Quote Originally Posted by 14Russian View Post
Oh no, Baldy is using Obama pics.... hide, hide....
1) Seriously, who is responsible for the referendum wording and questions? Who decides how it's worded and what the questions are?
2) it was carefully crafted to make sure that there was no 'status quo' option. Yes, probably only the Tatars want that or the few Ukrainianian nationalists who are brainwashed, themselves (the opposite of the brainwash machine by the Kremlin) to reach out to the US and UN minions but still.... fair is fair.
Well, you lose again with the truth and most logical points presented... За твоё здоровье!
I don't know which was finnier. The picture or your reaction, LMAO!

Quote Originally Posted by edvalais View Post
Ask yourself another question: why does no Russian on this site openly, directly criticise Russia? To what extent does auto-censorship play a role here? The same dark forces which inhibit open debate here were, again in my opinion, at play in 1930s Germany. смутные времена!!!
Tbh, I've never seen anything deleted (censored) here that wasn't irrationally hostile or disrespectful. Btw, I read an article yesterday in Nezavisimaya Gazeta that wasn't very flattering to President Putin or the State Duma. The author was speaking out for equality and human rights in Russia. No, I honestly don't see the Russian people as being brainwashed and I don't believe they're any more apathetic than Americans. There are people in both countries that get disgusted with government or just don't care.

But sometimes people are so concerned with the differences between 2 countries that they can't see the similarities. Russia and the US are strong allies with strong economic ties. And no, I wouldn't feel any more threatened or restricted living in Russia than I do living in the US. Have you seen the list of the 50 most dangerous cities in the world in 2013? There are 4 US cities in that list but no Russian cities are listed. From Business Insider:
Most Dangerous Cities In The World - Business Insider

And don't forget, allies are friends and friendship is based on mutual respect and understanding. My 2 favorite countries on the European continent are Russia and France and I wouldn't want to change either one.

Quote Originally Posted by Hanna View Post
What "dark forces" are you referring to, exactly? That's like saying Homeland Security came will come and get UhOhXplode and Deborski because they sometimes diss the USA. About as likely I would say. Or less, actually.
Another thing to consider is that Putin actually has the majority's support, more or less, in Russia. So statistically most Russians here ought to more or less tolerate him.
LOL! It's always a possibility that anyone that speaks out too much could be picked up by Homeland Security. I mean, they already know how often we brush our teeth and they can detain US citizens indefinitely without a trial. So yeah, I really don't believe it could be any worse in Russia. Anyway, I think it's very interesting that our country hates what it calls "dictators" and also hates people that speak out against things the government does - I think that's called a double standard, LOL!

@ the OP:
Russia has a lot invested in Crimea which, imo, gives them the right to get involved in the Ukrainian crisis. The US/EU won't lose anything if Crimea does join the Russian Federation... except maybe the possibility of building new NATO bases. Tbh, I don't really see Russia as any threat to the west so I think the NATO buildup needs to stop. The western powers already said they don't have "the appetite" for a military confrontation with Moscow.

But despite NATO reconnaissance aircraft patrolling the Polish and Romanian borders and U.S. naval forces preparing for exercises in the Black Sea, Western powers have made clear that, as when ex-Soviet Georgia lost territory in fighting in 2008, they have no appetite for risking turning the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War into a military conflict with Moscow.
Ukraine forms new defense force, seeks Western help - chicagotribune.com

So why extend hostilities over something that's inevitable. Tbh, I don't think they will... at least, not for very long. The countries are already too dependent on each other economically to risk any serious sanctions. It's like dominoes - if one country falls so will the others. How many Senators wanna lose their new homes or yachts over something they can't change? Obviously not very many since the visa-bans had to be imposed by Executive Order. Obama wouldn't have done that if Congress was backing him up.
Anyway, here's the latest news I've seen on the Crimean situation:
West prepares sanctions as Russia presses on with Ukraine takeover - chicagotribune.com
http://www.rg.ru/2014/03/14/lavrov-site.html

It's Saturday and 04:38 in Moscow right now. The Referendum is only a day away.

EDIT:
Some more interesting news. Russia downed a US surveillance drone over Crimea:
http://news.yahoo.com/russia-says-in...180430584.html