"“For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.”
If you or I say those words, no matter how emphatically, they do not carry any undue weight because we are not in a position of great influence and power; we are not the President of the United States. Every syllable Joe Biden utters regarding Ukraine carries the utmost signi…
"“For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.”
If you or I say those words, no matter how emphatically, they do not carry any undue weight because we are not in a position of great influence and power; we are not the President of the United States. Every syllable Joe Biden utters regarding Ukraine carries the utmost significance and consequence. In this time of war, for Joe Biden and other world leaders, there can be no verbal gaffes or idle words. None.
Not idle words. A result of witnessing the pain and suffering of those he met with. Joe's heart got in the way, and he spoke those words from his heart.
“For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.”
"... A White House official clarified that “[t]he president’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region…. He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change.”
I marvel at the rush of the handlers to walk that back. Putin is a person threatening to use a nation's nuclear arsenal against ANY nation that opposes his invasion of a sovereign nation, who interferes in elections in a number of democracies, who imprisons legitimate opposition and who sends assassins into other sovereign nations to poison those who have opposed or offended him in his quest for absolute power.
Biden's statement is literally correct, and it is spot on.
However, it ultimately begs the world to restore international law so that those who do these things and commit war crimes are removed from power, hauled in front of an international criminal court and their reigns of terror against people and planet brought to an end.
The problem I see is that those handlers are trying to placate the oligarch and party operatives of their own nation and its particularly bad-acting allies who have been behind such actions themselves and made regime change into an art form. They would find themselves facing that court.
Illegal wars and Putin are symptoms of the breakdown of international law at a time when globalization made that more necessary than ever. The United Nations is now proven ineffective in preventing wholesale destruction, and it is headed down the extinction path of the League of Nations. What followed that extinction is something we do not want to repeat.
I read the article you reference and several others yesterday evening. I understand what you're saying and I agree that he was begging for a restoration of international law. IMHO, though, the line was delivered in a place and time where it could be radically interpreted by those aligned with Putin and acted upon in a most gruesome and violent manner. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of retaliation against the US. It frightens the hell out of me.
I completely agree with your last paragraph. We are in a very precarious place.
I am inclined to go with the structured application of the truth, softened by the public softening after-statement. What a person hears first sticks. Qualifications of that statement take more repetitions to modify what was heard first.
“Be careful of the words you speak. You never know which ones you’ll eat.”
Look at the elephant in the room. Would we risk large scale nuclear war to save the rape of a country with 44 million people? That's the question we are all dancing around. It's time to look deep inside ourselves and make peace with what we truly believe. Would you give your life for a Ukrainian you don't even know, by supporting a no fly zone, or sending well equipped NATO youth (yeah, most of the soldiers are under 30 years old) to fight in WWIII or a nuclear armageddon? That's what keeps me up at night.
Thanks. It was one of my darker moments. Maybe best not to have posted it. I think the intent of this forum is not so much deep philosophy and more present moment awareness. I'll try to keep a muzzle on. LOL
Did I say he was actually conquering anyone? NO. I said it would raise his resolve to conquer. He is not conquering but he is murdering civilians wholesale. He is destroying the infrastructure of a country. Giving Putin rhetorical fuel is like someone banging on a hornet's nestwith a stick then, running away to stand and watcheveryone else get stung from afar.
I'm tired. I don't have the will to argue with you about how you parse my comments unless you actually read and understand the context.
Erin. I've been on this page a good long time, since the beginning. If you don't want someone to respond to your comment and question your interpretation, likewise, keep mum. I was snippy, but I was civil to you. And, in fact, if you look at past posts this week I was one of the few who advocated strongly for civil discourse. It seems you have not read my prior posts or choose to ignore them. BTW you, too, are sitting on a mighty high horse this morning. Have a nice day.
"“For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.”
If you or I say those words, no matter how emphatically, they do not carry any undue weight because we are not in a position of great influence and power; we are not the President of the United States. Every syllable Joe Biden utters regarding Ukraine carries the utmost significance and consequence. In this time of war, for Joe Biden and other world leaders, there can be no verbal gaffes or idle words. None.
This speech was not a gaffe
Exactly. It was very well crafted (as was the 'walkback') and targeted. It was the green light for those opposing forces inside Russia to act.
Also, the subtle message to the financial world. "We'll keep twisting your screws until he is gone."
I clearly believe that it was not a gaffe
I did not get this from your reply. Glad to have read this. Disregard my earlier comment.
Not idle words. A result of witnessing the pain and suffering of those he met with. Joe's heart got in the way, and he spoke those words from his heart.
Pam, I do agree 100%. I only fear that his passion raised Putin's resolve to conquer several notches.
“For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.”
"... A White House official clarified that “[t]he president’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region…. He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change.”
I marvel at the rush of the handlers to walk that back. Putin is a person threatening to use a nation's nuclear arsenal against ANY nation that opposes his invasion of a sovereign nation, who interferes in elections in a number of democracies, who imprisons legitimate opposition and who sends assassins into other sovereign nations to poison those who have opposed or offended him in his quest for absolute power.
Biden's statement is literally correct, and it is spot on.
However, it ultimately begs the world to restore international law so that those who do these things and commit war crimes are removed from power, hauled in front of an international criminal court and their reigns of terror against people and planet brought to an end.
The problem I see is that those handlers are trying to placate the oligarch and party operatives of their own nation and its particularly bad-acting allies who have been behind such actions themselves and made regime change into an art form. They would find themselves facing that court.
Illegal wars and Putin are symptoms of the breakdown of international law at a time when globalization made that more necessary than ever. The United Nations is now proven ineffective in preventing wholesale destruction, and it is headed down the extinction path of the League of Nations. What followed that extinction is something we do not want to repeat.
I read the article you reference and several others yesterday evening. I understand what you're saying and I agree that he was begging for a restoration of international law. IMHO, though, the line was delivered in a place and time where it could be radically interpreted by those aligned with Putin and acted upon in a most gruesome and violent manner. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of retaliation against the US. It frightens the hell out of me.
I completely agree with your last paragraph. We are in a very precarious place.
I am inclined to go with the structured application of the truth, softened by the public softening after-statement. What a person hears first sticks. Qualifications of that statement take more repetitions to modify what was heard first.
“Be careful of the words you speak. You never know which ones you’ll eat.”
Like I said, he knew what he was saying & meant it. Too bad you disagree.
Look at the elephant in the room. Would we risk large scale nuclear war to save the rape of a country with 44 million people? That's the question we are all dancing around. It's time to look deep inside ourselves and make peace with what we truly believe. Would you give your life for a Ukrainian you don't even know, by supporting a no fly zone, or sending well equipped NATO youth (yeah, most of the soldiers are under 30 years old) to fight in WWIII or a nuclear armageddon? That's what keeps me up at night.
Thanks. It was one of my darker moments. Maybe best not to have posted it. I think the intent of this forum is not so much deep philosophy and more present moment awareness. I'll try to keep a muzzle on. LOL
Lisa, I am copying my reply to someone else because it applies here:
I do agree 100%. I only fear that his passion raised Putin's resolve to conquer several notches.
Did I say he was actually conquering anyone? NO. I said it would raise his resolve to conquer. He is not conquering but he is murdering civilians wholesale. He is destroying the infrastructure of a country. Giving Putin rhetorical fuel is like someone banging on a hornet's nestwith a stick then, running away to stand and watcheveryone else get stung from afar.
I'm tired. I don't have the will to argue with you about how you parse my comments unless you actually read and understand the context.
I don't think he needs fuel from anything else to ratchet up his actions
He's at a high level now. If only more of his people would protest. He would listen to that.
“This isn’t the place for you?”
Even if you were an appointed, LFAA moderator, your own tone/words/questioning would be wildly condescending, undeserved, and inappropriate.
No need for such, especially with this community’s most seasoned, invested, democratically action-oriented people like our dear Daria.
Erin. I've been on this page a good long time, since the beginning. If you don't want someone to respond to your comment and question your interpretation, likewise, keep mum. I was snippy, but I was civil to you. And, in fact, if you look at past posts this week I was one of the few who advocated strongly for civil discourse. It seems you have not read my prior posts or choose to ignore them. BTW you, too, are sitting on a mighty high horse this morning. Have a nice day.