What If We Picked On Somebody Our Own Size?
From the latest on straightlinelogic, "What If We Picked On Somebody Our Own Size?" For the full commentary, click the link above.
Russia and China don’t have much truck with the indispensable nation’s global designs. They are happy to let us throw away dollars and lives in Islamic snake pits, but they are the big kids on their own blocks and don’t cotton to an interloper telling them what to do. Maps and history are anathema to most Americans, including its politicians, but if they looked at the former or knew any of the latter, they might realize that both nations are geographically vulnerable to invasion and have been invaded countless times throughout their long histories. Russia and China have real armies, navies, air forces, and nuclear arsenals: their citizens do not have to blow themselves up to get the world’s attention. They are also proficient in the newer forms—cyberwar, espionage, sabotage, intelligence, and subversion—of mankind’s oldest sport, and are challenging us to pick on somebody our own size.
Russia and China don’t have much truck with the indispensable nation’s global designs. They are happy to let us throw away dollars and lives in Islamic snake pits, but they are the big kids on their own blocks and don’t cotton to an interloper telling them what to do. Maps and history are anathema to most Americans, including its politicians, but if they looked at the former or knew any of the latter, they might realize that both nations are geographically vulnerable to invasion and have been invaded countless times throughout their long histories. Russia and China have real armies, navies, air forces, and nuclear arsenals: their citizens do not have to blow themselves up to get the world’s attention. They are also proficient in the newer forms—cyberwar, espionage, sabotage, intelligence, and subversion—of mankind’s oldest sport, and are challenging us to pick on somebody our own size.
Once we have secure supply sources, and once we can re-establish a military that will use its power to crush our enemies, a military that will "ride in blood to Samarakand"... then we could defeat them handily.
What frustrated our efforts there was the same thing that "lost" the Vietnam war; traitors in our midst who will not let us FIGHT the war.
"Well," said Arakal, "it does count. His reasoning has become confused, but the general idea is right."
Brusilov looked doubtful.
Arakal said, "Ideology *counts*. The only catch is, almost always when ideology counts, *it does the counting with a sword*."
- from "Ideological Defeat"
Neither do Islamic scum.
We aren't "picking on" anyone. We are fighting our enemies. We may be doing so, badly, but nevertheless... sometimes the underdog deserves to be the underdog.
If the country is lucky, he'll go down as an ineligible occupant of the White House, whose every act is therefore null and void.
Vets can't see any Doctor, let alone their doctor. Vets can't get prescriptions because it require a Doctor visit, and there is a "two sets of books" waiting list to get an appointment. It has spread to 14 major cities now and people have certifiably died because of the poor execution of the VA's system. At this time, the man who will be remembered as 44 is doing what he does best. he is dithering.
You may wonder what I think he should do. In his whole career I have one piece of advice. MAKE A DECISION! At best you will get things moving. At worst, you might make the wrong decision. If by chance it is wrong, it is still only a decision. If it's wrong, make another decision. Dithering allows the circumstances to change and the decision to make itself. Sometimes that's a poor result. To me, the core difference between an executive and a committeeman or Senator is making a decision rather than fielding a fact finding committee or debating. The decision is what separates the leader from the rest. His team has spun that every way imaginable with constructs like "leading from behind". In the world of business leading from behind is...following.
Unfortunately, that has been a long time ago and several generations in the past, and the subsequent generations have been coddled into thinking that we are superior because we are America - not because of all the hard work and sacrifice that underlay it! They have ignored that the path to prosperity lies in the time value of money - not in debt - and have mortgaged the future economy for the present one.
Actually, our populace is now too dumbed down to win anything, or understand what we are doing. While Obama downsizes our military, especially the ships, China is expanding her sea power. Her sailors and leaders have studied Mahan, and understand the importance of sea power, as JFK once did. Our leaders are too busy being at war with our own citizens, to bother themselves anywhere that is not politically advantages to them. We have nothing but empty words to offer any nations, until we have cleaned up our own country.
We need leadership, whether from one man or a mind alliance, that takes a decided American view of our policies. Why dance and hold hands with the Russians if we are going to capitulate or be out maneuvered in favor of the decidedly Russian perpsective. Whomever we face in foreign affairs, obviously they are looking at it from their best interests. To approach any negotiation with a what's best for the world or a how will the rest of the world look at us approach puts us a step or two behind, and we never catch up.
There is no reason to pester the Sheikhs at OPEC if we didn't need their oil. If we were energy independent, whether green energy or brown, then world oil reserves are not as "strategic" as they once were. One step further, produce enough energy to reduce the spot price to below break even point for OPEC members. Then each time they pump a barrel they lose $$.
I hear the whine of the ecology folks, "that would take ten years, we need an answer today!" Time is always there. If we had started expanding all US energy when Jimmy Carter created the energy commission, well we would have been done 20 years ago. Using that same excuse today only underscores how weak and indecisive our policy on energy has been.
I judge people by results. That makes politics difficult for me because I know what I like to hear. When Palin said, "to take the oath of office with the heart of a servant..." that's music to me. We hired them, they work for us, they should act like a servant. But how many politicians live up to their rhetoric? I know of none.
Ideally, I would like to roll the constitution back about 110 years and replay some of the changes that have resulted in power being shift away from state and local control to the Federal Government. The 17th amendment in particular took the States veto power away. Prior to the 17th amendment, Senators were appointed by and answered to the legislature of their home state. They were sent expressly to look our for "States Rights". The 17th made them electable by the popular vote. In the old days, Harry Reid could be fired by the State of Nevada for refusing to allow a bill to the floor, because Senators answered to their state, and the States had expectations. Today, all Reid has to do is win on election day, and there are a lot of ways to do that. If you have not read it, Mark Levin's book "The Liberty Amendments" discusses a lot of changes that have been made in the Constitution and his strategy for a State initiated Constitutional Convention.
As an AS reader, I recall one of the projects the leaders of the gulch were busying themselves with was a re-write of the Constitution, as I recall to make it impossible to mooch. Or maybe I dreamed that last part.
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