Should Dog, Stako Get Awards?

[jimlosaltos]

I suggest that while the ATP is handling out awards for sportsmanship & comebacks, etc, it should consider giving a special humanitarian award to Dolgopolov and Stako for risking their lives on the front lines against Putin in Ukraine.

Ran it by Brad Gilbert online who agrees, so that's sort of endorsement.

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[jimlosaltos]

Update on Dolgo in Daily Mail:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-11547675/Tennis-prepared-WAR-Former-Ukraine-star-Dolgopolov-says-job-killing-Russians.html

"He gives a fascinating account of his new role, primarily as a drone operator in a versatile unit attached to GUR, Ukraine’s military intelligence. He speaks with a disarming matter-of-factness about killing the enemy.

~~~


While required to be deliberately vague about operational matters, his social media is already a guide to what he does. Not for the squeamish, it sometimes features video footage, taken from the sky, of Russian soldiers being blown to smithereens.

The 34-year-old thinks little about his old life but is grateful for some of the skills it gave him: ‘For sure tennis prepared me for this. You are thinking fast, I can perform well under pressure, I don’t panic much. Many things you use in tennis you can transfer to war. I process information quickly for myself, we are adaptable creatures. First you are in shock, then you try to keep calm and do your job. Wrong decisions can cost you your life.’

~~~~~

The amount being used here is crazy. Once you’re there and watching every day, there’s so much stuff being fired. It’s a 1,000-kilometre front. It’s tough for you to imagine how much is being used up daily.

‘We are the better fighters and it’s our home. So we have the advantage but there are not enough weapons to continue advancing. We have people and we have the will.’


~~~~

‘Some of what we do is intelligence gathering. But also we do fighting, we have all different people in our unit so we can do different tasks. I’m mostly working on the drones and do other stuff.’ He paints a picture of modern combat that bears partly the hallmarks of a clinical video game, and partly those of a more chaotic theatre of war.

‘This conflict is more about smart play and artillery fighting, and it’s not like always face to face connection. We have mortars, we have drones and different types of weapons that can really hurt them without contacting with them live. We see them, we shoot them from a distance but the only way to contact is if we have a task to liberate something or to enter positions, which hasn’t happened to me yet.

‘My unit did have battles in the Kherson region because we had a task to take some good ground.

~~~
I think tennis did a bad job. Wimbledon did the right thing and we can see that in many other sports. I support it (the ban), but it’s not like this decision changes the war. It’s just a thing to show the reaction of the world.’ What of his one-time locker room colleagues from Russia and Belarus? He believes there are some who tacitly support Putin, even now. ‘I don’t see any possibility of us being friends again unless they really speak against what’s happening. The tennis players haven’t spoken up but we know some of them support the war, unfortunately.

~~~~~~

#

[stotty]

Fascinating...what a bloke. Couldn't agree more that 'tennis did a bad job'. I am surprised some Russian players (who?) support the war given they have access the Western people and media and should therefore recognise the truth.

He's one brave tennis player and man. He definitely gets my vote all day long.

[don_budge]

I suggest that while the ATP is handling out awards for sportsmanship & comebacks, etc, it should consider giving a special humanitarian award to Dolgopolov and Stako for risking their lives on the front lines against Putin in Ukraine.

Ran it by Brad Gilbert online who agrees, so that's sort of endorsement.

Fascinating...what a bloke. Couldn't agree more that 'tennis did a bad job'. I am surprised some Russian players (who?) support the war given they have access the Western people and media and should therefore recognise the truth.

He's one brave tennis player and man. He definitely gets my vote all day long.

Ahh...if life were only so simple as the SS show on tennisplayer.net. You guys don't seem to know a whole lot about tennis but your understanding of geopolitics is truly abysmal. Objectively...truly pathetic. Nothing personal. Honestly. Brad Gilbert is an endorsement? What universe are you living in?

It takes two to tango and it doesn't take much intelligence to understand that there are no choir boys involved in this huge scandal of epic proportions. An award for these two tennis players? They should have their heads examined. I knew in 1972 at 18 that Vietnam wasn't in the cards for me. Tennis teaches you to make decisions on a tennis court but it doesn't necessarily carry over into life. Honestly...it isn't my job to educate either of you. Where would one begin? To be fair it isn't entirely your fault. I leave you that out. Ignorance is bliss. Western people and media? The mainstream media is a WMD in its own rite. A Weapon of Mass Deception.

Here is an American scholar laying down the framework some years ago and predicting the current outcome. He is a fascinating guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrMiSQAGOS4

The west (America and Britain (read NATO)) have been formenting this conflict for years. Does Russian have the right to defend itself against what it perceives to be an existential threat? Here are several well known politicians formenting the current conflict back in 2016 and this goes much further back that this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmaakY-PIAc

Here is the current clown/comedien/president Vladimir Zelensky doing what he does best...clowning around. Gaying it up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3pJqpFwpQ8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oua0Puihrkc

This is your "Winston Churchill" reincarnate. He comes to America begging for more money. 100 plus billion to Ukraine so far. To fan the flames of war. He called it an investment in the security of the world. I call it a down payment on a mutually assured destruction of the world. I smell a rat. How much of that money makes it to where it is supposedly going? Come on...this isn't rocket science. Didn't you know that Ukraine has the reputation of the most corrupt country in Europe.

In any conflict resolution or even in any tennis match, it is imperative that you know, understand and listen to what your opponent is telling you. The Russians have been talking but we haven't been listening. They are different from us. They do not share our concept of "liberal dogma". They are no better or worse. They are human. Which explains why they will do whatever they have to do to survive. What do you think the Americans would do if the Russians were encroaching into Mexico and Canada surrounding them in military alliances. Like NATO is doing to Russia.

Brad Gilbert gives his endorsement. Sort of. Wow. Just wow. Access to western media and people? WMD. Well we'll see how it pans out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AQdvZ6x1hA

[don_budge]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmaakY-PIAc

From Psalm 140:

Deliver me O Lord from Evil men;
Preserve me from violent men,
Who plan evil things in their hearts;
They continually gather together for war.
They sharpen their tongues like a serpent.

Some years ago I had a dream and I could have sworn that I shared it here on the forum. I have shared dreams in the past. Life is but a dream...it seems. But this dream...it was a dream of a lifetime. Where do dreams come from? I still recall it vividly and I am almost certain that this dream occurred before Lindsay and John were gathering together in the Ukraine following the most blatant coup in history according to a leading intelligence community news source. Evil men, and women, gathering together for the sole intent of formenting war. I believe that my dream was the culmination of all of the events we have witnessed recently. But how could I know? There were no external threats at the time that could have lead me to dream this. Not in my conscious mind anyways. Who knows what lurks deep inside the Gold Mine?

It was a glorious summer day in Sweden. The sun shone particularly bright on this particular day. The sun blazing against the azure blue like the gold and blue in the Swedish flag that makes the sign of the cross. I heard something in the distance. I listened closely. Trying to make sense of something that made no sense. It was the sounds of the nuclear bombs going off in the distance. Then it began. The sky broke. It literally broke. The brilliant blue began to crumble in crystal. It rained down on me until I was waist high in the residue of the sky. In place of the beautiful, heavenly blue was a putrid, puke green. A mixture so toxic and sickening that it was frightening to the the marrow of the bones. The sky swirled and swirled like a huge galactic toilet and the earth was being sucked into a sewer so filthy it could only spell one thing. The death of all life. My final moments and I awoke just as I dreamt them...I was digging with my bare hands into the stoney ground in a vain attempt to dig myself to safety. My fingers and hands were bloody.

[glacierguy]

I have just watched the lecture by Prof. Mearsheimer in the first link. Thank you for posting it.

[jimlosaltos]

Fascinating...what a bloke. Couldn't agree more that 'tennis did a bad job'. I am surprised some Russian players (who?) support the war given they have access the Western people and media and should therefore recognise the truth.

He's one brave tennis player and man. He definitely gets my vote all day long.

Easy for me to say a Russian player should stand up, but if they have families in Russia, that puts them at risk.

Daria Kasatkina speaking out, and also being open about her personal life when that is a crime in Russia, is brave. But then she's living in Spain now.

[don_budge]

The Truth...

Fascinating...what a bloke. Couldn't agree more that 'tennis did a bad job'. I am surprised some Russian players (who?) support the war given they have access the Western people and media and should therefore recognise the truth.

He's one brave tennis player and man. He definitely gets my vote all day long.

Easy for me to say a Russian player should stand up, but if they have families in Russia, that puts them at risk.

Daria Kasatkina speaking out, and also being open about her personal life when that is a crime in Russia, is brave. But then she's living in Spain now.

Western people and media as it relates to the truth is sort of a blatant oxymoron if you know what I mean. The Corona Virus and the Ukraine War are the two current "sound bytes" in the truth that the Western civilization is betting the farm on and they just might be wrong on both counts. I think they are. Nothing could be farther from the truth on either subject that is currently being forced down every single citizen in the Western world. Interesting that here in Europe the major Russian news outlets are being totally banned in order that the Western peoples are protected from the "Russian Truth". Ah...the first casualty of war is always the truth. I'll leave it at that. I'm not out to change anyone's mind. I'm comfortable with the other guy's ignorance...and lack of tolerance for that matter. It's on him.

But this is such a hypocritical statement alluding to Russian players and how they should "stand up". Stand up to what? What if they actually believe in a totally different truth that what is being peddled in the Western world and media? But here is an excellent case in point regarding Daria Kasatkina and her personal life. Daria has come out as a lesbian apparently and is together with another woman. That is a crime in Russia? Are you sure about that? Hmmm...I'm not so sure. I did some research and apparently it is not a crime. What is true is that "alternative life styles" are not the rage that they are in the Western world and the Russian state in fact advocates the Russian Orthodox Church and traditional life styles. I guess that would qualify to vilify President Putin afterall. Imagine that. A country that holds traditional values in high esteem.

https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/01/18/christian-philadelphia-flyers-player-refuses-wear-lgbt-pride-jersey-citing-faith/

Here is an interesting case surrounding the LBGTQ issue involving a Russian hockey player. Ivan Provorov has been villified in some circles because he did not comply with or participate in some ceremony or glorification of the LBGTQ movement. He refused to become a activist for this organization...which incidently I refuse to do too. Apparently in Russia homosexuality and other alternative lifestyles are not viewed in the same light as in the Western world. Does that make them wrong? Is that a good reason to villify them? I don't believe so...it just makes them different. It's culture. The Russian hockey player chose not to participate in a propaganda event for LBGTQ. Does that make him a bad guy? Is something wrong with him? He says that he is being true to himself and the Russian Orthodox Church. I think he is a stand up guy.

With regard to Russian athletes and specifically tennis players...must they denounce the Ukraine conflict in order to maintain a good standing in the international community? In the tennis community? What if the Russian psyche views the conflict as an existential threat to their country? Perhaps in Russian circles they are being patriotic.

For the record...I have always been anti-war. Always...always...always. Completely and unequivocally. For the record...I have nothing against gay people. But I am afraid that there is some kind of weird agenda here regarding the LBGTQ community. They demand that you worship at their altar. It has become compulsory that you advocate for these lifestyles. I'm afraid you lose me there. I don't have to advocate for anybody. I don't have to take a shot/jab either. To be clear...I have never had a gay thought or a gay dream in my life. So I must say...I cannot relate. I have no idea what this organization is advocating for because I have never felt anything that is related to their cause. Does that make me deficient in some way? I don't believe it does. I am not orientated that way. I'm not wired like that. To be clear...one of my sisters is married to another woman. My feelings? I don't care. I admit that I find the idea a bit strange...but then again, I cannot relate by any single experience I have ever had. As a matter of fact...I think that she is more hostile to me for reasons that I cannot fathom.

I wonder if the NHL had a similar night dedicated to traditional life styles or Christian values. If not...why not? That would only seem fair to me. That would only be fair to those that do not relate to the LBGTQ community. Now clearly...that is a thought crime.

[jimlosaltos]

Well, they might not get the awards they deserve but they're getting M1-Abrams and German Leopard 2 tanks <g>

[don_budge]

Well, they might not get the awards they deserve but they're getting M1-Abrams and German Leopard 2 tanks <g>

What a clown show and apparently you are part of it. Participating even in the role of a cheerleader is unconscionable. Get a grip. Get a pair of boots and a gun. Go get 'em. But you won't. You are ok with the Ukrainian army being reduced to young boys and old men fighting against the most elite army on the planet. Pouring gasoline on a fire that was started by NATO (USA) is not the solution to this problem. Clear heads need to prevail to talk and resolve this. What is needed is a negotiated peace settlement, which is what ends all wars. NATO is dead set against this happening. The real question is why not?

Excerpt:

"Every morning the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (MoD) gives a briefing on the “Special De-Nazification Operation” to liberate Ukraine, like they did today and revealed: “In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 379 Ukrainian warplanes, 204 helicopters, 2,956 unmanned aerial vehicles, 402 surface-to-air missile systems, 7,634 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 990 multiple rocket launchers, 3,921 field artillery guns and mortars and 8,180 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation”.

Most astounding to notice about these MoD briefings is that no one in the Western media ever reports on the staggering number of tanks Ukraine keeps losing, whose numbers lost today stands at 7,634, and it is a complete fantasy for anyone to believe a handful of Western tanks can ever make up for this loss.

The reason the Western media doesn’t report on the staggering tanks losses of Ukraine is because they’d then have to explain what’s actually destroying them, which is a rather small Russianmilitary unmanned artificial intelligence weapon called the Marker Robot that seeks out and destroys tanks on the battlefield, and every defense expert knows will quickly obliterate the German and American tanks being sent to Ukraine."

In 1947 a group of scientists were brought together by Albert Einstein to try to visualize the unthinkable. "The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" created the Doomsday Clock to dramatize how close the world was to Nuclear War Apocalypse. When Biden, the Germans and you decided to give tanks to Ukraine that will make absolutely no difference once they are reduced to scrap metal. As the decision was made Russia started warning about the use of DU (depleted Uranium) and the Doomsday Clock was set at 90 seconds to midnight. A full ten seconds closer. I must say for once...I am right. The sheer lunacy and stupidity prevailing has no bottom.

7,634 tanks and armored vehicles destroyed so far. What difference is another 43 going to make? You are big on statistics...what do those numbers tell you?

[jimlosaltos]

Well, I suspect we're getting far afield for this site.

Let's agree to disagree don_budget

best/ jim

[glacierguy]

Lest I should get too righteous advocating other countries should stay within their borders...

UK non invaded countries.jpg

[don_budge]

Lest I should get too righteous advocating other countries should stay within their borders...

glacierguy...you are a stand up guy. So many hypocrites!





Matthew 7:4. How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while there is still a beam in your own eye?

Matthew 7:5. You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

[glacierguy]

glacierguy...you are a stand up guy. So many hypocrites!

Matthew 7:4. How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while there is still a beam in your own eye?

Matthew 7:5. You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Thanks!

I only saw that map recently. Difficult to handle as a Brit, I am proud, appalled and ashamed all at once.

[johnyandell]

Guys,
Let's get back to tennis. There are other places to discuss war.