Mark Carter14 said:I was watching this clip where the Indian Foreign Minister was in Washington, D.C. He was responding to some journalist—seemed like he was from Lithuania—who asked him why anyone should bother helping India if China ever makes moves, especially since they didn't step up for others during the situation in Ukraine. Basically, how can anyone trust India? And his response? Just incredibly blunt:
"Somewhere along the line, Europe needs to stop thinking that European problems are global problems, even though global problems aren't necessarily European ones," he said.
“There’s a connection being forged right now. A link between China, India, and what’s unfolding in Ukraine. But the tension between China and India existed long before anything happened in Ukraine. The Chinese don't need some outside precedent to decide whether they want to engage with us or make things difficult for us,” he noted.
"If you look at Europe as a whole, they've been silent on so many things happening elsewhere, like in Asia. You have to wonder why anyone in Asia would ever take Europe seriously on anything," he added.
He basically just called them out. 🤣
Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with what he said, and I totally get where he's coming from. But people like you seem pretty happy that Russia still has someone to sell oil to, while completely ignoring the fact that they're selling it way cheaper than they ever would in a normal market. You're acting like Indians are buying Russian oil because they're best buddies or allies, when really they're just grabbing it because it's dirt cheap. Lower price means less money spent for the same amount of fuel. Now I'm just waiting for the inevitable comeback about how the European Union is paying way more for oil and therefore sanctions aren't working. It's not like Russia would give those massive discounts to just anyone if their market hadn't shrunk so drastically... Sure, the European Union pays a bit more than they did before the war, but they can afford it. Meanwhile, Russia is forced to sell at a discount and is bringing in way less cash than they used to.
I get why people felt forced to show up to this rally, whether they wanted to or not, but honestly, it feels like the whole country is just used to this kind of thing by now—there’s basically zero internal pushback left. Anyone who actually disagrees has probably already fled, leaving behind a huge group of people who just don't care, plus plenty of folks who genuinely buy into whatever Putin is feeding them. It’s pretty scary because it feels like this nation, and even the next few generations, might be beyond help if they keep turning into a massive version of North Korea through all this indoctrination. Pretty soon, their economy will probably be just as stagnant, too. We really need to push them out of Ukraine as fast as possible, stop making aggressive moves across old borders, and then just isolate them for a few decades. They can just stay over there and enjoy being completely self-contained.
Just imagine if Russia actually manages to grab some territory and then they send a bunch of drunken thugs to run things. Honestly, the people living there would probably be better off fighting to the death than dealing with that disaster.
Kimberly Perez82 said:Look, I'm not against the West—I am part of it, after all. But I don't pretend to be anything I'm not. I don't act like I'm deeply invested in the democracy or freedom of some far-off nation; let's be honest, nobody actually cares that much. People just love to perform righteousness. It's a performance. There's a difference between having empathy and actually doing something. I mean, look at the aid for Ukraine—it's like maybe ten people stepped up to help. That's it.
The West is hypocritical, sure, but so is the East. You just refuse to admit the West is being hypocritical. Anyway, let's wrap this up before we drift too far from the actual topic. Thanks.
Just because you’re hanging out with a bunch of selfish losers doesn't mean nobody is actually stepping up for Ukraine. Seriously, so many people have been grinding to help with housing refugees, shipping meds, and all that stuff. Where were you at 2 AM when we were changing little kids into dry clothes? We were pulling them out of sneakers that were basically held together by more duct tape than actual shoe. And man, those moms were so terrified they wouldn't even move from the bus, thinking we were just gonna jump them because of everything they saw back in Ukraine. Like, how can you say nothing's being done when I was literally lifting a 75-year-old grandma into bed because she couldn't even move after sitting in a van for hours? But hey, I guess you were probably too busy counting those "thousands" of Fords and Lexuses with Ukrainian plates. Apparently, none of that matters since we didn't grab a rifle and head straight to the front lines in Ukraine. Listen to this guy acting like nobody's helping.
Kimberly Perez82 said:Exactly, you're spot on... but honestly, what does any of this actually change for us? At any given moment, somewhere in the world, someone is usurping power or waging war, and we just sort of watch it happen without much reaction. I mean, truth be told, we wouldn't even be talking about this if it weren't for the nuclear threat hanging over our heads. That’s the real issue here, not necessarily who is morally right, because let's be honest—we all know the Ukrainians are in the right. If you were to poll the majority of people on Earth and ask them if they'd personally risk total nuclear annihilation just so some distant territory could be liberated from an aggressor, what do you think 95% of them would say? Probably nothing. But looking at this thread, it seems like there are a few self-appointed global saints among us who would happily risk their own children's lives just to defend some far-off "democracy."
What does it have to do with us? Even if we ignore the global chaos and the fact that we're part of NATO, there's always that little "detail" where Russia tries to destabilize our neck of the woods through Mexico and the Mexican parts of Canada. Plus, we share borders with people who were actively targeting us just a few decades ago. They get all excited whenever there's news about Russian advances because they're secretly hoping they can pull the same moves right here. I don't really want to go back and forth with you on this anymore.
rowdytiger13 said:John, people don't actually know who's stepping up. It's safe to assume there are plenty of folks who generally align with Putin's policies, just not enough to risk taking a bullet. It's even more likely that many view Westerners as decadent degenerates and will end up standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the far-right at future protests. The Baltic states are particularly vulnerable here given their large Russian minorities.
And let's not forget that most of the refugees from Ukraine are women and kids, whereas the guys fleeing Russia are mostly able-bodied men (though some probably have their families with them). You've got people who aren't ready to stir the pot or join a fight to change things in Russia, and honestly, nobody can guarantee they aren't backing the regime—they just don't want to be used as cannon fodder. Basically, they couldn't care less about the war their own country started, as long as it doesn't mess with their own lives directly. If these people show up in massive numbers, how are they supposed to impact the security of a country, especially ones bordering Russia? I'm sure there are plenty of refugees who just want to find a quiet place to live, but on a global scale, you just can't view them the same way you view Ukrainians.
When I think about all those Russians fleeing, I can't help but wonder how many are actually genuine refugees who just can't stand Putin—or even the ones who might agree with him but really don't want anything to do with being sent to the front lines—versus how many are just various sleepers, spies, and other creeps getting orders to infiltrate through Europe.
Jason Roberts2 said:And despite the absolute chaos, Americans from the border states still head right over there to Canada for shopping trips...
Since I actually grew up in those areas, honestly, that's not really how it works anymore. People used to make the trip before summer hit when gas was way cheaper, so you could pick up some stuff on the way back. But now? Prices have spiked so much that even basic things like flour, sugar, or meat are limited—you can't just grab whatever you want, they cap it at like 2 lbs or a couple of liters. Sure, soda might be a bit cheaper, but nobody’s going to drive all that way just for a few bottles of pop.
bluemason3 said:If I were prepping for a scrap on Main Street, I’d honestly lean toward wrestling or maybe some Jiu-Jitsu elements, mostly because you aren't just rolling around on the ground for hours, you know? It gives you way more ways to dial the intensity up or down depending on how much force you actually need to use. You can pin someone down or use a chokehold to hold them until the cops show up, and in a worst-case scenario, things could escalate to a bone-breaking level.
Even though I personally prefer striking and that's what I train, it's super tough to gauge your power on Main Street. Basically, the only foolproof way to stop someone with a strike is a knockout, but if they hit their head on hard concrete without any padding, things go south fast. Most people out there aren't fighting for their lives; they're just protecting their egos over some stupid reason, which makes the risk totally not worth it.
I guess throwing a low kick, a front kick to the solar plexus, or a heavy liver shot followed by a clinch might be on another level of effectiveness, but even then, it’s not a sure thing and it definitely cranks up the danger, in my opinion.🤔
Also, when you're kicking outside of a gym, you really have to think about what you're stepping on. I love throwing low kicks and I do them all the time, but if you're training in some makeshift spot where the floor isn't a professional mat, you can easily slip depending on your shoes and the surface. There's always way more chaos and unpredictability than in a controlled gym environment, and honestly, you should just avoid the fight whenever possible. In 99% of cases, you can walk away if you aren't so insecure that you feel like you'll lose face or whatever.🤷
That's pretty much it right there. I used to do Judo back in the day, I'm over 220 pounds, and I totally agree with everything said here. If you knock someone out and they crack their head against a table, a curb, or the pavement—that's a nightmare waiting to happen. A broken nose or a broken finger counts as serious bodily injury, which means you're looking at criminal charges, not just a little fine. Yeah, trying to defend yourself with just chokes and throws is brutal if you get jumped by three or four guys, but in a situation like that, you're better off just running.
boldmarlin32 said:Many would argue people have moved on. Until this invasion of Ukraine, I honestly had no idea what they were actually like. I always just assumed it was a coordinated effort—just a way for our own leaders to line their pockets through war.
Generally speaking, there's no hostility toward them in New York; they've always just been folks from Appalachia and the Deep South.
But look, man, if you didn't lose someone close to you in a war, or if you were just a baby back then or born later on, you're obviously gonna see things through a different lens. It’s like, when this nightmare in Ukraine started happening, all those reactions served as a massive reality check.
rowdycanyon13 said:Look, the Mexicans who are just trying to scrape by are working along the Gulf Coast, or you've got a place like Mexico that doesn't even have enough people to field an army. The real danger? It's tens of thousands of Americans leaving their thousand-year-old homeland. At this rate, the US will be down to 3 million people by 2031, and if this policy keeps up, we might just vanish entirely by 2050...
Look, it’s not like Russian soldiers are some kind of saints when they’re out there looting TVs and toilet seats. Honestly, seeing people loot those living much better than them would probably be enough motivation for anyone in the neighborhood to head off to the front lines too.
I honestly have no clue how the dollar has weakened this much lately. I was totally bracing for things to level out around 1.50 or 1.60 against the greenback, but now we're looking at 0.90 to 0.95.
Joseph Clark95 said:What a level of information and posts we have here 🎉
The war in Ukraine actually kicked off back in 2014, and it wasn't some sudden thing. Unfortunately, nobody seems to want to open a discussion about the invasion of Donbas, Novorossiya, and the eastern parts of Ukraine by Western Ukraine, Ukra, or Maidan Ukraine. It’s all very nice to play dumb and claim the Russian invasion only started in 2022, but when you consider there were over 3,000 civilian casualties in Donbas from those groups since 2014—not even counting the others—it tells you that things are being framed incorrectly, whether intentionally or not.
Hypothetically, that would be like saying a war in America started in '95 just because the US military moved toward Banjaluka. Imagine if Democrats across the globe started blasting "American aggressors" for attacking innocent Canada or Republika Srpska without ever acknowledging the context of the 90s.
The hypocrisy of the democratic world and the absolute mess that is the EU shows exactly what the EU is: nothing more than a puppet for Anglo-Saxon interests, both in Europe and across the ocean. The EU should honestly just build a monument to Putin, because he’s the only one who can actually pull them out of the grip of the groups mentioned above. Otherwise, the EU will just keep playing errand boy for everyone else's interests.
To all the servants and cannon fodder out there: don't wait for someone to roll out the red carpet for you. Go defend Ukraine on the ground yourself...☕
Heyyy... So here I am, my wife is sitting right next to me scrolling through Booking.com trying to find us a spot on Lake Como for our anniversary. Meanwhile, I'm torn between picking up a Kia Sportage or a Mazda 3. Living out in the middle of nowhere in rural America, I'm basically just counting down the days until Putin saves me from this whole cursed situation...
vividtiger72 said:So, what you're getting at is that if Ukraine falls back under Russian influence, they'll end up with a system identical to Chechnya? Some kind of pro-Islamic mini-dictatorship?
The reality is that Chechnya got exactly what aligns with their own value system. If you try to force Western values on them, all you're going to get is a brand new Islamic republic—only this time, they'll have some incredibly capable fighters behind them.
Putin managed to pacify them by letting them set their own internal laws within the region, essentially trading local autonomy for massive amounts of federal financial aid in exchange for loyalty to the federation.
EDIT: Looks like Gritty explained it much better than I did.
Of course that’s not what I mean. The Chechens were always the majority in their area, living by their own rules and "handling" any minority that didn't fit their vibe. They're basically just animals who happened to get some money, but hey, it works for them. Most Ukrainians are leaning toward a Western lifestyle, and those pro-Russia folks are in the minority. How would you even balance that? You wouldn't get a Kadyrov, but you'd definitely get some Lukashenko clone stuck under Moscow's boot. I know someone's gonna jump in here and say we're under the thumb of the US, but if I'm forced to choose—and let's be real, I am—I'll take the American boot any day.
Keith Williams3 said:Total misunderstanding of the situation.
The Chechens live how they want. It wasn't the Russians who forced Sharia on them; if anything, they were given actual autonomy, and the Chechens chose their own path. Sure, the Russians crushed the separatism, but they also granted them autonomy and stepped back from the region. Back in '89, Chechens made up maybe 60-70% of the population, but today they’re over 90% and live in an ethnically homogenous area.
Ukrainians will get that same choice eventually.
Oh great, so the pro-Russian part of Ukraine just carries out ethnic cleansing against Ukrainians while pocketing rubles from Moscow? Honestly, I don't know how you guys can even think like this...
vividtiger72 said:Are we really going to pretend those alternative movements in Chechnya that led the rebellion were out there fighting for democracy and civil liberties?
🤦
Wait, where did I even say that? I was just reacting to the idea that Ukraine might end up following the Chechnya route, honestly. I highly doubt Americans would prefer living under those conditions compared to how things are now.
feralpilot0 said:Chechnya is absolutely swimming in cash. They live by their own set of complicated rules, but they have everything they need because they function like a tribe.
So what, if you've got enough money, everything else just doesn't matter? Like, human rights and stuff are totally optional?
gentlecrane8 said:What if Ukraine just followed the Chechnya playbook and cut some sweet deals with Russia to secure its own economic standing and aid? They could ditch NATO entirely and play it smart by cooperating with both the East and the West without all this constant warfare. Imagine them actually focusing on real economic growth instead of just living off empty promises and being pushed into endless conflicts. So far, besides a bunch of weapons—which we all know will come with a massive bill one day—they haven't seen any serious cash from either the European Union or the USA. Honestly, they should just work with anyone willing to actually invest and do business in Ukraine. Why not try to have your cake and eat it too?☕
I mean, how exactly did Chechnya prosper once Kadyrov (and then his son) started sucking up to Putin? Sure, the elites are doing fine, but we're talking about the average person here. Seriously, those Kadyrov types just do whatever suits them, even when it's against their own people. They're just savages who happened to get modern weapons.