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statsman

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Everything posted by statsman

  1. Russia went to a wartime production. The U.S. wouldn’t. Europe couldn’t. (Evidently)
  2. No. A lot of western aid is preconditioned on Ukraine not attacking Russia proper. They have worked around it surreptitiously, but doing so overtly is a no-no.
  3. There is a lot to unravel here- military vs. police action (depends on citizenship claims of Gazans), old land claims, asymmetric warfare rules (or lack of). Fontana, your typical response to my questioning is something like, “you’re late to the discussion; this has all been worked out already in the CR thread”. Maybe it has been, or maybe you can’t explain it beyond “my side-your side”. I do know that the CR thread mainstays may feel they have it all figured out, but their position is a minority position in the U.S. Which doesn’t make them wrong; but it doesn’t give them authority either. “Shut up”, he explained- that’s not an argument. This is the DT thread, so discussion is limited here. I think it’s fine to discuss facets of the war here. It is a war, if you agree that Gaza and Israel are two different states (yes, I know that Israel declared war on “Hamas” and not “Gaza”; it is in Gaza where that war is waged). If you disagree, and believe Gaza and Israel are the same state; then this is an internal police action, and not a war, and different standards apply (one of the wonderful unique things about the U.S. is that our constitution forbids the military to be applied internally). In 2005, Israel said Gaza wasn’t theirs any more, so that’s their stance. That’s a discussion I haven’t seen held here. My take is that Israel has a stronger argument.
  4. Jewish people, especially in Israel, have unique ideas about dead bodies and proper care of them. It’s my understanding that the religious folks had more say in handling the corpses, early on, than the forensic folks. You used to hear crazy stories during the Intifada, when a Palestinian suicide bomber blew up a bunch of people, of religious authorities coming to the scene to collect every body fragment they could, no matter how small. Then, there’s also the whole thing of Israel trading live prisoners for dead IDF captives. Don’t worry, though. Israel has a lot of photographic evidence and they have made some displays. Every time it’s shown to some one in the west, they leave crying and angry.
  5. I don’t see your point. The UN, as a body, is neutral to Hamas, at best, for Hamas at worst. If their report says hostages are still being raped (remember- sexual assault by Hamas means violent rape; sexual assault by IDF means strip search), I take that to mean you can take it to the bank. Of all the victims in the war, the hostages may be in the most awful situation. Held by captors that hate them for who they are, subject to all kinds of assaults, in fear of dying at all times. (At least a few dozen have been killed). They’re terribly inconvenient for all sides. For Hamas, they are evidence of atrocities and may have to be “dispositioned”. For Israel, they are human shields they need to plan around. For the U.S., they represent a possible political drumbeat, similar to the one that brought down Carter’s administration. 45 years ago, hostages were all we talked about. I don’t know why you don’t like an occasional reminder.
  6. https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/biden-warns-netanyahu-an-assault-on-rafah-would-cross-red-line-c78677ba?st=6rdampiij0hxc2z&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink
  7. I think this is what the cleaning lady was referring to when she said that they sent them out, and if “she” wanted them to survive, they would. The premise is they experienced “something” that scared them to death, before they froze.
  8. Hamas leaders are betting that the holy month of Ramadan can turn the momentum of the war in Gaza in their favorhttps://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/hamas-bets-on-ramadan-to-help-it-survive-israels-assault-a3242322?st=j80hw3dcwmdchal&reflink=share_mobilewebshare
  9. “A good enough excuse” being a euphemism for “an armed attack across the border on the civilian Israeli populace, taking hundreds of hostages with them”.
  10. https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/03/04/europe/un-team-sexual-abuse-oct-7-hostages-intl/index.html The UN says there are reasons to believe the hostages are still being raped, in captivity. I really believe the best outcome for Gazans and everyone comes from a quick and thorough defeat of Hamas.
  11. I am sad that we never developed an AC-17.
  12. What is the rank for these decisions? 1. Having the best roster in history, and introducing a salary cap that would force you to start lopping talent off. 2. Firing Jimmy Johnson. 3. Hiring Barry Switzer. 4. (related to 3) Adopting a team management model of the GM making the hire for Coach, OC and DC, and telling them to work it out. 5. While Parcells is really building something (he insisted that he hired his own staff, thank you), signing TO Owens, who Parcells despised. 6. Letting Zeke coerce him into a big second contract. 7. Making Dak one of the league’s highest paid QBs. 8. Extending Dak and giving him a raise.
  13. Yes, I read it in the WSJ when it was first reported.
  14. I am a very political person, and am very disappointed to discover there really isn’t a party in the U.S. that advocates limited government, inalienable rights, free-ish markets, fiscal responsibility and national security- all ideas that seem reasonable and tested to me. I alternate between anger and relief (“not my monkey, not my circus” is liberating when confronted with idiocies from members of the party I used to claim).
  15. More, similar to the Reuters link- https://www.wsj.com/world/a-globe-trotting-youtube-influencer-led-indian-job-seekers-to-russias-war-db3af1b1?st=zkt5xfwip5rs8v1&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink Reading the article, these Indians believed they were taking jobs backfilling Russia security, in rear echelon positions, only to find themselves at the front. Two thoughts: 1. Even in America, kids need adults to tell them not to trust the recruiters, and to assume the worst. (My brother was promised by the USN that he would be trained in radio skills, only to be assigned to the engine room of one of the last diesel aircraft carriers) 2. It’s kind of a FAFO, except for the poor Ukrainians who really need to conserve their ammo for the Russians.
  16. Sure. To be fair to Israel, Hamas was importing missiles in, for the purpose of firing regularly at Israeli population centers, so I get why they’re inspecting everything going into Gaza.
  17. No, that helps a lot. Thanks. My confusion was over Gaza. I thought the whole point of Israel abandoning it in 2005 was to wash their hands of it, to drop responsibility, so that they couldn’t be accused of occupying it. I guess you’re right in that they are occupying it now, since they’ve declared war on Hamas.
  18. CR question, I guess. I get confused when people talk about “occupation”. Who believes the Palestinian peoples in Gaza and the West Bank are governed by the state of Israel? Who believes they are not? I am holding the belief that although there are some Palestinians with official Israeli citizenship, that those without official Israeli citizenship are not governed by Israel, but by the PA (West Bank) or by Hamas (Gaza). Does anyone believe otherwise, and if so, can you explain? Is it tied into a belief that the state of Israel is not a legitimate state (I believe Israel is a legitimate state)? I’m asking, because it feels like there is a debate/conversation going on where one side is assuming something is obvious and known, and I’m not sure it is. For example, does “occupation” mean occupying Gaza and WB, or occupying the whole Levant?
  19. I’d love to see a high fidelity accounting of KIA, broken down by regular Russian troops, Wagner, occupied Ukrainian irregulars and conscripts (forced to fight for Russia).
  20. I have this decanter, too, bought from an estate sale.
  21. https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraines-crimea-campaign-strategic-russia-western-aid-slowdown-risks-progress-f88830eb?st=uj08gzr8raanh6t&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink
  22. Russia is attacking Ukrainian forces at several points along the front line as it seeks to capitalize on its recent capture of the eastern city of Avdiivka https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/ukraine-enters-new-phase-of-war-with-russia-dig-dig-dig-3bd24f73?st=iclxts9mzj9mz0x&reflink=share_mobilewebshare
  23. “To each his own”, the lady said, as she kissed the cow. I mean, one sport is tawny, lithe amazons and the other is chunky gals trying to move like men. But, if that’s your thing…
  24. That’s why he’s called “Aggie Bob”
  25. Man, Ags say Weigman is the Heisman front runner, Sooners say Jackson Arnold is,…we may have to wait until the SEC CG for them to settle it!
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