“A four-alarm fire in Downtown Moscow clears way for a glorious new tractor factory, And, on the lighter side of the news, Hundreds of Capitalists are Soon to Perish in Shuttle Disaster.” – Airplane II: The Sequel
Hillary tried to sell her soul to the devil to be elected president, but the devil declined, “Can’t do it, you don’t have any collateral.”
The big story in the news is the hurricane about to hit Florida. If it were about to hit Detroit or Baltimore, it might add a few billion in value to those cities, but alas, it looks like it might create damage beyond anything ever seen by man – it might muss Tom Brady’s hair. It also reminded me that I’m hungry, since I accidentally typed “burricane” twice before I got it right – my mind must be on burritos. Or maybe it’s prophecy – that a hurricane-sized burrito will hit Tampa?
That’s (the hurricane, not the burrito) the story in the news, however, I think the much bigger story is buried. Or it was buried.
Russia makes most of its money by shipping natural gas, oil, fertilizer, and wheat out to the world. It imports tracksuits, cell phones, and gold chains. As I’ve covered before, what Russia imports is silly, but what it exports is crucial. The cheapest way, by far, to export oil is in the hair of a Russian or Italian. But they don’t do so well at moving natural gas, so people build big holes called pipelines.
Really, that’s all a pipeline is. It’s a hole. As tempting as it is, I’m not going to make a Kamala Harris joke. And you can bury it like they do most places, you can put it on stilts like they did in Alaska, or you can even have it under the sea.
I hear that part of the ocean is haunted, so Germany might be getting super-natural gas.
As the Europeans have come under more political pressure to stop adding CO2 to the atmosphere, they’ve moved away from coal. They’d like to move to entirely renewable energy sources, but last I heard those only exist in sufficient supply to power a technological civilization in the dreams that Greta Thunberg had in the womb as her mother engaged in one too many vodkas while riding rollercoasters on sleeping pills.
No, in 2022 Europe is powered by fossil fuels. Sure, there are some renewables, and the French built a lot of nuclear power plants. But the desire for power has increased exponentially to keep up with civilizational growth. Concentrated energy is also a multiplier, it allows a person or a company or a nation to do far more. With natural gas, a German factory can build all the Volkswagens® and bratwurst and lederhosen that the world needs. Without it? The production is (if they’re lucky) one percent of the powered production.
Time zones are confusing. It’s September 28 in Europe, September 29 in Australia, and 1953 in Moscow.
Russia was the biggest single supplier of natural gas to Europe, providing 45% of the needs. Nord Stream© was one such pipeline, and it took the route of going on the seabed from Russia to Germany. Why? One reason was that it avoided having to pay Poland, Ukraine, and other Eastern European countries that never visit this blog for “transit rights” through those countries. For example, if Russia wanted to send gas through Ukraine (natural gas, not sarin) then Russia would have to pay Ukraine for the right to do so.
They say they saw Bubbles in the water after the explosion . . .
As such, the Poles and the Ukrainians hated Nord Stream®. But, it was successful. And the Germans loved it. Besides Austrians in the 1930s, what can all Germans agree on? That they like the Nord Stream© and Nord Stream II ™ projects. It lowers the price of energy for them, and makes it less likely that they’ll be held hostage by the Poles (hint, the Poles are still a bit miffed at the Germans and the Russians). The Ukrainians hated it most of all, since it looked like those projects alone would end up costing them over $4 billion dollars a year in transit fees, and it also lowers their political power to hold Russia hostage at the expense of European countries.
And some people have paid dearly for that . . . .
That brings us close to today. The United States has always opposed any of the Nord Stream projects. Why? First, if Europe is divided, the United States has one less group to be concerned with on the world stage. Almost as bad as a united Europe is Germany and Russia on good terms. Combine Germany’s economic powerhouse with Russia’s raw materials? That’s a threat that gives the State Department bad dreams.
Wasn’t she in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest?
This probably explains 90% of what went on in Ukraine, and the other 10% involves Hunter. Could Biden have de-escalated the conflict? With one phone call, yes. But it’s going now, and there reaches a point where even I’m concerned – and that’s the crippling (it can be fixed, but how bad is the damage?) of Nord Stream™ I and Nord Stream® II.
My dad can fix it. He’s got the ultimate set of repair tools.
Why would the United States do that? Well, the biggest reason (that I can think of) is that it makes it so that Germany can’t back out of the sanctions when winter gets cold and prices start to be amazingly high and there just happens to be this nice, big straw filled with natural gas that they could suck on all day to be warm.
Note: this is supposed to be a satire account.
How do we know that people knew this was going to happen? Well, there are reports the CIA told Germany an attack was imminent. And there’s this little matter of the British pound collapsing right before the incident. And, there’s the little matter that an explosive was found next to the original Nord Stream© not too long after Russia took Crimea back in 2014. The detonation wire was cut, so whoever was getting ready to blow up the pipe had changed their mind (cough) Obama (cough). The fact that this happened even before we know the results of the Russian referendum?
Do you think the Ukrainians would meet this result with Jeb!ulation?
Do I think that Germans will freeze to death? Probably not many. They may clear-cut forests, they may shut down industry for February and March, and they might make it against the law to heat your house in any way other than having a chubby girl in corduroy pants rub her thighs together as a space heater. On an economic scale, Frequent Commenter Ricky noted, it might devastate Germany’s economy even more than 9/11 did ours.
But now they can’t pick up the phone and call Putin and say, “We miss heat. Er, you. Please turn it back on. Here are rubles.” That option is gone, and that’s why I’m certain that it wasn’t the Russians who did this: why destroy your best bargaining chip? And, no, it’s not shoddy Russian construction – the companies that made the pipe and built the line are the best in the world, not Yuri’s Pipeline By Mail Company.
Even the Polish know the score . . .
And I thought it was Joe Biden, not For Bidden.
So the United States did it. Biden even told us that he was going to do it. I’m not sure he remembers he did it, but he did. It’s even on video, and he looks rather lucid (for Biden) during the speech.
The thing that scares me is this: if I were Russia, I’d take this as a rules expansion pack: undersea pipelines are now fair game. And the ones that feed Europe from Norway are mighty vulnerable. This, more than anything, just ups the level of tension and ensures that what started as a property dispute keeps escalating. And escalating. And escalating.
In Minecraft, of course.
And one thing I learned from Tom Clancy movies?
Hmm. Good advice. I’ll even add this bit:
Frequent Commenter Ricky also noted that I get to be the first person to make fun of the next stage in escalation toward a nuclear war. So, I’ve got that going for me.
The logical retaliation is not a pipeline but an ‘accident’ destroying an LNG tanker on its way to Poland.
Great job, John. I laughed out loud as soon as I saw the dog.
I don’t even know where to begin, this is so very, very bad. It is so bad that even Tucker Carlson led with this story, and did a great job, too.
https://youtu.be/jLb0QeCQF_I
A couple of things are worth highlighting. Vicky Nuland is not just any ole State Department rep; she is most well known for masterminding the 2014 (CIA-led?) overthrow of the then-pro-Russian Ukranian government, summed up with her now-legendary catch-phrase “F*ck the EU”. Which, now that she is on record as saying Nord Stream 2 was going down, she may have very literally just fulfilled her promise.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/02/state-department-official-caught-tape-saying-f-eu/357812/
Second, the US Navy has quite the familiarity with Bornholm island where the sabotage occurred.
https://seapowermagazine.org/baltops-22-a-perfect-opportunity-for-research-and-resting-new-technology/
How convenient that whoever set the Nordstream blasts held off until THE EXACT DAY that the new Baltic Pipe opened up between NATO pals Norway and Poland. Somehow, I just don’t see Vlad being that polite.
https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/launch-baltic-pipe-2022-sep-27_en#:~:text=The%20Baltic%20Pipe%20will%20make,planned%20for%201%20October%202022.
Finally, as John notes and Tucker ends on, this widens the scope of acceptable actions into some very disturbing possible escalations.
https://www.csis.org/analysis/invisible-and-vital-undersea-cables-and-transatlantic-security
You’ve undoubtably heard the expression “Bomb them back into the Stone Age”. I hereby propose a new one: “Cut them back into Shortwave”.
https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/whatever-happened-to-shortwave-radio
This isn’t over, and it’s gonna get way, way worse.
Lots of coinky-dinks. But I’m sure that doesn’t mean anything (cough) Gulf of Tonkin (cough).
There are only so many nations capable of underseas demolition like this and only a couple benefit from the destruction. The most likely culprit is the occupied nation formerly known as the United States Of America where I reside. These nuts are really going to trigger a nuclear conflict.
Srsly?
This thing wasn’t finding the Titanic somewhere in the North Atlantic.
The pipeline sits in only a couple hundred feet of water. Anyone with a rowboat, a fish finder, 20 pounds of Semtex, and a couple of hundred feet of det cord could have pulled it off.
“…only so many nations…”
Oh please.
The technological capability to do this is thus narrowed down to 150 countries and 58 international terrorist groups, not to mention about 500 major corporations, and even including a few thousand stump-blasting bass-fishing Bass Pro Bubbas in America, FFS, all by their ownselves. And that’s without breaking a sweat, just off the top of my head.
So let’s stop pretending this was the January 6th Coup Attempt landing a manned mission to Mars.
Doing this was about as hard as paddling over to it, for thousands and thousands of suspects.
Asian
East Korean?
Actually, it wasn’t that deep. Give me $50,000 and the cell phones of some arms dealers, and I think it’s a doable thing.
But, the big point? It’s one step closer to lots of gamma radiation for free!
Oh boy/this is very bad…destroying property? Maybe Antifa did it. They have practiced.
Are you saying the pipeline can’t breathe?
I don’t think Putin would damage any pipelines. Not in his interest.
But LNG terminals, or ships?
“Say…that’s a swell LNG terminal you got there. Shame if something were to happen to it”
To be honest, the man doesn’t have to do anything but wait and point out that the US isn’t a friend to anyone.
The only thing Uncle Stupid managed to do here is ensure every Hans Sixpack and his mom will hate and resent us even more.
If he was going to do that? I’d think he’d do the ones going through Poland and the Ukraine first.
“…I’m certain that it wasn’t the Russians who did this: why destroy your best bargaining chip?”
Russian proverb: If you’re going to make a tuna casserole, you’ve got to break a few chips.
But seriously? Meet my friend.
Cluebat? John Wilder.
John Wilder? Cluebat.
https://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2022/09/occams-razor-1-usual-suspects-0.html
Mind the lumps.
Sorry, man.
Of course Russia did this. They have the most to gain, and the least to lose.
The exact opposite of how it is for anyone else, in fact.
Those other pipelines you mentioned? In the North Sea?
Revisit Step Four of the embedded meme.
https://i.imgur.com/lQqHk5D.png
Heh! I do appreciate this! As of today, I’m still thinking we’re the most likely candidate, though Lawdog had an interesting thought about bumbling operators, but to have that many hydrates it would have to have a *lot* of water in it. I am 100% ready to back down from this conclusion, but right now means, motive, and opportunity sway me towards this conclusion. If the pipelines through Poland (at Belarus) and the Ukraine (in Ukraine) had befallen such a fate, I’d 100% agree it was Putin. But these were his big moneymakers.
I’m hoping time will tell, and I’m hoping everyone backs away from the gun circle.
“these were his big moneymakers”
Actually not so much, since February 24th.
And turning the taps off was his “big leverage”.
Fart in a hurricane.
Worked almost as well for Russia as shutting down the Chernobyl reactor one evening.
So, you’ve got a non-performing asset.
You’re calculating, not that economically bright, and utterly ruthless.
What can you do with it to make it pay its way?
Hmmmm.
Эврика!
Gotcha – again, I’d have blown up the one in Belarus (blame it on the Ukes) and then blown up the one in Ukraine (blame it on yourself) then? Profit.
Gonzalo has a 13 min. vid that comes to the same conclusion – we did it, and it is literally a declaration of war against the EU. And Irv, Ira or what’s its name will make a 2nd landfall with us in the middle of it.
The real window for spicy times is January/February.
I think it’s safe to say at this point it really doesn’t matter how the pipeline developed a leak. What happens next is what is, and considering some of the ridiculous reactions Europeans have had over the centuries, it’s starting to look like investing in military equipment manufacturers will yield a profit.
And here I was, thinking that Dr Strangelove was the funniest thing ever about Total Atomic Annihilation (TM)… really, at this point it would seem that the question of whodunnit is moot. With so much in play, this is just another (very large, mind) brick in the wall. Clearly, the game is afoot, now with Super Obviousness. For those of us who grew up during the Cold War, this is all rather familiar to a degree, and we always knew it would come at some point.
Here we go.
Fingers crossed you’re right. I’m more worried everything goes sideways.
Asian
Best Korea?
Well let’s start by looking at history. When the Swedes found the explosive laden drone by the first pipeline in 2015 it was recovered but the owner / operator info was never released
https://www.pipeline-journal.net/news/explosive-laden-drone-found-near-nord-stream-pipeline
Then “follow the money” – who benefits from a broken pipeline? The Russians lost access to $500 million of LNG that was pressurizing the pipeline and a hole card (they could turn it on by turning a valve). They weren’t making money on the pipeline as it wasn’t delivering product but it will take weeks or months to repair the damage. The Germans can’t access gas from Russia by simply electing to modify their position on their position on the SMO – they have lost an essential option. The Poles coincidentally opened their new pipeline the day these blew – and have no love for the Germans or the Russians. No clue who is running US foreign policy (or the rest of the government for that matter) so that’s just a can of worms.
The USS Kearsarge was in the area at the time with active air operations. It’s safe to presume that all sensors were active. That suggests that either some 3rd party was able to pull this off right under their nose (not good) or that they looked the other way (also not good). That presumes they weren’t involved (benefit of a doubt).
Lots of speculation and the 48 hour rule before jumping to conclusions hopefully applies.
Bottom line – if Russia did it they know they did it – and if they didn’t they have probably figured out the perpetrator by now. A commensurate response is in the cards.
Since it never hurts to give Aesop apoplexy here are two pro-Russian sites with their initial observations. It’s always prudent to know what the other sides conversations amongst themselves are.
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/09/whodunnit-facts-related-to-the-sabotage-attack-on-the-nord-stream-pipelines.html#more
https://thesaker.is/sitrep-on-nord-stream-1-and-2-gas-pipelines/
Better luck on the apoplexy next time.
Both of those are weak sauce.
Anything from the Saker is simply pure and undiluted KGB agitprop, and dismissible out of hand as such, as it has been 24/7/365/ever.
He was telling everyone who’d listen that Trump had bombed empty hangars in Syria in 2018, right up until Trump released the BDA photos, and it turned out Vlad had sacrificed an air wing just to drop some chemical WMDs on Syrian rebels.
That was the last time there was any confusion on Vlad’s part about where the limits in Syria were located. Or where the Saker’s bread was buttered.
Moon of Alabama’s analysis is nice, because he hit on a number of points I’ll fisk in detail tomorrow.
Weren’t you the guy who said we were all going to die from Covid?
And before that, Ebola.
I’m guessing you cribbed notes off George 1?
Beavis, meet Butthead.
The posts are right where I left them.
Feel free to link to the quote where I said anything that recockulous.
Coronaviruses have about a 3% death rate (1%-5%, so I split the difference for COVID-19).
I told you that’s what to expect.
By six months later, NJ COVID-19 deaths peaked at 2.9%, NYFS at 2.8%, in the most lethal wave. They’re overachievers.
The average was 1.6% in the US. Hawaii, IIRC, came in at only 0.6%.
I told you all of that, too.
Thanks for playing, and we have some lovely parting gifts for you.
With Ebola, the death rate in the wild is between 66% and 90%. So 10% always survive.
I told you that to, then, and repeatedly.
In US BL IV treatment, the death rate was reduced to 10%.
(The survivors are all crippled for life, and will probably go blind from Ebola Related Syndrome decades before they die.)
There are 11 such BL-IV beds in all of North America. At the peak, 10 of them were full.
So you were 2 patients away from becoming Liberia at the height of that crisis.
I told you all of that, too.
And the guy telling everyone “Remain calm! All is well!”
Dr. Fauci.
I told you he was an idiot then, too.
The guy telling you “You’d better take this seriously, because it’s not good.”
That would be me. A month before anyone on the internet did that.
Moral of the story: Learn to read before you pop off.
Idiots like to keep repeating BS I never said, because it makes them think they’re smart.
But now you, and everyone who reads this blog, knows why they’re just drooling idiots.
It’s JW’s blog, and I’m sorry there’s no nicer way to say that.
But that’s just how it is.
Nope. So both your memory and reading comprehension are seriously under par.
Yeah, the options are:
Russia did it,
The Russians goofed it up and broke it (low probability, IMHO), or,
Someone else did it.
All options except for the middle one are bad.
One thing is already clear: Nearly everyone, including the german people are simply going to (continue to) assume the US did this, unless and until evidence to the contrary surfaces.
That guess didn’t age well…
https://www.businessinsider.com/nord-stream-german-lawmakers-point-finger-russia-sabotage-pipeline-leaks-2022-9
https://tweet.lambda.dance/AZmilitary1/status/1574758898086694912
The german legislators represent the german people about as well as US legistators represent their “constituents”.
That’s nice, but it doesn’t refute the allegation, it’s just an ad hominem fallacy.
Try to remember that every representative in the world isn’t Liz Cheney or AOC, and argue merits, not prejudices and confirmation bias.
I think you’ve set up a straw man. What allegation? Which (who) hominem did I attack? It would seem you completely missed what I said. What I said was that the general consensus worldwide has emerged, and it clearly points a boney finger at the yanks, not putler. Alonso even called it a declaration of war. It takes a bit of mental gymnastics to accuse Putler of 4D chess blowing up his own pipeline, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true, maybe he is playing 4D chess, I don’t know. But I *do* know what consensus is being expressed worldwide.
I do think that’s the general consensus. I wonder if any actual proof will show up in our lifetime?
yea, that was my point: It is *clearly* the general consensus at this point, among the general public, worldwide, yankee vassals not withstanding. This much is clear. The “facts” are not as clear.
Wait a sec, the Russains did it!
FOURTH leak is uncovered in Nord Stream pipes after ‘Russian sabotage’
https://mol.im/a/11261669
Drafty down there.
There is a line from Apocalypse Now, during one of Martin Sheen’s monologues (right around the time he says that ‘charging people with murder in Vietnam was like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500’):
‘In Vietnam, the bullshit piled up so fast you needed wings to stay above it’- Captain Willard
This seems to be one of those times when art imitates life, even decades apart. Let’s not bicker and argue about ‘oo killed ‘oo…. the questions are rapidly becoming academic, if not already at that state. Without accurate IFF, all are targets by default.
As for me, we shall continue to get it done, while there is time to do so.
God Bless.
Good points. The big takeaway? The world just became much, much more dangerous.
Breaking news from the Pentagon and Fox News….
https://twitter.com/JenGriffinFNC/status/1575213239000240128
https://giphy.com/explore/wink
Well, I guess that settles it.
Wait a sec, France did it!
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1574883311519932424.html
Did they find baguettes there?
So…
I’ve been away in the woods camping with The Missus for a week. What did I miss?
Not much. We won in Afghanistan, Vietnam was a draw, and Roswell? Illegal aliens.
Huh. Half of us are assuming Russia did it, and all of us are assuming that the explosives were placed by divers. What if….
https://www.entegrasolutions.com/2018/03/07/james-bond-pipeline-travel/
Master the possibilities…
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Autonomous-Underwater-System-for-Pipeline-Leak-and-Mellin-Ravik/6dc3668823ab9557004de8b81cf9af836fa4b64c
https://www.osti.gov/biblio/205501-pipeline-inspection-using-autonomous-underwater-vehicle
https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems///////////ship/systems/auv.htm
Pages and pages. Think THIS one is from The
Shamu,OPRAH…$#@!… Winfrey Class, voted MOST LIKELY tosucceedbe denied.https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a26344025/navy-extra-large-unmanned-submarines-boeing/
P.S. GMT? Test
And time ta edit! Cherio! royal observatory.
That last link about the Boeing Orca program was very interesting. The first one was launched April 28.
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/05/here-is-our-first-look-at-the-us-navys-orca-xluuv/
Doesn’t say what they named it. Maybe the USS Brandon.
Thanks for the link! Really liked the disclaimer at the bottom of the graphic. “Distribution Statement A”
Assistant Secretary ‘Dorothy’, Director Unmanned Systems? Don’t believe i’ve met any women from Kansas With arms like that. And It would appear that he may suffer from some sorta Hip Dysplasia, and possibly didn’t have time to shave before that breathtaking photo. Common on Assistant Secretary’s these days.
Speaking of coincidences? alexander hamilton’s mommy is now…
https://nihrecord.nih.gov/2022/07/22/hhs-assistant-secretary-health-levine-visits-nih
Amazing longevity to say the least!
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/alexander-hamilton “Alexander Hamilton was born on the British island of Nevis, in the West Indies, on January 11, 1755. His mother, Rachel Levine,…”
P.S. The “UUV Systems Vision” Graphic? Says the Dia. of the
OPRAHSorry! Orca is bigger than 84″ (Barefoot now) that is OVER 6′ 12″ !And i guess i have a lividly? vividly? ‘What Difference At This Point Does It Make?!’
overactive imagination. Same Graphic? The ORCA?
It Is “Pier Launched” NEVER seen a pier on a u.s. navy ship.
Don’t forget James did something similar in Diamonds are Forever.
Don’t worry. Brandon’s spokesperson said that an investigation is underway. Perhaps Brandon can enlist OJ Simpson in the effort to “Find the real bomber”.
Do you think he could even spell it at this point?
As much as I find myself easily believing Tucker Carlson’s implication that the evil Brandon Regime could and did do such a thing, there’s no reason – yet – to discount typically inept Russian maintenance or lack thereof. Lawdog wrote a pretty good essay on methane hydrate plugs in gas pipes, and what can – easily, quickly, frequently, severely – go wrong.
https://thelawdogfiles.com/2022/09/nordstream.html .
Even if somebody would send a ROV down there to take pictures, could you or I tell external underwater bomb damage from a catastrophic internal rupture caused by a flammable substance? And that somebody would probably either be government or government connected, so would you have any doubts that the pictures were a bit, um, biased?
There would be proof if Lawdog is right, but the hydrates in the non-moving pipe means the natural gas would be sloppy wet with water. Not sure I’m there.
Yes. Internal rupture would look very, very different from a blast.
Bracken harbors no doubts: https://gab.com/Matt_Bracken/posts/109089337459341249
I’m wondering if we’ll ever know . . . .
Yeah, me too… but then I’ve got a looong list of epic things I’m resigned I may never know. Ok, resigned’s not the right word, as I continually revisit them all… still…
It doesn’t seem to affect my day to day decisions much. In most cases I can suss that I’d still do the same things I was going to do, either way… damned if I don’t really *want* to know though… (sigh)
Honestly! I’d love to think we didn’t do this. I can’t. We benefit. It’s the big lie.
yep. Other theories have too much to explain away. Other things are possible, but nothing else makes sense. … so far …
Yup.