US intelligence: Russia plans to attack Ukraine early next year

Prayer is good.

I have a feeling that multimillionaire Ovechkin has more options of ensuring his family's safety than, eg., patients of the maternity ward bombed out in Mariupol the other day. Is it the same guy who did all these selfies with Putin?

 

Lindsey Graham made a blunder when he called for the assassination of a head of state. The difference with the Facebook policy is that a US Senator should have a different standard to follow than folks being bombed daily by Russians. For example, I consider it fine to post a wish that Putin be shot in the head but it would be horrible for the President of the USA to publicly wish for such a thing.

 

No. First Amendment.
In this case, calls for Ukrainians to resist the invaders would violate their standing community standards. The amendment is appropriate.

I'm not "very" concerned, but yah, that was a mistake. We all wish the guy drop dead, but Senators should restrain themselves from saying it out loud.

 

Amen! Амінь!

 

The first amendment prevents the government from infringing on freedom of speech or passing any laws that would do such. Private companies are not restricted by it.

 

I do not disagree with you or Stanislav regarding our God-given rights, recognized in the First Amendment. Yet, I again argue private companies surely MUST be allowed to set their own policies. I do not advocate government regulation of their policies. I am very content that they are able to restrict the speech of whomever and whatever they choose. Unbound by the Bill of Rights, they, for example, are not required to host Fred Phelps and his ilk. When I asked are there no limits? I wonder - who will become the future 'Baddies?' Will the 'It's okay to call for the killing of Russian soldiers' policy set precedent for a future policy allowing for the persecution of the next 'Baddies?'

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-intensifies-assault-warns-u-164742510.html

Russia intensifies assault, warns U.S. weapons sent to Ukraine are 'legitimate targets'

 

I'm seeing different Europe this days, they are providing support to the Ukraine.
Maybe they fear they are next or maybe learned from their actions in the past? But I see Poland and Romania, Germany to some degree welcoming refugees, provoding visas and work permits for 1 to 2 years. But stop short from getting involved military.

I read earlier today and pasting here:
Israel came under critique for not joining sanctions against Russia:

Some may heard about the
operation Nickel Grass, which took place in October 1973
Europe betrayed the Czechs in 1938, Israelis in 1973, Georgians in 2008 and Ukrainians in 2014.

"Today few people remember what operation "Nickel grass" (Nickel grass), which took place in October 1973 during the most serious of all Arab-Israeli wars.
Israel after two weeks of brutal fighting on two fronts (against Egypt and Syria with the support of the armies of Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and even Cuba with Pakistan) was in a very difficult situation.
In two weeks of fighting, about 1000 tanks were lost, about 200 planes were crashed, more than 2 thousand soldiers were killed. While the losses of United Arab troops were three times more, more than 2,500 tanks were destroyed, 514 planes were shot down and from 12 to 18 thousand soldiers were killed, but the transfer was initially several times more.
Israel was on the verge of depleting all military resources, and after the dissolution of the old archives it was revealed that Prime Minister Golda Meir ordered to be ready to nuclear attack Arab capitals as the last measure for survival states.
But all of the above are known facts. The more interesting is the other. No European country has given consent not only for immediate supply of arms to Israel (for which they have always claimed was the only democracy in the Middle East, and in general, they are terribly ashamed of the Holocaust), but even banned it and American transit through their airspace. That is, when the question of Israel's survival was on the map, peace-loving Europeans suddenly turned back, fearing to lose the rich Arab market.
In the end, only one European country - Portugal - has agreed to use its military airports in the Azores and in Lisbon for an urgent transfer of ammunition from the United States to Israel. The operation was named "Nickel Grass", when an air bridge was built in Tel Aviv on October 14, 1973, where heavy US and Israeli Air Force aircraft carried out 567 flights and overturned to support Israeli air force me:
- 40 F-4 Phantom Bombers,
- 46 A-4 fighters,
- 12 Hercules S-130 heavy transport planes.
- From 35 to 45 helicopters,
- 600 tanks and armored transporters,
- from 150 to 200 anti-tank weapons,
- From 30 to 40 missile systems for Air Force,
And more - from 22 to 25 thousand tons of ammunition. All of this allowed Israel to end the war in literally 7-10 days, completely destroy Syrian and Egypt armies and occupy new strategic territories. However, the capitals of Syria and Egypt were threatened, because Israel's front positions were less than 100 km from Cairo and just 35 km from Damascus.
In this story, it is clearly different - no European country (except Portugal) has agreed to not only support supplies, but even provide its own airspace for US cargo flights to Israel. It is clear that the Israelis would have endured without American help, but there would be a nuclear war, and the leadership of the country was ready for it. And small countries, such as Armenia, Georgia or even Ukraine, sometimes believe too much in "love and desire to help" on the part of Europe.
And although Europeans have abandoned all their allies many times in the past, be it Czechoslovakia in 1938, Poland in 1939, Israel in 1973, Georgia in 2008 or Ukraine in 2014, Europe and now, in front of our eyes, it seems, betraying Israel and its allies in Arabs to which world, undermining Iran, without proving any contradiction his quest for nuclear weapons.
And another fact is missed. Golda Meir called then, 1973. I told Nixon, if America does not give weapons, then Israel will drop nuclear bombs on all Arab capitals.
Partly why did the American Congress, evaluating the consequences, gave a good thing to supply weapons to Israel."

.

· ·

 

You want precedent? Here's precedent, from Russia's most treasured historic moment:


Caption reads "Death to fascist occupiers". One really needs to work overtime to miss parallels here.

P.S. I wonder if there are no limits to kowtowing to Russia's thought police. In case you miss it, right now Russia jails hundreds of people for picketing with the slogan "Peace to the world". Apparently, this is offensive to the Russian armed forces and their righteous struggle. Also censured are posters saying simply "two words" or "**** ***". Are there no limits?

 

Caption reads "Death to fascist occupiers". One really needs to work overtime to miss parallels here.

P.S. I wonder if there are no limits to kowtowing to Russia's thought police. In case you miss it, righ

I fail to see the parallels.
Neither Facebook , not its policies existed at the time of the Great Patriotic War. It appears to me Facebook sets its policies along the lines of John Stuart Mill's Harm Principle. However, an exception has been made. Now it's okay to call for killing today's 'baddies,' Russian soldiers. I wonder who are tomorrow's 'baddies?' I ponder when Facebook policy makers will determine it's okay to call for killing them too? Perhaps some mastermind could propose taking them out preemptively. As a private organization, it is Facebook's obligation to police themselves. I believe this to be a moral obligation of the organization. I do not suggest this is the purview of any government.

 

It is okay, IMHO, to be righteously indignant about Russia invaders invading a sovereign country, a democracy. It is okay, IMHO, to wish death on the Russia invaders as well on their commander Khuylo Putin. I agree it is similar to wishing the same on Hitler and German invaders back in WWII. I think it is good that Facebook changed their policy to allow this. If in the future China invades Taiwan then I hope Facebook allows death wishes to be expressed on China invaders.

 

Seems to me, to a large extent, for decades the U.S. has capitulated regarding, the Republic of China. The CHICOMs say the island is already theirs and will take it whenever they want. The U.S. along with almost every other country can't even bring themselves to call the country by its official name. I see very little likelihood of Facebook ever having a hostile policy towards the CHICOMs whatever the circumstances. The intentional ambiguity of the U.S. regarding the Republic of China is immoral in my opinion.

 

Well it is certainly peculiar and not especially safe. Politics is supposed to end at the waterline but Taiwan is an exception. The Administrations, Nixon and Carter, wanted to "engage" Communist China (largely for profit, one suspects, but keeping the Soviet Union focused on its own back yard was a consideration) but Congress in a shocking spell of foresightedness (?) decided that Taiwan should not be fed to the Red Dragon. This wasn’t about democracy or human rights. Taiwan was a very brutal and corrupt dictatorship run by kleptocrats who were voracious even by Chinese standards. The Communists made it very clear at the time that they considered Taiwan to be a Chinese Province and we did not demur.

The result is roughly the same as Britian building war ships for the Confederacy in 1862. Unquestionably an act of war but a wise nation chooses its battles.

We cannot declare Taiwan's independence for her. Neither will we leave her to her fate. Hence: ambiguity.

 

Side note: "Great Patriotic War" is a loaded Russian propaganda concept. There is no reason to use it in place of "World War II", unless one tries to help build up Russia's image and/or conveniently forget that Stalin was a direct military ally of Hitler 1939-41 and had a series of aggressive wars (like Winter War).
No parallels? For starters, what are the differences between German fascist occupiers in 1941 and Russian fascist occupiers in 2022? Facebook is a media company; what media company outside of the Axis had a policy of not advocating violent resistance to the aggressor in 1941? Continuing to have it now would be new precedent.

This reads like a typical fake concern your buddy Tucker likes to engage in, all the time (not just one time you caught him in a direct lie). Fact is, in a hot war, a statement "I support our troops" technically calls for violence and runs afoul of Facebook community standards as written (for peace time). Continuing to enforce that would have been untenable.

 

I do not understand why you would call me Tucker's buddy. I did ask why is he so hated, and I did argue that he, or anyone, are entitled to whatever they can legally earn. I'm not sure I caught him in a lie. I was very disappointed to see him parroting Russian, CHICOM, and Iranian lies regarding the Counter Threat Reduction program. Unfortunately, he is far from being alone in Saying the U.S. is lying. I'll leave it to Facebook to set their own policies. Still I wonder who are tomorrow's 'baddies?' At which point should Facebook authorize calling for them to be killed? Will it become okay to begin calling them dehumanizing names?

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/14/russian-tv-employee-interrupts-news-broadcast-marina-ovsyannikova?fr=operanews

‘They’re lying to you’: Russian TV employee interrupts news broadcast

"
Marina Ovsyannikova ran on to the set of the Channel One transmission shouting: ‘Stop the war. No to war’

• Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates
• What we know on day 19 of the Russian invasion

Anti-war protester interrupts Russian news broadcast – video
You can watch the short clip in the linked article



An employee on Russia’s state Channel One television has interrupted the channel’s main news programme with an extraordinary protest against Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at Channel One, burst on to the set of the live broadcast of the nightly news on Monday evening, shouting: “Stop the war. No to war.”
She also held a sign saying: “Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying to you here.” It was signed in English: “Russians against the war”."

 

Tucker Carlson is lying along with Russian TV. Tucker Carlson is VERY popular on Russian TV lately!

Tucker: The Pentagon is lying about bio labs in Ukraine
https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/tucker-the-pentagon-is-lying-about-bio-labs-in-ukraine

Tucker: The Pentagon's Ukraine biolab talking points are an utter lie
https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/tucker-the-pentagons-ukraine-biolab-talking-points-are-an-utter-lie

How the right embraced Russian disinformation about ‘U.S. bioweapons labs’ in Ukraine
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/11/how-right-embraced-russian-disinformation-about-us-bioweapons-labs-ukraine/

 

Video from DTRA's Facebook page:https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=330753939093820&id=100064776486421&sfnsn=mo

 

Was visiting friends this weekend and we spent it this way.

 

I was worried that the exit from Afganistan (appeared as escape) would send signals to Russia that the time is right to invade Ukraine.

While Russian propaganda accuses US, UK and the west in using Ukraine to weaken EU and Russia, even if it can be seen that west somehow can gain from this, I don't buy it.
The human tragedy and suffering is not the way in our days that Democratic countries resolve conflicts or plan for the future. Russians do accuse the West in killing millions in wars in Iraq, Yugoslavia, Livia.
Democratic countries mostly live in piece with it neighbors in our times its the totalitarian/non democratic regimes that are centers of conflict and wars.
There are some disputes still to be solved such as Israeli Palestinian is one such conflict.
Ukraine a young democracy, with democratically elected president and peaceful transition of power in 2018, open to observers unlike Belarus elections as it developed thriving economy was
a major concern to Russian regime.
Every time I watched Russian TV main channels in the last 8 years most of the time the so called political analysts spent bashing Ukraine.
They were in constant damage control mode. Everyone who disagreed with them was immediately accused as someone with connections to CIA.
Now they are running with the theory that its Anglo-Saxon conspiracy against Russian people. They say US is ruled by the “Anglo-Saxons” – who, incidentally want to control Russia as well.
The term for the Russians also has deeper implications, as it reinforces the idea that Russia belongs to a different culture and civilization. It implies that there are irreconcilable differences between Russia and the “Anglo-Saxons”.