Western Mainstream Media screams Putin is losing or Putin has lost. The heroic Ukrainian president has single-handedly beaten back the brutal Russians. Biden screams Putin is a war criminal. That is, Putin's losing Russian army is commiting genocide on the winning Ukrainian hero defenders. Was that how the 300 Spartans massacred the Persians? Do two lies make a truth? America seems to finally want peace. The US warns China will face consequences if it does not stop Russia's war in Ukraine. So America wants China to use a magic wand (which it does not have) to stop a war that America started and which it is still fueling, otherwise America will start a war with China. Does America want peace or war? I still can't wrap my head around this one. This is what happens when a country is run by lying hypocritical demented morons. -PM
Lieutenant General Roger Cloutier was captured in Mariupol and is already in Moscow.
This proves BEYOND A DOUBT that America is not fighting a proxy war against Russia, but rather instead, is fighting a direct kinetic war against Russia inside a NATO proxy nation.
This will seriously escalate the global situation dangerously.
China perceptions
China, which has of late risen to the top of the United States enemies’ chart, is a bit harder to understand.
China is a legitimate global competitor with an economy now estimated to be larger than that of the US, but it has never suggested in any way that it wants a war.
Against that background, President Biden has declared that the United States has a “commitment” to defend Taiwan if China should attempt to retake control of the island.
If that conflict were to come about and the US engages in a conventional war against Beijing, it would find that the Chinese have considerable advantages in that they would be fighting on interior lines while the modern hypersonic missile technologies that they would deploy could devastate obsolete American aircraft carrier battle groups.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley has described the new Chinese missiles as “very concerning” and “very close” to being a “Sputnik moment,” when a panicked US accelerated its arms and space races against the Soviet Union in 1957.
And one should not forget that China is a major trading partner with the United States, producing many consumer items that are no longer manufactured in America.
Beijing also holds tens of billions of dollars-worth of US Treasury bonds.
If two countries ever had good reasons not to go to war it would be China and the US, but the threats coming mostly from Washington have been nearly continuous ever since President Barack Obama initiated his tilt to Asia.
The complete ineptness of US diplomacy also contributes to the sense of threat.
Logically, Washington should be playing off Russia against China to diminish any danger of war against two hostile great powers but instead it has chosen to antagonize both of themm simultaneously.
Whether the Europeans and the South Koreans and Japanese will follow the US on its march to oblivion is debatable.
One of the curious aspects of the news coming out of the White House, Pentagon and Foggy Bottom is just how hypocritical it all is.
Witness for example the groupthink assessment made by General Milley, who said
“We’re witnessing one of the largest shifts in global geo-strategic power the world has witnessed. They [the Chinese] are clearly challenging us regionally and their aspiration is to challenge the United States globally.”
Milley is saying that China in particular, and Russia and Iran as well, cannot develop military technologies and take other steps to defend themselves without Washington’s permission.
The absurdity of that position should be obvious to everyone, but it has apparently not yet become clear to those in power in Washington.
-Philip M. Giraldi, Ph.D.
Americans are in favor of war with Russia
You got to love the “logic” of these folks!
Russia intervenes in a country which neighbors it, thousands of miles away, and the US Americans see that as a threat to the USA.
And nevermind that the USA is the country which forced Russia into this war which the Kremlin spent eight years trying to avoid.
How is such a result even possible? Here are a few options:
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- A majority of US Americans are simply stupid and cannot think
- A majority of US Americans are unbelievably ignorant
- A majority of US Americans are brainwashed by their media and schools
- A majority of US Americans have been trained/conditioned to fear and hate whomever their rulers designate for demonization
- A majority of US Americans sincerely believe that the USA ought to be the planet’s cop and no matter where a conflict starts, even when that conflict started by the USA, they believe that it is Uncle Shmuel business to deal with it. In their tiny minds, the USA has a God given right to intervene anywhere and attack anyone.
- A majority of US Americans perceive any truly sovereign country as a direct threat to their way of life.
- The PYSOP campaign to demonize Russia has been a resounding success.
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A mix of all of the above is probably the most accurate cause for such a result.
Huawei speeds up bond sales
Company will issue 3 billion yuan (US$470 million) of short-term debt next week, a month after it sold 3 billion yuan in China’s interbank market
Huawei is reinventing itself, morphing from a hardware-centric model to a combination of hardware, software, and services
Fox News explains how Russia is losing…
Next, I bumped into a Foxnews propaganda piece featuring a clown which, apparently, in some very distant past was a US Lt. General in the USA military, his last name is Kellogg.
I decided to give it a try and I have to say that I sat absolutely *transfixed* listening to him: according to him, Russia has already suffered a huge defeat at the hands of the Ukronazis and with NATO’s help the Ukraine can, and probably will, win this war.
And both that “general” and the presstitute “interviewing” him delivered that crock of shit with great gravitas and appropriate facial expressions (angled eyebrows, the way the journos try to look very sincere). I was expecting at least one of them to burst out laughing but, no, of course not.
These two simply lack both the brain and the humor to realize how terminally stupid and ridiculous they both sound.
A man who says with a straight face that delivering 20 Soviet era aircraft or S-300 to the Ukrainians will make a difference in this war is either a clueless civilian or a deliberate liar prostituting his (putative and now former) officer’s honor for a few bucks.
Russia is jamming GPS satellite signals in Ukraine
A “Robin Hood Mentality” Emerges On The Streets Of America As Gangs Of Thieves Start To Prey Upon The Rich
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In the old days, we used to enjoy movies in which Robin Hood would “take from the rich and give to the poor”. But in the real world things are not supposed to work that way. In a civilized society, property rights are supposed to be respected. Unfortunately, the truth is that the U.S. is becoming less civilized with each passing day. At this point, a “Robin Hood mentality” is starting to emerge all over America. Highly organized gangs of thieves are specifically searching for wealthy targets, and those targets are often being followed all the way home before being attacked. I suppose that thieves must think that it makes a great deal of sense to target the wealthy, because robbing the rich is certainly a lot more lucrative than robbing the poor.
In Los Angeles, the police are openly admitting that over a dozen gangs are specifically targeting individuals that appear to have a lot of money…
More than a dozen Los Angeles gangs are targeting some of the city’s wealthiest residents in a new and aggressive manner, sending out crews in multiple cars to find, follow and rob people driving high-end vehicles or wearing expensive jewelry, according to police. In many cases, they’re making off with designer handbags, diamond-studded watches and other items worth tens of thousands of dollars — if not more — and then peddling them to black-market buyers who are willing to turn a blind eye to the underlying violence, police said.
In recent years, it has become trendy to show off your wealth publicly, but I think that is going to change.
In our new environment, donning very expensive gear simply makes you a target.
According to Captain Jonathan Tippet, at least 17 gangs in Los Angeles are now conducting these sorts of attacks…
According to Capt. Jonathan Tippet, who spearheads the task force, police have identified at least 17 gangs, most based out of South L.A. and operating independently, that are involved. There were 165 such robberies in 2021 and 56 so far this year, he said, including several over the weekend.
Once upon a time, criminals would approach and politely ask you to hand over your belongings.
Needless to say, those days are long gone. In fact, these gangs often physically attack their wealthy victims without even saying a word…
“There’s no chance or opportunity for these victims even to comply. They’re just running up to people and attacking them, whether that’s putting a gun in their face or punching them and beating on them,” Tippet said. “Pistol whipping them as well.” In some cases, police determined that gang members inside high-end venues served as “spotters” for those outside, Tippet said, alerting them when wealthy targets were heading out.
Sadly, the pace of these attacks appears to be accelerating.
According to authorities, there have been five more just within the last 48 hours, including one in which a woman was run into “by a Dodge muscle car”…
An LA woman was filmed being mown down by a Dodge muscle car so muggers could steal her watch as the city’s terrifying follow-home robberies soar. The video from Monday, one of five such robberies that occurred over just 48 hours, shows the unidentified victim fleeing the muggers silver Dodge Challenger after they smashed her car window when she stopped at a light in Downtown LA.
There was a time when most violent crime was confined to the poorest parts of Los Angeles and those that lived in the wealthiest neighborhoods generally felt quite safe.
But now everything has changed. Today, the largest increases in violent crime are happening in the wealthiest zip codes…
The zip codes showing the largest increases are home to film and pop stars, including Beverly Hills, of “90210” fame, where Beyonce and Jay-Z have their West Coast house; Bel Air, of “Fresh Prince” Will Smith fame, where Jennifer Lopez now resides; and Los Feliz, where Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom share a house and where Angelina Jolie has resided since her divorce from Brad Pitt.
And in nearby Santa Monica, the Postal Service has actually suspended service because mail carriers were being attacked so often…
The United States Postal Service suspended service in a Santa Monica neighborhood after reports of repeated attacks on mail carriers. In a notice posted at apartment mail boxes in the 1300 block of 14th Street, the USPS informed residents that service to the neighborhood is suspended. The letter cited several assaults and threats against mail carriers by an individual.
A state of complete and utter chaos reigns on the streets of the largest cities of California, but of course there is plenty of violence elsewhere too.
On Tuesday, a mass shooting on a subway train in New York City made headlines all over the world…
At least 29 people were wounded on Tuesday after a gunman wearing a gas mask set off smoke grenades and opened fire inside a rush-hour subway train in Brooklyn, authorities said.
62-year-old Frank James regularly posted hate-filled videos on YouTube, and this shooting was obviously an attempt to draw a lot more attention to himself and to his hate-filled beliefs.
And it turns out that the FBI already knew all about him…
It has now emerged that he was known to the FBI and was questioned in 2019 in New Mexico though it is not yet clear why. He was cleared but was entered into the state’s ‘Guardian Lead’ system. The Guardian Program is the bureau’s terrorist threat and suspicious incident tracking system.
James had been repeatedly arrested over the years, and this is yet another example that shows the foolishness of putting violent criminals back on the streets.
Of course if we tried to lock up all of the violent criminals our prisons would be packed beyond capacity very rapidly. Violence is on the rise everywhere you look, and what we are witnessing right now is only just the beginning.
In New York City, the new mayor was supposed to crack down on crime, but instead crime rates just keep going up. In fact, the number of subway crimes in March 2022 was 55 percent higher than in March 2021.
But we shouldn’t just pick on New York City. Other major cities are seeing similar spikes in violent crime.
So if things are this bad already, what will things look like in this country when economic conditions get really, really bad?
You might want to think about that.
And if you have lots of money, you might want to think about ways that you can look “poorer”, because those that appear to be wealthy will be preyed upon more than ever in the days ahead.
Fearing GPS Jamming By China, US Air Force Wants To Send Extra Layer Of Satellites To The Geostationary Orbit
Article.
China’s BDS accuracy comparable to GPS, even better in Asia-Pacific region: authorities – Global Times
After the “dirty trick” by foremer President Bill Clinton (where he turned off the GPS forcing a multimillion dollar Chinese rocket and it’s satellite to be destroyed), China has made their own GPS system. It’s known as the BDS, and is more accurate, safer, and better protected than the old American GPS system.
Article.
Ukraine war map
German Eurolemmings
As for the German Eurolemmings, they have truly lost any sense of decency or even basic common sense: they are now seriously thinking about sending old Leopard 1 tanks to the Ukraine!
Let me explain something really basic here:
- You cannot just send weapons to the Ukraine and have that make a difference. I mean, yes, if you send AKs, bullet and clubs, they might get used. But modern weapon systems require training. They also require maintenance. Then they need to be integrated into the rest of the armed forces. Then your forces need to train and practice a lot to perfect their combat coordination. Then you need a supply/maintenance/repairs network to maintain/repair your systems. Advanced air defense systems require crews with sometimes many years of training. Considering that the reinforcements sent by Kiev to the Donbass even include their Volkssturm, you can imagine how utterly useless the operators of the few weapons systems surviving the trip from Lvov to the Donbass will be. And the interval between the moment this ancient S-300 goes live and the moment a Russian ARM hit it will be counted in minutes at most.
- Next, old weapons (ex-Soviet or ex-NATO) are just fat targets. In almost all cases, Russian equivalents are one or even two generations ahead, so why are all the EU sending them? Well, for a couple of reasons, the main one is to get rid of them, since storage or recycling of such systems is rather costly. The next reason is that it makes NATO politicians look “tough” – after all, if Zelenskii wants old tanks, artillery or air defense systems (he ain’t exactly a military genius either!) then, by all means, we give it to him and look like we are doing *something*. By the way, the four S-300 sent by the Slovaks were, apparently, already destroyed in a strike yesterday. And the Slovak taxpayer did not spend a penny on this. How is that not a good deal for Slovakia? Oh sure, this is an act of war, a casus belli, as are ALL but UNSC approved “sanctions”, but the Euroemmings Master Race are so superior in every sense to the accursed Rooskies that, screw that! The only thing which can bring the Eurolemmings back to reality is a Russian strike on such a weapons convoy INSIDE a NATO member country because, as I have already explained, when the Eurolemmings to hide behind Uncle Shmuel’s back, all he will offer them are statements of support, outrage, freshly printed fiat money and the usual mix of threats, fear and hate western politicians always spew about Russia. But the US won’t allow NATO to go to war with Russia over one such strike, especially if the Russians clearly explain what they did and why (I actually expect that quite a few “old-time” western officers will get a good kick out of their newfound NATO “allies” hysterics once that happens).
- As I have mentioned in the past, weapons convoys in the western Ukraine (and, possibly, even inside Poland) make for easy and lucrative targets for the Russians. Just mix in enough civilians and, voilà!, sooner or later you will have a “Russian atrocity”, something like “the Russians kill scores of innocent feeling Ukrainian civilians” or “the Russians attacked trucks clearly marked with red crosses” (FYI – the SBU and Azov uses red crosses on its vans and ammo/supply trucks!). This is likely one of the reasons the Russians have, so far, chosen not to attack early on but to wait for solid intelligence and then strike the NATO forces/hardware when it is nicely concentrated somewhere. Still, we know that Azov ALWAYS used civilians (especially those perceived as “not sufficiently patriotic”!) as human shields. By the way, NATO taught them this technique. Anyway, to expect NATO weapon convoys NOT to be protected by human shields would be simply stupid. The Russians simply have to ASSUME that NATO/SBU/Azov will ALWAYS be surrounded by captive civilians.
Which brings us to the issue of false flags.
False Flags
Here are a few headlines about this topic:
- CNN: ““All options are on the table” for the West’s response if Russia uses chemical weapons“
- Vesti: “French gendarmes arrived in Lvov” (to investigate Russian war crimes and atrocities)
- Sputnik: “US Cannot Confirm Use of Chemical Agents in Mariupol, Senior Defense Official Says“
Need I say anything more?
Even by British standards, this is the most pre-announced pre-publicized false flag in history, I am amazed I don’t see ads and previews for it on Amazon and Netflix…
I guess, I will just say that if the public opinion is being prepared for a Russian chemical attack (maybe even with the – apparently harmless – “Novichok”) then we know for sure which side is winning and which side is not winning.
Why a False Flag?
There are a few other reasons why the Empire of Hate and Lies badly and urgently needs a false flag:
- Mariupol has fallen and all the rescue or escape attempts have failed. Yes, there are probably several hundred, possibly around 1000 Nazis still left in the deep and many underground facilities under the industrial complex, but they have become militarily irrelevant so the Russian National Guard forces are taking their sweet time to avoid any unnecessary losses on the Russian side.
- Reports of Nazi atrocities are literally all over the place, especially on Telegram. A few of these have leaked into the legacy corporate ziomedia thereby creating the first, still tiny, cracks in the official narrative.
- Nobody knows what/who exactly is hidden deep in the bowels of Azovstal, but considering the immense efforts to get “it/him/them” out of there, the inevitable takeover of the underground floors by the Russians will result in some major embarrassment for the Empire, unless the Kremlin decides to show “goodwill” again and mistakenly believe that any such goodwill will be appreciated in the West. IF there is a deal made, it will have to offer the Russians something really substantive and very quickly verifiable since just promises won’t do, not even with the Atlantic Integrationists (who are now busy rebranding themselves as “patriotic Russians”).
- There are also lots of reports of atrocities in the Nazi-controlled Ukraine, including public floggings and executions. Again, Telegram is flooded with such reports and footage and the Bucha false flag petered out without providing the needed “distraction” and return to the “correct” narrative. The Ukronazis even reportedly told the Brits that they have no intention of abiding by the Geneva Conventions (what a surprise!).China import Growth rate in March is 15.4%, 0.1% lower than previous year and SCMP titled it “import collapse.”
Apollo 13 | “Houston, We Have a Problem”
The battle of Donbass
A war with China?
And then there is China which clearly supports Russia, and which is clearly preparing for a war against the USA. Even their minister of defense said so quite openly. And here are two things the Chinese know for sure:
- If the United States Empire defeats Russia, China will be next, thus China cannot afford a Russian defeat under ANY circumstances (and neither can Russia afford a hypothetical Chinese defeat at the hands of the Empire).
- If the US and Russia go at each other in earnest, this will be the perfect time to not only solve the Taiwan issue, but to boot the US out of the Far East just as Iran booted the USA out of the Middle-East. From the Chinese point of view, “just” liberating Taiwan is not enough – the US must be removed from Taiwan, Japan and even the ROK. So yes, China also wants to denazify the planet, they are less blunt about it than the Russians, but it is clear to me that this world denazification plan was agreed to by both Putin and Xi.
The folks at the Pentagon must realize that – at least a sufficient critical mass must do so. Yes, I agree with Andrei Martyanov, the former US generals on TV sound like ignorant infantiles, but I will never believe that all US military commanders are that stupid.
Mattis seems to be the person who deliberately botched the US missile strike on Syria to avoid a possible Russian reaction leading to war and General Milley called his Chinese counterpart to tell him that the US has no intention of striking at China thereby telling the Chinese that they are NOT in a “use them or lose them” situation, which would have put the entire USA in the very real danger of getting nuked by a desperate China. In both of these cases, these generals appear to have contravened direct orders for the greater good of service to their country and protection of the US population of the imbecilic orders given by imbecilic US Presidents. Mattis was “let go” pretty soon by The Donald while Milley was subjected to a vicious smear campaign.
So if “Biden” (meaning Nuland, Sullivan, Blinken or any other demented psychopath) gives the order to attack Russian forces I still want to believe that there will be a critical mass at the Pentagon to tell the “crazies in the basement” to finally shut up and get back to where they belong: the basement they crawled out of.
Everything seems to be in American freefall…
What’s It Like To Be In An Airplane That Is Falling From The Sky?
I was in a commercial jet that fell from cruising altitude. It was a small jet flying on a now defunct airline.
We had just started the descent when the plane tilted and the dropped out of the sky. Nose was pointed nearly straight down.
I was sitting in the aisle. People were screaming, yelling out – but I can’t remember the words. All kinds of crap was flying through the cabin and the flight attendant was no where to be seen.
My brother and Dad were in the seats behind me. I remember thinking about how sad my mum was going to be. And then looking out at the window at the ground.
After what seemed like an eternity, the pilot was able to regain control and the plane started to right itself again…. for about 15-30 seconds, before starting another uncontrolled descent.
It was more terrifying the second time around – the ground was far closer. I was certain that I was going to die and looked over at a blonde woman about my age sitting next to me. We hadn’t spoken the entire flight, but I reached out in some impulsive desire for human contact at the end…and we held hands as the plane fell out of the sky. I can remember looking at her face briefly, she was crying.
As the ground started approaching and you could make out things like trees and houses, I felt a sense of peace fall about me.
Death seemed to be certain but I didn’t care. It seemed like it was going to be quick and painless – but I remember being surprised that it was going to all end this way.
Then we started to feel the pilot struggling with the plane and it started to right itself again…and for a second time the plane pulled out of the dive.
It was still incredibly bumpy and people were crying and screaming out at every round of turbulence – everyone was waiting for the next and final dive.
When we landed, the young woman and I were still holding hands. People were dead quiet.
What was surreal was that the flight attendant got on the microphone when we reached the gate and thanked us for flying on that shitty ass airline and ‘hoped we would fly again’.
They brought a bus out and one of the pilots came out with us. He didn’t say a word, but his knee was shaking uncontrollably.”
But you know, people do survive…
“17 Year-Old Juliane Koepcke Was Sucked Out Of An Airplane In 1971 After It Was Struck By A Bolt Of Lightning. She Fell 2 Miles To The Ground, Strapped To Her Seat And Survived After She Endured 10 Days In The Amazon Jungle”
Back to the Ukraine
If it wasn’t for the US nuclear triad (old, but still formidable and capable!), I truly wouldn’t give a damn, but alas that is a luxury nobody can afford, at least until the USA is finally denazified and disarmed too. But until all of Zone A is absorbed and re-civilized by Zone B, that danger will threaten every human being on the planet (and now even in the southern hemisphere courtesy of the comprador leaders of the US colony in Australia which have decided to paint a big Chinese nuclear crosshairs on their brainless heads!).
Okay, I will end with some major good news: the entire 36th Marine Infantry Brigade in Mariupol has surrendered! That is over 1000 soldiers, including 300 wounded and 90 seriously injured.
Now, careful here, these are NOT the Azov forces hiding in the underground floors of Azovstal. First, they are not Azov but regular Ukrainian military and, second, they were barricaded in the Illich industrial complex, near the Azovstal, but already cut off from Azovstal.
It is important to note that unlike the Azov Nazis, the Naval Infantry forces are NOT considered as Nazis by the Russians and that they will all get full POW protection under the Geneva Convention.
The very best the Azov people can expect is to be identified and arrested on suspicion of war crimes, crimes against humanity and all kinds of atrocities. If some of them are clearly clueless idiots who made some bad choices, they might return home one day after either being found innocent (a minority) or after serving their time in Russian jails.
Those found with tattooed swastikas or those who are already on the FSB wanted list will get harsh sentences in equally harsh high-security prisons.
As for Azov commanders, they have already been told by everybody that they will get no mercy. Which means that they will get interrogated and executed.
Japan’s future, whether she likes it or not, will be with its East Asian neighbors’ Belt and Road Initiative when the U.S. 7th Fleet scuttles back to Pearl Harbor.
Although it is now 20 years since the English edition of my Japan: The Toothless Tiger best seller first appeared, everything that has since happened has confirmed its thesis that East Asia is a powder keg that Japan cannot contain.
Although China’s Belt and Road Initiative is inexorably falling into place, so too is the South China Sea. Although a British convoy, supported by German and American cruisers, recently sailed through the area, they, like the Australians, who are being butt hurt by Chinese sanctions, are not serious players.
South Korea, Taiwan and Japan are the region’s heavy hitters. Though Taiwan would give an excellent account of itself in any future encounter, there is little they could do when faced with overwhelming Chinese firepower. Taiwan could be East Asia’s Arch Duke Ferdinand moment.
South Korea, however, remains the real dagger to Japan’s heart. There are more than five million men under arms on the Korean peninsula – far more armed soldiers than either the United States or Russia maintains. Vladivostock, Russia’s military headquarters in the Far East, is only fifty miles away from North Korea! The resulting geostrategic rivalries make Korea the most militarized piece of real estate on the planet and it is the only place the United States has (repeatedly) declared it has locked and loaded nuclear weapons. As there is no way Seoul can be defended from a determined attack, the USMC is heavily embedded in Okinawa to where they hastily retreated at the height of the Korean War and to where they most likely will have to retreat again. Though Japan needs South Korea as a buffer state against North Korea and its historical Russian and Chinese sponsors, the Belt and Road Initiative would marginalize Japan and make her almost irrelevant to this Chinese minted version of The Great Game.
China views its own naval expansion as vital to protecting her sea routes and, just like Washington, Beijing is deploying her navy to ensure that the black gold continues to arrive to her shores. The fact that this policy poses a threat to Japan is not Beijing’s primary concern. They have the much more daunting task of keeping their vast nation afloat. For that overriding purpose, they need a strong navy to guarantee their oil supplies and a steely determination to defend and promote their national objectives.
Japan’s looming quandary is that, with Taiwan and South Korea, it has been a vassal of America’s East Asian policy, trading economic advancement for American political and military hegemony in contrast to China’s unfettered development. That bill is now due.
China is involved in a great strategic game that she cannot afford to lose. Kazakhstan is China’s natural bridge to the lucrative Iranian and Iraqi fields. Such a link-up would advance China’s standing as a world power. It would also cripple United States’ efforts to secure the Caspian Sea’s oil for the West. China also wants to secure central Asia’s economic cooperation to help mollify Xinjiang, which Erdoğan’s Muslim Uighur fifth columnists are charged with subverting. About 200,000 Uighurs live in Kazakhstan and opposition Islamic terrorist groups have their bases in Almata, its largest city. China hopes to neutralize this U.S. sponsored internal ISIS threat by its oil diplomacy in Kazakhstan, and its arms diplomacy in Pakistan, Iran and Iraq.
NATO’s ongoing belligerence in Eastern Europe has transformed the pipeline poker China has been playing with Russia and the other regional powers, forcing Russia and oil rich Kazakhstan to fully throw their lot in with China. Siberian oil will flow southwards to China and, if Korea and Japan wish it, onwards to them as well.
Iran meanwhile, is helping China wrest the vast oil reserves of the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf from Uncle Sam . If Iran and China control the flow of oil from the region, the United States will lose control not only of the Caspian Sea but also of the Persian Gulf’s vast and vital oil supplies. Japan best urgently take stock.
China’s missiles nullify America’s capacity to militarily dominate Asia’s vast geography with its small, dispersed pockets of marine forces, whose forward deployment policy bases are much too vulnerable. Without forward bases in Asia, there can be no concentration of American military power: weapons cannot even be stored, let alone massed for use.
This vulnerability of their bases to Chinese missiles is America’s singular military weakness in Asia. America’s powerful Seventh Fleet cannot make up for the loss of Asian land bases. The Seventh Fleet cannot generate anything like the military power or psychological effect of fixed bases.
The most important of these forward bases are those in Japan. Guam, like mainland America, is simply too far away to fill this role. Okinawa is the pivotal, preferred spot. And China’s missiles are gradually making those bases redundant to America’s strategic thinkers.
China is devoting vast resources to her missile program. This is a war of nerves where time and, ultimately, technology, is on the side of Mainland China. This psychological aspect explains China’s widespread use of ballistic missiles, which are, in essence, really psychological weapons – paper tigers if you will. Although Taiwan might protect itself from an amphibious assault, protecting Taipei from surgical missile strikes – or the threat of surgical strikes – by Beijing’s ballistic missile units is a more daunting task. Beijing knows this and will continue to tighten and loosen the screws, as she deems appropriate.
Japan has a glass jaw, one that China could easily break if Japan does not act responsibly over the next few years. Japan is the only major nation in the world that has explicitly renounced war as a tool of policy. Article 9.1 of the Japanese constitution renounces war “as a sovereign right of the nation”. Article 9.2 asserts that “land, sea and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained”.
That said, Japan maintains very substantial “land, sea and air forces”. Japan’s military expenditures are, in fact, the third highest in the world. Tokyo has stockpiled over 100 tons of plutonium that would be relatively simple to transform into weapons’ grade material. Japan’s fast-breeder reactors (FBRs) have the capacity to squeeze over 60 times more energy from uranium fuel than can the light-water reactors of most other countries. Japan will, in other words, have the capacity to make more nuclear weapons than the combined arsenals of the United States and Russia hold. If nothing else, this arsenal makes an impressive bundle of bargaining chips.
Because its major challenges will come from the air, Japan has developed formidable anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic missile defense systems. Japan’s radar and its accurate Tomahawk missile technology far excel their American prototypes. Other Japanese strengths in miniaturization, automation, telecommunications and the development of durable, lightweight advanced materials further enhance their military capabilities.
Japan’s plutonium purchases have allowed it develop the necessary nuclear submarine technology to counter China’s blue water navy. Though impressive, a handful of nuclear submarines and a couple of batteries of missile defenses do not make Japan impregnable.
Bizarre as it seems, Japan’s expertise in these niche areas is a cause for concern in Washington. America fears lost market share if Japan exports its expertise – and, to develop the required expertise, Japan would have to copy the examples of Israel, Sweden, South Africa and other small countries and aggressively export. The United States fears that Japan would win export orders at its expense.
Japanese dual-use technological capabilities in commercial fields related to military use threatens the preeminent position American producers currently enjoy in the world’s arms’ markets. This is ironic as, historically, the United States encouraged Japan in its development of dual use capabilities. Spin-offs from the radio industry, for example, helped kick-start the Japanese commercial television industry, which eventually obliterated their American competitors.
Japan’s defense industry is, however, an inconsequential part of Japan’s overall industrial output. It accounts for less than 1 percent of Japanese gross domestic product (GDP) and even those firms, such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), which are most heavily involved in it, are there mostly because of the spin-off technological benefits it has given them.
Whereas Japan has some particularly strong trees of knowledge, the forest overwhelmingly belongs to America. Japan just does not have the logistical depth of America or the European Union to be a major league player. While Japanese industry has established a global position in a wide range of critical modern technologies, Japan’s defense industry has lagged behind. At the systems level, military technology has simply moved faster than Japan’s ability to catch up.
Japan, in other words, does not have an autonomous arms industry. Today, the defense industry accounts for less than 0.6 percent of total industrial production, an almost insignificant amount in Japan’s overall context. Though Japan produces about 90 percent of its own military requirements, much of that is built under license from American firms and a considerable amount of the technology is black-boxed – sealed so that Japanese engineers cannot study and copy them.
In summary then, East Asia is in a state of chassis. Although Japan has neither the heart nor the materiel for what lies ahead, she, together with South Korea and Taiwan, must develop not only their autonomous defense systems but their own autonomous diplomatic voices as well. Japan’s future, whether she likes it or not, will be with its East Asian neighbors’ Belt and Road Initiative when the U.S. 7th Fleet, however belatedly, scuttles back to Pearl Harbor.
Why isn’t China buying more Russian oil?
Shanghai Police Telling Citizens Protesting Lockdown “We are going to have a war with America”
Sometimes, real facts pop-up in the strangest places. This one is a doozy!
The City of Shanghai China has been in a new “COVID Lockdown” for a couple weeks. 23 Million people can’t even leave their homes. No work. No food shopping. Nothing.
Protests are erupting. People want this to end.
Shanghai police inadvertently slipped-up while on-camera, and provided the __real__ reason for what’s going on: This isn’t a COVID lockdown, it is economic warfare being waged by China, against the United States.
By halting manufacturing in Shanghai and the surrounding region, parts and raw materials the US needs, aren’t coming. As such, industry in the U.S. is forced to shut down.
So what was it the Shanghai cops let slip?
"I'm telling you this is not caused by our police. This is a result of the whole international situation. We are going to have a war with America . . . Don't you know?"
Here’s the video:
INTEL: U.S. Delta Forces and U.K. “SAS” Fighting inside Ukraine since February!
A source in the French intelligence community reportedly informed a Le Figaro reporter last week that elite special forces from the UK and the US have been deployed in Ukraine since the start of hostilities with Russia in late February.
The claim was made public by the newspaper’s senior international journalist Georges Malbrunot on Saturday, the same day that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid an unexpected visit to Kiev. Although this information has not been officially confirmed, the British leader was reportedly accompanied by special SAS guards.
SAS units “have been present in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, as did [sic] the American Deltas,” Malbrunot tweeted, citing a French intelligence source. He went on to say that Russia was well aware of the “secret war” waged against its troops by foreign commandos, according to the source. His information was mentioned in Le Figaro’s Ukraine updates.
The French journalist who returned from Ukraine after arriving with volunteer fighters told broadcaster CNews that “Americans are directly “in charge” of the war on the ground.”
The United Kingdom and the United States have been among Kiev’s most ardent military supports. Johnson is said to have personally urged his Ukrainian colleague, Volodymyr Zelensky, to continue fighting Russia until better terms are presented.
Russian Flagship “Moskva” Explodes in Black Sea off Ukraine; Reports Say it SANK
The Missile cruiser ‘Moskva’ was evacuated after fire caused an ammunition explosion, “severely damaging” the ship according to a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry. Ukraine is claiming they fired two “Neptune” anti-ship Missiles at the ship causing it to explode, but this is not confirmed.
The entire crew was evacuated after an ammunition explosion caused by a fire, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement cited by Russian media on Wednesday night. The cruiser suffered “serious damage,” the Russian military said, adding that the cause of the fire was under investigation.
The Slava-class missile cruiser, launched in 1979, is armed with 16 anti-ship missiles and many more air defense missiles, torpedoes and guns. It is part of the Black Sea fleet, and has been engaged in operations off the coast of Ukraine since February.
Ukrainian officials on Wednesday evening claimed that a battery of their Neptune anti-ship missiles hidden in Odessa had successfully struck the Moskva twice, setting the cruiser ablaze. Among those making the claim were Maksim Marchenko, head of the military administration in Odessa, and Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Interior Ministry in Kiev.
They did not provide any evidence for their claims.
It was just yesterday that the Hal Turner Radio Show reported to the world via Global High Frequency radio broadcasts on WBCQ and WRMI, that NATO personnel were in Odessa with equipment that could provide precise coordinates on every ship in the Black Sea within 200km, and that the NATO targeting gear could be used to guide missiles to those ships. One day later, Russia’s Black Sea flagship has now, apparently, been hit.
According to local reports – which HAVE NOT been verified – the Moskva was in the process of changing position to go after a drone which had achieved “radar lock” upon it. That change of position seems to have placed the Moskva in the worst position imaginable as far as becoming vulnerable to a coastal launched missile strike.
Was the drone “radar lock” a NATO Drone? Was the Radar lock a way to get the ship to change position to make it ripe for missile attack?
The answers to these questions may determine whether Ukraine – or the U.S.A. – gets retaliated against by Russia. It may be that such retaliation would come with no warning . . . just like the Moskva had no warning. We are in dangerous times.
Putin‘s final warning.
PUTIN: “I am now instructing our 4 combat regions that if USA and NATO dare to provoke us (around the Black Sea) and try to hit us with even ONE guided missile then you must hit them back as hard as possible.
Hit them fiercely until they kneel down for mercy.
If they retaliate, I command you to use nuclear weapons to hit their countries.
No need to think about the consequences.
I will be solely responsible.
Your duty is just to hit them hard until they kneel down begging for mercy.
Once the war has started I want you to subdue Europe in 5 days.
No need to think… just take over the 8 capitals of Europe.
From now on our Air, Land and Navy armed forces are on full alert.
I want the world to know who is the leader of the world.
What is USA… I am telling them they will be trembling in front of us.
They have been belittling and making fun of many countries but don’t they dare to try us.
Go to hell.
My view is that if the Russians have to live under USA’s mercy then what good is there left in this world!!”
Article.
FLASH: KIEV BEING BOMBED . . . NOW
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As of 7:13 PM eastern US time on Thursday, 14 April, the city of Kiev, capital of Ukraine, is being heavily bombed by the Russian Army. Video below.
No way to determine if this has anything to do with the missile strikes upon the Russian Guided Missile Frigate “Moskva” which exploded and then sank in the Black Sea last night.
UPDATE 7:21 PM EDT —
Explosions are heard near the government quarter, the Ministry of Defense and the SBU.
Powerful explosions and blackouts in Kiev.
Elsewhere now, Reports of explosions and shooting in Kharkov.
Nikolaev – explosions.
Ivano-Frankovsk (Western Ukraine) – The last oil refining plant in Ukraine is being destroyed.
A good opinion about this chain of events…
Another realistic Russian ex-mil. opinion on the post-“Moscow” situation, https://t.me/mig41/16459, (Yandex translation):
[Forwarded from A spy to whom no one writes] Missile defeat of the cruiser "Moscow" opens a new stage of hostilities in Ukraine The priority direction of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the support of NATO is the South of Ukraine in the direction of Crimea and Donbass The situation around the attack on the cruiser "Moscow" has two dimensions: [1] military–technical and [2] public–media. The military–technical part of this situation was described most fully (https://t.me/atomiccherry/429 ) the author of the Atomic Cherry channel, I recommend reading, a bright and deep mind that rarely makes mistakes in estimates. I can add to the above only the unpreparedness of the Russian fleet for the active actions of the AFU, which lies in the weak intelligence and analytical capabilities of the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet and the Navy of Russia. After 50 days of the operation, from which half of the time we observe the increasing scale and pace of enemy activity, there is no reflection. Once again, we are faced with a critical underestimation of the capabilities of the APU. The cruiser had no cover and acted alone, which is already quite a dangerous occupation. So far, everything suggests that the ship was hit during a combined attack involving a UAV and the Ukrainian Neptune missile defense system with direct support from NATO (primarily in reconnaissance and targeting). It is difficult to say what chances the ship had without cover with outdated radar and air defense in such conditions. In the general picture of what happened , two points are of interest: 1. Did NATO reconnaissance aircraft take part (https://t.me/atomiccherry/430 )in the continuous illumination of the target, or only gave the exact coordinates. The first option already speaks of the direct participation of the British Air Force in a military operation against the missile cruiser "Moscow". 2. Whether the Turkish Bayraktar UAVs were used in the attack on the ship. It may also dramatically lower the degree of Turkey's relations with Russia. Once again, we have received a painful lesson in competent and clear planning of the operation, unified and effective management of forces and means, which is critically lacking in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The media and public reflection is extremely surprising. The media are trying to explain Ukraine's success with some kind of NATO miracle weapon, missiles that were able to magically hit the ship. This cargo cult, the magical perception of war, takes society even further away from reality. Russia has suffered a serious symbolic and military defeat. And if the loss of the first large ship (BDK, in Berdyansk) could be written off as an accident, then the loss of the second is already a pattern that speaks of a dangerous underestimation of the enemy. What conclusions and forecasts can we come to at the moment: 1. The naval blockade of Ukrainian ports is under threat. The Black Sea Fleet, due to its small size, cannot continue to lose (surface) ships. We need to look for other means to keep the coast and Ukrainian ports under control. 2. Attacks on the Black Sea Fleet will continue, primarily by the forces of the NSM PKR, whose range (up to 200 km) allows hitting ships of the Black Sea Fleet almost throughout the Black Sea, including the coast of Crimea. The Black Sea Fleet will be squeezed out of the Black Sea to the coast of the peninsula. 3. The main direction of the APU offensive is the South of Ukraine – Kherson and Mykolaiv region. Britain has repeatedly made it clear that the Black Sea ports of Ukraine, primarily Odessa, have strategic value for them. Donbass is also being strengthened as an instrument of depletion of Russian and allied forces. The AFU grouping, which has been strengthening for seven years, is far from exhaustion. 4. The second center of forces is the Dnipropetrovsk region, as the political center of the South, which connects all the surrounding regions. 5. Crimea becomes a priority target of the AFU and NATO operations. This confirms the Pentagon's "bold" statement that the United States will provide Kiev with intelligence information on targets in the Crimea and Donbas. Not only the Black Sea Fleet will be hit, but also the objects and forces of the Crimean ground group. It is critically important for the AFU to paralyze the logistics and replenishment of the "southern" grouping of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation operating from Kherson. @genshab
So my prediction from the other thread looks to be right after all.
Posted by: Boo | Apr 14 2022
Capture of US army major general
All evidence points to the United States directly involved in the war in the Ukraine against Russia.
Eventually, it will point to direct involvement of the United States directly involved in Taiwan Against China.
Right now, the situation is clear. Mainstream media “news” can say whatever it wants, but the facts are clear to Russia. And thus to China, and the rest of the world. There was information that the representative of the high command of the US ground forces, Lieutenant General Roger Cloutier was captured in Mariupol and is already in Moscow
The United States is in a hot kinetic war against Russia.
Americans in Ukraine oversaw a project to spread diseases by water
From HERE.
The analysis of documents relating to the military biological activities of the United States on the territory of Ukraine continues.
Briefing by the Chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation , Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov 04/14/2022.
" Thanks to the special military operation of the Russian troops, it was possible to obtain additional information about the military biological activities of the United States on the territory of Ukraine, confirming numerous violations of the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological Weapons (BTWC). Taking advantage of existing gaps in international legislation and the absence of a clear verification mechanism, the US administration is consistently building up its military biological potential in various regions of the world. The Russian Federation is constantly making efforts to create a mechanism for verifying compliance with the BTWC, but this initiative has been consistently blocked by the collective West led by the United States since 2001. The existing Mechanism of the UN Secretary-General to investigate the alleged use of biological and toxin weapons, as well as the Geneva Protocol of 1925 on the prohibition of the use of asphyxiating, poisonous and other similar gases and bacteriological agents in wars and military conflicts, do not cover the verification of the biological activities of participating States. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, based in The Hague, also has no such authority. Earlier, we presented a scheme for coordinating the activities of biological laboratories and research institutes in Ukraine by the United States. One of its elements is the Ukrainian Science and Technology Center (UNTC), a seemingly non-public organization that has nothing to do with the Pentagon. The Russian Ministry of Defense managed to reveal its role in the US military-biological activities on the territory of Ukraine. In accordance with the statutory documents, the STCU is an international intergovernmental organization created with the aim of "...preventing the dissemination of knowledge and experience related to weapons of mass destruction ...". Its legal status is determined by the Agreement of October 25, 1993, which was concluded between the governments of Ukraine, Canada, the USA and Sweden, as well as the Amendment Protocol of July 7, 1997. The STCU is headquartered in Kyiv and has regional offices in Baku, Chisinau and Tbilisi, as well as Kharkov and Lvov. At the same time, the Expert Center for Chemical and Biological Threats of the Russian Ministry of Defense established that the main activity of the STCU is to act as a distribution center for grants for conducting research of interest to the Pentagon, including in the field of biological weapons. In recent years alone, Washington has spent more than $350 million on the implementation of STCU projects. The US Department of State and the Ministry of Defense are US customers and sponsors of the STCU. Funding is also provided through the Environmental Protection Agency, the US Department of Agriculture, Health and Energy. Also, pay attention to the document prepared by the STCU curators dated March 11, 2022, which highlights the true nature of the activities of this organization. It notes: “... there is an outflow of scientific experts in the development of delivery vehicles and modern weapons who worked at Ukrainian institutions, as well as experts in the development of biological, radiological, chemical and nuclear weapons. The most trained specialists with experience in working with dual-use materials and technologies (there are from 1,000 to 4,000 of them) found themselves in unfavorable professional and financial circumstances. This makes them vulnerable to going over to the side of other states to participate in programs for the development of WMD, delivery vehicles and other weapons…”. Using such formulations, Washington actually recognizes the work carried out by Ukrainian experts on the creation of means for the delivery and use of weapons of mass destruction and considers it appropriate to continue their financing. I will give the names of officials who were involved in the implementation of military biological programs. The post of Executive Director of the STCU is held by US citizen Curtis Belayach. Born August 27, 1968 in California, studied at the California University of Management named after Anderson. He has a master's degree in international finance and has been working in Ukraine since 1994. Eddie Arthur Mayer is the Chairman of the Board of the STCU from the European Union, and Phil Dolliff from the US is in charge of the work of the center, who holds the position of Deputy Advisor to the Secretary on International Security and Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs in the State Department. Documents received by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation confirm the connection of the STCU with the American military department. The slide shows the official recommendation of the US Department of State, endorsing the cooperation of the STCU with the Pentagon's main contractor, Black & Veatch. The correspondence expresses the readiness of the vice-president of this company, Matthew Webber, to work with the STCU in the framework of ongoing military biological research on the territory of Ukraine. In the period from 2014 to 2022, the Ukrainian Science and Technology Center in the post-Soviet countries (Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan) implemented more than 500 research projects. The American curators were primarily interested in dual-use research, for example, project 6166 "Development of technologies for modeling, assessing and predicting the impact of conflicts and threats of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction", project 9601 "Transfer of Ukrainian technologies for the production of complex dual-use materials to the European Union". Many of them are aimed at studying potential agents of biological weapons (plague, tularemia) and pathogens of economically significant infections (pathogenic avian influenza, African swine fever). Directly in the interests of the military department, the Center financed projects P-364, 444, and 781, aimed at studying the spread of pathogens of dangerous infections through insect vectors, wild birds, and bats. Pay attention to the documents of the project 3007 "Monitoring of the epidemiological and environmental situation regarding dangerous waterborne diseases in Ukraine". During the work, Ukrainian specialists, under the supervision of American scientists, systematically took water samples in a number of large rivers of Ukraine, including the Dnieper, Danube, Dniester, as well as in the North Crimean Canal, in order to establish the presence of especially dangerous pathogens, including pathogens of cholera, typhoid fever, hepatitis A and E, and draw conclusions about the possibility of their distribution by water. As part of the project, the damaging properties of the selected samples were assessed, and the strains themselves were deposited in the collection and subsequently exported to the United States. Here is a map of Ukraine's water resources. Its analysis shows that the results of the work carried out can be used to create an unfavorable biological environment not only on the territory of the Russian Federation, but also in the waters of the Black and Azov Seas, as well as in the countries of Eastern Europe - Belarus, Moldova, Poland. Our concern about Washington's activities in Ukraine stems from the fact that, contrary to its international obligations, the United States has retained in its national legislation the norms that allow for work in the field of biological weapons. The ratification of the Geneva Protocol of 1925 by the United States was accompanied by a number of reservations, one of which allows for the retaliatory use of chemical and toxin weapons. Under the U.S. United States United and United Against Terrorism Federal Act, biological weapons research is permitted with the approval of the U.S. government. Participants in such research are not subject to criminal liability for the development of such weapons. Thus, the American administration in this area implements the principle of priority of domestic legislation over international ones. The most ethically controversial studies are conducted outside national jurisdictions. Thus, during a special operation on the territory of Ukraine, it was established that in the period from 2019 to 2021, American scientists from a laboratory in the city of Merefa (Kharkiv region) tested potentially dangerous biological drugs on patients of the regional clinical psychiatric hospital No. 3 in the city of Kharkov. Individuals with mental disorders were selected for experiments based on their age, nationality and immune status. On special forms, the result of round-the-clock monitoring of the condition of patients was taken into account. Information was not entered into the database of the hospital, the staff of the medical institution signed a non-disclosure agreement. In January 2022, the activity of the laboratory in Merefa was stopped, all equipment and preparations were taken to the west of Ukraine. There are testimonies from a number of witnesses to these inhuman experiments, whose names we cannot disclose in the interests of ensuring their safety. In conclusion, at one of the previous briefings, we described a technical device for the delivery and application of biological formulations, which was patented in the United States. At the same time, it was noted that Ukraine sent a request to the manufacturing company about the possibility of equipping Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicles with attached aerosol equipment. It is a matter of concern that on March 9, in the territory of the Kherson region, reconnaissance units of the Russian troops discovered three unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with 30-liter containers and equipment for spraying bioweapon recipes. According to available data, in January 2022, Ukraine purchased more than 50 such devices through intermediary organizations, which can be used to apply biological formulations and toxic chemicals. We continue to analyze documentary evidence of the crimes of the American administration and the Kiev regime on the territory of Ukraine ."
Documents: https://disk.yandex.ru/d/GWeH18ux9aL17g .
Slides: https://disk.yandex.ru/d/f9KgolQWhxXueA .
Project 3007
Please check what Project 3007 is. Today in Russia it was reported that it was a Ukrainian project of infecting people with biological weapons by water, i.e. in the waters of the Black Sea. It was also reported that in the psychiatric clinic of Kharkov, experiments were carried out on people by American scientists using biological pathogens.
-Irina
The Long Dark Winter
The government released the latest inflation data and the results were the worst we have seen in forty years. The retail number came in at 8.4% and the wholesale number clocked in at 11.2%. Of course, the retail number excludes the things that people buy, like food, fuel and housing. These numbers also rely upon the new math rather than old math used the last time inflation was an issue. By the old inflation standard, retail inflation is over 15%.
The political class is poleaxed by these numbers as they have been assured that inflation at these levels was impossible. Modern economic theory says that inflation is caused by too much money chasing too few goods. We now have top men in place to keep an eye out for this. They just need to manage the money supply to keep inflation under control. This assumption led the top men to assume inflation was transitory, the result of supply chain issues.
That should be the first red flag when looking at the economic data. Those top men that are supposed to have a handle on the money supply say they are as surprised as the rest of us that food has doubled in price. A month ago, they were talking about a series of exceedingly small rate hikes. Now they are talking about a series of substantial rate hikes to prevent inflation from going even higher. You get the sense that there is both panic and confusion among those top men.
One reason for this is the long period of historically low interest rates. What the Federal Reserve did forty years ago to tame inflation was remove money from the system by raising borrowing rates. The real creators of money are the banks, who create money through lending. By raising their cost of money creation, they create less money and the result is fewer dollars chasing goods. At its peak in 1980 the 10-year Treasury was going for 15% versus 2% currently.
In other words, getting rates back into the normal range means three or four times the current rates. The world is simply not prepared for such a thing. Think about what happens to the real estate market if rates simply double. Refinancing comes to an end and homes sales collapse. No one is trading out of their home with the 3% mortgage into a home with a 5% mortgage, at least not on purpose. This would be the new reality throughout the financial world.
The other problem with this approach is the massive government debt. The way government handles debt is not like normal people. They issue bonds, pay the holder interest, but never pay them off. Instead, they issue new bonds to pay off the old bonds and the cycle begins anew. Rolling debt like this works as long as the market for new debt looks like the market for old debt. If the Federal government has to start borrowing at two or three times the old rate, it is big trouble.
The other way the Federal reserve can tackle inflation is to sell its massive holdings of equities, treasuries and other assets. The latest balance sheet from the Fed says they are holding about $8 Trillion in assets. They can begin selling which removes cash from the system. Keep in mind that the value of the S&P 500 is about the same as the Fed balance sheet, so this is a powerful option. They added about a trillion in equities during Covid as a way to juice the markets.
Of course, this is not without consequences. If they liquidate that trillion in equities, they hoovered up during Covid, the market will go down. The tens of millions of retired people living on their investments will not be pleased. If they liquidate some of their $4 trillion in treasuries, those assets will lose value, which means the cost of borrowing by the government goes up. This is why monetizing the debt is like eating the seed corn during tough times.
Another problem for the Fed is the politicians have started a global economic war against the majority of the earth’s population. Exporting excess dollars to places like China, India and Russia is no longer possible. In fact, dollars are starting to come back to America in response to sanctions. When Washington declared war on the globe, the globe declared war on the dollar. At least in the short term, exporting extra dollars to the rest of the world is not a viable option.
This is why there is panic in Washington. Biden’s official approval rate is 40% and Congress has an approval rate of 20%. Now they are faced with grim choices that promise to be very unpopular. They can support a war on inflation that will result in a deep recession or they can let inflation rob the public. Worse yet, it is not all that clear the Fed can wage an effective war on inflation. Like a bug trapped in the spider’s web, they have nothing left but panic.
While the suffering of the political class brings joy to most everyone, this means normal people are going to suffer for an extended period. The gap between wholesale inflation and retail inflation says prices will keep rising. The war on the world will also put pressure on commodities like energy and fertilizer. That will put upward pressure on prices at all levels. Wages are not keeping pace, which means everyone is getting poorer by the minute.
When Joe Biden ran for office, he promised a long dark winter. Most people assumed he flubbed his lines, but it turns out he was telling the truth. The long dark winter of mismanagement and manufactured crisis now promises to extend into the summer and autumn. Worse yet, the people who created this mess are now tasked with solving it. It looks like the label for the Joe Biden regime will be the long dark winter of American decline.
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Do you want more?
You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.
New Beginnings 3.
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