ChubbyChecker posted:

abloo bloo bloo

dont blame others for your poo poo country

Strategic Tea posted:

Sure, the US only acts as the humble chairman but its international NGOs enforce favourable free trade worldwide, its currency is the untouchable world standard, and every other western state sets foreign policy in reference to what the Americans will do (with or against).

I'm glad to be part of the club but there is definitely a first among equals benefit and I don't think some of the ruthless bastards running the US though the 20th century were doing it as a charity case.

The fact that American people don't get to share in that wealth is a different problem.

We should absolutely be spending a ton more on the military however.

bob dobbs is dead posted:

Grape posted:

I'm sorry no one is not going to laugh at the idea that large wealthy western European countries, some still greasily clinging to empire around parts of the globe, and owning nuclear weapons, are underdog servants of America.

It's like listening to millionaires whine about a billionaire.

HonorableTB posted:

I didn't say it was preventing it. I said the opposite actually. I said the US wasn't getting that regardless but that it enables Europeans to have those things because they can spend the money on that instead of defense because of American defense subsidies.

Blistex posted:

I don't think that they can spend money on healthcare because they were skimping on their militaries, it's just that the US will never spend money on proper healthcare. The US spends more on their health -grifting system and has a big military, and the two are unrelated, just as European nations were skimping on their militaries and had proper healthcare and the two were unrelated.

HonorableTB posted:

I didn't say it was preventing it. I said the opposite actually. I said the US wasn't getting that regardless but that it enables Europeans to have those things because they can spend the money on that instead of defense because of American defense subsidies.

HonorableTB posted:

Trump sucked a lot for many reasons but one of the things he did right was correctly calling out NATO states for by and large failing to meet their requirements because they found it easier to rely on the US instead of having to meet their obligations on spending. The US shouldn't have to foot the bill for the majority of NATO defense AND shoulder most of the burden helping Ukraine. We can because someone needs to and it's easy for America to do so but we shouldn't just let everyone else skate on requirements (because NATO doing that is how we got to this position with severely anemic European militaries in the first place). If you wanna be part of the club then pay your dues. As of 2022 only Poland, the US, and UK were meeting that obligation

mobby_6kl posted:

I don't think Trump even understood how NATO works, and though that the countries not spending the 2% of gdp were stealing from him.

Lammasu posted:

As I stated in the Trump legal trouble thread, the longest book in the world would be a list of simple things Trump doesn't understand.

mobby_6kl posted:

Most of the book would be just dogs, right?

Lammasu posted:

They made a joke about that in that thread and I didn't get it. What does Trump not understand about dogs?

Kchama posted:

He constantly uses dogs as a comparison point for how bad something is, like he thinks dogs are thought of as inherently hated animals.

zone posted:

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1680499500534620160#m

mobby_6kl posted:

Yeah and especially in ways that make no sense for dogs:



There are a bunch of examples in this article: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-dogs_n_56b99a5ee4b04f9b57dafa54

Coolguye posted:

wait, that's it. trump's forum name was Iron Crowned.

the popes toes posted:

Ukraine War: We Can't Stop Talking About Trump

the popes toes posted:

Ukraine War: We Can't Stop Talking About Trump

Xenocides posted:

Trump was right that NATO nations should pay more but his approach to correct the problem was completely and utterly wrong. You don’t shame sovereign states into increasing defense spending by bullying them about it. It makes the politicians who cave look weak and like they are knuckling in to American bullying. If you have to strongarm someone you do it behind closed diplomatic doors and leave the other guy a way to spin it as a win.

Of course Trump had no intention of actually getting NATO to increase defense spending but this is also Trump’s approach to diplomacy in general. Remember Mexico’s “We’re not paying for your stupid wall” or “We are going to buy Greenland, oh, you won’t sell, then I AM NOT COMING!” In diplomacy you have to leave both sides able to sell it as a win but Trump was trying to score wins and humble his opponents which is why the rest of the world laughed at or manipulated the dumbass.

Trump was factually right (because someone told him the truth) but he hosed up doing both what he was pretending to do (increase NATO defense spending) and what he was trying to do (neuter NATO so the piss tape wouldn’t come out).

the popes toes posted:

Ukraine War: We Can't Stop Talking About Trump

EorayMel posted:

If Ukraine takes back all of Bakhmut, how much of a boon is it for Ukraine, assuming Ukraine doesn't lose too much taking it back? I feel like no matter what Russia is going to forever ramble about how Bakhmut Was The One Big Win Nobody Can Deny even if Ukraine can take it back, but it seems like Russia is really keen on keeping it as a meatgrinder by tying up a lot of troops for some...reason.

fatherboxx posted:

nah
it was just racketeering to undermine closest allies and curry favors with authoritarians that could have given trumpo money

Coolguye posted:

wait, that's it. trump's forum name was Iron Crowned.

quote:

Rashist mobiks in Bakhmut refused to complete "suicide orders" and are now threatened with shooting by their leadership. The men hit all bingo cards: terrible commanders, no ammo, no artillery and aviation support, delays in payments, and no rotation or rest:

"Hello. We’re the mobilised from the 85th Brigade. Together with us are also contractors whose contracts ran out, but they’re still fighting here with us, now for 10-11 months.

We’d like to say that during all this time, we’ve been mobilised for 7-8 months, we always unconditionally completed all orders at fronts near Kreminna and Belohirivka, without fear.

But now, we’ve been thrown to Bahkmut to unprepared unmined positions, with a drunk company commander who led us to these positions. We didn’t reach them, we were shelled with tanks, mortars, Polish missiles.

We came to the company commander and explained that we won’t pass there. We came across employees of PMC “Hurricane” who were leaving those positions, they were the first with losses.

They explained to us that we’re simply suiciders, we won’t pass there. To which the company commander said we needed to complete the order. But as we’re the mobilised, not stormtroopers or spetsnaz, without ammo, without food, without evacuation, without vehicles, we were thrown in like stormtroopers.

We refused, only laying down weapons by the order of the Brigade commander, under threats of shooting, accused of betrayal, and threatened with imprisonment.

We didn’t reach those positions. We are now sat in Svetlodarsk, in some strange building. But as they didn’t take away our phones, we’re trying to record a video for our relatives who could help us.

We do not refuse to fight, we can take weapons again, but not in this direction, and not in the first line of defence. As I already said, we always followed our orders without being afraid, under mortar and enemy bullets.

But now, after this time, we’re simply defeated psychologically by our command. We don’t even have medals for the SMO, we were not given any payments. By the way, our salaries come late and not in full.

There’s no rotation, no rest provided to us. So that’s what it is. And we’re now accused of betrayal and cowardice forgetting about our previous achievements.

We were sent there without artillery and aviation support which are unable to suppress the enemy fire. We came under shelling, and after all that happened, the commander, answering why our artillery and aviation were silent, said there’s no ammo - “Go die an honourable death”.

But we’re not suiciders, we’re simple mobilised, workmen, just like anyone else.

We were called P.O.W.s and threatened with killing, threatened to be sent to Storm units containing unprepared people, or sent back to the zero line. But we’re simply afraid that our commanders will shoot us there.

We do not refuse to serve and complete combat tasks, just not in this direction, not on the first line, and not with these commanders."

Mikojan posted:

Satire is dead

zone posted:

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1680533457385013248#m
Monke continues winning so much that these appeals have increased more than I've ever seen before during any given period of time.

Oscar Wilde Bunch posted:

I want to know how they identify Polish missiles? Do they have the Polish hussars wings on them?