PELOSI'S DANGEROUS TAIWAN VISIT .

(1)>>I thought I would not write for a few days . BUT IT IS AN EMERGENCY right now . The Democrat Party never ceases to amaze me what a catastrophe it really is . A huge blunder of Biden's foreign policy of making enemies like with Russia . NOW China looms . I'd imagine shooting down a plane with high ranking government officials of another country is considered an act of war? Pelosi refused to confirm the trip during a weekly press conference Thursday, saying "I don't ever discuss my travel plans." "You never even hear me say if I'm going to London, because it is a security issue," she said.  (2)>>If the Pentagon had real info the Chinese would shoot down the plane. We wouldn't hear that from some gossip news website. Pelosi departed on Friday for a tour that could include a controversial stop in Taiwan, the self-governed island democracy at the heart of rising tensions between Beijing and Washington. 

Nancy Pelosi , why don't 
you just stay home 
eh ?

(3)>>Diplomatic messages between nations are always like this. They have to sound strong, but cannot commit to anything definitive. The actual language the US has around Taiwan is that it has a "robust unofficial" connection, for example.Though the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, we have a robust unofficial relationship.The United States has a longstanding one China policy, which is guided by the  (4)>>Taiwan Relations Act, the three U.S.-China Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances. We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means. We continue to have an abiding interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States makes available defense articles and services as necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability -– and maintains our capacity to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of Taiwan. (5)>>It's also worth noting that this type of "warning" from China is very very very common because diplomatically, saying nothing is implied consent. They usually will then do some symbolic gesture like move around some missiles, do a test flight, or schedule a practiced military exercise.Yep; basically the US has a vested interest in keeping the status quo like it's always been: China able to 'claim' Taiwan as its own without really owning it in any real way, and Taiwan doing its own thing as a 'Democracy of China' for the US to happily protect under its umbrella of influence without really saying so openly.It's all about the 'unspoken' status quo that both sides (the US and China) are cool with. Taiwan was mostly cool with it in the early years to keep China off their asses, but now that they have tech dominance and the perfect strategic military defense via their landmass, they want to finally break free from the 'chains' of China (especially after what happened to Hong Kong and China's promise about that). There's probably no better time than now, to be honest, for Taiwan. China sent a strong message to Biden  “We are seriously prepared,"  Chinese spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters at a regular briefing on Monday, when asked for comment about the contents of the report.When asked what kind of response China was "seriously prepared for" and if it would be a military or a diplomatic response Zhao said: "If the U.S. side is bent on going its own way, China will take strong measures to resolutely respond and counteract." I fail to understand the purpose of Pelosi's trip to Taiwan. (6)>>It is a waste of taxpayer's money and serves as a provocation to China.  ' The United States should be held responsible for any serious consequences," he added.In this case it sounds like Pelosi is a terminator-class threat and if we send her over there they'll have to nuke themselves and it will be the USA's fault since they've now warned us.China is the last nation that would be dumb enough to start a war over anything outside its territory.If a war starts, it’s not going to be China who starts it.

NOTES AND COMMENTS : (1)>>I thought I would not write for a few days . BUT IT IS AN EMERGENCY right now .  If the WAR in Ukraine is not enough , the current American government can't seem to not escape a world conflict these days . It's too dammed much , worrisome. Pelosi last week referenced the possibility of her plane getting shot down, after President Joe Biden told reporters that the U.S. military believes her potential visit to the NOT SO  self-governing island is “not a good idea.” Indeed, the Biden administration has conveyed the risks to Pelosi in private in recent weeks, including a plea to postpone her trip to later this year.But some analysts consider the risk of an imminent attack, whether on Taiwan or Pelosi’s aircraft, overblown. (2)>>If the Pentagon had real info the Chinese would shoot down the plane.  "Hu is only a "propagandist" for China officially". What exactly does that mean, Hu is China's Official propagandist? Doesn't that seem to imply that Hu officially speaks on behalf of the Chinese Government, sort of like our presidents Press Secretary? If Hu said China could shoot down her plane, then Chinese officials said it and he is just passing it along, I don't see a situation where he just makes up stuff and says it, what if the communist party does not like what he is saying? Does he actually have enough freedom in China to say things about the leadership which are lies?  A headline published by the Daily Mail warned that "China says it WILL shoot Pelosi's plane down IF she travels to Taiwan under US fighter escort." A strongly worded Friday tweet from a Chinese Communist Party-linked tabloid newspaper columnist prompted some to say that China had directly threatened to shoot down Pelosi's plane if the visit does occur. However, no Chinese government official has directly threatened to shoot down Pelosi's plane if she does visit.  Its CRAZY ENOUGH . Personally I don't wan't any war , even with China .Shooting down a USAF plane with arguably the most powerful politician in America would be literally insane ! But in the face of an increasingly bellicose China, Taiwan and other U.S. allies have been calling for more clarity, which the Biden administration has failed to deliver.  (3)>>Diplomatic messages between nations. The Chinese Government does not object to the U.S. maintaining non-governmental economic and cultural relations with Taiwan. What we do oppose is U.S. conducting official exchanges with the Taiwan authorities. The dispatch of U.S. Energy Secretary to Taiwan and his meetings with Lee Teng-hui and other senior officials of Taiwan constitute a serious violation of the guiding principles enshrined in the three joint communiqu閟 between the two countries and the U.S. own pledge of not having any official contact with Taiwan. It is only reasonable and entirely justifiable for us to express concern and lodge protest with the U.S. Government over its erroneous actions.(4)>>Taiwan Relations Act, the three U.S.-China Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances.The process of establishing diplomatic ties with the United States began in February of 1972 when President Nixon visited China. That visit produced "The Shanghai Communiqué," which was an acknowledgement by China and the United States that the two countries faced obstacles to establishing diplomatic relations, but also that they would work toward "normalizing" their relations . It was clear," writes one historian, "that the principal obstacle to regular diplomatic relations, to 'normalization' with China, was not the American role in Vietnam [1955-1975], but rather Taiwan."The problem centered on the fact that both China and Taiwan claimed that there is only one China, and that Taiwan is a part of China, but each side also claimed to be the legitimate government of China, with Taiwan using the formal name "Republic of China" (ROC) to express that claim, and China using the formal name "People's Republic of China" (PRC).The PRC objected to the United States having diplomatic relations with both the PRC and the "ROC," here after, "Taiwan,"—because it would mean that the United States believed there were "two Chinas," and not just one China.Further, China demanded that the United States withdraw its troops stationed in Taiwan, but refused to promise that the PRC would not use force to "reunite" the island of Taiwan with the mainland of China, which the United States asked the PRC to promise.(5)>>It's also worth noting that this type of "warning" from China is very very very common because diplomatically, saying nothing is implied consent.  Such drastic military action by China is not considered likely, but on Tuesday China’s defense ministry said it would “not sit idly by”. It threatened “strong measures” in order to “thwart any external interference and ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist attempts”,  China state media said. Analysts said the US administration’s response to the plans and China’s reaction meant it was difficult to de-escalate the situation without either China or the US appearing weak.(6)>>It is a waste of taxpayer's money and serves as a provocation to China. Nancy Pelosi should visit mainland China , rather than creating a conflict .The two countries’ supply-chain linkages are vast, and China holds more than US$1 trillion in US Treasuries, most of which it can’t easily unload, lest it reduce their value and incur massive losses. China and the US are deeply intertwined economically. Taiwan could easily become this century’s tripwire, just as the ‘Fulda Gap’ in Germany was during the Cold War. But the same dynamic of ‘mutually assured destruction’ that limited US–Soviet conflict applies to the US and China. And the international community would do everything in its power to ensure that a potential nuclear conflict did not materialise, given that the consequences would be fundamentally transnational and—unlike climate change—immediate.A ‘mistake’ on the part of either country is always possible. Over Taiwan . That is why diplomacy is essential. Each country needs to determine its vital national interests vis-à-vis the other, and both need to consider the same question from the other’s perspective.

January 6th Hearings are a CIRCUS !

WELL the  (1)>>January 6th Committee Hearings are going to reconvene in September . Just shortly after the the 8th last Circus was to conclude .  I had some time to wasteso I decided to watch the Jan. 6th hearing. What a complete farce! It’s like a Broadway play! Totally scripted. No wonder nobody was watching besides brain dead idiots! the popcorn ! . They should’ve just televised it on Comedy Central! - not a hearing when only one side is allowed to present "evidence" - but it has ludicrously low viewership. Meaning that nobody is watching this colossal waste of taxpayer dollars. (2)>>OK , lets face it what do we already KNOW what we already know about what happened on January 6th ??? The divide in this country continues to expand! All our elected representatives continue to do is push their respective agendas without looking for avenues of agreement! If this trend continues, and I fear it will, we are heading in the wrong direction. I’m concerned for our country. These representatives want their position to prevail no matter what the cost to this country! Americans are picking sides, and that is plainly demonstrated by the difference of opinion expressed by the panelists! They watched the same broadcast and interpreted it entirety differently.  The committee also provided more details about Trump’s (2)>>lack of response to the Capitol riot. He declined to order the National Guard to assist the Capitol police, leaving vice-president Mike Pence to step in and do it instead. Do we really need to care ???But it was viewed by just 20million Americans on the night – far fewer, for example, than usually watch the president’s State of the Union address, which averaged over 40million viewers during the Trump years. As an editorial in the liberal Washington Post put it, the committee hearings look unlikely to ‘change hearts or minds’. SO the whole Hearings are such a waste of time . Democrats have only themselves to blame for the hearings’ likely failure to persuade many more Americans to turn against Trump. (3)>>Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, set up the committee in an overtly partisan way. She broke procedural norms to reject the members selected by the Republican minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, and instead handpicked two anti-Trump Republicans, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. The bias of the committee is all too obvious. The Democrats clearly want to use the hearings to tar the entire Republican Party with the Trump brush – and no doubt distract voters from Joe Biden’s struggles, including an inflation rate of 8.6 per cent and $5-per-gallon gasoline. (4)>>It isn’t. “Witnesses” are not being cross examined. Key questions are NOT being answered. Such as what the speaker of the house knew and when. If the Capital police had FBI intelligence on a potential riot, why was the capital building not better protected? Video shows capital police retreating and allowing rioters into the building. Who ordered this? (5)>>Why was the officer who killed Ashli Babbit not charged with manslaughter/murder?What happened was people (6)>>walked into a building that was wide open, likely open deliberately to make a situation like this happen. There's a lot of evidence that suggests that they had a shit ton of warnings and refused to act upon them. It was quite literally like beating a dog, leaving the front door open and then wondering why the dog ran away. Why does this all seem like impeachment #3 if for no other reason than to prevent Trump from running in 24’? Why is the hearing being held in prime time if not to distract from Biden’s horrendous record to date in the run up to the mid terms? This whole thing feels ridiculous: we didn’t hear anything last night we didn’t already know. This feels political. When you schedule your hearings for prime time and bring in a news producer to get people to watch; you’re after attention, not the truth.

NOTES AND COMMENTS: (1)>>January 6th Committee Hearings .  January 6th committee present their findings (I'm a political junkie and I actually find it interesting) and I think there's too much emphasis placed on January 6th. January 6th was a horrible day, no question. But ever since then a majority of the discussions turn into arguments about semantics whether it was a coup, insurrection, or riot. The hyperbole around it truly has been insane, making it impossible to focus on a very important fact: Trump tried to stay in office after suspicious like losing the election.Anyone who calls it a 'coup' doesn't know what a coup is. A coup is using the military and/or police to overthrow the existing seated members of a government and replace them with other members of that same government. Note the use of military and police. The hearings, though, have failed to punch through as a voting issue. Inflation (37%) is the number-one issue for registered voters as they think about November’s midterm elections. Abortion (18%), guns (10%), and health care (10%) follow. The January 6th Committee Hearings (9%), crime (6%), and immigration (6%) receive single digits. Inflation is the top issue for Republicans (57%) and independents (42%). There is less consensus among Democrats for whom abortion (29%) tops the list followed by the January 6th hearings (17%), guns and health care each with 15%, and inflation (14%).(2)>>OK , lets face it what do we already KNOW what we already know about what happened on January 6th ???  We already KNOW what happened Jan 6th .  The world is literally crumbling. People can’t afford to eat, gas up. But these well to do politicians doing this insurrection garbage. 1) It’s a distraction from their failures 2) Another silly impeachment attempt .People who have been following the story for the last several months didn’t hear anything new. People who just tuned in last night saw the full case laid out in detail.(2.1)>>lack of response to the Capitol riot.I watched the so called hearing on Nate the Lawyer youtube channel, and even he had to stop watching it at the point where the young lady started talking about how it looked like a war zone. How she was slipping on blood and on and on. Now Nate is an ex cop turned lawyer in NYNY. He leans left and has covered J6 on his channel a lot, and he found the hearing to be a sham. He pulled up video to show how the police that were there were not in riot gear. He also tried to find the blood all over the place and the vomit and all that she was talking about. She painted a scene that did not exist. Nate even showed photos of the BLM protest that took place 6 mos before that showed all the police and National Guard that was at the very same location, and he asked the question,,,, "Why was there not the same show of force on J6?"Why did they not ask her,,,, "What were you told in your morning meeting about the day to come?" ,,,,,,,, "Why were you not in riot gear?",,,,,,, "What were you told to do if you were faced with a large group of protesters?",,,,,,,, "Why did you not have backup, and who was in charge that day?" These are the real question I want answered. (3)>Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, set up the committee in an overtly partisan way. Put Pelosi on the stand and ask her why she sent 12 Capital police home at 10 am on Jan 6. I watched it live that day and kept thinking this is the biggest setup I have ever seen.Seeing how Washington, D.C. experienced days of rioting and clashes with the police in late May &June of 2020, Pelosi should have listened to her Capitol Police Chief and called in the Nat. Guard before the Jan. 6 rally. The Guard had been used before 6 months earlier. A fully equipped, uniformed Capitol Police force ( many were neither that day), buttressed by the Guard, would have been more than a match for an unarmed, unorganized, spontaneous group of protesters, many of whom were over 30. Pelosi wants to blame Trump. I blame Pelosi and her political optics over real security policy. A protected Capitol keeps a protest from devolving into a riot, which is what occurred. Too bad she didn't resign after the chaos, instead of firing the Capitol Police Chief, and the Sergeant At Arms of the House & Senate. (4)>>It isn’t. “Witnesses” are not being cross examined. Key questions are NOT being answered. . The absence of the opportunity for cross-examination of those with first-hand knowledge of the events in question – Ornato, Engel, and the thus-far unidentified SUV driver – probably is the most important reason for excluding hearsay testimony, such as that offered by Hutchinson. The right to cross-examination is a bedrock principle of fairness in the American legal system.There have been some notable coordination problems between the select committee and the Justice Department, but they seem mostly to be the department’s fault — and that appears to be true here, too. The New York Times recently noted that “it remains unknown if prosecutors are looking directly at Mr. Trump’s own involvement in subverting the election or inspiring the mob that wreaked havoc at the Capitol,” but after Hutchinson testified, the paper reported that federal prosecutors working on the office’s Jan. 6 investigation “watched the aide’s appearance” and “were just as astonished by her account … as other viewers.”As for the “investigation” analogy, it is highly misleading. Investigators routinely consider hearsay information from informants, not to use it publicly, but because it may lead them to direct evidence from someone who is competent to testify because they actually witnessed the events in question. However, such statements taken during an investigation typically are (or should be) kept confidential. Thus, prosecutors are forbidden from releasing transcripts of ongoing grand jury proceedings, and FBI agents are not supposed to disclose witness statements gathered during investigations. One of the reasons for this caution is because such statements may not have been verified and carry the risk of unfairly tarring others’ reputations. (5)>>Why was the officer who killed Ashli Babbit not charged with manslaughter/murder?More than 500 pages of internal documents from DC Metropolitan Police concerning the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt in the Capitol on Jan. 6 reveal witness accounts stating she was not holding a weapon at the time of her death and how "upset" the officer was after shooting her. "These previously secret records show there was no good reason to shoot and kill Ashli Babbitt," stated Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, which obtained the documents through a May 2021 FOIA lawsuit. "The Biden-Garland Justice Department and the Pelosi Congress have much to answer for the over the mishandling and cover-up of this scandalous killing of an American citizen by the U.S. Capitol Police."Babbitt, an Air Force veteran, was shot and killed during the storming of the Capitol by a bullet fired by Capitol Police officer ​​Lt. Michael Byrd. The documents from the DC Metropolitan Police department show that witnesses did not see Babbitt holding a weapon prior to her being shot, and reveal conflicting accounts of whether Byrd verbally warned Babbitt before shooting her.  (6)>>walked into a building that was wide open, likely open deliberately to make a situation like this happen. The events of Jan. 6 also fail to meet the dictionary definition of insurrection, which Merriam-Webster defines as “an act or instance of revolting against civil authority or an established government.” A usage note adds that the term implies “an armed uprising that quickly fails or succeeds.” A closely related term, “insurgency,” is “a condition of revolt against a government that is less than an organized revolution and that is not recognized as a belligerency.”A real insurrection would have required the armed forces to quell an armed resistance. Actual insurrections—apart from the Civil War—include Shays’ Rebellion in 1787, in which thousands of insurrectionists tried to seize weapons from a Massachusetts armory after months of planning to overthrow the new revolutionary government, and the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794, in which 500 armed men attacked the home of a U.S. tax inspector in Western Pennsylvania. Both events required President Washington to quell the insurrections with thousands of armed troops, who killed several resistors.  Fox News host Mark Levin is claiming, accusing the Jan. 6 committee of violating Article 1 of the Constitution by ridiculing Republican Senator Josh Hawley at its latest hearing."Congress doesn't have plenary powers to do whatever it wants," Levin said on his show "Life, Liberty & Levin" on Fox News on Sunday."It's very specific, we got Article 1 and there's a long list of powers, it's the longest article in the Constitution of Congress' powers. [...] You can study it and study it and study it and you will not find the power to conduct a criminal investigation because it violates separation of powers," he said.Given the media hyper hysteria over Jan 6, I definitely smell a rat. The Jan 6 hysteria sounds and looks like a repeat of Russia collusion. It just smells bad when all of the media shouts hysterically: "Insurrection".  Falsely claiming Jan 6 was an "insurrection" leads people to believe that the Democrat led House is lying again. Most people associate insurrection with armed conflict. The only arms were carried by the Capitol Police and DC Police. The only person shot was an unarmed protester. Let's face it: Pelosi's House has perpetrated the frauds of Russia collusion; Impeachment #1 the "call" and Impeachment #2; incitement of insurrection. All were built on lies. Any investigation in Pelosi's House lacks credibility with the American people.

Joe Biden's SAUDI BIG OIL FIASCO ?

President Joe Biden's fist bump with
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ,
should have been a high five .
Come back empty .

AS GAS PRICES SPIKE UPWARDS . U.S.  President Biden can't seem to come to grips with increasing domestic oil production . Instead he goes begging to the Saudis . (1)>>As a result, high gas prices could persist into the midterm elections, where they have historically had an acute influence on voter behavior. Perhaps the most infamous example of this was during the 1979 oil crisis, when following the Iranian revolution, oil production slumped, sending gas prices skyrocketing.(1.2)>>The president’s 24 hours in Jeddah were dominated by photos of his fist bump with the de facto leader of a kingdom Mr. Biden had labeled a pariah. Things went downhill from there.Biden greeted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who U.S. intelligence agencies believe ordered the killing in 2018 of  (2)>>Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, with a fist bump shortly after his arrival on the visit. Mr. Biden insisted that, in front of the entire U.S. and Saudi delegations, he had labeled the crown prince the killer of Jamal Khashoggi.  (3)>>Saudi Minister of State Adel al-Jubeir was quick to say he didn’t recall hearing that. When Mr. Biden was asked if the foreign minister was telling the truth, he said no—implying that a key Saudi official was a liar. In short, the President walked away with no progress—not only on oil, but on peace in Yemen, confronting Iran and everything else.So much for rebuilding  (4)>>U.S.-Saudi cooperation, which was Mr. Biden’s goal. This trip was worse than a missed opportunity. It damaged U.S. security interests in the Middle East by highlighting to the world that neither Saudi Arabia nor other Gulf states trust the U.S. enough to make any sacrifices to renew badly frayed relations. In a speech to Arab leaders, the president proclaimed: “We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran.”Nobody is going to be angry, but if  (5)>>Biden gets snubbed or humiliated in any way, the US starts to look weak. The Saudis had been refusing to accept calls from Biden. That has never happened before. If KSA starts pivoting toward China, that starts to look like the US global role is in decline.If Russian fossil fuels are phased out of Europe, the GCC is going to be part of Plan B. If they start showing a lack of enthusiasm, the US role as fixer gets damaged.The last time the US was on the outs with the Saudis, the US experienced stagflation partially due to increased energy costs.If Biden convinces the Saudis to open the floodgates on crude exports, it could help reduce energy prices and take a bite out of inflation in the US, which remains a top political threat to his Democrats in November. Most likely the visit to Saudi Arabia was contingent on the announcement of the production increase. Biden could not and should not be willing to go to Saudi Arabia prior to that as it would appear that he was going hat-in-hand to beg for oil, which even if successful would have bad optics. And if said visit failed, the optics would be terrible; you can imagine Trump's speech about how he would have struck a "super-great" deal.  (6)>> So if things go sideways, Biden starts looking like Jimmy Carter. Which will be a disaster for Dems. It just seems like a risky move on Biden's part. Unless he offers to bomb Iran, he doesn't have much that Saudis need. He's going there in a position of weakness. Unless he pulls an oily rabbit out of his hat, it will look like poor judgement. (7)>>As it stands, gas prices are at their highest level in seven years. The issue has become such an acute concern to Democrats that White House and top Democratic lawmakers are reportedly considering a federal gas tax holiday. Despite the obvious concerns, Biden has largely avoided blaming Saudi Arabia publicly, but in October, he alluded to his refusal to meet directly with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as connected to the refusal to pump more oil.  

NOTES AND COMMENTS:  (1)>>As a result, high gas prices could persist into the midterm elections.However, when many Americans think about Saudi Arabia, one issue comes to mind — oil. Americans today are extremely frustrated with the high price of gasoline and want the president to bring them lower prices. Many likely believe that the trip is primarily about  decreasing prices at the pump, despite the president’s emphasis on other issues. However, those people are likely to be disappointed. (1.2)>>The president’s 24 hours in Jeddah were dominated by photos of his fist bump with the de facto leader of a kingdom .  Way back in February 2022 . President Joe Biden had a high-profile call with King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud in an effort to partially restore a relationship with Saudi Arabia. According to the White House’s readout, during the call, Biden reaffirmed the willingness of the U.S. to aid Saudi in so-called defensive operations against the Houthis in Yemen, following recent attacks by the Houthis on the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. It also alludes to a discussion of the kingdom’s oil production, which has remained low since Saudi Arabia denied Biden’s request to increase it in August. “Both leaders further reiterated the United States’ and Saudi Arabia’s commitment to ensuring the stability of global energy supplies,” it reads.Biden tried to get OPEC to increase production a few months ago. They weren’t interested at the time because it was too risky. If Russian oil gets removed from the market that could change the calculation.This seems so obvious to me that I'm confused why it didn't happen earlier. It would bankrupt Russia to flood the market with Saudi oil. It would help Western consumers and economic growth. I understand progressives getting their underwear in a bunch over it, but Republicans?  (2)>>Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Biden pinned the blame for the murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on MBS, declassifying a U.S. intelligence report that tied the assassination directly to him.This isn't accurate, and I'm kinda bored with this widespread mischaracterisation of what happened.It says that he almost certainly approved an operation to capture or kill khashoggi. Any rational assessment is that is was a kidnap attempt gone wrong and then covered up in a moronic fashion by the extraction team. If anyone thinks a government assassinates someone by using long-winded tactics to lure then into their own embassy whilst their partner is waiting outside... Then I have a bridge to sell them.Khashoggi was an ex saudi intelligence agent and posed a national security threat (in their view). They have a long history of extracting targets under the guise of 'medical evacuations'. According to the audio 'conveniently' leaked by Turkey, there was a struggle and something went wrong. Given he was there to get a marriage permit and his fiancee was outside I'm guessing the team panicked and went about disposing of the body in a hamfisted way.Also worth noting that the family have formally forgiven the saudi government which issued a full public apology (with some significant blood money thrown in). Something that is basically unheard of and in their culture amounts to the matter being considered closed.E: also the suggestion that the Western world should by default refuse to engage with anyone non-western is also insanely stupid.(3)>>Saudi Minister of State Adel al-Jubeir was quick to say he didn’t recall hearing that. Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir affirmed that Saudi Arabia and the US have strong historical and strategic relations in all fields. Driven by the need for market discipline and the advantage of keeping prices high, according to Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudis have no intention of breaking their OPEC+ arrangement with Russia, in which the parties agreed to slowly restore their monthly collective production at the rate of only 400,000 more barrels a day.Saudi Arabia can't boost its oil production any further in the medium term, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Friday at a summit attended by President Joe Biden, according to a report.He added: “With regards to the price of gasoline in the US, that’s really a function of the lack of refining capacity. The US has not built a refinery in more than 40 years and it has something to do with a regulatory environment that has now led to having many different blends of gasoline in different regions of the US, and that makes it complicated to supply gasoline into the American market.”Therefore, he added, “increasing crude oil supplies to the US is not going to alleviate the problem. But going back to the global situation, Saudi Arabia’s policy is to work within OPEC and OPEC+ to make sure the markets are adequately supplied and we have been doing that.(4)>>U.S.-Saudi cooperation, which was Mr. Biden’s goal. The aim, US President Joe Biden said, before setting off on a Middle East tour that ended in a summit with his Arab counterparts on 16 July in Saudi Arabia was to start a new and more promising chapter of America’s engagement there. In an opinion article in the Washington Post titled “Why I’m going to Saudi Arabia” on the eve of his four-day tour, Biden laid out the selling points of his ambitious diplomacy by emphasising that the tour “comes at a vital time for the region, and it will advance important American interests.”The US has called on oil-producing nations to pump more oil to counter soaring prices triggered by a pandemic supply squeeze and the Ukraine war. Saudi Arabia is the top exporter of oil to the US, accounting for 5% of petroleum imports and 6% of crude imports.Biden is attempting to improve relations with the kingdom, having previously pledged to make it a "pariah state" over the 2018 murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents. Biden said he reiterated that assertion to Crown Prince Mohammed, who has denied personal responsibility for the killing.Whether Bidden has left his mark on the Middle East by rekindling regional alliances and reestablishing US supremacy, and whether his trip will succeed in curbing petrol prices back home before crucial mid-term elections, remains to be seen.(5)>>Biden gets snubbed or humiliated in any way, the US starts to look weak. He's the oldest President ever, he's so old that he literally has difficultly speaking. I've seen videos of him 20 years ago and the difference in how he talks is outstanding, we cannot trust 70+ year olds to run this country when they're so out of touch with the modern world and the younger generations. He's also promised a bunch of shit (student loans, etc.) and then simply not delivered them. He's like every other politician, he promises a load of stuff and then does the bare minimum. That's why people see him as weak. President Biden to run for re-election in 2024, the floodgates are open. Everywhere you turn, there is suddenly a Dem willing to declare that Very Old Joe is in way over his head.  Under BIDEN , going to the Saudis  reek of desperation of a impending energy crisis .Energy independence is critical to the national security and interest of the United States. Finding yourself at the whims of energy producers has forced the U.S. into unsavory relationships with OPEC states has led Biden begging to adversaries .(6)>> So if things go sideways, Biden starts looking like Jimmy Carter. Which will be a disaster for Dems.   Gas prices at all-time highs and inflation soaring to levels not seen since the malaise of Jimmy Carter. During the last presidential campaign, Biden claimed he would commit to ending fossil fuels under his watch – a promise he has done his very best to fulfill.  On the day he took office, Biden immediately put 10,000 employees working on the Keystone Pipeline on the unemployment rolls.  He cancelled further work to open the 10-02 area of ANWR in my home state of Alaska.  He kowtowed to eco-activists and installed radical environmentalists into key Secretary positions in Interior and Energy, along with the Director of the EPA.In the last 18 months, his Administration has implemented policies that removed American energy independence. The comparison between the two presidents is popping up with pundits and politicians. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) tweeted last year that Biden “is the new Jimmy Carter,” for example.What is clear is that the 1970s was a pivot point for energy.Political actions following the Arab oil embargo in 1973 and 1974 and the Iranian Revolution in 1978 and 1979 shaped the energy landscape for decades. They helped bring about the 55 mph speed limit, the Department of Energy and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.Moreover, the 1970s’ energy upheaval wasn’t brief. Issues that dominated the decade like higher energy costs hammered three consecutive presidential administrations, and their struggles to respond would shape their political careers.Fifty years on, Biden is juggling his own energy crisis, following his embargo on Russian crude oil as retaliation for President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.(7)>>As it stands, gas prices are at their highest level in seven years.  Pete Buttigieg just bragged that high gas prices are pushing Americans to electric vehicles. Now you know why the Biden Administration refuses to unleash American energy. U.S. is not heavily dependent on Russia for its oil, but its numbers are slightly understated. And while it was correct in its assertion that oil companies have recorded record profits, it ignored that those gains followed pandemic-era losses. Oil supply disruptions would be key to the outlook for gasoline, with Russia the third largest producer of oil in the world, after the United States and Saudi Arabia, according to 2020 data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which pegged its production level of petroleum and other liquids at 10.5 million barrels a day, or about 11% of the world total.It was on July 15, 1979, that Jimmy Carter delivered what came to be known as his “malaise” address to the nation — though the word did not appear in the text. Intended as a bold, broad-brush speech about “about national concerns, the energy crisis, reorganizing the government, our nation’s economy, and issues of war and especially peace,” it has gone down in history as a political suicide note.

NEWSOM'S DELUSIONS .

Dangerous looking California Gov. might be "planning"
to run for President to replace
Joe Biden 2024 ??? . Holding a Ar-15.

(1)>>ALMOST 4 years ago on this VARY BLOG I was "predicting" that California Gov. Newsom was going to face Donald Trump in 2024 AD.  Am not kidding you ? I'm from California...California should NOT be an example of what America should be.Everyone is leaving the state for a reason. The fact that this guy has the Gaul to think about running for president makes me sick to my stomach. So here is what is buzzing about . In recent days, the California governor signaled to his team that, for now at least, what they’ve referred to internally as his “Paul Revere” phase has gone far enough. But the warnings turned a whisper campaign into something audible: Is the governor positioning himself for a White House run in 2024? Newsom has stressed that he isn’t challenging President Joe Biden — either on his stewardship of their party or as a candidate in two years. He’s reminded people that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris separately trekked across the country to stump for him in his recall election. But taken together, the moves have been widely interpreted as a relatively young executive using the specter of a future presidential bid to shine a bright spotlight on himself.   During an interview with ABC News' Zohreen Shah prior to the ad placement,  (2)>>Newsom, 54, insisted he had no White House ambitions, although several unaffiliated California-based political advisers told ABC News that claim doesn't totally hold water, and the ad campaign was a foolproof way to elevate his profile and test public appetite as (3)>>President Joe Biden's stock with Democrats continues to crash . And the proposed situation in which (3.1)>>Biden declines to run for re-election after only 4 years in office would be unprecedented, not only in the modern era, but since the nineteenth century -- the last time that happened was Rutherford Hayes in 1880 (!!). So it's hard to argue that the results of recent contests would provide much insight into such a situation. The Democrats are in a free fall right now , (4)>>Biden probably will not make it to 2024 , that's leaving only Harris . BUT the alternate motive for Gavin Newsom for running for President should not escape anyone . I think he's being groomed by the elites . A couple of weeks ago he met with Canada's PM Justin Trudeau here in California for the Summit of the Americas . They announced a new partnership to advance bold climate action. California and Canada signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) fighting climate change, reducing pollution, cutting back on plastic waste, advancing zero-emission vehicles, protecting the environment and building climate resilience. (5)>>PM Trudeau is one of the obvious Globalists pushing the agenda of the World Economic Forum, its so convincing that  (6)>>something lucrative is being planned with Gov. Newsom.  Newsom has stressed that he isn’t challenging President Joe Biden — either on his stewardship of their party or as a candidate in two years. He’s reminded people that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris separately trekked across the country to stump for him in his recall election. But taken together, the moves have been widely interpreted as a relatively young executive using the specter of a future presidential bid to shine a bright spotlight on himself. And they’ve been enough to elicit early brushbacks from allies of Biden and Harris.The governor that we almost had recalled. What makes him think he’d be a good president? Talking about being a bit pompous. He and all the other democrat governors before him have been doing a good job of destroying our CA. BUT the Globalism Agenda is eyeing him. (7)>>A Biden/Harris endorsed Newsom run would be sick and honestly good ruin for the Dem's chances.Can't see Kamala, Buttigieg or Newsom running against Biden, nor would any of them get the nod over him. But we really do need somebody else.I doubt people are serious about Newsom.  (8)>>Granted people are serious about Harris and I’m honestly not sure who would be a worse candidate on the national level.I live in California and it is extremely messed up the crime, homelessness, drugs, electrical grid, water (lack of), education, inequality, infrastructure, taxes, fire prevention… if this guy gets in the United States is F’d! EVEN IF I would have considered myself a Democrat that is , am not . Can someone explain to me  (9)>>what Newsom has accomplished? California has an Exodus of citizens happening trying to escape the place.. Not such a good testimony. Most the country is actually laughing at the shambles that California is in. Has he fulfilled any of his campaign promises other than drastically reducing the train that no goes to nowhere? I’m warning you now don’t vote this guy in!!!

Gov. Newsom is likely to 
stir the pot or
rock the boat . In
the Years leading to 2024 AD.

NOTES AND COMMENTS : (1)>>ALMOST 4 years ago on this VARY BLOG I was "predicting".  Back in 2019 I wrote GAVIN NEWSOM VERSES DONALD TRUMP .  So in this writing I am going to make some "predictions" of a possible future outcome.  This also assumes Trump wins re-election in 2020. Newsom could produce the biggest opposition against Trump ,he continues to rise in the ranks and he also does a good job on behalf of his California constituents, then I don’t see why he wouldn’t - at the very least, throw his name out in the 2024 Democratic primaries. NEXT question is will the state of California survive beyound the years 2024 to 2060 as a single state , or be divided into or three . It must be said if the state of California is heading that way . We all must have to thank Gov. Gavin Newsom. [👉👉 see this   https://urlzs.com/tUCPs👈👈 ] There are better candidates, but he would be ok and democrats need someone younger. That said I doubt he tries in 2024, Biden will probably push for a second term even though he shouldn’t.(2)>>Newsom, 54, insisted he had no White House ambition.   There seems to be a hidden agenda for Newsom , if BIDEN does not make it Kamala will never be President . But she could stick around as VP , have Newsom as President . This is PURE SPECULATION . The CA governor called the notion “Nonsensical in this respect: that I’ll be meeting with the vice president in a moment. My old friend, colleague, Californian, the vice president of the United States,” Newsom said of Vice President Kamala Harris, with whom he had lunch on Friday, reported the Sacramento Bee. Tradition assumes the current VP would be her party’s candidate if the president is not running.But after POLITICO revealed the leaked Supreme Court draft overturning Roe v. Wade, Newsom unloaded on Democrats, asking outside a Planned Parenthood office last month, “Where the hell is my party? Where’s the Democratic Party? … Why aren’t we calling this out? This is a concerted, coordinated effort. And, yes, they’re winning.”The governor’s pointed critiques arrived at a particularly vulnerable time for Biden, who is facing renewed questions about his age and confronting a long list of challenges as Democrats prepare for the likelihood of a tough midterms, all while suffering from historically weak polling.(3)>>President Joe Biden's stock with Democrats continues to crash .  At the Washington Post, Philip Bump sees a big-picture factor at at play. "Biden’s age and job performance are both salient in this discussion, but the new poll also reflects something else: the simmering power struggle within the party between its left and moderate factions." Generally speaking, those on the left are younger, but they are less concerned about Biden's age than the older moderates. For them, it's about policies, or the lack thereof.Biden’s diminishing standing should be alarming to Democrats working to hold control of Congress in the midterm elections this fall. While Biden’s decline has not yet dragged down approval for most Democratic incumbents on the Senate side of the aisle, studies have shown an increasing association between a party’s House performance and their president’s job approval rating. (3.1)>>Biden declines to run for re-election after only 4 years in office .As the challenges facing the nation mount and fatigued base voters show low enthusiasm, Democrats in union meetings, the back rooms of Capitol Hill and party gatherings from coast to coast are quietly worrying about Mr. Biden’s leadership, his age and his capability to take the fight to former President Donald J. Trump a second time.Interviews with nearly 50 Democratic officials, from county leaders to members of Congress, as well as with disappointed voters who backed Mr. Biden in 2020, reveal a party alarmed about Republicans’ rising strength and extraordinarily pessimistic about an immediate path forward.The 2024 election did not come up at Harris’ meetings with these allies, according to those briefed. But the gatherings themselves suggest to those familiar with the conversations that the vice president is keeping those influential people close to either help the Biden-Harris 2024 ticket or to aid her own campaign if the president opts against running for a second term.Harris is not the only Biden ally who appears to be making inroads with wealthy financiers as the president considers his political future. A Wall Street executive who raised money for Biden’s 2020 campaign said he has heard from both Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom in recent weeks.The poll is certain to fuel speculation from restless Democrats looking to shove Biden off-stage. The president will turn 80 this year, just a few weeks after what is expected to be a Democratic wipeout in the 2022 midterm elections. His approval ratings are deeply underwater, polling shows.(4)>>Biden probably will not make it to 2024 , that's leaving only Harris .Just wait, the propaganda machine will turn on Newsom now, and in a year you'll hate him just as much as Kamala, for absolutely no reason that you can explain.California Governor Gavin Newsom would have a better chance at beating likely Republican candidates than Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.The sitting VP almost always get the party's nomination after the sitting president is done. Heck I can't even name a time when the sitting VP didn't get the nomination of their party. Given Harris is not only the sitting VP, but the 1st Black-Indian woman to hold that position. She is basically guaranteed the nomination.And the proposed situation in which Biden declines to run for re-election after only 4 years in office would be unprecedented, not only in the modern era, but since the nineteenth century -- the last time that happened was Rutherford Hayes in 1880 (!!). So it's hard to argue that the results of recent contests would provide much insight into such a situation.Dude really said that Newsome was a bad candidate, but Harris was good. Like I get not liking Newsom I'm firmly on the side of being critical of him, (mainly for being a neolib false progressive), but theirs no way in hell I'd take Harris over him, she's just as disingenuous and more to the point, she's incredibly annoying like nails on a chalkboard.(5)>>PM Trudeau is one of the obvious Globalists. Has the OP looked up the dentition of globalist? He should. It means separate nations working together to create an economy in which more than one country thrives. By this definition, EVERY president in history is, has been and should be a globalist.Trudeau & Newsom are globalists.In the midst of a global emergency, talk of "opportunity" can seem jarring.The pandemic will leave behind significant economic damage everywhere — damage that governments might help to repair through policy and public spending. At the same time, the pandemic has both exposed and highlighted an array of pre-existing problems, from economic, gender and racial inequalities to shortcomings in care for the elderly.(6)>>something lucrative is being planned with Gov. Newsom. Many might feign shock and surprise at this, pointing out that Gavin Newsom has been groomed for higher political office for years.  Newsom  I think if he plays his cards right he could go into 2024 very strong. He's just beginning to show what I think we need to start seeing, righteous anger. If Newsom were to take up "the cause" from Sanders and Warren and then start swinging he could have a real chance of energizing 2024. I think he needs to start that right now though. We need that energy for 2022. People need to see a candidate that can get past the "both sides are the same" propaganda. At the same time he positioned himself for a presidential run in 2024.That aside, his actions (or the actions of his advisors) was a high profile win for the gelled California Boy the right loves to hate. Newsom may be the telegenic face and youthful voice the Democratic Party needs to tell its story, something both President Biden and Vice President Harris have so far been unable to do despite significant improvements in the national interest. Newsom is smart, aggressive and chose a good time to elevate his profile – challenging some pretty ugly practices in Florida and its leadership and saying “I’m the guy to take this on.”He'll never get the conservative vote. They already have their "swiftboat" excuse from that party. (7)>>A Biden/Harris endorsed Newsom run would be sick and honestly good ruin for the Dem's chances. The Democrats need someone with a sunny disposition. , if Newsom even tries 1% of what he does here anywhere else they will chew him up and spit him out. He can't stump his financial conservative side without pissing off liberals and he can't stump his gay rights side without seriously angering much of the country, especially with a worsening economy. And on the economy, he's got little to offer manufacturing workers who see him as someone who will sell them into Chinese slavery. There's not much more to him, at the moment.(8)>>Granted people are serious about Harris and I’m honestly not sure who would be a worse candidate on the national level.It is safe to assume that EVERY vice president is coached and briefed so they are prepared to assume the presidency if necessary. AM  peddling right wing fairy tales that Biden is a front and Harris -Pelosi  is running the show or will take over,  NOT stop trying to sell that idiotic story.The Vice President being a heartbeat away from the President is primary function of the Vice Presidency, established by Article II of the Constitution.That being said, the question above suggests that the administration is grooming Kamala Harris to fill the full capacity of the presidency, contemplating a Biden disability—phyisical or cognitive—based on age.I highly doubt it. I see her running in 24 and losing, to either another Democrat in the primaries or to whomever the Republican candidate is. OR LOSING TO TRUMP IN 2024 . After that she will just fade away and be only a footnote in history like so many other vice presidents.(9)>>what Newsom has accomplished? So far he has done nothing for California , high taxes , high gas prices and un affordable housing . He's one of the elite , he also has become a multimillionaire businessman, with an upscale chain of wine stores, wineries, restaurants, nightclubs, hotels and retail shops stretching from the Bay Area and Napa Valley to Lake Tahoe and Palm Springs. He built some of those businesses with the Gettys, heirs to an oil fortune who have deep connections to Nancy Pelosi .Newsom says his current plan to address homelessness will end family homelessness in five years, which sounds even more ridiculous when you consider that he gave a ten-year timeline as mayor of San Francisco, only to have homelessness in the city be as bad as ever.Under his watch, California is near the top in unemployment as the state’s economy struggles to recover from his COVID management. Newsom would surely rebut that California has the fifth largest economy in the world, but what does that matter to the average Californian? For those who are unemployed, the Newsom Administration’s management of EDD has been an abject failure. We’ve had strike teams and emergency efforts and any number of buzzword responses only to have fraud run rampant, people unable to get adequate service and the backlog of cases to remain as long as ever. Even if he makes it to the White House , if he lucky , his really bad legacy will hurt America worse than Biden did in four years.