Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)

[Lord Liaden]

4 hours ago, Old Man said:

 

Thank you for summarizing the video so I don't have to watch it.  Privateering would indeed be constitutional, but I'd be surprised if the government authorized it; it would add to an already chaotic situation and most governments are allergic to chaos.

 

As the video mentions, a bill to authorize the President to issue "letters of marque" for this purpose is being debated in the House of Representatives right now. The tactic is centuries old, and was used by many countries. It doesn't cause chaos for the issuing government, it's the equivalent of letting hounds loose. The target of the privateers are the ones in chaos.

[archer]

4 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

As the video mentions, a bill to authorize the President to issue "letters of marque" for this purpose is being debated in the House of Representatives right now. The tactic is centuries old, and was used by many countries. It doesn't cause chaos for the issuing government, it's the equivalent of letting hounds loose. The target of the privateers are the ones in chaos.

 

I'd mentioned the possibility of using letters of marque for this conflict in a number of places, though I don't remember if I mentioned it here. 

 

But I certainly never expected it to be seriously discussed in the House.

 

The main problem with using them is that the other side is free to do so as well. And they might tell their people they have not only the right to go after prominent rich people and companies in the US but also anyone or anything at all who has a bank account or investments.

 

I don't know the raw number of hackers per side. But I do know the US is a more target-rich environment.

[unclevlad]

Yep.  It's legal.  Article 1, Section 8, gives the power to Congress.

 

It hasn't been used by general agreement since, IIRC, the War of 1812.  For obvious international relations complications.  

 

Yeah, I got reminded of these because an author invoked them, to allow an action that would've been otherwise impossible.  And I remember going "OMG" when I read it...because it's a major step.  Executing a letter of marque is itself arguably a casus bellum;  the issuing government is trying to shield itself, but that shield's ethically flimsy. 

 

This might pass.  If Russia chooses to ignore international law with regard to patents, one can make the case that this is a proper form of response.  If Russia starts nationalizing?  STRONG grounds.

 

Whether Biden will sign any?  Can't say.  Any particular letter should have narrow scope.  

 

 

[Lord Liaden]

1 hour ago, archer said:

 

I'd mentioned the possibility of using letters of marque for this conflict in a number of places, though I don't remember if I mentioned it here. 

 

But I certainly never expected it to be seriously discussed in the House.

 

The main problem with using them is that the other side is free to do so as well. And they might tell their people they have not only the right to go after prominent rich people and companies in the US but also anyone or anything at all who has a bank account or investments.

 

I don't know the raw number of hackers per side. But I do know the US is a more target-rich environment.

 

I believe the point of this tactic would be to impact the business practices and lifestyle of the Russian oligarchs, like seizing their yachts and aircraft. Putin depends on their support, and the impact of sanctions is already making them restive.

 

43 minutes ago, unclevlad said:

Yep.  It's legal.  Article 1, Section 8, gives the power to Congress.

 

It hasn't been used by general agreement since, IIRC, the War of 1812.  For obvious international relations complications.  

 

Yeah, I got reminded of these because an author invoked them, to allow an action that would've been otherwise impossible.  And I remember going "OMG" when I read it...because it's a major step.  Executing a letter of marque is itself arguably a casus bellum;  the issuing government is trying to shield itself, but that shield's ethically flimsy. 

 

This might pass.  If Russia chooses to ignore international law with regard to patents, one can make the case that this is a proper form of response.  If Russia starts nationalizing?  STRONG grounds.

 

Whether Biden will sign any?  Can't say.  Any particular letter should have narrow scope.  

 

 

 

Russia has contracted agents of Wagner, a private security firm, as combat troops in Ukraine. Wagner is like Blackwater, except even more like jackbooted thugs than Blackwater. Putin hired them for help in Chechnya as well. They're experienced and ruthless. Privateers wouldn't be a big step up from that tactic, and Putin wouldn't have much justification to protest. (He would, of course. Fairness and power don't often coexist in the same scenario.)

[Old Man]

2 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

As the video mentions, a bill to authorize the President to issue "letters of marque" for this purpose is being debated in the House of Representatives right now.

 

Can you provide a link to this proposed bill?  I'd like to read more about it.  Thanks.

[archer]

12 minutes ago, Old Man said:

 

Can you provide a link to this proposed bill?  I'd like to read more about it.  Thanks.

 

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6869/all-actions?s=1&r=203&overview=closed

[archer]

New roundup

 

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UK government offering people 350 pounds per month to host a refugee. Must commit to hosting for at least 6 months. (This is a significant step forward for them since that government had been putting up roadblocks to taking in refugees.)

 

Notably, Benedict Cumberbatch has offered to take in refugees to his home.

 

====

 

Power has been restored to the Chernobyl nuclear plant, Ukraine’s national energy company Ukrenergo announced - CNN

 

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Multiple sources say Russia is preparing to have a fake election in Kherson so it can declare that oblast to be an independent state like it did in Donbas.

 

Protests by civilians in Kherson have resumed after having been quashed by Russian occupiers. The BBC reports that Russian forces fired warning shots to intimidate the crowds.

 

The government of the city of Kherson have refused to go along with the scheme.

 

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Several Ukrainian cities which are under siege are using mass graves to dispose of corpses because mortuaries are overflowing and individual ceremonies are untenable due to the assault.

 

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Ukraine has claimed Russia used banned phosphorus munitions in an attack against civilian targets overnight in Popasna in eastern Ukraine, which would be a war crime.

 

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More than 14,000 people in 112 cities have been arrested in Russia for anti-war protests since the start of the invasion of Ukraine. Anti-war protests are considered to be "terrorism" by the government.

 

A man who was not at a war protest but who was carrying a blank sign in Moscow yesterday was arrested for protesting the war.

 

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The Russian navy's troop carriers have returned from Crimea to the coast off of Odessa. They'd retreated last week after Ukraine sank a Russian warship.

 

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Trump Says 'Lot of Love' Behind Putin Wanting to 'Make His Country Larger'

 

(No, that's not a joke, but from an interview today on Fox News radio.)

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-says-lot-of-love-behind-putin-wanting-to-make-his-country-larger/ar-AAV0OtK?ocid=msedgntp

 

 

[unclevlad]

It will be interesting to see how much Trump's position will alienate people, because from what I've seen, support for Russia's only been on the very fringe.

[Pariah]

Or as I heard it stated the other day, "74% of Americans oppose Russia's actions in Ukraine. The rest believe that Donald Trump is still President."

[archer]

2 hours ago, Pariah said:

Or as I heard it stated the other day, "74% of Americans oppose Russia's actions in Ukraine. The rest believe that Donald Trump is still President."

 

Quit stealing my material!  

[unclevlad]

But for comparison purposes, as of early January according to the Guardian, more than 40% still believed the election was stolen.  So there's a major gap there.  Not as large as one would prefer, but it's clearly large enough to prevent the clown from staging an effective comeback, if it's sufficiently important to them.  

 

Plus:  that 74% number is legit.  The snide after-comment sounds like one of the late night guys.   BUT...that 74% was reported by Yahoo! News...2 weeks ago.  I couldn't quickly find anything newer, but how Russia is proceeding is, I suspect, turning more people off.  

[Pariah]

8 hours ago, archer said:

Quit stealing my material!  

 

... I can't promise that. 

[wcw43921]

Elon Musk Challenged Putin To Single Combat

 

On the one hand, settling the matter through single combat would save a lot of lives and a lot of misery.  On the other hand, Musk doesn't really have the standing to make this sort of challenge, and Putin, being a former KGB agent, ain't exactly a pushover.  Musk should stick to developing space vehicles so we don't have to rely on Soyuzes (Soyuzhi?) for a ride to the ISS.

[Cygnia]

Where is that facepalm emoji when you need it?

[wcw43921]

Just post that picture of Picard facepalming like everyone else--

 

[Lord Liaden]

1 hour ago, wcw43921 said:

Elon Musk Challenged Putin To Single Combat

 

On the one hand, settling the matter through single combat would save a lot of lives and a lot of misery.  On the other hand, Musk doesn't really have the standing to make this sort of challenge, and Putin, being a former KGB agent, ain't exactly a pushover.  Musk should stick to developing space vehicles so we don't have to rely on Soyuzes (Soyuzhi?) for a ride to the ISS.

 

Putin loves to cultivate that image of being a former James Bond-ian superspy tough guy. According to ex-KGB agent Jack Barsky, Putin was a mid-level bureaucrat in the KGB. Very good at political games, but no field agent.

 

That datum is included in this recent CNN interview with Barsky, who discusses Putin's history and current state of mind with the benefit of first-hand information and perspective. (Six minutes duration.)

 

 

[Starlord]

Wait, so Elon Musk is now a genius billionaire with access to his own satellites who can defeat KGB agents with his bare hands?

 

Hmmm....

 

To the Muskmobile!!!

[tkdguy]

I'm pretty sure Putin can kill Elon Musk with his bare hands. So either Musk is doing a publicity stunt or he really wants Russia to have Ukraine.

 

Also, keep in mind that as the one being challenged, Putin gets to choose the weapon to be used anyway.

[Cygnia]

And cue the countdown when Musk "accidentally" falls out a window in...

[archer]

mini- news roundup

 

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UK promises 500 generators to Ukraine, suitable for running shelters and hospitals.

 

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Germany figuring out how it wants to spend at least part of those extra 100 billion Euros in defense spending: plans to buy up to 35 US-made F-35 fighter jets and 15 Eurofighter jets.

 

F-35 stealth jets are considered the most modern combat aircraft in the world, and their unique shape and coating make them harder to detect by enemy radar.

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220314-germany-to-buy-dozens-of-us-fighter-jets-in-spending-spree

 

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Russia’s Finance Minister Says Country Will Pay Debt in Rubles Until Central Bank Sanctions Lifted
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/russia-ukraine-latest-news-2022-03-11/card/russia-s-finance-minister-says-country-will-pay-debt-in-rubles-until-central-bank-sanctions-lifted-c9lJghNNgGzbzdPzbsLR

They can print rubles. And probably claim any exchange rate that they care to.

The debt payments are specifically supposed to be made in dollars so even if they paid, Russia would still technically be in default.

But it's certainly muddy the waters if the creditors were dumb enough to accept the rubles. And it'll play better to the neutral countries if Russia makes some appearance of trying to be reasonable in paying on its debts rather than straight up defaulting.

 

[archer]

Amid reports that Russia has asked China for military equipment, including missiles, drones, and armored vehicles, is a telling detail: Russia has also asked China for help feeding its troops

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/14/politics/us-china-russia-ukraine/index.html

 

The United States has held “intense” high-level talks with China in an effort to try to dissuade Beijing from supplying arms to Russia at a meeting in Rome.

 

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A convoy of more than 160 cars departed from Mariupol today, local officials said, in what appeared to be the first successful attempt to evacuate civilians from the encircled Ukrainian city.

 

Humanitarian relief convoys still have not made it into the city. They report being stopped at multiple Russian checkpoints and at each checkpoint, the relief trucks are stripped of some of their supplies for use by the Russians.

 

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Russian forces blew up explosives at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant near the main reactor, describing it as "disposal of ammunition". And say more such disposals will happen in the future.

 

Why they'd pick Europe's largest nuclear power plant as a place to dispose of ammunition, or why they'd be disposing of ammunition in the middle of a war while their forces have supply shortages is unknown.

 

Personally, I take it as intimidation tactics: trying to pacify the locals by threatening to blow up the plant. YMMV

 

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Russian forces have damaged the power lines going to Chernobyl. So the restoration of power to the site might not last long.

 

The spent nuclear fuel started being transferred to a new on-site dry storage facility in January last year and it doesn't require power. But 231 cannisters needed to be removed from the pool (which does use power to recirculate the water), checked for leaks, etc. so I haven't found information on how far along the transfer process was.

 

The fuel remaining in the storage pool should be safe as long as the Russians aren't stupid enough to bring in pumps and deliberately drain the pool of water.

 

All the reactors at the Chernobyl site were shut down in 2000 and the spent fuel rods removed from the reactors.

 

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Russians have waked the Bayer.

 

German pharmaceutical company Bayer announced it would suspend advertising and capital investment indefinitely. But it would continue to sell pharmaceutical and agricultural products to the Russians on humanitarian grounds.

 

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On a personal note, if you're at a place in your life where you can stock a significant amount of food in your home, I would highly recommend that. Most media outlets are forecasting a rise in food prices of 25% and I think that might be a little too conservative. So it might be worth making a trip to the grocery store now. And watching for grocery sales in the coming weeks and taking advantage of any low prices that you might find while they're still available.

 

And likely pet food will similarly increase in price since most of it is grain or meat.

 

====

[Cygnia]

 

[archer]

7 minutes ago, Cygnia said:

 

 

I saw that tweet referenced earlier today.

 

The TV segment it shows was from before the invasion of Ukraine. That doesn't make it just a whole lot better. But it's not like they're showing this to Russians while their troops are in Ukraine and telling them "this is what we're going to do next".

 

I'm sure they'll wait until after they finish in Ukraine before they start showing their next targets on TV and talking about finding a pretext to invade them.

 

 

You know, I get that people think the US runs around the world getting involved in other people's wars...because we do.

 

But we don't tend to look at our immediate neighbors, repeatedly, and tell ourselves stuff like "it'd be really great if we were to conquer Baja California" or "Quebec is kind of nice this time of year and, come to think of it, we don't have a French-speaking state in the north".

[Starlord]

[Old Man]

I wish Twitter would ban that guy, purely for his own good.