e-commentary

. . .

K          “If Trumpi says one word about the stuff [IOSAT], he will trigger the NYT, WP, NY, CNN and MSDNC.  And the PMC.  And they are desperately trying to trigger a war.  They so want to go ballistic, but they want to go ballistic on Russia.”

J          “We live in vexing times.”

. . . 

K          “The callow pencil neck chickenhawk members of the ruling class are so eager to condemn the kids of the working class to death and dismemberment for their own ends.”

J          “I don’t trust Russia.  Period.  Something needs to be done.”

. . .

K          “Even Germany – yes Germany – is even counseling caution and restraint and even-handedness.”

J          “They had their tussle with them.  They have gone mano-a-mano with the Russians.  They know.”

. . .

J          “In 1994, Ukraine signed an agreement with the U.S., U.K. and Russia known as the 1994 Budapest Memorandum of Security Assurances under which it gave up its nuclear arsenal in return for certain assurances including independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.  And that there would be no use of force or threat of force against Ukraine.”

K          “Everyone should honor that agreement.  What about U.S. Secretary of State James Baker’s famous “not one inch eastward” assurance about NATO expansion in his meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on February 9, 1990?  That was a part of a cascade of assurances about Soviet security given by Western leaders to Gorbachev and other Soviet officials.  And then the U.S. marched country by country up to Russia’s doorstep.  The U.S. would not tolerate Russia putting proxy troops in Canada and Mexico.”

J          “The agreement is not in writing.”

K          “Now you are thinking like a typical scheming American-trained lawyer.  You are actually thinking like a typical scheming American-trained American.  The allegation is so American and reflects American gamesmanship and skullduggery.  An agreement is an agreement.  Enforce the 1990 and the 1994 agreements.” 

. . .

K          “An old experienced law professor who taught comparative law in American and European law schools for over two score years shared his settled observations about the fundamental difference in training and perspective between American-trained lawyers and European-trained lawyers.  With some exceptions, an American-trained lawyer first asks:  “Can we get away with it?”  With some exceptions, an European-trained lawyer first asks:  “Is it lawful?”  Europe needs some European not American thinking.”

. . .

J          “Sort of trust but definitely verify.”

K          “Distrust but clarify.”

. . .

K          “There is one clear and obvious solution.  Go back to the status quo ante bellum.  NATO membership is restricted to the original nations.  Is it worth going nuclear for something that is a fundamental concern of Russia but not a fundamental concern of the U.S. or the West?”

. . .

[See the e-commentary at NATO: Nations Aggressively Taking Over (March 31, 2014), NATOExit? NATOExeunt? (July 4, 2016), Guitar / Drum ; Dove / Hawk ; Pax / War. Oh, And Happy Memorial Day! (May 27, 2019), Dragon < Eagle > Bruin; Dragon + Bruin > Eagle (April 19, 2021), Russian Interference; Russian Collusion.   Epilogue (March 25, 2019), Impeachment Imbroglio.  Oh, And Happy Saint Nicholas Day! (December 2, 2019), Johnnie Bolton:  The Triumph Of the Chickenhawks And Neo-Cons.  Join Fellow Patriots For The “April 14 Rally” And The Memorial Day “March For America”.  Oh, And Happy April Fool’s Day! (April 2, 2018) and Giuliani – Draft Dodger And Chickenhawk (March 2, 2015).]

Bumper stickers of the week:

Give war a chance

Russia wants war: Look how close they put their country to our military bases.

There are few things more vexing than trying to encourage a human being to think independently.