As a header note. I added 20 additional people to my traveling email updates group. For some of you this is the first email you have gotten from me. I realized a few days ago that I had not included a few Tea Party groups that might be interested in the fact I am in Belarus which is a Dictatorship considered by most. If you do not want to get updates just reply and I will remove you.
If you want me to bring you up to-date on everything that has been since I left the USA May 2nd I will personally respond with a generalized email of all the stuff that has gone on.
Since the currency has been devalued 65% since my arrival May 9th It was $1=3,000 Belorussian Rubles, then. Now officially it hovers between $1=4,900-5,000 Belorussian Rubles (BYR)
On the Black Market, which is not as scary as it sounds. I can get $1=8,000-10,000 BYR. For those that do not know the Black Market is any Russian Business in Belarus. Or any Russian practically. The Black Market in Vitebsk, is the unadulterated form of a Capitalism Free For All. When I say free for all I really mean it in the strictness term.
US Sanctions regardless of however Obama wants to pursue them are USELESS. The reason being, I cannot get cash from my credit card from a Belorussian Bank or ATM. Though I can walk 10 mins away, to a Russian bank pretending to be physically located in Russia. In which they can process my transaction, get money off in US Dollars. Then I walk over to the Belorussian bank, give them my US Dollars, in which they get a huge smile on thier face. Then give me Belorussian Rubles.
If I can do it this easily, how easy is it for Lashenko? I have come to believe no sanctions ever work period. Secondly if you watched Obamas speech with the Polish PM, they talk about energy cooperation. I want you to realize Russia sells gas, and oil to the EU. Russia also sells gas to Belarus which then Poland, buys gas from Belarus or Russia.
Belarus’s state in this is the fact they refine it and mark up the price. This is a very unknown spoken fact that is not reported in the US media. Which I have known for 2 years. Russia’s main business is oil, why do you think they keep siding with Iran, they are building a pipeline from Iran, throughout Russia, to then sell to China, or the EU.
Please look at the map of Russia’s gas pipeline
www.eegas.com/belarus1.htm
news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456974/html/nn4page1.stm
www.payvand.com/news/09/apr/Nabucco-gas-pipeline.jpg
Secondly, the Baltic states (Latvia, Estonia, Poland and maybe Lithuania) are trying to apply pressure to Belarus. For those that know Saul Anuzis, which whom I met in Grand Rapids, he I believe knows 10x to what I know about this entire region. When, I met him, I mentioned I was heading to Belarus the Baltics and Russia for 4 months. For those unaware he is Lithuanian and a former MIGOP RNC chairman.
www.charter97.org/en/news/2011/6/1/39154/
As for the news in Belarus, Lashenko has frozen all assets and products in the country. 90-95% or higher of all foreign merchandise is gone. It is all being replaced with Belorussian products.
The reason for this, is the fact Lashenko, has been cut off by Putin. For those that may think Putin, and Mededev are dictators or bad guys themselves, thats debatable. However, Putin via the nationalized Russian Oil industry wants to capitalize and privatize more then 50% of Belarus.
A dictator (Putin/Mededev) that privatizes the State Communist/State owned Belarus. Think about it in ways, and Putin in aspects might be more capitalistic then one may think originally.
However none of this will happen even after Lashenko agreeing to privatize he kicked all the Russia media, and government out saying No privatization ever!
This in many ways has infuriated Moscow, so in retaliation Moscow has put a ban on all exports, to Belarus. I might be totally wrong, but with how things are going, how people talk to me here about the usa. There is a sense the seeds of revolution are just starting to be planted. I would predict in the next 5-10 years. Belarus will either be forcibly privatized by Russia’s free market. Or Belarus will have a civil war.
I will be leaving Belarus June 4th or June 5th for Pskov, Russia. I will continue my emails from there.
For further reading please read below
www.charter97.org/en/news/2011/6/1/39154/
www.charter97.org/en/news/2011/5/31/39135/
www.charter97.org/en/news/2011/5/31/39126/
www.charter97.org/en/news/2011/5/31/39130/
www.charter97.org/en/news/2011/5/31/39124/
If anything streaks the sky, I will be sure to sling the mud across the Atlantic 😉
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