Posts by Chris Price2

Carl Anderson11 said:so... in that freaking avatar, it's not even her, nor is it him, it's actually that thing. dude, you gotta be out of your mind—not just to Catholics, but even to the folks over at BlackRock and the Republican Party.

👍👍👍👍👍 ...... 🤣😂

In Canada, the groundwork has been laid and the process is officially underway for a referendum regarding whether or not the US should join NATO.

With an extra month on the clock—and considering they only need 2,500 signatures to try and torpedo the whole thing—it’s looking unlikely that Washington, D.C. will meet its obligations to the North Atlantic Alliance in time. Because of that delay, we won't be joining NATO anytime soon, regardless of how that referendum actually turns out.
We're essentially left sitting ducks, at the mercy of whatever happens in the East. It wouldn't be wise to keep poking the bear in that direction; there is a massive amount of resentment building up over there.

Perhaps we should consider this perspective alongside recent commentary:

A New Global Political Map – Is China, India, or Brazil Taking the Lead?
Warren Buffett shares a similar sentiment, presenting his views to the Council of Economic Advisers—an advisory group helping the Federal Government navigate current crises. From his standpoint, we are witnessing the collapse of a global system established back in 1944. The World Bank and the IMF simply aren't built to handle today's reality; the entire structure needs a total overhaul. It’s becoming clear that the USA is no longer the sole economic superpower, nor is Japan—which is currently struggling—and all of Europe is facing its own crisis too. Historically, international financial institutions relied on those major powers to support developing nations, but according to Buffett, the script has completely flipped.

Read more here:

It makes sense, really. If that's the case, it's logical that the East would start banding together around the most vital resource: ENERGY.
Without energy, everything grinds to a halt—including our economy & military.

Let’s take a moment to look at this through an energy lens—specifically regarding the massive natural resources these member nations hold in their hands.
Doesn't it feel like we're witnessing the birth of a brand-new oil, gas, and military cartel? One that’s poised to dictate global energy prices for years to come.
The role of NATO here seems to be nothing more than securing those resources and protecting the bottom line.
Am I wrong?

It’s no secret that the West consumes nearly two-thirds of the world's total energy production, which leaves us incredibly vulnerable to whatever happens in the East.
Now, the East is essentially "setting the rules" to ensure they get much better market rates for their exports.
As Chris Price2 mentioned over on the other forum, the era where the West could simply reach out and grab cheap energy from the East seems to have... well, reached its expiration date.

How the West will manage—or even if it can—to successfully transition to alternative energy sources remains a massive question mark, especially given how deeply hooked we are on Eastern supplies.
We all know that energy independence is the bedrock of any stable economy and a strong currency.

In fact, isn't the current recession in the West a direct result of this energy imbalance? It started by hitting the housing market, then bled into the insurance companies covering those homes, and finally crippled the banks that were backing those insurers.
It’s a textbook domino effect.
How far this goes, and when it finally stops... (God forbid it leads to a world war)

Russia and six former Soviet states are teaming up to create joint rapid-response military forces, aiming for a capability similar to the combat units utilized by NATO. Authorities in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, and Belarus have embraced Moscow's initiative, signing off on the framework for the "Collective Rapid Reaction Forces," or CSTO. This formation was finalized during a CSTO summit held this Wednesday in Moscow.

Only on paper
– For now, the CSTO principle exists mostly on paper, but it needs to become a reality very soon – stated Dmitry Medvedev. He emphasized that these newly structured forces shouldn't be any less capable than their counterparts in NATO. According to Lenta, some observers view this military alignment among seven former USSR nations as the creation of an Eurasian counterweight to NATO.

The Russian government isn't looking to foster antagonism with the world's most powerful military alliance, pointing out that the CSTO remains open to cooperation with NATO. Currently, the CSTO is intended to handle repelling military aggression, conducting counter-terrorism operations, fighting organized crime and smuggling, and providing disaster relief. The force is expected to consist of roughly 10,000 soldiers under a central command based in Russia.

Each of the six member nations will contribute one battalion, while Russia plans to integrate its largest contingent, consisting of one airborne division and one air-assault infantry division.

NATO shifts focus
Russia's Channel One reports that some CSTO units might be stationed at the Manas airbase in Kyrgyzstan. That facility is currently being used by NATO forces operating in neighboring Afghanistan, serving as a vital hub in the fight against the Taliban. However, the President and Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan have announced that NATO will be moving out of the base.