If the US and UK are making that suggestion, it would imply that things are not going well for Ukraine. They've already crossed the line by openly supplying Ukraine with money and equipment. Encouraging them to escalate is pretty close to the line of committing an act of war. The question is what will Putin do about it? The more concerning question is, what options does he have? Because he does not seem to have many, outside of the use of nukes. And while it seems totally counterproductive to use them, if Putin ever decides that he has nothing to lose...
TonusOH
JoinedPosts by TonusOH
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73
Ukraine - Nato - US crisis
by mikeflood indon't understand....but this crisis in ukraine seems to be getting out of control....i mean, everybody knows how to start a war..... by the way, as always, people at the borg are having a field day.....
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NO SUPPORT FOR EXJWS DRAFTED IN UKRAINE
by raymond frantz inhttps://youtu.be/ulan2hhagz8?si=jpedzunzb5o_6axd.
here’s a cautionary tale for anyone counting on past ties with jehovah’s witnesses to dodge conscription: they’ll throw you under the bus faster than you can say “conscientious objector.” a man in ukraine learned this the hard way after refusing military service and hoping his old religious connections would save him.
spoiler alert—they didn’t.
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TonusOH
SBF: The power of propaganda right there.
I don't see where the propaganda is in my statement. The war has gone on much longer than Russia anticipated, and it has come at a significant cost. Up to a million Russians have left the country, they have suffered far more casualties than expected, they have had to dip into their cash reserves and have suffered losses of materiel greater than expected.
How does the expected increase in economic growth (driven largely by wartime spending) render any of that as propaganda?
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lets imagine big A really does happen...
by stan livedeath inlets imagine the watchtower idea of armageddon really does happen in the next couple of years.... and afterwards jehovah says to the gb.
" right guys--ive done my part--its all over to you now.
see you again in 1000 years time ".
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TonusOH
Vidiot: Now, imagine them being given control of a small country tomorrow.
Any neighboring countries would be rubbing their hands with glee. No military, no weapons, just printing presses as far as the eye can see...
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NO SUPPORT FOR EXJWS DRAFTED IN UKRAINE
by raymond frantz inhttps://youtu.be/ulan2hhagz8?si=jpedzunzb5o_6axd.
here’s a cautionary tale for anyone counting on past ties with jehovah’s witnesses to dodge conscription: they’ll throw you under the bus faster than you can say “conscientious objector.” a man in ukraine learned this the hard way after refusing military service and hoping his old religious connections would save him.
spoiler alert—they didn’t.
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TonusOH
I don't think US power is slipping. We still spend an insane amount of money to keep troops stationed around the world, and this has two effects. One, it means the US has troops just about everywhere. Two, many countries have relatively small military budgets and armed forces of their own, which would change drastically if the US took its ball and went home. US decline is, essentially, world decline.
Ukraine is in a vital position between Europe and Russia. It is a reliable point for launching a war in either direction, providing cover for the army holding it, while forcing the other side to funnel its forces. It also has a lot of fertile farmland and considerable oil and natural gas reserves. NATO would love to have Ukraine join it, as it would allow them to seriously reduce the threat from Russia. Russia would love to have it for exactly the opposite reason-- it would provide them a much more secure front and allow them to keep some pressure on NATO.
The problem for Russia is that the invasion has dragged on for far too long and cost them significantly. For the west, the invasion has worked out very well-- they are able to wear down Russia both militarily and economically, while leaving the fighting --and dying-- to Ukraine. I'm not sure there is a way out for Russia at this point. Even if they win, the cost of rebuilding Ukraine without western support would be overwhelming. And yet, a defeat or withdrawal would also be bad economically, as well as a political disaster.
I don't think it will lead to WW3. For the west, there is no reason to get any more involved than they already are, sending massive amounts of money and materiel to Ukraine and letting Russia wear itself out. For Russia, they are in a trap of their own making, and have no real option other than to keep going until they defeat Ukraine or run out of men and weapons. Perhaps, if Putin is removed, they will be able to end the war and put the blame on him, but it would still be a disaster for them.
I expect that politicians here will continue to gripe openly about it, but behind closed doors they are quite content to keep sending aid to Ukraine. Putin had hoped to restore some of the glory of the former Soviet Union and perhaps begin to rebuild the buffer between it and Europe. But that has backfired and the worst may still be to come.
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The HLC do not pressure JWs
by usualusername1 inthe hospital liaison committee (hlc) for jehovah’s witnesses does not pressure members to refuse blood transfusions.
rather, their role is to support jehovah’s witnesses in adhering to their pre-existing religious beliefs, which include a strict prohibition against accepting blood transfusions based on their interpretation of biblical scriptures.. jehovah’s witnesses are well-informed about their stance on blood from an early age, and refusing blood is a deeply ingrained religious conviction, not something imposed during a medical crisis.
the hlc’s purpose is to provide assistance in accessing bloodless treatment options, facilitating communication with healthcare providers, and helping ensure that the patient’s choices are respected.. while the hlc strongly supports adherence to the beliefs of jehovah’s witnesses, the ultimate decision remains with the individual.
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TonusOH
They have always worked to remove old literature from circulation, to avoid confusing people with "old light." They refer to some of the old policies in places like the Proclaimers book, where they can make it seem like less of an issue. If the rank-and-file could see the amount of changes over time, and how different it was in the period before the 1960s, they would be utterly flabbergasted.
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Do JWs believe Jesus is an angel?
by slimboyfat ini would suggest:.
the short answer is yes.. the longer answer is a qualified yes, with some caveats.
the short answer is yes because jehovah’s witnesses teach that jesus is michael the archangel, their leader, eldest and most powerful, and have taught this since the very beginning of the religion.
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TonusOH
peacefulpete: Is this page loading oddly for everyone else? The comment box is in the center of th page.
That usually happens if there is a formatting error in one of the previous comments. Like an open quote tag, for example.
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It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars (continued)
by Simon inuh oh, looks like the mega thread gave up the ghost, so while i investigate / fix it just continue the discussion here .... it's been a long 9 years lloyd evans / john cedars.
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TonusOH
"Partly this was because I went on holiday..."
Jesus Christ, dude. Reading the fucking room already!
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What if JWs voted in elections?
by Las Malvinas son Argentinas inall this political banter is exhausting, so i want to ask a question that has probably been asked before, so here it goes….
let’s try to keep this non-partisan - just give your opinion and why you think that way.. i’ll go first.
i think jws would generally lean to the right, but not by a whole lot.
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TonusOH
My mother would also vote Democrat, no question. She despises the GOP.
I think a large part of it is the right's deep affiliation with religious groups and organizations. My mother was studying with JWs in the late 1960s and was baptized in 1977. Not long after, Ronald Reagan became president and the Repuplican party openly courted religious organizations. For JWs, that meant the GOP was in bed with the whore of Babylon, false religion. By itself, this would have made it very unpalatable to vote Republican.
Also, we were poor and dependent on government programs. Reagan was famous for making an example of the "welfare queen" and promoting self-reliance and self-dependence. My mother was like many JWs, scraping by on low income and state handouts. Democrats were promising to protect those programs and even expand them; Republicans were complaining that those programs were already too generous.
In other words, it wasn't the entire party platform that JWs were voting for. Democrats support abortion, gay rights, and are seen as undermining religious authority. These all would be big red flags for a JW. But they also support welfare programs, broader health-care coverage, unions and worker's rights, progressive tax systems, and so on. All of these will appeal to low-income families, who wonder how they can be struggling so badly in the world's wealthiest country.
I could imagine her holding her nose as she voted Democrat. But she would just as soon cut off her own hand than vote Republican.
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Deadpool 3
by Vidiot inso, it’s gonna be a marvel studios production.. i’m holding out for the following titles:.
”deadpool: agent of shield”.
”deadpool v spider-man: dawn of bromance”.
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TonusOH
blondie: Maybe in a couple of years when it is free online.
It's owned by Disney now. The odds of ever seeing it for free are very small.
Then again, I'm just glad they let them make it without studio interference.
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JWlite can be the purple pill
by Teddnzo ini really like the red pill analogy in the matrix.
the one guy wishes he didn’t take the red pill and would have preferred to take the blue pill.. many used to be pimi which is the blue pill and then they wake up to the fact that the gb are not who they claim to be which is taking the red pill.. they go through conflict and confusion as to what to believe now?
does god exist?
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TonusOH
A couple already have.