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

[AnakinFlair]

I sometimes think our colleague XHeight may be a Sociology professor. (I have dim memories of sociology text books being page after page of impenetrable jargon and a system of grammar seen nowhere else.)

I would have guessed Scientology myself.

This is true, but, if push comes to shove, I suspect Putin will wipe Ukraine off the map rather than concede defeat. Putin is not going to stop, and if he can’t have the country, he’ll see to it nothing is left behind.

Here’s something else to consider: not that I think Putin will be taken out, either by the oligarchs or the military, but, if by some miracle that were to happen, there’s no guarantee whoever takes over doesn’t just pick up where he left off with the invasion.

I don't think he will be taken out, but if he were, I'd think that whoever replaces him would actually pull out of Ukraine, blame the whole thing on Putin, and try to repair the damage to Russia this whole thing has caused. Maybe in the long term they could plan to re-invade, but in the now they could build themselves up as a peacemaker and a rebuilder.

The Russian government is debating a law that will force anyone arrested for protesting the war to fight on the front lines.

I foresee a lot of desertions if that happens.

[AnakinFlair]

or you are stumped for an intelligent answer to your grievance based assumptions being called out.

Or you're not as smart as you like to think you are.

Whatever. I'm done feeding the trolls for the day. I'll go back to scrolling past your nonsense and pretending you don't exist.

[Catlady in training]

Thank you all for replies. What I was trying to say was less that Americans don't care about a war in Europe (I get that, I have become desentized to wars for example in Middle east too over the years). It's more about being aware of the potential danger to the whole world, because there's a very real thread of nuclear war, which would probably end all of the world and I don't get the impression that people are aware enough. This is not like previous wars since WW 2, it's unprecedented.

I feel ya. Where are you from?

Slovakia, which has border with Ukraine, so obviously we feel it more, especially with all of the refugees coming in and many people having friends in Ukraine.

My wife barely sleeps and is constantly worried. I am worried, too. We packed a lot of stuff and bought medications for the refugees. I talk a lot to my father, who is an WW2 survivor and suffered a great deal because of the Russian invasion in Germany.
(Mind you, he was a boy and was fleeing with his mother and siblings, aunts and other female family members, every man was fighting on the front, so my grandpa)
Terrible terrible things happened, I cannot even describe what he saw and endured in that time period. He suffers today from it, and it makes this very old man sad and scared that it will happen all over again. The Russian soldiers killed his aunt without reason, she just stood there, someone shot her. There was no one to stop them. He saw his family members got raped from a group of soldiers. Many stories the younger of us cannot believe or won't believe.

And story like that from my father and my grandpa let my blood freeze in my veins. I don't want the war in my country or even at the border.

But to tell you the truth, when there was war in Iraq or Afgahnistan I was interested but not invested. If I were an American I would see it from far far away and shrug it off. Interested yes, but not scared. Nothing will happened to the USA. You can live in peace forever. There won't be an invasion anytime soon.

I think it all depends on where you live and what you experienced in your life.

I am sorry to hear that. Terrible things have been done in WW2, not just the obviously large-scale ones, but thousands of unbelievable things on smaller scale.

It's partly because the Community forum doesn't have an active chat thread like it used to. So all discussion about the war takes place in this thread alone. Honestly, for CBR standards Ukraine is getting quite a lot of attention from posters compared to other international, non-USA topics in the recent past.

Yeah, I get that, but I fear this is soon going to be a topic for thw whole world.

Be assured, Catlady in training, that I’m very worried… I have my personal problems but, in here in France, we don’t speak about anything but Ukraine although there’s, in a month, a presidential election.

People who know well Putin found him changed… not for the better and he has nuclear weapons…

We have barely finished with the Covid pandemic and the war and the sanctions will probably trigger a crisis and not only in Russia…

A lot of people send money, goods to Ukrainians knowing that these latters are facing an enemy much more powerful that will become nastier and nastier facing a determined resistance…

European leaders tip-toe at the moment to help the Ukrainians without adding fire to the fuel: they send “defensive weapons”… After decades of relative peace in Europe, we have entered in unchartered territory…

In closing, I really don’t know why these news about American policies are so important… I suppose they are… but Russian missiles can reach the US.

It's similar here. On the plus side, I am quite impressed by the response from EU and the help for refugees. On the negative, the pro-russia propaganda on the web has increased and although I thought that it has reached the bottom with the antivax agenda, there is a new low with the whataboutism about this war now.

Regarding your election, I've read that Le Pen is reportedly shredding some flyers where she had a photo with Putin?

[Catlady in training]

One thing that I hope is changed as soon as possible is the definition of war crimes.

Right now it’s defined too narrowly I think. So it’s okay for example to kill soldiers defending their country after a totally unprovoked invasion. Even okay to kill civilians if they are unfortunate enough to live close to something like military barracks, or a military hospital.

To qualify as a war crime under present legal definitions certain types of bombs have to be used, or the killing of civilians has to be totally, utterly reckless (if some civilians die in taking a legitimate military target, then no crime.)

I think the circumstances in which the original decision to start the war should influence what is defined as a crime. When a tyrant decides to invade a sovereign nation with a freely elected government….then all the evil that flows from that decision is a crime, because that initial decision itself should be regarded as illegal.

In this case Putins war crimes should include every Russian soldier that dies, every Ukrainian defender that dies, all the scarce resources destroyed…not just those killed by particularly vile weapons.

There were war crimes commited already, Ukraine sent a complaint (probably another word for it, but I can't find it right now) to Haag and they already started investigation.

[babyblob]

This has been a crazy time these last few years.

In 2020 we said 2021 will be better. Didnt happen and then we said 2022 will be better. And now the war. I am scared for what 2023 will bring and I am going to hate people saying well 2023 cant get worse. because these last couple years have proven oh yes it can.

[Catlady in training]

No sane man would attack Nato. But considering the consequences of invading Ukraine, is that really the move of a sane man?

Unfortunately, in his mind Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia are also "rightfully his", and they are members of NATO.

Yes. And..of course..in his mind Poland and Hungry (both in EU and NATO) should both be vassal states, and then maybe Germany should again be split into East and West and the East again serve Russia’s will.

Will he attack a NATO country sometime soon? Of course not.

But would he eventually if he wins in the Ukraine?? I think he would as his madness grows.

I think the only thing that will stop him is being toppled from power. And I’m actually quite optimistic on that score, much more so than anyone else on these boards.

They lie, and lie and lie through their teeth. Every statement they give about the situation is worse that the previous one. They want to liberate the Russian people in Ukraine, Ukranians are the same nation, their government are Nazis on drugs, etc. They can make any argument about one of those countries provoking them and say they had no choice. I donpt think anything is off the table at this point.

Georgia, Moldova Formally Apply For EU Membership Amid Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-mold.../31734092.html

If this ever ends relatively well, the one good outcome is strenghtening the EU. The opposite of what was their plan.

[Jack Dracula]

If he is that or a paid shill he gave away the game again a few pages ago saying advertising isn't election fraud in Putin's case when he's said it is along with so many things that aren't fraud in regards to 1/6 & Trump.

It should be understood that, as a self-proclaimed anti-statist, their comments are all geared towards a desire for the entire system as we know it to break down. Trump and his claims of fraud erode peoples faith in the democratic system and further that cause.

[Catlady in training]

Regarding infowar that was already mentioned here and it's influence on things like Brexit, this is an interesting read:
https://twitter.com/carolecadwalla/s...56686548013062

I have to note that I don't know this person or any of her work, but it makes a lot of sense from what I have seen on the internet in last couple years.

[babyblob]

I know this cant be sitting pretty with the Oligarchs. 2 Yachts have been seized. One super Yacht by Germany and another Yacht in France.


https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/03/here...-sink-in-.html

[Jack Dracula]

There were war crimes commited already, Ukraine sent a complaint (probably another word for it, but I can't find it right now) to Haag and they already started investigation.

It’s a fact that Russia has deployed “vacuum bombs” as part of this invasion. Evidently, when detonated in enclosed spaces they create a vacuum which causes peoples internal organs to explode. I haven’t seen reports of their use yet, thank goodness.

[Gray Lensman]

Right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if Putin considered that a good idea, or, at the very least, opens the gulags back up to send protesters there.

A possibility I didn't consider at first, is that even the mention of something like this could be used to make protesters more afraid.

[Xheight]

Or you're not as smart as you like to think you are.

Whatever. I'm done feeding the trolls for the day. I'll go back to scrolling past your nonsense and pretending you don't exist.

And your claims of voter suppression were brilliant? The assumptions remain rooted in loathing not critical thinking.

[Xheight]

It’s a fact that Russia has deployed “vacuum bombs” as part of this invasion. Evidently, when detonated in enclosed spaces they create a vacuum which causes peoples internal organs to explode. I haven’t seen reports of their use yet, thank goodness.

The US developed similar in response to the war in afghanistan to kill people deep in bunkers or caves like the thermobaric bombs. It is a fear weapon to signal nowhere to hide.

[Jack Dracula]

A possibility I didn't consider at first, is that even the mention of something like this could be used to make protesters more afraid.

Over the last year Putin has been clamping down hard on public protest and dissent. It’s actually an extremely brave act for the Russian people to have been protesting the Ukrainian invasion. It won’t cause Putin or his inner circle to even think about backing out, but I want to believe a lasting and growing public resentment will spark from it.

[AnakinFlair]

I know this cant be sitting pretty with the Oligarchs. 2 Yachts have been seized. One super Yacht by Germany and another Yacht in France.


https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/03/here...-sink-in-.html

I heard something yesterday that leaning on the Oligarchs may not have the desired response. Something about how 10 years ago, the power was spread out amongst Putin and the Oligarchs, but now the Power is mostly with Putin.