Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Jeff Buchanan]

He might be ruthless, but nobody is more ruthless than unjustly attacked people defending their homes. The Germans found this out the hard way. And if this doesn't go well and end quickly, he's going to have to turn that ruthlessness on his own citizens when they start demonstrating against it.

I want the US to stay out of this but make no mistake, I'm rooting 100% for the Ukraine or at least their citizens.

Sure, but he's done a credible job in Russia silencing critics. He backstopped Lukashenko in Belarus and you better believe we didn't hear about the terror campaign those two ass holes ran to silence citizens advocating for freedoms there. Bullets in heads trumps throngs carrying posters for freedom.

This is a new world run by autocrats that can take whatever they want and Putin has opened the door to it. People have been writing about this for a decade ..... with democratically elected governments with a shit-ton to lose doing nothing. You get what you don't pay for.

On your second point ....... that's what Woodrow Wilson said in 1914 and finally American troops save European asses at a huge cost in lives in the trench warfare that ensued. Didn't last long though and it took the bombing of Pearl Harbor to get FDR the US to declare war some 25y later. Concepts of Pax Roman then were as worn as they are now. Just isn't how human beings work.

TBF, I'm not an advocate for a conventional military confrontation with Russia and the ground or airspace above it. What I am an advocate of is a full-out electronic war directed against Russia and a credible space, land and sea based nuclear response posture once that starts. I'm talking a willingness to announce and if absolutely necessary be prepared to launch pre-emptive strikes against Russian nuclear capabilities if Putin signals nuclear intent in response to the West's Cyber-war.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Just an offhand comment but it's kind of crazy how much more accurate US intelligence about this invasion has been versus our intelligence in a place like Afghanistan. I don't know if it's because it's easier to spy on a more traditional nation-state or what.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Just an offhand comment but it's kind of crazy how much more accurate US intelligence about this invasion has been versus our intelligence in a place like Afghanistan. I don't know if it's because it's easier to spy on a more traditional nation-state or what.

There's a difference between having good intelligence and acting on it. I can pretty much guarantee that there were intelligence agencies and smart, hard working people in them that knew with some degree of accuracy what was going to happen if the US abruptly pulled out. Biden didn't listen to that side of the argument or didn't care to hear it given his campaign promises - dumb as those were. Instead he listened to the morons on the left.

[Da Geezer]

But at least we'll have an all-inclusive Supreme Court and an ongoing dialog on how we're going to assume responsibility for climate change!

The climate change part is most depressing. Europe has great oil and gas reserves that can be tapped with fracking if they have the political will to do so. They have spent 25 years selling their populations on wind and solar and on the myth of climate change as an existential threat. Now they find themselves, BY THEIR OWN CHOICE, beholden to Russia for energy. They have chosen subservience to Russia as the price of the green new deal. This is the Great Reset.

I fully expect massive bloviation from all parties, but in six months, the Europeans will be screaming for lower prices and will find a way to accommodate Putin. That could happen in the US also. We, too, import large amounts of hydrocarbons from Russia.

The one step we do have control over is whether we increase hydrocarbon production in the US. This would mean that the Progs would have to abandon their "green new deal", and I doubt that would happen. With luck, this becomes a big issue in the midterms, and some leaders arise who view climate change the way the population of the US views it (not in the top 30 issues of concern).

[Obi-Jon]

.... in response to the West's Cyber-war.

What cyber war? We, the US, have steadfastly refused to use that tool. Over the last 12-15 years we have been subjected to countless attacks by Russian mobsters and NoKo/Russian/Chinese intelligence services or their proxies. What have we done? Two instances against Iran, one against Saddam, and one against Syria in that time frame. WTF. What keeps us from using this tool? Its not a biological or nuclear weapon. Are we IT nimrods compared to the rest of the world? I don't think so. Counterpunch dammit, counterpunch.

[Hannibal]

The one step we do have control over is whether we increase hydrocarbon production in the US. This would mean that the Progs would have to abandon their "green new deal", and I doubt that would happen. With luck, this becomes a big issue in the midterms, and some leaders arise who view climate change the way the population of the US views it (not in the top 30 issues of concern).

This. They are very deeply entrenched right now in all of our society's institutions, from academia to Corporate America. "Climate Change" has reached Too Big to Fail status.

[lineygoblue]

John Kerry's biggest concern regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine?

That the war will distract from climate change.

Yes, he said it.

He must have just finished tea and cookies with Greta Thunburg.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/john-kerry-russia-ukraine-war-climate-change

[Mike]

My god, those people have gone nuts.

Meanwhile, this is pretty intense.

[Hannibal]

1. Putin is a legitimately bad guy. Nobody has reasonably disputed that.
2. I don't care.

I have to walk this back. I care -- but not enough to get the US involved. But I am definitely rooting for this to backfire spectacularly on Putin. And I care about the people of the Ukraine, who could suffer tremendously, depending on how this turns out. I care about the people of Russia too, who may also pay a price, albeit less of one and with less moral outrage.

[THE_WIZARD_]

...where is James Bond when you need him...

[Hannibal]

...where is James Bond when you need him...

James Bond is a sexist white male.

[Mike]

Jon, since you brought up SWIFT earlier, Biden was just asked why that was left out of the sanctions he mentioned in his speech and he said our European allies didn't want to go down that route.

[THE_WIZARD_]

James Bond is a sexist white male.

Well shit...send in Will Smith or Shaft...or The Brown Helmet...

[Mike]

Now he says the sanctions on the Russians banks are MORE strict than kicking them off SWIFT. The press is actually getting a little tough with him. He only took a half dozen or so questions.

Total limp dick response, of course.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Two things I take from Mike's videos. First, the rocket attack was launched from what I think is a SU30 (it would be a copy of the USAF F15 - a 30 yo aircraft). Russia has developed stealth fighters like the F35. That's not one of them. It is a low level engagement (below 500'). That takes a good deal of advanced training to execute without killing yourself. There is no way these are precision guided munitions. They're rockets from a 80s style rocket pod. The launch profile is too low for those. Second, the helo video also shows some advanced tactics using heat seeking missile countermeasures. The flares pull the missile off it's track. I think the video is through the site of the personnel firing the missile. You'll see a square quickly appear and then disappear - that's a visual cue that the missile tracker head has locked on to a heat source. Just presumptive but it disappears meaning that those helos could be equipped with heat suppression devices - that's more evidence of some advance tactics and technology.

Keep in mind, Russian pilots and aircraft got a boat load of tactical training in Syria. At this point, I'd say the Russian airforce is more than capable of executing a wide range of missions successfully.

I saw a video that accompanied claims that Ukraine had shot down 5 jets and a helo. I think they did bag a helo (you can see something in the distance getting hit midair and falling to the earth in a fireball. O the three videos shot and shown on youtube, two of them show a bunch of aircraft in parade formations not combat formations. So, pay no attention to that as it was footage not shot during the current conflict. There is one vid of two SU30s flying at low altitude with the lead flying the strike role and dash-2 flying cover - that's a combat formation well executed. The cover guy is spotting AA fire (tracers) and ground to air missile launches and if he sees these he'll call his lead to execute evasive maneuvers and launch flares.