it sounds extreme but it is extreme

I'm uneasy about the whole thing. About the warmongering coming from the right in our own country, and about the general global implications.

the tactics they are using are exactly the same blueprint as the prague spring.

history is repeating

I really want to see us following the UN on this one, but I'm worried about what state we (globally) are going to be in if/when the UN decides it's time to take action.

not because I think the UN will drag its feet, but rather because we'll need to be in a very bad place for that decision to get made.

And there's this other thing that I don't see talked much about

Ukraine had the 3rd largest nuclear arsenal in the world, and we talked them into giving it all up.

We promised that they wouldn't regret it.

So if nothing is done to support Ukraine, it basically leaves a black eye on any future disarmament attempts.

I feel like the world is too "big" for things to go to far. Too many players to gel into a couple of key coalitions.

too big to fail?

What do we know about Russia

my fear is that too much hinges on powerful egos with unreasonable degrees of conviction.

why do the crazy ones always live to be a hundred?

feel the power of the Dark Side!

calisthenics?

if ever there were a good time for a strategic assassination...

Russia is doubling the cost of Ukraine's oil purchases, and Ukraine is already at like 1/3 debt to GDP thanks to the last gov't's embezzlement. They took all that money to Russia, by the way.

meanwhile, as soon as Putin walks across the border to mainland Ukraine, the GOP gets to scream 'I TOLD YOU SO' at the top of their lungs and we'll start hearing that we need to cut social security and Medicare

so we can afford to defend ourselves against possible Russian invasions.

isolating Russian banks from international trade will cost Russia about 60-70% of it's economy's value within 5 years.

they will look around to see what means they have of getting back to even economically and probably find this really big, idle military. Wonder what they might think to do with that?

gee, that doesn't sound anything like Germany pre-WWII.

I don't get the sense of Poland 1939, but I am alarmed at the irrationality of some of the actors (Russia, our GOP) and the possibility of getting bogged down into another regional slaughter.

sorry, the GOP says I have to call Iraq and Afghanistan "wars".

you didn't see the new encyclopedia entry?

"War" - the act of Bringing Freedom to Brown People

"Operation: Brown Freedom"

I had a brown freedom operation earlier today, complete with bombing and destruction.

Dude.

Always have an exit strategy.

wise words

back and forth, forever.

i hate you.

HILARIOUSLY

it was almost that bad.

perogies

Russia. ninjanuity's butt. I'm done with this shit. STANDBY FOR TITANFALL

PUTINFALL

I just imagined giant Putins running around punching each other. Scary.

in soviet russia, giant putins don't punch you.... no, actually that's pretty accurate.

trufax

Yup

when that rough, callused hand picks you up and stuffs you into its nipply chest cavity?

goosebumps.

I always think it smells like vodka and beets in there