Cold War

Can you say “Cold War?”
Probably not, unless you are at least a baby boomer. By the time the majority of today’s internet users came along, the Soviet Union and the omnipresent threat of world destruction had slipped to the back pages of the daily news.
For one who lived it, fading from memory was welcome. As was the break down of the Soviet Union’s communist party. While it started out to be an ideal, the government had evolved into a totalitarian state ruled by a the secret police.
Sitting here listening to Neil Young from a TV concert, I am reminded of the world I returned to after almost 3 years away. Part of which was inside East Germany and subject to capture by the Soviets if they decided to take Berlin as a show of power. Fortunately, the stalemate kept that move in check.
The world was upside down, everywhere people were into peace and love. Guys smoked pot walking across campus. Where it was once good to be clean, well kept, and respectful, my peers seemed not to care about anything but tuning out the real world.
The people that survived the 60′s, will soon be faced with a rebirth of that era in which they opted out. Putin and the Russians are reconsolidating power. Recently, a small news item said there is talk of absorbing one of the previous Soviet states.
Another news item overlooked in the U.S. was the rebirth of Soviet bombers flying over Europe. Not since the “Cold War” had TU-95′s been over Europe. They rarely flew into East Germany but they did. The purpose of their flights- practice bombing runs.
Why would the Putin regime want to resurrect the long range bomber program? Here is a short list of multiple choice options 1) Intimidate the wimpy, liberal Europeans. Did you figure out the answer?
It does not take a PHD to realize the Europeans are not fighters. They do not call the French- Surrender Monkeys for no reason. The Germans have elected a female leader, who is more conservative than the previous leftist, but is a female non-the-less. Name ten famous female generals or world conquerers. Dealing with tyrants does not require softness or a female point of view.
The UK has a new liberal leader whose female appointee has suggested they outlaw sex for pay. What is she jealous of the prostitutes getting the men?
Back on message– Look at the candidates, which one do you think will stand toe to toe with Putin? How did Bush do? He looked into Putin’s heart. Think he failed as psychic on that one. Old saying, judge me not by my words but my actions.
I have not heard one of the “new democrats” speak up about the threat of a rejuvenated Russian dictatorship. Yes, the Soviet Union was ruled by Russians, not a mistake that the Capital was Moscow. While there are more similarities than disparities in the languages and cultural. The Russians are not Ukrainians. I know that rates a ,duh.
The “dems” are more interested in trying to impeach Bush than deal with reality. Why not, they are some of those same people who were smoking pot and opting out of the “Cold War.” It is said in psychology circles, ‘a problem not dealt with will return.’ And they see totalitarian regimes such as Iran and Syria as countries to be friends with. You get a “duh,” on that one liberals.
How should have we dealt with the Soviet Union? While I was there in the middle of it, I am just as clueless as Ronald Reagan when it comes to defeating a totalitarian state. Sure he gets the credit, but in reality the system had come apart and needed a revamp. Gorbachev knew he could not keep it together, rather than lose a series of revolts it was just easier to let it dissolve.
Well, Folks, “It is back and maybe just more powerful than ever.” The Russians are sitting on a lot of crude oil. After nationalizing the oil, money issues disappeared. Did you forget they went to capitalism just long enough to get everything up and running. The Soviet Union was broke and dying. Russians are rich are growing.
It might take me a few months to get some of the language skills back, but would you do faced with Russians in the U.S.? Do you know anything about Russian history, culture, language? Do you know anything about Communism, Socialism, Lenin, Marx, Stalin, Peter The Great?
Being a senior citizen, I have an excuse for not being able to rattle off statistics, but they are in there somewhere. Maybe a few weeks of study could re-trace the dusty synapses.
Sure I am being a snob. What are you being? Naive? Still looking for Peace and Love? Want to opt out of a world where people are imprisoned or worse for their desire to escape tyranny. The world inside the Soviet Union was harsh, cruel, and in some cases brutal. Stalin reportedly killed 20 million of his own.
There is no peace and love on the Russian KGB agenda. And Vladimir Putin is an Ex-KGB agent. The same group that killed an ex-agent with a radioactive isotope in British Sushi Bar.
And speaking of toothless wimps, the British govt has yet to bring anyone to justice for that crime. Seems the villains departed and will not be returning soon to the UK. Asked nicely to send them back for prosecution, the Russians responded, “nyet.”
In the old days, had the Soviets sent someone into assassinate an agent, no one would have cared. Had he been a double agent again no one would have cared. It was the price for espionage.
Today, in the U.S. there would be an inquiry and someone would be tried for trying to suppress national secrets. Inside the KGB, they must have a good laugh about how easy it is to gain information from the U.S. and how the U.S. has no balls.
Just be thankful that at night the sonic boom of Russian overflights doesn’t wake you. And be hopeful that one day the liberals see the by-product of a socialist government gone wrong. But that is probably never going to happen. All I can hope for is– the X & Y gens get their head out of text messaging long enough to see pitfalls of socialism and a softness on Russian KGB agent led governments.