War Invasion of Ukraine News Megathread - Thread is only for articles and discussion of articles, general discussion thread is still in Happenings.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that the United States will impose sanctions “far beyond” the ones that the United States imposed in 2014 following the annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

“This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Biden said in a White House speech, signaling a shift in his administration’s position. “We will continue to escalate sanctions if Russia escalates,” he added.

Russian elites and their family members will also soon face sanctions, Biden said, adding that “Russia will pay an even steeper price” if Moscow decides to push forward into Ukraine. Two Russian banks and Russian sovereign debt will also be sanctioned, he said.

Also in his speech, Biden said he would send more U.S. troops to the Baltic states as a defensive measure to strengthen NATO’s position in the area.

Russia shares a border with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

A day earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to go into the separatist Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine after a lengthy speech in which he recognized the two regions’ independence.

Western powers decried the move and began to slap sanctions on certain Russian individuals, while Germany announced it would halt plans to go ahead with the Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

At home, Biden is facing bipartisan pressure to take more extensive actions against Russia following Putin’s decision. However, a recent poll showed that a majority of Americans believe that sending troops to Ukraine is a “bad idea,” and a slim minority believes it’s a good one.

All 27 European Union countries unanimously agreed on an initial list of sanctions targeting Russian authorities, said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, and EU foreign affairs head Josep Borell claimed the package “will hurt Russia … a lot.”

Earlier Tuesday, Borell asserted that Russian troops have already entered the Donbas region, which comprises Donetsk and Lugansk, which are under the control of pro-Russia groups since 2014.

And on Tuesday, the Russian Parliament approved a Putin-back plan to use military force outside of Russia’s borders as Putin further said that Russia confirmed it would recognize the expanded borders of Lugansk and Donetsk.

“We recognized the states,” the Russian president said. “That means we recognized all of their fundamental documents, including the constitution, where it is written that their [borders] are the territories at the time the two regions were part of Ukraine.”

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Putin said that Ukraine is “not interested in peaceful solutions” and that “every day, they are amassing troops in the Donbas.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday morning again downplayed the prospect of a Russian invasion and proclaimed: “There will be no war.”

“There will not be an all-out war against Ukraine, and there will not be a broad escalation from Russia. If there is, then we will put Ukraine on a war footing,” he said in a televised address.

The White House began to signal that they would shift their own position on whether it’s the start of an invasion.

“We think this is, yes, the beginning of an invasion, Russia’s latest invasion into Ukraine,” said Jon Finer, the White House deputy national security adviser in public remarks. “An invasion is an invasion and that is what is underway.”

For weeks, Western governments have been claiming Moscow would invade its neighbor after Russia gathered some 150,000 troops along the countries’ borders. They alleged that the Kremlin would attempt to come up with a pretext to attack, while some officials on Monday said Putin’s speech recognizing the two regions was just that.

But Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Tuesday that Russia’s “latest invasion” of Ukraine is threatening stability in the region, but he asserted that Putin can “still avoid a full blown, tragic war of choice.”

Article

 

[The Tall Man]

Choosing to ignore propaganda is not ignorance.

information =/= propaganda

because they knew their people were being persecuted by the Nazis

persecution =/= genocide

Fiction is sometimes based on reality.

"based on"

It's in the fucking name.

That is about what I expect, reading headlines and forming strong opinions based on them.

Newsweek and US News and World Report, to even fucking CNN and the New York Times/New York Post.

So you like AP, consider diversifying.

But someone who considers a fictional movie that is "based on true events" a good source of information, isn't someone you should take too serious.

Bay of Pigs was a the US giving a bunch of surplus WWII gear to butthurt Cubans

You should read about Lansky and Cuba.

 

[Snekposter]

Russia was a slow roller in WWII, and I believe that is the case now; next spring they will throw in everything they've got with full mobilization.

Russia was hilariously dependent on Lend-Lease from the West to mobilize. Trucks, railroad rails, airplanes, explosives, raw materials such as iron, copper, and aluminum, tanks, halftracks, barbed wire... the list goes on and on.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lend-Lease#U.S._deliveries_to_the_Soviet_Union

Delivery was via the Arctic Convoys, the Persian Corridor, and the Pacific Route. The Arctic route was the shortest and most direct route for lend-lease aid to the USSR, though it was also the most dangerous as it involved sailing past German-occupied Norway. Some 3,964,000 tons of goods were shipped by the Arctic route; 7% was lost, while 93% arrived safely. This constituted some 23% of the total aid to the USSR during the war.

The Persian Corridor was the longest route, and was not fully operational until mid-1942. Thereafter it saw the passage of 4,160,000 tons of goods, 27% of the total.

The Pacific Route opened in August 1941, but was affected by the start of hostilities between Japan and the U.S.; after December 1941, only Soviet ships could be used, and, as Japan and the USSR observed a strict neutrality towards each other, only non-military goods could be transported. Nevertheless, some 8,244,000 tons of goods went by this route, 50% of the total.

In total, the U.S. deliveries to the USSR through Lend-Lease amounted to $11 billion in materials: over 400,000 jeeps and trucks; 12,000 armored vehicles (including 7,000 tanks, about 1,386 of which were M3 Lees and 4,102 M4 Shermans); 11,400 aircraft (of which 4,719 were Bell P-39 Airacobras, 3,414 were Douglas A-20 Havocs and 2,397 were Bell P-63 Kingcobras) and 1.75 million tons of food.

Roughly 17.5 million tons of military equipment, vehicles, industrial supplies, and food were shipped from the Western Hemisphere to the USSR, 94% coming from the US. For comparison, a total of 22 million tons landed in Europe to supply American forces from January 1942 to May 1945. It has been estimated that American deliveries to the USSR through the Persian Corridor alone were sufficient, by US Army standards, to maintain sixty combat divisions in the line.

Restrictions in the supply of weapons from the United States were mainly limited to heavy bombers. The United States did not provide them to the USSR when requested. For example, in the 4 Ottawa Protocol (July 1, 1944, to June 30, 1945) the USSR requested 240 B-17 bombers and 300 B-24 bombers, none of which were supplied. Heavy bombers had not been mentioned in previous protocols. The production of heavy bombers in the United States until 1945 amounted to more than 30,000. The USSR had only a very small number of heavy bombers in comparison. The sole modern heavy bomber the USSR had was the Petlyakov Pe-8, and it only had 27 of them at the start of the war, with fewer than 100 produced until 1945.

The United States delivered to the Soviet Union from October 1, 1941, to May 31, 1945, the following: 427,284 trucks, 13,303 combat vehicles, 35,170 motorcycles, 2,328 ordnance service vehicles, 2,670,371 tons of petroleum products (gasoline and oil) or 57.8 percent of the aviation fuel including nearly 90 percent of high-octane fuel used, 4,478,116 tons of foodstuffs (canned meats, sugar, flour, salt, etc.), 1,911 steam locomotives, 66 diesel locomotives, 9,920 flat cars, 1,000 dump cars, 120 tank cars, and 35 heavy machinery cars. Provided ordnance goods (ammunition, artillery shells, mines, assorted explosives) amounted to 53 percent of total domestic consumption. One item typical of many was a tire plant that was lifted bodily from the Ford Company's River Rouge Plant and transferred to the USSR. The 1947 money value of the supplies and services amounted to about $11 billion.

57.8% of their aviation fuel needs, and 53% of their total explosives expenditure, and almost four and a half million tons of food to make up for lost productivity.

That $11 billion is $127.7~ billion in 2020 money. No Lend-Lease and the Germans would have won. There are statements from Soviet leadership that attest to that.

Today [1963] some say the Allies didn't really help us ... But listen, one cannot deny that the Americans shipped over to us material without which we could not have equipped our armies held in reserve or been able to continue the war.

I would like to express my candid opinion about Stalin's views on whether the Red Army and the Soviet Union could have coped with Nazi Germany and survived the war without aid from the United States and Britain. First, I would like to tell about some remarks Stalin made and repeated several times when we were "discussing freely" among ourselves. He stated bluntly that if the United States had not helped us, we would not have won the war. If we had had to fight Nazi Germany one on one, we could not have stood up against Germany's pressure, and we would have lost the war. No one ever discussed this subject officially, and I don't think Stalin left any written evidence of his opinion, but I will state here that several times in conversations with me he noted that these were the actual circumstances. He never made a special point of holding a conversation on the subject, but when we were engaged in some kind of relaxed conversation, going over international questions of the past and present, and when we would return to the subject of the path we had traveled during the war, that is what he said. When I listened to his remarks, I was fully in agreement with him, and today I am even more so.

 

[LORD IMPERATOR]

information =/= propaganda

Your information is propaganda.

persecution =/= genocide

Genocide is one of the harshest forms of persecution.

"based on"

Yes. Based on. Like how the real-world Trojan War spawned fictional stories around it.

That is about what I expect, reading headlines and forming strong opinions based on them.

Not when they're sharing articles about cutting aid to Ukraine and Taiwan.

It's Time To Cut Zelensky and Ing-wen From the US Dole - Antiwar.com Original

As it pertains to the American public, Ukraine’s response to the Russian invasion can be summed up with two words: "Zelensky demands." To date, - Patrick MacFarlane for Antiwar.com Original

original.antiwar.com

So you like AP, consider diversifying.

Consider using sources that are worth a damn.

But someone who considers a fictional movie that is "based on true events" a good source of information, isn't someone you should take to serious.

No, I consider documentaries a good source of information. And most of them affirmed the same viewpoints on things like WW2 that you question.

 

[Snekposter]

No, I consider documentaries a good source of information. And most of them affirmed the same viewpoints on things like WW2 that you question.

Speaking of Hollywood bullshit though, I need to go give Inglorious Basterds a re-watch again soon. Its Tarantino's best movie in my opinion.

 

[LORD IMPERATOR]

Speaking of Hollywood bullshit though, I need to go give Inglorious Basterds a re-watch again soon. Its Tarantino's best movie in my opinion.

At least they actually beat up Nazis in that film, as opposed to what Russia is doing right now.

 

[Snekposter]

At least they actually beat up Nazis in that film, as opposed to what Russia is doing right now.

Good old Donny "Bear Jew" Donowitz...

 

[Ghostse]

I bet most of you don't know who this is and why he is significant.
View attachment 3748769

Wow, Gaben got old, holy shit.

To believe this you have to believe that the US had nothing at all to do with the 2014 coup in Ukraine. Do you believe that the US had nothing to do with the coup?

What coup? You mean the civilian protesters who made the corrupt Putin shill shit himself and run to Russia when they got sick of his shit? exactly like the shiftless faggot president of afghanistan did when the same thing happened to him?

My contention was with your casual dismissal of the suffering of the Germans.

You have been very civil so this is not meant in a mean way but your post suggests your opinion about WW2 is partially formed by Hollywood movies.

It's a pivotal point in many peoples mind "the good War" "it was necessary" and "it prevented more suffering than it caused", at least from the Allies side.
This idea is a complete propaganda fabrication.

You should at least watch the film if you can't be asked to read the book https://odysee.com/@KnowledgeBase:e/HELLSTORM-Documentary-2015-KYLE-HUNT:c

You should at least eat the peanuts out of my shit if you won't stop tard posting.

We're being as civil as you are being an intelligent & good poster and not a Vatnik 5th collumnist.

 

[Titos]

information =/= propaganda

Read The Screwtape Letters

Russia will always be gay, retarded, and the ultimate evil unless their population has an equivalent of The Enlightenment. The stain of faggotry from the commies will always exist. LARPing as their pre-commie imperial selves won't wash away the evil. Russia needs to realise it holds a unique place in geopolitical history and stop being a fag about it for once. Russia is like a 90 year old uncle reminding people he came in 3rd at a track meet. It's just fuckin sad.

 

[The Tall Man]

Your information is propaganda.

And https://antiwar.com/ said things you don't like
You obviously don't understand that propaganda doesn't mean information you personally disagree with.
It refers to centrally controlled and curated narrative.

And most of them affirmed the same viewpoints

a good indicator for propaganda, ironic isn't it.

Vatnik 5th collumnist.

anyone who doesn't agree with me is a Russian bot

Bay of Pigs was a the US giving a bunch of surplus WWII gear to butthurt Cubans (and then trolling them epically by withholding air support.)

sorry boy, but someone who unironically posts this is just a low information Nigger.

Russia will always be gay, retarded, and the ultimate evil unless their population has an equivalent of The Enlightenment. The stain of faggotry from the commies will always exist. LARPing as their pre-commie imperial selves won't wash away the evil. Russia needs to realise it holds a unique place in geopolitical history and stop being a fag about it for once. Russia is like a 90 year old uncle reminding people he came in 3rd at a track meet. It's just fuckin sad.

You not liking Russia doesn't make information and propaganda into the same thing.

 

[Die Dunkle Maus]

Yeah, Germany didn't have road-mobile rapid fire precision guided missile launchers.

Yeah, Russia didn't have nukes. What's your point?

I said "I think Russia is a slow roller, as in WWII". You see, I didn't claim that anything else was the same. Only that it takes them time to get their war machine going. I know military equipment has changed, the actors have changed, Russia is different, Germany isn't fighting Russia, they're not flying prop planes, and people have cell phones now, etc, okay? Jesus fucking Christ.

Source: [Dude trust me bro]

Brah, that's YOU.

I mean, IF their army is majorly destroyed, it should be easy to prove.

Oh... claims by Ukraine are NOT PROOF. Claims by "US Intel" are the exact opposite of proof. Claims by Russia are, of course, not proof. They all have incentives to deceive.

Maybe they're being on the level? That would be neat. There is a first time for everything.

I'm not claiming Russia is winning, I'm only saying the losses proven don't come CLOSE to demonstrating the best of their army has is gone.

 

[MS Paint Gigachad]

You are either to dumb to realize that Russia would never demilitarize or you know they wouldn't and just want war.

You are either to dumb to realize that Ukraine would never demilitarize (or otherwise cede to russian demands) or you know they wouldn't and just want war.

 

[SBG]

Try google, nothing extraordinary about it.
The usual neocon faggots have been talking about it ever since the orange revolution of 2004.

Here is a think piece by neocon witch Madeleine Albright gushing at the idea of sacrificing Ukrainians to inconvenience Putin.

Opinion | Putin Is Making a Historic Mistake

Instead of paving Russia’s path to greatness, invading Ukraine would ensure Mr. Putin’s infamy.

web.archive.org

All the US strategists/warmongers write articles and books you can just read them.
Straight from the horses mouth.
I recommend reading some of the PNAC papers they are enlightening.


Russia will not stop as long as a NATO partnership is on the table.
Anyone with a little information knows this.
The US defiantly knows this, Russia has stated this before the war. As stated before the US wants this war so they pressure Ukraine into not taking NATO membership of the table.
Ukraine would have to defy the US to get Russia to talk.

From what I see now, I only see this ending with Russia occupying UA.
No one will start nuclear war over Ukraine. (neocons are pretty crazy lets hope not that crazy)

It's logical behavior from the Russians.

Imagine a country near the US would enter into a defensive alliance with Russia to what length would the US go to stop them?
And now imagine it would share a direct border like Mexico.
This is not a moral justification but just an observation that it's predictable what the US would do, they would go to war with Mexico if they had reasonable suspicions that Mexico could station nuclear missiles at the US/Mexico border.

The same with Russia Without Crimea Russia naval access would be severely crippled and with UA becoming a NATO ally Russia would share a large border with a country that could potentially station nuclear weapons near its border.

If I would have to negotiate on the behalf of UA with Russia I know that I would have to promise that UA will never be a NATO partner.
I know otherwise any negotiation will fail.


Why should I take what you say serious?
This is the diffrence between you and a sane person.
I take no joy in Russians dying and I take no joy in Ukrainians dying.

But you have already dehumanized an entire people in your head.
You decided to be a psychopath.

So the diplomatic option is Russia continues its war until Ukraine says it won’t join a group to protect itself from being invaded? And it’s diplomatic to tear off chunks of the country?

Do you not get how retarded this shit sounds?

Just how subhuman do you picture Ukrainians that you think this is normal?

 

[Ghostse]

I know this is a very unpopular opinion, and many would say even stupid, but it's special because it's mine.

I still think Russia will win this war. This is a battle for survival for them also; not your average Russian so much, but Putin and those who support him know that if they do not succeed, they are dead.

Russia was a slow roller in WWII, and I believe that is the case now; next spring they will throw in everything they've got with full mobilization.

Its is very, very unlikely they will win. But never say never. The only way Russia wins this is the Eurocucks caving, pulling support and going back to suckling Putin's natural gas teat. Also a possibility America cucks first, but seems unlikely at this stage. The Ukrainians simply hate the Russians so much, as long as they have weapons they will fight.

Russia has enough people if they could get a training program stood up, they could hold what they have just by weight of numbers. But that's a long ways off. Its more likely people get tired of dead family members first.

I felt very much like you did for the first few months. And there is always room for Ukraine to make a serious fuck up that Russia can exploit. But as long as Ukraine is getting armed, they will eventually prevail. It'll just be more costly if Russia starts sending soldiers that have received actual training.

So unless Russia has a secret army of highly trained spetnaz forces equipped with hundreds of wunderwaffen T-14 tanks and stockpiled supplies, I don't think much is going to change aside from Ukraine needing more ammo.

tl;dr: Russia has those forces, but if Putin tries to deploy them on his GayOp his generals will frag him. Because they are smart, skilled, and well-connected they don't get spend on useless dick waving meatgrinders like this.

You had the "Z units" and air-assault units getting wasted in the early days of the war because they got duped by "Look, quick invasion Morty Dmitri. It'll be fun, 20 minutes - in and out". That's why, especially with the generals getting borschted, I believed at first this was Putin purposely fucking up as a way of cleaning house, because he was worried about a coup.
I thought Ukraine was being used to deplete some of the politically powerful units inside Russia, remove from untrustworthy generals by slipping the Yooks some GPS. I thought the Yooks were just doing better than expected, but it wasn't going to matter once the rest of the troops hit the ground.

Turns out, nope, Russia does just suck that bad.

I know you all keep saying Russia sent its best and it's over, but that's all it is. Just people like you parroting the same thing over and over, with no actual evidence to back up your claims other than the squawking.

Please, correct me if I'm wrong with PROOF of these huge losses, and evidence that all of Russia's best are dead and gone.

Ok now you lost me. Lol.

They are refurbing T-62s because they are out of tanks.
They are renegging on arms shipments.
Of their fleet's flagships got fucking sunk at sea. Another of their surface combatants got exploded in port.
Flights out Russia are costing $10,000 USD.

I don't know what more proof you need.

 

[Snekposter]

Read The Screwtape Letters

Russia will always be gay, retarded, and the ultimate evil unless their population has an equivalent of The Enlightenment. The stain of faggotry from the commies will always exist. LARPing as their pre-commie imperial selves won't wash away the evil. Russia needs to realise it holds a unique place in geopolitical history and stop being a fag about it for once. Russia is like a 90 year old uncle reminding people he came in 3rd at a track meet. It's just fuckin sad.

Russia isn't getting better. Ever. 400 years and counting of autocrat enforced alcoholism to destroy the people and pad their bank accounts has ruined whatever hope Russia ever had of being something other than shit. And funnily enough after Lenin smashed all of the vodka plants and bottles to free them from the cycle of addiction... Stalin started the distilleries back up for the same reason the Tzars ran them: money to the government and a population too crushed by addiction to do anything about their circumstances.

So the diplomatic option is Russia continues its war until Ukraine says it won’t join a group to protect itself from being invaded? And it’s diplomatic to tear off chunks of the country?

Do you not get how retarded this shit sounds?

Just how subhuman do you picture Ukrainians that you think this is normal?

"WAR BAD!" is all some people know how to repeat. And yeah, it is bad. Its horrendous. It is one of the most destructive, inhumane things that mankind has ever done to itself. But you know what? Sometimes the alternatives are even worse. Sometimes, some violence now can deter an even greater violence later. And I believe this is one of those times. That some violence now can deter Putin from reaching out to places beyond Ukraine. To Moldova, to Finland. And that in Ukraine's case, submitting to his rule is worse than the violence and destruction necessary for their freedom.

 

[MS Paint Gigachad]

I just like how "war bad" has become code for "Ukraine is the bad guy because they wouldnt surrender" even if russia started this shit

PS how do i say putin saying "ok ok fine, we'll respect the 2013 border" is also a diplomatic solution

 

[Ghostse]

And https://antiwar.com/ said things you don't like
You obviously don't understand that propaganda doesn't mean information you personally disagree with.
It refers to centrally controlled and curated narrative.

a good indicator for propaganda, ironic isn't it.


anyone who doesn't agree with me is a Russian bot

sorry boy, but someone who unironically posts this is just a low information Nigger.


You not liking Russia doesn't make information and propaganda into the same thing.

There's still peanuts in my shit, Newfag. Why haven't you eaten them all yet?

 

[Snekposter]

I just like how "war bad" has become code for "Ukraine is the bad guy because they wouldnt surrender" even if russia started this shit

PS how do i say putin saying "ok ok fine, we'll respect the 2013 border" is also a diplomatic solution

"Why are you making Russia do this to you? Just give in and all the pain will stop!"

 

[MS Paint Gigachad]

Basically @The Tall Man

 

[SBG]

"WAR BAD!" is all some people know how to repeat. And yeah, it is bad. Its horrendous. It is one of the most destructive, inhumane things that mankind has ever done to itself. But you know what? Sometimes the alternatives are even worse. Sometimes, some violence now can deter an even greater violence later. And I believe this is one of those times. That some violence now can deter Putin from reaching out to places beyond Ukraine. To Moldova, to Finland. And that in Ukraine's case, submitting to his rule is worse than the violence and destruction necessary for their freedom.

It all just feels like further evidence of how many people on the internet let their worldview be dominated by memes and soundbites as we get people trying to imitate anti-Iraq war activists from the early 00's, except this time around the invaders are the true victims.

 

[Die Dunkle Maus]

Its is very, very unlikely they will win. But never say never. The only way Russia wins this is the Eurocucks caving, pulling support and going back to suckling Putin's natural gas teat. Also a possibility America cucks first, but seems unlikely at this stage. The Ukrainians simply hate the Russians so much, as long as they have weapons they will fight.

Russia has enough people if they could get a training program stood up, they could hold what they have just by weight of numbers. But that's a long ways off. Its more likely people get tired of dead family members first.

I felt very much like you did for the first few months. And there is always room for Ukraine to make a serious fuck up that Russia can exploit. But as long as Ukraine is getting armed, they will eventually prevail. It'll just be more costly if Russia starts sending soldiers that have received actual training.


tl;dr: Russia has those forces, but if Putin tries to deploy them on his GayOp his generals will frag him. Because they are smart, skilled, and well-connected they don't get spend on useless dick waving meatgrinders like this.

You had the "Z units" and air-assault units getting wasted in the early days of the war because they got duped by "Look, quick invasion Morty Dmitri. It'll be fun, 20 minutes - in and out". That's why, especially with the generals getting borschted, I believed at first this was Putin purposely fucking up as a way of cleaning house, because he was worried about a coup.
I thought Ukraine was being used to deplete some of the politically powerful units inside Russia, remove from untrustworthy generals by slipping the Yooks some GPS. I thought the Yooks were just doing better than expected, but it wasn't going to matter once the rest of the troops hit the ground.

Turns out, nope, Russia does just suck that bad.

Their offensive was a cluster fuck, anybody who repeats that "Kyiv feint" line should be shot.

Putin has all the disadvantages that come with his kind of leadership style (for example, being surrounded by sycophants)... but this also comes with advantages, like it's much easier for a dictator to "clean house".

The game is over, it is do or die for them. They will fight like their lives depend on it, and I would wager the motor pool is on top of tire maintenance now. I could be wrong, I have absolutely zero inside information, and this comes from a firm belief that those in power are survivors and they'll do their best to stay alive.

Ok now you lost me. Lol.

They are refurbing T-62s because they are out of tanks.
They are renegging on arms shipments.
Of their fleet's flagships got fucking sunk at see. Another of their surface combatants got exploded in port.
Flights out Russia are costing $10,000 USD.

I don't know what more proof you need.

They should have THOUSANDS of more modern tanks left according to all sources (with 60 to 70% of their modern equipment remaining). They aren't running out of anything? I mean, they don't have a flagship, so, yeah. I'm not saying they haven't been severely bloodied, but don't count them out. Countries have come back to win the war after bigger losses.

Are they also getting rid of a lot of surplus crap? Hell yes, it's Russia! There's probably a squad of dip shits riding around on ponies waving cutlasses around, too. It's a big country.