Russia

That we are mindlessly following/promoting this lying, greedy, hypocritical scumbag is another sign of the West's lack of seriousness. .

Zelensky rents to Russians

Don't worry. The domestic Muslims will pick up the pieces.

This is just bizarre. The photos of the major/majoress are creepy. A transgender traitor. Weird doesn't begin to describe it.

Transgender treason  

On a positive note, there will be one less deviant pervert serving in our military. 

I wonder how Mustapha Mond would view these freaks? Would he send them to Iceland or keep them here? 

I will again say that Brave New World saw farther that "1984." Perhaps "1984" could be seen as a stage between then and the final arrival at the place the cultural Marxists want to take us, i.e. the Brave New World. 

What level of "consequences" becomes too damaging? An increase in unemployment of 1, 3, 6 million? The permanent closure of 10,000 companies, 20,000 companies? The shrinkage of a nation's GNP by 5, 8, 10, 15%? The depreciation of a country's currency by 5,10, 15%? The permanent loss of competitiveness for a country's products? Invasion of 1, 2 or 3 million "refugees" which are drawing funds from your government helping to bankrupt your country? 

Mr. Flu, you've always seemed to be coming from the standpoint that not opposing tyranny was the default position and that the burden of proof is on those who oppose it.

Sure, everything has a price. Is opposing the Hitlerian Putin worth a few cold showers? Many think so. I do as well. But unless they also enacting saner domestic energy policies, they are in the position of jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

So there are two challenges that Europe faces, two tyrants: Putin and environmental wackos.

I've done no such thing. What I have done is look into the history of the matter, read what is written in the Western press and rejected most of it as nonsense. Then I make informed conclusions.  I don't simply declare something "good" or "bad" and constantly repeat that.  I try to deal in facts as best I can discern them.  

So let's start with the fact that there is, and will always be, tyranny of one sort or another in the world. Does that mean we should get involved across the world trying to stop it? Our founding fathers certainly didn't think so. As good conservatives/realists, our founders understood the nature of man. Maybe they understood that to completely get rid of tyranny is impossible, and in trying to do so, we might run the risk of becoming a little tyrannical ourselves. Eisenhower hinted at this incline toward tyranny in remarks about the MIC in his farewell speech. 

 So the question is, "when should we get involved?" How about starting with the point of departure, "when our national existence is threatened," and prudently deciding when we might need to move out from that point. 

Putin may be a tyrant, but I have never heard or read him saying, hinting, musing he wanted to invade Germany.  Or that he wanted to spread a universal ideology around the world. Take a look at the map and you will see that, in any case, Russia is a long way from Germany. 



Neither have I heard or read Putin saying, hinting, musing that he wanted to invade the USA.

NATO is not an innocent bystander here. It is like the boy who throws rocks at a dog and is surprised when the dog turns to bite him. Then, when the neighbors come out to see what happened the boy pretends the dog bit him for no reason. Both the boy and NATO are fundamentally dishonest. 

If anyone thinks that NATO and the USA are always the "good guys" and haven't done some horrible and stupid things over the last thirty then I have a bridge in Fort Myers, Florida I would like to sell you. (You only have to put 20% down in cash.) If anyone believes NATO i.e. the USA has not been throwing rocks at Russia for the last 30 years and has its own responsibility in this mess then I can only recommend you pull your head out of the sand. If after that you still don't see it, I guess there is little more to be said. 

Once someone accepts the fact that this is about perceived national interests, about power politics, i.e. the way states have acted throughout history, that the crooks who run the Ukraine and the USA have opted for this provocative course, then we might have a realistic discussion. I can understand the Neocons', who are running our foreign policy, desire to encircle and weaken Russia. That doesn't mean I think it is right, moral or intelligent. But I can understand it. But please don't ask me to call chicken shit chicken salad with any fairy-tale nonsense about doing this to save Ukrainian democracy.  And by the way, if NATO and the USA are going to follow such a course, how about being smart about it, instead of being incredibly stupid as has been the case so far. The collective West i.e. the USA and EU have done themselves, correction have done we the people, much more harm that anything Russia has suffered. And trust me, we are not finished with the suffering. Of course, some American "energy" companies, the military-industrial complex and various politicians are doing just fine. 

Absolutely. At the time, I said we should bring the CIS into NATO. What better way to develop positive relations, build trust and keep an eye on the Russians in order to guide and work with them. The Russians even asked, I believe several times, to join. Of course, the assholes from George H.W. Bush down, rejected this. By the way, Gorbachev felt closest to Reagan and believed Reagan was the only Western leader who actually understood and supported what he was trying to do.
From what I have seen, the problems with Russian mobilization are overstated in the West. No doubt, many are trying to avoid the draft. Nothing unusual about that. It has been a huge problem for the Ukraine so far as millions of people left the country when the SMO started, especially young men. I have seen numerous videos of young men being basically "press-ganged" into the Ukrainian military. I also remember Vietnam. Many people did all they could to avoid being drafted, including George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Bush somehow got into the Air National Guard and Cheney got numerous deferments to complete his education. 

I have also not seen any indication that they are throwing a lot of untrained troops into the fight. Those who have been called up, are as I understand it, basically reservists who completed their active military service. They are now being called back. Of course, it will take some time to get them into shape, but I do not believe it is like bringing in an 18-year-old kid fresh out of high school.

I do not believe Putin will use nukes. In fact, he has never threatened to do so. Unless he did so today. What he has said is that those who threaten Russia with nukes (aimed at Liz Truss) should remember that Russia also has such weapons. He also said he would use all means to protect Russia. One can understand that as a tacit threat but it is not a threat to use nukes first.  If however, NATO forces somehow move into the Ukraine or Russia believes the existence of the nation depends on it, then who knows what could happen. 

That said, I do not believe Russia is losing. They have given up some territory in the Kharkiv region, but the Ukrainians have taken this area at a huge cost in blood and equipment. The next couple of days should give us a clearer idea of the situation in this area. 

Whatever the present situation is, there is no doubt that the war has now entered into a new phase. I suspect the Russians will be launching a major offensive sometime toward the end of October/November, depending on when the rains stop and the ground freezes. When this happens, it will be a very tough time for the regular people of the Ukraine. Very soon thereafter, the people will have virtually no utilities. 

Of course the crooked bastards running the place will not care very much. Neither will NATO and the Americans who will fight until the last Ukrainian, most of whom have been deceived and led down the primrose path to destruction. 
That is why I expect the country or all those leading it to disappear. 

No, if anything they are understated. The Russian military still operates on the old Soviet model with conscripts serving a three year enlistment. Thus the most trained conscripts are in their third year and are senior NCOs. However, that does not mean they are trained to the level of even the worst NATO troops. This lack of skilled training means that they will take at least 50% more KIA and WIA in combat, but numbers do matter and any Russian army is supplied with massive amounts of artillery to compensate for troop training.

The front line troops in Ukraine have taken a lot causalities. Among the privates this is not a major problem for Russian forces, my information is the field grade officers have suffered greatly in this war with every rank below general taking significant loses. Indeed, the media has reported loses of generals in the Russian army also. The Russian general staff must be concerned about these loses. In the most part, unlike the US and NATO Russian officers do a lot of work western armies delegate to senior NCOs and Lts. The senior NCOs are due to rotate out of the battle and the junior officers are getting killed. 

Russian reserve forces are no replacement for the battle skilled forces that have been fighting in eastern Ukraine. They were undertrained to begin with and no amount of quick drills will make them better. Putin finds himself in the same bind Stalin did in 1942. He has a lot of men to throw into the grinder. However, Stalin had the assistance of the west, Putin only has the CCP. Does all of this mean the Russians can not win?

No, it does not. Winter is upon the front and traditionally it is the friend of Russia. Additionally, Russia has at least a three to one manpower advantage and even unskilled troops can make a difference. On the other hand, Ukraine has western weapons and support. My best guess is as we go into winter the Russian will launch a major offensive that may turn the course of the war. If successful, I give it 50/50 chances. Ukraine will sue for peace having lost at least 50% of the country. If not successful, the war of attrition will continue into next summer. A case where everybody loses and no one wins.