We're all going to die
 

FYI I know I havent posted here in a while but I've already started digging a hole in my backyard.

Russian General Calls for Preemptive Nuclear Strike Doctrine Against NATO
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/busine...to/506370.html
Putin: You better not come after a nuclear-armed Russia
http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/29/world/...kraine-crisis/
NATO To Create 'Spearhead' Rapid Reaction Force In Response To Ukraine Crisis
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_5749262.html
"Significant escalation": Russian tanks enter Ukraine
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/signific...enter-ukraine/
http://timyounkman.com/my-times_113_3029743207.gif

I thought you all should know...
oh and btw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewduaGHcRFI

Well, if this does happen, I'd like to tell you all that it's been nice knowing you guys.

As much as the concept of a visit from the Instant Sunshine Fairy scares the crap out of me, this all just seems to me to be like Russia jumping up and down and screaming for attention while everyone else is fixated on the goings-on in the Middle East.

The Crimea has historically been in the Russian sphere of influence.

That being said, well, you got to die of something, I just wish my initials were JC, and that Mother had married a Green Beret instead of a PJ.

If I just randomly pinned on four stars; you guys would follow me, right?

I think it's a little odd that we're defending Ukraine a lot more vigorously than we did Georgia, whih was actually an ally of ours. But as Bond villain-y as Putin is, I believe he's driven by pragmatism rather than ideology, and cooler heads will prevail. If I'm wrong, may radioactive fire rain from the sky.

No, we are not all going to die. This sort of thing is practically de rigeur for dictators who lead by personality cult and/or nationalist/anti-American sentiment. Most of you guys are probably too young to remember, but even our "friend" Boris Yeltsin once declared he was willing to start a world war over Kosovo, back when the U.S. was bombing Serb forces/paramilitaries there.

Putin is pragmatic, but nationalism is a difficult beast to control once it's out of its cage.

I'm not worried about Putin using nukes in conflict, but I am worried about him taking bigger risks than expected in order to live up to the rep he's now built for himself, both domestically and in Russia's near-abroad. What the MH17 incident should teach us is that Putin has been stirring the pot without control of the stove temperature. I am sure he was pissed off at the separatists for what they did, but once it happened, he was forced to double down on his support for them in order to save face.

MT, after the thermonuclear war, and my self promotion to General/CINCRESISTANCE, will you be my J-2?

I'm not worried about this going nuclear, mainly because, the Ukraine is on the wrong side of the Caucus for us to reasonably project force.

No more VII Corps, and 1st Armored is at Bliss, not poised to defend the Fulda Gap.

Funny thing, I vaguely remember watching the coverage of Kosovo, Pop was assigned to KFOR as the AFSOC liason, and some sort of confortation between NATO and Russian troops at the airport.

Sure, if you don't mind the fact that my first order of business will be to outsource collection and data storage to Booz Allen Hamilton... :p

Oh, yeah, you mean this?

So yeah. That's probably the closest we've gotten to instant sunshine.

That's fine. Just so long as we use the office in Atlanta, one of my Fraternity brothers/former battle buddy works there. :)

Wes Clark takes the cake as the worst of the post-Vietnam era four stars, in my opinion.

Ah, I was just going to kick out all of the overpaid uniformed and GS civilian personnel and replace them with client-facing contractors working in the Pentagon (there are already tons of Booz folks there, anyway).

Not a Wes Clark fan myself. Haven't met him yet, but I know people who have and say he's insufferable. For fun, read this take on his narcissism by Tom Ricks.

There was an unpolished honesty about his presidential run that was refreshing though. Time magazine did a feature about the various Democratic candidates, and one of them questions was "What's in your CD player right now," and I remember John Edwards said it was the best of Bruce Springsteen, which is a safe answer for a Democrat, while Wesley Clark said "Journey's Greatest Hits," which is a great album, one that I think most people secretly love, but carries no political message. He could've pandered and said Springsteen or hip-hop, or been pretentious and said classical, or looked out of touch and said Elvis or something, but I think Journey was a great and honest answer.

I had forgotten about Stars Earn Stripes. I was about to suggest Jeremy Boorda for worst post-Vietnam four star, but hosting a bad reality show pushes him over the top.

MT, just so long as you can tell me where the evil robots are, that's fine.

No concerns about disgruntled employees downloading classified intel and documents to sell to our enemies, or pass along to Glenn Greenwald? :D

Well, any disgruntled employees we have will be courteously shown the door into the barren wasteland that was once LA. :D

And I intend to bring Greenwald into the fold as a consultant, the guy's brillant in some regards, and besides, if he works for us, I can ship his ass to Leavenworth if he steps out of line.