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Many Voices, One Freedom: United in the 1st Amendment

March 28, 2024

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When I have a hard time fully wrapping my arms around something, I often find that though my logic may be sound, I may be basing that logic on a faulty assumption. The easiest way to get past a faulty assumption is to take a step back, starting with as basic a question as possible.

The most basic question with regard to the Russia/Ukraine War is not what may have caused that war, but rather “What causes war” in general.

Will Durant wrote that the first wars were fought over access to food and water, and that even today, wars are fought primarily over access to natural resources. This includes wars fought out of a fear of losing access to natural resources, as well as wars fought out of a desire to gain access to natural resources someone else controls. When we consider that labor is a natural resource, we might simply say that war is fought out of a desire to control.

I believe that Will Durant overlooked that ‘nation’ and ‘tribe’ are not universally held as synonymous. The Kurds have no nation, and yet they exist as a people, primarily in Iraq and Turkey. Poland did not exist as a nation from 1795-to-1918, and yet the Poles continued to consider themselves a people throughout that time. Nations have historically been most stable where they have revolved around shared cultural values.

World War One was sparked by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir apparent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by Serbian separatists, Serbia being a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that was neither Austrian nor Hungarian. Historians debate exactly how this assassination led to a World War, but one thing everyone agrees on is that all of the belligerents used the war to seek territorial claims for their respective countries. In other words, they fought over access to natural resources controlled by other countries.

World War Two was a logical extension of the Holy Roman Empire transitioning into the state of Germany. Uniting Germania into a German state had been a dream of the German people for as long as there had been a German people. Otto Von Bismark created Germany in 1871, but several parts of Germania, such as Austria, did not join. One of Hitler’s primary goals was to unite all of the German people into a single German state.

Based on all of this, we might say that wars have two basic causes: tribalism, and the desire to control access to natural resources (including labor).

Putin considers the Ukrainian people to be Russian. To him, this war is about reuniting Ukraine with its mother country and uniting the Russian people under a single flag. Ukraine, having had a taste of Western freedoms, has no desire to submit to Putin’s authoritarianism, so to Ukraine, the war is about the Ukrainian people’s rights to control their own labor.

The causes of this war are the same as the causes of all other wars, but there is another facet to the causes of war that Will Durant failed to mention – starting a war requires the belief that a war can be won. Putin invaded Ukraine to unite (and in so doing to control) what he considers wayward Russian labor, but he did so now because he is convinced he can win.

The true cause of the war in Ukraine then includes factors that convinced Putin he could win, and that involves European climate alarmists eliminating reliable sources of energy in Western Europe, causing Europe to become totally reliant on Russia for natural gas and oil – for a total of 40% of their energy needs.

If Putin wants to, he can shut off the oil and natural gas going into Europe, and if he does that in the winter, hundreds of millions of Western Europeans will freeze or starve to death. Putin knows this, and so do the leaders of Europe.

Putin invaded Ukraine because Europe gave him the power to kill off the rest of the continent. In other words, Putin invaded Ukraine because he knew that the rest of Europe could not do anything about it.

Europe neutered itself, and Putin is taking advantage. At the end of the day, it’s as simple as that.

Putin’s invasions in 2014 differed only in that he still had some fear of the United States, so he did not take the whole country. Without Crimea,⏤Russia has no year-round ports, making the 2014 invasion about natural resources as well.

There is a temptation to blame Joe Biden for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, based on the Biden family haven taken tens of millions of dollars from both Russia and Ukraine, Joe Biden’s general weakness on the world stage (which his declining mental state has only made worse), and the debacle of our Afghanistan exit, but it is important to note that Joe Biden is only responsible for the timing of Putin’s invasion. Those who believe in climate alarmism are the real cause such that even without Joe Biden, the invasion would have happened at some point in the future.

The United States is using climate alarmism to neuter itself on the world stage – just as Western Europe did with regard to Russia.

Ukraine’s independence has always depended on Russia believing that the cost of invading outweighed the benefits. Europe’s reliance on Russian energy mixed with the perception of Joe Biden as a corrupt, inept old fool told Putin that the balance was in his favor, and that the time to invade had come.

Ukraine is not the only country Putin thinks of as a part of ‘Mother Russia.’ According to Putin, the Baltic states, Poland, and a number of other nations in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia are all parts of ‘Mother Russia.’ Putin may even want Finland. He will invade any and eventually every one of these countries if he believes he can get away with it.

Climate alarmism has altered access to energy such that free nations now depend on despots to keep their homes heated and their lights on. This is shifting the balance of power both in Europe, and around the world.

Europe is wholly dependent on Putin for natural gas and oil. Europeans cannot heat their homes or turn on their lights without Putin’s support – and the Europeans did that intentionally to fight ‘climate change.’ Climate Alarmists in the United States are making the same mistakes here. Jen Psaki doubled down just the other day, claiming that the invasion of Ukraine proves that we need to do even MORE to eliminate fossil fuels, but the simple fact of the matter is that eliminating fossil fuels is not possible without a heavy reliance on nuclear power, which climate alarmists also want banned. 

Jen Psaki has pledged that the Biden Administration is only going to make things worse.

Putin feels free to invade Ukraine, and to threaten to invade Finland and Sweden. European leaders can beat their chests and slap sanctions on Russia to give the appearance of taking action, but the leaders of Europe know that if Putin feels like it, hundreds of millions of Europeans will freeze and/or starve to death next winter.

If you control a nation’s access to energy, you control the nation, and Putin knows this. So too does Xi Jinping, who is spending a great deal of money convincing the American people that cheap and reliable energy is evil. Jinping is doing this to weaken us into the same political suicide Europe has already committed, and like good little lemmings, we follow along.

Now that China and Russia are suddenly allied against the West, the ONLY FORCE in the world that can stand up to this aggression is the United States, which is now led by incompetent fools who are committed to making us reliant upon our enemies for energy. I would love to talk about all the other stupid things the left believes (such as that criminals are victims and that the police are the criminals), but those other things are not causing a world war between nuclear powers, making climate alarmism the greatest threat facing the world today.

If Putin’s invasion of Ukraine succeeds, China will feel emboldened to start moving against Taiwan, and both China and Russia will feel free to continue to expand. The only way to avoid escalation is to ensure that Russia fails to secure Ukraine. If we were smart, we would be using our air power not only to ensure that Ukraine wins, but to make sure that Russia’s defeat is as swift and as bloody as possible.

We are in a world war. China and Russia are already fighting it, and we need to stand up to their aggression while we still have the capability to win. If we continue to fight climate change instead of our nation’s enemies, we may wind up in a situation we cannot win.

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. So too, is the road to nuclear war.

Image: AP

  • Wallace Garneau

    Wallace L. Garneau, political commentator and professional author, brings a unique blend of expertise to the airwaves. Raised in a family of historians, Garneau's roots in history and economics run deep, with a particular focus on Europe between the World Wars. With a background in information technology and a keen business mind, Garneau authored "The Way Forward: Lean Leadership and Systems Thinking for Large and Small Businesses." His knack for breaking down complex ideas in clear, accessible language makes him a standout author and a powerful voice in the radio and podcast sphere. Beyond the corporate world, Garneau's culinary passion shines through in his social media presence, where he shares grilling and smoking techniques. A two-service military veteran (Marine Corps and Army), family man, and father of two, Garneau embodies dedication both personally and professionally. Listeners can expect insightful commentary on politics, economics, and culture. His unique perspective, rooted in historical understanding, sets him apart. Join Wallace Garneau on the America Out Loud network—his is a voice that not only informs but resonates, helping make sense of today's complex world through a lens of experience, knowledge, and a touch of culinary flair.

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Anna Laszlo
Anna Laszlo
2 years ago

This war has been going on for 8 years. Ukraine is probably the least democratic country on the Earth. Fascist militias terrorize the Greek, Hungarian and especially Russian minorities.The Ukraine signed the Minsk agreement but never honored it. Burning buildings down, death treats, spraying civilians with white phosphors. There are pedophile rings, drug cartels, abductions and massive poverty etc. Zelinskij became a politician from actor after he played a president role in a movie. He never really talks about how the Ukrainians and the Russians are closely related, although a few years ago he did not even spoke Ukrainian. And now he should really think through that if he resigned that would satisfy the Russians and end the war. Declaring that a NATO membership is off the table for the Ukraine would also end this war immediately. A war that set some 6 million people on the move and hundreds of thousands of refugees are already in the neighboring countries. 130 western countries are decided to help not Ukraine but the Zelinskij government by sending lethal weapons to the war thorn country. These weapons will be used against citizens, minorities and they will be sold to terrorist groups in France and elsewhere in Europe. Zelinskij who jailed political rivals, journalist, and closed TV stations who were critical to him.; now is on one hand prevents any male to leave the country on the other hand he is arming civilians while the West is cheering on in a mass hysteria. Psychopaths and criminals are armed so soon there will be mass looting and random shootings from drunken people who never had their firearms. Arming civilians makes them a target of the professional soldiers that will result in mass casualties and won’t slow down the advancement of the Russian troupes. The media plays the same detrimental role as it played during the Covid saga. It creates the mass hysteria that the Russians are wanting to take over Europe. Putin is already in Sweden ! The Russian army is no match for the NATO in reality.

j. bell
j. bell
2 years ago

On March 2, 2022 Joe Biden banned all Russian aircraft from U.S. airspace.

  • “Banning Russian aircraft from entering and using domestic U.S. airspace. As the President announced, the United States will close off American air space to all Russian flights – further isolating Russia – and adding an additional squeeze on its economy. This includes aircraft certified, operated, registered or controlled by any person connected with Russia. This includes revoking all Russian airlines’ – both passenger and cargo – ability to operate to and from U.S. destinations, as well as refusing entry of any Russian-operated aircraft into U.S. airspace.”   ———https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/02/fact-sheet-the-united-states-continues-to-impose-costs-on-russia-and- belarus-for-putins-war-of-choice/ 

Good move by Joe, but the real threat may come from elsewhere.
William Schneider’s February 6, 2022 article indicates that America’s missile defense system may not be able to prevent attack by Russian hypersonic missiles.

 
“China also conducted two flight tests of hypersonic ballistic missiles. One flew in a fractional earth orbit on a manoeuvring trajectory to the target region in China. The other also flew on a manoeuvring trajectory, and additionally released a second hypersonic object — a “first” for any nation……The US is developing a space-based system that uses advanced infrared sensors which may be able to detect manoeuvring hypersonic warheads. However, current missile defence systems do not permit them to engage with rapidly manoeuvring warheads.” — in the article, ‘China and Russia’s hypersonic weaponry threatens US early warning system’, by William Schneider,   https://www.ft.com/content/7d566088-7d25-4fde-9b02-311f86eb845e   

 
On March 1, 2022, the Navy wrote regarding the Russian hypersonic missile,                                          
                                                

“On December 24, 2021, Putin said that a salvo of Tsirkon had been test-fired ‘successfully and faultlessly.’ The characteristics of the Tsirkon are secret.  The state trials of the Tsirkon missile from a surface warship are coming to an end.…….The announced Tsirkon launch was performed on February 19 during an exercise of the strategic deterrence forces. According to the report, a seaborne target was hit at a distance of up to 1,000 km.”  —–in the article, ‘New data released about the Russian Tsirkon hypersonic missile, Naval News March 2022 Navy Forces Maritime Defense IndustryPosted On Tuesday, 01 March 2022 16:53                                

                                                                                                                                                          

Joe Biden should ban all Russian trawlers within 1500 miles of the United States, they may be carrying Tsirkons. Putin has measured our missile deterrent system and is convinced that he can win a nuclear war. The key will be China, or the Russian military leaders, can they make Putin backdown over regarding his intentions with Chernobyl, a possible holocaust to destroy all Europe. Will God please intervene. Putin’s attitude, ‘If I can’t have it, neither can you’. 

Has America politicians counted the cost, of human lives and environment contamination, of getting involved in a nuclear war with Russia? Ukraine should have just have submitted to Putin’s demands, and come back and fight another day. Putin will be dead in five or ten years. 

 
“Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, shown here on a trip to Poland, gathered executives from the hypersonics weapons industry at the Pentagon on Feb. 3 to emphasize the U.S. commitment to speed development of hypersonic weapons……..Politico reported on Jan. 26 that plans for the meeting came together after the military services submitted fiscal year 2023 budget proposals that Austin deemed inadequate for speeding up the development and deployment of hypersonic weapons systems, which China and Russia have already begun to field.”, in the article, ‘Pentagon to Speed Development of Hypersonic Weapons’, by Shannon Bugos   https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2022-03/news/pentagon-speed-development-hypersonic-weapons

America is not ready for nuclear war, nobody is, or ever will be. Please help us Jesus. 
 

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