[Trackball]

Why? We have good relations with Russia. And we aren't European.

That was sarcasm

 

[Rigel]

Conference of NonAlligned nations even though Cho En Lai of aligned China attended.

Our favorite Uncle... Zhouenli....

He used food diplomacy a lot. Used to come to our embassy for lunch. Loved our food.

If China and America can still talk to each other, it's because of him.

A bit of trivia.... how did China and Pakistan become friends. We were always friends but how did the two new countries realize they had to stick together?

It was all thanks to America.

PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) was the very first airline to open up China to international travel. We had just got a new Boeing 707 and we proudly flew it to China on one of our first passenger flights to that country.

Boeing had installed spy sensors of some kind on that plane. And it took the Chinese like 2 minutes to catch them.

They took us aside and told us "we realize you have been tricked...."... And that was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Cold War shenanigans....

 

[KLF]

My hunch is that the million mobilized civilians will be given basic combat training and then placed in military jobs that best match their civilian skills. Every military has a huge administrative and logistical "tail" that is every bit as important to the fight as the guys "at the tip of the spear". Good move on the part of the Ukrainians.

This is where we have a difference. Most sources cite our army strength as staff and 20k conscripts currently in training, then add 280k reserve.

That's almost 1.2 million total that are already trained between 6 to 12 months. Some are old, some are younger. Between 18 to 60 yo. Not everyone is fit for duty anymore though but there should be enough. The rest 3-4 million civilians will do the logistics and keep the wheels turning in the country. There has even been talks that future conscription should include women too and then everyone is given a chance to either do military service or train in some non combatant role (fire fighting, search and rescue, medical etc).

Then the fact that whatever Putin would use to invade, it is something that's left over from Ukraine warfront because they don't have capability to build new ones anymore. While are fielding modern Leopards, F18's and soon F35s. Ukraine currently has what, a couple dozen 155mm 25+ mile howitzers and they are already making a difference on the battlefield. We have almost 200 of those alone and other artillery in thousands.

Heck, even geographically we have prepared for invasion from the east: no major roads or train tracks go in east-west direction that would help an invasion. Instead they go north-south to help transport forces along the border. And we have tractors too, a lot of them. Just saying...

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

No. 617 Squadron reporting for duty sir:

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

Saw this go up last night. Still there. Have seen a lot. Still not able to find out whose it is:

 

[kliving]

Saw this go up last night. Still there. Have seen a lot. Still not able to find out whose it is:
View attachment 440208

I'm still convinced it from one of the three letter agencies.

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

I am too. First inclination is always CIA.

 

[Creek Walker]

Saw this go up last night. Still there. Have seen a lot. Still not able to find out whose it is:
View attachment 440208

Seen that this morning but didn't show on ADS-B Exchange military filter but did if you used the LADD filter. And I really didn't pay any attention to the information that was displayed about the plane. It was just another spook.

I was more curious about why there were 3 balloons flying about 5500ft at 15-17kts an hour at 3 AM Prague time. About 8AM CDT. LOL seems kinda risky to me.

 

[Ghost863]

Russia has no way to get here. They don't have a large Navy like U.S. and they are losing planes left and right. The only thing they can do to the U.S. is nuke us or hack something. The chance of that happening increases by U.S. interfering.

I also think U.S. should completely stay out of this war, but they are not. I still think what I did originally , that those in control in the U.S. want to have a war with Russia. They are continuously poking the bear, and trying to weaken the Russian army as much as possible before the "official" war with Russia starts. Just a matter of time. Most wars take many years. They are not over in a few months.

Here is my thought on what would happen if US stayed out of it completely, Russia would win a little faster and get the areas of Ukraine they want, or all of it. That's it. No loss to the U.S. or the rest of Europe.

They're already here. And more just to the south of us in Venezuela and probably many other South and Central American countries

 

[Ghost863]

It's amazing to me how fast the news media can get the U.S. population to accept the direction they want them to go.....
( which in this case would be accept that U.S. will defend Ukraine one way or another, because they are supposedly the "good guys" , even if it makes no logical sense for the U.S. to interfer)

This to me is just as bad as the "Karens" during the covid crap. I wished people and countries minded their own business. There would be so much less trouble in the world

Many of us can decide for ourselves the difference between what is right and what is wrong. Invading a Sovereign Nation and indiscriminately murdering it's civilian population is wrong and does need defended against an aggressor who would have no problems doing the same thing to you and your family. Also, if we can help defeat Russia in Eastern Europe, then they will not be a threat later down the road when the next conflict rolls up. You as well as many others here know I do not have any television and have not had any for 3 years now, so to blame my opinion on MSM and saying that I am as bad as a Karen is just Juvenile and untrue.

 

[Vinegar Joe]

View attachment 440197

Our favorite Uncle... Zhouenli....

He used food diplomacy a lot. Used to come to our embassy for lunch. Loved our food.

If China and America can still talk to each other, it's because of him.

A bit of trivia.... how did China and Pakistan become friends. We were always friends but how did the two new countries realize they had to stick together?

It was all thanks to America.

PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) was the very first airline to open up China to international travel. We had just got a new Boeing 707 and we proudly flew it to China on one of our first passenger flights to that country.

Boeing had installed spy sensors of some kind on that plane. And it took the Chinese like 2 minutes to catch them.

They took us aside and told us "we realize you have been tricked...."... And that was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Cold War shenanigans....

Good and interesting information.

At the US national level, Americans got "introduced" to Pakistan as the launching pad place where Kissinger started his historic opening up trip to China with the big attempt to split the USSR - PRC alignment.

A few kept up with the East Pakistan / Bangladash conflict with India.

 

[Grotius]

Here is my thought on what would happen if US stayed out of it completely, Russia would win a little faster and get the areas of Ukraine they want, or all of it. That's it. No loss to the U.S. or the rest of Europe.

Sonya1,

I understand the inherent desire to stay out of other people's conflicts, particularly where it appears they have no bearing on our own well-being or future. But this is often an illusion. There may initially be no loss to the US or the rest of Europe, but as others noted above, demagogue autocratic predators on the scale of Putin and Hitler don't stop with just one conquest. There is always another country that "Needs Denazification".

What you are proposing is essentially a return to a Rule of the Jungle international order, the ultimate Realist trope that "The Strong do what they will. The Weak suffer what they must." (Thucydides) This was indeed political reality for several thousand years of human history, but its been proven that more benefit can be provided to more of humanity through cooperation (to varying degrees) than by an absolute rule of absolute power.

Allowing Russia to simply annex Ukraine as well as the other break-away Balkan republics, Poland, Moldova, and any other state on which Putin had designs would not ultimately provide "no loss to the US or the rest of Europe". Remember this simple note from Martin Niemöller at the time the Nazis took over Germany -- it has as much relevance to global politics as domestic politics, today as then:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

It means something to stand up for what is right against what is wrong.

 

[justanothergunnut]

TRUTH 👆

 

[Rigel]

At the US national level, Americans got "introduced" to Pakistan as the launching pad place where Kissinger started his historic opening up trip to China

Well, before that...

And then there was the horse...

Jackie Kennedy's Horse, Sardar - Presidential Pet Museum

The First Lady, an avid horsewoman all her life, promptly fell in love with Sardar. Here's his story.

www.presidentialpetmuseum.com

A few kept up with the East Pakistan / Bangladash conflict with India.

Bangladesh wanted to be independent from the rest of Pakistan. It was a blessing in disguise.

If they had still been with us during the Soviet Afghan War, we would never have been able to create nuclear weapons and I would be speaking Russian today. They were a forever drain on our resources.

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

Ah yes.....good ol' East Pakistan.

 

[SoJ_51]

.02
jd

 

[justanothergunnut]

.02
jd

saw a video of a Rus tank get hit and when the onboard rounds cooked off it threw that turret about 200 feet in the air.. it was epic.. The comments were pretty funny. Giving a rating like they do with gymnastics..

 

[SoJ_51]

saw a video.. The comments were pretty funny. Giving a rating like they do with gymnastics..

Huh.. the '2022 Russian Turret-Poplympics in Ukraine'.. Whodathunk'it?

.03
jd

 

[subvetredux]

.02
jd

This T-72 crew earned their cosmonaut wings.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1524787742533722112

 

[ajole]

No, you are putting words in my mouth so you can virtue signal to your buddies here. I care not what the Ukes do. Fight on, surrender, makes no difference to me either way. I am 5,000 miles away after all.

You guys are just pilling on because it makes you feel better about yourselves. All I did was try and answer a question about the possible outcomes of this war. I am not engaging with fantasies about Ukrainians marching to Moscow, because it is ridiculous.

I’m not putting words in your mouth. I’m taking your simple little statements and expanding them to meet reality.

My buddies? Get real. If you are feeling like you are getting piled on….maybe it’s because you are wrong?

And wishing something could happen isn’t fantasizing about it. On the other hand, your repeated and monotonous pro-Russian posts look like you are fantasizing something.

The sad thing…you are coming out against Ukraine and for Russia day after day after day, for no reason other than your distrust of the media and the US leadership, because of your experience in service.

Dude…you might want to see a therapist, I’m worried about you.