Chilled Yet???

Posted on by under Global Issues, History, Political commentary

Back in February, Russia’s dictator aka ‘President’ Vladimir Putin apparently thought he could launch an attack on neighboring Ukraine and that the Ukrainians were so weak or so stupid that they would simply lie down and turn over their country to him.  Well, he had another think coming!  Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stood firm and the Ukrainian people basically gave Putin the middle finger.  Despite their losses, they continue to stand firm today and with only help in military hardware resources, not human resources, from other nations, Ukraine has made Putin’s life significantly harder, has turned the tides just a bit.  Where Putin expected an easy victory 7 months ago, he is now facing the very real possibility of defeat.

However, if you thought Putin would back off, leave well enough alone and go home to lick his wounds, you’ll need to rethink that.  For starters, he has mobilized some 300,000 ‘military reservists’.  If you are a male between the ages of 18 and 65 years of age, you are now forbidden to leave the country.  Most other people are trying their best to get the hell out, and all flights out of Russia are filled to capacity through at least Friday.

Given that most Russians are not in favour of the war against Ukraine … most have family members living in Ukraine … there have been anti-war protests in a number of cities across Russia.  Just in the last few days, over 1,200 such protestors were arrested for no crime more serious than simply disagreeing with Putin’s goal of destroying another nation.

Last night, Putin gave a rare address to his nation … although it seemed to be intended for others, such as leaders of western nations.  In his speech, he warned that …

“NATO is conducting reconnaissance across the south of Russia. Washington, London and Brussels are directly pushing Kyiv to move military action to our country. They are openly saying that Russia should be defeated on the battlefield by any means.

Nuclear blackmail has also been used. We are talking not only about the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – encouraged by the West – which threatens to cause a nuclear catastrophe but also about statements from senior representatives of NATO countries about the possibility and permissibility of using weapons of mass destruction against Russia: nuclear weapons.

I would like to remind those who make such statements about Russia that our country also possesses various means of destruction, and in some cases, they are more modern than those of NATO countries. When the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we, of course, will use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people.

This is not a bluff. And those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the weathervane can turn and point towards them.”

Foolish talk?  Sure.  But a cornered rat is a dangerous creature.  Vladimir Putin is a calculating madman who would see the world destroyed rather than admit he lost (does that remind you of anyone closer to home?)  U.S. President Biden responded while giving a speech to the United Nations General Assembly last night …

“This war is about extinguishing Ukraine’s right to exist as a state, plain and simple, and [Ukrainians’] right to exist as a people. Wherever you are, wherever you live, whatever you believe, that should make your blood run cold.

The United States wants this war to end on just terms, on terms we’re all signed up for – that you cannot seize a nation’s territory by force. The only country standing in the way of that is Russia. But no one threatened Russia and no one other than Russia sought conflict.”

Most of you are old enough to remember the Cold War between the USSR and the U.S. that began in 1947 and did not end until 1991 when the Soviet Union was dissolved.  I well remember air raid drills in school when we were made to crouch under our desks and put our hands over our heads … as if that was actually going to protect us in the event of a nuclear bomb!  Frankly, I never want to return to those days, but … it damn sure sounds to me as if that is where we are heading.  In the words of Roger Cohen, a New York Times bureau chief who has observed international affairs for more than 30 years …

“Perhaps not since the Cuban missile crisis six decades ago have American and Russian leaders confronted each other so explicitly and sharply on the danger of nuclear war.”

What is the solution?  IS there a solution?  Wiser heads than mine will have to answer that question.  Let us hope there are some who can.

27 thoughts on “Chilled Yet???”

  2. (WARNING — severe sarcasm and facetiousness about to commence! Or is it?)

    In many ways Putin reminds me of the military strategic genius, the long-term industrial-capable brilliance, and the bedazzlement of the total human-cost-gamble… of one Adolph Hitler or Saddam Hussein. 🤔 And look what happened to those military and GDP empires. BWAAAAA! 😆

    🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦

    Seriously though. Maybe one day all the Russian masses, every single citizen unaffiliated with the Kremlin. that is, all the intelligent, rational, sane ones not afraid to stand up to him… will actually do what is necessary—for the sake of the entire peace-wanting world. 🤞🏻

    Liked by 1 person

    • Only you, Prof … Only you!!! I don’t know whether to laugh or cry! I would like to hope that your final thought is the one that will ultimately play out, but … of late I’ve given up on humanity, on people doing the right thing just because it is the right thing, on people putting the future ahead of their whims today. Sigh.

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  3. Let’s hope someone will have a solution, and this very soon. I am not really a fan of prophecy, but all prophecies from the past are telling us about a disaster. ;-( Once again my own homecountry had choosen a new “Führer”, after they can’t found one in the West. ;-/ xx Michael

    Liked by 2 people

    • I think … not to be a harbinger of doom ‘n gloom … but I think that humanity has reached a point that it will take something major, some monumental disaster … to unite humans once again. I don’t necessarily mean nuclear … climate change is driving our environment to the peak of disaster, EMPs are a very real threat to the electric grids around the world, drought/floods and more could well cause a food crisis, water shortages … name a disaster, and we are looking at it.

      I wondered how your new Chancellor … Sholtz is it? … was working out. I haven’t been keeping up with it all … I gather you’re not pleased with him? Sigh. I’m sorry … Angela Merkel left some big shoes to fill, but I was hoping her legacy would carry on. Keep me posted. xx

      Liked by 1 person

      • Here i also agree with you, Jill! Scholz, our new Chancellor is a good friend of the former Chancellor Schröder, and had signed all of his actions. Any further questions? 😉 There are so many things in the dark, and i honestly do not want to know them. Best wishes, Michael

        Liked by 1 person

        • No, that pretty much says it all … sigh. I’m so sorry … we had Trump and still haven’t recovered, the UK had Boris and now Liz Truss, and you guys have Scholz … not a good bunch at all. xx

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  5. I think Putin is derange and should be overthrown while the Russians still have their country. His lies are as blatant as those of our former disgraced president Trump. We’re Trump in office we would have pullout if NATO, abandoned our allies and sending weapons to Russia. It’s poss they already have classified info from the US via Trump.

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    • Well, I would agree that he is deranged … he’s intelligent, but completely lacking in empathy. But, Russia is not, contrary to what some would claim, a democracy and to overthrow Putin would be next to impossible. There is no freedom of press in Russia, nor freedom of speech. You’re right … if Trump were in office today, he and Putin would still be best of buddies. My best guess is that we would NOT have been sending aid and military hardware to aid Ukraine for the past 7 months, but would have been helping Russia, if anybody. And you may well be right, given the classified documents that Trump stole when he left the Oval Office … we may never know whose eyes have seen those.

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  9. Putin is a narcissist, much like the former guy, but his hand is on the tiller of a nation that has a poor track record when it comes to the rule of law. There’s much less to restrain him than there was with Trump. That makes him so much more dangerous and unpredictable.

    In my lifetime there has never been air raid drills at schools or public institutions. We had and continue to have both fire drills and earthquake drills though.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Yes, that is exactly my fear. And once it becomes inevitable that he has lost it all or is about to lose it, what is there to stop him from destroying and taking as much of the world down with him as he goes?

      Then you were lucky … probably because the Cold War was mainly between the U.S. and USSR and didn’t seem to threaten many other nations.

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  11. Jill, a couple of comments. The current Russian troops were not eager to fight for Putin’s invasion. So, my guess is the reservists will not be either. As for the nuclear threat, of course, it exists, but even Putin is not that stupid. If he dared do something that inane, his country would pay a price.

    I do like that the number of folks protesting past and future actions with Ukraine has grown. This would have been unheard of several years ago. Maybe his days are finally numbered as he does not have enough fingers and toes to hold the lies back spilling through the dyke. Keith

    Liked by 3 people

    • I’m sure you’re right that the reservists will not, for the most part anyway, be eager to go fight, sometimes against their own family! As re the nuclear weapons … no, Putin is not stupid, but I do believe that if it came to the point he was certain to lose the war, and in so doing lose his position of power, I’m not sure that he wouldn’t push the button. Mutually Assured Destruction … it only works as long as all sides have something left to lose.

      Yes, I’m encouraged by the people willing to face arrest in order to make their voices heard. Whether it will have any impact remains to be seen. My fear is it will only make for more rigid restrictions against all.

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  12. “Putin apparently thought he could launch an attack on neighboring Ukraine”
    No. He didn’t think so and he didn’t do it. No Russian or allied troops have left the Donbass … yet.

    “Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stood firm”
    Zelensky is a corrupt pig but even he needed some visits by Johnson and US “diplomats” to reign him in and keep him off negotiations.

    “Ukrainian people basically gave Putin the middle finger.”
    Most Ukrainins are neither bothered since the conflict is thousands of kilometers away from them, and/or to afraid to say anything since the SBU is known for their brutality. We all’ve seen the photos.

    “Ukraine has made Putin’s life significantly harder”
    Hardly. When and where, please?

    “he is now facing the very real possibility of defeat.”
    Wot?

    “he has mobilized some 300,000 ‘military reservists’.”
    But only men of skills and expertise. They’ll not supposed to fight but to be a garrison to keep the Donbass save from Ukro saboteurs. Did nobody tell you that both Donbass republics, plus Kherson and Saporoze will have Referendums in Dec I guess. And then you’ll see if the people wanna stay with Ukraine or join the Russian Federation. Knowing that all the areas and towns/cities were begging Russia since long to be incorporated I kinda know what the outcome will be.
    In fact did the Russian maintain their stance on “No, you’re our Ukrainian brothers, but we can’t make you Russia again” for a very long time. Up until the American provocations proved too unbearable.

    “most Russians are not in favour of the war against Ukraine”
    But, yes, they are. Particularly after they’ve learned about the continous shelling and provocations and the many victims, they are 100% behind their govt.

    “Foolish talk? Sure. But a cornered rat is a dangerous creature.”
    So, it’s foolish to react to direct threats? The Russians are concerned for good reasons, as they are indeed cornered by NATO … or at least is NATO trying their worst to corner Russia.

    “”“This war is about extinguishing Ukraine’s right to exist as a state, plain and simple, and [Ukrainians’] right to exist as a people.””
    Biden lies here. Russia isn’t interested in Ukraine, just in stopping from them shelling the Donbass. As reality has shown us, as soon as their goal of liberating Donbass is reached they’re gonna stop. IF UKRAINE will agree to negotiations!

    “”The United States wants this war to end on just terms,”
    Lie. USA wants to prolong he conflict up to the last Ukrainin soldier.

    “on terms we’re all signed up for – that you cannot seize a nation’s territory by force.”
    I wonder what Aghanistan, Iraq, Cuba, Venezula have to say about that.

    “The only country standing in the way of that is Russia.”
    Nope again. For the umpteenth time now. Russia ain’t attacking Ukraine and doesn’t wana seize any territory against the people’s will. It will, however support any attempt by the population of Donbass to liberate themselves from opression by fascist Ukraine.

    “But no one threatened Russia and no one other than Russia sought conflict.””
    The lies get ever sillier and more shameless now. I wonder if your old man has had a looked at the worldmap lately and checked how far east NATO has crouched eastwards in the last 30 years. Completely unprovoked attempt to encircle Russia a nd keep it down and to disrup Russian/European cooperation.

    Putin does nothing without vast approval by the Russian people, while Biden only reigns with a skindeep majority. Time for him and his country is running out. I guess that’s what makes him so dangerous.

    “I well remember air raid drills in school”
    SEE? That’s it!!! The reason why Americans are so stupidly paranoid. The brainwash drills you all fell victims of. The propaganda lies, the America World Police bullcrap. They made you better patridiots. 😦 In West Germany, growing up in not even 80 km distance from the GDR border “the Iron Curtain”, maybe 100 km from the closest Russian barracks, I’ve gown up completely without any fear, without any propaganda. We never had anything like that, no air raid drills. Nobody was afraid. We only pitied the poor Easterners coz they didn’t have bananas.
    But they were them, we were we. Nothing to discuss, nothing to worry about.

    “What is the solution?”
    Negotiations maybe? How about those? Negotiations are always a good start.

    “IS there a solution?”
    Not as long as US/NATO refuses to negotiate and bullies Zelensky into staying way from the negotiating table as well. And not if America torpedoes the accords again, as they did before.
    Thing is Russia is now the top dawg! And they are clearly the adults in the room. I know it’s a hard pill to swallow but Russia doesn’t need to negotiate for shit. Not anymore. As I told you yesterday, the only thing I’m afraid of, like crapping my panties sort of afraid, is when some NATO general with the keys to the nuke locker freaks out and starts some EOW scenario.

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