Holy War (American Revelation X: Nine.)

We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev...Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!
~Ronald Reagan

Years ago, I said if it blew up all the way the War in Donbas would turn into a war of religion because of the schism in the Orthodox church that the conflict had caused. And for the record, I also said that if this happened, there's a good chance NATO is going to get dragged into the war because eventually the Russians will hit Greece and Turkey because they want Istanbul/Constantinople and control of various Orthodox holy sites.

Some Russian idiot just called the invasion of Ukraine a holy war.

Think about that for a second. 

Think about where that might lead, especially since Turkey has gone all-in on helping the Ukrainians already. (And why shouldn't they, among other things they're next no matter what if Ukraine falls, not to mention right or wrong the Turkish military-industrial complex has made a name for itself thanks to the newfound fame of the Bayraktar TB2.)

Think about the kind of murderous bullshit that comes of Wars of Religion, even from the history of Western Christianity, and note that there's plenty of bad blood between Muslim and Orthodox too. (Plus, I've known Turkish people, trust me, secular Turkish-ness is also a thing they will fight like hell for and maybe even more so than Islam.)

I think we need to expect that this war will expand, after all, that's what the Russians are telling us they want. Yes, by any conventional measure the Russians are being defeated by Ukraine. They simply don't care. No, it doesn't make sense, it doesn't have to and I cannot stress that enough.

They figure if they come at NATO, we'll crack, or Germany will. And American "Conservatives" along with German far-Leftists have said just enough dumb shit to give the Kremlin hope on that score. The Russians have, thus far, entirely misread both Ukraine and the West. That's very likely going to keep happening, but there's just enough Commie suck-asses with their lips firmly attached to KGB Agent Vladimir Putin's ass cheeks that the Russians figure sooner or later Republicans or somebody else will undermine the war effort enough that they can at least claim some part of Ukraine on a permanent basis.

And then they'll move on to trying to break off a chunk of one of the Baltic states, or Finland, or Poland. Like American southern "Conservative" voters, it doesn't matter to the Russians if they win, so long as you lose too. 

If they can prevent things from getting better, in their minds they might just call that a win.

The history of American conservatism since 1964 is one of embarrassments, failures, long cons and vastly shitty candidates on increasing levels through the years...but they've gotten some of what they wanted simply because they keep throwing bodies and money at the "problem." And they don't care if their own leaders rob them blind in the process. 

Hate is a hell of a drug.

And I suspect in these matters, those Russians who haven't fled the country or resisted, or who support the war should be analyzed the same way.

(Of course now that I've said that, CNN and Fox News will go full 2017 Hillbilly Elegy fandom in trying to "Understand" the Russians.)

So of course the dirty Commie traitor KGB-stans at CPAC have blessed the Russian annexation and war effort, because "Conservatives" hate America. I saw this last night and I'm pretty pissed off about it.

And they did it because they also hate the modern small-d, small-l liberal democratic world order that Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush along with literal conservative icons going all the way back to Sir Winston Churchill had such a huge part of founding.

Or at least they hate any America in which Black people, LGBT people, non-Christians, not-the-right-"kind"-of-Christians and basically anybody they don't "like" gets to have a piece of America too.

And they hate any "World Order" that doesn't boil down to Master and Slave, Ruler and Subject, or result in anything other than constant drama and conflict because the cruelty is the fucking point.

Reagan fucking Wept.

And remember, these people "liking" you is entirely relative to what they think you'll do for them. More to the point, you have to keep doing that, forever.

America is not under attack, Europe is at risk and Ukraine is under attack. Brown people coming here is not the same as the rolling thunder of the guns at dusk in your own country. And Racism is a shitty thing to believe in or fight for.

And unless we, as a nation, want to deal with some conglomeration of Red States breaking away and appointing themselves the East Germany of the 21st century, Inner-American borders, walls, vast armies glaring at each other across some no-man's land, and endless brushfire conflicts and proxy wars, we're going to have to get our priorities straight.

You're either an American or you're not. You either believe in this country, its founding premise and its freedoms, or you don't.

What concord hath Christ with Stalin?

As Reagan famously said, it's a time for choosing.

Choose, but choose wisely.

Eight

Слава Україна!

If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth. And this idea that government is beholden to the people, that it has no other source of power except to sovereign people, is still the newest and most unique idea in all the long history of man's relation to man. This is the issue of this election. Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves. ~Ronald Reagan