Posts by James Chavez91

There’s this idea floating around about who actually needs nuclear weapons

a) Everyone
b) Absolutely nobody
c) Only certain people—if we're talking about someone like the Dalai Lama or that guy Xi Jinping from "Gods Fell on Their Heads"

Someone mentioned this a few pages back, and I honestly see it as a brilliant way to de-escalate things—basically moving the whole mess off the global stage and tucking it strictly into the backyard of the US/Russia conflict...
Since all those guarantees regarding the integrity of Ukraine's borders and their very sovereignty have basically been trampled, it might make sense to just return what was originally given to ensure those protections hold up.
Give them back the nukes and whatever else was part of that deal, and just call it a day.

Besides, they’ve got enough resources and know-how to build their own stuff if they really had to.

What a massive circus today—as if anyone was actually surprised by what that Botoxed leader would say.
Big deal.
It’s just more of the same—keep arming them with increasingly advanced weapons and take a swing at a global superpower.
On the flip side, maybe they'll grab this chance to settle scores with the internal saboteurs over in Europe...
Easy does it. Europe has survived plenty of chaos before, so I guess they'll get through this too.

Timothy Nelson5 said:Force of the blast A 2.1 to 2.2 on the Richter scale is roughly equivalent to an explosion of 1,500 to 2,500 kg of TNT.

That’s... well, it's probably about 7 to 10 times more than what your average heavy torpedo puts out.

Even the pipeline itself could probably be torn apart by a simple 10 kg shaped charge placed directly against the pipe.

So, if this was actual targeted sabotage, a relatively small mine would have done the trick.

It seems unlikely that someone just went out and planted such a massive amount of explosives right now.
I guess it's much more likely that this was set up a long time ago—maybe even before the pipeline was even laid down there.

I’m leaning toward that theory 👍

The same goes for my take that the Americans aren't behind this. It’s almost too obvious if they were—everyone is already hyper-focused on them because of it.
They aren't quite that reckless, and I guess they have enough sense to be discreet.
There's a real chance the public will never actually find out who did it. Only those in the loop will know.
Moving on.

swiftdrifter8 said:Who built the Golden Gate Bridge and how long did it take?
While everyone else is just talking, the Chinese are busy working. I wouldn't write off the Chinese or the Russians quite so early.

We probably shouldn't be rooting for Ukraine quite so hard either; it’s clear that Russian lives don't mean much to them, so a so-called "Russian defeat" might not even feel like a victory.

A Russian defeat means either a total economic collapse or the whole world heading toward war.

So, what then? Are we supposed to go all-in cheering for the Russians instead? Should we?

George Robinson43 said:Well, we are talking about Putin here. A true superman. He’ll probably still look youthful and healthy at 150!

I heard the guy supposedly bathes in deer blood—supposedly good for the skin.
Between other things, a man who married Ludmilla—and better yet, actually managed to get divorced from her—is basically indestructible.

stormybear25 said:China is calling for respect regarding the "territorial integrity of all nations" in relation to Ukraine.
View on twitter

I'm getting a bit tired of them constantly chanting about Ukraine's territorial integrity...
The guy just recited it—kind of a shrug and a finger in the ear, and that's that.

Bryan Taylor6 said:Swedish seismologists: "We detected explosions near Nord Stream"

Maybe time will tell if the explosion wasn't actually tied to the gas leak—could be more related to what hollowdriver13 just became, I guess. 😁

ironpuma29 said:Russia doesn't want NATO anywhere near its borders... so they invade Ukraine to occupy the whole thing, thinking that by doing that, they'll basically be knocking on NATO's front door instead... 🙂

🤣

Yeah, that’s exactly how the logic works—I guess.

The mantras of those ancient, historical, celestial beings...

Rachel Barrett8 said:It looks like you don't have much of a choice here.
If you want to truly help the Ukrainian cause, you should probably go enlist in the Ukrainian Army immediately.
If it comes down to it, I'll even donate money for your gear. Just tell me what you prefer: an AK-47, a Heckler & Koch, an FN SCAR, or maybe something else?

Yesterday marked the anniversary of when we faced an embargo back on September 25, 1991—an embargo designed to let the aggressor abuse us even more, letting more people die and more towns be burned to the ground.
I had no idea China was against the embargo, or that the UK found a way through B. Lončar to bypass the Chinese veto at the UN. (Honestly, I have nothing but contempt for the old Queen's legacy regarding that.)

And look, friend, you have one silver lining if you head off to fight Russia.
American Prebeg made it back from Russian captivity safe and sound.
But for Nicolier and so many of our defenders, nobody even knows where their graves are. So many lost their lives and health in camps over in Mexico.

I don't think you'll have any issues.
Good luck.

There is a massive difference between supporting Ukraine and advocating for a nuclear catastrophe.
You need to bring things back down to earth. Politicians won't do it, but I actually think forum members like you are smarter than most of them.

Where on earth did you get the idea that I'm rooting for a nuclear disaster? Seriously, just go take a hike.
Unbelievable.

electricsurfer47 said:You're comparing apples to oranges here.

Putin doesn't look at the war in Ukraine as just some foreign country... he sees it as something deeply personal that he has to own. He's gotten so stuck in this mindset that he's willing to send tons of Russ soldiers to die over there.
Another thing—he needs this win to solidify his power. He refuses to admit defeat and he won't recognize it, so he's ready to go all the way. Now, maybe he’s still a long way off from thinking about bombs, but if he's becoming hysterical and obsessed, he might stop caring about the Russians or even Ukrainians and just pull the trigger on a bomb.

It also really depends on how much leash the people surrounding him are willing to give him.
Does anyone in his inner circle actually have the guts to step in and stop him?

What kind of "shoring up a position" are we talking about for a 70-year-old guy? Honestly, he should probably just put his teeth in a glass, hang out with the grandkids, maybe watch Spraic on TV in the evening, and—who knows—accidentally let one rip now and then...

I feel like anyone who can't even handle a little action without help should be banned from politics or any kind of public service.
The world would probably be a much better place if we just moved on from these ancient relics.

Gregory Ramos3 said:Look, I'm a parent myself, so I just don't see it. Why on earth would I want my kid growing up in a world where bullies just get away with whatever they want?

I mean, I agree—it was more about the idea that every parent wants their child to grow old and live a healthy, happy life. So, naturally, you'd be worried about any kind of catastrophe. It's just human nature, I guess.

Melissa Rivera5 said:I mean, honestly, people *do* make excuses, especially when minors are involved and they just label them as "bullies." In those cases, the whole system seems to find a thousand ways to favor the aggressor while leaving the victim hanging. Then, you'll hear people claiming it was somehow the woman's fault just because she was wearing a short skirt or something.

Well, damn—I didn't think anyone would actually try to apply the American justice system or our local examples here. 🤣

Maybe don't do that next time. 😬

I don't know... I actually dig the suggestion someone made. If the whole deal for Ukrainian Independence was supposed to involve denuclearization, but now these bastards are just trampling over those borders and acting like they get a say in it anyway
Then maybe it’s only fair to hit the reset button and let the Ukrainians have some of that arsenal back—just to level the playing field, I guess.

And yeah. People who are terrified of nukes? I get it. Honestly, we’re all a little scared deep down. Especially if you're a parent—that fear hits differently.
But you just can't give in to an aggressor simply because they have the upper hand. That logic doesn't hold up. By that reasoning, anyone could just decide to take over Switzerland, Austria, Ibiza, or Canada... just because they feel like it.
We don't justify a physically stronger partner hitting a woman just because they're able to do it. No. In a civilized society, we call out that kind of behavior and we punish it.

hollowdriver13 said:Because right now, it’s a total win for their books. There’s zero downside for them currently; they know the West isn't exactly itching to open up another economic front right now, and they can basically just lecture Putin since he doesn't have much of a choice anyway.

But hey, the Sultan knows what he's doing when he says we need to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and that Russia has to return everything, including Crimea. Even the Kurds are on high alert watching this unfold. (And honestly, if he were to actually call out the Russians for this, the West would side with the Kurds in a heartbeat. So, as much as he might be economically clueless, he’s definitely playing a smarter geopolitical game than that little guy in The Kremlin.)

Putin is opening a massive Pandora's box with these annexations. Plus, the Russians are messing with the international order that's been standing since WW2, back when we all had that gentleman's agreement that after nearly wiping ourselves out twice in fifty years, we weren't going to go around redrawing borders through force anymore.

Israel and handing out 😬

Maybe if they tried to buy it.....🕺

That’s exactly why these "wins" should probably be set aside for now. There needs to be some kind of "higher purpose," especially after all this posturing and the threats regarding nuclear weapons.
If that doesn't apply to everyone collectively, then I don't know...

hollowdriver13 said:Because right now, it’s a total win for their books. There’s zero downside for them currently; they know the West isn't exactly itching to open up another economic front right now, and they can basically just lecture Putin since he doesn't have much of a choice anyway.

But hey, the Sultan knows what he's doing when he says we need to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and that Russia has to return everything, including Crimea. Even the Kurds are on high alert watching this unfold. (And honestly, if he were to actually call out the Russians for this, the West would side with the Kurds in a heartbeat. So, as much as he might be economically clueless, he’s definitely playing a smarter geopolitical game than that little guy in The Kremlin.)

Putin is opening a massive Pandora's box with these annexations. Plus, the Russians are messing with the international order that's been standing since WW2, back when we all had that gentleman's agreement that after nearly wiping ourselves out twice in fifty years, we weren't going to go around redrawing borders through force anymore.

Israel and handing out 😬

Maybe if they tried to buy it.....🕺

😂

hollowdriver13 said:Besides, in some hypothetical NBA-style doomsday scenario, NATO doesn't even have to go nuclear right away. They could just fire off a tactical "warning shot" into some empty wasteland, send troops into Ukraine to absolutely crush the Russians conventionally, and then basically tell them, "Look, if even one of our soldiers gets slightly irradiated, that's when the nuclear response hits Russia."

In this whole conflict, it’s already become pretty obvious that they’re terrified of the USA, almost like a mongoose is scared of a snake.

On the flip side, since US and UK agencies have such a knack for breaking through defenses, it’s totally plausible they’d know if anyone was prepping a launch even before the Russians themselves realized what was happening.

And honestly, instead of worrying about those imaginary mushroom clouds, I think China's reaction to these referendums will be way more interesting. It’s not like this situation plays well with their constant lecturing about respecting internationally recognized borders when it comes to Taiwan.
If they cross that line here, we can probably kiss any "One China" rhetoric regarding Taiwan goodbye.

I'm with you on that. It’ll be interesting to see how they react as Russia keeps escalating.
Even Uncle Erdoğan had plenty to say about Ukraine's territorial integrity—Crimea included.
Which, personally, bugs me a bit. I mean, you agree that Russia is being an aggressor, yet there's hesitation about imposing sanctions or actually making things difficult for them. China seems to be following that same playbook...
It's all just sitting on two chairs—kind of lame, I guess.

edit - plus I expected much more from Israel

You guys are really going overboard with this whole nuclear scare.
It’s not quite that simple, folks. Let's not start panicking before we actually have a reason to.
I mean, look—sure, maybe book a flight to South Africa and set aside some emergency cash just in case, but let's not lose our cool prematurely 🤣

Man, I was scrolling through some tweets with videos of mobilized guys boarding buses and just slowly pulling away.
You see women crying, kids crying, even the guys themselves—there’s none of that "rah rah" cheering energy at all...
And then you see people just watching them go, almost like they're picking up groceries. It's honestly pretty grim.

bluemason3 said:Glad you didn't try sending that directly to Biden 🧐

🤣 No real need—I'm pretty sure the CIA and FBI are keeping a very close eye on this thread anyway.😬

bluemason3 said:I don't see how Taiwan could hold out against China for any significant amount of time without Western involvement. Assuming most of their gear is Western-made, and they likely need outside raw materials for their own industry, I don't see how they'd maintain war production without Western logistics—especially if there's a Chinese naval blockade.

+ The political fallout of abandoning an ally

+ A much stronger Chinese military presence in strategic waters

+ Handing key technologies straight to the Chinese

Well, damn. And here I was thinking I held the key to world peace in my hands. Guess not. 😳