RUSSIA

Russia is not our friend.  Russia has never been our friend.  Russia will never be our friend.  Russia as the old Soviet Union teamed up with Hitler against us at the start of WW II.  Then, when Hitler reneged on their partnership Russia cried "Uncle".  We saved their butts in WW II.  This was a gross mistake.  A proven military strategy of the ages is when two of your adversaries go at it with each other standby and let them annihilate each other.  Then go in and take over the spoils.

Russia came into the war against Japan only after they learned we had the atom bomb and intended to use it.  They wanted to grab as much real estate on the Korean Peninsular and elsewhere as possible.  The 38th Parallel was established because that is where the Americans and the Russians met.  Shortly after the occupation of Japan the Russians attempted to extend the 38th Parallel across Northern Japan.  Fortunately MacArthur stopped it by dispatching combat ready troops (including yours truly) to the beaches of Western Japan with orders to resist any landing by the Russians.  They backed off.  However, thus began MacArthur's problems with President Truman.  He thought MacArthur had made a political policy decision.  MacArthur thought he made a sane military decision.  I have to agree with MacArthur.

 The Soviet Union (Russia) and the United States then entered into an extended period of an arms race that came to be known as the Cold War.  Russia blockaded Berlin.  They built "The Wall".  They opposed the United States at every turn in the United Nations.  They openly supported and supplied the Viet Cong during Viet Nam.  All this time the policy of the United States was to mollify the Soviet Union.  It was only when President Reagan had the will power to face down the Soviets that they collapsed leaving Russia intact.

The next several American presidents pursued a policy of appeasement and accommodation of Russia to bring them out of chaos and into the world of nations and the organization that came to be known as the G-8.  Bush looked into Putin's eyes and saw goodness in his soul.  Horse pucky!  How gullible can a leader of the United States be?  What he really should have seen was "KGB" and acted accordingly.  When Russia was down we should have taken necessary steps to keep them down.  I learned a long time ago in the military that when you have an adversary down keep him down because he can get up and beat the hell out of you.  I knocked the guy down twice in a fight.  I let him get up twice.  The second time he came up with a club (the wooden brace out of the end of a canvas folding cot) and beat the hell out of me before some other guys were able to pull him off.  I learned a hard lesson.  A lesson our nation could learn.

Now thanks to American technology exported to Russia the Russians have developed oil rich areas especially in the Arctic regions.  They even now are claiming Russian sovereignty over the Arctic Ocean all the way to the North Shore of Alaska.  With the sky high price of oil the Russians suddenly have money and lots of it.  The Europeans have become almost totally dependent on Russia to supply them with oil and gas through pipelines flowing from Russia and controlled by Russia which now brings us to the goings on in the small but critical independent country of Georgia.  It was a former part of the old Soviet Union.  The only pipe lines not controlled by Russia that flow oil to Western Europe from that area passes through Georgia.

 The attack to takeover Georgia was planned months ago and timed to coincide with the Olympics in China with the world's attention diverted.  With Bush out of the country and Putin in China he played his hand.  Putin left immediately to direct the takeover of Georgia.  His objective is to control the flow of all gas and oil to Europe, restore the original old Soviet Union and rise to the power of its former self with enough force to face down the rest of the world.  No need for Putin to worry about the Europeans.  They are wimps.  The United States shows a lack of unity and is split in the throes of an upcoming election between two presumptive presidential candidates neither of which is of forceful dedicated leadership strong enough to face down Russia.  Putin is smiling.

So, where does this leave us?  Russia regaining its former evil empire to exert its force world wide while we, the United States, twiddle our collective thumbs and contemplate what to do.  We cannot forever be the savior of the world.  We have to re-direct our efforts and resources to what is best for us.  Much of the world sees us as a giant marshmallow.  Then, too, there is China to worry about.  But, that's a whole different dissertation.  The future does not look all that bright.  The final results are not going to be pretty.  Thank God I'm 80 years old and probably won't live to see it.