It's not Russia, it's Putin

[Unseen]

@Robert

The amazing thing to me is why Russia—a huge country with lots of resources ranging from fossil fuels to timber to mineral resources including gold and silver—doesn’t have a more powerful economy and why its people aren’t as prosperous as Americans and German.

Russia is in that small handful of major nations that can claim to be, at least potentially, totally self-sufficient, along with the U.S., Canada, Brazil perhaps, and China. Yet, it’s only the 11th largest economy. Heck, Italy, with a tiny faction of Russia’s land mass, and Canada, with one fourth the population, have higher GDPs. Something’s wrong in Russia.

[jakelafort]

Yeah why?

Well Russia has a history of being backwards. In war they were always behind in weaponry. Without Peter the Great their efforts to catch up to the west would have taken even longer. Serfdom lasted a long long time. The Romanovs were vicious. The Revolution was vicious. Communism sucked. The people are diverse. The land mass is massive. It is like their is a disconnect. On the other hand Russia was balls to the wall against Germany in the second WW. Unbelievable sacrifice! That was a unifying event. But otherwise i have a feeling there is a lot of indepenedent sentiment. Vodka is a friend to the unhappy Russians.

Completely different from say China and Japan which got shit on by the west but said fuck you. The Yellow man is the man who can. Anything you can do we can do better.Those nations industrialized in the blink of an eye. And while both nations have a wealth of ethnic diversity not the least is the hairy Ainu; yet there is something closer to homogeneity and cultural uniformity or singularity of purpose. Work till you drop, work is your life. Your life is work. If that does not work for you take a dive off a cliff. Or come to USA and open a restaurant and keep workers in your cellar. In Kharkov the winters are cold and the desolation is both geographical and mental.

[TheEncogitationer]

Robert,

Try not to make any presumptions about Wayne Bennett. For all we know, he may be like me, double-vaxxed and double-boosted for COVID-19, plus vaxxed for annual Flu and Pneumonia, Shingles, Hep A, Hep B, and waiting for the vax for the rest of the Alphabet and Common Cold, Cancer, and HIV.

He just may be rightly concerned about his freedom to fight against the next batch of Fresh Hell the world may throw at us.

Don’t knock ’em. Concern for Constitutional Rights was once called “Classically Liberal” and people with this position would be the last to join Milgram’s 37:

Peter Gabriel–We Do What We’re Told (Milgram’s 37)

[Unseen]

@Jake

While not as impressive as America’s war production of tanks and planes, Russia exceeded the production of Germany several times over. Of course, they did it with slave labor, but hey, ya do what ya gotta do to win, right?

One of Putin’s biggest problems is the lack of enthusiasm for the war not only on the streets of his country but among the rank and file soldiers. Maybe even among his military leaders.

Of course, as it becomes clear to Americans that it’s not the President but this war that’s largely behind our inflation problem, Biden may have streets full of peaceniks demanding an end.

A negotiated settlement might give Putin a face-saving way out, but like politicians of both parties, Biden also has to listen to the military-industrial complex who wants the war to go on forever because they are making money hand over fist as quickly as The US Mint can print it.

[TheEncogitationer]

PopeBeanie,

Meanwhile yes, eco-activists that fly jet planes or sponsor large conventions inevitably attract the “whatabout…” discreditors<

“Whataboutism” is a fallacy of distracting from a legitimate subject of an argument. Otherwise, pointing out hypocrisy while also focusing on the legiiimate subject of an argument is not “Whataboutism,” but WhatTheFuckism, which is the very rational insistence that people live by the standards they set for everybody else.

And the “All Lives Matter” whatabout response to BLM comes from a shamelessly, intentionally clueless lot, giving hate tacit permission to carry on. (They must know that’s what they’re doing, right? Seems a lot of us can just keep ourselves naive, while welcoming confirmation bias.)

In case you haven’t got the news, the Black Lives Matter organization is a big rip-off grift that has given it’s founders mansions and personal piggy banks, but hasn’t done one thing to stop police brutality, uphold racial equality, or increase opportunity for the very people they claim to support.

Black Lives Matter exec accused of stealing $10M in lawsuit
BY BRAD DRESS – 09/05/22 9:57 AM ET

Black Lives Matter exec accused of stealing $10M in lawsuit

Think of all the homes that could have got for the homeless or lawsuits for real victims of police brutality, or micro-loans for business start-ups or guns and security systems for crime-plagued ghetto residents that could have bought!

Sadly, the Cavalry is not coming. Whether any life matters depends on the one who has it and what they do to make it matter.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by TheEncogitationer. Reason: Posted before completing the thought

[—]

TheEncogitationer wrote:

In case you haven’t got the news, the Black Lives Matter organization is a big rip-off grift that has given it’s founders mansions and personal piggy banks, but hasn’t done one thing to stop police brutality, uphold racial equality, or increase opportunity for the very people they claim to support. Black Lives Matter exec accused of stealing $10M in lawsuit BY BRAD DRESS – 09/05/22 9:57 AM ET

Every time Black Lives Matters comes up you rush to point this out, but it’s never relevant. No one was talking about the BLMGF, specifically. BLM is a much larger movement. And even local chapters of BLM affiliated with BLMGF operate autonomously. But even if that weren’t the case and the allegations were true (which may not be the case), the ideas espoused don’t become wrong as a result.

[_Robert_]

TheEncogitationer wrote:

Try not to make any presumptions about Wayne Bennett. For all we know, he may be like me, double-vaxxed and double-boosted for COVID-19, plus vaxxed for annual Flu and Pneumonia, Shingles, Hep A, Hep B, and waiting for the vax for the rest of the Alphabet and Common Cold, Cancer, and HIV.

Enco,

Unfortunately, the guy was just another victim of the anti-science party.

https://www.sorryantivaxxer.com/post/wayne-bennett-71-brunswick-ga-fervid-shagger-anti-vaxxer-dead-from-covid

Anywhoos, that great Peter Gabriel song has always been one of my favorites!

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

On reading the Darwin Award from the SAV link above I too had a different picture painted in my head before I read it fully. Shag and shagger have a different meaning here in Ireland. (Yes, you are correct). Yesterday I heard some girls say that “Colin Farrell is still a shag” or as I once said to a Christian brother in school; “Go away you dirty sheep shagger” when he attacked me for not ratting another student out. I know Brunswick, GA a little and I had never heard of a “fervid shagger” before. Maybe they only come out on Thursday nights 🙂

 

[TheEncogitationer]

Reg,

Yes, Shag is a form of dance done to the cadence of what’s called

Beach Music or Carolina Beach Music
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_music

It is extremely popular in North and South Carolina and parts of Georgia and now via the Internet, it is cross-pollinated with other genres of music and dance worldwide.

The other “shagging” with which you are familiar doubtless does occur afterwards in nearby beach coves, cars, hotels, campgrounds, and other traditional venues of vice and vim and vigor. 😈

• This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by TheEncogitationer. Reason: Spelling

[Unseen]

Reg the Fronkey Farmer wrote:

On reading the Darwin Award from the SAV link above I too had a different picture painted in my head before I read it fully. Shag and shagger have a different meaning here in Ireland. (Yes, you are correct). Yesterday I heard some girls say that “Colin Farrell is still a shag” or as I once said to a Christian brother in school; “Go away you dirty sheep shagger” when he attacked me for not ratting another student out. I know Brunswick, GA a little and I had never heard of a “fervid shagger” before. Maybe they only come out on Thursday nights 🙂

“To shag” means about the same thing in American colloquial usage. It’s hardly the most common term with that meaning, but I’m sure most Americans know it.

 

[TheEncogitationer]

Autumn,

Every time Black Lives Matters comes up you rush to point this out, but it’s never relevant. No one was talking about the BLMGF, specifically. BLM is a much larger movement. And even local chapters of BLM affiliated with BLMGF operate autonomously. But even if that weren’t the case and the allegations were true (which may not be the case), the ideas espoused don’t become wrong as a result.

What you say has a note of familiarity. I’ve heard it constantly said about Christianity, Religion in general, Marxism and every flavor of Socialism, and every other goalpost-moving, “Each Office Independently Owned and Operated” movement imaginable.

[TheEncogitationer]

Autumn,

Rush wasn’t singing against “The Big Money” but rather singing that it was a tool that can do good (“sometimes building ivory towers, sometimes knocking castles down”) or bad (“Big Money leaves a bruise…It’s a fool on television, getting paid to play the fool.”). A realistic perspective.

[TheEncogitationer]

Unseen,

Of course, as it becomes clear to Americans that it’s not the President but this war that’s largely behind our inflation problem, Biden may have streets full of peaceniks demanding an end.

Uh, that’s not clear because that’s not true.

Inflation is more money chasing fewer goods and the latest bout of inflation started after the “stimulus” checks poured money into the economy and people laid out of work to live off of the checks, causing shortages of good. This was before Putin’s war, which then afterwards exacerbated shortages of fuel and grain.

And Peaceniks are clearly ginned up and partizan. We’re still in Iraq after 20 years, yet Code Pink was nowhere to be found after Obama was Enaugurated.

A negotiated settlement might give Putin a face-saving way out, but like politicians of both parties, Biden also has to listen to the military-industrial complex who wants the war to go on forever because they are making money hand over fist as quickly as The US Mint can print it.

Settlement have a place in war, but not necessarily for letting the enemy save face. When an enemy retreats, the enemy has to exert at least as much energy getting out as getting in, so it adds to their loss. Also, the enemy drops their guard and can be pincered later. 😎

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

@Enco- It is extremely popular in North and South Carolina and parts of Georgia.

I spend 3-4 weeks a year in GA and I have never heard the term. I will be there again for Thanksgiving this year and I will remember to ask about it when I am having some fried Okra………….now I have a very weird word association in my mind which will be difficult to break! Bless your heart Enco 🙂

[_Robert_]

One thing for sure is the Fed will raise rates until we have enough recession to bring inflation back to around 3%. They overdid it with the money supply to protect the economy but remember inflation does lower the national debt value so the Fed might take its sweet time. This will hurt all highly speculative assets like crypto (sorry El Salvadore), SPACS, silly MEME stocks. Not necessarily a bad thing when the over-greedy get smacked down. Cleans out most of the marginal endeavors. If we start having layoffs, then they went too far up, too fast.

If we actually reach 5% on fixed (bonds or CDs) next year, I am sure many old boomers will be all over that.

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