Posted on 5/28/2024, 9:16:25 AM by MeganC

Over the past two years we’ve seen Russia waging war against their neighbor Ukraine. Since World War Two Russia has invaded their neighbors several times, annexed territories that don’t belong to Russia, and generally acted the part of the neighborhood bully.

World War Two was started when Russia partnered with Nazi Germany to invade, conquer, and partition Poland. After the war ended the Russians annexed the part of Poland they stole.

Also at the end of World War Two the Russians attempted to invade and seize control of Denmark only to be stymied by the United Kingdom and the United States.

At the end of that war Russia also reneged on their non-aggression pact with Japan and invaded Japanese territory in the Kurile Islands and on the southern portion of Sakhalin Island. They still hold those stolen lands. They also tried to invade and occupy the northern Home Island of Japan, Hokkaido, only to be stymied by the United States Navy as ordered by General MacArthur.

After that war Russia invaded Czechoslovakia, they invaded Hungary, their failed in their attempt to draw Greece into their empire, they participated in wars of conquest in both Korea and Vietnam, they made ongoing nuclear threats at the Western Allies, and they were generally not nice.

Of recent years they’re back to their old tricks with invasions of conquest taking place in Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. They conducted two wars of oppression in Chechnya. They are friends with Iran, North Korea, Syria, and of course the murderers of Hamas and Hezbollah. They make nuclear threats at everyone opposed to them and managed to drive isolationists Finland and Sweden into seeking NATO membership.

These are inescapable facts.

Over the past two years a subset of accounts on Free Republic have been run by people who adamantly support Russia and the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

Being unable to argue on the merits of ethics or factual history some of these individuals have instead concentrated on silencing or intimidating people like myself who are simply not enamored of Russia and the Russian dictator.

And I am still here. I still oppose Russia and the Russian dictator.

Supposedly these folks want to change my opinion about the Russian people who enthusiastically support their dictator. And I wanted to take this moment to respond to their efforts in detail:

1. Issuing profanities at me or others will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

2. Exploiting or mocking details about my personal life will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

3. Trolling me as a group will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

4. Issuing hateful anti-American statements will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

5. Issuing hateful statements about NATO and individual NATO countries will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

6. Repeatedly telling me to shut up will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

7. Repeating or parroting discredited Russian propaganda will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

8. Calling the Ukrainians ‘Nazis’ will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

9. Even though I often agree, criticizing Biden and the Democrats will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

10. Supporting acts of terror against Israel and Israeli citizens will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

11. Citing the existence of corruption and criminality elsewhere will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

12. Demands for information about my personal life will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

13. Ongoing campaigns of harassment directed at myself or others who oppose Russia will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

14. Daily threats of nuclear war amplified by pro-Russian posters on FR will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

15. Aside from the Russians changing their behavior and starting to act like human beings I will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

After two years of the above tactics failing to silence or intimidate myself and others it should be clear that these tactics will not change my opinion about Russia and the Russian dictator.

Come up with something new. Like, being courteous and polite and discussing facts? You know, like we all used to do on FR prior to February 2022?

Thanks.

Megan