It Goes Beyond the Virus

I would not want to live in Moldova, Georgia (the country), or near Odessa right now. Nor would I want to be a Philippino or Vietnamese fisherman. The fallout of the virus goes beyond the virus depending on how long this thing plays out. We here in the USA are incredibly vulnerable to some threats as well. About 1500+ deployed nuclear warheads check that somewhat. Heaven help us if our adversaries figure out a way to mitigate that threat to an "acceptable loss level" if things get bad.

10 Thoughts on the #Brexit

Here are my quick thoughts on the UK's referendum to leave the EU.

1. I figured the referendum had popular support, but I thought it would be close enough so the usual powers that be could use voter fraud to make the referendum fail.  This didn't happen.
2. It was strange to me that the EU didn't really try (at least from my limited knowledge) to keep the UK in the EU.  No big pushes to try to negotiate a compromise that would keep the UK in the EU.  Elites and EU backers grumbled and threatened, but not really that much.  Some like George Soros even publicly denounced UK's efforts to leave while at the same time he was arranging his financial assets to make money off of a UK exit.
3. The Brexit bodes well for a Trump presidency. It shows the leftist globalist order weakening...everywhere. At least it appears this way, it may not be.
4. It will be interesting to see how this affects NATO. I'm worried it's affects will be negative, and a weaker NATO is bad for Balkan nations bordering on a resurgent Russia.
5. Brexit is a destabilizing event. There will be ripples. The British Pound took an immediate hit, but I don't expect that to last. Other financial and political problems will arise from this globally. As to how big those ripples will be I'm not sure.
6. More EU states will seek to withdraw. Not sure 3 years from now what left in the EU other than Germany and a few others.
7. Scotland and other parts of the UK might try to stay in the EU or do a #UKExit which will be interesting to watch. Other areas outside of the EU might look at the UK's exit out of the EU as a role model for their own separatist aspirations. Heck even in the US the Texas secession movement got a boost from the Brexit.
8. In the end all of this is the EU's fault. The EU got too undemocratic and Brits got tired of taking orders from un-elected bureaucrats and they did something about this. There is a lesson to be learned here by all parties.
9. The British Parliament has to ratify this referendum (likely) and there is also a two year time table for with drawl. I have a feeling this won't be a clean break and a lot of forces will try to negotiate a lot of side deals between the EU and the UK (like the UK still adhering to many business and medical standards devised by the EU). So I'm not sure this will even be a clean break from the EU for the UK. Just more autonomy.
10. This could be taken as a big setback for Globalism and it's supporters.  As [THIS] article points out that may not be the case at all.

Rant on Ukraine

This comes from two Facebook post I made earlier...some cussing...

One point. We have a mutual defense pact with the Ukraine. It should have NEVER happened but it did. If we don't honor it (not saying we should) what does that say to ever other Baltic country? If you live in Bulgaria right now what are you thinking? Romania? Poland? You just got f__ked is what I would be thinking. If Putin takes parts of the Ukraine and there is no Western response think any westerners are going to seriously invest in these areas? I wouldn't. Heck I was thinking about moving to Bulgaria in a year or two just recently for a variety of reasons. Not now. You are going to realize that the West was just playing you and they are just fair weather friends. Culturally you are Russia's little bitches and you might as well get used to it. All that illusion of freedom that you struggled through so many years of hardship to achieve that was starting to finally solidify just went bu bye. I still have hope that a political situation can be worked out, one that would give control of Crimea to Russia in all but name, and still give the illusion of Ukraine being politically sovereign over that area. But ultimatums have been given now, a few Ukrainian bases have rolled over to Russia but some haven't...if the Russians take one of the bases by force, if shots are fired, the world changes. In some ways for the better. I think it would destroy the latte DC crowd which is busy dismantling our military, giving our economy over to global trade agreements, and pushing for further global political integration and the destruction of US sovereignty. Putin could be handing them an electoral defeat, one positive spin. Just hope the price for that isn't too high as things have the potential go get ugly. Poland and Czechs and mobilizing forces right now, clamoring for NATO help which NATO is treaty obliged to give...Putin may have called everyone's bluff.

Pt 2

I'm mad and you should be mad that 5 billion tax dollars were spent messing around with trying to get Ukraine into the EU. Why isn't that 5 billion euros spent? We have interest in a more westernized Ukraine, but it is time for Europe to get off our backs and step up themselves. They want to be an empire quit using American military and finances to build it, you parasitic slugs. That being said, the situation is what it is. I don't think Putin should be allowed to skate free on this, too many larger issues than just the Crimea. But going forward we need to really clean up our foreign policy and leadership. Why are we going to let the IMF siphon 15 billion dollars of mostly our wealth to bail out western Ukraine? That money could go a long way at home.

Who Cares About Their People More

In Honduras, one man tried to skirt the law and was ousted. He is calling for an insurrection.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.9343541c16eb80b4c766033086b6465a.751&show_article=1

Another man obeyed the law, and is willing to give up his power for the good of the nation.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D99F6O8G3&show_article=1

The one Obama is supporting says a lot about the Obama administration.

Russia and Georgia Go At It

The flare up, and possible war, between Russia and Georgia will be interesting. Here are a few links that will help you understand the conflict.

There is oil involved.
http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1358

Russia started the recent flare-up. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL768040420080808

The Georgians are feeling perhaps a little overconfident, having had recent military training and funding from the U.S. and Israel , and ground combat experience in Iraq http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/08/the-new-war-in.html http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/08/did-us-military.html

I predict that the Russians will prevail, but if it comes to out and out full blown combat, the Russians will end up with a suprisingly big bloody nose before the conflict is over. It might be good for Russia's ego to be trimmed a bit.