US threatens to shut off Starlink if Ukraine won't sign minerals deal

[halfmanhalfbronco]

On 3/12/2025 at 8:27 PM, Sactowndog said:

Here is a good link 

Is Zelensky a disliked dictator or a popular hero? 

https://economist.com/europe/2025/03/12/is-zelensky-a-disliked-dictator-or-a-popular-hero
from The Economist

A new telephone poll by Ipsos of 1,000 Ukrainians, commissioned by The Economist, shows that he commands overwhelming support in the wake of his falling-out with Trumpland. More than seven in ten Ukrainians now say they approve of Mr Zelensky’s work. Eight in ten say he is still Ukraine’s legitimate president, and reject the idea of elections while fighting continues. Over seven in ten still trust him to lead negotiations. Even more striking, the poll suggests that Mr Zelensky would win an election if one were held today, with Valery Zaluzhny, his popular former top general, in distant second place.

So he is well down from his 90% approval rating I had linked in another thread he enjoyed directly after the war and the the following 2 years? His approval rating is falling?  Prior to the war he was below 20%.

When your country is invaded by an evil occupier and you are rallying a defense...70% is really fucking low

And he never should have fired him for disagreeing about the Kursk offensive.

[halfmanhalfbronco]

On 3/13/2025 at 1:45 AM, Akkula said:

The problem you have now is the same you had before.  Russia is not offering a cease fire if 30 seconds much less 30 days!

So Trump just wanted to engage ina big "negotiating with yourself" session with Ukraine.  Brilliant!

Yeah, it's all super simple like that.

Lol

[Akkula]

On 3/13/2025 at 2:04 AM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

Yeah, it's all super simple like that.

Lol

Well your mistake and the mistake of Trumpists in general was to think it WAS that simple.  You failed to understand that no matter how much you want peace and how much you scowl at and bully the victim, peace is not attainable if the attacker doesn't want peace.  All the diplomats and the conventional wisdom was that Putin was not ready for peace because he thought he was winning.  Why would someone who thinks they have the advantage call off the war?  

Honestly, Trump's actions have emboldened Putin.  Trump has told Putin he "has all the cards" and instead took weapons and moral support from Ukraine and berated their brave and selfless leader.  Do you think weakening Ukraine like this causes Putin to say, "I had better sue for peace!?!"  No, it makes war more likely by telling Putin, "now is the time to double down since the USA is unreliable." 

So now, once Putin rebuffs this silly 30 day cease fire, do you think Trump and the Trumpists will realize you were wrong?  Will Mr. Tough Guy actually get tough with Putin instead of Canada?  What he should be doing if they don't agree is to make sure to double Ukraine's weapons.  Having Russia understand this is a stalemate or that they have a chance of losing is the way to get peace, not capitulation.   Putin is not going to stop if he thinks he has the advantage.

[azgreg]

I'm beginning to think that republicans don't actually know what woke means.

 

[Jack]

On 3/13/2025 at 3:32 AM, Akkula said:

Well your mistake and the mistake of Trumpists in general was to think it WAS that simple.  You failed to understand that no matter how much you want peace and how much you scowl at and bully the victim, peace is not attainable if the attacker doesn't want peace.  All the diplomats and the conventional wisdom was that Putin was not ready for peace because he thought he was winning.  Why would someone who thinks they have the advantage call off the war?  

Honestly, Trump's actions have emboldened Putin.  Trump has told Putin he "has all the cards" and instead took weapons and moral support from Ukraine and berated their brave and selfless leader.  Do you think weakening Ukraine like this causes Putin to say, "I had better sue for peace!?!"  No, it makes war more likely by telling Putin, "now is the time to double down since the USA is unreliable." 

So now, once Putin rebuffs this silly 30 day cease fire, do you think Trump and the Trumpists will realize you were wrong?  Will Mr. Tough Guy actually get tough with Putin instead of Canada?  What he should be doing if they don't agree is to make sure to double Ukraine's weapons.  Having Russia understand this is a stalemate or that they have a chance of losing is the way to get peace, not capitulation.   Putin is not going to stop if he thinks he has the advantage.

There was once upon a time when our political left opposed every war.

What changed?

[AlpineSummer]

On 3/15/2025 at 8:20 AM, Jack said:

There was once upon a time when our political left opposed every war.

What changed?

I don't know if you're a history buff or not, but the 20th Century might have something on that. 

[Jack]

On 3/15/2025 at 8:46 AM, AlpineSummer said:

I don't know if you're a history buff or not, but the 20th Century might have something on that. 

Indulge me with your theory.

[AlpineSummer]

On 3/15/2025 at 9:22 AM, Jack said:

Indulge me with your theory.

It just seems wrong to give a man a fish especially with the best Steelhead run in a decade predicted here.  U.S. History isn't a huge secret. Try the library.  

[Sactowndog]

On 3/13/2025 at 12:59 AM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

So he is well down from his 90% approval rating I had linked in another thread he enjoyed directly after the war and the the following 2 years? His approval rating is falling?  Prior to the war he was below 20%.

When your country is invaded by an evil occupier and you are rallying a defense...70% is really fucking low

And he never should have fired him for disagreeing about the Kursk offensive.

Funny how you ignore you claimed he was below 50% which as never true and now you change your story yet again.  

[Jack]

On 3/15/2025 at 9:29 AM, AlpineSummer said:

It just seems wrong to give a man a fish especially with the best Steelhead run in a decade predicted here.  U.S. History isn't a huge secret. Try the library.  

Quote

In other words you have no clue why Libs prefer war?

My brother lives near Orofino.  He is tired of getting lied to by the fisheries guys over estimating runs by perhaps a factor of 5-10x. I get all excited only to see fisherman getting a fish every 6 hrs.

 

[AlpineSummer]

On 3/15/2025 at 9:34 AM, Jack said:

 

It's okay to be lazy.  What's retirement for anyway?  Btw, in what war are libs sending Americans to fight?  I missed that news.  Can't follow everything. 

[SalinasSpartan]

On 3/13/2025 at 12:59 AM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

When your country is invaded by an evil occupier and you are rallying a defense...70% is really fucking low

 

Where is your evidence of this? Reliable polling is a relatively recent phenomenon. Also, not too many recent instances of one nation state invading another nation state over multiple years. What is the sample size that says 70% is really fucking low?

edit: And even where you have one nation state invading another in recent years, for the situation to actually be analogous you’d have to have the invaded country keep their government intact. For example, with the U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan the existing government was overthrown. 

[renoskier]

On 3/13/2025 at 12:59 AM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

 

When your country is invaded by an evil occupier and you are rallying a defense...70% is really fucking low

 

is it? what was GW Bush's approval rating shortly after 9/11 / Afghanistan and Iraq?

and what was his approval rating 3 years in? 

[Wyobraska]

Putin unsurprisingly is playing hardball, stating that the US must stop supplying arms and intelligence to Ukraine for a full ceasefire.  

[CPslograd]

On 3/15/2025 at 10:39 AM, renoskier said:

is it? what was GW Bush's approval rating shortly after 9/11 / Afghanistan and Iraq?

and what was his approval rating 3 years in? 

Above 60😁

Presidential Approval Ratings -- George W. Bush | Gallup Historical Trends

[InnZoneU]

Pooty just bombed a Ukranian power plant right after the Trump call. 

Putin made the convoy wait for 9 hours last week before the meeting, we know this is true because the Trump incels immediately disputed it.  He made Trump wait a couple of hours for his call today.  He didn't agree to Trump's 'deal' and instead came up with his own terms.  Then totally violated those terms immediately afterwards.

 In case you haven’t been able to notice yet, Putin is 100% f$&king with Trump for fun. He’s embarrassing him for sport. A play thing.

[Akkula]

On 3/18/2025 at 5:50 PM, InnZoneU said:

Pooty just bombed a Ukranian power plant right after the Trump call. 

Putin made the convoy wait for 9 hours last week before the meeting, we know this is true because the Trump incels immediately disputed it.  He made Trump wait a couple of hours for his call today.  He didn't agree to Trump's 'deal' and instead came up with his own terms.  Then totally violated those terms immediately afterwards.

 In case you haven’t been able to notice yet, Putin is 100% f$&king with Trump for fun. He’s embarrassing him for sport. A play thing.

This is the guy who negotiated the disasterous Afghanistan withdrawal that Biden could not reverse.

This guy fucked up every big test in his first term and Trumpists were like.  "Lets have him do it again!"

Donald Trump is the king of failing up.

[UtGrizfan]

On 3/18/2025 at 6:04 PM, Akkula said:

This is the guy who negotiated the disasterous Afghanistan withdrawal that Biden could not reverse.

This guy fucked up every big test in his first term and Trumpists were like.  "Lets have him do it again!"

Donald Trump is the king of failing up.

Yeah trying to say it was all on Trump for the Afghanistan withdrawal is bullshit, my favorite was when Biden ignored his military advisors and ordered them to abandon the largest, easiest to defend and most strategic air base in favor of packing into the capital.

[Akkula]

On 3/18/2025 at 6:06 PM, UtGrizfan said:

Yeah trying to say it was all on Trump for the Afghanistan withdrawal is bullshit, my favorite was when Biden ignored his military advisors and ordered them to abandon the largest, easiest to defend and most strategic air base in favor of packing into the capital.

Same failed playbook!  Trump literally said he screwed up the deal so badly that Biden couldnt reverse it.  You don't believe Trump?????  Lol!

"Frustrated in his initial efforts to truncate the U.S. mission, Trump finally bypassed the Afghan government to negotiate directly with the Taliban. The deal with them that he signed on Feb. 29, 2020 promised to pull all U.S. troops out by May 1, 2021."

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/18/1028607717/strange-bedfellows-indeed-the-trump-biden-consensus-on-afghanistan

[UtGrizfan]

On 3/18/2025 at 6:12 PM, Akkula said:

Same failed playbook!  Trump literally said he screwed up the deal so badly that Biden couldnt reverse it.  You don't believe Trump?????  Lol!

"Frustrated in his initial efforts to truncate the U.S. mission, Trump finally bypassed the Afghan government to negotiate directly with the Taliban. The deal with them that he signed on Feb. 29, 2020 promised to pull all U.S. troops out by May 1, 2021."

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/18/1028607717/strange-bedfellows-indeed-the-trump-biden-consensus-on-afghanistan

Oops, those damn pesky facts got in the way agin

https://nypost.com/2024/09/08/us-news/biden-was-hellbent-on-leaving-afghanistan-ignoring-military-advice-nato-objections-and-afghan-pleas-house-report/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-top-former-generals-say-planning-failures-of-biden-administration-drove-chaotic-fall-of-kabul