Posts by James Phillips92

coastalbison6 said:Looks like another big shot just had a meltdown
https://twitter.com/Liveuamap/status...27509668876289

They really should just move their offices to the ground floor—makes things simpler.

gentlemoose57 said:Japan.

Setting aside all those bloody island-hopping battles across the Pacific.

Carol Johnson21 said:This should serve as a cautionary tale for anyone enamored by "charismatic and authoritative" leaders. It becomes painfully obvious within just a year or two of their rule: there is plenty of rhetoric and repression, but very little actual progress or tangible results. In fact, once they've finished crushing the opposition, the momentum usually hits a dead end.
So, besides this "charisma and authority"—which, let’s be honest, is mostly a sales pitch for those who don't ask questions—Putin offers nothing. He has nothing to bring to the table other than old-school KGB spy doctrine paired with a questionable moral compass.

Of course, the West knows that once Putin is gone, someone equally unhinged will take his place. This isn't just "Putin's war," despite what you see on social media or hear from Russian expats and tourists. It's clear that much of this nation suffers from a delusional sense of grandeur regarding its own power. You have this pathetic, war-addicted Russia claiming to defend "true values" against a "wicked West," while a staggering percentage of their own population is actually fleeing toward that very same West. And where else would an average Russian go?
This isn't a country built on the foundations of old democracies; it's a country with a long, dark history of various Putins. To them, a non-dictatorial leader feels entirely alien—whether we are talking about the Tsars, Stalin, or this current guy wrestling bears.

And let's be clear: the voices rising up against Putin aren't necessarily protesting the aggression itself. They are protesting the prospect of losing the war. It is pure disappointment at the idea of failure.

I'm with you on this. It reminds me of what happened back in 1991—after a string of setbacks in Mexico, the reservists started pushing back. I used to think there were plenty of reasonable people in their ranks, but that wasn't really the case. The reservists weren't rebelling because they disagreed with the invasion; they were just mad at how the military was being handled. It's the same story in Russia. They're targeting Putin because he didn't deliver the specific results he promised.

darkrider55 said:That’s exactly what they deserve—send them straight to some crash course and shove them onto the front lines as nothing more than cannon fodder.

https://twitter.com/Newsfrowned/stat...21859022651394

They'll be learning on the job.

mistyharbor13 said:So, let me try to wrap this all up. This big leader has basically managed to lose Ukraine for generations to come. He’s turned people who were once close neighbors into bitter enemies, and now look—NATO has expanded to include Sweden and Finland. Meanwhile, his military is falling apart near Kharkiv at such an alarming rate that it's actually stunning. Honestly, watching how fast things are shifting, it could turn into a total disaster for the Russians if they don't pull some divisions out of thin air. It almost feels like he's working as a Western agent

It might be worth considering a peaceful reintegration. We’re ready to offer some help with that process.

Kate Cook27 said:Are we fighting NATO soldiers, Ukrainians, lab-grown mutants, or those people spreading dark magic...?
Obviously not—Russians and Ukrainians are brothers, part of one single nation. We really need to move past how Ukrainians were treated as subhuman.

If Russians insist that Ukrainians and Russians are the same people, does that mean Russians are actually just Ukrainians?

Sandra Harris2 said:Even if it's tasteless, I really hope this is just a joke ☕

The Russians are coming to save the day—since they clearly can't handle the front lines.

rowdytiger13 said:You've got Berlusconi acting as Putin's buddy and Merkel playing the neutral party—except she's already admitted she hasn't been able to move the needle with Putin for ten straight years. Why would she suddenly be successful now?
The Ukrainians shouldn't agree to these mediators. All respect to Merkel, but she’s failed when it comes to Putin, and she’s the one who admitted it. As for Berlusconi, there's really nothing to say.
Macron would be a better bet... even if he doesn't seem like it, the man comes from the banking sector and actually knows how to negotiate, plus he isn't exactly leaning toward Putin.

Maybe if they just handed over parts of Italy and Germany to the Russians, things would finally quiet down.

wanderingmaker3 said:The EU definitely has its hands full dealing with Orbán because the guy is just straight-up unpredictable.

But when it comes to being hooked on Russian energy? Honestly, it’s pretty simple: they were just the cheapest option on the market.
+ Plus, there was massive investment poured into the infrastructure, like those pipelines.
+ And let's not forget a little bit of grease in the wheels.

Because what else are you supposed to do? Dragging gas in on tankers from Ukraine, the USA, or God knows where else is a massive headache.

For some people, Russian gas was a bargain, but for us, it wasn't.

Robert Cooper9 said:Look, my friend—just to be brief—of course nobody is against diversifying our energy sources, but to flatly dismiss legitimate concerns as "stories for the naive" is almost rude. I am all for exploring various energy options, truly—but have you ever actually been out by the Omišalj Terminal? To start with, the crew there was sourcing bottom-of-the-barrel equipment—much like that decommissioned refinery over in Urinj—which leads to nothing but headaches later on. That terminal was so incredibly noisy it was unbearable; they claimed nothing could be done about it, yet they eventually ran an emergency procurement to upgrade the gear (I actually know someone who worked on the impact studies—they were completely ignored in favor of "politics" over expertise). Once they finally upgraded the equipment, the noise levels dropped by half. Furthermore, the Gulf of Mexico region is already overburdened with various—more or less failing—energy plants, so no one can imply that our opposition is some kind of paid agenda or nonsense. If you want to suggest putting the next LNG plant in Omiš, Makarska, or Vodice... well, then you might find some real animosity toward those solutions.

I agree that we need to respect construction standards, but that doesn't mean we should be against building things altogether.

Larry Walker24 said:CNN reported that about 419,000 people fled Russia during the first half of 2022—that’s double what we saw the year before.

For the first time in recent history, more people are packing their bags to leave than are actually moving in. The U.S. Census Bureau didn't break down the specific nationalities of everyone heading out.

Usually, the country pulls in immigrants from former Soviet states. But this year, the whole trend flipped. About 369,000 people headed out to those former Soviet territories, while only 295,000 moved in. Interestingly, nearly 80,000 of them picked Ukraine as their destination.

Ever since the invasion of Ukraine kicked off in February, we've seen an exodus not just from the war zone itself, but from Russia too, according to dpa.

It’s mostly opposition folks fleeing, along with a massive wave of young, educated professionals looking for work after all the Western companies pulled out.

Huge communities have already popped up in Armenia and Georgia, mainly because it’s way easier for Russians to get through the door there.

In just the first six months, the Russian population dropped by a total of 480,000, though part of that is just due to the natural decline in population.

Word is there's quite a few of them in Mexico City.

Jessica Peterson2 said:I previously mentioned that we are dealing with a total monster—the leader of a gang of villains who personally took part in the murder of five people.
I honestly can't decide if "respecting the chain of command" is actually an asset when you're dealing with that specific breed of individual. 🤷

Trust me, someone like that respects their superior more than any sane person ever would. If the commander says to execute a prisoner, they’ll do it without blinking—but if the order is to keep them alive, you can bet that prisoner will survive and nobody will even dare look at them sideways. At the end of the day, whatever bad things that individual does, the responsibility lands squarely on the commander.

crimsoncyclist71 said:Suggesting someone acts out of interest rather than conviction isn't criticism.
As bluemason3 was trying to point out, any legitimate green party, non-profit organization, or environmental initiative should be criticizing anything that impacts the environment. If they aren't speaking up or taking action, you have every right to question their motives.

When people fight against building a Cheniere Energy terminal, you have to look at their actual reasoning. Sure, they'll spin these tales about how it'll mess with ocean temperatures or drive away certain fish species—but let’s be real, that’s just noise. Now we can see the true motivations behind their opposition to LNG.

bluemason3 said:The claim here is that "Merkelica" is footing the bill, not Russia.

Just because Russia sees certain local environmental agendas as serving their interests doesn't mean those groups are actually working for them. Sometimes interests just happen to align.

It’s like how the oil lobby benefited from Fukushima, the current tensions surrounding nuclear power, or the oil wars—it doesn't mean they orchestrated those events.

I don't follow the environmental scene closely enough to be an expert, but so far, this association has maintained a pretty positive image with the public. I wouldn't throw stones without actual evidence.

Besides, by definition, every NGO has some sort of funding source. Truly self-sufficient organizations are rare. Criticizing them for having backers is a slippery slope toward a closed-off, dictatorial way of thinking.

Are you saying an NGO can criticize whoever they want, but nobody is allowed to question them? That just moves us toward the same centralized, dictatorial mindset—where the NGO, or whoever the NGO is serving, becomes untouchable.

Jessica Peterson2 said:It’s essentially the same group of people we're talking about.
When someone cold-bloodedly executes five people, how can we possibly argue that they aren't mentally unstable? As such, they pose a massive risk to their own men—though it would be a real service to humanity if they just focused on eliminating the monsters surrounding them instead—and, most importantly, to the civilian populations living under occupation.

Back during the war here in the States in the nineties, we had former convicts serving in the military. For the most part, they were the types who were ready to fight and actually followed orders—they respected their officers.

Jessica Peterson2 said:Putin’s emissaries aren't just looking for "volunteers" among the convict population; they’re casting an even wider net, targeting the homeless and—get this—even the mentally ill!

The St. Petersburg psychiatric clinic actually posted a call on its website for volunteers to join armed units stationed at the Neva River, Kronstadt, and Pavlovsk https://theins.ru/news/254707

P.S. Just a few days ago, Putin posthumously honored Ivan Neparatov, the leader of a gang of killers who was sentenced to 25 years for murdering five people and running extortion rackets before deciding his true calling was joining the Wagner mercenaries https://theins.ru/news/254656

In hospitals within the occupied Donetsk region, representatives of the Russian occupation forces are forcibly recruiting patients and wounded individuals into the "DNR army." This forced conscription is also reportedly underway in Luhansk. https://theins.ru/news/254700

And they call this the second most powerful military in the world... quite a feat, isn't it? 🤦

Sure, prisoners can make decent soldiers, but recruiting the mentally ill? That’s usually just a recipe for endangering your own troops.

Matthew Young35 said:Seriously though... environmental groups are constantly pushing back against natural gas infrastructure projects.
But honestly, it feels a bit suspicious when people immediately start hunting for hidden agendas or pointing fingers at George Soros.

Besides, those organizations don't actually hold much sway. At this point, a random DVD from some basement dweller probably carries more influence than an eco-activist group.

Anyone who gets regular airtime in the media has influence. As far as I know, that fire department isn't in the news, but that environmental group near the Gulf of Mexico definitely is.

bluemason3 said:I couldn't track down the 2017 financial report, but honestly, it doesn't matter where the money comes from. There isn't an environmental group in America that wouldn't protest those kinds of installations on their turf, so the funding source is pretty much irrelevant.

If they didn't speak up, that’s when things would actually start looking suspicious and make you wonder if there was some hidden agenda at play.

Think of it like a football team aiming for a win; they're just doing their job, whether they're backed by billionaires from Dubai, Moscow, or Berlin. It only becomes a problem if they start throwing the game.

It’s even worse when we’re the ones footing the bill.

Matthew Young35 said:I don't see anyone actually stopping anything in this article.
It just mentions some advocacy group warning about potential consequences.

Those groups "sound the alarm," journalists just pass it along, the public swallows it whole—and in the end, politicians get a free pass for doing absolutely nothing.

Jessica Peterson2 said:Over here in Putinistan, the state-run media is having a field day, gleefully reporting that 12 out of the 16 federal states have officially run out of both the capacity and the funds to take in refugees from Ukraine.
What a pathetic excuse for human beings... it’s honestly hard to believe 🤦

Where are they supposed to go then? Alaska?