Thank you for responding.

Try to understand that I live in a country much closer to Russia and its empire-expanding goals than the situation you are in. TheUSofA is not “totalitarian” — we have something more tricky and manipulative, but equally threatening and brutal.

(If literary references work for you — we are closer to Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New world” than the cliched Russian version of Orwell’s “1984” or Zamyatin’s “We”.

If I was in Russia I’d be speaking out against this invasion. Of course risking punishment. When the USofA was killing Vietnamese I faced the draft. I refused to even register for the draft. I faced prison. I spent a couple years underground.

Courage is not just picking up a gun and doing what you’re told — as thousands of my fellow young men did.

The USofA is fueling the war in your country and is getting the world to go along. They are very good at media control.

Censorship here: It is virtually impossible without serious computer skills to see any news from Russia - “state-media” or not. YouTube and others can pick and choose what is “mis-information” and block it. We are not allowed to decide for ourselves. And all of TV feeding millions only one way of looking at it.

As with every war, truth is hard to find.

I don’t assume I know your truths - do not assume you know mine. Our governments prefer we don’t know it - their job is to fuel a certain narrative to keep the war going.

I never “bragged with my deep knowledge”, but I do take a lot of time to try and get a picture beyond what is painted by my “state-controlled-media” - in this country that means corporate controlled—no room for dissent!

I hope you are not fooled that my government cares your “democracy” - we have overthrown many of those when we needed it. We’ve been in Ukraine planning and fueling this moment for a long time.

The videos of Lindsay Graham and John McCain visiting and pushing this war in 2016 exist.

Anyway —

My bigger picture about wars - gathered from 70 years on the planet — they are all fueled with lies from all sides.

Men start wars. Other men join it. They make arguments for it. It is a disease of masculinity. Nationalism and hyperbole and religion are all logs to throw on the fire.

When the atrocities happen (every country’s soldiers commit them - EVERY one!) they bring up the defense of children and women - and, as they fight, more and more and more women and children get killed, and lose fathers and brothers.

And in the end, the leaders, the wealthy go back to their comfortable lives. Every war, same results.

And in our time with the internet, millions of men sit at computers in safe spaces playing the war game in their heads, cheering on the ones fighting, calling them heroes, keep it going — to what real end?

What will this “freedom” look like. This “sovereignty” when thousands are dead?

You tell me I am “deeply wrong”, “no point to discuss” and you end with saying you “don’t ‘rly’ care what my point of view is”.

This is what social media conversations are like.

Long version of Twitter throwing stuff back and forth from our safe computers.

Not productive.

Except maybe, just possibly, if we are also looking at ourselves while we write this stuff.

Do what you feel the need to do. Go with your conscience.

I have to get back to the many battles with my government's lies. Keep an eye on yours.

AleXander