The Chechens would rise to take Chechnya out of Russia. They would probably encourage a half dozen other republics to at least think about whether they're better off in Russia or would be better on their own. The last group in the region that Putin did a number on like he is doing on Ukraine were the Chechens. False flag operation (terrorists) and leveling cities. The phrase "black widow" comes from that time as Chechen women were donning suicide vests and killing Russians in response. Didn't matter though. Chechnya was too small to fight back effectively and was overwhelmed and subjugated.
Say it ain't so... Leonard Greene: Blocking Africans at the Ukraine border is wrong - New York Daily News (nydailynews.com)
I heard about that. Some of the other accounts that I read said it was more about prioritizing Ukrainian citizens, but it's disheartening regardless. EDIT: I'll try to find what I ran into previously, but the same young woman was mentioned as well as her friend and another dude who I think was from either Nigeria or Namibia.
The fastest the western countries depend less on Russian and also Middle Eastern oil the better and safer we will be. Nuclear, fracking, dirty oil and obviously new renewable energies should all be on the table.
We should be tapping into our reserve right now. I can’t understand why they are hanging the middle class and poor out to dry on this.
The economics of the reserve is not what you think it is. It's huge but it only represents 35 days of US consumption. It's designed to let us fight 2 wars at the same time during periods in which our access to crude oil is restricted, as in the Straits of Hormuz getting closed down. The 60 million barrels that Biden authorized to be released last week is about 3 days worth of oil. That doesn't even scratch the surface of the oil market.
Drove past 3 stations at 815 on my way to my first job. All 3.71 for regular. Drove past heading the other way 2 hours later..: 3.99
Im for nuclear, renewable, a bit more fracking, and more oil output but no new drilling. In that order. Energy independence is a must. Its the only way forward. If our oil and natural gas industry were export focused and we had the capaility to export reactors half our problems around the world would be over.
I remember the $4.54 a gallon gas in 2008 during the Great Recession. Really sucked to see gas prices double in a year. So one of the things we're going to have a conversation about is what it means to be fighting a war. This has gotten submerged over the last several decades due to America having no serious competitors and fighting only wars of choice in that period. GW Bush famously said "just go shop" when asked what Americans could do to support the Iraq War effort. From our standpoint right now there are several things we ought to be doing as a nation. Things that we do normally but that are not the norm. 1. Car pool and take advantage of the high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes. You save a tremendous amount of gas doing that and you also get people chipping in to help you cover your fuel costs. 2. Set the thermostats properly. 65 tops during the day for heating. 60 at night. 74 for cooling in the summer, 75 if you can take it. (Seniors should not take chances so maybe an extra degree or two depending on how you feel.) 3. Dress properly when indoors at home. This means wear an extra layer (sweater, long johns, whatever) in cold and cool weather. Dress lightly in cottons in hot or warm weather. Dress in loosely fitting clothes in hot or warm weather. The spandex may look better but it often does a worse job of letting your body cool properly. Let your body do what it is good at and give it the right support instead of relying on the thermostat to over-heat or over-cool the environment to support your bad dress habits. This can save a huge amount of electro, propane, natural gas, etc. 4. Lights, windows, faucets, etc. Make sure you're not wasting stuff without realizing it. Do a basement and grounds inspection to make sure you're not getting puddling anywhere that might indicate a leak. Check in the cabinets under sinks and other water sources. Check the foundation of the house all around to make sure you're not getting pooled water anywhere or signs of erosion. If you live in a mobile home check under the curtain and make sure everything is good there. These are smart steps that will keep your property values stable and also help eliminate wasted resources. These are all very simple things but in aggregate they can have a huge effect on your purse, on inflation and on our ability to manage the challenging economic environment that lies in front of us.
Not to bring levity into a thread that needs none but that line is just like the Gene Hackman line in The Bird Cage when he is caught on the ladder by the reporters.
Putin is betting that we're too spoiled and narcissistic to make any sacrifices. He'll propagandize/force the Russian people into putting up with far worse than we'll have to, but give it several months, and we'll demand our leaders appease Russia so we can go back to cheap gas and the casino stock market.
That’s 35 days if we are producing 0 oil. We can produce oil and tap into the reserves for the deficit and extend it much further. There’s a conscious decision being made to screw the poor and middle class. Again
