John Stone

Indeed. Suppose the big question is whether Putin is a madman. I believe Putin, like Trump, is after a legacy - geo conquest and/or, brick and mortar

Reprisal is a deterrent ........in the Cold War labelled, "MAD" The strategy behind NATO is 'peace thru strength'. It's worked for 70 years. In any event the smart money is the human race will annihilate itself thru the deployment of nucs in geo stationary orbit and controlled(?) with A.I. Drones are a battlefield weapon - granted a tac nuc would do some damage to a staging area and likely lead to the crowd pleasers very quickly - 25+Mega Tons - the strategic weapons.

Yeah, Trump with a bunch of hookers ain't new. ............ hell, I envy him. Q: Why do celebrities always have beautiful women to poke? A: Because they can.

Ukraine was at one time, not that long ago, the World's 3rd largest nuclear power with a war load of over 4000. Thirty years ago, on 5 December 1994, at a ceremony in Budapest, Ukraine joined Belarus and Kazakhstan in giving up their nuclear arsenals in return for security guarantees from the United States, the UK, France, China and Russia. When ur dealing with China / Russia ....... emphasis on Russia, ur dealing with the devil himself. Ukraine's naïveté was giving them up .......... how different things would be now if they hadn't. Their trust in political hacks was definitely a mistake .

There is no honor amongst thieves? Any 'pact' signed with Russia, China, NK(OMG)?

Not necessarily a negative. The saying is that you should never meet your heroes?

I'd agree that the punitive economic conditions placed on Germany post WWI contributed to the collapse of the Weimar republic and the fascists assuming power in 1933 That said, the causes that led up to the two World wars were completely different. Without getting completely into the weeds, WWI was a result of European, geo-realignment and subsequent treaties - as everyone knows the pretext was the assassination of archduke Franz Ferdinand, presumptive heir of Austria-Hungary by a Bosnian Serb. The immediate cause of WWII was the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939. That said there were many other factors leading up to it (WWII). The Legacy of WWI, failure of the League of Nations, Election of the fascists, 1933, expansionism and militarism to name a few. There were several instances when the Nazi could have been deterred but the opportunities were not taken advantage of. The memory of WWI was too fresh and Europe dithered. Arguably a parallel could be drawn with Ukraine, today. Definitely agree that World history, the conflicts that shaped the World generally, occurred in Europe or their beginnings were in Europe.

The DOJ Is NEVER going to release all those files in the clear - NOT happening. On the other hand, not releasing them opens the door for wild speculation.......... Only a very few will know the truth - long after the perps are dust. Golden rule, those with the gold in coin and/or influence, rule!

"The brave play with fire and learn its secrets; the foolish play with fire and learn its price." / anon Wonder what we are, brave or foolishly naive? The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union with a secret protocol establishing Soviet and German spheres of influence across Europe. The pact was signed in Moscow, 24 August 1939 by the Soviet and German Foreign Ministers. Germany attacked the Soviet Union, 22 June, 41

yep - 'from the river to the sea doesn't leave much room for negotiation'

.... reparations were seriously discussed under the Biden Admin ......... and the dumb fks wonder why Trump won???

Careful, dude - you'll be labelled a racist and not acting in the spirit of reconciliation.

.agree.......... suppose the so-called Palestinians ran an effective propaganda campaign against Israel in general and the IDF in particular. Ireland was heavily involved with UNIFIL in the late '70's - and there was friction between the two countries at that time. I think when ur focusing on the 'Palestinians' and recently Gaza tho you need to focus more broadly - ie, what are Irelands 'wants' regionally (ME) to be part of a quid pro quo supporting the Palestinians at least in terms of rhetoric. Hacks are basically political whores - esp the leaders who have the power to negotiate.

Ireland aligns with Gaza (Palestinians) in their struggle for self determination - not unlike their own struggle for Statehood / unification. Irish rhetoric supported the Nazi in WWII, the logic being that if GB could be brought to 'terms / defeated' the unification of Ireland could become a reality - a lot of Irish drank the Nazi kool-aid during that period and it became generational. Jewish immigration to Ireland became a juicy divisive issue and the hacks exploited it.

Def some truth to what you say .............. likely why the political right is so restrictive re: planned parenthood. The 'pill' was def a deterrent to nation building ........more females entered and could stay within the work force. Nazi had something similar, more draconian tho.

........... yeah, it's called being challenged in a party primary - the threat is very effective.

................ hmmmmm, political hacks are elected by good people who do not vote?

https://youtu.be/jGvhGNh2NJ8

Trump is 79 y/o - billionaire- on his 2nd term - the most powerful man in the World - leader of the free world - married to a drop-dead gorgeous ground sheet ................................... and he doesn't give a fk what the people of the World, domestic or otherwise think of him, what he says and how he acts. At his age there really is only one thing that concerns him - his legacy .......... mostly in brick and mortar. Uber curiosity as to whether he'll win a Nobel - a nice prize to add to his scalp belt. A pic of Obama shortly after winning his ...

"She says that there are more white supremacist criminals...." / Crockett Crockett is an interesting case in the fact she does not have a hope in hell of winning ........ the Party realizes this .... she's running against a Party scion. Truly a forlorn hope. So why her? The Party will use her as an attack dog - and she will welcome the role. Curious to see the percentage of Black / Lat vote support her, tho.

...........the perception is what really matters in politics .... red meat, baby. As a side bar I have to hand it to this beotch tho - deception doesn't describe it.

The Conservative leader is akin to Hans Brinker. ....... his Party and himself are using their fingers.

.............. political hacks are generally opportunists ........moral character wrt supporting Constituents vs. Party is generally tempered against their popularity. That said, I'd say that IMO the Canucks are nowhere near as Partisan ........... separatist vote notwithstanding.

............. on the other hand U.S. tourists to Canada are increasingly concerned about Canadian domestic crime.

............ she' def more politically savvy than Harris, Harris Says ‘Not a Thing Comes to Mind’ That She’d Do Differently Than Biden ............... OMG, what a maroon, double entendre!