I do understand what you're saying but we were not alone. China had itself cut off from any trade with the outside world. They totally shifted that strategy. Without reinventing their entire economic system they would still be a third world country.
bro i agree with you. my point is that we dont possess that degree of difficulty. we can just DO it. there's nothing we have to do as americans to transform anything to make this happen. we can EASILY go to other countries - specifically in africa - and negotiate trade deals and make it rain.
but when it comes to african countries, we just don't WANT to. we dont FEEL like doing it. despite the fact that they're the biggest emerging market in the world. despite the fact that they have a ridiculous abundance of rare earth minerals and other resources that we need to sustain our economy with EASE.
but i bet if ukraine or some EE country had those things, we'd already have the materials moving before the ink dried.
Can't be involved in bringing those S-hole countries into modern economies on the back of White Christian Nationalist America. We already created issues in China and India, while already doing similar things with Pakistan, some Ex-Soviet States, and a handful of Asian island countries. American dollars raised them from 3rd world to top economies. American dollars for trinkets and sparkles. /purple-rant
Last edited by OldColdDawg; 09/29/2204:48 PM.
Your feelings and opinions do not add up to facts.
Matthew Chance is awesome. That was a good summary. If Ukraine can pull off another watershed offensive like it did a few weeks ago, that will be devastating for Russia. He’s crying wolf over nukes so much that at some point, he’ll either really have to do it, or he’ll lose all credibility.
Using nukes for him is a no-win situation, for anyone, especially him. That would force China and India’s hands in condemning him. It would force even more galvanization from the west to support Ukraine. I also think he would begin to lose a lot of domestic support at home because, even despite media control, I think he would cement his status as a mad man.
He’s between a rock and a hard place though, because, like they said in the video, his conventional forces are failing. One more Ukrainian watershed offensive moment and all eyes are on Putin for what he does next.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
I know they still technically considered one, but man I gotta question the level in which Russia is considered a superpower.
Cause um…..
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
I know they still technically considered one, but man I gotta question the level in which Russia is considered a superpower.
Cause um…..
Probably only cause they have in numbers lots of nukes. Don't know how many of them are functional. Been hearing reports that the silos are flooded out and they haven't been doing much maintenance to their weapon systems and the oligarchs have been funneling off a lot of the defense money for their own use
I know they still technically considered one, but man I gotta question the level in which Russia is considered a superpower.
Cause um…..
Probably only cause they have in numbers lots of nukes. Don't know how many of them are functional. Been hearing reports that the silos are flooded out and they haven't been doing much maintenance to their weapon systems and the oligarchs have been funneling off a lot of the defense money for their own use
Originally Posted by OldColdDawg
The nukes bro. Take those nukes away and they are a laughing stock.
The US and Russia control 90% of the world's nukes. Russia has about 500 more than the US.
for sure.
cause in the spirit of what it means to be a superpower....yikes. Russia is a trainwreck in every aspect of the term. economy is trash, primarily a one commodity country, few allies that are a threat to anyone - scratch that - who WANT to be a threat to anyone, i mean i can keep it going forever.
thats why i laugh at people who try to trash our military as "woke", as if our military hasn't been woke since the founding of the country. we're seeing a anti-woke military in action in 4K UHD, and it aint looking too good. probably should've got woke and bought a drone or something.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
They run the playground, until they eff with that quiet kid at the back of the class.
Quiet Kid says nothing, then quickly loosens teeth in front of the entire school. "Ooooooh!" the crowd says, as red wet becomes visible around Bully's mouth. Now, Bully needs to step up.
But he can't- because years of intimidating people with hollow bluster (without needing the juice to back it) has made him soft. He once was seen as big and strong. Now, he's small, short- and soft.
And the quiet kid doesn't stop after one shot on the playground.
He starts laying down the punches, as the other kids look on. One by one, those kids in the schoolyard begin to see Bully for exactly who/what he is. Not only does Quiet Kid commence to administering The Beat-down, he also starts talkin' s# while he's layin' the punches
______________
The other Schoolyard Bully needs to keep his own game running- so Putina's not getting the backup he needs from the Xi crew. He even asks Li'l Bro Kim to front him up some hardware. Yes- Li'l Kim. Both txt back: "Hey, bro- I always respected your game up 'til now, but- sux 2BU, I guess-"
Ouch.
Putina was known far and wide for his "Little Short Man Power Play"... he'd make other state dignitaries wait for his arrival- sometimes, for as much as an hour- for important summits/meetings. Now, even "Bros" are forcing "Shorts# Putina" to wait:
It seems that among the ranks of Authoritarians, it's an 'Every man for himself' scenario. Wow. What a revelation.
__________________
I called this within the first 3 weeks of Vlad's campaign: this will be the worldwide event that changes Russia... and as such, changes everything.
Putina is done. And- I love how Tucker & Crew are still trying to double-down in support of Russia- the last place where colorless skin and pale blue eyes still run s# with an iron fist.
and i cant help but bring this up: we had people ON THIS BOARD and across the country seriously arguing to let the bully do whatever he wanted. the bully should be ALLOWED to beat up the quiet kid. how dare the other kids defend the quiet kid when he stands up for himself.
because the unfortunate reality is that we have a lot of people in this country who like bullies. thankfully Clem, the majority - however slim it may be - defended the quiet kid.
people think fear is the most powerful tool to use. Fear is powerful, but limited in its uses. Hope is the most powerful tool to use. and look what happens when hope fights fear.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
I’ve been thinking about it recently, and the more I think about it, the more I’m coming to believe they have been a paper Tiger for quite some time. I mean, like the last 100 years. Think about this:
-Had to bow out of WW1 because they couldn’t take care of stuff at home. Signed a pretty terrible treaty. One of the biggest reasons they crumbled at home is because Germany sent ONE GUY back to Russia (Lenin), who then signed the treaty with Germany.
-WW2. Getting their butts beat until Hitler got greedy and wanted to take Stalingrad for no good reason other than it had Stalin’s name in it. Thank goodness he did though. Russian counteroffensive came back through an already-decimated Eastern Europe. Kudos. However, they did it at the expense of 20 million or so military related deaths (I think 11-12 million were actual troops). Doesn’t exactly demonstrate a great success rate or know-how on the battlefield.
-Cuban missile crisis. Asked to put up or shut up and they shut up.
-Afghanistan invasion.
-Post-Soviet collapse.
-First Chechen War.
I mean, yeah, they would later beat up on small places like Chechnya and Georgia under Putin, but then he gets right back into it with what should be a cake walk in Ukraine and gets his butt handed to him.
They’ve looked pretty powerful on paper for a long time, but they really haven’t been able to actually show it.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
people forget that Russia was allied with the Nazis right up until Hitler tried to pull a fast one. its why Poland is always telling the world "hey guys, yea what happened to the jews was messed up, but they weren't the only ones being targeted."
so while it ended up working out, i hesitate to give Russia any credit for doing a 180 when it was due to backstabbing, not ideological differences.
hell, what does the world look like in a scenario where the italian military wasn't a colossal trainwreck and Hitler didn't betray Stalin? yikes.
its crazy to say, but in reality, Germany's biggest mistake in WW1 and 2 was relying on other countries to be competent during the war campaigns. the italian military was taking L, after L, after L, after L, after L.
so yea, i agree with you that Russia was probably a paper tiger the entire time. but they had the benefit of the US being an ocean lengths away and european countries being completely trashed after WW2.
it's like us average height guys (5'9-11) bragging that we're big in Japan.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
I'm fascinated by the intercepted phone calls from the Russian soldiers to their family and friends. They see the idiocy of this war, as well as the complete mismanagement and corruption. I really don't think their morale could be any lower. It's hard to imagine what it would be like, knowing that a drone could silently drop a grenade on you at any time.....or continuously seeing your fellow soldiers being burned, dismembered and killed.
The Urkranians are doing a good job making sure that these Russian soldiers recieve videos of the death and destruction of their comrades via Telegram. I took a look at some of these accounts and the blood and gore is absolutely horrifying. There are literally thousands of videos and photos of charred, mangled and severely injured Russian military personnel. I don't think I'll ever go back to those pages.
Putin had them fooled at the beginning, but even the lowest ranking ground troops know he is full of BS and is just sending them there to be slaughtered. You should see the equipment these newly mobilized Russians are being provided with.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
I had no idea about any of that! That has to play mind tricks on Russian troops. And while I haven't seen the equipment the latest mobilized troops have been provided with, I have seen some of the military equipment earlier deployed troops left behind. It wasn't pretty.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
yea man its insane and tragic. and you gotta admire the ukrainians. they are out here fighting for their survival, and yet they are STILL going out of their way to try and convince russian troops that they aren't enemies and that this invasion isn't worth the lives being lost. you can't teach that level of compassion bro. you just can't.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
The Urkranians are doing a good job making sure that these Russian soldiers recieve videos of the death and destruction of their comrades via Telegram. I took a look at some of these accounts and the blood and gore is absolutely horrifying. There are literally thousands of videos and photos of charred, mangled and severely injured Russian military personnel. I don't think I'll ever go back to those pages.
Like I said: Quiet Kid steady talkin' s# while he kicks that azz. Demoralizing in the extreme.
people forget that Russia was allied with the Nazis right up until Hitler tried to pull a fast one. its why Poland is always telling the world "hey guys, yea what happened to the jews was messed up, but they weren't the only ones being targeted."
so while it ended up working out, i hesitate to give Russia any credit for doing a 180 when it was due to backstabbing, not ideological differences.
hell, what does the world look like in a scenario where the italian military wasn't a colossal trainwreck and Hitler didn't betray Stalin? yikes.
its crazy to say, but in reality, Germany's biggest mistake in WW1 and 2 was relying on other countries to be competent during the war campaigns. the italian military was taking L, after L, after L, after L, after L.
so yea, i agree with you that Russia was probably a paper tiger the entire time. but they had the benefit of the US being an ocean lengths away and european countries being completely trashed after WW2.
it's like us average height guys (5'9-11) bragging that we're big in Japan.
Well, I mean, I’m 6’3” so I wouldn’t know
That’s a good point. The Nazi-Soviet pact put Russia on the same footing. Had Hitler set his sights on overcoming Britain and not trying to bail out the Italians…and not getting greedy early, the Russians could have been in severe trouble. He takes out Moscow and he has himself a direct connection to the Pacific and his boys in Japan.
Luckily, people like Hitler and Putin can’t help themselves and their impulses.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
I'm fascinated by the intercepted phone calls from the Russian soldiers to their family and friends. They see the idiocy of this war, as well as the complete mismanagement and corruption. I really don't think their morale could be any lower. It's hard to imagine what it would be like, knowing that a drone could silently drop a grenade on you at any time.....or continuously seeing your fellow soldiers being burned, dismembered and killed.
The Urkranians are doing a good job making sure that these Russian soldiers recieve videos of the death and destruction of their comrades via Telegram. I took a look at some of these accounts and the blood and gore is absolutely horrifying. There are literally thousands of videos and photos of charred, mangled and severely injured Russian military personnel. I don't think I'll ever go back to those pages.
Putin had them fooled at the beginning, but even the lowest ranking ground troops know he is full of BS and is just sending them there to be slaughtered. You should see the equipment these newly mobilized Russians are being provided with.
Same here. It reminds me that, despite all our flaws, one leg up we have in our society - at least as it currently stands - is the free-flow of information. These dudes were fed false propaganda for who knows how long, then they roll up into a war zone and are confronted with reality. Then they try to speak the truth back to their own and get told to STFU. It must suck for them.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
I had no idea about any of that! That has to play mind tricks on Russian troops. And while I haven't seen the equipment the latest mobilized troops have been provided with, I have seen some of the military equipment earlier deployed troops left behind. It wasn't pretty.
I’d have to go back and find the source, but I saw an article where the Russians are taking body armor off of Ukrainian corpses when possible because it’s superior to their own.
Last I checked, we weren’t providing Ukrainians with body armor. Most of their weapons were Russian/Soviet based…which makes me wonder WTH the Russians are using.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
lmfao, this is like a few weeks ago when drunken russian troops got into a shootout with other russian soldiers.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
man the fanboys are out in full force over Putin lately. never imagined it come from a former POTUS though. damn son
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
man the fanboys are out in full force over Putin lately. never imagined it come from a former POTUS though. damn son
Yup, I am not suprised trump said this at all. He would have given putin half of Europe and when russia went after a NATO country, trump would have not given any of our support.
Remember, this playbook of russia and other issues like the Saudi's and the oil are very much going to come back into focus as the mid terms come and leading into '24 if the repubs take back the house and senate and could really change if trump gets or maga lite get anywhere near the White House.
man the fanboys are out in full force over Putin lately. never imagined it come from a former POTUS though. damn son
I’ve said for a long time…his rapport with Russia and Putin is among the most alarming of his traits, mostly because it doesn’t get the attention it should.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
There are a lot of other people falling in line behind Russia on the right and it honestly blows my effing mind. Trump, Carlson to name a few. Our very own Ohio Senatorial candidate also wants to end aid for Ukraine.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
Yeah, paying a fraction of the cost that would be incurred when Russia moves forward and attacks a NATO nation doesn't make sense to them. But then again there's this......
Trump reportedly said he wanted to pull the US from NATO multiple times last year
There are a lot of other people falling in line behind Russia on the right and it honestly blows my effing mind. Trump, Carlson to name a few. Our very own Ohio Senatorial candidate also wants to end aid for Ukraine.
Originally Posted by PitDAWG
Yeah, paying a fraction of the cost that would be incurred when Russia moves forward and attacks a NATO nation doesn't make sense to them. But then again there's this......
Trump reportedly said he wanted to pull the US from NATO multiple times last year
Musk threatens to stop funding Starlink internet Ukraine relies on in war
KYIV, Ukraine - Elon Musk said Friday that his space company could not keep funding the Starlink satellite service that has kept Ukraine and its military online during the war, and he suggested he was pulling free internet after a Ukrainian ambassador insulted him on Twitter.
A Starlink cutoff would cripple the Ukrainian military's main mode of communication and potentially hamstring its defenses by giving a major advantage to Russia, which has sought to jam signals and phone service in the eastern and southern combat zones.
The world's richest man by Bloomberg estimates, Musk tweeted from the United States that his company, SpaceX, does not want reimbursement for its past expenses in helping Ukraine. But, he tweeted, it "also cannot fund the existing system indefinitely and send several thousand more terminals that have data usage up to 100X greater than typical households. This is unreasonable."
He also taunted Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, who had some choice words for Musk last week after the Tesla chief executive tweeted a proposal to end the war in Ukraine that would favor Russia.
"F--- off is my very diplomatic reply to you @elonmusk," Melnyk said at the time.
"We're just following his recommendation," Musk tweeted early Friday. The ambassador declined to comment on Friday, while his press representative told The Washington Post his previous comment had been a specific response to Musk's tweet about peace negotiations.
Starlink, a unit of Musk's SpaceX company, uses terminals equipped with antennas that are usually mounted on roofs to access the internet via satellite in rural or disconnected areas.
Ukrainian forces have used it to live-stream drone feeds, correct artillery fire and contact home since Musk began sending terminals earlier in the war as Ukraine faced the threat of internet outages from Russian strikes and cyberattacks. One Ukrainian commander said Friday that "fighting without Starlink service at the front line is like fighting without a gun."
Ukraine has received thousands of antennas from Musk's companies and European allies. The system has proved "very effective," the country's minister of digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, told The Post in a March interview.
From tweets on Taiwan to the rap star Ye, Musk's remarks have raised alarm about what he could do with Twitter if he comes to own the platform.
The latest scrutiny came this month when Musk declared his proposal, a four-point plan that could help the Kremlin lock in territorial gains and included Ukraine forgoing aspirations to reclaim Crimea, which Russia controls since annexing the peninsula in 2014.
In a jab at the billionaire's Twitter peacemaking attempt, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted a poll asking his followers which Elon Musk they preferred: "One who supports Ukraine" or "One who supports Russia."
Before the peacemaking foray that set off an online firestorm, and the tweets in question, SpaceX had already warned the U.S. Defense Department that it could no longer afford funding the Starlink system in Ukraine in a letter dated Sept. 8, CNN first reported Thursday.
The report said the letter asked the Pentagon to cover a new request from Ukraine and costs for the rest of the year, acknowledging that others, including Kyiv's allies, had also helped fund the terminals sent so far.
A senior U.S. defense official confirmed late Thursday that Musk had privately urged the Pentagon to pay up. The official said there was no comparable system with such widespread applicability. The bill is likely to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars over the next year, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
The official described it as a scenario in which Musk "dangles hope over the heads of millions, then sticks the DoD with the bill for a system no one asked for but now so many depend on."
"Elon's gonna Elon," the official added.
Another senior defense official, Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Friday that the Defense Department "continues to work with industry to explore solutions for Ukraine's armed forces."
"We do not have anything else to add at this time," he said in a statement.
Musk said Friday that the Starlink operation in Ukraine has cost SpaceX $80 million and that it would reach $100 million by end of year, including the expense of providing terminals, maintaining satellites and ground stations and other costs. "We've also had to defend against cyberattacks & jamming, which are getting harder," he wrote.
The Ukrainian military has become dependent on Starlink to quickly share information with senior commanders. Roman Kovalenko, a company commander in the 72nd Mechanized Brigade fighting on the front line in the eastern Donetsk region, said units use radio less now because they're not as dependable.
"I honestly have no idea how the communication between us will look like here without any Starlink service," he said.
The satellite internet is especially helpful for the Ukrainian military's expanded use of drones. With a stable connection, air reconnaissance units can watch their drone feed, allowing artillery forces to identify targets and correct their fire in real time. Before that, Kovalenko said, infantry soldiers in trenches had to locate the artillery strikes themselves, which was less effective and put them in danger.
"I'd say the effectiveness of our work without Starlink would drop something like 60 percent or more," Kovalenko said. "And we would have to use more ammunition, which we are now saving."
He and others said they had experienced some outages near the front line in recent weeks, but one soldier in an air reconnaissance unit called them "insignificant." Another drone unit in the southern Kherson region was able to work only a short distance into recently reclaimed territory before its Starlink stopped working.
A 25-year-old junior sergeant who uses the call sign Vognyk said Ukraine's military and volunteers would pay for the service themselves if necessary. "In my opinion, this is his right, his property," he said of Musk. "We can thank him for the number of Starlinks he provided to Ukraine."
After Ukrainian troops recaptured the city of Izyum in the northeastern Kharkiv region in recent weeks, residents crowded around a Starlink system that was brought so they could get some connection until the mobile network was restored there.
In his brigade, Kovalenko said, soldiers often visit his position to use his Starlink to connect to the internet and send their families a quick message that they're alive and well.
"I hope even if the situation would not be resolved officially, our volunteers would fundraise the money needed to pay for this service," he said. "We need Starlink badly."
Biden should confiscate control of Elon's Starlink service due to the national security and or the war powers act. Maybe he wouldn't act like such a douche. Talk about a guy letting his success go to his head. Went from being an uber-intelligent geek who cared about the future for all to just another whiny ass 1%er.
Your feelings and opinions do not add up to facts.
so i've been trying to educate myself more on geopolitical issues in central/east asia. the more i learn, the more i double down on my belief that the US doesn't have real businessmen anymore.
one thing i will always admit when it comes to Dems is that we lack experience in the business sector. yes, i rather have true statesmen and public servants, but that's a luxury in a different universe. in this universe, diplomacy and capitalism go hand and hand.
the problem is that the republican party keeps claiming to have the business 'sense', but never seem to display it when in power.
if i'm the US, I'm upping the diplomatic effort in Georgia, and trying to flip Armenia in order get a peace deal between them and Azerbaijan. Russia wouldn't be able to do anything because they are already completely wrecked on the western front. all Iran would do is be mad.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Iran is completely wrecked on the woman’s front. Evil dictators .. pfft … like most mass shooters, kill a bunch a folks for attention and power. Then when it all goes bad they shoot themselves.
A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. – Jackie Robinson
Biden should confiscate control of Elon's Starlink service due to the national security and or the war powers act. Maybe he wouldn't act like such a douche. Talk about a guy letting his success go to his head. Went from being an uber-intelligent geek who cared about the future for all to just another whiny ass 1%er.
We would have to be at war to do that and the other question is "Why?". Starlink has clearly shown that they would like to continue to support the operation, but, would prefer to not be 100% responsible for paying to support the system. The USG has invested over $50B into this war already with plenty of funding going to traditional defense contractors that have plenty of comms systems that were developed with government assistance. So why are things getting hung up over $100M for a Comms system that is far superior to anything that the traditional contractor can offer?
Of course, the answer is obviously that the "foreign aid" money was only ever allowed to be spent on certain things that the lobbyists and beltway insiders wanted.
So, if having a comms solution is important, then all that the DoD or Ukraine needs to do is spend a small fraction of that money to pay for the upkeep and service. We don't need the POTUS to start stealing companies from their owners every time that the government cannot get something for free.
breakdown of military engagements in the last 2 months.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
We should take out the Belarus dictator and install Trump as the new president.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
![[Linked Image from s3.amazonaws.com]](https://s3.amazonaws.com/uploads.fas.org/2022/02/24083327/world-nuclear-forces-2022.png)
