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Journal by khallow
The first observation is that the people talking the most about the treachery of media sources gobble up naked propaganda without a second thought and can't argue their way out of wet paper bags. There's this huge chasm between the talk and the walk, particularly among the AC. For example, there's this classic Orwellian example:

It's on their border, and there is a high probability some of that Ukrainian shelling may have crossed over, all bets are off in your phony little "morality" play here. You really are quite the desktop warrior, eh?

There's this insistence on the "high probability" of a possible act that could tenuously be considered provocation for some sort of Russian military action, followed by absolutely no real world evidence of Ukrainian shelling over Russia's border (during the pre-2022 era) in the huge number of posts that followed. This was a common tactic in the thread, introduce arguments and then never mention them again - after they fall flat, though there were a few loyally carrying the Ukrainian nazi argument to ludicrous levels. The real argument was a repeated baseless accusation that I was somehow repeated mass media claims, or western propaganda and lies. And of course, the usual idiotic conceit that if they had ever presented a rational, well-informed argument, it would go unappreciated on me, the sole reader of SoylentNews.

My take is that when all the terrible reasoning and arguments are on one side, maybe it's because the side is deeply flawed in some way. I think for this war it's because the pro-Russian side can only hold its viewpoint via a complete abandonment of reason and morality.

Second, for an example of what we can learn from biased media sources, the Kherson counterattack appears to be happening - both Ukraine and Russia have claimed it is ongoing with very different spins on how well it's going down. But there's a few things I can figure out from this even in the presence of such a fog of war. First, it's a hugely telegraphed and slowly implemented attack by the Ukrainians. That's usually a very strong indicator for failure. If the Russians can't take advantage of that, then they are really terrible even by their past performance in this war. Also, the Russians must really be in a weak position, if it's even possible to get to this point where a snail-paced counterattack can go this far. They might really be terrible enough for the attack to succeed.

We're also starting to see signs of terribleness elsewhere. For example, the US is thought to be running low on supplies of ammunition that they're providing to Ukraine like the HIMARS rockets. I think this illustrates the terrible nature of US military procurement. I think other countries face similar trouble. The military industrial complex is great for sponging up public funds, but not so great for supplying a significant war. Maybe this war will clean out some of the glaring weaknesses in various western militaries, including Russia's, but I'm not hopeful.

Added: Ukraine is tight-lipped now (September 2). My bet is that if they were rolling up Russian lines easily, they'd be non-stop talking about it. So this is an indicator that things probably aren't going well. Absence of propaganda is another way one can use a propaganda source to glean genuine information.

Finally, there's the lunacy of Russia's actions have disrupted the world and status quo in ways that harm billions of innocent people: threatening the food supply and bringing humanity to the brink of nuclear war. My premise is as follows:

  • There were peaceful, beneficial ways for Russia to pursue its interests. But that would run into the inherent contradictions of the Putin regime, such as trying to build a powerful Russia while simultaneously robbing it blind.
  • Just because someone has an existential concern, doesn't make it a serious one. It should pass a rational person test - would a rational person believe the same in the circumstances. For example, it has been claimed that Russia needed to invade Ukraine before it was invaded by NATO - to avoid the "Stalin mistake" of not invading Nazi Germany before Nazi Germany invaded them. Well, that fails the rational person test. Even now, with Ukraine fighting with NATO weapons, there's no move to invade Russia.
  • Threatening with nuclear weapons over penny ante shit. Sure, if Russia had a reasonable existential concern, then they could at least have a reasonable pretext for such a threat. But just mooching some Ukrainian land? That's garbage.

    On that last bit, do we really want to live in a world where nuclear threats are an automatic i-win button for stealing shit? There should be consequences else we're just paying the Dane (no offense to modern Denmark, but some of your ancestors were a bit scruffy).
  • Is it too many to expect that rivals play smart and employ peaceful means to overturn the status quo/unipolar/hegemony rather than kill large numbers of people in venal and often counterproductive conflict?

You can whine about how unfair the mass media, western propaganda lies are, but well, there's this serious problem that we need to do something about before it tears apart our world. My take is that with a focused effort on development, most which doesn't even need to involve government action at all, we can make everyone in the world vastly better off. But the Russian invasion and its tremendous fallout helps hold that back. It makes the world a more terrible place.

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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
(1)
  • (Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @02:26AM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @02:26AM (#1269319)

    Off topic, but I got a kick out of this story. The Ukrainians are building wooden decoy HIMARS -- and have already caused Russia to waste a bunch of expensive missiles.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/08/30/ukraine-russia-himars-decoy-artillery/ [washingtonpost.com]

    The destruction of Ukrainian replicas may partly account for Russia’s unusually boastful battle damage assessments on Western artillery, particularly the U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS.

    “They’ve claimed to have hit more HIMARS than we have even sent,” one U.S. diplomat observed.

    • (Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday August 31 2022, @03:04AM (2 children)

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday August 31 2022, @03:04AM (#1269325) Journal
      With these stories about it, Russia probably got wise to the decoys and isn't biting so much.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @03:46AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @03:46AM (#1269334)

        ... or at least the Russians will be more careful about crowing the next time they think they've taken out a HIMARS.

        Since Ukraine seems to have been the source for this story, I think the Russians have already figured out the ruse. Wild guess, the Mk2 decoy will sit on top of an old Lada or something, rigged to move under radio control.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @04:21AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @04:21AM (#1269344)

        The problem for Russia is that they almost have to bite. HIMARS has the capability to shoot-and-scoot in less than a minute. If you return fire at a HIMARS system after the missiles are incoming, there is a good chance at their operational range that it is already too late. Therefore, you need to attack the system before it fires at you, which is where decoys come in, or get retaliatory forces engaged within the critical window, which is where Ukraine's forces are especially effective. With two bad choices staring back at them, Russia almost has to attack every decoy they see. Sure it wastes ammo, effort, initiative, morale, and other resources, but it is the better decision since the alternative is to risk even greater losses in the barrage and counteroffensive.

  • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @03:04AM (36 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @03:04AM (#1269326)

    It's not the "Russo-Ukrainian war", it is a Russia-US/NATO war, being fought in Ukraine by Ukrainians, that's why it's called a proxy war, and though you are in denial, there are a few US/NATO "advisors" in the region also

    • (Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday August 31 2022, @03:55AM (35 children)

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday August 31 2022, @03:55AM (#1269339) Journal
      I see the peanut gallery has arrived. Funny how we can't name the war after the country in which it's being fought due to NATO cooties.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @04:25AM (34 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @04:25AM (#1269345)

        At least they've brought themselves to call it a war now. Keep this up and they might just get the rest of the way there.

        • (Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday August 31 2022, @04:33AM (33 children)

          by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday August 31 2022, @04:33AM (#1269346) Journal

          At least they've brought themselves to call it a war now.

          A week ago, Putin was still calling it a special military operation [soylentnews.org].

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @04:58AM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @04:58AM (#1269349)

            Putin was still calling it a special military operation

            Yeah, it's just like how we called the war in Vietnam a "police action" in the failed effort to deny veterans benefits to the men that fought there

            • (Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday August 31 2022, @11:46AM

              by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday August 31 2022, @11:46AM (#1269379) Journal

              Yeah, it's just like how we called the war in Vietnam a "police action" in the failed effort to deny veterans benefits

              What benefits could be denied that way? No, they didn't call it a war because that would have been scary to the US public just like it would be scary to the Russia public now. Given that veteran benefits wouldn't have been an issue for the career length of anyone involved in managing or profiting from the Vietnam War, nobody would have cared enough to go through the exercise just to do that. Use some common sense.

          • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @05:38AM (30 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @05:38AM (#1269355)

            Right, but two members of the "peanut gallery" in reply to your journal called it a war. That is what I was referring to in my comment.

            • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @06:23PM (29 children)

              by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @06:23PM (#1269462)

              Yes, it is a war (I, for one, never said it wasn't), between Russia and US/NATO, on Ukrainian territory, using Ukrainians as cannon fodder. As we can all see the whole affair is very profitable and a fine distraction from the the robber barons and carpetbaggers we are about to reelect. There is no "winning and losing", the goal is to keep the game running

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @07:58PM (1 child)

                by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @07:58PM (#1269492)

                So Comrade, was the fight between USSR and Germany during WWII a fight between Germany and the US because we sent aid to the USSR?

                • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @04:54AM

                  by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @04:54AM (#1269590)

                  So Comrade...

                  Ok McCarthy.. Don't you just love old times?

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @08:22PM (26 children)

                by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @08:22PM (#1269496)

                Yes, it is a war (I, for one, never said it wasn't), between Russia and US/NATO, on Ukrainian territory, using Ukrainians as cannon fodder.

                Cannon fodder? Such emotive language! In my experience, the use of such terms as cannon fodder usually suggests unwilling military conscripts who are forced to go to war. My recollection, though, is that Ukrainians were already very much engaged in fighting to defend their homeland before the EU/USA got involved by sending military supplies.

                • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @09:17PM (25 children)

                  by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @09:17PM (#1269511)

                  My recollection, though, is that Ukrainians were already very much engaged in fighting to defend their homeland

                  Well yeah.. they provoked an invasion at the behest of US/NATO! What do you expect them to do? Just sit there? And the soldiers are selling off a lot of those supplies, nobody is keeping inventory and where it ends up. And besides, from whom do you get your "recollections"? Nobody here knows who drew first blood. The information war is almost being fought more intensely than the shooting war (I mean, check out the moderation in defense of the official story line), we got bombs and bullets to sell, business is great! The war mongers among us should demand a commission

                  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday September 01 2022, @12:47AM (22 children)

                    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday September 01 2022, @12:47AM (#1269540) Journal

                    Well yeah.. they provoked an invasion at the behest of US/NATO!

                    Can you come up with talking points that aren't incredibly stupid?

                    • (Score: -1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @04:47AM (21 children)

                      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @04:47AM (#1269589)

                      Can you come up with anything but government lies/propaganda?

                      • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday September 01 2022, @10:57AM (20 children)

                        by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday September 01 2022, @10:57AM (#1269623) Journal
                        I already did. I can't help it if reality is somehow government lies/propaganda. Here, the refusal to call a war fought almost exclusively on Ukrainian soil by Ukrainian troops and leadership, Ukrainian, is just such a brazen denial of reality. All just to spin some feeble NATO threat narrative.
                        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @02:56PM (1 child)

                          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @02:56PM (#1269658)

                          "is just such a brazen denial of reality. All just to spin some feeble NATO threat narrative."

                          Haha, totally offtopic but that is how we feel about your climate change denialism.

                          • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday September 01 2022, @09:40PM

                            by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday September 01 2022, @09:40PM (#1269764) Journal

                            Haha, totally offtopic but that is how we feel about your climate change denialism.

                            Feel not think!

                            I think that rather the opposition is very similar in both places. I see the same repetitive, baseless accusations such as my argument is mere Western/mass media propaganda being very reminiscent of the accusations of Big Oil shilling and such. They'll insist it's fake/lies, they'll insist I'd never put together a rational argument, and yet they'll be the only people in the thread doing that empty, fact-free irrationality.

                        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @08:18PM (17 children)

                          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @08:18PM (#1269736)

                          The wars in Africa are almost entirely fought by Africans, but they are proxy wars, just like Syria, Ukraine, etc. Your version of reality is strictly your opinion, based on biased and false info (lies/propaganda), not what is actually happening.

                          • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday September 01 2022, @09:13PM (16 children)

                            by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday September 01 2022, @09:13PM (#1269754) Journal

                            The wars in Africa are almost entirely fought by Africans, but they are proxy wars, just like Syria, Ukraine, etc.

                            So what? It's not saying much that the principle combatants are supported by outside allies. I think you would be hard pressed to find wars that don't have such. And it remains dumb to refuse to acknowledge a combatant's role in the war because they have particular allies you don't like.

                            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 02 2022, @05:27AM (15 children)

                              by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 02 2022, @05:27AM (#1269847)

                              It's not saying much that the principle combatants are supported by outside allies.

                              same in Ukraine. The suppliers are profiting nicely. War is good business. Your whole shtick is based on false information. Your bias is nothing but an appeal to authority

                              • (Score: 1) by khallow on Friday September 02 2022, @11:33AM (14 children)

                                by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Friday September 02 2022, @11:33AM (#1269875) Journal

                                Your whole shtick is based on false information.

                                And yet, rather than find that alleged false information, there's all this sniveling, such as the very beginning:

                                it is a Russia-US/NATO war, being fought in Ukraine by Ukrainians, that's why it's called a proxy war, and though you are in denial, there are a few US/NATO "advisors" in the region also

                                Now, it's sniveling about military suppliers - NATO suppliers only. The Russian side get a free pass, of course, because this isn't about military industrial complexes hypothetically starting wars. It's about rationalizing the Russian invasion because you're on that side. I think what's particularly annoying about these sorts of posts is how naked your intentions are and the flimsy efforts to dress it up as rational argument. When I respond with rational argument, the replies are just stupid. You and possibly another AC just aren't saying anything relevant - such as revealing that alleged false information.

                                Your bias is nothing but an appeal to authority

                                Protip: use the right fallacy for the job. What's the authority that I'm appealing to? Even using false propaganda is not an appeal to authority unless I claim it's true because of the authority it supposed came from. This is an example of the stupidity that gets brought to the table.

                                • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 03 2022, @09:17PM (13 children)

                                  by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 03 2022, @09:17PM (#1270116)

                                  :-) Your voluminous posts on this matter are very revealing. A truth teller can effortlessly say in one sentence what takes you a Tolstoy length novel to support your lies. It always takes more effort and a large word salad to lie, even when you do your mass media copy/pasta that you do so well

                                  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday September 04 2022, @01:12AM (12 children)

                                    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 04 2022, @01:12AM (#1270128) Journal

                                    A truth teller can effortlessly say in one sentence what takes you a Tolstoy length novel to support your lies.

                                    And yet, you're the one telling lies here.

                                    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 04 2022, @04:01AM (11 children)

                                      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 04 2022, @04:01AM (#1270147)

                                      As usual, you're wrong again, a victim of misinformation... Only the war mongers and dumb people believe that. Ya can't sell your bill o' goods to me, but there's plenty of suckers out there buying

                                      • (Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday September 04 2022, @04:06AM (10 children)

                                        by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 04 2022, @04:06AM (#1270149) Journal
                                        You were desiring a truth teller in one sentence and thus, I delivered.
                                        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 04 2022, @04:48AM (9 children)

                                          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 04 2022, @04:48AM (#1270157)

                                          Ah, but you're not a truth teller, you only repeat, and sometimes make up, lies. There's a name for that, rhymes with fire, as in your pants

                                          • (Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday September 04 2022, @04:57AM

                                            by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 04 2022, @04:57AM (#1270158) Journal
                                            The thing is, you're lying here and thus, irrelevant.
                                          • (Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday September 04 2022, @05:05AM (7 children)

                                            by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 04 2022, @05:05AM (#1270161) Journal
                                            I also got you to use two sentences.
                                            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 04 2022, @05:29AM (6 children)

                                              by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 04 2022, @05:29AM (#1270163)

                                              Congratulations! You win the internet! But yer still lyin'

                                              • (Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday September 04 2022, @11:19AM (5 children)

                                                by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 04 2022, @11:19AM (#1270188) Journal
                                                Unless of course, I'm not. I'll abandon this effort because you clearly aren't interested in one sentence conversation and just note that one sentence truth telling is bullshit. When we attempted it here, we just ended up with "Did not! Did too!" style conversation.

                                                My take on all this is that insisting I'm lying without even the slightest effort at proving your claim is an admission you are wrong. It may not not feel like that to you, but feels are pretty irrelevant when it comes to truth.
                                                • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 04 2022, @06:11PM (4 children)

                                                  by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 04 2022, @06:11PM (#1270221)

                                                  You even said you don't read links, "proving" anything to you is purely an exercise in masturbation, and has already been done many many times, the pearl necklace and the Red Nose look good on you, really fits..

                                                  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday September 04 2022, @07:09PM (3 children)

                                                    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 04 2022, @07:09PM (#1270231) Journal

                                                    You even said you don't read links

                                                    That tells me you don't bother to link evidence properly. Last time this happened, the AC whined endlessly [soylentnews.org] about how easy it was to read some links in a webpage that they had dumped without justification, but never bothered to do this alleged easy work themselves.

                                                    [Whiny AC:] In short, because you don't want to click through and actually look at the papers, you're denying that there's any evidence.

                                                    That tells me that they don't actually buy their own story that it would be easy to do or has the evidence they claim is there. If I could just "click through and actually look at the papers", then so could Whiny AC. So why didn't they?

                                                    I've also had ACs link to long ass videos/ads, tons of nearly irrelevant links, and so on. It's a strong tell when they refuse to discuss the content.

                                                    "proving" anything to you is purely an exercise in masturbation

                                                    In other words, you're not doing it right.

                                                    In summary, it remains incredibly stupid to talk up how awesome you'd be, if you chose to engage in thoughtful discussion rather than just doing it. You waste endless amounts of time with this pretense. And nobody buys it from ACs who are so ideologically and morally compromised that

                                                    • they can't even begin to acknowledge that a war in Ukraine is a Ukrainian war,
                                                    • Ukrainians are allegedly merely NATO "cannon fodder" even though they are successfully defending themselves against Russian aggressors,
                                                    • the painfully stupid allegation that Ukraine provoked an invasion for NATO,
                                                    • the subjective nature of proxy wars (somehow it's important that the Ukrainian war is merely a proxy war for US/NATO, but not important that it's also a proxy war for Iran!),
                                                    • whine about random irrelevant fallacies like the appeal to authority that supposedly happened (AC never mentioned how that fallacy was supposed to work),
                                                    • and painfully stupid drool about how one sentence trash talk bullshitting (euphemistically "truth telling") was supposed to be superior to someone making a real argument.

                                                      Now I find you've wasted my time before with the "read my links that I can't bother to say anything about" game. I'm not surprised that a person who can't argue their way out of a wet paper bag has had trouble with other wet paper bags.

                                                    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 04 2022, @07:44PM (2 children)

                                                      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 04 2022, @07:44PM (#1270235)

                                                      :-) There you go again... pretending to be Tolstoy to sell another war with official lies.. with bullet points! How quaint.. Eh, by all means.. I am amused

                                                      • (Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday September 04 2022, @11:25PM (1 child)

                                                        by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 04 2022, @11:25PM (#1270263) Journal

                                                        pretending to be Tolstoy to sell another war with official lies..

                                                        The problem here is that "pretending to be Tolstoy" is vastly superior to "Did not! Did too!". I am saying something.

                                                        And once again, this sort of exercise is a blatant acknowledgement of the worthlessness of your claims. You post and post about how much you dislike the length of my posts or just asserting that I'm "lying", and not one word defending your claims.

                                                        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 05 2022, @12:40AM

                                                          by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 05 2022, @12:40AM (#1270280)

                                                          just asserting that I'm "lying"

                                                          Well, you know, that's just because, you are

                  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @04:29PM

                    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @04:29PM (#1269676)

                    Well yeah.. they provoked an invasion at the behest of US/NATO!

                    Provoked? Who, the Ukrainians? How? By merely existing as an independent nation not willing to submit to Russian hegemony?

                    And besides, from whom do you get your "recollections"? Nobody here knows who drew first blood. The information war is almost being fought more intensely than the shooting war...

                    Again, my "recollection" is that Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine on, or about, this past February 24. This is fact and no one disputes it. That would most definitely make Russia the aggressor.

                  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Friday September 02 2022, @11:42AM

                    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Friday September 02 2022, @11:42AM (#1269877) Journal

                    Nobody here knows who drew first blood.

                    This is an example of appeal to ignorance. We can't perfectly prove that Russia didn't draw first blood due to fog of war, therefore Ukraine must have drawn first blood. It's nonsense.

                    Here's my obvious rebuttal: Russia had six months since the mess started to come up with a concrete set of reasons for the invasion, and all they came up with was the small number of neo-nazis in Ukraine and some lightweight whining about NATO. That tells me all I need to know about who drew first blood.

  • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday August 31 2022, @03:38AM (33 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday August 31 2022, @03:38AM (#1269332) Homepage Journal

    The first observation is that the people talking the most about the treachery of media sources gobble up naked propaganda without a second thought

    The amusing bit is, the same is true of you who support Ukraine wholeheartedly. I insist that while the Russians are lying, so is Ukraine, and all the governments that back Ukraine. I read the Russian propaganda, pick through it, consider this to be half-true, that to be all lies, and another story probably true. Then, I do the same with US/EU propaganda. That story is bullshit, this story might be half-true or more, and the third story looks about right. Lies from the left, lies from the right, lies from on high, lies from down low, lies, lies, lies, mixed with bits of truth that they try to cover up after the fact.

    Aren't we lucky to be able to fund yet another war, so soon after we had our asses handed to us in Afghanistan? Not only to fund another war, but to pay even more in the form of energy shortages, food shortages, supply chain disruptions, and profiteers? Gotta love it, right?

    Excuse me, while I celebrate (again) the destruction of the Azov battalion.

    --
    Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
    • (Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday August 31 2022, @03:56AM

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday August 31 2022, @03:56AM (#1269340) Journal

      Aren't we lucky to be able to fund yet another war, so soon after we had our asses handed to us in Afghanistan?

      Funny how the Russians are so cooperative on that. /sarc

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @10:54AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @10:54AM (#1269373)

      I don't see khallow saying that Ukraine is completely beyond reproach. That's a straw man, and you know it.

      He is harshly criticizing Russia, and this is warranted. This war never needed to happen. Russia was not facing an existential threat or even a serious one. This war is not about what's good for Russia. It's about what's good for some people in power, like Putin. The best thing Russia could have done was to clean up the corruption in their country and work on growing their economy. Their economy is going to suffer even more when they've isolated themselves by fighting a war of aggression. I also find it ironic how people like you complain about corruption in Ukraine, but ignore the massive corruption in Russia as you're defending them. Khallow is correct that Russia's actions do harm billions of people. You talk about energy shortages, supply chain issues, and food shortages. All of those things are real, and they would not have occurred if Russia had refrained from invading Ukraine. Why aren't you capable of assigning blame to Russia when they are obviously deserving of it?

      I don't agree with khallow very often, but this is a fair and reasonable journal. I'll give credit where it's due. This is a reasonable and logical journal entry.

    • (Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday August 31 2022, @11:53AM (15 children)

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday August 31 2022, @11:53AM (#1269381) Journal

      Excuse me, while I celebrate (again) the destruction of the Azov battalion.

      Seems a bit premature since they apparently are still a going concern.

      Not only to fund another war, but to pay even more in the form of energy shortages, food shortages, supply chain disruptions, and profiteers?

      All which could have been avoided by Russia choosing peace instead of war. I find your information sifting process reasonable, but it is peculiar how you somehow consistently miss basic facts in the process.

      • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday August 31 2022, @12:39PM (3 children)

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday August 31 2022, @12:39PM (#1269386) Homepage Journal

        Seems a bit premature since they apparently are still a going concern.

        It's being rebuilt, rebranded, etc. I suspect the new Azov will be as bad as the old Azov, but it isn't going to be the same.

        --
        Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @08:32PM (2 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @08:32PM (#1269499)

          Being rebuilt... with China as the landlord. You never miss your freedom 'til the rent comes due.

          But, Russia v Ukraine... Our team is red-hot! Your team ain't diddly-squat! Otherwise, there really aren't good guys. It's like a hated schoolyard bully, sucker-punching the disgusting schoolyard asshole.

          • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday September 01 2022, @12:45AM (1 child)

            by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday September 01 2022, @12:45AM (#1269539) Journal

            But, Russia v Ukraine... Our team is red-hot! Your team ain't diddly-squat! Otherwise, there really aren't good guys. It's like a hated schoolyard bully, sucker-punching the disgusting schoolyard asshole.

            Russia should have thought about that Chinese threat before they decided to start a war. Not after.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @05:35AM

              by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @05:35AM (#1269594)

              Russia probably figured that of course those Americans are an ineffectual laughingstock nowadays, just exactly like everybody else in the world does. If Russia thought about China at all, it was that the-enemy-of-my-enemy, will kill me last.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @08:27PM (10 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @08:27PM (#1269497)

        > All which could have been avoided by Russia choosing peace instead of war.

        The West would never choose war over peace. [substack.com]

        • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday September 01 2022, @12:39AM (9 children)

          by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday September 01 2022, @12:39AM (#1269538) Journal
          Indeed. Notice the actual facts: 1) 14k deaths in Donbas that happened due to the Russian-backed civil war. The author of this post, a Raheem Kassam, just claims without proof that it's "predominantly pro-Russian deaths at the hands of Ukrainians".

          2) On Stepan Bandera, he's a man who chose sides in the great conflict between two of the worst evils of the world ever and happened to choose Hitler. It's a huge so what?

          3) Wordmincing on what Putin said about "fight to the last Ukrainian”. Notice that that was corrected, but Kassam is still huffy because it was corrected "awkwardly".

          4) Kassam says "aforementioned negotiated settlement would have seen Russia withdraw to its February 23rd position i.e. out of Ukraine entirely", but Russia would still be in Crimea and Donbas region, both which are part of Ukraine as acknowledged by Russia back in the 1990s.

          5) There's a lot of whining when the wrong people take steps that kept Ukraine from losing this war such as Boris Johnson pledging a bunch of military weapons. That's the ridiculous premise of this article and your post: that the West chose war because it's supporting the Ukraine's side of the war rather than just letting Russia win. The obvious rebuttal to Kassam's tripe here is that Russia chose war in February not Boris Johnson in April. Just letting Russia win a war is actually a pro-war position because it rewards Russia for starting this crap.
          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @10:56AM (8 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @10:56AM (#1269622)

            claims without proof that it's "predominantly pro-Russian deaths at the hands of Ukrainians".

            "predominantly" is doing the work there. [wikipedia.org]

            happened to choose Hitler.

            Things just happen to people, they've no personal agency. Also let's call for reparations from distant descendants of a racial group who happened to support slavery. What cognitive dissonance? These are perfectly coherent positions.

            the West chose war because it's supporting the Ukraine's side of the war rather than just letting Russia win.

            As the article notes...

            It is in fact possible to hold a neutral, realist position, especially when the West’s perspective is hardly rooted in morality.

            The endgame is the West collapsing due to their own energy policies, there will be no stopping Putin then.

            • (Score: 2) by khallow on Thursday September 01 2022, @11:09AM (7 children)

              by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday September 01 2022, @11:09AM (#1269626) Journal

              claims without proof that it's "predominantly pro-Russian deaths at the hands of Ukrainians".

              "predominantly" is doing the work there.

              I'll do the work you're too dumb to do. That lists a bit over 14k deaths (note the component totals add to more than the total estimate does). Just under half is pro-Russian forces (it almost adds up to 7k), including actual Russian forces in the mix. The rest are 3.4k civilians and 4.5k Ukrainian soldiers. It also doesn't include the 289 people who died when that airline was shot down.

              So no "predominantly". I find it interesting how you even link to a real source and get it wrong.

              Things just happen to people, they've no personal agency.

              I don't take the morality of such choices seriously, when the two other primary choices are Stalin or hope nobody finds and executes you for not being on a side.

              It is in fact possible to hold a neutral, realist position, especially when the West’s perspective is hardly rooted in morality.

              I see he can't actually articulate what that neutral, realist position is - probably because it doesn't actually exist. When someone commits evil unilaterally as Russia did here, there's no moral, neutral position. Opposition is the only moral position.

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @02:15PM (6 children)

                by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @02:15PM (#1269652)

                I'll do the work you're too dumb to do. [...] The rest are 3.4k civilians

                Could you clarify for those of us who can only aspire to your level of genius; Would those be predominately ethnic Russian civilians living in a predominately Russian speaking area?

                I don't take the morality of such choices seriously

                The enemy of your enemy is not your friend.

                I see he can't actually articulate what that neutral, realist position is - probably because it doesn't actually exist.

                Get back to us on that when the European winter is through... unless the EU finds a way around their own energy sanctions. [oilprice.com]

                When someone commits evil unilaterally as Russia did here, there's no moral, neutral position. Opposition is the only moral position.

                Yet you support the position of one set of squabbling psychopaths rather than those civilians who suffer because of it? Great moral position you have there, you are a master contortionist!

                • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @02:53PM (1 child)

                  by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @02:53PM (#1269657)

                  Geez, did they not have enough $$$ to finish your propagandist certification? That post is the whiniest least convincing bunch of letters mashed together.

                • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday September 01 2022, @09:39PM (3 children)

                  by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday September 01 2022, @09:39PM (#1269762) Journal

                  Could you clarify for those of us who can only aspire to your level of genius; Would those be predominately ethnic Russian civilians living in a predominately Russian speaking area?

                  I already that most of the deaths aren't civilian. And I can't say what the ethicity of the civilian deaths are. They could be predominately some other ethnicity that doesn't get the survival consideration ethnic Russians would get.

                  I don't take the morality of such choices seriously

                  The enemy of your enemy is not your friend.

                  So what? Politics isn't about friends. It's about interests. And if you're an oppressed ethnicity in the USSR at that time, you have a common interest with Hitler.

                  I see he can't actually articulate what that neutral, realist position is - probably because it doesn't actually exist.

                  Get back to us on that when the European winter is through... unless the EU finds a way around their own energy sanctions.

                  They're building up stores of natural gas. We'll see if you're right or not. But interesting that you're resorting to these threats.

                  When someone commits evil unilaterally as Russia did here, there's no moral, neutral position. Opposition is the only moral position.

                  Yet you support the position of one set of squabbling psychopaths rather than those civilians who suffer because of it? Great moral position you have there, you are a master contortionist!

                  Sure, opposing Putin will hurt people - that's how parasites work. A successful parasite like Putin can't be removed cleanly. It will hurt. But it will hurt more to let those parasites devour us. I support a moral position that will reduce suffering in the world. Your nihilism merely refuses to acknowledge that.

                  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @11:22PM (2 children)

                    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 01 2022, @11:22PM (#1269794)

                    And if you're an oppressed ethnicity in the USSR at that time, you have a common interest with Hitler.

                    The Crimea was transferred to Ukraine by Khrushchev in 1954, do Crimea's ethnic Russians have a common interest with Putin?

                    interesting that you're resorting to these threats.

                    The threats are real [youtu.be] but it's not me making them.

                    I support a moral position that will reduce suffering in the world.

                    47 million people dying of starvation is a price Putin, the French Agriculture Minister and you are prepared to pay to achieve your political goals. We are not the same.

                    • (Score: 1) by khallow on Friday September 02 2022, @01:46AM

                      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Friday September 02 2022, @01:46AM (#1269816) Journal

                      The Crimea was transferred to Ukraine by Khrushchev in 1954, do Crimea's ethnic Russians have a common interest with Putin?

                      I bet it's a lot less common interest now, heh. I don't really get the argument that ethnic Russians want to be oppressed by an ethnic Russian tyranny rather than not oppressed by a Ukrainian democracy. And sorry, I don't buy that's supposed to be western propaganda.

                      47 million people dying of starvation is a price Putin, the French Agriculture Minister and you are prepared to pay to achieve your political goals. We are not the same.

                      One can have all kinds of fun with fallacy of composition. For example, did you know that Putin, the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, and you are killing tens of thousands of people in Ukraine right now? "We are not the same" - derp, derp, derp.

                    • (Score: 1) by khallow on Friday September 02 2022, @01:48AM

                      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Friday September 02 2022, @01:48AM (#1269817) Journal

                      The threats are real but it's not me making them.

                      I disagree. You're hyping it up. My take is that this winter might be difficult, but they'll have it figured out next winter.

    • (Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @08:08PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 31 2022, @08:08PM (#1269494)

      I read the Russian propaganda, pick through it, consider this to be half-true, that to be all lies, and another story probably true. Then, I do the same with US/EU propaganda. That story is bullshit, this story might be half-true or more, and the third story looks about right. Lies from the left, lies from the right, lies from on high, lies from down low, lies, lies, lies, mixed with bits of truth that they try to cover up after the fact.

      Pardon me but I think I speak for many when I say that you are not known around here for being the most discerning when it comes to "sifting" propaganda from news. Just sayin'.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 02 2022, @09:27PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 02 2022, @09:27PM (#1269977)

      I for one am loving how you still get spanked in your journals after trying to go full censorship. What happened to the tough runaway that wasn't no snowflake? Here I thought words were not violence and different views should be debated in the free marketplace of ideas!?!! Guess Runaway doesn't ackshually have any principles.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 04 2022, @03:53AM (12 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 04 2022, @03:53AM (#1270144)

      Weird, a c9mment at -1 flamebait is default opened with no js running. Seen it before, starting to think it is a flag some unscrupulous staffer could alter.

      • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Sunday September 04 2022, @04:21AM (11 children)

        by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 04 2022, @04:21AM (#1270150) Journal

        The moderations took place over a 14 hour period on 31 Aug. There are 4 moderations, 3 x Flamebait and 1 x Interesting. No 'staffers' have moderated this story. We cannot change any 'flag' on journals because we cannot see them until they are released, and we have no editing ability of journals at all. But we have told you this several times.

        With or without js is simply irrelevant.

        Seen it before, starting to think it is a flag some unscrupulous staffer could alter.

        Oh, I see. It is another unsubstantiated claim against the admins in an effort to convince people to leave. And it is posted by the old Azuma Hazuki 2.0 account which has been identified as a sock puppet and disabled. Now, who would post a comment like that....? At least the title is still accurate.

        • (Score: 2, Funny) by khallow on Sunday September 04 2022, @05:01AM

          by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 04 2022, @05:01AM (#1270160) Journal
          Reviewing this thread, I don't think ari is "starting to think". False alarm.
        • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 04 2022, @11:52PM (9 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 04 2022, @11:52PM (#1270270)

          So you've just admitted that runaway runs that AH 2.0 account, interesting. Did you mean to leak that??

          • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Monday September 05 2022, @04:00AM (8 children)

            by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Monday September 05 2022, @04:00AM (#1270299) Journal
            It is run by the same person who ran the aristarchus account.
            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 05 2022, @04:53PM (7 children)

              by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 05 2022, @04:53PM (#1270349)

              So Runaway is aristarchus? Weird, why would someone bother? Performance art, or /. troll? Or is it as simple as trying to make a caricature from the Ivory Tower Elitists? Wish we could get MDC back, at least his crazy was palatable. Side note, should you be divulging such info, or is aristarchus so far under your skin you don't care anymore? Also which comment are you referring to, because at first I thought you meant my AC comment, but not being aristarchus or the azuma copycat I presume you meant another but going through the thread there ain't much. Hopefully you're not using IPIDs again since those are shared frequently by people using VPNs and TOR.

              • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Tuesday September 06 2022, @05:20AM (6 children)

                by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday September 06 2022, @05:20AM (#1270427) Journal

                It will obviously surprise you - but aristarchus' IPIDs tend to be unique. Nobody else has ever used them to contact SN except for aristarchus and his positively-identified sock puppets. We don't care who uses them for connections to other sites, we only look at the connections to our site. If the community shared the same TOR exit nodes or VPNs with others it would make life harder for us, but aristarchus doesn't. Runaway has not used a sock puppet for almost a year.

                But we have other ways of identifying his accounts which are just as effective, but then he knows that.

                • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 06 2022, @11:52PM (5 children)

                  by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 06 2022, @11:52PM (#1270521)

                  Well you are incorrect in your assessment, not aristarchus. I do love how frequently you're wrong, sadly I can not prove it to other readers so they'll probably assume I'm aristarchus just trolling you instead of you being wrong. It is cool though, you gotta manage turds like ari and runaway, no wonder you're paranoid and short tempered.

                  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday September 07 2022, @12:25AM

                    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday September 07 2022, @12:25AM (#1270524) Journal

                    sadly I can not prove it to other readers

                    Indeed, you can't prove false things. Of course, if you were to give yourself over to honesty and spend more time proving and less time exploring the consequences of your fake claims, you probably wouldn't have this problem.

                  • (Score: 3, Informative) by janrinok on Wednesday September 07 2022, @06:26AM (3 children)

                    by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday September 07 2022, @06:26AM (#1270546) Journal

                    1. I didn't say you were aristarchus.

                    2. There are several ways that we can identify accounts.

                    3. I am not paranoid or short tempered. What gives you the impression that I am? But the person behind the aristarchus account - and many, many other accounts (see 2 above) - is getting very frustrated and has recently started pleading with admins to revert the ban on ACs posting on the front page stories without having an account. The ban on ACs posting on the front page has removed almost all of the rubbish in front page comments, the rest can be managed by simple moderation. There are fewer comments, but only because we have removed the worthless posts that we driving people away from the site. We have achieved exactly what was intended.

                    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 07 2022, @06:29PM (1 child)

                      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 07 2022, @06:29PM (#1270624)

                      1. Yes you did, was my or runaway's comment. That is the fun part of knowing my own AC pists and watching you hypothesize who I might really be.
                      2. Well use them instead of making false accusations, really troubling that you regularly make false accusations though as I said I'm the only one that gets to 100% know that.
                      3. Are you kidding me? If you were not paranoid you wouldn't make false accusations, and if you weren't short tempered you wouldn't have even reacted. Clearly this on going drama has you on edge, and it should since at least one real person, me, gets to know you are either lying or vastly over confident. Both are bad.

                      99. I've seen you claim many times that you do not care about people's identities, yet you have outed AC posts repeatedly in the past and you feel very comfortable throwing out false accusations. Now you admit you track users with other methods than the hashed IP? Eek buddy, you're never too old for therapy, or self help meditation whatnots.

                      • (Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday September 07 2022, @11:56PM

                        by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday September 07 2022, @11:56PM (#1270659) Journal
                        I find it interesting how empty your complaints are.

                        I've seen you claim many times that you do not care about people's identities, yet you have outed AC posts repeatedly in the past and you feel very comfortable throwing out false accusations.

                        Note that "outed AC posts" just means linking an AC with pseudoanonymous accounts from aristarchus without revealing the identity of aristarchus. So peoples' identities, particularly that of aristarchus have not been revealed. Second, no evidence of false accusations.

                    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 07 2022, @06:32PM

                      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 07 2022, @06:32PM (#1270625)

                      Also, I applaud removal of pure AC though I'm happy to point out the hypocrisy from "free speech" defenders.

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