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Elizabeth Olbert's avatar

Oh, yeah. I'm 100% behind the Yanks Did It theory. Nothing else makes sense.

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MizzGrizz's avatar

Same here.

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djean111's avatar

Yep. The US. I think Poland even tweeted a sort of thanks for it. Called it the Special Maritime Operation, a jab at Russia's Special Military Operation. All it would have taken is a couple of frogmen attaching some explosives with timers. And yes, nothing else makes any sense whatsoever.

In other news, Ukraine is happily shelling hotels in the Donetsk region.

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The Passionate Progressive's avatar

Absolutely it was the US - nothing else makes sense...The only question is how long it will it take for the Europeans to realize they've been had.....Garland Nixon who's been doing lots of youtube segments/guest interviews recently has an interesting youtube presentation on this today - title is 'Who Attacked Germany's Infrastructure' - quite illuminating and entertaining in that he employs his criminal justice experiences and parodies a murder investigation to explore the suspects...Btw there are also clips of Victoria Nuland giving the warning that the pipeline would be history should Russia invade Ukraine.

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djean111's avatar

Funny how that Rand report summary supposedly "leaked" last week or so ago, and which Rand said was nonsense, laid out how the US would undermine Germany/EU - and it seems to be what is happening. I wonder who is running the US - it is certainly not Biden.

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Elizabeth Olbert's avatar

Could the Europeans possibly not know that they were conned???

But then, the behavior of EU leaders has been completely baffling throughout this whole thing. It's like they were on a suicide mission or something.

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djean111's avatar

A couple of weeks ago I read something, do not remember where, damn, but it was posited that this was all in service to that Great Reset/New World Order, and even Putin was complicit in that. It is kind of convenient to blame Putin for inflicting austerity and recession and going cold turkey on fossil fuels. Right after most of the world was successfully made to stay indoors and obediently take jab after jab after jab. They tested the last one on - drum roll - eight mice. Russell Brand was apoplectic (as usual, but interesting) and said why not just test vaccines on N'Sync? Currencies are failing, businesses are closing, etc. Bill Gates wants us all to start eating bugs. All happening pretty much at once. Well, we will never know, and likely never be in a position to do anything about it, but who knows.

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Elizabeth Olbert's avatar

Yeah, there's been a lot of that stuff floating around. Some of it seems plausible enough, but this idea that there's one, centrally planned, supremely evil "Global Reset" scheme in the works . . . meh.

Capitalism itself is already a huge, terrifying, apparently unstoppable machine sucking the wealth out of the people and the planet. It doesn't really need a Supreme Overlord, or a global cabal of Satanists, to make life pretty dreary for most of us.

Do we really need to add more super-convoluted layers of conspiracy on top of that?

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djean111's avatar

I don't think of anything in terms of a "Supreme Overlord, or a global cabal of Satanists", good grief and all that. Where did that come from? The WEF is scary enough. So are PNAC, WHO, NATO, the EU, and the IMF.

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Elizabeth Olbert's avatar

" Where did that come from?"

Well, from Russell Brand, for one, as I believe you mentioned him specifically. He's been sounding very conspiracy-ish just lately, and it seems to be all around this "Great Reset" thing.

But yeah. The WTO, WB, IMF et al really ARE terrible - but they're also perfectly legal, perfectly predictable features of neoliberal capitalism. They've been doing horrible things for decades, so I'm not seeing any new or special evidence for the Great Reset theory there.

Am I missing something crucial?

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djean111's avatar

Not that I know of - yeah, Brand is a showman, but I think he brings folks into politics who would not ordinarily bother. Klaus Schwab, of the WEF, has specifically talked about a "great reset", and IMO the people who enthusiastically agree do not mean well for the rest of us....we shall see!

https://www.weforum.org/focus/the-great-reset

Off to rest now, was up all night being terrified by 75 MPH winds roaring through my entirely too big trees, and have been trying to clean up the yard. I was totally lucky this time, no damage, just lots of leaves and branches, and the power only flickered twice. I spent yesterday and a lot of the night refreshing the spaghetti models page and willing the path of the storm to move to the east as far as Frostproof, so as to get away from the core winds. I live a bit south of Tampa, and was lucky lucky lucky.

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The Passionate Progressive's avatar

In my view, the only reset that's going on is the transition from unipolarity ('the rules based order') to multi-polarity. Last year I did a pp presentation on this to Peace Action NH...Due to technical problems and iterations of retaping, don't know what happened to the final...Basically - unipolarity crafted since fall of Paris in 1940 and is sea-power based (Mahan, anglo-centrism, transfer of wealth from global south to global north)...This is all being challenged with BRI (Belt & Road Initiative) and the alliance between China Russia +++. This would validate the 'Heartland Theory' (who rules the heartland rules the world a la MacKinder) and would essentially isolate and neutralize North America/The US...Crucially - it could (until damage to NS2) tie Germany et al of Western Europe to China....That's why it had to be stopped...Pepe Escobar is writing a lot about this....Lots of what he writes is on Vineyard of the Sacker.

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Elizabeth Olbert's avatar

YES!

This is exactly what Putin talked about in his speech today, and exactly what Xi talks about all the time. It's right out in plain sight, even if Americans don't see it: the unipolar global economy is crumbling, and Western elites are in absolute panic mode.

The idiotic wastefulness of the Ukraine war; the almost casual collapse of England; Europe on the verge of freezing to death, while the US stumbles around, led by senile baboons and wielding military power that shouldn't even exist . . .

I guess we can only hope the multipolar world will look a little bit brighter, huh?

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djean111's avatar

Someone on YouTube said that the entire world had an agreement not to do this sort of thing. Once a country starts sabotaging oil/gas/whatever pipelines and communications cables, things would go south very quickly. The US, however, does not consider itself bound by even the "laws" that it writes. For everybody else.

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The Passionate Progressive's avatar

Duran ended a powerful discussion on this today - also pin-pointing Washington and labeling it as nihilism.....Said that -as I paraphrase - that we are well into a Cuban missile crisis moment but there is no JFK in the WH.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

There probably is such an agreement, even if it's an informal one. If there is, the US undoubtedly signed onto it. Now that the Empire has broken it, the door is open for all sorts of nasty surprises for ordinary Americans in the future.

Way to go, Democrats.

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jbnw's avatar

I think there are lots of candidates. Maybe the UK for Liz Truss to show support for Ukraine; maybe Poland or any Baltic state; maybe Ukraine under US supervision.

These points from a Telegram channel are very interesting:

There are 3 things you need to understand about these pipelines:

1. These pipelines were Russia’s leverage over Europe. Massive leverage. Russia doing this is effectively political self-destruction. Not only in terms of economic profit, but in terms of strategic leverage over the EU bloc amid the conflict in Ukraine.

2. These pipes are built with steel reinforced concrete. They are made to withstand an impact from aircraft carrier anchors. They are basically indestructible without explosive charges.

3. The only realistic way this could have been carried out is via submarine/ship launched underwater drones.

There are only 3 countries that actively use this technology: USA, Russia & possibly China.

https://t.me/asbmil/5750

With US ships in the area, I would be astonished if the US didn't know, even if the US is not directly responsible.

Of course, this is just another escalation step. Wait until Russia gets larger next week, and the US has already said the new region is ok to be attacked by Ukraine using US weapons.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Thanks for the great information about the pipelines. I knew nothing about them, but I suppose I could always ask my brother-in-law. He's an engineer who designs such things. It's not surprising to learn they are built tough, because they have to be.

Eventually someone will figure out whether it was an explosive planted by divers(how deep is the Baltic there, anyway?), submersible, or launched by underwater drone. There were US Navy ships in the area that could easily have been used to support any such operation.

Thanks also for pointing out the excellent reasons Russia has for NOT harming the pipelines. That pretty much leaves the US Empire, regardless of the nationality of the people who actually did it.

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jbnw's avatar

I wondered about depth of the leaks too - around 300 feet. Not a huge technical challenge, like places in the Atlantic or Pacific.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

300 feet? That's nothing for a submersible, and possible for expert divers like Navy SEALs or EOD. Certainly possible for the underwater drones they have now.

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sadoldgirl's avatar

How dare you to accuse the US, which is well known to respect ,yes, to respect

international laws! The German media give you the choice between Ukraine

and Russia.Btw, this happened in international waters.

Give credit to Tucker on this one. Even he pointed in the right direction. I doubt that

those directly involved were Americans; the question remains of who gave the orders/

money for this clearly terrorist action. Who said though"I promise you that we are able

to do it"????? Gee, I have to admit like Reagan "I can't recall".:)

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MrMickeysMom's avatar

I'm going with the shadow government pulling the strings of the mechanical octogenarian who "promised" this would happen. You all know the reasons why. Not that it matters, but since I either call up the WH or write them, today I asked this twit... "Is blowing up the Nord Stream 2 Victoria Nuland's latest international terrorism move under the Biden administration? You and your administration are acting most dangerously and this move to prevent the world from seeking shelter and warmth is a clear example. STOP YOUR MOVEMENT IN WORLD IMPERIALISM NOW."

By the way, Pam (Pam2)'s mom has passed. She thought of me when Jimmy Dore's stream was cut off today. It's like JPR here, OB.

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djean111's avatar

Also, William Rivers Pitt died. Heart attack. 50. announced at SV, which I read because of the propaganda, and the weird violent streak is hilarious. They managed to have a major squabble over POSUCS, and dredged up the original thread. I was quite subdued.

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MrMickeysMom's avatar

I'm afraid I'm dumb about POSUCS, but that's cause I dumb. Anything coming from SV is such a waste of oxygen. I see a lot of people who have to keep reassuring their beliefs, even though they don't know how to figure it out ... yet.

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djean111's avatar

Pitt's wife has MS. There was only one expensive medication that helped her. "Obamacare" required a $700 a month premium, and the plan they had been assured would cover the med did not cover it. So he called Obama a Piece of Shit Used Car Salesman. Which was absolutely correct, and more so as we find out what Obama actually did. The thread of replies to that was breathtaking in its portrayal of smug sadism. I look at SV like a zoo. They do keep up with the news, post like monkeys on crack, and are so predictable it is like watching a sitcom. In any event, it is sobering that Pitt died at 50 - and of course someone at SV felt the need to be critical and the animosity towards someone who would call out the First Black President still runs deep and wide.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

That's the best description of DU I've ever read. Yes, I'll type DU or even spell out the site's name here because I can. :)

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MrMickeysMom's avatar

"post like monkeys on crack, and are so predictable it is like watching a sitcom"...

I remember how important WRP was in his commentary, when his baby was born (can't be much more than 10 or 12 years ago, could it?) and what a loss. Some day, someone who decides to write more about internet discussion groups could reveal the mindset of shit-libbery on DU.

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MizzGrizz's avatar

This is a blow.Pitt was a good writer.It’s a shame.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

I'm very sorry to hear about Pam's mom. It's never easy, even when it's expected.

Shadow government? It has to be so. Biden can't even find his way off of a stage on his own. He's a nasty, mean old man with dementia, and that fits in with our rapacious oligarchy just fine.

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Pam2's avatar

Thanks.

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djean111's avatar

Also very sorry to hear about Pam2's mom. Pam2 is so sweet I hate to think of her in any distress at all.

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Pam2's avatar

Thanks. She was in declining health for a while so I am glad she is no longer suffering.

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The Passionate Progressive's avatar

So sorry to hear of Pam2's mom - though I don't have contact with her, my deepest condolences are passed on virtually...Thinking of her and the good times we shared at JPR.

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MizzGrizz's avatar

Yes,condolences..

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Pam2's avatar

Thanks.

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Pam2's avatar

Thanks.

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The Passionate Progressive's avatar

Richard Medhurst/Garland Nixon have both given interesting and meaty presentations on this issue...Whether the US actually did the work or had assistance from the Nordic states who are very qualified in underwater demolition, nothing would have been done without the US approval/honchoing it. Medhurst among other evidence reveals that in recent US military journals, extensive discussions of underwater robotics (has a name but I can't remember it) which according to the article are to be/were used for demining (nfi)...So the US had the means and the motive (Nuland/Biden statements) as well as the opportunity (ships/helos) in the vicinity of the explosions.....tbc

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Elizabeth Olbert's avatar

One last thing: I just heard Jackson Hinkle on the Jimmy Dore show, and he described the Nordstrom sabotage as a "clear message" sent by the US to the EU, designed to leave no doubt about whether the EU has to play by American rules, even if it means freezing citizens and a winter of riots.

Hinkle irritates the hell out of me a lot of the time, but this actually strikes me as a very perceptive remark.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

The pipeline was Putin's best negotiating leverage. I don't think it a coincidence that just a couple of weeks ago Putin told an EU rep at the preliminary Turkish-led peace talks that all Europe had to do was to drop their sanctions on Russia and the gas would flow.

Now the gas cannot flow. It makes Europe more dependent on North America and the North Sea countries for energy in the immediate future. It also makes the dissolution of the EU and NATO far more likely in the next few years that it was just in January.

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MrMickeysMom's avatar

Although I've seen Pam2's comment here, I'm gonna pass along everyone's condolences by email, which I've been doing lately.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Well, Seymour Hersh just confirmed my theory. It was the Navy. Probably EOD(Explosive Ordinance Disposal) divers, maybe in submersibles that can be launched from warships.

Sounds like Hersh's source had the actual operational plans, too. We have met the enemy and they are US.

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