What a momentous day to celebrate Heather! Thank you for the reminder, Gailee, and I would like to celebrate you as well and all the other wonderful women on Heather's substack!
I haven't been around long enough to have full herd status, but I can say that, from the very first of HCR's essays I read, both my knowledge and my frame of mind have shifted radically. My days begin now, not with the terrible anxiety of the dense text and black headlines of the NYT but with my morning reading of these well-researched and thoughtful commentaries, a mug of chai latte, a glance at one more publications, and on toward lunch and a second reading of HCR. I am unspeakably grateful to have found this. Thank you all.
Roswell (north metro Atlanta). How lovely you grew up in deep woods. When I lived in NY, I had a very rustic cabin on four wooded acres on a small lake, and went there almost every weekend except just once a month in the winter. I hated to have to sell it and leave, but I suspected I'd never be back, which turned out to be the case, but it was a very important, beautiful part of my life. Where are you now?
Thank you Gailee! It’s a pleasure to celebrate Heather today and every day. Gratitude to you, Heather. You make an amazing and positive difference, every day.
Can't think of a better woman to celebrate on this day. But then again, we all need to celebrate each other for our own courage and fight in these times.
With gratitude to Heather and all the women here and especially to you, Ally, holding the fort in Eugene. As for Gangrene and Gunslinger Barbie, they are an embarrassment to womankind.
Agree 💯%, Gailee! What a wonderful celebratory acknowledgment of Heather. She is brilliant! Her illumination of confusion and chaos is extraordinary. We are blessed to have her and this fantastic community. I feel like you all are a lifeboat and she is the beacon above stormy seas.
Hello from khmelnitsky enroute to Lviv and polish border. Tanya and I are well. Lucky is with his friend Vitalik and happy as can be. Слава Україні.
Get those mig fighters here now. Russians are killing our civilians at a great rate. They must not get supplies and must be driven back from the cities
Thank you Allen, for letting us know you and your family are safe. As for the military supplies, I agree. The US and EU must become the arsenal of Ukraine.
What a blessing to hear that you and Tanya are well! We have all been thinking about you and wondering how you are faring. I wish I were in charge of the mig fighters -- they'd all be there now! Be well and be safe❣️
Thank you Allen, for this report. Holding you and Tanya in our thoughts as you head west. You have become a symbol to me of the bravery of all Ukrainians.
Thank you, Allen, for checking in! This has made my day knowing you all are safe. Everyone on here is with you in spirit and we continue to hope, pray, and support Ukraine. Fingers crossed for more aid and materiel where it is needed!! The logistics are daunting, but they're trying to work it out. Keep hope alive!
Слава Україні! Blue and yellow, sky and sunflowers. Know that we're all with you. Stay safe! Send a line like this when you can. Stay safe - I said that before, here it is again.
The NYT photographer who took the photo of the mother and her two children and the family friend who were killed yesterday by mortar fire said today that she watched mortar explosions "walk" down the street to where the people were. That means there was a Russian Forward Observer who had them in sight and was correcting the fire to bring it down on them. Given the range of mortars (which are solely designed for killing/wounding people with shrapnel), he had to be able to see they were civilian non-combatants. Which means the mortaring was deliberate - a war crime.
It's not just the Russian military that is "Potemkin" - the entire country is. That's been true a long time. I remember seeing a Russian ship at sea 60 years ago, the usual Soviet "rust bucket" (they still are today) and I remember thinking to myself, "People who have that little self-respect, that they let their ship go like this - *they* are a threat?"
MoDo actually said something in the Times I agree with (Shocking, I know, but true): Putin is a guy who's five foot six, arguing that he's really five foot eight.
I really look forward to Russia being strangled. Maybe to the point it breaks apart, which is entirely possible.
TC, I hope you and Heather are right in your relatively upbeat assessments of Russia's weaknesses and the effectiveness of the West's countermeasures, which would seem to bode ill for Putin, who may be short of stature, but makes up for it with a certain grit, determination, sureness of self and bloody-mindedness as he follows his dream.
But what about his nukes? Can he order missiles to be launched on short notice, even without broad agreement in the upper ranks of the Russian military? Would the missiles hit their targets? Can we shoot them down or do we have to respond in kind? Are we sure he isn't crazy enough to use them? In the event, do we have a reasonable response planned that would not necessarily result in the extinction of our species (and most others I imagine) if he decided to test the water with a "little" tactical nuke?
To be honest, I think I already know the answers to most of these questions, and I am not reassured.
You're right to not be reassured. I am sure he has done what Trump wanted to - placed "fellow believers" in the top command ranks, so he can likely do what he wants with the nukes.
What would be the point in hiding you’re Yacht in the Maldives if your leader brings Nuk war to you’re country ? He’s been isolated all thru the Pandemic. Caught a news clip where he and someone are sitting at the very ends of this 30 ft table. Brings ‘ Distancing to a whole new level. He’s dangerous because he’s a scared, paranoid, insecure, isolated, little big mouth that has destroyed the fortunes of his “ Yes People “. Wonder if he has a food taster ? Hahaha !
In an interview, Fiona Hill said she had many times been with Putin. Once they sat beside each other at a dinner. He didn't eat or drink anything. Imagine living with that level of paranoia!
You know how much they like to use poison, no wonder he’s worried, when all of the dust settles and the insipid imbecile that we had for president starts to default on the debts he owes to the Russians, he’ll have to be very careful with what he eats. 😎
Can’t ❤️this, Dick, but yes! Chump should be constantly looking over his shoulder and probably is. Maybe Melanie (😁) will be the supplier of a nice drug that will, oh let’s say, be in his Big Mac.
The collapse of the ruble is welcome but could have the unfortunate side effect of making repayment of debts owed to Russians cheap (unless the contracts require repayment in a more stable currency, which is likely, I guess).
Live by the Novichock, die by the Novichock and just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you - never were platitudes working better for a politician.
Never discount divine intervention. Events and developments appear which are unforeseen and unforeseeable, sourced by intense human desire and prayer, as just one possibility, and by other means. The conscious mind, the rational mind, in its ignorance of how the mystical unknown operates, disdains or neglects to acknowledge the mechanics of manifestation.
When all else fails, prayer helps some people, not everyone. Is the unmoved mover moved by prayer? I do not pretend to know, though I suspect no human mind, whether ignorant, conscious, rational or magical really knows very much about the mechanics of manifestation. We're a clever species in many ways, but we're just tiny specks at large in the Universe.
“We're a clever species in many ways, but we're just tiny specks at large in the Universe.”
Precisely. But more to the point of divine intervention, we don’t know what we don’t know. If you read widely and keep an open mind, you will find a multitude of stories about completely inexplicable things that nevertheless are facts and happened.
Don’t get put off by use of the word “prayer.” I should have said, “… Intense human desire, for example through prayer,…“. You and I are not religious men, the religious concept of prayer means nothing to us. But prayer is, if you extract it from its superstitious religious connotations, an expression of desire, of the need for wish fulfillment. If that desire is super intense, it can produce actual physical events. Tottering grandmothers have lifted incredibly heavy things off a loved one, something they could never do otherwise, only in the intensity of a life-threatening situation.
Yes, no human mind understands fully how magic works, how manifestation happens. However, magic happens. Miracles happen. The unforeseen can appear at a moments notice, and often does. In a weekend, just to provide one very weak example, Germany completely revamps its foreign policy and domestic policy re: military.
All I am saying is this: never discount divine intervention. $1 million can descend into your life in an instant. You just don’t know what is about to happen in any moment.
I'm not, and it has never been an issue for me, though I sometimes envy those who do believe, as there can be comfort in religious belief (or suspension of disbelief, as the case may be). I see death as a conundrum with no good or easy answer. Of course, I am open to being proven wrong about this.
On the ground, Russians are no good on offense. They never have been. They are great on defense. They know how to suffer. They are great improvisers who can keep a space station running using paper clips and Bobby pins. When everyone else has given up, a Russian is just getting started. And they all know that (pronounce each syllable as a word in English )”rah/SEE/ah sue/ma/SHED/she dome” -Russia is a madhouse. None of this is worth anything on offense, not on the ground. It will be decided in the air. Can they turn Ukraine into Syria. Meanwhile where are those soviet era MIGs coming from Sweden? Not that any young Ukrainians could fly them, but there must be some geezer pilots around with mild heart conditions who could pop some nitroglycerin and head out for the real wild blue yonder shouting the Ukrainian word for kamikaze.
I’m with you. As much as I want to believe (and pray) Ukraine will succeed, I am skeptical, especially when Putin tells Macron “No matter what”. But I’ll keep a positive heart and keep hoping.
Well, it seems our leaders are, for now, not as sure of this as you are. If Putin threatens to use nukes, should we call his bluff? This is not 7-card stud stud on a Saturday night.
H.A., Putin has both rattled his saber and invaded Ukraine. Two weeks into this war, despite ample evidence that NATO forces could make short work of it and send the Russians packing, the West has limited it's response to resupplying the Ukrainians with light anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons and applying pretty strong economic sanctions on Russia. Biden and others have said repeatedly that they have no desire to engage Russia directly on the field of battle. Implicit in this is that Putin has scared Biden and everyone else who understands the stakes in this confrontation. We are all scared of nuclear war, including Biden. No one knows what Putin would do if he is backed into a corner. He may be crazy. We do not know. You do not know.
But he's a madman for whom mass murder and mayhem is a bedtime story. I would not put anything beyond him. We do not have the calculus of his behavior because he is not rational.
You are the only person I have read or heard express such confidence about what Putin will do in terms of employing his nuclear arsenal, H.A. Do you also know what the Russian military will do while in control of nuclear power plants in Ukraine?
Nuclear power plants in Ukraine are one of the only "cards" Putin will be holding if he is in danger of being toppled. My biggest fear is that his incompetent military and incompetent energy "department" will not know how to deal with problems that are sure to arrive if Russia takes control of all the nuclear power plants in Ukraine. The world may already be in the nuclear "jackpot" and not know it, although I am sure the nuclear power plants are front and center in Washington think tanks today.
An agreement on nuclear plants in Ukraine is urgently needed, the U.N. nuclear agency says.
March 7, 2022, 10:09 a.m. ETMarch 7, 2022
1:04
'I.A.E.A. Officials Raise Concerns Over Ukrainian Nuclear Facilities
The International Atomic Energy Agency raised concerns over the operations of nuclear power plants in Ukraine and urged for an agreement between Russia and Ukraine on safety and security.CreditCredit.../Associated Press
Concerns are rising over the operations of nuclear power plants in Ukraine without concrete agreements between Russia and Ukraine on safety and security, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Monday, adding that his agency, the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations, was working urgently to facilitate a meeting with the two parties.'
'There has been no release of radiation, he said, and the agency is remotely monitoring nuclear material there. Still, problems, including staffing and supply issues, have arisen at nuclear plants in Kharkiv, Mariupol and other places. If the plants can’t get access to equipment, normal operations could be difficult to sustain.'
“We should not be losing time,” the agency’s director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, told reporters in Vienna on Monday, adding that the agency was getting reports from the Ukrainian nuclear regulator. “Almost every day there is a new episode.”
“All of these are indications — more than indications, confirmations — that we cannot go on like this,” Mr. Grossi said. “There has to be clear understanding and clear commitments not to go anywhere near nuclear facilities when it comes to military operations.”
'Russian representatives rejected an initial offer from the agency to meet at the Chernobyl nuclear plant, Mr. Grossi said, adding that the agency was communicating with Ukrainian representatives. He said the agency had not ruled out sending support personnel to the plants.' (NYTimes)
The difference between Kazillionaire Putin and normal Kazillionaires is that his wealth is 100% dependent on his remaining in power. He will never be able to flee Russia and live Snoop's "The Fine Life". Therefore he will most certainly use nuclear weapons the minute he is 100% certain that he will be ousted from power. Analogy questions: (1) Would Hitler in bunker have used nuclear weapons if they had been available? (2) Same question re Saddam? Totally apples-to-apples.
That photo on the front of NYTIMES yesterday was devastating. Later my son explained that he’s trying to o deal with his anxiety about fear of nuclear war. We’re all trying to do the best we can in terms of everyday life. Emerging from the pandemic into the new reality of Purim’s evil aggression seems like a cruel joke.
I heard a quote today, attributed to Lenin: “decades go by without a day’s worth of changes, then days go by with a decade’s worth of changes.” Meanwhile, a lesson for Putin from earl weaver, former manager of the Baltimore Orioles, who once said, “what counts is what you learn after you know it all.”
“ I heard a quote today, attributed to Lenin: “decades go by without a day’s worth of changes, then days go by with a decade’s worth of changes.” Meanwhile, a lesson for Putin from earl weaver, former manager of the Baltimore Orioles, who once said, “what counts is what you learn after you know it all.”
desperado, I have a question for you. Would you be so kind to explain for me the lower-casing of names of people, like Earl Weaver to earl weaver? I’ve been wondering about this practice for a few months, and I have not been able to find any information by googling about it. Also, I notice that you capitalize the names of Lenin and Putin.
The capitalization is done by the email writing app. it is not intentional. I write everything without caps and the app on my iPad capitalizes some things. I wish I could turn this feature off. Until I know how, I will capitalize in the usual way, since I can see that it might be misleading to leave it to the app. On my iMac there is no such feature, and that is what I am more used to. I do find that the shift key slows everything down when writing rough drafts, informal emails and internet posts. But I guess I should start using the one on my iPad.
No need to concern yourself. I have just been curious if there is intent or meaning. If the only thing going on is technology and saving time, so be it, that does not concern me. Continue to do whatever is easiest for you.
The ICC is investigating. They cannot go into Russia to arrest Putin or any others convicted by the international court, but it would limit their movements to countries that are non-signature to the courts authority. And provide additional volume to international outrage.
Heather, I want to celebrate you today, International Women´s Day. You are a national treasure. I am reading this on March 8th. where I live.
What a momentous day to celebrate Heather! Thank you for the reminder, Gailee, and I would like to celebrate you as well and all the other wonderful women on Heather's substack!
As all of you are for me. xoxoxoxoxo
Fifth! Thank you, Heather, for all you do, and to all of us who comprise Heather's Herd.
I haven't been around long enough to have full herd status, but I can say that, from the very first of HCR's essays I read, both my knowledge and my frame of mind have shifted radically. My days begin now, not with the terrible anxiety of the dense text and black headlines of the NYT but with my morning reading of these well-researched and thoughtful commentaries, a mug of chai latte, a glance at one more publications, and on toward lunch and a second reading of HCR. I am unspeakably grateful to have found this. Thank you all.
Dean Robertson, I like your self-blurb and welcome you here to enjoy thoughtful discussions based on Heather's incomparable research and perspective.
Thanks, Mim. Where are you in Georgia? I grew up in some beautiful deep woods about 60 miles from Atlanta
Roswell (north metro Atlanta). How lovely you grew up in deep woods. When I lived in NY, I had a very rustic cabin on four wooded acres on a small lake, and went there almost every weekend except just once a month in the winter. I hated to have to sell it and leave, but I suspected I'd never be back, which turned out to be the case, but it was a very important, beautiful part of my life. Where are you now?
💕🏆🏆💕
Amen!
I second this! You are truly a guiding light in these troubling times
Thank you Gailee! It’s a pleasure to celebrate Heather today and every day. Gratitude to you, Heather. You make an amazing and positive difference, every day.
Can't think of a better woman to celebrate on this day. But then again, we all need to celebrate each other for our own courage and fight in these times.
Well said. I'd like to add my celebration of the Professor, as well as us women here and beyond. Except for two repulsive representatives.
With gratitude to Heather and all the women here and especially to you, Ally, holding the fort in Eugene. As for Gangrene and Gunslinger Barbie, they are an embarrassment to womankind.
You mean the two howler monkeys?
As well as the Dem Senator from AZ!
Her, too.
Yep.
Oh, my! Who CAN you mean?
Lol
😝
Yes, Yes! A celebration of Heather and all of Heather’s Herd! And all women! (almost!) Here, Here! Hear! Hear! Together we make a difference.
Third!
Fourth!
27th!
Several millions!
Morning, Lynell! I agree and salutations to you as well as all the other wonderful women on this post!
Morning, Ally, and back at you...Sunflower seeds to all who dare to cross our path!
Happy to share this day with you, Wonderful Alexander!
our guiding light to understanding what got our country to where it is and an awesome woman all the way around
Agree 💯%, Gailee! What a wonderful celebratory acknowledgment of Heather. She is brilliant! Her illumination of confusion and chaos is extraordinary. We are blessed to have her and this fantastic community. I feel like you all are a lifeboat and she is the beacon above stormy seas.
“Her illumination of confusion and chaos is extraordinary.” The perfect description of a truly extraordinary teacher.
Indeed💜
Perfect tribute!
Amen!
Hello from khmelnitsky enroute to Lviv and polish border. Tanya and I are well. Lucky is with his friend Vitalik and happy as can be. Слава Україні.
Get those mig fighters here now. Russians are killing our civilians at a great rate. They must not get supplies and must be driven back from the cities
Allen and Tanya! Thank you for update. We are all thinking of you and the Ukraine people daily! Safe passage and Light!
Thank you Allen, for letting us know you and your family are safe. As for the military supplies, I agree. The US and EU must become the arsenal of Ukraine.
What a blessing to hear that you and Tanya are well! We have all been thinking about you and wondering how you are faring. I wish I were in charge of the mig fighters -- they'd all be there now! Be well and be safe❣️
A blessing to hear from you, Allen. Hoping you and Tanya continue safely to the border. Stay well. We’re with you.
Thank you Allen, for this report. Holding you and Tanya in our thoughts as you head west. You have become a symbol to me of the bravery of all Ukrainians.
Thank you, Allen, for checking in! This has made my day knowing you all are safe. Everyone on here is with you in spirit and we continue to hope, pray, and support Ukraine. Fingers crossed for more aid and materiel where it is needed!! The logistics are daunting, but they're trying to work it out. Keep hope alive!
Hello, and goodnight here! 👍🙂 glad to see you are all safe ❤️
So glad to hear from you Allen! I hope your journey is safe and that you and yours are soon reconnected with Lucky!
Allen, I'm so glad to know you and Tanya are safe. Safe journey.💙🌷
Wonderful to hear from you, Allen.
Thank you for reporting in. Godspeed.
Ви найкраща новина дня! (You are the best news of the day!) Safe travel for Allen and Tanya.
Allen, it's good to hear from you and know how and where you are. We are watching. Yes Ukraine needs those migs NOW. Safe travels to you and Tanya.
Слава Україні! Blue and yellow, sky and sunflowers. Know that we're all with you. Stay safe! Send a line like this when you can. Stay safe - I said that before, here it is again.
So glad to hear from you. Think of you all every day. Continued safety to Poland. We are all with you and Tanya.
Thank you Allen. Thank you! Stay safe. Take good care.
The NYT photographer who took the photo of the mother and her two children and the family friend who were killed yesterday by mortar fire said today that she watched mortar explosions "walk" down the street to where the people were. That means there was a Russian Forward Observer who had them in sight and was correcting the fire to bring it down on them. Given the range of mortars (which are solely designed for killing/wounding people with shrapnel), he had to be able to see they were civilian non-combatants. Which means the mortaring was deliberate - a war crime.
It's not just the Russian military that is "Potemkin" - the entire country is. That's been true a long time. I remember seeing a Russian ship at sea 60 years ago, the usual Soviet "rust bucket" (they still are today) and I remember thinking to myself, "People who have that little self-respect, that they let their ship go like this - *they* are a threat?"
MoDo actually said something in the Times I agree with (Shocking, I know, but true): Putin is a guy who's five foot six, arguing that he's really five foot eight.
I really look forward to Russia being strangled. Maybe to the point it breaks apart, which is entirely possible.
TC, I hope you and Heather are right in your relatively upbeat assessments of Russia's weaknesses and the effectiveness of the West's countermeasures, which would seem to bode ill for Putin, who may be short of stature, but makes up for it with a certain grit, determination, sureness of self and bloody-mindedness as he follows his dream.
But what about his nukes? Can he order missiles to be launched on short notice, even without broad agreement in the upper ranks of the Russian military? Would the missiles hit their targets? Can we shoot them down or do we have to respond in kind? Are we sure he isn't crazy enough to use them? In the event, do we have a reasonable response planned that would not necessarily result in the extinction of our species (and most others I imagine) if he decided to test the water with a "little" tactical nuke?
To be honest, I think I already know the answers to most of these questions, and I am not reassured.
You're right to not be reassured. I am sure he has done what Trump wanted to - placed "fellow believers" in the top command ranks, so he can likely do what he wants with the nukes.
What would be the point in hiding you’re Yacht in the Maldives if your leader brings Nuk war to you’re country ? He’s been isolated all thru the Pandemic. Caught a news clip where he and someone are sitting at the very ends of this 30 ft table. Brings ‘ Distancing to a whole new level. He’s dangerous because he’s a scared, paranoid, insecure, isolated, little big mouth that has destroyed the fortunes of his “ Yes People “. Wonder if he has a food taster ? Hahaha !
In an interview, Fiona Hill said she had many times been with Putin. Once they sat beside each other at a dinner. He didn't eat or drink anything. Imagine living with that level of paranoia!
You know how much they like to use poison, no wonder he’s worried, when all of the dust settles and the insipid imbecile that we had for president starts to default on the debts he owes to the Russians, he’ll have to be very careful with what he eats. 😎
Can’t ❤️this, Dick, but yes! Chump should be constantly looking over his shoulder and probably is. Maybe Melanie (😁) will be the supplier of a nice drug that will, oh let’s say, be in his Big Mac.
The collapse of the ruble is welcome but could have the unfortunate side effect of making repayment of debts owed to Russians cheap (unless the contracts require repayment in a more stable currency, which is likely, I guess).
Live by the Novichock, die by the Novichock and just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you - never were platitudes working better for a politician.
👍
The man’s a Nut Job. And no I can’t.
According to Fiona Hill, the people with yachts are not the most inner circle of ideological "yes" men
So I guess then their reward is just to live another day ?
I've heard Putin's grandfather was cook for Stalin 1931-33, so I guess thinking of food tasting is in the family; and imagining being Stalin too.
Or we can hope some of the fellow believers - close to him - wakes up and switches him off.
Looks like we will have to rely on divine intervention...
Never discount divine intervention. Events and developments appear which are unforeseen and unforeseeable, sourced by intense human desire and prayer, as just one possibility, and by other means. The conscious mind, the rational mind, in its ignorance of how the mystical unknown operates, disdains or neglects to acknowledge the mechanics of manifestation.
Thank you, Roland.
When all else fails, prayer helps some people, not everyone. Is the unmoved mover moved by prayer? I do not pretend to know, though I suspect no human mind, whether ignorant, conscious, rational or magical really knows very much about the mechanics of manifestation. We're a clever species in many ways, but we're just tiny specks at large in the Universe.
“We're a clever species in many ways, but we're just tiny specks at large in the Universe.”
Precisely. But more to the point of divine intervention, we don’t know what we don’t know. If you read widely and keep an open mind, you will find a multitude of stories about completely inexplicable things that nevertheless are facts and happened.
Don’t get put off by use of the word “prayer.” I should have said, “… Intense human desire, for example through prayer,…“. You and I are not religious men, the religious concept of prayer means nothing to us. But prayer is, if you extract it from its superstitious religious connotations, an expression of desire, of the need for wish fulfillment. If that desire is super intense, it can produce actual physical events. Tottering grandmothers have lifted incredibly heavy things off a loved one, something they could never do otherwise, only in the intensity of a life-threatening situation.
Yes, no human mind understands fully how magic works, how manifestation happens. However, magic happens. Miracles happen. The unforeseen can appear at a moments notice, and often does. In a weekend, just to provide one very weak example, Germany completely revamps its foreign policy and domestic policy re: military.
All I am saying is this: never discount divine intervention. $1 million can descend into your life in an instant. You just don’t know what is about to happen in any moment.
I would like to be a believer!
I'm not, and it has never been an issue for me, though I sometimes envy those who do believe, as there can be comfort in religious belief (or suspension of disbelief, as the case may be). I see death as a conundrum with no good or easy answer. Of course, I am open to being proven wrong about this.
I’m not religious. That would be easier. I’m just hoping.
I hope not, because that's one thing that's definitely not happening...
All those loyalists in Putin’s army turn out not to be so good at fighting, and not so good at maintaining their equipment.
On the ground, Russians are no good on offense. They never have been. They are great on defense. They know how to suffer. They are great improvisers who can keep a space station running using paper clips and Bobby pins. When everyone else has given up, a Russian is just getting started. And they all know that (pronounce each syllable as a word in English )”rah/SEE/ah sue/ma/SHED/she dome” -Russia is a madhouse. None of this is worth anything on offense, not on the ground. It will be decided in the air. Can they turn Ukraine into Syria. Meanwhile where are those soviet era MIGs coming from Sweden? Not that any young Ukrainians could fly them, but there must be some geezer pilots around with mild heart conditions who could pop some nitroglycerin and head out for the real wild blue yonder shouting the Ukrainian word for kamikaze.
I’m with you. As much as I want to believe (and pray) Ukraine will succeed, I am skeptical, especially when Putin tells Macron “No matter what”. But I’ll keep a positive heart and keep hoping.
Putin will not resort to nuclear warfare.
Where is the value in owning a country that’s a radioactive wasteland?
Plus tactical nuclear weapons are used where there is a great concentration of the enemy, or a large fleet; not in street fighting.
Conventional weapons are sufficient to turn Ukraine into a smoking pile of rubble.
Well, it seems our leaders are, for now, not as sure of this as you are. If Putin threatens to use nukes, should we call his bluff? This is not 7-card stud stud on a Saturday night.
A threat is much different from a use.
Putin can rattle his saber as loud as he cares to see who he can scare.
Biden didn’t scare.
H.A., Putin has both rattled his saber and invaded Ukraine. Two weeks into this war, despite ample evidence that NATO forces could make short work of it and send the Russians packing, the West has limited it's response to resupplying the Ukrainians with light anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons and applying pretty strong economic sanctions on Russia. Biden and others have said repeatedly that they have no desire to engage Russia directly on the field of battle. Implicit in this is that Putin has scared Biden and everyone else who understands the stakes in this confrontation. We are all scared of nuclear war, including Biden. No one knows what Putin would do if he is backed into a corner. He may be crazy. We do not know. You do not know.
But he's a madman for whom mass murder and mayhem is a bedtime story. I would not put anything beyond him. We do not have the calculus of his behavior because he is not rational.
You are the only person I have read or heard express such confidence about what Putin will do in terms of employing his nuclear arsenal, H.A. Do you also know what the Russian military will do while in control of nuclear power plants in Ukraine?
Nuclear power plants in Ukraine are one of the only "cards" Putin will be holding if he is in danger of being toppled. My biggest fear is that his incompetent military and incompetent energy "department" will not know how to deal with problems that are sure to arrive if Russia takes control of all the nuclear power plants in Ukraine. The world may already be in the nuclear "jackpot" and not know it, although I am sure the nuclear power plants are front and center in Washington think tanks today.
An agreement on nuclear plants in Ukraine is urgently needed, the U.N. nuclear agency says.
March 7, 2022, 10:09 a.m. ETMarch 7, 2022
1:04
'I.A.E.A. Officials Raise Concerns Over Ukrainian Nuclear Facilities
The International Atomic Energy Agency raised concerns over the operations of nuclear power plants in Ukraine and urged for an agreement between Russia and Ukraine on safety and security.CreditCredit.../Associated Press
Concerns are rising over the operations of nuclear power plants in Ukraine without concrete agreements between Russia and Ukraine on safety and security, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Monday, adding that his agency, the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations, was working urgently to facilitate a meeting with the two parties.'
'There has been no release of radiation, he said, and the agency is remotely monitoring nuclear material there. Still, problems, including staffing and supply issues, have arisen at nuclear plants in Kharkiv, Mariupol and other places. If the plants can’t get access to equipment, normal operations could be difficult to sustain.'
“We should not be losing time,” the agency’s director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, told reporters in Vienna on Monday, adding that the agency was getting reports from the Ukrainian nuclear regulator. “Almost every day there is a new episode.”
“All of these are indications — more than indications, confirmations — that we cannot go on like this,” Mr. Grossi said. “There has to be clear understanding and clear commitments not to go anywhere near nuclear facilities when it comes to military operations.”
'Russian representatives rejected an initial offer from the agency to meet at the Chernobyl nuclear plant, Mr. Grossi said, adding that the agency was communicating with Ukrainian representatives. He said the agency had not ruled out sending support personnel to the plants.' (NYTimes)
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/world/europe/iaea-nuclear-plants-ukraine.html
Yes.
Put yourself in Putin’s shoes. Where is the value in creating a nuclear wasteland in the country you want to occupy?
Ukraine is adjacent to Crimea and Russia. Does Putin want nuclear waste or fallout to spread there?
Of course not.
It is not possible to put myself in Putin's shoes or head as you apparently can. All the best to you.
The difference between Kazillionaire Putin and normal Kazillionaires is that his wealth is 100% dependent on his remaining in power. He will never be able to flee Russia and live Snoop's "The Fine Life". Therefore he will most certainly use nuclear weapons the minute he is 100% certain that he will be ousted from power. Analogy questions: (1) Would Hitler in bunker have used nuclear weapons if they had been available? (2) Same question re Saddam? Totally apples-to-apples.
That photo on the front of NYTIMES yesterday was devastating. Later my son explained that he’s trying to o deal with his anxiety about fear of nuclear war. We’re all trying to do the best we can in terms of everyday life. Emerging from the pandemic into the new reality of Purim’s evil aggression seems like a cruel joke.
It may not have been an Ancient Chinese Curse, but "may you live in *interesting* times" is still a curse.
I heard a quote today, attributed to Lenin: “decades go by without a day’s worth of changes, then days go by with a decade’s worth of changes.” Meanwhile, a lesson for Putin from earl weaver, former manager of the Baltimore Orioles, who once said, “what counts is what you learn after you know it all.”
Yeah, we are living inside Lenin's quote right now.
“ I heard a quote today, attributed to Lenin: “decades go by without a day’s worth of changes, then days go by with a decade’s worth of changes.” Meanwhile, a lesson for Putin from earl weaver, former manager of the Baltimore Orioles, who once said, “what counts is what you learn after you know it all.”
desperado, I have a question for you. Would you be so kind to explain for me the lower-casing of names of people, like Earl Weaver to earl weaver? I’ve been wondering about this practice for a few months, and I have not been able to find any information by googling about it. Also, I notice that you capitalize the names of Lenin and Putin.
The capitalization is done by the email writing app. it is not intentional. I write everything without caps and the app on my iPad capitalizes some things. I wish I could turn this feature off. Until I know how, I will capitalize in the usual way, since I can see that it might be misleading to leave it to the app. On my iMac there is no such feature, and that is what I am more used to. I do find that the shift key slows everything down when writing rough drafts, informal emails and internet posts. But I guess I should start using the one on my iPad.
No need to concern yourself. I have just been curious if there is intent or meaning. If the only thing going on is technology and saving time, so be it, that does not concern me. Continue to do whatever is easiest for you.
So, who prosecutes war crimes that all the world can see? Do we have to wait for the shooting to stop before war crimes are charged?
The ICC is investigating. They cannot go into Russia to arrest Putin or any others convicted by the international court, but it would limit their movements to countries that are non-signature to the courts authority. And provide additional volume to international outrage.
Nor could they do anything about the U.S. war crimes in Iraq. The only effect was to keep “W” and Cheney in the U.S. for a while.
Ty.
I have the same question. What good is it that Putin is accused of war crimes? He clearly isn't going to show up at the world court willingly.