Russia's War Against Ukraine

[al_infierno]

The amount of merch being sold to profit from the conflict is also disgusting.  Show off your support for Ukraine in style by buying a gaudy print-on-demand stylized flag on a T-shirt that Ukraine won't see a cent from.  Now in trendy pins, hats, coffee mugs, and stickers!

[GDS_Starfury]

same thing happens with every major crisis.  not excusing it at all, but it happens.

[JasonPratt]

Matt Williams, 26-yo ANZAC veteran, separated from the Australian Army due to inoperable brain cancer, now working as an amateur investigative journalist, was on the ground in Ukraine recently, and has an interview about his experiences with Lauren Southern.

First 10 minutes is introduction to Matt and his history, if you want to skip that.

Lauren is certainly a political commentator and investigator, but I didn't catch anything along that line during this interview. (The closest might be that the mainstream media is losing ground due partly to regular people being out on the ground doing their own investigating. But their disdain for main news journalists is pretty centrist.)

Nothing overly new to any of us, though Lauren didn't realize most of the Ukr equipment is also Soviet/Russian based (so that was news to her).

His impression on the ground is that no one can say who's winning, if anyone is -- as far as he's concerned the logistic argument against Russia amounts to a lie, because they have no problem hammering everywhere with as much arty as they want. (Which no one disputes, but that's not really evidence that Russia's logistics on the "special operation" have been flimsy from the start and wearing out fast, of course.)

[FarAway Sooner]

To be sure, there is a double-standard here as relates to North American and Western European responses to what's going on in Ukraine.

The only factor that I can offer up, and I know the reality is more complicated than that, but this looks much more like a full-scale invasion of a sovereign nation, as opposed to a civil war where different countries have backed different factions. 

To the civilians caught in the crossfire in places like Syria or the ISIS Caliphate, I'm sure it felt no different.  But, to outsiders used to living in a world where national governments of sovereign nations enjoy a certain amount of stability and (sometimes) even legitimacy, the factionalized fighting in places like Afghanistan and Syria simply never made much sense to us.  Right or wrong, it's easier for us to understand fights when each side waves a recognizable flag.

I'm not making excuses for the Americans or the Western Europeans. 

In this particular case, I just think you may be oversimplifying the stance of Pink Floyd and their own personal connection to the Ukraine conflict.  I agree that the war profiteering is gross.

[GDS_Starfury]

its northern hemisphere real-polotik

[planetbrain]

In my view the Russia Ukraine war (special military operation) is clear cut. It's us versus them. So we take a personal interest.
There are many other ongoing conflicts causing very much misery. There always has been & probably always will be (esp. The Middle East). The reasons for these endless conflicts/civil wars is often foggy. A country invading another without valid casus belli . I think it's easy to see the wrong.

By the way I believe Xi Jinping is right re his one China policy..............Mainland China should join Taiwan & become democratic !

[Gusington]

^HA on that last point

[Pete Dero]

In my view the Russia Ukraine war (special military operation) is clear cut. It's us versus them. So we take a personal interest.
There are many other ongoing conflicts causing very much misery. There always has been & probably always will be (esp. The Middle East). The reasons for these endless conflicts/civil wars is often foggy. A country invading another without valid casus belli . I think it's easy to see the wrong.

Ask people who is fighting who in Jemen and which countries are supporting that fight and you will not get many, if any, correct answers.
The war in Ukraine is, like you said, so much clearer about which is the better side to support.  And for us in the EU there still is a chance the war will spread to other countries, while that risk is virtually zero with other conflicts going on.

[FarAway Sooner]

The amount of merch being sold to profit from the conflict is also disgusting.  Show off your support for Ukraine in style by buying a gaudy print-on-demand stylized flag on a T-shirt that Ukraine won't see a cent from.  Now in trendy pins, hats, coffee mugs, and stickers!

Except for urinal mints being sold with Vladimir Putin's face on them.  Anybody making money by putting a tyrant's face on a urinal mint is an inherently commendable free market exercise.

[Gusington]

^Please tell me those exist.

[planetbrain]

I'd buy them. Pissing on Vlad would make a leak especially satisfying.

[Gusington]

Not sure if this one is 'minty.'

[FarAway Sooner]

^Please tell me those exist.

I first read about a guy printing Osama bin Laden's face on urinal cakes back in early 2002.  Nowadays the emphasis seems to be shifting to placing the face or logo on the urinal screen that holds the mint:

1) https://www.peepeeface.com/order/index.php

2)https://www.deluxe.com/products/promotional/urinal-cake/11357/

While this isn't as satisfying as a free-standing urinal mint with a printed face on it, it does allow for full-color printing and greater durability.  You know, that whole "reduce, reuse, recycle" thing...

[Gusington]

  'peepeeface'

[MikeGER]

 ^ a pissful protest   ;)