@elaineg I'm not a Ukraine or NATO expert, but the short answer to why we don't want Ukraine in NATO is it could get us into a World War.
Perhaps more expert people could post about it here and no doubt some will argue in favor of admitting Ukraine to NATO.
The more complex answer from my viewpoint is (1) that we don't want to expand our military commitments. Do you want to send our American young men and women there to fight Russia? Are you willing to accept the possible consequences if it does morph to a world war? (2) If we accept Ukraine into NATO then Putin will see it as a military aggression against Russia and we give Putin the excuse he needs to invade Ukraine. (3) The agreement among NATO members is that acceptance into NATO must be unanimous. (4) there are non violent ways to stop Putin, namely serious economic sanctions that could, if we really wanted to, harm Russia's economy and that would harm Putin. But there are no actions we can take that aren't going to have repercussions here at home. So we'd better be willing to accept the consequences if we forge ahead.
I'm for diplomacy first and economic sanctions second.
So a few weeks ago I felt strongly that Russia was considering/planning cyber attacks to deter US OR in response to US sanctions- for Ukraine. Now I feel it could go 50/50 because Putin is getting blowback from Oligarchs. But I am feeling like some sort of attempt at a communication blackout - cutting Ukraine from rest of the world & possibly NATO Allies from one another… anyone else getting this?
Here is an article from Newsweek -stating US is preparing to defend from Russian cyber attacks related to the invasion of Ukraine:
From @journeywithme2
Here is an interesting viewpoint from Finland and their take on Putin.
Finland's President See Changes in Putin: 'It was a different kind of behavior.'
@jeanne-mayell The speech Putin made is available with translation online, but tuning into him - it was weird. There was a sense of panic, confusion, chaos. I think he is suffering from some sort of mental illness or dementia. This feels new. Has anyone else felt that?
I found a good like to the speech. Putin is long-winded, always has been, but he's not prone to rambling. He's stressed. https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/feb/21/russia-ukraine-news-latest-crisis-putin-biden-summit-kyiv-kiev-russian-invasion-threat-live-updates
I just watched the speech today and compared with a speech in 2018. He gained weight, and his eyes are more closed. His body language is not so energetic . He looks sick to me..
Scary times, I so hope that the Russian people or military will stop him...
@tbs I had a vision for March of Biden sitting at his desk as Munch's The Scream. So Biden will be quite helpless in March about what is going on. Now that the US Intelligence has found a list of ten Ukrainians on Putin's kill list, the heat is even more intense for Biden not to do anything.
I also got a message during a reading that in April Putin is done. Hope that timing is right and that it happens before anyone is harmed.
@jeanne-mayell Did you see 60 Minutes last night? They were investigating the microwave weapon that causes Havana Syndrome, and there have been people within the White House grounds that have been attacked by it. I really hope the White House security all around the grounds and nearby areas has been increased.
@pamp I saw it and it reminded me of the secret HAARP project that was happening in the 90s up in Alaska. Something to do with "waves" that could be used as weapons...and possibly influence the weather. I haven't thought about that in years.
I would think it will be a hard weapon to defend against. I sure hope they find out who is doing it.
@tbs he looks sick to me too, and still has those same dead eyes. His face is quite doughy. He "feels" desperate to me.Putin has "disappeared" people for years now. He comes out of the KGB. As monstrously as he has acted for years, he seems desperate to me.
There are many Ukranians within Russia, and Russians have family in the Ukraine so the entire populace does not support this military action.
I would think it will be a hard weapon to defend against. I sure hope they find out who is doing it.
The natural defense against microwaves is aluminum foil so a tin foil suit and tin foil hat could work. Sorry, I just couldn't help myself, but I do wonder if something along the lines of metal plates or metal mesh or threads woven into clothing could deflect the microwaves and prevent them from penetrating vulnerable places in the body (like the head and abdomen).
Microwaves are invisible to the human eye, but they can be detected by electronic sensors, so it also seems possible that a wearable "microwave detector / alarm" could be created to warn individuals they are being targeted.
I'm not sure the biggest issue is defending against such a weapon. It's more that anyone could be targeted and not everyone will be prepared with countermeasures. Certainly people in high risk positions might potentially have some options to consider.
I wonder of anyone is working on these or other countermeasures for such microwave weapons.
Interesting you bring up protective clothing. There are a lot of "shielding" products out there to protect from electromagnetic radiation (esp. to those sensitive to it), but not sure if they shield from microwave radiation. But I just found a Science Daily article that talks about some options for that:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201211115503.htm
Certainly folks are working on this as it is super interesting from a materials-science perspective and also security/health, etc.
I read story of Ukrainian Moms placing labels on their children’s clothing indicating their blood type. Praying safe passage for all.
I’m unable to find the first story. This one speaks similarly.
@stillnessnmind This is just heartbreaking. Prayers for all the innocent citizens just trying to live their lives.
@Coyote you are correct.
But you know Putin... he has this insane excuse that Ukraine has always belonged to Russia. The real reason he wants Ukraine and these other independent countries back is the natural resources these countries have. These resources can make Russia even more powerful and competitive with the rest of the world. There are vast amounts of lithium in Ukraine, for example.
"Ukraine possesses one of the largest lithium deposits in Europe with proved reserves and contingent resources. It is an ultralight metal used for manufacturing of cell phone batteries, computers and electric cars, glass and ceramics."
Two of the three biggest lithium mines in Ukraine are located in the eastern part of the country that has been already captured by Putin (Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk)
Although Ukraine is not mining its lithium right now, it also has,
"... extremely rich and complementary mineral resources in high concentrations and close proximity to each other. The country has abundant reserves of coal, iron ore, natural gas, manganese, salt, oil, graphite, sulfur, kaolin, titanium, nickel, magnesium, timber, and mercury."
So, it is not a case of belonging, it is a case of controlling the world economy. That is why NATO is also trying to defend Ukraine as if this country is one of its members.
And I think we should pray, meditate, have hope, and send positive energy, because if Putin gets what he wants, China will re-capture Taiwan, and even Iran will feel more emboldened...
Still, I believe that if we all put our minds together, things will not go Putin's way. Our positive energy is more powerful than a bully.