Update from Ukraine | Ukrainian Army Kicks Ruzzian forces from Avdiivka north flank | Awesome

Youtube.com ^ | 12-4-2023 | Denys Davydov

[BroJoeK]

bimboeruption: "I don’t know and I don’t care.
And that’s the same way I feel about Zelensky.
I’m an American. I care about America.
Something that you zeepers can’t grasp."

Nothing good will happen to average Americans if Vlad the Invader is allowed to conquer and annex Ukraine -- only bad for us will come of it.

The first consequence is that it will feed Russian revanchism and encourage empire building ambitions, to the detriment of all of Russia's neighbors, including NATO members.
Ukraine is not Vlad the Invader's first victim and will not be the last, if he succeeds there.
Each new invasion will become ever more difficult for NATO to defeat.

Perhaps even more important, Russian victory will feed Vlad the Invader's "Decline of the West" narrative, and give heart to every two-bit tin-horn Hitler wannabe dictator who sees the American led, democracy-based, "world order" as something evil to be destroyed and replaced by... themselves!
It will encourage the territorial ambitions of CCP's Xi-snake, Iran's Moolah Mullahs and NoKo's Little Kim, for starters.
Defeat in Ukraine will manifest and accelerate the appearance of a shift in political, economic & military power from the democratic West to the authoritarian East.

Average Americans do benefit, economically and in national security, from opposing Vlad's Ukraine ambitions but will not benefit, if Vlad succeeds, from a "B.R.I.C.S." led, authoritarian communist CCP dominated, "new world order".

That is something our anti-Ukers seem unable to grasp.

[Reverend Wright]

How would you weight the threat to America from 10,000 illegal immigrants EVERY DAY, vs. what happens to the future internal boundaries of Ukraine ?

This is an issue for every single Western country. A mass invasion where we are strangers in a strange land - even if we have lived here for most of 60 years.

In every one of these countries - USA, Canada, Italy, UK, Germany, France, Greece... the invasion is the issue for the people. But Ukraine is the issue for the political elites.

Isn't this the threat ?

[BroJoeK]

Reverend Wright: "How would you weight the threat to America from 10,000 illegal immigrants EVERY DAY, vs. what happens to the future internal boundaries of Ukraine ?
This is an issue for every single Western country.
A mass invasion where we are strangers in a strange land - even if we have lived here for most of 60 years.
In every one of these countries - USA, Canada, Italy, UK, Germany, France, Greece... the invasion is the issue for the people.
But Ukraine is the issue for the political elites.
Isn't this the threat ?"

Yes, of course I "get" all that, and agree with you almost 100%.
What's certain is that the world has gone mad, and as they say, "a fish rots from the head down", meaning it's a problem in our leadership, which we have been sleep-walked into reelecting over & over, despite its increasing insanities.
Now they are actively waging political warfare against us.

One problem (of many) is that, regardless of Vladimir Putin's own insane claims, Ukraine has nothing to do with any of that.
We will not benefit if Ukraine loses and we will absolutely suffer in many ways if Vlad the Invader conquers Ukraine.

Nor is this a legitimate dichotomy to suggest we must choose between Ukraine and our own border security.
It's a false dichotomy because we have to do both, and we can easily, once our Democrats are voted out of national power.
Just as in WWII, when we fought on multiple fronts -- in the Pacific, in China, in Burma, in Africa, in the Atlantic & Mediterranean, Italy, France and others in Europe -- so we are today in a multi-front Cold War II, which includes not only geographically disperse theaters, but also several others our fathers & grandfathers never thought much about.
Information and cultural warfare fought out on internet sites that unduly censor conservatives, for example.

My point is, we have to do both, we have to do "all of the above" and we literally cannot choose border security over Ukraine, because we will never increase border security by turning our backs on Ukraine.

What we can do, and what Speaker Johnson has promised he will do, is bargain for more border security in exchange for letting some Republicans vote to support Ukraine.
Johnson speaking this week.

That seems like a 100% reasonable political deal to me, and I'm certain it will happen if Johnson has his way.
But I also hugely fear that our current open borders are a matter of Democrats' existential survival and so they will not give up open borders for anything, Ukraine or otherwise.

You understand, our borders are not open by accident or mistake, rather it is 100% Democrat policy to flood the country with new illegal migrants and thus guarantee Democrat political dominance for generations to come.
I fear Democrats will not give that up in exchange for Ukraine or anything else.
Especially if they can blame it all on Republicans, our radical Democrats would rather see Ukraine go down to defeat than give up their own ticket to unlimited political power forever.

So I fear Democrats will not compromise on border insecurity and so we could lose Ukraine without gaining anything good in exchange.
Instead, Republicans will take the blame for Ukraine and thus help reelect more Democrats to keep our borders wide open for four more years.

That's my worst-case scenario.
Hopefully I'm being too pessimistic.

[Reverend Wright]

“It’s a false dichotomy because we have to do both, and we can easily, once our Democrats are voted out of national power. “

---

Every country in the West radically changed their immigration policies around 1965 and allowed mass Third World immigraion.

None of their populations wanted it, and they still don’t want it.

There have been numerous elections in the last 60 years in all these countries. In many cases “conservative” parties were elected. In some cases they promised to do something, but nothing ever happened.

It has never been just democrats. For example, this one that many on FR don’t want to see because it is one of their heroes. (at the prompt)

https://youtu.be/YsmgPp_nlok?t=92

[BroJoeK]

bimboeruption: "You know, you really should read an entire post before offering your 2 cents.
These are not my words.
They are the words of the founder and operator of this site."

Respectfully, my response is still valid.
The English word "glory" is perfectly acceptable for use in contexts other than "Glory to God".
We can see that in both dictionary definitions and Biblical usages.

And, just to drive my point home, the Ukrainian word we translate as "glory" is "slava" which also translates as: thanks, kudos, fame, stardom or praise.
So, Ukrainians themselves are not necessarily blaspheming God when calling for "slava" -- "praise" or "fame" or "thanks" -- for their own country.

[BroJoeK]

bimboeruption: "Denys was a pilot for Skyup, a low-cost airline out of Kiev, Ukraine."

And you know this how?

[BroJoeK]

Kazan: "Despite claims that Russia is already suffering such losses because of operations around Avdeevka, pro-Western “Mediazona” shows increased Russian losses, but nowhere near the scale Ukraine’s General Staff are claiming;"

Ukrainian estimates of Russian daily losses vary daily, from just a few hundred to over 1,000 on some days.
I think these reliably suggest the levels of Russian offensive actions all along the front, with the understanding that the word "losses" could mean killed, seriously wounded or captured.

Ukrainian numbers for Russian losses may also indirectly suggest Ukrainian losses, since Ukrainians claim their own losses are about one-third those of Russians in Russia's "Meat Wave" assaults on fixed Ukrainian positions.

[BroJoeK]

bimboeruption: "Would you trust them as far as you could throw them?
You must think America-loving FReepers are idiots."

This all relates to spurious claims that Davydov is a "draft dodger" on the lamb from the Ukrainian government and hiding out to escape military service on Ukraine's front lines.

Ukrainian awards to Davydov for his services to Ukraine suggest that is not at all the case.

As for who is, or is not, an "idiot", surely any readers can make up their own minds on that.

[BroJoeK]

bimboeruption: "If Denys wants to truly “help his people” why doesn’t the draft dodger leave his safe haven in Switzerland, head back to Ukraine and enlist in the Uke air force?
And you actually think we believe this crap...(Double face palm)"

Obviously, many Ukrainians believe Davydov is doing a better service for his country now than he would be in either the front-line trenches or the more-or-less nonexistent Ukrainian air force.

bimboeruption: "And you actually think we believe this crap...(Double face palm)"

Of course, you are 100% free to believe whatever you wish, but your arguments here are decidedly unpersuasive, imho.

[BroJoeK]

tennmountainman: "What’s Denys Cut? 10%?"

What is your cut from your own income, tennmountainman? 10%?

[BroJoeK]

tennmountainman: "Was another night of BIG Ukraine Propaganda..."

To some degree, "propaganda", like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder.
But for the word "propaganda" to have any objective meaning, content has to include false information weaponized to deceive listeners or readers for political purposes.

While Davydov is obviously pro-Ukrainian, I've seen nothing in any of his reports which fit that definition of "propaganda".
Nor have our anti-Uker's, while spending inordinate time jumping up & down, shaking their fists at Davydov, actually ever pointed out anything he's posted that was knowingly false or deceptive.

tennmountainman: "the Ukraine Draft Dodger "

That is false, there's no evidence to support it and much evidence to suggest otherwise.
This claim by tennmountainman is knowingly false and weaponized to deceive, and therfore well fits the definition of "propaganda".

tennmountainman: "...living large in Switzerland"

It is established that Davydov uploads to YouTube from somewhere in Switzerland, but it is not known where he actually lives and whether that constitutes "living large".
Unverified claims weaponized as personal smears fall into the definition of "propganda".

tennmountainman: "And by Mommy Dearest."

Gratuitous name-calling clearly qualifies as propaganda.

tennmountainman: "Davydov creates the Propaganda and Mommy Dearest spreads it around like a bucket of Popcorn."

I've seen nothing specific pointed out as "propaganda" in Davydov's videos, but clearly posts from tennmountainman, and others similar, include much that is unverified and weaponized to deceive for political purposes, iow, propaganda.

tennmountainman: "It’s not news.
It’s unverified Propaganda."

Those words well describe tennmountainman's own posts here.

[UMCRevMom@aol.com]

🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 Good morning World! Good morning Ukraine! 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 Saint Nicholas Day in Ukraine. Before the calendar reform in Ukrainian churches, the holiday was celebrated on 18-19 December until 2023.churches. In Ukraine, St. Nicholas (Sviatyi Mykolai) visits good children during the night of 5-6 December and puts token gifts under the pillow. This year, Ukrainian children ask St. Nick for one gift only - Victory and Peace.

[UMCRevMom@aol.com]

“’And by Mommy Dearest’ “

Thank you for comment.

I don’t think they realize . Also, I don’t think their Moms wound appreciate their comments either.

IMO, to be a Mom is a privilege.

[BroJoeK]

rxh4n1: "Ain’t no doubt about it.
Using this forum to pimp its YT channels yet won’t contribute to the fundraisers."

Allegra: "Got that right.
These people are a detriment to FR."

What's extraordinary is how much our anti-Ukers seem to forget that on Free Republic, Freepers are 100% free to choose which threads to read & respond to.
What you don't like you can choose to ignore or vent your feelings elsewhere.

As for whatever issues Free Republic may have, or may not have, relating to fundraising -- for anyone to suggest that one pro-Ukraine thread per day out of hundreds of other threads posted here, that one thread can somehow materially effect fundraising is... a bit excessive, if not obsessive.

The reality is, most US conservatives empathize with Ukraine, and so the real issue is only: how much can and should the USA do to help in Ukraine's War of Russian Aggression.

These threads are intended to help with that, imho.

[BroJoeK]

Reverend Wright: "For example, this one that many on FR don’t want to see because it is one of their heroes. (at the prompt)"

Ronald Reagan argues for "guest worker" program.

I suspect you misunderstand what Ronald Reagan was suggesting in 1980.
I remember it and also know exactly what he was talking about.

From 1942 through 1964 the US had a Bracero Program with Mexico, equivalent to what Germans then called "Guest Workers" -- they were permitted to come and work here in agriculture, and then return to Mexico when the seasonal work ended.
The US Bracero Program expired and ended in 1964, and Reagan in 1980 simply argued for its reintroduction.

It didn't happen, of course, because Democrats don't want controlled entries of, essentially, "guest workers", rather they want unlimited illegal migrants who will provide a permanent base for Democrat election successes.

That's what this is all about, and has always been.

[bimboeruption]

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Davydov was a commercial pilot[5] for SkyUp.[6]

Source: https://wikitia.com/wiki/Denys_Davydov#cite_note-6

https://pilotcareercenter.com/Air-Carrier-PCC-Profile/4372/SkyUp-Airlines

[bimboeruption]

Denys was a pilot for Skyup, a low-cost airline out of Kiev, Ukraine.

According to SalaryExplorer, the HIGH (pay attention, I said HIGH.) monthly salary for a Ukrainian pilot with 20+ years of experience and a Master’s Degree is 65,500 UAH per month which equates to 1785.2468509 USD per month. (2023 figures)

65,500 UAH X 12 = 786,000 UAH

786,000 UAH = 21,422 USD

From the site: Pay Scale Structure

To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Pilot in Ukraine compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 23,900 UAH to 34,300 UAH. About 20% of salaries are below the 23,900 UAH mark, while 10% fall within the range of 34,300 UAH to 39,000 UAH. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 39,000 UAH.

https://www.salaryexplorer.com/average-salary-wage-comparison-ukraine-pilot-c226j80

BroJoeK wrote: “If Davydov’s current income is indeed $218,000 that compares to earnings of a senior airline pilot, which was his pre-war job.
Pilots earn circa $400,000 per year, so if anything, Davydov has taken a pay cut.”

$400.000 a year is a salary for a First World pilot...not a Third World pilot.

To sum it up, Denys makes over $200,000 more per year shilling his propaganda on YouTube than he did as a Uke pilot.

[Kazan]

Ukrainian estimates of Russian daily losses vary daily, from just a few hundred to over 1,000 on some days.

If you believe anything coming from the Ukrainians or from the Biden regime about this war or anything, you're a moron.

All the Ukrainian claims are debunked by obituaries in Russian newspapers, by Russian social media accounts and satellite imagery.

Ukraine has suffered losses at an 8-1 ratio if not more.

[House Atreides]

“… This year, Ukrainian children ask St. Nick for one gift only - Victory and Peace.”
*********************************************************

Are you sure some aren’t asking St. Nick for another $100 BILLION from American taxpayer money?