Where Do Things End With Vlad? (h/t romad1)

[romad1]

 

[chasfh]

Love the use of "licit".

[Jim Cowan]

Oh thank goodness the Pope has finally spoken up, I was a nervous wreck waiting to find out if he approved of supporting Ukraine.

[romad1]

7 hours ago, Jim Cowan said:

Oh thank goodness the Pope has finally spoken up, I was a nervous wreck waiting to find out if he approved of supporting Ukraine.

Of course the Stalin quote about the Pope comes to mind. 

[romad1]

Huh

[gehringer_2]

11 hours ago, Jim Cowan said:

Oh thank goodness the Pope has finally spoken up, I was a nervous wreck waiting to find out if he approved of supporting Ukraine.

 

3 hours ago, romad1 said:

Of course the Stalin quote about the Pope comes to mind. 

It might help buttress political support in maybe Italy and Poland, but they are already pretty well committed. Gov could be changing in Italy so it might be most useful there. Pronouncements by the Catholic Pope don't carry much weight in the Orthodox world of course.

[romad1]

32 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

 

It might help buttress political support in maybe Italy and Poland, but they are already pretty well committed. Gov could be changing in Italy so it might be most useful there. Pronouncements by the Catholic Pope don't carry much weight in the Orthodox world of course.

I'll respond with a quote

Quote

Catholicism is the predominant religious affiliation in Eastern Europe. It is the majority religion of the national societies of Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Croatia; and is the largest faith in the Czech Republic and Hungary. There are also smaller Catholic communities in other Eastern European countries. During the Communist era, beginning around 1945 to 1948 and continuing to around 1989–1990, the Catholic Church labored under various limitations. In Albania, for example, Catholicism, together with all other religious associations, was completely illegal from 1967 until 1990. After the collapse of the Communist organizational monopoly in 1989–1990, the situation of religious associations in the area changed dramatically. The Catholic Church, no longer compelled to be on the defensive, undertook to promote its own program for society. This article traces the origins and history of Christianity until the 1800s and examines Catholicism and the national awakening of the nineteenth century, along with Catholicism during the twentieth century and after the collapse of Communism.

and another

Quote

Winston Churchill Quote The destiny of mankind is not decided by material computation. When great causes are on the move in the world... we learn that we are spirits, not animals, and that something is going on in space and time, and beyond space and time, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty.

And at the end of the day people are materialistic and survival focused.  But the highest point in Maslow's hierarchy of needs is revenge. 

 

Edited September 16, 2022 by romad1

[romad1]

and

adherence to Catholic faith in Europe.  

Percent of Catholics in Europe by Country–Pew Research 2011 (no legend) - Catholic Church in Europe - Wikipedia

[gehringer_2]

all true by the book Romad, but you know as well as I that in much of Europe, religion of all stripes today is more notational than lived. I'll will grant I should have included Hungary and Croatia, and maybe esp given the situation with Orban the Pope weighing in could be helpful to the angels.

 

[romad1]

30 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

all true by the book Romad, but you know as well as I that in much of Europe, religion of all stripes today is more notational than lived. I'll will grant I should have included Hungary and Croatia, and maybe esp given the situation with Orban the Pope weighing in could be helpful to the angels.

 

My thought about all this is in part Machiavelli:  you have to appeal to the feelings of the common man and most of them are going to go to the religious and spiritual when in distress.  

Edited September 16, 2022 by romad1

[gehringer_2]

This is interesting. Story here is that the Germans have basically "seized" Rosneft's Schwedt refinery that serves the Berlin fuel market (Shell a part owner but also wants out). But keep reading and you get to the fact that Poland had a long standing demand that the Germans end Russian ownership of Schwedt before they would supply any tankered oil to Schwedt via Gdansk to replace what the Russians withhold. Sad to see what is happening in Hungary, which was supposed to be maybe the best post soviet candidate for transformation, but Poland, despite some rough spots, is looking good right now.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/germany-puts-rosneft-deutschland-under-trusteeship-2022-09-16/

Edited September 17, 2022 by gehringer_2

[romad1]

a lot of insider baseball.  But all the alt-right friends of vladdie are here

 

[mtutiger]

Putin set out to divide NATO... and is now reaping the wind

[romad1]

I like this

 

[romad1]

This is not something we really should do anything about but it is relevant to the ongoing situation.

The abject weakness of Russian forces after this war could create the conditions for change.  Not all those changes will be positive.

[romad1]

 

[1984Echoes]

In other words...

In Putin's Dystopian Fascist (Russians-Only) World:

Genocide is termed "Acts of Compassion".

 

The correct wording is: Russian Genocidal Nazi scum...

... need to be quarantined within the boundaries of Russia and never allowed to ever set a step outside of their borders. No Russian troops or Wagner mercenaries allowed outside Russian borders because they are simply... just... murderers and rapists.

They are NOT professional soldiers.

I don't hate Russian people (surrounded by lots of Ukrainians and Russians...); but my revulsion for... anyone who supports Putin and his war, the way that Russian soldiers act in any war theater, this xenophobic and hateful attitude/ mentality of theirs, Putin and all of his sycophantic supporters including legislators, oligarchs, FSB agency, and all the mealy mouthpieces in their media screaming to wipe Ukraine out... is off the charts.

[gehringer_2]

2 hours ago, romad1 said:

This is not something we really should do anything about but it is relevant to the ongoing situation.

The abject weakness of Russian forces after this war could create the conditions for change.  Not all those changes will be positive.

Indeed. Putin's stubborness may yet end up with a Russian army so emasculated that he can't  keep the whole east asian empire from spinning into chaos and dissolution.

[1984Echoes]

22 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

Indeed. Putin's stubborness may yet end up with a Russian army so emasculated that he can't  keep the whole east asian empire from spinning into chaos and dissolution.

He's losing Central Asia because of this.

And he/ Russia will become known as China's Bitch because of this. 

China will suck Russia dry... and take every advantage of Russia's newfound weakness in every way possible. Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Khyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan) are all looking directly to China now... and repudiating (quietly, not loudly) Russia. There was an agreement to build the China One Road railway through Central Asian countries and bypass the Russian railway link. Turkey is pushing hard to join China's economic organization in order to lessen dependence on Russia (currently heavily dependent on Russian oil/ gas/ tourism/ etc. in their economy). Russia is not a pariah just yet... but so many countries are making these types of moves, right now, and it's not just the EU/ US/ Japan/ etc... 

Russia will end up becoming a backwater, glorified North Korea - unless they drastically change directions, like, right now - with... lots and lots of nukes. And... not much else.

[romad1]

 

[gehringer_2]

welp, if the Finns ever decided they wanted Karjala back, might be the time!

 

[1984Echoes]

I think Finland should make a move to take back the territory they lost; Georgia should send troops into the two breakaway territories and kick Russian soldiers out; Moldova (with Romanian help but... basically the Romanians) should kick Russian soldiers out of Transdniestra and Japan should take back their Northern Islands they lost to Russia (USSR) as a result of WWII.

But that's just me...

[chasfh]

 

[Crazy Cat Gentleman]

 

[Crazy Cat Gentleman]

again with the "potentially sensitive content". it isn't.