Prank?

This is coolbert:

Place this one in the strange but true category!

Is it a prank? Is it a desecration? Is it vandalism? I am not sure.

Desecration of war memorials quite a common occurrence in many nations. Motivations of the perpetrators not even clear and probably never will be.

BUT THIS?

"Russia Wants Bulgarians to Stop Painting Soviet Monuments To Look Like American Superheroes"

"According to a report by the Moscow Times, pranksters in Bulgaria are repainting Soviet-era monuments so that Soviet military heroes look like American Superheroes. Needless to say, the Russians are not too happy about it:

 "Russia is demanding that Bulgaria try harder to prevent vandalism of Soviet monuments, after yet another monument to Soviet troops in Sofia was spray-painted, ITAR-Tass reported."

This is hardly vandalism or desecration as I understand the common, ordinary and normal definition of those words to mean? A prank probably is more accurate a description but out of place? Superman, Ronald McDonald, the American flag, Santa Claus. Figures are originally done Soviet soldiers of the Great Patriotic War [WW2] liberating Bulgaria from fascist occupation.

NOW cartoon characters? Who would ever have believed it. To paint that memorial in such a fashion too was a rather protracted affair, not done at a whim and in an instant the work apparently of professionals?

coolbert.

Potemkin.

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Potemkin village in the sky? Russian style deception and disinformation?

"When strong appear weak. When weak appear strong"?

You the devoted reader to the blog decide for yourself.

1. "Russian Media Allegedly Leaks VIDEO of Su-57 Successor"

As proposed the Russian 6th generation fighter plane already on the drawing boards, a fly-able version to take to the skies at least by 2025? Hypersonic too! Everything hypersonic.

2. "Russia accidentally leaks image of future high-speed helicopter"

"The Kamov Design Bureau appears to have leaked the details of future high-speed helicopter it is about to develop for Armed Forces of the Russian Federation."

See also from the Defence blog twitter entry more info on the Russian 6th generation warplane as allegedly is in the works!

LEAKED LEAKED LEAKED!! ACCIDENTAL ACCIDENTAL ACCIDENTAL!

In the old Soviet Union NOTHING was ever leaked or accidental. 

coolbert.

Robertshaw.

This is coolbert:

From the Daily Mail courtesy the tip from Freeper.

This is the sort of thing the English are very fond of! The old ways!

"All quiet on the Western Front garden! WWI expert turns his yard into trench system to show what life was really like on the front line"

ENGLISHMAN WITH HIS OWN GREAT WAR [WW1] BATTLEFIELD!

Surely this cannot be code? Perhaps Mr. Robertshaw got a special waiver before he began construction? Click on image to see an enlarged view.

"Surrounded by barbed wire, sandbags and mud, this 60ft [twenty meters] trench is barely distinguishable from those occupied by British soldiers fighting in the First World War a century ago."

. . .

"First World War historian Andrew Robertshaw and 30 volunteers - including a detachment of troops returning from Afghanistan - spent a month shifting 200 tons of earth to build the enormous three-room trench, which he hopes will teach people more about the horrific living conditions endured by British troops during the Great War."

TWO HUNDRED TONS OF EARTH AS MOVED BY MACHINE AND NOT BY HAND!!

Mr. Robertshaw [sergeant] enjoys a meagre repast. Poor form lad! Your weapon at all times no greater than an arm's distance away! Disciplinary measures will have to be taken!!

See my previous photo-essay blog entry the Great War, Rockford, Illinois, USA!

coolbert.

Cargo.

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Consider this the type of blog entry that will raise hackles in some quarters. But here goes! Additionally take into account the previous blog entry the topic of which was Manus Island, South Pacific, that proposed American/Australian naval base.

"raise one's hackles: Make one very angry"

"Till we meet again." The Cargo Cults.

Not only will John Frum return, HE HAS!!

Without further ado or commentary and thanks to You Tube in all instances.

Adherents to the Cargo Cults their many decades of faithful devotion to ritual, incantation and supplication now to be rewarded TENFOLD times beyond TENFOLD times? So will be the thought! Indeed, John Frum HAS returned!.

 "OH ye of little faith!"

 coolbert.

Manus.

This is coolbert:

South Pacific U.S. Navy deja vu all  over again?

Manus Island, south of the equator? Yet one more American geography lesson. In World War Two it was Guadalcanal, Kolombangara, Tassafaronga. 2018 it is Manus?

More American and Australian joint military venture. As reported by the Iraian PressTV [controlled?] and the tip from Jeff.

"US to partner with Australia to redevelop naval base in Papua New Guinea"

"The United States says it will partner with Australia to redevelop a naval base in Papua New Guinea (PNG) at Manus Island, in an apparent move to ramp up its presence in the South Pacific to counter China perceived influence there"

AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA HAND-IN-GLOVE PREPARING FOR A CONFRONTATION OF SOME SORT? ANOTHER JOINT MILITARY VENTURE IN THE SAME MANNER AS MRF DARWIN?

See previous blog entry and further links to that joint American/Australian military venture MRF Darwin:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/04/mrf-2017.html

Si vis pacem, para bellum. China, are you listening? 

coolbert.

NYC.

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Attack USA WW2!! Preposterous?

From the outstanding Internet web site "Covert Shores" and the article by H I Sutton:

"Decima-MAS_attack_on_New-York"

"Planned Special Forces attack on New York, 1943

Attack USA, New York City!! Italian naval commando.

"For the New York attack the CA-Class was heavily modified with the torpedoes removed and four large mines instead added to a remodeled superstructure. A diver lock-out compartment was built into the hull with hatches on both top and bottom. This allowed the frogmen to access the midget submarine directly from the dry interior of the host submarine."

Naval commando combat swimmers [free divers] exiting a modified CA class Italian midget submarine. Attaching limpet mines to the hulls of merchant vessels anchored New York harbor. Ships sent to the bottom. Material loss minor, psychological damage GREAT! So was the plan!

"The plan was to deliver a CA midget submarine to the mouth of the Hudson River using a submarine of the Italian Atlantic Fleet which operated out of occupied France. It would then drive up the river, releasing frogmen who would place limpet mines on unsuspecting merchant ships there before rejoining the mini-sub and returning to the mother submarine."

MUCH H AS BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT THE POOR PERFORMANCE OF THE ITALIAN MILITARY DURING BOTH WORLD WARS. ITALIAN NAVAL COMMANDO UNITS HOWEVER THEIR ABILITY AND DARING SUPERLATIVE, THE STANDARD BY WHICH ALL OTHER NAVAL COMMANDO UNITS MUST BE JUDGED.

coolbert.

Bacteria.

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NOBODY IN ANY SORT OF SHAPE, MANNER OR FORM HAS EVER MADE THIS CONNECTION BEFORE?

The Swine flu [often referred to as the Spanish flu] epidemic of 1918 a killer but diagnosis not correct!

A subject, the pandemic, studied in great detail [?], conclusion incorrect in all respects? Could it be so?

"Did a Military Experimental Vaccine in 1918 Kill 50-100 Million People Blamed as 'Spanish Flu'?"

By Kevin Barry and thanks to the tip from the Lew Rockwell Internet web site.

"The 'Spanish Flu' killed an estimated 50-100 million people [that figure far beyond the number of soldiers killed in combat during the war] during a pandemic 1918-19. What if the story we have been told about this pandemic isn’t true?"

. . . .

"Newly analyzed documents reveal that the 'Spanish Flu' may have been a military vaccine experiment gone awry."

THINK RATHER THE TRUE CULPRIT OF THE EPIDEMIC BEING:

"From January 21 – June 4, 1918, an experimental bacterial meningitis vaccine cultured in horses by the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York was injected into soldiers at Fort Riley."

That British military base of Etaple quite often cited as ground zero of the illness. Sickness as having "jumped" from swine at the local piggery to humans. So it is alleged. But this is not so?

Often too I have thought the spread of the malady somehow related to the continuous and pervasive wearing of gas masks. Breathing in and out through the mask in some manner contributing to an unhealthy condition?

Military prophylaxis gone "awry". What if? Trying to do good but did bad! Exceedingly so.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that the Lew Rockwell Internet web site is for the most part anti-vaccine and anti-inoculation.

coolbert.

Audio.

This is coolbert:

Such a thing even exists? I guess so. 

Within context of a previous blog entry those last few minutes and seconds the sound of combat during the Great War recorded for posterity? You can listen for yourself and I highly recommend you do so. Thanks to the tip from the Russian media outlet RT.

"rt100 years ago, #WWI ended and the guns fell silent. This is a recreation made by the Imperial War Museum [England] of an authentic sound graph capturing this moment near the River #Moselle. #WorldWarI #WorldWarOne"

coolbert.

Cyclone.

This is coolbert:

As recounted by the Roman historian Cassius Dio the Battle in the Teutoburg Forest:

"Chapters 18-24 of Book 56 of Dio's Roman History"

[56.20.3] "Meanwhile a violent rain and wind came up that separated them [Romans] still further, while the ground, that had become slippery around the roots and logs, made walking very treacherous for them, and the tops of the trees kept breaking off and falling down, causing much confusion."

. . . .

[56.21.3] "They [Romans] were still advancing when the fourth day dawned, and again a heavy downpour and violent wind assailed them, preventing them from going forward and even from standing securely, and moreover depriving them of the use of their weapons. For they [Romans] could not handle their bows or their javelins with any success, nor, for that matter, their shields, which were thoroughly soaked."

First the "violent rain and wind". Then the wagons and baggage train to include the catapulta become mired. Impedimenta abandoned by the legions. Then the bow strings cannot be strung and the shields cannot be lifted, so heavy and sodden with rain. Repeated attacks by the barbarians and ultimate Roman defeat inevitable and absolute.

I recommend highly without qualification or reservation this You Tube video: "Perfect Storms: THE LOST LEGIONS | Full Documentary". The destruction of the three Roman Legions, 9 A.D.. The Battle of the Teutoburger Wald. Germanic tribesmen si, Romans no!

We can reasonably infer the storm as beset the Roman legions was AN EXTRATROPICAL CYCLONE! A temperate zone hurricane as moving across the Atlantic from west to east. Wind and rain of prodigious proportions, biblical in scale and nature!

These cyclones do occur on a periodic basis the amount of catastrophic damage immense. Romans caught in such a storm only exacerbating their already tenuous situation. It might even be the German barbarian by observing the cloud formations were able to anticipate the arrival of the storm and took advantage of such extreme inclement weather??

The Romans too entering into the pre-positioned Germani "kill zone" had a bog to their backs. Potentially flooded way beyond normal by torrential downpour. The Roman having entrenched barbarians to the front and an impassable bog to their rear, no line of retreat possible. Curtains as they say!

coolbert.

Kaiser.

This is coolbert:

From a current edition of the Chicago Sun-Times more end of newspaper coverage as it was at the time of the end of the Great War.

"CHICAGO DAILY NEWS: ON THIS DATE"

"As  reported by the Chicago Daily News, sister paper of the Chicago Sun-Times."

"100 years ago."

"Chicago turned topsy-turvy today . ... Its millions of citizens gave themselves without bounds to the delirium of joy the news of the war's grand finale had evoked in them. Pandemonium was in the saddle wherever it citizens congregated. And the whole thing as a score or more funeral corteges seemed to indicate was a tribute - - or what would you call it? - - to former Kaiser Wilhelm. It was Chicago's way of mourning the German emperor. Moreover it was a part of the world's expression of it s emotions at the downfall of the Hohenzollerns. The military terms of the armistice are embraced in 11 specifications which include the evacuation of all invaded territories, the withdrawal of the German troops for the left bank of the Rhine and the surrender of all  supplies of war."

See also previous blog entry the same end-of-war event that headline of the Chicago Tribune newspaper, dated 11 November 1918.

coolbert.

Magnetic.

This is coolbert:

Always alert for this type of subject matter. Unusual celestial phenomenon as observed and occurring in conjunction with military activity of a climactic nature. Eclipse, comet, aurora, etc.

Think Isandhlwana, Gaugamela, Battle of Delhi, etc.

The Second Indo-China War, Vietnam and the mining of Haiphong harbor too?

"Powerful Solar Storm Likely Detonated Sea Mines During Vietnam War"

"On Aug. 4, 1972, the crew of a U.S. Task Force 77 aircraft flying near a naval minefield in the waters off Hon La observed 20 to 25 explosions over about 30 seconds. They also witnessed an additional 25 to 30 mud spots in the waters nearby."

AMERICAN NAVAL SEA MINES PART AND PARCEL OF THE BLOCKADE OF HAIPHONG HARBOR SPONTANEOUSLY DETONATING FOR NO KNOWN REASON!

"Destructor sea mines [DST] had been deployed here during Operation Pocket Money, a mining campaign launched in 1972 against principal North Vietnamese ports."

"There was no obvious reason why the mines should have detonated. But it has now emerged the U.S. Navy soon turned its attention to extreme solar activity at the time as a probable cause."

Click on image to see a larger view. Previously classified report stating that the August solar storm DID result in spontaneous detonation of naval sea mines. Another September solar storm did not result in further unexplained and unwanted premature detonations.

In this particular instance an intense solar storm of biblical scale activating the magnetic triggers of the naval sea mines much unexpected by American naval military planners. Even the very forces of nature itself in opposition to the American war effort during the Second Indo-China War? You the devoted reader to the blog decide this for yourself.

coolbert.

Finale!

This is coolbert:

From the Mark Steyn Internet web site as extracted and thanks to the tip from Nick.

"The War That Made the World We Live In"

One Hundred Years Ago - - November 11, 2018

We agree to stop fighting. But in a few hours. Give us a spell!

For some, it was the last few hours.

"The belligerents had agreed the terms of the peace at 5am that November morning, and the news was relayed to the commanders in the field shortly thereafter that hostilities would cease at eleven o'clock. And then they all went back to firing at each other for a final six hours. On that last day, British imperial forces lost some 2,400 men, the French 1,170, the Germans 4,120, the Americans about 3,000. The dead in those last hours of the Great War outnumbered the toll of D Day twenty-six years later"

No more I think to be added! Finale YES! The Great War but not great as in the modern context the word great understood!

coolbert.

Peace.

This is coolbert:

Consider this video a MUST see! Outstanding and thanks to the tip from the Internet web site isegoria.net.

A cartoon but much more than a cartoon. Dated 1939 but the relevancy eternal!

Without further ado:

In the aftermath of an apocalyptic war with the extinction of the human species only squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits and other assorted rodentia will inhabit the earth. This is perhaps not such a bad thing so will some think?

Also in the aftermath of an even worse global thermonuclear war only insects will be the remaining life form. That too will not be such a bad thing? WITHOUT INTELLIGENCE THERE CAN BE NO STUPIDITY!

coolbert.

11 November.

This is coolbert:

As was reported by the headline page of the Chicago Tribune [it was called the Chicago Daily/Tribune at the time] one-hundred years ago today:

"GREAT WAR ENDS"

"WASHINGTON, 11, NOV. 11, 3 a.m. (BY Associated Press.) - - Armistice terms have been signed by Germany, the State department announced at 2:45 o'clock this morning."

"The world war will end this morning at 6 o'clock, Washington time, 11 o'clock Paris time. The armistice signed by the German representatives at midnight."

* "USE WIRELESS TO GIVE WORD TO SIGN TRUCE"

* "OUTLINE OF THE TERMS"

* "Chicago Gets Out of Bed: Bedlam Reigns in Loop"

* "REPUBLIC SET UP IN BERLIN BY SOCIALISTS"

* "KAISER FLEES WITH STAFF TO HOLLAND"

* "RED FLAG FLIES OVER ALL BIG GERMAN CITIES"

And in finality as commented on today by Charles J. Johnson of the Tribune staff:

 "No Tribune reader in the fall of 1918 could have predicted the political rise of an unassuming (many thought dimwitted) German corporal named Adolf Hitler, who was at that moment lying in a hospital bed recovering from a gas attack. Across the world, Nov. 11, 191`8, was a cause for celebration. But 100 years later, the front page of the paper on that historic day feels both joyful and eerily prescient."

coolbert.

Rant III.

This is coolbert:

Conclusion!

Rant yet further and final.

Draw your saber partner!

For clarification sake those intermediate-range ballistic [IRBM] missiles as were part and parcel of the controversy as existing originally almost forty years ago and essential to an understanding of the INF treaty [Intermediate-range nuclear forces]. Details of the missile as most germane to current events also described.

From Forty years ago:

1. SS-20 “Saber” (RSD-10).

"The SS-20 Saber was a Soviet intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that entered service in 1976. Its wide-scale deployment was a key driver behind NATO’s 1979 decision to station U.S. Pershing II IRBMs in Europe. The Soviet Union retired the SS-20 from service following the ratification of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 1987."

2. Pershing II.


3. BGM-109G GLCM.

SS-20 [NATO code name Saber] five-hundred missiles deployed by Soviet ground forces [developed and fielded totally in secret] with a range at least twice of the American counter-part IRBM. Each SS-20 carrying three thermonuclear warheads of 250 kilotons each.

American Pershing II and GLCM [ground-launched cruise missile] missiles range and numbers both only about half that of a Soviet SS-20. Each American Pershing or GLCM equipped with a single atomic warhead the explosive force of which considerably less significant than those devices as mounted on a SS-20. 

And as it is now:

4. 9M729 - SSC-8. Ground-launched. Russian.

"Russia has deployed a cruise missile in violation of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, complicating Trump's approach to Russia. ... the Russians now have two battalions of the prohibited cruise missile .. Each missile battalion is believed to have four mobile launchers and a larger supply of missiles."

The SSC-8 is a ground-launched cruise missile. A naval version of this cruise missile exists and apparently is in the inventory of the Russian navy and has been for some time.

The naval version as ship-mounted not covered by the INF Treaty. SS-8 a threat that now cannot be ignored.

SSC-8 apparently also developed, tested and now fielded totally in SECRET! As it was with the SS-20 so it is now with the SSC-8?

coolbert.

Rant II.

This is coolbert:

Rant continued!

More headlines the hysterical response to the announcement that the USA will withdraw from the INF Treaty. In these cases the sources not Russian media.

1. "INF treaty: Russia 'will respond' to new US missiles in Europe"

"Russia denies building missiles that violate the deal"

"President Vladimir Putin has warned Russia will respond 'in kind' if new US nuclear missiles are placed in Europe."

2."Poll: Americans oppose Trump’s withdrawal from a US-Russia arms control deal"

"By a margin of 18 percentage points, most Americans would rather stay in the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia, according to a poll taken after news broke that the Trump administration is abandoning the accord"

3. "Trump’s latest blunder: Withdrawal from the US-Russian INF Treaty"

"It appears that President Donald Trump’s hard-line security advisor, John Bolton, has persuaded him to renounce the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed by Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987."

4. "Bolton: U.S. position 'is that Russia is in violation' of INF treaty"

"National Security adviser John Bolton spoke Oct. 23 in Moscow about the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia."

This all reminds me so much of the media frenzy and stir from almost forty years ago now. American Pershing II and ground-launched cruise missiles as deployed to Europe seen as threatening war. European based American intermediate-range missiles nuclear capable only as a response to the secret testing and deployment in great numbers of the Soviet era SS-20 missile.

I can also see where this is all going. Trump is mentally unstable and possibly even deranged. Trump is a warmonger. Trump cannot be trusted with his finger on the nuclear trigger. This is an escalation of hostilities and unwanted ill-will vis-a-vis the Russians. Etc.

All this because the Russian has secretly tested and deployed a ground-based missile of intermediate-range in violation of the existing INF treaty? Place blame where blame is due?

Again, cooler heads will prevail?

coolbert.

Rant I.

This is coolbert:

Normally I greatly fear and hesitate to rant. But here goes.

"rant - - verb 1. speak or shout at length in a wild, impassioned way. synonyms: fulminate, go on, hold forth, vociferate, sound off, spout, pontificate, bluster, declaim"

Within context to the previous blog entries here and here.

As proclaimed by the Russian media outlets [controlled?] with alarmist headlines to a degree even displaying a hysteria!

1. "US Exit From INF Treaty Threatens to Trigger Arms Race - ScholarsCC0 / Pixabay"

"MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The US proposed withdrawal from the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, signed in 1987 with the Soviet Union, threatens to unleash a new arms race globally and take the world away from disarmament goals by weakening other arms control regimes, experts told Sputnik."

2. "US sticking to INF Treaty withdrawal, to be filed in due course – Bolton after Moscow visit"

"Washington is determined to withdraw from the INF arms control treaty no matter what, but has not done so yet, US national security adviser John Bolton said after meetings with the Russian leadership in Moscow."

3. "Without the INF Treaty the World Is a Far More Dangerous Place, Here Is Why"

"To understand why dumping the INF Treaty is so dangerous, it’s important to understand why the treaty was signed in the first place"

THE INF TREATY AND AMERICAN WITHDRAWAL

Intermediate-range nuclear forces. Missiles not having a range of more than three-thousand miles [five-thousand kilometers]. Forbidden under the treaty between the USA to test or deploy ground-based weapons of this variety.

American withdrawal from the INF Treaty understand full well a response to secret Russian testing and now deployment of a cruise missile with intermediate-range. SECRET!

DO NOT BLAME THE AMERICAN SIDE FROM ABANDONING THE TREATY. BLAME THE RUSSIAN FOR VIOLATING THE TREATY! YET THE RUSSIANS ARE AFRAID?

Perhaps cooler heads with prevail. I hope so.

coolbert.

Kay Bailey II.

This is coolbert:

Take them out!

Conclusion!

The intermediate-range Russia missiles as possessed and as also alleged a violation of the INF treaty. [Intermediate-range Nuclear force]

As extracted from the NATO press briefing of Ambassador Hutchison and for your perusal:

"October 2, 2018: Press Briefing by Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison"

"Question: [Inaudible] in Norway. Ma’am, can you be more specific what kind of new information that you are bringing to the table regarding the breach of the INF Treaty? And more explicitly also, what kind of countermeasures that you are considering."

"Ambassador Hutchison: The countermeasures would be to take out the missiles that are in development by Russia in violation of the treaty. So that would be the countermeasure eventually. We have documented on numerous occasions that Russia is violating. We have shown Russia that evidence. Some of our allies have seen that evidence. All of our allies have seen some of that evidence."

. . . .

"Question: Thanks, Ambassador. Lorne [Inaudible], Associated Press. Just to clarify a little bit when you said to take out the missiles that are in development, we are a little excited here. Do you mean to get those withdrawn? You don’t mean to actually take them out in a more [inaudible]?"

"Ambassador Hutchison: Well, withdrawing, yes. Getting them to withdraw would be our choice, of course. But I think the question was what would you do if this continues to a point where we know that they are capable of delivering. And at that point we would then be looking at a capability to take out a missile that could his any of our countries in Europe and hit America in Alaska."

AMBASSADOR HUTCHISON IT CAN BE REASONABLY INFERRED IS SUGGESTING AN AMERICAN PREEMPTIVE MILITARY STRIKE ON THE RUSSIAN MISSILES THAT ARE THE SUBJECT OF CONTROVERSY BETWEEN THE USA AND RUSSIA??

AN ATTACK OF WHICH SURELY WOULD LEAD TO WORLD WAR THREE AND GLOBAL THERMONUCLEAR CONFLICT, THE APOCALYPSE SO GREATLY FEARED!

You the devoted reader to the blog read and decide this all for yourself. It should be noted the  pronouncements of the Ambassador have been very quickly clarified as to mean no preemptive military action contemplated!! But the damage done?

coolbert.

Kay Bailey I.

This is coolbert:

As reported by the Internet web site G2mil:

"Oct 7, 2018 - Ambassador Threatens to Attack Russia"

"No one in Congress or our corporate media uttered an objection after a senior Trump administration official threatened a sneak attack on Russia that would ignite a nuclear war over a minor treaty dispute. She was not fired, forced to resign, nor even criticized."

"U.S. ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison said Washington remained committed to a diplomatic solution but was prepared to consider a military strike if development of the medium-range system continued."

THIS IS HOW WARS START! INADVERTENT AND ILL-CONCEIVED STATEMENTS BY HIGH OFFICIALS THE CONSEQUENCES OF WHICH ARE CONFLICT NO ONE WANTS BUT GETS!

See the article thanks to Reuters the press conference of Ambassador Hutchison and her pronouncements:

"U.S. would destroy banned Russian warheads if necessary: NATO envoy"

Within the historical context I am also thinking of two events declarations by "high officials" also alleged to have sent a wrong message that led to war.

1.  Ambassador April Glaspie her famous/infamous meeting with Saddam Hussein, 1990. Statements as misinterpreted leading to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the First Gulf War.

2. American Secretary of State Dean Acheson his famous/infamous speech, 1950.  Statements as misinterpreted the result the Korean War. [such an assertion is highly disputed and should be.]

Dean Acheson in 1950, April Glaspie in 1990 and now Ambassador Hutchison in 2018, This sorta thing does occur from time to time.

coolbert.

Aurora.

This is coolbert:

Consider this to be other than a gag, a prank, a stunt. This is a SERIOUS MATTER!

Should be condemned harshly and the perpetrators punished to the full extent of the law.

"Air Force falcon mascot suffers 'life-threatening' injury in Army prank"

AURORA THE GYRFALCON KIDNAPPED! SAFE AND SOUND NOW AND APPARENTLY RECOVERING!

"Sometimes a friendly prank between two football rivals can go too far."

"That seemed to be the case recently when one of the Air Force Academy's real-life falcon mascots was seriously hurt during a prank before the annual rivalry football game against Army, in upstate New York, according to an Air Force Academy official."

INJURY NOW NOT LIFE THREATENING. THE THOUGHT WAS AURORA MIGHT HAVE TO BE EUTHANIZED. HOPEFULLY THIS IS NOT SO!

Shame on the West Point cadets. At a minimum they need to assume the costs for the transport, care, veterinarian service, the pain and suffering to the USAFA [United States Air Force Academy] corps. Army cadets MUST atone for their guilt. Apologize profusely and IN PERSON contritely so and with great regret, remorsefully so..

coolbert.

CVN-78

This is coolbert:

Courtesy Bloomberg and the the tip from Harry at Sharkhunters a report the up-to-date and most advanced American aircraft carrier USS Ford [CVN-78] NOT combat ready and might not well be for some period.

"U.S. Navy’s Costliest Carrier Was Delivered Without Elevators to Lift Bombs"

DELIVERED WITH ELEVATORS BUT NOT FUNCTIONING ELEVATORS! NO ABILITY TO BRINGS BOMBS AND OTHER MUNITIONS FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE VESSEL TO THE FLIGHT DECK.

"The $13 billion Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, the U.S. Navy’s costliest warship, was delivered last year without elevators needed to lift bombs from below deck magazines for loading on fighter jets."

. . . .

"The Advanced Weapons Elevators, which are moved by magnets rather than cables, were supposed to be installed by the vessel’s original delivery date in May 2017. Instead, final installation was delayed by problems including four instances of unsafe 'uncommanded movements' since 2015, according to the Navy."

WARPLANES CAN PERFORM MISSION BUT SANS ANY MUNITIONS? SEEMS INCREDIBLE, DOESN'T IT!

coolbert.

Turning.

This is coolbert:

From a book review by Joseph A. Rose as seen at the Internet web site Strategy Page "Critical Episodes" of the American Civil war as discussed.

"Turning Points of the American Civil War" by Chris Mackowski and Kristopher D. White

"Critical Episodes of the Civil War"

"A volume in the Southern Illinois University Press series 'Engaging the Civil War', Turning Points of the American Civil War consists of nine essays by various scholars that examine 'turning points' in the American Civil War, plus a commentary for each one by the editors"

Critical episodes [personalities also] as listed but I would think not hardly limited to:

* Battle of Ball's Bluff. The real significance of which can be read here.

* Emancipation Proclamation. Read the implementation of the proclamation and significance thereof here.

* John Bell Hood. A poor practitioner of the operational art. Wasted an entire army under his command.

* McClellan takes command of the Army of the Potomac. Undeniable organizational ability without peer.

* Death of General Albert Sidney Johnston. His battlefield death a setback for the Confederate cause.

* 1864 re-election of Lincoln. NO negotiated end to the war with the Confederacy still intact.

Additional "turning points" as discussed deal with the personalities of Grant and Lee the significance of which is not clear to me.

ASK NINE DIFFERENT AUTHORITIES TO LIST THEIR OWN NINE DIFFERENT "TURNING POINTS" AND YOU ARE GOING TO GET NINE DIFFERENT LISTS? MORE THAN LIKELY.

coolbert.

Eerie II.

This is coolbert:

Conclusion! The eyes have it.

One more from the Internet web site CNet images of abandoned military bases with my commentary.

"Eyeing the past"

During World War II, the US operated a base on Baltra in the Galapagos Islands. In 2015, you could still find one of the hundreds of buildings, ultimately redecorated by locals.

"The US Baltra Military Base During WWII"

"The Galapagos Islands were sought after by the United States since 1911, three years before the Panama Canal made the archipelago a refueling stop for ships from North America."

"The Ecuadorian government declined to lease the islands, but the advent of WWII and Pearl Harbor brought a deal between the two nations after a visit from President Roosevelt."

"In 1942, US military personal arrived from Panama, including the commanders and engineers who built the canal. The forces built their base on Baltra, quadrupling the population of the small island by the end of the year."

Never knew a U.S. military installation in the Galapagos ever existed!

1911 the object was to use such a base as a coaling station? American naval vessels at that time [before the opening of the Panama Canal] sailing from the Pacific ocean to the Atlantic or in the reverse direction the only route around Cape Horn at the bottom of South America. A laborious and time-consuming voyage, even dangerous. Refueling mandated, once at least and more likely probably twice.

World War Two the mission of the base was to protect southern approaches to the Panama Canal from attack? Very-long-range [VLR] patrol warplanes of the maritime B-24 variety based on Baltra? Japanese submarines able to launch combat warplanes to bomb the canal a possible. Read here, and here concerning VLR and the I-400 class of Japanese submarine.

coolbert.

Eerie I.

This is coolbert:

As seen at the Internet web site CNet some images of abandoned military bases and sites. My commentary added.

"Eerie photos of abandoned military sites"

"Former atomic weapons site". Salton Sea.

"A bullet-riddled structure sits near an abandoned airstrip on the former Salton Sea Test Base, once an atomic weapons testing site in 2005 near Salton City, California."

"Salton Sea Test Base"

"Dummy Atomic Bombs - Drone Airplane Tests"

MISSION OF THE SALTON SEA BASE AN ATOMIC DIMENSION EXISTING IN TWO TIME-FRAMES. 1. WORLD WAR 2 AND THE COLD WAR.

A. World War Two.

"In 1944-45 a series of classified B-29 practice flights were made from Wendover, Utah to the Salton Sea. At the sea, the crew dropped dummy atomic bombs onto a floating white raft and other targets."

B-29 bomber flying from Utah to California and dropping a single bomb the dummy analog version of the first atomic weapon as used at Hiroshima. Practice.

B. Cold War.

"The Atomic Energy Commission and its contractor Sandia Corporation acquired the base from the Navy in 1946. It was renamed the Salton Sea Test Base and used as a highly sophisticated bombing range whose drops were scrutinized and perfected using equipment reportedly recovered from Germany after World War II. Apparently the bombing tests included delivery from diverse devices, even from space capsule parachutes. Drone planes and Nike missiles were also tested there."

SALTON SEA BASE BOMBS DROPPED WITHOUT LIVE ATOMIC WARHEADS! NO DETONATION!

coolbert.

Cocktails.

This is coolbert:

Potent indeed!

"cocktail - - n 3. any combination of diverse elements, esp one considered potent"

With a wedge of lemon on the side please!

From the Internet web site Strategy Page and as extracted from the book review by Professor Al Nofi:

"Cocktails from Hell: Five Complex Wars Shaping the 21st Century"

CAULDRONS OF CRISIS THEY ARE CALLED. WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS! HOT-SPOTS!

"Five Cauldrons of Crisis"

"Defense analyst, historian, and novelist Bay [Col. Austin Bay], a U.S. Army veteran whose service includes a tour in Iraq, looks at five very complex, dynamic crises – essentially wars of varying degrees of violence – that will be influencing the world for decades to come."

The five cases are:

   * The generations long North Korean Crisis
   * China’s intervention in the South China Sea
   * Russia’s aggressive moves in the Caucasus, Black Sea, and elsewhere
   * Iranian intervention in Yemen
   * The internal conflicts of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

BUT I MIGHT ADD HARDLY CONFINED TO THESE "FIVE CASES". DYNAMIC ALWAYS EXISTING THAT CREATES NEW CIRCUMSTANCES AND CONDITIONS WHERE CRISIS AND A RESULTANT WAR "INFLUENCE THE WORLD".

coolbert.