Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Mike]

I think I still hold the view that this was a lab leak that occurred because the Chinese are/were working on using viruses as a weapon.

I still contend that it was an accidental leak and wasn't intended to be weaponized. Just your garden variety communist shithole dysfunction and incompetence.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Does anyone remember when we trusted the word of our enemies?

Yeah. Neither do I.

[THE_WIZARD_]

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[THE_WIZARD_]

As I put on my tinfoil hat this morning ....

Interesting that so much money is going to Ukraine. Hunter's friends still live there.

So, all that money goes to Ukraine, where its laundered thru their national bank .. and funneled back to the Democrats to use in midterm elections.

All because of Joe and Hunter.

Got to admit. Its a great scheme. The Republicans should be that resourceful.

Best money laundering scheme of all time.

[Mike]

Does anyone remember when we trusted the word of our enemies?

Yeah. Neither do I.

No shit! I don't think people were censored for casting aspersions at the Soviet Union in the 80s. Now a very significant portion of our country sides with our new chief adversary and communist shithole, China, over their fellow Americans. It's madness.

[Dr. Strangelove]

The vast majority of aide going to Ukraine takes the form of physical items. Weapons, equipment, supplies, etc. Also the costs of sending US personnel to train the Ukrainians. Visions of enormous palettes of untraceable bills being air-dropped into Kyiv are largely the stuff of fantasies. Now I'm sure some stuff we've given them has ended up in a black market somewhere, which isn't good.

Iran and Russia have practically teamed up at this point as well. At least as far as US intel is concerned, Iran and North Korea are giving arms to Russia much more than China is. So a group composed of Russia, North Korea, and Iran...yeah I'm ok with seeing it in our national interest that this collective be damaged or humiliated.

[klondike]

I still contend that it was an accidental leak and wasn't intended to be weaponized. Just your garden variety communist shithole dysfunction and incompetence.

You may be right but the timing was impeccable. With the tariffs on China and Trump being on a roll with the economy and foreign policy, it wouldn't faze me to think China would do this, even kill their own to shake the world up and hopes to make Trump look bad. That's me. I guess a lot of people have a lot more trust in that regime.

[THE_WIZARD_]

The vast majority of aide going to Ukraine takes the form of physical items. Weapons, equipment, supplies, etc. Also the costs of sending US personnel to train the Ukrainians. Visions of enormous palettes of untraceable bills being air-dropped into Kyiv are largely the stuff of fantasies. Now I'm sure some stuff we've given them has ended up in a black market somewhere, which isn't good.

Iran and Russia have practically teamed up at this point as well. At least as far as US intel is concerned, Iran and North Korea are giving arms to Russia much more than China is. So a group composed of Russia, North Korea, and Iran...yeah I'm ok with seeing it in our national interest that this collective be damaged or humiliated.

...and equipment can be sold and funds diverted very easily. Hard to believe but the Ukranian government is more corrupt than the Biden Family Crime Syndicate...by a hair...

[THE_WIZARD_]

You may be right but the timing was impeccable. With the tariffs on China and Trump being on a roll with the economy and foreign policy, it wouldn't faze me to think China would do this, even kill their own to shake the world up and hopes to make Trump look bad. That's me. I guess a lot of people have a lot more trust in that regime.

As Lt. Frank Drebin once said..."Bingo"

[klondike]

Getting involved in Ukraine is a nice idea but at the expense of starting WWIII is not. This is a European incident between a former Soviet satellite nation and a power hungry land grab regime ready to take back what was theirs. Remember Afghanistan. Did we supply them with hundreds of billions when the USSR invaded them.

Why Ukraine. Why now. How is this going to end? At this rate not well... why give them everything but fighter jets. That's what they really need to win this war. We are giving them just enough to last a long drawn out affair. Because if we go all in then it will be an official war that could lead to nuclear arms.

Biden is doing this to appease the generals and war machine corporations who benefit from war. But not enough to actually win the war. Its all another scheme that the general public is falling for. Problem is it could trigger something that nobody wants. We don't belong in Ukraine and should get out. The longer we ride this out the closer to mass destruction we get.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Well we didn't give them billions and billions but we aided the Afghans for almost the entire decade the Soviet Union occupied them. And the USSR knew we were doing it the whole time. WWIII didn't erupt as a result.

How this ends I do not know but realistically it probably won't end with Ukraine recovering Crimea OR Russia controlling the entire country. Our support won't be limitless but in the meantime we're weakening a geopolitical foe and gave China something to consider vis a vis Taiwan. NATO is stronger, member states are contributing more to defense than they had before, and Russia's vaunted military has been shown to be wildly inept and corrupt. I'm cool with all this.

[THE_WIZARD_]

You are comparing Afghanistan to Ukraine?

[Dr. Strangelove]

You are comparing Afghanistan to Ukraine?

Don't know what your point is. Klondike brought up Afghanistan. I responded that yes, we assisted Afghanistan in a proxy war against the Russians. For almost a decade. I do not believe WWIII is resulting from the Ukraine War barring a radical change of leadership in Russia, the USA, or Ukraine.

[THE_WIZARD_]

OK...sorry didn't know what your context was.

That being said...STFU.

[klondike]

Well we didn't give them billions and billions but we aided the Afghans for almost the entire decade the Soviet Union occupied them. And the USSR knew we were doing it the whole time. WWIII didn't erupt as a result.

How this ends I do not know but realistically it probably won't end with Ukraine recovering Crimea OR Russia controlling the entire country. Our support won't be limitless but in the meantime we're weakening a geopolitical foe and gave China something to consider vis a vis Taiwan. NATO is stronger, member states are contributing more to defense than they had before, and Russia's vaunted military has been shown to be wildly inept and corrupt. I'm cool with all this.

I don't think we gave Afghanistan a lot. That's neither here nor there. Bush spent 1 trillion on the Iraq war. Back when a trillion ment something. I'm more cynical than maybe you and the average person but I sense warmongering going on here. To spend this much on an eastern European country that has no bearing on the U.S. is ridiculous. We have no business interfering with this war. It's bad what Russia is doing and Putin as well but it's their business. We always seem fit to intercede and be the world's savior and judicator. Give Putin heavy sanctions and the world can see what he is but why get involved militarily when it's not necessary.

even you know this. Biden backs out of Afghanistan and leaves everything behind in a mad rush yet he now wants to get Involved with another far away country. Why?

Either help them all the way and give them everything they need including troops or back off and stay out of it. There's no middle ground here yet That's exactly where we're at. Right in the middle of a powder keg that could start a far worse war.