Back when the WWII soldiers left their families and stormed the beaches of Normandy under fire and away from loved ones, they made sacrafices and huge sacrifices. It was not a comfortable time. x x YouTube Video When Korean soldiers weathered the freezing cold in the Forgotten War, they made huge sacrafices and away from…
Category: War
Report: U.S. officials believe Iran accidentally shot down Ukrainian jetliner
From Steven Portnoy, a reporter with CBS Radio: x BREAKING: @CBSNews has learned US officials are now confident Iran shot down a Ukrainian jetliner with 176 people on board. Sources say US intelligence picked detected infrared blips of two missile launches, followed by the blip of an explosion.— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) January 9, 2020 That’s…
Top Iranian adviser says Iran will respond militarily to death of Soleimani, calls this a 'war'
If Donald Trump worked at, say, a pest control company, his incompetence might be funny. You’d see him wobbling around your backyard with a beehive stuck on his head before falling down an uncapped well, and hilarity would naturally ensue. Because that’s just funny. How could it not be? But when he pokes a hornet’s nest…
Trump has triggered a state of war with Iran to save his re-election
As irrational as ever, Trump chose to assassinate another high-value target without thinking about strategic consequences. It could get worse. Trump chose to claim that the US was withdrawing militarily from the Middle East while sending more troops. Much like his other military decision-making Trump concerns himself with “style” rather than substance. No one in…
Atheism or Secularism?
(I posted a longer version of this on my website: https://aftergod.net/2019/06/25/atheism-or-secularism/.) This is partly a definition question, and partly a political one. Basically, an atheist is someone who believes there is no god, while a secularist is someone who doesn't believe there is a god. (That's not the same as an agnostic, which just isn't…
Unknown warplanes over Aleppo; explosion at Iranian base
This just coming in. Massive explosions are being heard from an Iranian weapons store at Jabal Ezzan / Azan Mount south of Aleppo, immediately after reports of unknown warplanes flying overhead. The Jerusalem Post is speculating that they’re Israeli jets, but the facts are not known right now. Casualties are reported. This is said to…
Assessing the damage in Syria (not a liveblog): First analysis
A new day. Information will trickle out over time, but let’s begin with what we know now. Let us start with the Pentagon briefing. They focus their maps and discussion on just these three sites. We’ll get into secondary sites a bit later. They offer the following before-and-after comparisons of their targets: Unfortunately I have…
Syria Conflict Liveblog: Decision to strike taken; US attack underway. Explosions across the country
I’ll start this out relatively empty but update it quickly. Trump has approved strikes on Syria. White House briefing starts in one minute. 21:02 EST: He’s already ordered the launch. Combined operation with France and UK. Attack underway. 21:03 EST: Sounds of explosions in Damascus. Reminder: Just half an hour ago, a “senior White House…
Syria tension (liveblog #3) – Samples acquired from attack victims; UK cabinet backs attacks
NOTE: If you’re a “ChemTruther”… if you disagree with Amnesty International, the OPCW, WHO, MSF, the UN (breakdown), and all public evidence about past attacks, and are here to do the same about the most recent one… leave. You’re not welcome here, any more than a 9/11 Truther would be welcome in a liveblog about 9/11. CT is a…
Syria tension (liveblog #2) – Night falls in Syria; samples acquired from attack victims
NOTE: If you’re a “ChemTruther”… if you disagree with Amnesty International, the OPCW, WHO, MSF, the UN (breakdown), and all public evidence about past attacks, and are here to do the same about the most recent one… leave. You’re not welcome here, any more than a 9/11 Truther would be welcome in a liveblog about 9/11. That said, on with the news. For…
Syria tension (liveblog): Gen. Votel cancels appearance; May calls cabinet meeting for tomorrow
NOTE: If you’re a “ChemTruther”… if you disagree with Amnesty International, the OPCW, WHO, MSF, the UN (breakdown), and all public evidence about past attacks, and are here to do the same about the most recent one… leave. You’re not welcome here, any more than a 9/11 Truther would be welcome in a liveblog about…
Syria: It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Bombing [Updated]
No lead-in needed; we all know what’s happened, and we all know what looks to be in the works. Let’s get into the news, but first, let’s get into the players (if you already know all this, feel free to skip): Syria / Assad: No introduction needed. Controls generally the western/southwestern 2/3rds of the country,…
US appears to be preparing airstrikes on Syria due to chemical attack on Douma [Updated x2]
With all of this time that had past, I was convinced, sure, somebody was going to write about the fact that the US looks to be preparing for a new round of missile strikes on Syria. After all, it was such big news on this site the last time; does nobody care anymore? x Many dead,…
Even more than impeachment, Democrats need to retake Congress's exclusive War-Making Power
President Trump and the U.S. Constitution (and established norms of governing) have been on a collision course since day one of the Trump presidency, but there is one looming, and overdue, Constitutional conflict that has not been discussed generally and which could serve, surprisingly, as a corrective outcome of the Trump presidency: Congress needs to reclaim its…
Preparations for a potential war in Korea continue: week in review
After having initially been delayed by technical problems, the USS Ronald Reagan has joined the Carl Vinson off the Korean peninsula for military drills, including drilling with the ROK navy. The drills include anti-DPRK commando strikes, anti-submarine and anti-aircraft operations, and strikes with air-launched and submarine-launched cruise missiles. It had been no secret that the USS Michigan…
North Korean artillery and the concept of “flattening Seoul” – a breakdown
You hear it often: if war in Korea were to break out, Seoul would be flattened. Not because of a nuclear strike, but because of North Korean artillery. North Korea is estimated to have (depending on the analysis and definitions) 8600-12000 artillery pieces, dug in and defended against a first strike. At one round per…
North Korea: The Russian Angle
A great deal of attention has been focused on the connection between North Korea and China, and the pressure China can (or cannot) and will (or will not) put on the North Korean government. North Korea, a state with a GDP of only $25B (1/3rd that of Salt Lake City), supports its military programmes and…
Geotagging the Shayrat airbase attack: what hit and where.
Perhaps I’m a glutton for punishment, but I went ahead and geotagged the entire tomahawk strike on the Shayrat airbase. Now you can see at a glance what areas were struck (and with what level of confidence), and (to the best that can be determined with public images and information) what struck there. drive.google.com/… Colors range from…
Tour of the “nonexistent” damage at Shayrat airbase
While I posted the other day satellite images of the damage, today we have (thanks to pro-Russian ANNA News) the first on-the-ground pictures of what so many here in DK’s CT community insist was a “wag the dog” attack involving bombing a bunch of empty buildings and pounding sand, rather than an actual act of warfare with very serious dangers. So, for your…
Daily Kos goes into full “Conspiracy Theory Mode” after attacks on Syria.
I rather can’t believe how much Daily Kos is sounding like Sputnik these days: “FEEBLE US ATTACK DOES NOTHING!” . It’s the same everywhere: Meh, just a couple people dead (insert-lowest-cited-figure-from-any-source). Just a old planes destroyed (insert-lowest-cited-figure-from-any-source). Hit a couple rocks, you know, nothing. They packed up everything and moved! False Flag. Wag The Dog. Fake…
