DEAR RUSSIA & THE REST OF THE WORLD

[PureX]

Your approach hasn't worked. Russia is still in Ukraine. WWIII still looms.

It was never going to be a quick fix. The only people that can stop Putin are the Russian people, and they are confused, divided, and have a long history of living in fear of the power of the state. Nevertheless, the sanctions are having an impact. And it's the wealthy oligarchs in Russia that are feeling it the most. And it's they who will have the best chance of stopping Putin.

We need a peace deal here: what can we offer. Offer that NATO will never admit Ukraine, Finland and Sweden, if and only if Russia stops and gets out. Include in the deal that if Russia ever transgresses another sovereign state again, or if Russia in their own political way approves of it, Ukraine, Finland and Sweden automatically become members of NATO.

This is still not ideal, but will it work. WWI and WWII started the same way, one European country invaded another European country, and then alliances compelled other countries to join in; then the war commenced, but both wars began the same way. And we're right between steps one and two right now, and we need it to stop, right now.

We have nothing to offer Putin that he wants. He was never in fear of NATO, and he still isn't. That's just his excuse for the masses. What he wants is to reassemble the old Soviet Union, starting with Ukraine. He wants to go down in history as the great and powerful leader that raised Russia back up from the ashes of the cold war to global greatness. In the beginning I was hoping there was some specific agenda he was after that could be used as a bargaining point. But unfortunately, he's just another despot who's ego has run away with his reason.

 

[Idolater]

It was never going to be a quick fix. The only people that can stop Putin are the Russian people, and they are confused, divided, and have a long history of living in fear of the power of the state. Nevertheless, the sanctions are having an impact. And it's the wealthy oligarchs in Russia that are feeling it the most. And it's they who will have the best chance of stopping Putin.

I was hoping this same thing from the start but it's obviously not going to happen and an unrealistic pipe dream at this point. If the Russian polity was going to depose Putin the Ignorant Idiot, they would have done so by now. There's no sense anymore hoping that this will happen.

We have nothing to offer Putin that he wants. He was never in fear of NATO, and he still isn't. That's just his excuse for the masses. What he wants is to reassemble the old Soviet Union, starting with Ukraine. He wants to go down in history as the great and powerful leader that raised Russia back up from the ashes of the cold war to global greatness. In the beginning I was hoping there was some specific agenda he was after that could be used as a bargaining point. But unfortunately, he's just another despot who's ego has run away with his reason.

Or, you're wrong and there is reasoning with this stupid Russian man. Our offer is definitely not what he wants, but the idea would be that he maybe doesn't want Finland and Sweden to join NATO even more.

All we have to do is get him to stop. All they had to do leading up to WWII was get Hitler to stop. All they had to do leading up to WWI was get Austria-Hungary to stop.

Just stop. Stop it. Stop tempting WWIII. This is insanity.

 

[PureX]

I was hoping this same thing from the start but it's obviously not going to happen and an unrealistic pipe dream at this point. If the Russian polity was going to depose Putin the Ignorant Idiot, they would have done so by now. There's no sense anymore hoping that this will happen.

No one knows what will happen next. Putin is under increasing pressure from his political and economic cohorts. He could even suddenly die of a heart attack or something. Who knows? They have their own methods of "impeachment", there. The Ukrainians don't have to win the war, they just have to keep fighting. And we need to keep the pressure on, and keep airing the atrocities of the Russian soldiers. Because a lot of Russian people are already greatly ashamed of this attack by their country, and all the more so by the atrocious behavior of their soldiers. Many Russians have friends and family among the Ukrainian people.

Or, you're wrong and there is reasoning with this stupid Russian man. Our offer is definitely not what he wants, but the idea would be that he maybe doesn't want Finland and Sweden to join NATO even more.

All we have to do is get him to stop. All they had to do leading up to WWII was get Hitler to stop. All they had to do leading up to WWI was get Austria-Hungary to stop.

Just stop. Stop it. Stop tempting WWIII. This is insanity.

Humans are generally insane. Especially the ones that want to run everything and control everyone. Commerce, politics, religion, it makes little difference. The ones that want to be in charge the most are the ones that should never be allowed to be in charge of anything. And yet century after century, we keep letting them take charge. We still have not learned even this most basic principal of human nature.

 

[Idolater]

No one knows what will happen next. Putin is under increasing pressure from his political and economic cohorts. He could even suddenly die of a heart attack or something. Who knows? They have their own methods of "impeachment", there. The Ukrainians don't have to win the war, they just have to keep fighting. And we need to keep the pressure on, and keep airing the atrocities of the Russian soldiers. Because a lot of Russian people are already greatly ashamed of this attack by their country, and all the more so by the atrocious behavior of their soldiers. Many Russians have friends and family among the Ukrainian people.

Humans are generally insane. Especially the ones that want to run everything and control everyone. Commerce, politics, religion, it makes little difference. The ones that want to be in charge the most are the ones that should never be allowed to be in charge of anything. And yet century after century, we keep letting them take charge. We still have not learned even this most basic principal of human nature.

America was founded upon this principle. Cf. our Constitution.

 

[PureX]

America was founded upon this principle. Cf. our Constitution.

And we still have not learned or enacted it's ideals.

 

[Idolater]

And we still have not learned or enacted it's ideals.

I think we've strangled that document politically, and it's still stronger than we are. It's a modern marvel. Everyone should not just mimic it, they should convert and be admitted into the Union with us. They should petition us, they should apply for membership, like Finland and Sweden apply for NATO membership. The Constitution is better than NATO. It's better for the world, than NATO is.

 

[PureX]

I think we've strangled that document politically, and it's still stronger than we are. It's a modern marvel. Everyone should not just mimic it, they should convert and be admitted into the Union with us. They should petition us, they should apply for membership, like Finland and Sweden apply for NATO membership. The Constitution is better than NATO. It's better for the world, than NATO is.

I think you have way too high an opinion of the US Constitution. It was the first of it's kind and represents an amazing advance in the concept of governance, but unfortunately, it's vague, confusing, and woefully incomplete. Which is why it's needing to be constantly amended, and unfortunately why it's been so easy to ignore, pervert, and circumvent.

We needed it to directly state the fundamental principals it intended to set forth and protect, and we needed it to address specificly how to do that. And unfortunately it did neither of those things except in the most vague and tertiary way. The founders wrongly assumed that we would correct and enhance it over time, but all too often just the opposite has been true.

The Declaration of Independence did at least address some of the basic principals, but it, too, lacks clarity and specificity. Also, the Declaration doesn't have any weight as law.

 

[Idolater]

Russia: STOP IT. KNOCK IT OFF. ENOUGH!