Removed a post that was unreadable due to formatting errors.

10 hours ago, stevenl said:

Because the US is overspending? This overspend helps US defense contractors and the US military that can't find billions, or is it trillions, of dollars. Also don't forget the percentages between the countries are not comparable with the US including e.g. military pensions where others don't.

No, looking at it from a UK perspective, the UK does not spend anywhere near enough on defence to be able to defend itself.  Military leaders have been warning of that for years.  Its sad that we should have to worry about such things but we live in a dangerous world and never so dangerous as it is right now.

11 hours ago, connda said:

Absolutely the best thing to do is to normalize US-Russia relationships, drop the useless sanctions, and reestablish trade.
The US has no duty at all to be Team America - World Police, as all it does is burn tax-payer money for the benefit of the MIC and "Defense" contractors.  Study history - NATO push itself right against Russia's borders and then use Ukraine as a battering ram. 
Ukraine could have signed the Istanbul Peace Agreements it initialed but chose not to at the urging of Boris Johnson.  Unprovoked?  Oft repeated by war-hawks with skin in the game of war.

"More war! More war! More war!!!"

Here - volunteer if you want war so badly.  Yeah, ya'll are war-mongers as long as someone else is doing the fighting and dying.
3rd assault brigade 2nd foreign legion needs you!

 

I don't know where you get the thought that I am a war monger - I'm actually far from it.  Can I just remind you that Putin is the aggressor in this situation.  Ukraine is a sovereign nation and as such, just as any other nation is entitled to choose its destiny and who it aligns itself with.  Putins use of not wanting NATO on his borders is rubbish, it a ruse.  How would it be if Russia took Ukraine, who would it have on its borders then?  You need to learn that whatever 'deal' Trump and Putin cook up together, Putin will renage on it.  Trump thinks he has some kind of friendship with Putin - Putin will bend him over and ............... him.  You don't go from hate to love overnight. 

 

How would Putin explain his new 'friendship' to the Russian people?  For years, no matter what party has been in charge of the US, Putin has been blaming the US for everything.  You might want to look back in the news since 2014 - Putin stated on several occasions that the US was behind Ukraine. Russia is proven to have interfered with several US elections . Go ahead and normalise relations.  Just understand though, that what you might think of as 'normal' will almost certainly be viewed differently in Moscow.

 

You want the US to normalise relations with Russia?  A country who's people have been conditioned to believe that the West is guilty for all its woes since 1999.  A country led by a thug who kills and imprisons his opposition, who authorises wholesale child kidnapping and the butchery of civillians of all ages.  Yes, go ahead, normalise relations with Putin and see where it gets you.

6 hours ago, frank83628 said:

Yep, and the sheep here ignore anything pre 2022. The MSM used to report on Azof and call Ukraine corrupt before then too, but now Ukraine is the Darling of the warmongerers.

Absolutely no point in debating this further with you.  Like most Trump supporters........you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

 

However - to rebutt your point.  It is well known that Ukraine suffered from huge corruption - they have been trying to deal with it but just as it is in Thailand, its not something you can stop overnight.  Its also a hangover from the break up of the USSR. Where do you think all the oligarchs came from?  The people of Ukraine made ot clear what they wanted in 2013.

 

I'd also like to point out to you that defence is not warmongering - Putin should not and must not be rewarded for his expansionist aggression.  If that means war - so be it.  You can take it up the ..... if you like.

12 hours ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Putin forced NATO to abandon it's promises and treaties to expand eastward? 

NATO is a defensive organisation.  They have only ever reacted to aggression, not started it.  Putin has forced NATO troops to be positioned on countries such as Georgia through his own paranoid actions.

13 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

In 20 years Putin has done what? Taken 20% of Ukraine. They are all Slavs anyway.

What's your point?  That Putin's actions are OK because he's carried them out over 20 years?  Is he able to dictate Ukraine's destiny?

On 2/22/2025 at 3:09 PM, SunnyinBangrak said:

I give him 48 hours. Lucky he squirreled away so much and has villas overseas to live his life in luxury, as a million Ukrainian mothers mourn the senseless death of their kids. It was for nowt.

I'm not convinced that any world news agencies were wasting money having reporters outside your doorstep just waiting for your pronouncement on Zelensky's future.

14 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

So, Zelensky had the backing of the US and most of Europe and is at an effective stalemate after a million dead and wounded and losing a quarter of his population. 

 

What is the way forward?

 

Do you think morons protesting Vance skiing with his family want to get over there and fight for Ukraine? 

 

Do you think European parents want their kids to go fight in Russia? 

So, again, while you may not mean it to be so, this aligns perfectly with pro-Kremlin agitprop.

 

So you're saying that if one is against Russia's latest invasion, and think that Western governments should continue to assist Ukraine resist its destruction, you have to be willing to go there and fight personally?  I hear this over and over again from pro-Russian Westerners.

7 hours ago, frank83628 said:

Yep, and the sheep here ignore anything pre 2022. The MSM used to report on Azof and call Ukraine corrupt before then too, but now Ukraine is the Darling of the warmongerers.

And the Right used to view Russia -- a state that is malignant to its very core and absolutely opposed to everything the MAGAheads supposedly value -- for what it was but now is lining up to give Russian soldiers bj's.

 

The world is a weird place.

7 hours ago, NickyLouie said:

Bro wearing blood money 

 

 

 

 

His green shirt -- $20 on Temu -- was bought with "blood money"?  Wow.

13 hours ago, connda said:

Absolutely the best thing to do is to normalize US-Russia relationships, drop the useless sanctions, and reestablish trade.

The normal relationship between the general population and a gang of thugs is...????

4 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

NATO is a defensive organisation.  They have only ever reacted to aggression, not started it.  Putin has forced NATO troops to be positioned on countries such as Georgia through his own paranoid actions.

How has Putin force NATO to expand? Paranoid actions? Do tell o'wise one

Just now, frank83628 said:

How has Putin force NATO to expand? Paranoid actions? Do tell o'wise one

You don't know....?.................😆

4 hours ago, ChicagoExpat said:

And the Right used to view Russia -- a state that is malignant to its very core and absolutely opposed to everything the MAGAheads supposedly value -- for what it was but now is lining up to give Russian soldiers bj's.

 

The world is a weird place.

You shouldnt assume everyone that supports Trump is maga!.

Oh no...

 

1 minute ago, frank83628 said:

You shouldnt assume everyone that supports Trump is maga!.

I'm not sure that comment said that.  But, OK, in what scenario would a Trump supporter NOT be maga?

 

I am in favor of some of Trump's stated goals (e.g. control immigration, lower government spending) but have very little hope that he is capable of achieving some of those goals.  Or for some of them (e.g. controlling alleged corruption) even intends to.

1 minute ago, ChicagoExpat said:

I'm not sure that comment said that.  But, OK, in what scenario would a Trump supporter NOT be maga?

 

I am in favor of some of Trump's stated goals (e.g. control immigration, lower government spending) but have very little hope that he is capable of achieving some of those goals.  Or for some of them (e.g. controlling alleged corruption) even intends to.

So, anyone that voted against open borders, and lower government spending, and men in girls showers, and DEI is MAGA? 

 

Because anyone voting against Trump, voted for open borders, more government spending, men in girls showers, and more DEI. 

 

Binary choice. 

 

4 minutes ago, ChicagoExpat said:

I'm not sure that comment said that.  But, OK, in what scenario would a Trump supporter NOT be maga?

 

I am in favor of some of Trump's stated goals (e.g. control immigration, lower government spending) but have very little hope that he is capable of achieving some of those goals.  Or for some of them (e.g. controlling alleged corruption) even intends to.

Because most of the crybabies here use the term maga in a derogatory manner, meaning a cap wearing redneck. 

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

So, anyone that voted against open borders, and lower government spending, and men in girls showers, and DEI is MAGA? 

 

Because anyone voting against Trump, voted for open borders, more government spending, men in girls showers, and more DEI. 

 

Binary choice. 

Again, my comment didn't say that -- your opinion, not mine.

1 minute ago, ChicagoExpat said:

Again, my comment didn't say that -- your opinion, not mine.

Sorry. So, in your opinion, what scenario would a Trump supporter NOT be maga?

Unelected is unelected? You Dems can't have it both ways.

6 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

NATO is a defensive organisation.  They have only ever reacted to aggression, not started it.  Putin has forced NATO troops to be positioned on countries such as Georgia through his own paranoid actions.

 Seriously?  you are way behind the times

On 2/22/2025 at 2:15 PM, bannork said:

Ukraine will fight on with European backing against the murderous Putin who has killed so many .Trump and his fellow appeasers should be eternally grateful to Zelensky because Ukraine has crippled the Russian army without one American soldier losing his life.

Long live Ukraine, three heroic years of fighting a blood thirsty autocrat.

Down with American appeasers, cowards the lot.

Despite having no air force, navy and a regular army dwarfed in terms of weapons and numbers, Ukraine had shown just how piss poor and cowardly Russia is.

They rely on NK and jailed felons to make up numbers.

Any European nato member could wipe the floor with Russia, unless they unleashed their nuclear weapons .

France, Germany and UK could wipe Russia off the map in under a week

6 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Sorry. So, in your opinion, what scenario would a Trump supporter NOT be maga?

Seems to depend on how you'd define "maga".  I'd probably define it as someone who supports President Trump, but does so in a totally unthinking, unnuanced way, that is unfortunately so characteristic of so many Trump supporters.  So when is one NOT maga?  When someone supports him or his goals but is also willing to concede that there are a lot of problems with the way Trump's administration gets things done, or that he himself can be an enormous hypocrite, etc.  

3 minutes ago, ChicagoExpat said:

Seems to depend on how you'd define "maga".  I'd probably define it as someone who supports President Trump, but does so in a totally unthinking, unnuanced way, that is unfortunately so characteristic of so many Trump supporters.  So when is one NOT maga?  When someone supports him or his goals but is also willing to concede that there are a lot of problems with the way Trump's administration gets things done, or that he himself can be an enormous hypocrite, etc.  

I do not like a lot of Trump's behavior, and there are some things his administrations have done that I don't like, but: What are some of the many "problems with the way Trump's administration gets things done"? And how is Trump an "enormous hypocrite"? 

 

 

9 minutes ago, Brian J said:

Despite having no air force, navy and a regular army dwarfed in terms of weapons and numbers, Ukraine had shown just how piss poor and cowardly Russia is.

They rely on NK and jailed felons to make up numbers.

Any European nato member could wipe the floor with Russia, unless they unleashed their nuclear weapons .

France, Germany and UK could wipe Russia off the map in under a week

So, why have they not? 

40 minutes ago, bangadang said:

Unelected is unelected? You Dems can't have it both ways.

 

Under the Ukraine law it is permitted to put on hold elections whilst at war. Actually UK did the same think during WW!! and I assume most other countries.

40 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

I do not like a lot of Trump's behavior, and there are some things his administrations have done that I don't like

Then why not list that behaviour rather than your continuous unwavering and apparently blinkered support for him?

44 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

I do not like a lot of Trump's behavior, and there are some things his administrations have done that I don't like, but: What are some of the many "problems with the way Trump's administration gets things done"?

DOGE is a great example.  OK in concept, horrible in execution -- firing thousands of people while having no idea what they actually do and then having to recall them when someone tells DOGE that we need nuclear inspectors, the cooked website of alleged savings that's off by billions of dollars, the absurd emails to Federal employees, storing classified data on unclassified servers manned by people without security clearances, gutting the National Park Service, cutting the staff of the agency that regulates Tesla, acting while having no legal authority, et al.

 

There are smarter ways to get this done -- and either way it's going to be brutal as lots of people are losing their livelihoods -- but ignorance, corruption, and malice are a toxic brew.