Aesop, your continual posts showing the Ukainians as winning make me laugh every time I visit here, which I do less and less because there's little to no intelligence (info) here.
Aesop, while you're very intelligent, your bias against the Russian Federation says you have a private anti-Russian bias.
Reality is showing the Ukrainians as winning at the moment. War is a fickle mount to ride. It makes me laugh too. The interwebs are overbrimming with actual intelligence, in an embarrassment of riches. I get to pick out what I think is worth discussing. If you had telling counter-examples to point out how I'm getting it wrong, you (and the impolite unwashed mob of Anonymous would-be pundits with less wit and facility than either of us) would do so.
I have no bias against the Russian Federation or Russians in general, merely sadness and disappointment. They had a few brief moments on the world stage where they could have rejoined civilized society.
Then they went from Yeltsin to Putin, by accident or choice, and now they're reaping what they've sown. The lesson remains for people that think revolutions always result in liberty and freedom. {cf. Napoleon, Lenin, Mao, Castro, Pol Pot, et al.}
I have undisguised contempt for Putin, as a murderous lifelong KGB thug of the worst sort, and the sooner he rots in Hell, the better for humanity. That anyone can stomach him, or seriously suggest he's their hero is as unfathomable as the lunatics who wrote fan letters to Jeffry Dahmer or Charles Manson after they were imprisoned.
If Putin's earthly end can be accomplished while simultaneously hamstringing Russian attempts to subjugate and re-form their evil empire, so much the better for the human race. A humbled, militarily crippled, and hesitatingly defensive Russia is a good thing, until such time as they learn to behave in polite society amongst other nations.
Once again, if anyone could show the world the opposite, they would do so. Instead, they merely give Vlad a daily tongue-bath, while overlooking where their mouths have been. These are probably people that kiss their dogs after they've been drinking from the toilet bowl.
I have cheered on the Ukrainian people, who deserve to make their own choices about who they are and with whom they associate, while generally avoiding any such commentary regarding Zelenskyy, save for noting that whatever else he is, he's undeniably not a Russian puppet, which puts him far over to the right side of the bell curve of history, and miles ahead of any of his predecessors going back to Ukrainian independence in 1990.
The same unwashed commentariat chooses to overlook those realities, for whatever psychological malfunctions under which they labor. Not my circus, not my monkeys.
If one prefers the pronouncements of people who told you that drones can't be weaponized, that the Moskva is still afloat, and that Putin is going from victory unto victory daily, it's a free country, and such choices are their own reward.
You makes your choices, and you takes your chances.
(cont.) Reasonable people can disagree, as I do rather obviously with, for example, CA at WRSA on the likely outcome, or Matt Bracken, or BCE. But I'm still (AFAIK) on good terms with all of them, because we disagree without being disagreeable. That's also why your comments get posted, and responded to.
The knee-jerk monkeys who can neither make a logical point, nor attempt such without resorting to mining their diapers for shit nuggets to fling, remain obliviated to the ether, and will, because I don't have to deal with their feces-flinging here.
They're free to smear their faces in their own underpants other places with my full blessing and benediction.
The fact remains I'm telling you what is happening, not merely what I wish would happen. That enrages some people, but there's no accounting for low IQ and poor impulse control, coupled with internet access. How it is in Ukraine in Month 9 is 180° out from where I expected it would go at the outset, but once again, there's Russian military estimations, and then there's reality. Clearly, the two have seldom crossed paths, as the world sees daily.
The truth will take care of all sides without much help from me, in the long run. But the people banking on delusions will have their rewards in full both now, and then. And be mocked mercilessly, at my every whim.
The thing that gets me is the deliberate unwillingness of the Putin simps to honestly acknowledge even the obvious Russian problems. Even Bagdad Bob wouldn't be so blindly optimistic.
An often ignored point is that, in my opinion, Russian does care about NATO on its border. If it does, Romania, Poland, the Baltic states and eventually Finland are toast. It seems clear that Putin went into the Ukraine to get control of the gas, oil, and coal resources so as to secure his almost monopoly on European fuel. In general competition would limit his income from gas, oil, minerals, and grain so that controlling the DonBas, and eventually Romainia wiuld maximize his profits and keep the Russian machine fed. Putin has effectively evacuated the Russian Naval and Air Force presence in the Crimea. Russia really doesn't need those bases but Russia does want to control the oil and gas under the nearby Black Sea bottom. Romania is next on the menu, which is why the 101 Division is in Romania and a carrier battle group is operating in the Adriatic. Romania has extensive oil reserves and a strong refining industry. Ploesti, the oil center of the region was a primary Allied target during WWII. It seems obvious that will be Putin's next target. The US didn't move the 101 back to Europe for the exercise.
Fuel is the game. Biden blocked the financing of a minor gas line from Israel to Greece as I recall to keep the Ukraine as a valuable ( to Europe) as fuel source. There currently are not enough port facilities for LNG from North America even if the higher price is ignored. The low water levels of the Mississippi limit the ability of the US and Canada to export grains but most of the grain from the Ukraine and Russia go to Asia and Africa. North America and Europe will all probably survive. Fuel for Europe is the focus of the invasion of the Ukraine. Lots of gas, existing pipelines and harbors would allow the Ukraine to shoulder Russia aside.
I have no idea how the ground war in the Ukraine will go. The Russian state and military were more degraded by graft, corruption, and incompetence than Putin realized. The Ukraine ain't got nothing. They are dependent on US/NATO for everything. If the US doesn't help the Ukraine, no country will ever trust the US. NATO knows that they are next for invasion and/or fuel extortion.
The US and EU "elite" are garbage and will have to be confronted when the Ukraine is over. The Ukraine is no more a part of Russia than Arizona and California are part of Mexico. All that history is gone. Russian hypersonic missiles are cute but President Trump showed the Russians in Syria that our missiles (Tomahawks) work and that we can sneak an entire air armada into shooting range without the Russians having a clue.
The Ukrainians Borked Putin's plan now we will see who has the determination to finish this.
Why have they abandoned capturing Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv? They were thrown out of Lyman after conquering it.
The Russians seem to be abandoning the West Bank of the Dnipro River and Kherson itself, even as they rush newly mobilized Russian Civilians into battle with no training or equipment.
If that is winning? I would hate to see what losing looks like?
point of order if I may. "... The low water levels of the Mississippi limit the ability of the US and Canada to export grains but most of the grain from the Ukraine and Russia go to Asia and Africa. ..." Grain exports servicing Atlantic trade exit via the St. Lawrence Seaway. Grain exports via Mississippi service Africa and Far East for the most part.
Safe. And. Effective!
ReplyDeleteVery Funny Indeed.
ReplyDeleteAesop, your continual posts showing the Ukainians as winning make me laugh every time I visit here, which I do less and less because there's little to no intelligence (info) here.
ReplyDeleteAesop, while you're very intelligent, your bias against the Russian Federation says you have a private anti-Russian bias.
I can't discern why.
Reality is showing the Ukrainians as winning at the moment. War is a fickle mount to ride. It makes me laugh too.
ReplyDeleteThe interwebs are overbrimming with actual intelligence, in an embarrassment of riches. I get to pick out what I think is worth discussing.
If you had telling counter-examples to point out how I'm getting it wrong, you (and the impolite unwashed mob of Anonymous would-be pundits with less wit and facility than either of us) would do so.
I have no bias against the Russian Federation or Russians in general, merely sadness and disappointment. They had a few brief moments on the world stage where they could have rejoined civilized society.
Then they went from Yeltsin to Putin, by accident or choice, and now they're reaping what they've sown.
The lesson remains for people that think revolutions always result in liberty and freedom.
{cf. Napoleon, Lenin, Mao, Castro, Pol Pot, et al.}
I have undisguised contempt for Putin, as a murderous lifelong KGB thug of the worst sort, and the sooner he rots in Hell, the better for humanity. That anyone can stomach him, or seriously suggest he's their hero is as unfathomable as the lunatics who wrote fan letters to Jeffry Dahmer or Charles Manson after they were imprisoned.
If Putin's earthly end can be accomplished while simultaneously hamstringing Russian attempts to subjugate and re-form their evil empire, so much the better for the human race. A humbled, militarily crippled, and hesitatingly defensive Russia is a good thing, until such time as they learn to behave in polite society amongst other nations.
Once again, if anyone could show the world the opposite, they would do so. Instead, they merely give Vlad a daily tongue-bath, while overlooking where their mouths have been. These are probably people that kiss their dogs after they've been drinking from the toilet bowl.
I have cheered on the Ukrainian people, who deserve to make their own choices about who they are and with whom they associate, while generally avoiding any such commentary regarding Zelenskyy, save for noting that whatever else he is, he's undeniably not a Russian puppet, which puts him far over to the right side of the bell curve of history, and miles ahead of any of his predecessors going back to Ukrainian independence in 1990.
The same unwashed commentariat chooses to overlook those realities, for whatever psychological malfunctions under which they labor. Not my circus, not my monkeys.
If one prefers the pronouncements of people who told you that drones can't be weaponized, that the Moskva is still afloat, and that Putin is going from victory unto victory daily, it's a free country, and such choices are their own reward.
You makes your choices, and you takes your chances.
(cont.)
(cont.)
ReplyDeleteReasonable people can disagree, as I do rather obviously with, for example, CA at WRSA on the likely outcome, or Matt Bracken, or BCE. But I'm still (AFAIK) on good terms with all of them, because we disagree without being disagreeable. That's also why your comments get posted, and responded to.
The knee-jerk monkeys who can neither make a logical point, nor attempt such without resorting to mining their diapers for shit nuggets to fling, remain obliviated to the ether, and will, because I don't have to deal with their feces-flinging here.
They're free to smear their faces in their own underpants other places with my full blessing and benediction.
The fact remains I'm telling you what is happening, not merely what I wish would happen. That enrages some people, but there's no accounting for low IQ and poor impulse control, coupled with internet access. How it is in Ukraine in Month 9 is 180° out from where I expected it would go at the outset, but once again, there's Russian military estimations, and then there's reality. Clearly, the two have seldom crossed paths, as the world sees daily.
The truth will take care of all sides without much help from me, in the long run. But the people banking on delusions will have their rewards in full both now, and then. And be mocked mercilessly, at my every whim.
The thing that gets me is the deliberate unwillingness of the Putin simps to honestly acknowledge even the obvious Russian problems. Even Bagdad Bob wouldn't be so blindly optimistic.
ReplyDeleteAn often ignored point is that, in my opinion, Russian does care about NATO on its border. If it does, Romania, Poland, the Baltic states and eventually Finland are toast. It seems clear that Putin went into the Ukraine to get control of the gas, oil, and coal resources so as to secure his almost monopoly on European fuel. In general competition would limit his income from gas, oil, minerals, and grain so that controlling the DonBas, and eventually Romainia wiuld maximize his profits and keep the Russian machine fed. Putin has effectively evacuated the Russian Naval and Air Force presence in the Crimea. Russia really doesn't need those bases but Russia does want to control the oil and gas under the nearby Black Sea bottom. Romania is next on the menu, which is why the 101 Division is in Romania and a carrier battle group is operating in the Adriatic. Romania has extensive oil reserves and a strong refining industry. Ploesti, the oil center of the region was a primary Allied target during WWII. It seems obvious that will be Putin's next target. The US didn't move the 101 back to Europe for the exercise.
ReplyDeleteFuel is the game. Biden blocked the financing of a minor gas line from Israel to Greece as I recall to keep the Ukraine as a valuable ( to Europe) as fuel source. There currently are not enough port facilities for LNG from North America even if the higher price is ignored. The low water levels of the Mississippi limit the ability of the US and Canada to export grains but most of the grain from the Ukraine and Russia go to Asia and Africa. North America and Europe will all probably survive. Fuel for Europe is the focus of the invasion of the Ukraine. Lots of gas, existing pipelines and harbors would allow the Ukraine to shoulder Russia aside.
I have no idea how the ground war in the Ukraine will go. The Russian state and military were more degraded by graft, corruption, and incompetence than Putin realized. The Ukraine ain't got nothing. They are dependent on US/NATO for everything. If the US doesn't help the Ukraine, no country will ever trust the US. NATO knows that they are next for invasion and/or fuel extortion.
The US and EU "elite" are garbage and will have to be confronted when the Ukraine is over. The Ukraine is no more a part of Russia than Arizona and California are part of Mexico. All that history is gone. Russian hypersonic missiles are cute but President Trump showed the Russians in Syria that our missiles (Tomahawks) work and that we can sneak an entire air armada into shooting range without the Russians having a clue.
The Ukrainians Borked Putin's plan now we will see who has the determination to finish this.
If Russia is winning?
ReplyDeleteWhy have they abandoned capturing Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv?
They were thrown out of Lyman after conquering it.
The Russians seem to be abandoning the West Bank of the Dnipro River and Kherson itself, even as they rush newly mobilized Russian Civilians into battle with no training or equipment.
If that is winning? I would hate to see what losing looks like?
RD
Suddenly,
ReplyDeleteI'm not the man I used to be
They're piling dirt on top of me
For Yesterday came Suddenly.
Why I had to die I don't know it shouldn't be.
Then I got the jab and my death came Suddenly.
point of order if I may. "... The low water levels of the Mississippi limit the ability of the US and Canada to export grains but most of the grain from the Ukraine and Russia go to Asia and Africa. ..." Grain exports servicing Atlantic trade exit via the St. Lawrence Seaway. Grain exports via Mississippi service Africa and Far East for the most part.
ReplyDelete