Flyguy330
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Posts posted by Flyguy330
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I have to agree with the posters who predict a coup in the USA. Trump is moving too fast, saying too many stupid things, and alienating too many allies.
I wouldn't be in the least surprised if someone close to him bumps him off in the near future.
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5 hours ago, SunnyinBangrak said:
You are clearly an expert on tariffs and macro economics.
No, I'm not an economist, but I'll have a go;
QuoteCan you explain how when China puts tariffs on imports it benefits the Chinese economy. Nobody claims otherwise.
I guess the answer is that China has been in a process of industrialisation over the last 35 years. They were using tariffs to shelter their growing industries in a low demand domestic economy, and prevent a monstrous trade deficit. Whereas the US is a post-industrial nation, where they've already shipped out their heavy industries. It'll take time to rebuild them to service huge domestic demand, but that seems to be the intent. In the short term the demand for the products will remain high in the US, so the effect will be shortages, and higher prices for quite a few years.
QuoteWhen the EU puts tariffs on imports it protects EU farmers and benefits the EU.
The EU is pretty self sufficient in food supply and can do without foreign imports, at least in the staples. The imposition of tariffs on Canada will stifle the supply of fertilizer into the US (or at least making it much more expensive). Canada supplies something like 70% of fertilizer to the US. Food prices will rise as a result.
QuoteWhen any country imposes tariffs on imports it benefits their economies. Nobody argues otherwise.
I think I'd argue otherwise! It all depends on the trade balance between countries, and the ability to satisfy domestic demand without imports.
I'm happy to be proven wrong. I'm actually fascinated to see what will happen. I'm running out of popcorn! No tariffs (yet) on that.
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Trump does seem to have this obsession with Tariffs. Put a Tariff on everybody else and it will solve all your trade issues!
Most Economists reject his plan, saying it will blowback on US consumers and pump their cost of living higher.
So where did Trump get this idea from?
David McWilliams is an Irish economist, journalist and radio presenter. He has made a rather good podcast which explains the source of Trump's idea very entertainingly. It's definitely worth a listen - you'll learn a lot.
Hint: Remember Trump going on about Mount McKinley, and how it's name should never have been changed? How is this connected to tariffs? Listen and learn!
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4 hours ago, candide said:
It was not an helicopter but a jet flying over Turkish territory despite being warned 10 times. It was unfortunate but there had been several airspace violation by Russia previously. It was obvious that Putin would not have started a war for that.
Turkey colluded in the rise of ISIS in Syria by allowing foreign jihadists free passage. Like that bitch Begum and her little bitch friends (may they burn in hell). Under Erdogan Turkey is a proto Islamist state. Turkey deserves to be whacked actually. He plays both sides, like a typical islamist always does. NATO ally my ar5e. That's why the debate about defending him from Russia was contentious. Nobody in Europe fancies burning for Erdogan.
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Oh sure. Continue throwing men into the meat grinder - why not, got loads to spare eh?!
That's not leadership. That's sheer arrogance.
I remember as a kid watching UK TV shows about Soviet strategy for the defeat of Europe in a conventional war. It was all about vast mechanised ranks of the Red Army sweeping in out of the East, with no hope of Europe stopping them, except by resorting to nukes, and then game over for everyone. We believed it. It was terrifying.
Now look what we've seen. The 'blitzkrieg' that was meant to defeat puny Kiev in 3 days has ground on for 3 years. No all defeating mechanised Red Army - their tanks only looked spectacular in how high the turrets could fly. They ground to a halt and took to the trenches. They have no answer to drone warfare. It's all a pathetic shadow of what was hyped. Russia has gained ground, but lost respect as a super power.
Yes, he's a pariah now - and sure, his remaining support will come from Brics, but with them too the RESPECT they had for the Russian army in the past has surely faded. They've seen it reduced to a farce. China has had territorial disputes with Russia for years. They aren't necessarily best buddies forever.
And never forget the Wagner episode. That almost ended it.
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23 hours ago, newbee2022 said:
I said it already:
Put yourself in Putin's shoes. Once.
To respect Russian's security sphere would have been an easy way to secure peace. But Nato extended there influence up to Russian borders.
Was it a good idea?
What do you think US would do if Russia would extend their influence (politically and economically) up to Mexico?
Clapping hands??🥺
For a long time I liked Putin. He seemed to be one of the sanest leaders in the world. Watch his Oliver Stone interview and you can see why.
Remember how Russia handled the World Cup in 2018? Brits were interviewed expressing trepidation before going there for the games. After they got there they were full of praise for the friendly reception they got, and the efficiency of how it was all run. There was a huge opportunity to improve relations with Russia in that moment.
It was Russia that obliterated ISIS in Syria in Dec 2017, when the US was egging the jihadists on because they fitted the the US main agenda to unseat Assad (at the demand of Netanyahu).
Assad was a secular leader - ISIS were rabid Jihadists, out to murder all non muslims. Putin did what the US couldn't/wouldn't, he defeated ISIS in Syria, all credit to him.
You might remember things got even more tense then when Turkish jets shot down some Russian helicopters in Syria at the end of the conflict, killing Russian pilots and soldiers. There was instant panic - the debate in The West was whether NATO allies should step up to fight for Turkey when the inevitable Russian retaliation occurred. There was talk of what that would lead to - rapid escalation to nuclear war with Russia was strongly predicted.
Then a pic came out showing Erdogan and Putin shaking hands and smiling. Putin kept a cool head and brought us back from the brink.
Can you imagine what would have happened if the boot had been on the other foot? Would the Yanks have restrained themselves? I really doubt it. They'd have retaliated, whatever the outcome.
So I gave Putin a lot of credit for calmness in the face of Western/NATO provocation.
That's why I was shocked and depressed when I saw him invade Ukraine.
Whatever the provocation, he should never have fallen into the trap laid by NATO (under direction of the US). He blew it. He lost the head. I lost my respect for him.
His army has been defeated and degraded, and he is now a pariah in much of the world. All part of the plan no doubt.
Such a pity.
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13 hours ago, Jingthing said:
He's not in control of what the Malaysian government does and also his target audience are the very wealthy who can handle any financial requirements anywhere. He maintains a part time residence in KL and usually spends a third of the year there. He does tend to push having three residences abroad so you never become a tax resident anywhere.
As I said - and you didn't read - the Malaysian Gov pulled the initial offer because applications crashed - nobody wanted it. It was 5hit.
The ultra wealthy didn't get rich by being mugs like you imagine they are.
Toodle-oo.
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IMHO the latest pronouncements from Trump/Vance are indeed a wake-up call to Europe and NATO. And I think it's a good thing too. Here's why.
Post WW2, the beginning of the Cold War, and NATO formation, the Hegemony of the USA has defined politics in The West. The USA was very enthusiastic to see itself as the worlds SuperPower, and was ready to spend blood and treasure to maintain a claim to that throne. There was plenty of money to be made too, not to mention power projection over its allies as well as its enemies.
As a result what did the world get? Decades of proxy wars, nuclear standoff, American expansionism, and global terrorism fed by US policies in the ME.
With the fall of the Soviet Union, America consolidated its global hegemony and enjoyed the spoils it brought. There was little or no complaint from the US establishment about the costs back then, it was all part of the money-go-round the MIC was riding high on.
Some of you pointed to the 'bloated' social security system Europe set up. Well YES! They did! As a young man I looked at the poverty and deprivation and decay in the US and wondered how the richest nation in the world could suffer it. My seniors simply pointed out that Europe spent money on social services, and the US spent its money on guns and bombs, and built big jails for their poor. As long as Big Business and the Military Industrial Complex thrived, keeping the elites wealthy, and US Hegemony unchallenged - to hell with those bums.
But lately - probably starting with Covid, and US defeat in Afghanistan - Americans have woken up to whats been going on around them, they've suffered economically, seen military disaster, and had wokeism shoved down their throats. They've finally said 'enough', and - like him or not - believed in Trump's promises as the solution to their woes. So they voted for THAT PROMISE en masse. Now he's delivering exactly what they voted for. Massive Change.
Trump's promise to Make America Great Again *may* improve a lot of things back home for Americans. But it will come at the cost of America's Hegemony in the wider world. We see it now in his attitude to NATO, and how he treats his 'allies' in Europe. We see it in his demands on their military spending, and his expressed aims of grabbing the resources he needs for his plans at home.
So the Post WW2 order is coming to an end, and yes it's a good thing, because instead of The West being a junior partner, tied to American Hegemony (a role they've become all too comfortable with) they will now have to stand on their own feet, and cut the umbilical to the US. That means, yes, more spending on military preparedness - but not necessarily at the levels Trump has demanded, because The West will in future be able to ignore America's demands for involvement in its war mongering around the globe. No more Libya's, no more Iraq's or Afghanistans, no war with Iran (an American/Israli obsession). Europe can determine its own place in the world, and let America go to hell, as it should.
America (under Trump, and probably his immediate successors) will claim victory, wallow in their home spent wealth (for a while), and gradually withdraw into the old isolationism they enjoyed pre WW1. There'll be a chance of global peace at last. It will eventually dawn on the US that they have become largely irrelevant in the Great Game as China and BRICS become the new SuperPowers.
The US will only be 'important' because it has a nuclear arsenal - which it won't use. Nobody will be interested in invading a dormant nuthouse.
Meanwhile Europe will grow up and improve its own national defenses, a European Defence Force is highly likely, and another good thing too.
As for the threat from Russia - I believe that without a bellicose USA pulling the strings things will settle down a lot between Europe and Russia, and anyway, after its performance in Ukraine the Russian military has shown itself to be a complete paper tiger, being tied down to 'trench warfare' for nearly 3 years by a country with a fraction of its population.
So carry on Trumpy, break their balls, focus on building your beach resorts in Palestine. Good luck with that.
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Digi Nomad was pushing the Malaysian Visas program post Covid as being a great new deal. It was a 5hit deal actually, and so bad the Malaysian Gov finally admitted so, pulled it, and went back to the drawing board.
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'Ocasio-Cortez urged Democrats to “blow this place up.” (The Senate).
Mere RHETORIC of course....
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/05/senate-democrats-trump-musk-resistance-012557
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In addition to propping up far-left corporate media outlets like Politico and the BBC with taxpayer funds, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has funneled half a billion dollars to a secretive non-governmental organization operating a global news propaganda matrix.
WikiLeaks published the bombshell report in the overnight hours that shows the massive taxpayer-funded state propaganda network - operating as a shady NGO - called "Internews Network":
USAID has pushed nearly half a billion dollars ($472.6m) through a secretive US government financed NGO, "Internews Network" (IN), which has "worked with" 4,291 media outlets, producing in one year 4,799 hours of broadcasts reaching up to 778 million people and "training" over 9000 journalists (2023 figures). IN has also supported social media censorship initiatives.
The operation claims "offices" in over 30 countries, including main offices in US, London, Paris and regional HQs in Kiev, Bangkok and Nairobi. It is headed up by Jeanne Bourgault, who pays herself $451k a year. Bourgault worked out of the US embassy in Moscow during the early 1990s, where she was in charge of a $250m budget, and in other revolts or conflicts at critical times, before formally rotating out of six years at USAID to IN.
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8 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:Do you really think Elon Musk should be allowed to do that?
I understand and agree that the government should be more efficient. But the way this is handled is just not the right way. Musk and his team have way too much permissions - as far as I know often without security clearance.
I think Musk is the ideal guy to go after the same corrupt departments that went after him in an attempt to shut him down in 2024.
The tables have turned.
The boot is on the other foot.
The gloves are off.
Let them suck it up.
It's actually a great thing for Democracy in America and around the world. Corrupt officials and departments which use lawfare, and abuse their power and positions to victimise citizens, should remember that they may face the wrath of the law themselves one day.
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GET OUT OF OUR WAY! WE PAY YOU!
Cowards and liars.
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7 hours ago, Purdey said:Did the crowd then violently enter the GOVENMENT BUILDING?
Ah, so you accept that the words 'Fight Back' are mere rhetoric! For all except Trump.
QED.
By the way, I've seen video of a mob of Dems attempting to force entry to a Government building illegally (they were locked out) and they crowd around and abuse a lone security guard tasked with preventing their forced access. Quite abusive and threatening they were. I felt sorry for the security man and admired his bravery in facing the mob down on his own. These were not just any old civilians either, but elected members of the Democratic party. Shameful and disgusting. Hypocrites.
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Trump held a RALLY outside A GOVERNMENT BUILDING in Washington DC and called on the crowd to 'Fight back' against election theft by the incoming administration, gets accused of inciting a riot.
Article on the BBC website today states that Liz (Pocahontas) Warren held a RALLY outside A GOVERNMENT BUILDING in Washington DC and called on the crowd to 'Fight Back' against the incoming administration - Quote - "In the building behind me, Elon Musk is seizing power from the American people," she said last week at a rally outside the Treasury Department in Washington, DC. "We are here to fight back." BBC Report
I've said it before - I'm not a Trump fanboy. But the lies and misrepresentations, and the twisting of words, turned me off the Democratic Party and the MSM to the point that I felt sympathy for the OrangeMan!
The HYPOCRISY is sickening.
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....and then you woke up....
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Here's a better tour of Sunset Town.
Pay attention to the buildiong standards, the planting, the cleanliness, and especially the CLEAN AIR.
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I was quite specific. The area to see is Sunset Town, the south west of the island. Did you even watch the video?
You say you were there 3 years before Covid. So that's 2016'ish. The place was only being constructed then! It's ALL that new.
It was largely finished just as Covid struck in 2020 - and it was that which killed their big launch as a tourist resort.
The visitor numbers still had not recovered when I went last October.
Every building in the town is an exquisite reproduction in Italian style, right down to the many frescoes, murals and stonework. The streets are all beautifully cobble-stoned, there are working fountains and statues at every turn. The whole town is adorned with greenery, neatly trimmed bushes and trees, flowering plants of all kinds - and all perfectly kept. There is no rubbish, all is spotlessly clean. The maintenance of it all must cost an absolute fortune.
YES, it AMAZES ME because I've never seen any other part of Asia where the public infrastructure was maintained and beautified as carefully as Sunset Town.
Not even Singapore can match it in those terms.
The northern part of the island is largely jungle. Not worth visiting.
Yes P Q is quiet. That's WHY I love it. If you like being shoved around city attractions by busloads of tourists, fighting for seats in restaurants and bars, being harassed by hawkers and listening to raucous music and yelling of drunks - DO NOT go to P Q. You'll hate it.
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Well, there was that time I gave up drinking.
Worst eight hours of my life.....
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Phu Quoc, island on the west coast. Most amazing place I've visited in Asia.
Sunset Town is a must. But be warned - it isn't Vietnam. It's a purpose built Italian town, the authenticity of which is stunning. The folks who envisioned and built it deserve a lot of respect.
It's VERY quiet. Might not suit everybody - for me it was perfect, I hate crowds of tourists.
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OK, I finally went to a reputable aviation website about this controversy. 'Air andSpace Forces' magazine.
It clarifies that two C17's took off - with the proper clearances to land in Colombia - but their permission to enter Colombian airspace was 'revoked' before they reached the FIR boundary.
So there was no 'refused permission to land' during final approach, they were 'refused entry'.
A quote from the article states:
“It is the responsibility of each nation to take back their citizens who are illegally present in the United States in a serious and expeditious manner,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. “Colombian President Petro had authorized flights and provided all needed authorizations and then canceled his authorization when the planes were in the air.”
The link to the article is here: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-c-17s-first-deportation-flights-guatemala/
Refusal of entry is less of a problem than refusal to land at a late stage in the flight, but still highly irregular without serious valid justification.
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Just a few days ago I saw an interview with one of the first paramedics on the scene. He described (in French) that he found her on the floor of the vehicle, awake, and speaking. He started helping, then she went into cardiac arrest. He said they gave her cpr and she started breathing again, was taken out and put in the ambulance. The program then said 'she died on the way to the hospital'. Sure does sound convenient.
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47 then threatened Colombia with sanctions, and the price of coffee soared on commodity markets. I suspect there was also concern that Junior might have cried that his "habit" would cost more...sniff.....sniff.
The balance of trade is hugely in favour of the US. Colombia markets vast amounts of its products in the US. I'm sure the US could survive without Colombian coffee for a wee while.
A reduction in drugs flowing over the border is one of Trump's stated priorities.
Quote---China and Japan are discussing selling all of their US Treasury holdings, which amounts to $trillions. That could send US interest rates to the moon.
We've been hearing that threat for years. Still hasn't materialised. It's a double edged sword. If they start selling, their own holdings crash in value, wiping out their own treasuries.
Quote---China, Russia and other nations are talking about setting the yuan as the international currency to be used by the BRICS and even ASEAN, both in trade and as central bank reserves.
Heard that for years too. Every economist says the Yuan in circulation isn't a fraction of what's needed to replace the dollar. Be careful what you wish for, because if you think replacing Trump and the US with Xi and China you are in for a nasty surprise. Check out what China is doing in the South China Sea right now. Just yesterday they drove off Philippine shipping from one of the Spratleys using military force, ramming the other vessels. A bit more 'confrontational' than sending a C130 full of deportees back to their homeland on a properly documented flight, don't you think?
Maybe you've never been to China or lived there long enough to know what its like.
I have.
Quote---The US imports 35% of its oil from Canada, along with lots of wood products. The 25% tariff that will go into effect Saturday is going to raise prices at the pump as well as the cost of housing.
---The US imports heavy crude from Mexico, needed by US refineries that crack that style of petroleum. It's going to cost more.
True in the short term. In the long term that just gives his 'Drill Baby Drill' policy more justification and effect.
Quote----Many US automakers source parts from factories in Mexico. Production is going to slow, likely with US auto workers being laid off. Apparently MAGAs think new US factories can be built and go into production in an afternoon, rather than years.
I suppose they'll get jobs picking the cotton etc after the immigrants all leave.
Quote---The deportation orders have scared undocumented workers in the US. Yes, MAGAs, lots of undocumented people work, rather than rape and murder, as 47 likes to claim. Already many are not showing up to work, fearing capture and deportation. This is hitting the citrus groves, where it's harvest time. Expect prices at the grocery to surge.
---Undocumented migrants also work in US abattoirs, so if they stay off the job, the prices of pork, beet and chicken is going to go up a lot. Who is 47 going to blame when his KFC extra crispy bucket shoots up in price?
Luckily I don't live in the US. No skin off my nose.
As other posters here have said already - the American people were faced with a 5hitty choice - Bombast Trump, or Genocide Joe and his Marxist cohort. I don't have a US vote, but given that choice I'd have held my nose and voted Trump, knowing full well that the next 4 years would be like. At least the Woke Brigade would be ditched fast, as is happening.
Trump Joins the Axis. NATO Dead. WW111 Imminent?
in Political Soapbox
Posted
There's growing enthusiasm for the Trump adminstration to audit the Fort Knox Gold Reserves. It seems likely to happen, and probably should.
If it goes ahead there are 3 possible outcomes; 1. The Gold is all there at 999 fineness. 2. The Gold is low quality (995 fineness or less) - maybe even fake gold plated tungsten. 3. There is NO gold (it having been sold off years ago).
In scenarios 2 & 3 there will be panic in world currency markets, especially in scenario 3.
If the Dollar is revealed to have had zero backing (yes, the USD Gold Standard was dropped, but not the Gold Reserves backing) it's value will plunge. All of you Yanks living in Thailand on USD will see your USD wealth obliterated instantly. Thanks to Trump.
My gut feeling is the Gold is NOT in Fort Knox, or is fake/low qual. So if the audit goes ahead - hang onto your hats. Get ready to flee Thailand.