tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post2955990273569941706..comments2024-03-28T22:45:34.599-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: The Destiny of Russia at warDavid Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-25229164501564026342023-01-07T16:09:22.325-08:002023-01-07T16:09:22.325-08:00Onward
onwardOnward<br /><br />onwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-34181971264523547012023-01-07T15:07:03.044-08:002023-01-07T15:07:03.044-08:00India will do what benefits especially the upper c...India will do what benefits especially the upper castes of India. I will not let myself get bent outta shape by their purchase of cheap RF oil. So long as it depresses prices all around and undermines Moscow & Riyadh and Tehran.<br /><br />Hakeem's list of platitudes was deeply disappointing. In similar speeches, Obama spoke ALSO of vital matters like:<br /><br />Facts<br />Science<br />An ability to change one's course based upon those things and a willingness to negotiate.<br /><br />By not laying claim to those things, HJ showed a deeply worrisome lack of Obama level insight,David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-87847809031782408932023-01-07T14:53:04.188-08:002023-01-07T14:53:04.188-08:00Pappenheimer:
Soviet equipment helped India in se...Pappenheimer:<br /><i><br />Soviet equipment helped India in several wars against Pakistan along an even more troublesome border.<br /></i><br /><br />As far back as the 80s, I could never understand why we allied with Muslim/authoritarian Pakistan and disdained secular/democratic India. It bit us in the but on 9/11, and it's doing so again now.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-72190216540093248082023-01-07T14:01:36.358-08:002023-01-07T14:01:36.358-08:00Never got to see Everest, though, clouds that day....Never got to see Everest, though, clouds that day. (pulls out Bucket List again, grumbling)<br /><br />PappenheimerUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08628667566485965800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-17149229229444576412023-01-07T13:57:22.998-08:002023-01-07T13:57:22.998-08:00Your second sentence is probably accurate. Countri...Your second sentence is probably accurate. Countries don't veer swiftly from established foreign policy. India has long viewed Russia as a hedge against Chinese territorial ambitions - recall that China overran Tibet, becoming India's neighbor, and then fought a sharp little war (1962) in the Himalayas to seize more territory. Soviet equipment helped India in several wars against Pakistan along an even more troublesome border. Cheap oil must be nice, too, considering India's own lack of energy resources (except uranium).<br /><br />Pappenheimer, who spent part of his childhood in India, and was in country during one of the wars (1971).<br /><br />P.S. Is the Great Game being replayed? Well, it never really stopped.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08628667566485965800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-22124732919572138592023-01-07T13:30:20.734-08:002023-01-07T13:30:20.734-08:00Dr Brin,
Curious to you and others on this blog&#...Dr Brin,<br /><br />Curious to you and others on this blog's take on the behavior of India. Are they just taking advantage of the war to buy Russian oil on the cheap? Are they propping up Russia as a bulwark to check China? <br /><br />Are Russia-India-China each playing one against the other?<br /><br />This war seems to have similarities to the US civil war in the sense that it's become a test ground for the weapons of foreign powers. The world is rapidly arming - that scares me.WilliamGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01635312280708805778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-84971133707489041132023-01-07T12:33:34.983-08:002023-01-07T12:33:34.983-08:00Supposedly there is a movement by the "modera...Supposedly there is a movement by the "moderate" GOP House members to team up with the Dems to shoot down the rules package that was promised to the Freedom Caucus. We'll see if wiser heads prevail and they put the new Speaker in a bind. <br /><br />Also, reporting out there that Mark Meadows was the person responsible for the strategy / messaging / coordination of the Freedom Caucus rebels. We are seeing an organized 3rd party within the GOP. <br /><br />Shenanigans with the House rules may see the fracture of the GOP monolith even more. Stay tuned. matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-58607813677108159602023-01-07T11:39:30.015-08:002023-01-07T11:39:30.015-08:00Pundits discuss McCarthy's long list of conces...Pundits discuss McCarthy's long list of concessions-to-radicals, in order to squeak into Speaker with a minority of members' votes, e.g. Hunter 'investigations' and jibberers on the Rules Committee. Plus at least 5 'contract' promises to slash spending and balance budgets. One problem. Despite blowhard spews, Republicans have never - across 40 years - been as fiscally responsible as Democrats. Ever, even once. They do have one huge cut in mind. No, it's not repealing Obamacare; that goal is never mentioned now that the ACA is hugely popular and effective. No, it's to eviscerate the IRS which got full funding last year, after decades sabotaged by the GOP on behalf of oligarchs, whose Cayman grift accounts will now get scrutiny.<br /><br />So, if the IRS finds scandalous crimes that include GOP pols, might that shred McCarthy's coalition? Get some nutters jettisoned? Get others to finally find their nerve to make that Goldwater Party of decent conservatism?<br /><br />Hey, I am a science fiction author. But clearly, I also do fantasy.<br /><br />https://news.google.com/articles/CBMiWGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9uYXRpb24vMjAyMy8wMS8wNy9kcmFtYXRpYy1tb21lbnRzLW1jY2FydGh5LXNwZWFrZXItdm90ZS_SAQA?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3AenDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-8448972143383661762023-01-07T10:21:07.154-08:002023-01-07T10:21:07.154-08:00Pappenheimer:
it does highlight who actually runs...Pappenheimer:<br /><i><br />it does highlight who actually runs the Republicans these days.<br /></i><br /><br />On MSNBC last night, they were saying that Trump called the holdouts after the 14th ballot and told them to support McCarthy. I was thinking, "Why would Trump care that much? If anything, he'd be enjoying the drama."<br /><br />Then it occurred to me. If Trump was encouraging the Republicans to take the Gaetz deal, it was because Putin had ordered it.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-90961954008547253792023-01-07T09:55:31.558-08:002023-01-07T09:55:31.558-08:00Part of the deal, I hear, is to cut off aid to Ukr...Part of the deal, I hear, is to cut off aid to Ukraine. This won't affect much in the near term - Biden should be able to keep money and weapons flowing - but if true, it does highlight who actually runs the Republicans these days.<br /><br />PappenheimerUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08628667566485965800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-10980066597102006172023-01-07T09:20:36.581-08:002023-01-07T09:20:36.581-08:00Heard on Hal Sparks's radio show:
"Free...Heard on Hal Sparks's radio show:<br /><br /><i><br />"Freedom Caucasians"<br /><br />"Cave-In McCarthy"<br /><br />"Squeaker of the House"<br /><br />"Speaker In Name Only"<br /></i>Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-61473894197698642232023-01-07T08:20:03.024-08:002023-01-07T08:20:03.024-08:00To slightly misquote Sting...
But what might save...To slightly misquote Sting...<br /><i><br />But what might save us, me and you<br />Is if the Republicans love their children too<br /></i><br /><br />More realistically, if their corporate masters put the hammer down on defaulting on the US credit line. And if those corporate masters haven't lost control over their monsters.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-48281132298119546592023-01-06T23:30:16.500-08:002023-01-06T23:30:16.500-08:00What have you got?
A House Speaker, if you can kee...What have you got?<br />A House Speaker, if you can keep them.Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-28122096555892259682023-01-06T21:34:13.557-08:002023-01-06T21:34:13.557-08:00Several of the [Republican] holdouts, including th...<i><br />Several of the [Republican] holdouts, including those who did end up voting for McCarthy, are not clapping and have stayed seated.<br /></i><br /><br />They know this is not a good deal too.<br /><br />Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-2802997760824594732023-01-06T21:30:40.353-08:002023-01-06T21:30:40.353-08:00We have a House Speaker. But at what cost?We have a House Speaker. But at what cost?Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-41245304199297951842023-01-06T20:50:38.516-08:002023-01-06T20:50:38.516-08:00MSNBC thinks McCarthy has a deal with Gaetz. What...MSNBC thinks McCarthy has a deal with Gaetz. Whatever it is can't be good.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-84556718703651686152023-01-06T20:42:17.125-08:002023-01-06T20:42:17.125-08:00Looks like they're not going to adjourn. Not ...Looks like they're not going to adjourn. Not sure why Democrats are opposing the motion. I'm concerned that McCarthy will give even more of the store away to the deplorables to change their votes. I had hoped he'd have a chance to realize that "There's no pleasing some people", and cut a deal with the moderate Republicans and the Democrats.<br /><br />Now, the floor is cheering the fact that they're about to start the vote all over again.<br /><br />I don't know who to root for.<br /><br />Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-74402436351907135612023-01-06T20:40:29.050-08:002023-01-06T20:40:29.050-08:00Please AOC use your squad to vote in McCarthy ! It...Please AOC use your squad to vote in McCarthy ! It will boggle everyone! It will drive the right CRAZY howling that McC made a 'deal with the far left!' Every denial you issue will make them more hysterical. Their coalition with explode in conspiracy madness and Kev will be unable to even go potty without a QAnon theory raging! David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-45567277503717574002023-01-06T20:22:03.161-08:002023-01-06T20:22:03.161-08:00https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/01/06/us/house-s...https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/01/06/us/house-speaker-vote-mccarthy<br /><i><br />...<br />This is a tense moment for Republicans, who thought they had this locked up. It looked like one lawmaker had to be pulled back from Gaetz earlier as tempers flared.<br />...<br />McCarthy was fairly jubilant just hours ago, telling Manu Raju of CNN that he was confident he’d have the votes to win the speakership tonight. When Manu asked him why he felt so confident, McCarthy responded that he “counted.”<br />...<br /></i>Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-33691100196054381362023-01-06T20:08:28.017-08:002023-01-06T20:08:28.017-08:00One congressperson must be absent. There are 216 ...One congressperson must be absent. There are 216 votes for McCarthy and 216 for "other candidates" including the Democrat. That's not a majority.<br /><br />2 voted present. That still leaves one who must not be there.<br /><br />McCarthy thought he had it wrapped up, but they're apparently bad at math (or trust).<br /><br />Un-freakin' believable.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-74236670677418783562023-01-06T18:55:18.517-08:002023-01-06T18:55:18.517-08:00OpenAI is seeking a $29B valuation. I really need ...OpenAI is seeking a $29B valuation. I really need to dust off my old AI company.scidatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07152319593457629592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-89937816329563536832023-01-06T18:24:57.683-08:002023-01-06T18:24:57.683-08:00Side note: Just finished watching Star Wars Andor...Side note: Just finished watching Star Wars Andor on Disney.<br /><br />Excellent action, writing, acting directing, cinematography, special effects.<br /><br />A great story<br /><br />It's a SW that even Dr. Brin would love because there are no special aristo Jedis, just ordinary people fighting against oppression and for a restoration of their freedoms.<br />DPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07087941506162882852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-16610282907969708762023-01-06T18:03:46.328-08:002023-01-06T18:03:46.328-08:00Hey, this morning when the House was about to give...Hey, this morning when the House was about to give McCarthy his twelfth loss, Stephanie Miller suggested they go for "a Bakersfield dozen." Even the mooks on her show were impressed with that ad-lib.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-36986044653471993352023-01-06T17:19:00.316-08:002023-01-06T17:19:00.316-08:00Republican holdout Bob Good (R-VA) writes in the N...Republican holdout Bob Good (R-VA) writes in the NY Times...<br /><br />https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/06/opinion/kevin-mccarthy-republicans.html<br /><i><br />It is also important to remember that the American people voted for a new Republican majority in the House, albeit a small one, as a check on the Biden administration. As such, Republicans in the majority must have total confidence in our leader to fight President Biden’s agenda.<br /></i><br /><br />It's more accurate to say that a small majority of heavily gerrymandered districts voted for Republicans. But if one accepts that that means "the American people voted for a new Republican majority," then it is also important to remember that the American people voted for a Democratic Senate and <b>for</b> President Biden's agenda. Can't have one without the other, dude.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-29457105043376298472023-01-06T17:02:40.814-08:002023-01-06T17:02:40.814-08:00Dr Brin:
"Does a corporation ever elect a bo...Dr Brin:<br /><i><br />"Does a corporation ever elect a board of directors or a CEO whose stated mission is to destroy the company?"<br /><br />Lok at Sears.<br /></i><br /><br />That wasn't his stated mission. He really thought that following an Ayn Rand-inspired idea would be profitable. He was wrong on two counts, not the least of which is that making departments compete against each other was something that Rand's <b>villains</b> did, not something she advocated. But the fall of Sears was due to the CEO's <b>failure</b>, not to a successful attempt at destruction.<br /><br /><i><br />The one central, raging purpose, other than the Hunter B laptop, is to defund the IRS.<br /></i><br /><br />I'd say that's just one example of their desire to shrink regulations on the powerful in general.<br /><br />But their one central raging purpose is to use the debt ceiling to force the US to default on debt payments. Some of the Republican foot soldiers probably think the goal is to save money. But the puppet masters behind it all <b>want</b> the system to crash and burn. Brexit was an appetizer, and Trump was an <i>hors d'oeuvre</i>. The "freedom caucus" is angling for the main course.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.com