Ted Rall for April 29, 2022

I think there’s one other difference: Intent.

What’s the exchange rate for rubles these days, Ted?

Since Ted hates America so much he should move to Moscow so he can kiss Putin’s butt in person.

The question I ask is "How does our hyperpartisan dysfunctional disproportionally represented winner-take-all “republic” differ from a tribal 3rd world nation on the verge of a civil war"?

And is this what we want other nations to emulate as the quintessential form of government?

America…the Police of the world…..on the other hand, looking at the big picture, do we want a war on our homeland? What side are you really on????

There’s more wussy cowards in AMERICA THAN YOU THINK! Always complaining, but yet, keep buying guns and ammo, waiting for the sky to fall….and electing the smooth talking scumbags….

Ok, so in your determination to magnify every reprehensible act that the US government is guilty of, by comparison the Russians aren’t so bad? Nice move. You make the conservative view on the subject look palatable.

Ted still getting paid by Russian state owned media outlet. Still spouting their lies and propaganda.

Why does Ted Rall repeatedly continue to echo Vladimir Putin’s talking points? To be sure, we shouldn’t be so close to Saudi Arabia. Except the alternative would be to the benefit of Iran. There is no easy or completely moral alternative. Maybe Jimmy Carter could have ensured the survival of the Shah of Iran? That bridge was burned long ago. There is no easy map through the present mine field.

After years of labeling some nations “occupied by heathens” it is acceptable to bomb them, doing God’s work after all. The good people of Ukraine have never been labeled thus, so bombing them is an outrage. /S

Once again, Mr. Rall, you hang that unapologetic mirror on the wall. I cannot imagine how devastating it must be to be on the receiving end of a U.S. bunker buster bomb.

I have condemned US imperialism and I condemn Russian imperialism.

Pulitzer Winner & Combat Journalist Chris Hedges provides facts for Ted’s cartoon in this article:“Rulers divide the world into worthy and unworthy victims, those we are allowed to pity, such as Ukrainians enduring the hell of modern warfare, and those whose suffering is minimized, dismissed, or ignored. The terror we and our allies carry out against Iraqi, Palestinian, Syrian, Libyan, Somali and Yemeni civilians is part of the regrettable cost of war. We, echoing the empty promises from Moscow, claim we do not target civilians. Rulers always paint their militaries as humane, there to serve and protect. Collateral damage happens, but it is regrettable. – Worthy and Unworthy Victimshttps://scheerpost.com/2022/03/07/chris-hedges-worthy-and-unworthy-victims/

Give it a rest Ted, no one takes you seriously anymore.

There are actually huge differences between the things being contrasted here. But both have similarly tragic results. The question of how bad the action was breaks people into two camps. Those who judge by intent and those who judge by result. I think it is important to consider both. Bad results don’t necessarily negate the intent. But Intent doesn’t absolve someone of the consequences of their actions. You have to take responsibility regardless of your intent. You have to own your actions or it is fair for others to question the quality of your character.

OK, Ted, I get it. Assassination of suspected terrorists by drone is morally questionable, especially when “collateral damage” is very likely if not certain. The Iraqi invasion was not only incredibly stupid but also morally indefensible. The genocide of native Americans, the practice of slavery and the horrors of the Jim Crow era left permanent stains on our society. I get it. No matter what we do right now our history, except in red states, will continue to show that we have never been as noble as some would like to think we are. But why does this lead to the conclusion that we should not condemn and attempt to stop the murder, rape, physical destruction of cities and mass deportations to remote areas of Russia currently ongoing in Ukraine? I’m 81. I’m not going to list my moral failings over those decades for fear of wearing out my keyboard, but do they dictate that I should not try to stop a kidnapping on the street?

spasibo

I’m not proud of our adventurism, but I don’t think the US has done anything like what the Russians are doing to Ukraine.

I went to the last anti-war protest in DC before the Iraq War (and yes that war was about seizing the world’s last under exploited oil), I remember a woman saying “that guy’s got a gun” and the image burned in my brain is of the Washington Monument at sunset, the sun just peaking out on the left side, and coming straight at me was a police helicopter and two police cars, within two minutes there were 50 cops on the guy. The continuity between Iraq and Ukraine is striking.

For whatever reason be it racism, a tendency to relate to those who are more like you, geopolitical rivalries, economics, anti-Russian animosity lingering from the cold war, the tendency to think that the really poor are inured to pain and suffering, or something else: the difference in news coverage of the war in Ukraine with similar conflicts in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, and Yemen is real and dramatic. A recent review of time spent on major TV news networks covering the first months of those conflicts with that of Ukraine found a difference measured in orders of magnitude.

Generalizations don’t help: “Russia”, “US” — It’s Putin and certain US leaders. I didn’t want the US to do a lot of the things we’ve done, and the Russians wouldn’t want Putin to do what they’re doing, if they only knew. Put names to all your atrocities. Who actually did it? Stop generalizing.

You know you are hitting pretty close to the mark when both the lefties and righties attack you. Sort of reminds me whenever Lindsay Graham and John McCain agreed on anything. You knew it had to be bullsh#t…

Things are breaking lucky for the USA this time: it dampens the national enthusiasm when American troops get killed, but in this war all we have to do is send over the weapons; then we can sit back and let the Ukrainians do the heavy lifting. No matter that some Ukrainians realize we’re making suckers out of them: their government knows how to deal with dissent.

Tell me, Ted… When did Ukraine attack Russia or any of its allies?

Aren’t you a patriot Rall?