Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[THE_WIZARD_]

heh

[Dr. Strangelove]

Former Masters champ Patrick Reed is suing CNN, Jake Tapper, and Bob Costas for $450 M for "defamation" in a story about LIV golf that didn't even mention him (apaprently). If you read the piece this asshole and his lawyer are already suing (all for defamation) three Golf Channel anchors, GolfWeek magazine, GolfWeek's publisher, golf jounalist Shane Ryan, Ryan's publisher, Fox Sports, and the New York Post.

Apparently this jerk has given up on using golf as a way to get rich and is hoping just one of these lawsuits hits (unlikely but ya never know)

Attorney threatens $450M lawsuit against CNN’s Jake Tapper, Bob Costas (usatoday.com)

[Mike]

He's widely regarded as one of the biggest assholes in golf. And a cheat.

[THE_WIZARD_]

STFU

[Jeff Buchanan]

Ukraine: One has to look at the history of warfare to make reasonable guesses as how the war in Ukraine will play out. An aggressor nation trying to take territory from a neighboring country since the end of WWII is a rare occurrence and, when it happens, the scale is limited e.g., the Balkan Wars. The last time a large scale invasion force was raised for the purpose of attacking another was Hitler's operation Barbarossa in 1941. Some 3.8 million troops, thousands of tanks and aircraft, and more than half a million horses advanced from Germany across the entirety of Eastern Europe, from the Gulf of Finland to the Black Sea. In the end Hitler's overreach was punished. But in 1941, the swiftness by which German forces swept through France, the Scandinavian countries, Poland and nine other Eastern European nations was striking. The dovishness of the Great Britain and the US encouraged Hitler's daring land grab. Much the same circumstances are present in Putin's war in Ukraine but, at present, on a smaller scale.

That is not to say that Putin would be satisfied with conquering Ukraine and IMO, he won't be. Predicting outcomes of strategic warfare is tricky business. But, we have some clues as to Putin's intent. Just recently his UN envoy delivered a tough speech at the UN GA stating that if we (Russia) cannot obtain the desired outcomes in Ukraine politically through negotiations, we will obtain them through military operations. Ukraine's allies in the west responded with escalation - more arms and aid to Ukraine including APCs, tanks, ground to air missile systems and attack helicopters. Zelenski has been asking for combat aircraft - Mig 29s from Poland represent immediately flyable aircraft in the inventories of NATO countries. Ukraine is rumored to be looking at several other options of older but serviceable fighters that NATO nations are replacing with F35s. Some say giving fighter aircraft and other advanced technology weapons to Ukraine risks escalation (Germany's Olaf Schulz). IMO, more doveish signaling will encourage Putin's aggression just like Hitler was encouraged to conduct Operation Barbarossa by dovish signaling from the western allies.

Parry - counter is the strategy being played by both sides over Ukraine. It is becoming increasingly obvious from intelligence tells that Putin is preparing for a long conflict. Critically, he has framed his war in Ukraine as a conflict with the west, NATO and particularly the US. He calls Ukraine a proxy agent of the US and NATO sent to invade Russia and destroy it. In such circumstances, the aggressor nation is dealing with what up to recently, was a dovish response to his land grabs in Ukraine, e.g., Crimea and his declaration that 4 Ukrainian Oblasts are now Russian Territory. One can argue we are at the precipice of WWIII at the worst and a simmering, long term hot conflict with no end in sight that is extremely costly for all entities involved at best.

Most analysts, myself included, think the west, collectively, can provide sufficient military and economic support to Ukraine to render Putin's cost benefit calculus in favor of taking an off-ramp similar to his foray in Afghanistan. The thinking goes that Putin, who is preparing Russian citizens for a long war, reworking his defense industry to produce more weapons and ammunition along with rearranging his military staff and mobilizing some 700k soldiers, to conduct a decisive offensive operation in 2023. There's some good stuff out there speculating different course of action Putin might take and available intelligence is likely to disclose it before it happens. The hope is that what Putin is seeking at home and on the battlefield is grossly unrealistic and there are plenty of reasons to beleive this is so. If he mounts an offensive in 2023, it will fail forcing him to reevaluate without any leverage in doing so. That is because the structural deficiencies inside Russia's military apparatus, demonstrated over the last year of fighting to bring Ukraine down, are not going to be fixed in a few months.

That takes us to predicting outcomes. Russia's aggression and Putin's unyielding authoritarianism will be punished as a result of his military forces being unable to obtain his stated objectives in Ukraine either by negotiations or, failing that, by military force. There is no doubt it will be costly on multiple levels but the alternative is no Ukraine as a functional democracy and a strengthened Vladimir Putin who is unlikely to stop his aggression against Ukraine. Other former states within the Soviet Union will fall without much a fight.

[iam416]

In less exhaustingly long-winded news, San Franciscio recommends reparations:

Under the plan, the city would pay a minimum of $5 million to each qualifying black resident of the city over age 18 and commit to a 250-year program of guaranteeing a $97,000 income to low-income black residents (or rather, those who are still low-income after they are given $5 million of public money). The 250-year requirement aims to disenfranchise the next two and a half centuries of San Francisco residents from voting on whether to change the program once they see how it plays out in practice.

The City Council will presumably vote on it. And I, of course, shouldn't pay attention or care because I don't live in San Francisco and it could never happen anywhere else.

It's obviously and preposterously stupid, but here's an editorial detailing just how awful the Progs really are on this: https://www.nationalreview.com/2023/...tions-program/

My favorite line -- San Francisco's population is over 34% FOREIGN-BORN. So, you know, come to America, live in our city and pay slavery reparations in a city and state that never had slavery and was, in fact, a "Free State."

Progs. This is our future.

[Mike]

I think this might be my favorite part:

The report acknowledges that “neither San Francisco, nor California, formally adopted the institution of chattel slavery,” yet claims that “California and its localities meaningfully enforced and upheld slavery by perpetuating the racial caste system of subjugating Black Americans from the freedoms assured to them by the Declaration of Independence.”

And this whole time I thought our liberties and laws were derived from the Constitution. You learn something new every day!

[iam416]

It's a metric fuckton of ahistorical stupid. A true window into what the Progs want and the methods they use.

To be fair, I doubt the SF Council will adopt the recommendations in the report. Well, I'd say it's at least less than likely.

[iam416]

This is also a perfect "Republicans pounce" piece of news. Some ludicrous Left-wing position actually articulated by a government body or government-appointed commission that Rs have the audacity to call out...."Republicans Pounce on Commission Report"

[Dr. Strangelove]

Microsoft laying off 10,000 employees, or 5% of its workforce.

Whoelsale prices dropped more than expected in December led by food & energy.

Wholesale prices fell 0.5% in December, much more than expected (cnbc.com)

[lineygoblue]

When Progs become the majority of lawmakers, you'll lose your rights.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/35470032/flyers-ivan-provorov-boycotts-pride-night-cites-religion

[THE_WIZARD_]

Progs gonna prog.

[Dr. Strangelove]

When Progs become the majority of lawmakers, you'll lose your rights.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...cites-religion

Exactly whose rights were taken away in this situation?

[THE_WIZARD_]

Don't get too excited DSL...there will be no reparations for idiocy...

[Jeff Buchanan]

This is a story of journalists who contacted 6 Russian servicemen of the 52nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment that Ukrainian intel believes launched the missile that struck an apartment building in Denipro. The missile - one of Russian's older and less accurate ones, caused several sections to collapse killing 45 civilians and injuring 79 more.

https://meduza.io/en/feature/2023/01...fucking-button

It's chilling testament to how Russian airmen see Putin's war. Its reflective of the alternate reality Putin's propagandists have carefully built over the last year. There is no arguing that Putin's casus belli in Ukraine is entirely false and a wrongful warping of history to fit his arguments supporting the aggression he has undertaken in Ukraine. That Russian citizens don't understand this is a stark reflection of what Russia has been turned into. Putin, early in his term as president. encouraged more openness, free markets and freedoms in Russia. It was a policy that brought western style comforts and wealth to average Russians, In a matter of two years, Putin has become an unchallenged, isolated authoritarian dictator bent on achieving his stated objectives in UKraine and convinced of his own view of the world and surrounded only by advisors who feed him what he wants to hear,

The problem for the west is that Putin has a large military, albeit inept and poorly equipped, at his disposal that includes more tactical nuclear weapons than other countries that seek to oppose his aggression. In the current strategic circumstance, the use of these by one country should be discouraged by the threat that their use will precipitate a like kind exchange and unthinkable destruction and mass deaths.

While the risk that Putin will use nuclear weapons in his war in Ukraine is low, if he is backed into a corner by repeated military failures - a distinct possibility - that changes things. Given that reality, the west is walking a fine line between supporting and equipping the Ukrainians to defeat Russian forces in detail on the ground and precipitating Armageddon. I'm in the push Putin to recalculate cost benefit at the conventional warfare level crowd. I'm among those that believe that Putin is not insane and understands even nations friendly with Putin and still talking to him will warn him of severe consequences if he uses tactical nukes as a force equalizer on the battlefield.