Politics

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[observe]

 

[observe]

 

[observe]

 

[observe]

 

[observe]

WE ARE A GENERATION THAT WILL NEVER COME BACK.​

A generation that walked to school and then walked back.
A generation that did their homework alone to get out asap to play in the street.
A generation that spent all their free time on the street with their Friends.
A generation that played hide and seek when dark.
A generation that made mud cakes.
A generation that collected sports cards.
A generation that found, collected and washed & Returned empty coke bottles to the local grocery store for 5 cents each , then bought a Mountain Dew and candy bar with the money.
A generation that made paper toys with their bare hands.
A generation who bought vinyl albums to play on record players.
A generation that collected photos and albums of clippings.
A generation that played board games and cards on rainy days.
A generation whose TV went off at midnight after playing the National Anthem.
A generation that had parents who were there.
A generation that laughed under the covers in bed so parents didn't know we were still awake.
A generation that is passing and unfortunately it will never return!!..
I loved Growing up when I did.

 

[observe]

 

[Areaonereal]

WE ARE A GENERATION THAT WILL NEVER COME BACK.​

A generation that walked to school and then walked back.
A generation that did their homework alone to get out asap to play in the street.
A generation that spent all their free time on the street with their Friends.
A generation that played hide and seek when dark.
A generation that made mud cakes.
A generation that collected sports cards.
A generation that found, collected and washed & Returned empty coke bottles to the local grocery store for 5 cents each , then bought a Mountain Dew and candy bar with the money.
A generation that made paper toys with their bare hands.
A generation who bought vinyl albums to play on record players.
A generation that collected photos and albums of clippings.
A generation that played board games and cards on rainy days.
A generation whose TV went off at midnight after playing the National Anthem.
A generation that had parents who were there.
A generation that laughed under the covers in bed so parents didn't know we were still awake.
A generation that is passing and unfortunately it will never return!!..
I loved Growing up when I did.

View attachment 478977

My generation of the 60’s…graduating in 65…draft or college…early 60 bottle return was 2 cents..ice cream bars were a nickel and a cherry coke at the drugstore was a nickel…post war baby boomers…absolutely the best time to grow up…children of the best generation ever.

 

[JOHN GRENZ]

 

[BSO Dave]

​

 

[Red Leg]

I looked into the Politics section - alas, until this war ends, there will be no reliable information, but only military propaganda (from both sides). And this always causes people to hate, aggression and a desire to quarrel. It's unpleasant for me, so I try to appear less here.
But, if anyone is interested, I will speak out a little, on propaganda. Some details: cell phones and other devices are strictly prohibited in the Russian army, so all the stories allegedly recorded by "Russian soldiers" are fake. All the videos from the Russian side can be either from accredited operators (naturally, belatedly and you won't understand anything), or at best from civilians, but they shoot only "arrivals", which, by the way, occur mainly at night. There are quite a lot of staged videos from the Ukrainian side, designed, in my opinion, for a Western audience, such as this vile video with "a car for a murdered son." We have popular channels where such fake stories are investigated, although I don't see the point in this - new ones will be filmed tomorrow.
As for HIMARS, I don't think that military supplies from the United States include something super-secret - the responsible persons most likely understand that all this can get to the enemy (i.e. to us, the Russians). And it is unlikely that these weapons can change the course of the war - there are relatively few of them, and the weapons that are in service with Ukraine are more powerful and deadly, although a lot has already been lost.
And, RedLeg - although the Russians, of course, are very strong people, but 220-mm and 300-mm missiles for MLRS are still very heavy and can hardly be unloaded and loaded manually - probably, there are transport-loading machines or something like that for this.

Of course both sides use propaganda. If I see a clip of one more Ukrainian soldier rescuing a cat or dog ..... well anyway, it is usually pretty obvious.

You are correct, to a degree, with respect to HIMARS. Though I believe you are drawing the wrong conclusion. The Multiple Launch Rocket System is forty-year-old technology. HIMARS is merely the same launcher mounted on a truck. Hardly what I would call cutting edge by our standards. The GLMRS rockets are a bit newer but still dating to the late 90's. The thing that Russia might soberly consider is the effect this multi-decade old technology, in very limited quantities, is having on the battlefield. Yes, I know Russia claims to have destroyed another two or three almost daily. You can believe this or not, but I have carefully looked at every clip released by your MOD claiming a HIMARS kill, and I have yet to see a photo or video clip of an actual system in the photo or video - much less one being struck. I would simply note somehow, those ammunition depots keep detonating along with the odd command post and surface to air missile site.

The Ukrainian Army - not NATO and not the US has fought the Russian Army to a standstill. That Army has inflicted grievous losses to Russia's best formations and destroyed a large portion of Russia's modernized armor. Battle Damage Assessments are now beginning to include T-62 tanks of all things! Yes, Russia too has killed many Ukrainians - soldiers and civilians. But that nation's willingness to willingly bear those costs and sacrifices should be a message to Russia as well.

I will simply note once more, that after five months of war, Russia is unable to gain air superiority, it is unable to dominate the Black Sea, and its army was forced to withdraw from Kiev and the northern axes of advance after suffering devastating casualties (particularly the VDV and logistics troops). It is being fought to a standstill in the East and the South. Russia's long range strike missile inventory has had no meaningful effect on Ukraine's ability to wage war and much of it now expended. Politically, rather than causing a crisis in NATO, the alliance will now add Finland and Sweden. Finally, economically, the hard work of two generations of Russia's best and brightest is being destroyed. Many of those skilled engineers and entrepreneurs are leaving the country. Unintended consequences can be every bit as telling as actual objectives in conducting a special military operation. These are truths that the US has learned to its great cost too often over the last fifty years.

The Ukrainian assessments of casualties inflicted are obviously inflated. However, the latest US/UK conservative assessment is that during these five months, the Russian Army and its auxiliaries such as Wagner have suffered 60,000 casualties with 15,000 killed in action. If accurate, these, at least by our standards, are staggering casualty rates. Perhaps because so few of these young men are recruited from the areas around St. Petersburg and Moscow these losses remain largely invisible to most of the Russian population that matters politically?

One other cautionary point. Imagine if the opponent was instead just a single US Corps built around a couple of divisions, an Armored Cavalry Regiment, and the equivalent of four brigades of artillery containing a total of 126 of these launchers and vast supplies of both GMLRS and ATACMS rockets. I would also add the additional 144 155mm self-propelled guns would have large inventories of GPS guided munitions. All of those platforms have the ability to instantly self-lay, fire and immediately move. Those two divisions would also include two aviation brigades with Apaches. In turn, all of that would be operating under an umbrella of true generation V fighters and attack aircraft. Each of the armor brigades in those divisions (seven in all counting the ACR) would field around 120 M1 Abrams tanks with target acquisition and lethal range engagement far beyond anything but perhaps the T-14 - should it actually do what its builders claim it will. And Russia has how many of those? I would urge you to check with some of your informed armor colleagues to see how confident they are at cracking an Abrams's armor with whatever modernized T-72's and T-80's are left. Also, that Corps, each of those divisions and every brigade and battalion would be led by men with combat experience and knowledge of the art of combined operations.

All of that is why Sergey Lavrov's blustering about moving against NATO and Poland is far more amusing than worrying to the West's military leadership.

Finally, Russia will take a generation, likely more, to atone for the barbarism it has exposed in its use of missile and artillery fires against civilians and civilian infrastructure. The behavior of Russia's soldiers in occupied areas is reminiscent of the Red Army's behavior as it overran the Eastern half of Germany in '45. Yes, Ukraine has exploited these incidents for propaganda purposes, but the Russian military has provided them far too much material to exploit. It is also true that the US caused collateral damage in its various campaigns over the last two decades. But those incidents were noteworthy because of their relative rarity. For Russia, on the other hand, it seems to be at the heart of the Russian way of war.

You obviously have full access to the Western internet. Assuming that your appearances here are not merely to peddle the latest Russian talking points and propaganda, I would urge you to avail yourself to that access. You are obviously an intelligent, educated observer. Study everything you find on the war with a critical eye - both sides. I do. The conclusions above are based upon that open source analysis. Of course I have biases. But the conclusions I am drawing are the results of what I see - not what I believe. What I see is an army in trouble.

 

[reineke]

@ John Grenz: you must have visited Germany lately....

 

[Royal27]

Whew.... We are not going to have a recession! That was a close one.....

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/janet-yellen-treasury-economy/2022/07/24/id/1080099/

Without Yellen's quick thinking and fast action we would have already been in recession. Luckily though, she like most liberals, will change a definition in a heartbeat!

 

[fourfive8]

@Vashper might even believe that Russia won the “Winter War” of ‘39-‘40. I also wouldn’t doubt patriotic portraits of Lenin, Stalin and Putin hanging in his dining room. Probably has faithfully watched and depended upon the Russian version of CNN news entire adult life.

 

[Ray B]

President Reagan said the definition of Recession is when your neighbor is out of work, Depression is when you are out of work, and Recovery is when (Jimmy) Carter is out of work. As I check my neighbors, to the right there are three girls sharing the house and five jobs. On the left is a self-employed restaurant operator, across the street is a teacher that is off for the summer and next to her is a family where both parents are employed. According to Reagan, we are not in a recession, but I'm not sure which is worse: not having enough money because you are unemployed, or not having enough money even though you are working day and night?

 

[Ray B]

What I see is an army in trouble.

Which leads to the next question: What will the Russian leaderships response to at minimum will be an embarrassing stalemate and at worst the possibility of a military defeat?

 

[steve white]

WE ARE A GENERATION THAT WILL NEVER COME BACK.​

A generation that walked to school and then walked back.
A generation that did their homework alone to get out asap to play in the street.
A generation that spent all their free time on the street with their Friends.
A generation that played hide and seek when dark.
A generation that made mud cakes.
A generation that collected sports cards.
A generation that found, collected and washed & Returned empty coke bottles to the local grocery store for 5 cents each , then bought a Mountain Dew and candy bar with the money.
A generation that made paper toys with their bare hands.
A generation who bought vinyl albums to play on record players.
A generation that collected photos and albums of clippings.
A generation that played board games and cards on rainy days.
A generation whose TV went off at midnight after playing the National Anthem.
A generation that had parents who were there.
A generation that laughed under the covers in bed so parents didn't know we were still awake.
A generation that is passing and unfortunately it will never return!!..
I loved Growing up when I did.

View attachment 478977

I remember it being 3 cents a bottle--and typewriter keyboards having. cents sign

 

[Ray B]

typewriters

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!!!!

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Whew.... We are not going to have a recession! That was a close one.....

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/janet-yellen-treasury-economy/2022/07/24/id/1080099/

Without Yellen's quick thinking and fast action we would have already been in recession. Luckily though, she like most liberals, will change a definition in a heartbeat!

Not to be outdone by Janet Yellen, DHS secretary Mayorkas said the southern border is secure. Biden's cabinet is full of idiots and incompetents.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

This video needs a music soundtrack. Queen's, Another One Bites the Dust seems appropriate.