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Post by rgs318 on Mar 3, 2022 18:39:10 GMT -5
Ireland did, but "the Irish" did not. In WWII the "Wild Geese" fought a tyrant yet again.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Mar 4, 2022 9:29:23 GMT -5
Re: Ireland sitting out the war. The Irish Guards antedate WWI, when all of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. Today, the battalion -- its ranks are now reduced to one battalion, the First -- recruits from the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the rest of the UK. Prince William is Colonel-in-Chief of the Irish Guards, Annually, he and Kate Middleton present shamrocks to the Battalion on March 17th, quaff some Guinness, and review the Battalion as it marches past to the quick march tune of St. Patrick's Day. In WWII, all the Guards battalions of the so-called Household Division (infantry) were re-constituted as the Guards Armored Division. -------------------------- The Georgetown alma mater at Rorke's Drift. (The composer of the alma mater consciously borrowed the tune.) Men of Harlech is the slow march of the First Battalion, Welsh Guards (of the Household Division). Michael Caine also managed to find his way to Rorke's Drift in Natal as Lt. Gonville Bromhead, and for his actions at Rorke's Drift, Bromhead subsequently was awarded the Victoria Cross (one of 11 VC's awarded that day).
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Post by rgs318 on Mar 4, 2022 9:46:52 GMT -5
A small aside. Since they could not get permission to use the lyrics of the actual Men of Harlech the words from the film were new and were created to be used in that film. I find the battle of Rourke's Drift as shown in Zulu it one of the greatest battle scenes in any film. (Note: "one of" the greatest)
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Post by mm67 on Mar 4, 2022 9:49:12 GMT -5
Ireland voted to condemn Russia in the recent vote in the UN.
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Post by timholycross on Mar 4, 2022 10:22:30 GMT -5
How can a sane person/country do anything aggressive near a nuclear power plant; especially when that country already had in its past the worst nuclear disaster in the history of the world? (which was actually inside the current Ukraine). Lucky from all reports the fire got put out.
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Post by rgs318 on Mar 4, 2022 10:31:07 GMT -5
I heard this AM that the shell hit a "training facility" and not one of the nuclear reactors and that the fire is out. As to a "sane" nation/person...that is a very different topic.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Mar 8, 2022 14:31:41 GMT -5
Paul Krugman op-ed in the NY times in which he describes Putin's (and Russia's) descent into autarky. (I had first come across the word 'autarky' several days before Krugman's column, and it was such a totally alien word that I had absolutely no clue as to what it meant, ---and I had taken a course in international economics (not at HC)). www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/opinion/russia-ukraine-sanctions-economy.html?smid=em-share---------- I will note with respect to logistics, that the U.S. and its allies delivered 17,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine in six days last week. Really remarkable.
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Post by hcpride on Mar 8, 2022 15:01:06 GMT -5
I believe the USA imported about 234,000,000 barrels of oil and petroleum products from Russia in CY 2021. If we continue to do that, and the current price of $105 per barrel holds steady, that would generate $24,570,000,000 of revenue for Russia in one year--non insubstantial in my point of view I believe President Biden announced today that we will not be buying Russian oil going forward. We certainly have the capacity to make up that shortfall given our own oil and gas resources.
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Post by hchoops on Mar 8, 2022 15:02:24 GMT -5
But the estimate for life saving supplies for Kyiv lasting is 7-10 days Putin will starve tens of thousands
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 8, 2022 15:36:35 GMT -5
Let's get the Migs from the other former Warsaw Pact members of NATO into Ukraine and back fill those countries with F-16s.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Mar 8, 2022 17:23:04 GMT -5
Let's get the Migs from the other former Warsaw Pact members of NATO into Ukraine and back fill those countries with F-16s. That apparently will happen with respect to Poland's MIG-29s. Poland will fly them to Germany, and the Ukrainians will pick them up there. And the U.S. would backfill with used F-16s. This backfill only works if the donating country already flies F-16s. (Maybe the used F-16s are from the New York Air National Guard which swapped its fighters for drones a few years ago. I believe 2017 was the cross-over ytear, with the Air Force having more drone pilots than human pilots.) But stay tuned. The arrangement is very fluid.
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Post by hcpride on Mar 9, 2022 1:47:48 GMT -5
The very latest messaging from the US appears to reject this ‘MiGs from Poland to Ramstein to Ukraine’ initiative.
While doubtlessly delivering all manner of Intel, weapons and ammunition to the Ukrainians, we seem to view this Poland-Ramstein-Ukraine MiG idea as one in particular that might escalate hostilities beyond Ukraine.
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Post by Chu Chu on Mar 9, 2022 11:57:16 GMT -5
The amazing coordination among the NATO allies, together with many others, such as Japan, Australia, Switzerland, Sweden, etc is really unprecedented and a real feather in the cap of this administration. It is the result of very hard work behind the scenes, that began long before Putin's latest assault on Ukraine.
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 9, 2022 12:02:01 GMT -5
The very latest messaging from the US appears to reject this ‘MiGs from Poland to Ramstein to Ukraine’ initiative. While doubtlessly delivering all manner of Intel, weapons and ammunition to the Ukrainians, we seem to view this Poland-Ramstein-Ukraine MiG idea as one in particular that might escalate hostilities beyond Ukraine. VP Harris is flying into a maelstrom in Poland today just as this issue has unexpectedly blown up. I'm no big fan, but she's had worse luck than Coach Nelson. The part of me that roots for the under dog wouldn't mind if it looks like the VP pulled a rabbit out of her hat that solves this issue. Neither Poland or the US wants to be seen as the third man into this war. I bet if Putin wants to escalate he doesn't need an excuse but this would give him one to use anyway.
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Post by HC92 on Mar 9, 2022 13:34:12 GMT -5
The very latest messaging from the US appears to reject this ‘MiGs from Poland to Ramstein to Ukraine’ initiative. While doubtlessly delivering all manner of Intel, weapons and ammunition to the Ukrainians, we seem to view this Poland-Ramstein-Ukraine MiG idea as one in particular that might escalate hostilities beyond Ukraine. VP Harris is flying into a maelstrom in Poland today just as this issue has unexpectedly blown up. I'm no big fan, but she's had worse luck than Coach Nelson. The part of me that roots for the under dog wouldn't mind if it looks like the VP pulled a rabbit out of her hat that solves this issue. Neither Poland or the US wants to be seen as the third man into this war. I bet if Putin wants to escalate he doesn't need an excuse but this would give him one to use anyway. We all want the VP to be successful in her latest diplomatic endeavor. However, like Coach Nelson, there is little in her record to date that suggests she will be.
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Post by mm67 on Mar 9, 2022 13:57:19 GMT -5
Politics ends at our nation's borders. No matter the Party we all need to avoid the political innuendo and join together with our leaders at this time of war. Those of us who grew up in the shadow of WW II understand this quite well. D's, R's, agnostics all deserve our support in their dealings with the Russian menace to democracy. GOD BLESS AMERICA!
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Post by newfieguy74 on Mar 9, 2022 14:00:59 GMT -5
VP Harris is flying into a maelstrom in Poland today just as this issue has unexpectedly blown up. I'm no big fan, but she's had worse luck than Coach Nelson. The part of me that roots for the under dog wouldn't mind if it looks like the VP pulled a rabbit out of her hat that solves this issue. Neither Poland or the US wants to be seen as the third man into this war. I bet if Putin wants to escalate he doesn't need an excuse but this would give him one to use anyway. We all want the VP to be successful in her latest diplomatic endeavor. However, like Coach Nelson, there is little in her record to date that suggests she will be. District Atty. for San Francisco CA Attorney General U.S. Senator Vice President Pretty good resume in my book. You can like her or dislike her, but the amount of gratuitous hatefulness directed toward her is appalling.
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Post by rgs318 on Mar 9, 2022 15:50:37 GMT -5
If there are reasons for the dislike, is it still "gratuitous?" Would not having a reason make it "rational" dislike?
Having said that, I believe all politics should be set aside at this time for the good of the Ukranians and for our own good. I believe it is the correct thing to do.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Mar 9, 2022 17:53:47 GMT -5
The United States has air assets deployed around much of Ukraine. Both manned and unmanned aircraft. These assets are constantly monitoring Russian forces, and from various intelligence centers, the U.S. provides recon information to the Ukrainians within one or two hours after it is collected. That this is not a nearly simultaneous transfer is to allow the U.S. to strip source identifiers from the data. This is because the U.S. believes there are Russian agents embedded in the Ukrainian armed forces. It's quite possible that the U.S. has informally established no fly zones for the Russians, In that if any aircraft approach these zones, they will be regarded as hostile and may be shot down. The U.S. likely does not want the airspace over Ukraine cluttered, and its also likely that the U.S. does not want to engage in tit-for-tat electronic countermeasure warfare. So there may be informal rules of engagement between the U.S. and Russia. The value of these 23 MIG-29s to the Ukrainian warfighting effort is uncertain, IMO, as they need to based in western Ukraine. (The Poles some days ago were even offering to allow the Ukrainians to use Polish airfields, which NATO absolutely does not want.) More effective are the Turkish supplied drones, which are armed with four laser-guided bombs. 25 more of those are likely to be more effective than a similar number of MIG-29s. www.jpost.com/international/article-700540And then there is the CIA's 'army' and 'air force', which are not described or discussed, except in the past tense, But elements began training Ukrainians under Obama, and it has continued. Following the 2014 capture of Crimea, the U.S. Army trained over 25,000Ukrainians at a military training center in Ukraine. -------------------------------- Four years ago, the U.S. Army, the Marine Corps, and the Air Force destroyed a Russian-led military column attacking U.S. forward positions in Syria. No U.S. casualties. Very heavy losses on the other side. www.nytimes.com/2018/05/24/world/middleeast/american-commandos-russian-mercenaries-syria.html?smid=em-shareRe: the raid within Syria five weeks ago that killed the head of ISIS. The U.S. informed the Russians (in Syria) beforehand that they would be conducting an operation in an area of Syria.
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 9, 2022 19:00:16 GMT -5
We all want the VP to be successful in her latest diplomatic endeavor. However, like Coach Nelson, there is little in her record to date that suggests she will be. District Atty. for San Francisco CA Attorney General U.S. Senator Vice President Pretty good resume in my book. You can like her or dislike her, but the amount of gratuitous hatefulness directed toward her is appalling. She has a resume like Nelson's. I'd like to see her have a signature accomplishment as VP. We may need her as President Biden must be the oldest US President ever. Biden's pulling NATO together has been a signature accomplishment for him. Much like George HW Bush's Iraq coalition was for him. Both Bush and Biden were eight year Vice Presidents with extensive foreign policy experience and a modest amount of personal charisma. Harris has broader qualifications than Quayle did. I'm rooting for her and Coach Nelson. They both appear to be putting the work in.
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Post by hcpride on Mar 9, 2022 19:03:09 GMT -5
The United States has air assets deployed around much of Ukraine. Both manned and unmanned aircraft. These assets are constantly monitoring Russian forces, and from various intelligence centers, the U.S. provides recon information to the Ukrainians within one or two hours after it is collected. That this is not a nearly simultaneous transfer is to allow the U.S. to strip source identifiers from the data. This is because the U.S. believes there are Russian agents embedded in the Ukrainian armed forces….. /\ /\ I would ‘guess’ we are hitting the Ukrainians with real time alerts regarding incoming enemy air. Perhaps an early warning net with our AWACS or an encrypted digital link along those lines. Those Stingers, for example, have no radar and the gunners can use a heads up. The higher altitude Ukrainian BUK does have radar but turning it on for an extended period invites destruction. They get the timely intel, flash on and fire away. Or at least that’s what I’d do.
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Post by bfoley82 on Mar 10, 2022 0:00:39 GMT -5
District Atty. for San Francisco CA Attorney General U.S. Senator Vice President Pretty good resume in my book. You can like her or dislike her, but the amount of gratuitous hatefulness directed toward her is appalling. She has a resume like Nelson's. I'd like to see her have a signature accomplishment as VP. We may need her as President Biden must be the oldest US President ever. Biden's pulling NATO together has been a signature accomplishment for him. Much like George HW Bush's Iraq coalition was for him. Both Bush and Biden were eight year Vice Presidents with extensive foreign policy experience and a modest amount of personal charisma. Harris has broader qualifications than Quayle did. I'm rooting for her and Coach Nelson. They both appear to be putting the work in. Would you like to know who is the second oldest president? Trump
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Post by hcpride on Mar 10, 2022 2:46:33 GMT -5
She has a resume like Nelson's. I'd like to see her have a signature accomplishment as VP. We may need her as President Biden must be the oldest US President ever. Biden's pulling NATO together has been a signature accomplishment for him. Much like George HW Bush's Iraq coalition was for him. Both Bush and Biden were eight year Vice Presidents with extensive foreign policy experience and a modest amount of personal charisma. Harris has broader qualifications than Quayle did. I'm rooting for her and Coach Nelson. They both appear to be putting the work in. Would you like to know who is the second oldest president? Trump Reagan was almost 78 when he left office. And Biden started at age 78. So, those are the two oldest presidents. And sending Harris is a gesture towards smoothing out the very public (and somewhat puzzling) misfire regarding the MiGs and an absolutely crucial NATO ally. The gesture itself sends a message of unanimity of effort. Until the MiG deal fell through I was thinking it might have been a US-Poland-Ukraine prearranged and very clever way to resupply Ukraine following its inevitable aerial losses. Everyone knew Ukraine’s Air Force would be a priority (if not the priority ) target in the early attack. Keep ‘em stashed safely in Poland and then fly them in. Instead of greatly strengthening Ukraine’s Air Force prior to the war. Nope.
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Post by mm67 on Mar 10, 2022 6:53:09 GMT -5
Solely for the purpose of accuracy: Reagan was 69 yrs old (a few days shy of his 70th) on the day he was inaugurated. Trump was inaugurated (& elected) at the age of 70. Indeed Trump is the second oldest person to assume the presidency. This is the standard measurement. And, it truly is of little consequence.
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Post by timholycross on Mar 10, 2022 7:34:02 GMT -5
Just saw Kamala on the podium w/the Polish leader. Clearly, she was given instructions on what to say, which was absolutely nothing of substance, no offense to the lady. Did they have to send her or anybody else halfway around the world for that?
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