I don't usually use Twitter, but every now and then I pop on to take a look, and I have to say this is the most eye opening thing I've ever seen on it.

xandreu wrote: ↑Sun Feb 11, 2024 4:59 pm I don't usually use Twitter, but every now and then I pop on to take a look, and I have to say this is the most eye opening thing I've ever seen on it.

It's really sad he doesn't understand the concept of 'giving' 113 billion dollars to Ukraine.

It's not as if 113 billion left the USA and was spend elsewhere, no, it was 133 billion spend with US industries, producing all kinds of weaponry for Ukraine. US economy profited, US companies profited, and new US systems were put to the real life test.....

John Bingham wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 11:50 pm

HaifongWangchuck wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 11:24 pm

More people have been arrested for online dissent in the UK than have been arrested in Russia in almost 10.

Translation anyone?

That the UK puts thousands of people in very real concrete prisons for the naughty words they say online?

Seven years ago, 3300 people were arrested in one year for online naughty speech (mostly violations of public nuisance laws, i.e nothing dangerous, just something offensive), which was a 50% year-on-year rise. Does anyone want to imagine what it is it at now?

My point being, prior to the "Ukraine Special Operation" as it is euphemistically called, such draconian crackdowns on online dissent were virtually unheard of, and even now it's not like Russia is arresting teenagers for calling celebrity footballers "gay" and the like.

John Bingham wrote: ↑Mon Feb 12, 2024 6:10 pm Some highlights:

What exactly can be characterised as "insane" here? Even if one disagrees with his recollection of Eastern European history, it's not like he was rambling unhinged or making rootless, insane, non-sequitur statements like US President Joe Biden and Boris Johnson (Sunaka is rather milquetoast to be honest) are both fond of. So what exactly by comparison is "insane"?

Or is this just more Western presstitute hyperbole?

Bluenose wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 8:38 pm

Big Daikon wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 1:39 pm Watching the interview at the moment. The first 20-30 minutes is a history lesson.

Tucker Carlson has been an outspoken defender of Mr Putin since the war began. Just before Russia's invasion, he claimed that "hating Putin has become the central purpose of America's foreign policy", but urged his viewers to ask themselves why.

"Has Putin ever called me a racist? Has he threatened to get me fired for disagreeing with him?" Carlson said as Russian troops started to mass on Ukraine's border. "These are fair questions, and the answer to all of them is: No. Vladimir Putin didn't do any of that."

That is not defending Putin but questioning American power and foreign policy. There is a difference.

I have a feeling that those in Russia who disagree with Putin don't so much get fired as get fired at. That's assuming they haven't already had a balcony related accident.

Cringe. You literally have Youtubers asking random Russians in the streets controversial political opinions, and many actually answer.

Russia isn't North Korea, let alone China or even Iran. There is no Great Internet Firewall, prior to the West cutting it off, many if not most Russians had instagram accounts, and people have (or had, anyway) access to uncensored internet so long as it didn't "glorify drug abuse" or pornographic material.

It's absurd to see people take stereotypes and cliches from Hollywood movies made almost 50 years ago and say that these apply. It's as ignorant as the people who warn you against travel to Cambodia because they fear the Khmer Rouge are lurking in the rainforest, waiting to pounce on any unsuspecting Westerner for the taking

Russia is an empire held together by military force.
All power flows into and out of Moscow.

There isn’t the modern security apparatus that China has.

Not yet, anyways.

But Good news, China is exporting it to the rest of the world (and reporting everything back to China for good measure).

My opinions, of course.