Excellent post. From the beginning this has been an international planetary coup. Patriotism is one thing but nationalism to the exclusion of we the people around this globe is insane. Being as human as possible in the face of this is a path forward, if a vulnerable one.
Sadly with any one that has blind optimism, they trust heroes that say what they want to hear.
We all want to believe that there's someone fighting the corruption, but when trump or putin etc talk the talk while doing the opposite, those of us who have healthy skepticism give up on that false hope.
People like this guy, Luongo, Ehret, and others are blinded by faith. That's why they can excuse china's lockdowns as a good thing while ignoring that con-vid was at most like the flu.
And many doctors who question the con-vid shots still promote the equally useless flu shots as safe and effective. Same blind faith, even when they see some corruption, they think it's an isolated case haha.
Aug 28, 2022·edited Aug 28, 2022Liked by Edward Slavsquat
Can I just say, I really appreciate your in-depth, evidenced Substack posts "from the other side". For people outside of Russia, there is a proverbial 'Iron Curtain' on media, so it is very difficult to 'peer in', especially for anyone who doesn't speak or read Russian, and the only Russian media outlets that cover Russia are, of course, Russian government owned.
I think the public's perception outside of Russia is a mindset of 'absence of evidence' ('innocent unless proven guilty'); if they don't explicitly see evidence of Russia doing globalist things, so they assume Russia doesn't do globalist things.
Coupled with the fiery, well published rhetoric of Putin, and the West (synonymous with globalism) seemingly very upset at what he's doing in Ukraine - whilst sending Ukrainians either antiquated, dated, experimental or unreliable tech and insisting they all die (sorry, "fight") to the last man - most of the anti-globalist West think of Putin as "sticking it to the man".
They don't get to see articles like yours. I also think there is an aspect of "hopium", they hope that Putin is on 'Team Good Guy' because if he isn't, everyone is in deep... poop. It would mean all nuclear superpowers are controlled by globalists, and there is an aspect of denial in this.
I consider the situation akin to Trump in the US. Says all the words people want to hear, they cheer vicariously for him, and then he aids the very globalism he claims to oppose. No-one is holding them to account for their actions. There are still rabid Trump defenders insisting he isn't guilty of rolling out the "genetic slurry" (as you so aptly put it) shot simply because the poison shot was... optional? Wait, what? Mass murder is okay so long as you give them a choice (and trick them with a giant deception campaign)?
It's a long, uphill battle exposing Controlled Opposition. The public are suffering from "Stockholm Syndrome" and do not want to examine the facts if it violates their worldview. One ZeroHedge commentator referred to you angrily as an "anti-Russian hater" with a lot of upvotes, but I found their delusions amusing because 5 minutes on any of your articles shows you're well researched and level headed, and evidently none of your criticisms have come anywhere near that of the classic Western shill that screeches endlessly about Ukraine.
Keep up the good work of posting evidence, I enjoy reading!
Aug 29, 2022·edited Aug 29, 2022Liked by Edward Slavsquat
Thanks for this attempt to address both sides of the issue. It is rare indeed.
From my Chinese perspective I think both Thomas (Röper) and Riley make some good points. If I may summarize, Riley writes that Thomas seems overly optimistic about Russia’s role as an independent player, while Thomas cites evidence to show that the big kahuna in Russia is not part of the show. Nonetheless, I think both neglect to consider a subtler interpretation.
In essence, it is this: The world is not a black and white place. On the contrary, it is full of grey zones. In one sentence, Thomas actually hints at this. He writes:
“Dass Russland versucht, mit am Tisch zu sitzen, wenn diese wichtigen Kreise sich treffen, ist nicht überraschend. Wenn man die Wahl hat, denen zuzuhören oder nicht, würde auch ich zuhören, um möglichst viel über deren Ideen und Pläne zu erfahren.“
For non-German speakers, basically he is saying that it should hardly be surprising that the Russian leadership wishes to be present at the table when the agendas are being discussed and set.
This should be obvious, but it seems to be a difficult concept for many.
Instead, many die-hard conspiracy fans (as well as the professional propagandists who practice muddying the waters as a profession) seem obsessed with the idea that it’s all one big show and that the principal leaders all around the world are just reading their scripts. Some of the most ridiculous ones go as far as to claim that all of these scripts are being written by clever communists in Beijing. The ones whose propaganda machine is regularly ridiculed throughout both China and the world. Right.
This in my opinion is a case of throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
The fact that both Chinese and Russian elites regularly associate and have associated with the Western elites who are often found in Davos every January demonstrates… nothing. The same applies to the fact that SOME of their policies and official fairytales overlap with those of the West.
For argument’s sake, let’s assume for example that the ‘carbon dioxide bad’ storyline is a scam. Why might leader X choose to play along?
• He is just an appointed puppet and has no real decision making power.
• He believes it to be in his or his country’s interest to play along.
• He doesn’t see himself as an ‘expert’ in the area of climatology and has actually bought into the fraud. The scam pushers have their fingers in the financing of ‘science’ all over the world, including Russia and China.
• He believes that for some reason the scam is ‘useful’ to him or his country, for example to help make energy usage more efficient, or because it offers another tool to maintain control over the unruly peasants.
• He realizes that he has been scammed, but is too embarrassed to admit it.
If there are troops belonging to a foreign power stationed nearby, one should not be surprised to encounter scenario #1. But it is hardly the only imaginable one. There are plenty of others.
Well how about the possibility that the current top dog in Moscow got there thanks to the support of other key players to whom he is indebted? Upon reflection, it should be obvious that this is a certainty rather than a possibility. But does that mean he must necessarily remain their puppet? History is full of examples of leaders who turned on their sponsors.
If we look at the situation in China, we see a government which over the past year literally tried to move heaven and earth in an attempt to raise the birth rate, among other things by obliterating much of the private education industry. This ‘cost’ was enormous and there is no way this decision was taken lightly. And yet, a few months later the same leadership rolled out its own untested slurry which ended up having a substantial negative effect on fertility. To their credit, they rejected the mRNA technology, and made it explicitly illegal to coerce anyone into getting themselves injected, but attempts at coercion did take place and in the end the majority of the population went along with the pitch. (China does not have ‘vaccine passports’ in contrast to the storyline regularly on offer in Western social media.) In medical circles inside China these negative effects on fertility were known from early on. Perhaps no-one dared tell the boss? Or perhaps the boss wasn’t listening? It seems hard to avoid concluding that a substantial dose of ignorance and/or face-saving at the highest levels must have been at play here. If they were just script readers, why bother literally at the same time to put so much effort into increasing the birth rate?
Sometimes the most probable explanation is also the simplest one.
great article, great research. thanks for your painstaking ongoing and refreshing message. it is very needed in the collapsing and brainwashed West. Respect
"It's OK when Russia does it" because many in the West are *desperate* to believe that someone, anyone, in the global power elite, is on "their side." Roper's selective blindness is utterly infuriating, and so is the knowledge that many will grasp on to his article as "proof" that Putin is "on our side." Thanks once again for being the storyteller who sheds light, Riley!
All world leaders are doing their part to implement the global agenda. Them not playing their part dies lika John Magufuli of Tanzania. If Putin had been the real anti West/globalist deal he would have blown the lid on the Convid scam and poisonous "vaccines".
This reality, valid as it appears to be, with Vladimir Putin, promoting, and pushing vaccination on his own people, is about the most disturbing thing I have come to know since writing my book in 2020 - THE TYRANNY of MASKS. (bit.ly/3oJrJX6). I was harboring with no small zeal, the illusion that there remained a vast land, overseen by a president representing the last holdout to the luciferian globalism, even entertaining a thought of moving there. (I speak Russian - so why not). What now? Belarus?
More like middle-aged, jah? In fact, by the time people cared if he was a Dovosian Young Global Leader, he was already a major global leader, period. Like, before Young Global Leadership went all commersch, man.
"If Putin is opposed to this anti-human system—and maybe he is—why he is allowing it to take root in Russia? To me this is a much more important question than whether or not Putin approves of western elites."
That is, for me, the core question.
Putin doesn't need Davos and his psycho shithead buddies -- that I know of. Putin has all the power he needs -- or appears to.
Why? RIley titled an article of his "I believe we are facing an evil that has no equal in human history", and I have to agree.
What is that evil? Space aliens? Annunaki watchers from the comic book version of the Bible (one of my personal fave Biblical perspectives). A hidden nuclear arsenal that might be used a la rogue to trigger a full-blown nuke exchange that nobody wins? A forced 3-way with Margarita Simonyan and Nancy Pelosi? (as an obscure Firesign Theater joke says: "It's like dogs fucking in the street; I TRY not to watch, but...")
The reason I have a problem with 'Putin is Just Another Davosite' is not because I hate to lose the hope he represented to many of us, nor is it because I refuse to notice the lockstep similarities between him and the Davosite agenda.
It's because something just doesn't fit right. That sense of something doesn't justify me holding on to a shred of Putin-hope nor does it justify me writing him off as just another schnook, a once tolerably decent gangster who was slowly corrupted and stupefied by the morally softening effects of power, into a genuine global creepster. But something doesn't fit right, and like my old man used to say, "YOu get that many dirty dogs together, one of them's bound to be a son of a bitch."
I'm doing some reading this week that may shed some light. Or not. We'll see.
There's no reason I can see to use something like Face Pay when the aim of a cashless transit system can be achieved by a simple swipe card which can be purchased anonymously. First the goals: 1. Eliminate the potential for employee theft. 2. eliminate the problem of handling large amounts of cash in small denominations. 3. improve data collection on ridership for planning purposes. None of these goals is nefarious by intention, even Face Pay can be rationalized as a way to eliminate the costs associated with maintaining a retail system for swipe cards. As someone who once worked for a transit system I can assure you, the costs are eating us alive, and any potential solution to the problem is taken seriously.
The trouble is that any system that collects user specific data can be used for nefarious purposes. This problem also exists with cash in the form of embedded security codes which are used to prevent counterfeiting. That same technology can be extended to where the individual currency note contains a history of every transaction it's involved in, so cash itself may be subject to the same conditions and abuses.
One of the main points of arms control as applied to intermediate range missiles is that they are dual use technology that can have defensive or offensive capability simply by a change of ordinance. Extend that dual use principle to every aspect of the modern world as governed by digital cash, cell phones, licence plate readers, face recognition, biometric ID systems, satellites, all of it. It ALL has the potential for misuse.
But step back for a moment and ask yourself, what features do ALL governments have in common? First the need to collect tax and other revenue, second to monitor the population for planning purposes, but also to control criminal activity. Given that ALL governments share these objectives, I see no reason to suggest that they're all acting in concert to execute some master plan. They may well be, but the fact that they have common goals does not by itself imply that.
Russia has long standing issues with control of immigration, money laundering, and systemic corruption at all levels. This problem did not go away with the removal of the oligarchs - it is still present in every aspect of society, an unfortunate inheritance of the Soviet system and of human nature itself. That the current government would adopt means to address the issue does not in itself imply collusion with some overarching international agenda, but simply that they, like every other government on Earth, have adopted similar solutions to similar problems. In other words, correlation is not causation.
Frankly, I'm suspicious of the Putin as WEF agent theory. First, it has not, to my knowledge, been a constant theme over many years but only recently surfaced in connection with the pandemic and SMO, and it's constant repetition on social media only adds to my suspicion. What better way to sow doubt among supporters of Russia than to suggest her leader is part of some grand global conspiracy? Second, the guilt by association fallacy that all WEF alumni are somehow part of some master plan. This negates individual motives in associating with that institute. Belonging to a club has certain advantages, but it doesn't imply that we're acting entirely on its behalf. The old adage, keep your friends close but your enemies closer may apply here. Third. How many of us here hold the same beliefs we did in our youth? Personally, mine have shifted 180 degrees in the time Putin has been around. Is he the same guy he was 20 or 30 years ago, or has he learned something in the interim?
Therefore, I'm agnostic on the assertion that Putin is one of "them." It bears investigating, as does every aspect of our current situation, but to draw that conclusion on the basis of relatively limited data which may have a more benign explanation has the potential to seriously mislead us, which may actually be the point. We're hearing a lot of nonsense stated as fact where it relates to Russia these days. Why should this be any different?
I suspect Röper is controlled opposition. I've read his piece where he contradicts Ernst Wolff's take on the scamdemic. I believe Wolff's interpretation is correct. He believes Putin is controlled just like China, which I believe is correct.
If you watch to the end (starting at 2:21.00) you will hear his ludicrous explanation of why Russia dealt with the Covaids scamdemic in the way it did. It is nonsense. I know the virus doesn't exist so that means the FSB and Putin know this as well. I also know you cannot produce a pathogen in a lab that can be transmitted between people and cause disease. This only happens in BS голливудские фильмы.
His absurd theory is that Russia sent over specialists to discover what it was that the US had developed in their Biolabs and had unleashed on the world. This is why Russia sent specialists to Italy in March/April 2020, to find out how dangerous this 'pathogen' was. He mentions the Russian ministry of defense announced officially a few weeks back (perhaps Edward can confirm this) that they believe the 'pathogen' is a bioweapon created by the US. Now the interesting bit is he uses the EXACT same argument used in the UK to justify the regional lockdowns that did happen in Russia. This is a globalist dogwhistle. Namely, they believed there was a danger the deaths due to the fake virus would lead to the hospitals being overrun and cancer patients, etc would not receive any treatment. Utterly pathetic. The guy is a goon.
This automatically discredits him because he hasn't even grasped the basics. The virus doesn't exist.
China wants to be the new energy provider and has been buying politicians and using media to enforce climate change as reality. They need oil gone or priced high so the world switches from oil to lithium. China has been playing the long game acquiring/has their hand in 90-95% of the worlds lithium and rare earth metals supply.
Putin got baited to at least take the dombas and the media and politicians have now drilled in everyone that Putin bad and no more oil/ gas from him. The media has created a frenzy and more and more people want an EV.
This plays right into chinas hands who can now supply us with more lithium batteries, more solar panels, windmills, etc. We are switching dictators from Putin to Xi for our energy/transportation needs. It’s crazy.
The other benefit for keeping Germany from Russia oil/gas is that it keeps the USA dollar higher and in demand. The last thing the USA wants is Germany//EU/Russia and Asia becoming friends.
What an intriguing debate. I think both authors have some good points. And Russia often copies whatever the West is doing, so why wouldn't they introduce a CBDC nobody asked for. But consider Russia's reaction or lack thereof: Whenever the West starts doing something that Russia strongly opposes and that it sees as a threat, it sends out a few news articles critizing Western policies (then they forget about it while Western news keep pushing and repeating their thing forever until it gets going, some years later Russian liberals whine and want to copy the West). For example, Western "gay propaganda", gay flags everywhere, televised demonstrations and underage children being told about the freedom of choice, pushing some into taking hormones and destroying their lifes before it began (obviously seen by Russia as the threat that it is, though most thinking people in the West are opposed in the same way but they don't speak out)... Even Western developments that Russia opposes but doesn't see as a threat are criticized by Russian media, like how some Western politicians want to stop using reliable sources of energy.
So has there been criticism in Russian media about CBDCs and how EU citizens would be under full control by the elites if CBDCs replace cash? They clearly know about NGOs, do they talk about them, like explaining Event 201 on tv or maybe this weird World Government thing in Dubai recently? What about Covid, do they criticize the West for any of its many attacks on its population like creating panic about nothing, forced medication, (I think the new idea of "lockdowns" has been criticized a bit). How has the West's "reaction" to Covid been explained or framed by Russian media?
Regarding some other aspects, Röper is either wrong or too superficial, like mistaking a lack of official data about side effects of the new genetic medication with a lack of such side effects. His argument about who else should they've picked as head of the RDIF other than the good man from Goldman Sachs isn't clear either: Is he implying Russia has no "good" guys who would be competent enough?
Excellent post. From the beginning this has been an international planetary coup. Patriotism is one thing but nationalism to the exclusion of we the people around this globe is insane. Being as human as possible in the face of this is a path forward, if a vulnerable one.
Sadly with any one that has blind optimism, they trust heroes that say what they want to hear.
We all want to believe that there's someone fighting the corruption, but when trump or putin etc talk the talk while doing the opposite, those of us who have healthy skepticism give up on that false hope.
People like this guy, Luongo, Ehret, and others are blinded by faith. That's why they can excuse china's lockdowns as a good thing while ignoring that con-vid was at most like the flu.
And many doctors who question the con-vid shots still promote the equally useless flu shots as safe and effective. Same blind faith, even when they see some corruption, they think it's an isolated case haha.
Can I just say, I really appreciate your in-depth, evidenced Substack posts "from the other side". For people outside of Russia, there is a proverbial 'Iron Curtain' on media, so it is very difficult to 'peer in', especially for anyone who doesn't speak or read Russian, and the only Russian media outlets that cover Russia are, of course, Russian government owned.
I think the public's perception outside of Russia is a mindset of 'absence of evidence' ('innocent unless proven guilty'); if they don't explicitly see evidence of Russia doing globalist things, so they assume Russia doesn't do globalist things.
Coupled with the fiery, well published rhetoric of Putin, and the West (synonymous with globalism) seemingly very upset at what he's doing in Ukraine - whilst sending Ukrainians either antiquated, dated, experimental or unreliable tech and insisting they all die (sorry, "fight") to the last man - most of the anti-globalist West think of Putin as "sticking it to the man".
They don't get to see articles like yours. I also think there is an aspect of "hopium", they hope that Putin is on 'Team Good Guy' because if he isn't, everyone is in deep... poop. It would mean all nuclear superpowers are controlled by globalists, and there is an aspect of denial in this.
I consider the situation akin to Trump in the US. Says all the words people want to hear, they cheer vicariously for him, and then he aids the very globalism he claims to oppose. No-one is holding them to account for their actions. There are still rabid Trump defenders insisting he isn't guilty of rolling out the "genetic slurry" (as you so aptly put it) shot simply because the poison shot was... optional? Wait, what? Mass murder is okay so long as you give them a choice (and trick them with a giant deception campaign)?
It's a long, uphill battle exposing Controlled Opposition. The public are suffering from "Stockholm Syndrome" and do not want to examine the facts if it violates their worldview. One ZeroHedge commentator referred to you angrily as an "anti-Russian hater" with a lot of upvotes, but I found their delusions amusing because 5 minutes on any of your articles shows you're well researched and level headed, and evidently none of your criticisms have come anywhere near that of the classic Western shill that screeches endlessly about Ukraine.
Keep up the good work of posting evidence, I enjoy reading!
Thanks for this attempt to address both sides of the issue. It is rare indeed.
From my Chinese perspective I think both Thomas (Röper) and Riley make some good points. If I may summarize, Riley writes that Thomas seems overly optimistic about Russia’s role as an independent player, while Thomas cites evidence to show that the big kahuna in Russia is not part of the show. Nonetheless, I think both neglect to consider a subtler interpretation.
In essence, it is this: The world is not a black and white place. On the contrary, it is full of grey zones. In one sentence, Thomas actually hints at this. He writes:
“Dass Russland versucht, mit am Tisch zu sitzen, wenn diese wichtigen Kreise sich treffen, ist nicht überraschend. Wenn man die Wahl hat, denen zuzuhören oder nicht, würde auch ich zuhören, um möglichst viel über deren Ideen und Pläne zu erfahren.“
For non-German speakers, basically he is saying that it should hardly be surprising that the Russian leadership wishes to be present at the table when the agendas are being discussed and set.
This should be obvious, but it seems to be a difficult concept for many.
Instead, many die-hard conspiracy fans (as well as the professional propagandists who practice muddying the waters as a profession) seem obsessed with the idea that it’s all one big show and that the principal leaders all around the world are just reading their scripts. Some of the most ridiculous ones go as far as to claim that all of these scripts are being written by clever communists in Beijing. The ones whose propaganda machine is regularly ridiculed throughout both China and the world. Right.
This in my opinion is a case of throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
The fact that both Chinese and Russian elites regularly associate and have associated with the Western elites who are often found in Davos every January demonstrates… nothing. The same applies to the fact that SOME of their policies and official fairytales overlap with those of the West.
For argument’s sake, let’s assume for example that the ‘carbon dioxide bad’ storyline is a scam. Why might leader X choose to play along?
• He is just an appointed puppet and has no real decision making power.
• He believes it to be in his or his country’s interest to play along.
• He doesn’t see himself as an ‘expert’ in the area of climatology and has actually bought into the fraud. The scam pushers have their fingers in the financing of ‘science’ all over the world, including Russia and China.
• He believes that for some reason the scam is ‘useful’ to him or his country, for example to help make energy usage more efficient, or because it offers another tool to maintain control over the unruly peasants.
• He realizes that he has been scammed, but is too embarrassed to admit it.
If there are troops belonging to a foreign power stationed nearby, one should not be surprised to encounter scenario #1. But it is hardly the only imaginable one. There are plenty of others.
Well how about the possibility that the current top dog in Moscow got there thanks to the support of other key players to whom he is indebted? Upon reflection, it should be obvious that this is a certainty rather than a possibility. But does that mean he must necessarily remain their puppet? History is full of examples of leaders who turned on their sponsors.
If we look at the situation in China, we see a government which over the past year literally tried to move heaven and earth in an attempt to raise the birth rate, among other things by obliterating much of the private education industry. This ‘cost’ was enormous and there is no way this decision was taken lightly. And yet, a few months later the same leadership rolled out its own untested slurry which ended up having a substantial negative effect on fertility. To their credit, they rejected the mRNA technology, and made it explicitly illegal to coerce anyone into getting themselves injected, but attempts at coercion did take place and in the end the majority of the population went along with the pitch. (China does not have ‘vaccine passports’ in contrast to the storyline regularly on offer in Western social media.) In medical circles inside China these negative effects on fertility were known from early on. Perhaps no-one dared tell the boss? Or perhaps the boss wasn’t listening? It seems hard to avoid concluding that a substantial dose of ignorance and/or face-saving at the highest levels must have been at play here. If they were just script readers, why bother literally at the same time to put so much effort into increasing the birth rate?
Sometimes the most probable explanation is also the simplest one.
great article, great research. thanks for your painstaking ongoing and refreshing message. it is very needed in the collapsing and brainwashed West. Respect
"It's OK when Russia does it" because many in the West are *desperate* to believe that someone, anyone, in the global power elite, is on "their side." Roper's selective blindness is utterly infuriating, and so is the knowledge that many will grasp on to his article as "proof" that Putin is "on our side." Thanks once again for being the storyteller who sheds light, Riley!
cognitive bias is alive and well
take nothing at face value, be sceptical of everything!
All world leaders are doing their part to implement the global agenda. Them not playing their part dies lika John Magufuli of Tanzania. If Putin had been the real anti West/globalist deal he would have blown the lid on the Convid scam and poisonous "vaccines".
another great article...albeit depressing...were all under the control of psychopaths and idiots
This reality, valid as it appears to be, with Vladimir Putin, promoting, and pushing vaccination on his own people, is about the most disturbing thing I have come to know since writing my book in 2020 - THE TYRANNY of MASKS. (bit.ly/3oJrJX6). I was harboring with no small zeal, the illusion that there remained a vast land, overseen by a president representing the last holdout to the luciferian globalism, even entertaining a thought of moving there. (I speak Russian - so why not). What now? Belarus?
"Vladimir Putin was not a Young Global Leader"
More like middle-aged, jah? In fact, by the time people cared if he was a Dovosian Young Global Leader, he was already a major global leader, period. Like, before Young Global Leadership went all commersch, man.
"If Putin is opposed to this anti-human system—and maybe he is—why he is allowing it to take root in Russia? To me this is a much more important question than whether or not Putin approves of western elites."
That is, for me, the core question.
Putin doesn't need Davos and his psycho shithead buddies -- that I know of. Putin has all the power he needs -- or appears to.
Why? RIley titled an article of his "I believe we are facing an evil that has no equal in human history", and I have to agree.
What is that evil? Space aliens? Annunaki watchers from the comic book version of the Bible (one of my personal fave Biblical perspectives). A hidden nuclear arsenal that might be used a la rogue to trigger a full-blown nuke exchange that nobody wins? A forced 3-way with Margarita Simonyan and Nancy Pelosi? (as an obscure Firesign Theater joke says: "It's like dogs fucking in the street; I TRY not to watch, but...")
The reason I have a problem with 'Putin is Just Another Davosite' is not because I hate to lose the hope he represented to many of us, nor is it because I refuse to notice the lockstep similarities between him and the Davosite agenda.
It's because something just doesn't fit right. That sense of something doesn't justify me holding on to a shred of Putin-hope nor does it justify me writing him off as just another schnook, a once tolerably decent gangster who was slowly corrupted and stupefied by the morally softening effects of power, into a genuine global creepster. But something doesn't fit right, and like my old man used to say, "YOu get that many dirty dogs together, one of them's bound to be a son of a bitch."
I'm doing some reading this week that may shed some light. Or not. We'll see.
Track 6, pls: https://soundcloud.com/jeff-campbell-43
There's no reason I can see to use something like Face Pay when the aim of a cashless transit system can be achieved by a simple swipe card which can be purchased anonymously. First the goals: 1. Eliminate the potential for employee theft. 2. eliminate the problem of handling large amounts of cash in small denominations. 3. improve data collection on ridership for planning purposes. None of these goals is nefarious by intention, even Face Pay can be rationalized as a way to eliminate the costs associated with maintaining a retail system for swipe cards. As someone who once worked for a transit system I can assure you, the costs are eating us alive, and any potential solution to the problem is taken seriously.
The trouble is that any system that collects user specific data can be used for nefarious purposes. This problem also exists with cash in the form of embedded security codes which are used to prevent counterfeiting. That same technology can be extended to where the individual currency note contains a history of every transaction it's involved in, so cash itself may be subject to the same conditions and abuses.
One of the main points of arms control as applied to intermediate range missiles is that they are dual use technology that can have defensive or offensive capability simply by a change of ordinance. Extend that dual use principle to every aspect of the modern world as governed by digital cash, cell phones, licence plate readers, face recognition, biometric ID systems, satellites, all of it. It ALL has the potential for misuse.
But step back for a moment and ask yourself, what features do ALL governments have in common? First the need to collect tax and other revenue, second to monitor the population for planning purposes, but also to control criminal activity. Given that ALL governments share these objectives, I see no reason to suggest that they're all acting in concert to execute some master plan. They may well be, but the fact that they have common goals does not by itself imply that.
Russia has long standing issues with control of immigration, money laundering, and systemic corruption at all levels. This problem did not go away with the removal of the oligarchs - it is still present in every aspect of society, an unfortunate inheritance of the Soviet system and of human nature itself. That the current government would adopt means to address the issue does not in itself imply collusion with some overarching international agenda, but simply that they, like every other government on Earth, have adopted similar solutions to similar problems. In other words, correlation is not causation.
Frankly, I'm suspicious of the Putin as WEF agent theory. First, it has not, to my knowledge, been a constant theme over many years but only recently surfaced in connection with the pandemic and SMO, and it's constant repetition on social media only adds to my suspicion. What better way to sow doubt among supporters of Russia than to suggest her leader is part of some grand global conspiracy? Second, the guilt by association fallacy that all WEF alumni are somehow part of some master plan. This negates individual motives in associating with that institute. Belonging to a club has certain advantages, but it doesn't imply that we're acting entirely on its behalf. The old adage, keep your friends close but your enemies closer may apply here. Third. How many of us here hold the same beliefs we did in our youth? Personally, mine have shifted 180 degrees in the time Putin has been around. Is he the same guy he was 20 or 30 years ago, or has he learned something in the interim?
Therefore, I'm agnostic on the assertion that Putin is one of "them." It bears investigating, as does every aspect of our current situation, but to draw that conclusion on the basis of relatively limited data which may have a more benign explanation has the potential to seriously mislead us, which may actually be the point. We're hearing a lot of nonsense stated as fact where it relates to Russia these days. Why should this be any different?
I suspect Röper is controlled opposition. I've read his piece where he contradicts Ernst Wolff's take on the scamdemic. I believe Wolff's interpretation is correct. He believes Putin is controlled just like China, which I believe is correct.
I speak fluent German so I also watched this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X20zVfYcts0
If you watch to the end (starting at 2:21.00) you will hear his ludicrous explanation of why Russia dealt with the Covaids scamdemic in the way it did. It is nonsense. I know the virus doesn't exist so that means the FSB and Putin know this as well. I also know you cannot produce a pathogen in a lab that can be transmitted between people and cause disease. This only happens in BS голливудские фильмы.
His absurd theory is that Russia sent over specialists to discover what it was that the US had developed in their Biolabs and had unleashed on the world. This is why Russia sent specialists to Italy in March/April 2020, to find out how dangerous this 'pathogen' was. He mentions the Russian ministry of defense announced officially a few weeks back (perhaps Edward can confirm this) that they believe the 'pathogen' is a bioweapon created by the US. Now the interesting bit is he uses the EXACT same argument used in the UK to justify the regional lockdowns that did happen in Russia. This is a globalist dogwhistle. Namely, they believed there was a danger the deaths due to the fake virus would lead to the hospitals being overrun and cancer patients, etc would not receive any treatment. Utterly pathetic. The guy is a goon.
This automatically discredits him because he hasn't even grasped the basics. The virus doesn't exist.
Putin got duped by the west and China?
China wants to be the new energy provider and has been buying politicians and using media to enforce climate change as reality. They need oil gone or priced high so the world switches from oil to lithium. China has been playing the long game acquiring/has their hand in 90-95% of the worlds lithium and rare earth metals supply.
Putin got baited to at least take the dombas and the media and politicians have now drilled in everyone that Putin bad and no more oil/ gas from him. The media has created a frenzy and more and more people want an EV.
This plays right into chinas hands who can now supply us with more lithium batteries, more solar panels, windmills, etc. We are switching dictators from Putin to Xi for our energy/transportation needs. It’s crazy.
The other benefit for keeping Germany from Russia oil/gas is that it keeps the USA dollar higher and in demand. The last thing the USA wants is Germany//EU/Russia and Asia becoming friends.
Idk. The USA loves a mess in Europe it seems.
What an intriguing debate. I think both authors have some good points. And Russia often copies whatever the West is doing, so why wouldn't they introduce a CBDC nobody asked for. But consider Russia's reaction or lack thereof: Whenever the West starts doing something that Russia strongly opposes and that it sees as a threat, it sends out a few news articles critizing Western policies (then they forget about it while Western news keep pushing and repeating their thing forever until it gets going, some years later Russian liberals whine and want to copy the West). For example, Western "gay propaganda", gay flags everywhere, televised demonstrations and underage children being told about the freedom of choice, pushing some into taking hormones and destroying their lifes before it began (obviously seen by Russia as the threat that it is, though most thinking people in the West are opposed in the same way but they don't speak out)... Even Western developments that Russia opposes but doesn't see as a threat are criticized by Russian media, like how some Western politicians want to stop using reliable sources of energy.
So has there been criticism in Russian media about CBDCs and how EU citizens would be under full control by the elites if CBDCs replace cash? They clearly know about NGOs, do they talk about them, like explaining Event 201 on tv or maybe this weird World Government thing in Dubai recently? What about Covid, do they criticize the West for any of its many attacks on its population like creating panic about nothing, forced medication, (I think the new idea of "lockdowns" has been criticized a bit). How has the West's "reaction" to Covid been explained or framed by Russian media?
Regarding some other aspects, Röper is either wrong or too superficial, like mistaking a lack of official data about side effects of the new genetic medication with a lack of such side effects. His argument about who else should they've picked as head of the RDIF other than the good man from Goldman Sachs isn't clear either: Is he implying Russia has no "good" guys who would be competent enough?