Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Jeff Buchanan]

In Ukraine, Putin has faced a set-back on the public, global stage with the touted results of the Russo-Ukrainian Peace Conference just concluded in Switzerland. There were 78 countries in attendance and the UNSC resolution of establishing a pathway to peace in Ukraine was its basis. Zelenski scored a PR potential game winner against Putin. Only a few did not sign the communique that was made public on Sunday. The most important outcome was recognition that Ukraine's territorial integrity is the starting point for any peace plan. This put's Putin's demands that he articulated last week that Ukraine must cede territory, some of which is not controlled by Russia, including Crimea, to Russia on the defense. Rational thinkers - especially those within the EU and specifically within NATO, want the Russian army out of Ukraine including Crimea entirely and seem prepared for the long haul to achieve that end by making Putin's war too costly for him politically and economically.

The non-signatories (non-attendees) are the usual culprits who would like to see a change in the world order with letting Russia over-run Ukraine as a catalyst for that change. NATO has been publicly very clear that by letting Putin have his way in Ukraine, the entirety of the eastern European countries of the former USSR are threatened by an expansionist Putin controlled Russia with visions of the restoration of Russian Czarist empire. NATO will not allow that to happen. Putin's retort is his typical nuclear saber rattling which cannot be dismissed. I don't think NATO is doing that either. Plenty of shows of force going on around the world by both sides in strategic game playing. It's interesting to follow it but, at baseline, the risks are high and I think all involved know it ..... or at least I hope they do! The deployment of a Russian Naval flotilla, including a nuclear missile capable submarine to Cuba, was intended to revive memories in the US of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The US Navy responded by ordering a fast attack sub to Guantanamo Bay accompanied by recon and submarine chasing airborne platforms to NAS Key West FL.

[Jeff Buchanan]

To emphasize my point above that there is a lot of strategic show of force and strategic maneuvering going on; this hit the news wires today, that Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's head guy, told a press conference that NATO was considering bringing some nuclear weapons out of storage - no details provided and one would not expect them. I suspect that the Russians have changed the operational status of some of their nukes and this move by NATO is in response.

This does not mean we are about to embark on a nuclear war. This is typical purely political maneuvering of nuclear weapons as a show of force. It shows to me that the west is tired of Putin's nuclear black-mail bull shit and is raising the ante. Of course, this raises the risks of an error or miscalculation that results in a nuke getting popped off. The West (NATO) wants to demonstrate that there is a risk to Russia if they elect to take undesirable (not necessarily nuclear) steps. In this case NATO wants you to GTFO of Ukraine and recognize thier territorial integirty. If you continue to pursue your current goals we are fully prepared to stop you from obtaining them including the use of nuclear weapons.

I've seen diagrams of how nuclear gamesmanship is played. This stuff is interesting to me and I've not come close to reading this treatise on it. But if you skim the intro then go to part 5, chapter 22, you can gain an understanding of nuclear deterrence and what's going on between Russia and the West (NATO) right now and behind the scenes for the most part with regard to the operational status of nuclear weapons. You can download the PDF from the link and have a look.

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-6265-419-8_22

[Dr. Strangelove]

Big case decided today on taxation and pass through entities although it seems tailored to be as narrow a ruling as possible. Only Thomas and Gorsuch dissented. I'm underqualifed to say much about this one.

19 cases left and at least half of them are big ones. Rahimi, the likely end of Chevron, the social media cases, another abortion case, Purdue Pharma, a case that could overturn convictions of dozens of Jan 6th defendants, and of course presidential immunity.

[crashcourse]

so Joe is at Camp David for 10 days straight for debate prep. seems about right

Donald Sutherland original hawkeye pierce, and one of kellys heroes oddball RIP

[Dr. Strangelove]

Five decisions today and Rahimi was the big one. I can see why it took a long time to be released: almost everyone wrote their own little opinion! Alito and Kagan were the only two not to write separately. Thomas was the lone true dissenter.

Bottom line, someone with a restraining order against them CAN have their guns taken away.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Will take time to read all the views. I'm sure there are nuances stressing how this is a pretty limited decision. The govt CAN take temporarily take away your guns when a court of law considers you a credible threat to another. No broader than that.

But will say that Rahimi was a particularly bad "victim of govt oppression" for the gun lobby to rally behind. He didn't even show up to the hearing to defend himself when the judge put the order on him. He also happens to be a drug dealer that has threatened a number of other people besides his girlfriend.

22-915 United States v. Rahimi (06/21/2024) (supremecourt.gov)

[THE_WIZARD_]

I wish they would take your internet access away...

[Mike]

Sigh….

[Jeff Buchanan]

But, but .... he cancelled "art funding" in the current state budget. Look, I'm all for encouraging the arts ..... when other important things like Property Insurance reform and the needed money behind it, state off-sets to county property taxes to lower tax rates for homeowners, disaster preparedness (oh, FL has Hurricanes???), infrastructure improvements and tax breaks for new businesses. After funding those, if there's plenty of money to fund the arts do that sort of thing.

The state of FL IS projecting a $17 billion budget surplus this fiscal year. The "Veto List" is interesting. It is, for the most part, a compilation of leftist free shit and political pork. But let's not forget Desantis is anti-LGBTQ, is a bible beater and too authoritative like Trump to be the US President.

https://www.flgov.com/2023/12/05/governor-ron-desantis-announces-the-focus-on-floridas-future-budget-recommendations-for-fiscal-year-2024-2025/

[Tom W]

Meanwhile in Michigan, practically every route to get anywhere is disrupted by WTF-level construction to show how our Governor is "fixing the damn roads". Maybe this will make us forget how she imposed even more unnecessary draconian measures in 2020. Obviously, she's angling for a Federal-level position after November, so it's only temporary. Hopefully, it will be a useless cabinet position and not one that involves Executive Power.

But, at least we've got easy access to cannabis if we want it.

[AlabamAlum]

I’m back….

[THE_WIZARD_]

Go away.

[Jeff Buchanan]

An update on the the Russo-Ukraine war and the Israeli operation directed against Hamas:

After consultation with other western governments, the US allowed the UA to hit selected targets within Russia that are operating from territory in eastern Russia which had become a sanctuary for logistics, troop assembly and training and command & control points due to restrictions on the use of western arms to attack inside Russian territory. The weapons of choice are shorter range ATACAMs and HIMARs

Within a day of that authorization, the UA launched successful strikes against several key RA targets just over the boarder with Ukraine. But UA commanders chafe under targeting restrictions still in place and have publicly called for all targeting restrictions to be lifted. That's because, even with the current targeting limits, the UA has had recent success pushing back Russian advances in the Kharkiv Oblast, re-establishing defensive positions and conducting some successful counter attacks. Analysts are saying that, Ukraine can win this war but not with it's hands tied behind it's backs by western imposed limitations on what the Ukrainian forces can do and what weapons they can use. A big limitation is the targeting of Russian air defenses and airfields just inside the boarder with Ukraine that will limit the employment and effectiveness of F-16s that are arriving by the end of June with some probably already in the region. All of this crap is coming from timidity of the Biden administration (among other European governments not in the UK) of awakening the big bad bear. It's stupid and Putin is masterfully playing on the west's timidity see the following as Putin ramps up his threats to keep the west at bay .......

You may remember a board game called Stratego. Players faced off with each other in land battles to seize or control territory and make coalitions with other players to gang up on a juicy country that had something worth capturing. Putin is playing that game. His trip to NK, meetings with Kim-Jung Un and a joint communique that followed lays out a strategy where Putin gets arms to fight in Ukraine and NK gets access to Russian ICBM and Nuclear weapons technology from Russia. Putin is countering the west's initiatives to support Ukraine and prevent Putin from achieving his objectives there by creating an existential threat by Axis powers to US territory and interests in SK and throughout Asia. Keep in mind, Putin has said from the beginning of his special operation in Ukraine that the westward expansion of NATO through Ukraine and Ukraine's (among other former Soviet States) trending toward western democratic principals and governments and away from authoritarian ones was what sparked his invasion some 3y ago.

In Israel an interesting development has become public - at least more public than it was. The far right Bezalel Smotrich, Israel finance minister, has said recently that accepting any of the deals currently on the table would mean “raising a white flag, and a victory for Hamas. He says, "We have reached a crossroads in which Israel should decide between a clear victory and being defeated in this war with humiliation. That humiliating defeat would amount to allowing a terrorist state with the aim of the destruction of Israel to exist inside Israel and territory claimed by the Israeli's in the 1967 Yam Kippur War." This is the guy, who leads the far right coalition in the Israeli government, that Netanyahu had to make deals with to stay in power. It seems that Smotrich has long followed a cleverly disguised plan of his making that calls for settler occupation in the entire West Bank, the gradual turnover of administration of the WB to Israeli civilian control from what amounts to, in name only, "temporary" Military control. Soltrich's plan in the WB is a blueprint for the administration of Gaza after Hamas is sent packing. BTW, Smotrich, who could easily replace Bebe, has been a strong opponent of the two state solution for ever. Let me think. That's been on the table for decades. There's a reason it hasn't come to pass. It is unworkable given the lands Palestinian's in leadership roles have demanded for as long as I can recall, and the overall state of affairs in the ME.

TBH, I'm for it. It's been said here that there is clear moral clarity when it comes to the fundamental reasons Israel has to eliminate the military and administrative wings of Hamas in Gaza (as well as figure out how to hog-tie Hezbollah operating in the Golan in northern Israel from Syria), The pandering by the western press to the sympathies of the leftist's campaign to tag Israel as the bad guys and Hamas as victims of brutal Israeli aggression that is inflicting untold suffering on the Palestinian people is shameful but, unfortunately effective targeting a global population that just wants peace at any cost. Where have we heard that before? Evil has been present on the world stage in the past, is here now, was destroyed in the past and can be destroyed going forward. Keep in mind, the killing stops immediately if Hamas concedes to disarming and ending any role in the governance of Gaza.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Olde Towne Gadsden is beautiful this time of year

[AlabamAlum]

Olde Towne Gadsden is beautiful this time of year

A man walks into a zoo. They only had one animal.

it was a shitzu.