Shades of gray from yesterday...

 

"Are our political 'shades of gray' gone forever? Probably. Are they the 'good old days'? For some - not for all. Meanwhile, the Democrats are devolving into socialists. Some on the left think our side are also devolving - into something like John Birch types. People on the MAGA side of the fence, however, think we are exactly where were are supposed to be. Meanwhile - it almost time for the next election."     

Some today (mostly on the left) are remembering with great fondness the "good old days". The days when Democrats and Republicans were so similar, only a faint shade of gray could tell them apart. Many of today's older Democrats (and to be fair, many RINOs), would think back on those golden days when everybody would get along. Vote, play, believe the same things together. It was a wonderful time to be a centrist. As long as Republicans voted with the Democrats and did not raise too much of a fuss, life was good. Or was it?

When did the train start to leave the tracks? Many on the right side of the street said it stated with Barrack Obama, when he decided to make everything about race - 100% of the time. That in my opinion (as well as others), became the start of the bigger schism. Many on the right side of the street did not like that when all they heard from the WH was blaming everyone white and everything bad on the "white supremist" (whatever they are or were). Then after eight long years of America growing weaker, and much more divided - Obama was gone. But the damage was done. 

Then as they say, for every action there is a positive and equal reaction. The next president was Donald J. Trump. Not Biden, not Hillary (who was the heir apparent), but Trump. Trump, who was the anti-Obama, was going to right many of the wrongs which Obama visited upon us. Things were so bad, Trump coined the phrase, "Make America Great Again". And just like that, the RINOs of old, who the traditional Democrats loved so much - vanished from the scene. Sure, there were some left, but they were nothing more than noise level. The "shades of gray" in our politics, had been replaced with bright red and bright blue.

Then came the long contested 2020 election. Many think the full story of that election has not yet been told, but in any event, Trump lost and Obama # 2 (Biden) was elected. As bad as Obama was, Biden was 10 times worse. Things went from "shades of gray", to red and blue, to absolute black and white. Under Biden, the country almost vanished. Open borders, men becoming women, hyperinflation, the "Green New Deal" - we were a mess. And that is when the old congeniality of fellow Congressmen, devolved into trench warfare. E pluribus unum became nothing more than some old Latin saying. 

Are our political "shades of gray" gone forever? Probably. Are they the "good old days"? For some - not for all. Meanwhile, the Democrats are devolving into socialists. Some on the left think our side are also devolving - into something like John Birch types. People on the MAGA side of the fence, however, think we are exactly where were are supposed to be. Meanwhile - it almost time for the next election.     

What the heck is a hybrid war?

"Where would the world be right now without Putin in Russia, the IRGC in Iran, Xi in China, and Kim in North Korea? Pretty darn close to peace and tranquility in my book. But of all the baddies listed, Putin is the worst. He will drag this region (maybe even the world) into another conflagration if it suits his needs and desires."

It seems that some of the world leaders who just happen to reside in Europe, are sounding the alarm right now about the rapidly approaching hybrid war. A what kind of war? I am finally getting accustomed to the other new kind of war called asymmetrical. Some of the leaders in Europe think that Russia has already started a hybrid war against some of the Euro NATO countries. Not a declared war, not a kinetic war (so to speak), but a slow drip, "accidental" incursion on unsuspecting countries. But here is the problem for Mother Russia - very few countries are unsuspecting. Remember? Never trust a Russian.

What is a hybrid type of war? An accidental drone here, a wayward cruise missile there, a random cyber-attack anywhere - all that under the guise of a "Whoops - sorry about that". But why bother if you are Putin? Why not skip the subterfuge and just send in a volley of missiles and drones against a NATO country and get the ball rolling? We all know it is coming, so be on with it. Here is the "why" - putting Putin's nukes aside, NATO can beat Russia to a pulp each and every day of the week, and twice on Sunday.

Okay - I know many with a strong logic streak are bound to ask the same question - why? Here is the "why" according to some who pay attention to what is going on in Russia. Ukraine. The war which Putin promised his country would be over in a matter of days, has changed into a long and bloody struggle. And what used to be fun to watch for some in the Russian public, is no longer fun now that Ukraine has learned how to punch back. All of a sudden, there is damage and death inside of Russia, compliments of the innovative thinkers in the Ukrainian Army.

Putin needs a win. He is scared to death right now that the Ukraine debacle will bring about his own death. Or overthrow. What a better way to get redemption with the masses in Moscow, than to give NATO a black eye or two. And if kinetic war comes instead of this hybrid mess, Russia needs to vanquish his new foes. Take them down a notch. Reshape Europe (again). Only a megalomaniac would think this way, and when it comes to megalomania, Putin is one of the best - ever.

Where would the world be right now without Putin in Russia, the IRGC in Iran, Xi in China, and Kim in North Korea? Pretty darn close to peace and tranquility in my book. But of all the baddies listed, Putin is the worst. He will drag this region (maybe even the world) into another conflagration if it suits his needs and desires. But here is the thing about wars, even hybrid wars - the blade cuts both ways. Be careful of what you start Mr. Putin - NATO stands ready to finish it.  

 

"The wheels on the bus go round and round" (This is about Greenland)

"Welcome Greenland! Come in out of the cold. Under the watchful eye of the US, good things are in your future. We are not an occupying force; we are only a protector and developer. Everybody is going to come out better because of this agreement. Everybody that is, except Russia and China."

Because of "old Europe" being just plain old and cranky, it took forever and a day to get some kind of agreement for us to expand our presence in Greenland. But when POTUS took to Truth Social to give the good news, it became apparent that "old Europe" Denmark finally saw the big picture. And the big picture is simply this - the more of US that is seen in Greenland, means the less of interlopers like Russia and China. Is this the best deal possible? Maybe - but it is better than not good. It will allow our Golden Shield to have some better footing.

Why bring up that kid's song, "The wheels on the bus"? Because in the Trump administration, stuff is always going on behind the curtain. Stuff in going on in South America. An oil deal happened in Venezuela. Stuff is going on in Cuba. Meanwhile, we are still trying to fix the mess in Iran. Only a guy like Donald Trump, who was weaning on keeping things going on many different business ventures, can pull this off.

The other day I penned an article about the joint base in Poland which has been talked about in the past. That seems to be coming together also. We have an eye on what is happening in the Indo-Pacific to boot. But our good ally Japan is doing a great job helping us out over there. And South Korea keeps getting stronger as does the PI. No, Donald Trump is setting the stage for long term stability which will last long after he is out of office.

What is next of the list of "to-do" items? Hard to say but know this - it is something that has been mentioned in the past but is not yet done. Right now, there is so much more going on than our high oil and gas prices. Those really are transitory, and Iran is 100% to blame for that inconvenience. But Trump is looking at the bigger picture (as he always does).

Welcome Greenland! Come in out of the cold. Under the watchful eye of the US, good things are in your future. We are not an occupying force; we are only a protector and developer. Everybody is going to come out better because of this agreement. Everybody that is, except Russia and China.

The USA/Poland love fest moves closer to the alter

"How is Poland doing in defense spending? Poland is spending a whopping 4.5% of its GDP on defense. Now that is commitment! That even eclipses the 3.22% of GDP the US spends."

The worst kept secret in NATO is the bromance that Donald Trump and Polish President Doda had. But Doda is now gone, and his successor is in office. His name is Karol Nawrocki. The bromance that Trump had with Doda is continuing with the new bromance Trump has with Nawrocki. Why? Poland is the kind of country that NATO needs, and both Doda and Nawrocki are the kind of leaders that Poland needs. And neither one of those Polish gentlemen have one ounce of fear in their bodies towards Mother Russia. In fact, there is out and out antipathy for Russia by Poland. Much of that comes from a very bad history.

This has been teased for a while now, but due to current events in Eastern Europe, the timeline might have been moved up. The US and Poland have been planning a joint base (with some size to it) in the eastern part of Poland. Why? Seems that is where all the action is right now. If Putin thought he could walk right into Poland with not a wink or a not from the US, he was dead wrong. If Putin did make a run in Poland, he would not only find an A1 fighting force with Polish forces waiting for him, but Putin would also get the back of the hand from American forces.

If Putin ever did decide to take a run at NATO, either by going through Finland, or Poland, this would be a very bad and very sad wake up call for him. Now that the worldwide inventory of F-35 fighter jets is over 3,000, NATO has plenty of top-notch air power to take care of business. Our Army is rock solid, and they are ready to defend any piece of land that the President finds worthy. And we have recently seen in Iran the acumen of our total force package. Under Trump and Hegseth, we have a lean, mean, fighting machine to represent out interests.

But what about Canada? How do they fit into NATO right now? Canada, who has become more of a puppy than Bulldog, is only spending 2% of its GDP on NATO. That is sad and bad. And that came with much shaming and shunning by the US. All Canada wants to do right now is become a member of the EU. Why? To get away from that bully Donald Trump. 

How is Poland doing in defense spending? Poland is spending a whopping 4.5% of its GDP on defense. Now that is commitment! That even eclipses the 3.22% of GDP the US spends. Once again, Poland and Japan always show up to do the right thing. If push ever came to shove, we know for a fact that Poland and Japan would have our backs. But what about Canada? We all know the answer to that one.

Death by economic strangulation

"There will be lessons learned once this war is over. Both sides will learn. Will the same strategy be applied to the next war? Maybe - or it will be something else, even more painful. Maybe the next war will be totally digital. Fought with only ones and zeroes. Turning off the other sides water and electric. Excited? I'm not. I am ready for a return to the swords and shields."  

How has warfare changed over the ages? Plenty. From the Revolutionary War to the Civil War, to the World Wars, to Viet Nam and then into Afghanistan, war is constantly evolving. And the Iran War (if we can call it a war) is changing warfare again. How so? Sure, we are still using kinetic force against the enemy. And drone warfare has gone from science fiction to bloody reality. But the thing which has changed the most is economic warfare. Whom can strangle the other sides economy the fastest and most complete.

Right now, under the leadership of President Trump and the skillful acumen of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, we have a tourniquet around the financial neck of Iran. We have blockaded their oil ports. We have threatened eye watering tariffs to any country who trades with Iran. In short, nothing in and nothing out. Their economy is in tatters, and inflation has made their currency next to worthless. Will they ever cry "Uncle" and simply give up? I sure hope so.

But there is still some kick left in Iran. They are making things painful for the US and our allies. The Strait of Hormuz is still a mess (don't think for a minute it is not), and now the Houthis are doing something similar to the Red Sea. The net result it even though we are awash in oil and gas in this country, we are still paying close to $4.50/gal for gasoline and over $6.00/gal for diesel. It seems Iran has found a different type of economic tourniquet to put around our neck also.

Where do we go from here? Is there an end in sight or are we all going to suffer together? The Democrats have sworn revenge on the president for mucking up our economy. Why President Trump? He did not cause prices to go up. If anything, he wants energy prices to be half what they are now. But he is committed to keep Iran from EVER having a nuke. Never, ever. But to do this, we needed to really put the screws deep into Iran. Thus, we have two choices: 1) Keep on keeping on. Suck it up buttercup. 2) Call it a day and leave the area. Let somebody else worry about Iran. Que sera, sera.

There will be lessons learned once this war is over. Both sides will learn. Will the same strategy be applied to the next war? Maybe - or it will be something else, even more painful. Maybe the next war will be totally digital. Fought with only ones and zeroes. Turning off the other sides water and electric. Excited? I'm not. I am ready for a return to the swords and shields.  

  

Is Star Wars finally here?

 

"In any event, just when you thought there would be a minor pause in the news cycle, we get this story. What is my opinion about weapons in space? It was only a matter of time. This is the start of a new frontier, just waiting for America's defense contractors to take the ball and run with it."

Whoa! Where in the world (or not in the world) did this one come from? We have fielded a space weapon? Ready to use if called upon? Have we not seen this movie before? During the Reagan years? Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). Better known as Star Wars. In reality, SDI in the 1980's could have been called "a whole lot of smoke and mirrors" instead of Star Wars. Why? It was a nothing burger. A bluff. But it worked - it scared the pants off the Soviets. Brought about their end a lot quicker and safer. 

So far, the two words to describe both the Russians and the Chinese are "not happy". This might end up being topic "A" (a good ice breaker) when Xi visits the White House later this month. Some might say this was an open invite for the Russians and the Chinese (at a minimum) to make their own version of a space weapon. Or, maybe they already have, and are still trying to keep it under wraps. In any event, it seems the charter of the Guardians in the Space Force might have just changed. We might have given them some teeth and growl. 

I would love to describe in detail what our space weapon looks like, but this secret is being held tighter than a drum. All the Secretary of the Air Force has said is this - it stands ready to use if hostile forces threaten friendly forces. Now there is a description you could drive a truck (or a star ship) through.

Some speculate it might be the Rods from God weapon system. Steel rods on a platform in space which can be released and directed downward towards an Earthly target. When they hit the ground, the kinetic energy released would be huge - almost like a small nuke. If I were a betting man, I would bet on this weapon. Why? It has been talked about for years. Plus - it would not violate any existing nuclear treaty.

In any event, just when you thought there would be a minor pause in the news cycle, we get this story. What is my opinion about weapons in space? It was only a matter of time. This is the start of a new frontier, just waiting for America's defense contractors to take the ball and run with it. Is DARPA involved in this new technology? Probably, although not known for sure. I do know this however (after having a couple of contracts with DARPA over the years) - that is where the wizards of smart live. And there are a whole lot of wizards who live there. 

Who is helping NATO? How about both Trump and Putin...

 

If Donald Trump was told that he was partially responsible for NATO being so ready right now, he would feel pretty good about himself. However, if Putin knew that he was setting the example to NATO why getting much more prepped was important, I doubt if Putin would be pleased. As the expression goes, we can always serve as an example, even if it is a bad example. And Putin serving as a bad example has certainly helped the cause. 

What an odd title for a blog post. NATO is stronger because of both Trump and Putin? Please explain Mr. Bird! It really is not that complicated. When Trump started his first term, his first meetings with fellow NATO types were not really a love fest. In fact, anything but. In so many words, Trump told (mostly the Euro Zone) that he was tired of propping up NATO financially. That NATO was woefully behind on its financial commitments, and as such, the US was considering pulling out of NATO. That was the start of the wakeup call.

Fast forward to Trump's second term. NATO is bigger and stronger (welcome, Finland!). More countries are either at commitment, or drawing much closer. Even though Trump is referred to by some in the alliance as "Big Daddy", ruling with an iron fist, a bit of tough love seemed to have worked. Bottom line? Because of some tough talk and some tougher love, NATO is bigger and stronger today because in part of Donald J. Trump.

But Trump may not have been the strongest catalyst for NATO to become more prepared and robust. Instead of just talking about a boogie man, Putin has done one better - he has shown himself to be a real live villain. As the expression goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. And Putin's illegal and immoral war on Ukraine, has shown the world (especially NATO), what a modern-day villain looks like. I can't prove this, but my guess is that without Putin, NATO would not have the razor's edge it currently has.

Interesting article in the news this morning. NATO is very worried that Putin will make a play for some NATO country by 2029 or before. And what does that mean? Whatever it means, NATO is prepping for the worst. And what really helps, is they think that the US will play a minor role rather than a lead role. That also helps in how pepped NATO is right now. I doubt if the US would ever turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to NATO should Russia ever attack - but I do like the idea that NATO thinks that way right now.

If Donald Trump was told that he was partially responsible for NATO being so ready, he would feel pretty good about himself. However, if Putin knew that he was setting the example to NATO why getting much more prepped was important, I doubt if Putin would be pleased. As the expression goes, we can always serve as an example, even if it is a bad example. And Putin serving as a bad example has certainly helped the cause.