Protesters in Ukraine remind us of the priceless benefits of being EU members

[Hammer2722]

What kind of revisionist BS is that?
 
The US forces fought until they could no longer. Many US troops died on the way to POW camps and many more were tortured there.
 
What's this bullshevik MacArthur took his army and fled?

I agree. If MacArthur fled, it was with his Staff. Remember the Bataan Death March? That wasn't just Filipino soldiers only but included many thousands of US soldiers.

[GQBlues]

Why do you think we will be doing that? I truly believe that given enough time (sooner rather than later) the Russians themselves will make a correction that's been past due.

Speculation.

Speculation if we're foolish enough to engage a skirmish with the Russians in this crisis. OTOH, Ukraine does provide and incredibly delicious geographical interest.

I feel the bottom line in all of this is, the deeper kinship Ukrainians have with Russia will prevail above all others. Maybe this is likely more of a wake-up call to Russia than they realize and start to recognize Ukraine in a much better light and attitude.

[Muzh]

Speculation.

Speculation if we're foolish enough to engage a skirmish with the Russians in this crisis. OTOH, Ukraine does provide and incredibly delicious geographical interest.

I feel the bottom line in all of this is, the deeper kinship Ukrainians have with Russia will prevail above all others. Maybe this is likely more of a wake-up call to Russia than they realize and start to recognize Ukraine in a much better light and attitude.

That will not change until many Russians stop thinking they are God's gift to Earth and the Ukrainians aro soooo beneath them.
 
I mentioned that there were a number of Russian interns in my work place throughout the years. I really wanted to talk to them and welcome them as I know what it is to live in a different culture. ALL of the interns (3 Muscovites and 2 Pietr) were very nice to me. When I mentioned my wife was from Ukraine, it was always the same reaction: Oh. One even had the ovaries to tell me that I could had done better with a very nice Moscow girl.
 
And the irony is that for years my wife would always consider herself Ukrainian from Russian heritage. Many still do which is mind boggling after being spat in their faces by their northern neighbors. Maybe that is why many Russians feel this way about Ukrainians. They take them for granted.
 
It is a shame.
 
You want analogies? How about Americans cursing at Canadians?

[jone]

That will not change until many Russians stop thinking they are God's gift to Earth and the Ukrainians aro soooo beneath them.
 
I mentioned that there were a number of Russian interns in my work place throughout the years. I really wanted to talk to them and welcome them as I know what it is to live in a different culture. ALL of the interns (3 Muscovites and 2 Pietr) were very nice to me. When I mentioned my wife was from Ukraine, it was always the same reaction: Oh. One even had the ovaries to tell me that I could had done better with a very nice Moscow girl.
 
And the irony is that for years my wife would always consider herself Ukrainian from Russian heritage. Many still do which is mind boggling after being spat in their faces by their northern neighbors. Maybe that is why many Russians feel this way about Ukrainians. They take them for granted.
 
It is a shame.
 
You want analogies? How about Americans cursing at Canadians?

I always curse at the Canadians, those illiterates from the North.  "HEY, TAKE OFF YOU HOSE HEADS!"

[ML]

I have never had bad feelings toward or cursed at Canadians; nor did anyone around me.

I did spend a few years in central Michigan.

Does one have to live further north in USA to gain the need to curse at Canadians?

[GQBlues]

No. Just during Olympic hockey games. 

[Muzh]

No. Just during Olympic hockey games. 

Shit, I even cuss at Puertoricans during hockey games.

[Dewed]

Folks, it can be very hard to distinguish sarcasm from serious posts with plain unadorned text, especially for newcomers, or for whom English is second language.

Kindly get in the habit of indicating.. an attempt of humor by including an appropriate emoticon.  Not trying to censor anyone, but I am repeatedly seeing one person's sarcasm taken in seriousness.   when the same conversation done face to face would be obvious comedic banter.

     


are all there for a reason   use them please.

Speaking of Canada, some may know I'm from Oregon, but spent almost 6 years in Ontario, due North of Buffalo NY
In that time, I met 2 people i eventually found I did not like..
#1 was the meth/crack head trying to sell me something as I was on my way out of the country.
#2 was my "fiance" for 5.5 years who turned out really only wanted a meal ticket/houseboy

Other than that, I am still very impressed by how well such large cities like Toronto, seemed to be brimming with happy and polite people of all nationalities. On my last 4 day stay in Toronto proper , I could not help but notice "for lease" signs were only on nearly completed new buildings, there was also an abundance of help wanted signs.  Once I approached a door with my hands full, an arab, an asian and an obviously jewish man all tried to open the door for me. afterwards they went back to their coffee continuing their conversation on how unusual the weather was (85 in early October)

When I got back to Portland, where I had spent my entire adult life I went through some major reverse culture shock, all I saw were pan handlers, all I met were vets struggling with issues and in many cases being forgotten about. I even saw a "not hiring" sign, something I'd never seen before except in history books. IMHO, there are many things the US should consider borrowing from Canadian culture, tolerance of diversity being chief among them... we could use a bit of that here too,  no joke.

[lordtiberius]

Without America, Russia could crush NATO militarily.

I don't know about that.  Iran had an Army four or five times that of Iraq and still they couldn't move past a stalemate (albiet one we engineered.)

Russia invaded Georgia but they did not conquer all of Georgia.  The Chechens humiliated them in the first Battle of Grozny.  There have been some military reforms.  But I don't know how they would do against our NATO partners individually or collectively.  NATO is a 4 million man Army.

We've seen NATO in action in Libya and in the former Yugoslavia. NATO nations don't cooperate with each other very well and have a hard time controlling problems in little nations.

NATO does not cooperate well with each, but they (as an alliance) do coordinate very well if you compare them against other current or historic alliances.  Why do you rate NATO poorly in Libya?  The Balkans I agree with you. 

Of course Putin would like to see NATO go away. He's not happy seeing Russia's neighbors joining or trying to join NATO. Since he doesn't have the best military in the world, he has to use different means to break NATO and limit their growth. One way is to reduce the amount of potential member nations and another way is using Iran as a tool at the bargaining table. He's hoping the west will trade Ukraine and a few other nations for Russia's cooperation in controlling Iran.

Which is a good argument for Putin to invade Estonia next - to divide the alliance.  He cannot win against a united NATO.  Your thoughts?

[BillyB]

Why do you rate NATO poorly in Libya? 

Our own defense secretary publicly complained about the lack of commitment and effort of our NATO partners not to mention they could've done a better job helping the rebels. It reminds me of a time in my younger days I was at a party and the beer ran out. The host of the party said we should pool our money and go on a beer run. A bunch of guys jumped up, cheered in approval, and gathered in the center of the living room to chip in. When the host finished counting, he announced he had a $1.43. If America joins NATO on any mission, we'd have to pick up not only the slack but the tab.

[cc3]

Well then maybe you're a tad out of touch and simply blowing hot air because last I looked, they're talking about the very same scenario here at home about the possibility of what I just explained to you could in fact - actually happen.

You make it sounds as though our border security are top notch, it ain't. Blowhards like you are simply out of touch. There are thousands, I repeat, thousands of aliens crossing our borders every freaking year *undetected*. Shiploads of smuggled aliens enter our harbors every year. If they can smuggle these aliens in our harbors, what makes you think they can easily spot canister, containers, crates containing dirty bombs if anyone so choose to do so.

They used very stringent and sophisticated contraband/drug detecting equipment and personnel along our borders too - but guess what smarty pants - billions of drugs still make it into our city streets.

Repeat. They are discussing the very possible scenario I just mentioned in my post while someone like you arrogantly dismissed it while sitting your spastic aging butt in Ukraine and try to tell me it won't and can never happen.

If this plane did in fact flew *under the radar* with all the sophisticated instrumentation Boeing had been telling us about, why can't anyone find it? If this crashed, better these guys find it and soon. If they don't find any proof that it crashed, are you now telling us there's nothing to worry and our silly government just ain't as smart as you and have to worry about a possible act of planned terror?

One likely scenario as one mentioned, a hijacked plane can in fact *shadow* another airliner so it'll only show a bleep on any radar and would largely fly undetected. It is admitted this will need some serious expertise to accomplish but it is in fact possible to do so.

Hey, at one time, who knew some silly band of Arabs can actually take flying lessons in-country and actually take over a cockpit and fly airliners into targeted buildings before 911? I would bet Crimea you didn't think that can ever happen too before, yes?

LOL. Go sip on your coffee, man.

Petulant child. I pity you your lack of civil intellect and behavior.

[Gylden]

Interesting article and possible reason why Putin won't stop with just crimea.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/26/why-putin-hates-fracking.html

[southernX]

One likely scenario as one mentioned, a hijacked plane can in fact *shadow* another airliner so it'll only show a bleep on any radar and would largely fly undetected. It is admitted this will need some serious expertise to accomplish but it is in fact possible to do so.

it seems the military radar can detect a second blip tucked in behind a jet being shadowed [ civilian radar may not be so accurate ],  unless the secondary object[read jetliner mh370 ] is able to fly closer than 3000 metres directly behind the first jet,
cc3 with such a large airliner would that be possible to do on along haul for any great distance /time iyo ?

SX

[lordtiberius]

Petulant child. I pity you your lack of civil intellect and behavior.

Agree. 

[GQBlues]

Petulant child. I pity you your lack of civil intellect and behavior.

So said the man day after day, alone on a hill. A man with a foolish grin keeping perfectly still...

LOL

[SANDRO43]

"I Shall Return!" (Sandro - is this proper English? *Shall* instead of 'will'?)

It was, English grammars used to specify that the auxiliary verbs for the future tense were SHALL for 1st singular/plural person (I/we) and WILL for all the others, similarly to SHOULD and  WOULD for the conditional. 

The 2 auxiliaries also expressed a slightly different nuance of meaning, SHALL sort of implying "no doubt about it" while WILL was a weaker "intend to" .

Another rule gone down the drain in the interests of simplification .

[GQBlues]

it seems the military radar can detect a second blip tucked in behind a jet being shadowed [ civilian radar may not be so accurate ],  unless the secondary object[read jetliner mh370 ] is able to fly closer than 3000 metres directly behind the first jet,
cc3 with such a large airliner would that be possible to do on along haul for any great distance /time iyo ?

SX

The 4 911 hijacked planes were 767s & 757s. All four had known departure points and all were well within our airspace. Each one had an average length of 20' less than 370. YET, all four were *lost* by the world's most advanced and sophisticated detection system cc3 arrogantly declares we have. So apparently according to our experts, these things can never happen. One even successfully hit one of the most significant and most sensitive structure in our country, the Pentagon.

The US had the very best capability of bringing these types of attack against our country bar none. 

As always, like Pearl Harbor, history dictates otherwise. The arrogance of our experts always resulted to excuses when we are left standing and counting our dead bodies. But we have hope today since many experts before had since been sent to pasture.

If our enemies were able to master exploding shoes and underwear better, we'd still be making more excuses post-911. But I am enlightened to know those left behind post 911 do take asymmetrical possibilities of acts of terror much more closely and seriously, and are carefully scrutinized these days. They soon learned a very simple lessons of life...no one can ever be *experts* over things that hasn't yet occurred or been done.

Gone are the arrogant blowhard experts wherever they may be - with black clouds following along wherever they lay their hats on, and with certainty.

[GQBlues]

It was, English grammars used to specify that the auxiliary verbs for the future tense were SHALL for 1st singular/plural person (I/we) and WILL for all the others, similarly to SHOULD and  WOULD for the conditional. 

The 2 auxiliaries also expressed a slightly different nuance of meaning, SHALL sort of implying "no doubt about it" while WILL was a weaker "intend to" .

Another rule gone down the drain in the interests of simplification .

Good post, and as always - thank you.

I always thought that *will* implies 'definitive intention', while *shall* seemed/sounds to me as *conditional*. Good you brought up a different perspective.

[SANDRO43]

I always thought that *will* implies 'definitive intention', while *shall* seemed/sounds to me as *conditional*. Good you brought up a different perspective.

Mine may be a bit older , I suspect that the change to WILL was mostly caused by the auxiliary being the same word as the noun expressing determination, as in will power.

But how about "We shall overcome" ?

[southernX]

[quoteThe 4 911 hijacked planes were 767s & 757s. All four had known departure points and all were well within our airspace. Each one had an average length of 20' less than 370. All four were *lost* by the worlds most advanced and sophisticated detection system cc3 arrogantly declares we have. So apparently these things can never happen][/quote]

that was 13 years ago

one might expect leasons learned and technology advancements have improved the situation somewhat
cc3 has more credential here i think , 

SX

[krimster2]

to help celebrate Putin's birthday next October 7, please join me in sending celabratory high-powered lasers to Ukraine
they are available for a reasonable price fromhttp://www.aliexpress.com/store/108858  shipping can be arranged through Meest,
www.meest.us

please note that you should not shine these in they eyes of any military personnel, as they would be instantly blinded, especially anyone looking through an optical sight which will even further concentrate the light energy, and of course it should also not be shined in the eyes of anyone piloting helicopters!!!

Happy birthday Mr Putin

[lordtiberius]

So Obama and Carl Bildt said they won't help Ukraine if Putin invades.  So feel free to celebrate Putinistas (that includes you FT).

May God have mercy on you.

[GQBlues]

Mine may be a bit older , I suspect that the change to WILL was mostly caused by the auxiliary being the same word as the noun expressing determination, as in will power.

But how about "We shall overcome" ?

The will power sample is a good one. Another of the definitive term, 'Promise me you will. Yes, I promise I will!"

*I promise I shall* just doesn't sound right.

As for 'We shall overcome'..ha-hah! "We shall overcome, but only if.."

Anyway, as always, I shall  yield to his highness.



...unless...

[dogspot]

So Obama and Carl Bildt said they won't help Ukraine if Putin invades.  So feel free to celebrate Putinistas (that includes you FT).

May God have mercy on you.

Putinista, huh?

So what exactly is a Putinista? Maybe my wife is because she's from Russia. Maybe I am because I'm married to her. Sounds to me like Fathertime is because he doesn't believe Russia will further their advance on Eastern Ukraine. What about jone? He has Russian friends....is he a Putinista, too?

Yeah, I hope God will forgive us for our transgressions.

[Dewed]

Don't ya know, you can always sway people to your line of thinking by insulting them. It works every time