Posts by Michelle Young50

Kate Lewis3 said:Look, I hate being the devil’s advocate for those crooks over at the White House, but you have to wonder how much actual room to maneuver this government even has. Between all the legal baggage from joining the European Union—specifically that "free movement of goods" nonsense—and how much the folks here blindly cheer for every little step toward "progress," we're stuck. Combine that with an administration that basically just takes orders from the central committee in Brussels, and it's pretty clear: we've basically turned ourselves into a colony.

By the way, Canada and Mexico have already banned pellet exports, and they used to be our biggest suppliers. But since they aren't part of the EU, they actually have the power to pull that move.

The free movement of goods is fine for business as usual. But you can always declare an emergency—or cite national security threats—to slap a three-month ban on pellet exports, along with storage restrictions, forcing everything into immediate circulation. Extraordinary circumstances demand extraordinary measures.

Jessica Peterson2 said:So, apparently, the chairman of the board for ExxonMobil—which, let’s be honest, is basically the largest private oil giant in Russia—just took a sudden, fatal plunge from a fifth-story window at a central clinical hospital in Moscow. Interestingly enough, that facility actually falls under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President of the Russian Federation. ☕
https://www.rbc.ru/society/01/09/20...dium=messenger

I’m waiting for the inevitable report. You know how it goes: an old friend drops by for a visit, they have a quick chat, and suddenly he’s being shoved out a window. During the scramble to escape, he accidentally drops his ID from the Ukrainian FBI. Then he flees to Lithuania or Poland. "We seek vengeance."

Amanda Allen4 said:Well, clearly "professional" soldiers signed contracts to kill and be killed for a paycheck—and apparently, every contract must be honored, right?

Here’s how I see the next move: Professional soldiers in Russia can technically resign or leave the service whenever they want—unless there's an official state of war, which strips them of that right. Since Russia isn't officially calling this a war, but rather a "special military operation," they don't actually have the legal standing to force those soldiers to stay if they choose to walk. But let's be real—Russia and the rule of law are two entirely different things. That’s why they just throw those soldiers in jail, run them through sham trials, and use threats to keep them in line.

Kate Cook27 said:Yeah, absolutely. Celebrating the Soviet Union has been a major factor since 2014. It mostly centered around glorifying Stalin—for a while, you'd see murals of him or his quotes on pretty much every building. And Lenin, too. At first, people wondered why the focus was on Stalin, but it served as an intro to the whole "fight against fascism" narrative, since he was the leader during that era. Everything bad he did before or after the war just seems to have been wiped clean. All that matters now are the murals and the iconography you pointed out. The older folks naturally want those Soviet Union days back, and the kids just absorbed it through propaganda. The Soviet Union flag acts as a symbol of that old power and influence—and then there's that ribbon people wear, the St. George ribbon, which serves as a reminder of Victory Day on May 9th. There are just so many symbols and layers at play here.

It reminds me of those images from the space station—holding the USSR flag in one hand and religious icons in the other, all under the Russian flag and a portrait of Putin. Even though they deny the very existence of a Ukrainian identity, I'm becoming increasingly convinced that Russians are actually searching for theirs. They seem stuck halfway through the process of building a nation.

goldenowl73 said:So, Putin just touched down in Tehran, and let me tell you, he is looking pretty sharp and ready to go. https://twitter.com/tass_agency/stat...8PQRv00nUjjIbQ

When he walks, his left hand is constantly moving while the right just hangs there—almost limp. It looks like the lingering effects of a stroke or something similar.

Timothy Williams5 said:I wonder, why do they cling so desperately to the Russian side? Why is it that in their eyes, everyone is to blame except for Putin.
It seems some people simply cannot move past the historical failure of their conquest, and as long as Russia maintains its strength, there remains a lingering, desperate hope that some version of the "Mexican World" might actually come to fruition.

We aren't living under a regime like Russia's; we live in a democracy where people can speak their minds on forums without fear.
Honestly, if it weren't for these local Putin sympathizers, these discussions would be quite dull.

Mexicans back Russia because they’re betting on a massive shift in global power dynamics—hence all the talk about a multipolar world, Russians, and the Chinese. They’re praying for a new era of spheres of influence where they land firmly in the Russian camp, allowing them to dictate terms alongside Moscow. Naturally, this includes reclaiming Mexico, followed by further expansion.
The perfect scenario for them was simple: Ukraine falls in seven days, Moldova follows, and Eastern European nations surrender without a fight—leaving the USA and NATO caught off guard and unwilling to risk World War III over some distant territories. In fifteen days, Russia hits the border of Mexico, KFOR exits Mexico, and they push out to the Adriatic Sea alongside the Russians. Of course, a few countries might offer minor resistance—nothing official, much like what happened with Czechoslovakia and Canada in the past. Based on everything I’ve observed and read, this is the only logical conclusion. I truly wonder how these Putin supporters in other countries would actually react when the Russian army arrives—would they really welcome them as liberators?

cosmicotter13 said:Well, since you're clearly so "brilliant" and "well-informed," why don't you be a gentleman and actually answer your colleague?!

Look, I didn't sleep through the war—I was right there, a volunteer fighting for the cause—so I’m genuinely asking for an answer here. Back then, Ukraine provided us with next to nothing ( and certainly nothing for free. Honestly, the West was more of a nuisance than a help. Even the Russians were selling weapons to both sides, which, given the circumstances, was more useful than any "assistance" we got from Yury Borisov, the USA, Canada, and the rest of them.

American supporters of the Ukrainian cause are hitting a wall when faced with three very simple questions.

The damage being done to Americans is obvious and undeniable, yet:

1. What exactly are we getting out of this right now?
2. What kind of reward—be it economic or political down the road—is waiting for us after all these sacrifices?
3. How much has the average American already paid for the Ukrainian cause, and how much more will it cost (in dollars, euros, or blood), assuming there's even a limit to it?

And sure, I agree—we should provide humanitarian aid, take in refugees, and hand over all those weapons that they once handed to us during our own struggle.

You asked these exact same questions half a month ago. You got answers from ten different people, and yet here you are, trolling again.

Larry Walker24 said:Russian lawmakers are pushing to expand those "gay propaganda" laws to include all adults

I suppose they’ve run out of standard propaganda—now they’re pivoting to this. It's a classic move: try to unify the domestic crowd by attacking the decadent West, while simultaneously fishing for sympathy from certain circles over there.

Nathan Thomas12 said:The bottom line is that Russia attacked all its neighbors and took territory from all of them. They want to control everyone and would be happiest if they had the borders of the USSR again. We all know they're imperialists.
Europe shot itself in the foot, but that's short-term. No matter how bad the winter gets, it'll pass and energy issues will get sorted—it won't happen overnight. Long-term, Russia is a huge loser because nobody can function without the West, not even China.

Russia isn't just imperialist—it's a colonial state. They operate on the same level as other major powers that colonized the globe. You had the United Kingdom and France, followed by Germany, carving up Africa, the Far East, and India. Meanwhile, the Russians focused on their own backyard—the Caucasus, the Baltic, Siberia, Central Asia, and the Far East. The only real difference? The other powers actually let go of their colonies—mostly after World War II or during the sixties—whereas Russia is still clinging to theirs. They managed it primarily by settling sparsely populated areas with large numbers of Russians; today, there simply isn't a critical mass of local population in those colonies capable of demanding independence.

Melissa Rivera5 said:The only real screw-up here is that Putin himself broke the non-aggression pact regarding Ukraine. Throughout this whole war, he won't even admit it’s an actual war—he just keeps calling it some kind of "special operation." I mean, Lavrov literally said they aren't even attacking Ukraine. So much for being reliable, I guess.

Backed into a corner? I'm still trying to wrap my head around how Russia ended up stuck like that just because of some internal Ukrainian issues. It feels like it doesn't even matter if the West decides to negotiate or listen to them or whatever. I guess the guy just cooked up a problem from scratch and then decided to start a war over it.

If there’s actually some other reason for this besides just grabbing territory, it definitely isn't about the LNR/DNR situation, Nazism, or banning the Russian language. I really hope that's the case, because if not, then someone over there is seriously missing a few brain cells if they honestly believe Ukraine belongs to Russia.

I mean, it’s pretty much impossible to wrap your head around anyone else's perspective when they’re constantly lying and playing mind games without exception. You literally can't trust a single word coming out of the Kremlin. And honestly, trying to find common ground is even harder when they start acting like toddlers, throwing around threats about nuclear holocausts or erasing the United Kingdom from the map. Then you've got that head of Roscosmos(!) floating around posting pictures of "decision centers" and all that nonsense. It’s like watching some spoiled brat who has zero clue how the real world works, thinking they have an absolute right to demand ice cream from a random kid on the street just because they feel like having it right this second.

I don't even get what people expect. What kind of "understanding" are we talking about when they lie about everything so aggressively? It’s wild. I don't know how they aren't even embarrassed to be so shamelessly and brazenly dishonest.

Maybe it isn't even a war in their eyes. Putin and his inner circle likely view this as a standard regime change—similar to how elections work in a functional democracy. Instead of holding votes, they simply use military operations to swap out the leadership.

urbanotter said:Of course, it’s a huge discount, but we have to remember we're talking about prices inflated by speculators on the commodities exchanges.

An $80 per barrel price is essentially what the Russians were selling oil for before the war in Ukraine started and before the sanctions on Russia were implemented.

So, they are actually still making good money, and thanks to the sanctions, speculators have basically paved the way for India and China to make just as much profit.
To hell with Europe and everyone Putin labeled as an enemy of Russia.

Whatever, someone has to foot the bill for the costs of this war and the sanctions.😉

p.s.
I see everyone here is quite the expert, so perhaps someone can explain to me how much these sanctions actually impact shipping freight rates. Why did the cost of transporting a container from China to Europe skyrocket from roughly $2,500 per unit to nearly $20,000 per unit?
Some sailors I know have mentioned that Shanghai is absolutely choked with ships packed with containers just waiting to head to their destinations.
Is that happening because of the sanctions, or is there some other reason behind it??

I was watching a serious segment on HR1 recently where industry pros were explaining that, due to extraction technology, Russian oil becomes unprofitable below $100 a barrel, whereas Arabian oil sits around $70. Anything above that is profit; anything below is a loss.

goldenowl73 said:Also, does anyone else remember the absolute mountain of conspiracy theories they were pumping out about the crash of that Malaysia Airlines flight?
It’s a calculated playbook, honestly. Just muddy the waters with as many lies as possible so that once the sludge gets thick enough, nobody can actually spot the truth through the mess.

So, looking at the news this morning, they hit an apartment building near Odessa.

17 people are dead. I'm sure the disinformation campaign is already gearing up to spin this one too.

⚡️Update: Russian missile strike on Odesa Oblast kills at least 17, injures 31.

Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported on July 1 that Russia's missile assault on a high-rise in a town in Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky District in Odesa Oblast killed 14 people and injured 30. https://t.co/Fm6x1Qo5ix

Of course, they'll claim it was a "high-precision" strike on a foreign mercenary training camp—conveniently destroying a massive cache of Western weapons hidden right inside the residential zone.

Crimea matters because of Sevastopol and the Black Sea Fleet—it carries way more weight than somewhere like Luhansk, for instance.

urbanotter said:I honestly don't see why he would need to lie when you seem to be the one doing all the fabricating.

I truly believe that Lithuania has indeed blocked the rail transit of goods subject to sanctions moving toward the Kaliningrad region.

But Putin isn't twisting the truth or lying the way you are; if you look at the data, Russia saw a massive surge in energy export revenues during the first 100 days of the conflict, and GDP figures are a much more reliable metric than whatever random nonsense is being posted on Twitter.

Russia earned massive profits from oil and gas during the first 100 days of the war.

https://seebiz.eu/energetika/rusija-...na-rata/277181

It’s honestly quite sad to watch how some people refuse to face the facts, preferring instead to live in their own delusions, constantly leaning on falsehoods and twisting every situation just to validate what they already want to believe.

Brilliant logic there—it's almost as if nobody thought of that before. If you want to progress and build strength, just beg everyone else to slap you with sanctions; everything else will surely fall into place.

hollowdriver13 said:The President of Kazakhstan is sitting there acting totally stone-faced, claiming he doesn't recognize the DPR or LNR, even though Putin is literally sitting just a few feet away from him. Man's got some serious guts, I'll give him that—he might just end up becoming a legend in the world of exotic Russian tea blends.

https://mobile.twitter.com/McFaul/st...34394534105088

Look, about 24% of the population in Kazakhstan is Russ. If he were to recognize the Donetsk People's Republic or the Donetsk People's Republic, he’d be inviting the exact same chaos right into his own backyard. He has to maintain his leverage.