Keen-eyed observers of the war in Ukraine may have noticed Ukrainian positions in the Kursk pocket folding up like a deck of cards, with the Russians recapturing over 12 settlements and 100 square kilometers of territory in 24 hours. Unusual, to say the least, in a war that's been typically measured in meters. So why the sudden collapse?
Partly because of Operation Potok (Flow), which saw some 800 men infiltrate into the Ukrainian rear near Sudza via a 15 kilometer stretch of gas pipeline. Arriving at their staging posts undetected after a week of piping, the Russian combat teams moved onto their various objectives. A major engineering, logistical and tactical feat. RWA waxes lyrical from the Russian side:
"It's hard to comprehend the scale and difficulty of this mission. Getting enough oxygen and water into the tunnel, setting up the logistics (soldiers need ammo! They need food!), dealing with the physical challenges — walking 15km through a narrow tunnel with a low ceiling (my back hurts just thinking about it) —, the psychological pressure, the darkness... and yet...
"They sent several hundred (800, apparently) soldiers through that tunnel. Everyone always had enough food and water. After exiting the tunnel, the soldiers immediately went on a forced march and into battle — they captured several key strongpoints, set up a perimeter defence & held the line until their comrades broke through to them.
"This was a genuinely superhuman feat. Not just the march, not just the sheer amount of soldiers that crossed that pipe, but, after going through this nightmare willpower challenge, IMMEDIATELY going into combat, and WINNING, kicking the enemy out of his trenches and strongpoints, disrupting his logistics, causing chaos and panic in his rear, and then absorbing the pushback while fully encircled on all sides — it's UNBELIEVABLE. And yet we know it happened!"
Yes it did, and there's no shortage of video to prove it. Has there been an operation like it, on an equivalent scale in modern times, maybe in Vietnam? I can't recall one, but that's just me. In the meanwhile, Russians are streaming videos from inside Sudza, Ukrainian troops are attempting to retreat and Zelensky's asked for a 30 day ceasefire. Here's some pipe footage:
Feel free to disagree, but I'd say Operation Potok is one for the history books. Whether Russia agrees to a ceasefire remains to be seen.
What a beautiful, clear, springlike day in rural Texas, and I tell you, it was all go at the Compound. Salvador was up on a ladder, scraping, caulking and priming, these wooden houses have to be kept up, and Carlos was busy with his crew inside the church, where they were replacing an interior window frame.
Well done Team. Catching the spirit of the thing, and not wanting to seem like some kind of idle layabout, I set to, polishing a serried rank of loafers. Those shoes weren't going to shine themselves! The same held true for a couple of guns.
Apply cleaning rod, patches, Hoppes, and get those weapons fit to fight. You see, if you don't clean them they get dirty, and a dirty gun left untended has a nasty habit of not working. Some of you may have noticed that out in the field.
Cleaning imperative complete, it was time to dial up the Royal Scots Club in Edinburgh with a view to a September exeat. Why the long lead time? Because if you don't get on the RSC early, you won't get the excellent room at truly excellent value that you want.
What a great little club in a neat city, check it out if you can. In the meanwhile, all's well in this part of the North Central Texas Exclusion Zone.
Here we are on the first Sunday of Lent, and with it Christ's temptation in the wilderness. After fasting for forty days we read that Jesus was "hungry," admirable understatement from St. Luke. Then Satan appears on the scene and tempts Our Lord three times. In sum:
The unclean spirit appeals to Jesus' bodily appetite, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." Rebuked, the Devil takes Christ to the top of a tall mountain and offers him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, but there's a catch, Jesus must worship him. Failing in this, Lucifer takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the Temple and urges Christ to "throw himself down... for it is written, 'He will give his angels charge over thee lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.'" Again, Jesus says no, and the Serpent leaves him and the angels minister to him.
Reflect on this in the light of Luke's account, in which the mountainous temptation plays a central or pivotal part. See it if you like as a head and shoulders graph with the all time high being Devil worship, flanked by gluttony on the one hand and faithlessness on the other. What does this suggest? A diabolical Sinai, an anti-Sinai, in which Satan inverts the giving of the Law to Moses on the mountain top. What was this God-given Law?
It's summarized thus, "Love the Lord your God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind." And, "Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself." Love God, love neighbor, two essential commandments given to us by God. What's suggested by Satan is the exact opposite of this.
Again, we have two commandments, but what are they? Stones to bread, gluttony, and throw yourself from the Temple, faithlessness, the former precluding love of neighbor and the latter love of God. I say again, the satanic mountain intends and produces the opposite of the heavenly. What are we to do with this?
Be aware that as we go out into the wilderness to confront evil, we'll be tempted in the same way as Christ, by the Devil. Say no to this and beat the Serpent back by fasting, charity, and prayer, and in doing so align yourself with Christ and walk the way of the Cross which leads to new and everlasting life.
Rosa DeLauro was elected to Connecticut's third congressional district in 1990 and has remained there ever since. DeLauro's worth a nifty $3MN, which isn't bad for a socialist on a paltry taxpayer funded salary of 174K. Whether DeLauro's a man or a woman or something in between is open for debate.
Were you as impressed as I was by the Democrat's awesome response to 47's State of the Union address to Congress? They sat and scowled at the prospect of lower taxes, ending government waste and corruption. They scorned a little boy suffering from cancer, a strong military, secure borders and so much more. They hated all of that, but they did love Protest Paddles.
Yes, Protest Paddles. You couldn't make it up if you tried, which is probably why you're not hired as Party PR. Wow, because nothing says speaking truth to power like a Protest Paddle. Step aside MLK, we've got all these nifty Protest Paddles, that'll show Literally Hitler!
Speaking of genius level PR, have you seen this outstanding video?
Remember O man that thou art dust and to dust thou shall return. Remember too that this same dust has been redeemed and elevated to resurrection through the hard wood of the Cross.
Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made and dost forgive the sins of all them that are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
EU Kaisarin Ursula von der Leyen is all behind the Rainbow Bloc sending billions of Euros to Ukraine, and is warmly in favor of 2TK's incisive military plan to put "boots on the ground" and "planes in the air" to support Cocainsky's faltering Eastern Front against the Russians.
But Ursula, we're confused. How can you invade Russia when you've banned your country's rousing armored anthem, Panzerlied? Aristocratic Ursula did that in 2017, when she was Germany's historically useless Minister of Defense, in case you were wondering.
According to Rueters, Germany's armed forces are at 50% readiness and some may remember Ursula's Bundeswehr resorting to training with broomsticks due to a lack of machine guns.
Behold
How many Rainbow Euro Panzers are actually ready to roll into Ukraine? I don't know, but I do know this, they won't be singing Panzerleid. President Trump is, meanwhile, excoriated and scorned by Democrats and their paymasters for attempting to negotiate peace.
2TK (Two-Tier Kier) is at it again, fawning all over the Midget Mascot of Rainbow Garden Fortress Europa and pledging undying support for Ukraine. Yes, right up to and including "boots on the ground" and "planes in the air."
Come on, Two-Tier, you don't have any boots, you don't have any planes, and you don't have any ships, neither do your Rainbow allies. What's more, you don't have the manufacturing industry to make them, which makes EU Princess Ursula von der Leyen's pledge to turn the Ukraine into a "steel porcupine" seem more than a little hollow.
Perhaps that's why the beloved UK ruler said that his, ahem, strongman proposal needed US support. But what if we don't want to support you, Kier? What if we don't want to subsidize your green, woke, rainbow tyranny, much less your defense. More to the point, what if Blackrock's somehow out of favor in the corridors of US power. Don't say RFK.
PS. In related news, my eldest tells me he dreamt yesterday of a BLACK WOLF who savaged our dog before we shot the ferocious beast with ARs. Make of this what you will.
Maybe you're still recovering from yesterday's once in a lifetime ambush smackdown in the Oval Office. Like... what? Never seen anything like it, ever, and you'll accuse me of being a sentimental LSP, but it's hard not to feel a little sorry for dwarven Cocainsky. Now he gets to go back to the Ukraine with a loan from 2TK (Two Tier Kier) and no US support. Would you want to be Cocainsky, right about now? Imagine if you can, dear readers, the sound of sharpening knives in Kiev.
Be that as it may, 2TK and the beloved rulers of Rainbow Garden Fortress Europa are fawning over their precious Ukrainian midget mascot and pledging undying support for his cause. Norway even went so far as to refuse a request from a US sub for fuel.
Excuse me? This is insane. NATO without the US amounts to pretty much precisely nothing. Why should we continue to spend billions of dollars to defend countries which actively hate us. Is there any good reason why US taxpayers should continue to subsidize the UK/EU cradle-to-grave socialist welfare state. We have, let's be honest, more than enough problems at home without funding their net zero lunacy.
In other news, RINO Murkowski from Alaska says that Zelensky's smackdown made her "sick to her stomach." Does Lisa Murkowski make you feel sick to your stomach?