Poll: Georgia on my mind - what to do?

[Roxanne Appleby]

How do you solve a problem like Russia? Russia the new/old imperialist in its "near abroad," that is.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

ROXANNE

I cant recall who said it, but someone observed that its impossible to reform institutions if they begin life corrupt and inept and dangerous. The institutions must be destroyed, like Carthage, and begun new.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

OK, it's a "secret ballot" but after one response to the poll there's one vote, and it's the "kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out" one.

I haven't voted yet. JBJ?

 

[Belegon]

The poll is flawed. The choices are worded in such a manner as to make some more appealing than others... and some decidedly less appealing.

"wussy airlift" is not an example of neutral wordsmithing.

 

[Liar]

The poll:

Dunno what you mean by that one. 100% head in sand?
Would accomplish what, other than the largest scale "pot meet kettle" argument in history?
Myeah, totally fucking wuzzy. Huh-huh.
Exscuse me, I'll be in my bunker.
Exscuse me, I'll be in my bunker.
Exscuse me, I'll be in my bunker.
Exscuse me, I'll be in my bunker.
Wanna fuck before or after I grow a second penis?
AMEEEERICAAA, FUCK YEEEAH!
Ever heard of the devil you know? I'll be in my bunker, if you don't mind.

 

[Pure]

I'm waiting with bated breath for the objective answer from rox. morality, capitalism and the self interest of the US citizenry, all rolled into one.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

I'm waiting with bated breath for the objective answer from rox. morality, capitalism and the self interest of the US citizenry, all rolled into one.

Don't forget truth, justice and the American way.

Belegon: "The choices are worded in such a manner as to make some more appealing than others... and some decidedly less appealing."

Gosh, how shocking. This must be the first time that has ever happened on Lit. Gee, I guess I should have let the perferctly objective polls concocted by Pure in the past be my models.

 

[Edward Teach]

Turn time back to January, 2001, install our elected president and avoid most of the terrible shit that has happened since then.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

ROXANNE

Nuke em, then make Russia and Georgia a WAL-MART parking lot.

 

[DeeZire]

One option I didn't see was to arrange for alternative energy sources so Georgia and the other nations can't be blackmailed by Russia turning off their natural gas supply. With this bit of leverage gone, those nations would be able to ignore Russia, and Russia would be forced to either start a big-ass war or pick up its marbles and go home.

The biggest problem appears to be Putin. Perhaps nuking him would be the sensible solution, along with getting some honest media coverage into his country. Perhaps Rupert Murdoch could set up a propaganda machine over there. He certainly did a good job of setting one up over here. It wouldn't be honest media, but, at least if it was in Russia, the bias would benefit the interests of US corporations, as it does here. This would be better than what the Russians have now, which plays on nationalism at the expense of the truth.

 

[Pure]

divining rox

why way.

well, not the way she calls by Neville Chamberlain.

certainly one of the ways that is "muscular" and macho and swings a big stick.

liberals, you know are wusses, if not fags and traitors. spineless.

it's always fun to see the right trying to construct a foreign policy out of macho and muscle. Bush II's war is one example. Reagan, at the other extreme, hazarded a few boys in Grenada.!

 

[3113]

I should have let the perferctly objective polls concocted by Pure in the past be my models.

Two wrongs don't make a right.

 

[off2bed]

We should have listened to Gen. Patton.

 

[TE999]

Two wrongs don't make a right.

But three do.

 

[Elianna]

ROXANNE

Nuke em, then make Russia and Georgia a WAL-MART parking lot.

This is the first time you've actually made me LMAO! Well done JBJ! That's just funny.

(And now we return to our regular broadcast)

 

[AvoidingRealWork]

How do you solve a problem like Russia?

How do you solve a problem like Maria? That's what I'd like to know.

 

[Elianna]

How do you solve a problem like Maria? That's what I'd like to know.

No.. How do you solve a problem like Korea?

Actually the Capital Steps did a song based off West Side Story (Wes siiieed, sorry, gang joke). I'm stealing it from them. Good group. Super funny.

 

[SweetWitch]

Just curious here...

Are you asking what we, as a nation, should do about this? I'm wondering what business we would have messing in this affair. Don't we (Americans, that is) have enough to worry about at home and with the wars we've already waged?

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Are you asking what we, as a nation, should do about this? I'm wondering what business we would have messing in this affair. Don't we (Americans, that is) have enough to worry about at home and with the wars we've already waged?

Quite true. Just what is our responsibility to Georgia, a country that shares a border with Russia?

Did you hear what mcCain said? "In the 21st century, nations don't invade other nations."

Oops!

If you ask me, the US certainly knew about Russia's plans well in advance and Putin moved in with Washington's implicit assurance that we would do nothing. We have satellites. We knew where their troops were. It's no coincidence that Bush was in China and Rice was on vacation. We're allowing Russia a buffer zone of adjacent states that they've traditionally controlled as a face-saving move.

 

[keeblercrumb]

Dreams of Polina

Right now we do nothing to Russia.... IT'S TOO FUCKING LATE.

The only thing left to do is patiently wait for a few months until we have a new President.

This administration has demonstrated yet again that it is utterly incapable of developing or maintaining any coherent foreign policy.

I AM afraid we may have fucked this whole thing with Russia up so badly it will take a war... but not here, not now..... TOO LATE.

I say we kiss Georgia's ass goodby and try again somewhere else.

We have had a policy of alienating and intimidating Russia for 8 years and this is what we have to show for it.......

By the way.... you do know we CONTINUE to spend millions and millions of dollars in Russia helping them meet their START and other treaty obligations, don't you? How is THAT for an idiotic policy?????

And NOW they are the bad guys..... Great...... Well those "terrorists" were obviously too hard for us to handle...... Let's go back to fighting a war with somone we understand how to fight!!

Man the tanks! Staff the silo's!! Build some more nuke bombers!!

Blow the dust off all those old NATO war plans.... we may be needing them now....

It would be laughable if it were not so damned serious.... It is incredible how far we have fallen in 8 years... I would never have thought it possible.


-KC

 

[SweetWitch]

Quite true. Just what is our responsibility to Georgia, a country that shares a border with Russia?

Did you hear what mcCain said? "In the 21st century, nations don't invade other nations."

Oops!

If you ask me, the US certainly knew about Russia's plans well in advance and Putin moved in with Washington's implicit assurance that we would do nothing. We have satellites. We knew where their troops were. It's no coincidence that Bush was in China and Rice was on vacation. We're allowing Russia a buffer zone of adjacent states that they've traditionally controlled as a face-saving move.

Maybe I'm just a bit naive, but I don't feel anyone, other than our own crumbling nation, is our responsibility. We have children dying in the streets, gangs, violence, plague, starvation and a host of other social ills. We need to clean up our own house before telling the rest of the world how to clean up theirs. Besides, I'm not willing to send someone I love off to die in yet another war.

Disclaimer: It's just my opinion and based solely on the beliefs instilled in me by my up-bringing. It has no basis in education or world politics.

 

[Pure]

come on rox,

what are your preferred alternatives? i suspect you're liking alternatives 2 and or 4.

do you propose to do ANYTHING, or just *talk tough*?


==
btw, what is the last alternative, the 50 cent solution? is this an assassination, a consequence-free, 'taking out' of the bad guy? is it like the old CIA dream of getting Fidel to smoke a poisoned cigar? and what do you say about it?

 

[oggbashan]

The poll is also unfair to Chamberlain.

He knew that his allies, particularly France, wouldn't fight and the UK armed forces were in no state to wage a war against Germany either with their aliies and certainly not on their own. The votes of the UK weren't ready to fight for foreign countries they had barely heard of.

He bought time that enabled Britain to rearm - not enough time but time that was vital. Without that time the Battle of Britain would have been lost.

Chamberlain was hamstrung by decisions of his predecessors who had decided that disarmament was economically more important than preparing for another war.

Og

 

[off2bed]

The poll is also unfair to Chamberlain.

He knew that his allies, particularly France, wouldn't fight and the UK armed forces were in no state to wage a war against Germany either with their aliies and certainly not on their own. The votes of the UK weren't ready to fight for foreign countries they had barely heard of.

He bought time that enabled Britain to rearm - not enough time but time that was vital. Without that time the Battle of Britain would have been lost.

Chamberlain was hamstrung by decisions of his predecessors who had decided that disarmament was economically more important than preparing for another war.

Og

But he lied. "Peace in our time" was a lie. Chamberlain lied, people died.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

OGG

But Hitler wasnt ready to fight, either.

Chamberlain bought time for Hitler NOT the allies.