Poland's aid to Ukraine if Russia invades - part 20

That's why, very early on, I said: Russia cannot possibly lose this war.

In response, I got: Why don't you move to Russia?

Hate make them stupid, I guess...

I agree with Barney. As I laid out above.

Not because help was small. Not because it was unappreciated. This is the wrong angle of attack...

The answer really lies in Germany's own miscalculations.

To argue that Russia would have lost without America, you have to show a way Germany would have won.

The fact is Germany was much weaker than is fashionable to think now.

They knocked out some serious countries through lightning blows (France, Poland) and it went to their head. Even the impossible began to seem possible.

Then they broke their teeth on Russia. The minute they failed to take Moscow, it was a long way to defeat for them.

America saved us millions of Russian blood, but it did not win the war for us (though it did shorten it).

If you put it like that it seems it was a one-sided affair or a charity. It was neither and if you don't understand that you are not fit to have any discussion about politics because obviously it goes over your head.
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Obviously.
It was all fine as long as most of the profits directly or indirectly went to the US. It changed mainly due to China but not only. The moment it changed the US strarted kicking out and making fuss about how poor and unfair their Pax Americana was and how much it cost them and they were having a bad deal.
In all that whining there are some grains of truth but is not as extreme as they present it.
They want to change rules - fine.
I'm all right with it, What /I'm not all right with is some American riff raffs who know sh't about anything taking the US propaganda to hearth and spewing their bile here,.
(Take a cold shower buster or you will burst a vein.)

He is more than fit.

In my opinion, there were two reasons for the American generosity toward Europe:

1. Americans are the most generous people on Earth.
2. The US wanted to prevent communists from flooding Western Europe.

America was flush. It was entirely untouched by the war, and instead had grown exponentially stronger.

Importantly, post-war America had a historic amount of excess capital.

American citizens had accumulated monstrous savings (today the average American is a net debtor). The reasons for these were kinda twofold - historically low unemployment, and hard limits on consumption due to rationing and limited wartime consumption.

The post-war boom absorbed a lot of this capital, through:

1) The GI Bill - which was great for the education and housing markets

2) The suburban boom

3) Construction of highways and other vital national infrastructure

But there was still a lot of money left over, with nowhere else to go within the United States.

At the same time, the return on investment for that capital was significantly higher in Europe and East Asia than in America itself.

So we can put the "generosity" aside.

The Communism aspect was much more relevant. Communism meant an almost certain and permanent loss of a market for US goods. Less Communists - more consumers.

American generosity is measured best by the amounts people donate voluntarily and without expectation of any ROI - both at home and abroad.

A school janitor's house burns down and in a week, his GoFundMe account is 500,000 bucks.

In this respect, there no second best...

By this measure Americans are undoubtedly ahead of the entire galaxy.


This really does paint America from the best possible light.

Americans are indeed a generous and "bleeding heart" people.

I think it's because:

1) it's diverse

2) it's young

People are still essentially rootless, and they rely on each other for support. This makes them closer to each other.

In monotheist and ancient countries, like Japan or India, nobody gives a sh*t about the plight of their fellow man. Only about their family, their tribe, and their patronage network. Everyone else may as well burn on a spitfire.

I wish they were more selfish - starting with NATO and Euro parasites' free ride. One of the recepients of our foreign aid is...drum roll...China!

The movie I hate so much that I can't finish it is The Magnificent Seven. Drives me nuts...

Sorry - meant to say monoethnic not monotheist. And the idea is not mine, but from Tocqueville's "Democracy in America".

Americans' fundamental loneliness makes them expend significantly more effort in search of "connection". In comparison to Europeans or Asians, where it's normal for three generations to live under one roof, and take no interest at all in other people's lives.

Less true of Japan where the 'corporate' family (as an economic unit) has always been more important than the 'blood' family (people closely related). One symptom is the ease with which adults can be adopted into a family.
The Sino-American anthropologist Francis LK Hsu described a terrible storm near a temple were ashes and pictures from a funeral shrine were scattered on the beach and some local Japanese felt sorry for them and took them home to add to their shrines.... Hsu said such actions would be incomprehensible to Chinese.
Japanese can and do shut out other people but they can also reach out in ways that neither Indians or Chinese can.

That was an interesting post. Especially about the ashes of strangers. Thanks.

I just have images of ashes of dead Russians in my mind......

From the best news source on Earth, RT:

France and UK rebrand possible military deployment to Ukraine
A "reassurance force" could be sent to the conflict zone, President Emmanuel Macron has said

Memo to Russia: Please kill the French and the Brits as soon as you spot them.

If you are not sure if those are the good guys - I mean the Americans - ask them to spell "program".

Better ask for cigarettes and chocolate, maybe they'll give it to you. 😉

bild.de/politik/ausland-und-internationales/ueberraschender-vorschlag-putin-will-ukraine-unter-uno-verwaltung-stellen-67e5d190f350b21d61b1d3bc

Russian leader Vladimir Putin (72) has proposed placing Ukraine, which he attacked, under United Nations administration in order to hold elections.

"Such a practice exists, and in principle, the possibility of temporary UN administration can, of course, be discussed with the United States, the European states, and - of course - also with our partners and friends," Putin said during a meeting with sailors on a nuclear submarine in Murmansk. The goal is to hold democratic elections, in which a capable government comes to power to conclude peace.

"With this government, we will then begin negotiations on a peace treaty, sign legitimate documents that are recognized worldwide and are secure and stable," Putin said.

Putin reiterated that Russia prefers a peaceful solution - "but not at our expense." He is ready to negotiate - including with the Europeans. But Russia will not be deceived.

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Hmmm......could it work? What outcome is he expecting in that election??? 😬

Maybe I wasn't clear enough, they didn't collect the ashes which were scattered... but rather the portraits (and plaques with characters) that accompany the urns...

eatcreative.jp/magazine/feasting-with-the-dead

Do you teach anthropology?
No wonder you hate woke so much, since they rampaged through the profession like Ghengis Khan mongols.

Incredible isn't it? He invades a country, thereby preventing it from holding elections, and then has the nerve to suggest this "solution".... .

....he MUST expect a pro-russian outcome....otherwise that "solution" makes not much sense....for Putin, that is!

Of course he doesn't want an election... the whole idea that Ukraine _must_ hold elections originated in russian propaganda and only lives because of unconscious shills who mindlessly repeat it

Similarly the idea that Zelenskyy doesn't wear a suit because he disrespects other leaders is a product of russian propaganda

Can't anyone hear interpret anything in Straussian terms?

putin is saying anything and everything to create the idea that he can be brought around by rational argumentation so that suckers (US) will continue to pursue a 'peace deal' while russia continues attacks on civilians.

russia does not want a country called Ukraine to exist.
It does not want people who call themselves 'Ukrainian' to exist.
It does not want a language called Ukrainian to exist.

_Everything_ the russian government does and says is to further these goals.

But....then why make such a suggestion in the first place? It's not a sign of weakness, isn't it....

I repeat "putin is saying anything and everything to create the idea that he can be brought around by rational argumentation so that suckers (US) will continue to pursue a 'peace deal' while russia continues attacks on civilians"

There are two strategic goals russia wants to carry out in 'negotiations' with the US

1) establish the precedent of making decisions about Ukraine without Ukrainian participation (partly accomplished thanks to Trump)

2) create scenarios where Ukraine and not russia is seen as the obstacle to peace (wildly successful in the US among Trump supporters).

That precedent has been established for decades, (picking a not so arbitrary point) starting with Palestine and all the other places that NATO member countries invaded.

The idea that countries are 100% free to decide their future is wildly naive.

The goal was to install the Russian puppet, this time coming through the back door, Using elections as a fig leaf. Very dishonest, manipulative, typical for the fox
that he is.

Who? The person with the best chance of winning (apart from Zelenskyy) makes Zelenskyy look like a surrender monkey...

russia just wants to draw things out and not actually agree to any ceasefire and blame Ukraine and too many with MAGA brain rot will believe that...

Still no ceasefire....

x.com/JayinKyiv/status/1905612232093778176

Will Trump ever wake up and smell the coffee?

That was exactly the goal in the USA, and it was achieved.

Memo to Euros:

I will stop calling you "parasites" when I see one UK, one Franch, one German, and one Polish military base in the US - tanks, artillery, and 10,000 troops each - at the ready to defend "America".

Until then what you say is just Euro noise and means shlt.

Hey, genius, ceasefire is for losers. Unconditional surrender is for winners. See Germany and Japan, 1945.

Hey, Vlad, never mind idiots. Just a reminder how to tell if you won:

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Licking the boot will never be cool, no matter how much you try.

I never told you to lick Russian boots. Just stop being azzholes.