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TexasTowelie

TexasTowelie's Journal
TexasTowelie's Journal
December 1, 2025

Let's talk about Senators calling it like they see it on the boats.... - Belle of the Ranch



Well, howdy there internet people. It's
Belle again.
So, today we're going to talk about
senators calling it like they see it on
the boats.
We have to set the scene real quick to
put it into DC context.
For quite a while now, people in
Congress have been in an uproar over the
administration's response to a group of
veterans making a video that parallels
DoD training on the duty to disobey
unlawful orders.
We've made a number of videos explaining
the practical application of the laws
governing this and discussed it in
depth. In DC, even some Republicans were
bothered by the reactions from the White
House.
Senator Mark Kelly, who was one of the
veterans in the video, described the
chain of events and said, quote, "I said
something very simple and
non-controversial,
and Donald Trump said I should be
hanged, executed, prosecuted.
Pete Hegseth said that I should be court
marshaled. How ridiculous is this? We
say follow the law and this is their
response. These are not serious people.
Senator Kelly went on to reiterate that
quote, "Not only do they not have to
follow them, they are legally required
not to follow."
The immediate response from the White
House to the video was calls of treason.
Then when it was discovered that the
duty to disobey is something the
military routinely trains on and the
duty is literally enshrined in the oath
of enlistment. The talking point was
that it was an unnecessary video because
the administration hadn't given an
unlawful order.
That's not how military training works.
You don't start to train after a
situation arises. You start before.
Regardless of public comments, even
congressional Republicans who are vets
know this is the case. So, there was
unease on Capitol Hill. Then the report
about the September 2nd boat strike came
out with the allegation that US forces
struck a boat a second time once the
opposition was out of action.
Congressional leaders are now using the
term that is normally unspeakable in
politics concerning US troops.
Senator Tim Kaine said, quote, "If that
reporting is true, it's a clear
violation of the DoD's own laws of war
as well as international laws about the
way you treat people who are in that
circumstance."
And so this rises to the level of a war
crime if it's true.
He and a bunch of other high-profile
Democrats have said similar things, but
they're Democrats, so that's going to be
blown off. But then we have, quote, if
it was as if the article said that is a
violation of the law of war. That's
Republican Representative Don Bacon.
Then there's quote, "If that occurred,
that would be very serious." And I agree
that would be an illegal act. That's
Republican Mike Turner. There's a
bipartisan feeling that a war crime may
have been committed. As I said earlier,
if they were aware of the survivors and
launched a second strike, I'm not sure
how it could be anything else. As you
change the other variables, it just
changes which crime it looks like
happened. Trumpian talking points aren't
going to end this discussion. It'll go
on now until there's some kind of
clarification as to the chain of events
and what exactly occurred.
Anyway, it's just a thought. Y'all have
a good day.
December 1, 2025

China Scrambles As Public Unrest Explodes; China-US & The New Fractured Order - China Update



00:00 Introduction
00:14 Hong Kong Unrest
04:07 The Fractured Age
December 1, 2025

Ukrainian Partisans Rock Russia from Crimea to Moscow! - RFU News



Today, the biggest news comes from the Russian Federation.

Here, a wave of sabotage has erupted across Russian-controlled territory and deep inside Russia, revealing a level of underground resistance that Moscow has struggled to contain. What is striking is not just the spread of the incidents, but how they now appear in clusters, hitting logistics, communications, and security forces at the same time.

The outburst along the front began with a series of sabotage attempts that show how close Ukrainian partisans now operate to Russian units. The clearest example comes from Melitopol, where resistance fighters tried to detonate a vehicle carrying a Russian drone crew as they prepared for operations. The attempt failed, but it set the tone for what followed. In Luhansk, explosives planted under two Russian vehicles detonated with far greater effect, killing four soldiers and underscoring how deeply partisan networks have embedded themselves in Russian-controlled settlements. At the same time, Ukrainian infiltrators in Crimea recorded fighter jets taking off from Saky Airbase, giving Ukrainian intelligence real-time visibility into Russian flight patterns. These incidents differ in style but share the same message: that partisans are active at all hours, able to move close to Russian forces, and increasingly confident in targeting frontline logistics and surveillance assets.

Now the effect becomes clearer when looking at how these operations shape the front, as partisan attacks are rarely filmed, yet the number we do see already suggests a much larger scale beneath the surface. Every damaged vehicle or destroyed command node forces Russian units to pull infantry off the line and divert them to guard duty, convoy escorts, route sweeps, and constant patrols inside Russian-controlled towns, adding daily friction to already strained manpower and increasing the chances that more attacks will slip through. Meanwhile, partisan intelligence gathering, such as recording aircraft departures, feeds Ukrainian strike planners with information that would otherwise require riskier reconnaissance flights. These networks identify troop movements, storage sites, and locations of electronic warfare systems, creating a constant background of uncertainty for Russian forces operating in areas they considered secure.

At the same time, a new pattern is emerging far beyond the front, where sabotage inside Russia has increased sharply. In the Kursk region, a combined operation between Ukrainian special forces and a partisan group destroyed an Iskander transport loading vehicle used to prepare missiles for launch. A separate strike in the same area took out a Harmoniya radar supporting local air defense units. In Bashkortostan, arson attacks destroyed multiple communication towers, while in Vologda, a railway relay cabinet was taken out, disrupting traffic along a key route. In another wave of incidents stretching from Moscow to Irkutsk, electrical panels, relay boxes, and railway infrastructure were set on fire, with local officials describing the incidents as unexplained technical failures. The most serious case came near Moscow, where infiltrators blew up sections of the Ring oil pipeline. The strike put all three fuel lines out of service, affecting gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel supplies to several major refineries and forcing Russia to send emergency repair teams across the region.

Now, the broader effect within Russia is harder for Moscow to ignore. The spread of sabotage from Moscow to the Urals mirrors the growing anti-government mood in separatist circles, but here the motivation is not independence but direct opposition to the war. These are Russians who take personal risks to attack their own state, still limited in number but appearing with increasing frequency. Their involvement turns isolated incidents into a political signal, showing that resistance is no longer confined to Russian-controlled Ukrainian territories but is emerging inside of the federation’s heartland, forcing the security services to defend a rear that is no longer reliably loyal.

Overall, the surge in partisan and sabotage activity marks a shift in the internal pressure facing Russia. Along the front, resistance groups are disrupting logistics, collecting intelligence, and forcing Russian units to divert manpower away from combat. In the deep rear, strikes against railways, communications, and energy infrastructure expose structural weaknesses that Moscow...
December 1, 2025

Swiss voters reject proposed tax on super rich

ZURICH, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Switzerland on Sunday overwhelmingly rejected a proposed 50% tax on inherited fortunes of 50 million Swiss francs ($62 million) or more, with 78% of votes against the plan, an outcome that even exceeded the two‑thirds opposition indicated in polls.

Bankers have watched the vote closely, casting it as a litmus test of appetite for wealth redistribution in Switzerland, as other countries, such as Norway, have beefed up their wealth tax or debated similar moves.

-snip-

The proposal from the youth wing of the leftist Social Democrats, or JUSOs, aimed to fund projects to reduce the impact of climate change. "The super rich inherit billions, we inherit crises," they argued.

Critics of the initiative said it could trigger an exodus of wealthy people from Switzerland, reducing overall tax revenues. The Swiss government urged voters to reject it.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/swiss-voters-reject-proposed-tax-super-rich-with-79-public-broadcaster-estimates-2025-11-30/

December 1, 2025

Conservative candidate Nasray Asfura leads in Honduras elections - DW News



The votes are still being counted in Honduras after Sunday's presidential election, with partial results showing the conservative candidate Nasray Asfura with a narrow lead.

Asfura received a public endorsement from US President Donald Trump in the final days of the race. Trump said that Asfura is the only candidate his administration would be willing to work with, threatening to cut US aid if he lost. The ruling leftist party has accused Trump of interventionist meddling.

Chapters:
0:00 Honduras elections
0:33 Fritz Pinnow, Journalist
December 1, 2025

Ukraine is Now Sinking Russia's Shadow Fleet - Paul Warburg



This is a first in the Ukraine War. Ukraine has humiliated Vladimir Putin. They've struck two Russian shadow fleet vessels - and claimed credit for it. This isn't just another strike, it's a message. In this video, we take a deep look at Ukraine's strategy against Russia, covering both economic and psychological warfare, to show how devastatingly effective Ukraine's strategy really is.
December 1, 2025

What Do Conservatives Actually Love About America? - Steve Shives



This political commentary critiques President Trump's response to a shooting involving an Afghan refugee, where he halted immigration from "third world countries" and made inflammatory statements about immigrants. The author argues that Trump and many conservatives don't genuinely love America because:

Main Arguments:

Scapegoating entire groups: Trump punished all Afghan refugees (including those who helped the U.S. military) based on one individual's crime, while white Americans never face collective suspicion for crimes committed by people who look like them.

Selective love of country: Conservatives claim to love America but show hostility toward large portions of its population (immigrants, minorities, refugees) and only embrace people "like them."

Rejection of history: Conservatives oppose teaching uncomfortable parts of American history (slavery, discrimination, indigenous genocide), preferring a sanitized version. The author cites conservative backlash to Ken Burns's American Revolution documentary as an example.

Loving an imaginary America: The author concludes that conservatives love an idealized, nostalgic concept of America rather than the real, diverse nation with its complex history.

Core message: True patriotism requires acknowledging both the good and bad aspects of your country and working to improve it, not fantasizing about an imaginary version that never existed.






December 1, 2025

Ramaphosa rejects Trump's threat to bar South Africa from G20 summit - Reuters



South African President Cyril Ramaphosa dismisses US President Donald Trump's threat to exclude Pretoria from next year's G20 summit, reaffirming South Africa's status as a founding member of the group.
December 1, 2025

Klobuchar responds to Trump comments on Minnesota - CNN



CNN's Dana Bash speaks with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on "State of the Union" about his claims of Somalians in Minnesota and personal attacks on Ilhan Omar and Tim Walz.
December 1, 2025

Kremlin's Secret Nuclear Missile Test Just Failed - Jason Jay Smart



The November 28 purple plume incident at the Yasny missile complex (Orenburg region) indicates a critical oxidizer-rich exhaust failure within Russia's Strategic Missile Forces. This analysis identifies the specific nitrogen tetroxide leak signature and correlates it with supply chain disruptions in the Russian defense industrial base. We map the connection between this hypergolic anomaly and the broader reliability crisis facing the RS-28 Sarmat and Avangard programs.

Defense procurement data and the 2026 Federal Budget reveal how technical corrosion is increasing sovereign financial risk. By examining the cost of sanctioned alloys and precision tooling, we model the fiscal deficit impact of failed test schedules. This segment targets the intersection of aerospace engineering failures, global energy market volatility, and defense insurance liquidity.

Historical launch data from Plesetsk confirms the toxicology risks of hydrazine handling under deadline pressure. As Western intelligence monitors airspace closures and rail movements east of the Ural Mountains, this report determines if the Yasny event represents a temporary handling error or a systemic collapse in nuclear deterrence capability.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Nuclear Disaster at Yasny Base
01:15 Kremlin Losing Control
02:10 Why This Moment Matters
03:00 Support Ukraine Message
03:40 Inside Russia's Nuclear Weakness
05:10 Strategic Failures Across Russia
06:15 Ukraine Strikes Deep Into Russia
07:20 Russia's High Tech Weapons Collapse
08:20 Russia's War Machine Cut in Half
09:20 Sea Routes and Oil Under Attack
10:15 Russia's Economy Breaking Down
11:20 Kremlin Power Struggles
12:15 Putin Misreads the Crisis
13:10 Regime Near Breaking Point

Profile Information

Gender: Male
Hometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 02:57 AM
Number of posts: 124,588

About TexasTowelie

Retired/disabled middle-aged white guy who believes in justice and equality for all. Math and computer analyst with additional 21st century jack-of-all-trades skills. I'm a stud, not a dud!
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