I’m assuming this was an internet creation??? Real or “photoshopped”~~~it’s pure genius.
Terrific “find” by Menzie.
Steven Kopits
This is getting so ugly.
Steven Kopits
To quote myself again:
invading Ukraine could become a disaster of epic proportions for Russia. There is much talk of the Russian army’s capability, but the underlying realities are sobering. Russia has a small economy, smaller than even that of Canada or South Korea. At $1.5 trillion, Russia’s GDP is one-fourteenth the size of the US economy, and its population is only half of America’s. Add in all of NATO and the disparity is even starker. NATO’s population is six times that of Russia, and its GDP is 25 times larger. The late senator John McCain was scarcely exaggerating when he called Russia a gas station masquerading as a country.
Successfully invading Ukraine, therefore, requires either speed to conclusion or passivity from NATO and, most importantly, the United States. Like it or not, Russia cannot move without US acquiescence, not unless Putin is willing to risk unmitigated disaster. Moreover, the US and NATO do not have to win for Russia to lose. NATO can bankrupt Russia out of petty cash merely by keeping the Russians in the field.
I believe this is now the de factor NATO strategy: a war of economic and financial attrition.
pgl
Please stop quoting yourself. It is not about you and no one here cares what you have said.
Noneconomist
And much smaller than California’s. (Last I looked Russia’s GDP was about $1.4 Trillion less than California’s current estimate)
Pgl
Appropriate….OF course should follow the lead of Hitler Ala May 1945, Hide in a bunker until it is time kill yourself
Word has it that Putin tried to have Zelensky killed but the plot failed. Now if some of these brave Russians can find a way to take guns into the Kremlin, a hit job on Putin would do the whole world a lot of good.
Kevin Drum catches the takeover of the NYTimes by Breitbart. The NYTimes decided to fact check something Biden said – only problem what he said was true.
pgl
A follow-up on how the bone heads at the NYTimes doubted that Biden claim about 6.5 million new jobs in one year is a historical record. There are all sorts of discussions of what happened to employment in the 1930’s including this CRS paper:
Employment was less than 50 million before the Great Depression began. Yes the unemployment rate shot up to almost 25% and it rather slowly came down in each of FDR’s first 4 years. But this rate fell at most 3% in any one year.
Now a question for the NYTimes – is 3% of 50 million really greater than 6.5 million? Maybe if the NYTimes has just been taken over by the National Review.
* Numbers including employment in New Deal programs.
— Michael R. Darby
ltr
New Deal employment began very soon after Franklin Roosevelt was inaugurated, however this employment was not included in recovery data for years; as though only private employment gains marked a turn from depression. Michael Darby changed the way in which employment gains were counted, showing a much more dramatic New Deal recovery to the discomfort of those who fought the New Deal from the beginning and beyond.
pgl
Darby’s numbers were not necessarily the concession view but they gave people the idea.
Three-and-a-Half Million U.S. Employees Have Been Mislaid: Or, an Explanation of Unemployment, 1934-1941
By Michael R. Darby
Abstract
A major conceptual error in the standard Bureau of Labor Statistics and Stanley Lebergott unemployment estimates for 1933-1943 is reported. Emergency workers (employees of federal contracyclical programs such as Works Progress Administration) were counted as unemployed on a normal-jobs-to-be-created instead of job-seekers unemployment definition. For 1934-1941, the corrected unemployment levels are reduced by two to three-and-a half million people and the rates by 4 to 7 percentage points. The corrected data show strong movement toward the natural unemployment rate after 1933 and are very well explained by an anticipations-search model using annual full-time earnings.
ltr
Darby’s numbers were not necessarily…
[ Michael Darby’s numbers are necessarily important, as scholar after scholar has confirmed. The number show just how effective on employment New Deal programs were from the beginning, for all of the opposition generated. ]
The ‘Hundred Days’ of F.D.R.
By ARTHUR SCHLESINGER Jr.
Exactly half a century ago, the Republic plunged into the Hundred Days – that time of tumultuous change when a flood of legislation swept away venerable market practices and gave the American economic system a new contour….
Two Years That Shaped Our Lives
By HENRY STEELE COMMAGER
THE COMING OF THE NEW DEAL
Vol. II of “The Age of Roosevelt.”
By Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.
pgl
140 other members of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly for a resolution demanding an immediate halt to Russia’s offensive in Ukraine and withdrawal of all its troops. In an emergency session of the General Assembly, five voted against the resolution and 35 abstained. Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria voted against the resolution while China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa and Vietnam were among the member states that abstained.
The resolution stated that the UN “deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine”. It demanded that “the Russian Federation immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine” and “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces”.
Why Dubai you ask – oh yea Big Pharma loves low corporate profits taxes and the UAE rate is a mere 9%. I have to wonder how much of the Russian oligarch money has flown to Dubai.
pgl
Lauren Boebert owns a restaurant called The Shooters Grill (go figure). Apparently dark skinned patrons get lousy service. But according to this review – this is not the kind of place where any sane person wants to dine:
Hacktivists are going after Russia. Tit-for-tat cyber attacks? Nah. Apparently, way more attacks on Russia than Russian attacks elsewhere.
Don’t have the skills to mount a cyber attack? You can still play along. “Review bombing” is now a thing in Russia. Write a restaurant review – be kind about the number of stars ’cause it’s not the restaurant’s fault – and in the text tell readers the truth about what’s going on in Ukraine.
pgl
Ukraine claims to have killed 5000 Russian soldiers. US intel believes this is closer to 3000 but that is 150% of the US soldiers lost in Afghanistan over a 20 year period. If we can get the right weapons in the hands of the Ukraine forces, that massive Russian tax convey will be like sitting ducks. I hate to see anyone die but Putin owns this utter disaster. This monster needs to pay the ultimate price.
Bruce Hall
pgl,
Glad to see you’ve finally come around to what I’ve been saying. Sanctions can hurt in the long run, but they don’t stop a sociopathic aggressor.
Too bad Biden dicked around so long sending those Javelins and Stingers. Good thing Germany showed him the way.
pgl
You are a lying fool. I have not agreed with any of your poisonous clap trap. If you think I’m joining you in playing pet poodle for Putin and Trump, then you are dumber than I ever gave you credit for. BTW with those weapons flowing to Ukraine that you said would never occur – Putin is an incredible rage. Sorry to tell this to you Brucie – he will have no treats for you today.
pgl
Oh Brucie – I have some incredibly bad news for you. Ukraine is already using those Javelins and Stingers that you told your master Putin would never come on that long convey of tanks. If so, these tanks are dead ducks.
Which means your master will go into an extreme rage in the next couple of days. Maybe you should flee the Kremlin now as something tells me Putin may take this out on his pet poodles, which of course includes you.
Bruce Hall
Yes, Germany broke a 70-year policy of theirs to send those weapons to Ukraine. But the reluctance of Biden to act on a timely basis with weapons has certainly allowed the Russians to make significant inroads.
Come on, man! Admit your error in judgment thinking economic sanctions would stop Putin. You may be good at day trading, but you stink at military strategy and tactics. As I mentioned a couple of times, in addition to the shoulder fired missiles, the U.S. should have implemented the Lend Lease Act for Ukraine so that aircraft could have been sent to replenish those lost in the initial Russian bombing of airfield and military bases.
I know you would object to that idea because it doesn’t involve bank sanctions. I’m beginning to think that you are the Putin apologist who objects to anything that might have a real, immediate impact in stopping the Russians.
Christiane Amanpour is the best reporting on the planet. She reports that the foreign ministers of Ukraine and China are talking. If China can get Putin to stop this madness – good for them!
So not only does the ‘President’ of Belarus (who is just another Putin puppet) points on a map how his forces may aid Putin’s war crimes but seems to indicate an attack on Moldova. These guys are nuts.
pgl
The story of Putin’s invasion is that his troops are unmotivated whereas the Ukrainians are fighting hard for their country, But how embarrassing can it get when a couple of gypsies managed to seize a tank from the Russians:
Aside from the Jean-Paul Sartre reference, it might be literally true that there is “No Exit” for Russian troops. Even if the Russians wanted to retreat, that jam packed 40 mile long convoy would be logistically tough to turn around.
pgl
My hope is that the Ukraine military starting picking off these tanks one by one – now that they are stuck in this long convey. How stupid it was for the Russian generals to send all these tanks down a long narrow road.
Steven Kopits
Put in air power, and they are toast. Literally.
pgl
And when Russian missiles take down some of our planes – then what? Unless you want a war between Russia and the US, you have not thought this through.
Steven Kopits
If the Russians are prepared to start a European war, we have to be prepared to fight it. That simple. Cowardice will not be rewarded. As I stated, Biden and the Germans could have deterred Putin, and they did not. That has precipitated this disastrous situation.
If the Russians cannot even take out the Ukr airforce, how are they going to do against NATO? The analysts anticipate a replay of Iraq ’91. I hate killing Russians soldiers, and I’d wave them off if we can, but I have no problem putting US air power up against anything the Russians can field. I think it’s a necessity, win or lose.
That long convoy north of Kyiv would end up looking like this, of as Fmr Def. Sec William Cohen said: “They are sitting ducks out there.”
“Steven Kopits
March 4, 2022 at 7:03 am
If the Russians are prepared to start a European war, we have to be prepared to fight it. That simple. Cowardice will not be rewarded. As I stated, Biden and the Germans could have deterred Putin, and they did not. That has precipitated this disastrous situation.”
THIS from the same person who proposed an “economic” solution that basically would have given Putin Eastern Ukraine. Stevie – you vastly underrated Putin’s evil designs even as you were prepared to be a surrender monkey at the same time. You have ZERO right to criticize NATO in light of the dumb things you have said on this issue. m
Bruce Hall
So, your response to providing resistance to the Russians is “it’s soooo dangerous”. The idea to “put in airpower” doesn’t mean our pilots have to be flying them. I’ve already responded to this Chamberlainesque position that it can be done with providing equipment that the Ukrainian forces operate.
Stick to day trading and forget the attempts at smirky responses. You’re out of your element on this subject.
Steven Kopits
I’m sorry you don’t understand the logic. but I can’t say I’m surprised.
baffling
make no mistake, that long convey will encircle Kiev and decimate the population. that has been my concern from early on. Ukraine can hinder the Russians, they can resist an occupation, but they cannot prevent the war machine from siege tactics. the Ukrainians will pay a heavy price for fighting for independence. Russia eventually will agree to a cease fire. they will hold some occupied land in the east and Black Sea. but the rest of the country will be ravaged. as a lesson to be learned for those remaining. it looks like boots on the ground will be required, especially in the adjoining nato countries. there will be a direct conflict with Russian soldiers in one of those locations. and I believe Putin will unleash some tactical nukes. this does not end well.
pgl
I’m listening to someone who has been involved in urban war fares and he notes the Russians are firing missiles as they really are scared to be occupying cities where a counterinsurgency can wreak hell on them. Sure they may soon occupy Kyiv but then that is when the Russians started really incur massive casualties. This will be bloody until the sensible people remaining in the Kremlin take Putin out.
2slugbaits
Well, if Putin starts using tactical nukes, then I think we’re in yet another Jean-Paul Sarte story, “Dirty Hands.” We’d have to think seriously about giving the Ukrainians some low yield tactical nukes of their own as part of a tit-for-tat strategy.
baffling
if you intentionally let a nuclear plant meltdown, would you consider that a tactical nuke strike? these are some of the concerns I have with the Russians taking over the nuke plants. they can inflict a deliberate nuclear strike, or at least the aftermath, without actually dropping a bomb. and it would be intentional. not sure when the line gets crossed. Putin seems intent on finding out exactly where that line exists.
Ulenspiegel
“make no mistake, that long convey will encircle Kiev and decimate the population.”
No, if the convoy can’t move you have no supplies of which ammunition and fuel consumes most of the transport volume. They have only very few roads there, they are channeled. Some destroyed vehicles make the situation even more dire.
It looks more than a screw-up to me, they tried something like the Germans in the Ardennes in 1940 but got fighting “Belgians” as surprise.
baffling
I was a bit more optimistic, like you, in the past. but I believe the Russians can converge on Kiev from many sides. and they have shown that siege tactics are the mode of operation going forward. hope I am wrong.
Ulenspiegel
“but I believe the Russians can converge on Kiev from many sides.”
Yes, but then other troops will do the shelling, the convoy is useless aginst Kiev. The convoy actually indicates that the Russian believed in getting Kiew without much fighting.
baffling
my understanding is a major bridge that was blown by the Ukrainians last week is the biggest hurdle. that said, river crossings are not insurmountable for a major army. they have certainly made mistakes. I just don’t see them continue to compound those mistakes. again, hope I am wrong. lives are at risk.
part of the reason the other forces could surround Kiev is that the Ukrainians still need to spend resources on that convoy. Putin seems to be taking the Stalin approach. he believes he has more soldiers and tanks than the enemy has bullets. I don’t think he really cares how many of his own soldiers die senselessly in that convoy, as long as they eventually lay siege to Kiev.
2slugbaits
baffling Putin seems to be taking the Stalin approach. he believes he has more soldiers and tanks than the enemy has bullets.
Putin and the Russian generals don’t seem to have learned any new military tactics since the days of Stalin. They are still addicted to the idea of uncoordinated armor, infantry and mech units and don’t seem to understand the doctrine of combined arms. There’s a reason the US Army changes the mix of armor and infantry battalions within brigades, depending on the nature of the mission pulse. The Russians don’t seemed to have learned those lessons. No doubt that eventually the Russians will get to Kiev, although I don’t know what they’ll do with the rubble (or is that ruble?) once they get there; however, it’s pretty clear to just about everyone that the conventional Russian army is no match for NATO conventional forces. This is a large but not very talented army.
As to targeting nuclear power plants, luckily it turned out to be a case of “no harm, no foul.” Of course, if things had gone awry the Russians probably would have gotten the worst of it given the proximity to the Russian border. Like I said, not a very talented army.
Ulenspiegel
“my understanding is a major bridge that was blown by the Ukrainians last week is the biggest hurdle. that said, river crossings are not insurmountable for a major army. ”
If you have such an epic traffic jam, you do not get the heavy engineer equipment to the front. The area is famous for its swamps which dictated operations already in WWI and WWII, ,almost no parallel roads that could substitute for the “lost” road.
And let’s be honest, you attack a country that may muster 200000 soldiers and has ~40 million citizens with only 200000 own soldiers if you actually believe that the attacked would not fight, and you advance would look like the Russian…..
Ivan
Exactly, they had no idea that they could get stuck? It doesn’t really matter that the enemy is outgunned and outnumbered if the leadership doesn’t know how to lead. That convoy is going to Hague or Hell.
Steven Kopits
More on satellites:
Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin has denied that the agency was breached, but issued a chilling message to anyone who might attempt to do so.
“I want to warn everyone who tries to do it that it is essentially a crime, which should be toughly punished,” he told Russian media. “Because disabling the satellite group of any country is generally a casus belli, that is, a reason to go to war. “And we will be looking for those who organised it.
“We will send all necessary materials to the Federal Security Service, the Investigative Committee, and the Prosecutor General’s Office for relevant criminal cases to be opened.”
So, whoever hacked our satellites, well, that’s not possible, but we’ll get you for having done it. It would be hilarious if not terrifying.
Last I checked, Russian nuclear forces are on alert. If Russian satellites are hacked, then the Russians may be blind. That’s means they might not be able to see a NATO nuclear launch. Which will make everyone on the Russian side terrified and a time when they are under unbelievable stress with their fingers on the nuclear trigger.
This is exactly what we’re trying to avoid. It’s bad enough that all this could go nuclear. (50/50 odds, my best guess.) It’s even worse when the other side cannot see that you are not launching your missiles.
And keep in mind, dear ltr, if you are sitting in a major Chinese population center and all hell breaks loose, there’s probably a missile coming your way.
This is why, from 1962 until Putin and Xi, the great powers did not threaten each other with nukes and avoided direct confrontation.
Steven Kopits
So, whoever hacked our satellites, well, that’s not possible, but we’ll get you for having done it. It would be hilarious if not terrifying.
Last I checked, Russian nuclear forces are on alert. If Russian satellites are hacked, then the Russians may be blind. That’s means they might not be able to see a NATO nuclear launch. Which will make everyone on the Russian side terrified and a time when they are under unbelievable stress with their fingers on the nuclear trigger.
This is exactly what we’re trying to avoid. It’s bad enough that all this could go nuclear. (50/50 odds, my best guess.) It’s even worse when the other side cannot see that you are not launching your missiles.
And keep in mind, dear ltr, if you are sitting in a major Chinese population center and all hell breaks loose, there’s probably a missile coming your way.
This is why, from 1962 until Putin and Xi, the great powers did not threaten each other with nukes and avoided direct confrontation.
this is why rational people have not been advocating for boots on the ground in Ukraine. we need adults in the room. the spanking will come later.
pgl
Oh wow – he is trying to scare the West. Look if Putin decides to attack a NATO nation, the response will destroy him swiftly. Do not fall for his bluffing.
I’m assuming this was an internet creation??? Real or “photoshopped”~~~it’s pure genius.
Terrific “find” by Menzie.
This is getting so ugly.
To quote myself again:
invading Ukraine could become a disaster of epic proportions for Russia. There is much talk of the Russian army’s capability, but the underlying realities are sobering. Russia has a small economy, smaller than even that of Canada or South Korea. At $1.5 trillion, Russia’s GDP is one-fourteenth the size of the US economy, and its population is only half of America’s. Add in all of NATO and the disparity is even starker. NATO’s population is six times that of Russia, and its GDP is 25 times larger. The late senator John McCain was scarcely exaggerating when he called Russia a gas station masquerading as a country.
Successfully invading Ukraine, therefore, requires either speed to conclusion or passivity from NATO and, most importantly, the United States. Like it or not, Russia cannot move without US acquiescence, not unless Putin is willing to risk unmitigated disaster. Moreover, the US and NATO do not have to win for Russia to lose. NATO can bankrupt Russia out of petty cash merely by keeping the Russians in the field.
I believe this is now the de factor NATO strategy: a war of economic and financial attrition.
Please stop quoting yourself. It is not about you and no one here cares what you have said.
And much smaller than California’s. (Last I looked Russia’s GDP was about $1.4 Trillion less than California’s current estimate)
Appropriate….OF course should follow the lead of Hitler Ala May 1945, Hide in a bunker until it is time kill yourself
https://twitter.com/OvdInfo/status/1499067536175947780?cxt=HHwWiICzwer-4M0pAAAA
These are the good Russians.
Word has it that Putin tried to have Zelensky killed but the plot failed. Now if some of these brave Russians can find a way to take guns into the Kremlin, a hit job on Putin would do the whole world a lot of good.
https://jabberwocking.com/fact-checking-the-president/
Kevin Drum catches the takeover of the NYTimes by Breitbart. The NYTimes decided to fact check something Biden said – only problem what he said was true.
A follow-up on how the bone heads at the NYTimes doubted that Biden claim about 6.5 million new jobs in one year is a historical record. There are all sorts of discussions of what happened to employment in the 1930’s including this CRS paper:
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc26169/m1/1/high_res_d/R40655_2009Jun19.pdf
Employment was less than 50 million before the Great Depression began. Yes the unemployment rate shot up to almost 25% and it rather slowly came down in each of FDR’s first 4 years. But this rate fell at most 3% in any one year.
Now a question for the NYTimes – is 3% of 50 million really greater than 6.5 million? Maybe if the NYTimes has just been taken over by the National Review.
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=259399
May, 1975
The New Deal and the Great Depression
Rates of Unemployment
(Percent) *
1929 ( 3.2) Hoover, March
1930 ( 8.7)
1931 ( 15.9)
1932 ( 23.6)
1933 ( 24.0) Roosevelt, March
1934 ( 17.0)
1935 ( 15.2)
1936 ( 10.1)
1937 ( 9.2) Recession begins, May
1938 ( 12.5) Recession ends, June
1939 ( 11.3)
1940 ( 9.6)
1941 ( 6.0)
1942 ( 3.1)
1943 ( 1.8)
1944 ( 1.2)
1945 ( 1.9) Truman, April
* Numbers including employment in New Deal programs.
— Michael R. Darby
New Deal employment began very soon after Franklin Roosevelt was inaugurated, however this employment was not included in recovery data for years; as though only private employment gains marked a turn from depression. Michael Darby changed the way in which employment gains were counted, showing a much more dramatic New Deal recovery to the discomfort of those who fought the New Deal from the beginning and beyond.
Darby’s numbers were not necessarily the concession view but they gave people the idea.
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=259399
May, 1975
Three-and-a-Half Million U.S. Employees Have Been Mislaid: Or, an Explanation of Unemployment, 1934-1941
By Michael R. Darby
Abstract
A major conceptual error in the standard Bureau of Labor Statistics and Stanley Lebergott unemployment estimates for 1933-1943 is reported. Emergency workers (employees of federal contracyclical programs such as Works Progress Administration) were counted as unemployed on a normal-jobs-to-be-created instead of job-seekers unemployment definition. For 1934-1941, the corrected unemployment levels are reduced by two to three-and-a half million people and the rates by 4 to 7 percentage points. The corrected data show strong movement toward the natural unemployment rate after 1933 and are very well explained by an anticipations-search model using annual full-time earnings.
Darby’s numbers were not necessarily…
[ Michael Darby’s numbers are necessarily important, as scholar after scholar has confirmed. The number show just how effective on employment New Deal programs were from the beginning, for all of the opposition generated. ]
http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/11/26/specials/schlesinger-hundred.html
April 10, 1983
The ‘Hundred Days’ of F.D.R.
By ARTHUR SCHLESINGER Jr.
Exactly half a century ago, the Republic plunged into the Hundred Days – that time of tumultuous change when a flood of legislation swept away venerable market practices and gave the American economic system a new contour….
http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/11/26/specials/schlesinger-crisis1957.html
March 3, 1957
After the Decline and Fall, the Promise of a New Day
By HENRY STEELE COMMAGER
THE CRISIS OF THE OLD ORDER, 1919-1933
Vol. I of “The Age of Roosevelt.”
By Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.
http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/11/26/specials/schlesinger-age2.html
January 4, 1959
Two Years That Shaped Our Lives
By HENRY STEELE COMMAGER
THE COMING OF THE NEW DEAL
Vol. II of “The Age of Roosevelt.”
By Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.
140 other members of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly for a resolution demanding an immediate halt to Russia’s offensive in Ukraine and withdrawal of all its troops. In an emergency session of the General Assembly, five voted against the resolution and 35 abstained. Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria voted against the resolution while China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa and Vietnam were among the member states that abstained.
The resolution stated that the UN “deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine”. It demanded that “the Russian Federation immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine” and “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces”.
https://news.yahoo.com/singapore-140-others-vote-un-resolution-condemning-russia-invasion-ukraine-175039763.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
Russia cannot veto this so hey Putin F#$K YOU!
How did Putin’s girls (Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert) get invited to the State of the Union Speech?
https://news.yahoo.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-lauren-boebert-044013000.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
Dubai is attracting a lot of attention from certain multinationals including becoming a “regional pharma manufacturing hub”:
https://www.arabianbusiness.com/industries/healthcare/how-the-uae-can-become-a-regional-pharma-manufacturing-hub
Why Dubai you ask – oh yea Big Pharma loves low corporate profits taxes and the UAE rate is a mere 9%. I have to wonder how much of the Russian oligarch money has flown to Dubai.
Lauren Boebert owns a restaurant called The Shooters Grill (go figure). Apparently dark skinned patrons get lousy service. But according to this review – this is not the kind of place where any sane person wants to dine:
https://god.dailydot.com/lauren-boebert-restaurant-diarrhea/
Hacktivists are going after Russia. Tit-for-tat cyber attacks? Nah. Apparently, way more attacks on Russia than Russian attacks elsewhere.
Don’t have the skills to mount a cyber attack? You can still play along. “Review bombing” is now a thing in Russia. Write a restaurant review – be kind about the number of stars ’cause it’s not the restaurant’s fault – and in the text tell readers the truth about what’s going on in Ukraine.
Ukraine claims to have killed 5000 Russian soldiers. US intel believes this is closer to 3000 but that is 150% of the US soldiers lost in Afghanistan over a 20 year period. If we can get the right weapons in the hands of the Ukraine forces, that massive Russian tax convey will be like sitting ducks. I hate to see anyone die but Putin owns this utter disaster. This monster needs to pay the ultimate price.
pgl,
Glad to see you’ve finally come around to what I’ve been saying. Sanctions can hurt in the long run, but they don’t stop a sociopathic aggressor.
Too bad Biden dicked around so long sending those Javelins and Stingers. Good thing Germany showed him the way.
You are a lying fool. I have not agreed with any of your poisonous clap trap. If you think I’m joining you in playing pet poodle for Putin and Trump, then you are dumber than I ever gave you credit for. BTW with those weapons flowing to Ukraine that you said would never occur – Putin is an incredible rage. Sorry to tell this to you Brucie – he will have no treats for you today.
Oh Brucie – I have some incredibly bad news for you. Ukraine is already using those Javelins and Stingers that you told your master Putin would never come on that long convey of tanks. If so, these tanks are dead ducks.
Which means your master will go into an extreme rage in the next couple of days. Maybe you should flee the Kremlin now as something tells me Putin may take this out on his pet poodles, which of course includes you.
Yes, Germany broke a 70-year policy of theirs to send those weapons to Ukraine. But the reluctance of Biden to act on a timely basis with weapons has certainly allowed the Russians to make significant inroads.
Come on, man! Admit your error in judgment thinking economic sanctions would stop Putin. You may be good at day trading, but you stink at military strategy and tactics. As I mentioned a couple of times, in addition to the shoulder fired missiles, the U.S. should have implemented the Lend Lease Act for Ukraine so that aircraft could have been sent to replenish those lost in the initial Russian bombing of airfield and military bases.
One author had a particularly good idea: send three squadrons of A10s which are ideal for destroying ground systems and equipment.
https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2022/03/03/transfer-three-a-10-aircraft-squadrons-to-ukraine-now/
I know you would object to that idea because it doesn’t involve bank sanctions. I’m beginning to think that you are the Putin apologist who objects to anything that might have a real, immediate impact in stopping the Russians.
https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2022/03/02/amanpour-countries-that-can-help-end-ukraine-russia-conflict-nr-vpx.cnn
Christiane Amanpour is the best reporting on the planet. She reports that the foreign ministers of Ukraine and China are talking. If China can get Putin to stop this madness – good for them!
https://news.yahoo.com/belarus-president-stands-front-battle-225544159.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
So not only does the ‘President’ of Belarus (who is just another Putin puppet) points on a map how his forces may aid Putin’s war crimes but seems to indicate an attack on Moldova. These guys are nuts.
The story of Putin’s invasion is that his troops are unmotivated whereas the Ukrainians are fighting hard for their country, But how embarrassing can it get when a couple of gypsies managed to seize a tank from the Russians:
https://a2zbiography.org/gypsies-in-ukraine-seized-a-tank-from-the-russian-army/
Aside from the Jean-Paul Sartre reference, it might be literally true that there is “No Exit” for Russian troops. Even if the Russians wanted to retreat, that jam packed 40 mile long convoy would be logistically tough to turn around.
My hope is that the Ukraine military starting picking off these tanks one by one – now that they are stuck in this long convey. How stupid it was for the Russian generals to send all these tanks down a long narrow road.
Put in air power, and they are toast. Literally.
And when Russian missiles take down some of our planes – then what? Unless you want a war between Russia and the US, you have not thought this through.
If the Russians are prepared to start a European war, we have to be prepared to fight it. That simple. Cowardice will not be rewarded. As I stated, Biden and the Germans could have deterred Putin, and they did not. That has precipitated this disastrous situation.
If the Russians cannot even take out the Ukr airforce, how are they going to do against NATO? The analysts anticipate a replay of Iraq ’91. I hate killing Russians soldiers, and I’d wave them off if we can, but I have no problem putting US air power up against anything the Russians can field. I think it’s a necessity, win or lose.
That long convoy north of Kyiv would end up looking like this, of as Fmr Def. Sec William Cohen said: “They are sitting ducks out there.”
https://www.google.com/search?q=road+of+death+iraq&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwi0mM663Kz2AhVQhXIEHTxmCZEQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=road+of+death+iraq&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIFCAAQgAQyBggAEAgQHjoECAAQQzoGCAAQBxAeOgQIABAeOgYIABAFEB46BAgAEBhQ1wNYjA1ggw5oAHAAeACAAUyIAZYDkgEBNpgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=mikiYrTjJdCKytMPvMyliAk&bih=929&biw=1920&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS906US906#imgrc=Jo3B-1iUHt-gPM
“Steven Kopits
March 4, 2022 at 7:03 am
If the Russians are prepared to start a European war, we have to be prepared to fight it. That simple. Cowardice will not be rewarded. As I stated, Biden and the Germans could have deterred Putin, and they did not. That has precipitated this disastrous situation.”
THIS from the same person who proposed an “economic” solution that basically would have given Putin Eastern Ukraine. Stevie – you vastly underrated Putin’s evil designs even as you were prepared to be a surrender monkey at the same time. You have ZERO right to criticize NATO in light of the dumb things you have said on this issue. m
So, your response to providing resistance to the Russians is “it’s soooo dangerous”. The idea to “put in airpower” doesn’t mean our pilots have to be flying them. I’ve already responded to this Chamberlainesque position that it can be done with providing equipment that the Ukrainian forces operate.
Stick to day trading and forget the attempts at smirky responses. You’re out of your element on this subject.
I’m sorry you don’t understand the logic. but I can’t say I’m surprised.
make no mistake, that long convey will encircle Kiev and decimate the population. that has been my concern from early on. Ukraine can hinder the Russians, they can resist an occupation, but they cannot prevent the war machine from siege tactics. the Ukrainians will pay a heavy price for fighting for independence. Russia eventually will agree to a cease fire. they will hold some occupied land in the east and Black Sea. but the rest of the country will be ravaged. as a lesson to be learned for those remaining. it looks like boots on the ground will be required, especially in the adjoining nato countries. there will be a direct conflict with Russian soldiers in one of those locations. and I believe Putin will unleash some tactical nukes. this does not end well.
I’m listening to someone who has been involved in urban war fares and he notes the Russians are firing missiles as they really are scared to be occupying cities where a counterinsurgency can wreak hell on them. Sure they may soon occupy Kyiv but then that is when the Russians started really incur massive casualties. This will be bloody until the sensible people remaining in the Kremlin take Putin out.
Well, if Putin starts using tactical nukes, then I think we’re in yet another Jean-Paul Sarte story, “Dirty Hands.” We’d have to think seriously about giving the Ukrainians some low yield tactical nukes of their own as part of a tit-for-tat strategy.
if you intentionally let a nuclear plant meltdown, would you consider that a tactical nuke strike? these are some of the concerns I have with the Russians taking over the nuke plants. they can inflict a deliberate nuclear strike, or at least the aftermath, without actually dropping a bomb. and it would be intentional. not sure when the line gets crossed. Putin seems intent on finding out exactly where that line exists.
“make no mistake, that long convey will encircle Kiev and decimate the population.”
No, if the convoy can’t move you have no supplies of which ammunition and fuel consumes most of the transport volume. They have only very few roads there, they are channeled. Some destroyed vehicles make the situation even more dire.
It looks more than a screw-up to me, they tried something like the Germans in the Ardennes in 1940 but got fighting “Belgians” as surprise.
I was a bit more optimistic, like you, in the past. but I believe the Russians can converge on Kiev from many sides. and they have shown that siege tactics are the mode of operation going forward. hope I am wrong.
“but I believe the Russians can converge on Kiev from many sides.”
Yes, but then other troops will do the shelling, the convoy is useless aginst Kiev. The convoy actually indicates that the Russian believed in getting Kiew without much fighting.
my understanding is a major bridge that was blown by the Ukrainians last week is the biggest hurdle. that said, river crossings are not insurmountable for a major army. they have certainly made mistakes. I just don’t see them continue to compound those mistakes. again, hope I am wrong. lives are at risk.
part of the reason the other forces could surround Kiev is that the Ukrainians still need to spend resources on that convoy. Putin seems to be taking the Stalin approach. he believes he has more soldiers and tanks than the enemy has bullets. I don’t think he really cares how many of his own soldiers die senselessly in that convoy, as long as they eventually lay siege to Kiev.
baffling Putin seems to be taking the Stalin approach. he believes he has more soldiers and tanks than the enemy has bullets.
Putin and the Russian generals don’t seem to have learned any new military tactics since the days of Stalin. They are still addicted to the idea of uncoordinated armor, infantry and mech units and don’t seem to understand the doctrine of combined arms. There’s a reason the US Army changes the mix of armor and infantry battalions within brigades, depending on the nature of the mission pulse. The Russians don’t seemed to have learned those lessons. No doubt that eventually the Russians will get to Kiev, although I don’t know what they’ll do with the rubble (or is that ruble?) once they get there; however, it’s pretty clear to just about everyone that the conventional Russian army is no match for NATO conventional forces. This is a large but not very talented army.
As to targeting nuclear power plants, luckily it turned out to be a case of “no harm, no foul.” Of course, if things had gone awry the Russians probably would have gotten the worst of it given the proximity to the Russian border. Like I said, not a very talented army.
“my understanding is a major bridge that was blown by the Ukrainians last week is the biggest hurdle. that said, river crossings are not insurmountable for a major army. ”
If you have such an epic traffic jam, you do not get the heavy engineer equipment to the front. The area is famous for its swamps which dictated operations already in WWI and WWII, ,almost no parallel roads that could substitute for the “lost” road.
And let’s be honest, you attack a country that may muster 200000 soldiers and has ~40 million citizens with only 200000 own soldiers if you actually believe that the attacked would not fight, and you advance would look like the Russian…..
Exactly, they had no idea that they could get stuck? It doesn’t really matter that the enemy is outgunned and outnumbered if the leadership doesn’t know how to lead. That convoy is going to Hague or Hell.
More on satellites:
Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin has denied that the agency was breached, but issued a chilling message to anyone who might attempt to do so.
“I want to warn everyone who tries to do it that it is essentially a crime, which should be toughly punished,” he told Russian media. “Because disabling the satellite group of any country is generally a casus belli, that is, a reason to go to war. “And we will be looking for those who organised it.
“We will send all necessary materials to the Federal Security Service, the Investigative Committee, and the Prosecutor General’s Office for relevant criminal cases to be opened.”
So, whoever hacked our satellites, well, that’s not possible, but we’ll get you for having done it. It would be hilarious if not terrifying.
Last I checked, Russian nuclear forces are on alert. If Russian satellites are hacked, then the Russians may be blind. That’s means they might not be able to see a NATO nuclear launch. Which will make everyone on the Russian side terrified and a time when they are under unbelievable stress with their fingers on the nuclear trigger.
This is exactly what we’re trying to avoid. It’s bad enough that all this could go nuclear. (50/50 odds, my best guess.) It’s even worse when the other side cannot see that you are not launching your missiles.
And keep in mind, dear ltr, if you are sitting in a major Chinese population center and all hell breaks loose, there’s probably a missile coming your way.
This is why, from 1962 until Putin and Xi, the great powers did not threaten each other with nukes and avoided direct confrontation.
So, whoever hacked our satellites, well, that’s not possible, but we’ll get you for having done it. It would be hilarious if not terrifying.
Last I checked, Russian nuclear forces are on alert. If Russian satellites are hacked, then the Russians may be blind. That’s means they might not be able to see a NATO nuclear launch. Which will make everyone on the Russian side terrified and a time when they are under unbelievable stress with their fingers on the nuclear trigger.
This is exactly what we’re trying to avoid. It’s bad enough that all this could go nuclear. (50/50 odds, my best guess.) It’s even worse when the other side cannot see that you are not launching your missiles.
And keep in mind, dear ltr, if you are sitting in a major Chinese population center and all hell breaks loose, there’s probably a missile coming your way.
This is why, from 1962 until Putin and Xi, the great powers did not threaten each other with nukes and avoided direct confrontation.
https://www.the-sun.com/tech/4812686/russia-space-hack-satellites-war/
this is why rational people have not been advocating for boots on the ground in Ukraine. we need adults in the room. the spanking will come later.
Oh wow – he is trying to scare the West. Look if Putin decides to attack a NATO nation, the response will destroy him swiftly. Do not fall for his bluffing.