Day: February 24, 2022

Closing Thought–24Feb22

Other international and foreign policy situations have fallen away with the issues in Ukraine…..but the rest of the world still functions even if the MSM is ignoring it….

I recently read a headline that made me shutter….New Indo-Pacific Strategy Calls for Greater US Presence in Southeast Asia….where have I heard that piece of manure before?

WAIT! I know it was the 60s!

Our dear president has released his big plan to counter the rise of China in the South China Sea……

The Biden administration released its Indo-Pacific strategy on Friday that calls for the US to increase its presence in Southeast Asia as part of the effort to counter China in the region.

The strategy emphasizes boosting alliances and partnerships in the region. It says the US will open new embassies and consulates in Southeast Asia and in the Pacific islands, increase the US Coast Guard’s presence in the region, and refocus military assistance to the Indo-Pacific.

The strategy says that through the new AUKUS military pact, the US will “will identify the optimal pathway to deliver nuclear-powered submarines to the Royal Australian Navy at the earliest achievable date.”

The US plans to strengthen cooperation with the Quad, the informal alliance that consists of the US, India, Japan, and Australia. In recent years, the US has strengthened military ties with India, and the strategy calls for the US to support India’s “continued rise.”

The strategy was released as Secretary of State Antony Blinken is touring the region. On Friday, Blinken met with other Quad officials in Australia, and he is due to meet with officials in Fiji Saturday.

During his trip, Blinken is reassuring regional allies that the Asia “pivot” is still on even though the US is bolstering forces in Europe amid heightened tensions with Ukraine. While much of the recent focus has been on Russia, the US has significantly increased its military presence in the South China Sea and other near China since President Biden came into office.

(antiwar.com)

Does anyone remember Vietnam?  Well I do!

We sent troops to counter the spread of communism….and does anyone remember how that turned out?

Well I Do!

US ends one useless costly war to prepare for the next….the next useless costly war…..

Same crap–different year!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

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Where’s The Outrage?

Let’s step back from Ukraine for awhile and take up another issue that has lost in the media……

Remember when it was revealed that the NSA was collected mega data on US citizens?

There was endless rants and posts about the affront to our rights to privacy…..and yet the newest report of a massive data collection of US citizens is gone by with few writing of the outrage…..

The Central Intelligence Agency has been collecting American’s private data without any oversight or even the minimal legal safeguards that apply to the NSA and FBI, an unconstitutional affront to our civil liberties.

According to a declassified report released yesterday by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), the CIA’s surveillance program is reminiscent of the mass surveillance programs conducted by the NSA, though the details released thus far paint a disturbing picture of potential wide-scale violations of people’s privacy. To start, the CIA program has apparently been conducted outside the statutory reforms and oversight of the intelligence community instituted after revelations by Edward Snowden in 2013. The newly declassified CIA data collection program is carried out in conjunction with Executive Order 12333 and is therefore subject to even less oversight than the woefully under-supervised NSA surveillance programs subject to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

The whos, whats, whys, and hows of this semi-disclosed CIA program are still unknown, and the public deserves the right to know exactly what damage has been done. Senators Ron Wyden and Martin Heinrich are already pressing for the release of even more information. In a partially-redacted letter sent to the Director of National Intelligence and the CIA Director on April 13, 2021, the senators have called for the public release of the full report about the CIA’s surveillance, which remains classified. The senators’ letter also demands answers about how the agency collects the data, what data is being collected, and the rules governing its storage and retention.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/02/we-need-answers-about-cias-mass-surveillance

Once again the American people show a disturbing indifference to the world around them….as long as their little pathetic sphere is blue skies and unicorns then they could care damn less at the loss of rights.

Collectively the American people could be filed away in the ‘Can’t Fix Stupid’ collection.

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

And So It Begins

After weeks of predicted an attack by Russian forces in Ukraine……the ‘invasion’ has begun……

Russian troops launched their anticipated attack on Ukraine on Thursday, as President Vladimir Putin cast aside international condemnation and sanctions, warning other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to “consequences you have never seen.” Big explosions were heard before dawn in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa as world leaders decried the start of an Russian invasion that could cause massive casualties and topple Ukraine’s democratically elected government, the AP reports. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced martial law, saying Russia has targeted Ukraine’s military infrastructure and explosions are heard across the country. Zelenskyy said he had just talked to President Joe Biden and the US was rallying international support for Ukraine. He urged Ukrainians to stay home and not to panic. More:

  • Biden pledged new sanctions meant to punish Russia for an act of aggression that the international community had for weeks anticipated but could not prevent through diplomacy. With rare but fragile alignment, the US Congress is largely backing him; the AP has more on that here.
  • Putin justified it all in a televised address, asserting the attack was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine—a false claim the US had predicted he would make as a pretext for an invasion. He accused the US and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demand to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and offer Moscow security guarantees, and credulously claimed that Russia doesn’t intend to occupy Ukraine but will move to “demilitarize” it and bring those who committed crimes to justice.
  • Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba described the action as a “full-scale invasion of Ukraine” and a “war of aggression,” adding, “Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now.”
  • The Russian military said it has struck Ukrainian air bases and other military assets and hasn’t targeted populated areas. The Russian Defense Ministry statement said the military is using precision weapons to target Ukrainian air bases, air defense assets and other military infrastructure. It claimed that “there is no threat to civilian population.”
  • An emergency UN Security Council meeting was meant as an eleventh hour effort to dissuade Russia from sending troops into Ukraine. But the message became moot when the explosions began even as it was being delivered. “It’s too late, my dear colleagues, to speak about de-escalation,” Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya told the council. “I call on every one of you to do everything possible to stop the war.” The AP has more on the meeting here. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says Russia’s attack on Ukraine was “the saddest moment” of his five-year tenure, the AP reports.
  • Biden plans to speak to Americans on Thursday after a meeting of the Group of Seven leaders. More sanctions against Russia were expected to be announced Thursday. In a written statement, he said “the world will hold Russia accountable,” CNN reports.
  • The massive cyberattack targeting Ukraine continued Thursday; more of the latest on that at the AP.
  • Russian troops and military vehicles are entering Ukraine from multiple borders including Russia, Crimea, and Belarus, CNN reports. It’s not clear whether any Belarusian troops are involved, but Ukraine says Belarus is supporting the operation.
  • Ukraine says it is “firing at the enemy.” There have been no reports of casualties so far, per the AP. Air raid sirens can be heard in multiple cities, and a general evacuation of Luhansk, one of two separatist regions backed by Russia, has been announced.
  • The Moscow Exchange has suspended trading until further notice and several airports in southern Russia have restricted operations until March 2. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency is telling air operators of a high risk to civilian aircraft over Ukraine, the AP reports, reminding air operators that “this is now an active conflict zone.”
  • Ukraine claims to have shot down five Russian aircraft and a helicopter; Russia denies the claim. CNN is providing live updates here.

The warmongers have got the war they have wanted for such a long time.

We are awaiting the US/NATO response…..but while we wait the M-IC is smiling and jerking off in the closet.

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I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”