Should the US/NATO demilitarize Eastern European Nations bordering Russia?

Yes Yes Yes no idea .. Russia makes the rules

 

Well, the hegemon is dying. Its citizens became more and more and more gullible and it elites cares only about themselves.
Why China became so powerful? Because our elites decided to make money, a lot of money by outsourcing our jobs and technology to China.
What our elites learned from the Vietnam war? Nothing, they started ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’ in Iraq and tried to teach Afghans democracy, with the same results.
We spend on military more than nine highest spenders COMBINED – so how come Russia and China have hypersonic rockets and we don’t?
How come our healthcare is so expensive? Because we elect representatives who take care about Big Pharma wallet and who convinced us we have the best healthcare services in the world.

Can it can be stopped? I doubt it. The knowledge is power, but more and more Americans believe that universities teach ‘socialism’ and not science.

 

I say you should read a history book, Neville.

 

1. Biden does not unilaterally control what NATO does. 2. The idea that defensive weapons systems in NATO countries represent an offensive military threat to Russia is propaganda. 3. That countries responding to Russia's track record of aggression by joining a defensive alliance became referred to as "poking the bear" is Orwellian double think. 4. Showing Putin that taking unprovoked military action against neighboring countries gets rewarded by NATO countries weakening their defenses establishes the worst possible precedent.

 

You mean like Ronald Reagan with the Iranian hostages?

 

For starters, the China-Russia "alliance" is only there to go against US hegemony in SE Asia. China does not trust Russia no more than the US or any other country. However, what China has done, through it's silk road economic policy, is use trade to develop political and economic strategic alliances. Those government investments is what is fueling China's GDP growth primarily at home and keeps the ordinary Chinese citizen content with it's government, generally. This is the 3 decade plus strategy while the US can't develop a comprehensive strategy even within one administration because of compteting political interests here. Second, Europe, as a whole, is far more economically diverse than the Norstream 2. In Europe, who are moving more and more to either clean energy, like natural gas, and renewable energy, such as solar, hydro, and biofuels, along with capital investments and infrastructure in financial systems, manufacturing, like Spain and Poland, and IT capital investment and development. Europe is also the number one destination in tourism among Americans, Canadians, various African countries, etc. When it comes to the ME, there are three regional powers: Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Iran, all competing to be the "big boss" in the region. China has made significant inroads economically with all three, especially Israel, you know, America's greatest ally. Meanwhile, people like you complain that our 1% of our total $4 plus trillion budget is too much even though half of that foreign aid goes to two countries: Israel and Egypt, most because of the Palestinian issue.

Huawei was used by Trump speciically, as a political scape goat so that Trump can get big tech in debt to him politically. The 5G network that Huaweii developed and we are implementing here in the US was so that we can get better services for our entertainment and cell phone usage. It was never about "national security" to begin with. US Military does not use the 5G network for our sensitive and most sensitive systems for communications and never have, but Trump thought otherwise.

As for Afghanistan War, it was never about energy in 2001 or even today. Rare earth metals was just being discovered in 2001 and was being developed with or without the Afghan war. Syria was a civil war. The question was, should we support the Rebels to overthrow the leadership or not. Republicans, beginning in 2015 said no for pure political reasons: not to give any credit to Obama or the Democrats; and the GOP never had a plan to begin with prior to Trump running and when Trump was in the WH. The energy corrdor is just a distraction Trump used so that the average citizen and the media wouild not question his and the GOP decisions.

Finally, it was Trump and the GOP that accepted the Dura Agreement. I was against Obama for negotiating with the Taliban and I was against Trump too for that. We had other options but politically on the home from, most of them were not viable because both parties did not want to give the other party credit for something no mather if it was the best interests of the United States as a whole.

Finally, both the Democratic Party and the Republican party do not give a rat's but about Central or South America. South America is not just Brazil BTW and is not just about energy. You may want to think beef and car manufacturing here where Volvo, Mercedes and BMW have significant inroads, not to mention Chevy and Ford. NAFTA was helping and the USMCA deal did not improve anyone in those regions except give Trump a political win and that's all.

 

oh no, a lib is mad that his support for men taking over womens sports and bathrooms is acknowledged as him supporting men taking over womens sports and bathrooms. Whatever will I do.

 

If you’re going to put up a strawman, least you can do is put some effort into building it. So lazy.

 

Full Marks .. Excellent commentary.

1) 10 Trillion wasted .. do the calc for you .. In 2000 "Total" Military spending was around 300 Billion. After 8 years of Bush the Total had risin to a whopping 900 Billion "War on Terror" you know .. under Obama over 1 Trillion. Had we maintained 2000 spend levels .. increasing with inflation, we could have diverted 500 Billion a year x 16 years = 8 Trillion .. we could have spent on infrastructure .. roads and so on technology .. ramping up economy to compete in the 3rd millenium .

Instead .. down the toilet .. usless wars .. on the basis of lies .. with no or negative Return on investment - to pad the pockets of our very own "Oligarchs" .. difference being these dudes are way more powerful than Russia's clan.

It is worthy to note -- 10 years after 911 . we spend the most of the next decade arming, supporting, supplying Al Qaeda .. the group who attacked us .. in an Orwellian doublespeak fest.

2) Was under Rotten Ronnie that outsourcing really took off . and our Debt .. Reagan spent like crazy .. more than everyone who came after (in constant dollars) except Biden of course .. who now holds the record .. with 30 Trillion and guess what .. now interest rates are starting to rise .. ave interest on debt go up 1% .. thats an extra 300 Trillion in interest payments ..per year .. in addition to the 500 we currently pay.

3) Russia couldn't afford to match our military plane for plane .. ship for ship ..economy in the toilet after wall fell .. so they focused on niche technology .. missiles being one the main ones. Can build a whole lot of anti ship missiles at 1 million a pop for the cost of a 15 Billion dolar Carrier - associated group - and Op Costs .. what ever the hell that number comes out to be.

As technology spreads .. the cost of projecting power increases. until the nation trying to maintain hegemony bankrupts itself ... this is old story .. and the other nations seem to know it .. diverting moneys away from military to their economies ..

4) We have a Pay to Play system .. so we get exactly what a system like this produces .. Every time some regulation or tax law is made .. the Oligopoly is at the table. and perhaps have a right to be there .. problem is that the fellow supposed to be protecting our interest .. is in the pocket or under the influence of the Oligopoly 2.5 drug lobbyists for every member of Congress.

Its not like the Oligopoly wins every table .. but .. over time . table after table .. the rules of the game get skewed towards the Oligopoly. Would you be the one o shoot golden goose .. run against the herd of stampeding bulls ? its not easy.

3.5 Trillion - Total Healthcare spend in 2018. Total Fed Revenue for the year was 3.6 Trillion to put that number into perspective. Double what other first world nations pay for same or similar care... we rank in the middle somewhere. Thats 1.7 Trillion on the table .. per-year .. into the pockets of the Healthcare and insurance Oligopolies .. a system of Healthcare Extortion..

All the time we hear voices calling out drug price fixing - anti competitive practices .. Everyone then points and goes "Look Look - we have freedom of speech in this nation - what a good system we have" That lone voice is then quicky drowned out by the cacaphony on the take .. and nothing changes ... the status quo maintained.

I call our system an Oligopoly Bureaucracy Fusion Monster. At the extremes of the spectrum .. Capitalism and Socialism meet .. in both cases you have a few elite owning most resources and means of production .. the rest are serfs .. a form of indentured servitude .. we have managed to combine the worst elements of both extremes into an ugly monster. ..

 

I say you should stop talking gibberish .. say something coherent once in awhile related to topic -- make an argument .. that kind of thing

Do you know what an argument is mate ?

 

What?

Democrats call for new ‘outsourcing tax’
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/02/democrats-call-for-new-outsourcing-tax.html
VAN HOLLEN, WHITEHOUSE, DOGGETT, DURBIN INTRODUCE NO TAX BREAKS FOR OUTSOURCING ACT
https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/ne...n-introduce-no-tax-breaks-for-outsourcing-act

Democrats are turning their focus to legislation aimed at making the United States more economically competitive with China in hopes of scoring a bipartisan accomplishment as other aspects of the party’s agenda founder.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/27/democrats-china-competition/

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Senate has rejected further consideration of a bill Democrats say would have eliminated existing tax breaks for employers who ship their jobs overseas. While Republicans sought to squash it as political theater, Democrats admit quarreling over the "Bring Jobs Home Act" was openly influenced by the 2012 presidential campaign.
https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politi...ti-outsourcing-bill-democrats-point-to-romney

Senate Republicans Block Bill to Prevent Outsourcing American Jobs
https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/senate-republicans-block-bill-to-prevent-outsourcing-american-jobs

 

Defense is not offense, white is not black, up is not down.

Defensive weapons

Weapons can be classed as defensive if they are used by a country to defend itself from attack, but this would apply to most in Ukraine's case, so it might be more useful to define them as those that can only be used for defense – in other words, not capable of offensive action against another country.
https://www.forces.net/ukraine/what-difference-between-offensive-and-defensive-weapons

 

It wasn't a strawman. We had Russian Bear Bombers come close to our shores in Alaska, California, and from the Atlantic for years when Reagan was president. What did Reagan do? We did appease the Revoluntariy Guard when Reagan basically paid for the hostages, aka appeasement, in the infamous Iran-Contra Affair. In other words, we have done this even with Republican presidents. So, to say it is just "liberals" shows a partisan hack and not based on historical inaccuracy.

 

who said it was just liberals? I just said to think of it like liberals on their LGBTQIA issue to drive the point home that appeasement doesn’t work. Indeed, it has the opposite effect.

Appeasement issues have indeed been both parties. Although that said, if Republicans score a C grade on appeasement, Dems far de-class them at a failing F. Ain’t no one gonna dethrone you guys at bending this country over and asking anyone and everyone to stick it right in there.

 

Yes .. China Russia .. and India for that matter - all working on missile technology together .. against US military hegemony .. Economic hegemony is related but different and separate ..that distinction must be made .. as these are two battles . or pieces rather on the geopolitical chessboard .. one of the main blunders valuing the "Military" more than Economic .. Economic now strongest piece on the board .. Ever since the advent of nukes .. but also due to techology proliferation and spread.

You get some things right ... but some very wrong .. and there are some propaganda poison lizards need to be extracted.

1) "Civil War" .. No .. was not a civil war .. that is the Obama "Moderate Rebel Lie" and you been drinking the Syrian Kool-aid hard mate ..

Was an armed insurgency .. conducted by the gazillion Islamist Salafist - (and other of the same ilk) extremists. The people of Syria .. least the Moderate ones .. against Al Qaeda - ISIS .. who together formed a new Islamic State - which existed for 3 years or more.

So Side A) Islamic State Side B) Syrian Army aided by Iran and later Russia

Which side did you choose .. Which side did we choose Assad - Secularism - Freedom - Liberty or The Islamic State cause thats the fact Jack

Whether it was silk road energy corridor .. or precious metals as you claim .. I don't now which or what the goblin rational was for sure .. and it matter not .. the point .. is that what we were not there to do.. was fight the "War on Terror" .. and in fact Taliban had nothing to do with 911 .. roundly condemned it .. and offered to help. And the return on investment to the American people for this 20 year excursion .. was What ? Tell me .. An Afghanistan that is a horror show compared to wh ideat it was when we came in .. Women wearing skirts and men wearing suits .. to Jihadist Vunderland .. Iraq .. same thing Jihadist Vunderland .. Libya .. same even slave markets in that Jihadist wonderland Syria .. the shining star or liberty and freedom among Muslim ME nations .. we tried darn hard .. almost succeeded to turn Syria into a Strict Sharia Theocracy .. arm in arm with Brother El Saud .. our partner in Syria - Yemen - Afghanistan . and what a friend to have .. helping them spread their extremist Salafi Islamist ideology all over the planet.

Would you like a list .. of the Spawn of El Saud ? Taliban - Al Qaeda - ISIS - Al Nusra - Arar al Sham - Boko Haram - Al Shabaab - the mujahadeem .. mumbai bombers in India Pakistan ..

And .. Obama thought it a good idea to use these nutters as a proxy army .. to battle the evil Assad .. arming an insurgency in a Sovereign nation the first violation of international law ...

Bin Ladin would be so proud ... all of his wishes fulfilled .. bigger than he could have ever dreamed.. With a small group he brought America to its knees .. begging to trade liberty for temporary security - now our "Patroitic Duty" to give up liberty .. over fear of a risk of harm that is 400 times less than the risk of harm from "Walking"

"Secularism" -- the evil of evils . bad enough in the infidel . but in a Muslim Nation in the ME .. a cancer from within. Both Iraq and Syria were Secular ... the War in Syria . a "Holy Jihad" foreign Jihadists pouring in from other nations by the tens of thousands .. in this effort to turn Syria in to a Strict Sharia Vunderland .. just like Mother El Saud .. Bin Ladin happy as a claim ..all his dreams coming to fruition .. thanks to Al Qaeda's new best buddy and ally .. throughout the last decade .. the USA.

And now you know -- "The rest of the Story"

 

LOL, that's absurd.
Men are not taking over women's sports or bathrooms.

But there are many fools that believe it to be true. You are not one of them, are you??

 

So you think news stories of men swinging their D’s around womens bathrooms and men competing with women in sports isn’t true. Whys that? You spend a lot of time in womens bathrooms?

 

I saw 1 story about a trans person in a gym in Ca?
But I've seen no men compete in womens sports.

 

Read the news. Or at least read the forum. Google it. Do something

 

So lost .. you have a quote by Chomsky in your signature line - yet have absolutely no idea what that man has preached for decades ..

ABM's are a threat to Russian Security .. Full Stop .. go read some Chomsky ... then you might have clue about the people you quote ..

What did you think the ABM Treaty was all about ... just because a weapon is defensive .. designed to shoot down a missile .. does not mean it is not an existential threat.... Care to guess what that threat might be big fella - you should probably at least try .. since clearly you have not put to mind the question in any detail.. too busy trotting out CNN nonsense tropes

What possible threat would missiles that can shoot down an ICBM after it launches .. be to Russia .. ? NO idea .. never pondered .. or if so nothing came ..

Give you one more chance for redemption -- take a guess what the purpose of the ABM treaty was .. the one Bush unilaterally backed out of round 2002.

 

ONLY IF RUSSIA FULLY DEMILITARIZES FIRST

 

Better yet, you prove your baseless claim.

What men has competed in women's sports? I bet you can't name one.

 

Agree - Republicans are more guilty of outsourcing American jobs, but Democrats are not innocent too:
https://www.computerworld.com/artic...office-clinton-s-brainchild-since-closed.html
Tata’s Buffalo office, Clinton’s ‘brainchild,’ since closed
[...]
Clinton, now the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, broadly views offshore outsourcing as both an unstoppable force and a two-way street, with Tata as an illustration. She opposes protectionism, but avoids discussing the role of the H-1B visa in facilitating offshoring.

Tata System is famous for hiring H1b visa holders and not Americans. This is the the main reason I and my IT friends didn't vote for her.