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Do you think the link that I posted in that comment is merely decorative?

Why should the situation in Pattaya be any different from that in say Kazakhstan? And even if not flocking to Thailand, clearing they are fleeing in mass numbers. Russians fleeing Putin's draft are pouring into nearby countries, sending hotel rates, rents, and airfares soaring https://www.businessinsider.com/russians-flee-putin-mobilisation-draft-kazakhstan-georgia-hotel-rents-airfares-2022-9 And Ukraine is fighting for its survival as an independent nation. That's why the travel restrictions are stricter.

Well, we certainly know what Russia thinks makes someone a mercenary. Which does not accord with any definition I've found of it. Nowhere have I located any definition of mercenary that makes being a foreign national. the sole criterion.

The French Foreign legion is not a mercenary organization. "The French Foreign Legion (French: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, cavalry, engineers, airborne troops.[8] It was created in 1831 to allow foreign nationals into the French Army.[9] It formed part of the Armée d’Afrique, the French Army's units associated with France's colonial project in Africa, until the end of the Algerian war in 1962.[10]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion

I surely do. Ukraine-Russia conflict: Russia warns it will treat foreigners who join Ukraine military as 'mercenaries' after more than 100 Scots sign up to fight Russia has said it will treat foreigners who travel to Ukraine to join the conflict as "mercenaries", warning they would not be protected by international humanitarian law or "enjoy the status of prisoners of war" if captured by Russian forces. https://www.scotsman.com/news/world/russia-warns-it-will-treat-foreigners-who-join-ukraine-military-as-mercenaries-3596595

So you believe that's what's happening but you don't claim that's what's happening? This is like saying I believe the moon is made of green cheese but I don't claim the moon is made of green cheese. The difference being that there's no assumption of conspiracy in the belief about the moon's composition.

If that's the case, then comparatively speaking Russian generals are bags of shi+.

Actually, the Republicans made the 2013 raising of the debt limit conditional on reauthorizing the Bush tax cuts! "Following the increase in the debt ceiling to $16.394 trillion in 2011,[19] the United States again reached the debt ceiling on December 31, 2012 and the Treasury began taking extraordinary measures." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_States_debt_ceiling Clearly, they were very sincere in their concern about budget deficits and the national debt.

I don't deny that Biden screwed up very badly. But there's a huge difference between screwing up very badly and willfully committing criminal acts.

"Unlawful" is one thing, "criminal" is another. Unless it can be proved that Biden willfully ignored the law, no crime has been committed. If there is a record of him retaining those records despite the advice of legal counsel, that would be criminal. If there is a record of him denying to the Justice Dept investigators that he had possession of them, when in fact he knew that he did, that would also be criminal.

There are affordable, acceptable and effective solutions. But some people prefer to remain ignorant of them.

Well, if it's a fact, then provide a link to it. But, of course, it's a falsehood. What Next for Ukraine’s Formerly Pro-Russian Regions? In recent years, despite growing tensions with Russia and the threat of war, this part of Ukraine had retained generally positive attitudes toward its neighbor to the east: 53 percent in Ukraine’s east and 45 percent in the south viewed Russia favorably. Some—though not many—went as far as to support unification with Russia: 22 percent in the Luhansk region, and 11 percent in the Kherson region. Russia’s invasion largely put an end to this pro-Russian sentiment: by May 2022, only 4 percent in Ukraine’s east and 1 percent in the south still had a positive view of Russia. https://carnegieendowment.org/politika/88542

This is exactly the same arguments that climate change denialists use. There are plenty of actual experts out there whose reports and analyses I follow. And Ozimoron said it far better than I did. Here it is again for your benefit "Of course weapons manufacturers make money from selling weapons. Just like big pharma make money selling drugs. That doesn't mean they caused or prolonged the war any more than they caused covid. Russia invaded Ukraine, leaving the western world no choice but to spend money on weapons. These conspiracy theories about it all being the military industrial machine's fault are puerile and simplistic."

I wish I had said that.

I watched enough of Crenshaw's talk to see his dishonesty. Germans are increasing their use of coal not because of enviromentalism gone wild but because the Russians invaded Ukraine and Germany had foolishly made itself way over dependent on Russian gas. He lied about how much money Germany has spent on wind and solar. He claimed almost a trillion dollars. Actually, in March of 2022 it was reported that Germany had spent more than 150 billion dollars. "Germany has already spent more than $150 billion on its climate change ambitions, principally for scaling up renewable power." https://www.forbes.com/sites/uhenergy/2022/03/24/a-balance-of-power-examining-germanys-post-russia-path-for-energy-sources/?sh=5eee4f6632b0 As for his comment about the closing of nuclear power plants being due to "radical, environmentalism", it was actually a politically popular decision. I think it was way too premature, but that's democracy for you. Actually, popular opinion is now changing on the subject. https://www.energymonitor.ai/policy/weekly-data-shift-in-germanys-perception-of-nuclear-energy/ He also claimed that Germany's efforts hadn't reduced emissions. That's another falsehood https://tradingeconomics.com/germany/co2-emissions#:~:text=CO2 Emissions in Germany averaged,of 657400.02 KT in 2019. It's actually quite remarkable how many falsehoods and omissions he managed to pack into his short diatribe.

You know, just posting link isn't enough. The link actually has to lead to something that supports your case. I have seen that video many times. I did see someone using their phone to record a cameraman. But I didn't see the video that person took or any other evidence that the cameraman was directing the scene.

The difference between a criminal prosecution and a private lawsuit is huge.

Some people here clearly know more than others. Some just engage in bloviation about the war being about profits. Citing unproveable and discreditable motivations rather than acquiring actual knowledge is a lot easier. But that kind of approach might tell us something about the party making them, but little about the actual situation.

And the link?

Well, I looked that up and according to a Reuters article, which can't be linked to, the new plants use 254 grams of coal to generate a kilowatt hour rather than 302. So it may be better but it still stinks. The industry in the US had a campaign feature "Cleaner Coal". A more accurate description would be "Less Filthy Coal" Anyway if you do a search for a Reuters article published on Feb 9, 2022, you can find that factoid and others.

Earlier on Mick Macmanus claimed the video showed a cameraman directing the scene. When I challenged him on showing where that happened, I pointed out that how would a cameraman be taking a video of himself directing the scene while shooting the scene? I never heard back from him. His original claims have been modified greatly.

She's working for change by trying to move public opinion. I doubt that Chinese public opinion would be much moved her actions. And its debatable that they could ever see them. As for Africa, I kind of doubt given the history of colonialism in Africa, that the locals would welcome a European protesting on their behalf on her own initiative.

You are familiar with German law? They might have only been liable for a civil suit. Not prosecution. Or maybe not even that. I don't know. You got a link to a reliable source that confirms the company would have been liable for prosecution?

Does this kind of motivation apply to Russia too? After all, they are one of the world's leading arms merchants. Or maybe were one of the world's leading arms merchants given how badly their materiel has performed under conditions of actual war.

"And even if i.e. the USA would pay for all the weapons and ammunition which they supply to Ukraine, why? Because they are so nice people? Or because that keeps the military industrial complex running and financed?" Very simplistic thinking. Have you thought that there are other possible motivations than either niceness or profit?