majorspark

posted by gut

You guys remember we directly armed and trained the Taliban during the 10 years USSR invaded Afghanistan, right?

We did.  The USSR no longer exists.  Several states broke free of that leash and wish to never come back.  Some in the NATO alliance on the border.  The other big difference is we have armed the Ukrainians with far more.  Lethal potential that has caused Russian casualties and losses of equipment to be tenfold suffered in Afhanistan in just a year of warfare.  Western heavy tanks with trained Ukrainian crews are soon to be crossing the border.  Patriot missile defense and likely at some point western warplanes.  Most of this a year ago considered impossible, a red line.  This will only accelerate until one side is forced to bend the knee.

Ukrainian casualties are likely 100k+ the Russians +more. This indicates the Russian population is all in at this point as the war will not be brought to them directly.  This is not your 80's proxy war.  Ukraine is a large European nation with vast natural resources that seeks to align with the West.  That is your casus belli for the Russians.  The Nazi rhetoric is for domestic consumption. 

posted by BR1986FB

If I'm the Russians, I'm looking at all of this military support as a direct act of war. 

It is.  And so is invading a neighboring nation state you pledged to respect their borders if they gave you their nukes.  The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 is akin to the German invasion of Poland in 1939 in that it is a last straw and appeasement is now over.  There are however two distinct differences:  1) The Russian invasion force going in shit the bed.  2) Several of the major belligerents have nukes. 

Given these two factors what exists currently is a contained world war.  Taiwan would be the Asian spark.

posted by friendfromlowry

Needs more hot chicks 

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie

I’m 52 years old. Never in my life do I recall these doctors ever saying but “the (current) president is perfectly healthy”.  This despite the obvious fact that Uncle Joe should be facing a Bingo card as opposed to a Situational Report.  These checkups are rubber stamps and always have been. 

You missed the other side of the point.  The other guy who should also be facing a bingo card has been "voluntarily" incarcerated indefinitely at Walter Reed under the guise of "clinical depression". 

posted by majorspark

Hobby club says its weather balloon has gone missing near Yukon.

Sounds like a trick by the aliens to me!

Seriously, if this is the case, would that be the most anti-climactic end to a story ever? "It's China!!!!" "No, it's aliens!!!!" "Oh, it's a nerd club whose membes love balloons..."

Biden is fit as a fiddle and Fetterman is hospitalized with "clinical depression".  You got to wonder how poisoned with politics these doctors have become. 

Hobby club says its weather balloon has gone missing near Yukon.

posted by superman

Had anyone seen any pictures or videos of these objects?  

No.  The point is the government has been and is currently all over it.  As you can see your safety is their utmost concern. 

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie

You and Tucker Carlson are obsessed with California cities.  If they're that bad, don't visit them.  

Almost as obsessed as you are with Quakers posts.  If they're that bad, don't respond to them.

posted by justincredible

China’s fucking around. Not sure if they’re gonna find out or not. 

They found out they can float a balloon over the US mainland and it will not be touched until it reaches the other side,

posted by ptown_trojans_1

Sure shoot it down not knowing what it is and where it could land and hurt someone or destroy something on the ground...

The question that will never be answered is why was is not detected and shot down before it ever endangered anthing on the ground.

posted by ptown_trojans_1

Pretty old school way to spy. Satellites now a days can probably get more precise information. 

What's funny is the Pentagon won't confirm where it is.  Come on guys. We can see it.

The purpose obviously not to spy.  Something else is afoot.  As you said we can see it.

posted by gut

I'm not sure they have quite the level of surveillance abilities we have from high altitude or space. You would think, but I think it's very possible this is exactly a "spy" balloon.

I also feel like this happened a few years ago, but it disappeared or something.  I do remember a very similar story not that long ago.  So I don't know if they're "testing" us, or trying to ascertain how the current Admin will respond to provocations.

And, yes, shoot it down or whatever but I think it's worth doing so in a manner that we can recover it relatively intact to examine the purpose.

I think its a "trial balloon" or "testing" as you put it.  I think yes you shoot it down at some time with the point of gaining intelligence.

I know Trump would have blown it out of the sky, but what do you do with this thing?

The Chinese claim it's an off course weather balloon.  Everyone knows it's not.  Surveillance?  That could be done from space.  EMP?  Covid 2023?  Just fucking with us?  So WTF is this thing?

posted by ptown_trojans_1

Why ban things? Do you not trust students? The kids will be alright.

We ban lots of things for the kiddos.  But I don't think you answered the question.

The Biden son that was going to carry on the political torch unfortunately untimely passed away.  Then you have Hunter, a fuck up.  Made to be the family bagman.  Sinks as low as fucking his dead brothers wife.  Ends up on a beach in Malibu painting modern art masterpieces for anonymous buyers raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars.  But those fuckng Trump kids.

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie

But he didn’t blow anything up.  There was no plan that he saw through.  He just brought his act to the WH.  In the end, he curried favors for himself and those around him, just like the current president.  He never “drained tge swamp”.  

A dumbass without a plan can blow things up.  Like a wrench in the gears.  I'll admit I enjoyed watching everyone clutch their pearls.  

With Western tanks soon to be pouring across the border into Ukraine the thin sheet of this "proxy" war gets ever thinner.