Romanoffia
Garde à l'eau!
Rhodon:Yes yes yes, America is the land of theRomanoffia:Perhaps you would have preferred that you learned German instead?flemingovia:
And as for taking your chances with Russia? That has to be one of the most idiotic ideas I have ever heard anyone say, ever.
You know, since everyone hates the US and its money and the blood we've shed saving the world from people like Hitler, Mussolini and a parade of blood thirsty thugs in the Soviet Union, I think the US should just withdraw it's military, political and economic support.
Now imagine what would happen if every nation in Europe suddenly had to defend itself - they would go bust in zero seconds flat because they couldn't afford to defend themselves from the likes of, yes, the Russians who, in fact and in history have had no other goal than the oppression and exploitation of others.
I'll tell you what the real problem with us Yanks is: it's that we are a bunch of altruistic dumbasses who are all too willing to send our soldiers and sailors into someone else's meat-grinder to prop up crumbling monarchies and socialsitic leach-states.
We Americans have failed to understand that the more we give, the more which is demanded of us. And in the process of spending our wealth and blood to this end, we subject ourselves to all manner of insults, abuses and disrespect at the hands of the very people whose asses we saved, not only for our 'altruism' but also for our very virtues which we have stupidly based upon 'altruism'.
One day, when the US realizes that all of its self-inflicted loss, self-inflicted pain and crippling ethics of incomprehensible duty are nothing but a load of crap, then the US (Uncle Sugar) will finally turn off the tap of 'altruistic' foreign aid, economic aid, military aid and all that rat-hole crap. And then the very people who damn the US will suddenly realize how much they needed and depended upon us Yank idiots who are all too willing to bail out those who otherwise would have ended up speaking German or Russian (and that's if they didn't end up in Auschwitz or some Siberian Gulag).
In short terms, I thing you perhaps might be better off taking your chances with Russia than with the US. Why? Because the US have become literally evil due to its acceptance of 'altruism' of self sacrifice as a morality and an ethic. The Russians have no such altruism. The Russians are for Russia and for Putin's bank accounts and the bank accounts of his cronies. The Russians shall show you no such altruism. They will exploit you until you can no longer be exploited and then you will end up like so many other victims of totalitarian regimes when you no long serve the purpose of benefiting the goals of a real imperial state like Russia.
slavesfree and home of the brave, democratic capital of the world and the last bastion of free thought.
However. Historically speaking Flemingovia has a point, although America likes to think that it acts selflessly for the good cause, it never actually does so. America used the two world wars to remove Britain as the foremost power on the globe, and make us dependent on its military might.
You forget that until the dawn of the 'American century' it was Europe that was the most powerful, the most advanced, the most free.
But don't ever delude yourself into thinking that the US acts altruistically. If there isn't some ulterior benefit for the States, it doesn't get involved. The one thing that is most likely to set a European's teeth on edge is an American shouting about how 'good' America is, or how altruistic. We don't mind you being the foremost power, we really don't. We don't mind having to go along with you guys because you're top dog right now. What we do mind is you trying to pretend to be morally better- just like every other country you act solely in your best interests, which is perfectly fine. But for gods sake stop trying to tell me that its not what you do.
Oh, no, I agree in principle about what you say about American 'Altruism'. The American people are surprisingly susceptible to being conned into doing crap because they are told it is for the 'greater good'. I mean, just look at the idiot(s) we elect(ed) President(s).
The irony is that Europe put itself into the position it finds itself in now.
In WWI, the European Monarchies (talk about a system of slavery...) made elaborate and interlocking treaties to either promote or prevent Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire from consolidating territorial control to create the infamous Berlin-Baghdad Railway in order to tap into oil reserves there. The Brits on the other hand didn't like Germany blundering into the sphere of influence in the Middle East where the British Empire wanted a monopoly on oil. Same shit, different day, different players.
At any rate, one bullet in the wrong place (in this instance, an Austrian Archduke and his hausfrau) and woopsies! WWI.
The result was a totally spent and screwed up Europe, and US involvement in WWI didn't help matters in terms of what inevitably followed. In fact, the US had no real cause to get involved in WWI at all, except economic gain, clothed in, as you indicate, a malformed sense of bogus 'altruism'. The irony is that US involvement only caused the Germans to go bankrupt fighting a war that should have never been fought by anyone and thus laying the foundation for WWI, Part II.
And, ironically, no one in Europe had the balls to stand up to Hitler which they could have easily done had not that idiot Chamberlain caved in and appeased Hitler. After the escapade of WWII, Europe as a whole was entirely spent, vershimmelt, upgefucked and totally incapable of standing up to the Soviets which, ironically would have never been had WWI not happened the way it did.
Altruism, IMHO, is a load of crap when it becomes a motivating force in the form of an ethic or moral system. Doing something for 'the common good' is a line of crap altogether because it literally enslaves those who can do to those who cannot or worse yet, will not do for themselves. And this ironically leads to the current issue, the Ukraine and ultimately to that battle-ground of Europe, Poland (which that jackass Putin thinks rightfully belongs to Russia too).
Alicia DiLaurentis:
Indeed. NATO involves a 'trigger effect' that automatically occurs should any NATO member be attacked - totally annihilation up to and including nuclear - against anyone who attacks a NATO member nation. Most people have no idea of the intermediate and long range nukes that NATO forces have. A Russian invasion of a NATO nation like Poland would and will automatically trigger a nuclear response, first short range, then moments later, total annihilation of Russia. Do not doubt that for a second.
The EU is useless. It seeks to appease. It has allowed Europe to become totally dependent upon Russia for most of its energy requirements. In that sense, the EU is playing right into Putin's hands, whom the EU will appease just like they appeased Hitler. The only thing stopping Putin from trying to reassemble the territorial boundaries of the the old Soviet Empire is NATO and the nukes pointed at Russia. If Europe thinks that Hitler was bad, the Russians under the Soviets were worse, and hence Putin's Russia would end up being even worse than that.
At any rate, as a side note, I have a personal connection with Poland in terms of being a more than occasional competitor in Cavaly competitions held in Poland. And besides, Ignacy Jan Paderewski is one of my favorite pianists/composers (he was the ultimate interpretor of Chopin) and one of my favorite political figures of all times.
Oh, and as a plug...
Be there, or be square!
