Has anyone ever read the Ross Rant. While a little over the top, he is a pretty good read and usually is spot on. Don't know if I concur with the following, but at least is is worth reading regardless of your political position.
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Clearly I was dead wrong, and Putin was not bluffing. I had thought this was such an insane thing to actually wage all out war in Europe and change 75 years of agreements and borders, that Putin would just try to scare everyone into conceding. I had said this was 1938 all over again, and unfortunately that statement was correct. World War III has just begun. Multiple reports out of Russia, and from McCaul, our former ambassador to Russia, say Putin has made himself totally isolated and ignoring of his own advisors who have been telling him not to go ahead with the invasion. Top Russians, including one former top advisor to Putin, say the man has changed, and is not the same person they knew. He has become a complete delusional psychopath even beyond his murderous old self, and he is now no different than Hitler. He does not care how many people die. So now we have a new Hitler with nuclear weapons and a high tech army, invading Europe. Sudetenland-Czechoslovakia 1938- Ukraine- there is no difference. This is 1938 all over again. Putin is truly insane. What we are about to witness is tens of thousands killed, and whole cities destroyed again. Syria was just practice for Putin. Crimea just proved to him that Germany and the US were going to let him do what he wanted, and sanctions were a joke. The Germans are so dependent on Russia for energy, they will never agree to real sanctions that make a difference. They stopped Biden from shitting SWIFT. Putin does not care at all about sanctions. It is hard for me to wrap my brain around this now because it is so terrible what is about to happen. The world is about to change forever, and in very bad ways. This is real war in Europe that will spread if the west does not rapidly rearm and push forces to the borders of Poland, Romania and the Baltics which are Putin’s next target. When I was in the Baltics three years ago, we heard from locals how Russia was even back then waging an information and psychological war to try to persuade Russians living in the Baltics to try to get control of schools to teach Russian language and Russian history. Keep in mind there are Russians all across Eastern Europe from the old days of the Soviet Union, and some are still loyal to Russia. I cannot over emphasize the danger posed by this megalomaniac. Trump was widely criticized by Germany and the US press when he said NATO needs to rearm and get ready. The Germans ignored him. He was going to move 25,000 troops to Poland which the Pentagon and the press said was wrong. I wonder how they all feel today.
Some retired senior generals say the German army is near useless and not about to change. NATO is not much without the US. It was allowed to become on paper and not a real army until Trump demanded they step up. Germany prefers to let the US pay for all their defense, even now, and they presser to negotiate with Putin because they let themselves be totally dependent on Russia by closing their nuke and coal plants. Everyone warned Germany not to do this, and Trump tried to stop them, but Biden day one approved the pipeline sealing Germany’s dependence on Russia. Biden still refuses to reopen US energy production and instead wants to use the reserves which he should be topping up now in preparation for future shortages. John Kerry made what has to be the most absurd statement yesterday he hopes everyone keeps climate change issues in mind during the war. Stupid does not even begin to describe Kerry but he is part of the administration so we have to believe based on that and Biden’s failure to act, we are seeing the disastrous Biden policy .
Some people say, why should we care about Ukraine. Most people can’t even find it on a map. Tucker Carlson has railed about this. He and those who don’t understand what is happening are ignorant. Putin wants to take back eastern Europe and recreate the Soviet Union. His speech on Monday was the most frightening speech by any world leader since Hitler in front of the Reichstag. Go reread your European history books. This area of the world has been at war for hundreds of years, and Russia was fully involved in much of it. Their history is filled with wars and occupations of the surrounding areas. In fact, that is the history and culture of Russia. If you think Ukraine does not matter you really do not understand what is happening, and how the world is about to experience a true horror of huge proportions. This is the ultimate black swan. Ukraine is a major supplier of wheat and corn to Europe as well as Russia. They also supply some critical minerals. Food inflation is about to go way up as wheat and corn are basic ingredients on many other foods. Just think breakfast cereals for a starter. With the invasion these exports stop. Think cyberwar. Something with no norms. These are not rambling thoughts, but are about to become facts. So next time Carlson says we are being taught to hate Putin, or others say why care about Ukraine, maybe you will realize why Carlson and others are ignorant.
Unfortunately we and the world are stuck with Biden and his band of misinformed and ignorant advisors who thought threats of meaningless sanctions were going to make Putin care. Then Biden finally issues sanctions which are completely meaningless, and just proved to Putin how weak and ignorant Biden really is. Biden and his people kept saying they were not imposing sanctions because the threat would deter him. Now Biden said nobody ever thought sanctions would stop him. Then he said let’s see in a month while Ukrainians are getting killed right now. Biden is living in lala land. John Kerry has proven he may be the stupidest person the planet when he said he hopes all sides take the environment into account as they fight this war. And he is a key person in the Biden administration. Yikes!.
Moody’s is gaming out the possible scenarios if there is a short term battle, a long term battle, and what the economies of Europe and the US will look like. In both cases the result is more high oil prices, more inflation, and a good chance of recession late in 22, or very possibly in 23. Ukraine supplies key minerals for chips that will not get shipped. More shortages of chips. Ukraine is a major supplier of wheat and corn, key ingredients in many processed foods like cereal . Russia will keep Europe on a short supply of gas and oil. Inflation. Europe had low gas reserves even before this began despite all the warning signs. Biden wants to tap the strategic reserve and stop US production to try to force US consumers and companies to stop using fossil fuels in the midst of war. We need to be filling the reserves to the max to prepare for real war. Oil prices will remain high for a long time. What the administration is doing now is beyond idiotic. Moody’s sees tough time ahead no matter if it is a short war and very bad if it goes long. If long, Brent could go to $150. The EU gets 35% of its energy from Russia. The chance of recession in the EU over the next year is high. If you have invested in the EU get out now.
For investors, don’t be fooled by Putin asking for meetings and think there is going to be some end to this. That is just Putin playing the world. Use the up periods as an opportunity to sell and hoard cash or buy oil stocks. Many in Wall St are too young to have any understanding of what is really happening. They were in university being fed the ideology of the far left professors. They have no history background. They have no clue what the real world is all about. This is a time to assume we are in for what may be years of war and destabilization across the world. We have not seen anything this dangerous since 1945, even during Cuba and other very dangerous period. Ukrainians are fighting and resisting, and they are not going to give up. They will use Poland and Rumania as safe havens to wage guerilla war. Putin may decide to attack those countries to try to stop the insurgency. There will be a lot of dead Russian soldiers. This is just phase one of Putin’s plan to go after the Baltics and Poland eventually. Due to the total failure to fund the Pentagon during the Obama years, the US military is no longer able to fight two wars. It will have to choose Europe or Taiwan. Without the full US military, NATO will have a hard time to stop Russia from taking the Baltics. That is from retired generals. If we commit to Europe then Taiwan will go to China. Trump did a lot to rebuild the Pentagon, but Congress shas not passed the defense budget for last year, and so with inflation there is now less money for new weapons. If you wanted to know the true cost of left wing anti-defense spending ideology and climate mania, this is it. The entire world is at real risk now of WWIII. People are dying now in Ukraine by the thousands. This is the reality of Larry Fink and others in academia, corporations, the press and Hollywood
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Clearly I was dead wrong, and Putin was not bluffing. I had thought this was such an insane thing to actually wage all out war in Europe and change 75 years of agreements and borders, that Putin would just try to scare everyone into conceding. I had said this was 1938 all over again, and unfortunately that statement was correct. World War III has just begun. Multiple reports out of Russia, and from McCaul, our former ambassador to Russia, say Putin has made himself totally isolated and ignoring of his own advisors who have been telling him not to go ahead with the invasion. Top Russians, including one former top advisor to Putin, say the man has changed, and is not the same person they knew. He has become a complete delusional psychopath even beyond his murderous old self, and he is now no different than Hitler. He does not care how many people die. So now we have a new Hitler with nuclear weapons and a high tech army, invading Europe. Sudetenland-Czechoslovakia 1938- Ukraine- there is no difference. This is 1938 all over again. Putin is truly insane. What we are about to witness is tens of thousands killed, and whole cities destroyed again. Syria was just practice for Putin. Crimea just proved to him that Germany and the US were going to let him do what he wanted, and sanctions were a joke. The Germans are so dependent on Russia for energy, they will never agree to real sanctions that make a difference. They stopped Biden from shitting SWIFT. Putin does not care at all about sanctions. It is hard for me to wrap my brain around this now because it is so terrible what is about to happen. The world is about to change forever, and in very bad ways. This is real war in Europe that will spread if the west does not rapidly rearm and push forces to the borders of Poland, Romania and the Baltics which are Putin’s next target. When I was in the Baltics three years ago, we heard from locals how Russia was even back then waging an information and psychological war to try to persuade Russians living in the Baltics to try to get control of schools to teach Russian language and Russian history. Keep in mind there are Russians all across Eastern Europe from the old days of the Soviet Union, and some are still loyal to Russia. I cannot over emphasize the danger posed by this megalomaniac. Trump was widely criticized by Germany and the US press when he said NATO needs to rearm and get ready. The Germans ignored him. He was going to move 25,000 troops to Poland which the Pentagon and the press said was wrong. I wonder how they all feel today.
Some retired senior generals say the German army is near useless and not about to change. NATO is not much without the US. It was allowed to become on paper and not a real army until Trump demanded they step up. Germany prefers to let the US pay for all their defense, even now, and they presser to negotiate with Putin because they let themselves be totally dependent on Russia by closing their nuke and coal plants. Everyone warned Germany not to do this, and Trump tried to stop them, but Biden day one approved the pipeline sealing Germany’s dependence on Russia. Biden still refuses to reopen US energy production and instead wants to use the reserves which he should be topping up now in preparation for future shortages. John Kerry made what has to be the most absurd statement yesterday he hopes everyone keeps climate change issues in mind during the war. Stupid does not even begin to describe Kerry but he is part of the administration so we have to believe based on that and Biden’s failure to act, we are seeing the disastrous Biden policy .
Some people say, why should we care about Ukraine. Most people can’t even find it on a map. Tucker Carlson has railed about this. He and those who don’t understand what is happening are ignorant. Putin wants to take back eastern Europe and recreate the Soviet Union. His speech on Monday was the most frightening speech by any world leader since Hitler in front of the Reichstag. Go reread your European history books. This area of the world has been at war for hundreds of years, and Russia was fully involved in much of it. Their history is filled with wars and occupations of the surrounding areas. In fact, that is the history and culture of Russia. If you think Ukraine does not matter you really do not understand what is happening, and how the world is about to experience a true horror of huge proportions. This is the ultimate black swan. Ukraine is a major supplier of wheat and corn to Europe as well as Russia. They also supply some critical minerals. Food inflation is about to go way up as wheat and corn are basic ingredients on many other foods. Just think breakfast cereals for a starter. With the invasion these exports stop. Think cyberwar. Something with no norms. These are not rambling thoughts, but are about to become facts. So next time Carlson says we are being taught to hate Putin, or others say why care about Ukraine, maybe you will realize why Carlson and others are ignorant.
Unfortunately we and the world are stuck with Biden and his band of misinformed and ignorant advisors who thought threats of meaningless sanctions were going to make Putin care. Then Biden finally issues sanctions which are completely meaningless, and just proved to Putin how weak and ignorant Biden really is. Biden and his people kept saying they were not imposing sanctions because the threat would deter him. Now Biden said nobody ever thought sanctions would stop him. Then he said let’s see in a month while Ukrainians are getting killed right now. Biden is living in lala land. John Kerry has proven he may be the stupidest person the planet when he said he hopes all sides take the environment into account as they fight this war. And he is a key person in the Biden administration. Yikes!.
Moody’s is gaming out the possible scenarios if there is a short term battle, a long term battle, and what the economies of Europe and the US will look like. In both cases the result is more high oil prices, more inflation, and a good chance of recession late in 22, or very possibly in 23. Ukraine supplies key minerals for chips that will not get shipped. More shortages of chips. Ukraine is a major supplier of wheat and corn, key ingredients in many processed foods like cereal . Russia will keep Europe on a short supply of gas and oil. Inflation. Europe had low gas reserves even before this began despite all the warning signs. Biden wants to tap the strategic reserve and stop US production to try to force US consumers and companies to stop using fossil fuels in the midst of war. We need to be filling the reserves to the max to prepare for real war. Oil prices will remain high for a long time. What the administration is doing now is beyond idiotic. Moody’s sees tough time ahead no matter if it is a short war and very bad if it goes long. If long, Brent could go to $150. The EU gets 35% of its energy from Russia. The chance of recession in the EU over the next year is high. If you have invested in the EU get out now.
For investors, don’t be fooled by Putin asking for meetings and think there is going to be some end to this. That is just Putin playing the world. Use the up periods as an opportunity to sell and hoard cash or buy oil stocks. Many in Wall St are too young to have any understanding of what is really happening. They were in university being fed the ideology of the far left professors. They have no history background. They have no clue what the real world is all about. This is a time to assume we are in for what may be years of war and destabilization across the world. We have not seen anything this dangerous since 1945, even during Cuba and other very dangerous period. Ukrainians are fighting and resisting, and they are not going to give up. They will use Poland and Rumania as safe havens to wage guerilla war. Putin may decide to attack those countries to try to stop the insurgency. There will be a lot of dead Russian soldiers. This is just phase one of Putin’s plan to go after the Baltics and Poland eventually. Due to the total failure to fund the Pentagon during the Obama years, the US military is no longer able to fight two wars. It will have to choose Europe or Taiwan. Without the full US military, NATO will have a hard time to stop Russia from taking the Baltics. That is from retired generals. If we commit to Europe then Taiwan will go to China. Trump did a lot to rebuild the Pentagon, but Congress shas not passed the defense budget for last year, and so with inflation there is now less money for new weapons. If you wanted to know the true cost of left wing anti-defense spending ideology and climate mania, this is it. The entire world is at real risk now of WWIII. People are dying now in Ukraine by the thousands. This is the reality of Larry Fink and others in academia, corporations, the press and Hollywood
