Politics

[SaintPanzer]

Kevin P - the US Constitution has two methods of removing a sitting Pres: Impeachment as already mentioned and the 25th Amendment. The 25th in simple explanation allows the Pres's Cabinet to declare the Pres unfit (mentally or physically).

In both cases the line of succession goes to the Vice Pres and then the Speaker of the House. In this instance it might be a case of jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

The 25th Amendment part is a little more convoluted. VP and Cabinet declare "unfit", But if the President then declares "fit", he resumes office, but the VP and Cabinet have 4 days to say "au contraire". Thereupon Congress has a very limited window to vote to decide the issue. This vote requires a 2/3rds vote in both houses. That's a précis, it's a little more involved, but you get the idea.

Also, Speaker is 3rd in line if POTUS AND VPOTUS are unavailable. Otherwise, VP moves up, and then nominates a new VP, which is approved with the advice and consent of the Senate. Don't take my word for that part. Ask Gerald Ford. Speaker remains Speaker.

Of course, the VP could nominate the current speaker, and in theory the Senate could approve that... but then you'd get a new speaker, as voted on in the house. Considering today's divide, I don't see that happening at all.

 

[One Day...]

...
To try to regain the momentum, the Russians are moving another group of BGTs from the Russian Far East and some from the 1st Tank Guards Army. The latter is potentially significant. The 1st TGA is tasked with regime protection and is located around Moscow. It is the best equipped force in the Russian Army and may deploy with the T-14 main battle tank...

FYI, the T14 program has accumulated more than a decade of delay. It is murmured by those in the know that the dozen or so that participate annually in the Red Square military parade are the only ones in existence! One more piece of info for your Russian military incompetence thread Joe...

Tass, the official Russian news agency did confirm it in its own way on March 2021, saying that the first deliveries would take place in 2022.

Considering that we are in March, i.e. early in 2022, and considering the training required and the inevitable debugging of new tanks when delivered to actual units, it looks quite unlikely that we will see the T14 in Ukraine any time soon...

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

If a plane disappeared and went into the Black Sea, making a hole in the surface as it crashed, Would CNN claim that the plane disappeared into a Black Hole?

Could happen, but I don't watch CNN. Black Holes are certainly interesting, you might even say, Black Holes matter. Didn't Chris Cuomo fall into a Black Hole and disappear?

 

[One Day...]

Arabs - with less training than the Russians. Little more than very cold targets.

True enough, but with one more sinister side...

The French military has acquired an extensive generational experience with the issue, and the darker side is the propension of said "combatants" to commit unspeakable atrocities on prisoners and civilians alike. Somehow their fighting spirit seems to surge when dealing with men handcuffed and women.

The issue of foreign mercenaries and militia exactions is a well known one, that is generally multiplied exponentially when cultural and religious issues are added to the mix...

Good luck to the Russian junior or even senior officers with this one..........................................

 

[CraigV]

FYI, the T14 program has accumulated more than a decade of delay. It is murmured by those in the know that the dozen or so that participate annually in the Red Square military parade are the only ones in existence! One more piece of info for your Russian military incompetence thread Joe...

Tass, the official Russian news agency did confirm it in its own way on March 2021, saying that the first deliveries would take place in 2022.

View attachment 458083

Considering that we are in March, i.e. early in 2022, and considering the training required and the inevitable debugging of new tanks when delivered to actual units, it looks quite unlikely that we will see the T14 in Ukraine any time soon...

I've heard stories from Russians while working there, that for the Military Parade, often the side of the vehicles that faced the dais had fresh paint, but the other side was knackered. Also that units would hand off their weapons upon leaving the square to other units awaiting to march through. Lots of smoke and mirrors.

Like many things in life, Red Square is smaller in person than it appears on TV.

 

[Hunter4752001]

First let me be upfront and state that European history has never been my area, so take the following as little more than an opinion:

I suspect that irrelevant of victory or defeat in Ukraine, Putin has sowed the seeds of his own downfall. The Russian Revolution of 1917 was in large part triggered by the return of large numbers of Russian soldiers pissed off at being sent to the slaughter of WW1 and thoroughly pissed of at the atrocious leadership failures from the Generals and the Tsar. Add in the economic factors and the scene was set for the complete overthrow of the existing order. Although the Bolsheviks were able exploit this more their own ends, I suspect ideology played little part for the average Russian.

Fast forward to the late 1980s. A non functional economy causing most Russians to live in poverty. Many families having suffered losses due to the Afghan war. The image of the invincible Russian Army is destroyed by it being defeated by third world tribesmen. With widespread suffering, ethnic divisions and a loss of belief in the system, the USSR goes into collapse.

Starting to sound very similar to today's events. The great Russian Army is making little progress. Despite incessant propaganda, thousands of Russian families are being confronted by reality as they are informed of the death of their sons in the war. Even more will see the ongoing numbers of severely wounded/disabled veterans returning from the conflict zone. The economy is already nose diving and will continue to do for for many years as Russia has been turned into a pariah state. It is likely this will be felt even more strongly in the Far East regions where a disproportionate number of the intial troops appear to have been drawn from. Particularly those of non-Rusian ethnicity will wonder why their sons were sent to slaughter for the sake of Moscow based elites.

 

[Newboomer]

Very powerful and oh, so true. I hope it spreads across the globe.

Well Fauci's back. Listening to the news on the way to work today, I heard him spouting off about another variant in the UK that he says is more infectious than omicron...but it's symptoms are not as severe. I do believe he will be largely ignored. I'm sure he's having spotlight withdrawal.

Also, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Ben Stiller, in all of their infinite wisdom and expertise are protesting another oil pipeline...this time in Canada. Great timing fellas. Maybe they should whisk themselves over to Ukraine for a bit for a reality check.
I don't really understand their special kind of stupid, but I do admire their total commitment to it.

Oh, yes. Now that omicron is dying down that fraud has to invent another scare tactic to screw up the works and chisel a few more bucks and maybe kill some more people. He should be behind bars and injected with a double dose of his poison.

 

[Ray B]

Could happen, but I don't watch CNN. Black Holes are certainly interesting, you might even say, Black Holes matter. Didn't Chris Cuomo fall into a Black Hole and disappear?

Guess you missed Don Lemon's comments re Flight MH370

 

[Newboomer]

What could hopefully happen is that the midterms run nasty piglosi and a bunch of those dinosaurs out, Bidumb gets impeached, the whore becomes pres, she gets impeached and we finally get someone with some sense in office. May sound farfetched, but wouldn't it be great?

 

[Ray B]

I suspect the adversarial leaders are more pleased that the military leaders such as Milley and that guy that wants to be a woman are running the military than with any of the present civilian leaders. China must feel quite confident to know that they will get a warning from Milley in the event that the US would take any measures against China.

 

[Hogpatrol]

China has a LOT more to lose in a kerfuffle with the U.S., like a couple hundred million jobs and civil unrest as a result. We actually have China by the balls right now but for how long is anyone's guess. With the globalist money people running the world, it's probably not for long. They don't want anyone to be an elephant in the room.

 

[Scott CWO]

Guys, forgive my monotony, but I just can't get over the big picture. Isn't it patently obvious that Putin want's to recreate the Soviet Union, Xi wants to conquer Taiwan, Kim wants to conquer South Korea and Iran wants to obliterate Israel? Furthermore, isn't it obvious that the only thing that has a hope of stopping any of them is the USA? So isn't the answer utterly simple - either the USA stops them or we accept all of the above and call it a day? Or have I got it wrong and each of these battles is to be allowed to play itself out to the bloody conclusion one way or the other as your clown president licks ice cream? It is not so much that he is incompetent, but that he doesn't project the strength to dissuade the errant actors, nobody takes him seriously. I fear the mid terms and the impeachment process will be too late. Pelosi needs to act, or one of the generals - there is just too much at stake. Tell me I am over reacting and I will gladly go back to hunting impala, but right now I am very unsettled.

I understand your thoughts but I think the international response and unity of the West against Russia will slow China’s roll towards Taiwan for a while.

 

[Newboomer]

China has a LOT more to lose in a kerfuffle with the U.S., like a couple hundred million jobs and civil unrest as a result. We actually have China by the balls right now but for how long is anyone's guess. With the globalist money people running the world, it's probably not for long. They don't want anyone to be an elephant in the room.

Their little biological experiment has come home to roost. Covid has hit China hard, raising hell with manufacturing, transportation, shpping and the workforce. It's going to hurt their economy but it will also affect everyone who receives their goods. As if things aren't bad enough already.

 

[Sabattiboy]

Guys, forgive my monotony, but I just can't get over the big picture. Isn't it patently obvious that Putin want's to recreate the Soviet Union, Xi wants to conquer Taiwan, Kim wants to conquer South Korea and Iran wants to obliterate Israel? Furthermore, isn't it obvious that the only thing that has a hope of stopping any of them is the USA? So isn't the answer utterly simple - either the USA stops them or we accept all of the above and call it a day? Or have I got it wrong and each of these battles is to be allowed to play itself out to the bloody conclusion one way or the other as your clown president licks ice cream? It is not so much that he is incompetent, but that he doesn't project the strength to dissuade the errant actors, nobody takes him seriously. I fear the mid terms and the impeachment process will be too late. Pelosi needs to act, or one of the generals - there is just too much at stake. Tell me I am over reacting and I will gladly go back to hunting impala, but right now I am very unsettled.

I think Pelosi is in cahoots with him so why would she remove him.

 

[Red Leg]

The latest update from the Institute for War is worth reading. They have concluded that the Russian offensive has culminated across the line of contact. That is a remarkable achievement of arms by the Ukrainian military, but also a concern for the future course of the conflict which could turn into a WWI like stalemate.

For whatever it is worth, and outside the scope of the IW analysis, I personally question whether Putin or his economy can sustain such a war of attrition.

Institute for the Study of War

This page collects ISW and CTP's updates on the conflict in Ukraine. In late February 2022, ISW began publishing daily synthetic products covering key events related to renewed Russian aggression against Ukraine.

www.understandingwar.org

 

[Ray B]

Thanks for the update @Red Leg . If I understood the information, Ukraine has considerable forces that are presently in other population centers in reserve pending a Russian attack against those centers. If that is the case it would seem that when/if the Russian offensive stalls as it appears shortly to be the case, those cities would face little risk of attack and a freeing up of those forces to move against the Russians near Kyiv and the eastern towns.

In the trench warfare being described it seems to me that the South-Western end of the Kyiv trench would not be a pleasant place to be assigned.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

I may have missed this elsewhere in this thread. @Red Leg ... What is your opinion of the possibility the Ukrainian military could flip the script and start to actually push Russia back?

 

[Hunter4752001]

I note reports that Russia has used its Kinzhal hypersonic missile against a Ukraine munitions storage facility. This could be interpreted as:
i. An oportunity to test the system in actual combat conditions, or
ii. Given that the Kinzhal can be fitted with either HE or nuke warhead, it could be interpreted as a warning to the world that they're prepared to go nuclear, or
iii. That the campaign has so seriously consumed their missile resources, that they are now having to deplete strategic weapons system.

If the IW assessment is correct, it will probably mean even greater use of missiles and Arty against Ukraine cities and the civilian residents. I would almost expect the Russians will be rolling out their reserves of early generation tactical ballistic missiles. You don't need much in the way of accuracy if all you intend to do is create random destruction.

 

[Sabattiboy]

So amid all the pretense purpose of NATO, EU and the UN what does it matter? Any country or faction, Rebel group etc, that wants to attack another country or demographic is allowed to as long as they toss out some reason for it. Any country or demographic that is not allied with a major level power is SOL because they don't own a set of Nukes, or worse been talked out of having some believing they will be protected. Police play around with gangs and every decade or so bust a handful. How quaint. They largely operate unhindered as do global gangs whatever form they are in.
So the real question to ask is what difference is there in how countries/people operate today vs 500 or 1000 or 5000 years ago? Kings gave daughters to others kings to hope the alliance will keep the stronger one from attacking them. Some sent tribute paying for protection some were forced to pay tribute. Same thing on a bigger scale of giving the school bullies your lunch money to keep them from beating you or someone else up. Justice departments mead out punishment when they feel like it gives a good impression to the public. North Korea keeps his cabinet in line by blasting with antiaircraft guns any that might not catch his eye just right on any given day. As long as we all pretend we are civilized we can banter rules and if after the war or skirmish is over and however many are dead they can write a nasty letter or two and threatened to charge them in the world court for crimes. Or is it just a case of population reduction to somehow reduce global warming and killing off a few thousand or million is just helping the rest of us?
The only one we have fooled is ourselves.

 

[spike.t]

BBC News - Ukraine war: Western agents seek to get inside Putin's head

Ukraine war: Western agents seek to get inside Putin's head

Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine shook the West. Now its leaders are trying to predict his next move.

www.bbc.co.uk