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Russian State TV Anchor: Russia Could Turn US To "Radioactive Ash"

An anonymous reader writes with a Ukraine news roundup. "'Russia is the only country in the world realistically capable of turning the United States into radioactive ash,' anchor Dmitry Kiselyov said on his weekly news show on state-controlled Rossiya 1 television. ... His programme was broadcast as the first exit polls were being published showing an overwhelming majority of Crimeans voting to leave Ukraine and join Russia. He stood in his studio in front of a gigantic image of a mushroom cloud produced after a nuclear attack, with the words 'into radioactive ash.' ... Kiselyov has earned a reputation as one of Russia's most provocative television news hosts, in particularly with his often blatantly homophobic remarks. But he is also hugely influential with his weekly news show broadcast at Sunday evening prime time. Putin last year appointed Kiselyov head of the new Russia Today news agency that is to replace the soon to be liquidated RIA Novosti news agency with the aim of better promoting Russia's official position. — Russia has threatened to stop nuclear disarmament treaty inspections and cooperation. Russian troops are reported to have seized a natural gas terminal in Ukraine outside of Crimea. There are reported to be 60,000 Russian troops massing on Russia's border with Ukraine."

878 comments

  1. And the US could turn Russia into vapor by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I see the Putin Propaganda Machine is in full-Stalin mode.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Certainly I'd be more worried about their intentions to sink the US dollar by selling all their reserves held in that currency. A lot cheaper than firing several ICMBs, and much more effective...Regarding the economic warfront, I don't see any tactical advantages for the US here. Imagine the Russians selling all their US dollars, China following them, and bringing the value of a dollar bill cheaper than paper toilet...

    2. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not yet.

    3. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by kheldan · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'm fairly sure that Obama wouldn't have the balls to push the Red Button regardless of Putin wanting to, apparently, bring back the Soviet Union, and perhaps wanting to bomb the U.S. back into the stone age, however..

      ..yes, the U.S. could still, so far as I know, nuke Russia just as much as Russia could nuke the U.S.. However it would still be the End Of Life On Earth As We Know It, and anyone who doesn't get that is deeply and dangerously in denial. Furthermore don't forget that China (and maybe India, too) would be sitting there munching on popcorn the entire time, waiting for the show to be over so they could pick up the pieces, and I don't think anyone has forgotten that.

      --
      Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    4. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Well, considering that conventional warfare is a nono, and nuclear warfare is a BIG NONO, but economic warfare is fair game, I'd say you have a point.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    5. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by mikael · · Score: 5, Interesting

      But once you have done that once, that's it, the economic weapon has been used, and you've got nothing left. Of course, there's always the threat of using it, or selling off a few million dollars of shares every now and again just to prove the point.

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
    6. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      this is not possible,i am from east . if they do this , their own economy will fall

    7. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Chrisq · · Score: 5, Interesting

      this is not possible,i am from east . if they do this , their own economy will fall

      It would certainly hurt both countries. But arguably Russia could survive in "economic lockdown" easier than the West, it would be like going back to just before glasnost. For the West it would be something unprecedented.

    8. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Ottawakismet · · Score: 5, Informative

      Dont be stupid. Russia holds a mere $200b in treasury bills. Selling them would destabilize Russia more than the US. The US would buy that amount up in a few months. You have to understand the scale of debt - trillions in US debt exist, and 200$b is more like a little wave in a lake. China is opposed to Russia about the intervention, but they will not act on their opposition. The American economy is much larger than the Russian, and many other central banks hold way more US debt then the US.

    9. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      >wouldn't have the balls

      Most of us would say "isn't insane," rather than "doesn't have the balls." Do you self-identify as a violent wacko?

    10. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Starting a nuclear war is never a good idea.

      Bragging about the arsenal size is just idiotic. A single nuke from any country would most likely escalate into multiple nuke exchanges from other countries which would no doubt escalate into full blown nuclear nuclear destruction of the planet. Those pesky things called treaties and such would pretty much assure some ally has more nukes in the waiting.

    11. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have you thought of the actual consequences of a massive US dollars sale? The global economy would certainly suffer, but the US would actually suffer even more. With the actual amount of the US state debt, and how much is held by private hands, I'd say US would be facing a crack even bigger than the one at '29...

    12. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by JockTroll · · Score: 0

      Big difference: the main counterforce targets in the US are uncomfortably close to inhabited areas, while a counterforce strike against Russia wouldn't affect the population and the rest of the infrastructure to the same extent. Unless the US chooses a countervalue strategy, of course. And it only takes one nuke to completely destroy the EU, economically as the panicked population goes into survival mode and politically as each member state scrambles for separate peace negotiation. Do not underestimate Russia: its citizens can withstand difficulties, while we Westerners would probably commit mass suicide after one day without Fecesbook.

      --
      Geeks are so full of shit that "beating the crap out of them" takes a whole new meaning.
    13. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Rob+Riggs · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It's very easy for the U.S. to pay off the U.S. debt. It is denominated in U.S. dollars.

      --
      the growth in cynicism and rebellion has not been without cause
    14. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I see the Putin Propaganda Machine is in full-Stalin mode.

      And Secretary of State John Kerry is absolutely convinced that a sternly-worded letter putting Putin in time-out will correct the situation.

    15. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by gtall · · Score: 5, Informative

      Really? As of last year, Russia held $225 billion in U.S. dollars. So, you think Russia will tank a $17 Trillion dollar economy with $225 billion. I find it helpful to have a sense of perspective when dealing with numbers.

    16. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by borcharc · · Score: 5, Interesting

      This risk is outdated. With the amount of bond buying that the US Federal Reserve has engaged in over the past few years buying all of the debt held by Russia and China combined would not even make a dent should they desire to sell it all, the FED and other nations (Japan) will happily buy. Russia's $100 billion and even China's $1.2T are small potatoes compared to the $16T+ the fed and friends have printed with little consequence as of yet.

      Russia relies on Europe energy sales for 25% of its GDP, Europe relies on Russia to provide 6% of its energy. Sanctions targeting this will hurt Russia very badly and they know it. They have been strong arming Europe for years on energy, delaying their economic recovery. Its time the tables were turned.

    17. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by kheldan · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      What I'm saying is, I don't think that even if the missiles were headed this way, Obama still wouldn't have the guts to give the order for a counter-strike. I'm saying I have no confidence in him if that situation arose. He'd probably try to talk his way out of the whole thing right up to getting vaporized. In other words: I think Obama is weak. I'd take back my vote for numerous reasons if I could.

      --
      Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    18. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by GodfatherofSoul · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It doesn't help that certain segments of Congress keep talking up Putin like he's the second coming of Alexander the Great. Russia is a broke EX world power. Pushing around pissant satellite states and a spigot on a pipeline are about the extend of their power. We need to treat them that way and stop giving them far more credit than they deserve. All we're doing is emboldening Putin.

      The dude goes around shirtless. That should be clue enough he's an attention whore and we all know what happens when you give an attention whore more attention.

      --
      I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
    19. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Have you thought about the costs to Russia? Such a mass sell off would indeed slaughter the price of the dollar, and thus would cut the value of Russia's greenback reserves enormously. Sure the US and the rest of the global economy would be in agony, but Russia would have cut off its own nose despite its face.

      Russia is not some infinitely powerful state. By and large, it's a petro-state, and any move that causes precipitous global economic decline will do it significant damage in the process.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    20. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How would Russia survive it better when it relies upon energy exports to keep its economic ship afloat? Guess what the first victim of a major economic slowdown is...

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    21. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      They already sold them and NOTHING happened. There are $15T of treasuries out there.

    22. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Economic "weapons" are not single use. They're actually usually used in a very long, drawn out way. Kinda like siege warfare. Think of Cuba. They're not really in a bad economic position right from the start, but we "besieged" them after they turned Communist, shutting them off essentially from international trade. And that in turn does hurt a country. Not immediately, but over time.

      What Russia could do is dump a bit of its dollar reserves, then hang the Damocletian sword of dumping the rest over the world economy. That would be far more devastating than them simply dumping their reserves, since that would hurt them, too, considerably. Instead, they now make the rest of the world consider not only dumping what they have in USDs but also trying to switch to other currencies and diversify so a single cash dump can't have such an impact.

      Now ponder that impact on the USD when the whole world wants to get out of it.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    23. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      I get the feeling that Obama would jump at the chance. Probably a bit of hyperbole but true nonetheless.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    24. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Politics aside, we have too many Chamberlains (here, have a chunk of Czechoslovakia, happy now? Oh, no? Here's France. Not happy? Here is some Norway.) when we need Churchills, and this applies to both parties.

    25. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by geekoid · · Score: 1, Redundant

      They absolutely can not.
      The issue is will Putin use that as an excuse for expansion? The follow up question being, is he going to expand regardless?

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    26. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      A few ICBMs aimed at key Russian cities and I'd say the Russian state is in serious trouble.

      This is why no one did it during the cold War, and why no one will do it now. It's just posturing, more likely for the benefit of any Russians who might be thinking that Putin may have bitten off more than he can chew.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    27. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Paper toilet is a failed design paradigm....

    28. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyMartian · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The West didn't intervene in the Prague Spring, and they won't likely directly intervene now. Ukraine isn't worth the pain of open warfare.

      Beyond that, the US has been for weeks now trying to push for vast overarching sanctions. It's the EU that lacks the backbone. For full sanctions to really work, it has to be both the US and the EU.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    29. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by cheesybagel · · Score: 1

      Of which they can print any amount they want to.

    30. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by SpankiMonki · · Score: 1

      I see the Putin Propaganda Machine is in full-Stalin mode.

      It could just as well be full Khrushchev/Brezhnev/Andropov/Chernenko propaganda mode. Why does Stalin get all the credit? Oh yeah, he's the scariest in the minds of the west.

      I guess we can hope that maybe this brouhaha over Russia/Putin will displace some of our other irrational fears. Constantly worrying about terrorism is getting monotonous.

    31. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by geekoid · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "I'm fairly sure that Obama wouldn't have the balls to push the Red Button regardless of Putin wanting to,
      or common sense.

      It takes bigger balls to find actual solutions.

      I like how people have suddenly for got that turning either country into a 'radioactive waste land' will throw the whole world back to the stone age. Possible even eliminating humans from the planet.

      " China (and maybe India, too) would be "
      eating popcorn? no. More like panicking to figure out how to survive the massive radioactive cloud.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    32. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      "to spite its face"

    33. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Problem is, once the USD goes into free fall, that dream is over. Being able to money print your money out of debt only works as long as those owing you accept that money as payment.

      Also, you might want to take a look at SDRs and how they're used for currency value determination.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    34. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by joe_frisch · · Score: 2

      Cool, a return to cold war science funding. Bring on the threats, bluffs, and talks of nuclear Armageddon. Maybe they are developing secret weapons that are better than our secret weapons. We need to spend trillions on research or be left behind.

    35. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it would be against Chinese interest to do so.
      And China seems to be concerned about the cowboy across the border.

    36. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by cheesybagel · · Score: 2

      The thing is those 6% overwhelmingly go to Germany and other Central-Eastern Europe nations. France has nuclear and the UK had North Sea natural gas. Italy and Spain use North African natural gas. Scandinavia uses coal and natural gas from Norway.

      Still Putin chose a bad time to do this since the harshest part of the Winter has already come and gone. If they want to stop using Russian gas now is the best time in the year to start working on it.

    37. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yes, let's imagine what happens when the US currency suddenly lets them be an export driven nation instead of an importing one and the trade imbalance between the US and Asia rapidly decreases?

    38. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by cheesybagel · · Score: 1

      They just print more dollars until the amount of dollars Russia is holding becomes irrelevant. Similar to stock dilution.

    39. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Sarten-X · · Score: 2

      There are those, myself included, that would consider talking to be a strength.

      Right up to getting vaporized, there are several alternative options for stopping nukes that don't involve vaporizing even more innocent civilians. Talking our way out is one of the least hazardous and least expensive methods, and it has the added benefit of being done in parallel with other methods like interception and diversion.

      --
      You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
    40. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes it will because the stock market as shown time and again is not purely about numbers, but also about the irrational human mind. That irrationality will go hay wire when there is just a minor disturbance in the force.

    41. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Eunuchswear · · Score: 5, Informative

      Bragging about the arsenal size is just idiotic.

      Yup.

      The US probably has 2000 odd warheads ready to go. Are there 2000 interesting targets in Russia?

      Fuck, even France has 290. Destroy the top 290 targets and what is left?

      Target 290 by size: Vidnoye,Moscow Oblast, population 52,198.

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    42. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Kvasio · · Score: 4, Insightful

      China has a choice here, as they could switch to Euro.
      Russia won't switch to Euro, so what would they buy instead? Gold? they are gold supplier. Would make no sense. Yen? They did not end WW2 yet.

      And TV idiot forgot, that in global nuclear conflict there are no winners. With the possible exception for rats, cockroaches and tardigrades.

    43. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "What I'm saying is, I don't think that even if the missiles were headed this way, Obama still wouldn't have the guts to give the order for a counter-strike"
      good. That is a good thing.
      A) He couldn't stop incoming missiles, so we are done.
      B) Counter launch only ensure the extinction of our species.

      " try to talk his way out of the whole thing right up to getting vaporized."
      how is that worse then the annihilation of the entire species?

      " I think Obama is weak"
      That is becasue you are weak minded and weak willed. You think a silver bullet can solve problems and are too much of a coward to use your brain.

      " I'd take back my vote for numerous reasons if I could."
      why? becasue you think Romney would push the button to wipe out the species?
      Because your weak will and sloppy thinking has let you become a victim of propaganda?

      By every measure, the US is doing better then it was prior to him becoming president. Every. Measure.

      I am former SAC(F.E. Warren). When talk about radioactive clouds, and the elimination of out species from a counter nuclear attack, I know exactly what I am speaking of, and I am not speaking with hyperbole.

      I do not miss the cold war, I do not miss the threat of nuclear war, I do not miss watching men finish there shift in the field and needing counseling because some cowboy president almost put us into a nuclear war.

      And I really, Really, do not miss idiots like you.

    44. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by cheesybagel · · Score: 2

      I blame Merkel and the German addiction to Russian natural gas for it.

    45. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by PhilHibbs · · Score: 0

      You genuinely think that guaranteeing the destruction of all sentient life on earth is what you would want in those circumstances? That a Russian nuclear strike on the US is so horrific that you would destroy the rest of the planet in retaliation?

      What is needed is a president who gives the impression that retaliation would be inevitable, whilst not actually retailiating if it did happen, because retaliation would be worse than not retaliating in practice. That may be a reasonable objection to Obama - he has the appearance of weakness. A reluctance to sterilize the planet is not weakness.

    46. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Hodr · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm not sure I understand all of this talk of "dumping", or maybe it's the people proposing the action that don't understand it. They can only do 3 things with those bonds, cash them in, sell them to someone else for a loss (dumping?), or burn them.

      The first option does nothing, as claiming matured bonds is what you are supposed to do. The third option is awesome, free money.

      The second option, if they had enough to kill the world market (which I don't think they do) for US bonds might have an impact, but only if they price very low and somehow managed to keep the US itself from buying them.

      The fact of the matter is, as soon as they post 100B in US T-Bills for substantially lower than the market rate someone will buy them all instantly and they will no longer exert pressure on the market for new debt.

      If they doled them out slowly, there isn't enough to cause an issue.

    47. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      And therein lies the problem. The US is far better insulated from the blowback of severe sanctions. Europe, because of its heavy reliance on Russian gas, feels much more vulnerable. My understanding is the EU is stalling for spring, when weather will be warmer and demand is lower, so as to spare its citizens the pain of much higher energy prices (or even potential shortages).

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    48. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Xest · · Score: 5, Insightful

      China wont join Russia because if it sells it's US dollars then it just means it's tanked the main country in the world it's dependent on for exports meaning it'll kill it's own economy.

      Russia doesn't have enough dollars to matter.

      Economically, Russia finds itself on the losing side of history once again here if it tries to push it's luck.

    49. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't understand that math. If Russia wants to sell its dollar reserves, it needs a buyer. To have an effect to the dollar value, Russia would have to sell the dollars real cheap. While the buyer would be happy to buy it for cheap, that does not mean that somehow everyone starts selling at that low low price. Everyone knows what Russia is up to, so how would it actually devalue dollar? And if it did, where would Russia get a buyer?

    50. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by David_Hart · · Score: 1

      The West didn't intervene in the Prague Spring, and they won't likely directly intervene now. Ukraine isn't worth the pain of open warfare.

      Beyond that, the US has been for weeks now trying to push for vast overarching sanctions. It's the EU that lacks the backbone. For full sanctions to really work, it has to be both the US and the EU.

      Yes, but the US has been pushing for actions through the UN, in which Russia has a veto. Granted, everyone understood that any submitted UN resolution, because of this, would be more of a political statement rather than something that would be substantial. As a result, any sanctions would have to be agreed to outside of the UN.

    51. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by j35ter · · Score: 1

      I think you underestimate the size of Russia. Even if you take out Moscow, St.Petersburg, Volgograd and other major cities, you would still have a functioning economy and militatry, try this with NY, DC Dallas and LA! The Russians learned teir lesson the hard way, starting with Napoleon and up to the Nazis!

      --
      Delta-Mike November Bravo Tango
    52. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Or the market will take it as a strength of capitalism that the US economy is no longer influenced by Russia.

      Besides, the Russian oligarchs hold all their funds in US dollars. They won't tolerate a drop in their net worth over something like this.

      Putin will be looking for a way to save face while backing down.

    53. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't forget the Soviets built a doomsday device that's probably still active.

    54. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyMartian · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Wipe out its major cities, and whatever functioning infrastructure remains, it will be heavily damaged and the Russian state will be compromised. Hitler almost managed it, but didn't have the resources to pull it off. Even with Russia's natural protections, Germany came damned close to driving the Soviet regime east of the Urals.

      All these war games were played out half a century ago. In an open exchange of ICBMs, both countries, and pretty much everyone in between, gets all but wiped out. That the Russian leadership might hole up in some Siberian outpost is a given, but by the same token the Continental US is a big fucking place too, and you don't think the plans are still on the books to move the Executive, Judicial and enough for the Legislative for a quorum to some undisclosed location?

      A major nuclear exchange between Russia and the US would be catastrophic for both countries, and I doubt whatever crawled out of the glowing rubble of such an exchange would much resemble the two nations that went in.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    55. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by lgw · · Score: 5, Interesting

      With the amount of bond buying that the US Federal Reserve has engaged in over the past few years buying all of the debt held by Russia and China combined would not even make a dent should they desire to sell it all, the FED and other nations (Japan) will happily buy.

      At this point I imagine the Fed chair cackling like the Emperor in Star Wars "witness the firepower of this fully operational buying-station!" OK, the new one isn't quite old enough to look like the Emperor yet, but give her time.
       

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    56. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Pieroxy · · Score: 2

      Of which they can print any amount they want to.

      At a huge cost for Americans. Printing money == instant inflation.

    57. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyMartian · · Score: 2

      The US has been putting an enormous amount of pressure on the EU directly to produce harsh sanctions against Russia, but even the US's most staunch ally in Europe; the UK, is very nervous about "going all the way" and all but shutting down trade with Russia.

      The UN vote was a PR stunt. Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council, so the UN is castrated before the diplomats even have their first cup of coffee. The real sanctions will come when the EU finally admits that Russia isn't leaving Crimea, and worse, is likely eyeing up other parts of southern and eastern Ukraine. Since Europe is one of Russia's biggest buyers of natural gas, such sanctions will hurt very badly.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    58. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by RobinH · · Score: 1

      Well that would be great for US exports now, wouldn't it? Might bring back the manufacturing economy.

      --
      "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." - Mark Twain
    59. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by KingMotley · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Of course he would. Their missiles and ours have self destructs that can be used mid-flight. Once russia sees the incoming mess, they know they must self-destruct theirs, and we supposedly will do the same.

      Of course, if the missiles do hit us, well, then we have no way of self-destructing ours.

    60. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyMartian · · Score: 2

      As ugly as it may be, fundamentally the US economy is far more capable of absorbing a major blow like this than the Russian economy. But the direct blow wouldn't be that big for the US. For Europe, on the other hand...

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    61. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      The list of buyers isn't that big either, particularly if full blown sanctions are put in place. I guess China could buy them, but with its own economic slowdown, does it really want to be saddled with more US currency?

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    62. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Hategrin · · Score: 1

      Yes, letting people walk all over you isn't "insane" at all. And hey, if they kill your entire family and everything you know and loved, well, at least people will remember that you were "bigger man", right? I mean, you could actually hurt somebody if you stood up for yoruself! SMH

    63. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by catchblue22 · · Score: 1

      Well, considering that conventional warfare is a nono, and nuclear warfare is a BIG NONO, but economic warfare is fair game, I'd say you have a point.

      Money is soft power. Military weapons are hard power. This difference is quite obvious to Ukranians in Crimea.

      --
      This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when first he appears as a protector - Plato (423 to 327 BC)
    64. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by sjames · · Score: 1

      This could be a good thing for U.S. Citizens. If we revive all the Russia/Soviet Union propaganda, then our own leaders will have to stop doing all those things that the Soviet Union (aka Russia) did that made them bad and us good.

    65. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Hategrin · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Really? Some madman fires nukes at you because he thinks you think you have a bigger dick than he does. The only way you could have stopped them was to gurantee that you would retaliate, but you decided being a pushover was morally superior, so that didn't happen. The missiles are in the air. How do you stop them?

    66. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Kvasio · · Score: 3, Funny

      well said.
      Unfortunately, this time Europe is more corrupted by Russia.

      British are weak, as "Russians are your major investors and bought a couple of football clubs". Besides, I question their army's ability to do their trade.
      German responce seemed hard, but unfortunately CDU's coalition partner, SPD are in reality russian agents. Former chancellor from that party is now employed by russian gas company. Besides, for russian-german relations it is business as usual (LetterOne is russian).
      France would traditionally do anything to retreat or surrender. And communist trade unions would do anything to support rebuilding "USSR 2".
      Italy is a corrupt farce that was unable to impeach a paedophile moron from the post for over a decade. They have very amicable relations with Russia.
      Austria does plenty of business with Russia, they are HQ for russian company's subsidiaries in EU.
      Greece, Bulgaria will remain silent, as "Russians are their brothers in orthodox faith".
      Sweden lost ability to defent itself from own crowd, and with strong socialist sentiment they are unlikely to fight, in physical way, anyone.
      Spain, Portugal fart in general direction of any troubles on the opposite side of continent.
      Hungary seemed to act "independently" to some point, but few months ago prime minister Orban was "pacified" by Putin with major russian investment.
      Czechs are trained in France to prepare quick welcome parties to any occupiers.
      Poland, Romania and Lithuania are too weak to stand against Russia. They are heavily dependent on Russian petrol/gas. While they mostly understand the severity of situation, will remain not understood by the rest of EU, as "they are idiots who are always agains Russia".
      Estonia, Latvia are checkmated, as they have huge (40%) Russian minority. If they speak too loud, Moscow will "hear Russians living in Tallin, requesting help"..
      Finland and Slovakia will remain silent in hope, that in case of conventional military conflict Russian troops will opt to drive through other countries.
      Cyprus is Russian bank.

      Don't expect any Churchills :-(

    67. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Still Look on the bright side buying games / stuff from America would be cheap from the rest of the world You would become the new China and people would outsource Jerbs to you as you all-ready have no real 'socialist' laws.

    68. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by s.petry · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And US propaganda is different how exactly? Because you think the US Government is on the same team as you perhaps?

      Issues like this are not singular, but if you are going to call out Russian propaganda then call it out on both sides. US propaganda is portraying Russia in Crimea like the US invasion of Iraq, but it's not even close. I keep waiting for US media to start falsely claiming that Russians are out murdering everyone in the Ukraine and that actually started happening today when reporters were telling stories about people disappearing.

      First, look at Crimea from a military strategy point. Russia has had military and naval bases there for decades. If the Philippines had a revolt you are telling me the US would sit and do nothing to protect their military bases there? Come now, you and I both know we would and should. We have those bases for the same reason Russia has bases in Crimea. In fact the US has over 800 bases (depending on the source over 1,000) and is exerting pressure on not just Russia but China. You would be well suited to read that whole article by the way, since it backs most of my statements.

      The US denounces military expansion by other countries, but we continue to expand ourselves. This is in addition of course to drone strikes in dozens of countries, the Iraq war, the Afghanistan war, and funding and providing weapons for the majority of colored revolutions which caused lots of death and destruction.

      Next, Crimea was about to be an independent autonomous country free of the Ukraine in May. They tend to side with Russia since Russia has lots of military there, and until Nikita Khrushchev gave the land to the Ukraine was part of Russia. This part gets magically lost by any US media discussing Crimea. I work with many people from Russia, Georgia, and the Ukraine. They tend to laugh at how bad US propaganda is, and how it portrays very little truth. Eastern Ukraine is pro Russian, and Western Ukraine not so much. What you hear in the US is the Western spin, and what you hear in Russia is Eastern spin. Somewhere in the middle is the population of the Ukraine and Crimea, who want both sides to leave them alone and let them decide their own future.

      Let me be very clear, I'm not backing Russia nor do I think Russia is necessarily correct. At the same time, I'm not backing the methods the US has been using for imperialism either.

      Didn't we see the most growth in Democracy during times of peace where the US was the example for other countries to follow? We were founded with expressly that concept in mind, we are not supposed to invade or go to war. We are supposed to defend ourselves and be an example for other countries to follow.

      We are failing in that regard today, and the increases in turmoil all over the world is in great part due to US meddling and instigating conflicts. Imperialism has changed, where instead of the US taking over a whole territory US and US Friendly businesses take over instead. No need for troops when you control the economy, but making millions off people poor causes lots of resentment.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    69. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by sjames · · Score: 2

      Except if they don't take dollars, they get nothing at all. Meanwhile, we have nukes, are net energy and food exporters, and have plenty of natural resources. We have plenty of unemployed that would love to take up the slack when cheap Chionese lablr is no longer accessible to the U.S.

    70. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by EvilSS · · Score: 2

      It wouldn't matter. A strike the size required to take out the US would doom human kind anyway. It would be more than enough to trigger a nuclear winter. When are talking thousands of warheads, a one or a two at the front if that number really won't make the end result all that different.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    71. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by VortexCortex · · Score: 1

      Fools. This has been orchestrated since before Gorbachev. They only need one shot. Then the dollar will plummet and bring down with it the upper and middle class leaving all but the elites to Capitalize on the fact that humans will do what it takes to survive. Repent! Bitcoinageddon draws Nigh!

    72. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Megol · · Score: 1

      The thing is those 6% overwhelmingly go to Germany and other Central-Eastern Europe nations. France has nuclear and the UK had North Sea natural gas. Italy and Spain use North African natural gas. Scandinavia uses coal and natural gas from Norway.

      Norway uses fossil fuels as the largest source followed by hydro electric. Denmark mostly uses fossil fuel followed by wind power. Sweden uses nuclear and hydro electric power for over 90% of the energy needs. Finland uses nuclear and hydro electric power for over 40% of their needs filling the rest with imported power and fossil fuels.

      Still Putin chose a bad time to do this since the harshest part of the Winter has already come and gone. If they want to stop using Russian gas now is the best time in the year to start working on it.

      The problem is that this isn't something that is easy to fix. Building infrastructure for changing energy sources can take many years, even decades.

    73. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Hategrin · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You're missing the point. If you decide to let a madman wipe off half the planet, he will, and nomatter how much you hate your country or try to satisfy him he's going to do it, unless you say "if you hit me I'll hit you back", then no nukes get fired, because you *ghasp* stood up for yorself and the only thing bullies understand is strength. I never thought I'd see libs stoop so low to actually sacrifice their lives and the lives of their family for the glory of Mother Russia. SMH

    74. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Kvasio · · Score: 1

      Gdask was also "not worth it" in 1939.

    75. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by sjames · · Score: 1

      Don't worry, the combination on the nukes is all zeros. Everyone knows that.

    76. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Patch86 · · Score: 1

      Unless my calendar is lying to me, it is now spring and has been for several weeks. The weather is nice, too. If anything, the longer they stall from now the more likely it is that sanctions will spill into next winter.

      I don't buy that as the reason for stalling. I think it's just genuine reluctance to go past the point of no return.

    77. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by alexander_686 · · Score: 1

      IIRC, The amount of US dollars that Russia holds is very small- they export oil and gas and turn right around and buy consumer goods. . China has the large stockpile of USD.

      I heard a quote this weekend – That Europe could inflict more damage on Russia then Russia could on Europe, but that Russia was more willing to bear the pain.

    78. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by grep_rocks · · Score: 1

      How is this a threat? the value of the dollar goes down and US industry magically becomes more competetive via cheaper production- China has been buying dollars for years precisely to keep the value of thier currency _down_ - the problem is Russia's and China's they have a bunch of dollars which can buy American goods and services what are they going to buy? guns from the US? - plus most dollar reserves are owned by Americans - approximately 80% - how was this labeled insightful?

    79. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by PhilHibbs · · Score: 1

      It wouldn't matter. A strike the size required to take out the US would doom human kind anyway. It would be more than enough to trigger a nuclear winter. When are talking thousands of warheads, a one or a two at the front if that number really won't make the end result all that different.

      There's no way that Russia would pre-emptively enough warheads to destroy the planet for human habitation. They aren't just going to commit suicide like that. So the only realistic scenario to consider is if they send enough to knock the stuffing out of the US, enough that if the US retaliated in kind then that would tip the scales over to making the earth unfit for human habitation. THEN the question is: do you take the hit and allow human life continue in some form, or do you retaliate and end the game of life for all humanity for ever?

    80. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by NoImNotNineVolt · · Score: 1
      Your calendar is lying to you. I just googled for "first day of spring".

      Thursday, March 20
      The First Day of Spring (Spring Equinox) 2014

      Three days away.

      --
      Chuuch. Preach. Tabernacle.
    81. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Meyaht · · Score: 1

      If their government kills our civilians, you would want our government to kill their civilians simply as retribution? Would you feel the same way if we launched first? That's like people in other countries holding you personally responsible for the actions of our gov't / military, because that sounds really fun...

      --
      I believe in karma, which is why, when I do something bad to people, I assume they deserve it.
    82. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by aliquis · · Score: 1

      What?

      The FED have tried to flood the market with cheap dollars and increase inflation for long.

      It would just help the US economy!

    83. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Quila · · Score: 1, Insightful

      It takes bigger balls to find actual solutions.

      Very true. This is why Obama just wanted to bomb Syria instead of looking for a more peaceful resolution like Putin did.

    84. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by PPH · · Score: 1

      To be fair, we haven't seen Putin's response to Kiselyov's statement yet. And even if Putin did start some saber-rattling, lets see how the rest of Russia responds at the voting booth in the next election cycle.

      Also, keep in mind what happened with Bush. He is a moron and most Americans thought he was. But during a time of conflict, he was our moron who deserved our support and re-election. We, and the rest of the world, would be better off to let Russia deal with their own politics rather then leaning on them with military threats.

      Anyway, Putin isn't a dummy. He learned a lesson from the past and held the Olympics first and invaded afterward.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    85. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Possible even eliminating humans from the planet.

      There are a bunch of people reading this right now that have been trained to wish for exactly this outcome.

      Tell us, greentards; would the severe but temporary damage of a nuclear war be worth the eradication of our species? The effects of fallout would be significant for a mere few million years, after which the flora and fauna would recover, unburdened by humanity.

    86. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by aliquis · · Score: 1

      But back in reality it's the ruble which crashed.

      And afaik they did bought ruble to keep it from falling even worse.

      Economy of EU and US vs Russia?

    87. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by alen · · Score: 1

      a huge part of russia is people who aren't really russian but the descendents of the mongols and have closer ethnic ties to the middle east and china. getting rid of moscow and the other "russian" cities would be a blessing for them. even if they are transplanted russians, they most likely don't care about what moscow thinks thins their grandparents were sent out to the middle of no where as a punishment

    88. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      With Russian units now making incursions outside of Crimea, I think it's only a matter of time before Europe goes along with the US plan for harsher sanctions.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    89. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Erikderzweite · · Score: 1

      Resources are indeed the key. Napoleon took Moscow, but Alexander had enough country to retreat and gather supplies. So Napoleon had to retreat, had to take the same road his army has already ransacked. And without provisions, without precious calories his army froze to death in a relatively mild weather.

      Stalin had successfully managed first to trade technologies for resources with Germany and then, after the war begun, to move the war production behind the Urals. While Germany was quickly running out of resources, the USSR was producing more and more supplies fro their troops each day. In the end, even the united European war production was not enough to keep up. It is questionable though how close Hitler was to actually winning that war given that the war production was moved in advance.

      As for the nuclear war: I don't see how any side could emerge victorious from such an ordeal. Economy, not nukes is the weapon of choice. The troops are merely following to finish a weakened country.

    90. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by aliquis · · Score: 1

      I think the FED currently purchase $65 billion of bonds / month, was $85 before they started the taper.

    91. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by dissy · · Score: 1

      Well, considering that conventional warfare is a nono, and nuclear warfare is a BIG NONO, but economic warfare is fair game, I'd say you have a point.

      But once you have done that once, that's it, the economic weapon has been used, and you've got nothing left. Of course, there's always the threat of using it, or selling off a few million dollars of shares every now and again just to prove the point.

      As others have mentioned, it may not be single use after all...
      But even assuming it was, once the economic weapon has been used, doesn't that still leave conventional warfare and the ICBMs that weren't used?

    92. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by El+Puerco+Loco · · Score: 1

      More Krushchev mode. Ironic, considering he is the ultimate architect of this mess.

    93. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by aliquis · · Score: 1

      For Europe what?

      They are worrying about inflation here, the euro gain against the dollar and economy of Europe is bigger than the economy of the US.

    94. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by El+Puerco+Loco · · Score: 1

      Only when it is not denominated in your own currency. But you knew that, just like every mendacious deficit hawk in congress. Printing more U.S. currency is the equivalent of mining gold in a gold standard economy.

    95. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It doesn't help that certain segments of Congress keep talking up Putin like he's the second coming of Alexander the Great. Russia is a broke EX world power. Pushing around pissant satellite states and a spigot on a pipeline are about the extend of their power. We need to treat them that way and stop giving them far more credit than they deserve. All we're doing is emboldening Putin.

      The dude goes around shirtless. That should be clue enough he's an attention whore and we all know what happens when you give an attention whore more attention.

      Germany after WWI was also a broke ex world power. Despite all of Russia's problems, they are still the most powerful country in Eastern Europe and can push around their neighbors without resistance. Also, the Soviet economy was never great either yet they were still powerful. Let's not forget that the Russians pushed all the way into Georgia's capitol in 2008. It was only after withdrawing did they only occupy Ossetia. They could have easily taken the whole country... They only faced a token resistance.

    96. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by aliquis · · Score: 1

      .. or well, except ECB may not be allowed to print & buy them =P

    97. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by El+Puerco+Loco · · Score: 1

      Nobody has an interest in U.S. currency going into freefall. If that were to seem even remotely possible, China and everyone else would be tripping over their own balls to prop it up. Inflation favors the borrower.

    98. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you guys really this lost in space? They don't have to sell their dollars, they just have to stop buying them, stop using them for trade. This whole situation is no-win for the US. I don't know what they're thinking. If the US continues to escalate, the only end I see is nuclear war.

    99. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyMartian · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Stalin managed lots of things; like selling Germany steel up until the morning of the German invasion. Churchill famously reminded Stalin of this fact when Stalin went into one of his infamous telegraph tirades demanding more of the Arctic convoys shipping materials from the US and Canada to Britain be redirected to Russia.

      Russia did not survive WWII all on its own. It too was a beneficiary of Western aid; both directly via Lend Lease, as well as aid in gaining control of the Trans-Iranian Railroad, and ultimately opening the Second Front with the Normandy Invasion, which finally forced Germany into the nightmare two-front war.

      Russia has never been as invincible as it liked to portray itself. Even when it ultimately drove out invaders, the costs were massive.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    100. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If Russia were to first sell their Dollars, why in the world would China follow considering their investment in Dollars would have just taken a hit? Buy low sell high, right? China wants a strong Dollar to keep their own economy propped up.
      If the Dollar were to take a significant hit, say a bit cheaper than toilet paper, the world economy would crash harder than you could say Fiat. Americans would start buying only the very basics (food, clothing, shelter, energy) and all of that save clothing can easily and quickly home grown. Buying new clothes would be last on that list.

    101. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by kbolino · · Score: 2

      It's very easy for the U.S. to pay off the U.S. debt. It is denominated in U.S. dollars.

      Such blatant currency manipulation, while "easy" to do from the perspective of accountants and legislators, would have severe economic consequences.

    102. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by asylumx · · Score: 1

      Yes, I saw the new Jack Ryan movie, too. Thinking it has analogy to real life is pretty lame, though.

    103. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by alexander_686 · · Score: 1

      You have it mostly right, and I don’t think Russia has the power, but let us take this a step further. Damage, in theory, could be inflicted. Consider 2 things – supply and demand and that bonds are basically cash. Dump the bonds, demand for cash / bonds remains the same, Supply goes up, ergo the price of USD cash goes down. The US dollar becomes weaker relative to other currencies, fueling inflation. Everybody can buy the bonds that Russia is selling, so newly issued bonds would have to have a higher real interest rate.

      See what George Soros did – he broke the bank of England. Now the US is nowhere near the irrational state the Bank of England was, but you can get an idea of the damage that can be done.

    104. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by hackus · · Score: 1

      Ah, no, that isn't how the market works.

      A mere $50 Billion of treasury dumped in one month, could trigger Derivatives expansion and pretty much destroy the London and USA financial centers.

      It would be complete chaos.

      It would depend on how much treasury is sold in what amount of time.

      --
      Got Geometrodynamics? Awe, too hard to figure out? Too bad.
    105. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean it isn't already?

    106. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Brunoleski didnt do anything wrong you feminist piece of shit. Men liking young girls is fine. He didn't even have a young girl. Bible Old Testament is fine with this man plus girl pedo you speak of. Read deut 22 28to29 in original language

    107. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by hackus · · Score: 0

      Ah yes, they could.

      In fact, our entire monetary system already collapsed, it did so in 2007.

      Remember all of those criminal bankers and how they illegally packaged home mortgages into giant investment funds claiming they were AAA security investments?

      The total there was only about $100 billion.

      The problem is derivatives, they shorted them to fail. Yes, you heard me right, Goldman Sachs knew the packaged mortgages were really not AAA investments, and shorted them behind the backs of people they sold them too.

      It triggered a gigantic shortfall of the investment funds and they were not worth what the shorts were calling for. It destroyed the entire banking industry of the United States.

      US banks are now insolvent and the bankers walked away with all of the money and our currency is now destroyed.

      On top of that, they never stopped the criminal behaviour, congress ACCELERATED it.

      I wouldn't worry about it too much those, our congress is working with the bankers to insure you have far more too worry about than no food on the shelves at the local super market and a worthless dollar.

      They are cooking up a real nice little event to insure you blame all of this criminal activity on anyone but Congress, Their Banker Cronies and the Military Industrial Complex stooges that are responsible for destroying our country.

      --
      Got Geometrodynamics? Awe, too hard to figure out? Too bad.
    108. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Kvasio · · Score: 1

      What I'm saying is that Italy is unable to clean their own politics, so there is not political power that would be strong in any issue. Especially since relations with Russia became "very friendly" under Berlusconi.

    109. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by prezkennedy.org · · Score: 3, Insightful
      So you're saying the United States isn't a power house in agriculture? http://www.mapsofworld.com/wor...

      Why, I don't even see Russia on that list.

      --
      It started back in Team Fortress Classic
    110. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by ShieldW0lf · · Score: 1

      I'm fairly sure that Obama wouldn't have the balls to push the Red Button regardless of Putin wanting to, apparently, bring back the Soviet Union, and perhaps wanting to bomb the U.S. back into the stone age, however.. ..yes, the U.S. could still, so far as I know, nuke Russia just as much as Russia could nuke the U.S.. However it would still be the End Of Life On Earth As We Know It, and anyone who doesn't get that is deeply and dangerously in denial. Furthermore don't forget that China (and maybe India, too) would be sitting there munching on popcorn the entire time, waiting for the show to be over so they could pick up the pieces, and I don't think anyone has forgotten that.

      Personally, I believe that if the US tried to destroy Russia with their nukes, they would just blow themselves up. Their weapons are poorly maintained and they haven't had the human talent to address the issue for a long time.

      --
      -1 Uncomfortable Truth
    111. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I sure as fuck don't want to walk around with a shirt and tie on a nice sunny day.

    112. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      so you're saying that Russians have "their people" at Cheyenne.
      That is YOU, I mean.

      Are you so dumb to understand, that if Putin thinks Obama is too weak to press the button, nothing will stop him from doing it?
      To save your own arse Obama should be believed to be quick in pressing the damn button as a retailation.
      And American nation did not give him mission to save "humanity" (understood as "Russians"), but to save Americans.

    113. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by CaptainLard · · Score: 1

      I'm fairly sure that Obama wouldn't have the balls to push the Red Button

      Translation: Obama is not a moron. And thank goodness for that. Personally I have something to live for and could care less about Putin waving his di...er...nipples around (but I do feel for the Ukraine who is staring at a deep dark hole) . Furthermore, I think humanity is a worthwhile endeavor despite everyone's ability to "talk".

    114. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by EvilSS · · Score: 4, Informative

      Prevailing theory on first strike is that you fire everything you can, targeting not only cities and military installations, but also the nuclear fields of the enemy to try to knock out as much of their ability to strike back as you can. The reason for this is that you assume you will not get a second chance, as the opposing country will answer in kind. You would fire all of your land-based missiles, along with a portion of your sub-launch weapons to get an early first strike on extremely high-value targets. That still leaves you with airborne bombers and, most importantly, the remainder of your SLBMs for 2nd strike. Russian nuclear ballistic subs carry 16-20 SLBMs with 8 warheads each. That's plenty of reserve power.

      Ignoring all that: Have you looked at a map recently? The US is big. To have the effect you are talking about a strike that would require hundreds of warheads. That would be more than enough according to Sagan et al.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    115. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No,no. Despite its face. It's a really ugly face and should be cut off instead of just the nose.

    116. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What is the US escalating? as Far as I was aware the west has pretty much stayed out of this whole conflict. Russia is the one who has acted against all treaties and is escalating the situation.

    117. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Kojiro+Ganryu+Sasaki · · Score: 4, Informative

      Just pointing out to anyone taking the above poster seriously that he's quoting a nazi site. Friatider.se.

    118. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by CaptainLard · · Score: 1

      Yeah Russia did such a great job, stalling for years while supporting a dictator actively killing his own citizens until they were able to fall into a solution based on an off-hand remark describing a completely unrealistic scenario. Way to see that one coming.

    119. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Code+Yanker · · Score: 1

      The United States is, by a wide margin, the largest manufacturer of goods in the world. We produce nearly 25% more than China and the Russian Federation combined, with a small fraction of the population. This was BEFORE the fracking boom.

      http://www.wisegeek.org/what-a...

    120. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by TangoMargarine · · Score: 1

      There's no way that Russia would pre-emptively enough warheads to destroy the planet

      Not even accidentally? :)

      --
      Unity? Screw that: XFCE. Slashdot Beta? Screw that: SoylentNews. Australis? Screw that: Pale Moon. UX developers DIAF
    121. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      Take a pill, pal. No one is launching nuclear weapons.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    122. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by ubersoldat2k7 · · Score: 1

      I would add to this that southern Spain and many parts of Portugal are becoming Russia's Florida, where old millionaires come to spend the last years of their lives.

    123. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by TangoMargarine · · Score: 1

      When we're talking more than a couple nukes at a time, you can't call *any* scenario logical. And I especially wouldn't have any faith in Putin to make a choice for the human race over Russia (for whatever crazy value of "winning" we're talking about).

      --
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    124. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      print your money out of debt only works as long as those owing you accept that money as payment.

      You've got it the wrong way round, DeVry boy.

      If they owe you, then they'd be making payments and you'd be accepting them.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    125. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by TangoMargarine · · Score: 1

      *You* completely ignored the point he was making.

      What is needed is a president who gives the impression that retaliation would be inevitable, whilst not actually retailiating if it did happen

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    126. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some in Russian government are propagandists but so are some Americans.

      When Kosovo split with a referendum after violence the US fully endorsed it. With Crimea, a DEMOCRATIC referendum isn't acknowledged?

      The US govenrment likes to invade countries for non-existent WMDS, commits torture on state sponsered level (war crimes), and no one in the government is punished? Then lets no get into how the US came into being by stealing the lands of native Americans and committing ethnic cleansing. Then of course the US assimilation machine has been turning ethnic groups into pseudo "Americans" for several centuries now. (hint there is no such thing as an American. Its a political ideology not a people)

      Does this excuse Russian? No but the Americans lecturing Russia is like the pot calling the kettle black.

    127. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by TangoMargarine · · Score: 2

      And I thought the "Normal" definition of brinksmanship was insane...let's not just stand on the edge of the cliff, let's actually jump off and trust that our untested parachute will work.

      --
      Unity? Screw that: XFCE. Slashdot Beta? Screw that: SoylentNews. Australis? Screw that: Pale Moon. UX developers DIAF
    128. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With Russian units now making incursions outside of Crimea

      You've been drinking the media-outlets' cool-aid for too long.

    129. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 2

      California's economy is essentially the same size as China.

      Maybe later- but for now all China could do was lose a Trillion dollars; 50% of their export market (crashing their economy); and really hurt themselves badly while inflicting modest pain on the U.S.

      Give then 20 years and they will be more capable. But not yet.

      Give them 40 years and the situation will probably be reversed and the U.S. economy will be 1/3 the size of china's.

      If china does everything perfectly for 40 years and has no civil unrest; over turn of the government; etc.

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    130. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The US could turn some of Russia into vapor
      Russia has more nuclear weapons than all the other nuclear powers combined..

      just saying

    131. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Bill_the_Engineer · · Score: 1

      As worthless as the Russian ruble is I doubt Russia is capable of waging any kind of economic warfare.

      --
      These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
    132. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "More like panicking to figure out how to survive the massive radioactive cloud."

      Forget about the radioactivity, once 100 nukes go off, there will be a nuclear winter that will destroy all life on Earth.

    133. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It takes bigger balls to find actual solutions.

      Very true. This is why Obama just wanted to bomb Syria instead of looking for a more peaceful resolution like Putin did.

      And yet, we didn't bomb Syria and Russia has been supplying Assad with weapons. Either neither side got what they wanted, or you're wrong about what Obama and Putin wanted...

    134. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Bill_the_Engineer · · Score: 1

      Not that China's economy is healthy enough to even consider joining Russia in the first place.

      --
      These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
    135. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Putin ate a whole load of beans and cabbage and merkel has ner nose pressed up against his bum. ***Rule 34 invoked***

    136. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Bill_the_Engineer · · Score: 2

      Having lived through the Cold War, I highly doubt that the economic shunning of Russia by the West is anything close to unprecedented. For the record the Soviet Union folded for economic reasons and it looks like Putin is setting himself up for a repeat.

      --
      These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
    137. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Culture20 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Some madman fires nukes at you because he thinks you think you have a bigger dick than he does.

      And suddenly Anthony Weiner is the hero. "Mr. Weiner, please explain how we can send photos of our penises to this madman to reassure him!"

    138. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have you factored in the advantage of the US, through the NSA, secretly compromising technological and military infrastructure all over the world? When the Russians fire, will their launching stations function properly? (Likewise, are the US's missile silos going to operate flawlessly?) ..Or will clever enemy sabotage reveal itself in that all-important, crucial 30 minutes when both nations' actions and reactions determine who inflicts and who suffers the most damage? If the US already has advanced, publicly known missile interception capabilities, what as-of-yet secret capabilities does it have? (We didn't know much about those stealth apache helicopters in Abottabad either) Which way would the scale tip if 30%-50% of one aggressor's missiles were intercepted?

      In such a scenario, in a shoot-out, one gun may go *click*.

    139. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Indeed...

      http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/wash_550x725.shkl.jpg

    140. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not just what Russia holds, but what that massive sell would trigger.

      As pointed out several times, Russia doesn't have enough to do a massive sell-off.

    141. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by robsku · · Score: 1

      You're missing the point. If you decide to let a madman wipe off half the planet, he will, and nomatter how much you hate your country or try to satisfy him he's going to do it, unless you say "if you hit me I'll hit you back", then no nukes get fired, because you *ghasp* stood up for yorself and the only thing bullies understand is strength.

      Bullies understand almost only strength, politicians understand strength, but you were talking about madman - need I elaborate on what they might or might not understand?

      --
      In capitalist USA corporations control the government.
    142. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by ultranova · · Score: 1

      Ah, no, that isn't how the market works.

      A mere $50 Billion of treasury dumped in one month, could trigger Derivatives expansion and pretty much destroy the London and USA financial centers.

      The mistake you make here is thinking "the market" is an independent entity. It's not. There's no reason US can't, in an extreme case, simply declare any Russia-held bond void. Yes, it would have consequences, but then again, maybe not that much - after all, in this hypothetical situation, Russia is intentionally using them as weapons of mass destruction against their issuer. That's not a situation really relevant for an average nation or investor using them as mere value store.

      The real question is: will Putin stop his empire-building in time, or will he misjudge and start World War III? Because that's how the previous two began.

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    143. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have some sort of one sided world view where the US economy is in a vacuum and doesn't affect its trading partners including China.

      If I don't take into account that the US debt is still manageable when compared to its GDP, the US exports a lot of energy and durable goods, the US is considered a safe haven for other country's reserves, and the US debt is diversified by aide and loans to other nations which would cause a collapse if the aide disappeared or the US foreclosed the foreign debt.

      You seem to not realize that M.A.D. applies to the economy as well as nuclear war.

    144. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      Imagine the Russians selling all their US dollars, China following them

      Sorry for the long post, bu there are a few fundamental misunderstandings of modern currency systems embedded here. First of all, for every dollar sold, there must be a dollar bought. Clearly the purchasers would prefer to have the US dollars than whatever assets they exchange for them, or else they would not participate in the transaction. Who will be buying these dollars? Why would they do so if the dollar was falling in value, unless they speculate that dollars will rise later? (E.g. because they expect the US to retaliate successfully).

      Second, it is very likely that a fall in the dollar would prove expansionary to the US economy. Why? Because it would lead to reducing the trade deficit, with a concomitant increase in domestic manufacturing and employment, as imports became relatively more expensive than domestic products. Especially considering that the US is a net energy exporter, it is hard to see why a fall in dollar FX prices should harm the US economy. Many prominent economists argue the exact opposite, including those who run the US central bank (after all, the Fed's policies are expressly designed to stimulate inflation). Additionally, inflationary pressures such as those generated by lower dollar FX prices or central bank policies, actually reduce the interest on government debt.

      Finally, we have to ask why Russia and China hold US dollars in the first place, in order to guess whether a sell-off would even be in their own economic interests. China, and to a much lesser extent Russia, hold US dollars because they have export driven economies. In other words, they sell us stuff. As a result, we have stuff, and they have dollars (again, both sides are satisfied by these transactions, or they would not choose to make them). Why are these export-led economies willing to trade scarce physical resources and labor time for US paper?

      One major reason is access to US technology via dollar-denominated markets. Another is that China and Russia both operate fixed exchange rates (or fixed rate bounds) against the dollar. They use their dollar reserves to maintain their target FX rates. Selling dollars will drive their currencies above their target rates. Their exports will become more expensive for foreigners to purchase. Their export-led economies will suffer as a result. And, their banks will have to other assets to hold for international capital requirements, or else their (non-US) trading partners will perceive them to be insolvent. I guess they could try Euro or Japan bonds...but the truth is, there are not really any assets as safe as US dollars and US treasury debt.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    145. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by reve_etrange · · Score: 3, Interesting

      And that weaker dollar will reduce our trade deficit by disincentivizing imports and making exports cheaper, increase domestic production and employment, and help ease the significant private debt overhang which is still crippling US economic growth. Oh, and it will help the Fed and Treasury keep rates on US debt even lower for even longer.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    146. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      A sale requires two parties. Why would it be worse for us if, say, European nations (or other developing economies like India and Brazil) hold our paper instead of Russia and China?

      Especially since Russia and China would have to sell at a loss to induce potential purchasers to buy...

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    147. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "All the radio gear is out, including the CRM-114. I think the auto-destruct mechanism got hit and blew itself up."

    148. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Reread above. If Russia dumps their holdings, the US can buy them at a dramatic discount, and so retire all that debt. The other bond holders would sell their bonds at that price, because the bond holders would recognize Russia's action for what it is, and would simply hold them long enough for them to mature and get face value. This is part of what distinguishes a nation from a corporation. So go ahead, Putin, dump US bonds! I double dare you!

    149. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Beyond that, the US has been for weeks now trying to push for vast overarching sanctions. It's the EU that lacks the backbone. For full sanctions to really work, it has to be both the US and the EU.

      The US does not depend on Russian natural gas (and oil). Many countries in the EU do.

    150. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      s/would sell their bonds/wouldn't sell their bonds/

    151. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by reve_etrange · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Printing money == instant inflation.

      All the US money (bonds and dollars) we have were "printed." Every year that the Federal gov't runs a deficit, it prints that amount of new money. And yet, no inflation crises materializes.

      At a huge cost for Americans.

      Which Americans? Inflation may cost our wealthy creditors, but it will help the much, much larger part of us who have mortgages, student loans, car loans, credit card debt, business loans, etc. - especially considering that our economic growth is currently hampered by a persistent debt overhang caused by a deflationary credit crises.

      Also, higher inflation will server to reduce the trade deficit by disincentivizing imports in favor of domestic alternatives, and by making our exports cheaper in foreign markets. Both of these effects will increase domestic production and employment.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    152. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      Plus, if we do run into trouble, we can always unprint the money later via taxation.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    153. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who wouldn't want a PM or President that acted like a rock star? C'mon he gave Italy hope when they new shit was bad.

    154. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are some isolated communities in the South Pacific that might do well.

    155. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Minwee · · Score: 1

      Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter.

    156. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Obama doesn't have to retaliate, there are plenty of Western allies that would do it. not to mention Sub Commanders that would probably go Rouge.

    157. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      China might remove their currency peg. That would be terrible (for China).

      Pegging you currency to another is an 'act of economic war', it's counter is 'running the printing presses till the bearings seize (crappy Chinese bearings)'.

      The economic consequences would be much worse if every major currency in the world wasn't doing the same.

      As it is, capital is being parked in farmland for lack of any other safe places. It will be a mess. Obamacare was just that last big ticket purchase, right before the easy credit goes away.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    158. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Minwee · · Score: 1

      A single nuke from any country would most likely escalate into multiple nuke exchanges from other countries which would no doubt escalate into full blown nuclear nuclear destruction of the planet. Those pesky things called treaties and such would pretty much assure some ally has more nukes in the waiting.

      A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?

    159. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Putin is not a madman. He thinks very strategically. His goals and tactics might be straight out of the 19th century, but the man certainly isn't insane.

      If JFK had listened to your ramblings, few of us would be alive today.

    160. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course he would. Their missiles and ours have self destructs that can be used mid-flight. Once russia sees the incoming mess, they know they must self-destruct theirs, and we supposedly will do the same.

      Oh FFS, what are you feeding that brain of yours? You may as well say, "we'll just take the shuttle to Mars and live there for a few years". Amazing how irrational nutjobs are viewed as "insightful".

    161. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by AdamHaun · · Score: 2

      What I'm saying is, I don't think that even if the missiles were headed this way, Obama still wouldn't have the guts to give the order for a counter-strike.

      He doesn't have to actually do it. All he has to do is project enough uncertainty to stop Russia from launching a first strike. That's enough for MAD.

      Personally, if the missiles were in the air, I wouldn't actually retaliate, at least not massively. If the U.S. is already doomed, what benefit is there from killing 140 million Russians, almost none of whom had any say in the launch decision? We couldn't even enjoy watching Russia burn, since their missiles will arrive first. Maybe I'd launch a couple missiles at Moscow to try to decapitate their government.

      --
      Visit the
    162. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      Really? How do you think we pay off our debts now? You realize that fixed-term Treasury instruments are constantly coming due and being redeemed, right?

      The truth is that a (Federal government) debt instrument is the money that pays itself off. $100 of securities disappear, $100 of reserves take their place. No change in net financial assets.

      So, no, there is no harm in "printing" money to "pay off" these "debts." We do it all the time. As a result, of course, there is no need to worry much about the national debt, or to destabilize things by trying to pay them off rapidly.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    163. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Good thing they started building liquified natural gas plants years ago. Qatar is online, 5 smaller American plants will be online in the next 2 years.

      Russia will still be able to use its natural gas for political ends. By selling at below market rates to it's allies.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    164. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dont be stupid. Russia holds a mere $200b in treasury bills. Selling them would destabilize Russia more than the US. The US would buy that amount up in a few months. You have to understand the scale of debt - trillions in US debt exist, and 200$b is more like a little wave in a lake.
      China is opposed to Russia about the intervention, but they will not act on their opposition.
      The American economy is much larger than the Russian, and many other central banks hold way more US debt then the US.

      You must of missed yesterday's story where slashdot posters overwhelmingly believe they can become experts in economics by reading a few libertarian blogs rather than going to college.

    165. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by S.O.B. · · Score: 2

      ...in global nuclear conflict there are no winners. With the possible exception for rats, cockroaches and tardigrades.

      Don't forget lawyers.

      --
      Some of what I say is fact, some is conjecture, the rest I'm just blowing out my ass...you guess.
    166. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by alexander_686 · · Score: 1

      We can debate if a weaker dollar would have a overall positive or negative impact, or on whom it would have impact on.

      However, it would mean higher interest rates. Bonds that have been issued would go down in value but we don’t care about those – we care about the new bonds that will be issued.

      As you pointed out, a weaker dollar means more expensive imports, more expensive imports means higher inflation, and higher inflation means a higher interest rate.

      Also, a weaker dollar reduces the return of US bonds held by foreign owners, so they would demand a higher interest rate to compensate.

    167. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Carewolf · · Score: 1

      Depends on what definition you use. Here spring is traditionally thought to start on the 1st of March, always using three full calender months for each season.

      Also with 16C outside, it is practically a cold summer already.

    168. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A lot of what you are calling propaganda is just the media being jackasses, which is what they are prone to do when reporting on different cultures.

      When the media circle jerks around the missing Malaysian Airlines flight, I bet you roll your eyes.

      But... when they talk about Ukraine, you call it propaganda? Please, it's the same thing.

      It might (probably) be stupid reporting, but that's not the criteria for state propaganda.

    169. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Then you may pay your junk with food and energy. Works for me, too. Fork over your grub, works for half of Africa too, we're not picky what third world countries pay with.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    170. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      I don't think "spring" has a standardized or universal definition. There is certainly no "official start of spring" or other such nonsense. I believe the National Weather Service in the US goes with March 1. Austrailia seems to agree, though obviously it is swapped with autumn down under. The UK seems to "officially" recognize both the astronomical and traditional definitions.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    171. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      And what if I'm not accepting your toilet paper? Fork over some goods I want or be prepared to be running dry soon.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    172. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by GameboyRMH · · Score: 2

      Hey, they almost accidentally the whole thing once before...

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    173. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      That way you can easily get rid of old debt, no doubt about that. But it becomes near impossible to rack up new debt.

      Russia knows that all too well. The Soviets decided not to honor Czarist bonds when they took over, claiming that it wasn't them who issued them, so they needn't pay them back. Well, the world reacted by pretty much disallowing new bonds on the international market. You may want to consult your history book to check how well that worked out for them.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    174. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by sjames · · Score: 1

      Or we can just make it here where the exchange rate doesn't matter. As I said, we have energy, resources, food, and workers. All we need to have a great economy and prosperous people is an exchange rate that favors local production.

    175. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by NoImNotNineVolt · · Score: 1

      While I personally disagree with any calendar that has "midsummers eve" falling on the night before the "official" start of summer, who am I to argue?

      Google Has Spoken. Spring starts on the 20th this year.

      --
      Chuuch. Preach. Tabernacle.
    176. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      Yeah if Obama had bombed Syria, the war wouldn't have been over until hundreds had been killed!

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    177. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you underestimate the size of Russia. Even if you take out Moscow, St.Petersburg, Volgograd and other major cities, you would still have a functioning economy and militatry, try this with NY, DC Dallas and LA!

      I think you underestimate the size of the USA. There would still be Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Portland, Portland, Honolulu, Anchorage, and tens of thousands of other cities and towns.

    178. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by JimSadler · · Score: 1

      We found out in the Great Depression that some small foreign nations suffering economic collapse could cause the US to have an economic breakdown. It also touched off WWII which was expensive and remains expensive even today. But do note that when an economy simply vanishes the world does not stop turning. The Confederate States of America had a total economic collapse in 1865 and all Confederate currency became worthless. Debts were never repaid and the south cam e back from it all. Many nations vanish. Many economies vanish. Many banks and markets vanish and the world keeps right on running along. Yes there is human suffering when such things occur but then again we have plenty of human suffering when nothing collapses anyway. It is rather like the hand gun issue. Guns are seen as an issue when the wrong people get shot. Collapse of an economy really only threatens groups that are living well. there is a bit of a homeless camp down the way and an economic collapse would mean little to them as their own economy collapsed already.

    179. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by NoImNotNineVolt · · Score: 1

      And Punxatawny Phil says spring starts on another date entirely.

      When did Google get demoted from the position of sole arbiter of truth?

      --
      Chuuch. Preach. Tabernacle.
    180. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyMartian · · Score: 2

      Good thing the US has the largest and most technologically advanced navy in the world. The US, oddly enough, planned for an all out nuclear war between itself and Russia long before most of us posting here were even born.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    181. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      A lot of right-wing nutjobs in the US actually admire Putin's silly displays and say their President should be more like that.

      Almost ready to elect Camacho...almost.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    182. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      Cue staring at goats and attempts to spy with psychic powers.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    183. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      If only they had some nuclear power plants to give them home-sourced carbon-neutral power!

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    184. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Most of the targets are counter-force, not cities. So the answer is yes. There are plenty of targets.

    185. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by oh_my_080980980 · · Score: 1

      And why would China follow suit? The U.S. is their #1 importer. China and Russia are not exactly close.

    186. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by oh_my_080980980 · · Score: 1

      Not if the US, France and China are against Russia.

    187. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Sarten-X · · Score: 1

      The only way you could have stopped them was to gu[a]rantee that you would retaliate

      ...or use diplomacy to convince the madman that it's really not in his best interest to launch them, but that's never been a popular option here on Slashdot.

      The missiles are in the air. How do you stop them?

      Talk nicely to the madman, and question whether such a measurement is really important enough to kill thousands, if not millions, of innocent people. Perhaps the madman will stop the attack on his own. Perhaps other madmen will see the insanity of such massive death over such trivial disputes, and reconsider their own nuclear warfare plans. In short, keep playing on the moral high ground.

      Meanwhile, launch every kind of interception technology you have against the missiles. There have been successes in this area, with varying degrees of efficacy and danger. In the best case, you stop the attack and maintain both population and the moral high ground that brings allies in the imminent war. In the worst case, you're just as dead as you were without interception, but you still have those allies who can share the righteous outrage that someone would dare nuke someone who didn't even fire back, and since much of the US arsenal is either protected from attack or spread across wide areas of otherwise-uninteresting landscape, most of it will still be ready for use by the valiant defender who really didn't want to fight, but now must.

      What was so scary about the Cold War was that talking wasn't a viable option. If someone got too offended, it was the end. The standing orders were that if a missile was detected, a retaliation would launch. There would be no confirmation and no superior reviewing orders. We came incredibly close to an all-out nuclear war on multiple occasions, each time saved by someone refusing to return fire against what were ultimately found to be false alarms. We now call these folks "heroes", not "pushovers".

      --
      You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
    188. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by oh_my_080980980 · · Score: 1

      Somebody is sniffing glue...

    189. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Sure, proliferation is always an option. But generally not very useful.

      Russia now holds the economic trump cards. The EU is basically dependent on them, so any kind of "economic sanctions" are probably going to hurt the EU more than they could possibly hurt Russia. The US can to some degree put pressure on them, but I doubt the US currently has the muscle or will to do that, considering that it has some problems on its own to deal with, and pressure on Russia is something you should only do if you have a LOT of spare muscle to back it up with, something the US currently doesn't really have considering the amount of stress that's already on its military and economy.

      Putin is not dumb. He's a megalomaniac, no doubt about that, but he's not some blind ideological idiot like Hitler was.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    190. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Cuba might disagree.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    191. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by oh_my_080980980 · · Score: 1

      Yeah because conservatives are really raring for a fight over the Ukraine.....

    192. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by oh_my_080980980 · · Score: 1

      Awfully pro Russia for someone who claims otherwise....

    193. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      Disappointing, I know. It's like the first time I saw the audience option fail on "Millionaire".

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    194. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by budgenator · · Score: 1

      As Regan said, "but how many Russians would they kill?"

      --
      Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
    195. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Quila · · Score: 1

      Yeah Russia did such a great job, stalling for years while supporting a dictator actively killing his own citizens until they were able to fall into a solution based on an off-hand remark describing a completely unrealistic scenario.

      We tried the "support a dictator" method in that region, but we just ended up invading anyway.

    196. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MrBigInThePants · · Score: 1

      Considering that a recent study showed only one side had to fire its nukes to create a mass extinction event both side are engaging in pointless posterior-driven posturing.

      I do like how they manage to vocalise so convincingly with their anal muscles though. Very impressive.

    197. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by cheesybagel · · Score: 1

      It depends on latitude. Like you said the seasons are swapped in the southern hemisphere and near the equator they don't have 4 seasons. Near the poles there aren't 4 seasons either only two.

    198. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by cheesybagel · · Score: 2

      As long as the oil price is tied to the dollar it does not matter. If you want to tie oil price to some other currency you can get a cozy grave next to Saddam and Gaddafi.

    199. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by rahvin112 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I always laugh when someone suggests dumping 162 billion in bonds could crush the US economy. That's literally like 3 days worth of auctions. As you said, they dump them all at once and someone pays 72 billion for them, and over a period of a month doubles their money. Now if they owned the 1.3 trillion that china does they could probably hurt the dollar for a month or two while turning their trillion dollars into a 100 billion. And in the process China would destroy their own export economy as the dollar fell and the trade deficit imploded as US imports stopped.

      See that's the problem, they try to "crash" the market and they are guaranteed to lose massive amounts of money on the bonds. And in the long run the bonds recover and there is no long term issue. In the short term it may actually help the US economy by devaluing the dollar short term and harming imports.

    200. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by infinitelink · · Score: 1

      "I'm fairly sure that Obama wouldn't have the balls to push the Red Button regardless of Putin wanting to, or common sense.

      It takes bigger balls to find actual solutions.

      You mean, like talking to a psychopath's tanks? There are wackjobs and radicals who don't want solutions, they want their way: if in their irrational furor they'll nuke you but they're rational enough to want to self-preserve, and know that you in your rational prejudice respecting such things you'll nuke back out of principle, then they probably won't make that move. Certain great leaders wrote in their own journals how the damn accursed evil unfair B52s circling them (loaded with nukes) at all times made them think before every move, and kept them from expanding further...blasted capitalist rats!

      --
      Intelligent idiots are we. | Evil men do not understand justice.
    201. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by ackthpt · · Score: 1

      The more inflation, the more the other holders of dollars would be harmed. I think Russia would do themselves far more harm than they would the US and once it's done -- that's all they can do. Russia is currently an exporter of raw materials, not much in the way of manufactured goods. A pretty weak economy. The people of The Crimea will eventually share that benefit, too.

      Listening to business people in the Crimea, they're quite aware what leaving Ukraine means to them - closing up shop, laying off workers, pulling up stakes and starting again somewhere where the heavy hand of Russian Customs and Duties will not interfer with supply and distribution.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    202. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I could care less.

    203. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by JSHenry · · Score: 1

      Actually, this is nonsense. Russian elites are far more concerned about the fact that when we add up the value of the hundreds of billions of "private" -- eg mostly stolen -- flight capital that has poured out of Russia since the early 1990s, Russia's foreign "flight wealth" is more than $900 billion. This dwarfs even the $538b of official Russian gross reserves, much less the mere $116b on net foreign reserves that's left over when you net out Russia's $422b gross external debt. So the oligarchs are literally shitting themselves over the chance that such funds might face a variety of Western sanction if this continues to escalate. Furthermore, while the Russian gov is a net lender to the West (after reserves), many corporations have become huge net borrowers. They are very vulnerable to a freeze on new finance. As for foreign direct equity finance, Russia has not been a very easy place to invest for mos Western countries, so it is correspondingly not very vulnerable there. But if we wanted to make the Russian economy "scream," freezing new loans and the repatriation of private foreign assets, including real estate and private yachts as well as bank accounts and trusts and Russian(Putin)- owned Swiss trading companies pending "careful investigations of their true ownership, tax and business practices" would be one way to bring this outrageous New Tsar to his knees. True, Western Europe still gets 30% of its energy from Russia, and its banks (especially Austria, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and, indirectly, Germany) have loaned Russia, Ukraine, and Ukraine's neighbors a fortune. But with economic growth already falling to 1% before this crisis! Russia can't really afford not to export the energy, and it is desperate for foreign finance in part because its elite takes the money out and pays so little tax. So oligarchs are right now selling their foreign shares, scrambling to cover their loans, and watching like deer in the headlights as the ruble and the value of their domestic wealth plummet by billions. They have got to be thinking: Putin has lost his mind, My own prediction if he doesn't back off (and he really does have many ways to do so): Putin may well have just made a mistake the size of his life;

    204. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Lotana · · Score: 0

      Inflation may cost our wealthy creditors, but it will help the much, much larger part of us who have mortgages, student loans, car loans, credit card debt, business loans, etc.

      How so? Correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that all loans closely follow inflation rates.

      For example if the inflation goes to 600%, wouldn't your loan immediately become 600% of the total amount you borrowed in the past?

    205. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by ClickOnThis · · Score: 1

      TIL what tardigrades are. They look like Heimlich from "A Bug's Life" only they're much, much smaller.

      --
      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
    206. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by rahvin112 · · Score: 1

      The proper analogy is "Cut off their own nose to spite their face". Not despite.

    207. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Lotana · · Score: 1

      Besides, the Russian oligarchs hold all their funds in US dollars. They won't tolerate a drop in their net worth over something like this.

      You hit the nail squarely on the head. This is precisely the reason why I don't think Russia will ever do any kind of economic threats nor will enter any direct conflict with the United States.

    208. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by s.petry · · Score: 1

      You spent too much time listening and believe GW. If you are not with us you are against us is a completely false statement, and completely irrational way of thinking. The post I responded to and TFA both bash Russia so why should I? Showing that media is biased and spreading propaganda on both sides does not require such.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    209. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      Yes, my wife is from near the equator and they only have the "wet" and "dry" seasons. I suppose they also observe hurricane season :)

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    210. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by s.petry · · Score: 1

      Two problems. First, comparing an airline and country is a completely false analogy, it's impossible to do. Second I don't roll my eyes in regard to media giving pointless conjecture and wild speculation on the subject of a missing airline. I roll my eyes at how it can flood every network with no useful information and many people don't notice, while real news happens all around them.

      If Russia provides false hype and does not cover stories except in a favorable light to the Russian government you call it propaganda. When the US does it you claim they are just jackasses. Your logic is broken.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    211. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by rahvin112 · · Score: 1

      Early warning systems prevent first strike. The initiation of the strike would be on NORAD's screen within 45 seconds of the missiles launching. (They have dozens of SATs that watch for heat signatures to indicate ICBM launch. This is one of the reasons launching a satellite into space has to be announced in advance lest it be interpreted to be a nuclear ICBM in boost which would ruin everyone's day.)

      Considering flight time is about 45 minutes you can be damn well certain that US nukes would be airborne long before the first missile hits US soil. That's the entire point of MAD, there is no first strike possible because you can't deliver the missiles without the other side knowing long before they arrive.

    212. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by CaptainLard · · Score: 1

      You posted about Syria specifically and how Putin did a better job than Obama. Bush(s) invaded Iraq/Afghanistan. You want to open the floor up to every transgression the US and Russia have ever committed? I'll admit that would be pretty interesting....

    213. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Ottawakismet · · Score: 1

      The thing is that Russia dumping all its treasury bills isnt going to cause a panic on treasury bills --- people will buy them right up, the problem is when there is a crisis in confidence, when people believe there will be a default, that things will get worse, that the bonds they bought will be worthless or worth less then now, but if Russia sells their assets, it wont trigger a crisis. The example you bring up, is not at all the same. The banking crisis was when all of a sudden banks realized they had way more worthless assets then they thought, for some of them it threatened their solvency. I dont think you can say it made any currency worthless -- all that money is still worth about the same. A few banks needing bailout money, and a drop in economic production, a short recession, none of these are the crisis' you seem to be describing, like an entire monetary system collapse/destruction of the entire banking system of the US. Almost every bank is still around it seems.

    214. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Ottawakismet · · Score: 1

      Andropov is Putin's idol, he sees him as the way he wish the USSR had gone

    215. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Ottawakismet · · Score: 1

      And their lack of willpower. Berlin says they want to be the leader until they have to make hard decisions, then they wish they were in the backseat again just complaining about the driver

    216. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by EvilSS · · Score: 1

      Early warning systems prevent first strike. The initiation of the strike would be on NORAD's screen within 45 seconds of the missiles launching. (They have dozens of SATs that watch for heat signatures to indicate ICBM launch. This is one of the reasons launching a satellite into space has to be announced in advance lest it be interpreted to be a nuclear ICBM in boost which would ruin everyone's day.)

      Considering flight time is about 45 minutes you can be damn well certain that US nukes would be airborne long before the first missile hits US soil. That's the entire point of MAD, there is no first strike possible because you can't deliver the missiles without the other side knowing long before they arrive.

      OK, change "first strike" to "firing first". It doesn't change the rest of my post (keep in mind the context going back a few comments in this thread). If the US or Russia was crazy enough to launch a nuclear strike on the other, they would not hold back to save humanity, because they know the other country would reply in kind.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    217. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Carewolf · · Score: 1

      Ask google which day is the first day of the week ;)

      It all depends on which culture answers.

    218. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Agreed, the sovereign debt is actually of very little concern. Corporate Russia has about 700 billion in loans currently outstanding - mostly from Western banks. If those corporations are forced to default on that debt - another financial crisis would be triggered. Russia has less to lose and would be better positioned once the crisis was over. That's the real economic nuclear weapon so to speak.

    219. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by xeno · · Score: 3, Informative

      No.

      All common loans (mortgage, credit card, signature loan, auto loan, etc) in the US are fixed principal. E.g. Say you borrow $200,000 for a house, and you get fees tacked on, plus the cost of financing ata fixed rate... you could pay ~3x the original loan but only as a result of compounding. The loan terms never change even if the value of the dollar completely tanks or shoots up. It is a common option to have a variable interest rate, making it possible to have the interest rate tied to the prime rate and have that skyrocket.. which could get me into trouble over the long term of I cannot afford adjusted monthly payments. But otherwise it's the same story: the principal amount is *never* adjusted for the value of the dollar. I'm quite sure that would be illegal (but IANAfinance lawyer), and if it's not, any creditor exercising that kind of option would find their buildings burned down by morning, Venezuela style.

      If the value of my work stays steady, a strong dollar actually makes it harder for me to pay my mortgage, but a weak dollar lets me pay off my loans faster. Imho this sort of relationship has a stabilizing effect on the US economy and dollar.

      --
      I think not...(*poof*)
    220. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Erm... We're not entirely sure how "democratic" that referendum actually was...

    221. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by flaming+error · · Score: 1

      If by "they" you mean the US Government,no they can't. The government ceded control of the money supply to the Federal Reserve banks.

      A dollar isn't "printed" into existence, it's borrowed into existence. We could try paying our debt by borrowing the payoff amount, but repeatedly taking out a new credit card to pay off the old credit card is a step backward.

    222. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If I owe you 10 bananas, you can't suddenly demand 10 apples.
      Even if you learn you are allergic to bananas.

    223. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by HeckRuler · · Score: 1

      Having played a substantial amount of Defcon, I can vouch for the validity of this.
      Unless you have a potential ally you have doubts about. Then you want to keep a few just in case he stabs you in the back. You're screwed regardless, but it at least is an incentive for him not to be a dick. If course, even if you sneak a sub up there and get a "first strike", you can't actually negate the opponent's capabilities and millions are screwed even if you play a flawless game. But that's one of the overarcing points of the game. Everybody dies.

    224. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Ol+Biscuitbarrel · · Score: 1

      Obama doesn't have to retaliate, there are plenty of Western allies that would do it. not to mention Sub Commanders that would probably go Rouge.

      In Soviet USSA defective officers wear makeup.

    225. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "cut off its own nose to spite its face" ...but, yes, you have a point.

    226. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Once the missiles are in the air, you're fucked either way. The only thing you can affect by having/not having nuclear weapons is whether the other guy is equally fucked.

    227. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Mike+Buddha · · Score: 1

      You are wrong :)

      The amount of money you owe is set in stone. A loan of $20 is a loan of $20, even if inflation has made that $20 worth the equivalent of $10 when you first borrowed it.

      If you were to borrow money in a foreign currency, then have your inflation shoot up 600%, you'd have to come up with the same amount of foreign currency, which would now be considerably more expensive in your native currency, so it would in effect cause your loan to rise 600% the way you describe.

      Many loans have adjustable rates tied to indexes (in particular LIBOR), but that only affects the interest rate that is paid on the loan, not the principle itself.

      Consider yourself corrected :D

      --
      by Mike Buddha -- Someday the mountain might get him, but the law never will.
    228. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Empire building? It's more like trying to stop the continuous crushing and trying to stop OUR empire building game.

      We recognize immediately a group of people who took power by force, some of them saying openly they follow the "national socialism" ideology (except their hate is not against Jews, but mostly - for now - against people from a Russian origin). I guess it's because we think we'll be able to make them our puppets.

      We then refuse to recognize a democratic vote. That vote was fairly obvious. It's a region which not long ago was a part of Russia, it is populated mostly with people from a Russian origin and they are in a country which will probably collapse economically. We say the result of the vote was because of the Russian military, but that's bullshit.

      It looks to me are searching for excuses. We are the ones who are playing the empire building game and it looks to me we want a war. I don't like Putin, he's a megalomaniac religious nut, but we are worse than him. We are the bad guys.

      (BTW, I'm Canadian)

    229. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      All the US money (bonds and dollars) we have were "printed." Every year that the Federal gov't runs a deficit, it prints that amount of new money. And yet, no inflation crises materializes.

      The CPI is manipulated to show little or no inflation and the core CPI doesn't include food or energy because they are "too volatile" even though it's reported as a year over year percentage which smooths out of the volatility. The US also exports a ton of inflation via treasuries to other countries which lowers the rate of inflation here.

      Which Americans? Inflation may cost our wealthy creditors, but it will help the much, much larger part of us who have mortgages, student loans, car loans, credit card debt, business loans, etc. - especially considering that our economic growth is currently hampered by a persistent debt overhang caused by a deflationary credit crises.

      This might only work in the short term until banks start raising their interest rates to compensate so any new borrowers get screwed instead.

      Also, higher inflation will server to reduce the trade deficit by disincentivizing imports in favor of domestic alternatives, and by making our exports cheaper in foreign markets. Both of these effects will increase domestic production and employment.

      This also only works in the short term until other countries retaliate by debasing their currency as well.

    230. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Jeremi · · Score: 1

      and bringing the value of a dollar bill cheaper than paper toilet...

      What is the current value of a paper toilet? (I can't imagine wanting to use one more than once)

      --


      I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
    231. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Didn't Hitler host the Olympics too?

    232. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by flyingsquid · · Score: 1

      Russia is not some infinitely powerful state. By and large, it's a petro-state, and any move that causes precipitous global economic decline will do it significant damage in the process.

      Well, the West could frack the hell out of them. The ICBMs are just bluster; Russia's main leverage is those fossil fuels- they sell them to generate money, and they can temporarily shut off (or threaten to shut off) gas pipelines to punish the Ukraine and Europe. However, there are huge shale gas reserves in Poland, France, and the Ukraine. Developing them as an alternative to Russian gas would deprive Russia of it's main weapon against Ukraine and Europe. In the long term, the bigger impact would be to drive down the price of gas in Europe, reducing the amount of money flowing to Putin's regime.

      Obviously, this can't happen overnight; it took years for the U.S. to build up the shale gas industry so it's not going to drive Putin out of Crimea tomorrow, but since the world is probably going to be stuck dealing with Putin for years to come, and he's unlikely to get any less paranoid and aggressive, it's probably worth thinking about.

    233. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Ya things are seriously messed up in their media. Ie Kiev parliament votes out the president and it's proclaimed as mob rule; but actual mobs invade the Crimean Parliament and other government buildings and this time it's the will of the people. Those in Crimea or eastern Ukraine who are not fond of Russia are being intimidated, houses of Tatars are marked with Stalin era warnings, the Russian nationalism is in full boom, media in Russia is under firm state control and internet sites are being shut down, and yet Kiev is the one they accuse of being fascist.

      It's completely bizarre in so many ways, surrealism from the soviet era come back to life. And so few are speaking out about it all, it's like everyone is in lockstep saying exactly what Putin tells them to. Say what you will about how awful America is, at least we manage to have large numbers of voices that are speaking out.

    234. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      of course "original debt" would never change, but i was under impression that loan rate was always tied to inflation rate as standard banking practice (as in 99%+ of loans) like in my country (not USA not RUS not EU)
      for example you borrow $100 with interest 3% month while inflation is 1% that means 2% is real interest and 1% is part tied to inflation
      now if inflation jumped to 100% than your interest should be 100% + 2% = 102% right? (original debt would still be $100 of course)

      if that is true, can i borrow 100 trillions of USA dollars with your 1% yearly loan rate (what USA government gives) i promise i will return all as soon as your currency decreases in value 50% or more?
      (that would be guaranteed win regardless of Russian conflict because sooner or later there would have to be inflation of some sort)

    235. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      For example if the inflation goes to 600%, wouldn't your loan immediately become 600% of the total amount you borrowed in the past?

      Most loans do not. "Normal" mortgages, student loans, car loans, and business loans are fixed rate loans. Only credit cards normally have floating interest rates, and they're usually pegged to the prime rate, which may or may not react to inflation. (Depends on what the Fed does. For the last generation or so, the prime rate has been all about inflation, but it goes down when inflation is higher, not up.) Loan amounts never float at all. (With the exception of the loan you got from Guido, which has illegal terms.)

      If the interest rate is fixed, the holder of the loan can do nothing to adjust the terms of the loan for inflation. In inflationary times, fixed rate loans are the friend of the buyer. As long as your salary is keeping pace with inflation, you have more money available with which to make payments on your loans, while your loan amount and loan interest rate have not changed. In deflationary times, fixed rate loans are the friend of the seller. Because the cost of living is declining, in currency terms, employers feel justified in reducing wages, but again, neither your loan amount nor your loan interest rate are changing to match the change in your salary, so you have less currency available to make loan payments.

      That's the theory, anyway. In practice, we're living in inflationary times, but American salaries have not kept pace with inflation for many years. Your cost of living has been going up, while the dollars you have available to pay for it have not kept pace. But your neither your loan amounts nor your loan rates have changed, so you're not as bad off as you could be.

    236. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      Soviets could have survived WW2 on its own, they'd just have to pay a higher price in lives for it. Germans lost when they couldn't take over all the major centers before winter, and to prevent evacuation of the industry to Urals. After that, with the war shifted from blitzkrieg to slow positional grind, Soviets had the upper hand simply because they had better reserves (both manpower-wise and industry-wise). German industry and society was simply not scaled up to sufficient level to sustain such a prolonged all-in war. Soviet industry and society, on the other hand, was (that's what Stalin bought at the cost of millions of lives with his rapid forced industrialization policies).

      As for Normandy, it happened a year after Kursk, which is generally considered the turning point at the Eastern front, after which the tide turned, and Soviets were advancing rather than retreating.

    237. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by benzapp · · Score: 2

      Umm, you don't understand the purpose of sovereign debt. It has nothing to do with borrowing. Obviously, the United States is the wealthiest and most powerful empire in the history of mankind. We have no need to borrow anything from anyone, and could erase all the national debt tomorrow on mere whim with far fewer consequences than you might support.

      Money is power. It has value as long as sovereignty collects it in taxes and adjudicates civil disputes with it. The more powerful the sovereignty, the more valuable the currency is.

      In the case of the USD, the American Empire does something different. We do not simply create demand for our currency via taxes, as is typical. We compel the world to use the dollar for international trade. What you miss, because you are blinded by this misconstruing your personal money use with that of the US, is that the dollar is working better than ever. Last year was the banner year - over 75% of all foreign exchanges were settled in USD. And all of that money eventually has to flow through our financial system. And the so-called 1% takes a cut, which directly drives about 15% of the GDP and upwards of a 1/3 indirectly. The rest trickles down to the masses in terms of government handouts, or "services", like servants, hookers, drug dealers, etc.

      Everything that is going on in the Ukraine is directly about maintaining this system. We cannot allow Russia to create a meaningful alternative market for energy denominated in currency other than USD. To do so would directly cut into the GDP at a time when we cannot afford to do so. Afterall, the deficit spending has been nominal for the past 5 years. Unemployment is at depression levels, and the middle class is being decimated as the quantity of money in circulation has not been increasing at the rate of the exponential growth in interest. Thus, they are drowning in debt. The domestic consumer economy has been destroy, as this same tribal group fears internal dissent, and has decided the country is best turned into a land of peasants with overlords.

      --
      I don't read or respond to AC posts
    238. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Rich0 · · Score: 1

      Yup, it is like trying to boycott Ford by threatening to sell your car. Sure, if EVERYBODY sold their Fords it would hit their financials for a few weeks, but it isn't like Ford didn't already get paid for all those cars the first time around.

    239. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      if the inflation goes to 600%, wouldn't your loan immediately become 600% of the total amount you borrowed in the past?

      Man, who told you that? Your creditors can't change the amount of money you owe them on a whim.

    240. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      First, look at Crimea from a military strategy point. Russia has had military and naval bases there for decades. If the Philippines had a revolt you are telling me the US would sit and do nothing to protect their military bases there? Come now, you and I both know we would and should.

      Well, a bit of a problem here is that the new Ukrainian government didn't really do anything to directly threaten the Russian naval base. That agreement was going to stay in force for several more years, and Ukraine is always in need of more money (which is why it was always prolonged in the past).

      Eastern Ukraine is pro Russian, and Western Ukraine not so much.

      This is a very simplified view. It would be more precise to say that Eastern Ukraine has a dominant russophone population. Not all of it is Russian (at this point the only way to tell is to ask a person how they self-identify), and not even all of those who self-identify as Russians are pro-Russia. There's a significant proportion that want to follow Crimea, for sure, but it's not overwhelming, and it's not clear whether it is even a majority.

    241. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Rich0 · · Score: 1

      Russia has less to lose and would be better positioned once the crisis was over.

      You mean, once they pay back all those loans with penalties and interest, or were you envisioning a world in which Russia doesn't import anything and has zero outside investment? Refusing to pay your bills doesn't exactly endear you to those you would like to call business partners.

    242. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 0

      Just pointing out to anyone taking the above poster seriously that he's quoting a nazi site. Friatider.se.

      Well yeah. It's really hard to sling shit at Sweden and make it stick. Don't know where they found the magic lamp, but the genie hasn't quit working there yet.

    243. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      they already went trough it all during cold war, their people are used to being poor and hungry, americans on the other hand would hang obama in white house the next day ...

    244. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Rich0 · · Score: 1

      They don't have to sell their dollars, they just have to stop buying them, stop using them for trade.

      What else are they going to use for trade? The mighty Ruble? I doubt they're stocking up on Dollars because they're sentimental about Ben Franklin. And who is going to trade with them anyway once all the sanctions are in place?

      Sure, Russia can make waves, but only at their own expense.

    245. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      To be fair, we haven't seen Putin's response to Kiselyov's statement yet.

      Kiselyov is Putin's appointee, and is little more than a puppet. What he says is pretty much the official position.

      Granted, you should understand that the video in question was for internal consumption. It is not a threat to US, it is pandering to Putin's fans inside Russia who see him as a "strong hand" who is "bringing the country up from its knees". Militarist rhetoric goes very well there.

      lets see how the rest of Russia responds at the voting booth in the next election cycle.

      Russian elections are not particularly free at this point, so it's not a very valuable data point. Still, if Russian blogosphere is anything to go by, a lot of people are ecstatic with how Putin handled Ukraine. His support is at an all-time high, mostly because a lot of previously unaligned / "don't care" people have come out in support.

    246. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by benzapp · · Score: 1

      The question I always ask people is this: Why would the US ever have issued 90-day treasury notes? Why on earth would the most powerful empire in history have to borrow money for 90 days? Who borrows money for 90 days besides hookers and drug addicts? Even a small time drug dealer will often get more time than that.

      Sovereign debt is about managing the international supply of money. The "mix" of the outstanding debt signals to the world our fiscal objectives. When most of the debt is in short term notes, this means the debt will turn over sooner, and thus there is uncertainty as to what the future will hold. This is what has been going on lately, as rates will have to rise at some point (or a debt jubilee is called). What percentage of the outstanding treasury debt consists of say, inflation indexed 30-year treasury bonds?

      Never listen to anyone who doesn't understand the difference between sovereign debt and household debt. They are two totally different things. Further, debt has always been a social system. The myth of bankers lending out deposists has always been a myth. Money lenders have ALWAYS created their money from nothing. Money itself was always created from nothing.

      Think about. Let's say you set up a new country tomorrow. You are the undisputed king with the total loyalty of your people. You want them to pay you taxes in your currency. But, none of them have any. How do you get a functioning economy in your new realm? Well, you have to give people money first. THEN you demand it in taxes. Why do you think so much of "civilization" is the government just paying people to do pointless shit like build temples and what not? It's just getting them to be part of the system. That's all money and debt is. It's a system to organize societies in large groups than what we are biologically capable of without external structure - or about 200 people, aka Dunbar's Number.

      --
      I don't read or respond to AC posts
    247. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      "Interesting targets" are first and foremost not cities, but launch sites. How many of those there are somewhere in Siberia is an interesting question.

    248. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Rich0 · · Score: 1

      Russia now holds the economic trump cards. The EU is basically dependent on them, so any kind of "economic sanctions" are probably going to hurt the EU more than they could possibly hurt Russia.

      Well, seems quite possible that Ukraine will move in the direction of joining the EU/NATO. Certainly every other country on Russia's border is going to strongly consider it. Russia may very well end up with Crimea, but completely isolated regionally, which was not their goal here.

      The fuel trade with the EU makes up a much bigger portion of Russia's economy than the EU's. However, there certainly is a lesson here - it is foolish to be dependent on any particular country/region for a large share of your energy needs. All those in the US pressuring the EU to impose sanctions ought to be thinking about their dependence on the Middle East and think about the position they would be in if they ever need to impose sanctions over there. Indeed, if it weren't for the Straight of Hormuz I doubt Iran would be tolerated the way it is.

    249. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by antifoidulus · · Score: 1

      And at the same time crashing their economies. You do realize that Xi Jinping can't exactly just go to the Berlin Sparkasse put his bank of China ATM card in the slot and withdraw a trillion euros at the current rate right? They would have to find buyers for the dollars they are selling, and if their intention is to crash the value of the dollar then they aren't exactly going to find a lot of willing buyers, are they? Not to mention the export based economy would come to a halt, seriously imperiling the CCP, as their management of the economy is the only thing that's really keeping them in power right now.... So I somehow doubt the CCP is really eager to risk their status helping out Putin.

    250. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by s.petry · · Score: 1

      Well, a bit of a problem here is that the new Ukrainian government didn't really do anything to directly threaten the Russian naval base. That agreement was going to stay in force for several more years, and Ukraine is always in need of more money (which is why it was always prolonged in the past).

      This was determined at what point after the old government was overthrown? It was not, you just made that up. Even if it was stated by a person in the Euromaiden party, during turmoil that statement is pretty useless. I believe you realize that, without men mentioning it, so I'm not sure why you would make such an easy to spot false claim that does not change my point. Russia will protect their interests, just like the US would protect theirs. Simple!.

      This is a very simplified view. It would be more precise to say that Eastern Ukraine has a dominant russophone population. Not all of it is Russian (at this point the only way to tell is to ask a person how they self-identify), and not even all of those who self-identify as Russians are pro-Russia. There's a significant proportion that want to follow Crimea, for sure, but it's not overwhelming, and it's not clear whether it is even a majority.

      Are you not simply repeating my point? My point was not that all of Ukraine should follow Crimea, it was that the Ukrainians need to decide their own fate. Propaganda on both sides simply distort that view. EU people running in and promising tons of "free" money to get them into the EU is not very helpful when you realize that that "free" money has strings and the Ukraine would be in more debt than they already are. At the same time, they were declining under Russian influence. Much of that we can attribute to corrupt leadership. If they are corrupt on the inside and the majority of the Ukrainian people are suffering does it matter what side they join? Not at all. They need to fix themselves then look for allies that suit their long term goals.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    251. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Rich0 · · Score: 1

      China is opposed to Russia about the intervention, but they will not act on their opposition.

      Well, if by some miracle Russia actually does something to the value of treasury bills China won't be too happy with that either, considering that for every dollar Russia loses they lose 10. Oh, and a falling US dollar would require them to buy a BOATLOAD of treasuries to prop it up relative to their own currency or they'll see their entire economy crash as their exports dry up.

      Before you know it you might see Chechnya receiving a delivery of shiny new main battle tanks...

    252. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Roughly 80% of Crimeans allegedly voted in favour of joining the Russian Federation. About 60% of that population are ethnic Russians, with around 25% Ukrainians and 15% Crimean Tatars. The numbers are obviously rigged.

    253. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Rich0 · · Score: 1

      China wont join Russia because if it sells it's US dollars then it just means it's tanked the main country in the world it's dependent on for exports meaning it'll kill it's own economy.

      Yup - they're not buying all those dollars just to be nice. It is in their financial interest to maintain the current relative currency values. If Russia sells, China will buy, and the Chinese economy can outlast the Russian's on that front trivially. China isn't likely to think too fondly of the experience, though, and in a conventional war they're a far bigger threat to Russia than the US is.

    254. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by geekoid · · Score: 2

      "Early warning systems prevent first strike. "
      nope.

      " The initiation of the strike would be on NORAD's screen within 45 seconds of the missiles launching."
      not that quick.

      "Considering flight time is about 45 minutes "
      nope.

      Wargames was a fun movie, but you need to stop thinking it was accurate in anyway.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    255. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by geekoid · · Score: 1

      "... and the only thing bullies understand is strength. "
      Are you from 1950? Using strength against bullies makes them worse.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    256. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Rich0 · · Score: 1

      Yup. The old addage is that once one flies, they all fly.

      The problem is the question of what your opponent will do after you just nuked him. You nuked a naval group, so he nukes two of yours and a remote sea outpost. So you nuke a few of his mainland military bases distant from cities. So he nukes a few of yours close to cities. How do you just turn a blind eye to a nuclear attack?

      Since continuous escalation seems likely at all points, once one missile is launched it is likely that every one of your cities will lie in ruins, eventually. So, if you're going to fire nuclear missiles, you should at least try to wipe the enemy out on the first pass to hopefully reduce the impact of his retaliation. It is still a suicidal move, which is why we've never had a nuclear war.

      Sure, there is a chance that a tactical nuclear attack at sea might be met with a reprisal at sea and everybody will leave it at that. However, it doesn't seem terribly likely. The retaliating country will only stop at tit-for-tat if they feel they came out even or ahead in the exchange, and it is unlikely that the first party to strike would do so if that were a likely outcome.

    257. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by geekoid · · Score: 1

      I see. So what you are telling me is that you are a bully and don't like to think.
      Well done.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    258. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which situation would you rather be in: having no money, or having no gas to keep your house warm?

    259. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by geekoid · · Score: 1

      Yep, and the pubs know it and they have been positioning themselves to use the logical response against Obama.
      That's why we suddenly heard some senators pining for he cold war.
      All the pubs have is manufactured damned if he does damned if he doesn't scenarios as opposed to actual fact based complaints.

      Yes, Russia has made EU their bitch, ad it will remain that way until the EU decides to suck it up and deal real sanctions; which will someone how be Obama's fault, according to the pubs.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    260. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by geekoid · · Score: 1

      You think it's been spring for 'several weeks'. Seriously?

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    261. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      This was determined at what point after the old government was overthrown? It was not, you just made that up

      What was determined? That agreement remains? It didn't have to be determined - it's status quo unless and until the new government claims otherwise. Which they didn't until long after Russia occupied Crimea.

      Are you not simply repeating my point? My point was not that all of Ukraine should follow Crimea, it was that the Ukrainians need to decide their own fate.

      No, I'm not repeating your point. You said that "Eastern Ukraine is pro-Russian", and I noted that this is not necessarily correct. And even in those areas where pro-Russian sentiment may be in majority, whatever they do, it should also respect the concerns of the minority, especially when that split is 60/40 rather than, say, 90/10. So yes, they should decide their fate, but doing that right is very tricky, and Crimea is certainly not a good model for that.

    262. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Tom · · Score: 1

      Obviously, just dumping it is stupid.

      However, if you have billions of the stuff around, you can do interesting things with it. And if you're a petro nation, you can do even more interesting things. One of them is switching your oil trade to Euros. The US is so deathly afraid of that, some rumour mills say the Iraqs plans to do just that were a major reason for starting that war.

      The US$ isn't strong because it is backed by the US economy, it is strong because it is the international exchange currency of choice, and the only currency with which you can buy oil at nation-state amounts.

      Losing that advantage would hurt the US a lot more than a couple billions dumped on the market.

      --
      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    263. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by rahvin112 · · Score: 1

      Oh the US doesn't give a rats ass about anyone denominating oil in Euro's because the Europeans are never going to run he deficits necessary to use the Euro as an exchange currency. The second someone tries to denominate a major commodity in $currency the demand for the $currency is going to sky rocket which dramatically increases inflation without massive printing to support it.

      The ECB would NEVER print money like the Fed, for one thing it's against their charter. In fact if your goal was to crash the european economy by making the euro so valuable all exports halt the best way to do it would get oil traded Euro's.

    264. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Tom · · Score: 1

      Even when it ultimately drove out invaders, the costs were massive.

      Yes, but - just like the West supplied material to Russia, so did Russia take (and bind) most of the German fury. Look up the destruction and losses in Russia when you feel like it, it's crazy. Just two numbers to get you started: Russia lost 15,800 locomotives and almost half a million wagons. That they could still move an army around at all is incredible.

      Imagine that all the destructive power that Germany unleashed upon Russia had awaited the US troops on D-Day. They would've never even reached the beach if Germany hadn't had most of its troops tied up in Russia.

      So while Russia isn't as invincible and almighty as its propaganda paints it - neither were the western allies. Neither could've done it without the other.

      --
      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    265. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which Americans? Inflation may cost our wealthy creditors, but it will help the much, much larger part of us who have mortgages, student loans, car loans, credit card debt, business loans, etc. - especially considering that our economic growth is currently hampered by a persistent debt overhang caused by a deflationary credit crises.

      How? All that printed money will be given to the Russian and Chinese creditors, who will then be able to buy either A) A whole bunch of US hard assets. or B) assuming some legislative blockade of purchasing US hard assets, all the overseas hard assets denominated in USD like oil and gas reserves, mineral reserves, etc.

      The US could issue NewDollars, and declare foreign held USD worthless, but this would surely result in sanction or all out war, as it has every time in the past when a country has attempted to shirk it's liabilities.

    266. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The saying is "cut off its nose to spite its face."

    267. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      U.S. debt is denominated in dollars. That's how all debt works, public and private--you first agree on an acceptable currency. The repayment currency for U.S. Treasuries is--wait for it--U.S. dollars.

      The U.S. could easily pay off all debts in dollars. But issuing new debt... that might become problematic.

    268. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Printing money == instant inflation.

      All the US money (bonds and dollars) we have were "printed." Every year that the Federal gov't runs a deficit, it prints that amount of new money. And yet, no inflation crises materializes.

      When you print a million dollars no one cares, when you dump a trillion on the market in a single day that is newsworthy and has a measurable impact on pricing.
      Your paycheck is denominated in dollars which will now be able to buy less stuff; the notion that it will help you pay off your mortgage is laughable. There is NO reason to believe your paycheck is suddenly going to jump up and a decades of evidence that it will lag inflation substantially.

    269. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by kaatochacha · · Score: 2

      For all intensive purposes, your all wrong.

    270. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by s.petry · · Score: 1

      The whole federal government who made that agreement was thrown out. How can you assume that agreements that old government made would exist under a new government? Even if you make such an assumption,it's an _assumption_. Again, use my analogy of the US when less happens than the overthrowing of a Government. How often have Aircraft Carrier groups been moved to different "hot spots" to protect US interests? It happens constantly by the way, so be cautious with an answer.

      No, I'm not repeating your point. You said that "Eastern Ukraine is pro-Russian", and I noted that this is not necessarily correct

      The generalization provided is the same generalization that the majority of Ukrainian citizens themselves claim. Are you going to discount people that actually live there as opposed to your belief? Are you claiming that the minority should rule, especially in terms of a Federal Government? Are you really trying to claim that the majority (even in a 60/40 split which is extremely rare) have to sell to Wallmart instead of K-mart because the Minority wants it that way?

      Think about what you are trying to claim, is it really _that_ different if the Ukraine is allied with Russia or the EU? This is what the US and EU are trying to influence. They are trying to make themselves the Ukrainian peoples "friend" at a _COST_. Which is how different than the Ukraine being friends with Russia at a _COST_?

      30 years ago when I was still dewy eyed and believed that the US was perfect I would have agreed with you. 30 years of facts and watching what our country has become has changed that pretty drastically. Are we still better than Russia? Depends on the point you wish to argue, we do things under the covers that Russia does in the open. We are not that much different today, and the US has moved in the wrong direction faster than Russia has moved in the correct direction.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    271. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by cavreader · · Score: 1

      People really overestimate the amount of US debt "owned" by other countries. In total it is about 4% with the Federal Reserve holding the rest. You cannot destroy the US dollar without destroying the entire world economy and the vaunted 1% would pull out all stops to prevent any thing that could adversely effect them. Do you think for a second the US government would be allowed to stand still and let this happen and not declare all out economic warfare on the rest of the planet. The US economy would certainly take a hit but it could also eventually adjust to the changes a hell of a lot faster than some other countries. US backed securities and bonds which regulate the dollar are one of the safest investments in the world and even the countries that purport to despise the US still invest their money if the US allows them to. Energy imports are no longer the Achilles heel it once was and the major oil exporters in the world are well aware of that fact. All the US needs to do to screw Russia is start exporting natural gas to Europe and reduce the amount of oil it imports because both actions would cause the price of oil and natural gas to plummet and the Russian economy would be deprived of it's only real source of revenue no matter what currency they try to use. China's demand cannot make up for the absence of US demand and the price for oil would nose dive to around $20 dollars a barrel and totally destroy the countries that depend almost entirely on oil exports to prop up their economies. With other countries being thrown into economic free fall China would also be devastated by the rapid decline in the exports they depend on to run their economy. MAD applies not only to nuclear warheads but also to international finance.

    272. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The US is an Agricultural EXPORTER. It produces far more food than it needs and does not lack any grain/meat/other essentials. There are particular fruits not grown in the US... but no mainstays. (Cane sugar is not heavily grown/imported for political reasons, and maize sugar is an easy substitute.)

    273. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So if the Russians dump dollars on the market the value drops. As a debtor and an exporter, we come out ahead. Our products become competitive and we pay off our debts in cheap currency. Please, go for it.

    274. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by mathfeel · · Score: 1

      China also won't join Russia because they don't want what Russian is proposing for Crimea, referendum for independent, become an international precedent for its many regions: Taiwan, Tibet, etc.

      Why are we still in this Cold War mentality that the two formal communist countries are join at the hip. They have many diagonal interests, even during the Cold War.

      --
      The only possible interpretation of any research whatever in the 'social sciences' is: some do, some don't
    275. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by dk20 · · Score: 1

      I would think any american who plans to collect "old age security" (or whatever it is called) would be hurt. US old age security has long been a great place to stuff US bonds as it is considered "internal" debt.
      Loans/mortgages and the like sometimes have a "Prime+" component to them.

      A massive US dollar devaluation would be a tough political sell, not sure all those foreign nations who hold US bills would be happy.

    276. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

      I think you are unfamiliar with the basic concepts behind MAD.

      In this particular case, second-strike capability.

      MAD does not rely on knowing your enemy will launch his birds as soon as he sees yours and that they will wave as they pass each other above the poles. MAD relies on *knowing* (need more emphasis) that even if you sling everything you've got at the enemy, after the mushroom clouds have cleared, your own death is equally assured.

      There are multiple second-strike vectors. The former Soviet Union (and I assume Russia) relied on highly mobile land-launchers and some mobile boomers, and sky-darkening swarms of long-range nuclear-armed bombers, while the US relied on a vast fleet of more boomers and a near equal amount of bombers.

      So frankly, yes. Talk the madman down. If you, as a President, are man enough to sit there and wait until you *are* incinerated in nuclear fire before the command must be given to retaliate, then you are a fucking hero.

      MAD relies on no side having a definitive first-strike capability, and this remains true between the major nuclear superpowers.

    277. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      The whole federal government who made that agreement was thrown out. How can you assume that agreements that old government made would exist under a new government?

      You can't. But you also can't make the assumption that they won't exist, unless and until explicitly stated otherwise.

      Basically, you're claiming that Russia reacted to a threat. What I'm saying is that there was no threat, merely an anticipation of one.

      To give an analogy. If I'm walking in a dark alley and run into a guy who jumps on me with a knife, I'm in my right to take out a pistol and shoot him. But if I'm walking in a dark alley and a guy is camping at the corner, he might be waiting for me to come by and jump on me with a knife, but until he does I have no moral or legal right to shoot him.

      Again, use my analogy of the US when less happens than the overthrowing of a Government. How often have Aircraft Carrier groups been moved to different "hot spots" to protect US interests? It happens constantly by the way, so be cautious with an answer.

      How often do American CSGs violate the borders of other countries in such circumstances, though? It's one thing if Russia stationed more forces on its own territory next to Crimea, or increased the troop count in Sevastopol. But we're talking about full-fledged invasion and occupation here.

      The generalization provided is the same generalization that the majority of Ukrainian citizens themselves claim.

      Which citizens? I know quite a few, and they all disagree with your simplistic point.

      Are you claiming that the minority should rule, especially in terms of a Federal Government? Are you really trying to claim that the majority (even in a 60/40 split which is extremely rare) have to sell to Wallmart instead of K-mart because the Minority wants it that way?

      First of all, we don't know that there even is a majority. Last time there was a poll on joining Russia, the only place that voted over 50% in favor was Crimea...

      60/40 split is actually pretty typical in SE Ukraine. That's why you see strong demonstrations from both sides, and occasional violent clashes, like what we've seen in Kharkov and Donetsk. In any case, what I was saying is that in a 60/40 split, 60 cannot unilaterally decide for that 40. The solution has to account for the interests of both parties.

      Think about what you are trying to claim, is it really _that_ different if the Ukraine is allied with Russia or the EU? This is what the US and EU are trying to influence. They are trying to make themselves the Ukrainian peoples "friend" at a _COST_. Which is how different than the Ukraine being friends with Russia at a _COST_?

      Yes, it is really that different. The difference has been amply showcased by Russia's actions in the last several weeks.

      30 years ago when I was still dewy eyed and believed that the US was perfect I would have agreed with you. 30 years of facts and watching what our country has become has changed that pretty drastically. Are we still better than Russia? Depends on the point you wish to argue, we do things under the covers that Russia does in the open. We are not that much different today, and the US has moved in the wrong direction faster than Russia has moved in the correct direction.

      What makes you think that Russia is moving in a "correct direction", and what exactly does that direction entail?

      BTW, please understand that I'm not a part of your "we". I'm Russian (both ethnically and citizenship-wise), not American, even though I have been living in US for a few years.

    278. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by dk20 · · Score: 1

      Perhaps you can explain the 2008 collapse? Wasnt it driven by sub-prime loans? How many billions of sub-prime loans exist?

    279. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by benzapp · · Score: 1

      China does not need the US as a trading partner. Our #1 export to China is garbage. If you think in terms of "trade", we give nothing of value to China except for some foodstuffs.

      No, the US is an Empire, and we force the world to trade in USD. China must use our currency trade with the rest of the world. The US economy is a small fraction of the global economy, so the price China pays for this arrangement - participating in our empire - is selling us shit for free.

      China is actively working to resist US domination of global trade to be free of this, but truth be told - it's simply a small price to pay. China has no need to trade with the US, but they need to trade with the world.

      --
      I don't read or respond to AC posts
    280. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by mjwx · · Score: 1

      Really? As of last year, Russia held $225 billion in U.S. dollars. So, you think Russia will tank a $17 Trillion dollar economy with $225 billion. I find it helpful to have a sense of perspective when dealing with numbers.

      And the energy exports to the EU accounts for around 20% of Russia's GDP.

      Besides this, Russia wont go all nuclear, this is just something some stupid presenter said, do Russia go into tizzy every time someone on Fox News says something stupid about Russia (I'm going to bet that's at least a daily occurrence).

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    281. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by mjwx · · Score: 1

      It wouldn't matter. A strike the size required to take out the US would doom human kind anyway. It would be more than enough to trigger a nuclear winter. When are talking thousands of warheads, a one or a two at the front if that number really won't make the end result all that different.

      A strike to doom the US wouldn't require a thousand warheads, a dozen could probably do it. France has enough nukes to wipe out the US... and all the neighbouring countries. Radiation would probably be bad enough that birth defects would start appearing in France within a few months.

      If someone decided to take out any country the size of the US with the minimum amount of nukes required then the effects of those bombs alone will be felt worldwide.... that's just the direct effects of the bomb, not even considering the economic and humanitarian fallout (millions of refugee's escaping the fallout zone).

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    282. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    283. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unprecedented? Just look back to WW2. Europe was a wreck, west and east. Unprecedented? 2000 years of European history and conflicts aren't enough? Peace in Europe is a relatively new and fragile discovery. Which is why we don't need more empires, emperors, tsars or furhers. It's a lot less glamorous to try to live together and respect each other apparently. I prefer a boring politician who manages a peaceful society to a war hero working for a spot in history books.

    284. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Erm... We're not entirely sure how "democratic" that referendum actually was...

      Erm... We're not entirely sure how "democratic" that referendum actually was...

      No one disputes Russians make up the largest demographic in the Ukraine. There would be no need for Russia to fix the ballot. It actually has lots of incentive to have a fair referendum to justify its position.

      If you think this issue in Crimea is about protecting "human rights" i have a bridge for sale in Brooklyn. It was just an excuse to go after Russia in a fight for global influence. Russia, much like the US, has thousands of nukes that makes it impossible for the US to militarily bully it into submission.

      The over the top rhetoric by the US, that invaded another country for illusionary WMDs, is going to backfire though. All it will achieve is further polarization. If the US tries to start another cold war, Russians will also start working towards getting allies to counteract the power hungry war mongers in the US. As with the over reaction by the US after 9/11, global sympathy will eventually wane against the US when its allies realize the US establishment cares about nothing but itself. (with 1% of the US population holding most of the wealth in the US, the American establishment doesn't even care about other Americans)

    285. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You don't believe that at all. You just want it to be true.

    286. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by s.petry · · Score: 1

      You can't. But you also can't make the assumption that they won't exist, unless and until explicitly stated otherwise.
      Basically, you're claiming that Russia reacted to a threat. What I'm saying is that there was no threat, merely an anticipation of one.

      To not see the threat as real is delusional at best. I'm not claiming Russia is good, I'm claiming from a political perspective their reaction was correct. Especially considering that the revolt was due to the Ukraine voting not to join the EU and break economic ties with Russia. I realize it's hard to go back to the start of the conflict in history, but not impossible.

      Wrong analogy, sorry but that won't work. The facts really don't need an analogy of a bogey man, they portray themselves rather well.

      How often do American CSGs violate the borders of other countries in such circumstances, though? It's one thing if Russia stationed more forces on its own territory next to Crimea, or increased the troop count in Sevastopol. But we're talking about full-fledged invasion and occupation here.

      Lets see, Yemen and Pakistan surely count as does Kenya, Congo, Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia, and wholly crap I could list a lot of middle eastern and African countries here.... Toss in Syria since we are arming their rebels, Libya and Egypt since we armed theirs and provide money to those. I'm sure you know about Iraq and Afghanistan, but if not those are a Google search away. You see, the point is that while the US has been claiming to be a peaceful nation we have not been very peaceful. Good grief, at least in the first Gulf war we were actually defending a smaller country from an invasion (which we helped to instigate a bit). The rest has been blanketed imperialism, plain and simple. Full of fabricated information to start wars and fabrications to maintain them. All the while mind you, restricting US citizens and undermining our own Constitution.

      Which citizens? I know quite a few, and they all disagree with your simplistic point.

      How many people do you know? My company has over 300 in Russia (SPb), and here in the US we have over 100 from various locations in that region (as mentioned Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, etc... Surely I can't gauge a whole nation, but neither can you. How unbiased can you be if you have friends in one party in the region? Not very, but lets ignore that and call us even. News reports outside of US media seem to match what they claim, not what you claim. These are Al Jazeera, RT, and even the BBC at times. Sure, a generalization is always with error. Anything allowed to leave the Ukraine is filtered by both parties.

      Now that said, most in Kiev that ally with Russia are afraid to speak up. I guess you missed the reports of pro Russians being beaten and run out early on. I'm sure you have no knowledge of the Jewish synagogues being vandalized and Rabbis being beaten either. I keep hearing about how Russia invaded, and when nobody could provide a picture of a soldier they made some up. Now we are hearing that troops are massed along the border, again with no evidence. How many times will you fall for non factual statements from the same source before you stop believing them?

      In other words, don't trust everything you hear on US and EU "news" because it's biased just like Russian news is being biased. I said weeks ago when things started that if you read Russian news then read US news and draw a line down the middle you may find some truth.

      60 cannot unilaterally decide for that 40. The solution has to account for the interests of both parties.

      So you are claiming that the minority should rule. Hogwash, plain and simple hogwash. The majority in the Ukraine voted against joining the EU and was overthrown because of that vote. That is okay to you, because obviously the majority had to be corrupt which is why they voted the way they did. Now if they vote pro Russi

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    287. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure. And the massively radioactive dust ejected into the stratosphere will be carried to you in the jetstream. Over the following months and years, it will sicken your families, pollute water supplies , wipe out livestock and decimate your economy. Those same massive clouds of radioactive debris will trigger nuclear winter on an unpredictable global scale So, yeah, it's possible to "win" with a first strike, but in the long term the only true victors will be giant mutant cockroaches. Who knows, after a few million years of evolution they might create their own version of the iPad go through the whole bloody cycle once more.

    288. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by hodma727 · · Score: 1

      Has no one yet cottoned on to why China's leadership isn't backing Russia against the USA, when they almost always back nasty little tin pot dictators elsewhere against the US? Look up Tannu Uriankhai. Then look up Mongolia. China lost 15% of their territory when Russia interfered in Mongolia. The average Chinese doesn't know their own history, but the government sure do. Now add in restive areas like Tibet. Then add in Taiwan. China has many reasons not to support Russia's fake "referendum". 97% it such poor propaganda you have to wonder if Russia has learned nothing about successful propaganda since their last empire collapsed.

    289. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fuck off you cyberstalking cunt

    290. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Irrationally high home values before 2008. I knew beforehand it was going to happen.

    291. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      I would think any american who plans to collect "old age security" (or whatever it is called) would be hurt.

      Not really. To explain, our 'social security' is an intergenerational assurance program (those who currently work transfer some potential consumption to those currently retired), implemented through a so-called payroll tax (6.2% collected from employees and employers up to the first $117,000 earned only) which is used to sock away bonds as internal debt. So 12.4% of wages are taken from the private sector and placed into this trust. The 12.4% doesn't cover all the benefits that get paid, but interest income will make up the difference probably for about another decade. After that, the payroll taxes will have to pay benefits directly (at about 75% the level of current benefits) unless we allow social security to be paid from discretionary deficit spending instead of the trust fund.

      To summarize, no matter the general price levels or rates on US Treasury debt, social security provides for 12.4% of wages to be diverted from workers to retirees. No matter what, any form of old age pension requires workers to abstain from consuming some goods, transferring them instead to retirees. Assuming for the moment that retirees should be supported by society, the question then is what proportion should be transferred. Under current US law, the proportion is greater than or equal to 12.4% (plus I think 2.9% for Medicare).

      A massive US dollar devaluation would be a tough political sell, not sure all those foreign nations who hold US bills would be happy.

      Agreed - but we were talking about Russia and/or China causing the devaluation, right?

      From a US perspective, both dollar devaluation and dollar revaluation can be seen as positive. The former increases employment and domestic production, while helping debtors, and the former increases our ability to import the production of others and benefits creditors.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    292. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by ahabswhale · · Score: 1

      They have less than a half trillion dollars in reserves...it's not gonna do much other than fuck themselves over. Plus, the west can enact sanctions that are far more economically devastating than anything Russia could hope to do. Net effect: the Russian ruble becomes nearly worthless. And really, that's just the start.

      --
      Are agnostics skeptical of unicorns too?
    293. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The US could virtually seize all Russian possessed US debt and declare it invalid, whether owned by Russia or a direct or indirect purchaser from Russia, before the sell off could even finish. The US could also, under the Trading with the Enemy Act, order all US firms and every firm subject to the US's direct or indirect jurisdiction (essentially all major financial firms) to stop trading with Russia completely (ala North Korea). With no access to foreign markets, their economy would collapse quiet quickly.

    294. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      Rather than writing a point by point rebuttal of this and wasting time, I'm just going to show you that your sources of information are far more biased than you acknowledge. You say:

      I'm sure you have no knowledge of the Jewish synagogues being vandalized and Rabbis being beaten either.

      The only picture of a synagogue being vandalized is this one (and its variations from different angles). And you know where that is? It's in Simferopol, the hearland of the secessionist movement in Crimea. And you know when that graffiti appeared? Why, the next day after Russian forces - excuse me, "spontaneously organized local self-defense" - showed up.

      In the meantime, here is what the chief rabbi of Ukraine had to say about this...

      Here is another picture you might find interesting. This is a small arms salute at the burial of one of the Maidan protesters; the non-uniformed guys in masks are the dreaded "Right Sector", ostensibly a neo-Nazi, fascist group. The guy whom they are saluting is Oleksandr Shcherbanyuk, an Ukrainian Jew who was avidly religious. He was buried with a kippah, and a rabbi was presided over the ceremony. And the "Nazis" saluted over the coffin.

      Chew over that a little bit. And start looking for some better sources. By your rhetoric so far, it's clear that you're simply regurgitating Russian state propaganda wholesale, without even bothering to do any cursory verification.

      Yet another case in point:

      I keep hearing about how Russia invaded, and when nobody could provide a picture of a soldier they made some up. Now we are hearing that troops are massed along the border, again with no evidence. How many times will you fall for non factual statements from the same source before you stop believing them?

      I don't know who that "nobody" is, because the pictures and videos number in the thousands. Here is a video from Kerch where guys in Russian uniform (sans chevron with a flag) try to weasel out from answering the question, but eventually admit that they're from Russia. There are many others like it.

      Again, the fact that you're not aware of their existence shows that you didn't even bother to do a cursory search, and are just watching RT 24/7.

      The majority in the Ukraine voted against joining the EU and was overthrown because of that vote

      The majority in Ukraine voted from Yanukovich in 2010, yes. One of the cornerstones of the platform on which he was elected was pursuing association with EU. Heck, the guy's first foreign visit after being elected was to Brussels! The turnaround only happened in the end of 2013, and, quite understandably, a lot of the same people who voted for him back then were pissed off.

      So that part about "Ukraine voted"? It's bullshit.

      This is not even to mention that since he was elected, Yanukovich, among other things, pretty much unilaterally (by forcing the constitutional court, a quarter of which resigned in protest of the pressure) rescinded the new constitution of 2004, and reverted to the old one - which, coincidentally, granted him considerably more powers as the president.

      I stated very clearly that the US has declined much faster than Russia has improved. You could not have missed that point, so you are selectively choosing fragments to argue with. Russia has certainly not become a democracy, but they are not the Russia we grew up fearing. Does Russia have more mob bosses running around than the US? Probably not, the difference between here and there is we keep our shit in the closet and deny it at every available opportunity. Depending on where you are in Russia

    295. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      If outstanding bonds are redeemed, their balance becomes reserves. Relatively more plentiful reserves will induce relatively higher bids on new issues of US Treasury debt, that is, relatively lower rates. This is the supply-and-demand mechanism by which quantitative easing reduces Treasury rates.

      The Fed can always set the yield curve on Treasuries by buying bonds from the private sector (and setting IOR) such that takers receive a spread. If some institutions don't like those terms, they can try to collude to keep rates up, but there is a prisoners' dilemma in that the first one to break ranks will reap the gains.

      It would be even simpler for the Fed to control rates if we altered the Federal Reserve Act to allow direct purchases of Treasury debt (such as are allowed by most countries).

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    296. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      If the value of my work stays steady, a strong dollar actually makes it harder for me to pay my mortgage, but a weak dollar lets me pay off my loans faster.

      Since that's pretty much what I said, I assume you meant to reply to Lotana in explanation of why we're right...

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    297. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      Fortunately, the US government and most US citizens only borrow in US dollars.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    298. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      Real rates are calculated by subtracting inflation from the nominal rate. E.g. if inflation is 2% and the rate on a US bond is 1.75%, then folks are paying the US government to safely hold their money a -0.25% (realistic numbers at the present time).

      There are some rare inflation adjusted debt instruments, for example the US Treasury sells TRIPS which are inflation-protected securities. AFAIK in the USA and most other countries, nearly no debt is inflation protected.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    299. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      We are already giving tons of money to the Chinese in exchange for goods. If they wanted to turn around and spend those dollars here, they could. Instead, they turn them into bonds in order to manipulate FX prices and to capitalize their banks. Keep in mind that as a result of Chinese demand for US paper, we are trading them our official stamps for their sweat, toil and natural resources, which we consume instead of they and which they can never recover.

      The misunderstanding this AC has, is that redeeming a bond adds to the net financial assets of the bond holder. This is false. If I have $100 in bonds, then on redemption my $100 in bonds is destroyed, and replaced with $100 in reserves. The only difference is the interest rate. Just redeeming bonds (or buying up bonds China is willing to sell) can't change the net financial assets of the private sector, and is thus very unlikely to lead to inflation.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    300. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      In other words, you have NO explanation for how quantitative easing has had no significant effect on inflation for six years. Time to face facts, your ideological model cannot predict price movements.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    301. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      The CPI is manipulated to show little or no inflation and the core CPI

      Ah, another tinfoil hat.

      The US also exports a ton of inflation via treasuries to other countries which lowers the rate of inflation here.

      Sorry, this is logically incoherent. If a foreigner buys US bonds, they have less US cash, leading to lower dollar denominated prices in their markets. Supply and demand. Part of the problem here is misunderstanding that "inflation" means an increase in price levels, regardless of changes in the money supply. Just increasing the money supply is not "inflation" although it may lead to it, again via supply and demand.

      This might only work in the short term until banks start raising their interest rates to compensate so any new borrowers get screwed instead.

      The problem now is a debt overhang which is hampering growth by depriving banks of profitable lending opportunities, and depriving the private sector of its ability to innovate and invest. After private balance sheets are repaired and full employment is reached, I will begin to favor deflationary policies.

      This also only works in the short term until other countries retaliate by debasing their currency as well.

      You should look up the Plaza Accord and reverse Plaza Accord.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    302. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nope, thats when other countries no longer have faith in your dollar or economy. Stop trading with you and seize your assets. America is a net importer and would be hurt far more by not having any trade.

    303. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by VTBlue · · Score: 1

      So your argument is that the the US would import less. China would be shooting itself in the foot if it sold all it's USD reserves and treasury bills. Russia would be doing the same thing because they are both net exporters. Even if the countries did that, US has many other places it can import from and also has the ability to ramp domestic production. Any currency warfare would cause far more suffering to Russia or China than to the US.

      I'm not sure you fully understand why they hold on to USD denominated financial assets (t-bills and reserves).

    304. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, then all the derivatives based on us bonds would go berserk.
      All the bets on US defaulting on bonds would pay off, some banks etc would make trillions, and others would lose trillions, which is which noone knows, it would be total financial chaos, making the previous crisis look like nothing. Remember what happened last time when just 1 big bank was going to fail and everyone knew which one.

    305. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by je+ne+sais+quoi · · Score: 1

      I know most people don't realize it, but a weaker dollar would HELP the U.S. The whole reason we're in an economic mess in the first place is because the U.S. corporations have shipped a lot of the U.S. manufacturing overseas. China selling off their U.S. debt would appreciate the renminbi & depreciate the dollar, thus making U.S. manufacturing more attractive and providing much needed jobs. Of course, none of this benefits you if you are a rentier making profits on the backs of high U.S. unemployment & cheap labor in China, & those people have convinced the largely ignorant populace to support a strong dollar against their best interest.

      --
      Gentlemen! You can't fight in here, this is the war room!
    306. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by theshibboleth · · Score: 1

      The problem is Putin may think he can wage conventional warfare across Europe without having to worry about a nuclear response.

    307. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by theshibboleth · · Score: 1

      Also coincidentally a Russian nuclear submarine was on fire in the north of Russia http://barentsobserver.com/en/...

    308. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Citizen+of+Earth · · Score: 1

      I think you're drastically overstating it. If Russia were to unload its $100B in reserves, it could depress the value of the USD by perhaps a couple percent for a couple of days, but it would do way more damage to itself. The global foreign exchange market is measured $5.3-*trillion* *per day*(!) and there are lots of aggressive players desperately trying to profit from arbitraging a few hundredths of a penny. If they figured out that Russia was dumping $100B at a deep discount for purely political reasons, the buyers would go into a huge feeding frenzy, mitigating the decline on the USD. Immediately after Russia finished unloading, the USD would jump right back up to its true value. The main result would be that Russia would have donated billions or tens of billions of dollars of value to speculators for a very temporary impact on the value of the USD. I wouldn't even call this a Pyrrhic victory; it'd be an unmitigated loss for Russia. China could do the same thing and have a bigger impact with its $1.3T, but also a bigger loss to itself.

    309. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you took Macroecon 101 and now you think you are smarter than the people at the treasury and the fed? It's no mistake that the US dollar, the euro, and the pound are highly valued. A lot of brilliant minds have worked hard to ensure that it is that way. Low value favors export and production. High value favors import and consumption. Guess which one westerners prefer? Westerners want to own two cars, a full set of household appliances like refrigerators and washing machines, lots of new stylish and expensive clothes, and the loads of the latest electronic gadgets. High currency value favors this. With low currency value, you get what you have in India and China, where a privalleged few live in mansions, but most earn pennies and live in slums. Because the low values favor prodution and cheap labor is necessary for large scale production. Yes, more money comes into the economy, but it all goes straight to the oligarchal elite that own the plants. There is no trickle down to the workers because wages are low. In the US people complain that 1% if the population has 50% of the wealth. Well in China and India, it is probably more accurate to say that 0.1% of the poplation controls 60 or 70% of the wealth.

    310. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Calavar · · Score: 1

      Yes, both the US and Russia have tens of thousands of warheads, but they are mostly just dead weight. The US and Russia only have 500 ICBMs a piece and (thanks to the SALT and START treaties) none of them are multiple reentry. The US submarine and B-2 fleets are far, far too small to launch the rest of the warheads (both number in the dozens), and I doubt that Russia's strike capabiles are any better considering that they spend far less on their military. The huge nuclear arsenal is a relic of the 50s and 60s when any nuclear strike plan involved strategic air command deploying thousands of nuclear armed B-52 bombers. The idea of doing such a thing today is laughable. B-52s are sitting ducks to modern air defense systems, but B-2 stealth bombers are far too expensive to mass produce (2 billion dollars a piece). That means that the vast majority of existing warheads are dead weight. The problem is that no country wants to unilaterally destroy the excess nukes because it makes them look weak. So we have to wait for treaties like SALT and START before any weapons are destroyed, and the diplomatic process takes a long time.

    311. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by theshibboleth · · Score: 1

      The question at that point is whether the world's latest little dictator will be satisfied with Ukraine (and perhaps former Soviet possessions in Eastern Europe like Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, etc.) or whether he will proceed to invade Germany and France. If he does invade any country besides Ukraine it would obligate a NATO response but I'm unsure if Obama would follow treaty obligations (direct war with Russia) or if it would be the effective end of NATO. Anyway there's a ceasefire until Mar 21, so the nuclear holocaust will likely not occur until at least this weekend.

    312. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Make me, you lying little crybaby.

    313. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Surely you mean you COULDN'T care less?

    314. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by gmhowell · · Score: 1

      To bring the comparison back to warfare, this sort of economic action on the part of the Chinese is unlikely to happen any time soon due to the theory of Mutally Assured Destruction.

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
    315. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you totally bald yet? Been back to the psych ward recently?

    316. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by gmhowell · · Score: 2

      ...in global nuclear conflict there are no winners. With the possible exception for rats, cockroaches and tardigrades.

      Don't forget lawyers.

      He already said cockroaches.

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
    317. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by gmhowell · · Score: 1

      You have failed to take into account the mine shaft gap.

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
    318. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      No, but once I learn I'm allergic to bananas, I won't accept them as payment anymore for future contracts. So I'm out 10 bananas, but you're out this customer for your bananas forever.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    319. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by ShieldW0lf · · Score: 1

      It's already underway. China is trading energy for Yuan, and Russia made a deal to give them unfettered access to their oil and natural gas reserves. There were several articles about it last year, here on Slashdot.

      And the false flag operations in Libya weren't about oil as much as they were about fresh water. Under Qaddafi's leadership, they built infrastructure to tap into underground aquafers and provide fresh water for everyone. Now that water can be shipped to Israel. There will be feel good news articles about the dynamic young entrepreneurs and all the success they are achieving with their bottled water enterprises, while most of the nation watches helpless as the resources they worked so hard to make available are pillaged by foreign thieves.

      --
      -1 Uncomfortable Truth
    320. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Patch86 · · Score: 1

      Indeed. It is spring in all the waits that actually matter here in the UK- the weather is warm and bright, the cherry blossom is out, the first bumble bees can be seen, and plants are all entering their active growth phase.

      Importantly- the weather it's warm. Which from a "need for Russian gas" point of view is all that actually matters.

    321. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Erikderzweite · · Score: 1

      As said, the resources were burned quickly, while many German machines managed to work throughout the war.
      Keep in mind that the bulk of Lend Lease shipments happened after 1943, the Western Front opened 1944, well after Stalingrad and Kursk. The USSR was already winning back then, it was all about who gets the control over Western Europe.

    322. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Chrisq · · Score: 1

      Unprecedented? Just look back to WW2.

      Yes of course you are right - i was thinking of more recent history.

    323. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Xest · · Score: 1

      China doesn't give a shit about US exports, it gives a shit about having a major world economy to sell stuff to. If it no longer has the US to sell stuff to then it no longer has reason to manufacture, no longer has jobs, and will suffer rebellion due to deteriorating living standards and lack of employment.

      It's what the US imports from China that matters, and that's just about everything nowadays.

    324. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually the explanation is quite simple. QE funds were bonded around and almost all of it ended up in developing market investments. Low yields in the US meant that very few institutional investors kept the money in the US. As QE tapers, much of that money will leave developing markets as the relative risk profiles drive the funds home.

      This is the currently accepted explanation for why QE triggered inflation has been delayed; it's been stored overseas and is just waiting to come home.

    325. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      OR:-
      Your numbers are completely wrong.

    326. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by karpis · · Score: 1

      Yes Crimea is pro Russian, but there is Budapest memorandum and a lot international law which prohibits Russia's actions in Crimea. And no propoganda can justify referendums at gun point of one of involved side. And don't even start about Yugoslavia and double standards (heard a lot about this from Russia) no western power after splitting Yugoslavia had territory gains - no anexation happened. Excuses about fashism and radicalls possing threat are nonsense because I have not heard about ethnic violence in Crymea. In my opinion current Ukraine govenrment is very tolerand and desperatelly tries to evade conficts - Ghandi would tap them on the shoulder for their actions. Russia are installing another frozen conflict (Trans-Dnestria, Osethia and South-Georgia) to destabilize region, because they just don't want or understand how to deal international relations in partnership and not slave-master fashion. I hope one day Russia will split into fistful of independend states to loose power and imperial ambitions. I hope for peace, but Russia must change drastically. And it is hard to achieve democracy in a country which has never had free citizens and all their leaders are either drunks or despots. Personally I prefer drunks - at least their ambitions are obvious. P.S.: I always enjoy the fact that during turmoil Russians blame America, but meantime runs to buy USA dollars to be safe.

    327. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      "Interesting targets" are first and foremost not cities, but launch sites. How many of those there are somewhere in Siberia is an interesting question.

      Both you and the AC above are talking about fighting a nuclear war, making a counter-force strike to stop the Russians firing back. (*)

      Apart from the US and Russia nobody has enough weapons for that - they (UK, France, possibly China) have enough to threaten MAD but not enough for a counter-force strike. (The 3rd tier, Israel, India, Pakistan have enough for regional MAD, not global MAD).

      In fact the only thing France and the UK can do is destroy the population and economy of the US, Russia, or, maybe, China. It would be stupid for them to attack military targets.

      (*) Forgetting, for a moment, the SLBM problem.

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    328. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      ..so as they would be sinking the dollar AT THEIR OWN FUCKING EXPENSE the winner would be the EURO? FUCKING AWESOME!

      no, somehow not gonna happen..

      plan
      1) get lot of currency x.
      2) crash it.
      3) cash in. with what? after having sold the fucking mountains of magnets for dollars already?

      Putin likes to suck cock so he is putting up a big cock show now. the tighter grip _inside_ Russia is because he is slipping.. and thus going to extremes like gaming the poll in crimea to ridiculous results, even though they would have won 60%+ with a fair vote. but no, can't go without cheating...

      (and the funny thing is that crimea is strategically important.. for a sea that is not)

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    329. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      In fact the only thing France and the UK can do is destroy the population and economy of the US, Russia, or, maybe, China. It would be stupid for them to attack military targets.

      Oh, yes. for comparison, what a crazy France could do to the US:

      Target 289, Kenosha, Wisconsin. pop 100,150

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    330. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      I think you underestimate the size of Russia. Even if you take out Moscow, St.Petersburg, Volgograd and other major cities, you would still have a functioning economy and militatry, try this with NY, DC Dallas and LA!

      I think you underestimate the size of the USA. There would still be Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Portland, Portland, Honolulu, Anchorage, and tens of thousands of other cities and towns.

      I think both of you are underestimating the size of the arsenals on each side.

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    331. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      thing is loans are to private companies from Russia, not to Russia as country,
      if those companies because of sanctions get destroyed (you know loose all money, close shop) they will automatically default on their loans, Russia as a country might still payback their loan but its smaller part and is government to government low interest loan,
      Russian private companies have loans from market (EU/USA private banks) and when those loans get defaulted EU banks will raise interest on loans to EU citizens in order to get back money they lost by borrowing to Russian companies

    332. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Malaak · · Score: 1

      Well, the nuclear option makes no sense more than once either...

    333. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by tibit · · Score: 1

      Yeah, that's what I always tell people: the scale of things in the U.S. is quite hard to understand without actually being here. U.S. municipal budgets are like country budgets in eastern Europe. NYC tracks Poland, etc.

      --
      A successful API design takes a mixture of software design and pedagogy.
    334. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by s.petry · · Score: 1

      The only picture of a synagogue being vandalized is this one [thedemocrate.com] (and its variations from different angles).

      Why are you posting information that is easily proven false? Do you need more links to show that you are a liar? Here is another, and another. And of course the number of synagogues being vandalized is low, there are not many in these areas.

      I don't know who that "nobody" is, because the pictures and videos number in the thousands. Here [youtube.com] is a video from Kerch where guys in Russian uniform (sans chevron with a flag) try to weasel out from answering the question, but eventually admit that they're from Russia. There are many others like it.

      Showing people in military uniforms with no markings of Russian makes them Russian, got it. More false information, not surprising. The only place that saw any Russian troops was Crimea near the bases. There is more proof of Blackwater being in Kiev than there is for Russian troops being in unauthorized locations in the Ukraine. Neither side is rock solid either.

      One point I made is, and was, that there is a ton of propaganda being set up on both sides, and you are simply proving my point. Thanks for playing!

      The other point is, and was, that claiming the US is wrong is not the same as claiming Russia is right. You can't seem to comprehend that point, at all, so there is no sense trying to continue dialogue.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    335. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by dadragon · · Score: 1

      Already covered by "rats, cockroaches and tardigrades".

      --
      God save our Queen, and Heaven bless The Maple Leaf Forever!
    336. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by coinreturn · · Score: 1

      Inflation may cost our wealthy creditors, but it will help the much, much larger part of us who have mortgages, student loans, car loans, credit card debt, business loans, etc.

      How so? Correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that all loans closely follow inflation rates.

      For example if the inflation goes to 600%, wouldn't your loan immediately become 600% of the total amount you borrowed in the past?

      A most definite NO. Some loans are linked to inflation (more accurately to particular interest rates), but they generally have lifetime caps on the order of 10 percentage points.

    337. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Pieroxy · · Score: 1

      Wow... You really think of yourselves as invincible?

    338. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by EvilSS · · Score: 1

      Sure. And the massively radioactive dust ejected into the stratosphere will be carried to you in the jetstream. Over the following months and years, it will sicken your families, pollute water supplies , wipe out livestock and decimate your economy. Those same massive clouds of radioactive debris will trigger nuclear winter on an unpredictable global scale So, yeah, it's possible to "win" with a first strike, but in the long term the only true victors will be giant mutant cockroaches.

      I never said it was a good idea. Just that if some superpower decided to go nuclear against another, it would not be a small-scale initial attack like the other commentator suggested. No one is foolish enough to think that anyone can "win" a large scale nuclear war.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    339. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by EvilSS · · Score: 1

      It would require a few hundred, unless all you want to accomplish is to kick the ant hill. You could create a financial collapse by hitting the top 10 or so cities, but that only gets you so far. It would not be enough to knock out the government, commanders would be protected and most military installations are purposefully scattered all over. Between regular, reserve, and national guard forces there would be more than enough to ensure law and order for the most part. Most important, the ability for our military to strike back in a conventional sense would still be intact

      Even if we go with that totally unlikely scenario, an in-kind response would require what, hitting two or three cities in Russia? Certainly not a healthy thing to do but also not the tipping point to global environmental catastrophe like the other commentor suggested. Remember, it's not like we haven't detonated plenty of nukes in testing. A dozen airbust weapons in the 400kt range won't end life on earth.

      But again, that's a scenario that is just not on the table for anyone.

      Now, if you wanted to knock the US completely down, you are going to need hundreds of warheads. You have to hit all the major cities, some of them very hard. You have to hit military bases as well, not just in the US but around the world. You would target underground government installations with big, ground burst weapons that would kick up massive amounts of dust and fallout. Ditto for our nuclear reservations to try to take out ground based ICBMs.

      An exchange of that size, even if the US did not respond, would be catastrophic for the entire planet.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    340. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is what you get when you have a weak and incompetent US president

    341. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They've been converting them into Gold.

      Keep laughing.

    342. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by EvilSS · · Score: 1

      We are still taking numbers that, in a full exchange (which is the only way it would go down) would be devastating.

      I also think you are downplaying the SLBM threat quite a bit. ICMBs are, in themselves, relics.. US subs can carry 24 launch vehicles, Russians 16-20. The current generation Russian SLBM carries 8 warheads, while the US has limited itself to 3-4 per Trident II (it's capable of carrying up to 12).

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    343. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not about the amount of dollars in that instant. It's about leaving the US Dollar completely, making it irrelevant. THAT is what tanks the US Economy. When no one outside of the US values a dollar at all.

      Wake up geniuses.

    344. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In order somebody to mass sell something, it should be somebody who will buy it, unless they just want to burn their us dollars..... also toilet paper us money mean that us doesn't really own anything to anybody :)

    345. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, if Russia and China actually did that, not only would it hurt them, it would be GREAT for the US economy as it would raise exports and decrease imports. The Chinese hold so many dollars and US treasury bonds because the dollar is a very stable currency, and when they bought them, those bonds had mostly high interest rates coupled with repayment certainty.

    346. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not sure what your glasses are made of, but maybe this trick will work:
      1. Open Wikipedia
      2. Take a sheet of paper and a pen
      3. Read an article about Russia. Write down some flat facts, begin with the size of the country.
      4. Do the same for USA.
      5. Measure how and if (your perception of) the world has changed.

      Now, before you write the word "Putin" another time - try to believe that this time it's not him. It's Russia. He gets total support for his actions in Crimea. Even from ones who hate him. The 100% of parliament and senate, including the opposition. It's a hive mind.

    347. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by sunsurfandsand · · Score: 1

      We'll meet again Don't know where, Don't know when, But I know we'll meet again Some sunny day Something to look forward to....

    348. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by jwhitener · · Score: 1

      What you say is true. But isn't one difference between US behavior and Russian behavior, is that Russia and other countries signed a treaty that specifically forbid what Russian is doing right now? http://www.dw.de/bound-by-treaty-russia-ukraine-and-crimea/a-17487632

      I know the US was accused of breaking international law by invading Iraq, but that seems way less clear. There is at least some evidence of threat against the US (see wiki) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_the_Iraq_War

      If Putin had said "hey, Ukraine attacked us" (whether it were true or not) he'd at least be operating within the spirit of international law. He's not even pretending to follow the laws right now.

      About your point that the US would get involved if it was their military base in a country in turmoil... I can't think of any examples. I assume they would attempt to protect the lives of the service people on the base, or attempt to evacuate them. But there is no historical precedent that has the US annexing a large region of land around a base and declaring it part of the US. Or is there? Curious.

    349. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not invincible, but any economic contest of this nature is sure to hurt all major economic players so we are not terribly concerned. We assume, rightfully I think, that nobody wants to blacken their own eye. There is no way to damage ones trading partners without damaging oneself, unless that trading partner has all their "eggs in one basket." And Russia's economy is overly dependent on fossil fuel exports, lacking the diversity to sustain any extended economic warfare.

    350. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by M_Krieger · · Score: 1

      Nothing like the prospect of mutually assured destruction to build up an appetite for lunch. I think I'll go find my VHS copy of Fail Safe and pop that in the ol VCR for some entertainment...

    351. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They will never do that. They have T-Bills that are denominated in US Dollars..

    352. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

      It's true even comparing "old" U.S. to "new" U.S.

      Many of the original states are the size of counties in the later states.

      I think it gives them over representation in the Senate these days.

      --
      She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    353. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what are they going to do with all the dollars we give them for the stuff we buy from them? throw them away? let them sit in an account and not be reinvested somewhere?

    354. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by s.petry · · Score: 1

      Your point is valid, but does change or address what I said. The US complaining about Russia, the same US who funded the Orange revolution with your tax dollar and no Congressional oversight or approval, holds how much credibility?

      The US did break international law by invading Iraq in the 2nd Gulf War. The US justification given to Congress and US citizens was a complete fabrication contrived explicitly for the purpose of starting a war. The same can be said for the Afghanistan war. And before you "but.. but.. Bin Laden" you need to remember and pay attention to the country he operated out of and was captured in. Hint: It was not Afghanistan.

      Go back and read what I said again. I never said Putin was right! I stated that the US was wrong, on just about every level. Anyone complaining about Russia in the US is a hypocrite.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    355. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by termineite · · Score: 1

      Imagine the Russians selling all their US dollars, China following them, and bringing the value of a dollar bill cheaper than paper toilet...

      If the dollar bill sinks, US exports soar.
      If US exports soar, US economy boosts.

      Top US imports are Oil, Machines, Electronics and Vehicles.
      Makes the country pretty self-sufficient in case of such a mishap.

    356. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by GodfatherofSoul · · Score: 1

      1. Open Wikipedia
      2. Look at a map of US states
      3. Compare Montana and Massachusetts.

      Now, which one is the bigger economy?

      --
      I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
    357. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by cryptizard · · Score: 1

      The surprising thing on that chart is that the Netherlands are so close to the US despite being only a tiny fraction of it's size and having less than 5% of it's population.

    358. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So in other words, despite everyone panicking about the debt, the US STILL has everyone over a barrel despite owing them umpteen trillion dollars?

    359. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The US wipes is ass with 225 billion. (Throwing money at the car / banking industries.)

    360. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Given the utter uselessness of a paper toilet, I think the dollar would remain more valuable than such a thing.

    361. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Excellent point and one which is often overlooked. The threat of sell off is more effective due to its psychological affect on the market. Fear mongerers thrive on the notion of economic Armageddon. Market players love the volitility.

    362. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by infinitelink · · Score: 1

      Thinking at a tank pointed at your face--or your friends' or allies'--is wishful thinking of the kind that certainly is appropriate to faux intellectualism. Have at it. :)

      --
      Intelligent idiots are we. | Evil men do not understand justice.
    363. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If the Philippines had a revolt you are telling me the US would sit and do nothing to protect their military bases there? Come now, you and I both know we would and should. We have those bases for the same reason Russia has bases in Crimea.

      The US gave its bases in the Philippines to the Philippine government in 1992. It no longer has any bases there to protect. Your post is over 20 years out of date.

      Perhaps if you didn't depend upon propaganda sources for your information, you would have realized this. Please take a class that teaches critical thinking and reading skills so you don't keep making this kind of mistake.

      You might even choose to read a history of the Philippines, if you're going to be commenting on them.

      In recent years, there have been treaties created for closer military cooperation between the US and Philippine government, due to the threat from a certain big Asian bully in the region, but the bases are still Philippine bases. Any US presence is temporary and by invitation.

    364. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      China won't join Russia because if it sells it is US dollars then it just means it is tanked the main country in the world it is dependent on for exports meaning it'll kill it is own economy.

      Russia doesn't have enough dollars to matter.

      Economically, Russia finds itself on the losing side of history once again here if it tries to push it is luck.

      Your point has merit but reading it makes me want to gouge my eyes out.

      I don't mean to be rude but you really don't know how to use apostrophes. In this example you got it wrong four times out of five uses. If you don't know how to use apostrophes, please don't use them.

    365. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by lsatenstein · · Score: 1

      Certainly I'd be more worried about their intentions to sink the US dollar by selling all their reserves held in that currency. A lot cheaper than firing several ICMBs, and much more effective...Regarding the economic warfront, I don't see any tactical advantages for the US here. Imagine the Russians selling all their US dollars, China following them, and bringing the value of a dollar bill cheaper than paper toilet...

      The US dollar is not held by most countries, because of the high debt. The USA itself is responsible for the dollar's decline in value and popularity. Who wants to hold a dollar from such a highly indebted country?

      I am told that China takes the US currency and buys US companies and land. Land is the forever investment. Businesses and governments come and go.

      --
      Leslie Satenstein Montreal Quebec Canada
    366. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Jmc23 · · Score: 2
      Interesting, encouraging people to commit a fallacy of genus get's you a +5.

      Proof most slashdot mods lack logic.

      --
      Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
    367. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Still trying to distract yourself with comforting lies. Still failing.

    368. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sell them to convert to what bitcoins? You realize they own greenbacks to help stabilize their own currency.

    369. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Rich0 · · Score: 1

      I'm not convinced that defaulting on loans makes your country stronger economically.

      Sure, it will hurt the banks who loaned out the money. However, they can't really just raise interest rates, because those are set by the market (if they unilaterally raise rates, nobody will borrow money from them as other banks unhurt by the default won't raise their rates). The rates would probably go up, but less directly - those banks would have less money to lend out, and thus the supply of loans is lowered and everybody pays a bit more.

      As long as the sanctions are in place, nobody will be lending to Russian corporations. Even after the sanctions are lifted, Russian corporations will probably have to pay higher rates, even if they are new corporations that never defaulted. The problem is that Russia is now regarded as the kind of country that might provoke a major diplomatic standoff with half the world. Sure, that isn't some corporation's fault, but anybody lending money to them has to consider that Putin will invade some other country in three years and trigger more sanctions and more defaults.

      Bankers like stability. There is only one way to be considered stable - you have to go half a century or so without ticking off every other country on the planet. Russia won't be considered stable until there is a major regime change and it lasts for a decade or so.

    370. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Inter-Continental Mallistic Bissles? And mentioning toilet paper in the same post definitely should have required using Inter-Continental BMs.

    371. Re: And the US could turn Russia into vapor by bhiestand · · Score: 1

      Prevailing theory on first strike is that you fire everything you can, targeting not only cities and military installations, but also the nuclear fields of the enemy to try to knock out as much of their ability to strike back as you can.

      References? Who is seriously proposing this as the best option?

      It's been a few years since I did any research on the subject, but last I saw the prevailing (strategic choice) theory was that you always leave the other side incentives to acquiesce. E.g. target select military installations on the first strike, but leave population centers intact... "this was justified, if you don't escalate things we won't nuke your cities" might just work.

      The reasoning for this is that neither the US nor Russia is believed to have an effective first strike capability. The US's strategic triad makes this virtually impossible, and Russia's got a hell of a lot of SLBMs as well.

      Ignoring all that: Have you looked at a map recently? The US is big. To have the effect you are talking about a strike that would require hundreds of warheads. That would be more than enough according to Sagan et al.

      You would need to boil the oceans and destroy all the submarines at the same time. Failure to get even a single submarine means absolute devastation. Nobody serious believes any country has an effective first strike against the US or Russia.

      --
      SWM seeks new sig for a brief fling
    372. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But once you have done that once, that's it, the economic weapon has been used, and you've got nothing left. Of course, there's always the threat of using it, or selling off a few million dollars of shares every now and again just to prove the point.

      Not If it succeeds.

    373. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think the best plan is to let Crimea do what the people living there want to do. if 90% want to be Russia why fight it. However with worry about Russia invading Ukraine I would immediately admit Ukraine to NATO. If Putin wants to take on all of Europe and USA so be it. Trouble is Putin and the rest of world knows what a "pussy" we americans have for president

    374. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Finally, a purpose for Omegle...

    375. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by strikethree · · Score: 1

      And US propaganda is different how exactly? Because you think the US Government is on the same team as you perhaps?

      None of this is propaganda. Russia could launch a devastating nuclear strike on America. America can do the same to Russia. No propaganda at all, merely a counter point.

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
    376. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've put you behind me, while you're still stalking me 9 years later.

      You're a sad, sad person.

    377. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by liamoohay · · Score: 1

      To give an analogy. If I'm walking in a dark alley and run into a guy who jumps on me with a knife, I'm in my right to take out a pistol and shoot him. But if I'm walking in a dark alley and a guy is camping at the corner, he might be waiting for me to come by and jump on me with a knife, but until he does I have no moral or legal right to shoot him.

      This looks eerily like the US justification for the Iraq War.

    378. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Beyond that, the US has been for weeks now trying to push for vast overarching sanctions. It's the EU that lacks the backbone.

      It's easier to push for vast overarching sanctions (or "have a backbone", as you put it) when your economy isn't as dependent on the target of those sanctions.

      When people think of Europe, they thing Germany and France, and the nice first-world countries in the middle and western part of the continent.
      But "Europe" also includes the Baltic states and the eastern European countries, many of which are poor and have tight economic relationships with Russia stemming from their geographical location as well as their history.

      Germany may have oil and gas reserves to survive a few years without depending on Russia, but an energy embargo would be calamitous to the eastern states' economies and more importantly their people.
      Look at what happened last time Russia's Gazprom decided to cut off Ukraine in the middle of a harsh winter. People died and a large portion of east Europe ground to a halt. Even Germany had to tap onto their natural gas reserves.

      On the upside, this prompted Europe to start building up alternative pipelines from the middle east to remove that dependency on Russia. The Russians didn't like it, but in the end it's self inflicted by their actions then, and the current situation isn't helping.

    379. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Alioth · · Score: 1

      Nope. The Chinese and Indians would be dying from the resulting nuclear winter. If Russia turned the USA into "radioactive ash" it would be suicide for Russia, since that level of attack would cause a nuclear winter that would end Russia.

      (Nuclear winter is a bit of a misnomer - the quantity of soot injected into the stratosphere from our highly flammable cities laced with hydrocarbons would mean in the months that followed, daytime conditions would be no lighter than a moonlit night. Modelling in the late 2000s showed that the predictions of nuclear winter made in the 1980s were actually optimistic. Before anyone points out that there were thousands of nuclear tests and this didn't cause a nuclear winter, well, the nuclear tests were not all conducted in the space of a few days and the nuclear tests were not conducted on live cities. It's not the bomb itself that causes this effect, but the soot from so many cities being on fire at the same time).

    380. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Alioth · · Score: 2

      He's also quoting the Daily Mail which is just as bad.

    381. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Alioth · · Score: 1

      Meteorological Spring starts March 1st.

    382. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Neither of those is true, and you are admitting it.

    383. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      Pretty much. Iraq war was a legal travesty as well. A humanitarian one, too (since shots were actually fired and people died). OTOH, it didn't end with annexation - though some would argue that Iraqi Kurdistan is independent in all but name now.

    384. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by silanea · · Score: 1

      ...thereby making their money about as valuable as toilet paper with everyone else wanting to get rid of it ASAP. Which is pretty much the scenario they were facing to begin with.

      --
      Rudolf Hess edited Mein Kampf. He was the very first grammar nazi.
    385. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by BundyGil · · Score: 1

      Russian finances are a mess, Rouble almost worthless, and the Kremlin almost broke, especially after the Crimea adventure. Currency and stock market have sunk like a stone.. Putin going to the lolly shop with a few pennies. China could do something, but they wouldn't as that would hurt their growth, so that's not going to happen. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new...

    386. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not only that, but the US could potentially do it with a single rocket launch.

      1x saturn V or a shuttle launcher could carry 130T to orbit = ~20MIRVs...tbh i'm neither Russian or USAian, but fuck the Russians, fuck them all. Putin is a fuckwit from hell, not that Obama is any better....but if you wanna play power-games, i know whose side I'm on and it's the one that speaks English.

    387. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by dobbshead · · Score: 0

      Exports to the US represent 18% of China's exports, so whilst it'd take a hit, it may not the crushing blow you seem to think. Where Russia could harm the US economy is by refusing to trade oil and gas in US dollars anymore and switching to Euros or Rubles or whatever. This would do far more to harm the US dollar and it's economy than bonds dumping and so on, because the EU & China wouldn't need to buy all those US dollars for Russian oil & gas. So the money would still be rolling in to Russia, but the US's ability to print it's way out of debt would be lessened. Should the number one oil producer in the world be successful in the switch from the dollar, there's no end of other oil producing countries who'd like a shot at screwing the US over royally in return for years of abuse at the hands of US foreign policy who might well follow suit. Most of the 9-11 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia. Iraq, Iran & Venezuela are not huge fans of the US either, thanks to various US coup attempts / invasions.

    388. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If the Philippines had a revolt you are telling me the US would sit and do nothing to protect their military bases there?

      good God you're a moron.

      THE US DOESN'T HAVE BASES IN THE PHILIPPINES, because we respect Philippine sovereignty, and they wanted us to leave, so we left. And recently, very recently, the Philippines has asked the US to return, because they are worried about the Chinese, and they trust the US because the US respects sovereignty; the US has not yet returned, it is under negotiation.

      Russia is changing international borders without negotiation, completely disrespecting sovereignt, and that is a huge no-no and has nothing to do with protecting a base; the Russian base in Crimea was not threatened.

    389. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Kojiro+Ganryu+Sasaki · · Score: 1

      What's a fallacy of genus?

    390. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Jmc23 · · Score: 1
      --
      Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
    391. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by cavreader · · Score: 1

      All of the countries who don't like the US (as if it were a popularity contest) still invest their reserves in the US. The oil producing countries are well aware that US dependency on their oil is rapidly disappearing and their leverage over the US has also disappeared. One more thing, an 18% drop in exports is enough to rollback every economic advancement China has made over the last 20 years.

    392. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Mike+Buddha · · Score: 1

      The US government borrows money by issuing bonds, which are all in USD.

      --
      by Mike Buddha -- Someday the mountain might get him, but the law never will.
    393. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by arthurh3535 · · Score: 1

      Did I miss where the USA added a new territory or state recently? I'm sorry, while the US does like to keep airbases in other countries, we don't invade them and force the area the airbase or navel base is in to join our country as a full territory..

      The best sign that Russia is BSing about this expansion is that it only took them a week to get a 'referendum' through their proxies, while it usually takes years or decades for it to happen civilly.

      --
      No! It's a *SIG*. Keep the Special Interest Groups away! (Con joke!)
    394. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by ausekilis · · Score: 1

      Be careful about those pictures though... the homophobia is strong over there and you wouldn't want them thinking you're flirting...

    395. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by kbolino · · Score: 1

      As a result, of course, there is no need to worry much about the national debt, or to destabilize things by trying to pay them off rapidly.

      Rapidly is the context in which I took the statement to which I responded, hence why I qualified the currency manipulation with "blatant". Gentler and more subtle forms of currency manipulation happen all the time.

    396. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      Fair enough. It's just that since redeeming public debts has no impact on private net financial assets except for the loss of future interest income, any consequences of a drastically larger QE program would probably have more to do with institutional risk assessments than, say, consumer price adjustments.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    397. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you meant yes

    398. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not at all.

      I think there are 6.7 billion people on the planet that are hoping Russia will go through on its threat. You Americans led by the Dark Doofus are a fucken irritant to the world.

    399. Re:And the US could turn Russia into vapor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I can't see anything being a nono or a big nono with a nutcase like putin.

  2. So..... by segedunum · · Score: 4, Funny

    Kind of like a Russian Sarah Palin then?

    1. Re:So..... by Virtucon · · Score: 2, Funny

      Can he see Alaska from his house?

      --
      Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    2. Re:So..... by erikkemperman · · Score: 2

      Kind of like a Russian Sarah Palin then?

      Exactly. Idiot says somthing stupid. State-controlled news at eleven.

      --
      Gosh, thanks. That must be why the other ships call me Meatfucker -- GCU Grey Area (Eccentric)
    3. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      HERP!!!

    4. Re:So..... by Mashiki · · Score: 2, Insightful

      No, but both Palin and Romney could tell several years ago that Russia was an actual problem. Unlike Obama and his red line fickleness. Well that's alright, he's off to his what? 197th round of golf, and later today he'll be flying out to Hollywood for his 290th fundraising event. Pressing issues you know.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    5. Re:So..... by Lumpy · · Score: 3, Funny

      Palin could tell because she can see them from her house.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    6. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can he see Alaska from his house?

      Nah, he can see all 57 states.

      Tell me again why Obumbles gets more RSPECT than Palin?

    7. Re:So..... by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Relax. Russia is no problem. That's more for internal use than external use. I mean, ponder what it would be like if the US were in Russia's boots.

      The country "lost" the cold war, depression sets in, crime lords get rich and take over economy and partly politics, the general population is doing worse and worse... I think it's not hard to see how a lot of people are yearning for the "good ol' times" where Russia was some big shot country.

      Now ponder what it would be like if this was the US, and how a president could score with the lowbrow rednecks and of course the military with some speeches about greatness and how we can snuff out that big bad enemy of the days of yore.

      Saber rattling with respect to what's going on on the Crimea peninsula, but little substance.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    8. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i remember debate , when Obama said to Romney " i am glad mr. governor admit Russia is not main problem" but seems Romney was right !!

    9. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      No, but both Palin and Romney could tell several years ago that Russia was an actual problem. Unlike Obama and his red line fickleness. Well that's alright, he's off to his what? 197th round of golf, and later today he'll be flying out to Hollywood for his 290th fundraising event. Pressing issues you know.

      Sorry, all I heard was, "Blah blah blah... I'm butt hurt cause Obama won... Blah blah bah, i like what-if scenarios... Whine whine whine, completely ignoring previous President's massive vacation history... I can't pull this tea party dildo out of my bum, bitch bitch bitch."

    10. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Likewise, Palin was way ahead of the curve with those dangerous South Koreans!

      But seriously. I think she might be moderately entertaining to drink a beer with, but putting her in charge of any kind of significant foreign diplomacy outfit will get you guys in deep shit right quick.

    11. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Probably has something to do with him having an IQ larger than his shoe size, and not being a bloody psycho nut-job.

    12. Re:So..... by AnontheDestroyer · · Score: 1

      In what respect, Charlie?

    13. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1
      > depression sets in, crime lords get rich and take over economy and partly politics, the general population is doing worse and worse... I think it's not hard to see how a lot of people are yearning for the "good ol' times"

      Have you looked around lately?

    14. Re:So..... by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      Oh come on. Everyone knew Russia was going to be a problem. There was debates during the Clinton years about the amount of aid the US should be sending to Russia, but it was decided it was better to secure former Soviet nuclear stockpiles than to allow bandits and oligarchs to start selling them off for a quick buck.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    15. Re:So..... by jedidiah · · Score: 4, Funny

      > Tell me again why Obumbles gets more RSPECT than Palin?

      Even Bush the Younger gets more respect than Palin.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    16. Re:So..... by cellocgw · · Score: 1

      So what you're saying is, we should invade Mexico? :-)

      --
      https://app.box.com/WitthoftResume Code: https://github.com/cellocgw
    17. Re:So..... by cheesybagel · · Score: 1

      Romney has invested money in Russia. I would call that fraternizing with the enemy.

    18. Re:So..... by Xest · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't call invasion of a sovereign territory in violation of international agreement related to nuclear disarmament and a fake referendum for annexation, coupled with another 40,000 troops amassing on the eastern border of Ukraine after weeks of exercises merely "sabre rattling".

    19. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What are you talking about? Obama has totally made a fool out of Russia. Remember Libya? Remember Syria?! Have you seen how this Crimea thing is going, and how much "cred" Russia has thrown away?

      The whole reason you're seeing this tough talk is that Russia keeps losing actual power to US jujitsu. Obama (or someone working for him? I can't tell!) is the best foreign policy chessmaster we've had in decades. The sad thing is that this is about the only thing he's turned out to be really good at. Other than his running-rings-around-Russia he has turned out to be Just Another Republicrat.

    20. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, no... let's start with Canada.

    21. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except for that she never said that. But, hey, why let reality stop you? Most of the people I've seen caw on about the same "quote" don't let reality stop them in most of their asinine assumptions and half truths either.
       
      You're proof that entertainment TV has taken the place of real politics and critical thinking. No wonder the choice we get from the one-party system looks more and more like an audition for a game show host... and about the same effective outcome.

    22. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep, 60,000 troops, like a leaf on the wind....

    23. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nice attempt at misdirection. Now, back to the matter at hand...
       
      The idiot in the oval office has pretty much made America a laughing stalk in the face of an old KGB miscreant. I guess that kind of thing is just fine with you as long as you get to laugh about someone who has about as much official power as Joe Sixpack does? Your way of thinking is the kind of thing that allows massive power abuse to go on in the name of protecting your king despite the heavy price everyone (including yourself) is sure to pay.

    24. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Saber rattling is when you don't take it out, crossing a border with troops is taking it out...

    25. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're completely uninformed, just like those who voted your post. You're talking about 90s' Russia, not the present.

      Over the last 14 years, Russia's GDP has increased 5% a year on average. Debt/GDP ratio sank to 14% (USA's has reached 100%). Real wages have almost tripled. Putin also re-nationalized several companies that had been privatized in the '90s, and several billionaires (oligarchs) have either been jailed or had to escape.

      As a result of its economic success, Russia has also tripled its defense budget since 1998 in real terms. It's not back at the USSR's levels, but now it's definitely the most powerful military in europe again, and still more technologically advanced than China's.

    26. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now ponder what it would be like if this was the US, and how a president could score with the lowbrow rednecks and of course the military with some speeches about greatness and how we can snuff out that big bad enemy of the days of yore.

      Like having a president ride a fighter jet to an aircraft carrier with big "Mission Accomplished" banner? Yeah, that was pretty pathetic.

    27. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So what you're saying is, we should invade Mexico? :-)

      Again? I suppose it worked out OK the last time (depending on your point of view). :P

    28. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      See, that's your problem right there...believing Palin is capable of critical thought.

      The eyes are open, the mouth moves, but Mr. Brain has long since departed.

    29. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You'd win the battle but lose the war. They would all cross the border and surrender on day one.

    30. Re:So..... by Kvasio · · Score: 1

      you seem to underestimate the gravity of situation.

      Russia was perhaps "loser" in the 1990s, but for over a decade Putin has done what he could to grow european dependence on russian natural resources and capital.

      And Putin mastered the art of "dividing the EU". It is only a couple of years that EU finally decided to try to speak with one voice. Still, Putin knew what he was doing buying people where needed.

      I heard a diplomat who spent some years in Moscow said, that Clinton's major failure was not making Russia democratic state. At that time Yeltzin was "a modelling clay". Even later, Putin at the very start of his presidency has even asked if Russia could join NATO. Clinton's error no.2.

    31. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly. Idiot says somthing stupid. State-controlled news at eleven.

      Bam! I mean, I hate the whole "liberal media" nonsense, but that was a good shot.

    32. Re:So..... by Registered+Coward+v2 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      No, but both Palin and Romney could tell several years ago that Russia was an actual problem. Unlike Obama and his red line fickleness. Well that's alright, he's off to his what? 197th round of golf, and later today he'll be flying out to Hollywood for his 290th fundraising event. Pressing issues you know.

      Or GW Bush. After all, he "... looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straight forward and trustworthy and we had a very good dialogue. "I was able to get a sense of his soul." Guess he missed something there.

      --
      I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
    33. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What is fake about the referendum? 60% of the people are russian and the rest decided in apparant free will not to go (aka boycott) ...

    34. Re:So..... by PRMan · · Score: 1

      I don't think very many people live worse in Russia now than in 1990.

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
    35. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Whatever you might think about Obama, at least he is still at his job trying to do something. Mrs. Palin jumped at her shot at the big time and tossed the people of Alaska aside. Why would I want to give her any respect at all?

    36. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh snap! That settles it. Romney is president now. It seems there was a mistake in the voting.

    37. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Relax. Russia is no problem."

      It's hard for me as an American to relax if Russia starts bullying neighboring countries. The Russian mainland is only a few miles away from my home in the USA's largest state, Alaska. They've restarted the Soviet practice of flying strategic bombers at the border of our airspace a few years ago, too.

    38. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wouldn't call your opinion informed either.

    39. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As Gibson and Palin discussed the conflict between Russia and Georgia, Gibson had asked last year, "What insight into Russian actions particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of this state give you?"

      Palin responded: "They're our next door neighbors. And you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska."

      Dont let facts infiltrate that tea party of yous....

    40. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And a governor of a state that borders another country wouldn't have any insight into what goes on in that country when compared to anyone else? That's an amazing fact that you're trying to impress here without coming out and saying it... You know you'd be heckled if you did.
       
      I don't vote Democrat or Republican but I'm not too worried about your strawmen. People with more than 4 braincells will see through your crap.

    41. Re:So..... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Actually, I have. If you look around the East Bloc and especially Russia, you have quite a few voices that wish for the good ol' times. The general sentiment is "yes, we didn't have liberty and we could not travel ... but we can't travel now either. Back then we at least had a job, money and halfway decent security".

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    42. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I recall George W Bush saying he got a distinct impression that Putin was evil.

    43. Re:So..... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      It's a farce, no doubt about that, but fake, I doubt. It's actually very likely that the referendum results in what Putin wants, but that's about as surprising as the joy of the people of the Sudetenland when Hitler Germany "invaded" them.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    44. Re:So..... by Bratch · · Score: 1

      ''Mr President, the only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke.'' --Sarah Palin http://www.smh.com.au/world/sa...

      --
      Beware of the Redittor who loans you a Sharpie.
    45. Re:So..... by Bratch · · Score: 1

      How about the HBO movie "Game Change" where we can quote Julianne Moore instead? If even half this movie is true it's scary. And Woody Harrelson was great.

      --
      Beware of the Redittor who loans you a Sharpie.
    46. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The country "lost" the cold war, depression sets in, crime lords get rich and take over economy and partly politics, the general population is doing worse and worse...

      Actually, that already sounds like the US.

      You have to keep in mind that the US and Russia keep score entirely different ways. To the US, economic power is the measure by which score is kept. To Russia, power is the measure by which score is kept, where power simply means the capacity to impose their will upon others. It's the same dynamic of power versus money that comes into play in the House of Cards show, only at larger scales.

      Russia really doesn't care about sanctions or hits to their economy because their ability to enforce their will upon others is not really tied to it. America, on the other hand, is so tied to its economy that all it takes to make America impotent is to encourage the fiat money system to do what it already wants to naturally do anyway - fall apart.

      Add to that that Russia throughout its modern history has never considered nuclear war to be an unwinnable proposition. Russia has far more nuclear weapons than America and they have a very robust civil shelter system designed to keep its middle and upper class alive and functioning. America has almost no such shelter system in place because we've always assumed mutually assured destruction was an equal concern for both sides, but it's not.

      So yeah, the whole Crimea thing is just Russia exercising its true power knowing that there is nothing anyone can or will do about it. The big question is how far is Russia willing to go? Do they stop with Crimea or do they just decide to stop pretending they care about our fantasy influences that are entirely dependent upon our fiat money systems?

    47. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess you are one of the apologists for IBM and Bush's deals with the Nazis then.

    48. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      GW Bush did not missed anything from http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=4907573&cid=46506721 :

      Now ponder what it would be like if this was the US, and how a president could score with the lowbrow rednecks and of course the military with some speeches about greatness and how we can snuff out that big bad enemy of the days of yore.

      He is a fucking visionary is was prearranging things for the next warmongering republican president.

    49. Re:So..... by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      The US however has a long history of independent minded people, with lots of protests and disagreements. Even in WWII we had protests. But protest is virtually gone in Russia, with the vast majority of citizens appearing to stand behind Putin and his actions. It is very difficult to see the US in the same circumstances, without first having a century of totalitarianism.

    50. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Except that they report over 85% turn over, with over 95% "voted" for Russia. All while all "observers" (even their own sock-puppet ones!) was kicked out when ballots were counted.

      Yeah, yeah, extremely plausible.

    51. Re:So..... by painandgreed · · Score: 1

      > Tell me again why Obumbles gets more RSPECT than Palin?

      Even Bush the Younger gets more respect than Palin.

      Well, he is smarter and more experienced than Palin. He at least managed to finish his term as governor.

    52. Re:So..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Umm, thats not what she said. Tina Feysaid that.

      Sara Palin said (source Snopes btw.) They're our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska":

      Entirely accurate.

    53. Re:So..... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      The countries just have a different way, culture if you want, to deal with protests. Russian government suppresses them, US government ignores them.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    54. Re:So..... by coinreturn · · Score: 1

      No, but both Palin and Romney could tell several years ago that Russia was an actual problem. Unlike Obama and his red line fickleness. Well that's alright, he's off to his what? 197th round of golf, and later today he'll be flying out to Hollywood for his 290th fundraising event. Pressing issues you know.

      Where were you complaints when Bush Jr was becoming the president with the most time off from work? Google it.

  3. Have we said the same thing? by ranton · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I would be surprised if someone like Rush Limbaugh hasn't said something similar about Russia on their US based cable/radio news programs in the past few weeks. I'm sure both of our nations have their own crackpot news agencies.

    --
    -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
    1. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Dan+East · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The difference is that Limbaugh doesn't speak for a state-controlled news agency, and thus Limbaugh's opinions are only that of a single man with a microphone and do not represent the government of an entire country.

      --
      Better known as 318230.
    2. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      Do you really think there is no state control involved american media? Ha hahahahah! Hehehheheheh!

    3. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, to be fair he speaks in the name of one of the biggest economic pools, defending the wallets of several big fishes out there. Are you still believing the dual party mockup crap? I tell you what, Santa Claus doesn't exist, just in case you are willing to believe in childish things...

    4. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Lumpy · · Score: 1

      Limbaugh's opinions are only that of a single manatee with a microphone and do not represent the government of an entire country.

      FTFY

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    5. Re:Have we said the same thing? by supersat · · Score: 5, Insightful

      In Capitalist America, news agencies control the state!

    6. Re:Have we said the same thing? by erikkemperman · · Score: 2

      The difference is that Limbaugh doesn't speak for a state-controlled news agency, and thus Limbaugh's opinions are only that of a single man with a microphone and do not represent the government of an entire country.

      I would say that one of the major problems of having state-controlled media is having too few people determining the content. In that sense, at least, shows like Limbaugh's suffer from the same problem.

      Of course the main problem is that in places with strong state-media there is typically no mainstream alternative, which makes dissent or even mild criticism of the regime very difficult to get across.

      But actually, in that sense, most media outlets that are more or less partisan have a similar problem -- as long as their guys are in office, they seem typically incapable of criticism, and while the other guys' guys are in office their attacks are so obviously conditioned / reflexive that it renders them rather unconvincing and insincere.

      --
      Gosh, thanks. That must be why the other ships call me Meatfucker -- GCU Grey Area (Eccentric)
    7. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      And are they talking like kids in the school playground?

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    8. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Neither his opinions nor what he says represent the government's true intentions. It's just propaganda, probably to show their people that the US wouldn't attack them as that'd be suicidal. Russia wouldn't attack the US for the same reasons.

    9. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And are they talking like kids in the school playground?

      I'm sure, given another decade or so in preschool and a few years of seasoning in kindergarten, a decent number of the "news" anchors on those networks should be ready to attempt discourse at that level.

      They sure do have a long way to go to get past today's toddler-esque name-calling, "You disagree with me?!?! You're a RAAACISST in a WAR ON WOMENSESES!!!"

    10. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Rockoon · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Exactly.

      When speaking with an Egyptian co-worker (a Christian who finally got the rest of his family out of Egypt only recently) he had remarked that the reason that most people in the world take what Americans say on television so seriously because in most of the world (Egypt for example) you cannot say things on television that the State doesnt agree with without getting into serious trouble, so they myopically assume that the same must also be true in America. If Timmy Talking Head says that he hates Muslims on American T.V, and the American government didnt arrest him immediately, then most of the world assumes that the official State position of America must be to hate Muslims.

      Now here we have some myopic American assuming that the rest of the worlds media is just like American media. Its not.

      Now as far as Putin, NPR recently had an interview with chess Grand Master Gary Kasparov who has for a long time been outspoken against Putin. He pointed out that the KGB had a file on Putin long before he became the glorious leader which included a personality profile. The KGB had determined that Putin had an unusually low sense of danger, the kind of guy that thinks he can get away with just about anything, and that might include launching a nuclear first strike against America.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    11. Re:Have we said the same thing? by X.25 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The difference is that Limbaugh doesn't speak for a state-controlled news agency, and thus Limbaugh's opinions are only that of a single man with a microphone and do not represent the government of an entire country.

      Wait - you believe that something being said on state owned TV station is in the name of government and entire country?

      What is wrong with you people?

      You probably never lived in a country with 'state owned TV' if you can make statements this retarded. Sigh.

    12. Re:Have we said the same thing? by MightyMartian · · Score: 2

      They may be at times corrupted by it, but if you look at actual state-controlled media outlets in countries like Russia, there's no comparison.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    13. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, NPR, CNN and especially MSNBC are all part of the state-controlled news media.

      If you'd browse other than conspiracy nut sites you might learn that of those, only PBS and NPR actually receive sizeable funding from the US federal government (through CPB). "State-controlled news media" would mean stuff more like BBC, Russia Today, RIA Novosti, RAI (in Italy) and ARD (in Germany), although many of even those are actually more or less independent (in journalistic terms) from the government that funds them.

    14. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Hodr · · Score: 1

      I guess it's a good thing the President hasn't recognized Mr. Limbaugh as head of our state sanctioned official news organization.

    15. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Creepy · · Score: 1

      I would say it a different way - the corporations own the media and through corporate PACs that utterly destroy any individual contributions, also control the government.

      I for one welcome our (not so new) corporate overlords.

    16. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sean Hannity effectively did though.

    17. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Charliemopps · · Score: 1

      Of course there is. But Limbaugh is not part of it, and based on his seemingly predictable stance on most issues, I'd be willing to bet he's just as disgusted with Air America as you are.

    18. Re:Have we said the same thing? by geekoid · · Score: 1

      Nope. They manipulate the people who then vote for an official.
      It's why I have come to believe that the word 'News' should become a protected word with strict journalistic guideline.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    19. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Petron · · Score: 1

      This is the gist of the book "Propaganda" (1928, Edward Bernays). A good book to check out.

      --
      if (it != oneThing) it = another;
    20. Re:Have we said the same thing? by geekoid · · Score: 1

      The US used to have a great answer for that: They paid Broadcaster to have a news show. Not content, just here is some cash, have a news show with journalists.

      Then that got cut, and the news shows needed to rely solely on ads; which ahs gotten us to where we are.

      Personally, the US having a federal news program would be a good thing.
      As long as it is open, and maintains journalistic integrity.
      No, I do not want other news agency to be forced to repeat what it says, nor wold I want it immune to criticism.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    21. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Limbaugh certainly speaks for a government-controlled news agency. It's just a matter of correctly identifying who governs.

    22. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Come on man people over there don't listen to that shit. People aren't the mindless idiots sucking up state run media the way you make them to be.

    23. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > The KGB had determined that Putin had an unusually low sense of danger, the kind of guy that thinks he can get away with just about anything, and that might include launching a nuclear first strike against America.

      Hint... drink less kool-aid

    24. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      amen

    25. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Dan+East · · Score: 1

      You changed my words "of an" to "and". I said "government of an entire country" meaning the federal government of a country, NOT "government and entire country", as you twisted my words around. Certainly state controlled media speaks for the federal of government of that country. So yes, what I said is exactly right.

      --
      Better known as 318230.
    26. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Bratch · · Score: 1

      Sarah Palin did at the last CPAC earlier this month - https://www.google.com/search?...

      --
      Beware of the Redittor who loans you a Sharpie.
    27. Re:Have we said the same thing? by robsku · · Score: 1

      "He pointed out that the KGB had a file on Putin long before he became the glorious leader which included a personality profile. The KGB had determined that Putin had an unusually low sense of danger, the kind of guy that thinks he can get away with just about anything, and that might include launching a nuclear first strike against America." [citation needed]

      Not that I doubt that could very well possible...

      --
      In capitalist USA corporations control the government.
    28. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Ottawakismet · · Score: 1

      He may find that he could not get Russians to go along with it. Even Hitler found it almost impossible to coerce his country into war, he practically had to drag them into war single handedly, and over the objections of many generals. Putin may find everyone is willing to follow orders, except to take the country into a crazy war.

    29. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Ottawakismet · · Score: 1

      The CBC and BBC have more independence then the media in Russia, in Russia the state owned broadcasters say the Putin line and only the Putin line, and nothing contradictory

    30. Re:Have we said the same thing? by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      At the same time, please do understand that just because the media is run by the state, doesn't mean that it doesn't intentionally hire people like Rush Limbaugh. This kind of rhetoric is what a certain, fairly significant proportion of the population is very welcoming to, so it'll be used by any populist government.

    31. Re:Have we said the same thing? by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      No, he said that something being said in prime time news on state controlled TV station can be assumed to be at least vetted by the government.

      There are many countries which have state-owned media, but state-controlled is usually something that only authoritarian regimes do. In Russia, the latter is the case (and there's virtually no non-state-controlled media left - they just finished dismantling the last two remaining popular independent/opposition resources in the last month).

    32. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In Capitalist America

      I don't think America is capitalist any longer. It's turned more corporatist unfortunately.

    33. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This.

      Here in NZ, TV3 (privately owned by Canadians) is the puppet for the government, while TVNZ, the state-owned broadcaster tends to be far more critical of the governments actions.

    34. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good point. Capitalism would require fair trade. What currently exists is crony capitalism where if you are rich you bribe politicians to get the government to change the laws in your favour so you can be even richer. They obfuscate this system of institutionalized bribery by funding politicians they like and funding smear campaigns against those they don't like.

    35. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You do realize that you don't need a secret decoder ring to find out what Limbaugh says. You could just turn on your radio noon to 3 EST.
      Will you agree with everything he says? Hell no. Will you be surprised at how many things you don't disagree with him on - most probably.
      This Left/Right knee-jerk stupidity of summarily dismissing/discrediting someone is killing the country. Please stop it.
      Form your own opinions and side with whoever voices them on a statement by statement basis.

    36. Re:Have we said the same thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which part of
      "Putin last year appointed Kiselyov head of the new Russia Today news agency [...] with the aim of better promoting Russia's official position"
      do you not understand ?

    37. Re:Have we said the same thing? by jwhitener · · Score: 1

      I can definitely see the BBC or other country's state owned TV having a clean separation of power from the State. But in Russia or China I have a feeling that there is less separation. Or at least consequences if you stray too far from the State's views.

      Would you agree that Putin would pull strings and have a reporter fired if they said something he didn't like?

    38. Re:Have we said the same thing? by bhiestand · · Score: 1

      I've been saying this for a long time, so it's great to hear someone else propose it independently. I would love a return to the fairness doctrine, but I've lost hope on that... either have strict guidelines for what can be called "News", or put a "For entertainment only" marquee on all the crap.

      --
      SWM seeks new sig for a brief fling
  4. Interfering West Again by segedunum · · Score: 0, Troll

    But this is the kind of thing that tends to happen when the west deliberately destabilises a country for its own ends to try and keep the ponzi scheme going.

    1. Re:Interfering West Again by Xest · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yes, because everything wrong on Earth is the West's fault, and Russia is a perfectly little angel that produces nothing other than rainbows and unicorns.

      In other news Kim Jong Un was re-elected with 100% of the popular vote for being such a glorious leader of the people.

    2. Re:Interfering West Again by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      Hush! This is the Russia-bashing thread. The EU-bashing thread is next door.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In other news Kim Jong Un was re-elected with 100% of the popular vote for being such a glorious leader of the people.

      Someone is getting set to a death camp for that. It should be 110%.

    4. Re:Interfering West Again by n1ywb · · Score: 1

      My wife is Polish. Her grandmother lived through both the German and Russian occupations. She said she preferred the Germans; more polite, less rapey.

      --
      -73, de n1ywb
      www.n1ywb.com
    5. Re:Interfering West Again by cheesybagel · · Score: 1

      Kim Jong Un was re-elected with 100% of the popular vote for being such a glorious leader of the people

      What else did you expect in 'elections' where the list only had one candidate and votes saying 'none of the above' had to be explicitly put into a separate bin?

    6. Re:Interfering West Again by Erikderzweite · · Score: 2

      Oh, it's far from perfect. But nonetheless the only country with a functioning manned space flight program.

      EU and US did support the coup, the acting Ukrainian president doesn't even want to hide that he is sponsored by NATO, NED and State Department: http://openukraine.org/en/abou...

      So the Russia supports a coup of their own.

    7. Re:Interfering West Again by rjhubs · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I don't really view this as troll. Certainly Russia has its share of responsibility, however, since the fall of the Soviet Union. The "West" has been deliberately acting in a way that would seem provocative from a Russian perspective. We keep adding NATO member closer to Russia's borders, despite the promises we made to Russia after the fall. We've expanded missile defense equipment to many of these countries. We have NGOs working on our behalf trying to establish pro-West leaders in the Ukraine, Imagine how the US would feel if Russia was trying to put a pro-Russian candidate in Mexico?

    8. Re:Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They can get all the pro-Russian candidates in Mexico that they want. Maybe they'd be able to clear out the drug cartels and clean up the country.

    9. Re:Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, it's far from perfect. But nonetheless the only country with a functioning manned space flight program.

      China wants a word.

      Also, the US would have a manned spaceflight program again right now if Congress hadn't kept dicking around and underfunding Commercial Crew in favor of that space boondoggle SLS.

    10. Re:Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "The west" is manipulate political BS that policians and pundits US to claim to speak for everyone.

      As a Canadian I'm actually far more concerned about the constant violence and spying perpetrated by American government (and its massive stash of both conventional and nuclear weapon). Russian government is wrong on certain issues (like their homophobia) but I fail to see the problem with a democratic referendum in Crimea after the prior extreme violence by Ukrainian ultra nationalists. The knee jerk reaction to condemn Russia is so typical of American foreign policy. The US could just as easily have condemned Ukrainian fascist ultra nationalists that used violence to overthrow their democratically elected government but choose to go after Russia.

      Those concerned with reality know that the real reason why the US always goes after Russia is because its one of the few countries that can't be bullied by the US.

    11. Re:Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm the one believe West is full of angels that drop full-of-rainbows and unicorns.

      http://pando.com/2014/02/28/pierre-omidyar-co-funded-ukraine-revolution-groups-with-us-government-documents-show/

      The author, also has a balanced article about Ukraine:
      http://pando.com/2014/02/24/everything-you-know-about-ukraine-is-wrong/

      Klistchko emails leaked (screenshots):
      http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_02_23/Anonymous-Ukraine-releases-Klitschko-e-mails-showing-treason-3581/

    12. Re:Interfering West Again by Lotana · · Score: 1

      I will hazard a guess that your grandmother was not Jewish or Roma.

    13. Re:Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you mean the so called West is not even able to establish a coherent policy but also execute it efficiently? Hmmm

    14. Re:Interfering West Again by Ottawakismet · · Score: 1

      Are you talking about North Koreas election or the Crimea's? it was about the same level of choice, nowhere could anyone vote to stay with the Ukraine in this sham referendum

    15. Re:Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The former Soviet states want to be in NATO, exactly to avoid Russian invasions such as the one currently going on. And since there's no binding agreement not to take them, then Russia doesn't get to decide who will join NATO and who not.

      Putin could feel free to attempt to establish pro-Russian leaders by legal means, it would be infinitely better than invading countries to annexing their territories. In fact they did help install and keep Yanukovich. The problem of course is that Russia is a selfish, nationalist, basically fascist state which doesn't have anything to offer nor wouldnt.

    16. Re:Interfering West Again by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Was it really a coup though? It wasn't stricly legal according to Yanukovych's own constitution, but was legal under the previous constitution. There was no mob invasion of parliament as Russian media reported, but a vote by the parliament after Yanukovych had fled the city.

    17. Re:Interfering West Again by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      But it's really just Russian paranoia that fears NATO? Ukraine wasn't even going to join NATO, they wanted to be an equal partner to east and west, but Russia wanted Ukraine as their own best buddy (and likely wanted to point to a period of Czarist rule when Ukraine was a part of Russia and I think many still do not like to think of it as an independent state).

      What is wrong with pro-west leaders? Most of those former Soviet republics and Warsaw pact nations remember have no love at all for Russia, they naturally are looking to the west for better economic ties and potential security against the angry bear to the east. Russia doesn't see it that way, to them anyone who prefers the west to Russia is clearly a Nazi.

    18. Re:Interfering West Again by Xylantiel · · Score: 1

      Wait whose economy was it that imploded at the end of the cold war? So the "western" (i.e. pro-individual-freedom, multi-party-rule) mindset was supposed to just leave eastern europe to rot because Russia used to be in charge there. Then we just ignore them re-aquiring territory at gunpoint. Last I checked NATO was not invading eastern european countries to integrate them into the EU. Europeans are doing exactly the opposite, trying to help countries get their economies in good shape so that they can move toward closer ties to the EU at their option.

      This whole thing in the Ukraine started with the president of Ukraine back-tracking on the parliament's attempts (and the electorate's desire) to have closer ties to the EU. Why did he do this? because he was turning into Russia's puppet. This is not to mention that this guy was elected president under suspicious circumstances. You cannot compare Russia's under-handed meddling with Ukraine to the west trying to help Ukraine get its economy on track as if they are both bad things. One is bad, one is not.

    19. Re:Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We have NGOs working on our behalf trying to establish pro-West leaders in the Ukraine, Imagine how the US would feel if Russia was trying to put a pro-Russian candidate in Mexico?

      They currently do and no one gives a shit. Seriously, EVERY country with a meaningful spy and diplomatic core does this. ALL of them.

    20. Re: Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Someone's been reading Russia times, huh? When Russia invaded Russia, do you honestly think they did that to preserve the rights of South Ossetians? How about Chechnya? It's funny that Putin's administration is so concerned about human rights in foreign countries while it at home it is busy throwing political protestors in prison for "hooliganism" and "blasphemy." How many times does the same thing have to happen before you realize that Putin's regime is expansionist and imperialistic? NSA spying is a terrible overreach, but anyone who uses that to argue that Russia is a better supporter of human rights than the US is either a certified idiot or has been drinking the Russia Times Kool Aid. News flash: domestic spying in Russia is so commonplace that it has become a fact of life, not a national outrage that is debated in front of Congress as it is in the US. Another news flash: reports of ultranationalist violence were fabricated by the Russian state run media. Or did you really believe Putin's story that there was rampant anti-Russian violence in a province that is 90% ethnically Russian? Wake up. None of the parts of Putin's sorry line up.

    21. Re: Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Also, don't forget that the situation in Ukraine reached a topping point after police underneath the pro-Russian administration shot and killed unarmed protestors. Hardly fits with your (and Putin's narrative of ultranationalists violently driving a legitimate government out of office.

    22. Re: Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pando and Voice of Russia are your sources of "balanced"news? How much is Tzar Putin paying you to post this?

    23. Re:Interfering West Again by Erikderzweite · · Score: 1

      China's program is in heavy development, still with 2 flight in 2 years it is still not there yet IMO (Russia has launched 9 missions in the last two years). Would not be enough to keep the ISS manned.

    24. Re:Interfering West Again by rjhubs · · Score: 1

      I wasn't trying to apply morality to the situationt. From my perspective, there is nothing inherently wrong with pro-west leaders or expanding NATO, etc. I was just trying to convey how this might be viewed as provocative from Putin's perspective. The Ukrainian People have every right to pursue whatever political course they desire, if they seek US or NATO help, the involved parties need to acknowledge the potential affects on the region. That is all I am saying.

    25. Re:Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the only thing that prevents us from putting men in space right now is a bunch of legalistic nonsense due to liability insurance for spaceX. they could launch a dragon with room for 7 human passengers tomorrow if NASA had the stones. that is equal to payload capacity of 3 soyuz capsules for cheaper then the russians could do.

      it would be a great middle finger to putin, saying "You can keep your Archaic piece of crap spacecraft, we got new digs."

    26. Re: Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ha, ha, Yeah, VOR or Pando may be not your reliable sources but the documents they cited are REAL.

      Do you have any arguments against these!??? Or you just stupid so can not read?

    27. Re: Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unarmed protesters!? Bullshit!
      Have ever heard the leaked phone call between Ashton and Paet!?

    28. Re: Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, I read the documents. But it's just screenshots of an email conversation. Incredibly easy to fake. If these documents are real, why haven't they appeared in any other news source? You might say that Western newspapers are biased against Russia and are suppressing anything that paints Ukraine in a negative light. But then why haven't these documents surfaced in, say, the Hindustan Times? India doesn't have a horse in this race. It is a neutral observer.

      There is only one reason that those documents have not appeared in any non-Russian publication, and it is that they are fake.

    29. Re: Interfering West Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      May be Hindustan Times too lazy, or they never ever believe something "non-official", or they also hacked Klitschko emails so that they know it's fake LOL,... Oh, god, may I asked them why they didn't post something I have read.

      OK, here mail archives upload by who claimed 'Anonymous Ukraine':
      http://www.cyberwarnews.info/2014/02/13/opindependence-confidential-e-mails-of-klitschko-leaked/

      Also, this not the fist time Klitschko was hacked. Hackers even posted pics from Klistchko hacked-PC before:
      http://medwedew.de/anonymous-hackten-die-accounts-von-vitali-klitschko-12205/

  5. that's nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    call me when you can turn us into cookie dough ice cream

  6. Allow Russians to vote with their feet by bkmoore · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For as long as Putin and his cronies are in power, the U.S. and the rest of the western world should offer any law-abiding Russian citizen who wants to leave an automatic green card, work permit, etc. We cannot realistically or morally change Russia from the outside. The most powerful weapon against fanaticism would be allowing regular law-abiding Russians to vote with their feet. We could always use some more scientists and engineers anyway...

    1. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Erikderzweite · · Score: 5, Funny

      The Crimeans have just voted with their feet. A pity that they took the whole peninsula with them :-)

    2. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 2

      "Morally"? No dictatorship has any moral validity. It is no more self-determination than a stadium of people held hostage by terrorists are practicing self-determination.

      Free people have every moral right to free people who are held hostage. Whether to do so is a practical problem, not a moral one.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    3. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm no immigration expert, but I'm not sure we'd deny their request for asylum right now. What level of unrest do we need to ensure that?

    4. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Xest · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      The problem then is that all that's left in Russia are the idiots, it's chilling enough knowing that Russia is about 70% full of idiots with it's thousands of nukes, letting that stretch to 100% is probably not a good idea.

    5. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Opportunist · · Score: 0

      And Russia offers Green Cards to all the refugees from NSA and their cronies, and we'll see who ends ups with more people?

      Not quite my ideal solution for my "freedom to travel" dream, but it would be a start.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    6. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Ottawakismet · · Score: 4, Insightful

      a fake vote where supposedly all the ukrainians and tatars also wanted to join Russia. Ya right. 97% approval is the kind of election result dictatorships produce, honest elections never get that result. Support for separation was 40%, so its a total lie that suddenly everyone wants separation.

    7. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by JustNiz · · Score: 1

      >> It is no more self-determination than a stadium of people held hostage by terrorists are practicing self-determination.

      Well they actually are practicisng self-determination, given that a whole stadium full of unarmed people could (admittedly with high losses) still overwhelm a bunch of armed guys.
      It all comes down to perceived vs. actual risk/reward and the innate nature of people to prefer to act like sheep rather than do anything in the event of a threat.

    8. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by jeffmflanagan · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Plenty of Russians came out to protest Putin's actions. He appeals to their ignorant social conservatives, and sadly also appeals to the worst of our Republican types.

      Stupid people love violence and superstition, and Putin exploits that just like American Republicans do.

      There are plenty of sane Russians, just like there are plenty of sane Americans. We just both suck at marginalizing our wackos.

    9. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by CryptDemon · · Score: 1

      Snowden has found his way back in.

    10. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by gtall · · Score: 1

      And we should trust this vote why? Putin is not above stuffing the ballot box or disregarding ballots he doesn't feel representative.

    11. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by hodet · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't you just be keeping out the low level dumb criminals?

    12. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by X.25 · · Score: 1

      For as long as Putin and his cronies are in power, the U.S. and the rest of the western world should offer any law-abiding Russian citizen who wants to leave an automatic green card, work permit, etc. We cannot realistically or morally change Russia from the outside. The most powerful weapon against fanaticism would be allowing regular law-abiding Russians to vote with their feet. We could always use some more scientists and engineers anyway...

      What is worrying is that you might be serious about things you say. Is that what you really believe?

    13. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by GodfatherofSoul · · Score: 1

      So, you're buying those results?

      --
      I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
    14. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Erikderzweite · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Keep in mind that the new Ukrainian government has announced massive austerity program. Pensions in Russia are about four times higher and the economy is much healthier compared to the Ukraine. Besides, massive economic support was promised by Russia.

    15. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by mlts · · Score: 1

      There is this constant push for H-1Bs, why not offer the Russian scientists asylum here? History has shown this to work in the past when Germany was a very hostile place to live in the 1800s, so the artisans, engineers, and tradespeople moved to the US.

    16. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Xest · · Score: 1

      Of course there are idiots on both sides, but my comment was based on Putin's 70%+ approval rating.

      Americans can at least be proud of only giving Obama an approval rating of what, 40 - 50% last check and Bush even lower previously with his level of idiocy became particularly obvious.

      Hence why I said Russia is 70% full of idiots, because 70% of them approve of Putin and his actions.

    17. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

      That a hostage views his resistance as too dangerously risky does not mean external free people cannot intervene and free him. It just means he's in a sad state and in need of help.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    18. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by dunkelfalke · · Score: 4, Insightful

      For both economic reasons - Ukraine is piss-poor compared to Russia, and for ethnic reasons - Ukrainians are a minority in Crimea.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    19. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Erikderzweite · · Score: 2

      The reasons are historical (Crimea is to 60% populated by ethnic Russians), political (a very stupid move by the coup leaders to revoke Russian language's regional status) and economical (Ukraine is bankrupt with massive social cuts pending while Russia is looking much better in comparison due to oil and gas exports). The latter is the decisive factor: the population on Crimea has seen for a long time that sailors and officers on Russian ships which are stationed there earned more money than their Ukrainian counterparts. Kiew cuts pensions in half, Moscow offers billions of economical aid.

    20. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Zontar_Thing_From_Ve · · Score: 1

      For as long as Putin and his cronies are in power, the U.S. and the rest of the western world should offer any law-abiding Russian citizen who wants to leave an automatic green card, work permit, etc. We cannot realistically or morally change Russia from the outside. The most powerful weapon against fanaticism would be allowing regular law-abiding Russians to vote with their feet. We could always use some more scientists and engineers anyway...

      As someone who actually been to that part of the world, I can assure you that very few Russians would actually take advantage of it as believe it or not, most of them are not very interested in living in the USA and they don't see themselves living under an "oppressive government". The ones who don't like the government and have real skills have already left for other parts of Europe. The ones who probably would come here under your offer are people you'd likely regret being here as they wouldn't really be coming for love of America and its freedom but for some less honorable reason like escaping military service.

    21. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Xest · · Score: 4, Insightful

      To be fair support for separation was higher (roughly 50%) but support for joining Russia was only 41% before Putin's thugs turned up armed and en-masse to rig the vote.

      You're right though, the referendum was a joke, I don't even know why dictators like Putin do this, you'd think if you're going to rig a vote you at least make it semi-believable at like 60% or something, but really, 97%, are they actually trying to take the piss or what? 82% turnout and 97% vote for joining Russia does indeed imply that Ukrainians and Tatars that are almost universally opposed to joining Russia voted for exactly that. This alone shows what an absolute complete and utter farce it was.

      As if the hijacking of all Crimean comms in and out, radio, TV, and surrounding of military bases and refusal to allow international observers in whilst beating up journalists wasn't obvious evidence enough that a fraudulent vote was about to follow. I'm not sure who exactly they're trying to convince short of the few useful idiots that are dotted about here and there, but what do they matter? It's almost like they're just trying to convince themselves they're doing the right thing, as it sure as hell ain't convincing anyone else that matters.

    22. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by SpankiMonki · · Score: 1

      For as long as Putin and his cronies are in power, the U.S. and the rest of the western world should offer any law-abiding Russian citizen who wants to leave an automatic green card, work permit, etc.

      Great idea! Let's also do that for law abiding Iranian citiz...oh wait...

    23. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Erikderzweite · · Score: 2

      I know both Russian and Ukrainian while being neither, have been reading a lot from both sides. The Crimeans do see Russia as a more stable alternative to the defunct Rada in Kiev.

    24. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Erikderzweite · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's not as simple as that: most Ukrainian people, especially the elderly are very likely to have voted in Russia's favour. Not only because they were living side by side with Russians and are nostalgic for the good ol' times, but also because of the pensions which are about four times higher in Russia. The right-wing radicals that are very vocal among the Ukrainian government gave a strong trump to Russia as well.

      As for Tatars: Tatarstan's president (federal Republic in Russian Federation) was in Crimea promoting tolerance to Russians. He is well respected among the Tatar community and was busy explaining that Tatars and Russians can indeed live peacefully together. Plus the above-mentioned economic factor. Of all groups, the Tatars are, of course, most opposed to the Russians, but you won't feed your family with politics alone.

    25. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by loonycyborg · · Score: 1

      It's not that simple. There are many actions that can be attributed to Putin. Crimea issue is just one of them. And his stance on it definitely gives him more support. The only news from Ukraine Russians get is frequent coups, horrible economic situation, squabbles about discounted gas prices and Ukraine's failure to pay for it in time anyway. So you pretty much can expect that yet another Ukrainian coup followed by period of anarchy will get little sympathy in Russia.

    26. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Patch86 · · Score: 0

      Crimea is 60% Russian-speakers, 25% or so Ukrainian-speakers, and 15% or so ethnic Tatars. It is fair to assume that most of the ethnic Ukrainians might prefer to be part of Ukraine rather than part of a Russian Federation with zero protection or adoption of their own culture, and Tatars are historically anti-Russian due to the atrocities committed against them during the Soviet era.

      Even if you assume that 100% of the Russian-speakers voted to join Russia (which is not guaranteed- a lot of them will have family or cultural ties with the mainland outside of their language), it's extremely difficult to see 97% approval.

      As others have pointed out, the last believable poll figures (pre-troubles) on Crimean nationalism had only around 50% of the population for secession. For almost fully half of the population to change their mind in the last 3 months is completely non-credible.

      And we shouldn't be surprised. We all know from past experience exactly what effect gun-toting thugs have in the presence of ballot boxes. Even if you're willing to believe there was no "ballot-stuffing" fraud, there's no doubt that it will effect people's confidence to turn up and vote controversially.

    27. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and just how hard would it be to throw a few hundred spies or sleeper saboteurs in the mix? This is insightful? The best move would be to sponsor opposition groups and kill Putin from within.

    28. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It was my understanding that ethnic Ukrainians and Tatars boycotted the referendum. If that was the case, 90+% isn't implausible.

    29. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, that's bad. LOL, that's as bad as Kosovo.

      But at least, they did not removing Tatars' heart for black market:
      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/kosovo/9534691/Former-Kosovo-rebel-describes-removing-prisoners-heart-for-black-market-sale.html

      How about Nuland's cookies and McCain brought Yatseniuk and friends to power as exactly as leaked phone call "Fuck EU" revealed, who previously had only 7% votes.

      Putin is a dictator? Russian people are stupid for not to vote for some one bad-ter than Putin.
      http://politics.slashdot.org/story/12/09/24/2247233/russian-opposition-figure-thinks-anti-putin-movement-has-faltered
      But even if they get a sufficient number of people out in the street, they don't know what to do next. All they can do is chant their old anti-Putin incantations instead of offering a program of action.

      "...refusal to allow international observers". Yeah, these damn sly dogs:
      http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/96099/World/International/Gunmen-block-monitors-in-Crimea-as-Russia-stands-f.aspx
      AFP , Friday 7 Mar 2014
      Pro-Kremlin gunmen kept foreign observers from entering Crimea on Friday as Russia welcomed the prospect of the Ukrainian peninsula joining the country amid the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War.

      A convoy of vehicles from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) -- led by a police car and followed by two buses carrying the observers and a large number of cars waving Ukrainian flags -- were stopped at a checkpoint manned by armed men as they tried to enter Crimea for a second day.

      Yeah, sly dogs!

    30. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      bro, have you ever been to the Crimea? i have, about 20 times. it's full of Russians. Those who aren't Russian nationals still speak Russian. It's about the most Russian place you can get outside of Russia itself... go on and on about the rigged elections if you wish, but they seem to indicate shit-obvious findings, to me at least. They seem a whole lot more democratic than our own un-elected crew in Brussels, but i digress...

    31. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yes. like i said above. i've been there about 20 times. It's an obviously, notably, and otherwise clearly RUSSIAN PLACE full of RUSSIANS and who isn't RUSSIAN still speaks RUSSIAN there and it's basically a RUSSIAN ibiza... so get over it.

    32. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by quantaman · · Score: 1, Insightful

      To be fair support for separation was higher (roughly 50%) but support for joining Russia was only 41% before Putin's thugs turned up armed and en-masse to rig the vote.

      You're right though, the referendum was a joke, I don't even know why dictators like Putin do this, you'd think if you're going to rig a vote you at least make it semi-believable at like 60% or something, but really, 97%, are they actually trying to take the piss or what? 82% turnout and 97% vote for joining Russia does indeed imply that Ukrainians and Tatars that are almost universally opposed to joining Russia voted for exactly that. This alone shows what an absolute complete and utter farce it was.

      As if the hijacking of all Crimean comms in and out, radio, TV, and surrounding of military bases and refusal to allow international observers in whilst beating up journalists wasn't obvious evidence enough that a fraudulent vote was about to follow. I'm not sure who exactly they're trying to convince short of the few useful idiots that are dotted about here and there, but what do they matter? It's almost like they're just trying to convince themselves they're doing the right thing, as it sure as hell ain't convincing anyone else that matters.

      I don't think the 97% number is supposed to be believable, it's supposed to be intimidating. 60% implies there was strong opposition and dissenters aren't alone, or worse, that even rigging it 60% was the best they could do. No one was going to believe the result regardless so they might as well get a big number.

      97% says "sure we rigged it, but you don't know how much, do you really want to share your non-conformist political opinions with strangers on the hope that your odds are better than 1 in 20 of finding someone with a like mind?"

      --
      I stole this Sig
    33. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Solandri · · Score: 1

      You're right though, the referendum was a joke, I don't even know why dictators like Putin do this, you'd think if you're going to rig a vote you at least make it semi-believable at like 60% or something, but really, 97%, are they actually trying to take the piss or what?

      Not to pull a Godwin, but all of this has happened before. I really fear that all of this will happen again. The parallels are just eerie.

    34. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by bkmoore · · Score: 1

      And we should trust this vote why? ...

      Crimean Special Election Ballot (English Translation):
      1. Mark Here_____ if you want to be an notionally 'independent' country that is in a slowly decaying orbit around mother Russia.
      2. Mark Here_____ if you really really really want to join Russia now!!!

    35. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      82% turnout and 97% vote for joining Russia does indeed imply that Ukrainians and Tatars that are almost universally opposed to joining Russia voted for exactly that

      Don't know whether it's fixed or not, but these numbers are not entirely implausible. The Tatar population (15%) boycotted the referendum (as most of the folks who were aligned with the western half). The ethnic separation between Ukrainians and Russians in an eastern/south region like Crimea is brought up mostly for western consumption. The population is very mixed and their their political views are not aligned with the self-identified ethnicity. Factor in a week of scaremongering and propaganda preceding the referendum, promises of economic benefits, and the crapshoot situation that now resides in Kyiv and it can get into 90's ... Tough 97% is pushing it though.

    36. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's like saying Americans are a minority in New York.

      Oh wait...

    37. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Lotana · · Score: 1

      For as long as Putin and his cronies are in power, the U.S. and the rest of the western world should offer any law-abiding Russian citizen who wants to leave an automatic green card, work permit, etc.

      You don't know what you are asking for! All the really smart Russians have been emigrating away in thousands since the fall of the iron curtain. If you open your doors your country will get swamped and you will be complaining about all those damn immigrants taking your jobs for cheap.

      Have a look at refugee crisis in Australia.

    38. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Lotana · · Score: 1

      You are right about Crimea. Crimea was part of Russia until relatively recently (1954). Their leaving of Ukraine was inevitable.

      I am more curious about your opinion on Eastern Ukraine. That part too has quite a bit of Russian population, but was never historically part of Russia. Do you think Russia would be welcomed if they invade?

    39. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe the vote wasn't rigged? Maybe that is the explanation for the landslide.

      Dictators can be very popular. That's one of the reasons why you might be scared of them. They typically command a great deal of popular support, and it's hard to use democracy against them. Putin is no exception, and as we see here, his popularity extends beyond Russia.

      Don't be so quick to say the vote was a joke, or illegal, or illegitimate. You have no evidence that it was. Surely you do not advocate overturning election results just because you do not like the outcome? If you do, pot meet kettle.

      Respectable historians, e.g. AJP Taylor, have said that the vote following the Anschluss was not fixed. That was also a landslide in favour of the new government, a government in many ways much worse than Putin's. If 98% of Austrians voted for Hitler after he invaded, why can't 97% of Crimeans vote for Putin? (Or, more accurately, "independence" as part of a Moscow-centred version of the EU.)

      No, the result is completely plausible. Dictators may be popular... this is a sad fact, but a fact nonetheless.

    40. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      The vote was in no way legitimate. First off, no referendum passes legitimately at 95%, ever. The election was hastily set up with little prep time. Russian troops were in the streets. Mobs were intimidating people who disagreed with the proposition. There was not even a choice on the ballot of "keep things as they are" (the two choices were to leave Ukraine and become a part of Russia, or to leave Ukraine and be independent).

      And the whole cause of the uproar was basically that Moscow's hand-picked criminal who was stealing all the money was removed from power.

    41. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      If only we knew where Yanukovych hid the money, since he stole far more than the 13 billion than Putin promised.

    42. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      97% is actually entirely believable even without any rigging, so long as you assume that most people who'd vote against have simply boycotted the referendum. This seems to be true at least for Crimean Tatars, and quite possibly also for many Ukrainians.

      Now, 123% that they've got in Sevastopol (where more people have voted than are on the lists) is something else. But that is explained simply by the fact that anyone with an Ukrainian or Russian passport could vote, which includes all the Russian forces currently stationed there...

    43. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      They are not necessarily idiots, they just use government-served propaganda as their main information channel. Trust me, I have quite a few very smart friends in Russia who are very much into Putin and that whole empire-rebuilding thing lately.

    44. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      And Russia offers Green Cards to all the refugees from NSA and their cronies, and we'll see who ends ups with more people?

      Are you seriously suggesting moving to Russia to escape state surveillance?

      Look up SORM on Wikipedia to begin with, then you'll understand why it's such a patently bad idea.

      In any case, for most immigrants, the primary reasons are economical, even where political reasons are also at play. Simply put, more people are going to move from a poorer country to a richer country than the other way around. I'm really glad now that I moved from Russia when I did (and I already had a dislike of what was brewing up there back then), but if I'm honest with myself, a six figure salary and all that comes with it was at least as enticing.

    45. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      As someone who's actually a Russian citizen, I can assure you that you're wrong. Yes, plenty of people who wanted to leave have already left, but plenty more did not because moving is expensive, and because scoring an immigrant visa is not all that easy. Around 5000 Russians get green cards in US every year still, and that's only counting those who could qualify for them, and bearing in mind the ever-growing queues. 2000 Russians get Canadian permanent residency every year. Stats for other countries are similar.

      And there will definitely be a spike in the aftermath of the current events.

    46. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tatarstan's tatars and Crimea's tatars are two completely different ethnic groups, they use different languages, etc. And, of course, this ended in major failure.

    47. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Tom · · Score: 1

      Keep in mind that the new Ukrainian government has announced massive austerity program.

      This. Among the first things the new Ukrainian leadership did was bend over backwards to let the IMF fuck them in the ass, agreeing to the same politics that already ruined Greece and Spain.

      If I were living in the Crimean, that alone would've been reason enough to vote for Russia.

      --
      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    48. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      "Coup leaders" is a bit misleading. It's still uncertain exactly what happened but nothing really indicates it was a coup. Yanukovych's previous allies were voting against him. Yes the parliament should not have voted him out of power so easily, but Yanukovych had already fled his office by that point, presumably out of fear that he'd lose the upcoming election and have to face the consequences (given that he jailed his political enemies).

      Next the did not revoke Russian language's regional status. They just cancelled pending legislation that was going to give Russian equal status. Basically the cancelled or put on hold most things that were happening in the Yanukovych administration (I got this wrong earlier by believing the propaganda that this was a new law that was quickly passed). Powers had been moved to the presidency and away from parliament with a newer constitution and this was rolled back.

      And Ukraine is in a big problem economically partly because much of the money is missing. Yanukovych by many accounts has stolen more money than Russia was offering in economic aid, and likely would have taken a big chunk of that new money if it had arrived. Yanukovych had several luxury dachas and was building a new huge one, and if the Crimeans had seen what a corrupt person he was they would have cheered to see him go.

      Yes, Ukraine is going to be unstable for awhile. This is not to be blamed on the new government in Kiev but on the old government. One of the reasons Tymoshenko was jailed by Yanukovych was for making a gas deal directly with Russia and cutting out oligarch middle men and saving Ukraine money (even Putin said he didn't understand why the sentence was so long). So what's better overall; strong-man corrupt government and poor people, or less powerful president and poor people? Russia prefers the strong-man, it's easier to deal with just one person, and they have always hated the democratic orange revolution (and rose revolution).

    49. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not 95%, it's a complete lie. The polls were 40% for Crimea before Putin took over.

      It shows you just how fake the elections are in Russia. Putin almost certainly was a minority candidate last election too. Once you start with fake elections, you'll never have a real one again.

    50. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Xest · · Score: 1

      I guess it depends how you define idiot, I know plenty of smart idiots :)

      Take Obama for example, he actually seems a pretty smart guy, but he's still a fucking idiot for failing to close Guantanamo etc.

    51. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Xest · · Score: 1

      Is it still plausible when you consider that they're claiming there was 82% turnout? That 25% of non-ethnic Russians turned up and nearly all voted to join Russia?

      Seems more likely if the poll was legit they'd have voted for independence given that that's always been the most popular polled preference in Crimea.

    52. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Xest · · Score: 1

      "Surely you do not advocate overturning election results just because you do not like the outcome? If you do, pot meet kettle."

      I do if they're not verifiable because international observers have been kicked out and the vote has been held at gunpoint. That type of election result is no more legitimate than simple declaration by dictator.

      Democracy isn't just about holding or pretending to hold a poll. It's about holding a verifiable poll, this wasn't that.

      I didn't like the election of Yanukovych a few years back, but at least his election was determined to be free and fair so there's little that can be said against his initial election. This however is a farce, it was set up purposely to be unverifiable, it was set up to be legitimate from the outset. If Putin could've won the poll legitimately why take over all the broadcasters in the area, occupy the place with tens of thousands of soldiers, and refuse to let anyone in to verify the election was legitimate? In that case yes I absolutely support ignoring it - they can always hold it again in a legitimate and verifiable fashion if they're confident of their ability to win legitimately right?

    53. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      There was no option in the referendum for independence. It only had two options - join Russia, or stay in Ukraine but revert constitution to 1992 version (this was one of the biggest gripes about it).

      82% turnaround is smelly, I agree, but it could also be sort of legit, in a sense that it's also possible considering the rules established for the vote. I can think of two reasons here.

      First, the 25% of non-ethnic Russians includes russophone Ukrainians. Some people in that category are Russian in all but name, and in Crimea especially this is very common - many "inherited" their ethnic designation from Soviet times, where it had to be explicit in your internal passport, and most people just took for themselves whatever their parents used, but culture-wise their identity does not necessarily match.

      Then also, remember that they've let Russian troops stationed in the peninsula vote. This actually gave some quite funny official results already, like 123% turnaround in Sevastopol, because they're calculating turnaround based on lists of citizens.

    54. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Ottawakismet · · Score: 1

      Many countries are hunting for that money. Canada is trying to seize yanukoych's assets. It may end up like Gaddafi's assets in Canada and South Africa, returned to the Libyan government. A few solid assets for the Ukrainian government would have a bolstering effect, of propping up Kyev's current finances., something they could either liquidate or borrow against.

    55. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Ottawakismet · · Score: 1

      Yes, and the lesson of the Anschluss was that it emboldened Hitler to pursue the Sudetenland. Putin may take the lesson that he has a free hand to deal with the 'near abroad', the former Soviet Republics, at least the non NATO-members. The message was less focused on the West, and more at Astana, Tashkent, Tblisi, Bishkek etc... It is Moldova who is most immediately threatened, as Transdinistria wants a Crimea-style referendum to join Russia. They like Crimea already have Russian troops there since Soviet times, that the Russians have never quite gotten around to withdrawing. (never withdraw from territory if you don't have to was Stalin's thinking)

    56. Re:Allow Russians to vote with their feet by Ottawakismet · · Score: 1

      on the wikipedia page on the Crimean referendum, there is a pile of pro-Russian voices who are whitewashing the whole affair, claiming the monitors were valid though they were totally biased. Material I put up about the sketchy background of the monitors got repeatedly taken down. Some are Communist Party members, or Russian advocates. It seems clear that Moscow allowed in only a group of voices who would certify their sham referendum. The page does not say how the OSCE monitors were shot at by Pro-Russian militias, and tries to say the whole referendum was super legitimate.

  7. America's fault by Tailhook · · Score: 1, Troll

    If only the US hadn't antagonized Stalin the Soviets wouldn't have built nukes and the world would be at peace. Shame on us.

    Also, the US Military Industrial Complex is using Putin to scare the US into a defense build-up; the Russians are innocent pawns of US capitalists and none of this is their fault.

    That should about cover it. Please forgo repeating the above in 80% of the threads that follow. Thanks.

    --
    Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
    1. Re:America's fault by cephus440 · · Score: 0

      If only there was a motive for the US to build up or increase the defense budget - or not reduce the defense budget. If there were only something happening which would make some people in the US want to validate their existence.... http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02...

    2. Re:America's fault by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Erh... no. Stalin would have been Stalin, no matter what. He was a megalomaniac madman long before WW2

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:America's fault by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      Also, it was his successor that started the arms race with a bunch of mindless bluster directed at the west. Stalin was gone by the time the nuclear arms race got started.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    4. Re:America's fault by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      orly?
      you mean the same guy who pushed for peaceful coexistence?

      no, the nuclear arm race started in 1949.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    5. Re:America's fault by geekoid · · Score: 1

      You don't really know anything about Stalin, do you?

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    6. Re:America's fault by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ooooh. Well, technically Putin became a megalomaniac after WW2. But only because he wasn't around before WW2. Jokes aside though, I think the rapid expansionism that you see coming out of Russia is a pretty good indication that Putin amassed more power than he can handle. The military is now calling the shots. And he can't keep them in check anymore.

    7. Re:America's fault by gmhowell · · Score: 1

      I'll take "Reading Comprehension Failures" for $200, Alex.

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  8. So Russia needs some what? Lebensraum? by JudgeFurious · · Score: 1, Insightful

    And the United States is the only country in the world realistically capable of turning the USSR....err "Russia" into radioactive ash. For crying out loud are we really going to do all of this again? Why?

    --
    Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
    1. Re:So Russia needs some what? Lebensraum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      population. Russia has had many years of low birth rates and Ukraine has 50 million people (to Russia's 170 million).

    2. Re:So Russia needs some what? Lebensraum? by Opportunist · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Because nobody buys the terrorist gambit anymore and we need a reason to keep the military complex funded.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:So Russia needs some what? Lebensraum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      are we really

      What is this WE white man? Cite for me one federal official spouting off about how much glass we could make out off Russia. Find a single instance of government controlled media in any western nation with commentators reciting irresponsible shit like this on behalf of their masters.

      Did you think we had somehow evolved beyond violence? Perhaps cushy office jobs where you post on Slashdot all day convinced you that militaries are vestigial boondoggles robbing the good and the great of their ability to "help" whomever?

      How long have you been indulging these delusions and what parts of your naive worldview will you be correcting given this inevitable dose of reality?

    4. Re:So Russia needs some what? Lebensraum? by gtall · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well, nukes are only about 5-10% of the U.S. defense budget. Now are there any more strawmen you are hiding in your closet?

    5. Re:So Russia needs some what? Lebensraum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would say that France, China and the UK would have a fairly good shot at turning Russia or the US into radioactive ash if they really wanted to although each of the countries has a fraction of the stockpile of Russia or the US.

    6. Re:So Russia needs some what? Lebensraum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now that we have Cold War II coming, we may see that percentage rise.

    7. Re:So Russia needs some what? Lebensraum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because nobody buys the terrorist gambit anymore and we need a reason to keep the military complex funded.

      Russia is a bellicose power that is only thirty miles away from the USA. That's good enough for me to keep the military complex funded.

    8. Re:So Russia needs some what? Lebensraum? by IndigoDarkwolf · · Score: 1

      If it means only having to pass a scan from a geiger counter instead of a full-body pat down at the airport, I'm all for replacing terrorist fearmongering with thermonuclear fearmongering.

    9. Re:So Russia needs some what? Lebensraum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because we must show them our giant, throbbing dick!

    10. Re:So Russia needs some what? Lebensraum? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      NOW. Yes. But if you told that someone half a year or a year ago, they would've asked if your tinfoil hat was on too tight.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    11. Re:So Russia needs some what? Lebensraum? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      What makes you think we'd get "instead of" rather than "on top of"?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  9. Re: What does this have to do with tech news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    For the last time: Slashdot is not a technology news website. It is a news site for nerds. There is a difference.

  10. Celebrity Death Match by zerosomething · · Score: 5, Funny

    In this corner Bill O'Reilly for the U.S of A and in the other corner Dmitry Kiselyov for the Russian Federation. In a match to see who can talk their own country into radioactive ash first!

    READY, FIGHT!!!

    --
    It all starts at 0
    1. Re: Celebrity Death Match by O('_')O_Bush · · Score: 1

      I doubt the U.S. would be goaded into a nuclear war. When pitting dead-hand versus a nuclear MIRV arsenal at sea, everybody loses.

      Unconfirmed weaponized H1N1 (bird flu) with 80% mortality rate, undetectable delivery, an easy/excusable way to prevent collateral damage (closing borders, which is already the plan if a non-weaponized strain is detected), and an extreme difficulty in tracing the aggressor (missiles can be tracked by RADAR, viruses can't) make nuclear war a non-option.

      I the U.S. wanted to destroy Russia, the first and final attack would be a tourist (or cell) wiping their gloves on a railing at a national monument at lunch time.

      --
      while(1) attack(People.Sandy);
    2. Re:Celebrity Death Match by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Could they just turn each other into radioactive ash instead?

      Whoever loses
      We win

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re: Celebrity Death Match by O('_')O_Bush · · Score: 1

      *Swine flu, mixed the two up.

      --
      while(1) attack(People.Sandy);
    4. Re:Celebrity Death Match by FirstOne · · Score: 1

      Radioactive fallout doesn't obey political boundary's.

      It's not the N-weapons themselves, (couple of thousand megatons worth, on each side, yield split between fission(%50), fusion(50% relatively clean)), which will make real mess. But the 400+ Nuclear power plants around the globe melting down and/or being destroyed as a result.

      Each nuclear power plant has several hundred megatons worth of highly radioactive fission byproducts stored inside the reactor and next to them in spent fuel rods. As demonstrated in Fukushima, all it takes is an extended loss of electricity to start the melt down process.

      A megaton's worth of fission byproducts is created for every ~0.4TWh of electricity produced. Production of electricity via nuclear power worldwide is currently in the range of ~2200TWh. Thus ~5500 Megatons of potential fission fallout per year is added to an pre-existing inventory of ~150,000 Megatons, awaiting to deal humanity a coup de grÃce.

    5. Re:Celebrity Death Match by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In this corner Bill O'Reilly for the U.S of A and in the other corner Dmitry Kiselyov for the Russian Federation. In a match to see who can talk their own country into radioactive ash first!

      READY, FIGHT!!!

      Fuck that I'm not ready!

    6. Re: Celebrity Death Match by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is no way to win with biological warfare either. There is actually great incentive for the US and Russia (and other nuke equipped countries) to work against communicable diseases spreading as they can be misinterpreted as an act of war.

      To wipe out large sections of a country contagion could not be limited to a single country -- thus it would spread to the country that introduces the virus as well. If the country that perpetrated the attack conveniently suddenly found a cure, it would instantly nuke it in retaliation.

      Listen to Nietzsche. The best way to destroy your enemies is using another enemy. Smile and be polite to both while working behind the scenes to get them to figh. As they fight, they'll be even be tripping over themselves to have you as an ally.

    7. Re:Celebrity Death Match by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      SHUT UP! -- Bill O'Reilly

  11. 60,000 Russian troops OUTSIDE Ukraine? Big deal. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Obama: I'm not beaten yet. I still have armies in the Ukraine.

    This comment perks up the ears of what appears to be a Russian immigrant.

    Putin: Ha ha, Ukraine. Do you know what Ukraine is? It is sitting duck. A road apple, Obama. Ukraine is weak. It's feeble. I think it's time to put hurt on Ukraine.

    Ukrainian: I come from Ukraine. You not say Ukraine weak.

    Putin: Yeah, well we're playing a game here, pal.

    Ukrainian: Ukraine is game to you?! Howbout I take your little board and smash it!!

    The Ukrainian pounds the game board, destroying it and sending army pieces flying.

  12. They're scared they won't be able to. by JavaLord · · Score: 1

    If the US gets missile defense systems into the Ukraine they could theoretically win a nuclear war with a first strike. This is what has Putin's panties in a bunch. This is also why Russia was so upset with the US considering putting their missile defense systems in Poland.

    It would still be a crazy gambit, as Russia still has nuclear subs, and who the heck would want to take the risk? Is Putin just paranoid, or would the US really try to win a nuclear war? There are some crazy motherfuckers in positions of power in the US.

    1. Re:They're scared they won't be able to. by Xest · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "This is also why Russia was so upset with the US considering putting their missile defense systems in Poland."

      Well the US actually negotiated with Putin and pulled back from doing this to allay his concerns.

      Now he starts invading neighbours who gave up their nuclear weapons, annexing their territory and talking about nuclear war.

      Sounds like maybe the Ukraine should've kept their nukes, and the US kept their interceptor program - the more Putin has been appeased, the more dangerous he has gotten.

    2. Re:They're scared they won't be able to. by gtall · · Score: 1

      Only if the missile defense systems were 100% effective, which they aren't. One MIRVed big nasty is enough to take out the U.S. And that doesn't count the nukes Russia has on subs or cruise nukes they have on ships. So, no, the U.S. has no first strike.

      Putin's panties are in a bunch because it appears the rest of the world doesn't need nor care about Russia. His problems with a world's economy is that he doesn't control it. So he puts two and two together and figures he needs his own empire of satellite countries that he can make care and which depend on Russia for an economy. In a sense, he wants to create his own little world where Russia is the big boy...nothing new that any petty dictator hasn't thought of before, he just has more tools to play with.

    3. Re:They're scared they won't be able to. by borcharc · · Score: 2

      Why do people keep saying that only a 100% effective missile defense system is acceptable? Why is 50% not acceptable? MIRV ICBM's are no different for launch and mid stage interceptors, the thing we put all of our effort into. The Russians have ~350 ICBM's, we should have 5x as many interceptors that are designed for each stage. These can be capable on subs launched ICBM's as well, its just a matter of investment. I would be very happy to have a even a 20% success rate from a missile defense system in an all out attack. Thats a lot of people, equipment, and industrial capacity saved.

      On the topic of MIRV's, we gave our up to appease Russia but they backed out of returning the gesture. Its time we bring them back, they were an effective deterrent.

    4. Re:They're scared they won't be able to. by RightSaidFred99 · · Score: 1

      You over-estimate the power of a nuclear weapon. One MIRV will not "take out the US". It'll hurt, for sure, but a plane flown into a building "hurt" - didn't take us down.

      To cripple the US and send us into a post-apocalyptic state you'd need about 10 probably.

    5. Re:They're scared they won't be able to. by guacamole · · Score: 1

      If the US gets missile defense systems into the Ukraine they could theoretically win a nuclear war with a first strike. This is what has Putin's panties in a bunch. This is also why Russia was so upset with the US considering putting their missile defense systems in Poland.

      Wouldn't the missile defense systems in Europe just protect Europe? It's also no clear if the missile defense actually works, and if it works, how hard/easy it would be to wipe out with a strike by conventional weapons as Poland is a stone throw away from Belarus.

  13. This isn't the 1980s anymore! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Using nukes is soooo 1980's. You gotta change with the times, Pooty-poot. Are you then going to shower us with acid rain from the 1990s? Huh?

    You must instead use the threat of Global Warming to destroy the United States. Yes, you will increase the temperature of the United States by 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit and cook us to death.

    1. Re:This isn't the 1980s anymore! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To be fair, using nukes is soooo 1940's

  14. Russia has been turning into a fascist state by Maimun · · Score: 4, Insightful
    for many years. The writing has been on the wall all the time. Those idiotic threats are just the tip of the iceberg. It would be wrong to downplay them with the arguments like "some idiot lost his nerves". The bellicosity has been on the rise in Russia for many years and no, the reason is not that they were unjustly insulted by the West. The fascist-like regime wants to expand and dominate. It is that simple. The fascizoids can never be stopped by appeasement. The appeasement did not work before WWII and will not work now. The only argument they understand is raw power. For them, politeness and tolerance are signs of weakness and met with derision. Maybe, I hope, one day the Russian people will kick the fascists out of power but for the forseeable future this is wishful thinking.

    Well, international relations are heating up again, coffee-break is over and the West should better wake up and start doing something. If raw power is the only thing that can stop the bad guys, raw power we must accumulate.

    1. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Oh, come on. The people voting for Putin in Russia have almost the same mindset that the people that voted Bush/Cheney did in the U.S. The two countries are surprisingly similar.

    2. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      The appeasement did not work before WWII and will not work now. The only argument they understand is raw power. For them, politeness and tolerance are signs of weakness and met with derision. Maybe, I hope, one day the Russian people will kick the fascists out of power but for the forseeable future this is wishful thinking.

      Yeah, we hope we can kick them out of the US government too, but so far no good. We've effectively lost the whole bill of rights already. You really think TPTB in the west are going to help Russians? They don't even give a fuck about us.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by Kiuas · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The fascist-like regime wants to expand and dominate. It is that simple. The fascizoids can never be stopped by appeasement. The appeasement did not work before WWII and will not work now. The only argument they understand is raw power. For them, politeness and tolerance are signs of weakness and met with derision. Maybe, I hope, one day the Russian people will kick the fascists out of power but for the forseeable future this is wishful thinking.

      Agreed. Putin is basically doing "blitzkrieg" on the world political stage and currently has the ball. He's constantly been referring to "the situation in Ukraine" and "the situation in Crimea" as being something that justifies the actions of "pro-russian militias" (note: the Kremlin denies that they have any direct control over the troops occupying Crimea, officially they're supposed to be militias regradles of the fact that they're using equipment thus far only seen in service with the Russian special forces). Putin's playing the victim card to the west, and the nationalistic chest-beating "for the motherland" -card to his own citizens - all the while giving a strong signal to people like me living next to his country (in my case Finland) that any Russian promises regarding the respect for international law and sovereignty are better used as toilet paper.

      West should better wake up and start doing something.

      Yes.

      If raw power is the only thing that can stop the bad guys, raw power we must accumulate.

      The west does not need to accumulate power. The west (that is the US/NATO) already controls the largest military force in the history of mankind. We have power, we need the will to use it. If we let this slip Russia will keep chiseling ex-USSR nations piece by piece using the same lame "we're just protecting out citizens" -excuse as the west re-enacts the 30s and tries to appease a man who clearly doesn't give a shit about talk. The west can "condemn" the actions as many times and as "harshly" as we want, but until a line is drawn and it is made clear to Russia that the crossing of this line will lead to military action, Putin will keep controlling the ball.

      --
      "It is the business of the future to be dangerous" -Alfred North Whitehead
    4. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sadly, the same is also somewhat true of the US. (In before I get shouted down by the political correctness crowd, and those beating a dictionary so hard that the words inside rearrange to suit their purposes. I fully expect to be called a paranoid crank as well-- but fuck it. I am posting AC)

      Seriously; Fascism is a fusion of corporate (not modern definition; use Mussolini's, he's the one who coined "Corporatism", and was decidedly fascist.) and government power. Corporation in this context refers not to incorporated businesses, but instead to things more alike to our MPAA and RIAA. Interest groups with controlling interests. Things like "Big Pharma", "Big Oil", etc. NOT individual incorporated businesses, like say, Astra Zenica, or Exxon. The US has SERIOUSLY been compromised in terms of the intended government process through sustained, relentless, and institutionalized lobbying by these "Corporate" factions. The Corn Grower's association of Iowa alone has succeeded in controlling sugar prices in the US for over 60 years. The RIAA and MPAA have been on a worldwide campaign against free expression of culture for nearly that long as well. The military industrial complex has such heavy economic influence at the state level in many important districts that it unduly influences elections and foreign policy for the whole country.

      Fascism is alive and well right here in the USA. If EITHER of us (The USA or Russia) win, the world will lose.

    5. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      for many years. The writing has been on the wall all the time. Those idiotic threats are just the tip of the iceberg. It would be wrong to downplay them with the arguments like "some idiot lost his nerves". The bellicosity has been on the rise in Russia for many years and no, the reason is not that they were unjustly insulted by the West. The fascist-like regime wants to expand and dominate. It is that simple. The fascizoids can never be stopped by appeasement. The appeasement did not work before WWII and will not work now. The only argument they understand is raw power. For them, politeness and tolerance are signs of weakness and met with derision. Maybe, I hope, one day the Russian people will kick the fascists out of power but for the forseeable future this is wishful thinking.

      Well, international relations are heating up again, coffee-break is over and the West should better wake up and start doing something. If raw power is the only thing that can stop the bad guys, raw power we must accumulate.

      Hopefully the people who modded you +5 insightful keep this in mind next time they have the opportunity to mod up posts calling for the decimation of the US military, defense budget, and intelligence agencies. There has never been a century in human history where there hasn't been major wars or power grabs by nation states. We may have had it nice the past 20 years in geopolitics, but history has always shown that there will be enterprising countries that will take territory by force if there is no one else powerful enough to stop them. With the relative decline of the USA, Russia--despite it's huge economic problems--is reasserting itself. China is beginning to make territorial claims of land and sea that would be comical if it weren't for their threat of military force. Iran is trying to take Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq via proxy in hopes of reviving the Shia Crescent. We are only just beginning to see such land grabs by Russia and China (and perhaps weaker states as well) as they perceive weakness and unwillingness of the USA or other world powers to stop them. Nukes won't deter such behavior because no nuclear country would commit nuclear suicide for the defense of a third party country.

      This is why we always need to maintain a powerful military and defense force. There will always be groups of people who crave more power and resources. There will always be Hitlers, Putins, Stalins, and Maos in the world. When they become leaders of powerful civilizations bad shit starts to happen.

    6. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For them, politeness and tolerance are signs of weakness and met with derision.

      I'd be interested to see your shortlist of polite and tolerant world superpowers.

    7. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well then they can go take Mars. There's plenty of room there. We'll take Pluto and stay away from each other. There's plenty of space to go around.

    8. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you want to talk about morality perhaps you should look more closely at the US's behavior and history not just Russia.

      1. US was created by stealing the lands of native populations (to this day native indians don't have their own country in their own homelands)
      2. Large scale ethnic cleasing was involved
      3. The US has expanded its territory through force in the last two hundred years more than any other nation on earth. (remember it used to be only a few colonies)
      4. Of recent note, US killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis for non-existent WMDS, committed torture on state sponsored level (war crimes). To this day no one in government has been prosecuted for it. The US has one of the largest stockpiles of WMDS in the world while giving moral lectures to other countries about WMDs.
      5. Need I mention the NSA's gestapo and communist like behavior around privacy? (in direct violation of the US constitution)

      Most Americans and Russians are decent people but when it comes to the behavior of their governments and militaries, they both can be violent d-cks.

    9. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by cold+fjord · · Score: 1

      The ever popular false equivalence, or in your case the moral equivalence of idiocy (on your part).

      I can see why you didn't back that up, it would have broken the suspension of disbelief.

      --
      much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
    10. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by quantaman · · Score: 1

      I'd never make the claim that Bush was as bad as Putin but both have similar aspects to their base. A strong aggressive persona, conservative social beliefs, a willingness to exert military power, etc. It's a common template for conservative populism. In a country like the US it's a lot more restrained but you still get things like the Iraq war and the culture wars. In Russia instead of invading Iraq they annex Crimea, and instead of banning gay marriage they ban gay speech.

      There's similarities to left wing populism and Chavez as well, but in the US I don't think the left wing populism infiltrates the political elite the way right wing populism does.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    11. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by guacamole · · Score: 2

      I really hate drawing parallels between Russia now and Nazi Germany, but there is one that's hard to overlook: the concept of Weimar Russia. Allies, such as France, after the win in WWI insisted on placing impossible and humiliating sanctions on Germany which directly led to the creation of the humiliated and angry Weimar Germany and its impoverished populations, and this created all the right conditions for a lunatic like Hitler to come to power.

      Yes, the writing has always been on the wall that those Russian fascizoids are real. I really used to think that the far right Russian nationalists or simply ultra-nationalists like Zhirinovsky, Limonov, Rogozin, Zyuganov, etc were simply a breed of clowns who would eventually die out. Instead of dying out, their views are now mainstream to most of Putin's ruling elite and Duma politicians.

      The question is though, why did the West allow the situation in Russia to deteriorate so much without providing any real economic aid in the 90s? The former Eastern European satellites of USSR received massive economic support in the form of foreign direct investment, foreign aid, military aid, speedy admission into EU, NATO, and WTO, but Russia was left by the wayside to rot. Watching the 20 year long saga of Russian accession into the WTO was ridiculous. All participants in the talks clearly wanted to extract as much as they could out of Russians. And where were the angry US and EU politicians and their threats of economic sanctions at the time when a small group of Yeltsin's cronies pillaged the Russian economy, stole billions, and created the infamous class of Russian Oligarchs? Instead of placing sanctions on them and their ill-gotten money, the way the West would treat a central African ex-dictator who stole billions, places like London met the Russian Oligarchy and their money with wide open arms.

    12. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by guacamole · · Score: 1

      Another comical note:

      6. America is the only country in the world to have used nuclear bombs while sweeping under the rug the issue that indiscriminately killing thousands of civilians as long with a nearby military-industrial personnel may have constituted a war crime.

    13. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Not that similar though. Where are the protests against Putin? We had many protests against Bush, we had many protests against Obama. We've never even come close to having a dictatorship.

    14. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      You know, I kind of miss Yeltsin a little bit right now.

    15. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you confuse the American Empire with Russia. The empire where the sun never sets: from Tokio via Diego Garcia and Hawaii to Talinn. ALL of them have U.S. boots on their soil.

    16. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are full of shit using a Zionist meme to Godwin Putin. Maybe you should stop using Zionist media.

    17. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd be interested to see your shortlist of polite and tolerant world superpowers.

      Kal El
      J'onn J'onzz
      Ganthet

    18. Re:Russia has been turning into a fascist state by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ALL of them have U.S. boots on their soil.

      And the U.S. boots don't have U.S. insignias, identify themselves as [local country] defense forces, and take over [local country] military bases too, right? Oh, and they prevent certain people from voting in [local country] elections "for their safety".

  15. if... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    if Russia managed to put its agent as the President in The United States, in what way would he be different from Obama?

    1. Re:if... by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      He'd have actually pushed for a real socialised healthcare system, rather than throwing money at the insurance companies and hoping they lower prices.

    2. Re: if... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not to mention unlimited vodka for everyone!

    3. Re:if... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      how you figure? you pay for every part of the medical treatment in russia... including bandages for a surgery.

  16. Mr Obama by MouseTheLuckyDog · · Score: 0, Troll

    The 80's are calling. They would like to know if you need a foreign poilicy.

    1. Re:Mr Obama by thrich81 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      As someone who lived through the '80s with a couple of close calls of mutual annihilation, I'd rather not have those foreign policies back.

    2. Re:Mr Obama by wiredog · · Score: 1

      That seems to be the foreign policy he's following, actually.

    3. Re:Mr Obama by gtall · · Score: 1

      You mean leading from the U.S's behind doesn't constitute a foreign policy? The foreign policy is clear, there just isn't much to it other than hope. Obama hopes countries behave and hopes the U.S. doesn't get pulled in if they don't. His biggest fear is being held responsible for something going wrong. It doesn't occur to him that inaction can also cause things to wrong and for which he will be held responsible...although not so responsible as to can his retirement package...

    4. Re:Mr Obama by borcharc · · Score: 2

      They never left, we just pretend they are gone.

    5. Re:Mr Obama by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The only reason the 80's foreign policy worked is because we had a President that cared about the country. Obama is too busy apologizing and making hollow threats to worry about the American people.

      the only people who should be scared of Obama are the American people.

    6. Re:Mr Obama by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He's using Carter's.

    7. Re:Mr Obama by MouseTheLuckyDog · · Score: 1

      I too lived through the 80's as well as the 60's and the 70's. I've seen how effective Reagan's policies were. I remember Democrats ridiculing him when he challenged Gorbachov to tear down the Wall. I remember how when the Wall finally came down, those same Democrats were saying "we knew it had to come down sometime".

      I remember something else.
      I remember the debates the last Presidential election. I remember Romney bringing up the threat of Russia. I also remember Obama's response "Mr Romney. The 80's called they want their foreign policy back."

      It was the statement of an asshole who was certain he was "the smartest man in the room" ( google that phrase to see what I'm referring to ), and it deserves to be an albatross hung around his neck. I will keep citing it, because if people would remember more of these things our elections would be better.

    8. Re:Mr Obama by MouseTheLuckyDog · · Score: 1

      See my reply to borcharc.

    9. Re:Mr Obama by thrich81 · · Score: 1

      I'll grant that Reagan happened to be the guy in charge when the Soviet Union finally cracked (I'm counting Bush I as a continuation of Reagan), and Reagan's forceful policies probably helped, but:
      1) Reagan's policies (aggressive military build up, foreign policy, and rhetoric) were not hardly any different from Kennedy's and Johnson's in the 60s, so why did they work in 80s and not the 60s?
      2) I have in-laws from the Soviet Union and they don't credit Reagan much, they say it was just time for the Soviet Union to collapse.
      We don't want to go back to the 60s or the 80s, too many close calls. By the way I was in the military through the 80s and saw the Russians up close.
       

    10. Re:Mr Obama by BullInChina · · Score: 0

      You know, I've been told that hope is not a plan.

  17. Well.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    He's not Stalin at all, he's Putin it into top gear!

    1. Re:Well.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      He's not Stalin at all, he's Putin it into top gear!

      And if you didn't like the pun, well Crimea river.

    2. Re:Well.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fuck me, that's hilarious.

    3. Re:Well.... by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      He's a star in an economically priced car. Wait, he's leaving the track, crossing into another country! Oh no, he ran over the Stig!

    4. Re:Well.... by strikethree · · Score: 1

      LOL. And to think some people block Anonymous Coward. They will miss this. Very funny. :)

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
  18. Meanwhile, US stock markets... by jeffb+(2.718) · · Score: 1

    ...are singing and dancing. If the Invisible Hand isn't sweating, why should I?

    1. Re:Meanwhile, US stock markets... by geekoid · · Score: 1

      Because the invisible hand never sweats, it just suddenly lets go.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  19. The problem with Radioactive Ash is.. by bobbied · · Score: 1

    In mother Russia, radioactivity finds you.

    It might be half a world away, but it WILL find you. Not to mention that there would likely be retaliation in kind.

    This is just Putin Fist Pumping national pride. Putin is poking the US in the eye with the Ukraine thing and they are upping the rhetoric while they can, just in case the US actually manages to do something with teeth. If they can isolate Russia some, it might cause a public relations problem for Putin so he just getting as far ahead as he can.

    To answer a question from a past movie... Let's play Tic Tac Toe and skip that Thermo-Nuclear war thing...

    --
    "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    1. Re:The problem with Radioactive Ash is.. by cephus440 · · Score: 0

      This isn't the first. Syria, Iran, and even during Iraq, the Russians have been undermining US efforts. This one is just catching the news because of its absurdity. Plus, IMHO, the US was poking Russia in the eye by supporting the removal of the Pro-Russian Ukrainian leadership - which apparently has backfired.

      Just and FYI concerning Iraq: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F...

      Why "Father of all bombs"? Because it @#$@ your mother - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G...

    2. Re:The problem with Radioactive Ash is.. by bobbied · · Score: 1

      Hey, I'm not begrudging them their fist pumps. Yea, they out flanked the USA in this one so have fun celebrating the tactical win. What are we going to do? Expel a couple of low level diplomats? Maybe. Get the UN to slap sanctions on them? Not. About all that *might* happen is we might talk some of Europe into financial sanctions. But I give that effort about a snowball's chance

      I won't go into the reasons why this is happening.... Frustrates me too much.

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  20. Re: 60,000 Russian troops OUTSIDE Ukraine? Big dea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The represent any of russia ,Ukraine and USA should meet in the ring. With one of the Klitschko's as a president this should be easy for Ukraine. I only hope that this hipocryte Obama gets bloody nose too.

  21. Re:60,000 Russian troops OUTSIDE Ukraine? Big deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No worries. Everyone knows the key to winning is in Kamchatka.

    And Japan... ... /me sips his rum.

  22. ISS by tekrat · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Next up: Russians "deport" American astronauts from ISS, as they are the only country with a manned space flight program. How ironic; we spend many billions to build it, and then scrap our only way of getting to it. Nice plan. No wonder USA is number 37.

    Someday USA might be a great country, but this decade and the next is not that day.

    USA is now filled with religious, science-denying blowhards that will turn this country into a backwater 3rd world with nuclear weapons and offshore billionaires that own the government. Just look at Greenspan's comments. We'll all be shooting each other for food in a few years, while CEOs sit on piles of cash that guarantee they are comfortable for 6 or 7 generations.

    --
    If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
    1. Re:ISS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      USA is now filled with religious, science-denying blowhards that will turn this country into a backwater 3rd world with nuclear weapons and offshore billionaires that own the government.

      So the US will turn into Russia?

    2. Re:ISS by ThatsDrDangerToYou · · Score: 2
      Open the airlock HAL...

      In Soviet ISS airlock deports you!

    3. Re:ISS by GodfatherofSoul · · Score: 1

      How else are we going to fund military adventurism if we don't cut back on exploration?

      --
      I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
    4. Re:ISS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      USA is now filled with religious, science-denying blowhards that will turn this country into a backwater 3rd world with nuclear weapons and offshore billionaires that own the government.

      Well, in all fairness, it looked like so much fun in the middle east that we thought we'd try it here.

    5. Re:ISS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      dragonrider is almost ready, and if we really wanted to, we could do a direct run to the ISS using the X37B series spaceplanes and do the equivalent of a Gemini spam in a can technique.

      the russians can suck it.

    6. Re:ISS by scottpig · · Score: 1

      Next up: Russians "deport" American astronauts from ISS, as they are the only country with a manned space flight program.

      The solar panels that power the ISS are in the American section. So sure, they could keep us off the ISS but we could make it awfully uncomfortable for them to stay.

  23. The Russian Embassador by Lucas123 · · Score: 3, Funny

    There were those of us who fought against this. But in the end, we could not keep up with the expense involved in the arms race, the space race, and the peace race. And at the same time, our people grumbled for more nylons and washing machines. Our Doomsday scheme cost us just a small fraction of what we'd been spending on defense in a single year. But the deciding factor was when we learned that your country was working along similar lines, and we were afraid of a Doomsday gap.

    1. Re: The Russian Embassador by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dr. Strangelove was a warning not an instruction manual!

  24. Dear Kiselyov, by DiscountBorg(TM) · · Score: 1

    You do realize if the US burns, you'll freeze, starve, and wind up with cataracts in the inevitable nuclear winter right?

    --
    "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." George Bernard Shaw
  25. Sorry - Has to be posted by bjdevil66 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This CANNOT be posted enough. Obama was 100% wrong, and Romney was 100% right.

    Call it sour grapes for the 2012 election, but the guy that lost saw the potential problems coming - and our current administration mocked him for it. And Romney haters mocked him online and in the media.

    Bottom line: As of today, when it comes to international relations, the executive branch looks like it's being run today by an amateur - supported by amateurs, all living in the same intellectual bubble full of yes men.

    1. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Hindsight is 20/20.

      How many other things were said at the time by either candidate but weren't borne out by time?

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    2. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by GodfatherofSoul · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Why not post Sarah Palin's "bold and insightful predictions" that Putin might invade Ukraine while you're at it? Russia isn't the same country any more. This wasn't an invasion of Poland. This is Russia dicking around in their own backyard like they've been doing the last 10 years or so. Russia doesn't have the money to be a world power any more.

      All we're doing by talking him up is getting him more confident in what he thinks he can get away with based on his limited resources. If it goes to the mat, the US and Europe could squash this with sanctions, but Europe is going to have to nut up and accept some economic hardship to make it happen.

      --
      I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
    3. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by korbulon · · Score: 1

      Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

      Romney would have been a reasonable candidate had he not been shackled to the current Republican party, who are largely responsible for the current overextension and perceived weakness of US military forces engendered by the minimistically planned and even more poorly executed incursions in the Middle East in the 2000s (aided by a feckless and obsequious Democratic party, AKA Diet Republicans).

    4. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by DoofusOfDeath · · Score: 0

      Hindsight is 20/20.

      We were (I hope) trying to screen presidential candidates with accurate forsight. Because that matters for policy-making. Romney clearly won this one.

      How many other things were said at the time by either candidate but weren't borne out by time?

      I agree that this is the more important question. I'm sure we could cherry-pick examples that pu any candidate in a better light than some other. That being said, there are a few predictions (well, more policy statements, I guess) that Obama has utterly gotten wrong:

      • If you like your insurance, you can keep it

      • If you like your doctors, you can keep your doctor

      • He'd run the most transparent White House in history.

      Not saying that Romney didn't have any epic prediction / promise failures. They're just not coming to mind. I'm sure someone will remind us.

    5. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Romney was 100% right about what?

      About Russia essentially being bankrupt?
      About the US Natural Gas reserves in the next 15 years obsoleting Russia's ability to sell energy to Europe?
      About Russia's dwindling population and it's falling behind both as an economic and military power?
      About George Bush's inept handling of Georgia and turning his back on a stated ally when Putin did the same thing in that region?

      Tell me what was Romney 100% right about? Building a new military industrial complex to fight a false enemy when our military budget is larger than the 15 largest countries combined? The only reason the US doesn't flatten Russia tomorrow amidst all the BS saber rattling is because it's one despot that buffered by a bunch of countries (China, India) keeping an intense eye on the situation knowing they can be next. The US doesn't have to do a thing except sanctions to starve them out of their situation, there's no reason politically or economically to get involved in Ukrainian politics.

      The world's not as simple or black and white as (insert political party) talking points.

        Next time you pull out your keyboard and start typing and cutting and pasting moronic links, don't.

    6. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We were (I hope) trying to screen presidential candidates with accurate forsight.

      Accurate foresight is a good trait for a business leader, but not a government.

      It's You The People who should have foresight and lead government, not the other way around.

      The fact Obama's statements turned out false is more evidence that we should not rely on government for foresight. Not Obama, not Romney, and not the next guy be they R or D or even in the unlikely chance a 3rd party.

    7. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry, still wouldn't want Romney and Bro-Ryan as our Presidential leadership.

    8. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

      Romney wasn't the only Republican to predict this.

      Some people see the world as it is instead of how their ideology might wish it to be. Putin is an aggressive expansionist and his subjects love him for it. They will reward him for his aggression and we risk a great conflict.

      Bush's Ballistic Missile Defense is looking better every day. Another easily foreseen reality.

    9. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by RightSaidFred99 · · Score: 1

      Demonstrably and completely untrue. I am not a fan at all of our adventurism in the middle east, especially Iraq.

      But it's silly to argue they have not _improved_ our readiness and strength. You need to fight to be strong, and we've been fighting. Having a military just sitting on bases and doing training exercises does not lead to the military power. You have to go fight on the ground, in the air, and at sea. And we've been doing that.

    10. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by bjdevil66 · · Score: 1

      Whether Romney was just lucky or not doesn't matter. The real problem is that the guy that won was so arrogant and clueless about Russia. And his administration has made multiple, big mistakes abroad. AND it probably doesn't help that they're appointing top campaign contributors as foreign ambassadors even if they know nothing about the country they'll be living in.

      Seriously - They're running their foreign policy like a bunch of amateurs playing catch-up.

      And yes - The GOP was really wrong to push for and lead the invasion of Iraq. It was a total waste of political capital, a trillion+ dollars, and the scarring of thousands of American soldiers' lives. The problem with that "I hate the GOP no matter what" argument, however, was that Romney was willing to stand on his own at times, and he was definitely not a Sarah Palin like candidate.

    11. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by geekoid · · Score: 1

      That's completely false.
      You, and people of your ilk, are simple minded folks who are barely smart enough to be called human.

      Russia is not the biggest GO political threat facing the US. It's absurd to think so.
      Trying to shoe horn this issue into the is well, stupid.
      It's not even ignorant, it is stupid. It s twisting what is happening into a political 'right/wrong' argument tat doesn't apply.

      It's more FUD from the pubs. If lies, misinformation and out of context quotes is all the pubs can ever muster up against Obama, then he is doing a pretty good job.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    12. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by korbulon · · Score: 1

      Demonstrably and completely untrue. I am not a fan at all of our adventurism in the middle east, especially Iraq.

      But it's silly to argue they have not _improved_ our readiness and strength. You need to fight to be strong, and we've been fighting. Having a military just sitting on bases and doing training exercises does not lead to the military power. You have to go fight on the ground, in the air, and at sea. And we've been doing that.

      Wat.

    13. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by korbulon · · Score: 1

      He wasn't much of a candidate at all. They're all pretty useless, these politicians and their buddies. It happened with "heckuva a job" W, it's happening with Obama, it would have happened with Romney and his Bain buddiess, and it will happen with Clinton II.

    14. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by fnj · · Score: 1

      Are you high? That exchange doesn't show hindsight. It shows foresight and understanding by Romney, and vapid ignorance by the current occupier of the White Hut.

      Putin made a monkey out of the Stupid Regime twice. Once in Syria and now again in Crimea.

      Having said that, Crimea has basically been a colony of Russia for many decades. It's how the Russians worked under the USSR. They basically colonized far and wide. It's quite predictable that a Russian colony feels like part of Russia. I can't imagine what anyone thinks a bunch of busybodies in the west could possibly do about the fait accompli, or why Russia would pay any mind to the pointless bluster of the west over the past week or two.

      It's pretty hard to be cheery about competent thugs in the Kremlin having Russia by the balls, and INcompetent thugs in DC having the US by the balls. But which ones are feared more by the people of the world, and by the poor saps living in the US? The White Hut brand of thuggery, by far. Putin protected his own ethnic brothers against real danger from Kiev. 0bama almost wreacked added pointless hell on the people alreay undergoing hell in Syria, where he had absolutely no business sticking his nose in, but both Syria's and the US' bacon was saved by - Putin!

      Now if Putin builds on his empire by marching into Ukraine with guns blazing, that will be different, but there is no real precedent for predicting that.

    15. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by fnj · · Score: 1

      My ass. The west couldn't squash shit with sanctions. Europe can only get through a winter without large parts of the population freezing to death because of Russian natural gas.

    16. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      Are you high? That exchange doesn't show hindsight.

      I was talking about the poster's hindsight, not Romney's.

      It shows foresight and understanding by Romney

      Taken on its own there's little to differentiate it from a mildly informed guess.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    17. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      England kept Afghanistan as a training ground for about 200 years. They never pacified it and never wanted to.

      Every new Army unit would do a tour in Afghanistan. They would all lose some soldiers, but the troops that came back were much stronger then the ones that went out.

      The English only gave up Afghanistan once the Irish upped their game and they had a training ground closer to home.

      Any army with sergeants that are not combat veterans isn't really ready to fight.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    18. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      If we succeeded in restarting the Sunni/Shia war, Iraq was a success. Based on what is happening in Syria and Iraq today, I'd say we have.

      Your mistake is assuming the stated reasons for going were the actual ones.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    19. Re:Sorry - Has to be posted by GodfatherofSoul · · Score: 1

      So, do you think the Western world could hack *next* winter before Russia goes broke? I don't think so. I'm assuming that since that's the strategy the Western world has adopted, then it'll work.

      --
      I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
  26. Fox News Moscow by ToasterTester · · Score: 1

    From the people who mentor Karl Rove, Fox News, and Clear Channel. History our way.

  27. Not true! by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

    Russia is the only country in the world realistically capable of turning the United States into radioactive ash

    The US could do it too. Haven't they seen T3?

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  28. The US did, so why not Russia? by rvw · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The US invaded Iraq without UN approval and with false proof (remember the WMD) to "liberate" it. Now Russia does the same with Crimea, only the proof is much more valid, even if this poll was a complete farce. What's new?

    Disclaimer: I'm EU citizen and totally against all this idiotic behavior. But let's be honest - the US has no moral standing in cases like this anymore, even if Obama is not to blame for Iraq. And the EU, well, they simply have no backbone in foreign policy.

    1. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you forgetting United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441? That was passed unanimously.

    2. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This obsession with "moral standing" is ludicrous. Do you think the British Empire had heap loads of moral standing on September 1, 1939? Do you think the US and the USSR had barrels of "moral standing" hanging around when they joined the fight against the Nazis?

      Nations do shit things, sometimes for perceived benefit, or simply out of greed. If we allowed every ill actions we had done in the past hold us back, no one would ever intervene when some other nation state violated the general rules of international conduct?

      Russia signed an agreement in the 1990s guaranteeing Ukraine's territorial integrity in exchange for Ukraine's nuclear stockpiles. Thus, even excluding any notions of territorial integrity that have been a part of international law since the end of WWII, Russia is in violation of its own treaty with Ukraine.

      So yes, it sucks ass that the US invaded Iraq, but do you seriously want the US to sit in the corner and refuse to come out when Russia starts enlarging itself with trumped up referendums, because a decade ago it did a naughty thing?

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    3. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which one, the one where the UN had actually approved it, or the one hosting people who had attacked us. Iraq was a retarded decision, but they were shooting at Americans enforcing the UN mandated no fly zone, the no fly zone that the Iraqi government had agreed to. That is an act of war.

    4. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by alen · · Score: 1

      there are a few dozen nations in Europe with tiny armies compared to their populations. they need to be the ones mobilizing first to stop russia, not the USA

    5. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The US invaded Iraq without UN approval and with false proof (remember the WMD) to "liberate" it. Now Russia does the same with Crimea, only the proof is much more valid, even if this poll was a complete farce. What's new?

      Disclaimer: I'm EU citizen and totally against all this idiotic behavior. But let's be honest - the US has no moral standing in cases like this anymore, even if Obama is not to blame for Iraq. And the EU, well, they simply have no backbone in foreign policy.

      Yes, as a country we screwed up bad with Bush. Many of us realize Bush was terrible and made terrible decisions that set bad precedent in geopolitics and domestic politics. We're trying to make sure someone like him never gets power again.

    6. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lesser of two evils. Russia is getting bellicose on the EU's doorstep, not the Yankees, and the EU cannot afford to increase its military spending enough to balance itself against Russia without drastically reducing its standard of living.

    7. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      The United States, via NATO, has underwritten European freedom for six decades. Why should that stop now? It's in the US's interest to keep Europe free and peaceful.

      I'm not, at this juncture, suggesting military intervention; not directly anyways. But certainly help Ukraine through military aid defends its sovereignty and integrity seems a good idea, as well as pushing Europe for harsh sanctions.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    8. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by maccodemonkey · · Score: 1

      The US invaded Iraq without UN approval and with false proof (remember the WMD) to "liberate" it. Now Russia does the same with Crimea, only the proof is much more valid, even if this poll was a complete farce. What's new?

      Disclaimer: I'm EU citizen and totally against all this idiotic behavior. But let's be honest - the US has no moral standing in cases like this anymore, even if Obama is not to blame for Iraq. And the EU, well, they simply have no backbone in foreign policy.

      Yes, because the EU has such moral standing when it comes to invading other countries.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...

      It's not that I don't think that people have lost respect for the US's foreign policy. But to assert that America alone invades countries for "peacekeeping" reasons is absurd. Heck, the country I live in (United States) was shaped by European overseas involvement in our early history (either French or British involvement, depending on how you want to look at the American Revolutionary War.)

    9. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by circletimessquare · · Score: 2

      1. people who are not americans, and hated the invasion of iraq, are not happy with what kgb thug putin has done

      2. morality does not mean "that guy over there did something bad so it's ok that this guy does something bad"

      3. the world doesn't actually revolve around the usa. the usa is not the standard you use to determine right and wrong in this world

      that putin did something wrong is not automatically made ok because the usa did something wrong. different entities. if i murder your neighbor is it ok because some other guy murdered someone else once? does that make any sense to you? then why does putin doing something wrong mean we can't judge because the usa did something wrong once? why do you have a need to start babbling about the usa?

      again, in case you missed it: the world does not actually revolve around the usa

      it's actually possible to be angry at putin and condemn his invasion of crimea without thinking about or referencing the usa

      amazing concept, huh?

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    10. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I like to look at it this way: What moral standing does the US have to object to Russia invading Western Europe?

      How's your fucking double standards now? Just remember NATO countries: this is what you signed that treaty for to begin with.

    11. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by MightyMartian · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Double standards are what they are. Whether you, Russia or the King of Jupiter like it or not, it is not in anyone but Russia's best interests to have it absorbing up chunks of Eastern Europe based on the same flimsy arguments that Germany put forward over the Sudetenland seventy five years ago.

      Moral standing arguments are nothing more than thinly veiled arguments to sit on our hands and do nothing. Well fuck you and fuck the double standard. Russia should be put under crippling sanctions, its foreign assets should be seized, its foreign nationals put on the next planes back to Russia. At some point the oligarchs that Putin relies on for his powerbase will blink and then we can back to reasonable talk, without Russian forces sitting in a state that Russia itself guaranteed the territorial integrity of twenty years ago.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    12. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The referendum was democratic. The US had no problem recognizing Kosovo referendum when they thought it worked against Russian interests. The US has far more military expansion around the world than Russia. The Soviet block is largely gone while Nato is still expanding (effectively a front for US military hegemony)

      No one gave the US the right to be an UNELECTED global policeman and UNELECTED spying on the citizens of the world. I'm actually glad countries like Russia and China acts as counterweight because I'm sick of the sanctimonious lecturing by US media and government that become big tough guys that casually invade sovereign countries when they can't defend themselves.

      Russia is far from perfect but the US is currently the biggest bully in the world.

    13. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > This obsession with "moral standing" is ludicrous.

      Indeed. The only thing that matters is the influence and power that the invading country wields.

      > Russia signed an agreement in the 1990s guaranteeing Ukraine's territorial integrity in exchange for Ukraine's nuclear stockpiles.

      It wasn't ratified by any of the countries involved.

    14. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Bryan+Ischo · · Score: 1

      "So yes, it sucks ass that the US invaded Iraq, but do you seriously want the US to sit in the corner and refuse to come out when Russia starts enlarging itself with trumped up referendums, because a decade ago it did a naughty thing?"

      Speaking for myself, I'd say it's a "case by case basis" sort of a thing. I don't believe in absolutes; there is no single policy that we should always employ regardless of situation.

      And in this case, I'd say we should do nothing. It's a complex enough situation in which there is a majority of people making a collective decision, and it can be carried out on peaceful terms, so let it be so.

    15. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      The Kosovo referendum was done with international observers, and what lead to it was Serbian aggression that, if not outright genocidal in direction, was damned close.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    16. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      If we do nothing, what happens to every other country in Eastern Europe that has some measurable Russian minority? Do they just get to either enslave themselves or Moscow or see their territory cut into pieces?

      Explain to me how what happened in Crimea is any different than what happened in Sudetenland?

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    17. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      I might also add that the Kosovo referendum lead strictly to independence, and not to Kosovo being swallowed up by a large neighbor.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    18. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, remind me article by G. Greenwald:
      https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/03/04/rt-host-abby-martin-condemns-russian-incursion-crimea-rt/

      Secretary of State John Kerry – who stood on the Senate floor in 2002 and voted to authorize the invasion of Iraq because “Saddam Hussein [is] sitting in Baghdad with an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction” and there is “little doubt that Saddam Hussein wants to retain his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction” – told Face the Nation on Sunday: “You just don’t in the 21st Century behave in 19th Century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped-up pretext.”

    19. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by quantaman · · Score: 1

      I think the issue is that this is part of the price to be paid for Iraq. When you launch an invasion based on a false pretext one of the consequences is that other countries feel freer to do the same. There's a possibility that if the US hadn't gone into Iraq that Putin wouldn't have felt he had the necessary rationalization to go into Crimea.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    20. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To be fair, the total chaos of the 1990s didn't really give Russia any standing to renegotiate such territorial issues. The fact that Crimea would be given to a wholly independent nation, that could then join an adversarial military alliance, was not something that Russia had a chance to decide on.

    21. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course the current proceedings in the Crimea are a violation of international law. But you have to know why I am a little hesitant to start pointing fingers at the moment. That is because I did it myself. . .when we were dealing with the developments in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia -- the Kosovo War -- we sent our Tornado planes and –- together with NATO –- bombed a sovereign country without a resolution by the United Nations Security Council. Kosovo was a blueprint for what is happening in the Crimea at the moment. Both incidents are, from a formal perspective, a violation of the Charter of the United Nations.

      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/11/german--putin-response_n_4943059.html

      Gerhard Schröder does not agree with you

    22. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I might also add that the Crimea referendum not lead by bombing Ukraine by large group of big countries as Kosovo.

    23. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Ottawakismet · · Score: 1

      did the US annex Iraq or make it a colony? Did they seize its oil and reserve it for Americans? Is Russia going to let Crimea be independent, and make its own decisions as Iraq does? The stupidest argument against standing up to Russian aggression is to say the US has at some points been aggressive. Thats neither here nor there. The question now is about naked expansionist Russian aggression and bullying. In this case, the US is not being a bully and aggressive, but needing for everyone to love her, and not make any difficult decisions that might piss anybody off.

    24. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Tom · · Score: 2

      The USA should be put under crippling sanctions, its foreign assets should be seized, its foreign nationals put on the next planes back to America. At some point the billionaires that Bush/Obama relies on for his powerbase will blink and then we can back to reasonable talk, without american forces sitting in a state that they invaded under completely made-up evidence.

      There, fixed that for you.

      No, I'm not saying we should ignore russian aggression. I'm saying we should bomb the US a bit in retaliation for Iraq and then we can sanction Russia for its current actions. Or is it you who is doing double-standards all of a sudden?

      --
      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    25. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by guacamole · · Score: 1

      Nations do shit things, sometimes for perceived benefit, or simply out of greed. If we allowed every ill actions we had done in the past hold us back, no one would ever intervene when some other nation state violated the general rules of international conduct?

      This is such a great philosophy to live by. Let's enforce the international law when it's convenient to us, but ignore it when it does not suit us. Let's always do that.

      Russia signed an agreement in the 1990s guaranteeing Ukraine's territorial integrity in exchange for Ukraine's nuclear stockpiles. Thus, even excluding any notions of territorial integrity that have been a part of international law since the end of WWII, Russia is in violation of its own treaty with Ukraine.

      Putin argues that the treaty was between Russia and the legitimate government of Ukraine, not those who are in power in Kiev right now. Sounds like a shaky legal ground, but then, where is the "global court of justice" to decide the legality of his actions? International law was always something that was always selectively applied by the strong countries.

    26. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There's a big difference between invading a country to get at an enemy who happens to be there, and invading a country because you like the look of its territory and you plan to keep it indefinitely. Annexatoin is a very different game from occupation.

    27. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apples to oranges. Russia signed at least one treaty with Ukraine. The U.S. never signed anything with Iraq.

      Also, how many UN nuclear weapons inspectors has Ukraine thrown out? How many chemical weapons did the leader of Ukraine use to commit genocide?

      Seriously /., this is insightful? I've rarely seen a comment that is more off base.

    28. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Not the same thing at all. Russia acted on its own with no provocation (other than that their best friend and lap dog Yanukovych was out of office). The US invaded Iraq after getting allies and first presenting a case to the UN. Sure, a lot of the evidence turned out to be wrong or misleading, and ultimately the UN said "no go", but there most definitely was not a unilateral invasion.

      It took the US a couple of months to set things set up and get going, including time spent trying to get resolutions passed at the UN, whereas Russia managed to effectively take full control of the Crimea in less than a week after Yanukovych left. Someone in Russia clearly had a plan ready and waiting to go at a moment's notice.

    29. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Bryan+Ischo · · Score: 1

      Enslave? The people voted. They want to become part of Russia. Let them.

      If other states voted that they wanted to be part of Russia, I'd think that was fine too.

      If Russia started invading countries to annex them, well that would be different.

      But I thought I already said it was a case by case basis sort of thing??? Were you expecting some kind of absolutism answer after I already said that?

    30. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So now we just have to send our kids off to die freeing the hell out of yet another country that doesn't want to be free.

    31. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your argument is right, but a better argument is this:

      The state (The US, being the largest military power in the world) murdered someone (invaded Iraq), and we were powerless to do something. That doesn't mean the we shouldn't do something when a regular jerkoff (Russia) robs their neighbor (invades Crimea).

      The reason the world stood by and watched in appall as the US&UK invaded Iraq and Afghanistan was because we couldn't do anything about it. It doesn't mean we fucking condone it, just as if you're in a bank when it is robbed, and you don't stop the robbery, doesn't mean you condone bank robbery. Sometimes bad guys do bad things, and you stand aside because it's futile to intervene.

    32. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Kosovo referendum was done with international observers, and what lead to it was Serbian aggression that, if not outright genocidal in direction, was damned close.

      Crimea isn't intrinsically Ukrainian. That land has changed hands many times. Had they taken over all of the Ukraine I would have been outraged myself but a peaceful referendum kills any moral credibility of the US position. The fact is the majority of the people living Crimea don't want to be part of the Ukraine (as they are mostly Russians and Russians of mixed descent). What happened to the right to self-determination?

      I might remind you that the situation in Ukraine started with a bunch of anti-Russian Ukrainian ultra nationalist thugs violently overthrowing a Russian friendly democratically elected government. That overthrow was seemingly green flagged from Washington (that has a bad habit of only supporting democracy in other countries when convenient than crying foul when referendums don't go its way) Its not a big surprise that the government of Russian would subsequently defend its nationals living in Crimea. Can't blame them. They have a right to self-defense just like everyone else.

    33. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, but one teensy little difference you poor laggard, how many taxes is the US *collecting* in Iraq. It spent plenty. Collected? $0. Not so in Crimea. When the smoke clears and Putin's bussed in yes-men shouting "raw-saw, raw-saw" have left the building, Putin doesn't have to pay to maintain the fleet in Crimea, he gets taxes from there. Likewise he will go on campaign and try and grab the rest of Ukraine (first the east, then the west). After that, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Romania. He already got 20% of Georgia in 2002 (and if he moves Russian speakers into the rest of it, he can claim he is protecting them there and take over the rest). The one difference between the US and Russia is that Russia is on campaign. Once they go in they never leave. The US is no longer in Iraq. Georgia? Crimea? You said you live in the EU. Better hope your new neighbour doesn't start speaking Russian and waving the flag, or you could be under the thumb of Putin.

    34. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What Russia is doing in Crimea is far less Nazi-like than what US did in Iraq.

    35. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by jwhitener · · Score: 1

      But isn't one difference between US behavior and Russian behavior, is that Russia and other countries signed a treaty that specifically forbid what Russian is doing right now? http://www.dw.de/bound-by-treaty-russia-ukraine-and-crimea/a-17487632 (changing boundaries / invading without being attacked).

      I know the US was accused of breaking international law by invading Iraq, but that seems way less clear whether it was truly illegal. There were 2 attacks by Iraq against the US. An attempt on the life of a president, and firing at our planes over the UN approved no-fly zone. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_the_Iraq_War
      I was 100% against the Iraq war btw.

      If Putin had said "hey, Ukraine attacked us" (whether it were true or not) he'd at least be operating within the spirit of international law. He's not even pretending to follow the laws right now.

    36. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Alioth · · Score: 1

      Should Russia not have sat in the corner on Iraq by the same token? Should Russia have sent its military to repel the US from Iraq?

    37. Re:The US did, so why not Russia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      2. morality does not mean "that guy over there did something bad so it's ok that this guy does something bad"

      This is very true. However, it does mean that the first guy who did a bad thing is in a very shitty place to take the moral highground and trashtalk the second guy.

        Once again just EU citizens trying to explain to 'muricans that maybe their shitty foreign politicies of the last 30 years might have lessened their credibility when it comes to playing the arbiter in global crisises.

        The last 30 years have been about using your diplomatic and financial power to further private corporations interest, most of the time by supporting authoritative regimes against democratic opposition. More importantly even, you've been wrong ALL THE FUCKING TIME. Come on give me one example of a geopolitical decision made by the American government in the last 30 years ? One success ?

      .. So yeah Putin is a fucking asshole, but him forcing Ukrainians to surrender Crimea which is full of russian speaking people who feel they are russian anyway is really not that big of a deal. I didn't see much outrage when he was "fighting" terrorism in georgia... which is 100% full of georgians who don't want to be part of russia.

  29. Uh, not exactly. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Rush speaks for his corporate masters in the sense that he must keep ratings up. Rush's audience is older white men - many are in fact college educated - surprised me too.

    Rush makes, what $30 million/year? To get that he has to suck that demographic in. To do that, he spouts the shit they want to hear and the shit the pisses them off.

    See, the best way to get people to listen or watch is to piss them off and to scare them.

    Rush, Hannity, all of Fox News does this - they even bend the truth significantly to do it.

    Here's their rhetorical formula:

    1. State a fact - ex. a law was passed to force (actually encourage) banks to lend money for homes in poor neighborhoods (Community Reinvestment Act of 1977)

    2. State a half truth that makes sense - "Banks HAD to lend to poor people who probably couldn't afford it!"

    3. State a lie - "This Democrat law caused the financial collapse of 2008"

    4. Skip details that also hurt "their" side - Bush enforced that law while he was POTUS (see previous cite) and the fact that those borrowers had a LESS of a default rate than the general population. (Old white middle class guys don't want to hear that poor black people are better than they are.)

    Here's another little secret - Rush and Hannity and all of Fox News popped champagne when Obama was elected and reelected - "There's not much to talk about when your guy is in office." - station manager of a Talk Radio Station.

    Posting as AC to make it a little harder to find me.

  30. The Day After by hort_wort · · Score: 1

    If you want to watch the scariest movie you'll ever see, then check out The Day After right now. It's a 30 year-old film about what would happen if the US and Russia nuked each other. The imagery and savagery are horrific -- not for the amazing visual effects, but that they are applied to innocent bystanders just living life at home.

    It should be required viewing for everyone beating the war drums.

    1. Re:The Day After by laejoh · · Score: 3, Informative

      The Day After is a silly, happy disney version of what would happen after a nuclear war. Do yourself a favor and watch youtube for Threads.

    2. Re:The Day After by borcharc · · Score: 1

      This film gave me nightmares throughout my childhood. Its why I unconditionally support missile defense. We should be making an effort to make such events impossible, or at least very difficult, rather than being held hostage by their threat.

    3. Re:The Day After by turp182 · · Score: 1

      Mod this up, Threads, while dated, is very scary.

      --
      BlameBillCosby.com
    4. Re:The Day After by Erikderzweite · · Score: 1

      You do realize that missile defence cannot even make a dent in a massive first strike. It is only effective if your country attacks first as an attempt to block the retaliation strike.

      So, in effect, a missile defence is making the hawks in your country feel saver and be more aggressive while making hawks on the other side more nervous so both sides now want to strike first. Which makes a full-scaled conflict more, and not less, possible.

    5. Re:The Day After by borcharc · · Score: 1

      I disagree with your assertion. Why can't an interceptor system not address a massive first strike? Are you current on missile defense? The currently deployed ground based midcourse defense system works, its just a matter of rolling out sufficient launch facilities and interceptors. The US has between 30-200 operational ground based midcourse interceptors operational. If we rolled these systems out to deal with a massive first strike, we would likely have good success if it were needed. We should continue to develop this technology, rome wasn't built in a day.

    6. Re:The Day After by k6mfw · · Score: 1

      The Day After is a silly, happy disney version of what would happen after a nuclear war.

      I'm old enough to remember when The Day After was shown, it was scary. Of course there are some flaws/mistakes but climate at the time was quite heated. Reagan was very aggressive at building up military plus calling them the Evil Empire. I think what the film did get right, and still valid today, is if such war breaks out, it will because a few people in Washington DC and Moscow will decide to go to war. Us commoners have no say in the matter and there really isn't any place to seek refuge.

      --
      mfwright@batnet.com
  31. cheaper dollar by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If the dollar goes way cheaper, guess what people this is a good thing. You then become so low priced for making things that China loses its jobs to the Americans, this is how china in one way bets the Americans. Well, really that and their schools focus is one education and not sports at school. Where the tiger mom whips their kids if they get less than a A, meh... Lazy Americans should have taken care of Russia a long time ago.

    your messed, you don't have the education anymore .

    Luckily, I am in a nation that is pivoting away from the United Staes and selling our recourses to China and Russia :)

  32. Jack Ryan by __aagmrb7289 · · Score: 1

    Too bad Jack Ryan isn't president. Crazy stuff here - the Russians apparently read too much Clancy: http://www.amazon.com/Command-...

  33. Re: What does this have to do with tech news? by assemblerex · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Slashdot has gotten so soft, so much like reddit and other useless sites. It pains me to see the decline after so many years. Food is relevant to nerds, so why not cooking news? Best way to arrange you star wars underwear? All these new useless users make me sick.

  34. Really sick of the social justice losers. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you can't understand metaphors that the rest of us don't have a problem with then please stop posting.

  35. Tina Fey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    For how dumb Palin is supposed to be, I find it ironic that the only quote brought up about her is what Tina Fey said dressed up as Palin.
    Dismissing that as the you being so stupid you don't realize it, I guess Palin is smarter than at least you are.

  36. Breaking News by king+neckbeard · · Score: 1

    It only took them a few decades to figure this one out.

    --
    This is my signature. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
  37. doubtful by slashmydots · · Score: 1

    First of all, China could too and probably more successfully. Secondly, Russia pretends to have this big military and lots of armor and blah blah blah. When Russia said something about the size of their military or number of tanks being higher than the US, I remember whoever they were interviewing from the US military said "We don't call them units. We call them targets, actually." They have to be modern and working to be considered threats. I don't think we're real scared of leftover tanks that didn't sell at Russia's garage sale after WW2.

    1. Re:doubtful by spitzak · · Score: 1

      Besides China, I think also if Russia capable of reducing the US to Radioactive Ash, then the United States is capable of doing it to itself, if for some reason it decided to do so. So he is obviously wrong with his claim that only Russia can do it.

  38. Solution = more weapons by burni2 · · Score: 1

    If Russia is really the only country that can nuke the USA and where the nuclear afterstrike from the USA would vaporize Russia.

    We need more countries with those weapons capability!

    @Obama:
    Hey pal think broader, just send Assad the shiny GBU with his name tag on it, just don't confront russia, only poke it where it's vulnerable.

    Syria, harbours a russian naval base, and a "free" new government would extend that treaty .. wouldn't it !?

    So the best answer to the russian invasion is really a bomb to Mr. Assad.

    Btw. the rebells in Chechnia are really in the need of manpads and rpgs.

    And deliver some nice "presents" to the new ukrainian government, I think Russia should pay a hefty price.

    And the best weapons to deter an offensive enemy are defensive capabilities where the attacker runs into 100s or skrimishes, and therefore russias airforce offensive capabilities must be obliberated.

    Russia will remember Afghanistan, make sure they will remember the ukraine too.

  39. Metro 2033 by allcoolnameswheretak · · Score: 1

    I am unpleasantly reminded of Metro 2033 a novel from 2005 in which the world experienced a nuclear holocaust in the year 2013.

    Let's just hope it wasn't prophetic...

    1. Re:Metro 2033 by cez · · Score: 1

      Please check your calendar.

      --
      Walk with Music;
    2. Re:Metro 2033 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, it's 2014, so I don't think it was prophetic.

  40. Who are we to say no? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If the people of Crimea voted to break away from Ukraine and join Russia, who the fark are we (ie. the rest of the world) to say no?

    It is none of our damn business, honestly.

    And if the EU doesn't like it, why don't they stop buying Russian oil and gas? That will get Russia's attention a fark of a lot faster than useless sanctions.

    1. Re:Who are we to say no? by MightyMartian · · Score: 2

      The are a number of questions about the validity of the vote. Considering Crimea's ethnic makeup, 95% approval seems a questionable number. No international observers of any note during a referendum that carves out a chunk of a sovereign state. A sovereign state, I might add, that Russia itself guaranteed the territorial integrity of in the 1990s.

      If Russia gets away with this, it will essentially mean that anywhere in Europe where there is an ethnic Russian population of any note, the country in question will be forced to either tow Moscow's line, or risk a Russian invasion to "liberate" the ethnic Russians.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    2. Re:Who are we to say no? by PPH · · Score: 1

      It worked for us. Or should we give Texas back to Mexico?

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    3. Re:Who are we to say no? by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Texas would conquer Mexico.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    4. Re:Who are we to say no? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are a number of questions from outsiders only. I have yet to see or read anything about non-ethnic Russian Crimeans complaining about the vote. If the people in the state of Crimea complain, then we should do something. If the people of Crimea are not complaining, its none of our business.

      If Hawaii was to hold a vote to splinter off from the US and join Australia do the UK, Germany, France and Mexico have any right to complain and put sanctions in place against Australia?

    5. Re:Who are we to say no? by guacamole · · Score: 1

      If Russia gets away with this, it will essentially mean that anywhere in Europe where there is an ethnic Russian population of any note, the country in question will be forced to either tow Moscow's line, or risk a Russian invasion to "liberate" the ethnic Russians.

      But, there are only two European countries who are not NATO members with significant Russian population, Belarus and Ukraine, and Belarus is already a Russian satellite.There is certainly a possibility that Russia will try to stir up more trouble in eastern Ukraine. There is a question though about whether Eastern part of a poor and chaotic country is worth risking to create a second Cold War.

  41. Why does the U.S. need moral standing? That's a bi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why does the U.S. need moral standing? That's a bit like saying a rapist can't save a little girl from being kidnapped because he's a rapist.

  42. US is out of Iraq by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Will Russia be able to say the same? Looks to me like they are annexing the Crimea, so not really the same thing at all.

  43. We'll see your Kiselyov ... by PPH · · Score: 3

    ... and raise you a Limbaugh.

    We won't go to war with Russia. We are kindred spirits. Both of us will let any moron get hold of a microphone.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
    1. Re:We'll see your Kiselyov ... by Entropius · · Score: 1

      No, that's not true.

      In the US any moron can get hold of a microphone. In Russia only morons who agree with Putin can get hold of a microphone.

      This is one of the wonderful things about the US.

  44. yeah, I bet Russia could do that by clovis · · Score: 0

    I also bet that you could break Mike Tyson's nose with a sucker punch.

  45. Oh no you don't by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You might want to remove the word "realistic" as it will never happen.
    Other countries opposed to US interests have hydrogen bombs and missile delivery systems as well.
    A mere 100 can end human life on earth so you could just blow them up on your doorstep and wait for the winds to circulate the fall out. Or wait a little longer for Fukushima reactors to have a full core breach with oxygen exposure and the site becomes unstable enough that you can't maintain a water pool over the melted cores or spent fuel pools. I guess reactors are much more efficient that bombs in getting radiation to the populations of the world.

  46. Extinction. by DiscountBorg(TM) · · Score: 3, Insightful

    China won't be able to pick up the pieces because a large-scale nuclear war means a decade of nuclear winter, the end of the ozone layer, and the possible annihilation of our entire species.

    With our last breath, we 'won!' because it was better to go extinct than to look 'weak.'

    I'll vote for cooler heads.

    --
    "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." George Bernard Shaw
    1. Re:Extinction. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      we 'won!' because it was better to go extinct than to look 'weak.'

      Planet of the Apes immediately came to mind, the scene "I was here all along...because it was better.."

    2. Re:Extinction. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      From hell's heart I stab at thee, for hates sake I spit my last breath at thee!

  47. Just like Fox news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So... what your saying is Russians are watching Fox News and saying - hell, that is a great idea, lets copy them!

  48. Radiation problems can be made w/o nuclear bombs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This thread seems to focus on nuclear bombs as a destructive weapon but a nuclear nightmare can be created using conventional weapons either by attacking nuclear reactors or using dirty bombs. According to Wikipedia Russia has something like 30 nuclear power plants, many of the same design as those at Chernobyl. Shutting down the cooling systems with software bugs or conventional bombs while simultaneously preventing the shutdown of the nuclear fission process could produce many Chernobyl-like catastrophies assuming the wind was blowing in the right direction. I'm not sure how Russia stores its waste materials from nuclear power plants but if done like in the US with onsite storage tanks, these tanks or whatever could also be a target of conventional explosives. And all this could be done without the use of military assets but the use of spies or funded terrorists. Then again, the US has about 100 nuclear power plants and what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

    Other disruptions to life in either country could involve the shutdown of their respective electric energy grids. We all have heard how fragile the US power grid is and I assume the same for that in Russia.

  49. Who cares that someone said this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    who cares? Is Russia going to do this and ensure that their citizens andleaders die a long, painful death as the earth heads into a multi-century nuclear winter? No. Is the US? No. Nuclear warfare is so 20th century. This kind of rhetoric is for drunks, coke heads and no-reality, ant-science nutcases like Ted Nugent Curtis LeMay and Sara Palin. So really who gives a fuck that these words were spoken by anyone anywhere? ANSWER- NO ONE.

  50. Nutcases everywhere ... so what? by kbahey · · Score: 1

    There are nutcases everywhere ... so what ...

    Here in Canada we have them too. For example, this is a Canadian member of parliament who said military action may be needed against Russia.

    But when you know Anders' views, you will not be surprised. He is a Conservative MP, who voted against granting Mandela honorary citizenship, calling him a communist and terrorist.

    Here are the rest of his extreme views.

    So, one news anchor spewing nonsense is not surprising.

    What matters is not letting these type of pro-escalation voices drown out a more level headed reasonable approach ...

  51. Hey Putin, hey Obama u got problems u call me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    India, France, UK and China also stand an excellent chance of turning the US into radioactive ash. Does not take much... bragging about capabilities having existed long before most of us were born seems kind of lame.

  52. Re: What does this have to do with tech news? by NoImNotNineVolt · · Score: 1

    All these new useless users make me sick.

    Pot, kettle, 1275164.

    Cue the low UID battle!

    --
    Chuuch. Preach. Tabernacle.
  53. Nobody won the cold war by bussdriver · · Score: 1

    Nobody won the cold war. When wise men say nobody wins a war, they are correct. The USSR just imploded 1st, we don't win because we imploded last. 2020-2025 is probably the time when people consider the USA's downfall.

    1. Re:Nobody won the cold war by Neo-Rio-101 · · Score: 1

      The US couldn't implode, because it could just keep printing dollar bills.
      US currency won the cold war. Take that away and.....

      --
      READY.
      PRINT ""+-0
  54. Crimea Crisis by prefec2 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    We all know that Putin's goal is an Eurasian-Union on the territory of the former USSR. The two main trigger of this goal are the continuous expansion of NATO in Europe and the declining power of Russia, which he thinks must be compensated. The NATO did a lot of frightening moves in recent years, like installing an anti-missile shield in eastern Europe, the entry of the former Baltic state into the NATO, destabilization of Russian partners in Europe. And finally Baroso topped it by forcing the Ukraine to decide either be with Russia or with the EU. All these moves are aggressive towards Russia. And since the West fucked up in Kosovo with "let the people decide where we want to belong to" Putin had the easy opportunity to do the same on Crimea. Now the situation is highly volatile. And some people in the USA and the EU think. Maybe war is also an option. The Russian are therefore sending a reminder message: We have really many nuclear warheads and can remove you from the face of the earth. To solve this crisis we should stop kicking Russia. Yes, the Ukrainian people should be protected, but remember the present government in the Ukraine includes fascists (e.g., Oleh Tyahnybok, Svoboda Party) and oligarchs (Yulia Tymoshenko) which have no interest in a pluralistic democratic Ukraine, just like Yanukovych.

    This is not what the Maidan demonstrators wanted.

    A solution can only be found with Russia. And a useful solution would include a neutral position of the Ukraine where Russia and the EU are both partners of the country. Then the TV comments will also become more civilized.

  55. Pot, meet kettle by pablo_max · · Score: 1

    Ever turned on Fox news?

  56. But... by doom · · Score: 1

    But what does Rush Limbaugh say about it?

  57. Russia is NOT the only country. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    America's quite capable of turning herself into radioactive ash thankyouverymuch . . . it depends on whether those who entered the launch co-ordinates can tell Moscow, Russia from Moscow, Idaho.

  58. Could they just buy it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Couldnt Russia just buy Crimea? We bought Alaska the same way? Sewards Folly!

  59. An alternate Ukraine summary by doom · · Score: 1

    If you're looking for some insight on what's going on in the Ukraine from people who aren't insane warmongers, you might start here: Chris Bertram on who to read, what to believe.

  60. Re: What does this have to do with tech news? by Kvasio · · Score: 1

    this makes nerds aware, that in the forthcoming months their electronic hardware may experience several EMPs followed by long-lasting black-out.
    And if your computer cave is not that deep, nerd should also consider he may ceise to exist.

    This is news for nerds by all means.

  61. That's about ALL Russia can do. by MarkvW · · Score: 1

    It can't take care of its people. It's army is a shambles.

    But it does have nuclear weapons. Just like Pakistan.

    Whoop-de-do!

  62. Yes, they could. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > Russia Could Turn US To "Radioactive Ash".

    Yes, and so could Israel.

    The difference is that Russia admits that it has nuclear arsenal.

  63. Russian Rush? by oDDmON+oUT · · Score: 1

    Looks like vitriolic parochial media pundits with narrow world-views, fostering nationalistic agendas, are no longer solely a US phenomenon.

    --
    Some days it's just not worth
    chewing through my restraints.
  64. And would China by Kartu · · Score: 1

    And would China, that unexpectedly did not support Russia in UN this time, intervene?

    And if it is a war, it won't be just US, it would be a joint EU + USA and (likely Canada, Australia, Japan too) vs Russia.
    China has no interest whatsoever in supporting Putin and needs countries to export goods to.

  65. Re:Bring it on by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As an American, I say bring it on. I'm not gung ho or anything, I just hate this country and would like to see it burn as would many Americans in this day and age. I'd much rather prefer a nuclear wasteland than this administration and federal government :-) Does that mean I'm crazy or a terrorist? No.

    Yes. Yes, it clearly does mean you are crazy. You would rather see this country burn to ashes than deal with the federal government.

  66. Dreaming about USSR-2 by Kartu · · Score: 2

    And invading neighbors is relaxing indeed.
    This time, unlike 2008 when downplaying it and getting back to business as usual was as easy as setting up Tagliavini commission, it's a breach of treaty from 1997, where US, UK, AND RUSSIA stated they'd respect AND DEFEND Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. That was the reason Ukrain said no to nuclear weapons (which it has plenty, along with the rockets).

    Now ponder how well did Chamberlain style negotiation worked with Hitler's depressed Germany.

  67. Re: Allow Russians to vote with their feet. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Putin also got 100% of votes in some russian elections. That implies not only that he got ALL the opposition votes, but also from the people outside the country, the recently deceased, and that not a single person filled the ballot wrong.

  68. Why the homophobe comment? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why can't I get news with comments on the stance the target has on homosecuality? It really doesn't have anything to do with either his veracity or intentions.

  69. Re: 60,000 Russian troops OUTSIDE Ukraine? Big dea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Naw. Hole up in Australia and pile up armies until you piss off the last other player into quitting out of impatience.

  70. Talking about Nukes Means They're Desperate by prezkennedy.org · · Score: 1

    Everyone knows Russia has nuclear weapons. They have a ton. They could blow up the world. So could the United States. That's really irrelevant. Nobody is crazy enough to use them.

    What needs to happen is Ukraine needs to ask for EU assistance, and the EU needs to come together on this. If they don't recognize the Russian threat and push back, Vladimir Putin is going to keep chomping up the small fries. Russia is dangerous, but not nearly as dangerous as the Soviet Union was. If the EU moved forces into Ukraine along their Eastern border, Russia would be contained. It would need to be a sizable EU force, and strictly an EU force. No direct US participation on this one, unless it got bloody (which it wouldn't).

    By staying out of it, the US could play the role of mediator and the crisis would likely be resolved peacefully. The US and EU both just need to have a backbone when dealing with Vladimir Putin. The man is a tough-guy wannabe.

    --
    It started back in Team Fortress Classic
    1. Re:Talking about Nukes Means They're Desperate by guacamole · · Score: 1

      It's not an act of desperation, just an average populist TV host/politician on TV.

      If EU moved its forces quickly to Ukraine's eastern border, Russia could be contained. However, I don't see it happening.

      1. Just like in the case with Crimea and Georgia, Russians have already pre-planned and rehearsed the Russian occupation of east Ukraine. Right now, they already sitting along Ukraine border en masse waiting for a provocation you're talking about. The NATO troops probably won't get past Kiev or maybe even into Kiev.

      2. Maybe if EU could quietly package all of its mobile troops and ship them to Ukraine by train or air, they could have some element of surprise, but such massive operation can not be coordinated and executed quietly and quickly. Russians will be aware of what's going on long before NATA troops arrive.

      3. The majority of population in East Ukraine speaks Russian and many are ethnic Russians. Putting NATO troops among them will only radicalize them and decidedly divide Ukraine. Unless the NATO troops plan to linger around forever, this rift will turn Ukraine apart eventually.

  71. Land war is simply no longer economically viable by gestalt_n_pepper · · Score: 1

    For Russia, China or the USA. Economic sanctions imposed on any one of these countries would damage the others. A real land and sea war would soon show just how little extra oil we have to throw around and would use up the remaining cheap, high net energy oil faster. Rising oil prices would again, severely all three economies. If the war continued long enough, this would be a permanent condition.

    So, "yay!" to the oil crisis and monetary interdependence. We probably won't have a big shooting war again - just a few minor proxy wars here and there in Asia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Middle East. Of course, this is a definite "Not Yay!" if you happen to live in one of these places.

    --
    Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
  72. A lot of whinging about Putin by argStyopa · · Score: 1

    ...and the comment was certainly ill-advised, but the FACT is - if we're just counting the number of warheads, and the capability - he's pretty much right. They're the only country that could turn the US to ash. (shrug)

    We're the only country that could do it to them, too.

    That used to be what 'superpower' meant, before Russia turned into a great big Thugocracy. Well, they always sorta were, weren't they? Russia is Russian. I'm not sure what Pollyanna's thought that by changing flags, their essential nature was going to change? It didn't from despotic Monarchism to Socialism. Why should it change from Socialism to Oligarchy?

    --
    -Styopa
  73. out of context by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What he said is that US would end up glassed
    >IF US ATTACKSwhere needed emphasis of the news anchor"

    1. Re:out of context by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The commend didn't come out correctly.

      The news anchor mentioned that US would end up glassed if they attack russia
      because
      they have autonomous dead-man system which launches nukes, where needed (emphasis of the anchor) from silos and subs if certain things are destroyed

  74. Re: What does this have to do with tech news? by dunezone · · Score: 1

    Slashdot has gotten so soft, so much like reddit and other useless sites.

    Can you explain to me why Reddit is a useless site? The site has thousands of different subreddits that you can customize to your tastes. Don't like /r/WTF? Unsubscribe. You enjoy discussions on movies? Subscribe to /r/movies. Its literally two clicks to do either. On top of that you can find knowledgeable people in specific subreddits. I had an old artillery shell that I wanted identified and I went to /r/military and within an hour someone had posted a link to exactly what I had. Reddit is light years ahead of where Slashdot is now.

    Slashdot has gotten so soft

    Slashdot is out of date. When it was first came out it had a new model no one was using but when everyone started to change and new sites started to come up Slashdot stuck to its old ways and has slowly been dying since.

  75. Dangerous... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... then they would build a significant russian minority in the west. Followed by a complaint that they're being treated badly, and therefore mother russia needs to take over the land where they live . . .

  76. They seemed to have forgoten the result of nuclear by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Even if we did not fire a single shot; the environmental impact of enough nuclear detonations to destroy the US would erode away the ozone layer, darken the globe with ash and flood the atmosphere with radioactive dust. This would starve or poison most plant life, the temperatures would drops below freezing right to the equator, clouds of radioactive dust would sweep across the whole northern hemisphere, and as the ash cleared UV radiation would bathe the world in deadly rays. The Russians would wish they were lucky enought to be in the US were they would have died quickly as they freeze, starve, rot, then burn and finally die a slow lingering death.

  77. M.A.D. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You M.A.D. bro?

  78. M.A.D. by Dissident · · Score: 1

    You M.A.D.bro?

  79. So what we have now... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So what we have now, is the equivalent of Joseph McCarthy in the presidents office in the white house, and Rush Limbaugh the only one allowed to broadcast with FoxNews the official spokesfolk. Not good. Several points: those who fail to appreciate and read history are bound to repeat it. Communism and the 'gangsta government' of the Soviet Union failed because it only allowed those at the top to succeed, and having the Chicago branch of La Casa Nostra in government means most people have taxes 'taken from them', you aren't allowed to speak against the government when they do or you are killed, and when you work hard to get ahead, they take everything extra that you did, leaving you little incentive to get ahead. That it failed once would have been some kind of indicator. But not in Soviet Russia, 'lets try the failed experiment again'. And so now we have 'Soviet 2.0'. With all the bullshit and crap spewing forth. One news source, heavily controlled, brainwashing people. You would think that all of the ex-soviet states wanting a more western style of government would be a clue, but nope! In Moscow they are in full blown 'Soviet 2.0' mode, and have been since Putin stole 20% of Georgia in 2002. Oh, and for the radioactive dust part... there are about 100 other countries besides the US that want to turn Russia into radioactive dust. Being an ass-hole country means nobody likes you. People bash the US, but they really have more friends than Russia. Here's a hint: Population of US: 330 million. Population of Russia: 143 million. Population of planet less USA and Russia: 6.5 Billion. Take your best sucker punch, and make it a good one, because what happens after that might not be pretty. Rat Bastard Komrad(tm).

  80. Re: What does this have to do with tech news? by Zalbik · · Score: 1

    Cue the low UID battle!

    Hey you kids, get off my lawn!

  81. Human shields by bluegutang · · Score: 1

    And then there is Putin’s threat to use Ukrainian women and children as human shields when he invades Ukraine

  82. So Russia needs some what? Lebensraum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because for some people, the only sufficient amount of power is ALL of the power.

  83. Economic Warfare, that dog might hunt again by shoor · · Score: 1

    Ronald Reagan waged economic warfare on the Soviet Union. I think that dog might hunt again, what with all the money Russia is spending on its military right now, and maybe trying to digest the Ukraine which I think could be expensive.

    --
    In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice they're different. (Yogi Berra & A. Einstein)
    1. Re:Economic Warfare, that dog might hunt again by geekoid · · Score: 1

      No, he just lapped up the credit from an economic war older then he was.
      Just like he took credit for the wall coming down, after the wall started coming down.
      Worst. President. Ever.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  84. Vladimir Posner, is tht YOU? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ahhhh the 1980's ... a great time with a fantastic economy and an actual U.S. President.

    Of course, there WERE liberal idiots insisting everything was America's fault and that the Russian bear was really nice and peaceful (as it gobbled-up other countries and gunned-down people who tried to escape...) - people like Vladimir Posner who was regularly on American TV (often with Phil Donahue) painting Russia as a harmless and wonderful place. Nobody told the American people at the time, however, that Vladimir Posner was the son of Vladimir Pozner who during WWII was a soviet spy within the U.S. Government (one of the ACTUAL communists within the U.S. Government that set-off "tail gunner Joe" McCarthy...)

    Amazingly, MSNBC put ol' Vlad on American TV again (and again without telling the viewers the truth about him) during the recent winter Olymic games.

    I too lived through the 1980's and they were FANTASTIC compared to the era of modern progressives. When Bush41 took the baton from Reagan in 1988 he handed the GOP back to the "establishment" and, aided by Democrats in congress, drove-up taxes drove down the military and created a recession. Clinton took over from Bush and turned the outsourcing-of-America (which the investor class drove under Bush41 under the banner of "The Cold War is Over!") into high-gear as he and his wife took campaign cash from communist China and reduced all the barriers to the export of US tech and manufacturing. Then Bush43 took over from the Clintons and brought back into the whitehouse all the "establishment" Republicans of his father's administration (beacuse nothing makes your old man's reputation look better than screwing-up worse than him...) and then we handed the country over to the sorryiest triad of losers in history: The vacuous and bug-eyed Nancy Pelosi, the flea-weight boxer and generally-decaying corpse Harry-the-slanderer Reid, and Barack Hussein Spikoli of "Choom-Gang" fame. The nation is now 17+TRILLION dollars in debt, our military is shrinking at an alarming rate (while Russia is re-arming and returning to its old nation-gobbling habits, China is arming, more countries are going nuclear, etc). Our young people are being encouraged to deep into debt getting degrees that many will not be able to use because our employers are being told to outsource their jobs (government policies that punish employment are, effectively, orders to business to outsource). Americans now are paying more for energy (of all types) than ever before and subject to more laws and regulations than ever before. It now takes more time to start a business in the US than it does in Communist China, .......... BUT ....... YOU prefer today over the 80's????????? If you are a young person (highschool or college-age) in the US, and IF you have not been mislead by a cartoon-image portrayal of the 1980's the left has been shovelling, then you'd probably prefer the future the Reagan era offered over the future the Obama era is offering. The combined effects of the investor-class supported Bush and Clinton families (Republicrats? Democans?) capped-off by the current clueless incompetent and inexperienced Obama has had negative effects that will ripple for decades.

    On the off-chance you were only referrring to military risks and were one of those simple-minded people who was terrified the US might start a nuclear war in the 80's (lefties never worried that the Soviets would start it), let me point out something to you: In the 1980's only two nations on Earth had huge nuclear aresenals (the Soviets and the Americans) and both had more-or-less sane leaders with plenty of reasons NOT to want such a war. While many writers have had fun writing lots of "oooh, ahhh, LOOK how CLOSE we came to nuclear WAR!" articles, the FACT is that we never did it. There were very serious people on both sides who were very serious about deterrence, and the capability was certainly there, but rational thought ruled. I was in uniform at the time and, contrary to so many

  85. Interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    that so many who hate Palin (and made fun of her at the time when she predicted this) now say she was just a broken clock and that "anybody" could've seen it coming...

    Given that she DID and her critics DID NOT, at least she's a "better" broken clock than her critics...

    Funny that after it happened, her response was a cheerful and folksy "Who coulda seen that comin?" (with the trade-marked smile and wink)

    My first question to any Palin-hater going forward is "did YOU predict in 2008 that Putin would re-take the Crimea?" and if they cannot prove they did then I point out that they are apparently dumber-than Palin. (it's the sort of logic they've used for years to trash her, and make "jokes" about raping her under-age daughter, and "jokes" about deficating into her mouth, etc)

    1. Re:Interesting by GodfatherofSoul · · Score: 1

      The only people who think Palin is prescient are the same people who don't follow foreign affairs and wouldn't have a clue otherwise. Putin has been pushing his way back into satellite states for what 10 years now? You're assuming that everyone wasn't expecting another card to fall. And Crimea is their only warm weather port as I recall (with Russia's access protected by treaty). If Russia pushes into any nation without 50% of the population speaking Russian and their own ports and trucks rolling through there, then maybe we have to worry.

      Russia didn't invade Poland.

      --
      I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
  86. Stock markets are only a measure of ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the markets. It's a mistake to see them as much more (though politicians of all stripes like to).

    If somebody were to announce (as a serious thing rather than a prank) a way to make trillions of dollars cleaning-up the aftermath of such a war and launch a company to do it and others had serious businesses equipped to survive such a war and protect customers (and investors) through such a war, those stocks would rise any time the fears of such a war rose. The markets make no moral choices. The markets do not ACTUALLY predict the future. The markets do not prove the state of the current economy (they are a gamble on the future economy).

    Understand each and every thing for what it is, no more, and no less.

     

  87. Limbaugh? The former vice presidential candidate! by whathappenedtomonday · · Score: 1
    --
    I hope I didn't brain my damage.
  88. Maybe we can use this to our advantage by Rinikusu · · Score: 1

    Maybe we can convince Putin to level some of our blighted cites so we can rebuild them. Like Detroit. And SFO.

    --
    If you were me, you'd be good lookin'. - six string samurai
  89. At least we'd die fast by khelms · · Score: 1

    If the US didn't fire a single nuke in return, Russians (and everybody else in the world!) would die slow painful deaths from the radioactive fallout.

  90. so no /. beta then ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I mean it runs on serves in US now so it would be affected or?

  91. Re:They seemed to have forgoten the result of nucl by khelms · · Score: 1

    I think I saw that episode: "You will be responsible for an escalation that will destroy everything. Millions of people horribly killed. Complete destruction of our culture here and yes, the culture on Vendikar. Disaster, disease, starvation, horrible, lingering death, pain and anguish!"

  92. 'Nucular' dollar silos. by TiggertheMad · · Score: 1

    "At a huge cost to Americans". Does inflation 'cost' anything? It erodes the value of money, but it also erodes the value of debt. 23% Inflation is lousy if you have a lot of money saved up, but it is great if you just took on a huge fixed rate loan. While inflation could create short term money flow chaos, it doesn't really affect the intrinsic value of production. I would say that the problem would be a predictable system changing faster than people are used to.

    Russia or China couldn't create that much chaos by cashing in all at once. Likely there would be a slight dip in the value of the dollar, and then everyone else in the world would swoop in an buy it all up at a bargain price to make a killing after the dollar stabilized.

    Aside: good to know that the US doesn't have a monopoly on blowhard nationalist idiots like Limbaugh.

    --

    HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
  93. ICMBs would be more effective and cheaper. by tempmpi · · Score: 1

    If China and Russia would sell off their dollars it would make USD much cheaper. This would make imported goods more expensive but at the same time it would also provide a huge boost to the economy because everyone would try to use these cheap USD to buy goods from the USD. But if everyone is trying to buy goods from the US using cheap USDs, prices and thus the value of the USD would increase because of supply and demand. Supply of US-manufactured goods does not magically increase just because Russia and China throw throw loads of USDs into the market.

    --
    Jan
  94. not afraid by Kevin+Fishburne · · Score: 1

    Go ahead guys, launch every nuke you've got. Or look up "balance of power" or "stalemate" or "mutually assured destruction" and shut the fuck up and sit the fuck down.

    --
    Buy your next Linux PC at eightvirtues.com
  95. Re: .. why dictators like Putin do this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > I don't even know why dictators like Putin do this, ...

    Because, as la Rochefoucauld observed several hundred years ago, "hypocrisy is the homage which vice renders to virtue."

  96. Re: What does this have to do with tech news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes because cooking news and news about nuclear war threats are in the same bloody ball park. All these useless "Slashdot is only for tech news" users make me sick.

  97. ***NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN!*** by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    America and the European Union will impose their economic sanctions and Putin will laugh and do whatever he wants. Once all the economic sanctions are imposed Putin will probably make a grab for the Eastern Ukraine which has a sizable Russian population and the Ukrainians won't be able to stop them since they are no match militarily against Russia. The U.S. and the European Union will huff and puff and stomp their feet and chastise Russia again but they will do nothing to stop the land grab. Economic sanctions are little better than doing nothing.

    I don't think we need to worry about WWIII happening anytime soon with the gutless wonders in charge in Western countries because they will not put up much of a fight if any to stop Russia.

  98. look up definition of fascism by avgapon · · Score: 1

    .. before declaring someone a fascist. Today's Russia matches a definition of fascist state perfectly.

    1. Re:look up definition of fascism by prefec2 · · Score: 1

      Is this out of the book, when A did something wrong then the dip shit produced by B is less wrong? For example, if you kill someone, and subsequently I do the same, then we are both guilty and no court will reduce my punishment just because you did something equal bad in advance. The fascists in Ukraine are a problem as well as the Oligarchs in the Ukraine. True, in Russia they have also a non-free society. And Putin is playing the "suppress minority card". True Putin sucks, but in this crisis we should support the Ukraine in a way which will result in a free and tolerant society in the Ukraine. This can only be achieved together with Russia. Actually, I don't like this, but it is the only way out.

  99. Re: What does this have to do with tech news? by Melkman · · Score: 1

    Sigh, I'm getting to old for that...

  100. we we we by avgapon · · Score: 1

    You speak from a point of view that it's all between the West and the Russia (it's Ukraine, not the Ukraine, stupid). Like those countries and their people that joined NATO didn't have any opinion and choice of their own.

    1. Re:we we we by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh please, the Ukrainians don't matter, they'll be welcoming us with flowers when we come to free the hell out of them just like we did in Iraq and Afghanistan.

  101. Moscow arms against nuclear attack by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fun
    http://rt.com/news/prime-time/moscow-bomb-shelters-outskirts/

  102. *humps Russia* by strstr · · Score: 1

    Because they can defend from any attack and maybe put a blow to the Department of Defense, who basically is running our government into the ground, using the American people as slaves for psychotronic weapon genocide.

    Russia might be one of the other countries that can compete with the United States mind control weapons, too. For psychic / electronic warfare. I hope. :D

    Americans directed-energy and psychotronic weapons system details, deployed in satellites and radar (nationally? yes. globally? probably.) http://www.oregonstatehospital...

    Global American radar weapons systems with brain and body scanning/targeting ability. Directing energy at people to tear them the fuck up under a system with automatic targeting. In the advent of a true modern war, literally entire Army's can be shredded automatically with these systems, and human instinct attacks to kill off entire populations without nuclear warfare are reality and in deployment today. NSA/DOD DEW systems standing by, waiting for kill command, locking on to all Americans brains ..

  103. Re: What does this have to do with tech news? by geekoid · · Score: 1

    "..so much like reddit.."
    If you think reddit s 'soft', you don't really even understand it.

    http://news.slashdot.org/story...
    http://features.slashdot.org/s...

    So we have had cooking on /. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  104. So yes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It does sound like sour grapes. Let's say for the sake of argument that you are 100% correct (you do seem to like percentages). Romney was rejected based upon his entire platform. In fact foreign affairs was a pretty small part of the election.

    And for a lot of kooks, and you sound pretty kooky, the only possible response to Putin/Ukraine/Crimea, is to return reflexively to Cold War era tactics. Here's a thought: Let's Not Do That.

    In fact Putin et al. are playing that game. That's why we should not. They love that stuff and have been doing it their whole lives. Never start mud slinging with a pig, you won't like the outcome.

    We should let Crimea go. There, I said it. Lots of Crimeans seem to want that, totally aside from the Russians. They may decide, in 20-30 years time, that was a big mistake. Their problem, either way. The election seems forced and coercive, with all the military and militarism going on. That's water under the bridge now and nothing we can do about it. Well, unless you are willing to go down the "nuke them to ash" drum beating.

    In the meantime we express our displeasure by imposing sanctions. We extoll the benefits of freedom, democracy, rule of law, and trade under friendly terms. We act like adults and only roll out the hammer when it's really needed to defend ourselves. Have we learned nothing from Iraq and Iran?

    The "Use Force Now" crowd are playing a dangerous game and I don't like it. We ended the Cold War and it needs to stay dead. The fact that the militarists on our side seem to be playing partisan politics only adds to my distaste for that approach. It's not the only reason to reject it.

  105. Re: What does this have to do with tech news? by geekoid · · Score: 1

    you first.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  106. Not just a single target by SDPost · · Score: 1

    The U.S. is not a single target. The nuclear strike capabilities of the U.S. are scattered all over Europe and major oceans (roaming submarines). There is also a good likelihood that Canada, France and the UK will strike Russia anticipating that they could be next.

  107. He forgot the United States as a contender by loosescrews · · Score: 1

    The United States is definitely capable of turning itself into radioactive ash.

  108. This term homophobe is getting annoying by JasonGoatcher · · Score: 1

    I realize I'm probably just jumping for the flame-bait with this, but homophobe literally translates to "afraid of homosexuals." Maybe I'm pissing in the wind by saying this, but just because people disapprove of homosexual behavior DOESN'T mean that they're "afraid of homosexuals." If people want sane discourse, they need to stop describing their opposition with offensive terms. I'm not a homophobe and I won't describe others with deragotory(sp?) language.

  109. That claim is not true by gatkinso · · Score: 1

    France could do the same as Russia, as could China and the UK.

    Then the US could turn around and do the same to all four of them, plus a few left over for North Korea and Iran.

    This capability of nothing to be proud of.

    --
    I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
  110. Idiots Dunking for Apples by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I would love to shove this idiot's head into my toilet this morning and whoever it was who provoked him to make such a hateful threat toward all Americans, regardless of those who seemingly pretend to represent us and who are making decisions that are not in our nation's best interest and certain media outlets who seem more than happy to pick any fight that someone other than themselves or their sons and daughters would have to fight and sacrifice blood and love for. You got passion? You don't know what the word means.

  111. How by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When we have more cities underground than we have above.
    When we have enough room for all Americans you will talk on line of shit to much
    I mean hell we been digging 24/7 sense the 50's and these new boring machines have made it a cinch.

  112. This a sad state of affairs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A whole discussion thread on Slashdot about Russia regressing to its Soviet roots, and not a single Soviet Russia joke. Pathetic.

  113. Destroying is easy by manu0601 · · Score: 1

    Russia is not the only one that could turn US into dust. Any nuclear power could do the same: UK, France and China all have nuclear heads and the capability to send them anywhere. Destroying is easy, after all.

    But nobody could turn the US into dust without being destroyed too within minutes, hence nobody would even seriously think about doing it. This is just bragging for the medias.

  114. Great idea! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "turning the United States into radioactive ash"

    Now THERE's something you'd be proud to tell your grandchildren about!

    Oh, wait...

  115. Kiselyov this by ThePackager · · Score: 1

    Dmitry Kiselyov can kiselyov my A$$

    --
    Please have respect for people with different abilities, especially children.
  116. You're forgetting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    America is already tanked and tanking. Russia is thriving by comparison. that $225 billion might just be the catalyst to finally convince the last deluded few in the market that the US treasury is finished.

  117. Crap map by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't see Australia either and they are big agri exporters as are NZ. Your map sucks. That website looks cheap and void. Your deluded position that the US has any remaining credibility also sucks.

  118. Re: What does this have to do with tech news? by gmhowell · · Score: 1

    Sigh, I'm getting to old for that...

    Said the newb.

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  119. TV cage match by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can we put this guy on TV with Donald Trump and Fox News? Having TV personalities and politicians battle to the death would be WAY more efficient than threatening wars!

    Putin would totally rule over the pudgy American politicians in the ring. But after throwing enough FOX news inflated egos at him the sheer mass would overwealm him.

    This would be much better, and more entertaining, than threatening economic or actual wars!

  120. So much misunderstanding by Loki_666 · · Score: 1

    First off, to all those who thing that the markets are rational - study a little economic theory and practice. They are far from rational.

    Second, Russia (Putin) is willing to cut off his nose to spite his face (ie: sell off all dollars and bonds). If he thinks it will get him what he wants. If you think otherwise, you are sadly mistaken.

    Third, a couple of years back Putin ordered all oligarchs and similar to get rid of their dollars and unwind western investments. If anyone lost money or loses money from economic sanctions, Putin will just shrug his shoulders, he warned them, Putin plays the long game, never forget that.

    Fourth, do not think Putin is stupid. Megalomaniac perhaps, but certainly not stupid. He knows exactly what he is doing. He might misjudge things, make a mistake somewhere, but you can be sure he has carefully laid his plans and has been doing so for a long time.

    Fifth, Russia, Iran and China are having talks about moving to a new petro-Rouble as the currency of trade (for oil/gas) in order to move away from the dollar. Russia wants to get away from the dollar, just like many countries would like to, but simply cannot afford to or simply wouldn't find trade partners for an alternate currency. If this happens, it could have a major impact on the dollar worldwide (yes, could also be negative effects for Russia and China, but see my second point).

    Sixth, those who are saying if X (eg: Russia sells off dollars) happens then Y (eg: will be good for US) do not understand if it was that simple, then why wouldn't the US already do those things? And why are those people not multi-millionaires themselves if they understand how well the financial markets works? Perhaps because those who control the US economy do not want that to happen, either for their own nefarious reasons or because it would be bad for the US economy.

    I'm not saying I know what will happen either. I'm as much in the dark as most people. I'm just a westerner who lives in Russia so i understand the people on both sides and get to see and read both sides' propaganda. Personally i think both sides are being idiots and the people on all sides are being badly manipulated and used by those with vested interests (hey ho, well, that's usual anyway).

  121. Difference between loud mouthed celebrity and gove by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A lot of comments here don't seem to grasp that a sensationalist celebrity making such comments is not the same as the government of Russia doing so.

    How many similar celebrities exist on television, radio or online in the US? Do you also confuse their comments with government announcements?

  122. Oh Boy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Rest assured some other people have a very serious say before Mr Putin order the firing of a nuclear weapon. He would have to talk quite a few Generals and Admirals into agreement.
    And if they come to the conclusion of mental issues, they will simply take nuclear authority from him. Or have him sedated by their Health Inspector General.

  123. The Russian Bill Oreilly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's funny to see how to we treat other nations when they act just like we do. This guy is Bill Oreilly from another mother and our government is going to pander to this sensational BS.

  124. Blah, blah, blah... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, and we could do the same to them.

    Woohoo...we've had our testosterone thrill for the day.

    Get over it and yourselves.

  125. Ah, yes, the good 'ol Cold War days... by ToddInSF · · Score: 1

    When Russia was an amazing place to live...

    And when the US was a paradise of economic prosperity and technological achievement...

    It's really too bad nobody follows the money, that curtain hides some fascinating inner-workings.

  126. All I can say is.. by Stubbyfingers · · Score: 1

    Ditto. Dude. Ditto.

  127. Re:Radiation problems can be made w/o nuclear bomb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This thread seems to focus on nuclear bombs as a destructive weapon but a nuclear nightmare can be created using conventional weapons

    Or a little Po 210.

  128. Watch this movie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Watch Threads, everyone please. It is about nuclear war, and it packs huge emotional punch in way that very few do.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090163/
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AUYCnzmDJY

  129. Ukraine problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think the best plan is to let Crimea do what the people living there want to do. if 90% want to be Russia why fight it. However with worry about Russia invading Ukraine I would immediately admit Ukraine to NATO. If Putin wants to take on all of Europe and USA so be it. Trouble is Putin and the rest of world knows what a "pussy" we americans have for president

  130. Fascist Coup in Kiev by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There was a FASCIST COUP in Kiev. The Nazi Thugs are in Power. This is just a beginning. Lithuania and Latvia will be the next.
    Ukrainians are very well familiar with Nazi regime in WWII.
    They greeted invading German Army with flowers, as Liberators.
    They hugged and kissed them.
    They loved them.
    They supported them.
    There were many units in german army consisting just of ukrainians.
    They They collaborated with Nazis in EVERYTHING, especially in MASS MURDERS of Jews and Russian.
    So, Obama wants to support this Fascist Regime in Kiev ?
    Then it clearly shows Obama's intentions of supporting Kiev as a "stronghold" against Russia ???
    What it TELLS Putin ?
    That US wants to start a new cold war.
    So Putin should and must answer Obama accordingly to Obama's capability of understanding a Proper Language.
    It would be very wise, if Putin takes Ukraine to the Intern. Court of Justice, for their vicious CRIMES against Humanity in WWII.
    Ukrainians are as much responsible for Germany's crimes as Germany itself.
    Ukrainians have a very long history of murders, spending hundreds of years. These were the thugs of Khmelnitski, Makhno, Bendera and many others.

    1. Re:Fascist Coup in Kiev by iamacat · · Score: 1

      Unless you support Russia taking over Germany as well, I have no idea what you are trying to say.

  131. Ukrainians supported Nazis in WWII, collaborated i by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You're certainly have no idea what you're saying. You have not a slightest idea WHO are ukrainians.
    And you have no idea about the WWII, the real WWII. Not WWII that american media tells you. American media has turned WWII into 'their" WWII, lying to americans that the Real WWII was where US army conveniently was stationed, The Pacific. Pacific was a mickey-mouse "war". The idiotic mini-battles there had no impact on the outcome of WWII in Europe, in Russia.
    And americans believe in these lies. For you like for most of americans, WWII was in Pacific. You were born with this lie.
    But maybe you know more than I think. I hope so. But then you don't know what you need to know.
    Because if you knew what was exactly happening in WWII in East Front in Europe, you would know what was happening in Ukraine.
    You can google, you can check on wikipedia...what did ukrainians during WWII.
    There were hundreds of GANGS fighting together with nazis against Russian Army.
    These are the same Thugs controlling Ukraine today.
    These are grandchildren and children of Ukrainian Nazis in WWII.

  132. Except everyone can leave this time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Or is Putin going to lock everyone inside Russia?

  133. Re: What does this have to do with tech news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For the last time: Slashdot is not a technology news website. It is a news site for nerds. There is a difference.

    I'll hold you to that promise!

  134. Re: What does this have to do with tech news? by DG · · Score: 1

    As if you have any right to talk....

    --
    Want to learn about race cars? Read my Book