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LOL. Putin the ventriloquist.

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Curiouser

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Destroying the pipeline is certainly a sure way of avoiding mounting pressure from German voters to open it. It also fits in the anti-fossil-fuel agenda of Annalena Baerbock of the Green Party, Minister of Foreign Affairs:

“We stand with Ukraine as long as they need us,” she said, adding that this promise to the Ukrainian people must be fulfilled “no matter what my German voter thinks.”
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/09/03/germany-will-support-ukraine-no-matter-what-voters-think-says-foreign-minister/

The German government reportedly received US warnings of a possible attack on the pipelines. It would not surprise me if the German leaders gave tacit approval for the destruction of the pipelines to avoid growing demands to open Nord Stream 2.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/germany-warned-of-possible-attack-on-nord-stream-gas-pipeline-by-cia-weeks-in-advance-report/ar-AA12jK7S

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Putin’s domestic opponents allegedly plotted a coup (which would result in his death) unless he ended the war thus re-opening energy sales to Europe. Ending the pipeline completely removes their motivation and their ability offer anything to co-conspirators.

Anyway the following are from the Politico article I linked:

  1. “Only Russia can really be considered for this, especially since it stands to gain the most from this act of sabotage.”
    — Gerhard Schindler, former president of the German Federal Intelligence Service, told the German media outlet Welt.

  2. “We still don’t know 100 percent that Russia was responsible, . . . But everything is pointing to Russia being behind this.”
    ----Olga Khakova, deputy director for European energy security at the Atlantic Council

  3. David Goldwyn, who ran the State Department’s energy program under former President Barack Obama, said it was “unequivocal” that Russia was behind the attack, noting it executed something similar on a gas pipeline in Turkmenistan in 2009.

  4. European natural gas prices had fallen to almost $50 per million British thermal units earlier in the week, according to European analyst firm Rystad Energy — substantially lower than they had been in recent weeks but still eight times the price in the United States. But they have since started increasing again on the news of the damage to the Nord Stream pipelines.

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Do you actually believe statements from western intelligence about Russia?

These are the same people who spread the Russia-collusion hoax and the Biden-laptop-is-Russian-disinformation hoax.

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They make a lot of sense. The motivation is definitely there.

What I don’t believe out-of-hand is anti-american or anti-western smears

  • especially when they come form doubtful sources or when the journalist neglects to quot. (That second part is an important part of critical reading regardless of topic.)
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Yes, the party line from Washinton and its NATO allies is going to be that Russia was responsible for destroying their own pipeline no matter how obviously foolish that idea is. The leader of the German intel saying that “Only Russia can really be considered for this” is disinformation consistent with the party line.

German politicians were facing growing pressure to open Nord Stream 2, and the destruction of pipelines helps them politically in Germany. The US is getting huge profits selling LNG to Europe and its leaders would face humiliation if Germany broke with the NATO sanctions. Yet German intel is ignoring the obvious incentives for the US and German governments to destroy pipeline and instead fantasizes about Putin responding to groups within Russia who are allegedly plotting a coup.

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Pure propaganda, yum.

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The party line was also that

  • Putin was lying about having a turbine issue he actually wanted to cut off gas (Which was true. Putin shut off gas flows because he thought it was to his advantage.)
  • Putin then gave up all pretense about turnbines and just plain shut it down. (Which is also true. Putin shut off gas flows because he thought it was to his advantage.)

Now apparently we are to believe what he did a 180?
The Americabahser have found yet another fabricated excuse for their bigotry. Their most recent argument is every bit as stupid as their underlying anti-Ameican position.

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People I don’t trust vs / about other people I don’t trust.

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It was in Putin’s interests to throttle gas flow and to point out how Canadian trade sanctions on pipeline equipment were at least partially responsible for the reduced flow. The whole point was that Putin was in control of the gas flow.

Now Washington is in control of the gas, and Russia has just seen an $11 billion investment destroyed by sabotage.

The idea that the same people who promised to end the pipeline are blaming Russia for its destruction is chutzpah of the highest degree.

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Does the destruction make prices go higher?

If so wouldn’t then force the sanctioning countries to backtrack on the sanctions? Inquiring minds and all that

I still don’t think Russia did it though. No clue.

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Europeans are already seeing sky-high prices of natural gas. The difference is that Washington can now prevent flow of Russian gas to Germany regardless of what German voters decide. The message from Washington to German voters is “beatings will continue until moral improves”.

Ukraine and Poland control the flow of Russian gas now. Ukraine is effectively and American puppet state. Poland has been leading the charge to impose sanctions on Russia. Poland bitterly opposes close relations between Germany and Russia given their history since 1939.

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I don’t particularly think Russia did it.

But I think when somone who always hates Jews, or blacks or America says “the Jews (or blacks or America) are lying,” I don’t give them much credit.

And when credible sources say “We don’t know but Russia is a suspect,”
I think “I don’t know, but Russia is a suspect.”

Perhaps I use too much conventional thinking.

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Pizzagate Posobiec?

Why listen to him?

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No one is going to admit to it. BUt only one person said they take it out if Russia went into Ukraine, and that was Brandon. What an moron.

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If the quote from the first NATO Secretary General is incorrect, then post a link to prove it.

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Yes, the US is only country whose president promise do end the Nord Stream pipeline.

According reports in Der Spiegel, the size of each of the explosions was consistent with 500 kgs of high explosives, and is unlikely that a repair is possible since most of the pipeline is filled with corrosive seawater. When will Biden brag about his success?

According to the conviction of the German security authorities, the interruption of the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea required highly effective explosive devices. According to SPIEGEL information, it was calculated that for the destruction of the tubes, explosive devices must have been used whose effect is comparable to that of 500 kilograms of TNT. The seismic signals registered by various measuring stations were also included in the estimate. . . A repair of the pipeline is now described in safety circles as very unlikely. Since the damaged tubes are currently filled with seawater, the special inner coating corrodes very quickly, it was said in Berlin. Once the tubes have been flooded, the analysis suggests that the pipeline can no longer be used to pass gas through.

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Speaking of fake news
still repeating the falsehood that Nancy Pelosi is in charge of Capitol Police operations.

And I thought right wingers were law and order advocates.

You are going to blame their bad behavior on lack of people there to stop them?

You go with that


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When will Biden brag about taking out the pipelines just like he promised?
How will the White House walk that back?

Ending the pipelines is one of the few promises Biden has actually kept:

Pres. Biden: “If Russia invades
then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.”
Reporter: “But how will you do that, exactly, since
the project is in Germany’s control?”
Biden: “I promise you, we will be able to do that.”