Undoubtedly Good Advice For Our Citizens As Well...

 ...as those in Sweden, who received notice from their civil defense minister to prepare for war.

"For a nation for whom peace has been a pleasant companion for almost 210 years, the idea that it is an immoveable constant is conveniently close at hand," Swedish Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said..."

"But taking comfort in this conclusion has become more dangerous than it has been for a very long time"

 "Many have said it before me, but let me do so in an official capacity, more plainly and with naked clarity: There could be war in Sweden."

More at the source.

So the Swedes reportedly have gone berserk buying everything imaginable, to make preparations for war, clearing the shelves in some stores. Sounds like the bread, eggs and milk buyers here at home when a snowstorm or hurricane is approaching. I think everyone should have a decent level of preparedness meaning at least a months supply of food and water (or water filters). I have my own, and a bunch for my dog (time to get more canned and dry foods for her), I don't really know how long it could last us but I figure at the very least a month - probably a good deal longer like two or three. Of course, I also have some medical supplies, probably not near enough of them but some. In addition I have personal protective gear like gas masks & filters (20 year expiration masks are my latest), full body protective suits, gloves. Then there is the other stuff like: compasses, batteries, candles, plenty of matches, fire-starters, water purification straws, tools, knives, guns & ammo, gun maintenance supplies, gold & silver bullion, a grab & go bag in the event I've gotta get out of here fast, and so on.

I never wanted to be a boy scout, especially after getting kicked out of Cub Scouts (bit of a problem child was I) but I have almost always liked their motto: "Be prepared".

There is wisdom in those two words - lots of it. What they do not mention is that the time to prepare usually is long before you need the things that are necessary to achieve being prepared.

 All the best,

 Glenn B

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's A Sick, Perverted, Weirder And Much More Dangerous World...

 ...than it has been in over 8.5 decades - you know since the mid 1930s when the societies of the world were depraved enough to permit men like Hitler, Stalin and Tojo to come to power and to twist the minds of the masses to believe and follow those demonic bastards and their perverse hatred based manifest destinies.

What is more likely the cause of the state of the world? Is it all the perversions and societal craziness in the world today caused by the lack of any secular or religious brand, flavor, style or type of morality among seemingly at least half (and it may be more) of the world's population? Or is it that the rapidly decay causing obscene desire for an immoral Dystopian society and the breaking down of and denial of societal norms is an actual omen of evil incarnate about to come down hard upon us and thus a sure sign that the end times are near indeed?

Either way I look at it, it comes down to the same thing - way too many people are severely mentally ill and total whackos or in other words are simply plain evil. As for the rest of us, too many others either do not give a damn or are in denial that the whole world is in a very bad place right now. As usual - when terribly bad times are almost certainly imminently going to befall us - many folks like to remain in denial. That's  because denial is a seemingly safe place to hide from reality & is definitely a comfortable state in which to exist. That is though only until the SHTF big-time and TEOTWAWKI kicks in (look to WW II for a prime example of a the most recent example of true planet-wide TEOTWAWKI). Looking back on history, it seems it is times like these, that we have been experiencing over the past few years, that inevitably lead to multiple consecutive or sometimes concurrent disastrous life changing events such as: unemployment, inflation, depression as in total economic collapse, followed or accompanied by near complete societal breakdown, possibly followed or accompanied by famine, all followed inevitably by massive calamities such as multiple smaller scale but yet major military conflicts and even to a world war.  

Truth be told, and I see no denying it, it is all due to the goings on of people - nothing more or less - at least as I see it. People's behaviors have been becoming extreme to the point of being psychotic as if half the population of the world, or more, have developed sociopathic behavior or anti-social psychoses. In other words people have become mentally sicker, much stranger in thought patterns & behavior and actually crave to commit acts of violence. It is as if they desire more than anything to lash out against anyone who disagrees with them about anything they can make up to find disagreeable or by which they can claim they were insulted although no insult was intended or evident. Even the most benign or trivial issues can make their blood boil and send them into a rage. That is not to say that they only are affected by minor things but rather that they have become so contrarian that even the tiniest of matters, in their minds, require the most extreme types of oppositional response, especially of an antagonistic and all too often of a violent nature.  

This change from more or less a state of brief but mutually tolerated normalcy among the masses to the abject hatred of one group to another - such as the left versus the right - has been brought about in leaps and bounds over the past several years. It's almost as if something keeps getting put in the water like an evil scientist's formula of a mind altering & destroying concoction. Just look at our society and the direction it has taken: nonbinary people (really); marriages of men to women, the so called women of the pairs who used to be (and in actual fact still are) males but are now considered women under the law becasue they have been mutilated by so called medical professionals; teaching very young children about sexual perversions as normal and even as preferred behavior as taught by our school personnel; the replacement of parental rights by the intrusion of tyrannical and obviously immoral bullies, so called educators, into the personal realms of the family; the wish of many in extremist groups to defund law enforcement to the point they are becoming close to being mainstream while the cities and states in which they live are being destroyed by criminals; the release of prisoners without bail who have committed serious and violent offenses repeatedly; minor sentences given to those who have committed heinous crimes when and if they are even tried & convicted; the absolute surrender of the sanctity of our nation's borders to illegal aliens whose ranks most assuredly include pedophiles, terrorists, human traffickers & they who amount to their slaves; slavery existing within our borders; drug smuggling of drug including one of the most dangerous of all - fentanyl - in huge amounts on a regular basis that has undoubtedly be greatly aided by the Biden administration's failure to secure the border or to even make an honest attempt to do so; the cries of racism for the most ridiculous of things that never had anything to do with racism in the first place; the actual racism committed by those of all races het blamed only on one by those on the left;accusing those on the right of the offenses that those on the left are actually committing (not that those on the right are guiltless but those on the left excel in carrying out this type of transference); the cancellation or attempts at canceling actual recorded and proven history only to be replaced with absolute and feckless fiction. (Just look back at history - before is is cancelled & disappears totally - to see what likely is coming  our way next.) The list of the causes of our current state of being goes on and on as we spiral toward what seems to be our self-inflicted  & dismal destiny.

The thing is though, even if it seems like someone must have doped the water, the truth is people do not need any help from evil scientists' or any mind altering concoctions to bring about such twisted idealism, the actual accompanying failures of society and what worse & unavoidable catastrophes may yet be to come. We (as humanity) do fine at twisting up each others minds & ruining the good things in life on a grand and too often worldwide scale. We seem to do so in predictable & repetitive cycles, phases that are not so much time based but are rather event and societal based repetitions. 

With all due respect to the religious, this is worse than an anticipated but elusive and as of yet to occur Apocalypse.Why is that? It is because this is really happening right now and we seem to be full steam ahead toward the conclusion of another end of a cycle and it will quite possibly another train wreck, so to speak, that will culminate in the deaths of many of our own kind & the destruction of much of what we have had that has been good. Hell, it may result in a sort of Apocalypse as in the end of us all what with the weapons we have in the armories,  missile silos, nuclear submarines, on the underbellies of fighter jets, in the bomb bays of strategic bombers and on the rocket launchers of too many of the nations on this earth.

I fear WW III is a lot closer than we think. If  the economy keeps heading in the same direction & if it gets as bad as some predict (it appears almost inevitable it will collapse), if the sociopaths keep growing exponentially in numbers, if more and more countries develop nuclear weapons, if terrorists obtain the same (do you doubt they have them already, I do not), we may be doomed to suffering as we - the human race - have never before suffered. If WW III does erupt, I can only hope it is over swiftly and with minimal damage but I fear what Albert Einstein said about it and about the next one -  WW IV. This quotation has been attributed to him: 

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

I place much of the blame on national leaders. In the U.S., I blame President Joe Biden, his administration and the leftist/democrat politicians who have pushed for this evident mass hysteria. Their allies in the media are also to blame but most of the blame must go to the masses who support them. Of course, there are many on the right who add to this. Much of the blame also goes to leaders, politicians &  military commanders in other counties like Russia, Red China, North Korea, many countries in the Middle East, some in the European Union and others in South American. In other words the blame is shared by many tyrannical governments of the world and to the masses of those countries in addition to the current ones in the United States.

End of my philosophical ranting for the moment.

I almost feel as if I'll be a hypocrite to say what I am about to say after having spewed out all of those fears and all that negativity but I'll both say it and mean it regardless; so, here goes:

All the best,

Glenn B

Is The USA About To Come Under Another Surprise Attack...

 ...just as we did on December 4, 1941when who I think was that other terrible socialist of a Democrat FDR was the president? He ignored the warning signs and so did his administration, Congress and our military. Our ships and they who manned the ships & the base were oblivious as were most of the rest of nation at the time Pearl Harbor was attacked. Despite the writing being on the wall we ignored Japan.

 

"The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise, but Japan and the United States had been edging toward war for decades." (Source.)

 

Today we seem to once again be ignoring what are obviously threats to America's security and people. Again it comes from the far east but this time probably emanating in Red China not in Japan (which has become a great ally of the USA). So far, as of sometime earlier today, it has been reported that the U.S. military shot yet another suspected spy object out of the sky - this time reportedly over Lake Huron in Michigan (more at the source). That is number 4 in eight days or so. Some in government seem to be taking heed but is it to late!

 

Some may think these intrusions of our air space to be harmless, others may think them violations of international law and as potentially dangerous in as much as they may be spy aircraft, and in as much as they pose a potential threat to air traffic.

 

I, on the other hand, wonder if they are a definite prelude to all out war with China and any other countries that have a hand in these possible spy aircraft. Our President does not seem too concerned and the White House has not given out much info about them or about what it means for us - We The People Of The United States Of America. In that regard he and his minion seem much like the president, Congress and the military back in 1941 - clueless and indecisive. Is the writing on the wall again?

 

If you think about it, for all we know we may have already been attacked. While these aircraft may indeed be spy-craft, I ask myself - is it possible that they had a dual or a totally different singular purpose. That dual or singular different purpose may have been to disperse germ warfare agents. Where was it that COVID-19 was created? Where did at least one of the four aircraft, recently shot down over U.S. airspace, come from? What country probably posses the greatest risk, or at least the second greatest one, of engaging the United States in a major war? If the answers you can up with are the same for all three questions that I just asked and if the common name of the country begins with a C and ends with an A and often has the word Red placed before its name - then maybe you think a bit like me.

Of course maybe they are just spy-craft gathering intel on our military. I wonder why they'd do that! If war breaks out and these aircraft were the prelude to an attack, then I think Biden potentially should be the prelude to the losses we will suffer. To do that, he should be handed a double barrel shotgun and a helmet and be the first man on the front. Of course, if Biden had to do that, I wonder if the Chinese would just welcome him into their ranks as their best ally.

 

How, I hope my suspicions are unfounded. 

 

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

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

 

 

I Cannot Name All Of The Countires Within NATO...

 ...but I do know one specific country, of current interest, that is absolutely not in the NATO alliance but yet is an ally of the United States. That country would be the Ukraine. You would probably think, what with Russia invading the Ukraine and with Putin threatening attacks on NATO nations and maybe even to use nukes if the Ukraine joins NATO that our vice president would know that the Ukraine is not part of NATO. Heck, its been repeatedly all over the news for over a month now. Yet, that dumb cluck (elected by millions of other dumb clucks) seemingly proved once again that she is a twit when she tweets. 

 

As per a report in Fox News she apparently referred to the Ukraine as part of the NATO alliance. Now how she said it could be interpreted that way or some apologists for her might say that what she meant was the defense of non-NATO Ukraine helped defend the NATO alliance. The thing is if she had meant the latter, the tweet would not have been deleted. Feel free to make up your own mind, here is how Fox reported it:

"When I was in Poland, I met with U.S. and Polish service members, thanking them for standing with our NATO allies for freedom, peace, and security," a tweet from the @KamalaHarris account stated. "The United States stands firmly with the Ukrainian people in defense of the NATO alliance." More at the source.

She reportedly also said this at the recent DNC's winter meeting:

"Russia’s invasion threatens not just Ukraine’s democracy, it threatens democracy and security across Europe," Harris said. "So I will say what I know we all say, and I will say over and over again: The United States stands firmly with the Ukrainian people in defense of the NATO alliance." (Same source as above.)

 

To me, she is a twit - plain and simple. Dare I say it but heavens forbid that Biden drops dead and she takes over. You might not think she would be worse than Biden but I sure do, much worse and believe me I am in no way supporting Biden. You also might think that if both of them suddenly died or became incapable of holding office - things could only get better. Think again because another total moron, IMO, would become president in their places - Nancy Pelosi.

 

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.)

We May Not Be Able To Petition The Lord With Prayer...

 ...but we sure as hell can petition to have Joe Biden removed from office. I will be writing to my Congressmen to have him removed by way of petition, or impeachment or the 25th Amendment to the Constitution or by whatever means is legal and quick. 

 

It has become painfully obvious that not only is he incompetent but it also appears to me that he is an ally to our enemies. Add to those the fact that today he blatantly admitted he was "instructed" to call on a certain list of reporters during the news conference in reference to the bombing in Kabul that killed 13 U.S. military personnel (so far) and 60 Afghans (so far) and it has become obvious that the president of the United States of America (or in other words the Commander In Chief) is not in command at all. Here is how his revelation, that someone else is instructing him as to what to do, was reported:

""Ladies and gentlemen, they gave me a list here. The first person I was instructed to call on was Kelly O'Donnell from NBC," Biden kicked off the press conference." (Source.)

I note, that if this was reported on CNN it was apparently hidden somewhere in an article that did not headline it or if headlined, then the article was hidden away not on their home page as far as I could see. 

 

As for the president, I believe Joe Biden is evidently incompetent as it is witnessed by the fact that someone has to give him instructions apparently as to which reporters to call on who likely will ask him softball type questions! Imagine, who then is giving him those instructions? Also, imagine that when it comes to really important decisions about U.S. policy here and abroad, like in Afghanistan, who is really in charge of our nation! Seemingly, it's not bumbling Joe Biden. If he cannot handle a group of reporters on his own, how can he be expected to handle national security issues (and as already seen he is not doing at all well with them such as Afghanistan, COVID-19, the border crisis and the economy). 

Folks, if we do not get this flubbing fool out of office, along with most of his administration, we are doomed. Let's face it, Laughing Hyena Harris has to go as well, she'd maybe be worse than Biden as president. Biden is so bad at accepting responsibility, even while he says he accepts it he immediately followed that up by trying to imply it was all President Trump's fault! So, he still is blaming things on president Trump - who had not been our president since January - 7 months ago (and bear in mind he reversed almost everything president Trump had put into place but not this withdrawal - then he faults President Trump while he, Biden, ran it like a moron)! Look here: 

 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1431013843438874628

 

Yes President Trump may have made an agreement with the Taliban with regard to the U.S. withdrawal of troops but let's face facts - Trump would have handled any withdrawal of troops and any aggression by the Taliban or others during the withdrawal of troops, U.S. personnel, U.S. citizens and other Afghan personnel in a very different fashion than the foolhardy way Joe Biden has been doing it. Imagine though had it been President Trump in charge of this debacle - they would have figuratively (maybe even literally) hung him for this mess but Biden they attempt to praise. Then again had President Trump been in charge of the pull-out, I am certain, there would have been little to absolutely no mess. Based upon his records within the area, I think President Trump would have ordered airstrikes against the Taliban and ISIS-K at the first signs of violent aggression by either and he would have had sufficient troops on the ground to aid with the evacuation way before it even began. The evacuation of U.S. Personnel, American citizens and our Afghan allies, under President Trump, would have commenced and continued in an orderly and secret fashion (secret in as much as no details being shared with the Taliban, to potentially pass along to ISIS-K, as Biden shared with the Taliban and then they possibly leaked to ISIS-K who killed our 13 service personnel and many Afghans today). 

 

The U.S. would have been in charge and remained in charge with President Trump at the helm instead of the way it's been with President Biden fumbling along and reportedly begging (and thus trusting) an enemy for help in evacuating our embassy (source) and getting more of our service personnel killed than has been the case in many years in Afghanistan! And yes, he is the one responsible for their deaths as I see it because he is a totally incompetent screw-up and has failed to run this operation properly from day one. I urge you to correspond with your elected officials demanding that he be removed from office, without delay, by any legal means.

All the best,

Glenn B

When It Comes To Fake News - ABC May have Just Won 1st Place

An ABC news report on the fighting in Syria between the Turkish military and Kurdish forces reportedly featured a spectacular video of the fighting. It also evidently depicted scores if not hundreds of spectators making videos of the shooting and explosions with their cell phones. Really? Just watch the video. The thing was though, according to published reports, the video actually showed a full auto shoot at the Knob Creek Gun Range in Kentucky and had nothing to do with the fighting in Syria. More at the source.


Folks, the news does not get much more fake than that! Anyway ABC supposedly has apologized for it. My guess is had they not been caught with their pants on fire, they never would have mentioned it. I have no doubt someone on the left will now use it, in their continued anti-gun crusade, to show just how terrible are gun owners in the US of A that their shooting at a range could be confused for warfare. Really though, I think all it shows is how low they can go to make fake news.

All the best,
Glenn B

Today In History - The Treaty Of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Yes folks, if you are not up on your history, or have not guessed the importance of today’s date (besides it being Groundhog's Day), well today's date, back in 1848 that is - was the one about which all modern day La Raza type Mexicans are so pissed off. The day on which the Mexican-American War came to its final outcome, the day Mexico ceded over 1/2 of its territory to the United States of America after having its ass kicked been defeated by us militarily. The one which was actually the result not of initial American Aggression against Mexico, but of the then Mexican Government's own aggression against her own people, and Mexico's promise to declare war on the USA if the USA annexed Texas. Texas, which by the way, had become a Republic but only after Mexicans who lived within Coahuila-Tejas first broke away from Mexico, taking Tejas (Texas with them and allowing for it to later declare itself a Republic). Confused, let me explain.

You see the hostilities were started by a corrupt and oppresive government, the government of Mexico. Mexicans of the state of Coahuila-Tejas in then northeastern and centraleatsern Mexico revolted against President Antonio López de Santa Anna and his government. You may remember him, he is the one who in charge of Mexico at the time that the Mexican Army attacked the Alamo. It all started in 1835 when people of northern Mexico in Coahuila-Tejas province revolted against Mexico's new oppressive regime (can you imagine that, an oppressive government in power in Mexico). Well the following year, those in Tejas (Texas) declared themselves independent, extended their border down to the Rio Grande, and they soon formed the Republic of Texas. In 1845, the US Government annexed Texas and since Mexico had threatened war with the U.S.A. if such took place, a lot of border battles followed.

Eventually in 1846, the U.S. Congress declared war against Mexico. Our nation then proceeded to whoop their behinds, and I would guess that calls of "Remember The Alamo" may actually have been cried out in some of the ensuing battles. The war went on for about 2 years, that is until U.S. forces under General Winfield Scott invaded Mexico at Vera Cruz, advanced through Pueblo, and then took Mexico City. Mexico City fell in August 1847. A treaty, of the same name as the city in which it was signed, between Mexico and the USA was signed in the city of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848.

The treaty ceded over one half of Mexican territory to the U.S.A. This was a devastating defeat for Santa Anna and the Mexican people; yet Mexico had been urged by other nations (world powers at the time) such as England and france not to war with the U.S.A. as they too, like the U.S.A. recognized The Republic of Texas as an independent country. This fell on deaf ears in Mexico. As a result the U.S.A. got California, New Mexico, Arizona, and sections of Colorado, Nevada and Utah. Mexico got 15 million dollars in return for war damages. The U.S.A. did not take Texas from Mexico then, since it had already been annexed by the Congress as the Republic of Texas; but it did assure that the Rio Grande was the southern border of Texas. Rest assured this treaty strengthened the fact that Texas was no longer part of Mexico.

One other thing, the U.S. agreed to police its side of the border. This is part of an international treaty, something that the Constitution regards as the law of the land. Isn't it funny though how our politicians have almost assured that our side of the border is not properly policed, and an invasion of U.S. soil from Mexico continues to this day. What a shame. Well, if you did not know already, now you know why members of such extremist groups as La Raza, and some Mexican extremist are pissed off at the U.S.A.. Not much of a country as far as I am concerned, not much of an ability to raise armies, and sore losers at something they started through their own mistreatment of their own people. Now they are mad at us because our country brought it all to a conclusion. Sort of like the Muslim extremists, emotional memories of bygone years that will never be again no matter how hard they try. Why won't they succeed, because of the ultimate resolve of the American people.

I have got to say though, that with the help of our politicians and the like, they have almost succeeded in gaining back those ceded parts of Mexico. Note I said ALMOST. As long as We The People are strong in our resolve to remain Americans, then we will do so. Don't give up the fight.

To see where I got most of my info, and to see more detailed information on tis subject, see:

http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/ghtreaty/ (go figure how they list this under The Hispanic Reading Room - this is American History, something of which Americans should be proud, and which we should hold in a place of honor - this is American History for the American reading room!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Guadalupe-Hidalgo

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=009/llsl009.db&recNum=975 (shows a readable copy of the treaty)

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h142.html

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h142.html

For years I have insisted that February 2 should be a National Holiday. People have looked at me strangely throughout those years because of my insistence about the importance of today's date. Well all of the above is just another reason to have Groundhog's Day named as a National Holiday in the USA! I mean - don't you see the connection betwixt the two -GroundHogs' Day and The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo!

All the best,

Glenn B

Weekly Update - Soldiers' Holiday Package

I'll keep this fairly brief (for me), if only because most of my blog in the past week has been devoted to this effort.

To date I have received $425 toward the package fund, including my own $50 donation to the fund (excluding the cost I will pay out of my pocket for shipping and shipping materials). This money is from a total of only 15 donations (including my own). If you can or cannot afford it, think of our troops overseas who may possibly be wounded, killed, or just far from home either freezing their behinds off in a foxhole, or spending the holidays on an military base on foreign soil in a hostile land over the holidays. Am I trying to shame you into giving, nah no way, not my style. Am I trying to kick your butts into gear - you betcha. I am just trying to get you to remember these guys even if with only a dollar. By the way, one of the donations I received was from 2 young girls, sisters, who broke open their piggy bank to donate $9 and change, then their mom rounded it off to $10, and sent it to me via PayPal. Here is part of what the mom wrote to me:

"My daughters, age 6 & 7, are excited to donate the contents of their piggy banks, (9 dollars and 18 cents, which I am rounding up to 10 bucks) to this cause. "

These two girls and their mom did a really nice thing for our soldiers, my thanks to them. If they can do it, so can you, a buck probably will not even make you break your piggy bank. See the links at the upper right hand side of my blog to donate via PayPal. You do not need a PayPal account to donate, and PayPal does not charge you a fee to donate (they charge me the fee to accept payments, and I will cover those costs out of my pocket).

I also received 12 tactical flashlights, with extra lithium batteries, from STREAMLIGHT absolutely free of charge! Can you say THANK YOU STREAMLIGHT!!! Wow that was nice of them. I made a price inquiry and they sent free lights.

Today I went shopping for items for the package(s). I picked up: A 6 quart Crock-Pot (something these guys requested), Various seasonings and spices (they said they wanted to cook for themselves for a change, so I guess they can cook it slowly in the crock-pot while out on patrol), a package of Chap-Sticks, Zip Lock Freezer Bags (these have lots of applications in sandy environments), a box of chewing gum, hard candies, chocolates and other candies. I spent $150.87 today on the items mentioned above, the Crock-Pot was only about $40, but are spices ever expensive, and I got nice sized jars of them! Thank goodness for Costco (click on the receipt to enlarge).

Other items I plan to purchase are: at least one box of 25 good cigars, possibly 12 pairs of high quality wool socks (one pair per each person in the unit), 12 folding knives (I have the Buck Bantam 285 BLW model in mind), sharpening stones (12 - one for each guy in the unit), other snacks (something of a holiday nature), and whatever else I can think of with any funds left over.

I have decided to split this into 3 or 4 holiday packages - still all for the same unit. This will make the package less bulky, and in the event one of them gets delayed, lost or stolen, the others are likely to make it through. I will probably send some of the stuff before the end of this week, and hope to have everything shipped by December 10th or thereabouts.

I hope to remember to take pics of the contents of each package before I ship them, and to post the pics on this blog once the items ship.

To those of you who have contributed, and/or provided links to my page for this effort: THANKS.

All the best,
Glenn B

PS: if you are wondering why I input all the below keywords, well I want to get as many people as possible who read my blog to read this post.

General George S. Patton Lives - or does he?

Well, even if it is only a YouTube video, it is a great to see and hear him (or at least someone who sounds like George C. Scott) go at today's terrorism. If you liked the movie Patton, and if you are ready to see terrorists get what they deserve, and are sick and tired of people who make excuses for terrorism, then grab a favorite beverage (no alcohol for you kids, just for us oldsters) and sit back and enjoy this video:




It sure says an awful lot of sensible things about the current world situation regarding terrorism and rogue nations. The man who made this one up is very good indeed. My thanks to The Autonomist for having this poste don his site. great stuff.

All the best,
Glenn B

Another war - doubtful!

Even though Iran has lit the tinder that would have easily been fanned into the flames of war in past times, I sort of doubt that their provocation of England will result in a war this time around. Regarding the 15 British military personnel who were captured by the Iranian naval forces, the European Union has been outspoken, and according to the article Iran: UK Troops Illegally Entered Waters @ http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Mar24/0,4670,BritishSeizedIran,00.html

"The European Union also called for the "immediate liberation" of the captured sailors, according to German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency."

Of course, Great Britain has also called for their immediate release, as so they should be released. Yet, I have to wonder, if Iran does not release them immediately, what will be the consequence? It is probable that the EU will do absolutely nothing but grumble more. The UK will also grumble on and on. My guess is also that Iran will eventually (probably in the near future) release them, unharmed. Of course maybe Iran will execute them instead, or imprison them for many years. Then maybe the Brits will feel their oats, and they will retaliate, and there will be another war ongoing in the world. I sort of doubt it though, my guess is that this is all chest pounding, and behind the scenes dealing (of which there is likely already some going on). Who will capitulate the most - my guess is England; and although I would hope that not be the case, I am almost certain it will be so. I also believe that in this matter the EU will be useless, but I may yet be proven wrong - Iran may benefit from the EU's lack of spine after all is said and done.

All the best,
Glenn B