So - hold the phone,,,
Republicans have voted against - Infrastructure improvements, Healthcare, Child Care, Universal Pre-K education, Lower prescription drug costs, Social Security, Medicare, Medicade and Lowering taxes for middle/ working class,,,
And they say they wont help Ukraine because they are too busy helping the American people
D they really thing that Americans are that Stupid ?!?!?!
Reflecting on the Cuban missile crisis, President John Kennedy once warned that nuclear powers “must avert those confrontations which bring an adversary to a choice of either a humiliating retreat or a nuclear war.”
The showdown with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine does not yet mirror the one-minute-to-midnight brinkmanship that brought the Soviet Union and the West to the cusp of Armageddon in October 1962.
But Kennedy’s superpower logic is resounding poignantly as Putin gets backed into a corner by the strategic disaster of his war, Ukraine’s heroic resistance and an extraordinary multibillion-dollar allied conveyor of arms and ammunition.
There is no real consensus on what Putin might do if he’s desperate. While he doesn’t share Washington’s logical and accurate view that he’s losing the war, there’s no indication he’s suicidal and would risk a full-scale nuclear confrontation by testing Western resolve.
Several senior US officials have publicly voiced the fear that Putin might reach for tactical, lower-yield battlefield nuclear arms as an alternative to a humiliating defeat in Ukraine. There was some relief on that score on Tuesday, when Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a congressional committee that the US view is there is not “an imminent potential for Putin to use nuclear weapons.” And the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, said that assessment also encompasses tactical or battlefield devices.
But it’s hardly alarmist to consider the possibility. Putin has proved himself a ruthless leader with little compunction about causing mass casualties. He razed cities in Chechnya and unleashed his forces on civilians in Syria. His war in Ukraine has featured merciless shelling and bombing of residential areas, schools, stations and shelters, and apparent war crimes by his troops. Thousands of his soldiers have died. And Putin has already used weapons of mass destruction – for instance, targeting Russian defectors on British soil with radioactive elements and nerve agents – with zero regard for civilians, according to the UK government.
Russia’s willingness to threaten the use of nuclear weapons – in a way that the Soviet Union rarely did during the Cold War – to terrorize Western publics is, meanwhile, underscoring the kind of advantage the world’s most fearsome arsenal can bring to rogue states that want to forestall the possibility of Western intervention.
To begin with, Putin is not eyeing the exits. While the war is an economic, military and strategic disaster for Russia, the Kremlin leader dances to his own logic. If he can’t control all of Ukraine or topple its government, creating vast human and material destruction that prevents Ukraine from functioning as a normal economy and punishes its aspirations to join the West may be enough – and could act as a deterrent to other ex-Soviet orbit states.
That’s perhaps one reason why Haines suggested on Tuesday that the Russian leader was “preparing for a prolonged conflict in Ukraine, during which he still intends to achieve goals beyond the Donbas.” But she warned the mismatch between Putin’s military capabilities and his ambitions meant that he could be forced back into that dangerous corner – and lash out.
“The current trend increases the likelihood that President Putin will turn to more drastic means, including imposing martial law, reorienting industrial production or potentially escalatory military actions to free up the resources needed to achieve his objectives as the conflict drags on, or if he perceives Russia is losing in Ukraine,” Haines said.
Seems that you can lie your way onto the SCOTUS with no repercussions... You lie in your confirmation hearing and there is no recourse. You fashion your answer and statements in a way that you know will get you confirmed (while winking to the Conservative Right) - and then when the very case that you lied about get to the Court you vote the way we all know you would from the beginning, confirming that that vote was the very reason that you were nominated and confirmed in the 1st place.
Putin's war in Ukraine is escalating,.. the Ukrainians forces are mounting a Defense that we did not think possible.. but the end game will be ----- I don't know what... Further invasion into other countries thereby escalating the war into Europe ?? Maybe we have run out of luck when it comes to Nuclear war...and Putin thinks that he can win a nuke war ....
While I don't like looking at the Baseball standings until after 50 games.... I have to say the Yanks are playing far better than I thought,,, they are in 1st in the AL east a couple of games ahead of Toronto... and they have the 2nd best record in B-Ball.... BTW what is going on in Boston, while I'd say it's early ,, and the each team needs to play the others in the division many many many more times... the Sox are 10 games back ... 11 on the loss side in back of NY,,, and while you can WIN more - the loss side is important,, cause you can't lose less.. and they are a minus 23 in run differential... so gotta score more runs - duh !!
Whats with the weather - like ever day is near freezing here in the North East - 33 this morning... and windy, rainy all the time. The forecast looks better this week,, but we will see..
Are you (and I hope I'm not) one of these people that simply want to point out things that are what you say are "wrong"... and don't want to hear what the solution might be. You use Speculation on what is gonna happen,,, and how it affects EVERYONE ,, not just you ,... you are highly concerned about others (yea Right)... and oh - you are not a "Complainer" .... no not you,... except that is all you are doing - even though you must know that what you are saying has been thought about by the person you are bitchin to,,, and to continuing to go on and on and on - with the speculation,, and your solutions that you knwo can't be implemented,,, and yea you are sooooo much smarter than everyone else..... do us all a favor,,, and just STOP !! We get there is an issue,,, we and everyone else is working with what is in front of us.
YEA - I Don't IT !
Andrew John Hozier-Byrne
Known professionally as just Hozier
So - It seems that the older I get and the more I hear about ,, and see the affect my poor parenting skills had on my children, the worse I feel about it..
Although they are attempting to use humor to highlight how bad I was,,,, I can see that it affected them in their lives,,,, truth be told I can see that they are FAR better parents to their children than I was to them.... It is clear that they have issues in their adult lives that came from my fucked up methods of parenting them,. It certainly makes me concerned - sad - that I fucked up their lives in that way,,, I kinda wonder if others have the same feeling - that their parents did the same to them,,, is that inevitable ?? OR is it me - Ugh - not a great feeling........
To the other side of that coin - kinda - I see them as amazing parents - yup they struggle I'm sure - It is hard rearing a child or 2 or 3 ,..... but they seem to never miss a teaching moment. Things are NOT just a truck - It's a red truck,,, with how many wheels??? and Who is driving ??? It's pretty cool to watch .....
And the damn Grandkids are WAY WAY smarter than I was or my children were at the same age !!!
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We re - re re watched thePBS = Ken Burns special on Country music,,,,, the next to last episode - "I don;t think hank done it this way" Thats a Waylon Jennings song,,, nut describes the episode - where Jennings, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Hank Jr, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard - all bucked the system, and made their music - their way - and were extreemly successful in doing it ... It's really a good 2 hours.
Dolly with he biggest hit,,, Waylon with a song that details his struggle with Nashville - look for any Emmylou harris song,,, and you will - as Rodney Crowell says - fell like you were "touched by and Angel. "
George Jones (Possum) biggest hit....
And Hank Jr's tribute to Waylon Jennings - Outlaw Reward,,
