Scott
Verified User
I used to write lengthy essays myself until I found most people didn't read them. Essays are great when working on a master's degree, not so much on an Internet forum. Sorry, but while they are good practice for writers, they're mostly intellectual masturbation.As I've said elsewhere, I actually -agree- with Dutch Uncle on some subjects, and there we get along fine. However, when we don't agree, I tend to just get sound bites after writing essay length posts. It's discouraging, but I've found that this happens with a -lot- of posters here, so I've come to accept it.
I must admit that last line made me laugh

IMO, it's best to be clear, concise and to the point then back it up with a factual link from a reputable source. Most people will read the clear, concise and to the point bullet points. Hopefully a few, which is most often the intelligent and educated ones, will read the links.
At this point, what you've said previously comes into play- as soon as a reader encounters something they strongly disagree with, the reading will probably stop there. I'm even including myself here.
Example: Putin is getting his ass kicked in Ukraine but is in a quagmire.
And now all of what's been said above is put into practice. I don't agree with your assertion above, that is, that "Putin is getting his ass kicked" and so I'm already veering away from responding further. But I'll make an exception because you brought in an article, so here goes...
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, is in a pickle. And the Ukrainian Security Service put him there by launching a spectacular drone attack against several military airports and possibly destroying or damaging 41 planes.![]()
Russia Could Lose: Putin Has No Way Out of The Ukraine War
Following Ukraine's "Operation Spiderweb" drone strike that destroyed/damaged numerous Russian aircraft, Vladimir Putin faces a dilemma on how to retaliate without further undermining his authority or escalating too riskily.nationalsecurityjournal.org
Regardless of the tactical or strategic importance of the strikes and their implications for warfare, the Ukrainian attack is a personal and political embarrassment for Putin.
On the one hand, the brazenness of the attack undermines Putin’s legitimacy as Russia’s omniscient and omnipotent leader.
Who, but an incompetent, would permit such a disaster to happen on his watch?
On the other hand, the attack underscores the rottenness of Putin’s political and military systems.
The Ukrainians smuggled in over 100 drones, placed them in trucks driven by Russians who appear not to have known what they were transporting, and directed the whole operation from a site near a local Russian Security Service headquarters.
Clearly, a vast array of Russian officials weren’t doing their jobs.
The author of the above articles makes a slew of assertions that I haven't seen evidence for, starting with his opening assertion that Putin is "in a pickle". He also doesn't even mention what's already begun to happen- Russia is escalating its attacks on Ukraine and at least one Russian commentator has suggested that Ukraine's action is grounds for -nuclear- retaliation, since they targetted Russia's nuclear deterrence yet again in this attack. I just read 2 articles on where Russia goes from here that I thought were quite good in another thread. They can be seen here:
Just finished reading an article from the Voice from Russia site on all of this. The description of the site:
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Here's the link to the article:
voicefromrussia.ch
Quoting from the introduction and conclusion below:
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Operation “Spiderweb”: Ukrainian/NATO Attack on Russia: A new Pearl Harbor? Complete Escalation? Are the Lunatics back...
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Here's the link to the article:
Operation “Spiderweb”: Ukrainian/NATO Attack on Russia: A new Pearl Harbor? Complete Escalation? Are the Lunatics back? Facts and Analysis. - Voice from Russia
The Ukrainian attack on Russia is not what Western media claims. It is a PR campaign, planned by Western powers, executed by its proxy. We've done the research and we're presenting the facts and possible consequences.

Quoting from the introduction and conclusion below:
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Operation “Spiderweb”: Ukrainian/NATO Attack on Russia: A new Pearl Harbor? Complete Escalation? Are the Lunatics back...
Another interesting article, this one from author John Wight:
consortiumnews.com
Quoting from its introduction and conclusion:
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Russian President Vladimir Putin now finds himself at a monumental crossroads when it comes to his stewardship of Russia at a time when nuclear Armageddon has never been closer.
Ukraine’s devastatingly successful and audacious strike against Russia’s long-range strategic bomber aircraft stock marks a major inflection point in a conflict that evidences no sign of ending.
But let us not lose sight of the...

Russia at a Crossroads
Moscow's military campaign under Putin's leadership has focused on avoiding escalation, says John Wight. But Ukraine’s drone strike deep into Russian territory is a gauntlet thrown down. By John Wight Special to Consortium News Russian President Vladimir Putin now finds himself at a monumen

Quoting from its introduction and conclusion:
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Russian President Vladimir Putin now finds himself at a monumental crossroads when it comes to his stewardship of Russia at a time when nuclear Armageddon has never been closer.
Ukraine’s devastatingly successful and audacious strike against Russia’s long-range strategic bomber aircraft stock marks a major inflection point in a conflict that evidences no sign of ending.
But let us not lose sight of the...