.  That'll happen once he also stops kissing the Saudis' ehhh errr rear end.

Meet the new boss.  Same as the old boss.

(But his supporters are convinced he's different and has changed everything!)

Indeed --

I am continually amazed at how bad he is at covering himself -- and yet -- a clumsy bit of "slight of hand" convinces 39% of the electorate that he's a genius !!

Some months ago I came to the sad and frightening conclusion that the vast majority of voters are far more ignorant than I thought.

Hilary managed to lose an election -- but look what they got instead!

 

[Sabretooth78 808]

Hillar(ious) was no viable option either, but it just goes to show how little difference there is between these types.  We were screwed either way and I think most people knew that or at least I did.  I could say "Trump is just doing what Obama/Bush/Clinton/Bush/Reagan/you-get-the-point did or "what Clinton/McCain/Kerry/Gore/Dole/... would have done" but that's just deflecting the issue.  Point of the matter is he's sticking to the same failed playbook which is further evidence that he's either not the one pulling the strings or he's just a big phony and charlatan.  Reagan was the Teflon President; Trump is the Teflon Businessman.  Give me back Reagan; heck the guy probably makes a few nostalgic for Nixon and that decade of failure.

Deep down and despite all the jingoism to the contrary, I really do think most Americans prefer to not have to think for themselves and be told what to do.  I think it explains a lot of actions you see, even outside of the political arena.  To relate it to a SimCity-esque context, you see it every time a roundabout is proposed in place of a traffic signal and the residents then complain that nobody is going to know "what to do" or "where to go".  They like that assured yes or no you get from a stoplight; they don't have to do any thinking for themselves.

We're too fat and comfortable and just beginning a long period of repayment for that.

[Dreadnought 8,226]

8 hours ago, Sabretooth78 said:

Hillar(ious) was no viable option either, but it just goes to show how little difference there is between these types.  We were screwed either way and I think most people knew that or at least I did.

Yo --

Just for the record -- I voted Clinton. 

She was not my first choice -- I figured she was too close to Wall Street for my taste.  But when she eliminated Bernie, there was only one other choice -- and if I live to be a thousand, I'll never be feeble-minded enough to vote for Donald.  Bernie had his faults, but he made a lot of sense -- and he spoke to the working man rather than the college elite or the rich and greedy.  The Middle Class incomes and taxes make this country tick -- the rich people only make more money for themselves.

But I realized Hilary, with all her baggage, had the smartest political mind in the country for a husband -- and he left office with a fat surplus in the Treasury.  Even if she didn't do much good, she would never be able to cause the damage Donald is throwing around with such wild abandon.  Unfortunately, Hilary was the worst campaigner since Al Gore!

Donald is nothing more than a "phoney" -- a con-man -- a "snake oil salesman".  He will never deliver on his promise of jobs and prosperity because he is too busy giving away the house to his rich friends.  And his family and political cronies will steal the country blind.  Bannon is his political guru -- and he stole most of his ideas from "Mien Kampf".  A lot of Donald's campaign tactics were straight out of Adolf's playbook -- and Bannon is just a closet-Nazi.

They laughed at Adolf, much like I laughed at Trump when he announced his candidacy.  I should have remembered that Adolf talked a lot of trash and the people lapped it up.  Some of these clods will tell you unabashedly that they knew he would never deliver half of what he promised but -- they "liked the way he talked" !!!!  The mass of voters are no more than ignorant, uneducated, lambs being led to the slaughter by Donald.

Wait till they see what he does with his new budget.  Their "social safety net" is going to evaporate right before their eyes -- and they voted for him!!!

[Sabretooth78 808]

15 minutes ago, Dreadnought said:

Wait till they see what he does with his new budget.  Their "social safety net" is going to evaporate right before their eyes -- and they voted for him!!!

I don't care for ardent supporters of either "side" because I think they're brainwashed buffoons either way, but I've always thought working class republicans are definitely the best skilled among American voters at voting against their best interests.

To them, government is bad, unless such government programs are security or military related. In that case, they are perfectly competent in protecting us, and no government ever grew more uncontrollably from such legislation at all, much less than by any other means, perhaps all other combined!

When you look at that mindset, it's a wonder they didn't vote for Trump 40 years ago.

[matias93 7,535]

1 hour ago, Sabretooth78 said:

When you look at that mindset, it's a wonder they didn't vote for Trump 40 years ago.

Then they voted for Nixon, and then Reagan, it's not so radically different on that aspect, just as the ones that voted for the Tories and elected Thatcher. At least here in Latin America we can excuse on the fact that neoliberalism was imposed over us.

[Dreadnought 8,226]

3 hours ago, Sabretooth78 said:

I've always thought working class republicans are definitely the best skilled among American voters at voting against their best interests.

Having studied a good deal of philosophy, I am a firm believer in "logic" -- first, last, and always.  

Consequently, I have NEVER understood why working class people seem to love to champion rich guys that obviously can't stand the sight of working class people!!!

Someone explain that one to me !!

[matias93 7,535]

40 minutes ago, Dreadnought said:

Having studied a good deal of philosophy, I am a firm believer in "logic" -- first, last, and always.  

Consequently, I have NEVER understood why working class people seem to love to champion rich guys that obviously can't stand the sight of working class people!!!

Someone explain that one to me !!

With the likes of Trump, Berlusconi, Thatcher or Menem, it isn't so strange: they are very popular on their manners, and people like to feel reflected on their leaders, to get the sensation that the guy on power is just like us is somehow empowering, and many people can even sustain on the fidelity even after its clear their objective interests won't be held in high ground: they will simply change their political ideas to match the actions of their leaders. In other cases, partisan fidelities (or rejection) can also move votes, as it happened with Menem and Trump.

What is really difficult to explain is when totally non charismatic politicians on the right manage to appeal working class voters. On those cases, the most probable cause is that workers don't see themselves as workers first: they can feel that their ethnic, racial, religious or national identity is more relevant, and they will be open to vote for a bad candidate of their own tribe before one of another.

[Fantozzi 4,067]

G20: 300 troublemakers sent back home before the summit even started.

[Fantozzi 4,067]

G20: german police had a list with the names of 32 accredited journalists and the order to refuse access to the area, amongst them also german journalists. List was done by German Federal Office of Criminal Investigation. They say: for security reasons.

(Sorry, atm only german sources)

.

[Dreadnought 8,226]

I got to thinking the other night -- (I know....I shouldn't think.  The world is not logical.)

I watched that televised "Cabinet meeting" Trump held about a month ago -- the one where each member at the table took turns thanking Donald and telling him what a wonderful leader he is. (lol - lol )

Reminds me of Stalin.  Once he made his entrance to a party congress, everyone just kept clapping and cheering because they were afraid to be seen to be the first to stop applauding "The Leader".  And, of course we know what Kim Jong Un does to people that aren't enthusiastic enough.  But Trump can only fire these people, he can't kill them.

How do you get grown men and women -- some of them quite accomplished -- to debase themselves and grovel at the feet of a little "tin god"?  I simply can't imagine being so low down on the ladder of Evolution.

Except for Gen. Matiss -- he didn't kiss the Emperor's sandal.  Unfortunately, the General is #7 in the line of succession.

[LexusInfernus 908]

On 15-7-2017 at 10:56 PM, Dreadnought said:

How do you get grown men and women -- some of them quite accomplished -- to debase themselves and grovel at the feet of a little "tin god"?  I simply can't imagine being so low down on the ladder of Evolution.

Well if your job security is depended on you sucking up to your boss its not that odd to see them grovel at his feet. 

And more practically, sucking up to him means winning his favor and winning his favor means hes more likely to approve of things on their agenda. Or so they think. Normally this happens with every president, except that pretty much every president before this wasn't a petulant narcissist with the emotional maturity of a toddler, and didn't require constant sucking up to them to actually listen to their ministers.  

[Fantozzi 4,067]

Did I get this right - a liberian company infecting computers in germany to fight a local competitor with a cyber attack? My computer - used to post messages of love and peace - is a foot soldier in a war between stakeholders I don't even know their names?

[Dreadnought 8,226]

Last night, it hit the late news that Trump's high-paid, personal "Legal Spokesman" quit --

This morning, it was announced that another personal lawyer had resigned --

Lunchtime it's announced that the White House Press Secretary has been replaced by "Ma Huckabee" and her new boss is a New York "hot-shot-fixer".  (Sean Spicer wasn't that good at telling lies and spreading the propaganda line -- this guy will be slicker, I guess.)

Yesterday, a warning to "Special Council" Bob Mueller not to investigate Trump's personal finances too widely --

This morning, a leak from the White House indicating that Trump aides are investigating the possibility of Presidential pardons all around -- to include one for "Crooked Donnie".

First a lot of smoke, last week we started to see some fire, pretty soon we'll hear the sizzle when the fat hits the fire !!!

[Ocram's Razr 963]

China has invaded Bhutan and India went to defend it. Neither side want to back down so war seems unevitable. The likeliest possibility is a Pyhrric Victory for China; they have a stronger army than India but the unrest in already annexed Tibet and possibly soon to be annexed Butan and north India could lead to another revolution for China. With a property bubble ongoing, sanctions immenent, One Belt One Road losing popularity in the nations with the projects, and imminent default by Venezuela on loans from China, this could see the end of Communist rule in China. Or it could be the beginning of a period of decreased prosperity as Chinese exports diminish from a weakened (and more likely to become more Orwellian) Communist party.

[matias93 7,535]

20 hours ago, OcramsRzr said:

China has invaded Bhutan and India went to defend it. Neither side want to back down so war seems unevitable. The likeliest possibility is a Pyhrric Victory for China; they have a stronger army than India but the unrest in already annexed Tibet and possibly soon to be annexed Butan and north India could lead to another revolution for China. With a property bubble ongoing, sanctions immenent, One Belt One Road losing popularity in the nations with the projects, and imminent default by Venezuela on loans from China, this could see the end of Communist rule in China. Or it could be the beginning of a period of decreased prosperity as Chinese exports diminish from a weakened (and more likely to become more Orwellian) Communist party.

Ocram, I think you really need to start underestimating the chances of change for every given political juncture . In this case precissely, there is a nuclear peace, as both Beijing and New Dehli are completely in reach of the IRBMs of the other country:

Spoiler

Both Modi and Xi could be much more assertive than their predecessors, but neither of them are stupid enough to make a suicidal move. Surely, both countries will assess the effective power of the opposite armed forces and will decide on the control of Bhutan by that. Also, outrighly annexing a country is old-fashioned; they will surely just force a client local government while trying to perturbate the common day affairs the less possible, as it makes control way easier.

Continental China is certainly expanding and asserting imperial domination on Asia and even further, but they aren't 19th century europeans or unitedstaters to brag their brute forces around, it is much more efficient to simply suggest their evident threat of force to their neighbours, taking strategic positions both territorially (as the artificial islands on the South China sea) and economically (as the massive investments on infraestructure on Latin America and Africa). One Belt One Road should be seen as the same, a not so sucessful attempt at making Europe economically dependent on Continental China, drawing those countries to a forced practic alliance with the regime to preserve their economic wellbeing. Its the same trick that Putin uses with the gas: either you are complacient with the Russian government actions, or you chill on winter.

[LexusInfernus 908]

21 hours ago, OcramsRzr said:

China has invaded Bhutan and India went to defend it. Neither side want to back down so war seems unevitable. The likeliest possibility is a Pyhrric Victory for China; they have a stronger army than India but the unrest in already annexed Tibet and possibly soon to be annexed Butan and north India could lead to another revolution for China. With a property bubble ongoing, sanctions immenent, One Belt One Road losing popularity in the nations with the projects, and imminent default by Venezuela on loans from China, this could see the end of Communist rule in China. Or it could be the beginning of a period of decreased prosperity as Chinese exports diminish from a weakened (and more likely to become more Orwellian) Communist party.

Wait wait wait, China invaded Bhutan? Where did you get that? 

All I can find is that Chinese and Indian troops jostled with each other. And that this is part of a border dispute between Bhutan and China (Inda backs Bhutan) that has been going on for decades. 

That doesn't sound like much of an invasion to me. 

Also, war isn't likely. No one stands to gain anything from escalating this to an actual war.