> [I am] an American who is a professional in this area
Darth, don’t be offended, but you posted this:
“The Rand Corp just put out a study which showed that Russia can destroy NATO on the Eurasian continent in 60 hours.”
If you really do defense as your job then you are really really bad at it as anyone even casually following defense issues as a hobby can see how that statement is bullshit.
Shape up and try to suck less in the future!
It’s called funding a$$hole! If you don’t have it you cannot build an effective force. Go blow it out your ass.
You got the reaction you got, young Anakin, because of a group of alleged "FReepers" who claim to admire Vladimir because he embodies "true Western values." Meaning -- I guess, because there isn't much historically to go on that would support that -- that he hates homos. Now that is strange because this group: tcrlaf, Trumpinator, goldstategop, DTA, varmintman, LTEP are all queer for Putin. One of them even claims to be (or have once been, it's unclear) Spetsnaz.
Vladimir Putin is a worthless POS, KGB murderer, and all-around thug. That's all he is. Luckily -- unlike you -- he understands his limitations.
"Gondor wanes, you say. But Gondor stands, and even the end of its strength is very strong."
Yes, we're diminished. Yes, we need to do something about that. But encouraging a tinpot dictator who's already revealed his larger ambitions to violence by pretending that he's big enough to take us on is a mistake. He isn't.