unicorn

He's more than "affiliated" with the Quincy Institute. He founded it and is its President. The fact that this institute is funded by right-wing fat-cats doesn't exclude the possibility of his getting money under the table from Putin. No one who knows anything could seriously believe that Russia is more of a democracy that the US. Anyone of any influence in Russia who even says anything critical of Putin gets either murdered or they and their family sent to Siberian prisons. Putin has iron-clad control of the press in Russia, and no credible opponent of his is allowed to live. That's obviously not democracy. It's totalitarianism/dictatorship. According to the Institute's Wikipedia page: "During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were two resignations in protest at the institute's dovish response to the conflict: non-resident fellow Joseph Cirincione of Ploughshares Fund, who had raised money for Quincy, and board member Paul Eaton, a retired senior Army major officer and adviser to Democratic politicians and liberal advocacy groups. Cirincione said he "fundamentally" disagrees with Quincy experts who "completely ignore the dangers and the horrors of Russia’s invasion and occupation and focus almost exclusively on criticism of the United States, NATO, and Ukraine". " Equally preposterous is the notion that Lavrov isn't working for Putin. Yes, all secretaries of state work at the pleasure of their bosses, and the US's is no exception. However, if Lavrov were to say something contrary to Putin's ideals, he wouldn't just be fired, he'd be murdered, and his family probably sent to Siberian prison camps. Wilkerson also mentioned that Putin and Xi listen and take counsel from their respective legislatures. Again, so ridiculous he can't possibly believe that either. It would be interesting to look into Wilkerson's finances to see if there's evidence he takes money from Putin.

Lavrov is a man with no self-respect. I hope he eventually gets his just desserts.

"Sergei Lavrov doesn't work for Putin...Wang Yi doesn't work for Xi..." Biden is Attila the Hun and Putin is a saint. Russia is more of a democracy than the US? Yes, of course, Biden is assassinating all reporters who oppose him. 😂😂😂😂😂 He can't believe that. Never heard such BS in my life. I wonder how much RT is paying him.

Won't need it. The USSR didn't do anything to get the southern Kuril islands ("bravely joined" the fight against Japan after the US dropped the A-bomb and Japan was on the verge of surrender), so if the Russians were defeated, Japan could just take the islands back without a fight, as these islands were taken from the Japanese in the last days of WW2.

I guess you're right, though the son who was killed was actually also a killer and a man of ill repute himself...

I'm glad to hear that scumbag won't see the outside of a prison for the rest of his life. He should get extra punishment for having such ugly sons! What an appropriate last name.

I don't think that people who watch Fox news could care less about the truth.

Well, obviously Saudi Arabia opening up its airspace means a huge time/distance difference for El Al. But If Oman didn't open its airspace, couldn't El Al just fly over the UAE, or does the UAE have its airspace closed as well?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpLa8AoAsRN/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY%3D

It's like when we see on the news tornadoes in Arkansas. I tell my partner "That's Lord Shiva vacuuming up the Bible belt...".

Well, what do you think they do with the big bottles? They have to be refilled often as well. I don't see this as distasteful in any way.

There used to be some politicians, even in the Republican party, that I could respect, such as John McCain. Those are becoming a dying breed. I'll never forget the 60 Minutes story which showed that Congress members, who used to spend most of their time in their offices, now spend most of their time in their party's campaign buildings drumming up support.

I've noted with chagrin most hotels have dropped offering individual shampoo bottles and mini soaps in favor of big dispensers. I guess the switch reduces plastic waste, but I prefer the old way. How about you?

I agree. Trump's MO has always been to hire unscrupulous people to perform illegal and immoral acts, then throw them under the bus when they're caught. Choosing to work for someone like Trump shows both poor judgment and poor moral character, even if Trump's the bigger sociopath.

That article's behind a paywall. Can you summarize it? I wish I knew someone who really understood the actual military situation. My sense is that if Putin started using nukes, that it would end up more horribly for Russia than for the West. By West, I'm including Japan, South Korea, Australia, and NZ. If he goes too kooky, Japan might even get the southern Kuril islands back...

Biden is already showing signs of cognitive decline, and should not run again. My choice would be Klobuchar. Yes, if Biden ran again, I'd have to vote for him. There don't seem to be any intelligent Republicans left.

So what if Turks feel Russia is a "necessary partner"? They're right in that Turkish sanctions against Russia would hurt the Turks, probably pretty badly. They did shoot down a Russian plane a few years ago. "Necessary partner" doesn't mean friend. And, yes, China would suffer as well if it sanctioned Russia. Not as much as the Turks, though.

There's a difference between condemning a country's actions and applying sanctions. Obviously the latter is both hostile and costly to the country applying the sanctions. Turkey is obviously not a wealthy country, and it has a lot of trade with Russia. Only wealthy countries can afford a direct confrontation such as sanctions. Just because a country doesn't apply sanctions doesn't mean it's neutral in the matter.

I'm not sure that's factually correct. Most countries have condemned the attack. Only the countries in orange expressed the opinion that the attack was justified: the usual suspects of Syria, Cuba, Belarus, North Korea, Nicaragua, and Iran... Countries is dark gray expressed neutrality, light gray have remained silent. Countries in green condemned the invasion in the UN General Assembly resolution. Those in red voted against. Those in yellow abstained, and blue didn't vote:

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see how a marked drop in activity helps the owners or advertisers. Yes, having your members go elsewhere does mean less work for the moderators, but is that the only goal? Business which aren't forward-thinking will end up being lonely. And maybe out of business.

It sounds as if a continuous stalemate is what China wants. They don't want Putin to win, nor the West and Ukraine. They're more than happy to sit back and profit from both sides. 😉

I'm not so optimistic. I don't see either side giving in. As long as they have our support, Ukraine will probably insist on having all of its territory returned, including Crimea, plus compensation for its injuries. Putin is too hard-headed to return those territories. I suspect our best hope is that Putin dies, one way or the other.

Depends what one means by that. I don't have the statistics, but overall I think traffic there has decreased by a good 3/4 since they took down the politics forum. The website should serve its members, not its moderators. Ignoring this reality will lead to members voting with their feet.

Doesn't Thailand allow people to apply for asylum?