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[Post Oak 20184]

50 minutes ago, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

Wagner recruitment video targeting Americans up on Twitter right now. 
 

 

 

 

After watching what happens to Wagnerites, we should crowdsource airfare for any American who wants to fight with Wagner.

I'll start with tree fiddy. 

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11668]

3 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

After watching what happens to Wagnerites, we should crowdsource airfare for any American who wants to fight with Wagner.

I'll start with tree fiddy. 

its a decent point.  if we knew they wouldn't actually improve wagner once they got over there, cleaning out 10,000 of the type of people that would actually sign up for this would make our country so much better. a kinder, gentler ethnic cleansing.  

[AUS-97HORN 11674]

54 minutes ago, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

Wagner recruitment video targeting Americans up on Twitter right now. 
 

 

 

 

 

2 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

After watching what happens to Wagnerites, we should crowdsource airfare for any American who wants to fight with Wagner.

I'll start with tree fiddy. 

seriously

 

this is our chance to send the lunatic fringe that likes to live in remote compounds in Montana claiming sovereignty of themselves to go "fight" on the side of Russia. 

[Captainant 27450]

2 minutes ago, AUS-97HORN said:

 

seriously

 

this is our chance to send the lunatic fringe that likes to live in remote compounds in Montana claiming sovereignty of themselves to go "fight" on the side of Russia. 

I recall one of our representatives also expressing a desire to be more like the Russian military, I'd be more than happy to pay his way

[Pescado_Rojo 19331]

5 minutes ago, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

its a decent point.  if we knew they wouldn't actually improve wagner once they got over there, cleaning out 10,000 of the type of people that would actually sign up for this would make our country so much better. a kinder, gentler ethnic cleansing.  

Slip GPS trackers in their kit. Share coordinates with the Ukrainian HIMARS battalion. 

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

When you watch that Wagner video, it’s impossible to conclude we aren’t living in a simulation. That level of irony can’t exist in reality.

[Macanudo 12926]

26 minutes ago, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

its a decent point.  if we knew they wouldn't actually improve wagner once they got over there, cleaning out 10,000 of the type of people that would actually sign up for this would make our country so much better. a kinder, gentler ethnic cleansing.  

Only 10,000?   

[Kel Varnsen 8430]

That's just the numbers in Williamson county...

[Brisketexan 104604]

1 hour ago, KYHorn said:

 

 

You mean.....OTHER than the unprecedented amount of footage available on every social media platform, etc?  OTHER than that footage?

I gotta tell you, that's one thing that I admire about the new "lie" economy, both Russian and the Russian-inspired one here at home -- the absolute audacity of them.  It's the perfect Orwellian play: “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”  Bravo.

[atomheartbevo 89424]

50 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

When you watch that Wagner video, it’s impossible to conclude we aren’t living in a simulation. That level of irony can’t exist in reality.

Why is there absolutely Zero footage of the War in Ukraine?

[The Dog 43803]

7 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

You mean.....OTHER than the unprecedented amount of footage available on every social media platform, etc?  OTHER than that footage?

I gotta tell you, that's one thing that I admire about the new "lie" economy, both Russian and the Russian-inspired one here at home -- the absolute audacity of them.  It's the perfect Orwellian play: “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”  Bravo.

 

[The Dog 43803]

 

[WhatTheBuck 28711]

11 hours ago, JesusSweatDuck said:

Either way, Carter was a dumbass when it came to foreign policy.

If Operation Eagle Claw had been a success, you’d probably think differently. Carter had nothing to do with Vietnam. That alone sets him apart from his predecessors in a pretty significant way. Egyptian-Iasraeli peace accords were a pretty big deal. If your going to give credit to Nixon for opening up relations with China, you’ve got to give Carter credit for sealing the deal. Carter promoted democracy and human rights, something that not too long ago was expressly omitted from our foreign policy (along with a rejection of our postwar alliances and support for authoritarian regimes). Carter didn’t start any wars, let alone launch an invasion based on lies.

Compared to some who came both before and after him, he could’ve done a lot worse.

[WhatTheBuck 28711]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

You mean.....OTHER than the unprecedented amount of footage available on every social media platform, etc?  OTHER than that footage?

I gotta tell you, that's one thing that I admire about the new "lie" economy, both Russian and the Russian-inspired one here at home -- the absolute audacity of them.  It's the perfect Orwellian play: “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”  Bravo.

“What you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening.” 
- TFG, 7/24/18

[956 Worldwide 34440]

New Czech president Pavel is a fucking boss. His first calls were to Zelenskyy and then the Taiwan president. Of course, China bitched and he responded with “we do what we fuckin’ want and also I’ll Taiwan a country, too.” 
 

[Bevo 13527]

Let's try to stick to the Ukraine war vs. political and us social commentary

[Pato del Muerto 52342]

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

You mean.....OTHER than the unprecedented amount of footage available on every social media platform, etc?  OTHER than that footage?

I gotta tell you, that's one thing that I admire about the new "lie" economy, both Russian and the Russian-inspired one here at home -- the absolute audacity of them.  It's the perfect Orwellian play: “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”  Bravo.

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11668]

Yes.  The kneejerk defenses every time your party is mentioned is exhausting.  
 

lol a pavel rubbing it in. “Taiwan is a … country”

[JesusSweatDuck 17780]

You won't need to learn Russian because you'll be dead within 72 hours.  Running into artillery fire also does not require any ability to speak Russian

[SL Xpress 7505]

35 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

If Operation Eagle Claw had been a success, you’d probably think differently. Carter had nothing to do with Vietnam. That alone sets him apart from his predecessors in a pretty significant way. Egyptian-Iasraeli peace accords were a pretty big deal. If your going to give credit to Nixon for opening up relations with China, you’ve got to give Carter credit for sealing the deal. Carter promoted democracy and human rights, something that not too long ago was expressly omitted from our foreign policy (along with a rejection of our postwar alliances and support for authoritarian regimes). Carter didn’t start any wars, let alone launch an invasion based on lies.

Compared to some who came both before and after him, he could’ve done a lot worse.

I can agree with everything you wrote there, and also say that was exactly the problem. 

The expansion of democracy is not the unbridled good thing its advocates say it is. German occupation lasted 9 years. Japan occupation lasted 7. Then democracies were established. South Korea and Chile both had long time dictators not exactly known for their friendly approach to human rights, both heavily supported by the US, that eventually led to two of the more successful democracies in their respective regions. The implementation of democracies throughout the middle east and the Islamic world has ended in one unmitigated disaster after another, including failed democracies in Afghanistan, Egypt, Tunisia, an all but failed democracy in Iraq, and completely failed states in Syria and Libya. 

The Carter administration and its emphasis on human rights is the chief architect behind the Shah having to abdicate his position, after enjoying unbridled support under Nixon and Kissinger. Its support of Khomeini to counter communism and in lieu of an impending military coup has led to arguably the biggest foreign policy blunder in the region. 

The wars started by other administrations post WWII, including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the invasion of Panama, the first Gulf War, the invasion of Afghanistan - all achieved the objectives they set out to do. I believe the world is ultimately a better place because the US intervened in those areas, although obviously there's some controversy around that opinion, especially (rightly) the Vietnam War. The Second Gulf War required a successful occupation, given its false pretenses under which it was prosecuted, which was never adequately planned for nor implemented, and so I consider that war a failure in ways I do not the others. Regardless, I do not consider the moniker "didn't start any wars" the unmitigated positive comment you view it as. I'd also point out the massive underfunding of the military, which across all branches was in a terrible state, contributed greatly to the complete disaster of Operation Eagle Claw, and was an accurate reflection of the Carter administration's approach to the military, rather than some kind of unhappy coincidence. 

[SL Xpress 7505]

Russia's 1st Tank Army has been reconstituted with mobilized units and outdated armor pulled out of storage, and redeployed in the Luhansk Oblast for a likely offensive soon.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/01/28/beaten-twice-in-ukraine-russias-elite-1st-guards-tank-army-is-poised-to-attack-yet-again/

[Pescado_Rojo 19331]

9 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

Russia's 1st Tank Army has been reconstituted with mobilized units and outdated armor pulled out of storage, and redeployed in the Luhansk Oblast for a likely offensive soon.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/01/28/beaten-twice-in-ukraine-russias-elite-1st-guards-tank-army-is-poised-to-attack-yet-again/

It's like when bands tour with only one of the original members, and can only play their new stuff because the old singer had the rights to their hits. 

[MillerEP 30339]

 

[MillerEP 30339]

 

[MillerEP 30339]

^Great news. It is s mall blip but it does indicate Ukraine is serious about shedding the Soviet legacy and getting on the path to EU norms.

[MillerEP 30339]

^Don't think that includes Wagner numbers

 

[MillerEP 30339]

 

[MillerEP 30339]

 

[MillerEP 30339]

 

[SL Xpress 7505]

41 minutes ago, MillerEP said:

 

 

I cannot get that Financial Times visual story to load.

I saw where Ukraine is still pushing France for Leclerc tanks even with the Leopard, Challenger, and Abrams pledges. I can't say I understand it, but I did think it was interesting.

Also, France has already stated they see no red line regarding their fighter jets. As opposed to Britain which is citing technical difficulties in training Ukrainians on either the Tornado or F35. I feel like the F35 will never happen anyway. 

Love more Caesar's, for sure. 

[MillerEP 30339]

 

[MillerEP 30339]

 

[956 Worldwide 34440]

So, going back to the “what Russia lost” question. Excuse a bit of a personal and rambling analysis from someone who has been bouncing around the former Union and its periphery for about 20 years now with a few diversions. 
 

I went to a Russian dissident rock concert in Prague last night, Nogu Svelo led by Maxim Pokrovsky. He left Russia well before this, in 2016. Anyway, the concert was lit. Lots of Ukrainian, free Belarus, free Russia flags. Hearing the chatter in the audience, lots of Ukrainian inflected Russian combined with Belarusian combined with pure Moscow accents and some Kazakh faces.  Towers the end, he closed with a banger, “Россия назад” (Russia Go Back (Home) and lots of Slava Ukraina. And let me tell you, before he left he was a legitimate star in Russia. 
 

I say this because the concert offered a window into a kind of Russkiy Mir based on consent and attraction that could have been. I’m not saying that Ukraine and Russia are the same brother nation. I’m saying that there’s a lot of shared experiences, that for decades Ukrainians saw no conflict between rocking out to Russian music and laughing at Russian comedians and that Russia had the opportunity to build a sphere of influence based on affection and shared experiences. 
 

And more than that, I am here to tell you that lord of Russia in the 1990s and early 00s was COOL. It was different than American cool, but it was cool. The type of cultural ferment and turmoil and don’t give a shit attitude and fuck the system mentality that you associate with the 1960s except with that dangerous post-Soviet edge (even cooler). Hell, even the gopniki with track pants and bottles and paperboy hats were cool in their own way. The last badass, don’t give a fuck white people on the planet. 
 

That’s all shit now. There is nothing less cool than a regime approved or even tolerated rapper.  Generations of post-Soviet people who would have happily learned Russian to watch the latest stand-up comic (also a great scene, until they all fled) will teach their children that Russian is the language of the aggressor, the enemy, the opposite of cool. And you can’t have comedy in a police state. All the actually cool artists left, and you can’t remain cool and relevant as an exile. 
 

All those people at the concert— no matter their passport— represent the last glimpse at a world where Russia’s neighbors liked her.  A crowd of people, from Russia and beyond, screaming at Russia to fuck off in her own language. 
 

That’s what Russia has lost. 

Edited January 31, 2023 by 956 Worldwide

[Jameslaw121 4445]

Has there been any update on the nuclear power plant the russian's were occupying? can't remember the name of it

[SL Xpress 7505]

10 minutes ago, Jameslaw121 said:

Has there been any update on the nuclear power plant the russian's were occupying? can't remember the name of it

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant is the big one. 

Still shelling in the area. IAEA is there. If you want to worry about something, it's a relevant thing to worry about. To me until Ukraine is able to mount a significant enough counter offensive that Russian forces in the area have to withdraw completely, it's going to be something to worry about. And that won't happen until the new armor commitments arrive on scene and the UAF is competent at using them in combined arms attacks. 

With Russia reorganized it's going to be harder to achieve the kind of victory they did in the Kharkiv Oblast, although Kherson was a fairly pitched battle the whole way, but still considered a success. 

Anyway, nothing truly new about it. I haven't heard about the power getting cut lately. I always consider no news about the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant to be good news, because you know there is still a significant Russian force there using the plant as cover so they can't be attacked. The workers there are still working under inhumane conditions. The IAEA has to be careful about how critical they are regarding conditions or they'll be kicked out altogether. It's not good, Bob. 

[KYHorn 16863]

43 minutes ago, MillerEP said:

 

Whole video is interesting. Looks like a raid of their lines, but would love any analysis from folks who know this stuff. CCs work pretty well in the video

 

 

[SL Xpress 7505]

39 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

So, going back to the “what Russia lost” question. Excuse a bit of a personal and rambling analysis from someone who has been bouncing around the former Union and its periphery for about 20 years now with a few diversions. 
 

I went to a Russian dissident rock concert in Prague last night, Nogu Svelo led by Maxim Pokrovsky. He left Russia well before this, in 2016. Anyway, the concert was lit. Lots of Ukrainian, free Belarus, free Russia flags. Hearing the chatter in the audience, lots of Ukrainian inflected Russian combined with Belarusian combined with pure Moscow accents and some Kazakh faces.  Towers the end, he closed with a banger, “Россия назад” (Russia Go Back (Home) and lots of Slava Ukraina. And let me tell you, before he left he was a legitimate star in Russia. 
 

I say this because the concert offered a window into a kind of Russkiy Mir based on consent and attraction that could have been. I’m not saying that Ukraine and Russia are the same brother nation. I’m saying that there’s a lot of shared experiences, that for decades Ukrainians saw no conflict between rocking out to Russian music and laughing at Russian comedians and that Russia had the opportunity to build a sphere of influence based on affection and shared experiences. 
 

And more than that, I am here to tell you that lord of Russia in the 1990s and early 00s was COOL. It was different than American cool, but it was cool. The type of cultural ferment and turmoil and don’t give a shit attitude and fuck the system mentality that you associate with the 1960s except with that dangerous post-Soviet edge (even cooler). Hell, even the gopniki with track pants and bottles and paperboy hats were cool in their own way. The last badass, don’t give a fuck white people on the planet. 
 

That’s all shit now. There is nothing less cool than a regime approved or even tolerated rapper.  Generations of post-Soviet people who would have happily learned Russian to watch the latest stand-up comic (also a great scene, until they all fled) will teach their children that Russian is the language of the aggressor, the enemy, the opposite of cool. And you can’t have comedy in a police state. All the actually cool artists left, and you can’t remain cool and relevant as an exile. 
 

All those people at the concert— no matter their passport— represent the last glimpse at a world where Russia’s neighbors liked her.  A crowd of people, from Russia and beyond, screaming at Russia to fuck off in her own language. 
 

That’s what Russia has lost. 

 

I wonder what the atmosphere is like in Budapest. 

I honestly think the Ukrainians might be the bravest people on this planet. They're like the embodiment of the best parts of what we think of Russians, without all the worst parts that come from being Russian. The same kind of I Don't Give A Fuck, but without the impulse to completely lose their humanity. On some kind of primal level, I really need for them to win this war. I wish I could somehow do something way more substantial for them than what I've done. I'd sincerely give my life if I thought it would make a difference. 

The biggest fuck you ever would be to come out of this conflict and set up a similar disparity in quality of life between Ukraine and Russia that existed (still exists, really) between West and East Germany, or North and South Korea. If/when they get their original territory back, they have so much natural resources at their disposal, plenty of access to the sea, fertile land, a hard working populace, an earned reputation in programming. Ukraine could be an amazing success story if this thing can go their way. Then just have lots and lots and lots of babies with Ukrainian women to avert the looming population disaster. 

[SL Xpress 7505]

7 minutes ago, KYHorn said:

Whole video is interesting. Looks like a raid of their lines, but would love any analysis from folks who know this stuff. CCs work pretty well in the video

 

 

 

I watched that, but ended up liking this video better. Talks about a unit that went in with a successful aggressive attack, only to find themselves surrounded and had to fight their way out:

 

[27-25 2040]

39 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

Then just have lots and lots and lots of babies with Ukrainian women to avert the looming population disaster. 

I take it this is where we come in?

[Gatorubet 30098]

1 hour ago, 956 Worldwide said:

All those people at the concert— no matter their passport— represent the last glimpse at a world where Russia’s neighbors liked her.  A crowd of people, from Russia and beyond, screaming at Russia to fuck off in her own language. 

That’s what Russia has lost. 

 

[MissingInAction 24815]

20 minutes ago, 27-25 said:

I take it this is where we come in?

My only regret is that I have but one penis to give for Ukraine.

[Brisketexan 104604]

31 minutes ago, MissingInAction said:

My only regret is that I have but one penis to give for Ukraine.

Proof that whatever you can do to help, no matter how tiny or insignificant it is, matters.

[Brisketexan 104604]

1 hour ago, SL Xpress said:

If/when they get their original territory back, they have so much natural resources at their disposal, plenty of access to the sea, fertile land, a hard working populace, an earned reputation in programming. Ukraine could be an amazing success story if this thing can go their way. Then just have lots and lots and lots of babies with Ukrainian women to avert the looming population disaster. 

Imagine all the rebuilding construction work to be done once the war is over.

Based on my experience, within 90 days of the cessation of hostilities, there are going to be a metric shitton of hardworking mexicans there, already pouring foundations and setting up scaffolding.  My geography might be a bit wonky on this, though.

Who are eastern Europe's mexicans?  (Brisket asks jokingly, but also semi-seriously).

[MissingInAction 24815]

6 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

 

Who are eastern Europe's mexicans?  (Brisket asks jokingly, but also semi-seriously).

Africans and the Irish.

Edited January 31, 2023 by MissingInAction

[atomheartbevo 89424]

15 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Imagine all the rebuilding construction work to be done once the war is over.

Rebuilding/refurbishing a lot of military equipment and getting the military in order will be the first order of business - there’s a lot of broken equipment, or that’s in need of maintenance, that can’t be moved to the rear areas and/or to Poland.  There’s probably a lot of units that, once they are pulled off the line and can actually rest and recuperate, will need to have a lot of holes plugged with replacements.  Oh, and helping the Ukrainians boost their homegrown arms industry as well.

And bases will need to rebuilt.  While NATO is putting Ukrainian recruits through abbreviated basic training, and we can continue to help them with training in the short term, and long term, they’ll have plenty of heavily experienced instructors available once the war ends.  With that said about training, their troops have been phenomenal so I’m assuming that all of the NATO exercises and training since 2014 rubbed off on them, because small Ukrainian units are constantly showing the kind of independence and initiative that you don’t see at all in Russian units, but that is a hallmark of Western units.  For all of the Russians bluster about Ukraine being a brother from another mother, the Ukrainian military is clearly superior to the Russians on a soldier-vs-soldier basis. 

And we will probably need to send a lot of toilets over to Ukraine, since looting toilets seems to be one of Russia’s strengths.

Edited January 31, 2023 by atomheartbevo

[atomheartbevo 89424]

If the US isn’t going to send F-16s then we need to send them ATACMS.  And it’s not hard to ask them not to shoot deep into Russia - if we are worried, just tell them that if they do, the HIMARS ammo stops coming,

If we sent them ATACMS now, there is little training that is necessary since they would already know how to use the fire control systems, and if they started laying waste to Russia forces in Crimea, it would shut down any Russian offensives from the north or east as they rushed to reinforce Crimea.

 

Edited January 31, 2023 by atomheartbevo

[Pig Bellmont 8691]

25 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Imagine all the rebuilding construction work to be done once the war is over.

Based on my experience, within 90 days of the cessation of hostilities, there are going to be a metric shitton of hardworking mexicans there, already pouring foundations and setting up scaffolding.  My geography might be a bit wonky on this, though.

Who are eastern Europe's mexicans?  (Brisket asks jokingly, but also semi-seriously).

I’d imagine it’s Asian Pacific countries. Like the immigrants killed building stadiums in Qatar

[Brisketexan 104604]

Just now, Pig Bellmont said:

I’d imagine it’s Asian Pacific countries. Like the immigrants killed building stadiums in Qatar

I suspect it's a lot closer to home.  First, it's people from even poorer local countries (think Moldova, Kosovo)?  Then....Africans and Middle East (Syrian refugees etc.).  But that's just my hypothesis.  I remembered being surprised when we stayed in Vienna, and the housekeeper who came to our AirBNB was Serbian.  Came to find out that lots of the "help" there was Serbian.

[Pig Bellmont 8691]

25 minutes ago, MissingInAction said:

Africans and the Irish.

The Irish? What is this? The 1800s?

[Brisketexan 104604]

6 minutes ago, Pig Bellmont said:

The Irish? What is this? The 1800s?