Allies Are To Be Cherished, Not Sidelined And Treated Like Enemies!

There is a vast difference between our allies in Eastern Europe, and the apathetic, post-modern, welfare-addicted haters of Western Europe.

According to NATO, Poland spent 4.5% of GDP on defense in 2025, while the UK spent 2.3%, France spent 2.1%, Germany spent 2.0% and Spain spent 2.1%.

That is huge gap, and signals a clear dedication to the defense of the West on the part of Poland, and a mealy-mouthed, backstabbing, weaselly political game on the part of the nations of western Europe.

Poland has announced plans to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP. And while the rest of NATO is mouthing platitudes and spouting grandiose plans about increasing defense spending to NATO's long-term plan of 3.5%, the reality is that it is just words. They have been shirking their responsibilities for 80 years, so why would now be any different?

So why send a message that Poland is to be lumped in with all of the rest of the malingering welfare queens of Western Europe?

Bipartisan Backlash Over Move to Pull Brigade From Poland

The Trump administration is facing criticism from lawmakers in both parties after the Pentagon canceled the deployment of an armored brigade of 4,000 troops to Poland, a move lawmakers said caught them and U.S. allies by surprise.
The administration has long signaled it wants European nations to take greater responsibility for their own defense and that the U.S. will reduce its military presence on the continent.

Yes, and Poland is doing exactly that! And their stance on Ukraine is perfectly understandable if one simply glances at a map. Poland is square in the path between Russia and the soft, squishy underbelly of Europe. Will Russia pivot and invade? No...almost certainly not, but Poland has some unpleasant history with Russia, and would rather be in the position to deal with them effectively. And one way to do that is to support Ukraine. Any differences compared to the Trump administration's stance on the Ukraine-Russia border war is easily understood.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a retired Air Force brigadier general, said the decision was "reprehensible" and an "embarrassment to our country." He said Polish officials told him Thursday they were "blindsided" by the decision.

Of course Mr. Bacon's hysteria is counter-productive, and a bit embarrassing. It is not an existential shift, and it can be remedied quickly and effectively, so Mr. Bacon... calm down.

There is a difference between expecting Europe to be the primary defender of itself, and America withdrawing completely from the continent. I am 100% in support of drawing down our troops and spending in France, UK, Spain, Germany, and any other European country that does not take seriously its own defense, and does not support the American effort in Iran and elsewhere. But isolationism is not the answer, and Having a military presence in Europe that rewards our stalwart allies is smart, both militarily and politically.

Poland will remain an an ally, and this mistake will be forgotten, but it is important to keep sight of the larger game, which is the defense of America AND the West, because we are inseparable.

Posted by: CBD at 12:00 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 BOING!

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at May 17, 2026 12:01 PM (DGD6U)

2 Good afternoon everyone

Posted by: Skip at May 17, 2026 12:01 PM (Ia/+0)

3 I am ready to go to New Haven. All my Polish Army will be there!

Posted by: Ivan Putski, Former Intercontinental Champion at May 17, 2026 12:03 PM (oftw2)

4 I didn't understand this move by Trump either... Does he know something we don't ?

Posted by: Zombie Joh McCain at May 17, 2026 12:04 PM (FtULh)

5 Posted by: Zombie Joh McCain at May 17, 2026 12:04 PM (FtULh)

Off sock/

Posted by: It's me donna at May 17, 2026 12:04 PM (FtULh)

6 Ah, Ukraine, the tar-baby of Europe. To touch it on any side gets you trapped.

Posted by: Idaho Spudboy at May 17, 2026 12:05 PM (TVOOe)

7 > Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a retired Air Force brigadier general, said the decision was "reprehensible" and an "embarrassment to our country." He said Polish officials told him Thursday they were "blindsided" by the decision.
----------
Translation: Don Bacon isn't getting his expected cut from the expected deployment to Poland and is not very happy.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at May 17, 2026 12:05 PM (jehhT)

8 Now if only the Poles would stop putting screen doors on their submarines.

Posted by: Bulg at May 17, 2026 12:06 PM (77rzZ)

9 Drawing down in Europe is necessary and prudent, but how can someone concentrate on international affairs while Frederica Wilson and Nancy Guthrie are both still missing?

Posted by: Remember The Home Front at May 17, 2026 12:08 PM (oftw2)

10 >>>Now if only the Poles would stop putting screen doors on their submarines.

Clearly, the submarine crews have never heard of our product.

Posted by: the makers of Flex Seal at May 17, 2026 12:10 PM (J4Dwc)

11 IMO if the threat from Russia is significant, as at least some in Eastern and Western Europe think, they should act accordingly and not piss and moan for the US to protect them.

And then shit all over us when we do because it's not "how they'd do it."

I'd suggest selling Europe some high tech military kit but they'd probably toss it all into storage and let it rot. At least the Middle Eastern nations we've armed periodically use them.... even if it's just in a parade.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at May 17, 2026 12:11 PM (jehhT)

12 Russia can't even seem to whip a former province, can't see them taking on Poland

Posted by: Skip at May 17, 2026 12:13 PM (Ia/+0)

13 For some long, generally well thought out essays on European politics and NATO, I can recommend this guy:

https://aurelien2022.substack.com/

Here is an example of his work:

https://tinyurl.com/5bmuddnp

For the TL;DR crowd: Europe is weak and can't get better, NATO is useless and the US can't move enough force to save it, so you might as well get use to Russia being the dominant military power in Europe.

Posted by: Idaho Spudboy at May 17, 2026 12:22 PM (TVOOe)

14 Didn't Poland lurch a bit left in their last election? Who knows what's being done and said through non-public channels.

Posted by: banana Dream at May 17, 2026 12:24 PM (3uBP9)

15 This thing with Russia and Ukraine is turning heads.
There's more going on here than meets the eye.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at May 17, 2026 12:24 PM (MpEy/)

16 Poland is the only ally with a Russian occupation of a piece of its territory. And a history of fighting land grabs from both the west and the east, sometimes simultaneously. Fortunately, Poland has good Baltic allies supporting it.

Posted by: Huck Follywood at May 17, 2026 12:25 PM (tW/dO)

17 Tentative thoughts (without hitting the link):
1) delibrately misleading headline on the link: deciding not to deploy to Poland != removing an existing group from Poland.
2) maybe Trump figures, "Poland, unlike _some people_, is doing their part themselves already. Maybe we look at countries who are allies but not able to defend themselves already"?
3) Or maybe he figures, "Putting US troops that close to the situation will read like taking sides, and I don't want to be seen as taking sides unless I have to"

Posted by: RandomDave at May 17, 2026 12:25 PM (aJQbY)

18 According to the interwebs less than 0.02% of the population in Poland is Muslim.

Is that important?

Posted by: I gotta ask at May 17, 2026 12:27 PM (2Ez/1)

19 Poor Poland. If Russia wants to march into Paris, they are going to have to go through Poland. But then, Russia may not be in any condition to do that for quite some time. Maybe after I am dead.

Posted by: no one of any consequense at May 17, 2026 12:27 PM (qFwJc)

20 14 Didn't Poland lurch a bit left in their last election? Who knows what's being done and said through non-public channels.
Posted by: banana Dream
---

Their president, who holds little parliamentary power, is conservative but the prime minister, who has political power, is liberal.
Opinion is, that president received colorful help getting elected.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at May 17, 2026 12:27 PM (MpEy/)

21 Is it possible that those 4,000 troops are in the Middle East at the moment?

Posted by: Ben Had at May 17, 2026 12:27 PM (z2aPa)

22 Speaking of Allies, my Aussie connection keeps sending me snippets of just how upset they are down under with the state of the AUKUS relationship specifically, and PDT generally.
I just smile.

Posted by: Diogenes at May 17, 2026 12:27 PM (2WIwB)

23 I’ve been doing a bit of a deep dive on world war 2.0, Poland sure got banged around a lot by all the belligerents and hung out to dry by the “allies”.

Posted by: Common Tater at May 17, 2026 12:29 PM (X7kHo)

24 Everyone needs to quit wetting their shorts over this 4,000 troop deployment that didn't happen, as it was only supposed to be a repositioning and replacement for 4,000 troops already in Poland. That 4,000 already in place has not yet been removed and the United States currently has about 10,000 total troops stationed there, so we're hardly pulling back our presence in the country. It's a "much ado about nothing" story.

Posted by: Tracy at May 17, 2026 12:30 PM (T5UBx)

25 Just Do It!

https://tinyurl.com/yb7t8u4s

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at May 17, 2026 12:31 PM (ndZc7)

26 Thank you, Tracy. Context, if we got it from the media, we'd not know what to do with it... we might even get to trust them again, and what horrors that would bring!

Posted by: RandomDave at May 17, 2026 12:32 PM (aJQbY)

27 Poland is still kicking foreigners out, especially, Muslims, Germans, and the French.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at May 17, 2026 12:32 PM (MpEy/)

28 And let me add that Representative Don Bacon is still a complete tool who is NeverTrump and won't be in office much longer.

Posted by: Tracy at May 17, 2026 12:33 PM (T5UBx)

29 Putin's military has proven unable to take even a 1/4 of Ukraine despite casualties in the hundred's of thousands. The Russian economy is a basket case, and they couldn't even stage a decent Victory Day Parade displaying the usual hardware for fear of Ukrainian drones embarrassing them.
So, why are we afraid that they have designs on invading more of Europe?
As the Premier of Poland said: "Why do 500M Europeans need 320M Americans to protect them from 135M Russians?"
France has nuclear weapons. The UK has nuclear weapons. The Finns, Poles and Swedes have very capable military capability.
Even France is pretty well armed from a conventional sense.
Why do we need to continue to pour billions of tax dollars into NATO?

Posted by: proudvastrightwingguy at May 17, 2026 12:33 PM (MNCvZ)

30 Ah, now that I _have_ read the article, buried at the bottom is the in-passing suggestion that this is a case of "instead of sending more troops over right now, as we draw down in Germany we'll move that group over to Poland"

Posted by: RandomDave at May 17, 2026 12:34 PM (aJQbY)

31 The Poles fought the Germans to the biter end in 1939. They still have have guts today. Unlike their neighbors.

Posted by: Eromero at May 17, 2026 12:34 PM (LHPAg)

32 Surprised Poland was ever a nation, being a punching bag between Russia and Germany, beaten up by one or the other, or both at the same time.

Posted by: Katyn Forest Dweller at May 17, 2026 12:35 PM (oftw2)

33 According to the interwebs less than 0.02% of the population in Poland is Muslim.

Is that important?
Posted by: I gotta ask

Italy Attack Leaves Nearly 12 Injured as Authorities Investigate Possible Terror Motive

-
11 3/4?

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at May 17, 2026 12:35 PM (ndZc7)

34 Just Do It!

https://tinyurl.com/yb7t8u4s
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at May 17, 2026 12:31 PM (ndZc7)

I bet Franklin Graham wears Adidas.

Posted by: Diogenes at May 17, 2026 12:36 PM (2WIwB)

35 Putin's been spending the last few years building digital Iron Curtains too, trying to prevent Russians from communicating with the outside world via social media or having non-.ru email accounts or using non-compromised VPNs. The tech _services_ sanctions play into his hands, there.

Posted by: RandomDave at May 17, 2026 12:36 PM (aJQbY)

36 >>This thing with Russia and Ukraine is turning heads.
>>There's more going on here than meets the eye.

Which country was Trump accused of colluding with in 2016?

Which country was Biden in charge of overseeing when he was VP and his son was making bank from a no show job in the same country?

Where did Eric Ciamarella spend much of his time?

Where did much of the fake dirt on Trump come from?

Posted by: JackStraw at May 17, 2026 12:38 PM (viF8m)

37 18 According to the interwebs less than 0.02% of the population in Poland is Muslim.

Is that important?
Posted by: I gotta ask at May 17, 2026 12:27 PM (2Ez/1)
You bet your ass.

Posted by: Eromero at May 17, 2026 12:39 PM (LHPAg)

38 Thx CBD, spot on.
After the Warsaw Pact nations got from under the Soviet thumb they became some of the most Western freedom loving nation earth. Some have goy squishy, but they should still be considered good allies. The Western European nations enjoyed Pax Americana and followed every stupid government and bureaucratic idea towards their destruction. Plus most of the former Warsaw Pact nations say F U to the muzzies

Posted by: Smell the Glove at May 17, 2026 12:40 PM (gu0hJ)

39 Chris Cillizza
@ChrisCillizza
And that's it. Bill Cassidy, the incumbent Senator, finishes third and out of the runoff.
The lesson: Do not cross Trump.

-
I thought it was don't be a pussy.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at May 17, 2026 12:40 PM (ndZc7)

40 "France has nuclear weapons. The UK has nuclear weapons. The Finns, Poles and Swedes have very capable military capability.
Even France is pretty well armed from a conventional sense."
++++

Don't forget our red pocket knives!

Posted by: The Swiss at May 17, 2026 12:41 PM (2Ez/1)

41 Poor Poland. If Russia wants to march into Paris, they are going to have to go through Poland. But then, Russia may not be in any condition to do that for quite some time. Maybe after I am dead.

Posted by: no one of any consequense at May 17, 2026 12:27 PM

russia is not a threat to europe and hasn't been one since the 90s. As we have seen in ukraine russia has stripped the cupboard bare of both military hardware and soldiers.

They literally have nothing left as they have emptied all of their depots that stored obsolete military equipment. They have been reduced to trying to reactivate T-55 tanks that haven't seen service since the 60s and they aren't having much luck doing that. All of their modern tanks have been destroyed in the fighting. They have no BMP's left and have been using whatever BTR's they can pull out of the scrap yards.

As a conventional military power russia is done.

Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS) at May 17, 2026 12:41 PM (0N4FZ)

42 Not goy, gone

Posted by: Smell the Glove at May 17, 2026 12:42 PM (gu0hJ)

43 Seen in other European countries, Muslim percentage is above 6 but in smaller areas can be %30 in a city

Posted by: Skip at May 17, 2026 12:43 PM (Ia/+0)

44 If Russia's military isn't a threat it's a waste of resources. Just keep supporting Poland as we always have.

Posted by: Chairman LMAO at May 17, 2026 12:43 PM (cWLG3)

45 37 18 According to the interwebs less than 0.02% of the population in Poland is Muslim.

Is that important?
Posted by: I gotta ask at May 17, 2026 12:27 PM (2Ez/1)
You bet your ass.
Posted by: Eromero
---

Women can walk to the grocery and not worry about being robbed or raped.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at May 17, 2026 12:43 PM (MpEy/)

46 >>This thing with Russia and Ukraine is turning heads.
>>There's more going on here than meets the eye.
---------
Ukraine's been the Congressional money laundromat for decades. One politico in particular, Ms. Lindsey, got very excited to see billions of dollars of the taxpayer's money pouring into that shithole country.

Because a significant portion was coming right back into one of his bank accounts.

He ain't alone.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at May 17, 2026 12:44 PM (jehhT)

47 The rotational brigade was pulled from Poland because that's where the rotational brigades deploy to. And the current operational tempo in unsustainable. The model is 8 months modernization, 8 months training, 8 months deployed. The reality is that modernization and training are both curtailed to 5~7 months each and deployments are 9~12 months. Rinse and repeat year after year. Troops an equipment are getting used up and burnt out. The rational for these deployments have not been adjusted in 10 years or so. Inertia is the main reason why they're still going on. It's the same level of OPTEMPO from the War on Terror without the logic of combat

Posted by: Stacy0311 at May 17, 2026 12:44 PM (wwlYu)

48 OK, everybody, PANIC!!!

Here We Go Again? WHO Declares Global Health Emergency

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at May 17, 2026 12:45 PM (ndZc7)

49 What does Poland have to offer us? They were part of the Eastern Bloc for 50 years and it was hardly a blip for us. What can they put on the table now?

Posted by: Field Marshal Zhukov at May 17, 2026 12:45 PM (wBaIH)

50 As an Englishman I can only say that many of us are embarrassed by the state of our country and wish we had politicians with the balls of Trump, Vance, Kennedy etc.

The US itself was in a terrible state under Biden - it just goes to show that you can turn things around (but that they can go to shit again just as quickly).

Our military, the SAS and other SF and a few fighter pilots aside, is woeful and disgraceful, and this is, as you say, because we spend billions on welfare for lazy bastards and immigrants.

Worse, these are billions we don't even have - we spend £100bn+ each year merely on the interest payments on our loans, which is way more that we spend on defence; particularly criminally, we pay these huge interest bills with more borrowed money.

I blame our politicians, and bureaucrats, but it's also true that the people are to blame: too many of us have completely forgotten our great history and past achievements, and think we can continue to surf that wave forever, getting something for nothing.

Yours. a depressed English Ace of Spades addict.

PS One of my daughters has a long-time boyfriend who is recently ex USAF and I am encouraging them to relocate to the States

Posted by: Alex at May 17, 2026 12:45 PM (xVKGB)

51 The Swiss, the crafty sorts they are, wisely don’t depend on a sole source supplier for the game changer critical Wonder Weapon.

Wenger supplies the “Genuine” SAK, whilst Victorinix provides the “Original”.

Posted by: Common Tater at May 17, 2026 12:46 PM (X7kHo)

52 Speaking of Ukraine and Russia, the former has attacked the latter's capital city, Moscow, several times today.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at May 17, 2026 12:47 PM (DGD6U)

53 17 Tentative thoughts (without hitting the link):
1) delibrately misleading headline on the link: deciding not to deploy to Poland != removing an existing group from Poland.
2) maybe Trump figures, "Poland, unlike _some people_, is doing their part themselves already. Maybe we look at countries who are allies but not able to defend themselves already"?
3) Or maybe he figures, "Putting US troops that close to the situation will read like taking sides, and I don't want to be seen as taking sides unless I have to"
Posted by: RandomDave
=======
You make a lot of sense here. Trump is indeed playing 3d chess and pushing a reluctant Russia into China's embrace is a primary goal. Like it or not, both China and Russia are going to continue to be players in the world scene for the near future. Putting additional tripwire troops in Poland is not going to add to NATO deterrence and yet poke the Russians.

Symbolic use of troops is a stupid idea and there is no majority here in the US willing to fight and die for Europe and to risk a nuclear confrontation needlessly.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 12:47 PM (E4rtv)

54 >>> Poland is doing exactly that! And their stance on Ukraine is perfectly understandable if one simply glances at a map. Poland is square in the path between Russia and the soft, squishy underbelly of Europe.
===

Not that I am too lazy to get my own map but this post have been greatly improved by inclusion of said map, and mostly I am lazy.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at May 17, 2026 12:47 PM (/lPRQ)

55 >>Ukraine's been the Congressional money laundromat for decades. One politico in particular, Ms. Lindsey, got very excited to see billions of dollars of the taxpayer's money pouring into that shithole country.

Three politicians exerted a lot of power in Ukraine after Obama's color revolution there, Joe Biden, John McCain and Graham.

There were others but those three were the most active.

Posted by: JackStraw at May 17, 2026 12:47 PM (viF8m)

56
Yours. a depressed English Ace of Spades addict.

PS One of my daughters has a long-time boyfriend who is recently ex USAF and I am encouraging them to relocate to the States
Posted by: Alex
======
I hope there will always be an England yet I fear that will not be so. This is a problem in most Western countries, the leaders of those countries are willingly subverting the people of their countries for the benefit of foreigners.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 12:49 PM (E4rtv)

57 Charlamagne Tha God Calls Clarence Thomas a “Coon” on “The Daily Show”

-
Well, he is a god.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at May 17, 2026 12:49 PM (ndZc7)

58 Putin's military has proven unable to take even a 1/4 of Ukraine despite casualties in the hundred's of thousands. The Russian economy is a basket case, and they couldn't even stage a decent Victory Day Parade displaying the usual hardware for fear of Ukrainian drones embarrassing them.

Here's the sequence:
1) Ukraine was asking for it.
2) Russia is so strong, it's hopeless to send arms to Ukraine.
3) Russian is so weak, we don't need to send arms to Ukraine. Ukraine and the rest of the frontline states should pay for their defense themselves.
4) Poland has announced plans to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP. The Baltics are also ramping up defense spending.
5) All is well. No need for us to do anything.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 12:50 PM (Riz8t)

59 Apparently Spain counted a whole bunch of renewable energy/sustainability spending in the Military spending. Their actual number is 1.X%.

Posted by: Little Larry Sellers at May 17, 2026 12:50 PM (RW1OD)

60 Ah, now that I _have_ read the article, buried at the bottom is the in-passing suggestion that this is a case of "instead of sending more troops over right now, as we draw down in Germany we'll move that group over to Poland"
Posted by: RandomDave at May 17, 2026 12:34
---
Good morning all

Funny, this is what I thought when I read the post.

Posted by: AmericanKestrel at May 17, 2026 12:50 PM (CPw89)

61 OK, everybody, PANIC!!!

Here We Go Again? WHO Declares Global Health Emergency
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at May 17, 2026 12:45 PM (ndZc7)

And the Mariners got beat!
Oh woe is me!!!

Posted by: Diogenes at May 17, 2026 12:51 PM (2WIwB)

62 > Three politicians exerted a lot of power in Ukraine after Obama's color revolution there, Joe Biden, John McCain and Graham.
-------
I knew about *biden and Graham... thought McCain was already dead. Or nearly so.

His funeral over yet?

Posted by: Martini Farmer at May 17, 2026 12:51 PM (jehhT)

63 As a conventional military power russia is done.

The frontline states disagree with you. I guess they just like wasting money.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 12:51 PM (Riz8t)

64 What does Poland have to offer us?
———

At one time the U.S.A. accumulated considerable good will by being champions of freedom and liberating oppressed peoples. It wasn’t all boilerplate propaganda. Since the “elites” have become more and more open about cutting everything down we don’t hear such lofty rhetoric any longer.

I vaguely recall Jerry Ford making some gaffe in a presidential debate. I think he claimed Poland wasn’t under the Soviet yoke or whatever. One reason the peanut farmer from Georgia prevailed in ‘76, maybe.

Posted by: Common Tater at May 17, 2026 12:52 PM (X7kHo)

65 I guess they got the water issue fixed since HMS Dragon has been deployed to the Persian Gulf.

This is going to be fun. Type 45 destroyers' engines can't handle the warm waters of the Persian Gulf, the Rolls-Royce engine will quit rendering the ship dead in the water. Instead of fixing the engine the Royal Navy replaced the two diesel generators with three bigger ones.

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 17, 2026 12:52 PM (VhSqk)

66 OK, everybody, PANIC!!!

This is always good advice.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 12:54 PM (Riz8t)

67 OK, checked map.

==
Poland should take the western half of Ukraine down to Odessa and then some. This way Poland can have a Black Sea port.

Let Russia have Kiev, the eastern Ukraine, and Crimea.

Ukraine can claim it took over Russia like the old days.
==

Everybody happy.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at May 17, 2026 12:54 PM (/lPRQ)

68 What does Poland have to offer us? They were part of the Eastern Bloc for 50 years and it was hardly a blip for us. What can they put on the table now?
Posted by: Field Marsha
----
They share American values to a greater extent than Britain, France or Spain now.

Also, I do not think that Russia wants to take over Europe. I think that is a lie to keep the war machine going.

Posted by: AmericanKestrel at May 17, 2026 12:54 PM (CPw89)

69 49 What does Poland have to offer us? They were part of the Eastern Bloc for 50 years and it was hardly a blip for us. What can they put on the table now?
Posted by: Field Marshal Zhukov
======
Poland is one of the better European countries in extending friendship to us.

Yet, the old dreaded WWIII stereotype is masses of Russian armor moving quickly across Poland into Germany because Poland has broad plains suitable for tank warfare.

I think that fear is now grossly overstated--the real threat to Poland is a) subversion of the population from the EU as well as Russia/Belarus and b) 4th generation warfare like Belarus trying to weaponize entry of Muslims, etc. through its territory to invade Poland, drone strikes, sabotage, etc..

Poland's biggest threat is Democrats running the US with its insane color revolution crap via the CIA and its EU partners doing the same. Soros should be more feared in Poland than Putin. Putin can be reasoned with, Soros organizations cannot.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 12:55 PM (E4rtv)

70 >>I knew about *biden and Graham... thought McCain was already dead. Or nearly so.

>

Funny you should mention McCain's ongoing funeral. An unusual dignitary gave a speech at John McCain's memorial service in DC where he lionized McCain as a "hero of Ukraine". It was the installed President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.

Posted by: JackStraw at May 17, 2026 12:55 PM (viF8m)

71 the leaders of those countries are willingly subverting the people of their countries for the benefit of foreigners.
Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 12:49 PM

Hmmm, sounds quite familiar to me

Posted by: Skip at May 17, 2026 12:55 PM (Ia/+0)

72 the Rolls-Royce engine will quit rendering the ship dead in the water.

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 17, 2026 12:52 PM (VhSqk)
-

Don't come back until you've gone to the book thread to be reeducated about the importance of commas.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at May 17, 2026 12:56 PM (DGD6U)

73 Russia is only a threat to NATO countries if China takes its shot against Taiwan, and the Chinese need a sideshow to occupy resources away from the Pacific. Even then, Ukraine proves Russia isn't much of a threat.

Posted by: Huck Follywood at May 17, 2026 12:56 PM (2ZnX0)

74 Shocking In-Car Meltdown: Female NASCAR Driver Cries, Parks Truck Mid-Race
. . . .
After receiving a black flag for failing to maintain the minimum speed and incurring additional penalties—including a pass-through and speeding on pit road—Decker broke down emotionally on team radio.
With her voice cracking through tears, Decker repeatedly told her crew “you have no idea” what she was dealing with while struggling to compose herself.

“You guys, I’m trying to hold my s— together, but I don’t want to keep doing this,” she said through tears after being told to come down pit road for a pass-through penalty.
“There’s just so many s—– things that I could say right now, and I’m just trying to keep it together, about the f—ing director of the series.”

https://tinyurl.com/3mycj268

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at May 17, 2026 12:56 PM (ndZc7)

75 He'll be a bought-and-paid for porch monkey next week.

Rules for thee but never for me.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at May 17, 2026 12:56 PM (O5BzH)

76 Yet, the old dreaded WWIII stereotype is masses of Russian armor moving quickly across Poland into Germany because Poland has broad plains suitable for tank warfare.

I think that fear is now grossly overstated

And yet, the Russians themselves seem to have believed it. They thought having 20k+ tank hulls guaranteed a quick victory. Whatever else you think of Ukraine, they've essentially birthed a new era in warfare.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 12:56 PM (Riz8t)

77 Well, he is a god.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks
======
A false one. People claiming that get worse than the Trump curse put on them.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 12:57 PM (E4rtv)

78 the Rolls-Royce engine will quit rendering the ship dead in the water.

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 17, 2026 12:52 PM (VhSqk)
-

Don't come back until you've gone to the book thread to be reeducated about the importance of commas.

I've got it.

the Rolls-Royce engine will quit rendering the ship dead in the, water.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 12:57 PM (Riz8t)

79 "Why does God need a starship?"

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 17, 2026 12:57 PM (VhSqk)

80 https://tinyurl.com/3mycj268

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at May 17, 2026 12:56 PM (ndZc7)
-

Someone forgot to take their Midol!

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at May 17, 2026 12:58 PM (DGD6U)

81 Yours. a depressed English Ace of Spades addict.

PS One of my daughters has a long-time boyfriend who is recently ex USAF and I am encouraging them to relocate to the States

Posted by: Alex at May 17, 2026 12:45 PM (xVKGB)

And you should come along!

I have been in the UK probably 20 times in the last 10 years, and its decay seems to have accelerated in the last year or two.

I love the place, but I fear that it will become a hellhole soon.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at May 17, 2026 12:58 PM (iERP6)

82 Say Russia can't even take Ukraine.
Eliminate all American assistance and see what happens.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at May 17, 2026 12:59 PM (MpEy/)

83 57 Charlamagne Tha God Calls Clarence Thomas a “Coon” on “The Daily Show”

-
Well, he is a god.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at May 17, 2026 12:49 PM (ndZc7)
I know Justice Thomas, a devout Christian, would not do it, but I'd like to see him challenge that 'god' to a duel.

Posted by: Eromero at May 17, 2026 12:59 PM (LHPAg)

84 What does Poland have to offer us?

-
https://tinyurl.com/u6b7f9vw

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at May 17, 2026 12:59 PM (ndZc7)

85 And yet, the Russians themselves seem to have believed it. They thought having 20k+ tank hulls guaranteed a quick victory. Whatever else you think of Ukraine, they've essentially birthed a new era in warfare.
Posted by: Archimedes
======
And that is the problem with authoritarian states, Putin has systematically replaced independent subordinates who might have warned him about this with cronies that never issue a discouraging word. So every authoritarian ends up cutting off their own information stream from subordinates. Xi is having the same issue.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 12:59 PM (E4rtv)

86 The only difference between the Somali Daycare Grifters and NATO is the color of their uniforms.

Posted by: Zombie Hugo Boss at May 17, 2026 12:59 PM (7d1L5)

87 I know Justice Thomas, a devout Christian, would not do it, but I'd like to see him challenge that 'god' to a duel.
Posted by: Eromero
========
Elijah style.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 12:59 PM (E4rtv)

88 I love the place, but I fear that it will become a hellhole soon.

Maybe the march yesterday and the impending resignation of Starmer will be the end of the beginning, and they'll be on their way to regeneration. I hope so.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:00 PM (Riz8t)

89 Couldn't imagine what going to war with a woman would be like.
Yeah ,I know some are great and tough but still can't imagine it

Posted by: Skip at May 17, 2026 01:01 PM (Ia/+0)

90 And yet, the Russians themselves seem to have believed it. They thought having 20k+ tank hulls guaranteed a quick victory. Whatever else you think of Ukraine, they've essentially birthed a new era in warfare.
Posted by: Archimedes
======
And that is the problem with authoritarian states, Putin has systematically replaced independent subordinates who might have warned him about this with cronies that never issue a discouraging word. So every authoritarian ends up cutting off their own information stream from subordinates. Xi is having the same issue.

There were lots of military and IC folks in all countries, including ours, who did not see the rise of the drones coming, and expected a quick Russian win. So yes, Putin is in a bubble, but he wasn't completely off base in assuming he could steamroll Ukraine. One never knows, do one.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:01 PM (Riz8t)

91 The Pentagon is still full of Nevertrump trolls.

Posted by: toby928(c) at May 17, 2026 01:02 PM (4NO2D)

92 Submitted without comment.

Rubio Backs JD Vance for President

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at May 17, 2026 01:02 PM (ndZc7)

93 > Shocking In-Car Meltdown: Female NASCAR Driver Cries, Parks Truck Mid-Race
---------
Ah yes. Natalie Decker. There are several better female drivers in NASCAR. Katherine Legg is currently at Indy and will attempt "the double." Racing 500 miles there, then going to try to finish the Coke 600 in NASCAR.

That's a tough afternoon and evening. Hope she succeeds.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at May 17, 2026 01:02 PM (jehhT)

94 >>There were lots of military and IC folks in all countries, including ours, who did not see the rise of the drones coming, and expected a quick Russian win. So yes, Putin is in a bubble, but he wasn't completely off base in assuming he could steamroll Ukraine. One never knows, do one.

If not for NATO support, Russia would have rolled Ukraine long ago.

Posted by: JackStraw at May 17, 2026 01:03 PM (viF8m)

95 Charlamagne Tha God Calls Clarence Thomas a “Coon” on “The Daily Show”

-
Well, he is a god.
----
He's not a god, he's not even Charlemagne, arrogance in abundance tho.

And Thomas has the best mind at SCOTUS.

Posted by: AmericanKestrel at May 17, 2026 01:03 PM (CPw89)

96 82 Say Russia can't even take Ukraine.
Eliminate all American assistance and see what happens.

Posted by: Braenyard

One of the reasons for NATO which was unstated is that we wanted to limit the proliferation of nuclear armed countries. Yet, like South Africa did shortly before apartheid ended, nations under existential threat to its existence WILL develop nuclear weapons regardless of the nonsense sanctions and nuclear proliferation treaties.

If NATO collapses, there will be several more nuclear armed states and Poland is one that is beginning to talk about needing their own to dissuade invasion and being coerced. Poland could probably do it in a matter of months for a warhead, dunno about delivery vehicles but if Pakistan can do it, Poland certainly can.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 01:03 PM (E4rtv)

97 I don't see Russia rolling thru eastern Europe like the nazis. There's nothing there but assholes.

Now the muslims on the the other hand, they want to kill everyone and burn it all down.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at May 17, 2026 01:03 PM (D1E+2)

98 Rubio Backs JD Vance for President

I would not be at all surprised if they've already decided that
'28 will be a Vance/Rubio ticket. We could do worse, although a Vance/DeSantis ticket would be even better, IMHO.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:04 PM (Riz8t)

99 “You guys, I’m trying to hold my s— together, but I don’t want to keep doing this,” she said through tears after being told to come down pit road for a pass-through penalty.
“There’s just so many s—– things that I could say right now, and I’m just trying to keep it together, about the f—ing director of the series.”

Oh my! Someone needs Midol...

Posted by: Aunt Flo at May 17, 2026 01:04 PM (7d1L5)

100 Yeah maybe it's a mistake, but I'm getting darn tired of these retired mils mouthing off every time President Trump makes a military decision. Time to start punishing them.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at May 17, 2026 01:04 PM (DoQIg)

101 Note the NYTimes headline:

https://t.co/ELRf7nOgRW

T'was the car!

BTW, the Italian law system has already stated that the "Italian" person is mentally unstable.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at May 17, 2026 01:06 PM (DGD6U)

102 Oh my! Someone needs Midol...

Posted by: Aunt Flo at May 17, 2026 01:04 PM (7d1L5)
-

JINX!

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at May 17, 2026 01:07 PM (DGD6U)

103 “You guys, I’m trying to hold my s— together, but I don’t want to keep doing this,” she said through tears after being told to come down pit road for a pass-through penalty.
“There’s just so many s—– things that I could say right now, and I’m just trying to keep it together, about the f—ing director of the series.”

https://tinyurl.com/3mycj268
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at May 17, 2026 12:56 PM (ndZc7)
She'll endeavor to persist on The View.

Posted by: Eromero at May 17, 2026 01:07 PM (LHPAg)

104 There were lots of military and IC folks in all countries, including ours, who did not see the rise of the drones coming, and expected a quick Russian win. So yes, Putin is in a bubble, but he wasn't completely off base in assuming he could steamroll Ukraine. One never knows, do one.
Posted by: Archimedes

Information processing is a key problem in bureaucracies because information flows often get retarded. The first year was not drone city so much as it was armor, missiles, ground troops, etc. Little, if no air power, used. But Ukraine, like Israel, had to pivot quickly to whatever it could do because it faced an existential threat and the war changed in nature because of the interactions between the two.

Jerry Pournelle, with Stefan Possony, wrote a tome back in the 70's regarding technology and war: "THE STRATEGY OF TECHNOLOGY". Still worth reading today.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 01:07 PM (E4rtv)

105
Poland's biggest threat is Democrats running the US with its insane color revolution crap via the CIA and its EU partners doing the same. Soros should be more feared in Poland than Putin. Putin can be reasoned with, Soros organizations cannot.

---
Agreed.

Posted by: AmericanKestrel at May 17, 2026 01:08 PM (CPw89)

106 Don't you just wish those Rolls Royce engines would just quit rendering?

Posted by: The comma at May 17, 2026 01:08 PM (2Ez/1)

107 What does Poland offer us was a sincere question. The answers appear to be 1. friendship, 2. Shared Values and 3. Fewer Muslims.

All three are nice to have, but not especially worth blood and treasure we can't afford.

Also China and Russia are not allies. China would love to take a bite out of Russia's Eastern flank.

Posted by: Field Marshal Zhukov at May 17, 2026 01:10 PM (wBaIH)

108 We could do worse, although a Vance/DeSantis ticket would be even better, IMHO.
Posted by: Archimedes
=======
Put DeSantis in as Sec. of State, War, or AG. He is still a young guy.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 01:10 PM (E4rtv)

109 Also China and Russia are not allies. China would love to take a bite out of Russia's Eastern flank.

If Russia didn't have nukes, I imagine China would already have invaded.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:10 PM (Riz8t)

110 We could do worse, although a Vance/DeSantis ticket would be even better, IMHO.
Posted by: Archimedes
=======
Put DeSantis in as Sec. of State, War, or AG. He is still a young guy.

I would happily accept any of the above.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:11 PM (Riz8t)

111 Also China and Russia are not allies. China would love to take a bite out of Russia's Eastern flank.
Posted by: Field Marshal Zhukov
======
They are allies to the extent that the US pushes them together. That is a rather stupid policy because I think Putin knows full well that the Chicoms view East Asia as their playground, not Russia's.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 01:11 PM (E4rtv)

112 the defense of America AND the West, because we are inseparable.

Posted by CBD Not sure I agree that we should keep any troops in Germany, France or England CBD.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 17, 2026 01:11 PM (Yypdw)

113 Note the NYTimes headline:

https://t.co/ELRf7nOgRW

T'was the car!

BTW, the Italian law system has already stated that the "Italian" person is mentally unstable.
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at May 17, 2026 01:06 PM

His motive may never be known, they vowed.

Posted by: toby928(c) at May 17, 2026 01:12 PM (4NO2D)

114 Not sure I agree that we should keep any troops in Germany, France or England CBD.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 17, 2026 01:11 PM (Yypdw)

When I said "West," I meant Western civilization. I agree with you that troops in Germany, UK, or France are not a great idea.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at May 17, 2026 01:13 PM (iERP6)

115 Todd Blanche did an interview with Maria Bartiromo this morning. If you missed it look for a video online.

Among other things he confirmed that there is indeed a grand conspiracy investigation and grand jury in Florida looking at and he also confirmed that investigation of the 2020 election are going on in multiple states.

Posted by: JackStraw at May 17, 2026 01:13 PM (viF8m)

116 Posted by CBD Not sure I agree that we should keep any troops in Germany, France or England CBD.

They kind of have to if we're going to have troops further east. Logistics, logistics, logistics...

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:13 PM (Riz8t)

117 Rubio is impressive. I would prefer to keep him as Secretary of State thru the next presidency. The memes are boosting his popularity.

Pratt in LA is making excellent use of AI videos in his campaign.

Would DeSantis be able to serve on SCOTUS?

Posted by: AmericanKestrel at May 17, 2026 01:14 PM (CPw89)

118 Put DeSantis in as Sec. of State, War, or AG. He is still a young guy.

I would happily accept any of the above.
Posted by: Archimedes
===========
DeSantis is a born administrator, the jury is out on Vance although Rubio has proven to be a very big surprise as SoS running that department.

Legislative prowess is simply not the same skillset as being able to take charge of a government department and run it. And it is interesting that neither Rubio nor DeSantis were particularly great legislators in impact (can't say about Vance as his track record is so short).

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 01:14 PM (E4rtv)

119 Note the NYTimes headline:

https://t.co/ELRf7nOgRW

T'was the car!

BTW, the Italian law system has already stated that the "Italian" person is mentally unstable.
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey,

highlighted the driver’s background as a “second-generation” Italian, identifying him as Salim El Koudri.

-
As Italian as spaghetti!

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at May 17, 2026 01:15 PM (ndZc7)

120 Lotta NORKS work the timber slave labor camps in Siberia. China allows it so no The East Is Red will never happen, gotta keep the cash flowing to Kim Jong Dong while China gets a cut.

Posted by: Paul Bunyan, Minnesota socialist at May 17, 2026 01:15 PM (7d1L5)

121 Would DeSantis be able to serve on SCOTUS?

He went to Yale and Harvard Law School, so he's certainly qualified. I'd really like to get some folks with real world experience on SCOTUS. Plus, there's very little risk he aspires to appear on Broadway.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:15 PM (Riz8t)

122 "The Trump administration is facing criticism from lawmakers in both parties after the Pentagon canceled the deployment of an armored brigade of 4,000 troops to Poland, a move lawmakers said caught them and U.S. allies by surprise."

The Brits are furious, too. They see this as another betrayal of the UK by the US, a nation they thought is a staunch ally. Until TRUMP!!! They are furious Trump didn't consult with all NATO nations before Operation Epic Fury. They are furious about Trump not sending every bullet, 155mm artillery shell, and every fighter the US has to defend Holy Ukraine!

They talk tough about getting back at the US the next time the US needs some help from UK or any NATO nations. They'll tell the US to take a hike. All while talking tough about rearming Western Europe with massive armies to stop the invading Russians! All they do is talk. They cannot afford it.

They want to continue out-sourcing defense of Western Europe to the US. As the nuclear shield, the navy that keeps vital seaways open, the cavalry that will come to Europe's rescue when Putin's armies storm west out of Ukraine! They need the US more than they will ever admit. And hate themselves for it.

Posted by: Gref at May 17, 2026 01:16 PM (5rh/l)

123 Would DeSantis be able to serve on SCOTUS?
Posted by: AmericanKestrel
==========
It would be a waste. Guy is a really excellent hands-on administrator. Those are rare--the type to pontificate on law are a lot more common.

If you did put DeSantis on the court, make it Chief Justice as they wear an administrator hat as well as judicial.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 01:16 PM (E4rtv)

124 Europe is gone. Until they Mussolini their leaders from the top down nothing will change, it will just become more and more of a 3rd world shithole, or should I say 4th world, because the cities are mostly 3rd world already.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at May 17, 2026 01:17 PM (snZF9)

125 the Italian law system has already stated that the "Italian" person is mentally unstable

So what was he doing just walking around in public? What is it that you’d say you do around here?

Posted by: Common Tater at May 17, 2026 01:17 PM (X7kHo)

126 If you did put DeSantis on the court, make it Chief Justice as they wear an administrator hat as well as judicial.

But what of Roberts? Would he be asked to step down, and if he refused, get a horse's head in his bed?

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:18 PM (Riz8t)

127 If you did put DeSantis on the court, make it Chief Justice as they wear an administrator hat as well as judicial.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 01:16 PM (E4rtv)

Use Marco, he wears a shit ton of hats. lol

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at May 17, 2026 01:18 PM (snZF9)

128 AmericanKestrel

Been thinking about your political question. Got answers to help you.

Email me at: AnPyl_qbt@xfoebnqonaq.arg

This address is encrypted with ROT-13. Use that to decode it.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 17, 2026 01:18 PM (u82oZ)

129 whig, I keep hoping for Putin to have a "come to Jesus" moment as it were, draw things down in Ukraine, and form at least an informal 'contain China' alliance with the US and India, screw Europe.

I think the "holy war" rhetoric the Russion Orthodox patriarch insists on is reinforcing Putin's 'sunk cost' obsession with continuing in Ukraine, though. That, and old habits from the Soviet days.

Posted by: RandomDave at May 17, 2026 01:19 PM (aJQbY)

130 It would be a waste. Guy is a really excellent hands-on administrator. Those are rare--the type to pontificate on law are a lot more common.

Agreed, but his biggest problem is a lack of charisma. He's soporific when publicly speaking, and I'm a guy who really likes him. Like it or not, pols need to be able to whip up the crowd.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:19 PM (Riz8t)

131 Would DeSantis be able to serve on SCOTUS?

He went to Yale and Harvard Law School, so he's certainly qualified. I'd really like to get some folks with real world experience on SCOTUS. Plus, there's very little risk he aspires to appear on Broadway.
----
Ha! If our current Broadway enthusiast was given a full time super demanding super important job at Broadway, do you think we could get her off SCOTUS?

Posted by: AmericanKestrel at May 17, 2026 01:19 PM (CPw89)

132 I'm not interested in relocating NATO further east. WWII ended 80 years ago. Time for Europe to take care of itself.

Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at May 17, 2026 01:19 PM (KL9cQ)

133 DeSantis has zero experience at the national level. Put him in a Vance administration in a cabinet position first and see how he fares. We've been down this road before...

Posted by: Martini Farmer at May 17, 2026 01:19 PM (jehhT)

134 You bet your ass.
Posted by: Eromero

And your neck and every female you know and care about. just ask Sweden.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 17, 2026 01:19 PM (Yypdw)

135 But what of Roberts? Would he be asked to step down, and if he refused, get a horse's head in his bed?
Posted by: Archimedes
=======
Roberts is getting pretty old and his major weakness is FISA miscoduct (Chief Justice is over that court) and conflicts of interest over his wife's lucrative job of big legal firm headhunter.

I think Roberts probably dislikes DJT enough to stay on the court but might step down in a Vance, Rubio, or DeSantis administration.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 01:20 PM (E4rtv)

136 Europe is gone. Until they Mussolini their leaders from the top down nothing will change, it will just become more and more of a 3rd world shithole, or should I say 4th world, because the cities are mostly 3rd world already.
Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at May 17, 2026 01:17 PM

Britain's system is insane. If elections were held today, the entire ruling party would lose, maybe down to 10 or 20 seats total. And yet, they get to remain in absolute power for four more years with no constitutional restraints, and the citizens have no say at all in the matter.

Posted by: toby928(c) at May 17, 2026 01:21 PM (4NO2D)

137 whig, I keep hoping for Putin to have a "come to Jesus" moment as it were, draw things down in Ukraine, and form at least an informal 'contain China' alliance with the US and India, screw Europe.

I think the "holy war" rhetoric the Russion Orthodox patriarch insists on is reinforcing Putin's 'sunk cost' obsession with continuing in Ukraine, though.

There have been a few hints recently that Putin is preparing to cut his losses. He asserts that Ukraine was really the fault of NATO and its threat to Russia, and that on that score, he's staved off an invasion of Mother Russia. He also vaguely alludes to coming changes. We'll see.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:22 PM (Riz8t)

138 AmericanKestrel

Been thinking about your political question. Got answers to help you
----
Hiya Salty! On it! 😊

Posted by: AmericanKestrel at May 17, 2026 01:22 PM (CPw89)

139 Most legislators are cockroaches. They feast on what they can steal, and then go out of their way to steal more than the local fare from their constituency.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at May 17, 2026 01:25 PM (D1E+2)

140 I wonder how Russia feels about the NATO troops in Poland and the Baltics.
Oh right.

Could this be an overture to Russia on both Iran and Ukraine?

Posted by: Kindltot at May 17, 2026 01:25 PM (rbvCR)

141 >> 98 Rubio Backs JD Vance for President

> I would not be at all surprised if they've already decided that
'28 will be a Vance/Rubio ticket. We could do worse, although a Vance/DeSantis ticket would be even better, IMHO.
Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:04 PM (Riz8t)

I love pop culture and memes, and I think it's interesting when they show the power to affect the real world. The meme of Rubio taking on various jobs was based in reality -- last I saw he held three positions at once -- and now the meme has fed back into reality, as curious diggers have found that there is nothing saying that the VP can't also be a cabinet member.

It may be hyperbole to call Rubio the best Secretary of State in living memory (as a certain fangirl at PJ Media would have it), but he has been effective, and it would make a particularly compelling ticket if he were running for VP+SoS. The cumulative amusement power of the Marco Rubio Realizing meme would propel it.

Posted by: SciVo at May 17, 2026 01:26 PM (Sy6m/)

142 Agreed, but his biggest problem is a lack of charisma. He's soporific when publicly speaking, and I'm a guy who really likes him. Like it or not, pols need to be able to whip up the crowd.
Posted by: Archimedes

Possibly. In 2024, DeSantis was in a difficult spot, if he spoke well of Trump, he would be aiding his political rival, if he remained silent, he would be accused of not supporting Trump, and there were the problems with his donors/campaign staff trying to run the campaign. Difficult tightwire to follow for an experienced politician, even leaving out the stolen 2020 election and lawfare that the Dems did to DJT making him a martyr. 2024 just wasn't his year to run for president.

In a clear field, I think he could do much better assuming he doesn't attract and use the Jeb! donors/campaign staff. Those need to go to the dustbin of history.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 01:27 PM (E4rtv)

143 Britain's system is insane. If elections were held today, the entire ruling party would lose, maybe down to 10 or 20 seats total. And yet, they get to remain in absolute power for four more years with no constitutional restraints, and the citizens have no say at all in the matter.

Posted by: toby928(c) at May 17, 2026 01:21 PM (4NO2D)

England is gone, some shithole took over and is wearing it's meatsuit. At this point its a sewage treatment island off the coast of europe. I don't even consider it a country anymore.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at May 17, 2026 01:27 PM (snZF9)

144
Ha! If our current Broadway enthusiast was given a full time super demanding super important job at Broadway, do you think we could get her off SCOTUS?
Posted by: AmericanKestrel

How many Broadway roles are out there for physical and mental midgets? Not enough to satisfy her towering intellect, I'll wager.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at May 17, 2026 01:27 PM (s9VOe)

145 Beef prices is 16% in one year. Thanks Donny ? Didn't he promise lower prices ? Where is my tariffs cheque?

Posted by: Paul at May 17, 2026 01:28 PM (5xSaX)

146 “I keep hoping for Putin …. to form at least an informal 'contain China' alliance with the US”

I hate to break it to you, but it’s the last several US administration goons, probably at State, and spook outfits, that have precluded this. They precisely don’t want this.

Posted by: Common Tater at May 17, 2026 01:29 PM (X7kHo)

147 I have heard (LOL) that Russia lost 1.5 million men in Ukraine.

Posted by: no one of any consequense at May 17, 2026 01:29 PM (qFwJc)

148 I think the "holy war" rhetoric the Russion Orthodox patriarch insists on is reinforcing Putin's 'sunk cost' obsession with continuing in Ukraine, though. That, and old habits from the Soviet days.
Posted by: RandomDave
======
Autocrats always have a problem with ending a war--once the war is 'over', then people start seriously counting the cost. Plus you usually have a pissed off military afterwards. Dugin's ideology aside, I think it is always easier to start a war then end it. Including for US, look at the wasted years in Afghanistan for example.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 01:29 PM (E4rtv)

149 Just Do It!

https://tinyurl.com/yb7t8u4s
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks

Why does the Pope’s shadow suggest that he should be phoning home?

Posted by: NemoMeImpuneLacessit at May 17, 2026 01:30 PM (3NeBC)

150 Also China and Russia are not allies. China would love to take a bite out of Russia's Eastern flank.
Posted by: Field Marshal Zhukov
======
Of course they are allies. Russia might even be on the way to being a vassal state.

Posted by: Huck Follywood at May 17, 2026 01:33 PM (oMQtW)

151 147 I have heard (LOL) that Russia lost 1.5 million men in Ukraine.
Posted by: no one of any consequense at May 17, 2026 01:29 PM (qFwJc)
Who knows how much info is gun-decked by today's military, every country.

Posted by: Eromero at May 17, 2026 01:33 PM (LHPAg)

152 140 I wonder how Russia feels about the NATO troops in Poland and the Baltics.
----
How many Baltics are there now?

Posted by: I need a new map at May 17, 2026 01:34 PM (2Ez/1)

153 Britain's system is insane. If elections were held today, the entire ruling party would lose, maybe down to 10 or 20 seats total. And yet, they get to remain in absolute power for four more years with no constitutional restraints, and the citizens have no say at all in the matter.
Posted by: toby928(c)

Parliamentary systems and Presidential systems each have their own faults. Parliamentary systems have transitions of power easier than presidential systems because an unpopular PM can always step down and be replaced by one of the same party. Trying to impeach or remove a president in a presidential system by the opposition is akin to a legalized coup.

Over time, political scientists have demonstrated that Presidential systems work best with a homogeneous population and fail (being civil wars or coups) much more often when there is a diverse citizenry. Parliamentary systems using PR, in most countries end up as a sort of muddled coalition which prevents rapid change but ends up corrupting and debasing all politicians in it. First past the post ends up in wide swings in policy and will eventually settle back down into two distinct political parties (see Durverget's Law).

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 01:35 PM (E4rtv)

154 He went to Yale and Harvard Law School, so he's certainly qualified. I'd really like to get some folks with real world experience on SCOTUS. Plus, there's very little risk he aspires to appear on Broadway.
Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:15 PM (Riz8t)
---------------
I wonder if he was serious when he said recently it would be his "dream job".

Posted by: Huck Follywood at May 17, 2026 01:35 PM (oMQtW)

155 More and more he's reminding me of Scott Walker, a good governor who just didn't play well on the national stage.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 17, 2026 01:36 PM (rGqqI)

156 I blame our politicians, and bureaucrats, but it's also true that the people are to blame: too many of us have completely forgotten our great history and past achievements, and think we can continue to surf that wave forever, getting something for nothing.

Posted by: Alex at May 17, 2026 12:45 PM (xVKGB)

I think thats what pisses us off the most here. Of all the countries in europe we would think England would have followed the example of their younger cousins across the pond. Sometimes the gloves have to come off.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at May 17, 2026 01:37 PM (snZF9)

157
Speaking of towering intellects, I read that AOC accused the MAGAts of firing off "the opening silo".

https://youtube.com/shorts/3sPXqOydA9Q

I guess a remake of "Witness" must be in the offing.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at May 17, 2026 01:37 PM (s9VOe)

158 >>>Beef prices is 16% in one year. Thanks Donny ? Didn't he promise lower prices ? Where is my tariffs cheque?

Posted by: Paul

>Ever hear of planning ahead since COVID? I have a meat locker with two years of meat. My failure was that I didn't build a distillery to keep my liquor cabinet stocked.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at May 17, 2026 01:37 PM (D1E+2)

159 OT (over 100 posts): @RossBarkan is getting dragged on X because he is a lying plagiarizing thieving little skunk.
Mostly he likes to lift content from Compact.

Posted by: gKWVE at May 17, 2026 01:38 PM (gKWVE)

160 Paul is a furriner: he can't spell "check"

Posted by: Huck Follywood at May 17, 2026 01:38 PM (oMQtW)

161 I suspect that Putin's biggest worry is that if he ends the war with some settlement that doesn't look like a win for him, he'll be deposed by his enemies in Moscow.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 17, 2026 01:38 PM (rGqqI)

162 Speaking of towering intellects, I read that AOC accused the MAGAts of firing off "the opening silo".

Hahahahaha. What an ignoranamus.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:39 PM (Riz8t)

163 I suspect that Putin's biggest worry is that if he ends the war with some settlement that doesn't look like a win for him, he'll be deposed by his enemies in Moscow.

I'm quite sure that's why he hasn't called a halt before now.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:39 PM (Riz8t)

164 Charlamagne Tha God Calls Clarence Thomas a “Coon” on “The Daily Show”

-
Well, he is a god.
----

Anyone who calls themselves "Charlamagne Tha God" has earned whatever name calling they get.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at May 17, 2026 01:40 PM (/lPRQ)

165
How many Baltics are there now?
Posted by: I need a new map

Three: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at May 17, 2026 01:41 PM (s9VOe)

166 147 I have heard (LOL) that Russia lost 1.5 million men in Ukraine.
Posted by: no one of any consequense

Losses have been very high for Russia and high for Ukrainians too from a smaller base. But drones have changed the game probably escalating casualties on attackers v. defender ratios beyond the normal 2:1 or 3:1. Now, it might be as high as 10 attackers per one defender in the last two years and neutered the Russian counterstroke of massive artillery barrages. Apparently, Ukrainian drones are taking out those positions and their ammo dumps forcing Russian artillery outside their useful range to preserve them.

What has prevented Putin from consequences though has been that many of those were convicts, then non Russian ethnics used as cannon fodder. Even North Koreans which was denied for a long time by those that favor Russia's side.

St. Petersburg and Moscow area ethnic Russians, by and large, are not the ones being conscripted to go to the meatgrinder.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 01:41 PM (E4rtv)

167 Meat prices have gone up largely because of anti-competitive practices in the meat packing industry. The Trump DOJ settled a case against one group 10 days ago and is going after others.

Posted by: JackStraw at May 17, 2026 01:41 PM (viF8m)

168 California political ads tell us Ken Calvert caught pants down with a whore. They don't tell you it was Young Kim!

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at May 17, 2026 01:41 PM (Kt19C)

169
28 And let me add that Representative Don Bacon is still a complete tool who is NeverTrump and won't be in office much longer.
Posted by: Tracy at May 17, 2026 12:33 PM

----------

He's all about the pork.

Posted by: Semi-Literate Thug at May 17, 2026 01:42 PM (azNOR)

170 How many Baltics are there now?
Posted by: I need a new map

Three: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

You forgot Freedonia.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:42 PM (Riz8t)

171 “You guys, I’m trying to hold my s— together, but I don’t want to keep doing this,” she said through tears after being told to come down pit road for a pass-through penalty.
“There’s just so many s—– things that I could say right now, and I’m just trying to keep it together, about the f—ing director of the series.”

Oh my! Someone needs Midol...
Posted by: Aunt Flo

===

Still to be outdone -

The lady astronaut who wore a diaper to make time on a cross-country mission to do her rival in.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at May 17, 2026 01:42 PM (/lPRQ)

172 Speaking of towering intellects, I read that AOC accused the MAGAts of firing off "the opening silo".
------
To her credit, she's familiar with silage.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at May 17, 2026 01:43 PM (XeU6L)

173 I'd open AOC's silo!

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at May 17, 2026 01:43 PM (Kt19C)

174 IIANM, Putin is fine with drawing the borders where the current battle lines are. It's Ukraine and Europe that want the "status quo ante."

That's not going to happen.

Posted by: no one of any consequense at May 17, 2026 01:43 PM (qFwJc)

175 I doubt Putin has an iron grip on the military as some suggest. He was an intel guy. Most of his ilk are dead now. I figure the Russian government today is a lot like what the *biden administration was like.

Lots of factions. No coordination. Big egos.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at May 17, 2026 01:43 PM (jehhT)

176 You forgot Freedonia.

Klopstockia

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at May 17, 2026 01:44 PM (Kt19C)

177 The advances in drone tech have made the war unwinnable for either side, which makes it's continuation sheer madness. The casualties are all for nothing, except political posturing.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 17, 2026 01:45 PM (rGqqI)

178 176 You forgot Freedonia.

Klopstockia

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at May 17, 2026 01:44 PM (Kt19C)

Pottsylvania

Posted by: Gref at May 17, 2026 01:46 PM (5rh/l)

179 "Putting additional tripwire troops in Poland is not going to add to NATO deterrence ..."

First thoughts. Haven't thought about NATO since 0bama denied missiles to Poland; but then I was only thinking in military terms, not economic or political.

Poland is not merely an ally, it's an Article 5 trip wire; in which case welfare Western Europe gets full US outside protection despite its lagging interest in self-protection.

If Poland alone were the second party to a bilateral defense pact, I could see the utility and military and political generosity of an Eastern European "ally". But Poland is NATO. And to decrease NATO means decreasing all European encumbrances everywhere.

Especially when NATO countries want to draw us into a war, and it's a war they themselves demand to win but refuse to fight or to spend money to prepare for.

Posted by: Flicker at May 17, 2026 01:46 PM (trwFl)

180 Calvert got busted in 1993 soon after he got into Congress.
I'm less concerned with his pimp love (which is not like that of a square) than the fact this fat blob has been in there for 23 years. Dude, get a job. And not another hand job either

Posted by: gKWVE at May 17, 2026 01:46 PM (gKWVE)

181 161 I suspect that Putin's biggest worry is that if he ends the war with some settlement that doesn't look like a win for him, he'll be deposed by his enemies in Moscow.
Posted by: Tom Servo
========
I think it might be more than that. If the war ends, Putin has created a terrible resolve in Ukrainians--just the the Germans did to the French after the Franco Prussian War and Russia is now truly surrounded by countries, other than Belarus, that despise it. China is a frenemy and Iran is a bigger PITA than it is worth just like their fading African and Syrian adventure stations are.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 01:47 PM (E4rtv)

182 178 176 You forgot Freedonia.

Klopstockia

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at May 17, 2026 01:44 PM (Kt19C)

Pottsylvania
Posted by: Gref at May 17, 2026 01:46 PM (5rh/l)
Hotstovia.

Posted by: Eromero at May 17, 2026 01:47 PM (LHPAg)

183 He's soporific when publicly speaking, and I'm a guy who really likes him. Like it or not, pols need to be able to whip up the crowd.

Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:19 PM (Riz8t)

I think he has gotten better, and one advantage of De Santis' speaking style is that it is plain. There is very little bullshit, and America will appreciate it.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at May 17, 2026 01:48 PM (iERP6)

184 > The advances in drone tech have made the war unwinnable for either side, which makes it's continuation sheer madness. The casualties are all for nothing, except political posturing.
---------
I saw a report this morning that suggests Cuba has a couple hundred of those one-way suicide drones they got from China.

A lot of our military assets in the southern half of the country, along with civilian infrastructure is purportedly in range.

Something else to ponder while the administration pokes around Cuba.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at May 17, 2026 01:48 PM (jehhT)

185
Sepsisia

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at May 17, 2026 01:48 PM (s9VOe)

186 167 Meat prices have gone up largely because of anti-competitive practices in the meat packing industry. The Trump DOJ settled a case against one group 10 days ago and is going after others.
Posted by: JackStraw
===========
Beef prices came from a historic reduction of herds during the Biden years for several reasons, it takes a lot longer to restore beef herds (and lower prices on beef) than pork or chicken.

Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 01:49 PM (E4rtv)

187 Follow the money, someone said.

Posted by: davidt at May 17, 2026 01:49 PM (Q+gd/)

188 "My failure was that I didn't build a distillery to keep my liquor cabinet stocked."

It's never too late to start.

Posted by: no one of any consequense at May 17, 2026 01:50 PM (qFwJc)

189 I love AOC. She's like an after dinner sitcom bimbo that never shuts the fuck up. Thanks NYC.

But we need to see more titties and less sassy dental work.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at May 17, 2026 01:52 PM (D1E+2)

190 Thanks CBD.

I just got here, has any morons suggested any reason at all to preserve Europe? Have they done anything for the U.S.?

The Australians have done more heavy lifting than they have, even though that has also come to a rather ignominious end.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at May 17, 2026 01:56 PM (RIvkX)

191 >> 121 Would DeSantis be able to serve on SCOTUS?

> He went to Yale and Harvard Law School, so he's certainly qualified. I'd really like to get some folks with real world experience on SCOTUS. Plus, there's very little risk he aspires to appear on Broadway.
Posted by: Archimedes at May 17, 2026 01:15 PM (Riz8t)

Aw man, now you jinxed it!

"The newest Supreme Court justice surprised his colleagues and the world with announcement of his guest appearance in the wonky off-Broadway musical 'administrivia' drama, Hurricane!: Disaster Response, as a heroic bureaucrat..."

Posted by: SciVo at May 17, 2026 01:57 PM (Sy6m/)

192 The Opening Silo was a quirky Off-Broadway musical meant to poke fun at the Cold War in the early 80s. Panned by critics for it's lack of biting political satire, cheap sets and a dearth of homosexual characters it closed after a run of only two months.

Posted by: Snooty Theatre Critic at May 17, 2026 01:58 PM (2Ez/1)

193 We need to cut our defense spending by 250 billion per year.

Posted by: Ted Torgerson at May 17, 2026 02:01 PM (R86kT)

194 Beef prices came from a historic reduction of herds during the Biden years for several reasons, it takes a lot longer to restore beef herds (and lower prices on beef) than pork or chicken.
Posted by: whig at May 17, 2026 01:49 PM (E4rtv)

Recently read about how the drought is forcing ranchers to bring their herds in due to the rising cost of feed. Might cause a short term glut, but yeah, nature can be a bitch...

Posted by: Joe Kidd at May 17, 2026 02:01 PM (nbLIj)

195 Nood. First world problems.

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at May 17, 2026 02:03 PM (mCjHU)

196 64: During the presidential debate, Ford claimed that "there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe" despite the fact the Warsaw Pact was still in full effect, and all governments in Eastern Europe were part of the Soviet bloc. Many countries had Soviet troops stationed in them.

Ford's statement was beyond a gaffe. It was an absurdity, and a far cry from the brutal reality behind the Iron Curtain.

Posted by: Fritz at May 17, 2026 02:04 PM (J7jo9)

197 Salty?

I'm trying but not having success. I'm getting the message "domain not found".

I'm not very techy.

Teej has my phone number. Would you mind texting?

Posted by: AmericanKestrel at May 17, 2026 02:05 PM (CPw89)

198 I'm old enough to remember GHW Bush begging the Baltics to stay in the Soviet Union.

Posted by: toby928(c) at May 17, 2026 02:09 PM (4NO2D)

199 I'm trying but not having success. I'm getting the message "domain not found".

I'm not very techy.

Teej has my phone number. Would you mind texting?
Posted by: AmericanKestrel
----------

Go to rot13.com and paste Salty's info there. Email address will show below.

Posted by: olddog in mo at May 17, 2026 02:10 PM (Hbeqj)

200 Fortifying eastern europe defends western europe. Why do you think NATO has been so desperate to bring every country to their east into the alliance? They get to be freeriders as the US bears the burden of defending in the buffer zone.

Of course eastern europe seem like better allies, because they know they're the ones actually at risk. That's no reason to volunteer more Americans to be drone fodder while the rest of NATO refuses to get off their asses.

Posted by: Sjg at May 17, 2026 02:17 PM (i8HNq)

201 I read "The Camp of the Saints" the new translation. Western Europe is toast. They were invaded and conquered.

Posted by: no one of any consequense at May 17, 2026 02:24 PM (qFwJc)

202 A successful color revolution put Donald Tusk into office in Poland after being head of the EU Council. Poland's government is not our ally.

Posted by: puckle at May 17, 2026 02:27 PM (0TyyC)

203 I guess a remake of "Witness" must be in the offing.
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at May 17, 2026 01:37 PM (s9

I laughed so hard I started to cough.

Thanks.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 17, 2026 03:01 PM (OYsYV)

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