I have to admit I was slightly surprised at the number of Democrats who woke up yesterday insisting January 6, 2021, in which one person was shot and killed storming the United States Capitol and several police officers were viciously assaulted, some of whom subsequently died of heart attacks or other issues, was somehow a worse day in American history than September 11, 2001, in which 19 terrorists killed 2,977 Americans.
Too many people on both sides of the aisle are defining themselves not by their core convictions but instead setting the convictions to be exactly the opposite of what the other side is advocating for...
I agree 1000% but feel I must add "physician, heal thyself" along with it. Too many times recently I've seen you stoop to anti-anti-Trumpism to appeal to your Trumpkin audience. Your recent cheap shot at Dick Cheney still sticks in my mind - Cheney did not say Trump was the more dangerous than other problems facing this country as you accused him, he said Trump was the most dangerous character in public life to American values, a position I think you would agree with off camera and away from microphones. Whenever this country has been betrayed by demagogues the primary problem has not been the Joe McCarthy's or Huey Long's themselves, it's been the wimps that allowed them to get away with it. Exhibit A today could be Milquetoast Marco Rubio, a man I fervently supported in 2016, and his sniveling about Trump's theft of public records.
Why would we ever be in favor of supporting a war in another country when there is an invasion of our country that the Biden administration is allowing to happen? He actually denies it's happening. Borders are swarmed, private property is overran, human trafficking with children abused, drugs causing masses of overdoses/deaths, gangs, terrorists, crimes, national financial burden---this is war on a nation.
Amen! I have long said that simply not being Democrats is not enough reason to vote for Republicans, yet tens of millions of people do. That is the sign of a political system that is fundamentally broken and an electorate that refuses to expect or demand better.
I insist on voting for something, not just against something. And the GOP will constinue to lose my vote until the run on a platform of ideas and a plan to implement them.
"If January 6 is worse than September 11, it’d be like funding Al Qaeda while claiming they’re so dangerous they must be stopped."
Umm, well, let's think about that for a moment. We allegedly DID "secretly" support Al Qaeda when our purposes aligned - enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of thing in Afghanistan vs. Russia. The Dems are just following similar utilitarian playbook in American politics.
Pragmatic/utilitarian politics has end-justifies-the-means at its core. Dems fund the one that is easier to defeat in their thinking. We funded Osama Bin Laden when he was giving Russia fits in Afghanistan. Once purposes no longer aligned, we discovered that, indeed, terrorists can turn on you.
In this case, if for some reason, the MAGA Repub candidates supported by Dem utilitarians survive both Primary and General Election, the final outcome of utilitarianism will come home to roost. Our outcome occurred on 9/11/2001 :-(. Perhaps Dems' will occur in Nov 2022...
IMO, Biden is circumventing congress and throwing money at Ukraine, at least in part, as repayment for firing the prosecutor investigating his son and covering up his sons alleged money for access deals.
Last I read only 30%+- of our taxpayer money sent to Ukraine is actually making it to the fight. I'd kinda like to know where my money is going.
The only interest I have in the Jan 6 theater is hearing Pelosi and DC mayor Bowser explain why they refused National Guard troops and the Capitol police explain why they moved barricades and opened doors for the useful idiots.
Your last point is the elephant in the room that everyone seems to ignore. If the 1/6 Committee was legit then investigating the lack of security should have been one of the major components. Trump lost me after the election, but at the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist I believe there is merit to the notion that 1/6 was deliberately allowed to happen. It was a trap and enough of the protesters fell right into it. Anyone who paid attention in the weeks leading up to the event knew there was going to be a massive crowd there. There should have been enough security to prevent what happened. Occam's Razor says that someone wanted it to.
I can think of no better use for aging US weapons than fighting and defeating Russian aggression in Ukraine. The current heroic counteroffensive by Ukraine, that - pray God - turns into a rout and leads to a coup in Moscow is the time to help all the more. It’s the only thing where I give Biden passing grades.
Because Russia is not our friend or partner does not mean it has to be our enemy. We have much more in common with Russia than China, but seem hellbent on pushing them into their so-called axis. A little geopolitical balancing, which might require statesmanship rather than a blank check into what is more than likely offshore bank accounts, would go a long way here.
Russia doesn’t have to be our enemy, but Putin has chosen to be our enemy and the enemy of all his neighbors. It’s a tragedy that the drunken Yeltsin made this KGB agent his successor.
Ukraine is a corrupt country. I always respect your opinion Erick, but I think our effort here, during the state of the US economy, is misguided. I’d be against this if a Republican were President. We are fighting the wrong border war.
China will be happy to extend its protection should America fail to fulfill its commitments. While Biden is doing what is right with respect to Ukraine it could be considered coincidental. His actions in Afghanistan suggest he is not acting out of principle, rather blowing in the political wind. The peace and love hippies of the 60's, now love war; but for how long?
The appearance of future default on a commitment will elicit action as if it has occurred.
First term limits to get fresh blood into government.
We don’t need a Franz Ferdinand moment where the event leads to an endless war. (June 1914)
The Russians figured on a quick land grab. It didn’t happen. Now Putin is using economics to win. The Western Front was still a stalemate in 1918 but Germany collapsed by Fall internally. He hopes to use the reliance on Russian gas as a bargaining chip.
I didn’t care for the politics of Gen Colin Powell but his military doctrines were sound. If you have to go to war, make it short by throwing in everything including the kitchen sink. We are fighting by proxy until the last Ukrainian is killed. Putin knows that time is on his side.
I note amongst many of those who oppose helping Ukraine a desire to impose a sort of purity test. The argument goes because Ukraine's government is corrupt, we should not help Ukraine. It's simple: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. And Putin's Russia is our enemy. It should be the policy, stated or otherwise, to weaken Russia as much as possible, ideally to the point Putin is overthrown. Fortunately, Russia's war has unmasked just how incompetent Russia's military is, a humiliating realization for Russia's Generals I'm sure, and one which might motivate some to move to remove Putin, but that's just a wish right now. At the least the incompetence Russia's military has shown since the start of the war, especially of late where the Ukrainians seem to be routing them with ease should offer some comfort to those former satellite countries Putin would see returned to Moscow's orbit; Russia is not the threat they had thought.
Putin would like to see Russia as a Great Power. He suffers under the illusion Russia was a Great Power in the past. It was not, and with an economy the size of Texas will never attain such status.
Great points. When discussing our military preparedness, it's important to remember that the US spends more on its military than the next sixteen countries COMBINED. It's also important to remember that defense is big business, one that utilizes fear - real or imagined - to keep the rails greased. Remember Iraq's "elite" Republican Guard? We steam-rolled them in what...72 hours? Russia has been a feared threat for as long as any of us have been alive, yet their showing in the Ukraine has clearly demonstrated who would win in an us-vs-them confrontation. I suspect it would be a similar outcome for China. I'm not saying they aren't real concerns, but I retain a healthy level of skepticism; do we REALLY have something to worry about here, or is this "warning" coming from an individual looking for that fat year-end bonus on the next F-35 upgrade?
I believe you misunderstand many of us who are not all in on aiding Ukraine. Since this country is literally falling apart, I think we maybe should focus on it first. By the time our government is done "aiding Ukraine" we will have nothing left for our military, which is being decimated by wokeness anyhow, we will have no oil reserves and already have been invaded by the multitudes pouring across the border. So, yes, we want our country straightened up first. It isn't going to matter one dang bit if we help save them if we go down in flames in the process. And we are.
We can't do one at the exclusion of the other. A football coach doesn't say, when we can prevent 100% of the other team's scoring, we will work on offense.
I can tell you right now that using something from a ball game to try to tell me I am wrong about getting our country going right first before we use all our resources on another country is an utter waste of time. Ballgames are as foreign to me as Ukraine and Russia are.,
Is not so much a matter of being "wrong" as a perspective check.
The point, as I see it, is focus inward on improvement to the exclusion of maintaining significant influence in the outside world (remain aligned with US interests) runs the risk of the outside world being overrun by the "enemy". Maybe the US gets healthy yet loses its place leading the world.
Of course there are those that argue we shouldn't lead the world anyway (as in remaining the world's "police force", similar to Pax Romana). In that scenario, do we honestly believe those with power to continue to exert influence in our absence be trusted? Globalists say, "yes" - have a basic belief that mankind is basically good, will provide everyone's common benefit. From my perspective (steeped in the understanding that the Fall described in Genesis 3' so negatively impacts on our ability to be trustworthy), I say "no". This is not because I think Americans have it all right, but because it is so easy for us all to end up wrong if we don't maintain our individual nations' sovereignty, dong what is best for that particular nation. Of course, that leads to other conflicts that won't be resolved this side of Heaven, so, is best of the worst options in my thinking.
Ok, so you realize I did not say "to the exclusion", but rather to make the US condition the priority. Those are two different things. Right now, we are "excluding" the condition of the country to put all the focus on Ukraine. It was the guy who was talking about ballgames, which, as I said, I have no knowledge or interest in, that used the word exclusion.
I was explaining from the football analogy - focus on one thing (often to the exclusion of the other) - bad outcome expected. We, as a nation, seem to have difficulty in balancing, which is your point, I think.
That does sound like the point I was making. The problem is that I know nothing about any ball games, so any football analogy is wasted on me. My perception of football=a bunch of guys running around bumping into each other sometimes carrying a ball.
Hi Erick , I just read an article this morning that the USA is one of 50 countries supporting Ukraine and that we are replenishing their munitions as they are burning through them. Would be nice if we knew all our financial support was directed towards its intended purpose but I would have my doubts . Western Arms production is ramping up as Ukraine burn thru munitions.Next meeting of the minds ( Lloyd Austin and Bill LaPlante)September 28 in Brussels.
Too many people on both sides of the aisle are defining themselves not by their core convictions but instead setting the convictions to be exactly the opposite of what the other side is advocating for...
I agree 1000% but feel I must add "physician, heal thyself" along with it. Too many times recently I've seen you stoop to anti-anti-Trumpism to appeal to your Trumpkin audience. Your recent cheap shot at Dick Cheney still sticks in my mind - Cheney did not say Trump was the more dangerous than other problems facing this country as you accused him, he said Trump was the most dangerous character in public life to American values, a position I think you would agree with off camera and away from microphones. Whenever this country has been betrayed by demagogues the primary problem has not been the Joe McCarthy's or Huey Long's themselves, it's been the wimps that allowed them to get away with it. Exhibit A today could be Milquetoast Marco Rubio, a man I fervently supported in 2016, and his sniveling about Trump's theft of public records.
Why would we ever be in favor of supporting a war in another country when there is an invasion of our country that the Biden administration is allowing to happen? He actually denies it's happening. Borders are swarmed, private property is overran, human trafficking with children abused, drugs causing masses of overdoses/deaths, gangs, terrorists, crimes, national financial burden---this is war on a nation.
Amen! I have long said that simply not being Democrats is not enough reason to vote for Republicans, yet tens of millions of people do. That is the sign of a political system that is fundamentally broken and an electorate that refuses to expect or demand better.
I insist on voting for something, not just against something. And the GOP will constinue to lose my vote until the run on a platform of ideas and a plan to implement them.
"If January 6 is worse than September 11, it’d be like funding Al Qaeda while claiming they’re so dangerous they must be stopped."
Umm, well, let's think about that for a moment. We allegedly DID "secretly" support Al Qaeda when our purposes aligned - enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of thing in Afghanistan vs. Russia. The Dems are just following similar utilitarian playbook in American politics.
Pragmatic/utilitarian politics has end-justifies-the-means at its core. Dems fund the one that is easier to defeat in their thinking. We funded Osama Bin Laden when he was giving Russia fits in Afghanistan. Once purposes no longer aligned, we discovered that, indeed, terrorists can turn on you.
In this case, if for some reason, the MAGA Repub candidates supported by Dem utilitarians survive both Primary and General Election, the final outcome of utilitarianism will come home to roost. Our outcome occurred on 9/11/2001 :-(. Perhaps Dems' will occur in Nov 2022...
IMO, Biden is circumventing congress and throwing money at Ukraine, at least in part, as repayment for firing the prosecutor investigating his son and covering up his sons alleged money for access deals.
Last I read only 30%+- of our taxpayer money sent to Ukraine is actually making it to the fight. I'd kinda like to know where my money is going.
The only interest I have in the Jan 6 theater is hearing Pelosi and DC mayor Bowser explain why they refused National Guard troops and the Capitol police explain why they moved barricades and opened doors for the useful idiots.
Your last point is the elephant in the room that everyone seems to ignore. If the 1/6 Committee was legit then investigating the lack of security should have been one of the major components. Trump lost me after the election, but at the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist I believe there is merit to the notion that 1/6 was deliberately allowed to happen. It was a trap and enough of the protesters fell right into it. Anyone who paid attention in the weeks leading up to the event knew there was going to be a massive crowd there. There should have been enough security to prevent what happened. Occam's Razor says that someone wanted it to.
Absolutely . I could not have said it better myself..
We also know that if you know who was president Russia would not be in Ukraine.
I can think of no better use for aging US weapons than fighting and defeating Russian aggression in Ukraine. The current heroic counteroffensive by Ukraine, that - pray God - turns into a rout and leads to a coup in Moscow is the time to help all the more. It’s the only thing where I give Biden passing grades.
This attitude and belief that January 6 out weighs 9/11 is the Left focus primarily because of Trump , reality of facts just doesn’t seem important.
Because Russia is not our friend or partner does not mean it has to be our enemy. We have much more in common with Russia than China, but seem hellbent on pushing them into their so-called axis. A little geopolitical balancing, which might require statesmanship rather than a blank check into what is more than likely offshore bank accounts, would go a long way here.
Russia doesn’t have to be our enemy, but Putin has chosen to be our enemy and the enemy of all his neighbors. It’s a tragedy that the drunken Yeltsin made this KGB agent his successor.
Ukraine is a corrupt country. I always respect your opinion Erick, but I think our effort here, during the state of the US economy, is misguided. I’d be against this if a Republican were President. We are fighting the wrong border war.
China will be happy to extend its protection should America fail to fulfill its commitments. While Biden is doing what is right with respect to Ukraine it could be considered coincidental. His actions in Afghanistan suggest he is not acting out of principle, rather blowing in the political wind. The peace and love hippies of the 60's, now love war; but for how long?
The appearance of future default on a commitment will elicit action as if it has occurred.
First term limits to get fresh blood into government.
We don’t need a Franz Ferdinand moment where the event leads to an endless war. (June 1914)
The Russians figured on a quick land grab. It didn’t happen. Now Putin is using economics to win. The Western Front was still a stalemate in 1918 but Germany collapsed by Fall internally. He hopes to use the reliance on Russian gas as a bargaining chip.
I didn’t care for the politics of Gen Colin Powell but his military doctrines were sound. If you have to go to war, make it short by throwing in everything including the kitchen sink. We are fighting by proxy until the last Ukrainian is killed. Putin knows that time is on his side.
I note amongst many of those who oppose helping Ukraine a desire to impose a sort of purity test. The argument goes because Ukraine's government is corrupt, we should not help Ukraine. It's simple: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. And Putin's Russia is our enemy. It should be the policy, stated or otherwise, to weaken Russia as much as possible, ideally to the point Putin is overthrown. Fortunately, Russia's war has unmasked just how incompetent Russia's military is, a humiliating realization for Russia's Generals I'm sure, and one which might motivate some to move to remove Putin, but that's just a wish right now. At the least the incompetence Russia's military has shown since the start of the war, especially of late where the Ukrainians seem to be routing them with ease should offer some comfort to those former satellite countries Putin would see returned to Moscow's orbit; Russia is not the threat they had thought.
Putin would like to see Russia as a Great Power. He suffers under the illusion Russia was a Great Power in the past. It was not, and with an economy the size of Texas will never attain such status.
Great points. When discussing our military preparedness, it's important to remember that the US spends more on its military than the next sixteen countries COMBINED. It's also important to remember that defense is big business, one that utilizes fear - real or imagined - to keep the rails greased. Remember Iraq's "elite" Republican Guard? We steam-rolled them in what...72 hours? Russia has been a feared threat for as long as any of us have been alive, yet their showing in the Ukraine has clearly demonstrated who would win in an us-vs-them confrontation. I suspect it would be a similar outcome for China. I'm not saying they aren't real concerns, but I retain a healthy level of skepticism; do we REALLY have something to worry about here, or is this "warning" coming from an individual looking for that fat year-end bonus on the next F-35 upgrade?
I believe you misunderstand many of us who are not all in on aiding Ukraine. Since this country is literally falling apart, I think we maybe should focus on it first. By the time our government is done "aiding Ukraine" we will have nothing left for our military, which is being decimated by wokeness anyhow, we will have no oil reserves and already have been invaded by the multitudes pouring across the border. So, yes, we want our country straightened up first. It isn't going to matter one dang bit if we help save them if we go down in flames in the process. And we are.
We can't do one at the exclusion of the other. A football coach doesn't say, when we can prevent 100% of the other team's scoring, we will work on offense.
I can tell you right now that using something from a ball game to try to tell me I am wrong about getting our country going right first before we use all our resources on another country is an utter waste of time. Ballgames are as foreign to me as Ukraine and Russia are.,
Is not so much a matter of being "wrong" as a perspective check.
The point, as I see it, is focus inward on improvement to the exclusion of maintaining significant influence in the outside world (remain aligned with US interests) runs the risk of the outside world being overrun by the "enemy". Maybe the US gets healthy yet loses its place leading the world.
Of course there are those that argue we shouldn't lead the world anyway (as in remaining the world's "police force", similar to Pax Romana). In that scenario, do we honestly believe those with power to continue to exert influence in our absence be trusted? Globalists say, "yes" - have a basic belief that mankind is basically good, will provide everyone's common benefit. From my perspective (steeped in the understanding that the Fall described in Genesis 3' so negatively impacts on our ability to be trustworthy), I say "no". This is not because I think Americans have it all right, but because it is so easy for us all to end up wrong if we don't maintain our individual nations' sovereignty, dong what is best for that particular nation. Of course, that leads to other conflicts that won't be resolved this side of Heaven, so, is best of the worst options in my thinking.
Ok, so you realize I did not say "to the exclusion", but rather to make the US condition the priority. Those are two different things. Right now, we are "excluding" the condition of the country to put all the focus on Ukraine. It was the guy who was talking about ballgames, which, as I said, I have no knowledge or interest in, that used the word exclusion.
I was explaining from the football analogy - focus on one thing (often to the exclusion of the other) - bad outcome expected. We, as a nation, seem to have difficulty in balancing, which is your point, I think.
That does sound like the point I was making. The problem is that I know nothing about any ball games, so any football analogy is wasted on me. My perception of football=a bunch of guys running around bumping into each other sometimes carrying a ball.
Hi Erick , I just read an article this morning that the USA is one of 50 countries supporting Ukraine and that we are replenishing their munitions as they are burning through them. Would be nice if we knew all our financial support was directed towards its intended purpose but I would have my doubts . Western Arms production is ramping up as Ukraine burn thru munitions.Next meeting of the minds ( Lloyd Austin and Bill LaPlante)September 28 in Brussels.