“We have many values, but the most valuable value to us is profit, far and away. As a business pursuing profit above all else, supporting this administration, and always being ready and willing to bootlick, anywhere, anytime, at a moments notice, was thought to be our best shot at the highest profitability possible for our members. Unfortunately, like most of the supporters of trump, his administration, and his best-picked people, we’re left embarrassed, and holding a (figurative) bag of shit, with nothing to show for it except for smelly hands. Sorry. Can we get a do-over?”
I’d sure love to see Canada and the UK simply shut X down within their borders. There were some grumbling awhilemago, in the UK Parliament of naming Musk as an extremist, based on his ability to not only buy influence, but his ability through X to promote or censor speech as he likes, influencing elections, or even overthrowing governments.
I love how a billionaire “puppet master” can think so low of everyone, like nobody is intelligent to think for themselves, instead, relying on some unnamed “puppet master.” Yet he cannot name any alleged puppet master leading the over 1000 protests. What a freaking Muppet. Sorry - I don’t mean to insult the Muppets.
Well, Russia didn’t want NATO members, and what can come with NATO membership at their borders, much like how we didn’t want Soviet missiles in Cuba, in 1962. They certainly viewed their former Soviet states and bloc countries joining NATO, as an expansion of NATO.
Regardless of what looked like who, and who thought what, Russia invaded Ukraine, and they shouldn’t have.
Ukraine should declare that they’re withdrawing from the Lisbon Protocol, and will start working towards creation/procurement of nuclear weapons. Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belaruse agreed to give up their nuclear weapons, in exchange for guarantees on their border security, secured by the US and Russia. Since Russia has reneged, and the US appears to be doing the same, maybe Ukraine could bolster the “cards in their hand” by looking towards rearming. While I hate the idea of another nuclear power, Ukraine was the #3 nuclear power, between separation from the USSR and the 1992 Lisbon Protocol. Maybe their next strategic move should be to fail, like the US and Russia have.
I understand Russian concerns - Gorbachev was told, when the Berlin Wall came down, that NATO would not expand towards the Russian Border. That promise was not ratified by NATO, but was a part of the decision making process, as it was a Russian concern. NATO has expanded 12 times since then, towards the Russian Border. As mad as they might be, the answer is not to simply take back lands they gave up.
The same goes for the US. A few decades passing by, is no excuse to simply decide to not honor obligations previously entered into.
But, if everybody is just changing their minds, and simply “doing whatever we want” is on the table, I’m sure, since Ukraine supplied much of the Cold War hardware and expertise to the USSR, that manufacturing and knowledge base is still there, at least to some degree.
They probably wouldn’t have to do it…mentioning the interest as a strategic consideration could be the kick in the ass needed, to help the Lisbon Protocol participants to remember their roles in the guarantees made, on the condition of giving up those nukes.
There were about 6 of us…you know, 5 making fun of me. We were offroading on trails in a wooded/forested area versus open mud/sand fields. As I was choosing directions on which trails to take, I used signals as was habit.