Why the Russia fearmongering? It's about Nord Stream 2 and money, of course

While the fearmongering from the warmongers about Russia have reached a deafening level, it's important to look at how the money-based (aka reality-based) policy is trending.
Back in February the IMF stopped giving Ukraine more loans because of the endemic corruption.

Further loans have been frozen due to the slow pace of reforms.
The IMF was also concerned about the government’s decision made in January to regulate household gas prices.

“Very predictable the latest IMF mission “departs” with no deal ... Gas price cap was the last nail in the coffin of hoping to get sign off,” Timothy Ash, head of emerging market research at Blue Bay Asset Management, wrote on Twitter.

Ukraine has since accomplished almost no more reforms, but the IMF released some money anyway because of Russia.
Speaking of Russia, it seems Ukraine has been firing American-made Javelin missiles at Russian-backed separatists, but no one cares about that.
What people do care about is that Russian troops are being stationed in Russia, hundreds of kilometers away from the border of Ukraine. Well, the media cares about that.
What the insiders care about is the recently completed Nord Stream2 pipeline. Washington managed to put enough pressure on Germany, so that last week Germany's energy regulator suspended its certification process. It's interesting what conditions it wants to impose on the Russian company.

Germany has suspended its approval process for the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline which would double its reliance on Russian gas following growing geopolitical pressure to scrap the project...
The German energy regulator said it would not continue its approval process until the Nord Stream 2 company, which is registered in Switzerland, transfers its main assets and staffing budget to its German subsidiary.

Uh, when has this EVER been necessary? And outside of an obvious political answer, why?
The whole pipeline was built and approved at every stage according to approved contracts and legality.
Until Gazprom had dropped billions into the project and it was almost completed. Then the U.S. imposed sanctions and chased away almost all of the European companies in the project. Gazprom then said "Fine, we'll finish it ourselves." Much to Washington's surprise, they did. So now Washington has decided to change the rules.
The problem is that Russia is capable of waiting it out.

Europe faces a looming winter gas crisis, which has fuelled fears of a widespread industrial slowdown due to factory shutdowns and potential power outages. It is also expected to drive a cost of living crisis for homes and small businesses.

Gas prices have reached record highs in recent months, ignited by a global surge in demand after the Covid-19 economic slowdown last year, and fuelled by Russia’s reluctance to export extra supplies to Europe to help meet demand despite rocketing market prices.

The boss of commodities trading giant Trafigura, Jeremy Weir, warned that Europe could face “rolling blackouts” this winter due to tight gas supplies and low gas storage levels.

That's one Hell of a price to pay for Washington's political agenda.
We already know that approving Nord Stream 2 would alleviate the problem.

So what is Ukraine doing, while under the threatening shadow of a "Russian invasion"?
Surely if they are talking to Russia at all, it's with threats and warnings, right?

Ukraine has asked Russia’s gas behemoth Gazprom to extend the current gas transit deal that expires in 2024 for another 15 years and offered to cut transit fees in half.

Sure, if you feel threatened by military invasion your first instinct is to cut a deal in which you offer that invading army "half off".
What is obviously happening is that this entire "Russia is gonna invade" garbage is nothing but a negotiation ploy. And a badly handled one at that.

Gazprom signed off on a new transit deal at the last minute in December 2019 that commits the Russian gas giant to send 40 bcm via Ukraine’s Druzhba pipeline until 2024.

Currently Gazprom has been sticking scrupulously to the deal that will earn Ukraine’s pipeline operator, the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine (GTSOU), some $2bn in fees this year. But the Russian gas company is sending exactly the amounts stipulated in the deal and no more, despite the gas shortage crisis in Northern Europe. At the same time, Gazprom has increased exports to Europe, mostly via the southern TurkStream route that came online in January.

It's obvious what is going on. If Ukraine keeps going in the anti-Russia/pro-NATO direction, then the Kremlin will refuse to fund their government with transit fees.
And speaking of TurkStream.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday that Turkey is shielded from a gas crisis, which has gripped Europe, thanks to the Russian-built TurkStream gas pipeline.

Turkstream also runs through Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary.
Washington is 'deeply concerned'...about Bulgaria.

"The United States is deeply concerned by the recent statements of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev in which he referred to Crimea as 'Russian,'" the embassy's statement said...
"The sanctions that were imposed because of Crimea and Ukraine are not yielding results," Radev said, per the AP, calling Crimea "currently Russian" and even adding, "What else can it be?"

Radev recently won re-election, so he's not going anywhere soon.

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Pricknick's picture

They can sell all of their output to china and asia very shortly.
Let europe suck the american straw for lng.
The best part is nobody with a correct thought can blame russia for europe running on fumes.
Unfortunately, the ptb will consider invasion for the resources.
Which would lead to a war nobody wins.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

snoopydawg's picture

But it’s okay for us to import Russian gas for us. lol I love the smell of American hypocrisy. Russia sent us 4 boats of diesel, but it’s not okay for Europe to buy anything but our gas. Seems that Ukraine was doing just fine after the USSR broke up until Obama decided to futz with them and now lots of people are struggling to stay alive and are in poverty. Bet they wish they never heard of the USA.

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“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt

Oops Heritage forgot to mention this.

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and climate change control. I wish Trump got the blame.
I dream...
We will all be dead, nobody to lay blame on to the above, which will likely b dead, or learning how to grow food in nuked soil.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

mimi's picture

explain the role of former German Chancellor Schröder in all of it? What is he doing?

I try to come back later to read your response.

All the best to all of you and Happy Thanksgiving.

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@mimi At first glance it makes one wonder how long that the coalition will last?

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zed2's picture

Even if human pollution went away we would still have ENSO famines every few decades.

So this shows that we all have to look after one another. There is no way around looking out for one another. We have to help[ one another. There is no way we cannot rise to the challenge. Its inhuman to not help one another now. Nobody should be starving in this world.

But that is against neoliberal dogma (if its governments helping people, they say its a theft from corporations, who they gave human rights..) They claim subsidized aid "distorts trade". That's why the rules forbid public healthcare and many other services, unless they are already free in a country and was never sold after Jan 1, 1995. (the cutoff date)

Financial services corporations rights must be put on top. They are demanding that governments support their interests by switching to cashless money.. They did this it seems with India's demonetization.

And digital payments so the money people have will be firmly in corporate control. But what if a solar storm wipes out the global energy grid for years as some have said is quite possible, especially in the US Northeast?
Don't expect to fall back on cash.Gold? Well, at th end of the day, its inedible. Its hard to say, its a toxic heavy metal. It has little to no intrinsic value in an emergency, unless people agreed to a use as money. Would they?

But cashless control is what the free trade cult demands, So people cant bypass the global grabbing thats intended to make sure financialization of everything is total. You'll either have digital money, or you wont. Instantly. And doors and possibly, roads, even, will quite possibly be shut for you, literally. Digitally. People never voted to do this. Nor do people want the surveillance state to have that much power, it seems. Also there is the huge risk of the system going down in a solar storm like the huge one in `859. Had that happened now (and we just missed one a few years ago, as explained by NASA) we would still be picking up the pieces.

So all these billionaires are irresponsibly BSing us. Because they know this. And are still intent on giving us bad advice to get us trapped into this system. Sound familiar?

They are unfit to lead us. What they are trying to hide is anything discussion of which of any kind of the things that need to be discussable to have anything resembling democracy.

Will there be internal passports, like the infamous spravka under Communism? Thats what some likely want to do. Privatize new public roads. And access control will be tied to your cell phone's MAC address? If your'e in debt you may only be able to drive to and from work if your bank account has a negative balance.

You'll only be able to enter these privatized spaces if your bank account shows you could buy things there.

This is the scary aspect of so called "smart cituies" Keeping the unwanted peons out. Thius will prevent their voices fro ever being heard, which is of course their true intent. Its all about disenfranchising those being pushed out. Because the "outs" cant remain being ins if they are no longer working and are losing everything they have. Society wont tolerate the poor remaining around, complaining about having been pushed to the margins. Could we somehow prevent that happening? No, because its forbidden for governments to stand between corporations and their customers, as it devalues their investments. Its certainly like that with housing, the most expensive part of the problem. Millions of Americans just will lose housing. Its already like this in many areas. They just yhave become too expensive for many people in what the rich insist is a "natural" process. But its not "natural" as its a coup thats been planned and engineered by the undemocratic ultrarich. They just don't want to be reminded of anything unpleasant.

Even if it means the sacrifice of so many lives of poor people. Its the poor folks fault for not being rich!

Womens rights? What about the rich's investments. Women who dont have babies are stealing their investments. So they wnt to repeal Roe vs. Wade. To return us to the era when the rich were really rich and the poor really poor. Thats natural they say.

This coup is making countries regress. They are rolling back the whole 20th century's gains..
Anything that stands in the way of their selling off and stealing of everything, they have made it illegal for governments to help anybody except totally destitute people, the bare minimum. people. This push to prevent our evolution is now being led by the US and the EU. EU is rolling back EU citizens rights to please the big corporations.

I'm sorry that they don't tell us, but imagine if they did. People would stop voting for politicians if they realized they were lying about what they could or would do.

If there wasn't a Bernie Sanders promising change to help the people whoare spending their every penny on healthcare bills or "co pays and deductibles" , Draining the life blood of the poor people (As in reality a treaty forbids subsidizing everything that is "supposed to be bought" even education, we are supposed to roll back the services we depend on, if they are committed. Higher and adult education are in danger.) , people would demand real change. And they would run into our brick wall. We signed this treaty that forbids it all, So Biden wont allow it. He is the Senator from Delaware, one of the worlds, most corporate states. Lots of Delaware corporations are banking on getting a huge slice of the money from the digital payments scheme they are cooking up.

and demands that good jobs be outsourced.

But it is not as simple as we would wish. There are governments that put it all in perspective.

In this video Cherie Yang, a new US citizen ! (hooray!) tells us that North Koreans actually wish for a war with the US.

She also shows us that there are a great many good people, even military in North Korea.

They are people just like us..

By the way, the mountains she was imprisoned (in the mayors villa there), concealed at that time a truly infamous concentration camp that reputed to be one of the worst in the world and its entire history, It was right over the hill from Hoeryong.

So, Maybe they were afraid she would stumble upon the Valley of Death, the Sugol Valley area.. .. was their killing field.. perhaps thats the real reason why 400 soldiers were looking for her. She has an incredible story.

Her father should be very proud of his beautiful, smart daughter. Don't you think?

Please keep North Korean human rights in mind. We need to focus on freeing people from extreme tyranny everywhere. Lets not embrace digital totalitarianism, which will follow if we allow the suppression of online voices. Better to see the would be totalitarians as a problem, that could make life intolerable. Let people make up heir own minds. If we do our jobs (politicians I am talking to you) people wont feel drawn to right wing extremism, BTW, neoliberalism is right wing extremism of a kind. Because of its extremist economics. The neoliberals are trying top steal the planet's people's economic rights. And give them to shady corporate players, not the poor like they claim, they are devoted to helping the ultra rich.

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Germany was close to energy self-sufficiency with heavy reliance of solar. Quite a feat because of the high latitude. German engineers can do anything when they have the sipport of the government.
Apparently someone convinced them that greenhouse negative natural gas was better because it was cheaper. Probably some neoliberal.

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

CB's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness
to get all their power from renewables. In 2020 it got 44.9% of it's total power usage from renewables plus 11.3% nuclear (to be reduced in future). The balance was from carbon sources - lignite 16.2%, hard coal 7.5%, natural gas 16.1% for a total about 40%. They originally planned to quit coal by 2040 but have pushed this ahead to 2030. The major factor to reduce coal is to use natural gas/hydrogen from Russia plus hydrogen generated by renewables to store to use when the sun/wind are insufficient.

Gross electricity production in Germany from 2018 to 2020

But, the Germans have done remarkably well considering their latitude and climate. Their new building codes are much more stringent and efficient than the US and waste little heat.

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mimi's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness

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zed2's picture

Natural gas is the preferred form of energy I suspect because of its use in electricity generation. That is also probably why electricity prices track the price of natural gas.

There is a lot of energy that can be used for other things available in the daytime in the summer in sunny areas. So the key to energy affordability is better batteries. If we could store that summer energy for several months so we could use it in the winter, that would solve the whole heating cost problem.

Maybe we could use compressed air? Imagine a big tank in your house or apartment to save energy by some means like s PV system compressing air when your rooftop PV system was running and energy was the cheapest, so it could be used when its most needed.

Better batteries are the key.

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CB's picture

@zed2
China is pushing it big time. It is relatively easy to produce from renewables such as wind and solar, it is convenient and portable to store, the only pollutant is pure water, it has a VERY high energy output (it can be even be used for metallurgy) and it can used with current technology as a direct substitute for propane in car, bus, truck and train engines - all of which are in current commercial use in China. They get from 350 to 600 km per fill, the same as current vehicles. Hydrogen can also be added to the mix for electric power generation.

Rechargeable batteries are not efficient for transport. They weigh too much (waste energy) and are not sustainable to manufacture and eventually dispose of. They are not a long term term solution except for hand held devices.

China’s Green Hydrogen Projects: Exponential Growth Begins

Keeping track of China’s green hydrogen projects is becoming hard.

We saw explosive growth of new green hydrogen projects in the first quarter of 2021.

For investors, technology suppliers, and developers hoping to get a foothold in the Chinese green hydrogen bloom, this is the time to pay serious attention.

China Power-to-Gas: 50+ Projects and $20B

According to Energy Iceberg’s intelligence database, China already has +50 green hydrogen production projects by the end of May 2021.

China's first hydrogen refueling station with hydrogen production starts trial operation

Operation began on Tuesday on the world's largest solar powered hydrogen plant in China. The project, owned by Baofeng Energy Group, uses a 200-MW solar power plant located in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region to electrolyze water to make hydrogen, which replaces coal.

China to adapt power generation to run on hydrogen

Country aims to produce low-carbon or carbon-free power by using hydrogen, gas and renewable energy

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your writing, especially on this subject, is among the many things I'm most thankful for. I hope you have a delicious Thanksgiving Day.

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zed2's picture

than they do now if they make housing more expensive. German families are unable to afford housing. And heat. They are throwing out energy guzzling appliances like computers. Want some servers? Free?

Are you willing to pick them up?

Germany is the US in a few years. Energy is becoming too expensive to buy. Even cutting edge houses could find themselves too expensive to heat.

What happens to northern and western Europe if the (warm water that makes the weather warmer there) Gulf Stream fizzles out, We don't know enough to say. The prolem is quite complex, involving lots of factors particularly the salinity of the water in the Atlantic, various dissolved gases in the water, the melting of glacial ice, etc.

Although this is perhaps unlikely, suppose the current fizzles out? The weather in Europe could get much colder, and unpredictable, more like the rest of the world at that latitude.This has happened before. Some of you might remember a discussion in the classic film "The Wicker Man" (this is the part that was largely cut out by the studio, much to the consternation of the films viewers. This was an early example of the kind of censorshit that governments always try to give themselves permission to practice. ) In the film, the immortal British actor Christopher Lee in his favorite all time role as the Lord Summerisle. And he was one of the most prolific actors ever in any medium. so thats saying quite a bit.. .) dicussed the historic relationship between climate, crop[ failures and -gasp, human sacrifice.. (Volcanism too, as any fan of B-movies can attest to). It even seems human sacrifice may have been practiced in the last days of Santorini's Minoan culture, before the huge eruption blew a gigantic hole in the middle of the island destroying what was most certainly the most advanced civilization of that time, (1700 BC) and creating a truly spectacular caldera lake and a global winter effect that may have driven the Bible's plagues of Egypt. The eruption, which seems to have ben a very violent one, like the Mt St Helens eruption in Washington State - an eruption an aquaintance of mine at the time was caught in, he barely escaped with his life.

Like that it was quite comparable to an atomic explosion in firocity and we know today that it sent wave after wave of monstrous tidal waves all around the Mediterranean. Instantly obliterating a great many coastal communities in around 1767 BCE The tidal waves went clean over smaller islands, it seems, (as shown by the pumice tufa layers in the coastal areas for hundreds of miles. recognizable because the pumice stone foats, and its origin can be determined from its gaseous content.
A lot depends on the weather. And the continued comfort and in habitability of parts of Europe, including Germany and the UK, arguably depends on the warm current- Its one of five circular currents here on Earth - it's called the "North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre" that bring warm water to northern areas and drive a great deal of the beneficial kinds of weather. When these currents fail, weather may get colder and dryer. Conditions that likely cause crop failures and shortages of food. Driving food prices so much higher that people starve.

While looking anybody who is interested should also bone up on the ENSO climatic oscillation!

Just learned something new. One of the men who founded the United States, Benjamin Franklin was the first to chart the location of the warmer Gulf Stream. Isnt that cool!? You can read more about this at this web page.

Franklin was also very concerned about the possible future effects of volcanic activity on the country he had helped found,m the US. And he had good reason to worry. As should we.

Lots of people die of starvation from the shift in the planet's reflectivity caused by ash in these events. . Solar power generation equipment is also rendered useless by the ash in the atmosphere. Making entire hemispheres much colder and causing wordwide crop failures that are fairly inescapable.

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CB's picture

Barely out of Afghanistan and they're clamouring to be fed again. I wonder how many Americans would be eager to lay down their lives in order to fight China over China?

The HILL: America must prepare for war with China over Taiwan

China’s massive investment in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) may show China is preparing to fundamentally change the status quo and preparing for possible war with the United States over Taiwan. To deter China, the United States must rapidly build up its forces in the Pacific, continue to strengthen military alliances in the region to ensure access to bases in time of conflict, and accelerate deliveries of purchased military equipment to Taiwan.
...
Time is not on our side. Taiwan Minister of Defense Chiu Kuo-Cheng testified before his Congress on Oct. 6 that, “By 2025, China will bring the cost attrition to its lowest. It has the capacity now, but it will not start a war easily, having to take many other things into consideration.” As Chiu states, China probably already considers it has the capability to seize Taiwan.
...
President Biden on at least three occasions has said the U.S. would defend Taiwan if it were attacked by China. His administration needs to articulate to the American people why Taiwan’s defense is critical to the United States and deploy the resources needed to deter China from attacking Taiwan.

Accordingly, the United States needs to reinforce our military forces in the region, work with Taiwan to quickly transform it into a real prickly porcupine that is resilient so it can hold out for an extended period of time, and ensure we have ironclad allied commitments permitting the U.S. to use bases on allied countries’ territory. Time is not on our side. We must act now.

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CB's picture

@CB
[video:https://youtu.be/4sko0oEKoHk?t=2262]

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CB's picture

@CB

Efforts To Groom Us For War With China Are Getting More Forceful

If you thought western mass media have been brazenly pushy with their anti-China propaganda, wait til you see The Hill’s appalling new opinion piece titled “America must prepare for war with China over Taiwan“.
...
Then at the very bottom of the article you get to the part that really matters: the information about the author.

“David Sauer is a retired senior CIA officer who served as chief of station and deputy chief of station in multiple overseas command positions in East Asia and South Asia.”

Ahh, okay.

The CIA used to have to infiltrate the media. Now the CIA is the media.

Apparently this “retired” senior CIA officer has been spending his “retirement” churning out war propaganda articles for The Hill with titles like “The US cannot allow China to think it will abandon Taiwan” and “The next US president has a tall order: Keeping China in check“, as well as acting as an expert source for virulent anti-China propaganda rag The Epoch Times.

Would you like to know what this big brave warrior looks like? Would you like to see a picture of this mighty hero who has no fear of leading us all into a third world war?

Now that’s the face of a man who’d be first to volunteer for duty on the front lines in defense of what he believes in. You look at that man and can’t help but imagine him charging into Taipei bleeding red white and blue firing an M4 carbine for freedom and democracy. He’s not just talking about sending our sons and daughters into this war, no siree.

Why is it that all the worst warmongering narrative managers are always weird-looking little nerds who plainly wouldn’t know how to hold their own dicks, much less a gun? Were they bullied so bad in school that they just have to act out their pent-up aggression by helping to incinerate families in the global south over crude oil or something? What the hell is wrong with these freaks?
...
And now Moscow and Beijing are moving further into a military partnership that seems to be getting closer by the year in response to aggressions from the US and its client states, which, I dunno, I’m no historian but maybe might be cause for alarm when you’ve got world powers splitting into two increasingly hostile global alliances. Could that lead to something bad? It seems like maybe that could lead to something bad.

Cornered animals are dangerous, especially ones with fangs and claws. Dying empires are dangerous, especially ones with nuclear weapons. We’re being aggressively propagandized into consenting to insanely dangerous agendas geared toward maintaining US unipolar hegemony in defiance of the natural movement we are seeing toward a multipolar world. We are seeing signs everywhere that the drivers of empire are preparing to do some very, very crazy things in order to stop that movement and maintain their dominance. The fact that they are still ramping up their propaganda campaign is concerning, to say the least.

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zed2's picture

China is not a democracy and the people of Taiwan are doing well on their own.

FYI. Also, if people think the supply chain problem is bad now, it would become a full fledged nightmare if China invades Taiwan. Because many of the most essential microchips made are manufactured in Taiwan. So a great many US businesses would grind to a stop. Also China were sheto ivade Taiwan might find she had a nuclear war on her hands. A log time ago, the then dicotorship of Taiwan purued a nuclear weapons capability. Were they successful? I dont know. But if I were China I would consider the fact that Taiwan has had an awfully long time to prepare for this threatened invasion. And they have had the resources and motivation to do so. So if I were the PRC I would think twice before invading the independent country.

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CB's picture

@zed2
It is part of China. Taiwan does not maintain an embassy in the United States, and the United States has not officialy recognized Taiwan since January 1, 1979. The Beijing government began representing China at the UN from 15 November 1971. The UN doesn't recognize Taiwan as a separate country. It would require ALL five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council: Russia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and China to vote.

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Pluto's Republic's picture

@CB

Or Martha's Vineyard or Catalina.

But the real parallels are Hawaii and Crimea.

Small islands in strategic locations must fall under the protection of a large neighboring nation to protect its own security. In most cases, the small island is ethnically and culturally the same as its protector. And the protecting nation must maintain close ties to its off shore islands to protect its own national security. The US invaded Taiwan with the ultimate goal of installing nuclear missiles pointed at civilian targets throughout China.

No large nation will allow itself to be conquered that way.

Bay of Pigs.

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Populations don’t like wars. They have to be lied into it.
That means we can be “truthed” into peace. — Julian Assange
zed2's picture

Who cares? If anything that makes me sympathize with them more. And I am not the only one. Taiwan and Hong Kong should form a single independent, democratic country, and to use a cooking analogy that seems appropriate, leave the PR China leadership to stew in its own juice.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zojh-rnctVw]

Like Biden, The PRC can shove their nondemocratic services agreements up their ass.

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CB's picture

@zed2

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zed2's picture

Beijing, (which means The North is pacified) regime as the legitimate representative of the people of Beijing.

when will there be a democratic China?

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@zed2
China hasn't been democratic in 5,000 years.
Hong Kong was a product of western imperialism forcing opium into China.
Let's not forget that the U.S. took part in the 2nd Opium War.

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CB's picture

@zed2
At least the Communist Party in China is much more responsible to the people. They can get tossed out. In the US, the ruling political party gets indirectly elected by the Electoral College (which has given the middle finger to the electorate on more than one occasion) and you are stuck with them for 4 years.

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Pluto's Republic's picture

@zed2

...than most in the world, and that the Chinese People are the masters of the government.

A helpful explanation: How Does China Evaluate and Choose its Leaders? Understanding China’s University System — July 18, 2021
____________________________________

Xi stresses democracy not decoration, but a means to solve problems

President Xi Jinping, speaking at a ceremony marking the founding of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), highlighted consultative democracy as China's unique way to foster consensus among the people.

Through consultative democracy, Chinese people take part in the country's governance, said Xi.
"There are various ways to realize democracy. We should neither stick to one model nor claim that there is a universal one."

Democracy is defined not only by people's right to vote in an election but also the right to participate in political affairs on a daily basis, he said.

A broad consultation among the people is a democratic process to pool wisdom and form consensus, based on which China's governance will be solid and sound, he said.

Xi pledged that the Communist Party of China (CPC) and government will carry on consultative democracy and consult as many people as possible on as many issues as possible, adding that the Party is also able to discover loopholes and correct mistakes.

Xi urged building of a practical political system to embody consultative democracy, including all levels and different walks of life. It should allow the people to be consulted before the authorities make a key decision, he said.

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Populations don’t like wars. They have to be lied into it.
That means we can be “truthed” into peace. — Julian Assange
CB's picture

@Pluto's Republic
https://popularresistance.org/how-does-china-evaluate-and-choose-its-lea...

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zed2's picture

As I said I couldn't care less what the PRC wants. They should stop sending North Koreans back to North Korea and execution by Kim Jong Il and the Kim regime.

China and the US could have a much better relationship, but not until they start respecting the wishes of a lot of people more. Like the US, the PRC often fails on the issue of HUBRIS.

They lost me when they went into Beijing hospitals and dragged the injured out into the streets and turned them into hamburger with tanks, and hosing their meat into the Beijing sewers ya know.
I was standing right in front of their consulate screaming at the top of my lungs along with hundreds of other Americans and Chinese of every kind. We were united in opposition to their massacre..

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CB's picture

@zed2

The Truth About Tiananmen

June 8, 2019

This past week marked the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing. Naturally, Trump's warmongering Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, jumped at the opportunity to wag his finger at the Chinese government.
...
The official story of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, dutifully parroted every anniversary by any number of finger-wagging diplomats and TV talking heads, is that it was the culmination of weeks of student-led protests against the Chinese government, and, as the bastion of truthiness tells us, involved "troops with assault rifles and tanks fir[ing] at the demonstrators trying to block the military's advance towards Tiananmen Square." The incident resulted in the deaths of "several hundreds" of the protesters. Or, was it 2,600? Well, the Chinese government refuses to discuss the subject (or even allow it to be discussed in China), so I guess we'll never know.

. . . or will we? It may surprise those who blindly trust whatever they hear on TV that in fact we have had evidence for the past eight years that whatever took place in Tiananmen Square that fateful night 30 years ago was not the wanton massacre we have been led to believe. And this is not from Chinese Communist Party mouthpieces, but from US and Chilean diplomats who witnessed the events themselves. Even James Miles, the BBC's Beijing correspondent at the time, wrote a mea culpa in 2009, admitting that his reporting had "conveyed the wrong impression" and that in fact "[t]here was no massacre on Tiananmen Square."

Also conveniently left out of this narrative are the musings of ex-US Ambassador Chas Freeman, who, in reflecting on Tiananmen Square back in 2006, opined that the Chinese government was actually much too restrained in its response to the 1989 protest movement:

"I cannot conceive of any American government behaving with the ill-conceived restraint that the Zhao Ziyang administration did in China, allowing students to occupy zones that are the equivalent of the Washington National Mall and Times Square combined while shutting down much of the Chinese government's normal operations. I thus share the hope of the majority in China that no Chinese government will repeat the mistakes of Zhao Ziyang's dilatory tactics of appeasement in dealing with domestic protesters in China."

This is not to say there were no killings that night, or that the Chinese government is run by an innocent group of falsely maligned angels. But the real story about the 1989 democracy movement in China has never filtered down to the broader public. This story—one that includes CIA assistance for the protesters—does not comport with the straightforward narrative of an evil government coldly slaughtering a crowd of unarmed protesters, so it must be sent down the memory hole.
...

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zed2's picture

Going back centuries.

Imagine what China could do if it was democratic. 1989 was an incredible, beautiful moment in time.

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CB's picture

@zed2
Make sure you view this. It will explain a lot of the what the protest was really about.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqPI8xlnrwg]

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zed2's picture

different than my own it seems.

You are ignoring the feelings of the people of Beijing at that time, you know.
It was incredible with entire workplaces, including the Chinese media outlets, leaving work en masse and marching together under banners expresssing their need for democracy.

They were questining the basic deal that the regime has locked Chinese into as the factory of the world with high skill, low pay and Chinese VIPs making millions off the unhealthy suppression of workers and stashing the ill-gotten wealth away in secrecy jurisdictions. Very corrupt.

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@zed2
With their own 1%

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

CB's picture

@zed2
was NO massacre in Tienanmen Square. The soldiers were well disciplined despite many of them getting killed by the protesters. The tanks in your video are showing the tanks leaving.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r4xhwtsc8Y&t=66s]

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_BT8VEPlA4]

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CB's picture

Who Wants Some Ukraine?
November 25, 2021

On Tuesday, 23 November, Russia’s most senior military general, Valery Gerasimov, had a “deconfliction” phone conference with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, in which the two discussed “pressing issues of international security.” Actual details of what they discussed are not available; what is available is Western media speculation, which in recent days has included false reports of Russian troops massing on the Ukrainian border and supposedly getting ready to invade. What Western media has studiously ignored is an actual massing of Ukrainian troops on the borders of the Donbass region—the industrialized temporarily Ukrainian region that has been de facto independent since the Kiev putsch of 2014.
...
Turning down Western media noise, a Russian military effort to capture the Donbass, never mind the rest of the Ukraine, is exceedingly unlikely. Russia already has everything it wants. Unlike Crimea which in its 2014 referendum produced a 97% vote for integration of the region into the Russian Federation with an 83% voter turnout, in a similar referendum in the Donbass (held against Moscow’s wishes) only 27.5% of the 74.87% who turned out voted in favor of joining the Russian Federation. Based on this result, Moscow chose to soft-pedal the Donbass situation, providing humanitarian aid and diplomatic support, granting Russian citizenship to those who want it and gradually integrating the region socially and economically...
...
The Ukraine aspires to NATO and EU membership, but this prospect appears exceedingly unlikely since it is much more of a liability than an asset: destitute, bankrupt, politically unstable and not in control of its own government or its own territory—a failed state, essentially... There was a recent hysterical outburst in Western press over Russian tanks massed on the Belorussian border, for instance. Russia is always “about to invade,” on Tuesdays especially, but somehow never gets around to it.
...
...As an added bonus, there will be Russia to blame because, no doubt at all, it will have all been Russia’s fault. Sanctions against Russian baby blanket manufacturers are being drafted as we speak. American TV viewers will watch it, and they will like it. They will think, “Bad Russkies! America strong!”

“But what about the Ukraine?” you might be tempted to ask. Well, the correct answer to that question seems to be, “Nobody cares.” Seriously, looking at recent Ukrainian history, that seems to be the only answer that makes sense. The Americans certainly never cared, the Russians once cared but care less and less with each passing day, and the Ukrainians themselves don’t care either and have been making that point by voting with their feet. The European Union and NATO may care a great deal about having a large failed state in the middle of Europe, and they should, because that is probably just the beginning, but a very good start.

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link

“Over the last five years, Ukraine received an average of just over US$2.5 billion per year in return for making its gas pipelines available to Gazprom. In 2021, transits fees are expected to be around 40 percent less than recent years,” reads the IMF report on Ukraine.

As noted, once Nord Stream 2 is operational, the volume of gas passing through Ukraine could decrease further, with Ukraine’s transit revenues forecasted at around $1.2 billion per year.

As reported, Germany's energy regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur, suspended the procedure to certify Nord Stream 2 AG and granted the request of Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine to participate in the procedure. As a result, Russia made a decision to create a subsidiary in accordance with German law, which will become the owner and operator of the German part of the pipeline.

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zed2's picture

Its what they want. The Clintons got their payoffs. They are getting their way. They made the deal with China. Americans can't afford the energy any more. PIIE has written about how WTO rules require it. (Isnt that crazy?)

We cant say no.
They say.

Its certainly no longer cheap. Peoples heating prices are predicted to double this winter.

And keep rising thereafter.

Energy poverty is our future. So, our country is being stripped of its wealth.

Thats it. We are left in a strange situation. We don't own any of this country or any rights other than to be treated equally. Even equally like shit. As long as its equal, we have no shared ownership of anything. Its all owed by its oligarch owners.

God bless the child who's got his own, as Ella Fitzgerald sang. Who do we think we are wanting to own things. Jobs, resources. They have all been promised away. Our rulers cant break their promises to them.

We're being thrown under the bus, so what?

Looted. Look up the definition. The mob does that sometimes.

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zed2's picture

"consulations" on trade deals. Whose outcvomes are pre-rigged.Actually everyting copnnected top trade deals is coercive like that now. Just like the Bernie Sanders campaign was based on a lie, Why did the US sign away its right to regulate (the issues he claimed to stand for) when in fact we had committed those service sectors and their jobs in the 1990s.

Was there some kind of deal there?

I don't vote for actors. Should we?

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zed2's picture

Who was the President who changed the US law which up until then prevented all these mergers and buyouts destroying all the small radio stations and media?

Wasn't it the same one who changed the laws that protected US investors from banks that also (bfore this law, and now again after it was allegedly "reformed" against the will of the Amerian people, sold sketchy investments causing the Great Depression of the 1930s?

But the Clinton Administration in a promise it made to the WTO, in 1998, rpomised to repeal it the next year, and they did.

Why did the US promise this to the WTO. Because they are in charge of the international economy. Exposing our taxpayers to enormous risks. Our taxpayers could end up in big trouble if the government and its cronies screws up.

We are prevented from doing everything we need to do by the WTO commitments we've made to prevent public services like Social Security, Medicare and virtually all public services. We claim they are all trade barriers. This puts us in huge risk.

WTF?

They do. We even set up an international organization to rule above countries and voters to bind them all to the corporatism system, forever.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nBPN-MKefA]

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zed2's picture

at all. (In tems of power collected.) In the Year Without a summer the whole world froze nd crops failed. Also the sky was dark or colored red and yellow. Lots of plants died because of the sulfuric acid in the rain. This is why we shouldnt extract more fossil fuels and sell them off to whomever bids the most. We need them for emergencies. (Real ones and not the fake "emergencies" cooked up by the Crooked Ones in order to steal the planet for themselves.)

Otherwise, get ready for cannibalism!

ITS NOT A ZERO SUM GAME

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zaoC_RhpIA]

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zed2's picture

Wouldnt it be great if we could recall any politician with a simple up or down vote, if they turned out to be one of the bad guys??

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@zed2
I would add a Nationwide Referendum as well.

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zed2's picture

I am sure that manyof us have seen the many pictures floating around of the former sub base at Balaklava, which is now a tourist attraction.

When I hear of Russia having designs on the Ukraine, I always think of it, because it was obviously a huge investment they made. I cant help but wonder how necessary it is to their detrrence. It would seem to me that any nuclear power with nuclear submarines would want a base like it so that the subs comings and goings could be hidden from the air and space.

Anyway, here are some links to photos of it. It appears to be huge.

The DPRK has one similar to it. I have the GPS coordinates entered into my extensive collection of DPRK KML stuff. Its quite similar to this one, I understand. I am sure the Crimean base cost the former USSR a lot, and they were relatively rich compared to their former client state. (when the flow of cash from the former USSR ended, the DPRKs economy just disintegrated.

But their government took advantage of the breakup of the former Soviet Union to buy all sorts of stuff, like for example, a large number of MIG-29 "fulcrum" jets from Belarus, which must have cost a fortune to buy and maintain.

Its always such a crime when countries devote so many resources to war hardware, even while their people are starving to death. That purchase was the worst in that egard that I know of ever, because the rice that could have been bought with that money would have prevented the 3 million deaths that darkened the late 90s for the long suffering people of the literate, East Asian country. Many many people died slow agonizing deaths from starvation there. Many others fled to China where they lived like animals in fear of deportation back to the brutal, backwards, totalitarian nation. Many Chinese tried to help them despite the harsh penalties for doing so.

China's standard of living is so far ahead of the DPRK that they say, "even dogs in China eat better than we do" and its true. Many North Koreans were kept alive by he food put out by Chinese for pets in towns along the Tumengang, the Tumen river that separates the northern part of the DPRK from the far northeast part of China. those days.

---Photo essays about the Crimean sub base.

https://www.businessinsider.com/crimeas-secret-soviet-submarine-base-2014-5

https://darktourists.com/balaklava-submarine-base-crimeas-secret-soviet-...

https://englishrussia.com/2011/11/05/underground-submarine-base-of-balak...

https://englishrussia.com/2011/12/02/back-to-the-secret-underground-comp...

Indeed, this would be an awesome museum to visit..

There is another similar one in the far northeast , in the Sakhalin, Kamchatka area. (Also pictured on the English Russia site- There's lots of abandoned former USSR military and space stuff on that site. Including an abandoned, super colorful, radio telescope. )

Enjoy!

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zed2's picture

system. There is a lot of corruption there. As there is in the former British colonies as well as HK. The documentary "The Spiders Web" goes into depth on it. Now the US is catching up with the former British colony tax havens and we are both competing for the rich's money by trying to attract their loot and shell companies. Ive repeatedly heard that its likely more than half of the money in the world is being held in these secrecy jurisdictions, but the truth is, nobody knows.

A lot. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer rapidly. The rate is increasing exponentially. Its a classic bubble.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YgFDZNXPyg]

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