The Russians have gone in

[jag312]

I suspect Putin will use
for future aggressions
the same strategic
threat as now:

"The nuclear way."

There are enough sane people in Russia who know what will happen in a nuclear war. Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and many other cities will become smoking wastelands. The Russians are not suicidal. Putin will be removed from power, by whatever means necessary, to protect Russia from total destruction. These are very interesting times for the world. Too bad so many innocent people will have to die because of a madman's dream.

 

[oldbrownhat]

...Putin will be removed from power, by whatever means necessary, to protect Russia from total destruction.....

"'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished", as someone famous wrote about 400 years ago, But the question is: who will take his place? "Aye- there's the rub"

 

[Beemerguy53]

Since 1945 and more specifically
since 1953 the U.S. has been
doing that.

The late, great, Senator Phil Gramm used to say that if the day ever comes in the world when the lion will lie down with the lamb...he wants the USA to be the lion in that scenario. Amen...

 

[biku324]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed his location

Unlike Putin, hiding in the Urals with legions of guards and food-tasters.

As for Putin, he's reportedly fuming over his army's setbacks, threatening reprisals, while hunkering down in — I'm not making this up — his "mountain lair" deep in the Urals.

Vladimir Putin, deep statist - The Spectator World

 

[Beemerguy53]

Long day today...lots of news to absorb...herewith a few thoughts...

* Several retired American generals have been making the point today that Putin is in deep trouble in Ukraine. He thought this would be over in a few days, and didn't plan for an extended campaign. As a result, his army is running low on food, ammo, artillery shells, rockets, etc....while the Ukrainians have assembled, and are building, a well-equipped, highly-committed cadre of citizens who won't rest until the invaders are gone.

* Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army is having significant success. The New York Times reported on Monday that the world is watching the Russian military...and what Western leaders are seeing isn't impressive.

* From the NYT: "Ukraine's military, which is dwarfed by the Russian force in most ways, has somehow managed to stymie its opponent. Ukrainian soldiers have killed more than 3,000 Russian troops, according to conservative estimates by American officials."

"Ukraine has shot down military transport planes carrying Russian paratroopers, downed helicopters and blown holes in Russia's convoys using American anti-tank missiles and armed drones supplied by Turkey, these officials said, citing confidential U.S. intelligence assessments."

"The Russian soldiers have been plagued by poor morale as well as fuel and food shortages. Some troops have crossed the border with MREs (meals ready to eat) that expired in 2002, U.S. and other Western officials said, and others have surrendered and sabotaged their own vehicles to avoid fighting." Wow...just wow...

* The Russian people are slowly realizing what Putin has done. Their sons in Ukraine, and relatives living outside of Russia, have been able to inform them what's going on. They're terrified of Putin, of course, but how long can that last as sanctions begin to wear on them?

* Finally, I've been thinking about an American cemetery in Luxembourg. If you walked past this guy's grave tonight, I'll bet you could hear a voice saying, over and over again, "I told you so"....

 

[Rudi]

Lots of talk about having puti whacked. Good luck with that. Mass murdering dictators tend to die of natural causes, like Stalin. I hear Kudafy's killing really got vlad's attention. Is every one of his goons loyal????

 

[biku324]

Apparently, Russia won't claim battlefield remains of its military.

"We have asked (Russians) to take the dead bodies, and they have refused to do it," Volodymyr Goy, Deputy Chief of the Cabinet of the Head of the Presidential Office, noted. "Ukrainian medics are just having to bring those dead bodies to the morgue.'

Goy claimed that the Russians have started to bring in "mobile crematoriums" to dispose of the corpses that they do recover from areas of intense fighting.

"They are most probably just going to say that those people have disappeared, that they don't know where they are, to avoid paying their families," he continued. "Because if somebody is officially killed in the war, they (the government) have to pay some remittance to the family. So, to avoid that, they would probably say that he has been lost in some unknown location."

MSN

 

[Rudi]

Apparently, Russia won't claim battlefield remains of its military.

"We have asked (Russians) to take the dead bodies, and they have refused to do it," Volodymyr Goy, Deputy Chief of the Cabinet of the Head of the Presidential Office, noted. "Ukrainian medics are just having to bring those dead bodies to the morgue.'

Goy claimed that the Russians have started to bring in "mobile crematoriums" to dispose of the corpses that they do recover from areas of intense fighting.

Sasha's mom won't believe that. Too much communication these days.

 

[oldbrownhat]

And public ignorance is once more on display. Out here in British Columbia:

Vancouver's Russian Community Centre Vandalized

...Natasha Lozovsky-Burns is the vice president of Vancouver's Russian Community Centre. She told CTV News the centre has been around since 1956, when it was founded by Russian immigrants who came to Vancouver via China...***

...The centre has no ties to the Russian government, Lozovsky-Burns said, adding that 80 per cent of its members are actually Ukrainian.

"They have grandparents there, they have other close relatives," she said. "They're all suffering. The families here are in emotional upheaval, and for them to come to the hall and see this done, it was very emotionally upsetting for them."...

...She added that she lived in Ukraine for two years and has friends in Kyiv who are currently living in bunkers because of the invasion.​

***as did my gf's grandparents. My gf told me tonight that she and her mum used to go to the Centre on occasion, and many years ago I did some recording for the Balalaika Folk Orchestra which Natasha has directed for 34 years.

 

[Imissedagain]

^^^^^
The stupid runs deep.
Truly sad.

Sat in on Piccolo with some Cuban/American Salsa/Latin musicians, based out of Vancouver, some decades ago on a cruise ship.
Mighty fine quartet.
They missed South Florida but work is work.

 

[Rustyt1953]

The vandalism and threats have more to do with hate than stupidity. These Russian themed businesses didn't invade Ukrainian themed businesses.

Russian businesses in U.S. face threats, vandalism over invasion

 

[Imissedagain]

Hate ain't smart.
You're better with words than me for sure.

I told a Professor of Opera, nice soprano, that I was only in it for the music.
She made me write lyrics for the music in one of my undergrad projects.
No rockabilly was allowed.

 

[oldbrownhat]

^^^^^
The stupid runs deep.
Truly sad.

Sat in on Piccolo with some Cuban/American Salsa/Latin musicians, based out of Vancouver, some decades ago on a cruise ship.
Mighty fine quartet.
They missed South Florida but work is work.

I wouldn't be surprised if one of those musicians was connected with Sal Ferreras, who has been a staple of Latin American music as well as a music educator in Vancouver for a long time. A great guy. I must dig out his "Invisible Majority" CD again.

 

[oldbrownhat]

...I told a Professor of Opera, nice soprano, that I was only in it for the music.
She made me write lyrics for the music in one of my undergrad projects.
No rockabilly was allowed.

LOL! Never cross an operatic soprano. John Birge, one of the radio hosts on Minnesota Public Radio Classical, told me that at a station he worked for many years ago, the Program Manager had a policy: "No sopranos before 9 am". IIRC, someone had played Ether Merman early one morning

BTW, listen to Strauss' "Four Last Songs" or the final trio from Der Rosenkavalier "with the lyrics" (Warning: You will likely need Kleenex. I need it even without.)

And since I've already steered off-topic for this thread, I'll add that my gf's Russian mother sent us a link to a wonderful youngTrinidadian soprano named Jeanine De Bique. O.M.G. Lotsa YouTube videos.

 

[oldbrownhat]

The vandalism and threats have more to do with hate than stupidity. These Russian themed businesses didn't invade Ukrainian themed businesses.

There was (still is, I think) a restaurant in Vancouver named The Afghan Horseman, which likewise was targeted (although not damaged) many years ago and lost business. About a dozen of us in the Cathedral choir decided to make a group booking and had a wonderful dinner. I can still remember sitting on cushions, eating rabbit pie

 

[Absalom]

The vandalism and threats have more to do with hate than stupidity.

Well, these two do go together pretty well.

During the Iranian hostage crisis 1979, Arab exchange students in the US got beaten up even though Iranians aren't Arabs. But hey, dark with beards.

After 9/11, Sikhs were attacked in the US, a few murdered, even though Sikhs aren't Muslims. But hey, turbans.

Now folks are boykotting and pouring out Smirnoff vodka, which is distilled in Plainfield, Illinois, and owned by Diageo of London. But it sounds Russian. Stoli vodka is bottled in Latvia, one of the countries we're backing up to resist Putin.

Information is actually still a thing. Or should be.

 

[dockmurgw]

"A severe cold snap could push Russian troops to desert a convoy that has been stalled outside of Kyiv for the last few days, a military advisor to Ukraine's armed forces has said."

Funny how history repeats itself, even though this time its the russian invaders thwarted by winter, and not the nazi invaders.

 

[oldbrownhat]

Well, these two do go together pretty well.

During the Iranian hostage crisis 1979, Arab exchange students in the US got beaten up even though Iranians aren't Arabs. But hey, dark with beards.

After 9/11, Sikhs were attacked in the US, a few murdered, even though Sikhs aren't Muslims. But hey, turbans.

Now folks are boykotting and pouring out Smirnoff vodka, which is distilled in Plainfield, Illinois, and owned by Diageo of London. But it sounds Russian. Stoli vodka is bottled in Latvia, one of the countries we're backing up to resist Putin.

Information is actually still a thing. Or should be.

So much sad truth in the above

"Ignorance is bliss"- and there are a lot of blissfully happy people,

 

[Beemerguy53]

Well, these two do go together pretty well.

During the Iranian hostage crisis 1979, Arab exchange students in the US got beaten up even though Iranians aren't Arabs. But hey, dark with beards.

After 9/11, Sikhs were attacked in the US, a few murdered, even though Sikhs aren't Muslims. But hey, turbans.

Now folks are boykotting and pouring out Smirnoff vodka, which is distilled in Plainfield, Illinois, and owned by Diageo of London. But it sounds Russian. Stoli vodka is bottled in Latvia, one of the countries we're backing up to resist Putin.

Information is actually still a thing. Or should be.

Unfortunately and sadly, there is an undercurrent of ignorant hate in this country, and it manifests itself at times like this. It's happened many times before...

In downtown Baltimore during World War I, German Street was renamed Redwood Street. Schools had been bi-lingual because of the large German immigrant population here, but that was discontinued. Anti-German propaganda abounded. My great-grandfather, an immigrant who was a tailor, was arrested for expressing the opinion that the Kaiser wasn't really such a bad fellow. He was lucky. (See below article.)

And we won't even get into the anti-Japanese propaganda of World War II...

One of the HR folks in our office is a Russian woman. She's a naturalized citizen, married, nice lady...but she's been very quiet lately. I get it...

During World War I, U.S. Government Propaganda Erased German Culture : NPR.

Internment of German Americans - Wikipedia

The Anti-German Sentiment of World War I - Re-imagining Migration

 

[oldbrownhat]

Unfortunately and sadly, there is an undercurrent of ignorant hate in this country, and it manifests itself at times like this. It's happened many times before...

In downtown Baltimore during World War I, German Street was renamed Redwood Street. Schools had been bi-lingual because of the large German immigrant population here, but that was discontinued. Anti-German propaganda abounded. My great-grandfather, an immigrant who was a tailor, was arrested for expressing the opinion that the Kaiser wasn't really such a bad fellow. He was lucky. (See below article.)

And we won't even get into the anti-Japanese propaganda of World War II...

One of the HR folks in our office is a Russian woman. She's a naturalized citizen, married, nice lady...but she's been very quiet lately. I get it... ...

Not to forget the re-naming of the British Royal family during WWI from Saxe-Coburg Gotha to Windsor, which prompted the Kaiser (cousin of King George as well as Czar Nicholas) to quip, "I shall look forward to seeing a production of The Merry Wives of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha."