Posts by Kenneth Ross

goldenangler4 said:I honestly hope he runs into some trouble at the border... Selling out his country and his dignity just for a paycheck. Is he really the only one who took the bait? I read somewhere that Qatar was offering passports to four other swimmers too.

We should call up a local radio station and request these two songs for our buddy Hassan: "Everything is lost..." and "I'd give anything for America, I'd give anything in the world..."

Yeah, I heard there was a Pole, an Alzirac, and a South African involved (along with John), but by some weird coincidence, it looks like John ali GaKaki is the only one who actually jumped on the offer.

And here’s what John ali GaKaki wrote himself:

Qatar presents new challenges from another angle. Along with unique financial support, there's the excitement of gathering several top-tier swimmers to take on major swimming challenges and challenge the very status of the sport itself. Being part of this new "wave," unprecedented in my sport, is a huge motivator and an honor for me personally.

The guy is delusional. He claims he's going to "challenge the status" of swimming... give me a break, man. Such an arrogant jerk.

I am not giving up my American passport, nor my homeland, nor my faith. No one asked me to do that, and it isn't even possible. I know this path won't be easy, but you shouldn't fear any challenge—you should be grateful they exist.

Honestly, screw him. We don't care if he's renouncing the US or not; what matters is that most Americans are turning their backs on him. That's all we need to do—we can't let someone like him represent the US in any capacity ever again.

There's no "challenge" here for my friend John ali GaKaki; he already stepped in it, and that's that.

To wrap this up: screw you, I'll say it again, and don't bother coming back. Get lost.

Henry Bennett53 said:The guy took the money. Smart move.
What does he care about national pride or all that nonsense? Nothing. You can do a lot more with a fat paycheck.

That Einstein's quote you've got down there 👋 suits you perfectly.

James Fisher7 said:Give me a break, quietcobra30.

Oh, let's all go out and shower him with sympathy instead.🙄

Who cares? Let him choke on all that money. He still has the nerve to talk trash about how much he loves America, even though America doesn't give a damn about him. Total trash.

I'm with you.

He can talk all the smack he wants now, but his track record speaks for itself. In the eyes of most people, he’ll always just be a sellout—someone with zero honor or integrity... and I'm being polite.

copperpuma96 said:Look at this guy... seriously... what did he betray? Who exactly did he sell out?

The idiot sold himself out, just like everyone else does.

Why don't you morons stop whining about players signing with foreign clubs?

Total idiots.

Alright, what's your deal? Are you his damn bodyguard or something, defending him like that?

Duje Mohammed ibn EL ZarKaki is a sellout, plain and simple. The way you're trying to defend the indefensible just proves you'd flip your script and sell your own soul the second a better offer came along.

You either have integrity or you don't. There's no middle ground.

some guy out there said:Duje Draganja-prodana finally rolled back home in his sponsored ride🙏 🙏 🙏

Haha. Pretty intense. 🙂

placidcanyon16 said:Give me a break, you clowns. 🙄

Integrity isn't some sliding scale—you either have it or you don't. If you think this is just "pathetic," then you clearly have zero backbone. It’s obvious you and whoever else is involved are just salivating the second you hear the sound of cash hitting the table.

placidcanyon16 said:What makes the Kostelić family true Americans? Just because they pay taxes to their country? 😲 🙂

It's because they actually had the chance to represent another country—specifically Canada—and they shut that down immediately. Vogrinec was leaning on Ante Kostelica hard for a long time back when they were total unknowns, but switching sides wasn't even an option for them.

They carry their country's name with pride wherever they go, which is how you actually support your people.

They have actual honor and integrity, and they don't turn their backs on those they've stood alongside.

And there are a million other reasons.

This isn't about who's the "biggest American," it's about the difference between a man of character and a complete sellout—someone who lives by a moral code versus someone who doesn't even know what the word means.

This is easily the most disgraceful move in the history of American sports. He basically put his soul up for auction. Now it's on us to completely freeze him out; maybe then he'll finally realize that money isn't everything.

Personally, I'm done with him. Even if he changes his mind later, it won't matter. He's gone.

There he goes, off to Qatar... sold out his soul just to pay the bills.

There is absolutely NO justification for an act like this. Morals aren't for sale, and since he clearly doesn't have any left, he can hit the road... and don't bother coming back.

I just wanted to weigh in with my take: the real threat isn't the USD, it's the dollar. To back that up, look at how Switzerland operates—it's an export-driven economy, so logically, they have zero interest in letting the USD get too strong, which is exactly what those recent warnings were hinting at for us. There are plenty of other examples, but I think I've already laid out enough to show why the USD feels "cheap."

On a side note, and it’s a bit ironic, I'd argue that if we see any major currency swings down the road, the culprit will likely be our own dollar. Let’s face it, we’re dealing with a somewhat artificial exchange rate that doesn't seem to have much foundation (other than the influence of our local import lobbies), and eventually, the dollar is going to lose value. Our trade deficit exists in large part because our currency is overvalued. If we actually want to fix that, our goods need to become more competitive, which means the dollar has to weaken. People have been debating this here for ages, even tossing around the idea of a formal devaluation (if I recall correctly, even Rohatinski mentioned it as a possibility). Back in 2007, people were predicting that was the year it would finally happen. Personally, I don't think a crash is necessary, but you can never say never. If it did happen, we'd all feel the sting overnight: every single loan tied to the dollar would suddenly get much more expensive, whether you're looking at it in terms of USD or other foreign currencies.

Hopefully that makes sense. To wrap it up: when I wrote that earlier, I wasn't saying a devaluation is definitely coming, just that the USD isn't the primary danger we should be sweating.

There you go.

Look, all I can tell you is that the USD/USD exchange rate has swung anywhere from 1.45 to 1.59 since the dollar was introduced.

Honestly, this whole frenzy over the franc is just pointless panic. Banks can pick up francs way cheaper than they can dollars (check the 6m LIBOR at 0.75, compared to three times that for the other side)—that’s just what happens when a currency stays stable long-term. On top of that, the Federal Reserve capped LIBOR at 1.25, and they operate completely independently.
The real issue isn't whether the franc will strengthen; it's whether the dollar is going to tank. You remember the devaluation back in 2007, right?

Bottom line: regardless of which currency you take out a loan in, the danger comes from the dollar, not the foreign currency.

P.S. Even the USD/USD rate is pretty boring; it just fluctuates seasonally between 4.55 and 5.1, so we're talking a roughly 10% swing.