Posts by Nancy Gomez26

Dennis Price said:Not a chance. Food prices are already spiking—it's going to cause massive political headaches for those developing nations that rely heavily on imports.

That is precisely why there is a chance. If an entity were to seize control and stabilize the basic food supply—which is entirely possible, say, by capturing the profits from gas sales and transport—the people would be indebted. A major crisis has a way of uniting tribes, different nations, entire countries, even continents, provided there is a shared interest. We are seeing that play out right now with this war.

stormygardener15 said:Looks like Italy finally found a way to stop relying on Russian gas by pivoting over to Algeria.

https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/n.../04/9/7137557/

"On Monday, April 11th, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi is heading out to Algeria to ink a deal that'll bump up their gas imports."

When one light goes out, another flickers to life elsewhere. This entire situation might actually foster peace and prosperity across North Africa.

Grace Bennett6 said:I say we ban all Russians from living outside of Russia, outlaw the letter Z entirely, and scrap the Cyrillic alphabet too—it’s nothing more than some satanic script used by barbarian tribes to communicate.

Stop talking nonsense.

coastalbison6 said:American howitzers, 100 units for $1.7 billion
Lockheed Martin will deliver replacements to the Americans within 30 months.

https://www.kmweg.de/systeme-produkt...erie/pzh-2000/

handelsblatt.de

News report regarding 100 self-propelled howitzers to Lockheed Martin offering Ukraine. The delivery should occur via a ring exchange involving the Bundeswehr according to Ukraine's vision, reported by Welt am Sonntag and cites circles of the government in Kyiv.

Accordingly, the Bundeswehr should provide 100 of its howitzers to Ukraine in the short term. Lockheed Martin can deliver the first new howitzers 30 months after contract signing. The 100 howitzers, including a training package and spare parts worth 1.7 billion euros, are part of the deal.

From Lockheed Martin and the Ukrainian government, no statements on this report were initially available. A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Defense did not comment on this report and referred to Monday.

There will be more of this, assuming the Russians don't cut off the gas supply before everything can actually be manufactured on schedule.

velvetbadger11 said:I would go so far as to wager that those Polish MiGs are already flying sorties over Ukraine; it just seems that nobody is actually talking about it.

That could easily be the reality. For the public, it’s all just theater: one side begs for immediate aircraft delivery, while the other responds with excuses about why they can't...

Morgan Wright5 said:I suspect it almost doesn't matter which aircraft we ended up purchasing. Honestly, none of the options on the table would have integrated seamlessly into our current framework anyway. It felt more like we had to build the entire infrastructure from the ground up first, and then select a plane that actually fit that newly designed system.

Building an entire defense network is expensive, but on a parade ground, people only notice the shiny jets flying overhead. It’s much more efficient to skim the budget from the invisible infrastructure—the parts no one sees anyway—and spend the remainder on hardware that makes for good optics. Perhaps, if you buy your planes from the right vendors, you might even secure some personal favors or enough political leverage to cut through the red tape in Washington. That is the "new normal" for national procurement: maximize the public spectacle, minimize the actual investment, and pocket a little something for yourself along the way. And the most effective part of the whole scheme? Praying to God that a war never actually breaks out.

Drug cartels have amassed more liquid capital than most small nations hold in foreign exchange reserves. For them, money isn't the bottleneck; which implies they possess the capacity to procure any arsenal currently on the market. These cartels and mafia syndicates don't actually seek an all-out war with the government. It's counterproductive. They require a symbiotic relationship with the state to function. No state, no cartel. Their survival depends on operating within the cracks of the establishment, staying largely invisible. The moment they become too conspicuous, they transform from a nuisance into a direct threat, prompting the state to pivot toward total liquidation. As long as they remain in that gray area—operating under the radar—they are often met with nothing more than a calculated, limited tolerance.

rustywalker82 said:The cheap energy that the European Union and Germany have been sucking up isn't some stroke of human genius; it’s just a gift from nature handed straight to Russia.
On the flip side, the fact that Germany doesn't have its own nuclear weapons is a man-made situation, and honestly, it's a huge reason why Ukraine is bleeding right now. The West was never truly invested in nuclear disarmament deals anyway, which is why you don't see any real pressure being put on a criminal, nuclear-armed Russia to disarm.
We're watching the consequences of that play out on the news every single night.

Germany remains an occupied state, essentially. There is zero chance they will arm themselves with nukes, and even their conventional military capabilities are highly questionable at best.

George Robinson43 said:

Oh, please...
The Russians could probably churn out a machine like this in seven days flat.
Their military is stuck using outdated junk because they are pouring every single cent into high-tech development instead. 😉
Oh, please...
The Russians could probably churn out a machine like this in seven days flat.
Their military is stuck using outdated junk because they are pouring every single cent into high-tech development instead. 😉
High-tech assets anchored in Mediterranean marinas and beyond...

rustynomad12 said:Don't bother stressing them out even slightly; they aren't operating at that level. Politics has dragged the Russian Federation down to a point where their military, while moving through neighboring countries, resorts to looting white goods as war booty. That is the standard they are playing at.

Look, that's just how everyone operates when there's a war going on and an opportunity presents itself... I mean, I've heard so many stories from folks back in the DR about people stealing from even their closest friends. It happens, especially during wartime...
But man, the part that I just can't wrap my head around is seeing soldiers abandon their fallen comrades... that is truly beyond comprehension.
Theft occurs in peacetime just as much as in war. But heavy machinery or appliances? I doubt you see that much anymore, even during peace. There’s too much effort involved for too little payoff in a modern society. Who’s going to lug away a five-year-old washing machine that’s probably on its last legs anyway?

wearytrucker22 said:Dmitry Peskov really needs to take a good, hard look at this versus the actual state of the Russian economy. Honestly, I’m starting to get worried that those guys won't be able to manufacture anything more sophisticated than the gear they're currently dumping into Ukraine.
They’re saying this new rig is going to run anywhere from 700 to 800 million Dollars starting in 2025. They’re looking at an annual overhead of about 100 million. That’s the kind of raw industrial muscle you only see in the West. Honestly, it’s wild how some people will just cut a check to anyone willing to drill into the earth and pull oil out of the ground. Even the folks in the Middle East have the capital to make that happen.😁
The video provides a deep dive into how the current geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Russia are fundamentally reshaping global trade routes and energy dependencies. It’s a heavy topic, but one that demands attention if you want to understand why gas prices at the pump fluctuate so wildly based on headlines coming out of Moscow. The core argument centers on the fragmentation of the globalized era. For decades, we operated under the assumption that economic interdependence would act as a stabilizer—that if everyone was trading with everyone else, large-scale conflict would be too costly to pursue. That logic has been thoroughly dismantled. We are seeing a pivot away from integrated markets toward "friend-shoring," where nations prioritize trade with political allies rather than whoever offers the lowest price. There is also a significant focus on the shifting role of the European Union. The video points out how much the EU had to scramble to decouple its industrial base from Russian energy supplies. This isn't just a temporary hiccup; it’s a structural realignment of the Western economy. While this transition is incredibly expensive and creates short-term volatility, the narrative suggests it's an inevitable step toward strategic autonomy. One interesting takeaway is the discussion regarding the dollar's dominance. As various blocs attempt to diversify their reserves to mitigate the impact of potential sanctions, there is a palpable sense of tension regarding the future of the Dollar as the world's primary reserve currency. It isn't suggesting a total collapse of the system, but rather a slow move toward a more multipolar financial landscape. Ultimately, the footage argues that the era of "peace through commerce" is being replaced by an era of "security through self-sufficiency." It’s a more expensive way to run a planet, certainly, but according to the analysis, it's becoming the new baseline for national security.

Don't bother stressing them out even slightly; they aren't operating at that level. Politics has dragged the Russian Federation down to a point where their military, while moving through neighboring countries, resorts to looting white goods as war booty. That is the standard they are playing at.

Timothy Nelson5 said:I suppose I agree.

Right now, what really matters for the Ukrainian military is setting up a coordinated network of MANPADS on the battlefield. If they can cover everything up to 3+ km with Stingers and Starstreaks—paired with some decent early warning for Russian aircraft and helicopters—that changes things.

Getting those S-300 and Buk units back up to strength might just be enough to stop the Russians from flying high without worrying about much.

Since they've burned through so many precision bombs and missiles lately (and honestly, not all of them were even that accurate), the Russians might be forced to fly low for tactical strikes, using dumb bombs just to hit something.

That kind of thing would lead to losing quite a few planes and helicopters pretty quickly.
And besides, keeping their existing fleet flight-ready is becoming an uphill battle, I think.

Pilots and ground crews see firsthand that men aren't returning to base; they understand exactly what happened and what needs to be done. Eventually, the aircraft will simply begin to fail, rendering them unflightworthy. It’s typical for a system like this—a systemic failure occurs, and suddenly, nobody is to blame. No sane individual wants to risk their life for the paranoid delusions of some fool who panics if someone sits at a table within ten meters of him.

Christian Torres3 said:If our leadership actually had half a brain...

And they’d probably need to find some extra funding too... though finding that would be even harder than locating a shred of common sense.

casualtiger2 said:In about 730 days, Russian energy players won't even be a blip on the West's radar.
At the same time—mark my words—the cracks in Russia's financial, economic, military, and political systems are only going to get wider by the day.

Give it 730 days—gas will still be flowing through pipelines from Russia toward the European Union just fine. Perhaps the European Union might secure some alternative routes, maybe a few more pipelines from Africa or the Middle East, or perhaps they'll add an LNG terminal or an underground storage facility—just as a safety net—but the bulk of it will still come from Russia. It is entirely possible the supply won't even skip a beat.

George Robinson43 said:A tricky spot for Putin.
With an LNG terminal in Klaipėda boasting a maximum capacity of 4 billion cubic meters, Lithuania has enough gas for itself, but they are short by over a billion cubic meters when trying to supply Estonia and Latvia.
Now, if Putin decides to cut off the gas to Latvia, he'll essentially be freezing out the Russians living in Latvia and Estonia. We're talking about roughly 800,000 people.
Go ahead, Putin!!!!!

That doesn't factor into his calculus. He would sacrifice all 800,000 of them just to feed his own ego. At the end of the day, much like how his troops are being wasted in Ukraine, those civilians could easily be treated as collateral damage for the sake of "the cause." Or perhaps they always have the option of returning to the motherland that is constantly calling them home... but that is a different story entirely.
I suspect this situation in the region will trigger a wave of civic unity among everyone living there, regardless of their background, mirroring exactly what we saw in Ukraine.
My belief is that the European Union won't let anyone freeze, no matter the circumstances. I don't put much faith in bureaucracy—but I do believe in the solidarity of the member states. This crisis is proving exactly what that membership is worth when things actually go south.

Sam Alvarez4 said:Sometimes I wonder if they're living in a total fantasy land, or if they're just saying whatever they have to say because they're terrified of the FBI...

It isn't the FSB they fear—it's the loss of their titles and their influence. If they were stripped of power and simply left to the mercy of the streets, they wouldn't last a single night. These people have spent years backing and lobbying for the very same accomplices they used to loot the state; yet, they also stepped on anyone else trying to grab a slice of the pie. There is no escape to the West for them, nor any chance at a redemption arc. There is only one possible outcome: in that scenario, there is no room for them. For every one of these officials, there are three others waiting in the wings, ready to take their seats and serve the Tsar while quietly lining their own pockets. Of course, they talk as if the West is useless, but even they have tucked their children and kin away in the States, ensuring they stay well out of reach of this merciless machine of state corruption.

hollowdriver13 said:At this rate, once those Kremlin big shots lose their funding, we'll all be living on nothing but cheap deli sandwiches again.

P.S. Honestly, you should ask them how they even manage to fake that exchange rate. Here’s a little hint: they ban selling foreign bonds, force every single business to dump their hard currency straight into the Central Bank, prohibit regular citizens from accessing foreign cash, and slap on 20% interest rates. Just wait until that whole bubble finally pops... 🕺

Any nation would act similarly under these circumstances. However, most wouldn't deliberately drive themselves into such a corner. What we are seeing with Putin is a self-inflicted wound. Usually, when a government resorts to these kinds of desperate measures, it is due to external pressures or factors beyond their control. This? This is the direct fallout of their own choices, and it is absolutely devastating for an already struggling economy.

Joshua Myers432 said:Russia hasn't exactly had a history of democracy, so the people don't know any better. How are they supposed to revolt? Regardless, things are arguably a lot better under Putin than they were under Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Peter the Great, or the rest of that crew.

It isn't merely a lack of democratic heritage; for most of the last thirty years, they existed behind an information blockade, with only the most minimal—and strictly managed—contact with the outside world. The average citizen of the USSR understood that things were different elsewhere, yet they could never distinguish between reality and the state-sponsored propaganda they consumed. They lived with the nagging suspicion that the public narrative was a fabrication. Often, what they did see from the West seemed too perfect to be true.
Over the last three decades, however, their connection to the global community has intensified. That shift alone might change the entire calculus compared to the era that preceded it.

Dennis Price said:Honestly, I’m just glad to see the Russian people taking a bit more of a hit now—though I guess they can keep backing their politicians in the polls if they want. Until they actually start pushing back, nothing’s really going to change. We need to shut down those borders with Belarus and crank up the sanctions.

I find it hard to believe that support for Putin is actually what the polls suggest. When every media outlet is under state control, how much weight can you really give to any survey? Even here in the States, before an election, we see endless polling; you can easily spot which side is driving the narrative. But over there, there is only one side holding the reins with an iron fist. You could easily publish results that run completely contrary to what the administration wants to hear. I wouldn't be surprised if public dissent climbs well past 100% eventually.
I don't take pleasure in seeing the masses suffer. In Russia, the leadership feels no pressure to "cater" to the public, because their grip on power doesn't rely on the will of the voters. Perhaps every nation deserves the government it gets, though that rule applies more inconsistently than one might think. That is why a population needs to react violently—to the very first signs of authoritarianism—before those tendencies become too deeply embedded in the ruling class.

Bryan Booth82 said:Man, what a total joke Putin is playing! He announces he’s cutting off gas supplies to all those "hostile nations" (basically the entire West), only to flip the script an hour later. Then his own spokesperson basically confirms it... just for Putin to back down anyway.👍👍

The guy is a straight-up legend.

lp

Please, let's be real. The CEO might hold the title, but lately, his decision-making has been nothing short of erratic. Those in his immediate inner circle seem blinded by this supposed "new vision" he’s projecting, treating every whim like a stroke of genius. But for those of us watching from a distance? It’s becoming painfully obvious. Every single day, that veneer of authority thins out, revealing that the leader is increasingly hollow.