I'll admit, I'm old school, and in most cases I don't apologize for it. Especially when it comes to my intense wariness concerning all things Russia. I'm not paranoid....I don't see a Rooskie behind every tree....but my memory is still vivid enough to remember stories of Nikita Khrushchev banging his shoe on a desk back in 1956 before a gathering of Western ambassadors and telling them "We will bury you!"
Back then Russia was the Soviet Union, and their enforcers were their KGB. They were to the Soviet Union what the Gestapo was to Nazi Germany. Think secret police. Nasty, evil people they were. When the Soviet Union disintegrated and collapsed in 1991, Vladimir Putin was a proud member of that nefarious group. For nearly 20 years now he has been the supreme authority in Russia. The name may have changed, the flag may have changed, but Russia is just as untrustworthy today as it was back in the old Soviet days. There's no daylight between Putin the KGB agent and Putin, the President of Russia.
Vladimir Putin desperately wants to see his Russia back on par with the United States as a world superpower. He knows that won't happen, though, as his Russia only has an economy roughly equal to California's. They're living hand-to-mouth. His only hope is to saw the legs out from under the US, and the European Union, and NATO. If he can't stand 6'4 like us, he wants us to be 5'7 like him.
Vladimir Putin is a bully, he gets what he wants, and he will do whatever it takes, legal or not, to get it. Many psychologists say that bad boy, gang leader image is how Donald Trump sees himself, too. They say he feels a certain kinship with Putin. Others say it's more complicated, and commercial, than that. They say Trump has depended on Russian money for years to keep his Trump Organization afloat.
Vladimir Putin has been patiently cultivating Donald Trump for years.
Regardless, I can't forgive Donald Trump for not standing up to Russian evil. With this President, I'm a one-issue citizen. My displeasure with him is not about his foreign policy, or his economic policy, or his cabinet choices, or even his private life. Some I agree with, some I don't. But overriding EVERYTHING is America's security, and on this, our Commander-In-Chief has failed us. Unless he can somehow find the courage to step up and go toe-to-toe with Vladimir Putin, I will continue to be critical of him. Why any red-blooded American would cover for him baffles me.
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I have given Russian Generals tours of classified sites. I have sponsored a Russian to live in our home. Many things are wrong with their government, but their people are just like us, some good / some bad. Why did CIA try to start another Cold War a few years back? If SHTF Russia will be our friend and ally.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mean to insinuate the Russian people are evil. I'm sure they are, like you said, just like us. They go to work, bring home a paycheck, and try to take care of their families. And the Russian General(s) you gave tours to....was that part of a SALT inspection? If not, what was the purpose? Could it have ultimately been to intimidate them into believing our ____ technology was too advanced to ever compete with, just like they probably tried to likewise intimidate us? And the Cold War our CIA tried to start a few years back....are you speaking of our involvement (?) in the Ukrainian Orange Revolution? I'd like to hear more about that. Has anything been published on the topic? I realize we haven't been exactly blameless over the years in international intrigue. Government overthrows in Chile, Libya, Egypt, and Iran come to mind, never mind Cuba, Venezuela, and probably others, too. But to say when SHTF Russia will be our friend? I suppose if there was a large scale Extreme Islamist Jihad involving the Mideast and the "stans" on Russia's southern border, the "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" could apply. Ditto if renegades Iran and/or North Korea teamed up on us. But as in WWII, temporary allies became bitter adversaries as soon as the immediate enemy was defeated. I can't see them standing by us through thick and thin the way the UK or France or Germany has for decades now. I just can't imagine us burying the hatchet anytime soon. Obviously you have much more experience with them than me. I'd love to hear more about them from your perspective.
DeleteJust as Trump doesn't represent all Americans; Putin doesn't represent all Russians. I am sure they have intelligent / UN-brainwashed people that shake their heads at their leaders. That being said, Putin seems to own Trump...probably in financing Trump's organizations...hopefully we will know the extent sooner than later. What baffles me the most is the Trump supporters - no matter what he does, no matter what he says, no matter who he f&^%! - they stand behind him - many of them even claim to be religious. I just want to stand up and scream at them - "What would Jesus do? in this situation" - but screaming doesn't solve anything. Right now - it appears the Russians did win the cold war without military action.
ReplyDeleteMost of the Republican party has taken dirty Russian money too, thus they continue supporting him, except the smart ones who are bailing.
ReplyDeleteSo Republicans have dirty Russian money, but not Democrats? It's odd you would say that as over the years Democrats have been much more dovish (easy on Russia) than Republicans. Please share your source as I'd like to read more.
DeleteIf he can't stand 6'4 like us, he wants us to be 5'7 like him. <-- This reminded me of the adage about Russian (USSR) thinking in Germany when I was a kid: If a Russian farmer loses a cow, he's not trying to figure out why his cow died and what he could do better with the next cow. He's wishing for his neighbor to lose his cow, too.
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