Jubilant Scenes as Ukraine Retakes Kherson - Prez. Zelensky compares to D-Day

You think that the Russians and the Chinese don't abort babies? It's not a western phenomenon it's worldwide. The point has little anyway to do with Russian indiscriminate bombing.

 

Yes, it’s worldwide. But don’t you see the connection? It’s the culture of death. St John Paul II

 

There is a fundamental roadblock to an objective conversation here on the Forum concerning at least the War. It is just a fact of life. We bring to the table opinions that are formed after listening to the news sources we prefer to trust. I'm not sure what to do about it. I believe each of us seek objectivity, but each of us tend to re-enforce convictions previously held. Usually it is only after long-term consequences materialize that any of us can claim the higher ground. For instance, I've heard one insider claim that the success of an upcoming offensive by the Russians is virtually guaranteed (apart from nuclear retaliation) because the massive casualties among Ukrainian forces thus far have been hidden. Who has heard this?

Is it true or false? Only time will tell.

What we ultimately must do is beg the Lord's Mercy to contravene His Arm of Justice because I believe no side can claim the moral high ground. And I urge that we to some degree add fasting to our personal regimen in crying out to the Lord. I am primarily speaking to myself in this regard. Let us go gentle on one another.

As Jesus commands, "Love one another as I have loved you!"

Lord have Mercy!

 

Carol,

I will place you in the care of the Two Hearts!

 

Welcome MetAn. You certainly live in a locale fraught with oppression by the communist regime. I trust you love the good Cardinal Zen as I do. Perhaps you have even lost loved ones during the struggles of the last few years. I look forward to your thoughts.

The Lord promises in Jeremiah 31: I have loved you with an everlasting love and am constant in my affection toward you!

 

I appreciate your post, Mario. I am not seeing this as a struggle to claim the moral high ground, however.
Padraig posted on another thread that for every abortion, there would be a death elsewhere by violence, if I am remembering correctly. Lord have mercy. The culture of death.
And you are correct, prayer and fasting…

 

I think that the Russia’s success of a massive offensive is probably very good now because it appears that many Ukrainians have had to evacuate their country due to the power outages that Russia created.

Personally, I don’t like to get involved in debates about Putin’s character vs Zelensky’s character. I feel that I’m not qualified to know if either of these men are good people. Furthermore, I wouldn’t want to be judged by Biden’s character just because I am an American . Iow, I think that both Russia and Ukraine are probably similar to here and there are a lot of good people in both of those countries regardless of whether or not their leaders are in fact good people or not.

 

This all reminds me of Monty Python. The media and Zelensky are in denial. Which country is getting bombed?

 

The leaders of these countries definitely don't define the people. Yes Biden is a good example.

 

Indeed, it's bizarre. Tragic and Bizarre. Zelensky has done his country a terrible disservice. All this empty praise about Ukrainian bravery by Western leaders hiding behind those young Ukrainian men being sent to die on the battlefield. For what? I'll bet that none of them have shares in Raytheon or any of the other weapons manufacturers making billions from this war. What's left of their country will never be truly independent. Ukraine will be the front line for as long as NATO and Russia are at odds with each other - a permanent vassal state with millions of their people spread throughout Europe and other Western countries. There are no winners in this but ordinary Ukrainians are the biggest losers.

Zelensky making statements about no peace until they win back all territory indicates that the long term plan is to keep it on a war footing forever. I don't think anyone believes that Russia will ever give up Crimea. Putin wasn't as quick to take the other regions into Russia but he made sure to secure Crimea rather than risk losing the Russian port there. So, even if there's a settlement, Crimea will always be a bone of contention. Ongoing terrorist type attacks in whatever territory the Russians hold or in Russia itself look to be on the cards. That, coupled with ethnic tensions and separatist movements being stirred up in other regions of Russia seems to be the long term goal - dismantling the Russian Federation. European countries will be investing in fancy weaponry for the foreseeable future. If that's the plan being sold to the Ukrainian leadership, I hope they've taken into account that both sides can use such tactics. I'm sure there's no shortage of semtex in Russia and no shortage of people who can be persuaded to use it.

Neither side is good. This war could have been avoided. Russia's errors have long since been spread around the world. Sr. Lucia said that Satan's aim was to destroy marriage and the family. In the cold war days, it was mostly Communist sympathisers who pushed against traditional family values. The gender stuff was the line they wouldn't cross in the Russian homeland, That line has been crossed in the West. Sadly, there are people in the West who believe that Putin will somehow save us from this terrible destruction of the family (the lynchpin of any stable society). I think that those people are wrong because Putin only cares about Russia. Europe is banjaxed no matter which side prevails in this war. And we brought it on ourselves.

 

The strictly government-controlled Russian TV's 'news' services have recently interviewed a series of 'clairvoyants' about the outcome of the 'special operation'. Unsurprisingly, they are unanimous in their prognostications, Russia will be victorious, all will be well. This in a nominally Christian country but in which only 17% consider themselves committed to any religious belief. When a modern 'government' needs to call on the services of witches to try to improve the public's mood, then things are really going awry. Putin is now literally fighting for his life with other people's blood.

When Putin announced to the Russian public on TV that the 'special operation' had begun, he gave various undertakings: 1) that only professional and contracted soldiers would be involved 2) that there would be no mobilisation and 3) that any western sanctions would soon be lifted because of their need for Russian oil and gas. |He also said that no territorial claims were involved and that the purpose was only to 'de-nazify' and 'pacify' the country (but now says that he does not seek regime change and wants negotiations!).

Putin was shown in the last few days, hosting and sympathising with 'bereaved mothers' of soldiers. The 17 participants in this charade have been identified as Putin supporters or the wives of civil servants only one of whom actually has a son in the army and who is still very much alive. The law is to be extended on 1st December to threaten the genuine mothers of soldiers at the front with prison if they openly protest as they have been doing. The mothers' protests have been against the use of conscripts and mobilised men at the front, the dire lack of even basic training and equipment, they also claim that they are not being fed regularly or supplied with safe water, commanders are frequently abandoning untrained men in the face of the enemy and the failure to pay the soldiers what they had been promised.

It is estimated that around 1 million people have left Russia since the war began. The initial cohort of an estimated 300,000 left to avoid the effect of sanctions on their lifestyle and careers and were mainly skilled IT or engineering specialists, then with mobilisation another cohort followed of an estimated 700,000. When you add this to the estimate of 70,000 dead and seriously wounded, Russia has an enormous problem. When the next round of mobilisation occurs, many more will follow. Some of these are conscientious objectors who do not wish to kill fellow slavs. Conscientious objection is permitted under Russian law but no successful claim to be a CO is known of in this conflict. The Russian economy is failing fast and, when the effects begin to be felt, Putin is in real trouble.

Here's the view of a Russian and an Orthodox believer who left Russia because he won't kill Ukrainians and has a family that he does not wish to be bereaved. He explains Putin's plan.

PUTIN'S PLAN FOR ATTACKING UKRAINE REVEALED | Finally The Truth Is Coming Out - YouTube

 

Poor Ukraine. No power in a Snow Freezing winter. It is not like Ireland, with no heat there they could well die.

Poor Ukraine, prayers.

War is so hideous and Brutal. I recall what General Sherman said about his march through Georgia, about how brutal it was, but that it was in the nature of war to be brutal.

Poor, poor people, prayers.

 

I think one of the things which has been coming into focus for me recently is the total failure of the 'enlightenment' notion that truth can be arrived at through logical argumentation. Truth can be defended through debate, but no one is capable of understanding without faith, even if one finds the correct arguments reasonable.