Middle East conflict

[old man emu]

When a U.S. president is impeached, the House of Representatives has formally accused them of high crimes and misdemeanors via a simple majority vote, acting like a grand jury. The process then shifts to the Senate, which holds a trial to decide whether to remove the president from office. According to Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, a president can be impeached for "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors". This includes abuse of power, violating the public trust, or breaking criminal laws, though "high crimes and misdemeanors" is a broad term not limited to statutory crimes. So, he would have to be convicted, by the Senate, of something like a war crime. I doubt if the sort of crimes that you could call private crimes - fraud, sex offences etc., would be sufficient to remove a president on conviction.

 

So, the kick Trump right out of the White House, the Dems would have to control both the  House of Representatives and Senate, and convict him of something like abuse of power. Abuse of power by a president occurs when the executive uses their authority for improper personal, political, or improper gain, rather than the public good. Examples often include leveraging federal resources for political investigations, obstructing justice, or overstepping constitutional boundaries regarding war powers or executive orders.

[onetrack]

Americans are just starting to wake up to the fact that Trumps erratic war planning has major implications for their ability to wage war.

A West Point analyst has just written an article that points out the Straits of Hormuz blockage now reduces sulphur supplies to the U.S. by at least 20%.

 

But no military planner or strategist in the current U.S. administration has even considered the part that sulphur plays in a major industrialised economy.

 

Despite being a simple "waste" byproduct of oil refining, sulphur is a critical mineral required in substantial amounts for mineral and ores processing.

Sulphuric acid is required for hundreds of industrial processes. Those industrial processes produce all the metals and chemicals - and even electronics - needed to produce military equipment.

 

A shortage of sulphur means America cannot ramp up military weapons and equipment production, as Trump has ordered.

That brings about a serious crunch in Americas ability to continue its military destruction in Iran - and elsewhere.

In effect, they're burning up armaments and equipment 10 times faster than they can produce them - and that disruption in sulphur supply is not something they're going to be able to overcome quickly.

 

https://mwi.westpoint.edu/the-chokepoint-we-missed-sulfur-hormuz-and-the-threats-to-military-readiness/

[facthunter]

Most Crude contains something like 10% Sulphur. There's Mountains of it piled up in a lot of Places near refineries. Overseas refining is a lower cost result than doing it Here and having Large reserves cost a Heap also and people don't want to have that extra cost.. The current reserves are Higher than they have been for a long while but are Below the recommended Amount. All reserves run out eventually if supply is below demand during WW2 Cars were put on Blocks for the duration. Nothing is guaranteed. That's the reality. Nev

[Marty_d]

Good job a lot of us have the ability to work from home now.

[willedoo]

I filled up before the government lifted restrictions to allow us to use higer sulphur diesel, so I still have an almost full tank of the old low sulphur fuel. We normally export all the high sulphur fuel to countries that don't have as strict environmental rules as we have. $2.90 price of diesel today at our local servo.

 

edit: I originally wrote $1.90 for today's price, it's $2.90.

Edited yesterday at 08:07 AM by willedoo

[facthunter]

The Low sulphur fuel would have been "nice to have" but when it's as it is Now, you just adapt. LPG cars don't dirty the Oil But acid does occur and copper Lead bearings will have the lead deplete. Alutin is better in LPG engines but still change the Oil especially if you do short trips. Water in the oil makes sulphuric acid. Water is produced from combustion of Hydrocarbons. Nev

[willedoo]

I can remember back when they mandated the low suplhur diesel there was talk of older engines having some issues with things like injector pump seals leaking. The only diesel engine I had at the time was an old IH motor, late 60's vintage and I never had any problems with it.

[facthunter]

That was the first Lower sulphur from real bad to less bad.  When I was Young and rode a Pushy everywhere, I thought the diesel smell was Pleasant though some trucks smelt different to others  Most of the busses were AEC's. Nev

[kgwilson]

Electric car owners are mostly smirking right now, me included. With enough solar on the roof and in the battery there is enough to run the house & car as well as export to the grid. Even Trump can't stop the sun shining unless there was a MAD conflict with most of the Northern hemisphere stuffed and a Nuclear Winter created. Out of all those with a big red button there are only 2 that are irrational enough to even contemplate this. No prizes for guessing which two.

[old man emu]

Just goes to show you how one war causes the development of weapons to be used in another. The Ukraine knows how to deal with the drones that the Iranians are using because the Iranians licensed the production to Russia which has been sending them to the Ukraine since the start of the recetn war. Now the Ukraine is paying back the USA by providing its drones for the defence of US bases in the Middle East.

 

 

[facthunter]

Anyone can post on Youtube. Nev

[red750]

https://mail.yahoo.com/d/folders/1/messages/AAFALrWF6WbmRfYnxSOYIqQTay9/AAFALrWF6WbmRfYnxSOYIqQTay9:2.2?.intl=au&.lang=en-AU&fullscreen=1

[old man emu]

27 minutes ago, facthunter said:

Anyone can post on Youtube. Nev

The creator is long term. Joined in 2017. I don't think it's AI slop.

[facthunter]

Maybe, but it's still Not subject to Fact-checking etc.Nev

[randomx]

l'm in Mildura on the Murray atm . Diesel right through town is 295 l found some at 285 but bloody hell. Stuck 50 bucks in gage only moved a notch, ouch.

Edited 6 hours ago by randomx

[randomx]

Yeah that same AI voice is on heaps of other vids and channels . Not to say the actual story isn't right on this one though, l know there's been heaps around about Ukr helping.

l've been hearing they're sending advice, not actual drones though. Be wondering where they'd get enough actual spare drones to send to the Iran when they need as much of everything and anything they can get their hands on to keep up with Russian attacks at home.

[facthunter]

People will still be Hoarding . THAT doesn't Help. Trump doesn't care, one iota. He's said We are not Affected and may even profit from it.. Charming.  Nev

[red750]

[facthunter]

Don't be surprised That there IS a Fuel crisis. It will be as it has been. A Cause of Wars, till we stop using it. Trump is incapable of calculating unintended? Consequences or Cares NOT about  them when it affects OTHER People who don't live in the USA or don't support HIM.  People who have helped are wiped like A DIRTY a$$ when they are of no further use to him. Look at Mike Pence , and there are lots of Others.  Get MUM to donate Cash and you're pardoned, no matter what Heinous crime you've committed. Nev

[randomx]

5 hours ago, facthunter said:

People will still be Hoarding . THAT doesn't Help. Trump doesn't care, one iota. He's said We are not Affected and may even profit from it.. Charming.  Nev

 

 

Yeah that'd be right, he couldn't giva stuff.

Ps, l reckon it'll be 3wks in Oz and we'll be rationing .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 55 minutes ago by randomx

[onetrack]

It's 1980 all over again. The Iranians shafted us then, told us we'd have to pay a lot more for oil after the Revolution that overthrew the Shah. Then Iraq invaded Iran and total oil production dropped about 10%.

 

The price of oil went from $19 a barrel to $39 a barrel by the end of 1980. Then the word was, you wouldn't be able to get fuel, so people started hoarding. 

Long lines formed at U.S. gas stations and the Americans panicked, and this drove them to buy lots of economical Japanese cars.

 

I can remember lot of my farmer clients buying huge fuel storage tanks - 20,000 - 50,000 litre tanks. 

Our diesel fuel costs went from 10c a litre to 40c a litre in less than 18mths - a fourfold increase. It was a dreadful time to be a big fuel user. 

Then the inflation started, and companies started collapsing everywhere due to cost increases they struggled to recover in increased prices.

 

Then interest rates went ballistic as govts struggled to rein in inflation. A double whammy for all businesses.

So, all that ended up as a major global recession from 1981 to 1983.

Even Caterpillar, the worlds most profitable manufacturer, lost huge amounts of money in 1982 - the first year they'd lost money since 1932, the depths of the Great Depression.

 

This conflict is going to result in another worldwide recession, vastly increased interest rates, and a large number of bankruptcies. Be prepared for it all.

I'm glad I'm no longer in business, I'm glad I no longer owe any money to any financial institution, and I'm glad I've got a steady income that is insulated from dropping.

 

But there's a lot of people looking at losing their jobs as unemployment soars, and a lot of people looking at losing a lot of asset values, as things go South. A lot of people will not be able to meet their financial commitments in 12 mths time.