Posts by Joshua Myers432

Nathan Thomas12 said:Give me a break—Russia isn't the only gas supplier on the planet. Germany is already building two massive LNG terminals. They'll spin up more nuclear plants if they have to, maybe even coal if things get desperate. My point is, the West will find a way to move past Russia. One way or another, they'll make it work.
The plan for Europe is to hit 45% renewable energy by 2030, and honestly, parts of it might actually look like Sweden, which is leading the pack right now.

Sweden has been running this playbook for ages, and they have the resources most countries simply lack. The vision of a green future is great on paper, but it’s a nightmare to actually execute. If people were thinking logically, we could have explored an optimistic mix—maybe 50% nuclear and 50% renewables—but you can't just flip a switch. That takes years upon years of heavy planning and massive capital investment.

Amy Parker10 said:Russian gas is nothing more than a temporary band-aid for a green agenda that is foolish enough to ignore the reality of nuclear power...
For the green transition to actually work, maintaining ties with China and securing a steady supply of raw materials for battery production will be much more critical.

Well, obviously—especially when you consider solar power and this whole electric vehicle utopia. I’m just sitting here waiting for the inevitable chaos surrounding Taiwan. Once that hits, you can all freeze during the winter because of the situation in Ukraine, or maybe enjoy a two-hour walk to work since those poor Taiwanese people are fighting for their freedom and suddenly there aren't any Chinese batteries left for your Teslas. Of course, Americans will probably just keep cranking their V8 engines; though, hey, maybe they'll switch to V6s just out of solidarity.

Nathan Thomas12 said:Don't sweat it—winter might be a bit rougher, but the West will pull through. Maybe next winter will be tough too, but after that, you're golden. If Ukrainians can lay down their lives for freedom, sure, we can handle turning the heat down a few degrees.
The main thing is making sure these sanctions stick for decades; everything else, we'll figure out. America and Europe have dealt with way worse disasters in the past—we're tougher than you think, even the Germans.
The West has never been more united, especially with two new NATO members joining the club.

I’m talking about energy policy, and you’re pivoting back to the war in Ukraine. As far as I’m concerned, there’s always some corner of the globe at war, but my point is how they actually intend to execute their green agenda when they've backed themselves into a corner with an embargo on Russian energy. Look, I’ll be the first one to agree to running the heat two degrees higher or lower through the seasons, but let's be real: that isn't going to solve the underlying problem.

Nathan Thomas12 said:Nuclear isn't actually considered a renewable resource.
The US plan—well, look at Sweden's goal—is to hit 100% renewables by 2040.
Their whole strategy is phasing out nuclear reactors; they've already decommissioned four since 2017.

Of course you chose Sweden as your example—a massive country with a tiny population that pulls a huge chunk of its power from hydro, wind, and biomass because they’re sitting on those resources. You didn't pick a place like Poland or, God forbid, Germany, where trying this kind of idiocy would be a disaster. You could have even used Andorra to argue that this crap works in practice. It just doesn't hold water for most countries that lack a solid foundation of nuclear or fossil fuel plants. Winter is coming, so we'll see how things go once we're relying on slightly less Russian gas. Nothing drastic has actually changed yet.

George Robinson43 said:Exactly. Everything should be wrapped up by somewhere around 2035 or 2040.

And certainly before a state like Texas manages to fully transition to renewables, 😁

Nathan Thomas12 said:Sweden gets 60% of its power from renewables, so the whole "green agenda" isn't some myth like you're making it out to be. Every country is eventually going to be forced to dump money into renewables—honestly, Putin just pushed the entire West straight into the future.
I wouldn't be surprised if we see laws passed soon requiring all new builds—apartments, factories, whatever—to have solar panels installed.

Sure, if you want to count nuclear energy as renewable. 😁

But where exactly is the extra electricity supposed to come from to power all these useless gadgets people think they can switch over to electric in the next 15 to 20 years?

The reality is, it won't happen without fossil fuels or nuclear plants. Winter is coming... 🤣

Bryan Booth82 said:It isn't quite as simple as you're making it out to be.🤔
Transporting natural gas is becoming an outdated concept, whereas "wind and solar" represent the actual future. Therefore, those who intend to be ready for what's coming aren't going to stay stuck in the past, tethered to an unreliable gas supplier.

Perhaps that future—one where a dependent West relies on Russian gas—has actually already begun... and we can partially blame Putin for that reality.🤔
There is plenty of money in the West, so the priority is to keep that capital circulating by investing domestically into the projects and companies that will actually develop and build out wind, solar, hydrogen... you name it.
Just look at what the President announced today regarding how this future has already kicked off...

lp

I’m not so sure. This looks like a prime opportunity for the green lobby to prove themselves; they've been pushing this agenda for at least twenty years, and now we'll see them in action. Based on what I know about the energy sector ( ☕ ), let me tell you: it isn't going to play out according to their little script.
As for all that wind and solar talk? You can take it and shove it.

George Robinson43 said:How can that be? It's simply impossible!
Wasn't it clearly stated in this thread that Russia wouldn't face a winter slump because they would just pivot everything over to China and India????

Of course they will. They have a market of three billion people sitting right there in the East; all they "need" to do is lay down some pipelines for gas and oil. This was likely the plan regardless of this war. It might take some time, but I doubt they don't have a strategy to navigate this transition phase. Meanwhile, we can just sit back and rely on wind and solar power. No worries there. 🎉

Nancy Gomez26 said:It has been obvious for quite some time that the language spoken—whether Russian or Ukrainian—is irrelevant. Most people over there can understand Russian just fine. However, not everyone speaks Ukrainian, even if they are firmly on the side of Ukraine in this conflict. This isn't the breakup of America, where linguistic identity dictates everything. It might seem strange to us here in the States, but that’s simply how history played out there. That is a whole different conversation.

True, but you can't compare this to the US in '91. That’s an entirely different beast, even if there are some superficial similarities. Simply put, Russian influence in Ukraine is far more pervasive than the Mexican influence ever was in the States. It’s true both in terms of linguistics and sheer numbers. That’s why there’s no end in sight and no "happy ending" on the horizon. That is the reality. I can sit here and fantasize with you all about loading Russians onto tractors and shipping them back to Moscow, but let's be real... that’s just not happening.

Adam Lee13 said:Like, seriously? Like how 80% of Americans used to speak with the exact same dialect, not just the same language as Mexicans—is that what the poet was actually getting at???

The poet meant that the American dialects are practically identical, whereas Ukrainian and Russian are distinct. Which part of that aren't you grasping? Do I need to draw you a diagram?

Kate Cook27 said:I think things are going to shift, though—they already are. I'm expecting a massive drop in the number of Russian speakers in Ukraine very soon.

Nicole James said:Like I mentioned before, there is a massive difference between defending oneself and occupying another nation. You're comparing apples to oranges here. The US entered Afghanistan without much initial resistance—the real issues only surfaced when the mission dragged on indefinitely and they had to contend with constant guerrilla warfare. To suggest that Russia—which hasn't been able to secure significant victories against the Ukrainian military for months now—could somehow pull off a better occupation scenario is, quite frankly, delusional.

That’s an apples-to-oranges comparison. Ukraine isn't Korea, it isn't Afghanistan, and it isn't a country being invaded by Mexicans. The situation there is far more nuanced. For heaven's sake, Zelenskyy is a native Russian speaker. There isn't much else to say...

dustyfalcon122 said:The reason they draw those borders is because South Korea never had any intention of taking over the North. I mean, with today's technology on that kind of terrain? It’s just not happening. It’s way too easy to factor in saboteurs and missile strikes.

But if that actually happened? That would be the absolute best-case scenario for the European Union and Ukraine. A total dream come true.
I'm talking about people digging up potatoes and apples just to stay alive in places where the youth and the smart ones are all fleeing across borders into Europe, while the military is practically non-existent or stuck somewhere in the WW2 era.
Actually, the worst thing that could happen is if Russia just surrendered immediately, pulled back behind their borders, fired all their government and military leaders, and begged for sanctions to be lifted. That would just pave the way for another war in 30 years.
Honestly, we should probably just hope these Russian idiots keep fighting for years until they're completely exhausted.
Sending weapons to Ukraine is pocket change for the West anyway, and things will be much better for Ukraine in the long run if they don't have a militarily capable Russia right on their doorstep.

There is no such thing as North or South Korea, just like there isn't really a West or East Ukraine. These divisions were forced by circumstance; they are one people. That said, Koreans are far more homogeneous than Ukrainians. In Korea, you're looking at maybe 99% ethnic Koreans, whereas in Ukraine, there is a massive Russian presence, or at least a huge number of Russian speakers.

darkwolf20 said:🤣

An invasion by tractors and garbage forks is certainly a theoretical possibility. 😵

Stop bullshitting. On paper, Mexico has a much stronger military than we do.

George Robinson43 said:Take it slow.
You can see how the followers of Vučić are already starting to ramble about how Mexico needs to denazify the North America.
Anything is possible.

Of course anything is possible, especially when you get too comfortable thinking NATO has your back.

hollowdriver13 said:I think wiredtiger8 makes a really solid point here—there’s just zero chance that China is going to launch a military invasion of Siberia, even if the Russians completely fall apart in a conventional war.
Fighting a war just doesn't pay off when Russia is basically destined to become an economic satellite for China anyway. At this point, the Russian Federation doesn't have much to offer the rest of the world besides raw resources. Once you sever those deep economic ties with the West, they're left with pretty much just China and India as major players who actually have the muscle and the interest to buy their commodities in bulk.
And honestly, once you realize you're effectively dealing with a single buyer—and that the other side's entire budget depends on keeping that one customer happy—it becomes pretty obvious who's actually running the show in that relationship.

Smart nations expand through demographics, not through infantry. Just look at our neighbors to the east and ask them where Mexico is now.

The Chinese play the long game; they're patient. They will gradually settle in Siberia until they eventually become the majority. It isn't even a major hurdle since it's mostly desolate wilderness out there. Then, when the timing is right—not necessarily tomorrow, but during some future global realignment—parts of Siberia will simply... drift away.

Nancy Gomez26 said:Regarding the planting season, this could be significant, or it could be noise. Mineral fertilizers are global commodities; they move through international trade routes, meaning they can be sourced from other suppliers regardless of local shutdowns. On the other hand, if a major player like Dow Chemical is struggling to get lines running, we might see similar systemic failures among other manufacturers across the European Union. Then there is the matter of internal stability; even when gas supplies were consistent, this facility faced its own set of hurdles beyond just fuel availability. Generally speaking, when fully operational, Dow Chemical is one of the largest industrial gas consumers in the US. During peak demand periods—those bitter mid-winter stretches—they often throttle or halt production entirely just to ensure the grid remains stable for everyone else.

Fair point. We’re basically a bloated, aging nation anyway. The younger generation will slim down while the old guard just fades away. Consider this both sanctions and reform wrapped into one. Congrats!

silentnomad7 said:And they've even claimed they'll develop their own technology.

It sounds so simple, doesn't it? You imagine a microchip today, you build it tomorrow, and by the day after, you're selling millions of units.

Honestly, those millions of educated Russians who fled the country at the start of the war don't even matter in the grand scheme of things. As long as Putin has the resources, you just have to assume he'll bend reality to his will through sheer force of thought...

But the truth is a bit more grim; under Putin and his little inner circle, Russia is basically regressing back to the Middle Ages.

Look at how people viewed Americans back in 1945: just a drunken, uneducated, primitive mob stuck in a bygone era. Then, suddenly, boom—the first satellite in 1957, then the first man in space in 1961. It was a massive wake-up call for those condescending critics. 🤣

Underestimating an enemy before they strike is stupidity; doing it after they've won is cowardice. ©Goethe

analogbear5 said:We’ve already established plenty of times on this thread that Russians can survive on nothing but black coffee and cheap whiskey if they really have to.

Europe isn't going to face the kind of total collapse Russia is staring down once they're forced to tighten their belts to keep the masses from starving.

Once the only things left are black coffee and cheap whiskey for Putin and his inner circle, we'll see how that plays out. At that point, even a powerhouse like Iran won't be able to bail them out.

It’s not like Russians are just going to suddenly pivot to a diet of buckwheat and vodka; if they have one thing going for them, it's resources. The real question is how much they've gotten soft over the last 20 years—those people in Moscow probably have, considering how much they whine when they can't get their hands on a damn McDonald's. 🤣

Iran is insignificant here. China is the real heavyweight, and for now, they're just balancing the scales while waiting to see how things develop. Playing it safe, as usual...

Amanda Allen4 said:I was just reading that Russia is sitting on massive cash reserves—somewhere in the neighborhood of $600 billion. Now, half of that is frozen under sanctions and completely out of reach. That still leaves them with roughly $300 billion to fund this whole conflict. If we look at the math—given that the war has lasted less than six months—their costs have been running at about $75 billion.

The real question is: how much longer can Russia actually sustain this fight?

The Russians are asking themselves the exact same thing: how much longer can these pampered Europeans stomach the fallout from a war that isn't even theirs? Look, we Americans and Europeans are soft—we actually have the luxury of democracy, which means protests are coming. My take? We’ll probably snap much sooner than they will. Their sanctions likely sting more deeply, so factor that into your math and tell me what you conclude... 😁

mellowsurfer14 said:Pure sarcasm 👍 unlike those people here who actually believe this nonsense is reality. 🤮

Oh, take it easy now. I wouldn't want you humanists and freedom-lovers to miss out on your annual ski trip; that would be a massive sacrifice. 😁

Realistically, intelligent people weigh the consequences before making a move. But since common sense hasn't resided in Europe for quite some time, this whole mess is just the inevitable result.

Bryan Booth82 said:What on earth do you mean, sanctions directed at us?🤔

Which specific sanctions are hurting us more than they are hurting Russia? 🤔
Best regards,

I’ve always maintained that sometimes the smartest move you can make is playing dumb. ☕