Putin Disses America

US F-22 stealth jets intercepted four Russian bombers and two Russian Su-35 fighter jets off the coast of Alaska on Monday, according to a statement from North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The Russian nuclear capable long-range bombers flew into the Air Defense Identification Zone, which extends approximately 200 miles off Alaska's western coast.

Source: CNN May 21, 2019 -- US intercepts Russian bombers, fighter jets off the coast of Alaska

Holy crap!! Russkies just 200 miles from Alaska. Putin is really poking the American Eagle with a stick now. What the hell is he thinking?

Oh, maybe this.

55 miles

The narrowest distance between mainland Russia and mainland Alaska is approximately 55 miles. However, in the body of water between Alaska and Russia, known as the Bering Strait, there lies two small islands known as Big Diomede and Little Diomede.

Source: AlaskaCenters.gov -- How close is Alaska to Russia?

In other words, America's Air Defense Identification Zone penetrates 145 miles inside of Russia.

Gotta hand it to CNN. When they go all out war-mongering, nobody does it better except the NY Times and Washington Post.

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We poke the Bear. The Bear pokes us. Useful for politicians in both countries.
Where does it end? Rent the movie "The Bedford incident."

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Pluto's Republic's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness

Here is all that Cold war crap again. From both sides.

Give me an example of "cold war crap" coming from the other side.

"Both sides" are not equal, and saying so doesn't make it so. It's anti-factual.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato

@Pluto's Republic
Flying bombers along another non-allied country's coast is provacative. Whether USA or Russia does it. Just like NK shooting missiles over Japan.
The United states is not the source of all evil and the only warmonger as a cursory glance at history prior to 1776 should tell you.

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@The Voice In the Wilderness

British subjects of his sometimes insane (maybe) majesty, King George III.

Moreover, when it comes to sheer ability to bully other nations, the US now is a far cry from the thirteen colonies/states of 1776.

If I am not mistaken, the point of the OP in saying that our identification zone extends 145 miles into Russia is that the news story was overblown bs. IOW, Russia was not threatening us, but flying around in its own airspace.

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Bollox Ref's picture

Anyone know if Sarah Palin saw the aircraft/identified them?

(Edited)

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Pricknick's picture

@Bollox Ref
she was right about that hopey changy thing.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

Bollox Ref's picture

@Pricknick

Bullshitter recognized fellow bullshitter I guess.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

@Pricknick

I cannot tell a lie: I literally did laugh out loud.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6JWZGIvqGc]

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@Bollox Ref

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGSJCDw3ZBw]

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An Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) is airspace over land or water in which the identification, location, and control of civil aircraft is performed in the interest of national security.[1] They may extend beyond a country's territory to give the country more time to respond to possibly hostile aircraft.[2] The concept of an ADIZ is not defined in any international treaty and is not regulated by any international body.[2][3]

The first ADIZ was established by the United States on December 27, 1950, shortly after President Truman had proclaimed a national emergency during the Korean War. [4] About 20 countries and regions now have such zones including Canada, India,[5] Japan, Pakistan, Norway and the United Kingdom, People's Republic of China, South Korea, Taiwan, United States, Sweden, Iceland and more. Russia and North Korea have unofficial ADIZs as well.[1][2][6] Usually such zones only cover undisputed territory, do not apply to foreign aircraft not intending to enter territorial airspace, and do not overlap.[3][7]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Defense_Identification_Zone

Thank you for injecting facts into the Cold War nonsense reporting, edg.

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edg's picture

@HenryAWallace

Thanks for adding the ADIZ definition. It's freaking crazy that ours extends into Russia and theirs extends into Alaska. And the official border between the two countries lies between 2 islands in the Bering Strait that are less than 2-1/2 miles apart. Maybe we should stick to picking on countries like Libya that can't fight back and are far enough away to not worry about.

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vtcc73's picture

@edg The area past the ADIZ boundary is of course monitored closely because the distance from boundary to land is so short. Anything unusual or identifiable as military or fitting an unusual altitude, speed, and track profile can trigger a scramble.

This has been going on since the 1940s. The US and Russia have been playing these games without end since the end of WW2. This time it was the Russians fucking with us but how many times do you think it was the other way round? The public only hears about things like this story when one of the governments want to stir the shit.

All of it is routine. It has hazards in times of tension but that’s the world we have lived in for a long time. It didn’t go away just because most of us don’t know or hear about it. The real question is why make this incident public? What is the administration (or Russia) trying to do by publishing the story?

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"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now..."

@edg

We're not one trick jackasses ponies!

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that close to Alaska, if not to threaten? Same thing he did with the borders out to his West, smack against our military bases in Europe.

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Orwell: Where's the omelette?

mimi's picture

@jim p
than that. Right down under my bed. Has the advantage you can shit on it or being poked in your behind from below.

In other news our Mr. Schäuble in Germany wants to take out anonymity from the intertubes.
Heh, I support that. Smile Because I don't know who you are jim p and would love to know. Wink

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@mimi

jim p has apparently given us his real first name and initial. That tells me much less about who jim p is than what he posts tells me about him.

I don't happen to think putting personal information on political message boards is a good idea. Too many wackadoodles read political message boards, even if they don't post on every board they read. Nonetheless, a number of posters on this board and other boards who don't believe in anonymity for posters give their full names, some even giving their city and state as well.

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mimi's picture

@HenryAWallace
I meant I like to meet him in person at a meet-up. Like I always would prefer it.

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edg's picture

@jim p

The nerve of that guy. Next thing you know, he's gonna want to claim part of the Arctic when everybody knows it's ours.

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Since 1962, both sides agreed not to make a big deal about military satellites, many in Low Earth Orbit, zipping along at only 100 miles or so above each other's territory. It was called the Open Skies Agreement. Time we all grew up and acknowledged that in the missile era, distance does not equate to security.
Let's update that to agree that we all also routinely hack each others communications, and drop the pretense that computer systems are somehow sacred and inviolable, like some 18th Century map.

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wendy davis's picture

'Wolf Blitzer' who issued the report! (voted by SNL the best war correspondent name evah!)

well, gee...norad said the 'nuclear capable' bombers always stayed in int'l airspace, but garsh, mickey...it smells just like this to Wolfie, pompeo, bolton, and friends:

US 'sees signs' Damascus 'may' have used chlorine in Idlib, threatens ‘quick & appropriate’ response, RT.com, 21 May, 2019

yanno, just after the OPCW's buried report that gassing in douma was most likely staged by the white helmets. mr. wd was saying last night that the Hegemon must think people are stupid. nope, they know collectively we are, and the proof is that they get away with all the lies, psyops, and agitprop they manufacture. well, save for in alternative press and blog sites. wonder if amy goodman has this new damascus one yet?

thanks, egd; what a riot. i'd seen this last night, and hoped our power would come back on this morning so i could chuckle with y'all....and sarah palin. ; )

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