Hear, hear! Our moral compass is completely broken. I am reminded of the Mitt Romney [ugh…I just puked in my mouth] dog incident.
2 Likes
I have been thinking of Romney’s dog ever since I heard about this. It’s another reason you’d think Noem woulda known better than to mention it.
It IS funny, though: we can hear about hundreds of people dying, in a tornado, in an attack in war, whatever—without shedding a tear—but a picture or a report of ONE dead child—or dog—and we’re in tears. Is that a Western thing? In 3rd world countries where people have to step over dead animals and dead babies in the streets, I reckon people probably aren’t tender about either mass or individual death.
4 Likes
I didn’t take it as criticism. It was maybe a bit of a tirade so I apologize.
2 Likes
You mean to tell me that with the war, (Ukraine vs Russia), you don’t shed a tear?
Of course you do, I know I do.
I believe that it’s the western culture for the most part that feels remorse for something they had no part of inflicting upon another “being”.
Then again it could be a religious thing. I am not qualified to search or quote from other religions. But,
See Genesis 1:27-28
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
See: Proverbs 12:10
The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
Just another opinion…
3 Likes
Pertinent here is a quote - usually attributed to Stalin: “One death is a tragedy, a million deaths a statistic”. Even if he didn’t say it, it accurately characterizes the result and ethos of his rule.
3 Likes
I know this question was directed at Hypatia, but I’ll give you my answer anyway: No, I haven’t shed a single tear for Russia or Ukraine.
Now, perhaps by “shed a tear” you mean a metaphorical tear. I think that what’s being done in Ukraine is a manifestation of pure evil, primarily on the side of the United States (although the super-cynical side of me also suspects that this entire conflict is some kind of sick sideshow or form of mass manipulation where both America and Russia are playing their assigned roles willingly…in other words, there are no “good guys”) and the loss of life—primarily the slaughter of young, white males—doesn’t make me sad, it enrages me with anger.
5 Likes
I tried to point out that the warring nations are natural allies against the ongoing real, long-term, time-proven, regularly-repeated intent to conquer and mass murder all us infidels. This misdirection of our anger is politically useful to the present power structure. It cares not at all about our collective future.
5 Likes
Absolutely. I’m not the quickest study (as evidenced by my belief in “the system” for so long despite all the evidence—spanning decades—that indicate the contrary), but this fact has been made exceedingly clear to me over the past couple of years. I will never trust the government or the powers that be ever again.
4 Likes
#Me Too!
2 Likes
Good point, Civilwestman.
BlackPrince, I shed not a tear for either, Russia or Ukraine, rather I shed a tear for the men, the fathers, the husbands, the wives, the mothers, the children, not to forget what we started this discussion about, pets of those in the conflict region.
To move this down a different path, away from the original poster’s intent, is purely my mistake in choosing the “War” as an example. But to try and defend my poor choice of an example and to address your statement with my own, I continue.
As for the “manifestation of pure evil, primarily on the side of the United States”, I don’t think I need to remind you who invaded whom.
The United States along with the NATO nations seemingly has taken on the role of a crossing guard. Putin crossed over a border to conquer for the Mother Land as it was in days gone by. Many think his wanting to rebuild the Soviet Union is his goal. Long before the second world war, the Czars extended “Russia” to the east. Not by conquering peoples, but by subterfuge. They even extended into the Americas, Alaska, which Putin says he wants back.
I can’t say how the conquering mode of a certain class or type of Russians came about, but if some of the plans or statements were followed true and so called “Russia” was conquered, where would we be now?
For example, After WWII, General Patton was quoted as wanting to have a go at the Soviets, even wanting to rearm German troops and together with his Allied troops, attack the East!
Personally That would not have gone well. The people of “Russia” when up against a wall are a stubborn bunch.
Or, Operation Unthinkable was a code name of two related plans of a conflict between the Western Allies And the Soviet Union. Both were ordered by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1945 and developed by the British Armed Forces’ Joint Planning Staff at the end of World War II in Europe. I don’t think that would have gone well either.
The answer lies in a civil war. Something that may be coming. One that would break up or subdivide “Russia” into smaller independent states, preventing any future single man from doing what the Czars did or Putin is trying to do.
Again I am sorry I used that “War” as an example.
Back to the original post. We love our pets, sometimes more that we love people. To have the strength to end the life of someone we love to ease the pain and suffering takes a special type of person. And then we have the uncaring type, I don’t know if they have love at all. My one dog, Mya, a Shizu-Poodle mix was taken to a vet with bladder stones by her previous owner. They didn’t want to pay for the operation, not that they didn’t have the money, they just said put her down to the vet. He had them sign over the little dog and preformed the operation and offered it through a local pet adoption service. My late wife fell in love with the little girl dog. We adopted her and paid $300 that paid for the vet’s reduced fee for the operation. Back on track, One may say it is a deeper love to the ease the pain and put a pet down. I don’t know. What I do know is that if my pet was unconscious and not staring me in the eye, I maybe, maybe could do it. The pleading look in their eyes to “please help ease the pain”, is too hurtful for me to give them their final rest.
3 Likes
Sometimes euthanasia is the only way left to ease the pain. I’m not skilled with a firearm, so my way is to hold my companion of however many years while the vet administers the final pain relief. And be brave throughout so as not to frighten my friend. Tears after.
3 Likes
That was my understanding…I interpreted your use of the words “Russia” and “Ukraine” to mean its people.
No need to apologize…and I thought it was an appropriate example.
The reality of the situation is not that simple. If you haven’t done so already, I’d highly recommend watching some talks by John Mearsheimer (they’re available on YouTube) to get another perspective.
This is the mainstream view…I don’t buy it. You clearly see Putin and Russia as “the enemy” where as I see our (Western) leaders as the enemy.
No need to apologize at all.
3 Likes
It is rather unfortunate that the one border where Our Betters have no desire to act as a crossing guard is the US’s own southern border … with the northern border as a runner-up.
I have sometimes wondered – if French Canadians in Quebec had launched a military operation against English-speaking Canadians close to the US border, would the US have waited for 8 years and thousands of deaths before intervening to stop the slaughter (dare we say … “genocide”)?
If the Euros want to take on the role of crossing guard for the Ukraine, that is their business. The US has no role in protecting the sanctity of borders established by Stalin and Krushchev. The only interest of the US should be in maintaining working relations with Russia & China – two nations on which we have become critically dependent for materials and manufactured products.
6 Likes
One of those mysteries of WWII is why the English immediately tossed Churchill out of office as soon as the war was over? Wasn’t he the great war leader, after all?
A gentleman who lived through those times told me the real reason was that UK citizens were tired of war – they wanted peace, and they recognized that Churchill would not give it to them. The common belief was that Churchill wanted to continue the war by turning on the Soviet Union.
6 Likes
Growing up and for most of my adult life Churchill’s hero status had been sacrosanct. After being exposed to some “alternative” biographies, my opinion of Churchill has changed. To quote the man himself: “History is written by the Victors.”
5 Likes
I read the news while flying to Las Vegas. Even though I was in a public place, I hung my head down and hoped my friend didn’t notice the tears.
I am not anti-war, but I cannot take people being sent to their deaths for no good reason.
I have lived an unbelievably blessed life. I cannot count the blessings for they are to many. I have a poor memory, but I still have tons of stories. Stories that nobody except the participants really would enjoy.
I think about all these mostly young men and all the stories that will never happen. There better be a damned good reason because the vast majority of these young men’s stories are just as important as mine or anyone’s. Yes, there are some turds that the world won’t miss. I don’t subscribe to every life is precious.
One of my life’s blessing is that I was able to travel around the world. Spending a good deal of time in Asia and Europe. The vast majority of people are just like me. They want to contribute to society and have a wonderful life. I wonder how it is that we would ever want to go to war against each other?
I don’t necessarily think it is a different path. My post wasn’t really about dogs or how humans treat animals. It is about how we select our “leaders”.
I recently read a x tweet from George Papadopoulos with regard to his thought on Tulsi Gabbard as VP. His thought was “untested”. In what manner is George talking about? Is he talking about character? All these superficial talking points? Gravitas, untested, 3 am phone call, eloquent speaker or the potato’s recent I can make government work.
What about character? Has any one of these folks passed a character test? Will any of them ever take a personal sacrifice for doing the right thing? They aren’t untested, they have been tested and failed.
The character test is the only test that really matters to me. I want the 3 am phone call answered by someone with character. Sending young people to their death is the most important reason that we must demand character from our leaders.
If you hear some CEO or Senator say they made the tough decision and they are still in their job, they are probably a turd. It isn’t tough if it doesn’t cost you. That is the heart of virtue signaling.
Sending people to their deaths is the ultimate reason we need leaders with character.
Therefore, war isn’t really off topic.
The putting down of an animal is potentially a character test. Either Kristi did it as an emotional reaction such as anger or she did it for the right reason. In the prior she failed a character test and in the latter she passed a character test.
If it was the former and she admitted it was a mistake that would be a positive character attribution. Today nobody can admit a mistake. If it was the latter, given every pet owner should know how damned difficult it is to euthanize a pet, the reaction should be damn she was willing to take an emotional loss to do the right thing.
I wonder how it is that we would ever want to go to war against each other? The world is full of leaders that lack character. The leaders of the “free world” are certainly no exception.
4 Likes
I did cry for Ukraine, once. In 2018 we took a cruise on the Dneiper, retracing Catherine the Great’s progress from Kiev to Odessa. On the way back, we had to spend a night in Vienna. It was a lagniappe; some problem with the flights. But I liked Vienna that night, as I never really have before, maybe cuz I had never been there in Spring. It was a full moon , exactly the same luminous ivory as the floodlit white Habsburg-y buildings.
But that isn’t what I want to tell you.
we went to a concert at the Schoenbrun Place. Just a few musicians and two singers. When the music started, in that opulent venue, the contrast with what we’d seen in Ukraine was so great, the violins’ sharp keening pierced my heart like those arrows in Bernini’s St Theresa sculpture. I squeezed back tears.
I thought, Ukraine is like a drunken soldier reeling home from the front, singing and carefree in spite of his wounds. It will live! The people are young, beautiful, breeding. They don’t have much, nothing like the wanton luxury of the bejeweled old dowager Vienna. (We had been to operas in Kiev, too, and what stays with me is the lovely young women so happy in their finery, twittering like birds; I couldn’t Imagine how they could use the step toilets, with their slender stiletto heels! ) The streets were rough,the public toilets mephitic, the museums which housed artistic treasures, not air conditioned (AND you could still get up close and personal with the art! ) But the cities, Kiev and Odessa, were glorious. Odessa is—was—like, what if Atlantic City were in Paris?
And the people? Excited! Jubilant!
As the war progressed, I heard every few days of the destruction or a town we had visited: Dniepropetrovsk, Kherson, the Zaporozhne region; I had seen a world that now is no longer there.
I felt angry, incredulous.
But I didn’t cry again, not like I had that night when the violins played under the chandeliers in the palace in Vienna.
6 Likes
Sorry I have not been commenting or participating, things are a little bit hectic here.
I’m fostering / adopting two American Eskimo 7-month old monsters. Every time I sit down on my computer chair one or the other will leap onto the bed and start clawing at my shoulder. I still have to walk and take care of my two aging little ones, a Bichon Frisé and a Shizu-Poodle mix. 15.5 and 14 respectively.
I’m also trying to get a fence contractor to rebuild my fenced in back yard.
I’ll be back soon.
Gerry
7 Likes
Awww, Gerry, what gorgeous girls!
2 Likes