Friends, it's often said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has an insidious plan to reestablish and rebuild the Soviet Union, making countries like Ukraine into vassals of Russia. Maybe he does, and maybe he doesn't, but either way it's certainly never been clear that Russia has the will or the means to extend Russian hegemony much further than it already has. I mean, nibbling away at Georgia, say, or annexing Crimea, is a long, long way from (re)birthing a superpower... Anyway, Russia's ambiguous goals are one of the subjects Brian and I cover on this week's Newsmaker Show. We also talk about the spread of "Freedom Convoys" to the U.S., the Dems' ongoing slump in the polls, and the trials and tribulations of Trump's new social media platform, "Truth Social".
In our "This Day in History" segment, we cover the U.S. conquest of Iwo Jima, the first polio vaccine in 1954, and threats to the life of President-Elect Abraham Lincoln in February 1861.
Listen in, comrade! It's your duty to world socialism!
https://wlea.net/newsmaker-february-23-2022-dr-nick-waddy/
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In other news, the omicron surge is now officially the omicron bust. New infections are down about 90%. Boy, that was quick!
So whose bank accounts are being frozen these days in the People's Republic of Canada? Is it anyone who's contributed to the "Freedom Convoy" movement? In some cases, yes. And the reaction of Canada's Justice Minister, which you'll read at the end of the piece, isn't exactly reassuring! Basically, he says that those nasty "Trumpers" deserve what they get.
Dr.Wardy from Jack: I haven't listened to the broadcast yet but let me presumeto express the following: What a damnable disorder these dreamere have delivered us to! As a vet of the '73 -74 gas hassles, I was so grateful for US accomplishment of energy independence. And now these far leftists who infest our Federal executive branch have willfully renderered us again vulnerable to the vagaries of far away hurly burly! Well, I trust the infrastructure built in our successful drive for independence is still intact and can be revived. All that is lacking yet is the demonstrated political will to start it up again. The frantic left will fight a rear guard scorched earth eftort to destroy our domestic energy capability before Nov. , when they will face the wrath of the real America. We must deprive them of any power to legislatively support the anti American American radicals! We have Scotus, let us take Congress and corrall them, to leap and snort in laughable futility while Biden Inc thrashes!
ReplyDeleteDr. Nick
ReplyDeleteEagerly awaiting your reactions and comments on Vlady Daddy's invasion of the Ukraine.
Dr. Wadd et al from Jack: Let us be of good cheer and banish all doubt ,for JOHN KERRY has deigned to grace us with his exalted and not to be challenged wisdom on Ukraine!It is a shame ,he decrees, because it distracts us from the crusade on human generated global warming!. . . . . oh, ok. Actually one of his mind does have much to dread, since the war on US fossil fuel production,which does increase the hazard we face day by day now in Europe, bids fair to be brought to a precipitous and necessary halt, very soon. $8 a gal. gas will see to that, as will Pino Joe unless he wishes to be the titular head of a decimated and consummately discredited Dem rump!
ReplyDeleteCorrection: "Dr. Waddy. . ."
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: Its still unclear how much direct control of Ukraine Putin intends, once he has taken it but one thing is for sure: any possibility of even plausible discussion of Ukraine in Nato is over. Some degree of integration with the Russian Federation is probable since that would change Ukraine's border to a Russian border over which Western military aid could not proceed.
ReplyDeleteDr.Waddy from Jack: The decision to drop the bomb on Japan: we discussed this before and your insolent misgivings about my view scald my memory (so much that I cannot reprise them but I must allow , they were plausible). I maintain that the astonishing and appalling ferocity of the Kamikaze at Okinawa sealed the deal.We had fought the fanatic Japanese for over three years but Okinawa was shocking beyond belief. We could have blockaded Japan; maybe our subs could have done it. But though all Japanese capital ships were sunken, not all of their antisub force was. And our surface ships would have had to approach to within Kamikaze range to help the subs. It would have been a war of attrition and would the American public have stood for that? Meantime our Soviet allies would have gobbled Korea and as much of Japan itself as it could. Imagine commie North Japan! There may even have been among some of our decision makers a loathing for starving the innocent Japanese people(?).But if we had tried an invasion, the Kamikaze (thousands of them still) (the Japanese demonstrated at Pearl Harbor that monstrous naval shells can be delivered by planes) would have feasted on our fat transport ships, which had to get in close because the landing boats were very short ranged. All this and much more, had to assessed against the possibility of a single blow ending the hellishness. I have been to Nagasaki in American uniform on a Japanese conducted tour, 23 years after the bomb. You'd never know it to see it and I met nothing but Japanese cordialty! Tt was beyond amazing.
ReplyDeleteDr.Waddy from Jack: The polio vaccine: I was in first grade and was among the first to get it. This, I assume,was with my parents' ok. I had no perception at the time of what enervating, sleep destroying TERROR polio summer season was to the parents of the early '50s. I did hear about iron lungs. Polio had been around for a long time and I'd guess it didn't take NY style mandates to get parents to do the best thing.
ReplyDeleteJack,
DeleteExcept polio did not originate in Wuhan, as far as I know. I also recall the "March of Dimes" to fight polio. But polio did not generate mass hysteria and mandates, and everything was well explained from a medical view instead of a bunch of asshole politicians.
Jack, yes -- luckily our formidable energy infrastructure can't be destroyed in a day. We won't be energy supplicants anytime soon, although we will be net importers, which is unnecessary and most unfortunate.
ReplyDeleteRay, I just posted a long diatribe about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I hope it lives up to your high expectations. :)
Jack, I'm most curious to find out what Putin's endgame in Ukraine will be. I expect he wants to install a friendly, "non-Nazi" regime there. How easy will it be, though, to enforce Russian hegemony on a proud and irascible people? If I were Putin, I'd want Russian troops patrolling Ukrainian streets as briefly as possible. Another alternative: partition?
Jack, I hope I get to visit Hiroshima or Nagasaki someday too. I'm sure it would be an unforgettable experience.
If it were a choice between dropping the nukes and launching a protracted land invasion of Japan, I'd be all for dropping those a-bombs too. I don't believe it was that simple. In fact, Japan was teetering on the brink of surrender. I don't personally regard dropping the bombs as NECESSARY to push them over the edge. Useful, though!
Jack, I found it interesting how low the efficacy of the polio vaccine was. Some efficacy is still better than none!
Ray, as I understand it, the actual number of people who got seriously sick from polio was small. Of course, the media was also much more professional and even "non-partisan" in those days. No surprise, therefore, that the war on polio was handled in a rational, cooperative manner. It was a different time!