Admin, Plus Brief Global War Update
First the Admin. During the rest of the week I’ll be having windows replaced, including in my work space. In addition to the general work related disruption I’ll need to supervise (herd?) our cat, lest he foolishly make a break for freedom through an open window space. He did that once before and turned up months later at an animal shelter.
Global war. The other day Larry Johnson featured a segment he did with Judge Nap:
This is all about …
… the frantic Western effort to launch a color revolution in Georgia, because that country’s legislature has the audacity to believe that domestic political groups should report if they are receiving at least 20% of their funding from foreigners. This is just one more example of the stinking hypocrisy I described in my previous article.
The spectacle unfolding in Tbilisi is reminiscent of a Monty Python skit, only this one includes real violence and bloodshed. We have seen the Foreign Ministers of Lithuania, Estonia and Iceland show up in Tbilisi and join the protests, by giving speeches to seething crowds, denouncing the actions of the Georgian legislature. Can you imagine the freakout in Washington if Russia’s Lavrov, China’s Wang Yi, and Hungary’s Szijjártó showed up at a Trump rally to denounce Biden’s policy in Ukraine? Exactly. The United States would not tolerate that shit for one minute. Talk about double standard.
Then you have the Georgian President, who was born in France and is a French citizen. Salome Zourabichvili, if she had the same pedigree (i.e., born in France but granted U.S. citizenship) in the United States, she would be banned by the Constitution from serving as President. Yet, here she is, shamelessly promoting foreign interests over those of the people she was elected to serve. And the majority of the European governments, as well as the Biden Administration, are vowing to impose sanctions if the legislature dares to override Zourabichvili’s veto.
Larry suggests that this is another desperate attempt to distract Russia from Ukraine, and I think he’s undoubtedly right. On the other hand, as we discussed recently regarding Slovakia, the ueber strategic Caucasus region has been in the sights of the West for at least a century. It connects the Black and Caspian Seas, they gateway to Central Asian energy.
So today the Beeb is featuring videos (which I can’t embed, but follow the link) of American “tourists” who took a break from their mountain hikes to get up front and center in the NGO funded protests:
Protests in Georgia are full of Americans Now the BBC is trying to convince the public that it was tourists and bystanders. Interesting
The question is why the Georgian government allows the CIA to roam freely and organize protests and violence.
Our tax dollars at work. Well, our national debt at work.
In related news! Readers may be aware that France is experiencing difficulties in New Caledonia. New Caledonia? Despite the name, this Pacific island is part of “overseas France.” And the natives, Kanaks, are restless. They think they’re being exploited. Maybe there’s something in that. New Caledonia—population about 271k, a quarter of whom are French—possesses something like a quarter of known world nickel reserves.
I know what you’re thinking: How could unrest in New Caledonia possibly be related to the Caucasus? Le petit roi Emmanuel can explain. Macron says Turkey and Azerbaijan are stirring up the Kanaks, causing the unrest. Again, you wonder: What in the world is Turkey, let alone Azerbaijan, doing stirring up unrest in the South Pacific? Ah! It has to do with France meddling in the Caucasus, in Georgia and Armenia, which Turkey and Azerbaijan regard as their own backyard.
In the latest developments:
Arthur Morgan @ArthurM40330824
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND DEPLOY EVACUATION FLIGHTS TO #NEWCALEDONIA, a South Pacific French colony has been rising up against #France 2 policemen dead. Countries rush to evacuate tourists raise questions about the French control over the situation, diminishing France’s influence
The French empire is struggling. And supply lines from France to New Caledonia are about as long as they get.
And here’s a different type of warfare—the looting and pillaging of America by its ruling class. Because this wouldn’t be going on without all sorts of complicity:
A perfect rent-seeking coup. The ultimate goal of financialization is to create clever monetary 'instruments' and endless financial 'products' of every conceivable type to extract rents from every quadrant of existence until the entire system implodes.
Quote
Michael McDonald @ElectProject
May 20
A hedge fund bought the company, sold off all the land Red Lobster restaurants are located on, leased the land back to Red Lobster, and jacked the rent. Just so you know what is really going on here x.com/axios/status/1…
Axios @axios
May 20
Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 protection.
It's one of the largest restaurant bankruptcies in recent years. https://trib.al/3eYwXtO
Interesting how the news does not mention the hedge fund and what is really going on. Basically using bankruptcy to fix the Red Lobster's financials.
Educated guesses on what happened to Red Lobster:
1. Company was bought by a hedge fund paying a 9 cap in 2014.
2. Hedge fund then sold off real estate to fund purchase. Real estate purchasers then had long term leases with each red lobster's location. People selling apartments tired of toilets, tenants issues of management are pitched these type of deals. Continual income with no work. McDonald’s leases their properties to franchises. Lots of restaurants lease to free up cash flow.
3. Covid hurt sales and ability to pay those leases.
4. Bidenomics has continued pain and made lower income segment eat out less.
5. Major supplier of shrimp, Thai Union, bought interest in red lobster and took over management, and did a poor job, cutting back on marketing and other cutting. There has been a lack of investment for years.
6. Endless shrimp is being used as an excuse. For this size business $11 million loss is pocket change. Thai union paid $575 million for their stake. It was done successfully for 20 years.
7. Due to Covid, trend of work from home has exploded, so less people eating lunch out.
7. Bankruptcy will void uneconomical leases.
Reference:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/20/business/what-went-wrong-at-red-lobster/index.html