re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Do you not comprehend the link between the Bidens and the American political elite to the corruption in Ukraine?

Why in the frick would you want to spend half a trillion dollars and endure $5 gas, a global recession, global inflation, and food shortages PLUS risk nuclear war... all to keep Kiev from Russian hands?

I understand why Biden supports it, but why would you?

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Now do China invading Taiwan.

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Bro that’s totally different. Semiconductors are goat of all concerns and TSMC is totally not building a foundry in the US as we speak that will be completed next year, nor is intel building a new giant factory, nor do we have some of the smartest people on the planet who could be put to task.

Nevermind the need for significantly more grain and energy to not be controlled by a dictator known to shut off their precious resources to consuming nations on a whim. Never mind the potential of their controlling 60%+ of the world uranium next.

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We spent more in 4 months than we did in the first two years in Afghanistan, and our forces aren’t even there fighting. No dead Americans, but get to swim in the dough. It’s a win/win for Boeing and Raytheon.

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You nailed it and you are so full of it that you didn’t even know it.

I highlighted the key piece.

Btw, it’s also a win for all the families who don’t have to send their sons and daughters or their dads and moms to fight a foreign war.

ISW update

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There were no claimed or assessed Russian territorial gains in Ukraine on July 6 for the first time in 133 days of war, supporting ISW’s assessment that Russian forces have largely initiated an operational pause.

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The Kremlin continued to set conditions for the crypto-mobilization of the Russian economy in anticipation of protracted operations in Ukraine

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Key Takeaways

The Russian Ministry of Defense has not claimed any territorial gains since July 3, supporting the assessment that Russian forces are conducting an operational pause while still engaging in limited ground attacks to set conditions for more significant offensive operations.

The Kremlin continues to prepare for a protracted war by setting conditions for crypto-mobilization of the economy and largely initiating an operational pause in Ukraine.

Russian forces conducted offensive operations northwest and east of Slovyansk.

Russian forces continued efforts to push westward toward Siversk from the Luhansk-Donetsk oblast border.

Russian forces continued attempts to advance toward Bakhmut from the south.

Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks north of Kharkiv City.

Russian forces conducted unsuccessful ground assaults in northwestern Kherson Oblast.

Ukrainian forces may be setting conditions for a counteroffensive toward Kherson City.

Russian forces may be forming a new military unit in Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.

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ETA formating

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“We fight them over there so we don’t have to fight them here.”

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But you said it yourself, we aren’t fighting them at all.

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quote:But you said it yourself, we aren’t fighting them at all. Well, we're directly financing the people fighting them over there. Maybe that's the next step of literal Americans fighting over there.

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It’s nothing new. Russia and China backed N Vietnam, and the Cong, Russia backed China and N Korea. Russia back Egypt, Jordan and Syria; while we backed Israel. We backed Afghanistan.

It’s better than sending out men and women.

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We spent more in 4 months than we did in the first two years in Afghanistan, and our forces aren’t even there fighting.

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That’s simply not true. We spent $40 billion in the first 2 years in Afghanistan.



As of about 3 weeks ago, DoD said they had released roughly $5.6 billion in funding since Russia invaded in February. I don’t know exactly how much we have released over the past 3 weeks but I’m fairly confident it hasn’t been $35 billion.

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Just continue to celebrate it as we bleed the strategic reserve dry

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While I think these SPR releases are kind of pointless (other than selling high), SPR inventories are only down by about 7% since January as of the last EIA update.

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pay record high gas prices

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Only if you don’t adjust for inflation:

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and experience major food shortages

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Severely overstated, and not likely to have much if any impact on the US. The price of food globally is much more of an issue than availability - largely because wages have not kept up with inflation post-COVID. Again, this is much more of an issue in developing nations.





I am not completely discounting any of these concerns - fuel prices, our spending forecast in Ukraine, food availability, etc. are all real and worthy of conversation. But you seem incapable of discussing anything without resorting to hyperbole.

With Russia's nukes to back them up (plus in 5 years China will have parity in ICBMs alone), we wouldn't dare intervene if China pulled the trigger. China will wait another few years to finish its vast new farm of ICBM silos in their western deserts. Once complete its a fait accompli. Without having a bit to worry from Russia, they can pull off an invasion of Taiwan without fear of military retaliation from the West. With Russian energy, too, we have no real leverage. They'll have plenty to power their war machine.

Plus we have seen how little respect we have left globally after frittering away our gravitas through 30 years of near endless conflict with so little to show for it.

We have squandered the so-called post Cold War "peace dividend" and maneuvered China (which is far more powerful economically than the USSR ever was) into a de facto alliance with Russia. It's as powerful a pair of enemies as could be imagined. Russia has Europe facing calamity in the winter without firing a shot at NATO.

So yes Russia can't mount a sophisticated combined arms campaign against a halfway decent foe. Big deal. Their tanks weren't ever crossing Europe to conquer anyway. It is reassuring in a sense to see them blunder and struggle taking back a couple of states in which they've long had a foothold.

The fact is our grand strategy is pitiful. But yes at least we know if had a set piece conventional war with Russia to fight tomorrow we could feel pretty good that we'd smash them up.

I do hope the Ukrainians can use what we've sent to broker an armistice. We can't send much more without seriously deleting our own stockpiles and the printing press can't churn anymore without major and immediate consequences. We see that every day in our wallets.

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