All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[AnakinFlair]

Well, I hope you’re glad come January when the power grid goes **** up in the middle of winter because Abbott paid more attention to cheap political stunts like busing immigrants to blue cities instead of working on keeping the infrastructure properly working.

I have to admit- part of me really wants either the bordering states, or the destination states of those buses, to turn them right around and send them back to Texas. Instead, I'll be glad the destination states have actual compassion for their fellow men, women and children by giving them a place to stay while the begin the process of requesting asylum- which is their right under international law. And I look forward to the day when Abbott is wheeled into a courthouse to face charges of human trafficking.

And you continue to live with blinders on.

As for O'Rourke, any of you can come get him and bring him to your state. We Texans will deal with Abbott. He's been great for us so far.

And by 'Us', you mean straight, white men. And even then, only when the weather is good, because your piss-poor electrical grid likes to crap out when it gets too hot (or too cold).

I don't know who the other guy/gal is, so it's not like I can speak for him/her, but I don't see what I would be winning by that. Some common ground would be nice, but if we can't agree that killing 11 unarmed men is wrong, it probably doesn't exist. I will keep looking for it, on both sides. If someone has some video about Russian war crimes, I have no problem looking at it.

It should also be said, if this is a true story and not more Russian propaganda, we don't know what those soldiers did before they were captured. For all we know, they were killing unarmed civilians and were caught. For people like that, the only thing they deserve is a short drop and a quick stop.

[nose norton]

How about we find common ground while discussing the mass graves found in Izium or the atrocities committed at Bucha.

I was rather hoping for something I don't know about. The Izium graves were those of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, back from when Russia moved in. They were marked individually, so not really a mass grave.

The bodies on the streets of Bucha were a mix of people who died during the Russian occupation and after. From what the international investigation turned up, the suspect cases were actually injured by Ukrainian cluster munition. Most had white armbands, a sign of Russian "collaborators".

[nose norton]

It should also be said, if this is a true story and not more Russian propaganda, we don't know what those soldiers did before they were captured. For all we know, they were killing unarmed civilians and were caught. For people like that, the only thing they deserve is a short drop and a quick stop.

That's the thing, we don't know anything about them and the time for an inquiry has come and gone.

[Jack Dracula]

I was rather hoping for something I don't know about. The Izium graves were those of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, back from when Russia moved in. They were marked individually, so not really a mass grave.

The bodies on the streets of Bucha were a mix of people who died during the Russian occupation and after. From what the international investigation turned up, the suspect cases were actually injured by Ukrainian cluster munition. Most had white armbands, a sign of Russian "collaborators".

Honestly, I'm not engaging with you on this and give you further opportunity to spread misinformation. I've never put anyone on ignore but with you I'll happily do so.
I'm also messaging the Mods on this. Nothing will likely happen but one can hope. This is disgusting.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

And by 'Us', you mean straight, white men. And even then, only when the weather is good, because your piss-poor electrical grid likes to crap out when it gets too hot (or too cold).

I wasn’t going to reach for the low hanging fruit, but yeah, that’s no doubt what he meant.

[caj]

I wasn’t going to reach for the low hanging fruit, but yeah, that’s no doubt what he meant.

I happen to be an openly bisexual. I'm not going to apologize for being a conservative or a Christian or a Republican. Half the country is Republican.

and when you assume that everyone in a specific group thinks and acts and believes in an ignorant way - well, I shouldn't have to tell you what that's called.

[shooshoomanjoe]

I just don't want open borders and releasing dangerous criminals way before their sentence is up, which is what O'Rourke was planning to do.

I like how you cited your claim with facts.

[babyblob]

I happen to be an openly bisexual. I'm not going to apologize for being a conservative or a Christian or a Republican. Half the country is Republican.

and when you assume that everyone in a specific group thinks and acts and believes in an ignorant way - well, I shouldn't have to tell you what that's called.

Good Job. You are Bi in a state where the Governor you love and the party you belong to have made it policy to be anti LTGBQ+ would not let the Log Cabin Republicans speak at the convention and have openly stated more then once they want to take the rights away from LTGBQ+ people like your self. Good job .

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I happen to be an openly bisexual. I'm not going to apologize for being a conservative or a Christian or a Republican. Half the country is Republican.

and when you assume that everyone in a specific group thinks and acts and believes in an ignorant way - well, I shouldn't have to tell you what that's called.

So, you’re not going to apologize for belonging to a political party that does nothing but demonize and spew hate against the LGBTQ community every chance it gets. You must be awfully proud.

[caj]

What's really sad is that I'm now realizing that I don't have one friend on this website. I've had some nice conversations with a lot of you on different threads.

Now you learn that I'm a bisexual conservative Republican and you all pounce on me. That's really a shame. But it is what it is.

I still love living in Texas and I'm glad I am who I am.

[Gray Lensman]

I have to admit- part of me really wants either the bordering states, or the destination states of those buses, to turn them right around and send them back to Texas. Instead, I'll be glad the destination states have actual compassion for their fellow men, women and children by giving them a place to stay while the begin the process of requesting asylum- which is their right under international law. And I look forward to the day when Abbott is wheeled into a courthouse to face charges of human trafficking.

Normally I dislike civil asset forfeiture, but since the companies participating in these stunts know what they are doing, seize the assets used to do the trafficking. That includes the busses and aircraft that were used. Take an airplane or two and no company will be willing to sign on for these stunts.

Honestly, if you want to fight illegal immigration, then when the law raids a workplace and finds an unusually large portion of the workers are there outside the law, go a little further than a press conference and deportations. Break down the doors of upper management, lead them out in handcuffs - in front of cameras - and then call in the forensic accountants. Determine exactly how much money the company boosted profits by breaking the law, and take every last penny of it as assets to the crime. Then fine them on top of it, even if it drives the company under. Make breaking the law a profit loser rather than a line item expense, because if breaking the law to boost the bottom line has no other consequences than slightly reducing the profit gained from breaking it, it will be broken again.

Then prosecute the people at the top and force them to serve time. This notion we have that the wealthy shouldn't face consequences needs to be changed.

[Gray Lensman]

And yet people are flocking to Texas all over the place. We must be doing something right.

Low corporate/upper class taxes, and a some very good universities even if the secondary education underneath it isn't very good.

[AnakinFlair]

What's really sad is that I'm now realizing that I don't have one friend on this website. I've had some nice conversations with a lot of you on different threads.

Now you learn that I'm a bisexual conservative Republican and you all pounce on me. That's really a shame. But it is what it is.

I still love living in Texas and I'm glad I am who I am.

To be clear, we aren't jumping on you because you are a Bi conservative Republican.

We're merely pointing out you are espousing the same, BS Republican talking points, and are supporting a party that has practically stated out loud their goal is to be as anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-women as they possibly can.

[nose norton]

Honestly, I'm not engaging with you on this and give you further opportunity to spread misinformation. I've never put anyone on ignore but with you I'll happily do so.
I'm also messaging the Mods on this. Nothing will likely happen but one can hope. This is disgusting.

Again with the misinformation bit. You don't even know what information looks like.

Izium, from the Reuters Rumble channel.

Bucha, The Guardian's article on the forensic report.

The Washington Post accepts the version saying the Russians shelled their own positions.

If that sounds strange, here's a much older report of Donetsk being the target of such attacks. Kiev denies being responsible. The Russians again?

[Mister Mets]

There is a really easy way to prevent any Russian soldiers from being executed in Ukraine.....Putin can bring them all back to the 2014 borders of Russia.

That said, killing surrendering soldiers is a war crime, and any allegations should be investigated. However, I only trust one side to do it, and it certainly isn't the one that has made committing war crimes an open part of the battle plan.

The situation appears to be that most Russian soldiers were surrendering when one of them opened fire.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/20/w...t-ukraine.html

The video cuts off, and when it restarts, six Russian soldiers are lying facedown on the ground beside one another. At least two of them are alive and can be seen moving in the video; the others are motionless. The video shows four other soldiers slowly exiting the outhouse, one after the other, some with their arms raised. They join the other soldiers on the ground.

The Russians are wearing flak jackets and helmets, and their uniforms bear distinctive markings — red straps on their lower legs, one with a square blue object on his back.

Two of the Ukrainians standing by appear to be relaxed and are pointing their rifles toward the ground. The capture of these soldiers is initially orderly and without incident — but suddenly everything changes.

As an 11th Russian soldier emerges from the outhouse, he opens fire, aiming at one of the Ukrainian soldiers. The Ukrainians are taken by surprise. The cellphone camera jolts away as the Ukrainian soldier filming the scene flinches. A frame-by-frame analysis of what happens next shows the Ukrainian soldier standing beside him raise his rifle and aim toward the Russian gunman.

The video ends and it’s unclear what happens next. But a second aerial video of the location shows the bloody aftermath.

The Russian soldiers are lying motionless, apparently dead, most of them positioned as they were when they surrendered. Blood is pooling around them, and some appear to be bleeding from the upper body or head. The soldiers are dressed in the same uniforms with the distinctive red straps and blue marking.

The Russian soldier who fired at the Ukrainians appears to have been killed on the spot, and he is lying in the position from where he opened fire. The white brick wall beside where he had stood is freshly damaged, perhaps by Ukrainian forces’ returning fire.

Under those circumstances, Ukrainian soldiers aren't going to be able to distinguish between people who are surrendering and people who are taking advantage of their kindness.