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As of sometime last night (est US) Ukraine shot 6 ATACMs into Bryansk.

Russia confirms it shot down 5, 1 hit a warehouse. Video confirms follow-on explosions. Update: the 5 second vid circulating is from a different time & place per Big Serge.

Russia says 6th missile was damaged & started a fire

https://www.rt.com/russia/607877-bryansk-long-range-strike/

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I saw this. It confirms what I was saying. The Russian intercept rate is at least 90%. In this case, 100% since the 6th missile was hit but counted as a "kill" since it broke apart and caused damage below.

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The Russians understand the dynamic factors in play. They can probably keep calm for a few weeks even if the Kiev mob lash out. The Ukrainian troops and mercenaries in Kursk are dead meat anyway. Once Trump gets into the Oval Office, the Russians can see how he shapes. As a businessman and master of "the art of the deal", he can see that a Zircon in his window is NOT a good deal.

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Sadly, Trump is not the "master" of the art of the deal. That's Putin. Mastery is determined by outcomes. Of course, a lot depends on your definition of "deal" and "dealing".

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Thanks for your reply, Julian. My comment was ironic, hence the quotation marks. Although a businessman might quite adept at making money in New York, but find that such skills are not quite transferable to global diplomacy and warfare.

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If our lives depended on warehouses full of stockpiled grain against lean years, in a hot country favourable to rats and mice, we would worship cats too.

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I worship. I worship. I worship.

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The US Constitution needs to be fixed. The long period between a Presidential election and inauguration of the new President was a good idea when the USA was at least 6 weeks from anywhere by sailing ship. Today, not so much - especially when the rats try to take the ship down with them as they scuttle for the exits. Maybe reduce the interval to a fortnight, and the outgoing President to have no powers to do anything much without the written consent of the President-elect.

I have been catching up on the books Arthur C. Clarke wrote after about 1960, when I stopped reading him. One neat idea: anyone who as much as expresses an interest in holding office must be permanently excluded from holding any office. The only acceptable President is one who must be dragged kicking and screaming into the Oval Office - and then does the best job she can, as there is time off for good behaviour. (Philip K. Dick explored the idea of lotteries for power at random intervals in "World of Chance". Imagine you are awoken at 3 a.m. by officials and the Secret Service telling you that you are the new President). Officials can then be chosen in a variety of ways, but a lottery is the simplest. Ask yourself: how many of your family and friends would do a worse job than Biden? (Incidentally, these ideas are hardly new - they date back to Aristotle and before).

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If you read my special articles, you will notice that I pay some attention to these points -- especially lotteries -- which the Greeks and, ironically, Machiavelli preferred. I know, I know ....Simplicius says the Greeks didn't like lotteries for government. He's wrong. Over-simplifying....LOL. The Greek philosophers noted the advantages and disadvantages of each form of government - and in the end, the Greeks opted for a hybrid government, with lotteries for representative government and election for positions requiring expertise, etc, etc.. Ask yourself -- why do we use the lotteries for the jury system?

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I'm afraid I don't pay for any material online; as a British pensioner, my budget goes on food, utilities, and tax. Plus a reasonable amount of coffee and alcohol to calibrate my opinion of life.

If I could with a clear conscience, I would support you and several other worthy and distinguished writers.

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Thank you for another perfect and obvious explanation of the current situation.

Sander

PS this was on "X":

Dmitry Medvedev

@MedvedevRussiaE

Russia's new nuclear doctrine means NATO missiles fired against our country could be deemed an attack by the bloc on Russia.

Russia could retaliate with WMD against Kiev and key NATO facilities, wherever they're located.

That means World War III.

[11:22 a.m. · 19 nov. 2024 -CET-]

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Saw that. Medvedev has reinvented himself from Atlanticist to ....umm...."Russian-ist" ??? He knows that Putin would never authorize a nuclear strike against a Russian city like Kiev (a few well-aimed hypersonic missiles would do the trick). Nor even a NATO base. Again, well-aimed hypersonic missiles are more effective . And up to 1/5 the hitting power of a mini-nuke.

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PS important Update... !!

TWO tweets on "X"->https://x.com/OccupySchagen/status/1858976246232977540

Remember: The US is connected to the rest of the world (!) by glasfiber cables...

Including SWIFT....

Just saying...

Sander

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This weakness was noted before around the time of the attack on Nordstream. The Russians have advanced submarine and deep-ocean capabilities.

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Thank you.

But this time the 'accident' with the 2 Baltic cables occurred in connection with the Long-Range red line crossing.

And that was just after the Duma approved retaliation (Not necessarily Nuclear) on ALLIES of an attacking Power (!).

In the new doctrine: Paragraph 10 (not 11).

And i noted, that the US being on an island between two oceans, is COMPLETELY dependent on Glas cable connections, while the "World-Island has land-cables."

So i read this as a warning shot for the Bow of the US and all its ALLIES everywhere.

A small shot, because it was caused by Biden, who is almost exit, but it certainly is understood by Trump and the European Allies.

Even Italy reacted by saying to be against long range strikes on Russia... Just to be sure...

As i said earlier, my sensing is compact and i am bad in making a comprehensive narrative.

Sorry.

Sander

PS. The West says they do not think Putin wil retaliate.

Putin certainly will try to avoid a Nuclear catastrophe.

So he created strong non-nuclear Power that can be delivered in small and huge doses.

This was a shot for the Bow.

There is more of that, before he will shoot down the US photo-satellites in low orbits....

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I got one (Mau). He has all the traits: extremely smart and possessive. I got him from the car engine at the parking garage at work. It took me an hour, almost ripped the hood of some strangers car in frustration. I got him eventually—he wasn't more than 5–6 weeks old. 

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Lucky. If you find one on the street, he is usually a hybrid--as in fact all Maus were before Westerners began to breed them. But Maui traits are very distinctive.. VERY fast! Can jump. (Those strong, long hind legs!). Smart. And possessive and highly social. Ichi's two sisters - Ni (#2) and San (#3) looked even more Mau-ish than Ichi. Now they own an entire household!

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North

Atlantic

Terrorist

Organization

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Love it. Thank you, Jasmine. Can I use this and pretend it's my idea? LOL. Seriously-- genius.

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But of course😊 That's what I thought when I read it on Twitter😁

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Is it an official statement or not to allow strikes deep into Russia looks like hundreds of other statements d I’ve seen.

It’s the modus of operandi .

Rule by rumour !

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Exactly. Note that the ATACMS strikes were on Bryansk. Not Kursk with its North Korean hordes. And a total failure.

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