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

[Tami]

Ukraine is already saying they are willing to give up NATO membership and even the territories that Russia occupied before February. This is heartbreaking to watch.

What I'm afraid of is that Russia will just take the time to reorganize their troops, replenish their army and then continue to terrorize Ukraine from there. We need to understand that they don't want peace, they want to take back what they consider to be theirs: Ukraine and former Eastern Block countries. I know I probably sound Russian-phobic by now to some people, but trust me, they are not normal civilized people. Nothing good came out of Russia since 1910's, they only know how to terrorize others. Anyone who thinks they will stop if they are given any reprieve is deluding themselves. Even if some peace is agreed upon with Ukraine, the West cannot just return the sanctions back to normal. They must remain to let Russia fall economically, so they cannot finance another war, we all must stop buying their oil and gas, we must achieve that they pay reparations to Ukraine, so that we all don't end up financing Ukraine's recovery ourselves and weakening ourselves economically by that. And Putin and his gang must be put on trial, even if it is in absence, so that they are formally recognized as war criminals.
Anything less and this is eventually back, probably even worse because they will have learned from this war where their weaknesses are. If our leaders back down, we (their voters) must pressure them not to.

Zelensky can't, won't agree to anything without a vote from the people of Ukraine. That vote can't happen so long as Russian troops are there and so long as a large majority of the population are in other countries as refugees.

[CSTowle]

Ukraine is already saying they are willing to give up NATO membership and even the territories that Russia occupied before February. This is heartbreaking to watch.

What I'm afraid of is that Russia will just take the time to reorganize their troops, replenish their army and then continue to terrorize Ukraine from there. We need to understand that they don't want peace, they want to take back what they consider to be theirs: Ukraine and former Eastern Block countries. I know I probably sound Russian-phobic by now to some people, but trust me, they are not normal civilized people. Nothing good came out of Russia since 1910's, they only know how to terrorize others. Anyone who thinks they will stop if they are given any reprieve is deluding themselves. Even if some peace is agreed upon with Ukraine, the West cannot just return the sanctions back to normal. They must remain to let Russia fall economically, so they cannot finance another war, we all must stop buying their oil and gas, we must achieve that they pay reparations to Ukraine, so that we all don't end up financing Ukraine's recovery ourselves and weakening ourselves economically by that. And Putin and his gang must be put on trial, even if it is in absence, so that they are formally recognized as war criminals.
Anything less and this is eventually back, probably even worse because they will have learned from this war where their weaknesses are. If our leaders back down, we (their voters) must pressure them not to.

I disagree. I think culturally they might be far more conservative than most of Europe (in that they have something in common with us, also arms-dealing/pushing their military where it isn't wanted/cozying up to dictators/serving the interests of the oligarchy while stroking the patriotic instincts of the fools willing to vote against their own interests). But they're also the product of a very recent fall from relevancy. We've seen in the past what happens when a country/people are humiliated and go through a period of extreme poverty (and they weren't coming off a period of great prosperity under Soviet leadership).

Add religion back into the mix (or a different form, christianity replacing state), your former rival going on to dominate world politics and finance, and seeing your neighbor to the East rise up and overtake your former position with nobody taking you seriously as anything other than a gas pump with bad intentions. This was the country that demolished the Nazi scourge, put the first satellite in space, put the first human being in space, was a player in world politics to the point where we were afraid communism would eventually replace all other forms of government, and built a nuclear arsenal which still threatens the world. And they're an afterthought.

All that oil money and land and being positioned close to most of the world or literally on their borders should make them a world player by default. But as many have pointed out they've fallen behind in the information age. There are no Russian Apples or Amazons or Googles. They don't even have the manufacturing infrastructure of a China. What do they have? Pride. And not much reason for it lately. That's a bad combo.

Mayhap it's living in the US where politics and society are often defined by the topic of race or class (or both) but I don't like the idea that any one group is "inherently" evil or backward or wrong. People are born into a culture and absorb it and are shaped by it often in ways they can't perceive and that can be difficult to fight against even if you recognize it and want to. And there are complicated reasons that are often decades/centuries in the making that take a long time to change. Perhaps that's not what you're saying, and instead that the current Russian mindset is an uncivilized and aggressive one. Though I would point out there are plenty of Russians who are willing to be arrested to protest the actions of their government.

[Tendrin]

I've only read a few of her since deleted tweets...but they didn't paint a very good picture of her. On top of that it seems she lied about the award as well, it wasn't a cash prize she lost out on, she was selected to be included in a category with no cash prize, and it wasn't as if it was a slam dunk there either as it was just a nomination so no guarantee she would have won anyway.

She wasn't even nominated. She was submitted for nomination, and Lamba didn't nominate her.

Real quick update:

Lauren Hough's team submitted her book for nomination.

Lambda said no, she is not added to the list.

LH writes a blog about how she missed out on a cash prize because her "nomination was pulled".

Remember, she was NEVER nominated.

The prize is $2,500.

https://twitter.com/morrigan2k/statu...42678887665673

This is just another 'cancel culture' fabrication. Hough is a talented writer but an *enormous* asshole, who does things like bully book reviewers who give her four stars instead of five.

And all this, because trans people had the right to criticize a friend of her's gendercide book where trans women are lumped in with men to literally be 'tortured in hell by demons for all eternity' because the book posits that evil is 'contained in the Y chromosone' and yet also includes a violent sexual assault of a trans man.

[CaptainEurope]

I've only read a few of her since deleted tweets...but they didn't paint a very good picture of her. On top of that it seems she lied about the award as well, it wasn't a cash prize she lost out on, she was selected to be included in a category with no cash prize, and it wasn't as if it was a slam dunk there either as it was just a nomination so no guarantee she would have won anyway.

Hough once went off on someone for giving her book a 4.5 stars instead of the full 5 stars on Good Reads. I unfollowed her over that.

[CaptainEurope]

She wasn't even nominated. She was submitted for nomination, and Lamba didn't nominate her.



https://twitter.com/morrigan2k/statu...42678887665673

This is just another 'cancel culture' fabrication. Hough is a talented writer but an *enormous* asshole, who does things like bully book reviewers who give her four stars instead of five.

And all this, because trans people had the right to criticize a friend of her's gendercide book where trans women are lumped in with men to literally be 'tortured in hell by demons for all eternity' because the book posits that evil is 'contained in the Y chromosone' and yet also includes a violent sexual assault of a trans man.

I think she has not been the same since her dog died.

[Tendrin]

Hough once went off on someone for giving her book a 4.5 stars instead of the full 5 stars on Good Reads. I unfollowed her over that.

Same exact thing. She really showed who she was and how willing she was to use her clout to hurt random twitter folks too.

[CaptainEurope]

I really wish Biden would call a press conference, come out and say:



... and walk out again.

It was a good line from a great speech. Nobody here in Europe is clutching their pearls that he rightly said that Putin needs to go. The American media is so weird, and I wish the White House wasn't trying to walk it back.

[CaptainEurope]

What was Chris Rock thinking with that joke?

He should watch the Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness episode about hair.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I don't watch awards shows, so I didn't know about the Will Smith/Chris Rock kerfluffle until I woke up this morning and checked my newsfeed. So much stupidity, on both sides. Sure, Rock went over the line with that joke as insulting a man's wife is seriously bad taste, but Smith screwed up too, going up onstage to bitchslap Rock, live in front of the world was foolishness on steroids when he could've confronted him AFTER the show. That nonsense is going to be all over the news and social media for days.

[Catlady in training]

I really wish Biden would call a press conference, come out and say:



... and walk out again.

It was a good line from a great speech. Nobody here in Europe is clutching their pearls that he rightly said that Putin needs to go. The American media is so weird, and I wish the White House wasn't trying to walk it back.

Macron is.

BTW, I agree that Biden at least had guts to say it. All of the people now taking his words back should take a break.

[Catlady in training]

I disagree. I think culturally they might be far more conservative than most of Europe (in that they have something in common with us, also arms-dealing/pushing their military where it isn't wanted/cozying up to dictators/serving the interests of the oligarchy while stroking the patriotic instincts of the fools willing to vote against their own interests). But they're also the product of a very recent fall from relevancy. We've seen in the past what happens when a country/people are humiliated and go through a period of extreme poverty (and they weren't coming off a period of great prosperity under Soviet leadership).

Add religion back into the mix (or a different form, christianity replacing state), your former rival going on to dominate world politics and finance, and seeing your neighbor to the East rise up and overtake your former position with nobody taking you seriously as anything other than a gas pump with bad intentions. This was the country that demolished the Nazi scourge, put the first satellite in space, put the first human being in space, was a player in world politics to the point where we were afraid communism would eventually replace all other forms of government, and built a nuclear arsenal which still threatens the world. And they're an afterthought.

All that oil money and land and being positioned close to most of the world or literally on their borders should make them a world player by default. But as many have pointed out they've fallen behind in the information age. There are no Russian Apples or Amazons or Googles. They don't even have the manufacturing infrastructure of a China. What do they have? Pride. And not much reason for it lately. That's a bad combo.

Mayhap it's living in the US where politics and society are often defined by the topic of race or class (or both) but I don't like the idea that any one group is "inherently" evil or backward or wrong. People are born into a culture and absorb it and are shaped by it often in ways they can't perceive and that can be difficult to fight against even if you recognize it and want to. And there are complicated reasons that are often decades/centuries in the making that take a long time to change. Perhaps that's not what you're saying, and instead that the current Russian mindset is an uncivilized and aggressive one. Though I would point out there are plenty of Russians who are willing to be arrested to protest the actions of their government.

I'm not saying they are born evil, but they have been so influenced by propaganda and fear that we should not expect anything good from them. I would put them on the same level with islamic terrorists. Yes, some brave, intelligent people are protesting, but they are a minority.

[CaptainEurope]

I don't watch awards shows, so I didn't know about the Will Smith/Chris Rock kerfluffle until I woke up this morning and checked my newsfeed. So much stupidity, on both sides. Sure, Rock went over the line with that joke as insulting a man's wife is seriously bad taste, but Smith screwed up too, going up onstage to bitchslap Rock, live in front of the world was foolishness on steroids when he could've confronted him AFTER the show. That nonsense is going to be all over the news and social media for days.

I was just reminded that Chris Rock himself shot a documentary about how society treats black women about their hair.

I can only imagine what it is like for a beautiful women, who relies on her looks for her career, to lose all her hair (including eye brows and eye lashes, often). People get suicidal over that. We don't know what it's like in the Pinkett-Smith home right now. I could see how Will absolutely could not stop himself. Of course it's not right. I don't think he considers it as right now, a few hours later. But Rock definitely f*ucked around and found out.

[thwhtGuardian]

I was just reminded that Chris Rock himself shot a documentary about how society treats black women about their hair.

I can only imagine what it is like for a beautiful women, who relies on her looks for her career, to lose all her hair (including eye brows and eye lashes, often). People get suicidal over that. We don't know what it's like in the Pinkett-Smith home right now. I could see how Will absolutely could not stop himself. Of course it's not right. I don't think he considers it as right now, a few hours later. But Rock definitely f*ucked around and found out.

And it looked like he knew he had it coming to, the way he stood there with his arms behind his back and kind of leaned into Will Smith looked like," Yeah, I deserve a pop, lay it on me and get it over with." It was definitely nuts.

[CaptainEurope]

The January 6 panels has announced action on the Ginni Thomas coup texts. No details yet.

One interesting aspect: She mentions talking to "her best friend" in those texts. CNN just ran a compilation of Clarence Thomas saying that his wife is also his best friend.

[thwhtGuardian]

She wasn't even nominated. She was submitted for nomination, and Lamba didn't nominate her.



https://twitter.com/morrigan2k/statu...42678887665673

This is just another 'cancel culture' fabrication. Hough is a talented writer but an *enormous* asshole, who does things like bully book reviewers who give her four stars instead of five.

And all this, because trans people had the right to criticize a friend of her's gendercide book where trans women are lumped in with men to literally be 'tortured in hell by demons for all eternity' because the book posits that evil is 'contained in the Y chromosone' and yet also includes a violent sexual assault of a trans man.

It was a pretty clear fabrication from the article itself, it was so one sided and didn't even attempt to quote the tweets. When an article doesn't even try to present the other side of such an argument you know it's likely pushing a narrative.