LOL, I think that's how 99% of controversial threads end up, they can only suppress the urge for so long...
Another signal from Biden to Zelenskyy: the war is almost over, so capture the enemy flag and force the Russians to surrender. Man Grabs Queen Elizabeth’s Coffin At Westminster Hall Lying In State, Swiftly Arrested – watch I'm not sure what this signal is supposed to indicate, but I think it means to show the Russians something they haven't seen before in broad daylight to totally repulse them and shock them into an uncontrolled retreat. Either that, or infiltrate their rear echelon and create chaos. Sexual assault reported in the queue to view Queen Elizabeth II's coffin | CNN Biden knows that he can just pick up the phone and call Zelenskyy, doesn't he?
Stay Home, Save Lives —> BLM —> I Got My Covid-19 Vaccine —> I Stand With Ukraine = manifestations of the same mass-formation psychosis.
This thread used to be very useful to me. It was a place that I could go for information that wasn’t as easy to find with a Google search. I don’t know if it was a bot or a 12 year old but somebody started posting ridiculous pro Putin propaganda. I don’t know this persons goals but putting it on ignore hasn’t worked because the thread is still polluted with people responding to the troll. If I could ignore the person and those responding to him that would be great. Don’t feed the troll please.
“It’s a ubiquitous mind virus throughout western society. Anyone — and I do mean anyone — who aggressively and consistently criticizes the foreign policy of the US and its allies in front of a sizeable audience gets branded a Russian agent by empire apologists, and this consensus is accompanied by the steadily growing opinion that Russia’s operatives and useful idiots should be banned from western platforms. Defenders of the western empire won’t admit to wanting all empire critics silenced, but that’s what you get when you combine (A) the fact that they view everyone who criticizes the empire with sufficient aggression as a Russian agent with (B) their opinion that those given to Russian influence ought to be censored. Whenever I criticize the foreign policy of the western empire I get its apologists telling me I’d never be allowed to criticize my rulers like that if I lived in a nation like Russia or China, when they know full well that if it were up to them I wouldn’t be allowed to criticize the western empire here either. They are the same as the tyrants they claim to despise.” The Trouble With ‘Western Values’ Is That Westerners Don’t Value Them
Or we can just block a poster out if we are tired of seeing their drivel and we can proceed with a semi rational discussion and fact sharing
Pro propaganda is prevalent on all sides of the war. It is up to the reader to determine the veracity of a members post. You may not like what a member posts and that is understandable. You may even be a part of majority of members that are against alternative views (Lord knows I have my own) that however does not discredit information that is relevant and should be considered.
I am a skeptic so I don’t believe anything without looking for other sources. There is a difference between alternative views and trolling with pro Russian nonsense.
The problem there is rational thoughtful posters respond to the troll. This leaves the thread still littered with nonsense. I think my responding to carpeveritas is adding to the flotsam.
Good lord, just stop posting about the guy. Put him on ignore and let this thread get back to what it’s supposed to be. Meantime, a good summary article across several fronts. For Russia's Putin, military and diplomatic pressures mount
Back on topic - It seems that further Ukrainian offensive territorial gains are still being accomplished but the "rout" in the North is slowing down a bit. Any updates anyone? Taking back Kershon would be hugely significant but I'm not sure the Ukrainians have sufficient force to accomplish that given their "feint" from South to North.
Yep, in military terms that’s called culmination. At some point, you have to halt, consolidate your gains, build up logistics, and fortify against a counterattack. Historically, many successful offensives ended up turning catastrophic because the army on offense outran its supplies and got cut off. Hopefully, the Ukrainians are wise and patient. This is still shaping up to be a long war.
Plus Ukraine has advanced eastward to the edge of the Oskil River which is a natural barrier and current defense line for the Russians.
I feel bad for anyone who thinks that Russia was "provoked" into starting this war. Yes, Russia was provoked, but all countries are provoked in various ways at one time or another. Britain and the U.S. "provoked" Japan by conspiring to cut off Japan's oil supplies (which they were planning not on buying, but taking forcibly from other countries). The U.S. further "provoked" Japan by refusing to buy silk from Japan when nylon production ramped up in the U.S. Does that justify Pearl Harbor? Countries are provoked all the time. Normally, things get resolved peacefully or through tariffs, trade sanctions and other non-violent means. It takes a much higher level of provocation to justify warfare. To have a comparison on a personal level, this is similar to a racist finding out that a black family was moving in next door, and the black family was planning on joining the NAACP. Would this justify the racist burning their house down and killing a couple of their kids? Of course not. Would the racist claim he was provoked? Maybe. NATO was not a threat to Russia as long as Russia did not attack their neighbors. It's a defensive organization. Does Russia have the right to attack one of their neighbors without the rest of the neighborhood jumping to that country's defense? It seems that Russia wants to maintain that "right". And for them to have that right, then their neighbors have to give up their right to assemble and defend each other. Was Ukraine's unwillingness to give up their rights something that should legitimately provoke Russia to war? Or is this war more of a matter of murder, theft, and intimidation on the part of Russia, with a thin veneer of the West taking Russia's rights (the right to violently attack neighbors) away from them? The U.S. does have the Monroe Doctrine, and we used it in the 1960's to remove Russian missiles from Cuba, but we did not go to war with Cuba (other than the Bay of Pigs idiocy). This war is just a continuation of the 2014 annexation of Crimea, which was also illegal, unjustified, and unprovoked.
