my real worries

So, here it is, 2022. Actually made it.

Being transgender, once worried me.
Waiting on GRS seemed like an impossible task to bear.
Enduring the insanity of the Trump years, it seemed like his shit would never end.

But, I made it.

Or did I.
Or did we.

China and the western Pacific shoving match, and lately the situation in Ukraine.
The cold war seemed safer.

We went to the brink over missiles in Cuba.
Why is anyone surprised that Russia isn't happy with Nato allies being crammed down his throat?

I'm not a fan of Russia, merely an expert in military history. And I lived through a lot of it.

I'm fucking scared.

Russia has a lot of hardware. Some of it is nuclear. China just needs the US to be just a bit distracted. India does not like China.

The LAST thing worrying me lately, is the opinions of under-educated fucking nutjob white Christians and their bullshit beliefs. I'm transgender, and I frankly couldn't give a single fuck over their inability to accept that adam and eve never existed. They can't give a decent reason to think God exists.

But I am worried that we just need just one regional conflict to pull the one last card out from under our precariously balanced society. We can't even friggin handle covid restrictions without losing our collective shit.
No, the truckers in Ottawa are not fucking heroes. They're morons. Don't applaud Canada for a handful of jerks. If they really had brains, they'd have just stayed home, and not delivered stuff. Watch TV until everyone noticed a lack of stuff on shelves everywhere.

If Russia and Nato butt heads, you better be ready for a lot worse than a vaccine mandate.

I agree with with you mostly Bunny, But in many ways I honestly don't think much has changed really. I'm minded of the Billy Joel song; 'We didn't light the fire'. He was referring to his time. Which many people simply don't remember. But not much has really changed.

We still live in interesting times. Your country Canada isn't usually in the headlines as a crazy outlier but your truckers prove otherwise. The proof really is that the authorities don't really know what to do. They're just not used to it.

The notion, they express is that Canada is some kind of oppressive regime simply a bizarre expression of their conspiracy driven paranoia.

As for Putin, he indeed isn't happy about NATO on his borders. An attack on NATO is WW3. He knows that. NATO is a defensive organisation. Attack one , attack all.

He like Russia of old likes to fling it's weight around in the slavic world. Ukraine knows that membership of NATO protects them from Russian imperialism. He does not for a minute think that NATO wants to invade, trade yes but that doesn't suit his old fashioned, semi CCCP world view.

There's literally no need for any of this but Putin is the last of the Soviet dictators. He needs a war in his mind.

The Russian people may think otherwise.

I have faith in the Russian people even if takes a pointless war to rouse them.

As I can see..., and I am no expert.... Ukraine will, because of the hoohah, never be a member of Nato now and the Russians know that this fuss is worth that.

So, I reason they will withdraw in the coming weeks.... fait accompli.

They may gamble a little, take back the eastern parts of Ukraine with Russian majority of population. I doubt Nato would do anything about that, would they?

Russian soldiers marching through Kiev. No, no, no..... WWIII is not coming.

Celia xx

There's a bit too much US meddling involved, a bit too much about oil/gas resources and what happens if Russia is unable to be the source.

The US never shows up if there is no money in it.

I'm concerned that this is the same shit that gets the US involved in the middle east, but they are nowhere to be found if there is no oil on the table like places in Africa.

I want Ukraine for Ukrainians. They don't want the west controlling them any more than they want Russia controlling them.

Lesley, I have to respectfully disagree. This is not about the USA. This is about Russia and Putin and his worldview. He knows  there is no threat to Russia from NATO. Except that it crimps his plans in Eastern  Europe. It's easy to  be cynical about the USA. But  we need to be cynical about  Russia.

Remember he is old school  KGB and the fall of the CCCP was a humiliation.

Tonight's events where he recognised the breakaway areas of the Ukraine as Russian is a prelude to war, in order to 'protect' them from  Ukrainian 'aggression'. It will be necessary to invade the Ukraine to  prevent  that, or so he'll spin it.

The 'west' has no design on controlling the Ukraine. Russia does. Putin wants it back and part  of the Russian empire.
Putin's own words tonight, '
Justifying his latest decision, Putin described Ukraine as an integral part of Russia's history and said eastern Ukraine was ancient Russian lands, adding he was confident Russians would support his decision'


Could  it be more obvious? I feel war is inevitable and if the US is guilty of anything it's it failure to  defend a sovereign  country except in rhetoric.

If Putin wins this moment. It becomes very dangerous. China is watching.

As I mentioned, no fan of Russia, merely a military history expert.

Russia lost millions in WW1, lost millions during the revolution, lost many millions during WW2.

Russia has no plans to fight on its own soil again. The Warsaw Pact was all about never again.

No, Poland doesn't like Russia. Nor does Ukraine. Nor do the Baltic countries. Ethnically Belarus doesn't either.

The US is fairly similar. The south half hates the north half. The Confederacy still hates the loss.

Canada has French vs, not French frictions.

There is nothing strange here.

Putin is merely expressing what is not shocking to anyone with a knowledge of the 20th century.
He wants to defend his position on someone else's soil with or without permission. Nato was to counter the Pact. The Pact is gone. Nato has no reason for existing.

If I could have a wish. Nato is dissolved and Europe is defended by Europeans for European reasons. I don't want Canadian troops over there. I don't want American assets there. I want French, German, Spanish, whatever European assets defending the region.

I don't think Putin would have a problem with Ukraine in the EU half as much as Ukraine in Nato.

The EU needs Russia and Russia needs the EU for the same reason the US needs Canada and Mexico. Major trading parties. Russia is not being weird making friends with China and India. They all border each other to an extent.

The US is going to regret a shoving match in this conflict.
China will jump the second it sees the match lit in Ukraine.
Taiwan will be attacked the second China sees the slightest opening.
China though has to be wary of India. They don't like each other.
The second China gets involved, they might lose control of a lot of Himalayan friction points.
Tibet is not considered Chinese by many.

If these militaries take the gloves off, Joe consumer around the world is in for a shock.
China makes most of our 'stuff'.
China owns a lot of debt.
Not sure how it would play out, but if China attacked me, I'd be inclined to tell them to cram their interest payments.
But no one is going to like their source of cheap goods disappearing.
No new iphone.

China is already feeling the effect of telling Aus they can't sell coal in China. The Chinese actually need that coal. But not selling the coal hurts the Aus. And all because the Aus PM said a few words Beijing didn't like.

If major chaos is possible over a few words, think what will happen if the tanks roll.

I buy models from an online store in Ukraine. I want them to remain independent. I want them to remain intact. I'd rather they were not being defended by Nato. Sure, sell them some gear for peanuts. But let them use them on their own. Their military is not bad actually.

They don't need the US military, Biden just needs to show up and sell them some gear.
Or just give them the shit.

Well, as predicted Putin invaded Ukraine. An action of historic stupidity.

Lesley, you said NATO is no longer needed. I'm sure NATO countries like Poland, the Baltic States, Czechs, Hungarians might beg to differ. I'm also sure other former USSR countries might wish they could join NATO.

Putin's Russia is threat to all of us now.

I think Europe for Euros, is better than Nato.

It's partly the name, and partly the dependency.

Nato = the US. Because it sure isn't Canada or Norway.

Can Canada divorce itself from the world? Canada is a European country in North America and the better for it. I read once that Canada was the USA when it grows up.

In Europe NATO is not the USA. NATO is a real defence against Russian aggression which is a real issue in countries who border Russia.

Without NATO Russian tanks could be parked on MY lawn.

Canada is far, far away. For most of Europe. Most Europeans are a couple of hours drive from Russia.

I too am a student of history and indeed an AFV modeller

Russia/Putin has used a historic paranoia to attack a small country who is no threat to Russia.

Actually Lesley, I think you must understand that. Certainly I have no desire to engage you in a ridiculous debate when in reality our views are similar

I'm pretty sure you agree that invading Ukraine is insane whatever the so called motivation.

Putin is a fascist, a Nazi by any standard. It's deeply ironic he equates democracy as fascism.
He wants to recreate the Russian empire as was before the USSR but but in the imperial era.

So many people don't realise that the USSR was not Russia but a number of countries occupied by Russia.

Once the USSR collapsed they became independent much to distress of people like Putin who are Imperialists.

The attack on the Ukraine is akin to Britain trying to reclaim India.

It's that bizarre.

Today at this time, I'm unsure of a lot of things.

I think being sooo far away might be part of the issue with isolationism.

Canada isn't in danger of being attacked, we have been over the years progressively bought out by corporations though.

I'm likely unable to say who exactly owns Canada and the US.

Last US election, was more about corporations deciding who won. Not quite a stolen win, but being outbid. And I see a lot of that in Canada.

I think Putin does indeed long for the Union. The Baltic states were bought by Stalin, he also got parts of Rumania and a dismembered Poland. East Germany was not an 'ally' nor was Czeck or Hungary. I recall the Hungarian uprising.

When Germany invaded in 41, they 'could' have freed Ukraine, but they were blinded by pure racist hate. Ukraine was never interested in being 'Russian'. Most of the Soviet Union was occupied regions that never had any choice. The Real Russia, is a bit of land west of the Urals, and a whole lot of wilderness east of the Urals. Most of Russia is more or less the same as most of Canada 100 miles from the US border. Not very inhabited. 30 minutes north of town from me, is mainly wilderness. Canada is mostly little towns barely worth noting on a map. North of the provinces, you are lucky to have any roads at all.

Most of Canada is impossible to invade on the ground. You can't drive to most of Canada.
It's likely why we ain't a US state. Leaving Canada alone and just trading with us is easier.

Indeed, Bunny, when the Nazis passed through Ukraine they were greeted as 'liberators'. They didn't know of their status as untermenshen. Many cooperated with the Germans unaware of their status in Nazi eyes.

That was then.

What's fascinating now is a piece on Sky News tonight where ethnic Russians in Ukraine are seen making Molotov cocktails to attack Russians, often women. The journalist was careful because he found it hard to believe.

Ukraine you see is a modern European liberal country, if not now but soon. The saw the EU as a path to prosperity and NATO as protection from occupation from an old enemy.

Now the people must flee to the free countries on their borders.

Putin is an anachronism, an old school dictator.

Tragic.

So, I got everything wrong, did I not...... the Russians did invade and that is beyond the Russian speaking areas of Ukraine. They are finding it hard going and now civilians are targeted quite a lot more. Ceasefires are lasting less than one hour....

I was heartbroken to see the father of a young baby rushing into hospital, his wife behind, with a dying baby in his arms..... awful. I hate anything like this and really don't know what the solution is anymore.

Hitler started like this..... the world watched on as he took the Rhineland Saarland, annexed Austria and rolled into Czechoslovakia at will. Then he turned on Poland and the World was at war. If, I say if, they had stood up to him earlier, things might have been different? who knows, we will never know.

Do we stand up now? I don't believe anyone will...... apart from shipping weaponry and implementing sanctions.... but, for the sake of the people of Ukraine and the rest of us all, I truly hope this ends well. Dead civilians is beyond the Pale.

Celia xx

Been seeing some 'interesting' news items.

Elon Musk, you likely know little of him.

He's more than the Tesla guy, more than the dude wanting to go to Mars.

He's not liked by Biden.
He's not liked by China, and he sure isn't liked by Putin.
But he's cool with the leader of Ukraine.

Putin shoots up the Ukraine infrastructure, Elon shows up and rebuilds it.
Russia tells the US they won't ship rocket motors, Elon says so what, I don't need them.
Russia implies the Space Station might not get supplied, Elon responds so what, I'll do it.
Biden has offered 17 billion to Ford and snubs Tesla. But in truth, Elon could likely buy Ford. He can at least offer more than 17 billion. Elon recently bought Mercedez Benz.

Biden is looking good for creating a lot of new jobs. Elon already employs 50 thousand American workers.

No, I'm not an Elon fan girl, but, I do like how he can do it his way, and not care what any government has to say about it. He can piss off Putin and Biden and China all on the same day, and not care.
So being a friend of Elon is quite smart.

Elon isn't the US government. If he wants Putin out, Putin might need to be concerned. Because he can flex muscles that Nato might have, but can't actually use, because of complicated politics.

The world of 2022, is a corporate world. Being called US Canadian British or Chinese might simply have little real value. China is staring into a massive real estate nightmare waiting to happen. Putin's being totally isolated. And the US is probably more run by billionaires than it is the two political parties.

he world of 2022, is a corporate world. Being called US Canadian British or Chinese might simply have little real value. China is staring into a massive real estate nightmare waiting to happen. Putin's being totally isolated. And the US is probably more run by billionaires than it is the two political parties.


That's the truth, putin living in the past has no idea. His young soldiers, many of whom are now burnt and mutilated corpses littering the streets of Ukraine. Two weeks ago they were young men who loved video games their phones and their Mamas and serving their country

Now they lie dead, their comrades are seen as Nazis. They are because they serve a monstrous fascist regime.

I saw a video of a Russian attackb helicopter shot down. On one level I saw fellow aviators die. But on another level felt satisfaction.. They couldn't murder anyone else. A good result.
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The news from Ukraine continues to put the scares into me.

Putin has said the nuclear word. Now the words chemical and biological are in the dialogue.

China is not happy that Putin has sent troubling ripples through the world of big money. China has some hefty real estate concerns and does not need any chaos.

I recently learned of how a lot of Canadian jobs are connected to a Russian oligarch out west.

Trump manages to continue to attract the lower end of the IQ spectrum of US citizenry. The world simply doesn't need that imbecile and his low IQ morons right now.

Part of me is sick and tired of being cooped up. And part of me wants to stay cooped up and hide from all of the crap.

I'm coming to the belief, that at least half or more of YouTube video content is intentionally mislabeled for clickbait reasons and that YouTube is really just a scam no one is trying to stop.
I've come to realize, if the title says 'Breakthrough' or is a channel name I can't identify, then in some way, it's just someone using YouTube to avoid getting a conventional job.