Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[THE_WIZARD_]

heh

The King.

[iam416]

I know this of no consequence and entirely in the head of the "right" -- but, Harvard has disinvited a radical feminist speaker because, in the past, she took positions contrary to the Prog views on gender and, therefore, consistent with science. At Georgetown, Ilya Shapiro was placed on leave because of his comments that The Chairman shouldn't pick a Supreme Court justice simply on the basis of external characteristics. And, of course, this week at Georgetown Law, you can go hear a Pro-Palenstinian author and speaker whose comments on Jews are, well, I mean...consistent with Prog policy. Heh.

Just more made up shit that doesn't at all reflect the culture of the elites.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Wiz Axiom #1 (Wiziom)

Progs gunna prog

[Jeff Buchanan]

The news on Ukraine this morning is the "secret" visit of Austin and Blinken to Kiev. BFD. I'd like to see overwhelming NATO air strikes visit the Russians in the Donbas. Yes, I know .......

Three things of note:

(1) Russian forces are accomplishing very little on the ground. For over a week now. following Russian force's failure to capture KIev and their retreat, we've seen reports that characterize Russian offensive operations as "probing." Along with that we hear analysis that the Russians are regrouping for a big offensive operation. The CTR I follow are convinced that Russian BTGs are so seriously degraded, they are in no position to conduct a cohered offensive operation. Contributing is the continued evidence of effective C3 to do that. That explains the Russian reliance on artillery, cruise missile and air bombardments in an attempt to decrease the Ukrainian will to resist.

(2) Video of explosions at fuel storage depot inside Russia were circulated on social media. What's interesting is that the depot is located over a major pipeline carrying oil to Europe.

(3) Austin stated that "our goal" is to weaken Russia so they can't conduct these kinds of actions against other countries. This seems to me to reveal the west's, at least the US's. in part, strategic goals in this conflict.

Again, I have problems with this. The west, typically NATO armed forces aren't stopping the means - terrorizing the Ukrainian people - by which Russia intends to implement their goals. Those are the complete control over the region of Ukraine from Donbas to Moldova. The Russian end game is ultimately to strangle the Ukrainian economy causing the collapse of it's government. The current tactics of Russian forces on the ground are to by-pass Ukrainian defensive positions, bombard infrastructure and indiscriminately kill civilians. Ukrainian civilians are being sacrificed in the worst genocide since WWII while our secretaries of defense and state, along with counterparts in Europe sit, on their hands. Disgraceful.

[Mike]

It certainly sucks to be Ukraine and know you rate behind Estonia.

[Jeff Buchanan]

There were more explosions in the last 36h in a strip of land in Muldova known as Transnistria. Never heard of it? You're not alone. It is a 1350 square mile Russian separatist enclave within the state of Muldova. The strip boarders Ukraine and is the industrial center of Muldova. It has the same shit going on there that goes on in the Ukrainian Donesk and Luhansk Oblasts - the DNR, LNR there have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014. The Russian Duma recently declared these areas of Ukraine as separate Russian independent entities. These two "Independent Russian entities" are currently Putin's Casus Belli to "liberate" them from the Ukrainian Nazi nationalist- the Azov Regiment. Whatever.

It's not clear who did what to whom in Transnistria. Possibilities range from Ukrainians targeting Russian supplies there to Russian provocations. We may hear more tomorrow.

Add this to the 5 railway stations that the Russians hit with cruise missiles today, most of them in NW Ukraine, suggests the war is widening. The damage done to the rail system was intended to block the flow of war supplies from unfriendly nations to eastern Ukraine accoring to the RUssian Defense Ministry.

Obviously, no word if supplies were actually hit. What is being reported is that the rail system, being electrified, has become limited. Power stations that power train engines were targeted and pictures showed damage to one of them. Right now, hard to tell what the logistics impact is to Ukrainian forces overall. Ukraine has demonstrated some resilience in repairing stuff that gets damaged, like work starting as soon as the targeted stuff cools.

[Da Geezer]

I'm starting to favor giving the Ukrainians F-16 and F-15 jets and all the help they need to contest the air. We built this stuff in order to kill Russians and Chinese when the day comes. That is why we have it. Now that we have brave Ukrainians willing, even eager, to use these weapons to kill Russians, maybe it is time to put them into service.

How long does it take a pilot to learn the US systems?

[lineygoblue]

Well, the cop in the Grand Rapids police/perp shooting has been identified. A stupid move, IMO, because his family will be harassed and threatened. His home will become a magnet for potential violence and 'peaceful' demonstrations. Let the lynch mob start forming. Al Sharpton will be heading up the task force.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Haha fuck this guy. I hope Kemp kicks his ass

[CGVT]

Well, isn't he just a FOX news talking point.

Jesus. What a fucking moron.

Of course, this is in the state of Marjorie Taylor Green and soon to be Senator Herschel, "I held a gun to my wife's head and threatened to blow her fucking brains out" Walker.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I'm starting to favor giving the Ukrainians F-16 and F-15 jets and all the help they need to contest the air. We built this stuff in order to kill Russians and Chinese when the day comes. That is why we have it. Now that we have brave Ukrainians willing, even eager, to use these weapons to kill Russians, maybe it is time to put them into service.

How long does it take a pilot to learn the US systems?

Not going to happen.

The Ukrainians can fly Slovakian Mig 29s and I do not doubt they are already in service with the Ukrainian Air Force surreptitiously provided to them. Easy to do. Logistic support to maintain these aircraft may be tenuous. I have no idea where MIG 29 parts come from. It is not improbable to think Slovakia has some capacity to do this.

F16s? Way too hard.

Alternatively, incrementally launch NATO air resources. The Russians are faltering again. Kick them while they are down. Lots of speculation on how hard the west should push Putin. Defeat him unconditionally or suffer a year long war of attrition with the Ukrainians being fodder. That is just wrong given options for NATO to create favorable conditions for Ukraine in short term negotiaitons.

[Jeff Buchanan]

The stuff that went on in Transnistria yesterday is believed to have been carried out by the Russians seeking to provoke a response. Same old shit giving Putin a reason to invade Muldova.

More nuclear saber rattling by Lavarov in a staged Russian state media interview. The Russian state media is pushing the narrative that the combat in Ukraine is a proxy war between the US and Russia with a "very real" risk of a nuclear exchange. Analysts are offering that resorting to these threats is a sign that things aren't going at all well for Putin.

Evidence is building that the same problems that prevented the Russian Army from encircling Kiev and forcing a Ukrainian surrender - Putin's early strategic objective - are present in Putin's new strategic objective in Donbas. Piecemeal, poorly coordinated ground offenses with limited to know territorial gains. Russian equipment and troop losses continue to mount in these ineffective operations. British intelligence estimates 15,000 uniformed Russian soldiers have been killed. No numbers for Russian Armor but we've all seen the videos and stills. Not pretty.

[iam416]

The latest AJC poll has Kemp smoking Perdue. I hope that's the case because I'd dearly enjoy watching Kemp beat Abrams again and, of course, watching here refuse to acknowledge that he fairly won....for a second time.

[THE_WIZARD_]

...which of course is virtuous when progs contest elections...

[Hannibal]

All of the polls that I have seen show Rep incumbents thrashing their primary challengers. The one exception is Murkowski, who will likely lose her primary.