Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => Politics => Topic started by: Balog on February 28, 2014, 03:11:06 PM
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Seemed worth its own thread, as the other was focused on the internal disputes.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10666893/Ukraine-crisis-live-UN-Security-Council-to-hold-emergency-meeting-on-Ukraine-crisis.html
Russia has admitted sending troops from the Black Sea fleet at Sevastapol into the Crimea. I hope that the south east part of Ukraine that is heavily ethnic Russian (because the Soviets murdered millions of Ukrainians and exported their own people in I note) will separate from western Ukraine. It's decaying rust belt that's a drag on the country financially and politically anyway.
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I'm amazed that Obama's strongly worded letter telling Putin not to invade got ignored...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=Z7Z4rGQi2cQ
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My co-worker sitting next to me here at work, who is Ukrainian-Ukrainian, not Russian-Ukranian says:
"Both sides are *expletive deleted*ed for various reasons."
And he doesn't think splitting the country into it's majority Ukrainian half and ethnic Russian half will help. Although he does not think not splitting it will help either.
To him the Western Ukrainian part is a low-skilled economic basket case that just wants to suck off the EU like Greece did until that economic turd hits the fan just like Greece, and the Eastern Russian part is a post-Soviet rustbelt as Balog mentions, and the Russians just want it for port access, pipeline access to Europe, and military base positioning, with a healthy dose of ego to regain Soviet glory days.
He doesn't sound real upbeat about it either way.
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Hinds in flight north of Sevastapol. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f30_1393584675
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I'm sure the security council will come out of it's meeting with a strongly worded letter pleading with Russia to please play nice.
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Wonder if this will start the worldwide economic dominos falling =|
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It's a Russian Anschluss, with President Mom Jeans playing the role of Neville Chamberlain. Commies just need some Lebensraum...
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They have secured Sevastapol airport.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haaretz.com%2Fpolopoly_fs%2F1.577091.1393606448%21%2Fimage%2F964864570.jpg_gen%2Fderivatives%2Flandscape_640%2F964864570.jpg&hash=6b99c67ddd499451db4a7d2d7808542e70734e5d)
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bhjr3eDCQAAgD09.jpg:large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BhjecqrCYAA4iYo.jpg)
Russian flag up at a ukie border post.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bhkr1RzIMAEDC9E.jpg)
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Different angle on the choppers. May be MI28 Havocs not MI24's?
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=287_1393605865
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We really need to know what Ben's HUC thinks about this. Perhaps he can email her in Hawaii. She could reply with a picture or two.
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2000 Russian infantry flown into the seized airports.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26380336
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Compilation video of Russian invasion of Ukraine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=In60bHy339w
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The leader of the Crimean Tatars is meeting with Turkey's FM today in Kyiv.
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Russian troops are trying to disarm the 36th Brigade of the Ukie Army. No word on how that's going. Ukie generals are sniffing the wind to try to avoid getting whacked no matter who wins.
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Comms are down to the Crimea. http://www.kspr.com/news/nationworld/URGENT-Ukraine-Crimea-Telecom/21051646_24738016
(CNN) -- Ukraine's largest telecom company is unable to provide data and voice connectivity between Crimea and the rest of Ukraine because unknown people seized telecommunications nodes and destroyed cables, it said Friday. There is almost no phone connectivity or Internet service across Crimea, said Ukrtelecom, which is the only landline provider in Ukraine.
Russian troops blocking access to Ukie Navy HQ. Reporters on the ground are saying that streetlights are being taken out and tanks are rolling into the suburbs. Per a crude google translate page ukie AF has SU 27's patrolling the border with orders to go to guns on Russian aircraft crossing the border.
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No need to mention it to this crowd but...Attentive students are taking notes.
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Now do you understand why I never stopped calling them Soviets?
Also, from the jerky, blurry, tiny video, I think I see Havocs. If that poor bastard isn't dead before morning, I want to send him a better camera.
Also, seriously with the "blank" uniforms? They could have just painted themselves red. We all know.
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It sucks, but I don't think we have a dog in this fight.
Obama should have kept his mouth shut in public and worked the back channels.
Instead he takes any opportunity he finds to weaken our geopolitical position and influence.
Instead of "walk softly and carry a big stick" our new motto is "bluster about then skulk away".
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It sucks, but I don't think we have a dog in this fight.
Obama should have kept his mouth shut in public and worked the back channels.
Instead he takes any opportunity he finds to weaken our geopolitical position and influence.
Instead of "walk softly and carry a big stick" our new motto is "bluster about then skulk away".
Keeping his piehole shut would have taken a degree of international political savvy he sorely lacks.
And NO, we have NO dog in this fight. Not even one flea.
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It sucks, but I don't think we have a dog in this fight.
Obama should have kept his mouth shut in public and worked the back channels.
Instead he takes any opportunity he finds to weaken our geopolitical position and influence.
Instead of "walk softly and carry a big stick" our new motto is "bluster about then skulk away".
I largely agree. But it will be interesting what the response of other countries will be.
Obviously, I doubt anyone is realistically going to advocate a shooting war with Russia. Especially if the most they do is secure a few airports and other interests in areas that are ethnically Russian anywhere. If they get shooty or otherwise start rolling over the place, things become more interesting.
The extent of our obligation/business is also questionable under the agreement where Ukraine sent their nukes back to Russia.
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LISTEN!
WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!
Don't you know that if we don't get involved in the affairs of others, 9/11 v. 2.0 will happen?
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To quote a friend
Obama told the Ukraine "if you like your sovereignty you can keep your sovereignty"
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I know it is childish, but I'm kind of looking forward to the ARMA3 mod.
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Keeping his piehole shut would have taken a degree of international political savvy he sorely lacks.
And NO, we have NO dog in this fight. Not even one flea.
He just is not that bright. You dont get affirative action bonus points beyond our shoreline.
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To quote a friend
Obama told the Ukraine "if you like your sovereignty you can keep your sovereignty"
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=D
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So anyone think there may be an effect on Russian ammo imports?
I doubt Russia will be affected, but I was wondering if the administration might try to use it as an excuse to mess with imports.
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So anyone think there may be an effect on Russian ammo imports?
I doubt Russia will be affected, but I was wondering if the administration might try to use it as an excuse to mess with imports.
I dunno .... but it does make me glad I ordered a pack of 1000 rnds of 7.62 ● 39 Wolf. =)
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Anyone here remember the catcalls, hooting and laughter back in 2008 when Sarah Palin said this:
"After the Russian Army invaded the nation of Georgia, Senator Obama’s reaction was one of indecision and moral equivalence, the kind of response that would only encourage Russia’s Putin to invade Ukraine next."
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Anyone here remember the catcalls, hooting and laughter back in 2008 when Sarah Palin said this:
"After the Russian Army invaded the nation of Georgia, Senator Obama’s reaction was one of indecision and moral equivalence, the kind of response that would only encourage Russia’s Putin to invade Ukraine next."
Come on now she's just a Republican bimbo from the Midwest who dont know nothin'... ;/
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from the midwest? C'mon... she can see Russia from her house! [popcorn]
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from the midwest? C'mon... she can see Russia from her house! [popcorn]
Anchorage is about the same longitude as Honolulu ;) :lol:
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"The United States will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine. I mean, you have fuel, danger pay, ammunition, medical care, food ... All kinds of costs. Just as a friendly FYI."
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Self propelled artillery. For, uh, peace keeping. Riiiiiight.
http://www.armscontrol.ru/atmtc/arms_systems/land/artillery/self_propelled/2S1_Gvozdika_SP_Howitzer.htm
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Russians taking over Ukie parliament. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=wWGluhvL7JI&app=desktop
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Shots fired in Crimea. http://video.lefigaro.fr/figaro/video/crimee-des-coups-de-feu-en-direct/3275897723001/
Actually, based on the grenade launchers (of a non exported Russian mil type) and this video showing fired blanks I'm thinking that was Russian false flag. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nwHIi2uadf8
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I can't help but be reminded of the last time a European country with designs on empire started invading its neighbors in order to "safegaurd their ethnic brethren. "
Interesting times we live in.
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So, who is taking odds on how soon France surrenders?
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I can't help but be reminded of the last time a European country with designs on empire started invading its neighbors in order to "safegaurd their ethnic brethren. "
Interesting times we live in.
2008?
I mean, I get the nazi references, but this ain't a new thing for the russkies. Invading former soviet republics is sort of vlad's thing.
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from the midwest? C'mon... she can see Russia from her house! [popcorn]
That's how she knew Putin was going to invade. She could see the tanks being trucked in.
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I see that Obama gave Putin an ultimatum.
"If you don't stay out of Ukraine, I won't come visit you this Summer".
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I can't help but be reminded of the last time a European country with designs on empire started invading its neighbors in order to "safegaurd their ethnic brethren. "
Interesting times we live in.
Russia has wanted to reaquire Ukraine since the fall of the USSR. If it goes hot, I'm curious if the EU will intervene. They're broke and slashed defense spending. If Russia offered enough of a bribe... Say cheap gas...
While it sucks, we should stay out of it. We pissed away a trillion on Iraq. Think anyone would cut us a check for saving Ukraine?
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Russia has wanted to reaquire Ukraine since the fall of the USSR. If it goes hot, I'm curious if the EU will intervene. They're broke and slashed defense spending. If Russia offered enough of a bribe... Say cheap gas...
While it sucks, we should stay out of it. We pissed away a trillion on Iraq. Think anyone would cut us a check for saving Ukraine?
Sure. Payable in all the warm fuzzies we can handle.
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Anyone here remember the catcalls, hooting and laughter back in 2008 when Sarah Palin said this:
"After the Russian Army invaded the nation of Georgia, Senator Obama’s reaction was one of indecision and moral equivalence, the kind of response that would only encourage Russia’s Putin to invade Ukraine next."
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/28/palin-on-ukraine-i-told-you-so/
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Russian parliament has authorized military force in Ukraine. Not sure exact terms.
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2008?
I mean, I get the nazi references, but this ain't a new thing for the russkies. Invading former soviet republics is sort of vlad's thing.
Yes. And Hitler invaded several countries before the rest of Europe did anything other than appease him. I'm well aware Putin invaded Georgia in 2008. I am, in fact referring to it in my "invaded neighboring countries" statement.
I'm not saying we ought to start a war over this but I am saying that these may be warning signs and chances to stop something early.
Of course we have a feckless and weak leadership in this country, so even if we should step in... we won't.
Speak loudly and carry a strongly worded letter is our current foreign policy.
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Of course we have a feckless and weak leadership in this country, so even if we should step in... we won't.
Speak loudly and carry a strongly worded letter is our current foreign policy.
Cheaper than the alternative.
If Czar Putin starts invades Poland or the rest of Europe, it might be in our interest to get involved. Because then things have gotten to the point where it is in our interests to get involved. Otherwise we're pissing more billions or trillions down the drain. We should not be spending money we don't have on saving other people's bacon when it doesn't involve our best interests.
We're not popular around the world anyways. So what do we care if the wogs don't respect or like us? We mind our business unless we have to smash some skulls.
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Taking over air force bases
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Cheaper than the alternative.
If Czar Putin starts invades Poland or the rest of Europe, it might be in our interest to get involved. Because then things have gotten to the point where it is in our interests to get involved. Otherwise we're pissing more billions or trillions down the drain. We should not be spending money we don't have on saving other people's bacon when it doesn't involve our best interests.
We're not popular around the world anyways. So what do we care if the wogs don't respect or like us? We mind our business unless we have to smash some skulls.
I agree. I would prefer a President who kept his words and bluster to a minimum in this case, so that we don't appear ever weaker, but this to me is a case of speak softly and carry a big stick and be prepared to use it if necessary. "We're mad at you and I won't let you be my BFF" isn't cutting it on the "taking us seriously" front. Further, it's kind of hard for us to justify the whole, "Putin is violating sovereignty" thing when we have drones in Pakistan.
I will say that I think, given escalation, we would likely have more business, and more affected interests, intervening militarily here than we did when putting boots on the ground in Iraq.
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Putin's days of not taking Obama seriously are certainly coming to a middle.
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I wonder if right now the Ukraine government is regretting that whole 'ship the nukes back to Russia' thing.
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Reagan is generally credited with breaking up the soviet union.
Obama will be credited with putting it back together :P
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Reagan is generally credited with breaking up the soviet union.
Obama will be credited with putting it back together :P
Ow.
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This ought to put an end to our wasting perfectly good welfare money hitching rides up to the ISS. At least for a little while.
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Yeah, to the above- and anyone know how many troops we have in Afghanistan?
I was under the impression most of the supplies are coming in from the north from Uzbekistan with Russian compliance rather than through Pakistan? If the Russians decide to cut off that link would it get dicey?
Just remembering the story of the British retreat in 1842..........
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Another blast from the past - "The 1980s are calling..."
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/03/01/remember-obama-mocking-romney-over-russia-concerns-the-1980s-are-now-calling-to-ask-for-their-foreign-policy-back/
And yeah, the ISS situation is gonna be interesting if this goes farther South.
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Reagan is generally credited with breaking up the soviet union.
Obama will be credited with putting it back together :P
:facepalm: True, that. But, still, :facepalm:
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Carter did it and now Obama is doing it. Removing all uncertainty from US foreign policy. Putin, a Russian chess player, knows Obama will huff and puff and actually do nothing.
It will be interesting to see if Putin stops in the Ukraine or keeps moving into the Balkans.
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It will be interesting to see if Putin stops in the Ukraine or keeps moving into the Balkans
If he decides he wants it who is there to stop him?
I suspect he can see that the western powers don't have the will or the balls to do anything more than issue a sternly weasel worded condemnation.
Maybe the UN will put a stop to it. :rofl:
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Apropos of nothing, I was looking up the definition of 'feckless' in the dictionary the other day and ran across Obama's picture. When did they start putting presidential portraits in dictionaries?
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Interesting opinion piece by KT McFarland, who served in security positions under several administrations, on how Obama could sway Putin without using military options. Likely few of the bullet points would fly under the current administration, but they are an interesting approach, especially given the very limited military options (from my armchair quarterback POV) we have that wouldn't walk us into WW3.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/03/03/how-obama-could-stop-putin-ukraine-power-grab-without-firing-shot/
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Interesting opinion piece by KT McFarland, who served in security positions under several administrations, on how Obama could sway Putin without using military options. Likely few of the bullet points would fly under the current administration, but they are an interesting approach, especially given the very limited military options (from my armchair quarterback POV) we have that wouldn't walk us into WW3.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/03/03/how-obama-could-stop-putin-ukraine-power-grab-without-firing-shot/
One can dream .... ;/
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One can dream .... ;/
One has a better chance of doing legal hits of acid.
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Regarding a new Soviet Union...
Eh, respectfully, not gonna happen. The first time, Germany had done a wonderful job of destroying everything and murdering lots of the locals. The Russians were seen (at least in part) as liberators. They had time to get everything in place to lock everything down and enslave said countries. That's not the case now.
Communism is more or less dead. But Russia can still play the race card, Slavic solidarity and all that. And they do. Serbia, Georgia and now Ukraine. And race trumps political ideology regularly. That's enough to give them a toe in a lot of doors, but it's not the same thing as "war torn wastelands preseeded with lots of your own agents".
Russia wants their own version of the EU, under Russian control. Not quite the same as a new Soviet Union. Too expensive and inefficient. Better to just own all the politicians and stay in power via mafia tactics. Putin wouldn't still be in power if he sent tanks down to the Duma to enforce his will. By killing a couple folks, blackmailing others, paying off others, etc he's built a very decent power base. Think he's going to radically change a very successful strategy for one that's proven to fail?
We could easily check Russia by economic means. That would be the smarter course of action.
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http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/03/03/russia-tightens-grip-on-crimea-as-west-scrambles-to-respond/ (http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/03/03/russia-tightens-grip-on-crimea-as-west-scrambles-to-respond/)
I don't believe the stern talking to has worked.
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Russia has issued an ultimatum for tonight (10pm EST). Looks like this is going hot. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26424738#TWEET1060896
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Regarding a new Soviet Union...
Eh, respectfully, not gonna happen. The first time, Germany had done a wonderful job of destroying everything and murdering lots of the locals. The Russians were seen (at least in part) as liberators. They had time to get everything in place to lock everything down and enslave said countries. That's not the case now.
Communism is more or less dead. But Russia can still play the race card, Slavic solidarity and all that. And they do. Serbia, Georgia and now Ukraine. And race trumps political ideology regularly. That's enough to give them a toe in a lot of doors, but it's not the same thing as "war torn wastelands preseeded with lots of your own agents".
Russia wants their own version of the EU, under Russian control. Not quite the same as a new Soviet Union. Too expensive and inefficient. Better to just own all the politicians and stay in power via mafia tactics. Putin wouldn't still be in power if he sent tanks down to the Duma to enforce his will. By killing a couple folks, blackmailing others, paying off others, etc he's built a very decent power base. Think he's going to radically change a very successful strategy for one that's proven to fail?
We could easily check Russia by economic means. That would be the smarter course of action.
http://reason.com/archives/2014/03/01/vladimir-putin-the-biggest-loser-in-soch
And from the real media, we get this bit of dilettante idiocy:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/04/opinion/smashing-lenin-wont-save-ukraine.html?hp&rref=opinion
:facepalm:
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Wow, I don't think I've ever seen anything that face palmingly stupid from Reason before.
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Wow, I don't think I've ever seen anything that face palmingly stupid from Reason before.
Try this one:
http://reason.com/archives/2014/02/28/rand-paul-on-christian-libertarians
I don't know enough about the Ukranian sitchy-ation to judge that article either way. What's your reading?
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Quote from: Balog on Today at 06:47:41 PM
Wow, I don't think I've ever seen anything that face palmingly stupid from Reason before.
Try this one:
http://reason.com/archives/2014/02/28/rand-paul-on-christian-libertarians
There was nothing stupid about that article.
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I don't know enough about the Ukranian sitchy-ation to judge that article either way. What's your reading?
Ukraine is a false conglomeration of people and geographical entities cobbled together by Stalin. Western parts are strongly anti-Russian, and some areas (Lviv iirc) are former Polish and just generally hate and fear Russia from the Holodomor etc. The Eastern Oblasts (ukie equivalent of states in America) are strongly Russian in ethnicity and social outlook, as Stalin imported Soviet settlers after he slaughtered or force migrated millions of the natives (including Tatars and Cossacks). So it's an unstable region that has no real business as a country, which isn't that uncommon in the way Europe was divided wholesale.
Ukraine is also beyond vital to Russian interests. Putin would surrender Moscow about the same time he'd let Ukraine (for whatever value of the word you assign) escape his sphere of influence. It's an excellent buffer against the invasion the Russkies believe is always imminent (after Napoleon/Hitler/Sino-Russian wars I don't blame them), it controls the petroleum pipelines to Europe that are all that support them economically, it is the only warm water port for the Black Sea fleet etc. Push came to shove I honestly think they would launch nukes rather than allow the ukies to join NATO.
The writer at Reason posited that this was a loss for Putin, because his puppet fed.gov was deposed. While that's not ideal, Vlad the impaler has conducted a pretty thorough lesson in how to do realpolitik, and made both the US and Eu look like bumbling and impotent losers. He first established a power disparity over the US by pantsing Obama over the Syria mess. He waited until a deal with the EU was all but official then stopped it to demonstrate his power in the region. When the western oblasts got pissy about that, he strolled into the ethnically Russian eastern parts to a hero's welcome. not only does he have the territory he needs now, he did it in such a way as to use Obama's sternly worded letter telling him to not as toilet paper. It's been a clear lesson that the former KGB officer is playing chess and Obama and the EU are eating paste and struggling to remember if they're the X's or the O's in their checkers match. I mean, he even published an Op-Ed in the water carrying, totally in the tank for O NY m-fing Times scolding Obama as an un-Christian war monger! The only way he could've established dominance more is if he'd waited for Obama to bow when they met and then pissed on him.
At this point, anything other than a full scale invasion of a NATO country will be met with nothing more than a series of increasingly sternly worded letters from the US and some posturing from the EU. We're drawing down a military that's already focused far too exclusively on COIN and asymmetric warfare because no one seems to think that having to fight an honest to goodness other country is possible. The EU has no real military capability, and if they start anything Russia will turn off the gas next winter and every cold weather EU country will have rioting in the streets that make the Maidan look like a love in after Grandma freezes to death.
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Ukraine is a false conglomeration of people and geographical entities cobbled together by Stalin. Western parts are strongly anti-Russian, and some areas (Lviv iirc) are former Polish and just generally hate and fear Russia from the Holodomor etc. The Eastern Oblasts (ukie equivalent of states in America) are strongly Russian in ethnicity and social outlook, as Stalin imported Soviet settlers after he slaughtered or force migrated millions of the natives (including Tatars and Cossacks). So it's an unstable region that has no real business as a country, which isn't that uncommon in the way Europe was divided wholesale.
Ukraine is also beyond vital to Russian interests. Putin would surrender Moscow about the same time he'd let Ukraine (for whatever value of the word you assign) escape his sphere of influence. It's an excellent buffer against the invasion the Russkies believe is always imminent (after Napoleon/Hitler/Sino-Russian wars I don't blame them), it controls the petroleum pipelines to Europe that are all that support them economically, it is the only warm water port for the Black Sea fleet etc. Push came to shove I honestly think they would launch nukes rather than allow the ukies to join NATO.
The writer at Reason posited that this was a loss for Putin, because his puppet fed.gov was deposed. While that's not ideal, Vlad the impaler has conducted a pretty thorough lesson in how to do realpolitik, and made both the US and Eu look like bumbling and impotent losers. He first established a power disparity over the US by pantsing Obama over the Syria mess. He waited until a deal with the EU was all but official then stopped it to demonstrate his power in the region. When the western oblasts got pissy about that, he strolled into the ethnically Russian eastern parts to a hero's welcome. not only does he have the territory he needs now, he did it in such a way as to use Obama's sternly worded letter telling him to not as toilet paper. It's been a clear lesson that the former KGB officer is playing chess and Obama and the EU are eating paste and struggling to remember if they're the X's or the O's in their checkers match. I mean, he even published an Op-Ed in the water carrying, totally in the tank for O NY m-fing Times scolding Obama as an un-Christian war monger! The only way he could've established dominance more is if he'd waited for Obama to bow when they met and then pissed on him.
At this point, anything other than a full scale invasion of a NATO country will be met with nothing more than a series of increasingly sternly worded letters from the US and some posturing from the EU. We're drawing down a military that's already focused far too exclusively on COIN and asymmetric warfare because no one seems to think that having to fight an honest to goodness other country is possible. The EU has no real military capability, and if they start anything Russia will turn off the gas next winter and every cold weather EU country will have rioting in the streets that make the Maidan look like a love in after Grandma freezes to death.
Well said.
The little bit of meddling we have done, is just that. Meddling and of no possible benefit to us.
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There was nothing stupid about that article.
There were some good points made in the article, but the big ole fail is the idea that American Christians are somehow staunch supporters of .gov social welfare programs to feed the poor and house the indigent, and so forth. That's pretty dumb. :facepalm:
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There were some good points made in the article, but the big ole fail is the idea that American Christians are somehow staunch supporters of .gov social welfare programs to feed the poor and house the indigent, and so forth. That's pretty dumb. :facepalm:
Not if you lump all Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church together.
Statist Protestants and Catholics are probably a majority of American Christiandom.
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Not if you lump all Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church together.
Statist Protestants and Catholics are probably a majority of American Christiandom.
That doesn't explain it. The headline, and the article itself, talk of "social conservatives." The first few lines establish the idea that everyone thinks that religious faith demands social welfare spending, even though social conservatives are not known for their commitment to such. In fact we're sometimes chastised for this.
The author seems to think that the two people he's quoting speak for all Christians. He doesn't seem to understand that there exist a religious right and a religious left.
So it's dumb.
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What Balog wrote. Putin has bho and all the euros in bbls and is is enjoying the wailing of the impotent.
And what fistful wrote. Sadly and typically ignorant analysis by the irreligious. Dont these folks know any christians? We sure do know irrelivious folks.
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TOPLEL
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(https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/1979468_456167404512102_714017491_n.jpg)
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That's gotta be against some treaty or convention as cruel and unusual...
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TOPLEL
:rofl:
For those who don't know, it's a parody of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Uv_4jGgAM
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That's gotta be against some treaty or convention as cruel and unusual...
It would at least be a serious violation of the Geneva convention.
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(https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t31/1780208_10152075764404387_760646868_o.jpg)
Colonel Yuli Mamchor (guy in blue hat), commander of the Ukrainian military garrison at the Belbek airbase, led 100 unarmed Ukrainian soldiers to retake the airfield. They carried the Ukrainian and WW2 Soviet Red Army flags. This was the morning after Moscow announced a deadline to surrender.
Russian soldiers were given orders to use lethal force in order to prevent the Ukrainians from retaking the base. Several Russian soldiers fired warning shots and advised that they would use lethal force if the Ukrainians did not retreat.
The soldier in the middle (with slung rifle) restrained his colleagues (aiming rifles at the Ukrainians). Said soldiers allowed COL Mamchor to talk to their CO, and after 7 hours allowed 12 Ukrainian airmen to attend their posts. Some anonymous Russian soldier refused orders to gun down unarmed Ukrainians in their own land. He might get a medal, he might get shot or he may be overlooked.
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Great big brass ones. Like, have to carry 'em in a wheelbarrow. That big.
Also, not an inconsiderable pair on the guy in the middle, and his CO. It may not turn out well for them.
Wow.
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Great big brass ones. Like, have to carry 'em in a wheelbarrow. That big.
Also, not an inconsiderable pair on the guy in the middle, and his CO. It may not turn out well for them.
Wow.
More information. The two gentlemen making threatening gestures are allegedly militia. The soldier in the center is unmarked, but very obvious to be Russian. They were also under sniper coverage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIbGpSvtuGY
Partial transcript:
Russian soldier: Hold back.
Russian soldier: I want your officer here. We’ll be shooting your legs.
Ukrainian soldier: You will pay for this. You’ll be responsible.
Ukrainian soldier: You’re being filmed live.
Ukrainian soldier: America stands with us.
Ukrainian Colonel Yuli Mamchor: Calm down!
Ukrainian soldier: Are you going to shoot us?
Ukrainian soldier: Look, this is our flag, we’re ready to fight.
Russian soldier: Commander, calm down your crowd.
Ukrainian soldier: This is not a crowd. This is a military unit.
Russian soldier: We’re waiting for our commander.
Ukrainian Colonel Yuli Mamchor: Yes, bring him here, please.
Russian soldier: We will have negotiations. No questions.
Ukrainian Colonel Yuli Mamchor: Yes, negotiations.
Russian soldier: Stop the crowd and make them behave. Hold back.
Russian soldier: We are all military here.
Ukrainian soldier: And we are also citizens of our country.
Ukrainian Colonel Yuli Mamchor: But because of one certain politician we
are now at loggerheads. This is wrong.
Russian soldier: Are you deliberately provoking us?
Ukrainian soldier: How are we provoking you, we have no weapons?
Ukrainian soldier: We’ve come here to go back to work
Russian soldier: Let me repeat if you do not understand, it is not is
behind this. It is your leadership in Kiev who is behind this.
Ukrainian soldier: And you can’t think for yourselves? You’ve got families too.
Ukrainian Colonel Yuli Mamchor: Be quiet!
Ukrainian soldier: We haven’t gone to your Russian towns like Anapa and
Sochi with weapons, like you have here.
Ukrainian soldier: Guys, what are you doing? We are completely unarmed.
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So will Putin win the Nobel Peace Prize for his invasion of the Ukraine?
Heard that question earlier and figured it fits.
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So will Putin win the Nobel Peace Prize for his invasion of the Ukraine?
Heard that question earlier and figured it fits.
He's more deserving than some of the previous winners. (After all, he invaded and annexed it without a shot fired. (Ok, very few shots fired.) He's pioneering peaceful invasions!)
More deserving than most of the recent winners, as well.
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