Let’s have a war!

[Shirley]

OMFG

I'm old enough to remember when, sorry, I can't remember...

Oh yeah, when supporting America and it's military during foreign conflicts was taken for granted, especially when it came to opposing the Soviet Union/Russia, no matter which side of the isle you were on.

[Shirley]

I don't think anyone could have predicted this:

Russian General Admits Ukraine Just a 'Stepping Stone' to Invade Europe

...This week, Putin promoted Lieutenant General Andrey Mordvichev to the rank of Colonel-General. The military leader had already been serving in the role of commanding the Central Military District and Russian Central Grouping of Forces in Ukraine.

In a recent interview with Moscow's state-run Russia-1, a clip of which circulated widely on social media Saturday, Mordvichev said he believes Putin's war will last quite a long time and expand in the future...

"Ukraine is only a stepping stone?" the interviewer then asked.

"Yes, absolutely. It is only the beginning," Mordvichev responded, who went on to say that the war "will not stop here."

Ahead of the invasion of Ukraine, Putin laid out a vision to reconstitute the long-defunct Russian Empire's territories into a unified block. The Russian leader and his allies have repeatedly said they do not view Ukraine as independent from Russia, saying that the sovereign nation should be brought back under Moscow's control.

Some of Putin's allies have often floated the possibility of expanding the Kremlin's invasion into NATO countries, including Poland and several other Eastern European nations. Analysts have citied the Russian president's vision and the suggestions to expand the war from his various allies as worrying signs that Moscow could push its military efforts beyond Ukraine...

[Shirley]

OMFG

Meanwhile, back at the cult:

Deepening rift among Republicans threatens future of Ukraine aid

The GOP’s right flank is making it tough for moderates to convince their constituents that standing with Ukraine is consistent with conservative values...

[DCHawk1]

OMFG

I'm old enough to remember when, sorry, I can't remember...

Oh yeah, when supporting America and it's military during foreign conflicts was taken for granted, especially when it came to opposing the Soviet Union/Russia, no matter which side of the isle you were on.

I mean...you ARE from Wichita...

[mjl2]

OMFG

Is he saying this war is good because the aid we're providing is old weapons, forcing us to replenish with new ones?
Or that it's good because we're exporting weapons?

I'm not sure which is worse.

[Sparko]

He is supporting allies. That is enough from the guy

[mjl2]

What? No.

[mjl2]

Not sure if this should go here or the Vivek thread... but this has to be making Nikki Haley's eyes roll out of her head.

Saying this while saying he wants to end economic support of Israel (our top military technology supplier)... I can't tell if he realizes the inconsistency and is just always saying what he thinks is most popular with today's populist Republican party, or if he really doesn't understand our relationship with Israel.

[Shirley]

I pay very little attention to what chronic liar Vivek says, but if you put it thru a filter of, "he's lobbying to be fascist Trump's VP", it begins to make a little more "sense".

[jfish26]

I pay very little attention to what chronic liar Vivek says, but if you put it thru a filter of, "he's lobbying to be fascist Trump's VP", it begins to make a little more "sense".

I still think that’s not his end goal; he clearly is smart enough to understand that there will never, ever, ever be anything approaching a relationship of equals with Trump. Trump will require - even more than last time, given that pesky Constitution that kept Pence from turning the Oval Office into a Throne Room - complete subservience.

I continue to wonder if the play here is to stay in Trump’s good graces until the field is cleared, and then shiv Trump with the 14th amendment argument or otherwise.

[jfish26]

The more I read, especially from the upcoming biography but from other reported accounts as well, the more I think we're all making not nearly enough of Elon's dalliances with Putin and Russia.

Elon admits that Starlink gives him, effectively, real-time intel about Ukrainian movement and strength.

Elon admits to speaking with Putin, and also to Russia's ambassador to the US (in this latter case before disabling Starlink near the front).

Elon has more or less adopted the very language of how Russia sees "peace" - being we all just let Russia keep territory it's stolen, and take it on faith that Putin won't come back.

Elon has his thumb on the scale in a way that he has become the world's most important vector - by several orders of magnitude - of disinformation.

I don't think it's all that far-fetched to say that Elon has become a dire threat to our national security and interests.

[KUTradition]

The more I read, especially from the upcoming biography but from other reported accounts as well, the more I think we're all making not nearly enough of Elon's dalliances with Putin and Russia.

Elon admits that Starlink gives him, effectively, real-time intel about Ukrainian movement and strength.

Elon admits to speaking with Putin, and also to Russia's ambassador to the US (in this latter case before disabling Starlink near the front).

Elon has more or less adopted the very language of how Russia sees "peace" - being we all just let Russia keep territory it's stolen, and take it on faith that Putin won't come back.

Elon has his thumb on the scale in a way that he has become the world's most important vector - by several orders of magnitude - of disinformation.

I don't think it's all that far-fetched to say that Elon has become a dire threat to our national security and interests.

naaah…

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna104019

[jfish26]

I also think we have no idea what to do about this. Yes, there are many levers we can use to get at Musk - defense contractor laws, securities laws and regulations, and so on.

But if he takes his ball and goes home...Ukraine loses Starlink altogether.

And he also has the ability - perhaps not the desire or interest or stomach, but the ability - to mobilize a not-no-well-regulated but quite-well-armed rube militia.

[MICHHAWK]

i am probably not going to lose any sleep over the thought of elon musk taking up arms against the United States of America.

continue on with your daily stupidity festival.

[jfish26]

i am probably not going to lose any sleep over the thought of elon musk taking up arms against the United States of America.

continue on with your daily stupidity festival.

It doesn't bother you that a single, unelected, largely-unaccountable guy has this much sway over matters of national security?

[Shirley]

i am probably not going to lose any sleep over the thought of elon musk taking up arms against the United States of America.

continue on with your daily stupidity festival.

It doesn't bother you that a single, unelected, largely-unaccountable guy has this much sway over matters of national security?

I very much share your concern, jfish.

It's a shame that we don't as a nation didn't build the system of satellites, et al., that Leon did, but the "government bad, private sector good" mantra republicans have been chanting non-stop since the Reagan Administration, has borne fruit.

[jfish26]

i am probably not going to lose any sleep over the thought of elon musk taking up arms against the United States of America.

continue on with your daily stupidity festival.

It doesn't bother you that a single, unelected, largely-unaccountable guy has this much sway over matters of national security?

I very much share your concern, jfish.

It's a shame that we don't as a nation didn't build the system of satellites, et al., that Leon did, but the "government bad, private sector good" mantra republicans have been chanting non-stop since the Reagan Administration, has borne fruit.

Well and it also gets to the logical end-stage of the fallacy of libertarianism: ok, everyone can do what they want. How does anyone get held accountable for anything?

[jhawks99]

i am probably not going to lose any sleep over the thought of elon musk taking up arms against the United States of America.

continue on with your daily stupidity festival.

It doesn't bother you that a single, unelected, largely-unaccountable guy has this much sway over matters of national security?

The folks at the mall are good with it.
If it were Bill Gates on the other hand....

[MICHHAWK]

how does one differentiate between bill gates and elon musk.

[KUTradition]

by making ANY effort to do just that