It’s the biggest grift for the defense industry that bankrolls the political class. War also allows the politicians to distract the public and get their attention focused elsewhere.... All while they increase the size of the state at home.
To this very day, this harsh reality of politics holds true. The present war in Ukraine has been used to increase defense spending to extraordinary levels across the West. On top of that, several European nations have used the war to clamp down on speech that is deemed to be "pro-Russian." So much for the "free world"!
The amount of military aid being sent to Ukraine is simply breathtaking. It’s not only basic arms being sent there by Western nations, but also tanks and advanced missile systems. Moreover, there’s even talk about sending advanced aircraft to Ukraine to help it bleed out Russia.
While this conflict remains a proxy war for the time being, the Russians will only tolerate so much Western aid being sent to Ukraine. Eventually, they will treat NATO as a party to this conflict and may start destroying Western vehicles that deliver this aid to Ukraine.
#1
...No, Turkey didn't save the world from WWIII, and if they did it was entirely unintentional.
Sultan Erdogan is a throwback to the last days of the Ottoman Empire, and whatever he does is for his benefit and his alone. If Turkey and by extension the world benefit...well, that's nice, but I'm sure he'll try not to let it happen again.
The sooner stupid people learn this, the better off we'll be. Russia needs to be crushed and removed from the world stage. Putting Trump in office was their declaration of war. It's indicative of just how deeply the rot is that we haven't acted to put an end to their interference in internal affairs which we decide ourselves.
#3
Turkey is now the home of the international Muslim Brotherhood, and Erdogan is its sponsor. In April 2019 Trump sought to gain agreement to designate the MB a foreign terrorist organization, and sanction its activity in the US and elsewhere. The plan was fought by Democrats, including their surrogate, the New York Times.
The move followed a visit by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, who had outlawed the MB. Had Trump succeeded, Turkey would have had to have been placed on notice that its emplacement in NATO was in jeopardy, and the possible upshot could have been the expulsion of Turkey which does not belong in NATO in the first place. Save the world from World War III? Laughable.
#4
Turkey is absolutely necessary in NATO. It gives us a vitally needed second front for an invasion into Russia. Without it, a single-axis attack from Poland risks disaster, ala 1941.
#12
I do get that people in Russia who have done nothing to improve the situation there since czarist times are waiting for someone else to parachute in and solve their problmes.
F*ck off, sh*tbags...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/02/2023 13:14 Comments ||
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#13
Fat Bob is channeling the ghost of Adolf Hitler. You wanna fight them Ruskies? Go right ahead. Just stop trying to pretend that it's about democracy in Ukraine.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
02/02/2023 13:21 Comments ||
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#14
It's not about democracy in Ukraine. Ukraine is the most corrupt country in Europe. Their crooked elites are going on a spending spree blowing all the cash we gave them right now.
But who cares? The point is to utterly crush Russia. We hit them so hard they never get up again. They aren't just a threat to America, they're a threat to the whole world. Butcher Assad in Syria would collapse without Russian aid.
Would it make you feel any better if I referenced Napoleon's invasion in 1812? It also started too far from Moscow and was a single-axis attack. Starting to see a pattern here?
#15
There are a disturbing number of Putin puppets in this thread. Must be afternoon in St. Petersburg. They're off their lunch break and back to posting.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
Video is translatable into English
[ColonelCassad] Military historian Maxim Tokarev on the prerequisites for the catastrophe of the British fleet in December 1941 after the start of the war in the Pacific Ocean.
Annotation:
The story of the military historian Maxim Tokarev, about the prehistory of the "Battle of Kuantan" - the battle that took place on December 10, 1941 in the South China Sea between the formation of Japanese base aviation and the British "Formation Z" of Admiral Thomas Philips as part of the battleship "Prince of Wales ”, the battlecruiser Repulse, also known as the Battle in the Gulf of Thailand.
#2
#1 Was this to War Plan Orange?
Posted by: Mercutio 2023-02-02 12:10
Mercutio,
WPO went out the window when the first Japanese plane appeared over Pearl Harbor - its centerpiece was the clash of the USN and IJN battlelines in the western Pacific, and without those battleships it wasn't going to happen.
Force Z actually predates the start of hostilities in the Pacific - the plan was to get at least one RN battleforce into position to assist Singapore and in theory aid the US. IIRC they sailed in late October, arriving December 2nd.
[Mises] If you live in the United States, you are most likely familiar with empty storefronts, especially in malls. Once-great shopping centers are now suffering vacancies and a lack of patrons. To the readers of mises.org, it should not be surprising that the government is largely responsible. The state, through various interventions, has led to more vacant storefronts and financially struggling malls than there would be otherwise. Let me explain using a personal anecdote.
One of the malls close to me is the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills, in Fraser Township, Pennsylvania. I used to stop at this mall with friends all the time. Recently, I revisited the mall while I happened to be in the area, and what greeted me was an endless procession of empty stores and a vacant food court. The sight was depressing, and I wondered what caused this languishing idleness. There are two things that might explain the unfortunate state of the Galleria: tax incentives and credit expansion.
The creation of the Galleria was welcomed with much fanfare due to its lavish promise of success. Possibilities as grand as a water park and even a nearby National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) track were said to be right around the corner. Estimates of the mall’s future revenue excited local government officials, spurring a twenty-year tax agreement "defer[ring] a portion of property taxes to pay for the new $21 million Route 28 interchange leading to the mall as well as needed infrastructure like water and sewer lines."
Continued on Page 49
Like so many other projects that use eminent domain and rely on taxpayer subsidies, New London's Fort Trumbull project has been a failure. After spending $78 million in taxpayer dollars, the city of New London and the private developer have engaged in no new construction since the project was approved in 2000. Indeed, since the property owners disputing the takings owned less than two acres in a 90-acre project area, the city has always had a vast majority of the land available for development. Yet, no new development has occurred. The preferred developer for part of the site, Corcoran Jennison, recently missed its latest deadline for securing financing for building on the site and was terminated as the "designated developer."
The property at the center of the case, the house owned by plaintiff Susette Kelo, has since been relocated in its entirety to another part of town. - site
#2
They are tearing down one end of the Volusia Mall in Daytona Beach to build apartments. It's prime real estate on International Speedway Boulevard across from the track.
It's mostly empty and the couple stores there I occasionally go to hopefully will relocate rather than just close and disappear.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/02/2023 7:30 Comments ||
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Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/02/2023 7:32 Comments ||
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#4
A while ago, I posted a lament for a lovely and eccentric mall in downtown San Diego, which declined and died in the early 00's - and there was an interesting discussion about them, with several commenters pointing out that what the malls were in the business of, besides shopping - was security. Yes, indoors and climate controlled was part of it - but malls offered a safe alternative to going to a downtown location with minimal parking and ... let's face it, scary street people. The other thing that emerged about malls was that the cost of renting shop space in one was so high as to be out of the reach of small entrepreneurs. Only national chains could afford an outlet in a mall, and that led to a very boring sameness. No one-offs, no local products. And when malls started to be frequented by hostile youths ... well, customers fled. https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/62595.html
#5
Lots of companies found out "vertical integration" had unsustainable overhead.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/02/2023 8:15 Comments ||
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#6
I watched that Mall deteriorate over the years. The Springhill Suits at the Mills was our go to hotel for our family visits to PGH. It was close to the turnpike, our relatives & Friends, highway to Butler or Pittsburgh and of course the mall and eateries. Every visit was met with disappointment of something closing. Finally we gave up and now stay in the North Hills past Ross Park mall.
#7
I used to like malls. Many are gone. The ones that still around are often unsafe. Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, for instance, has a Clockwork Orange feel to it.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
02/02/2023 14:18 Comments ||
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[Bus Insider] Right now, supply chain crises are easing, bringing more inventory to dealership lots, while demand is stabilizing. As a result, JPMorgan says, used car prices could fall by as much as 20% in 2023, and new car prices could drop by 5%.
But shoppers will still need to hunt to find a deal. Industry car-buying experts shared a few tips for what segments and brands may offer the best — and earliest — deals in 2023.
(Hope you like minivans!)
BUY DOMESTIC
Brands like Tesla, Volkswagen, and BMW are generally more expensive now than in the past, said Brian Moody, executive editor of Kelley Blue Book. But some of their competitors have backed off jacked-up prices.
"Looking for something like General Motors or maybe Hyundai, Mazda, Buick — some of those still have slight price increases, but just not as dramatic as some of the other ones," he said. Buicks, for example, are selling for roughly 2% below MSRP, Moody said.
TrueCar industry analyst Zack Krelle agreed, noting that domestic brands have had more success building up inventory.
"There are possibly some opportunities on the domestic brand side where they have slightly more inventory than some of the import brands," Krelle said. "The domestic brands have a 30-, 40-day supply, which is still very, very low compared to historic levels."
STAY AWAY FROM SUVS
Not only does brand matter, but the type of vehicle a car-buyer is looking for does, too.
"There are some deals out there, if you happen to want a vehicle that is maybe lower in demand or if you're in a region that that particular vehicle doesn't sell as well as others," Krelle said.
Secondhand pickup trucks, minivans, convertibles, and coupes were all trading at below the average for used cars as of November, according to Karl Brauer, executive analyst at the car search engine iSeeCars.com.
"The biggest, fastest drop in prices in returning toward normal, pre-pandemic prices would probably be in those segments," Brauer said. More desirable SUVs will follow later on.
Pickup trucks, though popular in general, don't have great fuel economy, so prices have softened amid higher-than-normal gas prices, Brauer said. Coupes and convertibles are "fun cars" that shoppers stay away from when they're worried about inflation and economic turmoil.
Small cars, which haven't been historically sought-after and which may seem like an obvious road to a good deal, are now in high demand because of their relatively low purchase price and good gas mileage, experts say. Brauer expects that trend to continue into next year.
The pandemic may have turned the car market on its head. But the basic laws of supply and demand still hold true.
"Generally speaking, if you want to save money, I wouldn't be looking for the same thing everybody else is looking for," Moody said.
#1
Maybe Good news...we have been looking into getting a used extended lenght Van, to make into a 4x4 camper. So we can do some remote WNC traveling before it requires Fed Gov. approval to leave your district or state.
#3
I'm going the other way. No computers. Looking for a clean 69-70 Coronet wagon. I'll rebuild / update it in the engine / transmission / brakes / suspension depts and otherwise rip wires out.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/02/2023 9:56 Comments ||
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#14
Recent story about a guy bought an Escalade V fir $150K. Refinanced a few months later, GM froze his warranty for flipping car in violation of signing a no-flip statement. The geniuses at GM hadnt considered a refi; as of story publication, car is still at dealer, no work being done, in excess of 10 days. No word if that schmuk has lawyered up, but i would. Oh wait, GM hasnt built a worthwhile car since 1968.
#17
Got a Hertz at Houston airport a couple months ago. FLA tags. Opened the door and the mold/flood funk came rolling out. Several little green tree air fresheners in place. Rejected it hot another FLA car w/ no issues. Suspect fleet operator moved the cars, some before their unscheduled dive test. Would not be surprised to see them retitled in no flood/hurricane storm surge state for easier disposal.
[DW] The suicide kaboom at a mosque in northwestern Pakistain that killed dozens of officers is the country's worst terrorist attack in years. It signals a growing wave of Taliban ...Arabic for students... -fueled militancy targeting the state.
After the Taliban toppled Afghanistan's government in August 2021, authorities in neighboring Pakistain warned that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP), the Taliban's Pak allies, would be emboldened in their yearslong rebellion against the government. Throughout 2022, faceless myrmidons stepped up attacks throughout Pakistain, with tensions escalating in November after the TTP called off a fragile cease-fire with the Pak government and ordered their fighters to carry out attacks "wherever you can in the entire country."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/02/2023 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11133 views]
Top|| File under: Pak Taliban (TTP)
#1
As well as other Muslim and Orthodox nations would be my guess.
#2
Pak Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said the Afghan Taliban must fulfill their commitments to the international community and not allow any group to use Afghan soil for orchestrating attacks against another country.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/02/2023 7:03 Comments ||
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#4
Unmentioned is an act undertaken in Pakistan by the TTP in 2014 when a threatening fatwa was issued by its Religious Committee. The fatwa put the Pakistan media on notice that articles in opposition to TTP would be considered haram. The media has played lapdog ever since.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Mises] If you live in the United States, you are most likely familiar with empty storefronts, especially in malls. Once-great shopping centers are now suffering vacancies and a lack of patrons. To the readers of mises.org, it should not be surprising that the government is largely responsible. The state, through various interventions, has led to more vacant storefronts and financially struggling malls than there would be otherwise. Let me explain using a personal anecdote.
