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Here’s a new Open Thread for all of you. To minimize the load, please continue to limit your Tweets or place them under a MORE tag.

Over the last few weeks, prominent alt-Covid websites have published a series of articles supporting my analysis of the origins of the global pandemic, while my video podcast interviews from last year picked up another 500,000 views in January, easily a one-month record:

https://www.unz.com/runz/why-the-lab-leak-theory-is-almost-certainly-false/

And Col. Douglas Macgregor just had a new interview presenting his views on the Russia-Ukraine war:

 
• Category: Foreign Policy • Tags: Open Thread, Russia, Ukraine 
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  1. If there really are only 25 million Ukies in Ukraine left there’s no Ukraine there. The entire territory is just a garrison zone already.

    • Replies: @AnonfromTN
    @Wokechoke


    If there really are only 25 million Ukies in Ukraine left there’s no Ukraine there. The entire territory is just a garrison zone already.
     
    Nobody knows how many Ukies there were in Ukraine before Russian SMO started. Estimates differ widely, from ~43 to ~25 million. The last proper census in Ukraine was in 2001. After SMO started, several millions moved to various EU countries, several millions moved to Russia, a few hundred thousand moved to Belarus. So, how many are left is anybody’s guess. One thing is clear: a lot fewer conscription-worthy are left than the regime would like. Now Ukie males are warned against going to Ukie embassies and consulates in the EU, as instead of help they get conscription notices.

    Mobilization in Ukiestan now involves forced conscription of the unlucky males caught in the street, in shops, in churches, and even in funeral processions of those conscripted earlier. Ukraine officially declared mobilization of those with limited conscription-worthiness (e.g., people with diseases, poor eyesight, and minor deformities). There was a scandal recently when conscription notice was handed to a guy born w/o hands. With several hundred soldiers killed or captured every day, Ukraine experiences severe shortage of cannon fodder. There is talk about conscription of women. It is anybody’s guess what happens sooner: collapse of the current Kiev regime or conscription of females in Ukiestan.

    Replies: @AP

    , @AP
    @Wokechoke

    Ukraine had 25 million people in 1900.

    Replies: @Wokechoke, @songbird

  2. @Wokechoke
    If there really are only 25 million Ukies in Ukraine left there's no Ukraine there. The entire territory is just a garrison zone already.

    Replies: @AnonfromTN, @AP

    If there really are only 25 million Ukies in Ukraine left there’s no Ukraine there. The entire territory is just a garrison zone already.

    Nobody knows how many Ukies there were in Ukraine before Russian SMO started. Estimates differ widely, from ~43 to ~25 million. The last proper census in Ukraine was in 2001. After SMO started, several millions moved to various EU countries, several millions moved to Russia, a few hundred thousand moved to Belarus. So, how many are left is anybody’s guess. One thing is clear: a lot fewer conscription-worthy are left than the regime would like. Now Ukie males are warned against going to Ukie embassies and consulates in the EU, as instead of help they get conscription notices.

    Mobilization in Ukiestan now involves forced conscription of the unlucky males caught in the street, in shops, in churches, and even in funeral processions of those conscripted earlier. Ukraine officially declared mobilization of those with limited conscription-worthiness (e.g., people with diseases, poor eyesight, and minor deformities). There was a scandal recently when conscription notice was handed to a guy born w/o hands. With several hundred soldiers killed or captured every day, Ukraine experiences severe shortage of cannon fodder. There is talk about conscription of women. It is anybody’s guess what happens sooner: collapse of the current Kiev regime or conscription of females in Ukiestan.

    • Replies: @AP
    @AnonfromTN

    Keep in mind that AnoninTN is the guy who just recently claimed that Ukrainians were banned from the city of Lviv prior to Soviet rule there. He likes to share exaggerations or fake rumors.

    I have plenty of male relatives who are in Ukraine and are willing to fight if called to do so but haven’t been mobilized (yet) because they aren’t needed due to not having had any military experience. Ukraine isn’t close to the point where every male they can find is in the military.

    Replies: @china-russia-all-the-way, @Gerard1234

  3. @AnonfromTN
    @Wokechoke


    If there really are only 25 million Ukies in Ukraine left there’s no Ukraine there. The entire territory is just a garrison zone already.
     
    Nobody knows how many Ukies there were in Ukraine before Russian SMO started. Estimates differ widely, from ~43 to ~25 million. The last proper census in Ukraine was in 2001. After SMO started, several millions moved to various EU countries, several millions moved to Russia, a few hundred thousand moved to Belarus. So, how many are left is anybody’s guess. One thing is clear: a lot fewer conscription-worthy are left than the regime would like. Now Ukie males are warned against going to Ukie embassies and consulates in the EU, as instead of help they get conscription notices.

    Mobilization in Ukiestan now involves forced conscription of the unlucky males caught in the street, in shops, in churches, and even in funeral processions of those conscripted earlier. Ukraine officially declared mobilization of those with limited conscription-worthiness (e.g., people with diseases, poor eyesight, and minor deformities). There was a scandal recently when conscription notice was handed to a guy born w/o hands. With several hundred soldiers killed or captured every day, Ukraine experiences severe shortage of cannon fodder. There is talk about conscription of women. It is anybody’s guess what happens sooner: collapse of the current Kiev regime or conscription of females in Ukiestan.

    Replies: @AP

    Keep in mind that AnoninTN is the guy who just recently claimed that Ukrainians were banned from the city of Lviv prior to Soviet rule there. He likes to share exaggerations or fake rumors.

    I have plenty of male relatives who are in Ukraine and are willing to fight if called to do so but haven’t been mobilized (yet) because they aren’t needed due to not having had any military experience. Ukraine isn’t close to the point where every male they can find is in the military.

    • Agree: Mr. Hack
    • Replies: @china-russia-all-the-way
    @AP

    Do your male relatives think about the future after victory? Ukraine joins the EU and values are imposed on it. The two most controversial ones are (1) mandatory exposure of transsexual content to young children and (2) acceptance of Muslim refugees.

    Replies: @AP

    , @Gerard1234
    @AP


    Keep in mind that AnoninTN is the guy who just recently claimed that Ukrainians were banned from the city of Lviv prior to Soviet rule there. He likes to share exaggerations or fake rumors.
     
    LMAO. Lvov was 7.8% "Ukrainian" before the Soviets came you POS.

    You need a residual amount to shovel shit off the street and work as prostitutes. To anybody who knows anything about the place, anybody who is not some fantasist, autistic nutjob......they were BANNED from Lvov LMAO!!! In Apartheid South Africa in the most elite white districts, where Africans were curfewed from walking on the streets, from going outside or into various buildings or owning property etc - you would still have a residual amount working as maids, gardeners etc you thick retard - the exact same thing in Lvov. Live there freely ?No- i.e BANNED, sell some produce grown outside the city at the market for a few hours in the morning ?- that and not much more. Also amusing that the street that you have never been to , in a city of Lvov you have never been to, in a country you have never been to........where the place they did historically congregate and live at in A-H time was "Ruska". Not one single street or road or monument named after or describing "Ukrainian" you thick POS.

    In austistic non-life spamtroll logic , because 2000 Jews or whatever number remained in Poland in 1946 - then there was no mass murder of them! Thats the idiocy is disputing that Lvov was populated by Jews and Poles and the Galician ukros were definitively banned from there.


    More Galician non-citizens ran to the forests and mountains, and probably started evicting rabbits from their warrens ( because they are impotent scumbags who cant fight anything else)......for several years after that census because Polish repression, understandable when 2 groups of dickheads and retards get together - increased plenty more after that last census. My guess is not even 2% of August 1939 Lvov population were Galician ukrops.

    Serbs and Armenians were better treated, had much higher rights and better lives than Galiciain ukrops in Lvov during A-H time and under Polish state.

    If anything, excluding the violence, Jews had HIGHER level of rights in Nazi Germany until 1939, certainly until 1938.......than Galician "Ukrainians" had in Lvov or even extending into the surrounding rural areas!!!!!!

    Thats the pitiful joke we are dealing with here. It must kill a sociopathic non-life fuckwit as yourself that an honest and intellectual guy like AnonFromTN is from Lvov and knows the area well and can expose the WEIRD and blatant BS a freak as yourself tries to spam on here. I know ukronationalists from Lvov and NONE of them would even try to come up with this idiotic "argumentation" or dispute the ban. Only some trash, not even ignorant diaspora would write this deranged nonsense.

    7.8% , LOL!!!!!!!!
  4. @Wokechoke
    If there really are only 25 million Ukies in Ukraine left there's no Ukraine there. The entire territory is just a garrison zone already.

    Replies: @AnonfromTN, @AP

    Ukraine had 25 million people in 1900.

    • Replies: @Wokechoke
    @AP

    https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/ukraine-population

    It's quite interesting to see the projection.

    Replies: @AnonfromTN, @songbird

    , @songbird
    @AP

    Not in the same age and sex cohorts. Not in a world where the West was woke and hyper-invaded, and the Global South exploding in population, and Russia taking in millions of gastarbeiters.
    ____
    It appears to me that two of Aaron B's Unz-wishes have been granted. I hope he thinks carefully, before spending his last one.

    As to me, of course, I wish Daniel, Yellowface_Anon, and GR (and others) would return.

    I have been especially thinking about that weird twitterpost where someone evidenced an idea to use the wombs of dead women, to gestate babies. Extremely creepy! And I wonder if they would go for quintuplets or greater each time, since wouldn't have the same concerns for the mother. Maybe, one could even make a sort of moral argument for breaking the taboo (still quite disturbing), like reproducing the genes of the dead person if the eggs work (really creepy), or collateral relatives reproducing their own genes (which would include some of the same ones.) But I am not arguing for it, and find it pretty Satanic.

    Anyway, I keep thinking about what sort of person it took to invent the idea for these liche-wombs. Was it someone who played as a liche-knight in Warcraft? Or someone who played D&D? Or who worked part time in a morgue? Or some really weird psychopath, with very strange mental outlooks and out-of-the-box thinking? Maybe, just the average scientist? (Such as the ones who unleashed Covid)

  5. MacGregor continues to predict total Russian victory in 10 days. This is now the 34th time he has done so. Wrong 34 times in a row! Maybe he’ll be right the 35th?

    Russian casualities 150,000. For dead, divide by 2.5.

    Ukrainian casualities 90,000. For dead, divide by 3.

    Both sides are more conservative with their manpower than is usually believed.

    Ukraine has a far superior military to when the war began. Russia has twice the manpower but degraded effectiveness. This says what you need to know about the future trajectory and is near undeniable.

    Putin is like a Looney Tunes character who has run off a cliff. He’ll fall as soon as he is honest and he looks down. That is why he drags this war on. He has no idea what else to do, even though there is no path to victory for him. Russia can’t take any significant city, can’t cause major attrition on the Ukrainians and can’t conduct decisive manouevres. Instead, they are bogged down fighting for tiny settlements with their full forces and shelling empty trenches with wild inaccuracy. Meanwhile, the Ukrainians continue to attrit them with HIMARS and ambushes in defence.

    The gas weapon failed. Western economies are not even going into recession this year. No foreign aid has been given to Russia, so Russian diplomacy is failed too. The sum of their efforts being to sell gas and oil at half price in exchange for a few countries being willing to say neutral words for them at the UN and invite Putin to coffee! That’s some expensive coffee!

    Meanwhile, developed democracy financial commitments to Ukraine are minor though rising, and they aren’t going to stop, given they are 0.something % of GDP.

    Possibly the Ukrainians will advance on Melitopol as soon as the ground dries and this war will be over. Possibly the map will look much like now when going into 2024 and the Russian elections.

    Either way it is a disaster for Eastern Slavs, a black mark on everyone who supported Putin’s aggression, and revealing of how ludicrously stupid most “dissidents” are. They literally cannot remember a week ago nor be even borderline coherent. Perhaps it is unsurprising that 80% of them are the most defective people in the West. Just look through their comment histories and past article predictions. I’ve never seen any movement more obviously revealed as insane and incompetent!

    • LOL: Mikhail
    • Replies: @Grahamsno(G64)
    @Leaves No Shadow

    They still haven't got Bakhmut you're right how much ever my heart want's Russians to win. Objective facts have to be registered in minds of intellectually honest observers Ukraines has badly mauled the bear thanks to their valiant sons who have stood their grounds and have perished by their tens of thousands. One of the greatest military upsets in history, Who would have thought that what a catastrophic failure of Russian Intelligence to underestimate their will to fight and die and get blown up by the relentless Russian shelling and still not yield.

    Of course the West's humongous military support factors in the equation but it's the secondary factor just like the lend and lease in the second world war what use would have it been if the Russians just threw in the towel.

    All cheers to these valiant sons of Ukraine

    But, there's always a but

    At this point they should decide on a Finland Gen Man.. approach and make some kind of shitty deal with Russia. It will be ugly and it's pointless to sacrifice the most precious thing in the cosmos

    Young men

    AP, Mr. Hack, LATw

    Drunken, Rapist, bumbling, stumbling Ivan always finally gets his act together and then they are lethal totally... make some kind of deal they're getting better all the time and when they break through the second defend line finally, all the east of the River will be lost.

    I am an Indian and we have a soft spot for Russia they helped us in the infancy of our modern Republic, it's not just the defence equipment overwhelmingly Russian but something deeper.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

  6. @AP
    @Wokechoke

    Ukraine had 25 million people in 1900.

    Replies: @Wokechoke, @songbird

    https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/ukraine-population

    It’s quite interesting to see the projection.

    • Replies: @AnonfromTN
    @Wokechoke


    It’s quite interesting to see the projection.
     
    As we all know, linear projections are rarely correct. This one assumes that suicidal course of the current regime will continue. However, regimes change, and the fortunes of countries change accordingly. If Ukraine gets rid of (or is forced to get rid of) quasi-Nazi Banderite scum, its future might not be as glum as this projection suggests.
    , @songbird
    @Wokechoke

    As soon as a truce is called, the line will shoot up, as new blacks arrive. (don't expect the old ones to return.)

    That's one of the fallacies of these graphs: they don't allow for immigration. Should at least have two lines. And one based on the last twenty years of the UK, France, Germany, Ireland (with a final picture of what a Ukrainian is supposed to look like in 2100.) Even if one wouldn't project the same rate, it is not any less logical than a decline to zero, but about trying to project different trends.

  7. @AP
    @Wokechoke

    Ukraine had 25 million people in 1900.

    Replies: @Wokechoke, @songbird

    Not in the same age and sex cohorts. Not in a world where the West was woke and hyper-invaded, and the Global South exploding in population, and Russia taking in millions of gastarbeiters.
    ____
    It appears to me that two of Aaron B’s Unz-wishes have been granted. I hope he thinks carefully, before spending his last one.

    As to me, of course, I wish Daniel, Yellowface_Anon, and GR (and others) would return.

    [MORE]

    I have been especially thinking about that weird twitterpost where someone evidenced an idea to use the wombs of dead women, to gestate babies. Extremely creepy! And I wonder if they would go for quintuplets or greater each time, since wouldn’t have the same concerns for the mother. Maybe, one could even make a sort of moral argument for breaking the taboo (still quite disturbing), like reproducing the genes of the dead person if the eggs work (really creepy), or collateral relatives reproducing their own genes (which would include some of the same ones.) But I am not arguing for it, and find it pretty Satanic.

    Anyway, I keep thinking about what sort of person it took to invent the idea for these liche-wombs. Was it someone who played as a liche-knight in Warcraft? Or someone who played D&D? Or who worked part time in a morgue? Or some really weird psychopath, with very strange mental outlooks and out-of-the-box thinking? Maybe, just the average scientist? (Such as the ones who unleashed Covid)

  8. @Wokechoke
    @AP

    https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/ukraine-population

    It's quite interesting to see the projection.

    Replies: @AnonfromTN, @songbird

    It’s quite interesting to see the projection.

    As we all know, linear projections are rarely correct. This one assumes that suicidal course of the current regime will continue. However, regimes change, and the fortunes of countries change accordingly. If Ukraine gets rid of (or is forced to get rid of) quasi-Nazi Banderite scum, its future might not be as glum as this projection suggests.

  9. @Wokechoke
    @AP

    https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/ukraine-population

    It's quite interesting to see the projection.

    Replies: @AnonfromTN, @songbird

    As soon as a truce is called, the line will shoot up, as new blacks arrive. (don’t expect the old ones to return.)

    That’s one of the fallacies of these graphs: they don’t allow for immigration. Should at least have two lines. And one based on the last twenty years of the UK, France, Germany, Ireland (with a final picture of what a Ukrainian is supposed to look like in 2100.) Even if one wouldn’t project the same rate, it is not any less logical than a decline to zero, but about trying to project different trends.

  10. I keep going back and forth on Russia v Ukraine, so I want to take this post to layout the bear and bull case for Russia.

    Bear:
    1. Ukraine has essentially unlimited manpower so just killing lot’s of Ukrainians won’t win Russia the war
    2. Whatever problems the US has, it isn’t going anywhere in the next 10 years so Ukraine will never run out of weaponry either
    3. Ukraine has superior military technology
    4. Ukraine’s army is likely to become more effective with time as it is brought up to Western standards
    5. Russia’s politicized and disjointed army is slow to make adjustments

    Bull:
    1. Russia also has infinite manpower and whereas Ukraine has already had to resort to press ganging, Russia is unlikely to be forced to take such measures until late this year at the earliest
    2. Technology alone doesn’t win wars. Ukraine’s advantage in technology will mean more favorable exchange ratios for themselves, but the tech edge will not be enough to defeat Russia. Russia has shown the ability to counter every bit of Western technology that Ukraine has deployed and there is no reason not to expect that to continue
    3. It remains unclear just how far the West is willing to go. Germany, Italy, France and Hungary are already looking for a way out and Turkey clearly does not want a total Russian defeat. The West will be in recession starting in May and aid to Ukraine is going to grow increasingly unpopular in America with time.
    4. China does not want a Russian defeat and will ensure Russia has enough support to continue fighting indefinitely
    5. Even if Ukraine regains all of it’s territory, including the pre invasion territories, Russia will still continue to fight and the missile attacks on the Ukrainian interior will only increase with time, while the Russian homefront remains immune from Ukrainian counters

    It appears that we are at an impasse. The biggest problem right now is that Putin appears to still be holding out for total victory. The only thing that could potentially convince Russia to negotiate is a clear military defeat and/or the collapse of Putin’s government and neither of those things appears to be in the cards

    • Replies: @Sher Singh
    @Greasy William


    Anatoly Karlin @powerfultakes
    Transhumanist POC (it/its)
    interested in geopolitics, IQ augmentation,
    life extension, artificial wombs, e/acc, UBI, crypto
    @ethotaku, elephant uplift.
    Journalist ꙮpen Borders
     

    IMO if no mobilization announcement by Feb 25, 2023 then the war can be considered lost for Russia.

    Only way it doesn't happen is if Z claims about catastrophic AUF losses are correct but I wouldn't bank much on that.

    Only relevant question then becomes how much it will lose.
     


    What I am seeing right now is a one to one repetition of what was happening last summer, except that the Russian advances now are much more modest (one 10k town and villages vs. multiple 100k cities), while Ukrainians accumulate large reserves of manpower and equipment.
     

    https://twitter.com/powerfultakes/status/1621235550182064130

    https://twitter.com/Noahpinion/status/1620871202305896448

    https://twitter.com/akalcakra/status/1621067461843116035?s=20

    Replies: @Greasy William

    , @A123
    @Greasy William


    2. Whatever problems the US has, it isn’t going anywhere in the next 10 years so Ukraine will never run out of weaponry either
     
    No matter how many times you repeat this... It is still 100% fiction.

    Under the Constitution, the House starts Appropriations. Not-The-President Biden will be under pressure. And, the 🇺🇦fad🇺🇦 is running out of steam.

    The most vicious blow is that every cent of Ukraine spending will be enthusiastically audited. Without 10% For The Big Guy , funds will be channeled to expenditures that are easier to corrupt and graft. Kiev regime aggression is the gold strike that is now fully played out.

    Inertia will keep lesser sums flowing for a while longer.

    The question is, "Will France🇫🇷 & Germany🇩🇪 pick up the slack of $3-5B per month?"

    Signs point to NO. The European Empire wanted this war, but are unwilling to fund it.

    PEACE 😇
    , @AnonfromTN
    @Greasy William

    Let’s try stick to the facts we actually know.

    1. Due to population difference (Ukraine has 3.5-5.5 fewer people than Russia; the spread is because we know Russian population, but have to guess the Ukrainian one, as the last proper census in Ukraine was in 2001), Russia has huge advantage in potential manpower.

    2. The war is going on the territory Ukraine considers its own, because Russia captured a big chunk of Ukraine, and subsequently lost only a portion of it.

    3. Despite huge influx of Western weapons, Western assistance with communications and satellite/spy plane observation, Ukrainian military had only two successful local counter-offensives: the area near Kupyansk/Balakleya and near Liman. Only these two can be counted as Ukrainian successes. To minimize its casualties, after long and thorough preparations, including evacuation of civilians, Russian troops withdrew from Kherson and areas on the right side of Dnieper. This cannot be counted as Ukrainian success as Russian army prevented Ukrainian troops from advancing on the heels of retreating RF troops, which were able to evacuate their equipment with minimal losses.

    4. Since then the RF is slowly advancing on all frontlines, inflicting huge casualties on Ukrainian troops, in soldiers and military equipment. Ukraine is throwing more and more men into the meatgrinder of Artemovsk, just like they did in Soledar, to no avail.

    That’s all we know for sure.

    Replies: @AP

    , @Gerard1234
    @Greasy William


    Ukraine has essentially unlimited manpower so just killing lot’s of Ukrainians won’t win Russia the war
     
    Wow. WTF? Did your Rabbi molest you as a kid? Don't get me mistaken - every one of your comments is silly about what is probably one of the most one-sided, dominant wars in history - but that section of your comment is particularly stupid.

    Mobilisation rate in the Great Patriotic war was about 7% you dummy. Total war. Highest-intensity conflict. USSR having probably one of its highest rates ever of available young adults to conscript because of the population explosion in the mid-1920's after USSR fully consolidated........and despite all that necessity and appropriate conditions - mobilisation rate could not exceed 7%.

    Ukronazis are getting incinerated at extremely high rates by our heavily outnumbered heroes in a very localised conflict of, overall in comparison to GPW, medium intensity . This after 6 waves of mobilisation. Any imbecile can see where this is going.

    To me its clear that "Ukraine"/fuckheadistan has less than 20 million people living in this decrepit failed state since the war....not much better than 25 milllion just before SMO. But if you take the figure of 25 million, than that's 11 million men (much lower death rates of women than men in ex USSR, so not assuming 12.5M). Extremely low birth rates of kids this millenium in 404 would show maybe 2 million of them are boys, 3 million of them pension-age men. You could argue up to a million men of working adult age are simply physically and or mentally unfit to perform military duties. That's 5 million men who could be mobilised . I could just add a few thousand and put 10% component of women in to make it 6 million soldiers. 7% mobilised of the 25 million is 1.7 million. You can add police, border guard and others as out of that 1.7 million, although probably should include Ukropgvardia - but the numbers will still be closer to 1.7M than to 2Million.

    You could argue that the usual factors restraining maximum numbers on the frontline - the need for people working to keep the country to keep running, the need for wartime industrial capacities and businesses to be maximimised so as to support the war effort and make any military action possible.....is neutered by 404's long-time self-destroyed, and SMO destroyed industries anyway, already dead economy .....which correspondingly is neutered by the whole open-border military-supply capacity from NATO via EU states that can't be targeted (unlike Hitlers massive industrial capacity with most of continental Europe area producing for it - which at least could be targeted at source) .....and all the women and children who are out of the country which all in turn help maximise the number of male soldiers. But that argument would be wrong.

    A HUGE proportion of this 1.7 million is currently chemically transferring into good fertiliser already. A HUGE proportion of this 1.7 million ( max potential) is currently permanently crippled despite the best efforts of german hospitals. A huge proportion will be unable or unwilling to fight against professional soldiers . IF the aim of ours is to liberate all Novorossiyan territories, then a still big proportion of the 1.7 million could never ever be transferred from Kiev/ North or Galicia to fight in the South and East.
    Bullet wounds are a fraction in comparison to wounds from heavy artillery in the SMO- incredibly more than in any arena of WW2, Vietnam, Korea etc - all of which favours continued disproportionate ukronazi casualties in comparison to ours.

    Stop regurgitating anglo-american subhuman propaganda you clown. Any sane person can see this is going very well

    Replies: @Beckow, @Leaves No Shadow

    , @RadicalCenter
    @Greasy William

    Appreciate the attempt to lay out pros and cons here, but the summary starts with an obviously wrong premise: that the anti-Russian ukrainians have an effectively unlimited supply of fighting men.

    NO. China and India may have an effectively unlimited supply of soldiers, but a small, old, further aging, declining population like the ukraine's does not.

    Would like to see your cogent comment revised with that key assumption removed. Wouldn't it change the guesstimate of the outcome?

    Replies: @Greasy William

  11. Was AOC in the theater club in high school? I am genuinely curious.

    I feel she has the janky movements of an enthusiast who wants to lose herself in the role, if not exactly the poise and diction of a good performer.

    • Replies: @songbird
    @songbird

    Sorry, but the clip is so good, I have to post it:
    https://twitter.com/Sargon_of_Akkad/status/1621209551948156931?s=20&t=hSX4WKM_ZrXInTvD8R_UCA

    I'm also quite curious about the black lady behind her. Her movements must be the influence of a black church, right? And not natural and genetic? Or, maybe, A and B, bioculture? Wonder if one would see the same in South African Parliament or UK Parliament.

    I'm not following the story too closely, but I am kind of shocked they removed Omar from the foreign relations committee because of what she said about Israel, and that AOC needed to cast it in terms the racism and sexism of Republicans. I thought they would tolerate one BIPOC loose cannon on Israel. Guess I was wrong.

    https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/02/02/republicans-vote-oust-omar-foreign-relations-house/11154970002/

    Replies: @Greasy William

  12. @songbird
    Was AOC in the theater club in high school? I am genuinely curious.

    I feel she has the janky movements of an enthusiast who wants to lose herself in the role, if not exactly the poise and diction of a good performer.

    Replies: @songbird

    Sorry, but the clip is so good, I have to post it:

    [MORE]

    I’m also quite curious about the black lady behind her. Her movements must be the influence of a black church, right? And not natural and genetic? Or, maybe, A and B, bioculture? Wonder if one would see the same in South African Parliament or UK Parliament.

    I’m not following the story too closely, but I am kind of shocked they removed Omar from the foreign relations committee because of what she said about Israel, and that AOC needed to cast it in terms the racism and sexism of Republicans. I thought they would tolerate one BIPOC loose cannon on Israel. Guess I was wrong.

    https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/02/02/republicans-vote-oust-omar-foreign-relations-house/11154970002/

    • Replies: @Greasy William
    @songbird

    Omar is one of those politicians who is equally reviled by both the Republican establishment and the Republican base. The Republican establishment because her Israel views and the Republican base because she is a Somali, Muslim, Feminist member of The Squad. Omar pushes everyone buttons and Republicans needed to retaliate for the Dems kicking MTG off her committees.

  13. @songbird
    @songbird

    Sorry, but the clip is so good, I have to post it:
    https://twitter.com/Sargon_of_Akkad/status/1621209551948156931?s=20&t=hSX4WKM_ZrXInTvD8R_UCA

    I'm also quite curious about the black lady behind her. Her movements must be the influence of a black church, right? And not natural and genetic? Or, maybe, A and B, bioculture? Wonder if one would see the same in South African Parliament or UK Parliament.

    I'm not following the story too closely, but I am kind of shocked they removed Omar from the foreign relations committee because of what she said about Israel, and that AOC needed to cast it in terms the racism and sexism of Republicans. I thought they would tolerate one BIPOC loose cannon on Israel. Guess I was wrong.

    https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/02/02/republicans-vote-oust-omar-foreign-relations-house/11154970002/

    Replies: @Greasy William

    Omar is one of those politicians who is equally reviled by both the Republican establishment and the Republican base. The Republican establishment because her Israel views and the Republican base because she is a Somali, Muslim, Feminist member of The Squad. Omar pushes everyone buttons and Republicans needed to retaliate for the Dems kicking MTG off her committees.

    • Thanks: songbird
  14. Sher Singh says:
    @Greasy William
    I keep going back and forth on Russia v Ukraine, so I want to take this post to layout the bear and bull case for Russia.

    Bear:
    1. Ukraine has essentially unlimited manpower so just killing lot's of Ukrainians won't win Russia the war
    2. Whatever problems the US has, it isn't going anywhere in the next 10 years so Ukraine will never run out of weaponry either
    3. Ukraine has superior military technology
    4. Ukraine's army is likely to become more effective with time as it is brought up to Western standards
    5. Russia's politicized and disjointed army is slow to make adjustments

    Bull:
    1. Russia also has infinite manpower and whereas Ukraine has already had to resort to press ganging, Russia is unlikely to be forced to take such measures until late this year at the earliest
    2. Technology alone doesn't win wars. Ukraine's advantage in technology will mean more favorable exchange ratios for themselves, but the tech edge will not be enough to defeat Russia. Russia has shown the ability to counter every bit of Western technology that Ukraine has deployed and there is no reason not to expect that to continue
    3. It remains unclear just how far the West is willing to go. Germany, Italy, France and Hungary are already looking for a way out and Turkey clearly does not want a total Russian defeat. The West will be in recession starting in May and aid to Ukraine is going to grow increasingly unpopular in America with time.
    4. China does not want a Russian defeat and will ensure Russia has enough support to continue fighting indefinitely
    5. Even if Ukraine regains all of it's territory, including the pre invasion territories, Russia will still continue to fight and the missile attacks on the Ukrainian interior will only increase with time, while the Russian homefront remains immune from Ukrainian counters

    It appears that we are at an impasse. The biggest problem right now is that Putin appears to still be holding out for total victory. The only thing that could potentially convince Russia to negotiate is a clear military defeat and/or the collapse of Putin's government and neither of those things appears to be in the cards

    Replies: @Sher Singh, @A123, @AnonfromTN, @Gerard1234, @RadicalCenter

    Anatoly Karlin @powerfultakes
    Transhumanist POC (it/its)
    interested in geopolitics, IQ augmentation,
    life extension, artificial wombs, e/acc, UBI, crypto
    @ethotaku, elephant uplift.
    Journalist ꙮpen Borders

    IMO if no mobilization announcement by Feb 25, 2023 then the war can be considered lost for Russia.

    Only way it doesn’t happen is if Z claims about catastrophic AUF losses are correct but I wouldn’t bank much on that.

    Only relevant question then becomes how much it will lose.

    What I am seeing right now is a one to one repetition of what was happening last summer, except that the Russian advances now are much more modest (one 10k town and villages vs. multiple 100k cities), while Ukrainians accumulate large reserves of manpower and equipment.

    [MORE]

    https://twitter.com/akalcakra/status/1621067461843116035?s=20

    • Replies: @Greasy William
    @Sher Singh

    1. The difference between the Ukrainian counter offensives last year vs the ones supposedly coming this year is that last year the Ukrainians attacked an unprepared and overextended Russian front where the Ukrainians had a manpower advantage at the point of attack

    2. What would does "lost" mean for Anatoly? The Ukrainians are going to conquer Moscow? Because even if Ukraine reconquers the entirety of pre 2014 Ukraine, Russia may choose to continue fighting. Russia can fight forever, can Ukraine?

    Replies: @Sher Singh, @LatW

  15. @Sher Singh
    @Greasy William


    Anatoly Karlin @powerfultakes
    Transhumanist POC (it/its)
    interested in geopolitics, IQ augmentation,
    life extension, artificial wombs, e/acc, UBI, crypto
    @ethotaku, elephant uplift.
    Journalist ꙮpen Borders
     

    IMO if no mobilization announcement by Feb 25, 2023 then the war can be considered lost for Russia.

    Only way it doesn't happen is if Z claims about catastrophic AUF losses are correct but I wouldn't bank much on that.

    Only relevant question then becomes how much it will lose.
     


    What I am seeing right now is a one to one repetition of what was happening last summer, except that the Russian advances now are much more modest (one 10k town and villages vs. multiple 100k cities), while Ukrainians accumulate large reserves of manpower and equipment.
     

    https://twitter.com/powerfultakes/status/1621235550182064130

    https://twitter.com/Noahpinion/status/1620871202305896448

    https://twitter.com/akalcakra/status/1621067461843116035?s=20

    Replies: @Greasy William

    1. The difference between the Ukrainian counter offensives last year vs the ones supposedly coming this year is that last year the Ukrainians attacked an unprepared and overextended Russian front where the Ukrainians had a manpower advantage at the point of attack

    2. What would does “lost” mean for Anatoly? The Ukrainians are going to conquer Moscow? Because even if Ukraine reconquers the entirety of pre 2014 Ukraine, Russia may choose to continue fighting. Russia can fight forever, can Ukraine?

    • Replies: @Sher Singh
    @Greasy William

    If Karlin is predicting a swift Russian defeat then it may be a slow Russian victory.
    Similar to the Kiev falling in 48 hrs thing.

    Below more - thread on the Iron Stick Lamas or martial Bon Monks of Tibet.
    They protect Buddhist monastaries, but follow Bon.

    https://twitter.com/Yellowriver478/status/1607209616370470914

    Click for more tweets & a 2nd thread. :pray: :crossed_swords:

    , @LatW
    @Greasy William


    What would does “lost” mean for Anatoly?
     
    That they not only cannot move further, but probably will lose some areas in the South. That would already be considered a loss for RU imperial nationalists.

    The Ukrainians are going to conquer Moscow?
     
    No, but there could be political consequences.

    Because even if Ukraine reconquers the entirety of pre 2014 Ukraine, Russia may choose to continue fighting. Russia can fight forever, can Ukraine?
     
    Yes, but in that case the war will already be on their borders. If Ukrainians get the 150km range missile, which is being discussed in the most recent package, then they can strike quite deep into the Russian territory.

    Apparently, Crimea is harder to defend than the Donbas.
  16. Sher Singh says:
    @Greasy William
    @Sher Singh

    1. The difference between the Ukrainian counter offensives last year vs the ones supposedly coming this year is that last year the Ukrainians attacked an unprepared and overextended Russian front where the Ukrainians had a manpower advantage at the point of attack

    2. What would does "lost" mean for Anatoly? The Ukrainians are going to conquer Moscow? Because even if Ukraine reconquers the entirety of pre 2014 Ukraine, Russia may choose to continue fighting. Russia can fight forever, can Ukraine?

    Replies: @Sher Singh, @LatW

    If Karlin is predicting a swift Russian defeat then it may be a slow Russian victory.
    Similar to the Kiev falling in 48 hrs thing.

    Below more – thread on the Iron Stick Lamas or martial Bon Monks of Tibet.
    They protect Buddhist monastaries, but follow Bon.

    [MORE]

    Click for more tweets & a 2nd thread. :pray: :crossed_swords:

  17. In racing news the full replay of the 24 Hours of Daytona is available for streaming.

    Acura has nailed the new GTP specification. I will *homer* and root for the Cadillac cars. Alas, it will take something surprising to reach the top step of the podium.

    The official guide to cars & drivers is here:

    https://spotterguides.com/portfolio/23_imsa/

    PEACE 😇

    • Thanks: Not Raul
    • Replies: @Matra
    @A123

    How come you never have Formula E updates? it's almost like you don't consider it real racing even with its great engine sounds!

    Replies: @QCIC, @A123

  18. @Greasy William
    I keep going back and forth on Russia v Ukraine, so I want to take this post to layout the bear and bull case for Russia.

    Bear:
    1. Ukraine has essentially unlimited manpower so just killing lot's of Ukrainians won't win Russia the war
    2. Whatever problems the US has, it isn't going anywhere in the next 10 years so Ukraine will never run out of weaponry either
    3. Ukraine has superior military technology
    4. Ukraine's army is likely to become more effective with time as it is brought up to Western standards
    5. Russia's politicized and disjointed army is slow to make adjustments

    Bull:
    1. Russia also has infinite manpower and whereas Ukraine has already had to resort to press ganging, Russia is unlikely to be forced to take such measures until late this year at the earliest
    2. Technology alone doesn't win wars. Ukraine's advantage in technology will mean more favorable exchange ratios for themselves, but the tech edge will not be enough to defeat Russia. Russia has shown the ability to counter every bit of Western technology that Ukraine has deployed and there is no reason not to expect that to continue
    3. It remains unclear just how far the West is willing to go. Germany, Italy, France and Hungary are already looking for a way out and Turkey clearly does not want a total Russian defeat. The West will be in recession starting in May and aid to Ukraine is going to grow increasingly unpopular in America with time.
    4. China does not want a Russian defeat and will ensure Russia has enough support to continue fighting indefinitely
    5. Even if Ukraine regains all of it's territory, including the pre invasion territories, Russia will still continue to fight and the missile attacks on the Ukrainian interior will only increase with time, while the Russian homefront remains immune from Ukrainian counters

    It appears that we are at an impasse. The biggest problem right now is that Putin appears to still be holding out for total victory. The only thing that could potentially convince Russia to negotiate is a clear military defeat and/or the collapse of Putin's government and neither of those things appears to be in the cards

    Replies: @Sher Singh, @A123, @AnonfromTN, @Gerard1234, @RadicalCenter

    2. Whatever problems the US has, it isn’t going anywhere in the next 10 years so Ukraine will never run out of weaponry either

    No matter how many times you repeat this… It is still 100% fiction.

    Under the Constitution, the House starts Appropriations. Not-The-President Biden will be under pressure. And, the 🇺🇦fad🇺🇦 is running out of steam.

    The most vicious blow is that every cent of Ukraine spending will be enthusiastically audited. Without 10% For The Big Guy , funds will be channeled to expenditures that are easier to corrupt and graft. Kiev regime aggression is the gold strike that is now fully played out.

    Inertia will keep lesser sums flowing for a while longer.

    The question is, “Will France🇫🇷 & Germany🇩🇪 pick up the slack of $3-5B per month?”

    Signs point to NO. The European Empire wanted this war, but are unwilling to fund it.

    PEACE 😇

  19. @Greasy William
    @Sher Singh

    1. The difference between the Ukrainian counter offensives last year vs the ones supposedly coming this year is that last year the Ukrainians attacked an unprepared and overextended Russian front where the Ukrainians had a manpower advantage at the point of attack

    2. What would does "lost" mean for Anatoly? The Ukrainians are going to conquer Moscow? Because even if Ukraine reconquers the entirety of pre 2014 Ukraine, Russia may choose to continue fighting. Russia can fight forever, can Ukraine?

    Replies: @Sher Singh, @LatW

    What would does “lost” mean for Anatoly?

    That they not only cannot move further, but probably will lose some areas in the South. That would already be considered a loss for RU imperial nationalists.

    The Ukrainians are going to conquer Moscow?

    No, but there could be political consequences.

    Because even if Ukraine reconquers the entirety of pre 2014 Ukraine, Russia may choose to continue fighting. Russia can fight forever, can Ukraine?

    Yes, but in that case the war will already be on their borders. If Ukrainians get the 150km range missile, which is being discussed in the most recent package, then they can strike quite deep into the Russian territory.

    Apparently, Crimea is harder to defend than the Donbas.

  20. @Greasy William
    I keep going back and forth on Russia v Ukraine, so I want to take this post to layout the bear and bull case for Russia.

    Bear:
    1. Ukraine has essentially unlimited manpower so just killing lot's of Ukrainians won't win Russia the war
    2. Whatever problems the US has, it isn't going anywhere in the next 10 years so Ukraine will never run out of weaponry either
    3. Ukraine has superior military technology
    4. Ukraine's army is likely to become more effective with time as it is brought up to Western standards
    5. Russia's politicized and disjointed army is slow to make adjustments

    Bull:
    1. Russia also has infinite manpower and whereas Ukraine has already had to resort to press ganging, Russia is unlikely to be forced to take such measures until late this year at the earliest
    2. Technology alone doesn't win wars. Ukraine's advantage in technology will mean more favorable exchange ratios for themselves, but the tech edge will not be enough to defeat Russia. Russia has shown the ability to counter every bit of Western technology that Ukraine has deployed and there is no reason not to expect that to continue
    3. It remains unclear just how far the West is willing to go. Germany, Italy, France and Hungary are already looking for a way out and Turkey clearly does not want a total Russian defeat. The West will be in recession starting in May and aid to Ukraine is going to grow increasingly unpopular in America with time.
    4. China does not want a Russian defeat and will ensure Russia has enough support to continue fighting indefinitely
    5. Even if Ukraine regains all of it's territory, including the pre invasion territories, Russia will still continue to fight and the missile attacks on the Ukrainian interior will only increase with time, while the Russian homefront remains immune from Ukrainian counters

    It appears that we are at an impasse. The biggest problem right now is that Putin appears to still be holding out for total victory. The only thing that could potentially convince Russia to negotiate is a clear military defeat and/or the collapse of Putin's government and neither of those things appears to be in the cards

    Replies: @Sher Singh, @A123, @AnonfromTN, @Gerard1234, @RadicalCenter

    Let’s try stick to the facts we actually know.

    1. Due to population difference (Ukraine has 3.5-5.5 fewer people than Russia; the spread is because we know Russian population, but have to guess the Ukrainian one, as the last proper census in Ukraine was in 2001), Russia has huge advantage in potential manpower.

    2. The war is going on the territory Ukraine considers its own, because Russia captured a big chunk of Ukraine, and subsequently lost only a portion of it.

    3. Despite huge influx of Western weapons, Western assistance with communications and satellite/spy plane observation, Ukrainian military had only two successful local counter-offensives: the area near Kupyansk/Balakleya and near Liman. Only these two can be counted as Ukrainian successes. To minimize its casualties, after long and thorough preparations, including evacuation of civilians, Russian troops withdrew from Kherson and areas on the right side of Dnieper. This cannot be counted as Ukrainian success as Russian army prevented Ukrainian troops from advancing on the heels of retreating RF troops, which were able to evacuate their equipment with minimal losses.

    4. Since then the RF is slowly advancing on all frontlines, inflicting huge casualties on Ukrainian troops, in soldiers and military equipment. Ukraine is throwing more and more men into the meatgrinder of Artemovsk, just like they did in Soledar, to no avail.

    That’s all we know for sure.

    • Replies: @AP
    @AnonfromTN


    Due to population difference (Ukraine has 3.5-5.5 fewer people than Russia; the spread is because we know Russian population, but have to guess the Ukrainian one, as the last proper census in Ukraine was in 2001), Russia has huge advantage in potential manpower.
     
    Correct. Emphasis on potential.

    The war is going on the territory Ukraine considers its own, because Russia captured a big chunk of Ukraine, and subsequently lost only a portion of it.
     
    Mostly correct. Belgorod gets bombed occasionally.

    Despite huge influx of Western weapons, Western assistance with communications and satellite/spy plane observation, Ukrainian military had only two successful local counter-offensives: the area near Kupyansk/Balakleya and near Liman. Only these two can be counted as Ukrainian successes.
     
    False. See below:

    To minimize its casualties, after long and thorough preparations, including evacuation of civilians, Russian troops withdrew from Kherson and areas on the right side of Dnieper. This cannot be counted as Ukrainian success as Russian army prevented Ukrainian troops from advancing on the heels of retreating RF troops, which were able to evacuate their equipment
     
    Being forced to withdraw is a loss. Russia had declared Kherson its own province, yet abandoned the capital when Ukraine made Russia's position on the right bank of the Dnipro untenable. Russia took casualties around Kiev, and retreated to Belarus.

    It's better to retreat and evacuate in an orderly way with one's equipment than otherwise, but a retreat is a defeat in that theater. Such wishful thinking otherwise.

    Since then the RF is slowly advancing on all frontlines, inflicting huge casualties on Ukrainian troops, in soldiers and military equipment.
     
    That this is known for sure - false.

    We can't be sure of casualty numbers.

    Nor is Russia slowly advancing on all frontlines.

    Ukraine is throwing more and more men into the meatgrinder of Artemovsk, just like they did in Soledar, to no avail.
     
    If the casualty ratio favors Ukraine in Bakhmut (we cannot be sure know if so, or not), then it is not "to no avail."

    Replies: @QCIC, @Greasy William

  21. Iraqi Information Minister reviews
    Promethean Pirate
    Jason Reza Jorjani
    Arktos Press 2022
    188 pp

    When Wolfram published his New Kind of Science back in 2002 Cosma Shalizi wrote a review of the work with the memorable title:

    A Rare Blend of Monster Raving Egomania and Utter Batshit Insanity

    http://xahlee.info/cmaci/ca/A_Rare_Blend_of_Monster_Raving_Egomania_and_Utter_Batshit_Insanity_by_Cosma_Shalizi.txt

    A lot of readers thought Shalizi’s review was superior to the book. I cannot promise you that you are going to find this review so entertaining. But. Jorjani’s book makes Wolfram’s writing look not quite so monstrous raving batshit by comparison.

    This is a companion to the earlier reviewed Closer Encounters. Almost all of the scientific speculations present in Promethean Pirate are already covered in much more detail in that book. In case you don’t remember these include, but are not limited to:

    {time travel, the singularity, the simulation, anti-gravity flying saucer propulsion, aliens, moon bases, sub-sea alien colonies on earth, reincarnation, psychic mind rays, breakaway civilization, &c. &c. }

    I could go on but my copy of Closer Encounters is not sitting on my desk top here and really, what more you could you possibly want in addition to the elements in this set?

    The new offering of 188 pages does contain some new information. As near as I could tell all of the new information consists of personal details. The new items (I know I am leaving out something here but this is going to be more than enough):

    I.
    Jorjani is clairaudient. He hears voices giving him the greatest dope. Here is the really weird thing about that. His voice (he has hundred youtubes) is not trained except possibly by the most inept speech therapist in history. This is not the first instance of special speaking or listening powers claimed by a notable individual who speaks with a negative quantity of skill.

    To cite one example: Israel Regardie. This was the writer of the Golden Dawn magic system encyclopedia and widely respected occultist. In the words of his friend and business partner Christopher Hyatt, Regardie’s first vocal impression is that he sounds like Elmer Fudd. This guy:

    The files are there for your own examination but I am going to assert that Jason Jorjani sounds like Elmer Fudd. Or at least a lot closer to Elmer Fudd than any philosophy professor I ever heard. If John Searle takes this guy serious I am shocked. There are other similar examples.

    II.
    His main source of clairaudient data is himself, traveling back to now from the future, where he has been reincarnated. As a she.

    III.
    A very long story about how his friends Jeffrey Mishlove and Jeffrey Kripal and Jeffrey Epstein (HA HA just kidding about that last name) double crossed him and joined in the pile on when he was getting fired from his teaching gig at New Jersey Technology Institute. Also this was orchestrated by the deep state.

    IV
    Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell are in this book. I was only sort of kidding in III. Jorjani attended Dalton School where Epstein was a teacher long ago and before Jorjani’s time. One of his classmates was one of Epstein’s hos. Not sure how the experts calculate but I believe this is one degree of separation. Jorjani opines that Epstein and Maxwell are/were misunderstood genius visionaries.

    Well that’s sure one way to look at it.

    There’s more but my press deadline is in two minutes. Here is why you should read this book: it is entertaining as hell. Closest comparison is an Alan Moore graphic novel. My favorite is Providence but the fellow has many good ones. The biggest mistake in presentation is the obsession with Nordic aliens. Boo.

    I am on team Mantids.

  22. @A123
    In racing news the full replay of the 24 Hours of Daytona is available for streaming.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7b2HkIAVZHM

    Acura has nailed the new GTP specification. I will *homer* and root for the Cadillac cars. Alas, it will take something surprising to reach the top step of the podium.


    The official guide to cars & drivers is here:

    https://spotterguides.com/portfolio/23_imsa/

    PEACE 😇

    Replies: @Matra

    How come you never have Formula E updates? it’s almost like you don’t consider it real racing even with its great engine sounds!

    • LOL: A123
    • Replies: @QCIC
    @Matra

    Sacre bleu, heresy!

    It is a tragedy, since Matra's namesake produced one of the best sounding V-12 F1 engine's ever!
    To lust after the electric abominations is shameful.

    High Test >>> Batteries

    France is truly lost :(

    Replies: @Matra

    , @A123
    @Matra

    The electric motor sounds I could survive. This year's cars look like they have been pummeled with an "ugly stick".

     
    https://media.motorbox.com/image/formula-e-2023-test-valencia-tutte-le-auto-in-pista-nella-simulazione-gara/7/7/7/777917/777917-16x9-sm.jpg
     

    Seriously, who approved that design? It is hard to take seriously.
    ___

    I hope that decent English language coverage of Japan's Super GT500 racing comes back. It is awesome machinery on iconic tracks.

    PEACE 😇

    Replies: @Wanderghost

  23. @AnonfromTN
    @Greasy William

    Let’s try stick to the facts we actually know.

    1. Due to population difference (Ukraine has 3.5-5.5 fewer people than Russia; the spread is because we know Russian population, but have to guess the Ukrainian one, as the last proper census in Ukraine was in 2001), Russia has huge advantage in potential manpower.

    2. The war is going on the territory Ukraine considers its own, because Russia captured a big chunk of Ukraine, and subsequently lost only a portion of it.

    3. Despite huge influx of Western weapons, Western assistance with communications and satellite/spy plane observation, Ukrainian military had only two successful local counter-offensives: the area near Kupyansk/Balakleya and near Liman. Only these two can be counted as Ukrainian successes. To minimize its casualties, after long and thorough preparations, including evacuation of civilians, Russian troops withdrew from Kherson and areas on the right side of Dnieper. This cannot be counted as Ukrainian success as Russian army prevented Ukrainian troops from advancing on the heels of retreating RF troops, which were able to evacuate their equipment with minimal losses.

    4. Since then the RF is slowly advancing on all frontlines, inflicting huge casualties on Ukrainian troops, in soldiers and military equipment. Ukraine is throwing more and more men into the meatgrinder of Artemovsk, just like they did in Soledar, to no avail.

    That’s all we know for sure.

    Replies: @AP

    Due to population difference (Ukraine has 3.5-5.5 fewer people than Russia; the spread is because we know Russian population, but have to guess the Ukrainian one, as the last proper census in Ukraine was in 2001), Russia has huge advantage in potential manpower.

    Correct. Emphasis on potential.

    The war is going on the territory Ukraine considers its own, because Russia captured a big chunk of Ukraine, and subsequently lost only a portion of it.

    Mostly correct. Belgorod gets bombed occasionally.

    Despite huge influx of Western weapons, Western assistance with communications and satellite/spy plane observation, Ukrainian military had only two successful local counter-offensives: the area near Kupyansk/Balakleya and near Liman. Only these two can be counted as Ukrainian successes.

    False. See below:

    To minimize its casualties, after long and thorough preparations, including evacuation of civilians, Russian troops withdrew from Kherson and areas on the right side of Dnieper. This cannot be counted as Ukrainian success as Russian army prevented Ukrainian troops from advancing on the heels of retreating RF troops, which were able to evacuate their equipment

    Being forced to withdraw is a loss. Russia had declared Kherson its own province, yet abandoned the capital when Ukraine made Russia’s position on the right bank of the Dnipro untenable. Russia took casualties around Kiev, and retreated to Belarus.

    It’s better to retreat and evacuate in an orderly way with one’s equipment than otherwise, but a retreat is a defeat in that theater. Such wishful thinking otherwise.

    Since then the RF is slowly advancing on all frontlines, inflicting huge casualties on Ukrainian troops, in soldiers and military equipment.

    That this is known for sure – false.

    We can’t be sure of casualty numbers.

    Nor is Russia slowly advancing on all frontlines.

    Ukraine is throwing more and more men into the meatgrinder of Artemovsk, just like they did in Soledar, to no avail.

    If the casualty ratio favors Ukraine in Bakhmut (we cannot be sure know if so, or not), then it is not “to no avail.”

    • Replies: @QCIC
    @AP

    I still have not heard which Ukrainian air defenses have been keeping Russian bombers at bay for the past 9 months.

    My understanding is the hand held Stinger-class missiles cannot reach high and fast bombers, while Ukraine's more capable NATO missiles are destroyed as required.

    I think the Russian military is still moving on her own terms to set up the correct state of affairs after Ukraine capitulates.

    Can someone explain?

    Replies: @sudden death

    , @Greasy William
    @AP


    If the casualty ratio favors Ukraine in Bakhmut (we cannot be sure know if so, or not), then it is not “to no avail.”
     
    Although we can't know for sure, based on the information available to us now it does appear likely that Ukraine is suffering greater casualties in Bakhmut than are the Russians. This is what we would expect as Bakhmut is a Verdun type situation and Zelensky is a vain and arrogant man with a background in media who likely has a tendency to overestimate the important of optics.

    What's really interesting is that sometime in the next 3 weeks Russia is going to launch a proper, operational offensive, as opposed to tactical assaults on fortified towns. Russia has not launched such a campaign since its initial offensive petered out last summer.

    Will this new offensive be successful? I would expect not. I'm certain the Russians will achieve breakthrough, because the Ukrainian lines are so thinly stretched, but Russian C&C is clumsy and Russia lacks necessary manpower superiority for such a sweeping offensive to succeed (hence Putin's increasingly deluded threats). Further, in mobile operations, Russia's artillery advantage is much less of a factor than it is in stagnant trench warfare.

    I am predicting that the Russian invasion will be a costly failure. I think it will be somewhat similar to the German Operation Michael at the end of WWI where tremendous territorial gains were made but then quickly relinquished with both sides suffering heavy casualties but Germany losing it's offensive capability. I also think that the Ukrainian offensives that will follow in the summer and fall will also be costly failures.

    It is possible that by the end of the year both sides at least begin considering a negotiated settlement. The US would certainly be eager to broker a deal.
  24. @Matra
    @A123

    How come you never have Formula E updates? it's almost like you don't consider it real racing even with its great engine sounds!

    Replies: @QCIC, @A123

    Sacre bleu, heresy!

    It is a tragedy, since Matra’s namesake produced one of the best sounding V-12 F1 engine’s ever!
    To lust after the electric abominations is shameful.

    High Test >>> Batteries

    France is truly lost 🙁

    • Replies: @Matra
    @QCIC

    Just having a laugh. I was raised attending TT racing (bikes...and sidecars too!) on the Isle of Man and N Ireland. I've been an on again off again F1 fan since the early 1980s. This past weekend I just happened to catch about ten minutes of some Formula E race in some Sheikhdom and was immediately struck by the squealing sound of the cars. The last F1 race I attended - Indianapolis 2001 - had pretty bad engine sounds, especially when compared to the 80s turbo racing, but that Formula E sound is just horrific beyond words. What is most blackpilling is listening to even the drivers talk like woketards about the need to leave the past behind and move into the brave new world of electric cars.

    Replies: @QCIC

  25. @AP
    @AnonfromTN


    Due to population difference (Ukraine has 3.5-5.5 fewer people than Russia; the spread is because we know Russian population, but have to guess the Ukrainian one, as the last proper census in Ukraine was in 2001), Russia has huge advantage in potential manpower.
     
    Correct. Emphasis on potential.

    The war is going on the territory Ukraine considers its own, because Russia captured a big chunk of Ukraine, and subsequently lost only a portion of it.
     
    Mostly correct. Belgorod gets bombed occasionally.

    Despite huge influx of Western weapons, Western assistance with communications and satellite/spy plane observation, Ukrainian military had only two successful local counter-offensives: the area near Kupyansk/Balakleya and near Liman. Only these two can be counted as Ukrainian successes.
     
    False. See below:

    To minimize its casualties, after long and thorough preparations, including evacuation of civilians, Russian troops withdrew from Kherson and areas on the right side of Dnieper. This cannot be counted as Ukrainian success as Russian army prevented Ukrainian troops from advancing on the heels of retreating RF troops, which were able to evacuate their equipment
     
    Being forced to withdraw is a loss. Russia had declared Kherson its own province, yet abandoned the capital when Ukraine made Russia's position on the right bank of the Dnipro untenable. Russia took casualties around Kiev, and retreated to Belarus.

    It's better to retreat and evacuate in an orderly way with one's equipment than otherwise, but a retreat is a defeat in that theater. Such wishful thinking otherwise.

    Since then the RF is slowly advancing on all frontlines, inflicting huge casualties on Ukrainian troops, in soldiers and military equipment.
     
    That this is known for sure - false.

    We can't be sure of casualty numbers.

    Nor is Russia slowly advancing on all frontlines.

    Ukraine is throwing more and more men into the meatgrinder of Artemovsk, just like they did in Soledar, to no avail.
     
    If the casualty ratio favors Ukraine in Bakhmut (we cannot be sure know if so, or not), then it is not "to no avail."

    Replies: @QCIC, @Greasy William

    I still have not heard which Ukrainian air defenses have been keeping Russian bombers at bay for the past 9 months.

    My understanding is the hand held Stinger-class missiles cannot reach high and fast bombers, while Ukraine’s more capable NATO missiles are destroyed as required.

    I think the Russian military is still moving on her own terms to set up the correct state of affairs after Ukraine capitulates.

    Can someone explain?

    • Replies: @sudden death
    @QCIC

    You seem to be operating under faulty assumption, that RF is not intensively airbombing UA, because they are sort of kindhearted, but current Kremlin ruler would be more than happy to drop plenty of dumb bombs onto electrical grid or cities insted of wasting way more pricey and rarer rocketry stocks.

    UA always had and still has more than enough reliable anti-air systems (S-300 and Buk), which would make potential RF aircraft losses entirely irreplacable with current domestic production rate capabilities.

    Even absolutely hardcore old Soviet vatnik, former USSR air force colonel Viktor Alksnis, who is supporting Zoperation and wants to drop nukes on UA, is admitting it lately and explains the causes as simply usual banal incompetence and corruption in the army, which are blossoming under Putin's everlasting rule:


    In connection with the problems of our aviation, especially strike aviation, in Ukraine, when, due to serious losses, it is practically not used in the depth of the tactical, and even more so in the operational depth of the enemy’s defense, the question arises about the use of such aviation weapons that make it possible to strike at the enemy, without entering the zone of destruction of its air defense.

    Since we have been unable to suppress the air defense of Ukraine, this is the best way to solve this problem. And in this regard, we recall precise gliding bombs, which are in service with the United States and its allies and are widely used by them in military conflicts, but we don’t seem to have them in our own service, which is puzzling.
     

    https://vk.com/id701885602?w=wall701885602_57190

    Replies: @QCIC

  26. @Matra
    @A123

    How come you never have Formula E updates? it's almost like you don't consider it real racing even with its great engine sounds!

    Replies: @QCIC, @A123

    The electric motor sounds I could survive. This year’s cars look like they have been pummeled with an “ugly stick”.

     

     

    Seriously, who approved that design? It is hard to take seriously.
    ___

    I hope that decent English language coverage of Japan’s Super GT500 racing comes back. It is awesome machinery on iconic tracks.

    PEACE 😇

    • Replies: @Wanderghost
    @A123

    Does Scalextric have a team?

  27. @QCIC
    @Matra

    Sacre bleu, heresy!

    It is a tragedy, since Matra's namesake produced one of the best sounding V-12 F1 engine's ever!
    To lust after the electric abominations is shameful.

    High Test >>> Batteries

    France is truly lost :(

    Replies: @Matra

    Just having a laugh. I was raised attending TT racing (bikes…and sidecars too!) on the Isle of Man and N Ireland. I’ve been an on again off again F1 fan since the early 1980s. This past weekend I just happened to catch about ten minutes of some Formula E race in some Sheikhdom and was immediately struck by the squealing sound of the cars. The last F1 race I attended – Indianapolis 2001 – had pretty bad engine sounds, especially when compared to the 80s turbo racing, but that Formula E sound is just horrific beyond words. What is most blackpilling is listening to even the drivers talk like woketards about the need to leave the past behind and move into the brave new world of electric cars.

    • Replies: @QCIC
    @Matra

    Phew, that was close!

    I hope to get to the IOM TT or NW200 before I croak.

    Is your handle named after the F1 car?

    Replies: @A123, @Matra

  28. @AP
    @AnonfromTN


    Due to population difference (Ukraine has 3.5-5.5 fewer people than Russia; the spread is because we know Russian population, but have to guess the Ukrainian one, as the last proper census in Ukraine was in 2001), Russia has huge advantage in potential manpower.
     
    Correct. Emphasis on potential.

    The war is going on the territory Ukraine considers its own, because Russia captured a big chunk of Ukraine, and subsequently lost only a portion of it.
     
    Mostly correct. Belgorod gets bombed occasionally.

    Despite huge influx of Western weapons, Western assistance with communications and satellite/spy plane observation, Ukrainian military had only two successful local counter-offensives: the area near Kupyansk/Balakleya and near Liman. Only these two can be counted as Ukrainian successes.
     
    False. See below:

    To minimize its casualties, after long and thorough preparations, including evacuation of civilians, Russian troops withdrew from Kherson and areas on the right side of Dnieper. This cannot be counted as Ukrainian success as Russian army prevented Ukrainian troops from advancing on the heels of retreating RF troops, which were able to evacuate their equipment
     
    Being forced to withdraw is a loss. Russia had declared Kherson its own province, yet abandoned the capital when Ukraine made Russia's position on the right bank of the Dnipro untenable. Russia took casualties around Kiev, and retreated to Belarus.

    It's better to retreat and evacuate in an orderly way with one's equipment than otherwise, but a retreat is a defeat in that theater. Such wishful thinking otherwise.

    Since then the RF is slowly advancing on all frontlines, inflicting huge casualties on Ukrainian troops, in soldiers and military equipment.
     
    That this is known for sure - false.

    We can't be sure of casualty numbers.

    Nor is Russia slowly advancing on all frontlines.

    Ukraine is throwing more and more men into the meatgrinder of Artemovsk, just like they did in Soledar, to no avail.
     
    If the casualty ratio favors Ukraine in Bakhmut (we cannot be sure know if so, or not), then it is not "to no avail."

    Replies: @QCIC, @Greasy William

    If the casualty ratio favors Ukraine in Bakhmut (we cannot be sure know if so, or not), then it is not “to no avail.”

    Although we can’t know for sure, based on the information available to us now it does appear likely that Ukraine is suffering greater casualties in Bakhmut than are the Russians. This is what we would expect as Bakhmut is a Verdun type situation and Zelensky is a vain and arrogant man with a background in media who likely has a tendency to overestimate the important of optics.

    What’s really interesting is that sometime in the next 3 weeks Russia is going to launch a proper, operational offensive, as opposed to tactical assaults on fortified towns. Russia has not launched such a campaign since its initial offensive petered out last summer.

    Will this new offensive be successful? I would expect not. I’m certain the Russians will achieve breakthrough, because the Ukrainian lines are so thinly stretched, but Russian C&C is clumsy and Russia lacks necessary manpower superiority for such a sweeping offensive to succeed (hence Putin’s increasingly deluded threats). Further, in mobile operations, Russia’s artillery advantage is much less of a factor than it is in stagnant trench warfare.

    I am predicting that the Russian invasion will be a costly failure. I think it will be somewhat similar to the German Operation Michael at the end of WWI where tremendous territorial gains were made but then quickly relinquished with both sides suffering heavy casualties but Germany losing it’s offensive capability. I also think that the Ukrainian offensives that will follow in the summer and fall will also be costly failures.

    It is possible that by the end of the year both sides at least begin considering a negotiated settlement. The US would certainly be eager to broker a deal.

  29. I was just thinking, Putin is in a strange situation where the worse he does, the more the US is able to offer him.

    Based on the RAND article, we know that the US is willing to offer Putin a ton. Here is what the US is willing to give Putin:

    1. A formal commitment that Ukraine (and Georgia) will never join NATO or the EU
    2. Informal recognition of Russian claims on all of Ukraine that Russia currently occupies
    3. An end of the 2022 sanctions and a path to removal of the 2014 sanctions. The $300 billion in frozen Russian assets can be released although I would expect that at least some would need to be “invested” in Ukrainian reconstruction
    4. An informal commitment to not increase Ukrainian offensive military strength beyond where it is now (i.e. US will ensure that Ukraine has a defensive army of light infantry, artillery and air defense but minimal armor, airpower or long range attack capabilities)
    5. A commitment to broker rapprochement between the Ukrainian and Russian governments, the US will have an interest in ensuring that relations between the two are as healthy and intertwined as is feasible
    6. Zelensky can be replaced. Although it isn’t clear that the US is offering that at this time I’m sure that the US would be happy to put in a different puppet
    7. Dissolution of the Ukrainian nationalist militias. Again, the RAND article didn’t say anything about this but the purges going on in the Ukrainian government right now do signify that the US is looking to make major changes in how the Ukrainian state operates

    All of this allows Putin to claim victory and to begin restoring the Russian economy and Russia state finances, along with stopping and likely reversing the brain drain Russia has suffered since the war began. It also will end Russia’s international isolation and free Russia from being China’s junior partner, while increasing Russian soft power.

    So why would the US agree to all of this? Initially I was extremely puzzled by this and thought it must be that the US is weaker than we realized and was worried about its own ability to keep up the fight. But upon further reflection, I don’t believe that is the case.

    First of all, the US’s number one goal is and always has been that the conflict does not escalate into a direct clash between Russia and NATO.

    One other thing to keep in mind is that the US expected Russia to conquer the entirety of Ukraine in a matter of weeks. This war ending with Ukraine continuing to be an independent state and having effectively stalemated the Russian military is such a strategic boon to the US that the US is willing to be very generous in peace terms because the US is essentially playing with house money.

    More importantly, however, it has become increasingly obvious that the US sees China, not Russia, as its primary rival. So not only does the US want this war over ASAP as a means of shifting focus back to China, but the US also has a strategic interest in ending Russia’s current status as China’s junior partner. This is kinda the Cold War situation in reverse.

    • Replies: @sudden death
    @Greasy William


    One other thing to keep in mind is that the US expected Russia to conquer the entirety of Ukraine in a matter of weeks. This war ending with Ukraine continuing to be an independent state and having effectively stalemated the Russian military is such a strategic boon to the US that the US is willing to be very generous in peace terms because the US is essentially playing with house money.
     
    Not even mentioned that in one single year US has achieved the holy atlanticist grail of severing Europe from Eurasian energetic strangle, which began in 70's, this alone is just as, or even more, important overall victorious development than ongoing purely military front in bloodied, but still existing and alive UA state.

    Replies: @Greasy William

    , @AnonfromTN
    @Greasy William

    This analysis would have made certain amount of sense if the US were agreement-capable. However, the US demonstrated that it is not agreement-capable pretty convincingly many times. I don’t think any responsible person in Russia would believe American promises, including written ones. Remember, quite recently the US signed JCPOA, and then denounced it. So, the credibility of the US government is exactly zero. This makes any agreement impossible, leaving brute force as the only means of protecting your interests.

    Replies: @Greasy William, @A123

  30. @Matra
    @QCIC

    Just having a laugh. I was raised attending TT racing (bikes...and sidecars too!) on the Isle of Man and N Ireland. I've been an on again off again F1 fan since the early 1980s. This past weekend I just happened to catch about ten minutes of some Formula E race in some Sheikhdom and was immediately struck by the squealing sound of the cars. The last F1 race I attended - Indianapolis 2001 - had pretty bad engine sounds, especially when compared to the 80s turbo racing, but that Formula E sound is just horrific beyond words. What is most blackpilling is listening to even the drivers talk like woketards about the need to leave the past behind and move into the brave new world of electric cars.

    Replies: @QCIC

    Phew, that was close!

    I hope to get to the IOM TT or NW200 before I croak.

    Is your handle named after the F1 car?

    • Replies: @A123
    @QCIC

    The Bathurst 12hr is on my list. It starts in 1 day / 16 hours / 19 minutes.

    https://www.bathurst12hour.com.au/

    Bathurst had a race stopped because of an echidna on track. Not sure if it was the 12hr or the V8 Supercars.

    PEACE 😇

     
    https://www.wseetonline.com/rs/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Echidna-causes-chaos-at-Bathurst-1000.jpg

    , @Matra
    @QCIC

    Yes. The first time I was tempted to comment online (late 2001) I had an illustrated history of F1 sitting in front of me. I chose the name fairly randomly then decided to stick with it.

    Replies: @A123, @QCIC

  31. @QCIC
    @Matra

    Phew, that was close!

    I hope to get to the IOM TT or NW200 before I croak.

    Is your handle named after the F1 car?

    Replies: @A123, @Matra

    The Bathurst 12hr is on my list. It starts in 1 day / 16 hours / 19 minutes.

    https://www.bathurst12hour.com.au/

    Bathurst had a race stopped because of an echidna on track. Not sure if it was the 12hr or the V8 Supercars.

    PEACE 😇

     

  32. @Greasy William
    I was just thinking, Putin is in a strange situation where the worse he does, the more the US is able to offer him.

    Based on the RAND article, we know that the US is willing to offer Putin a ton. Here is what the US is willing to give Putin:

    1. A formal commitment that Ukraine (and Georgia) will never join NATO or the EU
    2. Informal recognition of Russian claims on all of Ukraine that Russia currently occupies
    3. An end of the 2022 sanctions and a path to removal of the 2014 sanctions. The $300 billion in frozen Russian assets can be released although I would expect that at least some would need to be "invested" in Ukrainian reconstruction
    4. An informal commitment to not increase Ukrainian offensive military strength beyond where it is now (i.e. US will ensure that Ukraine has a defensive army of light infantry, artillery and air defense but minimal armor, airpower or long range attack capabilities)
    5. A commitment to broker rapprochement between the Ukrainian and Russian governments, the US will have an interest in ensuring that relations between the two are as healthy and intertwined as is feasible
    6. Zelensky can be replaced. Although it isn't clear that the US is offering that at this time I'm sure that the US would be happy to put in a different puppet
    7. Dissolution of the Ukrainian nationalist militias. Again, the RAND article didn't say anything about this but the purges going on in the Ukrainian government right now do signify that the US is looking to make major changes in how the Ukrainian state operates

    All of this allows Putin to claim victory and to begin restoring the Russian economy and Russia state finances, along with stopping and likely reversing the brain drain Russia has suffered since the war began. It also will end Russia's international isolation and free Russia from being China's junior partner, while increasing Russian soft power.

    So why would the US agree to all of this? Initially I was extremely puzzled by this and thought it must be that the US is weaker than we realized and was worried about its own ability to keep up the fight. But upon further reflection, I don't believe that is the case.

    First of all, the US's number one goal is and always has been that the conflict does not escalate into a direct clash between Russia and NATO.

    One other thing to keep in mind is that the US expected Russia to conquer the entirety of Ukraine in a matter of weeks. This war ending with Ukraine continuing to be an independent state and having effectively stalemated the Russian military is such a strategic boon to the US that the US is willing to be very generous in peace terms because the US is essentially playing with house money.

    More importantly, however, it has become increasingly obvious that the US sees China, not Russia, as its primary rival. So not only does the US want this war over ASAP as a means of shifting focus back to China, but the US also has a strategic interest in ending Russia's current status as China's junior partner. This is kinda the Cold War situation in reverse.

    Replies: @sudden death, @AnonfromTN

    One other thing to keep in mind is that the US expected Russia to conquer the entirety of Ukraine in a matter of weeks. This war ending with Ukraine continuing to be an independent state and having effectively stalemated the Russian military is such a strategic boon to the US that the US is willing to be very generous in peace terms because the US is essentially playing with house money.

    Not even mentioned that in one single year US has achieved the holy atlanticist grail of severing Europe from Eurasian energetic strangle, which began in 70’s, this alone is just as, or even more, important overall victorious development than ongoing purely military front in bloodied, but still existing and alive UA state.

    • Replies: @Greasy William
    @sudden death


    Not even mentioned that in one single year US has achieved the holy atlanticist grail of severing Europe from Eurasian energetic strangle which began in 70’s, this alone is just as, or even more, important overall victorious development than ongoing purely military front in bloodied, but still existing and alive UA state.
     
    And the US essentially got all this "for free", from the US perspective.

    Do you agree with the remainder of my brilliant analysis?
  33. @sudden death
    @Greasy William


    One other thing to keep in mind is that the US expected Russia to conquer the entirety of Ukraine in a matter of weeks. This war ending with Ukraine continuing to be an independent state and having effectively stalemated the Russian military is such a strategic boon to the US that the US is willing to be very generous in peace terms because the US is essentially playing with house money.
     
    Not even mentioned that in one single year US has achieved the holy atlanticist grail of severing Europe from Eurasian energetic strangle, which began in 70's, this alone is just as, or even more, important overall victorious development than ongoing purely military front in bloodied, but still existing and alive UA state.

    Replies: @Greasy William

    Not even mentioned that in one single year US has achieved the holy atlanticist grail of severing Europe from Eurasian energetic strangle which began in 70’s, this alone is just as, or even more, important overall victorious development than ongoing purely military front in bloodied, but still existing and alive UA state.

    And the US essentially got all this “for free”, from the US perspective.

    Do you agree with the remainder of my brilliant analysis?

  34. @QCIC
    @Matra

    Phew, that was close!

    I hope to get to the IOM TT or NW200 before I croak.

    Is your handle named after the F1 car?

    Replies: @A123, @Matra

    Yes. The first time I was tempted to comment online (late 2001) I had an illustrated history of F1 sitting in front of me. I chose the name fairly randomly then decided to stick with it.

    • Replies: @A123
    @Matra

    The need to give space to sponsors screwed up the looks of many cars. Despite the logo size, Jaguar F1 looked impressive. And, Mark Webber gave great character to the team.

    PEACE 😇

     
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/formula-1/2017/02/19/PD2137213_AFP_AUTO-F1-AUSTRALIA-HERBERT-IRVINE_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqUgehH7knIs2mL4LO-crfgs1waleSfGX6SyHhrOdAq00.jpg

    , @QCIC
    @Matra

    The Matra MS11 V-12 was a neat car. I think I first heard about it as a kid reading Road & Track.

    This was fine era in Grand Prix racing, if too dangerous for modern sensibilities. I say, "if the boys wanna fight you better let 'em!"

  35. @Matra
    @QCIC

    Yes. The first time I was tempted to comment online (late 2001) I had an illustrated history of F1 sitting in front of me. I chose the name fairly randomly then decided to stick with it.

    Replies: @A123, @QCIC

    The need to give space to sponsors screwed up the looks of many cars. Despite the logo size, Jaguar F1 looked impressive. And, Mark Webber gave great character to the team.

    PEACE 😇

     

  36. china-russia-all-the-way says:
    @AP
    @AnonfromTN

    Keep in mind that AnoninTN is the guy who just recently claimed that Ukrainians were banned from the city of Lviv prior to Soviet rule there. He likes to share exaggerations or fake rumors.

    I have plenty of male relatives who are in Ukraine and are willing to fight if called to do so but haven’t been mobilized (yet) because they aren’t needed due to not having had any military experience. Ukraine isn’t close to the point where every male they can find is in the military.

    Replies: @china-russia-all-the-way, @Gerard1234

    Do your male relatives think about the future after victory? Ukraine joins the EU and values are imposed on it. The two most controversial ones are (1) mandatory exposure of transsexual content to young children and (2) acceptance of Muslim refugees.

    • LOL: sudden death
    • Replies: @AP
    @china-russia-all-the-way

    Poland is fine and frankly even being like Germany better than being subjected to Chechen overlordship.

    Even the Western EU seems to be moving away from transsexualism. That’s a Puritan American thing.

    Replies: @china-russia-all-the-way

  37. @Matra
    @QCIC

    Yes. The first time I was tempted to comment online (late 2001) I had an illustrated history of F1 sitting in front of me. I chose the name fairly randomly then decided to stick with it.

    Replies: @A123, @QCIC

    The Matra MS11 V-12 was a neat car. I think I first heard about it as a kid reading Road & Track.

    This was fine era in Grand Prix racing, if too dangerous for modern sensibilities. I say, “if the boys wanna fight you better let ’em!”

  38. @china-russia-all-the-way
    @AP

    Do your male relatives think about the future after victory? Ukraine joins the EU and values are imposed on it. The two most controversial ones are (1) mandatory exposure of transsexual content to young children and (2) acceptance of Muslim refugees.

    Replies: @AP

    Poland is fine and frankly even being like Germany better than being subjected to Chechen overlordship.

    Even the Western EU seems to be moving away from transsexualism. That’s a Puritan American thing.

    • Replies: @china-russia-all-the-way
    @AP

    We can stick to hard figures rather than perceptions of transsexual content prevalence in children's shows. America was 57% white in 2022, dropping from almost 90% in 1950. I think it will be 40% in 2050. Western Europe is clearly following the same path. Both you and the user from Lithuania are in denial about the powerful cultural forces shaping societies and instilling core morality in the young under the influence of Washington and Brussels.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @AP, @LatW, @Ivashka the fool

  39. china-russia-all-the-way says:
    @AP
    @china-russia-all-the-way

    Poland is fine and frankly even being like Germany better than being subjected to Chechen overlordship.

    Even the Western EU seems to be moving away from transsexualism. That’s a Puritan American thing.

    Replies: @china-russia-all-the-way

    We can stick to hard figures rather than perceptions of transsexual content prevalence in children’s shows. America was 57% white in 2022, dropping from almost 90% in 1950. I think it will be 40% in 2050. Western Europe is clearly following the same path. Both you and the user from Lithuania are in denial about the powerful cultural forces shaping societies and instilling core morality in the young under the influence of Washington and Brussels.

    • Replies: @Leaves No Shadow
    @china-russia-all-the-way

    It isn't a conspiracy. Nor an elite plot. The fact is that Americans and Western Europeans, including many elites, want few children and are fine with immigration.

    You may want them to have more children and not be fine with immigration, but hallucinating some insane narrative, when these two basic facts explain everything, is alienating.

    This is also why birth rates are much lower in China, despite not even being developed, and despite it supposedly standing against progressive values.

    As for immigration, people basically aren't racist or selfish enough to try to maximise their own race's gain or their nation's liveability at the cost of the type of enforcement that would end multi-racialism or even make borders fully secure.

    I wonder what bubble you live in. Just go and talk to people. Do you see anyone displaying the type of racial animosity that would be spilling out constantly if repatriation were something they supported?

    Poland and Eastern Europe will need to set their own course, but they will be free to do as they want. "Control" from the West amounts to journalistic criticism and meaningless court cases used for moral posturing. Which is basically freedom. It is just that freedom doesn't guarantee how people will want to use it.

    Replies: @songbird, @Barbarossa

    , @AP
    @china-russia-all-the-way

    We’ll, Poland remains about 99% Slavic, yet people weee saying 10 or 20 years ago that it would get flooded with Muslims and Africans.

    Btw, Russia (which is about 15% Muslim, more than most Western European countries), has removed visa requirements for some African country recently. From the perspective of staying European, better for Ukraine to go with Poland than to become part of Russia.

    Replies: @Wokechoke

    , @LatW
    @china-russia-all-the-way


    Both you and the user from Lithuania are in denial about the powerful cultural forces shaping societies
     
    Your newly founded concern about Eastern European nations such as Lithuania is quite strange. You did not care about the survival or the wellbeing of the Lithuanian nation back when they were invaded and shoved in trains to be deported, you didn't care about them in the early 1990s, when they, fresh out of the USSR, had to compete with cheap Chinese labor globally, you didn't even care about them for the last 30 years when they didn't always have it easy at all times.

    But somehow now you have started to care. How selfless of you! Your concern is so touching.

    Not.

    Replies: @china-russia-all-the-way

    , @Ivashka the fool
    @china-russia-all-the-way

    Excellent comment.

    Of interest, the year 2022 had nearly the same number of births in RusFed (1,3M) as it had in Central Asia (0,9M in Uzbekistan alone). Moreover, while Russian (and other Eastern Slav) population is shrinking and aging, the Central Asian and Muslim population in Eurasia is still youthful and growing.

    Although the Anatolian Turk and Iranian populations are stabilizing, their societies are still relatively young. And short of (the likely) outright military confrontation between Iran and Turkey / Azerbaijan, their population should be at least stable, with the Kurdish and Baloch fraction still rural and growing in relative proportion.

    Why am I writing this ?

    Well follow the arithmetic: add up all the Turkic people that Türkye (yeah I know) is striving to unite in a EU type Turkic Union: 160M. Let's consider now the Iranian-centric populations (Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan) 140M. Add the Bengali-centric populations (Pakistan and Bangladesh) 400M.

    That's 700M sitting South-east of the less than 200M Eastern Slav. Even if we only take the Turkic people alone, the immediate neighbors, it is 160M already and growing. And there are Turkic people in RusFed itself at around 7M people already with even more Muslims (at least double that) if we add in the Caucasus and the migrant workers from the Stans.

    In a couple of generations, it could well be 200M of relatively young Turkic people facing some 100M aged Eastern Slav and Balts. That's a mass migration and conquest scenario. And we all know that millions of gastarbaiters from Central Asia are already well settled in RusFed. While we also know that Turkic people and Muslims in general have an expansionist and conquering mindset from the dawn of their history.

    The Great Replacement is real and it will completely reshape the demographics of both Western European and Eastern European peoples' lands, America's included. And I am nearly certain that Islam will be a net winner, although it is hard to know just how religious people will be by that time. Probably less, but quite possibly more.

    It is kind of pathetic seeing the Eastern Slav and the Euros in general (including the ones in Americas) squabble and fight each other over relatively minor cultural issues, while their very existence by the end of this century is at risk.

    What is it that is wrong with my people and other Euros?

    Individualism leading to autistic demographic suicide?

    White man's burden exhaustion?

    🙄

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak, @Emil Nikola Richard, @Coconuts, @Leaves No Shadow, @AP

  40. @china-russia-all-the-way
    @AP

    We can stick to hard figures rather than perceptions of transsexual content prevalence in children's shows. America was 57% white in 2022, dropping from almost 90% in 1950. I think it will be 40% in 2050. Western Europe is clearly following the same path. Both you and the user from Lithuania are in denial about the powerful cultural forces shaping societies and instilling core morality in the young under the influence of Washington and Brussels.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @AP, @LatW, @Ivashka the fool

    It isn’t a conspiracy. Nor an elite plot. The fact is that Americans and Western Europeans, including many elites, want few children and are fine with immigration.

    You may want them to have more children and not be fine with immigration, but hallucinating some insane narrative, when these two basic facts explain everything, is alienating.

    This is also why birth rates are much lower in China, despite not even being developed, and despite it supposedly standing against progressive values.

    As for immigration, people basically aren’t racist or selfish enough to try to maximise their own race’s gain or their nation’s liveability at the cost of the type of enforcement that would end multi-racialism or even make borders fully secure.

    I wonder what bubble you live in. Just go and talk to people. Do you see anyone displaying the type of racial animosity that would be spilling out constantly if repatriation were something they supported?

    Poland and Eastern Europe will need to set their own course, but they will be free to do as they want. “Control” from the West amounts to journalistic criticism and meaningless court cases used for moral posturing. Which is basically freedom. It is just that freedom doesn’t guarantee how people will want to use it.

    • Disagree: S
    • LOL: songbird
    • Replies: @songbird
    @Leaves No Shadow


    but hallucinating some insane narrative, when these two basic facts explain everything, is alienating.
     
    Why do you feel so alienated by it?

    And why are you using the term hallucinating some insane narrative, as though you want to stigmatize it? How come you didn't feel that way about trannies, but said the whole thing was harmless?

    Thought you said that progressives were caring and care about everyone. Haven't quite figured out how to be nice to everyone yet, but are working their way through it, but you're using rather stigmatizing language. Don't you think?

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

    , @Barbarossa
    @Leaves No Shadow


    It isn’t a conspiracy. Nor an elite plot. The fact is that Americans and Western Europeans, including many elites, want few children and are fine with immigration.
     
    The problem with the conspiracy theory formulation is that the elites have been pretty transparent about what they are aiming towards. It's not a plot, just policy. The conspiracy narrative can be a problem since it often frames a fairly direct conversation in a way which seems nuts to many people.

    Also, the line between conspiracy and policy consensus is often a blurry one. As we see, the media, institutions, and state will often come together to push what is seen as "the right side of history". More often than not, it's because they truly believe it and all parties are drunk on the same collective narrative. It is even possible to lie to forward the narrative, while being fully captured by it oneself.

    I disagree with the direction, naturally enough, and so make my own choices in life and in how to raise my family. Nations should do the same as well, as you point out.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

  41. See new Tweets
    Conversation
    Hung
    @HHungduc
    A group of Ukrainian soldiers – trained at a British military base last summer – surrendered just 20 minutes after encountering Russian forces near Svyatogorsk in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. “Grow troops for 3 years, use troops for 20 minutes” great.

    [MORE]

  42. @china-russia-all-the-way
    @AP

    We can stick to hard figures rather than perceptions of transsexual content prevalence in children's shows. America was 57% white in 2022, dropping from almost 90% in 1950. I think it will be 40% in 2050. Western Europe is clearly following the same path. Both you and the user from Lithuania are in denial about the powerful cultural forces shaping societies and instilling core morality in the young under the influence of Washington and Brussels.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @AP, @LatW, @Ivashka the fool

    We’ll, Poland remains about 99% Slavic, yet people weee saying 10 or 20 years ago that it would get flooded with Muslims and Africans.

    Btw, Russia (which is about 15% Muslim, more than most Western European countries), has removed visa requirements for some African country recently. From the perspective of staying European, better for Ukraine to go with Poland than to become part of Russia.

    • Replies: @Wokechoke
    @AP

    The issue in Russia about Muslims. There are maps showing where they live...It's mostly in the Caucasus Mountains and near Astrakhan. This is where you'd expect to find them.

    In Western Europe the Muslims are heavily concentrated in London, Paris, Rotterdam, Cologne, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Malmo.

    Moscow is in many ways the largest city in continental Europe and the last dropping off point before Asia. But it has not radically changed for 150 years.

    Replies: @AP

  43. @Leaves No Shadow
    MacGregor continues to predict total Russian victory in 10 days. This is now the 34th time he has done so. Wrong 34 times in a row! Maybe he'll be right the 35th?

    Russian casualities 150,000. For dead, divide by 2.5.

    Ukrainian casualities 90,000. For dead, divide by 3.

    Both sides are more conservative with their manpower than is usually believed.

    Ukraine has a far superior military to when the war began. Russia has twice the manpower but degraded effectiveness. This says what you need to know about the future trajectory and is near undeniable.

    Putin is like a Looney Tunes character who has run off a cliff. He'll fall as soon as he is honest and he looks down. That is why he drags this war on. He has no idea what else to do, even though there is no path to victory for him. Russia can't take any significant city, can't cause major attrition on the Ukrainians and can't conduct decisive manouevres. Instead, they are bogged down fighting for tiny settlements with their full forces and shelling empty trenches with wild inaccuracy. Meanwhile, the Ukrainians continue to attrit them with HIMARS and ambushes in defence.

    The gas weapon failed. Western economies are not even going into recession this year. No foreign aid has been given to Russia, so Russian diplomacy is failed too. The sum of their efforts being to sell gas and oil at half price in exchange for a few countries being willing to say neutral words for them at the UN and invite Putin to coffee! That's some expensive coffee!

    Meanwhile, developed democracy financial commitments to Ukraine are minor though rising, and they aren't going to stop, given they are 0.something % of GDP.

    Possibly the Ukrainians will advance on Melitopol as soon as the ground dries and this war will be over. Possibly the map will look much like now when going into 2024 and the Russian elections.

    Either way it is a disaster for Eastern Slavs, a black mark on everyone who supported Putin's aggression, and revealing of how ludicrously stupid most "dissidents" are. They literally cannot remember a week ago nor be even borderline coherent. Perhaps it is unsurprising that 80% of them are the most defective people in the West. Just look through their comment histories and past article predictions. I've never seen any movement more obviously revealed as insane and incompetent!

    Replies: @Grahamsno(G64)

    They still haven’t got Bakhmut you’re right how much ever my heart want’s Russians to win. Objective facts have to be registered in minds of intellectually honest observers Ukraines has badly mauled the bear thanks to their valiant sons who have stood their grounds and have perished by their tens of thousands. One of the greatest military upsets in history, Who would have thought that what a catastrophic failure of Russian Intelligence to underestimate their will to fight and die and get blown up by the relentless Russian shelling and still not yield.

    Of course the West’s humongous military support factors in the equation but it’s the secondary factor just like the lend and lease in the second world war what use would have it been if the Russians just threw in the towel.

    All cheers to these valiant sons of Ukraine

    But, there’s always a but

    At this point they should decide on a Finland Gen Man.. approach and make some kind of shitty deal with Russia. It will be ugly and it’s pointless to sacrifice the most precious thing in the cosmos

    Young men

    AP, Mr. Hack, LATw

    Drunken, Rapist, bumbling, stumbling Ivan always finally gets his act together and then they are lethal totally… make some kind of deal they’re getting better all the time and when they break through the second defend line finally, all the east of the River will be lost.

    I am an Indian and we have a soft spot for Russia they helped us in the infancy of our modern Republic, it’s not just the defence equipment overwhelmingly Russian but something deeper.

    • Replies: @Leaves No Shadow
    @Grahamsno(G64)


    At this point they should decide on a Finland Gen Man.. approach and make some kind of shitty deal with Russia. It will be ugly and it’s pointless to sacrifice the most precious thing in the cosmos
     
    Russia is not agreement capable as Putin is unable even to define his war aims. His incentive is merely to continue the war for as long as possible, as he is done for as soon as the music stops.

    Drunken, Rapist, bumbling, stumbling Ivan always finally gets his act together and then they are lethal totally… make some kind of deal they’re getting better all the time and when they break through the second defend line finally, all the east of the River will be lost.
     
    Russia failed in Afghanistan, failed against the Japanese and failed into catatsrophe in WW1. It took 6 months for them to take Soledar, while they lost Kherson, and much else besides. Soledar is basically a village. They are as likely to take Kharkhiv as Ukraine is to take Moscow.

    I am an Indian and we have a soft spot for Russia they helped us in the infancy of our modern Republic, it’s not just the defence equipment overwhelmingly Russian but something deeper.
     
    India's performance post-independence has been embarrassing. No wonder you feel an affinity with Russia. Both are hugely cultured places that have a tendency to fail to learn from their mistakes because they continually and resentfully blame others. This observation comes from a place of love. Take it as you will. I'm optimistic on the future of India as it has many of the best and brightest in the world, but the third world ideology and its ennervating narratives do you no practical favours. Nevermind how extremely condescending it implicitly treats Indians as.

    Replies: @Grahamsno(G64), @Ivashka the fool

  44. @Leaves No Shadow
    @china-russia-all-the-way

    It isn't a conspiracy. Nor an elite plot. The fact is that Americans and Western Europeans, including many elites, want few children and are fine with immigration.

    You may want them to have more children and not be fine with immigration, but hallucinating some insane narrative, when these two basic facts explain everything, is alienating.

    This is also why birth rates are much lower in China, despite not even being developed, and despite it supposedly standing against progressive values.

    As for immigration, people basically aren't racist or selfish enough to try to maximise their own race's gain or their nation's liveability at the cost of the type of enforcement that would end multi-racialism or even make borders fully secure.

    I wonder what bubble you live in. Just go and talk to people. Do you see anyone displaying the type of racial animosity that would be spilling out constantly if repatriation were something they supported?

    Poland and Eastern Europe will need to set their own course, but they will be free to do as they want. "Control" from the West amounts to journalistic criticism and meaningless court cases used for moral posturing. Which is basically freedom. It is just that freedom doesn't guarantee how people will want to use it.

    Replies: @songbird, @Barbarossa

    but hallucinating some insane narrative, when these two basic facts explain everything, is alienating.

    Why do you feel so alienated by it?

    And why are you using the term hallucinating some insane narrative, as though you want to stigmatize it? How come you didn’t feel that way about trannies, but said the whole thing was harmless?

    Thought you said that progressives were caring and care about everyone. Haven’t quite figured out how to be nice to everyone yet, but are working their way through it, but you’re using rather stigmatizing language. Don’t you think?

    • Replies: @Leaves No Shadow
    @songbird

    Trannies are also deeply delusional. I just care more about diminishing the delusions of those I am otherwise minded to agree with, more than I am minded to deal with those of whom I don't.

  45. @Grahamsno(G64)
    @Leaves No Shadow

    They still haven't got Bakhmut you're right how much ever my heart want's Russians to win. Objective facts have to be registered in minds of intellectually honest observers Ukraines has badly mauled the bear thanks to their valiant sons who have stood their grounds and have perished by their tens of thousands. One of the greatest military upsets in history, Who would have thought that what a catastrophic failure of Russian Intelligence to underestimate their will to fight and die and get blown up by the relentless Russian shelling and still not yield.

    Of course the West's humongous military support factors in the equation but it's the secondary factor just like the lend and lease in the second world war what use would have it been if the Russians just threw in the towel.

    All cheers to these valiant sons of Ukraine

    But, there's always a but

    At this point they should decide on a Finland Gen Man.. approach and make some kind of shitty deal with Russia. It will be ugly and it's pointless to sacrifice the most precious thing in the cosmos

    Young men

    AP, Mr. Hack, LATw

    Drunken, Rapist, bumbling, stumbling Ivan always finally gets his act together and then they are lethal totally... make some kind of deal they're getting better all the time and when they break through the second defend line finally, all the east of the River will be lost.

    I am an Indian and we have a soft spot for Russia they helped us in the infancy of our modern Republic, it's not just the defence equipment overwhelmingly Russian but something deeper.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

    At this point they should decide on a Finland Gen Man.. approach and make some kind of shitty deal with Russia. It will be ugly and it’s pointless to sacrifice the most precious thing in the cosmos

    Russia is not agreement capable as Putin is unable even to define his war aims. His incentive is merely to continue the war for as long as possible, as he is done for as soon as the music stops.

    Drunken, Rapist, bumbling, stumbling Ivan always finally gets his act together and then they are lethal totally… make some kind of deal they’re getting better all the time and when they break through the second defend line finally, all the east of the River will be lost.

    Russia failed in Afghanistan, failed against the Japanese and failed into catatsrophe in WW1. It took 6 months for them to take Soledar, while they lost Kherson, and much else besides. Soledar is basically a village. They are as likely to take Kharkhiv as Ukraine is to take Moscow.

    I am an Indian and we have a soft spot for Russia they helped us in the infancy of our modern Republic, it’s not just the defence equipment overwhelmingly Russian but something deeper.

    India’s performance post-independence has been embarrassing. No wonder you feel an affinity with Russia. Both are hugely cultured places that have a tendency to fail to learn from their mistakes because they continually and resentfully blame others. This observation comes from a place of love. Take it as you will. I’m optimistic on the future of India as it has many of the best and brightest in the world, but the third world ideology and its ennervating narratives do you no practical favours. Nevermind how extremely condescending it implicitly treats Indians as.

    • Replies: @Grahamsno(G64)
    @Leaves No Shadow

    We Indians are Supporting Russia in this war and + another 1.4 billion Chinese so at the least 3 billion people - the demographincs address it sir/ma'am

    , @Ivashka the fool
    @Leaves No Shadow

    Laxa, welcome back !

    🙂

    Replies: @Wokechoke, @Mikel

  46. @songbird
    @Leaves No Shadow


    but hallucinating some insane narrative, when these two basic facts explain everything, is alienating.
     
    Why do you feel so alienated by it?

    And why are you using the term hallucinating some insane narrative, as though you want to stigmatize it? How come you didn't feel that way about trannies, but said the whole thing was harmless?

    Thought you said that progressives were caring and care about everyone. Haven't quite figured out how to be nice to everyone yet, but are working their way through it, but you're using rather stigmatizing language. Don't you think?

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

    Trannies are also deeply delusional. I just care more about diminishing the delusions of those I am otherwise minded to agree with, more than I am minded to deal with those of whom I don’t.

    • LOL: Ivashka the fool
  47. I am an atheist hindu I give a rat’s ass about Narendra Modi.

    So for sakes I want Russians to win we hope they break Bakhmut

    Do you seriously think I’ve read the Rig Veda fuck off we’re friends with the Russians and that’s what we are telling you despite our best minds going to the west there is something in our hearts that make us support RUSSIA

    I dont know but we will support MOTHER RUSSIA and fuck whatever may come

    It’s deep I don’t know why

    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @Grahamsno(G64)

    It's because Hindu = Wend(u)

    Not kidding friend...

    🙂

  48. @Leaves No Shadow
    @Grahamsno(G64)


    At this point they should decide on a Finland Gen Man.. approach and make some kind of shitty deal with Russia. It will be ugly and it’s pointless to sacrifice the most precious thing in the cosmos
     
    Russia is not agreement capable as Putin is unable even to define his war aims. His incentive is merely to continue the war for as long as possible, as he is done for as soon as the music stops.

    Drunken, Rapist, bumbling, stumbling Ivan always finally gets his act together and then they are lethal totally… make some kind of deal they’re getting better all the time and when they break through the second defend line finally, all the east of the River will be lost.
     
    Russia failed in Afghanistan, failed against the Japanese and failed into catatsrophe in WW1. It took 6 months for them to take Soledar, while they lost Kherson, and much else besides. Soledar is basically a village. They are as likely to take Kharkhiv as Ukraine is to take Moscow.

    I am an Indian and we have a soft spot for Russia they helped us in the infancy of our modern Republic, it’s not just the defence equipment overwhelmingly Russian but something deeper.
     
    India's performance post-independence has been embarrassing. No wonder you feel an affinity with Russia. Both are hugely cultured places that have a tendency to fail to learn from their mistakes because they continually and resentfully blame others. This observation comes from a place of love. Take it as you will. I'm optimistic on the future of India as it has many of the best and brightest in the world, but the third world ideology and its ennervating narratives do you no practical favours. Nevermind how extremely condescending it implicitly treats Indians as.

    Replies: @Grahamsno(G64), @Ivashka the fool

    We Indians are Supporting Russia in this war and + another 1.4 billion Chinese so at the least 3 billion people – the demographincs address it sir/ma’am

  49. Brothers please stop the carnage no
    You don’t want it like India-Pakistan or Israel Palestine and know Russia Ukraine

    • Agree: Ivashka the fool
  50. @Greasy William
    I was just thinking, Putin is in a strange situation where the worse he does, the more the US is able to offer him.

    Based on the RAND article, we know that the US is willing to offer Putin a ton. Here is what the US is willing to give Putin:

    1. A formal commitment that Ukraine (and Georgia) will never join NATO or the EU
    2. Informal recognition of Russian claims on all of Ukraine that Russia currently occupies
    3. An end of the 2022 sanctions and a path to removal of the 2014 sanctions. The $300 billion in frozen Russian assets can be released although I would expect that at least some would need to be "invested" in Ukrainian reconstruction
    4. An informal commitment to not increase Ukrainian offensive military strength beyond where it is now (i.e. US will ensure that Ukraine has a defensive army of light infantry, artillery and air defense but minimal armor, airpower or long range attack capabilities)
    5. A commitment to broker rapprochement between the Ukrainian and Russian governments, the US will have an interest in ensuring that relations between the two are as healthy and intertwined as is feasible
    6. Zelensky can be replaced. Although it isn't clear that the US is offering that at this time I'm sure that the US would be happy to put in a different puppet
    7. Dissolution of the Ukrainian nationalist militias. Again, the RAND article didn't say anything about this but the purges going on in the Ukrainian government right now do signify that the US is looking to make major changes in how the Ukrainian state operates

    All of this allows Putin to claim victory and to begin restoring the Russian economy and Russia state finances, along with stopping and likely reversing the brain drain Russia has suffered since the war began. It also will end Russia's international isolation and free Russia from being China's junior partner, while increasing Russian soft power.

    So why would the US agree to all of this? Initially I was extremely puzzled by this and thought it must be that the US is weaker than we realized and was worried about its own ability to keep up the fight. But upon further reflection, I don't believe that is the case.

    First of all, the US's number one goal is and always has been that the conflict does not escalate into a direct clash between Russia and NATO.

    One other thing to keep in mind is that the US expected Russia to conquer the entirety of Ukraine in a matter of weeks. This war ending with Ukraine continuing to be an independent state and having effectively stalemated the Russian military is such a strategic boon to the US that the US is willing to be very generous in peace terms because the US is essentially playing with house money.

    More importantly, however, it has become increasingly obvious that the US sees China, not Russia, as its primary rival. So not only does the US want this war over ASAP as a means of shifting focus back to China, but the US also has a strategic interest in ending Russia's current status as China's junior partner. This is kinda the Cold War situation in reverse.

    Replies: @sudden death, @AnonfromTN

    This analysis would have made certain amount of sense if the US were agreement-capable. However, the US demonstrated that it is not agreement-capable pretty convincingly many times. I don’t think any responsible person in Russia would believe American promises, including written ones. Remember, quite recently the US signed JCPOA, and then denounced it. So, the credibility of the US government is exactly zero. This makes any agreement impossible, leaving brute force as the only means of protecting your interests.

    • Replies: @Greasy William
    @AnonfromTN

    But we're not talking about promises, we're talking about the US giving Russia concrete things (unfreezing the money, dropping the sanctions, formally committing that Ukraine and Georgia won't join NATO, getting rid of Zelensky and the militias). If the US decides to later go back on any agreements, Russia will have the option to restart hostilities with Ukraine, except from a stronger position than it is currently in.

    If Putin can get this deal, he should take it.

    Replies: @AnonfromTN

    , @A123
    @AnonfromTN


    This analysis would have made certain amount of sense if the US were agreement-capable.
     
    Remember, the U.S. is walking away from Ukraine. That die is already cast. It just has not stopped rolling yet. Therefore, any U.S. stance has rapidly diminishing impact. Russia will soon be getting much of what it wants with no effort or concession.

    The problem rests with the European Empire and its client the Kiev regime. They are not agreement-capable.

    A resolution will appear when Ukraine obtains new leadership not slavishly loyal to European Elites. Zelensky will flee to Europe. Hopefully in Fall possibly early Winter this year. The next administration will agree to an armistice with Russia, and work out a deal that makes sense for the two countries actually engaged in the fight.

    Remember, quite recently the US signed JCPOA, and then denounced it. So, the credibility of the US government is exactly zero.
     
    Two catastrophic problems with your assertion:

    -1- Sociopath Khamenei violated (and thus abrogated) JCPOA while Obama was still in office. All Trump did was recognize that there was no logical reason to stay in a deal that Iran had already abandoned.

    -2- The Constitution requires a "Senate Ratified Treaty" to bind future administrations. There is no obligation to keep an Executive arrangement that is inherently flawed.

    The U.S. is agreement capable if there is a formal Treaty. Can you imagine anything the Veggie-in-Chief proposes reaching this standard? I cannot. Therefore, to be precise, Not-The-President Biden is not agreement-capable, because the ⅔ of the Senate will not go along.

    PEACE 😇

    Replies: @Mr. Hack

  51. Just as a lark, A123 should set his spellcheck to UK, and then start throwing in words like “aluminium” and “oestrogen”, and “Nasa” though he mightn’t normally use them.

    Maybe, reference some candybar made only over there too.

    • Replies: @Barbarossa
    @songbird

    Something like...

    "Cheerio chaps, the other day I was seated on the aluminium bleachers at my local raceway here in the Deep South, having just enjoyed a lovely bangers and mash, followed up by a Cadbury Wispa, one of my favourites! As I was having a butcher at the lovely cars it occurred to me how smashing Israel really is!

    Cor Blimey, that IslamoHomoFaschoSoros must be a barmy blighter to be opposing Israel and Donald Trump's stonking MAGA plans!"

    Replies: @Wokechoke

    , @A123
    @songbird

    I have enough problems with my current auto correct "aide". Why would you want to make that worse?

    Are you trying to arrange something like this?

    PEACE 😇

    https://youtu.be/865g8S4d2dQ

  52. @AnonfromTN
    @Greasy William

    This analysis would have made certain amount of sense if the US were agreement-capable. However, the US demonstrated that it is not agreement-capable pretty convincingly many times. I don’t think any responsible person in Russia would believe American promises, including written ones. Remember, quite recently the US signed JCPOA, and then denounced it. So, the credibility of the US government is exactly zero. This makes any agreement impossible, leaving brute force as the only means of protecting your interests.

    Replies: @Greasy William, @A123

    But we’re not talking about promises, we’re talking about the US giving Russia concrete things (unfreezing the money, dropping the sanctions, formally committing that Ukraine and Georgia won’t join NATO, getting rid of Zelensky and the militias). If the US decides to later go back on any agreements, Russia will have the option to restart hostilities with Ukraine, except from a stronger position than it is currently in.

    If Putin can get this deal, he should take it.

    • Replies: @AnonfromTN
    @Greasy William

    The sequence of events: the US PROMISES to do certain things if the RF does something. Right at that point there would be full stop: nobody in his/her right mind would believe any US promise. So, it’s a dead end. Case closed.

    Replies: @A123, @Beckow

  53. @Leaves No Shadow
    @china-russia-all-the-way

    It isn't a conspiracy. Nor an elite plot. The fact is that Americans and Western Europeans, including many elites, want few children and are fine with immigration.

    You may want them to have more children and not be fine with immigration, but hallucinating some insane narrative, when these two basic facts explain everything, is alienating.

    This is also why birth rates are much lower in China, despite not even being developed, and despite it supposedly standing against progressive values.

    As for immigration, people basically aren't racist or selfish enough to try to maximise their own race's gain or their nation's liveability at the cost of the type of enforcement that would end multi-racialism or even make borders fully secure.

    I wonder what bubble you live in. Just go and talk to people. Do you see anyone displaying the type of racial animosity that would be spilling out constantly if repatriation were something they supported?

    Poland and Eastern Europe will need to set their own course, but they will be free to do as they want. "Control" from the West amounts to journalistic criticism and meaningless court cases used for moral posturing. Which is basically freedom. It is just that freedom doesn't guarantee how people will want to use it.

    Replies: @songbird, @Barbarossa

    It isn’t a conspiracy. Nor an elite plot. The fact is that Americans and Western Europeans, including many elites, want few children and are fine with immigration.

    The problem with the conspiracy theory formulation is that the elites have been pretty transparent about what they are aiming towards. It’s not a plot, just policy. The conspiracy narrative can be a problem since it often frames a fairly direct conversation in a way which seems nuts to many people.

    Also, the line between conspiracy and policy consensus is often a blurry one. As we see, the media, institutions, and state will often come together to push what is seen as “the right side of history”. More often than not, it’s because they truly believe it and all parties are drunk on the same collective narrative. It is even possible to lie to forward the narrative, while being fully captured by it oneself.

    I disagree with the direction, naturally enough, and so make my own choices in life and in how to raise my family. Nations should do the same as well, as you point out.

    • Agree: Ivashka the fool
    • Replies: @Leaves No Shadow
    @Barbarossa

    Yes, you're not wrong.

    But the difference in saying: "I disagree with consensus politics on immigration and natalism for X, Y and Z", rather than "consensus politics on immigration and natalism is an elaborate hateful often millenia old conspiracy against me" has many further implications.

    1. The latter makes the person look insane and hateful.

    2. The latter makes it impossible to persuade anyone who at least doesn't much mind consensus politics on immigration and natalism.

    3. The latter leads to all sorts of bizarre views and indeed ridiculous policy proposals. Suddenly you have people thinking they're going to get elected on a platform of banning women from holding property and leaving the house unaccompanied, for example.

    In other words, the latter is poisonous to everyone and every idea associated with it.

    The future for Western countries is not going to be as I would have preferred and I feel very sad about this and a deep sense of loss over what might have been, however these people are sacrificing their sanity in order to avoid these painful feelings and thereby dooming their politics. Anyone who has watched people deal badly with grief can see, in a microcosm, how this works, or rather doesn't work.

    This also doesn't mean there aren't crazy people with their own dysfunctions within the consensus view, but as far as crazy goes, there are less and their voices are better excluded.

    I also admire your efforts to live your life while accepting the reality of other people's. Everyone has to do that to some extent, it is just that political outliers often have to do it much more. Happily, the future will be much less bleak than the conspiracy theorists think, because there isn't actually a millenia old conspiracy of hate against them. And happily furthermore things have twisted and turned in human history in werid and wonderful ways. Even not long ago people were talking as if every third person in the world would be Chinese! I am neutral to the fact that it will likely be 1/12 or fewer by 2100, but notice how big the change is. I mean the Chinese are great but 1/3 or 1/12 really isn't important to me lol

    Replies: @A123

  54. Wonder how much of civility in Japan is due to the space that is open to promote polite mannerisms, since they don’t use this space for propagandizing ideology.

  55. @songbird
    Just as a lark, A123 should set his spellcheck to UK, and then start throwing in words like "aluminium" and "oestrogen", and "Nasa" though he mightn't normally use them.

    Maybe, reference some candybar made only over there too.

    Replies: @Barbarossa, @A123

    Something like…

    “Cheerio chaps, the other day I was seated on the aluminium bleachers at my local raceway here in the Deep South, having just enjoyed a lovely bangers and mash, followed up by a Cadbury Wispa, one of my favourites! As I was having a butcher at the lovely cars it occurred to me how smashing Israel really is!

    Cor Blimey, that IslamoHomoFaschoSoros must be a barmy blighter to be opposing Israel and Donald Trump’s stonking MAGA plans!”

    • LOL: A123, songbird
    • Replies: @Wokechoke
    @Barbarossa

    you got it wrong, it's "having a butchers..." (having a look). Butcher's Hook...Imposter!

  56. @AnonfromTN
    @Greasy William

    This analysis would have made certain amount of sense if the US were agreement-capable. However, the US demonstrated that it is not agreement-capable pretty convincingly many times. I don’t think any responsible person in Russia would believe American promises, including written ones. Remember, quite recently the US signed JCPOA, and then denounced it. So, the credibility of the US government is exactly zero. This makes any agreement impossible, leaving brute force as the only means of protecting your interests.

    Replies: @Greasy William, @A123

    This analysis would have made certain amount of sense if the US were agreement-capable.

    Remember, the U.S. is walking away from Ukraine. That die is already cast. It just has not stopped rolling yet. Therefore, any U.S. stance has rapidly diminishing impact. Russia will soon be getting much of what it wants with no effort or concession.

    The problem rests with the European Empire and its client the Kiev regime. They are not agreement-capable.

    A resolution will appear when Ukraine obtains new leadership not slavishly loyal to European Elites. Zelensky will flee to Europe. Hopefully in Fall possibly early Winter this year. The next administration will agree to an armistice with Russia, and work out a deal that makes sense for the two countries actually engaged in the fight.

    Remember, quite recently the US signed JCPOA, and then denounced it. So, the credibility of the US government is exactly zero.

    Two catastrophic problems with your assertion:

    -1- Sociopath Khamenei violated (and thus abrogated) JCPOA while Obama was still in office. All Trump did was recognize that there was no logical reason to stay in a deal that Iran had already abandoned.

    -2- The Constitution requires a “Senate Ratified Treaty” to bind future administrations. There is no obligation to keep an Executive arrangement that is inherently flawed.

    The U.S. is agreement capable if there is a formal Treaty. Can you imagine anything the Veggie-in-Chief proposes reaching this standard? I cannot. Therefore, to be precise, Not-The-President Biden is not agreement-capable, because the ⅔ of the Senate will not go along.

    PEACE 😇

    • Replies: @Mr. Hack
    @A123


    Remember, the U.S. is walking away from Ukraine.
     
    Yeah, sure. That's why everyday that I watch the news, I see new weapons and funds earmarked for project Ukraine.

    Russia will soon be getting much of what it wants with no effort or concession.

     
    Dream again Appeaser Man. Nobody today knows how this war will end, and who will get what. As for 'no effort and no concesion" we just have to see what a terrible mess Russia has already gotten itself involved in. Another year or more of this?...you've got to be kidding.

    Zelensky will flee to Europe. Hopefully in Fall possibly early Winter this year.
     
    You've been tooting this tune from the beginning of the war. It's been almost a year already, and Zelensky is still firmly entrenched in Ukraine. Isn't it time to come up with another one of your BS stories?;

    The next administration will agree to an armistice with Russia, and work out a deal that makes sense for the two countries actually engaged in the fight.
     
    This sounds almost a dumb as your previous assertions that "Ukraine is fighting an offensive war against Russia" Haven't you heard, time and again from the US government spokespeople that it's Ukraine's call as to when this war will end?

    The Constitution requires a “Senate Ratified Treaty” to bind future administrations.

     

    No it doesn't. The support of Ukraine can continue as it's being done today. Only you know for sure that Trump will return to office and turn off all support for Ukraine. How's his chances look if he's personally convicted of tax fraud issues? The recent indictment of his lawyer and his organization that resulted in a 1.6 million penalty is only the first phase - it's going to go much deeper and get much more devastating for Trump than just this.
  57. @songbird
    Just as a lark, A123 should set his spellcheck to UK, and then start throwing in words like "aluminium" and "oestrogen", and "Nasa" though he mightn't normally use them.

    Maybe, reference some candybar made only over there too.

    Replies: @Barbarossa, @A123

    I have enough problems with my current auto correct “aide”. Why would you want to make that worse?

    Are you trying to arrange something like this?

    PEACE 😇

    • Thanks: songbird
  58. @QCIC
    @AP

    I still have not heard which Ukrainian air defenses have been keeping Russian bombers at bay for the past 9 months.

    My understanding is the hand held Stinger-class missiles cannot reach high and fast bombers, while Ukraine's more capable NATO missiles are destroyed as required.

    I think the Russian military is still moving on her own terms to set up the correct state of affairs after Ukraine capitulates.

    Can someone explain?

    Replies: @sudden death

    You seem to be operating under faulty assumption, that RF is not intensively airbombing UA, because they are sort of kindhearted, but current Kremlin ruler would be more than happy to drop plenty of dumb bombs onto electrical grid or cities insted of wasting way more pricey and rarer rocketry stocks.

    UA always had and still has more than enough reliable anti-air systems (S-300 and Buk), which would make potential RF aircraft losses entirely irreplacable with current domestic production rate capabilities.

    Even absolutely hardcore old Soviet vatnik, former USSR air force colonel Viktor Alksnis, who is supporting Zoperation and wants to drop nukes on UA, is admitting it lately and explains the causes as simply usual banal incompetence and corruption in the army, which are blossoming under Putin’s everlasting rule:

    In connection with the problems of our aviation, especially strike aviation, in Ukraine, when, due to serious losses, it is practically not used in the depth of the tactical, and even more so in the operational depth of the enemy’s defense, the question arises about the use of such aviation weapons that make it possible to strike at the enemy, without entering the zone of destruction of its air defense.

    Since we have been unable to suppress the air defense of Ukraine, this is the best way to solve this problem. And in this regard, we recall precise gliding bombs, which are in service with the United States and its allies and are widely used by them in military conflicts, but we don’t seem to have them in our own service, which is puzzling.

    https://vk.com/id701885602?w=wall701885602_57190

    • Agree: Ivashka the fool
    • Replies: @QCIC
    @sudden death

    Thanks for mentioning Alksnis.

    I am aware the RF has delivered many airstrikes and early on lost many aircraft. However, I also noticed they destroyed most of the Ukrainian S-300, Buk and older systems, though possibly not all that are emplaced near civilians. I doubt the Western replacement SAMs will fair much better.

    I think the RF does have fewer precision air dropped weapons and has not used them for as many strikes as the West would have in similar circumstances. I think without the lower cost precision weapons they are forced to fly riskier strikes. Is it possible the vatnik is simply lobbying for faster production of these weapons?

    This is different than the heavy bombing I mentioned. Can someone point out any heavy bombing strikes on Ukrainian targets in the last six months? I am curious about the details I may have overlooked. This would be something like at least a handful of bombers dropping a full load of bombs on some broad area target as opposed to more surgical strikes with a missile. I don't think the Ukrainian air defenses can prevent such attacks.

    I still view the Russian air campaign in the SMO as a "kid-gloves" treatment.

    Replies: @AnonfromTN

  59. @AP
    @china-russia-all-the-way

    We’ll, Poland remains about 99% Slavic, yet people weee saying 10 or 20 years ago that it would get flooded with Muslims and Africans.

    Btw, Russia (which is about 15% Muslim, more than most Western European countries), has removed visa requirements for some African country recently. From the perspective of staying European, better for Ukraine to go with Poland than to become part of Russia.

    Replies: @Wokechoke

    The issue in Russia about Muslims. There are maps showing where they live…It’s mostly in the Caucasus Mountains and near Astrakhan. This is where you’d expect to find them.

    In Western Europe the Muslims are heavily concentrated in London, Paris, Rotterdam, Cologne, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Malmo.

    Moscow is in many ways the largest city in continental Europe and the last dropping off point before Asia. But it has not radically changed for 150 years.

    • Agree: LondonBob
    • Replies: @AP
    @Wokechoke

    They also live along the Volga in the heart of Russia. And are at least 10% of Moscow’s population. That’s a lot less than in Paris, but the contrast with Kiev or Warsaw is striking.

    https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2015/7/22/despite-animosity-moscows-muslims-change-the-city

    Replies: @Wokechoke

  60. @Wokechoke
    @AP

    The issue in Russia about Muslims. There are maps showing where they live...It's mostly in the Caucasus Mountains and near Astrakhan. This is where you'd expect to find them.

    In Western Europe the Muslims are heavily concentrated in London, Paris, Rotterdam, Cologne, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Malmo.

    Moscow is in many ways the largest city in continental Europe and the last dropping off point before Asia. But it has not radically changed for 150 years.

    Replies: @AP

    They also live along the Volga in the heart of Russia. And are at least 10% of Moscow’s population. That’s a lot less than in Paris, but the contrast with Kiev or Warsaw is striking.

    https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2015/7/22/despite-animosity-moscows-muslims-change-the-city

    • Replies: @Wokechoke
    @AP

    One could easily point out that the Lower Volga is a river that represents a boundary with Asia.

    London, Rotterdam or Hamburg is core Europe.

    Replies: @AnonfromTN

  61. @Greasy William
    @AnonfromTN

    But we're not talking about promises, we're talking about the US giving Russia concrete things (unfreezing the money, dropping the sanctions, formally committing that Ukraine and Georgia won't join NATO, getting rid of Zelensky and the militias). If the US decides to later go back on any agreements, Russia will have the option to restart hostilities with Ukraine, except from a stronger position than it is currently in.

    If Putin can get this deal, he should take it.

    Replies: @AnonfromTN

    The sequence of events: the US PROMISES to do certain things if the RF does something. Right at that point there would be full stop: nobody in his/her right mind would believe any US promise. So, it’s a dead end. Case closed.

    • Replies: @A123
    @AnonfromTN


    the US PROMISES to do certain things
     
    Promise = Treaty
    No treaty = No promise

    I kindly refer the honourable gentleman to the answer I gave some moments ago #56.

    PEACE 😇

    Replies: @AnonfromTN

    , @Beckow
    @AnonfromTN


    ...the US PROMISES to do certain things if the RF does something.
     
    That's the crux of the matter: the meaning of a 'promise' is in keeping it and Washington doesn't see it that way. They have a mercantile mentality where promise is a tool in a game of markets or whatever they verbally conjure up.

    I agree, this will be decided by brute force - US simply doesn't understand the meaning of a non-military agreement. Turning a 'promise' into a 'treaty' is meaningless, adding verbiage with no difference. You simply cannot negotiate with people who think honor is how successfully you trick the other side...

    Replies: @A123

  62. @AnonfromTN
    @Greasy William

    The sequence of events: the US PROMISES to do certain things if the RF does something. Right at that point there would be full stop: nobody in his/her right mind would believe any US promise. So, it’s a dead end. Case closed.

    Replies: @A123, @Beckow

    the US PROMISES to do certain things

    Promise = Treaty
    No treaty = No promise

    I kindly refer the honourable gentleman to the answer I gave some moments ago #56.

    PEACE 😇

    • Replies: @AnonfromTN
    @A123


    Promise = Treaty
     
    Sorry to point that out, but over the years the US government failed to abide by numerous promises it made in signed treaties. This started with various treaties it signed with Indian tribes, virtually all of which it broke. This tradition is alive and well to this day, in contrast to what’s written in the US Constitution. Agreement-capable governments keep their word. The US government does not.

    Replies: @A123

  63. @AP
    @Wokechoke

    They also live along the Volga in the heart of Russia. And are at least 10% of Moscow’s population. That’s a lot less than in Paris, but the contrast with Kiev or Warsaw is striking.

    https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2015/7/22/despite-animosity-moscows-muslims-change-the-city

    Replies: @Wokechoke

    One could easily point out that the Lower Volga is a river that represents a boundary with Asia.

    London, Rotterdam or Hamburg is core Europe.

    • Replies: @AnonfromTN
    @Wokechoke


    One could easily point out that the Lower Volga is a river that represents a boundary with Asia.
     
    The boundary between Europe and Asia is in the eye of the beholder, totally arbitrary. The reason is purely geographic: Europe is not a continent, but a peninsula of Asia, just like India or Indo-China.

    Replies: @Wokechoke

  64. @A123
    @AnonfromTN


    the US PROMISES to do certain things
     
    Promise = Treaty
    No treaty = No promise

    I kindly refer the honourable gentleman to the answer I gave some moments ago #56.

    PEACE 😇

    Replies: @AnonfromTN

    Promise = Treaty

    Sorry to point that out, but over the years the US government failed to abide by numerous promises it made in signed treaties. This started with various treaties it signed with Indian tribes, virtually all of which it broke. This tradition is alive and well to this day, in contrast to what’s written in the US Constitution. Agreement-capable governments keep their word. The US government does not.

    • LOL: A123
    • Replies: @A123
    @AnonfromTN

    Sorry to point this out but -- Going all the way back to American Indian tribal events, while historic, has zero relevance to the current day.

    Name some recent, Senate ratified, Treaties that were violated.

    The U.S. has legally withdrawn from treaties (such as INF), but that is different than breaking them.

    Please do not attempt painfully obvious and comical misdirection by raising WTO/GATT. Every signer nation has broken the trade follies. Therefore, what you would be stating is that NO country on the entire planet is agreement capable... Though there may be a grain of truth in that.

    PEACE 😇

  65. @Barbarossa
    @songbird

    Something like...

    "Cheerio chaps, the other day I was seated on the aluminium bleachers at my local raceway here in the Deep South, having just enjoyed a lovely bangers and mash, followed up by a Cadbury Wispa, one of my favourites! As I was having a butcher at the lovely cars it occurred to me how smashing Israel really is!

    Cor Blimey, that IslamoHomoFaschoSoros must be a barmy blighter to be opposing Israel and Donald Trump's stonking MAGA plans!"

    Replies: @Wokechoke

    you got it wrong, it’s “having a butchers…” (having a look). Butcher’s Hook…Imposter!

    • Agree: Barbarossa
  66. @Wokechoke
    @AP

    One could easily point out that the Lower Volga is a river that represents a boundary with Asia.

    London, Rotterdam or Hamburg is core Europe.

    Replies: @AnonfromTN

    One could easily point out that the Lower Volga is a river that represents a boundary with Asia.

    The boundary between Europe and Asia is in the eye of the beholder, totally arbitrary. The reason is purely geographic: Europe is not a continent, but a peninsula of Asia, just like India or Indo-China.

    • Replies: @Wokechoke
    @AnonfromTN

    The Urals are a reasonable boundary. Rivers could be used too.

  67. @AnonfromTN
    @Wokechoke


    One could easily point out that the Lower Volga is a river that represents a boundary with Asia.
     
    The boundary between Europe and Asia is in the eye of the beholder, totally arbitrary. The reason is purely geographic: Europe is not a continent, but a peninsula of Asia, just like India or Indo-China.

    Replies: @Wokechoke

    The Urals are a reasonable boundary. Rivers could be used too.

  68. @AnonfromTN
    @A123


    Promise = Treaty
     
    Sorry to point that out, but over the years the US government failed to abide by numerous promises it made in signed treaties. This started with various treaties it signed with Indian tribes, virtually all of which it broke. This tradition is alive and well to this day, in contrast to what’s written in the US Constitution. Agreement-capable governments keep their word. The US government does not.

    Replies: @A123

    Sorry to point this out but — Going all the way back to American Indian tribal events, while historic, has zero relevance to the current day.

    Name some recent, Senate ratified, Treaties that were violated.

    The U.S. has legally withdrawn from treaties (such as INF), but that is different than breaking them.

    Please do not attempt painfully obvious and comical misdirection by raising WTO/GATT. Every signer nation has broken the trade follies. Therefore, what you would be stating is that NO country on the entire planet is agreement capable… Though there may be a grain of truth in that.

    PEACE 😇

  69. @A123
    @AnonfromTN


    This analysis would have made certain amount of sense if the US were agreement-capable.
     
    Remember, the U.S. is walking away from Ukraine. That die is already cast. It just has not stopped rolling yet. Therefore, any U.S. stance has rapidly diminishing impact. Russia will soon be getting much of what it wants with no effort or concession.

    The problem rests with the European Empire and its client the Kiev regime. They are not agreement-capable.

    A resolution will appear when Ukraine obtains new leadership not slavishly loyal to European Elites. Zelensky will flee to Europe. Hopefully in Fall possibly early Winter this year. The next administration will agree to an armistice with Russia, and work out a deal that makes sense for the two countries actually engaged in the fight.

    Remember, quite recently the US signed JCPOA, and then denounced it. So, the credibility of the US government is exactly zero.
     
    Two catastrophic problems with your assertion:

    -1- Sociopath Khamenei violated (and thus abrogated) JCPOA while Obama was still in office. All Trump did was recognize that there was no logical reason to stay in a deal that Iran had already abandoned.

    -2- The Constitution requires a "Senate Ratified Treaty" to bind future administrations. There is no obligation to keep an Executive arrangement that is inherently flawed.

    The U.S. is agreement capable if there is a formal Treaty. Can you imagine anything the Veggie-in-Chief proposes reaching this standard? I cannot. Therefore, to be precise, Not-The-President Biden is not agreement-capable, because the ⅔ of the Senate will not go along.

    PEACE 😇

    Replies: @Mr. Hack

    Remember, the U.S. is walking away from Ukraine.

    Yeah, sure. That’s why everyday that I watch the news, I see new weapons and funds earmarked for project Ukraine.

    Russia will soon be getting much of what it wants with no effort or concession.

    Dream again Appeaser Man. Nobody today knows how this war will end, and who will get what. As for ‘no effort and no concesion” we just have to see what a terrible mess Russia has already gotten itself involved in. Another year or more of this?…you’ve got to be kidding.

    Zelensky will flee to Europe. Hopefully in Fall possibly early Winter this year.

    You’ve been tooting this tune from the beginning of the war. It’s been almost a year already, and Zelensky is still firmly entrenched in Ukraine. Isn’t it time to come up with another one of your BS stories?;

    The next administration will agree to an armistice with Russia, and work out a deal that makes sense for the two countries actually engaged in the fight.

    This sounds almost a dumb as your previous assertions that “Ukraine is fighting an offensive war against Russia” Haven’t you heard, time and again from the US government spokespeople that it’s Ukraine’s call as to when this war will end?

    The Constitution requires a “Senate Ratified Treaty” to bind future administrations.

    No it doesn’t. The support of Ukraine can continue as it’s being done today. Only you know for sure that Trump will return to office and turn off all support for Ukraine. How’s his chances look if he’s personally convicted of tax fraud issues? The recent indictment of his lawyer and his organization that resulted in a 1.6 million penalty is only the first phase – it’s going to go much deeper and get much more devastating for Trump than just this.

  70. Haven’t you heard, time and again from the US government spokespeople that it’s Ukraine’s call as to when this war will end?

    I agree that Ukraine is in decent shape but the Biden regime is speaking utter bullshit. The only reason there hasn’t been a peace agreement yet is because Putin doesn’t want it. Once Putin lets it be known he’s willing to compromise, the US will be happy to deal and Zelensky will find himself removed from power if he gets in the way. In fact, he will probably find himself removed regardless as Russia will almost certainly set his ouster as a condition for ceasefire.

    • Replies: @Mr. Hack
    @Greasy William

    How do you envision Zelensky being removed by the US govt when he "gets in the way"? Zelensky has a great relationship with US policymakers as evidenced by his recent visit to the US. Even when Trump was running the show, both men seemed to get along. Ukraine is utterly dependent on the US for support and if the US feels that it's time to end it all, Zelensky will most likely give that opinion great weight as he moves forward. It's fortunate for Zelensky and Ukraine that both countries policies towards Russia dovetail together very closely. It's also obvious that the major difference in policies center around the timing of more and better arms and ammunition.

  71. In fact, he will probably find himself removed regardless as Russia will almost certainly set his ouster as a condition for ceasefire.

    Do you realize that Russia (and her supporters) is fighting the whole Ukrainian people and not just Zelensky? If he is ousted, then the Ukrainian people will not accept a pro-Russian or even a compromising administration. Then it remains to be seen who can control the situation better – the USG or the Ukrainian people (and their friends which are numerous).

    If Biden wants to bail out at the most critical moment, the US should take certain terms such as “territorial integrity” out of their vocabulary entirely going forward. They mean nothing then and should not longer be thrown around the way it was done the last 30 (or more) years.

    • Replies: @Greasy William
    @LatW


    Do you realize that Russia (and her supporters) is fighting the whole Ukrainian people and not just Zelensky? If he is ousted, then the Ukrainian people will not accept a pro-Russian or even a compromising administration
     
    1. The Ukrainian people have no say in the matter at this time
    2. I'm not talking about putting in a pro Russian guy. I'm talking about putting in a pro Western guy who simply isn't Vladimir Zelensky. Almost certainly Zaluzhnyi. Putin is a vain man and he will demand Zelensky's ouster because of the image of triumph it will give Putin, even if there are no actual policy changes

    If Biden wants to bail out at the most critical moment, the US should take certain terms such as “territorial integrity” out of their vocabulary entirely going forward.
     
    The US can still believe in territorial integrity while also being too weak to enforce it. The West has money and technology but it is too degenerate and gay to win a long fight with a determined adversary. WWII was won because the people of the Allied nations believed in what they were fighting for. In contrast, most people in the West today are unwilling to sacrifice to defend the West and large portions of the Western populations actively hate their own countries and fellow citizens and want to see the West defeated. In fact, the situation in the contemporary West has parallels to that of France in the 1930's.

    On the surface, it would appear that the West could still defeat Russia by leveraging it's technological and economic strength to arm masculine, right wing, patriotic Ukrainian men who will proceed to do the actual fighting/dying against Russia. The problem with this strategy is that Ukrainian society is itself starting to succumb to degeneracy and gayness. When Ukraine runs out of uneducated, nationalist yokels, will the educated middle class be willing to continue the fight? I doubt it. Remember that liberal Swede you spoke to who said he wanted Sweden to mobilize against Russia? He meant he wanted Sweden to mobilize misogynistic Islamic immigrants and xenophobic working class white men. He certainly wasn't calling to mobilize educated, liberal middle class Swedes like himself.

    So what would you have Biden do? Send in US troops? America is too degenerate and gay to absorb significant casualties and it would lose any long term conflict with Russia. US military recruitment is already down 25% and we aren't even at war. Simply nobody wants to fight for GloboHomo.

    This reminds me a little bit of the 2006 war between Israel in Lebanon where Israel had an insane manpower and technological advantage and unlimited US support and it still managed to lose the war because Israeli society had become too degenerate and gay to sustain meaningful casualties.

    Replies: @LatW, @AP

  72. @china-russia-all-the-way
    @AP

    We can stick to hard figures rather than perceptions of transsexual content prevalence in children's shows. America was 57% white in 2022, dropping from almost 90% in 1950. I think it will be 40% in 2050. Western Europe is clearly following the same path. Both you and the user from Lithuania are in denial about the powerful cultural forces shaping societies and instilling core morality in the young under the influence of Washington and Brussels.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @AP, @LatW, @Ivashka the fool

    Both you and the user from Lithuania are in denial about the powerful cultural forces shaping societies

    Your newly founded concern about Eastern European nations such as Lithuania is quite strange. You did not care about the survival or the wellbeing of the Lithuanian nation back when they were invaded and shoved in trains to be deported, you didn’t care about them in the early 1990s, when they, fresh out of the USSR, had to compete with cheap Chinese labor globally, you didn’t even care about them for the last 30 years when they didn’t always have it easy at all times.

    But somehow now you have started to care. How selfless of you! Your concern is so touching.

    Not.

    • Replies: @china-russia-all-the-way
    @LatW

    I don't care about the wellbeing of Lithuania and I don't pretend to. Let's get that out of the way of this conversation because it is not relevant to the important point.

    The important point is there are "powerful cultural forces shaping societies and instilling core morality in the young under the influence of Washington and Brussels."

    Do you agree or reject the contention?

    Replies: @LatW

  73. @Greasy William

    Haven’t you heard, time and again from the US government spokespeople that it’s Ukraine’s call as to when this war will end?
     
    I agree that Ukraine is in decent shape but the Biden regime is speaking utter bullshit. The only reason there hasn't been a peace agreement yet is because Putin doesn't want it. Once Putin lets it be known he's willing to compromise, the US will be happy to deal and Zelensky will find himself removed from power if he gets in the way. In fact, he will probably find himself removed regardless as Russia will almost certainly set his ouster as a condition for ceasefire.

    Replies: @Mr. Hack

    How do you envision Zelensky being removed by the US govt when he “gets in the way”? Zelensky has a great relationship with US policymakers as evidenced by his recent visit to the US. Even when Trump was running the show, both men seemed to get along. Ukraine is utterly dependent on the US for support and if the US feels that it’s time to end it all, Zelensky will most likely give that opinion great weight as he moves forward. It’s fortunate for Zelensky and Ukraine that both countries policies towards Russia dovetail together very closely. It’s also obvious that the major difference in policies center around the timing of more and better arms and ammunition.

  74. @LatW

    In fact, he will probably find himself removed regardless as Russia will almost certainly set his ouster as a condition for ceasefire.
     
    Do you realize that Russia (and her supporters) is fighting the whole Ukrainian people and not just Zelensky? If he is ousted, then the Ukrainian people will not accept a pro-Russian or even a compromising administration. Then it remains to be seen who can control the situation better - the USG or the Ukrainian people (and their friends which are numerous).

    If Biden wants to bail out at the most critical moment, the US should take certain terms such as "territorial integrity" out of their vocabulary entirely going forward. They mean nothing then and should not longer be thrown around the way it was done the last 30 (or more) years.

    Replies: @Greasy William

    Do you realize that Russia (and her supporters) is fighting the whole Ukrainian people and not just Zelensky? If he is ousted, then the Ukrainian people will not accept a pro-Russian or even a compromising administration

    1. The Ukrainian people have no say in the matter at this time
    2. I’m not talking about putting in a pro Russian guy. I’m talking about putting in a pro Western guy who simply isn’t Vladimir Zelensky. Almost certainly Zaluzhnyi. Putin is a vain man and he will demand Zelensky’s ouster because of the image of triumph it will give Putin, even if there are no actual policy changes

    If Biden wants to bail out at the most critical moment, the US should take certain terms such as “territorial integrity” out of their vocabulary entirely going forward.

    The US can still believe in territorial integrity while also being too weak to enforce it. The West has money and technology but it is too degenerate and gay to win a long fight with a determined adversary. WWII was won because the people of the Allied nations believed in what they were fighting for. In contrast, most people in the West today are unwilling to sacrifice to defend the West and large portions of the Western populations actively hate their own countries and fellow citizens and want to see the West defeated. In fact, the situation in the contemporary West has parallels to that of France in the 1930’s.

    On the surface, it would appear that the West could still defeat Russia by leveraging it’s technological and economic strength to arm masculine, right wing, patriotic Ukrainian men who will proceed to do the actual fighting/dying against Russia. The problem with this strategy is that Ukrainian society is itself starting to succumb to degeneracy and gayness. When Ukraine runs out of uneducated, nationalist yokels, will the educated middle class be willing to continue the fight? I doubt it. Remember that liberal Swede you spoke to who said he wanted Sweden to mobilize against Russia? He meant he wanted Sweden to mobilize misogynistic Islamic immigrants and xenophobic working class white men. He certainly wasn’t calling to mobilize educated, liberal middle class Swedes like himself.

    So what would you have Biden do? Send in US troops? America is too degenerate and gay to absorb significant casualties and it would lose any long term conflict with Russia. US military recruitment is already down 25% and we aren’t even at war. Simply nobody wants to fight for GloboHomo.

    This reminds me a little bit of the 2006 war between Israel in Lebanon where Israel had an insane manpower and technological advantage and unlimited US support and it still managed to lose the war because Israeli society had become too degenerate and gay to sustain meaningful casualties.

    • Replies: @LatW
    @Greasy William


    1. The Ukrainian people have no say in the matter at this time
     
    That is very simplistic. And not true, of course.

    I’m talking about putting in a pro Western guy who simply isn’t Vladimir Zelensky.
     
    As I already said, any person who the Ukrainian people will accept would have to be like Zelensky (even if he were not charismatic). Russia must accept that Ukraine is gone. It's their own doing. When you start killing children, it's over.

    Almost certainly Zaluzhnyi.
     
    Oh, you don't like Zaluzhnyi? Very telling.
    Btw, he serves his people, no one else.

    The US can still believe in territorial integrity while also being too weak to enforce it.
     
    This term is a diplomatic tool that brings in real, tangible benefits. If the US is not willing to stick it out, the US should stop using it.

    The West has money and technology but it is too degenerate and gay to win a long fight with a determined adversary.
     
    If the West were to understand the urgency of this, they would be able to summon enough strength.

    large portions of the Western populations actively hate their own countries and fellow citizens and want to see the West defeated.
     
    You assume these portions are very large because you seem to be projecting your own mental state. In Europe this isn't always the case.

    When Ukraine runs out of uneducated, nationalist yokels, will the educated middle class be willing to continue the fight?

     

    Big mistake right there. You exposed your primitive bias by saying "nationalist yokels". Everyone is fighting, all ages, all classes, many who fight physically are middle class (even doctors, lawyers, business people are fighting, which is deeply tragic, even MPs). And, yes, they could hypothetically be killed, most of them. And, yes, the weight of it is carried by rugged nationalist men. But it is wrong to assume that only nationalist are fighting. And fighting goes beyond physical, it goes on on all fronts.

    Remember that liberal Swede you spoke to who said he wanted Sweden to mobilize against Russia? He meant he wanted Sweden to mobilize misogynistic Islamic immigrants and xenophobic working class white men. He certainly wasn’t calling to mobilize educated, liberal middle class Swedes like himself.
     
    Yes, he was. Maybe not upper middle class such as himself, but the Swedish military is quite representative of the middle class. The class differences there are less pronounced than in the US, do not project.

    So what would you have Biden do?
     
    See Zaluzhnyi's checklist. It's not even asked from the US, the allies will transfer a lot of it (if it then can be replaced).

    Send in US troops?
     
    Nobody has ever asked for this. Although, a few well trained clandestine troops from the allies wouldn't be bad. US troops are not needed. I don't even understand why you raise this, this has never been talked about at all.
    , @AP
    @Greasy William


    The Ukrainian people have no say in the matter at this time
     
    They don't, in the sense that Russia is attacking and they feel that they have no choice but to defend their homes and people.

    WWII was won because the people of the Allied nations believed in what they were fighting for. In contrast, most people in the West today are unwilling to sacrifice to defend the West and large portions of the Western populations actively hate their own countries and fellow citizens and want to see the West defeated. In fact, the situation in the contemporary West has parallels to that of France in the 1930’s.
     
    If by the West you mean the Anglo world + Germany, probably (excluding some pockets such as the American South, although those guys need to get fitter and healthier). This isn't true of Poland, the Baltics, probably not even Scandinavia despite its liberal ideology. Probably not true of Meds either.

    On the surface, it would appear that the West could still defeat Russia by leveraging it’s technological and economic strength to arm masculine, right wing, patriotic Ukrainian men who will proceed to do the actual fighting/dying against Russia. The problem with this strategy is that Ukrainian society is itself starting to succumb to degeneracy and gayness
     
    Not really.

    When Ukraine runs out of uneducated, nationalist yokels, will the educated middle class be willing to continue the fight
     
    Ukraine is not the USA. In the Ukraine the middle class are just as nationalistic as the rest, if not more so. The most nationalistic part of Ukraine, Galicia, is also among the most educated. The "yokels" are bit softer in their nationalism (but not by much). One reason why Ukraine is outperforming Russia per person is that a lot of smart educated nationalistic Ukrainians are on the battlefield, improvising drones, etc.

    The bad thing abut this is that while Russia is wiping out its dregs, Ukraine is losing some of its best. It's not an even trade. 10 Russian convicts aren't worth a Ukrainian programmer.

    So what would you have Biden do? Send in US troops? America is too degenerate and gay to absorb significant casualties and it would lose any long term conflict with Russia.
     
    America can inflict huge casualties while losing a minimal number of troops if it wants to. Some overweight kid munching on Fritos in front of a screen can remotely destroy many Russian troops. And it's a big country, even if only a small % of its people have what it takes to be tough soldiers on the ground that's enough to have first rate special forces.

    Replies: @Greasy William

  75. @Greasy William
    @LatW


    Do you realize that Russia (and her supporters) is fighting the whole Ukrainian people and not just Zelensky? If he is ousted, then the Ukrainian people will not accept a pro-Russian or even a compromising administration
     
    1. The Ukrainian people have no say in the matter at this time
    2. I'm not talking about putting in a pro Russian guy. I'm talking about putting in a pro Western guy who simply isn't Vladimir Zelensky. Almost certainly Zaluzhnyi. Putin is a vain man and he will demand Zelensky's ouster because of the image of triumph it will give Putin, even if there are no actual policy changes

    If Biden wants to bail out at the most critical moment, the US should take certain terms such as “territorial integrity” out of their vocabulary entirely going forward.
     
    The US can still believe in territorial integrity while also being too weak to enforce it. The West has money and technology but it is too degenerate and gay to win a long fight with a determined adversary. WWII was won because the people of the Allied nations believed in what they were fighting for. In contrast, most people in the West today are unwilling to sacrifice to defend the West and large portions of the Western populations actively hate their own countries and fellow citizens and want to see the West defeated. In fact, the situation in the contemporary West has parallels to that of France in the 1930's.

    On the surface, it would appear that the West could still defeat Russia by leveraging it's technological and economic strength to arm masculine, right wing, patriotic Ukrainian men who will proceed to do the actual fighting/dying against Russia. The problem with this strategy is that Ukrainian society is itself starting to succumb to degeneracy and gayness. When Ukraine runs out of uneducated, nationalist yokels, will the educated middle class be willing to continue the fight? I doubt it. Remember that liberal Swede you spoke to who said he wanted Sweden to mobilize against Russia? He meant he wanted Sweden to mobilize misogynistic Islamic immigrants and xenophobic working class white men. He certainly wasn't calling to mobilize educated, liberal middle class Swedes like himself.

    So what would you have Biden do? Send in US troops? America is too degenerate and gay to absorb significant casualties and it would lose any long term conflict with Russia. US military recruitment is already down 25% and we aren't even at war. Simply nobody wants to fight for GloboHomo.

    This reminds me a little bit of the 2006 war between Israel in Lebanon where Israel had an insane manpower and technological advantage and unlimited US support and it still managed to lose the war because Israeli society had become too degenerate and gay to sustain meaningful casualties.

    Replies: @LatW, @AP

    1. The Ukrainian people have no say in the matter at this time

    That is very simplistic. And not true, of course.

    I’m talking about putting in a pro Western guy who simply isn’t Vladimir Zelensky.

    As I already said, any person who the Ukrainian people will accept would have to be like Zelensky (even if he were not charismatic). Russia must accept that Ukraine is gone. It’s their own doing. When you start killing children, it’s over.

    Almost certainly Zaluzhnyi.

    Oh, you don’t like Zaluzhnyi? Very telling.
    Btw, he serves his people, no one else.

    The US can still believe in territorial integrity while also being too weak to enforce it.

    This term is a diplomatic tool that brings in real, tangible benefits. If the US is not willing to stick it out, the US should stop using it.

    The West has money and technology but it is too degenerate and gay to win a long fight with a determined adversary.

    If the West were to understand the urgency of this, they would be able to summon enough strength.

    large portions of the Western populations actively hate their own countries and fellow citizens and want to see the West defeated.

    You assume these portions are very large because you seem to be projecting your own mental state. In Europe this isn’t always the case.

    When Ukraine runs out of uneducated, nationalist yokels, will the educated middle class be willing to continue the fight?

    Big mistake right there. You exposed your primitive bias by saying “nationalist yokels”. Everyone is fighting, all ages, all classes, many who fight physically are middle class (even doctors, lawyers, business people are fighting, which is deeply tragic, even MPs). And, yes, they could hypothetically be killed, most of them. And, yes, the weight of it is carried by rugged nationalist men. But it is wrong to assume that only nationalist are fighting. And fighting goes beyond physical, it goes on on all fronts.

    Remember that liberal Swede you spoke to who said he wanted Sweden to mobilize against Russia? He meant he wanted Sweden to mobilize misogynistic Islamic immigrants and xenophobic working class white men. He certainly wasn’t calling to mobilize educated, liberal middle class Swedes like himself.

    Yes, he was. Maybe not upper middle class such as himself, but the Swedish military is quite representative of the middle class. The class differences there are less pronounced than in the US, do not project.

    So what would you have Biden do?

    See Zaluzhnyi’s checklist. It’s not even asked from the US, the allies will transfer a lot of it (if it then can be replaced).

    Send in US troops?

    Nobody has ever asked for this. Although, a few well trained clandestine troops from the allies wouldn’t be bad. US troops are not needed. I don’t even understand why you raise this, this has never been talked about at all.

  76. Oh, you don’t like Zaluzhnyi? Very telling.
    Btw, he serves his people, no one else.

    What do you mean by this?

    I don’t know anything about Zaluzhnyi. I don’t even really dislike Zelensky. I think he’s a corrupt, delusional, weird, arrogant and vainglorious cokehead midget but he doesn’t really bother me. Given his heritage, he’s likely a 3rd or 4th cousin of mine so I don’t have anything personal against him, I just hate the type of Americans who worship him.

    But Vladimir Putin does in fact have something personal against Zelensky. Putin needs to be able to show at least something for this war beyond just the status quo ante. The minimum he could possibly accept is formal commitment that Ukraine not join the EU or NATO, a land bridge to Crimea and Zelensky out of power.

    But it is wrong to assume that only nationalist are fighting. And fighting goes beyond physical, it goes on on all fronts.

    I guess the main point for me is that you would not see this “all hands on deck effort” if it were the US that had been invaded. A huge portion of Americans would have enthusiastically collaborated with the invaders and the overwhelming majority of Americans would have refused to fight. The main reason that far right Americans (and I myself am no exception) have so much difficulty processing the effectiveness of the Ukrainian effort is because we know that the US would have collapsed in weeks if it had been subject to what Ukraine has. I can confidently say the same for Canada as well. It is certainly possible, however, that the other Western countries aren’t yet that far gone, although I’d certainly like to believe that they are. Europeans have a much different mentality than do Americans so sometimes it can be hard to understand them.

    • Replies: @LatW
    @Greasy William


    What do you mean by this?
     
    That I doubt he will give up, at least not easily. Earlier when Milley expressed doubts, he reached out to him proactively. He has a lot of support from the population and a lot of respect within the military.

    I just hate the type of Americans who worship him
     
    That's very subjective and might be affecting your outlook. For Americans who do support Ukraine (which is a lot), it's not just about Zelensky's persona, it's far broader than that.

    Putin needs to be able to show at least something for this war beyond just the status quo ante

     

    There are a few things he could sell to the population. The Kremlin propagandists are very talented that way. Unless it's really bad and they lose too much.

    I guess the main point for me is that you would not see this “all hands on deck effort” if it were the US that had been invaded. A huge portion of Americans would have enthusiastically collaborated with the invaders and the overwhelming majority of Americans would have refused to fight.

     

    It's hard to know this until there is a real invasion. Also, it might make a difference who invades.

    The main reason that far right Americans (and I myself am no exception) have so much difficulty processing the effectiveness of the Ukrainian effort is because we know that the US would have collapsed in weeks if it had been subject to what Ukraine has.
     
    The Ukrainians are raised differently, they may be more robust. But, yea, what Ukrainians have been subjected to is something that most humans would not be able to take.

    Replies: @Beckow

    , @LatW
    @Greasy William


    The main reason that far right Americans (and I myself am no exception)
     
    By the way, how are you "far right"? I thought you were Jewish.

    Replies: @A123

  77. @Greasy William

    Oh, you don’t like Zaluzhnyi? Very telling.
    Btw, he serves his people, no one else.
     
    What do you mean by this?

    I don't know anything about Zaluzhnyi. I don't even really dislike Zelensky. I think he's a corrupt, delusional, weird, arrogant and vainglorious cokehead midget but he doesn't really bother me. Given his heritage, he's likely a 3rd or 4th cousin of mine so I don't have anything personal against him, I just hate the type of Americans who worship him.

    But Vladimir Putin does in fact have something personal against Zelensky. Putin needs to be able to show at least something for this war beyond just the status quo ante. The minimum he could possibly accept is formal commitment that Ukraine not join the EU or NATO, a land bridge to Crimea and Zelensky out of power.


    But it is wrong to assume that only nationalist are fighting. And fighting goes beyond physical, it goes on on all fronts.
     
    I guess the main point for me is that you would not see this "all hands on deck effort" if it were the US that had been invaded. A huge portion of Americans would have enthusiastically collaborated with the invaders and the overwhelming majority of Americans would have refused to fight. The main reason that far right Americans (and I myself am no exception) have so much difficulty processing the effectiveness of the Ukrainian effort is because we know that the US would have collapsed in weeks if it had been subject to what Ukraine has. I can confidently say the same for Canada as well. It is certainly possible, however, that the other Western countries aren't yet that far gone, although I'd certainly like to believe that they are. Europeans have a much different mentality than do Americans so sometimes it can be hard to understand them.

    Replies: @LatW, @LatW

    What do you mean by this?

    That I doubt he will give up, at least not easily. Earlier when Milley expressed doubts, he reached out to him proactively. He has a lot of support from the population and a lot of respect within the military.

    I just hate the type of Americans who worship him

    That’s very subjective and might be affecting your outlook. For Americans who do support Ukraine (which is a lot), it’s not just about Zelensky’s persona, it’s far broader than that.

    Putin needs to be able to show at least something for this war beyond just the status quo ante

    There are a few things he could sell to the population. The Kremlin propagandists are very talented that way. Unless it’s really bad and they lose too much.

    I guess the main point for me is that you would not see this “all hands on deck effort” if it were the US that had been invaded. A huge portion of Americans would have enthusiastically collaborated with the invaders and the overwhelming majority of Americans would have refused to fight.

    It’s hard to know this until there is a real invasion. Also, it might make a difference who invades.

    The main reason that far right Americans (and I myself am no exception) have so much difficulty processing the effectiveness of the Ukrainian effort is because we know that the US would have collapsed in weeks if it had been subject to what Ukraine has.

    The Ukrainians are raised differently, they may be more robust. But, yea, what Ukrainians have been subjected to is something that most humans would not be able to take.

    • Replies: @Beckow
    @LatW


    Ukrainians have been subjected to is something that most humans would not be able to take.
     
    I saw a TV report that had an older Ukie soldier in trenches - he looked formidable and spoke Russian, he said: "....I fought w some guys on the other side in Afghanistan, we Slavs are again killing each other...but we are tough, I will hold my ground..."

    A mix of bravado, professionalism and resignation. These guys have sh..ty lives, don't expect much, understand the war much better than BBC...and they will often die because they accept it as their fate.

    You are right, they 'take it', but be careful, their resigned professionalism can turn on Kiev because they know what this is all about. Zelko&Co. are playing with fire, the bloody fury that occasionally erupts in that region will not be kind to anyone.

    You are too ideological to see the war for the human tragedy it basically is. In a tragedy everyone seeks justice and honor at any price, and at the end everybody is dead...this may turn out that way.

    Replies: @LatW

  78. @Greasy William

    Oh, you don’t like Zaluzhnyi? Very telling.
    Btw, he serves his people, no one else.
     
    What do you mean by this?

    I don't know anything about Zaluzhnyi. I don't even really dislike Zelensky. I think he's a corrupt, delusional, weird, arrogant and vainglorious cokehead midget but he doesn't really bother me. Given his heritage, he's likely a 3rd or 4th cousin of mine so I don't have anything personal against him, I just hate the type of Americans who worship him.

    But Vladimir Putin does in fact have something personal against Zelensky. Putin needs to be able to show at least something for this war beyond just the status quo ante. The minimum he could possibly accept is formal commitment that Ukraine not join the EU or NATO, a land bridge to Crimea and Zelensky out of power.


    But it is wrong to assume that only nationalist are fighting. And fighting goes beyond physical, it goes on on all fronts.
     
    I guess the main point for me is that you would not see this "all hands on deck effort" if it were the US that had been invaded. A huge portion of Americans would have enthusiastically collaborated with the invaders and the overwhelming majority of Americans would have refused to fight. The main reason that far right Americans (and I myself am no exception) have so much difficulty processing the effectiveness of the Ukrainian effort is because we know that the US would have collapsed in weeks if it had been subject to what Ukraine has. I can confidently say the same for Canada as well. It is certainly possible, however, that the other Western countries aren't yet that far gone, although I'd certainly like to believe that they are. Europeans have a much different mentality than do Americans so sometimes it can be hard to understand them.

    Replies: @LatW, @LatW

    The main reason that far right Americans (and I myself am no exception)

    By the way, how are you “far right”? I thought you were Jewish.

    • Replies: @A123
    @LatW

    Real Jews are Republicans [from 2021]: (1)


    Poll: Orthodox Jews Are Overwhelmingly Republican and Growing in Number

    According to a new poll from the Pew Research Center, while the majority of Jews identify as Democrat, three out of four Orthodox Jews identify as Republican

    Compared with older Jews, young Jews are increasingly becoming more Orthodox. Only three percent of Jews over 65 identify as Orthodox, while 17 percent of Jews between the ages of 18 and 29 claim to be Orthodox. While some Jews become more religious on their own, birthrate also is a large factor. Pew explains, “Orthodox Jewish adults report having an average of 3.3 children, while non-Orthodox Jews have an average of 1.4 children.”
     
    TFR strikes again.

    The growing anti-Semitism of the SJW Muslim DNC is accelerating this trend. Both Jews and Christians are repulsed by the fact that open hate freaks, like Ilhan Omar, are being elevated by the Democrat party.

    The Orthodox have made it to proper Red status. Other main branches of Judaism are also becoming more Purple, though they are not yet ready for Red realignment.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2021/05/11/poll-orthodox-jews-overwhelmingly-republican-growing-number/

    Replies: @LatW

  79. @AnonfromTN
    @Greasy William

    The sequence of events: the US PROMISES to do certain things if the RF does something. Right at that point there would be full stop: nobody in his/her right mind would believe any US promise. So, it’s a dead end. Case closed.

    Replies: @A123, @Beckow

    …the US PROMISES to do certain things if the RF does something.

    That’s the crux of the matter: the meaning of a ‘promise‘ is in keeping it and Washington doesn’t see it that way. They have a mercantile mentality where promise is a tool in a game of markets or whatever they verbally conjure up.

    I agree, this will be decided by brute force – US simply doesn’t understand the meaning of a non-military agreement. Turning a ‘promise‘ into a ‘treaty‘ is meaningless, adding verbiage with no difference. You simply cannot negotiate with people who think honor is how successfully you trick the other side…

    • Replies: @A123
    @Beckow


    US simply doesn’t understand the meaning of a non-military agreement. Turning a ‘promise‘ into a ‘treaty‘ is meaningless, adding verbiage with no difference.
     
    Care to back that up?
    Or, are you just bloviating?

    Same challenge to you as offered to AnonfromTN

    Name some *recent*, Senate ratified, Treaties that were violated.
    ...
    Please do not attempt painfully obvious and comical misdirection by raising WTO/GATT. Every signer nation has broken the trade follies. Therefore, what you would be stating is that NO country on the entire planet is agreement capable… Though there may be a grain of truth in that.


    Trying to use the issues with Colorado River water will also be seen as comical misdirection. The science underlying the legal framework for water use was based on bad science.

    You simply cannot negotiate with people who think honor is how successfully you trick the other side
     
    I concur, but again point out that your observation is misdirected.

    The EU Empire, has no honor and carries a deep grudge rooted in inferiority. They are still deploying treachery against the UK despite BREXIT being successfully passed almost a decade ago. Trickery is an expected core EU trait.

    As long as Kiev is an EU puppet, negotiation capable Putin has no one to work with. Eventually Zelensky will go. Ukraine will obtain leadership not contaminated by the EU. After that, an armistice and ultimately a peace deal are possible.

    PEACE 😇

    Replies: @Beckow

  80. @LatW
    @Greasy William


    What do you mean by this?
     
    That I doubt he will give up, at least not easily. Earlier when Milley expressed doubts, he reached out to him proactively. He has a lot of support from the population and a lot of respect within the military.

    I just hate the type of Americans who worship him
     
    That's very subjective and might be affecting your outlook. For Americans who do support Ukraine (which is a lot), it's not just about Zelensky's persona, it's far broader than that.

    Putin needs to be able to show at least something for this war beyond just the status quo ante

     

    There are a few things he could sell to the population. The Kremlin propagandists are very talented that way. Unless it's really bad and they lose too much.

    I guess the main point for me is that you would not see this “all hands on deck effort” if it were the US that had been invaded. A huge portion of Americans would have enthusiastically collaborated with the invaders and the overwhelming majority of Americans would have refused to fight.

     

    It's hard to know this until there is a real invasion. Also, it might make a difference who invades.

    The main reason that far right Americans (and I myself am no exception) have so much difficulty processing the effectiveness of the Ukrainian effort is because we know that the US would have collapsed in weeks if it had been subject to what Ukraine has.
     
    The Ukrainians are raised differently, they may be more robust. But, yea, what Ukrainians have been subjected to is something that most humans would not be able to take.

    Replies: @Beckow

    Ukrainians have been subjected to is something that most humans would not be able to take.

    I saw a TV report that had an older Ukie soldier in trenches – he looked formidable and spoke Russian, he said: “….I fought w some guys on the other side in Afghanistan, we Slavs are again killing each other…but we are tough, I will hold my ground…

    A mix of bravado, professionalism and resignation. These guys have sh..ty lives, don’t expect much, understand the war much better than BBC…and they will often die because they accept it as their fate.

    You are right, they ‘take it’, but be careful, their resigned professionalism can turn on Kiev because they know what this is all about. Zelko&Co. are playing with fire, the bloody fury that occasionally erupts in that region will not be kind to anyone.

    You are too ideological to see the war for the human tragedy it basically is. In a tragedy everyone seeks justice and honor at any price, and at the end everybody is dead…this may turn out that way.

    • Agree: Ivashka the fool
    • Replies: @LatW
    @Beckow


    I saw a TV report that had an older Ukie soldier in trenches – he looked formidable and spoke Russian, he said: “….I fought w some guys on the other side in Afghanistan, we Slavs are again killing each other…but we are tough, I will hold my ground…”
     
    Older "Afghan" guys are that way, they are a bit more sentimental, they are very decent, in Russia some "Afghan" group actually came out against the war. The younger guys mostly don't have those types of sentiments. They are more directly focused on fighting for their homeland.

    Btw, everyone was basically forced to go to Afghanistan. All nationalities, it wasn't a choice. So it wasn't some common ideological battle there, if the regular Ukrainian soldiers had had a choice, they wouldn't have gone there.


    These guys have sh..ty lives
     
    I wouldn't say that, there is a lot of good in their lives, they have more freedom and their women are prettier and more supplicating. They are loved. So not everything is that bad for them.

    You are right, they ‘take it’, but be careful, their resigned professionalism can turn on Kiev because they know what this is all about.
     
    I have never denied this. The military and the volunteers are a force to reckon with. If the administration starts compromising on the goals, they will have to deal with the military (and their relatives, friends, volunteers, etc).

    the war for the human tragedy it basically is
     
    These kinds of things happen when a country is called "fake and gay", when some assume that this or that country or nation doesn't have a right to exist, that this or that country is not deserving of security guarantees - there is a responsibility there, too.

    Replies: @Beckow, @Wokechoke

  81. @Beckow
    @LatW


    Ukrainians have been subjected to is something that most humans would not be able to take.
     
    I saw a TV report that had an older Ukie soldier in trenches - he looked formidable and spoke Russian, he said: "....I fought w some guys on the other side in Afghanistan, we Slavs are again killing each other...but we are tough, I will hold my ground..."

    A mix of bravado, professionalism and resignation. These guys have sh..ty lives, don't expect much, understand the war much better than BBC...and they will often die because they accept it as their fate.

    You are right, they 'take it', but be careful, their resigned professionalism can turn on Kiev because they know what this is all about. Zelko&Co. are playing with fire, the bloody fury that occasionally erupts in that region will not be kind to anyone.

    You are too ideological to see the war for the human tragedy it basically is. In a tragedy everyone seeks justice and honor at any price, and at the end everybody is dead...this may turn out that way.

    Replies: @LatW

    I saw a TV report that had an older Ukie soldier in trenches – he looked formidable and spoke Russian, he said: “….I fought w some guys on the other side in Afghanistan, we Slavs are again killing each other…but we are tough, I will hold my ground…”

    Older “Afghan” guys are that way, they are a bit more sentimental, they are very decent, in Russia some “Afghan” group actually came out against the war. The younger guys mostly don’t have those types of sentiments. They are more directly focused on fighting for their homeland.

    Btw, everyone was basically forced to go to Afghanistan. All nationalities, it wasn’t a choice. So it wasn’t some common ideological battle there, if the regular Ukrainian soldiers had had a choice, they wouldn’t have gone there.

    These guys have sh..ty lives

    I wouldn’t say that, there is a lot of good in their lives, they have more freedom and their women are prettier and more supplicating. They are loved. So not everything is that bad for them.

    You are right, they ‘take it’, but be careful, their resigned professionalism can turn on Kiev because they know what this is all about.

    I have never denied this. The military and the volunteers are a force to reckon with. If the administration starts compromising on the goals, they will have to deal with the military (and their relatives, friends, volunteers, etc).

    the war for the human tragedy it basically is

    These kinds of things happen when a country is called “fake and gay”, when some assume that this or that country or nation doesn’t have a right to exist, that this or that country is not deserving of security guarantees – there is a responsibility there, too.

    • Replies: @Beckow
    @LatW


    ...when a country is called “fake and gay”, when some assume that this or that country or nation doesn’t have a right to exist, that this or that country is not deserving of security guarantees
     
    You pick causes that fit your preconceptions. The ones you list are not reasons for the war - they are similar to some on the Russian side focusing on "Bandera", renaming streets,
    or Zelko playing a piano with his... distractions. One can say that you are picking small pebbles because you can't pick a big rock :)...

    The reasons for the war are Nato expansion and Russian minority rights. Security guarantees is a valid point - but security is by definition mutual. Inviting Nato when you know that Nato's main purpose is to fight Russia - maybe even defeat Russia - doesn't advance anyone's security. It inevitably led to the war. But it is a chicken-and-egg...


    If the (Kiev) administration starts compromising on the goals, they will have to deal with the military
     
    That's not my sense at all. Military is varied, but a large part of it is not eager to fight and die needlessly, watch the POWs videos. The most militant Ukies seem to be in Kev and further West - some found their way to Unz. There is nothing people about to die hate more than overly aggressive civilians egging them on from a safe distance...

    I strongly doubt the younger Ukies who are dying are any more enamored of the war, most are there because they had no choice. Your bubbling hatred for Russia is killing them, think about it...feeding a tragedy from far away is a rather evil thing. At least I want the killing to stop and reason to prevail. The outcome - some sort of Russia's victory - is inevitable, the only way to stop it is a coup in Russia or a nuclear war; the first one is very unlikely and can backfire. Nukes? How much fun would that be for people living in EE?

    You have ideological blinders on, seeing only narratives that fit what you want to happen. It is not going to play out that way. Then you will scuttle away seething with rage...

    Even your ideological diversion to the Afghan war is slogans. How about the US, British, Czech, etc...soldiers who went to Afghanistan recently? Was that a free choice? Were they there for "freedom"? This is my objection: you never seem to acknowledge what Nato did. You don't get to walk away from the wars done by your side. That is not serious.

    Replies: @LatW

    , @Wokechoke
    @LatW

    I saw what you did there!

    Claiming that if the Ukie administration concedes any territory to Russia the average soldiers will march on Kiev...

    "The military and the volunteers are a force to reckon with. If the administration starts compromising on the goals, they will have to deal with the military (and their relatives, friends, volunteers, etc)."

    Nothing cures this formidability like fighting in a regular military for a couple of campaign seasons. Surviving contact with the enemy and your own officers is a cure all. Most veterans soldiers in all nations get chucked on the ash heap. "Volunteers" which is a cute term of art for Fanatical Nationalists will prove even more disposable and will be seen as a threat by any pragmatic government.

  82. @LatW
    @Beckow


    I saw a TV report that had an older Ukie soldier in trenches – he looked formidable and spoke Russian, he said: “….I fought w some guys on the other side in Afghanistan, we Slavs are again killing each other…but we are tough, I will hold my ground…”
     
    Older "Afghan" guys are that way, they are a bit more sentimental, they are very decent, in Russia some "Afghan" group actually came out against the war. The younger guys mostly don't have those types of sentiments. They are more directly focused on fighting for their homeland.

    Btw, everyone was basically forced to go to Afghanistan. All nationalities, it wasn't a choice. So it wasn't some common ideological battle there, if the regular Ukrainian soldiers had had a choice, they wouldn't have gone there.


    These guys have sh..ty lives
     
    I wouldn't say that, there is a lot of good in their lives, they have more freedom and their women are prettier and more supplicating. They are loved. So not everything is that bad for them.

    You are right, they ‘take it’, but be careful, their resigned professionalism can turn on Kiev because they know what this is all about.
     
    I have never denied this. The military and the volunteers are a force to reckon with. If the administration starts compromising on the goals, they will have to deal with the military (and their relatives, friends, volunteers, etc).

    the war for the human tragedy it basically is
     
    These kinds of things happen when a country is called "fake and gay", when some assume that this or that country or nation doesn't have a right to exist, that this or that country is not deserving of security guarantees - there is a responsibility there, too.

    Replies: @Beckow, @Wokechoke

    …when a country is called “fake and gay”, when some assume that this or that country or nation doesn’t have a right to exist, that this or that country is not deserving of security guarantees

    You pick causes that fit your preconceptions. The ones you list are not reasons for the war – they are similar to some on the Russian side focusing on “Bandera“, renaming streets,
    or Zelko playing a piano with his… distractions. One can say that you are picking small pebbles because you can’t pick a big rock :)…

    The reasons for the war are Nato expansion and Russian minority rights. Security guarantees is a valid point – but security is by definition mutual. Inviting Nato when you know that Nato’s main purpose is to fight Russia – maybe even defeat Russia – doesn’t advance anyone’s security. It inevitably led to the war. But it is a chicken-and-egg…

    If the (Kiev) administration starts compromising on the goals, they will have to deal with the military

    That’s not my sense at all. Military is varied, but a large part of it is not eager to fight and die needlessly, watch the POWs videos. The most militant Ukies seem to be in Kev and further West – some found their way to Unz. There is nothing people about to die hate more than overly aggressive civilians egging them on from a safe distance…

    I strongly doubt the younger Ukies who are dying are any more enamored of the war, most are there because they had no choice. Your bubbling hatred for Russia is killing them, think about it…feeding a tragedy from far away is a rather evil thing. At least I want the killing to stop and reason to prevail. The outcome – some sort of Russia’s victory – is inevitable, the only way to stop it is a coup in Russia or a nuclear war; the first one is very unlikely and can backfire. Nukes? How much fun would that be for people living in EE?

    You have ideological blinders on, seeing only narratives that fit what you want to happen. It is not going to play out that way. Then you will scuttle away seething with rage…

    Even your ideological diversion to the Afghan war is slogans. How about the US, British, Czech, etc…soldiers who went to Afghanistan recently? Was that a free choice? Were they there for “freedom”? This is my objection: you never seem to acknowledge what Nato did. You don’t get to walk away from the wars done by your side. That is not serious.

    • Replies: @LatW
    @Beckow


    Even your ideological diversion to the Afghan war is slogans. How about the US, British, Czech, etc…soldiers who went to Afghanistan recently? Was that a free choice? Were they there for “freedom”?
     
    How can you even compare these two things? The Soviet men were in some cases not even told where they were going! There was no choice whatsoever. People were taken from far away republics that had nothing to do with that region at all. They almost took my dad who was totally against the Soviet imperialism. When they came home, they were butthurt, in Russia some of them went to work for racketeers.

    All those who went to the more recent Afghan war were all professional soldiers, who had made it their aspiration and who were in fact lining up to go there (because it paid well and could give you experience - that it's a stupid war is beside the point, most of them are)! You are either too young to know this or you are out to lunch.

    Replies: @Beckow

  83. @china-russia-all-the-way
    @AP

    We can stick to hard figures rather than perceptions of transsexual content prevalence in children's shows. America was 57% white in 2022, dropping from almost 90% in 1950. I think it will be 40% in 2050. Western Europe is clearly following the same path. Both you and the user from Lithuania are in denial about the powerful cultural forces shaping societies and instilling core morality in the young under the influence of Washington and Brussels.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @AP, @LatW, @Ivashka the fool

    Excellent comment.

    Of interest, the year 2022 had nearly the same number of births in RusFed (1,3M) as it had in Central Asia (0,9M in Uzbekistan alone). Moreover, while Russian (and other Eastern Slav) population is shrinking and aging, the Central Asian and Muslim population in Eurasia is still youthful and growing.

    Although the Anatolian Turk and Iranian populations are stabilizing, their societies are still relatively young. And short of (the likely) outright military confrontation between Iran and Turkey / Azerbaijan, their population should be at least stable, with the Kurdish and Baloch fraction still rural and growing in relative proportion.

    Why am I writing this ?

    Well follow the arithmetic: add up all the Turkic people that Türkye (yeah I know) is striving to unite in a EU type Turkic Union: 160M. Let’s consider now the Iranian-centric populations (Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan) 140M. Add the Bengali-centric populations (Pakistan and Bangladesh) 400M.

    That’s 700M sitting South-east of the less than 200M Eastern Slav. Even if we only take the Turkic people alone, the immediate neighbors, it is 160M already and growing. And there are Turkic people in RusFed itself at around 7M people already with even more Muslims (at least double that) if we add in the Caucasus and the migrant workers from the Stans.

    In a couple of generations, it could well be 200M of relatively young Turkic people facing some 100M aged Eastern Slav and Balts. That’s a mass migration and conquest scenario. And we all know that millions of gastarbaiters from Central Asia are already well settled in RusFed. While we also know that Turkic people and Muslims in general have an expansionist and conquering mindset from the dawn of their history.

    The Great Replacement is real and it will completely reshape the demographics of both Western European and Eastern European peoples’ lands, America’s included. And I am nearly certain that Islam will be a net winner, although it is hard to know just how religious people will be by that time. Probably less, but quite possibly more.

    It is kind of pathetic seeing the Eastern Slav and the Euros in general (including the ones in Americas) squabble and fight each other over relatively minor cultural issues, while their very existence by the end of this century is at risk.

    What is it that is wrong with my people and other Euros?

    Individualism leading to autistic demographic suicide?

    White man’s burden exhaustion?

    🙄

    • Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @Ivashka the fool

    It's a very interesting question, Ivashka, what the sources of "self-respect" are - and the sources of optimism and the will to live.

    I have been pondering it lately.

    I have no definitive answer, but I feel like I've isolated a few key points.

    Self respect seems to be connected in a very heavy and significant way to morality - in other words, to the feeling that we are good. And this feeling comes only, it seems, from the traditional source of altruism, and benevolence - on some level and of some kind.

    I have just returned from spending some time in Thailand, Cambodia, and Japan, and while by no means pictures of good spiritual health, and in many ways heavily corrupted by modernity and getting worse, they seem to have a residual self respect and optimism lacking from the West (although their birth rates are similarly abysmal). And I am including Slavdom as a sort of adjunct of the Western empire.

    And these countries have retained official ideologies of altruism and benevolence - of course, there is much cheating and bad behavior, and evil people exist everywhere, but there remains in public life a certain amount of consideration for others and politeness, a certain amount of palpable benevolence seems to saturate the public space, and publicly at least, the official ideology remains traditional notions of altruism etc.

    At its most basic and superficial, it is at least a commitment to make everyone feel good and respected, to make public life smooth and gracious, to avoid giving offense, to avoid confrontation - while we in the West think these things trivial and superficial, I am beginning to think they may actually be of deep moral import. In Japan it is almost an obligation to smile and make others feel good - returning to NYC, how chill the air blew suddenly!

    And moreover, the Gods are everywhere, and are actively worshipped - but what is God but the principle of a higher connection to everything else?

    Now as we all know, official ideology in the West is of course Darwinism, survival of the fittest, capitalism, individualism - i.e, our official ideology repudiates benevolence and altruism quite explicitly.

    As Keynes said of capitalism, but might be a summation of the entire modern Western civilization - "Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone." :)

    On the plane home, flying the Japanese airline ANA and bathed in the soft womb like atmosphere of a culture devoted to making everyone feel good and respected, I watched the first episode of the new HBO series the White Lotus - and how hideous, and sordid, and morally squalid it all was! What a contrast! Every character seemed a monster of cruelty, selfishness, cold indifference, given to petty squabbles.

    Now of course there are complications to this picture - on a certain level, Asia is notoriously indifferent to suffering in a way that countries formed by a Christian sensibility have often criticized. And there are many defects in Asian moral culture.

    And the West does have a sort of official ideology of benevolence and altruism - Woke. But in reality, how motivated by ressentiment and a desire for revenge Woke is, and how remote from true benevolence and altruism. At best, it represents an aching desire for goodness, but how widely it misses the mark.

    And yet, even the Woke have more self respect and spiritual power than their right wing opponents, as seen by their infinitely greater cultural and economic power - even a distant, corrupted caricature of altruism gives more power than the frankly avowed selfishness of the Right!

    And then I think of the people I've emerged from, and left behind - Jews. I am deeply critical of so much in Jewish life, and think it is a very sick culture in many ways - the extreme competitiveness, the insane ambition based on fragile egos, the obsession with money and power, the unhealthy desire for personal superiority and distinction, but I must confess that there is a residual altruism and benevolence that complicates the picture and is, I think, the ultimate source of Jewish self respect. There is a moral passion to Jewish life, that however corrupted, and corrupted it is, is absent from the "objective, scientific" life of White people - or worse, the "Darwinistic" life of White people - except among the Woke, who interpenetrate with Jews.

    So what can we learn from all this?

    I note that you've often said here before that a people that abandons it's Gods loses the sources of it's power and self respect, and I am beginning to think you are right.

    But what does it mean to abandon ones God? Doesn't it just mean to abandon ones higher connection to others, and in a sense, everything else? Doesn't it mean to abandon altruism and benevolence - the sense that we are in a higher sense connected to all other human beings and really the whole rest of creation?

    Of course, I realize that you meant it on the level of nation - as I've criticized you for recently :) - but surely that's the same principle in limited form.

    And in the end, perhaps the contrast between nationalism and universalism is not as deep as is supposed - perhaps one can be rooted in ones collective, but from that solid base reach out to the universe - and the best kind of nationalism is one that reaches towards universalism without abandoning its roots.

    Replies: @Barbarossa

    , @Emil Nikola Richard
    @Ivashka the fool


    What is it that is wrong with my people and other Euros?
     
    You see the glass as half empty. The guys on the top think they are ubers and there is no chance these filthy scum could ever get it together to take them out. They are not afraid of any number of Turks, Arabs, Africans and Chinese. They are cooking ethnic selective biological warfare weapons right now and on paper and in powerpoints they don't have any unmanageable problem at all. I saw a leaked slide pack. The last one said:

    Fuck around and find out
    , @Coconuts
    @Ivashka the fool


    Individualism leading to autistic demographic suicide?

    White man’s burden exhaustion?
     

    I think Louis de Bonald once wrote something like 'The proclamation of the Rights of Man was a signal of desolation and death'.

    This came from the idea that the philosophy behind it seriously misunderstood human nature and implementing it would bring about social collapse. Given the demographic situation you describe, it doesn't seem impossible that he will be proved right. Though it is pretty surprising, especially if you grew up in the 'End of History' era.

    It might be fitting that Bonald was one of the leading members of what they used to call the 'theological school' of political science, when you look at the rise of the Muslim nations. Generally Islam seems to have been able to resist the principles of 1789 better than any European religion or ideology.


    It is kind of pathetic seeing the Eastern Slav and the Euros in general (including the ones in Americas) squabble and fight each other over relatively minor cultural issues, while their very existence by the end of this century is at risk.
     
    Maybe this is some kind of final spasm of energy from the revolutionary side as it faces the looming challenge of what it has brought about and promoted?

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak, @Ivashka the fool

    , @Leaves No Shadow
    @Ivashka the fool

    I don't form my politics around widespread genetic engineering because it makes things so different that I don't see the point in trying, however what does genetic descendant even mean once everyone is genetic engineering?

    What is "continuity" in this context, that feeling many on here want?

    Other interesting points:

    Grimes recently added that Nazis would be happy with space travel as they could be free to be Nazis. This is another big potential, though less likely change.

    And as for AI, if it becomes thinking and more intelligent than us, what is our future?

    , @AP
    @Ivashka the fool


    Well follow the arithmetic: add up all the Turkic people that Türkye (yeah I know) is striving to unite in a EU type Turkic Union: 160M. Let’s consider now the Iranian-centric populations (Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan) 140M. Add the Bengali-centric populations (Pakistan and Bangladesh) 400M.

    That’s 700M sitting South-east of the less than 200M Eastern Slav
     
    Yes, and even more reason for Ukraine to separate itself completely from Eurasia-Russia (Asiopa) and join with Poland and the Baltic Republics. Ideally Belarus can also be saved. Russia will not be broken up (that is an unrealistic pipe dream), it will be some sort of Eurasian despotism, but if it could in an ideal world Novgorod and Pskov and other European parts would also join. Alas, the Muscovites had snuffed out the nascent Novgorod nation long ago.

    It is kind of pathetic seeing the Eastern Slav and the Euros in general (including the ones in Americas) squabble and fight each other
     
    Well, Putin chose to invade Ukraine to separate it from Poland and keep it in Eurasia, as a playground for his Chechens and Buryats alongside his Russian servants. He refused to leave us alone.
  84. @Leaves No Shadow
    @Grahamsno(G64)


    At this point they should decide on a Finland Gen Man.. approach and make some kind of shitty deal with Russia. It will be ugly and it’s pointless to sacrifice the most precious thing in the cosmos
     
    Russia is not agreement capable as Putin is unable even to define his war aims. His incentive is merely to continue the war for as long as possible, as he is done for as soon as the music stops.

    Drunken, Rapist, bumbling, stumbling Ivan always finally gets his act together and then they are lethal totally… make some kind of deal they’re getting better all the time and when they break through the second defend line finally, all the east of the River will be lost.
     
    Russia failed in Afghanistan, failed against the Japanese and failed into catatsrophe in WW1. It took 6 months for them to take Soledar, while they lost Kherson, and much else besides. Soledar is basically a village. They are as likely to take Kharkhiv as Ukraine is to take Moscow.

    I am an Indian and we have a soft spot for Russia they helped us in the infancy of our modern Republic, it’s not just the defence equipment overwhelmingly Russian but something deeper.
     
    India's performance post-independence has been embarrassing. No wonder you feel an affinity with Russia. Both are hugely cultured places that have a tendency to fail to learn from their mistakes because they continually and resentfully blame others. This observation comes from a place of love. Take it as you will. I'm optimistic on the future of India as it has many of the best and brightest in the world, but the third world ideology and its ennervating narratives do you no practical favours. Nevermind how extremely condescending it implicitly treats Indians as.

    Replies: @Grahamsno(G64), @Ivashka the fool

    Laxa, welcome back !

    🙂

    • Agree: Barbarossa
    • Replies: @Wokechoke
    @Ivashka the fool

    yep

    , @Mikel
    @Ivashka the fool

    shhh, si on ne commence pas avec la psychanalyse fatigant, il ne faut pa de la trahir, a mon avis.

  85. @Grahamsno(G64)
    I am an atheist hindu I give a rat's ass about Narendra Modi.

    So for sakes I want Russians to win we hope they break Bakhmut

    Do you seriously think I've read the Rig Veda fuck off we're friends with the Russians and that's what we are telling you despite our best minds going to the west there is something in our hearts that make us support RUSSIA

    I dont know but we will support MOTHER RUSSIA and fuck whatever may come

    It's deep I don't know why

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

    It’s because Hindu = Wend(u)

    Not kidding friend…

    🙂

  86. @Beckow
    @AnonfromTN


    ...the US PROMISES to do certain things if the RF does something.
     
    That's the crux of the matter: the meaning of a 'promise' is in keeping it and Washington doesn't see it that way. They have a mercantile mentality where promise is a tool in a game of markets or whatever they verbally conjure up.

    I agree, this will be decided by brute force - US simply doesn't understand the meaning of a non-military agreement. Turning a 'promise' into a 'treaty' is meaningless, adding verbiage with no difference. You simply cannot negotiate with people who think honor is how successfully you trick the other side...

    Replies: @A123

    US simply doesn’t understand the meaning of a non-military agreement. Turning a ‘promise‘ into a ‘treaty‘ is meaningless, adding verbiage with no difference.

    Care to back that up?
    Or, are you just bloviating?

    Same challenge to you as offered to AnonfromTN

    Name some *recent*, Senate ratified, Treaties that were violated.

    Please do not attempt painfully obvious and comical misdirection by raising WTO/GATT. Every signer nation has broken the trade follies. Therefore, what you would be stating is that NO country on the entire planet is agreement capable… Though there may be a grain of truth in that.

    Trying to use the issues with Colorado River water will also be seen as comical misdirection. The science underlying the legal framework for water use was based on bad science.

    You simply cannot negotiate with people who think honor is how successfully you trick the other side

    I concur, but again point out that your observation is misdirected.

    The EU Empire, has no honor and carries a deep grudge rooted in inferiority. They are still deploying treachery against the UK despite BREXIT being successfully passed almost a decade ago. Trickery is an expected core EU trait.

    As long as Kiev is an EU puppet, negotiation capable Putin has no one to work with. Eventually Zelensky will go. Ukraine will obtain leadership not contaminated by the EU. After that, an armistice and ultimately a peace deal are possible.

    PEACE 😇

    • Replies: @Beckow
    @A123

    I am assuming that you are objecting to treaties and not to US promises - US has openly said that its 'promises' are worthless, e.g. not to expand Nato to Russia's borders.

    The treaties US broke (or left unilaterally): ABM treaty, the Iran nuclear agreement, and a number of other disarmament treaties. It broke UN treaty that requires that UN headquarters in N York be freely accessible to all member states. Each time Washington uses some cacamonie 'justification' that amount to: 'if we don't like a treaty anymore, we will simply not obey it, or declare that we are leaving it'.

    US also broke UN Charter (that they wrote themselves) by militarily attacking UN members from Serbia to Iraq, Syria, Libya. They simply say "we can do it, shut up'.

    Your indignation is misplaced. The reality is that there is no point in negotiating with US without having the ability on the ground to enforce the agreement. I suspect that is what Russia is doing now - creating facts on the ground that may be eventually signed off by others but without the ability to change anything. That is what Russia means by saying that US-Nato are 'not agreement capable'.

    Replies: @A123

  87. @LatW
    @Greasy William


    The main reason that far right Americans (and I myself am no exception)
     
    By the way, how are you "far right"? I thought you were Jewish.

    Replies: @A123

    Real Jews are Republicans [from 2021]: (1)

    Poll: Orthodox Jews Are Overwhelmingly Republican and Growing in Number

    According to a new poll from the Pew Research Center, while the majority of Jews identify as Democrat, three out of four Orthodox Jews identify as Republican

    Compared with older Jews, young Jews are increasingly becoming more Orthodox. Only three percent of Jews over 65 identify as Orthodox, while 17 percent of Jews between the ages of 18 and 29 claim to be Orthodox. While some Jews become more religious on their own, birthrate also is a large factor. Pew explains, “Orthodox Jewish adults report having an average of 3.3 children, while non-Orthodox Jews have an average of 1.4 children.”

    TFR strikes again.

    The growing anti-Semitism of the SJW Muslim DNC is accelerating this trend. Both Jews and Christians are repulsed by the fact that open hate freaks, like Ilhan Omar, are being elevated by the Democrat party.

    The Orthodox have made it to proper Red status. Other main branches of Judaism are also becoming more Purple, though they are not yet ready for Red realignment.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2021/05/11/poll-orthodox-jews-overwhelmingly-republican-growing-number/

    • Replies: @LatW
    @A123


    The Orthodox have made it to proper Red status.
     
    I wasn't talking about fundamentalist Orthodox Jewish. Only a Gentile can be a real far right-winger (in the sense that we are talking about here). It looks like the poster Greasy William is trying to pretend to be in the group of far right Gentiles, when in fact he has a lot of Jewish in him. It shows.

    Replies: @Greasy William

  88. @Ivashka the fool
    @china-russia-all-the-way

    Excellent comment.

    Of interest, the year 2022 had nearly the same number of births in RusFed (1,3M) as it had in Central Asia (0,9M in Uzbekistan alone). Moreover, while Russian (and other Eastern Slav) population is shrinking and aging, the Central Asian and Muslim population in Eurasia is still youthful and growing.

    Although the Anatolian Turk and Iranian populations are stabilizing, their societies are still relatively young. And short of (the likely) outright military confrontation between Iran and Turkey / Azerbaijan, their population should be at least stable, with the Kurdish and Baloch fraction still rural and growing in relative proportion.

    Why am I writing this ?

    Well follow the arithmetic: add up all the Turkic people that Türkye (yeah I know) is striving to unite in a EU type Turkic Union: 160M. Let's consider now the Iranian-centric populations (Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan) 140M. Add the Bengali-centric populations (Pakistan and Bangladesh) 400M.

    That's 700M sitting South-east of the less than 200M Eastern Slav. Even if we only take the Turkic people alone, the immediate neighbors, it is 160M already and growing. And there are Turkic people in RusFed itself at around 7M people already with even more Muslims (at least double that) if we add in the Caucasus and the migrant workers from the Stans.

    In a couple of generations, it could well be 200M of relatively young Turkic people facing some 100M aged Eastern Slav and Balts. That's a mass migration and conquest scenario. And we all know that millions of gastarbaiters from Central Asia are already well settled in RusFed. While we also know that Turkic people and Muslims in general have an expansionist and conquering mindset from the dawn of their history.

    The Great Replacement is real and it will completely reshape the demographics of both Western European and Eastern European peoples' lands, America's included. And I am nearly certain that Islam will be a net winner, although it is hard to know just how religious people will be by that time. Probably less, but quite possibly more.

    It is kind of pathetic seeing the Eastern Slav and the Euros in general (including the ones in Americas) squabble and fight each other over relatively minor cultural issues, while their very existence by the end of this century is at risk.

    What is it that is wrong with my people and other Euros?

    Individualism leading to autistic demographic suicide?

    White man's burden exhaustion?

    🙄

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak, @Emil Nikola Richard, @Coconuts, @Leaves No Shadow, @AP

    It’s a very interesting question, Ivashka, what the sources of “self-respect” are – and the sources of optimism and the will to live.

    I have been pondering it lately.

    I have no definitive answer, but I feel like I’ve isolated a few key points.

    Self respect seems to be connected in a very heavy and significant way to morality – in other words, to the feeling that we are good. And this feeling comes only, it seems, from the traditional source of altruism, and benevolence – on some level and of some kind.

    I have just returned from spending some time in Thailand, Cambodia, and Japan, and while by no means pictures of good spiritual health, and in many ways heavily corrupted by modernity and getting worse, they seem to have a residual self respect and optimism lacking from the West (although their birth rates are similarly abysmal). And I am including Slavdom as a sort of adjunct of the Western empire.

    And these countries have retained official ideologies of altruism and benevolence – of course, there is much cheating and bad behavior, and evil people exist everywhere, but there remains in public life a certain amount of consideration for others and politeness, a certain amount of palpable benevolence seems to saturate the public space, and publicly at least, the official ideology remains traditional notions of altruism etc.

    At its most basic and superficial, it is at least a commitment to make everyone feel good and respected, to make public life smooth and gracious, to avoid giving offense, to avoid confrontation – while we in the West think these things trivial and superficial, I am beginning to think they may actually be of deep moral import. In Japan it is almost an obligation to smile and make others feel good – returning to NYC, how chill the air blew suddenly!

    And moreover, the Gods are everywhere, and are actively worshipped – but what is God but the principle of a higher connection to everything else?

    Now as we all know, official ideology in the West is of course Darwinism, survival of the fittest, capitalism, individualism – i.e, our official ideology repudiates benevolence and altruism quite explicitly.

    As Keynes said of capitalism, but might be a summation of the entire modern Western civilization – “Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone.” 🙂

    On the plane home, flying the Japanese airline ANA and bathed in the soft womb like atmosphere of a culture devoted to making everyone feel good and respected, I watched the first episode of the new HBO series the White Lotus – and how hideous, and sordid, and morally squalid it all was! What a contrast! Every character seemed a monster of cruelty, selfishness, cold indifference, given to petty squabbles.

    Now of course there are complications to this picture – on a certain level, Asia is notoriously indifferent to suffering in a way that countries formed by a Christian sensibility have often criticized. And there are many defects in Asian moral culture.

    And the West does have a sort of official ideology of benevolence and altruism – Woke. But in reality, how motivated by ressentiment and a desire for revenge Woke is, and how remote from true benevolence and altruism. At best, it represents an aching desire for goodness, but how widely it misses the mark.

    And yet, even the Woke have more self respect and spiritual power than their right wing opponents, as seen by their infinitely greater cultural and economic power – even a distant, corrupted caricature of altruism gives more power than the frankly avowed selfishness of the Right!

    And then I think of the people I’ve emerged from, and left behind – Jews. I am deeply critical of so much in Jewish life, and think it is a very sick culture in many ways – the extreme competitiveness, the insane ambition based on fragile egos, the obsession with money and power, the unhealthy desire for personal superiority and distinction, but I must confess that there is a residual altruism and benevolence that complicates the picture and is, I think, the ultimate source of Jewish self respect. There is a moral passion to Jewish life, that however corrupted, and corrupted it is, is absent from the “objective, scientific” life of White people – or worse, the “Darwinistic” life of White people – except among the Woke, who interpenetrate with Jews.

    So what can we learn from all this?

    I note that you’ve often said here before that a people that abandons it’s Gods loses the sources of it’s power and self respect, and I am beginning to think you are right.

    But what does it mean to abandon ones God? Doesn’t it just mean to abandon ones higher connection to others, and in a sense, everything else? Doesn’t it mean to abandon altruism and benevolence – the sense that we are in a higher sense connected to all other human beings and really the whole rest of creation?

    Of course, I realize that you meant it on the level of nation – as I’ve criticized you for recently 🙂 – but surely that’s the same principle in limited form.

    And in the end, perhaps the contrast between nationalism and universalism is not as deep as is supposed – perhaps one can be rooted in ones collective, but from that solid base reach out to the universe – and the best kind of nationalism is one that reaches towards universalism without abandoning its roots.

    • Replies: @Barbarossa
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    I think that part of the vestigial culture in places like E. Asia is that the industrial revolution was less of a clean break than in the West. Of course, China intentionally created a similar cultural trauma in the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward, but in many other countries the industrial change happened in a way that displaced, but didn't entirely wipe away traditional cultural norms.

    The West was also consumed by the horror of the First World War, which serves in my mind as the most definite inflection point which caused the West to stop believing in itself. WW1 and the aftermath fundamentally restructured Euro society and wiped away the main vestiges of a pre-industrial society. America didn't undergo the same trauma but was a much more overtly willing participant in it's own futurist restructuring owing to it's shallow cultural roots.

    After WW1 the populations became largely alienated and atomized and so perfectly primed to joyfully accept the totalitarian identities and narratives espoused by Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, or the "Democratic" West.

    As I see it, many countries like the ones you visited accept the consumer ideology of modernism, but also attempt to integrate it into their existing cultural continuity. The trends of homogenization still exist but they have been slowed somewhat.

    So, Japan still holds on to it's deep seated cultural conventions toward social order and decorum as profound cultural duties. The West is too broken up and fractious to maintain, much less create any sort of ideals of common social priorities, so it's basically every man for himself. This reverts to the mean of tacitly considering a grasping pathetic selfishness as a social virtue as evidenced by the entertainments that our society chooses.

    So, I basically think that you are correct that the social impressions that you pick up in these various countries really are much more than superficial. If a society is prioritizes the comfort and consideration of others and a sense of politeness, patience, and consideration then it seems necessary that there is an implicit spiritual alignment to such behavior.

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak

  89. @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @Ivashka the fool

    It's a very interesting question, Ivashka, what the sources of "self-respect" are - and the sources of optimism and the will to live.

    I have been pondering it lately.

    I have no definitive answer, but I feel like I've isolated a few key points.

    Self respect seems to be connected in a very heavy and significant way to morality - in other words, to the feeling that we are good. And this feeling comes only, it seems, from the traditional source of altruism, and benevolence - on some level and of some kind.

    I have just returned from spending some time in Thailand, Cambodia, and Japan, and while by no means pictures of good spiritual health, and in many ways heavily corrupted by modernity and getting worse, they seem to have a residual self respect and optimism lacking from the West (although their birth rates are similarly abysmal). And I am including Slavdom as a sort of adjunct of the Western empire.

    And these countries have retained official ideologies of altruism and benevolence - of course, there is much cheating and bad behavior, and evil people exist everywhere, but there remains in public life a certain amount of consideration for others and politeness, a certain amount of palpable benevolence seems to saturate the public space, and publicly at least, the official ideology remains traditional notions of altruism etc.

    At its most basic and superficial, it is at least a commitment to make everyone feel good and respected, to make public life smooth and gracious, to avoid giving offense, to avoid confrontation - while we in the West think these things trivial and superficial, I am beginning to think they may actually be of deep moral import. In Japan it is almost an obligation to smile and make others feel good - returning to NYC, how chill the air blew suddenly!

    And moreover, the Gods are everywhere, and are actively worshipped - but what is God but the principle of a higher connection to everything else?

    Now as we all know, official ideology in the West is of course Darwinism, survival of the fittest, capitalism, individualism - i.e, our official ideology repudiates benevolence and altruism quite explicitly.

    As Keynes said of capitalism, but might be a summation of the entire modern Western civilization - "Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone." :)

    On the plane home, flying the Japanese airline ANA and bathed in the soft womb like atmosphere of a culture devoted to making everyone feel good and respected, I watched the first episode of the new HBO series the White Lotus - and how hideous, and sordid, and morally squalid it all was! What a contrast! Every character seemed a monster of cruelty, selfishness, cold indifference, given to petty squabbles.

    Now of course there are complications to this picture - on a certain level, Asia is notoriously indifferent to suffering in a way that countries formed by a Christian sensibility have often criticized. And there are many defects in Asian moral culture.

    And the West does have a sort of official ideology of benevolence and altruism - Woke. But in reality, how motivated by ressentiment and a desire for revenge Woke is, and how remote from true benevolence and altruism. At best, it represents an aching desire for goodness, but how widely it misses the mark.

    And yet, even the Woke have more self respect and spiritual power than their right wing opponents, as seen by their infinitely greater cultural and economic power - even a distant, corrupted caricature of altruism gives more power than the frankly avowed selfishness of the Right!

    And then I think of the people I've emerged from, and left behind - Jews. I am deeply critical of so much in Jewish life, and think it is a very sick culture in many ways - the extreme competitiveness, the insane ambition based on fragile egos, the obsession with money and power, the unhealthy desire for personal superiority and distinction, but I must confess that there is a residual altruism and benevolence that complicates the picture and is, I think, the ultimate source of Jewish self respect. There is a moral passion to Jewish life, that however corrupted, and corrupted it is, is absent from the "objective, scientific" life of White people - or worse, the "Darwinistic" life of White people - except among the Woke, who interpenetrate with Jews.

    So what can we learn from all this?

    I note that you've often said here before that a people that abandons it's Gods loses the sources of it's power and self respect, and I am beginning to think you are right.

    But what does it mean to abandon ones God? Doesn't it just mean to abandon ones higher connection to others, and in a sense, everything else? Doesn't it mean to abandon altruism and benevolence - the sense that we are in a higher sense connected to all other human beings and really the whole rest of creation?

    Of course, I realize that you meant it on the level of nation - as I've criticized you for recently :) - but surely that's the same principle in limited form.

    And in the end, perhaps the contrast between nationalism and universalism is not as deep as is supposed - perhaps one can be rooted in ones collective, but from that solid base reach out to the universe - and the best kind of nationalism is one that reaches towards universalism without abandoning its roots.

    Replies: @Barbarossa

    I think that part of the vestigial culture in places like E. Asia is that the industrial revolution was less of a clean break than in the West. Of course, China intentionally created a similar cultural trauma in the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward, but in many other countries the industrial change happened in a way that displaced, but didn’t entirely wipe away traditional cultural norms.

    The West was also consumed by the horror of the First World War, which serves in my mind as the most definite inflection point which caused the West to stop believing in itself. WW1 and the aftermath fundamentally restructured Euro society and wiped away the main vestiges of a pre-industrial society. America didn’t undergo the same trauma but was a much more overtly willing participant in it’s own futurist restructuring owing to it’s shallow cultural roots.

    After WW1 the populations became largely alienated and atomized and so perfectly primed to joyfully accept the totalitarian identities and narratives espoused by Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, or the “Democratic” West.

    As I see it, many countries like the ones you visited accept the consumer ideology of modernism, but also attempt to integrate it into their existing cultural continuity. The trends of homogenization still exist but they have been slowed somewhat.

    So, Japan still holds on to it’s deep seated cultural conventions toward social order and decorum as profound cultural duties. The West is too broken up and fractious to maintain, much less create any sort of ideals of common social priorities, so it’s basically every man for himself. This reverts to the mean of tacitly considering a grasping pathetic selfishness as a social virtue as evidenced by the entertainments that our society chooses.

    So, I basically think that you are correct that the social impressions that you pick up in these various countries really are much more than superficial. If a society is prioritizes the comfort and consideration of others and a sense of politeness, patience, and consideration then it seems necessary that there is an implicit spiritual alignment to such behavior.

    • Agree: Ivashka the fool
    • Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @Barbarossa

    Yep, I think pretty much everything you say here is correct.

    What occured to me on this trip, is that the apparently trivial - from our point of view - commitment to making everyday life enjoyable and frictionless may actually suggest a deep moral dimension.

    In other words, a commitment to beautifying, and moralizing, the surface of life - which from our modern perspective is "superficial" - may actually be deep :)

    After all, the spiritually healthiest ages of the West also had this commitment to making the surface of life beautiful.

    I think you're right that the West adopted the Industrial Revolution to it's core, while some countries only as a superficial skin graft. And China is certainly as bad as the West - worse, I think.

    Also agree re WW1, but it seems to me the culmination of many of the philosophies and tendencies that had been developing up to that point - but it did indeed show the moral hollowness of the rational and mechanical civilization that has developed in an unmistakable fashion.

    What can one do when the times are bad? There has only ever in all ages been one thing to do in the face of such times - a renewed commitment to the Good and the Beautiful. To justice, mercy, kindness, compassion - and also, good manners and politeness, beautiful manners even - why not :) - and beauty in dress and deportment.

    After all, these are hardly the first such times of darkness.

    Replies: @Emil Nikola Richard

  90. @LatW
    @Beckow


    I saw a TV report that had an older Ukie soldier in trenches – he looked formidable and spoke Russian, he said: “….I fought w some guys on the other side in Afghanistan, we Slavs are again killing each other…but we are tough, I will hold my ground…”
     
    Older "Afghan" guys are that way, they are a bit more sentimental, they are very decent, in Russia some "Afghan" group actually came out against the war. The younger guys mostly don't have those types of sentiments. They are more directly focused on fighting for their homeland.

    Btw, everyone was basically forced to go to Afghanistan. All nationalities, it wasn't a choice. So it wasn't some common ideological battle there, if the regular Ukrainian soldiers had had a choice, they wouldn't have gone there.


    These guys have sh..ty lives
     
    I wouldn't say that, there is a lot of good in their lives, they have more freedom and their women are prettier and more supplicating. They are loved. So not everything is that bad for them.

    You are right, they ‘take it’, but be careful, their resigned professionalism can turn on Kiev because they know what this is all about.
     
    I have never denied this. The military and the volunteers are a force to reckon with. If the administration starts compromising on the goals, they will have to deal with the military (and their relatives, friends, volunteers, etc).

    the war for the human tragedy it basically is
     
    These kinds of things happen when a country is called "fake and gay", when some assume that this or that country or nation doesn't have a right to exist, that this or that country is not deserving of security guarantees - there is a responsibility there, too.

    Replies: @Beckow, @Wokechoke

    I saw what you did there!

    Claiming that if the Ukie administration concedes any territory to Russia the average soldiers will march on Kiev…

    “The military and the volunteers are a force to reckon with. If the administration starts compromising on the goals, they will have to deal with the military (and their relatives, friends, volunteers, etc).”

    Nothing cures this formidability like fighting in a regular military for a couple of campaign seasons. Surviving contact with the enemy and your own officers is a cure all. Most veterans soldiers in all nations get chucked on the ash heap. “Volunteers” which is a cute term of art for Fanatical Nationalists will prove even more disposable and will be seen as a threat by any pragmatic government.

  91. @Ivashka the fool
    @Leaves No Shadow

    Laxa, welcome back !

    🙂

    Replies: @Wokechoke, @Mikel

    yep

  92. By the way, how are you “far right”? I thought you were Jewish.

    I’m a loyal Trump supporter who rejects democracy and the Constitution and I hate the United States, its culture and its institutions. I really hate the military, the FBI, the CIA and large portion of the American electorate. I want the US to break up. If you talked to 1000 other Americans irl, I would be far to the right of all of them.

    Although by internet standards I guess you could say I’m pretty centrist.

    • Replies: @A123
    @Greasy William


    rejects democracy and the Constitution and I hate the United States, its culture and its institutions.
    ...
    I would be far to the right of all of them.

     
    You should properly describe yourself as Far-Left. Or, possibly Alt-Left.

    Hating America and the Constitution makes you an ideological soul mate to The Fascist Stormtroopers of Antifa. You will likely state that you also hate Antifa. This does not present a problem for accurate, Alt-Left identification: (1)


    ANNALS OF LEFTIST AUTOPHAGY:

    Intra-Radical Fight: Antifa Assaults Left-Leaning Portland Bar For Daring To Stay Open During COVID.


    Andy Ngô -- Exclusive: An #Antifa blog published claim of responsibility for a purported attack on a far-left bar in Portland as retaliation for them "spreading Covid" by remaining open.

    Worker's Tap helps fundraise for the Atlanta gunman & the terror autonomous zone.
     


     
    Ultra-Left hate despising merely Far-Left hate is typical. Please feel free to simultaneously hate your fellow Leftoids and MAGA "Right" Main Street America.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) https://instapundit.com/567647/

    , @LatW
    @Greasy William

    That's not exactly far right, but some weird type of nihilism. A real American nationalist would still be clutching on to something in the core culture or at least some institutions (if not the woke military, then some kind of a militia or something). You're not a far right winger. The core far right ideology is positive, not nihilist.

    Replies: @Greasy William

  93. It’s a Tranny.

    The Hobby Horse of the Russo-Japanese war is a particular Nay-ing and Bray-ing obsession. Secret Flowery Societies are Zer thing.

    https://journals.openedition.org/diacronie/4738

    “That Japan perceived Russia as an enemy is clear, since the war against Russia was supported by the Japanese public and every single victory of Japan’s army and navy was celebrated. The war was eventually won and the Amur Society practically lost its reason for existence, but the Peace Treaty of Portsmouth was considered a shame. The Japanese Empire had lost all its battles in Manchuria, and the Russian ships were destroyed or interned in neutral harbors after the Battle of Tsushima. In Portsmouth, however, Foreign Minister Komura Jutarō (1855-1911) was unable to bring home either an indemnity or a territorial gain. The outburst of the population in the Hibiya Park riots has been described by many authors and the members of the Amur Society, who protested the terms of the treaty. They then organized a sub-society that was supposed to organize public lectures against the Treaty of Portsmouth. How long it existed is unclear, but in the very least, some of these meetings were organized in the last months of 1905. The Amur Society itself also continued to exist – the war might have been won but the danger of Russia did not disappear completely, especially since the United States kept the Czarist Empire as a pawn in East Asia. Uchida and his men therefore still had a purpose and did not dissolve the Society, which existed until 1945. Its agitation in later years, however, would not solely target Russia, but also the United States, who acted in 1905 like St. Petersburg had in 1895.”

  94. @Greasy William

    By the way, how are you “far right”? I thought you were Jewish.
     
    I'm a loyal Trump supporter who rejects democracy and the Constitution and I hate the United States, its culture and its institutions. I really hate the military, the FBI, the CIA and large portion of the American electorate. I want the US to break up. If you talked to 1000 other Americans irl, I would be far to the right of all of them.

    Although by internet standards I guess you could say I'm pretty centrist.

    Replies: @A123, @LatW

    rejects democracy and the Constitution and I hate the United States, its culture and its institutions.

    I would be far to the right of all of them.

    You should properly describe yourself as Far-Left. Or, possibly Alt-Left.

    Hating America and the Constitution makes you an ideological soul mate to The Fascist Stormtroopers of Antifa. You will likely state that you also hate Antifa. This does not present a problem for accurate, Alt-Left identification: (1)

    ANNALS OF LEFTIST AUTOPHAGY:

    Intra-Radical Fight: Antifa Assaults Left-Leaning Portland Bar For Daring To Stay Open During COVID.

    Andy Ngô — Exclusive: An #Antifa blog published claim of responsibility for a purported attack on a far-left bar in Portland as retaliation for them “spreading Covid” by remaining open.

    Worker’s Tap helps fundraise for the Atlanta gunman & the terror autonomous zone.

    Ultra-Left hate despising merely Far-Left hate is typical. Please feel free to simultaneously hate your fellow Leftoids and MAGA “Right” Main Street America.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) https://instapundit.com/567647/

  95. Recent Russian trolling inspired by Ukie propaganda:

    Russian troops are in the process of capturing totally insignificant town – Bakhmut/Artemovsk. Which is part of capturing totally insignificant region – Donbass. Which is part of capturing totally insignificant country – Ukraine.

    • LOL: LondonBob
    • Replies: @sudden death
    @AnonfromTN

    Despite all the mental fapping over potential capture of Bahmut, more informed Zoperation cheerleaders sometimes still have the courage to face the sobering realities (post from Jan 30):


    About Artemovsk. We will take it in our hands anyway. It's a matter of time. But the real fortifications are located just on the next line. There are entire underground cities filled with concrete. Khokhols themselves now do not understand why they are driven to slaughter in Artemovsk, which is located in a hollow ditch from all sides, when hills begin behind it, which are simply turned into an impregnable fortress. They die because at the moment there is such a political decision, but after the capture of Artemovsk it will be extremely difficult for us to break through the next line of defense. This must be understood, and we ourselves will be in the lowland being shot at after.
     
    https://t.me/alexparkerlives/2442

    Replies: @Greasy William

  96. @Ivashka the fool
    @china-russia-all-the-way

    Excellent comment.

    Of interest, the year 2022 had nearly the same number of births in RusFed (1,3M) as it had in Central Asia (0,9M in Uzbekistan alone). Moreover, while Russian (and other Eastern Slav) population is shrinking and aging, the Central Asian and Muslim population in Eurasia is still youthful and growing.

    Although the Anatolian Turk and Iranian populations are stabilizing, their societies are still relatively young. And short of (the likely) outright military confrontation between Iran and Turkey / Azerbaijan, their population should be at least stable, with the Kurdish and Baloch fraction still rural and growing in relative proportion.

    Why am I writing this ?

    Well follow the arithmetic: add up all the Turkic people that Türkye (yeah I know) is striving to unite in a EU type Turkic Union: 160M. Let's consider now the Iranian-centric populations (Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan) 140M. Add the Bengali-centric populations (Pakistan and Bangladesh) 400M.

    That's 700M sitting South-east of the less than 200M Eastern Slav. Even if we only take the Turkic people alone, the immediate neighbors, it is 160M already and growing. And there are Turkic people in RusFed itself at around 7M people already with even more Muslims (at least double that) if we add in the Caucasus and the migrant workers from the Stans.

    In a couple of generations, it could well be 200M of relatively young Turkic people facing some 100M aged Eastern Slav and Balts. That's a mass migration and conquest scenario. And we all know that millions of gastarbaiters from Central Asia are already well settled in RusFed. While we also know that Turkic people and Muslims in general have an expansionist and conquering mindset from the dawn of their history.

    The Great Replacement is real and it will completely reshape the demographics of both Western European and Eastern European peoples' lands, America's included. And I am nearly certain that Islam will be a net winner, although it is hard to know just how religious people will be by that time. Probably less, but quite possibly more.

    It is kind of pathetic seeing the Eastern Slav and the Euros in general (including the ones in Americas) squabble and fight each other over relatively minor cultural issues, while their very existence by the end of this century is at risk.

    What is it that is wrong with my people and other Euros?

    Individualism leading to autistic demographic suicide?

    White man's burden exhaustion?

    🙄

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak, @Emil Nikola Richard, @Coconuts, @Leaves No Shadow, @AP

    What is it that is wrong with my people and other Euros?

    You see the glass as half empty. The guys on the top think they are ubers and there is no chance these filthy scum could ever get it together to take them out. They are not afraid of any number of Turks, Arabs, Africans and Chinese. They are cooking ethnic selective biological warfare weapons right now and on paper and in powerpoints they don’t have any unmanageable problem at all. I saw a leaked slide pack. The last one said:

    Fuck around and find out

  97. @Barbarossa
    @Leaves No Shadow


    It isn’t a conspiracy. Nor an elite plot. The fact is that Americans and Western Europeans, including many elites, want few children and are fine with immigration.
     
    The problem with the conspiracy theory formulation is that the elites have been pretty transparent about what they are aiming towards. It's not a plot, just policy. The conspiracy narrative can be a problem since it often frames a fairly direct conversation in a way which seems nuts to many people.

    Also, the line between conspiracy and policy consensus is often a blurry one. As we see, the media, institutions, and state will often come together to push what is seen as "the right side of history". More often than not, it's because they truly believe it and all parties are drunk on the same collective narrative. It is even possible to lie to forward the narrative, while being fully captured by it oneself.

    I disagree with the direction, naturally enough, and so make my own choices in life and in how to raise my family. Nations should do the same as well, as you point out.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

    Yes, you’re not wrong.

    But the difference in saying: “I disagree with consensus politics on immigration and natalism for X, Y and Z”, rather than “consensus politics on immigration and natalism is an elaborate hateful often millenia old conspiracy against me” has many further implications.

    1. The latter makes the person look insane and hateful.

    2. The latter makes it impossible to persuade anyone who at least doesn’t much mind consensus politics on immigration and natalism.

    3. The latter leads to all sorts of bizarre views and indeed ridiculous policy proposals. Suddenly you have people thinking they’re going to get elected on a platform of banning women from holding property and leaving the house unaccompanied, for example.

    In other words, the latter is poisonous to everyone and every idea associated with it.

    The future for Western countries is not going to be as I would have preferred and I feel very sad about this and a deep sense of loss over what might have been, however these people are sacrificing their sanity in order to avoid these painful feelings and thereby dooming their politics. Anyone who has watched people deal badly with grief can see, in a microcosm, how this works, or rather doesn’t work.

    This also doesn’t mean there aren’t crazy people with their own dysfunctions within the consensus view, but as far as crazy goes, there are less and their voices are better excluded.

    I also admire your efforts to live your life while accepting the reality of other people’s. Everyone has to do that to some extent, it is just that political outliers often have to do it much more. Happily, the future will be much less bleak than the conspiracy theorists think, because there isn’t actually a millenia old conspiracy of hate against them. And happily furthermore things have twisted and turned in human history in werid and wonderful ways. Even not long ago people were talking as if every third person in the world would be Chinese! I am neutral to the fact that it will likely be 1/12 or fewer by 2100, but notice how big the change is. I mean the Chinese are great but 1/3 or 1/12 really isn’t important to me lol

    • Replies: @A123
    @Leaves No Shadow

    Seeking tolerance for minorities made a great deal of sense decades ago. Even some light handed regulation of services. A small town with only one commercial rental hall is creating a problem if they will not take money for a fair and nondestructive use.

    Where things went awry was active exclusion of Judeo-Christian values and institutions. Why should Americans accept replacing Main Street values with celebrations against cultural norms? Why is the same Christian baker involved in yet another case headed up to SCOTUS?

        • How can "diversity" exclude God?
        • Is it not self evident that excluding Jesus is discrimination?


    But the difference in saying: “I disagree with consensus politics on immigration and natalism for X, Y and Z”, rather than “consensus politics on immigration and natalism is an elaborate hateful often millenia old conspiracy against me” has many further implications.
     
    Insisting on an immigration policy that centers on Judeo-Christian assimilation and adoption of American values is simply common sense. Demanding that American citizens take precedence over foreigners for jobs, education, healthcare, etc. are policies that should be entirely non controversial.

    The purpose of immigration is to serve the needs of the citizen population letting people in.

    Any other concept is guaranteed to produce problems and ultimately failure. SJW Globalism has twisted the discourse in a way that George Orwell warned about. There is nothing wrong with keeping America's borders closed to new arrivals. We are not obligated to take migrants that will make America worse off, regardless of their claims and sob stories.

    Similar logic applies to Europe

    PEACE 😇

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

  98. @Ivashka the fool
    @china-russia-all-the-way

    Excellent comment.

    Of interest, the year 2022 had nearly the same number of births in RusFed (1,3M) as it had in Central Asia (0,9M in Uzbekistan alone). Moreover, while Russian (and other Eastern Slav) population is shrinking and aging, the Central Asian and Muslim population in Eurasia is still youthful and growing.

    Although the Anatolian Turk and Iranian populations are stabilizing, their societies are still relatively young. And short of (the likely) outright military confrontation between Iran and Turkey / Azerbaijan, their population should be at least stable, with the Kurdish and Baloch fraction still rural and growing in relative proportion.

    Why am I writing this ?

    Well follow the arithmetic: add up all the Turkic people that Türkye (yeah I know) is striving to unite in a EU type Turkic Union: 160M. Let's consider now the Iranian-centric populations (Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan) 140M. Add the Bengali-centric populations (Pakistan and Bangladesh) 400M.

    That's 700M sitting South-east of the less than 200M Eastern Slav. Even if we only take the Turkic people alone, the immediate neighbors, it is 160M already and growing. And there are Turkic people in RusFed itself at around 7M people already with even more Muslims (at least double that) if we add in the Caucasus and the migrant workers from the Stans.

    In a couple of generations, it could well be 200M of relatively young Turkic people facing some 100M aged Eastern Slav and Balts. That's a mass migration and conquest scenario. And we all know that millions of gastarbaiters from Central Asia are already well settled in RusFed. While we also know that Turkic people and Muslims in general have an expansionist and conquering mindset from the dawn of their history.

    The Great Replacement is real and it will completely reshape the demographics of both Western European and Eastern European peoples' lands, America's included. And I am nearly certain that Islam will be a net winner, although it is hard to know just how religious people will be by that time. Probably less, but quite possibly more.

    It is kind of pathetic seeing the Eastern Slav and the Euros in general (including the ones in Americas) squabble and fight each other over relatively minor cultural issues, while their very existence by the end of this century is at risk.

    What is it that is wrong with my people and other Euros?

    Individualism leading to autistic demographic suicide?

    White man's burden exhaustion?

    🙄

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak, @Emil Nikola Richard, @Coconuts, @Leaves No Shadow, @AP

    Individualism leading to autistic demographic suicide?

    White man’s burden exhaustion?

    I think Louis de Bonald once wrote something like ‘The proclamation of the Rights of Man was a signal of desolation and death’.

    This came from the idea that the philosophy behind it seriously misunderstood human nature and implementing it would bring about social collapse. Given the demographic situation you describe, it doesn’t seem impossible that he will be proved right. Though it is pretty surprising, especially if you grew up in the ‘End of History’ era.

    It might be fitting that Bonald was one of the leading members of what they used to call the ‘theological school’ of political science, when you look at the rise of the Muslim nations. Generally Islam seems to have been able to resist the principles of 1789 better than any European religion or ideology.

    It is kind of pathetic seeing the Eastern Slav and the Euros in general (including the ones in Americas) squabble and fight each other over relatively minor cultural issues, while their very existence by the end of this century is at risk.

    Maybe this is some kind of final spasm of energy from the revolutionary side as it faces the looming challenge of what it has brought about and promoted?

    • Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @Coconuts

    I personally don't think Islam is healthy at the moment.

    I consider Jewish culture to be significantly unhealthy - at best, to have residual health that has not yet dissipated - and yet it is easily able to hold the entire Muslim world at bay. And the Muslim world is mired in very sinister violence, factionalism, and seemingly very dark spiritual trends. Ibn Kaldun thought the glory was passing from the Muslims already in the 12th century, and noted the growing vigor of the Franks.

    There probably is no genuine or robust health anywhere in the world now - at best, there is residual health and traces of health, which we should certainly learn from, but it would be folly to look at any culture existing now as in a good state. Of course, we should certainly learn from the beauty of the old Arab culture, as we should of all cultures.

    Even my example of the Japanese commitment to the surface beauty of life which betrays a deeper moral sensibility - this beauty is surely at least partially purchased by having America handle it's defense all these years.

    If Japan had to fend for itself and develop the "sharper" side of it's character, how much of this beauty would survive? Spiritually, perhaps the best thing for Japan was to have been defeated in the war, as one of the characters in an Ozu film I recently watched affirmed.

    To look to any existing culture would be to repeat out folly - instead, we should pick up all the strands of beauty and goodness remaining in existing cultures as well as from tradition, and unify them in a new synthesis.

    That's the task, not a return to the old or a turn to any current culture in wholesale form, which are all corrupted.

    Replies: @Coconuts

    , @Ivashka the fool
    @Coconuts


    Maybe this is some kind of final spasm of energy from the revolutionary side as it faces the looming challenge of what it has brought about and promoted?
     
    There is a Russian saying that comes to mind: "the hunchback is straightened up by the grave". The progressive need to personally face the dark side of the progress before they understand the conservative values. As long as the (mostly) middle class liberals are somewhat shielded from the outcome of their ideology, they will keep up with their nonsense.

    Once the middle class badly maimed by the ongoing societal transformation and their life ending up in dismal results, then some of them will start to think. But it will be too little too late and nobody will care anymore.
  99. @Barbarossa
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    I think that part of the vestigial culture in places like E. Asia is that the industrial revolution was less of a clean break than in the West. Of course, China intentionally created a similar cultural trauma in the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward, but in many other countries the industrial change happened in a way that displaced, but didn't entirely wipe away traditional cultural norms.

    The West was also consumed by the horror of the First World War, which serves in my mind as the most definite inflection point which caused the West to stop believing in itself. WW1 and the aftermath fundamentally restructured Euro society and wiped away the main vestiges of a pre-industrial society. America didn't undergo the same trauma but was a much more overtly willing participant in it's own futurist restructuring owing to it's shallow cultural roots.

    After WW1 the populations became largely alienated and atomized and so perfectly primed to joyfully accept the totalitarian identities and narratives espoused by Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, or the "Democratic" West.

    As I see it, many countries like the ones you visited accept the consumer ideology of modernism, but also attempt to integrate it into their existing cultural continuity. The trends of homogenization still exist but they have been slowed somewhat.

    So, Japan still holds on to it's deep seated cultural conventions toward social order and decorum as profound cultural duties. The West is too broken up and fractious to maintain, much less create any sort of ideals of common social priorities, so it's basically every man for himself. This reverts to the mean of tacitly considering a grasping pathetic selfishness as a social virtue as evidenced by the entertainments that our society chooses.

    So, I basically think that you are correct that the social impressions that you pick up in these various countries really are much more than superficial. If a society is prioritizes the comfort and consideration of others and a sense of politeness, patience, and consideration then it seems necessary that there is an implicit spiritual alignment to such behavior.

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    Yep, I think pretty much everything you say here is correct.

    What occured to me on this trip, is that the apparently trivial – from our point of view – commitment to making everyday life enjoyable and frictionless may actually suggest a deep moral dimension.

    In other words, a commitment to beautifying, and moralizing, the surface of life – which from our modern perspective is “superficial” – may actually be deep 🙂

    After all, the spiritually healthiest ages of the West also had this commitment to making the surface of life beautiful.

    I think you’re right that the West adopted the Industrial Revolution to it’s core, while some countries only as a superficial skin graft. And China is certainly as bad as the West – worse, I think.

    Also agree re WW1, but it seems to me the culmination of many of the philosophies and tendencies that had been developing up to that point – but it did indeed show the moral hollowness of the rational and mechanical civilization that has developed in an unmistakable fashion.

    What can one do when the times are bad? There has only ever in all ages been one thing to do in the face of such times – a renewed commitment to the Good and the Beautiful. To justice, mercy, kindness, compassion – and also, good manners and politeness, beautiful manners even – why not 🙂 – and beauty in dress and deportment.

    After all, these are hardly the first such times of darkness.

    • Replies: @Emil Nikola Richard
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebXCzS0s4I4&t=181s&ab_channel=skyliquid2003

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak

  100. @Coconuts
    @Ivashka the fool


    Individualism leading to autistic demographic suicide?

    White man’s burden exhaustion?
     

    I think Louis de Bonald once wrote something like 'The proclamation of the Rights of Man was a signal of desolation and death'.

    This came from the idea that the philosophy behind it seriously misunderstood human nature and implementing it would bring about social collapse. Given the demographic situation you describe, it doesn't seem impossible that he will be proved right. Though it is pretty surprising, especially if you grew up in the 'End of History' era.

    It might be fitting that Bonald was one of the leading members of what they used to call the 'theological school' of political science, when you look at the rise of the Muslim nations. Generally Islam seems to have been able to resist the principles of 1789 better than any European religion or ideology.


    It is kind of pathetic seeing the Eastern Slav and the Euros in general (including the ones in Americas) squabble and fight each other over relatively minor cultural issues, while their very existence by the end of this century is at risk.
     
    Maybe this is some kind of final spasm of energy from the revolutionary side as it faces the looming challenge of what it has brought about and promoted?

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak, @Ivashka the fool

    I personally don’t think Islam is healthy at the moment.

    I consider Jewish culture to be significantly unhealthy – at best, to have residual health that has not yet dissipated – and yet it is easily able to hold the entire Muslim world at bay. And the Muslim world is mired in very sinister violence, factionalism, and seemingly very dark spiritual trends. Ibn Kaldun thought the glory was passing from the Muslims already in the 12th century, and noted the growing vigor of the Franks.

    There probably is no genuine or robust health anywhere in the world now – at best, there is residual health and traces of health, which we should certainly learn from, but it would be folly to look at any culture existing now as in a good state. Of course, we should certainly learn from the beauty of the old Arab culture, as we should of all cultures.

    Even my example of the Japanese commitment to the surface beauty of life which betrays a deeper moral sensibility – this beauty is surely at least partially purchased by having America handle it’s defense all these years.

    If Japan had to fend for itself and develop the “sharper” side of it’s character, how much of this beauty would survive? Spiritually, perhaps the best thing for Japan was to have been defeated in the war, as one of the characters in an Ozu film I recently watched affirmed.

    To look to any existing culture would be to repeat out folly – instead, we should pick up all the strands of beauty and goodness remaining in existing cultures as well as from tradition, and unify them in a new synthesis.

    That’s the task, not a return to the old or a turn to any current culture in wholesale form, which are all corrupted.

    • Replies: @Coconuts
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak


    I personally don’t think Islam is healthy at the moment.
     
    Maybe there are different criteria for health, you could look at how far the Islamic world lives up to spiritual or moral ideals for example. But there used to be this idea that success in political terms was something more modest than that, even if it was a necessary precondition for the development of robust spiritual life.

    Two of the key criteria for political success used to be preserving peace and ensuring the survival of the population. Muslim countries are doing okay on one count, not so badly but perhaps could do better on the other. Euro countries (inc. North America etc.) might be better at securing peace (questionable?), at least for now, but there is a bigger question about guaranteeing the survival of their populations.

    And the Muslim world is mired in very sinister violence, factionalism, and seemingly very dark spiritual trends.
     
    I would sort of expect it, given the growing and youthful population. These things seem connected.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @HeavilyMarbledSteak

  101. @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @Barbarossa

    Yep, I think pretty much everything you say here is correct.

    What occured to me on this trip, is that the apparently trivial - from our point of view - commitment to making everyday life enjoyable and frictionless may actually suggest a deep moral dimension.

    In other words, a commitment to beautifying, and moralizing, the surface of life - which from our modern perspective is "superficial" - may actually be deep :)

    After all, the spiritually healthiest ages of the West also had this commitment to making the surface of life beautiful.

    I think you're right that the West adopted the Industrial Revolution to it's core, while some countries only as a superficial skin graft. And China is certainly as bad as the West - worse, I think.

    Also agree re WW1, but it seems to me the culmination of many of the philosophies and tendencies that had been developing up to that point - but it did indeed show the moral hollowness of the rational and mechanical civilization that has developed in an unmistakable fashion.

    What can one do when the times are bad? There has only ever in all ages been one thing to do in the face of such times - a renewed commitment to the Good and the Beautiful. To justice, mercy, kindness, compassion - and also, good manners and politeness, beautiful manners even - why not :) - and beauty in dress and deportment.

    After all, these are hardly the first such times of darkness.

    Replies: @Emil Nikola Richard

    • Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @Emil Nikola Richard

    There you go, mind and matter are deeply entangled, and what we think and resolve mentally has an effect on "reality" :)

    All the more reason then to resolve well. It has a wider effect than we know.

  102. @Emil Nikola Richard
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebXCzS0s4I4&t=181s&ab_channel=skyliquid2003

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    There you go, mind and matter are deeply entangled, and what we think and resolve mentally has an effect on “reality” 🙂

    All the more reason then to resolve well. It has a wider effect than we know.

  103. @Ivashka the fool
    @china-russia-all-the-way

    Excellent comment.

    Of interest, the year 2022 had nearly the same number of births in RusFed (1,3M) as it had in Central Asia (0,9M in Uzbekistan alone). Moreover, while Russian (and other Eastern Slav) population is shrinking and aging, the Central Asian and Muslim population in Eurasia is still youthful and growing.

    Although the Anatolian Turk and Iranian populations are stabilizing, their societies are still relatively young. And short of (the likely) outright military confrontation between Iran and Turkey / Azerbaijan, their population should be at least stable, with the Kurdish and Baloch fraction still rural and growing in relative proportion.

    Why am I writing this ?

    Well follow the arithmetic: add up all the Turkic people that Türkye (yeah I know) is striving to unite in a EU type Turkic Union: 160M. Let's consider now the Iranian-centric populations (Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan) 140M. Add the Bengali-centric populations (Pakistan and Bangladesh) 400M.

    That's 700M sitting South-east of the less than 200M Eastern Slav. Even if we only take the Turkic people alone, the immediate neighbors, it is 160M already and growing. And there are Turkic people in RusFed itself at around 7M people already with even more Muslims (at least double that) if we add in the Caucasus and the migrant workers from the Stans.

    In a couple of generations, it could well be 200M of relatively young Turkic people facing some 100M aged Eastern Slav and Balts. That's a mass migration and conquest scenario. And we all know that millions of gastarbaiters from Central Asia are already well settled in RusFed. While we also know that Turkic people and Muslims in general have an expansionist and conquering mindset from the dawn of their history.

    The Great Replacement is real and it will completely reshape the demographics of both Western European and Eastern European peoples' lands, America's included. And I am nearly certain that Islam will be a net winner, although it is hard to know just how religious people will be by that time. Probably less, but quite possibly more.

    It is kind of pathetic seeing the Eastern Slav and the Euros in general (including the ones in Americas) squabble and fight each other over relatively minor cultural issues, while their very existence by the end of this century is at risk.

    What is it that is wrong with my people and other Euros?

    Individualism leading to autistic demographic suicide?

    White man's burden exhaustion?

    🙄

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak, @Emil Nikola Richard, @Coconuts, @Leaves No Shadow, @AP

    I don’t form my politics around widespread genetic engineering because it makes things so different that I don’t see the point in trying, however what does genetic descendant even mean once everyone is genetic engineering?

    What is “continuity” in this context, that feeling many on here want?

    Other interesting points:

    Grimes recently added that Nazis would be happy with space travel as they could be free to be Nazis. This is another big potential, though less likely change.

    And as for AI, if it becomes thinking and more intelligent than us, what is our future?

  104. @Leaves No Shadow
    @Barbarossa

    Yes, you're not wrong.

    But the difference in saying: "I disagree with consensus politics on immigration and natalism for X, Y and Z", rather than "consensus politics on immigration and natalism is an elaborate hateful often millenia old conspiracy against me" has many further implications.

    1. The latter makes the person look insane and hateful.

    2. The latter makes it impossible to persuade anyone who at least doesn't much mind consensus politics on immigration and natalism.

    3. The latter leads to all sorts of bizarre views and indeed ridiculous policy proposals. Suddenly you have people thinking they're going to get elected on a platform of banning women from holding property and leaving the house unaccompanied, for example.

    In other words, the latter is poisonous to everyone and every idea associated with it.

    The future for Western countries is not going to be as I would have preferred and I feel very sad about this and a deep sense of loss over what might have been, however these people are sacrificing their sanity in order to avoid these painful feelings and thereby dooming their politics. Anyone who has watched people deal badly with grief can see, in a microcosm, how this works, or rather doesn't work.

    This also doesn't mean there aren't crazy people with their own dysfunctions within the consensus view, but as far as crazy goes, there are less and their voices are better excluded.

    I also admire your efforts to live your life while accepting the reality of other people's. Everyone has to do that to some extent, it is just that political outliers often have to do it much more. Happily, the future will be much less bleak than the conspiracy theorists think, because there isn't actually a millenia old conspiracy of hate against them. And happily furthermore things have twisted and turned in human history in werid and wonderful ways. Even not long ago people were talking as if every third person in the world would be Chinese! I am neutral to the fact that it will likely be 1/12 or fewer by 2100, but notice how big the change is. I mean the Chinese are great but 1/3 or 1/12 really isn't important to me lol

    Replies: @A123

    Seeking tolerance for minorities made a great deal of sense decades ago. Even some light handed regulation of services. A small town with only one commercial rental hall is creating a problem if they will not take money for a fair and nondestructive use.

    Where things went awry was active exclusion of Judeo-Christian values and institutions. Why should Americans accept replacing Main Street values with celebrations against cultural norms? Why is the same Christian baker involved in yet another case headed up to SCOTUS?

        • How can “diversity” exclude God?
        • Is it not self evident that excluding Jesus is discrimination?

    But the difference in saying: “I disagree with consensus politics on immigration and natalism for X, Y and Z”, rather than “consensus politics on immigration and natalism is an elaborate hateful often millenia old conspiracy against me” has many further implications.

    Insisting on an immigration policy that centers on Judeo-Christian assimilation and adoption of American values is simply common sense. Demanding that American citizens take precedence over foreigners for jobs, education, healthcare, etc. are policies that should be entirely non controversial.

    The purpose of immigration is to serve the needs of the citizen population letting people in.

    Any other concept is guaranteed to produce problems and ultimately failure. SJW Globalism has twisted the discourse in a way that George Orwell warned about. There is nothing wrong with keeping America’s borders closed to new arrivals. We are not obligated to take migrants that will make America worse off, regardless of their claims and sob stories.

    Similar logic applies to Europe

    PEACE 😇

    • Replies: @Leaves No Shadow
    @A123


    Where things went awry was active exclusion of Judeo-Christian values and institutions.
     
    I prefer Schopenhauer and Nietzsche.

    Ultimately, they don't disagree much in their deepest wisdom with your "Judeo-Christian tradition", but I have my preferences.

    Why is the same Christian baker involved in yet another case headed up to SCOTUS?
     
    The mob and bullying mentality shown towards that baker is repulsive, but it is a pretty minor thing on a national scale.

    There is nothing wrong with keeping America’s borders closed to new arrivals. We are not obligated to take migrants that will make America worse off, regardless of their claims and sob stories.

    Similar logic applies to Europe
     
    1 million percent agree. In fact, I think it would be a sensible and careful measure, especially in Europe. For America though, I can see how importing Asia's brightest has, and will, pay off from a certain perspective of national greatness, and I can see how that perspective reasonably appeals.
  105. @Ivashka the fool
    @china-russia-all-the-way

    Excellent comment.

    Of interest, the year 2022 had nearly the same number of births in RusFed (1,3M) as it had in Central Asia (0,9M in Uzbekistan alone). Moreover, while Russian (and other Eastern Slav) population is shrinking and aging, the Central Asian and Muslim population in Eurasia is still youthful and growing.

    Although the Anatolian Turk and Iranian populations are stabilizing, their societies are still relatively young. And short of (the likely) outright military confrontation between Iran and Turkey / Azerbaijan, their population should be at least stable, with the Kurdish and Baloch fraction still rural and growing in relative proportion.

    Why am I writing this ?

    Well follow the arithmetic: add up all the Turkic people that Türkye (yeah I know) is striving to unite in a EU type Turkic Union: 160M. Let's consider now the Iranian-centric populations (Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan) 140M. Add the Bengali-centric populations (Pakistan and Bangladesh) 400M.

    That's 700M sitting South-east of the less than 200M Eastern Slav. Even if we only take the Turkic people alone, the immediate neighbors, it is 160M already and growing. And there are Turkic people in RusFed itself at around 7M people already with even more Muslims (at least double that) if we add in the Caucasus and the migrant workers from the Stans.

    In a couple of generations, it could well be 200M of relatively young Turkic people facing some 100M aged Eastern Slav and Balts. That's a mass migration and conquest scenario. And we all know that millions of gastarbaiters from Central Asia are already well settled in RusFed. While we also know that Turkic people and Muslims in general have an expansionist and conquering mindset from the dawn of their history.

    The Great Replacement is real and it will completely reshape the demographics of both Western European and Eastern European peoples' lands, America's included. And I am nearly certain that Islam will be a net winner, although it is hard to know just how religious people will be by that time. Probably less, but quite possibly more.

    It is kind of pathetic seeing the Eastern Slav and the Euros in general (including the ones in Americas) squabble and fight each other over relatively minor cultural issues, while their very existence by the end of this century is at risk.

    What is it that is wrong with my people and other Euros?

    Individualism leading to autistic demographic suicide?

    White man's burden exhaustion?

    🙄

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak, @Emil Nikola Richard, @Coconuts, @Leaves No Shadow, @AP

    Well follow the arithmetic: add up all the Turkic people that Türkye (yeah I know) is striving to unite in a EU type Turkic Union: 160M. Let’s consider now the Iranian-centric populations (Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan) 140M. Add the Bengali-centric populations (Pakistan and Bangladesh) 400M.

    That’s 700M sitting South-east of the less than 200M Eastern Slav

    Yes, and even more reason for Ukraine to separate itself completely from Eurasia-Russia (Asiopa) and join with Poland and the Baltic Republics. Ideally Belarus can also be saved. Russia will not be broken up (that is an unrealistic pipe dream), it will be some sort of Eurasian despotism, but if it could in an ideal world Novgorod and Pskov and other European parts would also join. Alas, the Muscovites had snuffed out the nascent Novgorod nation long ago.

    It is kind of pathetic seeing the Eastern Slav and the Euros in general (including the ones in Americas) squabble and fight each other

    Well, Putin chose to invade Ukraine to separate it from Poland and keep it in Eurasia, as a playground for his Chechens and Buryats alongside his Russian servants. He refused to leave us alone.

    • Agree: LatW
  106. @A123
    @Leaves No Shadow

    Seeking tolerance for minorities made a great deal of sense decades ago. Even some light handed regulation of services. A small town with only one commercial rental hall is creating a problem if they will not take money for a fair and nondestructive use.

    Where things went awry was active exclusion of Judeo-Christian values and institutions. Why should Americans accept replacing Main Street values with celebrations against cultural norms? Why is the same Christian baker involved in yet another case headed up to SCOTUS?

        • How can "diversity" exclude God?
        • Is it not self evident that excluding Jesus is discrimination?


    But the difference in saying: “I disagree with consensus politics on immigration and natalism for X, Y and Z”, rather than “consensus politics on immigration and natalism is an elaborate hateful often millenia old conspiracy against me” has many further implications.
     
    Insisting on an immigration policy that centers on Judeo-Christian assimilation and adoption of American values is simply common sense. Demanding that American citizens take precedence over foreigners for jobs, education, healthcare, etc. are policies that should be entirely non controversial.

    The purpose of immigration is to serve the needs of the citizen population letting people in.

    Any other concept is guaranteed to produce problems and ultimately failure. SJW Globalism has twisted the discourse in a way that George Orwell warned about. There is nothing wrong with keeping America's borders closed to new arrivals. We are not obligated to take migrants that will make America worse off, regardless of their claims and sob stories.

    Similar logic applies to Europe

    PEACE 😇

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

    Where things went awry was active exclusion of Judeo-Christian values and institutions.

    I prefer Schopenhauer and Nietzsche.

    Ultimately, they don’t disagree much in their deepest wisdom with your “Judeo-Christian tradition”, but I have my preferences.

    Why is the same Christian baker involved in yet another case headed up to SCOTUS?

    The mob and bullying mentality shown towards that baker is repulsive, but it is a pretty minor thing on a national scale.

    There is nothing wrong with keeping America’s borders closed to new arrivals. We are not obligated to take migrants that will make America worse off, regardless of their claims and sob stories.

    Similar logic applies to Europe

    1 million percent agree. In fact, I think it would be a sensible and careful measure, especially in Europe. For America though, I can see how importing Asia’s brightest has, and will, pay off from a certain perspective of national greatness, and I can see how that perspective reasonably appeals.

  107. @Greasy William
    @LatW


    Do you realize that Russia (and her supporters) is fighting the whole Ukrainian people and not just Zelensky? If he is ousted, then the Ukrainian people will not accept a pro-Russian or even a compromising administration
     
    1. The Ukrainian people have no say in the matter at this time
    2. I'm not talking about putting in a pro Russian guy. I'm talking about putting in a pro Western guy who simply isn't Vladimir Zelensky. Almost certainly Zaluzhnyi. Putin is a vain man and he will demand Zelensky's ouster because of the image of triumph it will give Putin, even if there are no actual policy changes

    If Biden wants to bail out at the most critical moment, the US should take certain terms such as “territorial integrity” out of their vocabulary entirely going forward.
     
    The US can still believe in territorial integrity while also being too weak to enforce it. The West has money and technology but it is too degenerate and gay to win a long fight with a determined adversary. WWII was won because the people of the Allied nations believed in what they were fighting for. In contrast, most people in the West today are unwilling to sacrifice to defend the West and large portions of the Western populations actively hate their own countries and fellow citizens and want to see the West defeated. In fact, the situation in the contemporary West has parallels to that of France in the 1930's.

    On the surface, it would appear that the West could still defeat Russia by leveraging it's technological and economic strength to arm masculine, right wing, patriotic Ukrainian men who will proceed to do the actual fighting/dying against Russia. The problem with this strategy is that Ukrainian society is itself starting to succumb to degeneracy and gayness. When Ukraine runs out of uneducated, nationalist yokels, will the educated middle class be willing to continue the fight? I doubt it. Remember that liberal Swede you spoke to who said he wanted Sweden to mobilize against Russia? He meant he wanted Sweden to mobilize misogynistic Islamic immigrants and xenophobic working class white men. He certainly wasn't calling to mobilize educated, liberal middle class Swedes like himself.

    So what would you have Biden do? Send in US troops? America is too degenerate and gay to absorb significant casualties and it would lose any long term conflict with Russia. US military recruitment is already down 25% and we aren't even at war. Simply nobody wants to fight for GloboHomo.

    This reminds me a little bit of the 2006 war between Israel in Lebanon where Israel had an insane manpower and technological advantage and unlimited US support and it still managed to lose the war because Israeli society had become too degenerate and gay to sustain meaningful casualties.

    Replies: @LatW, @AP

    The Ukrainian people have no say in the matter at this time

    They don’t, in the sense that Russia is attacking and they feel that they have no choice but to defend their homes and people.

    WWII was won because the people of the Allied nations believed in what they were fighting for. In contrast, most people in the West today are unwilling to sacrifice to defend the West and large portions of the Western populations actively hate their own countries and fellow citizens and want to see the West defeated. In fact, the situation in the contemporary West has parallels to that of France in the 1930’s.

    If by the West you mean the Anglo world + Germany, probably (excluding some pockets such as the American South, although those guys need to get fitter and healthier). This isn’t true of Poland, the Baltics, probably not even Scandinavia despite its liberal ideology. Probably not true of Meds either.

    On the surface, it would appear that the West could still defeat Russia by leveraging it’s technological and economic strength to arm masculine, right wing, patriotic Ukrainian men who will proceed to do the actual fighting/dying against Russia. The problem with this strategy is that Ukrainian society is itself starting to succumb to degeneracy and gayness

    Not really.

    When Ukraine runs out of uneducated, nationalist yokels, will the educated middle class be willing to continue the fight

    Ukraine is not the USA. In the Ukraine the middle class are just as nationalistic as the rest, if not more so. The most nationalistic part of Ukraine, Galicia, is also among the most educated. The “yokels” are bit softer in their nationalism (but not by much). One reason why Ukraine is outperforming Russia per person is that a lot of smart educated nationalistic Ukrainians are on the battlefield, improvising drones, etc.

    The bad thing abut this is that while Russia is wiping out its dregs, Ukraine is losing some of its best. It’s not an even trade. 10 Russian convicts aren’t worth a Ukrainian programmer.

    So what would you have Biden do? Send in US troops? America is too degenerate and gay to absorb significant casualties and it would lose any long term conflict with Russia.

    America can inflict huge casualties while losing a minimal number of troops if it wants to. Some overweight kid munching on Fritos in front of a screen can remotely destroy many Russian troops. And it’s a big country, even if only a small % of its people have what it takes to be tough soldiers on the ground that’s enough to have first rate special forces.

    • Replies: @Greasy William
    @AP


    They don’t, in the sense that Russia is attacking and they feel that they have no choice but to defend their homes and people.
     
    What I mean is that when Uncle Sam tells Zelensky that it's time to step aside in favor of Zalhuzhnyi (who Zelensky reviles, btw) that Zelensky will meekly comply

    America can inflict huge casualties while losing a minimal number of troops if it wants to. Some overweight kid munching on Fritos in front of a screen can remotely destroy many Russian troops. And it’s a big country, even if only a small % of its people have what it takes to be tough soldiers on the ground that’s enough to have first rate special forces.
     
    This is what I used to believe, but I am no longer convinced. The US airpower + proxies way of war may work against the 3rd world armies but Russia, while technologically inferior, does still have good enough technology of it's own that would be able to force the US to actually fight and not just hide behind it's tech.
  108. @A123
    @Beckow


    US simply doesn’t understand the meaning of a non-military agreement. Turning a ‘promise‘ into a ‘treaty‘ is meaningless, adding verbiage with no difference.
     
    Care to back that up?
    Or, are you just bloviating?

    Same challenge to you as offered to AnonfromTN

    Name some *recent*, Senate ratified, Treaties that were violated.
    ...
    Please do not attempt painfully obvious and comical misdirection by raising WTO/GATT. Every signer nation has broken the trade follies. Therefore, what you would be stating is that NO country on the entire planet is agreement capable… Though there may be a grain of truth in that.


    Trying to use the issues with Colorado River water will also be seen as comical misdirection. The science underlying the legal framework for water use was based on bad science.

    You simply cannot negotiate with people who think honor is how successfully you trick the other side
     
    I concur, but again point out that your observation is misdirected.

    The EU Empire, has no honor and carries a deep grudge rooted in inferiority. They are still deploying treachery against the UK despite BREXIT being successfully passed almost a decade ago. Trickery is an expected core EU trait.

    As long as Kiev is an EU puppet, negotiation capable Putin has no one to work with. Eventually Zelensky will go. Ukraine will obtain leadership not contaminated by the EU. After that, an armistice and ultimately a peace deal are possible.

    PEACE 😇

    Replies: @Beckow

    I am assuming that you are objecting to treaties and not to US promises – US has openly said that its ‘promises’ are worthless, e.g. not to expand Nato to Russia’s borders.

    The treaties US broke (or left unilaterally): ABM treaty, the Iran nuclear agreement, and a number of other disarmament treaties. It broke UN treaty that requires that UN headquarters in N York be freely accessible to all member states. Each time Washington uses some cacamonie ‘justification’ that amount to: ‘if we don’t like a treaty anymore, we will simply not obey it, or declare that we are leaving it‘.

    US also broke UN Charter (that they wrote themselves) by militarily attacking UN members from Serbia to Iraq, Syria, Libya. They simply say “we can do it, shut up’.

    Your indignation is misplaced. The reality is that there is no point in negotiating with US without having the ability on the ground to enforce the agreement. I suspect that is what Russia is doing now – creating facts on the ground that may be eventually signed off by others but without the ability to change anything. That is what Russia means by saying that US-Nato are ‘not agreement capable’.

    • Replies: @A123
    @Beckow


    I am assuming that you are objecting to treaties and not to US promises
     
    The U.S. cannot promise, that is not a Constitutional power. Therefore, the phrase "US promises" is gibberish. It has less meaning than mumsy borogroves.

    A specific individual can make a promise. That promise only applies to that person. Therefore, if Not-The-President Biden makes a promise it only applies to him and his administration. No President can bind future ones without a Senate ratified Treaty.

    US has openly said that its ‘promises’ are worthless, e.g. not to expand Nato to Russia’s borders.
     
    What treaty states that NATO cannot be expanded? No treaty = no promise

    If you want to say that Bush lied... OK, I can see that position. However, a Bush promise is not a U.S. promise.

    The treaties US broke (or left unilaterally):
     
    Exercising the right to leave a treaty is 100% different than breaking it. The reason why well crafted treaties have exit provisions with timing and notice periods is so that orderly disengagement is possible. Weapon treaties that do not include China are excellent examples of concepts that rest on geopolitical assumptions that are no longer valid.

    the Iran nuclear agreement,
     
    Do you mean JCPOA, which was never Senate ratified? If so, JCPOA was never binding.

    Even worse, sociopath Khamenei abrogated JCPOA while Obama was still in office by lying during the roll out declarations. What was at best "Obama's promise" was effectively dead long before Trump was sworn in. All Trump did was spotlight a truth that everyone already knew. Khamenei breaks his word.

    US also broke UN Charter (that they wrote themselves) by militarily attacking UN members from Serbia to Iraq, Syria, Libya. They simply say “we can do it, shut up’.
     
    This is sort of a 'special case' as the underlying documents are a colossal train wreck. The UN was hastily slapped together on the basis of optimism, without concern to actual workability.

    Various powers, such as the ability to Declare War, are enumerated in the U.S. Constitution. They cannot be delegated, for example to the UN, without a formal Amendment. Therefore, portions of the UN Charter are unconstitutional. It should never have been signed or ratified. Warnings about these issues were given at the time. Sadly, those concerns were ignored.

    The smart choice for the world would be dissolving the UN/NWO as a failure. It is doing more harm than good. Until that happens the U.S. is tangled, in knots that it tied, by signing the instrument of stupidity. It can only follow the parts of the UN Charter that are consistent with the U.S. Constitution.

    This is the same sort of bind that Germany discovered when its high court over turned the EU on Constitutional grounds. (1)

    *Germany decides*. That is the message the country's Constitutional Court sent to the European Union on Tuesday as it delivered a landmark ruling on the legality of the European Central Bank's bond-buying programs, a decision many observers say challenges both the independence of the ECB and the authority of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
     
    Sovereign nations are judicially senior to multinational bodies. This point is frequently missed, or conveniently ignored, when looking at international matters, such as the UN/NWO and the EU.

    It comes back to the same point I made about WTO/GATT. If you look at transgressions strictly, you will find that almost every country on the planet violates treaties -- No one is agreement capable. There is a grain of truth to that "realpolitik", and the U.S. is in no way special or singular in this regard.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) https://www.politico.eu/article/german-court-lays-down-eu-law/

    Replies: @Beckow

  109. @AnonfromTN
    Recent Russian trolling inspired by Ukie propaganda:

    Russian troops are in the process of capturing totally insignificant town - Bakhmut/Artemovsk. Which is part of capturing totally insignificant region – Donbass. Which is part of capturing totally insignificant country – Ukraine.

    Replies: @sudden death

    Despite all the mental fapping over potential capture of Bahmut, more informed Zoperation cheerleaders sometimes still have the courage to face the sobering realities (post from Jan 30):

    About Artemovsk. We will take it in our hands anyway. It’s a matter of time. But the real fortifications are located just on the next line. There are entire underground cities filled with concrete. Khokhols themselves now do not understand why they are driven to slaughter in Artemovsk, which is located in a hollow ditch from all sides, when hills begin behind it, which are simply turned into an impregnable fortress. They die because at the moment there is such a political decision, but after the capture of Artemovsk it will be extremely difficult for us to break through the next line of defense. This must be understood, and we ourselves will be in the lowland being shot at after.

    https://t.me/alexparkerlives/2442

    • Replies: @Greasy William
    @sudden death

    The situation does not look good for Russia right now. I do expect that the Russian offensive coming in the next couple of weeks is going to gain tremendous ground but all the gains will be lost in the Ukrainian counter attack, with heavy material and personnel losses for the Russians.

    I wouldn't be surprised if Russia ends up having to settle for the status quo ante just because of how badly Putin has botched this war

  110. I have not done this for a while…

    😆 OPEN THREAD HUMOR 😁

    Open [MORE] for the rest.

    PEACE 😇


     

    [MORE]


     
     
     
     
     
     

    • LOL: Barbarossa
    • Replies: @A123
    @A123

    Oooo... Crikey... I forgot the British

    😆 OPEN THREAD HUMO*U*R 😁

    Not only is there an extra occurrence of the Letter "U". There is also video.

    PEACE 😇

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fw8deLYxx6E

     
    https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Jiu-oIurSLw/hqdefault.jpg

  111. @Ivashka the fool
    @Leaves No Shadow

    Laxa, welcome back !

    🙂

    Replies: @Wokechoke, @Mikel

    shhh, si on ne commence pas avec la psychanalyse fatigant, il ne faut pa de la trahir, a mon avis.

    • Agree: Ivashka the fool
  112. @sudden death
    @AnonfromTN

    Despite all the mental fapping over potential capture of Bahmut, more informed Zoperation cheerleaders sometimes still have the courage to face the sobering realities (post from Jan 30):


    About Artemovsk. We will take it in our hands anyway. It's a matter of time. But the real fortifications are located just on the next line. There are entire underground cities filled with concrete. Khokhols themselves now do not understand why they are driven to slaughter in Artemovsk, which is located in a hollow ditch from all sides, when hills begin behind it, which are simply turned into an impregnable fortress. They die because at the moment there is such a political decision, but after the capture of Artemovsk it will be extremely difficult for us to break through the next line of defense. This must be understood, and we ourselves will be in the lowland being shot at after.
     
    https://t.me/alexparkerlives/2442

    Replies: @Greasy William

    The situation does not look good for Russia right now. I do expect that the Russian offensive coming in the next couple of weeks is going to gain tremendous ground but all the gains will be lost in the Ukrainian counter attack, with heavy material and personnel losses for the Russians.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if Russia ends up having to settle for the status quo ante just because of how badly Putin has botched this war

  113. Can’t believe people are still fawning over Scott Ritter. This is bizarre. Even the most rabid supporter of Putin’s invasion must surely view Ritter as a total incompetent, nevermind convicted groomer. How can anyone explain the popularity and compliments below his latest article here?

    • Replies: @Greasy William
    @Leaves No Shadow

    Ritter is very charismatic and he tells a certain type of alienated Westerner what they want to here, so this has earned him a cult following.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

  114. @Beckow
    @A123

    I am assuming that you are objecting to treaties and not to US promises - US has openly said that its 'promises' are worthless, e.g. not to expand Nato to Russia's borders.

    The treaties US broke (or left unilaterally): ABM treaty, the Iran nuclear agreement, and a number of other disarmament treaties. It broke UN treaty that requires that UN headquarters in N York be freely accessible to all member states. Each time Washington uses some cacamonie 'justification' that amount to: 'if we don't like a treaty anymore, we will simply not obey it, or declare that we are leaving it'.

    US also broke UN Charter (that they wrote themselves) by militarily attacking UN members from Serbia to Iraq, Syria, Libya. They simply say "we can do it, shut up'.

    Your indignation is misplaced. The reality is that there is no point in negotiating with US without having the ability on the ground to enforce the agreement. I suspect that is what Russia is doing now - creating facts on the ground that may be eventually signed off by others but without the ability to change anything. That is what Russia means by saying that US-Nato are 'not agreement capable'.

    Replies: @A123

    I am assuming that you are objecting to treaties and not to US promises

    The U.S. cannot promise, that is not a Constitutional power. Therefore, the phrase “US promises” is gibberish. It has less meaning than mumsy borogroves.

    A specific individual can make a promise. That promise only applies to that person. Therefore, if Not-The-President Biden makes a promise it only applies to him and his administration. No President can bind future ones without a Senate ratified Treaty.

    US has openly said that its ‘promises’ are worthless, e.g. not to expand Nato to Russia’s borders.

    What treaty states that NATO cannot be expanded? No treaty = no promise

    If you want to say that Bush lied… OK, I can see that position. However, a Bush promise is not a U.S. promise.

    The treaties US broke (or left unilaterally):

    Exercising the right to leave a treaty is 100% different than breaking it. The reason why well crafted treaties have exit provisions with timing and notice periods is so that orderly disengagement is possible. Weapon treaties that do not include China are excellent examples of concepts that rest on geopolitical assumptions that are no longer valid.

    the Iran nuclear agreement,

    Do you mean JCPOA, which was never Senate ratified? If so, JCPOA was never binding.

    Even worse, sociopath Khamenei abrogated JCPOA while Obama was still in office by lying during the roll out declarations. What was at best “Obama’s promise” was effectively dead long before Trump was sworn in. All Trump did was spotlight a truth that everyone already knew. Khamenei breaks his word.

    US also broke UN Charter (that they wrote themselves) by militarily attacking UN members from Serbia to Iraq, Syria, Libya. They simply say “we can do it, shut up’.

    This is sort of a ‘special case’ as the underlying documents are a colossal train wreck. The UN was hastily slapped together on the basis of optimism, without concern to actual workability.

    Various powers, such as the ability to Declare War, are enumerated in the U.S. Constitution. They cannot be delegated, for example to the UN, without a formal Amendment. Therefore, portions of the UN Charter are unconstitutional. It should never have been signed or ratified. Warnings about these issues were given at the time. Sadly, those concerns were ignored.

    The smart choice for the world would be dissolving the UN/NWO as a failure. It is doing more harm than good. Until that happens the U.S. is tangled, in knots that it tied, by signing the instrument of stupidity. It can only follow the parts of the UN Charter that are consistent with the U.S. Constitution.

    This is the same sort of bind that Germany discovered when its high court over turned the EU on Constitutional grounds. (1)

    *Germany decides*. That is the message the country’s Constitutional Court sent to the European Union on Tuesday as it delivered a landmark ruling on the legality of the European Central Bank’s bond-buying programs, a decision many observers say challenges both the independence of the ECB and the authority of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

    Sovereign nations are judicially senior to multinational bodies. This point is frequently missed, or conveniently ignored, when looking at international matters, such as the UN/NWO and the EU.

    It comes back to the same point I made about WTO/GATT. If you look at transgressions strictly, you will find that almost every country on the planet violates treaties — No one is agreement capable. There is a grain of truth to that “realpolitik”, and the U.S. is in no way special or singular in this regard.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) https://www.politico.eu/article/german-court-lays-down-eu-law/

    • Replies: @Beckow
    @A123


    Therefore, the phrase “US promises” is gibberish.
     
    Precisely, so why talk at all? Among honorable people promises are kept, but you think honor is gibberish and the rest of the world knows.

    Whatever irrelevant, internal process reasons you come up with, Washington is simply not agreement-capable. 'Presidents change', sure, so there is no value in negotiating with a temporary place-holder. There are 'exit clauses', yeah, so there really is no binding anything...rules, 'ratified or not', 'others also cheat!'....you are making my point that diplomacy with people who can't make promises or agreements they will keep is pointless. So we are back to resolving issues with wars.

    Also your Iran obsession is silly and borders on pathological. Let go of it, it makes you sound deranged. Or if you can't, go and invade, they have a long shoreline, take lengthy breaks, don't maintain well, maybe you will get lucky. Then what? maybe minding your own business would be better...

    Replies: @A123

  115. @Leaves No Shadow
    Can't believe people are still fawning over Scott Ritter. This is bizarre. Even the most rabid supporter of Putin's invasion must surely view Ritter as a total incompetent, nevermind convicted groomer. How can anyone explain the popularity and compliments below his latest article here?



    https://twitter.com/MooshieMadz/status/1621901354053820416?t=B3foQP0faFd4xUUDOwQ7bA&s=19

    Replies: @Greasy William

    Ritter is very charismatic and he tells a certain type of alienated Westerner what they want to here, so this has earned him a cult following.

    • Agree: Barbarossa
    • Replies: @Leaves No Shadow
    @Greasy William

    I find it amazing how many people find the style of total bullsh*tter charismatic. Trump could be like that, but was saved by humour and his occasional self-deprecation. In other words, he owned his ridiculousness. Ritter, MacGregor, people like Escobar when they write, none of them own this stuff. They're just repulsive. I'd call them sociopaths, but it seems that there is an audience mal-adapted enough to make them successful. I assume these are the types who, in the playground, loved to cheer on the sociopathic bully and, from the side, exalt in telling others that they were "going to get it." Even Unz knows to at least tone himself down, no matter how fake this effort of his is. He'll express pretend doubts to try to show he isn't a raving lunatic.

    I term it the psychotic style, in contrast with the rationalist style shown by people like Scott Alexander. People who find that style irresistible should be careful, for obvious reasons.

  116. @AP
    @Greasy William


    The Ukrainian people have no say in the matter at this time
     
    They don't, in the sense that Russia is attacking and they feel that they have no choice but to defend their homes and people.

    WWII was won because the people of the Allied nations believed in what they were fighting for. In contrast, most people in the West today are unwilling to sacrifice to defend the West and large portions of the Western populations actively hate their own countries and fellow citizens and want to see the West defeated. In fact, the situation in the contemporary West has parallels to that of France in the 1930’s.
     
    If by the West you mean the Anglo world + Germany, probably (excluding some pockets such as the American South, although those guys need to get fitter and healthier). This isn't true of Poland, the Baltics, probably not even Scandinavia despite its liberal ideology. Probably not true of Meds either.

    On the surface, it would appear that the West could still defeat Russia by leveraging it’s technological and economic strength to arm masculine, right wing, patriotic Ukrainian men who will proceed to do the actual fighting/dying against Russia. The problem with this strategy is that Ukrainian society is itself starting to succumb to degeneracy and gayness
     
    Not really.

    When Ukraine runs out of uneducated, nationalist yokels, will the educated middle class be willing to continue the fight
     
    Ukraine is not the USA. In the Ukraine the middle class are just as nationalistic as the rest, if not more so. The most nationalistic part of Ukraine, Galicia, is also among the most educated. The "yokels" are bit softer in their nationalism (but not by much). One reason why Ukraine is outperforming Russia per person is that a lot of smart educated nationalistic Ukrainians are on the battlefield, improvising drones, etc.

    The bad thing abut this is that while Russia is wiping out its dregs, Ukraine is losing some of its best. It's not an even trade. 10 Russian convicts aren't worth a Ukrainian programmer.

    So what would you have Biden do? Send in US troops? America is too degenerate and gay to absorb significant casualties and it would lose any long term conflict with Russia.
     
    America can inflict huge casualties while losing a minimal number of troops if it wants to. Some overweight kid munching on Fritos in front of a screen can remotely destroy many Russian troops. And it's a big country, even if only a small % of its people have what it takes to be tough soldiers on the ground that's enough to have first rate special forces.

    Replies: @Greasy William

    They don’t, in the sense that Russia is attacking and they feel that they have no choice but to defend their homes and people.

    What I mean is that when Uncle Sam tells Zelensky that it’s time to step aside in favor of Zalhuzhnyi (who Zelensky reviles, btw) that Zelensky will meekly comply

    America can inflict huge casualties while losing a minimal number of troops if it wants to. Some overweight kid munching on Fritos in front of a screen can remotely destroy many Russian troops. And it’s a big country, even if only a small % of its people have what it takes to be tough soldiers on the ground that’s enough to have first rate special forces.

    This is what I used to believe, but I am no longer convinced. The US airpower + proxies way of war may work against the 3rd world armies but Russia, while technologically inferior, does still have good enough technology of it’s own that would be able to force the US to actually fight and not just hide behind it’s tech.

  117. @Beckow
    @LatW


    ...when a country is called “fake and gay”, when some assume that this or that country or nation doesn’t have a right to exist, that this or that country is not deserving of security guarantees
     
    You pick causes that fit your preconceptions. The ones you list are not reasons for the war - they are similar to some on the Russian side focusing on "Bandera", renaming streets,
    or Zelko playing a piano with his... distractions. One can say that you are picking small pebbles because you can't pick a big rock :)...

    The reasons for the war are Nato expansion and Russian minority rights. Security guarantees is a valid point - but security is by definition mutual. Inviting Nato when you know that Nato's main purpose is to fight Russia - maybe even defeat Russia - doesn't advance anyone's security. It inevitably led to the war. But it is a chicken-and-egg...


    If the (Kiev) administration starts compromising on the goals, they will have to deal with the military
     
    That's not my sense at all. Military is varied, but a large part of it is not eager to fight and die needlessly, watch the POWs videos. The most militant Ukies seem to be in Kev and further West - some found their way to Unz. There is nothing people about to die hate more than overly aggressive civilians egging them on from a safe distance...

    I strongly doubt the younger Ukies who are dying are any more enamored of the war, most are there because they had no choice. Your bubbling hatred for Russia is killing them, think about it...feeding a tragedy from far away is a rather evil thing. At least I want the killing to stop and reason to prevail. The outcome - some sort of Russia's victory - is inevitable, the only way to stop it is a coup in Russia or a nuclear war; the first one is very unlikely and can backfire. Nukes? How much fun would that be for people living in EE?

    You have ideological blinders on, seeing only narratives that fit what you want to happen. It is not going to play out that way. Then you will scuttle away seething with rage...

    Even your ideological diversion to the Afghan war is slogans. How about the US, British, Czech, etc...soldiers who went to Afghanistan recently? Was that a free choice? Were they there for "freedom"? This is my objection: you never seem to acknowledge what Nato did. You don't get to walk away from the wars done by your side. That is not serious.

    Replies: @LatW

    Even your ideological diversion to the Afghan war is slogans. How about the US, British, Czech, etc…soldiers who went to Afghanistan recently? Was that a free choice? Were they there for “freedom”?

    How can you even compare these two things? The Soviet men were in some cases not even told where they were going! There was no choice whatsoever. People were taken from far away republics that had nothing to do with that region at all. They almost took my dad who was totally against the Soviet imperialism. When they came home, they were butthurt, in Russia some of them went to work for racketeers.

    All those who went to the more recent Afghan war were all professional soldiers, who had made it their aspiration and who were in fact lining up to go there (because it paid well and could give you experience – that it’s a stupid war is beside the point, most of them are)! You are either too young to know this or you are out to lunch.

    • Replies: @Beckow
    @LatW


    ...How can you even compare these two things?
     
    Because going to war in Afghanistan is the same as going to war in Afghanistan...if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it is...a duck. The details of who was recruited or drafted or volunteered for money are irrelevant: Russia invaded Afghanistan and then Nato invaded Afghanistan. Can't you get that through your pompous 'we are better' head of yours full of meaningless slogans?

    I told you that Nato invaded and bombed Serbia - you dismissed it with a very silly remark that "well, they don't do it every year, so it doesn't count..." Now you insist that invading Afghanistan is "not the same" and think that when you stick the scary word "Soviet" in there all discussion will stop. Yeah, Soviet!!!!, enough said, no need to think...

    You are stuck in an ideological view of the world that is in its twilight...as the over-stretched Nato non-army gets pushed out of Ukraine - together with the surviving Ukies - you will have to invent a new scary term for "Russians"...In the meantime, just live on hope that the glorious volunteer professional and aspirational (?) Western soldiers will save the day...any day now. Just like the Anglos were about to land and liberate Poland in 1944 and the damn Russkies beat them to it...you will never forgive them for it.

    Replies: @AnonfromTN

  118. @A123
    I have not done this for a while...

    😆 OPEN THREAD HUMOR 😁

    Open [MORE] for the rest.

    PEACE 😇

     

    https://ace.mu.nu/archives/Weapons%20held.jpg

     
    https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eOvl2hGzdCsRlFhyVCZMxA86peXhYN-ulHUoqlUd7eiQpe2fjTIEc6fI-xZYtDg9UOpyVw4qd2k--5Zaq_mElsuuR70IayMTY1HklsV4D33ouWjfghJt84TwbyqLxUqHfc0tWLDCzE8yJSuqwyv1PsADvxaRYPYLd_TlRnQoAYUczN6wVvroxVYz/s600/a%20(19).JPG

    https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWP7asIEuy21-Rgk0b97K_UAazpr4YAcVDHf0wyGY4bDMCqh0nBKQTY86YzcrRCMd2Ffib7sQ3Sb7HFfdoQtmlGkrNUEUCJ2kJz96UtjAXsKvtUI48cbA6AfEFwTTjmqY0WRWTF_7eV3zuIE6eWhqcBbq5BNugeFDBnoyzE8IPrAO_8EKc13C4wGoO/s565/daily_gifdump_4233_42.gif

     
    https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnyTyX_e1WtxNuQbCT7_n86wh6v2GwDJiBvL40rbeHG9dItZ_jwcGQGE7pl-QnidhmM99pG0BaEYkn40GSFcV-E1UbWt6thKkHhmteVZiucvMaa4QCicLb2_r1zEp98JOR_UfwucnhFh6yBJrZbSsXfguI2bo41j9cOjzJB8JoJlE4iOu0a5xPYsQ/s454/daily_gifdump_4228_03.gif

     
    https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPc6S9iDY6plr-pl6Uywlz87QsPlPx9WcDtpLIMRFsrR1bv5v7PJv8K1hDS4a4zIeCaj1LhYRYa0ZAc7eBl4m4k5DijB5G9pxBjBCEtZLO76nv9_eXqA_MUQN7Z-64-xtVd_DCrr5n9SldLcngsrpa1GxpVJvk45KID3IvUZXSLEf6Xrrp4rwlvgKFg/s775/90mimb_932a6b60f26f11c9506261fcd55b921a_42ca1bd8_540.jpg

     
    https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9uoawHoMQPgmoNSeDtht-ZLEWAbxKOPLD-6p2SF2ThDqnZVAnBDly76Od5Gu5wSeQBJ4AQURK1ZLcMI8838SLSbmBhnX0rSSxvY7_hSw-WkP-zcTHsA4XEKdRLXcD11Lq6tdFQxxNpP2ZIhAZCI2OQcoGtZrQ6J8gvQuoDPckppnR2lNOYUVWciUHw/s579/1%20fgdfgdsfgdfgdf.jpg

     
    https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmz3mCSyUpbKJwAL8LMuMZurFEGrhRWVf7zKjhoBzCH2HB6eutW-S_xVPWIjmTdw7uvjFY9w7gl3nYnndPcm3GaAeL0CRrOw8J3DS79qxk7acpoyM28odmVsNgrYTpv3JW5K3gLqGSN0AGKF3d648g_44fJuHiRmIYRk-aQ783gKvWMvqJyT3QjXV5Mw/s960/505.jpeg

     
    https://i0.wp.com/www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2022/12/318364019_8379006942141597_7475158334791979306_n.jpg

     
    https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSk9NejED6s_gibUJTxqLCvd1PgVQVr1cSyxqRcZEzVUFDiVPl205Q1m28M_I6sY7CVLjaCQ66vvnC-HioZt4qqVeWD2oAUiiGpRs2svPpP-_MmnG_E8ZRj2FpLhKgAB31r6Osn23KT0fxG5j8AKCG7YcwjZEIr9O-nYPguR-4eGvTl2aZQj0mfLjsw/s540/90mimb_fea65c539adc935abdfa966c7bd0c8a9_3030371a_540.jpg

    Replies: @A123

    Oooo… Crikey… I forgot the British

    😆 OPEN THREAD HUMO*U*R 😁

    Not only is there an extra occurrence of the Letter “U”. There is also video.

    PEACE 😇

     

    • LOL: songbird
  119. @A123
    @LatW

    Real Jews are Republicans [from 2021]: (1)


    Poll: Orthodox Jews Are Overwhelmingly Republican and Growing in Number

    According to a new poll from the Pew Research Center, while the majority of Jews identify as Democrat, three out of four Orthodox Jews identify as Republican

    Compared with older Jews, young Jews are increasingly becoming more Orthodox. Only three percent of Jews over 65 identify as Orthodox, while 17 percent of Jews between the ages of 18 and 29 claim to be Orthodox. While some Jews become more religious on their own, birthrate also is a large factor. Pew explains, “Orthodox Jewish adults report having an average of 3.3 children, while non-Orthodox Jews have an average of 1.4 children.”
     
    TFR strikes again.

    The growing anti-Semitism of the SJW Muslim DNC is accelerating this trend. Both Jews and Christians are repulsed by the fact that open hate freaks, like Ilhan Omar, are being elevated by the Democrat party.

    The Orthodox have made it to proper Red status. Other main branches of Judaism are also becoming more Purple, though they are not yet ready for Red realignment.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2021/05/11/poll-orthodox-jews-overwhelmingly-republican-growing-number/

    Replies: @LatW

    The Orthodox have made it to proper Red status.

    I wasn’t talking about fundamentalist Orthodox Jewish. Only a Gentile can be a real far right-winger (in the sense that we are talking about here). It looks like the poster Greasy William is trying to pretend to be in the group of far right Gentiles, when in fact he has a lot of Jewish in him. It shows.

    • Replies: @Greasy William
    @LatW

    What the hell are you talking about? I have been posting on Unz for 8 years and I have always been avowedly Jewish


    Only a Gentile can be a real far right-winger
     
    So there is no such thing in Israel as "far right"? Again, what the hell are you talking about?

    I can't be too hard on you because I actually do know what you mean: you are thinking that "far right" == "neo Nazi", and indeed that is often how the term has historically been used and it's possible that's even how the term is still used today in your part of the world, but today the meaning of "far right" has greatly expanded. Today even milquetoast civic nationalist parties such as AfD and Fidesz are described as "far right".

    when in fact he has a lot of Jewish in him. It shows.
     
    This is not an appropriate way to speak and you should be embarrassed

    Replies: @LatW, @LatW, @Wokechoke

  120. @LatW
    @Beckow


    Even your ideological diversion to the Afghan war is slogans. How about the US, British, Czech, etc…soldiers who went to Afghanistan recently? Was that a free choice? Were they there for “freedom”?
     
    How can you even compare these two things? The Soviet men were in some cases not even told where they were going! There was no choice whatsoever. People were taken from far away republics that had nothing to do with that region at all. They almost took my dad who was totally against the Soviet imperialism. When they came home, they were butthurt, in Russia some of them went to work for racketeers.

    All those who went to the more recent Afghan war were all professional soldiers, who had made it their aspiration and who were in fact lining up to go there (because it paid well and could give you experience - that it's a stupid war is beside the point, most of them are)! You are either too young to know this or you are out to lunch.

    Replies: @Beckow

    …How can you even compare these two things?

    Because going to war in Afghanistan is the same as going to war in Afghanistan…if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it is…a duck. The details of who was recruited or drafted or volunteered for money are irrelevant: Russia invaded Afghanistan and then Nato invaded Afghanistan. Can’t you get that through your pompous ‘we are better’ head of yours full of meaningless slogans?

    I told you that Nato invaded and bombed Serbia – you dismissed it with a very silly remark that “well, they don’t do it every year, so it doesn’t count…” Now you insist that invading Afghanistan is “not the same” and think that when you stick the scary word “Soviet” in there all discussion will stop. Yeah, Soviet!!!!, enough said, no need to think…

    You are stuck in an ideological view of the world that is in its twilight…as the over-stretched Nato non-army gets pushed out of Ukraine – together with the surviving Ukies – you will have to invent a new scary term for “Russians”…In the meantime, just live on hope that the glorious volunteer professional and aspirational (?) Western soldiers will save the day…any day now. Just like the Anglos were about to land and liberate Poland in 1944 and the damn Russkies beat them to it…you will never forgive them for it.

    • Replies: @AnonfromTN
    @Beckow


    Anglos were about to land and liberate Poland in 1944 and the damn Russkies beat them to it
     
    Russian joke about an anniversary of Auschwitz (called Oświęcim in Russian, after the name of nearby Polish city) liberation by the Soviet army (an anniversary was not so long ago).

    Germans say: it’s our holiday; we created this camp.
    Jews say: it’s our holiday; we were inmates in this camp.
    Poles and Ukrainians say: it’s our holiday; we worked as guards in this camp.
    Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians say: it’s our holiday; we handed Jews for this camp over to Germans.
    Russians say: what about us?
    Everyone says: you came uninvited and spoiled everything.

    Replies: @Jazman

  121. @Beckow
    @LatW


    ...How can you even compare these two things?
     
    Because going to war in Afghanistan is the same as going to war in Afghanistan...if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it is...a duck. The details of who was recruited or drafted or volunteered for money are irrelevant: Russia invaded Afghanistan and then Nato invaded Afghanistan. Can't you get that through your pompous 'we are better' head of yours full of meaningless slogans?

    I told you that Nato invaded and bombed Serbia - you dismissed it with a very silly remark that "well, they don't do it every year, so it doesn't count..." Now you insist that invading Afghanistan is "not the same" and think that when you stick the scary word "Soviet" in there all discussion will stop. Yeah, Soviet!!!!, enough said, no need to think...

    You are stuck in an ideological view of the world that is in its twilight...as the over-stretched Nato non-army gets pushed out of Ukraine - together with the surviving Ukies - you will have to invent a new scary term for "Russians"...In the meantime, just live on hope that the glorious volunteer professional and aspirational (?) Western soldiers will save the day...any day now. Just like the Anglos were about to land and liberate Poland in 1944 and the damn Russkies beat them to it...you will never forgive them for it.

    Replies: @AnonfromTN

    Anglos were about to land and liberate Poland in 1944 and the damn Russkies beat them to it

    Russian joke about an anniversary of Auschwitz (called Oświęcim in Russian, after the name of nearby Polish city) liberation by the Soviet army (an anniversary was not so long ago).

    Germans say: it’s our holiday; we created this camp.
    Jews say: it’s our holiday; we were inmates in this camp.
    Poles and Ukrainians say: it’s our holiday; we worked as guards in this camp.
    Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians say: it’s our holiday; we handed Jews for this camp over to Germans.
    Russians say: what about us?
    Everyone says: you came uninvited and spoiled everything.

    • Replies: @Jazman
    @AnonfromTN

    Now Polish state claim Russian killed 5.5 million Poles . Couple more years they will teach kids Russians opened Auschwitz

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

  122. @LatW
    @A123


    The Orthodox have made it to proper Red status.
     
    I wasn't talking about fundamentalist Orthodox Jewish. Only a Gentile can be a real far right-winger (in the sense that we are talking about here). It looks like the poster Greasy William is trying to pretend to be in the group of far right Gentiles, when in fact he has a lot of Jewish in him. It shows.

    Replies: @Greasy William

    What the hell are you talking about? I have been posting on Unz for 8 years and I have always been avowedly Jewish

    Only a Gentile can be a real far right-winger

    So there is no such thing in Israel as “far right”? Again, what the hell are you talking about?

    I can’t be too hard on you because I actually do know what you mean: you are thinking that “far right” == “neo Nazi”, and indeed that is often how the term has historically been used and it’s possible that’s even how the term is still used today in your part of the world, but today the meaning of “far right” has greatly expanded. Today even milquetoast civic nationalist parties such as AfD and Fidesz are described as “far right”.

    when in fact he has a lot of Jewish in him. It shows.

    This is not an appropriate way to speak and you should be embarrassed

    • Replies: @LatW
    @Greasy William


    So there is no such thing in Israel as “far right”? Again, what the hell are you talking about?
     
    But you are not an Israeli right winger. I thought you were American. From what I understood above, you tried to place yourself in the Gentiles right winger group.

    Today even milquetoast civic nationalist parties such as AfD and Fidesz are described as “far right”.
     
    Those two parties are ethno-nats and, yes, far right in a normal sense (even if not national socialist, afaik). They are not nihilists like yourself, they are ideological consistent and sound.
    , @LatW
    @Greasy William



    when in fact he has a lot of Jewish in him. It shows.
     
    This is not an appropriate way to speak and you should be embarrassed
     
    You won't be deciding what is an appropriate way to speak.

    A friendly advice, my dear - you might want to consider how self-destructive your contempt for America and the West is, nowhere else on the planet will you and your people be babied as much as in the US and the West. You are sawing the branch on which you are yourself sitting.

    As to Scott Ritter calling Ukraine "a rabid dog" - that's pure hate speech (that can have severe consequences). I wonder how he would feel if foreigners were talking about his people, his family that way.

    Replies: @Wokechoke

    , @Wokechoke
    @Greasy William

    Jews can't be nationalists. If anything Jews are the Destructors of Nations.

    Replies: @Greasy William

  123. @Greasy William
    @Leaves No Shadow

    Ritter is very charismatic and he tells a certain type of alienated Westerner what they want to here, so this has earned him a cult following.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

    I find it amazing how many people find the style of total bullsh*tter charismatic. Trump could be like that, but was saved by humour and his occasional self-deprecation. In other words, he owned his ridiculousness. Ritter, MacGregor, people like Escobar when they write, none of them own this stuff. They’re just repulsive. I’d call them sociopaths, but it seems that there is an audience mal-adapted enough to make them successful. I assume these are the types who, in the playground, loved to cheer on the sociopathic bully and, from the side, exalt in telling others that they were “going to get it.” Even Unz knows to at least tone himself down, no matter how fake this effort of his is. He’ll express pretend doubts to try to show he isn’t a raving lunatic.

    I term it the psychotic style, in contrast with the rationalist style shown by people like Scott Alexander. People who find that style irresistible should be careful, for obvious reasons.

  124. @Greasy William

    By the way, how are you “far right”? I thought you were Jewish.
     
    I'm a loyal Trump supporter who rejects democracy and the Constitution and I hate the United States, its culture and its institutions. I really hate the military, the FBI, the CIA and large portion of the American electorate. I want the US to break up. If you talked to 1000 other Americans irl, I would be far to the right of all of them.

    Although by internet standards I guess you could say I'm pretty centrist.

    Replies: @A123, @LatW

    That’s not exactly far right, but some weird type of nihilism. A real American nationalist would still be clutching on to something in the core culture or at least some institutions (if not the woke military, then some kind of a militia or something). You’re not a far right winger. The core far right ideology is positive, not nihilist.

    • Replies: @Greasy William
    @LatW

    There is nothing in contemporary America worth preserving

    Replies: @AnonfromTN, @LatW, @A123

  125. @LatW
    @Greasy William

    That's not exactly far right, but some weird type of nihilism. A real American nationalist would still be clutching on to something in the core culture or at least some institutions (if not the woke military, then some kind of a militia or something). You're not a far right winger. The core far right ideology is positive, not nihilist.

    Replies: @Greasy William

    There is nothing in contemporary America worth preserving

    • Replies: @AnonfromTN
    @Greasy William


    There is nothing in contemporary America worth preserving
     
    Disagree. There are lots of things in contemporary America worth preserving. Mad libtards work hard to destroy everything that’s good in America. Unfortunately, the majority is too passive and docile to stop the mayhem.
    , @LatW
    @Greasy William


    There is nothing in contemporary America worth preserving
     
    This is your deeply subjective opinion (probably born out of mental illness, most likely severe anxiety) and objectively not true. Not only that but it will be preserved for still quite some time, hahahahah.
    , @A123
    @Greasy William


    There is nothing in contemporary America worth preserving
     
    Bottom line... There is nothing "politically right" about you. While the "right" does detest certain three letter agencies, the dream of MAGA is saving America.

    Hatred of America as a core value is exclusively Leftoid.
    ___

    @Barbarossa -- needs to reprise his "horseshoe" commentary on the similarity between the far right and far left. I concede that I am too emotionally attached to give such a topic the necessary observer view.

    PEACE 😇

  126. @Greasy William
    @LatW

    There is nothing in contemporary America worth preserving

    Replies: @AnonfromTN, @LatW, @A123

    There is nothing in contemporary America worth preserving

    Disagree. There are lots of things in contemporary America worth preserving. Mad libtards work hard to destroy everything that’s good in America. Unfortunately, the majority is too passive and docile to stop the mayhem.

  127. @Greasy William
    @LatW

    What the hell are you talking about? I have been posting on Unz for 8 years and I have always been avowedly Jewish


    Only a Gentile can be a real far right-winger
     
    So there is no such thing in Israel as "far right"? Again, what the hell are you talking about?

    I can't be too hard on you because I actually do know what you mean: you are thinking that "far right" == "neo Nazi", and indeed that is often how the term has historically been used and it's possible that's even how the term is still used today in your part of the world, but today the meaning of "far right" has greatly expanded. Today even milquetoast civic nationalist parties such as AfD and Fidesz are described as "far right".

    when in fact he has a lot of Jewish in him. It shows.
     
    This is not an appropriate way to speak and you should be embarrassed

    Replies: @LatW, @LatW, @Wokechoke

    So there is no such thing in Israel as “far right”? Again, what the hell are you talking about?

    But you are not an Israeli right winger. I thought you were American. From what I understood above, you tried to place yourself in the Gentiles right winger group.

    Today even milquetoast civic nationalist parties such as AfD and Fidesz are described as “far right”.

    Those two parties are ethno-nats and, yes, far right in a normal sense (even if not national socialist, afaik). They are not nihilists like yourself, they are ideological consistent and sound.

  128. @Greasy William
    @LatW

    There is nothing in contemporary America worth preserving

    Replies: @AnonfromTN, @LatW, @A123

    There is nothing in contemporary America worth preserving

    This is your deeply subjective opinion (probably born out of mental illness, most likely severe anxiety) and objectively not true. Not only that but it will be preserved for still quite some time, hahahahah.

  129. @Greasy William
    @LatW

    What the hell are you talking about? I have been posting on Unz for 8 years and I have always been avowedly Jewish


    Only a Gentile can be a real far right-winger
     
    So there is no such thing in Israel as "far right"? Again, what the hell are you talking about?

    I can't be too hard on you because I actually do know what you mean: you are thinking that "far right" == "neo Nazi", and indeed that is often how the term has historically been used and it's possible that's even how the term is still used today in your part of the world, but today the meaning of "far right" has greatly expanded. Today even milquetoast civic nationalist parties such as AfD and Fidesz are described as "far right".

    when in fact he has a lot of Jewish in him. It shows.
     
    This is not an appropriate way to speak and you should be embarrassed

    Replies: @LatW, @LatW, @Wokechoke

    when in fact he has a lot of Jewish in him. It shows.

    This is not an appropriate way to speak and you should be embarrassed

    You won’t be deciding what is an appropriate way to speak.

    A friendly advice, my dear – you might want to consider how self-destructive your contempt for America and the West is, nowhere else on the planet will you and your people be babied as much as in the US and the West. You are sawing the branch on which you are yourself sitting.

    As to Scott Ritter calling Ukraine “a rabid dog” – that’s pure hate speech (that can have severe consequences). I wonder how he would feel if foreigners were talking about his people, his family that way.

    • Replies: @Wokechoke
    @LatW

    It's only because Ritter can't publicly just point out that Zelenskyy is a Jew and so's Nuland and so's Blinkin and so's....


    There is a funny aspect to Ukrainian national aspirations. They are acting more like a insect infected by this big nosed circumcized wasp than rabid dogs.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ySwuQhruBo

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgAEeisfHW8

  130. @Greasy William
    @LatW

    What the hell are you talking about? I have been posting on Unz for 8 years and I have always been avowedly Jewish


    Only a Gentile can be a real far right-winger
     
    So there is no such thing in Israel as "far right"? Again, what the hell are you talking about?

    I can't be too hard on you because I actually do know what you mean: you are thinking that "far right" == "neo Nazi", and indeed that is often how the term has historically been used and it's possible that's even how the term is still used today in your part of the world, but today the meaning of "far right" has greatly expanded. Today even milquetoast civic nationalist parties such as AfD and Fidesz are described as "far right".

    when in fact he has a lot of Jewish in him. It shows.
     
    This is not an appropriate way to speak and you should be embarrassed

    Replies: @LatW, @LatW, @Wokechoke

    Jews can’t be nationalists. If anything Jews are the Destructors of Nations.

    • Replies: @Greasy William
    @Wokechoke

    I'm not a nationalist. Blood and soil is bullshit.

    I'm just a Jewish guy who hates white (and Jewish) liberals. My political/economic views are basically Von Mises.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Barbarossa

  131. @LatW
    @Greasy William



    when in fact he has a lot of Jewish in him. It shows.
     
    This is not an appropriate way to speak and you should be embarrassed
     
    You won't be deciding what is an appropriate way to speak.

    A friendly advice, my dear - you might want to consider how self-destructive your contempt for America and the West is, nowhere else on the planet will you and your people be babied as much as in the US and the West. You are sawing the branch on which you are yourself sitting.

    As to Scott Ritter calling Ukraine "a rabid dog" - that's pure hate speech (that can have severe consequences). I wonder how he would feel if foreigners were talking about his people, his family that way.

    Replies: @Wokechoke

    It’s only because Ritter can’t publicly just point out that Zelenskyy is a Jew and so’s Nuland and so’s Blinkin and so’s….

    There is a funny aspect to Ukrainian national aspirations. They are acting more like a insect infected by this big nosed circumcized wasp than rabid dogs.

  132. @Wokechoke
    @Greasy William

    Jews can't be nationalists. If anything Jews are the Destructors of Nations.

    Replies: @Greasy William

    I’m not a nationalist. Blood and soil is bullshit.

    I’m just a Jewish guy who hates white (and Jewish) liberals. My political/economic views are basically Von Mises.

    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @Greasy William


    I’m not a nationalist. Blood and soil is bullshit.
     
    And what is not bullshit ?
    , @Barbarossa
    @Greasy William

    I'm not a nationalist either, but I don't think that blood and soil are bullshit. Specificity of place and people are the fundamental building blocks of culture.

    If you excise those than what do you have left, Coca Cola and Levi's?

    Replies: @Yahya, @Greasy William

  133. My political/economic views are basically Von Mises.

    Ok, in that case, you could be considered “far right”. But in a rather narrow sense, as an anarcho-capitalist. Such type of right winger must be strong and seek a tax haven. And I do sympathize with you btw since liberals can indeed be overbearing.

    Have you read Robert Nozick (I used to read him as a kid)?

    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @LatW

    It is actually an interesting topic. What exactly does define someone as being ideologically far right. Superficially it might seem obvious, but I am not sure it is. For instance, do you believe accelerationists are far right?

    Replies: @LatW

    , @Greasy William
    @LatW

    I had never heard of him, I just looked him up. He seems to be more an Ayn Rand type whereas I subscribe to a strict, biblical morality. I just don't think the state should be involved in enforcing it (for example, I think elective abortion is murder but I also think that it should be legal all the way up until the 9th month).

    Also, my main interest in libertarianism is far and away monetary theory, which is not the focus of the Rand/Friedman types at all. I would prefer an economy structured like the Inca Empire to one structured like Singapore because an economy with dishonest money is not truly "free" at all, whereas the Incas and Aztecs did in fact have free economies even though there was heavy state involvement.

    In fact, I have a radical theory that basically all political problems result from bad monetary policy. So whereas I used to advocate for a genocidal civil war as the only way to get rid of white liberals and GloboHomo, I now believe that GloboHomo will resolve itself when the current fiat monetary regime dies.

    Replies: @LatW, @Barbarossa

  134. @AnonfromTN
    @Beckow


    Anglos were about to land and liberate Poland in 1944 and the damn Russkies beat them to it
     
    Russian joke about an anniversary of Auschwitz (called Oświęcim in Russian, after the name of nearby Polish city) liberation by the Soviet army (an anniversary was not so long ago).

    Germans say: it’s our holiday; we created this camp.
    Jews say: it’s our holiday; we were inmates in this camp.
    Poles and Ukrainians say: it’s our holiday; we worked as guards in this camp.
    Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians say: it’s our holiday; we handed Jews for this camp over to Germans.
    Russians say: what about us?
    Everyone says: you came uninvited and spoiled everything.

    Replies: @Jazman

    Now Polish state claim Russian killed 5.5 million Poles . Couple more years they will teach kids Russians opened Auschwitz

    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @Jazman


    Couple more years they will teach kids Russians opened Auschwitz
     
    Russians opened the gates of Auschwitz.

    Where did you get this 5,5 million info from ?

    Replies: @Jazman

  135. @Greasy William
    @Wokechoke

    I'm not a nationalist. Blood and soil is bullshit.

    I'm just a Jewish guy who hates white (and Jewish) liberals. My political/economic views are basically Von Mises.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Barbarossa

    I’m not a nationalist. Blood and soil is bullshit.

    And what is not bullshit ?

    • Agree: Barbarossa
  136. @Jazman
    @AnonfromTN

    Now Polish state claim Russian killed 5.5 million Poles . Couple more years they will teach kids Russians opened Auschwitz

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

    Couple more years they will teach kids Russians opened Auschwitz

    Russians opened the gates of Auschwitz.

    Where did you get this 5,5 million info from ?

    • Replies: @Jazman
    @Ivashka the fool

    I read it on one Polish Facebook page it is bs just joking about crazy Poles

    Replies: @Beckow

  137. Ok, shit just got really weird…

    The US administration that is supporting Ukraine is heavily Jewish, as are many of the pundits, journalists, think tank people, as is the leader of the Ukrainian nation, etc, but because Greasy William opposes Ukraine, LatW starts insulting him for being a dirty Jew who of course would naturally undermine Ukraine 🙂

    Whereupon pro-Russia propagandist and arch anti-Semite Wokechoke, seeing his chance, tries to point out to LatW that Ukraine is being supported heavily by…..dirty Jews….so of course the Ukrainian war effort is merely Jewish manipulation 🙂

    So the pro-Ukraine side thinks Jews undermine it’s will to fight, while the pro-Russian side thinks Jews manipulate it to fight to begin with 🙂 (although perhaps I am being unfair to the pro-Ukraine side – LatW is just one neo-fascist woman with obvious significant cognitive dissonance issues regarding Jews that I hope she eventually works out, and not representative)

    But I am beginning to see utu’s and German Readers point about the whole region just being a basket case lol with certain Ukrainian elements being heavily self-destructive. I think this can only be a face-palm moment.

    But it’s OK – war brings out the worst passions in people and consistency and rationality is not to be expected.

    Still, I hope this space doesn’t devolve degenerate into just another Unz area..

    • LOL: Ivashka the fool
    • Replies: @Leaves No Shadow
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    Mainstream discourse, including Putin: everyone I don't like is a Nazi.

    Unz discourse: everyone I don't like is a Jew.

    These are both stupid, but they are not equivalents. Jew is not a similar category to Nazi, no matter how much people on Unz want it to be, while also basically identifying as Nazis and thinking Jews are the worst things in the world.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @Wokechoke, @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    , @LatW
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak


    significant cognitive dissonance
     
    There is no cognitive dissonance at all, do not muddy the waters. There are different kinds of Jews who on top of that act differently at different moments of time and circumstances depending on the situation on the ground. Yet there are some common qualities that might seem universal, but that doesn't mean "all Jews are the same".

    Zelensky is an EE Jewish guy who is leading Ukraine, a country he grew up in and that he's attached to. He wants to stick with that country because he frankly that's all he has. Typical Russophone Jew, his English is not good enough to be successful in the Anglo world.

    Also, because there are no incentives for him to leave the way other Jews have, because he would not achieve as much elsewhere as he did in Ukraine (or it would be harder). In this case, Ukraine actually lucked out because it seems that some of his Jewish stamina and insistence is helping the country pull through. Most pro-Ukrainians are Gentiles, though. There is nothing unusual about Gentiles supporting a Jewish guy who is on their side. This kind of collaboration is not uncommon in EE. He is "our" Jew, so to speak.

    As to this Greasy William guy, what gave me pause is that he doesn't like Zalyzhnyi and that he brought up the "dismantlement of the nationalist militias". Btw, neither one of his talking points that he listed above for his mystical "ceasefire agreement" seemed to be etched out anywhere in the official policies, so it can be safely assumed that he just free styled and made all those up. It's ok, it's a fine mental exercise but a few things were telling.

    Where the heck did the thing about "nationalist militias" come from?

    Now he claims he's a libertarian - that means he is inconsistent in his ideology, libertarians promote the non-aggression principle and self defense (in this case, aggressor being Russia and self defense by Ukrainians being totally acceptable, in fact, a real libertarian should be on the Ukrainian side).

    Moreover, a nationalist militia is very similar to some of the ideas that Robert Nozick raised with privatized police and other similar small scale security forces (especially on the local level, which is exactly how these militias initially arose - in pockets of Donbas and larger cities in the East, from the ground up, very libertarian!). That part is consistent with the laissez faire ideology, but for some reason Greasy doesn't think those things are that great when others do it. There he showed the "goat's leg", so to speak. Nationalism for me, but not for thee. Typical.

    P.S. Then he trashes the United States (!!!) when the United States is the most philosemitic country out there that goes out of her way to protect Jews. And he wants to destroy the United States. What's up with that? Btw, Jews are not a topic I find interesting, but when they go out of their way to make it your problem, you have to deal with it.

    Replies: @Greasy William, @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    , @A123
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    As an apostate, Zelensky is highly offensive to observant Jews.

    Lord Voldemort Volodymyr the Anti-Semite gave a highly offensive speech before the Knesset. (1)


    Likud MK Yuval Steinitz said it “borders on Holocaust denial.”

    “War is always a terrible thing… but every comparison between a regular war, as difficult as it is, and the extermination of millions of Jews in gas chambers in the framework of the Final Solution is a complete distortion of history,” he said in a statement.

    A number of Religious Zionism MKs also criticized Zelensky, with the far-right opposition party’s leader, Bezalel Smotrich, slamming the Holocaust comparisons and accusing the Ukrainian leader of trying “to rewrite history and erase the involvement of the Ukrainian people in the extermination of Jews.”

    Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rotman rejected Zelensky’s request that Israel treat Ukrainians the same way Zelensky claimed Ukraine treated Jews during the Holocaust.

     

    Given the extreme and repeated nature of Zelensky's transgression, it must have been an intentional insult. As a result Likud members loathe him. The religious parties are even more repulsed by Anti-Semite Zelensky.

    As a moderate, Netanyahu offered an olive branch to Zelensky. This did not go well: (2)

    Netanyahu, who was sworn in as prime minister on Thursday, called Zelensky as part of a series of phone calls with leaders of some countries that had previously voted in favor of the resolution. Israel wanted them to change their votes and oppose the resolution or at least abstain, a senior Israeli official told Axios.
    ...
    According to the Ukrainian official, Zelensky didn’t like the answer and didn’t agree to vote against the resolution or abstain. Instead, he instructed Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN to not attend the vote.
     
    Zelensky's open disdain for indigenous Palestinian Jews has driven Russia and Jewish Palestine closer together.

    All one can do when someone floats "Zelensky is a Jewish plot" is a great deal of pointing and laughing. It is so absurd that no one with even minimal analytic capability will bite on that lure of unalloyed crazy.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-lawmakers-tear-into-zelensky-for-holocaust-comparisons-in-knesset-speech/

    (2) https://www.axios.com/2022/12/31/netanyahu-zelensky-ukraine-israel-occupation-un-icj

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak

  138. @LatW

    My political/economic views are basically Von Mises.
     
    Ok, in that case, you could be considered "far right". But in a rather narrow sense, as an anarcho-capitalist. Such type of right winger must be strong and seek a tax haven. And I do sympathize with you btw since liberals can indeed be overbearing.

    Have you read Robert Nozick (I used to read him as a kid)?

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Greasy William

    It is actually an interesting topic. What exactly does define someone as being ideologically far right. Superficially it might seem obvious, but I am not sure it is. For instance, do you believe accelerationists are far right?

    • Replies: @LatW
    @Ivashka the fool


    It is actually an interesting topic. What exactly does define someone as being ideologically far right. Superficially it might seem obvious, but I am not sure it is.
     
    I agree - both that it is an interesting topic and that it is hard to pin down. The closer one looks, the harder it gets to define (it is epistemologically problematic, if one can put it that way). Which right wing ideologies are the ones that match or are consistent with what might call a right wing ethos or right wing thinking on all parameters - economic, social, political. They vary a lot and often deviate from what could be considered a consistently radical right wing ideology.

    For instance, do you believe accelerationists are far right?
     
    I don't know enough about it, but it seems to have both leftist and right wing undercurrents. It might be too broad to define, probably one narrow part of it is definitely far right. I think in this case the approach to it is instrumental, not so much a worldview. It is peculiar that something such as this would derive originally from Marxism (but then again maybe not, if you consider the other ideologies and their fruits or implementation that sprung from Marxism). It may be that accelerationism was not originally right wing, but that right wingers picked it up and instrumentalized it?

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

  139. @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    Ok, shit just got really weird...

    The US administration that is supporting Ukraine is heavily Jewish, as are many of the pundits, journalists, think tank people, as is the leader of the Ukrainian nation, etc, but because Greasy William opposes Ukraine, LatW starts insulting him for being a dirty Jew who of course would naturally undermine Ukraine :)

    Whereupon pro-Russia propagandist and arch anti-Semite Wokechoke, seeing his chance, tries to point out to LatW that Ukraine is being supported heavily by.....dirty Jews....so of course the Ukrainian war effort is merely Jewish manipulation :)

    So the pro-Ukraine side thinks Jews undermine it's will to fight, while the pro-Russian side thinks Jews manipulate it to fight to begin with :) (although perhaps I am being unfair to the pro-Ukraine side - LatW is just one neo-fascist woman with obvious significant cognitive dissonance issues regarding Jews that I hope she eventually works out, and not representative)

    But I am beginning to see utu's and German Readers point about the whole region just being a basket case lol with certain Ukrainian elements being heavily self-destructive. I think this can only be a face-palm moment.

    But it's OK - war brings out the worst passions in people and consistency and rationality is not to be expected.

    Still, I hope this space doesn't devolve degenerate into just another Unz area..

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @LatW, @A123

    Mainstream discourse, including Putin: everyone I don’t like is a Nazi.

    Unz discourse: everyone I don’t like is a Jew.

    These are both stupid, but they are not equivalents. Jew is not a similar category to Nazi, no matter how much people on Unz want it to be, while also basically identifying as Nazis and thinking Jews are the worst things in the world.

    • Replies: @Leaves No Shadow
    @Leaves No Shadow

    I'd like to add that only one of LatW and Greasy William has been cheerleading the murder of ordinary Europeans, so the two are most certainly not equivalent either. Slightly rude talk about a particular ehtnicity is irrelevant in that context.

    Replies: @LatW

    , @Wokechoke
    @Leaves No Shadow

    Here's a good example of what Antisemite's call..."early life" or "everyfuckig time".

    recall Ukraine's novel feminist movement Femen? It was apparently a bunch of women from ukraine who opposed human trafficking, opposed domestic violence and even had names like Shevchenko attached to it. a Mix of tits and feminist sloganeering,

    If you watch Australian director Kitty Green's sympathetic documentary "Ukraine is Not a Brothel" a guy called Victor Svyatski shows up and Green eventually puts two and two together that Femen was a harem for a guy. Here's the guy who actually started this AgitPorn as a graduate degree project with a girl he wanted to fuck. He bears an uncanny family resemblance to Zelenskyy in certain respects. "uh oh" I thought. "What's all this? better hit early life!" Lo and behold every fukcing time he might be Jewish. Only Muslim sources seem, to have realized how Victor Svyatski may have an ethnic agenda going to defile Ukrainian women...even then they are being coy in the articles.

    https://theaerogram.com/no-means-no-femens-assault-on-muslim-women/

    https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2013/9/4/man-exposed-as-topless-protest-group-founder

    https://orthochristian.com/64045.html

    There is something odd stirring in Ukriane their "Our Jews"

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @Wokechoke

    , @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @Leaves No Shadow


    Jew is not a similar category to Nazi, no matter how much people on Unz want it to be, while also basically identifying as Nazis and thinking Jews are the worst things in the world
     
    .

    Right, another example of the weird contradictions one finds in politics.

    Nazis are good, but Jews are terrible because they're basically.....Nazis. Nationalism is great, but Israel sucks because they're nationalist.

    I think homo politicus is just not a very sane and rational animal at the best of times.

    And yes, I agree both "Jew" and "Nazi" exist primarily as terms that have mythological resonance, and little real world descriptive power.

    At the moment, these seem to be the two most mythologically charged terms in the West - which leads to a rather impoverished mythological language, if you think about it, which may explain the impoverished range of our political discourse.

    Man needs a rich and subtle mythology to expand the range of his imagination.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

  140. @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    Ok, shit just got really weird...

    The US administration that is supporting Ukraine is heavily Jewish, as are many of the pundits, journalists, think tank people, as is the leader of the Ukrainian nation, etc, but because Greasy William opposes Ukraine, LatW starts insulting him for being a dirty Jew who of course would naturally undermine Ukraine :)

    Whereupon pro-Russia propagandist and arch anti-Semite Wokechoke, seeing his chance, tries to point out to LatW that Ukraine is being supported heavily by.....dirty Jews....so of course the Ukrainian war effort is merely Jewish manipulation :)

    So the pro-Ukraine side thinks Jews undermine it's will to fight, while the pro-Russian side thinks Jews manipulate it to fight to begin with :) (although perhaps I am being unfair to the pro-Ukraine side - LatW is just one neo-fascist woman with obvious significant cognitive dissonance issues regarding Jews that I hope she eventually works out, and not representative)

    But I am beginning to see utu's and German Readers point about the whole region just being a basket case lol with certain Ukrainian elements being heavily self-destructive. I think this can only be a face-palm moment.

    But it's OK - war brings out the worst passions in people and consistency and rationality is not to be expected.

    Still, I hope this space doesn't devolve degenerate into just another Unz area..

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @LatW, @A123

    significant cognitive dissonance

    There is no cognitive dissonance at all, do not muddy the waters. There are different kinds of Jews who on top of that act differently at different moments of time and circumstances depending on the situation on the ground. Yet there are some common qualities that might seem universal, but that doesn’t mean “all Jews are the same”.

    Zelensky is an EE Jewish guy who is leading Ukraine, a country he grew up in and that he’s attached to. He wants to stick with that country because he frankly that’s all he has. Typical Russophone Jew, his English is not good enough to be successful in the Anglo world.

    Also, because there are no incentives for him to leave the way other Jews have, because he would not achieve as much elsewhere as he did in Ukraine (or it would be harder). In this case, Ukraine actually lucked out because it seems that some of his Jewish stamina and insistence is helping the country pull through. Most pro-Ukrainians are Gentiles, though. There is nothing unusual about Gentiles supporting a Jewish guy who is on their side. This kind of collaboration is not uncommon in EE. He is “our” Jew, so to speak.

    As to this Greasy William guy, what gave me pause is that he doesn’t like Zalyzhnyi and that he brought up the “dismantlement of the nationalist militias”. Btw, neither one of his talking points that he listed above for his mystical “ceasefire agreement” seemed to be etched out anywhere in the official policies, so it can be safely assumed that he just free styled and made all those up. It’s ok, it’s a fine mental exercise but a few things were telling.

    Where the heck did the thing about “nationalist militias” come from?

    Now he claims he’s a libertarian – that means he is inconsistent in his ideology, libertarians promote the non-aggression principle and self defense (in this case, aggressor being Russia and self defense by Ukrainians being totally acceptable, in fact, a real libertarian should be on the Ukrainian side).

    Moreover, a nationalist militia is very similar to some of the ideas that Robert Nozick raised with privatized police and other similar small scale security forces (especially on the local level, which is exactly how these militias initially arose – in pockets of Donbas and larger cities in the East, from the ground up, very libertarian!). That part is consistent with the laissez faire ideology, but for some reason Greasy doesn’t think those things are that great when others do it. There he showed the “goat’s leg”, so to speak. Nationalism for me, but not for thee. Typical.

    P.S. Then he trashes the United States (!!!) when the United States is the most philosemitic country out there that goes out of her way to protect Jews. And he wants to destroy the United States. What’s up with that? Btw, Jews are not a topic I find interesting, but when they go out of their way to make it your problem, you have to deal with it.

    • Replies: @Greasy William
    @LatW


    As to this Greasy William guy, what gave me pause is that he doesn’t like Zalyzhnyi
     
    I have never said I disliked Zalyzhnyi. I don't know anything about him other than that he has done a phenomenal job running this war and that the Russians would be willing to work with him, whereas Putin clearly wants Zelensky out

    and that he brought up the “dismantlement of the nationalist militias”. Btw, neither one of his talking points that he listed above for his mystical “ceasefire agreement” seemed to be etched out anywhere in the official policies
     
    When Russians say "DeNazification", that is code for the dissolution of groups like Azov. If you think that I personally care one way or the other if Azov continues to exist, you are incorrect.

    Now he claims he’s a libertarian – that means he is inconsistent in his ideology, libertarians promote the non-aggression principle and self defense (in this case, aggressor being Russia and self defense by Ukrainians being totally acceptable, in fact, a real libertarian should be on the Ukrainian side).
     
    I have been very consistent that this invasion is criminal and that Ukraine is in the right. That said, I don't buy the Ukraine war crimes propaganda and I suspect that the Ukrainians have committed more war crimes than have the Russians, and understandably so, given the circumstances.

    But while I am sympathetic with the Ukrainians, I can't ignore the global dimension of this conflict. The US is supporting Ukraine to make the world safe for GloboHomo. Period. Even the most diehard Ukrainian nationalist should be able to recognize that fact. It is no coincidence that once this war began, all the vaccine emojis on Twitter were replaced with Ukrainian flags. Nor is it a coincidence that all the Black Lives Matter signs that once dominated my neighborhood have been replaced with "Stand with Ukraine" signs.

    So I feel conflicted: on one had, what is happening to the Ukrainians is wrong but on the other hand, I want to see the upending of the "rules based international order" that allows GloboHomo to thrive.

    Then he trashes the United States (!!!) when the United States is the most philosemitic country out there that goes out of her way to protect Jews. And he wants to destroy the United States. What’s up with that?

     

    Because I hate white liberals. Anyone who truly hates white liberals will hate the United States. Anyone who does not hate the United States does not truly hate white liberals.
    , @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @LatW

    I'm not a fan of Greasy William's pro-Russian and anti-American stance either, I think he's seriously deluded and his politics rather abhorrent, but I don't think any of that can be reduced to his Jewishness. I think your theory of "Jewishness" is trying to do a little bit too much explanatory labor :) (where opposite stances can both be expressions of, and determined by, Jewishness)

    That you find his vicious anti-Americanism to go against his ethnic self-interest - which as you probably know, is not at all uncommon among American Jews although typically from the leftist angle - should suggest that politics can't be entirely a function of ethnicity, but ideology must be conceded a significant role. Indeed, Whites seem rather to be going against their ethnic self-interest of late also :)

    He's also obviously a conflicted and self contradictory person - says he despises liberals but himself adopts one of their major positions, anti-nationalism (his one position I respect), and waffles back and forth on whether Russia or Ukraine is winning depending on his depression

    And while your description of Zelensky's motivations don't paint him in the worst light, I think the emphasis on calculating self-interest sans principle - that his loyalty is merely a function of Ukraine offering him a better field of for his talents considering his particular limitations than America, as if that has to be the main reason that a Jew doesn't end up in America - is rather inadequate as an explanation for taking the kinds of risks he has, and a limitation of your theory of reducing politics to ethnic self-interest.

    I think you too strongly try and reduce politics to ethnicity, and this inevitably leads to contradiction and cognitive dissonance because it cannot explain the complicated and contradictory range of human political activity.

    But anyways, your positions are yours to take, so feel free to think as you like :)

    I only thought, and think, the cross-layers and cross purposes of the Ukraine thing can often be quite weird at times.

    And I agree the Jewish thing is rather boring for the most part except insofar in certain of it's sociological aspects (it can shed light on general human will to power psychology, etc), but as politics, it's dull.

    Replies: @Greasy William

  141. @Leaves No Shadow
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    Mainstream discourse, including Putin: everyone I don't like is a Nazi.

    Unz discourse: everyone I don't like is a Jew.

    These are both stupid, but they are not equivalents. Jew is not a similar category to Nazi, no matter how much people on Unz want it to be, while also basically identifying as Nazis and thinking Jews are the worst things in the world.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @Wokechoke, @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    I’d like to add that only one of LatW and Greasy William has been cheerleading the murder of ordinary Europeans, so the two are most certainly not equivalent either. Slightly rude talk about a particular ehtnicity is irrelevant in that context.

    • Replies: @LatW
    @Leaves No Shadow


    Slightly rude talk
     
    You do not consider it rude to talk about how another country's sons who have taken up arms to defend their mother, that they should be "dismantled" even though the enemy is still out there? You do not consider it rude to show disdain for another country's high military leadership?

    Let's fight openly and honestly. If one makes bold and daring statements about others, they should be able to take the same back.

    How about all the rudeness and sheer disgusting racism that has been dished out on this website against Ukrainians for years now?

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

  142. @LatW

    My political/economic views are basically Von Mises.
     
    Ok, in that case, you could be considered "far right". But in a rather narrow sense, as an anarcho-capitalist. Such type of right winger must be strong and seek a tax haven. And I do sympathize with you btw since liberals can indeed be overbearing.

    Have you read Robert Nozick (I used to read him as a kid)?

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Greasy William

    I had never heard of him, I just looked him up. He seems to be more an Ayn Rand type whereas I subscribe to a strict, biblical morality. I just don’t think the state should be involved in enforcing it (for example, I think elective abortion is murder but I also think that it should be legal all the way up until the 9th month).

    Also, my main interest in libertarianism is far and away monetary theory, which is not the focus of the Rand/Friedman types at all. I would prefer an economy structured like the Inca Empire to one structured like Singapore because an economy with dishonest money is not truly “free” at all, whereas the Incas and Aztecs did in fact have free economies even though there was heavy state involvement.

    In fact, I have a radical theory that basically all political problems result from bad monetary policy. So whereas I used to advocate for a genocidal civil war as the only way to get rid of white liberals and GloboHomo, I now believe that GloboHomo will resolve itself when the current fiat monetary regime dies.

    • Replies: @LatW
    @Greasy William


    whereas I subscribe to a strict, biblical morality. I just don’t think the state should be involved in enforcing it (for example, I think elective abortion is murder but I also think that it should be legal all the way up until the 9th month).
     
    Do you even understand how absolutely insane and chaos induced this sounds? It's not even moral relativism, but something even crazier than that. Being ideologically inconsistent like that just allows you to manipulate - maybe that's why you are that way.

    Now I no longer remember in what context you brought up that you are a "right winger". It definitely wasn't the monetary aspect.

    that the Russians would be willing to work with him, whereas Putin clearly wants Zelensky out
     
    I thought you said he should be out, I must've misunderstood. The Russians would assassinate him, if they could (but that's beside the point).

    That said, I don’t buy the Ukraine war crimes propaganda and I suspect that the Ukrainians have committed more war crimes than have the Russians
     
    You suspect, you do not know. And you choose to close your eyes to what is known to the whole world (Russian war crimes).

    As to GloboHomo, you are supporting the imposition of direct and immediate, extremely violent and sadistic tyranny upon a free people, including completely innocent women and children, because you do not want the mystical GloboHomo to spread an extra thousand kilometers, into territory, where most likely it would not even thrive and into territory that is none of your business to mull about. This justifies murder of little girls for you and torture of innocent people. The deaths of countless attractive people at the dawn of their life. Needless suffering of elders. Do you even realize what you're advocating? Instead of just "being conflicted", as you say, you need to ask some very deep, serious questions to yourself. You are basically saying this is ok.

    Replies: @Wokechoke

    , @Barbarossa
    @Greasy William


    all political problems result from bad monetary policy.
     
    This is maybe not too far off. Wokeism and much of general progressivism basically boils down to the fact that a tragic excess of easy calories gives people time and energy to think up silly BS that is utterly disconnected from reality.

    In a somewhat harsher world folks would have a lot less energy to worry about things like which made up gender perfectly describes them.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

  143. @LatW
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak


    significant cognitive dissonance
     
    There is no cognitive dissonance at all, do not muddy the waters. There are different kinds of Jews who on top of that act differently at different moments of time and circumstances depending on the situation on the ground. Yet there are some common qualities that might seem universal, but that doesn't mean "all Jews are the same".

    Zelensky is an EE Jewish guy who is leading Ukraine, a country he grew up in and that he's attached to. He wants to stick with that country because he frankly that's all he has. Typical Russophone Jew, his English is not good enough to be successful in the Anglo world.

    Also, because there are no incentives for him to leave the way other Jews have, because he would not achieve as much elsewhere as he did in Ukraine (or it would be harder). In this case, Ukraine actually lucked out because it seems that some of his Jewish stamina and insistence is helping the country pull through. Most pro-Ukrainians are Gentiles, though. There is nothing unusual about Gentiles supporting a Jewish guy who is on their side. This kind of collaboration is not uncommon in EE. He is "our" Jew, so to speak.

    As to this Greasy William guy, what gave me pause is that he doesn't like Zalyzhnyi and that he brought up the "dismantlement of the nationalist militias". Btw, neither one of his talking points that he listed above for his mystical "ceasefire agreement" seemed to be etched out anywhere in the official policies, so it can be safely assumed that he just free styled and made all those up. It's ok, it's a fine mental exercise but a few things were telling.

    Where the heck did the thing about "nationalist militias" come from?

    Now he claims he's a libertarian - that means he is inconsistent in his ideology, libertarians promote the non-aggression principle and self defense (in this case, aggressor being Russia and self defense by Ukrainians being totally acceptable, in fact, a real libertarian should be on the Ukrainian side).

    Moreover, a nationalist militia is very similar to some of the ideas that Robert Nozick raised with privatized police and other similar small scale security forces (especially on the local level, which is exactly how these militias initially arose - in pockets of Donbas and larger cities in the East, from the ground up, very libertarian!). That part is consistent with the laissez faire ideology, but for some reason Greasy doesn't think those things are that great when others do it. There he showed the "goat's leg", so to speak. Nationalism for me, but not for thee. Typical.

    P.S. Then he trashes the United States (!!!) when the United States is the most philosemitic country out there that goes out of her way to protect Jews. And he wants to destroy the United States. What's up with that? Btw, Jews are not a topic I find interesting, but when they go out of their way to make it your problem, you have to deal with it.

    Replies: @Greasy William, @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    As to this Greasy William guy, what gave me pause is that he doesn’t like Zalyzhnyi

    I have never said I disliked Zalyzhnyi. I don’t know anything about him other than that he has done a phenomenal job running this war and that the Russians would be willing to work with him, whereas Putin clearly wants Zelensky out

    and that he brought up the “dismantlement of the nationalist militias”. Btw, neither one of his talking points that he listed above for his mystical “ceasefire agreement” seemed to be etched out anywhere in the official policies

    When Russians say “DeNazification”, that is code for the dissolution of groups like Azov. If you think that I personally care one way or the other if Azov continues to exist, you are incorrect.

    Now he claims he’s a libertarian – that means he is inconsistent in his ideology, libertarians promote the non-aggression principle and self defense (in this case, aggressor being Russia and self defense by Ukrainians being totally acceptable, in fact, a real libertarian should be on the Ukrainian side).

    I have been very consistent that this invasion is criminal and that Ukraine is in the right. That said, I don’t buy the Ukraine war crimes propaganda and I suspect that the Ukrainians have committed more war crimes than have the Russians, and understandably so, given the circumstances.

    But while I am sympathetic with the Ukrainians, I can’t ignore the global dimension of this conflict. The US is supporting Ukraine to make the world safe for GloboHomo. Period. Even the most diehard Ukrainian nationalist should be able to recognize that fact. It is no coincidence that once this war began, all the vaccine emojis on Twitter were replaced with Ukrainian flags. Nor is it a coincidence that all the Black Lives Matter signs that once dominated my neighborhood have been replaced with “Stand with Ukraine” signs.

    So I feel conflicted: on one had, what is happening to the Ukrainians is wrong but on the other hand, I want to see the upending of the “rules based international order” that allows GloboHomo to thrive.

    Then he trashes the United States (!!!) when the United States is the most philosemitic country out there that goes out of her way to protect Jews. And he wants to destroy the United States. What’s up with that?

    Because I hate white liberals. Anyone who truly hates white liberals will hate the United States. Anyone who does not hate the United States does not truly hate white liberals.

    • Agree: Sher Singh
  144. @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    Ok, shit just got really weird...

    The US administration that is supporting Ukraine is heavily Jewish, as are many of the pundits, journalists, think tank people, as is the leader of the Ukrainian nation, etc, but because Greasy William opposes Ukraine, LatW starts insulting him for being a dirty Jew who of course would naturally undermine Ukraine :)

    Whereupon pro-Russia propagandist and arch anti-Semite Wokechoke, seeing his chance, tries to point out to LatW that Ukraine is being supported heavily by.....dirty Jews....so of course the Ukrainian war effort is merely Jewish manipulation :)

    So the pro-Ukraine side thinks Jews undermine it's will to fight, while the pro-Russian side thinks Jews manipulate it to fight to begin with :) (although perhaps I am being unfair to the pro-Ukraine side - LatW is just one neo-fascist woman with obvious significant cognitive dissonance issues regarding Jews that I hope she eventually works out, and not representative)

    But I am beginning to see utu's and German Readers point about the whole region just being a basket case lol with certain Ukrainian elements being heavily self-destructive. I think this can only be a face-palm moment.

    But it's OK - war brings out the worst passions in people and consistency and rationality is not to be expected.

    Still, I hope this space doesn't devolve degenerate into just another Unz area..

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @LatW, @A123

    As an apostate, Zelensky is highly offensive to observant Jews.

    Lord Voldemort Volodymyr the Anti-Semite gave a highly offensive speech before the Knesset. (1)

    Likud MK Yuval Steinitz said it “borders on Holocaust denial.”

    “War is always a terrible thing… but every comparison between a regular war, as difficult as it is, and the extermination of millions of Jews in gas chambers in the framework of the Final Solution is a complete distortion of history,” he said in a statement.

    A number of Religious Zionism MKs also criticized Zelensky, with the far-right opposition party’s leader, Bezalel Smotrich, slamming the Holocaust comparisons and accusing the Ukrainian leader of trying “to rewrite history and erase the involvement of the Ukrainian people in the extermination of Jews.”

    Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rotman rejected Zelensky’s request that Israel treat Ukrainians the same way Zelensky claimed Ukraine treated Jews during the Holocaust.

    Given the extreme and repeated nature of Zelensky’s transgression, it must have been an intentional insult. As a result Likud members loathe him. The religious parties are even more repulsed by Anti-Semite Zelensky.

    As a moderate, Netanyahu offered an olive branch to Zelensky. This did not go well: (2)

    Netanyahu, who was sworn in as prime minister on Thursday, called Zelensky as part of a series of phone calls with leaders of some countries that had previously voted in favor of the resolution. Israel wanted them to change their votes and oppose the resolution or at least abstain, a senior Israeli official told Axios.

    According to the Ukrainian official, Zelensky didn’t like the answer and didn’t agree to vote against the resolution or abstain. Instead, he instructed Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN to not attend the vote.

    Zelensky’s open disdain for indigenous Palestinian Jews has driven Russia and Jewish Palestine closer together.

    All one can do when someone floats “Zelensky is a Jewish plot” is a great deal of pointing and laughing. It is so absurd that no one with even minimal analytic capability will bite on that lure of unalloyed crazy.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-lawmakers-tear-into-zelensky-for-holocaust-comparisons-in-knesset-speech/

    (2) https://www.axios.com/2022/12/31/netanyahu-zelensky-ukraine-israel-occupation-un-icj

    • Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @A123

    We're probably not going to agree A123 - this particular indigenous Palestinian Jew supports Ukraine, on the whole, and despises Putin :)

    (Pssst, I don't want to give you a heart attack, but this Indigenous Palestinian Jew also does not like Trump. At all)

    But thanks for your comment, and I generally enjoy your quirky commentary - the humor post was good this time.

    Replies: @A123, @Emil Nikola Richard

  145. @Ivashka the fool
    @LatW

    It is actually an interesting topic. What exactly does define someone as being ideologically far right. Superficially it might seem obvious, but I am not sure it is. For instance, do you believe accelerationists are far right?

    Replies: @LatW

    It is actually an interesting topic. What exactly does define someone as being ideologically far right. Superficially it might seem obvious, but I am not sure it is.

    I agree – both that it is an interesting topic and that it is hard to pin down. The closer one looks, the harder it gets to define (it is epistemologically problematic, if one can put it that way). Which right wing ideologies are the ones that match or are consistent with what might call a right wing ethos or right wing thinking on all parameters – economic, social, political. They vary a lot and often deviate from what could be considered a consistently radical right wing ideology.

    For instance, do you believe accelerationists are far right?

    I don’t know enough about it, but it seems to have both leftist and right wing undercurrents. It might be too broad to define, probably one narrow part of it is definitely far right. I think in this case the approach to it is instrumental, not so much a worldview. It is peculiar that something such as this would derive originally from Marxism (but then again maybe not, if you consider the other ideologies and their fruits or implementation that sprung from Marxism). It may be that accelerationism was not originally right wing, but that right wingers picked it up and instrumentalized it?

    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @LatW

    I think I should have been more precise and write from the outset that I was referring to the right wing accelerationists, not their left wing counterparts. Because you are right (pun intended) there are the two subtypes of accelerationism : the neomarxist and the NRx (for lack of a better description).

    What I wanted to emphasize was that while writing to Greasy, you pointed out that a true right winger would fight for preservation of something (Nazis for the preservation of "the Arian race", right wing Zionists for the preservation of "the Jewish people" etc.) However, despite being described as far right, a Boogaloo Boy would not care for preservation of anything because he would see everything as ultimately corrupt. Peak Kali Yuga frens (sic) as would say some (mostly young) Alt Right dissidents on teh internets (sic).

    When Greasy writes that "there is nothing worth preserving in America" he comes out as some of these young Alt Right types. This is a new type of Right thought, not the one directed towards preservation of "good old" American/European/Jewish/Islamic/whatever values, but towards the destruction of what is seen as utterly and irredeemably corrupt.

    I sometimes feel the streak of this type of thought in my older daughter who is more of a leftist and in my second younger son who is a hard-core right winger (and I am of course proud of him). Both of them can express very extreme attitudes bordering on nihilism when they talk about contemporary society. And I know that they're not the only ones around, many of their friends are quite disgruntled on both the left and right ends of the youthful political spectrum. Even the kids who are not political at all are often only interested in hedonism and consumerism which is also existentially extreme when it comes to a certain point. There does seem not much idealism left.

    The "old ways" of both Left and Right seem obsolete. Perhaps the "cultural Marxist" are to the Left what the "Alt Right" are to the Right ?

    Perhaps both will end up accelerating the decay and the subsequent transformation of the Western societies ?

    One thing is sure : it is impossible to build one's ideology on destruction only. One needs to also want to build and create something. One cannot only hate, one also needs to love.

    Replies: @Coconuts, @LatW

  146. @Leaves No Shadow
    @Leaves No Shadow

    I'd like to add that only one of LatW and Greasy William has been cheerleading the murder of ordinary Europeans, so the two are most certainly not equivalent either. Slightly rude talk about a particular ehtnicity is irrelevant in that context.

    Replies: @LatW

    Slightly rude talk

    You do not consider it rude to talk about how another country’s sons who have taken up arms to defend their mother, that they should be “dismantled” even though the enemy is still out there? You do not consider it rude to show disdain for another country’s high military leadership?

    Let’s fight openly and honestly. If one makes bold and daring statements about others, they should be able to take the same back.

    How about all the rudeness and sheer disgusting racism that has been dished out on this website against Ukrainians for years now?

    • Replies: @Leaves No Shadow
    @LatW

    Sorry, I agree with you completely. I just don't care about racist words, when compared to the glee that commenters here have been deludedly celebrating Putin's invasion with.

  147. @Greasy William
    @LatW

    There is nothing in contemporary America worth preserving

    Replies: @AnonfromTN, @LatW, @A123

    There is nothing in contemporary America worth preserving

    Bottom line… There is nothing “politically right” about you. While the “right” does detest certain three letter agencies, the dream of MAGA is saving America.

    Hatred of America as a core value is exclusively Leftoid.
    ___

    — needs to reprise his “horseshoe” commentary on the similarity between the far right and far left. I concede that I am too emotionally attached to give such a topic the necessary observer view.

    PEACE 😇

  148. @Leaves No Shadow
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    Mainstream discourse, including Putin: everyone I don't like is a Nazi.

    Unz discourse: everyone I don't like is a Jew.

    These are both stupid, but they are not equivalents. Jew is not a similar category to Nazi, no matter how much people on Unz want it to be, while also basically identifying as Nazis and thinking Jews are the worst things in the world.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @Wokechoke, @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    Here’s a good example of what Antisemite’s call…”early life” or “everyfuckig time”.

    recall Ukraine’s novel feminist movement Femen? It was apparently a bunch of women from ukraine who opposed human trafficking, opposed domestic violence and even had names like Shevchenko attached to it. a Mix of tits and feminist sloganeering,

    If you watch Australian director Kitty Green’s sympathetic documentary “Ukraine is Not a Brothel” a guy called Victor Svyatski shows up and Green eventually puts two and two together that Femen was a harem for a guy. Here’s the guy who actually started this AgitPorn as a graduate degree project with a girl he wanted to fuck. He bears an uncanny family resemblance to Zelenskyy in certain respects. “uh oh” I thought. “What’s all this? better hit early life!” Lo and behold every fukcing time he might be Jewish. Only Muslim sources seem, to have realized how Victor Svyatski may have an ethnic agenda going to defile Ukrainian women…even then they are being coy in the articles.

    https://theaerogram.com/no-means-no-femens-assault-on-muslim-women/

    https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2013/9/4/man-exposed-as-topless-protest-group-founder

    https://orthochristian.com/64045.html

    There is something odd stirring in Ukriane their “Our Jews”

    • Replies: @Leaves No Shadow
    @Wokechoke

    I don't know anything about Ukraine's Femen. Nor do I care that some Jew* may have been having sex with some of them or not. I appreciate that it seems like a huge deal to you and indicative of some desire of yours to be defiled or whatever, but it doesn't interest me. As for Muslim sources bathing in obsessive jealousy equal to yours, that seems pretty normal for them.

    A very small group of beautiful but histrionic women working with a charismatic and potentially somewhat Machiavellian man, in order to gain attention and money, is not indicative of much, except that those two types often end up together.

    Furthermore, I don't consider those women "defiled." Did he beat them? I can't find any allegations. Or did he just charm them? In which case, they're adults making their own decisions. I am not personally sympathetic to "oh, what a dainty waif I am and victim" hysteria, whether open, like with much of #MeToo, or repressed, like with many Unz commentors, or even Andrew Tate himself.

    *Is he even Jewish? He doesn't look like most of the Jews I have met. He's fair-haired, has a normal East Euro name and is from Khmelnytskyi, which probably has a handful of Jews living in it. Can you find a reputable source for your claim?

    Replies: @Wokechoke

    , @Wokechoke
    @Wokechoke

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vBGo95SJz4&t=7s


    A girl's gotta eat, eh?

  149. @LatW
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak


    significant cognitive dissonance
     
    There is no cognitive dissonance at all, do not muddy the waters. There are different kinds of Jews who on top of that act differently at different moments of time and circumstances depending on the situation on the ground. Yet there are some common qualities that might seem universal, but that doesn't mean "all Jews are the same".

    Zelensky is an EE Jewish guy who is leading Ukraine, a country he grew up in and that he's attached to. He wants to stick with that country because he frankly that's all he has. Typical Russophone Jew, his English is not good enough to be successful in the Anglo world.

    Also, because there are no incentives for him to leave the way other Jews have, because he would not achieve as much elsewhere as he did in Ukraine (or it would be harder). In this case, Ukraine actually lucked out because it seems that some of his Jewish stamina and insistence is helping the country pull through. Most pro-Ukrainians are Gentiles, though. There is nothing unusual about Gentiles supporting a Jewish guy who is on their side. This kind of collaboration is not uncommon in EE. He is "our" Jew, so to speak.

    As to this Greasy William guy, what gave me pause is that he doesn't like Zalyzhnyi and that he brought up the "dismantlement of the nationalist militias". Btw, neither one of his talking points that he listed above for his mystical "ceasefire agreement" seemed to be etched out anywhere in the official policies, so it can be safely assumed that he just free styled and made all those up. It's ok, it's a fine mental exercise but a few things were telling.

    Where the heck did the thing about "nationalist militias" come from?

    Now he claims he's a libertarian - that means he is inconsistent in his ideology, libertarians promote the non-aggression principle and self defense (in this case, aggressor being Russia and self defense by Ukrainians being totally acceptable, in fact, a real libertarian should be on the Ukrainian side).

    Moreover, a nationalist militia is very similar to some of the ideas that Robert Nozick raised with privatized police and other similar small scale security forces (especially on the local level, which is exactly how these militias initially arose - in pockets of Donbas and larger cities in the East, from the ground up, very libertarian!). That part is consistent with the laissez faire ideology, but for some reason Greasy doesn't think those things are that great when others do it. There he showed the "goat's leg", so to speak. Nationalism for me, but not for thee. Typical.

    P.S. Then he trashes the United States (!!!) when the United States is the most philosemitic country out there that goes out of her way to protect Jews. And he wants to destroy the United States. What's up with that? Btw, Jews are not a topic I find interesting, but when they go out of their way to make it your problem, you have to deal with it.

    Replies: @Greasy William, @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    I’m not a fan of Greasy William’s pro-Russian and anti-American stance either, I think he’s seriously deluded and his politics rather abhorrent, but I don’t think any of that can be reduced to his Jewishness. I think your theory of “Jewishness” is trying to do a little bit too much explanatory labor 🙂 (where opposite stances can both be expressions of, and determined by, Jewishness)

    That you find his vicious anti-Americanism to go against his ethnic self-interest – which as you probably know, is not at all uncommon among American Jews although typically from the leftist angle – should suggest that politics can’t be entirely a function of ethnicity, but ideology must be conceded a significant role. Indeed, Whites seem rather to be going against their ethnic self-interest of late also 🙂

    He’s also obviously a conflicted and self contradictory person – says he despises liberals but himself adopts one of their major positions, anti-nationalism (his one position I respect), and waffles back and forth on whether Russia or Ukraine is winning depending on his depression

    And while your description of Zelensky’s motivations don’t paint him in the worst light, I think the emphasis on calculating self-interest sans principle – that his loyalty is merely a function of Ukraine offering him a better field of for his talents considering his particular limitations than America, as if that has to be the main reason that a Jew doesn’t end up in America – is rather inadequate as an explanation for taking the kinds of risks he has, and a limitation of your theory of reducing politics to ethnic self-interest.

    I think you too strongly try and reduce politics to ethnicity, and this inevitably leads to contradiction and cognitive dissonance because it cannot explain the complicated and contradictory range of human political activity.

    But anyways, your positions are yours to take, so feel free to think as you like 🙂

    I only thought, and think, the cross-layers and cross purposes of the Ukraine thing can often be quite weird at times.

    And I agree the Jewish thing is rather boring for the most part except insofar in certain of it’s sociological aspects (it can shed light on general human will to power psychology, etc), but as politics, it’s dull.

    • Replies: @Greasy William
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak


    He’s also obviously a conflicted and self contradictory person – says he despises liberals but himself adopts one of their major positions, anti-nationalism
     
    I have a completely different type of anti nationalism than liberals have. I'm not a Globalist, I'm just opposed to militant nationalism, or ultra nationalism if you want to call it that. I don't care about stuff like racial/ethnic purity but I don't have a problem with people who do. I don't see ultra nationalism or racism as immoral, I see them as stupid.

    waffles back and forth on whether Russia or Ukraine is winning depending on his depression
     
    It's not my depression, it's that the information coming out of the conflict zone is so contradictory and we don't have any historical precedents for this type of war. For a long time I was convinced that Russia was winning big time, largely because I completely ignored all mainstream Western sources because I just assumed they were lying about everything. Now I'm consuming a wider variety of sources and things become only more unclear to me with time.

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak

  150. @Greasy William
    @Wokechoke

    I'm not a nationalist. Blood and soil is bullshit.

    I'm just a Jewish guy who hates white (and Jewish) liberals. My political/economic views are basically Von Mises.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Barbarossa

    I’m not a nationalist either, but I don’t think that blood and soil are bullshit. Specificity of place and people are the fundamental building blocks of culture.

    If you excise those than what do you have left, Coca Cola and Levi’s?

    • Agree: Yahya
    • Replies: @Yahya
    @Barbarossa


    I’m not a nationalist either, but I don’t think that blood and soil are bullshit. Specificity of place and people are the fundamental building blocks of culture.
     
    Blood and soil is another term that has been permanently tarred by association with Nazism; at least in the West. But in its moderate, non-genocidal form; is a fairly reasonable proposition and a good basis to form a nation around. Ideally it’d be applied to a mono-ethnic nation like Japan; where people can just say “Japan belongs to the Japanese” without offending too many people; thus ensuring the continued existence of the Japanese ethnos for the long-term. But mono-ethnic nations are fairly rare. States like Russia, where 85%+ of people are of a single ethnicity, can also make blood and soil nationalism work if they allow some leeway for indigenous minorities; or to splinter off reluctant ones like the Chechens.

    Blood and soil becomes problematic when people get cowardly and greedy and start thinking ethnic cleansing is an appropriate method of attaining a “pure” state. But extremities should not automatically discredit a moderate version of a particular ideology; which is why I also object to people tarring social democratic views with “socialism” or “communism”. Superficially they may be similar; but moderation can make all the difference.

    Jews in the West are understandably suspicious of blood and soil since they tend to be minorities; and were victims of the extreme manifestation of the ideology. But they seem to be all for it in Israel. Greasy calls it disgusting but iirc has described himself as an extreme Israeli right-winger; which does seem inconsistent (nationalism for me; but not for thee).

    Replies: @Greasy William

    , @Greasy William
    @Barbarossa


    If you excise those than what do you have left, Coca Cola and Levi’s?
     
    Something like that

    Replies: @Barbarossa

  151. @Leaves No Shadow
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    Mainstream discourse, including Putin: everyone I don't like is a Nazi.

    Unz discourse: everyone I don't like is a Jew.

    These are both stupid, but they are not equivalents. Jew is not a similar category to Nazi, no matter how much people on Unz want it to be, while also basically identifying as Nazis and thinking Jews are the worst things in the world.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @Wokechoke, @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    Jew is not a similar category to Nazi, no matter how much people on Unz want it to be, while also basically identifying as Nazis and thinking Jews are the worst things in the world

    .

    Right, another example of the weird contradictions one finds in politics.

    Nazis are good, but Jews are terrible because they’re basically…..Nazis. Nationalism is great, but Israel sucks because they’re nationalist.

    I think homo politicus is just not a very sane and rational animal at the best of times.

    And yes, I agree both “Jew” and “Nazi” exist primarily as terms that have mythological resonance, and little real world descriptive power.

    At the moment, these seem to be the two most mythologically charged terms in the West – which leads to a rather impoverished mythological language, if you think about it, which may explain the impoverished range of our political discourse.

    Man needs a rich and subtle mythology to expand the range of his imagination.

    • Replies: @Leaves No Shadow
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    Yes, and it gets funnier than that. Much of the Unz crowd loves everything about Jews, except they're not them. And hates everything about white Gentiles, except they are them.

    Of course their image of the two respective categories is a total fantasy*, but the internal contradiction is hilarious.

    * The most amusing way to prove that their respective images of the two is a complete fantasy is to compare their attitude to Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and Freud. None of which they understand, but they still attach a lot of different judgements and emotions to. In particular, Nietzsche and Schopenhauer are seen as bastions against the totally evil and subversive Freud. Even though, in reality, the work of those three carries the same meaning! They're reformulations of the same ideas! Uncontroversially. Any person who reads them all will inform you of this as a statement of plain fact.

    Lol



    https://twitter.com/lacancircle/status/1621861499148066817?t=os0iLklm3217w30mpSb17g&s=19

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak

  152. Here’s a good example of what Anti-Semite’s call…”Early Life” or “Every Fucking Time”.

    Recall Ukraine’s novel feminist movement Femen? It was apparently a bunch of women from Ukraine who opposed human trafficking, opposed domestic violence and even had names like Shevchenko attached to it. A headline grabbing mix of tits and feminist sloganeering.

    If you watch Australian director Kitty Green’s sympathetic documentary “Ukraine is Not a Brothel” a guy called Victor Svyatski shows up and Green eventually puts two and two together that Femen was a brothel for this guy. Here’s the Svengali who actually started AgitPorn as a graduate degree project with a girl he wanted to fuck. He bears an uncanny family resemblance to Zelenskyy in certain respects. “uh oh” I thought, “What’s all this? better hit early life!” Lo and behold every fucking time! He might well be Jewish. Only Muslim sources seem, to have realized how Victor Svyatski may have an ethnic agenda going to defile Ukrainian women…even then they are being coy in the articles. Not so in the comments section.

    https://theaerogram.com/no-means-no-femens-assault-on-muslim-women/

    https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2013/9/4/man-exposed-as-topless-protest-group-founder

    https://orthochristian.com/64045.html

    There is something odd stirring in Ukriane their “Our Jews”

    Femen is a fascinating Ukrainian cultural phenomenon. The German branch founded by Alexandra Shevchenko is notorious.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femen

  153. @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @LatW

    I'm not a fan of Greasy William's pro-Russian and anti-American stance either, I think he's seriously deluded and his politics rather abhorrent, but I don't think any of that can be reduced to his Jewishness. I think your theory of "Jewishness" is trying to do a little bit too much explanatory labor :) (where opposite stances can both be expressions of, and determined by, Jewishness)

    That you find his vicious anti-Americanism to go against his ethnic self-interest - which as you probably know, is not at all uncommon among American Jews although typically from the leftist angle - should suggest that politics can't be entirely a function of ethnicity, but ideology must be conceded a significant role. Indeed, Whites seem rather to be going against their ethnic self-interest of late also :)

    He's also obviously a conflicted and self contradictory person - says he despises liberals but himself adopts one of their major positions, anti-nationalism (his one position I respect), and waffles back and forth on whether Russia or Ukraine is winning depending on his depression

    And while your description of Zelensky's motivations don't paint him in the worst light, I think the emphasis on calculating self-interest sans principle - that his loyalty is merely a function of Ukraine offering him a better field of for his talents considering his particular limitations than America, as if that has to be the main reason that a Jew doesn't end up in America - is rather inadequate as an explanation for taking the kinds of risks he has, and a limitation of your theory of reducing politics to ethnic self-interest.

    I think you too strongly try and reduce politics to ethnicity, and this inevitably leads to contradiction and cognitive dissonance because it cannot explain the complicated and contradictory range of human political activity.

    But anyways, your positions are yours to take, so feel free to think as you like :)

    I only thought, and think, the cross-layers and cross purposes of the Ukraine thing can often be quite weird at times.

    And I agree the Jewish thing is rather boring for the most part except insofar in certain of it's sociological aspects (it can shed light on general human will to power psychology, etc), but as politics, it's dull.

    Replies: @Greasy William

    He’s also obviously a conflicted and self contradictory person – says he despises liberals but himself adopts one of their major positions, anti-nationalism

    I have a completely different type of anti nationalism than liberals have. I’m not a Globalist, I’m just opposed to militant nationalism, or ultra nationalism if you want to call it that. I don’t care about stuff like racial/ethnic purity but I don’t have a problem with people who do. I don’t see ultra nationalism or racism as immoral, I see them as stupid.

    waffles back and forth on whether Russia or Ukraine is winning depending on his depression

    It’s not my depression, it’s that the information coming out of the conflict zone is so contradictory and we don’t have any historical precedents for this type of war. For a long time I was convinced that Russia was winning big time, largely because I completely ignored all mainstream Western sources because I just assumed they were lying about everything. Now I’m consuming a wider variety of sources and things become only more unclear to me with time.

    • Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @Greasy William


    I have a completely different type of anti nationalism than liberals have. I’m not a Globalist, I’m just opposed to militant nationalism, or ultra nationalism if you want to call it that. I don’t care about stuff like racial/ethnic purity but I don’t have a problem with people who do. I don’t see ultra nationalism or racism as immoral, I see them as stupid.
     
    Fair enough.

    As for stupidity, I think ethnic nationalism can be strategically smart or strategically stupid - especially for an elite - depending on particular circumstances, as I sketched briefly in my other comment.

    As for morality, I actually do think caring about racial purity is immoral and spiritually limited - however, I think people on that level should not be coerced or bullied into thinking otherwise, but permitted to live through their own particular karma. They should be gently educated perhaps but they have their own spiritual issues to work through at their pace.

    I vastly prefer allegiance to a "spiritual community" over a racial or ethnic community - Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists - and even here, I favor not exclucivism and seperation but amicable coexistence in relatively close proximity and rich cultural exchange.

    But that's just me :)

    As for the war, I don't think the info is that confusing - obviously, Russia is too weak to achieve anything significant, and Ukraine isn't going to be conquering Moscow anytime soon.

    Of course, anything could happen and the future is hardly written in stone.
  154. @Ivashka the fool
    @Jazman


    Couple more years they will teach kids Russians opened Auschwitz
     
    Russians opened the gates of Auschwitz.

    Where did you get this 5,5 million info from ?

    Replies: @Jazman

    I read it on one Polish Facebook page it is bs just joking about crazy Poles

    • Agree: Ivashka the fool
    • Replies: @Beckow
    @Jazman

    It is even worse, the Poles know the details. They are quite good, unlike common Westerners, at knowing what happened, who killed who, etc... Then something weird happens to them, like in a diseased mind full of uncontrollable hatred they deny the obvious, create twisted one-sided narratives, mix timelines, selectively emotionalize past events and omit or minimize other events, etc...

    It becomes an obsession, a mental siege where their painful myths must rule and "Russians" must be the devils (often the only ones). Maybe it is something religious in their feverish papist minds, they are fighting the satan from the east. They mostly loose and that makes it very unreal and sad.

    In a generation - if they are still around - Poles will flatly claim that 'Russia attacked them out of the blue in 1939', murdered millions, and in 1944 the saintly Anglos with Polish heroic resistance liberated them (from whom?), only to be enslaved by satanic Soviet-Russian forces from the deracinated east. That will be the story and they will make Brussels repeat it and shed tears together...

    This is not 'history' or 'country', it is self-therapy for non-functional people. The Polish self-pity is always right under the surface. Like a pious hysterical maiden they are always the victims of the Asiatic brute ...Let's relocate them somewhere north-west closer to the Anglo heaven, maybe Greenland?

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

  155. @Greasy William
    @LatW

    I had never heard of him, I just looked him up. He seems to be more an Ayn Rand type whereas I subscribe to a strict, biblical morality. I just don't think the state should be involved in enforcing it (for example, I think elective abortion is murder but I also think that it should be legal all the way up until the 9th month).

    Also, my main interest in libertarianism is far and away monetary theory, which is not the focus of the Rand/Friedman types at all. I would prefer an economy structured like the Inca Empire to one structured like Singapore because an economy with dishonest money is not truly "free" at all, whereas the Incas and Aztecs did in fact have free economies even though there was heavy state involvement.

    In fact, I have a radical theory that basically all political problems result from bad monetary policy. So whereas I used to advocate for a genocidal civil war as the only way to get rid of white liberals and GloboHomo, I now believe that GloboHomo will resolve itself when the current fiat monetary regime dies.

    Replies: @LatW, @Barbarossa

    whereas I subscribe to a strict, biblical morality. I just don’t think the state should be involved in enforcing it (for example, I think elective abortion is murder but I also think that it should be legal all the way up until the 9th month).

    Do you even understand how absolutely insane and chaos induced this sounds? It’s not even moral relativism, but something even crazier than that. Being ideologically inconsistent like that just allows you to manipulate – maybe that’s why you are that way.

    Now I no longer remember in what context you brought up that you are a “right winger”. It definitely wasn’t the monetary aspect.

    that the Russians would be willing to work with him, whereas Putin clearly wants Zelensky out

    I thought you said he should be out, I must’ve misunderstood. The Russians would assassinate him, if they could (but that’s beside the point).

    That said, I don’t buy the Ukraine war crimes propaganda and I suspect that the Ukrainians have committed more war crimes than have the Russians

    You suspect, you do not know. And you choose to close your eyes to what is known to the whole world (Russian war crimes).

    As to GloboHomo, you are supporting the imposition of direct and immediate, extremely violent and sadistic tyranny upon a free people, including completely innocent women and children, because you do not want the mystical GloboHomo to spread an extra thousand kilometers, into territory, where most likely it would not even thrive and into territory that is none of your business to mull about. This justifies murder of little girls for you and torture of innocent people. The deaths of countless attractive people at the dawn of their life. Needless suffering of elders. Do you even realize what you’re advocating? Instead of just “being conflicted”, as you say, you need to ask some very deep, serious questions to yourself. You are basically saying this is ok.

    • Replies: @Wokechoke
    @LatW

    Why are you arguing with a Jew here? Why are you supporting a Jewish regime down there?

    These kikes get to walk away from all the fights they start among their hosts.

  156. @A123
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    As an apostate, Zelensky is highly offensive to observant Jews.

    Lord Voldemort Volodymyr the Anti-Semite gave a highly offensive speech before the Knesset. (1)


    Likud MK Yuval Steinitz said it “borders on Holocaust denial.”

    “War is always a terrible thing… but every comparison between a regular war, as difficult as it is, and the extermination of millions of Jews in gas chambers in the framework of the Final Solution is a complete distortion of history,” he said in a statement.

    A number of Religious Zionism MKs also criticized Zelensky, with the far-right opposition party’s leader, Bezalel Smotrich, slamming the Holocaust comparisons and accusing the Ukrainian leader of trying “to rewrite history and erase the involvement of the Ukrainian people in the extermination of Jews.”

    Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rotman rejected Zelensky’s request that Israel treat Ukrainians the same way Zelensky claimed Ukraine treated Jews during the Holocaust.

     

    Given the extreme and repeated nature of Zelensky's transgression, it must have been an intentional insult. As a result Likud members loathe him. The religious parties are even more repulsed by Anti-Semite Zelensky.

    As a moderate, Netanyahu offered an olive branch to Zelensky. This did not go well: (2)

    Netanyahu, who was sworn in as prime minister on Thursday, called Zelensky as part of a series of phone calls with leaders of some countries that had previously voted in favor of the resolution. Israel wanted them to change their votes and oppose the resolution or at least abstain, a senior Israeli official told Axios.
    ...
    According to the Ukrainian official, Zelensky didn’t like the answer and didn’t agree to vote against the resolution or abstain. Instead, he instructed Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN to not attend the vote.
     
    Zelensky's open disdain for indigenous Palestinian Jews has driven Russia and Jewish Palestine closer together.

    All one can do when someone floats "Zelensky is a Jewish plot" is a great deal of pointing and laughing. It is so absurd that no one with even minimal analytic capability will bite on that lure of unalloyed crazy.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-lawmakers-tear-into-zelensky-for-holocaust-comparisons-in-knesset-speech/

    (2) https://www.axios.com/2022/12/31/netanyahu-zelensky-ukraine-israel-occupation-un-icj

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    We’re probably not going to agree A123 – this particular indigenous Palestinian Jew supports Ukraine, on the whole, and despises Putin 🙂

    (Pssst, I don’t want to give you a heart attack, but this Indigenous Palestinian Jew also does not like Trump. At all)

    But thanks for your comment, and I generally enjoy your quirky commentary – the humor post was good this time.

    • Replies: @A123
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak


    Pssst, I don’t want to give you a heart attack, but this Indigenous Palestinian Jew also does not like Trump. At all
     
    Meretz and Labour/Gesher received about 7% of the vote in the last election. So, it is believable that you are in a tiny sliver minority. Why would you want to abandon the Golan and Jerusalem to Jihadist conquistadors?

    I do not want to give you are heart attack. But... Do realise that exceedingly few Indigenous Jews agree with you? Are you a traitorous B'Teslem stooge?

    PEACE 😇
    , @Emil Nikola Richard
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak


    Palestinian Jew
     
    Pfui.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

  157. @LatW
    @Greasy William


    whereas I subscribe to a strict, biblical morality. I just don’t think the state should be involved in enforcing it (for example, I think elective abortion is murder but I also think that it should be legal all the way up until the 9th month).
     
    Do you even understand how absolutely insane and chaos induced this sounds? It's not even moral relativism, but something even crazier than that. Being ideologically inconsistent like that just allows you to manipulate - maybe that's why you are that way.

    Now I no longer remember in what context you brought up that you are a "right winger". It definitely wasn't the monetary aspect.

    that the Russians would be willing to work with him, whereas Putin clearly wants Zelensky out
     
    I thought you said he should be out, I must've misunderstood. The Russians would assassinate him, if they could (but that's beside the point).

    That said, I don’t buy the Ukraine war crimes propaganda and I suspect that the Ukrainians have committed more war crimes than have the Russians
     
    You suspect, you do not know. And you choose to close your eyes to what is known to the whole world (Russian war crimes).

    As to GloboHomo, you are supporting the imposition of direct and immediate, extremely violent and sadistic tyranny upon a free people, including completely innocent women and children, because you do not want the mystical GloboHomo to spread an extra thousand kilometers, into territory, where most likely it would not even thrive and into territory that is none of your business to mull about. This justifies murder of little girls for you and torture of innocent people. The deaths of countless attractive people at the dawn of their life. Needless suffering of elders. Do you even realize what you're advocating? Instead of just "being conflicted", as you say, you need to ask some very deep, serious questions to yourself. You are basically saying this is ok.

    Replies: @Wokechoke

    Why are you arguing with a Jew here? Why are you supporting a Jewish regime down there?

    These kikes get to walk away from all the fights they start among their hosts.

  158. This justifies murder of little girls for you and torture of innocent people. The deaths of countless attractive people at the dawn of their life. Needless suffering of elders. Do you even realize what you’re advocating? Instead of just “being conflicted”, as you say, you need to ask some very deep, serious questions to yourself. You are basically saying this is ok.

    I’m not. You can see in my post history that I have said that it is criminal that Israel has not publicly and strongly condemned the Russian invasion. What’s happening to Ukraine is wrong, but that doesn’t make me hate the United States any less.

    I’m not and never have advocated for Russia in this war, unless you mean advocating for a negotiated settlement, which will save many lives in both nations.

    Do you even understand how absolutely insane and chaos induced this sounds? It’s not even moral relativism, but something even crazier than that.

    So you think that the women who have abortions should be put in jail? What about women who deliberately induce a miscarriage? What about women who drink or do drugs when pregnant? What about women who have abortions that are medically necessary? How would you determine if the abortion was necessary or not? What if one doctor says the abortion is necessary but another doctor disagrees? What about women who have been raped?

  159. @Greasy William
    @LatW

    I had never heard of him, I just looked him up. He seems to be more an Ayn Rand type whereas I subscribe to a strict, biblical morality. I just don't think the state should be involved in enforcing it (for example, I think elective abortion is murder but I also think that it should be legal all the way up until the 9th month).

    Also, my main interest in libertarianism is far and away monetary theory, which is not the focus of the Rand/Friedman types at all. I would prefer an economy structured like the Inca Empire to one structured like Singapore because an economy with dishonest money is not truly "free" at all, whereas the Incas and Aztecs did in fact have free economies even though there was heavy state involvement.

    In fact, I have a radical theory that basically all political problems result from bad monetary policy. So whereas I used to advocate for a genocidal civil war as the only way to get rid of white liberals and GloboHomo, I now believe that GloboHomo will resolve itself when the current fiat monetary regime dies.

    Replies: @LatW, @Barbarossa

    all political problems result from bad monetary policy.

    This is maybe not too far off. Wokeism and much of general progressivism basically boils down to the fact that a tragic excess of easy calories gives people time and energy to think up silly BS that is utterly disconnected from reality.

    In a somewhat harsher world folks would have a lot less energy to worry about things like which made up gender perfectly describes them.

    • Agree: Greasy William
    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @Barbarossa

    You are right that we live in decadent times because we basically can afford decadent times. But one should remember that a) money is just a medium of exchange and debt tender b) today's fiat is basically immaterial and can be summoned from thin air c) that it is therefore basically information and d) therefore it is in a sense spiritual. Hence all bad policies are spiritually flawed, monetary policy is just being one of these. And yeah, some would say that monetary reductionist attitudes can be caricaturized as typically Jewish...

  160. @LatW
    @Ivashka the fool


    It is actually an interesting topic. What exactly does define someone as being ideologically far right. Superficially it might seem obvious, but I am not sure it is.
     
    I agree - both that it is an interesting topic and that it is hard to pin down. The closer one looks, the harder it gets to define (it is epistemologically problematic, if one can put it that way). Which right wing ideologies are the ones that match or are consistent with what might call a right wing ethos or right wing thinking on all parameters - economic, social, political. They vary a lot and often deviate from what could be considered a consistently radical right wing ideology.

    For instance, do you believe accelerationists are far right?
     
    I don't know enough about it, but it seems to have both leftist and right wing undercurrents. It might be too broad to define, probably one narrow part of it is definitely far right. I think in this case the approach to it is instrumental, not so much a worldview. It is peculiar that something such as this would derive originally from Marxism (but then again maybe not, if you consider the other ideologies and their fruits or implementation that sprung from Marxism). It may be that accelerationism was not originally right wing, but that right wingers picked it up and instrumentalized it?

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

    I think I should have been more precise and write from the outset that I was referring to the right wing accelerationists, not their left wing counterparts. Because you are right (pun intended) there are the two subtypes of accelerationism : the neomarxist and the NRx (for lack of a better description).

    What I wanted to emphasize was that while writing to Greasy, you pointed out that a true right winger would fight for preservation of something (Nazis for the preservation of “the Arian race”, right wing Zionists for the preservation of “the Jewish people” etc.) However, despite being described as far right, a Boogaloo Boy would not care for preservation of anything because he would see everything as ultimately corrupt. Peak Kali Yuga frens (sic) as would say some (mostly young) Alt Right dissidents on teh internets (sic).

    When Greasy writes that “there is nothing worth preserving in America” he comes out as some of these young Alt Right types. This is a new type of Right thought, not the one directed towards preservation of “good old” American/European/Jewish/Islamic/whatever values, but towards the destruction of what is seen as utterly and irredeemably corrupt.

    I sometimes feel the streak of this type of thought in my older daughter who is more of a leftist and in my second younger son who is a hard-core right winger (and I am of course proud of him). Both of them can express very extreme attitudes bordering on nihilism when they talk about contemporary society. And I know that they’re not the only ones around, many of their friends are quite disgruntled on both the left and right ends of the youthful political spectrum. Even the kids who are not political at all are often only interested in hedonism and consumerism which is also existentially extreme when it comes to a certain point. There does seem not much idealism left.

    The “old ways” of both Left and Right seem obsolete. Perhaps the “cultural Marxist” are to the Left what the “Alt Right” are to the Right ?

    Perhaps both will end up accelerating the decay and the subsequent transformation of the Western societies ?

    One thing is sure : it is impossible to build one’s ideology on destruction only. One needs to also want to build and create something. One cannot only hate, one also needs to love.

    • Replies: @Coconuts
    @Ivashka the fool


    Perhaps both will end up accelerating the decay and the subsequent transformation of the Western societies ?

    One thing is sure : it is impossible to build one’s ideology on destruction only. One needs to also want to build and create something. One cannot only hate, one also needs to love.
     
    The negative dialectic seems to have become very powerful in Western societies, clearly in Critical Theory and what has emerged from that, but in other areas as well.

    Afaik opinion polls keep detecting major splits down gender lines on political issues, sometimes they can be really large, 20, 30 points and more. Not the best sign for the future.

    The destructive inclination on the alt right... reminds me of the little videos and clips the younger followers of BAP produce:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq6zJ3zdofo

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Mr. Hack

    , @LatW
    @Ivashka the fool


    the NRx
     
    The NRx is interesting purely to explore (safely from a distance) and maybe get some occassional exciting sensations. But it's not something that a large enough pool of people would adopt to have impact. But the very idea of the Dark Enlightenment is to have impact with small, but radical actions. This is something to be pondered but it's not a thing to be discussed online (or openly).

    Alt Right dissidents
     
    If the Alt Right dissidents want to just be contrarians or be in a permanent state of struggle without building anything, that's their choice (I will agree that some of them want to build something but are not allowed to, however, many don't, they just want to be antagonistic and adversarial). Back a few years ago there was a very attractive group, the Rise Above group in CA. It would appear outwardly that they had no positive program and just wanted to cause altercations, but they actually did - they created a certain very healthy aesthetic and had some discipline (athletic culture). But of course, they were stifled at the very root. Because their approach was combative (it was understandable, but such won't be allowed). But it was an attractive group that, had they worked quietly, maybe would have built something.

    When Greasy writes that “there is nothing worth preserving in America” he comes out as some of these young Alt Right types.
     
    Not entirely. Many of the Alt Right types wanted something more conservative, just couldn't get it. I don't know this for sure, but I think someone like this Nick Fuentes guy is quite genuine in describing the kind of society he would want to live in. If he had the kind of society that he yearns for, he probably wouldn't call women "femoids", he would behave conservatively and have a normal life. But maybe I'm wrong (and he's another contrarian on principle).

    The issue I found with Greasy is that he doesn't appear to be too invested in anything. There are great things in America worth preserving (and you will even find people who will do it), but he doesn't seem to see those things or he may not be bothered to live that way. Would Greasy be happy if the woke were gone one day? I think he would find something else to complain about. But again, I may be wrong. Some people are contrarians for the purpose of being that way, eternal oppositioners. I must admit, I like this quality, but the saner part of me always asks for something more positive, creative. By positive I do not mean something "nice", but something that is pro-actively built up with a clear vision behind it.

    Plus, I don't know how these approaches can co-exist in a right wing environment, when on the one hand you have more conservative types who are invested in society (I know, the so called "cuckservatives"), but also these other more destructive types.

    So in generel, accelerationism is worth while the attention. But for me someone more mellow such as Guillaume Faye would probably be more appealing. So accelerationism might be ok if the West were to become completely unsalvageable, or it might be ok in Russia (that system, too, of old KGBshniks is rotten to the core).

    But I would not support accelerationism within the territory of the Intermarium (including Ukraine) and not in Scandinavia (Scandinavia just needs stricter immigration laws).


    This is a new type of Right thought, not the one directed towards preservation of “good old” American/European/Jewish/Islamic/whatever values, but towards the destruction of what is seen as utterly and irredeemably corrupt.
     
    Right, but in that case it can be viewed simply as a sort of anarchism. Also, some of these Right wing types in fact justify their actions with the "fight for the old values". Maybe they just use them as a pretext. I have thought about this quite a bit in fact, but it is not to be discussed openly.

    I sometimes feel the streak of this type of thought in my older daughter who is more of a leftist and in my second younger son who is a hard-core right winger (and I am of course proud of him).
     
    Yes, there are some interesting things with Gen Z. But they are probably too young still, at that age some kids are into such ideas. What I have noticed anecdotally though in the US and Canada, is that the Gen Z girls tend to veer even more left than let's say Millennial women, and the boys are either secular leftists or far right. How are they going to live together in the future? I think this should be avoided in the Intermarium.

    But, yes, boys are more receptive to right wing ideas, military stuff, etc. Which I agree, feels great to see. It's amazing how early the boys catch on to these things. But it's important to direct them to be kind. So that everything is in balance.


    Both of them can express very extreme attitudes bordering on nihilism when they talk about contemporary society.
     
    It might be that it is hard for many kids to accept the more confusing and negative sides of today's society, some kids opt out. I've seen some teenagers take that route.

    And I know that they’re not the only ones around, many of their friends are quite disgruntled on both the left and right ends of the youthful political spectrum.
     
    Right, but keep in mind that some of them will change and stabilize as they grow up.

    There does seem not much idealism left.
     
    Maybe... but in most societies, only a certain fraction of people are true idealists. But it is true that the society in the West is quite atomized, polarized. But there are new ideals such as "green living".

    The “old ways” of both Left and Right seem obsolete. Perhaps the “cultural Marxist” are to the Left what the “Alt Right” are to the Right ?

    Perhaps both will end up accelerating the decay and the subsequent transformation of the Western societies ?
     

    If they keep growing and no longer remain on the margins, then maybe.

    One thing is sure : it is impossible to build one’s ideology on destruction only. One needs to also want to build and create something. One cannot only hate, one also needs to love.
     
    This is what normal right wing ideology is based on. The love of one's own. And it can even be love of humanity, because a great far right leader will support those, of any nationality, who just want to live according to their roots and culture, in their own God given home.

    And, of course, a positive program is always needed. Even someone such as Codreanu, in his group, there were, what one could consider, people using accelerationist methods (in those days). But he always had a positive component as well. The core values were there.

    Replies: @Barbarossa, @Ivashka the fool

  161. @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @A123

    We're probably not going to agree A123 - this particular indigenous Palestinian Jew supports Ukraine, on the whole, and despises Putin :)

    (Pssst, I don't want to give you a heart attack, but this Indigenous Palestinian Jew also does not like Trump. At all)

    But thanks for your comment, and I generally enjoy your quirky commentary - the humor post was good this time.

    Replies: @A123, @Emil Nikola Richard

    Pssst, I don’t want to give you a heart attack, but this Indigenous Palestinian Jew also does not like Trump. At all

    Meretz and Labour/Gesher received about 7% of the vote in the last election. So, it is believable that you are in a tiny sliver minority. Why would you want to abandon the Golan and Jerusalem to Jihadist conquistadors?

    I do not want to give you are heart attack. But… Do realise that exceedingly few Indigenous Jews agree with you? Are you a traitorous B’Teslem stooge?

    PEACE 😇

  162. I think he’s seriously deluded and his politics rather abhorrent

    It’s not so much that they’re abhorrent but that they are incoherent. I don’t even care enough.

    where opposite stances can both be expressions of, and determined by, Jewishness

    Yes, and I noted that this can often be the case.

    That you find his vicious anti-Americanism to go against his ethnic self-interest

    I wasn’t trying to make a point about it, I was just warning him – be careful what you wish for.
    Russians have a saying – с жиру беситься. It means that someone is too spoiled to realize how good they actually have it. Nobody out there is going to baby him the way that the US does. And then he thinks it’s ok to impose tyranny on others for things he can’t be bothered himself to achieve (get rid of the woke).

    on whether Russia or Ukraine is winning depending on his depression

    It is clear that his attitude towards this conflict is driven to a large extent by some kind of anxiety – which, by the way, is not a sin, many people struggle with it (I guess mental illness should be de-stigmatized in the era of full access to the internet… jk, lol).

    I think you too strongly try and reduce politics to ethnicity, and this inevitably leads to contradiction and cognitive dissonance because it cannot explain the complicated and contradictory range of human political activity.

    Wrong. I do not reduce politics to ethnicity, but I do take ethnicity into account when judging someone’s politics. Not all the time, but in certain instances. I may be wrong or right at any given time, but I’m not as dumb as you posit.

    I only thought, and think, the cross-layers and cross purposes of the Ukraine thing can often be quite weird at times.

    I agree, it has gone too far, and I find it very disheartening that Ukraine, with all the tragedy that she has had to endure, is being used in all these ideological struggles. These guys are only adding to the heaviness of the Jesus’ cross during the Golgatha.

    Nazis are good, but Jews are terrible because they’re basically…..Nazis. Nationalism is great, but Israel sucks because they’re nationalist.

    No, that’s not what I said (maybe others did here, but not I). I admire Israel. What I did was basically tell a Jewish guy “Who are you to tell Gentiles to disband their militias”. That’s all.

    Also, I really dislike the principle of “nationalism for me but not for thee”. Which is prevalent among both Jews and the pro-Russian American right wingers (and West Euros).

    One important thing though that I’m getting from this conversation with Greasy is that liberals in the US might indeed be a bit of a problem – I mean, what do you think could alleviate his pain from his inevitable interactions with them? He is unable to develop indifference towards them. Maybe you can help him.

    • Replies: @Yahya
    @LatW


    I admire Israel.
     
    So after spending this whole time lambasting Greasy for ideological inconsistency; waxing lyrical about the “tragedy Ukrainians” are going through; the injustice of having their land being annexed by Russia; the catastrophic depopulation; the massacres being perpetrated; and the need for everyone to support Ukrainian territorial integrity; you then turn around in the very same comment, and praise what is in effect a smaller, more successful version of Russia in the Middle East - once again.

    Either you are willfully ignorant or just a drooling racist who applies a different set of racial standards as to whom is deserving of sympathy. Your previous comments unfortunately imply the latter. But just in case you are the former; I recommend the scholars Benny Morris and Norman Finkelstein on the Israel-Palestine subject. Both are Jewish, but the former is an avowed Zionist and the latter pro-Palestinain. Finkelstein is a left-winger who focuses almost exclusively on the justice aspect of the conflict; which basically leads him to the inevitable conclusion that Israel is a criminal state, and his biases are anti-Zionist accordingly.

    Morris on the other hand has openly endorsed the ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Zionists on Palestinians as being necessary to found a Jewish state. He is an honest scholar though and his books are as objective as you can come on this heated subject, though they do slightly favor the Zionist outlook. He was among the first Israeli scholars to acknowledge that the expulsion of Palestinians wasn’t “voluntary”; as is typical of Israeli mythology; but was for the most part a deliberate, violent attempt by the Israeli state to clear the Muslim and Christian inhabitants out of the land - something they achieved with an 80% success rate (Morris regrets that Zionist leadership weren’t able to “finish the job” on the 20% of Arabs now living within Israel). He also describes in detail the manifold Machiavellian tactics employed by Israeli forces to terrorize Palestinian civilians; such as the Deir Yassin massacre and the Qibya massacre. In his books you’ll also find the annexationist plans of Israeli leadership from both the right and left; some of which have already been implemented; and others of which are currently ongoing attempts to annex even more Palestinian land (I’m sure you’ve heard of the settlements).

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @Ivashka the fool, @songbird, @LatW, @Dmitry

    , @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @LatW

    Okay, fair comment.


    No, that’s not what I said (maybe others did here, but not I). I admire Israel. What I did was basically tell a Jewish guy “Who are you to tell Gentiles to disband their militias”. That’s all.
     
    I didn't mean you here, just the general Unz population of commenters. You're actually pretty consistent as a nationalist who admires Israel.
  163. @Barbarossa
    @Greasy William


    all political problems result from bad monetary policy.
     
    This is maybe not too far off. Wokeism and much of general progressivism basically boils down to the fact that a tragic excess of easy calories gives people time and energy to think up silly BS that is utterly disconnected from reality.

    In a somewhat harsher world folks would have a lot less energy to worry about things like which made up gender perfectly describes them.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

    You are right that we live in decadent times because we basically can afford decadent times. But one should remember that a) money is just a medium of exchange and debt tender b) today’s fiat is basically immaterial and can be summoned from thin air c) that it is therefore basically information and d) therefore it is in a sense spiritual. Hence all bad policies are spiritually flawed, monetary policy is just being one of these. And yeah, some would say that monetary reductionist attitudes can be caricaturized as typically Jewish…

    • Agree: Beckow
  164. Don’t know if anyone has ever remarked on this trend, but recently noticed something I thought was pretty significant.

    I think the number of fences in suburban America (maybe, European countries too?) must have really skyrocketed sometime after 1980.

    [MORE]

    I say it because I recently looked at old pictures of a few places I knew and was shocked to see no fences. I mean, like there’d be a picture of one house with no fence and in the same shot you could see that six houses that now have fences didn’t have them. And I’ve seen more than one picture and more than one town like that.

    Not even suggesting it is necessarily about crime. These are still relatively good towns. But it must mean something. Atomization, maybe.

    I suppose when one person puts up a fence, it must really encourage others to do the same.

    • Agree: Ivashka the fool
    • Replies: @A123
    @songbird


    Don’t know if anyone has ever remarked on this trend, but recently noticed something I thought was pretty significant.

    I think the number of fences in suburban America (maybe, European countries too?) must have really skyrocketed sometime after 1980.
     
    To my eye, lot size versus house size for new construction has packed more building on less space. Most people do not want others looking inside their house except for the front windows. This makes fencing essential. When there was more physical separation, well placed trees and shrubs fixed the sight line issue.

    Lawsuits, zoning, and HOA restrictions also play a role. Having a trampoline or pool requires fencing. It is now near essential in some areas if one has dogs.

    PEACE 😇

    Replies: @songbird

    , @Mr. Hack
    @songbird

    Large concrete fences are the norm within Phoenix between neighboring houses. It's been like this since at least the 197o's. Most enjoy the privacy that such fences provide, it's nice when you need to go outdoors quickly and you're not quite dressed up to make the trip. :-) Also, by adding a few exotic plants to your private area, it's easy to create your own botanical garden, so you don't have to miss out on any pleasant landscaping views. Tends to keep the sound levels down too. It's kind of like living in a gated community, except you don't have to pay any exorbitant fees. Property taxes within Phoenix are some of the lowest in the country.

    https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c3/b1/57/c3b15747f1ff116ab6f4236f64becb20.jpg

    Replies: @AP

  165. @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @A123

    We're probably not going to agree A123 - this particular indigenous Palestinian Jew supports Ukraine, on the whole, and despises Putin :)

    (Pssst, I don't want to give you a heart attack, but this Indigenous Palestinian Jew also does not like Trump. At all)

    But thanks for your comment, and I generally enjoy your quirky commentary - the humor post was good this time.

    Replies: @A123, @Emil Nikola Richard

    Palestinian Jew

    Pfui.

    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @Emil Nikola Richard

    He's being playful. He usually is. That's a mask he feels the need wearing. He has probably been hurt a lot and needs protection (I am doing the Laxa thing here).

    🙃

  166. @Emil Nikola Richard
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak


    Palestinian Jew
     
    Pfui.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

    He’s being playful. He usually is. That’s a mask he feels the need wearing. He has probably been hurt a lot and needs protection (I am doing the Laxa thing here).

    🙃

  167. The F-22 Raptor scored its first air to air kill yesterday.

    US used a fifth generation missile (AIM 9X) launched from a fifth generation fighter to shoot down a Chinese balloon!!They succeeded in their first attempt.

    Congratulations to all Americans!This is the first air to air kill of a stealth fighter anywhere!! USA USA USA

    • Replies: @songbird
    @Vishnugupta

    Wonder whether the Chinese balloon was using hydrogen.

    Haven't followed this stuff very closely, but I recall hearing that the US military was using helium for some drone blimps about 7-8 years ago, and I thought that was surprising. Maybe, there is a rational for it. (Harder to shoot down? Easier to store the gas?) But I almost feel like the Hindenburg caused a prejudice against hydrogen.

    Lots of zeppelins crashed in WWI without exploding in flames.

    IMO, the thing to do would be to make the components as cheap as possible, and the tenders robotic and use hydrogen.

  168. @Vishnugupta
    The F-22 Raptor scored its first air to air kill yesterday.

    US used a fifth generation missile (AIM 9X) launched from a fifth generation fighter to shoot down a Chinese balloon!!They succeeded in their first attempt.

    Congratulations to all Americans!This is the first air to air kill of a stealth fighter anywhere!! USA USA USA

    Replies: @songbird

    Wonder whether the Chinese balloon was using hydrogen.

    Haven’t followed this stuff very closely, but I recall hearing that the US military was using helium for some drone blimps about 7-8 years ago, and I thought that was surprising. Maybe, there is a rational for it. (Harder to shoot down? Easier to store the gas?) But I almost feel like the Hindenburg caused a prejudice against hydrogen.

    Lots of zeppelins crashed in WWI without exploding in flames.

    IMO, the thing to do would be to make the components as cheap as possible, and the tenders robotic and use hydrogen.

  169. china-russia-all-the-way says:
    @LatW
    @china-russia-all-the-way


    Both you and the user from Lithuania are in denial about the powerful cultural forces shaping societies
     
    Your newly founded concern about Eastern European nations such as Lithuania is quite strange. You did not care about the survival or the wellbeing of the Lithuanian nation back when they were invaded and shoved in trains to be deported, you didn't care about them in the early 1990s, when they, fresh out of the USSR, had to compete with cheap Chinese labor globally, you didn't even care about them for the last 30 years when they didn't always have it easy at all times.

    But somehow now you have started to care. How selfless of you! Your concern is so touching.

    Not.

    Replies: @china-russia-all-the-way

    I don’t care about the wellbeing of Lithuania and I don’t pretend to. Let’s get that out of the way of this conversation because it is not relevant to the important point.

    The important point is there are “powerful cultural forces shaping societies and instilling core morality in the young under the influence of Washington and Brussels.”

    Do you agree or reject the contention?

    • Agree: Ivashka the fool
    • Replies: @LatW
    @china-russia-all-the-way


    I don’t care about the wellbeing of Lithuania and I don’t pretend to.
     
    I know. That's why I asked you a rhetorical question because I saw on several ocassions that you expressed this deep concern for the racial future of that region. This is why I asked, rhetorically, what drives your deep concern for these peoples, when we never heard from you when we really needed help.

    The important point is there are “powerful cultural forces shaping societies and instilling core morality in the young under the influence of Washington and Brussels.”
     
    I do not agree with the categorical stance expressed here - I believe that there is quite bit of freedom and wiggle room left. Things are great in places like Lithuania and Poland right now. Life is quite good.
  170. @Jazman
    @Ivashka the fool

    I read it on one Polish Facebook page it is bs just joking about crazy Poles

    Replies: @Beckow

    It is even worse, the Poles know the details. They are quite good, unlike common Westerners, at knowing what happened, who killed who, etc… Then something weird happens to them, like in a diseased mind full of uncontrollable hatred they deny the obvious, create twisted one-sided narratives, mix timelines, selectively emotionalize past events and omit or minimize other events, etc…

    It becomes an obsession, a mental siege where their painful myths must rule and “Russians” must be the devils (often the only ones). Maybe it is something religious in their feverish papist minds, they are fighting the satan from the east. They mostly loose and that makes it very unreal and sad.

    In a generation – if they are still around – Poles will flatly claim that ‘Russia attacked them out of the blue in 1939‘, murdered millions, and in 1944 the saintly Anglos with Polish heroic resistance liberated them (from whom?), only to be enslaved by satanic Soviet-Russian forces from the deracinated east. That will be the story and they will make Brussels repeat it and shed tears together…

    This is not ‘history’ or ‘country’, it is self-therapy for non-functional people. The Polish self-pity is always right under the surface. Like a pious hysterical maiden they are always the victims of the Asiatic brute …Let’s relocate them somewhere north-west closer to the Anglo heaven, maybe Greenland?

    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @Beckow

    One of my good Polish acquaintances once candidly admitted that (and I cite him) "when it comes to Russians, we have a historical complex". He was very surprised to learn that Poles are not really seen as important in Russia and that even their taking of Moscow during the Great Troubles is talked about in a kind of detached manner as someone would talk about some distant history that has no influence on today's affairs.

    What is still discussed with some passion in Russia is the many situations when Russia was fractured along internal opposition lines, all the religious schisms, rebellions and civil conflicts it experienced, including of course in the twentieth century. For what it's worth, many Russians are aware of and acknowledge the fact that they are more than often their own worst enemy. Perhaps one day Poles would also come to this point of realization.

    Perhaps it will happen after the coming war with Russia that seems to be on the agenda of the Polish elites.

  171. @A123
    @Beckow


    I am assuming that you are objecting to treaties and not to US promises
     
    The U.S. cannot promise, that is not a Constitutional power. Therefore, the phrase "US promises" is gibberish. It has less meaning than mumsy borogroves.

    A specific individual can make a promise. That promise only applies to that person. Therefore, if Not-The-President Biden makes a promise it only applies to him and his administration. No President can bind future ones without a Senate ratified Treaty.

    US has openly said that its ‘promises’ are worthless, e.g. not to expand Nato to Russia’s borders.
     
    What treaty states that NATO cannot be expanded? No treaty = no promise

    If you want to say that Bush lied... OK, I can see that position. However, a Bush promise is not a U.S. promise.

    The treaties US broke (or left unilaterally):
     
    Exercising the right to leave a treaty is 100% different than breaking it. The reason why well crafted treaties have exit provisions with timing and notice periods is so that orderly disengagement is possible. Weapon treaties that do not include China are excellent examples of concepts that rest on geopolitical assumptions that are no longer valid.

    the Iran nuclear agreement,
     
    Do you mean JCPOA, which was never Senate ratified? If so, JCPOA was never binding.

    Even worse, sociopath Khamenei abrogated JCPOA while Obama was still in office by lying during the roll out declarations. What was at best "Obama's promise" was effectively dead long before Trump was sworn in. All Trump did was spotlight a truth that everyone already knew. Khamenei breaks his word.

    US also broke UN Charter (that they wrote themselves) by militarily attacking UN members from Serbia to Iraq, Syria, Libya. They simply say “we can do it, shut up’.
     
    This is sort of a 'special case' as the underlying documents are a colossal train wreck. The UN was hastily slapped together on the basis of optimism, without concern to actual workability.

    Various powers, such as the ability to Declare War, are enumerated in the U.S. Constitution. They cannot be delegated, for example to the UN, without a formal Amendment. Therefore, portions of the UN Charter are unconstitutional. It should never have been signed or ratified. Warnings about these issues were given at the time. Sadly, those concerns were ignored.

    The smart choice for the world would be dissolving the UN/NWO as a failure. It is doing more harm than good. Until that happens the U.S. is tangled, in knots that it tied, by signing the instrument of stupidity. It can only follow the parts of the UN Charter that are consistent with the U.S. Constitution.

    This is the same sort of bind that Germany discovered when its high court over turned the EU on Constitutional grounds. (1)

    *Germany decides*. That is the message the country's Constitutional Court sent to the European Union on Tuesday as it delivered a landmark ruling on the legality of the European Central Bank's bond-buying programs, a decision many observers say challenges both the independence of the ECB and the authority of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
     
    Sovereign nations are judicially senior to multinational bodies. This point is frequently missed, or conveniently ignored, when looking at international matters, such as the UN/NWO and the EU.

    It comes back to the same point I made about WTO/GATT. If you look at transgressions strictly, you will find that almost every country on the planet violates treaties -- No one is agreement capable. There is a grain of truth to that "realpolitik", and the U.S. is in no way special or singular in this regard.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) https://www.politico.eu/article/german-court-lays-down-eu-law/

    Replies: @Beckow

    Therefore, the phrase “US promises” is gibberish.

    Precisely, so why talk at all? Among honorable people promises are kept, but you think honor is gibberish and the rest of the world knows.

    Whatever irrelevant, internal process reasons you come up with, Washington is simply not agreement-capable. ‘Presidents change’, sure, so there is no value in negotiating with a temporary place-holder. There are ‘exit clauses’, yeah, so there really is no binding anything…rules, ‘ratified or not’, ‘others also cheat!’….you are making my point that diplomacy with people who can’t make promises or agreements they will keep is pointless. So we are back to resolving issues with wars.

    Also your Iran obsession is silly and borders on pathological. Let go of it, it makes you sound deranged. Or if you can’t, go and invade, they have a long shoreline, take lengthy breaks, don’t maintain well, maybe you will get lucky. Then what? maybe minding your own business would be better…

    • Replies: @A123
    @Beckow


    Precisely, so why talk at all?
     
    Because America is treaty capable and thus agreement capable. This does require bringing 2/3 of the Senate along for any long lasting deal.

    Among honorable people promises are kept, but you think honor is gibberish and the rest of the world knows.
     
    Honorable people, really anyone with the tiniest smidgen of common sense, realize there are limits. Only those without honour, such as yourself, fail to see those boundaries.

    Let me illustrate:

    • Your six year old child "promises" your house away. Do you abandon your property? Of course not. Your child does not have the authority to make "promises" that are beyond his legal capacity.

    Now bring that thought process to a direct parallel scenario:

    • A President "promises" to bind future administration without a treaty. Is that lie enforceable? Of course not. An individual President does not have the authority to make "promises" that are beyond his legal capacity.

    Everyone knows the limits that bind a U.S. President. You dishonour yourself by pretending these explicit rules of civilized behaviour do not exist.

    PEACE 😇
  172. @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @Coconuts

    I personally don't think Islam is healthy at the moment.

    I consider Jewish culture to be significantly unhealthy - at best, to have residual health that has not yet dissipated - and yet it is easily able to hold the entire Muslim world at bay. And the Muslim world is mired in very sinister violence, factionalism, and seemingly very dark spiritual trends. Ibn Kaldun thought the glory was passing from the Muslims already in the 12th century, and noted the growing vigor of the Franks.

    There probably is no genuine or robust health anywhere in the world now - at best, there is residual health and traces of health, which we should certainly learn from, but it would be folly to look at any culture existing now as in a good state. Of course, we should certainly learn from the beauty of the old Arab culture, as we should of all cultures.

    Even my example of the Japanese commitment to the surface beauty of life which betrays a deeper moral sensibility - this beauty is surely at least partially purchased by having America handle it's defense all these years.

    If Japan had to fend for itself and develop the "sharper" side of it's character, how much of this beauty would survive? Spiritually, perhaps the best thing for Japan was to have been defeated in the war, as one of the characters in an Ozu film I recently watched affirmed.

    To look to any existing culture would be to repeat out folly - instead, we should pick up all the strands of beauty and goodness remaining in existing cultures as well as from tradition, and unify them in a new synthesis.

    That's the task, not a return to the old or a turn to any current culture in wholesale form, which are all corrupted.

    Replies: @Coconuts

    I personally don’t think Islam is healthy at the moment.

    Maybe there are different criteria for health, you could look at how far the Islamic world lives up to spiritual or moral ideals for example. But there used to be this idea that success in political terms was something more modest than that, even if it was a necessary precondition for the development of robust spiritual life.

    Two of the key criteria for political success used to be preserving peace and ensuring the survival of the population. Muslim countries are doing okay on one count, not so badly but perhaps could do better on the other. Euro countries (inc. North America etc.) might be better at securing peace (questionable?), at least for now, but there is a bigger question about guaranteeing the survival of their populations.

    And the Muslim world is mired in very sinister violence, factionalism, and seemingly very dark spiritual trends.

    I would sort of expect it, given the growing and youthful population. These things seem connected.

    • Agree: Yahya
    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @Coconuts


    I would sort of expect it, given the growing and youthful population. These things seem connected.
     
    They are connected. In Europe, at the onset of the 30 years war, from the point of view of the old vs young disbalance, the demographics were somewhat similar to those of the Islamic world today. It ended up in one of the worst European wars, followed by two centuries of expansionist emigration and colonization.

    As a side note, personally, I never discuss anything Islamic with a Jew or anything Jewish with a Muslim. The opinions would always be predictably biased and negative. Despite whatever Aaron pretends about him being detached from his Jewish identity, he's not. And it's all right, there is a Muslim saying about "returning to one's roots being preferable". One just needs being honest about it.
    , @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @Coconuts

    As to preserving their population, there are different ways to exploit your population. I think a much better yardstick is how exploited a population is by their elite, and the Muslim world does extremely poorly in this regard.

    For instance, some not very intelligent people think the Chinese elites don't import foreigners because they are loyal to their ethnic kin. In fact, the Chinese working population is perhaps the most docile, cowed, and hardest working in the world. Consequently, they are ruthlessly exploited to enrich their elite - there is no need to import foreigners.

    I guarantee you, if in the West Whites were willing to work the Chinese 9am-9pm, 6 days a week, with weak to nonexistent protections and rights, showing extreme deference to an elite that drives around in flashy cars, parties with beautiful girls, and lives in grand mansions, then Western elites would show "ethnic loyalty".

    In the West, the average man and woman demands a level of respect, safety, and a standard of living that makes him sadly rather unattractive to an elite. This is a problem that was noted beginning in the 19th century.

    At that time, it was beginning to be noted by many commentators for instance that the Chinese can significantly "underlive" White people, who demanded a much higher standard of living, and that this was the chief Chinese advantage as workers - he'd live in appalling conditions, accept a paltry wage, was docile and acquiescent, and work long hours.

    Likewise in the Muslim world, you have an extremely wealthy elite and an exploited, impoverished, and oppressed population on a scale inconceivable in the West - this isn't "preserving the population", this is an elite enriching itself as best it can. Look at Yahya to get a sense of the sheer contempt this wealthy elite feels for it's population and the importance it places on money as a marker of status.

    Moreover, Muslim lands are not economically dynamic or attractive to outsiders, so it's hard to say what the elite would do if there was demand to immigrate and it benefited them (actually, not that hard :) )

    You may point to the Gulf Arabs as countries where exceptions to the above rule - but these are countries whose wealth depends entirely on technical expertise that the natives cannot supply. In other words, the entire native population cannot compete with outsiders whose expertise is absolutely crucial to their wealth. So if they allowed immigration on an equal basis, the elites would quickly be dominated and supplanted and a new foreign elite arise, that could easily form an alliance with the workers if they treated them better. In this scenario, it makes most sense for the elites to actually be somewhat generous to the population and form a united front.

    So I think you right wingers who see "ethnic loyalty" and don't understand the power dynamics of these countries are rather touchingly naive :)

    If you look at countries like Iran, Syria, Lebanon, even Egypt, and you see "health" - I don't know what to say, really. I think you'd have to be an authoritarian or someone with exploitative elite tendencies themselves to see something worth emulating here.

    All that being said, I'm sure there are some good things about the Muslim world today that we can learn from.

    @ Ivashka - that's a rather limited, reductionist view. Everyone has biases and attachments, and this is precisely what can lead to energetic and interesting conversations full of vitality. "Motivated reasoning" often leads to much more acute insights than "objective" reasoning.

    Moreover, people with no involvement in the region often have stronger biases and attachments on the subject than any Jew or Muslim, so I'm not sure your ethnic reductionism really makes sense :)

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Coconuts

  173. @Coconuts
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak


    I personally don’t think Islam is healthy at the moment.
     
    Maybe there are different criteria for health, you could look at how far the Islamic world lives up to spiritual or moral ideals for example. But there used to be this idea that success in political terms was something more modest than that, even if it was a necessary precondition for the development of robust spiritual life.

    Two of the key criteria for political success used to be preserving peace and ensuring the survival of the population. Muslim countries are doing okay on one count, not so badly but perhaps could do better on the other. Euro countries (inc. North America etc.) might be better at securing peace (questionable?), at least for now, but there is a bigger question about guaranteeing the survival of their populations.

    And the Muslim world is mired in very sinister violence, factionalism, and seemingly very dark spiritual trends.
     
    I would sort of expect it, given the growing and youthful population. These things seem connected.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    I would sort of expect it, given the growing and youthful population. These things seem connected.

    They are connected. In Europe, at the onset of the 30 years war, from the point of view of the old vs young disbalance, the demographics were somewhat similar to those of the Islamic world today. It ended up in one of the worst European wars, followed by two centuries of expansionist emigration and colonization.

    As a side note, personally, I never discuss anything Islamic with a Jew or anything Jewish with a Muslim. The opinions would always be predictably biased and negative. Despite whatever Aaron pretends about him being detached from his Jewish identity, he’s not. And it’s all right, there is a Muslim saying about “returning to one’s roots being preferable”. One just needs being honest about it.

  174. @Beckow
    @Jazman

    It is even worse, the Poles know the details. They are quite good, unlike common Westerners, at knowing what happened, who killed who, etc... Then something weird happens to them, like in a diseased mind full of uncontrollable hatred they deny the obvious, create twisted one-sided narratives, mix timelines, selectively emotionalize past events and omit or minimize other events, etc...

    It becomes an obsession, a mental siege where their painful myths must rule and "Russians" must be the devils (often the only ones). Maybe it is something religious in their feverish papist minds, they are fighting the satan from the east. They mostly loose and that makes it very unreal and sad.

    In a generation - if they are still around - Poles will flatly claim that 'Russia attacked them out of the blue in 1939', murdered millions, and in 1944 the saintly Anglos with Polish heroic resistance liberated them (from whom?), only to be enslaved by satanic Soviet-Russian forces from the deracinated east. That will be the story and they will make Brussels repeat it and shed tears together...

    This is not 'history' or 'country', it is self-therapy for non-functional people. The Polish self-pity is always right under the surface. Like a pious hysterical maiden they are always the victims of the Asiatic brute ...Let's relocate them somewhere north-west closer to the Anglo heaven, maybe Greenland?

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

    One of my good Polish acquaintances once candidly admitted that (and I cite him) “when it comes to Russians, we have a historical complex”. He was very surprised to learn that Poles are not really seen as important in Russia and that even their taking of Moscow during the Great Troubles is talked about in a kind of detached manner as someone would talk about some distant history that has no influence on today’s affairs.

    What is still discussed with some passion in Russia is the many situations when Russia was fractured along internal opposition lines, all the religious schisms, rebellions and civil conflicts it experienced, including of course in the twentieth century. For what it’s worth, many Russians are aware of and acknowledge the fact that they are more than often their own worst enemy. Perhaps one day Poles would also come to this point of realization.

    Perhaps it will happen after the coming war with Russia that seems to be on the agenda of the Polish elites.

  175. @Coconuts
    @Ivashka the fool


    Individualism leading to autistic demographic suicide?

    White man’s burden exhaustion?
     

    I think Louis de Bonald once wrote something like 'The proclamation of the Rights of Man was a signal of desolation and death'.

    This came from the idea that the philosophy behind it seriously misunderstood human nature and implementing it would bring about social collapse. Given the demographic situation you describe, it doesn't seem impossible that he will be proved right. Though it is pretty surprising, especially if you grew up in the 'End of History' era.

    It might be fitting that Bonald was one of the leading members of what they used to call the 'theological school' of political science, when you look at the rise of the Muslim nations. Generally Islam seems to have been able to resist the principles of 1789 better than any European religion or ideology.


    It is kind of pathetic seeing the Eastern Slav and the Euros in general (including the ones in Americas) squabble and fight each other over relatively minor cultural issues, while their very existence by the end of this century is at risk.
     
    Maybe this is some kind of final spasm of energy from the revolutionary side as it faces the looming challenge of what it has brought about and promoted?

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak, @Ivashka the fool

    Maybe this is some kind of final spasm of energy from the revolutionary side as it faces the looming challenge of what it has brought about and promoted?

    There is a Russian saying that comes to mind: “the hunchback is straightened up by the grave”. The progressive need to personally face the dark side of the progress before they understand the conservative values. As long as the (mostly) middle class liberals are somewhat shielded from the outcome of their ideology, they will keep up with their nonsense.

    Once the middle class badly maimed by the ongoing societal transformation and their life ending up in dismal results, then some of them will start to think. But it will be too little too late and nobody will care anymore.

  176. @Ivashka the fool
    @LatW

    I think I should have been more precise and write from the outset that I was referring to the right wing accelerationists, not their left wing counterparts. Because you are right (pun intended) there are the two subtypes of accelerationism : the neomarxist and the NRx (for lack of a better description).

    What I wanted to emphasize was that while writing to Greasy, you pointed out that a true right winger would fight for preservation of something (Nazis for the preservation of "the Arian race", right wing Zionists for the preservation of "the Jewish people" etc.) However, despite being described as far right, a Boogaloo Boy would not care for preservation of anything because he would see everything as ultimately corrupt. Peak Kali Yuga frens (sic) as would say some (mostly young) Alt Right dissidents on teh internets (sic).

    When Greasy writes that "there is nothing worth preserving in America" he comes out as some of these young Alt Right types. This is a new type of Right thought, not the one directed towards preservation of "good old" American/European/Jewish/Islamic/whatever values, but towards the destruction of what is seen as utterly and irredeemably corrupt.

    I sometimes feel the streak of this type of thought in my older daughter who is more of a leftist and in my second younger son who is a hard-core right winger (and I am of course proud of him). Both of them can express very extreme attitudes bordering on nihilism when they talk about contemporary society. And I know that they're not the only ones around, many of their friends are quite disgruntled on both the left and right ends of the youthful political spectrum. Even the kids who are not political at all are often only interested in hedonism and consumerism which is also existentially extreme when it comes to a certain point. There does seem not much idealism left.

    The "old ways" of both Left and Right seem obsolete. Perhaps the "cultural Marxist" are to the Left what the "Alt Right" are to the Right ?

    Perhaps both will end up accelerating the decay and the subsequent transformation of the Western societies ?

    One thing is sure : it is impossible to build one's ideology on destruction only. One needs to also want to build and create something. One cannot only hate, one also needs to love.

    Replies: @Coconuts, @LatW

    Perhaps both will end up accelerating the decay and the subsequent transformation of the Western societies ?

    One thing is sure : it is impossible to build one’s ideology on destruction only. One needs to also want to build and create something. One cannot only hate, one also needs to love.

    The negative dialectic seems to have become very powerful in Western societies, clearly in Critical Theory and what has emerged from that, but in other areas as well.

    Afaik opinion polls keep detecting major splits down gender lines on political issues, sometimes they can be really large, 20, 30 points and more. Not the best sign for the future.

    The destructive inclination on the alt right… reminds me of the little videos and clips the younger followers of BAP produce:

    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @Coconuts

    Yes the video above is quite representative. I think this is due to kids seeing that many among their parents generation are overtly materialistic and hedonistic. Propaganda can pretend otherwise, but many kids are not fooled by propaganda. They grow up somewhat despising the society they have been born in.

    They don't read newspapers, they don't watch TV, their outlook is based on the echo chambers they find themselves on the web, which is where they mostly interact with other kids all around the world. The gaming communities they are part of (especially boys, girls are less into this), are often quite politically incorrect. It's a place where they can vent up their frustrations and forget their anxieties. Memes are rapidly generated and exchanged on a large scale. And many (perhaps most) of these memes bear a negative outlook and a destructive "charge" towards today's society.

    https://www.meme-arsenal.com/memes/a8b269d66e8609ed2938c93ceb59d22f.jpg

    Kids still have the impression that they don't have much influence on the social system, but once they grow up, and if someone provides a focal point to their frustration, then turbulent times would be the inevitable outcome. Basically, we might end up with a Cultural Revolution meets Perestroika situation.

    I would rather avoid that. In my life I have had enough "interesting times" already.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Ivashka the fool, @Dmitry

    , @Mr. Hack
    @Coconuts

    Sad. Ultimate nihilism taking over the world..."the times they are a changing" and not for the better!

    Replies: @sudden death

  177. @LatW

    I think he’s seriously deluded and his politics rather abhorrent
     
    It's not so much that they're abhorrent but that they are incoherent. I don't even care enough.


    where opposite stances can both be expressions of, and determined by, Jewishness
     
    Yes, and I noted that this can often be the case.

    That you find his vicious anti-Americanism to go against his ethnic self-interest
     
    I wasn't trying to make a point about it, I was just warning him - be careful what you wish for.
    Russians have a saying - с жиру беситься. It means that someone is too spoiled to realize how good they actually have it. Nobody out there is going to baby him the way that the US does. And then he thinks it's ok to impose tyranny on others for things he can't be bothered himself to achieve (get rid of the woke).

    on whether Russia or Ukraine is winning depending on his depression
     
    It is clear that his attitude towards this conflict is driven to a large extent by some kind of anxiety - which, by the way, is not a sin, many people struggle with it (I guess mental illness should be de-stigmatized in the era of full access to the internet... jk, lol).

    I think you too strongly try and reduce politics to ethnicity, and this inevitably leads to contradiction and cognitive dissonance because it cannot explain the complicated and contradictory range of human political activity.
     
    Wrong. I do not reduce politics to ethnicity, but I do take ethnicity into account when judging someone's politics. Not all the time, but in certain instances. I may be wrong or right at any given time, but I'm not as dumb as you posit.

    I only thought, and think, the cross-layers and cross purposes of the Ukraine thing can often be quite weird at times.
     
    I agree, it has gone too far, and I find it very disheartening that Ukraine, with all the tragedy that she has had to endure, is being used in all these ideological struggles. These guys are only adding to the heaviness of the Jesus' cross during the Golgatha.

    Nazis are good, but Jews are terrible because they’re basically…..Nazis. Nationalism is great, but Israel sucks because they’re nationalist.
     
    No, that's not what I said (maybe others did here, but not I). I admire Israel. What I did was basically tell a Jewish guy "Who are you to tell Gentiles to disband their militias". That's all.

    Also, I really dislike the principle of "nationalism for me but not for thee". Which is prevalent among both Jews and the pro-Russian American right wingers (and West Euros).

    One important thing though that I'm getting from this conversation with Greasy is that liberals in the US might indeed be a bit of a problem - I mean, what do you think could alleviate his pain from his inevitable interactions with them? He is unable to develop indifference towards them. Maybe you can help him.

    Replies: @Yahya, @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    I admire Israel.

    So after spending this whole time lambasting Greasy for ideological inconsistency; waxing lyrical about the “tragedy Ukrainians” are going through; the injustice of having their land being annexed by Russia; the catastrophic depopulation; the massacres being perpetrated; and the need for everyone to support Ukrainian territorial integrity; you then turn around in the very same comment, and praise what is in effect a smaller, more successful version of Russia in the Middle East – once again.

    Either you are willfully ignorant or just a drooling racist who applies a different set of racial standards as to whom is deserving of sympathy. Your previous comments unfortunately imply the latter. But just in case you are the former; I recommend the scholars Benny Morris and Norman Finkelstein on the Israel-Palestine subject. Both are Jewish, but the former is an avowed Zionist and the latter pro-Palestinain. Finkelstein is a left-winger who focuses almost exclusively on the justice aspect of the conflict; which basically leads him to the inevitable conclusion that Israel is a criminal state, and his biases are anti-Zionist accordingly.

    Morris on the other hand has openly endorsed the ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Zionists on Palestinians as being necessary to found a Jewish state. He is an honest scholar though and his books are as objective as you can come on this heated subject, though they do slightly favor the Zionist outlook. He was among the first Israeli scholars to acknowledge that the expulsion of Palestinians wasn’t “voluntary”; as is typical of Israeli mythology; but was for the most part a deliberate, violent attempt by the Israeli state to clear the Muslim and Christian inhabitants out of the land – something they achieved with an 80% success rate (Morris regrets that Zionist leadership weren’t able to “finish the job” on the 20% of Arabs now living within Israel). He also describes in detail the manifold Machiavellian tactics employed by Israeli forces to terrorize Palestinian civilians; such as the Deir Yassin massacre and the Qibya massacre. In his books you’ll also find the annexationist plans of Israeli leadership from both the right and left; some of which have already been implemented; and others of which are currently ongoing attempts to annex even more Palestinian land (I’m sure you’ve heard of the settlements).

    • Replies: @Leaves No Shadow
    @Yahya

    Your comment is odd to me. You seem to be criticising Israel for what it did not do, but what you believe some person called Morris wishes Israel had done.

    As for the conflict itself, it is not directly comparable to this one and yes part of that is having a "racist" lower standard of acceptable behaviour for Middle Eastern actors. Sorry, but trying to apply a post-WW2 European standard would result in a constant state of shock and disgust at near every Middle Eastern state, least of all Israel.

    "Least" because there's been about 30,000 Palestinian deaths since 1948.

    Replies: @Yahya

    , @Ivashka the fool
    @Yahya


    praise what is in effect a smaller, more successful version of Russia in the Middle East – once again.
     
    Israel and RusFed are opposite when it comes to the interests of their core populations and the treatment inflicted upon the troublesome minorities. Moreover, Israel is a democracy, while RusFed is not. Israel is increasingly supported around the world while RusFed is losing its influence. These countries are very dissimilar.

    Replies: @Yahya, @Mr. Hack, @Emil Nikola Richard

    , @songbird
    @Yahya

    In my estimation, the Euros who support Israel are generally non-racists. (And you can thank antiracism for making them that way.) Anti racists (as in true believers) would be a separate category. (And that is because they are signaling brown).

    Some number of racists might support Israel. But I believe you are really just showing your prejudice against them, if you think that the category broadly aligns out of skin color. (by definition, racists are the people most inclined to think past skin color.) Most racists seem to be anti-ZOG, where it is legal.

    As to me, I deeply resent the influence Israel has on foreign policy, as well their ability to extract resources. But I also deeply resent both sides for insisting it is the most important thing going on in the world, and my moral priorities should be in picking one side, and throwing my support behind it, when there is a snowball's chance in hell that either has my racial interests at heart.

    Greeks and Armenians were ethnically cleansed from larger territories. Where is Arab sympathy for them? Where is the sympathy for modern Europeans among Arabs other than niche commenters who probably make bank on it? In fact, I've seen one wealthy Arab finance some real nasty propaganda video that they showed on public television here. Many Jews were on his payroll.

    Replies: @Yahya

    , @LatW
    @Yahya

    Yahya, lay off of me, please. I already explained myself to you once. I like the form, not the content, I like the persistence and the eternal vigilance part and I wish it had been adopted in the EE countries. That's all there is to it. Of course, the terrible situation there is very unfortunate. Please, do not pretend you misunderstand what I said. There are many Ukrainian Israelis now sharing their wisdom with the folks back home, about how they set up their military, it is very interesting.

    And please.. half of the planet is on your side, most definitely in Western Europe, in many cases, especially the leftists are on your side. So give me a break. I do not wish ill upon anybody.

    Btw, there are things I find appealing in Islam, too, so it's not one sided.

    Replies: @Yahya

    , @Dmitry
    @Yahya

    Yayha last week I wrote an interesting (if I say this about my own comment) reply for your comment about dates, Israel, Syria, etc. https://www.unz.com/akarlin/open-thread-207/#comment-5789420

    But it was lost in the spam filter. I'll add it here


    t I do recall how spacious and beautiful it seemed; especially in comparison to Cairo
     
    Since already the 1990s, I think Syria was the poorest country in the Middle East after Yemen, in the per capita terms, especially in the agricultural area which has problems with draughts. Perhaps relative to Egypt or Jordan there was not so much per capita difference. But they are also next to relatively more developed Lebanon, Israel and Turkey.

    I haven't visited Damascus, for my eyes from the internet, it reminds a lot of Egypt, in terms of the age of the cars? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPQPxNTvcrM.) There is the influence of the French city planning. But there is indication of lack of municipal planning, as the traffic not organized for pedestrians.


    st looking at photos of Jaffa/Yafo

     

    I don't like Jaffa, although obviously it was historically important. I read an interesting article from a writer from Jaffa though which describes the social situation there. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/dec/22/1

    My friend actually lives just on the South of the street discussed in the article. It's funny how famous this is, for what is a very small feeling, not so developed village atmosphere place.


    economically depressed in comparison to the bustling Tel Aviv behind it
     
    Tel Aviv is not so "bustling" like a city, but has a shabby, village atmosphere. Both in the poor area and the middle class area, it's like a group of overlapping villages. The atmosphere never feels like even a medium city, in my opinion. Even with a highway and some tall office buildings next to it, but theme is like the village (or beach village).

    It's perhaps because the Jewish culture prioritizes the village atmosphere, where everyone knows each other. Practically, the religious Jews (although that's not in this area) cannot live in buildings with more than 3-4 levels, if they don't want to climb on Shabbat. Historically in Europe at least, Jews were also not allowed to exit the villages until the 19th century. The great cities of Rome and Paris are very distant.

    If you compare Tel Aviv and Beirut. Beirut is standard 6 level building, while Tel Aviv is 3-level building. So, Beirut is obviously not really "Paris of the Middle East", but at least it looks like a city, unlike a village.

    Also Tel Aviv culture loves the shabby appearances, while Beirut culture likes the shiny appearance. Beirut is full of BMW and Mercedes, while Tel Aviv is full of Hyundai and Kia.

    The main street of Tel Aviv (i.e. Times Square of New York), is like the village atmosphere, with the shabby buildings. The population is middle class, but the people like to wear pajamas in the street.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwRn3oQZt5I

    Whereas outer Beirut in the inner it is 6 level buildings. And Beirut has more of the BMWs.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRoX89rZQDs


    dates along with Arabic or Turkish coffee.

     

    As the traditional Arab food is very healthy. As even traditional food in Russia.

    ame place to visit for tourism. It’s almost comical how little we have in history that is of interest to anyone
     
    It depends on your interest. For example, if you are fan of American culture, the lame village in the center of "flyover country", will be more interesting than Times Square.

    But Saudi are maybe careful to not market their culture too much, even they like to anti-market their culture so they won't be disturbed. After all, it could be very popular culture exports with Western conservatives - Saduai Arabia is one of the world's countries still with traditional politics and culture. AP and AaronB both should going to Saudi Arabia to explore the romance of the feudal structure.


    They’re mixed up with the Muslim population.

     

    As you know more than I, minorities in the Middle East, will usually follow the politics of the majority people in the village, as they still have some communal consensus in their culture. In Northern Israel, the Muslim-Christian villages are usually combined so they are basically Muslims and Christians like single community in terms of their voting strategy. Many of the Christians will be voting for "Ra'am", which is Islamist (although last year informally supporting the government of Lapid/Bennet, which undermined their popularity with the Jewish religious public which saw this as indication of betrayal). Druze villages are separate, so they follow their independent politics and their voting patterns are unpredictable.

    Northern Israel is visually attractive and you need to explore with the car. But there is a lot of the lack of infrastructure (also very lack of police) in the periphery of Israel.

    Although it's not all specific for the Arabs villages (lack of police can be), but also many of even of the Jewish villages and cities in the periphery have lack of infrastructure and investment, shabby buildings that will collapse. If you drive to Kiryat Shmona and Tiberias, the city feels like any postsoviet decline. Nick Johnson could film a series there and he will say it looks like the West Virginia of the Middle East.

    It's not exactly poor (people have new clothes, foreign vacations), but there is lack of investment and attention.

    Replies: @Dmitry

  178. @LatW
    @Leaves No Shadow


    Slightly rude talk
     
    You do not consider it rude to talk about how another country's sons who have taken up arms to defend their mother, that they should be "dismantled" even though the enemy is still out there? You do not consider it rude to show disdain for another country's high military leadership?

    Let's fight openly and honestly. If one makes bold and daring statements about others, they should be able to take the same back.

    How about all the rudeness and sheer disgusting racism that has been dished out on this website against Ukrainians for years now?

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

    Sorry, I agree with you completely. I just don’t care about racist words, when compared to the glee that commenters here have been deludedly celebrating Putin’s invasion with.

  179. @Coconuts
    @Ivashka the fool


    Perhaps both will end up accelerating the decay and the subsequent transformation of the Western societies ?

    One thing is sure : it is impossible to build one’s ideology on destruction only. One needs to also want to build and create something. One cannot only hate, one also needs to love.
     
    The negative dialectic seems to have become very powerful in Western societies, clearly in Critical Theory and what has emerged from that, but in other areas as well.

    Afaik opinion polls keep detecting major splits down gender lines on political issues, sometimes they can be really large, 20, 30 points and more. Not the best sign for the future.

    The destructive inclination on the alt right... reminds me of the little videos and clips the younger followers of BAP produce:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq6zJ3zdofo

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Mr. Hack

    Yes the video above is quite representative. I think this is due to kids seeing that many among their parents generation are overtly materialistic and hedonistic. Propaganda can pretend otherwise, but many kids are not fooled by propaganda. They grow up somewhat despising the society they have been born in.

    They don’t read newspapers, they don’t watch TV, their outlook is based on the echo chambers they find themselves on the web, which is where they mostly interact with other kids all around the world. The gaming communities they are part of (especially boys, girls are less into this), are often quite politically incorrect. It’s a place where they can vent up their frustrations and forget their anxieties. Memes are rapidly generated and exchanged on a large scale. And many (perhaps most) of these memes bear a negative outlook and a destructive “charge” towards today’s society.

    Kids still have the impression that they don’t have much influence on the social system, but once they grow up, and if someone provides a focal point to their frustration, then turbulent times would be the inevitable outcome. Basically, we might end up with a Cultural Revolution meets Perestroika situation.

    I would rather avoid that. In my life I have had enough “interesting times” already.

    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @Ivashka the fool

    I just found the video of la petite salope that sings the song that was used in the meme video that you have posted. It is a fitting illustration to what I was describing.

    https://youtu.be/QpbHdIrtpNo



    What a contrast with what was played on French TV a generation ago.

    https://youtu.be/tnkfGdrCf6g

    Pedophile feminist multiculti decadent hedonism has replaced the "heroic struggle against totalitarian European past".

    LOL

    "So this is the West, a land we're meant to defend..."

    The Alt Right kids are correct, it's time to get done with this circus...

    , @Ivashka the fool
    @Ivashka the fool

    I have found the original song that was used in the video that you have posted.

    https://youtu.be/QpbHdIrtpNo

    54 million views.

    LOL

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

    , @Dmitry
    @Ivashka the fool

    In most times, the society's winners mostly want to continue the current order, while the society's losers usually have relatively more motivation to create a revolution.

    However, Western society today has a larger share of "winners" than any previous post-agriculture society.

    Also, the Western capitalist society has at least slightly correlated talent and success (it's not a sufficient meritocracy, but there are at least some parts of it). So, on average, talented people are more sharing as society's winners and untalented people are more society's losers.

    A higher proportion of the adequate or talented people are integrated in the corporate economy and having not exactly an uncomfortable life, or very motivating for revolution. Many of the adequate people are in the office and have higher than normal comfortable life, often very good opportunities for career.

    While the people who criticize the current order, are more trending to the untalented side on average, or they can have higher than average social disagreeability (e.g. Elon Musk has more social disagreeability than Bill Gates).

    This is why the current criticism of the current Western society often has a lot of "loser atmosphere", and it's attracting more of people with psychological problems, unsuccessful people, or high social disagreebility. This might not be a very revolutionary condition.

    Remember, the revolutionary condition, times like late 18th century France, where the most economically powerful part of the society was excluded from the political decisions. Or the later 19th century, when the most educated parts of population could be often excluded from jobs.

    In the 19th century, there were often normal, adequate people, who were excluded from jobs that match their skills, while the 21st century Western society is able to integrate most of the adequate population, so companies actually cannot find sufficient workers for many higher levels.

    Revolutions also require organization, but the current people against the system is selecting people with higher sociability (i.e. people who do not have teamwork).

    With the kind of opposition that is today, it's possible the current system has quite a strong "immune system".

    Replies: @Coconuts, @HeavilyMarbledSteak

  180. @Yahya
    @LatW


    I admire Israel.
     
    So after spending this whole time lambasting Greasy for ideological inconsistency; waxing lyrical about the “tragedy Ukrainians” are going through; the injustice of having their land being annexed by Russia; the catastrophic depopulation; the massacres being perpetrated; and the need for everyone to support Ukrainian territorial integrity; you then turn around in the very same comment, and praise what is in effect a smaller, more successful version of Russia in the Middle East - once again.

    Either you are willfully ignorant or just a drooling racist who applies a different set of racial standards as to whom is deserving of sympathy. Your previous comments unfortunately imply the latter. But just in case you are the former; I recommend the scholars Benny Morris and Norman Finkelstein on the Israel-Palestine subject. Both are Jewish, but the former is an avowed Zionist and the latter pro-Palestinain. Finkelstein is a left-winger who focuses almost exclusively on the justice aspect of the conflict; which basically leads him to the inevitable conclusion that Israel is a criminal state, and his biases are anti-Zionist accordingly.

    Morris on the other hand has openly endorsed the ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Zionists on Palestinians as being necessary to found a Jewish state. He is an honest scholar though and his books are as objective as you can come on this heated subject, though they do slightly favor the Zionist outlook. He was among the first Israeli scholars to acknowledge that the expulsion of Palestinians wasn’t “voluntary”; as is typical of Israeli mythology; but was for the most part a deliberate, violent attempt by the Israeli state to clear the Muslim and Christian inhabitants out of the land - something they achieved with an 80% success rate (Morris regrets that Zionist leadership weren’t able to “finish the job” on the 20% of Arabs now living within Israel). He also describes in detail the manifold Machiavellian tactics employed by Israeli forces to terrorize Palestinian civilians; such as the Deir Yassin massacre and the Qibya massacre. In his books you’ll also find the annexationist plans of Israeli leadership from both the right and left; some of which have already been implemented; and others of which are currently ongoing attempts to annex even more Palestinian land (I’m sure you’ve heard of the settlements).

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @Ivashka the fool, @songbird, @LatW, @Dmitry

    Your comment is odd to me. You seem to be criticising Israel for what it did not do, but what you believe some person called Morris wishes Israel had done.

    As for the conflict itself, it is not directly comparable to this one and yes part of that is having a “racist” lower standard of acceptable behaviour for Middle Eastern actors. Sorry, but trying to apply a post-WW2 European standard would result in a constant state of shock and disgust at near every Middle Eastern state, least of all Israel.

    “Least” because there’s been about 30,000 Palestinian deaths since 1948.

    • Replies: @Yahya
    @Leaves No Shadow


    You seem to be criticising Israel for what it did not do
     
    You haven’t read my post carefully.

    Sorry, but trying to apply a post-WW2 European standard would result in a constant state of shock and disgust at near every Middle Eastern state
     
    I didn’t mention anything about European standards. I was talking about LatW’s personal standards.

    “Least” because there’s been about 30,000 Palestinian deaths since 1948.
     
    That’s slightly more than Ukrainian deaths in absolute sense; and way more in a per capita sense.

    state of shock and disgust at near every Middle Eastern state
     
    Whataboutism. Weak.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

  181. @Yahya
    @LatW


    I admire Israel.
     
    So after spending this whole time lambasting Greasy for ideological inconsistency; waxing lyrical about the “tragedy Ukrainians” are going through; the injustice of having their land being annexed by Russia; the catastrophic depopulation; the massacres being perpetrated; and the need for everyone to support Ukrainian territorial integrity; you then turn around in the very same comment, and praise what is in effect a smaller, more successful version of Russia in the Middle East - once again.

    Either you are willfully ignorant or just a drooling racist who applies a different set of racial standards as to whom is deserving of sympathy. Your previous comments unfortunately imply the latter. But just in case you are the former; I recommend the scholars Benny Morris and Norman Finkelstein on the Israel-Palestine subject. Both are Jewish, but the former is an avowed Zionist and the latter pro-Palestinain. Finkelstein is a left-winger who focuses almost exclusively on the justice aspect of the conflict; which basically leads him to the inevitable conclusion that Israel is a criminal state, and his biases are anti-Zionist accordingly.

    Morris on the other hand has openly endorsed the ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Zionists on Palestinians as being necessary to found a Jewish state. He is an honest scholar though and his books are as objective as you can come on this heated subject, though they do slightly favor the Zionist outlook. He was among the first Israeli scholars to acknowledge that the expulsion of Palestinians wasn’t “voluntary”; as is typical of Israeli mythology; but was for the most part a deliberate, violent attempt by the Israeli state to clear the Muslim and Christian inhabitants out of the land - something they achieved with an 80% success rate (Morris regrets that Zionist leadership weren’t able to “finish the job” on the 20% of Arabs now living within Israel). He also describes in detail the manifold Machiavellian tactics employed by Israeli forces to terrorize Palestinian civilians; such as the Deir Yassin massacre and the Qibya massacre. In his books you’ll also find the annexationist plans of Israeli leadership from both the right and left; some of which have already been implemented; and others of which are currently ongoing attempts to annex even more Palestinian land (I’m sure you’ve heard of the settlements).

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @Ivashka the fool, @songbird, @LatW, @Dmitry

    praise what is in effect a smaller, more successful version of Russia in the Middle East – once again.

    Israel and RusFed are opposite when it comes to the interests of their core populations and the treatment inflicted upon the troublesome minorities. Moreover, Israel is a democracy, while RusFed is not. Israel is increasingly supported around the world while RusFed is losing its influence. These countries are very dissimilar.

    • Replies: @Yahya
    @Ivashka the fool


    Israel and RusFed are opposite when it comes to the interests of their core populations and the treatment inflicted upon the troublesome minorities.
     
    Well yes Israel and Russia have many points of dissimilarity internally; but my argument was focused on their approach to their neighbors.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @A123

    , @Mr. Hack
    @Ivashka the fool

    Could you spell out more clearly just how exactly these differences in the treatment of their minorities plays out in the day to day world?

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

    , @Emil Nikola Richard
    @Ivashka the fool


    Moreover, Israel is a democracy, while RusFed is not. Israel is increasingly supported around the world while RusFed is losing its influence.

     

    https://youtu.be/D_ghzLHYuHk

    Replies: @A123, @Ivashka the fool

  182. @Barbarossa
    @Greasy William

    I'm not a nationalist either, but I don't think that blood and soil are bullshit. Specificity of place and people are the fundamental building blocks of culture.

    If you excise those than what do you have left, Coca Cola and Levi's?

    Replies: @Yahya, @Greasy William

    I’m not a nationalist either, but I don’t think that blood and soil are bullshit. Specificity of place and people are the fundamental building blocks of culture.

    Blood and soil is another term that has been permanently tarred by association with Nazism; at least in the West. But in its moderate, non-genocidal form; is a fairly reasonable proposition and a good basis to form a nation around. Ideally it’d be applied to a mono-ethnic nation like Japan; where people can just say “Japan belongs to the Japanese” without offending too many people; thus ensuring the continued existence of the Japanese ethnos for the long-term. But mono-ethnic nations are fairly rare. States like Russia, where 85%+ of people are of a single ethnicity, can also make blood and soil nationalism work if they allow some leeway for indigenous minorities; or to splinter off reluctant ones like the Chechens.

    Blood and soil becomes problematic when people get cowardly and greedy and start thinking ethnic cleansing is an appropriate method of attaining a “pure” state. But extremities should not automatically discredit a moderate version of a particular ideology; which is why I also object to people tarring social democratic views with “socialism” or “communism”. Superficially they may be similar; but moderation can make all the difference.

    Jews in the West are understandably suspicious of blood and soil since they tend to be minorities; and were victims of the extreme manifestation of the ideology. But they seem to be all for it in Israel. Greasy calls it disgusting but iirc has described himself as an extreme Israeli right-winger; which does seem inconsistent (nationalism for me; but not for thee).

    • Replies: @Greasy William
    @Yahya


    Greasy calls it disgusting but iirc has described himself as an extreme Israeli right-winger
     
    Yes, I did describe myself that way in the past. That was before I went to jail and had my epiphany. Now I have renounced my prior Jewish nationalistic beliefs and I'm not even certain that there should be an Israel, let alone a Greater Israel (I view it as a purely theological question, not a political one, and I'm too much of a theological ignoramus to hold a confident opinion; I am sympathetic with the basics of the Religious Zionist position, however).

    nationalism for me; but not for thee
     
    It really depends on how you define nationalism. If by "nationalism" you mean AfD or Marine Le Pen, then I am a nationalist. If you mean Ben Gvir (nothing against him personally, though), then I am not.

    I will confess that I am not a big fan of any overt displays of patriotism, however. And I'm waaaaay opposed to any sort of militarism or race sperging.

    Replies: @Emil Nikola Richard, @Yahya

  183. @Ivashka the fool
    @Yahya


    praise what is in effect a smaller, more successful version of Russia in the Middle East – once again.
     
    Israel and RusFed are opposite when it comes to the interests of their core populations and the treatment inflicted upon the troublesome minorities. Moreover, Israel is a democracy, while RusFed is not. Israel is increasingly supported around the world while RusFed is losing its influence. These countries are very dissimilar.

    Replies: @Yahya, @Mr. Hack, @Emil Nikola Richard

    Israel and RusFed are opposite when it comes to the interests of their core populations and the treatment inflicted upon the troublesome minorities.

    Well yes Israel and Russia have many points of dissimilarity internally; but my argument was focused on their approach to their neighbors.

    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @Yahya

    I wish RusFed had the same approach towards its neighbors that Israel has. But here again, they are very dissimilar. Israel has a long-term strategy that is rather well thought, more or less efficient and therefore successful. RusFed not so much, its interventions either end up in a stalemate or a failure. Of course the neighborhood matters. Israeli neighbors being Arabs after all, while RusFed's neighbors are European.

    Replies: @Yahya

    , @A123
    @Yahya



    Israel and RusFed are opposite when it comes to the interests of their core populations and the treatment inflicted upon the troublesome minorities.

     

    Well yes Israel and Russia have many points of dissimilarity internally; but my argument was focused on their approach to their neighbors.
     
    Both Russia and Jewish Palestine have similar neighbors. And they both are doing their best to handle such uncivilized foes.

    I will not recap the entire list, but the parallels between Muslim terrorists and Ukie Maximalists are is quite strong. They:

    • Intentionally target civilians
    • Use their own civilians, even children, as human shields
    • Fabricate the most outrageous propaganda -- Pallywood/Ukiewood
    • Are entirely propped up by external funding

    The last point yields the greatest difference in outcome timing.

    Because Russia is on a war footing, the money burn is huge. The U.S. House will appropriate dramatically less for Ukie aggression in the future. The Kiev regime has to find new donors to contribute billions of €uros per month to keep the full war going. There is a hopeful path that the EU will not step up. Thus, Zelensky will depart in the next 6-9 months due to lack of support.

    The Muslim Occupation of Judea and Samaria [MOJS] is just as futile as Ukie Maximalism. Money flows in from the UN, EU, and other sources to keep the low grade fight going. There is hope here too. Previously intransigent parties are beginning to look for an honourable end to 80 years of failed strategy. The Abraham Accords are a visible symbol. The Saudis have offered, albeit indirectly, a new approach: (1)

    The Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine

    This is so difficult for Palestinians because they have received probably more emotional and political support from others than any refugee community in modern times. While such support has often involved considerable financial help, it has also generally been more loud political noise than anything substantive that could conceivably help return the Palestinian people to their homes. Yet this still has deluded them and kept them from facing the painful reality that most of their land and homes in historic Palestine have been permanently lost

     

    The Palestinian problem can only be solved today if it is redefined.

    The most logical vehicle for this redefinition and hence for the solution to the Palestine problem is the kingdom of Jordan. Over the last seventy-five years, Jordan has developed into a relatively well-governed state, although the impact of regional political turmoil has caused it to fail economically and become heavily reliant on foreign aid for its survival. It is this Jordanian governance infrastructure that needs to be captured and put to productive use in integrating the millions of Palestinians and Jordanians into a modern, reasonably well-functioning state that would, in an era of real peace and economic integration with Jordan’s neighbors, have a much higher chance of growth and prosperity.
     
    Everyone credible understands that a third intifada will make things worse. Sadly, extremists keep pushing towards another catastrophic failure.

    Why not try a different approach that has a chance at working?

    Is the initial Saudi proposal perfect? Of course not. However, as a starting point, it is vastly better than the current trajectory.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) https://english.alarabiya.net/in-translation/2022/06/08/The-Hashemite-Kingdom-of-Palestine

    Replies: @Emil Nikola Richard

  184. @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @Leaves No Shadow


    Jew is not a similar category to Nazi, no matter how much people on Unz want it to be, while also basically identifying as Nazis and thinking Jews are the worst things in the world
     
    .

    Right, another example of the weird contradictions one finds in politics.

    Nazis are good, but Jews are terrible because they're basically.....Nazis. Nationalism is great, but Israel sucks because they're nationalist.

    I think homo politicus is just not a very sane and rational animal at the best of times.

    And yes, I agree both "Jew" and "Nazi" exist primarily as terms that have mythological resonance, and little real world descriptive power.

    At the moment, these seem to be the two most mythologically charged terms in the West - which leads to a rather impoverished mythological language, if you think about it, which may explain the impoverished range of our political discourse.

    Man needs a rich and subtle mythology to expand the range of his imagination.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

    Yes, and it gets funnier than that. Much of the Unz crowd loves everything about Jews, except they’re not them. And hates everything about white Gentiles, except they are them.

    Of course their image of the two respective categories is a total fantasy*, but the internal contradiction is hilarious.

    * The most amusing way to prove that their respective images of the two is a complete fantasy is to compare their attitude to Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and Freud. None of which they understand, but they still attach a lot of different judgements and emotions to. In particular, Nietzsche and Schopenhauer are seen as bastions against the totally evil and subversive Freud. Even though, in reality, the work of those three carries the same meaning! They’re reformulations of the same ideas! Uncontroversially. Any person who reads them all will inform you of this as a statement of plain fact.

    Lol

    [MORE]

    • Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @Leaves No Shadow

    Yes, there seems to be tremendous cognitive dissonance going on on this site.

    I know that Freud refused to read Nietzsche because he thought so much of his thought foreshadowed his own insights and he wanted to keep his line of inspiration pure, and I know that Nietzsche was a huge admirer of Schopenhauer and greatly inspired by him, although ultimately rejecting his world-pessimism.

    There are also significant and irreconcilable differences between the three, not to be glossed over, but they do form a sort of line of continuous intellectual development.

    I find in general that the Unz White Nationalists are tremendously ignorant of European intellectual and cultural history, in particular the intellectual history of European nihilism and "decadence", which was such a central feature of European thought and art beginning perhaps shortly after the advent of the Industrial Revolution, and in response to it.

    Kevin McDonald, for instance, has constructed a history of Europe from which all major cultural and intellectual critique of emerging trends embodied in the Industrial Revolution, the new materialism, the new conception of life and the universe as soulless mechanism - I was going to say are excluded from consideration, but it's more like they simply never existed in his alternate universe.

    It's as if Blake, Wordsworth, Keats, with their fierce critique of the Industrial Revolution and the new mechanistic view of life, simply didn't exist, as if Byron and Shelley with their disgust at the political oppression of their times and their celebration of exotic climes, never wrote, as if Baudelaire never expressed his disgust with France and European civilization in his Fleur's du Mal and Spleen de Paris, as if Flaubert never pilloried the dull philistinism of the new bourgeois culture arising in his Madame Bovary, as of Holderin, Novalis, the Schlegel's, never put pen to paper critiquing the loss of dimension and imagination emerging in Europe as a result of the new culture of mechanization, as if the Existentialists never wrote about the nihilistic "absurdity" of life in a world without God or meaning, as if Dostoevsky never decried the nihilism, materialism, and rationalism emerging in his time (and all this is just the tip of the iceberg).

    He has constructed an alternative universe in which European culture was monolithic and without significant inner conflict or tension - in other words, without "soul" - until Jews came along and attacked this, er, splendid(ly boring) edifice. It's not even that this is wrong - it's boring. He has expunged all the glory and greatness, all the soul, from European cultural life and replaced it with a tale "told by an idiot, signifying nothing" - a modern tale, in which the primary metaphors are caricatures of biology and the tedium of a supposed Darwinism struggle.

    Who would prefer this to the glorious historical development from faith to nihilism, a tragedy in several acts and of world-historical importance?

    Well, I've gone off ranting again, so I shall leave off here lol :)

    Replies: @Barbarossa

  185. @Yahya
    @Ivashka the fool


    Israel and RusFed are opposite when it comes to the interests of their core populations and the treatment inflicted upon the troublesome minorities.
     
    Well yes Israel and Russia have many points of dissimilarity internally; but my argument was focused on their approach to their neighbors.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @A123

    I wish RusFed had the same approach towards its neighbors that Israel has. But here again, they are very dissimilar. Israel has a long-term strategy that is rather well thought, more or less efficient and therefore successful. RusFed not so much, its interventions either end up in a stalemate or a failure. Of course the neighborhood matters. Israeli neighbors being Arabs after all, while RusFed’s neighbors are European.

    • Replies: @Yahya
    @Ivashka the fool


    I wish RusFed had the same approach towards its neighbors that Israel has.
     
    Then you don’t have a moral conscience that extends to out-groups and neighbors.

    Israel is a pure Machiavellian state.

    They have no compunction in destroying neighboring states if it furthers their foreign policy ends.

    They egged the US to invade Iraq in 03’; successfully lobbied for sanctions against Iran; and Netanyahu is still out and about trying to convince the Americans to attack Iran. Israel’s actions have severe repercussions not just on the victim population; but in Europe when the inevitable wave of migrants hit them.

    They tried to destroy Egypt - a country 20x times large than Israel by population - in the 50s because the Israelis saw the budding relationship between Egypt and America as a threat.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavon_Affair

    Israel is a caricature of the devious Machiavellian: “the ends justify the means”.

    Saudi Arabia is rather similar in that regard; except more like Russia in it’s lack of effectiveness.


    Israeli neighbors being Arabs after all, while RusFed’s neighbors are European.
     
    RusFed borders the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Far East.

    I don’t appreciate your sentiment that Israel is succeeding where Russia is failing because they are up against Arabs; whereas Russia is against Europeans.

    You are forgetting that Jews are also running circles around Europeans in North America; silently destroying their demographic majority as they did to Arabs in Palestine.

    The combo of Ashkenazim IQ + ethnocentrism is a formidable enemy to go up against. But even then; I think Jews got lucky in some aspects; if some key decisions were made differently; they would’ve lost. For example, if Nasser hadn’t been stupid enough to drain the Egyptian army in the Yemeni conflict some years before; Egypt could’ve defeated Israel in the first conflict.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

  186. @Leaves No Shadow
    @Yahya

    Your comment is odd to me. You seem to be criticising Israel for what it did not do, but what you believe some person called Morris wishes Israel had done.

    As for the conflict itself, it is not directly comparable to this one and yes part of that is having a "racist" lower standard of acceptable behaviour for Middle Eastern actors. Sorry, but trying to apply a post-WW2 European standard would result in a constant state of shock and disgust at near every Middle Eastern state, least of all Israel.

    "Least" because there's been about 30,000 Palestinian deaths since 1948.

    Replies: @Yahya

    You seem to be criticising Israel for what it did not do

    You haven’t read my post carefully.

    Sorry, but trying to apply a post-WW2 European standard would result in a constant state of shock and disgust at near every Middle Eastern state

    I didn’t mention anything about European standards. I was talking about LatW’s personal standards.

    “Least” because there’s been about 30,000 Palestinian deaths since 1948.

    That’s slightly more than Ukrainian deaths in absolute sense; and way more in a per capita sense.

    state of shock and disgust at near every Middle Eastern state

    Whataboutism. Weak.

    • Replies: @Leaves No Shadow
    @Yahya


    That’s slightly more than Ukrainian deaths in absolute sense; and way more in a per capita sense.
     
    You think less than 30,000 Ukrainians have been killed, both military and civilian? It is possible, but I think it highly unlikely. The Palestinian deaths include combatants.

    Furthermore, this is over 80 years!

    My point is that the Israel-Palestinian conflict is perhaps the least bloody dynamic in the whole of the Middle East.

    I'm not saying it is fine. I am instead saying that I don't know what the Israelis could do better. Literally every Arab state would be harsher and more exploitative of their superior strength and somehow less humane.

    I know you don't like the implications of this observation and what they say about your people, but at least I don't think your people have to be like they are. It may be totally their responsibility that they are like they are, but that's exactly why they are able to change how they relate to each other.

    If you find this sentiment racist or offensive, that's your problem. The person unwilling to see the bloody and otherwise mediocre reality of the Arab peoples in the last 7 decades, because it would cause them to feel too much disdain for those peoples is the racist by my definition. Regardless of what excuses they condescendingly make for the Arab peoples' failures.

    My criticism comes from assumptions of equality, whereas the normal third world "it wasn't me" type of deflection of responsibility comes from assumptions of inferiority. I hope you can recognise this. And tell true friend from foe.

    Replies: @Yahya

  187. @Yahya
    @LatW


    I admire Israel.
     
    So after spending this whole time lambasting Greasy for ideological inconsistency; waxing lyrical about the “tragedy Ukrainians” are going through; the injustice of having their land being annexed by Russia; the catastrophic depopulation; the massacres being perpetrated; and the need for everyone to support Ukrainian territorial integrity; you then turn around in the very same comment, and praise what is in effect a smaller, more successful version of Russia in the Middle East - once again.

    Either you are willfully ignorant or just a drooling racist who applies a different set of racial standards as to whom is deserving of sympathy. Your previous comments unfortunately imply the latter. But just in case you are the former; I recommend the scholars Benny Morris and Norman Finkelstein on the Israel-Palestine subject. Both are Jewish, but the former is an avowed Zionist and the latter pro-Palestinain. Finkelstein is a left-winger who focuses almost exclusively on the justice aspect of the conflict; which basically leads him to the inevitable conclusion that Israel is a criminal state, and his biases are anti-Zionist accordingly.

    Morris on the other hand has openly endorsed the ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Zionists on Palestinians as being necessary to found a Jewish state. He is an honest scholar though and his books are as objective as you can come on this heated subject, though they do slightly favor the Zionist outlook. He was among the first Israeli scholars to acknowledge that the expulsion of Palestinians wasn’t “voluntary”; as is typical of Israeli mythology; but was for the most part a deliberate, violent attempt by the Israeli state to clear the Muslim and Christian inhabitants out of the land - something they achieved with an 80% success rate (Morris regrets that Zionist leadership weren’t able to “finish the job” on the 20% of Arabs now living within Israel). He also describes in detail the manifold Machiavellian tactics employed by Israeli forces to terrorize Palestinian civilians; such as the Deir Yassin massacre and the Qibya massacre. In his books you’ll also find the annexationist plans of Israeli leadership from both the right and left; some of which have already been implemented; and others of which are currently ongoing attempts to annex even more Palestinian land (I’m sure you’ve heard of the settlements).

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @Ivashka the fool, @songbird, @LatW, @Dmitry

    In my estimation, the Euros who support Israel are generally non-racists. (And you can thank antiracism for making them that way.) Anti racists (as in true believers) would be a separate category. (And that is because they are signaling brown).

    Some number of racists might support Israel. But I believe you are really just showing your prejudice against them, if you think that the category broadly aligns out of skin color. (by definition, racists are the people most inclined to think past skin color.) Most racists seem to be anti-ZOG, where it is legal.

    As to me, I deeply resent the influence Israel has on foreign policy, as well their ability to extract resources. But I also deeply resent both sides for insisting it is the most important thing going on in the world, and my moral priorities should be in picking one side, and throwing my support behind it, when there is a snowball’s chance in hell that either has my racial interests at heart.

    Greeks and Armenians were ethnically cleansed from larger territories. Where is Arab sympathy for them? Where is the sympathy for modern Europeans among Arabs other than niche commenters who probably make bank on it? In fact, I’ve seen one wealthy Arab finance some real nasty propaganda video that they showed on public television here. Many Jews were on his payroll.

    • Replies: @Yahya
    @songbird


    But I believe you are really just showing your prejudice against them, if you think that the category broadly aligns out of skin color.
     
    You have reading comprehension problems. I never mentioned skin color; because a) that's not the primary basis for race, b) I am not an American ignoramus who thinks Israelis are "white" and Palestinians "brown". Israelis are lighter on average; but there's significant overlap in skin color between Israelis and Palestinians.

    Also you are doing that thing again where you conflate my criticisms of individuals like LatW with a broader criticism of "racists" as a group. While I do not like racists and don't mind criticizing them; that wasn't my intention in that specific post. I don't know what their views are on the Israeli-Palestine conflict; or if they have a consistent one either. You simply misinterpreted me.


    and my moral priorities should be in picking one side, and throwing my support behind it,
     
    I don't fault you for not taking sides in the Israel-Palestine conflict. In fact I commend you for it. My beef is with the likes of LatW who endorse Israel; especially if they hypocritically view Russian behavior vis-a-vis Ukraine as the worst thing to happen since Hitler; but see Israel's similar (except more successful) behavior as something worthy or admirable.

    But there's nothing wrong with being neutral in any particular conflict. No-one is obligated to opine on each and every issue around the globe. But if you're going to express an opinion; it's good to be consistent in your views.


    Greeks and Armenians were ethnically cleansed from larger territories. Where is Arab sympathy for them?
     
    Well Arab countries took in Armenian refugees during the genocide. Many of the survivors fled to the Northern parts of Syria around Aleppo; and some of their descendants are still there and in Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon. Interestingly they are disproportionately represented in music and television (Lena Chemamyan, Julia Boutros, Seta Hagopian etc.). There's this one Iraqi-Armenian called Beatrice Ohanessian who was the first concert pianist in Iraq:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KyCzX-exws&t=176s&ab_channel=a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3

    I once read a book called "An Egyptian Soldier" by an Armenian who had been drafted during the Egyptian-Israeli conflict. He described the misery he endured serving in the Egyptian army; to which he felt no loyalty to. He tried to explain to his officers that he is a foreigner and should be exempted from service; but they were in need of educated soldiers. He eventually immigrated to Canada where he wrote the book basically shitting on Egypt and the army. I was kind of irritated that he didn't say anything nice about Egypt even though it granted his family shelter from the genocide. But perhaps he had reason for feeling resentful. The Armenian president has expressed gratitude on behalf of Armenians on the anniversary of the genocide though:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m4mBuKOYvg&ab_channel=ArabNews

    The most memorable book I've read on this topic is called Martyred Armenia; authored by Faiz El-Ghusein. It's a short eyewitness account of the genocide by a Syrian elder who was exiled to southeastern Turkey by the Ottoman authorities and witnessed the events first-hand. It was very saddening to read.


    Some excerpts:


    Is it right that these imposters, who pretend to be the supports of Islam and the Khilâfat, the protectors of the Moslems, should transgress the command of God, transgress the Koran, the Traditions of the Prophet, and humanity? Truly, they have committed an act at which Islam is revolted, as well as all Moslems and all the peoples of the earth, be they Moslems, Christians, Jews, or idolators. As God lives, it is a shameful deed, the like of which has not been done by any people counting themselves as civilised.

    ----------

    Narrative of a Provincial Governor.—We were talking of the courage and good qualities of the Armenians, and the Governor of the place, who was with us, told us a singular story. He said: "According to orders, I collected all the remaining Armenians, consisting of 17 women and some children, amongst whom was a child of 3 years old, diseased, who had never been able to walk. When the butchers began slaughtering the women and the turn of the child's mother came, he rose up on his feet and ran for a space, then falling down. We were astonished at this, and at his understanding that his mother was to be killed. A gendarme went and took hold of him, and laid him dead on his dead mother." He also said that he had seen one of these women eating a piece of bread as she went up to the butcher, another smoking a cigarette, and that it was as though they cared nothing for death.

    ----------

    After passing the night at Sivrek we left early in the morning. As we approached Diarbekir the corpses became more numerous, and on our route we met companies of women going to Sivrek under guard of gendarmes, weary and wretched, the traces of tears and misery plain on their faces—a plight to bring tears of blood from stones, and move the compassion of beasts of prey. What, in God's name, had these women done? Had they made war on the Turks, or killed even one of them? What was the crime of these hapless creatures, whose sole offence was that they were Armenians, skilled in the management of their homes and the training of their children, with no thought beyond the comfort of their husbands and sons, and the fulfilment of their duties towards them.

    ----------

    I ask you, O Moslems—is this to be counted as a crime? Think for a moment. What was the fault of these poor women? Was it in their being superior to the Turkish women in every respect? Even assuming that their men had merited such treatment, is it right that these women should be dealt with in a manner from which wild beasts would recoil? God has said in the Koran: "Do not load one with another's burthens," that is, Let not one be punished for another.

    What had these weak women done, and what had their infants done? Can the men of the Turkish Government bring forward even a feeble proof to justify their action and to convince the people of Islam, who hold that action for unlawful and reject it? No; they can find no word to say before a people whose usages are founded on justice, and their laws on wisdom and reason.

    ----------

    Children Perishing of Hunger and Thirst.—An Arab of El-Jezîra, who accompanied me on my flight from Diarbekir, told me that he had gone with a Sheikh of his tribe, men and camels, to buy grain from the sons of Ibrahim Pasha El-Mellili. On their way they saw 17 children, the eldest not more than 13 years old, dying of hunger and thirst. The Arab said: "We had with us a small water-skin and a little food. When the Sheikh saw them he wept with pity, and gave them food and water with his own hands; but what good could this small supply do to them? We reflected that if we took them with us to the Pasha, they would be killed, as the Kurds were killing all Armenians by order of the authorities; and our Arabs were at five days' distance from the place. So we had no choice but to leave them to the mercy of God, and on our return, a week later, we found them all dead."

    ----------

     

    Replies: @songbird

  188. @Coconuts
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak


    I personally don’t think Islam is healthy at the moment.
     
    Maybe there are different criteria for health, you could look at how far the Islamic world lives up to spiritual or moral ideals for example. But there used to be this idea that success in political terms was something more modest than that, even if it was a necessary precondition for the development of robust spiritual life.

    Two of the key criteria for political success used to be preserving peace and ensuring the survival of the population. Muslim countries are doing okay on one count, not so badly but perhaps could do better on the other. Euro countries (inc. North America etc.) might be better at securing peace (questionable?), at least for now, but there is a bigger question about guaranteeing the survival of their populations.

    And the Muslim world is mired in very sinister violence, factionalism, and seemingly very dark spiritual trends.
     
    I would sort of expect it, given the growing and youthful population. These things seem connected.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    As to preserving their population, there are different ways to exploit your population. I think a much better yardstick is how exploited a population is by their elite, and the Muslim world does extremely poorly in this regard.

    For instance, some not very intelligent people think the Chinese elites don’t import foreigners because they are loyal to their ethnic kin. In fact, the Chinese working population is perhaps the most docile, cowed, and hardest working in the world. Consequently, they are ruthlessly exploited to enrich their elite – there is no need to import foreigners.

    I guarantee you, if in the West Whites were willing to work the Chinese 9am-9pm, 6 days a week, with weak to nonexistent protections and rights, showing extreme deference to an elite that drives around in flashy cars, parties with beautiful girls, and lives in grand mansions, then Western elites would show “ethnic loyalty”.

    In the West, the average man and woman demands a level of respect, safety, and a standard of living that makes him sadly rather unattractive to an elite. This is a problem that was noted beginning in the 19th century.

    At that time, it was beginning to be noted by many commentators for instance that the Chinese can significantly “underlive” White people, who demanded a much higher standard of living, and that this was the chief Chinese advantage as workers – he’d live in appalling conditions, accept a paltry wage, was docile and acquiescent, and work long hours.

    Likewise in the Muslim world, you have an extremely wealthy elite and an exploited, impoverished, and oppressed population on a scale inconceivable in the West – this isn’t “preserving the population”, this is an elite enriching itself as best it can. Look at Yahya to get a sense of the sheer contempt this wealthy elite feels for it’s population and the importance it places on money as a marker of status.

    Moreover, Muslim lands are not economically dynamic or attractive to outsiders, so it’s hard to say what the elite would do if there was demand to immigrate and it benefited them (actually, not that hard 🙂 )

    You may point to the Gulf Arabs as countries where exceptions to the above rule – but these are countries whose wealth depends entirely on technical expertise that the natives cannot supply. In other words, the entire native population cannot compete with outsiders whose expertise is absolutely crucial to their wealth. So if they allowed immigration on an equal basis, the elites would quickly be dominated and supplanted and a new foreign elite arise, that could easily form an alliance with the workers if they treated them better. In this scenario, it makes most sense for the elites to actually be somewhat generous to the population and form a united front.

    So I think you right wingers who see “ethnic loyalty” and don’t understand the power dynamics of these countries are rather touchingly naive 🙂

    If you look at countries like Iran, Syria, Lebanon, even Egypt, and you see “health” – I don’t know what to say, really. I think you’d have to be an authoritarian or someone with exploitative elite tendencies themselves to see something worth emulating here.

    All that being said, I’m sure there are some good things about the Muslim world today that we can learn from.

    @ Ivashka – that’s a rather limited, reductionist view. Everyone has biases and attachments, and this is precisely what can lead to energetic and interesting conversations full of vitality. “Motivated reasoning” often leads to much more acute insights than “objective” reasoning.

    Moreover, people with no involvement in the region often have stronger biases and attachments on the subject than any Jew or Muslim, so I’m not sure your ethnic reductionism really makes sense 🙂

    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak


    @ Ivashka – that’s a rather limited, reductionist view. Everyone has biases and attachments, and this is precisely what can lead to energetic and interesting conversations full of vitality. “Motivated reasoning” often leads to much more acute insights than “objective” reasoning.

    Moreover, people with no involvement in the region often have stronger biases and attachments on the subject than any Jew or Muslim, so I’m not sure your ethnic reductionism really makes sense 🙂
     
    Cool, keep it going.
    , @Coconuts
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak


    As to preserving their population, there are different ways to exploit your population. I think a much better yardstick is how exploited a population is by their elite, and the Muslim world does extremely poorly in this regard.
     
    I think the premise here needs more development because it seems to read like a claim that a population's preservation or survival is a form of exploitation. Maybe this is similar to arguments used by some feminists that women's desire to have children is a form of false-consciousness caused by internalised patriarchy?

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak

  189. @LatW

    I think he’s seriously deluded and his politics rather abhorrent
     
    It's not so much that they're abhorrent but that they are incoherent. I don't even care enough.


    where opposite stances can both be expressions of, and determined by, Jewishness
     
    Yes, and I noted that this can often be the case.

    That you find his vicious anti-Americanism to go against his ethnic self-interest
     
    I wasn't trying to make a point about it, I was just warning him - be careful what you wish for.
    Russians have a saying - с жиру беситься. It means that someone is too spoiled to realize how good they actually have it. Nobody out there is going to baby him the way that the US does. And then he thinks it's ok to impose tyranny on others for things he can't be bothered himself to achieve (get rid of the woke).

    on whether Russia or Ukraine is winning depending on his depression
     
    It is clear that his attitude towards this conflict is driven to a large extent by some kind of anxiety - which, by the way, is not a sin, many people struggle with it (I guess mental illness should be de-stigmatized in the era of full access to the internet... jk, lol).

    I think you too strongly try and reduce politics to ethnicity, and this inevitably leads to contradiction and cognitive dissonance because it cannot explain the complicated and contradictory range of human political activity.
     
    Wrong. I do not reduce politics to ethnicity, but I do take ethnicity into account when judging someone's politics. Not all the time, but in certain instances. I may be wrong or right at any given time, but I'm not as dumb as you posit.

    I only thought, and think, the cross-layers and cross purposes of the Ukraine thing can often be quite weird at times.
     
    I agree, it has gone too far, and I find it very disheartening that Ukraine, with all the tragedy that she has had to endure, is being used in all these ideological struggles. These guys are only adding to the heaviness of the Jesus' cross during the Golgatha.

    Nazis are good, but Jews are terrible because they’re basically…..Nazis. Nationalism is great, but Israel sucks because they’re nationalist.
     
    No, that's not what I said (maybe others did here, but not I). I admire Israel. What I did was basically tell a Jewish guy "Who are you to tell Gentiles to disband their militias". That's all.

    Also, I really dislike the principle of "nationalism for me but not for thee". Which is prevalent among both Jews and the pro-Russian American right wingers (and West Euros).

    One important thing though that I'm getting from this conversation with Greasy is that liberals in the US might indeed be a bit of a problem - I mean, what do you think could alleviate his pain from his inevitable interactions with them? He is unable to develop indifference towards them. Maybe you can help him.

    Replies: @Yahya, @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    Okay, fair comment.

    No, that’s not what I said (maybe others did here, but not I). I admire Israel. What I did was basically tell a Jewish guy “Who are you to tell Gentiles to disband their militias”. That’s all.

    I didn’t mean you here, just the general Unz population of commenters. You’re actually pretty consistent as a nationalist who admires Israel.

  190. @Greasy William
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak


    He’s also obviously a conflicted and self contradictory person – says he despises liberals but himself adopts one of their major positions, anti-nationalism
     
    I have a completely different type of anti nationalism than liberals have. I'm not a Globalist, I'm just opposed to militant nationalism, or ultra nationalism if you want to call it that. I don't care about stuff like racial/ethnic purity but I don't have a problem with people who do. I don't see ultra nationalism or racism as immoral, I see them as stupid.

    waffles back and forth on whether Russia or Ukraine is winning depending on his depression
     
    It's not my depression, it's that the information coming out of the conflict zone is so contradictory and we don't have any historical precedents for this type of war. For a long time I was convinced that Russia was winning big time, largely because I completely ignored all mainstream Western sources because I just assumed they were lying about everything. Now I'm consuming a wider variety of sources and things become only more unclear to me with time.

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    I have a completely different type of anti nationalism than liberals have. I’m not a Globalist, I’m just opposed to militant nationalism, or ultra nationalism if you want to call it that. I don’t care about stuff like racial/ethnic purity but I don’t have a problem with people who do. I don’t see ultra nationalism or racism as immoral, I see them as stupid.

    Fair enough.

    As for stupidity, I think ethnic nationalism can be strategically smart or strategically stupid – especially for an elite – depending on particular circumstances, as I sketched briefly in my other comment.

    As for morality, I actually do think caring about racial purity is immoral and spiritually limited – however, I think people on that level should not be coerced or bullied into thinking otherwise, but permitted to live through their own particular karma. They should be gently educated perhaps but they have their own spiritual issues to work through at their pace.

    I vastly prefer allegiance to a “spiritual community” over a racial or ethnic community – Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists – and even here, I favor not exclucivism and seperation but amicable coexistence in relatively close proximity and rich cultural exchange.

    But that’s just me 🙂

    As for the war, I don’t think the info is that confusing – obviously, Russia is too weak to achieve anything significant, and Ukraine isn’t going to be conquering Moscow anytime soon.

    Of course, anything could happen and the future is hardly written in stone.

  191. @Yahya
    @Leaves No Shadow


    You seem to be criticising Israel for what it did not do
     
    You haven’t read my post carefully.

    Sorry, but trying to apply a post-WW2 European standard would result in a constant state of shock and disgust at near every Middle Eastern state
     
    I didn’t mention anything about European standards. I was talking about LatW’s personal standards.

    “Least” because there’s been about 30,000 Palestinian deaths since 1948.
     
    That’s slightly more than Ukrainian deaths in absolute sense; and way more in a per capita sense.

    state of shock and disgust at near every Middle Eastern state
     
    Whataboutism. Weak.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

    That’s slightly more than Ukrainian deaths in absolute sense; and way more in a per capita sense.

    You think less than 30,000 Ukrainians have been killed, both military and civilian? It is possible, but I think it highly unlikely. The Palestinian deaths include combatants.

    Furthermore, this is over 80 years!

    My point is that the Israel-Palestinian conflict is perhaps the least bloody dynamic in the whole of the Middle East.

    I’m not saying it is fine. I am instead saying that I don’t know what the Israelis could do better. Literally every Arab state would be harsher and more exploitative of their superior strength and somehow less humane.

    I know you don’t like the implications of this observation and what they say about your people, but at least I don’t think your people have to be like they are. It may be totally their responsibility that they are like they are, but that’s exactly why they are able to change how they relate to each other.

    If you find this sentiment racist or offensive, that’s your problem. The person unwilling to see the bloody and otherwise mediocre reality of the Arab peoples in the last 7 decades, because it would cause them to feel too much disdain for those peoples is the racist by my definition. Regardless of what excuses they condescendingly make for the Arab peoples’ failures.

    My criticism comes from assumptions of equality, whereas the normal third world “it wasn’t me” type of deflection of responsibility comes from assumptions of inferiority. I hope you can recognise this. And tell true friend from foe.

    • Replies: @Yahya
    @Leaves No Shadow


    You think less than 30,000 Ukrainians have been killed, both military and civilian? It is possible, but I think it highly unlikely.
     
    Well whatever the true figure (which no-one knows), I don’t want to turn this into a pissing contest. My point is that it’s fundamentally hypocritical to say all the things LatW has said about the “tragedy suffered by Ukraine”; then turn around and endorse Israel and its policies. The numbers may differ; but the underlying principle is the same.

    Literally every Arab state would be harsher and more exploitative of their superior strength and somehow less humane.
     
    Again; just another form of whataboutism.

    It doesn’t matter what “Arab states” would or would not have done if they were in Israel's position; because a) they are not in Israel's position, so you have no basis for your conjecture other than gut instinct (so scientific and reliable a technique!) b) what "Arab states" do has no bearing on the question of justice in Palestine. Palestinians aren't responsible for the actions (real or conjectural) of other Arab states.

    But you are hardly alone among Israeli advocates to deploy this tried-and-true technique of deflecting criticism away from Israel. These whataboutisms ("But, but… the what about the Turkish genocide of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians!") are just so stupid and tiresome. Why the heck should Turkey or Saudi Arabia's actions give Israel the right to forcibly expel Palestinians from their territory? The one has no bearing on the other. It's just a duplicitous technique to deflect criticism and avoid responsibility.

    If you want to specifically say that "Palestinians would've been just as oppressive if they were in Israel's position"; the automatic and obvious response would be that Palestinians will and have never been in Israel's position; because they weren't the ones going to the shtetls in Europe to colonize and expel the European Jews there; but rather the European Jews were the ones to come to them.

    It was the Palestinians; tilling the soil and shepherding their sheep; innocently minding their business; when a group of Polish, Russian and German Jews descended upon them with the express intent of ethnically cleansing them off the land to make space for a majority Jewish state.

    Now, you could say that Jews needed a place to go after being exterminated in Europe. And that would be a reasonable position to hold. In fact that's the position I used to take just a few years ago; and about the only argument I'm willing to entertain for why Ashkenazi Jews have a right to stay in Palestine (Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews are a different topic; I'll leave that aside for now).

    I don't know if you'd believe me; but only 4 years ago you would've found me sympathetic to Israel; because while Ashkenazi Jews follow a different religion; I basically view them as culturally very similar to myself. In my behavior and interests I'm probably closer to a secular Ashkenazi Jew than I am to the average Palestinian Arab. I also used to admire the Jewish aptitude for business and scholarly interests; two activities I hold in high regard. I still do to an extent; but these considerations have taken a back seat once I started delving more into the history of the Zionist-Arab conflict.

    Simply put: Ashkenazi Jews have screwed over the Palestinians so thoroughly and deeply that I now regret having been sympathetic to Israel, or god forbid defended their actions in a moment of ignorance. The more I learnt about the topic; the more this feeling of revulsion at the injustice intensified; and just the shameless manner in which Zionist Jews propagandized the world that they were victims; when instead they were the colonizing aggressors; made me realize that I was wrong and Palestinians had it right not to trust the Jews all along.

    Probably if I was born in 1920s Palestine I would've been one of these naïve Arabs who said "let our Brother Abraham come in; they're smart and educated; and they need refuge from the carnage happening in Europe. We've been living with Sephardic Jews for millennia; no reason why the Ashkenazim would've been different". And boy would I have been naïve and wrong. The Palestinians to their credit had the Jews pegged straight all along; they just weren't capable enough to defend themselves against Zionist aggression.

    Replies: @A123, @Leaves No Shadow, @AP

  192. @Beckow
    @A123


    Therefore, the phrase “US promises” is gibberish.
     
    Precisely, so why talk at all? Among honorable people promises are kept, but you think honor is gibberish and the rest of the world knows.

    Whatever irrelevant, internal process reasons you come up with, Washington is simply not agreement-capable. 'Presidents change', sure, so there is no value in negotiating with a temporary place-holder. There are 'exit clauses', yeah, so there really is no binding anything...rules, 'ratified or not', 'others also cheat!'....you are making my point that diplomacy with people who can't make promises or agreements they will keep is pointless. So we are back to resolving issues with wars.

    Also your Iran obsession is silly and borders on pathological. Let go of it, it makes you sound deranged. Or if you can't, go and invade, they have a long shoreline, take lengthy breaks, don't maintain well, maybe you will get lucky. Then what? maybe minding your own business would be better...

    Replies: @A123

    Precisely, so why talk at all?

    Because America is treaty capable and thus agreement capable. This does require bringing 2/3 of the Senate along for any long lasting deal.

    Among honorable people promises are kept, but you think honor is gibberish and the rest of the world knows.

    Honorable people, really anyone with the tiniest smidgen of common sense, realize there are limits. Only those without honour, such as yourself, fail to see those boundaries.

    Let me illustrate:

    • Your six year old child “promises” your house away. Do you abandon your property? Of course not. Your child does not have the authority to make “promises” that are beyond his legal capacity.

    Now bring that thought process to a direct parallel scenario:

    • A President “promises” to bind future administration without a treaty. Is that lie enforceable? Of course not. An individual President does not have the authority to make “promises” that are beyond his legal capacity.

    Everyone knows the limits that bind a U.S. President. You dishonour yourself by pretending these explicit rules of civilized behaviour do not exist.

    PEACE 😇

  193. @Ivashka the fool
    @Yahya

    I wish RusFed had the same approach towards its neighbors that Israel has. But here again, they are very dissimilar. Israel has a long-term strategy that is rather well thought, more or less efficient and therefore successful. RusFed not so much, its interventions either end up in a stalemate or a failure. Of course the neighborhood matters. Israeli neighbors being Arabs after all, while RusFed's neighbors are European.

    Replies: @Yahya

    I wish RusFed had the same approach towards its neighbors that Israel has.

    Then you don’t have a moral conscience that extends to out-groups and neighbors.

    Israel is a pure Machiavellian state.

    They have no compunction in destroying neighboring states if it furthers their foreign policy ends.

    They egged the US to invade Iraq in 03’; successfully lobbied for sanctions against Iran; and Netanyahu is still out and about trying to convince the Americans to attack Iran. Israel’s actions have severe repercussions not just on the victim population; but in Europe when the inevitable wave of migrants hit them.

    They tried to destroy Egypt – a country 20x times large than Israel by population – in the 50s because the Israelis saw the budding relationship between Egypt and America as a threat.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavon_Affair

    Israel is a caricature of the devious Machiavellian: “the ends justify the means”.

    Saudi Arabia is rather similar in that regard; except more like Russia in it’s lack of effectiveness.

    Israeli neighbors being Arabs after all, while RusFed’s neighbors are European.

    RusFed borders the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Far East.

    I don’t appreciate your sentiment that Israel is succeeding where Russia is failing because they are up against Arabs; whereas Russia is against Europeans.

    You are forgetting that Jews are also running circles around Europeans in North America; silently destroying their demographic majority as they did to Arabs in Palestine.

    The combo of Ashkenazim IQ + ethnocentrism is a formidable enemy to go up against. But even then; I think Jews got lucky in some aspects; if some key decisions were made differently; they would’ve lost. For example, if Nasser hadn’t been stupid enough to drain the Egyptian army in the Yemeni conflict some years before; Egypt could’ve defeated Israel in the first conflict.

    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @Yahya

    I leave you to discuss the Semitic family feuds with your Abrahamic cousins; Aaron, Dima, Laxa and Greasy would probably be better interlocutors than I am. As I wrote above, I don't discuss Israel with Muslims or Muslim World with Jews. That would be a waste of my neurons. I am convinced that Jews and Arabs deserve each other as neighbors and I wish all Semites moved back to their ancestral lands and left us Goyim Kuffar to mind our own business. The only reason I replied to your comment was because you somehow mixed up RusFed with the never-ending Middle Eastern drama. I believe I have shown that your Israel / RusFed analogy was faulty, now I am done with this discussion.

  194. @Wokechoke
    @Leaves No Shadow

    Here's a good example of what Antisemite's call..."early life" or "everyfuckig time".

    recall Ukraine's novel feminist movement Femen? It was apparently a bunch of women from ukraine who opposed human trafficking, opposed domestic violence and even had names like Shevchenko attached to it. a Mix of tits and feminist sloganeering,

    If you watch Australian director Kitty Green's sympathetic documentary "Ukraine is Not a Brothel" a guy called Victor Svyatski shows up and Green eventually puts two and two together that Femen was a harem for a guy. Here's the guy who actually started this AgitPorn as a graduate degree project with a girl he wanted to fuck. He bears an uncanny family resemblance to Zelenskyy in certain respects. "uh oh" I thought. "What's all this? better hit early life!" Lo and behold every fukcing time he might be Jewish. Only Muslim sources seem, to have realized how Victor Svyatski may have an ethnic agenda going to defile Ukrainian women...even then they are being coy in the articles.

    https://theaerogram.com/no-means-no-femens-assault-on-muslim-women/

    https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2013/9/4/man-exposed-as-topless-protest-group-founder

    https://orthochristian.com/64045.html

    There is something odd stirring in Ukriane their "Our Jews"

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @Wokechoke

    I don’t know anything about Ukraine’s Femen. Nor do I care that some Jew* may have been having sex with some of them or not. I appreciate that it seems like a huge deal to you and indicative of some desire of yours to be defiled or whatever, but it doesn’t interest me. As for Muslim sources bathing in obsessive jealousy equal to yours, that seems pretty normal for them.

    A very small group of beautiful but histrionic women working with a charismatic and potentially somewhat Machiavellian man, in order to gain attention and money, is not indicative of much, except that those two types often end up together.

    Furthermore, I don’t consider those women “defiled.” Did he beat them? I can’t find any allegations. Or did he just charm them? In which case, they’re adults making their own decisions. I am not personally sympathetic to “oh, what a dainty waif I am and victim” hysteria, whether open, like with much of #MeToo, or repressed, like with many Unz commentors, or even Andrew Tate himself.

    *Is he even Jewish? He doesn’t look like most of the Jews I have met. He’s fair-haired, has a normal East Euro name and is from Khmelnytskyi, which probably has a handful of Jews living in it. Can you find a reputable source for your claim?

    • Replies: @Wokechoke
    @Leaves No Shadow

    Hutsol the acknowledged founder is most certainly a Jew.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Hutsol


    “Hutsol is of Jewish origin and was born in Russia but moved to Ukraine with her parents in 1991. She is an economist and a former assistant to singer Ukrainian aero vision winner Tina Karol (nee Liberman).”


    If her male counterpart Victor was not himself Jewish I’d be amazed. Either way they were clearly a couple who were exploiting white girls. Sviatsky’s biography on wiki runs cold. I can’t think why.


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine_Is_Not_a_Brothel

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

  195. @Yahya
    @Ivashka the fool


    Israel and RusFed are opposite when it comes to the interests of their core populations and the treatment inflicted upon the troublesome minorities.
     
    Well yes Israel and Russia have many points of dissimilarity internally; but my argument was focused on their approach to their neighbors.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @A123

    Israel and RusFed are opposite when it comes to the interests of their core populations and the treatment inflicted upon the troublesome minorities.

    Well yes Israel and Russia have many points of dissimilarity internally; but my argument was focused on their approach to their neighbors.

    Both Russia and Jewish Palestine have similar neighbors. And they both are doing their best to handle such uncivilized foes.

    I will not recap the entire list, but the parallels between Muslim terrorists and Ukie Maximalists are is quite strong. They:

    • Intentionally target civilians
    • Use their own civilians, even children, as human shields
    • Fabricate the most outrageous propaganda — Pallywood/Ukiewood
    • Are entirely propped up by external funding

    The last point yields the greatest difference in outcome timing.

    Because Russia is on a war footing, the money burn is huge. The U.S. House will appropriate dramatically less for Ukie aggression in the future. The Kiev regime has to find new donors to contribute billions of €uros per month to keep the full war going. There is a hopeful path that the EU will not step up. Thus, Zelensky will depart in the next 6-9 months due to lack of support.

    The Muslim Occupation of Judea and Samaria [MOJS] is just as futile as Ukie Maximalism. Money flows in from the UN, EU, and other sources to keep the low grade fight going. There is hope here too. Previously intransigent parties are beginning to look for an honourable end to 80 years of failed strategy. The Abraham Accords are a visible symbol. The Saudis have offered, albeit indirectly, a new approach: (1)

    The Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine

    This is so difficult for Palestinians because they have received probably more emotional and political support from others than any refugee community in modern times. While such support has often involved considerable financial help, it has also generally been more loud political noise than anything substantive that could conceivably help return the Palestinian people to their homes. Yet this still has deluded them and kept them from facing the painful reality that most of their land and homes in historic Palestine have been permanently lost

    The Palestinian problem can only be solved today if it is redefined.

    The most logical vehicle for this redefinition and hence for the solution to the Palestine problem is the kingdom of Jordan. Over the last seventy-five years, Jordan has developed into a relatively well-governed state, although the impact of regional political turmoil has caused it to fail economically and become heavily reliant on foreign aid for its survival. It is this Jordanian governance infrastructure that needs to be captured and put to productive use in integrating the millions of Palestinians and Jordanians into a modern, reasonably well-functioning state that would, in an era of real peace and economic integration with Jordan’s neighbors, have a much higher chance of growth and prosperity.

    Everyone credible understands that a third intifada will make things worse. Sadly, extremists keep pushing towards another catastrophic failure.

    Why not try a different approach that has a chance at working?

    Is the initial Saudi proposal perfect? Of course not. However, as a starting point, it is vastly better than the current trajectory.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) https://english.alarabiya.net/in-translation/2022/06/08/The-Hashemite-Kingdom-of-Palestine

    • Replies: @Emil Nikola Richard
    @A123




    • Intentionally target civilians
    • Use their own civilians, even children, as human shields
    • Fabricate the most outrageous propaganda — Pallywood/Ukiewood
    • Are entirely propped up by external funding
     
    At least Hugh Crane ain't an antisemite!

    Replies: @A123

  196. @Ivashka the fool
    @Coconuts

    Yes the video above is quite representative. I think this is due to kids seeing that many among their parents generation are overtly materialistic and hedonistic. Propaganda can pretend otherwise, but many kids are not fooled by propaganda. They grow up somewhat despising the society they have been born in.

    They don't read newspapers, they don't watch TV, their outlook is based on the echo chambers they find themselves on the web, which is where they mostly interact with other kids all around the world. The gaming communities they are part of (especially boys, girls are less into this), are often quite politically incorrect. It's a place where they can vent up their frustrations and forget their anxieties. Memes are rapidly generated and exchanged on a large scale. And many (perhaps most) of these memes bear a negative outlook and a destructive "charge" towards today's society.

    https://www.meme-arsenal.com/memes/a8b269d66e8609ed2938c93ceb59d22f.jpg

    Kids still have the impression that they don't have much influence on the social system, but once they grow up, and if someone provides a focal point to their frustration, then turbulent times would be the inevitable outcome. Basically, we might end up with a Cultural Revolution meets Perestroika situation.

    I would rather avoid that. In my life I have had enough "interesting times" already.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Ivashka the fool, @Dmitry

    I just found the video of la petite salope that sings the song that was used in the meme video that you have posted. It is a fitting illustration to what I was describing.

    [MORE]

    What a contrast with what was played on French TV a generation ago.

    Pedophile feminist multiculti decadent hedonism has replaced the “heroic struggle against totalitarian European past”.

    LOL

    “So this is the West, a land we’re meant to defend…”

    The Alt Right kids are correct, it’s time to get done with this circus…

  197. @Ivashka the fool
    @Coconuts

    Yes the video above is quite representative. I think this is due to kids seeing that many among their parents generation are overtly materialistic and hedonistic. Propaganda can pretend otherwise, but many kids are not fooled by propaganda. They grow up somewhat despising the society they have been born in.

    They don't read newspapers, they don't watch TV, their outlook is based on the echo chambers they find themselves on the web, which is where they mostly interact with other kids all around the world. The gaming communities they are part of (especially boys, girls are less into this), are often quite politically incorrect. It's a place where they can vent up their frustrations and forget their anxieties. Memes are rapidly generated and exchanged on a large scale. And many (perhaps most) of these memes bear a negative outlook and a destructive "charge" towards today's society.

    https://www.meme-arsenal.com/memes/a8b269d66e8609ed2938c93ceb59d22f.jpg

    Kids still have the impression that they don't have much influence on the social system, but once they grow up, and if someone provides a focal point to their frustration, then turbulent times would be the inevitable outcome. Basically, we might end up with a Cultural Revolution meets Perestroika situation.

    I would rather avoid that. In my life I have had enough "interesting times" already.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Ivashka the fool, @Dmitry

    I have found the original song that was used in the video that you have posted.

    54 million views.

    LOL

    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @Ivashka the fool

    It would be good to delete this video that I have posted twice because my first comment wasn't showing.

  198. @Yahya
    @Ivashka the fool


    I wish RusFed had the same approach towards its neighbors that Israel has.
     
    Then you don’t have a moral conscience that extends to out-groups and neighbors.

    Israel is a pure Machiavellian state.

    They have no compunction in destroying neighboring states if it furthers their foreign policy ends.

    They egged the US to invade Iraq in 03’; successfully lobbied for sanctions against Iran; and Netanyahu is still out and about trying to convince the Americans to attack Iran. Israel’s actions have severe repercussions not just on the victim population; but in Europe when the inevitable wave of migrants hit them.

    They tried to destroy Egypt - a country 20x times large than Israel by population - in the 50s because the Israelis saw the budding relationship between Egypt and America as a threat.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavon_Affair

    Israel is a caricature of the devious Machiavellian: “the ends justify the means”.

    Saudi Arabia is rather similar in that regard; except more like Russia in it’s lack of effectiveness.


    Israeli neighbors being Arabs after all, while RusFed’s neighbors are European.
     
    RusFed borders the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Far East.

    I don’t appreciate your sentiment that Israel is succeeding where Russia is failing because they are up against Arabs; whereas Russia is against Europeans.

    You are forgetting that Jews are also running circles around Europeans in North America; silently destroying their demographic majority as they did to Arabs in Palestine.

    The combo of Ashkenazim IQ + ethnocentrism is a formidable enemy to go up against. But even then; I think Jews got lucky in some aspects; if some key decisions were made differently; they would’ve lost. For example, if Nasser hadn’t been stupid enough to drain the Egyptian army in the Yemeni conflict some years before; Egypt could’ve defeated Israel in the first conflict.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

    I leave you to discuss the Semitic family feuds with your Abrahamic cousins; Aaron, Dima, Laxa and Greasy would probably be better interlocutors than I am. As I wrote above, I don’t discuss Israel with Muslims or Muslim World with Jews. That would be a waste of my neurons. I am convinced that Jews and Arabs deserve each other as neighbors and I wish all Semites moved back to their ancestral lands and left us Goyim Kuffar to mind our own business. The only reason I replied to your comment was because you somehow mixed up RusFed with the never-ending Middle Eastern drama. I believe I have shown that your Israel / RusFed analogy was faulty, now I am done with this discussion.

  199. @Ivashka the fool
    @Yahya


    praise what is in effect a smaller, more successful version of Russia in the Middle East – once again.
     
    Israel and RusFed are opposite when it comes to the interests of their core populations and the treatment inflicted upon the troublesome minorities. Moreover, Israel is a democracy, while RusFed is not. Israel is increasingly supported around the world while RusFed is losing its influence. These countries are very dissimilar.

    Replies: @Yahya, @Mr. Hack, @Emil Nikola Richard

    Could you spell out more clearly just how exactly these differences in the treatment of their minorities plays out in the day to day world?

    • Replies: @Leaves No Shadow
    @Mr. Hack

    While Russians are often rude and racist to minorities on a personal level, the state uses minorities to maintain control, thereby often privileging them. For example, Kadyrov is given a huge amount of money just for not murdering people. It is essentially tribute. Israel does not appear to do that, but Arab Christian Israeli citizens, I think, are higher earning than Jewish Israeli citizens, so there may be added complications there too. But ultimately Western narratives do not fit onto those countries, because they don't even fit well into the West. However their own internal narratives are even more ill-fitting, hence the intractability of their problems and the desire for Ukrainians to get out, by having a clear border etc.

    Replies: @Mr. Hack, @Wokechoke

  200. @Coconuts
    @Ivashka the fool


    Perhaps both will end up accelerating the decay and the subsequent transformation of the Western societies ?

    One thing is sure : it is impossible to build one’s ideology on destruction only. One needs to also want to build and create something. One cannot only hate, one also needs to love.
     
    The negative dialectic seems to have become very powerful in Western societies, clearly in Critical Theory and what has emerged from that, but in other areas as well.

    Afaik opinion polls keep detecting major splits down gender lines on political issues, sometimes they can be really large, 20, 30 points and more. Not the best sign for the future.

    The destructive inclination on the alt right... reminds me of the little videos and clips the younger followers of BAP produce:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq6zJ3zdofo

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Mr. Hack

    Sad. Ultimate nihilism taking over the world…”the times they are a changing” and not for the better!

    • Replies: @sudden death
    @Mr. Hack


    Seems to me time was,
    A little bit less complicated then,
    And I don't mind much,
    I've learned,
    All the angles and the tricks,
    Yeah, that's alright,
    Times are changin'
    We roll with it ...
    These days are gone, most of us have moved on
    Still a few behind, yeah and that's alright
     
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHssbZMUAFc
  201. @Mr. Hack
    @Ivashka the fool

    Could you spell out more clearly just how exactly these differences in the treatment of their minorities plays out in the day to day world?

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

    While Russians are often rude and racist to minorities on a personal level, the state uses minorities to maintain control, thereby often privileging them. For example, Kadyrov is given a huge amount of money just for not murdering people. It is essentially tribute. Israel does not appear to do that, but Arab Christian Israeli citizens, I think, are higher earning than Jewish Israeli citizens, so there may be added complications there too. But ultimately Western narratives do not fit onto those countries, because they don’t even fit well into the West. However their own internal narratives are even more ill-fitting, hence the intractability of their problems and the desire for Ukrainians to get out, by having a clear border etc.

    • Replies: @Mr. Hack
    @Leaves No Shadow

    Are you aware of any Ukrainians that are trying to 'get out" of Russia today? Borders between the two countries seem to be all sealed up, no travel allowed. The large Ukrainian minority within Russia was constrained from forming any of it own churches, civic centers etc. The situation in neighboring Kazakhstan was much more open and accommodating towards its Ukrainian minority.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Leaves No Shadow

    , @Wokechoke
    @Leaves No Shadow

    In the Occident, Chechen's most closely resemble the Albanians. Mountain Muslims. I don't know if they specialize in car theft and heroin smuggling though.

  202. @songbird
    Don't know if anyone has ever remarked on this trend, but recently noticed something I thought was pretty significant.

    I think the number of fences in suburban America (maybe, European countries too?) must have really skyrocketed sometime after 1980.

    I say it because I recently looked at old pictures of a few places I knew and was shocked to see no fences. I mean, like there'd be a picture of one house with no fence and in the same shot you could see that six houses that now have fences didn't have them. And I've seen more than one picture and more than one town like that.

    Not even suggesting it is necessarily about crime. These are still relatively good towns. But it must mean something. Atomization, maybe.

    I suppose when one person puts up a fence, it must really encourage others to do the same.

    Replies: @A123, @Mr. Hack

    Don’t know if anyone has ever remarked on this trend, but recently noticed something I thought was pretty significant.

    I think the number of fences in suburban America (maybe, European countries too?) must have really skyrocketed sometime after 1980.

    To my eye, lot size versus house size for new construction has packed more building on less space. Most people do not want others looking inside their house except for the front windows. This makes fencing essential. When there was more physical separation, well placed trees and shrubs fixed the sight line issue.

    Lawsuits, zoning, and HOA restrictions also play a role. Having a trampoline or pool requires fencing. It is now near essential in some areas if one has dogs.

    PEACE 😇

    • Replies: @songbird
    @A123


    It is now near essential in some areas if one has dogs.
     
    Yes, I'll bet one of the biggest influences behind it was leash law. My father used to have a dog, and when he was drafted, it used to go to visit all his friends, looking for him.

    Leash laws must have had some strange and unintended effects on society. Wonder if so many people would despair, if someone's golden retriever was running around visiting everyone. Probably wouldn't be so many pitbulls. Maybe, coyotes? And perhaps some dogs would have bitten the worst of the freaks, and so discouraged them.

    @Mr. Hack
    Reminds me something of Osama's compound in Abbottabad.

    I suppose it makes sense for the area, but it does not make my heart sing like an old mossy stone wall.

    Replies: @A123

  203. @A123
    @Yahya



    Israel and RusFed are opposite when it comes to the interests of their core populations and the treatment inflicted upon the troublesome minorities.

     

    Well yes Israel and Russia have many points of dissimilarity internally; but my argument was focused on their approach to their neighbors.
     
    Both Russia and Jewish Palestine have similar neighbors. And they both are doing their best to handle such uncivilized foes.

    I will not recap the entire list, but the parallels between Muslim terrorists and Ukie Maximalists are is quite strong. They:

    • Intentionally target civilians
    • Use their own civilians, even children, as human shields
    • Fabricate the most outrageous propaganda -- Pallywood/Ukiewood
    • Are entirely propped up by external funding

    The last point yields the greatest difference in outcome timing.

    Because Russia is on a war footing, the money burn is huge. The U.S. House will appropriate dramatically less for Ukie aggression in the future. The Kiev regime has to find new donors to contribute billions of €uros per month to keep the full war going. There is a hopeful path that the EU will not step up. Thus, Zelensky will depart in the next 6-9 months due to lack of support.

    The Muslim Occupation of Judea and Samaria [MOJS] is just as futile as Ukie Maximalism. Money flows in from the UN, EU, and other sources to keep the low grade fight going. There is hope here too. Previously intransigent parties are beginning to look for an honourable end to 80 years of failed strategy. The Abraham Accords are a visible symbol. The Saudis have offered, albeit indirectly, a new approach: (1)

    The Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine

    This is so difficult for Palestinians because they have received probably more emotional and political support from others than any refugee community in modern times. While such support has often involved considerable financial help, it has also generally been more loud political noise than anything substantive that could conceivably help return the Palestinian people to their homes. Yet this still has deluded them and kept them from facing the painful reality that most of their land and homes in historic Palestine have been permanently lost

     

    The Palestinian problem can only be solved today if it is redefined.

    The most logical vehicle for this redefinition and hence for the solution to the Palestine problem is the kingdom of Jordan. Over the last seventy-five years, Jordan has developed into a relatively well-governed state, although the impact of regional political turmoil has caused it to fail economically and become heavily reliant on foreign aid for its survival. It is this Jordanian governance infrastructure that needs to be captured and put to productive use in integrating the millions of Palestinians and Jordanians into a modern, reasonably well-functioning state that would, in an era of real peace and economic integration with Jordan’s neighbors, have a much higher chance of growth and prosperity.
     
    Everyone credible understands that a third intifada will make things worse. Sadly, extremists keep pushing towards another catastrophic failure.

    Why not try a different approach that has a chance at working?

    Is the initial Saudi proposal perfect? Of course not. However, as a starting point, it is vastly better than the current trajectory.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) https://english.alarabiya.net/in-translation/2022/06/08/The-Hashemite-Kingdom-of-Palestine

    Replies: @Emil Nikola Richard

    • Intentionally target civilians
    • Use their own civilians, even children, as human shields
    • Fabricate the most outrageous propaganda — Pallywood/Ukiewood
    • Are entirely propped up by external funding

    At least Hugh Crane ain’t an antisemite!

    • Replies: @A123
    @Emil Nikola Richard


    At least Hugh Crane ain’t an antisemite!
     
    I do not believe that was ever a consideration.

     
    https://hughcrane.co.uk/media/wysiwyg/peterboroughoffice2.jpg
     

    PEACE 😇
  204. @Leaves No Shadow
    @Mr. Hack

    While Russians are often rude and racist to minorities on a personal level, the state uses minorities to maintain control, thereby often privileging them. For example, Kadyrov is given a huge amount of money just for not murdering people. It is essentially tribute. Israel does not appear to do that, but Arab Christian Israeli citizens, I think, are higher earning than Jewish Israeli citizens, so there may be added complications there too. But ultimately Western narratives do not fit onto those countries, because they don't even fit well into the West. However their own internal narratives are even more ill-fitting, hence the intractability of their problems and the desire for Ukrainians to get out, by having a clear border etc.

    Replies: @Mr. Hack, @Wokechoke

    Are you aware of any Ukrainians that are trying to ‘get out” of Russia today? Borders between the two countries seem to be all sealed up, no travel allowed. The large Ukrainian minority within Russia was constrained from forming any of it own churches, civic centers etc. The situation in neighboring Kazakhstan was much more open and accommodating towards its Ukrainian minority.

    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @Mr. Hack

    Sorry for my belated reply Mr Hack, Fortunately, I see that Laxa is also a specialist on Noviop affairs. Therefore I leave you in her caring company.

    , @Leaves No Shadow
    @Mr. Hack

    I meant that Ukrainians are desperate to get out of the Russian world. That is to get Ukraine out. Their revealed preferences in defending their country in order to seperate themselves makes that very clear.

    As for people of Ukrainian or partial Ukrainian descent in Russia, I imagine it is heartbreaking and difficult for them.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Greasy William

  205. @Mr. Hack
    @Coconuts

    Sad. Ultimate nihilism taking over the world..."the times they are a changing" and not for the better!

    Replies: @sudden death

    Seems to me time was,
    A little bit less complicated then,
    And I don’t mind much,
    I’ve learned,
    All the angles and the tricks,
    Yeah, that’s alright,
    Times are changin’
    We roll with it …
    These days are gone, most of us have moved on
    Still a few behind, yeah and that’s alright

    • Agree: Ivashka the fool
  206. @Ivashka the fool
    @Ivashka the fool

    I have found the original song that was used in the video that you have posted.

    https://youtu.be/QpbHdIrtpNo

    54 million views.

    LOL

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

    It would be good to delete this video that I have posted twice because my first comment wasn’t showing.

  207. @Mr. Hack
    @Leaves No Shadow

    Are you aware of any Ukrainians that are trying to 'get out" of Russia today? Borders between the two countries seem to be all sealed up, no travel allowed. The large Ukrainian minority within Russia was constrained from forming any of it own churches, civic centers etc. The situation in neighboring Kazakhstan was much more open and accommodating towards its Ukrainian minority.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Leaves No Shadow

    Sorry for my belated reply Mr Hack, Fortunately, I see that Laxa is also a specialist on Noviop affairs. Therefore I leave you in her caring company.

  208. @Mr. Hack
    @Leaves No Shadow

    Are you aware of any Ukrainians that are trying to 'get out" of Russia today? Borders between the two countries seem to be all sealed up, no travel allowed. The large Ukrainian minority within Russia was constrained from forming any of it own churches, civic centers etc. The situation in neighboring Kazakhstan was much more open and accommodating towards its Ukrainian minority.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Leaves No Shadow

    I meant that Ukrainians are desperate to get out of the Russian world. That is to get Ukraine out. Their revealed preferences in defending their country in order to seperate themselves makes that very clear.

    As for people of Ukrainian or partial Ukrainian descent in Russia, I imagine it is heartbreaking and difficult for them.

    • Replies: @Ivashka the fool
    @Leaves No Shadow


    I imagine it is heartbreaking and difficult for them.
     
    You are aware that many ethnic Ukrainians in RusFed and ethnic Russians in Ukiestan are part and parcel of the power structure ?

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

    , @Greasy William
    @Leaves No Shadow


    As for people of Ukrainian or partial Ukrainian descent in Russia, I imagine it is heartbreaking and difficult for them.
     
    It really isn't. Eastern Slavs are a very, "yeah, whatever" type of people.
  209. @Leaves No Shadow
    @Mr. Hack

    I meant that Ukrainians are desperate to get out of the Russian world. That is to get Ukraine out. Their revealed preferences in defending their country in order to seperate themselves makes that very clear.

    As for people of Ukrainian or partial Ukrainian descent in Russia, I imagine it is heartbreaking and difficult for them.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Greasy William

    I imagine it is heartbreaking and difficult for them.

    You are aware that many ethnic Ukrainians in RusFed and ethnic Russians in Ukiestan are part and parcel of the power structure ?

    • Replies: @Leaves No Shadow
    @Ivashka the fool

    Yes, I wrote a comment with exactly that intended meaning.

  210. @Emil Nikola Richard
    @A123




    • Intentionally target civilians
    • Use their own civilians, even children, as human shields
    • Fabricate the most outrageous propaganda — Pallywood/Ukiewood
    • Are entirely propped up by external funding
     
    At least Hugh Crane ain't an antisemite!

    Replies: @A123

    At least Hugh Crane ain’t an antisemite!

    I do not believe that was ever a consideration.

     

     

    PEACE 😇

  211. @Leaves No Shadow
    @Mr. Hack

    While Russians are often rude and racist to minorities on a personal level, the state uses minorities to maintain control, thereby often privileging them. For example, Kadyrov is given a huge amount of money just for not murdering people. It is essentially tribute. Israel does not appear to do that, but Arab Christian Israeli citizens, I think, are higher earning than Jewish Israeli citizens, so there may be added complications there too. But ultimately Western narratives do not fit onto those countries, because they don't even fit well into the West. However their own internal narratives are even more ill-fitting, hence the intractability of their problems and the desire for Ukrainians to get out, by having a clear border etc.

    Replies: @Mr. Hack, @Wokechoke

    In the Occident, Chechen’s most closely resemble the Albanians. Mountain Muslims. I don’t know if they specialize in car theft and heroin smuggling though.

  212. @Ivashka the fool
    @Leaves No Shadow


    I imagine it is heartbreaking and difficult for them.
     
    You are aware that many ethnic Ukrainians in RusFed and ethnic Russians in Ukiestan are part and parcel of the power structure ?

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

    Yes, I wrote a comment with exactly that intended meaning.

  213. @Ivashka the fool
    @Yahya


    praise what is in effect a smaller, more successful version of Russia in the Middle East – once again.
     
    Israel and RusFed are opposite when it comes to the interests of their core populations and the treatment inflicted upon the troublesome minorities. Moreover, Israel is a democracy, while RusFed is not. Israel is increasingly supported around the world while RusFed is losing its influence. These countries are very dissimilar.

    Replies: @Yahya, @Mr. Hack, @Emil Nikola Richard

    Moreover, Israel is a democracy, while RusFed is not. Israel is increasingly supported around the world while RusFed is losing its influence.

    • Replies: @A123
    @Emil Nikola Richard

    Netanyahu (and Palestinian Jews) have friendship with Putin (and Russia)

     
    https://static.timesofisrael.com/www/uploads/2019/07/EAjKTMXW4AAnPp4-e1564306206168-640x400.jpg
     

    Those who support Muslim terror have antics at the World Cup.

    It is pretty clear that Israel and Russia are winning. Muslim colonists and Ukie Maximalists are losing.

    PEACE 😇

    , @Ivashka the fool
    @Emil Nikola Richard

    ME Arabs are good at effusive posturing. Anyway, I am annoyed by all this Semito-centric discussion.

    Replies: @AnonfromTN, @A123

  214. @Emil Nikola Richard
    @Ivashka the fool


    Moreover, Israel is a democracy, while RusFed is not. Israel is increasingly supported around the world while RusFed is losing its influence.

     

    https://youtu.be/D_ghzLHYuHk

    Replies: @A123, @Ivashka the fool

    Netanyahu (and Palestinian Jews) have friendship with Putin (and Russia)

     

     

    Those who support Muslim terror have antics at the World Cup.

    It is pretty clear that Israel and Russia are winning. Muslim colonists and Ukie Maximalists are losing.

    PEACE 😇

  215. @songbird
    Don't know if anyone has ever remarked on this trend, but recently noticed something I thought was pretty significant.

    I think the number of fences in suburban America (maybe, European countries too?) must have really skyrocketed sometime after 1980.

    I say it because I recently looked at old pictures of a few places I knew and was shocked to see no fences. I mean, like there'd be a picture of one house with no fence and in the same shot you could see that six houses that now have fences didn't have them. And I've seen more than one picture and more than one town like that.

    Not even suggesting it is necessarily about crime. These are still relatively good towns. But it must mean something. Atomization, maybe.

    I suppose when one person puts up a fence, it must really encourage others to do the same.

    Replies: @A123, @Mr. Hack

    Large concrete fences are the norm within Phoenix between neighboring houses. It’s been like this since at least the 197o’s. Most enjoy the privacy that such fences provide, it’s nice when you need to go outdoors quickly and you’re not quite dressed up to make the trip. 🙂 Also, by adding a few exotic plants to your private area, it’s easy to create your own botanical garden, so you don’t have to miss out on any pleasant landscaping views. Tends to keep the sound levels down too. It’s kind of like living in a gated community, except you don’t have to pay any exorbitant fees. Property taxes within Phoenix are some of the lowest in the country.

    • Replies: @AP
    @Mr. Hack

    It might be pleasant in the individual homestead, but the overall effect when one drives through neighborhoods and there are just thee stone walls everywhere is unpleasant. Fortunately one can just look up and around and see beautiful mountains that change colors depending on the sun's position.

    Replies: @Mr. Hack

  216. @Leaves No Shadow
    @Mr. Hack

    I meant that Ukrainians are desperate to get out of the Russian world. That is to get Ukraine out. Their revealed preferences in defending their country in order to seperate themselves makes that very clear.

    As for people of Ukrainian or partial Ukrainian descent in Russia, I imagine it is heartbreaking and difficult for them.

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Greasy William

    As for people of Ukrainian or partial Ukrainian descent in Russia, I imagine it is heartbreaking and difficult for them.

    It really isn’t. Eastern Slavs are a very, “yeah, whatever” type of people.

    • Agree: Ivashka the fool
  217. @Yahya
    @Barbarossa


    I’m not a nationalist either, but I don’t think that blood and soil are bullshit. Specificity of place and people are the fundamental building blocks of culture.
     
    Blood and soil is another term that has been permanently tarred by association with Nazism; at least in the West. But in its moderate, non-genocidal form; is a fairly reasonable proposition and a good basis to form a nation around. Ideally it’d be applied to a mono-ethnic nation like Japan; where people can just say “Japan belongs to the Japanese” without offending too many people; thus ensuring the continued existence of the Japanese ethnos for the long-term. But mono-ethnic nations are fairly rare. States like Russia, where 85%+ of people are of a single ethnicity, can also make blood and soil nationalism work if they allow some leeway for indigenous minorities; or to splinter off reluctant ones like the Chechens.

    Blood and soil becomes problematic when people get cowardly and greedy and start thinking ethnic cleansing is an appropriate method of attaining a “pure” state. But extremities should not automatically discredit a moderate version of a particular ideology; which is why I also object to people tarring social democratic views with “socialism” or “communism”. Superficially they may be similar; but moderation can make all the difference.

    Jews in the West are understandably suspicious of blood and soil since they tend to be minorities; and were victims of the extreme manifestation of the ideology. But they seem to be all for it in Israel. Greasy calls it disgusting but iirc has described himself as an extreme Israeli right-winger; which does seem inconsistent (nationalism for me; but not for thee).

    Replies: @Greasy William

    Greasy calls it disgusting but iirc has described himself as an extreme Israeli right-winger

    Yes, I did describe myself that way in the past. That was before I went to jail and had my epiphany. Now I have renounced my prior Jewish nationalistic beliefs and I’m not even certain that there should be an Israel, let alone a Greater Israel (I view it as a purely theological question, not a political one, and I’m too much of a theological ignoramus to hold a confident opinion; I am sympathetic with the basics of the Religious Zionist position, however).

    nationalism for me; but not for thee

    It really depends on how you define nationalism. If by “nationalism” you mean AfD or Marine Le Pen, then I am a nationalist. If you mean Ben Gvir (nothing against him personally, though), then I am not.

    I will confess that I am not a big fan of any overt displays of patriotism, however. And I’m waaaaay opposed to any sort of militarism or race sperging.

    • Thanks: Yahya
    • Replies: @Emil Nikola Richard
    @Greasy William

    https://www.gospanews.net/en/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Azov-Bataillon.jpg

    , @Yahya
    @Greasy William


    Now I have renounced my prior Jewish nationalistic beliefs and I’m not even certain that there should be an Israel, let alone a Greater Israel (I view it as a purely theological question, not a political one, and I’m too much of a theological ignoramus to hold a confident opinion; I am sympathetic with the basics of the Religious Zionist position, however).
     
    There's a religious Jewish commentor around here called Dissident/Post-post Modernist who stongly against the existence of Israel on theological grounds. He's told me before that, quote:

    The security and religious rhetoric mask and sanitize those primary goals of the Zionist movement, allowing it to gain support among the Jewish masses, and even some great rabbis (most of the leading rabbis, though, vehemently opposed Zionism from its inception, and in all of its forms).

    https://www.unz.com/isteve/washington-post-germany-is-refusing-to-send-tanks-to-ukraine-biden-cannot-let-this-stand/#comment-5777417
     
    He linked to this Rabbi who makes the case that Zionism was created to supplant Judaism:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=425&v=-I9O9RWqdgk&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unz.com%2F&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=YaakovShapiro

    It really depends on how you define nationalism. If by “nationalism” you mean AfD or Marine Le Pen, then I am a nationalist. If you mean Ben Gvir (nothing against him personally, though), then I am not.

     

    Well; we are on the same page.

    Replies: @Greasy William

  218. @Greasy William
    @Yahya


    Greasy calls it disgusting but iirc has described himself as an extreme Israeli right-winger
     
    Yes, I did describe myself that way in the past. That was before I went to jail and had my epiphany. Now I have renounced my prior Jewish nationalistic beliefs and I'm not even certain that there should be an Israel, let alone a Greater Israel (I view it as a purely theological question, not a political one, and I'm too much of a theological ignoramus to hold a confident opinion; I am sympathetic with the basics of the Religious Zionist position, however).

    nationalism for me; but not for thee
     
    It really depends on how you define nationalism. If by "nationalism" you mean AfD or Marine Le Pen, then I am a nationalist. If you mean Ben Gvir (nothing against him personally, though), then I am not.

    I will confess that I am not a big fan of any overt displays of patriotism, however. And I'm waaaaay opposed to any sort of militarism or race sperging.

    Replies: @Emil Nikola Richard, @Yahya

    • LOL: Ivashka the fool
  219. @Wokechoke
    @Leaves No Shadow

    Here's a good example of what Antisemite's call..."early life" or "everyfuckig time".

    recall Ukraine's novel feminist movement Femen? It was apparently a bunch of women from ukraine who opposed human trafficking, opposed domestic violence and even had names like Shevchenko attached to it. a Mix of tits and feminist sloganeering,

    If you watch Australian director Kitty Green's sympathetic documentary "Ukraine is Not a Brothel" a guy called Victor Svyatski shows up and Green eventually puts two and two together that Femen was a harem for a guy. Here's the guy who actually started this AgitPorn as a graduate degree project with a girl he wanted to fuck. He bears an uncanny family resemblance to Zelenskyy in certain respects. "uh oh" I thought. "What's all this? better hit early life!" Lo and behold every fukcing time he might be Jewish. Only Muslim sources seem, to have realized how Victor Svyatski may have an ethnic agenda going to defile Ukrainian women...even then they are being coy in the articles.

    https://theaerogram.com/no-means-no-femens-assault-on-muslim-women/

    https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2013/9/4/man-exposed-as-topless-protest-group-founder

    https://orthochristian.com/64045.html

    There is something odd stirring in Ukriane their "Our Jews"

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow, @Wokechoke

    A girl’s gotta eat, eh?

  220. @Greasy William
    @Yahya


    Greasy calls it disgusting but iirc has described himself as an extreme Israeli right-winger
     
    Yes, I did describe myself that way in the past. That was before I went to jail and had my epiphany. Now I have renounced my prior Jewish nationalistic beliefs and I'm not even certain that there should be an Israel, let alone a Greater Israel (I view it as a purely theological question, not a political one, and I'm too much of a theological ignoramus to hold a confident opinion; I am sympathetic with the basics of the Religious Zionist position, however).

    nationalism for me; but not for thee
     
    It really depends on how you define nationalism. If by "nationalism" you mean AfD or Marine Le Pen, then I am a nationalist. If you mean Ben Gvir (nothing against him personally, though), then I am not.

    I will confess that I am not a big fan of any overt displays of patriotism, however. And I'm waaaaay opposed to any sort of militarism or race sperging.

    Replies: @Emil Nikola Richard, @Yahya

    Now I have renounced my prior Jewish nationalistic beliefs and I’m not even certain that there should be an Israel, let alone a Greater Israel (I view it as a purely theological question, not a political one, and I’m too much of a theological ignoramus to hold a confident opinion; I am sympathetic with the basics of the Religious Zionist position, however).

    There’s a religious Jewish commentor around here called Dissident/Post-post Modernist who stongly against the existence of Israel on theological grounds. He’s told me before that, quote:

    The security and religious rhetoric mask and sanitize those primary goals of the Zionist movement, allowing it to gain support among the Jewish masses, and even some great rabbis (most of the leading rabbis, though, vehemently opposed Zionism from its inception, and in all of its forms).

    https://www.unz.com/isteve/washington-post-germany-is-refusing-to-send-tanks-to-ukraine-biden-cannot-let-this-stand/#comment-5777417

    He linked to this Rabbi who makes the case that Zionism was created to supplant Judaism:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=425&v=-I9O9RWqdgk&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unz.com%2F&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=YaakovShapiro

    It really depends on how you define nationalism. If by “nationalism” you mean AfD or Marine Le Pen, then I am a nationalist. If you mean Ben Gvir (nothing against him personally, though), then I am not.

    Well; we are on the same page.

    • Replies: @Greasy William
    @Yahya


    He linked to this Rabbi who makes the case that Zionism was created to supplant Judaism
     
    That's a HUGE exaggeration but there is no question that the leading political (as opposed to cultural) Zionists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries definitely intended just that.

    most of the leading rabbis, though, vehemently opposed Zionism from its inception, and in all of its forms
     
    This:
    A) Is false
    B) Really depends on the time period/region

    Even if we are only talking about ultra orthodox, the position towards Zionism can best be described as ambivalence. In the case of Ashkenazi Haredim, it is usually a more negative ambivalence. The Mizrahi Haredim are somewhat more positive although there are cultural, historical and pragmatic reasons that explain the divide, as opposed to purely theological reasons.
  221. @Yahya
    @Greasy William


    Now I have renounced my prior Jewish nationalistic beliefs and I’m not even certain that there should be an Israel, let alone a Greater Israel (I view it as a purely theological question, not a political one, and I’m too much of a theological ignoramus to hold a confident opinion; I am sympathetic with the basics of the Religious Zionist position, however).
     
    There's a religious Jewish commentor around here called Dissident/Post-post Modernist who stongly against the existence of Israel on theological grounds. He's told me before that, quote:

    The security and religious rhetoric mask and sanitize those primary goals of the Zionist movement, allowing it to gain support among the Jewish masses, and even some great rabbis (most of the leading rabbis, though, vehemently opposed Zionism from its inception, and in all of its forms).

    https://www.unz.com/isteve/washington-post-germany-is-refusing-to-send-tanks-to-ukraine-biden-cannot-let-this-stand/#comment-5777417
     
    He linked to this Rabbi who makes the case that Zionism was created to supplant Judaism:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=425&v=-I9O9RWqdgk&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unz.com%2F&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=YaakovShapiro

    It really depends on how you define nationalism. If by “nationalism” you mean AfD or Marine Le Pen, then I am a nationalist. If you mean Ben Gvir (nothing against him personally, though), then I am not.

     

    Well; we are on the same page.

    Replies: @Greasy William

    He linked to this Rabbi who makes the case that Zionism was created to supplant Judaism

    That’s a HUGE exaggeration but there is no question that the leading political (as opposed to cultural) Zionists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries definitely intended just that.

    most of the leading rabbis, though, vehemently opposed Zionism from its inception, and in all of its forms

    This:
    A) Is false
    B) Really depends on the time period/region

    Even if we are only talking about ultra orthodox, the position towards Zionism can best be described as ambivalence. In the case of Ashkenazi Haredim, it is usually a more negative ambivalence. The Mizrahi Haredim are somewhat more positive although there are cultural, historical and pragmatic reasons that explain the divide, as opposed to purely theological reasons.

  222. @Emil Nikola Richard
    @Ivashka the fool


    Moreover, Israel is a democracy, while RusFed is not. Israel is increasingly supported around the world while RusFed is losing its influence.

     

    https://youtu.be/D_ghzLHYuHk

    Replies: @A123, @Ivashka the fool

    ME Arabs are good at effusive posturing. Anyway, I am annoyed by all this Semito-centric discussion.

    • Replies: @AnonfromTN
    @Ivashka the fool


    ME Arabs are good at effusive posturing. Anyway, I am annoyed by all this Semito-centric discussion.
     
    Have you scanned other threads on this site? Prevalent attitude of many commenters is that when you have a toothache, Jews are to blame. Reminds me of old mocking Russian song “if there is no water in the river, it means that Jews drank it all”. Newer equally mocking song says: “I smoke, drink, and remain single – it’s all Putin’s fault”. This sums up the comments here from representatives of every country with severe inferiority complex.
    , @A123
    @Ivashka the fool


    I am annoyed by all this Semito-centric discussion.
     
    We could return to auto racing.

    I am half way through the 24 Hours of Daytona. The Acura that did not experience problems is leading... Not surprised.

     
    https://maville.com/photosmvi/2023/01/22/P32148786D5599823G_crop_640-330_.jpg
     

    However -- The GTP specification is new and the other Acura is now multiple laps down due to mechanical issues. That should let Cadillac grab 2nd.

    PEACE 😇
  223. @Ivashka the fool
    @Emil Nikola Richard

    ME Arabs are good at effusive posturing. Anyway, I am annoyed by all this Semito-centric discussion.

    Replies: @AnonfromTN, @A123

    ME Arabs are good at effusive posturing. Anyway, I am annoyed by all this Semito-centric discussion.

    Have you scanned other threads on this site? Prevalent attitude of many commenters is that when you have a toothache, Jews are to blame. Reminds me of old mocking Russian song “if there is no water in the river, it means that Jews drank it all”. Newer equally mocking song says: “I smoke, drink, and remain single – it’s all Putin’s fault”. This sums up the comments here from representatives of every country with severe inferiority complex.

  224. @Leaves No Shadow
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    Yes, and it gets funnier than that. Much of the Unz crowd loves everything about Jews, except they're not them. And hates everything about white Gentiles, except they are them.

    Of course their image of the two respective categories is a total fantasy*, but the internal contradiction is hilarious.

    * The most amusing way to prove that their respective images of the two is a complete fantasy is to compare their attitude to Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and Freud. None of which they understand, but they still attach a lot of different judgements and emotions to. In particular, Nietzsche and Schopenhauer are seen as bastions against the totally evil and subversive Freud. Even though, in reality, the work of those three carries the same meaning! They're reformulations of the same ideas! Uncontroversially. Any person who reads them all will inform you of this as a statement of plain fact.

    Lol



    https://twitter.com/lacancircle/status/1621861499148066817?t=os0iLklm3217w30mpSb17g&s=19

    Replies: @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    Yes, there seems to be tremendous cognitive dissonance going on on this site.

    I know that Freud refused to read Nietzsche because he thought so much of his thought foreshadowed his own insights and he wanted to keep his line of inspiration pure, and I know that Nietzsche was a huge admirer of Schopenhauer and greatly inspired by him, although ultimately rejecting his world-pessimism.

    There are also significant and irreconcilable differences between the three, not to be glossed over, but they do form a sort of line of continuous intellectual development.

    I find in general that the Unz White Nationalists are tremendously ignorant of European intellectual and cultural history, in particular the intellectual history of European nihilism and “decadence”, which was such a central feature of European thought and art beginning perhaps shortly after the advent of the Industrial Revolution, and in response to it.

    Kevin McDonald, for instance, has constructed a history of Europe from which all major cultural and intellectual critique of emerging trends embodied in the Industrial Revolution, the new materialism, the new conception of life and the universe as soulless mechanism – I was going to say are excluded from consideration, but it’s more like they simply never existed in his alternate universe.

    It’s as if Blake, Wordsworth, Keats, with their fierce critique of the Industrial Revolution and the new mechanistic view of life, simply didn’t exist, as if Byron and Shelley with their disgust at the political oppression of their times and their celebration of exotic climes, never wrote, as if Baudelaire never expressed his disgust with France and European civilization in his Fleur’s du Mal and Spleen de Paris, as if Flaubert never pilloried the dull philistinism of the new bourgeois culture arising in his Madame Bovary, as of Holderin, Novalis, the Schlegel’s, never put pen to paper critiquing the loss of dimension and imagination emerging in Europe as a result of the new culture of mechanization, as if the Existentialists never wrote about the nihilistic “absurdity” of life in a world without God or meaning, as if Dostoevsky never decried the nihilism, materialism, and rationalism emerging in his time (and all this is just the tip of the iceberg).

    He has constructed an alternative universe in which European culture was monolithic and without significant inner conflict or tension – in other words, without “soul” – until Jews came along and attacked this, er, splendid(ly boring) edifice. It’s not even that this is wrong – it’s boring. He has expunged all the glory and greatness, all the soul, from European cultural life and replaced it with a tale “told by an idiot, signifying nothing” – a modern tale, in which the primary metaphors are caricatures of biology and the tedium of a supposed Darwinism struggle.

    Who would prefer this to the glorious historical development from faith to nihilism, a tragedy in several acts and of world-historical importance?

    Well, I’ve gone off ranting again, so I shall leave off here lol 🙂

    • Agree: Leaves No Shadow
    • Replies: @Barbarossa
    @HeavilyMarbledSteak

    Simple people looking for a scapegoat love a straightforward moral dichotomy. I haven't really paid attention to McDonald but I suppose that his moral fable of Western Civilization and the Jews is quite useful for his purposes.

    It makes everyone feel special to have an outlet to externalize their frustrations!

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool

  225. @Leaves No Shadow
    @Yahya


    That’s slightly more than Ukrainian deaths in absolute sense; and way more in a per capita sense.
     
    You think less than 30,000 Ukrainians have been killed, both military and civilian? It is possible, but I think it highly unlikely. The Palestinian deaths include combatants.

    Furthermore, this is over 80 years!

    My point is that the Israel-Palestinian conflict is perhaps the least bloody dynamic in the whole of the Middle East.

    I'm not saying it is fine. I am instead saying that I don't know what the Israelis could do better. Literally every Arab state would be harsher and more exploitative of their superior strength and somehow less humane.

    I know you don't like the implications of this observation and what they say about your people, but at least I don't think your people have to be like they are. It may be totally their responsibility that they are like they are, but that's exactly why they are able to change how they relate to each other.

    If you find this sentiment racist or offensive, that's your problem. The person unwilling to see the bloody and otherwise mediocre reality of the Arab peoples in the last 7 decades, because it would cause them to feel too much disdain for those peoples is the racist by my definition. Regardless of what excuses they condescendingly make for the Arab peoples' failures.

    My criticism comes from assumptions of equality, whereas the normal third world "it wasn't me" type of deflection of responsibility comes from assumptions of inferiority. I hope you can recognise this. And tell true friend from foe.

    Replies: @Yahya

    You think less than 30,000 Ukrainians have been killed, both military and civilian? It is possible, but I think it highly unlikely.

    Well whatever the true figure (which no-one knows), I don’t want to turn this into a pissing contest. My point is that it’s fundamentally hypocritical to say all the things LatW has said about the “tragedy suffered by Ukraine”; then turn around and endorse Israel and its policies. The numbers may differ; but the underlying principle is the same.

    Literally every Arab state would be harsher and more exploitative of their superior strength and somehow less humane.

    Again; just another form of whataboutism.

    It doesn’t matter what “Arab states” would or would not have done if they were in Israel’s position; because a) they are not in Israel’s position, so you have no basis for your conjecture other than gut instinct (so scientific and reliable a technique!) b) what “Arab states” do has no bearing on the question of justice in Palestine. Palestinians aren’t responsible for the actions (real or conjectural) of other Arab states.

    But you are hardly alone among Israeli advocates to deploy this tried-and-true technique of deflecting criticism away from Israel. These whataboutisms (“But, but… the what about the Turkish genocide of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians!”) are just so stupid and tiresome. Why the heck should Turkey or Saudi Arabia’s actions give Israel the right to forcibly expel Palestinians from their territory? The one has no bearing on the other. It’s just a duplicitous technique to deflect criticism and avoid responsibility.

    If you want to specifically say that “Palestinians would’ve been just as oppressive if they were in Israel’s position”; the automatic and obvious response would be that Palestinians will and have never been in Israel’s position; because they weren’t the ones going to the shtetls in Europe to colonize and expel the European Jews there; but rather the European Jews were the ones to come to them.

    It was the Palestinians; tilling the soil and shepherding their sheep; innocently minding their business; when a group of Polish, Russian and German Jews descended upon them with the express intent of ethnically cleansing them off the land to make space for a majority Jewish state.

    Now, you could say that Jews needed a place to go after being exterminated in Europe. And that would be a reasonable position to hold. In fact that’s the position I used to take just a few years ago; and about the only argument I’m willing to entertain for why Ashkenazi Jews have a right to stay in Palestine (Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews are a different topic; I’ll leave that aside for now).

    I don’t know if you’d believe me; but only 4 years ago you would’ve found me sympathetic to Israel; because while Ashkenazi Jews follow a different religion; I basically view them as culturally very similar to myself. In my behavior and interests I’m probably closer to a secular Ashkenazi Jew than I am to the average Palestinian Arab. I also used to admire the Jewish aptitude for business and scholarly interests; two activities I hold in high regard. I still do to an extent; but these considerations have taken a back seat once I started delving more into the history of the Zionist-Arab conflict.

    Simply put: Ashkenazi Jews have screwed over the Palestinians so thoroughly and deeply that I now regret having been sympathetic to Israel, or god forbid defended their actions in a moment of ignorance. The more I learnt about the topic; the more this feeling of revulsion at the injustice intensified; and just the shameless manner in which Zionist Jews propagandized the world that they were victims; when instead they were the colonizing aggressors; made me realize that I was wrong and Palestinians had it right not to trust the Jews all along.

    Probably if I was born in 1920s Palestine I would’ve been one of these naïve Arabs who said “let our Brother Abraham come in; they’re smart and educated; and they need refuge from the carnage happening in Europe. We’ve been living with Sephardic Jews for millennia; no reason why the Ashkenazim would’ve been different”. And boy would I have been naïve and wrong. The Palestinians to their credit had the Jews pegged straight all along; they just weren’t capable enough to defend themselves against Zionist aggression.

    • Replies: @A123
    @Yahya


    If you want to specifically say that “Palestinians would’ve been just as oppressive if they were in Israel’s position”; the automatic and obvious response would be that Palestinians will and have never been in Israel’s position;
     
    Of course nothing is ever 100% identical. We do know that:

    • Jordanian forces tried to ethnically cleanse Jews from the West Bank ~1947. Even now selling West Bank "Pali" land to an indigenous Palestinian Jew is punishable, possibly by execution.

    • Abbas is in the 19th year of his 4 year term. Even West Bank Muslims know he is corrupt: (1)


    according to Muhammad Rashid, Arafat’s economic and financial advisor and head of the Palestinian Investment Fund, Abbas has a net worth of over $100 million. That’s beside the wealth of his sons, who’ve amassed their personal fortunes for such things as monopolies on imported cigarettes and public works projects.

    Another PA official, former security minister Mohammed Dahlan, has claimed that $1.3b. vanished from the Palestinian Investment Fund since it was turned over to Abbas’ control in 2005.
     

    • Hamas has a track record of land confiscation and property destruction in Gaza: (2)

    Hamas's ongoing efforts to raze entire villages in the Gaza Strip is seen by many Palestinians as.... part of widespread corruption in Hamas, whose leaders want to seize lands for their personal use.

     

    Sakallah praised social media users for shedding light on the Hamas crimes against the residents of Umm al-Nasr. "What bothered and provoked me the most was that the official spokesmen for Hamas did not issue statements," he remarked.

    An unnamed resident of Umm al-Nasr was quoted as saying:


    "What happened is a barbaric and brutal Hamas-Iranian attack on the poor people in the Gaza Strip, who have been very patient with the killings, poverty, and hunger resulting from the policies of Hamas. The people of the Gaza Strip have paid with their blood as a result of the policies and practices of Hamas."
     
    Egyptian writer Ali Rajab pointed out the hypocrisy of Hamas in dealing with the Bedouin communities in Israel and the Gaza Strip. Rajab said that while Hamas has been trying to present itself as the defender of the Bedouin citizens of Israel, it is targeting the Bedouin living under its control in the Gaza Strip by demolishing their homes and confiscating their lands.
     
    Do you actually believe that Hamas and Fatah would provide good governance if they had even more authoritarian power than they have now?

    One of the reasons why the Saudi proposal for Hashimite rule is so appealing. It would turf out Hamas, Fatah, PLO, and others who have a proven track record of irresponsibility.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) From 2015 -- https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/No-Holds-Barred-The-10-year-klepto-dictatorship-of-Mahmoud-Abbas-386752

    (2) https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18613/palestinians-house-demolitions

    , @Leaves No Shadow
    @Yahya

    I see what you've written as a maudlin and victim-centered fantasy. It does not appeal to me. I also disagree with your points, your narrative and don't think you addressed my previous comment in anything approaching a substantive manner.

    So, while I doubt this is how you will perceive the exchange, I won't be dishonest with you and portray my opinion of what you've written in any other way.

    I'll also add that I don't care for historical "he said, she saids." I prefer that people just be able to live in peace as soon as possible. War includes Israeli military occupation and it includes Palestinian terrorism. I doubt we'll agree on a likely route to realistically ending those two either, but I hope you can understand where I'm coming from.

    Replies: @A123, @Yahya

    , @AP
    @Yahya

    This seems to me to be an unresolvable tragedy. The Ashkenazim are about 50% European and 50% Semitic by descent; Europe is as much of a historical homeland for them as is Palestine. But in Europe they were almost wiped out, so they settled into their other homeland, which their ancestors had left ~1800 years ago, and meanwhile has had a different population that had lived there for centuries.

    The just thing to do would have been to give the Jews East Prussia, rather than give that to the Soviets. Germany had no right to complain, and the ancient Jewish communities throughout the Middle East would probably have been left alone because there would have been no reason for Muslims to hate or fear them. Maybe Yiddish would have been kept as an official language of this Jewish state on the Baltic. Though I can see how the survivors of the Holocaust would have wanted to move to a place completely different from the one where they has been exterminated. Too bad there were no German-inhabited colonies somewhere warm where a homeland could have been created. Italy was a German ally, but wasn't complicit enough in the Holocaust to deserve the loss and ethnic cleansing of one of its provinces to provide a Jewish homeland (even though Ashkenazim are about as Italian as they are Semitic by descent).

    As for Palestine - what was the religious layout geographically? Could a Christian, Druze and Sephardic Jewish area, a place for Christian and Jewish pilgrims, be attached to Lebanon, or was the Christian population thoroughly intermixed with the Muslim one?

    Replies: @Yahya, @Wokechoke, @A123, @Dmitry

  226. @Barbarossa
    @Greasy William

    I'm not a nationalist either, but I don't think that blood and soil are bullshit. Specificity of place and people are the fundamental building blocks of culture.

    If you excise those than what do you have left, Coca Cola and Levi's?

    Replies: @Yahya, @Greasy William

    If you excise those than what do you have left, Coca Cola and Levi’s?

    Something like that

    • Replies: @Barbarossa
    @Greasy William

    But what is the point of that? I guess just personal gratification, but that is nothing to build a civilization or society on. We have that now and it seems to suck.

    I guess if you lean libertarian than maybe you have no fundamental issue with atomization, hyper-individualism, and societal selfishness?

    To me these seem like fundamental problems and symptoms of a dysfunctional society. How do you see the libertarian/ self interested consumer model as yielding a functional society?

    Replies: @Greasy William

  227. @Yahya
    @Leaves No Shadow


    You think less than 30,000 Ukrainians have been killed, both military and civilian? It is possible, but I think it highly unlikely.
     
    Well whatever the true figure (which no-one knows), I don’t want to turn this into a pissing contest. My point is that it’s fundamentally hypocritical to say all the things LatW has said about the “tragedy suffered by Ukraine”; then turn around and endorse Israel and its policies. The numbers may differ; but the underlying principle is the same.

    Literally every Arab state would be harsher and more exploitative of their superior strength and somehow less humane.
     
    Again; just another form of whataboutism.

    It doesn’t matter what “Arab states” would or would not have done if they were in Israel's position; because a) they are not in Israel's position, so you have no basis for your conjecture other than gut instinct (so scientific and reliable a technique!) b) what "Arab states" do has no bearing on the question of justice in Palestine. Palestinians aren't responsible for the actions (real or conjectural) of other Arab states.

    But you are hardly alone among Israeli advocates to deploy this tried-and-true technique of deflecting criticism away from Israel. These whataboutisms ("But, but… the what about the Turkish genocide of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians!") are just so stupid and tiresome. Why the heck should Turkey or Saudi Arabia's actions give Israel the right to forcibly expel Palestinians from their territory? The one has no bearing on the other. It's just a duplicitous technique to deflect criticism and avoid responsibility.

    If you want to specifically say that "Palestinians would've been just as oppressive if they were in Israel's position"; the automatic and obvious response would be that Palestinians will and have never been in Israel's position; because they weren't the ones going to the shtetls in Europe to colonize and expel the European Jews there; but rather the European Jews were the ones to come to them.

    It was the Palestinians; tilling the soil and shepherding their sheep; innocently minding their business; when a group of Polish, Russian and German Jews descended upon them with the express intent of ethnically cleansing them off the land to make space for a majority Jewish state.

    Now, you could say that Jews needed a place to go after being exterminated in Europe. And that would be a reasonable position to hold. In fact that's the position I used to take just a few years ago; and about the only argument I'm willing to entertain for why Ashkenazi Jews have a right to stay in Palestine (Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews are a different topic; I'll leave that aside for now).

    I don't know if you'd believe me; but only 4 years ago you would've found me sympathetic to Israel; because while Ashkenazi Jews follow a different religion; I basically view them as culturally very similar to myself. In my behavior and interests I'm probably closer to a secular Ashkenazi Jew than I am to the average Palestinian Arab. I also used to admire the Jewish aptitude for business and scholarly interests; two activities I hold in high regard. I still do to an extent; but these considerations have taken a back seat once I started delving more into the history of the Zionist-Arab conflict.

    Simply put: Ashkenazi Jews have screwed over the Palestinians so thoroughly and deeply that I now regret having been sympathetic to Israel, or god forbid defended their actions in a moment of ignorance. The more I learnt about the topic; the more this feeling of revulsion at the injustice intensified; and just the shameless manner in which Zionist Jews propagandized the world that they were victims; when instead they were the colonizing aggressors; made me realize that I was wrong and Palestinians had it right not to trust the Jews all along.

    Probably if I was born in 1920s Palestine I would've been one of these naïve Arabs who said "let our Brother Abraham come in; they're smart and educated; and they need refuge from the carnage happening in Europe. We've been living with Sephardic Jews for millennia; no reason why the Ashkenazim would've been different". And boy would I have been naïve and wrong. The Palestinians to their credit had the Jews pegged straight all along; they just weren't capable enough to defend themselves against Zionist aggression.

    Replies: @A123, @Leaves No Shadow, @AP

    If you want to specifically say that “Palestinians would’ve been just as oppressive if they were in Israel’s position”; the automatic and obvious response would be that Palestinians will and have never been in Israel’s position;

    Of course nothing is ever 100% identical. We do know that:

    • Jordanian forces tried to ethnically cleanse Jews from the West Bank ~1947. Even now selling West Bank “Pali” land to an indigenous Palestinian Jew is punishable, possibly by execution.

    • Abbas is in the 19th year of his 4 year term. Even West Bank Muslims know he is corrupt: (1)

    according to Muhammad Rashid, Arafat’s economic and financial advisor and head of the Palestinian Investment Fund, Abbas has a net worth of over $100 million. That’s beside the wealth of his sons, who’ve amassed their personal fortunes for such things as monopolies on imported cigarettes and public works projects.

    Another PA official, former security minister Mohammed Dahlan, has claimed that $1.3b. vanished from the Palestinian Investment Fund since it was turned over to Abbas’ control in 2005.

    • Hamas has a track record of land confiscation and property destruction in Gaza: (2)

    Hamas’s ongoing efforts to raze entire villages in the Gaza Strip is seen by many Palestinians as…. part of widespread corruption in Hamas, whose leaders want to seize lands for their personal use.

    Sakallah praised social media users for shedding light on the Hamas crimes against the residents of Umm al-Nasr. “What bothered and provoked me the most was that the official spokesmen for Hamas did not issue statements,” he remarked.

    An unnamed resident of Umm al-Nasr was quoted as saying:

    “What happened is a barbaric and brutal Hamas-Iranian attack on the poor people in the Gaza Strip, who have been very patient with the killings, poverty, and hunger resulting from the policies of Hamas. The people of the Gaza Strip have paid with their blood as a result of the policies and practices of Hamas.”

    Egyptian writer Ali Rajab pointed out the hypocrisy of Hamas in dealing with the Bedouin communities in Israel and the Gaza Strip. Rajab said that while Hamas has been trying to present itself as the defender of the Bedouin citizens of Israel, it is targeting the Bedouin living under its control in the Gaza Strip by demolishing their homes and confiscating their lands.

    Do you actually believe that Hamas and Fatah would provide good governance if they had even more authoritarian power than they have now?

    One of the reasons why the Saudi proposal for Hashimite rule is so appealing. It would turf out Hamas, Fatah, PLO, and others who have a proven track record of irresponsibility.

    PEACE 😇
    __________

    (1) From 2015 — https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/No-Holds-Barred-The-10-year-klepto-dictatorship-of-Mahmoud-Abbas-386752

    (2) https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18613/palestinians-house-demolitions

  228. @Mr. Hack
    @songbird

    Large concrete fences are the norm within Phoenix between neighboring houses. It's been like this since at least the 197o's. Most enjoy the privacy that such fences provide, it's nice when you need to go outdoors quickly and you're not quite dressed up to make the trip. :-) Also, by adding a few exotic plants to your private area, it's easy to create your own botanical garden, so you don't have to miss out on any pleasant landscaping views. Tends to keep the sound levels down too. It's kind of like living in a gated community, except you don't have to pay any exorbitant fees. Property taxes within Phoenix are some of the lowest in the country.

    https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c3/b1/57/c3b15747f1ff116ab6f4236f64becb20.jpg

    Replies: @AP

    It might be pleasant in the individual homestead, but the overall effect when one drives through neighborhoods and there are just thee stone walls everywhere is unpleasant. Fortunately one can just look up and around and see beautiful mountains that change colors depending on the sun’s position.

    • Replies: @Mr. Hack
    @AP

    It does take a little getting used to. A close friend of mine had a small pool within his "gated property", actually not within Phoenix itself but in a nice nearby suburb. He had a small Ukie style vegetable garden within (cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, onions, peppers etc) and then turned his whole backyard into an arboretum of exotic cacti, citrus trees etc. He must have had several hundred plants there, that he took meticulous care of. He was a great cook too and his garden parties were a lot of fun. He passed away a few years back, and I miss him a lot and his good natured personality. His backyard was like no other ...just for him, his wife children and his close friends.

    My family in Minnesota have a large home on the banks of a large lake/river reservoir. The views from the back picture windows and veranda are quite expansive. The other side of the lake is about 1/2 mile away. The rest of the large yard is surrounded with large oak trees. All around, plenty to look at. Good thing that their neighbors are decent and helpful folks.

    Two different types of homes, within two different climate zones, and I enjoy them both.

    And don't get me started about my good friend who lives in tropical Cost Rica.....

  229. @Ivashka the fool
    @Emil Nikola Richard

    ME Arabs are good at effusive posturing. Anyway, I am annoyed by all this Semito-centric discussion.

    Replies: @AnonfromTN, @A123

    I am annoyed by all this Semito-centric discussion.

    We could return to auto racing.

    I am half way through the 24 Hours of Daytona. The Acura that did not experience problems is leading… Not surprised.

     

     

    However — The GTP specification is new and the other Acura is now multiple laps down due to mechanical issues. That should let Cadillac grab 2nd.

    PEACE 😇

    • Thanks: Ivashka the fool
  230. @songbird
    @Yahya

    In my estimation, the Euros who support Israel are generally non-racists. (And you can thank antiracism for making them that way.) Anti racists (as in true believers) would be a separate category. (And that is because they are signaling brown).

    Some number of racists might support Israel. But I believe you are really just showing your prejudice against them, if you think that the category broadly aligns out of skin color. (by definition, racists are the people most inclined to think past skin color.) Most racists seem to be anti-ZOG, where it is legal.

    As to me, I deeply resent the influence Israel has on foreign policy, as well their ability to extract resources. But I also deeply resent both sides for insisting it is the most important thing going on in the world, and my moral priorities should be in picking one side, and throwing my support behind it, when there is a snowball's chance in hell that either has my racial interests at heart.

    Greeks and Armenians were ethnically cleansed from larger territories. Where is Arab sympathy for them? Where is the sympathy for modern Europeans among Arabs other than niche commenters who probably make bank on it? In fact, I've seen one wealthy Arab finance some real nasty propaganda video that they showed on public television here. Many Jews were on his payroll.

    Replies: @Yahya

    But I believe you are really just showing your prejudice against them, if you think that the category broadly aligns out of skin color.

    You have reading comprehension problems. I never mentioned skin color; because a) that’s not the primary basis for race, b) I am not an American ignoramus who thinks Israelis are “white” and Palestinians “brown”. Israelis are lighter on average; but there’s significant overlap in skin color between Israelis and Palestinians.

    Also you are doing that thing again where you conflate my criticisms of individuals like LatW with a broader criticism of “racists” as a group. While I do not like racists and don’t mind criticizing them; that wasn’t my intention in that specific post. I don’t know what their views are on the Israeli-Palestine conflict; or if they have a consistent one either. You simply misinterpreted me.

    and my moral priorities should be in picking one side, and throwing my support behind it,

    I don’t fault you for not taking sides in the Israel-Palestine conflict. In fact I commend you for it. My beef is with the likes of LatW who endorse Israel; especially if they hypocritically view Russian behavior vis-a-vis Ukraine as the worst thing to happen since Hitler; but see Israel’s similar (except more successful) behavior as something worthy or admirable.

    But there’s nothing wrong with being neutral in any particular conflict. No-one is obligated to opine on each and every issue around the globe. But if you’re going to express an opinion; it’s good to be consistent in your views.

    Greeks and Armenians were ethnically cleansed from larger territories. Where is Arab sympathy for them?

    Well Arab countries took in Armenian refugees during the genocide. Many of the survivors fled to the Northern parts of Syria around Aleppo; and some of their descendants are still there and in Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon. Interestingly they are disproportionately represented in music and television (Lena Chemamyan, Julia Boutros, Seta Hagopian etc.). There’s this one Iraqi-Armenian called Beatrice Ohanessian who was the first concert pianist in Iraq:

    I once read a book called “An Egyptian Soldier” by an Armenian who had been drafted during the Egyptian-Israeli conflict. He described the misery he endured serving in the Egyptian army; to which he felt no loyalty to. He tried to explain to his officers that he is a foreigner and should be exempted from service; but they were in need of educated soldiers. He eventually immigrated to Canada where he wrote the book basically shitting on Egypt and the army. I was kind of irritated that he didn’t say anything nice about Egypt even though it granted his family shelter from the genocide. But perhaps he had reason for feeling resentful. The Armenian president has expressed gratitude on behalf of Armenians on the anniversary of the genocide though:

    The most memorable book I’ve read on this topic is called Martyred Armenia; authored by Faiz El-Ghusein. It’s a short eyewitness account of the genocide by a Syrian elder who was exiled to southeastern Turkey by the Ottoman authorities and witnessed the events first-hand. It was very saddening to read.

    [MORE]

    Some excerpts:

    Is it right that these imposters, who pretend to be the supports of Islam and the Khilâfat, the protectors of the Moslems, should transgress the command of God, transgress the Koran, the Traditions of the Prophet, and humanity? Truly, they have committed an act at which Islam is revolted, as well as all Moslems and all the peoples of the earth, be they Moslems, Christians, Jews, or idolators. As God lives, it is a shameful deed, the like of which has not been done by any people counting themselves as civilised.

    ———-

    Narrative of a Provincial Governor.—We were talking of the courage and good qualities of the Armenians, and the Governor of the place, who was with us, told us a singular story. He said: “According to orders, I collected all the remaining Armenians, consisting of 17 women and some children, amongst whom was a child of 3 years old, diseased, who had never been able to walk. When the butchers began slaughtering the women and the turn of the child’s mother came, he rose up on his feet and ran for a space, then falling down. We were astonished at this, and at his understanding that his mother was to be killed. A gendarme went and took hold of him, and laid him dead on his dead mother.” He also said that he had seen one of these women eating a piece of bread as she went up to the butcher, another smoking a cigarette, and that it was as though they cared nothing for death.

    ———-

    After passing the night at Sivrek we left early in the morning. As we approached Diarbekir the corpses became more numerous, and on our route we met companies of women going to Sivrek under guard of gendarmes, weary and wretched, the traces of tears and misery plain on their faces—a plight to bring tears of blood from stones, and move the compassion of beasts of prey. What, in God’s name, had these women done? Had they made war on the Turks, or killed even one of them? What was the crime of these hapless creatures, whose sole offence was that they were Armenians, skilled in the management of their homes and the training of their children, with no thought beyond the comfort of their husbands and sons, and the fulfilment of their duties towards them.

    ———-

    I ask you, O Moslems—is this to be counted as a crime? Think for a moment. What was the fault of these poor women? Was it in their being superior to the Turkish women in every respect? Even assuming that their men had merited such treatment, is it right that these women should be dealt with in a manner from which wild beasts would recoil? God has said in the Koran: “Do not load one with another’s burthens,” that is, Let not one be punished for another.

    What had these weak women done, and what had their infants done? Can the men of the Turkish Government bring forward even a feeble proof to justify their action and to convince the people of Islam, who hold that action for unlawful and reject it? No; they can find no word to say before a people whose usages are founded on justice, and their laws on wisdom and reason.

    ———-

    Children Perishing of Hunger and Thirst.—An Arab of El-Jezîra, who accompanied me on my flight from Diarbekir, told me that he had gone with a Sheikh of his tribe, men and camels, to buy grain from the sons of Ibrahim Pasha El-Mellili. On their way they saw 17 children, the eldest not more than 13 years old, dying of hunger and thirst. The Arab said: “We had with us a small water-skin and a little food. When the Sheikh saw them he wept with pity, and gave them food and water with his own hands; but what good could this small supply do to them? We reflected that if we took them with us to the Pasha, they would be killed, as the Kurds were killing all Armenians by order of the authorities; and our Arabs were at five days’ distance from the place. So we had no choice but to leave them to the mercy of God, and on our return, a week later, we found them all dead.”

    ———-

    • Agree: Yevardian
    • Replies: @songbird
    @Yahya


    My beef is with the likes of LatW who endorse Israel
     
    I think it is more a rhetorical thing with nationalists. (i.e. not that they admire it directly but that Israel doesn't cuck, and they admire that - though I think Dmitry would say that it does on some levels.)

    Honestly, don't know what it would be like it Zionists reciprocated, but they don't. The most pro-European among them (rare individuals) seem to insist that the rights of Europeans are only actualized because of the Holocaust. (That is, the example of the Holocaust justifies why someone would not want to become a minority) It is pretty grating.

    Thanks, for the excerpt.

    Replies: @Yahya

  231. @Yahya
    @Leaves No Shadow


    You think less than 30,000 Ukrainians have been killed, both military and civilian? It is possible, but I think it highly unlikely.
     
    Well whatever the true figure (which no-one knows), I don’t want to turn this into a pissing contest. My point is that it’s fundamentally hypocritical to say all the things LatW has said about the “tragedy suffered by Ukraine”; then turn around and endorse Israel and its policies. The numbers may differ; but the underlying principle is the same.

    Literally every Arab state would be harsher and more exploitative of their superior strength and somehow less humane.
     
    Again; just another form of whataboutism.

    It doesn’t matter what “Arab states” would or would not have done if they were in Israel's position; because a) they are not in Israel's position, so you have no basis for your conjecture other than gut instinct (so scientific and reliable a technique!) b) what "Arab states" do has no bearing on the question of justice in Palestine. Palestinians aren't responsible for the actions (real or conjectural) of other Arab states.

    But you are hardly alone among Israeli advocates to deploy this tried-and-true technique of deflecting criticism away from Israel. These whataboutisms ("But, but… the what about the Turkish genocide of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians!") are just so stupid and tiresome. Why the heck should Turkey or Saudi Arabia's actions give Israel the right to forcibly expel Palestinians from their territory? The one has no bearing on the other. It's just a duplicitous technique to deflect criticism and avoid responsibility.

    If you want to specifically say that "Palestinians would've been just as oppressive if they were in Israel's position"; the automatic and obvious response would be that Palestinians will and have never been in Israel's position; because they weren't the ones going to the shtetls in Europe to colonize and expel the European Jews there; but rather the European Jews were the ones to come to them.

    It was the Palestinians; tilling the soil and shepherding their sheep; innocently minding their business; when a group of Polish, Russian and German Jews descended upon them with the express intent of ethnically cleansing them off the land to make space for a majority Jewish state.

    Now, you could say that Jews needed a place to go after being exterminated in Europe. And that would be a reasonable position to hold. In fact that's the position I used to take just a few years ago; and about the only argument I'm willing to entertain for why Ashkenazi Jews have a right to stay in Palestine (Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews are a different topic; I'll leave that aside for now).

    I don't know if you'd believe me; but only 4 years ago you would've found me sympathetic to Israel; because while Ashkenazi Jews follow a different religion; I basically view them as culturally very similar to myself. In my behavior and interests I'm probably closer to a secular Ashkenazi Jew than I am to the average Palestinian Arab. I also used to admire the Jewish aptitude for business and scholarly interests; two activities I hold in high regard. I still do to an extent; but these considerations have taken a back seat once I started delving more into the history of the Zionist-Arab conflict.

    Simply put: Ashkenazi Jews have screwed over the Palestinians so thoroughly and deeply that I now regret having been sympathetic to Israel, or god forbid defended their actions in a moment of ignorance. The more I learnt about the topic; the more this feeling of revulsion at the injustice intensified; and just the shameless manner in which Zionist Jews propagandized the world that they were victims; when instead they were the colonizing aggressors; made me realize that I was wrong and Palestinians had it right not to trust the Jews all along.

    Probably if I was born in 1920s Palestine I would've been one of these naïve Arabs who said "let our Brother Abraham come in; they're smart and educated; and they need refuge from the carnage happening in Europe. We've been living with Sephardic Jews for millennia; no reason why the Ashkenazim would've been different". And boy would I have been naïve and wrong. The Palestinians to their credit had the Jews pegged straight all along; they just weren't capable enough to defend themselves against Zionist aggression.

    Replies: @A123, @Leaves No Shadow, @AP

    I see what you’ve written as a maudlin and victim-centered fantasy. It does not appeal to me. I also disagree with your points, your narrative and don’t think you addressed my previous comment in anything approaching a substantive manner.

    So, while I doubt this is how you will perceive the exchange, I won’t be dishonest with you and portray my opinion of what you’ve written in any other way.

    I’ll also add that I don’t care for historical “he said, she saids.” I prefer that people just be able to live in peace as soon as possible. War includes Israeli military occupation and it includes Palestinian terrorism. I doubt we’ll agree on a likely route to realistically ending those two either, but I hope you can understand where I’m coming from.

    • Replies: @A123
    @Leaves No Shadow


    @Yahya
    I see what you’ve written as a maudlin and victim-centered fantasy.
     
    The problem with the underlying situation is summed up by this succinct phrase:


    ================================================
        The MUSLIM cries out in pain as he strikes you!
    ================================================

    It is denial about Islam's role as the *source* of the problem. Intentionally targeting Jewish children for terrorist Jihadi violence crossed a line, and that irrevocable decision cannot be unmade.

    The original idea of Zionism was a "Nation for Jews". Decades of senseless violence by Muslims created a very different concept. The need for collective defense forged inexorable pressure yielding a "Jewish Nation". The door for amicable, neighborly coexistence is permanently closed and nailed shut by Islamic terror.


    I prefer that people just be able to live in peace as soon as possible.

     

    With the requirement of "soon" the key element of any plan has to be separation. The sides cannot fight if they cannot get at each other.

    Muslims need an honourable and financially viable way to move away from the conflict zone. New Muslim Palestine needs to be run by a reliable party, such as an appointed Egyptian or Jordanian Governor, that can suppress groups that spawned the violence and terrorism in Gaza and the West Bank.

    New Muslim Palestine would not have to exist under minimum necessary security required to protect Jewish children. Muslim youth would be able hope for a future other than dying in a perpetually losing fight.

    Yes. That is much easier to say than execute. However, it is the only option that directly & immediately offers relief.

    PEACE 😇

    , @Yahya
    @Leaves No Shadow


    I see what you’ve written as a maudlin and victim-centered fantasy. It does not appeal to me. I also disagree with your points, your narrative and don’t think you addressed my previous comment in anything approaching a substantive manner.
     
    Lol, it's you who hasn't addressed any of my points in a substantive manner; just engaging in your usual psychoanalyses and ad hominem arguments.

    I agree the Palestinian side needs to cease the terrorism; and Israel its occupation.

    But I would go further in saying that the conflict can only truly be solved if Israelis adopt the Arabic language and fuse identities with Palestinians. In effect; become real Palestinian Jews. May seem far-fetched but half the Jewish population already spoke Arabic just one generation ago. If an abrupt switch to Hebrew can be made; then the opposite is also possible.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2pOnAyF4ts&ab_channel=NetaElkayam

    Language can mean all the difference between peace and conflict.

    Replies: @Leaves No Shadow

  232. @HeavilyMarbledSteak
    @Coconuts

    As to preserving their population, there are different ways to exploit your population. I think a much better yardstick is how exploited a population is by their elite, and the Muslim world does extremely poorly in this regard.

    For instance, some not very intelligent people think the Chinese elites don't import foreigners because they are loyal to their ethnic kin. In fact, the Chinese working population is perhaps the most docile, cowed, and hardest working in the world. Consequently, they are ruthlessly exploited to enrich their elite - there is no need to import foreigners.

    I guarantee you, if in the West Whites were willing to work the Chinese 9am-9pm, 6 days a week, with weak to nonexistent protections and rights, showing extreme deference to an elite that drives around in flashy cars, parties with beautiful girls, and lives in grand mansions, then Western elites would show "ethnic loyalty".

    In the West, the average man and woman demands a level of respect, safety, and a standard of living that makes him sadly rather unattractive to an elite. This is a problem that was noted beginning in the 19th century.

    At that time, it was beginning to be noted by many commentators for instance that the Chinese can significantly "underlive" White people, who demanded a much higher standard of living, and that this was the chief Chinese advantage as workers - he'd live in appalling conditions, accept a paltry wage, was docile and acquiescent, and work long hours.

    Likewise in the Muslim world, you have an extremely wealthy elite and an exploited, impoverished, and oppressed population on a scale inconceivable in the West - this isn't "preserving the population", this is an elite enriching itself as best it can. Look at Yahya to get a sense of the sheer contempt this wealthy elite feels for it's population and the importance it places on money as a marker of status.

    Moreover, Muslim lands are not economically dynamic or attractive to outsiders, so it's hard to say what the elite would do if there was demand to immigrate and it benefited them (actually, not that hard :) )

    You may point to the Gulf Arabs as countries where exceptions to the above rule - but these are countries whose wealth depends entirely on technical expertise that the natives cannot supply. In other words, the entire native population cannot compete with outsiders whose expertise is absolutely crucial to their wealth. So if they allowed immigration on an equal basis, the elites would quickly be dominated and supplanted and a new foreign elite arise, that could easily form an alliance with the workers if they treated them better. In this scenario, it makes most sense for the elites to actually be somewhat generous to the population and form a united front.

    So I think you right wingers who see "ethnic loyalty" and don't understand the power dynamics of these countries are rather touchingly naive :)

    If you look at countries like Iran, Syria, Lebanon, even Egypt, and you see "health" - I don't know what to say, really. I think you'd have to be an authoritarian or someone with exploitative elite tendencies themselves to see something worth emulating here.

    All that being said, I'm sure there are some good things about the Muslim world today that we can learn from.

    @ Ivashka - that's a rather limited, reductionist view. Everyone has biases and attachments, and this is precisely what can lead to energetic and interesting conversations full of vitality. "Motivated reasoning" often leads to much more acute insights than "objective" reasoning.

    Moreover, people with no involvement in the region often have stronger biases and attachments on the subject than any Jew or Muslim, so I'm not sure your ethnic reductionism really makes sense :)

    Replies: @Ivashka the fool, @Coconuts

    @ Ivashka – that’s a rather limited, reductionist view. Everyone has biases and attachments, and this is precisely what can lead to energetic and interesting conversations full of vitality. “Motivated reasoning” often leads to much more acute insights than “objective” reasoning.

    Moreover, people with no involvement in the region often have stronger biases and attachments on the subject than any Jew or Muslim, so I’m not sure your ethnic reductionism really makes sense 🙂

    Cool, keep it going.

  233. @AP
    @Mr. Hack

    It might be pleasant in the individual homestead, but the overall effect when one drives through neighborhoods and there are just thee stone walls everywhere is unpleasant. Fortunately one can just look up and around and see beautiful mountains that change colors depending on the sun's position.

    Replies: @Mr. Hack

    It does take a little getting used to. A close friend of mine had a small pool within his “gated property”, actually not within Phoenix itself but in a nice nearby suburb. He had a small Ukie style vegetable garden within (cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, onions, peppers etc) and then turned his whole backyard into an arboretum of exotic cacti, citrus trees etc. He must have had several hundred plants there, that he took meticulous care of. He was a great cook too and his garden parties were a lot of fun. He passed away a few years back, and I miss him a lot and his good natured personality. His backyard was like no other …just for him, his wife children and his close friends.

    My family in Minnesota have a large home on the banks of a large lake/river reservoir. The views from the back picture windows and veranda are quite expansive. The other side of the lake is about 1/2 mile away. The rest of the large yard is surrounded with large oak trees. All around, plenty to look at. Good thing that their neighbors are decent and helpful folks.

    Two different types of homes, within two different climate zones, and I enjoy them both.

    And don’t get me started about my good friend who lives in tropical Cost Rica…..

  234. @sudden death
    @QCIC

    You seem to be operating under faulty assumption, that RF is not intensively airbombing UA, because they are sort of kindhearted, but current Kremlin ruler would be more than happy to drop plenty of dumb bombs onto electrical grid or cities insted of wasting way more pricey and rarer rocketry stocks.

    UA always had and still has more than enough reliable anti-air systems (S-300 and Buk), which would make potential RF aircraft losses entirely irreplacable with current domestic production rate capabilities.

    Even absolutely hardcore old Soviet vatnik, former USSR air force colonel Viktor Alksnis, who is supporting Zoperation and wants to drop nukes on UA, is admitting it lately and explains the causes as simply usual banal incompetence and corruption in the army, which are blossoming under Putin's everlasting rule:


    In connection with the problems of our aviation, especially strike aviation, in Ukraine, when, due to serious losses, it is practically not used in the depth of the tactical, and even more so in the operational depth of the enemy’s defense, the question arises about the use of such aviation weapons that make it possible to strike at the enemy, without entering the zone of destruction of its air defense.

    Since we have been unable to suppress the air defense of Ukraine, this is the best way to solve this problem. And in this regard, we recall precise gliding bombs, which are in service with the United States and its allies and are widely used by them in military conflicts, but we don’t seem to have them in our own service, which is puzzling.
     

    https://vk.com/id701885602?w=wall701885602_57190

    Replies: @QCIC

    Thanks for mentioning Alksnis.

    I am aware the RF has delivered many airstrikes and early on lost many aircraft. However, I also noticed they destroyed most of the Ukrainian S-300, Buk and older systems, though possibly not all that are emplaced near civilians. I doubt the Western replacement SAMs will fair much better.

    I think the RF does have fewer precision air dropped weapons and has not used them for as many strikes as the West would have in similar circumstances. I think without the lower cost precision weapons they are forced to fly riskier strikes. Is it possible the vatnik is simply lobbying for faster production of these weapons?

    This is different than the heavy bombing I mentioned. Can someone point out any heavy bombing strikes on Ukrainian targets in the last six months? I am curious about the details I may have overlooked. This would be something like at least a handful of bombers dropping a full load of bombs on some broad area target as opposed to more surgical strikes with a missile. I don’t think the Ukrainian air defenses can prevent such attacks.

    I still view the Russian air campaign in the SMO as a “kid-gloves” treatment.

    • Replies: @AnonfromTN
    @QCIC


    Can someone point out any heavy bombing strikes on Ukrainian targets in the last six months?
     
    I know only one instance, but the bombing did not last long. When “Azov” wonna-be Nazis were surrounded on the territory of Azovstal plant in Mariupol the RF started bombing that area, but stopped when it transpired that those “heroes” brought civilian hostages with them.

    Replies: @Wokechoke

  235. @china-russia-all-the-way
    @LatW

    I don't care about the wellbeing of Lithuania and I don't pretend to. Let's get that out of the way of this conversation because it is not relevant to the important point.

    The important point is there are "powerful cultural forces shaping societies and instilling core morality in the young under the influence of Washington and Brussels."

    Do you agree or reject the contention?

    Replies: @LatW

    I don’t care about the wellbeing of Lithuania and I don’t pretend to.

    I know. That’s why I asked you a rhetorical question because I saw on several ocassions that you expressed this deep concern for the racial future of that region. This is why I asked, rhetorically, what drives your deep concern for these peoples, when we never heard from you when we really needed help.

    The important point is there are “powerful cultural forces shaping societies and instilling core morality in the young under the influence of Washington and Brussels.”

    I do not agree with the categorical stance expressed here – I believe that there is quite bit of freedom and wiggle room left. Things are great in places like Lithuania and Poland right now. Life is quite good.

  236. @QCIC
    @sudden death

    Thanks for mentioning Alksnis.

    I am aware the RF has delivered many airstrikes and early on lost many aircraft. However, I also noticed they destroyed most of the Ukrainian S-300, Buk and older systems, though possibly not all that are emplaced near civilians. I doubt the Western replacement SAMs will fair much better.

    I think the RF does have fewer precision air dropped weapons and has not used them for as many strikes as the West would have in similar circumstances. I think without the lower cost precision weapons they are forced to fly riskier strikes. Is it possible the vatnik is simply lobbying for faster production of these weapons?

    This is different than the heavy bombing I mentioned. Can someone point out any heavy bombing strikes on Ukrainian targets in the last six months? I am curious about the details I may have overlooked. This would be something like at least a han