Politics

[Datchew]

Should only be a curl of the cucumber rind....I know the owner

The rind is only for polite company and you must hold your pinky up.
When 3 days from the truck on foot bow-hunting out of a pack, weight matters. Lose the rind, but keep the hendricks. Tonic is also optional.

Stay tuned for more gin backcountry words of wisdom.
Tip your waitress.

 

[Red Leg]

If this is true, and I would assume it probably is, this is behavior beyond the pale. We have messed around in all sorts of domestic politics since WWII, but never to abet the goals of Russia. Zelensky's primary fault seems to be he loves his country more than Donald Trump. And every single ignorant soul who worships whatever nonsense comes out of the Leader's mouth is now a cheerleader and collaborator with the minority pro-Russian party to achieve Putin's aims. Truly beyond comprehension..

Top Trump allies hold secret talks with Zelenskyy’s Ukrainian opponents

As Washington ramps up its pressure on Zelenskyy to step aside, his rivals are talking to Trump’s team.

www.politico.eu

 

[WAB]

If this is true, and I would assume it probably is, this is behavior beyond the pale. We have messed around in all sorts of domestic politics since WWII, but never to abet the goals of Russia. Zelensky's primary fault seems to be he loves his country more than Donald Trump. And every single ignorant soul who worships whatever nonsense comes out of the Leader's mouth is now a cheerleader and collaborator with the minority pro-Russian party to achieve Putin's aims. Truly beyond comprehension..

Top Trump allies hold secret talks with Zelenskyy’s Ukrainian opponents

As Washington ramps up its pressure on Zelenskyy to step aside, his rivals are talking to Trump’s team.

www.politico.eu

Good grief, is there no end to this crap?

 

[Brent in Az]

The rind is only for polite company and you must hold your pinky up.
When 3 days from the truck on foot bow-hunting out of a pack, weight matters. Lose the rind, but keep the hendricks. Tonic is also optional.

Stay tuned for more gin backcountry words of wisdom.
Tip your waitress.

Don't forget to use a plastic liquid container for the Gin. Glass bottles are heavy.

 

[Red Leg]

Good grief, is there no end to this crap?

This is literally beyond my understanding. Most worriedly, because he has no immediate concerns about a truly emasculated opposition party and can count upon a totally slavish base, there is no mechanism to initiate any sort of meaningful debate of the wisdom or reasons behind this madness.

 

[OxfordTheCat]

I should clarify I have no issue with the renegotiation of the Canada U.S. trade deal. I have an issue with the outright lies being told on the size of the trade deficit and the underhanded way trump has gone about it.

If he would of stuck to his word and renegotiated in 2026 like the agreement says and provided factual deficit numbers I would still have some respect for him as a business man.

You can add lies of omission to that list, particularly in the context of these lists of reciprocal tariffs that keep popping up.

The US provided corn growers with more than two billion USD in subsidies last year alone. More than $120B since the 90s.
Not to mention billions in direct subsidies for ethanol.

Hard to believe another nation would consider tariffs given the level of agricultural subsidies the US provides for its domestic industries. Reality is far more balanced than the narrative.

 

[Red Leg]

You can add lies of omission to that list, particularly in the context of these list of reciprocal tariffs that keep popping up.

The US provided corn growers with more than two billion USD in subsidies last year alone. More than $120B since the 90s.
Not to mention billions in direct subsidies for ethanol.

Hard to believe another nation would consider tariffs given the level of agricultural subsidies the US provides for its domestic industries. Reality is far more balanced than the narrative.

The same issue about which the US railed against EU subsidies for Airbus in competition with Boeing. No one in power on this side of the border has the least interest in exploring issues like US subsidies.

This has nothing to do with fairness and everything to do with economic power of one party over the other. Just like a real estate deal in New York City.

 

[steve white]

I don’t think having the correct numbers on a teleprompter would stop him from spouting a much larger number if he thought for a minute it would further his cause. Also nobody seems to take into account the difference in population base. The U.S. has a population almost ten times the sizes of the population of Canada. Basic economics says you should import more from us than we do from you you’ve got 10x the consumer base.

U.S.population 340million
Canada population 40million

Well, things are difficult enough without imagining what Trump would do, as you stated "spouting a much larger number if he thought for a minute it would further his cause." That is a straw man projected onto Trump without the reality having come to pass. Let's stick to factual happenings, please, things he actually does. Better yet, things put in writing in agreements. Everybody BS's a little.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Well, things are difficult enough without imagining what Trump would do, as you stated "spouting a much larger number if he thought for a minute it would further his cause." That is a straw man projected onto Trump without the reality having come to pass. Let's stick to factual happenings, please, things he actually does. Better yet, things put in writing in agreements. Everybody BS's a little.

It’s not a projection or imagined ? He’s done it on national television. A number more than double is not bsing a little it’s an outright falsehood used to justify an economic war. Unless you believe tariffs are actually about national security?


Screen shot of cnn quoting trump at 200billion

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Well, things are difficult enough without imagining what Trump would do, as you stated "spouting a much larger number if he thought for a minute it would further his cause." That is a straw man projected onto Trump without the reality having come to pass. Let's stick to factual happenings, please, things he actually does. Better yet, things put in writing in agreements. Everybody BS's a little.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

In Canada we measure the amount of fentanyl confiscated at the boarder in grams in Mexico it’s tons. I don’t think the northern boarder is a major security concern.

 

[YancyW]

Can you link the actual mainstream media link for this (not conspiracy theory sites)? I had never heard of this story before.

Part of that comes from twitter postings by Andrii Derkach, clearly not media in any sense of the word. The money transfers can be found all over the entire spectrum of media.

 

[YancyW]

If this is true, and I would assume it probably is, this is behavior beyond the pale. We have messed around in all sorts of domestic politics since WWII, but never to abet the goals of Russia. Zelensky's primary fault seems to be he loves his country more than Donald Trump. And every single ignorant soul who worships whatever nonsense comes out of the Leader's mouth is now a cheerleader and collaborator with the minority pro-Russian party to achieve Putin's aims. Truly beyond comprehension..

Top Trump allies hold secret talks with Zelenskyy’s Ukrainian opponents

As Washington ramps up its pressure on Zelenskyy to step aside, his rivals are talking to Trump’s team.

www.politico.eu

I can't see any path for Zelensky to maintain power at this point? He has no port in the storm and wind is going to keep picking up.

 

[OxfordTheCat]

The rind is only for polite company and you must hold your pinky up.
When 3 days from the truck on foot bow-hunting out of a pack, weight matters. Lose the rind, but keep the hendricks. Tonic is also optional.

Stay tuned for more gin backcountry words of wisdom.
Tip your waitress.

This is why brandy, poured into plastic mini-Mickeys is the way to go.
Though I do take a brass tumbler.

 

[MauserM03Blog]

I see this as snapping the chalkline on the timeline where it's convenient for the preferred narrative. In this case, you're snapping it at "Russia threatened and then invaded Ukraine."

It's perfectly sensible to realize that it's not that simple if you're willing to view it with less built in bias or without a preconceived narrative.

I call balls and strikes. It doesn't mean I'm un-American or a Putin supporter.

I respect your experience and the insight gained therein but I'm going to leave it in the "we view it differently" category.

Putin's invasion was not about NATO. He knows NATO will not invade Russia. A loose, defensive alliance. Nukes.

Putin invaded Ukraine in 2014, because it broke free from Russian control. Ukraine was weak, Europe was hostage and Obama was predictable. He invaded again in 2022, timed for Biden's mid-terms, knowing Trump would be a disrupter.

Putin cannot tolerate losing control of the best thing Russia had and the greatest potential impediment to restoring its past glory. Putin wants Ukraine's resources, its agriculture, its position and its people. More importantly, he wants Ukraine to not be what it could be; an independent, thriving and democratic sibling, which has freed itself from the mafia family, existing as an ever improving example to the Russian people of how good things could be under different leadership.

Trump is copying Putin's methods, but on steroids. America is becoming a patrimonial state, devoid of checks, balances, debate and open thinking. It will soon be a hungry and meaner version of Hungary. The world will be so much worse off when the light on the hill fizzles out. Has it already?

 

[mark-hunter]

If this is true, and I would assume it probably is, this is behavior beyond the pale.

Red Leg,
American govt, influencing political movements in foreign countries? Somehow, I think it has happened before.
There is only an overnight change in US politics, that one can find a bit surprising.

BTW, reading news daily, everyday, there is always something that I cannot believe I read at that particular moment.
One news caught me surprised just recently, like 3 weeks ago.
When this news broke, it was all over various Asian news. I went to search around, and I couldnt find a word about it in European news outloets, or at least not in that form.

I found this surprising, to say at least. (after that, I just stopped being surprised, on daily news). Russian and American Navy conduct joint naval exercise at Pacific.

BIG SHIFT! U.S. & Russian Navy Warships Drill Together; China, QUAD Nations Also Join Komodo 2025

In a turn of events that defies recent tensions and rivalries, Russian, Chinese, American, Indian, Australian, and other allied naval forces have converged in the strategic waters of the Indonesian archipelago for the Komodo 2025 exercise. Indonesia is hosting the Komodo 2025 exercise, which...

www.eurasiantimes.com

Offical statemtent
“I am proud of what the U.S. Pacific Fleet and our joint force can generate in terms of military power, our ability to synchronize in all domains, and do all of that with our allies and partners,” said Adm. Steve Koehler, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, during his.

U.S. Navy Joins Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo in Indonesia

The U.S. Navy joined more than 20 navies for the opening ceremony of the Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo (MNEK), hosted by the Indonesian Navy in Bali, Indonesia, on Feb. 16.

www.cpf.navy.mil

 

[Red Leg]

Red Leg,
American govt, influencing political movements in foreign countries? Somehow, I think it has happened before.

BIG SHIFT! U.S. & Russian Navy Warships Drill Together; China, QUAD Nations Also Join Komodo 2025

In a turn of events that defies recent tensions and rivalries, Russian, Chinese, American, Indian, Australian, and other allied naval forces have converged in the strategic waters of the Indonesian archipelago for the Komodo 2025 exercise. Indonesia is hosting the Komodo 2025 exercise, which...

www.eurasiantimes.com

Offical statemtent
“I am proud of what the U.S. Pacific Fleet and our joint force can generate in terms of military power, our ability to synchronize in all domains, and do all of that with our allies and partners,” said Adm. Steve Koehler, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, during his.

U.S. Navy Joins Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo in Indonesia

The U.S. Navy joined more than 20 navies for the opening ceremony of the Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo (MNEK), hosted by the Indonesian Navy in Bali, Indonesia, on Feb. 16.

www.cpf.navy.mil

Think I said that.

 

[mark-hunter]

Think I said that.

Many times!
I am not surprised any more!

 

[Pondoro]

Putin's invasion was not about NATO. He knows NATO will not invade Russia. A loose, defensive alliance. Nukes.

Putin invaded Ukraine in 2014, because it broke free from Russian control. Ukraine was weak, Europe was hostage and Obama was predictable. He invaded again in 2022, timed for Biden's mid-terms, knowing Trump would be a disrupter.

Putin cannot tolerate losing control of the best thing Russia had and the greatest potential impediment to restoring its past glory. Putin wants Ukraine's resources, its agriculture, its position and its people. More importantly, he wants Ukraine to not be what it could be; an independent, thriving and democratic sibling, which has freed itself from the mafia family, existing as an ever improving example to the Russian people of how good things could be under different leadership.

Trump is copying Putin's methods, but on steroids. America is becoming a patrimonial state, devoid of checks, balances, debate and open thinking. It will soon be a hungry and meaner version of Hungary. The world will be so much worse off when the light on the hill fizzles out. Has it already?

I believe your analysis to be correct..

 

[Certus]

Out of interest why does America still dislike Russia? The Cold War ended over 30 years ago.