Lest It Be Forgotten

Some things should never be forgotten. U.S. Independence Day, your mom's birthday, to lock your house's or car's doors, to take out the  dog, to feed the fish - but not too much, to tell your kids you love them and show it, to give your spouse true affection and so on. There are a couple of others we should never forget though they were terrible: the Holocaust is one although somehow we seem to forget all the others killed in the camps so remember them too, there were 12 to 13 million. (Over the years, from what I have seen, that number has decreased and I have heard or read that it is now supposedly as low as 11 million; although, the amount of Jewish folks killed has never decreased by much if anything, it is just the amount of non Jews somehow has fallen and that sounds like wokeness to me.)

 

Today is the anniversary of yet another truly horrible event, one that no one alive should be ignorant of and once made aware of it should definitely never forget. August 6 in 1945 - 78 years ago -  was truly the day that Oppenheimer became Death the Destroyer of worlds. On that day, the United States of America bombed Hiroshima, Japan and caused the deaths of about 130,000 people (some immediately, some over several months who died of their wounds and others who died years later due to cancer caused by radiation). Little Boy did its job but not quite awesomely nor fast enough. A few days later on August 9, 1945, the U.S. bombed Nagasaki, another major Japanese city, killing and maiming many more. Fat Man finally brought about the surrender of the once mighty Japan - well that with the entry of the USSR into the war on Japan and the invasion of Manchuria. 

 

Had we waited a few weeks longer, Japan would have likely as surrendered by then but other allied troops would have persihed. While many like to believe that Truman (as in the then the US President) gave the orders to drop the bombs to end the war and save allied lives; I have to wonder if at least the second bomb was more for effect, maybe even the first one too, of warning other nations we had it, we used it, we have more of them. Truman, he was a democrat and throughout my 6 decades plus of living, I have come to believe that democrats are usually the worst of the war mongers out of our political parties in the US and thus I wonder for his reasons for at least the second one. As for the dems, they also seem to be the worst at & of everything and mind you I am an independent unaffiliated with any political party. Years ago, maybe now more than a decade, I left party I was in out of disgust and that was not the Democrat party. They both suck so don't think I said that about the dems because I am of the other major party types. It is merely my opinion that they are the most terrible of the two major parties and that other one of the two is not far behind them. I digress so back to the bombings.

 

Little Boy and Fat Man were the only two atomic (nuclear) bombs ever used in warfare and ever used to purposefully kill  massive amounts of people. Setting off those two bombs led in great part to the defeat of Japan, which surrendered to the allies only days later on August 15. They also undoubtedly saved the lives of many allied troops; yet, as I said I wonder a lot about the need for the second one and sometimes I wonder if we really needed the first one. Whatever you or I make of them, those bombings were nonetheless two of the most horrific events, over the course of only two days, to have ever befallen mankind. More about this at the sources: 

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hiroshima-marks-a-bomb-anniversary-calls-nuclear-deterrence-folly-2023-08-06/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/08/06/hiroshima-nagasaki-anniversary-russia-ukraine/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki

 

https://www.foxnews.com/world/hiroshima-japan-atomic-bomb-history#

 

My hope is no one ever forgets but the reality is that more and more nations have acquired the knowledge, technology and resources to manufacture modern nuclear weapons that are much more powerful and thus would be much more deadly should they ever be used. None of the nations that have them, including the United States seem to pay much attention to history nor do they seemingly have the foresight to realize what will happen if they unleash a nuclear war in which many nations have nukes. Obviously, Russia has a large arsenal of nuclear weapons and very recently has threatened to use them in the war in the Ukraine or to attack allies of the Ukraine if allied troops are sent there to support them. Yet, world leaders of nations that have nukes frequently talk about disarmament. Then when questioned as to why they have not disarmed their nukes they give the excuse for keeping nukes as being a deterrent against nations who are still armed with them. What a screwy fruit loopy loop of illogical balderdash is that because no one will ever take the first step at nuclear weapons disarmament thinking like that! 

 

I remember something screwy from my history lessons (when real world history was taught and not the woke variety). In those lessons I learned a bit about World War I. The thing about World War I is that it had a couple of names other than WW I; one of which was "The Great War". Then there was the other name for it; that one as imbecilic as the deterrent excuse world leaders of today use to downplay why we have not yet totally disarmed all nuclear weapons.  Yep one of the names for WW I was as lame as the deterrent excuse and it was: "The War To End All Wars". It did not live up to that name.

 

So yeah, I expect sooner or later that a country like Russia, China, North Korea, Pakistan or Iran will launch nukes as a first strike against the US. Then again, who knows, we have a president right now who seems to think he is this guy:

Then again he appears to me to be much more like this one:

 

 

 

So maybe the US will be the one to launch the first strike.

 

Thinking along those lines, some folks think that sooner or later, because of power hungry & demented leaders, Einstein's prediction about the aftermath of WW III will come to pass - that is unless the war mongering attitudes of so called world leaders is changed drastically and their attitudes do not seem to be going in a direction to avoid another WW.  So what was Einstein's prediction:  

 

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." 

 

Einstein was a genius but I am doubtful he got that one quite right. I tend to think that if there ever is a WW III, one in which nukes are used, there will never be a WW IV. That's because there won't be anyone left to fight WW IV except maybe the roaches and rats and even if humans survive, all the sticks will have been burned to ash and the stones melted to slag or vitrified.

If you do not think that the destruction caused by a future nuclear was could be as bad as I think, then go to this article and read it all. It is mind boggling to think that Russia has a bomb, reportedly the strongest one ever, supposedly 2,500 times stronger than the one dropped on Hiroshima. More at https://www.livescience.com/how-many-nuclear-weapons-exist (you may need to cut & paste this one into your browser).

All the best,

Glenn B

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From The Ukraine To WW III - It Could Take As Long As...

...only a single the blink of an eye on a sunny day. With the U.S. now planning to send Abrams M1 battle tanks to Ukraine (more at the source) and with Germany going to send Leopard tanks (more at the source) and Poland planning to do so as well (more at the source), I have to wonder will Putin be pushed to the insane conclusion that NATO is in essence the aggressor in the Ukraine war and that NATO will attack the Russian homeland. I would think that any rational person outside of the Russian political hierarchy & military would know that such is extremely unlikely but they are not rational minds about which I am worried. Putin and his cronies are power hungry, warm water seaport craving, buffer zone seeking madmen in my opinion. If the tanks being sent to Ukraine are enough of a threat to push Putin and his generals over the edge, then as this article states, they may start WW III. 

 

What would Putin order that would start it? Well, all he needs do is hit Ukraine with one nuke, could be a big one but my guess even Putin would not be stupid enough to use more than a single smaller one, maybe a tactical one or a dirty bomb. The Russians would probably, as I see it, set one off in or drop a bomb on a single high population area, especially one in which they think Zelenskyy is present at the time. I am none too certain that the west would be willing to retaliate with like force but NATO, or the U.S. on its own, may decide to do so. Then again, the U.S. or NATO may just say to hell with it and go for a full out & catastrophic response by launching several nuclear armed missiles and bombers all aimed at the Russians with others at the ready for China, Iran and maybe Pakistan. Then again, NATO led by the U.S. might go on the offensive with ground troops and conventional bombing before risking an all out nuclear fist fest but even that would likely lead to a nuclear holocaust eventually unless some Russian with half a brain assassinates Putin before that.

 

I certainly hope none of that happens (except Putin being assassinated by other Russians of course) because if WW III erupts, I predict most of the people of the world can kiss their own arses a final good bye - if not from actual nuclear or conventional attacks then from the famine and other shortages that will follow in fairly short order; hell, we are already in short supply of way too much. If it does come down to a bilateral nuclear exchange, or even to merely Russia unilaterally using nukes, China and other nations would probably not be far behind in allying all out with the Russians and attacking the west by whatever means they have available. We do not want to get into a war with China involved as our enemy and as Russia's ally (they have not used up any significant amount of their military resources as of late). If that turns out to be the case though - well just allow me to let her sing it again (I have to say this video with the song We'll Meet Again is the best I've ever seen): 

 

 

As for me, I'll be going to SAM's Club later today or tomorrow (as time allows) to pick up some foods that can be easily stored long term (mostly canned goods, dry beans, rice, flour, spices, salt and such) to add to my cache. I'll also be updating my medical supplies and buying batteries and other items as best I can do. There is a saying that I think is a very good one as relative to the world's current situation: "Pray for peace but prepare for war". Then again, I've always liked the motto of the Boy Scouts of America as well: "Be prepared". That one kind of covers everything - doesn't it! 

 

I do not know if one can actually be prepared for nuclear war and what would follow but I am a child of the original Cold War and my mother was at least somewhat of a prepper back then - long before that word became popular or maybe before it even existed in our vocabulary. So, I'll be damned if I at least don't try to be prepared enough to live to see what the the aftermath of the apocalypse would look like and if that does not come to pass, at least I'll be ready for whatever increase in shortages Biden creates because no matter what - he is sure to do so as I see it.

Hope to see you all after whatever happens or doesn't but until all this comes to its conclusion:

 

Keep smiling through
Just like you always do
'Til the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away...

 

...some sunny day! 

 

And people say I am a pessimist, go figure.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

I Would Have Sworn She & Others Said...

 ...she did absolutely nothing wrong and that she was innocent and more or less was being falsely accused by the Russians for political reasons. Yet, the news today is that she has made a guilty plea. More at the source.

 

Oh well, my life goes on either way whether she is guilty or not. Quite frankly, I do not give a rat's arse about a person whom I consider to be someone who seemingly thinks she has special privileges and deserves special attention from the president of the USA to get her off the hook.

All the best,

Glenn B

Putin = Stalin/Hitler II

As is typical of those who are leftists, Vladimir Putin is doing exactly that of which he has accused others. He justified Russia's invasion of Ukraine by claiming it was basically a nest of Nazis (source). Now just as the Nazis under Hitler and the commies under Stalin actually did, he plans to do and apparently has started to do, the same.

"The Russian people will always be able to distinguish true patriots from scum and traitors and simply spit them out like a fly that accidentally flew into their mouths," Putin said Wednesday. "I am convinced that such a natural and necessary self-purification of society will only strengthen our country, our solidarity, cohesion and readiness to respond to any challenges." More at the source. Sure sounds rather Stalin/Hitleresque does it not!

We are headed, it seems, toward WW III at a rapidly increasing pace. While Putin does more and more to fan the flames of death doom & destruction even on his own turf, let alone in Ukraine - other world leaders pile on sanctions that apparently do little more than piss him off and Russia's attacks on the Ukrainian people become more and more heinous. One of the most recent of those terrible attacks was the airstrike on the theater that was housing refugees in Mariupol. The attack was made worse by the fact that the Russians evidently had forehand knowledge that the theater was housing children as it has been reported the word children, written in Russian, had been painted on the street outside the theater. More at the source. All the while, Putin is claiming it is the West that is full of "Nazis" and that the actions of the west amount to pogroms (source) all the while as he emulates them (the Nazis) to the hilt with his invasion of Ukraine, his war crimes and his ongoing purge of his perceived enemies within Russia.

We have seen this before. We have seen the inaction, or at most the inadequate action, of other nations at times like these. We know what will be the result of such a and off until it is too late attitude and that result, in this case, likely will be exactly like those in the past. Russia under Putin will keep going and will ultimately try to conquer as many nations as possible. Then, once any expansionist goals have been achieved  Putin will continue to  purge those whom he considers his enemies but will do so with a ferocity that comes with the victory of a conqueror over the oppressed whom he has conquered. 

 

If you doubt that it will happen, if Putin and Russia are not stopped dead in their tracks now, just look to history. When it comes to such purges: Germany under Hitler did it, Japan under Hirohito did it, the USSR under Stalin and Khrushchev did it, China under Mao did it, Cambodia under Pol Pot did it and sadly the United States of America, under several presidents, did it to the original inhabitants of North America. (Note, I call them the 'original inhabitants' because every person (or their ancestors) in this country/continent came here from elsewhere. In that regard we are all immigrants or the descendants of them.) If no other nations stand up to Russia now, many nations may fall to the fury of the Russian Bear.

 

While Putin will carry out some of his purge now, he will do it more so once he has defeated and secured the lands he intends to conquer. If you think conquest is not his intention then  read the article at this link. In it, former Russian foreign minister reportedly said Putin's plans include all of eastern Europe and that he intends to:

 

"...attack, to pressure, to intimidate other countries, including members of NATO." (Source.)

 

If that is not concerning enough, then consider what I believe was the most important thing he reportedly, that Putin has:

 

"...no idea of the world outside of his office in the Kremlin" or "his bunker under the ground where he hides from COVID and probably now nuclear bombs." (Source.)

 

Do you see it. Putin is, in the eyes of this former Russian foreign minister, preparing for nuclear war. How likely is that, everyone wants to believe he would never resort to nukes but it seems evident, if only to me, that he is another psychopath (or at least a lunatic) in a long line of demented wannabe conquerors. Of course, some say Putin is "rational" (source) and will not resort to nukes; yet, Putin keeps on pushing this irrational war and threatening his potential enemies with nuclear destruction. He keeps on doing things that put us potentially closer and closer to such a war; yet the so called experts cannot see it as a possibility. Sounds kind of like what Europe believed about Hitler before WW II and what the US believed about Japan as well.

 

I think, if Russian forces cannot take Ukraine within a time frame that suits Putin - he may well unleash a nuclear attack on a city like Kyiv. If he does that, it is all too possible nations the free-world will retaliate, if not in like fashion then with a full scale conventional invasion of Russia and Putin would in all likelihood reply with a nuclear counterattack. Once the Putin's bombs start to go off, no sanctions in the universe - no matter how severe - will prevent him from nuking other nations or another city in Ukraine. Other rogue nations with the bomb may feel emboldened by such an attack and launch nukes of their own - if there is no immediate and massive retaliation aimed at Russia. Those attacks probably would be aimed at countries like the USA, Japan, England, India or Israel. If so, an all out Apocalyptic war will be upon us.

Of course, there are slight glimmerings of hope that nuclear war can be avoided. First of all, we can hope that sanctions will bring Russia and thus Putin to their knees. Russia's economy was already failing badly and the sanctions must indeed hurt but remember, sanctions work over time and for the people who are dying now there is no luxury of time.  Also bear in mind, a terrible economy did not stop Hitler and Nazi Germany from almost conquering the world. Germany was the most debt ridden country in the northern hemisphere prior to World War II; yet, Hitler built up one of the strongest military forces in the world and commenced to conquer much of Europe before he was finally defeated after a long, brutal and very destructive war in which tens of millions lost their lives. As for the current sanctions, I fear they may not be enough fast enough but I at least, in part, understand why President Biden is reticent to involve the United States more so in the current conflict. While I do not agree with the amount of restraint using restraint in the hope of preventing WW III is understandable to a point. The thing is, I think, he is not doing enough that could be done right now to stop the  ongoing slaughter that is happening right now as obviously evidenced by more and more civilians being targeted and killed on a daily basis. Biden giving his support to Poland for them to deliver the desired Mig fighters to the Ukraine would be one way to vastly improve our assistance to Ukraine and to help prevent Russia from winning this conflict. It may be enough to tip the scales and to make Russian military leaders realize Putin must e stopped before WW III is upon us.

 

Some other glimmerings of hope emanate from two additional sources. The first, of course, is Ukraine, the people of Ukraine may hold Russia off long enough. Long enough for what you may be wondering since I just said in essence that Putin may unleash the Apocalypse in the form of a nuclear attack on Ukraine if Russia cannot defeat it with conventional weapons soon enough to please him. Well, long enough for enough of the people of Russia to oppose him strongly enough so that Russian military leaders realize this has gone on more than long enough and needs to be stopped immediately. Stopped how - not by the unleashing of the demons of a nuclear world war but rather by the assassination of Vladimir Putin. Is there any hope for that - I think so.

It was reported today that Russian General Roman Gavrilov was arrested by Russia''s federal security service. It is not clear why he was arrested. Maybe it was merely due to Putin needing a scapegoat or maybe it was due to one, two or both of purported charges, those being: squandering of fuel and the other leaking information that led to loss of life. More at the source. Of course maybe (and hopefully) it was due to Gavrilov realizing that the war must stop and in order to do so that Putin must be terminated. I think if it was the latter, Putin would not want it made known there were traitors among his high ranking military officers. Now, it may have nothing to do with Gavriov being a traitor, he may just be the fall guy. Regardless, Putin starting to purge the military could basically result in one of two things. Military leaders fall in line behind Putin for fear of losing their lives if they in anyway even so much as seem to oppose him OR high ranking military officers realize this is madness that likely will lead to nuclear war and thus to the end of civilization as we know it and they will take action to prevent that. Again, that action being the termination of Putin.  One can hope but if those hopes fail - then other nations must step up and defeat Russia now and sadly that would likely involve a nuclear war. 

 

Of course, there is one other hope, if and when other nations declare  war on Russia or their actions provoke Putin into escalating this to a world war. That hope is that any order to deploy nuclear weapons by Putin are disobeyed and that leveler heads with the Russian military from high commanders down to conscripts will prevail. Then again there are those in Russia who are salivating over the prospect of a third world war such as Russian parliament member Oleg Matveychev. He stated that Russia should reclaim Alaska, former Russian settlements in California and should take over the Antarctic among other things. More at the source. Additional attempts at conquest would only equal more war and in the event of Russia trying to take Alaska it would assuredly result in world war. So, while there is some hope this may work out without a world war erupting and thus avoiding a global catastrophe taking place, there also is an awful lot of foreboding of gloom & doom of the most terrible type.

All the best,

Glenn B

 

 

Will Some Countires' Leaders Eventually...

 ...realize that Vladamir Putin does not give a damn about any sanctions that the world places on Russia and that he is merely another power hungry tyrant on the world stage. One might think that Russia's ongoing invasion of The Ukraine is evidence enough of that but my guess is it will not be sufficient impetus for many if not most world leaders to do anything significant about the invasion of The Ukraine. It seems most politicians around the world are probably willing to let a huge amount of lives be lost there before taking decisive action to stage a counterattack. It sure seems like Joe Biden will never see it as enough incentive to go up against Russia in a hot war. That could be good (we do not need to be involved in yet another war) or it could be bad (especially if Putin & Russia do not stop with the Ukraine and head west). Think along the lines of: 'Today Russia - tomorrow the world'.

Putin had put the world on notice by obviously planning some sort of military move for a good long time now and of course, China has been doing likewise for even longer. As I recall, several months ago he said something to the effect that he had a nuclear shield and effectively could destroy any nukes headed toward Russia (source not remembered - just memory if it serves me right). Then there were the Russian & Chinese tests of highly maneuverable hypersonic (5 times the speed of sound) missiles that could deliver nuclear payloads in super fast time; those tests were supposedly successful for both nations (source reference Russian test) (source reference China's test). Tests by the United States of similar missiles were at first a failure (source) and then about 2 months later were successful or so we have been told (source) Then the military buildup of troops along The Ukraine's borders. His boasting about Russia's military prowess has never ceased but it is not just boasting - he has been modernizing the Russian military and building it up since at least 2008 (source). We have known about it all along and what have we done to counter or at least match it - not much I think but who am I to think under this administration. 

You will note, Russia did not invade the Ukraine late in the summer nor in the fall nor in the middle of winter. It held off until winter's final month - until the weather would be getting better at least soon. A thing, had Hitler done, may have won him the Soviet Union in WWII. What other things on the world stage can we look at that Putin may have used to his advantage in his plotting war. He waited for China, Russia's likely ally in any major conflict, to announce its successful testing of hypersonic missiles. He acted only subsequent to the U.S. losing its energy independence (source). The U.S. was energy independent for the first time in decades under President Trump. Our current president, bumbling Biden almost immediately put a halt to that once in office. So we once again became dependent upon other oil producing nations for oil - nations like Russia. 

 

Putin also waited for what he almost certainly saw as a big minus for our national defense which was for President Biden to dip into the strategic oil reserves of our country (source). My guess would be, mind you only a guess, is that those reserves have not yet been replenished. Putin also acted in the Ukraine relatively shortly after the debacle in Afghanistan. Mind you, he did not care one iota about our troops being killed at the airport in Kabul, nor about how many American citizens were stranded, but rather paid close attention to the folly of our withdrawal strategy or lack of it. He certainly must have also noted that the U.S. forces left behind a lot of military hardware and probably software too. You can bet the Russians recovered enough of it to delve into any weaknesses found in that equipment or software - such as our helicopters that were abandoned during the withdrawal. In addition. 

Putin also waited until our country's economy has been brought to its knees by the highest inflation rate in 40 years which was created by the Biden Administration with its to spend trillions of dollars we do not have (well, we may have the 'money' as they keep printing more currency but of course that only makes inflation worse). One other thing to which Putin paid close attention and waited on has been the apparent ineptness of our current president (source). It seems evident that Putin would not have invaded The Ukraine if Trump was in the White House. I think President Trump was too bold for Putin to have chanced an attack on any nation getting a rapid and military response from our nation under Trump.   He readily invaded the Ukraine when it became evident that the U.S. would not defend The Ukraine with its military. Biden has repeatedly stated he will not involve U.S. troops in a war with Russia - he has already given up in that regard and made it clear to Russia that they essentially have free reign in Eastern Europe (source). 

 

Sure, there are sanctions - look at how much or not that they have deterred Putin -  really they have not at all. But Biden was sure to telegraph (as he did with our cybersecurity) to Russia that just about all we would do is to impose sanctions and he did it both before (source) and after (source) the invasion commenced (source).  Now mind you, that last linked source states that Biden is sending more troops to Europe but those troops are being sent to protect NATO allies and not to engage Russia over its invasion of the Ukraine (that is another thing Biden telegraphed to Putin). Biden appears to be little more than an angry bumbling & uncontrollably farting fool who can not help but tell the Russians our plans. So, you can be sure Putin noticed that and uses it to his advantage. 

 

Biden also has  single-handedly destroyed any good done for the United States by President Trump. He has destroyed energy independence, lost jobs, screwed our economy, lost the confidence of the people but most of has reduced our standing in the eyes of our enemies. Putin also waited for China to help cripple the world economy by slowing down and almost completely destroying other nations' ability to manufacture goods, goods that are made in, or that require parts made in, China. Take for example the automobile industry. Make no mistake about it - Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan and others are our enemies and each of those countries has active nuclear weapons programs that have constantly been improving. As far back as 2019, Russia's nuclear arsenal has been far superior to that of the U.S. (source).

 

Also bear in mind, should WWIII actually break out, Russia has allies within western nations in the form of Muslim extremists who will undoubtedly,at least in my estimation, side with Russia. Countries like the U.S., Sweden, Germany, France, England and many other have large populations of Muslims - many of them extremists. These countries are sure to suffer dire consequences from them should war against Russia erupt.

Now, Putin is threatening destruction like the world had not seen should the allies of the Ukraine take any action to help that nation (source). China has not condemned Russia, at least not in any meaningful way and is allowing for imports of Russian wheat (source) (an army does not march long on an empty stomach and the Chinese military is no exception) and my bet is if it comes to a world war, China will undoubtedly ally with Russia. Both of these nations have successfully tested hypersonic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads (source reference Russian test) (source reference China's test). The early U.S. tests of the same type of missile was a failure; then the U.S. had a successful test of that missile a couple of months later (one can hope that success is the truth and not just face saving braggadocio in the aftermath of the successful launches by the Russians & Chinese). The thing with these missiles is that a first strike may take place so quickly that the other side does not have enough warning to take defensive or retaliatory actions. In other words - he who fires their missiles first maybe wins. Then again, even if the one fired at first gets off its missiles - what would the outcome be but thermonuclear destruction of much if not all of the planet. For Putin to be making such threats indicates he may be a lot like Hitler - in other words he may well be out of his mind.

 

So will the leaders of the free world wake up? Will they realize the sanctions and all the drum beating hoopla are not going to do a thing to help the Ukraine or to curb any further military takeover of other free world nations by Russia if that is Putin's design? Well, I would hope they get it but if the rest of them are anything like Joe Biden, the free world may as well surrender now. 

All the best,

Glenn B

 

(I'll proof this later, my eyes are killing me after writing this one, just realized I had on the distance glasses not the readers.)