Seen on the street in Kyiv.

Words of Advice:

"If Something Seems To Be Too Good To Be True, It's Best To Shoot It, Just In Case." -- Fiona Glenanne

“The Mob takes the Fifth. If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?” -- The TOFF *

"Foreign Relations Boil Down to Two Things: Talking With People or Killing Them." -- Unknown

“Speed is a poor substitute for accuracy.” -- Real, no-shit, fortune from a fortune cookie

"If you believe that you are talking to G-d, you can justify anything.” — my Dad

"Colt .45s; putting bad guys in the ground since 1873." -- Unknown

"Stay Strapped or Get Clapped." -- probably not Mr. Rogers

"The Dildo of Karma rarely comes lubed." -- Unknown

"Eck!" -- George the Cat

* "TOFF" = Treasonous Orange Fat Fuck, A/K/A Dolt-45,
A/K/A Commandante (or Cadet) Bone Spurs,
A/K/A El Caudillo de Mar-a-Lago, A/K/A the Asset., A/K/A P01135809

Sunday, January 30, 2022

Some More Thoughts on Ukraine

First off, let's dispense with one thing: Tucker Carlson is not an authority on anything. My opinion is that if he's someone you're relying on, no dice. The Right would probably not accept my quoting Rachel Maddow, even though she has a degree in public policy from Stamford and a doctorate in politics from Oxford. Let me say this plainly: If Tucker said the Sun was going to come up tomorrow, I'd buy every fucking battery that I could get my hands on.

Second, as to the dismissal of the "borders are sancrosant" argument, that's not a good place to hang one's hat. Since the end of the Second World War, it has been the global norm that borders are not adjusted by force. It is one of the reasons why wars between neighboring nations have become rather uncommon.

Third, the Russians and their toadies are arguing that Ukrane is not really a country. If they are not, then are Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia countries? They were part of the USSR. Finland was part of the Russian Empire, is Finland a country?

Fourth, if Russia has complaints about missile systems in Europe, it has only itself to blame for that. Even TFG's administration couldn't look past Russia's ongoing violations of the 1987 INF Treaty.

Ukraine has diplomatic relations with about 180 nations. Contrast that with the Republic of China, aka Taiwan, which could easily fit the ambassadors of every nation that recognizes it in a hotel shuttle bus.

Speaking of Taiwan, care to bet how many of those arguing to stay out of this Russian-made mess would take the same tack if the People's Repubic of China decided to ramp up the pressure against Taiwan, from, say, blockading the island? How many of those arguing to let putin do as he wants would argue that "oh, Taiwan is not really a country"? I'm betting that there would be significant defections from the "do nothing on Ukraine" caucus.

What Putin wants isn't hard to understand. He wants to regain Russia's sphere of influence over its neighbors. He wants the rest of Europe to kowtow to Russia. He wants NATO and the Americans gone.

But what he has done, especially in the last six years, has had the opposite effect. Ukraine has had pro-Russian governments in the past, but that's not going to happen anytime soon, not with Russia fucking around in the Donbass region with its "little green men" war and with annexing the Crimean peninsula. Ukranians that were pro-Russian have changed their minds, thanks to Putin. Russian aggressiveness has stiffended the spines of the other nations in eastern Europe. Sweden and Finland, which were pretty much sitting on the sidelines during the Cold War, are growing closer to NATO.

Putin has backed his country into a corner where, regardless of the outcome, he loses.

8 comments:

0_0 said...

No, Carlson is not an authority on anything.
But he and Fox (and other outlets) serve to report events and facts that are ignored or suppressed by most outlets.

Frank Wilhoit said...

Losing is one thing. Knowing you lost is another.

Tod Germanica said...

0_0
Gonna need a big buttload of citations showing where Fux and this fucking murderer Carlson have told the truth even once.
And not RT, ONAN, Daily Schturmer, Volscicheter Beobachter, Правда or any other treasonous nazi propaganda source.

Ten Bears said...

All these years I thought it was the democrats that were soft on Russia.

Five years ago a "conservative" wouldn't have been caught dead appeasing the reds ...

Stewart Dean said...

Russian: Resistance and defense is aggression!!!!

Jones, Jon Jones said...

That tracks 5X5.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FKMfgvLWUAcuQzj?format=jpg&name=large

Comrade Misfit said...

Going off TFG’s new website, there is no Правда in Truth (social).

dinthebeast said...

Ten Bears: Paul Manafort was.

-Doug in Sugar Pine