It's like you have the memory retention of a goldfish. You're outraged anew every time you learn this stuff.

You have a strange notion of outrage. But then, you are addicted to me.

You have a strange notion of outrage. But then, you are addicted to me. — Streetlight

Fine. Bye.

You're outraged anew every time you learn this stuff. — frank

Yeah, because a much more appropriate reaction to America running an actual insurance racket is to tut quietly and move on to the sports section. Pathetic.

No no the appropriate reaction is to downplay a century of consistent American imperialism and international corpse-production and revert to the State Department Putin bad; Everyone else unquestioningly Good model of international politics.

Yeah, because a much more appropriate reaction to America running an actual insurance racket is to tut quietly and move on to the sports section. Pathetic. — Isaac

You still have your pro-American flag waving. I don't know what to say about that.

Slava Somalia. May they ward off the little special military operation happening over there.

The more I read anti-NATO imperialism supporters the more I feel like becoming a NATO imperialist supporter: Putin's self-fulfilling prophecy about NATO expansion seems to work also for anti-NATO imperialism propaganda.

The more I read anti-NATO imperialism supporters the more I feel like becoming a NATO imperialist supporter: — neomac

Surely we don't have a good representation here. I'm not on Twitter or Facebook, so I don't know. I think we just have a couple of people who are trying to be emotionally abusive. Probably because it feels good to them.

You still have your pro-American flag waving. I don't know what to say about that. — frank

And yet here you are, saying something about that.

Perhaps there's a lesson there for future post quality.

And yet here you are, saying something about that. — Isaac

Yeah. The US sent in 500 troops to support the Somali government. And you're waving the Somali flag.

:lol:

Wow. Your tiny mind must have been blown apart by what was happening here then.



Were they protesting against the government? But how? They were waiving the government's flag.

Carry on. You're doing fine. :up:

States like Somalia are famous for identifying with their governments, of course.

The Somalia angle might make sense if what happened in Ukraine was that Zelensky asked Putin for a couple of hundred Russian troops to help suppress an insurgency and Putin obliged. Of course, that's just about the opposite of what happened, so the comparison doesn't work.

That doesn't mean if the US sent 100,000 troops backed by heavy armour and air support into Somalia, bombed some of their cities to dust and killed thousands of their citizens, that the reaction of the West would be as sympathetic to Somalia as it is to Ukraine. It just means that's a hypothetical and arguing a hypothetical as if it was a reality isn't going to fly.

I don't say this to extend this aspect of the debate but hopefully to truncate it as it's not going anywhere.

The Somalia angle might make sense if what happened in Ukraine was that Zelensky asked Putin for a couple of hundred Russian troops to help suppress an insurgency and Putin obliged. Of course, that's just about the opposite of what happened, so the comparison doesn't work. — Baden

Except this is exactly what Putin said did in fact happen in the Donbass. But of course, when the US says it, one is obvious propaganda - which it is - and the other is, uh, good guys being good guys, helping friends out.

When US oil interests are at stake, well, we can really believe that help is called for. And that the US is obliged to help, despite the evidence being that every place on the planet they fight in they leave a fucking crater and a mountain of dead.

How goddamn hard is it not to apologize for US Empire.

Except this is exactly what Putin said did in fact happen in the Donbass. But of course, when the US says it, one is obvious propaganda - which it is - and the other is, uh, good guys being good guys, helping friends out. — Streetlight

Well, Zelensky didn't ask Russia to invade, but the Somalian President did welcome U.S. troops, so I don't really understand what you're trying to say here.

There are so few participating on this forum, that single opinions effect where the discussion goes and what points are made. — ssu

They are also extremely toxic and disgusting, openly wishing the death of folks, calling you a Nazi, me a rapist... I understand their nervousness. They chose the wrong camp and are panicking now.

Well, Zelensky didn't ask Russia to invade — Michael

According to Putin, he was invited by Russian-speaking populations who were - and this is actually true - getting fucked by the Ukrainian central government. But go on, make your apologies.

I couldn't care less what Putin or NATO say about it. The comparison is valid or invalid based on reality not what competing propagandists say. America has either launched a massive invasion of Somalia akin to Russia's invasion of Ukraine or it hasn't. There have been thousands of civilians killed or there haven't. The government either invited them or they didn't. There's some leeway for ambiguity there but not so much we can't make our own judgements confidently based on the evidence available, no?

The government either invited them or they didn't. — Baden

And the populations of Donbass invited Putin or they didn't.

Here's what you're missing: it doesn't fucking matter. If the US is sending troops overseas, they shouldn't be. Because nothing but suffering and death follows. It's that simple. Stop. Apologizing. For. US. Empire.

According to Putin, he was invited by Russians-speaking populations who were - and this is actually true - getting fucked by the Ukrainian central government. But go on, make your apologies. — Streetlight

What apologies? I'm just drawing a factual distinction between a government requesting military assistance from a foreign power and foreign power starting a war.

Your argument would work better if you compared Russia's invasion to the U.S-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, and then we can argue whether or not Putin's/Bush's invasions were legitimate.

What apologies? I'm just drawing a factual distinction between a government requesting military assistance from a foreign power and foreign power starting a war. — Michael

And I'm drawing a factual distinction between a government requesting military assistance from a foreign power and a local population - or at least part of a local population - requesting military assistance from a foreign power.

Nothing I said involved taking a position on U.S. troops in Somalia. It's consistent to be absolutely against that move and recognize that the US hasn't launched a massive invasion of the country, that there aren't tens of thousands of U.S. troops there, that they're not bombing cities there or trying to overthrow the government etc. Maybe they will. That's also irrelevant.

It's consistent to be absolutely against that move and recognize that the US hasn't launched a massive invasion of the country, — Baden

No, it's a special military operation.

Nothing I said involved taking a position on U.S. troops in Somalia. It's consistent to be absolutely against that move — Baden

And yet people aren't. That's it. That's literally all there is to the use of the Somali flag here.

People were openly and vociferously against Putin's invasion of Ukraine - even before the death toll mounted - and they enthusiastically waived their little flags to show it.

No one. No one waives little flags for the countries the US wrecks. Not Somalia, not Yemen, not Iraq...

That's the point. Nothing more.

We call it a lollipop for all I care. It's irrelevant. What is relevant is the differences in the circumstances. When and if the U.S. send hundreds of thousands of troops along with heavy armour and air support into Somalia and kill tens of thousands of Somalis, I'll gauge Western reaction then and judge hypocrisy or lack of it on that basis.

We call it a lollipop for all I care. It's irrelevant. What is relevant is the differences in the circumstances. When and if the U.S. send hundreds of thousands of troops along with heavy armour and air support into Somalia and kill tens of thousands of Somalis, I'll gauge Western reaction then and judge hypocrisy or lack of it on that basis. — Baden

Why would the US do that when they can get Ukrainians to die en masse on their behalf? A frankly worse thing to do.

The vast majority of people would never have heard of Ukraine if all that happened was what's happening in Somalia. You used an example because it was current not because it was apt in order to make a point that has some truth to it. But it's not as if there aren't tons of better examples, e.g. Yemen as you mentioned.

I don't know, why did Big Bird kill Snuffleupagus? What is the relevance of this to anything I said?