Posts by Joshua Myers432

gentlestag15 said:I dig the poster. 👍
Look, there's like ten protesters gathered out there, but let's be real—Kharkiv is a city of over 570,000 people. This is honestly pretty bad.
If someone started handing out free shots of Jack Daniel's, you'd have thousands of people lining up around the block in seconds.

I mean, we already saw them pulling in guys who are sixty years old for mobilization.
Don't get ahead of yourself. 😁

Everyone would show up if the incentive was right. 🎉

Russians aren't exactly used to stepping up and protesting, and honestly, who knows? Maybe they actually agree with Putin's policies.

It’s pretty interesting watching everyone mock the Russian military hardware for the last six months, only for them to suddenly roll out these high-tech drones capable of hitting gas pipelines a hundred meters underwater. 🤦

gentlestag15 said:Gas is secured across the whole European Union for this winter, so there's really nothing to worry about.

We've got 23% of annual consumption sitting in storage right now.
Which basically covers two months of winter—and that's assuming Norwegians, Qataris, Americans, or anyone else doesn't sell a single extra cubic meter to the European Union.

Besides, by springtime, the Ukrainians will either be in Moscow or Putin will decide to toss a Sarmat our way, and then we won't have any more problems to worry about. 🙂

wiredtiger8 said:Probably wouldn't.
But hey, who actually knows what the future holds? The German economy is basically 70% tethered to Gazprom.

They'll just pivot to solar power.🤣 🎉

Morgan Wright5 said:It’s not even a fair comparison, I suppose. By 1945, Germany and Japan didn't pose any kind of threat anymore. It wasn't so much about "cooperation" as it was about the literal process of pulling those nations up from the ashes.

One thing is certain: peace will happen, one way or another. Do you really think Europe and Russia will never have economic ties again? Some pro-Western government will eventually take over in Russia sooner or later. What does Russia even have to do with the Far East, China, or India? Russia is a European country. They've been a bit lost since 1917, but there's no avoiding it—globalization is relentless.

Christian Torres3 said:What kind of twisted logic says you can't sell off your stake in a pipeline?

Pure FTW logic.

Sure, technically you can sell your share of a pipeline. But look at the bigger picture: that pipeline was essentially a way to secure Russian gas for Germany—a massive strategic project vital to both nations. It’s not just about the asset. It’s like if we decided to blow up the Golden Gate Bridge just because we didn't want to own it anymore. What exactly are we thinking?

Linda Collins3 said:You think Americans view Europe as their own property.

You're spot on there...

Except now it's property; I would have called it a colony 😁

It’s wild how things have flipped 180 degrees in just two centuries.

George Robinson43 said:I see! So the theory is we just wait for the war to wrap up, and then overnight, everything reverts to the old way.
It’s like Schroeder, Schüssel, and the whole gang are already lined up at the starting blocks. Even Milančo is ready to go.

Give me a break. Just look at the timeline from 1944 to 1945 compared to the years immediately following. Look at how the US, Germany, and Japan handled economic cooperation.

Forget the fairy tales. Money moves the world—or more specifically, the dollar does. 🍿

gentlestag15 said:The Poles just opened up a pipeline to Norway yesterday and the Russian one immediately went up in smoke.
I'm putting my money on Poland. 😁

Fair point, I completely overlooked them. 🙂

Christian Torres3 said:So it's totally illogical that Putin would want to get back at the Germans by destroying billions of dollars in their own property? Right?

There are plenty of more logical explanations for who actually blew up that pipeline.

Look, you can't just sell off a pipeline or pack it up and move it. It’s a direct line to Russia. There is zero logic in the Russians blowing it up—none at all. Same goes for the Germans; it makes no sense. The only actors that make any sense here are Ukrainians or Americans. Given that Ukrainians likely don't have the capability to pull off sabotage of this scale, that leaves...

Besides, the US rebuilt Germany from the ashes after WWII and jumpstarted their entire industrial sector. If they wanted to tear it down now, they certainly could.🎉

George Robinson43 said:But didn't Germany officially declare their entire strategy is based on completely cutting ties with Russian energy?
Since when did NS1 and NS2 suddenly become "strategic projects" again?

A "strategy" is just a bunch of ink on paper; you swap it out whenever the wind changes. If that new pipeline from Norway had blown up, everyone would have known immediately that Russia was behind it.

Linda Collins3 said:It’s pretty obvious to me that Americans mined those pipelines. It was clearly meant as a message to Europeans, especially since everyone over there is getting restless about the economy. But what really gets me is how nobody on European news channels even dares to mention it as a possibility. Everyone is just terrified of Big Brother...

It’s the only thing that makes sense. Why would the Russians blow up their own pipeline when they already hold the kill switch? They can turn the flow on or off whenever they feel like it. It's incredible the kind of nonsense and sheer stupidity they try to feed people these days.🤦

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.

I suspect those types are more concerned with dropping their thermostat by two degrees or maybe upgrading to a cheaper Netflix plan for the winter. If you actually showed them a muddy trench, they’d crawl under the bed and whimper.

Timothy Williams5 said:I don't think this was actually the case:

Security forces opened fire on protesters demonstrating against the Russian mobilization order in an attempt to disperse the crowd in Alaska. (video)
https://twitter.com/clashreport/stat...qdyauTEn5N2naA

This is exactly why Vladimir Putin is mobilizing this group instead of those people in Moscow who were whining because their local McDonald's closed down. You see a guy firing an automatic rifle three feet away from them while the crowd just stands there looking pale. It’s a good thing they didn't shove that rifle where the sun doesn't shine.

Andrew Booth29 said:Russian propaganda keeps harping on about Nazis—it’s getting old, isn't it? They just can't stop. Now we wait to see if they move to annex those territories immediately. If they do, there’s a real possibility they’ll start waving nuclear threats around as leverage. It feels like the West needs to make a call here: will they actually raise the stakes and threaten Russia with both conventional and nuclear retaliation against their forces in Ukraine?
We've essentially entered a high-stakes game of chicken.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_(game)

Think of this as a high-stakes poker game. We'll find out pretty soon who's bluffing and who's playing for keeps.🎉

Kimberly Perez82 said:I agree. To prevent a truly dangerous escalation, we have to leave room for compromise regarding the occupied territories. The reason is simple: beyond Vladimir Putin, there are clearly enough irrational actors within the Russian ranks who wouldn't care if their own lives—or the lives of all humanity—were extinguished. Whether they've had too much vodka or not, it makes no difference. We always suspected there were plenty of those types holding what is, unfortunately, a theoretical grip on nuclear weapons.

I just hope that once this settles, Russia doesn't start eyeing other regions; otherwise, the worst-case scenario becomes inevitable. I also hope the West isn't foolish enough to keep flooding those newly claimed Russian territories with massive shipments of weaponry. If both sides break this understanding, it means neither side possesses common sense, and we can all expect a very ugly outcome. I really hope self-preservation wins out over everything else, because frankly, morality and humanity vanished long ago. Ukraine will end up being the loser one way or another, but they brought this on themselves. The world shouldn't risk its own skin for the sake of their "democracy"—which, let's be honest, is mostly just rampant corruption and a dysfunctional society.

There is zero chance the West, specifically the USA, agrees to that. Maybe Crimea and some form of autonomy for those regions. And even then, only if the pressure on the global economy becomes too much due to the war in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia. Otherwise, they'll just crush Russia. Let’s be honest: Russia really overplayed its hand here.

rowdypilot53 said:Russ is in deep trouble... and that’s really all there is to say. This territory doesn't actually mean much to them; even if they hold onto it, they'll just be stuck in a frozen conflict under heavy sanctions. I suspect Putin will launch new offensives next year, provided he can manage it. It seems to be his only way to gain any leverage for negotiations.

Though, I wouldn't be surprised if things take an even sharper downward turn.

Sliding downhill is more likely than 🎉

That won't fix Russia's problems, though. The West isn't going to miss a single chance to put pressure on Russia. Between security guarantees, Europe permanently cutting ties with Russian energy, war reparations, and the possibility of demanding Russian generals be handed over to some new version of The Hague... 🤦

I think even the Russians realize there is no turning back—with Vladimir Putin or without him.

Matthew Young35 said:The real issue here is that we failed to isolate Putin right at the starting line.
You can actually stop dictators from causing massive amounts of chaos if you catch them while they're still just making small-scale messes.
But now? We're backed into a corner.
Figures like Orbán and Erdoğan are equally worth watching—especially Erdoğan.
If the US hadn't applied pressure on Turkey when Erdoğan first started acting out, or if there isn't some hope for leverage now, we're in trouble. If he's left unchecked, he’ll follow the exact same path as Putin.

Putin didn't just transform into this version of himself overnight or back in 2014. He has always been Putin.

Now, the shit has finally hit the fan.

The real problem is that Europe got caught in a dance with Vladimir because energy was cheap. Translation: they prioritized their own profit margins above everything else. That’s what matters to them. Expect more moves along those same lines.

Brolin said:The fact that Ukrainians are crushing them after receiving over $30 billion in aid, years of intensive NATO training, intel, and all that logistics doesn't mean the Russian army is useless—it means the Americans are miles ahead of everyone else.

Honestly, the Russian army was just overrated. They were basically living off the fumes of Soviet glory from 1945. If you ask me, even the quality of that Cold War-era Soviet military is highly questionable now.

You can't just gear up and train an entire military overnight. What kind of army gets dismantled by a few HIMARS units deployed by a semi-trained Ukrainian force?! They couldn't even establish air superiority over Ukrainian skies—not like they were gifted any F-35s. It’s a paper tiger. Calling them the second-best army in the world is a joke, just like calling the American People's Army the fourth strongest force in Europe. Give me a break.

silentnomad7 said:I’m just not following the logic here.

Are they planning to drop a nuke first and then follow it up with 300,000 troops?

Or...

Maybe they send in those 300,000 soldiers first, and only then go for the nuclear option?

The second scenario—once those 300,000 are sent running for their lives.