Hanaguma

Then Europe can defend itself. The EU has more than enough economic power to provide a robust continental defence without relying on Uncle Sam. As you said, the threat that NATO was formed to protect against, the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, are gone. And so is NATO's raison d'etre. The real enemy to fear now is China, not Russia and its Canada-level GDP.

But Europe could make the decision to stop buying Russian gas. If they had the stones, that is. Other countries could provide it, they could switch to more nuclear power- a very green option. Not sure what other end game is realistic. Ukraine doesn't have the combat power to push the Russians back. One thing the Russians have traditionally been very good at militarily is defence. They are stubborn, and engineer their territory very well. The Ukranian army would bleed itself white throwing itself at the Russians if they try to regain all their lost land. So that leaves us with a settlement. Either that, or the Europeans can start using their OWN militaries to attack the Russian troops currently in Ukraine. And I don't think they are willing to do that.

Because France, like so many countries, has watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest a few too many times. It is very hard to get someone committed to a mental hospital unless they already commit a serious offense.

NATO seems to be straying farther and farther from the "North Atlantic" part of the name these days...Ukraine being a member makes as much sense as Turkey. Which is zero. A Russian guarantee could be tied to access to Europe as a client for resources etc. And the EU would be free to station troops in Ukraine for "training missions" at their leisure. But it seems like Europe is reluctant to actually spend much of their own money without getting a bit assist from Uncle Sugar.

The "Religion of Peace" strikes again.

Neither was Gaza.

End game? Russia gets Donbass and officially gets to keep Crimea. Ukraine agrees to not join NATO, but can join the EU. Russia guarantees Ukranian sovereignty.

You might want to bow to the master Norm MacDonald on this one...

That would work, except for one tiny flaw in that pesky piece of paper they call the Constitution.... presidents have to be natural born citizens.

Frankly, UNRWA just needs to go a way. They have been an impediment in Gaza and indeed all Palestinian areas. The material they teach children is shocking- no wonder they support Hamas 75%. Not to mention that 80 years as refugees is enough. Time for a programme of de-Hamasification, followed by aid to build up Gaza that does not get stolen by terrorists or fat cat supporters living in luxury overseas.

I heard it more like, "the best part of you ran down the crack of your mama's ass and made a brown stain on the mattress. I am partial to, "someone should pull a cvnt over your head and fvck some sense into you!"

Not a fan of the Ram these days. He comes across all smarmy, like the kid in class who would always ask the teacher, "did you forget to give us homework?" at the end of class. My dream would be Nikki Haley for Pres, plus Kristi Noem for VP. Or possibly Tim Scott, although he seems almost too nice a guy for bare knuckle politics.

If you want evidence from an 'unbiased source' about Hamas' tunnels, how about Al Jazeera; Some of these are serviced with oxygen tanks, water pipes and electricity lights. An exclusive video from Al Jazeera Arabic from 2021 shows concrete-reinforced corridors leading to an underground office with a functioning phone line and rooms storing weapons. The system is believed to have a periphery, with shallower tunnels easier to destroy from the surface, and a core which is where the commando centres, weapons storages, missiles and, more recently, some of the about 240 Israeli captives taken by Hamas, are believed to be. Tunnels allow fighters to conduct surprise attacks and to move quickly across the strip without Israeli eyes being able to trace them. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/13/very-risky-israel-faces-months-long-campaign-against-hamas-gaza-tunnels

Would CNN do?

I get it. It was OK for Hamas to torture and murder babies, as long as they didn't behead them. Gotcha. Beheading was only for adults. Like the Thai farm worker who was beheaded while still alive. Or the German girl, Shani Louk- they waited until she was dead before they beheaded her. Obviously Hamas has standards.

Whenever Hamas releases the so-called casualty figures, the media should use the phrase "without evidence" every time. This is the group that claimed 500 deaths in an Israeli hospital bombing that turned into 50 deaths in a failed terrorist missile crash. To say "take their numbers with a grain of salt" is altogether too credulous.

...and so it begins. Any weapons found are safety checked and unloaded before journalists are allowed inside. That is standard procedure. As is putting them in the open for all to see. Much like how the Thai police proudly display seized drugs and various illegal goods on a table before the media's cameras.

The obvious answer is that this problem could end tomorrow. The Hamas cowards who are burrowed under the hospital could surrender, thus saving all the civilians trapped there. But of course they won't. They prefer to use meat shields to save themselves. At least those who aren't already in Qatar, living the good life at the Sheraton.

Chances are the large media organizations didn't know the score. BUT... the 'freelance journalists' they were using did seem to have unusually good access to Hamas. To the point of riding on a motorbike with them to the scene of the slaughter. Or perhaps you can believe that they were just very lucky to be 'on the spot' at the right place at the right time. The problem comes if the journalists knew the attacks were imminent, but did nothing. Did not inform anyone that a slaughter was planned. At very least, that would put their credibility in question, if not their humanity.

Area a bit south near the Russian Market is interesting. Also, if you can handle it, a visit to the school/prison from the Khmer Rouge days and the killing fields seems like a necessary thing to do. Loved Siem Reap. But you need to be into history. There are very very cool temples outside the city, you need to book a private car to go. Koh Ker and Beng Melea can easily be done in a day. Beng Melea still has some land mines around though- the touristy area is limited. When we went, a young police captain volunteered to give us a "back country" tour of the temple, around the ruins and through the interior. It was fascinating, his English was good, and it was a side that others don't get to see. He was genuinely surprised that I gave him a $20 tip for his troubles, but it was well worth it. Stayed at the Royal Crown Hotel, about 35 bucks including buffet breakfast. 5 minutes' walk to pub street, laundry across the road (a dollar a kilo), and a small supermarket with 65 cent cans of beer a block away. You can rent a motor bike these days too in Cambodia, about 10 dollars a day. Great way to see the Ankor complex and the countryside.

Which 'occupant' would that me? The place was a patchwork of Muslim, Jew, and Christian. Obvious good solution was to give them separate countries. Much like Pakistan and India but without the chaos (hopefully). The refugee problem was created when the Arab League chose to invade Israel instead of accepting the UN partition plan. Simply put, they wanted ALL the land and wanted the Jews to die.

Gotta say, Jenin "refugee camp" is doing pretty well- there is a KFC in it!

Yeah, just casual day tourists. Maybe curious to see a real dead Jew in the flesh, perhaps steal a few things, maybe desecrate a corpse or two. You know, innocent civilians that need protecting.

Found a fascinating article from Honest Reporting. The photos in it show very clearly that none of the Hamas cowards were wearing any kind of discernable uniform when they were committing their crimes. So, given that, how exactly is Israel to separate the Hamas from the innocent civilians? The terrorists revel in blending in with their own people, happy to make martyrs out of the unwilling. https://honestreporting.com/photographers-without-borders-ap-reuters-pictures-of-hamas-atrocities-raise-ethical-questions/ Here they are breaking in to the Kibbutz Kfar Aza, the scene of some of the more horrific atrocities from October 7:

Something at least we all can agree on. Maybe, God forbid, even putting aside the petty squabbles we get so wrapped up in here. We get to fight with keyboards, not rifles, thanks to them.