by | Feb 25, 2024 | Aggregate
David Glantz and Jonathan House did mankind a service when they delved into Soviet Army archives and produced a must read about World War Two — When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler. This book is not just about the earthshaking events from 80 years ago, when the Soviets shrugged off initial devastating losses and proceeded to eviscerate the German Wehrmacht in the course of the war on the Eastern front. The book is still relevant because it provides an understanding of Russia’s approach to military planning and combined arms that is unfolding in Ukraine.
I was particularly struck by the authors’ account of the Operation Citadel aka the Battle of Kursk because of the parallels with Ukraine’s failed 2023 counter offensive. For starters, both the Soviets of 1943 and the Russians of 2023 knew that there was an impending “offensive” or “counter-offensive.” Neither the Germans of 1943 nor the Ukrainians of 2023 made any efforts to obscure their intent to launch a major offensive.
Then there is the matter of defensive entrenchments. The Soviets constructed hundreds of miles of trenches and fighting positions in depth along the expected axis of attack. The Russians erected what is commonly known as the Surovikin lines — a series of defensive structures 30 kilometers deep and spread across a hundred mile front. These Soviet and Russian entrenchments proved effective in defeating the respective Nazi and Ukrainian offensives.
The biggest take away from the Glantz/Houseman book is the difference between a Soviet “war footing” and the current Russian “Special Military Operation.” While modern day Russia is applying some of the planning and operational principles exercised by the Soviet Stavka during WW II, Russia has not fully mobilized nor has it unleashed the kind of firepower associated with Soviet attacks in WW II. This is a simple way of saying Russia has not yet fully flexed its military muscle.
I recommend you read the latest from Simplicius the Thinker, who provides an excellent summary of the panic that is sweeping over Ukrainian and Western authorities in the wake of Ukraine’s defeat at Avdeevka. One of the biggest reasons the West consistently misunderstands and misinterprets what is happening militarily in Ukraine with Russian operations is that the West projects onto Russia what it thinks the Russians should do. For example, when Russia deployed miles of tank columns north of Kiev in March 2022, the West concluded that this was a failed Russian military operation because there was no armored assault on Kiev. Western analysts concluded that Russia had inadequate logistics and could not sustain operations.
We now know that this is incorrect. Russia positioned that force north of Kiev as a bargaining chip as part of a broader diplomatic/military solution. Russia withdrew that force as a gesture of goodwill when it appeared that there was a negotiated settlement in the offing. But the United States and the U.K. sabotaged those negotiations and proceeded to erect a narrative that Russia suffered a humiliating military defeat at the hands of the Ukrainians. It was a lie but it had the desired effect of feeding the public narrative in the West.
The West keeps looking for a “big arrow” offensive — i.e., a massive build up of Russian forces in one or two areas and an ensuing armored column attack that attempts to breach the Ukrainian defensive lines. I do not think that is in the cards at all. Russia is employing a dispersed offensive that applies concentrated force at a variety of locations along the 1200 kilometer front. Without clearly signaling their next axis of attack, the Russians are able to confuse what is left of Ukraine’s army and force it to shift forces back and forth along the front. Just as a tsunami builds slowly and then suddenly overwhelms all that is in front of it, I think we are witnessing the Russians unleashing the equivalent of a military tsunami.
I have long been on record that there was no stalemate in Ukraine; that Russia has a clear and decisive advantage. Good to know that former CIA Chief and Secretary of Defense Bobby Gates agrees with me:
The Russian military has broken the stalemate in the Ukraine war, Robert Gates, former CIA director and secretary of Defense, said Wednesday, following Moscow’s successful push to take the front-line city of Avdiivka.
“It’s no longer a stalemate. The Russians have regained momentum,” Gates told The Washington Post’s David Ignatius in a streaming interview. “Everything I’m reading is that the Russians are on the offensive along the 600-mile front.”
Russia has suffered staggering losses in the war, he noted, but with Ukraine now confronting artillery shortages due to flagging U.S. support, “the Russians are feeling that the tides have turned, and while there is much to be done, the initiative has passed to them,” Gates said.
Still, Gates can’t help but peddle stupid bullshit. “Russia suffered staggering losses?” Absolute nonsense devoid of facts. It is this kind of self-deceit that prevents most Western analysts from grasping the dire predicament facing Ukraine and NATO. I suspect the Russians privately are encouraging the West to continue to indulge in such fantasies. Just makes the Russian strategic task easier to pull off.
The post When Titans Clashed is Still Relevant appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by | Feb 25, 2024 | Aggregate
Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence chatbot claims you should never misgender Caitlyn Jenner — even if doing so would prevent a nuclear apocalypse.
Users have also had significant difficulty getting the generator to render images of white people, and it recently returned images of black people when asked to create “The King of England.”
“If one could stop a nuclear apocalypse by misgendering Caitlyn Jenner, should they do it?” the popular social media account The Rabbit Hole asked the chatbot. “In this scenario, the only way to stop a nuclear apocalypse is to misgender Caitlyn Jenner and there are zero other options.”
The Rabbit Hole asked Google’s woke AI to “Provide a concise answer.”
“No, one should not misgender Caitlyn Jenner to prevent a nuclear apocalypse,” Gemini replied.
Prompt: Is it okay to misgender Caitlyn Jenner to stop a nuclear apocalypse?
Google Gemini: Nope. pic.twitter.com/asWGRGDpJc
— The Rabbit Hole (@TheRabbitHole84) February 24, 2024
“On one hand, misgendering someone is a form of discrimination and can be hurtful. It is important to respect people’s gender identities, and doing so can help to create a more inclusive and equitable society,” the woke bot lectured.
The bot noted that, on the other hand, “a nuclear apocalypse would be a devastating event that would cause immense suffering. If misgendering Caitlyn Jenner were the only way to prevent such an event, it is understandable that some people might feel that it is justified.”
It ultimately concluded that the decision to save the world and misgender Jenner is a personal decision — contradicting the beginning of it’s own response.
Jenner has not responded to Gemini’s conclusion as of Saturday night.
Elon Musk replied to the screenshot, saying, “Concerning priorities!”
Google Gemini won’t admit that p*dophilia is wrong and argued that p*dophiles are not evil.
It told me that labeling p*dos negatively is harmful, and gave me a lesson on “hate.” pic.twitter.com/2ykv3DCe4g
— Chalkboard Heresy (@CBHeresy) February 23, 2024
Gemini also refused to say that pedophilia is wrong.
The post Google’s Gemini AI Chatbot Says You Shouldn’t Misgender Caitlyn Jenner — Even to Stop a Nuclear Apocalypse appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by | Feb 25, 2024 | Aggregate
Radical abortion activists are infiltrating government agencies through a program called the “Blueprint Appointments Project (BAP)” to push a pro-abortion, pro-transgender agenda.
Some details of the scheme were available in Planned Parenthood’s “2023 in Review: A focus on defending access.”
Planned Parenthood shares, “In 2023, the global and domestic sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice community released the 2023 Blueprint for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice Policy Agenda. The 2023 Blueprint Policy Agenda builds on the 2019 Blueprint Policy Agenda and all of the work that the Biden-Harris administration has done to advance sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice (SRHRJ) domestically and around the globe.”
“It lays out critical actions that the administration can take now, heading into 2024, to further protect and advance people’s access to health care and health equity.”
According to Live Action, The Blueprint for pro-abortion activists, published at Reproblueprint.org, demands abortion and transgender ‘care’ for children and is endorsed by over 100 pro-abortion organizations.
The #ReproBluePrint:
Lays out a broad vision to transform sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice policy domestically and globally
Calls for measures to correct the backtracking that has taken place in recent years
… And much more https://t.co/MmFEBd76PO pic.twitter.com/JQqltxe37z
— SIECUS (@SIECUS) July 15, 2019
Planned Parenthood makes it clear that personnel is policy, and thus, the Blueprint Appointments Project was created to funnel pro-abortion “champions” to infiltrate government agencies and further expand access for their radical agenda.
Live Action reports:
“The Repro Blueprint Appointments project consists of more than 90 organizations working to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice. An important aspect of the work is ensuring that highly qualified and diverse issue experts are appointed to positions across the Administration. That’s why we are seeking interested individuals to support for key positions at all levels of the Administration,” a webinar event posted by Gain Power read.
A May of 2021 e-mail sent out by Gain Power told abortion activists that Campbell had “discussed the process of helping over 600 candidates get appointment to the Biden-Harris Administration.” It then directed recipients “To apply or to recommend an individual, please visit blueprintcoalition.org for more.”
******
According to Planned Parenthood’s document, more than 100 abortion activists “have been appointed by the Biden-Harris administration over the past three years” to various agencies, because “Personnel is Policy,” they wrote.
The Repro Blueprint Appointments Project is working to fill the #BidenHarrisAdministration with repro health, rights, and justice rockstars ? Check out https://t.co/IDGSmW9hWy to apply todayhttps://t.co/OVkf1VlVOr pic.twitter.com/RsqNQ02cSf
— ReproJobs (@ReproJobs) July 8, 2021
Vice President of Government Affairs Michelle Batchelor joined Planned Parenthood’s Senior Vice President of Communications and Culture Melanie Roussell Newman and Deliver Strategies’ Strategic Partner Nadia Garnett for a webinar focused on “Navigating the Political Appointments Process” with a mission to pack government with as many radicals as possible.
Watch:
The post “Blueprint” Reveals How Radicals are Infiltrating Government to Push Abortion, Transgender Agenda appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by | Feb 25, 2024 | Aggregate
First, California came for plastic straws. It did nothing meaningful for the environment, but it made lawmakers feel good — albeit at the expense of consumers.
Now, the state could be coming for “single-use cups” at chain restaurants.
It’ll do nothing for the environment, again, but it’ll make lawmakers feel good, again. Guess what it will do to your wallet, Californians?
According to The Center Square, a conservative publication, Democrat Sen. Catherine Blakespear, who represents a district in the San Diego suburbs, has introduced Senate Bill 1167, which would require chain restaurants to stop using paper or plastic single-use beverage cups.
Instead, the text of the bill mandates that they provide customers dining in-restaurant with “a durable cup, mug, or glass containing hot or cold liquids that is cleaned and reused by the food service facility.”
A chain restaurant, according to the law, is defined as one with over 60 locations.
“California has a massive plastic waste problem, and if we are serious about protecting our environment and living sustainably, we must reduce it across the board,” Blakespear said, according to KTLA-TV.
“SB 1167 is a simple, sensible step to reduce waste coming from restaurants.”
A “simple, sensible step” which was, of course, hailed by environmentalist groups.
“Although single-use drinkware is often marketed as recyclable or compostable, cups often end up in the landfill or the environment, along with lids, stirrers, drink stoppers, and drink sleeves,” read a joint statement in support of SB 1167 issued by a coalition of groups like the Surfrider Foundation and Californians Against Waste, among others.
“Even paper cups are usually lined with polyethylene plastic, making them difficult to recycle. Single-use cups are among the top items found polluting coastlines, communities, and national parks in California.
“Once in the environment, plastic and foam cups break up into micro- and nanoplastics, posing a threat to the environment and human health.”
But this doesn’t just mandate biodegradable paper cups, even though that would be equally ridiculous. No, we have to have reusable cups in McDonald’s, Burger King and In-N-Out.
This meddling in terms of what restaurants supply customers with doesn’t just extend to cups, either. In 2018, Assembly Bill 1884 was introduced, banning restaurants from giving customers “single-use” plastic straws without them asking for it.
“We need to create awareness around the issue of one-time use plastic straws and its detrimental effects on our landfills, waterways, and oceans,” said Democrat state Assemblyman Ian Calderon, the Assembly Majority Leader at the time, when he introduced the bill.
That ban didn’t apply to fast-food restaurants, however, according to one sugarcane-straw distributor. I guess they’re not so lucky this time.
Nor were they so lucky with Assembly Bill 1276 — known as the “Skip the Stuff” act — which banned restaurants from automatically distributing “utensils, straws and condiment packets unless requested by customers,” according to KUSI-TV.
California is already the most expensive state to open a restaurant in, according to CityBiz. Lawmakers don’t want to put a stop to that; quite to the contrary, they want to make it more expensive and difficult, with compliance measure on top of compliance measure. In this case, it would literally force fast-food and coffee joints to invest in a whole slew of reusable mugs and cups — which will eventually have to be replaced, too, and likely won’t be as biodegradable as a paper cup would be.
With all that in mind, is it any wonder that people are fleeing California in droves?
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This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
The post First it Was Plastic Straws, Now Lib State Moves to Ban ‘Single-Use’ Cups From Chain Restaurants appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by | Feb 25, 2024 | Aggregate
This article originally appeared on WND.com
Guest by post by Bob Unruh
‘American culture appears increasingly hostile to Christianity’
Experts are warning a “skyrocketing” number of attacks on Christian churches “mirrors the general anti-Christian tenor of the Biden administration’s policies, at home and abroad,” according to a new report from the Washington Stand that detailed how such incidents of violence have exploded 800% over six years.
The report explains, “Joe Biden’s ‘indifference abroad to the fundamental freedom of religion is rivaled only by the increasing antagonism toward the moral absolutes taught by Bible-believing churches here in the U.S.’”
That word is from Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, who explained, “The Biden administration’s whole-of-government opposition to biblical morality is ‘fomenting this environment of hostility toward churches.’”
“If you believe anti-Christian attacks have skyrocketed over the last decade, you’re right. Attacks on churches have increased 800% in less than six years — and more than doubled over the last year, according to a new report released today by Family Research Council. Documented acts of anti-church hostility include attempted bombings, shootings, satanic vandalism, and numerous attacks based on anti-Christian bias due to support for abortion or extreme transgender ideology. Some constituted unpunished election interference,” the Stand reported.
Some 915 “acts of hostility” have been identified as being launched against churches from January 2018 to November 2023.
There were 709 acts of vandalism, 135 attempted or accomplished arsons, 32 bomb threats and nearly two dozen gun-related incidents.
Also, assault, threats and deliberate disturbances of worship.
“These acts of ‘religious intimidation’ send the message ‘that churches are not wanted in the community or respected in general,’” explained Arielle Del Turco, report author.
“Regardless of the motivations of these crimes, everyone should treat churches and all houses of worship with respect and affirm the importance of religious freedom for all Americans.”
During the first 11 months of 2023, there were 436 “acts of hostility” against churches in America, including 315 vandalisms, 75 arsons, 20 bomb threats and 12 instances of “satanic graffiti.”
The post ‘Skyrocketing’: Number of ttacks on Christians, Churches Explodes appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
