JoeWeber

Sure. But on the issue of mutual defense obligations one might expect a tad more fidelity. Maybe it's just me but in my religion when you empower someone to make decisions that you will be bound by then you honor those decisions. In this instance it's even more serious as we're all supposed to be friends and mutually aligned not some assholes down the street whose dog craps in your yard, so fuck him.

The 2% issue is that all of the NATO Defense Ministers agreed to the 2% for a stated set of reasons. Then, as you know, their nations welshed on the promise. Whether any citizen thinks it's too much is another issue. The wide world is bigger than Ukraine, hence the idea a very wide defense posture is needed. The interesting thing that should be NATO's Ukraine lesson is how logistics are decisive and how even a shitty army can be overwhelming before help arrives.

An important distinction to make is you. Truly, how many times, likely beyond the ability of math to keep count, have you been present while the most outrageous and obvious bullshit was being lapped up all around you?

In which coming decade? Maybe he'll find a fall guy like Il Doofus found a Deputy Unter Accountant. We need to start seeing some real charges, penalties, and accountability, before the news cycle wins again.

I am not on it personally but benefit from the business pages. Personally, I don't like it for a single reason: it makes "friends" a commodity. Sure, I could relax my definitions but I don't want to. I want it to mean something when someone thinks of me as a friend. Should it ever happen, I suppose.

When you go wine shopping do you count what's already in your cellar? Well, of course not! Same thing, right?

These are the Russian Deployments as of April 15. It appears they're ready to attempt their pincer movement to trap the Ukrainians. Interestingly the Northern tank divisions are said to be equipped with T-80U Tanks (and variants). They are all, at best, 47 year old base designs excluding upgrades and, according to the internet, nothing special compared to older T-72's and newer T-90's. In the South I see only Motorized Rifle Regiments and Divisions, but who knows. Let's hope the Ukrainians once again turn the tables and the rout goes the other way. Source Data https://uawardata.com/

Yes, well raising the bar just fractionally higher, is there anything about the health care system you would improve if it helped others before it helped you?

The reason will likely be the insistence of America who cleverly led Ukraine to a position where they can give up what was previously lost in exchange for peace. That, I believe, is where Biden is taking this thing.

Our morons here in the US will swallow anything, so I'm guessing yes.

Early rumor control has it that the FSB arrested the commander of the Black Sea fleet Vice Admiral Igor Osipov. I can only assume the charge is Sailing in the Face of Bad Weather with Ammunition Aboard. What a gong show the Russian Military is. They really aren't any better than in WWII. At Prokhorovka, during the Battle of Kursk, they simply threw so many tanks at the battle they had to win even though their losses were horrible. Hopefully their nuclear arsenal is as competent.

It is, of course, the strategy I proposed at the onset so in addition to your being right, I'll be wrong. Even with the benefit of hindsight how do you think we should be proceeding from here?

He's boiling the Russian frog, I think. Little by little we're crossing the line. So far, so good.

Yes, indeed, as ever. And now that I've swallowed the Red Pill (boy, does that say plenty) I guess I'll need to give up fine Burgundies for huffing exhaust fumes. I simply think we need to beat those bastards as fast as possible and get back on track with not roasting the planet with excessive CO2.

Yes. However they should do whatever they can, as fast as they can, to get off the Saudi and Russian tit. Nuclear, Solar, Wind, Fracking, Import from friends, whatever. What more ludicrous situation could exist than Western Europe sending arms to Ukraine to beat back the Russians while continuing to fund the Russian military with fossil fuel purchases? All of our choices now are shitty but that's how it works sometimes.

Hang in there, someone will be along to help any day now.

The facts have changed substantially, in my opinion. The simple fact that there is even credible discussion of limited nuclear war in Eastern Europe requires a big rethink. Please don't forget, it has been reliance on fossil fuels and the transfer of wealth to our enemies that made this sad situation possible.

Then it's time for Europe to quit fracking around and get after it. Before the Ukraine invasion it was easy to look, hopefully, towards a different sort of transition from fossil fuels. No more. Russia can not be trusted. Period. The Saudis can not be trusted. Period. The Indians can not be trusted. Period. And closer to home, it is galling that suddenly Sweden and Finland want to fast track NATO admission. We will not meet any CO2 targets. So be it. We need to face reality and understand that we need to deal with that later. Now we all need to find a way to cease being beholding to our enemies.

We have a winner! South Carolina courts gave Richard Moore eight days to decide exactly how he wants to die, and on Friday he made his choice. Moore, who has been on South Carolina’s death row for 21 years, is scheduled for execution on April 29. By state law, the 57-year-old Spartanburg man had to determine which execution method will be responsible for ending his life: the state’s 110-year-old electric chair or a three-man firing squad. Moore picked the newest option offered by the state, the firing squad. He's a modernist, I'll give him that. Now for the cat fight over who gets to waste him.

When and why did you change your opinion on single payer?

Data, except in Star Trek, is not an animated being. Wherever you went to school we need to go and get your money back. And, after a few questions, we might also need to beat their asses.

Three easy questions: 1. Were you for single payer at the time the ACA was being debated? 2. Did you agree with Republican efforts to derail the ACA at the beginning? 3. Have you supported any Republican efforts to overturn the ACA, by any method, since it was signed into law?

Russia has confirmed it was not an ammo explosion aboard the Moskva: "Russian strikes pounded a military factory near Kyiv that makes the missiles Ukraine claims it used to sink the Moskva naval flagship, with Moscow on Friday vowing further such attacks."

Speaking of possible heart attacks, Commander of Russian Black Sea fleet, Admiral Igor Osipov was likely onboard his flagship Moskva when she was hit. For the permanent record, would that count towards Ukraines score of Generals and Admirals?

That's unsustainable. Maybe if, for reasons not yet apparent, Europe decided to back away from Russian Oil and Gas the market might firm a bit.