Seems he came to his senses a bit here

[frank83628]

3 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

You forgot he's burning through another billion on military upgrades to his ‘free’ Qatar flying palace — which won’t even be finished until after his term, but maybe just in time for his retirement.
 

The King was perfectly content with Air Force One in his first term. And his own bucket of bolts — a old 757 that once shuttled passengers for a Mexican budget airline.
 

The wasted billion hardly supports DOGE’s grand vision of eliminating the “tyranny of the bureaucracy,” saving taxpayer money, and reducing the national debt.
 

“I want my plane — let the taxpayers eat cake.”

The plane isn't for him personally

[frank83628]

1 hour ago, daveAustin said:

Put the Tom Clancy down dude. 🥴
Perhaps the typical one sided affair—Vietnam, Afghanistan et al—but not this one, which is no good for anyone and has the potential to go supernova. 

Yeah, then the UK France & the rest should stop with the BS trying to look tough and egging illegitimate zelensky on to fight

[Hamus Yaigh]

2 hours ago, frank83628 said:

So you accept and admit the west wants the war to continue then.

Only a person with severe critical thinking ability would agree such nonsense. The idea that Western countries are profiting directly from the war is a conspiracy theory, that a number of members on this forum seem to excel at for some reason, money to be made out of the advertising perhaps?

 

The West is primarily providing economic and military support to Ukraine to help it defend itself from Russian aggression.

[EVENKEEL]

2 hours ago, hotsun said:

In my unbiased opinion, i think russia deserves to be put in their place, and i think everyone should get involved

Will your sons be going off to war as well?

[BLMFem]

4 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

Yeah, then the UK France & the rest should stop with the BS trying to look tough and egging illegitimate zelensky on to fight

President Zelenski should be given limitless help in order to push the orcs back to their lair and defeat the illegal criminal despot in Moscow. Hopefully he will go the way the Ceaușescus did.

[Presnock]

10 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

of course they will, they already did twice for nothing other than a campaign slogan

Lets hope sanity prevails and the Dems never come back to power.

tell that to all the people who are about to lose their health insurance or medical benefits, plus those that have lost their jobs and those businesses having to close because they can't get stocks.  Meanwhile taking an oath to preserve and protect the US. Constitution is totally alien to him although he has taken that oath twice.  Unfortunately sanity hasn't prevailed since 20 January 2025. IMHO

[Presnock]

16 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

You forgot he's burning through another billion on military upgrades to his ‘free’ Qatar flying palace — which won’t even be finished until after his term, but maybe just in time for his retirement.
 

The King was perfectly content with Air Force One in his first term. And his own bucket of bolts — a old 757 that once shuttled passengers for a Mexican budget airline.
 

The wasted billion hardly supports DOGE’s grand vision of eliminating the “tyranny of the bureaucracy,” saving taxpayer money, and reducing the national debt.
 

“I want my plane — let the taxpayers eat cake.”

IMHO,Boeing and the security experts won't be able to complete the rehab during his lifetime which most likely will be shortened by this term.

[frank83628]

2 minutes ago, Hamus Yaigh said:

Only a person with severe critical thinking ability would agree such nonsense. The idea that Western countries are profiting directly from the war is a conspiracy theory, that a number of members on this forum seem to excel at for some reason, money to be made out of the advertising perhaps?

 

The West is primarily providing economic and military support to Ukraine to help it defend itself from Russian aggression.

Hahahahahahahaha, good one, , are there really people that still think like that.

 

So the UK haven't done any mining deals for their "support" in Ukriane?

Where did all Libyas gold go?

Who took control of Syrian oil?

Who profitted from destruction of NORD pipelines to EU?

 

 

[MicroB]

2 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

I've been around long enough to understand why wars happen, and who profits. My statement is that it was Putin's insanity that started this war. That the west wants it to go on to make money? Of course .

 

You have it the wrong way round. Putin runs a Kleptocratic State. He and his mob of thieving oligarchs have systematically robbed Russia, resulting in a country of 150 million having an economy now smalle When Putin came to power, he could have done good things for the Russian people. Instead, he did good things for himself.

 

The war gave him the perfect opportunity for further grift, through switching to a so-called war economy, further centralising money into the hands of his mates. Object to a factory being stripped of employees for the SMO or to go build tanks? Unpatrotic, lock him up. One of the 17% of Russian businesses going under? Good, more workers happy to earn a few kopeks screwing together non-existant 60 year old build tanks. 40% of Russian government spending is now in the defence sector. Its not going into the pockets of the squaddies; headline eye watering bonuses are not getting paid. That money, going straight to the oligarchs. They don't really care, as many of the squaddies are either minorities, and therefore undermenschen in the eyes of many Russian slavs, or stupid gopniks who deserve to go into the grinder.

 

I worked in the defence sector. We spent an awful lot of time looking to diversify into non-defence industries. Not because the board was a bunch of peaceniks. No, the reality is, if your two main customers are the DoD and UK MoD, they cut your margins to the bone, on the basis that if they buy from us, then surely all these other countries will follow suit, and we can add markups to the price on them (we did).

 

Much of the equipment supplied to Ukraine was already in service. That was defence money spent 20, 30 years ago. Getting rid of these systems reduces in service support, so saves the various defence departments money. Now it has to be replaced, or so the service chiefs hope. It doesn't always. There are new rounds of bids, programme funding etc.

 

If there is war profiteering going on, its on the Russian side. The Putin supporters here, if they are really Russian (I don't think they are), are just too stupid to understand their country is getting raped up the sphincter my men who have done this all their lives, laughing all the way to a Cayman Islands bank, with their Maltese passports. I hope Russians will wake up to this, and end Putin. Don't really care if he gets a fair trial or not.

 

 

[MicroB]

24 minutes ago, Hamus Yaigh said:

Only a person with severe critical thinking ability would agree such nonsense. The idea that Western countries are profiting directly from the war is a conspiracy theory, that a number of members on this forum seem to excel at for some reason, money to be made out of the advertising perhaps?

 

The West is primarily providing economic and military support to Ukraine to help it defend itself from Russian aggression.

 

I wouldn't bother debating with the Brit who is pretending to be a Russian.

[SunnyinBangrak]

24 minutes ago, BLMFem said:

President Zelenski should be given limitless help in order to push the orcs back to their lair and defeat the illegal criminal despot in Moscow. Hopefully he will go the way the Ceaușescus did.

Another dreamer that isn't aware of the MAD paradox. Excuse the use of an acronym.

[fredwiggy]

8 minutes ago, MicroB said:

 

You have it the wrong way round. Putin runs a Kleptocratic State. He and his mob of thieving oligarchs have systematically robbed Russia, resulting in a country of 150 million having an economy now smaller tha Spain (45 million and change), which started out 3 years ago as an economy smaller than Italy (population 66 million and change).

 

The war gave him the perfect opportunity for further grift, through switching to a so-called war economy, further centralising money into the hands of his mates. Object to a factory being stripped of employees for the SMO or to go build tanks? Unpatrotic, lock him up. One of the 17% of Russian businesses going under? Good, more workers happy to earn a few kopeks screwing together non-existant 60 year old build tanks. 40% of Russian government spending is now in the defence sector. Its not going into the pockets of the squaddies; headline eye watering bonuses are not getting paid. That money, going straight to the oligarchs. They don't really care, as many of the squaddies are either minorities, and therefore undermenschen in the eyes of many Russian slavs, or stupid gopniks who deserve to go into the grinder.

 

I worked in the defence sector. We spent an awful lot of time looking to diversify into non-defence industries. Not because the board was a bunch of peaceniks. No, the reality is, if your two main customers are the DoD and UK MoD, they cut your margins to the bone, on the basis that if they buy from us, then surely all these other countries will follow suit, and we can add markups to the price on them (we did).

 

Much of the equipment supplied to Ukraine was already in service. That was defence money spent 20, 30 years ago. Getting rid of these systems reduces in service support, so saves the various defence departments money. Now it has to be replaced, or so the service chiefs hope. It doesn't always. There are new rounds of bids, programme funding etc.

 

If there is war profiteering going on, its on the Russian side. The Putin supporters here, if they are really Russian (I don't think they are), are just too stupid to understand their country is getting raped up the sphincter my men who have done this all their lives, laughing all the way to a Cayman Islands bank, with their Maltese passports. I hope Russians will wake up to this, and end Putin. Don't really care if he gets a fair trial or not.

 

 

So, my statement is true. Putin started the war, the west will make money. Of course the Russians are paying the price, both in men and supplies, but Putin doesn't care. If he did, he would have negotiated with the Ukraine. No one knows exactly whats going on. All we can go on is the news and opinions, even if you live in Russia. Of course Putin needs to be eliminated, just as all megalomaniacs do. Some people will always profit from wars, on both or all sides. The way Putin loses is if he disappears, much like the other megalomaniac in Korea.

[MicroB]

46 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

You forgot he's burning through another billion on military upgrades to his ‘free’ Qatar flying palace — which won’t even be finished until after his term, but maybe just in time for his retirement.
 

The King was perfectly content with Air Force One in his first term. And his own bucket of bolts — a old 757 that once shuttled passengers for a Mexican budget airline.
 

The wasted billion hardly supports DOGE’s grand vision of eliminating the “tyranny of the bureaucracy,” saving taxpayer money, and reducing the national debt.
 

“I want my plane — let the taxpayers eat cake.”

 

 

I think the cost of this plane will be fairly limited; to whatever the monthly storage fees are. Its going to stand around for months, years, while they "figure" out what to do with it. At some point, they'll realise the 2 brand new AF1s will get finished before they can even start taking out the gold plated khazis from this one. And so it will sit, getting all dusty, and bleached looking, with dried out hydraulics, flat tyres. And come 2029, its scrap only. Not even worth anything in spare parts, as by then, even the freighter fleet of 747s will be on the decline. In 2020, a Qatari King realised a 8 year old 747 was too expensive to fly. In 2029 a pensioned off  President is really going to have the moolah to gas up a 17 year old 747?  Maybe it will make a great bar, souvenir shop.

 

Someone needs to tell him if he recertifies Concorde, he will have the  coolest looking plane on the apron. One of the Concordes is with the Smithsonian, which means its basically his, because the Smithsonian will have to give it to him, or their budget gets cut again.

 

 

[scorecard]

2 hours ago, frank83628 said:

Its the west, now without the US, although I can see Trump being pulled back into it. MIC wants wars not peace. You're old enoough to know that, unless you're totally brainwashed

MIC?

[frank83628]

Just now, scorecard said:

MIC?

Militay industrial complex.

[Furioso]

Tump was wrong thinking he could make a deal with Putin. Fine, let Putin set Russia back 20, 30, 40 years while the west deal with their own problems. 

[worgeordie]

2 hours ago, frank83628 said:

So you accept and admit the west wants the war to continue then.

If the West wants wars ...why dont they start some of their own ?

 

regards Worgeordie

[hotsun]

34 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Will your sons be going off to war as well?

They have nukes so wouldnt matter either way

[EVENKEEL]

1 minute ago, hotsun said:

They have nukes so wouldnt matter either way

I'll take that as a no. 

[MicroB]

9 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

So, my statement is true. Putin started the war, the west will make money. Of course the Russians are paying the price, both in men and supplies, but Putin doesn't care. If he did, he would have negotiated with the Ukraine. No one knows exactly whats going on. All we can go on is the news and opinions, even if you live in Russia. Of course Putin needs to be eliminated, just as all megalomaniacs do. Some people will always profit from wars, on both or all sides. The way Putin loses is if he disappears, much like the other megalomaniac in Korea.

 

Putin's making money on this. He's a thief. That's his MO.

[fredwiggy]

3 minutes ago, MicroB said:

 

Putin's making money on this. He's a thief. That's his MO.

Billionaires that are involved always profit from wars.

[MicroB]

14 minutes ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Another dreamer that isn't aware of the MAD paradox. Excuse the use of an acronym.

 

So explain the Mutually Assured Destruction Paradox. I know what it is. Its usually a theory that comes from the Extreme Left and their Disarmament lackies.

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, NoDisplayName said:

 

Don't need to reason with a dictator.

 

Just cut off aid to the nazi regime and Zelensky will have to hold elections.

Zelensky is Jewish.

[Presnock]

1 hour ago, Presnock said:

IMHO,Boeing and the security experts won't be able to complete the rehab during his lifetime which most likely will be shortened by this term.

well I heard today on the US news that Boeing just delivered a brand new presidential plane!  So I can't blelieve they will put everyone on that golden bird from qatar.  IMHO before the end of this term he will have more legal problems than before it began as the public will be fed up with him and realize just how badly he lied to them while making the rich even richer and Joe Q. Citizen has lost everything.

[blaze master]

But they are supposed to be best buds....according to this forum.

[frank83628]

19 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Zelensky is Jewish.

The neo Nazis in Azov arent

[frank83628]

44 minutes ago, MicroB said:

 

 

I think the cost of this plane will be fairly limited; to whatever the monthly storage fees are. Its going to stand around for months, years, while they "figure" out what to do with it. At some point, they'll realise the 2 brand new AF1s will get finished before they can even start taking out the gold plated khazis from this one. And so it will sit, getting all dusty, and bleached looking, with dried out hydraulics, flat tyres. And come 2029, its scrap only. Not even worth anything in spare parts, as by then, even the freighter fleet of 747s will be on the decline. In 2020, a Qatari King realised a 8 year old 747 was too expensive to fly. In 2029 a pensioned off  President is really going to have the moolah to gas up a 17 year old 747?  Maybe it will make a great bar, souvenir shop.

 

Someone needs to tell him if he recertifies Concorde, he will have the  coolest looking plane on the apron. One of the Concordes is with the Smithsonian, which means its basically his, because the Smithsonian will have to give it to him, or their budget gets cut again.

 

 

 

The money DOGE saved on trans comics n Peru will cover the hanger costs.

[soalbundy]

3 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

Some do, some don't, as with all wars. It makes money, so they happen.

They also cost money, a lot of money. With peace many countries, especially Germany, could continue buying cheap oil and gas from Russia. The Baltic states, especially Poland don't want Ukraine occupied by Russia.

[Peabody]

3 hours ago, frank83628 said:

Its the west, now without the US, although I can see Trump being pulled back into it. MIC wants wars not peace. You're old enoough to know that, unless you're totally brainwashed

No, it's Putin.

[MicroB]

2 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Billionaires that are involved always profit from wars.

 

He's beyond being a billionaire.

 

People profit from wars. People profit from other people being sick. People profit from other people being hungry. People profit from other people not being able to afford a house/new car/telly etc.

 

Big Pharma lost out on  revenue in Russia. Medicines in Russia are largely imported, mostly from Germany and US. 80% of medicines, and 90% of medical equipment. These are not sanctioned. The major players are still on the Russian market, invoicing in Rubles and taking a massive hit on profitability, as they defend market share (the expectation is that Russia will return to normality one day)

 

The Pharma industry is MASSIVE compared to Defence. You moan about the alleged influence of defence companies (in my experience, they are not the Pied Piper in defence spending, Eisenhower was wrong). 2023 was considered a really good year for Defence M&A; a measure of the inward investment into an industry. There was $38bn in M&A. Sound like a big number. That's dwarfed by Pharma M&A of $191bn.

 

R&D; Abbvie spends more on R&D than the 3 top defence companies combined.

 

 

So Captains of Industry don't really want war.  Eisenhower's MIC premise was based on the huge number of defence companies wanting a slice of the federal pie. In 2025, the industry has massively consolidated into a handful of prime contractors; thats what governments want, because between wars, defence companies go out of business or switch to doing non-defence stuff, which is more profitable, easier to export, easier to staff. That means far less voices into the ears of politicians, much less influence compared to other industries.

 

Consolidation in US defence

 

 

Ironically, Russia has seen a huge number of defence companies spring up, mostly producing crap, as a result of former state employees effectively stealing factories (this is how most of the oligarchs became rich. Men who took advantage of a crumbling USSR to essentially steal assets). Putin started the war to satisy his old man desire for a legacy (a Peter the Great masturbatory fantasy), and men making lots of money, were happy to go along with that.

 

Originally, when this started, I had this thinking (flawed), that an increasingly professional Russian military would restrain Putin. I misinterpreted the non-involvement of the Russian  Air Force as evidence of schisms in the military, of professionals wanting to protect their carefully curated empires. Indeed, early on, we saw among the Russian POWs, quiet professional officers, excuding an elitism that you hoped would be seen further up the chain. People like Col. Astakhov Mikhailovich; he was a OMON officer (a sort of gendarmarie), captured early on. Came over as a quiet professional, doing his job as a copper, and not a naive man. I thought there would be many more like him (Putin has literally broken Russian domestic law). Later on, a captured navy pilot based in Crimea (married a local lady, spoke Crimean), came over as an arrogant prick, but nevertheless, a professional. But the realisation is that the Russians promoted are incompetant syochophants, all to happy to sacrifice their men if it means lining their own pockets (eg, Russian soldiers getting donkeys instead of trucks is not because Russia lacks trucks. Its because some scumbag officer has sold the trucks).

 

The Russian arms industry are the true profiteers, and they don't want the war to end, because so far they are getting away with it; receiving vast amounts of cash, in another grand theft of the Russian people, delivering very little.

 

Russian tank factory. Yeah, they are refurbishing WW2 era T34s and SU100s.