Posts by crimsoncyclist71

darkdriver said:I guess it's just more of the same from people who get really picky about who they actually feel bad for—even when everyone involved is facing the exact same fate.

Sure. This morning I woke up and told myself: I'll feel bad for the victims in Ukraine, but not for those in Ethiopia. 😵
By tomorrow, I’ll have a new schedule. Maybe I'll mourn one group in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

Honestly, I can't believe you actually buy into the nonsense you just wrote. 🤣

darkdriver said:Maybe it's just because the news wasn't running stories about your wife's death every single day—like, multiple times a day, for months on end—the way they do with everything else.

btw, I am truly sorry for your loss.

Are you suggesting every high-profile death hits everyone with the same intensity?
I don't buy it.
Besides, you're defending someone who views Ukrainian victims—who get constant coverage—in a completely different light. Same victims, same news outlets, yet two totally different perspectives on them.

darkdriver said:Maybe it's just because the news wasn't running stories about your wife's death every single day—like, multiple times a day, for months on end—the way they do with everything else.

btw, I am truly sorry for your loss.

Thanks.

darkdriver said:If you're measuring how much someone actually cares by their post count, or even by the ripple effect those deaths cause in the world, well... I mean, it's kind of funny how some people feel totally fine calling everyone else immoral when they aren't exactly doing better themselves.

Glad to see the rest of the crew is on the same page.

That realization is going to keep me up tonight... 🤣

darkdriver said:Honestly, this PDF is such a solid confirmation of Einstein's theory of relativity and how space actually curves in the real world.
Thanks for dropping another example that proves it

I honestly don't get why you weren't affected when my wife passed away.

darkdriver said:Look, I'm not trying to play lawyer here, but...
There are literally five armed conflicts/wars going on right now with over 10,000 victims each, where things are just as bad—if not worse—than what's happening in Ukraine
How many posts have you or your little "moral police" buddies actually left on those threads?

So you're telling me it's inhumane to care about one person's suffering more than someone else's?

rowdymaker17 said:

Peace and tranquility. As stated by:
Medvedev has completely lost his grip, spiraling into a total nervous breakdown that seems to have been ongoing since this whole mess first kicked off. What strikes me most about him is the sheer inconsistency; he used to carry himself as some sort of liberal figure—if you can even find anyone truly liberal within the Russian political landscape—and seemed genuinely inclined toward the West. Now, he’s just a shell of that former persona.
His argument essentially boils down to the claim that the West is solely to blame because they harbor a deep-seated resentment toward Russians just for being Russian. He points to the sanctions hitting the average person—someone who bears absolutely no responsibility for any of this—as his primary evidence, while conveniently glossing over the fact that those sanctions were originally designed to target the oligarchs first.
The decline in living standards won't hit a Dutchman and a Romanian with the same level of impact, primarily because they aren't starting from the same baseline. The EU is planning to roll out some non-repayable grants, and the US has already seen a portion of that funding hit the books... I wonder just how much assistance is actually going to materialize.

That is complete nonsense. When sanctions are actually deployed, their primary target is always the civilian population, because the goal is to break the political will by turning the people against their leadership and inciting a civil war—which, if we are being honest, is the exact tactic the USA employs during every single one of its foreign invasions. It is a standard operating procedure exclusively for Americans and the US government. Think about it: whenever the US decides to attack a nation, what is their first move? They bomb civilians and systematically destroy the very roads needed for humanitarian aid to arrive, all to ensure the defending military is too crippled to offer any meaningful resistance.

It is honestly baffling that after all these years, they still haven't grasped the fact that such tactics only serve to drive the opposition to fight even harder. If you look at the history, there are clear patterns of failure here. Take Japan, for instance; the regime essentially crushed their own spirit by wiping entire cities and civilian populations off the map in a matter of hours simply because they couldn't handle the pressure of the Japanese invasion and were facing total collapse. Then you have the situation in Vietnam, where the strategy was exclusively to target civilians in a desperate attempt to break the resistance of the Vietnam People's Army, an action that did nothing but intensify the conflict. The same pattern repeated in Korea, where the focus remained solely on bombing civilians and civilian infrastructure to try and shatter the resolve of the Korean Army. It’s a repetitive, failed cycle.

There simply aren't any sanctions in existence that actually target the state by going after individual oligarchs, because those oligarchs happen to control the very corporations and companies where the general civilian population earns their living. Furthermore, one must consider that Ukraine signed an agreement with Russia itself—an agreement witnessed by the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and similar powers—whereby Russia was given its word and guaranteed by JAMCILI that Ukraine would adhere to the terms and avoid any breach of neutrality or disarmament. It is pure irony that Ukraine eventually decides, "To hell with it, we'll just do whatever we want," and suddenly everyone conveniently forgets who the guarantors and signatories actually were. Please, let’s not indulge in such fantasies. It is exactly like signing an employment contract with a new firm, failing to show up for work, getting fired for breaching the very contract you signed, and then having the audacity to sue the company for terminating you; only to have the company countersue you for damages caused, leaving you completely broke and destitute in the end. 🤣

The EU doesn't just hand out free money; they provide targeted funds. While they probably won't come sniffing around for the humanitarian side—think food, water, or medicine—everything else is essentially a loan, and Ukraine will have to find a way to pay that back eventually. I honestly cannot fathom how there are people walking around today thinking that trade unions or sovereign nations are some kind of charitable organizations that just toss billions at others and say, "Hey, don't worry about those billions of dollars, just enjoy them." What exactly do you think that money belongs to? Just to refresh your memory, that is taxpayer money being pulled directly from our own citizens, diverted from our domestic investments, our public sectors, and our social safety nets, only to be handed over to someone else. And make no mistake, that capital will HAVE to be returned because this isn't a gift; it’s a loan, and it comes with interest. This is nothing more than cold, hard commerce, stripped of any sort of moral compass.

Regarding the bolded portion, I find myself in agreement. Countries positioned at such a vast distance from the conflict won't feel even a ripple of the fallout, assuming there is any significant collapse to begin with.

After everything we've heard from the Russians and Putin himself since the start of this aggressive, unprovoked war, we still have people coming here to explain how Ukraine is to blame because Russia refuses to recognize them as a nation or acknowledge their right to exist.
It's amusing to read how much you embarrass yourselves with the nonsense you spout on this forum. ☕

Arthur Miller7 said:Oh, sure, they aren't "hurting" Russia—that’s what everyone says. But let’s be real here: we all pretty much expected them to buckle instantly, right? We thought sanctions would just choke off their ability to fund this whole war machine, but—surprise, surprise—that hasn't happened yet. So now everyone's whining, asking if the sanctions were even worth it. Personally? I still say they were. Even if they end up hitting us in the ass later, it's better than nothing. Without any sanctions at all, it would have been way easier for them to pull off this "special operation." My big fear is that while the sanctions are necessary, they might not actually be enough to stop this madness
In short: the sanctions are still doing their job, they just didn't produce the immediate knockout blow we wanted.

Of course they won't, and nobody ever suggested they would.
But for me, it's unthinkable to have no sanctions and just keep trading with that mafia state as if nothing is happening.
On the other hand, the claims that sanctions aren't affecting them are laughable. People throw around billions of dollars in raw material revenue to explain how that pathetic military stays afloat. But what good is all that money when you're running a mafia state?

Joshua Myers432 said:What kind of sanctions are these if they hurt us more than them? Honestly, how dense do you have to be to implement policies like this?!

The whole point of sanctions was to tank the Russian economy and force them to stop the war. I don't see that happening—not even close. We basically shot ourselves in the foot, just like I said, much to the horror of the typical American sandwich-eaters on this forum.

Just explain the logic to me. How exactly are these sanctions supposed to work against Russia?
Why didn't they just pull the trigger on sanctions ages ago? It would be a lot better for them to live under sanctions than to keep trading freely with the most developed nations on the planet. 👍

steelfox98 said:The ruble already tanked down to 57; honestly, it’s holding up much better than it did back in February.
There was all this noise about how Russia would go bankrupt by mid-April, but the reality is their revenues this year are higher than ever. Sure, sanctions hurt, but you have to ask: who actually got hit harder?
Meanwhile, over here, anyone not living off their parents' dime can see the reality—flour jumped from $6 to $3.00, oil went from $12 to $18, and gas prices are all over the place. That’s even with government intervention; without it, things would be much worse. My apologies if my math is slightly off. Inflation in the Baltic states is hitting nearly 20%.

Those of us who have been watching this long know we saw a similar pattern eight years ago. The initial shock rattled the Russians, but long-term, it actually served them. They bolstered their financial sector, stimulated domestic industry, and flipped from being net importers to one of the biggest agricultural exporters out there.

The bottom line is that in a crisis, two things matter: food and energy. We only have food, and even that depends on energy. Right now, Americans and Russians are just sitting back eating popcorn because they have both.
A textbook example: we banned fertilizer imports, yet the US specifically carved out exemptions for them in the sanctions.
It brings me back to 2014 when the US was pulling our strings (Joe Biden boasted about how he forced us to implement sanctions), while simultaneously sanctioning things that didn't even affect them. The result? Trade between the US and Russia actually increased that year. Talk about a spectacle.

So, what? We support Russian aggression just to get cheaper flour?
What’s the price of your soul? How much would the Russians have to pay us for us to pretend everything is fine?

urbanotter said:I think we really need to look closer and figure out how much of this is actually true.
In my experience, these kinds of tragedies happen in just about every single armed conflict we see on the news.
I remember hearing stories from back in the day about entire small towns being wiped out simply because they were labeled as political dissidents.
Between drone strikes, various tactical operations, and all the other ways combatants try to eliminate opposition, it would take forever to list everything that goes wrong in a war zone.

Sure, let's just verify everything... it's all fake... Russia didn't invade... 🤦

https://twitter.com/TpyxaNews/status...aA5JIHYzk6ru4w

You have no shame. Is there anything left of your humanity?
Do you honestly believe Russians are saints?

urbanotter said:

hollowdriver13 As if I haven't spent enough time reflecting on this lately, someone just pointed out that...
You’re getting way too emotional about Russia; honestly, maybe go grab a drink and just take a breather. It doesn't seem healthy to be this worked up over a country you claim not to care about, especially when all you really want is some peace and quiet. ☕

I wouldn’t say I’m an emotional person by any means; if anything, I tend to rely strictly on logic and keeping a level head in any given situation.

I honestly don't find myself getting worked up over a country that I just don't feel any particular connection to.
Forget all that media hysteria, the blatant bias, and those exhausting double standards where everyone seems to point the finger at Russia without offering a single shred of actual evidence or perspective.
I honestly find it hard to wrap my head around how much people can let their brains simply shut down like that.

I think you’ve hit on something essential there. At the end of the day, peace is really all I’m looking for. It feels like the only way to stop this cycle of destruction and prevent more lives from being lost—especially when it's usually those who had nothing to do with the conflict in the first place who pay the highest price. To truly move past this, we need genuine equality and a real, honest agreement between the powers actually pulling the strings behind the scenes.
I find myself feeling rather unsettled by this growing rift between Europe and Russia. Given that they are our neighbors, and always will be, it feels like a missed opportunity for stability. I’ve always believed that when you live side-by-side with a major power, the goal should be finding ways to rely on one another and offer mutual support, rather than constantly calculating how to inflict damage on the other side.

This is what you support:
https://twitter.com/TpyxaNews/status...aA5JIHYzk6ru4w

Have you no shame?

Rachel White said:So, I suppose Russia is the sole villain here and the West is completely blameless?

Russia committed the aggression, and Russia alone is committing crimes.
Those are the facts.

hollowdriver13 said:Man, you're getting way too emotional about Russia. Seriously, go grab a drink and chill out; it’s not healthy to stress this much over a country you claim you "don't care about" when you really just want some peace and quiet.☕

He’s an old-school party loyalist who still thinks Russia is some kind of self-sufficient superpower. That’s just how he was trained back in the academy, and he refuses to deviate from the script. I'm just waiting for the day they label all of us counterrevolutionaries.

urbanotter said:And don't even get me started on how "devastating" it is to stop reading Leo Tolstoy, Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Sholokhov, or Ivan Turgenev.

Or perhaps banning performances at the Bolshoi Theatre.🙏

Those are such catastrophic losses for Russia that they simply won't be able to survive.🙏

But really, what can you do?
Europe has made its firm decision to distance itself from Russia and move away from Russian gas dependency.
Now, they'll just rely on American and Arab supplies at whatever unpredictable "market" prices come their way.

The results are already clear and tangible.

Gas prices in Europe have hit an all-time high right as American LNG exporters have finally completed years of development on projects designed to flood international markets with shale gas supply.

According to traders, major American producers—like Cheniere Energy, the largest exporter in the States—are among those reaping massive profits from the price surge, thanks to numerous long-term LNG sales contracts signed over the last few months.

https://seebiz.eu/energetika/americk...-krizi/272458/

There you go, your precious Russians. Give them a round of applause. That's what you support.

https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/polit...l#xtor=CS5-282

urbanotter said:So, if I were to grab you by the throat and start choking you, and you fought back,
you wouldn't call that defense—it would just be aggression.
Please, spare me those tired old clichés; they lost their impact a long time ago.

Cut out the Goebbels-style rhetoric about being "grabbed by the throat" or "choked." It’s exhausting for everyone involved. You're just endlessly making excuses for an undemocratic regime that has never hesitated to engage in blatant state terrorism. Who was actually stifling Russia? The West? With the hundreds of billions of dollars they poured directly into the Russian economy? Or maybe through the constant buying of everything Russia had to sell? Honestly, you have to be delusional to try and convince anyone that this was "stifling" a nation. 🤦

urbanotter said:I don't have much time, but

I am simply defending the right of Russia to defend itself against those who are grabbing it by the throat and trying to choke it—something the Americans and NATO have been doing since the collapse of the USSR.
As for wheat and our supposed "self-sufficiency," that won't change the fact that we might have enough, but certainly not at prices people can actually afford.
The entire Western system is built on profiteering; whoever pays the most gets what they need.
Do you honestly believe these prices are the result of a shortage or scarcity, or are they the result of market manipulation used to dictate "commodity prices"?
Just like they are doing with energy right now, that is exactly how they will handle food.
I don't have much more to argue; just walk down to a gas station or a grocery store and you'll see this profiteering system in action.

Ukraine is just a pawn that will end up paying the highest price in this game of the West encircling itself with the NATO alliance—an alliance that claims to be defensive but isn't afraid to strike if necessary.

The Americans defend their interests thousands of miles away from their own borders rather than at home, where their borders have long been secured and surrounded by their own satellites.

Have you ever actually read American history and seen the way they have expanded their influence globally? From the war with Spain over Cuba and Puerto Rico all the way to Afghanistan.
It’s funny how they never seem to use those empty platitudes about sovereignty or a nation's right to self-determination in those cases.

Aggression against another nation isn't defense.
It never was, and it never will be.
Russia will find itself sent back to the Stone Age.
By right.

This obsession with Russian grandeur is bordering on fanaticism.
They completely missed the fact that after just 20 days of war, they’re practically begging for a handout—mind you, begging for a damn handout—from the Chinese... 🤦

restlessmason54 said:Ultimately, time is going to reveal exactly what we already suspect: just how much economic resilience Russia actually possesses against external pressures and those heavy-handed sanctions, contrasted against the glaring fragility—and frankly, the blatant dependency—of the European Union's economy.

If you listen to the trolls haunting this thread, Russia should have completely imploded financially ages ago; yet, despite all their predictions, that big bear is holding its ground remarkably well. It’s really just a matter of waiting for the very same countries that tried to squeeze them through sanctions to start feeling the pinch and looking for ways to ease up.😉

And let’s be clear, the fallout is going to be a two-way street.

This belongs in the jokes section of the forum.
Even for fanboy posts, this is ridiculous. 🤣

ruggedseal19 said:Just a quick point. One major difference between fascists back then and the ones today is that the old guard didn't hide their fascism. Today’s crowd is embarrassed by it, so they scream from the rooftops that they aren't fascists. Besides, every "-ism"—fascism included—tends to mutate over time. Because of that, calling someone a fascist today doesn't necessarily mean they fit the historical definition, but the label certainly fits those who support various forms of bigotry (provided you consider the era in which that bigotry occurs).

Signed.

To give a recent and drastic example of how easily people abandon what they claim to stand for: the Ku Klux Klan is a paramilitary group founded by people who unequivocally championed the ideals of Nazi Germany and actively promoted them during the war. We have a specific unit within the KKK wearing black uniforms, sporting "U" symbols on their caps, named after a notorious officer, founded on the very anniversary of the regime's rise, and they mark that date every single year. And yet... they will fight tooth and nail to explain that they actually have nothing to do with the movement or Nazi Germany! 🤦

Hi everyone. I’m looking for some insight into customs procedures. Is it actually worth importing a specific batch of cosmetics—say, 50 different SKUs with 10–20 units each—given how the clearance process works? My main concern is whether I'll be stuck filing separate declarations and paperwork for every single item, along with individual fees per product, storage costs, duties, and various processing charges.

Basically, does ordering a wide variety of products in small quantities make sense once you factor in the logistics and customs overhead?

Thanks for the help!