News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

@Tacitus

Less doesn't always mean worse. The question is more along the lines of potency and cost effectiveness of military might. What's more potent and cost effective, in general: carpet bombing or precision munitions?

It'd be interest to see where Polish military investment is being allocated.

But, yes, the US is smaller militarily now than during the cold war (at least, I think that's true).


You sound like Joker and JR. :D

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]


Massively reduced may be an overstatement, nevertheless reducing is one thing, but reducing to aneroxic levels is completely different.

All of that is water under the bridge at this moment. What matters now is Europe beefing itself up so it can be responsible for the lion's share of its own security.


I'd think from the POV of a unified Europe, that'd be much more terrifying than gratifying.

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]


But, the point is for the EU army to become a potent enough military to defend its own interest as well as to become an attractive partner for powerful armies such as GB and its smarter, richer, and stronger younger brother, USia.


That is a very good point. There must remain something of a parity amongst all members

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

Może...that and for the American arms producers to make gobs more money. Oh, and let's not forget the secondary purpose of weakening Russia to a third-rate shell of itself.

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

@Bratwurst Boy

There's a problem, though, if Poland is the only EU nation that beefs up. For an EU army to work, all of Europe must beed up to some degree.

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

@Bratwurst Boy

I like the sounds of all that. NATO can still exist under that makeup-just more balanced and no need for nuclear proliferation.

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]


Not only Brussels!

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

@Bratwurst Boy

I don't know about it looking to the US as its Savior.

The EU has interceded with Poland's domestic governance, so its not totally unreasonable for them to be a bit skeptical of the level of friendliness. I'm not saying its the right or wrong perception, but its not an entirely unreasonable perception.

Regardless, the point at hand is defense. And, Poland is not alone in Europe in that it looks to the US as its main defense support. As I see it, Poland is taking a pro-active stance in building up its military to defend its own interest-it is the Russian invasion of Ukraine that has precipitated this build-up. It seems its just following through with what it, as many other European countries, said it would do a year ago: beef up its military.

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

@Bratwurst Boy

Assuming you are correct about the doubtfulness of America's friendship with Poland, it may be that Warsaw might be thinking, " America may be a doubtful friend, but at least they give the impression they arefriends, and they have a potent defense force, whereas our neighbor friends don't always treat us friendly and have an impotent defense force that relies on the doubtful friend's force to secure our territory." A kind of bet hedging.

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]

@Bratwurst Boy

Well, yeah, if it is building muscle simply to be a proxy army then there's some very serious problems attached to that. However, to serve as an effective deterrent, nothing should be withdrawn from the table...except, bullsh!t causes like Iraq-the pros most significantly outweigh the cons.

News / Poland is the new military power of Europe. [275]



Or, could it simply mean Poland has decided that a more muscular military will serve as a deterrent to any possible foreign encroachment, as well as putting Poland in a better position within the EU-being the muscular rampart on the EU's eastern frontier is a bargaining chip that may reap dividends for Poland in Brussels.

Off-Topic / Pop A Cork - Wine [440]

@Alien

Well written. :)

Below is a delicious Portugese wine from the native alicante bouschet grape. Brimming with lush dark fruit and a not subtle spice note. My wife says it has a vanilla whipped cream note. The wine needles the tongue and has a soft tannic presence. It's a worthy bottle.

• 
  IMG_9110.jpeg
  

Off-Topic / Five or more years of Erdogan! [32]


And, that's a major concern for the US. How does the US/NATO deal with a Russian-allied Turkey-who, by the way, houses 50ish US nuclear warheads on its soil?

Off-Topic / Hollywood Films [62]


I had Different experience. Went to both all-boys and co-ed schools. The all-boys school was less gay-not that co-eds were overly gay.

News / Polish Parliamentary Elections 2023 [933]


Oh gawd! I wish they'd just stay out of politics and simply play their proper role of being the arbiter of the moral paradigm. But that's an entirely different argument.

News / Polish Parliamentary Elections 2023 [933]

Hołownia--I hear this guy's name a lot. What's he about?


It's amazing how often these characteristics lead to a revolt against a ruling party.


I never quite understood PiS's economic platform. It always seemed unsteady and contradictory, although it looked good on paper as the economy continued to grow.

News / Polish Parliamentary Elections 2023 [933]

Thanks for the clarification.

Has KO gone all socially degenerate?

News / Polish Parliamentary Elections 2023 [933]

Everytime I take a peek at Polish politics there seems to be 3 or 4 new parties formed by offcast members of piS or PO. KO and P2050 are new? What parties are campaigning this cycle?

Life / Poles - the Nation of Liars? [478]

So you arbitrarily hate to counter-balance the aribitrary love?

Life / Poles - the Nation of Liars? [478]


Just how many entries are in your Book of Things I Hate? :)

Life / Poles - the Nation of Liars? [478]


Trump was pretty honest. He pushed for the things he said he would during the campaign.

Plus, what Bobko said.

History / Life in communist Poland - personal relations [503]


Not sure, but the meals were cooked by women who came from those nearby farms.

Life / Poles - the Nation of Liars? [478]

@Novichok

That lawyer you created may exist, but he isn't representative of the whole.

I'm not big on broad strokes, reality is more smaller strokes and nuances.

History / Life in communist Poland - personal relations [503]

Maybe her's were like they were because she grew up in a rural-ish suburb in out skirts of Poznan.

Life / Poles - the Nation of Liars? [478]


Me too! :D

History / Life in communist Poland - personal relations [503]

What about the meals they served?

My wife said she was served good meals at her grade school in the 80's.

This may be off topic, but this past weekend I saw a Czech movie about 70/80's communist era life with the English title "Prefab Story" by Vera Chytilova. Very interesting portrait of everyday life and interactions during that time.

Life / Poles - the Nation of Liars? [478]


Your error is the claim that everybody engaged in it is stupid. That obviously is not the case. Certainly there are plenty of lawmakers, judges, lobbyists, etc who are stupid, but most are pretty smart. They tend to think through the ramifications of laws--that's not to say that it's always perfect and not stupid, but democracies have been able to thrive and be highly productive in spite of the occasional stupid law, lawmaker, or law lobbyist.


No, it was a short-ish way of saying democracy is imperfect yet pretty damn good...and vulnerable.

News / THE ARMY OF POLAND - THE REALITY [493]


I agree with you. One fruitful thing that might come from this war is that the US might be willing to re-invest in the anti-missile system of the Bush era that Obama withdrew. Regardless, beefing up land-based military assets is also extremely important.

Life / Poles - the Nation of Liars? [478]


It's only as stupid as is the stupidity of the people who engage in it, which, I suppose, means it's stupid. That's really not the problem, though. A democracy of stupidity can still be highly reasonable and productive, as long as the rule-of-law remains in tact and the law, which is doing the ruling, is relatively reasonable...or something along those lines.

Life / Poor hygiene of people in public places in Poland [46]


This is not a sign of oligarchy, rather a sign to be liberated from abject barbarism. The popular modern practice of wiping one's unmentionable after a round of colonic evacuation with highly processed tree pulp is downright barbaric. As a reformed barbarian who spent most of his illustrious life traveling through the brambled wilderness of those ghastly white squares of arse friction to the open and airy gentle prairie of the bidet, I can say the bidet is simply an instrument of common sense and charity.


That's pathetic, and, personally, I find it very disappointing. Poland needs to up it's drinking game. Matter-of-fact, there needs to be an advocacy campaign for more alcohol consumption per capita in Poland. Just like Solidarity started in Gdansk to rid Poland of the yoke of communism, this Summer you and I, GK, will begin a movement to rid Poland from the yoke of puritanism in Gdansk by drinking to the point of hilarity...just name the drinking establishment and I'll be there.