By Rear Admiral Michael S. Baker and Captain Frederick M. Burkle Jr., U.S. Navy (Retired), and Jacob B. Baker
The set-up:
[USNI] An unarmed hospital ship is a sitting duck for attackers and hostage takers. The United States is making a serious mistake by not providing the next-generation expeditionary medical ship with self-defense capabilities.
Today’s global environment is more dangerous than ever. The full-scale land war in Ukraine, the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza in response to the Hamas terrorist attacks, and a more than decade-long civil war in Syria are only a few of the 110 ongoing identifiable armed conflicts.1 Transnational terrorism and organized crime also are on the rise. The International Chamber of Commerce International Maritime Bureau’s annual report indicates piracy and armed attacks on ships remain a serious and escalating problem. The report cites 132 actual and attempted incidents in 2021 and 115 in 2022.2 According to a regional information sharing center, the number of robbery incidents in the Singapore Strait reached an eight-year high in 2023. And in the Red Sea today, Houthi rebels are attacking ships, disrupting global commerce.3
Against this backdrop, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro remember when Spain ruled the waves?
in May 2023 announced the USNS Bethesda (EMS-1) will be the first in a class of new expeditionary medical ships (EMS) designed for distributed maritime operations.4 The Bethesda-class EMSs will be painted white, display a red cross, be manned by a civilian crew, and presumably be unarmed or minimally armed. This makes them highly vulnerable in today’s tumultuous security environment.5 It is incredibly dangerous for Navy leaders not to recognize the current risk environment and stick with decisions made in a bygone era, buttressed only by wishful thinking.
#1
During WWII Japanese pilots thought that the red crosses on hospital ships made a fine aiming point.
Seriously, if you are willing to bomb an enemy city, how is it that hospital ships are off limits?
Posted by: ed in texas ||
08/29/2024 9:15 Comments ||
Top||
[ZeroHedge] A series of bizarre developments that have unfolded in Great Britain over the last few weeks suggest that its financial system came to the verge of collapse, probably as a consequence of Ukraine’s debt default. The last thing the people in power will tell us is the truth, but if we dig in dark places and connect the dots, I believe the conclusion practically makes itself. The consequences for Britain, and probably for “his majesty’s” other dominions will be extreme. Let’s dive in…
THE RIOTS THAT WEREN’T (QUITE)
The stabbings of three young girls (6, 7, and 9 years of age) that happened in Southport, UK on 29 July apparently unleashed widespread rioting and clashes in Britain, notably between the immigrant Muslim community and what PM Keir Starmer called, right-wing thugs. The authorities' reaction has been nothing short of Orwellian including a radical and ongoing crackdown on free speech.
But it would appear that the riots and clashes haven't been quite as widespread or as violent as the media portrayed them to be. In a recent podcast, Alexander Mercouris pointed out that not only did everything seem calm in London, but that a number of his friends and acquaintances around the UK all told him the same, even for the cities where rioting had been reported. Could it be that the government overreacted and exaggerated the threat in order to justify stepping up its authoritarian control which is now gripping Britain?
Rather than appealing for calm, the government’s messaging clearly aimed at intimidating the population. The UK's Home Office warned that "Actions have consequences," and boasted that over 1,000 arrests have been made thus far. British courts already sentenced many people to stiff prison terms for wrongthink expressed on social media and they made sure that these sentences got wide publicity.
On Friday, 16 August, I joined Tom Luongo at the @CryptoRich podcast to discuss the situation, which turned into a bit of a brainstorming session: given that violent crime and knife stabbings are nothing new in Britain (they've been on the rise for years) and that people's resentment against immigrants isn't new either, it occurred to me to wonder, why is the government turning as radically authoritarian? And why now?
If the crackdown is being deliberately orchestrated and I believe that it is, then what is the reason for it? Our discussion converged on the idea that Britain might be facing an imminent financial crisis which could accelerate her economic and social collapse. My suspicion was that it might have to do with the fact that Britain got overextended in Ukraine trying to regain the leadership, affluence and the prestige which it has been steadily losing over the recent decades.
…A sudden deterioration, which developed during the course of this year seems to be related to the Western powers’ impending military defeat in their proxy war against Russia. Britain has been the principal cheerleader and sponsor of that conflict, and she seems to have gone "in over her head.” In addition to providing at least £7.5 billion in military aid (nearly $10 billion), Britain gave another £5 billion ($6.5 billion) to Ukraine in financial support.
Furthermore, Britain has also guaranteed multiple tranches of World Bank loans to Ukraine and many British financial institutions have purchased billions’ worth of Ukraine's bonds. Others made extensive direct investments there. In the timeline that follows we’ll trace the way Britain’s perfect storm shaped up in Ukraine.
Long and detailed timeline can be read at the link.
More than a century after 48 000 people died in concentration camps in what’s known as the South African War between 1899 and 1902 – or the Anglo-Boer War – the events of that period are back in the headlines.
The camps were established by the British as part of their military campaign against two small Afrikaner republics: the ZAR (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State.
#4
And some wonder if "Perfidious Albion" was earned at the height of Empire. That aspect of the Boer War has been carefully obscured for a very long time.
#5
Many were children having fallen victim to measles
and other childhood illnesses during harsh winter conditions. Reading the inscription "unknown infant" on hundreds of gravestones will bring a strong man to tears.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[RedStar] 80th anniversary of the liberation of Western Ukraine from the horrors of fascism. The soldier's feat does not fade with the years.
by Georgy Shevergin
The Ministry of Defense has launched a new historical project with declassified archival documents on the preparation and conduct of the Lvov-Sandomierz strategic offensive operation. LVOV DEATH CONVEYOR
On June 30, 1941, having broken into the city of Lvov, the German occupiers began to impose the so-called new order of unbridled robbery, violence, torture, and mass murder.
An investigation by the Extraordinary State Commission of the USSR established that the Gestapo detachments had lists of the most prominent representatives of the intelligentsia designated for extermination even before the capture of Lvov. In the first months of the occupation, the Germans killed over 70 prominent figures in science, technology, and art in Lvov.
In July 1941, the German military command created a concentration camp for prisoners of war in the center of Lvov, on the territory of a fortress called the Citadel. The camp premises were not heated. Tens of thousands of prisoners died from hunger, beatings, disease, and executions. It has been established that during the existence of this camp, more than 280,000 prisoners of war were held there, of whom over 140,000 died.
Another conveyor belt of death for the extermination of the civilian population was organized by the Nazi invaders in November 1941 on Yanovskaya Street in Lvov. The "SS forced labor camp" was fenced with barbed wire. The Germans drove civilians here. The prisoners were forced to perform backbreaking labor.
The occupiers sent anyone they considered guilty to them to death on the gallows or by execution. Brutal beatings of prisoners were considered the norm. People died in the hundreds from hunger and disease.
The Germans also carried out mass executions of civilians and prisoners of war in the Lisenitsky Forest, on the outskirts of Lvov. Over 200,000 people were shot here.
Slavuta, a once flourishing Ukrainian town, was turned into a central concentration camp with the arrival of the Nazi invaders. Over 120,000 Soviet citizens – prisoners of war and civilians – were killed, tortured and mutilated in the “Slavuta Grosslazaret” by the Nazis. Mass extermination of Soviet people was also carried out in other cities of the Lvov region. The declassified archival documents of the project serve as convincing evidence of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and their accomplices in the occupied territory.
COLLABORATORS – SS ACCOMPLICES
The occupiers created the "Galicia District" with its inclusion in the so-called General Governorate. The district consisted of the territories of the modern Lvov, Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil regions. In March 1943, the "Manifesto to the Fighting Youth of Galicia" was published in the district newspapers under the signature of its head Otto Wächter. It stated that the Galician Ukrainians had been given a high honor for their loyalty to the Fuhrer and the Third Reich: they had been given the right to form a new SS division "Galicia".
Several tens of thousands of people wanted to serve as executioners of the Ukrainian people. Experienced punishers also joined the ranks of the SS, for example, from the 201st Schutzmannschaft Battalion, which had shed a lot of blood of Soviet patriots on the territory of Belarus. The 204th Police and SD Battalion, as well as a number of other units, were formed from those collaborators who did not make it into the division.
The text of the oath of the collaborators, who donned the SS uniform of "Galicia", stated: "I, a Ukrainian volunteer, by this oath voluntarily place myself at the disposal of the German Army. I swear to the German Leader and Supreme Commander of the German Army Adolf Hitler in unwavering loyalty and obedience."
Already at the formation stage, the division began to commit atrocities against the civilian population. On February 28, 1944, the 4th Police Regiment of the SS Division "Galicia" destroyed a thousand civilians in the Polish village of Guta Penyatskaya, located in the territory of today's Brody district of the Lvov region of Ukraine.
On June 25, 1944, the SS Galicia Division was transferred to Brody under the command of the 13th Army Corps. There it occupied the second line of defense, located 20 km from the front line.
During the Lvov-Sandomierz operation, 32 German divisions lost from 50 to 70 percent of their personnel, and eight divisions were completely destroyed.
ENCIRCLE AND DESTROY
On June 22, 1944, the Military Council of the 1st Ukrainian Front, commanded by Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Konev, submitted a plan for the Lvov-Sandomierz offensive operation to the Supreme Command Headquarters, which approved it.
The plan for the operation, the so-called sixth Stalinist strike, was to encircle and destroy the enemy’s Lvov-Brody grouping, take Lvov, cut Army Group Northern Ukraine apart, throw one part back to the Polesia region, the other to the Carpathians, and have the front’s main forces reach the Vistula River line.
Despite the Soviet offensive that had begun in Belarus, the German command expected the Red Army to advance in the Lvov direction. Therefore, it retained significant tank forces as part of Army Group Northern Ukraine.
However, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, fulfilling the plan of the Supreme Command Headquarters, broke through the enemy’s main line of defense. The tank armies and cavalry-mechanized groups brought into the battle began to cut off the enemy group's escape routes.
On July 15, the German command used Galicia to launch a counterattack on the advancing Soviet units. By the evening of the same day, the counteroffensive had petered out, and by July 18, Galicia, along with other German units, was surrounded.
"The enemy in the Lvov direction, stubbornly resisting with fire and counterattacks, retreated in the western direction. The encircled Brod grouping consisting of the 340th Infantry Division, 361st Infantry Division, 454th Security Division, 14th SS Infantry Division "Galichans", Corps Group "C" during July 20-22, 1944, which tried to break through in the area of Sasov, Bialy Kamen, was routed from encirclement by troops of the 4th Tank Army in a total of up to 15,000 people. The commander of the 454th Security Division, Major General Nedvig Johannes, was taken prisoner. A search was organized for the commander of the 13th Army Corps, Major General von Hoff," the archival document says.
"On July 27, the front's troops continued their offensive and advanced 20-35 km. "As a result of stubborn fighting, the cities of Lvov, Yaroslav, Przemysl, and up to 500 settlements were captured, including the cities of Przewursk, Turobin, Kalchuga, Prukhniki-Miasto, Khodorov, and Solotvina," noted the combat report of the 1st Ukrainian Front headquarters on July 28, 1944.
The 2nd and 8th Air Armies played an important role in the operation. From July 13 to August 29, 48,000 sorties were carried out. Having dropped 6,500 tons of bombs on the enemy and expended 3,300,000 shells and cartridges, the air units inflicted great losses on him in manpower and equipment, which contributed to an increase in the pace of the ground forces' offensive.
As a result of the Lvov-Sandomierz operation, Soviet troops completed the liberation of the entire territory of the Ukrainian SSR from German occupation within the 1941 borders. The result of Stalin's sixth strike was the almost complete defeat of Army Group "Northern Ukraine". The enemy was thrown back to the west more than 200 km. He lost about 90,000 soldiers and officers, a large amount of equipment and weapons. During the battles, 32 divisions of the German fascist troops, including the Ukrainian SS collaborationist division "Galicia", lost from 50 to 70 percent of their personnel, and eight divisions were completely destroyed.
HEROIC LIBERATORS OF WESTERN UKRAINE
During the Lvov-Sandomierz Operation, Soviet soldiers acted courageously and decisively, demonstrated heroism and military skill. One of the sections of the historical project contains several award sheets describing the exploits of military personnel. The presented reporting documents on the soldiers' exploits also contain dry statistical data on the number of enemy equipment destroyed.
On July 27, 1944, at 11 p.m., the city of Moscow saluted the valiant troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, who captured the city of Lvov - 20 artillery salvos from 224 guns.
For high military skill and heroism, 353 formations and units of the 1st Ukrainian Front were awarded orders, 246 received the honorary titles of Lvov, Vistula, Sandomierz, Stanislav and others. More than 123,000 soldiers were awarded orders and medals, 160 people were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
Text taken from a V Kontakte post of Reports from the Novorossiya militia
one hour ago.
[VK] WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
A week after the start of the operation in the Kursk region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a series of strikes on bridges and crossings on the Seim River in the Glushkovsky district. It would seem that the reason for these actions is obvious - the Armed Forces of Ukraine are preparing another strike and are trying to isolate the area. However, a number of elements indicate the illogicality of what is happening. The
first reports of strikes on bridges appeared on August 12 (!) in the Russian-language segment of the Telegram social network. From there, information began to spread to pro-Ukrainian and Western publications. By August 15-16, strikes on bridges became a popular topic in the media and social networks. At the moment, the topic is still warming up with reports of imminent activation in this area, as if explaining the logic of the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
WHAT'S WRONG?
Firstly, practically all Western media and the Ukrainian leadership insist that the key moment in the preparation of the operation in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation was the strictest secrecy, under which even high-ranking officers learned about the goals of the operation at the last minute.moment. The attacks on bridges, on the contrary, are not only not hidden, but are even emphasized by the Ukrainian command, which published photos and videos.
Secondly, between August 12 and 27, 16 days have passed during which nothing happened.
From a military point of view, such preparation for the operation looks absurd, since it simultaneously reveals intentions, deprives the element of surprise and gives the enemy (in this case, the Russian Armed Forces) time to prepare. In addition, the principled approach contradicts the principles of preparation for the entire operation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region.
But what if the Ukrainian Armed Forces are confident in themselves or is this a diversionary maneuver?
Right now they should be less confident than at the beginning of the operation. Irreplaceable (or difficult to replace) resources and reserves have already been spent, high losses have been incurred, and the Russian command has time to deploy reserves. In addition, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have not solved the fundamental problems of the entire operation, namely, the dominance of Russian aviation in the air, the superiority of the Russian Armed Forces in artillery and resources. Simply put, time does not work for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They can enter the territory, but it is difficult to hold it.
WHAT CONCLUSIONS CAN BE DRAWN?
Let us make an unpopular (but logical) assumption: the reasons for the attacks on the bridges should be sought not in the military component, but in the media.
Even before the start of the SVO, the Ukrainian special services' strong point was the forces of information and psychological operations. The Ukrainian command knows that the issue of bridges is an irrationally sore spot for a significant part of the Russian media and Telegram channels covering the progress of the SVO.
Thus, regular demonstrative strikes, supported by both Ukrainian and Western information machines, can be organized precisely within the framework of the information and psychological operation.
The goals can be different. For example, to increase tension within the country, force the army leadership to take ill-considered steps and even cause panic on the ground.
One of the best reads (aside R-Burg comments) I've experienced this year.
A few key paragraphs below:
[AmericanThinker] Although the rising Ottoman empire, by 1500, would stretch from the modern states of Algeria to Yemen to Hungary, in 1453, Constantinople was still Christian and a major thorn in the side of Muslim Sultan Mehmed II. He planned to fix that.
By late May, after besieging the city for two months and making no headway, Mehmed prepared to retreat. A small number of his advisors suggested giving the siege one last day before they withdrew. Mehmed agreed, and on May 29, the Ottomans threw everything they had at the city. Constantinople’s defenders repulsed the first three Ottoman assaults, and the Ottoman generals despaired at the prospect of defeat.
But then one of the great turning points in history happened. Among the 40,000 defenders (against an Ottoman force of approximately 80,000) were 700 Genoese fighters defending the most vulnerable parts of the walls. The defenses stretched thin, these Genoese warriors, led by their captain Giovanni Giustiniani, had held the Turks at bay for two months.
Through the third assault of the day, the Genoese had performed impeccably, and the smell of victory was beginning to waft through the defenses. At that very moment, however, just as the fourth and final assault was commencing, Giustiniani was shot. Wounded, Giustiniani commanded his troops to evacuate him from the city. Either because of a miscommunication or because they were afraid they could not succeed without Giustiniani, all 700 Genoese abandoned the walls and left the most vulnerable defenses unprotected.
Seeing their opportunity, the Ottomans made their move before the city’s defenders could divert reinforcements, breaching the walls and taking the city. Mehmed would later make Constantinople the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
Ultimately, Constantinople fell because it didn’t have the resources to defend itself effectively. Couldn't chew gum and walk at the same time?
It repeatedly pleaded with Christian rulers across Europe for help repelling the Ottoman army. Most of the West’s caterwauling kings and nobles, however, had been too busy with their domestic concerns, dynastic infighting, and petty jealousies to bother sending support. As a result, a mere 700 men, or in reality, one man, were the only things that had protected what was seen as the Christian bulwark against the Muslim menace in the east. When they (or he) fell, the city fell.
There are lessons to be had from the kings’ and nobles’ inaction. How many times have you heard pro-lifers say they can’t vote for Trump because they feel he’s soft on abortion? Or free-market advocates say they can’t vote for Trump because he supports tariffs? Or someone who says he won’t vote because everyone’s corrupt?
We all know Trump is flawed. But the reality is that we’re all flawed. We know more about Trump’s flaws because he spends so much time talking—and the media spend so much time talking about him. I dare anyone to speak for a fraction of the time Trump does and not leave a trail of breadcrumbs that the propaganda ministry can’t use to paint you as Satan.
#1
Looking from the outside: it's Tramp or Kamala - and only somebody for whom "first female POTUS" is the principal consideration can vote for Kamala.
#3
The key point in the upcoming election is the still unresolved voter fraud of 2020. Nothing substantial was done to correct that. The fraud of the 2024 election is yet to occur. I think it will be a doozy.
#4
Raymond Ibrahim in "Sword and Scimitar" gives a quite horrific description of the events of that day and beyond, from primary Christian and Muslim sources. The events in the Hagia Sophia are described in gruesome detail:
"...we have primary source documents describing exactly what the Turks and Sultan Muhammad did after conquering Constantinople and its Hagia Sophia in 1453. (All quotes in the following narrative were derived from contemporary sources, mostly eyewitnesses, as documented in chapter 7 of my book, Sword and Scimitar.)
Once inside the city on May 29, 1453, the "enraged Turkish soldiers . . . gave no quarter": When they had massacred and there was no longer any resistance, they were intent on pillage and roamed through the town stealing, disrobing, pillaging, killing, raping, taking captive men, women, children, old men, young men, monks, priests, people of all sorts and conditions...
Because thousands of citizens had fled to and were holed up in Hagia Sophia, the ancient basilica offered an excellent harvest of slaves, once its doors were axed down. "One Turk would look for the captive who seemed the wealthiest, a second would prefer a pretty face among the nuns. . . . Each rapacious Turk was eager to lead his captive to a safe place, and then return to secure a second and a third prize. . . . Then long chains of captives could be seen leaving the church and its shrines, being herded along like cattle or flocks of sheep."
A great deal more detail from primary sources is at the link.
Recalling the Real Ottoman Conquest of Constantinople - by Raymond Ibrahim-PJ Media
July 15, 2020
[Breitbart] In what is being described as stark "gaslighting" by many readers on social media, Politico published an article claiming that former President Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... ’s running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) "tried to tie Harris" to the Biden-Harris administration’s policies while speaking at a rally in Big Rapids, Michigan, on Tuesday.
"Vance tries to tether Harris to Biden during Michigan rally," read a Tuesday X post by Politico, citing the article.
In the piece, Politico news hound Mia McCarthy amusingly writes, "Speaking at a rally in Big Rapids, Michigan, former President Donald Trump’s running mate tried to tie Harris to the Biden administration’s policies."
Politico’s X post was quickly issued a "Community Notes" correction advising the public that "Harris is currently President Biden’s Vice President."
Social media users, meanwhile, slammed Politico in the comment section and accused the outlet of "gaslighting," a term the American Psychological Association (APA) defines as "to manipulate another person into doubting their perceptions, experiences, or understanding of events."
"We’ve reached apex gaslighting, people. It doesn’t get any more ’believe us and not your own eyes’ than this," one X user reacted.
"This is a level of media gaslighting I’ve never seen before. Holy fucking shit," another wrote, before proclaiming, "SHES HIS GOD DAMN VICE PRESIDENT! RIGHT NOW! SHES IN OFFICE! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"
"I didn’t even know this level of gaslighting was possible," a third echoed.
"Harris is tied to Biden because... wait for it..... SHE IS HIS VICE PRESIDENT," another X user exclaimed.
"How dare he tie Harris to the Biden/Harris administration!" another quipped.
"Tries? She tethered herself to him," another informed.
Vance also reacted to Politico’s post, writing, "The thing is: she’s Biden’s Vice President."
#2
Considering how Joey has decided to not even phone it in from this point, it's basically the Harris Admin already. Except the people actually running things wouldn't let either make any decisions anyway. So there's that.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
08/29/2024 9:19 Comments ||
Top||
#3
But what is wrong with being associated with the most popular president and booming economy in history?
#4
I'm confused. RFK Jr wants to be taken off the ballot in all states but has been denied in most Democrat controlled states after having withdrawn from the race but Biden has been removed after he withdrew.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
08/29/2024 11:14 Comments ||
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#5
^ RFK, Jr. asked to be taken off in swing states only, where his name might harm Trump
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/29/2024 11:42 Comments ||
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#6
Democrat controlled swing states.
All the talk about whether it was too late to add Kamala is gone.
#7
They won't take him off the ballot because the ballots have already been cast and the computers already programmed with the results. To drop him would force them to actually unfix what has already been fixed.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...His ancestors didn't own any slaves...
