Politics

[Wheels]

 

[PARA45]

 

[Silvine]

 

[Silvine]

 

[PARA45]

 

[Brent in Az]

LOL...

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

The most annoying thing about Democrats, and there are many, is their refusal to take responsibility for their buggar ups. The border, the classified documents, it goes on and on. The denial and inaction on the border is probably Biden's doing alone. But the whole structure is complicit in this documents saga. I used to feel it was probably preferable to just let him stay in place, but the damage is mounting up. Of course the Senate has to agree to impeach him, is it there yet?

 

[CoElkHunter]

The most annoying thing about Democrats, and there are many, is their refusal to take responsibility for their buggar ups. The border, the classified documents, it goes on and on. The denial and inaction on the border is probably Biden's doing alone. But the whole structure is complicit in this documents saga. I used to feel it was probably preferable to just let him stay in place, but the damage is mounting up. Of course the Senate has to agree to impeach him, is it there yet?

The question is, would the Senate want to impeach him? The absolutely incompetent witch from the West would then become President. Either way, we’re screwed.

 

[bowjijohn]

I’m hearing that this story is huge in the States?

The deliberate ending of Joe in anticipation of some new young leftie for next election?

This story is yet to surface over here but surely it is profoundly significant

Not the least that apparently the FBI sat on it till after the mid terms?

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Is it a given that if they take Biden down Trump will be taken down too?

 

[bowjijohn]

Trump might bounce back in a sympathy response?

I hope not, I’ve grown weary of his childish ways

the Florida guy looks a more suitable candidate?

 

[Ray B]

The Republicans (IMO) have the easier road to the 2024 election. It may involve a change of party leadership, but they need to get up to speed on the legal methods of getting ballots voted. Regarding trump & any challengers, the primary process will sort that. Then there's the entire list of screw-ups that the Ds have done starting with their first day in office.
The D's have decisions to make- keep Biden and let the primary process sort out the candidate, or have him resign, making Kampala Kamala pres til the election; or fire her and replace with the real candidate, so that he can run as an incumbent. Any way they do it there will be a lot of upset people and upset people don't vote.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

How do the primaries work, who votes for the candidate? What is the probability of DeSantis beating Trump?

 

[Major Bonkers]

Two newspaper articles on how the Ukrainians are managing to gain a tactical edge over the Russians by leveraging information technology. The main reason seems to be a Ukrainian computer programme named 'Delta', which overlays battlefield information - sightings by ground units, cellphone triangulation, drone reconnaissance, and so on - over a computerised map with - presumably - GPS coordinates embedded. It is not quite 'real time', but it as fast as current technology will allow and certainly better than the analogue paper maps and non-computerised fire control that the Russians will be using. This is then transmitted through Mr. Musk's 'Starlink' satellite constellation from the analysis headquarters to the artillery unit.

It may be that when the history of this war comes to be written that Elon Musk will be credited as the man who did more than anyone else - including most European countries - to help the Ukraine.

I am sure that I saw a brief YouTube video with a journalist walking round the Delta HQ and being shown how it all works but, in the usual way, I am now unable to find it again.

Two newspaper reports below. The second, 'Telegraph', one is copied in full as it is behind a paywall. Interestingly, it dates from March last year.

'Our weapons are computers'; Ukrainian coders aim to gain battlefield edge

Elon Musk's Starlink helping Ukraine win the drone war

The advanced satellite system keeps the army connected despite power outages and helps forces to target Russian tanks and positions

ByNick Allen and James Titcomb18 March 2022 • 8:36pm

Ukraine's Aerorozvidka unit can direct drones from a laptop using the Starlink system

Elon Musk's Starlink satellite system is helping Ukrainian forces win the drone war as they use the technology in their effort to track and kill invading Russians.
In the vanguard of Ukraine's astonishingly effective military effort against Vladimir Putin's forces is a unit called Aerorozvidka (Aerial Reconnaissance) which is using surveillance and attack drones to target Russian tanks and positions.
Amid internet and power outages, which are expected to get worse, Ukraine is turning to the newly available Starlink system for some of its communications.
Drone teams in the field, sometimes in badly connected rural areas, are able to use Starlink to connect them to targeters and intelligence on their battlefield database. They can direct the drones to drop anti-tank munitions, sometimes flying up silently to Russian forces at night as they sleep in their vehicles.

The Aerorozvidka team tracks Russian targets using the Starlink system CREDIT: Facebook

The drone can then make a precise hit CREDIT: Facebook
PD-1 unmanned aerial vehicles, which have a wingspan of 10ft and are fitted with infrared sensors, are also used to collect information on Russian troop movements. The Kremlin has responded furiously to the involvement of Starlink in Ukraine.
Dmitry Rogozin, director general of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, said: "This is the West that we should never trust. When Russia implements its highest national interests on the territory of Ukraine, Elon Musk appears with his Starlink which was previously declared as purely civilian.

"I warned about it, but our "muskophiles" said he is the light of world cosmonautics. Here, look, he has chosen the side."
The Ukrainian drone unit uses a sophisticated system called "Delta" which has been built over recent years with help from Western advisers and can be accessed from basic laptops.
It includes “situational awareness” software which creates an interactive map, incorporating imagery from drones, satellites, sensors and human intelligence so the enemy can be tracked. Delta is said to be compatible with Nato systems, and to have been tested in the Sea Breeze military exercise in the Black Sea last year, which involved the US, Ukraine and 30 other nations.
The Ukrainian system benefitted from equipment given by Western countries, including radio communications which superceded Soviet-era technology, and the US has also poured in millions of dollars to protect against Russian hacking, jamming of signals and attempts to "spoof" GPS technology.

A member of the Aerorozvidka unit with a drone CREDIT: Facebook
However, there have been fears it could be affected by internet disruption as Russia continues to degrade Ukraine's infrastructure. Shortly after Russia’s invasion Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's vice-prime minister, asked Mr Musk on Twitter to "provide Ukraine with Starlink stations".
Within hours Mr Musk tweeted back:

Starlink uses a “megaconstellation” of thousands of small satellites orbiting the Earth at 340 miles above the planet’s surface. The aim is to bring internet access to rural and poorly connected parts of the globe.
Base stations on Earth beam radio waves up to the satellites, which in turn send them down to a satellite dish terminal on the ground. Internet connections can be fast because they travel through the vacuum of space, and Starlink’s lower orbit allows for signals to travel more quickly, meaning speeds can rival home broadband connections.
More than 2,000 satellites have been launched to date, with plans for around 12,000 in total. In the 48 hours after Starlink was turned on in Ukraine, trucks arrived carrying Starlink terminals which include a satellite dish. There were also adapters allowing them to be powered by connecting to vehicle cigarette lighters, or battery packs, and a "roaming" feature for connectivity on the move.

At least one more delivery has taken place since in the effort to keep Ukraine's population online. On Sunday Starlink became the most downloaded app in Ukraine, and more than 100,000 people in the country are using the connection, which can handle video calls and other "high-data" functions. But its usefulness for the military is also becoming increasingly apparent.
Should Ukraine's internet largely collapse, the "drone warriors" of Aerorozvidka would still be able to communicate with their bases by sending signals from mobile Starlink terminals, and using ground stations in neighbouring countries including Poland.
For the Aerorozvidka volunteers, it is a long way from the beginnings of the unit in 2014. It was formed following the outbreak of war in eastern Ukraine by a group of civilian model airplane enthusiasts and people with engineering backgrounds.
They helped build drones and sensors for the military to monitor the border, including fitting cameras on top of tall poles. They also adapted commercially available drones to gather intelligence and drop homemade explosives, and began making their own missiles.
A crowdfunding effort was launched to help build a large attack drone. In the first few years two members of the unit were killed, including co-founder Kochetkov-Sukach Vladimir Vyacheslavovich.
As it became increasingly successful it was integrated into the organisational structure of the Ukrainian armed forces, allowing them to share intelligence with the army and air force, and interact and be trained by foreign military advisers.
Now the drone squads face increasing danger as the Russians try to track them, and they have to move frequently. Drones are proving so effective that the Pentagon feels supplying Ukraine with aircraft is not necessary. Instead, it is now sending more lethal Switchblades - so-called “kamikaze drones” - which were designed for US special forces, can be carried in a backpack and can destroy a tank.
As Ukraine's internet is inevitably degraded, Starlink will be an alternative. General James Dickinson, commander of US Space Command, told the Senate armed services committee: "What we’re seeing with Elon Musk and the Starlink capabilities is really showing us what a megaconstellation, or a proliferated architecture, can provide in terms of redundancy and capability."

 

[spike.t]

Schools no longer teach critical thinking. The woke cancel culture would not be possible if people thought for themselves. It does not bode well for the future.

Hopefully he made some think.....in a debate at the Oxford union

 

[Jfet]

How do the primaries work

This could be like trying to explain the rules for cricket.

In Texas, because that is the state I am familiar with, and each state can have different rules, a Republican Party Primary will be held in the spring before the presidential election. Each of the Republican candidates will come to the state, make speeches, shake hands, and kiss babies several days before the vote. Then the people who are registered Republican go vote and they elect the delegates from the State of Texas for the Republican Convention. Generally, which ever candidate gets the most votes in Texas will then get all of the delegates. This can be different in some states because the delegates that are chosen to attend the Republican Convention can be apportioned based on votes for each candidate. The delegates themselves are people that are involved in the Republican Party at the local level in Texas. Some states use a caucus system and I have a greater understanding of how my wife thinks than I do of that system.

In the summer the Republican Party will hold their convention and these delegates will attend. They will wear funny hats, maybe drink to much alcohol, and dance in the aisles during the convention after a speech that they like. Eventually, there is a roll call of the states and the speaker of each state’s delegates will announce how many delegates will vote for which candidate. Today, it is an orchestrated event and usually takes only one roll call to elect the Republican Candidate for President. Back in the day, this could be quite a lengthy process and require many back room deals.

The Democrats do something similar but different.

 

[bowjijohn]

This could be like trying to explain the rules for cricket.

In Texas, because that is the state I am familiar with, and each state can have different rules, a Republican Party Primary will be held in the spring before the presidential election. Each of the Republican candidates will come to the state, make speeches, shake hands, and kiss babies several days before the vote. Then the people who are registered Republican go vote and they elect the delegates from the State of Texas for the Republican Convention. Generally, which ever candidate gets the most votes in Texas will then get all of the delegates. This can be different in some states because the delegates that are chosen to attend the Republican Convention can be apportioned based on votes for each candidate. The delegates themselves are people that are involved in the Republican Party at the local level in Texas. Some states use a caucus system and I have a greater understanding of how my wife thinks than I do of that system.

In the summer the Republican Party will hold their convention and these delegates will attend. They will wear funny hats, maybe drink to much alcohol, and dance in the aisles during the convention after a speech that they like. Eventually, there is a roll call of the states and the speaker of each state’s delegates will announce how many delegates will vote for which candidate. Today, it is an orchestrated event and usually takes only one roll call to elect the Republican Candidate for President. Back in the day, this could be quite a lengthy process and require many back room deals.

The Democrats do something similar but different.

Nope

cricket is much easier to understand

 

[wesheltonj]

This could be like trying to explain the rules for cricket.

In Texas, because that is the state I am familiar with, and each state can have different rules, a Republican Party Primary will be held in the spring before the presidential election. Each of the Republican candidates will come to the state, make speeches, shake hands, and kiss babies several days before the vote. Then the people who are registered Republican go vote and they elect the delegates from the State of Texas for the Republican Convention. Generally, which ever candidate gets the most votes in Texas will then get all of the delegates. This can be different in some states because the delegates that are chosen to attend the Republican Convention can be apportioned based on votes for each candidate. The delegates themselves are people that are involved in the Republican Party at the local level in Texas. Some states use a caucus system and I have a greater understanding of how my wife thinks than I do of that system.

In the summer the Republican Party will hold their convention and these delegates will attend. They will wear funny hats, maybe drink to much alcohol, and dance in the aisles during the convention after a speech that they like. Eventually, there is a roll call of the states and the speaker of each state’s delegates will announce how many delegates will vote for which candidate. Today, it is an orchestrated event and usually takes only one roll call to elect the Republican Candidate for President. Back in the day, this could be quite a lengthy process and require many back room deals.

The Democrats do something similar but different.

A good start, in addition after the primary vote, that night, each precinct will have a precinct meeting. Anyone who voted in that precinct can attend. Each precinct will vote to send delegates to their local state senatorial district meeting. It’s at this meet where the delegates from the precinct are chosen to attend the state convention. At the state convention the delegates are chosen to attend the national convention.

The vast majority of the voters, think they vote for the person, not realizing that it’s actually the delegates that vote for president.

 

[PARA45]

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

A good start, in addition after the primary vote, that night, each precinct will have a precinct meeting. Anyone who voted in that precinct can attend. Each precinct will vote to send delegates to their local state senatorial district meeting. It’s at this meet where the delegates from the precinct are chosen to attend the state convention. At the state convention the delegates are chosen to attend the national convention.

The vast majority of the voters, think they vote for the person, not realizing that it’s actually the delegates that vote for president.

Ok, but surely the Republican members who cast their initial ballots decide the outcome and the rest of these emisaries just deliver the result along?