Panther063 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I thought Obama lost his ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Squirrel Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 He did, long ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bulgachica Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Actually, Ukraine is like Poland: it's an amorphous country with continually changing borders throughout history, influenced by many cultures. But there has been a culture there for centuries and they just don't give up. It has been invaded, sectionalized, and beat to death (most recently by Stalin, who killed at least 10 million during this "collectivation" democide) and Hitler, but it still remains. It's a very complex situation. The Mongols, Ottoman Empire, various Principates, etc., have tried to control it. Like I said, it's in a high-traffic area. It has wheat, and it has Gazprom lines going through it. It's an Old Dude subject, because it ultimately affects the ancestry and lives of virtually all of our RLC people, with the exception of A&S and I&M. (Spain's kinda out of it...give Spain 10 points.) The EU and Russia and Western Ukraine have a stake in the action. The US could, but, hey, our government is playing marbles while Putin plays chess... I'm British living in Sweden and I my issue is that UK invariably gets dragged along when the US decides to be "the world police" It's an issue with the so called "special relationship" that our British politicians and media like to sing about whenever a US president deigns to meet a UK prime minister. I'm sure Americans generally, with all their different ethnicities don't feel any special relationship with the UK, and the average UK person finds that term massively condescending. Nor do I think that anyone outside of the US truly sees America as a country that will fight against oppressors of freedom anymore - rather it is a nation that will use force to protect its interests, using "democracy" and "freedom" as subtexts for military action. Don't forget that even in America's finest hour - from a British point of view and something we'll always be thankful for, America didn't enter the war against Nazi oppression until it had been attacked by the Axis powers, and had bankrupted Britain and its empire through the lend-lease program, by the time they joined the war, USA and Russia were only ever going to be the winners of WW2. With this in mind of the events in Ukraine, I don't think for a second that the US will do anything militarily for Ukraine, there is no motivation to do so. Crimea was always pretty much under de-facto Russian control, through the corrupt Ukrainian government. The US will not lose anything at all by allowing Russia to annexe that region, why risk WW3 over a naval base that the enemy controlled anyway? This post may seem very anti-US, it's not, I'm just stating facts. Look at all the conflicts post WW2, the majority are proxy wars against the USSR or oil and profit driven - as an Englishman I can't be hypocritical about that as war, profit and trade exploitation is also what the British Empire was built upon. In short - the US only acts "to protect freedom" when either its own economic polices or security is threatened in a region - or indeed if it deems that supporting one side will limit or destroy Russian or non-US sympathetic opponents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panther063 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Unfortunately Australia also has a "special relationship" with America, in which our Prime Minister, who ever may be in power, feels compelled to side with them regardless of the cost or outcome. The war in Afghanistan is seen by many as a total waste of money and time for our troops, many of which are still waiting to return home from a "war" that has no purpose for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albacore Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Well this is all good to say until something happens and then everyone looks to the USA to step up and do something. We no more want to lose sons to war for other country's than they want to lose their's. It is generally not our soil that is at risk. But time after time the US has been there for others and dies for them. We have absolutely made mistakes. And quite frankly most here know our current president is weak. But our congress is not and they can do what they want around him if needed until our next election. He knows it too. It is easy to sit back and take shots. In this country (US) we could easily do nothing and if that had happened most (outside the US) posting here would be speaking a different national language now. It is always in the back of peoples minds when criticism come in. As US citizens we can't understand what it is like to live other places but we are aware that many do not like us. Truly people here do not understand why. It is fine for people to bad mouth the US, as we do it here too all the time. But, when it comes time to stand and do something, no matter where, we are always there. That should mean something. Sorry .... off my soap box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tripod2 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 ...This post may seem very anti-US, it's not, I'm just stating facts... Actually, what you're stating is your biased opinion. No facts, only conjecture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StnCld316 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Unfortunately Australia also has a "special relationship" with America, in which our Prime Minister, who ever may be in power, feels compelled to side with them regardless of the cost or outcome. The war in Afghanistan is seen by many as a total waste of money and time for our troops, many of which are still waiting to return home from a "war" that has no purpose for us. You can thank George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and the CIA and the FBI for orchestrating the whole 9/11 and then lay the blame on the Third World Country just for the greed of Oil & Lithium. Sure they got rid of Bin Laden but as soon as all the troops are out of Afghanistan the Taliban will be right back there to take things over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bulgachica Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 ...This post may seem very anti-US, it's not, I'm just stating facts... Actually, what you're stating is your biased opinion. No facts, only conjecture. It's hardly conjecture is it? However I concede that "fact" is a bit too strong - but there are facts and evidence that one can receive from even highschool level history class that unequivocally support what I've stated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Squirrel Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Might I suggest that political comments be moved to the Old Dude's board. Thanks. That's what it is for. We're trying to keep things organized at CC, and at this point, politics is WAY beyond discussions specific to any RLC couple. Believe me, I'm not apolitical. I'm extremely vehement on the subject of Individual Liberty vs Authoritarian Government. Be kind to Squirrel: he's jet age Cold War stock. Human history just changes keys and rhythm, whilst the basic melody has not changed for the past 4 million years. See ya there, bros. Just be logical and nice. Old Dude's Board is for educated gentlemen, and brilliant attractive women. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBG 150 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Who are these brilliant and attractive women of which you speak? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Squirrel Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 I thought we were talking about classy women. The ones that were sitting on your lap, stealing puffs on your cigar. And was that really a cigar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBG 150 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Nope. But when I go formal it doubles as a bowtie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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