It's like the London Blitz and the destruction of Coventry in 1940, and then in the US we had the America First movement, spearheaded by notables such as Charles Lindbergh and others - and quite a few of them were pro-Nazi and strongly against Lend-Lease, because that might "drag America into a European war" ... and of course we got dragged into it when Hitler inevitably declared war on the US a year later, on December 11, 1941. And then we had openly pro-Nazi movements like the German-American Bund, especially strong in the Midwest, amongst the "conservative" population of that day - 20,000 of them marched through the streets of Brooklyn, NY in 1938, under swastika flags. And American business and Wall Street wanted to do business with the Nazis and did so - just like Trump wanting to open up trade with Russia now, and make trade deals. Henry Ford built the trucks and tank engines used in the Blitzkrieg of 1940, and General Motors built Messerschmitt fighter aircraft - and still Hitler declared war a year later. These moves, going far beyond simple appeasement did not stop the eventual - albeit unwilling - involvement of the US in the war against the Axis Powers. It would be a good thing to learn from history - the patterns certainly persist - instead of repeating it.
As far as Trump and Israel-Iran go, I think Trump is behind the action, he's waiting for Israel to make the moves, then he's backing what he thinks is the winning side. I don't think he has the courage in foreign affairs that his followers credit him with, and his principles are largely denominated in dollars - you've read my comments about him. We don't have many good choices to pick from in the political class here. But with Teheran out of the picture, Dugin's Moscow-Teheran Axis is finished, and Putin's courses of action will be limited. Ukraine has always been smart at hitting Russian military and logistic targets, and this will eventaully take a toll, the trouble is that both Russia and Iran both have lots of ballistic missiles, so the command, control, communications, and intelligence structures in each country will have to be destroyed to such an extent so as to cause their collapse. And that will put an end to the wars.
It definitely was loud. Olena is pressing me to come to Germany sooner than planned. I’m not convinced so long as our village continues to be left in peace.
Oksana asks me the same. People are terrible judges of relative risk. Her life is in far greater danger driving every day. 4500 people die annually in car accidents in Ukraine, probably two a day or so in Kyiv.
The Russians probably don't kill half that number. Those who die almost all live in high-rises, which we do not. So... we are out of range of the Russians, but in the crosshairs of the idiots behind the wheel. If she is worried about her health, best plan is to slow down.
I constantly advise my beloved of the same. In this country, suspension components are consumables and the more conservatively one drives, the longer they last and the less one has to pay for maintenance!
BTW, wifey’s biggest fear is that the Russians would destroy the Dnepr bridges; something that they have until now been unable or unwilling to do. This would leave us (when she comes in by Flixbus at the end of June) both stranded and separated from the kids. We are traveling back to Germany together for a trip to Texas, so, worry upon worry. I’m not the least bit concerned. You reach a certain age . . .
It's like the London Blitz and the destruction of Coventry in 1940, and then in the US we had the America First movement, spearheaded by notables such as Charles Lindbergh and others - and quite a few of them were pro-Nazi and strongly against Lend-Lease, because that might "drag America into a European war" ... and of course we got dragged into it when Hitler inevitably declared war on the US a year later, on December 11, 1941. And then we had openly pro-Nazi movements like the German-American Bund, especially strong in the Midwest, amongst the "conservative" population of that day - 20,000 of them marched through the streets of Brooklyn, NY in 1938, under swastika flags. And American business and Wall Street wanted to do business with the Nazis and did so - just like Trump wanting to open up trade with Russia now, and make trade deals. Henry Ford built the trucks and tank engines used in the Blitzkrieg of 1940, and General Motors built Messerschmitt fighter aircraft - and still Hitler declared war a year later. These moves, going far beyond simple appeasement did not stop the eventual - albeit unwilling - involvement of the US in the war against the Axis Powers. It would be a good thing to learn from history - the patterns certainly persist - instead of repeating it.
As far as Trump and Israel-Iran go, I think Trump is behind the action, he's waiting for Israel to make the moves, then he's backing what he thinks is the winning side. I don't think he has the courage in foreign affairs that his followers credit him with, and his principles are largely denominated in dollars - you've read my comments about him. We don't have many good choices to pick from in the political class here. But with Teheran out of the picture, Dugin's Moscow-Teheran Axis is finished, and Putin's courses of action will be limited. Ukraine has always been smart at hitting Russian military and logistic targets, and this will eventaully take a toll, the trouble is that both Russia and Iran both have lots of ballistic missiles, so the command, control, communications, and intelligence structures in each country will have to be destroyed to such an extent so as to cause their collapse. And that will put an end to the wars.
hi the patriot will not stop them
It definitely was loud. Olena is pressing me to come to Germany sooner than planned. I’m not convinced so long as our village continues to be left in peace.
Oksana asks me the same. People are terrible judges of relative risk. Her life is in far greater danger driving every day. 4500 people die annually in car accidents in Ukraine, probably two a day or so in Kyiv.
The Russians probably don't kill half that number. Those who die almost all live in high-rises, which we do not. So... we are out of range of the Russians, but in the crosshairs of the idiots behind the wheel. If she is worried about her health, best plan is to slow down.
I constantly advise my beloved of the same. In this country, suspension components are consumables and the more conservatively one drives, the longer they last and the less one has to pay for maintenance!
BTW, wifey’s biggest fear is that the Russians would destroy the Dnepr bridges; something that they have until now been unable or unwilling to do. This would leave us (when she comes in by Flixbus at the end of June) both stranded and separated from the kids. We are traveling back to Germany together for a trip to Texas, so, worry upon worry. I’m not the least bit concerned. You reach a certain age . . .