I'm suffering from serious confirmation bias on this because it agrees with a lot of what I heard around the 2014 revolution and since.

I was in Russia when they invaded Georgia in 2008. Specifically, I was staying with family in Ossetia, which is a mountain state that was split between Russia (North Ossetia) and Georgia (South Ossetia). Russia invaded because Georgia was attacking a Georgian town in South Ossetia. On the day of the invasion I was working in the mountains collecting water samples, and got a very close view of what was happening, got local confirmation of what was being reported, got to talk to refugees, etc.

Without going into it too much, when I got back to Ireland and saw what was being said and how it was being framed it was absolutely laughable and so obviously wrong. Some were worse than others - Sky News in the UK and Fox News being the worst offenders - but no major news media that I saw was giving the side of the story that I saw.

Also, when the UN report on what happened came out several years later it completely matched with my take on what happened.

The point of all this is that when the invasion happened earlier this year I knew there was no way I'd have the time or expertise to find out what's going on, even though I have friends and family in Ireland, Russia, and Ukraine. All sides are pushing their narrative hard. All sides are lying to us and manipulating us to the best of their ability. Depending on where you live you'll hear one side louder than the other, and the people around you will tend towards that narrative.

Personally I believe both sides have committed atrocities. I don't know who's been worse. I've seen both sides, including journalists, manipulating footage to support their narrative.

My only take on this is that invading a sovereign country is absolutely wrong except in extreme circumstances where every practical diplomatic means has been exhausted.

To come back to this video, my instinct was to promote it because it does seem to be a well informed take on the context of what's happening, but I've been hesitant because of my confirmation bias and because it muddies the message of "war is very very very bad".

Feck it, though. *promote

Back in 2014 I worked for a company in Naples FL that is owned by Jack Roush. The job was mostly road testing new cars before they started hitting dealer lots. We would travel on specified routes for 8 hours. There was day and night shifts. I mostly drove nights. The routes were on Interstate and city roads. Every test vehicle had a Black Box.

We had three 2015 Vipers. The thing I liked the most with that car is that it felt like you were sitting in the hand of God. I cannot tell you how hard it was to keep to the speed limit. It was so hard that I got written up just for "touching" 100 mph for 2 seconds.

Me and Viper https://ibb.co/DWTx0Wy

Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Friday, February 7th, 2014 2:52am PST - promote requested by newtboy.

Newt has it researched as usual, some minor points:
- Ukraine is in the UN
- Ukraine in its pre war state could not get into the EU, there are economic criteria for that to have a chance to work. What was proposed was a free trade zone and economic help. The EU was slow as fuck. The Ukrainian political situation was volatile.
- Ukraine could not be admitted into NATO after 2014 as it was already in a proxy war against Russia.

What a US president with a brain could have done in Trumps term was broker a deal with Putin that would make land concessions to Russia (russian speaking regions based on referendums maybe?) in exchange for future EU and NATO affiliation for the rest of Ukraine with vague promises of weapon and troop movement limitations. Nearly impossible but it could be tried if one stayed a step ahead of Putin.

Trump patted him on the back instead and took selfies.

No, he lucked out, but Trump’s foreign policy was worse. He just capitulated to international thugs, cozied up to them except Iran. That’s why Ukraine was already occupied and Crimea recognized. It’s why N Korea advanced their capabilities so much. It’s why the Taliban gained so much power in 2020. He actually claimed China used biological warfare against us (utter bullshit, but his position), but made no moves against them in retaliation. No wars happen if you don’t oppose our enemies.

Biden isn’t my god, he’s far from perfect, he’s just an improvement. Being instrumental in opposing Assad gassing his own people is a bad thing? I was disappointed we didn’t depose him quickly with international support.

The Ukrainian parliament threw Yanukovych out in Feb 2014 on the grounds that he "has restrained himself from performing his constitutional duties" and effectively resigned. He had surprised everyone by abandoning an agreement made with Europe to be part of a free trade union, shocking the country, and instead intended to strengthen ties with Russia, and had been murdering protesters in the streets when he fled the country.

The people of Ukraine and Russia will suffer. Germany too. Probably all NATO nations….and all countries dependent on Russian aid.

My idea would have been to threaten Putin months ago that if one MORE Russian soldier or piece of military equipment crosses the border into Ukraine, we will fast track Ukraine into the UN immediately, permanently recognizing their actual borders, if he doesn’t send more military, we can negotiate peacefully with UN status on hold…and get solidarity with our allies on the plan. Maybe simplistic, but it’s what he fears, use it.

Trump didn't start any wars yet Biden was instrumental in conflicts like Syria and Libya that killed and displaced millions, both Russian allies.

Not only that Biden had a hand in the 2014 coup in Ukraine where a democratically elected Russian friendly leader was ousted with backing from the Western powers.

Now in response Putin may have overstepped in Ukraine, and painted in to a corner he'll make the people of Ukraine suffer for it.

Biden's foreign policy is an immature black and white version of the world that despite the rhetoric leads to the results no one wanted.

Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Saturday, October 18th, 2014 1:44pm PDT - promote requested by eric3579.

Self promoting this video back to the front page; last published Thursday, November 13th, 2014 2:00pm PST - promote requested by original submitter newtboy.

Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Thursday, March 27th, 2014 5:17am PDT - promote requested by ant.

Actually it's not spam.
https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/doc/2014/what-is-spam/

The video shows a death committed inside the Capital therefore it may or may not be suitable for sifting. It is however a documentary.

Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys extremist group, has a past as an informer for federal and local law enforcement, repeatedly working undercover for investigators after he was arrested in 2012, according to a former prosecutor and a transcript of a 2014 federal court proceeding obtained by Reuters.

I want to know how after 19 years on the force with a $100000 car, rental homes, $90+ a year at his second job, and who under reported his yearly income by almost $500000 repeatedly can get away with claiming he's broke.

Just like being housed in special high profile (larger nicer single inmate cells, but not solitary) areas of prison with all non white employees barred from the entire floor and white female officers allowed alone in his cell, actually in his bed, to comfort him, even letting him use their cell phones, that's some serious bullshit.

The murderous pig is a millionaire.

Wiki-On July 22, 2020, after the murder charges were brought against him, Chauvin and his then-wife were separately charged in Washington County, Minnesota, on nine felony counts of tax evasion[88][89] related to allegedly fraudulent state income tax returns from 2014 to 2019.[90] Prosecutors state the couple under-reported their joint income by $464,433, including more than $95,000 from Chauvin's off-duty security work.[89][91] The complaint also alleges failure to pay proper sales tax on a $100,000 BMW purchased in Minnesota in 2018, failure to declare income from Chauvin's wife's business, and improper deductions on a rental home.

What the hell happened in 2014? Did we start teaching mice to speak English? Was there a change in the way the stats were collected?

Self promoting this video back to the front page; last published Monday, January 27th, 2014 2:15pm PST - promote requested by original submitter eric3579.