Hot Button Topics (religion, politics, sports)

[NejinOniwa]

Russia's interest lies in a Pro-Russian Ukraine that they can control and rely on to be a buffer state between the big Eastern European border of EU/NATO and Russia, just like they use Belarus. With the Pro-Russian Yanukovich ousted in favor of a Pro-EU revolutionary government, Putin acted on a more or less fabricated claim of unrest in Crimea where there is a large majority of ethnic Russians, and where there had been protests against the new Euromaidan government. There is now a wide standoff between the Ukrainians and Russian forces trying to force a surrender without fighting, and thus avoiding "actual military conflict" that the rest of the world will be pulled into. A massive propaganda war is being waged by the russians via Russia Today trying to make the Euromaidan government look like fascists and nazis (while Putin's own actions are startlingly similar to those of Hitler in 1936, and lots of Ukrainians are protesting with signs marked "Putler Kaput" bearing a caricature of Putin with Hitler's hair and mustache).

Poland and other countries close to Russia are taking this very seriously, moving their troops and calling for a meeting of the NATO. The situation is extremely tense.

[DustiiWolf]

Russia's interest lies in a Pro-Russian Ukraine that they can control and rely on to be a buffer state between the big Eastern European border of EU/NATO and Russia, just like they use Belarus. With the Pro-Russian Yanukovich ousted in favor of a Pro-EU revolutionary government, Putin acted on a more or less fabricated claim of unrest in Crimea where there is a large majority of ethnic Russians, and where there had been protests against the new Euromaidan government. There is now a wide standoff between the Ukrainians and Russian forces trying to force a surrender without fighting, and thus avoiding "actual military conflict" that the rest of the world will be pulled into. A massive propaganda war is being waged by the russians via Russia Today trying to make the Euromaidan government look like fascists and nazis (while Putin's own actions are startlingly similar to those of Hitler in 1936, and lots of Ukrainians are protesting with signs marked "Putler Kaput" bearing a caricature of Putin with Hitler's hair and mustache).

Poland and other countries close to Russia are taking this very seriously, moving their troops and calling for a meeting of the NATO. The situation is extremely tense.

thanks for the summary! Helps me understand better.

[NejinOniwa]

Right NOW there is a standoff between Russian and Ukrainian troops at Belbek. The Ukrainians left their base unarmed and are demanding access to the airfield (and the planes there) they've previously manned. Warning shots were fired by the Russians, but they later allowed 10 men through to tend to the planes. Crimean Tartar TV station ATR.ua is streaming the developments live.

[Chocofreak13]

what this means on the US's scale: due to past conflicts with Russia and Crimea and all this talk of Fascism, the US could easily be pulled into it if things get worse, either on the Rebels' side in the interests of "protecting freedom" or on Russia's side in the interests of "Acknowledging Camaraderie and Crushing Terrorist Opposition". it really only depends on what is said by who.

if the US becomes involved, it is inevitable that many other world powers (France, England, Germany, China, Japan, possibly the Koreas, perhaps even some of the Middle East) will get involved too, on either side. While we seem to have a better grasp on Thinking Before We Act now than we did back in 1935 (or 1916, since that was arguably worse), and we have a more level-headed president than we did back in 2002, the potential is real and it is there, staring us in the face. it really doesn't help that Obama doesn't seem to have much of a spine, so the declaration could even be out of his hands and in those of people more radical about this.

what this means on a global scale: in the event the US declares war, many other countries will follow suit. yes, it sounds narcissistic, yes it sounds bullshit, but like it or not we are an example for many countries around the world and we have a bad habit of dragging everyone else into stuff along with us. (this could be no more evident than in SatW.) if other countries get involved, they then have their own politics to think about here, meaning that petty spats could be solved on the world stage. sadly, this translates to one country bombing another in retaliation for some minor slight (blown out of proportion in response to some past wrong); victim then retaliates, attacker's friend bombs back, victim's friend bombs back, and next thing you know we have WWIII.


i'd like to think the potential for peace and diplomacy is there. but given the events of last year here in the US (Boston Marathon Bombing), the Arab Spring a few years ago, and the unrest that's been building over tyrannical leadership in Eastern Europe, i don't see that happening too easily. if it DOES happen, someone's going to have to sacrifice something, which just adds more pressure to the powder keg. >>;

[stewartsage]

A guy a few years older then me killed himself in the park sometime this morning.  The contract road crew found his body and called park law enforcement while we were heading to the district office to pick up supplies.  Not really meant to spark a discussion or anything, it's just more serious then the usual Topicless subject.

[Bella]

Holy fucking shit.

[LeaflameSD]

Damn... I wonder why.

[Chocofreak13]

no note, no reason? i doubt you knew him. have they figured out the cause of death?

something related, i found out a few weeks ago that a guy i had gone to school with since first grade died in florida. according to the grapevine his family had sent him to rehab once or twice, so we're thinking it was drugs. but still, it freaked me the fuck out.

[Nichi]

Strange.

Now, one thing that freaked me out was that an older man whom my sister worked with at the county committed suicide earlier this year. The part that really made it stand out in my mind was how it happened mere weeks after JewWario's passing, and the circumstances were disturbingly similar (As in the cause of death and the fact both were at home when they did it).

[Chocofreak13]

what are all of your thoughts on suicide?

[Bella]

It's sad. I wish psychological illness wasn't stigmatized and that more people could access help before it gets to a point where they feel the only option is to take their life. Though I do believe there are times when it's understandable (such as terminal illness and other states of severe suffering)...

[Chocofreak13]

suicide is a very difficult decision when thought about rationally, since you need to weigh your pain against the pain of others. is mine harder than that which i will inflict upon my loved ones? will they be able to bear that burden?

as for the psychological aspects of it, i can speak from experience that even "receiving help" from professionals doesn't always "help". >>;

[Bella]

Indeed. Although I've considered seeking out mental healthcare due to various issues (most notably my occasional bouts of severe anxiety) I've held back due to fear of ending up with a bad counsellor/therapist ... although assholes in the medical profession is a topic for another time. Suffice to say I've avoided a lot of medical treatment due to fears of that nature.

Circling back to the original topic for a moment, according to Stew the man who committed suicide was a veteran ... any suicide is sad but that's particularly grim when you consider the abysmal mental healthcare system the military has in place and the high rates of PTSD, depression and suicide among enlisted members and veterans.

[Nichi]

I can vouch for that, at least in my case, all I needed was someone who actually cared for me and would take the time to listen to my problems; instead of how both of my parents would blow off my problems by saying "that's life", which comes off as "I don't care; please shut up".

If they do actually try to take their own life, or if they succeed in doing so, I don't look down on them for it; it might be shocking, but it doesn't make me think less of a person than if they died of dysentery or another cause. After all, when I think of JewWario, I remember him for the hilarious videos he made when he was still around, rather than remembering him for the cause of his death.

As for assholes in the medical profession, I worked with a bunch of them; those type were only in the field because it makes a ton of money, not caring about actually helping people. >_>;

[LeaflameSD]

What do you guys think of people killing themselves over "cyberbullying"?