Friday, March 18, 2022

Let’s fight for freedom right here



     Fight for freedom in Ukraine?
     Why not fight for freedom right here?
     Let’s review, shall we?
     It’s mid-March, 2022. Our nation is united in spirit against Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin because ... why, exactly? Because he invaded democratic Ukraine, and is not only killing civilians and destroying cities, but also committing these atrocities to take away their liberty.
     Is that it? There’s no freedom of speech in Russia. We saw independent media outlets closed down at the start of the war. Peaceful protesters in Moscow hustled away by nightmare phalanxes of black-clad police. The elections keeping Putin in power are a sham. Opponents standing up to him politically can find themselves in prison, or drinking tea laced with polonium.
     Americans don’t like that. Readers write, demanding a no-fly zone, basically a declaration of war by happenstance. We might as well just cut to the chase and go to war, which some readers also support.
     Leading to today’s question.
     Why are we eager to defend freedom in Ukraine but not at home? Why cheer on the Ukrainians as they die in the name of democracy, applaud their refusal to submit, their courage, while rolling like puppies — many of us, anyway — at the feet of Donald Trump, a weak-tea, wannabe version of Putin? Someone who has either repeatedly said or tried to do exactly what Putin does?
     Sure, it might be a tentative foray, like suggesting the Federal Communications Commission sanction “Saturday Night Live” for making fun of him, or encouraging his followers to shout down entirely true reports of his countless lies with chants of “Fake News.” But the theory is the same.
     At this point, certain readers send their thumbs flying to write in some version of: “Aiyee, you’re obsessed! What’s with the Trump fixation? Why are you talking about him? A distant memory of something that might have happened once in a country somewhere, perhaps our own. Move on!”

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12 comments:

  1. Democracy seemed to function during the last election. Hopefully the citizens of this country will elect new representatives. And the next president in fair and free contests. I'm confident we will have fair and free elections.
    Our Democratic processes and institutions functioned adequately and correctly during the last administration and there was no takeover by the military and regardless of how people feel about the makeup of the supreme Court that branch of government functions the way the founders hoped.
    We may not agree with the decisions that they come to, but you don't always get your way in a democracy.
    The same with the elections. You might not always get the candidates that you hope for, but they're elected here. That's how democracy functions sometimes you get. Nixon sometimes you get Obama.
    I think that the worst threat to our liberty in my lifetime is the Patriot act and Republicans and Democrats alike voted for that draconian gutting of our constitutional rights.
    So many people in America act out of fearfulness and not courage.
    I'm one of those readers who thinks we should be in a hot war right now with Russia to protect one of our friends, which for sure Ukraine is.
    If we turn our back on them, how do our other friends view us as though we would turn our back on them as well? NATO NATO NATO yeah that's a great organization. But if we're so afraid of Russia that we won't facilitate Polish migs going to Ukraine? What kind of friends are we really?
    NATO doesn't restrict us from acting on behalf of non-nato countries.
    Why are we acting as though it does?

    Because we are afraid of Russia, We are willing to allow the Ukrainians defend for themselves. While telling them we have their back which we really don't. Sanctions I know that's what we're doing. Sanctions
    I hope to God they work but I doubt it.
    We invaded Iraq on false pretenses. We couldn't win in Afghanistan
    I guess we just fear that we couldn't defeat the Russian army either
    I guess nobody wants their sons and daughters to die in a faraway place for a meaningless cause. But let's not forget that every time that happens. It's our fellow citizens in the red states that send most of the people to do the job. Yeah, the people that we denigrate continuously fight our wars.

    My boys aren't signing up and I'm sure yours wouldn't either. It's kids in Nebraska in Montana, North Dakota, Iowa, Missouri and every other state that we looked down our nose at that keeps our country free while we stand on our soapbox spouting platitudes

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    1. We aren't afraid of Russia, we are afraid of a sociopathic lunatic, who has threatened to use nukes against Ukraine.

      And what's happening to the Russian Army in Ukraine proves that we could crush them, the way Schwarzkopf did to the Iraq Army 30 years ago.
      The Russian Army, as a fighting force, minus its air support, which is also somewhat iffy, is badly led, has atrocious intelligence & is filled with conscripts, that are drafted for just a year, which isn't enough time for real training.
      On top of that, Western military expert on the Russian Army have been quoted that they are vastly short of the non-coms [sergeants] & the mid level officer corps, that lead the foot soldiers in combat & their logistical operation is utterly incompetent.
      Which is why three, possibly four of there generals have been killed in combat, because they have been forced into the untenable position of leading from the front.
      The captured supply vehicles have Russian MREs that expired in 2002!
      Again, it's just the nukes that prevent us from doing so.

      As for Afghanistan, the Afghan men proved they don't give a shit about their own freedom, let alone the freedom of their wives, mothers & daughters.
      They massively outnumbered the Taliban, but they gave up without firing a shot for the most part.

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    2. Man, FME, you're pretty sanguine about the state of American politics these days. Yes, it worked out okay last time. But it wouldn't have, had a variety of Republican stooges in Congress had their way on Jan. 6. Uh, I believe Neil covered this: "Since Trump lost to Joe Biden ... he has raised $250 million, which he doles out to his fervent supporters and to elect state officials who will overturn the next election." Are you unaware of what they're doing to lay the groundwork for next time, or are you just ignoring it?

      As for the Supreme Court functioning well, perhaps you've heard of Merrick Garland and the most blatant disregard for the way things are supposed to work that I've ever seen. Also, Clarence Thomas' wife was an active supporter of the Jan. 6 crew and yet he sits on the SC, in a position to rule on all manner of issues relevant to her sedition.

      This is already too long of a comment, and others have mentioned the reason why a "hot war" with Russia is a very, very bad idea, but here's a link that offers a bit more of an explanation, should you care to read it.:

      https://the.ink/p/how-to-do-whats-right-without-starting?

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    3. The state of American politics has been as bad or worse as it is now many times in the past. yes the opposition party raises money and supports its candidates. Would you want it to be otherwise.

      Its sedition to attend a rally? if you believe that I guess I understand why you glossed over my comment regarding the Patriot Act. Far worse than anything trump did

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    4. As far as I can tell, you raised at least a half-dozen topics in your first comment; please excuse my not replying to them all. I doubt you'll be surprised to learn that I was no fan of the Patriot Act, but, as you note, it had plenty of bipartisan support when it was first passed.

      "Its sedition to attend a rally?" When the purpose of the "rally" is to keep a valid presidential election from being certified and to promote the Big Lie, the acceptance of which would have resulted in the installation of a bogus president? Uh, it's close enough to sedition for a blog comment, yeah.

      I don't at all understand your interest in pretending that the Biggest Loser's unprecedented behavior in and out of office is politics as usual. If you can point to previous cases where a defeated president has failed to concede that he lost -- 16 months later and counting, no less, been impeached twice (with the previous Republican presidential nominee voting to convict him both times) and spent his entire time in office and since attempting to cast doubt on countless established facts, as well as the whole electoral process, have at it.

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  2. Thank you for illuminating the obvious Neil.

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  3. We’re not afraid of Russia’s military. Neil pointed out inept they are.
    We are afraid of Putin’s finger on the nuclear button.
    Anyone paying attention should also be afraid of the enemy within.
    With the likes of Mom’s for Liberty who want to ban books to anti-mandate Florida Governor Desantis who mandates that businesses cannot require masks, there is much work to be done.

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    1. If we fear Russias threat of using nukes in Ukraine wouldn't we have the same fear if they invaded a NATO country? Would that keep us from living up to our commitment to come to their aid? we promised Ukraine security in trade for nuclear disarmament. But we are letting them fend for themselves.

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  4. "Since Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2024 -- an undeniable historical fact still denied by his followers"

    Okay, he lost to Joe Biden in 2020, and that's a minor typo, but it still gave me a momentary nightmare of how Election Night 2024 could go, and how I felt slightly sick the morning after Election Night 2016.

    I see no reason other than an unexpected coronary as to why Trump won't go for the brass ring again, and while I think Biden is a decent man with his heart in the right place, I hope to see someone else from his party who can campaign with enough fire and energy to make the next presidential election a clear and obvious landslide in their favor. It really shouldn't be this difficult (is there really a shortage of people who can watch Trump for 5 minutes or less before recognizing what a fraud he is?), but the work (especially the fight against voter suppression) has to get going. It should have started earlier.

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    1. Fixed, thank you. You're the only one to have noticed, or at least noticed and remarked upon it.

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    2. Being a former proofreader and copy editor, I noticed that typo right away, Mr. S, and it gave me quite a jolt, But I'm dealing with other things at the moment, so I let it pass. Figured somebody else could remark upon it and get it fixed. Which they did.

      Hell, I know endoscopies and colonscopies are routine...even a traditional doubleheader...being "snaked" at both ends. This ain't my first rodeo, but being under the lights of the OR always makes me nervous. It's not the procedure itself. That's no big deal. It's being anesthetized. People can (and do) go in with a shrug and come out under a sheet. I've even known a couple. Shit happens.

      And if Trump triumphs? There'll be a noticeable uptick in the number of Americans who check out for good. As emigrants? Nope. As suicides. But what the hell...maybe Vlad the Invader will go apeshit, and render 2024 moot. Along with everything else.

      "When the world becomes Ukrainious...we will all go simultaneous..."
      Where are you, Tom Lehrer, when we really need you?

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  5. Hard to envision what a war with Russia would be like. Unless it leads to an unimaginable intercontinental exchange of nuclear warheads, it won't be fought on American soil. We are right to coordinate closely with NATO, because European nations, particularly the Baltics and Poland would bear the brunt.

    Tom

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