tuesday, march 8, 2022
it is certainly interesting to see tara reade show up in the op-ed section of sputnik.
3:18
i always like drawing attention to pictures of representatives in the midst of conflicts, because you really do represent yourself with your appearance.
this is a shot of russian and ukrainian "delegations", pulled from russian media:
the russians are all wearing tailored suits, and look very business-like and professional; the ukrainian side seems to have been constructed by a kijiji ad seeking actors to play crazy uncles, and looks like it's dressed to live in a bomb shelter, to protect itself from imaginary threats imposed by a right-wing conspiracy theory. they couldn't even bother to shave.
you might suggest this is trite, but i'd strongly counter that - this is real, and this is what you're seeing: a corporation bombing a country that has collectively morphed into a bunch of fringe lunatics.
3:27
who wears a baseball cap to a meeting?
3:30
i want to see such a thing form - the crazy uncle ukrainian army.
insignia: CRUNK UA.
3:33
and, apparently, there are crazy uncles everywhere that are just dying to sign up, too.
3:35
crazy uncles of the world, unite!
you have nothing to lose but your canes.
3:40
you know all these crazy uncles have been waiting for this day, where they can go fight the ruskies, for their whole fucking lives, right?
3:42
fwiw, that article addresses a point about the russians opening humanitarian corridors directly to russia by accusing ukrainian militias, who are not under the command of the ukrainian army, of not obeying cease-fires. given the history of the fighting in the region, this is a believable accusation, but, even so, it's not the point.
in a situation like this, both armies want to be the ones that show up with water, first. most people have little understanding of what's really happening, and will align with the side that addresses their personal concerns. so, the russians want to be the ones that show up and distribute aid, and the french, particularly, are trying to get in and offer that aid, themselves.
that's a signal that some concept of rationality is returning to the russian command, which has been behaving uncharacteristically.
4:28
so, ukraine calls israel and asks them to mediate.
israel announces that it's willing to "provide refuge" for thousands of educated ukrainian jews.
hey, zelensky - how much for the shirt on your back?
8:34
nonono, let's understand what poland sending planes to ukraine is about.
1) it's been a while since poland bought new planes. i mean, they have planes.
2) it's surely understood that the russians will quickly bomb them out.
3) poland will therefore have to buy more planes.
4) poland gets massive us subsidies to buy planes.
5) us weapons contractors get a major contract to supply planes to poland.
this is what nato expansion actually seems to be about, and if it requires ukraine to get blown up, lockheed martin certainly doesn't give a fuck. the russians are really just giving them the pretext they need to force these countries to buy more weapons.
it's like a mafia-style extortion tactic, and this is how america keeps the region under domination.
it's not like the russians don't have grounds, here. but, they really seem to fundamentally not get it, because they're just not integrated into western finance capital. remember: putin isn't a communist or a fascist, he's actually a pretty textbook conservative. so, he predictably doesn't grasp debt.
23:58
wednesday, march 9, 2022
and, is canada going to get sucked into it, too?
well, you can be sure that those slimy salesmen from lockheed and raytheon will be knocking on rideau cottage's front door, and no doubt in plain view.
if i can vote on the matter, it will be to tell them to fuck off.
0:04
poland, particularly, is a victim of a classic mafia extortion tactic, as perpetrated by the west.
and, will the west show up to protect poland?
i wouldn't sacrifice a single hair on my head to protect poland.
0:11
poland, particularly, is a victim of a classic mafia extortion tactic, as perpetrated by the west.
and, will the west show up to protect poland?
i wouldn't sacrifice a single hair on my head to protect poland.
5:31
ok, i think i'm starting to get my head around what the russians are doing.
so, clearly there are russian forces in ukraine. but, what the russians are framing the situation as is that they are fighting not on their own behalf, but on the direction of the separatist movements. so, the russians have not occupied the south of ukraine; the newly independent region of the donbas has captured the south of ukraine, with russian logistical support.
so, then the russians sit the ukrainians down and say "recognize the donbas", but what that means is recognizing the donbas + the territorial expansion into the regions around the sea of azov, at least.
it's not entirely clear how they work this out, in the end. maybe russia takes an oblast or two, or maybe crimea even ends up in the new country.
but, the end result is a very cold-war like - think korea or vietnam - partition of the country into russian and european sections, each with their respective puppet governments.
8:22