https://twitter.com/GAFollowers/status/1635276779270340608

This is all from the Washington Post who normally does everything that they can to back up the broken #Ukraine narrative:

DNIPROPETROVSK REGION, Ukraine — The quality of Ukraine’s military force, once considered a substantial advantage over Russia, has been degraded by a year of casualties that have taken many of the most experienced fighters off the battlefield, leading some Ukrainian officials to question Kyiv’s readiness to mount a much-anticipated spring offensive.

U.S. and European officials have estimated that as many as 120,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded since the start of Russia’s invasion early last year, compared with about 200,000 on the Russian side, which has a much larger military and roughly triple the population from which to draw conscripts. Ukraine keeps its running casualty numbers secret, even from its staunchest Western supporters.

I actually do not endorse the numbers that the US/EU officials are putting forward here, with a 1.2 to 2 ratio that favors the Ukrainians. I think that even when they are trying to be honest about painting the dismal picture, they will still lie to us. I would be surprised if the ratio is anywhere near favorable to the Ukrainians -- I would be ecstatic if I was a Hohol to hear that the ratio is even 1:1.

Statistics aside, an influx of inexperienced draftees, brought in to plug the losses, has changed the profile of the Ukrainian force, which is also suffering from basic shortages of ammunition, including artillery shells and mortar bombs, according to military personnel in the field.

...

“And there are only a few soldiers with combat experience,” Kupol added. “Unfortunately, they are all already dead or wounded.”

For some even tastier tears:

Such grim assessments have spread a palpable, if mostly unspoken, pessimism from the front lines to the corridors of power in Kyiv, the capital. An inability by Ukraine to execute a much-hyped counteroffensive would fuel new criticism that the United States and its European allies waited too long, until the force had already deteriorated, to deepen training programs and provide armored fighting vehicles, including Bradleys and Leopard battle tanks.

It's interesting to think that even the experts here posit that the great opportunity for the Ukraine was to win with a strong counteroffensive... But no such counteroffensvie could ever exist meaningfully against the Russians who predictably just brought to bear their far superior numbers.

From this point there are some funny statements in the article - for instance, the idea that Russia is experiencing WWI levels of casualties, but you still get glimpses of the real picture behind the paragraphs inserted to shore up the pro-Kiev narrative:

Ukraine has also faced an acute shortage of artillery shells, which Washington and its allies have scrambled to address, with discussions about how to shore up Ukrainian stocks dominating daily meetings on the war at the White House National Security Council. Washington’s efforts have kept Ukraine fighting, but use rates are very high, and scarcity persists.

“You’re on the front line,” Kupol said. “They’re coming toward you, and there’s nothing to shoot with.”

This is normally something that they would ever publish about Russia.

There might be real change on the horizon for the US policy towards the Ukraine - the state media apparatus is warming people up to the idea of cutting their losses and moving on.

The West is a joke - they are democratic societies that are supposed to be based on the marketplace of ideas...

Yet you cannot say a single thing that criticizes their sacred cows.

Ravier faces trial tomorrow in the criminal court of Marseilles on charges of incitement to discrimination, hatred, or violence. The case is based on a tweet, on January 11, 2022, in which Ravier reacted to the murder of a teen in Paris by a 62-year-old man from Senegal.

He tweeted “Theo, 18 years old, murdered yesterday by a Senegalese [migrant]… Immigration kills the youth of France.”

A complaint was filed by the International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism (Licra) and the League for Human Rights (LDH) against Ravier over allegations of spreading hatred toward migrants.

NATO doesn't fight for democracy.

It fights for its own oligarchic interest.

French Politician Faces Criminal Trial For Immigration Criticism

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

^{www.zerohedge.com}

The mosst tiring whinging in the world:

>Louis Farrakhan says Louis Farrakhan type stuff
>"Why aren't the Democrats condemning this..?!"
>"They're the REAAAALLl Anti-Semites."

Guys, nobody cares.

This is tiresome and nobody thinks it's true.

This is all just meant to frame everything in the context of 'kissing the ADL's ass is good; criticizing the ADL is bad."

Mark Levin: Biden and the Democrat Party Are ‘Tolerating’ a ‘Very Ugly’ Antisemitism

Conservative radio host Mark Levin slammed the Democrat Party for “tolerating” antisemitism, saying the left would sooner call former President Trump a white supremacist than address its own history of Jew-hatred.

^{Deborah Brand (Breitbart)}

Western countries will tell you that they adequately value free speech and free expression, and then they will report you to a counter-terrorism unit & have you convicted...

But it's OK, folks..! The man later won on appeal..!

Judge overturns conviction of street preacher arrested for 'misgendering' man in a dress

A British court has overturned the conviction of street preacher Dave McConnell who was reported to counter-terrorism for alleged misgendering by refusing to say a man is a woman

^{Anugrah Kumar (The Christian Post)}

They've been there for over a thousand years and suddenly it now has to all come to an end...

And who is ultimately ordering it?

A government led by a Jew.

Last Friday, Ukrainian officials told the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to vacate the 980-year-old Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery complex in the embattled nation's capital, according to Reuters.

The denomination has been given until March 29 to obey the order. Although the UOC has historical ties to the Russian Orthodox Church, it severed its ties with the Moscow patriarchate last year in response to the Russian invasion.

In a statement, the Ukrainian culture ministry claimed that UOC "violated the terms of the agreement regarding the use of state property" but didn't say how. The UOC contends it is a victim of a political witch hunt.

There's no rule of law in the Ukraine - don't hold your breath waiting for them to provide the rationale.

Ukraine orders Orthodox church with Russia ties to vacate historic Kyiv monastery

Ukrainian officials told the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to vacate the 980-year-old Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery complex in the embattled nation s capital Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill has ...

^{Michael Gryboski (The Christian Post)}

India still going to bat for marriage sanity:

New Delhi: Same-sex marriage is against the “Indian notion of marriage” that “necessarily and inevitably presupposes a union” between a biological man and a biological woman only.

‘Against Indian notion of marriage’ — why Modi govt is opposed to registering same-sex marriages

Relying on religious definition of marriage 'between biological man and biological woman only' Union govt Sunday opposed petitions in Supreme Court seeking recognition for same-sex marriages.

^{Bhadra Sinha (ThePrint)}

Something must've been going very wrong with their crypto investments.

"Signature Bank is a New York state-chartered commercial bank and is FDIC-insured, with total assets of approximately $110.36 billion and total deposits of approximately $88.59 billion as of December 31, 2022," Harris' statement said. "DFS is close contact with all regulated entities in light of market events, monitoring market trends, and collaborating closely with other state and federal regulators to protect consumers, ensure the health of the entities we regulate, and preserve the stability of the global financial system."

Crypto-Friendly Signature Bank Shut Down by State Regulators

Signature said it intended to limit its crypto exposure last year.

^{Nikhilesh De (CoinDesk)}

Years ago I remember this coming up and someone saying "Wellll they're gonna drive anyways..!"

As if absolutely nothing at all can be done about the fact that we have illegals in our communities and the only rational course of action is to just normalize their presence as much as possible.

Also absolutely had no idea that there might be 77k illegals in Minnesota. This isn't exactly a high population state by any stretch of the imagination.

Minnesota Democrat Gov. Tim Walz Opens Driver’s Licenses to 77,000 Illegal Aliens

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) has signed a Democrat-approved bill into law that will give driver’s licenses to potentially 77,000 eligible illegal aliens.

^{John Binder (Breitbart)}

Honestly this is a rather interesting aside:

The Bishop who christened Meghan and Harry's daughter Princess Lilibet is a former newspaper editor and the chief of staff for disgraced former US president Richard Nixon.

The Right Reverend John Harvey Taylor - the Bishop of Los Angeles - baptized the Sussex's 21-month-old at their Montecito home in California on Friday.

The christening of Lilibet saw her royal title of 'Princess' used formally for the first time, giving the first indication that the Sussexes will use the titles for their children.

The small ceremony - conducted by the man described as one of Nixon's closest confidantes, and who Nixon himself described as 'our House liberal' - was attended by between 20 and 30 friends at their Montecito mansion.

You don't expect that kind of a background for an Anglican Bishop.

Bishop who christened Princess Lilibet is Richard Nixon's former chief-of-staff

The Right Reverend John Harvey Taylor, the Bishop of Los Angeles, worked for Nixon between 1984 and 1990. He baptized the Sussex's 21-month-old at their Montecito home in California on Friday.

^{By Christian Oliver (Daily Mail)}

We possibly have a serial rapist/killer among NHS staff in Blackpool:

Valerie Kneale, 75, had been sitting up and talking when relatives visited her at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

Her grown-up children wanted to stay the night with her but medics said there was no need.

However, then she suffered a devastating second stroke and never regained consciousness.

After a post-mortem examination, it was discovered that she had bled to death due to being assaulted, possibly sexually.

Despite detectives interviewing thousands – including ward staff, patients and visitors – no one has been charged with the murder. Now a £20,000 reward has been offered to catch her killer.

Detective Chief Inspector Jill Johnston, of Lancashire Police, said: 'This may be at the hands of somebody who is a predator and who may have committed previous attacks of this nature and may continue to do so.'

...

She died on November 16. But in a routine post-mortem test, a pathologist found she suffered a horrific internal injury and told the police. An inquest heard the pathologist 'felt' that Mrs Kneale's injury 'was caused by a forcible sexual assault after she was admitted to hospital'.

It's hard to imagine this happening to your loved one.

Grandmother, 75, bled to death in her hospital bed after being sexually assaulted 

After a post-mortem examination, it was discovered that Valerie Kneale, 75, had bled to death due to being assaulted, possibly sexually.

^{By James Tozer (Daily Mail)}