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Praetorium Honoris

Thursday, March 21, 2024

War is Still Hard

The Battle of Towton
Richard Caton Woodville, Jr.
(Source)
The incumbent King of England, Henry VI, on the throne since 1422, was a weak, ineffectual and mentally unsound ruler, which encouraged the nobles to scheme for control over him. (Ibid)

Sounds kind of familiar, know what I mean?

Yes, having a weak leader encourages foreign leaders with an agenda to take advantage of that weakness. Nature abhors a vacuum, so does power.

Does anyone think Putin would have gone into Ukraine if say, Teddy Roosevelt was the President? Note well that I say "Putin" and not "Russia." Putin is a despot, a latter-day Tsar wanna-be. He is no better than Hitler salivating over the Sudetenland in 1938. "Hey, those are ethnic Russians in there, and they're being mistreated!" The Russian people are not behind this invasion. Most of them were just as surprised as the Ukrainians when the Russian Army went in. (As were many of the soldiers in that army!)

I'm not too spun up over the Crimea, it wasn't traditionally part of Ukraine, Khrushchev gave it to them in 1954. Nor the other "separatist" region of Donbas (which is broken into two areas: the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic). Those areas contain a majority of Russians (so my research shows), so them being a part of Ukraine is a bit of a stretch.

But the rest of the nation of Ukraine, Russia should stay out.

What gives me pause concerning this whole Russo-Ukrainian War (Part Deux) is the similarities between now and 1938. While history doesn't really repeat itself, it does, as they say, "rhyme." In other words, similar circumstances could lead to similar outcomes.

In 1938 Adolf Hitler was the Chancellor of Germany. He was actually popular from what I've read. He had reduced unemployment, he had remilitarized the Rhineland which the Treaty of Versailles stipulated could not have any German troops in it. This area borders the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. By keeping the German military out of a 50-mile strip in that region, it was thought to both deter German aggression and also provide an easy path to the Rhine from the West.

Hitler sent his troops into the Rhineland, suspecting that weak leadership in Britain (Neville Chamberlain) and France (Léon Blum) would do nothing to oppose him. He was correct.

To be fair, the people of the United Kingdom and France were in no mood to fight another war considering that WWI had ended only eighteen years before. This was territory they recognized as being German, people who were citizens of Germany in fact.

But it made Hitler overconfident. So he set his sights on Austria, after all didn't they also speak German? Shouldn't they be incorporated into Greater Germany (Großdeutschland)?

Truth be told, Austria had never been part of Germany, but no one was in any mood to contest that move either. Well sure, they are all German speakers, so why not?

In the former country of Czechoslovakia there was a region along the border with Germany called the Sudetenland. There were a great many German speakers in the area and that region had been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before the war. As had all of Czechoslovakia (and Hungary, and Yugoslavia, and a few other areas as well, that Empire had been pretty big). Hitler set his sights on that area next.

Once again the French and British leaders let him do it, they even persuaded the Czechs that they could do nothing about it if the Germans attacked them and simply took the region. They would not send French and British soldiers to die for Czechoslovakia.

The Sudetenland became part of the Greater German Reich shortly thereafter. (In truth the German generals were terrified that Hitler would attack the Czechs. The Sudetenland is rugged country and the Czechs had set up very rugged defensive works therein. They assumed that an invasion, even if successful, would be costly and set back Hitler's future plans for expansion.)

By the end of 1938, Czechoslovakia ceased to exist, the Germans absorbing parts of the country into Germany proper and creating the Reich Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia (which contained Prague). The Slovaks declared their independence from Czechoslovakia and formed the Slovak Republic, which promptly allied itself with Germany. (Hungary also nicked a piece for themselves, the Ruthenian part – Subcarpathian Rus as it was known then.)

Are you seeing any similarities to today?

I am.

And it's unnerving to see this happening again.

But is modern day Russia the equivalent of 1930s Nazi Germany? I don't think so, but it certainly looks like Putin is using Hitler's playbook as regards Ukraine.

Consider this:
  • The American people are tired of war, after our two decades long idiotic involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. What the Hell is "nation building" anyway but an attempt to impose an alien culture upon another culture?
  • The Europeans have been living under the American nuclear umbrella since 1945. Most of their armies are of no use in opposing Russia over Ukraine. They're too small and their governments have not been spending the money to maintain their equipment and training.
  • Where is the vital national interest in Ukraine? Should American men and women be sent to die there? Because they will if they are sent in by the idiots in DC.
I have no doubt that our government will do something stupid, that's pretty much their track record for the last eighty years (give or take). At the very least, it's going to cost the American taxpayer a lot of money. Qui bono?

Things could get pretty sporty here over the next few months, don't forget to keep an eye on China. I'm sure they're watching all this with a gleam in their eyes. Get the Americans and the West bogged down in Ukraine? Bye bye Taiwan.

Yup, war is hard.

And damned dangerous as well!



Editor's note: Yes, I'm still tired, no, I had no time to create a new post, but this needs revisiting. The original post was here. Also ... New episode of Shōgun hasn't been watched yet, ya know, I'm busy. Life sometimes intrudes into the Blogoverse.

76 comments:

  1. The laudromat in Ukraine is falling apart. The crime families are not happy.

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    1. Yup, socialism at work, eventually you run out of other people's money. And yes, big money laundering scheme. 10% for the Big Guy, etc.

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  2. Once KGB always KGB. A darned good post today, history DOES repeat itself for those not smart enough to remember that or have their own agenda to push. Pressure from without, pressure from within and the USA is taken off the playing field. Sporty Sarge?

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  3. Not to be rude but have you thought what WE would do if a 3rd party had Mexico firing artillery into San Antino TX or Southern California?

    I think we'd STOP THAT. But wadda I know, just an old Army Medic with way too many years patching up folks in our most recent "Install Democracy" efforts.

    Hitler didn't complain legally through the UN and such for years about artillery shelling his people in Ukraine.

    I note even today the BULK of the Military forces of "Russia" in the Ukraine is STILL from the areas that were shelled for years. Maybe they feel they are defending themselves? Naaaah, Russians BAD. Says so on the label.

    What is REALLY ODD to Me (again disclaimer dumb ole medic speaking) is the INSISTANCE that Ukrainians Fight to the last person (used to be man but even pregnant women are being captured on the lines now) AND we are ADDING even MORE LONGER Ranged Weapons AND Eye in the Sky DATA as so the Ukrainians can THREATEN Russia even in Moscow. Remember the Bragging we hit the version of a SAC base inside the Moscow area lately?

    SO, Going back to a 3rd party supplying and aiding Mexico to artillery us HOW about adding Nuke capable Missiles (German Tarus is nuke capable) WHAT about such threats to DC and NYC and Strikes against OUR SAC Bases?

    WHAT WOULD WE DO, OLD AFSarge?

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    1. Where are you getting this information from? I can't intelligently address this comment without knowing your sources.

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    2. Ah, complaints to the UN? UN public documents. That the German Taurus is nuke capable the German military pages in the cannot confirm nor deny section. The rest mostly from reading the mostly Ukrainian sourced "News" (IF you chase down the sources in our Newpapers, they seem to run directly to Ukraine) we get and putting bits of data together.

      OUR OWN NEWSPAPERS brag about how American AWACS and satellites are guiding Ukraine's efforts. Bragging about how we helped the drone strikes against Moscow's SAC.

      Except that Putin seems not willing to get Russia nuked, I am surprised we've not awakened to multiple sunrises across our country, YET. Maybe being KGB he knows our economic situation and social decay and is willing to wait until we collapse?

      Seems plenty of open-source data out there in the age of the internet.

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    3. Complaints to the UN about Ukrainian forces shelling Russian territory, seems there would be wider coverage of that.

      Ukrainian "news"? That's like saying CNN, or MSNBC. Propaganda organs.

      And what efforts are our AWACS and satellites supporting? Incoming Russian raids? And you're reading an American newspaper on this? Most of those idiots can't spell AWACS and certainly don't know what the acronym stands for and the mission of that particular aircraft (something I'm intimately familiar with).

      Open source data on the internet? Most of it is nonsense and/or outright lies.

      Bottom line, if the Ukrainians were shelling Russian territory prior to the invasion then yes, have at them Vlad, kick their asses. But the situation in that part of the world is far more complex than that. I've yet to see an American news source that could understand anything more complex than what the Kardashians are up to.

      Come on, Michael, I need better than that. I will do my own research and maybe we'll have a follow up post in the near future. Trying to paint Putin as some sort of avenging saint is a bit of a stretch.

      As to third parties shelling us from Mexico, what would we do? Not a gorram thing, as we can see today. Hello, drugs, cartels, Chinese fentanyl, they're all coming across that southern border. A far sight worse than artillery, kills a lot more people and damages a lot more infrastructure (ruined lives, crowded hospitals, homeless encampments). I rest my case on that score.

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    4. If the stuff happening on the southern border was publicized/covered half as well as the "hate Trump" campaign (that's been going steady with the MSM since he first announced he was running for President) things would not be like they are today.

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    5. Come on Sarg, I didn't even try to paint Putin as an Avenging Angel. Just a Leader that loves his country.

      Your intelligent, friend. Your quite aware that the US Government hasn't exactly been a friend to normal Citizens like you and I.

      Your RIGHT, OUR Government IS doing NOTHING to protect you and I, indeed seems to be paying through Catholic Charities and other NGO's to Import even MORE troubles for us.

      BTW did you READ what you said? "As to third parties shelling us from Mexico, what would we do? Not a gorram thing, as we can see today. Hello, drugs, cartels, Chinese fentanyl, they're all coming across that southern border. A far sight worse than artillery, kills a lot more people and damages a lot more infrastructure (ruined lives, crowded hospitals, homeless encampments). I rest my case on that score."

      Awesome protection from our Government Leadership. I rest my case about America isn't in the 70's anymore.

      Your well aware of the 10% to the Big Guy and how war is good business as our military leadership rotating door into jobs as consultants.

      I used to be a Cold War Warrior just like you. But times have changed. My own country is busy harming me and mine in a economic house of cards that frankly from my POV is ONLY supported by our Military Might. You might recall what happened to Britian when they fell from a world power to a dumping ground for the 3rd world. It's not the 70's anymore, friend.

      But when the avalanche starts the pebbles have not vote. But we can try to protect our trusted friends and trusted family.

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    6. Michael - Um, all that is true, none of it is relevant to your view on what is happening between Russia and Ukraine.

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    7. Rob - I tend to disagree with what people think would be done if the media covered things "better." (They don't cover anything now.)

      The American people seem to be content with their bread and circuses. It's not that they are no informed, it's more like the don't want to be informed. We're whistling past the graveyard and it ain't gonna work.

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    8. The American people are being manipulated, the corporate owned MSM & privately controlled social media are doing the manipulation and they are good at it.

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    9. @ OldAFSarge
      I've been watching birth and early years of Vladomir Vladomirovich's Russia (phoenix-like) very closely for more than several reasons; I tend to agree with Michael: not that I disagree with your analysis in the slightest.
      This is not the first time the Mexico/USA analogy has been discussed; nobody's even mentioined the Canada/USA analogy, the problems around which the media have downplayed to near non-existence.
      The picadors (and I'm not quite certain exactly who the toreador is) have been poking Vladomir Vladomirovich and his border with the Ukraine for quite some time and I have my own thoughts as to why (there are more than several medical research labs funded by ? around the world, even including China).
      I wish that everyone would remember that Vladomir Vladomirovich's Russia is not an extension of Ioseb Besarionis/Nikita Sergeyevich's USSR.
      BTW the Grammar Nazi/Editor side:
      "But it made Hitler overconfident. So he set his sets on Austria,..."
      But it made Hitler overconfident, so he set his sights on Austria,

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    10. Spot on, Rob! You've summed up a part of our problem quite well.
      Boat Guy

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    11. boron - Canada is being run by the insane asylum inmates, no other way to describe it. At least in Mexico you can blame the cartels and the amounts of money they have at their disposal. But what can explain Canada's left-wing Progressive lunacy?

      Michael did raise some interesting points, however, I need to do some digging and not rely on the generic "open sources on the Internet" argument, many of which are complete fantasy.

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    12. BG - And if we can fix that, the rest will be easier. Hopefully without the need to water the tree.

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    13. Ah, the Ukraine. Well, Putin has been attacking and landgrabbing in Ukraine since, what, 2005? Earlier? And the 'movement and settlement' of ethnic Russians into western Ukraine was what gave Putin reasons for doing so. "Oh, look at all those Russians who are asking ME to save them from the Ukrainians, so We must save our Russian peoples..."

      And add basically a Holy War, due to the breakoff of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Russian Orthodox Church, and Putin thinking he's the Holy Russian Orthodox Emperor and how dare those redneck Ukes break off from his church.

      There are some seemingly parallels between Hitler and Putin. There are many seemingly parallels between Putin and Stalin. But Putin really is his very own crazed tyrant.

      Will be interesting to watch what happens in Russia when Putin actually dies (vs all the times he's reportedly been 'sick' or 'died' and then miraculously springs back healthy and alive and a whole host of senior leaders all decide to take vacations by jumping out of windows or being on planes that crash or get heavy metal toxicity (at high velocity) or decide to drink strange concoctions of poisons or check themselves into mental institutions and never be heard from again.) Will Russia fragment as we know it? Will Red China (West Taiwan) finally jump into Siberia?

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    14. As to the mess on the Southern Border, the parallels between it and the Russian-Ukrainian war would only really exist if Mexico sent large amounts of its population to settle Arizona, New Mexico, California and Texas and then invaded to 'save' its ex-citizens (who are now asking, supposedly, for protection) from the evil Blanco Americans.

      Oh, wait, that's called "La Raza" and it's an actual movement, though not condoned (supposedly) by the Mexican Government.

      The Issues With Mexico are the same ones that have existed in Mexico since roughly after Texas succeeded from Mexico and the serious smackdown of the Mexican-American War (where we could have just stayed in country all the way down below Mexico City, but instead paid for California and Arizona and New Mexico.) Banditry rules more than the governments, sometimes the bandits are the governments and the bandits will raid across the border until the US puts down the bandits crossing said border.

      Are there armed forces from Mexico crossing into the US today? Yes. Are we curb-stomping them? No. Why? Because our leaders are weak and being paid off. There. Mexico-American relations in a nutshell.

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    15. Beans #1 - I need sources for those claims, 2005? Seriously?

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    16. Beans #2 - 99.9% of the problems in and with Mexico are due to the cartels. They have so much money that they can pay off damned near everyone, and mostly have. This doesn't go back to the Mexican War, this is a new issue.

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    17. Okay, maybe 2014 for actual annexation of the Crimea, but when did ethnic Russians start moving into Ukraine and when did they start shouting for separation?

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    18. "99.9% of the problems in and with Mexico are due to the cartels."

      That being in translation the Mexican government.

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    19. Remember, the Crimea wasn't part of Ukraine until Khrushchev turned it over to the Ukrainian SSR for administrative purposes. The Russians took back what was historically theirs, if you ignore the fact that they stole it from the original inhabitants back in Peter the Great's time. The eastern edge of Ukraine is one of those areas of the world where two (or more) different cultures overlap. The Russian people haven't been what you call "mobile" for most of their history. People tend to stay where they were born, they're not like us who will move across the entire country for various reasons. (Jobs, etc.)

      People in the east tend to leans towards Russia, in the west towards Europe. When much of the country leaned towards Europe, those in the east didn't care for it, not one iota.

      Politics can be a very nasty business, in eastern Europe it can be very unpleasant.

      When NATO started sniffing around Ukraine (which we had told Putin we wouldn't do), yeah, the Russians got nervous. With their history of invasion, can you blame them?

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    20. Joe - Not at all, the cartels were not elected by anyone, they are NOT the government of Mexico, but they have a huge say in how things run. That's what happens when criminals have lots and lots of money and lots and lots of guns. Look at Chicago during Prohibition, was Al Capone the government? No, but when he wanted something, people listened, the alternative wasn't pretty.

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    21. @ Beans #1
      remembrances of an old man's remembrances
      My mother left Berdychiv (I'm making it ~100 miles WSW of Kyiv) when she was 6 years old. One of her elder brothers (she was the baby) explained to me (I was one of the kids always asking why the sky was blue) that they left Berdychiv in 1916 after having to eat the family dog; there were no more worms and grass and bugs.
      He also mentioned that everyone spoke Russian, about a third also spoke the old Ukranian, another third also spoke Polish, and another third spoke Yiddish and another third spoke Hungarian (these aforementioned were not necessarily distinct groups) - this elder brother spoke Ukranian, Russian, Hungarian, and Yiddish, but stumbled badly when speaking Polish, which the rest of the family, save the three youngest, all spoke fluently - it was a huge family.
      The point being: they considered themselves Russians, not Ukranians; the Ukraine was a section of Russia, not a separate country - sort of like NY is a section of the US, not a separate country - though one wonders , at times.

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    22. The history of corruption in the Mexican government is long. If the criminals who own the politicians call the shots they are, for practical purposes, the government.

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    23. Joe - Yeah, if they own the politicians, then they really are the government. I bow to your superior logic.

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  4. My view of Putin is that he sees himself as a reborn Иосиф Виссарионович and wants to create CCCP b.2.

    We saw him flex his muscles when The One was in the Oval Office because he knew that nothing would happen. Looking at a map you would logically say that it should be Ukrainian, not Russian, but Stalin Lite wants it, and the Obama/Biden clique handed it to him. Notice that he did nothing while Orange Man Bad was in office, but soon after he was out Putin went back to trying to rebuild his empire. What he didn't count on was the political and financial interests of the Biden family interfering with his plans.

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    1. Not Stalin, more of a Peter the Great is how he sees himself, in my view.. Not the USSR but the Holy Russian Empire is what Vlad is shooting for, after all, everyone knows (well, except a few old Commie diehards) that Stalin was a thug. There's a reason Pyotr I Alekseyevich has "the Great" after his name. He made Russia a European power with influence in the wider world.

      Vlad wants the same for Russia, without all the Commie claptrap.

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    2. Good points. Maybe a bastard child of the two. Either way, a remake of some Russian Empire, with Vlad in the driver's seat. And, as you mentioned elsewhere, a leopard can't change it's spots. Putin cut his teeth navigating his way to power in the old Soviet State. That's why I think more Soviet Union than Святая Мать Россия.

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    3. Got it, he is a child of the USSR.

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  5. Sarge,
    As always, very nice summation of a horrible time in human history! Quite disturbing to see the similarities today. One can only pray that we smarten up enough to avoid it.
    juvat

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    1. Hate to say it, but I think it's too late. The tree might need watering, if'n you catch my drift.

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  6. I have struggled to update my cold war understanding. I was raised then, too. I don't think Russia is aiming for CCCP v.2, they have embraced their Orthodox Christian roots strongly. They stand against the rainbow aligned folks. They are very interested in their nation, as any nation should be. And their people. The fallout of WW1 and WW2 were chalk lines across nations that put incompatible tribes together willy-nilly. That hasn't been addressed except through regional conflict.

    I remember reading about two areas of predominately Russian folk in the Ukraine being shelled by the neo-nazis in the Uke military. I think it was Donetsk and Dombas or some such. Not gonna bother spelling correctly. I've seen the Uke's suffer through a Nuland inspired color revolution that deposed an elected PM. I saw the new guy we installed shut down churches and jail journalists. He bought expensive property here with fresh money while his country is at war. And we support that? I know enough to not trust anything that is written by a US journalist. Sources are hard to come by. It sickens me that we are sticking our noses into another regional conflict to develop a market for arms and graft. I have a hard time seeing our strategic interest there. Stories of US interests in bio-labs in Uke seem credible. Unless we are worried the world will find out what we've been doing over there in violation of treaties we've signed, why are we involved?

    We're raiding our pantry to help Uke but we can't quickly resupply our gifts. I have a bad feeling that we are burning through our own supplies and won't have what we need to take care of our own home if / when we have to.

    What is coming into our country's open border while we send our money, tech and men to take care of Ukraine's border? How thin can we spread ourselves and still be effective? Is there really any rhyme or reason to what we are doing around the world? Are we any different than the Putin you describe, I mean really? I haven't seen any answers that satisfy me. And I am looking hard for them.

    I fear we have lost our collective minds due to being too smart to be instructed. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness..." We are so sure of ourselves that we push our godlessness to any and all. I'm glad parents in our day didn't take our desire to be pirates seriously and schedule an eye removal operation and a leg amputation. I believe Hell is coming to breakfast. And I'm afraid we deserve it.

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    1. One thing to bear in mind, always, is that Russians are very wary of foreigners, they've been invaded enough times for that to be a valid reason to want buffers around the Rodina.

      One good point you make implicitly is that all, repeat all, politicians are corrupt. If they don't start that way, they get that way. How do Congressmen and Senators become millionaires on their salaries? Speaking fees (bribes), gifts (campaign contributions), and the like. Term limits is the only real short term solution. Educating the citizenry to not tolerate corruption, graft, cheating, lying, and stealing is another.

      I actually had a conversation with a Little Rhodian one time some years back in which he was going to vote for some lunatic state project because, and I quote, "Well, there's no state money being spent, is all Federal money."

      "What, you don't pay Federal income tax?" - He seriously walked away, confused as to the point I was trying to make.

      Too many people in the country now who are just along for the ride and aren't willing to pull their weight. They're also far too willing to tolerate ridiculous ideas as they don't want to get involved.

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    2. The above statement about Federal not State money is about the stupidest statement I've ever heard. If that mindset expands to much more of the population, we are well and totally F'd!
      juvat

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    3. As God is my witness, that seems to be the attitude among a number of ill-informed voters.

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    4. "I don't think Russia is aiming for CCCP v.2, they have embraced their Orthodox Christian roots strongly."

      To me that indicates Putin learned from past mistakes, thus CCCP b.2. Suppression of the Church was likely the most resented part of the Soviet agenda.

      Re the Rainbow Mob...as I recall it was almost an automatic death sentence in the Soviet Union.

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    5. Joe - "they have embraced their Orthodox Christian roots strongly" - so the Orthodox Church believes in aggressive war and the murder of civilians? I think not. But that's just me.

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    6. "Educating the citizenry to not tolerate corruption, graft, cheating, lying, and stealing is another."
      That is tough to do today, they own the schools and have for some years, I can see that when I look around today.
      They own the MSM, almost all of it and social media. That is a lot of power.

      Corporations have civil rights (the Citizens United ruling) and they own the MSM. The fairness doctrine for the public airways is long gone. 24/7/365....

      Education is going to be tough.

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    7. The Church, no. The vast majority of the people, no. Putin and his crew? Yes. While I can't know his heart, and he plays the part of an observant Orthodox Christian, I have my doubts about his true devotion to the Church. Look at how his opponents seem to undergo conveniently timed deaths. Of course, you can say the same about the emperors in Constantinople...or Moscow.

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    8. Rob - To true. And infuriating.

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    9. Joe - He does play the part now. But did he go to Church when he was a KGB colonel? I think not.

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  7. Sarge, speaking only to the Rest of the World section, I do not think we could even mount a WW II style front. By and large, military numbers have dropped in terms of active duty as well (in the US) for general recruiting purposes. Certainly based on what I read, we are still struggling and/or catching up with things like munitions production. And at least from what one reads, technology has impacted on how parts of the war are being fought - that old "Fighting the last war" problem.

    Even beyond that, though, is simply "The West" is not united - not between themselves, not even internally. The upcoming presidential election in the US alone is at the very least going to produce a lot of bad feelings. I would argue no matter who wins that election, we emerge even less unified than ever. And countries that are not unified do not fight wars well.

    And, of course, the ever increasing National Debt. The only way we can fight a war now is going into hock.

    I suspect future historians will look at the US Retreat from Afghanistan as the effective beginning of the end of Pax Americana.

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    1. I'm OK with Pax Americana ending. Yes, we should maintain interests in the world at large but I'm tired of spending blood and treasure for unworthy "causes". We need to support only those allies worthy of such (see below) and then only " support", not fight on their behalf.
      No, we certainly are not able to mount a WWII "front"; nor were we in 1941 for that matter. Our munitions resupply needs greater improvement to even be " struggling".
      The "election" will merely be another example of our division - and frankly I am not remotely ready to reconcile with the part of the country that is OK with the destruction of our Republic and our culture. We need to get our own house in order, secure our borders and deport those who have invaded our country.
      Boat Guy

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    2. TB - Correct on all counts. I look at the American retreat from Saigon in 1975 as the death knell of Pax Americana. But I'm okay with NOT being the world's policeman.

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    3. BG - Ditto on the end of that. As to this fall, I like that you put "election" in quotes.

      Woke delenda est.

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    4. Sarge, I cannot disagree in principal with the Fall of Saigon either.

      Our enemies foreign (at least) need do nothing but let us consume ourselves.

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    5. Something we need to remember!

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  8. Good points. I was a bit concerned, Sarge, with your 1938 analogy at first since so many people use such to insist we keep supporting a corrupt oligarchy. We keep spending money and ordnance that we cannot afford to spend in a conflict in which we have no national interest at stake.
    For that matter, we have more interest in keeping Taiwan free than making zelensky wealthier. Taiwan makes and supplies critical computer components that we can't let the CCP control.
    I would argue that not "all repeat, all" politicians are corrupt; yes people like pelosi, biden, shumer et al are glaringly corrupt; none has ever held another job. Nearly all of the corrupt ones are from the left; yes the turtle and cornyn are supposedly not left, just bought. But people like JD Vance and Rand Paul had money before they went to the Hill to do battle on our behalf. There are a number of other lesser known examples of both corruption and virtue but I hope I've made my point.
    Boat Guy

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    1. Yes, 1938 wasn't meant to be "we should help them" but rather weakness leads to predators moving in.

      While I know that not "all" politicians are necessarily corrupt, the class, as a whole, is. If you can only name four or five "good" ones out of 538, I'd say we have a really serious problem down in DC.

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    2. Sarge, if pressed, I could probably name a dozen or two; that is NOT to say we don't have a serious problem in Sodom-on-Potomac, we certainly do! We are only now truly understanding how derelict most of our "representatives" have been for so long. Much like seeing the extent of the rot in academia and "education" (gonna wear out my quotation marks) shows how pervasive the anti-American agenda has become..
      Like you, I pray we don't have to water the tree; but I'm far from hopeful.
      BG

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    3. I'm getting less and less hopeful as the days go by.

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    4. Corrupt is not all bad, if competent. Worse is incompetent (corrupt or not). Worst is naive and idealistic.

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  9. My concern: Oh, Look! There's a squirrel.
    Vladomirovich vs. Volodymyr Oleksandrovych - not really our concern
    We have an exteme problem with the Houthis disrupting world (including ours) shipping; what has Joe Biden done? (I can see what Droupadi Murmu did about the Somali pirates)
    We have a problem with China/Taiwan; what has Joe Biden done? Yes! this affects the USA (manufacturing).
    We have an ongoing problem with Hamas/Israel; what has Joe Biden done? Yes! this affects the USA (the Somalis and other Arabs the Half-Blood Prince brought in). (We can tar an feather both Chuck Schumer and Victoria Nuland - to say very least.)
    I'd also like to know who owns the ned labs in the Ukraine on Russia's border - or, at least, who's making money from them.
    I'm certainly not opposed to my grand-nephews (my grandsons aren't old enough yet) writing a blank check, but shouldn't they at least be somewhat aware what they're fighting for?

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    1. The current administration is corrupt, incompetent. feckless, insane, and did I mention incompetent? Yes, I mentioned incompetent twice, reasons.

      Ukraine - Russia, no vital American interest.

      Houthis - Freedom of navigation, we definitely have an interest there, but what are the GD Euros doing about it? Reminds me of the pirate problem in the Med when Jefferson was President, the Euros were content to avoid the area and pay the pirates off. We went in and kicked ass, we're not in the ass kicking business any more.

      China/Taiwan - They're an ally and a source of vital things like computer chips, definitely a vital interest there.

      Hamas/Israel - Not a vital American interest, but damn it let the Israelis fix that problem. Shipping "humanitarian aid" to Gaza? No, no effing way.

      All this lab nonsense? Find out who's funding it and send them to prison. Lookin' at you Fauci.

      We should always know what we're fighting for, if we don't then the answer is simple, leave it ALONE!

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    2. Spot on summary, Sarge! As for FoN; shooting down cheap missiles and drones with expensive missiles is not sustainable. T'were me, when an American-flag ship gets hit, I'd let StratCom "service" the targets with a MIRV or two. Time the world learned to fear us - "proximate force" is a suckers game.
      BG

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  10. Do remember that the Brits and the French did NOTHING after the Commies also attacked Poland. Nor did they do anything when Russia attacked Finland. But "Hitler BAD!"

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  11. Know what the record number is for comments on one of your blog posts?

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  12. Scary and good stuff, Sarge. Those we have in charge appear to be -- at best -- fools. Perhaps they're on a different side.

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  13. Very interesting comments today, with a disparate views of the situation. I'm an old (1951 model, Mk.0) anti Commie/ Nazi, kill ALL those Mo Fo'ers. Still am. BUT, now I see the logic in Iran calling us the Great Satan. Even though you (Sarge) and I aren't Satanists, that doesn't mean our Fed Dot Gov isn't run by Satan's proxies and assignee's. EVERYTHING going on with Fed Dot Gov and NGO's, is to contribute to the downfall of US and Western Civ. They aren't charitable, they aren't humanitarian. They are the "plausible deniability" wing of the Gates, Sorros, Rothschild, Rockefeller, WEF, WHO, etc. NWO crew to initiate the civilizational collapse, The Great Reset. Don't forget the most obvious writ of what the Great Reset is, the Georgia Guidestones 10 commandments (look them up). (((They))) only need 500 million slaves to run the gears of a "sustainable", "green", "15 minute" city-type civilization. EVERYTHING, except power, is expendable for them to get there, money is only a tool. The Great Replacement is real, hence, open borders to all and only White countries. Once they get enough vibrant diversity into any given country, it will collapse from parasitic, welfare hoards driving the land into civil, economic, moral, religious, criminal, chaos.
    All that to say, that Russia/Putin is more our (We The People) allies than Satanic, Fed Dot Gov. I love America, I hate USA INC.
    Your opinion may vary. There will always be variances in opinions, best to not lose the 30,000 foot perspective while slugging it out in the trenches. Still love your informative, freedom loving, spreading blog. I hope you appreciate how hard that was for a retard (pretty sure I have some undiagnosed concussions in my past), but hey! I own it all!

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    1. To be called "the Great Satan" by mohammedans is no insult. WE are not of the regime currently installed over us. The American People are still as fractious, generous and unruly as ever. We WILL take our Republic back from the godless heathens currently in power and usher in a new, rebuilt Republic in accordance with the Founders vision. So help me God.
      Boat Guy

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    2. Tree Mike - First I've heard of those "Guide stones," seems pretty damn scary that people actually believe that shite. Of course, they will be the Master Race, the rest of us the slaves. Screw that!

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    3. Boat Guy, Fed Dot Gov being called The Great Satan by Islamists, does not make them wrong. Also, I don't conflate "We The People" with Fed Dot Gov, also known as USA INC., NOT the same entity that our Founding Fathers put together, "if we could keep it", we didn't keep it, it was incorporated back in the early 1800's by the Rothchild owned banksters.
      Sarge, it's not just "damn scary that people actually believe that shite". It's a formal Agenda (2030). BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street, Soros, Gates, WEF, Carnegie, Clinton Foundation and a thousand other NGO's and corporations are actively moving and shaking, literally, everything to bring this goal to fruition. Yes, after they cull the worthless eaters (7.5 billion), the rest will be slaves (500 mil).
      The big picture for USA INC is doomed, the smaller pictures for various regions will likely be much better. I didn't make this shit up, I just found other peoples research, applied lots of skepticism, critical thinking and disbelief ("That's GOTTA be BS!!!). So here I am, further down the rabbit hole than most folks. (Rabbit hole, a little Social Literacy from The Looking Glass).
      I'm not arguing with anybody, I pretty much agree with everyone above. But we're distracted with a thousand distractions that (((They))) manufacture (circus, bread, disasters) for us so that we miss important clues to coming events. The world isn't chaotically, randomly, accidentally charging over the cliff, it is being systematically goaded and guided over the edge by Satan's minions. Just to lay some blame, people are looking at details instead of the larger picture.

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