Ukraine

[JMR]

In other news , someone is making more money ....Raytheon
.like always

**
The US State Department has approved another multi-million dollar missile sale to Finland, the third in the last month, agreeing to ship hundreds of shoulder-fired munitions to the Nordic country as it pursues membership in the NATO alliance.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the decision on Thursday, saying officials had authorized a $380 million deal for 350 Stinger missiles and related gear, as well as training and logistical support for the weapon.

While the DSCA claimed the proposed sale would not “alter the basic military balance in the region,” it noted it will “improve Finland’s defense and deterrence capabilities” and serve US foreign policy interests.

The latest deal is the third major weapon transaction with Finland since the start of November. On Monday, the DSCA announced a separate $323.3 million sale for dozens of Sidewinder and AGM-154 missiles, while yet another missile deal worth $535 million was approved on November 2. All three have yet to receive a final green light from lawmakers, however.**

 

[JMR]

Quoted from news

"* Before the recent implosion of his crypto trading company, FTX, Bankman-Fried was once a major Democratic booster, having donated $52,800 to Biden’s presidential campaign in 2020, and nearly $40 million to Democratic candidates during the midterm elections in November, according to the Federal Election Commission. He also made contributions to Republicans running in the midterms, though they were much smaller, totaling just over $250,000"*
End of quote.

Now that he s been arrested...how is that gonna play out ?

 

[oscar262]

Bankman-Fraud.

The fact that he's not been arrested makes it obvious he has friends in high places though. I guess being the second largest donor to the sitting president's campaign a few years ago comes with some benefits...

-Uwe-

Well now he's been arrested with no bail and is looking at 15 years plus.
The US is not like other places where people just fall out of windows, here the wheels of Justice grind slowly but they mostly grind pretty well.

 

[JMR]

Bankman -Stirfry now

 

[Uwe]

The US is not like other places where people just fall out of windows,

Right, they just fall out of bed with a sheet tied around their neck, at the exact time when all the security cameras happen to have failed.

-Uwe-

 

[JMR]

I think the video surveillance system was under maintenance at that exact time

 

[JMR]

In other news
* Last week, Pristina sent hundreds of heavily armed police into North Mitrovica in what they called “necessary, reasonable and lawful measures to enforce the law and decisions of Kosovo state bodies.” Serbia complained about a campaign of abuses and said it would ask for a return of its own police to the breakaway province, as authorized by the UN Security Council Resolution 1244. **

We re looking at a old/new conflict brewing here ....;( Something it in the works i feel...

 

[Uwe]

We re looking at a old/new conflict brewing here

I suspect there is some external incitement involved. Serbia has refused to participate in the sanctions against Russia...

-Uwe-

 

[JMR]

Ooohh..this thread is getting colder than a Siberian winter...
Now that Zely has been to visit Grandpa...i wonder what s next. Man , this guy wants lots of money !!! So..where is this money coming from ? Poor governor of Texas though is asking the UN to help US with border security and he deplyed the Texas National Guard in El Paso.. Now , wouldn t make much more sense that US govt spent the money going to Ukraine to secure it s borders ? Or say giving americans some financial help ? Cause i know for a fact that a boost of financial help would be a welcomed relief .
In other news , it turns out that in Bruxelles graft/bribery is alive and well. More than 60 MEP s involved in a bribery scheme with Qatar..more to be discovered. So , no wonder the people at highest levels don t give a flying fuck about the masses..they are doing well... ( that applies to US govt and all political / decision maker organizations as well ). Poor Stoltenberg was about to retire but hey , being the head of NATO starting in 2024 sounds mighty good , why leave and retire when you can make more money ?
Curious to see who will win the american leadership in 2024...that will be either the beggining of the 3rd WW or the end of this shitstorm between Russia and "the west " , though i doubt US govt will stop involving itself in such lucrative enterprise such as arms dealing around the world.

 

[JMR]

in other news: Romania has been blocked couple weeks ago from entering the Schengen Space by Austria . ( Indeed , this an older saga for Romania as it's been blocked by Netherlands before couple of times until we gave them access to our ports and financial sector ).
Now , it seems that Austria would put a favorable vote if we give them full access to our offshore gas resources in the Black Sea. They already control the wood cutting and export ( plain robbery of our country if you ask me ) . They have some actions in the offshore resources , but not full control. Anyway , the people got really mad at this ( though i see no use of my country being in the Schengen space if we need to give everything to other countries) so they started boycotting the OMV/Petrom gas stations ( Austrian owned ) and few major banks with austrian management / shares ( Raifeissen , Erste and other) by moving their money into the ING ( Netherland owned ) and other banks. Though Netherland s ING is happy now, we forgot that they blocked us two times in a row before, but such is "the masses' long time memory. So, this being said, because of the boycott done at the austrian gas stations , a miracle happened. They had to lower the gas prices so much to regain some business that all the stations had to follow their move, hence now fuel prices in Romania are at the Russia-Ukraine pre conflict prices !
So , sometimes the power of the masses will bring something good for all of us.
Saga still unfolding and more disclosure of what Austria wanted from us for a favorable vote comes slowly to light and it's not pretty.
Now there is a massive movement/petition that people put forward which wants to reclaim the Austrian shares in the OMV/Petrom shares ( oil/gas/refinery ) in the full control of our government. Will see what comes out of this. It will be a great move if the government will have the balls to stand up for it.

 

[Uwe]

Now that Zely has been to visit Grandpa...i wonder what s next. Man , this guy wants lots of money !!!

Yep. Back in 2018 our government went through a partial shut down for over a month because Congress didn't want to give the Trump administration $5 billion to secure our border with Mexico. But somehow, another $50 billion to help secure Ukraine's border with Russia is no problem.

And on a lighter note: Do you know why Zely showed up at the White House and in front of Congress in a damn T-shirt?

Spoiler

Because a member of the Biden Administration stole his luggage!

-Uwe-

 

[JMR]

Yeah....comes to WH in a frigging shirt and hiking pants.
..no manners i tell you.

 

[RGH0]

Theres a war going on and its totally appropriate that he dresses as a person who is at war. Its not the time for fancy suits and state dinners.

But I liked it that the leader of the freeworld met with Joe Biden

 

[JMR]

Theres a war going on and its totally appropriate that he dresses as a person who is at war. Its not the time for fancy suits and state dinners.

But I liked it that the leader of the freeworld met with Joe Biden

Can someone call Chuck Norris on this issue please ?

 

[JMR]

So Bankman-Stirfried got released on a 250 mil bail bond which equals to about 25 mil surety. That s not such an insane amount as they make it to be. Anyway , he ll spend the next 3 years at least on house arrest until the trial. But he won t go to trial as there will be different dealings between his lawyers and the US attorney s office . In the end he will plead out to some lesser charges . Now the stupid thing is though he can request a speedy trial and take the prosecutors somewhat unpreppared for trial , but his lawyers won t do it because his american jury "peers" will find him guilty as fuck just for spite . So , on top of the inevitable prison time he ll get following a guilty plea to lesser charges ( he ll probably go to some camp, low to medium prison yard ) , the time spent on house arrest won t be considered . Who wants to bet a prison time length ? I d say based on on the federal fraud uniform guidelines , being a first time offender and having good lawyers , he"ll pled to something under 15 yrs , doing about 85% on that at a private prison camp . That if he doesn t fall out of bed with a sheet around his neck sometimes before his guilty plea or god forbid has some stupid accident before that.

 

[DanConnor]

Yep. Back in 2018 our government went through a partial shut down for over a month because Congress didn't want to give the Trump administration $5 billion to secure our border with Mexico. But somehow, another $50 billion to help secure Ukraine's border with Russia is no problem.

And on a lighter note: Do you know why Zely showed up at the White House and in front of Congress in a damn T-shirt?

He gotta show how dire situation is and how he has no time to dress up for those meetings. I'd bet it was a deliberate choice to do so.

 

[JMR]

He gotta show how dire situation is and how he has no time to dress up for those meetings. I'd bet it was a deliberate choice to do so.

Of course it was. Man in casual shirt and hiking / military pants ..to show that he doesn t care much about dress code..he was there in a begger s role ...can t beg in a Brioni suit and Brooks Brother s wing tip shoes now, can you ? I watched both sitting near that fire place and they looked like Pinocchio and Gepetto !!!

 

[Uwe]

can t beg in a Brioni suit and Brooks Brother s wing tip shoes now, can you ?

Churchill did in December of 1941:



-Uwe-

 

[Crasher]

I wouldn’t term it begging

 

[Uwe]

So Bankman-Stirfried got released on a 250 mil bail bond which equals to about 25 mil surety. That s not such an insane amount as they make it to be.

I'm hearing that no money actually changed hands; that his parents put up their $4M house as the only "surety".

-Uwe-