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ORIGINAL: thompsonx

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ORIGINAL: Anaxagoras

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Once again you misrepresent basic points.

What basic points have I misrepresented?
I have only asked you to validate your opinion that between 1 and 2 million afghanis were murdered by the russians from 1979-88.
So far all you have given me is your opinion and the opinion of those with whom you agree.

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I wonder is it down to some sort of cognitive dissonance (cf. Hippiekinkster) or a cognitive disability?

Ahh a puerile attempt at character assassination.

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I am going by the figures of respected sources based on studies and estimates as there was no census since 1979 and that 15 million figure it produced was in fact only partial.

Paritial or not it is a baseline from which we may make certain observations.

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People can only go by the studies and estimates of those with expertise in this area

Those with expertise in the area seem to believe that there were about 15 million afghanis in 1979. There are none with expertise in the area that seem to have a clue as to the population of afghanistan in 1988.

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- it has nothing to do with my own beliefs. I stated them not thinking there would be any controversy, and you remonstrated.

You stated numbers that you had not bothered to validate. You stated numbers which were reported in newspapers with no validation.
This does not pass for scholarship.

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It is you who choose the lowest possible figures whilst disputing the more commonly cited figures because you PREFER not to.

I chose to point out the vast divergence in the estimates. From 670 k to 2+ million is some four orders of magnitude.

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Virtually all sources of repute state more than 1+ million Afghans died, and attest to the extraordinary level of suffering http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1122273/ which you seek to diminish, just as you contested the vast numbers that Stalin killed a while ago.

Which you were also unable to validate

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Seems you're an apologist for anti-Western regimes no matter how tyrannical they are.

Pointing out your ignorance of historical data does not make me an apologist for anything.

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Azerbaijan was part of the russian empire. The bolshiviks took over from the tsars. Azerbaijan ran up their own flag (not at all unlike the confederacy in the u.s.)and the russian army took it down(not unlike the union army in the u.s. civil war).

No they didn't. Azerbaijan was a distinct political entity that gained independence, and within a short time Lenin went in because he wanted the oil fields in Baku. It is extremely interesting that you minimise Soviet expansionism. You are an apologist for the aggressive acts of the USSR but label US efforts to minimise the rapid aggressive spread of communist puppet states as "imperialism".

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ORIGINAL: thompsonx

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South Vietnam was allied to the US in being against communism but it was not a US puppet state, nor was it created by the US unlike so many Soviet "client" states. The leadership there actually repeatedly went against US advice over major issues prior to the onset of the Vietnam War, which was the US' worst hour.

You clearly have no clue about viet nam.
Actually the mexican american war was the u.s.'s worst hour.

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ORIGINAL: thompsonx

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ORIGINAL: Moonhead
Actually, the USSR was on the winning side in the second world war. I know it's a touchy subject for Americans, but the Soviet Union has a rather better claim to having saved Europe from Hitler than your own country does. More than half of the uniformed German forces in mainland europe died on the easter front, and it's worth googling "Stalingrad" and "the battle of Kursk".

Actually I am quite aware that the ussr was the dominant player in ww2.

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It most certainly does. You have continually sought to minimise the horrors of the Soviet regime on here. No one will be fooled by your counter-assertion.

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ORIGINAL: thompsonx

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Azerbaijan was part of the russian empire. The bolshiviks took over from the tsars. Azerbaijan ran up their own flag (not at all unlike the confederacy in the u.s.)and the russian army took it down(not unlike the union army in the u.s. civil war).

No they didn't. Azerbaijan was a distinct political entity that gained independence, and within a short time Lenin went in because he wanted the oil fields in Baku. It is extremely interesting that you minimise Soviet expansionism. You are an apologist for the aggressive acts of the USSR but label US efforts to minimise the rapid aggressive spread of communist puppet states as "imperialism".

The confederte states of america was a distict political entity that gained independence,and within short time lincoln went in because he wanted the agriculture riches of the csa.
Just how is this different?

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ORIGINAL: thompsonx

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Actually your hero Stalin betrayed promises to the Allies by staying in Eastern Europe and installing puppet governments.

Because I point out your ignorance of historical data does not make stalin a hero.
It was churchill who broke his promise to trade greece for austria. You will find that validated in churchill's book "ww 2"

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ORIGINAL: thompsonx

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It most certainly does. You have continually sought to minimise the horrors of the Soviet regime on here. No one will be fooled by your counter-assertion.

No ...I have continually sought to minimise your peurile parroting of cold war propaganda.

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You clearly have no clue about viet nam.
Actually the mexican american war was the u.s.'s worst hour.

Oh what a marvellous refutation!!! Well is that your OPINION or FACT?

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Ah you assert you don't think Stalin was a hero while wheeling out the excuse trumpeted by Stalin for not leaving Poland

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you need to provide online verification of the latter assertion.

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In any case the dispute was over Stalin refusing to allow free elections in a large number of countries.

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Clearly he is your hero and all in the West is ebil-ebil-ebil.

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More of your gibberish. The Azerbaijani's were a distinct people with a distinct culture and religion. It was only natural they should have had independence.

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ORIGINAL: thompsonx

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Ah you assert you don't think Stalin was a hero while wheeling out the excuse trumpeted by Stalin for not leaving Poland

What excuse have I trumpeted?

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you need to provide online verification of the latter assertion.

What assertion?

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In any case the dispute was over Stalin refusing to allow free elections in a large number of countries.

Would you allow your conquored enemy to have elections?

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Clearly he is your hero and all in the West is ebil-ebil-ebil.

In history there are no good guys or bad guys only the shit that happens.
If you wish to make moral judgements then you should study sociology or philosophy

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ORIGINAL: thompsonx

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More of your gibberish. The Azerbaijani's were a distinct people with a distinct culture and religion. It was only natural they should have had independence.

If it were so natural why had it not happend in the 5000 years of recorded history of that region?

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Again read the posts properly before replying. Your assertion that Churchill made such an admission.