I think Trump has given up on the ‘22 War du Jour…it’s impossible to stop a war that’s profoundly profitable for its leaders. What Ukraine needs to do is depose Lil’ Z and get someone in there who is honest. But yellow and blue flags be damned, it’s going to be tough to find an honest man on either side of that debacle. Best we let Europe take care of it.
If this war were to end tomorrow how would the Ukraine power structure look any different that their arch enemy Russia? They have passed the threshold of pretending to be a democracy. Piano boy is a dictator and owned lock, stock and barrel by his oligarch friends. Same as their neighbor.
I’m always open. Where would I go? Pravda, Ukraine media, US MSM and their fact checkers, Facebook, X, Grok, Wikipedia? I might get the real story if I actually went to Russia or Ukraine but I really don’t want to right now.
It's always a problem with finding reliable sources, none of which you named. It has been an evolving event for me. I listen to word choices as a guide. Over the past years following Ukraine, I have given up on many sources when my gut told me that they were not good analyzers...Re Putin, I have listened to many of his speeches or talks and have yet to have my BS meter go up. I always feel as though I am listening to someone who means what says and says what he means.
Putin is a lawyer by training. He is a pragmatist. Everyone is lucky that Medvedev is not in charge. He is a hawk...or plays the hawk role.
Re the oligarchs, what I have read from reliable sources is that he had told them to take their stolen riches and get out of Russia. For those who chose to stay, he told them to stay in their own lane and not to meddle in politics.
Re the SMO, I like the Military Summary Channel on Telegram. Dima is unbiased, in my view. Ukrainians think that he favors Russia. Russians feel that he favors Ukraine. He tells the source of his battle information. He makes no changes in territory unless the photos/videos are geolocated.
I think that Alexander Mercouris of The Duran on Locals has a good handle in Russia and Ukraine SMO, I am less inclined regarding Trump (he relies a lot in Robert Barnes who is full of himself and for whom I have a jaundiced eye) and Israel.
There is no one person or source for any given subject. It's a trial and error method. You have to be religious about following, deciding what and where things read true.
As always, you have to discern the approved narrative for the public and work from there. I am much older so I have lived history which makes it easier. But it is clear that MSM is not a good source. Nor is social media for truth, just for trends. I like Telegram and Substack. I especially like Walter Kirn on Racket News ATW on Mondays @4.
Great response. I applaud your due diligence. One of the best interviews I’ve ever seen was Tucker’s with Pavel Durov… founder of Telegram. Fascinating.
Watch his interviews with Putin…better yet, watch some from Oliver Stone…I remember when his JFK movie came out and the government panned it and tried to discredit him. I will have to rewatch now that I am aware of LBJ’s involvement in the assassination. I was in college at the time and my mother and grandmother had differing opinions about who was behind it. One said Jackie (JFK had a zipper problem) and the other said Lady Bird. It seems that most older Texans knew exactly what LBJ was. And yes…there was a patsy…
The western sanctions on Russia helped Putin break the oligarchs, so we accomplished some good. Imagine if the US could get rid of Soros, Gates, and the other billionaire trouble makers.
Recent sanctions? Not at all. I am talking about when Putin first took over…The oligarchs were already a done deal by the sanctions. Now, what the sanctions imposed during Crimea did was a wakeup call to Putin to stabilize the ruble. Maria Zacharova….his go to girl…
Where the US made their big error with this eastward expansion and dreams of balkanizing Russia was in listening to people such as Victoria Nuland, granddaughter of Trotskyites, who present themselves as Russia experts. The fact is that Russia is not a gas station posing as a country, as they presented. They thought that Russia would fold three months in. Remember that the conflict started in 2014 between the Donbas, which had been a part of Russia until Khrushchev gave it away, and Kiev. The Minsk Agreements were between those two parties. The fighting was between the (actual Nazi) Azov Battalion and the Donbas militia. It is the Azov Battalion which it is believed that Zelensky is most afraid…it is believed that they will kill him if he makes a deal.
Never forget that Zelensky is an actor by trade, best known for playing the piano with his penis (as reported…never saw the act).
My position is not one more dime from US taxpayers and sell nothing to the EU/NATO for further sales to Ukraine. Ukraine has run out of men. The EU is raiding,illegally, interest earned on frozen Russian assets. The EU has to continue the war. If it stops, the piper will come for his money which has been stolen. Van der Leyen is a prime example of "failing up"...Hard to believe that that cold calculating woman gave birth to 7 children.
For what our future would be, and still could be, watch closely what is going on in Europe. You will not find the info in the MSM. You must go alternative media. Beware those who use emotional words and are too cocky.
I will never fight with you, brother veteran and former ink-stained wretch I love and respect...
Putin. Not a good guy, but man, there are several other 'leaders' I can think of who are equally bad. Who eliminated our 4th amendment(and 10th) in the early ought's? Who sent us to war for 20 years and stole our trillions? Who put is $37T in debt? Who locked us down over a harsh flu virus? Who allowed trillions of our money to be stolen and given to NGO's that enriched everyone else? Who pushed NATO eastward after we told Russia that we wouldn't?
Who's actions were the responsible for the rise of Putin after we stripped Russia of its assets in the 90s?
Whew, I feel a little better. Putin has never been a direct threat to the United States.
Putin is the George Washington of modern Russia. There's a reason why his approval is in the high eighties, while even Santa Claus doesn't have that in the US. We live in the Kleptocracy, not Russians.
Exactly. The man is simply trying to do what Trump is here - protect his sphere and borders. I certainly don't like his method of conducting certain things like wars of attrition, but that is Russia.
I've said in recent times on this blog that I prefer Putin, but I know he is a murderous thug. So I am "cheering" for Russia. (Take this with a grain of salt, please.) This whole putting up Ukrainian flags outside your house to show solidarity has never sat well with me. This is a no damn good war.
The worst part is this war never had to happen and they had a workable peace agreement in April 2022 when Xiden told Boris Johnson to go there and reject it. Really burns my ass.
See what happens when Schell(England) and Exxon(here) purchase billions in ONG leases in other countries?
I just look at who their friends are. Putin has aligned Russia with Iran and the mullahs shouting death to America.
He also protected Assad.
We need to stick to protecting America and let the rest of the world be.
We also need to quit giving money to organizations that act contrary to America's interests.
If we don't receive a direct benefit from our foreign aid, we should not be giving it.
As for refugees, why not take the ones coming here, train them in basic military tactics, then send them home to fix their own shit holes. That is if we decide to accept any. Big If
Re who Putin has aligned himself with: We drove him into their arms. We are so stupid that we tried to isolate Russia from the world. Russia more identifies with the West and has tried to be part of it and was rejected. Europe can't get past the USSR. They got past Germany (no warm water port which starts those wars) but they can't get past the old communist no longer exists USSR.
The Baltic countries are busy drumming up "Russia is coming for us" fear among their people. (I spend 1/2 of every month in the household of Latvians and Russians. I hear this BS. And I read it. Hearing confirms what I read.)
Well...I agree with the beginning if your statement but you haven't been following the genesis of this SMO from the gitgo. I have. Find reliable unbiased sources.
I have been watching since I served in Germany when the Wall was up and then down. Gorbachev told us he would leave the West as long as we did not move east. We did. Mike Benz explains the history very well.
Agreed. I would ask everyone here to investigate what our government and their paymasters did after the fall of the Soviet Union. Jeffrey Sachs and Mike Benz has and it does not reflect on our 'leaders' very well at all. Nuland is just the latest example.
His approval is right up there with Stalin and Khrushchev. Almost like having another Xiden in the world. Given the corruption of the polls here why would we believe theirs?
Putin is a threat to anyone or any nation that he thinks is a threat to Russia. While not us directly, he could easily decide that our ongoing sanctions are hampering his plans, and take what he considers appropriate and necessary actions. Do not forget, Russia is a nuclear power.
Long story and I can get you a better synopsis, but Putin flatly stated that we should NOT push for Ukraine into NATO. And we did. Russia has told us this for 30 years. At least. Your dollars financed Ukraine and still fund their retirees. Think about that.
Ukraine has been the most corrupt country for so long. But now there is outrage.
I read the Politico article two days ago and smirked the whole time as the writer spilled out this tale of corruption like it was a revelation. Puh-leeeeze!
Having had many discussions with Dem supporters over the years my main point has always been the same;
If we cannot agree on the corruption where taxpayer money is used to buy votes and to enrich not only the politicians that choose the winners and losers but also to enrich their families and friends, we really have nothing to start with.
I knew my side was filled with RINO’s and grifters. Most of the folks I talked with would not give in that the Dem side had theirs.
Until voters get serious about not allowing congressional and senate seats to become careers this will continue.
The UK can fund Chairman Z all they want, as long as we don’t.
Let's start by ending the retirement plan for all elected officials and the appointed people in our government.
As for the rest, they should receive 1% per year and base it on their job during that year. If a guy is a GS4 for 20 years then gets promoted to GS11 for five, his retirement should be 20% of the GS4 plus 5% of GS11, not 25% of a GS11.
Retirement plans have benefits that a 401k can't offer from an employer perspective. I want to keep good workers, not have them jump ship for other offers after I've spent time and resources training them.
The same thing applies to the workers who are on the low end of the pay chart. A retirement plan helps keep the work force stable.
I hope we find out someday just how much war whore Miss Lindsey made over the years and how many times she and all the other war mongers in Congress sat on that golden toilet. I wonder too how many golden toilets Black Rock will be installing in their Build Back Better scheme. I truly despise the people who voted year after year to send billions to Ukraine while we're drowning in debt and our own infrastructure is falling apart.
Miss Lindsey is the absolute worst. John McCain was Dr. Evil and Missy was Minnie Me. He is the most vicious and brutal light in the loafers wimp I've ever seen. I never saw him so happy as when he was in a conference room and, as he was speaking to the assembled group, his eyes literally sparkled as he was smiling about killing Russian soldiers. The vermin is really an all-star creep.
If you speak of the $500,000 tax payer fund to compensate those elected officials who were spied on as a feature of Arctic Frost, I have read some of it. Scandalous to force the American taxpayer to pay for individual democrats who are responsible.
Just yesterday I received an update email from our Congressman Alexander Clyde (R-9th District, GA) in which he addressed this rapacious grab of our tax dollars. Rep Clyde explained that the House Republicans are determined to undo the “carve out” the Senate bill funds. But we’ve seen many a failed effort made by a “determined Republican House” before. Would be nice if they succeed, though. Only time will tell……
Ukraine 🇺🇦 has outlasted Competition & is now the World’s busiest GeldAutomat - the Konflicht just adds so much supranational-juiciness-Weapons, shelter/aid/food/housing/FxTroops/NGO-UN heaven - absolutely nothing comes close these days
-1) since ManBearPig’s carbon scam is out-of-runway after 2 Generations,
-2) some folks question Bill Gates’ Epsteinian VaxAltruism=death/youth-heart attacks/polio recurrence seepage,
-3) PDJT47 is shutting down so many $$ skirmishes, and
Well, everybody ever forced to vote for the least worst RINO can usually figure that out in seconds...
(Been in blue states my whole life.)
I too refrained from voting in Don's poll today, all bad choices but good thought exercise.
By the way there was a libertarian s-f novel in the seventies called "The Probability Broach" which posited an alternate United States based only upon the Articles of Confederation, instead of any Constitution at all.
It was entertaining. The portraits of the Presidents included an empty frame for one term saying None of the Above.
Truth becomes fiction now that PDJT has the framed AutoPen term portrait at the White House...
There was a woman posting here regularly during the past year who kept advocating for returning to the Articles of Confederation. Intriguing, but she also regularly dumped on Trump, so I didn't pursue investigating her ideas.
The only answer with the word "No" in it. Not that I advocate American bribes.
For some reason, my devices (laptop and phone) won't let me advance further on Surber's Substack unless I cast a vote in the poll, so like it or not, I have to choose something.
Look on the bright side, at least they are buying American politicians instead of ChiCom ones. /Sarc
Seriously, I think we should hang every politician who has accepted money sourced from foreign lands. I don't care if it's book deals, speaking fees or stocks that mysteriously skyrocket in value. The same applies to campaign contributions.
They shouldn't even be talking to people they don't represent other than members of their chamber.
The only thing that shocks me about the latest round of corruption is that it actually surprises people. Why is this even news worthy given that we put virtually no controls on giving money…….tax money, to a country famous for corruption? The bigger question is, what are we now going to do about it? Heck, we have a bigger corruption problem right here at home. The donkey party shut down the government because for once, the GOP said no to a $1.7T gift to the insurance industry. Keep our money here in the pockets of the citizens who earned it thru hard work and tell Ukraine to start learning to speak Russian.
It's not that "Never mind the dead and wounded that the media never mentions because they’re not Palestinians;" it's that it can't be blamed on the Jews (or the Americans, for that matter). Nobody cares about the Palestinians.
Trump and Hegseth walk into a bar and order drinks.
Trump then turns to the SecWar and says,"as I was saying, since Hamas won't play fair, I want broad strikes. I want you to kill 500,000 Palistinians and a hooker with big jugs."
The bartender, hearing this, asks," why kill the hooker?"
Trump looks over at Hegseth and says," see? I told you no one gives a shit about the Palistidiots."
Putin, like Gorbachov and Yeltsin before him, has been trying to secure a peaceful and mutually beneficial security arrangement with the US and the EU for 25 years. But neo-cons have lusted after Russian's wealth and have envisioned destroying Russia and breaking it apart to seize that wealth. He and Zelensky had come an agreement in April of 2022 that would give Russia and Ukraine all both parties wanted and would have avoided this horrible war, but Johnson ( UK ) interceded and he and the US convinced Zelensky that we'd support them forever, no matter what, if he'd fight. So, here we are, supporting a bunch of gangsters and thieves, who share the wealth they've stolen with the same types here and in the EU while millions of Russians and Ukrainians are dead and the living suffer egregiously.
Nothing good has come from the tragedy and all we have done is bring us closer to a nuclear exchange with the largest nuclear power, plus done tremendous damage to our own security.
Biden,Graham, Romney, Paul Ryan, Pelosi, John Kerry, Dick Blumenthol, Sheldon Whitehouse and a host of others have gotten very rich laundering the aid money through NGO's back into their pockets.
Nah, over too quickly. Too merciful. Go all Richard III—let them suffer until the end—as he did to Clifford. (Too recently re-viewed The Hollow Crown!)
Ironic that Britain -once again - helped foment a war; back in 1939 alarmed at Germany’s rearmament they goaded the Poles into belligerence over the Danzig Corridor question. France got in on the act too. They promised to help & assist the Poles into their war against Germany & when it happened? Nothing. Nada. The Germans ripped thru Poles fairly easily, then - to add insult to injury - the Soviets invaded Poland 15 days after the German attack. Poland was caught in a vise.
Poland spent the next 50yrs under the heel of a Soviet jackboot thanks to British meddling.
Russia and Ukraine have a long history, going back hundreds of years when they were one country. Edward Rutherfurd who writes excellent historical novels has one, "Russka" that I can highly recommend. We've read most everything he has written, but one must be willing to commit to some very long reads as he follows characters through generations.
During Trump's first term, he sent Rudy Giuliani to Ukraine to provide a true picture of the lay of the land. What he found was the most sophisticated money-laundering operation he had ever seen. He said the entire thing was an organized crime syndicate consisting of Soros-established NGOs who would receive the foreign aid, then skim off both their shares and the kickbacks to the donors.
Grifters on both sides of the aisle have engorged themselves on this corruption and are in terror of the prospects of their gravy train coming to an end. This is the actual reason they have done everything in their power to completely destroy Rudy.
The Obama/Biden administrations and Uniparty had been funding this war from its inception in 2014, both directly and via a plethora of USAID vehicles with our tax dollars, all used to prop up the failing socialist governments of Europe, the UK and the corrupt government of Ukraine.
Trump, after trying to end it, realized those Europeans, particularly Ursula Von der Devil, Macron and Starmer, didn’t want to - read: couldn’t afford to end it.
So he cut off the money spigot from the good ol’ USA and said, “Fine. You want it? It’s all yours now.”
Now, as they’ve all been busy for years siphoning off money from wherever they could get it, to prop up their own countries and stuff their own pockets, it’s beginning to cave in on them all.
The EU can’t afford the manpower or weapons Ukraine needs, Ukraine can’t afford to pay for them, and the USA is no longer footing the bills.
The entire fiasco has been one of the biggest and most scandalous wastes of blood and treasure in history.
Add to that the ticking time bomb known as the global economy which could go off at any minute. Anything could trigger it, and the USA is just as vulnerable as any other country.
Trump is doing his damnedest to secure the pathetic economic condition of this country created by the Uniparty, against that bomb in whatever way he can to at least soften the shock, but it’s coming, one way or another.
The feasting off the USA is over. It’s now every man/country for himself.
I have long favored not sending Z and the rest of his corruptocrats another dime. We are stupid for emptying out treasury into Ukraine and have been so ever since we learned of Hunter and his Cushy salary for his do-nothing job and ole Joe's threat of withholding $$ from them if a particular person who had been investigating well known Ukrainianian corruption was fired - we are such suckers to allow them to hold us as hostages. I truly feel sorry for the many Ukraine people who have had to suffer horribly for these last several years. I hope Trump has forever given up on the '22 War du Jour! Thanks for the well deserved title torpedoes! Let's let Europe fund the whole damn thing and wash our hands of this total mess we were dragged into
Zelensky and his cronies are on the European plan. They suck Ukraine dry and take off to the Eurotrash mansions and villas they bought all over the EU. On a side note maybe E is the wrong first letter of EU.
It anyone in Don's Substack family is surprised by any of this reportage, perhaps you should applaud Don for your awakening.
The grift of the war in the Ukraine was a purposeful manipulation of the American taxpayers by its own government. Remember the name Victoria Nuland. Remember Burisma. Remember Hunter Biden and the Big Guy. Remember SOTH Pelosi and the Ukanian flag bullshit and inviting the penis that plays the piano to speak to the USA Congress. Remember it all because the Pavlovian lap dog legacy media obfuscated the truth and ran cover for the grift as the kickbacks continued to the Diapered Muppet and his family as well as selected members of his administration and members of Congress. The Biden presidency was no different than the Zelensky presidency. Both are imposters to the respective offices each occupied. Let that sink in.
I think Trump has given up on the ‘22 War du Jour…it’s impossible to stop a war that’s profoundly profitable for its leaders. What Ukraine needs to do is depose Lil’ Z and get someone in there who is honest. But yellow and blue flags be damned, it’s going to be tough to find an honest man on either side of that debacle. Best we let Europe take care of it.
If this war were to end tomorrow how would the Ukraine power structure look any different that their arch enemy Russia? They have passed the threshold of pretending to be a democracy. Piano boy is a dictator and owned lock, stock and barrel by his oligarch friends. Same as their neighbor.
He really tinkled on those ivory’s.
You need to do a little more study regarding Putin and the oligarchs.
I’m always open. Where would I go? Pravda, Ukraine media, US MSM and their fact checkers, Facebook, X, Grok, Wikipedia? I might get the real story if I actually went to Russia or Ukraine but I really don’t want to right now.
It's always a problem with finding reliable sources, none of which you named. It has been an evolving event for me. I listen to word choices as a guide. Over the past years following Ukraine, I have given up on many sources when my gut told me that they were not good analyzers...Re Putin, I have listened to many of his speeches or talks and have yet to have my BS meter go up. I always feel as though I am listening to someone who means what says and says what he means.
Putin is a lawyer by training. He is a pragmatist. Everyone is lucky that Medvedev is not in charge. He is a hawk...or plays the hawk role.
Re the oligarchs, what I have read from reliable sources is that he had told them to take their stolen riches and get out of Russia. For those who chose to stay, he told them to stay in their own lane and not to meddle in politics.
Re the SMO, I like the Military Summary Channel on Telegram. Dima is unbiased, in my view. Ukrainians think that he favors Russia. Russians feel that he favors Ukraine. He tells the source of his battle information. He makes no changes in territory unless the photos/videos are geolocated.
I think that Alexander Mercouris of The Duran on Locals has a good handle in Russia and Ukraine SMO, I am less inclined regarding Trump (he relies a lot in Robert Barnes who is full of himself and for whom I have a jaundiced eye) and Israel.
There is no one person or source for any given subject. It's a trial and error method. You have to be religious about following, deciding what and where things read true.
As always, you have to discern the approved narrative for the public and work from there. I am much older so I have lived history which makes it easier. But it is clear that MSM is not a good source. Nor is social media for truth, just for trends. I like Telegram and Substack. I especially like Walter Kirn on Racket News ATW on Mondays @4.
Again, my big discerner is word choices.
Great response. I applaud your due diligence. One of the best interviews I’ve ever seen was Tucker’s with Pavel Durov… founder of Telegram. Fascinating.
Watch his interviews with Putin…better yet, watch some from Oliver Stone…I remember when his JFK movie came out and the government panned it and tried to discredit him. I will have to rewatch now that I am aware of LBJ’s involvement in the assassination. I was in college at the time and my mother and grandmother had differing opinions about who was behind it. One said Jackie (JFK had a zipper problem) and the other said Lady Bird. It seems that most older Texans knew exactly what LBJ was. And yes…there was a patsy…
The western sanctions on Russia helped Putin break the oligarchs, so we accomplished some good. Imagine if the US could get rid of Soros, Gates, and the other billionaire trouble makers.
Recent sanctions? Not at all. I am talking about when Putin first took over…The oligarchs were already a done deal by the sanctions. Now, what the sanctions imposed during Crimea did was a wakeup call to Putin to stabilize the ruble. Maria Zacharova….his go to girl…
Where the US made their big error with this eastward expansion and dreams of balkanizing Russia was in listening to people such as Victoria Nuland, granddaughter of Trotskyites, who present themselves as Russia experts. The fact is that Russia is not a gas station posing as a country, as they presented. They thought that Russia would fold three months in. Remember that the conflict started in 2014 between the Donbas, which had been a part of Russia until Khrushchev gave it away, and Kiev. The Minsk Agreements were between those two parties. The fighting was between the (actual Nazi) Azov Battalion and the Donbas militia. It is the Azov Battalion which it is believed that Zelensky is most afraid…it is believed that they will kill him if he makes a deal.
Never forget that Zelensky is an actor by trade, best known for playing the piano with his penis (as reported…never saw the act).
Simplicius is good. https://simplicius76.substack.com/
This place gives updates with maps.
https://maratkhairullin.substack.com/
Some in depth discussions here.
https://www.amerikanets.com/
I just started reading this guy, but it looks interesting.
https://eventsinukraine.substack.com/p/nazi-coup-for-peace
Russia is not a dictatorship, Putin is not a dictator, Zelensky is.
https://legalclarity.org/what-is-the-type-of-government-in-russia/
My position is not one more dime from US taxpayers and sell nothing to the EU/NATO for further sales to Ukraine. Ukraine has run out of men. The EU is raiding,illegally, interest earned on frozen Russian assets. The EU has to continue the war. If it stops, the piper will come for his money which has been stolen. Van der Leyen is a prime example of "failing up"...Hard to believe that that cold calculating woman gave birth to 7 children.
For what our future would be, and still could be, watch closely what is going on in Europe. You will not find the info in the MSM. You must go alternative media. Beware those who use emotional words and are too cocky.
It's a killing field and a sh*t show. Let Europe pay for it and sort it out.
My position is not one more dime and sell nothing to the EU/NATO
And of course, (your up ) is busy doing an excellent job of handling what?
Oh, right. Its own demise.
I will never fight with you, brother veteran and former ink-stained wretch I love and respect...
Putin. Not a good guy, but man, there are several other 'leaders' I can think of who are equally bad. Who eliminated our 4th amendment(and 10th) in the early ought's? Who sent us to war for 20 years and stole our trillions? Who put is $37T in debt? Who locked us down over a harsh flu virus? Who allowed trillions of our money to be stolen and given to NGO's that enriched everyone else? Who pushed NATO eastward after we told Russia that we wouldn't?
Who's actions were the responsible for the rise of Putin after we stripped Russia of its assets in the 90s?
Whew, I feel a little better. Putin has never been a direct threat to the United States.
Putin is the George Washington of modern Russia. There's a reason why his approval is in the high eighties, while even Santa Claus doesn't have that in the US. We live in the Kleptocracy, not Russians.
Exactly. The man is simply trying to do what Trump is here - protect his sphere and borders. I certainly don't like his method of conducting certain things like wars of attrition, but that is Russia.
I've said in recent times on this blog that I prefer Putin, but I know he is a murderous thug. So I am "cheering" for Russia. (Take this with a grain of salt, please.) This whole putting up Ukrainian flags outside your house to show solidarity has never sat well with me. This is a no damn good war.
I refuse to fly any flag other than the American flag. My ancestors came here, doesn't matter from where, because they came to be Americans.
Perfect response WT.
The worst part is this war never had to happen and they had a workable peace agreement in April 2022 when Xiden told Boris Johnson to go there and reject it. Really burns my ass.
See what happens when Schell(England) and Exxon(here) purchase billions in ONG leases in other countries?
I said early on that there are no good guys in the Russia Ukraine war. And I believe very little of what is being reported about it.
I just look at who their friends are. Putin has aligned Russia with Iran and the mullahs shouting death to America.
He also protected Assad.
We need to stick to protecting America and let the rest of the world be.
We also need to quit giving money to organizations that act contrary to America's interests.
If we don't receive a direct benefit from our foreign aid, we should not be giving it.
As for refugees, why not take the ones coming here, train them in basic military tactics, then send them home to fix their own shit holes. That is if we decide to accept any. Big If
Re who Putin has aligned himself with: We drove him into their arms. We are so stupid that we tried to isolate Russia from the world. Russia more identifies with the West and has tried to be part of it and was rejected. Europe can't get past the USSR. They got past Germany (no warm water port which starts those wars) but they can't get past the old communist no longer exists USSR.
The Baltic countries are busy drumming up "Russia is coming for us" fear among their people. (I spend 1/2 of every month in the household of Latvians and Russians. I hear this BS. And I read it. Hearing confirms what I read.)
We didn't drive Russia into their arms, they were already buying Russian tanks planes etc.
Russia wanted in to NATO because they wanted access to military secrets that we possessed. Things like the armor on our M-1 tanks stealth technology.
When Russia continued their arms sales to Iran, Iraq, North Korea and others, we took notice.
That wasn't the only technology Russia wanted though and we decided to hold off giving it to them.
Think of it in terms of a marriage where one spouse has been unfaithful. Trust needs to be built over time.
We rushed it with Germany because of the cold war. Look up Berlin blockade when you have time.
I'll stick with believing the Bible. Maybe Gog isn't Russia, but Persia is Iran.
We can't change history, and frankly, we can't write the future either.
Well...I agree with the beginning if your statement but you haven't been following the genesis of this SMO from the gitgo. I have. Find reliable unbiased sources.
I have been watching since I served in Germany when the Wall was up and then down. Gorbachev told us he would leave the West as long as we did not move east. We did. Mike Benz explains the history very well.
Don’t forget who started this war: Obama, Biden, Victoria Nuland.
Agreed. I would ask everyone here to investigate what our government and their paymasters did after the fall of the Soviet Union. Jeffrey Sachs and Mike Benz has and it does not reflect on our 'leaders' very well at all. Nuland is just the latest example.
I didn't know that Obama invaded the Donbas region.
Putin has been trying to put the band back together ever since he took office. His actions are reminiscent of Germany in the 1930's.
While I agree that Ukraine is not worth our time money or manpower, we shouldn't trust Russia either.
SMO means what?
His approval is right up there with Stalin and Khrushchev. Almost like having another Xiden in the world. Given the corruption of the polls here why would we believe theirs?
Putin is a threat to anyone or any nation that he thinks is a threat to Russia. While not us directly, he could easily decide that our ongoing sanctions are hampering his plans, and take what he considers appropriate and necessary actions. Do not forget, Russia is a nuclear power.
Correct. It is interesting that none of our 'sanctions' are hurting him at all.
I would rather have our presidents talking to people like him rather than isolating him for reacting to what we have caused.
Caused, 28? How. Please explain.
Long story and I can get you a better synopsis, but Putin flatly stated that we should NOT push for Ukraine into NATO. And we did. Russia has told us this for 30 years. At least. Your dollars financed Ukraine and still fund their retirees. Think about that.
28. FGB did that. He didn't speak for the country.
FJB. Sorry...
Ukraine has been the most corrupt country for so long. But now there is outrage.
I read the Politico article two days ago and smirked the whole time as the writer spilled out this tale of corruption like it was a revelation. Puh-leeeeze!
Having had many discussions with Dem supporters over the years my main point has always been the same;
If we cannot agree on the corruption where taxpayer money is used to buy votes and to enrich not only the politicians that choose the winners and losers but also to enrich their families and friends, we really have nothing to start with.
I knew my side was filled with RINO’s and grifters. Most of the folks I talked with would not give in that the Dem side had theirs.
Until voters get serious about not allowing congressional and senate seats to become careers this will continue.
The UK can fund Chairman Z all they want, as long as we don’t.
As long as the government work force is unionized we pretty much don’t stand much of a chance because nobody ever gets fired.
Being a good worker doesn’t seem to be any advantage over a slug in the same office.
Let's start by ending the retirement plan for all elected officials and the appointed people in our government.
As for the rest, they should receive 1% per year and base it on their job during that year. If a guy is a GS4 for 20 years then gets promoted to GS11 for five, his retirement should be 20% of the GS4 plus 5% of GS11, not 25% of a GS11.
Personally, they can open up a 401K like everyone else can.
They get paid and should have the same deductions we all have and then shelter the taxable income however they want to.
No retirement plans should be offered at all.
Retirement plans have benefits that a 401k can't offer from an employer perspective. I want to keep good workers, not have them jump ship for other offers after I've spent time and resources training them.
The same thing applies to the workers who are on the low end of the pay chart. A retirement plan helps keep the work force stable.
AMEN Robert !!
I hope we find out someday just how much war whore Miss Lindsey made over the years and how many times she and all the other war mongers in Congress sat on that golden toilet. I wonder too how many golden toilets Black Rock will be installing in their Build Back Better scheme. I truly despise the people who voted year after year to send billions to Ukraine while we're drowning in debt and our own infrastructure is falling apart.
Miss Lindsey is the absolute worst. John McCain was Dr. Evil and Missy was Minnie Me. He is the most vicious and brutal light in the loafers wimp I've ever seen. I never saw him so happy as when he was in a conference room and, as he was speaking to the assembled group, his eyes literally sparkled as he was smiling about killing Russian soldiers. The vermin is really an all-star creep.
No surprise he was amongst the 8 Senators who reportedly gave themselves millions of dollars on an inner page of the shutdown bill.
It’s their personal reparations for Arctic Frost. But none of the other victims of that criminal spying by the Biden regime got anything…
There may be a plan to fix the giveaway in a future bill, but the revelations have been spotty, so the whole thing is clear as mud…
Wondering whether anyone else here heard about it…
If you speak of the $500,000 tax payer fund to compensate those elected officials who were spied on as a feature of Arctic Frost, I have read some of it. Scandalous to force the American taxpayer to pay for individual democrats who are responsible.
Just yesterday I received an update email from our Congressman Alexander Clyde (R-9th District, GA) in which he addressed this rapacious grab of our tax dollars. Rep Clyde explained that the House Republicans are determined to undo the “carve out” the Senate bill funds. But we’ve seen many a failed effort made by a “determined Republican House” before. Would be nice if they succeed, though. Only time will tell……
Just once get the reparation funds from the PERP and not the taxpayers.
Thank you for adding what I meant to say! I agree wholeheartedly!
That was the Uniparty.
Every time I see or hear the word Ukraine I just want to wash my hands of the whole thing.
Our country should do the same.
I don’t care for the Russians much either.
Not our monkey. Not our circus.
Or our zoo
There's a war in Ukraine?
Wouldn’t know it now anymore would you? Corporate media dropped that story like a live grenade.
The MAGA split squirrel doncha see??
Ukraine 🇺🇦 has outlasted Competition & is now the World’s busiest GeldAutomat - the Konflicht just adds so much supranational-juiciness-Weapons, shelter/aid/food/housing/FxTroops/NGO-UN heaven - absolutely nothing comes close these days
-1) since ManBearPig’s carbon scam is out-of-runway after 2 Generations,
-2) some folks question Bill Gates’ Epsteinian VaxAltruism=death/youth-heart attacks/polio recurrence seepage,
-3) PDJT47 is shutting down so many $$ skirmishes, and
-4) TrannySleeveLuv&$$ is so passè….
Should USA politicians and their kids accept foreign bribes?
No.
Exactly. Or as I was going to say, none of the above.
Agreed. Don, you left out "None of the Above" so I just didn't vote this time. No use encouraging political termites who attack us and America.
As long as I've been doing the polls, Don never puts in "all of the above" or "none of the above" - that would make the poll too easy.
I kind of enjoy trying to figure out which is the least worst option when all the options would be bad outcomes.
Well, everybody ever forced to vote for the least worst RINO can usually figure that out in seconds...
(Been in blue states my whole life.)
I too refrained from voting in Don's poll today, all bad choices but good thought exercise.
By the way there was a libertarian s-f novel in the seventies called "The Probability Broach" which posited an alternate United States based only upon the Articles of Confederation, instead of any Constitution at all.
It was entertaining. The portraits of the Presidents included an empty frame for one term saying None of the Above.
Truth becomes fiction now that PDJT has the framed AutoPen term portrait at the White House...
There was a woman posting here regularly during the past year who kept advocating for returning to the Articles of Confederation. Intriguing, but she also regularly dumped on Trump, so I didn't pursue investigating her ideas.
Oh, I wasn’t advocating that replacement, just describing the story. The Constitution is a blueprint without equal.
The libertarian author had imagination but not common sense.
However I do sort of like the idea of having None of the Above on the ballot.
Usually I do likewise, but could not bring myself to vote today. Curious, which one did you select?
The only answer with the word "No" in it. Not that I advocate American bribes.
For some reason, my devices (laptop and phone) won't let me advance further on Surber's Substack unless I cast a vote in the poll, so like it or not, I have to choose something.
But it wouldn't make it incorrect! Sometimes All or None of the above is the right choice
That negates making a decision which is a reason for the absence of them as choices.
Right! "All of the above" or "None of the above" would win every single time. It's more interesting this way.
Darn cat !
Yeah, I couldn’t vote in today’s poll because the obvious answer wasn’t there. Methinks the cat must be slipping!
Cat just has to be a cat.
Look on the bright side, at least they are buying American politicians instead of ChiCom ones. /Sarc
Seriously, I think we should hang every politician who has accepted money sourced from foreign lands. I don't care if it's book deals, speaking fees or stocks that mysteriously skyrocket in value. The same applies to campaign contributions.
They shouldn't even be talking to people they don't represent other than members of their chamber.
Amen J.R.
The only thing that shocks me about the latest round of corruption is that it actually surprises people. Why is this even news worthy given that we put virtually no controls on giving money…….tax money, to a country famous for corruption? The bigger question is, what are we now going to do about it? Heck, we have a bigger corruption problem right here at home. The donkey party shut down the government because for once, the GOP said no to a $1.7T gift to the insurance industry. Keep our money here in the pockets of the citizens who earned it thru hard work and tell Ukraine to start learning to speak Russian.
Who's the leader if tbe club that spreads the graft freely?
Zel...ens..ky - it is he!
Hey there, hi there ho there!!
Were as well paid as can be!
Zel...ens..ky it is he!
Zelenky!!
Putin sucks!
Zelensky
Putin suck!
A good excuse to keep graft payments high!!!!
High high high!!!
Thank the French and Biden boy
For keeping it in gear
Graft for now
Graft for later
Graft is ever here!!!!
Mickey Mouse!!!!
😂 Okay, you owe me a new keyboard. Keyboards and coffee don’t mix.
It's not that "Never mind the dead and wounded that the media never mentions because they’re not Palestinians;" it's that it can't be blamed on the Jews (or the Americans, for that matter). Nobody cares about the Palestinians.
Precisely
Trump and Hegseth walk into a bar and order drinks.
Trump then turns to the SecWar and says,"as I was saying, since Hamas won't play fair, I want broad strikes. I want you to kill 500,000 Palistinians and a hooker with big jugs."
The bartender, hearing this, asks," why kill the hooker?"
Trump looks over at Hegseth and says," see? I told you no one gives a shit about the Palistidiots."
This is the worst "joke" I've heard in a long, long time. Please, no more.
Ahem ! Gazans , not Palestinians . That crowd is a stain on Palestine .
Putin, like Gorbachov and Yeltsin before him, has been trying to secure a peaceful and mutually beneficial security arrangement with the US and the EU for 25 years. But neo-cons have lusted after Russian's wealth and have envisioned destroying Russia and breaking it apart to seize that wealth. He and Zelensky had come an agreement in April of 2022 that would give Russia and Ukraine all both parties wanted and would have avoided this horrible war, but Johnson ( UK ) interceded and he and the US convinced Zelensky that we'd support them forever, no matter what, if he'd fight. So, here we are, supporting a bunch of gangsters and thieves, who share the wealth they've stolen with the same types here and in the EU while millions of Russians and Ukrainians are dead and the living suffer egregiously.
Nothing good has come from the tragedy and all we have done is bring us closer to a nuclear exchange with the largest nuclear power, plus done tremendous damage to our own security.
Biden,Graham, Romney, Paul Ryan, Pelosi, John Kerry, Dick Blumenthol, Sheldon Whitehouse and a host of others have gotten very rich laundering the aid money through NGO's back into their pockets.
So it has been good for some folks.
A pox on all their houses.
No, a tornado!! A really big one!
Nah, over too quickly. Too merciful. Go all Richard III—let them suffer until the end—as he did to Clifford. (Too recently re-viewed The Hollow Crown!)
But I like the way you think.
Ironic that Britain -once again - helped foment a war; back in 1939 alarmed at Germany’s rearmament they goaded the Poles into belligerence over the Danzig Corridor question. France got in on the act too. They promised to help & assist the Poles into their war against Germany & when it happened? Nothing. Nada. The Germans ripped thru Poles fairly easily, then - to add insult to injury - the Soviets invaded Poland 15 days after the German attack. Poland was caught in a vise.
Poland spent the next 50yrs under the heel of a Soviet jackboot thanks to British meddling.
Well said.
Russia and Ukraine have a long history, going back hundreds of years when they were one country. Edward Rutherfurd who writes excellent historical novels has one, "Russka" that I can highly recommend. We've read most everything he has written, but one must be willing to commit to some very long reads as he follows characters through generations.
Kiev was the capitol of Russia for centuries.
At last...a commenter who knows a little history of Russia and Putin.
True ! Thus conflict isn't anything but a calculated rape of resources that do not belong to the West .
During Trump's first term, he sent Rudy Giuliani to Ukraine to provide a true picture of the lay of the land. What he found was the most sophisticated money-laundering operation he had ever seen. He said the entire thing was an organized crime syndicate consisting of Soros-established NGOs who would receive the foreign aid, then skim off both their shares and the kickbacks to the donors.
Grifters on both sides of the aisle have engorged themselves on this corruption and are in terror of the prospects of their gravy train coming to an end. This is the actual reason they have done everything in their power to completely destroy Rudy.
I’m beginning to wonder exactly what was in the 10% for the big guy.
Hookers and blow.
Lmao 😂
Little sweater boy is so far in over his head.
He should have gotten better money laundry tips from the Biden CrimeFamily
The Obama/Biden administrations and Uniparty had been funding this war from its inception in 2014, both directly and via a plethora of USAID vehicles with our tax dollars, all used to prop up the failing socialist governments of Europe, the UK and the corrupt government of Ukraine.
Trump, after trying to end it, realized those Europeans, particularly Ursula Von der Devil, Macron and Starmer, didn’t want to - read: couldn’t afford to end it.
So he cut off the money spigot from the good ol’ USA and said, “Fine. You want it? It’s all yours now.”
Now, as they’ve all been busy for years siphoning off money from wherever they could get it, to prop up their own countries and stuff their own pockets, it’s beginning to cave in on them all.
The EU can’t afford the manpower or weapons Ukraine needs, Ukraine can’t afford to pay for them, and the USA is no longer footing the bills.
The entire fiasco has been one of the biggest and most scandalous wastes of blood and treasure in history.
Add to that the ticking time bomb known as the global economy which could go off at any minute. Anything could trigger it, and the USA is just as vulnerable as any other country.
Trump is doing his damnedest to secure the pathetic economic condition of this country created by the Uniparty, against that bomb in whatever way he can to at least soften the shock, but it’s coming, one way or another.
The feasting off the USA is over. It’s now every man/country for himself.
What cannot go on will stop - one way or another.
Buckle up.
"...caving in on them all"--nailed it.
I have long favored not sending Z and the rest of his corruptocrats another dime. We are stupid for emptying out treasury into Ukraine and have been so ever since we learned of Hunter and his Cushy salary for his do-nothing job and ole Joe's threat of withholding $$ from them if a particular person who had been investigating well known Ukrainianian corruption was fired - we are such suckers to allow them to hold us as hostages. I truly feel sorry for the many Ukraine people who have had to suffer horribly for these last several years. I hope Trump has forever given up on the '22 War du Jour! Thanks for the well deserved title torpedoes! Let's let Europe fund the whole damn thing and wash our hands of this total mess we were dragged into
Zelensky and his cronies are on the European plan. They suck Ukraine dry and take off to the Eurotrash mansions and villas they bought all over the EU. On a side note maybe E is the wrong first letter of EU.
Hat tip to you—a courageous man to rightly identify the players as Eurotrash. I have avoided using that descriptive label to be more courteous.
Ah Shucks Thx
😂😂😂
It anyone in Don's Substack family is surprised by any of this reportage, perhaps you should applaud Don for your awakening.
The grift of the war in the Ukraine was a purposeful manipulation of the American taxpayers by its own government. Remember the name Victoria Nuland. Remember Burisma. Remember Hunter Biden and the Big Guy. Remember SOTH Pelosi and the Ukanian flag bullshit and inviting the penis that plays the piano to speak to the USA Congress. Remember it all because the Pavlovian lap dog legacy media obfuscated the truth and ran cover for the grift as the kickbacks continued to the Diapered Muppet and his family as well as selected members of his administration and members of Congress. The Biden presidency was no different than the Zelensky presidency. Both are imposters to the respective offices each occupied. Let that sink in.
Nuland is Satan's earthly wife.
Amen, LuAnn.