Ukraine

[ryoder 1,063]

10 minutes ago, billvon said:

A new way for Putin to get recruits AND a way for Trump supporters to show the US how much they hate wokeness!

Russia Wants to Build a MAGA Colony for US Conservatives, Lawyer Claims

So how quickly will they be eligible for conscription?

[billvon 1,945]

6 minutes ago, ryoder said:

So how quickly will they be eligible for conscription?

I am sure they will receive assurances that they won't be drafted.

Then when they get there, the people who want to be exempt from the draft will be forced to live in rainbow colored houses with pictures of Dylan Mulvaney everywhere inside.

[wolfriverjoe 1,094]

4 hours ago, ryoder said:

So how quickly will they be eligible for conscription?

How long before they realize that 'freedom of speech' doesn't exist in Russia?

How long before they realize how corrupt it is? 

And ya gotta wonder if this 'new colony' will have indoor plumbing.
I'm sure the plans show it, but I'm also pretty sure that any money these fools 'invest' in anything over there will simply disappear. The same way any and all 'public funds' do.

[ryoder 1,063]

And at some point in the future, when the transplants become unhappy at the reality of Russia, and start protesting, Putin will stand up in front of the Duma and begin speaking:

"When the United States sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing conspiracy theories. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

[Phil1111 691]

15 hours ago, wolfriverjoe said:

...How long before they realize how corrupt it is? 
 

MAGA followers know how corrupt it is. They imagine that Russia is like Washington only without the meddling of any opposition. Laws making it ok to beat LGBTQIA+ undesirables. Long prison terms for those that oppose the privileged ones.

They just think they will be among the privileged ones. Lining their pockets, sending those without white skin off on other special operations.

[Phil1111 691]

14 hours ago, ryoder said:

And at some point in the future, when the transplants become unhappy at the reality of Russia, and start protesting, Putin will stand up in front of the Duma and begin speaking:

"When the United States sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing conspiracy theories. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

As new immigrants to Russia President Putin will help them out. Each will be given a pure white, blue eyed Ukrainian child to raise.

[riggerrob 501]

46 minutes ago, Phil1111 said:

As new immigrants to Russia President Putin will help them out. Each will be given a pure white, blue eyed Ukrainian child to raise.

There was also a recent news story about Romanian police arresting Chinese agents who were moving Ukrainian babies out of their homeland without the appropriate paperwork.

Funny! 30 years ago I can remember Romanian orphanages selling babies to the west. Part of the problem -as explained by my Romanian-born colleague was poor record-keeping in Romanian orphanages meant that officials could not return orphans to their parents after the fall of the Iron Curtain.

[riggerrob 501]

52 minutes ago, Phil1111 said:

MAGA followers know how corrupt it is. They imagine that Russia is like Washington only without the meddling of any opposition. Laws making it ok to beat LGBTQIA+ undesirables. Long prison terms for those that oppose the privileged ones.

They just think they will be among the privileged ones. Lining their pockets, sending those without white skin off on other special operations.

Amusing how left-wingers and right-wingers can get so far away from the (political) center that they eventually meet on the far side of the circle!

 

Why does some of this remind me of some of the things that George Orwell warned us about in his novel "1984?" I read the book back during the 1970s are was pleasantly surprized when it did not come true on schedule. Parts of the process came true in later years ... like post-communist Russia making friends with the west for a few years, but eventually reverting to adversaries.

Lots of luck finding traditional American right wing "rights" - in Russia - like freedom of speech or freedom of religion or 2nd Amendment (gun ownership) or 5th Amendment (not being forced to testify against yourself out of fear that you might provide enough evidence to convict yourself), Miranda rights, freedom from arrest without evidence, freedom to a prompt trial, free medical and dental care in prison, freedom for lethal injection if convicted, freedom to move to another state, freedom to consume recreational drugs (in some states), freedom to same-sex-marry, etc.

Hah!

Hah!

[jakee 981]

9 minutes ago, riggerrob said:

… could not return orphans to their parents…

I think something has been lost in translation here.

[riggerrob 501]

21 minutes ago, jakee said:

I think something has been lost in translation here.

Some of those "orphans" were surrendered by their un-wed, teenaged mothers. In later years, some of those mothers were in better economic/marriage situations and tried to re-claim their children. They could not find their children due to poor record-keeping in communist-era Romanian orphanages.

[wolfriverjoe 1,094]

8 hours ago, Phil1111 said:

MAGA followers know how corrupt it is. They imagine that Russia is like Washington only without the meddling of any opposition. Laws making it ok to beat LGBTQIA+ undesirables. Long prison terms for those that oppose the privileged ones.

They just think they will be among the privileged ones. Lining their pockets, sending those without white skin off on other special operations.

Yeah, they have lots of impossible fantasies.

It won't happen that way, though.

Unless you're already 'privileged', you are screwed.

Kinda like the mafia, only the ones 'in' get rich.
Getting 'in' is not easy.
Much easier to end up dead.

[Phil1111 691]

3 hours ago, wolfriverjoe said:

Yeah, they have lots of impossible fantasies.

It won't happen that way, though.

Unless you're already 'privileged', you are screwed.

Kinda like the mafia, only the ones 'in' get rich.
Getting 'in' is not easy.
Much easier to end up dead.

Nailed it.

Underling wannabe's.

[JerryBaumchen 874]

Hi folks,

IMO we need a few more Oopsies like this one:  Accounting error means Pentagon can send an additional $3 billion in weapons to Ukraine | AP News

Jerry Baumchen

[Phil1111 691]

14 hours ago, JerryBaumchen said:

Hi folks,

IMO we need a few more Oopsies like this one:  Accounting error means Pentagon can send an additional $3 billion in weapons to Ukraine | AP News

Jerry Baumchen

Accounting errors! The most popular topic in Russian military circles for why fuel, ammo, tanks and jets can't be found on any bases.

[jakee 981]

Finally! The next step...

US agrees to allow training and supply of F16s

[wolfriverjoe 1,094]

13 hours ago, jakee said:

Finally! The next step...

US agrees to allow training and supply of F16s

About time.

Of course, the Russians don't like it, and are issuing their 'standard empty threats'.

From the story:

Quote

Russia said countries would run "enormous risks" if they supplied F-16s to Ukraine, state media reported. 

Deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko told state-owned news agency Tass that Western countries were "sticking to the scenario of escalation".

"This will be taken into account in all our plans, and we have all the necessary means to achieve our goals," he said.

 

[Phil1111 691]

55 minutes ago, wolfriverjoe said:

...Of course, the Russians don't like it, and are issuing their 'standard empty threats'....

The longer the war goes on, the more people realize that Russia is a paper tiger. Skilled at bombing defenseless hospitals, cities and killing civilians. Taking care of injured soldiers will cost Russia billions more.

The biggest advantage in the older F-16s for Ukraine is the automatic integration of weapons. AIM-120, JDAM-ER, jamming pods, HARM, etc. will all allow Ukraine to seamlessly defend itself.

Its too bad that President Biden was so slow on the step by step arming of Ukraine.

[JoeWeber 1,866]

1 hour ago, Phil1111 said:

Its too bad that President Biden was so slow on the step by step arming of Ukraine.

Biden is probably the most seasoned statesman in America. Maybe he's blowing it or maybe he's simply mindful of the best way to eat an elephant. Americans are always somewhat defeated out of the gates by our two year congressional time frame and our four year Presidential cycle. We hurry, hurry, hurry and then complain about how we hurry, hurry, hurry. When we get a President who take it more slowly and in a measured way even his supporters start screaming dementia. Not only do we not know what we don't know but we for damn sure don't know what he actually does know.

[Phil1111 691]

6 hours ago, JoeWeber said:

Biden is probably the most seasoned statesman in America. Maybe he's blowing it or maybe he's simply mindful of the best way to eat an elephant. Americans are always somewhat defeated out of the gates by our two year congressional time frame and our four year Presidential cycle. We hurry, hurry, hurry and then complain about how we hurry, hurry, hurry. When we get a President who take it more slowly and in a measured way even his supporters start screaming dementia. Not only do we not know what we don't know but we for damn sure don't know what he actually does know.

I think you mean prudent. Certainly if trump had been reelected the story would have been very different. In any event better late than never.

What gets seldom mentioned is the endless intelligence that only the US can provide. The latest Russian troop movements and the locations of the best targets behind the lines. Somewhere in a basement in Kiev there are US special forces with laptops. Sitting next to Ukrainian officers who are chatting up the latest opportunity to open up.

[JoeWeber 1,866]

On 5/20/2023 at 8:47 AM, Phil1111 said:

The longer the war goes on, the more people realize that Russia is a paper tiger. Skilled at bombing defenseless hospitals, cities and killing civilians. Taking care of injured soldiers will cost Russia billions more.

The biggest advantage in the older F-16s for Ukraine is the automatic integration of weapons. AIM-120, JDAM-ER, jamming pods, HARM, etc. will all allow Ukraine to seamlessly defend itself.

Its too bad that President Biden was so slow on the step by step arming of Ukraine.

HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday said he had received a "flat assurance" from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that he would not use Western-provided F-16 fighter jets to go into Russian territory.

Biden told reporters in Hiroshima, Japan, at the conclusion of a meeting of world leaders that F-16 warplanes could be used "wherever Russian troops are within Ukraine and the area".

Not much room for misunderstanding now: Ukraine is getting F-16's. Now lets also free up the 24 F-18 Super Hornets Australia retired but can't sell.

[ryoder 1,063]

17 minutes ago, JoeWeber said:

HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday said he had received a "flat assurance" from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that he would not use Western-provided F-16 fighter jets to go into Russian territory.

Biden told reporters in Hiroshima, Japan, at the conclusion of a meeting of world leaders that F-16 warplanes could be used "wherever Russian troops are within Ukraine and the area".

Not much room for misunderstanding now: Ukraine is getting F-16's. Now lets also free up the 24 F-18 Super Hornets Australia retired but can't sell.

I had not heard of that, but here is an article about it:

24 combat-ready F/A-18 Hornets are aging unused in Australia

[Phil1111 691]

4 hours ago, JoeWeber said:

HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday said he had received a "flat assurance" from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that he would not use Western-provided F-16 fighter jets to go into Russian territory.

Biden told reporters in Hiroshima, Japan, at the conclusion of a meeting of world leaders that F-16 warplanes could be used "wherever Russian troops are within Ukraine and the area".

Not much room for misunderstanding now: Ukraine is getting F-16's. Now lets also free up the 24 F-18 Super Hornets Australia retired but can't sell.

Swine!...... Keep your hands off Canada's F-18s. Seriously, Canada will need them because of liberal government bungling, feet dragging and politics. As you may be aware of.Canada has a long history of buying old equipment from allies.

"Most Canadians know the sad story of Canada's second-hand submarines. Purchased from Britain in 1998 for a suspiciously low price, the four vessels have spent most of the last fifteen years being refitted and repaired." Word had it is that the UK laughed and laughed that Canadian admirals were so dumb,Its politicians so .gullible.

Then Canada bought other used F-18s from Australia. But because of Canadian government bungling and delays Canada won't receive its first F-35 until 2026 and its last F-35 until 2034. So Canada will likely end up with them.

In 2016 Canada's F-18s had already reached the end of their service lives with most having 7000 hours. and a useful life of 8000 hours.

But we do have $10 daycare now

[wolfriverjoe 1,094]

Biden was asked about Russia claiming that giving Ukraine F-16s was a risk.
 

 

[ryoder 1,063]

Is Putin going to stamp his feet and threaten to hold his breathe if Ukraine gets F-16's?

[ryoder 1,063]

Leaked U.S. Report Says Basic F-16 Training For Ukrainian Pilots Could Take Just Four Months

OK, but what about:

1) Mechanic training.

2) Stockpiling parts.

3) Acquiring maintenance equipment.