War

 

We've pulled out of Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, a happy day for looters, and an outward and visible sign of the end of our 20 year war in that country. Did we win that war? Apparently not, the Taliban look set to take over, which raises a bigger question. Why do we keep fighting wars we don't win.

Korea and Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, not exactly victories. It's curious, we're obviously up for a fight but we're not prepared to close the deal, and actually win. Why? Big question. Money, war is a racket, political chicanery, lack of will, the list goes on and we can parse the issue till the Eschaton, but I will say this.

If we're going to fight, we should fight to win, 100%, sure of the rightness of the cause. Anything less is a betrayal of our soldiers and the people they're supposedly fighting for. To say nothing of the betrayal of our country by its rulers, and the people whose lives they've catastrophically ruined.

Is the problem fixable?

Your call,

LSP

CAPITOL HILL RATFEST

Did you watch the RATFEST on Capitol Hill today, in which a giant lying RAT testified before Congress?

The RAT was called out a couple of times for LYING, even CNN said so, which you gotta admit's saying something.

At one point the RAT was hit with a FARA criminal referral, which was pretty awesome, and a Muslim congressperson got called out for virtue signalling racism. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) didn't like Mark Meadows presenting a woman of color as evidence against the RAT.

And so it span on, with the giant RAT accusing Trump of racism, evil, lying, racism, evil and talking to Julian Assange and being a Russian agent. The RAT didn't have any evidence, just its own RATLIKE say so. Not dissimilar, when you think about it, to the Russian Collusion investigation itself.

Apparently that's about to collapse because of a total lack of evidence, despite two years and millions of dollars spent in the effort. 

Maybe the Democrats thought they could keep the narrative going and stoke the frenzy of non-existent public outrage over a non-existent crime by exhibiting a LYING RAT before Congress.

Apparently it's the first time a person convicted of lying to Congress has been summoned to testify before Congress because, well, such a convincing witness. 

As the RAT shuffles off in handcuffs to serve time for its many crimes, the American public is rioting in the streets and demanding the impeachment of the President. Except that it isn't.

Good work, Democrats. Whatever PR firm told you to hire a GIANT RAT to boost you at the polls needs to be fired. 

In other more interesting news, a porn star who threatened to blow the lid off an international pedo ring has been found suicided and Trump's working on an historic peace deal with North Korea. 

India and Pakistan, on the other hand, are at the brink of war and everywhere you turn some tranny's beating real women at a sporting event. This seems unfair, unlike AJ's awesome appearance on Rogan, a must-see (AJ, stop interrupting...).

Whatever, here in the newsroom we deal in realpolitik and with that in mind remember, nobody likes a RAT.

Your Friend,

LSP

Hypersonic Debt

Now that Dallas has removed its infamous statue of General Lee, we can safely assume that everyone's going to be better off and a brave new world of tolerance, diversity and equal opportunity can begin now that institutional racism is finally erased from our parks. But not so fast, readers.

In your excitement over statues you may not have noticed that we're $20 trillion in debt and climbing at a rate of around $1.1 trillion a year. That's something like $34,880 a second or if you picture it in terms of the speed of sound, which is 1,125 feet per second, our debt is flying at over Mach 30. Eat your heart out, Chuck Yeager.

This means that the US is hurtling towards bankruptcy at hypersonic speed and looking somewhere down the pike at a Grecian-style sovereign debt crisis. So how do you resolve a >104% debt to GDP ratio, with a $19 trillion economy and a $20 trillion debt overhang?

Through tax cuts and economic boosting? Good call but not enough. You solve the problem by devaluing the dollar, by inflation.

Jim Rickards, at Zerohedge, suggests this can be done by the Treasury inflating the price of gold, from around $1,330 an ounce to $5,000 through the use of a Gold Certificate issued to the Fed. It's been done before, in 1934 and 1953, under the Roosevelt and Eisenhower administrations respectively. And sure enough, inflation ensued.

Problem? Solution, except that your dollars will be sadly worthless. Of course there's another option which perhaps goes hand in hand with the first, war.

You can read all about the debt here and here. Or obsess about statues in parks, your call.

Midas Touch,

LSP

Spot The Defense Minister, Old But Gold

Trick question, they all are! I know, it's an old joke but somehow it seems weirdly relevant. Good luck, Europe.

God bless,

LSP

And Here's Pat!

Via ZeroHedge:

Can that crowd at Davos not understand that it is despised because it is seen as having subordinated the interests of the nations and people in whose name it presumes to speak, to advance an agenda that serves, first and foremost, its own naked self-interest?

The political and economic elites of Davos have grown rich, fat and powerful by setting aside patriotism and sacrificing their countries on the altars of globalization and a New World Order.

Pat riffs on Dougherty, rips on the transnational Davos elite and slams the attempted suicide of the West. If you think that's not planned, remember, it's all conspiracy theory until it's conspiracy fact.

Check it out.

LSP  

Hunt, Church, War

I'm a little jealous of my friend's trout catch but made up for it with some decent shooting - beautiful overcast early evening and enough action to supply a goodish snack for the LSP table; as always, powerful medicine to get out in the field.

Off to the frozen wilds of Wisconsin tomorrow for talks with the OCA (Orthodox Church of America), the Diocese of Fort Worth and ACNA (Anglican Church of North America). The hope here is that some sort of concordat or 'communion statement' will be reached, but more of that later. In the meanwhile...

Why does our government seem set on some sort of 'half mission' in Afghanistan, against the advice of General McChrystal? Seems to me that we should either fight to win, or not at all - an in between effort is surely a tragic waste of lives. Just a thought.

God bless.

LSP

More Birds, Less M.O.D.

Someone else's dove

Walked the tree lines mid-morning in search of birds, flushed several, missed and was surprised when a second group of three or four of the airborne acrobats cunningly flew over me from behind. I was busy reloading and missed the shot, exciting though to get some wing shot action right out of the gate, as it were.

Continued to a small copse in the middle of a large neighbouring field, thinking, "Ah hah, that looks like the sort of small copse they'd like to loaf about in," and sure enough they did. Got off a couple of successful shots then moved down towards the tree line at the bottom of the field - no shortage of flyers but all out of range, so no joy. Then back to the truck to clean the birds and scout about for more - but there didn't seem to be much action and I headed for home. That seemed to stir them up by the score from their lairs at the side of the road, which I cunningly hadn't hunted. I'll know next time (tomorrow); tree lines, small copse, edge of the fields by the road.

On a completely different theme, check out Michael Yon's excellent reporting from Afghanistan, where he's been embedded with various units until the MOD pulled the plug. One thing that struck me, amongst many, was how under resourced the British troops seem to be. I'd say if you're going to fight a war, you should do so to win - otherwise don't fight at all. Just a thought.

God bless,

LSP