Hello everybody! Today’s Don’s Weekly is starting in a bit of an unusual way: with something like ‘personal message’ from Don: In recent weeks, there have been concerns about developments in the War in Ukraine. While it is understandable that many people support Ukraine's fight for democracy and freedom, it is important to remember that this is not just a battle of ideologies. It is a complex geopolitical situation with _
Wars are about killing. Yes, that's disgusting. And yes, I'm all the time saying it, loud and clear: the only way to win this war is to kill yet more Russians. Because nothing else than a complete destruction of the Russian armed forces might convince Putin to abandon his designs.
That said, I also can't stop repeating myself: if you have better solutions, I'm all ear.
I think Orcs is a pretty polite way to describe Russian soldiers. As for killing them, if you find that disgusting, I don't know what you were ever doing reading this forum, except perhaps enemy reconnaissance.
"Dehumanization is the psychological process of demonizing the enemy, making them seem less than human and hence not worthy of humane treatment. This can lead to increased violence, human rights violations, war crimes, and genocide."
I.e. you cannot defend democracy when you use methods like dictators. I fully understand people in Ukraine, ZSU soldiers when they call Russians orcs or pidars - they are stressed and victims of a sheer evil and violence. And Russian soldiers really deserve death - most of them came to kill just for money. But they are people. Writers to social media, safe in their sofas, should not use dehumanization like Putin's propaganda.
It is a war that we are trying to win, it can only be done by killing, indeed by killing as much as possible, the more we kill the more we increase the security of our borders. We hope to kill many of the invading orcs. It is not our decision, the orcs decided it.
I would agree with this. The problem is not killing per se, but calling the enemy "Orcs" dehumanises them. They are people too, and I'm sure some of them do not want to be in the position they are in.
Dehumanising a group of people has historically been a precursor to committing atrocities against them. We can be better than that, and take the moral high ground, even if some of the Russian troops fail to do so.
I admit that my ideal scenario at this point is for the USA to go the way of the USSR so the West Coast can take its $5.5 trillion share of the US economy and the $180 billion annual defense budget it could pay for and give Moscow something to think about on its Pacific front (Beijing too)...
Ukraine can set up a drone base in the Aleutian islands to take some shots at Petropavlovsk and Vladivostok :D
West Coast + Japan + South Korea = one nifty defense-industrial base with a massive strategic depth. Also just up the freeway outside of Seattle are about 8 SSBNs with enough firepower to end the world several times over. Stay off my lawn, Putin.
One of my fears is that there will be no more cluster ammunition for Ukraine. The large supply of it made a significant difference for awhile. But that was all "New, Old stock" and I am not aware if any western supplier will be making more. From what I have seen most of the new production is mainly HE, Smoke and Illumination?
They are not making any more DPICM because of the ~2% dud rate that could lead to decades, a century even, of threat to civilians. The US kept 3 million in stock in case there was a urgent need. Ukraine turned out to be the urgent need.
I know the US delivered 2 million 155mm shells to Ukraine but I don't know how many were HE and how many were DPICM. Still, it doesn't matter how many the US has in stock if it's not authorized to send any more.
There was a DPICM HIMARS/MLRS missile that was scrapped and the rocket motors were in the process of being destroyed. The US changed their mind and worked with Sweden to use the engines and a 250 lbs. warhead to make the GLSDB, which should be in Ukraine now.
I am aware of the issues around DPICM's, in the context of this war and millions of mines, I suspect they make a minimal difference. Hopefully target records have been kept to be able to localize clearing ops in the future. However they clearly had an impact on Russian assaults and I suspect they be very happy to have more. Perhaps time to rethink such polices.
Don: most exquisitely written....down right Poetic.
Don & Tom you BOTH have an open invitation for a home cooked Dinner in Hayward California w/ my wife, our cats and my ugly bald self should you ever like. Just let me know.
I would like that all the people in the world see also "orcs to kill" as people like us in the third world. In occident the people blame Russia or the musleem world, but here from the south we scare more from nations that support the dictatorships when the great powers need them in Latin America as the only way to smash the leftist form of thinking. Governments from USA and Israel supported the miltary in power that killed, kidnapped, tortured, persecuted, ruin our careers, throwing up from our jobs, stolen our houses and many more activities that ruined our lives.
‘Still orcs to kill….’
I find that pretty disgusting tbh.
Unsubscribe - I’ll try not to miss you.
Which part of callous and cowardly murderers, rapists and looters do you object to? Orcs describes the inhuman behaviour well imho
Wars are about killing. Yes, that's disgusting. And yes, I'm all the time saying it, loud and clear: the only way to win this war is to kill yet more Russians. Because nothing else than a complete destruction of the Russian armed forces might convince Putin to abandon his designs.
That said, I also can't stop repeating myself: if you have better solutions, I'm all ear.
I think Orcs is a pretty polite way to describe Russian soldiers. As for killing them, if you find that disgusting, I don't know what you were ever doing reading this forum, except perhaps enemy reconnaissance.
Orc is offended? Solution is simple: leave Ukraine, leave Crimea, pay reparations, sorry and beg Ukrainians to pardon your unprovoked attack.
"Dehumanization is the psychological process of demonizing the enemy, making them seem less than human and hence not worthy of humane treatment. This can lead to increased violence, human rights violations, war crimes, and genocide."
I.e. you cannot defend democracy when you use methods like dictators. I fully understand people in Ukraine, ZSU soldiers when they call Russians orcs or pidars - they are stressed and victims of a sheer evil and violence. And Russian soldiers really deserve death - most of them came to kill just for money. But they are people. Writers to social media, safe in their sofas, should not use dehumanization like Putin's propaganda.
It is a war that we are trying to win, it can only be done by killing, indeed by killing as much as possible, the more we kill the more we increase the security of our borders. We hope to kill many of the invading orcs. It is not our decision, the orcs decided it.
I would agree with this. The problem is not killing per se, but calling the enemy "Orcs" dehumanises them. They are people too, and I'm sure some of them do not want to be in the position they are in.
Dehumanising a group of people has historically been a precursor to committing atrocities against them. We can be better than that, and take the moral high ground, even if some of the Russian troops fail to do so.
Absolutely it is completely disgusting.
DISGUSTING that there are STILL ORKS in Ukraine that need to be killed.
That introduction was truly Churchillian.
Thanks, but "we will fight them on the beaches" is still a much better speech.
I guess you'll have to be content with second best.
I am content.
Thank you so very much, Don for puuting the current situation in context. Will you marry me ? :) I hope you do not mind a joke.
Well put, Aluta Continua!!
Thanks for the introduction part, Don!
Thanks. Tom and I worked on it together.
I admit that my ideal scenario at this point is for the USA to go the way of the USSR so the West Coast can take its $5.5 trillion share of the US economy and the $180 billion annual defense budget it could pay for and give Moscow something to think about on its Pacific front (Beijing too)...
Ukraine can set up a drone base in the Aleutian islands to take some shots at Petropavlovsk and Vladivostok :D
West Coast + Japan + South Korea = one nifty defense-industrial base with a massive strategic depth. Also just up the freeway outside of Seattle are about 8 SSBNs with enough firepower to end the world several times over. Stay off my lawn, Putin.
One of my fears is that there will be no more cluster ammunition for Ukraine. The large supply of it made a significant difference for awhile. But that was all "New, Old stock" and I am not aware if any western supplier will be making more. From what I have seen most of the new production is mainly HE, Smoke and Illumination?
They are not making any more DPICM because of the ~2% dud rate that could lead to decades, a century even, of threat to civilians. The US kept 3 million in stock in case there was a urgent need. Ukraine turned out to be the urgent need.
I know the US delivered 2 million 155mm shells to Ukraine but I don't know how many were HE and how many were DPICM. Still, it doesn't matter how many the US has in stock if it's not authorized to send any more.
There was a DPICM HIMARS/MLRS missile that was scrapped and the rocket motors were in the process of being destroyed. The US changed their mind and worked with Sweden to use the engines and a 250 lbs. warhead to make the GLSDB, which should be in Ukraine now.
I am aware of the issues around DPICM's, in the context of this war and millions of mines, I suspect they make a minimal difference. Hopefully target records have been kept to be able to localize clearing ops in the future. However they clearly had an impact on Russian assaults and I suspect they be very happy to have more. Perhaps time to rethink such polices.
They have had an effect on Russia and Russia has modified their behavior by rarely sending big groups on an assault.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts
Don: most exquisitely written....down right Poetic.
Don & Tom you BOTH have an open invitation for a home cooked Dinner in Hayward California w/ my wife, our cats and my ugly bald self should you ever like. Just let me know.
I'm glad you liked it. Tom and I worked on it together.
No surprises there..... :o)
I would like that all the people in the world see also "orcs to kill" as people like us in the third world. In occident the people blame Russia or the musleem world, but here from the south we scare more from nations that support the dictatorships when the great powers need them in Latin America as the only way to smash the leftist form of thinking. Governments from USA and Israel supported the miltary in power that killed, kidnapped, tortured, persecuted, ruin our careers, throwing up from our jobs, stolen our houses and many more activities that ruined our lives.