What is Riley Gaines hiding? We investigated…

[Brewdug]

This podcast appeared in my feed today via an affiliated show… I know it is naive but it’s still hard to believe how blinkered - and unbearably smug the US liberal wing is on this. This is rubbish ( from the ‘Center for Investigative Reporting’, which I now wouldn’t trust to tell me if it was raining), but still enlightening… wondered if anyone else had heard it.

A six month dig to discredit Gaines - we’re not supposed to notice that everyone they’re trying to gotcha in this won’t dignify any of it - that finds her hiding (spoiler alert) nothing?

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/reveal/id886009669?i=1000738472306

Ultimately though I don't think blame or in some ways even morality is a factor in this kind of international politics. If you border any country and enter a political alliance that the view as dangerous or an enemy you are courting a political or military response.

NATO isn't a club for people we like. It is a military alliance to secure stability in the member countries. That's all.

Well, they certainly can't join NATO now that Putin has marched troops in, that's for sure.

The view of those who lost relatives to the Holomodor and have every reason to distrust Russia and not want it in charge are just as legitimate. If there's a difference of opinion within Ukraine, that needs to be addressed peacefully and democratically. We didn't get peace in Northern Ireland until we pursued a democratic resolution, backed by a binding bilateral treaty.

As for US interference: the state of eastern European geopolitics means that there are two big boys with a gang each and everyone else might be lucky enough to choose which gang to join. As the kid who wasn't in anyone's gang, I can testify that not being in either gang means that both gangs beat you up. Ukraine's past experience with Holomodor and enforced Russification, which is arguably a form of genocide because it erases their culture, and their current experience of invasion and genocidal mass rape, makes them consider joining the US's gang to be the least-worst option.

And yet, despite disagreeing with the Morning Star on how to handle Ukraine, I agree with the Morning Star on sex-based rights.

👏👏 As someone whose grandfather escaped Soviet dictatorship in Poland, I strongly agree.

I do understand not wanting UK to get involved, but justifying Russia's actions is another matter

Well morality needs to feature somewhat at least!

Otoh, I see what you mean in practical terms about Russia. However, it's important to be clear that Putin is wildly exaggerating the threat NATO poses to Russia. NATO is defensive, it doesn't want to attack Russia, which would be madness anyway. If Putin stopped trying to get former USSR territories back and allying with hostile powers lile China, Iran and N Korea, NATO would not view him as a military enemy.

Most of Ukraine do NOT want that. Plus a lot of Russians were deliberately moved to the border areas by Putin for that purpose.

A minority in a border area should be allowed to decide of enough in that area want to go, but is this really the case?

Comparing US intervention to Russia is apples to oranges. The US, for all its errors, at least pays lip service to human rights, and does have democracy. Russia does neither. Intervention in Iraq or Afghanistan is not culturally comparable.

It's interesting your friends apparently prioritise ethnic pride over democracy and respect for the human dignity. Compare to Hong Kong, who are culturally very distinct from Britain, but prefer to remain under democracy

I never said most of Ukraine wanted anything. I said there is a Russian segment that wanted Russian involvement - especially in Crimea.

As for American involvement - do you think Iran is a beacon of democracy and human rights?

I see- thank you for clarifying.

I explicitly said that I was referring to the US having a valid democracy and a tradition of supporting that, however imperfectly. Russia does not. And culturally, Ukraine, however imperfect its democracy, clearly has a stronger one than Iran, Iraq or Afghanistan, so US intervention there has more hope. No, I don't think US should involve their own troops.

I see- I thought you were supporting their position, sorry for the misunderstanding.

Most of Ukraine do NOT want that. Plus a lot of Russians were deliberately moved to the border areas by Putin for that purpose.

I think a lot of people forget about the internal mass deportations under Stalin as well. Finnic people moved out of the Kola Peninsula, Ukrainians moved out of Ukraine, and others that I don't recall the names of right this second. Ethnic Russians were moved in to replace them. All to try to stop the different republics within the USSR from revolting and breaking away. I had hoped that a post-Gorbachev Russia would have stopped this nonsense, but apparently Putin's apple didn't fall far from Stalin's tree.

Compare to Hong Kong, who are culturally very distinct from Britain, but prefer to remain under democracy

That's a point I like to remind the "colonialism is always bad" crowd of.

American intervention in Iran supporting a coup led to a revolution and the installation of an oppressive theocracy. (And not forgetting the impact of the UK in that region before that). My point was the outcome of American intervention are often not in line with their intentions. Like Afghanistan, and the Taliban taking over the power vacuum following the departure of Russia and America in 1980.

Oh I don't think it's about the threat that NATO poses directly. It's about a locus of control.

But I don't really see why he would want to stop allying with those other countries. How would that serve him? As much as it seems outside of the way we think about behaviour, countries like Russia or China are thinking in terms of control of resources, people, economies. Not some kind of respectful internationalist order.

I am not sure the west is really thinking that way either. Maybe they fool themselves they are. Apart from the Americans who are more pragmatic.

You think that allying with China, Iran, North Korea benefits Putin more than allying with the West would? I sort of see what you mean given how China is next door & rising economically-is that what you're thinking of?

I see what you mean but surely you don't think the West is on the same level morally as Russia and its allies?

Yes, 'peaceful international order' is often hypocrisy in the West. But still, we're not imposing dictatorship on own people and invading a peaceful neighbour (Ukraine- whatever NATO join attempt was, it was not an act of war), threatening democratic neighbours and imposing ever tighter dictatorship (China), keeping its citizens in even tighter and more violent dictatorship (North Korea) and subjugating its citizens to violent theocracy, plus supporting Hamas terrorists (Iran).

I get that, but I still don't think you can compare the situation Ukraine is in domestically to Iran etc. There's no fundamentalist religious movement akin to those countries, for one.

I like Gorbachev but I think he himself may have been supportive of Russian ownership of Ukraine, if not going so far as to support war.

I suppose the issue is that both Riley Gaines’ and, increasingly, Glinner’s version of ‘true’ is the Trumpian definition of ‘true’. Perhaps not everyone has your discernment to sift their opinion from fact.

Men not being women and not being eligible for women’s sport is true no matter what anyone claims. What have they said that isn’t “true”

The pathetic ongoing purity spiral attempt is so trite.

Tbf, Hong Kong was colonised in an exceptional way. There was little attempt to impose British culture except in legal & governmental realms, and financially a lot of Hong Kongers benefited, as well as being allowed to participate more or less equally in running the island. Thus, it didn't incude most of the factors which caused such bitterness in other colonies.
If other colonies had been run in a similar way, would the Empire have been better for everyone? Of course there were other reasons it was run differently.