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#301 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Seven miles up
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but if that's the case it should be something that the regional leadership takes charge of. It's not something that should be decided from the US. If the US is asked to bring support, then it should consider it, and the method that works best to support the decision makers closer to Ukraine.
__________________
He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam |
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#302 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Newburgh, NY
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We should band together and buy a Russian bank.
__________________
To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.. - Mr. Rogers |
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#303 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Seven miles up
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At what point does the country simply buy them out and take over?
__________________
He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam |
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#304 | |||
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Houston!
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Quote:
Quote:
Yeah, we've reached the point where he basically said, "fine, I'm not doing this the way the US does where they try (yes, try and sometimes fail) to just hit military targets and leave everything else intact for their bs nation building". Instead, he's pivoted to "this is war and if I have to bomb every square inch of the ground to take it, so be it". This shouldn't be all that surprising, considering how much he's talked about how there is no such thing as a Ukrainian - they're all Russians. Anyone who disagrees will just be killed and he'll rebuild it in Russia's image. I guess this is similar to my assessment on Monday with a healthier dose of "oh, right, even if Ukraine holds out for a while, they still aren't going to be able to hold their entire country from Russia for the duration without more help in terms of boots on the ground and planes in the sky. Quote:
I also think that Biden and the EU have been very clear over and over - we can keep supplying you with arms but we can't actually fight for you or enforce a no fly around you. And, if that's the case, Russia's just going to grind them down with numbers and artillery. Throughout history, Russia has never been one to care if they kill a bunch of peasants, theirs or anyone else's. SI
__________________
Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" Last edited by sterlingice : 03-03-2022 at 02:26 PM. |
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#305 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Seven miles up
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Which means that it's more or less a foregone conclusion. The next part will be the important one, where Russia is completely excluded and shut down on the global stage, and the sanctions are so high, and the punishment felt so far and wide across every facet of Russian life that nobody ever can forget or forgive until things are made right. If that means complete exclusion from global events, sports, business, personal property to repay war debts, etc, so be it.
Again, this is a choice for Europe and they need to stand with conviction whichever path they choose.
__________________
He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam |
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#306 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Chicagoland
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At some point the odds of a coup have to start getting somewhere realistic.
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#307 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Houston!
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By all accounts, isn't he in some bunker in the Urals with his yes-iest of yes men, likely his elite guards (I assume he has some), and some oligarchs he's basically keeping prisoner? Can't he sell now that "see, it's now starting to go according to plan after some initial foul ups" and anyone there will back down. And anyone else won't be able to get within a km of him? Plus, he's probably like "we'll just nationalize Gazprom, Rozneft, etc and I'll give them back to you when things calm down - just like I made you powerful before, I can do it again". Now, if I were an oligarch, I wouldn't trust him any further than I could throw him, but the other play is probably even riskier to them.
More EDIT: I mean, it seems easy to be like "hey, I'm oligarch #1 and if I kill him - we can have our country back, right, western world?" I doubt it's that easy as I'm sure the Russian people wouldn't be all that excited about losing a war, being lied to, etc. SI
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Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" Last edited by sterlingice : 03-03-2022 at 02:53 PM. |
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#308 |
Solecismic Software
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Canton, OH
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Putin has enacted new laws with stiff penalties for airing news with "misinformation," which has caused the somewhat independent news networks operating in Russia to close, their directors literally fleeing the country as it's likely they would be jailed.
Rumors are that Putin will declare martial law soon. To the average Russian, this isn't going to seem like their dictator has gone mad. It's going to seem like Ukraine is attacking the good Russians of eastern Ukraine, we were trying to defend them and then the evil US came in and now we're at the brink of WWIII. The question is how much from the internet trickles through anyway. How many Russians are aware of what's going on? Protests are met with immediate arrest, so what are the chances that increases? I'm sure they're working on a way to filter internet access the way China does. As long as Xi props up the Russian economy and there's a market for Russian oil, coal and gas, Putin can do this. We can admire Ukrainian resolve as they suffer what we can't even imagine, but I don't see how they can hold up because Putin is clearly willing to bomb apartment buildings and cut off supply lines. |
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#309 | |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Interesting tidbit.
Not sure what to think about it. In a way, I like that US is thinking to force them to pick a side. On the other hand, think its okay for countries to be neutral if it's really not in their strategic national interest. But it's not as if the US-West have been buddies with India militarily, Russia supplies more arms and supported them vs Pakistan. However, on the other hand, the US has a much bigger economic benefit to India. India is in a tough spot. U.S. recalls cable saying India and UAE are “in Russia’s camp” Quote:
Last edited by Edward64 : 03-03-2022 at 03:38 PM. |
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#310 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2005
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My global consulting company announced they are discontinuing our business in Russia. This impacts approx 2,300 Russians. Company will provide support to those impacted (no details).
Don't know how I feel about this. We are really frakkin with the livelihood of 2,300 innocent Russians that can't control what their government does. I hope we continue to provide "wage/severance" to them (in USD of course) for a long time. I'm sure we have presence in Ukraine also. Not sure what's happening there. |
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#311 | |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Behind Enemy Lines in Athens, GA
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Quote:
Depends on whether they win or lose. Finish the mission - despite the initial Keystone Cops look of things -- and I'd say that's a near-zero chance. And a not insignificant portion of the country will hail him as a hero for -- as they see it -- retaking what should never have been lost in the first place.
__________________
"I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis |
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#312 | |
Solecismic Software
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Canton, OH
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Quote:
Putin seems to be trying to transition Russia back into a communist nation, aligned with China. I don't know what livelihood will mean to the Russians who aren't part of the government. I don't think Putin cares. And if Putin doesn't care, we can't do much. It's just a different world. We have to accept that somehow. This is a major reset of world power and China is determined to make sure the US no longer has that place of leadership. When Biden went to Xi with our knowledge of Russia's plans, he laughed and shared that information with Putin. It was all good for Xi as long as Putin waited until the Olympics ended. We know what's happening now. It's going to impact all of us. Here we are, confiscating yachts and worrying about the stock market while it's really a question of whether the rather short-term (by civilization standards) approach of Democracy can hold up to dictators who don't care about the individuals who don't have the power to vote them out of office. |
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#313 |
Favored Bitch #1
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: homeless in NJ
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The company that supports the reservation systems for the largest Russian airline has stopped servicing them rendering them basically useless.
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#314 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Morgan Hill, CA
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Russians now firing at and causing a fire at the largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
__________________
Fan of SF Giants, 49ers, Sharks, Arsenal Last edited by kingfc22 : 03-03-2022 at 06:45 PM. |
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#315 |
World Champion Mis-speller
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Covington, Ga.
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It is actually the largest plant in Europe. Tenth largest in the world. What could possibly go wrong?
Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk |
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#316 |
World Champion Mis-speller
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Covington, Ga.
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The fighting is actually on the inside of the plant, and the sounds like the Russians are purposely destroying plant controls. They are legitimately purposely trying to cause a nuclear disaster.
Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk Last edited by GrantDawg : 03-03-2022 at 06:54 PM. |
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#317 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Chicago, IL
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#318 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Chicago, IL
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So none of the sanctions being brought against oligarchs will include Abramovich. Biden is an incredible coward.
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#319 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Chicago, IL
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#320 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Morgan Hill, CA
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Their capabilities thus far have shown to be pretty incompetent. Almost makes one wonder what the true state of their nuclear arsenal actually is.
__________________
Fan of SF Giants, 49ers, Sharks, Arsenal |
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#321 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Chicago, IL
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#322 | |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Houston!
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Quote:
How is 2022 Russia communist? They look a lot more like turn of the 20th century hyper capitalist en route to feudalism. SI
__________________
Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" |
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#323 | |
Solecismic Software
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Canton, OH
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Quote:
Transitioning. If Putin imposes martial law. Presumably, the government will absorb the function of the corporations that no longer have international value. They already don't have free elections, and the laws that prevented a president from being in office no more than eight years were circumvented to allow Putin to continue his role (in name, Medvedev was president for four years, then Putin came back and terms were changed to six years). Your point about feudalism is certainly valid (I don't know what hyper-capitalism is). Putin does seem to see himself more as tsar than Stalin. But both systems (sorry Bolsheviks, you ended up killing millions over essentially laundry) are extremely similar. |
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#324 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Chicago, IL
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They are not transitioning to communism. The opposite if anything. Where in the world are you getting this stuff from?
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#325 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Zelenskyy said there are about 16K foreign volunteers inbound to help out (and presumably more). Reading below sub, seems they are only taking people with real combat experience. Bring your own body armor but weapons supplied.
16K is pretty significant. Question is can they be integrated quickly enough. Reddit - Dive into anything |
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#326 |
World Champion Mis-speller
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Covington, Ga.
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Firefighters have finally been allowed to fight the fire. It is in the training building luckily. No damage to any radioactive containments.
Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk Last edited by GrantDawg : 03-03-2022 at 08:36 PM. |
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#327 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Newburgh, NY
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Not everything authoritarian is communist. It can't be communism without state ownership of the means of production.
__________________
To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.. - Mr. Rogers |
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#328 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Chicago, IL
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#329 | ||
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Quote:
Better educated Redditors say it won't be another Chernobyl. Not sure I buy that in a worse case like reactor coolant is bombed. On other news, a Russian Major General has been killed, supposedly by a sniper. I guess he's important guy but a "deputy commander" doesn't seem "that" important. Quote:
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#330 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Pacific
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Im sure it was a Russian sniper.
__________________
Excuses are for wusses- Spencer Lee Punting is Winning- Tory Taylor The word is Fight! Fight! Fight! For Iowa FOFC 30 Dollar Challenge Champion-OOTP '15 |
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#331 |
Solecismic Software
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Canton, OH
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Cobbling together some links... with communism, simply the inevitable result of the state absorption of industry, breaking off from the rest of the world, modeling China's system, abandoning the pretense of free elections, martial law, etc.
Not the kind of philosophy that Stalin or Lenin would have espoused. The White Movement that Putin talks about was not a philosophy - more a form of control that looks more like a monarchy or a tsarist system. I think Putin thinks of himself in the tsar mold. This, from last year, written by Putin: The Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians - Modern Diplomacy This analysis, from a journalist who has been banned from visiting Russia: Thomas de Waal on Twitter: "1 “The resolution of the Ukraine question.” A mistakenly published Russian article gives us a chilling insight into the neo-imperialist thinking in Russia that drives Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. A (long) THREAD." The wikipedia article on Imperialism, which helps explain how different ideologies work in a global economy (I don't know how it's possible to parse all these concepts together). Theories of imperialism - Wikipedia The most important piece is Putin's rambling history. He feels he's restoring something specific, and that doesn't necessarily fit any theory or ideology. To him, fairness means taking the pieces of history he likes and discarding the pieces he feels are disrepectful of the ones he considers important. He views the end of the Cold War and the dismantling of the USSR as capitulation and a wrong that needs to be righted. Change is not possible. He connects the land of Ukraine to the tsar-era people who ruled it. And the Bolshevik Revolution as something that arbitrarily divided it. I didn't know that part at all. But I think it explains why he's all about Kyiv and now we even see battle maps that indicate Moldova is in danger. He doesn't care how he gets to the end as long as he restores what he thinks he should restore. |
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#332 | |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2005
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That would end or de-escalate this nightmare.
I've always wondered why a top NK soldier/politician don't take out the crazy kid (do a John Wick with a pencil). That person must know there is a bigger and better world out there, and NK is prevented from rejoining because of the crazy kid. But 3 generation of crazy rulers and still no progress. Quote:
Last edited by Edward64 : 03-03-2022 at 09:17 PM. |
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#333 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Chicago, IL
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The Communist Party in Russia is literally the opposition party. Putin is a crony capitalist. In fact, may be the greatest capitalist the world has ever seen.
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#334 | |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Chicago, IL
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Quote:
Always wondered if that was the reason he used those comically large tables for meetings. Authoritarian leaders used to choose people with families to be their closest guards. Theory was that they wouldn't do something because the result would be their families bearing the consequences. |
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#335 | |
Head Coach
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Maryland
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Quote:
This was my assumption.
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null |
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#336 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Dec 2009
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#337 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Dec 2009
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#338 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Behind Enemy Lines in Athens, GA
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Not sure if already mentioned or not, just in case.
This is YT's "Bald and Bankrupt" with about 15-20 minutes from his departure by train from Kyiv as tanks approached the city. It's remarkablyunpolitical, remarkably unsensationalized, it's really his normal style of filming people and places just in a very abnormal situation. I'd bet that it'll be different than most people's expectations, well worth the watch IMO. https://youtu.be/2bNzjBJF_G0
__________________
"I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis Last edited by JonInMiddleGA : 03-04-2022 at 02:58 AM. |
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#339 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Newburgh, NY
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Great info on Russian airborne troops being more political police than special forces.
__________________
To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.. - Mr. Rogers |
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#340 | |
This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off.
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: In Absentia
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Quote:
Kentucky teacher retirement system was the second-largest shareholder of Sberbank. $13M invested down to $778K.
__________________
M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete." |
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#341 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: The scorched Desert
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#342 |
hates iowa
Join Date: Oct 2010
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Looks like Kentucky TRS has over 20 billion in assets. 13 million doesn't seem like much.
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#343 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Houston!
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I'm assuming the US does kindof want Ukraine to win this war. And, yes, there's a value to just weakening Russia. And, yes, I get that we can't go in without a risk of WW3.
But I feel like the window for Ukraine to actually "win" this war is narrow. And I think the most impactful thing we could do would be to provide them with anti-air and anti-tank defense. Anti-tank, we're doing the best we can - lots of personal surface-to surface missiles. We've also sent some anti-air but those come with limitations. And, well, we can't just drop missile systems and trucks in there. But the whole "give them planes" should be a no-brainer. Like what fell apart there? Isn't there some way to trade F-14s for Migs or F-14s and baseball's best friend "cash considerations" for Migs that would help with this problem? Or maybe see if Ukraine just happens to have some foreign nationals that have A-10 flight experience? SI
__________________
Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" Last edited by sterlingice : 03-04-2022 at 11:07 AM. |
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#344 |
Favored Bitch #1
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: homeless in NJ
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We need to stop calling it a war and start calling it genocide.
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#345 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: ...down the gravity well
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Quote:
They can't win the war because they cannot invade Russia. All they can do is drag it out to the point of stalemate or regime change. Neither will happen, Russia will send as much in resources to grind away humanity in Ukraine. If they cannot win, they will eradicate. Russia will also not replace Putin. He's got a firm grasp. Ukraine will be whittled away. The occupation zones will be devoid of humanity but will fly the Russian flag. If Ukraine were to mount an offensive in Russia, I'm pretty sure Putin would use the nuclear option to deal with it. Small war heads against military targets, with international rebuke, to full scale warheads of cities. The West will do nothing. If Putin can't have Ukraine, then he'll make it uninhabitable. If the West allows for it, he'll go after other former Soviet Bloc nations, all with China shrugging.
__________________
"General Woundwort's body was never found. It could be that he still lives his fierce life somewhere else, but from that day on, mother rabbits would tell their kittens that if they did not do as they were told, the General would get them. Such was Woundwort's monument, and perhaps it would not have displeased him." Watership Down, Richard Adams |
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#346 | ||
This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off.
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: In Absentia
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Quote:
Perhaps, but the retirement system funding has been a huge issue in this state and one that the former governor/asshole Matt Bevin went to war directly at teachers over, and it cost him the governor's seat (well-deserved, not just for this but a litany of things) to a Democrat in a slate of state executive officer races heavily backed by Trump in which he was the only GOPer to lose. Like, it wasn't just a civil disagreement with the teachers union over how best to handle the problem, dude directly attacked teachers time and time again at press conferences and stuff. Part of his attempt to be a mini-Trump with all of the kindness but none of the "charm." Quote:
Which is to say, I expect this will make some waves in the state even if it's a relative drop in the bucket.
__________________
M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete." |
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#347 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Whittier
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The latest news is that they sold their shares last month
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#348 |
FOFC Survivor
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Wentzville, MO
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My sister's husband is from Russia. Her brother in law is in the Russian army. He was along the border just before this started. They haven't heard from him since the day before the invasion is my understanding.
__________________
Cheer for a walk on quarterback! Ardent leads the Vols in the dynasty forum. |
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#349 | ||
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Quote:
I haven't read why it fell apart. Maybe it was never a done deal but Ukraine decided to publicize it anyway. If anyone know how it started and how it fell apart, appreciate a link. But yeah, some European countries had some MIGs that Ukraine would fly. So like do a swap for NATO F-16 jets. Googling says $30M sticker. Quote:
I read that A-10 (Bbbrrrrrttttttt) would be sitting ducks if no air superiority (or cover). Even if more air will help, they will eventually get shot down or have maintenance issues. If I had to pick one, I'd go with zillions of Stingers & Javelins (and a bunch of other military weapons, equipment) and then wink-wink at NATO non-active combat veterans that want to go over. |
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#350 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2005
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I do think Kyiv and eventually rest of Ukraine will fall. But man, those Ukrainians are tough fighters.
I do hope the (supposed) 16K volunteer foreign fighters (and counting) can really help. |
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