Sanctions on Russia

William Miller12 said:The whole situation regarding that yacht in Betten is definitely catching eyes—at least within our local circles.

Here’s what I’m wondering:
A yacht doesn't just spontaneously float into the ocean on its own. Who was actually on-site, and what kind of excuse were they given for moving it? I highly doubt some random group just hopped a fence and shoved a massive vessel into the water by hand. And let's not forget how they managed to swap it out for a lookalike in the exact same spot....

What does the owner—or rather, the marina director—actually know about this?
And how did the boat clear our territorial waters without anyone asking a single question?
We're talking about a vessel under sanctions that sailed right out, kept its transponders fully active, and cruised all the way to Turkey...
It wasn't like they had to hunt it down with Coast Guard helicopters, drones, or high-speed interceptors...
Just pure luck with the Coast Guard? Maritime Police? The Navy?

Is there any political involvement here? And if so, how deep does the rabbit hole go?

So many unanswered questions...

I expect we'll see a predictable cycle of finger-pointing over the next few days, ranging from "that's not our department" to "other agencies should be doing their jobs."

But I'm holding out hope that a serious investigative journalist, maybe someone like Cimic over at Index, picks this up. Then maybe we'll finally see how far the Russian fifth column reaches in the States, though I have my doubts that anyone will actually face consequences even if the truth comes out....

___

For now, it seems certain that at least some staff at the marina and the Border Patrol were compromised. The fact that it sailed out so easily suggests the corruption might reach much higher up.

https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/us-natural-gas

Natural gas is sitting at about $60

William Miller12 said:The whole situation regarding that yacht in Betten is definitely catching eyes—at least within our local circles.

Here’s what I’m wondering:
A yacht doesn't just spontaneously float into the ocean on its own. Who was actually on-site, and what kind of excuse were they given for moving it? I highly doubt some random group just hopped a fence and shoved a massive vessel into the water by hand. And let's not forget how they managed to swap it out for a lookalike in the exact same spot....

What does the owner—or rather, the marina director—actually know about this?
And how did the boat clear our territorial waters without anyone asking a single question?
We're talking about a vessel under sanctions that sailed right out, kept its transponders fully active, and cruised all the way to Turkey...
It wasn't like they had to hunt it down with Coast Guard helicopters, drones, or high-speed interceptors...
Just pure luck with the Coast Guard? Maritime Police? The Navy?

Is there any political involvement here? And if so, how deep does the rabbit hole go?

So many unanswered questions...

I expect we'll see a predictable cycle of finger-pointing over the next few days, ranging from "that's not our department" to "other agencies should be doing their jobs."

But I'm holding out hope that a serious investigative journalist, maybe someone like Cimic over at Index, picks this up. Then maybe we'll finally see how far the Russian fifth column reaches in the States, though I have my doubts that anyone will actually face consequences even if the truth comes out....

___

There isn't much philosophy to it; you can buy off anyone in America with a cheap burger.

hollowdriver13 said:https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/us-natural-gas

Natural gas is sitting at about $60

Looks more like $60 to me ☕

Thomas Walker84 said:It's obvious someone at the marina was bribed—probably most of them. This shouldn't be hard to investigate. It's not like they have a hundred yachts this sizethat are under sanctions and wouldn't notice immediately that one "disappeared" or that someone was maneuvering a vessel in and out of the slip.

"- At the Betten marina, everything is open to everyone. You and I could walk right up
to the pier and hop onto any yacht docked there. The Department reported to the port that the yacht was blocked, and the harbor master instructed the relevant authorities that no one should approach the vessel, but the Department isn't hiring security services to provide 24-hour protection for private property, nor is that in the budget because such a system isn't sustainable – says Gospočić (a state official in the Department of the Navy)."

And I'm not even sure I'm reading this correctly🤔—meaning, you pay premium docking fees for a massive yacht just so absolutely anyone can walk up, board it, and sail away. No oversight, no cameras... (And it's not like they should have to hire guards; they could just install cameras like normal people.)

Sure, it might be relatively easy to jump on a boat and mess around, but claiming you can sail an entire yacht away and nobody notices for three months? Please, don't insult my intelligence.

"... the yacht Irina VU left the American port without any issues and sailed out of our territorial waters. We've learned unofficially from high-level sources that this happened because the police didn't have any official data or notification that the yacht was under a travel ban, so the border patrol had no reason to intervene or stop the Irina VU."

wow? It just keeps getting better. A massive yacht with a Russian name sails out of American waters, and the border patrol has absolutely no reason in the world to check who or what that yacht is. 😵🙏

It looks like there was some corruption going on there too.

The classic American playbook at work... 😁

"Anyone can just come and sail away..."...
Yet there's a photo of the yacht sitting on dry land.
What is this, a 35-meter yacht? What, are three or four guys supposed to just lift it and drop it into the water? It's not like some 5-meter dinghy or a jet ski... 🤦

The Department reported it, the captaincy issued an order... look, if the institutions would just do their actual jobs...

___

Thomas Walker84 said:For now, it seems certain that at least some staff at the marina and the Border Patrol were compromised. The fact that it sailed out so easily suggests the corruption might reach much higher up.

Look, the regular employees at the marina don't have anything to do with this mess, and they shouldn't be held responsible for what happened.

Nancy Gomez26 said:

Timothy Nelson5 As stated by wearytrucker22:
The cold reality remains: the Saudi people have calculated their next move with clinical precision. They’ve refused to ramp up production, opting instead to signal that they will do everything in their power to crush this price volatility.
The data from Statista tells a story we’ve seen before. Oil prices are dropping, and it isn't just some random market fluctuation; it's the result of shifting tectonic plates in global energy politics. We look at the numbers and see a downward trend, but the reality is far more complex than a simple line graph. Consider the current landscape. Between the massive production shifts coming out of the US and the volatile decisions made by OPEC, the supply side is becoming increasingly unpredictable. It’s like watching a game of chess where the players keep changing the rules mid-move. You have the heavy hitters in Saudi Arabia trying to maintain price floors while domestic US shale production acts as a massive, unrelenting pressure valve. Then there is the geopolitical weight. The ongoing tensions involving Russia and its influence on global energy flows create a constant state of anxiety. Even as we talk about transitioning toward a Green New Deal, the world remains tethered to the barrel. The volatility isn't just about supply and demand; it's about how much leverage certain nations can exert over the global economy. When you factor in the instability in the Middle East and the way China’s industrial appetite fluctuates, you realize that "stability" is a polite fiction we tell ourselves to sleep at night. The numbers suggest a cooling period, but history teaches us that in this industry, calm is often just the eye of the storm.

Looking at this graph, the pattern is unmistakable. They were looking out for nothing but their own bottom line. It’s clear they intentionally throttled production to manufacture market instability, essentially clearing the path for speculators to drive prices through the roof.

If they had just announced a commitment to ramping up production and stabilizing prices, this whole chaotic mess wouldn't have happened in the first place.

The reasoning behind this is simple: the USA ramped up production.
The latest projections for the US economy are out, and they paint a picture that’s hard to ignore if you're paying attention. We’re looking at the numbers for upcoming economic expectations, and frankly, the outlook feels like watching a slow-motion collision. It’s predictable, yet unsettling. One can't help but draw parallels to how markets react when the foundation starts to shift. Much like an old engine struggling to maintain RPMs under a heavy load, the indicators suggest we are fighting against significant headwinds. There’s a certain level of friction between current policy directions and the reality on the ground—a gap that keeps widening. If you look at the trajectory, it isn't just about one single metric; it's the cumulative weight of inflation, interest rate uncertainty, and the general volatility in global energy markets. It feels less like a smooth flight and more like navigating a storm through thick fog. You know something is off, but the instruments are giving you conflicting readings. We have seen this pattern before. When the expectations deviate this sharply from the historical norm, the correction is rarely gentle. It’s a measured, deliberate slide toward a new reality, whether the powers that be in Washington are ready to admit it or not. Expect more turbulence ahead..

And everyone else? They did everything they possibly could.
It’s simply too low to allow this to continue. To all those EU politicians and Putin-like mercenaries out there: quit pointing fingers at the USA and start looking toward Saudi Arabia instead.

Senile Biden is the primary architect behind this entire disastrous mess, including the war in Ukraine. It comes down to him and those clueless green extremists—their obsession with the Green New Deal, their veto of the Keystone pipeline, and their crusade against fracking on federal lands.
Had we kept a protectionist like Donald Trump in office, US fracking production would have surged to somewhere around 16 or 17 million barrels per day—at least according to the projections. Under those circumstances, Vladimir Putin wouldn't have had the nerve to gamble on a war.

And what exactly would be the downside to that?

The chaotic surge in energy prices during the first half of the year essentially handed Russia a massive subsidy to fund their war in Ukraine.
If the world actually practiced any sense of solidarity—if those with the capacity to ramp up production had simply stepped up to stabilize the market—we wouldn't be dealing with these runaway prices right now. Imposing sanctions on Russia and slapping price caps on their oil and gas supplies would be an even more aggressive move.
Russia would have run out of war funds long ago.If things had gone differently, we might actually be sitting at a negotiating table discussing a permanent peace right about now.
A reduction of 100,000 lives.

And let’s be honest—anyone could make a perfectly valid case that Saudi Arabia is simply looking out for its own interests.
That is exactly right.
Then let them sit in silence. When that Iranian terrorist regime eventually strikes at Saudi refineries or tankers, they shouldn't be looking to Uncle Sam or the West to come running to the rescue of a feudal monarchy.

Maybe some future president—someone other than this senile Biden—will finally have the guts to tell the folks in Saudi Arabia... When we actually reached out to you for cooperation and asked for your assistance, you blew us off just to line your own pockets.
We were forced to funnel hundreds of billions in military aid toward Ukraine, and frankly, we have neither the capacity nor the desire to continue supporting you.
So you've managed to stack up some cash? Fine. Go ahead and buy our high-end weaponry for yourselves. It’s premium gear, battle-tested and proven on the front lines in Ukraine.

☕

As long as Saudi Arabia continues to price their oil exclusively in US Dollars, they’ll remain best friends with the USA. Once they pivot away from that mechanism—or even just start questioning its necessity in public—we are going to see absolute chaos. And let's be honest: the USA serves as their primary security guarantee against Iran, an offer nobody else is willing to put on the table. You could argue Turkey might act as a weak regional substitute, but without heavy backing from Uncle Sam, they're far too limited to matter. Ultimately, everything still hinges back to the USA.
Regarding Saudi Arabia—there is a power shift currently underway. We are witnessing a genuine generational handover within the kingdom's leadership. As the primary figurehead representing this new era, Mohammed bin Salman isn't part of the old guard that maintains those cozy, predictable ties with the USA. He has already demonstrated a knack for making moves that catch everyone off guard. Given his relative youth, he will likely hold onto power for a long time and exert it aggressively, provided he officially ascends to the throne—which, in all likelihood, he will. Interesting times lie ahead.

Any move by OPEC nations to stop trading oil in dollars effectively means immediate war for them... on one side, it will be America.

If all those petrodollars suddenly flood back into the USA, the country collapses instantly. We're talking about being drowned by inflation unlike anything seen in human history.

dustytiger8 said:Any move by OPEC nations to stop trading oil in dollars effectively means immediate war for them... on one side, it will be America.

If all those petrodollars suddenly flood back into the USA, the country collapses instantly. We're talking about being drowned by inflation unlike anything seen in human history.

The only ones really talking nonsense about the petrodollar are the Saudis (who act like they're this massive superpower 😂), even though whenever things actually get dicey, they're running straight to D.C. to beg for help.

Now that Iran has scored some F-35s, I'm honestly curious if we'll start hearing all that noise about "abandoning" the petrodollar again.

On top of that, let's not forget how those few folks who thought using the yuan as a dollar alternative was a bright idea ended up having to buy dollars anyway just to keep their trade moving. 😁

Carl Flores5 said:Look, the regular employees at the marina don't have anything to do with this mess, and they shouldn't be held responsible for what happened.

It all comes down to what kind of directives they received from the federal government. If nothing was put in writing, there’s zero obligation to the state. Simple as that. If the government had just slapped a seizure notice on the vessel—making it clear it was under judicial lien—that would have been more than enough for any worker to understand they shouldn't touch it. The government—and we all know how those bureaucracies operate—could have easily protected itself by temporarily immobilizing the engine. Just pull a critical component and lock it away somewhere safe. There is always a way to handle things, provided there is actual political will.

hollowdriver13 said:The only ones really talking nonsense about the petrodollar are the Saudis (who act like they're this massive superpower 😂), even though whenever things actually get dicey, they're running straight to D.C. to beg for help.

Now that Iran has scored some F-35s, I'm honestly curious if we'll start hearing all that noise about "abandoning" the petrodollar again.

On top of that, let's not forget how those few folks who thought using the yuan as a dollar alternative was a bright idea ended up having to buy dollars anyway just to keep their trade moving. 😁

Not a chance. 🙂

They have Gaddafi’s example staring them right in the face. He tried to pull that exact stunt, which is exactly why he was taken out. He wanted to establish a gold standard across the African continent and settle payments for oil using gold. We all know how that ended. 🙂

dustytiger8 said:Not a chance. 🙂

They have Gaddafi’s example staring them right in the face. He tried to pull that exact stunt, which is exactly why he was taken out. He wanted to establish a gold standard across the African continent and settle payments for oil using gold. We all know how that ended. 🙂

Look at Iraq—they got hit because of the petrodollar. Venezuela and Iran also tried to ditch the dollar, but the US played it smarter there, opting for isolation instead of a full-blown invasion.

Exactly.

The sheer volume of petrodollars circulating globally through oil trades has long since eclipsed the amount of dollars needed for any conceivable domestic transaction within the US. We're talking about a double-digit multiplier effect here. That is precisely why the US unilaterally ditched the gold standard back in the 70s, effectively tearing up the Bretton Woods agreement. They simply couldn't maintain enough gold to back the massive expansion of dollar liquidity driven primarily by the oil trade.

If the petrodollar system collapses and some other currency takes its place, all those accumulated dollars have to go somewhere. They’ll come flooding back home to the US. There isn't anywhere else for them to land. That implies an era of unprecedented inflation for the American economy.

Ergo... killing the petrodollar is a fatal mistake.

Look, monarchies aren't actually crazy enough to just ditch the petrodollar. It’s basically the only real global currency that everyone—including Iran, that one guy who absolutely hates everything 😁 about the USA—actually accepts. It's the ultimate source of wealth for all of them.

And let's be real, Russia barely lasted three months before they were like, "Okay, fine, we were just messing around. Dollars and Euros are totally cool if you guys want to buy stuff."

hollowdriver13 said:Look, monarchies aren't actually crazy enough to just ditch the petrodollar. It’s basically the only real global currency that everyone—including Iran, that one guy who absolutely hates everything 😁 about the USA—actually accepts. It's the ultimate source of wealth for all of them.

And let's be real, Russia barely lasted three months before they were like, "Okay, fine, we were just messing around. Dollars and Euros are totally cool if you guys want to buy stuff."

So, I don't know, depends on the situation. The Russians said they wouldn't give up the dollar even if things went nuclear.

https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/us-natural-gas

Man, look at this... gas prices just cratered to 55€ MWh.

Melissa Rivera5 said:So, I don't know, depends on the situation. The Russians said they wouldn't give up the dollar even if things went nuclear.

Of course they won't! 🙂

They can try playing around with a "petro-ruble," but they’d better be ready for the global backlash that comes with those threats. They'd be stepping right into the same trap the US faced with the petrodollar...

Kissinger is just one man, for now... But he’s the architect behind this whole petrodollar recycling scheme and the forced abandonment of the gold standard. 🙂

Trying to take down the dollar is about as productive as trying to fight against the English language being the "lingua franca" of global communication. It’s just not happening.

Nancy Gomez26 said:It all comes down to what kind of directives they received from the federal government. If nothing was put in writing, there’s zero obligation to the state. Simple as that. If the government had just slapped a seizure notice on the vessel—making it clear it was under judicial lien—that would have been more than enough for any worker to understand they shouldn't touch it. The government—and we all know how those bureaucracies operate—could have easily protected itself by temporarily immobilizing the engine. Just pull a critical component and lock it away somewhere safe. There is always a way to handle things, provided there is actual political will.

The marina staff doesn't have any authority or legal obligation here. This looks like a classic case of passing the buck and muddying the waters—they're probably trying to frame the sailor who caught them red-handed as the main culprit.

dustytiger8 said:Any move by OPEC nations to stop trading oil in dollars effectively means immediate war for them... on one side, it will be America.

If all those petrodollars suddenly flood back into the USA, the country collapses instantly. We're talking about being drowned by inflation unlike anything seen in human history.

The reality is that since their inception, petrodollars are immediately funneled back into the USA to be invested in securities. No nation keeps its reserves sitting in piles of cash—not stacked neatly on pallets like something out of Narcos. Instead, they use that capital to purchase government bonds that offer some semblance of yield. That is essentially why oil is traded in dollars; it is because there exists a financial market powerful enough to "swallow" all that oil revenue, and for now, there is at least a rule of law acting as a guarantor of fair play. Oh yes, they are more than happy to swallow that money. And what do the holders of that wealth get in return (the former owners of the oil while it was still in their ground)? A little scrap of paper called an IOU (though truthfully, nowadays there is no paper, just some electronic entry). If everyone decided to demand their cash all at once—what would happen? First, they would be convinced it isn't the smartest move, because the whole house of cards would collapse (like that card game we played as kids, where you try to build a house of cards and pull one from the bottom without bringing the whole thing down). And if they insisted on it based on some rigid "principles," the Americans would simply send them whatever figure they requested—because those are dollars, an original American product produced in whatever quantity is deemed necessary. It’s a waste of paper; it all happens electronically. You just punch a number into a computer. Quite eco-friendly, really.
But returning to this idea of "swallowing" excess capital... it is now clear how the Americans can afford such massive military expenditures (and various other things) when everyone else combined couldn't match that spending. Or consider why stock prices continue to climb even when the companies behind them are actually stagnating. I suspect the oil producers have pushed the petrodollar system so far that they can no longer walk away from the game—because it would become glaringly obvious to everyone that they don't actually have any savings left. Bank of America, Madoff, SBF (FTX), the Federal Reserve—at the end of the day, it is all the same old story about finding ways to seize someone else's assets.

It’s what they call "recycling petrodollars"—Kissinger said it best. 🙂

The logic is simple. You can't just haul petrodollars into the USA and swap them out for some other currency to take elsewhere. No, you bring those dollars into the States to INVEST OR BUY things... right here in the US.

Maybe the secret behind America's relentless economic growth is finally coming into focus now... despite the fact that our manufacturing and industrial sectors have been shrinking for decades. 🙂