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

244 Years Later - Is It Time To Take Another Shot?

 


Today is the 244th anniversary of The Shot Heard Round The World (the commencement of the American Revolution at Lexington Green). Sometimes, I think it is high time for a second shot heard over the same expanse because of all of this socialistic, communistic, tyrannical oppression heaped upon our shoulders by the governors of many, but thankfully not all, our states and oft times by federal politicians. If that is not enough to trigger another such shot then I imagine we are doomed to wear the yoke of those who fawn for rule by tyrants and are enslaved by the false security they offer at the expense of our liberty. Liberty to exercise our right to overthrow tyrants, supported by our right to keep and bear arms, is the only thing that keeps us truly secure but we must exercise that liberty from time to time!

All the best,
Glenn B

I Predict - Gloom and Doom

The way things have been going for the last few years, it should be obvious to anyone who looks back though the pages of history with an eye for comparison to today, that we in the world today are due for a major conflict between nations. I remember not too long ago a prominent US politician in essence said that small nations were not the ones we need to worry about, but large nations are the ones we need to fear such as how we feared the Soviet union. He is, in my humble opinion, dead wrong. If you look around the world today, you will note a militaristic strengthening in many of the world's small nations. In fact, many more of them are building up their military power than those that did so before the last two world wars. For example, prior to WWII, only three nations of the then son to be formed Axis Powers, were building up militarily. They were:

1) Germany, a nation devastated by WWI, by the Great Depression, and by foolish borrowing that placed them as the most heavily indebted nation in the world at that time. Yet they had a leader with vision, albeit twisted vision, of world conquest and domination. Yet he was a leader who brought them up to becoming a world power in only a few years despite sanctions imposed on them by other nations; and despite their small size they almost conquered the world.

2) Italy, a nation that was floundering in financial and social ruin. It had turned to Colonial Africa in the hopes of replenishing resources, but could not go it alone. Just another small nation, almost insignificant in the world picture, but that had a leader who got the trains running on time, and who motivated its people with visions of grandeur.

3) Japan - Another small, rather insignificant country who until just recently (as history goes) at that time had depended upon Samurai warriors for an army. They were small but had ambitions of expanding their world holdings. They were led by a fanatic whom the people believed was a god.

WWII began in 1939, and it rapidly progressed with victory after victory for the Axis Powers, these three nations and a few other small nations that joined them. Hitler and the Third Reich was steamrolling over Europe. One country after another had fallen. Poland, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Great Britain was on the brink of collapse. I have heard it hypothesized that had Hitler kept up the bombing raids over England for a few weeks more, they would have fallen. Had the Germans invaded England, it would have likely been over in days. Yes the Brits were tough, but they were failing miserably if slowly.

In the east, one Pacific island nation after another fell to Japan. The United States was brutally attacked at Pearl Harbor. China was under siege and millions were killed. Burma fell. Australia was threatened as was New Zealand.

The thing that amazes me most when I look back is how blind the world seemed to remain to the growing threat caused by the countries that would unite as the Axis Powers. Japan had rattled sabers for years before. Their emperor promised great expansion. They were building up a military force made from metal purchased from the USA and others. It was no secret that they were seeking to expand militarily; yet no one paid them any mind. Italy was likewise, but probably did not look to be as much of a threat, and anyway they seemed interested in Africa. Who cared about Africa back then, very few unless they had colonial holdings therein. Germany was the most boisterous of the three major Axis Powers. They not only rattled sabers, they but and air force. That was strictly forbidden under the Treaty Of Versailles. They did not stop at an air force, they also built and army and a navy. Besides that they built roads, roads that would lead to other European Nations and would act as highways for tanks, armored cavalry, and infantry. In addition Hitler boasted that the Third Reich would conquer the world, that the final solution would exterminate the mentally handicapped, the gypsies, the and the Jews among others. That Germany would conquer Russia.

None of this was really done in secret, especially in Germany. They openly defied the treaty of Versailles, openly spouted talk of war, and openly made preparation for it as the world watched in mute unconcern. The result was the bloodiest war the world had yet seen. Tens of millions died as a result. It is estimated that over 72,000,000 people lost their lives in WWII. Read that again - over SEVENTY TWO MILLION - all because a few small countries got together and tried to conquer the world.

So what does that have to do with today. Why do I predict doom and gloom? Well I believe we are only years away from, maybe even only months away from, WWIII. Why - well because the signs are there, and this time the smaller countries are preparing better than they did before both of the last two world wars. They are preparing in many ways. The first and most obvious is that they are gearing up militarily. Just look to Iran, Venezuela, North Korea (yes they have agreed to stop production of nuclear material, now that we believe they have the bomb already), Syria, and Russia (not such a small country but one that would surely become much stronger with an alliance of small countries). Look to also to Pakistan, and India. Look to Japan which is for the first time in over 60 years gearing up for war. Loo to to a really big country - Red China. They are building up one of the largest navies ever to exist. Why do they need a large navy except for an invasion fleet. Think about it. Now you can say, as did people like Neville Chamberlain before WWII that these buildups mean little to nothing; you could be right, but other things say not.

Look at the messages coming out of countries like Iran and North Korea and Venezuela and Russia. They are all spouting off against a perceived enemy, the United States of America. They are all countries that seem bent on expansion or possible world domination. Look too to the Islamo Fascists. it does not matter from which country they hail, there politics is there religion and they spout off conquest of the world. They also preach the destruction of Israel and of the USA. North Korea constantly harangues us as evil, and so too does Iran and Venezuela. The pot is more than stirred, it is at a boil and ready to overflow in violence.

At the same time, the USA is at one of the weakest points in the last 30 or so years. It has not been this weak militarily since carter, and not as oil depleted since Nixon. We are much as were the Soviets when they collapsed. The thing is though, despite what the Soviets said we wanted when they painted us as evil, we really did not want to conquer the Soviet Union. We wanted the world to be at peace. We wanted to spread democracy and freedom. We were ready for war if need be, but it did not come to that. These other nations today, many of the ones I have mentioned are hate mongers. They do not want to spread freedom, they want to expand and conquer, they want to rule more and more people, they want to in essence conquer the world, and the USA is the prime target.

All they need to accomplish are a few strategic strikes on US soil. A few well orchestrated attacks in the Gulf of Mexico and in Texas would wipe out many of our oil wells, and our oil refineries. A few more well planned attack in Alaska would destroy our other main source of domestic oil. We would be helpless. You look and say - hey that is impossible. Yeah right, just as France said that the Maginot Line was unbreakable. maybe it was, so the Germans went around it because of pompous blind fools in the french government, France fell quickly. How could we be attacked like that. Well for starters our military is strung thinly in Iraq and Afghanistan among other places. Our resources to build up our military are being depleted on a daily basis by terrorists, yet we probably fund those same terrorists by sending money for oil to Islamic countries - countries such as Saudi Arabia that is a known terrorist hot bed. Our economy is folding, we are in debt more than ever before, and the time is simply ripe for a few small countries to do their damnedest to do their worst to us. If they succeed, even with a few small non-military attacks carried out by terrorists, I suspect that other nations will quickly lend them support. What nations, well Russia and China to name two of them. These two countries, either singularly or together, already militarily support North Korea, Iran and Venezuela. You can bet Saudi Arabia and many other Arabic countries would also support them in such a cause, and so too would Islamo Fascists.

In addition to all of that, our current involvement in two wars is not doing a lot of good for us in any of this regard, that is unless we take quick and decisive action to win those wars; and then to claim the spoils of those wars. Why on earth Iraq is not paying us back for our expenditures over there is beyond me. They are oil rich and could easily pay us in that manner, yet we allow them to suck us dry. Same for Afghanistan, they must have something of value with which they could make reparations to us for our assistance in freeing their nation from the Taliban. We are, in effect, helping pave the way for the war machines of other nations to ride roughshod over us.

Of course a secondary target in all of this will be Israel, and the rest of the free nations of the world. Israel may well be attacked first; yet somehow I think it will be the USA to weather the first attacks of the next WW. I think these little piss ant nations have already caught us acting fat, dumb and happy, just look at oil prices; and that soon they will catch us with our mouths agape as the bombs start going off on our home soil. Israel will be attacked immediately after that, and will be nuked off the face of the earth if my suspicions hold true. All the more reason to suppor them with all we can, allies are a good thing of which one never wants to run short.

Yes the time is ripe for another world war, and this time we here in the USA are the primary target of much of the rest of the world. Sure we have allies, but which would stick with us. I suspect and hope that Australia, Canada, Japan, Great Britain and Italy would all be by our side. But what about France, what about Argentina, what about Mexico (heck they are already invading us). If a world war does break out, we are in for some bad times so it is about time we start acting like the possibility of a third world war really exists. Wiser words were never spoken than these: "They who long for peace must prepare for war".

Well that is it for me spouting off gloom and doom. I have gotten it off of my chest for now; but I am sure to remember it come November when I vote for president.

Hoping for peace
through superior firepower,
Glenn B