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[QUOTE=PedroMorales;2699487]Any ideas on this? Is it just another American ploy to rip off the world? Any connections with America's captured bio labs in Ukraine? Is it one of the side effects of the Covid jabs? The gay guys coming down with it would be vulnerable as they inject themselves with all kinds of crap. It seems Bill Gates won't just FKK off. A real James Bond villain.[/QUOTE]Is that what landed you in a Finnish hospital? Or was it your need for a series of rabies shots?
[QUOTE=VinDici;2699294]Just a message of appreciation. I have enjoyed reading your blogging here, and many of the links you have been sharing have been extremely insightful. So much so, that I'm actually ok with Comrade Morales deranged ravings, since it prompts another superb rebuttal from yourself with good sources and reading materials.[/QUOTE]Many thanks for the kind words. As an FYI, my starting point has been the Ukrainian Conflict subreddit.
[URL]https://www.reddit.com/r/UkrainianConflict/new/[/URL]
With over 350 K members, it's a dumping ground of pro- and anti-Ukraine posts, and more than a few trolls. But, when you check it regularly, some contributors stand out and the authors and articles they reference prove worthy of following. Then, especially on the Twitter platform, you can further explore the subsidiary level of authors and articles cited. It's a bit like word of mouth, but the key is to separate the wheat from the chaff at the very beginning such that you're not wasting your time reading BS or propaganda. Here are a few I think are worth a look:
[URL]https://mobile.twitter.com/kamilkazani[/URL]
[URL]https://mobile.twitter.com/WarintheFuture[/URL]
[URL]https://mobile.twitter.com/PhillipsPOBrien[/URL]
There are others, of course, but I visit these on a regular basis and, if they cite an author or article they think worthwhile, I'll usually make the time to check it out.
P.S. Poor Pedro M! Just like the Coyote, always trying to catch the Roadrunner but always falling short. And, since it's a purely American reference, he probably won't recognize it and will have to look it up. That makes it even funnier, don't you think?
[QUOTE=WyattEarp;2699535]"The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults."
- A. Tocqueville (some Frenchman).[/QUOTE]De Tocqueville, 1830's. What faults? LOL. Oh, wait, slavery got repaired.
[QUOTE=WyattEarp;2699531]You mean like the Russian symphony and ballet that they copied from Western Europe.[/QUOTE]When Mikhail Glinka, who was called the founder of Russian music, left Russia for Germany, he spat on the ground and yelled: "May I never see this vile country again."
For the music itself though, I don't think Tchaikovsky's or Rachmaninov's works were actually 'copied' from the West. Unlike the cars, planes and, oh yeah, the nukes.
[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2699615][URL]https://blogs.berkeley.edu/2022/05/19/open-letter-to-noam-chomsky-and-other-like-minded-intellectuals-on-the-russia-ukraine-war/[/URL][/QUOTE]This is a great read, and well articulates the issues at hand and what is at stake. Russia is out to erase Ukraine, through murder, subjugation and re-education. They have no interest in negotiations, and any participation in that direction is insincere as they were blowing up maternity wards and bread lines while talks were taking place. Any agreements wouldn't be honored. Ukraine is doing what they have to do if they wish to survive as a people.
And there were never any promises made not to enlarge NATO into Eastern Europe. Russia only questioned expansion as it would relate to troop deployments in the former GDR, as Gorbachev later confirmed in no uncertain terms. Plus these discussions were within the context of the old USSR where the Warsaw Pact was still in force. Eastern Euro countries tasted freedom and requested integration. Knowing Russia too well they asked for protection. It's impossible to have confidence in the analysis of anyone that ignores the agencies of these countries.
[URL]https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2014/11/06/did-nato-promise-not-to-enlarge-gorbachev-says-no/[/URL]
[QUOTE=Golfinho;2699659]De Tocqueville, 1830's. What faults? LOL. Oh, wait, slavery got repaired.[/QUOTE][URL]https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomlindsay/2019/08/30/after-all-didnt-america-invent-slavery/?sh=12c3e3d67ef6[/URL]
[URL]https://www.freetheslaves.net/slavery-today-2/slavery-in-history/[/URL]
[URL]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Africa[/URL]
Anyone not looking at history through anti-American goggles should have the intellectual honesty to acknowledge the following:
- Slavery dates back thousands of years and was a near-universal practice.
- Slavery was a central feature of both the Greek and Roman empires. And those periods gave birth to many of the legal and cultural underpinnings of Western civilization.
- Slavery was facilitated and introduced to the New World by the Portuguese and Spanish.
-By some estimates, 90% of African slaves were sold into bondage by other Africans. And that occurrence was an essential prerequisite of the Atlantic slave trade.
[URL]https://alphahistory.com/russianrevolution/reform-and-reaction-in-russia/[/URL]
Russia, which is a country relevant to the discussions in this forum, didn't emancipate its serfs until 1861 (the same year the US Civil War began). And here's what that "freedom" looked like:
"Alexander II finally acted in 1861, signing a decree that ruled a line through serfdom. A process of land redistribution was commenced but the detail was left in the hands of corrupt bureaucrats and, in some cases, the land-owners themselves.
As a consequence, the reallocation of Russian land was hardly fair. Russia's serfs became free peasants but they were given a stark choice: either leave their land or commit to a 49-year state mortgage. They had, in effect, traded one form of bondage for anothe."
Moving into the 20th century, Nazi Germany made extensive use of forced labor from 1939 to 1945. "Arbeit macht frei," right? How quickly people forget.
Saudi Arabia and Yemen didn't ban slavery until 1962 and the Islamic Conference didn't renounce the practice until 1990. Oh yes, and there are many who would argue that China is currently the worst offender when it comes to forced labor in the modern world.
So yeah, it's pretty funny how, to so many, slavery is primarily a US-centric issue. Give me an effin' break!
[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2699619]Is that what landed you in a Finnish hospital? Or was it your need for a series of rabies shots?[/QUOTE]Belgium is now tightening the screws over monkeypox. Fuck off to Reddit and see what 4 chan have to say about it and then return. As regards sources, it is an information to noise thing (look it up, but not on Reddit). Your fan club here are moronic Americans, many of whom probably did disgusting things in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On a positive note, Russia is winning hands down.
On the American simpletons calling me Comrade to appear witty, the Communists are Russia's main opposition party; they are not in government but you go ahead to boil things down to your level.
As regards rebuttals, You haven't rebutted, much as you may be fond of butts. That is because I am not engaging with you because you are nothing to engage with.
You'll be happy to hear I am getting better, another few days to be safe. Then I'll be fighting fit again, as much as age allows me. I've caught up on my reading (no Reddit or 4 chan for me) and I hoped to be back in the saddle, but not with Ukrainians, soon. But then the Yanks spread monkeypox, on which I have my theories.
[QUOTE=PedroMorales;2699833]Belgium is now tightening the screws over monkeypox. Fuck off to Reddit and see what 4 chan have to say about it and then return. As regards sources, it is an information to noise thing (look it up, but not on Reddit). Your fan club here are moronic Americans, many of whom probably did disgusting things in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On a positive note, Russia is winning hands down.
On the American simpletons calling me Comrade to appear witty, the Communists are Russia's main opposition party; they are not in government but you go ahead to boil things down to your level.
As regards rebuttals, You haven't rebutted, much as you may be fond of butts. That is because I am not engaging with you because you are nothing to engage with.
You'll be happy to hear I am getting better, another few days to be safe. Then I'll be fighting fit again, as much as age allows me. I've caught up on my reading (no Reddit or 4 chan for me) and I hoped to be back in the saddle, but not with Ukrainians, soon. But then the Yanks spread monkeypox, on which I have my theories.[/QUOTE]Maybe you should ask the Finnish doctors for another series of shots, or a refund, since you're clearly hallucinating.
There are NO credible military analysts anywhere on the planet (including neutral countries AND those favorable to Russia) who are even remotely talking about Russia winning. The MOST favorable assessment with respect to Russia is that of a stalemate scenario.
Even inside Russia there is pessimism, as I demonstrated with the YouTube link in my recent post, from anyone who has even a shred of a connection with reality. The only ones who speak differently are the propaganda-mongers, who probably don't believe it themselves, and those who are in the throes of rabies-induced hallucinations.
And Reddit, contrary to your delusional babbling, is not a source. Neither is Twitter. But both are platforms where people DO post their sources and those sources can then be vetted to see whether or not they're backed up by credibility and expertise. Every one of my sources has been so vetted and there isn't a single link in ANY of my posts that relies on some random Reddit or Twitter post. I consistently point to the original source, and invite everyone to read and decide for themselves.
Therefore, your attack on the platforms is simply the most lame and transparent example possible of ad hominem. If you have any substantive criticism against either the credentials or content of the numerous experts I've cited, feel free to post for the benefit of the forum. But you can't, so you won't, because you're an intellectual pipsqueak who can't bring himself (or, more likely, isn't able) to rise above the level of personal insults.
And that's where you're stuck, in the gutter with your Russian nationalist buddy Little Vlad and his Neo-Nazi minions in the Wagner battalion, and beyond. As for an actual reBUTTal, you couldn't find one with two hands and a compass.
Meanwhile, every real-world indication is that Russia is in a death-spiral, while the US and NATO (soon to include Finland and Sweden!) are on an ever upward trajectory. Thanks, LilliPutin!
[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2699615][URL]https://blogs.berkeley.edu/2022/05/19/open-letter-to-noam-chomsky-and-other-like-minded-intellectuals-on-the-russia-ukraine-war/[/URL]
See the Open Letter for full details, but here are the main points, or patterns, addressed:
Pattern #1: Denying Ukraine's sovereign integrity.
Pattern #2: Treating Ukraine as an American pawn on a geo-political chessboard.
Pattern #3. Suggesting that Russia was threatened by NATO.
Pattern #4. Stating that the USA Isn't any better than Russia.
Pattern #5. Whitewashing Putin's goals for invading Ukraine.
Pattern #6. Assuming that Putin is interested in a diplomatic solution.
Pattern #7. Advocating that yielding to Russian demands is the way to avert the nuclear war.
A thoughtful, respectful, and civil discussion and rebuttal. Something that's sadly lacking in many circles.
P.S. The pro-Russia characterization of Chomsky, et al, is mine alone, not the article's authors.[/QUOTE]Chomsky's perspectives have had their moments. As we age, we kind of get stuck in familiar patterns of thought. At 93, I think that is likely with Chomsky. He sees everything through the lens of imperialism. In his mind, the Ukraine is a proxy war between Russia and the United States. I believe Chomsky accepted North Vietnamese agency during the Vietnam War even though they were being supplied militarily by the Soviet Union. On a similar basis, the Ukrainians should have agency over their own sovereignty.
I use the analogy of choosing what to put in the box when making a clearly very biased case. You simply leave things out that don't fit the argument. Jmsuttr, the American slavery argument is exactly like that box. You had to point out everything left out of the box and ignored about global slavery.
[QUOTE=PedroMorales;2699833]
On a positive note, Russia is winning hands down.[/QUOTE]Pants down is more like it.
Their morale is down, their economy is down, their relationship with the whole world is down in the dumps.
Russia has taken two large Ukrainian cities Mariupol and Kherson. The later was taken easily because it had been completely unprotected, while their "great" victory in Mariupol took a 3-month siege, tens of thousands dead civilians and Russian solders, complete destruction of a city with half-million population and a mind-boggling number of crimes against humanity.
3 months to take one city! The Pyrrhic victory wasn't as devastated to the victor as Mariupol.
[URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhus_of_Epirus[/URL]
In the meantime, Ukrainians have cleaned up the Kharkov Oblast from the enemy and reached the Russian border. And the land-lease hasn't even started yet.
Hands down, huh. Keep it up, comrade.
[QUOTE=PedroMorales;2699833]On the American simpletons calling me Comrade to appear witty, the Communists are Russia's main opposition party[/QUOTE]Nice try.
"Comrade" is still the only official way to address one's superior or colleague in the Russia's Armed Forces, Police, Russian Guard, FSB, GRU and every other military or paramililtary organization in the RF.
As a dedicated info-soldier for Mother Russia you are but a comrade, so don't sell yourself short, LOL.
Capiche, Tovarisch Morales?
[URL]https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/19/opinion/putin-russia-sanctions-ukraine.html[/URL]
Short version:
1. Money flowing into Russia doesn't help if it can't be used to buy needed goods.
2. The flow of goods into Russia has dropped drastically, not only from countries formally participating in sanctions, but also from countries that aren't formally participating, including China.
3. Viewed in this context, Russia's trade surplus is a sign of weakness, as it signifies their inability to spend money outside their borders.
4. Since the current conflict has largely become a war of attrition, with significant equipment losses on both sides, time is working against Putin because of the inability to import materials, components, and parts needed to repair or replace war equipment. Ukraine, however, is being replenished by NATO and the West on an ongoing basis.
BTW, for those forum members who have a brain, and understand the difference between platforms and sources, here's the subreddit posting that points to the original article:
[URL]https://www.reddit.com/r/UkrainianConflict/comments/uumoap/opinion_how_the_west_is_strangling_putins_economy/[/URL]
And here's the same type of post on Twitter:
[URL]https://mobile.twitter.com/BaldwinRE/status/1527972892746588160[/URL]
Seems you guys are all here. Go watch it. [URL]https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=1060921954507161[/URL].
Besides the American ghetto dwellers, we have some Reddit schmuck setting himself as an authority. Social media is not where to dive for the main parameters.
The mega surrenders continue.
Ukraine will probably ber divided into three part: Russian affiliated, Polish (and Romanian and Hungarian) controlled, and Zelensky's corrupt rump. Good luck bonking Nazi widows there.
[QUOTE=PedroMorales;2700152]Seems you guys are all here. Go watch it. [URL]https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=1060921954507161[/URL].
Besides the American ghetto dwellers, we have some Reddit schmuck setting himself as an authority. Social media is not where to dive for the main parameters.
The mega surrenders continue.
Ukraine will probably ber divided into three part: Russian affiliated, Polish (and Romanian and Hungarian) controlled, and Zelensky's corrupt rump. Good luck bonking Nazi widows there.[/QUOTE][URL]https://t.me/ukrainenowenglish/6520[/URL]
Quite a thought-provoking map, eh?
Funny how Russia's "partner," China, seems to be sitting on the sidelines, waiting and licking its chops for the possible (likely?) breakup of Russia.
But only delusional fools think they can predict the future. I'm satisfied with accurately observing present realities and proposing reasonable extrapolations from that body of evidence.
And there is no reality-based scenario or extrapolation in which Russia wins. With each passing day they continue to eat their "seed corn," diminishing whatever reserves they may have, while sanctions prevent any meaningful replenishment. Meanwhile, Ukraine is being continually replenished and refreshed by the US, NATO, and a coalition of freedom-loving nations.
P.S. I don't do Facebook. You can suck dick if you want, but that's not how I roll.
[URL]https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/23/russian-diplomat-to-the-un-in-geneva-resigns-over-war-in-ukraine[/URL]
"For twenty years of my diplomatic career I have seen different turns of our foreign policy, but never have I been so ashamed of my country as on February 24 of this year," Boris Bondarev (Russian diplomat, now ex-diplomat) said.
"The aggressive war unleashed by Putin against Ukraine, and in fact against the entire Western world, is not only a crime against the Ukrainian people, but also, perhaps, the most serious crime against the people of Russia," (see a viewable image of the full statement in the link below).
[URL]https://unwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/208ed848-b343-4c13-9157-760178de76bc.jpg[/URL]
Those who've read my earlier posts know I've been keeping an eye out for instances of Russian elites turning their backs on Putin and the Kremlin. This incident qualifies, IMO, because no one in Russia gets to be a career diplomat, much less assigned to the United Nations, without being a member of the "in" group and having gained the approval of other elites.
If the letter and tone is taken at face value, then it would seem Bondarev has been disaffected with the ill-advised invasion from the very beginning. Which makes me wonder if he waited until he was able to settle his affairs in Russia (family, financial, etc.) before handing in his resignation. It's not something he could have done openly, so if it took a few months that would be understandable. He's certainly burned his bridges, so there's no going back. If he doesn't already have a second passport, he'll probably be applying for political asylum soon.
The watch continues! Who will be next?
[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2700002][URL]https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/19/opinion/putin-russia-sanctions-ukraine.html[/URL]
Short version:
1. Money flowing into Russia doesn't help if it can't be used to buy needed goods.
2. The flow of goods into Russia has dropped drastically, not only from countries formally participating in sanctions, but also from countries that aren't formally participating, including China.
3. Viewed in this context, Russia's trade surplus is a sign of weakness, as it signifies their inability to spend money outside their borders.
4. Since the current conflict has largely become a war of attrition, with significant equipment losses on both sides, time is working against Putin because of the inability to import materials, components, and parts needed to repair or replace war equipment. Ukraine, however, is being replenished by NATO and the West on an ongoing basis.
BTW, for those forum members who have a brain, and understand the difference between platforms and sources, here's the subreddit posting that points to the original article:[/QUOTE]Krugman? That's your idea of third party confirmation? LOL. A prime example of the Nobel Dynomite awards degenerated to political theatre.