VIDEO: Zelenskyy says "Ukraine is helping fight Iran. Now help us!"

The current unpleasantness in the Middle East has diverted the world's attention from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And, particularly in the US of A, there is a growing chorus of complainers that America should reduce or even end support for those fighting for the freedom and independence of Ukraine.

What can these people say, now that Ukraine is doing what it can to support the American-Israeli efforts to overthrow the murderous regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran? In a speech given on Tuesday to a group of members of the British Parliament, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for joint efforts in building up anti-drone defences against Iranian missile and dreone attacks.

Ukraine has become the world leader in drone technology for warfare. On a daily basis they can now manufacture not only enough drones for their own need, but also drones for the needs of other countries. Ukraine now has technicians on the ground in all of the Arab countries surrounding Iran that have been attacked by Iran. And they are training the armies of those countries in the techniques of drone warfare.

President Zelenskyy said that "right now, there are 201 Ukrainians in the Middle East and Gulf region, and another 34 are ready to deploy... If, together with partners in the Middle East, we build a system like Ukraine, they will be able to track attacks from Iran or from the Houthis in real time, analyze them, keep improving their defense, giving people critical infrastructure and trade routes."

Dear readers, Ukraine is on our side! Seems to us the least we can do is give them all the aid we can in their desperate fight for freedom!

Thanks and a tip of the ushanka to Agent 5 for sending us the URL for this one.

Smell? What smell?

Scraped from Patriot Post.

Message from America's Amelia

Can you say "stalemate", boys 'n' girls?

Call me a traitor if you like, but it has to be said that the US of A has form for starting wars which it can't finish. Before Afghanistan, Iraq and Vietnam we can point all the way back to the War of 1812, which then POTUS James Madison said would be "only a matter of marching", all over in a month or so. Does this sound familiar?

Since the outcome of the War of 1812 is barely mentioned in US schools nowadays, let us review how Madison's little excursion turned out. There was fighting, mostly on the Canadian (British, in those days) side of the Great Lakes. The Royal Navy attacked and burned the American capital, causing Dolly Madison to pack up her dishes and flee the White House. The Americans won the final battle (New Orleans) nearly a month after a truce had been agreed. The borders of the US of A remained as they had been ante bellum. Much treasure and blood was expended, but nothing was gained.

Walt predicts a similar outcome for the American-Israeli war on Iran. 

Again, call me a traitor if you like, but I don't see a lot of winning going on here! The Israelis are said to have invaded Lebanon, but that's a sideshow. The Big Show is Iran. The mission (so far as we can understand it) is to (a) terminate the Chief Mullah and so (b) to effect the overthrow of the Islamist theocracy, while also (c) ensuring that Iran would never have nuclear weapons and (d) the supply of Big Oil would be secure forever more, Or (e) all of the above.

Three weeks in, after the loss of dozens of American lives and expenditure of many millions of dollars, as nearly as Walt can see, only (a) has been accomplished. So what? The same gang of mullahs may be hiding behind a cardboard cutout of the Son-of-the-Mullah, but they're still in control. A few oil tankers are getting through the Strait of Hormuz, but the US is clearly incapable of keeping that channel oopen to the point where President Trump is almost screaming "A little help here!?!?" at America's fair weather friends.

I can't see any favourable outcome to this conflict. POTUS says it'll be over when he thinks it's over, but when will that be? Seems to me the stage is being set for a declaration of victory and a "withdrawal" under cover of a cease-fire which will be touted as a Big Win, just like that over Hamas a few months ago.

Many Americans have been killed. US military bases in the Gulf are burning. America's so-called allies are running for diplomatic cover. The only "winning" is being done by the Israelis, who are finishing what they couldn't do in 1967. Clearly the US of A has lost control of a war that will not end until Iran says so. 

Any realist has to call the situation a strategic stalemate, with intense air campaigns failing to force capitulation or halt Iranian retaliations. While initial strikes damaged infrastructure, Iran has continued targeting energy routes in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to a protracted conflict with no clear endgame. Iran has successfully targeted global energy security, creating a protracted war.

The stalemate is causing major global disruptions, with oil prices rising over $100/bbl and increasing economic uncertainty in other regions, notes. It's hard to see how this ends except in a "draw" where both sides declare victory, or settle into a low-level, long-term confrontation that could reshape the region. Or not.

I would dearly love to be wrong. I would like to see the people of Iran liberated from the yoke of Islamist oppression. I have similar hopes for the people of Venezuela and (even more so) the people of Cuba. But we're not there yet... are we...

VIDEO: To our Irish readers and friends...

...and those who wish they were Irish

to yez all!

from Walt, Poor Len [and Ed.! Ed.]

But wait (as Vince Offer used to say), there's more! As a special Saint Paddy's day treat we give you "The Irish Ballad", written and sung by Tom Lehrer to a bemused audience of Danes at Copenhagen in 1967.

Which is worse - Islamophobia or Islamic terrorism?

Scraped from Blazing Cat Fur.

Memo from Poor Len Canayen to Martin St-Louis: Rest Hutson!

Ed. here. The condition of the front room of Walt's cabin in the pines when I walked in this morning was such that I doubt we're going to get anything useful out of him. Two large jars of Ma Nifkins' jellied gin -- both empty -- are not a good sign. 

So I called our National Sport (As Long As It's Hockey) Editor, Poor Len Canayen, and asked him if we could make public his memorandum to Martin St-Louis, head coach of Montréal Canadiens. He said "ben ouais", which I take as a yes. Here `tis. 

Slt Martin! St'une belle équipe là mais [Oops, forgot to turn on the translator. Ed.] but you'd better keep one eye on the rear-view mirror. We can't afford to lose two more games in a row like we did this weekend. Especially not by just one goal. (Yes, I know it was technically 4-2 on Saturday, but that fourth goal was an empty-netter so it was really 3-2)

What is to be done to make sure Boston or Ottawa don't leapfrog over us? Here's my view from the nosebleed seats.

Marty, the guys are tired, especially the rookies. Ivan Demidov, Oliver Kapanen and Lane Hutson have never played a full season in the NHL. The grind of playing 3-4 games a week, week in and week out, is getting to them. And don't forget that Hutson isn't that big -- just 5'9" and 160 lbs. You can't keep giving him big minutes -- over 20 per game -- and expect him to keep up the same torrid pace.

My advice? Rest Hutson a bit. But how to do that, absent a reliable sixth defenceman? Answer: Revamp the power play. Let Noah Dobson QB the first unit at the point for Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slavkovsky and Demidov.

Then, for the second unit, you can put Mike Matheson on the point, maybe alterenating with Hutson. Who's gonna be up front, then? Here's my counter-intuitive brilliant suggestion. Activate Patrick Laine! 

Laine's healthy (although probably a bit rusty for lack of playing time) and has been showing up for practice. Put him on the fourth line, and put him in his "office" on the power play, with Phillip Danault and/or Kapanen at centre, and Brendan Gallagher and Alexandre Texier. That's going to put a lot of pressure on Matheson to concentrate on foiling a counter-attack, but hey, he's a horse!

If  you think I'm crazy, consider that the Habs' power play went 0 for 4 against the Ducks(!) last night. The PP has got to be fixed. What's your idea?

Go Habs go!  Len