Quote Originally Posted by Hanna View Post
I liked your comment as usual, but we mustn't forget that it-ogo, the "random sample" person in Eastern Ukraine is really p-d off with Russia at the moment, says the RU military is there locally and strongly against any intervention by Russia.

I totally missed the news on the Eurasian trading zone. Well good for them. Everybody needs to be in a union these days...

As for your comment on Arms Race. Yes, that is the big fear isn't it? I think the ludicrous and totally unnecessary expense of an arms race was partly responsible for the economical problems of the USSR. While they were trying to provide for the population, in terms of basics etc, they felt pressured to continue investing in insanely expensive weaponry to enable them to do things that would have killed off the entire planet. I think the USA is also still suffering from the madness of the arms race - in terms of foreign debt and the arms lobby and multinational corporations. Apparently arms is the US biggest domestic production for export. Typical..

It's so perverse there are not even words for it. While people are starving or suffering, global warming escalating and horrible diseases, some countries spend these ridiculous sums on dreaming up and building increasingly sophisticated ways of killing each other.

I just hope nobody is crazy enough to kick off that madness again. And this time the US would not be the winner. China and maybe Russia or India would be.

The US seems to have started a trend with the drones now. Lots of countries in Asia and Europe are getting them. I actually saw one here in the UK last year, when I was on holiday in Wales. Incredibly creepy, we didn't even spot it until it was really close, and then you could hear a creepy noise from it.
Welcome to 1984.
it-ogo has every right to have serious issues with Russia right now since it-ogo has to live with and deal with what's happening there. And yeah, it would be a lot better if Ukraine could deal with it's own problems, without any intervention. But I don't see that going down so I think it's very important to understand why these things are happening.
I've been trying very hard to stay objective. I haven't seen any solid proof that there are Russian soldiers in Ukraine. But if I do see solid proof then I will believe it. And it is a possibility that wouldn't surprise me.

Anyway, I spent about 4 hours last weekend listening to a video about NATO and the dangers of eastward expansion. It included what I learned about the conflict in Georgia and the limitations of NATO in the Baltic states.
It's just insane that the EU would push for NATO alignment in it's contract with Ukraine. And the part about having to choose sides. If the EU had left those things out of the agreement, the Ukrainian crisis probably never woulda gone this far.

And you're right. I read about the Arms Race and Perimeter is still in-place. I think the US has a similar system too. It's just scary. And if a nuclear exchange ever happens, I really don't think there will be any winners.
Btw, did you know that even North Korea is making drones now? Nothing serious yet but who knows what that can lead to.
North Korea denies drones were sent to South | Air Force Times | airforcetimes.com

Btw, I think we already passed 1984. I think we're living in the sequel.