myata

One cannot target civilians as regular citizens deliberately and on purpose, without justifiable military objective. That would be all. To the complete, unquestionable victory. No other logical or moral constraints can exist in a situation where terrorist made whole city, or a country their hostage. Dropping the N-bomb on Japan in 1945 would be in some tension with that principle but nobody complained. In Gaza, Yemen and Lebanon there's been no sign of it so far.

Well said. Weakness appears these days as a virtue; wisdom and the greatly desired stance. That works only on the huge assumption that nothing is going to change, ever and the future is guaranteed and assured no matter what. That is a falsity and dumbness on an enormous, astounding scale. But it only takes wanting to believe it, shutting the eyes and the brain. When, where did we (humans) would refuse such an attractive proposition?

Another admirer of a psychotic dictator thug. "Genius". "Very honorable person". What' s wrong with today's "conservatives"? And where (would) will it take them?

When someone is losing sanity piece by piece there will be many firsts. No one thought of accusing the Allies of genocide for acts while defeating the Axis. When criminal tyrants make whole countries hostages of their delusional policies, and wars, there may not be soft and fluffy answers not matter how much one wanted to dream, chit-chat and demand it. Doesn't exist. Out of this reality. One moral obligation is to not target civilians, deliberately and predominantly, without a justified military objective. That's it. Against this kind of evil, one has the full right to defend themselves by any means and cost. Nothing beats the survival.

Bizarre. But OK. Now look who is changing the context. We were talking about the future, not the system that may or may not be in it. Future is not guaranteed to you by any votes. It just drops by on your doorstep and you have to deal with it or fade away. Just like the dinosaurs (the famous) and countless others, in the evolution. Yes, only two options. No words can prevent that, and no votes, assure. It takes reason, will, courage, resolve, determination and stamina to earn one's pass into the future. And over, and again all the way until you made it there. You just forgot. Try to wake up if you still can.

In the time of critical challenge, "something" does not mean "all that is needed to achieve the needed results". It's not only Biden but the entire generation of Western leaders that has shown reluctance and inability to act as needed and when it was needed. The outcome, interim at this point is a strengthened and emboldened Axis of tyrants and waning resolve in the Western world. Hardly great, objectively. Positive, only the future generations could tell. They may already know.

You have something in your eyes? Extreme partisanship maybe? The original quote: On 1/12/2024 at 4:11 PM, robosmith said: Several are ON RECORD saying they don't want to hand a "win" to Biden. The quoted, attention, 'quote': 'Several are ON RECORD' This is called 'quoting'. Nothing is 'edited'. Future is guaranteed to you by some votes? By pushing a button every so many years you assure yourself the future? Not by acting when needed and as much as needed, and achieving the results, all that are needed? Maybe you've moved on, beyond this reality. Keep dreaming.

I would have to disagree, respectfully. Think that anyone with an objective view of the reality would have to as well. If the West continues its current attitude of assured and guaranteed supremacy, combined with ever growing indecision and infinitesimal observable act (the less you do, the less chance that you'd blamed for the consequences) then it could be quite near certain that it won't advance to the next age in the same condition and status. Why would it? Dinosaurs didn't.

Sure, it's easier to smirk it away. But Iran and Russia worked very well in Syria. Now they are working very well again, in Ukraine and the Middle East. Plus North Korea and China, in the background. This is the reality, the facts by the way: not some eternal abstract wisdom. The future is all but assured and guaranteed now. Why bother to shift wise and hard-working ar*es.

Did you manage to keep a straight face, while typing it?

Look someone thought that "representing" means deciding and delivering the results but in fact, it's just "speaking" (and raking the benefits, to mention). Why would anyone care about this most insignificant of differences? Would you like to rake a small fortune with a lifetime pension in just a few years only for speaking your mind, Joe? That's just too bad for ya. We know.

To give in and cower before Hitlers of today in order to avoid it. The wisdom. Because Hitlers will stop once they get a small bit and smell a bit of blood. Like they always did, look. The f@king coward brainless too, "wisdom". Some will never learn.

The wisdom has spoken: make the same choice over and again, just wait some, et voila: a miracle. Ohoh. Some just cannot learn.

The West is on the decline, the descending arc. This not philosophy, only factual, objective observation: pretending, convincing oneself that all is granted and assured no matter what you do or don't; talking the necessary, pressing decisions and acts to boring infinity and some; pretending that words, any number of them can be converted into acts, and results; avoiding necessary bold decisions for any reason or pretext just because it appears safer to not do anything outrageous (all is granted and assured no matter, see above). This comes with old age and decline. And the thugs and dictators over the world can smell it: the decay, and weakness. While the West was partying, and praying to Holy Economy and Globalization as the universal panacea for all problems forever, briefly interrupted by chanting cheerful mantras with long forgotten meaning, the dictators remembered one constant, all-time law of the Time and evolution: nothing will last forever; every empire; great and lofty idea, principle and claim will be tested by the reality; it's only a matter of time, when not if. So while the great mindless party went on, the dictators waited, planned, prepared: and built. Iran built a network of proxy quasy-states, highly ideological militarized and ready to act. China has massively upgraded its economy as with it, military might. It peddled influence, through investments and dependence, in the far corners of the world Putin has built a defining, at some point, dependence of the Western world on its resources. Something that even a decade on after he started the first aggressive war in Europe since WWII West is still struggling, real and hard to wean off. He invested massively into its military might. And then, at an apparent moment of weakness, they set things into motion. Every empire, union, idea and claim will be tested by the reality. Did the West come ready, for the exam? The answer is before our eyes. Encouraged by what they saw: West had two years to mobilize, act and make important decisions, the tyrants are spreading and widening the offensive. West is always two steps behind; reacting, never acting ahead. Dragging and postponing important decisions, and then again. Why though? What's the strategy? What miracles could and will happen? Will you be able to avoid, then run away from the fight that is brought upon you, forever? No winning answers, or strategy. Decline of thought, will and resolve. The dead end, next? In its current position, the collective West has three essentially different options: 1. Face and stand up the challenges boldly and decisively. This is not happening, by fact, and some historians in the far future if there's one will examine the reasons that I really don't care about. If a train is running and one fails to jump out of its way the outcome is the reason. The fact, too. 2. Submit to the demands, cower in the hope of delaying the decline. Repeat N cycles, until the obvious conclusion. 3. Play the delay and procrastination game in the (vane and groundless) hope that something, somehow would offer a miraculous solution. It won't happen. The dictators have a goal, they know what they want and they learned how to rule forever with brutality and lies. The West, appears to not have one. Even the most basic, that its about its own survival, it cannot seem to grasp. With all that before our eyes, the importance and urgency of the decisions haven't caught up. Is there still hope here? The current generation of leaders are leading the West, through the option 3 to 2, where all will and resolve is drained by endless, gradual cutting and bleeding, to the inevitable demise. No good news down this path. Every empire has fallen. Every great idea and claim will be tested by the reality. It's the reality: not the great words and claims that will announce the judgement.

Replace Ukraine with Poland. And Putin with Hitler. All the same arguments, ad stupid infinitum. Some just never learn.

You aren't making much sense even to yourself. Hardly a great way to convince others. The partisan political elites want to play their stupid little games pretending the future is guaranteed, to them, forever. In the path of a rushing juggernaut. Ignorant? Stupid? Irresponsible, rotten to the core? Make your bet.. not like it would matter a grain of dust to the history.

No but you stated that MPs make their own decisions voting on your behalf and representing you. This is not true, factually as knows anyone having the least of a clue about Canadian politics. So why have you said something that is, patently not true? Who does that make you, again?

I could agree with some of that, are you making the old mistake though, turning all attention inward like the environment is guaranteed forever? The world is changing. The dictators learned to talk and join their forces. They want nothing less that diminish and destroy you. Who's going to stand up to them, now? Is talking about family values going to stop them? Isn't this a question of survival and possibly more immediate, before all else? Do you think not noticing it, pretending it out of reality, would do much good?

No you can't squeeze your way out of it. An armed brutal thug is on your doorstep. Resist or cower? What is the "wrong basket"? You call for help and what? Your neighbors do they come out to help or talk of wrong baskets? and then they come to them and for them, one by one. C'mon. The story is written and read for generations. Is it that hard for you, why?

OK the beavertale. You can't seriously believe that, not possible. Then, who does it make you?

You know why you couldn't get past useless generalities, right? Because the moment you do that, you will see, yourself, an absolute absence of any basis: moral; logical; rational for your claims. Just try it, again: standing up to a brutal invader thug, is it "the wrong basket"? Yes or no answer.

No that's too general, let's figure it out, we can cannot we? So a brutal armed thug comes to your doorstep and demands to submit to his demands, let him have a third of your house just give it away and take your child as a hostage. What? Resisting and fighting for yours: is it "the wrong basket"? What would be the right one then? Let's be specific away from vague generalities, wouldn't your "pappy" live that?

Nobody knows the answer. Were the circumstances very special? Requiring it for the country, not personal benefit? None, in the whole land knows. Nobody can know. That's pretty much, the answer in itself.

One cannot prove wrong with endless repetition of falsities, misconceptions and plain lies. This is exactly what it looks like; objective and factual appearance; and therefore, the real essence of the matter. Proven by observation and fact. A majority (or de-facto) PM in Canada has the powers of a king. They cannot be checked or stopped, if needed, by anything. "We could consider bringing charges but we can't be sure if They can allow themselves anything". A fact. Who is h@king sure of anything, in the entire country, who can be? The talking heads, on a good Thursday? Where is the line between carelessness; incompetence and a grotesque parody? Does it even exist any longer?

That's interesting, you summarized it so well! How can you fail to make the next step: it's the system that is engineered and set up this way, not a fault of someone who just decided to use, not even to the max for all it allows?