The Germans "Grow a Pair"

[Art]

The Germans have started the cancellation process (decertification) the Nordstream II pipeline which was going to bring Russian petroleum products, through the North Sea by passing the Ukraine. Well, good on 'em.

[togor]

Now they need to keep their last 3 nuke plants running to bridge to whatever.

If I'm the EU just close the land border to Russia and it's satellites. No trucks, cars, nothing.

Had a friend whose BMW was looted of its airbag and infotainment system while parked on the street. Criminal gangs that smuggle them east for the black market. Insurance scams are like commonplace in Russia, why everyone has a dashcam.

Sanctions without locking down the border like SU days will just lead to crime and smuggling spikes.

[Art]

Now they need to keep their last 3 nuke plants running to bridge to whatever.

If I'm the EU just close the land border to Russia and it's satellites. No trucks, cars, nothing.

Had a friend whose BMW was looted of its airbag and infotainment system while parked on the street. Criminal gangs that smuggle them east for the black market. Insurance scams are like commonplace in Russia, why everyone has a dashcam.

Sanctions without locking down the border like SU days will just lead to crime and smuggling spikes.

They've closed over a dozen plants that provided over a quarter of their electricity in their incredibly foolish de nuke program and they are lucky to have those three. They were originally scheduled to be closed this year but were extended. But you are correct on that. Don't forget, they have NOT stopped buying Russian gas, It still flows through other lines.

I don't think the "pair" is anything like big enough to seal the borders, nice as that would be. It's nice to see you in favor of shutting down a border .

The Russians practice "Tea Party" economics, not only to they have no real debt, they have a very large budget surplus, one of the things that has helped them absorb sanctions in the past. Now the "slush fund" has been drawn down from its half trillion dollar level a few months ago to pay for this adventure but it will go back up. It should also remember Russia isn't just an oil producer, they are one of the worlds largest producers of wheat. They also are a big exporter of strategic metals, especially titanium, but also nickle and vanadium. One of the reasons collapsing the oil market under the Reagan and Bush administration which did more than anything else to destroy the Soviet Union took as long as it did was the Russians were partly able to make up the shortfall by selling gold of which they have massive, and I mean massive reserves.

Putin is no fool and he is always, always playing chess and usually at least one move ahead, aided by Western wishful thinking.

We'll see what Biden does. He already has had to walk back his "incursion" statement which he repeated last night before retracting it today.

[togor]

Putin isn't the first European dictator to think he has mastered the art of brinkmanship, to exploit the Western desire to not give up peace and comparative prosperity in response to some continental crisis.

History says that those who play that game eventually become intoxicated with success and take it too far.

The tenor of his rhetoric suggests that he has more in mind than just moving Russian troops into staging areas inside the disputed regions. Probably we do not have long to wait for the next show to drop.

[lyman]

Putin is a dictator?

[togor]

Putin is a dictator?

He controls the military, police, media, judiciary, has a rubber stamp legislature, and expects them all to do his personal bidding so yes that makes him a dictator. He has his enemies killed or stuffed deep in the Siberian countryside, where if they emerge at all later it is as a shell of their former selves.

None of this is remotely disputable but of course you'll deny it. You won't argue the point, just deny it with some snide reference at me.

[lyman]

sad man,


by your definition , Biden and Obama are/were dictators,,

[togor]

sad man,


by your definition , Biden and Obama are/were dictators,,

Like I said, snide.

But holy cow your "analysis". Commonwealth of Virginia public schools you say? Wow...just wow.

* Biden does NOT control the judiciary.
* Does NOT control state level law enforcement, and has been much more hands off on Federal LE than his predecessor.
* Is CINC but that is the Constitution.
* Rubber stamp Congress? Ask Sinema, Manchin, McConnell, Jaypal, McCarthy if they think that is true

* Can add to it the amassing of enormous sums of wealth from control of the state, for Putin himself and a circle of cronies.

[one shot]

tit for tat tell me more https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/sta...7Ctwgr%5Etweet

- - - Updated - - -

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[lyman]

Like I said, snide.

But holy cow your "analysis". Commonwealth of Virginia public schools you say? Wow...just wow.

* Biden does NOT control the judiciary.
* Does NOT control state level law enforcement, and has been much more hands off on Federal LE than his predecessor.
* Is CINC but that is the Constitution.
* Rubber stamp Congress? Ask Sinema, Manchin, McConnell, Jaypal, McCarthy if they think that is true

* Can add to it the amassing of enormous sums of wealth from control of the state, for Putin himself and a circle of cronies.

you did not take up for Obama


not sure what public schools have to do with anything, but surely you will get your self all worked up for something