Dear friends,
I am about to hit the road and do what I like most: jump in the car with my wife, leave everything behind, and spend a couple of days in the Florida wilderness. God willing, we will be back on Friday.
In the meantime, I want to leave you with a few short notes:
1) Podcast: there definitely was some kind of glitch in the 2nd part of the podcast and I had no time to detect it. Lesson learned: it was a mistake to leave the post with questions open until Friday 18000 GMT and hope to get the podcast ready my Monday. The next time around, I will leave three days to post questions (Monday-Wednesday) and then I will use the remaining time (Wednesday-Sunday) to prepare the podcast for release on Monday. From now on and until the new blog is up, I will release on Soundcloud, Mediafire and Youtube.
2) My “homophobic video“: from a comment posted today I realized that some of you had not realized that the person sitting next to the cop is not a a woman at all but, to quote the official dogma, a person manifesting a “normal and natural variation in human sexuality and is not in and of itself a source of negative psychological effects”.
3) These past couple of weeks I have been bombarded with people accusing me of endorsing Šešelj or of “discrediting” or even “abandoning” Strelkov. What these critics apparently fail to understand is that I can discuss somebody’s views or situation without necessarily endorsing or betraying that person. As it happens, I have no personal opinion whatsoever about Šešelj and I have the utmost respect for Strelkov. My view of the world and of people is not binary, black or white, and I like to freely analyze and discuss ideas, situations and personalities. If you are too stupid to cope with that kind of diversity of approaches, then I suggest you avoid my blog like the plague because I sure intend to continue to do that.
4) The “Putin is weak and beaten” chorus is not letting up. I personally explain that by too much exposure to the corporate media which is constantly presenting Putin as beat, isolated, humiliated and otherwise broken. Since these comments never come with fact based and logically presented arguments, I don’t see the point if trying to refute them.
5) Novorussia: today Foreign Minister Lavrov spoke during a Q&A at the Duma and he also mentioned the possibility that the economic blockade of Novorussia by the Nazi regime in Kiev (which basically stole the money of the people of Novorussia) could be a prelude to a Ukrainian attack. I am personally convinced that the recent statements of Putin and Lavrov about this possibility are designed to prepare the public opinion of Russia and, to some degree, the EU to situation in which Russia might have to intervene to stop such an attack. The situation right now is extremely dangerous, but not hopeless as I am sure that there is a lot of pressure put upon the junta and its US bosses by Russia and other countries not to attack.
6) US elections: I am not a US citizen, so I don’t get to vote anyway. If I did, I still would not vote. The choice of a lesser evil is still a choice for evil. It is also a de-facto endorsement of the legitimacy of the system. Can I recommend to those interested in this issue to read an old post of mine entitled “USSR 1974 – USA 2007: back to the future“?
Okay, that’s it for today. I am off to my beloved wilderness with wifey. See you all in a couple of days!
The Saker
Saker Message:
Dear Saker
Because of this sentence below, I trust and I love you
The choice of a lesser evil is still a choice for evil. It is also a de-facto endorsement of the legitimacy of the system.
============================
Once Nazi, today Natoist
enjoy. May the peace and compassion in in our hearts grow stronger and spread more to all suffering in conflict, hunger, disease, injustice and poverty.
Quick question, and I’m not being a smart ass here, I just want a logical answer…
If you truly believe the empire is evil (which I do) and that it is about to collapse (I’m skeptical), why do you still live there?
If I spoke Russian, like you, I would have packed a few months ago to move to Sotchi or some place, leaving the decadent west behind.
Unfortunately, it is too late for me to learn a new language.
Grandmaster Putin’s Golden Trap
Dmitry Kalinichenko
Fort Russ
18 November
[612-word summary below via excerpts from 3052-word post]
The game is over… In chess the situation in which Putin has put the West, led by the US, is called “time trouble”…
After realizing its failure in Ukraine, the West, led by the US, set out to destroy Russian economy by lowering oil prices…
Last time, under President Reagan, such actions of the West’s lowering of oil prices led to ‘success’ and the collapse of USSR. But history does not repeat itself all the time. This time things are different for the West. Putin’s response to the West resembles both chess and judo, when the strength used by the enemy is used against him, but with minimal costs to the strength and resources of the defender…
No matter how strange it may seem, but right now, Putin is selling Russian oil and gas only for physical gold.
Putin is not shouting about it all over the world. And of course, he still accepts US dollars as an intermediate means of payment. But he immediately exchanges all these dollars obtained from the sale of oil and gas for physical gold!…
In this brilliantly played by Putin economic combination the physical gold is rapidly flowing to Russia, China, Brazil, Kazakhstan and India, the BRICS countries, from the reserves of the West. At the current rate of reduction of reserves of physical gold, the West simply does not have the time to do anything against Putin’s Russia until the collapse of the entire Western petrodollar world.…
To understand this, it is enough to look at the dynamics of growth of gold reserves of Russia and to compare this data with foreign exchange earnings of the RF coming from the sale of oil and gas over the same period…
…Putin sells Russian energy resources in exchange for…US dollars, artificially propped by the efforts of the West. With which he immediately buys gold, artificially devalued against the U.S. dollar by the efforts of the West itself!
There is another interesting element in Putin’s game. It’s Russian uranium. Every sixth light bulb in the USA depends on its supply. Which Russia sells to the US too, for dollars.
Thus, in exchange for Russian oil, gas and uranium, the West pays Russia with dollars, purchasing power of which is artificially inflated against oil and gold by the efforts of the West. But Putin uses these dollars only to withdraw physical gold from the West in exchange, for the price denominated in US dollars, artificially lowered by the same West.
This truly brilliant economic combination by Putin puts the West led by the United States in a position of a snake, aggressively and diligently devouring its own tail.
The idea of this economic golden trap for the West, probably originated not from Putin himself. Most likely it was the idea of Putin’s Advisor for Economic Affairs – Doctor Sergey Glazyev.…
Especially interesting in this context looks the November statement of the first Deputy Chairman of Central Bank of Russia Ksenia Yudaeva, which stressed that the CBR can use the gold from its reserves to pay for imports, if need be. It is obvious that in terms of sanctions by the Western world, this statement is addressed to the BRICS countries, and first of all China.…
…the solitaire of Russian-Chinese relations is extremely successful for Moscow and Beijing. Russia buys goods from China directly for gold at its current price. While China buys Russian energy resources for gold at its current price. At this Russian-Chinese festival of life there is a place for everything: Chinese goods, Russian energy resources, and gold – as a means of mutual payment. Only US dollar has no place at this festival of life…
No wonder Obama puts Russia in the top three of most dangerous in the world. LOL
Sharon
The manipulated gold price (possible because physical and paper gold are priced together and an infinite amount of paper gold can be created) has resulted in a gold mine owned by Hambro going bust. The Russians will be able to buy it for pennies and the gold is in the safest place of all, in the ground.
Saker wrote:
“US elections: I am not a US citizen, so I don’t get to vote anyway. If I did, I still would not vote…”
George Carlin covers this nicely in 93 seconds:
[VIDEO – 00:93] George Carlin – Voting is Meaningless
And also, an excellent reason, in my opinion, to be PROACTIVE in NOT voting: third paragraph below:
Voting for Death: Criminal vs. Criminal
Linh Dinh
Counterpunch
America, you have become a nation of enablers and apologists for tyranny and mass murder. You condemn the Nazi and gulag guards of times past even as you celebrate your own mercenaries and torturers…
Safely ensconced in academic luna parks, your leading intellectuals lean slightly right or left, but never enough to rock this blazing gunboat …they’re all gung ho about candidates who back illegal wars and banking frauds, since each is supposedly the lesser of two evils .
…simply by voting, you will give [this thoroughly corrupt and murderous system] the green light to go on killing and looting…
The Good Old Party spooks the upper and middle classes by threatening, If you don’t vote for us, the Dems will take your hard-earned cash and give it to the freeloaders, crackheads and other miscellaneous losers, while the Democrats, in turn, scare the lower rungs by snarling, If you don’t vote for us, the Republicans will let your retired, diapered ass rot under a bridge, on a piece of cardboard, but lordy, lordy, lordy,…
… it is already happening…
Each party paints the other as the greater evil, though both are equally whorish to a military banking complex that has wrought so much grief and destruction worldwide, including here. As they offshore your job, they may toss you a free cell phone or allow you to wed your same sex lover, but isn’t time, seriously, we demand that our money be spent responsibly, for our benefits? But no, we can only beg for small change , instead of real ones, and must vote, again, for proven liars and criminals, and hope, against all evidence, that they won’t impale us this time…
Already, nearly half of Americans don’t cast ballots in any election, but we must make this abstention purposeful, as a clear sign of protest and not an act of apathy . The world must see that Americans aren’t all deranged and hypnotized as those who cheer and vote for one lying criminal after another. We’re better than this, so let’s prove it…
My best wishes for a happy birthday and a well-deserved break. Enjoy.
http://fortruss.blogspot.com/2014/11/putin-they-do-not-want-to-humiliate-us.html
Love the cartoon
Before hitting the road:
Crosstalk –good one ( Merkel gave a warmongering talk which is causing great consternation in Germany)
http://rt.com/shows/crosstalk/206819-g-20-brisbane-abbott/
Dear The Saker,
Have a wonderful time in the wilderness with wifey :). Relax, kick back and enjoy….
Rgds,
Veritas
Assigning undue prominence to and the misrepresentation of Mr. Putin is an advantage.
As surgeons will attest it is easier to cut the throats of the comatose.
Quick question, and I’m not being a smart ass here, I just want a logical answer…
If you truly believe the empire is evil (which I do) and that it is about to collapse (I’m skeptical), why do you still live there?
If I spoke Russian, like you, I would have packed a few months ago to move to Sotchi or some place, leaving the decadent west behind.
Unfortunately, it is too late for me to learn a new language.
————-
Is there only one alternative if you live in the so called West and if you are an immigrant and you realize that the country is evil towards the rest of the world?
No, there is not only one alternative and it is as you suggest to pack and to leave the country.
There is other alternative too and it is to stay in and fight unjust system.
=================
Once Nazi, today Natoist
Have a good break.
The results from a poll taken in Odessa oblast brought to our attention by grey-croco (grey-croco.livejournal.com)
http://info-center.od.ua/ukrnet/19917-opros-sociologicheskoy-sluzhby-infocentra-podavlyayuschee-bolshinstvo-odessitov-81-vystupayut-za-vybory-gubernatora-i-vozmozhnost-federalizacii-strany.html
Via Google Translate:
Poll of the sociological service InfoCenter: the vast majority of the citizens of Odessa (81%) in favor of the election of the governor and the possibility federalization
Yesterday, 16:21
The vast majority of the inhabitants of Odessa region (81%) are willing to determine their own destiny, in favor of
the election of the governor and the possibility of federalization. 12% of respondents belong to the choice and the federalization neutral. Only 7% of respondents believe that the governor should continue to be appointed president,
and the election and the federalization of Odessa citizens do not need.
The survey was conducted 1-4 November 2014 on a representative quota sample of urban and rural population of 1000 people aged 18 years and over in 4 cities (Odessa, Izmail, Illichivs’k, Belgorod-Dnestrovsky), 8 townships and 16 villages in the Odessa region.
Nuland and Biden about to ‘visit’ KIEV before the end of the week.Expect the worse just after their departure.
Saker,do you believe(or have any inside news),that Merkel or Hollande(less important I agree…)are blackmailed by the US?Possible NSA ‘discoveries’ in their private life?The french Canard enchainé(satirical paper)confirms that but only about Hollande(and only about the mistral file).Fabius would also be on target.
If no policy options, why not create them?
It is necessary to break the bipartisanship that makes us choose between very bad and worse. Enough resign!
People of USA, wake up, rise up, roll up and get close to each other “with arms akimbo in position what to do”.
Yes, you can!
“Pablo Iglesias undertook the great geopolitical issue: get Spain NATO and break with US”:
http://www.elespiadigital.com/index.php/noticias/historico-de-noticias/7463-pablo-iglesias-acomete-la-gran-cuestion-geopolitica-sacar-a-espana-de-la-otan-y-romper-con-eeuu-
“Kiev recognizes de facto secession of Donbass and Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said his country desist from attacking Novorrossiya”:
http://www.elespiadigital.com/index.php/noticias/historico-de-noticias/7494-kiev-reconoce-de-facto-la-secesion-de-donbas-y-el-ministerio-de-exteriores-de-ucrania-asegura-que-su-pais-desistira-de-atacar-novorrosya
“Chaos in the Donbas and the Nazi plan for the Donbas”:
http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=192184
In this analysis you will find the reason why Strelkov was decided to organize the humanitarian supply to militias and people in Novorrosiya. For some it seems that reaches them more than others.
Russian corruption puts an estimated 30% tax on goods in Russia. Putin is asked to stop Russian corruption as part of the efficiencies efforts for Russia spurred on by the sanctions.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-18/putin-said-to-back-crackdown-on-corruption-as-sanctions-bite.html
Good luck Mr. Putin.
Saker,
“If I did, I still would not vote. The choice of a lesser evil is still a choice for evil.” {Quote} Source: Saker.
If you consider evil the USA Government, then you better go back to Russia, and live over there.
Keep in mind that by the USA Legal and Judiciary System anybody could be Persecuted for “Spreading False Information.” unless you are involved in some kind of Silence and Complicity … : )
Spain last minute!
“Unanimous agreement from Congress to recognize the State of Palestine”:
http://www.publico.es/557057/acuerdo-unanime-del-congreso-para-reconocer-el-estado-de-palestina
China and Russian Military comprehensive strategic partnership.
BEIJING, Nov. 19 — Advancing China-Russia military cooperation is a priority for China’s armed forces’ foreign relations, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission Xu Qiliang said on Wednesday.
Xu made the remarks during his meeting with visiting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Commenting on the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, Xu said their militaries have enjoyed frequent high-level exchanges and deepened mutual strategic trust. Cooperation in specific areas was “pragmatic” and “efficient”.
“China always views that advancing our military ties is a priority,” Xu said, adding that his side was willing to further bolster exchanges and cooperation with Russia.
Shoigu said military coordination was “of great significance” as the global and regional situations were undergoing complicated changes.
A day earlier, Shoigu met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and held talks with his Chinese counterpart Chang Wanquan.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/n/2014/1119/c90786-8811382.html
“anonymous”
We cannot abandon America; we must fix it.
The United states government is controlled by a wealthy Oligarchy. The last legitimate-constitutional election was that in 1960 – of John F. Kennedy.
The Military/Financial/Zionist Oligarchs overthrew the last US Republic on Nov. 22, 1963. They assassinated Kennedy (with participation from the Mossad) and next, engineered a 12 year unconstitutional war against Vietnam that killed 2 million (US Senate figures). They murdered a million Indonesians in 1965. They murdered 100,000 Guatemalan Native Americans in the 1960-70s. They are currently engaged in 9 unconstitutional terrorist imperialist wars, from Iraq, to Afghanistan, to Ukraine.
Within America’s domestic politics, the Democrat and Republican gangs perform a pantomime Presidential election every 4 years, and similar circus local elections every 2 years. The electoral circus is expensive. In 2022, both Presidential candidates spent $ 2 Billion to compaign. Smaller party candidates are not even allowed in the official debates.
For 2016, Hilary Clinton (Clinton-2) is the anointed one, and Jeb Bush (Bush-3) will be her opponent.
We, of the Anarchist collective, recommend that our citizens hold Alternative Elections. These elections will elect and establish, at all levels, an Alternative Government.
This government of “We The People” will begin to govern and hope to establish a political confrontation of Dual Power.
Step by step the terrorist tyrants of the old Oligarchy, the Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Duponts, Kochs, et. al., & their hirelings, will be arrested & charged, and the new Democratic Republic will be born.
The US will make peace with Russia, and the rest of the world.
Nazis, everywhere will be eliminated. Land thieves will return their stolen goods. Palestine will emerge, and Yugoslavia will be re-forged. The people of Novorossiya will be free to decide their future (from Odessa, to Jarkov).
The world’s resources will be shared, population problems and ecological issues will be dealt with Democratically and resolved.
“I have a dream.”
IMAGINE
Peter J. Antonsen
On vision in black and white, and for reflection of those cherished and beloved Russian friends (The Saker, Strelkov …. Putin? I do not know)of who when I hear the crappy opinion they have of communism and the Bolshevik revolution, I not only looks amazing and definitely unfair, but that, although Spanish, even hurt me.
I let you two analyzes by Mikel Itulain
“The double standard in history: Joseph Stalin vs Franklin Delano Roosevelt”:
http://miguel-esposiblelapaz.blogspot.com.es/search?q=Stalin
“Was Communism so bad?”:
http://miguel-esposiblelapaz.blogspot.com.es/2013/09/tan-malo-era-el-comunismo.html
Right now in the second channel Spanish public television “The Admiral” by Andrey Kravchuk.
Based on the figure of Aleksandr Vasilievich Kolschak commander and explorer of the White Army who fought the Red Army in Siberia (organized by Trotsky) during the Russian Civil War.
At this time it is taking place rebellion of the Kronstadt sailors and dismissal of all officers (some have been directly executed) by order of the Petrograd Soviet.
Let’s see to better understand my Russian friends
Why not endorse Šešelj ?
He is the only political leader in Serbia who stands for political union between Serbia and Russia.
And it is the wish of exactly 69% of citizens of Serbia!
So he stands for what Serbs want. Not the neutral governmement. Not the pro-Western liberal opposition. Only Šešelj.
So where is the problem?
Regards from Serbia,
The Wend.
from link on asiatimes
http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175922/
With the launch of a new U.S.-led war in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State (IS), the United States has engaged in aggressive military action in at least 13 countries in the Greater Middle East since 1980. In that time, every American president has invaded, occupied, bombed, or gone to war in at least one country in the region. The total number of invasions, occupations, bombing operations, drone assassination campaigns, and cruise missile attacks easily runs into the dozens.
After a bloody battle, some men try to bury numerous corpses in a trench. One asks:- Will we bury the reds and whites together? The other replies: -They all are sons of God, God did not paint them in colors….
” What these critics apparently fail to understand is that I can discuss somebody’s views or situation without necessarily endorsing or betraying that person.”
It’s part of your wide-open view :-)))
Best birthday wishes and have a good time with wifey in the wilderness
DMITRY KALINICHENKO: I think Ukraine is so far mostly a success for the US.
Goals were:
–Take Crimea. If not possible, use Russia’s taking as base for continuing propaganda to justify further NATO buildup/extension. –Put obstacles into the growing Rus/EU econ integration — esp Germany. –Sanction Russia to economically weaken. –Deprive Russia of econ/military mfg of Donbass. –Put very economically expensive chaos on Russia’s border. –exaccerbate oligarchic internal pressure/danger for Putin by directing sanctions against the oligarchs –It is still possible that Russia will be forced into direct military engagement, which will result in more of each of the above.
In the long run, the total abandonment of morality/law by US/EU/Kiev is having negative consequences for them in the court of public opinion, but it will take more than that to save Syria & Iran– or to prevent NATO weapons in Ukraine.
I agree that buying gold is the thing to do in these times, as pretty much all countries have realized, but Russian & China are trading in their currencies, no need to do it in gold.
Dutch government refuses to release contents secret agreement between Dutch and Ukrainian government.
https://deepresource.wordpress.com/2014/11/19/netherlands-refuses-to-divulge-secret-mh17-deal/
Kind regards,
Dutch
Putin’s Loss of German Trust Seals the West’s Isolation of Russia.
After a night spent debating the Ukraine crisis with the Russian President, German Chancellor Angela Merkel came out more determined than ever to push the Kremlin out of Eastern Europe.
https://time.com/3590588/putin-merkel-germany-russia/
Happy birthday Saker!
Enjoy the well deserved rest in the wilderness.
Take care.
Samantha
Is Frank-Walter Steinmeier the new Gerhard Schroeder?
Der Spiegel and the NYT express a little doubt if Steinmeier is really committed to increase conflict with Russia, exactly as the US wants to see it.
https://deepresource.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/is-frank-walter-steinmeier-the-new-gerhard-schroder/
I think he could very well be, which is good news.
Kind regards,
Dutch
Saker, wonder if you know these authors? they are supposed to be Russian experts…
http://d21uq3hx4esec9.cloudfront.net/uploads/pdf/OTB_Nov_19_2014.pdf
Russian actions ?, How about the Natoists actions in the Ukraine ?, How about Nato/US/UK actions world wide ?
I suppose it would be impossible to drop all the old fashioned political rhetoric against one opponents using invective such as nazi, anglo Jewish etc. etc. Such is absolutely guaranteed to turn Americans against you. Not on the content so much as that it is simply archaic. An obvious sort of propaganda and thus easy to dismiss.
About the only chance left is for more somewhat influential Americans to start saying, stop, enough. Otherwise I believe it is going to be Serbia II, but worse. If you know anything about America know that we love to drop bombs from afar or overhead. I can tell you right now even most erstwhile so called liberals will shed no tears if Donetsk is wiped off the face of the earth, because, Putin.
ANONYMOUS regarding the poll in Odessa & other cities. I know it sounds exciting when they say they’d like to elect their governors & be ‘federalized”.
But Yats was saying that this was going to happen and that it was better it happen before the new constitution is “accepted”
In other words, this is a process which is being run by Kiev & desn’t represent a rebellion. Remember that “federalization” meant something very minor to Kiev.
Election of governors (mayors) sounds more major, but it depends what powers he’ll have.
Also, I wonder who wrote the new constitution?
Hungary announced it will defy orders from Washington/Brussels and will begin constructing its leg of South-Stream, just like Bulgaria and Serbia will.
https://deepresource.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/bravo-hungary/
Kind regards,
Dutch
Anonymous: Re: Your question Is France being blackmailed by US? (Because she is submissive to US wishes even to the detriment of French interests)
France has a skeleton in the closet. She controls 15 African countries through co-governorship of their economies, controls their budgets. She holds in Paris 65-90% of their foreig currency reserve and their gold– at ZERO interest. When they try to change this arrangement there is a regime change or French military intervention.
This immoral colonial arrangement is supported by US/UK. If they chose instead to publicize it France wd be in trouble because parts of her economy is now dependent upon this arrangement.
http://nsnbc.me/2012/10/12/french-africa-policy-damages-african-and-european-economies/
Ukiesk don’t want OSCE around….
“Kyiv 19 November 2014
Military personnel shoot in the direction of an OSCE convoy near government-controlled Mariinka (15km E of Donetsk).
12:38hrs, an OSCE convoy composed of two vehicles was travelling east from Kurakhovo (30km W of Donetsk) towards the city of Donetsk.
Near the area of Mariinka, about 80m ahead of the convoy, there was a flat-bed cargo truck carrying a large green wooden box, with two uniformed personnel on board wearing helmets. The SMM observed tactical marks of two white vertical lines on the tail-gate of the vehicle and on the passenger door.”
The 2 vertical white stripes is Ukie army. Several times in the past 2 weeks they’ve held up OSCE for detailed paper checks, searched their cars etc. Not a nice way to treat international monitors who’ve not been reporting you half the time thy should have.
===================
Russia is preparing yet another White Convoy, for 19th. Might have to become a weekly delivery.
Poroshenko meanwhile decreed that aid to his part of the country,whatever the origin, has to have “national symbols” attached. Nobody will believe for a minute he actually paid for them.
There is a rumor on Ukie media saying that Givi is under arrest in Donetsk.
ANONYMOUS: Regarding your question is Germany being blackmailed by US?
Germany is controlled through 6 ways that I know of:
1. There are many US troops still on German territory. 75k?
2. At German reunification, US threatened to prevent it unless Germany signed a letter/treaty of submission agreeing that US controls its media till 2099.
This treaty has been confirmed by Major-General Gerd-Helmut Komossa, former head of German Military Intelligence in his book “Die Deutsche Karte” (The German Card). (Banned in Germany)
3. Germany is still under the UN’s “enemy state” clause, which limits its sovereignty.
http://www.rense.com/general69/germany.htm
4. In taking all important decisions Germany must “consult” w Supreme Allied Command (US/UK).
Russia rescinded this power at reunification; the others didn’t.
http://nsnbc.me/2014/07/11/germany-expels-u-s-spy-chief-opens-geopolitical-can-of-worms/
5. Germany has no peace treaty, so no constitution. The current govt not really the govt of the whole of Germany, etc, etc.
6. The German people have been kept in ignorance of this. Traffic violations are dismissed whenever the person presents a Third Reich (drivers lic or passport, I forget which) because the current govt not really the legal sequel. (“Sequel” not the right word, sorry, sleepy)
Anyway w secrecy a perceived necessity on top of all the other problems German officials seem unable to resist submission. Altho some may share in US ambitions to dismember & loot Russia, share in NWO goals.
Japan controlled thru “enemy state” clause at UN & also necessity to have decisions/treaties approved by US.
Japan recently tried to come out of this status at UN, was not successful.
Dutch says “Hungary announced it will defy orders from Washington/Brussels and will begin constructing its leg of South-Stream, just like Bulgaria and Serbia will.”
Thank you, Dutch. There have been two sets of ‘demonstrations’ against Hungarian govt. First one against a 10% internet tax. Don’t remember what 2d one was. I would guess that these are the US applying pressure, threatening regime change.
Ok, now I get it…I’m a dummy…
So the guys in uniform are russian cops…and they are giving that guy who’s dressed like a girl, a ticket ?
Sorry to be such a dummy,
The whole business about Germany in my post above is the reason that US was holding 100% of her gold AND why Germany didn’t make a big controversy about US failure to repatriate the gold.
It was a reporter and a few other people who raised the issue in the first place. At each step in US refusal to at least let them SEE the gold, the German govt kept trying to de-escalate and accept the US “word” that they had the gold, etc. Now you see why this baffling behaviour.
Happy Birthday, Saker!
Thanks Penelope at 03:15 for the link about France and its African monetary stranglehold. This explains a lot about the compromised position of France. And that’s a great piece of journalism by Lehmann.
Regarding your other response at 23:40 to the posting of the Russian article on Russia and China trading in gold – I’d like to explore this point about currencies and gold a little further.
Your own Lehmann article reminds us and illustrates very clearly that as soon as a sovereign leader goes for a gold standard he or she gets whacked.
It seems to me that if gold is this important, it would be well to take it very seriously as a sovereign instrument. To me, the Russian article suggests just how seriously Russia and China do take it – and how powerfully this may upset the global balance of power vis a vis the US Dollar.
Yes the two nations are trading in their own currencies, but gold has been offered as an alternative. They may not need to trade in gold, but they can if they have to. In other words, gold – real, physical gold – is backing their two currencies, purely between themselves at the moment. What does the Ruble have to fall to, relative to the Dollar, for China to want gold, or an adjustment based on gold? And vice versa – I’m not knocking the Ruble. Imagine this parity spreading to BRICS and more nations. Where does the dollar fit in the transactions then?
This is not to say that gold has a value, so much as it is to say that fiat currency by its nature has zero value. Someone posted here recently that fiat currency is debt. True enough. If gold can act as the fiat killer, then it also acts to kill income from that debt also. The actions of France to prevent this very thing from happening just in their own little universe are described in very understandable terms by Lehmann.
As always, I would value any thoughts or sources you have on this. Here’s that Russian gold article again:
Grandmaster Putin’s Golden Trap
LOL LOL LOL
poor commenters are confusing themselves. From Yahoo News
“Ukraine was peaceful, until Russia started a ceasefire with it. “
most of the comments are sickening, wonder how much CIA pays per comment?
Oh and anyone have any idea how much to be a Central European protester? I heard only $100 on the quieter days of Kiev Maidan.
OOhh the Yahoo commenters LOVE Plotnisky’s offer to fight Poroshenko in a duel.
Many would watch the TV show.
“Obama dueling the leader of ISIS. Sounds good to me”
“$20 on the rebel”.
Suggested weapons include poison chocolates, poison hot dogs, paintball, vodka drinking contest.
“No duel! Duel is for defending your honor with one of equal standing. Poroshenko is the scam, human waste.”
Orban just killed his colour revolution — Hungary will love him not taking orders from the US. Some may still dream of it as the land of opportunity it was seen as in 1945, but they ALL hate outsiders telling them what to do. Even the EU has drawn some protests. Standing up to the US is almost like wrestling with tigers bare-chested.
And if they look at Ukraine – Hungary can literally look at Ukraine right next door – there is a big danger that if idiot Poroshenko goes ahead with the planned military invasion, he’ll manage to blow enough gas pipes that next year there is NONE. Suddenly another route is VERY important.
This will also be a factor for Bulgaria, which had built quite a lot, but stopped on EU orders. Also they would make fair money in transit fees, which they need.
Serbia… well it may further delay their entry into the EU which looks dicey already, tjough already costing them austerity. Putin DID spend a few days there recently. They also didn’t have to borrow from IMF for a $200 million gas bill they were behind with…money they did not have but which they had to spend unexpectedly when some power station blew up (from memory – anyway it was an emergency purchase). They may get some transit fees too,a better way of getting money than always borrowing from IMF.
EU wanted South Stream originally,to end reliance on the Ukraine delivery routed (they’ve been slowed several times while Russia sorted out how much Ukraine was stealing). With South Stream they can still reverse flow to Ukraine if they can pay.
But then US came along and said “hang on but it is still the same Russian gas, we can do better than that. We can use the existing Ukraine pipes to get you UKRAINIAN gas. and oil too. Just give us a moment….” so far it’s cost Europe double in revenge sanctions than what it cost the CIA to start this rolling.
Anyway. Russia also sometimes sells cheaper gas (then drops the price, all above board) by reselling from cheaper fields in Turkmenistan or the Caspian Sea. They may sell Europe mostly this, and reroute the far northern fields (which are far more eastern, too) for the China contract. If this happens, South Stream will pay for itself quickly through savings on the gas price.
China will drink any amount of gas for another 50-80 years. Russia won’t mind if Europe buys less from them down the track, buying “greener” power elsewhere, say, for instance, from Hungary getting BOTH their empty nuclear slots filled, not just one.
Nobody minds using nuclear generated lectricity. It is cheap and reliable, not much to go wrong with it (true then it’s a doozy). They just don’t want it right next door.
Hungary already has it so adding other reactor or two makes no difference. All the “Iron Curtain” countries have nuclear, and France. Germany just shut theirs down. The “Visegrad Four” (Hungary, Slovakia, Czech republic and Poland) are long term committed to nuclear power. All have Soviet/Russian design plants and are not likely to be changing. (Another thing of course EUSA is not happy about – guaranteed big business for Russia for decades).
It is total nonsense that a plant can take 25 years or longer to build. Now if they can come up with a good molten salt design, and use up the whole world’s fatal stockpiles of waste…..cheap non-fossil power with no waste disposal problems
Saker, please don’t use mediafire to host your podcast, because it requires javascript, has an annoying wait, and you will lose your files when the company go out of business.
Please upload your podcast to the Internet Archive instead, they are a well known non profit organization and have archive of the web way back to 1997, their bandwidth is great and your audio files will last for ever.
https://archive.org/details/audio
https://www.archive.org/upload/
A video of an interview with Putin held on November 13. The interview was with the German ARD channel. It has an English soundtrack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oT5zxIUzjA
@ Penepole
another problem for France. If the African colonies become truly independent, they are former colonies. Which means all their inhabitants are entitled to move to France. They have enough problems with all the Algerians there. It is easier to make sure the trouble stays home.
Of course another possible solution is to stop them being trouble,with the right sort of development. Hhmmm… where did we hear that before?
Of course again, that is a big ask of a country with chronic 12% unemployment, chronic rural working poverty and up to 75% tax rates, which still has not worked out that these figures are circularly connected.
Anonymous said…
There is a rumor on Ukie media saying that Givi is under arrest in Donetsk.
Must not be in a basement. He just posted on his Facebook 4 hours ago saying “Nothing serious ever happens to Givi” in reply to concerns about him after the big airport attack.
another Anonymous said…
Putin’s Loss of German Trust Seals the West’s Isolation of Russia.
After a night spent debating the Ukraine crisis with the Russian President, German Chancellor Angela Merkel came out more determined than ever to push the Kremlin out of Eastern Europe.
She has to put a good faced for her public, you know. If she comes out with an opposite view they’ll start on about how he seduced her or something. She knows a lot of her country wants to let up the sanctions. So she came out tough as ever, and will let “someone else” persuade her to change her mind, in a week or two.
yet another Anonymous said…
I suppose it would be impossible to drop all the old fashioned political rhetoric against one opponents using invective such as nazi, anglo Jewish etc. etc
Good idea and you are quite right. Let us stop using adjectives. They are emotional buzzwords which waste space. Noise in our ears. Let’s just use the nouns and talk sense.
ALL ANONYMOUSES — this is stupid. Please choose the NAME/URL option and pick a name. That is it,no URL needed, no email needed. Just a name to shows on your post, so everyone knows who they’re quoting or talking to.
Greived: I’m not depreciating the value of gold, have said I think it a good idea for govs to amass it. My comment wass that China & Russia are trading w each other using their own currencies & don’t need to use gold in these transactions. I was somewhat belittling the “Putin’s Golden Trap” article cuz it inaccurately says they are trading w each other in gold. I’m not going to go thru its other inaccuracies. The silliest one is that Putin has somehow entrapped US into short selling gold. For those who want an accurate article on the subject Paul Craig Roberts has writen on his topic. Russia is simply one of many countries that avail themselves of the lower price for gold that US has engineered.
To: Grieved 20 November, 2014 06:12 and others
A relative of mine says several new goldmines are already bancrupt. That means we can’t expect a sudden increase in the supply of gold. Gold has been an instrument of power for a long time and it is possible the price is kept artificially low to prop up the dollar. He also says China and India have been buying gold recently. It makes sense to buy gold when it is cheap, especially if it is to be used as a currency in international trade.
The worlds central banks are very powerful. They cooperate in BIS, the Bank of International Settlements, the bank of the central banks. Interestingly, BIS has its own currency backed by gold, an old Swiss goldbased franc. It is not fiat money. BIS has some private owners, but central banks are also owners. Some may remember the UK CB sold lots of gold when the price was low and some other central banks did the same. It was all about the dollar rate.
The key point is if BRICS and other countries replace the petrodollar with gold or their own currencies. That is already happening to some extent, but China has an interest in a strong dollar [read a weak renmimbi/yuan] to stimulate exports and protect investments in the US. Euroland has the same interest. Saudi Arabia, too, as I understand it. The US will do all it can to defend the petrodollar. I am not an expert on currencies, but I think the dollar is safe for the time being.
Russia can exchange dollars for gold, but it can’t take down the dollar alone. It is not enough to look at the third quarter, we need to see if the trend continues and we need to know if others follow, not only by buying gold,but by dropping the dollar.
If the price of gold is not artificially lowered again, Russia can go on buying cheap gold. If the price goes up, Russia is also rewarded. If the price falls, Russias CB will be hurt, but also many other central banks. Don’t forget the world economy already suffers.
What I find interesting is the signal Moscow sends to Washington, if the report is true and the trend continues. Moscow plays a card. The US can nip this thing in the bud, but it will probably cost a deal over Ukraine. If Washington fears Russia has started an avalanche, we can expect good news.
Gold is and has always been a currency. Those who run the world can use it to control other currencies. Decades ago, the Swiss Franc and the Deutsche Mark were also powerful tools. I remember when the Mark went up and up, but German exporters adapted and got more efficient and the German economy thrived. Denmark and Austria went through a similar, but more difficult process, in the 1980s.
Those who think a weak currency can save the economy need to know a weak currency only favours exporting companies. The books look good, but the country as a whole must work more to buy less foreign goods. Exporting companies are happy, but the people suffers. Sooner or later, this is something China will have to deal with and the weak rubel is a real problem for Russian people.
The West must hate that Dr.Seselj was released from the Hague and returned to Serbia.He held a huge pro-Russian rally in Belgrade in support of Novorossia and union of Serbia and Russia.I hear the EU told Serbia they had to put sanctions on Russia if they planned on joining the EU.And the Serbian PM refused to do it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV5xcNpWbuY#t=329
Thankyou, YONOTAN. The link to Putin’s ARD interview was exactly what I wanted.
Outrageous story on Russia’s journal-neo:
“delivery of the ships is contingent on two conditions being met: a ceasefire in Ukraine and a peace deal between the Kiev regime and Moscow.
http://journal-neo.org/2014/11/20/the-mistral-affair-breach-of-contract-or-hostile-act/
When the world loses faith in a reserve currency:
There will be two options until stabilization:
gold as a standard or accepting IMF issued
security paper ( for the EU and USA). Putin and others are just hedging their bets that when the West blows its economic system out from under everyone again, gold will be a good thing to have in the international arena. root’n for Putin!
mediafire was ok on my work mac and home pc thank you. But whatever suits most.
“What these critics apparently fail to understand is that I can discuss somebody’s views or situation without necessarily endorsing or betraying that person.”
Aristotle taught that the sign of a civilized mind was that it could entertain (examine) an idea without accepting it.
As for voting… 40+ yrs ago and I entered a polling station for the first time. I spoiled my ballot, and never returned. Voting just encourages them.
Erebus
Really Excellent Article on the Massacre of the People of the Donbas
Meet Ukraine’s Master Mass-Murderer: Dmitriy Yarosh
by Eric Zuesse
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/eric-zuesse/59671/meet-ukraine-s-master-mass-murderer-dmitriy-yarosh
China and Russia Military Strategic Cooperation
Even the controlled, biased, distorted media FT has a good piece (in the sense of the facts not the slant and demonization embedded by order of the FT overlords.)
China and Russia in naval co-operation vow:
Military Ties
Comparison of Navies in info graphic.
List of Historical dates on relationship developments.
Must be terrifying to the Hegemon.
I really like how you phrased this… I always say voting is the illusion of choice… of utmost importance for the FERAL gov tho, it keeps the natives subdued, thinking they have input… 6) US elections: I am not a US citizen, so I don’t get to vote anyway. If I did, I still would not vote. The choice of a lesser evil is still a choice for evil. It is also a de-facto endorsement of the legitimacy of the system. Can I recommend to those interested in this issue to read an old post of mine entitled
PARTNERSHIP 101
What is partnership between countries?
Why do Putin and Lavrov use the term over and over in their speeches and comments?
The concept of “partnership” originated at the end of the Cold War, when NATO implemented the “Partnership for Peace program” to build trust with non-NATO countries.
“Partnership refers to a type of international cooperative relationship between countries (regions, organizations) based on mutual trust, within the framework of which the entities cooperate in political, economic, scientific, cultural and other areas.”
So, it is the kind of “talking to enemies” Saker described the Militia was doing with the Ukie military, and what historically he pointed out was a cultural attribute of Russians.
It is thus, very proper discourse and logical.
Naturally, in the Western mind, everything is black or white, enemy or friend, with no room for any course of action other than conflict.
It is embodied in the national idioms of the US. “Take him out”, “Shock and Awe”, “Rendition”, “Regime Change” “Targeted Drone Strikes” and America’s all purpose “War on (fill in the blanks) Drugs, Terror, Global Warming, Poverty, Racism)
It is foreign policy. (Send in the diplomats who run the color revolutions, subvert and destabilize and then stand off and bomb if all else doesn’t work).
Thus, soft power technique is to be legal, precise and engaged. Quoting the NATO protocol is holding a mirror to the beasts.
China and Russia are preparing for the worst while promoting ‘partnerships’ with nations in all regions.
The Hegemon and its vassals threaten, wage economic and proxy wars, sponsor violent “democratic” revolution and create war zones with proxy armies in every region they can.
(And none of this is hyperbole.)
Putin is too much legalistic forgetting that as Russian his country’s interest lies in killing those lwas which wete imposed by anglos for the benefit of anglos only.
he is too placid and burocratic to be a real politician and leader at the war time that Russia finds herself in because of his vacillations abd indecision.
I am concerned about the news of Strelkov’s latest interview, in which he purportedly admits complete responsibility for the starting of the war in Donbass, stating that were it not for him and his forces moving in from Russia, the Donbass region would have remained at peace, much as did Karkov and Odessa. The implication is that several thousand tragic civilian deaths could have been avoided, were it not for Strelkov’s intervention. It also implies that the residents of Donbass, if left to their own, would not have supported the current civil war. It casts doubt as well on the entire moral basis for the NAF resistance and independence movement. To Western supporters of Novorossiya, this is rather unsettling.
However, none of it means Kiev has pursued a legitimate policy, nor that the fault is entirely Strelkov’s. Were there not grad emplacements aimed at Slavyansk before his intervention? Were these not already in place at the time Poroshenko was elected? And did they not constitute a military provocation demanding a military response? This is not even to mention the atrocities of Odessa and Mariupol.
Illegal as Poroshenko’s government is, and weak as his mandate due to poor election turnout, the only legitimate policy toward Donbass would have been reparation, representation and diplomacy. Truckloads of missiles aimed at Slavyansk was certainly not diplomatic, and constituted a crime by international convention.
The issue seems more complicated than ever.
On eve of Biden’s visit to Kiev, Russia warns US against supplying arms
Swiss envoy to OSCE citing reports of military buildup said, “the outlook is still bleak”
(Reuters) – Russia warned the United States on Thursday against supplying arms to Ukrainian forces fighting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, hours before U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden was due to arrive in Kiev.
[.]Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in Moscow that a U.S. official’s suggestion Washington should consider sending arms to Ukraine, where pro-Russian rebels have been fighting government forces since April, sent a “very serious signal”.
Lukashevich cautioned against “a major change in policy of the (U.S.) administration in regard to the conflict” in Ukraine.
“That (would be) a direct violation of agreements reached, including (agreements reached) with the participation of the United States,” he said.[.]
Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s envoy to a Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine, cited reports of new military buildup. “The outlook is still bleak,” she said.[.]
@Anonymous
Russian corruption puts an estimated 30% tax on goods in Russia.
Wonder what American corruption, monopolism, taxes to support an insane ambition to rule the world, and offshoring of jobs, capital and technology, cost the American consumer.
Current chaos and ‘anomie’
On Iran, why Ashton? Ms Mogherini is now the head of EU foreign office, but for the Iran talks she’s been passed over and the dossier’s gone back to Ashton. In what capacity, prithee? What does it mean? And what fo the Iranians make of it all? Italy humiliated, for one thing.
If I’m not mistaken, Juncker as president was a compromise deal between the so-called left and the so-called right (what a choice! These guys must be short on talent!).
ECB chief Draghi is doing QE, which the ECB statute prohibits.
The EU makes its rules up as it goes along.
http://www.imolaoggi.it/2014/11/20/summit-iran-nucleare-perche-la-ashton-al-posto-della-mogherini/
Anarchy in the EU, on the one hand, and, on the other, Ukraine’s troops fire warning shot toward OSCE observers on 18 November as they proceeded toward a village without water or electricity (the observers had just recently confirmed that Kiev has been shelling civilians)
http://www.osce.org/ukraine-smm/126925
Ugly witch Ashton is an english pirate spy and all troubles are created by the english nation.
english are parasites on world and on Europe.
english must be evicted from europe
The mother of a Gay person I know took offense at the police cracking up about the tranny… Said it proved ‘repression’. I pointed out that would most likely be the same reaction(shown or hidden) exhibited by any urban US police department officer except perhaps a gay officer and pointed her to the recent post about the West’s sexual repression problem.
@ Penelope – 03:45
Absolutely correct what you wrote about Germany.
But Komossas book is nit banned.
One can easily get it.
I have it on my bookshelfs too.
Just look for:
Suchergebnis auf Amazon.de für: komossa die deutsche karte
Samantha
Findable with any search engine, but here documents just a few of the more high profile public screechings Mccain has done over the last short while admitting his complicity with ISIS/IS/Daesh:
http://www.voltairenet.org/article185980.html
At the beginning of the interview, he criticized an article about the precariousness of a cease-fire between “moderate” and “extremist” groups. Then he claims to be familiar with the situation on the ground and, referring to his experience in Vietnam, he defends the idea of relying on all the “rebels” to overthrow the Syrian Arab Republic. To do this, he reveals having met the leaders of Daesh (unlike Ron Paul), and to be in permanent contact with them.
To Grieved….06.12 20-11-14
Part 1
This and other comments I have posted on other threads..recently I wrote..
“Gold and silver have been,and still are ‘Political’ metals,conveniently, now traded as currency pairs since they were given ISO numbers [XAU & XAG], just like USD,AUD,GBP etc,etc.
There is lots of fiat money profit to be made on the comex,but in terms of quantity it is a sideshow!.
The OTC [over the counter] markets are opaque and the FX [foreign exchange] trading is huge, somewhere around 5 trillion a day.
I usually watch the Kitco charts, where you can see the USD [$US] ramped and gold and silver dumped in lockstep.
Some call that a market,I call it a fake/fraud market,where HFT traders front run and essentially skim…large banks pay fines for rigging LIBOR…rigging gold options against clients interest and… forex rigging, whats next?.
Before the ‘London Gold Pool’, long before ‘Bretton Woods’…way back to WWI,first gold,then silver have been ‘managed’ by two organizations set up by the UK and US treasuries.
In Britain it is known as The ‘Exchange Equalisation Account’
In the US it is called ‘The Exchange Stabilization Fund’,
setup to LEGALLY intervene in the markets when the UK/US treasuries need to support their currencies.”