Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Dr. Strangelove]

Acting head of ICE reassigned amid frustrations over deportation efforts - CBS News

Here's a story about Trump firing the guy they picked to run ICE just a month ago. Got me curious. We have not had a Senate-confirmed Director of ICE since Obama's second term. Trump went through EIGHT different people during his first term,

[Jeff Buchanan]

For your weekend reads: This is a unique way to look at the war in Ukraine which, while the fundamental character of war has not changed, it is being rapidly reshaped by technology. This normally happens during extended and even short term hot conflict but, the speed it is happening on both sides of the war in Ukraine is striking. The central premise of the article is that the war will reach stasis during 2025 with neither side gaining the ultimate prize as that has been defined by both Zelenski and Putin.

AI, robots and drones are reshaping battlefield tactics and the author in this article argues that Ukraine continues to be able to fight because it is moving faster to integrate this technology than Russia. Still the Russians are improving and the they have the advantage in available manpower. Ukraine can continue to fight because it is killing Russian soldiers at a higher rate than it suffering it's own manpower losses. As long as that ratio continues or increases, Russia's offense is more than likely to culminate. Going forward in 2025, and becasue of the staggering losses it is suffering on the battlefield, Russia will be unable to advance on Ukrainian territory in a manner that forces the capitulation of the Zelenski government. This will ensue over time as Russian manpower reserves dwindle and industrial capacity to replace battlefield equipment is reduced by Ukrainian drone and cruise missile strikes deep inside Russia. It is believed that Ukraine has reached parity with Russia in it's ability to strike and destroy the other sides key infrastructure. At the same time, Ukraine will be unable to eject the RA from the Ukrainian territory it currently occupies. Military stasis will occur.

Trump appears to be complicating the war's dynamics and the author hopes that western resolve will continue to be on Ukraine's side. His foray into demands for US access to Ukraine's vast critical mineral deposits seems to me to be a side show and I hope it is just that rather than a loss of focus on not letting Putin win. I've posted here that it seems as if Trump wants to shift responsibility for supporting Ukraine from the US to the Europeans, which I support. He also apparently wants the European militaries, not the US's to provide its own defense against Russia's expansionism. OTH, and In light of the arguments put forth in this article, it seems that a precisely structured level of support from the US to Ukraine to do that is necessary to bring this war to a conclusion favorable to Ukraine and democratic values. I'm less sure that Trump is onboard with this but, its hard for me to imagine he'll bail on NATO and throw Ukraine under the bus.

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/russia/why-no-one-winning-ukraine-ryan

[Da Geezer]

Not if the US doesn't pay anything for them, which is what Trump has implied. US gave Ukraine $ 300 billion and now Trump is trying to secure repayment.

Wait for the Progs saying this is an immoral shakedown.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Perhaps he should be shaking down the BFCS where a lot of Ukrainian (and other) monies ended up...

[lineygoblue]

481051416_1033160431955610_8427105858369013280_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_p526x296_tt6&_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=DMLm-WISC8IQ7kNvgEsezhz&_nc_oc=Adj6lsJtYPRA7-AdMJy7sd5Qsgx9C2ypJHoxtzP3Wtle59WNLUcU4tYFHYivR9bo_zU&_nc_zt=23&amp

[THE_WIZARD_]

You are nothing but an unenlightened Transphobic piece of vermin...and I hereby sentence you to spending a day with CGVT and DSL in their torture chamber...

[lineygoblue]

Dang .. that's harsh ...

I can control CGVT with a case of Coors ... but I'm still trying to figure out DSL ...

... maybe McDonalds gift cards?

[THE_WIZARD_]

I would try a curling iron and a bottle of lube...

[Dr. Strangelove]

Agencies seek guidance on latest Musk OPM email, with some urging employees to hold off responding - ABC News

Yeah I'm sure Elon or somebody at DOGE is really going to carefully read through these 2 million emails...

[Dr. Strangelove]

In keeping with their usual levels of competence they sent the "tell us about your week or you're fired" email to all federal judges too.

[crashcourse]

Wonder if defending DOGE on the Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects can be 1 of my 5

[THE_WIZARD_]

stfu

[Jeff Buchanan]

I suspect legal challenges will emerge to Musk's demand via email that thousands of government employees explain what they did or accomplished in the last week via an email response. I don't particularly care one way or the other how this drama plays out. I do care about what the gnashing of teeth government employees under the gun and their supervisors tell us.

Id est......The federal workforce is mired in a web of processes that makes it impossible to remove individuals from their jobs in workforce reductions such as what Trump is doing via DOGE. Union rules to in-department protocols for firing anyone in the employ of the US government makes it nearly impossible to do that. These kinds of job protections are a result of decades of the infiltration of progressive culture into the federal workforce that lacks accountability to superiors for subordinate job performance. It's pretty clear that the crying about DOGE's actions under Elon Musk is because the chain of command within the various government departments is more concerned about protecting subordinates jobs and pay than it is about ensuring those employees are measurably productive. It's a mess and has been for a long time.

Remember PATCO and Ronald Regan's strike breaking of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization? He fired all of them when they struck over pay and benefits? I can't say if this situation is similar or not but one of the causes for termination of workers in the employ of the US federal government is insubordination. ATC personnel refused to return to work when Reagan ordered them to under certain provision of the Taft-Hatley Act. I'd offer that failure to comply with a directive indirectly coming from the president and presented by Elon Musk/DOGE, i.e., tell us what you've accomplished in the last week, could be grounds for termination. You can read about all the excuses that leadership in the various US government departments for answering Musk's email here:

https://apnews.com/article/musk-federal-workers-trump-demand-firings-06553df358086db05917d3c50f3699d6