Community Chat

[Marianne1]

On 7/23/2014 CharleyHorse said: Sorry to go off topic, but has anyone seen magenta? I have been worried that she may have had a friend or relative on board? CH

I was thinking about her too...

[terrier3]

On 7/23/2014 SydneyH said:

On 7/23/2014 MickD said:

I'm really surprised that he hasn't been asassinated....

I'm sure there is always plotting but what a lot of Westerners do not understand is that he still has a lot of support from his people.

I have a Ukrainian neighbor who came here when the USSR was persecuting Jews. He is 100% behind annexing...he is from the Russian side of the Ukraine and said that was never how it was intended...the Western nations created the borders and boundaries. Even after all he went through, he is loyal to Russia.

On the other hand, one of my high school friends had parents who were in WWII concentration camps. They were from the Free Ukraine movement, even back in the 1970s. Every summer the 3 kids in the family went to summer camp. They learned how to use weapons and rules of combat - like ROTC for Ukrainians. They were preparing to go back and physically take over the Ukraine from the USSR.

Two Ukrainians - two totally different opinions.

[SydneyH]

On 7/23/2014 Ford1224 said:

He's heartless and like all brutal dictators (and that's what he is), he has no conscience. He has brought the Russians right back to Stalin and perhaps another Cold War. I lived through one and don't want to live through another one . . . and certainly don't want our children and grandchildren to live through that kind of fear again.

Don't forget he practically "owns" space now, since we are reliant upon our agreement with Russia to take our astronauts into space because we discontinued our own program.

Interesting, I don't consider him a dictator or without a conscience. I think we can all agree though, he cares very little about sanctions or opinions coming from the West.

[MickD]

Terrier ~ A couple of friends (husband/wife) of mine are Ukrainian and don't support Putin....and are very worried about their families in the Ukraine. They were there about ten years ago and it was upsetting for them to see how their relatives were living....think of what it's like now.

[terrier3]

He has an 83% approval rating in his country. It's like any other leader at war - people rally around.

Just like we did in Desert Storm and the beginning years of the other 2 wars.

Just like here, the people have been told WHY the incursion was necessary....and they believe him and support him.

[LilacTree]

On 7/23/2014 SydneyH said:

On 7/23/2014 Ford1224 said:

He's heartless and like all brutal dictators (and that's what he is), he has no conscience. He has brought the Russians right back to Stalin and perhaps another Cold War. I lived through one and don't want to live through another one . . . and certainly don't want our children and grandchildren to live through that kind of fear again.

Don't forget he practically "owns" space now, since we are reliant upon our agreement with Russia to take our astronauts into space because we discontinued our own program.

Interesting, I don't consider him a dictator or without a conscience. I think we can all agree though, he cares very little about sanctions or opinions coming from the West.

Oh, he cares very little about more than that! And he is a "president," but he gets everything he wants, so in my book, that's a dictator.

[Lion]

Why would we believe any ""polls"" taken by Russia? It's all gov't run. Does anyone really believe the integrity of the poll?

Would Russians really feel safe answering a poll and dissing Putin?

[terrier3]

On 7/23/2014 Lion said:

Why would we believe any "polls" taken by Russia? It's all gov't run. Does anyone really believe the integrity of the poll?

Would Russians really feel safe answering a poll and dissing Putin?

I do. They are taken by the same people who take polls here.

The people polled are anonymous, just like here too.

[Lion]

On 7/23/2014 terrier3 said:

On 7/23/2014 Lion said:

Why would we believe any "polls" taken by Russia? It's all gov't run. Does anyone really believe the integrity of the poll?

Would Russians really feel safe answering a poll and dissing Putin?

I do. They are taken by the same people who take polls here.

The people polled are anonymous, just like here too.

Putin allows outside (Western, at that) pollsters into his country to take an approval poll about him??

[terrier3]

On 7/23/2014 Lion said:

On 7/23/2014 terrier3 said:

On 7/23/2014 Lion said:

Why would we believe any "polls" taken by Russia? It's all gov't run. Does anyone really believe the integrity of the poll?

Would Russians really feel safe answering a poll and dissing Putin?

I do. They are taken by the same people who take polls here.

The people polled are anonymous, just like here too.

Putin allows outside (Western, at that) pollsters into his country to take an approval poll about him??

Yes. Gallup is one, but there are others.

Russia isn't N. Korea!