Category Oil Crises

Mar 24 2022

It’s Not Just Energy – It’s Also Metals


Armstrong Economics Blog/Base Metals Re-Posted Mar 24, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The outrageous sanctions imposed by Biden on Russia has undermined the entire world economy. Sanctions have never worked and this time they were designed to try to hurt the Russian people so profoundly that they would overthrow Putin. The Ukrainians are even naming Alexander Bortnikov, the Russian Director of the Federal Security Service and a member of Putin’s inner circle, as a successor to the president. Bortnikov has come out and said that Stalin’s Great Purge was necessary whereas Putin rejected Lenin. Be careful what you wish for, as they say.

Stickers are showing up plastered all over gasoline pumps throughout the USA despite Biden trying to blame Putin for his the disruption to the world economy. The US had no national security issue at risk with either Crimea nor DonBass. The Neocons just hate Putin and have used Ukraine as a proxy war toy to get at Putin. Even in Poland the government is pushing for war. Europe desperately needs war for 8.6 years of NEGATIVE interest rates has wiped out pension funds. NY banks will no longer lend against European sovereign debt. They cannot fund the governments any longer and the central bank cannot buy their debt endlessly. The only solution that they see is to default under the pretense of the Great Reset so they NEED war as the diversion with a new Bretton Woods.

But Biden’s sanctions have gone far beyond just energy. Nickel is a vital for it is the largest component in stainless steel production. Alloy steel is also called special steel. Nickel can increase the strength of the alloy and maintain its good plasticity and toughness. Then nickel is also used in the field of batteries, mainly nickel-hydrogen batteries, chromium-nickel batteries, and nickel-manganese batteries. Lastly, very fine nickel powder is often used as a catalyst in the chemical industry. Hence, nickel is vital and it goes beyond just the coins in your pocket which at these prices will be worth more in metal content soon enough.

Yet these sanctions that Biden swore would target only Russia, have disrupted the entire world and not just energy. Tsingshan Holding Group is a major producer of Nickel and it sold hedging position forward to secure its production. But prices doubled thanks to Biden and Tsingshan tried to buy back its hedging positions and that has set off a collapse of the Nickel market in London. Nickel was already breaking out thanks to COVID restrictions. Then the Biden Russian sanctions were insane and you can see the drastic price rally as Tsingshan tried to buy back its hedge.

Nickel prices began to soar after Biden’s sanction on Russia. The rally became a crisis for the LME as producers such as Tsingshan’s brokers desperately tried to buy those nickel contracts back causing a near 70% rise in a single session to stem losses and avoid escalating margin calls. The trading became erradic as brokers kept trying to cover short hedged positions. Hedge funds and other participants were frantically buying nickel, which only propelled the market even higher. Nickel prices had more than doubled reaching more than $100,000 a metric ton.

The LME was sent into crisis. Several smaller brokers were saying they would default at the 9 a.m. margin call if prices stayed at those levels. The LME was forced to suspend the market shortly after 8 a.m. local time or suffer a catastropiuc collapse of the exchange. The brokers could not meet the expected margin calls. Thus, the LME adopted the drastic step of canceling trades that took place before the suspension. They is said to have wiped out $3.9 billion in transactions. Of course, the hedge funds were furious for they were looking a huge unrealized profits. Because of the sudden price shock, the LME had no choice but to suspend trading in hopes that the brokers would collect the funds from their clients. However, the decision to wipe out trades that took place in a free market in good faith is really unprecedented and has shaken the confidence in free markets.

It may be true that the suspension and the canceled trades to settle the catastrophic damage to the free markets created by the Biden sanctions has prevented a near-term collapse of the LME. However, failing to do so may have brought down the entire exchange ending the market where producers can hedge forward.

Tsingshan still owes its brokers, which included JPMorgan, Standard Chartered and BNP as well as a unit of state-owned China Construction Bank Corp. The demand for cash to settle margin calls for a hedger who has sold future production presents a serious crisis. There are serious questions being raised if the price seen in this spike truly reflects the shortage in the supply or just an aberition created by a short-term panic.

Ironically, it was the great expanse of China’s economy which drove Nickel to $54200 a metric ton back in 2007. Nevertheless, where our computer has been bullish on Nickel and it elected even the third Quarterly Bullish Reversal at the end of the 3rd quarter 2021. There was no way the market was heading lower. Clearly, those in charge of hedging were calling the shots from an opinion perspective – not quantitative. For early 2021, Tsingshan began to accumulate a short position. It made statements on its website reflecting its view that the Nickel market was flush and prices should decline. Tsingshan’s short hedge position was equivalent to having sold about 190,000 metric tons on the LME. That would be worth $9.1 billion based on closing prices.

The forecasting view of Tsingshan regarding Nickel is just unfounded. Our model showed that we would start to see a rise in 2022 in price volatility but this is continuing into 2024. The price high may not arrive until 2023 and we may be looking at a new record. This is just another domino in the future of the world economy that just fell over. These Biden Sanctions are not going to be reversed and the pride of politicians is now threatening the entire world economy.

You have not made any comment about the LME Nickel market. In my opinion, this is onether chip of the domino falling which comes to confirm that the collapse of the West is in motion. The loss at Tsingshan is said to be about $8 billion. I have been called in to similar crisis where major corporations have lost billions due to improper hedging. This amount is staggering and clearly reflects that the firm has totally incompetent people in charge of hedging who may be listening to bankers and fundamentals rather than the markets.

Mar 24 2022

Putin puts Biden’s King in Check


Armstrong Economics Blog/Euro € Re-Posted Mar 23, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The absolute stupidity of those in the Biden Administration will go down in history as probably the dumbest ever in the history of the world, not just the United States. Besides disrupting energy supplies, and subjecting the world to a shortage of wheat when Russia and Ukraine represent 30% of the world exports, Biden’s sheer stupidity in just reading what his staff of climate zealots tell him is beyond belief. There is a crisis unfolding even in base metals like nickel.

Removing Russian banks from SWIFT but leaving the energy intact so Europe has power, was so brilliant they obviously never played chess. Putin just put Biden’s king in check by ordering Europe to pay for gas now in Rubles. That will provide support for the Ruble, and undermine Europe and its Euro as well as the dollar in the long run.

First of all, when Biden freezes all of Russia’s reserves, why would you continue to get paid in dollars that Biden could freeze? That makes no sense. This is why I warned that using SWIFT as a political tool would destroy the world economy. There is no putting this back together again. The foundation of TRUST has been lost.

What I would do if I were Putin is to create a two-tier monetary system like South Africa once had with the Financial Rand and Domestic Rand. What I would do to put Biden in Checkmate would be to back ONLY the domestic Ruble with gold to restore confidence among the Russian people, but leave the Ruble float for international transactions – the opposite of what FDR did in 1934.

Biden has destroyed the world economy. This is so devastating going forward, that what comes post-2032 when the world economy finally crashes and burns because of these idiots, there will be a whole new regime change on a global scale.

Mar 24 2022

Government ALWAYS Act in their Own Self-Interest


Armstrong Economics Blog/Banking Crisis Re-Posted Mar 23, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Hello Martin,

Hope your doing well, you spoke about keeping some money, outside of banks, do you see sterling paper money being cancelled by the bank of england, as they have already cancelled old £5/£10/£20/£50 and £1 coins, you have to bring them to the bank an exchange for new plastic type paper currency,my question is if you have some set aside do you think they would cancel outright or would they make you declare, if things get sticky, or would you be safer keeping in bank, for there is some insurance scheme up to £75 0r £85k, one named account, not that would effect me in the amounts, can you advise should I maybe bring some US dollars into piggy bank, much obliged, for your help will go towards helping my parents/family extended family circle, I just buried my mother a week ago, so my dad’s a bit all over the place, he has a few £1000’s, has difficulty putting money in banks/post office and questions and restrictions getting money out, they shut the last bank down in November, he lives in a town of 10,000 pop, has to travel to the city, not up to that now, any insight would be gratefully appreciated.he lives in the north of Ireland.
EP

ANSWER: Britain does cancel its currency. That allows the government to take that direction. The difference with the US dollar is that it has never been canceled and it would take an Act of Congress. Trudeau is Canada interestingly passed an Act to give him the authority to cancel paper ,oney. He did cancel the old notes as well.

While the US replaced the $100 bill, the old one is still valid. Since 70% of the US paper dollars reside outside the USA for they are the hedge against various governments, the Democrats would love to cancel the currencies following the same Marxist agenda that cash is EVIL.

In this atmosphere where Biden just reads the teleprompter and there are serious concerns in DC about his mental ability going forward, this means we really do NOT know who is running the show. All I can say is that demands, policies, and tactics are the hallmark of Neocons.  They have achieved their dream of controlling the White House. They have never allowed a day to go by without plotting how to conquer the world.

Unfortunately, The British pound is called “sterling” meaning it was once one power of sterling silver. Even in 1953, Britain had abandoned silver in its coinage. They struck coins in Cupro-Nickel. So it is hard to do the same as an American can do, hoard the old pre-1965 silver coins. When Roosevelt confiscated gold during 1934, that meant whatever you had on deposit in a bank was taken. He did not go door to door searching for gold coins. So keep that in mind that the banks will do whatever they are ordered to do. They are not on your side. They must be loyal to the state to retain their license.

You may want to look at British sovereigns, which are just under a quarter ounce of gold. Just keep it to the common dates, circulated is fine. You are not looking to be a rare coin collector. At least when Germany was going through its hyperinflation, people were able to hoard foreign currencies as well as tangible assets that included land, art, rare coins and stamps, and even old cars. Anything that is not relying on government and is not in some official storage that the government can seize. For they will also act ALWAYS in their own self interest.

Mar 24 2022

Zelensky Keeps Trying to Create WWIII


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ukraine Re-Posted Mar 23, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION #1: When I read today that while addressing the Italian Parliament, Zelensky reported that the Russians were “capturing and torturing children” my propaganda antenna went up and the BS detector went off. If true, that is atrocious and a war crime. Putin is crazy but that seems hard to fathom. It would seem like good propaganda for Zelensky to use to prompt NATO to get involved (which as you have noted repeatedly would surely start WW III). Maybe it is Zelensky’s Hail Mary pass?

Anyway, what were your thoughts when this was reported and what do you hear from your Ukrainian sources on this topic? Is this true?

RW

QUESTION #2: Marty, I find it amazing that your computer pinpoint Ukraine back in 2013. But you also said when this started that it would not be a quick in and out event. Then you said it was Zelensky who would create World War III. OK. I watched Zelensky address the Italian Parliament. He said Russian were torturing children. He is trying to paint Russians as animals. Zelensky keeps saying a lot of shit and it is all to send the world into war that will be nuclear. This man is pure evil. Do you have any timeline worked out yet?

RG

QUESTION #3: How can the West support Ukraine when you have doctors ordering that Russian soldiers who are prisoners of war should be castrated? I’m sorry. But I see this as the pot calling the kettle black.

OP

COMMENT #4: Zelensky Says He Wants Talks With Putin, Failure Means ‘Third World War’My Comment: No, it doesn’t Zelensky.
What it means is a Third World War of Words and Pictures equal to failure-failure. It’s a ‘Vietnam’ of no win-win for both.I watched the CNN GPS Zelensky interview too and was aghast at the war commercial produced by Zelensky’s ‘Dogs of War’ to romanticize and legitimize his demagoguery. It reminded me of the 1984 Apple commercial. Zelensky’s commercial is embellished with platitudes that reveal the naïve approach he’s taken with Ukraine and the lives of innocent Ukrainians. The mind behind the “The Third World War” scapegoat.There won’t be any last man standing to credit with victory. There will only be repentance and regret that you Zelensky broke faith with established agreements. Anyone who encourages Zelensky in this kind behaviour encourages a man who believes he’s more than what he is.….

I read the Toronto Star’s Saturday March 19, 2022 Edition, Front Page article ‘What drove them” by Justin Ling.

My Comment: Referring to ‘Klaus Schwab/WEF’ as a conspiracy theory brings into question the rest of what has been written in the article including Justin Ling’s ability to understand what he is writing about. ‘Klaus Schwab/WEF’ is not a conspiracy. It’s a fact. To use a newsie phrase from the past “READ ALL ABOUT IT!” It’s all there in plain sight to read and understand.

COMMENT #5: The madman is not Putin, it is Zelensky. Why should this man sacrifice my family here in Ohio for his hatred of Russians? If anyone should be assassinated, it is Zelensky to save the world.

KH

COMMENT #6: I could never fully understand why Americans hated Russia so much. In 1991, when I was 17 years old, a senior in high school, I traveled to Russia with a group of classmates in my economics class just as the USSR fell. I actually saw them change the flag from USSR to Russia. I remembered thinking this must be an important moment to witness in history.I never felt threatened while there. And I was very intrigued by the Russian winter swimmers called “walruses” who would swim in the ice cold water. They would practice all year in ice-cold baths, and I thought to myself wow, that really takes a lot of discipline to do that.

The Hermitage museum was absolutely gorgeous with the malachite columns and gold-leafed crown molding. We visited many major tourist destinations such as St Basil Cathedral, the Hermitage Museum, Moscow, saw Swan Lake, and ate at restaurants.  We stayed through New Years and because Russia at that time did not have an age-limit for drinking that served us copious amounts of vodka that my classmates happily drank and got drunk. I stayed sober…was not interested in getting drunk or drinking vodka, but it was interesting to see this American teenagers celebrating New Years in Russia.

Even though I think we saw probably the best parts of Russia, I felt Russia was a poor country when we visited. A few young children ran up to us begging for money, and there was just a lack of variety of foods to eat and things to buy at the shopping malls. Remnants of a communist country. Moscow was so bland and stark. And it was very cold, but I bought a Russian wool hat, which I loved wearing around. It was so warm!

Ever since then I followed Russia on and off, and with the fall of communism there it was very interesting to see their change and development in the arts and culture. I liked Maria Sharapova, tennis player, and I befriended a Korean-Russian while I lived in Korea during 1998. She was a Russian-born Korean and only spoke Russian and Korean. Fascinating to meet someone like that.

I thought it was always the idea of communism versus capitalism that Americans were at odds with, that Americans were in favor of freedom and democracy. I understand you, it is tragic to see what is happening in America. Americans really are no longer to good guys today with the election fraud. When Joe Biden took office, I literally cried (shed tears).

But you know, the sun comes up every day and when the sun shines, I feel happy. I try to do my part and not hate Russians. I find the country interesting. It is hard to see the other side when there is so much propaganda. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insights on what is going on in the world. You do so much good. Your thoughts are very much needed in today’s world.

Thank you.
SH

COMMENT #7: Now Biden is out saying the US must lead the new world order. Someone had better arrest the people writing these words he is reading.

DF

ANSWER: I am sorry, but Zelensky is an actor who even played a president. He was hired to bring the world to war and has done NOTHING that he promised to get elected. The audacity to claim he should get the Noble Peace Prize is just propaganda when he has put not just Ukraine at risk, but the world for insisting on joining NATO in violation of the Belgrade Agreement, and then refusing to allow Donbass to hold elections while claiming Putin is against democracy is the ultimate hypocrisy.

Claiming Russians are torturing children is just over the top. Nobody, even Hitler, Napoleon, Stalin, or the Genghis Khan has ever tortured little children. Then for the Ukrainian doctor to order Russian prisoners should be castrated is a violation of every convention on war and confirm the hatred of Ukrainian Nazis to just exterminate Russians is alive and well.

It is this hatred that Zelensky is pouring out to the whole world that they are now even removing Yuri Gagarin’s (1934 – 1968)  name from history as the first man in space because he was Russian? He died in 1968. This is the real evil – raw hatred being created by this actor. When the final chapter is written, it is Zelensky who has torn the world apart deliberately. He keeps threatening World War III because of his hatred of all Russians which is why he refuses to allow the Donbass to separate.

Zelensky has sacrificed his own people for his hatred of Russian people and this deliberate absurd position of joining NATO and refusing to allow the Donbass to become an independent republic. Ukraine was merely a border drawn during the Soviet Union. This is not even about the sovereignty of a nation. Neither Crimea nor Donbass are occupied by Ukrainians – they have always been ethnically Russian.

Many in Ukraine feel Zelensky is a puppet of the CIA, WEF, or the Ukrainian Nazis depending upon who you talk to. What is clear, he has done nothing to prevent war and does appear to exaggerate everything constantly threatening World War III to create it. He wants to engulf the entire world because of his hatred of Russians – not Putin alone.

Those who support Zelensky should take a look at their children. Are you prepared to see them killed and their future destroyed for this actor in high heels pretending to be a world leader?

Mar 22 2022

Far Left Boston Mayor Delivers Publicly Racist Comments


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 21, 2022 

Every caricature of extreme leftism is personified by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

A few days ago, while delivering St. Patrick’s Day remarks to Boston officials at a celebratory breakfast, the exceptionally unprofessional Mayor Wu made some remarkably racist comments about white people.  WATCH (prompted):

.

Apparently in her tribe of leftists, this passes for humor.  However, one can only imagine if the situation was reversed how the media would be reacting.

Mar 22 2022

Admission From Zelenskyy Highlights How Biden Administration Wanted To Provoke Russia To Invade Ukraine


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 21, 2022

Hopefully by now everyone is well aware how the U.S. State Department has been manipulating the internal politics of Ukraine for well over a decade.

A recent statement, by current Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, puts the weeks leading up to the Russian invasion into greater clarity.

In an interview with CNN, Zelenskyy spoke about his prior communication with Joe Biden and NATO leadership.  Within the interview Zelenskyy said (emphasis mine):

“I requested them personally to say directly that we are going to accept you into NATO in a year or two or five, just say it directly and clearly, or just say no,” Zelensky said. “And the response was very clear, you’re not going to be a NATO member, but publicly, the doors will remain open,” he said.  {CITATION)

So, privately NATO and the Biden administration were telling Zelenskyy Ukraine was never going to be in NATO, yet they told him they were going to publicly act like the possibility existed.  There was no way for Ukraine to enter NATO, but they were going to pretend he could.  Why would they do this?

Now we go back to the previous outline when it was first discovered the Biden administration was using China to funnel information to Russia.

In late February, the New York Times reported on U.S. intelligence and diplomatic officials from the State Dept sharing intelligence with Chinese officials in the three months leading up to the Russian invasion.  {Go Deep on Analysis} The narrative from the NYT article tells the story of the U.S. trying to convince China in December, January and February to intervene and persuade Russia not to cross the border into Ukraine.

Many people looked at this story from the perspective of incompetence, i.e. why would the Biden team think China would not share the intel, etc?

However, when it comes to these types of issues, never ascribe to incompetence that which can be explained by manipulative intent.

There’s every reason to believe what the Biden intelligence community and state department were sharing with China, was done with the intention of Beijing giving it to Moscow.

From that perspective, the question around intent becomes, what did they push, and why did they push it?

Now we get to the public story, public quote and critical Reuters article from December of 2021. What was being publicly outlined by Joe Biden to Ukraine President Vladimir Zelenskyy?

Reuters, December 9, 2021 – “U.S. President Joe Biden assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Kyiv’s bid to join the NATO military alliance was in its own hands, Zelenskiy’s chief of staff said after the two leaders spoke on Thursday.

Biden and Zelenskiy had a call two days after Biden held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to defuse a crisis over Russian troop movements near Ukraine’s borders. (read more)

In mid-December of 2021, the public face of the U.S. position was Joe Biden telling President Zelenskyy the entry of Ukraine into NATO was up to Ukraine.  If they want in, they’re in.  However, we know from Zelenskyy’s statements (March 20, 2022) privately Biden was saying you’ll never get into NATO, but we are going to publicly pretend you are.

Entry into NATO was a red line for Russia, Joe Biden knew it.  Vladimir Putin had been very clear about his opposition, and everyone knew it.  Russia would never concede allowing Ukraine to enter NATO.  Yet, the people running the Biden administration wanted to give the public appearance of Ukraine entering NATO.

In December of 2021, the U.S. intel community and Dept of State were talking to China about the Russian troop buildup, per the New York Times info.

The Biden administration is not stupid enough to tell Zelenskyy to play the game of pretend without knowing this would trigger a definitive military response from Putin.

There’s only one way to look at this.  The Biden administration was purposefully baiting Putin, and provoking Putin to invade Ukraine, because the team around Biden wanted Putin to invade Ukraine.

The question then becomes why?  Why would the people in/around Biden want to provoke Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine?

Again, a critical frame of reference is needed to answer that question: never ascribe to incompetence that which can be explained by intent. 

With the scale of economic bad news and catastrophic policy outcomes overwhelming the White House, a geopolitical crisis to distract the world’s attention does have major benefits.  However, this specific motive is also deeper than that.

This crisis actually helps advance the goals and objectives of domestic policy in multiple ways.

The people around Biden want soaring energy costs; they want huge increases in gasoline costs as part of their Green New Deal agenda.  These are ideological travelers, the most intense elements within the Obama crowd, and Biden has been installed as a disposable figurehead allowing them to operate a policy agenda without any concern for political damage.

Paving the path to ‘The Great Reset’, also known as ‘Build Back Better’, is much easier when the fundamental change crowd can just plow full speed ahead.

These are the most entrenched ideologues who consider federal deficit spending as a means to an end, where the U.S. is fundamentally changed and forever diminished because we are broke.

Through this prism of consequence, all of the negative domestic outcomes from Russia entering Ukraine and our responses therein, are not viewed as bad outcomes.  These consequences are domestic and economic pains to be embraced, not avoided.  After all, the people delivering these outcomes will never, themselves, feel any of it.

Watch what happens if our own government, these same entrenched ideologues, are successful in leveraging the sanctions against Russia to include the removal of Russia from the SWIFT financial exchanges.

Russia, China and Iran will immediately respond to the “west” blocking Russia from the SWIFT financial system.  If they launch a counter trade currency to work around the petro-dollar, it will not take long before the dollar is weakened or removed as the global trade currency.  If that happens, it’s game over for the United States of America as we know it.

Now, think about the Obama crew, the most ideological of all ideological traveling globalists…. the same crew who wanted to see the decolonialization of western culture.  The crew who wants ‘fundamental and permanent change’.  For this crew, the collapse of the United States is their goal.  For this crew, getting to that place by putting SWIFT sanctions on Russia is a net positive.

From that perspective, what is happening in Ukraine-Russia becomes a completely different dynamic.

Why would the people in/around Biden want to manipulate information, stoke, trigger and ultimately provoke Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine?

Well, there’s your answer.

What Zelenskyy said yesterday makes sense, when you look at it from the position that the United States wanted to provoke Russian to enter Ukraine and they used public statements along with carefully crafted intelligence information to China, in order to achieve that objective.

“I requested them personally to say directly that we are going to accept you into NATO in a year or two or five, just say it directly and clearly, or just say no,” Zelensky said. “And the response was very clear, you’re not going to be a NATO member, but publicly, the doors will remain open,” he said.  {CITATION)

Mar 21 2022

Premier of Alberta Calls on Biden to Reimplement Keystone XL Project


Armstrong Economics Blog/Energy Re-Posted Mar 21, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Jason Kenney, premier of Alberta, Canada, is calling upon President Joe Biden to reimplement the Keystone XL pipeline project. “If President Biden had not vetoed that project, it would be done later this year – 840,000 barrels of democratic energy that could have displaced the 600,000 plus barrels of Russian conflict oil that’s filled with the blood of Ukrainians,” Kenney stated. Kenney seems confident that the project could be completed by Q1 2023.

“None of this makes sense, so I will be speaking truth to power in the bluntest terms possible,” Kenney said. “If the U.S. administration wanted instead of going cap in hand to the Venezuela, Saudi and Iranian dictatorships to replace Russian conflict oil, we could turn this around, I believe in less than a year,” the premier stated. Meanwhile, the White House maintains that America should simply reduce its reliance on fossil fuels when there are no other alternatives available.

These nations might as well continue purchasing gas from Russia opposed to funneling money to other dictatorships. Kenney also noted how Canada was supposed to be America’s closest ally. Maduro of Venezuela hates the US and is an illegitimate leader. Both Venezuela and Saudi Arabia have asked the US for help in recent years, and none was provided. Iran is one of the world’s top funders of terrorism and turning to them should be considered a threat to national security.

Categories: Energy

Mar 21 2022

Clueless Celebrities Attempt to Worsen Energy Crisis


Armstrong Economics Blog/Climate Re-Posted Mar 21, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

City National Bank is considered Hollywood’s “bank to the stars” and was acquired by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) in 2015. A group of over 65 clueless celebrities thirsting for attention are attempting to create a movement called “No Dirty Banks” to dissuade the RBC from investing in fossil fuels – period.

Their message is as follows:

As Canada’s #1 fossil fuel bank, and the fifth largest in the world, RBC is deeply implicated in the Canadian tar sands – one of the most toxic sources of oil on the planet, that has devastated Indigenous lands, and destroyed pristine boreal forest.

Though RBC claims to be a leader in climate-conscious banking, since acquiring CNB in 2015 RBC has spent over $160 billion, making it one of the world’s most aggressive financiers of the tar sands and fossil fuel extraction.

RBC and CNB must stop funding fossil fuel projects, especially fracking and tar sands. At the source of extraction, Alberta tar sands exacerbate the climate crisis, and are why Canada is unable to meet its international climate commitments.

Between the signing of the 2015 Paris Agreement and the end of 2020, the world’s 60 biggest banks, including RBC, financed fossil fuels to the tune of $3.8 trillion. Fossil fuel funding fuels climate chaos and threatens the lives and livelihoods of millions.

Bankrolling Coastal GasLink is just the latest example of RBC covering up their role in violating Indigenous rights, not upholding free, prior and informed consent as outlined in UNDRIP, and making the climate crisis worse.

These celebrities are known to live lavish lifestyles and are frequently spotted on private jets and yachts. They live in massive homes and drive numerous cars. The self-declared elite wants the peasants to curb their energy usage while they continue to consume far more than the average taxpayer. These people have no idea the implications of reducing funding for fracking and a pipeline amid a serious energy crisis. The average person feels the burden at the pump or while paying their monthly utilities, while the liberal Hollywood puppets do not. This is another example of the liberal stronghold on Hollywood as publicists continually ask their “stars” to promote the Build Back Better agenda in a twisted attempt to seem empathetic.

Mar 21 2022

Sunday Talks, Zelenskyy Says Willing To Talk to Russian President Putin, but if Talks Fail It Would Mean World War III


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 20, 2022

Appearing on CNN, the official state broadcast network for the U.S. State Department, Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the DoS Public Relations spokesperson Fareed Zakaria that he is willing to sit down to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin.  However, in the worldview of Zelenskyy, if those talks failed it would mean World War III.

That’s an odd statement by Zelenskyy considering that any WW-III triggering would need NATO and the U.S. to enter it.  Why would Zelenskyy speak on behalf of the United States and NATO unless he has received that message in advance?   If the U.S. and NATO have assured Zelenskyy they would directly engage in a war with Russia, wouldn’t that be something the citizens of those countries -especially us- would have to be consulted on?

Either: (1) the statement by Zelenskyy is undiplomatically presumptuous; or (2), he’s trying to drag us into his war; or (3), U.S. government officials speaking on our behalf have already made those assurances.  None of those scenarios are good.  WATCH:

(Via CNN) […] “I’m ready for negotiations with him. I was ready for the last two years. And I think that without negotiations we cannot end this war.  I think that we have to use any format, any chance in order to have a possibility of negotiating, possibility of talking to Putin. But if these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a third World War.” 

Mar 21 2022

Adam Kinzinger Threatens U.S. Aid to Israel if They Do Not Support NATO War in Ukraine


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 20, 2022

Representative Adam Kinzinger has a message for Israel, threatening U.S. support if they do not get into line and support the NATO objectives in Ukraine: (Source)

Akin to: ‘Nice Jewish homeland you’ve got there Israel; it’d be a shame if something happened to it.’

Kinzinger will likely win increased support, as if he didn’t already have it, from the far-left progressive movement who hate Israel.  However, as people start awakening to the reality that the U.S and NATO alliance have now aligned themselves with the ultranationalist Nazi’s in Ukraine, there might be a modicum of pushback from the Orthodox Jewish community.

The pressure on Israel to support the Ukraine nationalists came first from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy:

Of course, this position directly aligns with the recent changes by Google, Facebook and Twitter to support the Nazi movement in Ukraine by promoting the actions of the Azov battalions now being armed by the U.S. and NATO.

The Reuter’s article notes: “Emails also showed that Meta would allow praise of the right-wing Azov battalion, which is normally prohibited, in a change first reported by The Intercept.  Meta spokesman Joe Osborne previously said the company was “for the time being, making a narrow exception for praise of the Azov Regiment strictly in the context of defending Ukraine, or in their role as part of the Ukraine National Guard.” (link)

March 10 (Reuters) – Meta Platforms (FB.O) will allow Facebook and Instagram users in some countries to call for violence against Russians and Russian soldiers in the context of the Ukraine invasion, according to internal emails seen by Reuters on Thursday, in a temporary change to its hate speech policy.

The social media company is also temporarily allowing some posts that call for death to Russian President Vladimir Putin or Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in countries including Russia, Ukraine and Poland, according to internal emails to its content moderators.

“As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders.’ We still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.

The calls for the leaders’ deaths will be allowed unless they contain other targets or have two indicators of credibility, such as the location or method, one email said, in a recent change to the company’s rules on violence and incitement.

The temporary policy changes on calls for violence to Russian soldiers apply to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine, according to one email.

[…] “We are issuing a spirit-of-the-policy allowance to allow T1 violent speech that would otherwise be removed under the Hate Speech policy when: (a) targeting Russian soldiers, EXCEPT prisoners of war, or (b) targeting Russians where it’s clear that the context is the Russian invasion of Ukraine (e.g., content mentions the invasion, self-defense, etc.),” it said in the email. (read more)