The Brink of War?

[Dragonman]

Breaking news on Russian state TV. Poland and US have rejected NATO's peacekeeping plans, and now plan to unilaterally invade Ukraine.

And I thought FOX was bad...LOL

It is interesting to note how many self-proclaimed American patriots, including those at FOX News, and Republican party members who cite the US Constitution at any and all opportunities don't know that its Article 3, section 3, clause 1 specifies that the giving of aid and comfort to the enemy is an element in the crime of Treason. Aid and comfort may consist of substantial assistance or the mere attempt to provide some support. Actual help or the success of the enterprise is not relevant.

In full, Article 3, section 3 reads: Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture except during the life of the person attainted." https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articleiii.

[Dodger]

It is interesting to note how many self-proclaimed American patriots, including those at FOX News, and Republican party members who cite the US Constitution at any and all opportunities don't know that its Article 3, section 3, clause 1 specifies that the giving of aid and comfort to the enemy is an element in the crime of Treason.

Too bad this isn't enforced in the U.S. If it was the entire Republican party, and cast of characters at FOX News, would be charged with treason for providing aid and comfort to Donald Trump.

[Moses]

Breaking news on Russian state TV. Poland and US have rejected NATO's peacekeeping plans, and now plan to unilaterally invade Ukraine.

Umm... yeah...

Bullshit. Matt, for your info: there is no such genre like "breaking news" on Russian state channel "Russia". It doesn'r disrupt brodcasting for news: they have no reason: "Russia" is just one of 100+ channels here.

[Dragonman]

Hosts Olga Skabeyeva and Evgeny Popov and guest Aleksey Zhuravlyov, on a program on what is being referred to as "Russian state television" in news reports, Channel One’s 60 Minutes program, claimed that nuclear weapons could strike European capitals less than four minutes after being launched. The capitals and specific times referred to are Berlin (106 seconds), Paris (200 seconds) and London (202 seconds). They appeared to assume that this meant there would be no retaliation as Aleksey Zhuravlyov said: 'One Sarmat [missile] and that's it - the British Isles are no more.'

As I stated in an earlier post, all that matters is "whether enough people in the chain of command are still alive to launch the remainder." One UK Trident submarine is on patrol at all times, carrying no more than eight missiles and forty warheads - more than enough to obliterate Moscow, St. Petersburg and Russian military bases. France now has three of its four submarines capable of firing nuclear warheads at sea. Germany does not have its own nuclear weapons but is one of five NATO members (the others are Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey) to host B61 nuclear weapons on its territory as part of a nuclear-sharing agreement. Germany as approximately 10-15 B61 nuclear bombs. Belgium has approximately 20, Italy approximately 40, the Netherlands 20, and Turkey 50.

Any nuclear attack on the three countries mentioned in the Russian 60 Minutes program is an attack on all NATO countries, and risks retaliation not only directly from the US land and sea-based forces but all the other nuclear-weapons hosting nations.

Bye, bye Russia.

Enough said?

[Dodger]

Enough said?

Actually, too much said.

There are a million scenarios that could play out in the event a nuclear war ever did erupt on our planet, with one possible outcome being...bye, bye humanity.

This isn't a time for "sabre rattling".

Sometimes I wonder who's being more irresponsible...the news media who report this garbage, or the people who react to it.

[Dragonman]

Actually, too much said.

There are a million scenarios that could play out in the event a nuclear war ever did erupt on our planet, with one possible outcome being...bye, bye humanity.

This isn't a time for "sabre rattling".

Sometimes I wonder who's being more irresponsible...the news media who report this garbage, or the people who react to it.

Tell me more about living with "sabre rattling," and responding to it.

I'm Taiwanese, live in one of the three main cities (Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung) that would be a landing target for invading troops from the Mainland. We live with almost daily sabre-rattling from across the Taiwan Strait in the form of aerial incursions by fighters, bombers, etc., into our ADIZ. April saw 25 days with ADIZ incursions by PLAAF aircraft. Yesterday it was two Russian-built Sukhoi Su-30 Flanker jets, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. In both cases, the jets turned back after Taiwan’s military sent aircraft, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to track them.

Today and tomorrow are our Labor Day holiday, and so we expect a large number of PLAAF planes entering that zone as a display of the power of the PLA and what it can do if or when it invades. The Government is watching carefully what is happening in Ukraine to learn what lessons it can.

Sometimes the only way to stand up to bullies is to point out what their aggression might mean for them.

[Dodger]

Sometimes the only way to stand up to bullies is to point out what their aggression might mean for them.

Your point is well taken, and I fully understand the tension (and apprehension) in the people of Taiwan right now.

All Xi has to do is observe what's happening to Russia's economy (let alone what's happening to it's military) to get an idea of what he would have on his hands if he ever gave orders to invade Taiwan.

I hold the belief that nothing can defeat FREEDOM, as long as the FREE stand together and don't waver in their stance.

[Moses]

Hosts Olga Skabeyeva and Evgeny Popov and guest Aleksey Zhuravlyov, on a program on what is being referred to as "Russian state television" in news reports, Channel One’s 60 Minutes program, claimed that nuclear weapons could strike European capitals less than four minutes after being launched. The capitals and specific times referred to are Berlin (106 seconds), Paris (200 seconds) and London (202 seconds). They appeared to assume that this meant there would be no retaliation as Aleksey Zhuravlyov said: 'One Sarmat [missile] and that's it - the British Isles are no more.'

As I stated in an earlier post, all that matters is "whether enough people in the chain of command are still alive to launch the remainder." One UK Trident submarine is on patrol at all times, carrying no more than eight missiles and forty warheads - more than enough to obliterate Moscow, St. Petersburg and Russian military bases. France now has three of its four submarines capable of firing nuclear warheads at sea. Germany does not have its own nuclear weapons but is one of five NATO members (the others are Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey) to host B61 nuclear weapons on its territory as part of a nuclear-sharing agreement. Germany as approximately 10-15 B61 nuclear bombs. Belgium has approximately 20, Italy approximately 40, the Netherlands 20, and Turkey 50.

Any nuclear attack on the three countries mentioned in the Russian 60 Minutes program is an attack on all NATO countries, and risks retaliation not only directly from the US land and sea-based forces but all the other nuclear-weapons hosting nations.

Bye, bye Russia.

Enough said?

You forgot one thing: Russian C-500 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-500_missile_system It intercepts targets up to 500 km from point of own launch.

And by the way: after "Bye, bye Russia" will follow "Bye, bye world", because since USSR time here is operational "Dead hand" system - in case of nuclear attack to Russia it will launch heavy "answer" even when every Russian will be dead https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Hand

Right now US fights with Russia "till last Ukrainian" pumping Ukraine with weapon. Do you really want to be involved into the same game where US will fight with China "till last Taiwanese"?

If US really wants to protect Taiwan they may accept Taiwan membership in AUKUS - then China will twice think before to heat conflict. But it will never happened - US has opposite target - to involve China in conflict like it did with Russia and Ukraine by inspiring Ukraine 8 years.

[Dragonman]

You forgot one thing: Russian C-500 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-500_missile_system It intercepts targets up to 500 km from point of own launch.

And by the way: after "Bye, bye Russia" will follow "Bye, bye world", because since USSR time here is operational "Dead hand" system - in case of nuclear attack to Russia it will launch heavy "answer" even when every Russian will be dead https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Hand

Right now US fights with Russia "till last Ukrainian" pumping Ukraine with weapon. Do you really want to be involved into the same game where US will fight with China "till last Taiwanese"?

If US really wants to protect Taiwan they may accept Taiwan membership in AUKUS - then China will twice think before to heat conflict. But it will never happened - US has opposite target - to involve China in conflict like it did with Russia and Ukraine by inspiring Ukraine 8 years.

Last lines of a Wikipedia entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Hand#Current_use) on Dead the Hand or Perimeter system that you mentioned: "In 2018, Colonel General Viktor Yesin [ru], the former chief of Russia's Main Staff of the Strategic Missile Forces, stated that the Perimeter system might become ineffective in the wake of the United States' withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty."

I said nothing about US protection of Taiwan - I was describing living with sabre-rattling.

[Moses]

Last lines of a Wikipedia entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Hand#Current_use) on Dead the Hand or Perimeter system that you mentioned: "In 2018, Colonel General Viktor Yesin [ru], the former chief of Russia's Main Staff of the Strategic Missile Forces, stated that the Perimeter system might become ineffective in the wake of the United States' withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty."

Yesin is 85 y.o. and finished his service in army in 1997. What he knows about current condition of "Dead hand" in 2018?