Posts by Zachary Booth36

silentsurfer3 said:A few months back, I mentioned that once winter hits, Lukashenko would start prepping his country for war—especially if the Russians start losing ground...
Those Iskanders aren't sitting there just for show near the Polish border.

Honestly, I have no clue how NATO should even react if the Belarusians start pushing from the north.
Full-scale response? A partial one? Even Poland is gearing up.
I'm stumped.

In my view, the Americans should enter Ukraine to defend Kyiv. They ought to crush whatever Belarusian mess tries to cross the border, and leave it at that.
The US should be there to watch Ukraine's back.

rowdytiger13 said:I'm sure they'll try, but Putin has been setting the stage for years.
It isn't going quite according to his playbook, though, since the goal was a quick, decisive win. He got tripped up by the classic pitfalls of authoritarian regimes—cronyism, nepotism, and rampant corruption. He clearly underestimated how much backbone Ukraine actually has and how little support they had internally, not to mention miscalculating his own military's weaknesses.
As for the rest... he’s effectively strangled any critical thinking in Russia that might reach the public eye. Literally. In an environment like that, you can pretty much get away with anything (except crossing certain lines).
He made the EU dependent on Russian energy—not every single nation, but certainly Germany, which is the economic engine of the continent. European politicians looked Putin right in the eye and fell for his logic. They were convinced he wouldn't start a war or use energy as leverage... they were wrong on both counts.
A huge number of politicians have also become beholden to Russian money, making them easy targets for blackmail.
He isn't on his knees by any stretch, but the EU is definitely feeling the squeeze. Starting with Viktor Orbán.

Was it stupidity, or simply greed? The Germans knew exactly what they were doing; they just couldn't resist the allure of cheap fuel. Ultimately, the wealthy corporate owners reaped the rewards, while now the burden of high energy costs falls squarely on the shoulders of ordinary citizens.

Jose Clark4 said:Look, I'm just gonna address these few lines here.

Between 2001 and the pullout from Afghanistan, the US burned through over a trillion dollars. That's basically 500 times what's been sent to Ukraine so far.
They killed over 100,000 Afghan civilians and lost more than 2,000 of their own soldiers during that time.
So yeah, what you're saying doesn't hold water. It's got zero basis in reality.

Precisely because they spent so much on Afghanistan, can you imagine how pleased they are to spend only a few dozen billion to leave Russia in a state of exhaustion?

Hello,

Can I change my name to -> Zachary Booth36
?

That username is taken, but the user only has one post and hasn't logged in for nearly a decade.
It’s possible; just contact New York City.

silentnomad7 said:The whole narrative being pushed by Putin supporters—this idea that the Germans are headed for total collapse just because they can't get cheap gas from a bully—is nothing but smoke and mirrors. Over the last couple of decades, Germany has been raking in massive trade surpluses every single year, likely totaling several trillion dollars in reserves. They have enough cushion to weather a decade or two of crisis if they really need to...

Germany enjoyed a perfect run for years. They grew accustomed to constant prosperity.
Now, they face mediocre years while they attempt to stabilize their energy supply chains.
Naturally, for some, "mediocre" sounds catastrophic because they are used to peak performance and explosive export growth.

Russia is currently attempting to use media proxies to intimidate European nations into believing life without Russian oil and gas is impossible. Orban has tried to push this exact narrative.

This serves as a lesson for the future—specifically regarding China. All heavy industry was moved there in pursuit of higher profit margins. There will come a moment when China decides to leverage that reality.

Amy Rogers6 said:If Putin were actually the grandmaster strategist everyone claims he is, he wouldn't have messed with Crimea. He would have just slapped sanctions on Ukraine right after Viktor Yanukovych fled.

The people would have turned on the government during the first economic crisis, and then boom—they'd end up with another Russian puppet in Kyiv.

Bottom line: the guy isn't some genius.

He’s got a bunch of yes-men in his inner circle telling him Russia is still a superpower. He invaded Ukraine hoping to crush them in three days while assuming the West wouldn't do anything about it. That's the whole story.

We're talking about an army that ran out of fuel in the first few weeks, was eating food rations that expired back in 2015, didn't even have gear for night fighting, and so on...

What a freaking genius. Where did I even say that? Look, I’ve always said—and I still stand by it—that Russians are massive complex-driven types with an insane inferiority complex regarding the West. When I say they prepared, all I mean is they had a contingency plan for Western sanctions ready to go, and they actually pulled it off. If they hadn't, their economy would have imploded by now. That level of prep didn't just happen overnight when the invasion started.

Plus, those missiles are packed with Western tech—how exactly did they manage to pull that off if they wanted to be able to fire stuff like Iskanders? They knew damn well they’d be cut off from those components immediately, which means they must have stockpiled a massive supply back before February ended. And another thing—this whole attempt to build a payment system isn't some last-minute scramble. Why would they kick the entire process into gear if everything was running smoothly before the invasion?

The answer is dead simple—the Russians didn't just suddenly decide to invade back in February. That whole idea had been simmering in their heads for a long, long time.

For crying out loud, you only need basic common sense here, not a PhD in nuclear physics...

The way Russia fights is a whole different beast. They thought they could just pull off some Blitzkrieg move and sweep through Ukraine—kind of like how the US does things—but they don't have anywhere near the readiness or the coordination within their military branches to actually pull off massive operations like that. It’s not even a question: they got absolutely wrecked right out of the gate.

It’s honestly pointless to sit here debating what Russia could have pulled off back in 2014. They just don't have the chops to push through color revolutions when they're staring down the barrel of the West. Sure, the Soviet Union had that whole ideological framework thing working for them once, but that's ancient history.

I'm not even talking about all that—I’m talking about the facts that are sitting right there like an elephant in a glass house.

Russia’s been prepping this invasion for a long time. If they hadn't spent all that time getting ready, there's no way they could actually handle this much economic pressure.

The European Union is completely unprepared for this mess. Honestly, by pushing all these sanctions on Russia, they’re basically setting themselves up to fail. It doesn't even matter if the Russians win or the Ukrainians win—the EU is going to end up getting screwed regardless. And frankly, they barely deserve better when the entire Brussels bureaucracy is just a bunch of idiots clinging to their cushy, taxpayer-funded seats.

And that’s exactly the point—everyone’s just obsessing over whether Russia is going to crush them, if they're playing some insane game of 6D chess, if they'll eventually get shut down, or if Ukraine is actually going to pull off a win. It's all just noise.

Regarding that last bolded point—what’s actually new here? Honestly, the Russians have been playing this same blunt, "brute force" game throughout history. It’s always just mass moving against mass; they haven't figured out any other way to operate. They won't be ready for another 20 years, let alone be able to pivot and start following NATO standards overnight. If you want to look at where they *have* actually made progress, it’s their grip on the financial system, food production (aiming for total self-sufficiency), and energy control. All of that required serious groundwork, much of which involved strategic diplomatic maneuvering and securing energy guarantees long before the war even started.

What a total mess. It’s like I’m trying to write in Japanese or something—absolute nonsense. Screw this 6D chess bullshit, Vladimir Putin, and whoever thinks they have a better doctrine than everyone else...☕
And what does the European Union expect? To pretend there isn't a massive war raging right at its doorstep?

Merkel bears some responsibility for failing to prepare the European Union for the possibility of Russian aggression, but the ultimate responsibility for this entire situation lies with Putin.

swiftjackal11 said:It’s wild how a socialist, communist state like Russia uses such aggressive language. They talk about heading straight to Washington, D.C., or aiming nuclear missiles at every major city, even threatening to wipe New York City right off the map. We just never hear that kind of rhetoric coming from Western leaders.

It is simply a byproduct of a backward society that feeds on such megalomania.
They indulge in the fantasy that they can intimidate others like a common bully.

It is quite alarming how little respect they show toward Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
If it weren't for the Americans, Russia would swallow them whole without hesitation.

Richard Wilson4 said:I love Ukrainians, I really do, but even reclaiming Kherson seems like a massive stretch right now, let alone Crimea.

The war is probably going to end with them losing Slavic cities like Kramatorsk, which sucks, and then the EU will just force them into a brutal peace deal with Russia.

They'll likely be left holding onto Odessa, Sumy, and maybe Kharkiv—though even those weren't a sure thing just a few months ago.

What kind of "dark peace" are we talking about? It is difficult to believe the European Union is quite that incompetent. Such an arrangement would merely be a pause before phase two, where Russia takes Odessa and Kharkiv.

Monk's club has always struck me as intimidating, if not entirely fascinating. 😁

As I have stated previously, Bulgaria is the weakest link. It is the only thing Americans seem to grasp, which is why they clearly maintain control over the political elites there. I believe their Prime Minister is a Harvard graduate.

bluerider63 said:It’s just the reality on the ground, honestly—hardly even counts as Putin's narrative about Russia being surrounded when you just look at a map of Europe. And the kicker is, this isn't some solo move by Lithuania; they're working right alongside the European Commission on this one.

Your logic is flawed. Perhaps the Russians should ask themselves why all their neighbors view them with such profound dread and contempt.
For instance, while Mexicans might not exactly harbor affection for Americans, they certainly don't live in fear of them.

By its own actions, Russia has ensured it is encircled by NATO nations.

I would much rather they went back several generations. 😁

George Davis6 said:I am right there with you! I absolutely adore both the series and the movies—and this new one is simply stunning. Honestly, they could make another hundred and I’d watch every single one. Though, I have to admit... I'm really going to miss Violet and that sharp, cynical sense of humor of hers...

I feel the same way. I haven't seen the new movie yet, but I intend to see it as soon as possible.

goldenpuma84 said:A few weeks back, the Solomon Islands expressed interest in forming a strategic partnership with China.

Not only did Australia lose its mind over it, but when a reporter asked, a high-ranking U.S. official didn't rule out military intervention if the Chinese decided to set up a base there.

That isn't whataboutism.

I can easily imagine (or point out) what would happen if China even thought about making a military alliance with the United States or Mexico.

And honestly, I can also picture exactly how you'd react if that actually happened.

Anyway, we haven't seen anything play out yet...

Have Americans actually attacked the Solomon Islands? Until they do, there is nothing to discuss.

If they do attack, 90% of ordinary people will condemn it. 🤷

Gorr looks questionable, though at the 1:13 mark, he’s giving off total Christian Bale vibes. Perhaps they simply underused the black greasepaint. 😁

It seems they intentionally made both the teaser and the trailer feel more lighthearted and whimsical. Their goal? To mask the darker, more serious moments.

So far, I haven't seen anything that would lead me to conclude this is actually bad. 🤷

Amy Vaughn12 said:It doesn't quite hit that same epic level we saw with the first Ragnarok trailer.
I suppose it'll end up being one of those typical feel-good movies.
I can't tell if Portman actually bulked up or if it’s just some kind of visual trickery. I noticed Mjolnir looks like it was cobbled together from scraps, too. 😁

The moment you include the Guardians, you can assume it's a feel-good flick.
Marvel is clearly aiming for the widest possible audience.