heybruce

Can we prove that speeches by Adolf Hitler and his propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels instigated Kristallnacht in 1938? No. Can we reasonably assume they had something to do with it? Yes. The line between expressing opinions passionately and without qualification versus intentionally lying to achieve an objective is difficult to define. That's why judgment based on past experience is required to determine what constitutes a call to violence. If the platform for the offending words are privately owned, the platform owner's can decide what constitutes crossing the line.

I confess I read and replied to your post too quickly. I now see you posted "Why do conservatives get banned for doubting the 2020 results...". I should have pointed out that conservatives aren't banned for doubting the 2020 election results. They get banned for claiming the election was illegitimate without offering evidence, or for citing non-existent or disproven "evidence" as fact. They also get banned for inciting violence. Clinton and Biden were expressing opinions years after the fact in your unreferenced example above. You don't get banned for expressing an opinion. Trump was telling his followers that the election was stolen and telling them to fight at the time the election results were being certified. Do you understand the difference?

Mass shootings and hate crimes are the kind of crimes that the Federal Government can do something about. Most other crimes that show up in statistics can only be dealt with at the state or local level. Are you arguing that Biden should expand federal crime fighting to take care of local affairs?

I think some very bad experiences with the countries you list is why the EU will raise its standards for future members. Ukraine needs to get corruption under control before it will be admitted.

Under Trump there were significantly more mass shootings resulting in ten or more fatalities, in spite of the pandemic slowing down the opportunity for such shootings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_shootings_in_the_United_States There were many more hate crimes as well. https://www.newsweek.com/hate-crimes-under-trump-surged-nearly-20-percent-says-fbi-report-1547870 The economy crashing prevented inflation.

What "prominent members of the left" are denying election results? Any members of Congress or ex-Presidents? Is a prominent left wing former President soliciting hundreds of millions of dollars in donations to fight a non-existent stolen election? When has a mob of left wingers stormed the nation's Capital to overturn an election result?

I agree. Prayut has been Prime Minister since he took the title of Prime Minister. The fact that he was not appointed Prime Minister until after a questionable election in 2019 doesn't mean his years holding the title and powers of PM (along with many powers a PM shouldn't have) suddenly disappear.

"approved in a public referendum" Let's put that part in perspective: The approval was presented as the only option to have an election, no one was allowed to present objections to the proposed constitution, the junta used government resources to educate the people about how to vote, and, once approved, the "approved" constitution was changed to accommodate someone who can't be named. There were many defenders of this fraud on ThaiVisa.

"However, the start date of the eight-year limit remains a key legal question. Is it when Prayut assumed his post in 2014, when the current Constitution came into force on April 6, 2017, or when Prayut was appointed by royal command as PM on June 9, 2019, after the general election in March that year." In other words, Prayut doesn't want to count the time he was self-appointed PM as part of his eight year time limit. Total BS. I will always remember the posters who supported the 2014: "Prayut is a good man", "Give the general a chance", etc. No doubt they will be posting the same thing about whoever is in charge after the next coup.

Europe is Russia's most important customer for energy exports by far. Europe is now highly motivated to find other sources. Russia will be able to sell oil elsewhere, but currently Europe is the only country that Russia can export significant quantities if natural gas to. "In 2021, Europe bought up about 42 percent of Russia’s total oil production, while China purchased 14 percent and 30 percent stayed in Russia." https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/597882-here-are-the-countries-that-import-the-most-russian-oil/ Also in 2021, Europe bought 74% of Russia's natural gas exports. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=51618

Not illegal to be an a**hole, but it is illegal to ride a motorbike without a helmet. Bust him.

I'm not criticizing or objecting to the result. I just pointed out that the title "U.S. Intelligence Is Helping Ukraine Kill Russian Generals, Officials Say" implies that specific intelligence for the purpose of killing Russian generals is being provided. That would be acceptable, but I don't think that accurately reflects the nature of the intelligence provided and degree of US involvement in how it is used. The US is providing intelligence about Russian military locations and movements in Ukraine, and probably other stuff as well. Ukraine decides what to do with it from that point on. Edit: Shortly after posting the above I came across this: "The headline of this story is misleading and the way it is framed is irresponsible. The United States provides battlefield intelligence to help the Ukrainians defend their country. We do not provide intelligence with the intent to kill Russian generals," "Officials say it is correct, as reported by the Times, that the Ukrainians are able to combine what they learn from the U.S. with their own intelligence to then target Russian leaders. But they emphasized that the U.S. does not play a direct role in targeting individuals on the battlefield." https://www.yahoo.com/gma/us-officials-push-back-report-220500160.html

Putin calls it a special mission because that sounds better than "empire building".

I am one of those who thought it would take years. I'll be very happy to be proven wrong.

Yes, it started when Putin undermined democracy in Russia, turned over the economy to crony capitalism, and started looking for foreign enemies to distract the Russian people from his appalling crimes.

Oh no! He deviated from the "Everything is going according to plan" script.

I see...it's not the serial killer's fault; society is to blame.

A little misleading. The US is providing intelligence to Ukraine. What the Ukraine leadership decides to do with it is their call.

How is the west to blame? Don't repeat the NATO expansion nonsense. Russia drove its neighbors to seek a defensive alliance for their own protection.

NATO wasn't barking at the door of Russia. Russia's neighbors were barking to get into NATO. Russia's invasion of Ukraine shows why they were so eager to join.

So a slow, horrible death from cancer for Putin would be karma. Ok, but I still want him out of the way quickly.

So you think Russia should be allowed to invade countries at will and the world's response should be "Well, there are arguments on both sides..."?

The pertinent information in the April 5 source remains the same. Can you identify anything that has changed? Has Putin stopped requiring overseas Russian businesses to convert 80% of money made to rubles? Is Putin now allowing Russian brokers to sell securities owned by foreigners? Has Putin lifted restrictions on Russian citizens transferring money abroad? Western countries are sanctioning the assets of Putin's cronies and corrupt oligarchs who have been stashing wealth in safe countries. Allowing them to do so has been an embarrassment for these countries, preventing it will cause an imperceptibly small hit on their economies. It may upset real estate agents and developers (Donald Trump) and super-yacht dealers who cater to that kind of ilk, but other than that the west will be fine. You'll note the US dollar has been strengthening, not weakening, since the start of Putin's invasion. Stating that US credibility is at risk is laughable. What do you think Putin is doing to Russia's credibility as a friendly neighbor and reliable supplier of energy? When Russia had a semi-captive market for energy in Europe it had a reliable cash cow. Now Europe (excluding Hungary) is diversifying away from Russian energy as fast as possible. I don't see how denying facts will contribute positively to this discussion. Thanks by no thanks to your response.

I'm conflicted for a different reason. Putin deserves a slow, painful death. However the sooner he's out of the way the better, so I'm hoping for a fatal complication during surgery.

What about the rest of the link? https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2022/04/05/1090920442/how-russia-rescued-the-ruble?t=1651414801313 Putin is holding a gun to the head of those who, for now, must deal with Russia and forcing them to support the ruble. That's propping up the ruble for now but destroying Russia's credibility as a place to do business. It will be many years before Russia's economy gets past the damage Putin is doing now. Do you know of anyone who is currently investing in rubles or the Russian economy that has a choice in the matter?