RUSSIAN HACKING AND THE US ELECTIONS. SAME OLD CAR….JUST NEW PAINT.

So the Russians attempted to manipulate data to influence an event in the US? Is that earth shattering? Is this yet another example of just how devious the Tsar truly is? It makes a great news story for those reporters and listeners who have no clue how events between countries have taken place for thousands of years. Four thousand years ago, the Egyptians and the Chinese manipulated information to influence the opinions and the actions of civilian populations and the truth be known, it was probably going on even before these two great societies were established. The Spanish Inquisition. Now, there is a great example of manipulating information. Radio Free Europe! Who ran that program? What was the overall, strategic purpose? Yep. To destabilize, impact, foreign governments. Tokyo Rose….Ditto! In the 21^st century, does anyone really believe the concept is going to change? What’s the old saying,  “ Information is power”!

In 2016 and beyond, countries are going to continue to refine the weaponization of information. If most of that information is now stored on the worldwide web, then that is where the fight is going to move to, it already has. Why do you think the US and others are spending Billions of dollars on cyber operations? The fact of the matter is, everyone is doing it, but some have fewer restrictions on what their government will allow them to do and that means someone or some nation has and will have the advantage.

The story goes the Russians hacked into private emails that painted a very embarrassing picture of the Democratic Party in the US. Stop to ask yourself one question. Why would the Tsar pick Trump over Hillary Clinton? I will tell you why, because the Tsar and his government were and still are convinced that Hillary Clinton was part of an information campaign to unravel the Tsar’s government. Yep. Hillary was part of an information warfare operation. You can imagine how entertaining I found the accusations against the Russians to be. By the way, Hillary is on record stating she believed the Putin administration should be defeated! Gee, I wonder why the Tsar was out to get her.

Are there boundaries to the concept of information warfare? No. Should elections and the ability to influence elections be placed off limits? No. No, because it would never hold. What happened in the US elections cycle is nothing new. It will happen again. It will happen at the hands of the West, the East and anyone else who sees information that can further their plans.

Here is a bit of advice that I fully believe no politician can ever follow. Don’t send emails that might embarrass you or incriminate you. Did anyone happen to notice the emails that were hacked were never disputed as being factual? Yes, I know towards the end, Hillary’s camp tried to say the emails were forged, but unfortunately for her camp, the ability to show authenticity is well known. How dare someone leak emails that shows how dishonest a politician is!

It’s the 21^st century and the worldwide web, social media are only going to become more complex. The ability to communicate without someone knowing your true intentions is always going to be a risk that will have to be weighed.

In the end, this story is a few thousand years old and something tells me releasing a few emails is going to be seen as child’s play compared to what will happen in the future. 

CHINA AND RUSSIA. PRESIDENT TRUMP MAY JUST  BE A CHESS PLAYER. 

With all the hysteria taking place with the Progressives in the US over the Tsar evidently being responsible for Trump wining the US election, it’s no wonder two very important messages by the new team heading for DC have been overlooked. By the way, the Russians had about as much to do with Trump’s victory as a goat did with keeping the Chicago Cubs out of the World Series for over a hundred years, but Ill address this whole Russian hacking issue in the next few days.

Okay, I stated two significant events have taken place in the past week or so and these two events are clear indications of just how the Trump team is possibly going to play ball. I’m not sure who has picked up on these two events and has tied them together in an effort to understand the Trump doctrine line, but I would be willing to bet a few nations out there have interpreted the message loud and clear.

Taiwan:

The liberal based media in the US almost screamed on air when the story of the now famous phone call broke. Democrats rushed to the news podium to get their 15 sec of fame by declaring Trump was breaking long standing protocol. You know, the same politician that spend every election talking about all the “change” they are going to bring to DC. “He’s going to anger the Chinese”. “He’s ignorant on Foreign Policy”. “He doesn’t know what he is doing”! Really? Did the man not say from day one he was going to take a hard, but fair stance on international trade? Never the less, for several days after this phone call event, all one could hear or read in Western media was how Trump was already “rocking the boat” and how it was going to lead to dangerous actions with the Dragon. Progressives were still running around in circles screaming over the phone call event stopping only long enough to talk about how the Tsar had rigged the elections when the next “message” from Trump was placed on the world’s  table.

Mr. Tillerson :

What? Good grief! All Trump is doing is taking care of his Billionaire Friends. Why….the whole county is going to be run by Billionaires under Trump; as if it’s not already so. If you tuned into US news last week, this is basically the story line you would have heard. Even some of the professionally entrenched Republicans pulled out the Tsar card once again. “Why….this man is a friend of Putin…..he even got an award by Putin”! Remember what I said the other day about the Twin Brothers….Ignorance and Arrogance?   

So, what are these two messages and what are the expectations for response? What is Trump up to here?

In the case of Taiwan, I’ve read a few folks who have caught on to the concept of Trump starting his negotiations on trade from a stance of, ‘If you don’t work with me, then I’ll openly support twain”. Now, he’s not come right out and stated that, at least I don’t think he has, but the message is clear. He is going to take a hard stance and then give himself some room for compromise. Yep. If you are in Taiwan, don’t start wearing Trump T-shirts just yet.

What made Trump believe he could start the process with the Dragon from such a hard stance? Isn’t the rest of the world supposed the hide under the table when it comes to the topic of trade with China? Why, if you make them mad, they will call in your debt and you will be ruined. If they decide to stop selling to you, you will no longer reap the benefits of Child Labor or Force Labor Camp products. You might actually have to pay union made, union level pay, products. Your IPhone might cost 3 thousand dollars and not be free with your two year subscription with AT@T.  Bottom line, don’t anger the Dragon. Let him have his way and it will all be ok. Wrong, but a nice, progressive, passive viewpoint defended on the campuses of the West.

Here is what I think Trump realizes and now is the time for me to say something I’ve been holding back on saying about the Dragon for a long time. It’s ok to kick sand in the face of the Dragon! It can’t afford to fly over your village and burn it to the ground. Here is the dark little secret that most of the Chinese leadership actually understands. Years ago, the Chinese George Washington, Moe, made a comment about going to nuclear war with the West. I won’t quote his statement word for word, but his point was this. In the morning, a Chinese man gets up and goes to a well to get water. In the morning, a Western man gets his water from the faucet. The day after a nuclear war with China, the Chinese man still goes to the well to get water. The Western man has no water and no way to get water. His point was this. The West has more to lose than China and thus, the West will not go to nuclear war with China. My oh my, how times have changed, well, maybe! A little over 30 years ago, the Chines came up with the idea of building a military that could stand up to the West and they would build this military by developing an economic model that mirrored Western Capitalism.  Goods that would be made by the massive Chinese population would be sold around the world at prices so cheap, everyone would buy them. As time went on the amount of capital the Chinese would take in would pay for a massive military buildup. You see, at some point, the Dragon adopted Lenin’s philosophy, “The West will sell us the rope we will hang them with”! The Dragon would rise to become the world power based on cheap toys. Well, it worked! But, my favorite action took place. Yes, “The Law of Unintended Consequences”.  In the process of building this economic engine to power the military buildup, the population of China benefited.  Good old fashion greed and self-fulfillment also took root in China’s society. The profits were so good, they were too good! Yes, over 500 million people in China still go to that well Moe spoke of, but the people who make the country work, the ones that built the economic engine the military needed and still needs, they have a lifestyle that they have grown accustom to. Burning down everything they have and all their dreams over the sake of Taiwan, well, that is the question. In the 21^st century China, the internet, and social media has the people who run that economic machine communicating with about 3 billion other people in the world. Social stability in China is China’s number one concern. The concept of expending commercial goods on Chines citizens and not just selling everything to the rest of the world has everything to do with keeping the masses happy in China. That process has been underway for over two years now and anyone who is watching knows what China is really worried about. Its own people, that’s what! If you want a poster child for a land of ‘haves and have-nots” China is place. Sorry Moe, but the Dragon can no longer simply go back to the well the day after a nuclear war with the West and the idea of having to do that may just see the government tossed out by 500 million protesters.

This is a storyline Trump may understand. It may be a story line that he has been briefed on. People who understand how this all works, people like Henry Kissinger, are still out there; not many, but they are. Bring the Chinese to the table and tell them it is time for fair trade, balanced trade and non-manipulated currency and let’s see what takes place.  Yes, this is not a Foreign Policy, bureaucratic standpoint, but Trump is not a Bureaucrat. He is a businessman.

Now, I am fully aware the Dragon may not like this initial stance, but the messenger is handpicked, Brandstad, and he is one that knows the Dragon well. Let’s see how the first round of talks go. Speaking of messengers that know the players, let’s move on to the next topic.

Mr. Tillerson knows Putin, but stop to think about what that really means. What is the Center of Gravity for the Russian Empire and the dreams of its Tsar? Fuel! Fuel is more of a leverage point for the Russians than all of their nuclear weapons combined, weapons that can’t be used for anything other than revenge.  Just how many deals do you think have taken place over the years between Gazprom and Exxon? Just imagine the conversations that between the two companies. Gazprom does what Putin wants it to do and Gazprom is just as important to him as his military. Where are the dope deals? Who made them? Where are the skeletons buried? What are the weaknesses of the Russian fuel industry and how can they be leveraged? Who would know these things better than Exxon? If you know the oil / gas / industry, then you know there are no real “rules” as to how business is done and what pockets need to be filled. Believe me when I tell you, Mr. Tillerson is a brilliant move by Trump. I would have loved to have been in the room when someone walked in and informed the Tsar that Tillerson was on Trump’s radar for Secretary of State. He’s a “friend” yes! But, he is the friend that knows way….way…too much about you and your past! There are parts of the world were politicians don’t run the show. In this part of the world, the politician show up, line their pockets and leave. This part of the world is run by the fuel industry and Exxon and Gazprom rule that part of the world.

Fuel is the life blood of Russia and Mr. Tillerson knows what blood type the Tsar has.

This is going to be interesting as long as the idiots in the US House don’t turn Tillerson into a typical party on party pissing match. He is absolutely the right choice! The Tsar is the most dangerous man in the world and the most cunning. Priority one for Trump needs to be figuring out how to work with the Tsar.

Okay. This two message theory of mine has a dangerous side. Anger. Both the Dragon and the Tsar may not take kindly to the new US President coming out of the box so cunningly. Frankly, the world is use to clueless US Presidents for the past few decades and someone who at the surface seems to be thinking ahead of the game, well, that is something new.

There will be no World Apology Tour in January of 2017. There will be no mindless drive to force Western Democracy on everyone in the rest of the world. The US may, just may, finally have a Chess Player and he is about to sit down at the table and tap the clock! 

RUSSIA’S UPDATED FOREIGN POLICY STRATEGY.  HINTS OF CHANGE?

Yet another example of an important event taking place that just seems to have slipped by the major networks took place two weeks ago. Honestly, It wasn’t until a few days ago, when I was reading this article, that I realized the Tsar had released his countries’ updated Foreign Policy Strategy.

Now, you might ask, “so what”? Why should the average Joe on the street care what this document states? Well, if you like seeing dramatic events take place on the major news networks as you tilt you head like a dog hearing a loud noise, if you like having a major event explained to you because some 30 year old Blond with spiked heels and a slit dress is translating the event for you, our you wait for the plastic hair looking political leader to scramble for airtime in order to look important / gain votes / after a two minute brief from one of their staffers, then simply stop reading what I am about to say. If you are just a little inquisitive as to how your world may be impacted by major events, then let’s travel on.

Major Policy documents by dominant powers in the world, such as this one, are scrutinized long before they are officially released.  A virtual legion of analyst, from multiple countries are assigned to track documents like this one twenty-four hours a day, 365 days out of the year. What is going to be said, what does certain statements “really mean”? These are the questions that billions of dollars are allocated towards with the single goal of finding the most accurate answers. By the time the actual documents are released, the typical reaction is, did it say what everyone anticipated it would say? Just how good was the intelligence community that worked on the project?  

Two schools of thought:

1.       These documents are gospel!

They announce to the world the absolute intent of the nation that released it.  They provide a window into the inner workings of those who call the shots. They are often filled with “hidden meanings….. Subliminal messaging….words between the words”!!!! Hint. This is the area the intelligence community lives for. The geeky guys and girls who have spent their whole lives studying the people who draft the documents. The ones that know the name of the Tsar’s first dog and his second grade teacher’s maiden name. Hollywood loves to portray these folks in just about every government based thriller.

Industry thrives on these documents. Billions or even Trillions of dollars are influenced by what these documents state. The Defense Industry and their Lobbyist spend almost as much time preparing for this level of document as the intelligence industry does and as a matter of fact, if you are about to leave the intelligence industry and want to find a home with the private industry, just show your value by supporting one of the concepts that will be pithed based on the findings of the document. From the industry standpoint, the ability to secure the next generation gadget is based on two issues. One, classified intelligence that shows research and  production and second, documents that state what strategic direction the nation claims they are heading. We must have the new widget given the enemy clearly states they are going to utilize the concept of the widget. The Arm’s Race concept in a very simplistic viewpoint.

2.      These documents are not worth the paper they are written on!

Some see this level of documentation as nothing more than a ploy or even worse, disinformation. Make a few bold statements about what you intend on doing and then watch to see how your enemy reacts. Can you get your enemy to expend billions on concepts that are worthless? Once again, one of the favorite concepts for the intelligence community. Are the statements true if so, what can they find to back them up? Again, billions are spent on trying to determine if the statements are factual or are they a ploy?

Do nations actually follow what they put on paper? Are these documents truly a guideline for what they intend on doing or are they simply required homework, the next is a series of episodes that have a timeline for production? You know, are they simply going through the motions? Imagine how confusing it would be if a nation wrote several of these over a period of time and never followed half of what they said, oh ya, that is usually what happens, and then suddenly they make some dramatic change in strategy? The opposition intelligence community would have a nervous breakdown. With all the overanalyising that takes place mixed in with political leveraging for prestige or party positioning, how is it that any nation can truly determine if a strategic document is worthy of reacting to?

Hugely complex and astronomically important to fiscal expenditure, a Foreign Policy Strategy release by the Russians is vital to every nation that looks across the table at the Tsar. Why did this topic not come up in the past two weeks? Well, in DC the thought process is the common Joe on the Street doesn’t care and wouldn’t understand and even worse…… they are not capable of understanding.   If you disagree, pull this document of the internet and read it and then you decide what it means to you.

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/12/middle-east-russia-foreign-policy-strategy.html

WITH THE US SANCTIONS ON IRAN TO CONTINUE, WHAT ARE IRAN’S OPTIONS?

As usual, the news and events of the world continue to move at an every quickening pace. As I have said before, this pace makes it extremely easy to overlook key events that are not wrapped in blood or bombs or scandal….you know… the key ingredients Western Media looks for. “Like the song said, “Get the Widow on the set”!

So, the US has extended the sanctions on Iran? Not sure the common Joe in the US knows are cares, but most do think the nuclear weapons deal was a bad move. The Republican held House and Senate absolutely thought so and still do. Even several of the middle of the road Democrats, not many of them left, agreed. But in the end, with all the others events taking place in the US, the story of these sanctions being extended for ten more years, well, it never grabbed anyone’s attention, in the US that is.

The Iranian perspective:

Did anyone in DC really think through the impact the decision to continue the sanctions would have on the pending Iranian elections? I would hope so, but then again, it is DC.

Did anyone rationalize the move to continue the sanctions might strengthen the standing of the “Hardliners” in Iran; as if the “Moderates” were some Liberal group of thinkers?  Probably and if so, what logic did they apply to the process? My bet is this was yet another round of, “let’s defy what the White House wants to do and not really contemplate the second and third order effects of our actions. Okay, before you start twitching, no I do not support the Obama Administration’s stance on the nuclear deal with Iran. It was a disaster and a ploy by the Iranians from day one. What the US ended up with is both sides of the political spectrum making poorly thought out decisions.  

Can the Iranians really afford to walk away from the deal? No. To openly announce continuation of their program, something they are doing anyway, would bring them that much closer to devastation at the hands of the IDF. As I have said time and time again, never ever believe that Israel will ask for permission to attack Iran’s program.

Are the outcomes of the pending elections really open to external influence?  Doesn’t Khamenei and his gang actually control who runs? That might be why DC decided to move forward. What does it matter? Again, let’s hope that DC utilized that much brain matter on the decision.  By the way, with the turmoil in the quest for power in Iran, post Khamenei, the absolute control of how the voting may go could be questionable. Yep, there is a chance the crisis in Iran is deeper than we know. You see, it’s no longer about “Hardliners” or “Moderates”. It’s about who the next Khamenei is going to be.

What options do the Iranians have? Like I said earlier, they can’t just walk away from the agreement, but, they have other options. Shia militias, controlled / supported / by Iran are now operational in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yamen and their ability to destabilize the GCC is always on the table.  I just have to wonder if they anticipated the move by the US from the very beginning. If so, then the “actions” they claim they may take have been well thought out. As a reminder, they never intended to live by this agreement to begin with.

Changes:

With the reality of the Iranian nuclear agreement coming back into play, we should ask ourselves, “Has anything changed”? Well, the leadership in the US has changed and changed dramatically. The involvement of the Russians in the region has “Changed” almost as dramatically as the US leadership. The Iranian involvement, open involvement, in the region has changed is a dramatic manner. So, not only has there been “Change”, there has been widespread, dramatic change!

What does all of this “Change” mean for the agreement? Oh, did I mention how distracted the European members of the initial negotiation team have become? My hunch is, the issue of the Iranian nuclear program is going to rise to nearly the top of the “ need to do something” list for the inbound US President.

Yep, this story just kind of slipped on by a few weeks ago, but I have a feeling the topic is heading back to the front page sooner than many realize.

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/12/iran-council-monitoring-jcpoa-nuclear-deal-isa-reaction.html

DECEMBER 7^TH 1941 A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY….OR DOES IT?

As the old saying goes, “Time marches on”.  Seventy-five years after the attack at Pearl Harbor how much attention should the nation give this event? The US “Big Three, CNN, FOX and  MSNBC……. well, two of them had small, below the line stories leading off this morning and I am surprised MSNBC didn’t run a story showing that Pearl Harbor was the US’s fault!  Yes, most of those who fought in WWII are gone, but not all……..not all of them. Oceans turn into Mountains, Forrest turn into Deserts…time marches on! Is there really a reason to honor this day with more than a below the line story? Politicians will let the day pass by with barely a comment as there are simply no votes to be gained by talking about it.  What does it matter? Does the nation still celebrate the surrender of the South at the end of the Civil War? Does it recognize the date Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown? These are two very significant events in the US’s history and 99.9 percent of the nation doesn’t even know what year they took place. The US is filled with the “Now society”….you know… Janet’s line…..” What have you done for me lately”? So in the words of the person who won the popular vote in the US, Hillary Clinton, “What does it matter”? It’s in the past!

History:

One of the most abused topics in the US society. Yes, history is often recorded with rose colored glasses on, but knowing enough about one’s history to see discrepancies thus allowing one to ask questions, that is a concept lost with the US culture. Many societies understand their past and celibate events that are thousands of years old and please don’t comment that the US does the same by using Christmas as your example. For those of you that don’t know it, Christmas is about the birth of a Savior and Christianity, not the US and Black Friday sales. Sorry, it’s not a concept initiated in the US.

Should a society drive on? Should the living reach a point where the events of the past are simply not worthy of taking time out of a busy day to contemplate?

 Is it healthy to dwell on the tragedies of the past and if so, for how long?

Pearl Harbor Day was never made a national holiday. How important could it be?

Lessons from History:

What’s the old saying? “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it”.  What does the history of Pearl Harbor have to teach the people of the US? Was the lesson paid for by those who died in that war lost? Does anyone in the US ever stop to ask themselves such a question? “What does it matter”?

On December 7^th 1941 one nation attacked another. One nation was convinced the attack must happen in order to secure their position of strength in the Pacific. One nation who feared such an event was perhaps going to happen, simply refused to make hard decisions at the right moment in time. Arrogance and ignorance are the twin Brothers of poor leadership. The War in the Pacific was underway on that day, at least for the US. The struggle for power and dominance was once again the excuse for death on a massive scale.  National survival was the battle cry, on both sides of the battlefield.

Why do nations go to war? Why do political and sometimes military leaders convince themselves that others must toss their lives onto the fires of conflict? What lessons were missed prior to a war that could have been avoided with a better understanding of “History”?  How important should the lessons from man’s history be to those who are in a position of power?

On December 7^th 1941, the US society was tossed onto the fires of war. How important is it to understand the events that impact the whole of a nation’s society?

Is it worth taking the time to study some seventy-five years later?

Are the people of the United States distend to repeat history?

It’s 2016 and in the Pacific sits a Dragon. A Dragon who is growing more and more convinced its ability to survive in the region is being pressured by another nation.  

Was Pearl Harbor really a “surprise attack”?

Will the US fail to understand its history?

Does history really repeat itself? 

“THE IRANIAN EMPIRE IS BACK”?   WHAT?...... WHAT “EMPIRE”?

Far more often than not, I agree with and even admire the writers that are posted on NOW, but this particular article by Hussain Abdul- Hussain clearly misses the primary mark and perhaps for a logical reason. It’s not unusual for the writers in the Middle East to look at the world through the eyes of someone who was born and raised in the region. Actually, provincial perspective is common, even in the world of information based on the internet.  Are the Iranian’s or as I refer to them, the Persians, attempting to leverage their position in the region? Yes, of course they are.  Again, not that uncommon in the region. The struggle for dominance is a daily event in many parts of the world.  But, unfortunately for this Author, this particular story is missing a key ingredient.

Question:

Given the complexity of the Middle East, given the absence of US exceptionalism and leadership, is Iran really in a position to make changes to the region or even the religion of over a billion people without true Super Powers having a say in what Iran attempts? No. the short answer is NO! Here is the explanation of the “NO” answer. The region is what it has been since the end of the First World War. It’s political, economic chessboard utilized by global powers. It’s a slice of the world that has deep religious overtones on a majority of the world’s believers. It’s was, but is now a decreasing cog in the economic engine that has run the motors of the world. Oil! It’s for all of these reasons the region has not been allowed to decide its own fate for centuries. So, two significant issues shape the actions of the Middle East. Religion and oil! Iran’s ability to control ether of these two topics will simply never be allowed. Granted, the issue of oil and the dependency of several regional governments on oil is changing as I write this post. The future of the Middle East being able to leverage oil prices has been declining for several years now and some even predict the immanent collapse of this influence.  But, nothing is taking place or is about to take place that would convince other powers in the world to allow the Persians to simply take over the helm of the Middle Eastern Dhow!

Reality:

As much as many of the writers in the Middle East are worried about the pending aggressiveness of the Iranians, the truth is, Iran is still a Puppet, even if they don’t like it or don’t admit to the statement. Where do the strings of the Puppet end? Moscow! Yes, Moscow. If you don’t believe that, then you are missing the complexities of the game being played by the real world powers. Just as many of the people in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon may not admit the Persians control their fate, the average Persian on the street most likely doesn’t realize the Moscow Puppet Master reality. “Soft Power”. A 21^st century topic that usually ends up in the writings of some Western Military Officer trying to pass a Professional Military Education class for the sake of being promoted. What most of us do understand is the concept of “passive aggression”.  What the Tsar has been successful with executing on the Persians is a classic example of ether topic. Not unlike the West, at least the West before the death of American Exceptionalism, a classic plot of getting your Puppet addicted to your military hardware, your “support” in many, often unforeseen, areas is exactly what the Russians have accomplished with Iran.  Do you need an example? Where would the fight in Syria be without Russian support? Does anyone think that Iranian Air Force could have accomplished anything near what the Russians have?  Why do we never seen the Iranian fighters in the skies working in a combined operation….ground…air… host nation operation? Because they can’t. What they can do is hold demonstrations, parades and flyovers. That is what they can do. Never…..EVER… let you enemy see your vulnerability and the Iranian Air Force is a joke and thus exposing the truth not only to those that already now, but to the world media, that would be disastrous.

Bottom Line:

The Persians are not capable of dictating to the region what is going to take place. The Persians may not admit it, but they are not the masters of their own fate. The region is still too important to other true world powers and the decisions on what will take place in the region will not be made in the Persian capital. Yes, the Persians will be manipulated, knowing and unknowingly by “others” and on the surface, it may appear they are calling the shots. They are not and they will not. Here is what scares me. Sometime unsupervised children do stupid things and the parents only find out after the mess has been made. “Johnny… I thought told you to not color on your walls”? What the Tsar uses the Persians for and what messes they make, that is the dangerous part of this story.

https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/commentaryanalysis/567528-the-iranian-empire-is-back

CASTRO AND THOSE WHO SPOKE WELL OF HIM.

I guess no single newline could have shown the profound difference between the administration that is currently representing the US and the one that is soon to be coming to power than the death of Castro.  By the way, did you notice I stated “represents” and not “ Runs” when mentioning the office of the Presidency of the United States? For the record, I count against the ranks of those who firmly believe the President of the US works for the people and as such, he or she represents. “Running / in power / is in charge/ all are statements of Command. Yes the President is the Commander in Chief when the time is needed for him or her to be so, but day to day, day in and day out, that person works for the citizens of the US. Sometimes they need to be reminded and by the way, that is what happened on Nov 8^th of 2016. Okay, back to my issue of Castro.

When I first heard some of the statements being made by people around the world about Castro’s death, I patiently waited to see who would strike first in the US. The current President or the President Elect? Now, I anticipated  what the difference was going to be in the description of Castro as seen from the minds of President Obama and President Trump, but I will admit, President Obama’s “Official” statement about letting history see  where Castro memory is held was almost shocking! As for President Elect Trump, well, he is and will be a “shoot from the hip” kind of guy and we will have to see what that holds for US. But, it’s the current President’s stance that made me sit down and contemplate just how far left he truly is. Only the loyal, liberal Socialist of the world could possibly portray Castro as a figure that might have his place in history altered to overlook the crimes against humanity he was guilty of. If someone is under the age of 60 and gained their knowledge of Castro from Universities and the daydreaming fools that teach there, then it’s very posable Castro’s image might be twisted to the point of the “Greater Cause”, the “Collective” and how he was one of their Champions. As an example, just look at the people who wear clothing with pictures of Che Guevara on the front of their shirts or his famous hat. It’s “Cool”! I’m convinced that President Obama is one of those followers who at a very young age, dreamed of meeting Castro or even seeing his cause championed throughout the world. How could he possibly say anything disrespectful of Castro, but not anger those in the nation still old enough or knowledgeable enough to know the real Castro? Oh ya…. What about the Democrats worrying over the Latino vote? Yep, most Democrats are still ignorant enough to think Latinos give a damn about leftwing killers like Castro. It’s that whole Che Tshirt concept at the political party level.

It’s always amazed me that a group of people who get a daily intelligence dump / analysis / of just about anything going on in the world that might impact the nation often have no clue as to the history of the nation or the events in the world that shaped the US. I say US because sadly, many of the other world leaders are very knowledgeable of their countries history as distorted as it sometimes may be.

Mr. Castro. I don’t refer to him with his first name attached because to me, that is giving him some level of accreditation and the good Lord knows I would never do that. So, who was Mr. Castro?

Let me give you a picture of Castro. Let me tell you a story that may help you decide where he belongs in the history of the Human Race. No, I’m not going to talk about the Guerilla movements in Central or South America and his support for them. No, I’m not going to address his actions in Africa and the Puppet Strings the Soviet Union had on him as they worked to counter the West. You see, most of those arguments end with the same old worn-out rebuttal. “Well…the US and the West has done horrible things as well”!  Governance. Perhaps its definition in Webster should include, “the ability to justify cruel and destructive acts all in the name of people”? But, I’m not here to defend the acts of any government. I am making a point about Mr. Castro.

The Cuban Missile Crisis!

Was it Castro’s idea to place nuclear weapons on Cuban soil?

No.

Castro was a loyal Puppet and was more than happy to show his Masters in Moscow his desire to do their bidding. But, Castro was more than that. Castro was a very angry and very disturbed College Campus bread radical! Castro was mentally unstable and for those of you who are Castro fans, sorry, but it’s true. If you wish to insert the typical, “but the US and the Capitalist…..” feel free to do so, but I am going to drive on towards my point.

 Castro was a puppet of Moscow. It’s also true Castro dreamed of being the supreme leader of all the Latin America countries. If the Russians were successful in bringing communist rule to the Western world, then Castro would rightfully be chosen to rule over the Americas…. That new part of that new world order. War with the Capitalist West would lead to Castro being the leader of Latin America or even the Americas all together. Well, that is what he believed…that is what he dreamed of. His support to the Soviets and the KGB in Africa. His support to the IRA and to the Palestinians, none of that was to simply help those who thought like him. He was buying love. He was buying support from the one nation that had a philosophy he was indoctrinated in and could truly change the course of history in Latin America. The one nation that could make him the most powerful man in the Americas. So, helping to kill innocent bystanders, teaching radical members how to bomb the innocent to the point they would hopefully force their political leaders to come to terms with the Revolutionaries, that was acceptable to a power-hungry dreamer like Castro. Yes. To Mr. Castro, it was all about his place in history.

 When the time came and Castro’s Masters in Moscow decided the nuclear weapons in Turkey, on the Russian border, where no longer tolerable, Castro was told of a plan. A plan to place the same type weapons on his beloved Cuba; the Cuba he told by force. Eager to finally see the “Revolution” get underway, eager to see the arrogant Capitalist brought to their knees, Castro was more than willing to take this leap into warfare. It’s accurate to say that Castro was even euphoric over the idea of having nuclear weapons on Cuban land.  In his mind the time for war had come and the outcome was going to be the Communist utopia he had dreamed of. But, like with all dreams, he had to wake up at some point. He had to realize the deals to avoid a nuclear war were going to be struck without his input. After all, he was just a C Team puppet and his Masters in Moscow would strike the deals and never even allow him to read the notes.

Castro was a violent man and a very angry man and bad news never sat well with him. When it became clear to him the Soviets were not going to launch a nuclear war with the US and start his rise to power, his frustration was clear. The stories, validated stories by the Russians themselves of Castro’s anger are not only true, they are documented. His anger grew to the point that he demanded, yes, demanded the tactical nukes on his land be turned over to him. Castro wanted to control the ability to release those tactical weapons. The idea of Moscow agreeing to such a demand was and is still laughable. In the end, the weapon went home, the First Strike capabilities of the Soviet Union was removed from Cuba and shortly afterwards, quietly, the same took place in Tukey….well….maybe!  Side note. With the perfection of nuclear laden subs, the idea of needing land base, up close tactical nukes was questionable to begin with. It was all more of a political game, a very…very…dangerous game. A game still played today.

So, who was Mr. Castro? Here is my answer. Castro was an angry, mentally unstable power hungry dreamer prone to violence. Castro was the man who demanded he be allowed to attack the US with nuclear weapons and start the war that would lead to his rise to power.  Castro never got his way and he resented the Russians for it for the rest of his life. But, sadly, he had sold his county so far down the Soviet River, the West / US / would never trust Cuba again.

The man that dreamed of nuclear war, the deaths of millions or even billions of people and the destruction of the US and all the Capitalist West stands for died last week.  

How should history “judge” him? The current President says, “Let history judge”.

The President Elect says, “Good riddance”!

I tend to agree with the incoming President and the nuclear war we avoided.

One last note.

 I hear his ashes are in a secret place. How apropos he ended as ashes, for if he had gotten his way that is exactly where he would have ended up.