Lessons Learned the Hard Way Should NOT Be Repeated

Did anyone see these stories from iWon I ’s latest world tour….no inroads were made and I venture vodka ladden glasses clinking in Moscow this weekend over American embarrasment(s).

Be patient … this covers iWon I from Moscow to Ghana– Russian leaders’ refusal to shake hands — TO surprise ending. Bush treated just as respectfully by Ghana — per reporter. . .only ONE NOT COVERING? AMERICAN PRESS…..

http://jimblazsik.com/2009/07/08/obamarama-in-russia/

( iWon I = BHO new nickname )

Building roads and not track? WTF? Sent Live from the O Club at Ft. Benning.
No Glenn Miller here but a lesson here. Build track and not Interstates.

Ran 4 miles with RANGER Candidates yesterday morning. 62 started 62 finished.
Including me. Obama has never done that nor have any of the clowns in his cabinet.

Class of 69 and learned a few hard lessons that America did’nt. Off to bed soon. I will go out with a first jump group tomorrow. Over 500 jumps for me but one more is good.

Build Railroads, not highways. I will take the train home after My Neighbor’s boy gets his tab.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIQq1j1-AQU&feature=related

AIRBORNE!

@ Rodney….how do you REALLY know about what was spent winning the cold war? Through liberal professorial, political gamesmanship rewrites to diminish American contribution?

Hundreds of thousands/to millions of American military troops, civilian support, AND government technology contractors were stationed all over the world as were their families (or families left behind — either way — untold generational sacrifice)…there was alot of sacrifice (lives and blood) and effort……However, that was a time before it was fashionable to leak top security secrets/ details to the NYTimes, et al….

There was a great percentage of the best and brightest scientists/techs that accepted foreign technology contracts for American efforts to upgrade, implement technology in countries everywhere from Nigeria, Liberia, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Europe, Saudi Arabia, the stans, Asian assignments, South American locations, eastern europe, space program was a military defense program, Aluetian Islands to Laredo — and other “stateside’ location assignments, and many other remote locations etc, etc, etc to keep countries from making “partnerships that could not be terminated’, discourage the set up foreign “community organisers” in “foreign spots”, and fortify our country’s defense on borders.

In those days, leaks were treasonous and families were also subjugated to maintain secrecy even when overly inquisitive school teachers, domestic help, neighbors, whomever, asked family member over and over to describe what their fathers/mothers did at work/overseas and in their spare time. (a other story for another time) The country really does not understand what we survived due to sacrifice (life lost and lives altered) by many (and not just Americans)…..and how we are now falling backwards.

Maybe the entire story will be told in another generation — but there was ALOT of sacrifice made that was not assigned a body count, headline, or political label — such was the total effort so dedicated to win the cold war and move toward freedom of choice for many — it was not detailed in newspaper headlines or political grandstanding…..and the truth of this chapter of history seems now to have been swept under a liberal rug for fear of a Republican President getting any historical credit. . (Does one remember there was only a one way escape traffic flow — from the Iron Curtain — and have you ever talked to someone who lived under the “Cool Socialistic/Marxism” rule in Eastern Europe/Satellites?) Have you heard of dissidents within the Iron Curtain being invited as a guest on the Live at 5 Moscow nightly news?..if your professors told you that NO BLOOD SACRIFICES OCCURRED..start thinking for yourself, quickly.

I hope some day…a future author can wrap his/her arms around the REAL cold war story and PUT ON DISPLAY the true, unaltered ‘woven tapestry’ of the complexity of the Cold War — in some circles deemed WWIII.

In 2009, ideal liberal world, we should broadcast all of our military/defense/technology secrets on the airwaves/in print like an episode of American idol and seek votes for the winner take all strategy.

Somewhere, we as Americans must again find a successful median point of trust vs defense secrecy — or “our series” — will be cancelled….Wake up/Grow up — there are no do overs. History did not begin in 2008.

OR, how does AMERIKAN Idol sound?

I was reading this book recently about Russia’s Empires – and the authors make a convincing argument that one of the biggest reason the USSR collapsed when it did was due to Gorbachev – he really let the cat out the bag with his reforms. Unfortunately (for him – but fortunately for us – and to a degree the Russians) it spun out of control and things went MUCH further than he would of liked. For once you give people a degree of delegated power, a degree of openess etc – then are going to want a lot more.

The USSR probably could of continued in it’s stagnant repressive state for a few more decades. See how China has managed to change since the late 70s by introducing a large degree capitalism without democracy. I hope one day they may throw off the shackles of Communism. No doubt cold war warriors like Reagan and Thatcher played key roles but let’s not forget the played part of Gorvachev – although I’m not so convinced that the Pope has any real contribution to the breakup of the USSR as some claim.

An American Voter,

If you are measuring the cost of defeating the Soviet Union purely in specie, then you miss the point.

@openid.aol.com/runnswim:

Democratic President Jimmy Carter, who originated the strategy of supporting the Afghans against the Soviets.

“Originated”? Interesting…I’ll like to look into that further. And here I thought Carter’s biggest contribution to fighting the Cold War was an Olympic boycott.

The Soviet Union was emboldened by Carter’s “distractions” with Iran and the hostage situation into launching a full-scale invasion of Afghanistan. Carter only belatedly ordered warships and a defense buildup, after the fact.

In March of 1985, it was Reagan who developed a plan to arm Afghans with powerful Stinger antiaircraft missiles. CIA tried to keep the Pentagon out of it, so as to not disrupt low-level operations the CIA was engaged in, but Reagan and some CIA officers nevertheless provided Afghan anti-communist fighters Stinger missiles to shoot down Soviet helicopters and fighters.

The Soviet/Afghan War did vastly more to bring down the Evil Empire than did the hypothetical threat of Star Wars.

Your argument itself is a hypothetical. The former Soviet ambassador to the U.S. stated that “It’s clear SDI accelerated our catastrophe by at least five years.”

From the back-and-forth letters between Reagan and Soviet leaders, I think there’s no question that the Soviets were greatly threatened, obsessed, distracted, and preoccupied with SDI. Reagan’s push for it contributed to the demise of the Soviet Union.

The idea that anything at all which Reagan did was singularly responsible for causing the Soviets to implode is ludicrous.

Agreed. But what is equally ludicrous is how those on your side of the equation wish to minimize the significance of Reagan’s role in the Soviet end-game. Of course there was no singular force responsible for the fall of the Soviet empire. However, Reagan was a central figure in the fight.

What the Cold War did was to set the stage for a leader like Gorbachev, who was the right person at the right time to preside over the collapse of the Evil Empire.

There you go again….Gorbechev couldn’t have done it without Reagan, another leader who was in the right place at the right time, when we needed a real leader.

@Hard Right

So what’s your views on McCarthy?

@Mike

Well Hard Right is discussing appeasers of Communism and the Cold War. So how big a link do you need to McCarthy?

@Mike

Hmmm – so you are now policing tangents – or only tangents expressed by those who’s views you don’t happen to fully agree with? Plenty of tangents on the other threads. If Reagan won the Cold War – then McCarthy played a role during that struggle. And Reagan stood up to McCarthy’s game of whipping up rabid anti-communism. I’m happy discuss Reagan’s role but we also need context and the roles played by others. How pivotal do you believe Gorbachev was to the downfall of the USSR. Surely he’s not a tangent in this is he!? lol

@Mike

I guess McCarthy is thorn in the conservative side when talking about the Cold war. Best forgotten eh?