Friends, even the BBC is speculating that Ukraine could lose its war against Russia in 2024, if a Russian summer offensive obliterates Ukrainian morale, which is already at a low ebb. The BBC, of course, and the Western establishment, would like to dump even more money into the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in a last ditch effort to save Zelensky's bacon, but it's not clear that any such surge in arms shipments would be effective -- and there appears to be little political will in the West to throw good money after bad, regardless. It's looking more and more like the West has led the poor people of Ukraine into a trap. Of course, the hawks have already fine-tuned their excuses in case the war goes from bad to worse: they'll blame Trump and Republicans for being too stingy with military aid! One thing is for sure: the brainiacs who brought you the war in Ukraine will never take responsibility for their mistakes, and they'll never be held to account, either. In fact, they'll probably immediately start looking for the next overseas conflict where they can apply their genius for meddling. Oy!
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68778338
In other news, FISA, meaning warrantless surveillance, often of Americans, is back for two more years, and the House Republicans, who **nominally** control that body, are a big part of the reason why. Gee, I wonder if this power will be misused by career bureaucrats in the Deep State, determined to settle ideological scores and demonize their critics? Nah. That could never happen. Not in America!
RAY TO DR. WADDY (NICK)
ReplyDeleteMy primary concern is, "Will Zelensky be safe and comfortable if he has to flee his beloved Ukraine"?
My guess is that he will, and I think all that spare cash he probably has, should tide him over nicely until he returns. If course he might find other climates more to his liking and decide to stay wherever he goes.
Basically, he is a sweet guy and deserves the best.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: We have done incalculable harm by encouraging Ukraine to confront Russia with the possibility of Ukraine's membership in Nato. In doing so, for reasons so obviously divorced from military necessity, we released on Ukraine oppression in its cruelest manifestation in the form of an apparently always brutal Russia yet understandably determined never to endure such an affront and fundamental national security threat. We cannot undo this terribly shameful wrong but we can offer our wealth to help rebuild Ukraine when its torment comes to its perhaps inevitable end. These "compassionate" dems should be all for it.
ReplyDeleteHa! Agreed, Ray: Zelensky will land on his feet...unless a Russian umbrella catches up with him someday.
ReplyDeleteJack, I think it's clear that our "sponsorship" of Ukraine will end up vastly decreasing the general welfare of the Ukrainian people and massively increasing their suffering. We should be ashamed, quite frankly, of what we have wrought...but I don't get the sense that any Western hawk ever is, has been, or ever will be, ashamed of any of their constant misjudgments.
Dr. Waddy from Jack : It was hubris on our part to take such overadvantage of the collapse of the Soviet Union because it did not manifest the lasting disempowerment of the brutal Russian bear itself. The ancient Greeks defined hubris as a fatal flaw in otherwise heroic personalities. We may not suffer fatal consequences from this but already myriad Ukrainians have. We must do right by them but your doubt that we would is plausible.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: U.S. military might saved the world from communism. Our opposition to the radical dissembling exemplified by the aggressive form of Islam is justified by the legitimate threat it poses to Western Civilization. But it has been compromised by meddling American leaders who pusillanimously apologize to quasimedieval Middle Eastern potentates and the anarchic forces they goad on to mindless destruction. The need for military strength is a regrettable necessity in this still humanly flawed world. Lack of it guarantees subjugation. I do not mean to suggest you favor our disarmament, rather I see in your comment a creditable wish that our strength be applied in a more well thought out manner.
ReplyDeleteWhy we have kept our foot on Russia's throat all these years is incomprehensible to me... I truly believe the chance was there to normalize our relations with Russia and put an end to this nonsense. We blew it.
ReplyDeleteOh, for sure: in this fallen world, force will always be needed to prevent the forces of evil from dominating everything and everyone. The problem is that we are loath to use what force we possess, and, when we do use it, we almost always do so to advance a hawkish, myopic, idiotic agenda that serves no one.