The Bidens’ Influence Peddling Timeline 👇https://t.co/Toy2WMHWbt
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) July 18, 2023
I am surprised/didn't know they used so many Romanian banks/payments.
The Bidens’ Influence Peddling Timeline 👇https://t.co/Toy2WMHWbt
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) July 18, 2023
These neocons are beneath contempt. They take credit for keeping Americans safe during the Cold War — which wasn’t even their work — then blame the American people for their own disastrous mistakes in Iraq and Afghanistan. They lie us into war, then tell voters it’s their fault. https://t.co/zGQhTurw3D
— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) July 18, 2023
.@ComicDaveSmith: the debate the Establishment wants us to have on Ukraine is between Biden (“as much as it takes, for as long as it takes”) and Pence (“we’re not doing enough, fast enough”) when the real question is “why not focus on problems at home?”pic.twitter.com/j6z7SnuoBv
— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) July 18, 2023
We have tried, for 17mo, to help Ukraine defeat Russia w military means. Those efforts have not yielded results. It is time to explore diplomatic options to end the war. As I explain to @RStatecraft, the hr is late. To safeguard Ukraine, urgency is needed https://t.co/kKVB6yQc8Y
— Daniel L. Davis (@DanielLDavis1) July 19, 2023
Former Chief of the British General Staff, General Richard Dannatt, was so enthusiastic about the prospects for a successful counteroffensive that he said Vladimir Putin “may be swept out of the Kremlin.” pic.twitter.com/83urDVyrnZ
— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) July 20, 2023
Meanwhile, Russian grain prices logically have leapt:Quote:
We also know that Tu-22M3s specifically were up in the air, which typically launch Kh-22s, rather than the Kh-101s the Tu-95 Bears launch. So, all in all, last night was a smorgasbord of missiles which probably included: Kh-59s, Kh-22s, Kh-101s, Kalibrs, Onyx/P-800s, sub-launched P-120s and P-700s, and possibly even others like Kh-35s or Iskander-M or K (R-500) variant, as well as a mass of drones led by Gerans/Shaheds.
In short: it appears Russia has finished off Ukraine's port and grain future.
And presidential advisor Podolyak explains that it's not the carriers but the insurers who won't take up the risk on insuring ships crossing the contested warzone waters:Quote:
Not a single cargo ship will call at the ports of Ukraine on the Black Sea after the termination of the grain deal, Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, admitted on the air of the Rada TV channel.
"No country will dare to send its ships [to the ports of Ukraine]. And this is not a question of ships, this is a question of insurance companies," Podolyak said.
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Seeing that Ukraine is now doomed and stands no chance, with options running out, the U.S. intelligence state will push to accelerate the above developments so that they can unify Europe under one rule and then preferably use them as the next fodder with which to attempt to dismantle Russia.
In fact, in his new article, MK Bhadrakumar notes that "CDU's leading foreign and defence expert Roderich Kiesewetter (an ex-colonel who headed the Association of Reservists of the Bundeswehr from 2011 to 2016) suggested that if conditions warrant in the Ukraine situation, the Nato should consider to "cut off Kaliningrad from the Russian supply lines. We see how Putin reacts when he is under pressure."
The point being that, slowly, the powers are converging to continue their war on Russia in any way possible once Ukraine is used up and discarded like a wet rag. Unfortunately for them, Russia at that point will be by far the most experienced, powerful, and technologically advanced military nation in the world, having sharpened its teeth on NATO's latest and best thrown into the cauldron of the Ukrainian war.
We've seen them testing the waters before, with Lithuania attempting to blockade Kaliningrad last year by banning Russian trains, as well as the Baltic Sea nations, like Estonia and Finland, threatening to blockade the passage of Russian ships, which I wrote about extensively long ago. They have several means to do this, by extending their maritime economic zone borders and playing other such geographic 'technicality' tricks.
Now, Poland (as well as all of NATO in general) is setting up more and more troops near the Belarus and Kaliningrad border, and the Russian Duma Defense Committee chair already let the cat out the bag, as I mentioned here, about Wagner being positioned in Belarus for the purpose of defending the Suwalki corridor.
My prediction is the following: there are huge tectonic shifts currently underway for which the Ukrainian war serves only as a surface level symbolic playing field. The true play happening beneath the surface are the major moves that BRICS are making. Now that a lot of the long awaited summits and other milestones of the past few months have passed, the next big milestone to look forward to is the BRICS summit on August 24th in South Africa.
Amen to that. Clown world;Quote:
Though we may not know about the prevalence of covert information operations for some time, a pair of stories published last month offer a window into some more overt efforts to shape our perception of the war in Ukraine. First, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, a Ukraine correspondent for the New York Times, wrote a viral story detailing how Ukrainian press officers and some Western journalists have tried to downplay, justify, or cover up the use of Nazi symbols by Ukrainian soldiers.
One specific passage tells of Western photojournalists asking their subjects to remove patches with Nazi emblems before taking photos. By doing so, these journalists crossed the line from documenting their subjects to staging them.
On the same day, former New York Times media columnist Ben Smith published an article reporting that many Western journalists have grown frustrated with how the Ukrainian government uses access and accreditation to shape war coverage. For example, the Ukrainian military threatened to revoke a photojournalist's credentials after he took pictures of conscripted soldiers in a trench without the presence or permission of a military press officer.
In another example, an NBC News crew traveled to Crimea to interview residents about the war. After reporting that most people they talked to preferred that Crimea belonged to Russia, the Ukrainian government revoked NBC's credentials and confined their in-country crew to a hotel.
Smith even brings up Thomas Gibbons-Neff from above, who had his access and credentials revoked after reporting on Ukraine's use of banned cluster munitions. There's no question that, at least to some extent, the continual threat of a loss of access affects everyone reporting over there in an official capacity.
This is not a new or unusual technique. The US government used similar tactics to help shape the narrative of its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Most professional journalists struggle endlessly to find sources. So, by granting extensive access that can always be revoked, governments can run an effective carrot-and-stick ploy to control media coverage.
Our views of war are warped by design. Sure, the Russian regime is mounting a similar effort to control how the Russian people view the war, but it would be absurd to say that the Kremlin holds an influence over the American public that's even comparable to the US or Ukrainian governments.
Despite what the media, the government, or your middle school civics teacher wants you to think, you don't need to frantically keep up with the hourly developments in Eastern Europe to be a good citizen. But if you choose to follow this war, understand which parties have a hand in delivering whatever information you're consuming because not everyone is trying to tell you the truth.
If this is ‘winning’ imagine what losing would look like? pic.twitter.com/9EpfZoNxqB
— @amuse (@amuse) July 19, 2023
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We have tried, for 17mo, to help Ukraine defeat Russia w military means. Those efforts have not yielded results.
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Those ignorant of history passionately celebrating the needless loss of life as if that makes them brave and courageous are a sad sight to behold
Teslag said:Quote:
Those ignorant of history passionately celebrating the needless loss of life as if that makes them brave and courageous are a sad sight to behold
Good point. Let's take down the cenotaph in San Antonio and lament that Travis did not roll the red carpet out for Santa Anna.
Seems reasonable… https://t.co/697YxVk4hx
— @amuse (@amuse) July 20, 2023
ravingfans said:
Many believe, as I do that the peace negotiated near the first month of this war should have gone through and all would be reasonably well by now. The US "neocons"/Biden, etc wanted the war because it lines their pockets, and have stoked the fires this whole time.
Teslag said:
Do you think the morale of the Ukrainian military is higher today than it was in say, February of 2022 when he entire world expected them to get rolled by the end of March? They fought back, were successful enough that the West decided to go all in, and here they are after a year of taking back a significant portion of land the Russians took last year.
Many posters on this thread believed they should have simply dropped their weapons at the first site of a Russian, and capitulated entirely to Russian occupation.
texagbeliever said:
When I hear generals reporting on massively favorable conditions and then reality failing against it all I can think of is Passchendale. That French general basically slaughtered thousands and thousands of French (his army) because he wanted to win the war before the Americans came. He intentionally lied and decieved the war cabinet to be able to launch his assault. I fear much of the same is happening here.
I think this is worse because it is generals of other countries gladly sending the Ukranians to die for what is really their war too. Those ignorant of history passionately celebrating the needless loss of life as if that makes them brave and courageous are a sad sight to behold (cough trolls on this thread cough).
texagbeliever said:
Sometimes you respond not because you change the posters mind but you perhaps bring a readers mind to ponder the idea.
Tesla, an honest observation from me, unsolicited. You clearly have a strong desire for certainty and a bias for safety. That combination will make you vulnerable to being deceived and misled. Your takes on covid vaccine being exhibit A. Your posting on this thread exhibit B. Covid was dangerous. Russia is dangerous. So in your need to be safe you wanted to be certain in "victory" a vaccine or defeating Russia. It is a very poor prism with which to understand and interact with the world.
texagbeliever said:
Anyone who argues this is the "Ukrainians war" and they have a right to die for their country if that's what they want. We have to support them in their struggle because they are heroes. Just is cowardice.
This is all very interesting to watch play out politically in Europe. Surface level/long time ruling party decisions like with the SPD in Germany I think are under great strain for change. I don't know how it will play out, but I don't think the status quo will persist.Quote:
FYI: The **** is hitting the fan at an astonishing pace in Germany. The state of Lower Saxony (which is the heartland of Social Democrats of whom Chancelor Scholtz is a member and the seat of Volkswagen) has made a strident appeal to the federal government to lower energy prices ASAP but no later than the end of the year. The letter is cosigned by all unions and the representatives of industry. By German standards this is close to an insurrection. For whoever reads German:
https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/plus246444530/Energiepreise-Die-Sorge-vor-dem-wirtschaftlichen-GAU-und-der-laute-Hilferuf-an-Scholz.html
The federal government will not for long be able to continue with its green fantasies. That is supplant Russian gas with renewables and fracking gas from the US. I know from a participant that Peer Steinbrck, a leading member of the ruling SPD, told a gathering of bankers in Munich last summer that soon there will be Russian gas again. Then the pipelines were blown up... Remember what NATO is for: US in, Germany down and Russia out. The US empire in action...
J. Walter Weatherman said:texagbeliever said:
Anyone who argues this is the "Ukrainians war" and they have a right to die for their country if that's what they want. We have to support them in their struggle because they are heroes. Just is cowardice.
Quite a stretch to call that viewpoint "passionately celebrating the needless loss of life", no? Are you saying Ukrainians don't have a right to die for their country?
Such BS. No one is obligated to clear what they read with you.Teslag said:J. Walter Weatherman said:texagbeliever said:
Anyone who argues this is the "Ukrainians war" and they have a right to die for their country if that's what they want. We have to support them in their struggle because they are heroes. Just is cowardice.
Quite a stretch to call that viewpoint "passionately celebrating the needless loss of life", no? Are you saying Ukrainians don't have a right to die for their country?
Where this faux concern for the Ukrainian always falls apart is when the pusher of such falls right in line with Kremlin talking points, pro-Russian viewpoints on the cause of the war, etc.
As I have always said, there are just criticisms for our involvement and financial contribution. There is however no excuse to echo Russian propaganda and outright supporting their occupation.
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The quicker the UFA is utterly crushed
J. Walter Weatherman said:texagbeliever said:
Anyone who argues this is the "Ukrainians war" and they have a right to die for their country if that's what they want. We have to support them in their struggle because they are heroes. Just is cowardice.
Quite a stretch to call that viewpoint "passionately celebrating the needless loss of life", no? Are you saying Ukrainians don't have a right to die for their country?
texagbeliever said:
Anyone who argues this is the "Ukrainians war" and they have a right to die for their country if that's what they want. We have to support them in their struggle because they are heroes. Just is cowardice.
texagbeliever said:J. Walter Weatherman said:texagbeliever said:
Anyone who argues this is the "Ukrainians war" and they have a right to die for their country if that's what they want. We have to support them in their struggle because they are heroes. Just is cowardice.
Quite a stretch to call that viewpoint "passionately celebrating the needless loss of life", no? Are you saying Ukrainians don't have a right to die for their country?
Not really. They are fake risk taking at the expense of others. Any measure of hyperbole is warranted calling out such selfishness. I have read sufficient number of posts celebrating death on this thread that I would say calling it hyperbole is a stretch. You have too but are choosing to stick your head in the sand and claim the I didn't see it argument.
ABATTBQ11 said:texagbeliever said:
Anyone who argues this is the "Ukrainians war" and they have a right to die for their country if that's what they want. We have to support them in their struggle because they are heroes. Just is cowardice.
Capitulation in the face of aggression is cowardice. I'm sure if someone broke into your home, raped your wife, door your kids, and kicked you out at gunpoint you'd just say, "Hey, it's ok. You take the house and all the stuff. Here's the deed, too. Hope you enjoy it!"
ABATTBQ11 said:texagbeliever said:J. Walter Weatherman said:texagbeliever said:
Anyone who argues this is the "Ukrainians war" and they have a right to die for their country if that's what they want. We have to support them in their struggle because they are heroes. Just is cowardice.
Quite a stretch to call that viewpoint "passionately celebrating the needless loss of life", no? Are you saying Ukrainians don't have a right to die for their country?
Not really. They are fake risk taking at the expense of others. Any measure of hyperbole is warranted calling out such selfishness. I have read sufficient number of posts celebrating death on this thread that I would say calling it hyperbole is a stretch. You have too but are choosing to stick your head in the sand and claim the I didn't see it argument.
"Fake risk taking at the expense of others?" It's this serious? The Ukrainians are certainly not, "fake risk taking." You're sitting here talking about how they should be turning tail and giving up because there's too much "needless death" and then saying that the risk they're taking is fake?
Teslag said:texagbeliever said:
Sometimes you respond not because you change the posters mind but you perhaps bring a readers mind to ponder the idea.
Tesla, an honest observation from me, unsolicited. You clearly have a strong desire for certainty and a bias for safety. That combination will make you vulnerable to being deceived and misled. Your takes on covid vaccine being exhibit A. Your posting on this thread exhibit B. Covid was dangerous. Russia is dangerous. So in your need to be safe you wanted to be certain in "victory" a vaccine or defeating Russia. It is a very poor prism with which to understand and interact with the world.
Thanks doc, I'll make sure and pay the receptionist on the way out.
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The smarter choice is to concede the house because losing is inevitable
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Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., a member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, told USA TODAY he will not support a Ukraine funding supplemental bill.
"There's been zero accountability, zero strategy and zero plan to end the conflict from the Biden administration," Bishop said. "They want to ratchet up our involvement and make the taxpayers foot the bill.
"It's alarming, and I don't see how anyone rational can continue to support this blank-check policy."
ICYMI: 83 US Senators voted to let Brussels declare war on behalf of the United States. https://t.co/PuZy4DnAKg
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) July 20, 2023
We voted on legislation to require a strategy for US involvement in Ukraine.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) July 16, 2023
Unbelievably, it failed 301 to 129.
No Democrats voted for it.
Here’s a link to the roll call for @WarrenDavidson’s common sense amendment to the NDAA:https://t.co/m6SkFkUw7g pic.twitter.com/KQsQehdWJi
texagbeliever said:ABATTBQ11 said:texagbeliever said:
Anyone who argues this is the "Ukrainians war" and they have a right to die for their country if that's what they want. We have to support them in their struggle because they are heroes. Just is cowardice.
Capitulation in the face of aggression is cowardice. I'm sure if someone broke into your home, raped your wife, door your kids, and kicked you out at gunpoint you'd just say, "Hey, it's ok. You take the house and all the stuff. Here's the deed, too. Hope you enjoy it!"
You are bad at metaphors.
This is more likely someone breaking into your neighbors house and you saying fight to the death even though you are outnumbered 100-1. Maybe you send him some bullets via a drone.
The smarter choice is to concede the house because losing is inevitable and wait for a more strategic opportunity to get it back. There is this thing called the FUTURE it follows the present. You hyper prioritize the present with no regard to the future. Very short sided.
Also notice the bravado of this vulgar post. If you aren't with us you are a weakling who would be cool with wife being raped and kids being killed. You are insecure.