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We probably agree 98% on all of this For us to argue amongst ourselves is the enemies joy. Freep on, brother.

Oh we probably do FRiend, I'm no friend of the Ruskies, not now, not ever, I remember all too well how they sought to undermine and destroy the West if at all possible, and I grew up understanding that at any given moment, Soviet nukes could be detonating anywhere in my vicinity.

I don't see us as arguing so much as hashing and thrashing out the possible outcomes of what has honestly been a surprise sneak attack by Moscow on a neighboring state.

I think we should all be digging out those old Civil Defense pamphlets and taking inventory of our supplies because this thing might not go 'hot' in the next day or so, but there is a great potential for disaster in the making, and as I see it, that disaster could be caused by either Bush or Putin miscalculating or misinterpreting the way our respective military forces are deployed, configured, and/or engaged.

I'm hoping that we are still notifying each other of upcoming missile tests.

We're not at the point of the Cuban Missile Crisis yet, but on the comparative timeline?

The missiles are figuratively already on the ships, and enroute to Cuba, to employ a metaphor.

Well, of course, I think the whole situation sucks the big one and I think that Putin has studied the chess board well. I was simply trying to point out that there is a nearly infinite number of military, economic, and diplomatic strategies that exist in between the extremes of “nothing” and “nukes” and that some of those strategies will be implemented and that some of those that are implemented will be overt and some will be covert. Kasparov was a master, but he could be beaten, and I think there are many many moves yet to be played in this game. It is possible that a knight may have been lost but the game has yet to be played out. Perhaps I did not explain myself very well. You buy me a beer and I’ll buy you one and we’ll call it even, aw, what the hell, I’ll buy us both one.
p.s. my survival supplies and my bug-out-bag and my escape plan are ALWAYS at the ready ... I was raised to rely on NO man NOR government for the safety and security of myself or my family.