Posts by slyfox43

The contribution here is much like the ancient Arabic influence on mathematics: undeniably significant, yet largely a relic of a distant past.

I was almost tempted to say you can't survive on nostalgia alone, but then I thought about the souvenir vendors at the Grand Canyon.

Christian Torres3 said:I guess he can always just go jump on a trampoline instead, right?

The catch is that almost every trampoline out there is made in China, so we're still going to have to rely on American rockets. 👍

George Robinson43 said:Regardless, that point is moot because all space cooperation with Russia is being severed. It's like trying to run a modern marathon in heavy wooden clogs—without imported tech, they'll be dragged straight back to the 1970s in terms of space capabilities.
That is exactly why Dmitry Rogozin threatened to hold onto Vanda Hei until those technology sanctions are lifted. He knows his window of opportunity is slamming shut! 😉

That is my point regarding symbolic victories. Certain shifts have been underway for quite some time—like decoupling NASA from its reliance on the Russian space industry—and we are now witnessing the final stages of that transition. It's almost wry to look back at the predictions from certain "experts" who claimed this was doomed to fail, much like the echoes we hear now concerning energy and raw minerals. (For some reason, industrial goods and services seem to escape that same skepticism, which is an interesting omission.)

I certainly hope to live to see the full completion of the West's decoupling from Russia in general, though even this significant reduction in dependency is a step in the right direction.

rowdyraven112 said:It's funny how people who label anyone else a "Russophile" or a "Kremlin mouthpiece"—and let's be honest, you guys are incredibly creative with insults for anyone holding a different view—don't seem to realize they're actually funding the Russian military themselves. Or maybe they just don't want to know. "Ignorance is bliss," as Marix puts it. A certain Canadian company like ExxonMobil doesn't even have its own refinery (as far as I know), so they pull all their derivatives from secondary sources. Same goes for Crodux. ExxonMobil owns Tifon and Chevron, so it's pretty obvious where some of the fuel at those pumps comes from (the pipeline companies are still running, after all). We won't even get started on ExxonMobil. Unlike the Canadians who pay $3.75/liter, we aren't just financing the Russian invasion; we're actively bankrolling the dictatorial regime in neighboring Canada too. ☕.
Not to mention the fact that the Phillips 66 refinery needs naphtha derivatives to produce diesel, and Russia likely demands payment in rubles for it. Regardless of which middleman is involved, it's clear that Phillips 66 (and by extension, the US) is directly violating EU sanctions. Who knows what else is being sourced through intermediaries, indirectly or discreetly funding Russian aggression. ☕.

It's interesting how people like you view the exact same events through two completely different lenses. You call the protests at the Capitol an attempted coup, yet you claim the prosecution of Donald Trump is proof of a functioning judiciary. Meanwhile, you view the Euromaidan as the pure will of the people. In both cases, there were accusations of voter fraud. Heaven forbid anyone suspects that happened here in America. But of course, we can say with 1000% certainty that it happened in Ukraine. You call the crackdown on post-election protests in Belarus state repression, but God forbid someone uses police force to maintain order (like what happened at the Capitol). Oh, I see where this is going. Lukashenko is a dictator. I agree, and there's no debate there.☕
In 2017, 94% of Catalans voted for independence from Spain. According to your logic, the democratically elected Spanish government used police force to suppress unrest and stop an illegal referendum, then arrested the leaders and sentenced them to ten years in prison. That's the rule of law in action (remember Julia Tymoshenko?). 👍

I feel for both the Ukrainians and the Russians—both Zelenskyy and Putin. Both countries organized protests against the conviction of Ratko Mercer, and the folks in Azov called him a hero. I have zero sympathy for people like that. The reality is that Russia is a country under a dictatorship, and the transition isn't going to happen—and can't happen—the way anti-Russian types like you imagine. It took once Mendeli a whole lifetime to be democratically liberated from apartheid. Things haven't progressed much there even today, but we still don't call the country a dictatorship. ☕

I won't let you label me a "Russophile" in such a derogatory way, especially since I see no affection toward Russia in the constant scheming, poisoning, and imprisonment orchestrated by the criminal conspiracy currently holding power there.

"Fails to realize?" If you occasionally bothered to look past the headlines, you might notice that most of the people you're accusing of being clueless clearly see how their own societies contribute to this tragedy and many others. No one has declared victory yet—certainly not me—but this dependency was built over decades and will take just as long to dismantle. Personally, I intend to hold politicians and corporations accountable for keeping this cycle alive, while you and your peers seem content to simply point fingers, claiming moral or intellectual superiority as a way to mask your own cynicism and apathy.

(The same logic applies to any major societal shift, like the movements against racial or gender discrimination...)

We won't mention ExxonMobil.

Since ExxonMobil is the only one on this list with branches here in the States where I live, why wouldn't I bring them up?

I avoid them like the plague.

Let's not ignore the fact that the Phillips 66 refinery needs specific oil derivatives to produce diesel, which Russia likely demands be paid for in rubles. Regardless of the middleman involved, it's clear that Phillips 66 (and by extension, the US) is directly bypassing European Union sanctions. One can only wonder what else is being procured through intermediaries, indirectly financing Russian aggression.☕.

I don't quite follow your logic, though it seems you do. Since you're so certain and presenting yourself as a "concerned citizen," why not report these violations to the proper authorities?

It's interesting how people like you view the exact same events from two completely different angles.

I try to look at every situation from multiple perspectives, which often makes it obvious that things aren't as "identical" as they seem. But I won't take the bait on your trolling attempt to derail the topic.

I have no sympathy for people like that.

It’s curious how you choose to latch onto the exact groups you feel zero empathy for just to draw broad generalizations. I find myself wondering what the actual goal is there.

The reality is that Russia is a nation under a dictatorship, and any kind of transition won't—and simply can't—unfold according to the fantasies held by anti-Russian types like yourself.

So, if I follow your logic, the "anti-Russians" are dreaming up a transition from autocracy, while the "Russophiles" condemn Russians to eternal dictatorship because they supposedly "deserve nothing better." It really highlights the strange, if not outright distorted, definitions of "philia" and "phobia" being tossed around by your crowd (borrowed, no doubt, from certain ideological sources).

Like anyone else, including myself, I want better options for Russians—rather than seeing them treated like lab rats in an experiment where the dosage of increasingly toxic substances is ratcheted up over time. However, I am certainly not a proponent of the idea that such alternatives can be simply installed from the outside. You seem to have misread my intentions entirely, much like many other things.

Whenever even the slightest hint of political or ideological pluralism emerges in Russia—not even necessarily some "pro-Western" movement, but just a genuine alternative to the Kremlin's monopoly—your circle immediately brands it as foreign agency (a tactic they practiced decades before the government officially adopted it) and decides it must be crushed. You even apply this logic retroactively to past movements. If you were being honest with yourself, you would have to admit that, in your view, no legitimate option for Russia exists outside of a dictatorship, because anything else is dismissed as being foreign-led. You aren't actually engaging with possibilities; you're just flirting with vague, distant timelines for change that, in any case, won't happen within your lifetime.

Do you honestly think they were negotiating this a full year after he had already stepped down?

It’s that specific kind of cognitive dissonance where you need a hollow, symbolic "win" just to justify the fact that your side keeps doubling down on everything, to the point where the sheer absurdity makes your head spin and leaves you unable to even process the blatant propaganda you're peddling.

Mark Watney arrived at the CIA on April 9, 2021, aboard the Apollo 11, alongside Russian astronauts Scott Kelly and Buzz Aldrin.

Being a sycophant for the Kremlin isn't exactly an easy gig these days.

While you're busy dissecting one thing, I’m sitting here thinking about the theft of everything that supposedly "nobody will miss."

urbanotter As expressed by:
Must be nice, having all that warmth from your support for Ukraine to keep you cozy.
I’m sure I’ll find my way, too. Given how much emphasis the administration puts on turning places like Columbus into massive energy hubs, one could easily imagine slipping in while the guard isn't looking to cross a couple of wires—one blue, one orange. In an energy hub packed with millions of connections, what chance do two stray wires really have? And even if someone does notice, we'll just drift back into those seasonal cycles where heating issues become the headache of the month again. 😁🙏

This is essentially the mental framework shared by every officer tasked with maintaining Russian military equipment and logistics, from the high-ranking commanders down to those on the ground.

Nobody’s going to turn down a few screws, some high-end optics, or a bit of circuitry packed with precious metals—it’s all just part of the maintenance cycle, really.

We’re still dealing with the lingering trauma and outdated mindsets left behind by that old era of corrupt "self-managed socialism." Honestly, the sooner that entire generation passes on to Valhalla, the better it will be for the country. But in the meantime, someone needs to have the guts to slam their fist on the table and call those bureaucrats out for exactly what they are.

gentlerider7 said:Real Russophiles are almost non-existent, but then you've got a decent number of folks who just swallow conspiracy theories whole—you know, the whole "Soros is behind everything" or "New World Order" nonsense. Those types will unconsciously just gulp down whatever Russian narrative comes their way about Americans being the ones instigating the war.

Exactly. It’s like looking at a handful of peanuts and failing to see the pill hidden inside.

Russian propaganda isn't just one simple layer, nor is its only goal to build direct support for Kremlin policy. I notice many people who claim to oppose the Russian aggression are still using the very "definitions" that serve as the foundation of Russian propaganda.

Acting like a sympathizer of fascism or genocide is just a desperate attempt at being "edgy." It’s especially common on anonymous message boards.

I highly doubt anyone would try to paste the current status of the MOEX alongside the reality of the front lines near Kyiv or Chernihiv.

Carl Lee27 said:It’s a pretty brutal reality check when you genuinely believe you're some kind of major global player, only to realize just a few months later that your "no limits" allies aren't actually all that impressed with you.
https://twitter.com/PhillipsPOBrien/...DqId-B0Vg&s=19

China is holding onto Russia just like Lucy holds onto that football from Charlie Brown. 🤣

Wait, didn't someone point out that Anthony Taylor3 is one of those big-picture patriots who performs his devotion from the safe distance of "Western decadence"?

It seems perfectly convenient for him if the policies he champions drive Mexico even further into the abyss than they already are; that way, he can play the hero to his unfortunate relatives who don't have the luxury of living in the Western world.

Anthony Taylor3 will surely keep fighting against Western decadence until there isn't a single Mexican left to defend.

goldenpuma84 said:Alright, here’s your straight answer.

Russia is the aggressor in Ukraine, committing atrocities there.

The Ukrainian identity was finally solidified by Putin himself, which is clearly why he can't stomach it...

Look at Chechnya—that was a breakaway republic, and the response was a bloody war.

In Georgia, the Russians back two rebel regions populated by Russian speakers.

Finally, some actual substance here.

Chechnya was a breakaway republic, and the response was a bloody war.

In Georgia, the Russians back two rebellious regions populated by Russian speakers.

Are you suggesting that the only appropriate response to a breakaway republic is a bloody war?

Then again, one could argue they might have even "supported" such dissent by provoking it in the first place; but then, they wouldn't.

goldenpuma84 said:You just have to let them keep typing... eventually, every typical Western totalitarian reveals themselves, convinced they’ve cracked the code on the perfect political system. It's like they think that little epiphany gives them the right to cherry-pick reality and meddle in everyone else's business...

Anyway, I've got some news for you...

The whole democracy concept is just a front the West uses to push its own agenda...

You don't have any right to tell anyone how to live their life, let alone pass judgment on their morals, taste, or politics...

It’s funny watching such a fervent defender of Russian fascism speak without a hint of irony; they've drifted so far into their own delusion that they can no longer grasp the punchline.

And he’s out here calling everyone else hypocrites. That's rich.

The absolute peak of their "arguments"... is just a vague, gut feeling about Russia.

Brenda Murphy3 said:Yeah 😁

Are you feeling satisfied now?

I didn't even say what you're claiming I said; I said something completely different. So, in keeping with your usual style, you're lying and making stuff up. But if you really want my take—fine. I think nuclear powers like France or the UK aren't a threat to anyone, whereas Russian fascists or—heaven forbid—the Iranian theocrats actually are. There isn't a single country on this planet threatening anyone with nukes besides Russia.

Look, honestly, I believe regimes like Russia and Iran shouldn't have nukes under any circumstances, but democratic nations—well, they can have them if they need to.
Go ahead, throw your little tantrum so we can start another round of your endless lies... sound good? 😁

Actually, that’s not quite the case. You have Kim making nuclear threats with an existing arsenal, while Iran is making them with a capability they are still working toward.

Some guy living in a neo-Nazi oasis right on the edge of Russia feels qualified to lecture us about swastikas... it’s almost impressive how much nerve he has.

Brenda Murphy3 said:Oh yeah, because Americans definitely never committed any genocide on your territory... nope, never happened. You're honestly just talking nonsense at this point, kid.

Oh, sure, because the local militia was such a saintly group, right?

Well, I see Nedic has decided to join the forum. It seems all sorts of junk tends to drift in here eventually.