(10-11-2026 09:40 AM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(10-09-2026 07:50 PM)dawgonit Wrote:  Personally William Harrison is completely underrated.

There are several. Several are scandal related. Many presidents left office mired in them, but the scandals they experience are mild compared to what we see now out of politicians.

Clinton is significantly underrated by today's modern republicans, who completely ignore that Clinton ran on policies that much of the modern GOP Embraces. He just did it as a Democrat. Lewinsky scandal drags him down, but honestly that was pretty tame to what we've seen out of this administration and the last one.

What scandals?

(10-11-2026 10:56 AM)Tech80 Wrote:  

(10-11-2026 09:40 AM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(10-09-2026 07:50 PM)dawgonit Wrote:  Personally William Harrison is completely underrated.

There are several. Several are scandal related. Many presidents left office mired in them, but the scandals they experience are mild compared to what we see now out of politicians.

Clinton is significantly underrated by today's modern republicans, who completely ignore that Clinton ran on policies that much of the modern GOP Embraces. He just did it as a Democrat. Lewinsky scandal drags him down, but honestly that was pretty tame to what we've seen out of this administration and the last one.

What scandals?

In the America of 30 years ago, a government giving out tons of money in federal contracts to companies with large investments held by the members of the Presidents family would be a major scandal. Today its more of a nothing burger.

About 20-30 years ago there would have been far more pressure on Biden to resign from his own party once his cognitive decline became more pronounced, but we're so polarized these days we won't do anything that could dare cost us an election.

What federal contracts to what companies? I'd like to know. I may want to buy stock in those companies.

Trump says the US is very likely to join Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Israel in wiping out the Houthis. No quarter!

Honestly, if you are going to engage in a military conflict the goal should be total war/destruction of the enemy at a military/institutional level. Civilians shouldn't be targeted but there will always be some civilian deaths etc.

If you are going to screw around in the middle east, then when you get some of them willing to fight on the same side, you take it and clear a piece or two off the board.

(10-11-2026 03:40 PM)Tech80 Wrote:  What federal contracts to what companies? I'd like to know. I may want to buy stock in those companies.

At last check we've given out about $3 Billion in Federal grans to companies owned or with strong investment from his children

Trump Jr joined 1789 Capital as a major investor a few weeks before they were given a major defense contract. 1789 then created a spin up via Trump Jr investment called Vulcan Elements who received around $700 Million in loans from the DoD.

Eric Trump invested in PowerUs who recieved its first ever federal contract for Drone Production about a month later.

These were things that probably 10-15 years ago would have been a bigger issue, and might be a big issue 10-15 years from now, but at the moment with the number of political scandals taking place in both parties, this is like a drop in the bucket.

(10-12-2026 12:35 PM)Austindog Wrote:  Honestly, if you are going to engage in a military conflict the goal should be total war/destruction of the enemy at a military/institutional level. Civilians shouldn't be targeted but there will always be some civilian deaths etc.

If you are going to screw around in the middle east, then when you get some of them willing to fight on the same side, you take it and clear a piece or two off the board.

Thing about the Middle East is that the divide is pretty similar to our own divide. More progressive Middle Eastern Nations are willing to work with Israel and the US in smaller capacities. On the right you have Isolationists who believe Israel was forced upon them (They kinda were thanks to WWII) and just want the West to leave the Middle East alone to do what it wants.

Terror groups in the Middle East will gladly turn on each other at any second. As shown by the attacks in Riyad.

Putin's army continues to unravel. Ukraine is kicking ass all along the front, but keep in mind how much smaller Ukraine, and its army, is compared to Russia. Almost daily Ukraine is liberating ground from the Orcs. Yesterday, another 10 square miles was freed from Russian occupation, liberating two villages. The front is 900 miles long, with the most active portion about 600 miles. The Russians are still launching "meat grinder" assaults along with commando infiltrations. Each of these Russian offensive actions have to be met and dealt with, which takes away from Ukraine's efforts to be on the offensive. Overall, every military "think tank" including Jane's and ISW state emphatically that Ukraine is winning the war. It's just that it's such a mountain to climb for the smaller nation, Ukraine.

Mostly, what is happening, the Russians are surrendering in droves just as soon as Ukrainian forces apply any amount of pressure. Those poor saps have had enough of Putin's war. If they try to retreat they get shot by their own, hardline troops. This, however, is becoming rarer as even those most devoted "Putinite" soldiers have had enough of this war. In a recent incident about 20 Russian soldiers appeared at HQ having abandoned their positions on the front line. Some Russian officer ordered them to be arrested and then shot. Instead that officer was shot and killed and the former hardline troops just shrugged it off.

Ukraine is using all kinds of advanced drones including mini-tanks. These small, tracked drones are parachuted behind Russian lines. They are controlled by Ukrainian operators and carry grenade launchers, machineguns, and flamethrowers. They can take a beating too. One incident, captured by a Ukrainian recon drone and the mini-tank's own camera, showed Russians unloading on the vehicle with machineguns and rockets, yet it survived long enough to wreak havoc. This one mini-tank is credited with killing 12 Russians, wounding many more, destroying two trucks and two cars, and obliterating a building used by the Russians as a HQ/bunker. Finally as it was chasing the retreating Russians down a road, a rocket struck it in the tracks making it immobile. With its ammo exhausted, the Ukrainians sent a drone to blow it up to keep the Russians from capturing it and reverse engineering such mini-tanks. This is the future of wars.

The Russians have never been outstanding in modern history militarily. They have always relied on numbers and weather to wage a battle of attrition. Combine that with the utter economic failure of communism and now you have a large poorly supplied, trained, and motivated army fighting a war with largely the same tactics and battle plan, against a country that is used to the weather, fairly well supplied (given their size and the on again off again support from Europe and the West), and that not only embraced modern warfare but has innovated a lot of it drone wise.

Russia's only hope of winning this war once they didn't KO Ukraine quickly (within the first year or so), was to simply out last them or nuke them because they can't beat them if they have any men on the field. Putin's crazy but I don't think there is much chance of them nuking Ukraine (I did say he was crazy as a preface), and I honestly don't think he can out last them barring a complete collapse of international support.

Honestly, Poland is spoiling for a fight with Russia, if they could find a way to get in the game legally (Putin kills some Poles etc.) Russia would be in real trouble.

The Houthis are striking Saudi infrastructure and commercial targets with drones and missiles. You probably heard about the one American citizen among the 14 civilians killed in the second strike on the Riyad airport. Nothing to do now but go all in and wipe out the Houthis. If they are not already, take the gloves off. No mercy, no quarter.

(10-14-2026 09:19 AM)Austindog Wrote:  The Russians have never been outstanding in modern history militarily. They have always relied on numbers and weather to wage a battle of attrition. Combine that with the utter economic failure of communism and now you have a large poorly supplied, trained, and motivated army fighting a war with largely the same tactics and battle plan, against a country that is used to the weather, fairly well supplied (given their size and the on again off again support from Europe and the West), and that not only embraced modern warfare but has innovated a lot of it drone wise.

Russia's only hope of winning this war once they didn't KO Ukraine quickly (within the first year or so), was to simply out last them or nuke them because they can't beat them if they have any men on the field. Putin's crazy but I don't think there is much chance of them nuking Ukraine (I did say he was crazy as a preface), and I honestly don't think he can out last them barring a complete collapse of international support.

Honestly, Poland is spoiling for a fight with Russia, if they could find a way to get in the game legally (Putin kills some Poles etc.) Russia would be in real trouble.

I think Finland would like a piece of the Russkis too. The three Baltic States don't want war with Russia, but they are certainly preparing for one. Putin's military is no threat to any country these days. Outside of nukes...which according to one report may not even work anymore...Russia has nothing left. Russia is also VERY vulnerable to being invaded itself and/or taken to war by any number of nations who Russia has bullied in the past. China could take all of eastern Russia, from the Pacific Ocean to the Ural Mountains, that portion of Russia that is in Asia.

China is occupying areas that Russia can't support as it is. There are a few countries that would love to kick ole Russia is the nuts if they could get a legal shot at it.

China would take Russia's half in a heartbeat if it could. Right now it's obviously not the right time but demographically, Russia has sped it up for it to be much more likely much sooner. If China took it, China would not only gain access to many more resources but it's shipping lanes would be finally not be boxed in by American allies and it would be able to influence the increasing use of shipping through the Arctic. Geographically, it would then be the third closest country to the US as well. Quite scary to see them gain so much and be so close to the US. I can only imagine the US has contingency plans in case it does come to fruition and tries to take as much as possible across the Bering Strait.

Ukraine pounded St. Petersburg the past two nights, including the use of their Flamingo cruise missiles. Striking strategic targets of military installations and energy complexes. Russia retaliated by attacking Ukrainian grocery stores and a kindergarten school.

BTW, in case you didn't know, the reason the Ukrainian cruise missiles are dubbed "Flamingo" stems from the early test firings of the weapon. The prototypes had only the protective undercoating of paint, which is a pink color. Someone quipped they looked like flamingos, and the name has stuck. Now, in actual use, they are painted a dull grey or camouflage.

On the ground, with winter coming on, both sides are trying to seize and hold ground, key positions, that will be nearly impossible to attack once the heavy snows set in. Russia continues to get clobbered on the battlefield even when they "enjoy" a tactical gain. Recently, south of Lyman, a key city in Donbass which has been in the middle of heavy combat for 18 straight months, the Russians retook a line of small hills. The Kremlin beat their chests and proclaimed a major victory. Yes, it is "high ground" which they should hold at least to the spring/summer '27. But taking it came at a heavy price. Those hills were defended by a single Ukrainian "light brigade," about 3,000 soldiers. Russia lost over 18,000 troops, KIA and wounded, and captured, just in two weeks of attacks. In total, going back 4 months to July when Russia launched an all-out offensive, the Orcs have lost an estimated 78,000 soldiers. Ukraine never officially reports casualties, but dependable estimates from sources like the ISW, place Ukrainian losses at 125 KIA and 600 wounded, no captures and no "missing in action (MIA)." Most of those 600 wounded will be tended to and return to action fairly soon.

Ukraine has retaken, LIBERATED over 150 square miles in the past month alone, driving the hapless Orcs back miles in segments of the line.

Now, on the political side of the Ukraine-Russia war. As a Trump supporter, it pains me to question just WTF is he doing? He's on the wrong side of history siding with the very evil Putin. The US does NOT have to get involved directly in this war. But we don't have to side with the aggressors either. I have closely followed, read everything I can find from many sources, every aspect of Trump's (the US's) tangible actions taken and it leaves me puzzled.

The TDS sufferers insist Trump is doing this to enrich his family. There is no independently confirmed evidence to support this notion. What Trump is trying to do within the realm of business/economics will benefit the United States as a whole. And politically Trump is pursuing a strategy to align with Russia going forward to lock out future Russian reliance on the likes of China, North Korea, and Iran. If, and it is a big IF, Trump can pull this off it will go down in history as a global gamechanger for the good of America and the free world. Unfortunately, we all know how this works. Even if Trump has positioned US-Russian relations to make this happen by the end of his term, just two years from now, the political winds will change, and future presidents/Congress will not properly follow through, and it will all be for naught.

This, I believe, is his strategy. But!!! it's hit a roadblock as the stubborn Putin won't relent and so, Trump, IMO, needs to abandon this strategy and pivot to supporting Ukraine. It can be said that Trump tried to do something for the greater good, but it is not happening and it is time to switch horses.

A few details on the fight north of Lyman. Three brigades of the Ukrainian 3rd Corps, these being the 60th, 66th, and 77th mechanized infantry, are battling the Russian 144th Motor Rifle Division, about 9,000 Ukrainians against a reported 35,000 Russians. The out-numbered Ukrainians are winning. The Russians overwhelmed a lightly defended defensive line this summer and created a salient, a bulge, so this is another "Battle of the Bulge." But now the Ukrainians are working their way around the flanks of this bulge and are threatening to cut off the salient, trapping tens of thousands of Russians. To the north of the salient is a line of hills, high ground, that the Ukrainians are seeking to capture, and they are about 2/3 of the way as of the latest report. If they do, the Ukrainians will place artillery up there and bring death and destruction on the trapped Orcs in the bulge.

Ukraine has announced, and one independent source has confirmed, the liberation of another 500 square miles of Ukrainian territory, all of it accomplished since the end of July, so about 2 months of fighting. This along the eastern front mostly in the Donetsk Oblast. This is a HUGE setback for Putin who had captured, at the peak of Russian success, over 90% of this oblast. Russia still holds most of Donetsk but they are steadily giving up ground.

The very latest on the Lyman Bulge...the Ukrainians have flanked and cutoff those low hills south of the salient and finished retaking the hills north of the salient. Now artillery batteries are being rushed onto the heights on both flanks and soon the howitzers will be delivering "packages" to the trapped Orcs. Either this happened very suddenly, like just today, or the Ukrainians were displaying a "poker face" and were much closer to closing the trap than was reported last night and early this morning. I tend to lean to the latter explanation. The Ukrainians have always been very good at keeping happenings close to their chests, not revealing tactical/strategic reality which would help the Orcs.

In not-so-good news, I have to update the overall strategic situation and report that Russia has seized Pokrosvk. This actually happened a month ago but after the BB&B folded I was not keeping close accounting on the latest news there. But, in better news, the goofy Orcs thought they could launch a quick strike, using Pokrosvk as a base, and seize the next big town in that area, Dopropillia. Nope! they got slaughtered. It's all flat, open fields for nearly 4 miles between the two towns and the Ukrainians crushed the Orcs caught in the open. Initial estimates say 10,000 Russians are casualties in just one day. Of that number it's reported as: 2,500 KIA , the remaining 7,500 wounded, captured, and missing (scattered to the patches of woods that line some of the fences and the main road). Ukrainian drones are now hunting those Orcs and killing them.

Russia is withdrawing out of Ukraine what equipment they have left, tanks, APCs, mobile artillery, etc. Such vehicles are merely targets on the modern battlefield. Meanwhile, Russia has relocated a factory that builds tanks, etc. beyond the Ural Mountains and have just started manufacturing tanks, etc. again. Pundits surmise Putin thinks he can use armored vehicles in a war vs. NATO, and to that end, one armored brigade has recently been relocated to a base near the Polish border. I guess Putin thinks NATO countries haven't been following the war in Ukraine and won't use the same drones that have wiped out his tanks there.

Russian losses have reached staggering levels. No, nowhere near (yet) the 30 million Russians killed in World War II, but the most for any country, in any war, since the end of WWII. ISW has confirmed 1.6 million Russian soldiers KIA since the invasion in February, 2022. Many sources place that number much higher, and it most certainly is higher. The ISW uses actual drone video footage to count the Russian dead, but that does not account for dead Russians trapped inside of vehicles or buried under rubble of destroyed buildings. A good estimate places Russian KIA at 2.7 million, plus another 800K+ who were wounded and died from their wounds later.

As for lost vehicles, one reliable source, again using drone footage, places destroyed Russian tanks at 4,500. And twice that number in APCs, IFVs, and artillery batteries.

Ukraine does not release casualty figures, but the ISW, using drone footage, places Ukrainian losses at about 400K KIA and 600K wounded, although unlike the Russians, most of the Ukrainian wounded receive proper medical care and survive, many to return to action. These numbers now match what the US lost in all of WWII, 407K killed, 617K wounded.

Not only is Russia withdrawing all its armored vehicles from the battle zone, Ukraine already has. Actually, it was several months ago. Ukraine was sent a total of 80 Abrams M1A1 tanks, 25 of them were destroyed and all by Russian drones. Their German-built Leopard tanks and the British Challenger tanks faired even worse. Most lost to drones.

In an attempt to remedy the drone issue, the US Army modified our Abrams tanks creating the Abrams M1 Sep3, which is a version with more armor where drones strike, top of the turret and the engine compartment, and additional anti-drone electronics and anti-drone defensive weapons mounted on the tank. But these "improvements" added weight to the vehicle turning a 70-ton tank into a 76-ton tank and causing it to be too heavy for our transport trucks and causing issues transporting one of the heavier tanks via the C-5. The plane can still handle it, but not much other cargo can be carried now.

The US has sold 75 Abrams M1 Sep3 to Taiwan, and 145 of the improved tank to Australia. For Taiwan these are replacing the Vietnam-era M60 which has been their main battle tank up to now. Their M60s are not being totally retired as the enhanced versions they have is still superior to anything China has.

So, what is the US doing to fix the drone problem vs. tanks? Well, introducing the brand-new Abrams M1E3. This is a much-improved version of the Abrams tank. It keeps all that is good about the tank but has been redesigned to address the drone issue. It is also much lighter, faster, and more agile weighing in at 45 tons. It has a 3-man crew who all sit together in the "cockpit" up front, no one in the turret. The main gun uses an auto-loader but nothing like the ill-designed Soviet version which is a death trap for the crew. Additional armor plating protects the ammo storage compartment and the engine, and the standard armor up front, which makes the Abrams practically indestructible, has been retained. The engines are twin turbo-hybrid diesel/electric engines, greatly improving fuel milage. Four prototypes have been built and are presently being put through their paces at the Nevada proving grounds.

Early reports, perhaps premature, but it appears Russia's entire Lyman salient, "the bulge", has collapsed. As many as 20,000 Russians said to have surrendered to Ukrainian forces. Other Russians tried, or still trying, to retreat from the area but Ukrainians are pursuing them with drones and infantry.

The slaughter on the road to Dopropillia is worse than fist reported. Drone footage revealing thousands of Russian corpses scattered for miles. Most of this carnage courtesy of the 20th "Lubart" Infantry Brigade, a unit in the elite 1st Azov Corps. The nickname comes from honoring the 14th Century Prince Lubart who led "Ukrainians" in defense of Europe against the Ottoman Empire (muslims).

Ukrainian drones and artillery wiped out a convoy of Russian supply trucks, one report claiming the convoy was composed of "3,000 vehicles." I find that hard, really impossible, to believe. What is confirmed is Russia lost an entire convoy of supply trucks and replacement equipment. Usually, such Russian convoys consist of between 40-50 vehicles. Not "3,000"!! This occurred in eastern Donbas, along the Azov Sea coast highway.