Alas, Kiev.

[Dondilion]

Zelensky: Americans are safer in Kiev than in Los Angeles.

It appears Zelensky does not believe there will be an invasion.

Ukraine - another hustle?

[BigElCat]

We have to be politically correct on this forum; it's pronounced Kive now...Kyiv



Say it with me. Nasal twang from Kansas and everything.

[Dondilion]

At last a balanced, sober article.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...?ocid=msedgntp

[BigElCat]

Originally Posted by Dondilion

At last a balanced, sober article.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...?ocid=msedgntp

Good read.

[BigElCat]

This conflict is more involved than I realized.

Norway, Ireland, a number of European countries.

Check out the 'Irish Fishermen Home Guard'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBUKJ2V3W0E

and this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVhKjWg8Kw0

[BigElCat]

This is going to be hard to watch. It's Hungary, 1956.

Dear, Ukrainians.

When we, in the West, say "we're standing with you", it's euphemistic. The bombs aren't falling on us. Throw down the wooden rifles and run westward. To the hills, not the cities. Do not go where everyone else is going, spread out. Hide. Get underground.

Your president has a nice bomb shelter, and an escape tunnel, too. Don't stay just because he's staying.

[Dondilion]

Originally Posted by BigElCat

This is going to be hard to watch. It's Hungary, 1956.

Dear, Ukrainians.

When we, in the West, say "we're standing with you", it's euphemistic. The bombs aren't falling on us. Throw down the wooden rifles and run westward. To the hills, not the cities. Do not go where everyone else is going, spread out. Hide. Get underground.

Your president has a nice bomb shelter, and an escape tunnel, too. Don't stay just because he's staying.

No Hungary. The Ukrainians in the western regions are a tough lot who hate Russians with a passion. Although the man who historically was responsible for some of their misery was not even Russian. The Russians suffered as much. The USSR was led for most of its existence by non-Russians...Stalin, Breshnev and Krushchev.

[BigElCat]

Originally Posted by Dondilion

No Hungary. The Ukrainians in the western regions are a tough lot who hate Russians with a passion. Although the man who historically was responsible for some of their misery was not even Russian. The Russians suffered as much. The USSR was led for most of its existence by non-Russians...Stalin, Breshnev and Krushchev.

The Hungarians weren't exactly 'wusses'.

The CIA told them straight out that their uprising would be a signal for US regular forces to intervene and liberate their country. Except the Calvary didn't mobilize when the CIA told them to.

That's the story I heard, anyway. And now I'm hearing the CIA has encourage Ukrainian forces to hide in the east of the country, let the Russian regular forces sweep past them, then they can come out of hiding and hit the Russians from behind, and cut the Russian supply lines at the same time.

Nice plan, except all the Ukrainians involved will be killed, wounded, or captured. Or some combination of the three.

If they had hatched the plan themselves, they would be bad asses. But to have some other country telling them they could win the war this way, that's just wrong. It's suicide.

[Chicks]

Originally Posted by BigElCat

That's the story I heard, anyway. And now I'm hearing the CIA has encourage Ukrainian forces to hide in the east of the country, let the Russian regular forces sweep past them, then they can come out of hiding and hit the Russians from behind, and cut the Russian supply lines at the same time.

[BigElCat]

You've twisted my arm; now it's story time.

In 1988, I was drinking a large beer in a Topeka, Kansas bar. I was 'shooting the shit' (chatting) with a scruffy white dude in military fatigues. I'd never seen him before. We finished our beers, and he said he'd smoke some weed with me if I gave him a ride to his house. Say no more. (not me the story goes on)

We drove about 10 miles to his house, lit up while he played his guitar. He was a decent player, and he showed me a puncture in the guitar body, near the side wall. Both top and bottom of the guitar had this slit about 2" long. He got misty eyed and said "this guitar saved my life".

I would have bust out laughing, except he soo serious. He said he had been bayoneted with an AK 47, and the thickness of the guitar had stopped the plunged from going in any further. I said "you're bullshitting me, why would someone do that for playing a guitar". He said "No, I was carrying it on my back, look here". He pulled his tank top out and showed me a matching scar under his right shoulder blade.

I was pretty much freaked out by it. I asked him where he was when it happened (?) He asked me if I knew about the war Russia was fighting in Afghanistan(?) I said yes. He asked, "Do you know the USA is there, too"?

I thought he was lying, making up a story. He told me about the mujahideen, and said the CIA was training them and supplying weapons. I was like, yeah right, you're sworn to secrecy and you'll have to kill me now.

He said he was sworn to secrecy, and he didn't give a fuck after what the Army did to him for smoking hash. Said he smoked all the time in the army, didn't know it was huge deal until he got caught doing it in Afghanistan. He wasn't a large guy, so I doubted if he was special ops. He told me he was a corporal, just a supply guy / truck driver for the US Army, when they asked him if he wanted to go black ops.

He said it was fun and the money was great, until the first time they sent him sent up in the mountains. Some desert dweller guy came out from behind a rock and bayonetted him.

I thought it was pure bullshit, until it made the news about a year and half later. I was like 'I'll be damned'.