War in Eastern Europe, what's it good for ....

[230RN]

I don’t think any guns were actually passed out until the bear was at the door, so to speak.

So what'd they train with, broomsticks?

Brits, Battle of Britain Home Guard:

   

...being necessary to a free state...

[WLJ]

I've seen films of US Army troops in the 1930s training with broom sticks

[HankB]

So what'd they train with, broomsticks?

Brits, Battle of Britain Home Guard:

   

...being necessary to a free state...

Things have changed a lot in Old Blighty . . . buggers probably confiscated the donated arms (if they were ever issued) as soon as the invasion threat abated. I expect the Ukraine government will do the same assuming the russkies don't prevail.

[WLJ]

There are reports that Belarus - which has acted as a springboard for Russian troops - is now preparing to send its own soldiers into Ukraine to assist in the Russian invasion.
The Washington Post, citing an unnamed US official, said that Belarus was preparing for a troop deployment that could begin as soon as today.

The BBC has emailed the White House and Pentagon for confirmation.

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko had pledged to him in a phone call that Belarussian troops would not be sent into Ukraine.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877

[WLJ]

Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has controversially suggested his country should consider allowing the US to base nuclear weapons in his country, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877

[WLJ]

Ukrainian Farmer Steals Russian Tank - LOL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE2wKSFu_JY

[kgbsquirrel]

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877

Belarus is dealing with a coup right now.  The woman who "lost" the last election for prime minister there and had to flee the country to save their life has openly declared themselves leader of Belarus.

[Ron]

Nothing has happened in the last few weeks that I all of a sudden believe anything the globalist media establishment is pushing.

Whatever has happened or is happening in Ukraine I'm confident saying we are not being told anything that resembles reality.

[WLJ]

"Peace" talks.
As far as Putin is concerned peace more than likely means handing over of the disputed areas and Zelensky,  instillation of a puppet government in Kyiv, and the permanent stationing of Russian troops in Ukraine.
I don't see this going very far unless Putin is willing to back down which is unlikely

[charby]

"Peace" talks.
As far as Putin is concerned peace more than likely means handing over of the disputed areas and Zelensky,  instillation of a puppet government in Kyiv, and the permanent stationing of Russian troops in Ukraine.
I don't see this going very far unless Putin is willing to back down which is unlikely

I'm guessing peace talks is bait to lure Zelensky for an assassination.

[cordex]

So what'd they train with, broomsticks?

Some brought their own gun.  Some used sticks.  Others used shotguns, wooden cutouts, or just thin air.

[HankB]

In WWII, sometimes the Soviets (Ukrainians were part of that) sent assaults against the nazis who were unarmed - they were instructed to pick up the rifles casualties dropped. ARMED political officers enforced compliance.

[WLJ]

Scott Manley on how this will be effecting space programs in various countries.
You can tell this is a video he did not want to make.

The Ways Russia's Invasion Ukraine Will Affect Space Programs - Deep Space Updates Feb 27th
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V-lj-jCqe8

[Angel Eyes]

I'm guessing peace talks is bait to lure Zelensky for an assassination.

That, or capture.

"If you want to see your president alive again, surrender."

[Nick1911]

Nothing has happened in the last few weeks that I all of a sudden believe anything the globalist media establishment is pushing.

Whatever has happened or is happening in Ukraine I'm confident saying we are not being told anything that resembles reality.

Honest question - what part do you not believe?

[WLJ]

Wow, now we have some cracks in Switzerland's long standing neutrality.

Switzerland to adopt EU sanctions against Russia

Imogen Foulkes

BBC News, Geneva

After some soul-searching, neutral Switzerland will adopt all EU sanctions against Russia.

There will be no exceptions: five oligarchs have already been banned from entering Switzerland, the bank accounts of all 336 people on the EU’s list, including Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov, will be frozen with immediate effect.

Swiss banks are believed to hold billions of dollars in Russian funds.

The country's air space is closed to Russian aircraft, while Swiss airlines have cancelled their flights to Russia.

Make no mistake, this is a huge step for Switzerland, which has often agonised over what being neutral actually means.

Today Swiss President Ignazio Cassis made it clear: the attack on Ukraine was an unacceptable attack on freedom and democracy, "playing into the hands of aggression is not neutral", neither is standing by while the Geneva Conventions, which Switzerland is home to, are "trampled underfoot".

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60542877

[Ben]

It's the MSM, so take it for what it's worth, but I saw several analyst interviews on the teevee in the last couple of days talking about Putin no longer being right in the head. They had said that he's been becoming more and more reclusive over the last couple of years, and that lately, he has become downright irrational.

Obviously our media and leftist politicians said the same thing about Trump, but if Putin is in fact becoming irrational, that could make things sporty.

[AZRedhawk44]

In WWII, sometimes the Soviets (Ukrainians were part of that) sent assaults against the nazis who were unarmed - they were instructed to pick up the rifles casualties dropped. ARMED political officers enforced compliance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXDefDi-iYo#t=8m42s

"The one with the rifle shoots!  The one without follows him!  When the one with the rifle gets killed, the one who is following picks up the rifle and shoots!"

[WLJ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXDefDi-iYo#t=8m42s

"The one with the rifle shoots!  The one without follows him!  When the one with the rifle gets killed, the one who is following picks up the rifle and shoots!"

Hollywood

[WLJ]

Not sure why the UN bothers when Russia can veto anything they want.

[WLJ]

What the heck?
Is this real?
Maybe a photo op thing but still weird

https://twitter.com/jonkarl/status/1498305596709163014

Recent photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin suggests that there’s something to all those rumors that he’s losing what’s left of his mind
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2022/02/28/recent-photo-of-russian-president-vladimir-putin-suggests-that-theres-something-to-all-those-rumors-that-hes-losing-whats-left-of-his-mind/

[MechAg94]

I've seen films of US Army troops in the 1930s training with broom sticks

Was that with fake machine guns?  They should still have had plenty of 1903 rifles.  I wonder how much of that was political theatre trying to lobby for more funding. 


They were certainly short of tanks at one point.  If you look at what equipment the US Army had in 1935 versus say 1941, they did arm up quite a bit.  Had we been dragged into war a couple years earlier, it might have messed up development of some of the equipment we used.

[Ron]

Honest question - what part do you not believe?

It's easier for me to say what I do believe.

That Russia is moving troops into Ukraine seems to be well verified by multiple non news sources as well as official sources. I can believe it is true.

Most everything else is subject to fabrication and distortion from the government/media psychological warfare systems we've been manipulated with for decades.   

Why, after having been lied to about just about every major event in our lives are we willing to believe the system about anything? I don't have to believe what they are saying is all lies, I just don't have to believe they are telling me the whole truth.

The system has failed us as a truthful source of information. Everything that is official information or is reported by "legitimate" news sources is potentially a flat out lie, carefully curated "truth",  purposeful disinformation, manipulation, misdirection, persuasion and most likely has ulterior purposes beyond informing the public. This isn't a conspiracy theory. Any single one of us could start a list of official lies we've been told by government or that has been promulgated by our media and the list would be long. We would then be able to add to that list every day or every so often as we remember another "not truth".

The thing is, it's easier to just go with the flow and not rock the boat. Generally, none of the official nonsense seemed to impact our day to day lives substantially. That wasn't really true though and these last two years have driven that home. Reflecting on this reality of official bad information flooding society has been something I've been thinking about for years now.

When people in my life who I have direct contact with lie to me regularly I stop believing what they tell me. Usually, I stop interacting with them as much as possible and I certainly don't make major life decisions based upon on their testimony.

Our government regularly lies to us, the media regularly lies, our major corporations go along with the lies, the universities and educational systems are all in on the multiple streams of lies.

Why believe any of them? I know it's easier to fit in if you go with the flow but at what cost to your own understanding of reality? They are demonstrable liars, if not liars then, being charitable, they are often wrong in catastrophic, amazingly 180 degree ways.

This mindset is still a work in progress. I still find myself wanting to believe. It would be great if the MAGA/Trump rhetoricians were truthful, they won control and made things better. Unfortunately I've noticed the cracks in the Trump storyline and I can't unsee them, not to mention the cracks in our official mythos. I really want to believe there is a movement that believes in the America myth that can get voted in and "make America great again". I'm just working hard to not ignore the incoherencies in that whole storyline.

Anyway, you asked, I hope that sheds light on where I'm coming from regarding (not) believing the authorities. 

[WLJ]

Another photo showing Putin at the end of a long table with everyone else far away at the other end.
Some are speculating he doesn't want anyone close enough to try something. I don't know but if true it says something about Putin and Russian in general at the moment.
Or maybe it's some form of extreme COVID social distancing

https://twitter.com/maxseddon/status/1498037394230194187

[Nick1911]

Thanks, Ron. 

I don't disagree.  News media is normally a twisted mess of fact, fiction, biases and skewed interpretations.  In time of war I expect it to be even worse.

At this point, I do believe that Russian soldiers are invading and attempting to take control of Ukraine.  I also believe that the sanctions are real, as are the stated delivery of arms and money.

I don't know that I'm being presented with a narrative asking me to believe unsubstantiated things beyond that... at least not yet. Part of my question to you was to see if there are lies and propaganda that I'm not recognizing... People who can think clearly and independently can help others see what's making it though their own filter.