Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thoughts I'd share.

- How Churchill's successor, Clement Attlee, gave Stalin the MiG. Some history that should not be forgotten (but seems to be being repeated by the US and China).

- From the archives: The general wisdom of Ulysses S. Grant.

- The Boulder terrorist was an illegal immigrant let in by the Biden Administration. This is the sort of thing that makes people pro death penalty.

- Jonathan Turley on Bono's misinformation.

Do You Believe in Miracles?

 

43-years ago today.

Gordie Howe Knew How to Deal with the Russians

The Man Who Saved the World

On this day 39-years ago Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov may have single-handedly saved the world from global thermonuclear war.

I was a senior in high school and my biggest concern probably had to deal with whoever we were playing in football that weekend. Little did I know how close we all were to being incinerated.

How is it that Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov isn't a household name? This is real-life Bruce Willis in Armageddon type stuff here.

Do You Believe in Miracles?

 

42-years ago today.

KGB Defector Yuri Bezmenov's Warning to America

 

Must watch video. The video has been posted at many places the last couple of years but it is one of those things that NEEDS to be watched periodically to remind us of what this country is really dealing with.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes that I hope may resonate with you.

"Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her pattern, so each small piece of fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry." - Richard Feynman

"The less you need the approval of others, the easier it is to do what's right over what's easy." - Shane Parrish

"I'm just going to say that I'm against mandating anything that causes massively swollen balls and associated impotence." - James Lindsay

"Gratitude comes from paying attention." - Shane Parrish

"Each mindful breath, each mindful step, reminds us that we are alive on this beautiful planet. We don't need anything else. It is wonderful enough just to be alive, to breathe in, and to take one step." - Thich Nhat Hanh

"We tend to forget that in 1985, no government of a major state appeared to be as firmly in power, its policies clearly set in their course, as that of the USSR." - Adam Ulam

"Excuse me sir, just one more thing..." - Lieutenant Columbo 

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Heh Heh - Potential EU Leaving Names

- Sources: NBA players will not be required to get COVID-19 vaccinations. "NBA referees and most NBA staff are mandated to be vaccinated." Another example of one set of rules for the "elites" and a separate set of rules for the "servants."

- Modern Horror Story

- Cool - Winnie the Poo's house in now on Airbnb. What parent hasn't played Poosticks with their kids? (HT Daddypundit)

- Interesting article from a decade ago - Everything You Think You Know About the Collapse of the Soviet Union is Wrong. (HT Newmark's Door)

Alternate History - USSR vs China

We often engage in historical "what if's" such as "what if Robert E. Lee had won at Gettysburg?" Or "what if Hitler had never opened a second front against Russia in WWII?"

This post about Communist China got me thinking once again about one of my favorite historical "what if's" - "what if Nixon had never gone to China?"

Most forget but in 1969 Russia and China were very close to an all-out war. According to Henry Kissinger, it was this fact that spurred much of the US's policies towards both countries with Nixon supporting China because he "decided that it was against American national interest to have China defeated." The side benefit of such a strategy, again according to Kissinger, was that "the opening to China facilitated the opening to Moscow and vice versa."

The first few years after the opening to China the biggest fear on the part of the Chinese was still an attack from Russia which made the nascent relationship with the US all the more important as a counterbalance against Soviet aggression. But, again, what if Nixon had never made the opening to China and instead allowed a conflict between Russia and China to play out?

I'm convinced the US followed the correct policy in the late 20th century of standing on the sidelines as the Iran-Iraq war played out with both sides fighting each other to a bloody standstill. What if we had done the same here? I'm guessing that Russia would have initially had the upper hand but the sheer numbers of the Chinese could have bled Russia white the way they later were in Afghanistan in the 1980's.

With both sides focusing their country's resources on each other there also would have been little or no support for either North Vietnam or North Korea. The history of both of those nations also could have been vastly different. We may even have had a unified Korea today as a result.

Taiwan, aka the Republic of China, could been allowed to grow and prosper in relative security with US arms and the protection of the US Navy. A strong Taiwan might have even been positioned to pick up the pieces from a failed Communist China after the shooting war ended.

Instead we have our current situation.

Of course another "what if" that has to be considered is what if the USSR was losing so much men and material that they decided it would be easier to just nuke Beijing? That's a "what if" that doesn't have such rosy outcomes.

The Man Who Saved the World

 On this day 36-years ago Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov may have single-handedly saved the world from global thermonuclear war.

I was a senior in high school and my biggest concern probably had to deal with whoever we were playing in football that weekend. Little did I know how close we all were to being incinerated.

How is it that Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov isn't a household name? This is real-life Bruce Willis in Armageddon type stuff here.

The Biological Chernobyl

In 1979 about two shot glasses worth of anthrax was released into the air around the Soviet military facility in Sverdlovsk. The deadly biological agent was released due to a filter not being replaced. Around 105 people died because of the anthrax leak. If the wind was right that day the agent could have killed more than 100,000.

Scary history that is not discussed much if at all. Even scarier is the fact that the facility at Sverdlovsk is still open and active.

The Man Who Saved the World

On this day 36-years ago Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov may have single-handedly saved the world from global thermonuclear war.

I was a senior in high school and my biggest concern probably had to deal with whoever we were playing in football that weekend. Little did I know how close we all were to being incinerated.

How is it that Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov isn't a household name? This is real-life Bruce Willis in Armageddon type stuff here.

Kissinger on Kissinger

A review copy of Kissinger on Kissinger: Reflections on Diplomacy, Grand Strategy, and Leadership by Winston Lord was sent to me. Winston Lord is credited as the author but the book is really a compilation of some discourses between Kissinger and Lord who was Kissinger's right hand man for many of the events talked about in the book.

It was a short book, just 140 pages, but well worth the time as it gave tremendous insight into the period of time where Henry Kissinger was on center stage in world events.

One of the core tenets underlying much of the events and strategies laid out by Kissinger during the Nixon years was the Nixon belief that "since you pay the same price for half-measures, you should adopt bold moves." And that when it came to leadership that the qualities most needed are character and courage." And with the hindsight of history you can appreciate how bold some of these moves by Nixon and Kissinger really were.

The partnership between Nixon and Kissinger was partly remarkable when you consider that the two had never met prior to Nixon appointing Kissinger to the NSA in 1968.

One thing that is forgotten by history is the fact that in 1969 Russia and China were very close to an all-out war. It was this fact that spurred much of the US's policy towards both counties with Nixon supporting China because he "decided that it was against American national interest to have China defeated." The side benefit was that "the opening to China facilitated the opening to Moscow and vice versa."

The first few years after the opening to China the biggest fear on the part of the Chinese was still an attack from Russia which made the nascent relationship all the more important as a counterbalance against Soviet aggression. It is mind-blowing to wonder what would have been the course of history if Nixon did not open China to the West (a path made possible by the groundwork of Kissinger). Today we worry about China as an economic rival but if that Nixon trip never happened we could easily today be worrying about the possible military aggression from a nation of 1.4 billion starving people.

The summit between Nixon and Brezhnev in 1972 was a direct result of Nixon opening China to the US. The book also goes into some detail about the Paris Accords and Vietnam as well as Kissinger's Shuttle Diplomacy in the Middle East. Well worth the read.

Kissinger also makes an interesting observation about the incivility that has invaded politics. "When I was a graduate student in the fifties, Harvard was 90 percent Democratic, as it has remained and maybe increased, but when Republican Cabinet members showed up at Harvard, they were treated with respect. The political debate in America in the fifties and early sixties was about the adequacy of policies. Sometime in the sixties, the political debate turned into a debate about the motivation of leaders and their inherent moral adequacy."

We have gotten away from discussing policies and solutions to our current issues. That has to change and in a strange twist President Trump may be making that possible. He takes so many hits on the personal level but shrugs them off. His supporters point to his policies and accomplishments and the debate sooner or later has to turn to address those because discussion about Trump's many personal failings are falling on deaf ears. The majority have tuned those out "scandals" out.

The Man Who Saved the World

On this day 35-years ago Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov may have single-handedly saved the world from global thermonuclear war.

I was a senior in high school and my biggest concern probably had to deal with whoever we were playing in football that weekend. Little did I know how close we all were to being incinerated.

How is it that Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov isn't a household name? This is real-life Bruce Willis in Armageddon type stuff here.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Nice analysis of some of Red Sox potential trade chips. Really surprised that Lars Anderson wasn't mentioned. He's completely blocked by Adrian Gonzalez... If I was in the US Senate I would attach approval for the Keystone oil pipeline to every since piece of legislation daring President Obama to veto everything. The country would win either way... Lindsey Vonn takes 1st place at the Alpine World Cup, then Tebows on medal stand... USA Networks has announced a new TV show. In the pilot an aging TV star is kicked off a flight in Miami and has to do good deeds to get his reputation back. Burn Notice II with Alec Baldwin... The Soviet Union Was Dissolved 20 Years Ago Today. Some very interesting facts in the link. The one that stood out for me was male life expectancy in 1980 USSR was 62 but today male life expectancy in Russian Federation is just 59. What's up with that?... Very sad day here in Worcester as another Worcester Fireman has given the last full measure of devotion a little over 12 years since the City lost 6 heroes.