#war of the 2nd coalition

[empirearchives]

Tumblr text posts: Napoleonic Wars Version

Napoleon crossing the Alps

And I love him for it 😂

[sayruq]

This is all due to Hezbollah's operations at the border which they've helpfully summarised for us

According to the group, they've barely used 5% of their capabilities but it's still proving to be too much for Israel. The northern settlements have evacuated. They have lost billions of dollars in military equipment, installations, and bases (Hezbollah even destroyed an entire base before the temporary truce). Every attempt to try and rebuild its security along the border always ends the same way for Israel, ie a precision guided missile.

If war does break out, it wouldn't be surprising at all to Hezbollah. According to Nasrallah, the general secretary, they're engaging in a strategy called escalation ladder where one end of the ladder is peace and the other end is open war. Every day, Hezbollah's operations increase in intensity. The same goes for Israel who recently destroyed an entire southern Lebanese village, killing countless of civilians. Netanyahu has been publicly threatening war for a while now but that was just him bluffing. His war cabinet, as well as his coalition, seem far more eager. To put it simply, each side will escalate until they're truly at war.

Most of Israel's Brigades are in Gaza right now, 22 of them to be exact. It will be very difficult and costly to bring some of them to the border for war. It might be possible that Israel intends to end the war on Gaza to focus on Hezbollah. They've been forced back to the negotiating table after storming off on the 2nd. Hamas has made it clear that they won't exchange any prisoners without a comprehensive ceasefire, aka no more temporary truces.

A war with Lebanon will be disastrous for Israel. They lost the 2000 and 2006 wars against a much weaker, less armed Hezbollah. Hell, they didn't even win against the Resistance in Gaza in 2014 and they're actively losing today. It's clear that the army of conscripts are under trained and not battle ready. Besides desertion, the Israeli army has to deal with soldiers that flee from the fighters instead of holding their positions and fighting back (Here's a Al Qassam Brigades video where the Palestinians ambush a tent full of Israel soldiers, only for 9 out of the 10 to flee).

If 500,000 Israelis fled the country because of Oct 7th and the war in Gaza, how many more would flee if war breaks out between Hezbollah and Israel? Not to mention, how many more would be internally displaced? This is a war that might end up lasting years. Even 6 months of war might prove too much for a country that is more fragile than we realised before Oct 7th.

Oh and this is Israel's FDI in the first quarter of 2023

It has definitely tanked even lower since then. That's just one aspect of the economy, imagine all the others especially with hundreds of thousands of workers conscripted, displaced, or have fled the country.

A war with Hezbollah will effectively bring about Israel's collapse. It will no longer be happening 'within our lifetime,' it will be happening within the next ten years.

[girlactionfigure]

*ISRAEL REALTIME* - "Connecting the World to Israel in Realtime"

▪️ISRAEL TO CAPTURE EGYPTIAN BORDER CORRIDOR.. Israel to capture Egyptian - Gaza border, known as the Philadelphia corridor (per Russian sources and Wall Street Journal).

▪️HAMAS THREATENS EGYPT.. “If Israel conquers the Philadelphia corridor, we will conquer Sinai.”  Another Hamas official, “We ask Egypt to take a clear position to reject Israel’s demands to occupy the corridor.”

▪️RUSSIAN UN AMBASSADOR SAYS.. flooding Gaza tunnels could be considered genocide. (???)

▪️ISRAELI EMBASSY SWEDEN ATTACK.. thwarted.

▪️HOSTAGE ISSUE MANAGER.. ’it is absolutely clear that public demonstrations for the hostages HARDENS Hamas’s positions’ (as they know the pressure the Israeli leaders are under).

▪️HERO SOLDIER FALLS.. in battle in Gaza.

🇺🇸Regional War 🗞 2nd attack by US/UK “coalition” on the Houthis over Shabbat, “150 missiles used”.  All Arab gulf states allowed US/UK aircraft to use their airspace, including Saudi Arabia, except for Oman.

Analyst: Opposite Yemen across the Red Sea and the straight is the nation of Djibouti, which has a US base with 4000 US military personnel.  Possible Houthi target that they can reach.

⬇️ Southern Front 🗞 IDF blows up another tunnel complex and collapsing above neighborhood in Deir al-Balach, Gaza.  As IDF captures Al Aqsa hospital, mass fleeing from the compound.  Firefight catches bus on fire.

Rockets shot at Netivot from Gaza during the hillula celebration for the Baba Sali, zt”l.  

Gaza battles in Sheikh Zeytun neighborhood, central Gaza.

⬆️ Northern Front 🗞 In general, more of the same: terror squads attacked, airstrikes on Hezbollah targets.  Anti-tank fire from Lebanon hitting private houses in Israel.  

Terror squad attempts infiltration of IDF Mt. Dov post, firefight, artillery, IDF soldier wounded, 2 terrorists killed, squad flees back to Lebanon.

➡️ Eastern Front (Judea-Samaria) 🗞 Counter-terror operations in Jenin, security forces enter Jenin hospital, forces surrounding and searching ambulances.

Qalqilya, IDF checkpoints set up throughout the city.

Tubas, firefight.

IDF OPERATIONS AGAINST TERRORIST ELEMENTS IN THE GAZA STRIP

In ongoing military operations within the Gaza Strip, the IDF persist in targeting both terrorist operatives and associated infrastructure. Notably, launch pits utilized for firing rockets at Israel have been systematically obliterated by IDF ground forces.

Maghazi Operation:

In Maghazi, IDF troops successfully identified two armed terrorists advancing towards a compound housing the troops. Swiftly responding to this threat, ground forces coordinated with an IDF aircraft, resulting in the precise elimination of the terrorists. This intervention effectively thwarted their attempt to launch an attack against the stationed troops.

Atatra Operation:

Further operations in Atatra led to the discovery and destruction of multiple launch pits employed for launching rockets into Israeli territory. The IDF's strategic efforts in this region have significantly curtailed potential threats emanating from these launch sites.

Khan Yunis Incidents:

In Khan Yunis, IDF forces encountered armed terrorists on two separate occasions. Employing precise coordination, an IDF aircraft was directed to strike and eliminate the identified threats, preventing potential harm to the forces. Additionally, IDF tanks successfully neutralized five terrorists and discovered an underground shaft within the city area.

Ongoing Operations:

The IDF's commitment to security persisted over the past day, with continued operations in Khan Yunis resulting in the elimination of nine terrorists through coordinated efforts involving the Israeli Air Force and ground forces throughout the city.

IDF COUNTERS TERRORIST INFILTRATION FROM LEBANON

Last night, IDF patrolling the Har Dov area successfully identified and engaged a terrorist cell that had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory. The IDF responded decisively with live fire, resulting in the neutralization of four terrorists. Concurrently, during the exchange of fire, IDF forces executed targeted artillery and mortar strikes in the area.

[barbucomedie]

Basket-Hilted Cavalry Sword from the British Empire dated to the Mid-18th Century on display at the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum in Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

Swords of this type were purchased by the colonels of the British cavalry regiments for the use of their men. The styles of hilt varied from regiment to regiment. Basket-hilted swords became popular, not just with Scottish regiments but many cavalry regiments around Europe.

The 2nd Royal North British Dragoons were part of the War of Austrian Succession (1740 - 1748) as part of the coalition forces. They fought at the battle of Dettingen in 1743 where King George II became the last British monarch to fight in a battle. In 1745 the last Jacobite Rising took place and unlike in the last risings the regiment were left in Flanders.

Photographs taken by myself 2023

[irritatednick]

Palestinian Identity

I'm trying to understand the arguments against the existence of a cohesive Palestinian identity. I'm looking at it from multiple angles and every way I approach it, it seems to me that Palestinians - that is, a multiethnic, multireligious community of folks currently dominated by Muslim Arabs who have coinhabited in the Levant for a long time - exist.

This is just from some cursory research. I will learn more. But from what I've read, Jews were not the EXCLUSIVE, VERY FIRST peoples who still exist today who inhabited Palestine. The original Israelites as archaeologists understand them today were a coalition of Semitic peoples inhabiting the Levant in the 2nd millennium BC - in a land called among other things "Canaan" - who were united in their monotheistic worship of Yahweh, previously their war god. Canaan - Phoenicia - was a whole-ass civilization. Mostly Semitic peoples inhabited the region, yes, but only some would later become the Israelites (and let's not forget Arabs are Semitic peoples too, which demands that Arabs have an even older ethnic connection with the Israelites). The word "Israel" doesn't even appear in the historical record until 1209 BC - carved onto an Egyptian stele. Other Semitic peoples living in the region include Ammonites and Aramaeans. Where's THEIR homeland? Do they have a right to return?

It is true that Arabs came into the Levant later (multiple times, including Nabateans) and that Islam and the Muslim conquests are even more recent. But there have always been non-Jews in Palestine, and punishing the 20th century inhabitants of Palestine with death and expulsion is cruel and unusual. Then taking their crops, their water. Aggressive policing, prison raping. Bureaucratically stifling them. Blocking travel. Blocking foreign aid. SUPPORTING HAMAS?? It's fucking nuts. If it's not fair to expel most Jews from Palestine for the actions of their grandparents, then it's orders of magnitude unfair to treat Palestinians this way on the grounds that multiple kingdoms and empires expelled Jews from the region hundreds and thousands of years ago.

[idkimnotreal]

eu4;

start an italy run as firenze;

ally austria from the go;

austria has the luckiest run among the great powers, inherits burgundy and bohemia;

i form italy, leave the hre but still manage to maintain their alliance;

they’re the 2nd largest military in the world;

i help them win religious league, but they leave call for peace going on for a few years, even after i helped them siege down protestants in the hre and recalled my troops home (i was 1/3 of the troops which was more or less the difference between our league, catholic, and the protestants, so i figured i had to help or we would lose. ottos were on our side, russia on protestant league, i stopped sieging down when i reached prussia to let ottos would burn their manpower in siberia);

i separate peace because ??? the ai always peaces out when it gets call for peace but it wasn’t this time and i was already planning a war against aragon and i didn’t like my war exhaustion climbing for nothing. find out in the age of absolutism my contribution was for nothing because since i separate peaced it doesn’t tick the age goal;

dissolved alliance with austria hoping the coalition against them would fire, they were taking way too many provinces in the league war and i didn’t like that one bit because i was helping it (i didn’t hand sieged provinces to them though);

by now i’m the 2nd largest army behind ottos, but austria by far has the best army 7 morale and 115% discipline in 1630;

france is wrecked by the italo-austrian alliance by this point so gb declares on them. i ally gb and russia after leaving austria, i figured if i couldn’t wait for austria to tank the ottomans for me i’d let them siege siberia while i march to konstantinyie, or wait for them to take the bait and engage them on my alpine forts with ramparts;

it’s still the ottomans though and russia is going to be a dead weight in this war so i’ll have to do all of the work by myself which is scary against ottos, and plus i have no chance against their navy and i’m going to lose prosperity in a bunch of my states, weakening my tall italy

okay so i’ll just take provence from france. nope, aragon, which still exists, declares on a half sieged by gb france and takes all of mediterranean france, after getting an alliance with austria for the 4th time or something after me asking austria to break it to finish taking southern italy... multiple times

now i’ll have to fight a buff aragon + austria or try my luck against ottos. if i fight austria, gb will help me because they’re rivals and i can break castile’s alliance with austria as i’m allied to them. but gb takes a while to land their troops which is annoying, and i’m not sure my fortified alpine forts will be enough to bar austrian army quality.

this game really does have a way of ruining your fun and forcing tough choices at a pivotal moment in your run. or you’re not having no fun anymore. ottos seem the safest route? whichever i choose though either one of them will take the spoils from the other after i’ve done the job. maybe rivalling austria so soon was a mistake. but mistakes make eu4 fun. god forbid i ever meta think this game.

[kemetic-dreams]

What are the root causes of the Ethiopian War?

The TPLF.

One of the worst things that the TPLF did in Ethiopia during their 20+ year rule was to embark on a campaign of ethnic federalization. In essence, the TPLF leadership divided Ethiopia into regions based on ethnicity. The problem with this is essentially the same problem that others have experienced because of poorly thought-out borders. Ethnic groups became minorities in newly created regions, and ethnic-based militias began fighting to end up in the “right region”

The TPLF is composed of Tigrayans, an ethnic minority who make up 6% of the population. However, during TPLF rule, they composed the overwhelming majority of government & military positions. Higher positions of power were dominated by Tigrayans, and this provoked widespread negative sentiment, particularly amongst the Amharas (Ethiopia’s 2nd largest ethnic group). Much so that by the end of their rule, the TPLF was viewed as the number one enemy by nearly all of Amhara society.

Many even credit the Amhara youth for helping jumpstart the widespread revolts against the TPLF/EPDRF in 2016.

In 2018, the EPRDF (ruling coalition regime primarily led by the TPLF) was toppled with the Democratic election of Abiy Ahmed Ali. The problem for the TPLF is that Abiy began reversing many of their former policies. In particular, his widespread amnesties for journalists, politicians &, etc who were critical of the TPLF sparked massive resentment among the Tigray leadership. And as a result, they became increasingly critical of him.

But in return, enemies of the TPLF began returning to the limelight. Most were undoubtedly seeking a chance to settle old scores now that the TPLF was finally out of power.

Amhara nationalists in particular began embarking on inflammatory campaigns against Tigrayans & the TPLF, they called for the punishment of the TPLF elite. During the war, the TPLF formed a military alliance with the OLF (Oromo Liberation front) which is composed of the Oromo people (Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group) in 2021. But unfortunately for the TPLF, the Oromo people also have widespread grievances with the TPLF. Infact, the Oromo & Amhara youth were the primary leaders of the growing revolt against the EPRDF in 2016

Once you throw in other groups like the Afar & Ogaden (Somalis/3rd largest ethnic group) who all have disputes with each other, you essentially have a giant boiling pot waiting to tip over. And all of this has of course spilled over into the country since the start of the war. Today, the TPLF is ironically fighting because of long-standing issues & divisions that they themselves created in the first place. Ethnic federalism when done improperly, is a recipe for utter chaos & disaster.

[subdee]

I posted 617 times in 2022

83 posts created (13%)

534 posts reblogged (87%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@subdee

@hxhhasmysoul

@ff7ogzine

@tofucasserole

@hxhladieszine

I tagged 614 of my posts in 2022

#hxh - 230 posts

#general lefty stuff - 88 posts

#hunter x hunter - 50 posts

#ff7 - 49 posts

#the internet - 29 posts

#ff7ogzine - 28 posts

#hxhbb - 26 posts

#hxh manga spoilers - 24 posts

#art - 24 posts

#hxhladieszine - 23 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#and if you had a more free society you might choose to organize it around gathering hazelnuts instead of farming to have a less stratified..

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Last Time on Hunter x Hunter

New HxH chapter is out but it’s been quiet at least among the fans I know... it seems because no one remembers what happened last time.  :P

Probably this would be a good time to go back to the HxH subreddit because I bet the redditors are loving this chapter dedicated to mafia flunkies fighting each other using absurd powers and are digging up their old reference charts and theories and putting them up on the wall like Pepe Silvia as we speak. 

(It’s Zhang Lei, BTW.  Zhang Lei will win the succession war.  And Sakata is the Silent Majority nen user, working directly for Zhang Lei or possibly for Onior on his behalf.  Although if 8th prince Lazurus won the succession war with the help of the Spiders that would be a pretty good plot twist.  You heard it here first!  )

Ahem.  Anyway here’s your recap of what’s going on in the manga currently... spoilers ahead!!!!

(All images from this reference chart, thank you nerds of reddit!) 

There are three mafia groups based on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th tier of the boat:

See the full post

77 notes - Posted October 23, 2022

#4

I’m trying to stay focused on the local battlefield as a way to stay semi-calm. Kansas voters are in a unique position in red states in that they get a direct say on whether or not to protect abortion. August 2nd will have a vote on an anti-abortion amendment to the KS constitution. If the amendment fails, abortion will remain legal here. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled abortion is protected under the KS Constitution. So it’s either the amendment or nothing for the forced birth assholes. They can’t simply pass a law like other states have. This vote isn’t just important for Kansas. It’ll have major ramifications for the region. Missouri will ban all abortions. But if choice stays legal in Kansas, then the Kansas City metro will still have clinics available. Plus, it’s not a bad drive from Oklahoma City to Wichita, or from Omaha to KC. Polls show a majority of Kansans want abortion to remain legal. There’s a good chance we’ll win this one. Enough of a chance that I’m allowing myself to hope. Kansans for Constitutional Freedom is the main group organizing the “Vote NO” fight in Kansas. They’re a coalition of Democrats and Republicans, Planned Parenthood, ACLU, and other groups. If you have a few bucks to spare, please consider them.

Via metafilter

90 notes - Posted June 24, 2022

#3

Phantom Troupe thoughts

SPOILERS FOR MANGA CHAPTERS 395 and 396!!!!!

...Ahem.  I haven’t checked the main tag or been on tumblr much in the last few weeks so forgive me if this is old news but... catching up on Hunter x Hunter and can’t believe that in the year of our lord 2022, we finally have canon confirmation that the Sheila conspiracy theorists were right all along!!! 

Sheila confirmed member of the OG phantom troupe!!  Also the book she gave little Kurapika and Pairo in the “Kurapika’s Memories” chapter, that inspired them to want to leave the tribe and attempt the Hunter exam, was probably “Dino Hunter” because it looks the same and Sheila only reads one book apparently.  

See the full post

129 notes - Posted November 27, 2022

#2

For US people: government is giving out another round of free COVID tests... This time we all get eight.

277 notes - Posted May 16, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

The 80,000 warnings about the ao3 spambots on here are making me realize... do people on tumblr not know what an SEO scam is??????

Everyone warning each other to not click on the links... I mean yes this is just good internet advice, don’t click random spammy links, but if the point was trick you into clicking they would be doing a better job of pretending not to be bots, don’t you think?

The purpose of these comments is SEO optimization... just trying to increase their pagerank in search results on Google or Bing by making a lot of different pages link to them.  

These aren’t a big deal if they hit the accounts of active writers, who have plenty of tools to get rid of them.  The game is to hit the accounts of writers who aren’t  checking their emails, and won’t bother to log in / mark as spam.  Then the comments stay up and help with getting their links on early pages of search results or making them look more legitimate. 

Anyway here’s something for the AO3 engineering team to do - figure out where these bots are coming from and block the domain.  Since ao3 is mostly volunteer labor we just wait until someone’s free to work on it or the board votes to pay for it, though. 

912 notes - Posted December 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[taraross-1787]

This Day in History: Operation Cowboy

On this day in 1945, a coalition of American and German soldiers work to save the famous white Lipizzaner horses from an advancing Russian army. World War II was not yet over, but the mission united the two sides, if only for the moment. “The 2nd U.S. Cavalry put a hold on the war for two days,” one American soldier later said, “while we extracted a sliver of culture for the rest of the world.” None of it would have happened but for Luftwaffe Colonel Walter Holters. The desperate German officer came to 2nd Cavalry headquarters in southeastern Germany, near Czechoslovakia. He waved a white flag, but his was no ordinary surrender: Instead, Holters demanded to speak to the American officer in charge. That man was Colonel Charles “Hank” Reed, and he was stunned by Holters’s story: The Germans were holding hundreds of purebred horses at a stud in Hostau, just inside Czech territory. Among these horses were all the brood mares for the prized Lipizzaner show horses. These horses were normally housed at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, but the German high command had different plans: It intended to use the Lipizzaner mares as the base for a new warhorse. They were breeding (essentially) an Aryan horse. But now the Germans were going down in defeat, and the Russian army was advancing. The Red Army had already shot Lipizzaners at the Royal Hungarian Riding School. They’d turned those priceless horses into steak. Holters feared his horses could be next. Would Reed help? The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-operation-cowboy

[plethoraworldatlas]

Outdated

Our Revolution and the Uncommitted coalition have mobilized more than HALF A MILLION votes for Peace in Michigan, Minnesota, Washington and other Democratic primaries to urge Biden to push for a permanent ceasefire and end U.S. funding of Netanyahu’s war in Gaza.

Last week, Washington State added 89,997 uncommitted votes to that total. Our Revolution was proud to reach out to our 131k members in the state through text, calls and emails, and we partnered with Rami Alkabra, Deputy Mayor of Bothell, WA and a Palestinian-American, to get the word out.

In his State of the Union speech, Biden finally called for “an immediate ceasefire to last 6 weeks” and he has recently criticized Netanyahu, saying he’s “hurting Israel more than helping.” This is a start, but the Netanyahu government continues to bomb civilians and block critical supplies — and Biden’s floating aid pier off the coast of Gaza will take 30-90 days to construct.

“It’s on the president to make those changes and on the campaign to adjust, to bring these folks back in so we have the coalition that we need to be able to beat Trump in November,” Our Revolution Campaigns Director Paco Fabian told The Hill.

Let’s maintain our momentum for a PERMANENT ceasefire! Uncommitted votes in Wisconsin on April 2nd will reinforce the message: It’s time for President Biden to realign with the values of the base.

Outdated

Wisconsin Vote uncommitted received over 47,800 votes

[empirearchives]

This picture goes pretty hard. Statue in Marseille made during the Napoleonic wars to commemorate the Peace of Amiens and the French victory in the War of the 2nd Coalition.

Joseph Chinard, 1810

[umwmun-blog]

Galaxy Asunder

Mas Amedda: A man of the people?

In a major publicity effort, Mas Amedda has taken to supporting the poverty stricken and the forgotten of Coruscant. The old Imperial Capitol sees the former Vizier under a new light, with public efforts on sympathy with the working masses of the Core. Across the Core, Imperial nostalgia flares, and Empire memorabilia floods the streets. Mas Amedda frames himself as a champion of Galactic continuity and political stability, and healing the scars of war. "With Amedda, all will be well"- Mas Amedda campaign slogan. On a completely unrelated note, societies of drinking and deathsticks have emerged amongst Centrists and former Imperials within Coruscant. The species liberation Militia changes its name to "Turwookiewoksters" and acquires a new ally in the nephran species.

Jar Jar Banks!

In a massive and unprecedented career comeback, Late Republic politician Jar Jar Binks has been appointed as the Head of the New Republic Bank. While many question the decision of the Senate to make such an action, with many viewing Jar Jar Binks as a collaborator and sympathizer to Palpatine, Jar Jar Binks promises to streamline the New Republic's financial policies and lead to an era of peace and prosperity. "Meesa will do a good jobsa!"- Jar Jar Binks Death of Benthic Two Tubes

The charismatic and violent leader of the Partisan rebels was found dead in Jedha, the heart of FLN control. Benthic was found with what appears to be lightsaber burns, a weapon used by ancient force users like the Jedi and the Sith. Most disturbingly, a Sith artefact was found nearby. Said artefact was located in the Imperial Palace, and was moved from Jedi custody under the orders of Mas Amedda. With the loss of their leader, the FLN's organization takes a significant blow. The torch of Saw Guerrera's rebellion burns dimmer now.

The 7th Fleet Strikes!

FLN forces in the Mandalore sector are ambushed by the 7th fleet after high jacking a remnant vessel. FLN naval forces take another heavy blow shaking the FLN. The 7th Fleet has begun their attack on the galaxy.

The 2nd separatist crisis

Following a breakdown of relations between the radical and moderate wings of Republic politics, many sectors of the Outer Rim have formally declared their effective secession from the Galactic Republic, joining a new "Coalition of Free Worlds". Ruled by an ad hoc council between Ryder Azadi of Lothal, Lando Clarissian and Admiral Ackbar, the CFW has become a new major force. Following the loss of their leader and fleet, the FLN has merged their assets into the armed wing of the Coalition. The armed forces also include major sections of the Republic fleet, including many new and advanced ships built at Mon Cala shipyards, as well as mercenary forces and battle droids of Lando Calrissian. The New Republic has yet to make an official response, and no active hostilities exist between the Coalition and New Republic yet. However it is clear that a new Separatist Crisis has torn the galaxy asunder. Scandal in the New Republic Senate

An unknown leak has delivered shocking news to the Galaxy, making public knowledge the familial ties between Anakin Skywalker and Leia Organa. The leak confirmed the once famed "Hero of the Republic" Anakin Skywalker as none other than Darth Vader, second in command of the Empire, enforcer to Emperor Palpatine and mass murderer. Furthermore, the leak has confirmed Rebel general Leia Organa as the daughter of Anakin Skywalker and the late Padme Amidala. This leak has had disastrous implications for Leia's position in the Senate, with many calling her out as a traitor and demanding justice for Vader's crimes. While Leia and her brother Luke served nobly in the Rebellion and fought directly against Vader on numerous occasions, the relation between Vader and Leia has left many in the Galaxy feeling betrayed, and is cited as a major reason behind the Coalition of Free Worlds' nominal declaration of secession.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 2.8 (before 1950)

421 – Constantius III becomes co-emperor of the Western Roman Empire. 1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir. 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of Al Mansurah. 1347 – The Byzantine civil war of 1341–47 ends with a power-sharing agreement between John VI Kantakouzenos and John V Palaiologos. 1587 – Mary, Queen of Scots is executed on suspicion of having been involved in the Babington Plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. 1601 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, unsuccessfully rebels against Queen Elizabeth I. 1693 – The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, the second-oldest institution of higher education in the Thirteen Colonies, is granted a charter by King William III and Queen Mary II. 1807 – Napoleon defeats the coalition forces of Russian General Bennigsen and Prussian General L'Estocq at the Battle of Eylau. 1817 – An army led by Grand Marshal Las Heras crosses the Andes to join San Martín in the liberation of Chile from Spain. 1837 – Richard Johnson becomes the first and only Vice President of the United States chosen by the Senate. 1865 – Delaware refuses to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, delaying the criminalization of slavery until the amendment's national adoption on December 6, 1865. The amendment is ultimately ratified by Delaware on February 12, 1901, the 92nd anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. 1879 – Sandford Fleming first proposes the adoption of Universal Standard Time at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute.[22][23] 1879 – England's cricket team, led by Lord Harris, is attacked in a riot during a match in Sydney. 1885 – The first Japanese immigrants arrive in Hawaii. 1887 – The Dawes Act is enacted, authorizing the U.S. President to divide Native American tribal land into individual allotments. 1904 – Japanese forces launch a surprise attack against Russian-controlled Port Arthur, marking the start of the Russo-Japanese war. 1904 – The Dutch Colonial Army's Marechaussee regiment led by General G.C.E. van Daalen launch a military campaign in the Dutch East Indies' Northern Sumatra region, leading to the deaths of thousands of civilians. 1910 – The Boy Scouts of America is incorporated by William D. Boyce. 1915 – D. W. Griffith's controversial landmark film The Birth of a Nation premieres in Los Angeles. 1924 – The first state execution in the United States by gas chamber takes place in Nevada. 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Republican forces establish the Interprovincial Council of Santander, Palencia and Burgos in Cantabria. 1942 – World War II: Japan invades Singapore. 1945 – World War II: British and Canadian forces commence Operation Veritable to occupy land between the Maas and Rhine rivers. 1945 – World War II: Mikhail Devyataev escapes with nine other Soviet POWs from a Nazi concentration camp in Peenemünde, Usedom. 1946 – The People's Republic of Korea is dissolved in the North and replaced by the communist-controlled Provisional People's Committee of North Korea.

[ramrodd]

America's Descent into Dysfunction: With Adam Kinzinger

COMMENTARY:

I watched Liz Cheney on Colbert and the thing all of you guys need to confront in yourself is that January 6 began with William F. Buckley and you were totally invested in the process leading to January 6 until Bike Pence  was faced with the existential choice between his eternal soul or Donal Trump. I had a similar choice in Vietnam, between continuing to believe in myself or continuing to beleive in the Big Green Machine, Until that instant, they were one, It was a no=brainer: I quit believing in myself and got out as quick as I could with the modest honor of service as my inheritance,

What I propose is that you restore the Party of Lincoln Coalition . of the GOP to the dominant leadership role of the Republican Party and  flush all things William F. Buckley and his Nazification agenda of the Sharon Statement. Rebuild on the foundation of the Gettysburg Address and the tirangulation of Nixon, Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Jack Kemp, which was Stage 2 of Eisenhower's 1956 Presidential Platform for the  transformation of the Quantity of the Military Industrial Complex of the Cold War for Aerospace=Entrepreneurial Matrix of the Eisehnower-von Braun Star Wars economics illustrated in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

When I got back from Vietnam in 1971, everybody inside the Beltway was committed to establishing a NASA-Soyez lunar base by 2001 except for the Plumbers and the distribution of the Powel Doctrine, who were committed to blowing up he Nixon0Moynihan-Kemp transformation process as the leading edge of the January 6 revolt.

Like Nicole Wallace, you were Fellow Travelers with the Buckley-0January 6 agenda, dedicated to Steve Bannon's goal to dismantle the administrative state and overthrow the Constitution

PETE Buttigieg is the way Jack Kemp Republicans acted during GHW Bush's administration, when he was determined to restore the pre-Reagan capital trajectory. America was a cunt hair away from the critical mass required to trigger the final paradigm shift into Stage 3 of Eisenhower-von Braun Star Wars economics Trump's creation of the US Space Force makes this paradigm shift inevitable, the only question being sooner or later. If you, Michael Steel, ran as a Jack Kemp Republican, which you are, on the Celebration of the creation of the US Space Force  by Trump and a commitment to  re-inventing constituency with Biden's Build Back Better $7 trillion capital budget you will pull  your fellow RION's out of the cesspool of the Nazification of the GOP and through the looking glass of  Jack Kemp's handbook for the politics of  Eisenhower0von Braun Star Warts economcs of Starship America.

Michael, you are not the BOP's vversion of Barack Obama: you are the 2nd coming of Jack Kemp, if nnot Lincoln. Among other things, I believe you can capture 60% of the black male vote, Speking as a relative of Woodrow Wilson, you are the antidote to the structural racism of the Presbyterian Church and the cure for the evil enchantment of the Nazification of William F. Buckley's plot.

[cromwellrex2]

Cromwell in Ireland, August-November 1649: ‘I am persuaded that this is a righteous judgement of God upon these barbarous wretches,’

Drogheda and Wexford

Cromwell in Drogheda. Source: GettyImages

THE SITUATION in Ireland which, since the initial eruption of the Old Irish rebellion in 1641, had stabilised into an armed truce between the Catholic Confederates on one side, and the Presbyterian Scots on the other, with the English garrisons under the Royalist Lord Lieutenant James Butler, Earl of Ormond, maintaining an uneasy neutrality. This state of affairs was completely altered by the execution of the King and the hasty establishment of an English Commonwealth under the Rump Parliament and the New Model Army. The Prince of Wales, now crowned King Charles II in Breda and in absentia in Edinburgh, cast his net wide in a search for allies to help him regain his father’s throne. Like Charles I, his exiled son hoped the Irish Confederates could perhaps provide him with the military resources he craved; equally, the Prince also made overtures to the Covenanter Scots, who had proved unexpectedly loyal to the House of Stuart; finally there was Ormond himself, an unequivocal English Royalist, whose small garrison forces also declared for Charles. Therefore in a matter of months, the various protagonists in the Irish rebellion found themselves effectively on the same side all, to a greater or lesser degree, proclaiming support for the exiled King, and opposition to the Commonwealth.

For Cromwell, the shifting alliances that had produced this unforeseen coalition, actually simplified matters. His task was now not simply to reconquer Ireland for the English Parliament, but to cleanse the country, not only of Popery, but also of Protestant schematics and recidivist King’s men. Cromwell’s sense of religious certainty and destiny was manifested in its purest sense during the Commonwealth assault on Ireland - with significant consequences for not only the immediate future of the country, but also for Ireland’s sense of itself in the centuries to come.

Cromwell led an army of 12,000 men into Ireland, mostly troops with experience of fighting in the two civil wars, and landed in Dublin on 14th August 1649. The fact he was able to do this with relative ease was not a given. Until recently, Dublin, garrisoned by soldiers loyal to the Parliament under the command of Colonel Michael Jones, had been besieged by Ormond’s Royalist forces. On 2nd August, Jones had led 4,000 of Dublin’s defenders on a daring sortie, catching the 19,000 strong besiegers completely by surprise and routed them at Rathmines, not only breaking the siege, but winning one of the most remarkable military victories of the British civil wars. For a delighted Cromwell, this scattering of the main Royalist army in Ireland was proof positive of divine favour and God’s support for his mission to extirpate the Catholic revolt and to avenge the atrocities of 1641.

From Dublin, Cromwell decided the next objective of the Commonwealth campaign would be the walled city of Drogheda, some thirty miles to the north. Drogheda was strongly fortified by Confederates and English Royalists, under the command of the veteran Royalist officer, the wooden-legged Sir Arthur Aston. It also straddled the River Boyne and in addition to being a major trading centre, also commanded the approaches to Ulster and the heartland of Scottish Presbyterianism in Ireland. Cromwell arrived before Drogheda on 3rd September. His invitations to the Irish/Royalist garrison to surrender were rejected after which Cromwell positioned his twelve field guns and eleven mortars, which had arrived by sea, on the rising ground surrounding the city. The bombardment began on 10th September soon after the refusal to surrender was received and by the end of the day, breaches had appeared in the walls. The following day, Cromwell ordered a full scale assault. The fighting was fierce and the New Model forces were initially repulsed, taking significant casualties. A second attack which Cromwell himself led personally, succeeded in entering the city. The gates were opened by the Commonwealth infantry and the New Model cavalry stormed in. Despite the fall of the city now only being a matter of time, the defenders, rallied by the indomitable Aston, refused to surrender and it was at this point an exasperated Cromwell ordered that no quarter be given to any men under arms. It was this order that sealed Cromwell’s reputation in Ireland as a cold-hearted killer and the taking of Drogheda as an atrocity.

There is no doubt that an order to give no quarter was highly unusual in the civil wars. Quarter was generally freely given in order to induce surrender and occasions where mercy was not shown were rarely as a result an official military order. Cromwell himself certainly viewed Catholicism as superstitious nonsense and the Irish as an uncivilised sub-species of humanity, guilty of massacres of Protestants, on whom clemency should not be wasted. It is also true that many of the New Model soldiers had been brutalised by seven years of near continuous fighting and needed little encouragement to kill their enemies. The lurid contemporary and later accounts of the slaughter of women and children by the attacking English soldiers are almost certainly false, but the killing of surrendering enemies was indefensible and a deserved blot on the character and reputation of Oliver Cromwell. The entire garrison, between 3,000 and 4,000 men, including Aston, was put to the sword.

Cromwell’s next target was the south eastern city of Wexford, chosen again for its strategic importance, particularly given its proximity to continental Europe and its potential as a rallying point for Royalists. The Commonwealth forces reached Wexford on 2nd October. The Irish garrison, emboldened by reinforcements sent by Ormond, refused terms and, like Drogheda before it, was subjected to heavy English bombardment. Negotiations between Cromwell and the city leaders however continued and it seemed likely at one point a settlement could have been reached, but this all changed when Captain James Stafford, commander of the castle at Wexford, dramatically surrendered, throwing open the gates to the Parliamentary besiegers. Fighting continued street by street, but the defenders were doomed. Unlike Drogheda no order to give no quarter was issued to the Commonwealth troops, but by then the precedent was set: all men under arms, including civilians and all Catholic priests caught, were killed. Over 2,000 men died, cut down by a remorseless enemy, or drowned trying to escape the massacre. Cromwell’s culpability for the extent of the death and destruction at Wexford is less easy to establish than at Drogheda, but he was unmoved by it, almost gleefully reporting later that ‘our forces… put all to the sword that came in their way.’

With the fall of Wexford, most of Munster and all lands between Cork and Dublin fell under Commonwealth control. The dreadful example of the two sacked cities led to many other garrisons surrendering without a fight or fleeing before Cromwell’s army reached them. The reconquest of Ireland was not complete, but the brutal taking of Drogheda and Wexford demonstrated the implacability of Cromwell’s mission in Ireland and ended any Royalist hopes that Ireland could be a realistic springboard for the return of the monarchy to England.

[dream2bu]

What’s The Difference Between the Gerald R. Ford-Class and The Nimitz-Class Carriers?

By Dan Doyle

The centerpiece of naval warfare today is the carrier and its strike group. These modern carriers project an immense amount of power anywhere in the world. They do this with speed and efficiency. At present, the United States Navy has 11 active carriers. They are made up of Enterprise- and Nimitz-class carriers, as well as carriers from the newest class, the Gerald R. Ford class.

These carriers are extremely valuable assets, as they are extremely effective deterrents to any potential adversaries. They are designed to bring powerful air support to U.S. and coalition forces afloat, in the air, or on shore, and they can do this rapidly, anywhere in the world.

PHOTO: WIKIPEDIA/UNITED STATES NAVY

USS NIMITZ (CVN 68)

The Nimitz- and Ford-class aircraft carriers are presently the largest warships in the world. The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is the first of its class and is now on active duty. There are two more being built at this time. They are the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) and the Enterprise (CVN 80). There is one more on order, the USS Doris Miller (CVN 81).

The latter Ford-class carrier is to be named after Doris Miller, the first African American to be awarded the Navy Cross in WWII. He was a Mess Attendant 2nd Class when the ship he was serving on at Pearl Harbor was hit by bombs on December 7, 1941. During the attack, he helped several of his wounded shipmates and manned an anti-aircraft machine gun, for which he had no training. Despite the lack of formal training on the anti-aircraft machine gun, he shot down 4-6 of the attacking Japanese planes. Miller would be killed in action later in the war when the ship he was then serving on, the escort carrier USS Liscome Bay, was sunk by a torpedo near the Gilbert Islands.

PHOTO: FLICKR/OFFICIAL U.S. NAVY PAGE

USS GERALD R. FORD (CVN 78)

The nuclear-powered Nimitz- and Ford-class carriers are designed for a 50-year service life with a single mid-life refurbishing necessary during that long life. But there are some significant differences between these two classes as well.

The USS Gerald R. Ford has two reactors that can generate 600MW of electrical power vs. the Nimitz-class ships that have one reactor that produces 200MW of electrical power. Another major difference is that the Gerald R. Ford has an electromagnetic catapult system that can generate 25% more sorties (flights) than the Nimitzes’ steam-powered catapult system. The Ford also has a dozen electromagnetic weapons elevators, which makes the movement of planes and armaments much faster and more efficient. This, again, makes the Ford capable of arming and launching more aircraft more quickly.

PHOTO: GETARCHIVE/DEFENSE VISUAL INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION SERVICE

THE FORD-CLASS AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS GERALD R. FORD (CVN 78) AND THE NIMITZ-CLASS AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75) TRANSIT THE ATLANTIC OCEAN JUNE 4, 2020.

A third difference between the Nimitz- and Ford-class carriers is that the USS Gerald R. Ford is equipped with technologically more advanced radar systems. It has an AEGIS-style X-Band AN/SPY-3 Aegis radar and S-Band Volume Surveillance Radar, capable of search, track, and multiple missile illumination. This makes it possible to detect incoming aircraft and missiles at a greater distance.

Lastly, the Gerald R. Ford also has more sophisticated defensive armaments. It has two MK.29 missile launchers with eight ESSMs each. It has two Rolling AirFrame missile launchers, as well as four Phalanx Close-In Weapons systems for defense against attacking aircraft, missiles, and small ships.

PHOTO: FLICKR/OFFICIAL U.S. NAVY PAGE

USS GERALD R. FORD (CVN 78)

Because Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers are so new and so much more sophisticated than the Enterprise and Nimtz-class carriers, they have experienced a number of glitches in the various high-tech systems that have been deployed in the design. Those have been worked out, and the USS Gerald R. Ford has recently been deployed fully to the fleet and is on active duty. Those improvements will, of course, be incorporated into the two Ford-class carriers currently under construction and the third that is on order. These Ford-class carriers will eventually completely replace the former Enterprise- and Nimitz-class carriers.

These massive, fast, powerful ships will continue to be the centerpiece of the U.S. Navy’s mission for decades to come. There is nothing quite like a U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group to protect the freedom of the seas and to deter potential adversaries from threatening that freedom.