"President Volodymyr Zelensky praised his fellow countrymen for their bravery in taking up arms and fighting the Russian superpower as it continues to steamroll tanks and armored vehicles into the nation’s capital, Kyiv.
“Today Russia attacked the entire territory of our state,” Zelensky said in a television address that honored Ukrainian forces. “And today our defenders have done a lot.”
“They defended almost the entire territory of Ukraine,” he continued. “Which suffered direct blows. They regain the one that the enemy managed to occupy.” . . .
A group of Ukrainian border guards were stationed on Snake Island, in the Black Sea south of Odessa, when a Russian warship ordered them to surrender under threat of attack.
Their response: "Russian warship, go f**k yourself."
Similarly, former President Barack Obama, despite his ridicule of Mitt Romney's anti-Russia statements, was unable to stop Putin from annexing Crimea and effectively seizing Luhansk and Donetsk in 2014. Interestingly, the only president this century during whose term Putin hasn't seized territory was Donald Trump, a Putin pawn according to the Russian collusion hoax.. . .
There is plenty to criticize in Biden's stumbling performance. But Ukraine's unhappy situation is, once again, the product of much tragic history.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official in the Ukrainian government blasted Joe Biden and Democrats, telling The Daily Wire “If Democrats weren’t such pussies in foreign policy, this might not have happened.”
. . ." Zelenskyy obviously has to be cautious with Biden, of course, because his nation is literally under fire and he needs the U.S. to keep its signed-on-the-dotted-line treaty obligation to Ukraine signed during the Clinton years -- that if Ukraine would give up its nuclear weapons, the U.S. would defend its territorial integrity. Biden, of course, considers that a suggestion, not a contract, and is paying minimal lip service to the idea, deploying some kinds of military aid and money (which could easily land in the pockets of consultants instead of Ukrainians) instead of shutting Russia down and cutting off its oil cash. Slow Joe is now just belatedly jumping onto theEuropean bandwagonand agreeing to some SWIFT restrictions on Russia, which make intra-bank transfers impossible. Bank runs at ATMs are reportedly starting in Russia as a result of that news. About time, and glad it happened.
"But for Ukraine, more is better. They needed that a week ago. They have to keep nudging Joe, and it's pretty obvious they don't like it
"Cautious as Zelenskyy is, it hasn't stopped him from some veiled digs at the White House, whose occupant is on vacation again.
"Yesterday, via Kyiv Independent, RedState and Fox News reported Zelenskyy saying this:". .
. "A search of Biden and Zelenskyy at the site, though, did turn up some ugly-looking headlines in the run-up to the war:
For the good of the country, and the entire free world, it is time to start the process of replacing Joe Biden with a government of national unity that can steer our country through the crises that loom just ahead. This simply cannot wait until January 20, 2025.
The American Spectator"It is time to schedule a recall election for both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. They are clearly in over their heads and incapable of governing. Their tepid response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine is only the latest example. (Did you see that the Russian stock market went UP by 14 percent after Biden announced his weak sanctions against Russia?).
Chip Jackson took much umbrage over some of the author's solutions:
Holy sheep dogs. This is one of the most far-fetched fantasies I have ever read in a "mainstream" (allegedly) Conservative publication and there are more than a few to compare it with. But not by much.
Mr. Elliot, you spout the 25th Amendment as the premise for Mr. Biden's removal then go on to recommend Mr. Clinton or Mr. Obama take the reins, yet conveniently forget that the 22nd Amendment explicitly forbids a president from serving more than eight years. Secondly, and in typical RINO fashion, you go out of your way to say that Mr. Trump should not be the choice. The irony of that is that prior to this statement you go on a tear about the "will of the electorate" being the ones leading the charge for this parenthetical recall then propose thwarting the people's will of those who would WANT Mr. Trump back in office. Even more ironic in this drivel is that you don't say President Bush would be a better choice. I'd be careful with such a glaring omission lest ye risk your country club membership.
You will have no argument from me that the Biden Administration is an abject failure and embarrassment, but this scenario you've made up from whole cloth is positively moronic.
Don't you have a tee time scheduled?
. . ."Who in his or her right mind believes that Joe Biden is competent to lead the free world in these times of crisis, most of which he has caused? A majority of Americans now recognize that he is not up to the task. We cannot afford to wait until January 2025 to get him out of office. The people are supposed to be sovereign in America; it is time for us to assert our sovereignty and send a clear message to Biden that it is time for him to resign." . . .
. . .In summary, Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. has engaged in a years-long criminal conspiracy with immediate members of his family to sell access to and peddle influence within the executive branch of the United States government to foreign actors and governments in exchange for lucrative payments, contracts and sham employment arrangements. The “pay-for-play” schemes perpetrated by Mr. Biden and his family members involved foreign actors and governments who are hostile to the United States and its interests.
In Ukraine, though, Biden draws sidelong comments and significant contempt.
. . . "As Ukraine shows the world what heroes look like, and every civilized nation in the world gathers to offer some kind of support -- from prayers, to lit buildings, to demonstrations, to Internet, to arms -- Joe Biden isn't looking too good in this matter.". . .
"Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was nominated after Biden vowed to only consider black women for the seat.
“ 'She’s only actually published a single decision as an appellate judge, and that came out in the last 24 hours,” George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley said Friday during an appearance on Fox News, adding that it was “a win for unions against a change by federal agencies.”
“ 'She has some opinions as a district court judge,” Turley noted. “They’re quite lengthy opinions. She has been reversed, and the D.C. Circuit [Court of Appeals] reversed her for basically judicial overreach in a couple of cases.”. . .
The American Spectator; Excellent Pix"Armed with a smartphone and a Twitter account, every day she makes national news by prating pure blather and blatant baloney, the latest drivel popping into her head. The media reports on her wherever she is, dutifully bannering her words front and center. In Texas, campaigning for a Democrat House candidate, she muses about turning blue a state that she does not understand, where Hispanics from Mexico, Guatemala, and other locations have been flocking to the GOP in major shifting voting patterns unlike her Puerto Rican base in the Bronx and Queens.
"Heckled during one campaign stop, she responds with incendiary anti-Semitic falsehoods aimed at awakening the woke to whom her Squad compatriots, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, more frequently appeal: “I don’t believe that a child should be in a cage on our border, and I don’t believe a child should be in a cage in the West Bank.” Huh? Even Israel’s worst haters have never before alleged that they confine Arab children to cages. Israel’s borders do not teem with illegals who cannot immediately document their right to be present. She stumbled so shamefully because she perilously decided mid-speech to think quickly — not her forte. And then she blurted. That is her forte.
"When she does not make news by blurting verbal sewage and lies, magazines keep her spotlighted with cover features. Thus, she was in the news all week as the New Yorker devoted its February 14 cover to a lead interview with her, presenting her as “an insider now.” The writer first adulates her with hagiographic language: “Elected when she was twenty-nine, the youngest woman ever to serve in the House, [she] has proved herself an effective examiner in committee hearings and a master of social media. In other words, she offers both substance and flair, and this combination seems to drive her critics to the point of frenzied distraction.' ”. . . More...
"Her hatred of Israel is legion. She even cried on the House floor when Congress voted 420-9 to replenish defensive Iron Dome missiles that detonate Hamas terror rockets aimed at murdering Israeli civilians. Yet, when given the opportunity, she cannot explain her anti-Israel animus. Responding to PBS interviewer Margaret Hoover asking her to explain substantively why she is anti-Israel, we see the wires short-circuit again: Uh. Uh. Hmmm. Y’know, the … uh … settlements?? And then, with a laugh: “Y’know, I’m not the expert on geopolitics on this issue.' ”
She comes from a wealthy family in Westchester County, not the set of West Side Story.
She was tending bar before she ran for Congress because her fancy, expensive Boston University double-major degree in economics (they must give those away in cereal boxes if this woman could get one) and international relations didn’t lead to a big-money job right out of school. As Carlson says, this business of AOC coming up from the slums is a pathetic ruse.
Naturally, the monologue went off like a Roman candle once clips of it hit the internet, and it took no time whatsoever for AOC to do what she most often does — namely to furiously and childishly whine on Twitter.
. . ."It’s amazing how brittle today’s arrogant media and political elite are. Good for Carlson that he picks these fights and exposes them."
Putin’s main achievement in the last 48 hours is making President Zelensky a global hero. His quote to Americans offering to evacuate him “I need ammunition, not a ride”.
RedState . . ."Meanwhile, the other part of this equation is the Ukrainian relationship with the United States. On that front, Zelensky has offered criticism of Joe Biden’s leadership, levying a sharp rebukeof the US president’s relatively weak initial action to the invasion.
In a statement, Zelenskyy seemed to swipe U.S. President Biden and others who imposed sanctions against Russia, which he claims did little to deter Russian aggression.
“This morning we are defending our state alone. Like yesterday, the world’s most powerful forces are watching from afar,” he said, the Kyiv Independent reported.
He added: “Did yesterday’s sanctions convince Russia? We hear in our sky and see on our earth that this was not enough.”
"That rift escalated after Zelensky directly addressed urgings from the Biden administration for him to flee Ukraine instead of remaining to lead his nation’s defense. In a phrase that will no doubt become an iconic part of this entire saga, Ukraine’s president asserted, “I need ammunition, not a ride.'”. . .
Putin's Failure – PJ Media. . ." Ukraine has not won; not in the military sense. It has lost territory, suffered significant losses to soldier[s] and civilian[s], endured massive property damage. But crucially it has not lost — and that may be enough. Attention is now turning to the possible danger that may attend Putin’s fall. While he appears to remain firmly in power, the ex-chekist cannot but be weakened by the massive failure of his gamble.". . .
The crisis in Ukraine, while not over, is likely to evolve into a crisis in Russia. We shall soon see who is more to be feared: a Putin in Kyiv or a Putin raging in the bunker.
We all wrote the Russians off in 1940. but then...
"Ukrainian driver talks to the Russians who run out of fuel on their way to #Kyiv:
- Vehicle broke?
- No, waiting for diesel.
- I can tug you back to Russia!
- [Russians laugh]
- Do you know where are you going?
- No. What's in the news?
- #Ukraine wins. Your guys surrender
It is now confirmed — Ukrainian military has delivered a strike on a Russian airfield in Millerovo, Rostov Oblast A number of enemy aircraft have been destroyed. pic.twitter.com/xwex4z5ryg
"Texas Trucker Jeff Sandberg was left stranded this week after Penske Corporationturned off the power remotely to his truck.
"Sandberg was heading to Washington DC with the Freedom Convoy truckers.
"Penske shut down his vehicle on the road and later released a statement on how the company does not support the freedom protests.
"Sandberg’s truck was hauling “Let’s go Brandon!”and“People’s Convoy”signs.". . .
A Burkburnett man taking part in a national truck convoy protest found himself without a ride Friday.
Jeff Sandberg has been vocal in his support of the convoy on social media and was driving a rig bearing a banner covered in slogans.
“We’re just trying to show what the people who back us believe — and our own beliefs — of what our country needs to go back to,” Sandberg told the New York Times Wednesday.
By Thursday night, Sandberg was sidelined because the company he rented his truck from, Penske, shut down his truck remotely.
“Penske does not support the people’s convoy movement,” Sandberg said on a Facebook stream. “So, I’m in a situation where I’m not going to be able to continue on.”
The truckers’ convoy to Washington, D.C. mimics a similar convoy in Canada. The Canadian protest, which lasted nearly a month, resulted in nearly 200 arrests after truckers converged on the capital, Ottawa. The protests ended after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the nation’s Emergency Act, which gave authorities broad powers to end the protest.
"Jeff Sandburg is an outspoken trucker from Texas." Full article... (Emphases in original)
Trump-admin targets were dropped as the military focused more on Marxism.min targets were dropped as the military focused moe on Marxism.
"The U.S. Air Force’s capability has sunk to 70 percent, according to reports from Frontpage. Only 7 out of 10 planes were mission-capable in 2021. At present, none of the planes required to countering any significant aerial attack or engagement from the Chinese Communist Party or others are more than 70 percent capable.". . .
. . ."Towards the end of the Trump administration, the U.S. military dropped the expectations set by the Commander in Chief. Defending this decision, an official from the Office of the Secretary of Defense reportedly told the GAO that the U.S. military had decided to move away from narrow goals for specific aircraft and was instead exploring “a more holistic view of readiness.”
"Chief of Staff Charles Brown and Chief of Space Operation John Raymond suggested that the U.S. Air Force “should be a balance between mission readiness and ensuring people’s voices are heard,” when asked about U.S. Air Force focus on racism instead of readiness. Under Brown’s leadership, the U.S. Air Force has focused on mitigating unconscious bias, perceived racism, and expanding the diversity of the U.S. Air Force.". . .
"Critical Race Theory was designed to destroy the fabric of our culture. It’s a form of Marxism. We are now subjected to unwatchable ‘woke’ movies, woke universities, dozens of odd pronouns, and hectoring woke politicians. We’re all familiar with their schtick by now. They use worship words such as ‘inclusion,’ ‘equity,’ and make important decisions based on identity politics. Still, as annoying as it is, woke-ism is downright dangerous when applied to the military.". . .
. . .A weak military invites danger. Right now we have extraordinarily weak leadership. Instead of sending soldiers to protect our wide open southern borders, Biden is threatening to send them to Europe to protect their borders. '. . .
The Hill "A majority of American voters say that Russian President Vladimir Putinwould not have invaded Ukraine had formerPresident Trumpstill been in office, according to a new survey released on Friday.
"A new Harvard Center for American Political Studies (CAPS)-Harris Poll survey released Friday found that 62 percent of those polled believed Putin would not be moving against Ukraine if Trump had been president. When looking strictly at the answers of Democrats and Republicans, 85 percent of Republicans and 38 percent of Democrats answered this way.
"However, 38 percent of all Americans polled believed that Putin would have invaded Ukraine even if Trump had been president.
"A majority of Americans polled — 59 percent — also said they believed that the Russian president moved on Ukraine because Putin saw weakness inPresident Biden, while 41 percent said that it was not a factor in Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.". . .
"Putin imagining that the capture of Kyiv will finish the job is exactly like Napoleon assuming taking Moscow would ensure a Russian capitulation. And now Kremlin panicking they may have to attack civilian population in big cities. Not in their plans."Simon Schama
"And that must startle invading Vladimir Putin, who seems to have expected another Afghanistan-style takeover, the way the Taliban did it -- the Taliban marching in, the the local president loading up his money and flying off without a fight, and the boldest locals cramming onto U.S. waiting jets. Few fought back in that one and the disaster speaks for itself.
"We don't see that in Ukraine. The U.S. offered Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a flight out and he refused it. "I need ammunition, not a ride," he told the U.S.
"He was last seen dressed in a military t-shirt with his cabinet in comparable gear and probably had a rifle in his hand. After that, he was seen in combat fatigues and a hard helmet, marching through brush. "When you attack us, you will see our faces, not our backs," he told the Russians. He told Ukrainians this might the the last time they saw him alive. The mayor of Kyiv had his fatigues and rifle, too, and was last seen positioned on a rooftop. Thirteen Ukrainian border guards on a place called 'Snake Island' off Crimea screamed to the invading Russians 'Go f--- yourselves' upon their call to surrender, knowing they would be shot dead and they were.". . .
"Ukrainian forces are reporting success in using American-made Javelin anti-tank missiles against invading Russian armor. British NLAW weapons are also reportedly performing well against Russian tanks.
"The FGM-148 Javelin Close Combat Missile System-Medium (CCMS-M) is an advanced man-portable anti-armor weapon developed in a joint venture by Raytheon and Lockheed-Martin to replace the M47 Dragon in the mid-1990s. It is possible to mount Javelins on robot vehicles and fire them remotely. Javelins are employed by the U.S. Army and Marines to counter enemy armor, penetrate hard targets like bunkers, and even destroy helicopters.
"The Javelin’s advantages include “soft launch” capability with minimal exhaust fumes and recoil, making it possible to launch them from inside buildings during urban combat operations; a top-attack flight profile that sends the missile above its target, giving it a chance to find the weakest point in enemy armor before it strikes; fire-and-forget electronics that allow the users to move quickly out of harm’s way after firing; and double warheads that have proven very effective at defeating all existing forms of armor.". . .
"They fear Vladimir Putin could resort to high-power thermobaric weapons - dubbed the 'father of all bombs' - as brave Ukrainians resist his attempts to take control of Kyiv.". . .
. . ."Jackson, appointed by Biden to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit last year, previously served on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where she ruled on a handful of immigration cases.
"In 2019, the pro-mass immigration group Make the Road New York sued the Trump administration for its expanded expedited removal of illegal aliens.
"Whereas expedited removal had long only applied to illegal aliens who crossed by land, were encountered near the border, and had been in the U.S. for no longer than 14 days, Trump sought to expand the process to include illegal aliens encountered across the U.S. for up to two years after they arrived.
"Though the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals later reversed the ruling, Jackson issued a preliminary injunction to halt Trump’s expanded expedited removal policy on the grounds that the administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and did not sufficiently weigh the impact that the policy would have on illegal aliens.". . .
