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Must we endlessly fund a war that is in stalemate and will continue to savagely end the lives of military and civilian alike? Otherwise, we are a bully? Is it in our interest to continue to run up debt, send overseas ammunition and hardware? To what end? And for how long? I remember wondering the same during Iraq and Afghanistan. Is this really America's permanent responsibility, for any country in the world?

It's quite remarkable the change in America over a couple decades. In the 90s, the left was solidly pro-free-speech and anti-war. Anti-war sometimes to a fault, even. Maybe aside from some censorship effort of rap and Mortal Kombat, you could count on the left to defend free speech at nearly any cost.

Now, it is the left that seems interested in doubling down on wars, without any plan for escape, and of "reigning in" speech deemed by some as harmful.

I'm not here to say correct or incorrect. Pick your own ice cream flavor. My point is that it's striking how much the parties have flipped 180 degrees (on some issues).



> Is it in our interest to continue to run up debt, send overseas ammunition and hardware?

Whose economy gets the money spent? If it's ours—and it is—then yes, it's obviously in our interest to continue to run up debt.


It's not great to ignore inflation and debt. There's a long list of failed governments who tried.


> and of "reigning in" speech deemed by some as harmful.

Can you cite any legislative efforts anywhere in the USA by any elected Democrat that limits, coerces or in anyway "reigns in" speech of any sort?



This is a defensive war. This is the lesson we learned when the world did nothing to stop Hitler's initial aggression. This is the moment of truth. Doing nothing is easy, it's the default. We now know the possible consequences and we've made our mind to not let that happen again. Have we learned nothing?


No one is saying you are a bully for wanting to end the war.

You are a bully for the disgusting way Trump and Vance just treated Zelenksy


And they way they are trying to bully Ukraine into a minerals agreement and rebuilding agreement to strip Ukraine of everything it has. Trump doesn't care about peace, he wants to make money


If the war ends, that is peace. Do you believe Ukraine will be better off financially by continuing the war, even if it is on America’s credit card? They will not flourish in the present state, however noble they believe the effort is. War is not fair.


Zelensky is an adult, a leader of a country, who has many lives in his hands. He is not a baby that needs to be coddled.


As opposed to Trump, who is an adult, a leader of a country, who has many lives in his hands, and behaves like a baby that needs to be coddled.


I’m a bully for how someone I don’t know treated someone else I don’t know, because he happens to be the head of state of the country I live in?


You, as in the country.


I am not a country. Nor are countries sentient beings with intentions; they are abstract entities. “We” didn’t bully anyone — one or two specific people did.


Read the parent comment.

> Must we endlessly fund a war that is in stalemate and will continue to savagely end the lives of military and civilian alike? Otherwise, we are a bully?


Yes. Democracy means we are culpable for what our leaders do.


That is a very expansive understanding of democracy that would, for example, imply that indiscriminately targeting civilians in a war is justifiable.


No, it doesn't.


Ukraine has lost massive amounts of lives, territory, and foreign funding under his leadership; Zelensky effectively has zero negotiating power.

Where are the voices that simply want the war to end so people stop dying? It’s easy to say bully this and ally that from the comfort of your office while hundreds of thousands of people die in a strip of land most “supporters” couldn’t point out on a map. At this point there’s a collective ego tied to the outcome more than there is any care for the actual people involved.


Some things are worth fighting for you quisling.


As long as someone else does the fighting, right? Last I checked, the majority of Ukrainians themselves want a quick end to the war.

[1]: https://news.gallup.com/poll/653495/half-ukrainians-quick-ne...


I want a million dollars. Very much!

That doesn't mean I'll accept your proposal to rob a bank.


What a dogshit poll. There were three options given:

1. Ukraine should continue fighting until it wins the war.

2. Ukraine should seek to negotiate an ending to the war as soon as possible.

3. Don't know/Refused.

"Ukraine should surrender unconditionally" and "Ukraine should negotiate permanent security guarantees" and "Ukraine should fight its way into a better negotiating position" are all in the same bucket. This is maliciously bad poll design.




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