This is the video Nick sent me.

Right is right and wrong is wrong and using fossil fuels is wrong. This video portrays an urgency that is not new. SOME of Europe has been playing with fire while engaging with Russia for energy. Hind sight is always better than foresight, but, there are countries in Europe like Scotland that use nothing but wind power and the country is very successful. Not only is Scotland successful, they are independent of Vladimir Putin and his genocidal Russia.

 

Meet Nick, a MAGA Republican

I think he came to trust me because I heard something wrong with his car engine and he had it checked out. I was correct, there was something wrong with the engine and it needed to be rebuilt. He has six months left on the lease, so this discovery was very timely.

Nick is thinking about buying the car now. He said they did a lot of work on the car under the lease and it should be good to go for some time to come.

Nick's car is important to him because it is where he lives as a homeless veteran.

So, the conversation started and it got heated very quickly. Oh. Nick is Caucasian. The heated talk was over guns. There is a video he sent me before this conversation that I have to dig out to realize the tricks to the trade of the gun industry. Nick thought the video, which are numerous, are fact and the scientific way to think about weapons of war. What he doesn't realize is the video gives permission to think of people as strong enough to survive nearly any gun ammunition type. 

But, this conversation is not about that. It is about Nick. 

continued in next entry...

In the meantime there is this.

Russian soldiers were torturing Ukrainians and taking anything of value, including gold fillings in teeth. The people were sometimes left alive during and afterward. It is not unusual for people to have gold fillings in European countries. It is thought by some to be a status symbol culturally.

 

Conversation with a MAGA Republican.

In the past month I have begun a conversation with a MAGA Republican. I didn't expect it to last more then one conversation because I didn't pander to his ideas, so much as seek to correct them. But, interestingly, the conversation has endured and I have been able to bring about a different reality. I would like to put the most recent conversation here if I can get the computer to do what I hope it will do. I never claim to be an IT wizard. I am not. I am proud of that fact.

The MAGA Republican is not a White Supremacist or Christian Nationalist. The conversation proved my theory about Trump's assault against our democracy, that it involves Americans from diverse backgrounds each protecting their own "moral" territory.

I need to retrieve my laptop. That is the only computer that will do as I ask.

Later today and thank you for your interest.

The climate crisis...

 ...is best fought by reducing greenhouse gas emissions of all kinds. The mitigation of the climate crisis is only mitigation, not an end. It is like a putting a quart of oil in an old clunker of a car, sooner or later the leak will end the use of that car. 

Mitigation of any kind of the climate crisis is simply that mitigation. 

Drastic measures need to begin to bring greenhouse gas levels down in Earth's troposphere. Using WHITE CONCRETE IN ANY CONSTRUCTION to increase albedo is an excellent idea, but, it will not decrease the CAUSES of the climate crisis. It is the causes that must be addressed. Mitigating the climate crisis is about function through an emergency, not an end to the emergency.

Good morning.

I am sure the USA Army Corp. of Engineers is working on a new channel. My guess would be dredging first with plans in the works for a new way of providing transportation for the freight on those barges. If there is going to be a continued pattern of lack of rain, the idea of securing a new channel may be a foolish pursuit.

October 6, 2022
By Elizabeth Elkin, Will Wade and Michael Hirtzer

...Top US barge operator Ingram Barge Co. said low water levels are affecting part of its operating network below Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

“Chronic low water conditions throughout the inland river system have had a negative effect on many who rely on the river,” Chief Executive Officer John Roberts said Thursday in the email.

A barge carries 1,750 tons of dry cargo — the equivalent of 70 trucks. A tow hauling 15 barges can carry more than 900,000 bushels of grains and over 20 million gallons of liquid, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers. Shipping prices have soared in recent weeks....

...The reason for low river levels is simple: lack of rain.

Minneapolis received about a quarter-inch of rain in the past 30 days, below the average of almost 3 inches for this time of year, according to meteorologist Steve Silver of Maxar Technologies Inc. St. Louis received 0.86 inches, less than a third of average, and Memphis has seen a half-inch instead of more than 3 inches.

Many parts of the Midwest and Plains states are experiencing drought, which affects water flowing into tributaries that normally feed into the Mississippi, Silver said.

Things are unlikely to improve anytime soon. There’s less than an inch of rain expected across the region through the end of next week, according to Accuweather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham....

During the pandemic Midwest farm grain elevators found a route at the St. Lawrence Seaway. There were drought conditions along the Seaway last year.

June 20, 2022
By Harry Valentine

The international regulatory agency (click here) that oversees water levels on Lake Ontario and downstream along the St. Lawrence River is working to manage the effects of lower than normal water levels in their jurisdiction resulting from drought conditions. This drought follows two years of extremely high water levels in Lake Ontario and along the St. Lawrence River....

...Now the same officials are expressing concern over record low water levels caused by a drought that affects the watershed area of the Great Lakes. Presently, excess water from previous years is beginning to flow from the Upper Great Lakes....

The droughts are all a part of the climate crisis. Just because they are called droughts does not remove drought from the climate crisis. If anything the droughts enforce the understanding of the climate crisis. Shipping is the least of the concerns.

...The drought has reduced rainfall over watershed areas of numerous rivers that flow into the St. Lawrence River, including the Ottawa River, which has a hydroelectric power dam located northwest of Montreal. Hydroelectric power dams are located along many other rivers that flow into the St. Lawrence River, which also provide numerous municipalities with drinking water and sustain some agricultural production through irrigation....

...The Lower St. Lawrence River downstream of Montreal is under the jurisdiction of the Government of Canada, which has the authority to decide as to whether or not to install navigation locks along the river to assure sufficient water levels during future drought. Officials may be motivated to maintain the “status quo,” hoping for the return of traditional long-term weather patterns. They will need to establish strategy by which to manage future excess high water levels on Lake Ontario and along the Seaway in a way that prevents excess flooding around the City of Montreal....

Russian missle launchers…

 …must be viewed as battlefield targets in order to continue protection of Ukraine and its people. It will end the war.

By destroying the bridge Russia built to illegally annex Crimea, clearly demonstrates the lack of sovereignty Russia held over the region. It is very unfortunate Russia invaded Crimea at all after the tragedy of the Maidan. Needless to say hostilities existed in Ukraine long before 2014.

I will be blogging tomorrow. I think it will be surprisingly interesting to many.

The rest of the world knows Russia can't win. General Petraeus needs to tell Putin that.

It is about time.

It is the delay and disregard that is equally appalling.

October 4, 2022
By Caleb Holloway

Flint - A Michigan judge dismissed cases (click here) against seven defendants facing criminal charges in the Flint water crisis Tuesday, including two former state health officials blamed for nine deaths linked to Legionnaires' disease.

The cases against the following individuals were dismissed by Judge Elizabeth Kelly:

Jarrod Agen
Gerald Ambrose
Richard Board
Darnell Earley
Former state health director Nicolas "Nick" Lyon
Nancy Peeler
Former chief medical executive Eden Wells
Simply put, there are no valid charges,” Kelly said.

Kelly's actions occurred three months after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled a one-judge grand jury had no authority to issue indictments. She said the indictments issued against the defendants were invalid and the charging process was void, ruling the cases are dismissed without prejudice. Kelly rejected the typical path to filing felony charges in Michigan. She rebuffed efforts by the attorney general's office to just send the cases to Flint District Court and turn them into criminal complaints.

The ruling from the Circuit Court was provided to WEYI by Attorney Chip Chamberlain, praising Kelly's decision and urging the attorney general's office to close a “misguided prosecution.”...

It is difficult enough to realize in an American city the water supply was simply out of control, in cost and quality. Then to realize the State of Michigan with then Republican Governor Rick Snyder in control of the business of the state simply disregarded the problems manifesting in Flint for over one year. That is what is so disturbing about the Flint Water Crisis.

Snyder had to know what was transpiring because of the deaths by Legionnaire's Disease. That is a rare occurrence in the USA. The bacteria only manifests in specific situations. There is reporting of deaths from Legionnaire's Disease. They knew and persisted with the outrageous financial plans at the cost of health of the people of Flint.

It is blatant racism. I don't see it any other way. There were people at the highest levels of government simply looking the other way because it was Flint, Michigan and a minority town. The arrogance that went along with the poisoned water is a criminal act. People were responsible for these deaths as well as the damage to the children and people bathing in that water and in the beginning drinking it. Government's first obligation is to the safety of citizens. It is why they are elected, not to the tax man or some idea of a balanced budget for every city in the state, but, to the well being of the people, especially children.

The lack of accountability for the Flint Water Crisis is simply nothing that makes sense to most people. The water was altered intentionally for the sake of a balance budget in Flint. That completely lacks conscience and no one is held responsible yet.

October 4, 2022

By Dawn Jones

Flint - For more than eight years (click here) since the Flint water crisis began, Claudia Perkins has been on the front lines letting her voice be heard.

She was outraged on Tuesday that no one is being held criminally responsible for the crisis after a Genesee County judge dismissed charges against seven of the nine defendants.

The ruling from Judge Elizabeth Kelly came after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled in August that the one-man grand jury process used to file charges against nine suspects is improper and the indictments are invalid.

"It's appalling," Perkins said....

While Claudia Perkins is a water crisis advocate she would also like to have a responsible role with the children in town by running for the Flint School Board.

"Mary Jane" is finally legal.

For information (click here) on recreational marijuana, please visit our State-by-State Recreational Marijuana Laws resource.

October 6, 2022

By Michael D. Shear

Washington - President Biden on Thursday (click here) pardoned all people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law and said his administration would review whether marijuana should still be a Schedule 1 drug like heroin and LSD, saying that “makes no sense.”

The pardons will clear about 6,500 people who were convicted on federal charges of simple possession of marijuana from 1992 to 2021 and thousands more who were convicted of possession in the District of Columbia, officials said ahead of the president’s announcement.

Mr. Biden urged governors to follow his lead for people convicted on state charges of simple possession. The number of convictions under state laws vastly outnumbers those who have been charged with a violation of federal laws, limiting the overall reach of the president’s actions on Thursday....

Nano CBD is supposed to be the fountain of youth. (click here)

There is no way marijuana should be a scheduled one drug. It is ridiculous.

Schedule I (click here)

Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Some examples of Schedule I drugs are: heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote.

Heroine and LSD are where they belong, however, LSD is beginning to be used in trials to treat intractable mental illness. It is having an effect. Marijuana has always been classified wrong. The reason is was put into the Schedule One category is the myth that it leads to addition to other substances. It doesn't. There are no cravings for any other drug while under the influence of "Mary Jane." The only thing people on a diet might want in the house if using it recreationally instead of alcohol (liver involvement) is plenty of low carb and low calorie food.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (click here) is often a chronic condition, despite the availability of various evidence-based treatment options. Psychedelics offer new treatment opportunities. 

AIM: An overview of the current evidence, therapeutic context, and possible mechanisms of action of different types of psychedelics in the treatment of PTSD.

METHOD: A scoping review of the available literature.

RESULTS: MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine - click here) - assisted psychotherapy has shown to produce lasting reductions in PTSD symptoms in multiple RCTs. Based on a small number of studies, ketamine administration appears to lead to temporary symptom relief. Current studies are investigating whether the use of ketamine in combination with psychotherapy can lead to lasting reductions in PTSD symptoms. Classical psychedelics (such as psilocybin and LSD) induce psychoactive effects (on behavior or experience) that could contribute to the psychotherapeutic treatment of PTSD but have not yet been investigated in controlled studies. Reported positive effects extend beyond PTSD symptoms only.

CONCLUSION: Psychedelics may have potential to serve as a catalyst for the psychotherapeutic treatment of PTSD. Most evidence exists for MDMA-supported psychotherapy; relatively little research is available on ketamine and classical psychedelics. Future research needs to show whether the use of psychedelics can be integrated into available treatment options for PTSD.

If drugs such as these give relief and partly cures mental illness such as PTSD, it certainly should be used to begin to claim lives away from suicide. I have seen a film on the use of such medications in THERAPY SESSIONS. It really is remarkable how the mind ALLOWS these good feelings to take over the disorientation of PTSD. It is worth considering an "investigational" trial with NIH. Seriously. The alternative is final. Investigational drugs are a last ditch effort to save lives. These trials should include mental health that leads to suicide as well.

MDMA is considered an Empathogen. (click here) These increase a person’s feeling of empathy and benevolence towards others, as well as feelings of being socially accepted and connected.

They can increase friendliness and playfulness, but can also cause mood swings, dehydration and depression. Empathogens are sometimes referred to as entactogens (click here).

America doesn't have an energy crisis. It has a internal combustion engine crisis.

electrify america (click here)

Page down to "Charging to explore for this page. Click on "DC Fast Charging." Thank you.
 

Other than the needs of allies, why is the USA exporting at all?

 Drive EV!

The United States has been an annual net total energy exporter since 2019 (click here)

Up to the early 1950s, the United States produced most of the energy in consumed.1 Starting in the mid-1950s, the United States began to import greater amounts of energy, particularly crude oil and petroleum products (such as gasoline and distillate fuels) to fill the gap between energy consumption and production. U.S. total energy imports generally increased every year until peaking in 2007. Total energy imports subsequently declined in most years through 2021 as increases in U.S. energy production offset the need for imports and also contributed to increases in U.S. energy exports.

U.S. annual total energy net imports (imports minus exports) generally increased in most years from the mid-1950s until peaking in 2005 and equal to about 30% of total U.S. energy consumption. Since then, total energy net imports generally declined each year to a record low in 2021. The United States became a net total energy exporter in 2019 for the first time since 1952 and maintained that position in 2020 and 2021. U.S. total energy exports exceeded total energy imports by about 3.82 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) in 2021, the largest margin on record. U.S. total energy exports equaled about 25.25 quads, an increase of about 7.6% from 2020, and total energy imports were about 21.43 quads, an increase of about 7.2% from 2020....

Chevy Volt starts at $27,200 (click here). 2023 EVs are now available. That means the 2022s are on sale as well.

The Volkswagen ID4.

Assembled locally in Chattanooga, TN (click here) the 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 SUV is truly something to behold. On the outside, clean aerodynamic lines make for a striking presence on the road. On the inside, plenty of room makes for a spacious, comfortable cabin–it will transform how you think about electric cars. Best of all, it comes loaded with value.

Cost starts at $37,495.

Your 2022 Volkswagen ID.4® (click here) comes with 3 years of 30-minute complimentary charging.

ID.4 drivers can focus on the roads and possibilities ahead, leaving gas stations and MPG behind.

The Nissan Leaf (click here) was the first mass-market electric car sold in the United States. Yes, there were EVs available before the Leaf (General Motors' EV1 and Tesla's Roadster are two well-known examples), but it was Nissan that tried to thread the needle of zero-emission mobility with a cost of entry low enough to sell tens of thousands—as opposed to a few hundred or thousand—of EVs to interested customers....

ELECTRIC CARS	BASE PRICE	ELIGIBLE FOR FEDERAL EV TAX CREDIT	MINIMUM RANGE	MAXIMUM RANGE
2022 Nissan Leaf	$27,400	Yes	149	226
2022 Mini Electric Hardtop	$29,900	Yes	114	114
2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV	$31,500	No	259	259

The GOP is desperate enough to tell the truth about their priorities.

The GOP is about power. Not people. The GOP is always throwing away the rights of Americans to benefit their cronies, the people that give them money to take away civil rights and human rights in favor of corporate rights as if they were citizens.

The GOP is so scared about the 2022 elections that it is finally telling the truth about their priorities. The election is not about policy or programs, it is about taking power away from elected Democrats with a conscience. Just that simple.

October 5, 2022

By Andi Ortiz

The hosts of “The View” had no kind words for Dana Loesch (click here) on Wednesday morning, after Loesch said this week that “skanks” get abortions. The women went off on the conservative host, asking “What the hell was that?” and saying she “exposes the moral rot” of the party.

Loesch made her comments on “The First” on Tuesday, saying that “If ‘The Daily Beast’s story is true, you’re telling me Walker used his money to reportedly pay some skank for an abortion, and Warnock wants to use all of our moneys to pay an all bunch of skanks for abortion.” She added that, even if the report is true, she doesn’t care. “I don’t care if Herschel Walker paid to abort endangered baby eagles. I want control of the Senate,” she said.

In response, the women of “The View” were heated, with Whoopi Goldberg needing to bite her tongue a bit....

THE LADIES of the view are exactly correct and the Republicans have no respect for women proven by their lousy track record in women's rights.

Vladimir Putin is not to be trusted in any way.

There are no treaties he signs that are honored by Russia. He has violated every treaty he signed, especially regarding nuclear weapons of every variety of launch vehicle.

The communists of any country are not reliable partners, including China. The communists believe treaties are a weakness in democracies. Treaties are agreed to for developing strategic dominance and not for peace initiatives.

Vladimir Putin will violate the ABM treaty if he feels it will deliver him out of danger.

Putin violated Minsk I and Minsk II. He only signed them to take advantage of the Free World’s compliance. If a treaty is honored unilaterally it is not a treaty, but, a clever trick to be played for an advantage.

There is only one thing to understand about communists. Only one thing. The end justifies the means.

They are killers. They kill each other and their own people. Why? Because the end justifies the means.

Treaties only leverage power against free and peace loving democracies. They have no validity with communists. To recognize a reason for diplomacy regarding nuclear weapons only proves the dangers to people are real and out of control. The Non-proliferation treaty is the only one worth pursuing. It ends nuclear technology used for weapons that is easily verified.

The ABM Treaty does nothing about dismantling from nuclear weapons. It simply sets down words on a piece of paper. Those words mean nothing to Putin while they mean everything to the free world. How much of a means of safety can actually be garnered from a treaty that leaves nuclear weapons in place while asking “pretty please, don’t hurt me?”

This escalation by China is in concert with Putin.

September 16, 2022
By Francois Murphy

Vienna - China clashed (click here) with the countries in the so-called AUKUS alliance at the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Friday over their plan to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, capping a week in which Beijing has repeatedly railed against the project.

Under the alliance between Washington, London and Canberra announced last year Australia plans to acquire at least eight nuclear submarines that International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi has said will be fuelled by "very highly enriched uranium", suggesting it could be weapons-grade or close to it....

Putin believed taking Ukraine away from Ukrainians would be a cake walk. Now. It is just yellow cake on Putin's agenda.

October 4, 2022

By Eliot A. Cohen

Tehran – Iran said (click here) on Monday London’s lack of “political will” has thwarted a deal with Kazakhstan on import of 950 tons of yellow cake, an acquisition that would not violate the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. 

Margarita Simonyan, (click here) the editor in chief of RT and one of Russia’s top propagandists, has in the space of seven months gone from supreme confidence that Kyiv would fall in days to something like despair at Russia’s shambolic mobilization and battlefield defeats. In addition to confessing to “terrible grief,” she admits that she now sings Russia’s national anthem using the old Soviet lyrics. That choice is appropriate, because Moscow now specializes in Soviet-style bluster and hysteria. Nowhere is this more evident than in the nuclear threats issued by President Vladimir Putin.

In his speeches announcing the annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts that his battered army does not fully control, Putin raised the specter of nuclear war. In the finest tradition of Soviet whataboutism, he spoke of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, calling them an American precedent for … what, he did not exactly say, but the meaning was clear. Since then, the menace has been amplified by subordinates like Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s security council, as well as panicky tub-thumpers like Simonyan’s colleague Vladimir Solovyov.

It is impossible for the USA (click here) to sit out any nuclear threat and exchange. No one believed Putin would lead according to a five year calendar that included invading Ukraine. He is now playing his hand as he planned it. The nukes are next. He has always stated he would use whatever it took to protect the Russia people. In his mind this is the time for such nuclear measures. No one has invaded Russia and partly that is the problem. Putin isn't rational in a way that most international relations play out, he is enamored with his 

Any threat to use nuclear weapons by a country that possesses them has to be taken seriously. That’s particularly true of Russia, a country whose military doctrine has always entertained the deployment of relatively low-yield nuclear weapons in a war. To be clear, low-yield can mean a detonation equivalent to 5,000 or 10,000 tons of TNT. When Soviet war plans for Europe were revealed after the Cold War, analysts blanched at the magnitude of the nuclear assault the Soviet general staff had contemplated as the preparatory bombardment for a potential drive to the English Channel....

Putin is not demented, his plans are demented and woefully bad in preparation and deployed. Putin has practiced brinkmanship and gotten away with it for far too long. He is convinced he is invincible. 

June 9, 2022

By Anton Trojanovski

Among President Vladimir V. Putin’s motives (click here) for invading Ukraine, his view of himself as being on a historic mission to rebuild the Russian Empire has always loomed large. On Thursday, Mr. Putin went further, comparing himself directly to Peter the Great.

It was a new, if carefully staged, glimpse into Mr. Putin’s sense of his own grandeur.

Mr. Putin on Thursday marked the 350th anniversary of Peter’s birth by visiting a new multimedia exhibit about the czar in Moscow. He then held a town-hall-style meeting with young Russian entrepreneurs and opened it by reflecting on Peter’s conquest of the Baltic coast during his 18th-century war with Sweden.

Mr. Putin described the land Peter conquered as rightfully Russian.

“He was returning it and strengthening it,” Mr. Putin said, leaning back in his armchair, before hinting with a smile that he was now doing the same thing in his war in Ukraine. “Well, apparently, it has also fallen to us to return and to strengthen.”...

Israel is no exception. There is danger coming. Putin is most probably assisting the Iranians.

Syria is right there. These are supposed to be Russian allies. I find the timing of Iran's statements about building/acquiring nuclear weapons ominous to Putin's ambitions. This is no consequence.

August 4, 2022
By Jon Gambrell

Dubai - Iranian officials (click here) now speak openly about something long denied by Tehran as it enriches uranium at its closest-ever levels to weapons-grade material: The Islamic Republic is ready to build an atomic weapon at will.

The remarks could be bluster to force more bargaining-table concessions from the U.S. without planning to seek the bomb. Or, as analysts warn, Iran could reach a point like North Korea did some 20 years ago where it decides having the ultimate weapon outweighs any further international sanctions.

All this could be put to the test Thursday as Iran, the U.S. and the European Union prepare for a snap summit that appears to be a last-ditch effort in Vienna to revive Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal amid the new pressure. That includes one Iranian video online suggesting the country’s ballistic missiles could “turn New York into a heap of rubble from hell.”...

Putin always denies his plans for aggression.

February 7, 2022
By Vladimir Kuznetsov and Nancy Cook

Institute for the Study of War (click here) with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project

The U.S. ramped up warnings (click here) of a possible Russian attack on Ukraine, with President Joe Biden saying a “false-flag” event may be underway and a top diplomat describing Moscow as moving toward an “imminent invasion.”

Russian officials said no invasion of Ukraine was underway and none was planned. But the Kremlin said in an official response to the Biden administration’s proposed security assurances that the offers were unsatisfactory and Russia might have to resort to unspecified “military-technical measures.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken changed his travel plans Thursday to address the United Nations Security Council on the crisis. Russia expelled the U.S. deputy chief of mission in Moscow, Bart Gorman, in what a State Department spokesman called an unprovoked move....

The Free World needs to ready their first strike weapons. Ukraine must evacuate the provinces Russia is claiming is part of their country now. Putin will release nuclear horror on the land that is supposed to be part of his country. Absolutely, he will.

Moving military equipment by train is a favorite of Russian command. They are going to launch nukes and the Free World needs to have their first strike weapons ready for launch when Putin releases his particular type of heel.

October 4, 2022

Rare video (click here)

The Kremlin said on Tuesday (click here) that it did not want to take part in "nuclear rhetoric" from the West after a media report that Russia was preparing to demonstrate its willingness to use nuclear weapons in its conflict with Ukraine.

The Times newspaper reported on Monday that the NATO military alliance had warned members that President Vladimir Putin was set to demonstrate his willingness to use nuclear weapons by carrying out a nuclear test on Ukraine's border....

There is a counter to this report that is somewhat but not completely skeptical.

October 3, 2022

By Joseph Trevithick

Imagery has emerged on social media (click here) recently that shows one or more Russian trains carrying a number of rare 4x4 BPM-97 Vystrel light armored vehicles fitted with turrets armed with 30mm cannons. The movement of the BPM-97s has garnered unique interest as they may be associated with the Russian military's 12th Main Directorate, which oversees the country's nuclear arsenal. These observations come amid growing threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin and other officials in Russia about the potential use of nuclear weapons as Ukrainian forces continue regaining territory. As such, they seem to have led to some startling headlines that seem unsubstantiated. The fact is that while such a deployment could very well point to a more ominous nuclear operation in the works, there are many other reasons, some of them glaring, for such a movement, in addition to just normal training operations....

President Zelensky is a great man. He has accomplished what many believed impossible. However, he was in denial of any harsh actions by Putin and believed he would not invade Ukraine.