Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[Alben Barkley]

78% of Ukrainians blame Zelenskyy for corruption

According to a recent poll published by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, 78% of surveyed Ukrainians believe that the president bears direct responsibility for corruption in the government and regional administrations. Only 18% of respondents disagreed with this statement.

Older Ukrainians seem more demanding of the head of state than the young people, reads the report. The share of respondents who think the president is responsible for corruption ranges from 70% to 81% among people aged 18-29 and those over 60, respectively.

And yet he still has a 91% approval rating, with overwhelming approval of his wartime leadership.

Almost like Ukrainians are smart enough to realize their government is not perfect, but also do not want to become the puppets of an even worse Russian government that is brutalizing them.

[Alben Barkley]

I just recently learned of the existence of this song, which is based on the Finnish song "Nyet, Molotov!" from the Winter War. I actually searched to see if any similar song about this war existed, and lo and behold there it is!

[Alben Barkley]

In terms of WWII history, I am fairly revisionist, and while I still lean toward being more pro-Allies than pro-Axis I am fairly empathetic to the Axis point of view.

What in the absolute f--k.

People like you should be forced to watch Schindler's List with your eyes pried open, Clockwork Orange style.

There is no "Axis point of view" that is anything other than the brutal murder, rape, enslavement, oppression, and genocide of anyone who stood in the way of their wars of aggression and crimes against humanity (and many who were just caught in the crosshairs), which they thought were justified solely because they were "a superior race." To "empathize" with such a view in any way ironically exposes you as a sociopath incapable of any actual empathy at all.

People like you give me the f--king creeps. Anyone who "both sideses" WW2 should be summarily banned from the forum, frankly. And yeah I would apply this to Trudeau if the idiot is going to praise SS soldiers too. I despise Trudeau, so it's not some kind of "gotcha" to point out that he did something stupid. It certainly does not change anything about the morality of WW2.

And before you ask: No, Finland in the Winter War was not part of the Axis. The Soviets themselves were closer to being part of the Axis at that time, and the Allies in fact attempted to help the Finns. The Continuation War was a different matter, one in which I can empathize with the rock and a hard place situation Finland (which never joined the Axis and ultimately turned on it) was in, but that's an entirely different thing from empathizing with the Axis itself.

[Alben Barkley]

I do not care either way.  In terms of WWII history, I am fairly revisionist, and while I still lean toward being more pro-Allies than pro-Axis I am fairly empathetic to the Axis point of view.  Still, this sort of action seems inconsistent with the state values that Trudeau would project.

Do you have any empathy for Japan's occupation of China and mass murder of Chinese civilians?

Objectionable, but not as much as the people who in future war with China would suddenly pull a 180 and become war crimes apologists for the sake of geopolitics. Probably less as Japan fought directly against the U.S., but as the recent Canadian parliament scandal shows there are far more of them willing to wink wink at that sort of stuff than people would like to admit.

The mass murder of 30 million people -- men, women, and children -- is merely "objectionable" to you, with a but?

The practice of throwing babies in the air and catching them with bayonets you would describe as just "objectionable?"

The practice of forcing parents at gunpoint to rape their own daughters before killing them all is just "objectionable?"

The practice of sexually enslaving countless women in occupied Korea and other lands as "comfort women" is just "objectionable?"

The horrifying experimentation on human beings that killed 300,000 in brutal ways by Unit 731, that's also just "objectionable?"

Crimes so sickening a literal Nazi, John Rabe, had to intervene to try to stop it out of disgust are just "objectionable?"

And none of this nearly as bad as imaginary war crimes you attribute to imaginary people in an imaginary future which they imaginarily justify for imaginary reasons?

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[Alben Barkley]

I do not care either way.  In terms of WWII history, I am fairly revisionist, and while I still lean toward being more pro-Allies than pro-Axis I am fairly empathetic to the Axis point of view.  Still, this sort of action seems inconsistent with the state values that Trudeau would project.

You are a vile specimen who is not worthy to lick the gum off Dwight D. Eisenhower's shoe.

Nathan is the best mod ever, exhibit 1079.

Please tell me you weren't behind editing my post telling that pro-Axis user to read a book, and shut up about things he knows nothing about. (Yeah I might have thrown a few censored f-bombs in there too, but COME ON, let's not PRETEND this is anything uncalled for!)

[Alben Barkley]

I do not care either way.  In terms of WWII history, I am fairly revisionist, and while I still lean toward being more pro-Allies than pro-Axis I am fairly empathetic to the Axis point of view.  Still, this sort of action seems inconsistent with the state values that Trudeau would project.

Do you have any empathy for Japan's occupation of China and mass murder of Chinese civilians?

Objectionable, but not as much as the people who in future war with China would suddenly pull a 180 and become war crimes apologists for the sake of geopolitics. Probably less as Japan fought directly against the U.S., but as the recent Canadian parliament scandal shows there are far more of them willing to wink wink at that sort of stuff than people would like to admit.

The mass murder of 30 million people -- men, women, and children -- is merely "objectionable" to you, with a but?

The practice of throwing babies in the air and catching them with bayonets you would describe as just "objectionable?"

The practice of forcing parents at gunpoint to rape their own daughters before killing them all is just "objectionable?"

Crimes so sickening a literal Nazi, John Rabe, had to intervene to try to stop it out of disgust are just "objectionable?"

And none of this nearly as bad as imaginary war crimes you attribute to an imaginary future imaginarily justified by imaginary people?

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A fanatic can repent of their sins and be just as fanatical in seeking to atome for them. An opportunist on the other hand can never be persuaded that they joined the wrong side in commiting atrocities because they were never right to beign with, simply wearing a mask to fit popular opinion of the time. Pretty self evident to anybody who was reading my post in good faith.

Seeing as though you did not read it in good faith I have to ask did you have to ask, did you have a bad day at work that you feel the need to vent for online? Whatever the case it's certainly no excuse for foaming at the mouth like some rabid animal.

I love how nothing's going to happen to you for dehumanizing me by calling me a "rabid animal," but you probably reported me and got my post edited because, for all your apologetics for fascist criminal regimes (and that IS what you are doing, whether you acknowledge it or not), you actually are too soft to take it at the end of the day.

Whatever.

Permanently placed on ignore. Anybody who says just about ANYTHING is worse than Japanese war crimes belongs on that list and certainly isn't worth my time thinking another moment about.

[Alben Barkley]

Just like when I looked to see if there was a Ukrainian version of "Nyet Molotov" on a whim and found there was indeed one, I ALSO found there was a Ukrainian version of Dylan's "Masters of War" dating back to early in the invasion!

https://twitter.com/Andylanger/status/1505636957904416774?s=20

Just amazing to me that my thinking is apparently on the same page as these brave Ukrainians. Shows some musical themes are absolutely universal and retain their power across time. As for the Dylan song, some choice lyrics for Putin include:

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good?
Will it buy you forgiveness?
Do you think that it could?
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death will come soon
I will follow your casket
By the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand over your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead