Ukraine Protests

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#6,202
#6,202
red butler said:
I'd love to get the full story on this event because it's fascinating. It appears to me the Iranian general and a small force were helping Syria against ISIS in an advisory fashion. But none of the news outlets are saying ISIS so I can't tell for sure. It's hard to keep the bad guys straight, but is it possible that Israel just killed a "good guy"?
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The ole' "lesser of the two enemies" question, or the ole' "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" conundrum.

Legitimate questions but, either way, Iran is trying to prop up their Shia Alawite strongman and weaken the threat of a strong Sunni insurgency to its closest allies (Assad and Hezbollah).
 
#6,204
#6,204
volprof said:
I'm still trying to figure out how one commits a coup against someone who exits a nation voluntarily. Granted, he was under a lot of pressure, but the last I checked, no one was forcing him out just yet. There was still a parliamentary process to undergo, but he decided to do without it and abscond to Russia in the middle of the night.
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I wonder what the mortality rates are for leaders that try to stay in power until it's too late. My guess is there is a small window of time when they know they've lost control, and they can get out before an example is made of them.

For example, the Shah left Iran before a parliamentary process ousted him and he was able to lead a full life. Salvador Allende of Chile waited too late and died a bit premature.
 
#6,205
#6,205
Hearing rumors the separatists could be in the process of starting an offensive to capture Mariupol. Nothing concrete right now but that is what social media is saying.
 
#6,206
#6,206
volprof said:
I'm still trying to figure out how one commits a coup against someone who exits a nation voluntarily. Granted, he was under a lot of pressure, but the last I checked, no one was forcing him out just yet. There was still a parliamentary process to undergo, but he decided to do without it and abscond to Russia in the middle of the night.
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Yanukovich's downfall was that he tried to handle it in a diplomatic way instead of forcefully removing protesters early on. Can you imagine the scene at Maiden blocks from our own White House?

And jmo, but by the time MSM ran with and empathized with Maiden, this gave the coup legitimacy.

And Yanukovich left because he and his families lives were at stake, which was of his own doing IMO.
 
#6,207
#6,207
red butler said:
I wonder what the mortality rates are for leaders that try to stay in power until it's too late. My guess is there is a small window of time when they know they've lost control, and they can get out before an example is made of them.

For example, the Shah left Iran before a parliamentary process ousted him and he was able to lead a full life. Salvador Allende of Chile waited too late and died a bit premature.
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He had to leave a lot of his stuff behind at his Xanadu, but, as long as his wealth/assets have transferred to Russian banks, he should be good to go. Probably instantly became one of Russia's 10-20 wealthiest individuals after making the transfer.

Of course, no one, and I mean no one, puts Putie and his 40-60 US billion of assets in a corner.
 
#6,208
#6,208
I've often just lied around at night (yeah, I have a boring life), trying to figure out how the Russian people have let Putin get away with everything he's done to them. Still can't figure it out.

Here in the US, we get pissed darn near enough at a leader to impeach him if we think he's made too many executive orders. In Russia, however, you can apparently blow up 400-500 of your fellow countrymen in a ploy to consolidate presidential power, rob the nation blind to the tune of some dozens of billions of US dollars, take away many of their freedoms they enjoyed during the glasnost and Yeltsin years, and still have an approval rating above 80 percent.

Makes no damn sense whatsoever. Just shows you how fundamentally different American and Russian ideas concerning govt. are.

Obviously a little generalization here.
 
#6,209
#6,209
volprof said:
I've often just lied around at night (yeah, I have a boring life), trying to figure out how the Russian people have let Putin get away with everything he's done to them. Still can't figure it out.

Here in the US, we get pissed darn near enough at a leader to impeach him if we think he's made too many executive orders. In Russia, however, you can apparently blow up 400-500 of your fellow countrymen in a ploy to consolidate presidential power, rob the nation blind to the tune of some dozens of billions of US dollars, take away many of their freedoms they enjoyed during the glasnost and Yeltsin years, and still have an approval rating above 80 percent.

Makes no damn sense whatsoever. Just shows you how fundamentally different American and Russian ideas concerning govt. are.

Obviously a little generalization here.
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Because even now the Russian people are conditioned to live under authoritarianism. True reform for Russia is still probably a generation away.
 
#6,210
#6,210
Burhead said:
Because even now the Russian people are conditioned to live under authoritarianism. True reform for Russia is still probably a generation away.
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It was those damn Mongols. Set 'em back for 200 years or so.

Honestly though, I think it's longer than a generation, although, given contemporary technologies like social media, the move towards democracy is probably accelerating in Russia.

And Russian leaders know this. I didn't link the article, but apparently the Culture Minister and other Kremlin bigshots (I think Putin has even echoed this sentiment before) are wanting to get rid of the Internet and move Russia towards an Intranet model like what North Korea has. They claim this is the only means of the Russian people accessing the truth, whatever that means.

It just blows my mind that, in 2015, there is a "European" country that, among other things, has recently banned LGBT people from driving and is seriously contemplating a move to an intranet.
 
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#6,215
#6,215
Grand Vol said:
OT, but how did your job thing go? Are you a member of the dark side yet?
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Didn't get selected the first time which sucked. I had another interview for the same position last Friday so crossing my fingers. I've also started sending out applications across the state/country for police officers positions. I'm waiting to hear back from Akron PD and the US Capitol Police. I've done applications for the Secret Service's Uniformed Division, University of South Alabama PD, Chattanooga PD, Jefferson City PD, and UT-K Campus Police. I also have a good feeling about a reserve PO app I did with a local town near me, the Sergeant said they're having a reserve class in April.

What sucks though is that I received a letter from UT-K inviting me to take the physical/written exams but right now I just don't have enough funds to get there and plus from what I hear the pay really sucks (lower than Knox County & Knoxville PD) so I'm not sure I'm missing much there. Though it felt real good to finally get an invitation, first one I've gotten a reply too. Thanks for asking Grand. Being a cop has always been my dream career and there is really nothing else I've really wanted to do.
 
#6,216
#6,216
Forgot to add just for the heck of it I sent off two correctional officer apps with the Tennessee Department of Corrections as well.
 
#6,218
#6,218
Burhead said:
Forgot to add just for the heck of it I sent off two correctional officer apps with the Tennessee Department of Corrections as well.
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You dont want to babysit grown men Bur. If you turn your back for a second they will try to kidnap you. Seen some reallly nasty stuff go on in the pokey. You seem far too intelligent for that job.
 
#6,220
#6,220
volprof said:
I've often just lied around at night (yeah, I have a boring life), trying to figure out how the Russian people have let Putin get away with everything he's done to them. Still can't figure it out.
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A fundamentally different view of the individual/society/world than we have in America. Forged from centuries of hardship, war, isolation, inferiority complex, whatever.

In the deadliest American war (Civil) the country lost ~2% of its population. In WWII, Russia lost 13%.
 
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#6,221
#6,221
Burhead said:
I'm waiting to hear back from Akron PD and the US Capitol Police. I've done applications for the Secret Service's Uniformed Division, University of South Alabama PD, Chattanooga PD, Jefferson City PD, and UT-K Campus Police. I also have a good feeling about a reserve PO app I did with a local town near me, the Sergeant said they're having a reserve class in April.
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Good luck.
 
#6,223
#6,223
Velo Vol said:
A fundamentally different view of the individual/society/world than we have in America. Forged from centuries of hardship, war, isolation, inferiority complex, whatever.

In the deadliest American war (Civil) the country lost ~2% of its population. In WWII, Russia lost 13%.
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Well, when you put it like that.
 
#6,225
#6,225
volprof said:
I'm still trying to figure out how one commits a coup against someone who exits a nation voluntarily. Granted, he was under a lot of pressure, but the last I checked, no one was forcing him out just yet. There was still a parliamentary process to undergo, but he decided to do without it and abscond to Russia in the middle of the night.
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for a true coup wouldn't poroshenko have had to organized it?
 
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