Well, well, well.
Just a few short days ago, His Accidency looked into the eyes of George Stephanopoulos and called Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, “a killer”. For good measure, he also said that “he had no soul”.
Now Stephanopoulos, being the son of a Greek Orthodox priest, should’ve known better. If a Republican President had said that, he would have rightfully called him out. That is unless his catechism was woefully lacking (always possible, I suppose.) Anyway, he said nothing. But here’s the thing, he wasn’t supposed to. Why? Because the entire interview was scripted. Biden’s handlers wanted Biden the man to say those words.
Diplomatically speaking, this was a faux pas of galactic proportions, drying up whatever goodwill the United States has (and will need) should war break out. So geostrategically it was a blunder as well.
In the meantime, the Russians started massing troops along the Ukrainian border and the United States Navy asked the Turks for permission to send two destroyers through the Bosporus as the Ukrainians were sending tanks near the Donbass front line. Things were tense you could say.
And then Biden called up Putin and asked him to meet. You don’t call someone a killer and then ask them over for tea. If you do, you show weakness. And that’s on top of the ineptitude exhibited earlier in the Stephanopoulos interview. Biden blinked and thus made America look feckless. For good measure, the two Navy destroyers turned back, thus depriving Kiev of another front. As a result, the Black Sea remains a Russian lake for the foreseeable future.
I suppose one could say that this is good news in that Biden’s overture deescalated the situation (for the time being, at least). Not a bad thing. (For what it’s worth, Putin turned him down.) Still, it boggles the mind as to what is going on. Why would an American president channel his inner Jimmy Carter so early in his term? Especially when he’s been deprived of the normal rites that a new administration needs in order to convey an aura of legitimacy?
To be sure (and with good effect) Trump deprived him of the normal, smooth transition that all incoming administrations need. But all of the other rubrics of our civic liturgy have been deprived of him as well. By this, I mean a normal Inauguration and a February address to the Congress. Instead, the capital city is an armed camp more befitting of a Third-world banana republic. The optics are bad all the way around.
Is it possible that with the domestic situation spinning out of control, some of the saner of Biden’s handlers got him to walk it all back? Because the Germans and French are balking, the strategic situation is deteriorating as well. Without those two countries, there is no way that the United States could prosecute a war against Russia (or supply Ukraine with all the advisors and material it would need). Sure, Poland and Romania each have major beefs with Russia, but enough to serve as backup to Uncle Sam in a war in which the Ukrainian army would be wiped out in less than a week? What would any of America’s allies gain in such a war other than an influx of refugees?
So, how will this play out? In normal strategic terms, one should not look at intentions but at capabilities. Wars break out even if not intended. Thus, a war in Ukraine should be expected, especially since the American establishment wants one.
Having said that, it is my belief that the time for the State Department to get its Ukrainian puppet to pull the trigger has passed.
There are two reasons for this. The first I mentioned earlier: the political situation in America is spinning out of control. To be sure, instability has been an avenue for great nations to divert attention from internal conflicts; thus the temptation to engage in foreign wars is a great one. America is no exception. But those require normal thinking and rationality, something in short supply in America today –especially in the Pentagon. Maternity outfits for pregnant pilots and drag shows on aircraft carriers do not bespeak military seriousness. Martial vigor and a willingness to sacrifice are needed to prosecute wars. The last time we possessed any of these qualities was during the Korean War. Things have only gotten worse for us in that respect since Vietnam.
As far as patriotism is concerned, that well ran dry when the Establishment stole an election in broad daylight. Not. Gonna. Happen.
Worse, the Democrat Party is riven between a voraciously hungry hard-Left anti-war faction and a neoliberal one. As usual, the neolibs got what they wanted while the hard-Left has been cheated out of their demands at every turn: the $15 dollar minimum wage, the destruction of the filibuster, Medicare-for-all –all gone. The BLM grift is nothing but a distraction, created to mollify a restive black population and provide some balm to the racial guilt that plagues white liberals. It’s insane to believe under these conditions that a foreign military venture would cause the Democrat tent to burst at the seams with patriotism. (It will burst at the seams, however.)
Secondly, the situation in Ukraine is spinning out of control as well. Vladimir Zelinsky, elected as the anti-Poroshenko, has lost control of the street to the Ukro-nazis and it is they who will provide the necessary boots on the ground for the State Department. (And yes, they are nazis.) Simply put, Kiev doesn’t have the wherewithal to take back the breakaway eastern provinces. As far as the Crimea is concerned, that’s gone forever.
But this is where it gets really delicious: Putin doesn’t want to take control of the Donbass no matter how much the neocons and neolibs caterwaul about “Tsar Vladimir I”. He has openly stated that he is committed to Ukrainian statehood. Those are not the words of a would-be conqueror, no matter how much Victoria Nuland screams to the contrary. And there’s no reason to not believe him.
Why should we believe that Putin is committed to Ukrainian statehood? The answer can be distilled to the trite but true phrase: “if you break it, you own it”. The situation in Ukraine is dire and frankly, unfixable. Even if Putin wanted to conquer Ukraine, the financial ministry of the RF is adamantly against it. Russia simply doesn’t have the financial resources to re-annex it. Consider the great economic burden that greeted a reunited Germany when it absorbed East Germany. As for the two breakaway provinces in the East that are the heart of the conflict, the same dire economic conditions militate against their formal absorption into Russia proper.
As for these eastern provinces, all they wanted was a greater deal of autonomy within the existing Ukrainian state. The Minsk Accords gives them that. All Russia is doing is putting teeth in those accords. To be sure, they can serve as buffers between a hostile Kiev and the Russian border. And if Kiev cannot grant them semi-autonomy, then NATO cannot accept Ukraine as a formal member. Of course, this is cynical but the present situation in an unstable Kiev suits Russia’s interests just fine. Especially a Kiev which has no chance of reclaiming the Donbass.
So all things being equal, I’d say that Biden blinked for the reasons described above.
Now this isn’t going to play well with the neocons at the State Department and if I were Joe, I’d make sure that Kamala isn’t anywhere near him when he’s walking down the stairs, but it’s the best possible outcome all things being equal. Especially since he’s now committed to a full withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Now, as I said, this is not going to make the neocons happy. They do have another card up their sleeve, however. It’s possible that a provocation can come from Epiphony Dumenko, their ecclesiastical stooge in Kiev. Dumenko has to decide if it’s in his interests to ramp up the violence against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. My fear is that he might be goaded into doing just that. Perhaps Nuland will bake cookies for the schismatics and hand them out like she did in 2014, during the Maidan coup.
If Dumenko comes to his senses and decides against it, then the State Department has another avenue for provocation. This one runs through Istanbul. . .
Our ambassador in Moscow just came home for ‘family reasons.’ What could this mean?
Also, our navy might have ducked out, but the Brits are apparently sending some ships to the Black Sea. I hope their bright ideas department is on holiday.
Stupid is as stupid does.
George,
A good chunk of this I didn’t understand. But I don’t get into politics as much as some. In any case, you seem to be more sympathetic to Putin than many I know. He’s basically portrayed as a sociopath in American media. Is there more to it? I know Gaddafi was portrayed very negatively as well, but when I read one of Fr. Spyridon’s books he painted a different picture.
Seraphim, I am sympathetic to a resurgent, revitalized Christian Russia. End of story. I also am 100% against going to war with Russia. End of that story.
Russia is no more a threat to Europe than the man on the moon. Eisenhower (a five-star general) told Kennedy that if NATO was still in existence 10 years from 1960, we would have failed. We won the Cold War. Bring the troops home.
Gaddafi was a great man, demonized by Western media. Libya wasn’t perfect under him (only the Kingdom is), but it was a damn sight better than our corrupt system. They had no foreign debt and the people lived off well-managed oil reserves, which were being used to develop the country, both socially and economically. Free healthcare, free education, free land for potential farmers, etc. etc.
Plus, his eccentricities made him enjoyable to observe.
Interestingly enough, Libya was the most stable and prosperous country on the African continent. Now, it’s an absolute crap-hole.
This is what happens when you switch from the petrodollar to gold for all your trade.
So here’s a different question, but I don’t know where else to put it. What do y’all think of Metr. Jonah. It feels like maybe he’s another good man who got a bad rap he didn’t deserve. But I don’t know much of anything. I remember being so impressed with his speech years ago right before he was elected. I didn’t find out till just the other day he moved to ROCOR in 2015.
This is Lent. Don’t even get us started!!!!!!!
I’m guessing that’s a negative? Sorry, again, I don’t know anything. That’s why I asked, to get educated.
What’s our dear friend is alluding to is the “purple demons” that come to target us during Lent. If you and your family seem particularly isolated and alone, it’s probably because of them. Since I was first introduced to the Church in 2003, I haven’t had one peaceful Lent.
Gail, neither have I. And this one is no exception. I’m not trying to stir up anything, beyond what I already have at least. I just wanted to know people’s thoughts on Metr. Jonah. I pulled my tithe from my previous church and am keeping an eye out for worthy things to contribute to. I know Metro. Jonah has a couple of ministries. But I know there was some drama years ago with the OCA and he was forced out. But I never could ascertain who was the”bad guy” in that scenario. Anyway, just wanted people’s take. I figured here the opinion would be fairly uniform.
Oh, you’re not (stirring up anything). Not on this blog. Metropolitan Jonah was the reason Monomakhos got started back in 2009. George and I are huge fans. I was Antiochian at the time and I, too, was very moved by that speech, as were many others across jurisdictions.
What the OCA did to him was unconscionable, but sometimes that’s what it takes to wake everyone up so they can see how bad things are. For the most part, the OCA has grown in a positive way since then which is a victory of sorts, I guess. But I predict that great things are still in store for Metropolitan Jonah. The deck is being shuffled and he’s going to come up “aces”. It may have been ROCOR’s plan to keep him in the shadows until the time comes to unite this country. He could be the “ace” up their sleeve.
Metropolitan Jonah is not only greatly respected, he is genuinely loved. Certainly by us.
Gail, thanks for the response. I’m glad to hear that. He really came across to me as a good man. Maybe even a holy man in disguise, as it were. But I wanted to ask cause we know about false appearances, etc. But as with Gaddafi, Putin, and Metro. Jonah, it seems to be more an issue of false narrative.
I like positive stuff. I know I’ve been hard on many Orthodox clergy over the last year, but it gives me no pleasure to do so. All this stuff has, and still is causing me a lot of pain.
I think of it this way: The clergy, like all people, are flawed just like me. My loyalty, however, is not to a given person. My loyalty is to God and to His Church. As a member of the royal priesthood if something is wrong, especially if it isn’t being addressed, it’s my job to acknowledge it in an effort to right the ship. In fact, it is my duty.
Ok. Sounds like it lines up with what Fr. Spyridon said. So now my question is, are we seeing the same thing now with Putin? Us he actually a pretty good leader who’s simply being demonized by Western media?
Yes. Putin is an excellent leader. He brought Russia out of the doldrums of the 90s.
I don’t see much of a problem with him. He’s far from perfect, as there’s still too much capitalism and corruption in Russia, too many oligarchs, although you can’t take on everything all at once. The Fathers say to focus on one passion at a time, instead of all of them at once, so this probably applies to statesmanship as well.
He saved Russia and gave it breathing space and a chance to recover from the 1990s.
There’s a great book about him “Russian Populist” by an Orthodox academic that lays out his way of thinking in a way that we in the West can understand. I recommend reading it.
“He’s [Putin] basically portrayed as a sociopath in American media. Is there more to it?”
Yes, just a bit.
Putin has overseen the rebirth of Russia after the Soviet period and the dark economic period under Yeltsin. They are now the 11th largest economy in the world, 6th largest measured by PPP, and the Russian Orthodox Church has undergone a revitalization unprecedented in human history. There were about 7000 churches in Russia at the end of the Soviet period (up from a low of 500 under Khrushchev). That number now approaches 40,000 (there were about 60,000 before the Revolution).
Moreover, Putin has been resistant to importing progressive morality to Russia and has led by example in Eastern Europe. That is the real reason that he is demonized in the West; i.e., because he defends Christian values against the liberal Borg. The Borg has awoken to a nightmare where the old Cold War between the secular liberal West (Christian patriots in the West were naive back then) and the communist Soviet Union has been replaced by a new Cold War between the still secular liberal West and a Christian, nationalist Russia. The Russians went from being contained as communists to now being uncontainable as Christian nationalists. They have become what religious conservatives always wanted America to be.
It’s enough to make your head spin, but that’s the truth of the matter.
A very refreshing diagnosis, Misha.
Thank you.
Misha, if I may add, one major reason that Putin is villified in the West is because he banned adoption of RF babies by homosexual couples.
Thanks Misha. That’s helpful. And it’s kinda what I figured. The American media spreading lies? Perish the thought.
Everyone is looking at Russia/Ukraine and the ongoings in the Black Sea, meanwhile China seems to be setting it’s eyes on Taiwan. I remember seeing someone predict that China, embolden by a weak Biden, would be able to steamroll Taiwan. This may actually come to pass.
On a religious note, this is a Orthodox perspective from a Greek Orthodox Australian guy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Chs2KTxOTsA
Perhaps something related to what is going on?
I am hesitant to take anything seriously that emphasizes prophesies too much. His collection of garish icon tees, however, while inappropriate, must be lauded.
“China, embolden by a weak Biden, would be able to steamroll Taiwan.”
I understand Taiwan may have lots of high-explosive missiles
pointed at the Three Gorges Dam.
If that was taken out the effect on China would be catastrophic.
I’m sure the PRC has just as many SAM batteries lying in wait.
The question is. which technology works best?
And would the PRC actually be willing to put it to the test,
any more than the Arabs want Israel to go to a nuclear strike?
PRC has Russian S-400 SAM batteries, widely regarded as the best in the world, while, as far as I was able to gather from a quick look, Taiwan’s ballistic missile capabilities do not extend past 300km. They might be able to give Hong Kong a fright, but it seems like the Three Gorges Dam is out of range at 1200km.
I just saw that Taiwan has a homegrown ballistic missile system with a 2000km range, but it’s still in production. They best speed things up a bit if it really is getting spicy down there.
Well, the Chinese have been actively streaking our technology for who knows how long.
And yes, they so control active nodes of our federal govt. Thats why I stand by my assertion that we’re a vassal of China.
I meant “stealing”
🙂
Bless this priest. Please pray for him:
https://youtu.be/nVsSyfYY9yw
We signed a peace treaty with the Taliban under Trump that U.S. troops would leave May 1st. Biden has now broken that treaty by pushing the withdrawal back to September. I believe Biden/State Dept are trying to push the Taliban to attack first so we can claim to be fighting defensively. The State Dept is doing the same in Ukraine. Pres. Zec has broken the Minsk Treaty already with his attacks in the eastern provinces and declaration of war against Russia. This is why Russia has been moving troops. Russia does not want war as George mentioned. The Taliban though will attack. But the State Dept will stay in Afghanistan to control the poppy trade and Euroasia either through troops wearing our flag or mercenaries that used to. Lord have mercy and keep us from war!
@Seraphim what Fr. Spyridon wrote about is common knowledge in Europe and other places throughout the world that is not beholden to CIA propaganda like our mainstream media who now just hires these spooks [spys].
Very good analysis. I would add that war in Ukraine cannot be effectively waged for one diplomatic reason: you can’t get Crimea back morally, even if militarily you could (although that would be a VERY bad idea). If you come into Crimea as a “liberator”, the vast majority of the population will resist it with every fiber of their being.
Simply returning Donbass in isolation is going to be a problem for similar reasons: even though the citizens there are more divided than in Crimea, any escalation is going to be perceived negatively. It’s a very high political price. Then the “winner” has to pay to restore the area, and Kiev can only do that by pulling a very heavy line of credit from the transatlantic institutions (not that the government over there cares, but the lenders will).
So even though I dislike the warring rhetoric, it’s little more in my view than a diplomatic game being played for an international audience. The neocons are saber rattling for show, fully realizing that boots on the ground is not doable in this situation because that means you have to deal with the end result. This isn’t an area in the Middle East or Africa, this is Europe even though it’s eastern Europe. And Putin isn’t like Yeltsin or even Lukashenko, if he digs in his heels he’s not moving. That is the main reason he is so disliked in the west, they miss the days of slapping drunk Boris on the back.
All of this comes down to the Maidan protests of 2014. Had the junta in Kiev agreed to a federalization referendum upon taking power, the entire war in Donbass would have been avoided and Crimea may have stayed in Ukraine. But that went counter to the objective of securing Crimea and all of Ukraine for NATO integration. And so we have what we have…
George,
Another perspective to consider from Leo Goldstein:
Biden’s executive order on Russia is designed to ‘deprive American citizens and organizations of their rights’ Link below
lexcaritas+
https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/bidens-executive-order-on-russia-is-designed-to-deprive-american-citizens-and-organizations-of-their-rights?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=3c02577a3c-Daily%2520Headlines%2520-%2520U.S._COPY_1018&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12387f0e3e-3c02577a3c-411893150
Thank you, Lex.
Lifesite’s good people.
The United States is not going to war with Russia. Russian propaganda voices try to represent it as a plausible thing, which it is not. The political realities and the facts on the ground deny it. For that matter the US, much less NATO is not going to directly intervene in Ukraine. Ukraine is not going to join NATO. The US isn’t even willing to sell or gift material support that would make any kind of meaningful difference in the current conflict. To be clear, this is for the best.
With all that taken into account, Biden putting the kibosh on a meaningless freedom of navigation exercise of a couple ships is orders of magnitude too minute to qualify for such a dramatic statement as ‘Biden blinked’. Although the whole affair just pounds more nails in the coffin for the tired trope of ‘Biden is a senile puppet’. Not that it will stop people from continuing to flog it, well past its expiration date.
A practical take on the Russian buildup is raising stakes amid Crimea having a bit of a water problem. A cynical take is that some serious wag the dog is on order if Navalny dies in prison.
For once we’re on the same page.
Suddenly: Shevchuk says there’s no
military solution to conflict in Donbass
https://spzh.news/en/news/79195-neozhidanno-shevchuk-zajavil-chto-konflikt-na-donbasse-ne-reshity-vojennym-putem
The head of the UGCC Sviatoslav Shevchuk said the conflict in Donbass cannot be solved by military means and called on the parties to lay down their arms.
The head of the UGCC Sviatoslav Shevchuk said that there is no military solution to the conflict in Donbass and that it can only be ended by diplomatic means, VaticanNews reports.
“This is really a tragedy, because we all hoped very much that it would be possible to stop the war, that it would be possible to actually find a political, diplomatic solution to this conflict, because we all know there is no military solution to this situation,” he said.
“No war! Lay down your weapons!” called Shevchuk. “As His Holiness Father Francis said, war brings no gains but losses only. Let reason, dialogue and diplomacy outweigh the temptation to use weapons so that any problems could be resolved from an international political point of view.”
In fact, Sviatoslav Shevchuk’s rhetoric used to be quite different.
In June 2019, Shevchuk said that “we do not need peace in Donbass at any cost.”
In October 2019, the head of the UGCC stated that only those “who want to save their skin” were tired of the war in Donbass and called on to listen to the soldiers and volunteers who “explain to us that the one who is able to give everything can win.”
In November 2019, Shevchuk said that “it is very unsafe to talk about the need to end the war at any cost” and compared those who call for peace with the Nazis: “It is dangerous to succumb to the aggressor for the sake of the so-called peace, i.e. to raise your hands in the air. This reminds me very much of the insidious logic of Nazi propaganda in Europe in the context of Hitler’s aggression … We have been saying for five years: stop killing us, then we will start talking about everything else. Can we just stop shooting? Apparently, it’s not that simple.” ‘
Biden is not the only one who blinked…
This is all to the good. If it’s not a diversion, that is.
The Endless War With Russia
https://thezman.com/wordpress/?p=23520
‘ Without formally announcing it and for reasons no one has bothered to explain, the American empire has declared war on Russia. That is the clear message the Biden administration is sending with the new round of sanctions. They have also kicked out some Russian diplomats. More importantly, the US is telling US banks they cannot have any dealings with companies working on Nord Stream 2, the big natural gas pipeline the Russians are building to supply gas to Europe. …
Of course, there is the madness of it all. Why is the American empire trying to start a war with Russia? One reason is money, of course. The usual suspects would like to raid Russia for natural resources. The parasitic financial system of the West is running out of domestic capital to burn, so Russia is seen as a new opportunity for plunder. There is also the grudge they have with Putin, who put an end to the looting. No one holds a grudge like the people running the American financial system. …
One not so obvious reason is the need for liberal democracy to have an enemy. Like the Athenian Empire 2,000 years ago, the American empire is the result of conflict and as such it is designed to have an enemy. For half a century, the Russians were the enemy around which the empire was organized. They tried to replace Russia with Islam, but the Muslims proved to be a poor adversary. Cultural inertia has brought the American empire back to Russia as the enemy they need to survive. … ‘
As usual, the generals prepare to fight the last war…
Brilliant analysis. The U.S. is now eating its seed corn.
http://thesaker.is/putins-ukrainian-judo/
The Saker had an interesting take on this. The above is good for the history of what is now called the Ukraine, an artificial patchwork if ever there were one. My main disagreement with Saker would be his theory that Russia may be planning to essentially evacuate the Donbass as a solution. I don’t see this happening. He thinks simply holding the territory, uninhabited, would serve to keep the Ukraine out of NATO and the EU. Perhaps. However, the massive resettlement he suggests seems utterly impractical to me.
However, most of the rest of what he says makes sense and if war heats up in the Donbas, it is entirely possible that there will be some considerable eastward migration of its populace short of an evacuation.
* * *
“We really want to maintain good relations with all those engaged in international communication, including, by the way, those with whom we have not been getting along lately, to put it mildly. We really do not want to burn bridges. But if someone mistakes our good intentions for indifference or weakness and intends to burn or even blow up these bridges, they must know that Russia’s response will be asymmetrical, swift and tough.
Those behind provocations that threaten the core interests of our security will regret what they have done in a way they have not regretted anything for a long time.” – Putin
* * *
The most important word, IMHO, in Putin’s recent state of the federation address was “asymmetric”. He promised an asymmetric response to aggression on Russian territory against both those who perpetrated it and those who planned it.
Recall the Kerch Strait incident from November 2018:
http://thesaker.is/ukrainian-crews-were-given-the-order-to-try-to-covertly-cross-the-kerch-stait/
Three Ukrainian boats attempted to cross the Kerch Strait without notifying Russian authorities as required by treaty. These were military craft, some artillery. Russia blocked them and seized the boats and crew, holding them for a year.
Now the thing to understand is that there is a very long bridge running across this strait constructed by Russia since annexing Crimea. This bridge is also a question of RF state security:
https://jamestown.org/program/russias-strategy-in-the-sea-of-azov-the-kerch-bridge-artificial-shipping-delays-and-continued-harm-to-ukraine/
Ukrainians have used the tactic of withholding fresh water to the Crimea since 2014. Russia can restrict access to the Sea of Azov as a countermeasure.
Shocking 2025 Deagel Forecast… War, Population Reduction
and the Collapse of the West
https://internationalman.com/articles/doug-casey-on-the-shocking-2025-deagel-forecast/
‘ International Man: Deagel is a private online source for the military capabilities of the world’s nation-states. It recently released a shocking five-year forecast.
The report analyzes countries by projected population size, GDP, defense budget, and more.
In it, they predict a 70% reduction in the size of the United States population. This is a bold prediction. What are your thoughts on this?
Doug Casey: I’ve got to say that I wasn’t familiar with Deagel—it keeps a low profile. Deagel is in the same business as Jane’s—which has been in the business of analyzing weapons systems for many decades.
A look at the Deagel website, which is quite sophisticated, makes it clear we’re not dealing with some blogger concocting outrageous clickbait. It seems to be well-connected with defense contractors and government agencies like the CIA. …
Here’s a wild and crazy thought. What if the real problem isn’t so much the COVID virus itself.
What if the real problem is the new vaccines. What if, after X number of months or years, they turn out to have very deadly effects? There’s a reason new drugs are tested over a period of years, which is far from the case here. Ted Turner, Bill Gates, and numerous others who think they’re “elite” have long said that the earth’s population ought to be reduced radically, perhaps by 80%. Is it too shocking to believe that some group would take advantage of this to cull the human population? It’s something that would be hard to believe even in a science fiction novel. But it now appears to be technically feasible. History is replete—overrun, actually—with psychos who try to destroy everybody once they get in power. … ‘
Financial collapse, toxic vaccines, supply chain breakdowns…
The scenario is all too plausible – for Europe as well.
I’ve seen this, but from what I remember it is only the U.S that showed those insane losses. What about the other countries?
The UK was to be down 70 plus percent. Germany about the same.
France down, but not by so much, completely altering the balance of power.
China to be down about 2 percent, Russia about 3 percent..
It is unlikely a nuclear war would provide such a distribution of collapse.
But COVID Vaccines? Perhaps…
Wow, Brendan! That link just makes me speechless. I dug into it a bit and the data sources are listed and legit (always a plus in my book). There is a projected loss in America of 100 million souls within 4 years. And, Petros, most of the countries are projected to go thru major loss of life, too. I’m wondering what other readers think? These are predictions from CIA, medical corporations, etc. Of course we all know God is in control of history, no matter what the Evil One throws our way. But gosh, that website is still quite a shocker.
“There is a projected loss in America of 100 million souls within 4 years.”
Projected surviving population in the USA of 66 million by 2025, was adjusted to 99 million when Trump won, then back down to 66 million just recently, after the Trump seemingly has been brought on fully on board with vaccination, and serious audits of the 2020 election start happening and it looks like there’s a chance of Trump being allowed to be puppet in chief again.
Republicans are more likely to get the vaccine after hearing Trump supports it. But they haven’t heard it.(March 25, 2021)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/03/25/republicans-are-more-likely-get-vaccine-after-hearing-trump-supports-it-they-havent-heard-it/
BREAKING: Canadian Police Return With SWAT
to Local Church Run by Artur Pawlowski:
https://nationalfile.com/breaking-canadian-police-return-with-swat-to-local-church-run-by-author-pawlowski/
[Video – 08:33]
I like this man.
Give credit where credit is due:
Biden becomes first president to recognize Armenian genocide
https://orthochristian.com/138922.html
‘President Joe Biden became on Saturday the first U.S. head of state
to recognize the mass killing of 1.5 million Armenians from
1915 to 1922 by the Ottoman Empire as a genocide. ‘
This is interesting:
http://ace.mu.nu/archives/393588.php
When even James Carvile recognizes the idiocy of the present cultural Marxist miasma, no matter how tepidly, then you know that some people higher up the food chain are worried about the stability of the present sociopolitical regime.
This is interesting:
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2021/05/04/hundreds-in-ukraine-march-to-honor-nazi-ss-soldiers/
I guess the Ukro-nazis didn’t get the memo that the Holocaust was a bad thing.
George, what’s your take on this one? What are Globalist-funded, Globalist-supporting Ukrainians doing promoting National Socialism when it was fascism that fought against Globalist/International Communist policies and goals?
I’ll tell you why AnonII: Because when we are dealing with Leftists/Globalists/Progressives/Etc. David Horowitz said it best: “it’s always about power!”. Whenever these people talk about an “issue” it’s never about the “issue”. That’s just an excuse to destroy Christendom, patriarchy, and tradition.
Trust me, in ten years –probably less if NATO is sucked into a shooting war against Russia because of Ukraine–Hitler and his regime will be “revisited”.
Look how quickly the US became the air force of Al-Qaeda/ISIS in Syria under the tenure of the sainted Obama. Because Assad, who never bombed the US, was somehow “bad”.
That was within a decade of 9/11.
AnonII & George, STRONGLY recommended reading is ‘The Saint of the Prisons’ by Monk Moise. It’s eight dollars and is among the best guidebooks for young people right now. For all Orthodox Christians, today. It’s about the life of Valeriu Gafencu and the Romanian (Orthodox of course) resistance against communism. PLEASE read this book. Additionally, Corneliu Codreanu’s ‘For My Legionaries.’
Amen. Codreanu is a hero and a light to the Orthodox Christians of today. We need to cultivate the Legionary spirit. LonelyDn, I have no idea where you serve, but I’m sure it’s a damn fine parish with a clergyman like you there.
We’ve been down this road here before.
I suggest that readers new to this blog consult my short 77-page monograph titled, The Romanian Legionary Movement: An Orthodox Christian Assessment of Anti-Semitism, No. 502 in the Carl Beck Papers in Russian and East European Studies at the University of Pittsburgh in 1986:
https://carlbeckpapers.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/cbp/article/view/23
That monograph may be accessed and downloaded free-of-charge.
There is simply no use trying to put lipstick on the pig of virulent, violent, unOrthodox hatred of Jews in interwar Romania that drove Corneliu Zelea Codreanu and his extreme fascist followers to behave the way they did, their anti-communism notwithstanding. Even the Romanian Prime Minister and fascist dictator Ion Antonescu finally had enough of his Legionary coalition partner, Codreanu’s successor Horia Sima, and banned and imprisoned the Legionnaires after the latter’s failed coup attempt in January 1941.
Despite support from many rural parish priests in Romania, particularly the northeastern province of Bessarabia, the Legion was denounced, providentially, by the senior hierarchy of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Here we go again. I suggest that readers new to this blog consult my response to Fr. Alexander from about a year ago, most important points bolded:
I will add to that that a good number of bishops supported them, with their denunciation coming from Patriarch Miron Cristea, a thoroughly corrupt and scurrilous man that gave the thumbs up for Codreanu’s cold-blooded murder. Even Cristea, however, wanted to expel the Jews from Romania, and offered to do so when he was Prime Minister.
Basil, I have no need or intention to convince you about this question. Your views about Jews appear to be set in concrete.
However, I hope readers of this blog will read my short monograph, if only to learn for themselves about (1) the extremist bigotry and violence of the Legion from the beginning (not merely “excesses at the end of the movement’s life,” as you assert) and (2) my critical argument against the Legion based on both Orthodox moral tradition and a comparative religions methodology. The Legion of St. Michael the Archangel was as much a pseudo-religion as a militaristic political movement.
In any case, critical Orthodox moral thinking is not equivalent to citing the views of this or that authority, even if those persons are renowned or highly respected otherwise.
This has got nothing to do with Jews. No one even mentioned them until you started waving around the “anti-semitic” disclaimers, as if serious and traditional Orthodox Christians give a damn about the feelings of this group of people who have been expelled from literally hundreds of places for no reason at all, ever.
Comparative religions methodology? Why would we be using this methodology when talking about Codreanu and the Legion? They were Orthodox Christians and no one ever doubted that. “Comparative religion” is simply comparing Truth to falsehood.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure that the opinions of holy, saintly, and pious men who were actually there at the time to objectively evaluate the movement first-hand and offer their experiences and reflections at later dates throughout their lives – and quite consistently, too – trumps that of an American…priest, raised in a unquestioningly philo-semitic post-WW2 environment, whose only experience and knowledge of the Legion comes from regime-approved academic texts.
The thought of these manly Legionaries, suffering in prison for Christ’s sake and even converting Jews to the faith due to their charity and love, while their clerical critics cringe at the thought of people saying nasty things about the Jews and cast aspersions at them, can only force me to chose the Legion every time.
I’m sure that LonelyDn will have some articulate thoughts to share on this, too.
If I may add something to this debate between Basil and Fr Alexander, I am ignorant of this aspect of WWII Romania and I will read Fr Alexander’s essay shortly. If Basil can direct me to any of the sources he mentions, I would appreciate that as well.
I got through a little over 20 pages of Fr. Alexander’s essay and had to stop…This must have been when the good father was still aggressively promoting Orthodox pacifism, which apart from monasticism is not really Orthodox teaching. Yes, under occupation, Christ advised us to kill them with kindness, no doubt. But that does not negate the Old Testament witness or even support civil disobedience. Christ preached full civil cooperation under those circumstances – to go the extra mile.
The Legion sounds like good people to me, except to the degree that they engaged in violent antisemitism. Thus a word about antisemitism is in order:
The Jewish authorities of first century Palestine tried and convicted Christ for blasphemy and were instrumental in His execution by the Romans. That is one sin. But the continued rejection of Christ by the Jewish people who remained Jewish rather than converting after the Resurrection, indeed up to the present day, is another sin.
On top of this, historically the Jews have a much deserved reputation as economic profiteers among Christians. They were at times the only ones allowed to charge interest to gentiles in this or that part of Christendom and were thus exploited as moneylenders by any number of Christian princes. Yet they often exploited the laity in this role as well. To them, the tribe was the central value and they were enthusiastic proponents of the saying, “Charity begins at home.”
None of this justifies pogroms or the Holocaust, nor violence against the Jews in general. But this and other reasons should cause us to be suspicious and unaligned with the Jews. Any criticism is rejected by them as antisemitism.
Modern Jews are generally secular liberals or leftists, albeit usually with a soft spot for Israel. The more conservative faction tend to be neocons, willing to use American blood and treasure to make the world safe for Israel. Still, these are not reasons for violence against them. In fact, I have a particular soft spot for the Orthodox Jews and for Hasidim. Notwithstanding this, internationally, their activities are sometimes problematic and arguably conspiratorial, they being hip deep in the globalist project.
“No enemies on the Right!” That is my standard. Though I do not agree with anti-Jewish violence (unless, of course, they do something well deserving of it), I can still count as allies those who cross that threshold. There is a strain out there overprotective of Orthodoxy from antisemitism, given the Orthodox history of pogroms. Without endorsing past violence or promoting it in the future, one should remember that events do not occur in a vacuum. Hostility is often provoked by behavior.
In any case, as a Christian Nationalist, I have no interest at all, or stomach for that matter, for taking the side of those who reject the Gospel over our own people.
There’s no one book in the English language that is dedicated to giving a positive overview of Codreanu and the Legion, because reasons, obviously.
All my information has been taken from the primary sources (i.e. Codreanu’s own works, For My Legionaries and The Nest Leader’s Manual, as well as The Prison Notes, which details his final spiritual catharsis on the way to martyrdom) and references to them in hagiographical or contemporary spiritual texts, namely Saint of the Prisons, a book which has an entire chapter dedicated to giving a thorough evaluation of the Legion from the perspective of the author, an Orthodox monk, the collection of homilies and interviews with Fr. George Calciu and the life of Elder Arsenie Papacioc, both published by St. Herman Press. There’s another title, Under the Southern Cross, which details the martyric end of two Legionaries in Spain and features a very edifying statement by Fr. Dumitru Staniloae, who is going to be canonized soon. Accounts of the Romanian prisons always have positive testimonies about the Legionaries who were held there.
To call them a ‘pseudo-religion’ shows either ignorance or an extreme lack of charity. They were Orthodox Christians, better Orthodox Christians than any of us wimpering and simpering Americans, loved by the people, supported by the clergy (including bishops), based on staunchly Christian principles, and regarded as the school of Christian spirituality in the Romania of that era, a real preparation for the martyrdom that came under the commies.
Sure, there were violent incidents and mistakes were made, but they were young and passionate at the beginning. later writings showed a more circumspective approach, a renunciation of the revolutionary method, and an even stronger reliance on spiritual combat. This doesn’t mean we should disregard everything the Legion said and did.
We don’t discount monasticism entirely due to the reckless and violent actions of monks during theological controversies, do we? Neither do we ignore Moses because he murdered an Egyptian, or any of our martial saints that have shed blood. Many, many Church Fathers have denounced the Jews throughout the centuries; do we offload all patristic writings for this reason, since they are sullied with ‘antisemitism,’ so-called?
I’ve said before and I’ll say it again: accusations of antisemitism are used to stymy discussion and shut down those with opposing views: “He’s an antisemite; end of debate.” People are too scared to get down to the gritty details and find out why these men – great men like Codreanu – said the things they did, because their antagonists are a class of irreproachable victims with a network of agencies with enough clout to make your life hell if you decide to throw light on the shadows.
Codreanu was a hero; he could have saved Romania. It was fear and spinelessness that led to his cold-blooded murder and it is fear and spinelessness that has led to many of our own Orthodox brothers throwing great men like him under the bus, time and time again, in order to maintain some kind of bourgeois respectability in the postwar American milieu.
Father Alexander, Basil, George,
One of the challenges we face in this dialogue are clear and consistent definitions of anti-Semitism and the term ‘Jew’ on which we agree. These terms are complicated and beyond politicized: they often rouse passion on every side of the table.
For example, the term ‘Jew’ in the Gospels – and in the context of St. John Chrysostom, St. Paisios, and countless others including the great Valeriu Gafencu – refers primarily to cultural/ethnic Jews rejecting and persecuting Christ. In other words, a Jew cease being a ‘Jew’ when they convert to Christianity. History tells us this, the Gospels tell us this, why just ask the State of Israel.
Obviously, when we read of Christ and His apostles locking the doors “out of fear of the Jews,” they aren’t locking the Theotokos out of the room. Clearly, when St. John tells us that Jews killed Christ, he wasn’t anti-Semetic any more than history revealing it was Jewish leaders like Marx, Engles, Trotsky, Lenin, the Warbugs and Schiffs, the Rothchilds, and more than 80% of the Soviet government contributing to the martyrdom of probably 70 million Orthodox Christians under communism/globalism.
If the Anti-Defemation League, ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, Hollywood, B’nai B’rith, Antifa, BLM, Google, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and other media weren’t all run by Jews or Jewish organizations but Muslims, and 70 million Orthodox Christians – including the Royal Martyrs – weren’t murdered by Jewish inspired revolutionaries but Muslims, we’re be talking about a Muslim problem here.
Forgive me, but I didn’t bring up the Jewish people – whom I love. My life is given to Christ and His Mother – both of whom are ethnically Jewish. My life is also given to my ethnically Jewish family. I have many passions, but anti-Semitism isn’t one of them.
No, the struggle of the Romanians – indeed of all Eastern Europe – and our struggle today is still against sin. The Jews aren’t any more culpable that I am. Nevertheless, socialism/communism/Marxism is a primary vehicle satan uses to deepen confusion and discord – sin – and this is driven by the Jewish desire to release Barrabas and crucify Christ in society, hence setting up a human, materialistic ‘utopia’ on earth.
The righteous Orthodox martyrs and clergy Basil and I offer for everyone’s consideration really are relevant today. They inspire and provide a vision for us cutting through the fog.
Their names may be slandered, but God knows their hearts and He knows the struggle they maintained fighting the same forces we contend with right now.
May we be worthy of their prayers.
Forgive me if I have offended.
Lonely Deacon, if I may add another wrinkle to a term of ethnicity having a negative connotation it would be this: the term Hellene (Greek) in Classical Antiquity and Medieval times referred to a person of Greek ethnicity who practiced the Greek religion. In other words, was not a Christian. Those of my ancestors who adopted Christianity were thenceforth called Romaoi (Romans).
“Greek” was a derogatory term for centuries.
Also, another correction: Lenin was not ethnically Jewish but a mixed bag: his father was of Tatar descent (hence Lenin’s Asiatic physiognomy) while his mother was half Volga German and half Jewish. Her father, Mosko Blank, had converted to Orthodoxy and was something of a crank, writing incessant letters to the Czarist authorities advising them on how to best convert the Jewish inhabitants of the Russian Empire.
Regardless, an excellent comment. Thank you for shedding some non-anti-Semitic light on this issue.
George:
“Lenin[‘s] …mother was half Volga German”.
Ahh… Perhaps this explains Brest-Litovsk.
It wasn’t the Jews! It was the Germans! 😉
Rev Dn (and another other clergyman/theologian): would this be why in the Book of Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 we are warned about “those Jews who are not Jews”? That is, that only those Jews who accepted Christ are “real” Jews while those who rejected him (and continue to do so) are not “real” Jews but “of the synagogue of Satan”?
This would make sense to me. More sense than accepting the Khazarian hypothesis (although there is something that can be said for that one as well).
Basil,
I’m looking for information on the Legion. Can you get a hold of me at our blog’s email?
thank you, Geo
Everything I posted above should be available to read online. I’d like to help more, but there’s really not much more I can offer you, since there’s such a dearth of materials dealing with them objectively.
RE: “. . . it is fear and spinelessness that has led to many of our own Orthodox brothers throwing great men like him [Codreanu] under the bus, time and time again, in order to maintain some kind of bourgeois respectability in the postwar American milieu.”
Basil, that comment in your post here on May 7, 2021, at 12:27 pm crosses the line from civil discussion to sheer ad hominem and egregious insult. It is especially ironic that you would hurl a veiled charge of “fear and spinelessness” against me, which anyone who knows me would find laughable.
Since you also seem determined on this blog to continue to belittle my scholarship without rendering me the elementary courtesy of reading my short monograph on the Legion of St. Michael the Archangel, we have nothing further to discuss here.
Father, I would like to end this dialog. The subject has been discussed here many times with the same result and it’s never positive.
If what you are saying is true, George and I dropped the ball in posting Basil’s comment; however, this was not the case. George and I discussed Basil’s comment before we posted it and we concluded Basil’s comment did not cross a line. Basil was speaking generally. He was directing his frustration toward his “Orthodox brothers (plural)” of which you are but one. Many people agree with you; many do not.
The gloves are going to come off in heated discussions. If that is not something someone wants to be a part of, it is completely understandable to withdraw. But if one takes a closing shot in the process, it’s only fair that we let the other party, Basil in this case, respond. He has that prerogative.
THEN I’m shutting this discussion down! It’s actually kind of a shame because I have really learned some things this time around.
Thank you, Gail. Yes, it was a general remark and your analysis of my thinking is spot-on. I am frustrated at good Orthodox men being sacrificed to the god of respectability. I have lauded Fr. Alexander’s tenacity in defending what is good and right in the world in other places here – several times – so I hope that he will be able to appreciate the dynamic of our ongoing rough and tumble debate on this matter. We’re both US Army men, so both of know that things can get a little hot sometimes, without turning into animosity. I’ve also mentioned at least once on here that I’ve read the monograph and firmly disagreed with it – without belittling it – based on my own readings on the subject.
These Ukies are Hollywood Nazis. The globalists are hijacking their movement as it helps to maintain anti-Russian sentiment, while at the same time they are filling high-level positions in Ukraine with pro-Western, pro-sodomy, liberalizing traitors and, it must be said, Jews.
I’m sure there’s genuine Ukrainian nationalists in there who have noticed that they’ve been duped but, unfortunately, Ukrainian nationalism is such that it is based mostly on hatred of Russia, rather than love for their own country and the necessary mutual respect for others that a real, genuine Christian nationalism entails.
Good points – and true, Basil.
AII,
“The enemy of my enemy is my ally.” It is a testament to the depth of the hatred that Ukrainian nationalists have for Russians that they champion Nazi legions simply because the Nazi’s were anti-Soviet. That the Nazi’s thought of all Slavs as subhuman is beside the point for them, Strong Anti-Russian Force = Good.
Secondly, if Progressive Globalism is not the natural successor to Nazism, I don’t know what is. They are totalitarians hell bent on world conquest and ideological subjugation of all humanity but are not really communistic in the sense of wanting the nationalization of all business interests. In this respect, they are much closer to true Fascists and Nazis. Obviously they are racists, just in the reverse fashion of the day. And it is all a dishonest front to manipulate and subjugate the public to what George has correctly identified as the true objective – complete power.
If I can make you identify yellow as blue, I win.
Hitler was a vegetarian who loved animals.
And there is nothing new under the sun.
Fr George Calciu especially, and other Romanians in general, spoke of ‘unmasking.’ This was a technique employed by communists to force the Christian to decrease Christ, so the evil one can increase. They’d beat you emotionally, physically, spiritually trying to convince you the denounce wife, children, modesty, sense of right and wrong, belief in Christ, etc. and begin with the most, seemingly, mundane things.
“Tell us the sky is red!” “The sky is not red. It is blue!” Beat down. The re-education continues until the mind is squeezed and ready to absorb the new propaganda, so the ‘New Man,’ Communist, is created.
This is happening today – “Tell us this is a woman!” “This is a man!” Fined, fired, censored, etc. Somehow, every death was a Covid death. But now every death that is a vaccine death is…just a heart attack. Just anxiety.
Where’s Church leadership? The West is sinking very, very quickly. Someone posted, maybe it was AnonII, a very good piece that offers a great response to the phrase, “We could be speaking German right now.”
The civilzation that saved communism from fascism is now entrenched in Marxism. No surprise. Though we’re not speaking German, our children are being ‘unmasked’ in grade school through college and into the workplace. May the Lord God help us and save us from the impending chastisement.
Consider grabbing a copy of The Saint of the Prisons:
https://www.amazon.com/Saint-Prisons-Valeriu-collected-annotated/dp/2931030007/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=saint+of+the+prisons&qid=1620276436&sr=8-1
And the life and interviews of Father George Calciu:
https://www.amazon.com/Father-George-Calciu-Interviews-Homilies/dp/1887904212/ref=pd_bxgy_2/140-4822059-1274237?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1887904212&pd_rd_r=c7f482e5-45e8-4f55-a569-d516ef7bfee9&pd_rd_w=XxOR4&pd_rd_wg=RoL2m&pf_rd_p=fd3ebcd0-c1a2-44cf-aba2-bbf4810b3732&pf_rd_r=KQMC8QBGPMAN1P4BR8MC&psc=1&refRID=KQMC8QBGPMAN1P4BR8MC
Think about this for a moment: the West is now Dresden.
Lonely Dn, in his comment, recommends two books. He does not simply list the titles and authors, which, for anyone reasonably competent in the use of the internet, would suffice. In an effort to be helpful – which is generally a good thing – he provides links to the Amazon pages from where those books can be purchased.
For anyone who believes that Amazon is a force for good, it would make sense to patronize that company. For those who do not embrace that view, and who would not want to assist Amazon in controlling the sale of every single book, I would like to suggest that they seek alternative sources for reading material, so that independent booksellers can remain in business.
Now, back to the issue of linking to existing web pages when mentioning books. You do not need to link to Amazon. A very suitable alternative is bookfinder.com. A search for books on that site will generally result in a number of booksellers (sometimes including but not limited to Amazon), many of which are small, independent booksellers.
As an illustration, here are links to both of the books cited by Lonely Dn that do not force anyone to deal with only one monopolistic entity:
https://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac=sl&st=sl&ref=bf_s2_a1_t1_1&qi=CCF6ietnd0gAewgNVVnw0AjYZss_1497963026_1:9:3&bq=author=monk moise&title=saint of the prisons notes on the life of valeriu gafencu, collected and annotated by the monk moise
https://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac=sl&st=sl&ref=bf_s2_a1_t1_1&qi=avBVt286ecl3Mgc0sPQ9n5N8f1M_1497963026_1:1:1&bq=author=fr. george calciu&title=father george calciu interviews, talks, and homilies
Sometimes you can find a better price from a different merchant than is offered by Amazon. Even if that is not the case with regard to a specific book, at least you can make a decision, whether to support an independent bookseller or to support Amazon. The choice is yours but the consequences are widespread.
I urge anyone and everyone who wants to provide a link to where a particular book can be purchased to refer to bookfinder.com rather than to Amazon.
I was going to recommend AbeBooks
but I just discovered Amazon bought it in 2008.
Brendan,
Is that true? That’s so depressing. I’ve been using Abebooks for years and here I thought I was depriving Amazon of my money.
Sadly, yes…
“AbeBooks is an e-commerce global online marketplace with seven websites that offer books, fine art, and collectables from sellers in over 50 countries. Launched in 1996, it specialises in used, rare and out-of-print books. AbeBooks has been a subsidiary of Amazon since 2008.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AbeBooks
Thanks for pointing that out. I’m scratching “Abe Books” off my list.
Instead of fair competition, we have a system where the big fish simply eats the smaller ones when it can (often by starving them first into a debilitated condition).
We should do our best not to feed the beast.
Blimbax,
I’m deeply appreciative of your direction. As a professional editor, journalist, writer and former book manager I should be more aware of these things. Generally, I order directly from the publisher/author. I didn’t know about bookfinder.com. Thank you!
Putin: Lenin Was Not a Statesman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ2NAfXB0rI&t=2s
[Video – 05:14]
Compare the clear intelligence of this man with
the blundering of Biden and buffoonery of Boris.
The American Cyber Stasi Will Suppress
All Digital Dissent In Biden’s Dystopia
http://oneworld.press/?module=articles&action=view&id=2026
‘ CNN’s recent report that the US’ security services are considering contracting the services of so-called “researchers” as a legal workaround for spying on average Americans confirms that Biden’s dystopian hellhole is rapidly moving in the direction of establishing a “Cyber Stasi” for suppressing all digital dissent against the Democrats as they continuing consolidating their de facto one-party rule of the country. ‘
Coming soon: The Stasi States of America…
This is beyond anything Orwell could have dreamed of. And we –Americans supposedly devoted to liberty–are doing nothing to stop it.
This is deeply depressing. Our only hope is that the Lord will confound the tricks of the Antichrist, as He did in the days of Noah, Nimrod and the Maccabees.
Over 120 Retired Flag Officers Warn
America is Under Assault from Socialism
https://trendingpolitics.com/over-120-retired-flag-officers-warn-america-is-under-assault-from-socialism/
‘ Over 120 retired military flag officers published an open letter on Monday warning about the 2020 presidential election and that America is under attack from socialism and marxism.
The group, which calls itself Flag Officers 4 America, claimed the recent election was rigged in favor of Joe Biden and warned the nation is “in deep peril” from “a full-blown assault on our Constitutional rights.”
“Our Nation is in deep peril. We are in a fight for our survival as a Constitutional Republic like no other time since our founding in 1776. The conflict is between supporters of Socialism and Marxism vs. supporters of Constitutional freedom and liberty,” the retired officers wrote.
They wrote:
Without fair and honest elections that accurately reflect the ‘will of the people,’ our Constitutional Republic is lost. Election integrity demands ensuring there is one legal vote cast and counted per citizen.
Legal votes are identified by State Legislature’s approved controls using government IDs, verified signatures, etc.
Today, many are calling such commonsense controls ‘racist’ in an attempt to avoid having fair and honest elections. Using racial terms to suppress proof of eligibility is itself a tyrannical intimidation tactic.
Additionally, the ‘Rule of Law’ must be enforced in our election processes to ensure integrity. The FBI and Supreme Court must act swiftly when election irregularities are surfaced and not ignore them as was done in 2020.
Finally, H.R.1 & S.1, (if passed), would destroy election fairness and allow Democrats to forever remain in power violating our Constitution and ending our Representative Republic.
The officials also slammed Biden for acting in a “dictatorial manner” by bypassing Congress with more than 50 executive orders — many of which reversed rules and policies put in place by the Trump administration.
We must support and hold accountable politicians who will act to counter Socialism, Marxism, and Progressivism, support our Constitutional Republic and insist on fiscally responsible governing while focusing on all Americans, especially the middle class, not special interest or extremist groups which are used to divide us into warring factions.
They also weighed in on national security issues from the southern border, China, and energy.
“Illegals are flooding our Country bringing high economic costs, crime, lowering wages, and illegal voting in some states. We must re-establish border controls and continue building the wall while supporting our dedicated border control personnel. Sovereign nations must have controlled borders,” they said.
They called China “the greatest external threat to America,” and said establishing cooperative relations with the Chinese Communist Party — as the Biden administration is doing — emboldens them to continue progress toward world domination, militarily, economically, politically and technologically.
“We must impose more sanctions and restrictions to impede their world domination goal and protect America’s interests,” they wrote.
The generals rounded out their letter by slamming “anarchy” in certain cities and called on Americans to support law enforcement personnel.
They also argued that the mental and physical condition of the Commander-in-Chief “cannot be ignored.”
“He must be able to quickly make accurate national security decisions involving life and limb anywhere, day or night,” they said. ‘
It seems the French contagion is spreading…
Finally! I’ve been high-fiving the French military for over a week now and then, when I come down to earth, I find myself crying in my beer. Why can’t we have generals and admirals like that here in America? And then I remembered: they’re all at the local drag show on some military base, watching female fighter pilots breast-feed their children in cockpits.
*Sigh* Darn those French! Always the lucky ones!
But now, because of you, Brendan, I can hold out hope that all is not lost in the Pentagon (it’s institutional memory at least).
Lord help us.
It seems the Deep State is also crying into its beer:
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2021/05/12/insider-view-tragedy-of-us-deep-state/
Brendan, a fascinating analysis. I must pause however in Escobar’s view that the DS wants a new Cold War with China. That may be true in the main, but I can’t help stop shaking the feeling that that’s a sideshow as China has already won Cold War II. They did this by placing Biden as their puppet in DC. Hence, they’ve got all the marbles, especially when we consider that the US is now in the incipient stages of a civil war.
I believe that the war-drums are a distraction intended to fool the American people that Biden is not a Chinese stooge. Think of it: given all the dirt the CCP has on Biden, his brother, and Hunter (lap-tops and all), how can Biden do anything but what the Chinese say? I for one, just can’t see it.
I may be wrong, but I can’t see how a sodomic, feminazi and trannified military can fight a near-peer war against China and win. At best, we might achieve a pyrrhic victory. Remember, we haven’t won a war since 1945. While I realize that we never lost a battle (especially in Vietnam), we have lost the peace wherever we have engaged militarily.
Worse, during the Cold War years, we never were this close to dissolution as we are now. Over a hundred of our cities have been pillaged and the Brownshirts of Soros control the streets. Not only in Portland but even in Plano, Texas, a BLM/antifa mob obstructed traffic and when a white man (of privilege no doubt) tried to get them to pass through, the police arrived and put him in jail. For the life of me, I can’t see how the white majority (the demographic that does most of the fighting) is going to suit up for an American Empire that hates them.
A glimmer of hope however: 120 former admirals and generals did what the French have done and signed an open letter to Xiden telling him that things are spinning out of control. They wouldn’t have done this if they didn’t have active duty Pentagon brass backing them up. (It remains to be seen how many of these men survive Arkancide.)
Another small interesting tidbit: George P Bush, the heir-apparent of the Bush dynasty, has come out and condemned Liz Cheney and praised the GOP for giving her the boot. The Bushes are notorious for seeing which way the wind blows; is George P, who is half-Mexican (and son of “Low-energy Jeb!), being groomed to take on the Trumpist mantle? Or perhaps auditioning for the VP slot when Trump runs again in 2024?
Are not the Bushes themselves Deep Staters?
Yes
The Bushes are probably the essence of the Deep State.
(Have you ever wondered why JFK Jr called his short-lived magazine George? Was he pointing to somebody in particular? Maybe someone who may have something to do with his father’s death? Hmmm)
My spider sense started twinkling and got me to thinking that in order for a DS to survive long-term it has to be flexible, otherwise is collapses along with the nation.
Skull and Bones.
The Russia – Chinese connection is interesting.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-proposes-teaching-masculinity-boys-state-alarmed-changing-gender-roles-n1258939
The liberal slant is characteristic of NBC, but the story nonetheless bespeaks of official Chinese uneasiness with feminism and LGBT. They seem on a fence. Growing closer to Russia might be good for them.
The Chinese have a lot of influence and it is likely that they own Biden, so I don’t see a new cold war vis a vis them. The foil for a new cold war the DS prefers is Russia. Yet what does that look like if Russia and China grow closer? The Chinese want Russian natural resources piped in and imported from Siberia and the Far East. They have a trans-ideological history of relations. Russia was once Soviet and China went through initial communism, then Maoism and now state capitalism. Both countries are essentially nationalistic, Russia more explicitly. But Chinese communism is unique in its utilization of capitalism and reliance on ethnocentrism.
When you combine their proximity, defensiveness re the West, nationalism and mutual interests, you see the potential for an alliance that could lead the world. If you look at the rightward movement in Europe and bear in mind that China is a work in progress, you see the potential. China is not getting more Marxist.
Were I a progressive, I would be quite paranoid, postulating Russian conspiracy as the likeliest explanation for current events. It’s not the Russians per se though. It’s just that Progressivism is wearing off worldwide, to the extent it was diffused into the multitude of societies. Humanity seems to be coming to its senses.
It is glaringly obvious to anyone with a brain that males tend to be stronger and faster than females. It is also glaringly obvious that LGBT is twisted in some sense, having no fruitful function and only practiced by a small, very strange, minority. It is only in an advanced, pampered Disney-like society that such things could be transformed into rights or normalized.
Sanity has the advantage of being grounded in reality rather than wishful ideology. Sure, you can strap a horn onto the forehead of a white horse. But no matter how many beans you feed it, it will not fart hard enough to take off.
What is democracy?.
Becky Akers: That Euphemism for “Mob Rule”
https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/that-euphemism-for-mob-rule/
‘ 1928 U.S. Army Training Manual:
“Democracy: A government of the masses. Authority derived through mass meeting or any form of “direct” expression. Results in mobocracy. Attitude toward property is communistic — negating property rights. Attitude toward law is that the will of the majority shall regulate, whether it be based upon deliberation or governed by passion, prejudice, and impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences. Results in demagogism, license, agitation, discontent, anarchy.”
And then the change:
The Soldiers Guide, Department of the Army Field Manual, 1952:
“Meaning of democracy. Because the United States is a democracy, the majority of the people decide how our government will be organized and run…”
The majority of the people DO NOT decide how our government will be organized and run – that’s the Constitution.
[Err… The Keepers of the Constitution have just abdicated… So, who rules now?]
The best example of democracy in action:
Pilate: “I find no guilt in this man.”
The mob: “Crucify Him!” ‘
As the great Classical Scholar Enoch Powell [yes, him – he produced the standard Lexicon to Herodotus in his mid-twenties] once observed: The man that thinks the constitution of the United Kingdom is that of a democracy has demonstrated that he is ignorant of the constitution of the United Kingdom – and knows little of democracy either…
I do not know the truth of this, but here it is:
LEAKED AUDIT NUMBERS SHOW TRUMP CARRIED ARIZONA BY OVER A MILLION VOTES-WHY IS NOBODY DOING ANYTHING?
https://thecommonsenseshow.com/activism-agenda-21-conspiracy/leaked-audit-numbers-show-trump-carried-arizona-over-million-votes-why-nobody-doing-anything
‘ Official Arizona Vote Totals Immediately Following the Steal:
Biden 1,672,143
Trump 1,661,686,
Biden won by just under 11,000 votes
Total votes counted=3,333,829
The Maricopa County Audit Team’s Findings
Trump 2,373,838- Remember, Trumps original vote count was 1,661,686. Trump’s “official” vote total represents a staggering reduction of 712,152.
Biden vote total= 1,286,264. The original Biden vote total was 1,672,143. The audit discovered that Biden’s votes decreased by 385,879.
President Trump won Arizona by 1,087,574 votes with 2,373,838 to Biden 1,286,264. President Trump captured nearly two-thirds of the vote.
After conducting a forensic audit, the audit team found that the vote flipped by approximately 1.1 million votes! This means that over one-third of the vote was stolen by Democratic Party operatives. ‘
Official confirmation would be helpful…
Two things tell me –nay, confirm--that the election was stolen:
1. The Maricopa people are fighting an open audit tooth and nail. Innocent people have nothing to hide.
2. Yesterday, 120 retired generals and admirals released an open letter questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election (among many other things).
Both are huge in and of themselves. If I may exposit on the flag officers’ letter: because of their high station, it’s going to be difficult for the Liz Cheney’s and George Stephanopoulos’s of the world to go on maintaining that the election was “fair and square”.
Especially since we can be certain that these retired flag officers were probably encouraged to write their letter by that section of the Pentagon brass that is not woke.
George,
It’s all going to come out. Mollie Hemmingway has a book coming out this fall, Rigged, that will go into exquisite detail about the whole travesty. She’s a senior editor for The Federalist. Her first attempt got cancelled but she now has a new publisher. She is a come lately Trumpista, having opposed him in 2016.
https://www.amazon.com/Rigged-Media-Democrats-Seized-Elections/dp/168451259X
Sydney Powell, Mike Lindell and others have sounded off for months but they are perceived as fringe elements, even though they have all the receipts necessary to demonstrate beyond any reasonable doubt that it was a coup.
And “coup d’etat” is the right word, btw. Saying it was “stolen” minimizes the nature of what happened. It is true that Kennedy probably stole the 1960 election. But Nixon could have contested yet elected not to do so.
This is different. Hundreds of thousands of votes from fake or miscounted ballots turned the outcome in at least six states and skewed the voting totals in God knows how many others. Contrary to what even some of his supporters say, Trump might be right that he won an absolute majority in a landslide if the true numbers ever see light of day.
Arizona is promising and may only be the first of the dominoes. However, I don’t think Lindell is right about Trump being installed as President by August or even later in Biden’s term. Whatever else is true, the states certified their electors to vote for Biden and they did so. The Constitution says that the electors choose the president. So, though he may be illegitimate and I myself will never call him “president”, there is a legal issue with displacing him once the electors have voted.
https://www.thepostemail.com/2021/01/07/its-time-for-a-writ-of-quo-warranto-president-trump/
Lindell wants to rely on a Writ of Quo Warranto. Now, it is true that the writ is designed for something like this. And it is also true that Trump would not need the US Attorney General’s approval to file it, the statute grants him standing to petition directly. However, the courts have disappointed us in the past and there is no reason to assume they will do the right thing or follow the law if it is inexpeditious to the Establishment agenda.
The remedy will be in 2022 and 2024. In the Ukraine Poroshenko, president by coup d’etat, was defeated in the next election by Zelensky. So it will be here, assuming election reform is accomplished in a sufficiently comprehensive form, at least in battleground states. But the damage to the Democratic Party when everyone knows what only MAGA types now believe is incalculable. What terrifies them about the audits is that the country may be presented with conclusive, irrefutable proof that the Democratic Party acted in concert to overthrow the Executive Branch of the United States government.
Watergate pales in comparison to the gravity of that. Someone directed all this. The Time story foolishly laid out one blueprint. No doubt it is more extensive. It was the entire leadership of the Democratic Party knowingly acting to falsify election results because they convinced themselves they were justified by Trump’s “stealing” of the 2016 election, which he won fair and square.
They are in way over their heads. They actually thought they could shut the country down and rule by fiat like the CCP. But the power of knowledge is decentralized in a post-modern society, and federalism still means that the states can resist. In order to install a police state, you actually have to put boots on the ground.
They are trying vis a vis their efforts at combatting “domestic terrorism”. However, they are harmed by the fact that they are maintaining the fiction of a free society. In doing so, they give room to all the judiciary to invalidate their actions as unconstitutional and to the several states to nullify. This is not a concern in the PRC, nor was it in the former USSR. What they have created is “totalitarian-lite”. It has prevailed at the federal level, barely, for the time being. But it is being effectively resisted even there and it is being rejected in toto by the red states.
The whole thing is a ticking time bomb waiting to go off because we have the receipts and they don’t. That’s why all the censorship and opposition to audits. They “can’t handle the truth.” There is just no way to get rid of what half the country knows to a mathematical certainty other than imposing a true, hard totalitarian state.
They don’t have the balls and it will be their undoing. As one wit observed: “A liberal is just a socialist who lacks the courage of his convictions.”
RE: “. . . they are perceived as fringe elements.”
I’m not sure it matters how they are perceived as long as the military believes them and apparently they do. 120 retired generals and admirals published an open letter questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, as well as President Biden’s fitness to be commander-in-chief.
They believe our constitution was thwarted both externally and from within and the military has an obligation to protect our constitution.
Mike Lindell seems like a really nice, sincere guy who puts his money where his mouth is. Got to respect that. Go, pillow guy!
Feed his family. Buy his pillows.
I intend to.