The inevitable end result of our last 56 years

[Ron Bulman]

This is kind of not surprising to me.  Koch and Haliburton.  Subway?  I'll use the local deli or maybe Jimmy Johns.  I don't know how to boycott the first two.  ScAmway they can have.

Koch Industries refuses to break ties with Russia despite Corporate America's mass exodus (msn.com)

Edited March 16, 2022 by Ron Bulman

[Kirk Gallaway]

23 hours ago, Benjamin Cole said:

You are not  hearing globalists warning, "If Russia can cause this much damage...should we not de-couple from China too?" 

That's an absurd notion. Of course they're not. Why would they?

What are you advocating, Ben?  The end of global trade? Almost no country would advocate that. The U.S. and China are the least likely to do that. You can't find any modern industrial country who wants to get rid of globalism like you Ben.

The reason is if they tried to do that the world economy would collapse. No President in the U.S. would try that because of a factor you're probably not aware of because you've been away so long halfway around the world. I haven't heard you mention once that the American people wouldn't stand for it, They like  their cheap Chinese made goods.  Just as no U.S. politician will try to put on an austerity program with the goal of retiring the 23 trillion dollar debt.

Just saying "I hate globalism" won't do anything. It's as hippydippish  as  saying "everybody in the world should destroy all their weapons and every citizen of the world should give up all their guns". 

In this specific case the answer involves a nothing short of instilling a revolution in the American mind that over time their lifestyle will suffer for a trade imbalance with the Chinese. As I showed you, Trump didn't do it, he only said he did and ended up hurting  our country more. That's not going to happen until the reality is facing them directly and that will probably be too late, just as sure as the fact that we've had 50 years to solve climate change and nobody ended up doing anything about that. You can keep blaming it on "the globalists". But until you impress on the public to take their responsibility and buy American goods, you will get nowhere, because no one but you wants to end world trade.

Or you can also be a dreaded "globalist", and encourage other countries than China to produce our consumer goods, or a combination of both.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Kirk Gallaway

[W. Niederhut]

2 hours ago, Ron Bulman said:

This is kind of not surprising to me.  Koch and Haliburton.  Subway?  I'll use the local deli or maybe Jimmy Johns.  I don't know how to boycott the first two.  ScAmway they can have.

Koch Industries refuses to break ties with Russia despite Corporate America's mass exodus (msn.com)

Ron,

If you want to boycott the Kochs, don't buy any gasoline or toilet paper, or vote for any Republicans. 🤥

As for Russia, the John Bircher/GOP-owning Kochs and Russia go way back-- to the glorious Gulag days when Fred Koch built oil refineries for Uncle Joe Stalin.

 But, alas, now you have identified a serious "globalization" issue for Ben Cole.

Where is Ben's "global" boycott of Putin when the owners of the GOP aren't cooperating?

It's, obviously, Biden's fault.

[Ron Bulman]

1 hour ago, W. Niederhut said:

Ron,

If you want to boycott the Kochs, don't buy any gasoline or toilet paper, or vote for any Republicans. 🤥

As for Russia, the John Bircher/GOP-owning Kochs and Russia go way back-- to the glorious Gulag days when Fred Koch built oil refineries for Uncle Joe Stalin.

 But, alas, now you have identified a serious "globalization" issue for Ben Cole.

Where is Ben's "global" boycott of Putin when the owners of the GOP aren't cooperating?

It's, obviously, Biden's fault.

It goes back to Allen Dulles visiting with George De Mohrenschildt's dad in the Russian oil fields during WWI.

[Benjamin Cole]

1 hour ago, W. Niederhut said:

Ron,

If you want to boycott the Kochs, don't buy any gasoline or toilet paper, or vote for any Republicans. 🤥

As for Russia, the John Bircher/GOP-owning Kochs and Russia go way back-- to the glorious Gulag days when Fred Koch built oil refineries for Uncle Joe Stalin.

 But, alas, now you have identified a serious "globalization" issue for Ben Cole.

Where is Ben's "global" boycott of Putin when the owners of the GOP aren't cooperating?

It's, obviously, Biden's fault.

"Globalism is about stable, accessible global commercial markets. It is not about human rights and democracy. 

We see that every day in the close, fulsome relations between the Apples, the BlackRocks, the GMs, Teslas, Goldman Sachs and...Beijing/CCP.  Beijing has snuffed out freedom of speech in Hong Kong with barely a whimper in Globalism-Land. "

Verily, the globalist-multinationals have fiduciary obligations to shareholders and investors to maximize profits. That does not make them bad or good; it is simply the purpose of their organizations. 

The problem comes when globalists make US foreign policy. Which they do. 

So you see Apple holding hands with Xi, and the Koches in Putin-land. 

Disney has theme parks in China, and filmed the movie "Mulan" in Xinjiang Province, publicly thanking authorities there for their help. 

Biden is a creature of the Washington establishment, in which the globalist framework is ascendant. The Biden Administration has made clear they will not draw a line in Ukraine. 

If Ukraine falls to Putin, so be it. The Biden Administration might ship small arms to Ukraine, but no jets, no big stuff. No "No Fly Zone." 

The Q: Is Biden an accessory before, or after, the fact when it comes to Ukraine? 

Putin is a thug. The images from Mariupol...surely, this kind of assault cannot be endured.

The Biden Administration seems lost. Feeble. Directionless. Clueless. 

The Ukrainians look tough. 

 

[Benjamin Cole]

Interesting headline in the Nikkei Asian Review: 

UKRAINE WAR

Strong NATO, weak U.S., puzzled China: Ukraine war hints at new order

Quad members Japan and India take different stances on siding with West

 

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Ukraine-war/Strong-NATO-weak-U.S.-puzzled-China-Ukraine-war-hints-at-new-order

[Steve Thomas]

I think Putin has bitten off more than he can chew.

His soldiers are deserting.

A fourth major general has died, see https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/russian-general-killed-trying-storm-26478770

He's suffering about a 10% loss rate and having to recruit foreign fighters.

He's having to ask China for re-supply.

More than anything, he's shown Russia to be a laughingstock on the world stage as a modern fighting force.

I think he bit off more than he could chew.

Steve Thomas

[Steve Thomas]

19 minutes ago, Steve Thomas said:

I think Putin has bitten off more than he can chew.

His soldiers are deserting.

A fourth major general has died, see https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/russian-general-killed-trying-storm-26478770

He's suffering about a 10% loss rate and having to recruit foreign fighters.

He's having to ask China for re-supply.

More than anything, he's shown Russia to be a laughingstock on the world stage as a modern fighting force.

I think he bit off more than he could chew.

Steve Thomas

Russian soldiers' horror diet laid bare as as Ukrainians steal battlefield kitchen

"The three-ingredient diet was plain to see in a video clip filmed by troops in Ukraine where the battlefield kitchen was supposedly conquered in the invasion
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/russian-soldiers-horror-diet-laid-26477049
Russia's army apears to be surviving on just three ingredients after Ukrainian troops seized a battlefield kitchen.
Video taken by Ukrainian troops shows a huge KamAZ armoured vehicle fitted with a professional kitchen onboard.
But its cupboards were stocked with just onions, potatoes and jars of pickles, according to the clip which was posted on Reddit overnight."

Steve Thomas
 

[W. Niederhut]

11 hours ago, Benjamin Cole said:

Interesting headline in the Nikkei Asian Review: 

UKRAINE WAR

Strong NATO, weak U.S., puzzled China: Ukraine war hints at new order

Quad members Japan and India take different stances on siding with West

 

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Ukraine-war/Strong-NATO-weak-U.S.-puzzled-China-Ukraine-war-hints-at-new-order

Geez, Ben... Niall Ferguson?   You continue to post the right wing propaganda-- despite the fact that you and your right wing media heroes have recently become veritable Russian pretzels.    You all abruptly switched this month from glorifying Putin and his NATO-bashing asset Donald Trump to blaming Biden's "weakness" for his reluctance to start WWIII.

Here's what Niall Ferguson had to say about Trump, Putin, and the EU during Trump's disastrous Presidency.

Brace yourself... 🤥

     In an article from November 2016 in The Boston Globe, Ferguson advised that Trump should support the efforts of Prime Minister Theresa May to have Britain leave the European Union as the best way of breaking up the EU, and sign a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom once Brexit is complete.^[125] Ferguson advised that Trump should give recognition to Russia as a Great Power, and work with President Vladimir Putin by giving Russia a sphere of influence in Eurasia.^[125] In the same column, Ferguson advised Trump not to engage in a trade war with China, and work with President Xi Jinping to create a US-Chinese partnership.^[125] Ferguson argued that Trump and Putin should work for the victory of Marine Le Pen (who wants France to leave the EU) and the Front national in the 2017 French elections, arguing that Le Pen was the French politician most congenial to the Trump administration.^[125] Ferguson argued that a quintumvirate of Trump, Putin, Xi, May and Le Pen was the world's best hope for peace and prosperity.^[125]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niall_Ferguson

[Ray Mitcham]

With risk of Russia threatening to use chemical weapons, it is time for NATO to say if the Russians use them, then NATO will move into Ukraine. There is only so much, civilization can take. The Russians will have been warned, chemical weapons are against the civilian population, and they will pay for their use.

 

[Ron Bulman]

I've read multiple times in the last couple of weeks about hundreds of Ukrainian citizens have been killed.  Sometimes a rough number of 5-6-7-800.  Just like in this article, "estimates hundreds of citizens have been killed".  Then it say's "estimated 2200 have died in Mariupol in the last 24 hours".  I read in the last few days that over 2000 had died in that city alone.  Just from other things I've read and videos, interviews it seems more like several thousand if not into the tens of thousands have perished.

So many buildings have been damaged beyond usability or completely destroyed so many of them that survive have no home to go back to much less places to work. 

To use an old phrase it seems like the Russian's are trying to bomb them back to the stone age.  They don't seem to care about deaths or injuries.

The kremlin is what should be wiped off the face of the earth.

Russia bombs theater where civilians were hiding out, officials say (msn.com)

[Benjamin Cole]

5 hours ago, W. Niederhut said:

Geez, Ben... Niall Ferguson?   You continue to post the right wing propaganda-- despite the fact that you and your right wing media heroes have recently become veritable Russian pretzels.    You all abruptly switched this month from glorifying Putin and his NATO-bashing asset Donald Trump to blaming Biden's "weakness" for his reluctance to start WWIII.

Here's what Niall Ferguson had to say about Trump, Putin, and the EU during Trump's disastrous Presidency.

Brace yourself... 🤥

     In an article from November 2016 in The Boston Globe, Ferguson advised that Trump should support the efforts of Prime Minister Theresa May to have Britain leave the European Union as the best way of breaking up the EU, and sign a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom once Brexit is complete.^[125] Ferguson advised that Trump should give recognition to Russia as a Great Power, and work with President Vladimir Putin by giving Russia a sphere of influence in Eurasia.^[125] In the same column, Ferguson advised Trump not to engage in a trade war with China, and work with President Xi Jinping to create a US-Chinese partnership.^[125] Ferguson argued that Trump and Putin should work for the victory of Marine Le Pen (who wants France to leave the EU) and the Front national in the 2017 French elections, arguing that Le Pen was the French politician most congenial to the Trump administration.^[125] Ferguson argued that a quintumvirate of Trump, Putin, Xi, May and Le Pen was the world's best hope for peace and prosperity.^[125]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niall_Ferguson

W-

I didn't say I agreed. I said it was an interesting point of view. 

I never glorified Putin, and have regarded him as a thug (along with Xi) for as long as both have been in power. 

I thought Trump was interesting, as the man who changed the global conversation on Beijing, and put tariffs on China exports.  Remember, under Obama the US policy was as designed by the globalists, Apple, Disney, GM, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs---that is, "China is great market, China is liberalizing, free trade is wonderful." But since Tiananmen Square (30 years ago), Beijing has become increasingly repressive, and now has snuffed out free speech in Hong Kong without a whimper from the West (among other sins too numerous to recall, let alone mention).

In addition, when events change reality, then we sometimes have to change our views. 

I might have thought peaceful co-existence and some level of accommodation was best with a Putin, pre-Ukraine. Yes, a nuke war is worth missing, and Putin is mortal, and will pass from the scene. 

But seeing the shelling of civilian areas in Mariupol, and the column of armored vehicles and tanks pointed at Kyiv, has changed my mind.  I now advocate a No Fly Zone for Ukraine, and possibly even NATO boots on the ground. 

Times change and so yes, I have moved to a more-hawkish position on Ukraine. 

Biden has floundered, looks weak.  NATO has dithered somewhat. Biden and NATO have allowed Putin to dictate terms of battle.

Russia can fly jets over Ukraine, but not NATO. Really? This is your idea of the right course? 

 

 

[Ron Bulman]

I've seen people post some pretty stupid crap on facebook but this may take the cake.  Let's tell the whole world we're taking a train to Kyiv.

Ukraine's rail chief reveals how EU leaders got in and out of Kyiv: 'Everyone should understand that it's war' (msn.com)

[Benjamin Cole]

Biden's Policy: The Russians can fly jets over Ukraine, but NATO cannot. 

 

[Matt Allison]

Ben- Biden isn't the President of Russia or Ukraine or NATO. 

He doesn't get to decide who flies there. Or anywhere. 

In fact, if he did try to decide who flies where, you'd instead be treating us to some screed bemoaning how "the Globalists are deciding who flies where via their puppet Biden."