ThunderHorse
Verified Military
How would you grade their russian counterparts?
Ukraine - Russia Conflict
- Thread starter pardus
- Start date
With the red end of the pencil...
Fucking savage!
ThunderHorse
Verified Military
We are so effed.
JedisonsDad
Verified SOF
Small escalation.
I wonder if this will affect Syrian support.
Russia shells mosque housing 80 civilians in Mariupol: Ukraine
Russia shells mosque housing 80 civilians in Mariupol: Ukraine
If memory serves, a country's targeting of US convoys supporting a ground war in Europe was one of the major reasons America (eventually) jumped into WWI.
Milestones: 1914–1920 - Office of the Historian.
This hit me in a way I didn't expect. As in, unexpected tears welling up in my eyes.
My wife and daughter are quite good at the piano and we also have a fancy grand. What we don't have is a gaping hole through our house, or the Russians making their way towards our town.
It's hard to tell what's real and what's fake in this conflict, but there really is a war going on, and people who don't deserve to die have, and are going to.
One of many things that all of my time in Afghanistan and Iraq taught me is that you don't need nukes, or tanks, or artillery, or an air force to defeat an occupying power. But you do need organization, training, weapons, and the will to use them. "The will to use them" being the most important.
Health conditions or no, I like to think that if I were in a similar situation, the piano playing in my bombed-out living room would be the background music while I saw off the bottoms of champagne bottles, break up a bunch of Styrofoam, and spend a little time in my basement with a soldering iron and a couple of garage door openers. I learned a little about that in Iraq and Afghanistan too.
But I don't have to do those things, because I live in the US and not Ukraine.
I feel enormous empathy for the people of Ukraine right now, and tremendous gratitude for, and pride in, being an American.
My wife and daughter are quite good at the piano and we also have a fancy grand. What we don't have is a gaping hole through our house, or the Russians making their way towards our town.
It's hard to tell what's real and what's fake in this conflict, but there really is a war going on, and people who don't deserve to die have, and are going to.
One of many things that all of my time in Afghanistan and Iraq taught me is that you don't need nukes, or tanks, or artillery, or an air force to defeat an occupying power. But you do need organization, training, weapons, and the will to use them. "The will to use them" being the most important.
Health conditions or no, I like to think that if I were in a similar situation, the piano playing in my bombed-out living room would be the background music while I saw off the bottoms of champagne bottles, break up a bunch of Styrofoam, and spend a little time in my basement with a soldering iron and a couple of garage door openers. I learned a little about that in Iraq and Afghanistan too.
But I don't have to do those things, because I live in the US and not Ukraine.
I feel enormous empathy for the people of Ukraine right now, and tremendous gratitude for, and pride in, being an American.
ThunderHorse
Verified Military
So, FSB 5th Directorate (Foreign Intelligence) was raided and the Chief of Foreign Intelligence has been placed under arrest by the FSO (Presidential Security)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...foreign-intelligence-branch-house-arrest.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...foreign-intelligence-branch-house-arrest.html
(And I’d add the will and patience to outlast the occupier.)
Following along with this human drama can trigger some PTSD issues. I believe PTSD can hit a thinking person even harder than, say, someone less prone to introspection. My combined action company CO in Vietnam—whom I would have followed into the pits of hell—retired a Lt Col. He still cannot talk about it. Too many letters to grieving families, too many ghosts.
We follow vicariously the drama because we’ve BTDT and while it attracts our warrior spirit, it evokes sadder emotions as well.
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TLDR20
Verified SOF
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2009
- Messages
- 6,201
That is great perspective. For the last couple of years I have seen a lot of people waxing poetic about a civil war or some other such nonsense in the US. This is what would be in store. An absolute goddawful shit show.
(Not directed at anyone in particular) America, despite its flaws is the greatest country in the world. Don’t let petty political shit tell you otherwise.
I want to hate that the White House is doing this but info ops is soooo important, I can see why they're doing it. There is so little trust in government, and so little awareness inside the general populace, I think this is probably a good idea.
Locksteady
Member
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2012
- Messages
- 601
As well, Gen Z and younger Gen Y are particularly vulnerable targets for this due in part to that same lack of awareness and inherited mistrust, but also because of the extensive time they spend on newer social media platforms, which are increasingly becoming their principal source of news.
This is a good move by Washington, and perhaps a useful template for future info ops.
ThunderHorse
Verified Military
Just continuing to do the same shit they did with COVID policies. Waste money and then push their version of the facts. This administration spent billions on COVID messaging with regular media outlets and then hundreds of millions with influencers. So I don't like this one bit. Talk about distrust? There is nothing that would make me trust this administration at this juncture...except maybe resigning.
I’m convinced weak leadership in this country and in Europe is one of the reasons why Putin felt confident to make this move at this time. He doesn’t fear us enough. And neither do the Chinese.
JFK responded to the Cuban Missile Crisis with a bold decisiveness backed by strength that rocked the Soviets back on their heels. I honestly doubt if a man like Putin would’ve taken the chance with a Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office…or a Truman or an Eisenhower.
At some point the PRC is going to take Taiwan. It’s going to happen. Probably at a time when they perceive weakness and indecisiveness in Washington DC. We don’t have to make it easy for them.
JFK responded to the Cuban Missile Crisis with a bold decisiveness backed by strength that rocked the Soviets back on their heels. I honestly doubt if a man like Putin would’ve taken the chance with a Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office…or a Truman or an Eisenhower.
At some point the PRC is going to take Taiwan. It’s going to happen. Probably at a time when they perceive weakness and indecisiveness in Washington DC. We don’t have to make it easy for them.
JedisonsDad
Verified SOF
Award-winning US journalist Brent Renaud killed in Ukraine: police
So the guy was wearing a badge holder with the American flag, and “peacekeeper” embroidered on it, holding his press credentials. However, the badge was from a previous assignment as he was not there on assignment with NYT.
So how does this play out? American killed, but under false credentials…
So the guy was wearing a badge holder with the American flag, and “peacekeeper” embroidered on it, holding his press credentials. However, the badge was from a previous assignment as he was not there on assignment with NYT.
So how does this play out? American killed, but under false credentials…
ThunderHorse
Verified Military
Russians already ambushed a broadcast team from Sky News in the UK, so the reality is they're shooting indiscriminately at journalists.
ETA-
This was published on the 5th, so probably happened a few days before: Sky News team's harrowing account of their violent ambush in Ukraine this week
Actions have consequences. You want to run around an active battlefield you take all the risks.
He gets put in a box and shipped home. End of story
