Lovely.

Ummm, so? Isn't this rather standard. I guess I'm not sure what exactly we're afraid of, having Russian ships in a Syrian dock. An attack on Israel? From Russia?

Syria is also home to the world's largest restaurant.

Not sure this means that much really strategically.

depends - an decent radar ship can give lots of notice to Iran if they don't already have the capability.

Why do we need bases in any country we're in?

This is posturing, whether for an attack on Israel, the European mainland, or an Atlantic war with the U.S.

How do I know when to stop going to work and sit in my fallout shelter with my rations and shortwave?

The message is clear, we need to get the rest of the world to hate the Russians again.

Russians roll cigarettes from the koran and use kittens as walking ashtrays!

Rapture folks will love this. They believe 'Gog and Magog' from the Bible who are to attack Israel with a confederacy is Russia.

staplermofo: The message is clear, we need to get the rest of the world to hate the Russians again.

Russians roll cigarettes from the koran and use kittens as walking ashtrays!

Why do we need to do this? How about we work on getting the rest of the world to not hate us anymore...

For starters, by keeping our military within our own borders.

iawai: Why do we need to do this? How about we work on getting the rest of the world to not hate us anymore...

For starters, by keeping our military within our own borders.

If we don't stop the Russians, who will?
Kittens are being used as ashtrays! I refuse to live in that kind of world.

staplermofo: iawai: Why do we need to do this? How about we work on getting the rest of the world to not hate us anymore...

For starters, by keeping our military within our own borders.

If we don't stop the Russians, who will?
Kittens are being used as ashtrays! I refuse to live in that kind of world.

I appreciate your jokes, but on the serious side - no one needs to stop Russia, except whoever they may actually be trespassing against. If Syria wants to sell them land for a Base, let them.

If they use that base to attack us (not Israel, the U.S.), then we can seek some form of retribution.

Excellent. Let us provoke them. That'll show them we ain't chicken. Freedom.

I say the article is full of BS on one point.

That Israel was unaware.

I'd bet money they knew all about it.

It is interesting posturing though.

What types of ships? A carrier group?

I_Love_Verdi: Excellent. Let us provoke them. That'll show them we ain't chicken. Freedom.

How is giving one's life to the State any type of Freedom? It seems more communistic than anything the USSR stood for.

Danielsan: Rapture folks will love this. They believe 'Gog and Magog' from the Bible who are to attack Israel with a confederacy is Russia.

Link (new window)

It's at 162, fasten your seat belt.

iawai: If they use that base to attack us (not Israel, the U.S.), then we can seek some form of retribution.

It's nice when we protect our allies.
I accept that a lot has changed since the USSR collapsed and we started supporting torture, but there's still a lot to be said for protecting our allies from being so much as bullied.

staplermofo: The message is clear, we need to get the rest of the world to hate the Russians again.

The war on terrorism must have been won, I predict Bin-Lid will be discovered hiding in a hole sometime around November 4th.

I bet bin Ladin is in Russia right now, emptying his hookah on a kitten. Damn Russians.

RISK RISK RISK RISK RISK RISK RISK

Hobodeluxe: What types of ships? A carrier group?

Russia has one light VSTOL carrier (it's only carrier), last reported in the Mediterranean. It may there.

Since these are apparently surface vessels, I doubt this came as a surprise to anyone in the know.

1) Russia has always supplied a lot of the states in the region (esp. Syria and Egypt) with weapons.
2) Russia is always in search of warm-water ports for its Atlantic fleets. (St. Petersburg is clogged up with ice most of the year.)

I_Love_Verdi: Excellent. Let us provoke them. That'll show them we ain't chicken. Freedom.

The freedom to be mauled by a bear. God, I love this country.

DamnYankees: Ummm, so? Isn't this rather standard. I guess I'm not sure what exactly we're afraid of, having Russian ships in a Syrian dock. An attack on Israel? From Russia?

I guarantee this will lead, if already hasn't, to ships with nuclear weapons parked in Syria under Russian control.

The US has had boomers docked in countries around the world where they didn't belong for many years.

It seats over 6,000 people and features Chinese and Indian food.

MasterThief: Russia is always in search of warm-water ports for its Atlantic fleets. (St. Petersburg is clogged up with ice most of the year.)

Opposite Echelon's Middle East spy base is a good place for the Russians to base their ships.

Hobodeluxe: What types of ships? A carrier group?

Mathaba said last night that is what they are working towards.

I can see Syria from my house!

iawai: This is posturing, whether for an attack on Israel, the European mainland, or an Atlantic war with the U.S.

They already have bases to do all of that. This gives them a presence in the Med.

John Hagee is creaming his shorts on this news. New wrote a whole book about Russia invading Israel. I came across a copy today while scrounging around.

I guess if Israel can had the unquallified support of a super power, then Syria is entitled to the same thing.

All I know is that we better not blink. No sir. Do not blink. Keep your eyelids open.

Danielsan: Rapture folks will love this. They believe 'Gog and Magog' from the Bible who are to attack Israel with a confederacy is Russia.

No shiat.

If you don't understand the evangelical mindset, this is the evangelical equivalent of a three-way between Alyson Hannigan, Salma Hayek and Kate Beckinsale.

staplermofo: Kittens are being used as ashtrays! I refuse to live in that kind of world.

That's just plain wrong, and no one should do it... EVER!

This might be good, if Russia is making arrangements to park their fleet elsewhere, that may mean the situation with Georgia is loosening.

While your opponent is bogged down in a quagmire in the middle east, move in and drink his milkshake. I wonder where they learned that one from...

Russians generally hate Jews, but not in a KILL THEM ALL way so much as a GET THEM ALL TO ISRAEL NOW kind of way.

I heard the Russians had a black baby.

tallguywithglasseson
It seats over 6,000 people and features Chinese and Indian food.

and it has a decor resembling those of Hollywood.

staplermofo: iawai: If they use that base to attack us (not Israel, the U.S.), then we can seek some form of retribution.

It's nice when we protect our allies.
I accept that a lot has changed since the USSR collapsed and we started supporting torture, but there's still a lot to be said for protecting our allies from being so much as bullied.

We can no longer afford to protect our allies. We can barely feed our own children, except for the 5% of us whos taxes McCain wants to lower significantly.

I shouldn't "Meh" this as it is fairly important when you consider Russia's increase in defense spending and it's encroachment into Canada's North Pole resources, but I can't help but feel this is Russia taking advantage of a US Presidential Election along with a Lame Duck President and a hostile Congress and House.

We're engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq, Congress wouldn't let Bush do anything even if he wanted to; until January, it's time for the world to look after itself for a while.

The fact that Britain just allowed Sharia Law to govern should also give people some pause.

My comrades are docked in Syria.



My finger is in your butt...

tallguywithglasseson: It seats over 6,000 people and features Chinese and Indian food.

i bet it sux to work there.

exvaxman: depends - an decent radar ship can give lots of notice to Iran if they don't already have the capability.

There will not be an Israeli attack on Iran.

The logistics of such an attack would demand active use of US Air Force bases in Iraq. Openly using Iraq as a staging ground for an invasion into Iran would cause open rioting, and would raise the resistance against US forces to levels that have never been seen.

What this means is that Russia is trying to reassert itself on the global stage as more than just a regional power. They are clearly trying to recapture what they had pre-1991.

That's not really a good thing.

CanisNoir: The fact that Britain just allowed Sharia Law to govern should also give people some pause.

The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales has said that potentially elements of Sharia Law could be used in mediation, but there is no possibility of Sharia courts sitting in the UK. Which isn't governence by Sharia Laws by the proverbial mile.

No need to get paranoid. The Russians want an option on where to base the Black Sea fleet should they not be able provoke Ukraine into doing something stupid so they can seize the Crimean peninsula and eastern Ukraine. You don't want your fleet cut off by Turkey in the event it is needed elsewhere and you can easily control the Black Sea with smaller vessels and air power.

The Russians were so much more adorable when they were bankrupt and powerless. Oh well. I guess it couldn't last forever.

Can someone just nuke someone and get this over with? I live far away enough from any target that it wont make much of a difference to me.

/The Best Benefit to Living in "Fly Over Country"
// Plus I get to be bitter and hold on to my religion and guns because of it!

iawai: staplermofo: iawai: Why do we need to do this? How about we work on getting the rest of the world to not hate us anymore...

For starters, by keeping our military within our own borders.

If we don't stop the Russians, who will?
Kittens are being used as ashtrays! I refuse to live in that kind of world.

I appreciate your jokes, but on the serious side - no one needs to stop Russia, except whoever they may actually be trespassing against. If Syria wants to sell them land for a Base, let them.

If they use that base to attack us (not Israel, the U.S.), then we can seek some form of retribution.

Lighten up francis!