So where is the biggest pain to Putin, when Finland joins NATO? Let's study the map a little bit. Let's do some Coca Cola. Or.. Kola. As in Kola peninsula
This place:
Coca Kola Thread 2/
Most people didn't know this place even existed. But the Western quarter of the Kola peninsula is one of the most dense collections of nuclear weapons ... on the planet.
Russian Arctic fleet has its submarine bases here with several sub pens outside Murmansk
Coca Kola Thread 3/
The submarine pens are visible on Google maps. If you recognize boats by their shapes, you can identify the 'boomers' (those carrying nuclear armed SLBMs = Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles - that can reach almost the other side of the planet)
Coca Kola Thread 4/
Similarly, the largest collection of air bases, with long range strategic bombers of the Russian Air Force: Tupolev Tu 160 Blackjack, Tu 122N Backfire, and Tu 95 Bear are parked at air bases along this corridor in Kola Peninsula. The Russian nuclear bombers
Coca Kola Thread 5/
There are plenty of other military assets too, and then various economic interests from nickle mines to fishing, to hydroelectric power plants, that are vital for Russia. All on this Kola peninsula
And there is one slight problem..
Coca Kola Thread 6/
All of Kola peninsula is connected to the rest of Russia on one road and one railroad - that is the orange road I show here. That runs 700 km (450 miles) before it forks. That is a single point of failure for Russia. A strategic stranglehold
Coca Kola Thread 7/
Currently, if Russia were to have a war with NATO, this road is relatively safe, because only way NATO could get to it, is from Norway. VERY unlikely to mount a successful attack because the entrance point is so small (30 km/20 miles at narrowest point)
Coca Kola Thread 8/
Russia has stationed two DIVISIONS of crack arctic troops to guard this Northern flank
Now compare how the danger chances when Finland joins NATO.. The blue arrows. Finland could attack from ANYWHERE. Impossible to block even with 1 million soldiers
Coca Kola Thread 9/
Remember the 40 mile convoy? Finland would not need to OCCUPY this territory. A single COMPANY of specialists could destroy the road, railroad & electric line connecting Murmansk to Russia. And this whole area is dense pine forest. Finns would just vanish
Coca Kola Thread 10/
When Finland was neutral, if Putin were to have a war with NATO, Russia did not have to fear that Finns would come and cut the road to Murmansk. Stopping the Northern passage with 50,000 troops would be enough
Now a million soldiers could not stop Finns
Thank you for playing along with our Mappy Things today
If you want to get back to the First of 3 Threads relating to Finland joining NATO, that is here (with link to Thread number 2):
On Monday Judge Chutkan in DC (Jack Smith 2) case will hold a hearing about putting a gag order on Herr Hezbollah, the nation's Terrorist-In-Chief. Trump was under protective order. He breached it many times. So this is now his 'final warning'
Let's do a Thread
GAG ORDER THREAD/2
Don't look at me like that! This is JUSTICE. It is EXACTLY the same legal standard that would apply to you and me. Nothing more, nothing less. Trump is a FIRST TIME OFFENDER; has NEVER been convicted of any crime (yet). He was put on a 'protective order' FIRST
GAG ORDER THREAD/3
Then Trump repeatedly broke that protective order. We WITNESSED IT LIVE on TV and on social media, REPEATEDLY
But the Judge CANNOT do anything about it. Until she is FORMALLY told by the prosecution. She CANNOT do anything yet. It would be same for you and me
We certainly feel it was taking too long. In reality this is about par for the course, in some ways FASTER than normal, for such a large criminal conspiracy. Timing is similar to Watergate
FIRST of PLANNERS of Jan 6 go to trial, in Georgia in two weeks !!!
So January 6th, 2021 was two years and 9 months ago. Over 1,000 of the violent mob have been caught, over half prosecuted, and prison sentences for those running up to more than a decade in prison. That is justice
The ORGANIZERS of the Jan 6th plot are Trump, the Seditious Six..
The ORGANIZERS of Jan 6 are
Trump
Seditious Six (Giuliani, Flynn etc)
Evil Eleven of Congress (Gosar, Gym, Gaetz etc)
and a handful others (Roger Stone, Bannon etc)
They are ALL CAUGHT
Jack Smith STARTED to prosecute the organizers. Look who he has as WITNESSES to this crime
Trump calls Hezbollah "very smart" for their terrorist attack? Same Senile Man called Putin smart for invading Ukraine. And called murdering dictators MBS and Kim Jong Un smart
Meanwhile Trump has called HIS OWN CABINET and HIS OWN GENERALS idiots & stupid
General Mattis: Trump's not mature, a 5th grader
General McMaster: he's a dope, kindergartner idiot
Colonel Esper: irresponsible
General Milley: crazy
General Hytin: an idiot
General Kelly: Trump's crazy, an unhinged idiot
Next...
Then let's ask Trump White House staff, people Trump selected:
VP Pence: Trump is reckless
CoS 1 Priebus: he's an idiot
CoS 2 (Kelly, in above)
CoS 3 Mulvaney: terrible human being, a clown show
CoS 4 Meadows: Trump is worthless
SoS Tillerson: he's a fucking moron
Trump was massively embarrassed in New York, and that trial still continues. But this incident (Trump sitting in NY court for 3 days and then bailed) exposes insight into how incredibly stupid, and self-destructive Trump is
Let's do a Thread
New York New York Thread /2
So what happened? Trump sat in the civil trial - he is NOT required to be there (he must attend all criminal trials which start in March 2024). He feuded with the judge, got hit with a gag order, then stormed out of New York. Let's see how dumb it was
New York New York Thread /3
Donald the Duck McTrump's whole brand is based on the carefully constructed fake illusion, that he is somehow a 'billionaire'. WE know he is not. That Trump is a fake, a con-artist, living on other people's money. But his SUPPORTERS believe that lie
What happens next? The House cannot conduct any other business until it has selected a new House Speaker. The GOP is in civil war. It may be chaos for a while. Most likely they find a suitable Republican Speaker
DEMs do not have votes for DEM Speaker
BUT DEMs could make a deal
If a slice of Republicans (as few as 6) ally with DEMs, then that alliance could select (a Republican) speaker
Realistically the most logical such choice is an EX House Republican, like Liz Cheney
Because of GOP civil war, DEMs have leverage now
This is the deal I suggest:
DEMs make deal for ANY Republican who they can trust (like Liz Cheney, Kinzinger) where promise is 2 House Votes every week. One vote on legislation provided by GOP, the other vote legislation provided by DEMs. Both will get a floor vote each week
With Friday's bombshell news in court filing by Jack Smith of 3 more prosecution witnesses - now just about as big as they come - let's do a Thread about the flippers in Trump's life, the rats who all testify under oath, in criminal courts, against Trump
Flipper Thread/2
Trump committed an act of insurgency against America. That word is rarely used. The legal EFFECT is the same as 'treason'. Trump committed a crime which is essentially as bad as treason
So who does Jack Smith have as a witness? Trump's OWN Attorney General Barr
Flipper Thread/3
Bill Barr was not just the nation's top lawyer, as Attorney General, when this plot was first hatched - Barr learned of the idea - and TOLD TRUMP IT IS ILLEGAL. That is what Barr will testify under oath. That Trump KNEW this plot is illegal