The Crazy SOB Actually Did it!

[Rev. Powell]

One issue I have is why isn't Israel selling it's anti-missile tech,  ''iron dome'', to Ukraine?

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/russia-warns-israel-against-sending-weapons-to-ukraine

[lester1/2jr]

this thing is never going to end. both sides look at it as existential to win

[ER]

A few months back I posted a link to Natasha's Adventures, the YouTube channel of a young woman who lives in the far east of Russia. I first came across her channel several years ago in better times in her country and was charmed by her.

Well, I just thought I'd note that Natasha's most recent video was a month ago and was her briefly telling the world she was going off to join a large anti-Putin rally planned in the city, and that she fully expected to be sent to prison. In fact she spoke of being harassed and followed by the police for some time.

As I mentioned that was a month ago, she has added no new content to her channel since, and clearly this is worrisome.

There are many courageous people in Russia who oppose Putin and his war, and I hope they see better times as a result of their brave stance.

And wherever she is, I hope Natasha is all right.

[LilCerberus]

Here's a quick geography lesson. This is the Russian Federation. Only the gray areas are Russia, the rest are all ethnic countries under Russian control.

[Rev. Powell]

My Russian Facebook friend says half his family has left the country and he's planning on leaving, too. He writes "I hide 95% of my thoughts."

[Morpheus, the unwoke.]

Here's more bad news for bearland...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t-pdZSv7G10&t=518s

Russia has a real shortage of healthy young people, and putin is basically throwing away tens of thousands of them in this war.


Honest to ghawd, I think Putin may end up having to make  child birth mandatory in Russia. Maybe a lot of people don't remember how that worked for for Czecholslovakia under Nicolae Ceaușescu,  but it created a hell on earth for hundreds of thousands of children and lead to the a violent revolution and execution of the (fatherless boy) who instigated it.

Personally I'm OK with the thought of Putin stretching a rope,  doing the spandau ballet,  twisting in the wind,  etc.

[ER]

Here's more bad news for bearland...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t-pdZSv7G10&t=518s

Russia has a real shortage of healthy young people, and putin is basically throwing away tens of thousands of them in this war.


Honest to ghawd, I think Putin may end up having to make  child birth mandatory in Russia. Maybe a lot of people don't remember how that worked for for Czecholslovakia under Nicolae Ceaușescu,  but it created a hell on earth for hundreds of thousands of children and lead to the a violent revolution and execution of the (fatherless boy) who instigated it.

Personally I'm OK with the thought of Putin stretching a rope,  doing the spandau ballet,  twisting in the wind,  etc.

Yeah it's a mess sven things like that happen.
PS: Romania.

[LilCerberus]

There's an armed movement for independence in Bashkortostan.....

[lester1/2jr]

They need to end this thing now before a nuclear war breaks out.

[Alex]

this thing is never going to end. both sides look at it as existential to win

Not going to happen while that condition exists.

[Morpheus, the unwoke.]

The scary thing is that Russia has no good place to go, so it really has nothing to lose by going big, in war terms.

Their population is heading for a crisis, their only major economic leg is gas exports and now Europe wants to find alternative energy sources, they've become a global pariah and have reneged on so much debt they have no real direction to turn to...  There's no light at the end of russia's tunnell. They might feel like crashing the whole world with them. They have fairly little to lose.

Maybe the world ends up paying them what amounts to extortion money because punping a couple trillion into Russia a year is cheaper than them pulling the ultimate ''crazy ivan''. Maybe Russia ends up become a laboratory experiment is rebuilding a failed state that's too big and dangerous to let collapse. Russia becomes a massive experiment in creating a whole new society. Could be fascinating or at least interesting, as in 'interesting times'.

[LilCerberus]

^I dunno...^
Russia has been selling their natural gas & oil to China, & buying those Kamikaze drones from Iran....

Ukraine wants to buy weapons from Israel, but allies & enemies on both sides have warned against this....

Meanwhile, nearly five thousand US troops have been stationed near the Ukraine border....

[lester1/2jr]

^ indeed. Remember when Biden said we weren't going to get involved? We're arming Ukraine to the teeth and paying their governments salaries.

Did someone mention "democracy"? How about we let the regions loyal to Russia be a part of it and put this whole thing to bed.

I'm not the world's biggest Obama fan, but in retrospect I'm glad he beat mcCain or all this stuff would probably have happened in 2009. the pentagon knows they have a sucker on the line now

[lester1/2jr]

Eventually we're going to have it out on this one again. maybe not tonight but ...at some point.  

[ralfy]

From Jeffrey Sachs:

https://twitter.com/steve_hanke/status/1585475624537235456