Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted
1 hour ago, Hawndoh said:

It is kind of dumb that so many articles nit pick what is and is not allowed by Russian law with regards to their army. It's pretty clear they don't care about laws of any kind and will just do whatever they want anyway.

 

It’s a serious brake and impediment, believe it or not.  Many authoritarian regimes, but especially Russia, are performatively nitpicky about legal minutiae in a way that Westerners and Americans especially don’t get. (Try scratching out a mistake in an official form and then handing it in). And that goes to the exercise of state authority as well. It has to do with a conception of “rule of law” that is a funhouse mirror of ours. Rule of law is not a brake on the exercise of state power or the idea that powerful and non powerful are equal.  The law literally rules— it is an implement to control the population. And as such, every exercise of state power must be dressed up in legal clothing. 
 

In practice, the law is written in a way where the state (not a citizen) may find a legal way to do almost anything. And if it’s not, then they will do it and pretend they’re following the law.  But that way still has to be found or made up and usually it’s the path of least resistance at the operational level to at least make an effort to pretend to work within the parameters of the written law. 
 

A good example of this is the infamous troikas of the Great Terror and kulak operations.  Every single shooting and execution was signed off on by a triumvirate of party and secret police officials complete with sham investigations and fact finding and judgments of guilt or innocence.  Stalin had to abandon public trials, even show trials, for these mass killings but even he couldn’t just shoot people arbitrarily. There had to be the legal and administrative window dressing. 

  • Hook 'Em 7
  • Like 1
Posted (edited)
29 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

It’s a serious brake and impediment, believe it or not.  Many authoritarian regimes, but especially Russia, are performatively nitpicky about legal minutiae in a way that Westerners and Americans especially don’t get. (Try scratching out a mistake in an official form and then handing it in). And that goes to the exercise of state authority as well. It has to do with a conception of “rule of law” that is a funhouse mirror of ours. Rule of law is not a brake on the exercise of state power or the idea that powerful and non powerful are equal.  The law literally rules— it is an implement to control the population. And as such, every exercise of state power must be dressed up in legal clothing. 
 

In practice, the law is written in a way where the state (not a citizen) may find a legal way to do almost anything. And if it’s not, then they will do it and pretend they’re following the law.  But that way still has to be found or made up and usually it’s the path of least resistance at the operational level to at least make an effort to pretend to work within the parameters of the written law. 
 

A good example of this is the infamous troikas of the Great Terror and kulak operations.  Every single shooting and execution was signed off on by a triumvirate of party and secret police officials complete with sham investigations and fact finding and judgments of guilt or innocence.  Stalin had to abandon public trials, even show trials, for these mass killings but even he couldn’t just shoot people arbitrarily. There had to be the legal and administrative window dressing. 

The Khmer Rouge was the same. While they beat confessions out of people at Tol Seng, and meticulously documented everything, you absolutely could not actually kill people at the prison itself, only in the killing fields.  One of the torturer accidentally killed a prisoner on site, was immediately arrested, tortured to confession, then taken out to the killing fields and executed. 
 

It’s definitely an interesting quirk of the authoritarian/genocide oeuvre.

Edited by Bateshorn
  • Hook 'Em 4
Posted
1 hour ago, Scheiss Meister said:

Yeah, I should learn to read.  One of these days...

The more important thing is that you continue to filter all (well most) of the human waste out of the water before sending it back to us to bathe in and drink. 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Posted
39 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

water board this mother fucker until he wishes he was dead ....

 

Who among us has not flown drones overcritical Norwegian infrastructure, in order to find a new site for a synagogue?

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
  • Haha 6
Posted
3 minutes ago, Jameslaw121 said:

I mean. They can't even flood Ukraine with Russian weapons...

85834E1C-8AB5-446C-A363-940E5124DF0D.gif.4f954e08ab9cd756decf8e5fc49cd2f5.gif

There is some point where an as-yet to-be-determined number of Russian pool noodles will float a T-62 tank to Venezuela. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Posted
10 minutes ago, Jameslaw121 said:

I mean. They can't even flood Ukraine with Russian weapons...

Oh they can, but the Ukrainian's already captured the good and modern stuff. 

Send in the T-34's Yuri. 

Posted
37 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

If I were them I don't think it'd be on me to keep pointing out their mistake.

Except that they weren't being fed or housed, I agree.  Of course, the first opportunity that arises, I'm heading for the hills if they tell me that I don't exist and can't join a unit.

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Drool 1
Posted
1 hour ago, Scheiss Meister said:

Except that they weren't being fed or housed, I agree.  Of course, the first opportunity that arises, I'm heading for the hills if they tell me that I don't exist and can't join a unit.

I thought about that, but they won't be fed or housed if they get sent to Ukraine either. I figure if I got mobilized, I am already some broke-ass dude from Russia who's spent his life eating and staying warm on almost no money, so I can do it again.

Maybe get a big fat girlfriend with a potato farm and a vodka still.

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Haha 1
Posted
2 minutes ago, MillerEP said:
 

 

its a good way to get someone a pension... I mean shit, we saw that St Pete Lawyer a few pages back who got called up late Sept and was dead before Mid Oct.

 

those guys going know they are probably dead in 2 weeks anyway

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 1
  • Drool 1
Posted
47 minutes ago, AUS-97HORN said:

its a good way to get someone a pension... I mean shit, we saw that St Pete Lawyer a few pages back who got called up late Sept and was dead before Mid Oct.

those guys going know they are probably dead in 2 weeks anyway

2 weeks?  Try 10 days

 

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Fuck Around and Find Out 2
Posted (edited)

Why is Schlumberger still operating in Russia, and why did they turn over around 900 draft notices to their employees, and why didn’t they enable remote work for as many as possible so they could get out of the country. And why didn’t they try and at least bribe the Russian government to prevent that.  They work in oil and gas, they know how to bribe.

Edited by atomheartbevo
  • Hook 'Em 5
  • Like 1
  • Rage+1 1
Posted
Just now, atomheartbevo said:

Why is Schlumberger still operating in Russia, and why did they turn over around 900 draft notices to their employees, and why didn’t they enable remote work for as many as possible so they could get out of the country. And why did they try and at least bribe the Russian government to prevent that.

 

because it's a piece of shit company

2 minutes ago, Superhero said:

Well, it's just a nick in the corner. The other 99% can still save you.

 

New to You !

  • Hook 'Em 5
  • Like 1

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...