Posts by Kimberly Perez82

electrichawk94 said:Then show me the receipts. You're talking about joining NATO like it's some local senior citizens' chess club. 😁

Typical move—acting like you've got all the facts while the rest of us are just clueless. 😁

You really are a sweetheart, aren't you? Too lazy to even look it up yourself. 🙂 Just check Wikipedia, copy-paste it, or Google it just to make sure I didn't just pull this out of thin air.

"At the June 2021 Brussels summit, NATO leaders reiterated the decision taken at the 2008 Bucharest summit that Ukraine would become a member of the Alliance with the NATO MAP as an integral part of the process and Ukraine's right to determine its own future and foreign policy course without outside interference."

So, look—ever since NATO Bucharest 2008, when Putin was also around, he’s been incredibly blunt about not allowing Ukraine into NATO because he views it as an act of aggression against Russia. This isn't news; people have known this for fifteen years now. Yet, here we are, seeing the exact same agenda being pushed just like it was back in 2008. It's baffling. Either they are being willfully ignorant, or they simply didn't believe Putin, even though he was crystal clear. Honestly, if you ask them, I don't think even they actually know why they're pushing so hard to get Ukraine into NATO in the first place.

stormyangler32 said:But... wait... isn't that your whole principle right there?

I just don't buy into the idea that Person A gets to do things that Person B is forbidden from doing.

Or do your "principles" only apply when you're looking out for your pro-Russia buddies? I really hope the mods clear you out soon, but until then, welcome to my troll list.

Why does everyone insist on this constant grouping into camps? It’s such an exhausting habit. Personally, I refuse to be pigeonholed into any single faction. We have spent far too much time being shoved into other people's boxes, and frankly, it hasn't worked out well for us—not once. It always ends in disappointment. Now, perhaps if we could just take a breath and look at things through a more realistic lens... maybe focus on our own national interests instead of getting caught up in someone else's agenda, we might actually get somewhere.

hollowdriver13 said:Do you mean "done deal" in the sense of how things stalled out in 2008 when Germany blocked the whole accession process and nothing has actually moved since?
Can you elaborate a bit on what you mean by it being a "done deal"?

I don't believe you're fully up to speed on this, and with all due respect, I really don't have the bandwidth to act as your personal tutor here. My main point—which I feel quite strongly about—is that while we must condemn aggression just as we would any other violation of sovereignty, we also have to understand the chain of cause and effect if we ever hope to prevent this from happening again. This time around, Europe charged into this situation like an unsuspecting maid walking into a trap, and frankly, there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.

Gregory Ramos3 said:Like, why does the US get to be in NATO while Ukraine doesn't? ☕

Look, I really can't stand it when people just refuse to see how they're basically shooting themselves in the foot, so I'm probably gonna have to add you to my ignore list along with the rest of them. 👋

It really comes down to geography and the delicate balance of power, you see. It’s about proximity. You can't just have Russia setting up launch sites right on the doorstep of America—just like how Cuba isn't allowed to install Russian missile ramps, and we don't let Taiwan host American ones either. I mean, Taiwan could have been part of NATO ages ago, but obviously, that's a massive geopolitical headache that everyone understands is off the table.

hollowdriver13 said:And did Ukraine install NATO bases on their territory?
I mean, sure, you could try to prove that, but you'd need more than just vibes to back that up...

Honestly, I think we really need to do a bit more digging and stay better informed. If you look back over the last 15 years, there’s been such a massive amount of statements from Western officials—I mean, plenty of them—basically saying that getting Ukraine into NATO was an absolute certainty. And this was happening even while Putin was making those warnings back then about how he wouldn't allow it. So, if you ask me, both sides were moving toward this intentionally, just following their own specific agendas.

darkwolf20 said:It is painfully obvious that you and a handful of other bottom-feeders here are struggling to face reality.
One has to wonder what kind of twisted, hateful mindset leads someone to consciously and deliberately support an invasion of a sovereign nation.
Save these tired NATO conspiracy theories for the drunks loitering outside a dive bar after a few cheap beers.

Look, nobody here is actually justifying an attack on anyone; we are simply dissecting the broader context of causes and consequences so we might actually find some viable solutions. You can choose to believe in NATO as if it were some kind of charitable non-profit organization for all I care—to each their own. Personally? I don't put my faith in either side.

Melissa Rivera5 said:Ukrainian politics is an internal matter for them. That's not some valid excuse for Kremlin-backed Nazis to invade and annex parts of a sovereign nation and threaten something as horrific as a holocaust.

Well, if we’re going by that logic, then why on earth shouldn't Cuba be allowed to set up Russian missile bases on their own soil? I mean, if everything is just "internal business," then fine. But let's not walk around here with these double standards—it really doesn't sit right with me. If I recall my history correctly, that whole first missile crisis was sparked specifically because of how the USA was moving its own missile bases closer to the USSR. It's all connected.

Gerald Torres84 said:Wait, so Ukrainians aren't even allowed to decide their own fate? They have to ask Russia for permission on everything?
This is quite simply an act of aggression and the violent seizure of territory from Ukraine. There is no involvement by NATO, nor Nazis, nor Americans, nor Masons, nor aliens. Those are merely various excuses being fed to sheep by Eastern propaganda.
The primary objective is very straightforward: the theft of land and resources.

With all due respect, that isn't the truth, though you might be acting a bit naive there. Putin has never explicitly stated a desire to annex all of Ukraine; his stated goal was merely to prevent them from joining NATO. As the conflict escalated, they seized certain pro-Russian areas to cripple how Ukraine functions, but no one is claiming they intend to occupy the entire nation—you just can't do that with only 200,000 soldiers. We really need to look at this realistically, because drawing the wrong conclusions leads to the wrong solutions. And what is the West doing? They are just fueling the fire, led by Zelenskyy, who refuses to entertain any kind of compromise.

electrichawk94 said:Who started it? It was fine when Russia was just greasing palms and pushing their own agenda in Ukraine, but suddenly it’s an issue once other players start pushing their interests there too. One thing is crystal clear: Ukrainians wanted to head West. That's really the only part that matters.

Well, damn, talk about bad luck. It's just how it goes—it's like how Cubans wanted Soviet communism and things didn't pan out that way either. Honestly, it’s just naive to expect any nuclear superpower to sit idly by while someone else plays games right on their doorstep. Just look at how aggressive China gets whenever anyone touches their backyard. All of this is completely predictable, and we have to respect that reality, whether we're talking about the USA, Russia, or China. Besides, Ukrainian politics hasn't been exactly innocent, not since that coup happened. Of course, you have to feel for the people, but unfortunately, it's always the citizens who end up paying the price.

Pelagus said:First off, Ukraine is a sovereign, independent nation. They can join an alliance with Angola, Antigua, or Barbuda, or they can join NATO—honestly, nobody should have any right to tell them otherwise.

Look, in those little picture books where everything works out perfectly, sure, anything is possible. But this is the real world. Real life doesn't work like that. It’s just not how it works. It’s like how Russia couldn't just go and set up missile silos in Cuba. To Russia, Ukraine is exactly what Cuba is to America. If someone can't see that, then they’re clearly having a hard time grasping reality. I remember reading about Cold War tensions once, and it really hit home how much geography dictates everything. It’s simple. If someone tells you, "You can go anywhere you want, just not right in front of my door," then you have two choices: you either accept that to maintain peace, or you deliberately provoke a war. So, I ask you... what is even the point of Ukraine joining NATO? Is there actually one single good reason to do it?

James Phillips92 said:There’s such a thing as a professional military—people join those ranks voluntarily. And look, no defensive war is "senseless." What's truly senseless is the conquest and looting happening under Russia's leadership.

Alright, let's strip all this away and get down to the brass tacks—who actually cooked up this whole mess? And more importantly, why? If we really want to find the truth, we'll stumble upon it pretty quickly if we just look straight at it.

Gerald Torres84 said:Here we go again... I was honestly wondering when the "whataboutism" would start up again, and wouldn't you know it, within five minutes you've started a whole new series.
Is this a thread about Ukraine or Iraq? There is already a specific thread for Iraq where you can go vent about bad Americans.
So, you don't believe that a shopping center in Ukraine was targeted and civilians were killed? You don't trust Western media, you don't trust Ukrainian media, and you don't even trust Russian media... you claim to believe absolutely nobody, yet here you are, poisoning the discussion with whataboutism.

Could we please try to be a little more civil? This is a direct reaction to those heart-wrenching stories that are incredibly one-sided. I really can't stand the principle where Person A is allowed to say whatever they want while Person B is shut down; it completely undermines the basic sense of order in the world that we hopefully moved past long ago.

Pelagus said:Because the war in Ukraine is happening on such a massive scale.

First off, that isn't true. Secondly—and I say this with all sincerity—this is a conflict they essentially cooked up themselves because they played right into American ambitions, agreeing to be dragged into NATO despite very clear warnings coming out of Russia. What does Ukraine even have to do with NATO? Honestly, nothing. It’s the same story with Moldova. I truly believe Volodymyr Zelenskyy played both sides of the fence here; he initially seemed open to reaching a deal with Russia, but then, after meeting with top American officials, he switched allegiances and landed his people in a mountain of trouble. Now, they are stuck trying to pull their heads out of the fire they helped ignite. Even back in 2008, Vladimir Putin made it crystal clear that he could tolerate almost anything else, but he would never permit Ukraine to join NATO, seeing it as a red line and a direct strategic threat to Russia. Only someone who refused to understand the situation would miss that point, and we all know who that was. Of course, none of this justifies aggression—not by a long shot—but it serves as a necessary little reminder about cause and effect.

placidtiger142 said:Honestly, I’m terrified this whole thing is just gonna spiral even harder.

Word on the street is things are heating up over in Belarus—massive military movement. Plus, they’re prepping over 300k troops for a push. And don't forget, winter is right around the corner, and it looks like it's gonna be a long, brutal one.

If gas prices, inflation, and the cost of living keep spiking like this, people across Europe are gonna flip. Support for the US and NATO jumping into the fight could skyrocket because, let's be real, Westerners love their comfort. They'll eventually be like, "Yeah, fine, let's just send NATO in, wrap this up in two or three months, and get everything back to normal."

But here's the thing—even NATO can't just "fast-track" a war. It’ll probably end before NATO even steps in. Because if they do? If NATO gets involved, Russia goes full general mobilization, and then we're looking at a war that drags on for years. That’s when Europe truly falls into the absolute shit.

I mean, obviously, I hope none of this actually happens. I’m praying some kind of peace deal gets struck and this whole mess wraps up before the year is out...

Sent from my iPhone 13 via Reddit

Oh, come on, 300,000? Who on earth is actually going to go there? You think the Czechs or the Slovaks are just going to line up? Honestly, who can you even force into recruitment for some senseless war these days? You can dream if you want, but I don't see it happening. Let the people who stirred this whole mess up deal with it; everyone else should just stay back and watch from a distance.

Rock said:So, this reporter from the NYT showed up barely an hour ago claiming she witnessed charred remains...

I’m in Kremenchuk AT The site of The Place that was once a Walmart shopping center. 13 people are dead, 25 in the hospital. “People just burned alive,” the interior minister said. I saw a photo of a burned corpse which looked to me that the woman was writhing in agony. https://t.co/6SlBNKhrce

I mean, did she actually go to Iraq when they were shelling buildings, or did she skip that? Or maybe she went but they wouldn't let her write down what she actually saw. Honestly, who even buys into these propaganda bulletins anymore—whether they're coming from the East or the West? Some people take it so far they actually want to charge you just to read them.

The war in Ukraine is essentially a proxy fight between the USA and Russia, and honestly, it’s naive Europe that ends up footing the bill. It’s high time we shook off the influence of both Moscow and Washington, but let's be real—that's a tall order. What we're looking at instead is a slow, agonizing decline for the European Union across the board. I mean, look at the current crop of leaders; it’s hard to find many generations in European history that could rival this level of sheer incompetence. Every time I see Emmanuel Macron on my screen, I can't help but feel a wave of genuine pity for the situation. But hey, don't go thinking the EU is blameless here either. Their own lack of direction and constant tendency to cave to American predators has only made matters worse.

I just got hit with an absolutely unbelievable permanent ban—1,000 points gone—for reasons I can't even begin to fathom. All I did was make a few comparisons between Mexican policy back in the nineties and how Russia is operating today. No insults, no nothing; just pure arguments. The ban was handed down by AndrewX, and honestly, it felt like he took it personally, which is... well, it's something. Anyway, I am officially seeking an appeal. I’m not some high-frequency poster, and I’ve had this profile for over 15 years now. It feels truly absurd to be shut out like this over something so trivial.

Please forgive my lack of expertise on this particular subject, but I find myself wondering... what exactly distinguishes a modern online banking platform from using PayPal? What would be the actual advantage of one over the other? Also, is it possible to utilize it while traveling abroad?
thanks

Okay, now I'll admit this might sound a little bit silly—I'm probably just overthinking things here—but what is actually the real-world advantage of using a service like this versus just sticking with a standard bank account paired with a well-known debit card? I mean, what can I actually *do* with it that isn't already possible with a typical setup from, say, Chase or Bank of America? Aside from those flashy spending trackers and all those colorful little pie charts they show you in the app... which, honestly, feels like a total waste of time to me... what's the actual utility? Thanks

I’m looking to receive some international payments for my work, but I am honestly quite confused about how things operate over there. Is Chime registered just like any other standard bank here in the States under the oversight of the Federal Reserve, or is the account technically based in Germany, or what? And also, this whole idea regarding them being able to freeze your funds because they suspect the origin is suspicious... I mean, is that actually a thing? It seems incredibly reckless, unless I have completely misunderstood the situation. Also, where can one actually withdraw cash—is it strictly limited to an ATM? One more thing: is it possible to open an account without using a mobile phone, perhaps just through web-based online access?