The Right Stuff: Poor choices, tomfoolery and political corruption

By Jim McCully

Two years ago, under Donald Trump, the economy was sound. Inflation was 1.4%. Gasoline and other petroleum products were at record lows. Unemployment for minorities and women were at all-time lows. Our foreign policy was sound. Afghanistan was being properly handled; there were no new wars.

NATO was starting to live up to its financial commitments for the first time ever. American military power was feared and respected. Five additional peace treaties were signed with Israel. The main enemies of America – China, Russia and Iran – were contained. Manufacturing was being encouraged to return to America from overseas. Our Southern border wall approached completion and the border itself was under control.

The Covid-19 pandemic was receding despite debatable actions and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Dr. Anthony Fauci. The stock market was trending up. All this despite the most insidious and pernicious undermining of a presidency in history. Shockingly we discovered the main culprits were from Congress, our Department of Justice and the FBI. Frankly, the information coming out from whistleblowers and Twitter records, thanks to Elon Musk, is not only tragic, it’s treason.

Now, despite the accomplishments, the voters decided to change from a successful business leader to a career swamp dweller, Joe Biden, and keep a Democrat Socialist Progressive Peoples Party majority in the House of Representatives with a tie in the Senate. We have had two-plus years of their rule. Let’s examine the results.

Corruption returned. High paying union jobs lost by the tens of thousands in the energy industry alone. Our Southern boarder wide open with untold millions of undocumented immigrants let through and scattered throughout America. Our foreign policy dubious. Our military now concerned with “woke” nonsense I define as “a state of mind achieved only by those dumb enough to find injustice in everything save their own behavior.”

Billions of dollars’ worth of equipment left in Afghanistan, 13 military lives unnecessarily sacrificed upon retreat on the altar of the Democratic Party’s misguided ambition. The sight of President Biden being ignored while he flies around the world begging allies, he previously alienated, to pump more oil while America floats on an ocean of it. President Biden and the Democratic Party took actions resulting in massive inflation (6.3% for 2022), inflation which is hurting everyone, especially those on low or fixed incomes, forcing choices among food, shelter, medication, further straining family relationships.

Now, after getting us to an astronomical $31 trillion-plus debt, President Biden and the Democratic Party, in 2023, gifted us with the following tax hikes: $6.5 billion on natural gas, $12 billion on crude oil, $1.2 billion on coal, $74 billion on stock, $220 billion in corporate tax (customers pay taxes). Also, President Biden’s desire to hire 87.000 new IRS employees to generate new revenue for more things we neither want or need. Instead, let us take seven IRS criminal fraud special agents, a special counsel and a grand jury all outside DC. Then assign each special agent to examine the following: Joe and Hunter Biden, Nancy Pelosi. Chuck Schumer, Barak Obama, Hillary Clinton, Mitch McConnell. Then every current member of Congress who became a millionaire in office. This will not be easy; it will require a clarity of purpose and civil courage.

President Harry S. Truman famously said: “Show me a man that gets rich by being a politician and I’ll show you a crook.” Well, let’s update this to “man or woman.” Meanwhile, Socrates said: “I cannot teach anyone anything, I can only make them think.”

Are you thinking yet?

The Right Stuff: Diplomacy without a big stick – Part II

By Earl Heal

Last week’s column demonstrated that diplomacy without military superiority is fruitless. Let’s look at the Ukrainian situation and probable results.

Russia and Ukraine share Slavic ancestry and Orthodox Christianity. However, Ukraine was one of the nations that became a silently swallowed republic when the USSR Soviet Union was formed so there certainly is a different culture. Furthermore, the 1932-1933 famine caused by Soviet leadership to punish several disloyal republics is not forgotten. Two million Ukrainians died of starvation.

During the Cold War, the Soviets deployed nuclear missiles in several republics. Ukraine had the third-largest inventory of all world nations. Western governments were deeply concerned with numerous uncontrolled republics having the weapons. Ukraine’s desire to rid itself of the nuclear weapons led to the negotiation framed in the Budapest Memorandum in 1994. This committed the United States, Russia, and Britain “to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine” and “to refrain from the threat or use of” military force or economic coercion against Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. Those nations gave up all their nuclear weapons.

True to form Russia violated the agreement and entered Belarus in 2013 and the Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea in 2014. This inspired negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France to produce the Minsk agreements in 2014. The agreements included a cease-fire, demilitarization, prisoner exchange, governmental reform, and negotiated sovereignty and borders. Sen. John McCain said appeasement incentivizes Putin to be aggressive.

Based on America’s ignominious withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia was again emboldened as sanctions were ineffective. Surprise. The U.S. is now restoring its honor with material support – somewhat delayed but almost as promised. The Budapest Memorandum does not specify ground forces. The Ukrainian people are proving their desire for freedom and we have learned that the Russian military is not well-led nor invincible

NATO members significantly increased NATO military strength after President Trump criticized their failure to meet their 2% of GDP obligations. Fear of Putin’s aggression has been even more effective. America’s reduction of fuel production and Europe’s excess reliance on Russian fuel presented a retarding factor but recent completion of the Baltic Pipeline after three years has diminished that concern.

Putin strongly wants unfettered access available through Crimea to the navy base that is on an inlet to the Black Sea. Crimean culture is largely Russian and is a coveted warm water port for the Russian fleet which could aid plans for further expansion in the Middle East and to assist China in Africa.

Ignoring history and terminating assistance to Ukraine would be disastrous. Despite the hunger for freedom demonstrated by the Ukrainian soldiers and the civilians supporting the battle, they will die in defeat if America and NATO do not supply weapons and material to overcome those used by Russia and supplied by China and Iran.

America’s diplomatic strength would no longer exist. Why would anyone negotiate with a country that does not meet its commitments? As forecast by Senator McCain, with appeasement Putin will soon be emboldened to annex the Baltic states. It follows without question that China will attack Taiwan if we abandon Ukraine.

America’s treaty with Taiwan is more intense. We have promised them that we will maintain a military strength to defend Taiwan if China attacks. Because China would need to ship an invasion force our defense measures have an advantage. Sufficient radar and ship-sinking missiles should prevent any invasion and, if our intent to do so is known, would probably deter China from even attacking. Failing that capability, if China plants a landing force on the island, we will probably lose an economic powerhouse and strong democracy in the Pacific.

If diplomacy is to be credible it requires a NATO big stick.

The Right Stuff: Diplomacy without a stick

By Earl Heal: published January 2, 2023

Diplomacy’s mission is to negotiate nations’ differing objectives. Its negotiating strength is primarily measured by a nation’s relative military strength and secondarily by its economic strength. Obviously, nations objectives vary – some for peace and some for aggression.

When Adolf Hitler began his attempted conquest of World War II, he had built a superior military strength that other European nations feared. That enabled him to negotiate agreements he had no intention of following. England’s Neville Chamberlain negotiated “peace in our time” only months before Hitler began World War II. Hitler eventually lost because he underestimated America’s resolve and industrial strength to build an overwhelming military force. President Franklin D. Roosevelt never negotiated until Germany and Japan acknowledged that they were militarily destroyed. Roosevelt clearly spoke only of “unconditional surrender.” The Korean War is an example of military weakness and ineffective diplomacy. While America had dissolved 90% of our military strength promptly after the World War II victory, Russia continued building its military and hence diplomatic strength to expand communist domination and influenced entry into the Korean War.

Initially, 90% of South Korea was lost to North Korea with Soviet support. However, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, with United Nations members, built a force that in six months recovered South Korea and most of North Korea. United Nations diplomacy, however, became the controlling factor and prevented MacArthur from stopping China from entering 300,000 troops into the war and recapturing North Korea. UN weak diplomacy negotiated a cease-fire, but a divided Korea and conflict potential remain 70 years later.[...read more]