Russian planes intercepted near U.S., Canadian airspace

[applegrove]

Russian planes intercepted near U.S., Canadian airspace

By Steve Brusk and Ralph Ellis, CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/19/us/russian-plane-incidents/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

SNIP.......................

(CNN) -- Two U.S. jets intercepted six Russian planes that neared U.S. airspace off Alaska on Thursday and Canadian planes intercepted two Russian bombers that approached Canadian airspace, NORAD reported.

A U.S. official told CNN's Barbara Starr that officials in Washington think the incidents were related to the visit by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who talked to Canadian officials Wednesday and President Barack Obama on Thursday. The United States promised Ukraine $46 million in nonlethal aid for its battle with pro-Russian militants.

The Russian aircraft flew within about 55 nautical miles of the Alaskan coastline and about 40 nautical miles of the Canadian coastline, said Capt. Jeff Davis of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD.

Two Alaskan-based F-22 fighter jets intercepted two Russian IL-78 refueling tankers, two Russian Mig-31 fighter jets and two Russian Bear long-range bombers, a statement from NORAD said. The Russian planes flew in a loop and returned toward Russia.

Two Canadian CF-18 fighter jets intercepted two Russian Bear long-range bombers in the Beaufort Sea, the statement said.

......................SNIP

[drray23]

1. any minute now

John mc Cain and Lindsey Graham are going to tell us ww3 has started and we need to start bombing russia.

Ok, maybe not but I bet the RW is going to make political hay of that and say that it is because president Obama is weak and Putin is testing him, etc...

The GOP is so predictible, the talking points almost write themselves.

[randys1]

2. The rightwing darling, Putin, may just be dumb enough to start a war

I think like W he wants to use his military so he can watch them on the television.

[applegrove]

3. Yup. Putin gets an emotional and political payoff by antagonizing the west.

[randys1]

4. Republican party loves him so they encourage him to do harm to our country

[Jenoch]

46. Really?

Do you have any links?

I do not believe even the Republicans are Putin fans.

[randys1]

48. Endless examples of righty talking about how great Putin is but here is one

http://thedailybanter.com/2014/08/fox-news-channel-host-wishes-vladimir-putin-head-united-states/

[Boreal]

7. But NATO aggression

and massive expansion is A-OKAY?

Russia was bothering NO ONE when the US & EU engineered the coup in Kiev. Maybe Russia should engineer a coup in Mexico City and install an aggressive and anti American junta.

[applegrove]

8. Those countries that are now part of NATO are free to join whatever

international organizations they want to. And there was not a coup in Kiev. There was someone in power who undid a trade pact because of Moscow pressure. If some leader of my country was purposely undermining the welfare of the nation to favour that of a neighbourès agenda, I might revolt tool. It was a revolution. You know... like what happens from time to time in Russia.

[Boreal]

10. Comfort yourself with

Last edited Fri Sep 19, 2014, 09:13 PM - Edit history (1)

whatever Neocon brainwashing you like but the violent overthrow of a democratically elected government is a coup d'etat.

There was no "trade pact" undone. On the table were signing an EU association agreement (and selling off publicly owned assets + IMF loans + austerity) or joining the Eurasian Customs Union without being forced to sell public assets, no austerity and a 15 bn dollar loan from Russia without strings attached other than catching up on past NG debt. Yanukovych went with the latter, for obvious reasons, to the consternation of western vulture capitalists and the coup went forth using violent neoNazi thugs who now comprise Ukraine's National Guard and oligarch battalions who are on a wholesale murder and ethnic cleansing spree across the Donbass.

What was undone was the agreement signed, the day before the coup, for early elections and reduced power for the presidency.

Yes, any country can join anything they want and choose to be as aggressive and bellicose as they want. Russia can also respond to that. Having fought the Nazis once before, they're not much on the idea of tens of millions getting killed, again. It's NATO who is trying to provoke war.

[sharp_stick]

14. Here ya go

enjoy

[freshwest]

20. Gorgeous horse! Vlad, put your shirt on, please. Or Faux will drool over this pic.

[NuclearDem]

11. What NATO aggression?

Since Putin's been in office, Russia's invaded one of its neighbors, invaded another FSU country, and leveled one of its own cities.

And for some reason, it's shocking that the Baltic states have rushed to NATO for help.

My God, you've swallowed the Kremlin line hard.

[Boreal]

12. Russia ahsn't invaded anyone

Crimeans voted to secede, just like Scotland nearly did. That was followed by two oblasts in E Ukraine doing the same. For that they are being slaughtered and ethnically cleansed.

If you would like to start a thread about the Wahabbist radical Islamist insurgency in Chechnya and the ensuing wars, you can do that.

Seems it's you who swallowed the Neocon agenda and propaganda - unless you ARE a Neocon (or just a vulture capitalist)

[applegrove]

18. What about Georgia

[Boreal]

23. What about them?

They invaded SO and got a beat down for it. Even the notoriously Russiaphobic MSM acknowledges that:

In fact, before what the Russians (with some justification) saw as a Western grab last February for control in Kiev, there was no evidence of Russian revanchism. Those who point to Georgia are wrong – it was the Georgians who started the 2008 war.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/vladimir-putin/11084600/Its-time-to-back-away-from-the-Russian-wolf.html

[Scootaloo]

26. Georgia attacked South Ossetia, killing and threatening a lot of people with Russian citizenship

Russia told Georgia to back off. Georgia continued shelling and shooting, so Russia rolled in to push the georgian military back and protect its citizens. Georgia then demanded the United States go to war with Russia. The US demurred.

Essentially Georgia picked a fight with Russia with the hopes to instigate a US- Russia conflict that Georgia would benefit from somehow. Instead, Georgia picked a fight and got a busted nose for its trouble.

[applegrove]

28. I stand corrected. Thanks.

[applegrove]

19. Sounds like the neocons want a place in current history and you are giving it to them.

[NuclearDem]

24. You're fucking kidding me.

Just...



My God, even Putin himself admits to invading Crimea!

[Tarheel_Dem]

31. Kidding? Sadly, I don't think he is.

[Jenoch]

47. Thw Crimean vote was not legitimate.

If you don't believe Russia has not invaded Ukraine, you need to pay more attention to world news.

[SidDithers]

21. ...

Sid

[AgingAmerican]

33. Countries are free to join NATO

if they so choose.

Putin is an asshat.

[ladjf]

9. ...and crazy enough. nt

[TheDebbieDee]

5. This is not the first time they've done this.

We turned Russian fighters around in June or July, too.

[sharp_stick]

15. Just use this next time

[freshwest]

22. Dolphins are such sweethearts. I wonder what they said to each other.

[JustAnotherGen]

38. I bet they were saying

Slap him upside the head!
No! You do it - he hangs out with bears.

[Scootaloo]

27. Interesting that you seem to be the one with the collection of Putin Porn

[geek tragedy]

37. Interesting you're the one who denies we have Putin apologists

at DU but here you are taking the side of someone who claims Russia hasn't invaded anyone and that the US installed a "Nazi Ukie junta."

[Scootaloo]

41. I'm taking hte side of someone?

I just think it's strange that the people with the loudest complaints of Putin seem to be the ones carrying around folders full of semi-erotic pictures of the guy. For research purposes, no doubt.

[sharp_stick]

39. Hey, I'm being insulted

by a brony about a collection of weird stuff. The internet is full of weird stuff isn't it?

[Scootaloo]

42. Well, I'm not pretending to hate ponies, while posting pony porn, am I?

Better men than you have tried this angle, with poor results.

[sharp_stick]

44. Lighten up trigger

I don't care what turns your crank.

[NuclearDem]

40. Pfft, weak sauce. Now this...

[Scootaloo]

43. So ritz. Much laugh. Wow.

[AgingAmerican]

34. So what if Russia tries to intimidate the US and Canada

That's how wars start.

[Matrosov]

13. Goes back to the Cold War

During the Cold War, American F-15s jet fighters would intercept Soviet TU-95 nuclear bombers off the coast of Alaska on a regular basis.

[GoCubsGo]

17. The same plane the Canadians intercepted tonight.

I'm surprised they aren't flying something that old. Those things first went into service in 1956.

They've pulled this shit more than 50 times in the last five years:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canadian-fighter-jets-intercept-russian-bombers-in-arctic-1.2772440

[NuclearDem]

25. Well, the US is still flying the B52, and it's even older than the TU95.

[Matrosov]

36. The Russian philosophy

Russian/Soviet philosophy is "If it works, why change it?" It's like with the Kalashnikov rifles still being used today. They've made some minor modifications since 1947, but all attempts by the Russian military to switch to another rifle have failed because the extra benefits aren't worth the extra cost.

The United States used to be this way, which is why the B-52 is still around, but the military has started to stray away from this philosophy with overly expensive designs like the F-22 and F-35. Perhaps the defense lobbyists in Washington are simply too effective.

[Blue_In_AK]

16. Sarah warned you Putin would rear his head...

[Purveyor]

29. BREAKING: Secret Service says fence-jumper made it through North Portico doors of White House

And we are worried over innocent routine flight incursions...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025561602#post35

[AgingAmerican]

35. Cuz we can't

...walk and chew bubblegum at the same time!

It was warm in Seattle today AND I had to get my car license tabs too! How did I keep track of it these things happening in the same day?

[grahamhgreen]

30. Upside is all your current problems will seem like blessings after a hot war with Russia.

[Tarheel_Dem]

32. TYT/Buzzfeed: "Russia's Online Troll Army Is Huge, Hilarious & Already Everywhere "

"Moscow is financing legions of pro-Russia Internet commenters. But how much do they matter?"

"Russia's campaign to shape international opinion around its invasion of Ukraine has extended to recruiting and training a new cadre of online trolls that have been deployed to spread the Kremlin's message on the comments section of top American websites."


I'm sure someone will be along to explain it all to us.

[Separation]

45. Used to happen on a daily basis.

As a kid growing up in Alaska, every night after dinner we would see pictures of F-14's and F-16's intercepting the Big Bear. After 14 years of fighting a non kinetic war people are not used to hearing or seeing this. Not anything new or scary.