Stupid Shit in Kyiv

"Tell me who your heroes are and I'll tell you how you'll turn out to be. " ― Warren Buffett.

[URL]https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/BANDERA%2C%20STEFAN_0018.pdf[/URL]

[QUOTE=Questner;2802370]"Tell me who your heroes are and I'll tell you how you'll turn out to be. " ― Warren Buffett.

[URL]https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/BANDERA%2C%20STEFAN_0018.pdf[/URL][/QUOTE]Then you'll turn out to be a loser, just like them. Putin, Lukashenko, Xi, take your pick. They'll be lucky if they don't end up on the wrong side of a firing squad.

[QUOTE=Questner;2802370]"Kidnapping Ukrainian Children is awesome, and I love watching the Russian Army rape Ukrainian civilians" - Questner.[/QUOTE]Are the Chinese lessons too difficult for you?

[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2802309]First, I think a fair amount of the far-right's opposition to support for Ukraine is due to their strong anti-Biden sentiment. When you're not the party in power there's little downside to complaining loudly about every move made by the administration. Governing is much different and it's my guess that a Republican president would sing a different tune. Even Trump would have a difficult time changing course, IMO. There are several reasons for that, but one that comes immediately to mind is that extremely conservative European governments, like Poland and Italy, are some of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine. For all his "pull your own weight in NATO" rhetoric, I doubt that Trump would want to be solely responsible for derailing US-Europe relations. Again, there's little downside in using it as a campaign issue with which to bash Biden, but that's different from governing.

Second, there's actually a strong conservative case that can be made for supporting Ukraine. It starts with Reagan's characterization of the USSR as an 'Evil Empire,' and then moves forward with the argument that, after a few years post-Soviet pause, Putin has taken Russia down that same imperialist path. And Russia is arguably worse than the USSR because the Politburo no longer exists as a check on absolute power. Putin has clearly taken up the Tsarist mantle of Peter the Great and, short of a coup or death (natural or otherwise), no one in Russia can stand against him. Non-isolationist conservatives understand that, far from trying to be the 'World's Policeman,' it's in America's best interests to block Russia's imperialist ambitions.[/QUOTE]This is very well said. It is one of the unfortunate consequences of partisan two party USA Politics. The liberal and conservative media play into these fractures. The more measured middle-ground audience isn't going to be ginned up by a media narrative one way or another. When you see Tucker Carlson you have to realize he's part news commentary, part showman. Many times the latter takes precedence.

Foreign policy is also one of the areas with the many layers and complexity. Not every decision is a binary black and white decision. However, many people on social media try to boil these decisions down to black and white based on their political bias. Social media participation tends to be more extremely partisan than the overall electorate.

How do you deal with the Saudis and their human rights abuse? Is Saudi Arabia America's friend?

Should the USA Press India on Russian sanctions?

Why did the USA Reverse its opposition to Nordstream 2 in 2021?

I know there are lot of Trump detractors, but I think Trump's foreign policy was many times twisted into a pretzel by Democrats and liberal media. While he was not good at communicating his aims, there was more nuance to some of his dealings with foreign nations. Let's face it the Bush-Obama-Trump policy towards Putin was one of practical appeasement. As long as Putin didn't take any major aggressive actions, the USA Basically looked the other way and likely provided stern warnings about expanded actions behind the scenes.

[URL]https://youtu.be/YnEUAhbhBoU[/URL]

Well, we can talk ages about the above. But somehow I expect 'the people of the Book' in the West to say: 'O, this is different. '.

[QUOTE=Questner;2802684][URL]https://youtu.be/YnEUAhbhBoU[/URL]

Well, we can talk ages about the above. But somehow I expect 'the people of the Book' in the West to say: 'O, this is different. '.[/QUOTE]Just ask the people of Grozny, or the people in many Syrian cities. Oh wait, you can't because Russia razed them to the ground without a fucking second's hesitation over the presence of civilians.

Got any cool YouTube vids featuring dead and maimed Chechen or Syrian kids? I'm sure you could find some if you took a break from sucking Putin's dick!

[QUOTE=Questner;2802684]Struggling a lot with my Chinese lessons, I wish I had an inside toilet[/QUOTE]So now Chinese is compulsory for STEM students in certain Muscovy Schools, had to wipe the tears of laughter from my face reading this, almost choked on my boiled squirrel dinner.

[URL]https://meduza.io/en/news/2023/03/29/stem-students-protest-school-s-decision-to-require-chinese-study-for-graduation[/URL]

[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2801628]The vax status of anyone (you, JC, Donald Trump, MacGregor, Putin, etc.) has zero relevance to the Russia-Ukraine war.[/QUOTE]This just shows your absolutism. The same government officials who were censoring the side effects of the vaccine were censoring Russia's POV with regards to the Ukraine war. That has been definitively shown in the Twiitter Files.

To your side, anyone who says Putin was provoked in this war must by definition hate Ukraine, despise democracy, and love Putin. It never occurred to an absolutist like you that if Putin were not provoked, all these lives would not have been lost and all this money been tossed down the drain. And the very fools who provoked Putin are the ones screaming the loudest for an unending war.

An absolutist like you sees a bad guy and a good guy. What I see are a bad guy and an even worse guy.

[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2801628]There is zero evidence that Russia is replacing incompetent military leaders with competent ones. The factual basis for that statement is that Russia's military position has consistently deteriorated. After the high point reached post-invasion things have moved steadily backwards for Putin's military.[/QUOTE]You are completely ignoring even the possibility that the Russians could get more competent leadership. That is absolute too.

[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2801628]Predictions about the food supply are about as reliable as the so-called "energy apocalypse" that never materialized.[/QUOTE]You look at how much of the food, fertilizer, and energy the world consumes from Russia and Ukraine and say "Eh, no problem"? That is more absolutism.

[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2801628]Bank failures? Is that all you've got? There is absolutely nothing going on now in the financial world that can even compare to the financial crisis of 2008, or the Greek debt crisis that threatened to rip the EU apart. Those were painful, to be sure, but they were dealt with.[/QUOTE]That is not the question. Printing up money to buy weapons that are used to destroy things is inflationary. The Fed has raised rates at an unprecedented rate to deal with inflation as has the ECB. Banks lend out on the basis of 10:1 or so. It varies by bank and by country, but banks lend out $10 for every $1 of assets they have. Poor lending standards led to a worldwide inflation of assets in 2007. This time asset inflation occurred because of money printing with Covid. Banks have to reign in lending then, and that is when recessions and depressions occur. IMO spending money to shore up the financial system is a better use of money than continuing this war.

[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2801628]It's that China will be at the forefront of helping to stabilize global finances. That's simply because China needs the West about 1000% more than it needs Russia.[/QUOTE]LOL. Wrong. You need to know that most people's primary asset is their home. The way you can calculate fair value on a home is price to income ratio. A rule of thumb is your home should be twice your income. If it is much higher than that, the asset price of housing and the institutions that made the loans and own mortgages are at risk. In Houston, that ratio is what it should be, around 2. [URL]https://www.numbeo.com/property-investment/in/Houston[/URL].

In China's largest city of Shanghai, that number is 49. [URL]https://www.numbeo.com/property-investment/in/Shanghai[/URL].

And prices of real estate are close to that number throughout China. You seem to think Chinese banks have a rock solid foundation when their foundation is paper.

[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2801628]Victory in Ukraine isn't rocket science. Putin can't do that because it'll be such an epic failure that he'd likely suffer the same fate as Mussolini, unless he opted for Hitler's way out. So the key for Ukraine is to continue to degrade Russia's battlefield capabilities and keep regaining territory. The next few months will be hugely important. I'm not in the prediction business but we should be in for some real fireworks.[/QUOTE]And that perfectly describes your absolutist position. We are now talking about an area that is half the size of West Virginia, and there is no other way out than war and "victory"? Even if the cost is potential nuclear war, famine, an energy crisis, and economic collapse?

Even your base case scenario, all the potential problem areas I mentioned do not occur, your default position is that all the loss of human life is worth an area half the size of West Virginia and economically there is no way that is true. All that is left is some symbolic refrain in Ukraine saying "we stood up to Russia" which means nothing to all those who died. As General Butler would have said, at this point, this war is a racket. [URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Is_a_Racket[/URL].

[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2795940]Its amazing how many people talk about Russia's so-called 'strengths' and are essentially making the point that Putin is somehow holding back.

When it comes to air power, for example, the fact that Russia hasn't been able to establish air superiority is simply stunning. There are various theories about this, ranging from the "just you wait" proponents (like yourself) to those who fault Russian training methods and those who credit Ukraine's air defense strategies. Those two latter points are explored in more depth in this article:

[URL]https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/content-series/airpower-after-ukraine/air-denial-the-dangerous-illusion-of-decisive-air-superiority/[/URL]

You talk about coulda, woulda, shoulda, and make predictions from there. I simply direct my attention to what's actually happening. As just one example, why would the (alleged) 2nd best military in the world need to rely so heavily on a private mercenary army like Wagner PMC? And why would Wagner PMC need to recruit convicts? Neither of those actual events square with the "strong Russia" hypothesis.

As to when it'll be over, you can make all the armchair predictions you want but battlefield realities will always have the final word. And, at this point in time, Russia controls much less territory than it did immediately after the invasion. And theyve showed limited and flawed ability to make battlefield gains. Meanwhile, Russia's own troops are going on social media to complain about lack of weapons and training. And one recent poat featured a commander explicitly refusing to send his unprepared men on a suicidal meat-grinder mission. Again, the predominant evidence coming from the front lines are that of a disjointed, dysfunctional, and weak military. That's not to say things can't change. But that's where the situation currently stands.

So, while you content yourself with all your theories as to why there's no chance Goliath would ever be defeated by David, I'm happy to sit back and watch actual events unfold. And, to this point, things ain't looking so great for Goliath.[/QUOTE]Unfortunately this is not a fable from the bible, this is reality.

Some of you are smoking crack or are delusional. The latest today Bakhmut is about surrounded and should fall soon. Ukraine claims a resurgent push in the spring mud, yeah that will be interesting. As I said before this is over. Maybe not today or tomorrow but this is over. Even one of my girls this past week in Philippine's,we were watching US news and she knows very little about this or has very much education. She is looking at map and I could see her thinking. Hmm she says that little country is trying to beat that giant one, that is stupid. You are correct dear but many do not see what you see in 5 minutes.

'and I say to myself, What a wonderful world!

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2802984]This just shows your absolutism. The same government officials who were censoring the side effects of the vaccine were censoring Russia's POV with regards to the Ukraine war. That has been definitively shown in the Twiitter Files.

To your side, anyone who says Putin was provoked in this war must by definition hate Ukraine, despise democracy, and love Putin. It never occurred to an absolutist like you that if Putin were not provoked, all these lives would not have been lost and all this money been tossed down the drain. And the very fools who provoked Putin are the ones screaming the loudest for an unending war.

An absolutist like you sees a bad guy and a good guy. What I see are a bad guy and an even worse guy.

You are completely ignoring even the possibility that the Russians could get more competent leadership. That is absolute too.

You look at how much of the food, fertilizer, and energy the world consumes from Russia and Ukraine and say "Eh, no problem"? That is more absolutism.

That is not the question. Printing up money to buy weapons that are used to destroy things is inflationary. The Fed has raised rates at an unprecedented rate to deal with inflation as has the ECB. Banks lend out on the basis of 10:1 or so. It varies by bank and by country, but banks lend out $10 for every $1 of assets they have. Poor lending standards led to a worldwide inflation of assets in 2007. This time asset inflation occurred because of money printing with Covid. Banks have to reign in lending then, and that is when recessions and depressions occur. IMO spending money to shore up the financial system is a better use of money than continuing this war.

LOL. Wrong. You need to know that most people's primary asset is their home. The way you can calculate fair value on a home is price to income ratio. A rule of thumb is your home should be twice your income. If it is much higher than that, the asset price of housing and the institutions that made the loans and own mortgages are at risk. In Houston, that ratio is what it should be, around 2. [URL]https://www.numbeo.com/property-investment/in/Houston[/URL].

In China's largest city of Shanghai, that number is 49. [URL]https://www.numbeo.com/property-investment/in/Shanghai[/URL].

And prices of real estate are close to that number throughout China. You seem to think Chinese banks have a rock solid foundation when their foundation is paper.

And that perfectly describes your absolutist position. We are now talking about an area that is half the size of West Virginia, and there is no other way out than war and "victory"? Even if the cost is potential nuclear war, famine, an energy crisis, and economic collapse?

Even your base case scenario, all the potential problem areas I mentioned do not occur, your default position is that all the loss of human life is worth an area half the size of West Virginia and economically there is no way that is true. All that is left is some symbolic refrain in Ukraine saying "we stood up to Russia" which means nothing to all those who died. As General Butler would have said, at this point, this war is a racket. [URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Is_a_Racket[/URL].[/QUOTE]Putin is absolutely evil and all your moral relativism doesn't alter that absolute fact.

He's a murderer and the blood of Boris Nemtsov, and anyone else Putin saw as a rival or annoyance, is dripping from his hands.

He's a kidnapper and war criminal, as the ICC has correctly recognized with their issuance of an arrest warrant.

He's a genocidal maniac, as his minions strive to extinguish all things Ukrainian, simply because Ukraine doesn't want to be Russian.

He's an egotistical imperialist. And, since there's zero evidence that his evil appetite will be satisfied with Ukraine (just ask Poland and the Baltics), then the rational response is to eliminate the Putin-cancer before it metastasizes.

But hey, moral relativists like you probably have 'nuanced' views on issues like whether things like pedophilia are evil and wrong, eh? After all, maybe the pedo was 'provoked' by an unscrupulous and scheming child, right?

You don't have to be a black-and-white person to understand that there are truly evil people in the world. And you don't need to be a rocket scientist to recognize Putin as one of them. And you don't need to be a vindictive person to be happy when he finally gets what he deserves.

But here's what inquiring minds want to know: Will he end up like Hitler or Mussolini? We should start a betting pool on that!

[QUOTE=Questner;2803053]'and I say to myself, What a wonderful world![/QUOTE]Will be when China reclaims Vladivostok and the other Eastern territories taken from them by Russia. And even more wonderful when Muscovy becomes a vassal-state that exists only to service the needs of its master, China.

[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2802087]Putin seized Crimea and the Donbass by using a mix of Russian-backed (armed, supplied, financed) militias and regular Russian troops. The myth that Russian forces weren't directly involved is pure fiction, and has been exposed as such.

All of which means that the current war is merely an extension of the hostilities that began with Russia's 2014 invasion. No invasion = no hostilities = no deaths. Once again, the responsibility lands squarely on the murderous, imperialist thug called Putin.[/QUOTE]The ignorance of the average American is incredible, with his brain drunk on hamburgers and social media, a people of obese warmongers. Is the end of this filthy and infamous empire near, the dollar will collapse and you all will become like stray dogs digging for food in the garbage, your democracy? Death, blood, pain. These are all things that will happen to you very soon.

[QUOTE=Questner;2803053]'and I say to myself, What a wonderful world![/QUOTE]Yes, all the squirrel eating people in the West are very jealous.

[QUOTE=Oiste;2803164]The ignorance of the average American is incredible, with his brain drunk on hamburgers and social media, a people of obese warmongers. Is the end of this filthy and infamous empire near, the dollar will collapse and you all will become like stray dogs digging for food in the garbage, your democracy? Death, blood, pain. These are all things that will happen to you very soon.[/QUOTE]Putin, and all his sycophants, believed their own propaganda and thereby exposed their terminal weaknesses.

Russia went from having the (false) image of strength to being the laughingstock of the world. And it won't be long before they'll be printing rubles with the image of Xi on one side, and Mao on the other.

Just as with North Korea, Putin has doomed Russia to the fate of being a China-dependent failed state.

Nice going, Vlad! Would you like some fries with your dog-meat burger?