[Vlad0]

Wow, that's some concentrated bullcrap right there, Tlozo!

Let's state each fallacy clearly:

• The Russians aren't "our enemies". A faction of the USA Deep State, the so-called "Foreign Policy Blob" hates Russia because their Jewish ancestors were treated badly there, and wants revenge. That's most of the NeoCons. Others want a chance for a second pillage of Russia like the one that happened in the 1990s - the horribly designed privitaization that made a few people tremendously wealthy.

  Most Americans have no special animus for Russia or Russians. This is really an inside-the-beltway elite cause, not an organic American one.

• Destroying Russia "without one US injury" -- is a fantasy. We are way way beyond that. The USA has suffered serious injury and continues to. We've lost a lot of weapons, and not just obsolete ones (155mm howitzers are not an obsolete weapon, and the shells are not obsolete ammunition).
  • We've lost prestige in the world.

  • We've lost control of financial institutions that we've maintained to our advantage for decades, like SWIFT.

  • We've forced de-industrialization of our closest allies in Europe, especially Germany. A weak Germnay isn't a "win" unless you are a psychopathic Neocon.

  • We've lost control of Allies. The BRICs has surged during the conflict, in part because the retarded and heavy-handed "sanction packages" of the Biden/Blinken/Yellin trioka of morons has made other nuetral nations recoil in horror at the USA using the dollar as a weapon.

  • So, de-dollarization is now a thing. The loss of reserve status for the US dollar can't be swept under the rug. It's a huge loss for the USA, and it has picked up lots of momentum due to this war.

  • Speaking of the dollar: it's worth less. Because of inlfation, which is exacerbated by the profilgate spending on Ukraine. We already knew that we were in an ugly deficit situation before we decided to bankroll the Zelenskyy caper. Ever dollar spent on Ukraine is - by defintion - a borrowed deficit dollar we pay interest on.
  • Killing peole is inherently a very bad thing. If not always totally immoral, it's certainly something to be avoided if possible. The idea that Ukrainian lives are so cheap that we can feel good about them being spent to win some nebulous geo-political goal is repugnant.

• We haven't made incremental progress on "destroying Russia". Russia is objectively doing quite well.
  • An American general has said the current Russian military is about 20% bigger than the one they had at the start of the war in 2022.

  • Russia's military manufacturing has ramped up significantly because of the war. They are now manufacturing more weapons than the USA and NATO combined.

  • In effect Ukraine has a been a great "training camp" for the Heavyweight contender, Russia. He's put on muscle, lost fat, and boosted his cardio. He's sharped his skills, and he's improved his footwork.

  • This idea that Russia has lost 1/2 of it's military equipment is a fantasy worthy of Denys the Menys (of UMCRevMom@aol.com fame). See the previous point: Russia has a lot of manufacturing capability. They have the sort of manufacturing capability we used to have, until our elites sold it all off and shipped manufacturing to China and Mexico.

  • Russia Can Build 100 Tanks a Month, Retains Capacity to Replace Losses: Intel

    Meanwhile, a lot of our weapons have been shown to be delicate and ineffective. In time learning that is good, but the USA's lack of manufacturing means we can't easily and quickly produce upgraded designs.

    Artillery is breaking in Ukraine. It’s becoming a problem for the Pentagon.

  So I'm sorry Tlozo, but your lazy analysis (one that's been used for a lot of other useless military adventures) "We kill them over there so we don't have to kill them over here" is nonsense.

  No one who is paying attention to what is really going on is going to accept that lame propaganda claim any longer, my FRiend. If you want to make a case for the continuation of the wretched slow-motion military and economic disaster in Ukraine you can try, but if you expect anyone to take it (or you) seriously, you are going to have to do a lot better than the warmed over NeoCon crap you've offered up here.

[BenLurkin]

Russia has never, is not now, and will never be our friend.

And there is plenty of reasons to not like them. Face it — the people of Belarus, Russia, and the Ukraine are basically the same crappy people.

[Mount Athos]

Wow we still have sober people here

[Gaffer]

I’ve long held that the best trained armies in the world were the ones actively fighting a war. For a long period, the US had the edge with Iraq and Afghanistan but Biden’s abandonment of Afghanistan ended that cycle.

As it is now, Russia is - while learning some very painful lessons. It still has resources (manufacturing and economic) to rearm and rebuild. However, UKR is learning more and won’t be able to do anything with it after Biden and the ROW desert him this November. They won’t have the money, manpower or resources to recover when this is over without some Marshall Plan on steroids (which I for one am against.) We need our own Marshall Plan in the US - for us.

[tlozo]

We've lost prestige in the world.

Sure, and what will be our "prestige" if Ukraine collapses because we refuse to send them weapons?

Poland already announced that maybe they should get nukes.

Because of inlfation, which is exacerbated by the profilgate spending on Ukraine.

LOL, incredibly idiotic statement blaming inflation on Ukraine funding. Last years budget was 6.5 Trillion of which only 75 Billion was on Ukraine which included sending older or out of date weapons.

[zeestephen]

Re: "So, de-dollarization is now a thing. The loss of reserve status for the US dollar can't be swept under the rug. It's a huge loss for the USA, and it has picked up lots of momentum due to this war."

I agree with Vlad0 on many Ukraine issues.

We do not agree about the strength of US Dollar (USD).

Compared to a basket of foreign currencies, the USD trade value has floated above $90 for the last ten years.

$100 is the "par" value. Above $100, the USD is stronger. Below $100, the USD is weaker.

For the last two years, USD has shown consistent strength, floating between $100 - $112.

https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/@DX.1

[Rocco DiPippo]

One of the most interesting - and truthful - comments/analyses I’ve read on this mess in a long time. Well done. Thanks!

[House Atreides]

“… Russia has a lot of manufacturing capability. They have the sort of manufacturing capability we used to have, until our elites sold it all off and shipped manufacturing to China and Mexico.…”
********************************************************************

Sadly, it’s very true that our “elites” have led the efforts that led to the hollowing out of much of our heavy manufacturing capabilities. They did that to make money as they were too stupid to make money in other ways. These same elites are now reveling in the mass import of millions of ultra-low-cost workers.

[Right Wing Vegan]

Most Americans have no special animus for Russia or Russians

US and others have over exploited Russia's problems. It's natural, but that impulse needs to be reigned in finally.

[adorno]

The Russians aren't "our enemies".

With that idiotic statement, everything else you have to say needs to be ignored.

The Russian people are not our enemies, but the Russian leadership (Putin/Kremlin) are the enemies. Putin is no different from the leadership that came before in Russia/USSR (Lenin,Stalin, etc), and until the leadership in that country stops being so aggressive to their neighbors and even to NATO countries and to the U.S.A. they are the enemy.

Russia is no different than China and Iran and N. Korea and Afghanistan, all of whom are sworn enemies of the west. The people in those countries might not be our direct enemies, but, as long as the leadership considers the U.S. and other western countries to be their enemies, and as long as they seek our demise, then, they are indeed enemies.

So, get over yourself and start using logic and common sense. You lack a lot of that.

So, who started the war in Ukraine? And don't give me that "chit" about Ukraine having been part of Russia way back then. An aggressive country like Russia, is not a friend to any other country. That's simple common sense, but I doubt you can understand it.

And, btw, copying and pasting is easily recognizable and easily dismissed, so, stop the nonsense!