Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[AlabamAlum]

No, I'm just trying to tell you how the real people think. Most of you here aren't what I see everyday.

I am an everyday Joe. I told one of my domestics about your comment and she assured me that I am salt-of-the-earth. My gardener, chef, and driver all agreed. I reject your notion, and to get over the insult am taking the yacht out to cool down.

[Mike]

Wondering if Foxhopper posted that comment in the wrong forum. There’s a parallel thread to this one on the Lions side that can most charitably be described as “ferociously Left”.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I am an everyday Joe. I told one of my domestics about your comment and she assured me that I am salt-of-the-earth. My gardener, chef, and driver all agreed. I reject your notion, and to get over the insult am taking the yacht out to cool down.

With gas prices being what they are for the yacht, have you had to cut back on your monthly precious gems budget?

[Jeff Buchanan]

Putin sent a dozen cruise missiles into Kyiv right after dawn. Likely retaliation for Ukraine's new longer-reach weapons. Right on the eve of G7 and NATO meetings too

Observers are calling this a Putin ordered retaliation for anti-Russian and anti-Putin public comments being made today by G7 attendees who will participate in the NATO summit this coming week in Madrid. Remarks poking fun at Putin's manliness displayed when appears shirtless probably pissed him off. Putin isn't doing himself any favors with this kind of "sticks and stones" retaliation. Not very becoming but then again, we're dealing with a nuclear armed world leader that is a fucking animal.

The cruise missiles that hit Kiev were air launched from Russian TU22 bombers operating from over 1000km from the target. The tactical approach is to fire a salvo of multiple missiles from several platforms intended to overwhelm air defense systems - and there are some around Kiev but capabilities are not known. We really don't know how many of the cruise missiles actually hit their intended targets - I count two apartment buildings and one bridge - damaged but not destroyed - v. how many were intercepted by ground to air missiles.

Details like this aren't going to be in the public domain but from looking around this morning there is a good chance that air defenses around Kiev intercepted and destroyed a lot of the Russian cruise missiles intended to hit Kiev proper. No telling how precise Russian targeting was but hitting a residential apartment - unless it was intentionally targeted because it housed military personnel or command posts - isn't that precise. Modern Russian cruise missiles were designed to be fired in multiple numbers from the TU22 at long range (1000km), penetrate the USN Aegis Class air defense systems and self acquire the target - an aircraft carrier - in it's final attack phase. It seems to me the attack on Kiev wasn't "precise" at all but it's hard to know. The Ukrainians will recover shot down missile parts and they will know.

Kiev is defended by a modernized version of the Soviet era S300 missile system. At the start of the war Ukraine had 6 Brigades with 48 launchers each (288 total). The number in around Kiev isn't known. Estimates indicate some 7% of those 288 launchers - about 20 - have been confirmed destroyed by Russian attacks through imagery that is publicly available. That's not a lot. Some have been replaced by NATO members who also have them in their air defense inventories. What is currently operational however is a substantial air defense network and that explains why the Russian airforce hasn't established any level of air superiority over the battle space. That's why they attack from long ranges avoiding exposing tactical aircraft to a robust air defense - they tried to do that early on in the conflict and lost many aircraft and helos. Recently in the Donbas and the fight for Severdonetsk, tactical jets and helos have been deployed in support of ground forces ..... and are getting shot down.

I find it difficult to accept that we're going to let Ukraine take this kind of shit coming from Russia at increasing frequency as Putin's ground forces stall. While it's true, we really don't know how far Putin intends to take his "special military operation," I think he will continue to direct combat operations as long as he's collecting a winning hand - and as of now, he is. Calling for more sanctions and condemning Russia for it's aggression isn't going to stop Putin in the short term. He'll press on. It would be easy to escalate the conflict by challenging Russia in the air with NATO air forces. Should the west do this? Is the continued unopposed Russian bombardment of Ukraine's cities a cause to escalate? If it's fair for Russian bombers to stand-off and lob missiles into Ukraine being protected by operating from inside Russia and Belarus, it seems to me putting up a "defensive" airborne capability comprised of NATO AWACS, flying in Ukrainian airspace accompanied by fighters capable of engaging cruise missiles once they enter Ukrainian airspace an appropriate defensive response for Ukraine to take. JMO, YMMV.

[lineygoblue]

Mike, Jon and Tom may hear about this. Last night, someone broke into the yard at my employer, the Shiawassee Area Transit Agency, and stole all the catalytic converters off of all our buses. The thieves broke thru a fence from a neighboring church yard, backed up a truck (tire marks present) and loaded up all the catalytic converters. So, in the last 4 months, we've had a explosion that destroyed our garage where repairs are done, lost the services of an excellent mechanic in the process, and on that occasion, put us out of business for a week. NOW, comes these NIMRODS who steal all the catalytic converters, making our buses unusable, likely for weeks. All of our buses are Ford F250 motors, and getting 30-35 replacement converters is going to be difficult. Not to mention, SATA has no place on site to do the work themselves. SO .. all that work will have to be farmed out to other repair facilities. THIS, will only happen after, of course, the insurance company gets around to FUNDING the repairs.

(BTW, the mechanic injured in the explosion is doing well, but his hands were severely burned, and he may not be able to be a mechanic anymore. But at least he's alive and back home with his family)

THIS is why we still have law enforcement, and THIS is why we still need to fund PRISONS. Jokers like this belong in PRISON. They don't belong among the honest, and hard working people in our community.

They'll likely take their 'profit' and put it all up their nose. I hope the stuff they sniff is laced with Draino.

[Da Geezer]

I assume the red flag stuff is what you think is unconstitutional about the bill.

There's possibly one or two around the country that go too far and the Court would water them down but I don't think Thomas would have many allies in declaring ALL red flag laws unconstitutional, period.

If you can have your child taken away from you temporarily, you can have your gun taken away temporarily.

I disagree.

I think Thomas would have many allies who would insist that a person not be added to a red-flag list without, first, an adversary proceeding where the person who is accused of something worthy of censure has the right to confront his accusers. You cannot take away constitutional rights without adjudication. As the recent gun case showed, your right to carry a gun is not dependent on some bureaucrat "allowing" it.

[THE_WIZARD_]

I am an everyday Joe. I told one of my domestics about your comment and she assured me that I am salt-of-the-earth. My gardener, chef, and driver all agreed. I reject your notion, and to get over the insult am taking the yacht out to cool down.

Iffen by "yacht" you meant "dinghy"...then...very believable story.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I disagree.

I think Thomas would have many allies who would insist that a person not be added to a red-flag list without, first, an adversary proceeding where the person who is accused of something worthy of censure has the right to confront his accusers. You cannot take away constitutional rights without adjudication. As the recent gun case showed, your right to carry a gun is not dependent on some bureaucrat "allowing" it.

Red flag laws have existed for 25+ years in some places. Courts have thrown out every single challenge to them that I’m aware of.

Now there may be details in some of them that the Court would throw out but to say that under no circumstances, never, no way, can a judge order guns be “temporarily” taken away from someone? Rubbish. Should a trial need to be conducted before a judge can even issue a search warrant? That’d be ridiculous. A warrant is an infringement of your 4th Amendment rights. If you’re comfortable leaving that decision up to a judge alone, why’s that not good enough for temporary removal of guns?

I know it’s a common argument on the right that these people receive NO due process but I’m extremely skeptical about that. Every one I’ve looked into required a judge’s approval. I can’t rule out there are examples of going too far but opponents of the laws exagerrate how unfair it all is.

[Da Geezer]

Wondering if Foxhopper posted that comment in the wrong forum. There’s a parallel thread to this one on the Lions side that can most charitably be described as “ferociously Left”.

HA !

So true. CGVT is one of the wise heads over there.

[iam416]

I think you’re both sort of right. I think red flag laws are probably ok if you have a set of objective, reasonable triggers AND a process structure in place that allows for expeditious challenges.

The hardest issue, IMO, is delineating the proper contours of justifiable red flags vs nonsense.

The other option is that the red flag isn’t an automatic disqualifier. That instead it proceeds like a 4th A issue. The govt is notified of a potential issue. They can go to a judge for a hearing — probably not ex parte — and they carry their burden they win.

[Jeff Buchanan]

More on the Russian missile strike on Kiev ...... back at ya - fuck Putin:

Ukrainian forces have attacked a drilling platform in the Black Sea owned by a Crimean oil and gas company, Russian Tass news agency cited local officials as saying on Sunday, the second strike in a week.

Reuters reports:

The platform is operated by Chernomorneftegaz, which Russian-backed officials seized from Ukraine’s national gas operator Naftogaz as part of Moscow’s annexation of the peninsula in 2014. “It’s shelling by the armed forces of Ukraine, there are no casualties,” Tass cited a member of Crimea’s emergency services as saying. It gave no further details.

Last Monday Crimean officials said three people were wounded with seven missing after a Ukrainian strike that forced the suspension of work on three platforms. Chernomorneftegaz is under U.S. and European Union sanctions.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Could be some bullshit here but still lol

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10954233/Beast-East-Panicking-Putin-calls-OBESE-20st-retired-general-lead-forces-Ukraine.html

[Dr. Strangelove]

Still get a kick over how much panting and heavy breathing certain people did over those Russian military recruitment videos from last year. The ones where the shirtless, oiled-up Aryan super-men do pushups and lift weights and shit. I think there was near unanimity among those folks that Russia would obliterate the United States in a fight. Because we allow WOMEN and HOMOSEXUALS to serve

And then you get a look at the reality of the Russian military and...

59537743-10954233-image-m-21_1656240257116.jpg

[Jeff Buchanan]

Could be some bullshit here but still lol

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...s-Ukraine.html

Nope ..... comports with the CTR at the ISW web sites I follow. Details of this guys age and weight weren't previously published (that's not him pictured above) but that Dvornikov (Butcher of Aleppo) was allegedly replaced by this guy is accurate. What actually happened to Dvornikov, the 3rd Russian General to be seen as overall commander in Ukraine, isn't published.

The British MOD thinks, and ISW concurs, that Putin will replace commanders at the operational level until they achieve the objectives he is demanding. The Russian president should be articulating to his force commander wide, politically based objectives, e.g., seize, defend and administratively control the Ukrainian Oblasts of Luhansk, Donetsk and Kherson. Then let battlefield commanders set military objectives to obtain those defined by political leadership.

That's not what observers think is happening. Putin, himself, is believed to be directing military operations and establishing discreet military objectives. He's taking charge because he apparently believes his generals are failing - and he would be correct. The reasons for those failures are complex. Like most compulsive, obsessed autocrats he appears to have no patience for letting military officers who probably know their shit do their jobs. Instead, he fires them over and over again creating a distrusting, incompetent military leadership, focused on protecting themselves.

I'd count the Russian armed force's failures as:

• Failing to achieve air superiority over the battle space - a weak attempt to neutralize Ukrainian air defenses in the initial phase of the attack on Kiev failed. Ongoing attempts to do that have repeatedly come up short. The threat of NATO air force involvement in the Ukrainin battle space, probably articulated by NATO, could be in play.
• Subordinate to that is the inability of Russian forces to mass air, ground and naval forces in a coordinated, focused manner. They arrived with too little, changed objectives and obtained mostly symbolic and limited territorial success at very high costs due to a lack of air superiority and the massing of combat power at any point of attack that begets.
• Resorting to overwhelming bombardment of cities (primarily artillery where Russia has a distinct advantage in numbers), destroying them in the process, has been the only Russian tactic allowing even marginal territorial gains where after weeks of shelling, a few soldiers march in and occupy a city's ruins (e.g., Mariupol and Severdonetsk).
• Incremental territorial gains by Russian BTGs, albeit limited, have not been matched by effective political and local police control of that territory. Partisan resistance is one of the primary reasons for that. Most Ukrainian citizens within territory that Russians have claimed they have occupied, even those who may have been pro-Russian before Putin's invasion, see the Russian brutality, don't want the Russians there and aren't cooperating.
• Pushback by Ukrainian military forces throughout their country and the need for Russian forces to defend against them tends to spread those same Russian forces thinly preventing them from effectively massing.
• This has been the Ukrainian strategy from the start. Defend what is defensible and make Russian advances as costly as possible in a confined battle of attrition. So far, and IMO, it's gotten the Ukrainians a draw on the battlefield if not an impending upper hand. Putin is reaching by striking targets deep inside Ukraine. That's not going to change the results on Ukrainian territory where the most important battles are being waged.

[CGVT]

Still get a kick over how much panting and heavy breathing certain people did over those Russian military recruitment videos from last year. The ones where the shirtless, oiled-up Aryan super-men do pushups and lift weights and shit. I think there was near unanimity among those folks that Russia would obliterate the United States in a fight. Because we allow WOMEN and HOMOSEXUALS to serve

And then you get a look at the reality of the Russian military and...

59537743-10954233-image-m-21_1656240257116.jpg

Look at that! Chris Christie joined the Russian Army!