[MD]

not to be picky, but I will be picky. 97 years ago...

[MD]

Eurasia remains the most likely place for conflict, given the cultural diversities all around.

North America won't be unscathed this time, due to racial unrest. The Democratic party's attempt to build a solid voter block through immigration will likely backfire.

Too simplistic an outlook? Maybe. Maybe not. We are starting to see the edges burn, and the infrastructure is very weak.

It's not a replay of nineteen forty. Not even close.

Yeah and peak oil is at the very center.

It's all about energy, still.

I'm not making any judgments. I'm just a casual and interested observer.

[ennui2]

And how about this gem from Russia's file?

[Plantagenet]

I was there, in Czechoslovakia in November 1989. The protests started on the 17th, and it took only 10 days to organize a nation-wide general strike. On the 27th, the whole country stood still for two hours. Factories, traffic, schools... everything stoppped, more than 10 million people (75% of the country's population) participated.

That is complete and utter BS. Obviously you don't know what you are talking about.

The anti-communist demonstrations in Czechoslovakia actually started on March 25, 1988 in Bratislava (it is known as the Candle demonstration in Bratislava) when 2,000 to 10,000 Roman Catholics held an unauthorized demo against the pro-Russian puppet regime. Subsequent major demonstrations occurred on August 21, 1988 (the anniversary of the Soviet intervention in 1968) in Prague, on October 28, 1988 (establishment of Czechoslovakia in 1918) in Prague, Bratislava and some other towns, in January 1989 (death of Jan Palach on January 16, 1969), on August 21, 1989, and on October 28, 1989 .

All of these demonstrations preceded the Nov. 17 1989 demo that you wrongly claim was the first. Important Czech nationalist events like the 1968 uprising, and the death of Jan Palach brought people into the streets again and again to demonstrate against the hated Russian puppet regime ---- but you missed all of that?

Why is that?

If you were actually there, as you claim, then how come you can't remember the 21 months of demonstrations and student and worker organizing that preceded the Nov. 17, 1989 demonstration? Please explain why your memory is so faulty and why you've got the facts all wrong…

CHEERS!

[GregT]

I was there, in Czechoslovakia in November 1989. The protests started on the 17th, and it took only 10 days to organize a nation-wide general strike. On the 27th, the whole country stood still for two hours. Factories, traffic, schools... everything stoppped, more than 10 million people (75% of the country's population) participated.

That is complete and utter BS. Obviously you don't know what you are talking about.

CHEERS!

MODS:

Is there nothing that can be done about this. Planter constantly spends her time trying to stir up crap. I'm all for intelligent and considerate debate, and I have no problem with alternate viewpoints, but planter is nothing more than a rude, obnoxious troll.

[GregT]

25,000 people killed. The West did nothing, it did not help.

But what could we do? Same situation as today. Nobody wants a "war with Russia."

So what could WE do about the slaughter in Iraq. We're not talking about 25,000 people. We're talking about 900,000 people. What about Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and on and on. The west did not help in these conflicts, for the most part they instigated them. How many millions of people will our oligarchs continue to brutally slaughter, until those people finally say enough is enough and come looking for us?

Of course nobody wants a war with Russia, at least not anybody that has two functioning brain cells left in their heads. And 145 million Russians probably don't want a war with us either.

This isn't about the US versus the Russians, and it isn't about ideologies. It is about our oligarchs wanting complete control over the planet, vs their oligarchs willing to settle for a multipolar world. When the dust settles Six, you are not even a consideration to these people. They could care less about you. You are in support of one of the most evil ideologies that the Earth has ever seen, yet somehow you believe that they are concerned about you?

If these people are allowed to continue to pursue their goals, and you guys vote HC in, the repercussions will be dire for all of humanity. Keep waving your little flag, it only gives them more control over you.

[Strummer]

I was there, in Czechoslovakia in November 1989. The protests started on the 17th, and it took only 10 days to organize a nation-wide general strike. On the 27th, the whole country stood still for two hours. Factories, traffic, schools... everything stoppped, more than 10 million people (75% of the country's population) participated.

That is complete and utter BS. Obviously you don't know what you are talking about.

The anti-communist demonstrations in Czechoslovakia actually started on March 25, 1988 in Bratislava (it is known as the Candle demonstration in Bratislava) when 2,000 to 10,000 Roman Catholics held an unauthorized demo against the pro-Russian puppet regime. Subsequent major demonstrations occurred on August 21, 1988 (the anniversary of the Soviet intervention in 1968) in Prague, on October 28, 1988 (establishment of Czechoslovakia in 1918) in Prague, Bratislava and some other towns, in January 1989 (death of Jan Palach on January 16, 1969), on August 21, 1989, and on October 28, 1989 .

All of these demonstrations preceded the Nov. 17 1989 demo that you wrongly claim was the first. Important Czech nationalist events like the 1968 uprising, and the death of Jan Palach brought people into the streets again and again to demonstrate against the hated Russian puppet regime ---- but you missed all of that?

Why is that?

If you were actually there, as you claim, then how come you can't remember the 21 months of demonstrations and student and worker organizing that preceded the Nov. 17, 1989 demonstration? Please explain why your memory is so faulty and why you've got the facts all wrong…

CHEERS!

Did you just look that up on Wikipedia? I lived in Bratislava for 30 years. All of those events preceding November 17th (and including the 17th protest) were isolated events without any mass public participation or even public knowledge. Real public involvement started after the 17th only. There were no "21 months of demonstrations", you silly troll.

[Plantagenet]

All of those events preceding November 17th (and including the 17th protest) were isolated events

First you claimed there were no events prior to Nov. 17 --- now after I've posted the facts you admit there were events prior to Nov. 17. Thats good --- you are capable of learning and changing your mind.

However, you still haven't explained why your initial post was so ridiculously wrong. Were you intentionally trying to misrepresent the facts about the Velvet Revolution or did you just forget how it all went down all those long years ago?

And which side were you on in 1989? From the dishonest nature of your post on this topic and your reflexive support of the Russian line on Ukraine it occurs to me that you might have been one of the pro-Russian stooges who were tossed out in the Velvet Revolution? Is that why you are so pro-Russian now? Or were you anti-Russian then but now regret the follies of your youth and do you now favor Russian occupation of countries in eastern Europe?

Cheers!

[Strummer]

And this is the reason why this forum became a boring echo chamber of a handful of trolls...

[davep]

And this is the reason why this forum became a boring echo chamber of a handful of trolls...

I'm not even sure it's trolling. Some people let their patriotism blindly guide them.

[Karle]

Yes MBS, I can hear the drums.

I am very sorry that most people here (I am in Germany right now) a totally deaf.

I guess you are around here as well. Did anybody mention the noise from the war drums to you lately?

Did you talk to people about the drums of war and not been looked at like you are a bit over the top?

Just the last two days:
- US will send heavy arms to the Russian frontyard like Baltics and Poland.
- Obama said nuclear war is an option.
- Russia will build 40 new intercontinental missiles.

It was in the news here. Everybody could know it. Everybody overheard it, so is my impression.

I am afraid everybody here will be utterly surprised once the hear strange noises in the distance, coming closer all the time.

[ROCKMAN]

New phrase: one man's sabre rattler is another man's freedom fighter. LOL

[SugarSeam]

Read your history. ... The number of times Russia has extended an olive branch to the U.S., from Truman all the way to Obama, only to have the U.S. bite is truly astounding.

Paranoid Red Scare is alive and well, and it doesn't matter how many times the McCarthyists embarrass themselves. It also doesn't matter how many reforms towards capitalism Russia enacts. To our fascists, Russia remains the boogeyman because it wouldn't do business with our oligarchs the way we wanted back when oil was 100:1.

It's really no surprise that Putin has had enough and is finally circling the wagons. The U.S. forced his hand over and over and over and over again.

[zoidberg]

My bet is the west and Russia and Europe don't have the energy organizational or otherwise to do it. 5000 soldiers 40 misslez these are way below the millions and thousands of the 50s.

New military tech seems buggy too. War will be brief and embaressing I'm sure.

[evilgenius]

I'd say that the US has been moving in on Russia ever since it was discovered that the Caspian Sea region does not contain the kind of oil reserves that had been hoped for. Gradually, every move made in the Middle East has been capable of being rolled into a further plan to also roll up the oil producing regions of Russia that lie close to the Middle East. In light of this the Ukraine is the logical choice for Russia to put its foot down and say, no. With it under their sway the Russians can pour men and materials south without hindrance. If it isn't friendly to them that would be very hard to do without having to use extra resources at all times just to keep the supply spigot flowing.

Has anybody taken notice of how the US is making overtures toward Iran? They have used ISIS as an excuse for this coziness along with the promise of what Iran's economy can be like without sanctions and powered by peaceful nuclear power going into the decline, but it is probably the result of a strategic initiative to short circuit Russian ambitions in the region. Iran has been the Russian proxy in the Middle East for some time now. If the US can lure them away it may in and of itself write paid to those ambitions. Now all they have to do is keep the Saudis in the camp, seeing as how they and Iran are mortal enemies.

[DoomInTheUK]

Plantagenet - you're building this into a straw man exercise.

At no point did Strummer say that there were no events prior to the 17th, just that the demonstrations that lead to the general strike started on the 17th. You inferred it, and then proceed to beat him up about it. I think 30 years experience in the country trumps a 30 second Google search.

Why must you be so confrontational? It is truly pathetic (in the real meaning on the sense, use your Google skills if you're English ones are lacking).

[Withnail]

Also, is the "able to penetrate missile shields" something new that that old ICBMs didn't have?

Do you want to find out? I'd prefer not to.

[SeaGypsy]

To have any chance of bringing down a hypersonic ICBM would require either ridiculous close proximity to launch or hypersonic defense systems capable of mind reading. The usefulness of the shield deployment relies on the first factor, intending to blast out ICBMs at launch, while they crawl to orbit, or not at all. The fact these rockets can launch off the back of a truck in central Siberia & be in Washington in an hour or two makes the shield useless against ICBM attack already.

[zoidberg]

My bet is the west and Russia and Europe don't have the energy organizational or otherwise to do it. 5000 soldiers 40 misslez these are way below the millions and thousands of the 50s.

New military tech seems buggy too. War will be brief and embaressing I'm sure.

That's what Bush said about Iraq. "Five days or five weeks or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that," he said. "It won't be a World War III."

Are you Bush?

Good point. That was the turning point for sure ieds beating jets and tanks. Sanction ruined Iraq also held out toe to toe before going guerrilla much longer than anyone guessed too.

Oh sure people can snipe and car bomb each other forever but it ain't twentieth century style total war anymore.resupply is very poor. Once the stocks are used up its all barrell bombs and intermittent artillery. They won't do it because both sides are paper tigers and don't want expose it.