“You’ve been fooled!”
Or, “What, me worry?”
I have a couple of issues with both the media and the world community — including US attitudes about, well, basically Russia.
I get it, I do. Between WWII and today, while it was officially the USSR, in reality, it was Russia. And even today, while officially, it’s the Russian Federation, in reality, it’s still Russia.
But, first, let me expound on one of my pet peeves at the moment. Trust me, we’ll get back to Russia.
One of my biggest hidden peeves for the moment is the US news media. Increasingly, it’s been pessimistic as hell over Ukraine. Just this morning, I was reading the news, and Newsweek had an article entitled, “Could a European military go it alone?” It was an interesting article, and full of quotes and a lot of speculation. A bunch of that was based on Trump’s past over trying to separate the US from NATO, and past criticism on NATO/EU failures to “pay its own way”, as Trump was complaining. True, the US before Trump did press NATO and the EU to increase its military spending. There’s no doubt about that.
But this article ignored completely current trends and occurrences which show that both entities have indeed, done exactly what the US has been pushing them to do, and they’ve done it specifically because of a US failure to support Ukraine.
Two specific things they missed, deliberately or not. First, the recent almost across the board increases in military spending by almost all of NATO alliance countries. That includes a very recent (within the last three weeks) announcement of a 50 BILLION Euro aid package for Ukraine. Sure, they had to lean hard on Hungary to get that done, but it worked. One could also include the announcement by another NATO member in the EU (which I cannot remember the exact one) that they had recently begun increasing their artillery shell manufacture towards a million shells per year, with all of that increase being dedicated to Ukraine. It also ignored the recent addition of both Finland and Sweden to NATO. They alluded to France’s recent activities, but also ignored Macron’s very recent speech that clearly said that there are no more “red lines” in Ukraine they cannot cross, alluding to the use of French troops inside Ukraine.
The second thing they missed is the 800 lb gorilla in the middle of the room — the Russian invasion of Ukraine, now entering its third year. an invasion that on the very first day, the media told us that even US military analysts had concluded that Ukraine wouldn’t last five days. Again, that was two years ago.
In those ensuing two years, Russia has lost over 400,000 troops, virtually every tank and armored vehicle they had in commission when it started; they’ve called up over another two hundred thousand conscripts (largely untrained and badly under-equipped), and still, Ukraine was able to retake about 50% of the territory Russia took in the opening weeks of that invasion! In addition, Ukraine, a country without a navy, has retaken control of the Black Sea by sinking by now over 40% of the Russian Black Sea fleet and using missiles and drones to isolate the Russian fleet’s remaining ships in port or the Sea of Azov, AND killed the Russian Black Sea fleet commander two months ago with a missile strike on their headquarters. In Russia. And in the last two weeks, they’ve hit fourteen of Russia’s oil refineries, at least one or two of which are over 1500 kilometers away from the Ukrainian border! That’s killed almost 20% or more of Russian oil refining capabilities, and is likely to end Russian exports of gasoline — they already had to stop diesel exports!
However, the very clear conclusion of that article is that no, neither the EU nor NATO can “go it” alone without the US, but without specifically mentioning the opponent as Russia.
Now, you tell me. Given that Russia, which once was seen as the #2 military power in the world, today cannot even expand their holdings in one small country after two years of warfare, and have lost to that small country almost every armored vehicle they owned before the war, how is it that NATO, an alliance of 30+ European countries plus the US and Canada, is unable to defend itself without US aid?
Now don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that Russia is powerless. Obviously, even with the vast majority of their military tied down in a war they seem unable to win, they’ve got to have a few hundred thousand or more people still under arms elsewhere. But for obvious reasons, to say NATO, an alliance of over 30 countries combined in a mutual aid pact, cannot defend itself from a Russia that badly crippled, is insane. Even without US help, NATO would kick Russian ass within a week. Probably before any substantial US troops could get there.
What else can I conclude? Ukraine, with second tier air defense systems provided by the US and NATO, has shot down enough Russian aircraft in the last two weeks alone that Russia has stopped flying even close to the border, much less inside Ukraine. Using drones, Ukraine has destroyed three or four of the Russian equivalent of the US AWACS, an aircraft that costs at least 300 million dollars. That’s bad enough they aren’t even flying ANY of those anywhere near Ukraine. Heck, when they destroyed the fourth of those, they also hit the facility used to maintain and repair them. So, there ya go.
If Ukraine, with second tier anti-aircraft systems of western manufacture, can shoot down top tier Russian fighters and command level aircraft, just how in the hell do you think Russia’d fare against TOP tier NATO systems? Just like Ukraine has killed almost all of the tanks Russia had in commission before the war — using RUSSIAN equipment! Some of it actually captured from Russian forces and converted to Ukrainian use! Assisted of course, by less than top tier western equipment.
No. Not only was that Newsweek article completely wrong because of what they left out, the same can be said of almost every other news release by American media about the war, and even Russia itself.
Why? Take a look at history.
Ever since WWII, the West was afraid of Russian intentions. They’d just fought a huge war with tremendous losses, and were desperate to get back to business as usual and to stop the fighting, to convert industrial capacities to civilian products and less military stuff. To grow economies. Lots of ex-military folks needed jobs. The last thing the West wanted to do was to get embroiled in another war — especially with an ex-ally who was probably going to use western equipment they’d sent during the war!
Russia (or the USSR’s) job was easy — push the envelope and make the allies think they were more capable then anyone thought. After all, they also had the after war industrial capabilities of the eastern European countries as well as itself. Given the West’s reluctance to get embroiled in fighting again, it was easy to sit back and look more powerful than they were.
But you must not forget. Russia, during WWII, was successful in fighting and actually invading Germany from the east ONLY because 3/4 of their logistics, ammo, and equipment was provided under the Lend Lease program BY THE WESTERN ALLIES. Russia did not produce most of that themselves. WE did. They would have succumbed to German invasion forces easily without western help.
So, how long after the war ended did it take them, realistically, to replicate western industrial capacities in producing their own military equipment and logistical supplies? I’d bet longer than we thought, and you can bet your bottom dollar that’s because we let them fool us into believing their claims otherwise.
Which brings me to my next point.
Russia obviously has had over eighty years of time to perfect their capacities to make others think what the Russians want them to think. To perfect their psychological warfare abilities. Why do I say that?
Again, think back to two years ago, when everyone, and I DO mean everyone, thought that Ukraine would fold in five days. Yet, not only did they survive, they used Russian equipment to decimate the Russian invasion forces. Why did everyone including US military analysts think that?
Because of Russian psychological warfare capabilities to make us think they were better than the reality.
Psyops. It’s real, and the Russians are experts at it.
Just look at the US political situation. Just Monday night, Rachael Maddow had a segment where she spoke of exactly this. How the Russians, using Trump and numerous others, have divided the US system to the point of paralyzing our ability to aid Ukraine. And they STILL are involved, and STILL using Trump to destabilize the US to the point where even our allies are uncertain of our intentions! To the point where the EU and NATO have stepped up their military spending and allowed in two countries who traditionally, have preferred to remain independent. All because of Russian interference in US politics.
And again, the US news media is overplaying Russian abilities, and UNDER playing their involvement, in this entire affair! Somehow, I doubt that’s because of Western media stupidity. Or maybe not completely.
Look, I’m going to be blunt. Before 2016, I had little in the way of opinions about Trump. I saw him as an overblown businessman that got lucky with a TV show. Not much else.
Today? He’s a frigging traitor. I could continue to say why for literally a hundred thousand words. But suffice it to say merely that he’s a Russian agent. Why do you think he took the notes from that meeting he had with Putin? I’d sure like to see what threats he made to that interpreter to keep her quiet!
A dozen of Trump’s top tier people are fighting indictments and a bunch are headed to jail. Hell, he announced yesterday that he’s bringing Manafort back! A man who for decades, assisted Russian oligarchs? A man who got convicted for felonies?
In 2021, on January 6th, Trump incited an insurrection. We know this, it was televised! The words he used to do that were televised! Maddow detailed Monday might exactly how the Russians interfered with all of that, how they’ve pushed it, funded it and probably still are. How Trump probably would never have even been running without Russian aid!
Why in the frigging hell does the United States of America allow this kind of foreign interference in our political system? Didn’t we catch, indict, convict and imprison a major Russian agent for pushing money through the NRA — to numerous congressional Republicans? Yeah, we did, and when she got traded back to Russia, she got rewarded for what she did!
I thought we had laws to prevent foreign interference like this? Where in the hell is the Department of Justice? The FBI? I thought their JOBS were to stop this crap? Why aren’t all of these people accepting foreign money and influence in fucking JAIL? Or at least alongside Trump fighting indictments?
Instead, they’re IN CONGRESS, stopping desperately needed aid to Ukraine, and pushing aid towards an authoritarian leader in Israel who is fomenting a war that is reducing Americans’ support for Biden?
I could go on. I should go on, but I think I’ve made my point.
If the world had its head screwed on right, we’d go through the UN and make the kind of crap Russia is doing an internationally illegal activity. A reason for the world to step in and remove a government from power to install a more democratic one.
But it doesn’t, and right now, the US is so damn compromised, we cannot even count on our vaunted legal system to defend us from the kind of foreign interference you’d think would earn a jail sentence. Even, and especially, for people in Congress.
I think it’s time for a popular revolution, via the ballot box.
Forget political parties. Forget personalities.
Elect people to office who promise to keep our democracy. People who promise to defend democracy, and to help the American people regain and retain control of our government. It is supposed to be by, of, and for, The People. Not the Rich, not the White, and not Men.
We, The People. It’s right there, in black and white, and it’s been there for 245 years. It’s time we made those words count.
It’s time to stop the lies. The lies told by the Rich White Men who want to be in charge, the lies told by the religious fanatics who also want to be in charge, and the lies told by those taking money from foreigners who want to control the world.
And the lies being pushed by the news media, who are the ONLY private entities specifically protected by the Constitution by name. They were supposed to be our protection from governmental lies. Instead, they have failed in their duty to us.
And to themselves.
Join me. Vote BLUE — not to vote for Biden or any specific person.
Vote BLUE to fight the lies, to fight those who would overturn our democracy — to fight those traitorous enough to take foreign money to do that.
And then, after we win in November, keep voting for those who can keep protecting our rights as citizens, against the lies, because those who lie WILL KEEP LYING.
It’s up to us, you and me — to stay on top of that.
