Those Frightened Russians are Baaaaaaaack!
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Well, the old Russia, all the folks of my generation have come to know and love … strike LOVE, and replace it with “distrust”… , is back! Actually, it never left the world stage. It simply moved into the wings for a few years, not even two decades, and it has returned.
For Americans my age, this is absolutely nothing new! Back when history was actually taught, in the American public school system, students learned of the Love/Hate relationship between the United States and Russia. It dates back to the US kicking Russia out of what is now the northwest United states… and farther. Sure we BOUGHT Alaska from Russia, but we TOOK a large part of what is now our northwestern states.
Looking realistically at Mother Russia, one has to be impressed with their national paranoia. If the Irish are know for their “depressive attitude”, then Russia is known for her “paranoid attitude” toward the remainder of the world.
What are they paranoid about? Only God himself knows! I mean it is a HUGE country. Most of it vacant. The climate is horrible. Until recently nobody knew they had THAT much oil in the ground! I mean the Nazis had an idea. But they lost their backsides on their Eastern Front with the Russians whose dictator, Joe Stalin, determined he would lose as many Russian lives as necessary to soak up the Nazi advance inside his country. Sorta like what they did to Napoleon and his Grand Army.
So they tossed aside communism, did they? Not so fast! It is beginning to look as if the Russians have decided they prefer a “strongman government”. Enter Putin. A KGB Grad, Putin is the current man of Steel (Joe Stalin).
The Russians have never understood us. I have come to believe they genuinely FEAR Americans. They cannot understand our lust for freedom of thought, and action, and our willingness to take risks in order to better the generation following ours. The Russians shrink from the whole concept of opening up to the remainder of the world and becoming a part of it. Given a chance, as they had in the early 1990’s, they will always choose to shrink back into the shadows and throw up a wall, or fortress, to keep the rest of us out. And, in the case of the commies, to keep those who are “mentally imbalanced” and “tend toward western thought”, in!
So, it came as no surprised to learn this week that the Russkies have a new intercontinental ballistic missile which will, at least they say it will, penetrate our missile shield. Surprised? No! Expecting it? Yes! Event when our government offered the shield to Russia they turned it down so they could continue their lives in fear of freedom and fear that somebody, anybody, will attack and take their beloved Russia.
I have news for them. The US doesn’t want Russia. Oh, sure, we’d like to have the oil fields, but we’re not about to fight them for it. We’d rather buy it from them.
So, the “mean ole Russia” is back. In a way it is comforting. When a man reaches my age, it is somehow exhilarating to observe nations acting as we have been used to them acting. No surprises. Now, maybe, we can get back to the 2-polar world again. You know, East versus West as God intended! I mean, I became used to it. And frankly, I sorta miss it. We knew WHO our enemy was, we knew WHERE he was, and we knew how to kill him in great numbers. Beats the hell outta fighting these Islamofacists! The Russians may be paranoid, but they are NOT crazy!
Longstreet
Well, the old Russia, all the folks of my generation have come to know and love … strike LOVE, and replace it with “distrust”… , is back! Actually, it never left the world stage. It simply moved into the wings for a few years, not even two decades, and it has returned.
For Americans my age, this is absolutely nothing new! Back when history was actually taught, in the American public school system, students learned of the Love/Hate relationship between the United States and Russia. It dates back to the US kicking Russia out of what is now the northwest United states… and farther. Sure we BOUGHT Alaska from Russia, but we TOOK a large part of what is now our northwestern states.
Looking realistically at Mother Russia, one has to be impressed with their national paranoia. If the Irish are know for their “depressive attitude”, then Russia is known for her “paranoid attitude” toward the remainder of the world.
What are they paranoid about? Only God himself knows! I mean it is a HUGE country. Most of it vacant. The climate is horrible. Until recently nobody knew they had THAT much oil in the ground! I mean the Nazis had an idea. But they lost their backsides on their Eastern Front with the Russians whose dictator, Joe Stalin, determined he would lose as many Russian lives as necessary to soak up the Nazi advance inside his country. Sorta like what they did to Napoleon and his Grand Army.
So they tossed aside communism, did they? Not so fast! It is beginning to look as if the Russians have decided they prefer a “strongman government”. Enter Putin. A KGB Grad, Putin is the current man of Steel (Joe Stalin).
The Russians have never understood us. I have come to believe they genuinely FEAR Americans. They cannot understand our lust for freedom of thought, and action, and our willingness to take risks in order to better the generation following ours. The Russians shrink from the whole concept of opening up to the remainder of the world and becoming a part of it. Given a chance, as they had in the early 1990’s, they will always choose to shrink back into the shadows and throw up a wall, or fortress, to keep the rest of us out. And, in the case of the commies, to keep those who are “mentally imbalanced” and “tend toward western thought”, in!
So, it came as no surprised to learn this week that the Russkies have a new intercontinental ballistic missile which will, at least they say it will, penetrate our missile shield. Surprised? No! Expecting it? Yes! Event when our government offered the shield to Russia they turned it down so they could continue their lives in fear of freedom and fear that somebody, anybody, will attack and take their beloved Russia.
I have news for them. The US doesn’t want Russia. Oh, sure, we’d like to have the oil fields, but we’re not about to fight them for it. We’d rather buy it from them.
So, the “mean ole Russia” is back. In a way it is comforting. When a man reaches my age, it is somehow exhilarating to observe nations acting as we have been used to them acting. No surprises. Now, maybe, we can get back to the 2-polar world again. You know, East versus West as God intended! I mean, I became used to it. And frankly, I sorta miss it. We knew WHO our enemy was, we knew WHERE he was, and we knew how to kill him in great numbers. Beats the hell outta fighting these Islamofacists! The Russians may be paranoid, but they are NOT crazy!
Longstreet
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