KTM may be sold

KTM has been in trouble for a while now. But in its most recent financial statements, it seemed as if with a little restructuring, more layoffs, and a few changes to its lineup, things would likely even out in the next year or so. Sure, it’d be rocky ahead, but the brand’s parent company, Pierer Mobility AG, would be on firmer footing soonish. 

That’s, apparently, absolutely not the case. 

Just a few weeks after Pieirer released its Q3 financials, ones that denoted a serious drop in revenue and an increase in acquired debt (welcome to the family, MV Agusta!), the brand released another statement essentially saying, “We’re truly and properly screwed if we don’t find a substantial cash infusion.” So yeah, I think KTM, as well as GasGas, Husqvarna, and the newly acquired MV Agusta, might get sold in the coming months if not weeks…

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The plandemic boosted motorcycle and bicycle sales, but the trend has not continued. Motorcycles are technologically better by far than years ago but they also cost more and new riders may not understand the value of the added tech or know how to use it. ABN

How Christianity rebooted cognitive evolution

…Christianity did more than end the cognitive decline of Imperial Rome. It reversed that decline and launched an upward trajectory that would last throughout the Christian Era from Late Antiquity to post-medieval times. Thus, with each generation, the average person became more and more intelligent.

The new faith restarted cognitive evolution by banning polygyny, which had usually involved elite men and lowborn women. Elite women thus gained in reproductive importance. The Church thereby changed the culture not so much by making radically new rules but rather by reviving old rules and enforcing them more effectively.

Keep in mind that Christianity was much more rules-based than the old faith, particularly the watered-down paganism of the Imperial Era. Pagan Romans were more interested in developing a transactional relationship with their favorite god: “do this for me, and I’ll do that in exchange.”

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Navigating the Fiscal Storm: A New Course for U.S. National Defense — Douglas Macgregor

This paper argues for: leverage change to build new, better forces for the 21st century, allowing for deep spending cuts of \$400-500 billion. This approach enhances the U.S. military’s competitive advantage in future warfare and improves American national security by ending open-ended interventions without attainable political-military objectives. Assuming Congress acts wisely, the resulting annualized savings can both pay down the national debt and reorient U.S. military power to new forms of warfare.

Grand Strategy and New Thinking

Grand strategy, if it exists at all, consists of avoiding conflict, not starting wars. New thinking in defense and foreign policy prioritizes diplomacy and peaceful cooperation over military power. None of America’s potential opponents, except those with nuclear weapons, pose a direct threat to the American homeland. If international terrorism and criminality remain threats, then border security and tightly controlled immigration should be the top priority in national security.

Senior military leaders and their services cannot be expected to reform themselves and fundamentally change the military status quo—a World War II/Cold War structure that is expensive, single-service focused, and vulnerable to weapons of mass destruction. Peter Drucker, when asked how to change a large business enterprise, answered, “If you want something new, you must stop doing something old. People in any organization are always attached to the obsolete.”

In line with Drucker’s guidance, the incoming President must implement a new national military strategy that diverges sharply from the last 30 years. This strategy must scale back America’s forward presence, mandate adaptation to new forms of warfare, and address the requirement to retain and develop America’s best human capital in uniform.

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Douglas Macgregor: Looking at Trump’s Cabinet Picks – Not Sure about his Foreign Policy Vision

UPDATE: Macgregor describes Trump’s cabinet nominees as: ‘Elite capture. There is nothing more reliable than a man who can be bought for cold, hard cash. All of these people have been bought and paid for. There have been investments for twenty years, ranging into 100s of millions maybe billions of dollars by Israel and its agents in the United States to drive us into war against Iran. Now, they are positioned to finally get what they want’. ABN

UPDATE: Maybe I am clutching at straws, but it could also be that Trump’s many pro-Israel nominees are also the best people to say no to Netanyahu, no to war with Iran. ABN

The strategy behind the nomination of Matt Gaetz for US Attorney General

In what can only reasonably be described as a MOAB targeted directly to Main Justice, President Trump has nominated Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz to be United States Attorney General.

Making the nomination strategy that much more interesting, Matt Gaetz resigned his position within congress, “effective immediately.”

In combination with the nomination of Senator Marco Rubio to the State Dept., this sets the stage for a Senate situation where the upper chamber may attempt to derail the Gaetz nomination, yet Florida Governor Ron DeSantis could then appoint him to be the replacement U.S. Senator from Florida; thus, returning an angry MOAB back into the silo that derailed him.

To say the Lawfare leftists are having a meltdown would be an understatement.

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