its speculation now for sure. it will be interesting to see how this unfolds. peace and prayer for Beirut.
Oh yes...she was the reason I watched that show...nice choice. I think you're getting plenty of air time Pops...no one is shutting you down. You're always right to be sceptical, it's the smart way to be in todays age...but sometimes an accident is an accident. And sometimes it's not...evidence is needed...listening to someone with a differing opinion is still a "belief system" unless yo do your own investigation. The world needs you Pops...too many sheep, but beware the wolves, there are more than one.
Australia has pledged 2 mill...UK 9 mill with assistance...i'm interested what Canada and particularly the US has pledged (probably more than I think - but we are talking Trump here)
this was no accident. israel had a news conference claiming the port held munitions back in 2018? i cant find the picture of beebee? holding a large print showing where they thought the storage was. matters not if the recent explosion was far from the picture held by Israeli minister. they knew what was happening in/around port.
Are you that daft? It's already been done. See post#8 for photos of the suspected sites. Look at any satellite map to compare. Miles of separation...Explosion no where near the sites. Of course they knew...2 sites hit by drones...No BOOM!
Meanwhile in Australia... Newcastle's ammonium nitrate stockpile is up to four times larger than Beirut's — and residents want it gone The video at the bottom shows new footage from different locations...
US update - A C-17 arrived with 11 pallets of food, water, and medical supplies. 2 more C-17s are expected to arrive within the next 24 hours.
Given the aid that is going to be needed I suspect that "massive" is a bit OTT. Some amphibious landing ships and possibly a hospital ship will be needed. It's a good gesture but much much more will be needed
I did say "can"...factoring in that more will be done. America has an opportunity to either just give whats appropriate or make an example to the other countries (like Russia and China) and be very visible in their aid. Show off even...People remember when you do them wrong...they also remember who was their when they needed someone. Australia has friends all over the world, part of that is us shamelessly giving more than expected...France still sings the praises of Australia 100 years later! - Just one example of people helping people above politics...there are many more. As I said, it's an opportunity (it hasn't been done yet) - It has to be done smart though, not just giving money that ends up in politicians pockets. With a country as rich as the US, it wouldn't take much to make a big difference...Go on...it's good for the soul.
Let me say first I'm not an American and cannot vote in US elections, so most US political things are less relevant to me. In any case I would never argue politics on the internet. I have found that people who are willing to share and advocate for their politics online are always correct. They tell me so repeatedly. TDS is not an argument that Trump is good, or questioning a person's justification in critiquing Trump. TDS has two aspects: the phenomenon that Trump gets brought up while discussing a given topic originally unrelated to him, and then once his name appears, the phenomenon of people being wholly unable to ignore the sight of his name and critiquing him in that unrelated discussion. This is rarely a one-off, with multiple people joining in on the fun, and it's usually the same people ping ponging back and forth again and again (and again). If you engage in TDS, you obviously don't see this happening, and justify the "critique" as correct, rational, and coming from a place of moral certainty. I'll note for the record that these commentators are always obviously correct and rational. How can they not be? (see my opening paragraph in this post). If you don't engage in TDS, then the whole unstoppable cycle is incredibly tiresome, cumbersome, eye-roll, and facepalm inducing. Search "Trump" on this site, and see for yourself. The same people making the same critiques in all manner of unrelated topics. There was some genuinely great discussion, evidence, and analysis brought up here, and for some reason Trump is here also. I honestly don't care about Trump one way or the other, but this happens all the bloody time. This wasn't posted in the site's Stump sub-forum because I was hoping to get a good discussion, and yet here we are (again), and here I am discussing Trump when I'd rather be discussing condensation clouds or the color of smoke plumes. Going forward, expect much more liberal use of the thread ban option, I think that's more than reasonable.
Was about to post 'bloody hell, they've turned it into a Trump thing again', but see on scrolling down I've been thoroughly beaten to it. You buggers do realise how politics, and particularly one-track politics chokes this place, don't you? Nobody's daft enough to think a big Eastern bang isn't going to touch on politics, but it's always Trumpety-Bloody-Trump. The exact same stuff, ad nauseum. Could give you a list of acquaintances from assorted political viewpoints that don't bother visiting any more because of it. Anyway. The most charmingly human thing I've yet seen from the Beirut blast's aftermath. https://twitter.com/Raefah/status/1290991825415700481?s=20 I usually hate Auld Lang Syne, but on this occasion I may have found it quite moving.
We need the Masonic Rule instituted here like they have over on the Talk. I'm way past tired of reading and hearing of politics and all the other un-pleasantries going on as of late around the world. I come here to get away from that silly business. Now I can't even do that. Thanks guys. I wanted to say "thanks a-holes", but that would be a bit boorish so I won't.
Getting back on course. Lebanon had its main grain silos in the port and they have gone. Lebanon was in any case dependant on food imports.The port is wrecked and cannot be used and Lebanon's other port, Tripoli, has only a 1/6th of the capacity that Beirut had. Soon people are going to start getting hungry. Unless someone has a spare Mulberry left over from WW2 then the use of large numbers of amphibious landing ships would seem to be the only way to get sufficient stocks into the country. Flying in the odd pallet of supplies may be a nice gesture but it's like trying to put an Elastoplast on a sabre wound. AFAIK the US are probably the only country with a big capacity in amphibious operations but even if the current administration were inclined one wonders what the attitude of the Hisbolah elements in the country would be to the arrival of the USMC?
Given the number of bombings that have occurred in Lebanon, it was not unreasonable to consider deliberate action as one possible explanation, but there was no reason to flat-out call it an attack.
In theory aid could land in Israel and move overland, and in Syrian ports but some of it will probably 'fall off the back of the trucks' first.
A column moving from Israel into Lebanon without opposition - in reality, given past history, not credible.