Posts by Amanda Flores88

Noah Sullivan said:But, have you caught the latest interview with the renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs?
I am referring to this one:

This other one—which is a week older—is particularly compelling, given that he discusses (i) his firsthand experiences working with Gorbachev and his tenure during the era of the USSR/Russia:

Now, this other video—it's a few weeks older, but super interesting because he dives into his time working with Gorbachev and those old days back in the USSR/Russia:
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I'm pretty much with you there—even the objective critics are pointing out how badly things are being handled lately.

hollowdriver13 said:The regime changes within a country that you're talking about don't actually affect that nation's international borders, right?
Do you honestly believe that after some part of Ukraine has been under Russian control for XX years, someone in Russia is just going to pop up and say, "Oops, sorry we took that from you, here you go, take it back"???
Besides, if this is as harmless as you think it is, how come Russia hasn't managed to get a single country to support its annexations in Crimea or the Donbas—aside from its little puppet states in Syria, Belarus, and North Korea?
Not a single CSTO member, not even China, nor any of those wannabe dictators have backed Russia's moves. Doesn't that ring a massive alarm bell that Russia is doing something completely wrong? It's obvious to everyone else that what Russia is pulling is a direct assault on one of the fundamental pillars of the global order established after WW2 and the UN, along with its charter (which, ironically, Russia loves to cite every chance they get).

History is wild—borders shifting, merging, splitting, breaking apart... when you see how fast things flip, you kind of lose interest in all those "unchangeable" historical and political certainties. At one point, Ukraine was totally dependent, now it isn't—and who knows, maybe one day they’ll integrate parts they lost. Maybe not in our lifetime, but it's possible. It's hard to say what the future even looks like politically, or if what seems like the best option right now will still hold up.

steelfox98 said:With current active wars, Turkey also launched a "police action" in northern Syria just a few days ago. Screaming, whining, sanctions? NOTHING. Zero points.
The best part? They’re attacking Kurds, who are American allies and favorites of the EU. But they aren't important enough.
Out of all the fake moralists on this topic, how many have stepped up? Zero.

We already discussed Yemen. Incomparably more dead, millions starving, and the West is still arming Al-Qaeda types from Saudi Arabia. Apparently, they're dear allies to us all.
That’s a recap of the forum commenters for you.

The drop in standards in the EU is happening because the EU itself started the sanctions, so in typical fashion, you're lying.

1. Neutrality—basically, staying out of NATO.
2. Resolving the conflict in the rebel Donbas. Just as a reminder, Zelenskyy wasn't exactly eager to play ball either; back in early February, when things were already heating up, he refused to even talk to his own fellow citizens from that region. And all while trying to pull them back into Ukraine.

Everything else was just standard high-stakes bargaining. The Ukrainians wouldn't budge, and now they're stuck in a much worse position that isn't going away anytime soon.

Maybe you can explain to me how "military neutrality" works for a NATO member? And please, provide a link to back that up.

Gotta admit, I'm almost jealous of that faith people have in global powers being humane or just plain fair.

Christian Torres3 said:Great, so at least this actually serves a purpose, unlike your usual garbage posts.

What even are you digging for here?

hollowdriver13 said:But look, East Germany was never actually annexed into the Soviet Union or absorbed into Russian territory. De jure, it was its own sovereign state, even if, de facto, it was basically just a puppet on a string.
You really can't compare that to what Putin is demanding right now, which is to annex specific territories and declare them part of the Russian Federation as new federal districts.
If that happens, they will NEVER get that land back, whether through military action or politics.

Look, I live in a city where—if you're lucky enough to survive long enough to see it—a 90-year-old has realistically seen five different countries and several entire systems change, all without ever leaving their apartment. And all those elites who thought they were carving out permanent empires through sheer force? They were all convinced that *now* was when real history finally began. But nothing lasts forever—it’s all just a matter of timing.

hollowdriver13 said:Hey, feel free to dive deeper into that thought.
What else could they have possibly offered? The US actually offered them military neutrality, and they even rolled back that legislation in Congress regarding Crimea and Donbas. Seriously, what was left to negotiate that wouldn't have basically turned them into a Russian colony, which is exactly what Russia was pushing for?

Look, a politician's whole job is hunting for solutions—that’s what they do. The real tragedy here isn't just some local spat between two countries; within certain independent circles, there's a feeling that the main players just lacked the willpower or the finesse to find any actual political compromise. War is the absolute worst-case scenario. Honestly? I’d rather see them make extra concessions they wouldn't normally touch. Politicians come and go—eventually, the policy will change too.

Christian Torres3 said:Are you actually laughing or just typing while sitting down?

Right, you're just a regular comedian, aren't you?

hollowdriver13 said:So, what you're actually saying is that Ukraine should have just rolled over and signed away its own sovereignty.
That’s the exact kind of "concession" Russia was looking for, and you know they’d just come knocking for the next one a few years later.
And as for politicians changing—that doesn't change the fact that if Ukraine had signed off on losing territory, nobody would ever step up to help them get it back. There wouldn't even be any motivation to help, because people would just say, "Hey, you signed the deal yourselves, so why complain after XX years of serfdom?"

It doesn't always have to be a violent showdown. Think about how the Berlin Wall came down—it wasn't through force, which would've just left a trail of bodies. It happened when the time was right, peacefully. Just look at it symbolically: everything eventually runs its course, including political movements. Nothing is set in stone. What looks impossible today becomes reality as time passes. History proves that all the time—relationships and power dynamics are constantly shifting. The worst thing you can do is create deep war traumas; those take forever to heal and they just plant the seeds for the next conflict.

Christian Torres3 said:What a waste. It would've been hilarious. Honestly, it might have even cheered someone up.

Your posts are doing exactly that.

Christian Torres3 said:Oh, come on! Seriously, lay out some actual arguments for this "other version." We're all waiting here.

Nah, I'm good. There's enough analysis floating around the web to go around—plenty of big shots have already tried to sell that angle, and I'm definitely not looking to be convinced.

hollowdriver13 said:So, how do you even deal with someone who has zero intention of being straight with you during negotiations? It’s like trying to play chess with someone who just wants to flip the table. Look at what happened with the Russian negotiations—they basically agreed to whatever we asked for at first. But then, once Ukraine rejected those absolutely insane demands of theirs, they just went full "might makes right" and tried to settle the score with military force. At that point, what choice do you really have left other than just hunkering down and defending yourself?

That’s one way to look at it, sure. But the other side of the coin is that maybe they didn't actually exhaust every single diplomatic avenue before things went south and war broke out.

Brenda Murphy3 said:God, there are just too many of you...

Maybe you were trying to lecture Vladek in bold... because if you don't get it—it only takes one side to start a war. The side that gets attacked doesn't exactly have a massive list of options other than surrendering or fighting back, right?

And our standard of living isn't collapsing on its own; it's people like you muddying the waters... bringing up stuff regarding Ukraine that isn't even comparable, etc... then you guys disappear for a bit, only to pop back up a few days later... and it just goes on in circles...🐔

You're being boring.

rowdytiger13 said:In reality, politicians are just following the pulse. If anything, they’d prefer citizens weren't this motivated; they were secretly hoping people would react poorly once their standard of living took a hit. Especially those folks over in Germany.

Maybe, but with the media hitting them this hard, it's tough to imagine they could've gotten any other result.
It just goes to show how out of touch these politicians are—not just over there, but everywhere—if they can't even push the policies they actually believe in.

People are still kind of in a zombie state after the pandemic lull, just swallowing whatever aggressive media narrative is shoved down their throats. Maybe it's because the consequences haven't really hit home yet? The sanctions clearly haven't crushed most people quite yet. We'll just have to wait and see how things play out—how far along the frog is in the boiling water.

hollowdriver13 said:Look, I'm not out here rooting for war at all. But if I'm going to "root" for someone, it's definitely going to be the underdog fighting a defensive war.
Since you're supposedly against all this online bickering, I don't really see how your post helps achieve what you're suggesting (since nothing actually changes), especially since we have no clue about the people we're talking to—like, for all we know, the person you're arguing with might already be supporting their side financially through various NGOs over there.
But hey, please, feel free to elaborate more on why we shouldn't be making posts, while you sit there neatly upvoting them instead of actually doing something. You clearly have a knack for that. 👍

I guess it's true that "it's better to negotiate for a thousand years than to fight for one day." In that sense, we can keep trading verbal jabs on social media forever. And honestly? I'm not pretending to be some moral compass or claiming my heart bleeds for a nation I didn't even know the location of yesterday.

I'm not playing the warrior or Mother Teresa—I don't care about Ukraine any more than I care about Iraq. I care a bit more about things here at home and how we're living, watching this senseless destruction and seeing our own standard of living tank for reasons that seem totally foggy. I'm sure your heart aches for them, but politics? That’s supposed to be handled with logic.

hollowdriver13 said:This is what I call fake moralizing. Unless you've personally stepped up to tackle the problems in Africa—like volunteering in schools, organizing food drives for those in need, or coordinating medical supplies—it's just talk.
Practice what you preach.
And honestly, "out of sight, out of mind" is pretty much how most people function. Do you really think a Mexican, a Brazilian, or a Thai person gives a single crap about Ukraine when it's 3108 miles so far away from them?

You guys aren't exactly in any position to lecture anyone on morality or consistency. Anyone actually hyped up about waging war should've been in Ukraine a long time ago.
Just being loud and opinionated on social media or over drinks at a bar shows you actually care—you're supporting the fight only as much as your comfort zone allows.

Those are straight up Biden’s own words right there—but listening to everyone else chime in now, it feels like there's a bit of everything going on. Looks like they shook hands on a festival-style deal where "there's something for everyone."

rowdytiger13 said:The European Union apparently reached some kind of deal regarding the ban on Russian oil imports, though we’re still waiting on the specifics.
On top of that, there's the Sberbank exclusion from SWIFT and a ban on broadcasting three more Russian state TV channels.

Nothing's changing before the year wraps up.

2023 is basically being labeled as a transition year. In plain English? That means we’re looking at about six more months of absolutely nothing happening—then maybe things start moving.

wiredseal7 said:There were whispers that this doesn't apply to the pipelines—probably just Orban's way of playing hardball.

For us, this summer is going to be a real riot. Since we're basically a major road-trip destination here in the States, current gas prices are already going to wreck us. I'm not sure if they're pulling the trigger now or at the end of the year, but even the mere threat of these measures sends pump prices climbing ahead of time.
Man, you have to wonder who's actually running this sad little Union...

With Viktor Orbán, it’s kind of wild—everyone's out there publicly dragging him, but behind closed doors? Most leaders are actually low-key relieved he's around. He basically plays the bad guy so they don't have to. He steps up, says the stuff nobody else dares to say, and lets them keep playing their "perfectly polite" roles. It's pretty much a classic setup, right?

rowdytiger13 said:In all seriousness, Ukrainians are strange people. They'd rather die than become a Russian colony.

Yeah—maybe if you change up the colonizers and fight back immediately for your own sake, things would be different.

I really don't feel like getting into a whole thing with you—honestly, if a few posts get wiped here and there, whatever—but this? This is just crossing a line.

Morgan Flores2 said:I'm looking at your post where you're claiming they're intentionally vaccinating newborns in Turkey. I mean, there's only one confirmed case involving a newborn, right? But you're out here implying this is some massive, systematic thing targeting babies. 🙄

Twisting info like that should be deleted immediately—honestly, people should get penalized for it—yet your post is still sitting there without even a warning.

And you're actually complaining about getting moderated?!

Did you even bother reading the article? Because it clearly says:

Kurugol went on TV and stated that a "larger number" of infants were mistakenly vaccinated against Coronavirus in medical facilities, and that a study regarding these cases will be released soon. The Turkish Ministry of Health has announced an administrative investigation.

It’s pretty obvious now—you can't even join the conversation on these topics unless you're out there parroting the official Coronavirus narrative.

I've been hanging out on this forum for 15 years. In that time, I've put up over 7,000 posts, and maybe two of them actually got deleted.

Honestly, I can't even remember the last time anyone scrubbed one of my posts.

But lately? In just the last week, half of what I've written has been wiped away.

It’s not like I lost my mind in seven days and suddenly forgot how to write a coherent, on-topic sentence—so this is clearly some other kind of crackdown.

Anthony Nelson3 said:Don't sweat it, 🙂 polls are a joke because the anti-vax crowd has a massive army of clones here just spamming votes and repeating the same three lines in every single post. Actually, it's really just one line: "New phenomena will kill you in ten years." 🤣 They're convinced they know the truth.

Maybe think a little harder before posting? This isn't actually helping anyone get vaccinated.

Look, those of us who aren't rushing to grab a COVID-19 shot aren't claiming we know exactly how good or bad it is in the long run—it's actually the exact opposite.

The people pushing this vaccine act like they have all the answers. They claim there haven't been issues, won't be any issues, and nothing ever will be—from day one to forever.

I'm just not buying what they're selling.

mistybison said:Seriously, when are you guys gonna catch up to the times? 🙄

On this one random forum I check out every now and then, some decent people posted a disclaimer:

"If your threads or posts get nuked, it’s because they broke the rules. If you don't like our decision, feel free to go scream at the wall in your bedroom."

Simple as that. 😁

Problem solved. No endless appeals, no whining, nothing! 😁

It’s 2021—everyone’s got a smartphone and constant internet access now, so you can spend all day arguing with every troll and loser online if you really want to. It isn't 1999 anymore (though looking at how this place is designed, you might think 😁 ), where most users were actually educated, well-meaning folks. Nowadays, who knows who's even typing? Some kid trolling for fun, or some lonely old guy bored in retirement...

Needs more backbone! 🧐

Enchi, Enchi... come on. At least for the last few years, you've written enough posts complaining about how this whole forum has gone downhill, making big exits just to say goodbye... and then coming back. You should know by now that when you spend that much (valuable) time somewhere, you don't just stay quiet and vanish that easily.

Now that you’re clearly backing this rude treatment of anyone with a different opinion on a certain global topic—a narrative that makes people hate participating here—you’re suddenly telling others to take a firmer stand. 😢