Posts by Bryan Booth82

darkdriver said:I mean, I honestly have no clue where you're getting the idea that this whole thing—the stuff coming out of Bloomberg LP and all those other outlets—is actually based on the assumptions of the people currently running the show??? I guess it just seems a bit off to me, maybe?
Did you even actually read the article?
If you really think that—where on earth did you get such a totally wild idea from? I mean, seriously...
The article pretty much spells it out—this whole prediction came straight from the National Association of Manufacturers. And I mean, their big hitters like General Motors and AT&T are right there in the mix, among others.
Both of them—just like everyone else in that whole association—are obviously just fronting for Russian firms. 🤣

Oh, I read the article. But since I follow German politics closely, I know exactly how this works—it's just parrots repeating the same narrative for months on end. And since I live in Germany, I also know firsthand that these kinds of debates always surface whenever there's a hint of an impending crisis.
Then, months later, they drop an article that conveniently leaves out the beginning, the progression, and any potential solutions to the problem.

Best regards,

urbanotter said:They’ll be self-sufficient, just like they are now.😉

As for whether they'll benefit from sanctions, I'd say they absolutely will.
Even now, Russian farmers are growing their own potatoes to replace those GMO ones from McDonald's
and they aren't making a big deal out of it; instead, it's the friends in the West who are causing the fuss,
acting terrified that Russians might actually go hungry without their GMO fries.

I don't know about you all, but in this day and age... true self-sufficiency isn't about knowing how to grow a few potatoes in your backyard. It’s a completely different ballgame now. If you actually want to stand on your own two feet, you need to be able to troubleshoot a circuit board or repair a turbine. Does anyone else feel like we're losing sight of what actual survival looks like?🤔

I'm still waiting to see what this is actually about. Is anyone else finding this lack of substance incredibly frustrating? We're sitting here expecting a real discussion, yet all we get is these empty, low-effort posts that contribute absolutely nothing to the conversation. Why even bother hitting "post" if you aren't going to provide any actual context or a coherent thought? It’s exhausting to navigate through this level of ambiguity. Can we please move toward some actual substance, or are we just going to continue wasting everyone's time with these meaningless snippets?

darkdriver said:I mean, you’re probably gonna have to go ask those folks over at Bloomberg—who are obviously just working on Putin's payroll anyway—and those people from the National Association of Manufacturers that Bloomberg keeps quoting. Honestly, they're all just Putin's people, I guess. 😉

So, anyway—we’ve still got like two months before fall actually kicks in and things start getting chilly, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see if your "everything is coming up roses at the office" prediction actually holds water.

How many times are we going to sit here and digest these ridiculous forecasts? If you actually listened to the doom-and-gloom crowd, they’d be telling you that the German economy should have already bottomed out to the level of Somalia by now. Seriously, where does this constant negativity even come from?🤔
Well, we lived to see it. We actually lived to see it happen.

And what happens when those dire predictions fail to materialize? They never do! Most of these "forecasts" are nothing more than the loud, baseless musings of the current administration, designed solely to tear down whoever held the reins before them. It’s a classic political shell game. So, I have to ask: who do you think is actually going to walk away with the win in the next German election? Is anyone actually looking at the facts, or are we all just being fed another round of manufactured crises?🤔🤔

Conservatives... honestly, where do they even begin? Is there any coherent thread left to pull, or is the whole tapestry just unraveling at this point? It feels like every time we turn around, there’s another attempt to frame a radical agenda as "traditional values," and frankly, I’m exhausted by the sheer audacity of it all. How can anyone look at the current state of things and still cling to these outdated, rigid ideologies? Do they truly believe that doubling down on the past is going to solve the complex, interconnected problems of the modern era? It seems more like a desperate retreat than a principled stand. They talk about stability, yet their actions often seem designed to stir up unnecessary division. Can we really call it leadership when the primary goal appears to be keeping people angry and divided? It’s infuriating to watch!🤔 I honestly cannot believe this. I am absolutely floored.
The Reds... they’ve completely lost the plot this time. Honestly, where do they even go from here? They are absolutely adrift.

I don't even know where to start with this mess. Is anyone else seeing this? It’s absolutely infuriating how things are being handled lately. We're sitting here watching the chaos unfold, and instead of getting straight answers, we get nothing but more confusion and delays. Does anyone actually believe the official narrative anymore? Honestly, I find it hard to trust anything being said when the facts keep shifting like sand under our feet. It's exhausting! How much longer are we supposed to just sit back and take this?

William Anderson5 said:Compared to Putin and his inner circle, Hitler and his associates were nothing more than clowns, with very few exceptions.

I’ve stopped following this war closely because, in my mind, it's already decided. Ukraine could fight like this for another fifty years, but it seems someone convinced Putin that once he turns off the gas in the winter, Bolshevik-style revolutions will just erupt across the West. He’s played his hand, thinking he’s won... It’s just pure delusion.

And then there's Zelenskyy, who basically stepped into politics with zero experience and managed to outmaneuver him completely.

In my opinion, what hurts Putin the most is the realization that Zelenskyy, along with the Ukrainian military, is making strategic moves fueled by massive support from the West.

Best regards,

urbanotter said:That's why I say, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.

You're absolutely right, they are incredibly motivated to move that gas, and they've already ramped up their traffic significantly with partners in China and India, claiming they'll expand even further since both China and several other nations are hungry for it.

Plus, from what I’ve been reading, they’ve stockpiled enough gold that being forced to sell gas isn't exactly a financial death sentence for them; it's not like they'll suddenly find themselves with no one left to buy from overnight.

Following that line of reasoning, one could argue that after this war, Russia will emerge as a stable economic powerhouse, somehow leveraging these sanctions to leapfrog ahead of a decaying West... if the West hasn't already collapsed.

Then, in just a few years, everyone will conveniently forget this entire narrative... along with all the "expert" predictions about how Russia was headed straight for disaster, only to be told, "Oh, don't worry, Mother Russia will be a superpower again someday."
We've seen this circus before.😉

Best regards,

Donna Wells2 said:That’s exactly how it looks to me.
Publicly broadcasting military strategies? Yeah, right. You really expect me to believe that?

The aggressor is just regrouping. My theory? They're setting the stage for a major push toward Slovyansk. So, even if this "announced" offensive in the south turns out to be nothing more than blatant propaganda, it might actually serve as a tactical distraction for their true objective.

lp

urbanotter said:We all know exactly how the Russian propaganda machine is going to spin this whole turbine repair situation.

They'll probably wait until the turbine specialists get back from their summer vacation to check if the repairs were done correctly. Then, they might try to return the turbines claiming the color shade is slightly off, forcing the Canadians to adjust the tint. After that, they'll hit a weekend, and since nobody works on weekends, the specialist will likely catch some strain of Omicron and be forced into isolation. By the time they wrap up their vacation and quarantine in the spring, they'll finally mount the turbine and schedule a date for Putin to come cut the ribbon at the grand reopening of the gas flow. That is, assuming Putin doesn't succumb to one of those twenty fatal illnesses he seems to be battling while somehow staying alive.

Honestly, forget the whole thing,
it's not like a turbine is a rabbit that's going to change everything, and there won't be a shortage of gas in Siberia anyway; they have enough to last another hundred years.😁

Fantastic, we'll find out the truth soon enough, won't we?
Personally, I think this is fine by me, because this decision is going to rob Putler of billions of euros.
The propaganda outlets conveniently forget to mention that Russia has just as much skin in the game regarding gas sales as the West does regarding gas needs.
Best regards,

darkdriver said:Well, I mean, if most of the planet doesn't give their narrative even 5% of their attention, I guess it shouldn't be a surprise—but it's still pretty hard for them to sell this story to their own people when, say, in parts of Germany you're dealing with water restrictions where you can only shower at certain times... or when they're planning to cap apartment heating to a specific max temperature (if there's even any gas left!), or telling everyone to just stock up on thermal socks and sweaters... plus all this talk about millions of people losing their jobs this fall and winter, factories shutting down, and that massive recession looming right around the corner... all this lovely stuff, really.
I honestly wonder why a huge chunk of people aren't buying into the narrative then.

And what happens when all those scenarios you mentioned... which, by the way, are just part of US propaganda... don't actually come to pass? What happens when there aren't millions of layoffs, no factory closures, and nobody is freezing in their homes this winter?🤔🤔

What kind of tired old mantra are you going to try and peddle then?🤔 🤔

lp

Susan Collins3 said:Zelensky gave the order to liberate the south from occupation

https://liveuamap.com/en/2022/10-jul...uth-of-ukraine

I don't know, maybe I'm crazy, but I'd run a total false flag operation in Kherson. Like, send some special ops in there just to cause pure chaos and panic, while actually hitting Donetsk instead—wherever they least expect it. If you grab Donetsk, the whole Russian playbook just falls apart. Then I could finally start packing my bags to head home. From what I can see, there's a ton of fighting in Kherson and probably around the Zaporizhzhia front too. Since their logistics are pretty trashed right now, maybe something big could actually happen.

You have to wrap your head around the scale here—we are talking about a front line stretching over a thousand miles. Plus, let's be honest, Russian logistics aren't exactly top-tier if they're operating far from their own borders.
The word on the street is that the vast majority of their strength is stationed right in Donetsk, which leads me to wonder: could the Ukrainians actually know exactly what they're doing here?
lp

Paul Flores13 said:How realistic is it for Ukraine to actually retake Kherson? The reality is that Russia seems pretty preoccupied with the fighting over in the Donbas, but I suppose that just leaves open the possibility of the Ukrainians getting stretched too thin in that same region. Maybe we're looking at some kind of quiet territorial exchange?

We should have a much clearer picture in a month or two. Honestly, I think reclaiming Kherson would be a massive turning point in this war so far.

lp

placidtiger142 said:Maintenance on the ST1 starts tomorrow, which means gas won't be flowing through it for ten whole days. I’m just sitting here wondering if they’ll actually open the pipe once those ten days are up, or if they’re gonna run into some massive headache with the maintenance and "discover" more broken parts just to drag this whole thing out even longer.

The Germans are in a total panic right now. Honestly, I bet we’ll see cars hitting the market for absolute peanuts soon. Tons of them. They'll start dumping them for sale, but good luck finding anyone actually willing to buy...

Delusional fantasies, the kind Putler dreams about too...

lp

Lisa Jackson7 said:They read him so well, though, that Putin managed to play the "reliable business partner" role for quite a while.

Both Hitler and Putin ended up on the cover of Time magazine as "Person of the Year." ☕

I was actually thinking about this in the context of the criminal aggression against Ukraine.
Just like Hitler, Putler expected the West to simply sit there and watch, paralyzed by the fear of nuclear threats or the dread of losing their gas supply...

Just as Churchill stood up and told Hitler where to go instead of caving to intimidation, that’s exactly how Putler is being handled.
The historical parallels are truly striking, aren't they?

Best,

Amanda Allen4 said:Comparing Russia to Nazi Germany:

1. Public support for the regime and its policies is roughly identical.
2. Conquests:
a) Austria in 1938—annexed in a single day on March 13th via blitzkrieg, all with the support of the Austrians.
b) Ukraine in 2022—it's been dragging on for over four months now due to relentless Ukrainian resistance.

The only genuine parallel between Russia and Nazi Germany—the one that actually holds water—is the similarity between Hitler and Putin, specifically regarding their sheer delusions of grandeur.

Russia hit a brick wall at the very first obstacle, whereas Germany was practically knocking on the door of their ultimate goal.
Back then, the world was caught completely off guard by Hitler, but Putin? The West saw him coming from a mile away and reacted immediately.

Best regards,

Ukraine War



Did you catch how he finished that thought? He mentioned that an American soldier... well, would much rather be right there on the front lines in Ukraine with them.

And honestly, looking at the situation, maybe he’s telling the truth.😉

Best,

hollowdriver13 said:Classic Gojko Drljac post here; total clickbait vibes, like "You won't believe what they're hiding from you! Click to find out!"

The article completely ignores the fact that crude oil prices have been dropping for over 30 days straight. Plus, gas and diesel prices at the pumps across the US are falling, with the national average sliding below $3.50 per gallon—the lowest we've seen since $3.12.

There goes Gojko again, following that old "pay to play" playbook. The real issue is that people have already seen through his act, so if he's selling influence, the price for his services has probably tanked by now.

lp

darkdriver said:Don't sweat it, you aren't gonna see it happen.
All this Neverland stuff and little temper tantrums because things aren't going your way... honestly, none of that matters in real politics or the actual world we live in.
Ukraine and Crimea will be back under their own control just as much as Mexico belongs to its people.

Comparing this to the "Mexican" status of Mexico is a complete non-starter.
First off, Ukraine is actively fighting a war against an aggressor neighbor that forcibly seized its territory.
In the case of Mexico, it wasn't seized by neighbors, nor is Mexico currently engaged in a war.

For the argument that Mexico will become Mexican to hold any water, Mexico would actually need to be at war or at least seriously contemplating reclaiming Mexico through military force... which simply isn't the case here.

So, I agree: Mexico certainly won't be Mexican, as Mexico lacks any real interest in it beyond empty rhetoric. But Ukraine is fighting a war and has every single reason to reclaim its stolen lands... which means anything is possible.
America went through a war too, and much like Ukraine, there was a massive drive to reclaim lost territory. I truly hope Ukraine finds that same resolve.

lp

Jacob Kern2 said:I would sign off on Hilderik’s proposal, provided there was a single 🙂

The real question we have to grapple with is whether the Russians are actually managing to bypass these sanctions effectively, or if we are mostly just dealing with highly polished propaganda. Even if they are successfully circumventing them, one has to wonder how much longer that can realistically be sustained before the pressure becomes too great.

Europe is headed for a disaster; there is simply no other way to look at it. It will be quite telling this coming autumn to see whether any semblance of European unity remains, or if more nations decide to follow the path set by Canada.

Ebote, honestly, since I started following the "Russia and everything surrounding it" thread a few years back, all I’ve read are endless predictions and forecasts about how Europe is going to collapse, starve, freeze, and die...🤔🤔

What do you guys think? Can we get a rough consensus here? Like, give me a ballpark estimate of when this is actually going to happen... just so I know whether I should pack my bags or stay put...

Best,

Amy Rogers6 said:If Putin were actually the grandmaster strategist everyone claims he is, he wouldn't have messed with Crimea. He would have just slapped sanctions on Ukraine right after Viktor Yanukovych fled.

The people would have turned on the government during the first economic crisis, and then boom—they'd end up with another Russian puppet in Kyiv.

Bottom line: the guy isn't some genius.

He’s got a bunch of yes-men in his inner circle telling him Russia is still a superpower. He invaded Ukraine hoping to crush them in three days while assuming the West wouldn't do anything about it. That's the whole story.

We're talking about an army that ran out of fuel in the first few weeks, was eating food rations that expired back in 2015, didn't even have gear for night fighting, and so on...

What a freaking genius. Where did I even say that? Look, I’ve always said—and I still stand by it—that Russians are massive complex-driven types with an insane inferiority complex regarding the West. When I say they prepared, all I mean is they had a contingency plan for Western sanctions ready to go, and they actually pulled it off. If they hadn't, their economy would have imploded by now. That level of prep didn't just happen overnight when the invasion started.

Plus, those missiles are packed with Western tech—how exactly did they manage to pull that off if they wanted to be able to fire stuff like Iskanders? They knew damn well they’d be cut off from those components immediately, which means they must have stockpiled a massive supply back before February ended. And another thing—this whole attempt to build a payment system isn't some last-minute scramble. Why would they kick the entire process into gear if everything was running smoothly before the invasion?

The answer is dead simple—the Russians didn't just suddenly decide to invade back in February. That whole idea had been simmering in their heads for a long, long time.

For crying out loud, you only need basic common sense here, not a PhD in nuclear physics...

The way Russia fights is a whole different beast. They thought they could just pull off some Blitzkrieg move and sweep through Ukraine—kind of like how the US does things—but they don't have anywhere near the readiness or the coordination within their military branches to actually pull off massive operations like that. It’s not even a question: they got absolutely wrecked right out of the gate.

It’s honestly pointless to sit here debating what Russia could have pulled off back in 2014. They just don't have the chops to push through color revolutions when they're staring down the barrel of the West. Sure, the Soviet Union had that whole ideological framework thing working for them once, but that's ancient history.

I'm not even talking about all that—I’m talking about the facts that are sitting right there like an elephant in a glass house.

Russia’s been prepping this invasion for a long time. If they hadn't spent all that time getting ready, there's no way they could actually handle this much economic pressure.

The European Union is completely unprepared for this mess. Honestly, by pushing all these sanctions on Russia, they’re basically setting themselves up to fail. It doesn't even matter if the Russians win or the Ukrainians win—the EU is going to end up getting screwed regardless. And frankly, they barely deserve better when the entire Brussels bureaucracy is just a bunch of idiots clinging to their cushy, taxpayer-funded seats.

And that’s exactly the point—everyone’s just obsessing over whether Russia is going to crush them, if they're playing some insane game of 6D chess, if they'll eventually get shut down, or if Ukraine is actually going to pull off a win. It's all just noise.

Regarding that last bolded point—what’s actually new here? Honestly, the Russians have been playing this same blunt, "brute force" game throughout history. It’s always just mass moving against mass; they haven't figured out any other way to operate. They won't be ready for another 20 years, let alone be able to pivot and start following NATO standards overnight. If you want to look at where they *have* actually made progress, it’s their grip on the financial system, food production (aiming for total self-sufficiency), and energy control. All of that required serious groundwork, much of which involved strategic diplomatic maneuvering and securing energy guarantees long before the war even started.

What a total mess. It’s like I’m trying to write in Japanese or something—absolute nonsense. Screw this 6D chess bullshit, Vladimir Putin, and whoever thinks they have a better doctrine than everyone else...☕
In short, the Russians have screwed themselves in the long run, because it looks like all the West needs is patience and persistence, and Putler doesn't stand a chance.
Best regards

cosmicgull52 said:He is basically daring the West to meet them on the battlefield. Fine. LET'S GO. 🙂

Dictatorships and their leaders thrive on having an enemy to fight; they need a target to justify their existence. The absolute best way to handle a psychopath like that? Ignore him. That is the ultimate insult to people like him.
Lp

bluewalker6 said:If Russia hasn't been gearing up for this entire scenario, then the EU has certainly been meticulously preparing for its own self-destruction.

Back in 2014, Russia was actually one of the world's massive grain and food importers—fast forward to today, and they’ve pivoted to being one of the top global exporters.

Meanwhile, we’re watching absolute chaos erupt on the streets of the Netherlands—which, let's not forget, is one of the largest food producers in the EU—simply because their government decided to shut down 50% of its farms. Apparently, the cows are farting too much and destroying the ozone layer... or whatever excuse they're using this week.

Sure, in a world drowning in colorful propaganda, what you wrote sounds perfectly reasonable.
But does it actually match reality?
Best,