UK Posted January 7 Posted January 7 (edited) 9 hours ago, Xerxes said: comedian Zelenskyy relevant enough Why so much disdain for man:)? Don't you think that he has achieved at least something, even as former comedian? Did Putin with his "second most powerful army in the world" did any better in the last 4 years? What I realty do not get is this idolizing by some in the west of a thug as if he is some kind of Sun Tzu born alive:), but actually who is not that different than Maduro, only with inherited WMD...:)) Edited January 7 by UK
UK Posted January 7 Posted January 7 7 hours ago, SharperDingaan said: The mysteries are whether the powers that be 1) allow 'Plan-B', 2) choose to intervene, and 3) whether those military upgrades are Chinese, ahead of a Chinese takeover of Iranian production .... as China also needs oil, and are competent at producing from oil fields as well. Whatever the outcomes; each has the potential to move markets. The last time US and Israel bombed Iran these powers indeed did some strong verbal intervention:)
Parsad Posted January 7 Posted January 7 38 minutes ago, UK said: Why so much disdain for man:)? Don't you think that he has achieved at least something, even as former comedian? Did Putin with his "second most powerful army in the world" did any better in the last 4 years? What I realty do not get is this idolizing by some in the west of a thug as if he is some kind of Sun Tzu born alive:), but actually who is not that different than Maduro, only with inherited WMD...:)) +1! Cheers!
Xerxes Posted January 7 Posted January 7 8 hours ago, UK said: Why so much disdain for man:)? Don't you think that he has achieved at least something, even as former comedian? Did Putin with his "second most powerful army in the world" did any better in the last 4 years? What I realty do not get is this idolizing by some in the west of a thug as if he is some kind of Sun Tzu born alive:), but actually who is not that different than Maduro, only with inherited WMD...:)) I was explaining Kremlin point of view, and why he was being discounted (I.e not important enough to bother). Maduro and Zelenskyy are indeed (tier-2) peers in that Trumpian-Putinism-Xi great power world view. I think / thought it was pretty clear. Not sure how my comment was retranslated as lack of respect for Zelenskyy, here. Then again this an investment board with a political thread attached to it. So anything goes …
UK Posted January 7 Posted January 7 (edited) 1 hour ago, Xerxes said: I was explaining Kremlin point of view, and why he was being discounted (I.e not important enough to bother). Maduro and Zelenskyy are indeed (tier-2) peers in that Trumpian-Putinism-Xi great power world view. I think / thought it was pretty clear. Not sure how my comment was retranslated as lack of respect for Zelenskyy, here. Then again this an investment board with a political thread attached to it. So anything goes … Sorry:). English is not my first language! Edited January 7 by UK
John Hjorth Posted January 7 Posted January 7 9 hours ago, UK said: Why so much disdain for man:)? Don't you think that he has achieved at least something, even as former comedian? Did Putin with his "second most powerful army in the world" did any better in the last 4 years? What I realty do not get is this idolizing by some in the west of a thug as if he is some kind of Sun Tzu born alive:), but actually who is not that different than Maduro, only with inherited WMD...:)) 1 hour ago, Xerxes said: I was explaining Kremlin point of view, and why he was being discounted (I.e not important enough to bother). Maduro and Zelenskyy are indeed (tier-2) peers in that Trumpian-Putinism-Xi great power world view. I think / thought it was pretty clear. Not sure how my comment was retranslated as lack of respect for Zelenskyy, here. Then again this an investment board with a political thread attached to it. So anything goes … 34 minutes ago, UK said: Sorry:). English is not my first language! ... I for one always appreceiate your posts, gentlemen @UK and @Xerxes ! , Absolutely crazy stuff going about everywhere these days, At Berlingske [www.berlingske.dk] there was a headline impliying Russia in 2019 was suggesting USA a backroom swap deal, 'UIkraine for Venzuela'... I've never about it before, cliked on it, got a dynamic feed on news in US Politics, I coulden't find anything there, and thought it was just click-bait [not usual behavior at Berlingske newsmedia, I would say], did a seach for it in English language, and found the this from ABC News : ABC News [January 6th 2026] : Trump's former Russia adviser says Russia offered US free rein in Venezuela in exchange for Ukraine Subtitle : Russian officials suggested in 2019 that the Kremlin might reduce support for Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela in exchange for a free hand in Ukraine. - - - o 0 o - - - Which again led me to : AP News - World News [January 6th 2026] : Trump’s former Russia adviser says Russia offered US free rein in Venezuela in exchange for Ukraine. - - - o 0 o - - - Honestly : You gotta be kidding me! - - -o 0 o - - - And now this on Truth Social an hour ago : https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115854352740910460 What he heck is going on, what is up and down in all this. Has POTUS been drinking of the night pot? -Or is all this a severe, so far unknown, side effect of taking a hign dose of Aspirins for decades? Not even two persons inside the US administration are saying the same thing on about anything! Has POTUS gone rougue?
Dalal.Holdings Posted January 7 Posted January 7 https://www.wsj.com/world/u-s-forces-launch-operation-to-seize-fleeing-oil-tanker-0d6443ab?mod=hp_lead_pos1 So the U.S. just seized a Russian ship being escorted by Russian submarine that violated U.S. Sanctions. Compare that to European countries that let Russian ships cut their underwater cables and unleash drones with no punishment whatsoever. This is the value of actually exercising hard power. So Trump has taken a Russian Black Market Ghost Ship and Putin’s buddy Maduro out. Remember when liberals claimed Trump was a Putin puppet ?
SharperDingaan Posted January 7 Posted January 7 (edited) There is a strong possibility that Orange Boy is having trouble getting 'after the fact' Congressional permission for the Venezuela thing, and anything else ... hence lots of distraction to keep the eyes off. Urgency, 'cause if the 'shock and awe' doesn't go his way, the senate flips and he's the orange pinata/lame duck for the rest of his presidency. That HUGE orange 'El Gordo' is kinda hard to miss SD Edited January 7 by SharperDingaan
SharperDingaan Posted January 7 Posted January 7 16 minutes ago, Dalal.Holdings said: https://www.wsj.com/world/u-s-forces-launch-operation-to-seize-fleeing-oil-tanker-0d6443ab?mod=hp_lead_pos1 So the U.S. just seized a Russian ship being escorted by Russian submarine that violated U.S. Sanctions. Compare that to European countries that let Russian ships cut their underwater cables and unleash drones with no punishment whatsoever. This is the value of actually exercising hard power. So Trump has taken a Russian Black Market Ghost Ship and Putin’s buddy Maduro out. Remember when liberals claimed Trump was a Putin puppet ? The cargo's of the other tankers that successfully ran the blockade, are being rerouted to the US versus China as part of the recently negotiated oil purchase. 3rd party at sea ship-to-ship transfer remaining a possibility, so that the sanctioned oil price becomes the market price . SD
Spekulatius Posted January 7 Posted January 7 (edited) 36 minutes ago, Dalal.Holdings said: https://www.wsj.com/world/u-s-forces-launch-operation-to-seize-fleeing-oil-tanker-0d6443ab?mod=hp_lead_pos1 So the U.S. just seized a Russian ship being escorted by Russian submarine that violated U.S. Sanctions. Compare that to European countries that let Russian ships cut their underwater cables and unleash drones with no punishment whatsoever. This is the value of actually exercising hard power. So Trump has taken a Russian Black Market Ghost Ship and Putin’s buddy Maduro out. Remember when liberals claimed Trump was a Putin puppet ? I agree. The Europeans let the Russian ghost ships run through the Baltic ocean and scrape their communication cables. It’s basically a NATO lake and they should just blockade it. This would get more attention than issuing just another joint statement. Edited January 7 by Spekulatius
John Hjorth Posted January 7 Posted January 7 24 minutes ago, Dalal.Holdings said: https://www.wsj.com/world/u-s-forces-launch-operation-to-seize-fleeing-oil-tanker-0d6443ab?mod=hp_lead_pos1 So the U.S. just seized a Russian ship being escorted by Russian submarine that violated U.S. Sanctions. Compare that to European countries that let Russian ships cut their underwater cables and unleash drones with no punishment whatsoever. ... It's correct there has been such situations eailier, @Dalal.Holdings, And handled with a soft hand earlier. But not now, not any longer. The last indcident was handled with an iron glove by Finland. Please be aware of Finlands own experiences in history with it's neighbour to the east. No mercy any longer. The captain and a crew member put behind bars, up for trial. And the shipowner, who ever that may be, can wave goodbye to both ship and shipload. Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and the three Baltic states are cooperating closely on this by now.
Dalal.Holdings Posted January 7 Posted January 7 (edited) 47 minutes ago, Spekulatius said: I agree. The Europeans let the Russian ghost ships run through the Baltic ocean and scrape their communication cables. It’s basically a NATO lake and they should just blockade it. This would get more attention than issuing just another joint statement. Even worse than cutting cables are the ships that were releasing drones to spy on German military assets such as its sub base in Kiel: https://ioplus.nl/en/posts/how-seven-students-unmasked-russias-drone-motherships There were also drones that stopped flights in Munich airport. Putin only understands hard power. The more Europeans let him get away with, the more bold he’ll be While Russia might feel like it can play these games in Europe and China play its games in Asia, Trump is making it clear to both China and Russia that these games will no longer be tolerated in the Western Hemisphere Edited January 7 by Dalal.Holdings
John Hjorth Posted January 7 Posted January 7 1 hour ago, SharperDingaan said: There is a strong possibility that Orange Boy is having trouble getting 'after the fact' Congressional permission for the Venezuela thing, and anything else ... hence lots of distraction to keep the eyes off. Urgency, 'cause if the 'shock and awe' doesn't go his way, the senate flips and he's the orange pinata/lame duck for the rest of his presidency. That HUGE orange 'El Gordo' is kinda hard to miss SD Thank you, SD [ @SharperDingaan ], It may be as simple as that. Pure deflection. [I had to fire up Google Translate to get 'El Gordo', btw. - Colourful language from a Canadian oil bug! ]
cubsfan Posted January 7 Posted January 7 21 minutes ago, Dalal.Holdings said: While Russia might feel like it can play these games in Europe and China play its games in Asia, Trump is making it clear to both China and Russia that these games will no longer be tolerated in the Western Hemisphere +1 - Bingo - we have a winner!
Mephistopheles Posted January 7 Posted January 7 18 hours ago, cubsfan said: Yeah, you are correct - Pelosi and company made the whole thing up. Too bad everyone knows it now.
John Hjorth Posted January 7 Posted January 7 US Embassy in Nuuk, Greenland : Internships at the U.S. Consulate in Nuuk : Especially this part in total has totally rescued the quality of the day today, otherwise, in would have been semi-crappy! : 40 hours a week, no pay? ROFL! Just the honour to serve the USA! Haha! - Good luck with that, I just say! -No bright head in Nuuk mastering the languages required would apply! [Perhaps this should have been posted in the Jokes topic here on CofB&F, but jokes here on CofB&F are required to be PC!]
73 Reds Posted January 7 Posted January 7 3 minutes ago, John Hjorth said: US Embassy in Nuuk, Greenland : Internships at the U.S. Consulate in Nuuk : Especially this part in total has totally rescued the quality of the day today, otherwise, in would have been semi-crappy! : 40 hours a week, no pay? ROFL! Just the honour to serve the USA! Haha! - Good luck with that, I just say! -No bright head in Nuuk mastering the languages required would apply! [Perhaps this should have been posted in the Jokes topic here on CofB&F, but jokes here on CofB&F are required to be PC!] John, a lot of young people get their foot in the door with unpaid internships. I just don't get all the hoopla surrounding Greenland. Don't the people there get a say? My understanding is they were working toward complete independence; am I wrong? In any event, the new narrative is that under Trump the US is imperialist. That's kind of amusing to folks here who understand that we have a tough enough time taking care of our own domestically. Just like there is a difference between starting wars and protecting/preventing wars, it is abundantly clear (to me anyway) that the US only views Greenland as a strategic outpost in pursuit of stopping foreign aggression. Not sure why this so confusing to some. My guess is (and it is only a guess) that if the population of Greenland (which is equivalent to the residents of a few square blocks in some our larger cities) were given an opportunity to have pretty much anything reasonable that they could think of in exchange for a US presence on Greenland, they would at least consider the option. It is not as if the President plans to build a Trump Tower and Casino on the coast or destroy the native habitat. Context and perspective just seems to get lost in these discussions.
Spooky Posted January 7 Posted January 7 4 minutes ago, 73 Reds said: My guess is (and it is only a guess) that if the population of Greenland (which is equivalent to the residents of a few square blocks in some our larger cities) were given an opportunity to have pretty much anything reasonable that they could think of in exchange for a US presence on Greenland, they would at least consider the option. The US already has a presence / military base in Greenland. Denmark is already co-operating with the US for everything they want. I'm not sure what else the US wants except to "own" Greenland so Trump can emulate his hero McKinley.
73 Reds Posted January 7 Posted January 7 1 minute ago, Spooky said: The US already has a presence / military base in Greenland. Denmark is already co-operating with the US for everything they want. I'm not sure what else the US wants except to "own" Greenland so Trump can emulate his hero McKinley. Nah, if that were indeed true, we'd have no interest.
Spooky Posted January 7 Posted January 7 (edited) 3 minutes ago, 73 Reds said: Nah, if that were indeed true, we'd have no interest. Look at the Danes' statements about Greenland. They are willing to co-operate with the US in a manner that respects it is their protectorate. The US apparently has 3 military bases in Greenland: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/07/brief-history-of-us-military-bases-in-greenland Edited: Sorry this is out of date, there is only one operating base in Greenland. Edited January 7 by Spooky
73 Reds Posted January 7 Posted January 7 2 minutes ago, Spooky said: Look at the Danes' statements about Greenland. They are willing to co-operate with the US in a manner that respects it is their protectorate. The US apparently has 3 military bases in Greenland: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/07/brief-history-of-us-military-bases-in-greenland Ancient history is hardly applicable. What about all the conditions, restrictions, reservations, etc.... that you assume have no effect on US ability to carry out its intended objectives? Again, if the issue was that cut and dry we'd have no interest. Its not.
Spooky Posted January 7 Posted January 7 2 minutes ago, 73 Reds said: Ancient history is hardly applicable. What about all the conditions, restrictions, reservations, etc.... that you assume have no effect on US ability to carry out its intended objectives? Again, if the issue was that cut and dry we'd have no interest. Its not. You are making a lot of assumptions that the US is operating in good faith. The statements I heard from the President and Stephen Miller is that the US must have Greenland and are willing to use military force against a NATO ally. Seems more about territorial expansion and taking resources to me.
73 Reds Posted January 7 Posted January 7 Just now, Spooky said: You are making a lot of assumptions that the US is operating in good faith. The statements I heard from the President and Stephen Miller is that the US must have Greenland and are willing to use military force against a NATO ally. Seems more about territorial expansion and taking resources to me. It never ceases to amaze me that some here always seem to be confused about what Trump says - except when they are not.
SharperDingaan Posted January 7 Posted January 7 (edited) 1 hour ago, John Hjorth said: [I had to fire up Google Translate to get 'El Gordo', btw. - Colourful language from a Canadian oil bug! ] 'El Gordo' is the Spanish Christmas Lottery, Lotería de Navidad; also known as the 'fat one'. https://www.idealista.com/en/news/lifestyle-in-spain/2025/12/11/876226-spanish-christmas-lottery-el-gordo-dates-tickets-and-prizes A full Spanish Christmas Lottery ticket is split into ten smaller parts called décimos, and almost everyone buys just a décimo rather than the whole thing. Because there are so many prize tiers and smaller payouts, your chance of winning something is much higher than with many weekly lotteries, even though the first prize odds are still very long. The Christmas Lottery’s Extraordinary Draw will distribute a total of €2.772 billion in prizes, around €70 million more than last year, so there’s an enormous amount of money being shared out across Spain. For 2025, the first prize, the Gordo of Christmas, pays €4 million per series, the second prize €1,250,000 per series, and the third €500,000 per series. There are also two fourth prizes of €200,000 per series and eight fifth prizes of €60,000 per series. Poorer people often have a colourful Pinata (El Gordo) strung up for Navidad, that the kids bash to get at the small candies inside; the bigger (fatter) and more colourful the better ... hence the application to Trump. El Gordo also happens to be a Mexican drug dealer ... very Trump https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2026/01/07/cae-el-gordo-junto-con-ocho-miembros-de-la-barredora-del-cjng-en-puebla/ SD Edited January 7 by SharperDingaan
cubsfan Posted January 7 Posted January 7 4 minutes ago, Spooky said: You are making a lot of assumptions that the US is operating in good faith. The statements I heard from the President and Stephen Miller is that the US must have Greenland and are willing to use military force against a NATO ally. Seems more about territorial expansion and taking resources to me. Can you show us where Trump/Miller said they are willing to take Greenland by force? Or are you just making that up?
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now