Quote:"An underdog faces a threat from an authoritarian regime, so the United States must come to the rescue with a military response"

(02-20-2022, 12:19 PM)727Sky Wrote: I received these stats in an email...interesting if true...

Now we know, its all about money.

 
For those who ask: “Why does Ukraine matter? “
How the nation of Ukraine ranks:
1st in Europe in proven recoverable reserves of uranium ores;
2nd place in Europe and 10th place in the world in terms of titanium ore reserves;
2nd place in the world in terms of explored reserves of manganese ores (2.3 billion tons, or 12% of the world's reserves);
2nd largest iron ore reserves in the world (30 billion tons);
2nd place in Europe in terms of mercury ore reserves;
3rd place in Europe (13th place in the world) in shale gas reserves (22 trillion cubic meters)
4th in the world by the total value of natural resources;
7th place in the world in coal reserves (33.9 billion tons)
Ukraine is an agricultural country:
1st in Europe in terms of arable land area;
3rd place in the world by the area of black soil (25% of world's volume);
1st place in the world in exports of sunflower and sunflower oil;
2nd place in the world in barley production and 4th place in barley exports;
3rd largest producer and 4th largest exporter of corn in the world;
4th largest producer of potatoes in the world;
5th largest rye producer in the world;
5th place in the world in bee production (75,000 tons);
8th place in the world in wheat exports;
9th place in the world in the production of chicken eggs;
16th place in the world in cheese exports.
Ukraine can meet the food needs of 600 million people.
Ukraine is an industrialized country:
1st in Europe in ammonia production;
2-е Europe's and 4th largest natural gas pipeline system in the world (142.5 bln cubic meters of gas throughput capacity in the EU);
3rd largest in Europe and 8th largest in the world in terms of installed capacity of nuclear power plants;
3rd place in Europe and 11th in the world in terms of rail network length (21,700 km);
3rd place in the world (after the U.S. and France) in production of locators and locating equipment;
3rd largest iron exporter in the world
4th largest exporter of turbines for nuclear power plants in the world;
4th world's largest manufacturer of rocket launchers;
4th place in the world in clay exports
4th place in the world in titanium exports
8th place in the world in exports of ores and concentrates;
9th place in the world in exports of defence industry products;
10th largest steel producer in the world (32.4 million tons).

(02-20-2022, 09:38 PM)Ninurta Wrote: Aye. Ever since I was a small child, the Ukraine has been known as "The Bread Basket of Russia", So the agricultural observations above are and have been well known for quite a long time, as has the association of the Ukraine with Russia. Less well known are the mineral deposits and productions mentioned.

But wait, there's more - the MIC and news ratings:





Now, at about 6:24 of that video, we find the following quote:

Quote:"An underdog faces a threat from an authoritarian regime, so the United States must come to the rescue with a military response"

And that is true. The  US tends to go running into places with "advisors" and munitions, claiming to be only intending to liberate the underdogs. My ass. There are underdogs all over the world - why is it we only "liberate" the ones with potential financial benefits?

Going by the quote alone, we should be invading Canada right now and "liberating the underdogs from an authoritarian regime" - but we're not. There is no financial incentive to liberate Canada from the clutches of Trudeau.

Going by the quote alone, we should really, in fact, be sending US troops into the US to liberate the nation from an authoritarian regime. But we're not. As a friend of mine put it, "if the US could see what the US is doing in the US, we'd be sending US troops into the US to liberate it."

So the tired jingoism of "liberating the underdogs" is just that, sloganism, and the real reasons for it are a little deeper under the Swamp... and they are preceded by dollar signs.

Also of note is Russell Brand claiming to feel like he has "gone through the looking glass" because right is suddenly left, up is suddenly down, and philosophical underpinnings of various ideologies appear to have undergone a sea change.

There is nothing new under the sun. Remember that.

Prior to and during the US Civil War, the Republicans branded THEMSELVES as "radicals", and the Democrats were the conservative party in this nation. After the Civil War, and especially after Reconstruction, those ideological assignments flip-flopped. The Republicans became conservatives, and the Democrats became the radicals. Then, as time wore on, the Democrats became known as "the party of the working man", and the Republicans became known as "the party of big business". As time further eroded ideologies, that intensified to what we've known in the past few years as the association of Republicans with "fascists" and the association of Democrats with "socialists".- - never mind that both fascism and socialism are collectivist ideologies, and neither has any support for the individual.

"Fascism" and "socialism" are in fact just slight variants of the same damned thing, and that thing is more commonly known as "totalitarianism", what Marxists claim is "the dictatorship of the proletariat" and other folks refer to as "mob rule". In practice, it always shakes out as a dictatorial oligarchy under an assumed name. "The Workers" used as the muscle to usher it in are always, in the end, relegated to the bottom of the heap... and the Oligarchs who used the workers to attain power take their seats on the throne.

NOW, however, we seem to be undergoing a sea change again, and it's suddenly the Republicans that are fighting for the working man, and the Democrats who are shilling for the money men. That has thrown everyone into a confusion. It's almost as if it were designed to do that very thing, isn't it?

This ain't over, and it never will be. Just remember to not believe everything you are fed, examine the silver spoon they are using to feed the bullshit to you, search out answers for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. That is the only way you will ever arrive at something resembling objectivity.

I myself have been accused of "shilling for Putin", "supporting the godless commie Russians", etc, simply because I point out that we've got no dog in that Ukrainian fight. Why spend OUR blood and treasure "over there" when we have so many problems that desperately need to be addressed OVER HERE? I'm for US, in America, and could give a shit about Putin, Ukraine, or anything else east of the Danube.

It's almost like BidenHarris and Company have engineered and manufactured a distraction to keep us from addressing the problems they are creating right here, under our own noses...

I mean, really - when they designated Horizontal Harris as "Border Czar", I was under the mistaken impression that they meant OUR border here at home - I did not realize until later that they really meant that she needed to secure a foreign border, that of the Ukraine, while burning our own border down, allowing it to soak into the desert sands and dissipate into oblivion...

ETA: The Ukraine has always been a part of Russia since I can remember, and now Russia wants it back. I wonder how BidenHarris would feel if Texas seceeded from the Union, and he went to reclaim it like Lincoln did with the south, and Russia started arming up Texas and stationing troops in Cuba, Canada, and Mexico?

There! Did I get that right, Uncle Vladimir? Do I get my AK74 and 10,000 round of 5.45 for my birthday now?


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(02-21-2022, 07:25 AM)Kenzo Wrote: That`s interesting all .  Somedy also mentioed that as Ukraine is part of the great European plain , Ruskies may have fear that army from West could advance fast to Moscow via this flat plain areas, thought i dont know is it anymore so relevant now days with more modern war technology .

European plain

(02-21-2022, 08:55 AM)Ninurta Wrote:

(02-21-2022, 07:25 AM)Kenzo Wrote: That`s interesting all .  Somedy also mentioed that as Ukraine is part of the great European plain , Ruskies may have fear that army from West could advance fast to Moscow via this flat plain areas, thought i dont know is it anymore so relevant now days with more modern war technology .

European plain

The eastern part of that area in gray, from about the Danube River eastward, is what we call the "Russian steppes" or Eastern European steppes" here. I never really knew what a "steppe" was until you called it the "European Plains", and I thank you for that connection.Spme of my ancestors came from that area, when the "steppe herders" invaded westward into Europe and took over lands from the farmers and hunter-gatherers, a conflict exemplified in the Biblical tale of Cain and Abel. Do you suppose history may be about to repeat itself yet again?

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(02-21-2022, 11:12 AM)Kenzo Wrote:

(02-21-2022, 08:55 AM)Ninurta Wrote:

(02-21-2022, 07:25 AM)Kenzo Wrote:

Thank you for giving the steppe word in to this, which is completely new term/word for me .  I wonder did the Genghis Khan use the steppe areas when going West ?  I just find out that there is this the great Eurasian steppe also :




Back to the Fabulous Eurasian Steppes!


Make me wonder when the Chineses are going to advance via that route  and conquer Europe Certainly the Mongol empire did conquer half the World back then. Was the Gog and Magog folks in bible from East and advancing to West ?

(02-21-2022, 09:00 PM)Ninurta Wrote:

(02-21-2022, 11:12 AM)Kenzo Wrote:

(02-21-2022, 08:55 AM)Ninurta Wrote:

(02-21-2022, 07:25 AM)Kenzo Wrote:

Thank you for giving the steppe word in to this, which is completely new term/word for me .  I wonder did the Genghis Khan use the steppe areas when going West ?  I just find out that there is this the great Eurasian steppe also :




Back to the Fabulous Eurasian Steppes!


Make me wonder when the Chineses are going to advance via that route  and conquer Europe Certainly the Mongol empire did conquer half the World back then. Was the Gog and Magog folks in bible from East and advancing to West ?

If you compare those two maps, you can see the overlap.

I think China would be reluctant to use the steppe route for an invasion of Europe, given their new found friendship with Russia, and the fact that Russians tend to take a dim view of invasions of their territory, and have been known to slap the piss out of Chinese and Germans trying to invade. An invasion along the steppe route these days would necessarily drive right through Russia, to which the Russians would likely take exception.

During the covid plandemic, however, China DID reveal another route they have set up to get into Europe - through Italy.

The steppe route would be easier, and a more clear route, except for those pesky Russians standing in the way.


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(02-22-2022, 07:07 AM)Kenzo Wrote:   I agree, Russians dont agree with invasions in their land .

Someday the Chinese are going to re-think the relationship with Russia, and want maybe their land .  I think the Russians make mistake if they trust premier XI & CCP

Quote:'Ukraine crisis: Russia orders troops into rebel-held regions

'Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops into two rebel-held regions in eastern Ukraine, after
recognising them as independent states. Footage released overnight appeared to show Russian military
vehicles heading towards the Ukrainian border.



Russia said the troops would be "peacekeeping" in the breakaway regions, which it has backed since 2014.
But the US said calling them peacekeepers was "nonsense". It accused Russia of creating a pretext for war.
Ukraine's president said his country was "not afraid of anything or anyone".

In a late-night televised address to the nation, President Volodymyr Zelensky called for "clear and effective
actions of support" from Ukraine's international allies. "It is very important to see now who our real friend and
partner is, and who will continue to scare the Russian Federation with words only," he added.

Several countries, including the UK, are expected to introduce sanctions against Russia in response to the move.
Fears over an invasion have been rising in recent months, as Russia has massed some 150,000 troops along
Ukraine's borders, according to US estimates.

At an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
dismissed Russia's claims that troops would be taking on a "peacekeeping" role, saying: "We know what they
really are." Recognising Luhansk and Donetsk as independent was part of Russia's bid to create a reason to
invade Ukraine, she said.

Russia has been backing a bloody armed rebellion in eastern Ukraine for the past eight years.
Some 14,000 people - including many civilians - have died in fighting since then.
In recent years, Russian passports have been given out to large numbers of people in Donetsk and Luhansk.
The rebel-held areas have been evacuating women, children and the elderly to Russia since late last week.

In an hour-long address on Monday, Mr Putin said Ukraine was an integral part of his country's history, and described
eastern Ukraine as "ancient Russian lands". Russia's UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya argued for the need to
defend the rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region from what he called Ukrainian aggression.
"Allowing a new bloodbath in the Donbas is something we do not intend to do," he said.

'It's unacceptable and unprovoked'
Western powers have rallied behind Ukraine, promising harsh sanctions against Russia if it invades - though it is not
yet clear how effective this move could be. The US swiftly condemned Mr Putin's move, and President Joe Biden
signed an executive order that prohibits new investment, trade and financing by Americans in the breakaway regions.
The White House said the measures were separate to wider Western sanctions which are ready to go "should Russia
further invade Ukraine".

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Russia had violated Ukrainian sovereignty and "completely torn up" international
law. He said Mr Putin appeared "bent on a full-scale invasion", and promised a "barrage of sanctions".

The European Union pledged to "react with unity, firmness and with determination in solidarity with Ukraine".
Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison rejected the suggestion that Russian troops would have a peacekeeping brief,
telling reporters: "It's unacceptable, it's unprovoked, it's unwarranted... some suggestion that they are peacekeeping is
nonsense."

Both Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz and France's President Emmanuel Macron spoke with the Russian leader ahead
of his announcement...'

Quote:Russia drawing up ‘kill list’ of gay & ethnic minority Ukrainians amid fears of a ‘human rights catastrophe’, US claims

'Russia is drawing up a kill list including gay and ethnic minority Ukrainians if it invades, the US has claimed.
In a chilling warning, America’s ambassador to the UN has spoken of a "human rights catastrophe" as 200,000 Russian
troops and 500 warplanes are massed on the border.


(L-R) Gay-bashing Vladimir Putin.  Bathsheba Nell Crocker. A bristling Queer-Hating Terminator Tank.

The troops reportedly have orders from Vladimir Putin to invade. In the latest build-up for firepower, video shows convoys
of Russian military hardware, including missiles and tanks, being moved to just two miles from the border. Terminator tanks,
which are bristling with weapons and designed for fighting in cities, are seen in a video for the first time heading towards
the border on a train...'

Quote:'...Bathsheba Nell Crocker said the US has “credible information that indicates Russian forces are creating lists of identified
Ukrainians to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation”. In a letter to the UN’s human rights chief she said “in
the past Russian operations have included targeted killings, kidnappings/forced disappearances, unjust detentions, and the
use of torture”. Should Russia invade she said Kremlin forces “would likely target those who oppose Russian actions”.

These would include “Russian and Belarusian dissidents in exile in Ukraine, journalists and anti-corruption activists, and
vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ persons”. The ambassador also there was also
“credible information” the Russians “will likely use lethal measures to disperse peaceful protests or otherwise counter peaceful
exercises of perceived resistance from civilian populations”.

The purported Russian plans are a chilling echo of the kill list drawn up by the Taliban, which saw the fanatics go from door-to-door
targeting opponents after they seized power. But Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson hit back at the claim, made to UN human rights
chief Michelle Bachelet.

"That is a lie. This is absolute fiction, there is no such list, it is fake,” Dmitry Peskov said. 
He also criticised Western governments for issuing predictions about when an invasion would come. 
“You see, the president himself doesn't pay attention to this, but in general, such statements are clearly a certain element of
provocative nature,” he said. "The point is that this directly leads to higher tension. 
"So all this can have harmful effects, I mean this daily practice of announcing the date of Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

It comes as American officials have reportedly obtained Russian planning they say calls for an "overwhelming intensity of fire" that
would result in mass carnage. “We were told to expect tens of thousands of casualties in the opening days," one unnamed official
said, the New York Times reports.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Moscow's decision to keep the force "indefinitely" made him more worried than ever.
He said: "Everything we are seeing suggests that this is dead serious, that we are on the brink of an invasion.

Early today Mr Macron's office said Putin and US President Joe Biden had agreed in principle to a summit on the crisis, but it "can
only be held if Russia does not invade Ukraine". But the Kremlin blamed Kyiv for the escalating crisis, with a chilling statement on
"provocations of the Ukrainian security forces" after fresh clashes in the disputed Donbas region.

Nato fears Putin will use alleged attacks in Russian-speaking areas as an excuse for a "fully fledged" assault and occupation of the
whole country...'

(02-22-2022, 09:01 AM)F2d5thCav Wrote: There are already plenty of Chinese commercial interests (firms etc) operating in Siberia.

They won't move on it so long as Moscow has a nuclear-armed sting.  But slowly, slowly, catchee Siberia.

China took note of their clashes with the Soviets.  IIRC, the outcomes were fairly one-sided and the PLA realized they weren't as hot-sh** as they thought they were.  That lesson was reinforced when they clashed with Vietnam in the 1970s.

Hard to tell what happened in the recent clashes with India as both sides have varying accounts.

Cheers