the banner displayed by the incredibly brave people who protested the USSR’s invasion of Czechosolovakia in Red Square in 1968 - “To your freedom and ours.” Even braver when you know where the slogan originated (with Poles in Tsarist Warsaw showing their support for the Decembrist uprising in 1825).

For displaying this banner: Vadim Delaunay and Vladimir Dremlyuga were sentenced to three years in a penal colony. Victor Fainberg, who had his teeth knocked out during the arrest, did not appear in court but was sent to a psychiatric prison. Larisa Bogoraz was sentenced to four years of exile to a remote Siberian settlement in the Irkutsk Region. Konstantin Babitsky was sentenced to three years of exile. Pavel Litvinov was sentenced to five years' exile. Natalya Gorbanevskaya was released the same day but later sent to a psychiatric prison.

Thus the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it.

God bless you, Don, and God save Ukraine from Russian brutes.

Indeed! Growing up in the "Cold War", I have never trusted the Soviets, + really that is what they still are.

Thanks for posting the banner.

In all honesty, if FDR had taken the bit out of Patton's mouth + let him do what needed to be done, we would not be where we are today.

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
In all honesty, if FDR had taken the bit out of Patton's mouth + let him do what needed to be done, we would not be where we are today.

If you chose to be a world leader, and acted accordingly, this would not happen.

Instead, you got yourselves involved in make your own wars.

And lost every single one of them!

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
In all honesty, if FDR had taken the bit out of Patton's mouth + let him do what needed to be done, we would not be where we are today.

If you chose to be a world leader, and acted accordingly, this would not happen.

Instead, you got yourselves involved in make your own wars.

And lost every single one of them!

Russia doesn't have a great track record either. They got slaughtered in Afghanistan. Failed in Chechnya. Ukraine is about to bloody their nose too.

And then there is the UAE efforts in Yemen. Not exactly a success story there too. That led to bombings in the UAE.

I guess the modern world needs to respect others' sovereignty more.

Very true.

We should never have gone there.

I don’t like proxy wars.

quote:

Originally posted by DRG:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
In all honesty, if FDR had taken the bit out of Patton's mouth + let him do what needed to be done, we would not be where we are today.

If you chose to be a world leader, and acted accordingly, this would not happen.

Instead, you got yourselves involved in make your own wars.

And lost every single one of them!

Russia doesn't have a great track record either. They got slaughtered in Afghanistan. Failed in Chechnya. Ukraine is about to bloody their nose too.

And then there is the UAE efforts in Yemen. Not exactly a success story there too. That led to bombings in the UAE.

I guess the modern world needs to respect others' sovereignty more.

Yes, and also their own. But that gets painted as extreme nationalism these days.

Thanks, Don!

Well, it is what it is + hindsight is 20/20. Our best hopes are for more wisdom in the future. But frankly, with what we have in Washington right now, I am not confident. Might need to watch "Dr. Strangelove" again. Go down laughing or tongue in cheek anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
In all honesty, if FDR had taken the bit out of Patton's mouth + let him do what needed to be done, we would not be where we are today.

Spot on!