Are western leaders incompetent or intentionally destructive?

 JUST STUPID SHOULD HAVE A 50% SUCCESS RATE

IS IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE SO MANY HORRIBLE DECISIONS?

It is somewhat bewildering to watch the decision making coming out of the U.S. and western Europe. We watch as Europe with their green policies, immigration,  and disputes with Russia and China actually deindustrializing their countries. The reality is that without manufacturing a country will soon descend into third world living conditions and then the green agenda will soon become the last thing people are thinking about.

In the United States we watch as the borders are intentionally left wide open in obvious attempt to change the electorate in favor of the Marxist agenda. At the same time we witness no restraint on spending, handing out money all over the world, mostly by increasing the debt to a point were the only options will be default or hyper inflation, both ending in economic collapse or crisis. Is it just stupidity and incompetence or this the agenda for a new world government of some sort. The reality is that all these policies are not in the best interest of these countries and certainly not in the best interest of the citizens.

We still remember Obama's famous declaring the "fundamental transformation of America". It is certainly true that America is being transformed, but we don't really know into what. 

In foreign policy the United States is in reality at war with much of the world. In a shooting wars with Russia, Iran, Syria and other low level operations in dozens of countries. Economic war with China, the BRICS group and dozens of countries in eastern Europe, South America and Asia. Political war with India, Brazil, Pakistan, Venezuela, Israel, Hungary, Turkey, Serbia, Belarus and lots of places in Africa. Some are combinations of political and economic, some will become violent if necessary. All are about the United States and its paid for allies ruling the world and forcing the rest of the world into some new social, economic and political submission. The United States foreign policy is not just stupid or incompetent, but actually consistent for now 30 years and would better be classified as just evil. It has resulted in millions of deaths and economic catastrophe for many of its targets.

It seems that there has been an unholy alliance between the neocon "Rule the world crowd" and the perpetual marxist revolutionaries. The left now will support any intervention or war and the neocons look the other way while the Marxists destroy the domestic tranquility and stability of the nation. They both come out in unison to denounce any opposition as Putin allies, white supremacists, Christian nationalists or any other handle they think will discredit their opinion.

While the actual future looks dim and uncertain, there is one reality that is obvious, the present direction is unsustainable and in danger of imploding at anytime. Do the Marxists and neocons really see a joint endeavor or will it inevitably end with the destruction of one by the other. Just another possibility, when it all comes apart.

The dangerous results of amatuer and ideological diplomats.

 FOOLS AND IDEOLOGS HAVE BLUNDERED INTO GLOBAL WAR

WORST CROP OF WESTERN DIPLOMATS IN HISTORY

Every day we inch closer to another war or threat of escalated and expanded war. It is not just fate or an accident of history, but the prevalence of immature political operatives in high places, particularly in the western world. In just 3 short years we have witnessed the increased hostility and instability not seen since WW2. It is the result of the poorest diplomacy in history. a lack of empathy for the concerns of other nations, driven either by hubris or just plain ideological hatred and delusional calculations rather than realistic solutions. This is accompanied by very little scrutiny of the press to reveal the disasters in the making.

Listening is replaced by threats and intimidation, this must be based in an unrealistic delusional reliance on force being the answer to every problem.  Then we have the long contrived plans to either damage or overthrow other governments, which in the last few decades has become a standard practice of the United States and some NATO countries. It may have worked well in places like Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan but the game is now up and it is becoming a lot less effective, especially with peer competitors and adversaries. The practice of bluster and bluffing is common practice and the big mistake is they also assume their competitors are doing the same. A recipe for global disaster.

The Ukraine conflict was a planned operation by the western powers, knowing Russia's history and concern for security on their western border, they knew that NATO expansion to include Ukraine would result in military conflict. If they listened rather than dismissed the concerns of Russia they would have known. They knew, but concluded that Russia was weak, a gas station masquerading as a country, and delusionally concluded they could collapse the government, dismember the country and exploits it resources. A dangerous miscalculation that they now refuse to admit and seek an alternative.

Now the Hubris takes over and they fear political damage, what is the message to China, Iran and North Korea? They state that they must prevail or they will be discredited and their standing in the world will diminish. The truth is,  the message is the western world is governed by fools and their standing is diminishing by the day and if their policies are not reversed they may take the whole world's economic system and even civilization down with it.

The real truth is only wise and mature diplomats can admit error and deal with it in a rational way. Fools and the immature can never admit miscalculation, it is always the others who are the villains. 

These policies need to be reversed, it most likely will never be accomplished with the present leaders. There needs to be serious recalculation with new leadership in the U.S. and the EU. A new view toward cooperation and coexistence rather than insisting on global hegemony and resulting catastrophe.

Russia responds to western trash talkers.

 SIGNALS PIVOTAL DECISIONS BEING MADE

 EUROPEAN WAR OR NEGOTIATION

This week we witnessed Russia beginning drills of its tactical weapons teams. This was accompanied with an explanation that it was in response to western talk of escalation in Ukraine. Then the ambassadors of France, UK and the United States were called in for a meeting. It has been revealed that following remarks by Macron of France that they were sending troops to Ukraine, David Cameron remarked that UK long range missiles used in Ukraine had no restrictions on being used deep into Russia, the continual talk of F-16s by the U.S. and the Democrat leader talking of U.S. troops to Ukraine, Russia felt it was time to make its position clear.

France was told that any French troops in Ukraine will immediately be targeted by Russia. U.K. was informed that any UK missiles used against Russian homeland will be considered an act of aggression by Britain and will require a response on British bases. The United States was informed that if any F-16's fly out of NATO countries against Russia, those bases will be targeted. It seems it was conveyed officially as the Russian position and not just a threat. 

France responded by saying that France was not at war with Russia, and that they are not sending troops to Ukraine. The Uk made no response, but Italy and Poland made it clear that they were not sending troops to Ukraine.

The reality is that there are U.S. French, British and Polish troops in Ukraine. while they may be classified as private contractors, they are providing technical,  surveillance, targeting and other services to Ukraine. These troops are often quartered in hotels and are already a target of Russian missiles.

We will see if this will lead to restraint by western politicians who just love the media attention of making threats against Russia. It does nothing other than just increase the hostility and may eventually end in dire consequences for everyone.

Ukraine Conflict: Denial over, Reality now, Hard choices next.

 INCREMENTAL ESCALATION HAS NOT WORKED

UKRAINE LACKS MANPOWER AND RESOURCES

The last two years have been a time of denial by NATO, denying that Russia was prevailing in this conflict with Ukraine. It has now become obvious that Russia is now in the dominant position and is slowly but steadily devastating the Ukrainian ability to resist. 

The reality is that NATO cannot keep up with the drain of military equipment and ammunition being expended in this conflict. The reality is that Ukraine cannot provide the necessary manpower to be able to, not only to move the Russians back, but even to defend the rest of the country. While many Ukrainians are still fighting valiantly, victory is not a possibility. This is now a desperate situation and it is not  a sports contest where a "Hail Mary" move will turn the tide. While there may be days for rejoicing,  the reality is this present situation is coming to an end.

Now, we see France attempting to find others to send troops to Ukraine, they will be targeted and die along with the Ukrainians. It is estimated that since January 1, Ukraine has lost another 111,000 men. It is estimated that they lose 1,000 troops a day.

The reality is without airpower they can never prevail, this is more true today than it was last year with the great counter-offensive. The reality is that without NATO declaring war on Russia and entering this conflict all out, Ukraine will not last until this election season or year is ended.

Unable to deny, unable for Ukraine to continue will require hard choices, ultimate all out war or admit defeat and enter into serious negotiations along the proposals rejected in 2022 in Turkey. 

The reality is, Russia is not going to repatriate those 4 provinces that they now consider part of Russia, nor of course, Crimea. The best that Ukraine can hope for is a demilitarized, neutral country, no NATO membership and smaller than it was in 2022. That is the best, if that is even possible.

It is unlikely that Russia can negotiate with the present leaders of France, Germany the UK or the U.S. all have proved to be unreliable partners in negotiation.  First concerning NATO expansion in 1990's, then the Minx accords which they never intended to take seriously, but were just buying time to prepare for war. Then the Russian proposal for a neutral Ukraine in December of 2021 that they rejected with hubris and insults.

Sadly, there most likely will not be any negotiations at this time. Russia will not stop, so as to let Ukraine rearm and regroup. Ukraine  and NATO will need to beg for peace, seriously and unconditionally. a very bitter pill to swallow.

So the hard choice time is here, all out war, possibly nuclear, or humiliating resignation that the Ukraine project was an ill advised and dreadful failure.

U.S. and Russian military share airbase in Niger.

 FRENCH AND U.S. FORCES ASKED TO LEAVE SEVERAL CENTRAL AFRICAN COUNTRIES

RUSSIAN FORCES MOVING IN

This week 60 Russian military personnel arrived in the Niger 101 airbase. The United States has 2 bases in Niger the 101 and the 201 which cost over $100 million. The government of Niger has asked the U.S. to remove its forces from the country. Chad has also asked the U.S. to remove its troops from their country.

Recently French troops have been asked to leave neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso. It is expected that U.S. troops will also be asked to leave. The United States has 29 bases in Africa.

Russian troops have also arrived in Mali. It seems that these countries believe they will get a more promising deal for security and training from the Russians.

The present situation in Niger may be awkward as the relations between the Russia and the United States is at an all time low. The United States has 1000 troops in this base but it is assured that the two forces are not in contact with each other and are housed in separate areas. A two star U.S. general is expected to arrive shortly and arrange for the departure of the U.S. troops from this base.

In recent years many African countries are attempting to remove all former colonial European influence from the continent. The overthrow of the Government of Libya and the murder of  Muammar  Gaddafi, a popular figure, by NATO forces, mostly French and U.S. air power, kindled an alienation to western countries in many African countries. This, coupled with economic and infrastructure opportunities from China and security training and assistance by Russia is changing the alliances in much of Africa.

It appears that this trend will continue and escalate as more of these countries are expected to join the BRICS economic alliance.

A brief history of money.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MONEY

Money, we are all familiar with it, most want more, some to the point of  excess. It has been described as the, "Root of all Evil".  Realistically, we do need a certain amount, but I would like to talk about a simple brief history of Money.

Originally, most financial transactions were a form of barter,"I'll trade you a goat for that woven shirt that one of your wives made". Or,"I am tired of goats, how about we trade for some of your sheep". This all worked out well and good, but eventually someone got the bright idea of converting wealth to some form of exchange.

There is some record of salt being a form of exchange, or round stones with holes,  but most items were quick to loose there value when someone either found a pit with enough salt to flood the market or a method to mass produce stones with holes.

Eventually they settled on gold and silver as a form of money. Early records show that, as early as 2150 BC, the Shekel and Talent were used in the middle east, These were measures of weight,  A shekel was .36 of a troy weight oz. A Talent was equal to 60 manehs and 3000 shekels. This standard of weight was used by Egypt, Babylon, Phoenicia, Greece, Persia etc.  The ratio was 15 shekel's of silver = 1 shekel of gold.  Everyone had a balance scale to do business.

Finally, as governments grew and became more sophisticated, the minting of money began. This consisted of coins which were of a standardized weight, usually embossed with the image of  the King or individual in power at the time. It made trade much simpler and  must have caused a recession in the scale business.

As is usually the case, it did allow for some skulduggery, clipping and shaving of coins was known to happen. Then Kings sometimes made the coins smaller with the same designation. This may have been the first form of Government endorsed inflation.  "Honey, were did we put that old scale?"

Interestingly, the size and weight of coins varied over the years, but the ratio of gold to silver was fairly constant from 500 BC up to the 20th Century.

Biblical  times-  12-1             Rome          12-1         Europe     0-1492        10-1

Early Greece      13-1             Early Japan  8-1                          1492-1834   15-1

Alexander          10-1             Early China  12-1        England                       16-1

The United States settled on the ratio of 15-1  The Constitution stated that all money was to be gold or silver coin.

O course, we have been talking about gold and silver coins. What about paper money?

In medieval Europe, gold and silver was the medium of exchange. When someone had a little more than needed for survival, they often placed it with a Goldsmith, who had a natural need for security in his business.  He would account for their items and give them a receipt.  The Rothschild's started out this way.  Humans sometimes being a little lazy, and not too careful about things, began to exchange the receipts for other goods and services and leave the gold with the goldsmith.  Goldsmiths, who were a little sharper than the average person of the day, soon realized that his receipts were as good as gold, and no one knew how much gold he really had stored for people. He was able to purchase Real-Estate, finance explorers to the new world and many other endeavors with his own receipts that did not represent gold in his possession. I could expound forever about how they used this power, but I will resist.

There were many known instances were these early bankers got a little too greedy, rumors circulated  that there was more receipts than gold, and a run for their gold started.  When they could not produce the gold,  he might have been found hanging somewhere.

Remember, Politicians and Governments always take note of a good idea to increase their power and wealth.

Early paper money was a receipt for a weight of gold or silver, In the USA. a silver dollar was .7734 troy oz. of silver.  20 silver dollars could be exchanged for 1 Oz. troy of gold, a $20 gold piece. This was a ratio of 15-1. I personally remember silver certificates, which were supposed to be redeemable for 1 silver dollar. Up to 1934 you could exchange a $20 bill for a $20 gold coin. The US dollar had the reputation of being, "as good as gold". The gold-silver ratio today is 72-1.

In 1914, with passage of the Federal Reserve Act,  money no longer represented an asset, but would now represent Government debt. A promise to repay by the government.

In 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt, by executive order, ordered all citizens to turn in their Gold Coins in exchange for paper $20.00 bills. Private possession, or exchange of gold was outlawed. When the government decided they had confiscated all the gold they were going to get, they raised the price of gold to $35.00 oz., this was used for trade between countries. Those wonderful paper dollars they exchanged with the citizenry just became worth 43% less than the gold coins they exchanged.  Citizens were threatened with $10,000 fines and 10 years in jail for not cooperating.  Gold ownership was again legalized in December of 1974.

Silver still circulated as coins till 1964,  when they were replaced by alloys with no intrinsic value.

So now all money that exists, has  no intrinsic value, but only the confidence that someone else will exchange goods and services for it. While there are many instances in modern history where that confidence evaporated, so far most people are still willing to accept modern currency.

Currency itself is now in the process of being replaced with electronic currency, Bitcoin, Debit and Credit cards etc.. Endless possibilities, that will make the ancient clippers, shavers and dishonest goldsmiths envious.

originally published Oct. 12, 2015

It appears we are now coming to the end of fiat currency era, that is currency without any real built in value. What will replace it is yet to be seen. Big government would of course love to have currency that is just a digital entry, that they could manipulate, block, or devalue with a click of a computer. It seems some of the world is exploring another option that would be some form of real money. There is one of those age old truths that good money will always drive out bad money. That is true as long as there is an option of good money available. I expect we will seeing the new options in the near future. 
5/8/23

We now see the plan to introduce a central bank digital currency. Indeed, a monetary unit without any intrinsic value, unable to be held personally. It will allow governments to view every transaction, determine what transactions should be allowed, confiscate all wealth with the click of a computer key and in effect give government ultimate power over the people. It will be the end of all freedom of choice in a free market. It will give government the ability to tax, inflate, confiscate and dictate what can and cannot be traded. It will create all kinds of methods to avoid this trap and will be accompanied with the penalties to enforce that this is the only alternative money.

8/24/23

We can expect the unsustainable debt and deficits of the United States, accompanied by the desire of other countries to flee the use of the dollar, to reach a crisis in the near future. It is very likely that it will soon be clear that this debt will no longer find those willing to risk this haven for their real money. We can expect schemes to rescue this situation with possibly forced investment by IRA and 401's into U.S. debt or a sudden crisis followed by the end of this current fiat money system. We expect the cure to be total control of all assets.

5/3/2024

New controversial foreign agent law in Georgia republic.

 DEMONSTRATIONS AS GEORGIA PASSES FOREIGN AGENT LAW

PRESIDENT PROMISES VETO, PARLIAMENT HAS VOTES TO OVERRIDE

A Law that requires that any Non-government organization that receives over 20% of its funding from foreign sources is required to register as a foreign agent has passed in the parliament. There are major demonstrations opposed to this law. A similar law was withdrawn last year after similar demonstrations.

The law is also opposed by the EU and other western nations. The law does not outlaw such organizations, but requires transparency as to the source of its funding. Many of the protesters are young citizens who have jobs related to these organizations, which often pay more than can be earned in domestic jobs.

It seems that Georgia is a target of many of these organizations that hope to move the politics of the country in a direction favorable to them. Much of the funding comes from the United States who has been using these organizations to organize opposition to governments around the world.

The reality is that the United States itself is often prosecuting people in this country for being an unregistered lobbyist of a foreign country. Often this has been the approach to organizing color revolution in many unaware foreign countries. It is no longer as easy as it once was to operate under the radar, as this practice has been revealed for an attempt to change governments in many parts of the world. The most notable has been Ukraine with Georgia also a target for regime change and an alliance with the EU and NATO, a move that would likely end in another disaster for their country.

I suspect that every western nation would be outraged if Non government organizations would be funded by China,  Russia or some other entity and would likely suffer a far more severe action than transparency.

Nations should focus on their own problems at home rather spending borrowed money to enact resolution and regime change in foreign countries that often results in death and the destruction of these countries.