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Post by Sigurdur on Mar 9, 2023 17:42:39 GMT
So, Mr. Sig, with all due respect (and I have a great deal of respect for you and your viewpoints expressed on this board) I disagree that the fact the USA has been involved in dubious military interventions, several of which were clearly "invasions" justify the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Moreover, Russia's conduct of the war has been barbaric. As an example, I cite last night's Russian air attacks (and those that occurred in January) on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Those attacks appear to nothing more then Mr. Putin's fits of pique when his ground troops fail to achieve their objectives. Another example of barbarism are the reports that untrained Russian troops are being killed in what appear to WWI style ground attacks. Wasted lives, and for what purpose? Now I will acknowledge that Ukraine is a corrupt country (as are most of the Asian former Soviet Republics) and that Mr. Zelensky is a many flawed man. But I can say those same things, accurately I think, about Russia and Mr. Putin, and no one advocates invading Russia and systematically destroying its civilian infrastructure (except for George C. Scott in Dr. Strangelove. But that was a long time ago when the world was still black and white). I will also acknowledge that Mr. Justme will accuse me of drinking the purple Koolaid of the western press, and allowing Mr. Biden to lead us Zombie like into WWIII. Maybe he's right, but I will consistently oppose powerful nations trying to gobble up their weaker neighbors by force. And I think the US is not always wrong when it helps the weaker neighbor defend itself. Resource conflict. War is hell. This idea that civilians and infrastructure aren't part of war is not correct. I don't support Russia invading Ukraine. I fully understand WHY Russia invaded Ukraine. The USA is very complicit in why Russia invaded Ukraine. As far as bombing civilians, look up Basra, Iraq. The low level radiation remains from US munitions causing birth defects, cancer etc to skyrocket. The US has a bunch of nut jobs in Deep State positions. They thrive on conflict, creating it. President Trump didn't like conflict abroad, was an aberration so had to be gotten rid of. The daily talking points memos continue to be cited. Do you think the US developed the abilitytoship LNG overnight? When did the terminalsin theUS gain momentumbeing built? Obama era. Think aboutwhathas been happeningfor the past 10 years. Not only here, but in Ukraine. When did APOV really getgoing? 2013 or so. They assassinated Russian speakingpeopleintheEast of Ukraine. Approximately18,000. The whole Ukraine thing is truly a shit show. Interesting speech here.
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Post by walnut on Mar 9, 2023 17:48:21 GMT
First lucid speech delivered by a democrat since Kennedy. Bill usually sounded like he had 1/2 a vodka buzz.
The deep state is all about making money.
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Post by Sigurdur on Mar 9, 2023 20:22:05 GMT
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Post by Sigurdur on Mar 9, 2023 20:33:31 GMT
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Post by Sigurdur on Mar 9, 2023 20:35:48 GMT
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Post by phydeaux2363 on Mar 9, 2023 21:52:29 GMT
Mr. Sig, thanks for your comments. We can agree that war is hell, but you misinterpreted my comment about the civilian infrastructure attacks. I didn't say they can't happen in a war. I decried the barbarism of deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure far from the front, when it is done to vent the frustration of the leader of a failed invasion.
I understand the view that the USA is "complicit" in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I've read the arguments of Mearsheimer, Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson and others in the "we shouldn't have poked the Bear" camp. And I get that Putin is an egotistical, unstable man. But I also believe pushing back on Russian territorial ambitions was, and remains necessary to neutralize a people who in the last century have committed some of the worst atrocities humankind has ever seen. The Holodomor. The invasion of Poland in 1939. The rape of eastern European and German woman in the closing days of WWII. The slaughter of tens of thousands of ethnic Germans through forced repatriation at the end of WWII. The response to the Hungarian revolution in 1956, and the Prague Spring of 1968. I can go on and on. The Russians are a brutal people who need to be contained by the West. That they are acting like themselves in Ukraine is not the fault of the US.
The low level radiation in Basra of which you speak is real. It is from depleted uranium munitions expended against military, not civilian targets. While it is a serious problem, I disagree that is in any way the equivalent of the Russians intentionally targeting apartment complexes, hospitals and other purely civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
I share your concern about the power of unelected US bureaucrats controlling or at least greatly influencing US foreign policy. I don't share your love of Mr. Trump in most things, but agree the Russians might not have invaded Ukraine whilst he was president. But its not because he struck fear in their hearts. I think it's mostly that he is so unpredictable.
I also disagree with the implications of your comments about the US developing LNG export capability. Whilst I think your timeline is accurate, its a stretch to argue the US started the war in Ukraine so it could take over the gas export market to Europe. When the US started to refit gas import facilities to export, the shale fracking revolution had created a huge gas surplus in the US, driving the price of natural gas down. It made a lot of sense to try to ramp up exports of gas rather then flaring it in the fields of West Texas. Those exports could be shipped anywhere in the world, not just Europe.
That the war is a shit show, I will readily agree. That the eastern provinces of Ukraine have a lot of Russian speaking folks who are culturally tied to Russia is clearly an issue. I just think it doesn't justify an invasion of the entire Ukraine and destruction of its civilian infrastructures. The way the war has been fought is squarely on the shoulders of the Russians.
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Post by Sigurdur on Mar 9, 2023 22:48:13 GMT
Mr Phydeaux:
Your response is very much appreciated.
We agree more than we disagree.
A point I will disagree about, based on my previous experience, is LNG. This has been planned for some time. LNG is approximately 3X more expensive than native gas via pipeline. Unless we could curb Russia, there is no market.
President Trump made it very clear that Ukraine would not become a member of NATO. Dumbest Biden opened the door for Ukraine to become part of NATO. The escalation started at that point.
Thank you for your response.
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Post by nonentropic on Mar 10, 2023 18:10:24 GMT
The problem for countries that build export LNG plants is that the international price of LNG defines the domestic price of gas minus the capacity and compression constraints.
We in NZ have a sort of fixed gas price about US$5/Gj at wellhead unperturbed by international vacillations.
The key word is "fungible".
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Post by phydeaux2363 on Mar 10, 2023 18:55:08 GMT
Mr Phydeaux: Your response is very much appreciated. We agree more than we disagree. A point I will disagree about, based on my previous experience, is LNG. This has been planned for some time. LNG is approximately 3X more expensive than native gas via pipeline. Unless we could curb Russia, there is no market. President Trump made it very clear that Ukraine would not become a member of NATO. Dumbest Biden opened the door for Ukraine to become part of NATO. The escalation started at that point. Thank you for your response. Not sure about the "no market" absent shutting Russian pipelines down, Mr. Sig. Before the war, the US was exporting over 1 trillion cubic feet of LNG to each of Japan, China and S. Korea. Those exports alone put the US on par with Qatar, the worlds leading exporter of LNG before the US converted its import facilities to export. But you are right that in the first 5 months of 2022 a significant percentage of US LNG exports went to Europe.
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Post by missouriboy on Mar 15, 2023 0:19:48 GMT
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Post by Sigurdur on Mar 15, 2023 1:20:19 GMT
Surprised it took them this long.
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Post by justme on Mar 16, 2023 14:12:06 GMT
We are now seeing elements of reality even in the western mainstream media: www.politico.com/news/2023/03/15/dod-ukraine-war-supplies-00087291It's above 200,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in action. Ukraine had the largest land army in Europe pre-conflict (246,445). This does not include the hundreds of thousands mobilized and drafted. Yet, Ukraine now has manpower issues? Remember all the tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers that the west has trained and sent back to Ukraine? Here is the Ukrainian media: kyivindependent.com/national/battle-of-bakhmut-ukrainian-soldiers-worry-russians-begin-to-taste-victoryImagine being surrounded on 3 sides by overwhelming artillery. Now picture the only evacuation route being a mud filled road under Russian artillery fire. Yet, Ukrainian leadership keeps doubling down and attempting to reinforce Bakhmut. -Sun Tzu -Sun Tzu
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Post by justme on Mar 16, 2023 19:53:34 GMT
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Post by justme on Mar 16, 2023 23:00:03 GMT
Will this conflict end with a whimper?
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin the III called Russia a "great power".
Today, Putin spoke today and stated 'unfriendly countries is not accurate and is actually unfriendly elites'.
The western media coverage is now being more transparent about reality on the ground.
Is there a softening of rhetoric and an increase in diplomatic prospects, or am I just an optimist?
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Post by missouriboy on Mar 16, 2023 23:11:46 GMT
I could speculate that Putin just paid Biden more than Ukraine can afford ... but that would be wrong. It would be refreshing if it could be brought to an agreed end.
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