Tag: Russia

The Gathering Storm

Authoritarian countries (dictatorships, elected or not) in which political opponents can be declared foreign agents, jailed on false charges, and murdered, are supported by Trump, Musk, Vance, and Witkoff.

Can people see where this is going? Do the deer-in-the-headlights Democrats see where this is going? Are they willing to act? Is it too late and have people given up?

The gathering storm, folks, the gathering storm.

And if China attacks and annexes Taiwan (which could happen when the war in Europe worsens or when there is horrific domestic turmoil in the US, two distinct possibilities that might intersect, but either could be sufficient encouragement to China), my guess is that Trump will not act. Perhaps he will…drum roll…posture about or enact yet additional tariffs “on China,” which are actually paid by US importers of products from China and passed on to US consumers who have no purchase options. Trump never explains that part of tariffs.

Meanwhile, the US and countless Western democracies are reliant on manufacturing in China. Allowing that to happen was a tragic strategic error.

The US better hope that TSMC can escape from Taiwan, avoiding extreme export restrictions or even nationalization. They’ve already started their escape, and I wish them and the free democratic world well in their efforts to survive this shitstorm.

I would not be at all surprised if Trump has already been assured of asylum in Russia in the event that things get so serious in the US that even his minions on the Supreme Court cannot rescue him.

One major issue in the United States is whether the military will remain under Trump’s control, and whether they will be willing to point their guns at American citizens. This is usually a concern only in Third-World countries, but that is where Trump is leading the US.

The above is not hyperbole, and this is not a drill.

Silence is Complicity

[I posted this on LinkedIn on 23 March and it was quickly shadow-banned by Microsoft’s LinkedIn, in a demonstration of what they consider relevant or of their political allegiance. Perhaps I should have started the post off with “I’m thrilled to announce…”]

Silence is complicity.

Trump, Vance, Musk, and now we have Witkoff, who insults the UK, denies Ukraine sovereignty, thinks Putin is not a bad guy, wants the world to recognize the occupied eastern territories of Ukraine as part of Russia, and generally acts as a mouthpiece for the Russian propaganda machine.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62zm4eqvp7o

Meanwhile, the democratic Party is paralyzed and unable or unwilling to act. The Democrats and Americans of conscience need to do the necessary.

There must be a change, and the 2028 election is much too late. Too much hangs in the balance, for Americans, and for people in numerous other countries, one of them in Asia. 

The time to act is now.

Sluggish Microsoft AI?

It took Microsoft almost 30 minutes recently to start shadow-banning a post I made on its LinkedIn platform, reporting what is happening in the war in Europe, coupled with a common-sense suggestion of what needs to be done (essential, to achieve a solution to the Russian problem, in form of a decisive defeat of Russia and removal of their ability to continue their aggression).

I suppose the shadow-banning is understandable, since Microsoft continues to promote the fantasy that its LinkedIn platform is a useful business platform, rather than what it actually is, just another social media platform, created and operated for the same purpose as other social media platforms.

A company of the stature of Microsoft, however, should speed up its AI-driven shadow-banning so as to more effectively prevent this kind of unpleasant content about the real world from reaching its founder and creator users, who might not be excited, thrilled, or honored to see such stuff.

They might be more interested in turning the page to embark on a new chapter, continuing to elevate their journey and, on the way, opening doors that lead to exciting places in the LinkedIn Phony Kingdom.

I wonder if Microsoft’s AI would have been able to figure out the sarcasm in the above paragraph. Perhaps, but it is irrelevant; Microsoft is basically the same as operators of other social media platforms.

The Russo-Ukrainian War: Achieving a solution to the Russian problem

What we are seeing in the war in Europe (the Russo-Ukrainian War, started in 2014 with the unlawful annexation of Crimea by Russia) makes it clear. What happened with the Soviet Union in 1991 seemed like a step forward, but was a huge failure. Nothing much changed, and here we are.

This time the job needs to be completed, leaving Russia incapable of aggression. Putler might need to meet a humiliating fate. Will his girlfriend join him?

A Bit of History

I’ve got a bit of “history” with Russia.

When I served in the US Navy, I studied Russian at Defense Language Institute in Monterey for about a year, sitting in classrooms studying the language for a total of hours that exceeded what I would have spent learning the language over six or more years at a university, something I calculated when I was told after graduating that I could now get an undergraduate degree in Russian with no additional language credits.

Although this was during a time when many US military people were occupied with fighting a war in Vietnam, I spent the my time in the Navy occupied with activities related to the country that in 1991 changed its name but nothing much else.

With that as my personal backdrop, I am now watching with considerable distress, disgust, and disappointment as Russia continues its expansionist war of aggression against Ukraine—probably a prelude to greater expansion if they are not stopped—and is clearly committing war crimes.

And as this is going on, Trump and his merry band of sycophantic minions seem unwilling to attack or blame Russia, and they are effectively helping Russia in its information war and battlefield war efforts, while insulting and alienating vulnerable allies in Europe and elsewhere. The Democrats and most Americans appear to be paralyzed. What has gotten into people?

Both Trump and his friend in the Kremlin must be stopped. This time, we must finish the job and not allow a repeat of the failure of 1991, and 2025 must not be allowed to be a rerun of Munich in 1938.