Posts by Melissa Ward

feralhawk45 said:Honestly, this whole line of thinking—that the Russians are somehow invincible or "humane" just because they haven't finished conquering all of Europe yet—really gets under my skin. It’s just more Eastern propaganda.

It seems like only the Russians believe they’re unstoppable. I mean, look at them charging toward Kyiv with just 30,000 troops, thinking they’d wrap things up in three days.

Compare that to World War II, where it took 2.5 million people three whole weeks just to take Berlin (which isn't even that much bigger!).

Complete fools...

swiftjackal11 said:That’s when the real trouble starts. You still have to win it all back. It's like when territory was seized during the North American conflicts—that's when the real fight begins.

I misspoke there. It wasn't occupied; it was liberated. 😁

redtinker39 said:But wouldn't you agree that a Marshall Plan usually happens once the dust has settled after a war? It feels like just another way to help everyone move past what happened in Lysychansk and Severodonetsk, doesn't it? I suppose that might mean those places are essentially being handed over to Russia.

Honestly, the war is pretty much wrapped up at this point. Just a few more small towns and the whole Donbas region will be under control.

silverotter72 said:I don't think it's even about the European Union. They aren't dying "for" the EU. They’re dying because some power-hungry madman launched a brutal invasion against them.

Actually, I think it's more like this: they're fighting because they made the choice to align with the European Union instead of staying under that old "Soviet Union" shadow. Only time will tell if that was actually worth the price tag.

bluemason3 said:There isn't much room for diplomacy right now when neither side seems interested in meeting halfway.

Putin is playing hardball; his demands are basically asking for total surrender, and he’s sending a low-level deputy to negotiate instead of anyone with real weight.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainians haven't been broken enough to accept losing territory.

Both sides still think they can gain leverage on the ground to improve their bargaining chips—the Russians through conquest, and the Ukrainians by draining Russian momentum, resources, and motivation via increased international support.

Until someone hits a wall—whether it's the situation on the battlefield or things falling apart internally in Russia—I don't see any chance of resolving this through talks after everything that's happened.

It’s possible that eventually, the Ukrainians will realize that dying for the sake of the EU isn't really worth the cost—especially since now that they actually have more weapons, the casualties are getting even higher.

William Anderson5 said:Did you actually listen to Putin's speech? He didn't claim they attacked because of that; he argued that Ukraine isn't even a real state, that they have no legitimate government, and that the land belongs to Russia...

It's like how certain separatist regions tried to break away from the US back in the day.

Charles Fox said:👍

Ninety percent of people are thinking like five-year-olds, yet we’re all going to feel the sting of this conflict firsthand.
Prices are climbing every single day. People are going to lose their jobs, and who knows what else is coming down the pipeline.
No war has ever yielded anything good. (Except for the profiteers.)

I wouldn't say that's quite true! Honestly, technology tends to take these massive leaps forward right during and immediately after a conflict. Look at World War II—it practically handed us nuclear energy, microwave tech, the entire semiconductor industry, jet engines, rockets, and so many other incredible breakthroughs!

Kevin Murphy7 said:The issue back then was that the US was viewed as this "renegade nation," and the opposing propaganda painted it as a brand new fascist state in Europe—something nobody would ever get behind.

To make matters worse, you had certain extremist groups using old fascist symbols leading the charge on the front lines, specific figures blowing up planes, and leaders slapping old regime patterns on the flag.

Who in their right mind in the West would support that?
That’s why you don't see those Nazi symbols in the Ukrainian ranks anymore, at least not publicly. It would only serve to validate Putin's claims about "cleansing Ukraine of fascists."

What is Ukraine, really, if not just a rebranded version of the old Soviet State? I mean, look at the facts! The Americans absolutely dismantled the USSR, much like how they tore through America. It’s wild when you think about it. One minute, you have this massive global superpower, and then suddenly, in the 90s, it’s nothing more than a total joke... at least until Putin stepped up to take charge.

Sam Martinez9 said:I have to disagree. Nuclear weapons come in all different yields and ranges, and Putin would likely use the more powerful ones to target European cities far from the Russian border. I'm thinking specifically of major cities in the United Kingdom and the European Union—essentially, cities within NATO member states.

In my view, only a madman would initiate a war like the one Putin has started, and a madman will certainly resort to nuclear weapons if he feels like it. To him, individual lives aren't the priority; his objectives are.

Targeting major cities across Europe? Once those first nuclear weapons start falling, there’s absolutely no turning back. It’s over. Period. Everyone knows that. You don't just pull that trigger unless you've been backed into a corner and it's truly your absolute last resort. It's like playing a game of high-stakes poker where you bet everything on one final, desperate hand—once the cards are on the table, the game is done!

crimsonlynx24 said:To be perfectly honest, I didn't see Putin making a move like this coming—but then again, here we are. He’s officially joined that specific group of Americans I’ve grown to despise—those who have spent years stirring the pot and inciting global chaos, from Iraq all the way through to Libya.

Anyone who has actually followed the thread of the situation in Ukraine since the Euromaidan knows exactly who has been constantly escalating things—basically egging on every neighboring country to turn against Russia. Every nation that tried to maintain some semblance of trade or reach a diplomatic agreement with Russia—both in the past and even now—has been summoned for "talks" by the big bosses over in Washington, only to walk away with absolutely nothing.

The Americans are practically rubbing their hands together at the moment. The dollar has spiked, they're raking in cash from arms sales, they finally neutralized Nord Stream, and now the European Union will be forced to buy gas from them at ten times the price. Plus, they've successfully smeared Russia across every Western media outlet, which conveniently shifts the spotlight away from the US economy and off the front pages.

Instead of the European Union maintaining decent relations with Russia and distancing itself from American and British intelligence, they’ve essentially tanked everything and reset the relationship to zero. In my view, the EU should have just told NATO to back off and focused on building a legitimate European military—though we all know the Americans would never allow that, because if they lost that leverage, their own influence would crumble.

It’s just a shame that ordinary people always end up paying the price for the political games played by idiots in the West—and now, unfortunately, due to the East as well.

I can only hope this whole mess reaches a resolution quickly before it spirals into something much, much worse...

Looking at the comments here, it honestly feels like a lot of people might actually be rooting for escalation. But think about it—any direct strike by NATO forces against Russia would pull China, India, and a whole host of other nations right into the fray, triggering a full-blown global conflict. And let's be real, a war on that scale? It doesn't end with a treaty; it ends with a nuclear winter.

briskjackal5 said:Then you just call them back five minutes later and everything is fine, right?

Just like how tracking location makes zero sense—I don't even carry my phone when I go for a run. If I need to, I can just leave it at home when I head out for groceries... or to visit family... or even just for a little stroll to a nearby town...

So? 🤔

It's precisely because it doesn't make sense; the police have to physically show up at a residence to verify if the people who are required to be there actually are. And unless we start using electronic ankle monitors or something similar, there isn't really any other (effective) way to do it.

I mean, what's the actual advantage of an ankle monitor over just using an app on a phone?

-briskjackal5

Well, for starters, you can't just leave it sitting on your nightstand or hand it off to a buddy to carry for you.

Melissa Collins3 said:Look, you could just minimize those three activities. And obviously, when you hear your phone ringing, you stop whatever you're doing and answer it...

I'm kidding, obviously. My point is to highlight how ridiculous it is to suggest they should call people on their cell phones just to verify their whereabouts. It’s just as nonsensical as trying to track them via GPS. Personally, I don't carry my phone when I go for a run; I’ll leave it at home if I need to. Same goes for when I'm grocery shopping, visiting family, or just driving to a neighboring town for a quick stroll. It simply doesn't make sense. The police have to physically show up at a residence to confirm whether the people who are supposed to be there are actually there. Until we implement electronic ankle monitors or something similar, there really isn't any other effective way to handle this.

Or maybe even tracking collars.

Gerald Thompson62 said:Why are you all just rolling over for this...? Back when my grandparents were around, everyone was absolutely disgusted by this kind of thing—yet here you are, their grandkids, following orders without question, just worrying about whether the system will grant you a permit

I’d be a hell of a lot happier if we took every single one of these posts, bundled them into an email, and blasted the government with a mountain of complaints backed by the constitution on violation of rights...

There is no state of emergency here, and there is no suspension of our rights. If they want an emergency, fine—declare it and define the rules PRECISELY, instead of this vague "this and that" approach. I’ve already got my lawsuit ready, and believe me, I am not backing down (I’ve actually won a case once before on a very similar issue).

Here’s a perfect example. A friend of mine has to travel three zones just to get to work, then he has to go to a fourth zone because that’s where his doctor is located, and then he has to head all the way to the other side of town—another two zones away—just to take care of his pets.
And guess what? He didn't get his permit to check on the animals. Now they’re going to starve, or if he doesn't get permission, they might end up dead... all because looking after dogs isn't considered a "priority." We reported it to the animal welfare group, too, but they aren't taking any responsibility either.

Write to the government.... stop stripping away our constitutional rights...
And for those of you thinking we actually need this because of some state of emergency (which hasn't been declared, by the way)...
-Just look at how many people die on the roads every year—by that logic, we should just abolish the entire auto industry and ban cars altogether.
-Look at how many people die from the flu every single year—meaning, we should just ban everything every year.
-Think about the future when stuff like this becomes more common. What exactly are you leaving behind for your kids? A legacy of mindless obedience because you didn't have the guts to defend your own rights?
-Anyone who was supposed to be in isolation should have been sent to hotels (which won't even be open this summer anyway), camps, or dorms to keep them away from homes and healthy people. But hey, it’s much easier to threaten the livelihoods of millions of people just to satisfy a few idiots...

Honestly, I can't help but wonder if things were just as bad back during the German occupation.

briskjackal5 said:Man, it’s always so easy to talk about 2% of the population "dying off" when you're assuming you won't be one of them, right?

I guess death doesn't seem so heavy when it's just a statistic.

And tell me this—if 2% is such a tiny, insignificant amount, what percentage of the American population do you think "died off" during the entire last war?

-Stipe

Speak for yourself, man. Look, any illness carries a risk of complications or even death—that's just reality. But if you're asking me whether I'd rather spend the next year or two stuck in this kind of quarantine nightmare or take a 2% gamble on potentially kicking the bucket? I'll take my chances with the latter. #BetterDeadThanTrapped

Honestly, even if that probability jumped to 20%, I'd probably make the same call. This isn't really living. Sure, being locked down might be a decent novelty for a week or two, but once you realize we could be facing this for months—maybe even years—and things are only getting worse? There isn't much to weigh there.

We’re headed toward a massive wave of suicides driven by the economic collapse and depression anyway; maybe it’ll be a mercy if the virus gets us first...

About 1% of the American population passes away every single year, so when you look at it that way, a 2% figure isn't exactly some earth-shattering anomaly.

Adam Collins4 said:What are the current infection numbers in Italy, and how many deaths have we seen so far?

Alright, let's keep this moving then—what's the actual mortality rate for the flu?

So, what's the next move then—trying to figure out which one is just a nasty case of the flu and which one is actually the Corona?

I mean, honestly, it really is just like the flu...

🤣

What kind of absolute nonsense are they pulling out of their asses just to ensure that people over 70—who are already dealing with health issues—end up dying from some random virus?

Look, I personally have family members who are well over 70, and I don't want even a single percent of this... just because some people can't seem to stay put at home.

Look, nobody truly knows the real number of infected folks over in Italy. All we really see are the numbers from those being tested—but honestly, until you test the entire population, those figures don't carry much weight. It's like a math trap; if you only test the people who end up dying, you'll end up with a 100% mortality rate!

Mentioning the Diamond Princess is actually a great point because they actually tested everyone on that ship.

Adam Collins4 said:I'm dying to know what your criteria are for being "smart" while you're busy rambling on about how this is just like the flu...

And you're totally ignoring what happened in Italy...

Man, do you even grasp that this crap has a mortality rate of up to 10% among those infected, yet here you are acting like it's just a seasonal bug...

I'm telling you, God forbid you pass this to someone close to you just because you don't have enough sense to conform... you'd be singing a much different tune then...

It's the same story with these geniuses breaking self-isolation... they think they're "too cool" to listen to anyone telling them what to do...

Just be grateful if your biggest problem ends up being that you won't see someone for a little while...

Look, stop spreading misinformation like that. What do you mean, 10% mortality? Estimates fluctuate, sure, but we’re looking at closer to 1% or even less. Most people who catch the virus breeze through it without any lasting issues, and they never even get tested, so they don't even show up in the data. And honestly, the people who do pass away are mostly folks over 70 with underlying conditions who likely would have succumbed to almost any virus anyway.
Just do a quick Google search on the Diamond Princess.

Amanda Hughes37 said:I actually told my husband... that this all went down back when we were just kids... but honestly, who’s going to stop me from tracking him down? I'll just throw on some camo, blend into the Appalachians, and disappear...🙂🙂

Awwww.😍

Look, let's be real here—shutting down local municipalities isn't exactly like securing a high-security national border. You can't just roll out thermal imaging cameras, deploy drones, and act like you've got the whole thing under control. It’s not that kind of operation! If people aren't sticking strictly to the main roads, bypassing the entire system is actually incredibly easy. It’s like trying to guard a wide-open field with just one small gate; if someone decides to take the scenic route through the woods, they're going to slip right past you. Simple as that. 🕺

restlesscyclist9 said:I think I heard Capak mention June on the local news tonight.

You heard them right!

"Nobody can pinpoint an exact date, really. We're just crossing our fingers that these positive trends hold steady and that this heatwave helps slow down the spread. Our best guess is that things could look a whole lot brighter by early June, which might finally let us start easing up on some of these restrictions"

Alex Thomas27 said:I’m with you on that. There’s actually this concept called "genetic attraction." It’s that weird pull you feel when you run into a long-lost relative. It even applies to parent-child dynamics.

The thing is, you don't perceive them as a relative; you see them as a potential partner, and the attraction is amplified because your genetic material is so compatible.

It works the exact opposite way with childhood friends. If you've known someone since you were kids, you end up seeing them more like a brother or sister. Even if you can clearly tell the difference between an actual blood relative and a friend, that feeling remains. And that goes for real siblings, too.

For example, my brother listed one of his first-grade buddies as a sibling on Facebook. Since I grew up with my twin brother and we spent every single summer vacation together until we were eleven, the idea of anything romantic happening between us is just revolting.

I really have to agree with that! Honestly, I think that’s the core "genetic" reason why there's zero spark there. It’s like trying to look at a sibling or a childhood best friend and suddenly seeing them as a romantic prospect—it just doesn't click, right? If you grew up alongside someone since you were kids, that biological switch just stays flipped to "family mode." You simply can't view them as a partner after all that time. 😁

Thomas Nelson25 said:People suppress that stuff because of the taboo... like, that whole "third cousin" rule was basically cooked up just to protect offspring health. It’s all about genetics, really. Interestingly enough, the old-school aristocracy actually did the opposite—they embraced it—but that's a whole different conversation.

I honestly feel like the whole concept of "health" in relationships doesn't mean much anymore! It’s just... it's lost its way. I mean, look around—you see plenty of perfectly healthy, stable couples out there who just can't seem to have children, right? And don't even get me started on those other connections that are built entirely on physical chemistry alone. It's all a bit skewed these days!

I honestly think we’re running into this wall because society is just too stuck in its ways. We keep clinging to these old-school moral codes inherited from our ancestors, but let's be real—holding onto those outdated values today feels about as useful as trying to practice celibacy before marriage. It's like trying to use a rotary phone in a world full of iPhones; it just doesn't fit the current rhythm of life!

Betty Morgan5 said:Hey there,

I guess I should start by listing all the good stuff in my life, because looking back, I don't really have any childhood traumas—not that I can recall, anyway—and my family is just wonderful, we all get along so well, they’re incredibly supportive, and honestly, I love spending time with them. In school and now at college, I’ve always been a top student, and socially, I’m pretty much the life of the party, I have tons of friends, though obviously just a few real ones who actually know the true me, and I think people enjoy being around me because I’m funny and easygoing, just an open book... and I’m truly grateful for all of that.
But even with all this perfection on paper, there’s this constant, restless agitation inside me that’s been there for years, and even right now, I feel like I could burst into tears for absolutely no reason at all. I wanted to write out a lot about my life here, hoping maybe someone could try to help or at least give me some perspective, because right now, I’m stuck seeing everything through my own narrow lens.

I’m 22, currently a college student.
I am brutally self-critical, like, pathologically so, and I’ve never actually felt proud of myself regardless of what I achieve. Last year, I was actually the top performer in my major, but I didn't even feel like I accomplished anything... I just feel like there’s always room for improvement, and it’s only in the last year that I’ve even tried to appreciate the present moment and realize that things can always go downhill. I’m never satisfied, especially not with how I look, and I honestly think I try to bury my insecurities about my appearance under layers of academic success.
I’m about 20 or 30 pounds overweight, which isn't a massive deal in the grand scheme of things since I'm within a "normal" range—you know, the kind of thing a lifestyle magazine might comment on—and I know if I just watched what I ate, my confidence would probably catch up with me, even though my self-esteem is currently hitting rock bottom, despite how well I hide it... but I’ve been cycling through diets for years, and once I finally hit a weight where I actually liked myself, I spiraled into so much stress and dissatisfaction that I just gained it all back.
I think, deep down, I’m using food to numb certain feelings, like the fact that I’m still really unsure about my orientation, or just the general sense of insecurity I carry about almost everything in life.

Because of this endless struggle with my weight, I’ve ended up missing out on so much—hanging out with friends, going out on the town, traveling... There’s always this nagging voice in my head telling me that if I don't look a certain way, I don't deserve to be happy, so I’ll get all dressed up for a night out, look in the mirror, feel disgusted with myself, and just cancel everything. It tells me nobody will ever want me, so why bother? That’s why I’ve never been in a relationship; I’ve had guys flirt with me, sure, but I always shut it down before anything develops because I just feel like I don't deserve it.
I don't even know the real reason why I do this to myself, but I’ve missed out on so many beautiful experiences and ended up feeling so isolated. And now, there’s this guy I actually like, mostly because he’s the complete opposite of me—he’s always smiling and just radiates this positive energy, though I have no idea if he even notices me yet, nothing has happened.
So now I’m just lying here in bed, laptop resting on me, staring at my legs and thinking about how terrible I look, and thinking about how I probably wouldn't be able to handle intimacy with anyone because I'm so unhappy with myself... I constantly feel like it’s better for people not to start a relationship with me, because as long as I’m like this, I’ll just end up bringing them down.

It drives me absolutely insane—internally, of course—when someone says something like, "Oh, you've filled out a bit," and I've dealt with those snide comments from random drunks at a bar and even from close relatives, and then even when someone tells me I look beautiful, I somehow convince myself there’s a hidden insult in it. I can take almost any sentence someone says and somehow link it back to my weight.
I have this toxic loop running in my head, and I know I have to break it, but I am just so exhausted from the dieting, the constant dissatisfaction, the loneliness, the endless responsibilities, the exams... I'm just tired of searching for that one thing that will finally make me feel at peace.
I was crying again tonight because I'm just so unhappy with myself, and now I can't even concentrate on studying for my exam; I've been biting my nails raw from the nerves, it’s just too much... something is eating me alive from the inside, and I just don't feel truly happy, and I really want to be, because isn't that supposed to be the whole point of living!?

Please, give me some advice, or just tell me how you see things.
I’m sorry if my problems seem small compared to what some of you might be going through, but this has been weighing on me for so long that I just had to see what would happen if I shared it here.

Thanks in advance! 🙂

Man, I feel this in my soul. It’s like, no matter how hard you grind or what milestones you hit, there’s always that nagging feeling that you missed the mark or could have done better. 🙂

But hey, try looking at it from a different angle! That restlessness, that constant itch of dissatisfaction? That's actually your engine. It's what pushes you to achieve way more than someone who is perfectly content sitting on the couch being happy with everything.

Betty Morgan5 said:Hey there,

I guess I should start by listing all the good stuff in my life, because looking back, I don't really have any childhood traumas—not that I can recall, anyway—and my family is just wonderful, we all get along so well, they’re incredibly supportive, and honestly, I love spending time with them. In school and now at college, I’ve always been a top student, and socially, I’m pretty much the life of the party, I have tons of friends, though obviously just a few real ones who actually know the true me, and I think people enjoy being around me because I’m funny and easygoing, just an open book... and I’m truly grateful for all of that.
But even with all this perfection on paper, there’s this constant, restless agitation inside me that’s been there for years, and even right now, I feel like I could burst into tears for absolutely no reason at all. I wanted to write out a lot about my life here, hoping maybe someone could try to help or at least give me some perspective, because right now, I’m stuck seeing everything through my own narrow lens.

I’m 22, currently a college student.
I am brutally self-critical, like, pathologically so, and I’ve never actually felt proud of myself regardless of what I achieve. Last year, I was actually the top performer in my major, but I didn't even feel like I accomplished anything... I just feel like there’s always room for improvement, and it’s only in the last year that I’ve even tried to appreciate the present moment and realize that things can always go downhill. I’m never satisfied, especially not with how I look, and I honestly think I try to bury my insecurities about my appearance under layers of academic success.
I’m about 20 or 30 pounds overweight, which isn't a massive deal in the grand scheme of things since I'm within a "normal" range—you know, the kind of thing a lifestyle magazine might comment on—and I know if I just watched what I ate, my confidence would probably catch up with me, even though my self-esteem is currently hitting rock bottom, despite how well I hide it... but I’ve been cycling through diets for years, and once I finally hit a weight where I actually liked myself, I spiraled into so much stress and dissatisfaction that I just gained it all back.
I think, deep down, I’m using food to numb certain feelings, like the fact that I’m still really unsure about my orientation, or just the general sense of insecurity I carry about almost everything in life.

Because of this endless struggle with my weight, I’ve ended up missing out on so much—hanging out with friends, going out on the town, traveling... There’s always this nagging voice in my head telling me that if I don't look a certain way, I don't deserve to be happy, so I’ll get all dressed up for a night out, look in the mirror, feel disgusted with myself, and just cancel everything. It tells me nobody will ever want me, so why bother? That’s why I’ve never been in a relationship; I’ve had guys flirt with me, sure, but I always shut it down before anything develops because I just feel like I don't deserve it.
I don't even know the real reason why I do this to myself, but I’ve missed out on so many beautiful experiences and ended up feeling so isolated. And now, there’s this guy I actually like, mostly because he’s the complete opposite of me—he’s always smiling and just radiates this positive energy, though I have no idea if he even notices me yet, nothing has happened.
So now I’m just lying here in bed, laptop resting on me, staring at my legs and thinking about how terrible I look, and thinking about how I probably wouldn't be able to handle intimacy with anyone because I'm so unhappy with myself... I constantly feel like it’s better for people not to start a relationship with me, because as long as I’m like this, I’ll just end up bringing them down.

It drives me absolutely insane—internally, of course—when someone says something like, "Oh, you've filled out a bit," and I've dealt with those snide comments from random drunks at a bar and even from close relatives, and then even when someone tells me I look beautiful, I somehow convince myself there’s a hidden insult in it. I can take almost any sentence someone says and somehow link it back to my weight.
I have this toxic loop running in my head, and I know I have to break it, but I am just so exhausted from the dieting, the constant dissatisfaction, the loneliness, the endless responsibilities, the exams... I'm just tired of searching for that one thing that will finally make me feel at peace.
I was crying again tonight because I'm just so unhappy with myself, and now I can't even concentrate on studying for my exam; I've been biting my nails raw from the nerves, it’s just too much... something is eating me alive from the inside, and I just don't feel truly happy, and I really want to be, because isn't that supposed to be the whole point of living!?

Please, give me some advice, or just tell me how you see things.
I’m sorry if my problems seem small compared to what some of you might be going through, but this has been weighing on me for so long that I just had to see what would happen if I shared it here.

Thanks in advance! 🙂

I think you're missing the mark there. The "meaning of life" isn't some universal rulebook; it's totally personal. It can be anything! And honestly? Pure, unadulterated happiness isn't necessarily the goal. 🙂

Ronald Murphy7 said:Is it even biologically plausible to fall head over heels, crash and burn, and then find oneself enamored with someone else all within a mere sixty to ninety days?

Oh, absolutely. It’s totally doable! I mean, it really just boils down to how much chemistry you have with them. In a perfect storm scenario? Honestly, it could take mere seconds before you're completely smitten.