Things are getting real

[Gemini]

We must understand that Russia will not let us go without an arse whooping if war breaks out. And vice versa.

So you think that if we're going to get involved with conflicts that have nothing to do with us, we should only do it when there is something for us to gain from it, and the other side can't do anything to really harm us?

That is the kind of sound strategic thinking that I can get behind  

Think about it for a second, man: The A-Team is on the run from the law for crimes they didn't commit. If they were to go around ACTUALLY shooting and killing people they'd just be adding murder or manslaughter charges that they'll have to deal with when they finally clear their names.

It's not that they can't hit anything, it's that they're DELIBERATELY MISSING.

OMG! It all makes sense now!   Thank you!

[Rogue9Volt]

What the hell is wrong with you? Do you hate freedom or something? You want the terrorists to win?

(Image removed from quote.) These colors don't run

'Murica, Fock Yeah.   

I just don't want my grandkids to be paying for a war that started nearly fifteen years ago.  I can't take my cig lighter on an airplane.  Terrorists already won.

[ReVo]

'Murica, Fock Yeah.   

I just don't want my grandkids to be paying for a war that started nearly fifteen years ago.  I can't take my cig lighter on an airplane.  Terrorists already won.

I should open a Kiosk in my local airport that sells nothing but disposable lighters and matches. (At ten bucks a pop)

[Slash27]

As bad as I feel for those folks... I hope we keep our noses outta this one...  We're still paying for the last one.

Too late for that.

[Brooke]

The Ukrainian people will be thrown under the bus for the sake of peace.

Hello Czechoslovakia 1939.

You'd better not do that, or else.
Putin:  Yeah . . . well, we just did that.  Now what are you going to do about it?
Uh . . . [mumble]
Putin:  What's that?  Speak up.
Uh . . . nothing, I guess.
Putin:  That's right.  You'll do nothing.

[Rogue9Volt]

I should open a Kiosk in my local airport that sells nothing but disposable lighters and matches. (At ten bucks a pop)

You'd make a killing...  Hell, I'd be your first customer.

Too late for that.

I imagine so.  At least DC has fallout shelters.. 

[USRanger]

The Ukrainian people will be thrown under the bus for the sake of peace.

Hello Czechoslovakia 1939.

Exactly.

[Nefarious]

[FLOOB]

Its the crimea. Russia, for the last few hundred years, thinks having a black sea fleet is kinda important and crimeans are russians who seem to want to be russians more than they want to be ukranians.. So this one sort of solves itself. Russia isnt going to give up her black sea navy so, yeah, get real.

[caldera]

I don't know if it's that simple,
As contemptible as the most recent regime has been, the reality of the situation is that when current Ukrainian state broke off from the USSR, they claimed a lot of areas that were majority Russian, and the people in those territories weren't all that pleased with it. Crimea has had a strong secessionist movement since 1991, and this has been reflected in special autonomy granted to Crimea and special status granted to Russian as a majority language.
When the Euromaidan protestors deposed Yanukovich, they may have gotten rid of what to the world looked like a corrupt ruler, but an elected one none the less, and one who many Russians in Ukraine, especially in the east and Crimea, felt was standing up for their rights. In attempts to distance itself from Russia and become closer to the EU, the current government has abolished laws just in the past few days which granted Russian special minority language status. On top of that, there actually have been clashes between pro-Russian and pro-European Ukrainians, especially in the east.

Ukraine is certainly not completely in the right here. A large portion of Crimeans do actually want to be part of Russia.  70%+ of Crimeans and 90% of those in Sevastopol speak primarily Russian.

While this is almost certainly just serving as an excuse for Putin to grab strategically important land in the Black Sea, the will of these citizens is still relevant.

Ours or theirs? 

[Blinder]

[sarcasm] No there is absolutely no oil or gas in Ukraine. Especially close to the Russian border... [/sarcasm]

http://ukrainian-energy.com/en/oil_gas_map

Gimme the important figures like how much is exported to the U.S.

That's still what matter's most. History proves it and the current situation reenforces it.

[Motherland]

Ours or theirs? 

everyone's

[Stampf]

The Ukrainian people will be thrown under the bus for the sake of peace.

Hello Czechoslovakia 1939.

Yep.  The Ukraine is in the unenviable position that Poland was in prior to world war 2.  They are the buffer zone between east and west.  Divided along racial and historical lines...if Russia so deems...they will suffer...and suffer badly...while the west looks on.  What the heck is the US going to do about Russia occupying the Crimea or all of the greater  Ukraine for that matter?  Nothing.  Start WWIII over it.  No way in hades...unless insanity prevails.
  

[GScholz]

Gimme the important figures like how much is exported to the U.S.

That's still what matter's most. History proves it and the current situation reenforces it.

Irrelevant. The US imports oil mostly from Latin America and Canada. However, the price of oil is global so a crisis in any oil producing country will increase oil prices everywhere. If oil production in Ukraine gets disrupted the price of oil produced in Texas will increase.

[Stampf]

Irrelevant. The US imports oil mostly from Latin America and Canada. However, the price of oil is global so a crisis in any oil producing country will increase oil prices everywhere. If oil production in Ukraine gets disrupted the price of oil produced in Texas will increase.

That is correct.