I had no idea that Russia and Ukraine were negotiating. My impressions of the conflict have been shaped by various knee-jerk narratives I’ve been hearing, but that diplomacy is occurring was a complete surprise to me.
I’m frustrated that we (the U.S.) can’t do anything about this conflict. Our emotions are engaged, the atrocities are heartbreaking, but unless we are willing to risk nuclear war by putting boots on the ground so that our own sons and daughters can fight Russian soldiers face to face, we have almost no way to engage.
Our predicament was caused by our own elites, primarily the Military-Industrial-Madison-Avenue Complex. These people seem to think that they can manufacture consent to cover up any failure, hide any money-sucking siphon, or promote any stupidity. With Ukraine, however, the Empire of Lies has been exposed: We literally have no place at the table.
Putin will kill men, women and children until negotiations with Zalenski go his way. Let us hope that Zalenski is smart enough to wrestle a good deal for Ukraine out of the process, because he is on his own.
Tidewater News and Opinion Forum 
Our place at the table is clear. We are the leaders of the democratic world and we are willing to sacrifice in order to punish the dictators and fascists who intigate war. That is what we are doing. Thank God Trump is gone and America has a President whom other democratic countries respect. The international solidarity and resolve is something that would never happen with that ass hat in the Oval Office.
Our role as the punisher gives Ukraine a very powerful card to play in whatever negotiations that are taking place. Sure, we would love to have our military do to Putin what it did to Sadaam but, as you say, nuclear weapons.
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If you must pass a graveyard, you might as well whistle.
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I am trying to figure out the point you are making. What did I write that you find to be a whistle? Were you miffed by me noting how different this would be if the Putin stooge Trump were still in the Oval Office?
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RE: “I am trying to figure out the point you are making.”
My point: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was predictable and predicted, and the deep cause of the invasion was our own foreign policy. Now we have no influence.
I characterized our foreign policy in this way: “Our predicament was caused by our own elites, primarily the Military-Industrial-Madison-Avenue Complex. These people seem to think that they can manufacture consent to cover up any failure, hide any money-sucking siphon, or promote any stupidity.”
I think your response to the post amounts to whistling past the graveyard because your comments reflect the propaganda that got us into this predicament to begin with. For example, you wrote, “We are the leaders of the democratic world and we are willing to sacrifice in order to punish the dictators and fascists who intigate war.”
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Well, thanks for clarifying.
But your attempt to blame Putin’s reckless, immoral and lawless invasion on American foreign policy, or Madison Avenue, or our Navy is preposterous.
Your rant about “cover up any failure, hide any money-sucking siphon, or promote any stupidity” is, to be generous, bizarre. What does Madison avenue have to do with ANY of this? What money-sucking siphon is being hidden? What stupidity is being promoted?
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So Putin is blameless! Got it.
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The first meeting between Russian and Ukrainian diplomate was about three or four days ago in on the border with Belarus. The next could potentially happen today or tomorrow.
Zelenisky is not completely on his own. NATO and EU countries are assisting the best way they an without actual military involvement (boots on the ground) with material support and holding Russia’s oligarchs and leadership accountable through sanctions.
It was reported by several news outlets. Is the fact that you were unaware proof that you don’t use reliable news sources? Or that you just ignore them? 😇
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Is the fact you haven’t written about the meetings in Belarus here in the Forum proof that you have nothing useful to say about them?
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I was only pointing out that you missed the reporting because you weren’t paying attention to reliable sources. I apologize if I did not fulfill my obligation to YOU as a news source. You wouldn’t listen, regardless, as I don’t do conspiracy theories. 😇
You posted that you didn’t even know the first meetings took place. It has nothing to do with whether or not I posted about them when they occurred.
A far as saying anything useful about them, unless Russia immediately retreats, leaves Ukraine to its own governance and pays for all of the damage to CIVILIAN targets they destroyed, not to mention financial relief and assistance to the 100’s of thousands of those who have fled his illegal and unjustified invasion, nothing useful is going to be said.
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RE: “I was only pointing out that you missed the reporting because you weren’t paying attention to reliable sources.”
You assume too much.
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I assume NOTHING.
“I had no idea that Russia and Ukraine were negotiating. ”
Are these YOUR words or are they the Headline in the NY Post? (Fish wrapper except for Sports.)
So if you had no idea that negotiations were occurring you were either 1) not paying attention. or 2) buried neck deep (head first) in some other news source that didn’t report it.
No assumption; just pointing out the obvious.
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