Posted on 12/18/2024 7:12:21 AM PST by BroJoeK
Peace Through Strength -- 2024 Reagan National Defense Survey was published December 5, 2024 shows:
Putin’s fault. He turned what could have been well of good feelings in to his personal urinal.
We’d all be friends now if not for Putin’s “Would you like to be my neighbor?” campaign against Ukraine in order to Make Russia Soviet Again.
Industrial grade gaslighting here. But plaster Reagan’s name all over the neocon wish list and see if that helps. He would not recognize the goals of DC today.
I'd say that kind of talk is pure propaganda gaslighting -- it seems that you want to turn Reagan into some kind of modern-day isolationist, when he was far from it, just the opposite -- he defeated the USSR without firing a shot!
Of course, Reagan didn't invent the idea of "Peace Through Strength" -- in 1964, "Mr. Conservative" Republican candidate Sen. Barry Goldwater ran against LBJ on a peace through strength platform.
Indeed, the whole idea in the USA goes all the way back to Pres. George Washington in his 1793 State of the Union address:
We and NATO has become the equivalent of the Soviet Union, fomenting color revolution, usurping democracy and representative republics and taking over and sucking resources out of nations.
And, most of the rest of the world views as the world's bully.
We're not helping those in other nations overcome communism and tyranny anymore like we did under Reagan. We'd destabilizing and forcing our sick policies like the LGBT and Green agenda on them.
...he defeated the USSR without firing a shot!......he defeated the USSR without firing a shot!......he defeated the USSR without firing a shot!
Neocon trash have no sense of irony.
Isolationist idiots call Ronald Reagan "neocon trash".
But Reagan proved that US Peace Through Strength works well.
Obama & Biden proved what happens when the US is perceived as weak, divided and/or corrupt.
Trump will restore US Peace Through Strength -- or so he's promised and the vast majority of Trump voters believe he will.
No irony needed.
No, JoeK. I called you neocon trash. Get it right. Peace through Strength is a slogan you neocon idiots attempt to hijack. Proxy and forever wars gain neither peace or strength. You clowns sully Reagan's name at will. You always have.
Our military spending has been tremendous over the years, yet the global competition doesn’t seem intimidated.
What you actually want is a global war with Russia, China, Iran, & N Korea.
That war will likely take place in the next 20 years, and will be a geopolitical and economic disaster for the United States and the world.
Of course, from the Russian Russkiy Mir perspective, everything Russia does is intended to bring Russia "peace through strength".
Kazan: "We and NATO has become the equivalent of the Soviet Union, fomenting color revolution, usurping democracy and representative republics and taking over and sucking resources out of nations."
Only from the Russian perspectives, not from a Western Democratic perspective.
Kazan: "And, most of the rest of the world views as the world's bully."
Only if by "most of the rest", you mean the Axis of Evil Dictators like Russia, CCP China, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba and various African dictatorships.
Kazan: "We're not helping those in other nations overcome communism and tyranny anymore like we did under Reagan.
We'd destabilizing and forcing our sick policies like the LGBT and Green agenda on them."
You won't find the LGBT or Green agendas in MAGA.
By stark contrast: Communism, like fascism & Nazism are all forms of sick & aggressive, expansionist empire building dictatorships, as are today all the countries included in the New Axis of Evil Dictators:
Economist Democracy Index,
Shades of blue = democratic -- Shades of red-black = dictatorships:
Kazan Tatarstan Russia:
Sorry, but every word of your diatribe here is just lies and nonsense.
The truth begins with: "Peace Through Strength" was Reagan's slogan and he practiced it to a degree that nobody today even understands.
For starters, Reagan's defense spending was double today's as a percentage of US GDP.
For another, Reagan, like Barry Goldwater in 1964, was not afraid to threaten the Soviets with nuclear annihilation and make them believe it.
For another, Reagan used US military forces against America's enemies in Central America, the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Africa, Middle East and Persian Gulf, especially against Iran.
Reagan's 8-year forever proxy war in Afghanistan against the USSR:
As for "proxy wars", during the Iraq-Iran War of 1980 to 1988, the US provided Iraq around $50 billion in aid, in today's equivalent dollars -- there's your "proxy war".
Do you need another Reagan "proxy war" -- Reagan provided the Afghan Mujahideen about $30 billion in today's equivalent dollars during their "forever" "proxy war" against the Old Soviet Union -- Russia -- throughout the eight years of Reagan's terms.
And as for "forever wars", no modern era war lasted longer than Cold War I, 45+ years from the end of WWII until the USSR fell in 1991.
Sure, Reagan is rightly given credit for winning the Cold War, but the USSR didn't actually collapse until nearly three years after Reagan left office in January 1989.
So Reagan fought the "forever war", the Cold War for the entire length of his two terms, plus half of GHW Bush's term as well.
So, who exactly, were the "neocons" -- Reagan? Goldwater? George Washington?
Naw, it's all just nonsense from our pro-Russians, hoping to win in the propaganda war what you can never win elsewhere.
Then you know nothing, zero, about US military spending.
The fact is that US military spending has declined steadily since the end of the Second World War, roughly as follows:
US Defense Spending as % of GDP:
But it's not what I "want" that matters, rather, it's what those countries want.
Cold War I ended when the Communist countries of Russia, China and North Korea stopped fighting it.
Cold War II has begun, or will begin, when those countries decide they want another Cold War.
So, it's not you and I who decide on war, it's the new Axis of Evil Dictators.
unclebankster: "That war will likely take place in the next 20 years, and will be a geopolitical and economic disaster for the United States and the world."
Cold War II will have the same ending as Cold War I, if and only if, the US and our allies stand strong against the new Axis of Evil Empires.
These numbers slightly understate total defense spending, but the trendline is accurate:
What percentage would you like to spend on the military with yearly receipts and outlays not even close on federal spending?
I’m open to an increase in military spending that makes strategic sense, but they better be offset by spending cuts elsewhere.
That is absolutely bullsh$t.
What I am saying is objectively true and the vast majority of the world knows it.
We fomented an illegal coup Ukraine. Victoria Nuland, the Neocon Queen of Death, Lindsey Graham and John McCain all went to Ukraine to encourage the Maiden coup. The CIA worked on the ground, just the FBI did on J6, to orchestrate the coup.
The people of Crimea, Donetsk and Lugansk, by overwhelmingly margins voted for a President was ILLEGALLY driven out of office. And, all three regions, JUSTIFIABLY SO, sought their independence.
The Ukrainian nationalists that took over proceeded to persecute and target the people in Donetsk and Lugansk. Ukrainian tanks rolled into Mariupol and had a firefight with local police. Protesters in Odessa, organizing a petition drive against the coup, were locked in a trade union building by a Ukrainian mob AND BURNED TO DEATH.
Russia tried to prevent this war by brokering the Minsk Accords, which would have give Donetsk and Lugansk autonomy but kept both within Ukraine. Ukraine signed and reneged on the Accords.
You're the one pushing propaganda, propaganda coming from the sleaziest source -- Deep State.
I have little many of you posting are posting from the same place and our being paid to do so.
Deep State is menace to the country and free world.
But, get this through your skull -- the annexed territory is never, ever, ever going to part of Ukraine again by the choice of those that live there.
And, whether you like that fact or don't, start learning to live with it.
Trump ending the war. He's not going to double down on Biden's policies.
One can see by the military spending graph why Trump has been urging the NATO/EU countries to increase their military spending to 3% of GDP. One useful but concerning thing Trump did was work with our military to be sure our nuclear subs had atomic weapons that were less than city destroyers. We now have tactical nuclear weapons to use should Russia start to get happy with using that kind of weapon. Since most of the winds blow from West to East, Russia would not be happy with the results should they decide to use tactical nukes, as folks like Medvidev have hinted.
As to China, it had appeared to be moving to a more reasonable world policy and we were certainly making good use of their cheap labor. Several years ago I was watching with interest and concern how Xi was working to take over the country, and sidelining other Chinese leaders who appeared to have a more promising attitude toward some level of democratic people policies. Xi did an effective job of sidelining such people. Now we are bringing back certain key industries, like quality chip production; and also distributing the buying of cheap labor products to other low wage countries like Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, and South East asian countries.
The only answer is: whatever it takes to achieve Peace Through Strength, as determined by military and strategic experts, and approved by our political leadership.
There's no other answer.
Again, in rough numbers % of GDP, previous wars took:
How high do we need to go?
Are we looking at Cold War levels of threats?
If so, then we are talking about doubling the US defense budget.
unclebankster: "I’m open to an increase in military spending that makes strategic sense, but they better be offset by spending cuts elsewhere."
Of course -- indeed our own profligate spending is arguably a greater threat to US national security than any foreign adversary.
So, ideally, the Federal budget should be balanced and put into surplus to pay down national debt.
We can also reduce debt to GDP ratios by increasing economic growth -- hence the value of tax cuts.
Bottom line is that Federal government's first responsibility is national defense, as optimized with overall economic prosperity -- and whatever it takes to achieve those needs to be done, imho.
The Old World Order (since 1945)
US allies (blue), partners (green) and enemies (red), not 100% accurate:
Kazan: "That is absolutely bullsh$t.
What I am saying is objectively true and the vast majority of the world knows it."
But you've provided us no facts to support your claims and "the world" you point to is simply a figment of your own overactive imagination.
In fact, "the world" is vastly different from your own "Russkiy Mir" fantasies.
Kazan: "We fomented an illegal coup Ukraine.
Victoria Nuland, the Neocon Queen of Death, Lindsey Graham and John McCain all went to Ukraine to encourage the Maiden coup.
The CIA worked on the ground, just the FBI did on J6, to orchestrate the coup."
Stooge-traitor Yanukovych with Vlad the Invader:
Every word of that, especially "illegal coup" is pure Russian propaganda nonsense.
Kazan: "The people of Crimea, Donetsk and Lugansk, by overwhelmingly margins voted for a President was ILLEGALLY driven out of office.
And, all three regions, JUSTIFIABLY SO, sought their independence."
And all of that is also Russian propaganda.
The truth is that Putin's stooge-traitor Yanukovych was constitutionally removed -- by Parliament (Verkhovna Rada's) vote of 328 to zero -- from the office he had already fled, to Moscow, and then treasonously invited Vlad to invade Ukraine!
Further, in no country on earth, including the US, is impeachment of a president considered legally valid justification for declaring secession and war against your government.
Kazan: "The Ukrainian nationalists that took over proceeded to persecute and target the people in Donetsk and Lugansk.
Ukrainian tanks rolled into Mariupol and had a firefight with local police.
Protesters in Odessa, organizing a petition drive against the coup, were locked in a trade union building by a Ukrainian mob AND BURNED TO DEATH."
And the Russian propaganda just never ends with you, does it?
The truth is:
Flag of Russian occupiers in Mariupol, "Novorussiya":
Russian "Little Green Men" in Ukraine, March 9, 2014:
Minsk II required Russian forces to meet several conditions, which they never did, including:
Kazan: "You're the one pushing propaganda, propaganda coming from the sleaziest source -- Deep State.
I have little many of you posting are posting from the same place and our being paid to do so.
Deep State is menace to the country and free world."
Obviously, from the perspective of the Russian Ministry for Agitation and Propaganda, regarding any facts which don't support your Russian narrative, those must be labeled as "enemy propaganda" and discredited with whatever accusations are felt necessary to discount any opposing facts.
So, if you wish to claim that every Western independent news source is to be discredited and only the Russian Ministry for Agitation and Propaganda can be credited as "truth tellers", then everyone can make their own judgments as to the reliability of Kazan Tatarstan Russia.
Prigozhin's IRA Troll Factory, St. Petersburg, Russia:
As for who is or is not being paid -- the world today knows of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Internet Research Agency (IRA), aka: "Troll Factory," based in St. Petersburg, Russia, finally dissolved, along with Prigozhin himself in July 2023.
The Troll Factory's function was to infect social media sites like Free Republic with Russian propaganda.
How successful were they? Nobody has been able to quantify the answer.
Today Prigozhin himself is gone, though not forgotten, and any number of other malicious state actors in Russia, China and Iran are still doing the same work.
As for me personally, I get paid by the US government every month in the form of a Social Security check -- but I consider that a return on investment, not compensation for services rendered.
And, unless you define Pres. Trump as "Deep State", that has nothing to do with my support here.
Kazan: "But, get this through your skull -- the annexed territory is never, ever, ever going to part of Ukraine again by the choice of those that live there.
And, whether you like that fact or don't, start learning to live with it.
Trump ending the war.
He's not going to double down on Biden's policies."
As of today, we don't know the outcome of negotiations on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, or even if there will be negotiations.
As of today, every side is laying down its maximum acceptable conditions and nobody knows what, if anything, will result from negotiations.
However, I think we can expect most or all of the following:
Trump, Macron & Zelensky in Paris, December 7, 2024
Trump wearing blue & gold for the occasion:
Thank you for your post.
I greatly appreciate your insight and the effort of your research.
Given the $36+ trillion in rapidly rising debt, the pork-laden CR just floated, and more, "offset" is likely not an option as yet.
The Reagan Institute was summarized, but things can get lost in the summarizing, So here is the actual text from the Survey:
"The war in Ukraine divides American public opinion, largely among partisan lines. While many support Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression, concerns about escalation, costs, and strategic implications persist. A plurality (41%) believes Russia is currently winning the war, with this perception more common among 45% of Trump voters. Only 24% think Ukraine is winning, with Harris voters (29%) expressing more optimism than Trump voters (21%). Nearly a quarter (22%) believe neither side is winning.If the Biden administration's last years of "support" are considered as "partisan," per the above, then one asks very simply, from where are the "concerns about escalation, costs, and strategic implications" along the partisan spectrum, given the demonstrable Democrat stance of Biden-Harris?"Expectations for the conflict's outcome also vary: a plurality of one-third (33%) predicts Russia will take over some Ukrainian territory, while a quarter (26%) think the war will drag on indefinitely. Fewer Americans believe Ukraine will fully expel Russia (17%) or that Russia will take over the entire country (14%)."
"A majority (59%) supports Ukraine negotiating for peace, even if it requires conceding some territory to Russia. This view is shared by a majority of both Trump voters (63%) and Harris voters (55%). Concerns about the war's broader implications remain high, with 78% fearing expansion into NATO countries and 75% worried about emboldening other authoritarian regimes to invade democratic neighbors." Pages 8-9
One observes from the survey itself, "perception more common among" -- hmm -- Trump voters.
And the "Harris voters" -- in the text of the Institute's publication -- are "(29%) expressing more optimism than Trump voters (21%). "
Just sayin'.
Reading the entire Survey, rather than someone's summary, is advised. It is very interesting.
“But Reagan proved that US Peace Through Strength works well.
Obama & Biden proved what happens when the US is perceived as weak, divided and/or corrupt.”
Excellent point. Thankyou
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