First, let me apologize for my obvious dereliction of duty in keeping up with my website. With the Release of my New Book – Covid-19: the Convenient Virus from China (which I hope you all get) and my time on TWITCH, it’s been a tad overwhelming. But I’m doing the best I can with the time I have.
The Invasion of Ukraine
I’ve done my best to stay fairly neutral in light of everything we’re hearing and seeing on the news— especially in the beginning of all this. However, the one aspect that became abundantly clear and increasingly disturbing was how this invasion by Russia was being portrayed by the media including (to my disappointment) Fox News. At first, it was straight reporting. Russia threatens to invade Ukraine over security issues. Putin basically says that if Ukraine continues to pursue becoming part of NATO, Russia will have no alternative but to invade their country. This was not just a one time warning. Putin warned Ukraine time and time again but to no avail. His warnings dismissed out of hand by Zelenskyy. When you think about it at this point, Putin’s demands sounds fairly reasonable. Russia does not want a NATO country on it’s border along with all the military weaponry. Continued warnings fall on deaf ears. So what happens next? Russia keeps his promise and invades Ukraine. Keep this in mind as you read this article, none of what we’re seeing now had to take place if Ukraine had just agreed to Russia’s initial demand. No NATO, no invasion. The first question any rational individual would ask is why? Nothing good can result from Russia invading Ukraine. Ukraine is not a NATO member on top of which— it’s widely known that Ukraine is one of the most corrupt countries in Eastern Europe. Don’t get me wrong, most countries in Eastern Europe are corrupt but Ukraine is top on the list next to Belarus.
The only conclusion I can come to in regards to the reason for Ukraine’s dismissive nature towards Russia is (and I’m speculating here) what is being whispered into Zelenskyy’s ear from the US and other countries. Who knows what Zelenskyy is being told in the background, private calls and the like. We’ll probably never know but it sure seems like he bought whatever he was told hook, line and sinker. BIG MISTAKE! Perhaps not so much for Zelenskyy, but for the people of Ukraine, Russia and by extension to a lesser degree (right now) — the rest of the world. More on this to follow. And yes, it includes a history lesson and also includes excerpts from my new book which will be in italics. Don’t forget to order your copy.
Let’s Make a Deal
Deal 1 — No NATO no invasion.
Unreasonable request? Well, let’s take a look, shall we?
Anyone heard of a little spat (sarcasm) between Russia and the United Sates back in 1962 called The Cuban Missile Crisis? If you don’t and you live in the US, I can only imagine what they’re not teaching you in school!
To make a long story short, Cuba allowed Russia to place nuclear weapons on it’s island and when the US found out about it, there was no way on Gods green earth they were going to allow that to happen which just about started a nuclear war between Russia and the US. In the end, cooler heads prevailed with the US removing it’s deployments of missiles in Italy and Turkey thus allowing Khrushchev to save face by getting something in return for removing it’s missiles from Cuba. However, because this was a secret deal, it was still thought of as an embarrassment to the Soviet Union.
The point of all this is if the shoe were on the other foot, I doubt we would react any differently than Russia is right now with Ukraine. And all the talk about false flag events possibly taking place by Russia? Well, who should know better regarding false flag events than the United States.
Shoe on the Other Foot
If we go under the basic assumption that the main issue between Russia and Ukraine is a security one meaning Russia does not want Ukraine to become a NATO member then we here in the US should consider the following, and yes, it also includes a small history lesson. But we’ll start with the shoe first.
Mexico has a huge border with the US. Let’s say that for some unknown reason, Mexico decides to partner up with Russia and China forming their own sort of NATO. And because of their newly formed alliance, Mexico begins to bring in all sorts of heavy duty weaponry and places it right on the US /Mexico border. Dare I say— perhaps even nuclear weapons? But for the time being and the sake of argument, we’ll keep it to more or less conventional weapons.
Does any rational individual think for one minute, the United States would allow this to take place? Absolutely not. There would be a second Mexican/American War quicker than you could spit and you can take that to the bank.
Deal 2
So, as promised Putin invades Ukraine. Anyone surprised? You wouldn’t think so but a whole lot of Ukrainians were (amazingly enough). It makes one wonder if the people of Ukraine were aware of why they’re being invaded by Russia in regards to the initial reason. Meaning, no NATO. One of the first things to happen as Russia invades is Putin declares and recognizes Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states including military protection. ‘WOW!,” some would say. “How could this horrible human being do something so despicable to a sovereign nation?” Another history lesson is in order.
The Panama Canal
To make a very long story short, I’ll go with just the highlights. It should come as no surprise that President Theodore Roosevelt Jr did love the occasional war and had no problem showing off that big stick militarily speaking, should the necessity arise.
With that in mind, he knew a canal linking the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans was in the best interests of the United States because it would save a lot of time getting warships from one to the other. Unfortunately, Panama was owned and operated by Colombia at the time and declined giving Roosevelt permission to build his canal.
Not dissuaded or deterred in the least, Roosevelt simply went directly to Plan B in which rebels in Panama declared independence from Colombia with the United States immediately recognizing Panama not only as an independent Country but a military ally also seeing as he had conveniently positioned warships in the area ahead of time to block Colombia’s military from quashing the rebellion. Needless to say, Panama won it’s independence and Roosevelt got his canal.
Fast forward one hundred or so years and we see Putin doing pretty much the same thing in Ukraine by recognizing the self-declared People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, including sending in his military to protect their declared independence.
The point I’m making here is not whether actions taken by Governments are right or wrong, only that this is nothing new. It all depends on whose side your on at the time actions are taking place.
The new deal Russia makes to Ukraine is Deal 1 + Acknowledgement of Crimea as Russian territory and recognition of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent and to lay down all weapons. The price to end the invasion just went up. Expected. Is there a Deal 3? Sure there is, there’s always a deal but let’s set that aside for just a moment and briefly talk about how this war is being portrayed by the media. Especially here in the United States, which is one of the most disturbing parts of it all but enlightening nonetheless. I’ll explain.
The Other Side of the Coin
You would have to be a fool not to recognize the similarities between the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the invasion of Iraq by the United States. Only this time, we’re given the very rare opportunity to see everything through the eyes of the country being invaded. For those of you who are too young to remember the US invasion of Iraq, keep reading. Yes, I know, another long article by The Basket of Fish (typical)— read it anyways.
When I first became aware of the impending conflict between Russia and Ukraine through the media, the warnings by Putin about Ukraine pursuing NATO membership, an eerie feeling of déjà vu came over me. I thought to myself, where had I heard this before? Then it hit me. This was pretty much the same rhetoric President Bush was using in 2003 leading up to the invasion of Iraq. But instead of NATO membership, it was about weapons of mass destruction. For weeks, it consumed every news cycle. Weapons of mass destruction and if Saddam Hussein didn’t do exactly as he was instructed, the United States would invade Iraq with Shock and Awe! Bush was everywhere on network news selling this to the American public. With his threats and continued warnings of Shock and Awe to Iraq, Bush— at the time, was thought of as the good guy in all this although it’s always nice to be portrayed that way at every turn by most in the media. One way or another, he was about to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction which were now held tightly in the grip of a foreign dictator thousands of miles away. At least that was the pitch and the American public bought it..
Fast forward nineteen years and we have President Putin of Russia warning Ukraine that if they continue to pursue NATO membership, he will put an end to that by invading their country. At first, that was his only demand. No NATO. Which, after numerous warnings like those given to Iraq by President Bush and summarily dismissed, Russia like the US— being true to his words, invaded Ukraine. It’s almost as if the same playbook was used. This is where the similarities came to a screeching halt as far as network news was concerned because unlike the United States, Russia was the bad guy and because of this, the world (especially the US) was about to see the other side— the side of what it’s like when one country invades another, a side the American public were not shown when the United States invaded Iraq with again…. Shock and Awe.
“War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.” ~ General William Tecumseh Sherman (US Civil War)
War is never a pretty sight. Honestly, it was never meant to be. No matter who wages it, people die. Men, women and yes, even children die. Military and civilians die. The displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. Shit happens— most intentional, some not. This is what war is— brutal. There is no such thing as a nice war. But when the US invaded Iraq, the American public was spared that side of it. We never saw all the death, the destruction including all the “Opps” moments when a bomb hit a civilian target killing innocent men and again… women and children. We saw everything through the lens that the invasion of Iraq was not only a good thing but was brought about by a dictator who refused to follow instructions from a much larger military power, and we were winning. This was all Saddam Hussein‘s fault. The United States eventually toppled the government of Iraq with the deaths of somewhere between 180,000 to 260,000 men, women and children in the process with some saying the death toll could be as high as over one million. With the invasion of Ukraine, we’re seeing that ugly side now only this time, unlike the US being noble with their invasion of Iraq— Putin is considered a war criminal. Funny how all that works, isn’t it?
Reality TV
Non-stop. 24/7 breaking news! Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sucked up every single ounce of news cycle oxygen every minute of the day. It has gotten so bad that I now refuse to watch some of the few shows I was once a big fan of. To the news media, we get it! Ukraine good, Russia bad. We get it. And all the ills confronting the US including inflation and gas prices are all Putin’s fault. We get it. Very little, if any is reported on regarding negotiations to end this including what the details might be. And then…..
Here’s where the story goes completely sideways. Watch…
Then, the next day – we have this
Questions that make you go hmmmm, right? Personally, I believe there is a whole lot more to this story which I’m certain we’ll learn more about in time. That’s always how it seems to work lately, doesn’t it? The truth comes out only at a point when not much can be done to rectify it. Just another “Opps” moment and I’m getting sick of it. Like Tucker Carlson says, the US Government is insulting the intelligence of those who hired them to represent us. And just for the record, his show Tucker Carlson Tonight is the only show I continue to watch on a daily basis for in my humble opinion, he is the only one who truly gets it by not allowing himself to be sucked into the emotional side and more importantly the war-mongering side that we’re seeing everyday on network news, including FOX news. Which brings us to another part of this continuing saga…
Sanctions working? Sure they are….. ummmm well….
Flipping the Stupid Switch
While I consider myself a conservative, this is precisely why I am not a republican nor affiliate myself to any political party. Just when you think Republicans are saying all the right things, just when you think everything, including foreign policy would be much safer in Republican’s hands, they flip that Stupid Switch and reveal a side of their party that I had hoped would be on their way out. This is obviously and unfortunately not the case. First it was sending in fighter jets to Ukraine. Good deal for Poland because by getting rid of their old fighters, the US was supposedly going to send them new (or newer) fighter jets. Then Poland read the fine print. They had to be the country to make the jets available to Ukraine. They responded with… Are you NUTS? No, we’ll provide the jets and send them to an American Air Force base in Germany. After that, do what you want with them. Send them on to Ukraine or part them out on eBay, we don’t care. Well, that was the end of that! Then it was no fly zones. Great idea, right? Well…..
No fly Zone?
Sure – who’s going to do that? Sure as hell won’t be us!
Interesting how everyone seems to want these no fly zones just as long as they’re not the ones involved in patrolling them. Seriously, what country would be willing to take that kind of a risk? Answer: No one. Ends that. But this dangerous rhetoric by certain republican politicians is mind-boggling. Senators like Lindsey Graham saying right on TV that Putin should be assassinated. Others saying that a US war with Russia might not be so bad while others saying that any risk to escalation is worth it. These people are not only delusional but should be primaried immediately in the upcoming mid-term elections. This line of thinking harkens back to establishment neocon globalists who believe war is a good thing. War is good for business and for as much as I hate to say this, it’s true. Just as long as it’s not fought in the middle of your country and you’re not the one fighting it.
Alliances and a History Lesson
We all remember WW1, right? I hope so. It all began with the assassination of the Archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914 by Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip. What happens next? Austria-Hungary threatened war on Serbia. Now, at this point it was only between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. Two relatively small countries but because of all the alliances these two countries had with other European countries, we get World War 1 and somewhere around 15 to 22 million deaths and about 23 million wounded. So what started out with the assassination of two individuals, nevertheless important figures, ended with millions of deaths. I sometimes wonder if Europe would have done things the same way had they known what was in store for them. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? Especially if we learn from it.
But have we?
Zelenskyy had to have known this would be the result of his decision to dismiss Putin’s warnings. He knew his country would be invaded by Russian forces and that’s exactly what has happened. He knew he was not a member of NATO, he knew he would receive no real help other than defensive weapons from other countries. He knew the bombs would begin flying towards him. He knew people would get killed and now, because of his decision and the results from it, he’s trying to suck the world into his nightmare. But fear not, another deal will soon be on the table.
Deal 3
As far as I know, there is no Deal 3 on the table at the moment. From this point on, all is speculation on my part. But wait. Before Ukraine sees a Deal 3, certain events will have to take place. The following is what I believe might happen.
1. Russia takes Kyiv (more so as a message than anything else)
2. Russia takes all Ukraine lands east of the Dnieper river.
If that happens or even gets close to becoming a reality, Deal 3 is now on the table. If there is a Deal 3, it will consist of Deal 2 which also includes Deal 1 plus… Ukraine gives up all lands east of the Dnieper river. The only difference in all this is that Russia will no longer care if what’s left of Ukraine becomes a member of NATO (or the EU for that matter) because Russia will have their buffer zone. No NATO on it’s border. In other words, Deal 1.
There will be no Deal 4
Epilog
With everything we hear and see on the news, the one most important part we must keep in mind is the initial demand from Russia to Ukraine. No NATO membership for Ukraine and everything we’ve seen since is the result from the decision Zelenskyy made. Right, wrong or indifferent, none of this had to take place. No one had to die. There would have been no invasion. Life in Ukraine would have gone on as normal. But because of that one decision, the world is treading on thin ice with Ukraine seemingly hoping for— or at least not caring whether or not a World War results from his decision somehow neglecting the fact that should that happen, millions upon millions will most assuredly die. The media are not helping. It’s almost as if they’re seeking a wider war with Russia in the hopes their ratings will go up. What was it Zelenskyy said recently? Something to the effect that when the war is over, Ukraine will be rebuilt using the best architects and the most modern materials. Sounds kind of rich (pun intended) coming from a country said to be the poorest and most corrupt countries in Europe. I guess they are under the impression all the money to do this will come from everyone else. And in all probability, it will. I wonder how much Ukraine will have to give up for that service.
This story is far from over with more truths being revealed as all this progresses. I don’t expect anything good will become of it seeing as we have two of the most pathetic individuals along with their hand picked, completely inept administration running the show in the United States. Just remember one small fact the next time you hear some self-righteous politician or pundit sounding off on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the media’s constant portrayal of the ugliness of war. No weapons of mass destruction were ever found in Iraq. The United States invaded a sovereign nation, toppled it’s government, caused the deaths of thousands of men, women and children and did billions of dollars in damage. And it was all done on a lie.
Some people say that had Trump remained in office, this would not have happened and I completely agree.
Why? Simple— Trump would have convinced Ukraine to take Deal 1.
Read my recent update here— Ukraine War: It’s Time to End it Before it Ends Us
