There is not much good one can attach to the war in Ukraine but it does expose me to people with views that try to validate some of what Putin is doing. I did not know who Lee Smith was until I saw him on Laura Ingraham’s FOX TV show. Subsequently I read many of his writings to see what he was all about. Some subjects I did not know much about but others I do know a lot about. For the latter all I can say is that this guy is deeply misinformed and prone to misinterpret history to an astounding degree. I would like to say that he is just naïve and got such views because of that, but it did not take long to see he was coming from a conspiracy agenda that enables him to see evil intentions under every bed as long as they are American or Democrats. I can safely say that he is a wacko. Meanwhile watching useful idiot Tucker Carlson yesterday also on FOX, I heard Tulsi Gabbard express views that I can’t help but think she means well but does not really know anything about history or the realities of world politics. I am reminded of the old saying “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” Though she talked for a while the only message that she seemed to be saying is that 1. a politician should be thinking of what is “best for his people” as if that was some great revelation. 2. that of course we should be upset at Putin’s invasion of Russia BUT it is not our problem and not in our interest to respond to it. And 3. All the Ukrainian bloodshed could have been avoided IF we and NATO had listened to “legitimate Russian security fears” and agreed that Ukraine would never join NATO. Of course useful idiot Tucker Carlson agreed because as he has said “why should I care about Ukraine?”. Well, some facts need to be understood. First it was not NATO that pushed to include Poland, the Baltic States, etc into NATO, it was those countries themselves that were desperate to join. Why? Because they feared Russia. They had experienced Russia and wanted protection from it. Second, NATO was set up for defense and NOT for offence so Russian “security concerns” are a false flag. Does anyone really believe that Germany, France, England, the USA and all the other NATO countries were plotting to attack Russia? It is a preposterous notion. If they were plotting so hard why did they become so dependent on Russian oil? Second, as we have clearly seen the Ukrainians had no intention to attack Russia. They gave up their nuclear arsenal with guarantees from the US AND Russia. What’s more, it is Ukraine that is pushing to join NATO and not the other way around. In fact NATO has resisted. Third, Why are we to believe that if we had granted Putin’s demand that Ukraine never join NATO he would not have attacked Ukraine anyway? We need to look back at a very similar period of history to understand what was likely to happen. In 1938 Hitler’s Germany demanded to take over the Sudetenland, the heavily German speaking part of western Czechoslovakia. In Western capitols we heard views that this was simply redressing the unfair way Germany was treated after World War I. “Legitimate” in other worlds. Nevil Chamberlain, having experienced the horrors of the First World War wanted peace and to avoid another world war. He ended up believing Hitler when he was told this was the last bit of land Germany wanted. He agreed to let Hitler take that land and came back to the UK as a hero with a piece of paper saying we have “peace in our time”. He went on to expound the view that it was Winston Churchill who was the war monger NOT Mr. Hitler. Well, he was right – he did deliver “peace in our time” – the problem was that “our time” turned out to be very short. Less than a year later Hitler invaded Poland. The word “appeasement” became part of our no no doctrine. When Hitler took not only the agreed Sudetenland but the whole of Czechoslovakia the penny dropped as to what Hitler was really all about. BUT still there were those who said “why should we care about Czechoslovakia”? Peace was seen as a more important goal. Lets not forget that President Roosevelt promised America would not go to war in Europe. In the end we learned the lesson that “appeasement” is NOT the answer to secure peace. It may be a short term answer but history has shown over and over again it is NOT the long term answer. If anything, the short term benefits appeasement may bring only make the long term disaster all the more severe. Like Hitler before him, the invasion of Ukraine has exposed Putin’s real intentions. Most of the world (even Switzerland and Sweden!) have united against him because we know all the bullshit about “legitimate security concerns” is just that; bullshit. We had to finally wake up to Hitler, now we have to wake up to Putin. Time to open our eyes and see what is right in front of us.

Someone should tell Sean Hannity that the US has NOT purchased any Russian gas/oil for the last two weeks. Russian oil accounts for 3% of annual US purchases and largely replaces Venezuelan supplies. The argument that the US should pump more gas at home is valid but grossly exaggerating its effect is a distortion of reality. Also solving one problem may well cause another worse one. NO decision is without unintended consequences. However here are the facts: in 2020, the United States IMPORTED about 7. 86 million barrels per day of petroleum from about 80 countries. Petroleum includes crude oil, hydrocarbon gas liquids, refined petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel fuel, and biofuels (including ethanol and biodiesel). Crude oil imports of about 5. 88 million barrels per day accounted for about 75% of U. S. total gross petroleum imports in 2020, and non-crude oil petroleum accounted for about 25% of U. S. total gross petroleum imports. In 2020, the United States EXPORTED about 8. 50 million barrels per day of petroleum to about 174 countries and 4 U. S. territories. Crude oil exports of about 3. 21 million barrels per day accounted for 38% of total U. S. gross petroleum exports in 2020. The resulting totalnet petroleum imports(imports minus exports) were about -0. 63 million barrels per day in 2020, which means that the United States was a net petroleum exporter of 0. 63 million barrels per day in 2020. When you see these facts it pretty much destroys most of Hannity’s argument. Meanwhile thinking “someone” should bomb the 40 mile long Russian column heading from the North to Kyiv and that can be hidden shows just how detached from reality Hannity is. The Russians have satellites too, and these days you cant hide anything. Even the Russians have phones with cameras. Basically as far as I can see his show is basically a party political broadcast to belittle the Democrats and President Biden and enhance Republicans. Its interesting to see how he twists everything going on in the Ukraine to somehow mean its all Biden’s fault. 

Then followed by Laura Ingraham she should be more careful who she invites on to be a talking head. Look at all the writings of Lee Smith. Talk about a wacko! Great use of half truths mixed with outright delusions and an obvious agenda. Just another conspiracy theory advocate who makes out Russia is good and Ukraine is getting what it deserves and that it is America’s fault (actually NOT America but Obama, Biden and the Democrats of course).

Blame for what is going on in Ukraine can be shared by many going back for many years. It goes to show that not dealing with an issue early can create greater problems in the future. Every recent US President, both Democrat and Republican and many European leaders can take some of the blame. So can the media. The truth is no one wanted to deal with what would now seem obvious any more than the world wanted to deal with Hitler in 1939. Nevil Chamberlain believed Churchill was the problem NOT Hitler! We don’t want to deal with climate change and some of the media even go so far as to laugh at environmentalists no matter how dire the warnings are. Only when Miami sinks or New York is under water will the media come to accept the dangers.

Why?

It costs money and sacrifices have to be made which we don’t want to deal with. It is no different with Putin and Russia. We should have known, the signs were there, but who wanted to take them seriously? Hell, if we couldn’t take Hitler seriously how the hell are we expected to take Putin seriously? Meanwhile under the last President Putin was made out to be a good guy and certain media today don’t want to mention that now very inconvenient truth. They even say he strengthened NATO which he did the opposite of. Again, not wanting to deal with it because it conflicts with other agendas. More disturbing are the Putin supporters among the far right who continue to champion support even as we can see what is happening on our TV screens. It is shocking to realize once again how many will choose to believe what they want to believe even when the evidence is overwhelming that the opposite is true. The only good news in all of this is that the Russian invasion is making many wake up to the reality of Putin and to the inconvenient truths that previously they chose to ignore.

The real danger ALL of us will face, Russians, Americans, Europeans, Putin himself is what is beginning to happen. The scenes of destruction and misery we are seeing on TV will soon push the publics of the US and Europe to demand a response. There is a limit and soon the idea of nuclear war will be seen as a Russian bluff the public is willing to call. At the same time Billionaires and others are assembling mercenaries to go and fight the Russians in Ukraine. Many of these mercenaries are really bad people who love the idea of killing Russians and becoming a hero for doing so. They also have weaponry that is more advanced then anything the Russian army has and most of the US Army as well. Putin has unleashed dangers that will destroy him but I fear might destroy all of us as well.

Interesting Putin Denazification of Ukraine.  A Russian missal destroys the Kyiv Jewish Holocaust memorial.

The polls tell you what people think today, NOT what they will think six months from now.  Polls showed Putin was popular six months ago.  What would those polls show now?  In the space of a few months Putin has gone from a smart effective leader to a blood stained pariah.  The leader who follows the polls is not a leader but a follower.  I am reminded of Margaret Thatcher in the UK when faced with strong opposition within her own party and the country at large – she was encouraged to change course by all but one of her cabinet.  She listened to that one cabinet minister and his reasons for saying stay the course.  She had the guts to think of what was right and famously said “This lady is not for turning”.  Turned out that she and that one minister were right.  That is a great leader.  With any luck, President Biden will resist all the critics who say he should change course.  Those critics are as wrong as all those that tried to get Margaret Thatcher to change course.  The polls of today are not the polls of tomorrow.  The right thing to do is always the right thing to do.

FYI, I just watched a FOX useful idiot Tucker Carlson interview with a retired Colonel, Doug Macgregor claiming him to be a non-partisan, truth telling military expert who will tell us what is really going on re Russia and Ukraine.  What he does not say is that Doug Macgregor is a long time Russian sympathizer often appearing on Russian RT television, argued for the execution of immigrants who crossed the Southern US border, wanted Russia to annex Eastern Ukraine (Dombas etc) and Crimea, was a strong supporter of the Iraq war of 2004.  Basically he sees things from the Russian perspective without understanding that US interests are not the same as Russia’s.  He accepts Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as reasonable as a protection against NATO.  He does not seem to understand that NATO is defensive and NATO and the USA have no intention of invading Russia so there was no need for Russia to invade Ukraine.  Like useful idiot Tucker Carlson, Doug Macgregor unwittingly works for the Russians.

I always wonder what people mean when they criticize a leader for “leading from behind”.  Leadership can be complicated and there is no one way to lead.  If one leads, does it really matter if one leads from behind or from the front unless it is about ego?  If you get what you want to you really need to get the credit?  Just as it is sometimes best to let someone believe your idea is theirs.  Is it not better to let the leader of Germany announce the cancellation of North Stream 2 instead of an American President?  The whole strategy of getting everyone on the same page with regard to sanctions means letting every country feel they have a say and not to bully them into what the United States wants.  President knew that, and how necessary it was since the Trump Presidency.

As usual Sean Hannity can only say over the top negative statements about the Democrats and President Biden.  I wish he was not so predictable.  I always know what he is going to say before he says it.  Please Mr. Hannity, surprise me sometimes so I can watch your rants more often.  Your glib solutions to issues you are ignorant of and are impossible to do means I can only watch you for a few minutes before I change channels.  A growing number of Fox shows are now watchable – give good coverage and real news. 

Too bad Hannity is not one of them.What I found most amusing was Hannity’s listing of things President Biden did not mention during the State of the Union speech.  Hey Sean, what about not ever mentioning that President Trump wanted to terminate NATO?  That he always said how great Putin was?  That he held up arms to Ukraine unless they “did him a favor”? That he didn’t ever fulfill so many election promises – like having a great and cheaper health care plan, never replaced the Iran nuclear deal, building the wall and making Mexico pay for it?  ending the war in Afghanistan etc etc.

Dear Fox News, I am watching your excellent reporting from the Ukraine, with your reporters risking their lives in what must be ever increasingly dangerous situations.  I see the clips showing the devastation, terrorized women and children fleeing, the bravery of the Ukrainians. 

Meanwhile I watched part of the Tucker Carlson show on your network yesterday where he said we were NOT to believe what we were hearing, that video clips were being doctored and were “fake news”.  He asks why Putin is hated with a clear inference that he supports Putin. So that means your own reporters are giving us “fake news”?  Then he gave air time to a retired Col. Greg Macgregor who he says is the only one we can trust to give us the real news.  A simple investigation of this person shows that he is a long time Russian sympathizer with some really radical views, and often appearing on RT, Russian news.  Mr. Carlson is also often seen on Russian news showing support for Putin.     

Meanwhile all your other newscasters and pundits state clearly that Putin is a “thug”, a “killer” and has entered the ranks of Hitler.  They answer the question of why Putin is so “hated”.  BECAUSE he is killing innocent people in Ukraine and commuting war crimes as he does it!!  So why is this useful idiot Tucker Carlson still on Fox News saying the opposite to ALL your other coverage on what we are seeing?