Noam Chomsky, 93, issues warning: 'We're approaching the most dangerous point in human history'

[Dayton3]

Several parts of the USG are some of the biggest problems on the planet.

Are you one of those that ascribes near legendary powers to the CIA?

 

[Grand Mal]

Only among the fanatical left is Noam Chomsky considered "one of the great thinkers of our time." To everyone else Noam Chomsky is an extreme leftist piece of shit and an anti-Semitic genocide denier. He holds the US to standards that he does not apply to any other nation. No wonder Democrat scum love him, he hates the US as much as they do.

Oh listen, the foulest mouth on DP is speaking.

 

[Atreus21]

In a recent interview with the NewStatesman (yes, a liberal publication, but scores high on factual integrity and reliability .... and an interview you can see for yourself), Noam Chomsky, one of the great thinkers of our time (not to be confused with the DP poster, who is a pretty thinker in his own right) argued that we are approaching the MOST dangerous point in human history. Just look at the standoff in Eastern Europe and think about how we have ignored climate change, and to find foundation for his concern. The cited article (and see YouTube below): https://www.newstatesman.com/encoun...ing-the-most-dangerous-point-in-human-history







Although he marches to a different beat, Noam Chomsky remains of the great thinkers of our time. It isn't necessary to agree with him, but he sufficiently versed and articulate on politics and the human condition that you should at least hear what he has to say. If you wish to dismiss it, have good reason to do so as he ain't no crackpot.

Anyone have thoughts on this (other than simply to dismiss Chomsky as a crackpot, which would be a rather sub-intellectual response)?

Okay wait. Not going to read it, not going to watch it:

He blames the United States. Right?

 

[Antiwar]

Only among the fanatical left is Noam Chomsky considered "one of the great thinkers of our time." To everyone else Noam Chomsky is an extreme leftist piece of shit and an anti-Semitic genocide denier. He holds the US to standards that he does not apply to any other nation. No wonder Democrat scum love him, he hates the US as much as they do.

Your assessment is vapid. Your comment history and political positions show as being far-right and/or right-libertarian, which is the most fanatical and least viable of any that pose as being reasonable.

Some of your language isn't just wrong, but is abrasive, which further weakens your commentary.

 

[NewfieMom]

Well, having read all the comments made by others, I'll make one. I do not think Noam Chomsky blamed the United States for the end of humankind. The only time he was critical of the United States was when, in my opinion, it was warranted. Recently there has been much brouhaha in political discourse about "democracy versus autocracy" with the United States featured as the shining example of democracy. Pointing out that the United States sponsored a few coups against legitimately elected governments, installing puppets it preferred is not only fair of Dr. Chomsky to do, but necessary if he is to maintain any credibility. My favorite example is probably the removal of Salvador Allende to replace him with the murderous Chilean junta led by Augusto Pinochet who made many Chilean people disappear and led the women of Chile to tell their stories in quilts, called arpilleras.

Forgive me for this slight diversion. I lived through the Allende assassination. I also own a huge arpillera handmade in Colombia, where the art spread from Chile.

I think Dr. Chomsky is right on target.

Arpilleras: Chile's Women Weave Tapestries of Truth

Protests and Chilean sweeping in the streets (Source: St. Lawrence University [Link]) A Brutal Regime In September 1973, months of political tensions in Chile culminated in the overthrow of a democratically elected government by a US-backed coup d’etat by Chilean military forces under Augusto...

www.gendersecurityproject.com

 

[Glitch]

The end of the sun was one of my two scenarios. What was wrong with the video?

500 million years into the future, while being the end of all complex life on Earth, is certainly not the end of the sun. The sun still has ~5.5 billion years left before it dies and becomes a white dwarf.

47 seconds into the video it states that "you are attracted to an atom a 1,000,000 light years away and vice versa." That is not even remotely true. Gravitational force uses the inverse-square law of universal gravitation, or as Newton defined it:

F = G * ((m1 * m2) / r^2)

The further an object is away from another object, the less gravitational influence they will have on each other. The sun's gravitational influence extends ~0.5 light years, which is the outer extent of the Oort Cloud.

At 2:02 in the video it references Scholz’s star and states that it passed through the Oort Cloud. It didn't not. The closest Scholz's star ever came to the sun was 0.8 light years. Well outside the Oort Cloud.

When referring to Gliese 710, he got most of the information right, but at 2:33 in the video he states that this star will become the brightest object in the night sky. That is also not even remotely correct. Humans can only see magnitudes of ~6 or less. Gliese 710 has an absolute magnitude of 8.2. Which means it will not be visible to humans at all, unless they are using something to aid their vision. It will also not pass our solar system for another 1,360,000 years. A bit more than just the million years referenced in the video.

 

[Glitch]

Your assessment is vapid. Your comment history and political positions show as being far-right and/or right-libertarian, which is the most fanatical and least viable of any that pose as being reasonable.

Some of your language isn't just wrong, but is abrasive, which further weakens your commentary.

I can assure you that I am no Libertarian. Libertarians are nothing more than closet anarchists. My assessment of Chomsky is spot on: Noam Chomsky is an anti-Semitic, Holocaust denying, leftist piece of shit. The lowest form of human life imaginable. No wonder you idolize him.

Chomsky’s Secret Letters to a Holocaust Denier | History News Network

historynewsnetwork.org

 

[Cardinal]

500 million years into the future, while being the end of all complex life on Earth, is certainly not the end of the sun. The sun still has ~5.5 billion years left before it dies and becomes a white dwarf.

Whether this is exactly true or not, the heart of my argument was that a MAJOR CHANGE in the sun itself would be one of the two conditions for ending earth as a life supporting biosphere. In other words, the kind of change that would have an impact far beyond anything we could do to it.

47 seconds into the video it states that "you are attracted to an atom a 1,000,000 light years away and vice versa." That is not even remotely true. Gravitational force uses the inverse-square law of universal gravitation, or as Newton defined it:

F = G * ((m1 * m2) / r^2)

The further an object is away from another object, the less gravitational influence they will have on each other. The sun's gravitational influence extends ~0.5 light years, which is the outer extent of the Oort Cloud.

The video doesn’t make a statement about the strength of gravity at that distance, only that the effect of gravity at that distance exists. And indeed, if gravity didn’t work at such distances, our solar system wouldn’t be in orbit around the center of our galaxy. And going past that, how far does gravity work anyway? Technically speaking, its reach appears to be infinite.

In any case, the video was merely making the point that gravity would be a factor in a plausible scenario for yanking earth out of its orbit from the sun and turning it into a rogue planet.

At 2:02 in the video it references Scholz’s star and states that it passed through the Oort Cloud. It didn't not. The closest Scholz's star ever came to the sun was 0.8 light years. Well outside the Oort Cloud.

The Oort Cloud extends from .0316 to 3.163 light years from the sun, well within the .8 light year claim.

When referring to Gliese 710, he got most of the information right, but at 2:33 in the video he states that this star will become the brightest object in the night sky. That is also not even remotely correct. Humans can only see magnitudes of ~6 or less. Gliese 710 has an absolute magnitude of 8.2. Which means it will not be visible to humans at all, unless they are using something to aid their vision.

8.2 what?

It will also not pass our solar system for another 1,360,000 years. A bit more than just the million years referenced in the video.

Well, 1.29 million years if you want to split hairs. But when stacked against the broader point of the video, which is a fun “what if” for kids, is this a really super important distinction?

 

[KevinKohler]

Eh.


I think the last ice age was the most dangerous point in human history.

Just saying.

 

[Antiwar]

I can assure you that I am no Libertarian. Libertarians are nothing more than closet anarchists.

You're a "real anarchist"?

My assessment of Chomsky is spot on: Noam Chomsky is an anti-Semitic, Holocaust denying, leftist piece of shit. The lowest form of human life imaginable. No wonder you idolize him.

Your link has a bogus link to the supposed original article. Your assessment is obviously wrong. In fact, what you're describing is the far-right "basket of deplorables" that idolize T****. Do you also idolize T****?

 

[Glitch]

Whether this is exactly true or not, the heart of my argument was that a MAJOR CHANGE in the sun itself would be one of the two conditions for ending earth as a life supporting biosphere. In other words, the kind of change that would have an impact far beyond anything we could do to it.

It isn't a "major change" in the sun. It is a minor (10%) increase in luminosity that will eventually kill all complex life on Earth.

The video doesn’t make a statement about the strength of gravity at that distance, only that the effect of gravity at that distance exists. And indeed, if gravity didn’t work at such distances, our solar system wouldn’t be in orbit around the center of our galaxy. And going past that, how far does gravity work anyway? Technically speaking, its reach appears to be infinite.

In any case, the video was merely making the point that gravity would be a factor in a plausible scenario for yanking earth out of its orbit from the sun and turning it into a rogue planet.

The video DOES make a statement about the strength of gravity, a completely wrong statement at that. The video flat out states: "you are attracted to an atom a 1,000,000 light years away and vice versa." Which is completely wrong. Only an ignorant child could believe such utter stupidity.

The Oort Cloud extends from .0316 to 3.163 light years from the sun, well within the .8 light year claim.

The Oort Cloud does not extend for light years, that is ridiculous. The Oort Cloud extends from 2,000 AU to between 20,000 and 30,000 AU, which translates to between 0.0316 light years to between 0.3163 and 0.4743 light years. Schulz's star passed by the solar system more than 50,000 AU (0.8 light years) away from the sun and did not pass through the Oort Cloud.

8.2 what?

Absolute magnitude. If the absolute magnitude of an object is above ~6 (which Gliese 710 is), then it is not visible to the unaided human eye. Which demonstrates yet another flaw in the video. The video claims Gliese 710 will be the brightest star in the night sky, and yet nobody will be able to see the star unaided.

Well, 1.29 million years if you want to split hairs. But when stacked against the broader point of the video, which is a fun “what if” for kids, is this a really super important distinction?

Also incorrect, 1.36 million years, not 1.29 or 1 million years like your bogus video claims.

No wonder you are so bad with science, considering the ignorant videos you chose.

 

[Glitch]

You're a "real anarchist"?



Your link has a bogus link to the supposed original article. Your assessment is obviously wrong. In fact, what you're describing is the far-right "basket of deplorables" that idolize T****. Do you also idolize T****?

View attachment 67385906

Are you a holocaust denier like Chomsky? Chomsky claimed that the Holocaust was "one of the major frauds of our time." He accused Holocaust survivor, Eli Wiesel, of being a NAZI collaborator. Accusing him of "exploiting the Holocaust to justify oppression and murder." The man is an anti-Semetic mentally-deranged leftist freak. No wonder you idolize such filth.

 

[Antiwar]

Are you a holocaust denier like Chomsky? Chomsky claimed that the Holocaust was "one of the major frauds of our time." He accused Holocaust survivor, Eli Wiesel, of being a NAZI collaborator. Accusing him of "exploiting the Holocaust to justify oppression and murder." The man is an anti-Semetic mentally-deranged leftist freak. No wonder you idolize such filth.

Instead of putting your energy into posting your absurd hatred, you should put a little into finding a credible source for that supposed quote. A little (nor a lot) probably won't do it, because I highly doubt that Noam Chomsky said anything even close to that.

 

[Cardinal]

It isn't a "major change" in the sun. It is a minor (10%) increase in luminosity that will eventually kill all complex life on Earth.

It’s not minor to us!

The video DOES make a statement about the strength of gravity, a completely wrong statement at that. The video flat out states: "you are attracted to an atom a 1,000,000 light years away and vice versa." Which is completely wrong. Only an ignorant child could believe such utter stupidity.

There’s no qualifier in that statement.

The Oort Cloud does not extend for light years, that is ridiculous. The Oort Cloud extends from 2,000 AU to between 20,000 and 30,000 AU, which translates to between 0.0316 light years to between 0.3163 and 0.4743 light years. Schulz's star passed by the solar system more than 50,000 AU (0.8 light years) away from the sun and did not pass through the Oort Cloud.

The Oort cloud (/ɔːrt, ʊərt/),[1] sometimes called the Öpik–Oort cloud,[2] first described in 1950 by the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort,[3] is a theoretical[4] concept of a cloud of predominantly icy planetesimalsproposed to surround the Sun at distances ranging from 2,000 to 200,000 AU (0.03 to 3.2 light-years).[note 1][5]

Oort cloud - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

NASA gives a lower estimate for the outer edge: 100,000au, or 1.58 light years.

Oort Cloud - NASA Science

Unlike the orbits of the planets and the Kuiper Belt, which lie mostly in the same flat disk around the Sun, the Oort Cloud is believed to be a giant spherical shell surrounding the rest of the solar system. It is like a big, thick-walled bubble made of icy pieces of space debris the sizes […]

solarsystem.nasa.gov

So once again, the video’s claim is accurate (or at the very least it’s fair).

Absolute magnitude. If the absolute magnitude of an object is above ~6 (which Gliese 710 is), then it is not visible to the unaided human eye. Which demonstrates yet another flaw in the video. The video claims Gliese 710 will be the brightest star in the night sky, and yet nobody will be able to see the star unaided.

I don’t know, you may be right. But based on everything else you’ve said I can’t be sure that you are.

Also incorrect, 1.36 million years, not 1.29 or 1 million years like your bogus video claims.

No wonder you are so bad with science, considering the ignorant videos you chose.

It was revised to 1.29 million. And besides, what difference does that make to the point of the video? It’s a science channel for kids who want to know the answers to kickass questions like What If The Moon Crashes Into The Earth? and What If We Blew Up All The Nuclear Bombs At Once? What difference does it make if they say Gliese 710 comes swinging through in a million years or 1.29 million years? It’s completely tangential to the point.

Gliese 710, or HIP 89825, is an orange 0.6 M☉ star in the constellation Serpens Cauda. It is projected to pass near the Sun in about 1.29 million years

Gliese 710 - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

According to new calculations, we may have a little less time to prepare for a star on course to kiss the edges of our Solar System.

Yep. Dwarf star Gliese 710, which we've known about for some time, could now arrive in 1.29 million years, instead of the previously calculated 1.36 million years.

A Rogue Star Hurtling Towards The Solar System Is Going to Arrive Sooner Than We Realised

According to new calculations, we may have a little less time to prepare for a star on course to kiss the edges of our Solar System.

www.sciencealert.com

 

[Cardinal]

Are you a holocaust denier like Chomsky? Chomsky claimed that the Holocaust was "one of the major frauds of our time." He accused Holocaust survivor, Eli Wiesel, of being a NAZI collaborator. Accusing him of "exploiting the Holocaust to justify oppression and murder." The man is an anti-Semetic mentally-deranged leftist freak. No wonder you idolize such filth.

Just out of curiosity where is this letter? You can’t see it in the link you provided.

 

[Glitch]

The Oort cloud (/ɔːrt, ʊərt/),[1] sometimes called...

Oort cloud - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Try citing a credible source next time.

NASA gives a lower estimate for the outer edge: 100,000au, or 1.58 light years.

Oort Cloud - NASA Science

Unlike the orbits of the planets and the Kuiper Belt, which lie mostly in the same flat disk around the Sun, the Oort Cloud is believed to be a giant spherical shell surrounding the rest of the solar system. It is like a big, thick-walled bubble made of icy pieces of space debris the sizes […]

solarsystem.nasa.gov

A much more credible source, but you misrepresent what NASA actually estimated the outer edge of the Oort Cloud. According to your own source, NASA states that the extent of the Oort Cloud "The outer edge might be 10,000 or even 100,000 AU from the Sun"

You, instead, chose to deliberately lie and omit the 10,000 AU distance estimate and only post the 100,000 AU estimate. While your source is credible, you are certainly not.

So once again, the video’s claim is accurate (or at the very least it’s fair).

No, it was flat out wrong in several areas. You simply lack the education to comprehend how badly this video missed the mark.

I don’t know, you may be right. But based on everything else you’ve said I can’t be sure that you are.



It was revised to 1.29 million. ...

Gliese 710 - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Once again, you are not citing a credible source.

Here is an example of a credible source, since you seem confused:

UBV(RI)CJHK observations of Hipparcos-selected nearby stars - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 403, Issue 4, Pages 1949–1968, April 2010.

According to the above source, Gliese 710 has an apparent magnitude of 9.656 and an absolute magnitude of 8.2. The star Sirus, for example, has an apparent magnitude of -1.46 and an absolute magnitude of +1.45. Which is why it is one of the brightest stars in the night sky.

If you count the number of stars inside the Great Square of Pegasus, for example, and see only two stars within the square, then you are seeing an apparent magnitude of 4.6 (and you probably need to get out of the city). If you can spot eight stars inside the Great Square of Pegasus, then you are seeing an apparent magnitude of 5.5. With 13 stars counted the apparent magnitude reaches 6.0 (which is the limit for most humans). If you could count 31 to 37 stars inside the Great Square on a dark, moonless night means an exceptionally good naked-eye limit of 6.5 apparent magnitude.

According to new calculations, we may have a little less time to prepare for a star on course to kiss the edges of our Solar System.

Yep. Dwarf star Gliese 710, which we've known about for some time, could now arrive in 1.29 million years, instead of the previously calculated 1.36 million years.

A Rogue Star Hurtling Towards The Solar System Is Going to Arrive Sooner Than We Realised

According to new calculations, we may have a little less time to prepare for a star on course to kiss the edges of our Solar System.

www.sciencealert.com

The article you cited states that the 1.29 million year figure has not yet had a final review (the date of your article is also 2018). The study on which this article is based had not yet been published when the article was written. Now if you could cite that mysterious study that they don't bother to name or reference in the article, assuming it has been published in the last 4 years, then you might have a good argument. In the meantime, I will stick with the most recent peer-reviewed source:

Gliese 710 will pass the Sun even closer - Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 595, November 2016 (free preprint)

The above peer-reviewed source says that Gliese 710 will not pass by the solar system for another 1.35 million years.

 

[PoS]

There is something really troubling about us being responsible for destroying all life on a planet. Killing a planet?
It's sick.

Chomsky is a critical thinker. They're often hard to listen to, but they tend to cut to the chase.

 

[Glitch]

Carlin does an excellent job exposing the hubris and abject arrogance that leftist filth repeatedly demonstrate with their "Save The Planet" mantra and "Earth Day" stupidity. He is absolutely correct, of course. There is nothing wrong with the planet. The problem lies with us, or more specifically, the arrogant deluded leftists who think humanity has anything to do with climate, either way.

 

[Rexedgar]

Carlin does an excellent job exposing the hubris and abject arrogance that leftist filth repeatedly demonstrate with their "Save The Planet" mantra and "Earth Day" stupidity. He is absolutely correct, of course. There is nothing wrong with the planet. The problem lies with us, or more specifically, the arrogant deluded leftists who think humanity has anything to do with climate, either way.

Nothing to see here…….your post remind me of this tale/joke that has many variations.

“In the three boats story, a man is floating alone in an ocean without a life jacket when a boat passes by. "Get in. I'll save you," the boatman says. "Oh, no, it's fine," the floating man answers, "I'm putting my faith in the Lord." In time, two more boats come along, and to each rescuer the man - usually me, in Wade's telling - says, "No, no, I'm putting my faith in the Lord." Eventually, and it isn't very long in coming, the man drowns. Yet when he stands up to meet his Maker at the fated spot where some rejoice but many more cower, his Maker looks sternly down and says, "You're a fool. You're assigned to hell forever. Go there now." To which the drowned man says, "But your honor, I put my faith in you. You promised to save me." "Save you!?" fearsome God shouts from misty marmoreal heights. "Save you? Save you?" God thunders. "I sent you three boats!”​

― Richard Ford, The Lay of the Land

 

[Cardinal]

Try citing a credible source next time.


A much more credible source, but you misrepresent what NASA actually estimated the outer edge of the Oort Cloud. According to your own source, NASA states that the extent of the Oort Cloud "The outer edge might be 10,000 or even 100,000 AU from the Sun"

You, instead, chose to deliberately lie and omit the 10,000 AU distance estimate and only post the 100,000 AU estimate. While your source is credible, you are certainly not.


No, it was flat out wrong in several areas. You simply lack the education to comprehend how badly this video missed the mark.


Once again, you are not citing a credible source.

Here is an example of a credible source, since you seem confused:

UBV(RI)CJHK observations of Hipparcos-selected nearby stars - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 403, Issue 4, Pages 1949–1968, April 2010.

According to the above source, Gliese 710 has an apparent magnitude of 9.656 and an absolute magnitude of 8.2. The star Sirus, for example, has an apparent magnitude of -1.46 and an absolute magnitude of +1.45. Which is why it is one of the brightest stars in the night sky.

If you count the number of stars inside the Great Square of Pegasus, for example, and see only two stars within the square, then you are seeing an apparent magnitude of 4.6 (and you probably need to get out of the city). If you can spot eight stars inside the Great Square of Pegasus, then you are seeing an apparent magnitude of 5.5. With 13 stars counted the apparent magnitude reaches 6.0 (which is the limit for most humans). If you could count 31 to 37 stars inside the Great Square on a dark, moonless night means an exceptionally good naked-eye limit of 6.5 apparent magnitude.


The article you cited states that the 1.29 million year figure has not yet had a final review (the date of your article is also 2018). The study on which this article is based had not yet been published when the article was written. Now if you could cite that mysterious study that they don't bother to name or reference in the article, assuming it has been published in the last 4 years, then you might have a good argument. In the meantime, I will stick with the most recent peer-reviewed source:

Gliese 710 will pass the Sun even closer - Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 595, November 2016 (free preprint)

The above peer-reviewed source says that Gliese 710 will not pass by the solar system for another 1.35 million years.

You’re misrepresenting everything you’re reading in order to troll me and score cheap, unprovoked insults, so we’re done here.

 

[Razoo]

The USA Government has more than once been listed as the larest threat to world peace due to the governments imperialistic nature. Our spending on military is example of substance. With hundreds
of off shore military installations in which not all are welcome is another example.

The USA governments owns more nuclear weapons than any nation in the world yet we are budgeting for more? Is that absurd? Of course it is.

Both sides of the aisle are guilty.

 

[PoS]

Carlin does an excellent job exposing the hubris and abject arrogance that leftist filth repeatedly demonstrate with their "Save The Planet" mantra and "Earth Day" stupidity. He is absolutely correct, of course. There is nothing wrong with the planet. The problem lies with us, or more specifically, the arrogant deluded leftists who think humanity has anything to do with climate, either way.

Yup, exactly. Carlin hit the nail on the head when he said that libs really dont care about the environment the moment they become personally inconvenienced.

As far as Chomsky goes, I agreed with some of his old views, but now he's just lost it. He's senile like Biden. he's basically telling the Ukarianians to surrender and give in to every Russian demand. Nuts.

 

[Luckyone]

Without discussing his thoughts on the environmental question (with which I largely I agree) I find this position on Ukraine having as much moral clarity and solidity as a meringue.

It seems that he has managed to re-frame Russia's brutal invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine as a truly horrible atrocity...committed by the United States.

In his mind, the United States is like some sort of cruel God of his universe. A first mover around which all other nations revolve, and can merely react to. There can be no other wicked actors without first blaming the prime wicked actor: America.

I know what you mean. It is not the United States that is to blame. He should have been more specific and blame the 40% of the United States that are the ones to blame..................the Republicans.

What the Republicans have done in the past 20 years has been to start "the beginning of the end".

I was a Republican for 35 years and I do not recognize this Republican party. To me, they are the minions from hell that are taking us down the path of destruction of who we are and having been for over 200 years. I can see our forefathers turning in their graves is shock of what this country has become because of the now "Republican Party".

Proof of all of this was the person they elected in 2016. A narcissist that is the definition of evil.

 

[Glitch]

You’re misrepresenting everything you’re reading in order to troll me and score cheap, unprovoked insults, so we’re done here.

I'm not the one who deliberately misrepresented NASA's data. That would be you. A dishonest tactic, commonly employed by leftists.

 

[multivita-man]

Yup, exactly. Carlin hit the nail on the head when he said that libs really dont care about the environment the moment they become personally inconvenienced.

As far as Chomsky goes, I agreed with some of his old views, but now he's just lost it. He's senile like Biden. he's basically telling the Ukarianians to surrender and give in to every Russian demand. Nuts.

That's the problem I've always had with Chomsky - it's not a new problem or thing with him. He basically has an extreme view of equality, meaning that his sense of ethics varies to comport with his perceptions of egalitarianism.

He would probably never say that the Palestinians should just accept that Israel is the dominant power in the region and that people there have to give up their ancestral homes to settlers. But that's exactly what he seems to be saying to Ukrainians: the Russians are more power, so accommodate them. The deeper meaning is, "The US is more powerful than Russia and Russia used to be a cold war rival of the US. It's not fair that the US is this powerful so Russia deserves to have at least one foreign country it can slap the shit out of once in a while."