Politics

[375 Ruger Fan]

Ward "Mooch" Carroll is a retired Navy F-14 RIO. Towards the end of this short video he asks, "When are we going to quit shooting at the arrows (drones) and go after the archer?"

 

[Altitude sickness]

I’m old enough to remember when Obama’s Secretary of State ran around with a plastic red reset button for Russia.

While at the same time laughing at the Mitt Romney statement, that he still viewed Russia as a threat.

“ The 80s called and they want their foreign policy back” I think it was. Oh, how enlightened Obama was

Unfortunately, many Republicans like Romney still played by rules of decency, and was chewed up and spit out by the leftist machine.

That’s what brought us Trump, the Right got tired of republicans getting their rear handed to them by socialist sympathizers.

Finally somebody that would play by their system of no holds barred politics. Bring them into the light. Showing the media and DC cabal for what it is.

McCain and Romney got beat by Saul Alinsky wannabe’s

 

[Red Leg]

Ward "Mooch" Carroll is a retired Navy F-14 RIO. Towards the end of this short video he asks, "When are we going to quit shooting at the arrows (drones) and go after the archer?"

The moment the Houthis launched those two anti-ship missiles at that destroyer a de facto state of war should have existed between the US and the Houthi movement.

 

[Altitude sickness]

And who is pushing the Houthis out in front of themselves.

We are in the same position with Iran that we were with China and Russia in the mid 1940s

Then the crazy talk was to deal with China and Russia then instead of later

We should take the gloves off Israel, and give them what they need to cut off the tentacles of Iran

And perhaps stop sending Iran pallets of money in the middle of the night

 

[Red Leg]

Meanwhile, back at the war. Another of these inexplicable Russian assaults. Three Russian armored fighting vehicles led by a tank attempt an attack against a Ukrainian position. The lead tank is hit followed by each of the armored fighting vehicles, two of which suffer catastrophic destruction no doubt killing the infantry riding in them. The Ukrainians follow with a cluster rounds to take out any infantry or crewman who may have survived.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/18st50k

 

[rigbymauser]

Meanwhile, back at the war. Another of these inexplicable Russian assaults. Three Russian armored fighting vehicles led by a tank attempt an attack against a Ukrainian position. The lead tank is hit followed by each of the armored fighting vehicles, two of which suffer catastrophic destruction no doubt killing the infantry riding in them. The Ukrainians follow with a cluster rounds to take out any infantry or crewman who may have survived.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/18st50k

Many went.....even more yet to go.

 

[WAB]

It’s insanity! Even if they don’t give a rat’s ass for their men, they’re still an asset that they are just throwing away. How long will Russian families put up with this?

 

[sestoppelman]

I’m old enough to remember when Obama’s Secretary of State ran around with a plastic red reset button for Russia.

While at the same time laughing at the Mitt Romney statement, that he still viewed Russia as a threat.

“ The 80s called and they want their foreign policy back” I think it was. Oh, how enlightened Obama was

Unfortunately, many Republicans like Romney still played by rules of decency, and was chewed up and spit out by the leftist machine.

That’s what brought us Trump, the Right got tired of republicans getting their rear handed to them by socialist sympathizers.

Finally somebody that would play by their system of no holds barred politics. Bring them into the light. Showing the media and DC cabal for what it is.

McCain and Romney got beat by Saul Alinsky wannabe’s

I voted for both McCain and Romney. McCain is gone so I wont say anything about him, but Romney, sadly has gone the way of woke and stupid and if he was running against Biden I would probably either not vote or vote for RFK or something, but I sure would NOT vote for Fink Romney, a total turncoat A Hole.

 

[Red Leg]

I voted for both McCain and Romney. McCain is gone so I wont say anything about him, but Romney, sadly has gone the way of woke and stupid and if he was running against Biden I would probably either not vote or vote for RFK or something, but I sure would NOT vote for Fink Romney, a total turncoat A Hole.

Now you finally understand how I feel about Trump!!!!!!

 

[sestoppelman]

Now you finally understand how I feel about Trump!!!!!!

Oh I understand.

In a perfect world neither he nor Biden would be on the ballot, but they likely will be, and if so I will surely pull the lever for Trump over Biden.
I prefer Trumps bull in a China closet approach to things over Bidens ruin America first approach.

 

[Corey0372]

As we have noted here, some of our non-American members characterize the US as naïve. It is one of those generalizations that sticks because there is an element of truth. I would argue, post war Germany has sometimes been far too worldly and sophisticated for its own good. Whether the German people were fully on board with Merkel's voluntary bondage to Russia was irrelevant from an American national interest perspective. Even Obama, with his own issues of self-perceived intellectual sophistication, expressed deep concerns about European and specifically German dependence on Russian gas - shackles made far more binding by the voluntary closure of Germany's nuclear power production capability

I would add that some (probably most) nations in the world are better prepared, or at least more receptive, to the idea of a multi polar world than the US is, and that going forward there is inevitably going to be things that happen that will make the US upset, and even feel betrayed. Many in Germany would probably feel the same way about the US telling them they're too worldy for their own good. Like you said, national interests do drive relations between nations, even if it means sidelining the US.

This whole Prosperity Guardian fiasco has been an interesting thing to watch in regards to US standing.

 

[Red Leg]

I would add that some (probably most) nations in the world are better prepared, or at least more receptive, to the idea of a multi polar world than the US is, and that going forward there is inevitably going to be things that happen that will make the US upset, and even feel betrayed. Many in Germany would probably feel the same way about the US telling them they're too worldy for their own good. Like you said, national interests do drive relations between nations, even if it means sidelining the US.

This whole Prosperity Guardian fiasco has been an interesting thing to watch in regards to US standing.

I truly do not believe the idea of multi-polarism is an incentive one way or the other with regard to US foreign policy. With acknowledgement to deviations like post-911 Iraq and poor old Gaddafi, our national interests and resulting actions are actually pretty simple to understand. We are a mercantile power. The largest and most powerful in the history of the planet. Our standard of living and freedom of action are derived by our unfettered access to world markets. Virtually every international action since the War of 1812 can be traced to the pursuit of those interests. I am not sure a parallel, particularly with respect to how those interests are furthered and protected, has really existed since the Phoenicians. The British empire had a similar economic foundation, but its management through colonialism was very different.

Therefore, I don't think we really are ever "upset" or feel "betrayed" by allies. We may very well conclude that actions they have taken are not in our national interests, and inevitably there will be some consequence to those actions. Fortunately, with an economy as large as the United States, those consequences, with respect to allies, are rarely military in nature.

I think it is also quite possible for nations, to include this one, to take actions that are not in their national interests. It happens because of the prisms of ideology (Vietnam perhaps), anger (Iraq), or a deal so seemingly good that it is impossible to ignore (Nord Stream). A new one may well be Prosperity Guardian where we seem determined to lead from behind and protect our trade interests through a defensive strategy. I think we deserve whatever criticism we are earning.

 

[Corey0372]

I truly do not believe the idea of multi-polarism is an incentive one way or the other with regard to US foreign policy. With acknowledgement to deviations like post-911 Iraq and poor old Gaddafi, our national interests and resulting actions are actually pretty simple to understand. We are a mercantile power. The largest and most powerful in the history of the planet. Our standard of living and freedom of action are derived by our unfettered access to world markets. Virtually every international action since the War of 1812 can be traced to the pursuit of those interests. I am not sure a parallel, particularly with respect to how those interests are furthered and protected, has really existed since the Phoenicians. The British empire had a similar economic foundation, but its management through colonialism was very different.

I agree with the comparison between the US and the Phoenicians. It's funny because in "Last War of the World Island" Dugin makes the exact same observation about the Thalassocratic nature of the US. He goes on to say that from that perspective, the US/NATO alliance (US/UK in particular) are Carthage, and Russia is Rome. He added a bit from Chesterton in there for good measure, kinda makes you go hmmmm...... haha

 

[Red Leg]

I agree with the comparison between the US and the Phoenicians. It's funny because in "Last War of the World Island" Dugin makes the exact same observation about the Thalassocratic nature of the US. He goes on to say that from that perspective, the US/NATO alliance (US/UK in particular) are Carthage, and Russia is Rome. He added a bit from Chesterton in there for good measure, kinda makes you go hmmmm...... haha

Without Western Europe they are the Huns.

 

[Corey0372]

Without Western Europe they are the Huns.

Wait..... WWI propaganda told me they were the good guys and Charles I and the Kaisers men were the Huns? And that we needed to change street names in midwestern cities, haha!

 

[flatwater bill]

In what parallel Universe would someone NOT believe that the US aided Ukraine in blowing up Nord Stream? Of course, $197 million dollars a day also helped. FWB

 

[mark-hunter]

Respectfully, "according to current and former Ukrainian and US officials." means - based on unnamed sources.
Basically this is not headline news. Everybody, like various portals, newspapers, bloggers etc... are speculating on this, this is one of the examples.

 

[Red Leg]

I love the insight provided by these clips from the Russian talk shows. Remember that they are state-sponsored and represent approved messaging from the Kremlin. First of all the Schadenfreude is so perfectly Russian - there is darkness and evil everywhere all of which is determined to destroy Russia. Then the abrupt swing to messaging about the West's jealousy over their economy (the largest in Europe will come as some surprise to Germany, Great Britain, and France let alone the EU as a whole). their army is the best in the world, their quality of life is superior, Moscow is the most modern city on the planet, and the West is jealous of their highways and infrastructure.

In trying to understand this somewhat bi-polar worldview, one has to remember these shows are aimed at the Russian populace in general. The families sending their husbands, sons, and fathers to die or be maimed in Ukraine are not from among the elite. Indeed, proportionately relatively few come from the greater Moscow region at all. The majority of the target audience will have likely never traveled abroad - many will have never been to Moscow or St. Petersburg.

In that population's mind Putin and his propagandists need to completely erase the idea that Russia invaded Ukraine. At worst their sons are fighting a preemptive war against NATO whose forces are poised to invade the Motherland. They are replicating the heroism of their grandfathers halting the Wehrmacht in Stalingrad. It will be interesting to see how long they can maintain this narrative. Lots of Russians are being killed and badly wounded in Ukraine. That reality, totally suppressed by the Kremlin, is becoming more real each day even in the Hinterlands of Russia. It is a counter narrative standing in dramatic contrast to the propaganda on the evening news and talk shows.

 

[Altitude sickness]

 

[Altitude sickness]

99% of the Russian (proper) population does not trust the propaganda. That news report is merely to please the new Politburo