Putin expected the ethnic Russian parts of Ukraine to support him, or at the very least, stand aside. The opposite has been true. They have actively opposed him. He's days behind schedule, many of his troops are conscripts and don't want to be there. His equipment is failing, his troops running out of food and supplies. He's Russia's iron man and has kept his grip on power largely on this basis. He is getting increasingly desperate and a desperate madman is a dangerous thing.
It's a very complex subject, but I think it warrants more discussion: Eastern Europe's long history of anti-Semitism, which of course includes Russia and the Ukraine (horrible pogroms, the Pale Settlement under Catherine the Great, the Holocaust, etc). @Jonathan_Vilma brought up Putin's posturing that there he is to save the day! Russia will liberate Ukraine from oppression and bloody crimes against Jews! We will "de-Nazify" the place! While Ukraine does have anti-Semitic factions and many of Russia's higher-ups are openly anti-Semitic, who's zooming who? It's ridiculous for him to even go there. It gets better. We all know Putin's primary objective right now is to get to President Zelensky and have him assassinated. Well, here's to "de-Nazification". Zelensky is Jewish. This is also another smart move by Zelensky: https://www.jta.org/2022/03/02/glob...to-worlds-jews-do-not-remain-silent-right-now
More interesting comments from a man who worked on a regular basis with Trump on foreign policy, including Ukraine policy: Bolton said in an interview with Vice published March 1, responding to a question about what Trump might have done had Russia attacked Ukraine while he was president. "But you never know with Trump. It depends on what time of day it is, it depends on what he thought his political benefit would be at any given moment. I don't think ultimately he would have stood in Putin's way," Bolton told Vice. Bolton said he thought Trump's glorification of Putin was "embarrassing for the United States." He also said that he did not think that Trump cared about Ukraine in the first place. "It's hard for me to describe how little he knows," Bolton said in the interview with Vice. "Right after Zelenskyy was elected, but before he was inaugurated, there was a telephone conversation between Trump and Putin. Trump said something like ‘What do you know about him?’ And Putin’s response was kind of snarky. He said, ‘We in Russia know a lot about him,’ because they had watched him in his comedy show on Russian television. And the impression was ‘we think the guy’s a lightweight.’ Trump didn't dispute that, obviously. But it was clear that Putin was waiting to see whether there'd be any defense of Zelenskyy [from Trump], and certainly there was not." "The interjection of Ukraine into the U.S. presidential election in 2019 and 2020 had a significant negative effect on U.S.-Ukraine relations, certainly as long as Trump was in the White House. A lot of people ask the question, ‘Why did Putin wait until Biden was president? why didn’t he attack when Trump was president?’ which is often offered by Trump supporters to show how tough or how insane people thought Trump was, and that Putin waited for Biden." "But during the election campaign things just kept getting worse for Ukraine. And Putin, like a lot of other people, probably thought that Trump would win, and he was just going to wait. But once the election was over, and Biden obviously won, a lot of damage had been done. " "You still have people in the United States who think the DNC server’s there, that Hunter Biden's making zillions of dollars there, that sort of thing. And it all stems from this Trump obsession, based on his own political future, that really made sensible conversation about bilateral U.S.-Ukraine issues very, very difficult. To the extent that there was an unnatural environment created, it made it that much easier for Putin. I don't think it was dispositive, but it was a factor, that's for sure." John Bolton: Trump Made It ‘That Much Easier’ for Putin to Invade Ukraine (vice.com)
Russian conscripts were told that Ukraine was taken over by a Nazi regime and that the Ukranian government was murdering Russian nationals living there. And Jews. Don't forget Jews. That's more on the "de-Nazification" angle. Meanwhile back at the ranch, Putin bombed a Holocaust memorial site (Babyn Yar). Just reiterating that from my previous post with the link. Well, alledgedly it was collateral damage, but for someone who wants to get rid of Nazis in Ukraine, you can't make it up.
Bidens speech last night gives reason for hope.. Not only for Ukraine but for fostering Bipartisanship ..not really attacking the Republicans All of Congress is now united against Russia So another one of Putins objectives , to fraction the US, may be ruined by his own aggression In the 80s and 90s no Republican in their right mind would want to weaken NATO the way Trump was pushing and doing Putin a favor giving him a green light to invade other parts of Ukraine If Trump runs it will be a repeat of the last Republican loss....Joe Biden doesn't have to be ready for being on Mt Rushmore he just has to look better than Trump and extremism
I didn’t think it gave much “hope” for Ukraine. He alluded to a bleak outcome. As far as the next election.:. If inflation and high costs are still here, it won’t be that easy, as at the end of the day that’s what most care about. If that eases up, then he can win re election.
The State of the Union addresses are usually a sham in terms of critic response. The right likes the ones the Republican Presidents do and the left likes the ones the Democratic Presidents do. It’s all political theater for the oligarchs that rule this country.
You mean the same country he called Iranians? Yeah okay bud.. LOL Speech last night was a joke. Only good thing that came from last night was the memes
Gonna get fugly. Remember the gas shortage under Nixon? Gas went up to $0.73 a gallon and people were freaking out, haha. It's all relative, I guess. We have oil heat. A lot of times I hedge my bets and don't pay extra to cap my price. I did this year. I'm at $3.299 a gallon. I think it's at $4.399 now. I'm also on budget payments of $200 a month. I still have a decent credit right now, but some years back I was paying $360 a mo. on budget and still owed them over $700 at the end of the year to zero myself out. Oooof. I don't know what propane is going for now, probably $4.899 (?). I have a propane wood stove in my Studio, but I never leave the pilot light on when I'm not in there because it makes no sense. So I have to push a couple of buttons to prime it and get it started so what. The laziness of people amazes me. So far I'm doing great with that as far as getting the tank filled so I haven't even asked.
I'll probably go that way on my next car, but aren't a lot of re-charging stations powered by natural gas?
You’re still paying for it in increased utility bills and goods and services. Gas prices aren’t just about what comes directly out of your pocket at the pump.
Would have been a life changer for sone of those people stranded on I 95 in Virginia a couple of months ago too.
Blizzard like conditions expected in Eastern Ukraine the next few days, that could impact Putin’s invasion
I am Canadia. My electricity/heating is provide by Hydro energy. Also our electricity is state owned. Therefore our cost increase are limited to inflation or less.
