Re: OT: Cracking Speech by JDV!

On Sat, 22 Feb 2025 19:40:03 -0800, john larkin <JL@gct.com> wrote:

On Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:44 +0000, liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
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Jasen Betts <usenet@revmaps.no-ip.org> wrote:
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On 2025-02-16, john larkin <JL@gct.com> wrote:

On Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:48:17 +0000, liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
>

Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org> wrote:
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On 16/02/2025 6:41 am, Cursitor Doom wrote:

On Sat, 15 Feb 2025 10:53:37 -0700, Don Y
<blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:
 

On 2/15/2025 3:07 AM, Liz Tuddenham wrote:

 
<snip>
 

So, if he was afraid of having a NATO Ukraine on his border, he
hasn't yet realized what a threat a re-ARMED Europe would pose in
that same geographical position.  Trump's trash talking may result
in a EUTO (without the US) that feels empowered to push back on
future issues without "consent" from the US.

 
Getting Europe's military up to the job would take at least a decade.
But there's no money available. Germany - once the economic powerhouse
of the continent - is on its knees and France likewise. And even if it
could be afforded - which it can't - we now know Putin can call upon
China and N. Korea, so if push ever came to shove, continental Europe
would be toast.

 
The US Abrahams tank relies on a German gun and UK (Chobham) armour.

>
But the Americans won't have to fight if Trump has his way.  He thinks
he can just keep Putin happy by feeding him European countries,
one-by-one.

>
It may be a practical reality that Ukraine has to give up a slice of
"Russian speaking" territory to end the killing on both sides.

 
They gave up their nukes in 1994, and peace was promised,
 
That didn't work.
 
They gave up Crimea in 2014, and peace was promised.
 
That didn't work.
 
I really don't think they want more of the same. no matter how many
stupid people propose it.

>
That's the practical reality - and the rest of Europe will be in Putin's
sights if we don't wake up to what is going on.
>
Friedrich Merz, one of the German election candidates (tipped to win if
he can keep a coalition together) has at last spoken out with a
realistic description of the situation we are now in.  We have relied on
America too much and now America under trump is no longer our friend; he
thinks he can do a deal with Putin and they will carve up Europe between
them.  Europe will not be consulted but will be expected to fall in with
these plans.
>
I may not agree with all Merz stands for, but he is the first politician
I have heard speaking out with the truth.

>
Even friends get tired of always picking up the bar tab.

The only reason the EU countries have been able to afford their
public-funded healthcare systems is because they've saved a fortune
from neglecting defense expenditure for so many decades. If they're
serious about funding their own defense and wish to make it credible,
they're going to have to sacrifice much of what they've taken for
granted since the end of WW2.