Posted by: West of England Andy | May 27 2023 20:04 utc | 44
“OK, so I copypasted your post into my patented, AI-based (with added blockchain verification) trollometer and it went right through the scale from LOL, PMSL, ROFL, ROFLMAO, ROFLMFAO to “failed an audition for 4Chan and is still waiting to hear from Reddit”.”
Awesome. You win the thread. If I was inclined to respond to trolls, I’d just copy your response and paste it everywhere here.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | May 27 2023 23:31 utc | 103

Gotta wonder,
Has anyone stopped to consider things in a different way?
Has anyone taken the time to consider things in terms of probabilities and potentials of various forces expressed through mediums of more than just a few dimensions, and their direct and indirect effects upon the manifestation of reality in whatever instance?
Perhaps they should start thinking about stuff like that, if they can manage to do so.

Posted by: Josh | May 27 2023 23:34 utc | 105

@Garcia 13
Quote “want to comment about Russia, which is considering cutting ties with Great Britain. The Brits and the Soviets fought NAZIs. Now they’ve aligned themselves with NAZIs against Russians”
Wrong totally false
England in fact plotted both world wars to destroy rising industrial might if Germany so English pirates plotted war between Germany and Russia therefore killing 2 birds in one go

Posted by: Sam | May 27 2023 23:39 utc | 107

Seriously, that’s how things actually work.

Posted by: Josh | May 27 2023 23:43 utc | 109

@ abrogard | May 27 2023 23:08 utc | 99
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Sladkov
https://t.me/s/Sladkov_plus
Andhere is his latest interview that I know of, with some pretty and smart anchors.
Do CC and translate – it’ll do.
He is in my view more realistic than any of those experts.

Posted by: whirlX | May 27 2023 23:49 utc | 111

Interesting debate on Corbyn. I can see merits to both sides. Being across the pond, I don’t know the intricacies of British politics or government, but I’ve seen him – or rather his place in the overall scheme of things – compared to Bernie Sanders. Sanders has also made some very disappointing decisions over the years, particularly pertaining to the “defense” department and US military actions. He also caved in on Russiagate and of course went on to endorse both Killary and Brandon. I’m guessing that Corbyn, like Bernie, served the useful purpose of pushing the so-called conversation to the left and educating younger people about the benefits of certain types of ‘socialism’ as compared to modern US rapacious finance capitalism. But he also served the role of Judas goat or sheepdog, in helping get center-right Democrats elected. Clearly, things in both countries are too complex to distill down to a comment length summary, but I think I have a good bullshit/lie detector and the simple fact that both men were sabotaged and/or drummed out of office according to completely specious narratives (and anti-democratic processes) by TPTB tells me that they both must have been pissing off the right people. Ideological purity – or even anything close – especially if coming from the working class left – isn’t treated too kindly by the corporo-capitalist ‘system’ and one must often toe a very fine line in order to even have a chance to be heard, let alone be elected to any meaningful office.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 27 2023 23:53 utc | 113

My guess is the truth will come out eventually that these supposed new brigades of the UAF that have supposed to have been Ukrainians trained abroad and are now entering the battlefield behind the area of the supposed offensive. Will be mainly NATO troops.
They have lied continuously about the hardware they said they were sending Ukraine, as Brian pointed out, by leaving them off the lists. Troops will be no different. People could be shocked how many polish troops out of 300k called up months ago entered the actual battle. While we were told they were to be used to defend Poland against Belarus.
Either the Russian ministry of defence are lying about killing on average 500 troops a day. Or there are thousands more NATO troops in the war than people think.

Posted by: Derek Henry | May 28 2023 0:03 utc | 115

WOE Andy, Prigozhin is well connected in the Kremlin. Powerful men there run Prigozhin, he is their front man. This is how FSB always fails to arrest him when he says things that would get anyone else in Russia whacked. He is protected.
So you are wrong about Prigozhin, he is well informed. And he says Russia is not winning, the invasion is coming, and this is serious.
Posted by: Thim | May 27 2023 22:28 utc | 83
——————————————————-
Thim, don’t you know when someone is pulling your leg? Are you really that dim witted? What Prigozhin is really saying is get off your ass and let’s have a real counteroffensive. He, like so n=many of us, are tired of hearing that the offensive will start just as soon as Zelensky’s rectal temperature is exactly right for the fireworks to begin.
Prigozhin is agging on the Uikes to attack a defensive Wagner formation as fast and as hard as it can because that is when the Wagner orchestra makes the sweetest music as it destroys the Banderites hands down in the great Wanger meat grinder.

Posted by: Ed | May 28 2023 0:08 utc | 117

@119 Trump is a fairly typical American exceptionalist. He knows how to talk to middle America (most of whom hate MSM & LGBT but have no problem with MIC). If he’s careful not to appear too anti-war or pro-Putin he has a good chance of being reelected on economic issues..

Posted by: dh | May 28 2023 0:13 utc | 119

@60
“The last week saw many business and economic forums gain Putin’s attendance: Eurasian Economic Forum, Supreme Eurasian ”
Still speech of Putin at EEForum sounded like a headmaster explaining to wayward pupil where the west is going wrong as if west does not know her way.long winding vague talk has become speciality if russian Foreign minister Lavrov and Oesko.now it is Putin who is long winding talker of no substance wish he had spent more time on military affairs than talking as if west is ignorant rather than evil.

Posted by: Sam | May 28 2023 0:16 utc | 121

” I’m starting to agree with other posters that this SMO should be dropped and replaced with a declaration of War. It’s just giving the West time to ramp up production.
Posted by: Derek Henry | May 28 2023 0:18 utc | 125 ”
Welcome aboard.

Posted by: Deplorable Commisar | May 28 2023 0:19 utc | 123

” Not that I should respond to a troll, but you’re not entirely wrong in that. This is why I ignore most of the comments here (especially yours.)
Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | May 27 2023 23:52 utc | 115 ”
Seems you forgot to ignore this however.

Posted by: Deplorable Commisar | May 28 2023 0:23 utc | 125

Wikipedia finally admitted “Bakhmut” was fully captured by Russia but still claims the battle is “ongoing”.
(They now moved the goalposts so that the “battle of Bakhmut” includes the fighting to the west of Artëmovsk, just to avoid having to call it a Russian victory.)

Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | May 28 2023 0:30 utc | 127

@Deplorable Commissar 128
Remarkable how good Hack is at not ignoring comments he allegedly ignores. I’ve seen it many times.

Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | May 28 2023 0:37 utc | 129

Posted by: dh | May 28 2023 0:13 utc | 122
That’s a good way to put it. I think ‘middle America’ (where I live) is too easily conned by pseudo-populist rhetoric, but Trump’s the only guy even trying and they will never vote Democrat. Well, I guess quite a few might vote for RFK Jr. if he actually is given a chance (yeah, right). DJT has always been an American exceptionalist, as far back as the 80s.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 28 2023 0:42 utc | 131

Latest from Simplicius. Cites an article at 1945.com in which they lament that reality has crept into the situation in Ukraine and that the pendulum has swung in Russia’s favor.
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/latest-headlines-digest-the-wests?

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 28 2023 0:43 utc | 133

@Abrogard 133
Sladkov is one of the very best. He’s been on the ground from the start, interviewing soldiers and PoWs, talking about shortcomings as well as advantages. He was in Mariupol while the battle was still going on, and has toured the Zaporozhye fortifications. Anything he says can be at least taken to be worthy of serious consideration.
No wonder Hack’s crush Martyanov, who doesn’t dare to set foot in the same hemisphere as the SMO, hates him.

Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | May 28 2023 0:46 utc | 135

@Bevin

If lengai can’t see the difference between Starmer and Corbyn he may rest assured that the Tranmere Rovers terraces can.

This is just idiotic. It was under Corbyn’s leadership that historically Labour voting working class seats like Bolsover switched to the Conservatives. By the time the last election came along it was clear to anyone with two neurons to rub together that Corbyn had neither the capacity nor did he intend to challenge the grip of the ruling establishment over the institutions of political and economic power in the UK.
For Christ’s sake, the man claimed to be a republican and to oppose trident, yet campaigned on manifesto that promised to keep both the paedophiles in the monarchy and the UK nuclear weapons.
The working classes abandoned him because, second time round, they saw through the bullshit, even if Bev here still doesn’t.

Posted by: Lengai | May 28 2023 0:49 utc | 137

Tom_Q_Collins | May 28 2023 0:42 utc | 134
Somebody will tell us to stop talking about Trump soon but I thought if people can get away with discussing Corbyn I might sneak one in. 🙂

Posted by: dh | May 28 2023 0:58 utc | 139

” Remarkable how good Hack is at not ignoring comments he allegedly ignores. I’ve seen it many times.
Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | May 28 2023 0:37 utc | 132 ”
Megalomaniacs cant help themselves.

Posted by: Deplorable Commisar | May 28 2023 1:17 utc | 141

“…Oh dear, looks like I must be the liar and the political idiot here. Just like Jeremy Corbyn didn’t expel Tony Greenstein, Jackie Walker, Chris Williamson, Mark Wadsworth and Len (Ken?) Livingstone from the Labour Party for opposing Israeli colonialism and apartheid.”=lengai
Corbyn didn’t expel any of these people. He lacked the power to do so. They were expelled by his enemies in the bureaucracy that, together with the PLP, controlled the party machine. They were expelled to warn him that they were coming for him.
“He didn’t suspend the Brighton and Hove CLP for anti-semitism and for opposing their Blairite MP.”-lengai
Again, you are right-he didn’t. He had neither the power to expel nor the power to prevent expulsions.
“Corbyn didn’t protect and promote the right wing warmongering scum like Margaret Hodge, Tom Watson and Hilary Benn and he didn’t try to give Tom Watson a sinecure in the House of Lords.”
No he didn’t. None of these people needed his protection- he could not do anything to prevent their running again as MPs- he had no authority to withdraw even the whip, certainly none to dictate to the NEC. As to Watson: Corbyn tried to kick the scoundrel upstairs.
You seem to be unaware that while Corbyn twice won election, he never had the support of more than a handful of MPs which meant that he was constantly being undermined by them. The same is true of the Party HQ Staff and Regional staffs- he could neither hire nor fire.
They worked against him almost unanimously and quite openly- it is notorious that, the night of the 2017 election none of Corbyn’s staff could get into the Party HQ- the Bureaucrats, who had been diverting party election funds and campaigning against Corbyn’s supporters, were so certain that he would lose, that they changed the locks.
Please read the Forde Report or catch up with the al jazeera documentaries. Or read one of the several books on the subject.
Not only are you not British but you know zero about the Labour Party and the way that it works. And, obviously, you are not interested in educating yourself in these arcane matters. That’s fair enough. What is not is that knowing nothing except the punch lines from a few blogs you have the gall to lecture us on a subject that you do not understand. We can find that sort of stuff, and the pretence that goes with it in the MSM.
The truth is that Corbyn is and always was very firm in his belief that the Palestinians deserve the support of working people and that there is an immediate need to remedy the excesses of neo-liberalism in the Thatcher-Blair era. He calculated that the reforms that he called for were broadly supported (they were) and that once implemented they would both strengthen the left in the party- in restoring party democracy- and open the way for anti-imperialist policies and the leaving of NATO (a policy for which the Left in Labour has called again and again.)
The truth is that the ruling class were deeply afraid of Jeremy Corbyn- the using of his image for target practice in the military exemplified the security forces and military attitude towards him. At the same time the ‘mild reforms’ that he proposed, including not privatising the NHS, scandalised the ruling class. And none more than the Americans for whom progressive taxation, nationalised industry and free medical care are as abhorent as communism.
The real fear was that Corbyn might manage to reverse the trend towards neo-liberalism and subservience to the US, because most British voters were supportive. It became clear very early on that Corbyn had hit a deep chord in the electorate. He was unanimously undermined and subverted, slanged, slandered and misrepresented by the media, the Academy and the great weight of the Parliamentary Labour Party.
But he was immensely popular, he channeled the ancient and honourable reform traditions of the Levellers, Cobbett, the Chartists and the Unions. And the ruling class, and its rulers, hated him. Vast amounts of money were expended to bring him down. Both the US and Israeli states were knee deep in their attempts to bring a colour revolution to the Labour Party. So was the entire British Establishment.
Its over now. As Bevanism is over. But the forces that Corbyn mobilised will arise again and one day they will triumph. In the meantime let cowards flinch and traitors sneer- it’s what they do.

Posted by: bevin | May 28 2023 1:22 utc | 143

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 28 2023 1:20 utc | 145
I agree. Note that I don’t instigate those – except of course when I have to call out an actual moron. It usually starts because someone has to unilaterally insult either me or Martyanov or someone else on the rational side.
Nothing I can do about it until b bans the trolls.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | May 28 2023 1:40 utc | 145

Deplorable Commisar
You are the biggest ass hole I have ever come across. You sit there behind a computer and just piss people off all day. What kind of person are you? You are just a miserable human being. Do you do all this to make up for having a small dick? Or you just like to act tough on the internet where no one can come beat your ass? God you are pathetic.

Posted by: Sid Farkus | May 28 2023 1:51 utc | 147

I am so very tired of the armchair generals and or provocateurs who tell us what Russia should have done.
I suggest you take a look at a map and then imagine how you would deploy your forces if you were Russia given all the hostile or potentially actors on its border. My guesses here a just that very, very rough guesses but are reasonable in the sense of knowing the size of the border, the hostility of the enemy, its relative strength and diplomatic possibilities especially colour revolutions.
Let us start in the Far East. USA, Japan and South Korea are serious threats. If Russia weakens chances are they would be in for the kill. I imagine that Russia MUST keep a solid portion of military assets there, no matter what happens in Ukraine. Let us assume at least 15% but possibly much more. Then there is the long border with Mongolia and China. Not currently active but Russia would be stupid to leave it unprotected even during this hot conflict. So let us say another 5%.
Then there is Kazakhstan. This is a major danger zone for Russia and Putin, Shoigu or anyone else would be three kinds of fool if they left that unprotected, particularly because of the ongoing threat of a colour revolution. If Russia does not keep 15% of its military assets watching this border, again I would be surprised.
Then the Caspian Sea countries- not critical just now but Azerbaijan is a risk so at least 5% watching there including watching the border with Georgia.
Then there is Crimea. This is critical and an existential threat to Russia. So if Russia does not have at least 20% of its forces dedicated to protecting Crimea (and including the access points), again they would be stupid.
Now we head North to Belarus. OK friendly just now but colour revolution is always possible. My guess is about 15% must be kept of alert there, including in this protection for Kalingrad. Throw in Finland and the Arctic say 5 % and what have we left to spare for a war with Ukraine excluding Crimea.
At absolute maximum 20% of Russian forces are available for the Donbass and the war with Ukraine and if I were Shoigu and Putin I would be sweating that too, because of the risk from Kazakhstan and possibly Belarus.
So naturally Russia MUST play it conservatively. China is critical because if WWIII starts Russia must have China protecting its Far East and probably southern border.
So let us all cut out the wailing. Wagner leader is a cook, not a big picture military/diplomatic strategist. Fantastic in a confined battle, but his opinion is worthless when it comes to assessing big picture geographical threats.

Posted by: watcher | May 28 2023 1:52 utc | 149

Tom_Q_Collins | May 27 2023 23:53 utc | 116
***.. they both must have been pissing off the right people.***
Sanders was no serious threat to the interess of those who own the political process.
Corbyn *potentially* was — not really, though, as the Labour Party (regardless of membership) was effectively controlled by Blair / Starmer types — a problem.
Potentially because of :
(1) Wanting some national infrastructure, especially water and rail, to be restored to public ownership. Dangerous to big vested inteests because many ordinary Conservatives and conservatives also wanted that.
(2) Corbyn was pro-Palestinian, though had he won, Whitehall (with, as usual, its own continuity agenda) would have ensured that any sympathy was only ever in words.
(3) Despite all the star-spangled warhawks inevitably infesting the parliamentary Labour benches, Corbyn did not want more wars. If he became PM, they’d have had to dispose of him then anyway — a high profile row which might risk waking up least some of the public.
Corbyn really had to be stopped before the 2019 election, in case such policies *had* to be discussed in public, whereupon the PM would be much harder to depose…
An absolutely constant barrage of nonsensical allegations of “anti-semitism” did the trick … via the mass-media and Blair / Starmer gang in his own Party, in collusion with a certain foreign power … to such a successful extent that no important policies and issues got properly addressed or discussed in the electon at all.
Basically, a UK version of applied “Trump Derangement Syndrome”.
Particularly significant is that the UK mass-media and Establishment politicians found nothing whatsoever to object to, in Pompeo having declared beforehand that the USA *would not allow* Corbyn to win.
So it’s now pretty obvious that a once-sovereign country calling itself Britain may as well save the bother and cost of future “elections” — just phone Washington instead.
But as for Corbyn himself, being basically a wokist and somewhat obsessed with “Party unity” above all else, he almost certainly wouldn’t have been up to the job anyway.

Posted by: Cynic | May 28 2023 1:55 utc | 151

My hope is that the pace of this conflict set by the General Staff uses the fewest number of russian casualties as a metric. The higher the ukie:russian kill ratio the better I say. There is also the idea that territory conquered by russian military will have to be rebuilt and stabilized as russian territory. That takes time and money, so slow is good in that sense.

Posted by: comradesimba | May 28 2023 1:59 utc | 153

Posted by: Don Firineach | May 28 2023 1:29 utc | 147
Excellent summary. I’d like to add that all you’ve outlined is a direct result of the destruction of Yugoslavia, thereafter Iraq and Afghanistan in the GWOT.
Even after Vietnam there was still much goodwill (and fear) left for the Anglo-American empire’s actions around the world.
It took the wanton destruction of the middle east and the arrogant wielding of “American Exceptionalism” to pull the scales from the world’s eyes …

Posted by: Arch Bungle | May 28 2023 2:00 utc | 155

Off topic, but related to my previous two posts on ChatGPT… Just saw this on a comparison of LLMs, which is instructive on their limitations when asked hard questions about even things that should be available in their databases…
Bard vs. ChatGPT vs. Offline Alpaca: Which Is the Best LLM?
https://www.makeuseof.com/bard-vs-chatgpt-vs-offline-alpaca-which-is-the-best-llm/

In order to test which LLM has the best general knowledge, we asked three questions.
The first question, “Which national flag has five sides?” was only correctly answered by Bard, which identified the national flag of Nepal as having five sides.
ChatGPT confidently claimed that “There is no national flag that has five sides. National flags are typically rectangular or square in shape, characterized by their distinct colors, patterns, and symbols”.
Our local model came close, stating that “The Indian National Flag has five sides and was designed in 1916 to represent India’s independence movement.” While this flag did exist and did have five sides, it was the flag of the Indian Home Rule Movement—not a national flag.
None of our models could respond that the correct term for a pea-shaped object is “pisiform,” with ChatGPT going so far as to suggest that peas have a “three-dimensional geometric shape that is perfectly round and symmetrical.”
All three chatbots correctly identified Franco Malerba as an Italian astronaut and member of the European Parliament, with Bard giving an answer worded identically to a section of Malerba’s Wikipedia entry.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | May 28 2023 2:07 utc | 157

Lindsay Graham in the Kiev outdoor museum of captured Russian munitions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8ejPbK99B0
Remember his walk through the Maiden with McStain in 2014?

Posted by: Melaleuca | May 28 2023 2:14 utc | 159

@tom q Collins 145
Lmao. Yup I chuckle while I scroll past those posts, but I sure don’t use my time to read them closely.
I try myself to be brief, and never post someone else’s work as a quote. Just links if it’s more than a sentence.

Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | May 28 2023 2:27 utc | 161

Posted by: Ed | May 28 2023 1:51 utc | 151
I think there comes a time in all of our lives, if we are prone to getting interested in politics, when a politician – one who seemed like they just might be *the guy (or girl or whatever)* to buck the system and make things change. Being that I’m not old enough to have been politically aware (or born, lol) when JFK was killed, my moment came, unfortunately, with Bernie Sanders in-between 2016 and 2020; can’t quite pin down the date of each of his ‘betrayals’ but let’s just say it wasn’t a matter of just one or even two. Rather, it was a creeping realization that as they piled up, it became all too obvious that he was 1) A creature of the system (or swamp), 2) Inherently limited in what he could say or do even if he wanted to, 3) Would be neutralized or sabotaged if he stepped out of line or became too much of a threat to TPTB (in this case the Corporate Democrats Billionaires Club) and 4) Endorsed two successive neocon right-leaning Democrats who had in various ways trashed him and his supporters throughout. I think it may have been the Black Agenda Report that turned me onto the term “sheepdog” and I think it’s accurate.
As to the Black vote, you’re 100% correct and the CDBC cynically manipulated the “Super Tuesday” primaries with the help of the corporate MSM to have states like South Carolina – a deeply “red” state where no Dem (except maybe Bernie?) – could ever win the working class vote in the general – by hammering home the point that “Look, Bernie is SO FAR BEHIND now! He’ll never make up for it!” despite that I think the California, Oregon and Washington (among other) primaries were still on the horizon. Then there was that time Bernie was rudely interrupted by those identity politics SJWs (who were Black) during a campaign speech. Maybe something similar but on a much lower level happened to Killary, but definitely not Donald Trump. The Narrative Machine kicked into high gear and painted Sanders like a white supremacist despite that he actually let the “protestors” have the mic and treated them far more politely than either HC or DT would have.
Posted by: Cynic | May 28 2023 1:55 utc | 154
Clearly Sanders was a threat – even if just to the prevailing arch-capitalist narrative – or he wouldn’t have been so completely sabotaged despite the fact that he stood a much better chance of landing the Democrats in the White House than Hillary, and was polling higher than Trump at the time. As to his general presence in the time since that happened, I don’t necessarily disagree with you though. He had – as I already intoned – been neutralized and the movement castrated.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 28 2023 2:36 utc | 163

Karlofi,
Ignore the f*uckwits, they are so far beneath you, I’ll bet London to a brick, they are not able to tie their own shoe laces.

Posted by: Menz | May 28 2023 2:38 utc | 165

Posted by: dh | May 28 2023 1:54 utc | 153

For a moment there I thought you might mention Sunak. Is it OK to criticize him? Seems to me Winston Churchill is the default persona for Tory leaders in UK.

Sunak or Starmer, makes no difference, unless one has an interest in racialised identity politics, which I don’t.
Theirs is a competition to run the affairs of British imperialism. Not really a concern of mine, as whichever of those no-entities wins, we’re screwed.

Posted by: Lengai | May 28 2023 2:42 utc | 167

They said he was insulting Israel, but they know that uniform represented Germanys support for the neo-Nazis and Banderites in Ukraine.
Posted by: Ed | May 28 2023 1:51 utc | 151
Good observation. Hadn’t occurred to me. He wasn’t arrested, though, was he? I just read that he was questioned or something. Germany has always had strong anti-Nazi laws since the Nuremberg Trials haven’t they? Really could go either way in my book and frankly there is very little distinction between what Ukraine wants to become and Israel other than the whole Jewish “majority” thing down south.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 28 2023 2:51 utc | 169

bevin | May 28 2023 2:41 utc | 169
*** On the other hand it should be relatively easy to build a new movement on the wreckage of the old ones- the tradition of struggle is there.
And it has never been more needed- socialism always was self defence. The martial art of a class.***
Fear that wokism, probable agendas of unrestricted mass-immigration, and now “trans” (plus related) issues will likely prevent that.
Just as the CIA’s psychological warfare designers always intended.

Posted by: Cynic | May 28 2023 2:54 utc | 171

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | May 28 2023 1:40 utc | 148
I specifically didn’t name names because – where I really do appreciate your contributions here and have for quite some time – I also know that you tend to overreact to trolling, criticism and feeling like you aren’t being read or engaged with. Look, I know nobody including you asked me or anyone else for a psuedo-psychological evaluation, and you’ve always been cool and polite to me. You also don’t instigate the types of things I was referring to, but you do (and so do I – have been rightly scolded for it before and apologized) bristle to the point of calling people stupid somewhat often (frankly it’s also true somewhat often, but that’s not the point). Again, I’m more than guilty of the last part too. We’ve both probably been ‘on the Internet’ for a combined 50 years, and I’ve learned more about myself and how to conduct a polite, but disagreeing, conversation at MoA than anywhere else. It’s truly a treasure that we have this one last bastion of straight up, mostly genuine conversation amongst names that we get to know over time. I’ve also been able to engage with radically different points of view here and in a polite fashion. That shit never happens on sOSuHl MEEDiaAA, right?
Anyway man, keep on truckin. I still remember our conversations about the anarchists’ take on what to expect in the runup to the – at the time – not so fringe view that Trump was going to try staging a right-wing revolution if he lost in 2020. LOL. Good times.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 28 2023 2:58 utc | 173

Simplicius76 chronicles the increasing despair in the Westernaganda.
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/latest-headlines-digest-the-wests
Meanwhile:
https://news.antiwar.com/2023/05/25/ukraine-sent-poor-untrained-men-into-bakhmut-meat-grinder-to-save-better-forces-for-counteroffensive/
Basically they’re sending working class Russian speakers snatched off the street to be massacred by Russian artillery while the children of the rich party at nightclubs in Kiev and Lvov. Just like the rich in Paris did in 1915 and 16.

Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | May 28 2023 3:01 utc | 175

Posted by: Cynic | May 28 2023 2:54 utc | 174
Come on, there you go with the Great Replacement thing. No real leftist wants unchecked mass immigration. Not unions, not working people. And both wings of our uni-party (neither being left, one often accused as such, but at most being Lepht) do their utmost, seemingly, to ensure that there’s a) a never-ending wave of Latin American migrants at the US southern border with MX and b) a never-ending stream of African and Arab migrants in Europe. Both are the result of right-wing neoliberal capitalism enabled through the control of the money elite of the US, and by extension, NATO and EU members’ governments. Us actual leftists would like to see the capitalist-imperialist wars come to a stop and the end to brutal economic sanctions on countries in the Global South that – almost to a one – are attempting to implement…wait for it….(actual) LEFTIST social and economic policies!

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 28 2023 3:02 utc | 177

Question:
Wouldn’t the use of “real” cruise missiles like a) StormShadow and b) German Taurus on Russia “proper” constitute a direct attack by both England and Germany on Russia?
(I make this distinction because while arguments can be made that smaller attacks are of little threat to the state, the use of strategic weapons that can only be fielded by state actors can only be seen as a direct attack by those actors on Russia.)
My suspicion is that the use of cruise missiles on “Russia Proper” will result in a direct military response by Russia against the providers of those weapons, in accordance with Russia’s (previously the USSR’s) military doctrine …

Posted by: Arch Bungle | May 28 2023 3:04 utc | 179

MiniMo | May 28 2023 2:51 utc | 173
*** This is the Ukraine thread, but news is that Afghanistan/Taliban is attacking Iran’s border guards, and doing it with the weapons U.S. left behind. I am thinking the U.S. left that huge quantity of weapons behind purposely and that the Taliban is its proxy. It only feigned being forced out. U.S. is starting the war against Iran through Afghanistan. U.S. is sneakier and more steps ahead than most realize.***
Would want more proof of that — remember the US left some shipped-in cells and enclaves of “IS” and other terrorist groups on the US, Israeli or UK payroll, to cause trouble later on in Afghanistan. So if somethings happening, it might be a false-flag operations.

Posted by: Cynic | May 28 2023 3:05 utc | 181

>”Sen. Amy Klobuchar was with them.”
Posted by: majoab | May 28 2023 2:35 utc | 165
Indeed she was, adored in Ukraine yellow.

Posted by: Melaleuca | May 28 2023 3:06 utc | 183

Mr. Lavrov pulls no punches and tells America that if it thinks that it can deploy its Eurotrash vassals in its undeclared war against Russia–while remaining safe and secure in its continental island empire protected by the Atlantic Ocean, it should think again.
“US incites European yes-men to poke Russia, assuming it can do so with impunity — Lavrov”
According to Sergey Lavrov, the US is sorely mistaken in entertaining the deluded belief that its “self-preservation” in any World War III scenario would be ensured by the Atlantic Ocean serving as a buffer zone
https://tass.com/politics/1623463
Mr. Lavrov hits upon an issue that many American apologists like to deny: America is able to aggressively wage wars or foment conflict around the world (provided that these wars stay beneath the strategic nuclear threshold) because there will be minimal direct blowback to itself, as the U.S.A. is protected by the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The corollary to this geographical reality is that America will be less inclined to foment wars and conflict on the other side of the world if its sense of impunity and security in the Western Hemisphere are ended–permanently.
In other words, American “national security” directly enables American imperialist wars.

Posted by: ak74 | May 28 2023 3:08 utc | 185

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 28 2023 2:58 utc | 176
“you do (and so do I – have been rightly scolded for it before and apologized) bristle to the point of calling people stupid somewhat often (frankly it’s also true somewhat often, but that’s not the point).”
You are correct. I have low patience with idiocy. What I try to do is give people the benefit of the doubt until they say something which is 1) idiotic on the face of it, which means they’re either trolls or idiots, or 2) they by all appearance deliberately ignore what I’ve said or worse misrepresent what I’ve said in a manner which shows a clear lack of intellectual integrity, or 3) they simply can not make a logical argument, or 4) they resort to an ad hominem attack. The latter is the most common issue I see here. although the other three are also common here (and everywhere else, actually.)
Intellectual integrity is a very big deal for me. Defined by criticalthinking.org as:

Intellectual Integrity: Recognition of the need to be true to one’s own thinking; to be consistent in the intellectual standards one applies; to hold one’s self to the same rigorous standards of evidence and proof to which one holds one’s antagonists; to practice what one advocates for others; and to honestly admit discrepancies and inconsistencies in one’s own thought and action.

Most people are very bad at it, especially that last phrase, and especially if they have an emotional connection to their argument.
“It’s truly a treasure that we have this one last bastion of straight up, mostly genuine conversation amongst names that we get to know over time. I’ve also been able to engage with radically different points of view here and in a polite fashion. That shit never happens on sOSuHl MEEDiaAA, right?”
Agreed. If b would clean up some of the trolls, this place would be heaven compared to, say, Twitter or Reddit. It mostly already is. That and the contributions and links provided by several people, not to mention b himself, are why I still bother to read or post here.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | May 28 2023 3:15 utc | 187

Posted by: ak74 | May 28 2023 3:08 utc | 188
Martyanov addressed this in his last video. He pointed out that far from being a “natural buffer”, as it was a century ago and even during WWII, the oceans today enable the delivery of strategic weapons right to the coasts of the American continent, primarily by submarine. And those weapons can hit anything anywhere across the entire continent. This is the “real revolution in military affairs” that strategists talk about these days. It started with ICBMs, but those were mostly static. Bombers were never that reliable given air power and air defenses. Submarines were important with IRBMs, but it was the development of cruise missiles and things like Zircons, which Russia is deploying on small boats and submarines, which have changed the significance of the oceans, from one of enabling a maritime power like the US to become a world Empire to rendering its maritime power obsolete (except for its sub fleet.)
There ain’t no “safe house” in the US anymore. As Martyanov has said, Russia can “rearrange the stones in Washington” or London or Brussels even without using nuclear ICBMs.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | May 28 2023 3:24 utc | 189

Wagner reports detailed table of destroyed equipment and manpower on monthly basis (assume this is not only Bakhmut, but entire wagner ops, which has for last 6 months at least included mostly Soledar, Bakhmut..?). Notice the very steady (approx 30/month) but low amount of POWs through time.
https://southfront.org/wagner-revealed-results-of-military-operations-in-ukraine/

Posted by: unimperator | May 28 2023 3:38 utc | 191

Posted by: Cynic | May 28 2023 3:33 utc | 194
How does one go about ascertaining whether another is a spook? May need to do some research first, LOL.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 28 2023 3:43 utc | 193

@Neofeudalfuture 71
“lost control of its borders.”
take a look at Ukraine’s current de facto borders. ’nuff said.

Posted by: ZT | May 28 2023 3:47 utc | 195

Fuck it. Anyone else watching pirating Apple TV’s “SILO” sci-fi series? It’s pretty interesting. Kinda how I feel about existence here in the Land of the Free^TM. Last O/T comment I’ll make unless in response to a reply. P.S. why doesn’t the superscript tag work but the subscript tag does?

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | May 28 2023 3:57 utc | 197

Ukrainian channel Legitimny (https://t.me/legitimniy/15469?single):
A massive attack of kamikaze drones on Kyiv and the region.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have to use air defense against drones – this can be seen from the records on which missiles hit UAVs.
There are casualties due to downed UAVs over the city. Debris fell on residential buildings, gas stations, malls, and warehouses.
The Russian Armed Forces are trying to increase the shortage of air defense ammunition in the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the help of drones.
It is with the help of air defense (most likely it is iris-t or nasams) that you have to shoot down drones. Anti-aircraft complexes do not cope.
The cost of one launched missile costs the budget of Ukraine from $200 to $1 million
https://t.me/Slavyangrad/48129
One of the most massive kamikaze UAV attacks took place across Ukraine today. Almost everything is red and there are arrivals everywhere!
A big amount flew over the Kiev region into western Ukraine, with arrivals recorded in district centres (training grounds).
No one advertises this information and civilians cannot see it because all the firing ranges are remote from civilian settlements.
Also mass UAVs are recorded flying over the front 100km zone near the line of battles.
The Russians are trying to disrupt the Office of the President’s accumulation of forces and preparations for an offensive.
#source (https://t.me/legitimniy/15470)
https://t.me/Slavyangrad/48137
‼️💥In the Kiev region, vibration and sounds similar to an earthquake, local resources report
#source (https://t.me/RVvoenkor/46047)
https://t.me/Slavyangrad/48147
⚡️Ukr SAM missed its target and hit a building apparently drawn by the heat from a gas pipe
Local residents report
https://t.me/CyberspecNews/31724
It’s reported the Police-SBU HQ was hit in Kiev
https://t.me/CyberspecNews/31731
❗️Drone attacks continuing at 04.30 AM with reports of explosions in Kiev and Zhytomir regions and air raid alerts in Poltava, Kirovograd and some western regions
https://t.me/CyberspecNews/31740
Possible AD malfunction or lost target over kiev
https://t.me/CyberspecNews/31742

Posted by: unimperator | May 28 2023 3:59 utc | 199