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I love that people here keep giving the benefit of the doubt to Russia. Interesting to see fedi not being dumb enough to believe western propaganda, but still stupid enough to believe Putin propaganda.
b e a r d
@alyx I dislike Ukraine more than I dislike Russia so 
@icedquinn @beardalaxy
I'm strongly indifferent towards Ukraine. I don't hate them, I have no ill will towards them, but I'm not necessarily crazy about them either.
Still, I believe Russia's invasion is a great injustice that is being done to Ukraine. I think the morally right thing to do is to help them, but I don't believe just giving them money and our old weapons is actually helping them. Basically I think NATO should have either gone guns blazing with everything to scare the shit out of Putin, or shut the fuck up. I don't see how this half-assed approach is doing Ukraine any good. If someone did the numbers, I bet less people would have died if no one helped them and Putin managed to make them kneel in a week.
war stuff
europe has contracts with the US so we have to come die for them, which i guess is why they are scared of sporks and shit on their streets. i dunno why the hell eastern europe does it though--they don't have a contract with the US to come drop bombs if they get looked at funny but they still want to keep disarmed populaces. while simultneously saying their neighbor is hostile.
okay
but yes. the 'correct' things to do are either nothing (because that's what we owe them) or actually show up and put a stop to it. unfortunately, the US doesn't really have moral authority to do that nonviolently. we break every single agreement we make, so we can't come run the peace talks. we already agreed no nato expansionism and then expanded nato. so who has the moral authority to do this?
kinetically we could, but we destroyed our economy with covid fear enjoying. and everyone who would be going to that war doesn't want to (polling shows everyone under 60 is against war with russia.) so what we have is what little the elites can squeak out without a riot--just dumping tons of money over there.
war stuff
@icedquinn @beardalaxy
Can't say I disagree with anything here, but this merits some discussion: "but they still want to keep disarmed populaces."
There are probably 2 main things that lead to this.
1) it's a historical thing. Populations were clearly disarmed during communism, and indoctrinated to hell and back, so you simply have a problem of people not even understanding what human rights are, let alone be able to comprehend gun ownership as an extension of the right to self defense.
2) it's a general culture thing. Romania at least doesn't have the issue USA has with rural households being stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no police in sight. Our rural communities are either so well tight knit and peaceful that you don't really have much of a crime problem (it's hard to be a thief when everybody knows you and your family from 3 villages away), or if there is a potential of crime, you'll probably have a police station at walking distance.
And I highly doubt the situation is that much different in other Eastern European countries.
As for urban environments, you do get more crime, but still not enough violent crime to where people feel the need to be constantly armed.
The stereotypical gun owner over here is either a rich ass hunter, for his yearly wild boar hunt, or a gypsie mobster.
