Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)

[Lord Liaden]

Biden has a reputation for impulsively going off script and sticking his foot in his mouth. That's not a sign of dementia despite what Republicans may tell you. He's done that his entire political career.

[Pariah]

.... but as far as I can tell, he hasn't done it all day every day for his entire presidency like somebody else I could mention.

[Cygnia]

And here I thought they'd like when he "tells it like it is"...

[megaplayboy]

22 hours ago, unclevlad said:

 

Then it isn't nationalism.

I think the lines get blurred under those circumstances.  At any rate, pretty sure the Ukrainians aren't the only country with "death to our enemies" in their military anthems.

[Cygnia]

I was afraid of this...

 

Anti-War Protester Who Crashed Russian State TV is Missing

[Cygnia]

More people exploiting the tragedy

 

 

Matt Shea in PolandThe far-right former WA Representative has been quiet lately until he turned up last week at a hotel in Poland, surrounded by Ukrainian orphans

Quote

A group of at least 60 Ukrainian orphans had appeared and was staying at a boutique hotel and writer’s retreat called Dom Dziennikarza — which translates to the Journalist’s House — in the town of Kazimierz Dolny, a town of just over 2,500 in Lublin Province. The children are apparently under the care of a group purporting to be a nonprofit that hosts Ukrainian orphans in America called “Loving Families and Homes for Orphans.”

Matt Shea is traveling with that group, and the reason they ended up in Kazimeirz Dolny appears to be Shea’s connections to a far-right evangelical pastor, fringe political leader, and minor YouTube celebrity named Paweł Chojecki, who has connections to Polish fascists and has been a Shea ally since at least 2018.

 

Another article on this...

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/former-wa-rep-matt-shea-accused-of-domestic-terrorism-working-to-secure-adoptions-for-ukrainian-children-in-poland/

[archer]

3 hours ago, Cygnia said:

I was afraid of this...

 

Anti-War Protester Who Crashed Russian State TV is Missing

 

They showed pictures of her in court with her lawyer then fined her a bit over 200 British pounds for the stunt (I have no idea what the conversion rate it but that's at the top end of what the law allows for a fine). And there was no jail sentence.

 

I didn't figure that was the end of it. 

 

But if the government disappeared her, I'd have expected them to wait another week.

 

Of course, she could be on the run and trying to make it out of the country or some such.

[BoloOfEarth]

8 minutes ago, archer said:

 

They showed pictures of her in court with her lawyer then fined her a bit over 200 British pounds for the stunt (I have no idea what the conversion rate it but that's at the top end of what the law allows for a fine).

 

So, she was fined 20,000,000,000 rubles?

[archer]

5 minutes ago, BoloOfEarth said:

 

So, she was fined 20,000,000,000 rubles?

 

Well, the articles were in British papers (I think BBC and the Guardian) and they quoted the 200 pounds figure. The authors were likely doing a pre-war conversion rate since there's not an overwhelmingly official one at the moment.

 

The cap on the fine in Russian law would be more likely listed in rubles rather than on a floating exchange rate.

[archer]

North Carolina Is Investigating Trump's Former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows For Criminal Voter Fraud

 

He registered to vote in North Carolina for the 2020 election at an address which he's never owned and where he has never lived or visited.

 

https://www.politicususa.com/2022/03/17/north-carolina-is-investigating-mark-meadows-for-criminal-voter-fraud.html

 

I saw a picture a few weeks ago. It was like a mobile home and a ramshackle house that looks like it was maybe built in the 1940's and last given maintenance in the 1940's.

 

I guess he just never expected anyone to check up on it with the real owners of the property.

 

On the flip side, this gives us yet more evidence that there was fraud in the 2020 election....

[archer]

You deserve a break today at...Uncle Vanya's!

 

"The logo features the same color scheme as the McDonald's logo with the arches in yellow on a red background. The only difference is the famous "M" has been turned on its side and now has a yellow line connecting the two points, resembling the letter "B", which equates to a "V" in English."

 

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-mcdonalds-golden-arches-signs-sideways-logo-trademark-sanctions-1688968

 

 

Russia's government has publicly threatened to seize the assets of any business which has stopped doing business in Russia and reopen them under new management.

[Pariah]

Here are the 8 House Republicans who voted against suspending normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus

 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida

Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado

Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky

Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona

Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina

Rep. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin

Rep. Chip Roy of Texas

[Cygnia]

Putin channels Stalin in his latest speech.

[csyphrett]

30 minutes ago, Pariah said:

Here are the 8 House Republicans who voted against suspending normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus

 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida

Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado

Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky

Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona

Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina

Rep. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin

Rep. Chip Roy of Texas

No surprises here.

CES

[Old Man]

1 hour ago, csyphrett said:

No surprises here.

CES

Well, I was surprised there were only eight. 

[Pariah]

12 minutes ago, Old Man said:

Well, I was surprised there were only eight. 

 

There is that.

 

I choose to interpret this as progress. Maybe some of the Trumpian sycophants are coming to realize that his influence isn't infinite or all-encompassing, and that carrying on against the current Administration in the face of widespread popular support for Ukraine is akin to urinating into a stiff wind.

 

I'm probably wrong. But I'll hold on to the illusion that people may not be as stupid and/or indoctrinated as I'd feared for as long as I can.

[pinecone]

I am hoping the penalty rises to "urinating on an electric fence" levels for them some time soon.

[csyphrett]

3 hours ago, Old Man said:

Well, I was surprised there were only eight. 

Nah. The grifters have changed with the wind. The crazies are still all in

CES

[Starlord]

[unclevlad]

8 hours ago, Old Man said:

Well, I was surprised there were only eight. 

 

And optimistic.  I don't recognize all of em offhand, but the ones I do are all FAR out on the edge.  There's a decent shot that, if the war's still going on come Republican primary time, they'll find it used against them in the primaries...and then later, in the general if they survive the primary.  It feels reasonable to expect that this will cost them QUITE a few votes, especially if they've got primary opposition.

[archer]

Following NATO’s request, Germany and the Netherlands will deliver MIM-104 Patriot PAC-3 air defense systems to Slovakia.

 

Prior, Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said that his country would transfer the Soviet-made S-300PMU air defense systems to Ukraine if the country receives a replacement.

.

.

.

That's nice but the two systems aren't remotely interchangeable. The Patriots is a point-defense weapon (like defending a military base or perhaps something as large as a city) and only works against ballistic missiles.

 

The S-300PMU is a "reach out and touch someone" weapon that protects a large area (a 93 mile range, so a 186 mile diameter). It works against ballistic missiles or aircraft. It's considered to be one of the best anti-craft systems that's ever been developed by anyone, anywhere. (The US doesn't depend on anti-aircraft systems as much as it develops great fighter aircraft and use them for air defense.)

 

You could set that system down quite a ways south of Kiev (maybe 40 miles) and it could shoot down aircraft all the way to the Belarus border. One such system can engage up to 12 targets at a time.

 

Either Slovakia agreed to a severe downgrade in order to help out Ukraine or other NATO countries promised them speedy fighter cover at a moment's notice.

 

In any case, the bad news: Slovakia only has 45 missiles to use in that S300.

 

Ukraine has owned that series of anti-aircraft system and might have some missiles left to use in it.

 

NATO countries that could help:

Greece has one S300 launcher and maybe as many as 175 missiles.

Bulgaria has 10 S300 launchers with an unknown number of missiles. But is likely scared to death of a Russian invasion.

 

Armenia is not in NATO but does participate in joint exercises with NATO. It has some number of S300's and an unknown amount of missiles for them.

 

Egypt, Venezuela, and Vietnam each have S300's and some number of missiles for them. They might be open to some kind of sale or trade from a NATO country or sale directly to Ukraine.

 

And there's eleven other countries, including Russia, which use S300's and who are either neutral or are taking Russia's side.

 

If any company or country has ever made missiles for the S300 other than the two Russian firms which originally developed them, I'm not aware of it.

[Old Man]

6 hours ago, archer said:

Following NATO’s request, Germany and the Netherlands will deliver MIM-104 Patriot PAC-3 air defense systems to Slovakia.

 

Prior, Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said that his country would transfer the Soviet-made S-300PMU air defense systems to Ukraine if the country receives a replacement.

.

.

.

That's nice but the two systems aren't remotely interchangeable. The Patriots is a point-defense weapon (like defending a military base or perhaps something as large as a city) and only works against ballistic missiles.

 

This is inaccurate.  It's not 1991 anymore. 

 

6 hours ago, archer said:

 

The S-300PMU is a "reach out and touch someone" weapon that protects a large area (a 93 mile range, so a 186 mile diameter). It works against ballistic missiles or aircraft. It's considered to be one of the best anti-craft systems that's ever been developed by anyone, anywhere. (The US doesn't depend on anti-aircraft systems as much as it develops great fighter aircraft and use them for air defense.)

 

You could set that system down quite a ways south of Kiev (maybe 40 miles) and it could shoot down aircraft all the way to the Belarus border. One such system can engage up to 12 targets at a time.

 

Either Slovakia agreed to a severe downgrade in order to help out Ukraine or other NATO countries promised them speedy fighter cover at a moment's notice.

 

In any case, the bad news: Slovakia only has 45 missiles to use in that S300.

 

Ukraine has owned that series of anti-aircraft system and might have some missiles left to use in it.

 

NATO countries that could help:

Greece has one S300 launcher and maybe as many as 175 missiles.

Bulgaria has 10 S300 launchers with an unknown number of missiles. But is likely scared to death of a Russian invasion.

 

Armenia is not in NATO but does participate in joint exercises with NATO. It has some number of S300's and an unknown amount of missiles for them.

 

Egypt, Venezuela, and Vietnam each have S300's and some number of missiles for them. They might be open to some kind of sale or trade from a NATO country or sale directly to Ukraine.

 

And there's eleven other countries, including Russia, which use S300's and who are either neutral or are taking Russia's side.

 

If any company or country has ever made missiles for the S300 other than the two Russian firms which originally developed them, I'm not aware of it.

 

Turkey is also in talks to lend their S-400s to Ukraine.

[DShomshak]

When I check my email on AOHell, I also get a page of news stories. One says a member of Russia's Duma, in a transparent bit of trolling, said that Russia should seek reparations for all the damage caused by sanctions. He also spoke of Russia reclaiming all its old possessions, including Alaska and this fort in California. Predictably, Alaska's Lisa Murkowski and some other Alaskan legislator whose name I don't remember took the bait, blustering about "never, ever, ever" and how there are hundreds of thousands of armed Alaskans ready to repel any Russian invasion.

 

Eyerolls all around, I think.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Pariah]

The idea of us ever giving Alaska back to the Russians is preposterous, of course.

 

The idea of giving Texas back to Mexico, on the other hand, is a discussion I'd be willing to entertain.

[Lord Liaden]

36 minutes ago, Pariah said:

The idea of us ever giving Alaska back to the Russians is preposterous, of course.

 

The idea of giving Texas back to Mexico, on the other hand, is a discussion I'd be willing to entertain.

 

The US will never give up Texas, there's too much money in it. That always wins out.

 

OTOH demand for fossil fuels looks to be declining precipitously in the coming decades. So Alaska might actually be on the table.