Ukrainian officials told The Washington Post on Thursday that Ukrainian forces have started firing US-provided cluster munitions at Russian soldiers in southeastern Ukraine, which was later confirmed by the White House.
Last year, the White House called the use of cluster bombs in Ukraine a “potential war crime,” but President Biden signed off on the delivery of the civilian-killing munitions earlier this month.
Cluster bombs are so hazardous to civilians because they spread small submunitions, or bomblets, over large areas. Submunitions that don’t explode immediately on impact can kill or maim civilians for decades to come, as they have in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, where the US dropped hundreds of millions of bomblets during the Vietnam War.
According to the Post, by sending the bombs to Ukraine, President Biden bypassed US law that prohibits the production, use, or transfer of cluster munitions with a “dud rate” of more than 1%. The dud rate refers to the percentage of bomblets that don’t explode.
The Pentagon has claimed that the munitions they are sending have a dud rate of 2.35%, but The New York Times reported the rate will likely be 14%. The US has given Ukraine dual-purpose improved conventional munitions (DPICMs) in the form of 155mm artillery shells, which are packed with 72 bomblets.
The Post report said that Biden bypassed the law by using a rare provision of the Foreign Assistance Act that allows the US to provide weapons regardless of export controls if the president determines doing so is a vital national security interest. But continuing to fuel a proxy war against the world’s largest nuclear-armed state is a huge risk to US national security.
Biden administration officials have defended the decision to send cluster bombs by saying the US and Ukraine are running out of other types of ammunition. They have also accused Russia of using cluster bombs in the war.
Human Rights Watch said in May that there were “hundreds” of documented or alleged uses of cluster bombs by both sides in the conflict. But the US provision of cluster bombs will make the use of the weapon much more widespread as the Pentagon said it will provide hundreds of thousands of shells. A Ukrainian official told the Post that they are firing cluster munitions at Russian troop positions in an attempt to break up Russia’s trenches.
Russia has claimed it hasn’t used cluster bombs in its war in Ukraine but is warning it will respond in kind. “Russia has a sufficient reserve of various kinds of cluster munitions, various kinds. So far we have not done it, we have not used them,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday. “But of course, if they are used against us, we reserve the right to tit-for-tat actions.”
Due to their indiscriminate nature, over 100 countries have banned cluster bombs, including many US NATO allies. But the US, Ukraine, and Russia are not party to the treaty, known as the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
This war has a certain regularity: every escalation benefits to Russia.
In first place, the coup 2014 and the installation of pro-American government in Kiev was supposed to put Russia in a very weak position, open the way for Ukrainian membership in NATO and deprive Russian navy of the military base in Sebastopol. It turned out that a couple of weeks later Crimea was incorporated into Russian Federation.
Kiev regime war against Donbass and sabotage of Minsk Agreements terminated by the incorporation of Donbass into Russian Federation as well.
The sabotage of peace agreements in April 2022 paved way for other southern and eastern oblasts of Ukraine becoming parts of Russia.
Persistent attacks against Crimea and Crimean bridge gave to Russia a pretext to destroy Ukrainian ports at Black Sea and thus destroy the best trade route between Ukraine and NATO (the anti-Russian hysteria doesn’t impress the global South at all; everyone knows that almost all Ukrainian wheat went to NATO countries).
Now those cluster bombs. Russia has more of them then US. Russian capacity to use them efficiently is also much better. Putin warned Americans about mirror response. They, as usual, ignored it. Now, if Poland moves it’s military forces into West Ukraine (as they plan), they would have a lot of unpleasant surprises and without NATO countries direct intervention, Ukraine, most likely, will be finished by the end of this year.
Russia was forced into war and has focused on military assets. If they stick to the high ground, their duds will be within military bases near Poland.
You tankies are really trying to reinforce your echo chamber. NONE of what all of you keep saying is actually true. If you follow different sources, they will give you an idea of what Russia is doing wrong. They have built considerable defensive lines yet they force their troops to come out from those defenses and confront the Ukes head-on. That is fertile ground for cluster ammo. It’s insane for the Russian to do this but that appears to be Russian military doctrine. They’re constantly hitting civilian targets in a terror campaign.
Get your head out of your asses and you can see that Russia is LOSING GROUND.
You all are amazing in your cognitive dissonance!
It’s a cult, man.
They would easily argue that the color of blood is blue.
Oh look, the two turds back to back, Julio and Irrational Thinker putting their inane comments back to back, got your talking points together this morning huh?
Oh look, it’s bill, the other kremlin relay antenna in the blog.
It’s Bill! The angry boomer, screaming into the abyss! “You kids get off my lawn!”
Lol
Funny Irrational One, but not even close.
I’d bet on it.
Clearly, you are quite impressed with your limited knowledge and understanding of Russia’s military logistics, tactics and strategy. Talk about an echo chamber of one …
Yes. Russia is just waiting. For what? Nobody knows!
Super impressive military, logistics, tactics, and strategy stuff! You just can’t see it. The world can’t see it. Russian military bloggers can’t see it. But it’s SUPER IMPRESSIVE.
Maybe it’s giving up ground in order to win. (Because that’s all that’s going on right now.)
Instead of throwing ad hominem’s around?
Why don’t you post links to unbiased, factual proof that he is wrong?
I doubt you even can.
If you follow different sources
And where have those sources led you?…
Ukraine is LOSING period
Who has gained more ground since September 6?
Ukraine or Russia?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine#/media/File:2022_Russian_Invasion_of_Ukraine_Phase_3_animated_(cropped).gif
Well, comrade?
The ground gained by Ukraine is a grave yard.
And the Ukrainian/UK attack on the civilian side of the Kirsch Bridge that killed a mother and father and seriously injured their young daughter was a case of hitting civilian targets in a terror campaign. You are the one with cognitive dissonance.
The Kerch Bridge is used to move war materiel in and out of Crimea. How many Ukrainian civilians have been killed when the Russians fired a missile at a military target and it got shot down over an apartment building? Is that a “terror campaign?”
I disagree. Kerch bridge is indeed infrastructure that can be used for both civilian and miltary.
But Crimea is populated by vast majority Russian population that voted many times in its hidtory prior to 2014 to return to Russian control.
UN Chaoter 1, Paragraph 1 and 2 clarify the mattef. Sovereignity and territorial integrity can and is denied to a state that abuses its population and does not respect their will — it is cakled right if people to self-determination. Crimea claimed that right. Ukraine can ptotest all it wants — and its allies can coddle it in its delusion — but Crimeans do not want Zelenski to forcibly make them part of Ukraine.
We cannot act dumb and pretend thst people of Crimea have no rights. They own the bridge.
What is Zelenski really saying? I want Crimea, but not prople? What do we have here? Another Palestine issue? Zelenski has delusions of grandeur that should not be fed,
People in Ukraine — not just lands occupirked by Russia, but four other regions should vote if they wish to stay in Ukraine or rejoin Russia. Dnyepro, Mykolaevo, Odessa, Kharkov.
Let vote decide. Sanctity of sovereignty and territorial integrity has been busted ling time ago.
In other words — it is a war. Hope we can agree to that. Both sides are having losses and civilians paying the price in the process. NATO for now is a combatant — not paying price in lives.
The prevailing narrative in MSM is — one side is barbarian, other only innocebt victims.
War will end when somebody decides they had enough. So far Russia has taken Ukrainian terrotory populated overwhelmingly by Russians. Ukraine would like to have it back, regardless of what population wants.
This means that Ukraine still wants more war. Ukraine is running out of prople and economy. Money can becsqueezed from NATO, but people cannot.
Or am I wrong? Does US have “Poland” written all over it?
Like any other war — there are actions and reactions, there are retaliations. Whining about war is pointless. Finding a way to end it should be priority one.
Instead, let’s enjoy cluster ammunition porn. And hope for more carnage.
From Russian viewpoint, US government is no more trustworthy than Nazi Germany government was 80 years ago. The goals of US government, what does concern Russia, are also not much different from the goals of Nazi Germany. That’s why Russia is going to fight as long as necessary.
Hypocrite
Here’s a reality check for you Irrational Thinker, and it’s not coming from a Pro-Russian source, but you can expect to see more articles about the failed Ukraine counteroffensive coming from the west as reality can be a bitch, but can’t be ignored forever. https://www.yahoo.com/news/is-the-ukrainian-counteroffensive-faltering-092519216.html
No worries. Let me know when the Russian offensive starts again and how much ground they’ve gained.
Maybe some worries Baghdad Bob?
Not really:
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ukraine-situation-report-huge-explosions-rock-crimean-ammo-depot
Meaning what? More retaliation? More death? You know, reality. If you weren’t “sticking” for a side like it’s a sporting event, then maybe you’d think differently.
No. I’m “sticking” to the side that was invaded. Maybe if you could get over your Putin fan-boy, authoritarian fawning episode, you’d see what is actually going on.
History didn’t start with the invasion. One need not side with Russia/Putin to acknowledge that.
I do see what’s going on. This isn’t tiny Ukraine against big bad Russia. If it were, I’d openly “stick” for little “David” over big “Goliath” even though they are both led by corrupt governments. But although you blindly try to ignore the role played by the US/NATO, I don’t. I believe Russia cannot lose this war without a much wider war breaking out. That doesn’t mean I want Russia to “win” the war, it just means the killing won’t stop and Ukraine will end up much worse off the longer it goes. In order to hurt Russia enough to mean anything long term, the war won’t be limited to Ukraine. Sooner or later shit hits the fan.
Yes Bill, it seems the gang has stopped using the MSM as their source.
Russia has military bases near Poland in Kaliningrad oblast. Maybe that is enough.
Today Putin was talking quite interesting about Poland. He told, it is not Russian business whether Kiev regime will allow Poland to annex West Ukraine or not (of course he meant if Poland will not use the regular military forces against Russia). So, it looks, Russia is not going to occupy Ukrainian territory west of Kiev. It is a good scenario. If Warsaw regime doesn’t do anything stupid, the annexation of West Ukraine by Poland is quite possible. In such case, Transcarpathia will go to Hungary and we may have a long lasting peace.
Yes. I think Russia would be content to see the most troublesome western oblasts become Poland’s problem (although Poland might be buying trouble if that happens). And it would be right and proper for Transcarpathia to join Hungary.
Human Rights Watch has distinguished itself many times in the past for lying on behalf of Washington narrative. The Kremlin is more credible in re their use of cluster munitions. Moreover, cluster munitions are not applicable on this battlefield; and unlike Washington, Russia is not running out of precision guided shells.
If only it were so
Yes they were very forced. Ukraine invaded Russia and almost took Moscow.
Cant reason with members of the Putin cult here.
Forced. Forced I tell you!
If Ukraine is finished by the years end the US will not be far behind.
The wild card now is Poland. Oh yeah.
I am hoping that Russia will not be drawn into using cluster munitions. Terrible behavior by the US and Ukraine should not lead to terrible behavior by Russia. It would benefit no one.
I am sure, Russia will use them and use them massively. The cluster munitions are really efficient. Besides, if Russia fails to respond adequately, it will encourage Ukraine/NATO to use the chemical weapons and other nasty things.
One could lay blame a lot of ways but certainly Ukraine’s nationalist movement lost it Crimea and angered its powerful neighbor to the east. The world isn’t a fair place. You have to play the cards you are dealt and seems Ukraine flopped on that.
Russia has claimed that it hasn’t used cluster bombs = Russia has used cluster bombs in this war.
Bunch of liars.
I looked this subject up in Wikipedia; It appears that Russia uses cluster bombs strictly on schools, hospitals and residential apartment buildings.
Have you counted the lies spewing out of Biden’s mouth too?
When someone told me to look up Russian use of cluster bombs on Wikipedia, I did. It is obvious to me that Wikipedia is useless if it claims Russians are cluster bombing schools, hospitals and residential apartment buildings. I already knew Wikipedia is weird because I was asked to straighten out the ferrocement section and as fast as I could fix it up somebody undid my work. Check ferrocement.com for my writing on this subject.
Thanks for the information. I will check it out. Wikipedia is not to be trusted.
Absolutely not, Mary! It may be the most unreliable source on the internet. Anyone who quotes it as “proof” of anything is a damn fool.
That would take a long time but only more time with the Donald who tells as many lies as Bill Clinton
This must be the “right kind” of war crime, where the Hague doesn’t get involved.
Cluster munitions are banned under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, to which the US, Ukraine, and Russia are all non-signatory and therefore unbound.
True. Although, cluster munitions should be banned by all nations on this planet.
So should be nuclear weapons, anti-personal mines, really all wars.
This war, with a little good will on the Biden neocon side could have been avoided with ly a little good will, but avarice won.
It is Biden’s war, he is the killer, as demented as he is, he still knows what he is doing.
They could voluntarily not use them, and not at all when they lost the war already. Which is the case here.
Politicians without integrity are shamelessly criminal.
For once, I agree with everything you’re saying.
Of course, I doubt that you realize you’re talking about both sides. But still.
The Russians were quite clear why they fight this war, I still do not know why the USA/NATO and Ukraine are involved in this war. I am still waiting for a rational explanation from Biden and NATO members what it is he/they want. And please, not the political BS talk about freedom and democracy. The politicians like Biden, Nuland, Sullivan, Blinken and all the other neocon sh**heads don’t put their heads on the line, they hire killers to kill others thousands of miles away on other continents, what for? Tell me why, wars are never fought for ideals, never. Yes, Russia is rich on natural mineral resources, that is more plausible.
Why, I keep asking and never get an honest answer without obfuscation.
“Russia is rich on natural mineral resources” – you answered yourself the question.
Besides, Russia/China alliance can counterbalance NATO militarily, financially and otherwise and it makes unipolar world impossible.
Of course the world could be different if the demilitarization of Russia 30 years ago would be followed by the demilitarization of USA and other NATO states. Unfortunately, American MIC oligarchy will never agree to this and it is easy to see why; in those 30 years they pocketed many trillions of American taxpayers’ dollars.
Let me assist you: Ukraine is FIGHTING FOR THEIR COUNTRY/PEOPLE. The US/NATO are helping them do that. Now — having said that — if the US/NATO can eliminate a Russian threat to Eastern Europe, that’s an added benefit. Did that help?
No, it did not help, look at Ukraine and the people. Russia wanted border security and no NATO missiles on it borders in return they guarantied Ukraine neutrality like Austria and Finland, Switzerland and Sweden. In other words the Ukrainians could have had peace and prosperity, the neo-Nazis government and the USA turned it down. That was not why the USA funded the bloody regime change. Their aim is to destroy Russia and get control of the Russian natural resources, like Iraq, Iran, Libya and Venezuela, all are oil rich.
Now Biden will not rest until Ukraine is annihilated.
Jeffrey Sachs contacted the Biden people and like former ambassador Matlock he supported negotiations with Russia, and he was told no, no negotiations. The war was avoidable, and even later when the war could have been ended, the Boris boy from London flew to Kiev to tell Zelensky no to settlements. Now look what is left of Ukraine, to serve whom, the Ukrainian people? What happened to human decency? The US/NATO purposely destroyed Ukraine and the people, is that what you have in mind?
What a shame for the USA and the American people, a once great nation.
All BS.
Neutrality stands for peace and prosperity, war stands for annihilation, death and ruins, look at the Ukraine and what it could have been? Are the Ukrainians better off now?
Only suckers like you can call peace and prosperity Bull Sh*t, suckers believe and never think and never ask questions.
Please name some who have integrity and did not get shot.
Only the ones who got killed get their names in the news and will be forgotten in days.
To be clear, no nation on Earth should possess let alone use cluster munitions for all the obvious reasons.
It says a lot about the American government and the nation. They are ruthless and continue the slaughter long after they lost already.
I am deeply ashamed for having voted for such a government.
Yes, not voting seems to be the only sane personal choice as it doesn’t matter which of the two parties is in power, the real power wants war, and the uniparty obeys. Demopublicans.
Third party, Bill, third party.
Check out Dr. Cornel West. If we really, really try, we can send a message to the duopoly.
Sending a message that will be ignored and won’t change a fucking thing. We still are going to die one way or another sooner rather then later.And their days dwindle down to a precious few.
Wendell, we have no choice but to try and change the minds of the stupid Amerikkkan people. If not, we’re…pfffft.
So long Gypsy33 it’s been good to know you.
I would vote for the write in candidate RFK. The Democrats will do all they can to destroy him. Family history tells him they are killers, see Ukraine.
The democrats already are. They called him an antisemite. So how did RFK respond? By bragging about his loyalty to Israel and saying nasty shit about Iran.
He seems sincerely pro-Israel but open to alternative thinking, as was Trump in 2015.
Not nice, but it takes a lot of courage to fight this fight. I think, he knows he will not be a candidate for the party. But he tries to hold public attention to be able to speak up. He is getting attention now.
Yes, it takes a lot of courage and RFK folded. He didn’t have to declare his unconditional loyalty to Israel, and he didn’t have to talk shit about Iran. Already a coward. How long would he last before he caved on his anti-war rhetoric?
You are right, he did not have to declare” unconditional” loyalty, but he was accused of anti-Semitism for a poorly phrased remark. He is getting more attention now and he is hanging on to that opportunity I think. If he only helps to start a real public debate, that would be an accomplishment. Do they even mention in MSM that President Biden appears to be suffering dementia? That is a real issue, who is in charge? This is not a campaign issue for the nation.
No question he is not an antisemite. But there was no reason to bring up his loyalty to Israel or for his remark about the 2 billion Biden sent to Iran to prove he isn’t.
When asked about the Palestinians, he replied that they “had their chance” in 1948 (!!!)”
Riiiiight, their “chance” to give away over half their country to a bunch of Your-a-Peeins.
🙄🙄🙄
Anti-vaxxer too Wars. Don’t even get me started on them.
I had two Covid vaccines, plus two boosters. My “bout” with Covid consisted of a sore throat for a few hours.
Hubs lost two uncles to Covid; they weren’t vaxxed.
Darwin at work, the sad thing is those dead guys were likely following bad advice put out by people they “trusted”. I always get very serious and conservative if I think somebody might actually follow my advice.
That wouldn’t be a deal changer for me. I don’t trust big pharma or our government, so I really believe a lot of the anti-vaxxers were using those two things as a basis for them being against the vaccine. I would think RFK would be one of those.
There is no “the vaccine.” There are a number of vaccines. Vaccines specifically approved in the US came in three different varieties until May 6, now down to two:
– mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna)
– protein subunit (Novavax)
– viral vector (J&J/Jansssen — that’s the one that expired on May 6)
Now, that was an important distinction that needed pointing out. Thank you.
Mr. T, I was a lot sicker from getting the RSP virus than from having my extremely mild case of Covid.
(Family get-togethers, you know.)
Glad it wasn’t too bad for you.
So far as I know, I haven’t had COVID. There are five people in my household. Four of them got it — three who were vaxed with the mRNA thing, one who was unvaxed. The unvaxed person got it worst. I never tested positive, and while I thought one day I had some symptoms, they were probably just in my head. I was a guinea pig for the Novavax vaccine, which I guess really worked. I was literally elbow to elbow with four people who had it, for 7-10 days.
Glad you never got it!
Mr. T, I was a lot sicker from getting the RSP virus than from having my extremely mild case of Covid.
(Family get-togethers, you know.)
I guess I just have a lot of faith in medical science, Wars. I’m certain it’s because my bro is an MD.
And I’ve been cancer-free for nearly twenty years thanks to my team of docs and the treatments I received 🙂
AND just over a month ago, I got me a brand-new hip! I still have a ways to go, but I’m now pain-free 😁
I do too. I just think profit motive is too much of a priority for our pharmaceutical industry. I got the vaccine because my caregiver said it was safe. I believed her. And it was. Got a little sick but nothing major.
Its not that any US citizen has a choice who for who to vote Hillary or Trump,Biden or Trump not much difference. One is senile,the other is vile and maligniant.
“One is senile,the other is vile and maligniant.”
And vice-versa.
What a tangled web website weave.
Nor Nuclear weapons,Biologicals or anything else that can kill.
They are running out….of course they are just like alot of us shared they would.
Of course our resident hack, our moderator Knapp shares it’s all a lie and they are lying about inventory levels because of the West’s superior “logistics” (stop laughing).
Well, one of us is lying.
A lot.
But it’s not me.
So you did not make the claim?
You need to stick to these simplistic columns of yours because people will laugh at you (even more than usual) otherwise.
Dictionary definitions….pure internet hackery.
You don’t have a single ISBN to your name, do you?
Ooh, there’s a clever taunt. Are you sure you understand what ISBNs (and ISSNs) are used for and what they are not used for?
Knapp is a hack writer who if he has any books (ISBNs) published they were self-published.
He has claimed many times the West’s superior “logistics” would keep Ukraine supplied with arms while Russia’s would not.
He even tried to use satellite photos of Russian smokestack output as “proof” of his BS and now the hack has the audacity to claim he never made these claims.
I tried to take the guy seriously way too many times but after a week of wasted time with the 🤡 over his deniles… ef him.
His latest writing effort just confirms my “lightweight writer” beliefs that were initially formed by his other commentary here.
I just love how he has to read this being the moderator
btw….
You seem to have proved me wrong about your employment/commentary status when you popped up with your new account like way too many trolls do around here; apologies.
I’ve only seen a bit of Knapp’s writing. What I have seen is competent and literate. Today’s piece is a good one.
I don’t think not having published commercial books is evidence of being a hack. Plenty of excellent writers have no interest in publishing commercially. And plenty of commercially-published writers are hacks.
I agree that his notion that the West has logistical superiority over Russia (and its friends and allies), based on dollar-denominated GDP and an assumption that sociopolitical reality would permit sustained war production mobilization in the West, is fundamentally mistaken. Maybe the smokestack exchange was before my time; I haven’t seen it.
Apology accepted. It’s easy to misidentify trolls in forums like this. And it appears that there are a few really abominable trolls in this one already. It hasn’t taken me long to become rather hostile to some of them. I’m going to try to just block them rather than futilely fight forever. But I’ll probably fight for a while with some of them, because I think they deserve it. (I’ll also try to remember that the rest of the forum participants don’t deserve it.)
I block them as soon as it becomes clear that they are present to hijack threads.
First, let me say I am not Mr. Knapp’s lawyer. However, his posts are well thought out and thorough (and I’ve had my disagreements with him as well).
Second, there seems to be a common theme with your kind that leans toward disgust with anyone who disagrees with your take on this war. There is a pathology there. I think it’s similar to right-wingers’ thought process regarding anything Democratic (and I’m not saying all of you are RWers). We disagree with your opinions on this matter and we attempt to persuade you with facts that we attach to our comments. You attack us and then someone like me calls you “tankies” (which is an actual slang term going back decades for your kind). You seldom attach any supporting evidence of your beliefs and become more and more agitated when we — after trying to bring facts to the discussion — start to mock you.
That is an immature way of having a dialog. This website was made to explore different opinions regarding the human response to war and conflict. We WILL disagree but you are going to be confronted with certain persons who may be antiwar, but still possess the ability to support any people’s/country’s RIGHT to defend against tyranny.
If that is too much for you to handle, then I recommend you explore some other outlet.
No, we began this with my observation “free markets are a myth” months ago and it’s finally come to a head with me.
Every end of the week, usually Fridays he baits me into a weekend long argument (last weekend every post of his was a reply to me) as a personal project of his to assuage his boredom and perhaps feel better about things.
This time I’m done and I’ll mock him into leaving me alone.
Not sure that’s gonna work but OK.
Free markets are a unattainable concept until everyone agrees there are no rules to hamper one’s “freedom” to do as one pleases.
Free trade agreements can be quite lengthy detailing all the rules involved.
It’s maddenly simple but some do disagree but then they equate rules with freedom…lol.
ZaSu, I like you, but sometimes here it’s give and take. Give and take 🙂
This has been coming ever since I started posting here.
I’ve implored him to leave me alone so many times it is ridiculous and even asked him why he won’t do so.
After the bluster he shared it was because he found me “interesting” and was nice for a bit then baited me with word games that was also “kind of” admited to when confronted about that (months ago; yes, I’ve asked to be left alone so many times I can almost recite the post that gets sent because it is so similar each time and I’ve noticed it is similar to ones sent to others when they get tired of the baiting of themselves; it ain’t just me…)
This blowup started on a day when he was garnering multiple downvotes on multilple threads and decided to devote a whole weekend to me alone.
I’ve asked nicely to be left alone, I’ve been mean, and now I’ve been horridly mean but he just finds me “interesting” and for some reason likes to bait me (usually on Fridays, it’s a pattern, to keep him amused over the weekend)
A whole day of fighting with others but it’s my fault only when he started baiting me like the others?
It is a straight out pissing contest with him (as if I care how strong his self taught Libertarian stream is;-).
He just ignores my strident want to be left alone from him (hopefully this time it sticks) and not hear the hundreth time about some libertarian pie-in-the-sky nonsence about mythical free markets created in someone’s
imagination (that is nothing different from decades of listening to others about their Libertarian what ifs and shouldas) in a reply to me that I never solicited from him and even asked him not to make.
“He just ignores my strident want to be left alone from him”
I haven’t “ignored” your pretended desire to be “left alone by me.”
I’ve explained to you how you can get exactly what you say you want with two clicks of a mouse. But you don’t want to click your mouse twice and be left alone. You prefer to pretend that other people being allowed to talk without your permission makes you some kind of victim.
Do you copy and paste this when I and others make this request of you?
So familiar…..
Please once again refrain from this. I should not have to block someone to get them to behave like a adult.
It’s not complicated: You only have to read my comments if you want to. If you don’t, you can click twice.
I am not going to refrain from commenting precisely because I am an adult, and therefore don’t take orders from pseudonymous trolls who get their jollies by pretending to be victims.
I make a request you refrain from trying to engage me in converation and you can’t.
Whatever
Whenever you try your silly history lessons or Libertarian free market fantasies in an unsolicited reply I will just make fun of you and your silly posts.
The need you have for others to take you seriously is comical and never will happen with me.
I’ve read too much of your journeyman musings to find them anymore than inarticulate versions of other’s work published years ago.
You have a nice weekend repairing your wife’s junker. Too bad your career has you doing that all the time….lol.
“I make a request you refrain from trying to engage me in converation and you can’t.”
Commenting on your posts is not “trying to engage you in conversation.” You’re entirely free to reply, or not reply, or not even read, my comments. The only thing you don’t have the power to do is decree that I may not comment. And that seems to bug the hell out of you.
Others can take me seriously, or not. Some do, some don’t. On that metric, the opinions I worry about are the opinions of editors at papers from USA Today to the Batesville, Mississippi Panolian who have to decide whether my columns will attract enough readership to maximize ad sales. They seem to decide “yes” often enough for me to have too many newspaper reprints to keep track of any more (last time I did do an annual count, I was at about 1,500). I’m certainly not on the level of a George Will or Paul Krugman in that respect, but I am, indeed, a “journeyman” at least (you’ve twice now used that term as if it was an insult; it isn’t).
I’ve tried to talk my wife into buckling down to a payment and getting a new car with a nice power train warranty — she has the income and credit score to do that — but for some reason she refuses to buy anything less than 10 years old.
The latest is a 2006 Honda CR-V. It has a solid motor and transmission and the body is in good shape, but so far getting it up to snuff has involved a CV axle, lower control arms, water pump, AC compressor and condenser and, for today, a right radiator fan and replacing the VTEC gaskets and harmonic balancer. Hopefully after that it will be an alignment and a couple of new tires and that will be it for a little while (probably do struts and shocks 10,000 miles or so from now).
I’m not a mechanic, though. Barely an apprentice, certainly not a journeyman. I mainly hand my mechanic wrenches, pull tires off or put them on, and other tasks that don’t require really understanding an internal combustion engine. MY personal vehicle is a bicycle (I have a regular bike and a cheap Chinese commuter electric model), but I’m considering a motorcycle so that, should I wake up one morning and decide to finally visit Seattle, I can just get on it and go.
Do not care.
I try to be friendly then you play games in subsequent posts when it suits you to reply to me unsolicited.
ZaSu, it appears to be in Thomas’ nature to dispute posts; I’ve the recipient many times. I just generally let it go. ( Well, sometimes.)
No offense, Mr. T, but you are a verbally combative individual. 😐
Yes I’ve noticed that but he’s wasted a whole efing week of mine this time with his games.
I honestly do not like to be treated on the ‘net as I would never allow in person.
He’s using me (and others) as a means to entertain himself as he “proves” himself in some kind of competition he’s decided he’s in.
He needs to prove his selfworth by publishing a few books that more than a handful will read instead of this constant need to dispute comments and playing games but here we are….lol.
If he wasted “a whole effing week” of yours then you should seek help.
You choosing to see how far you can push the trolling isn’t me wasting your time. It’s you entertaining yourself by complaining. You could hit “ignore” on me any time and never see anything I wrote again. But you’d rather whine about how unfair it is that when you say things, people can say things back.
The repeated Knapp retort…..
Just stop your games with me.
I’m not your entertainment dude.
I honestly try to take you seriously then you decide to reply to my comments with snark to get a efing fight going.
It is getting old as it is a pattern with you and if I have to insult you horridly to knock it off I will.
There are plenty of others around here so go annoy them with your games, not me.
Like you, I will comment as I damn well please, and in reply to whom I damn well please.
You don’t have to like it. That’s how it is whether you like it or not.
The hack is mad….lol.
Time to be mean…
Got any ISBNs?
I want a laugh….
You’re my entertainment though…
I’m very good at insulting mockery.
I even obtained a carpet cleaning contract with the entire Des Moines chain of Radio Shacks (including corporate/service center) because as the regional manager shared when I bid his store, “I have been giving every guy coming in to bid this complete sh it and you are the first one to give it back to me and just as good as I was going after you”
It was a long relationship until they all closed to just a couple of run down stores not even in the malls.
AM NOT!
😂
ARE TOO, Mr. T!
😉
He’s lonely and craves attention.
You’re 0 and 2. Care to take a third swing?
Could we please tone down the ad hominem comments? Because, when commenters are talking more at each other than discussing the subject at hand, the conversation degenerates and everyone loses.
Compare, for example, the comments at the New York Times, which are strictly moderated, and those at the Washington Post, which are not. The comments at NYT are readable; those at WaPo are mostly school-yard level trash-talk.
I appreciate the high level of analysis in the comments here at Antiwar and I hope we can maintain it. All it takes is mutual respect, including respectful disagreement. We’re all human.
Nah.
The hack has wasted a full week of mine with constant replies to me.
The guy is 🤡 .
You can ignore me or engage me but telling me how to post?
Ef you…
The AFU are firing 6,000 rounds of 155mm per day. They are almost out of conventional rounds and will soon be firing cluster rounds almost exclusively because that’s all they’ll have. The NYT says 14% duds but since they are all manufactured before the 1991 Gulf War the dud rate has to have risen in 30+years of storage. But even with 14%, that’s 11 duds per artillery round times 6,000 rounds per day equals 660,000 duds a day equals nearly 20 million duds a month. Germany developed and used the first cluster bombs during WW2 on London and Ipswitch. Civilians were still dying from them as late as 1956. The Germans only dropped a few hundred and here we’re talking hundreds of thousands.
That plus the million of unexploded ordnances that russian has fired, the million of mines that Russia has placed in the annexed territories and all the attacks on civilians like the ones from previous nights. That’s a lot of Ukrainian kills.
Russia could’ve kept its Army home and avoided all the suffering it has caused to Ukraine.
Ukraine dished it out for eight years, now they got to take it.
Surrender!
Ok Medvedev.
And Ukraine could have negotiated a settlement that would have prevented most of those deaths. Or the US/NATO could have pulled back their belligerence and sat down before the invasion and there would have been even less deaths. But now they will be lucky to get anything resembling what was out there pre-invasion or if negotiations would have been allowed to continue in the early part of 2022.
A settlement? Do you mean a full surrender?
They are not Belarus.
Yeah, stick to your eternal narrative. Only the anti US pro Russian team buy that BS.
A “full” surrender? There was never a call for that. And for some reason you think Ukraine will be better off at some point in the future than they would have been if there had been an agreement. They’ll probably wish they were Belarus. Once again not having a problem with how many more Ukrainians have to die is the main thing I get from most of your comments. At least my narrative is based on reality and has nothing to do with being pro-Russia. I’m as anti-Russia as I am anti-US.
Waaah! “What about Russia?”
Whataboutism does not change the facts I stated. If the article was about Russian clusterbombs, I would have made the same comments. I get the feeling you are biased. I disagree with you that the RA could have stayed home in the face of a existential threat.
Good comment.
Since when does the Amerikkkan guvvmint give a tinker’s damn about “war crimes”?
Oh, riiiiiight… only when they accuse OTHER nations of employing them. But we’re sepshunal.
You are correct,anyone who knows how to and what to read can have no illusions about the violence that America propogates.
Are you using the 3 Ks (in Amerikkkan) becuase you believe Biden is racist, anti-catholic, and homophobic, or do you use it because you saw it used somewhere, thought it was clever, and don’t understand why it was used?
“The dud rate refers to the percentage of bomblets that don’t explode.”
They have to stop calling them “Duds”. Or else add some nuance.
How about “failure rate”?
Or success rate when it comes to killing kids?
Failure rate would mean they don’t explode. Period.
Perhaps then, “lingering hazard rate”, or “long-term hazard rate”?
Considering the occupation of the Ukraine by anyone is not, and never has been, an issue of US national security it seems to me that President Biden exceeded his authority by invoking that part of the Foreign Assistance Act. That would make it a criminal act and he should be called to account for it, and all cluster munitions recalled- including those already issued to Ukrainian units.
On the other hand, if Washington wants to play games we already know Moscow is ready to play. I don’t want to hear it when Russia responds in kind and dead and injured Ukrainian troops flood the field hospitals.
I would posit that most is not all American Presidents have played fast and loose with the use of power to achieve the Ideals of Capitalism and Imperialism.Some even run amok like W and Clinton. Obama wasn’t great at obeying the law. Bombing and drones were his weapons of choice. I detect a pattern here.Trump walked away from the Iran Deal and weaponizing the threat of domestic violence started a new chapter in History. I notice although he has been indicted a few times he is still walking free.
This article talks about dud rates rather than the criminal use of such weapons on humanity. Please spare me. The justification for the use of those weapons is an anathema. No country should be allowed to use them on a human being. Yet it becomes common place to use such weapons when one side is on its back foot in a war isn’t it? So much for the hoopla coming out of the West that Kiev is winning. The justification for the use of cluster bombs is they’re running out of other munitions. Well guess what pal usually that means you’re falling behind doesn’t it? Try negotiation instead of cluster bomb use.
The decision to use is not associated with Zelensky or Ukraine. It’s got everything to do with Biden’s soiled ego and nothing else.
The decision to use is not associated with Zelensky or Ukraine. It’s got everything to do with Biden’s soiled ego and nothing else.
“Ukraine Begins Firing US Cluster Bombs The Biden administration previously called the use of cluster munitions in Ukraine a ‘potential war crime'”
Ukraine has small 155 artillery cluster shells. Russia has cluster bombs of far great size and power, which are air launched by aircraft.
Guess who wins this round! Not bloody Ukraine.
Do they have drones that can launch those bombs?
Russia has a capable Air Force which can deliver more powerful and larger cluster bombs if required.
Russia also has very capable thermobaric weapons in the TOS-1 so perhaps they will just claim the moral high ground and not escalate with aircraft delivered cluster bombs.
Yes, Russia has a capable air force.
But we seem to have reached the air defense efficacy point where sending a capable pilot up in an expensive manned aircraft is just a good way to cut down on pilot pay and aircraft maintenance by getting rid of one of each. Not just for Russia, for any force facing either Russian or US air defense systems of the more recent generations.
Ukraine is the battlefield where the question “what comes next?” is playing out for several of the 20th century’s go-to weapons systems. So far the answer in the air seems to be missile strikes and drone swarms.
What I was asking was whether (if you know) the Russians are fielding drones capable of using cluster munitions. If not, then they’re likely to be an artillery thing, not an air thing.
Pentagon said it will provide hundreds of thousands of shells … at 72 bomblets each
gotta wonder what their idea of “hundreds of thousands” is.
because only 200,000 shells at 72 bomblets is 14,400,000 bomblets – that is an awful lot of bomblets.
anyway, hasn’t Russia already eliminated Ukraine ports in the Black-Sea and has now stated that every ship they find there will be considered a hostile combatant
Same goes for the Ukes. They now have considerable anti-ship missiles and systems to deliver them. If their aircraft have been retrofitted to carry the US Harpoons, they become stand-off weapons that can shut down the Russian base at Sevastapol.
Tit-for-tat.
If Ukraine uses their anti-ship missiles against Russian vessels, this war could end in multiple mushroom clouds.
Most likely, in such case, Russia will start a real war against Ukraine and push Ukrainian/NATO forces from Black Sea coast as fast as possible.
At the moment, it is still a special military operation. Neither Russia nor Ukraine announced the war. Russian gas is still moving to EU through Ukraine. Bridges over Dnepr are not destroyed etc.
The real war? That’s funny. As if somehow Russia has the capacity to expand it.
The only real escalation is nuke and Putin is not suicidal. He wants to keep his trillion wealth.
Stop. Russia isn’t gonna do a damn thing that they aren’t already doing.
LOL Your comment is naive beyond belief. If Ukraine via the US / NATO continue to ratchet up this war, Russia will respond in kind. WAKE UP!
Yes. I’M naive. Putin’s really gonna get mad soon. You wait and see! Hahaha
Another gem from the lowest IQ at this website.
He and Julio are running a close one-two. Hard to say which one is more dense.
Too bad it is such a close contest.
Maybe wait until Russia’s ass is against the wall. According to you that is fast approaching.
Whoops…
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineRussiaReport/comments/x7na4j/ru_pov_rybar_map_on_current_ukrainian/#
Then there you go. Their ass should be against the wall at any time now so then we’ll see. You did say that Russia isn’t going to do anything they haven’t done already and that’s what I commented to. Do you have a timeline you can give me as to when Russia will be completely overrun so I can start the clock on that “ass against the wall” thing?
No timeline; no one will have that for you (although there are some tankies here who have said Ukraine will be done by the end of the year).
When do you think Putin will really start getting serious about winning because there hasn’t been any evidence since the Russian spring offensive ground to a halt?
My point was Russia’s ass isn’t against the wall so your idiotic statement that Russia won’t do anything they haven’t already done was just that, idiotic. But you like to pretend that Russia is on the verge of being overrun and you seriously think that they will allow that without putting some real hurt on Ukraine. But, like your cohort, you’re good with Ukrainians dying and their country being destroyed.
Kinda seems like the cluster munitions are working. No! Maybe it’s a “strategic retreat” by the Ruskies to lure the Ukes into Putin’s invisible trap!
Tit-for-tat is a strategy that leads toward escalation. In a conflict between countries that have nuclear weapons, i.e. US/NATO versus Russia, tit-for-tat can easily escalate to mutual destruction.
There are a lot of voices on both sides of the Ukraine war that are calling for the use of more and heavier weapons. I’d rather move in the other direction, toward negotiation.
Yes, and as Tit for Tat, President Zelensky declared all Russian merchant ships a military target which will now release an economic chain reaction with Russian ships as they will not be insured by international investors. Russian exports will be significantly impacted.
Brilliant counter.
There are so many Russian-apologist, stooges on this site!
And throughout the Planet.
And there are a few Neocon-apologist, stooges haunting this site also!
I’m posting Russian mil-blogger maps showing Ukraine advancing. I’m calling out the cognitive dissonance of the Bagdad Bobs on this site saying Russia is about to win. (That’s not apologizing for neocons.)
I think you should change your blog name to “Rationalize Thinker.”
Oh, clever!
I thought so.
And yours to Putin fluffer. .
LOL!
Nearly everything you type is wrong. Are you still drunk from last night?
Sure, my man. Why don’t you point out exactly what I’m wrong about and please add some support for your horses**t. No worries.
I know. It’s sick. Then they want you to believe they are antiwar. 🤷🏽♂️
It’s like conservatives. Saying they’re “pro-life”!
Let’s see, Southeastern Ukraine. Hmmm. Near the nuclear power plant? Donetsk?
Biden is a failed human.
Such a proud moment for Grandpa Biden!
When it comes to killing those inferior, incompetent , barbarian Russians — all means are allowed! Good is what is good for us. Evil is what is bad for us. God Zeus reigns supreme! Givve him sacrifice, negotiate to slay your unworthy enemies.
It does seem that empires have no choice but to expand or die.
He’s got to be one dumb mother#$#er to not realize he started this war in 2014. Maybe he should have considered ammunition before he blocked any peace deal that conceded and inch of territory and saved countless lives. and money.
Cluster bombs are an outdated kind of bomb. The Ukies say they are using them to break up Russian trenches – but they aren’t of much use against static defenses. They are only really useful against advancing infantry.
Cluster artillery shells have a shorter range, so the artillery pieces have to be moved closer to the frontline, where they become easier targets.
The Russians could counter by using cluster shells against Ukies trying to break through, but it’s pointless since the Russians have other artillery shells, unlike the Ukies who are running out of theirs.
The Russians also have drones that can mark infantry for artillery strikes – the Ukies are losing THOUSANDS of drones each day. They have tried to use ordinary civilian drones, as they lack enough military ones, and these are even easier for the Russians to disrupt electronically and bring down.
And?
Actually, cluster munitions are not outdated. They are very effective against personnel (in trenches or especially out in the open) and against thin-skinned vehicles. The Ukes are probably using “self-propelled” 155mm guns so they can “shoot-and-scoot” — to prevent counterbattery fire.
I noticed you didn’t support your “Ukies are losing THOUSANDS of drones each day” comment with an attachment. Is there a reason why?
This is the US stabbing itself in the back. Killing Ukrainians for generations contradicts our narrative about being concerned about Ukraine and its people.
Russia may or may not have acted evilly by using cluster munitions in the past. But the US is definitely defiantly announcing that we are evil and whatcha gonna do about it.
Read the article on Africa linked in this website. Africa is moving strongly towards Russia/China, and this will accelerate that trend.
If Russia responds by stabbing itself in the back as well, then they will undo the benefits that the US is generously giving them now.
In support of Nazism, nice one USA. Fighting shoulder to shoulder with Nazi’s. History will not be kind.
I despise the use of cluster bombs by either side.
But before you Russian bots freak out?
Russia has used cluster bombs numerous times in Ukraine so far.
https://www.dw.com/en/russia-uses-cluster-bombs-extensively-in-ukraine-report-says/a-62927491
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/21/russia-using-banned-weapons-to-kill-ukrainian-civilians-pictures-suggest
So get off your fictional, moral high ground on this one.
All sides are wrong on this.
Except they haven’t. So your source is the publications that told us Saddam Hussein had WMD’s. Really, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
Either you are so lazy that you did not even bother reading the links. Or you are BEYOND stupid.
The links posted information/confirmation from OTHER sources…DUH.
And those sources…Bellingcat and Cluster Munition Coalition had little/nothing to do with Saddam’s WMD’s assertions.
Again…duh.
Here is a link using information from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
https://www.cnet.com/news/politics/cluster-bombs-russias-attacks-on-ukraine-may-be-war-crimes/
The evidence is ALL over the f’ing place you Russian troll.
Russia did – FOR CERTAIN – use cluster bombs in Ukraine.
You Russian bots simply cannot face the truth about your Russian heroes.
And Saddam Hussein had WMD’s blah blah blah.
We should send Shrub Bush to check this out. He’ll settle the question for us.
LOL Angry, bitter and self-righteous. You make the perfect Neocon fluffer ….
You’re using BELLINGCAT as a source?
😆
🙄🤣
Another Russian troll who cannot handle the truth. So he throws up strawman BS like the troll he is.
1) And Bellingcat is but one of FOUR sources/confirmation sites that I listed. Which you conveniently ignored because they put Russia in a bad light. And there are LOTS more.
2) And Bellingcat is for confirmation of data authenticity. Not a ‘source’ of said data.
DUH!!!
If you are going to be a troll?
At least try to not to sound like a stupid one.
We are done here.
Thanks for allowing me to have fun and ripping another (probably) old fart, lonely, Russian-bot, nobody poster on this site to shreds.
Bye now.
First of all, I’m a “she”.
Second, I’m not a lonely old fart. I’m a tough-as-nails cowgirl with a farm who’s been married for 42 years.
Third, BELLINGCAT is nothing more than a producer of propaganda.
Fourth, the phrase “We are done here” translates to “I got nuthin”.
I suggest you get out of mom’s basement and get a job. If you think you can “rip me to shreds”, I’d like five minutes in a locked room with ya.
BYE NOW! 😁
I keep reading comments like yours. The vast majority of commenters here and elsewhere oppose the use of cluster munitions by ALL countries. You tip your hand here by calling commenters “Russian bots”.
Let’s see:
The DW article says that uses by Russian forces have been “documented, reported or alleged.” 🙄
The Guardian* piece is based on photos “analyzed” by Guardian staff with the assistance of, notably, Bellingcat. 🙄
In its determination to condemn Russian forces, the Graun article includes fuzzy not-quite-claims such as a statement from Doctors Without Borders about an incident which it said “. . . could be consistent with the use of cluster bombs.” [Insert favorite emoji here.]
Then there’s this:
“The Guardian found a Russian cluster rocket used to prop [sic] cluster munitions near a farm village in Hostomel and allegedly launched by a BM-30 Smerch.”
Was it launched by a BM-30 Smerch? Maybe. Who alleged that it was and why should we believe him/her/it? If it was, does that mean Russian forces launched it? Well, actually, no. There are 15 nations currently using the Smerch, including . . . Ukraine. [Another emoji here.]
Has Russia used cluster munitions in this war? Maybe. I don’t think anyone would be terribly surprised. But nothing you’ve presented, Poster McRocket, constitutes credible evidence that it has or that the Kremlin’s denials are untrue. Up your research game.
*The Guardian has been on a shameless anti-Russia campaign for a looong time, spearheaded by committed Russophobes on its staff, including the infamous and unhinged Luke Harding.
FFS.
I posted an actual video of an actual journalist being caught in the middle of an actual Russian cluster shelling here a few days ago.
That the Russians, and the Ukrainians, and the US use cluster munitions is only a controversial claim to people with Baghdad Bob style team loyalties. “MY TEAM says it, I believe it, that settles it.”
Is your post in any way responsive to mine? No, it is not. Maybe you should read mine again.
And consider not guessing what I mean or think or believe. If I haven’t told you, the best way to know is to ask.
If this so-called “war crime” (it’s only a crime when the other guy does it;-) does not create a opportunity to push Putin back then why did the politicians decide to use them?
Ammo levels must be as low as they share (and we can safely assume they’ve gone lower in our stores than they admit to) to resort to something that won’t changed the lines.
Stingers are being said to need 18 years for current production to restock.
No biggie…..
“In our stores”.
Did you mean WE as in the US?
I hope you aren’t now pretending to be American because you are not.
I live in Iowa you paranoid curmudgeon….lol.
You’re not quite jingoistic enough for Don’s taste.
Donny tries so hard it’s actually endearing to me as I laugh at him
Hey Zasi, im glad i make you laugh, it’s the best i can do after all the stress Tom K causes you.
Don’t forget your meds.
He’s backed off and hopefully will find someone better suited for him to engage in long form as he wanted to do with me so many times (seriously? Me do research with links and footnotes and a couple of edits for efing comment section thread???;-)
I honestly got absolutely horrible with him (taunting someone’s profession is absolutely not nice) but it worked.
“it worked”
In the sense that pseudonymous trolls always get boring sooner or later when their idiocy finally stacks up high enough that all they have left is “eff you,” yeah, it “worked.”
Look loser, I do not want to interact with you.
You like to play word games way too much for my taste and use my comments for a spring board for your beliefs.
I just do not want to play with you and you can’t seem to take the hint.
Honestly I do not know why this place allows the moderator to brow beat those who just want to be left alone.
“I do not want to interact with you.”
And you’ve never had to. You could have done this any time (using you, since I can’t block myself):
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4d057fa6948ab97f12abfe4824e5a15727d94d883c71c99d11eeab2f65e7b402.jpg
But it’s not that you don’t want to interact with me. It’s that you want to interact with me and then whine incessantly about the unfairness of a world that lets anyone but you talk.
I do not understand how a website would allow their moderator to harrass commentators but here it is.
Please leave me alone.
You comment. I comment.
You’re free to ignore my comments.
You’re free to block my comments so you never even see them. It takes a couple of clicks.
If you’re not “left alone,” it’s because that’s how you prefer it and for no other reason. You don’t get to dictate who else may comment.
Please leave me alone.
Whether you’re alone is entirely up to you.
Clicking your mouse will get you there.
Whining won’t.
Leave me alone.
You are representing this website really well.
Its nothing personal, its not harassment. They censor us all exactly the same way. Advertisers direct the publishing decisions. They make their money off our suffering and their publishing decisions ensures our suffering, but its where the revenue is.
Its fascist, racist and antisimetic but its the economic model.
The economic model supports war, and they call the business antiwar. Now thats Orwellian.
Most websites don’t let moderators do this.
Most websites do, indeed, let moderators comment.
What most website moderators don’t do is tolerate week after week of continuous pseudonymous trolling and whining. On most websites, you’d have been gone quite some time ago. You’re welcome.
Please leave me alone
Here is some advice……if you wont to be left alone then dont promote conversation that will illicit a response. Like he says whining wont help you.
The guy likes to pick fights usually on Fridays (it’s a pattern it has happened so often) by playing games.
This time it was denying past positions (the west could keep Ukraine supplied) to the point of being the sole focus for the weekend.
This is not so one sided as he pretends it is by far.
In fact he’ll likely jump into this conversation despite my repeated requests to leave me alone.
It is honestly to the point where I do not want a comment about topics just because I know he’ll jump in with the same tired points I’ve already expressed opposition to.
Libertarians just can be annoying to me with their constant pie-in-the-sky nonsence that won’t ever be realized but they act as if it is possible if they repeat it enough.
Man up, paranoid much? People are going to disagree with you, its not the end of the world.
This has been going on since the first week I’ve been posting here. I’ve asked nicely to be left alone, I have been absolutely horrible like this past week and to no avail.
I will be treated decently for a bit but if I try to play again as foolishly as I have done before, soon someone will deside he’s bored and will engage in word games to bait me (There’s actually a pattern that begins usually just before a weekend) by replying to my comments.
Screw it.
I had to do it but from this point forward, his attempts at interaction will be just mocked.
Maybe in the future when it’s apparent it is not a game …..
He has a 1st amendment right to free speech. We all do.
No one has a right to ef with me for personal entertainment to the point I recognise a pattern. Disagreements are no biggie but just screwing with me for entertainment crosses a line that I got tired of and in actual personal interaction would never be tolarated.
In “real” life it would likely not even an issue between us because people tend to behave much worse on the ‘net than in real interations anyway and don’t “use” others in the way some can ( even if they don’t see the pattern themselves)
I’m glad you were entertained enough to pay attention though…lol.
Dont be silly.
If someone persists I will totally ef with them.
I’ve done years in Max; I do not play in real life and I have no problem getting viciously personal online.
If you do not like it…I do not care, why should you care about me?
I support the free speech of the moderators. I dont have to agree with them and they dont have to agree with me, but i will fight for their right to say it.
Its kinda cool we can interact with a representative of the publication directly like this. Again we dont have to agree.
One thing: When I comment, I am not “representing the publication.” I’m just a commenter. My views are entirely my own. When I’m posting in my capacity as moderator, I try to remember to say so if it’s in any way not obvious.
Agree. You are correct, Thomas. But it is also true that we are all humans here, subject to pride along with the other 7000 categorized sins… So it’s also possible to ingest a bit of pride and apologize for having hurt someone’s feelings, then go on to make your equally valid point.
Sometimes works wonders…
I don’t disagree with any of that. But the pseudonymous troll’s feelings aren’t really hurt. He just craves attention and finds claiming victimhood the easiest way to get it.
No biggie to me. Unlike him, I am required to read each and every comment posted to this site. That goes with the job. I just can’t work up a lot of sympathy for someone who COULD click twice and never be upset by something I post again, but who clearly WANTS to be upset.
Yeah, I hear you, and honestly, you are the best moderator I’ve come across, and on a site which has the potential for getting very warm at times to boot.
Thanks, Bear!
The reality is that this site censors the least, its far from perfect, its disgusting but in my opinion the best we have. Its shocking but where we are at.
Most other sites have banned me because i speak inconvenient truth. Government representatives have directed the bans, mostly on behalf of Ukraine Nazi’s.
I have been censored here (not targeted) but I am not banned here yet. Only a matter of time.
I just love my country. Not a hypocrite and definitely have not ever hated my country enough to become an enemy collaborator and/or a fifth column member.
You may call it “antiwar”.
But you were against certain wars the US was involved in. How about our sanctions? I’d be willing to bet you are against at least some of them we have imposed worldwide. The list is long. I don’t get the love affair.
Why do you insult the beliefs expressed by other people? What’s your rationale for describing anyone’s views as collaboration?
People here do call it antiwar for the painfully obvious reason that they do not approve of warfare as a way of settling disputes or pursuing foreign policy objectives.
Being antiwar does not mean we are somehow prohibited from understanding the causes which drive nations to engage in warfare.
Certainly you’re educated enough to understand something this basic.
You are as antiwar as General Patton.
I have lived in Russia. I am not Russian.
Cool…
Too bad this war is happening that area of the world is a nice place.
Modern warfare has made these centuries old conflicts between tribes very ugly.
Here’s a question for the Antiwar site?
Does Dave DeCamp ever comment on his own articles in first person? Or does he use a generic account to avoid conflict of interest?
I have the feeling this question will expedite the archive of the article.
In which case i will re post it.
So far as I know, Dave doesn’t comment on his articles at all.
Noted. Thanks for the response.
Inquiry closed.
If he did, I’m sure you’d leave an infantile snarky comment. And so, Im sure he has bigger fish to fry.
Before the deranged Russo-phobic racists come unglued this historian is NOT pro-Russian. He is a German who precisely presents the facts.
Perhaps apologists for Ukraine’s genocide like Pierce Morgan and the rest of mainstream American news media should listen to a German who studied fascism and the Nazis.
For those who just discovered Ukraine two months ago, the fact that Ukrainian nationalism has been dangerously intertwined with fascism might sound like Russian propaganda.
But is it? How powerful is the Ukrainian far right? Are they really linked to Nazis? Why is the corporate-owned media denying this? To place this war and the Ukrainian far right in its historical context, Rania Khalek was joined by Tarik Cyril Amar, a historian from Germany, who is currently associate professor of history at Koc University in Istanbul, working on Russian, Ukrainian, and generally East European history.
Listen to every episode of Rania Khalek Dispatches anywhere you get podcasts.
Apple: https://apple.co/3zeYpeW
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3za9DRK
TIME CODES
0:00 Intro
2:48 Origins of right-wing Ukrainian nationalism
5:03 Ukraine during Soviet times
8:32 Ukrainian collaboration with Nazis in WW2
14:27 Ukraine after the Soviet collapse
16:43 Post-Soviet right-wing nationalisms & historical revisionism
21:23 Understanding Ukraine’s far right factions
27:50 Is the US arming neo-Nazis in Ukraine?
33:44 Azov Battalion infiltration of military 3
8:21 Media whitewashing Nazis
49:48 2014’s contribution to rising far right
58:30 Far right threats against Zelensky
1:06:26 Boon to the global far right
1:11:07 Broken NATO promises to Russia
1:19:55 What alternatives did Putin have?
1:25:46 Threat of a more militarized Germany & Europe
1:39:51 Where to follow Tarik
With the walls hopefully closing in on the Biden Crime Family and their money influence schemes, watch for the Biden Administration to further push for an escalation in the war to try and create a diversion, sort of like ‘Slick Willie Clinton’ and his bombs away campaign when news broke about he and Lewinsky.
I sense that Biden wants to become the next FDR. Die in the office while WW3 burns the planet.