OPEC blows Brandon a big fat raspberry

“Every ten years or so, the United States needs to pick up some small crappy little country and throw it against the wall, just to show the world we mean business." - Michael Ledeen, advisor to presidents and American thought leader That quote succinctly summarizes American hubris as experienced by much of the rest of the world over the past 150 years. To the surprise of nobody except the Americans, the rest of the world has noticed. That’s why Mr. Biden has had no luck convincing America’s “friends and allies” among oil producers to increase production. He’s facing mid-terms imminently, and the American electorate get right grumpy about $6/gallon gas no matter how many crappy little countries their military has thrown against the wall lately. The Saudis can’t help. The Mexicans can’t help. The UAE can’t help, even after that beauty peace deal young Kushner gifted them with Israel. The Venezuelans aren’t interested, even with the promise of sanctions relief. Maybe they recall how hard the Americans worked to throw them against the wall. In fact, pretty much the only country willing to ship more gas to the US is Canada, and we’re coming to the rescue as fast as we can. Just a few more decades to sort out those pesky Indigenous land claims, and then a few more to build the infrastructure, and we’ll be there with bells on! All of this because America convinced its EU allies to destroy the Russian economy by boycotting Russian oil. Less oil on the market - prices go up! Who knew? Until yesterday the Americans imagined they had enough clout with OPEC to coerce a production increase. Instead, the vile ingrates did the opposite of what Biden requested, scaling back production by 2 million bbls per day. Meanwhile, how is that Russian economic collapse shaping up? It’s starting to look like Russia may have more friends in the world than we imagined, and it’s the Americans who are increasingly isolated.

Sanctions force Russian oligarchs to choose between Putin or their super-yachts

My hunch is that the Russian oligarchs who choose their boats over their boss won't be oligarchs much longer.

Putin will strip their Russian assets.

Their buddies in the West will strip them of everything else, including their super-yachts, for the crime of being Russian.

If I'm a Russian oligarch, that's a no-brainer.

What remains unexplained, is why anyone should give a shit about what oligarchs, Russian or otherwise, think or do.

Map of countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia

We're led to believe by CBC, BBC, CNN, etc that the world is behind America's call for sanctioning Russia over the Ukraine invasion.

Not really. The countries shown in blue are following Uncle Sam's orders.

The rest of the world is not. To wit; no sanctions from the Western hemisphere south of the Rio Grande, none from Africa, the Middle East, or Asia, aside from Singapore and Japan.

The countries in blue represent approx 1/8 of the world's population.

Yet CBC et al never tire of declaring that Russia is becoming totally isolated!

I lifted that map from the Moon of Alabama blog. I highly recommend you read the entire article.

German ingrates stab Uncle Sam in back

Hey Squareheads, have you forgotten everything that Uncle Sam has done for you?

Have you forgotten the Marshal Plan?

Have you forgotten who kept you safely tucked under his nuclear umbrella while the Evil Empire was running amok on the world stage?

So now Uncle Sam is asking for a little sacrifice, a few pfennigs lost from your bulging geldbeutel, in order to slow down the new Stalin's bid to resurrect the Soviet dynasty, and you want to begrudge this?

Shame!

And this shameful selfishness is not only coming from the pinkos of Die Linke, but from the Chambers of Industry and Commerce and the Foreign Minister himself!?

Come to your senses, Volk!

What, after all, does it really mean to give up a gas pipeline from Russia when you have a chance to further the interests of freedom and democracy worldwide by paying double for American gas supplies?

And after everything that Uncle Sam has done for you...

The mind boggles!

Rouble up 50% on week!

So where are all the headlines proclaiming that fact? After all, we certainly had no shortage of headlines celebrating the rouble "collapse."

After bottoming out at 78.5 roubles/1USD a week ago, the rouble is trading in the 55 range today. A week ago a million roubles were worth $12,700.  Today that million roubles is worth over $18,000 US. Normally this would be considered a robust recovery, but our news reportage about all things Russian is not normal.

Instead, all major Western media continue to hew to the politically dictated script.

Putin bad.

Rouble in free-fall.

Russia on verge of collapse.

Colour revolution to break out imminently...