Other

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Is Trump Showing Signs of Alzheimer’s?


I am going to answer that question right now. A resounding yes!

Trump is angry that the Nobel Committee did not consider him for the Nobel Peace Prize claiming that he ended four wars. I can give him credit for what happened in Israel but what are the other three? There is only one other that I know of and that is Ukraine and he has abandoned them in favor of Russia and Putin in particular. Putin is an enemy of the state but don’t tell Trump that he is wrong in his bromance with Putin. Poland in particular is very wary of Russia as are Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the Baltic countries. They are our allies but Trump does not care, possibly because they are such small countries.

Yesterday, January 20, 2026, Trump rambled on for a two-hour press conference. From the beginning he was making up things as he went along. But he has always done that so what is different now? He showed a large number of photographs purportedly of criminals who have been captured, I’m not but I am guessing there because, again, he did not say who they were relative to ICE. Humorously, as he kept saying, “these are very bad people,” there were several who had a domestic violence against them. They are bad people but not the “worst of the worst” as Trump loves to claim.

First, the insane idea that he will take Greenland by force if necessary. His claim is that Chinese and Russian war-ships are traveling past nothern Greenland. But reports from reliable sources say that this just is not true. In fact, the Chinese have not been sighted in the entire Atlantic Ocean. But he is using this claim as the reason he must have the U.S. own Greenland. The truth is, if we want to build another military base in Greenland, the people of Greenland will be happy to have that. Furthermore, Trump has claimed that Greenland only became owned by Denmark after World War 2. Another fabrication. The fact is, Greenland has be a part of Denmark since the year 986.

Now Trump wants to put a 25% tarrif on many western European countries because they are not doing his bidding, or so he claims. He has single handedly alienated our allies! These are countries that are a part of NATO just as we are. But Trump wants to end NATO too. Why?

In his 2-hour ramble at the press conference, as shown above, he also brought out a thick bunch of paper claiming that it show everything he has accomplished. I bet if you could get a copy of what is on those pages, you would find that it is not more than a bunch of claims Trump is making without proof, of course.

Trump has weaponized the Justice Department to go after people who he does not like. In his sites right now are the Governor of Minnesota, and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul. He says they are actively recruiting people to demonstrate against ICE. Actually, if they were doing that, and they are not, it is not illegal. Trump also claims that the protesters are being paid. He shows not proof to back up what he is saying except to say, “everyone knows.” That will not stand up in a court of law.

Our do-nothing House of Representatives lack the spine to stand up to him and say, “enough is enough.” They are so afraid of Trump being angry with them that they fail to realize that they serve the people and not the Executive branch, Trump. The man has gone off the rails but Republicans are hiding from the truth, a truth that is being exposed and which the American public will show in the mid-term elections as-well-as the 2028 elections.

Trump is the

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Trump Alienates the World!


Trump’s foolishness at trying to either purchase Greenland or take it by force show his complete lack of understand by a treaty between the U.S. and Denmark made in 1951 which gave the U.S. unfettered access to Greenland as a part of the NATO strategy. (https://www.history.com/articles/1951-agreement-that-allows-us-military-presence-in-greenland) And for reasons known only to Trump, he continues his desire to own Greenland? Has he not read that 1951 agreement which is still enforce? Probably not. The treaty also give the U.S. rights to any minerals it needs from Greenland.

Trump claim that Russian ships are threatening the U.S. by going over the nothern tip of Greenland. If the U.S. were to want to build a new Naval Base in Greenland as a deterance to those Russian ships, Greenland would absolute agree to its being built. Furthermore, if the U.S. wanted to build other sorts of Defense installations on Greenland, we already have the right to do so.

But Trump decided to put a 25% tarrif on several European countries, our Allies, out of spite. By doing this Trump is putting in jeapordy the NATO alliance which is the world’s largest deterrance to agression. To wit, Ukraine desperately want to join NATO but NATO has said it cannot do so until hostilities between Russia and Ukraine have ended and permanent peace plan establish. Russia in its proposal to end the war is that Ukraine may never join NATO. This proves how strong NATO is right now and how our enemy, in the form of Putin speaking for his country, means to Russia.

Trump is acting against our national interest and in turn is aiding and abetting Russia. Trump has always said that he has a special relationship with Putin. Is he secretly partnering with Russia? I hope not but who knows. Russia was shown to attempt to sway our elections in favor of Trump and his acolytes.

The time is overdue for our Congress to act and restrain Trump’s actions, as it must do according to our Constitution. Article 1, section 8 provides, “The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.” This includes tariffs but our presend do-nother Congress has ceded its power to the executive and compromised the seperation of powers as directed by the Constitution. Articles 1, 2, and 3 of the Constitution clearly set out the powers invested in our Congress, Executive, and Judicial. Three co-equal but seperate entities.

Since Congressional Republicans are in fear of a Trump retaliation against them, they have effectively ceded the powers entrusted to Congress to the Execture. We are now in a state of tyranny our founders worked hard to avoid, and yet, here we are.

It is to us, we the people, to vote out those in fear of carrying out their obligations to their constituencies and vote in people who will abide by the Constitution, which they swear to uphold during their swearing in, and not to a would be dictator in the form of Trump.

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U.S. Foreign Policy


With his “America First” policy, Trump has decimated our stance as a world leader into a more isolationist policy not seen since 1940 and how did that turn out?

There are responsibilities that go with being the richest nation in the world. We do need to give Americans the first consideration. But that does not absovle us from our foreign policy stance over the past 60+ years. NATO was created immediately after WW2 to create a strong bond between the Western European Countries with the U.S. in defense of those countries. An alliance born of necessity. Trump certainly has no inkly of history as he is right now seeking to destroy that alliance. Why? Because he does not want to pay America’s part in that organization. In 1950 there we 12 countries that were a part of NATO. Today there are 32.

At stake is the peace of all Europe while Russia wars with Ukraine. Trump took office and cut Ukraine off from our assistance. And yet, Ukraine is still taking the fight to Russia. If Russia could defeat Ukraine, it would have already done so. That simple statement should show that each sovereign nation in the world has the God given right to self-determination.

But why is Trump still cow-towing to Putin? He is a despot, a man who thinks nothing of killing his own people. But also a man so in fear of his own life that he isolates himself again possible assasination by his own people. Trump either does not see or does not care that Putin is trying to revive, as much as possible, the old Soviet Union of which he was a part and still longs for those days.

Morality dictates that all free countries of Europe and the U.S. have a responsibility to assist the Ukrainian people against a warring nation, Russia. Right now Europe is doing its best by upping their ante so that they are now giving 5% of their budget to their military. In an ironic twist of history, Germany now has troops based in Lithuania, a country where Jews were eradicated by the German Nazi regime. But ask the average Lithuanian how they feel about the German present and they will tell you how happy they are there. (Atlantic, January 2026, pp. 56-65)

Past administrations have accepted that as a world leader, America has a responsibility to the rest of the world to help where help is needed. Organization such as the World Health Organization (WHO), several UN organizations, and food assistance to Africa have lost American monies they desperately need. Our counties is fast becoming the parriah of the Western World. The Trump’s “don’t care” policy toward the rest of the world is exasperating. We are responsible.

And finally Trump’s ploy to gain Greenland is dumb by any standard. Right now the U.S. can already do almost anything it pleases in Greenland by a treaty signed many many decades ago. We do not need to do anything more.

The world sees Trump as his really is. A playground bully, who, when he does not get his own way will use force to accomplish such. These policies must change or by 2029, the U.S. will have far fewer allies than it did in 2024.

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Gestapo in the United States


If you find the title shocking, good! It is meant to be. Those people who call themselves ICE agents are little more than thugs. They are a lawless group of Federal Employees who act again American Citizens with impunity. Please note that I said American Citizens and not illegal aliens.

But on the topic of illegal aliens, since Trump arrived in the White house, he has consistently ignored the rule of law which in the 4th Amendment to the Constitution says:

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and not Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Nowhere in that Amendments does it say “American Citizens” which simply means that by extension, this amendment applies to all people living in America. And because the Trump administration under the ospecies of Christie Noem has ignored this civil right entirely. In several reports, American citizens have been taken from their homes and summarily sent to a foreign prison.

Furthermore, the 6th Amendment provides: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.” Again, note the lace of the phrase “American Citizens.” Over the past 250 years, non-citizens have been taken to trial as is their right while living on American soil. They are convicted, serve time in an American Prison and when released are summarily deported to their country of origin.

The Trump scare tactics have used the terms “rapists, murderers, and drug runners” to bring that fear to the average, and unfortunately, an uninformed public. This is the same tactic used in Nazi Germany when the deportation of German Jews began. The idea of an Ayrian race, thow pure fantasy, was what allow non-Jewish Germans to look the other way while their neighbors were looted and dragged away to concentration camps in other counties, i.e. the French and German Jews being sent to Poland.

Right now the tail is wagging the dog. That means We the People are the dog and Trump is the tail. It is high time that Americans took back the power and started demanding of its Government both transparency and accountability. We have the power so we must act now!

Finally, it is the responsibility of the these ICE agents to call in the local police when being confronted by American Citizens in peaceful protests. It is NOT the job of ICE to quell protests that block the streets or that stand in front of ICE agents. That is the place of the local and state police in whose jurisdiction these protests arise. It is fair to say that had the local police in Minneapolis been called in to deal with the protests that Ms. Goode was a part of, there would have been no death that day because those police have mandate to not shoot at a fleeing vehicle. Somehow that principle has been ignored by ICE.

Again I repeat, we must take back the power that is rightfully given to us.

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Wake Up America! Trump is Working Towards Nulifying the Next Election!!!


My title sounds a bit bizzare but is it? We are supposed to be a country that has three equal parts of government, the President, the Congress, and the Judiciary. But what we have witnessed has been Trump combining the three into one, him. It seems that if something seems legally suspicious on Trump’s part he merely defers to the SJC and they have consitently given him the rubber stamp he desires.

Let’s back up to Trump on day 1. He gives the hundreds of men and women who purportated an insurrection against our government a pardon!!

He has openly stated the DEI must be done away with and that he is limiting the number of people who can come from other countries to study at our universities. This defies all logic. Diversity is all about having a “diverse” work or study place. Republicans do not like that but the reasoning is beyond belief. Equity, this is about giving any person an equal chance at whatever they are doing regardless of their color, religion, or ethnic background. That was the Civil Rights act of 1965!! But in Tumpland, that cannot be tolerated. And then there is inclusion. We are told we must be all inclusive in anything we doing which means giving everyone an equal chance. I think these ideals scared Trump since his MAGA followers are largely non-college grads who watch only Fox news. But they forgot what happen to Fox news when it was shown that Fox was deliberately airing items that it new were not true!

In case you were not watching, Trump is systematically, along with his Allies, ruining the lives of people with regard to their health care. First he took aim at Planned Parenthood because they perform abortions. The truth is, 90% of all women who go to Planned Parenthood are not their for an abortion but for information. Planned Parenthood does not push women into having an abortion, just the opposite actually. Why is it the Trump and his MAGA minions not see this? Because it is a truth he simply cannot deal with. Now he has taken aim at Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act. Democrats have maintained that millions upon millions of Americans, Republicans included, rely upon this act for insuranced they can afford. Part of the bill to reopen our government maintains the ACA and that does not sit well with Trump and his billionaire buddies who will get a tax reduction from monies now go to the ACA!!

Tump has the Speak of the House, Mike Johnson, toeing the line of not engaging in discussions with Democrats over getting this bill passed. Chuck Shumer, who Trump dearly hates, has requested that two Democrat, two Republicans and Trump sit down and hammer out a solution. Trump refuses. Why? Because he knows he will not get his way and it is his way or the highway.

Trump has muted the Judiciary, blunted the Congress from doing its business, and brung a high degree of power to the Excutive Branch. There is a parallel here. This is exactly what Hitler did. He consolidated power to become all powerful and one of Hitler’s first moves was to eliminate elections. Then he went after undesireables, a.k.a. Democrats in the U.S. Trump is only withholding Congressionally approved funds from highly visible universites in blue states. He has sent out the Texas National Guard to Chicago to quell all the violence there, when in face violent crimes have dropped 40% in the last 10 years, and, this also is probably an illegal act under Chapter 32 of the U.S. Code, the National Guard of a state may only be used in its own state. He also took U.S. Marines to Los Angeles which is absolutely against the law according to the law found in Chapter 10 of the U.S. code which says that active duty soldiers may not be used against American citizens. He has done it and not a single Republican has called foul. Well, I, an unaffiliated voter, am calling foul!!!

Republicans are supposed to be all about small government and pushing as much power down to the states as possible. Is Trump doing this? No!

Wake up America!! Your country is being stolen from you piece by piece by a despot!!

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It is Time We Saved Ukraine From Putin


We have a war that actually started in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea and declared that is was their territory anyway. The war that started then continues today. Russian is now bombing civilian areas indiscretely. At some point the United States must say, enough is enough.

What we must do is go to Ukraine’s assistance by using specialized troops on the ground. Not a single troop needs to be infantry, rather they should be artillery and air defense artillery along we a wing of U.S. Air Force fighters.

Early in this conflict, Putin sabre rattled that he would use battlefield nukes and maybe more. He has a problem there and it is call MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction). That means we have just as much as he does, and this is not including the European countries. And if a single nuke gets used on the battlefield, it will be like 1943 where the U.S. was still building up its strength while winning battles everywhere.

To put a period on this type of action, we would have to declare India, Brasil, China, North Korea, and Russia as enemy combatants. Once we have unilaterally gone into battle, it would not take much for the rest of the NATO countries to join in, and for Russia, that is very bad. At that point Russia would have nothing to gain and everything to lose and just by the troop movements, there might be an immediate end of hostilities. NATO must stand strong and demand that Russia pull all its troops at least 200km from any non-Russian border. Not a single bullet shot by any NATO country but by putting up is enough to get Russian to shup up.

With the exception of Belarus, Russia has no friendly countries in the rest of Europe. When nearly the entirety of Europe lines up against you in a show of strength, you do nothing but admit defeat as the victor’s demands.

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AMTRAK EXPANSION NOW!!


I was pretty discouraged about writing after my last post that admonished people against voting for Trump and yet they did and now where are we?

I saw an article that attempted to say AMTRAK is reasonably similar to the European rail system. I can only wonder what that guy was smoking. First of all, all major routes are electrified, something AMTRAK needs to expand. Secondly, all large cities are connect by many trains each day. Only the Northeast Corridor, Chicago to St. Louis, and the L.A. to San Diego route can claim that. There may be one or two I missed but I hope I made my point. For example, if you want to go to Chicago from New York there are two trains but they take different routes. The old “Water Level” route of the New York Central Railroad was the prime route to Chicago with many trains each day. Today there is but one train connecting New York to Cleveland, Toledo, and Chicago. This route is begging to be a high speed rail corridor for people going from New York to Buffalo or Cleveland. There are probably more the 25 million people along this route who, if there was decent frequency, would use it over the hassle at the airport. Think of someone wanting to go from Rochester NY to Cleveland. There is only one train and it leaves Rochester at 11:29PM and arrives in Cleveland at 3:53AM. They couldn’t do better than that? This train only works well for people in New York who are going all the way to Chicago. Coach is only $47 and private rooms are $265 one way and $467 the other. AMTRAK needs to go to a single price policy rather than using airline schemes of fares.

The U.S. Department of Transportation, Surface Rail had designated a number of corridors across the U.S. Several regional corridors do not even have rails meaning they are considered one thing while being another. Priorities are at odds with the states, especially more conservative states like New Hamshire.

Then there are the missing lines that cannot be made sense of. For example, there is a bus but not train from Detroit to Toledo. Trains are much more efficient and passengers will take a train before a bus. There once was a route that went from Cleveland to St. Louis connecting many intermediate sized cities. There is no such train today. Then there is the St. Louis to Los Angeles train that only runs 3 days a week. I have never heard why this is that way. And the big hole in the system is the Chicago to Miami route. AMTRAK actually had such a route at one time but it got eliminated because of Congressional foolishness.

There used to be an AMTRAK train that went from L.A. to Salt Lake City which included a stop in Las Vegas. Airlines love the LA to Las Vegas route, a real money maker but no trains. If you look at an AMTRAK map you will see blue lines that indicate AMTRAK’s Thru-Way Buses. Most of those routes are former train routes! If the U.S. truly wants to make AMTRAK at the level of European trains, it has a lot of catching up to do.

Electrification of routes in the East and on the West Coast are a must. Energy efficient and cost effective routes. Right now the only expansion of AMTRAK is happening in Maine where the progressive state is looking at its future and is actively upgrading existing track to accommodate passenger rail. This route sees 5 trains a day and is quite profitable for AMTRAK. It would seem to me that a state like Wyoming which currently has no AMTRAK trains, although they once did, would do well to promote rail travel through their state to Salt Lake City.

One last thought. Before all the rail mergers started in the 1960s, there used to be seasonal trains to ski resorts. Anyone who has been to one of these knows how horrible both driving and parking is. The old railroads used to run what they called “Ski Trains.” Such trains were very popular.

AMTRAK needs to go back to before it existed, the 1950s, and see what routes were serviced by rail and the frequency of the trains and make plans use those routes as a baseline.

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Revitalizing AMTRAK


There was a time, prior to the Interstate Highway System, that rail travel reigned supreme. Post-World War 2 saw an end to that when the Eisenhower administration took the German idea of the Autobahn and applied it to America. To be clear, this was vital to America’s growth and has proven itself over the decades. But now with oil prices constantly increasing, and the Interstate system in desperate need of a huge influx of cash for repairs alone, we must consider alternative transportation.

In 1971 at AMTRAK’s inception, the idea was to keep intercity passenger rail service alive as private railroads were abandoning service. But AMTRAK made itself unattractive from its inception as it pared the existing intercity service to about 1/4 of what it had been immediately prior. AMTRAK’s service map of 2022 shows only a small expansion since its inception.

Service is lacking to many cities which defies logic. For example, there are no trains traveling from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, an extremely popular road and air route. Why is this? There is no service from Atlanta to Florida, also a very popular road and air route. Why? And to further that point, there is no Chicago to Florida route, one which actually existed at AMTRAK’s inception. Again, why? And there are many other examples, Dallas to Los Angeles, Atlanta to Savannah and Charleston, Detroit to Cleveland, Cleveland to St. Louis via Columbus, Dayton and Indianapolis, Memphis to Atlanta via Nashville, and there are a host of other potential routes, particularly in the densely populated Northeast. For reasons not given the public, California’s inland route extending from the San Francisco area through central California stop well shy of Los Angeles at Bakersfield. Why? Worst of all, I saved the best for last, there is no service from Dallas to Houston! The state of Texas, however, is endeavoring to remedy that situation.

Some of those problems extend from non-receptive Republican controlled states who view AMTRAK as an unnecessary luxury!

Another issue with AMTRAK is its scheduling on existing routes. If, for example, you go to the AMTRAK site and query a trip from New York to Chicago you will find a single train that does not require changing trains, the Lake Shore Limited. The Sunset Limited runs from New Orleans to Los Angeles only 3 days a week. On that route sits Houston Texas and Phoenix Arizona which are the nation’s 4th and 5th largest cities respectively. To be clear, Phoenix actually has no direct connection and residents of that city must travel south to Maricopa to catch a train between the 5th largest and 2nd largest cities.

There are only four areas of the country which receive good, not excellent AMTRAK service: The Northeast Corridor, Boston to Washington DC, California, San Francisco to San Diego. and Florida, Washington DC to several Florida destinations, most notable, Miami. Finally, Chicago with destinations of Milwaukee, Detroit, and St. Louis. I left out Indianapolis, with a metro population of over 2 million people out because AMTRAK allows it a single train that runs only three days a week!

AMTRAK does virtually no advertising. When was the last time you saw a commercial extolling to benefits of rail travel over airplanes. No lines to board, no security checkpoints, and when heavy weather closes airports the trains will still complete their trips excepting the most serious of conditions, hurricanes and blizzards. And even in blizzard conditions, trains may still be able to complete their trips.

Let’s look at a trip from Atlanta to New Orleans. Right now, airlines are publishing 1 hour 45-minute flight times point to point. Add in the 2-hour preflight arrival and the 1-hour post flight from New Orleans airport to downtown, this includes exiting the aircraft, finding ground transportation and dealing with traffic. Now your 1:45 minute flight has turned into a total of nearly 6 hours! The AMTRAK schedule shows a 12-hour trip between those points. Seems to be a negative but is it. Let’s go back to the flight. If you leave Atlanta on your flight at 9AM, considering the 7AM arrival time necessary, you will arrive in New Orleans about noontime, or time for lunch. Now we are at 1PM and only the afternoon ahead. The train leaves 9AM from Atlanta, arrives 9PM in New Orleans and the cost is $39 coach compared to the over $300 coach seat on the airline! In terms of pure economics and also stress, the train suddenly looks like the far superior choice. This is not even considering the people who must go between these two cities, cannot afford the air fare and do not want to sit on a bus. And in most of America, the people who are most drawn to rail travel are those of lesser means. This excludes the Northeast Corridor where businesspeople of all sorts regularly take the train.

The main hinderance to more people taking the train is the lack of choice in trains available and a lack of trains which make truly limited stops thereby decreasing the amount of time between any two points. Right now, AMTRAK simply does not have enough trains equipment to cover the suggestions I have made. Even more, the fleet it does have is aging and in need of replacement.

If we are ever to look like the passenger rail systems Europe enjoys, we are going to have to commit to a very large outlay of money to accomplish this. I can only guess that a 10-year $100 billion commitment might fall short. But in 10 years what are gas prices going to be, and what are air fares going to be. I am also guessing that the American public will be clamoring for exactly the extent and levels of service to which I have alluded. And finally, we can no longer afford the upkeep of America’s sprawling Interstate system which much of it needs extensive repair and replacement.

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A Ukrainian / U.S. Involvement


At this writing, the Russian aggression along the Ukrainian border and its occupation of the Crimea poses a serious threat to world peace. What we have heard the most is about the United Nations and its responsibility to this situation. As we know, at present, the Ukraine is not a part of NATO. What does that mean? It means that the U.N. is relatively powerless to take action in the event of a Russian invasion, which, is probably imminent. But that does not mean countries cannot send troops in to help.

In the case of the United States, we need only to look at our wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria to see that. Each country involved in those efforts did so on an individual basis rather than part of a coalition such as NATO. Putin has put NATO front and center as being a “threat” to his national security. That is pure hogwash and the world knows that. Why does he do that then? Because he does not want the Ukraine to become a part of it and enjoy the benefit of a united security effort.

The U.S., contrary to anything Pres. Biden has said, can act unilaterally, as it did in Iraq, and send in ground troops. And there are two reasons we would do that. First, it is unlikely that Putin wants to war against U.S. troops. Despot that he is, he probably understands that long-term negative effects on Russia. And second, the U.S. can provide the personnel support of having troops trained in various defense systems that the Ukrainians presently lack.

The 8500 troops Biden has already alerted fall far short of the number needs for a strong show of force. Of the continental U.S. Army divisions are at least 6 which could supply men and arms to the Ukraine. The 8500 coming from the 82nd Air Borne can be bolsters by the 1st, 4th, 5th, 101st among others. Each division has a size of about 15,000 personnel. And additional support troops for many places in the U.S. could also be deployed, such as Army Engineers, ordinance specialists, air attack helicopter groups, etc.

But an even more importantly, the U.S. could then use airpower against the Russian invasion without ever sending a single Air Force unit into the Ukraine. We likely enjoy air superiority to Russia in this area as well. But the most important part of that superiority is the ability of our Air Force units to make strategic decisions at a much lower level than Russia. Russian military beaurocracy has always pushed decision making upwards where the U.S. has pushed in downward.

I do hope that the joint chiefs and their advisors have advised the President of their various scenarios, not doubt long formulated, for entering the Ukraine. And these would doubtless be many and varied responses to Russian aggression. We cannot at this juncture show any weakness when dealing with them and a strong show of force to Russia may well pre-empt an invasion idea they have, hopefully.

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July 4, 1776, a Very Scary Day


Today is Independence Day in the United States. We declared that to be true for the first time on July 4, 1776. But it really was not true in fact back then, it was simply a piece of paper, read in Philadelphia, and then secreted away just as quickly for to hold such a document was a treasonable act under English law. In truth, we were in the midst of a civil war no different from our own internal civil war of 1861 to 1865.
To be a truly independent country we needed to be recognized as such by another sovereign nation. The Confederacy tried, and failed, to get England to recognized them. The leaders of the revolutionary war also failed initially to gain recognition. Our best hope was France who despised the English and with whom, through Benjamin Franklin, we had warm relations with their government. But the French were reticent to acknowledge our sovereign existence. The French feared that England would turn on them and they would be, yet again, at war, a war they simply could not afford.
The first country to recognize us was Holland in 1776 and then Morocco in 1777. As great a statesman as Franklin was, he simply was unable to get the French to do more than to supply us with some money and an invaluable man whom Gen. George Washington used to help lead he ragtag group of revolutionaries, Lafayette. Finally, John Adams join Franklin in Paris and on a trip to Versailles, seat of the government, the French were convinced that we would likely win the war. Then, finally, on February 8, 1778, the French signed an agreement of “Amity and Commerce.” This gave America a trading partner in Europe of great importance.
But back in 1776, on that day of July 4, thirteen copies of the Declaration of Independence, all signed, we sent to the capitols of each of the new states. But the danger in holding this document was great and each was secreted away for the remainder of hostilities.
We had been at war for over a year when the Declaration of Independence was signed and distributed but had a poll of the world’s leaders been taken at that date asking the chances of our succeeding, it is likely we would have garnered only a few favorable votes. The fact was, we were losing the war and no one knew how many Tories, those still loyal to the English crown, still existed. Boston and the state of Massachusetts are virtually eradicated all its Tories on March 17, 1776 when the loyalists were given safe passage out of Boston Harbor and up to Nova Scotia.
But at that same time, New Jersey had for its governor Benjamin Franklin’s son who had declared himself loyal to the crown. Throughout the other 12 colonies similar conditions existed and people were extremely caution in whom they trusted.
European Wars, and now this war, were always fought in the warmer months of the year. Troops retired to their various sides during the winter months as had Washington and his troops in 1777. But Washington was not a traditionalist and his mind was ruminating over the many loses he had suffered thus far at the hands to the British. The worst being his having to watch he troops slaughtered on one side of the Hudson River while he sat on the other.

Washington moved southward and encamped at Valley Forge. From the beginning Washington had pressed the Continental Congress for the necessary implements of war to fight and win, mostly unsuccessfully. In 1777, Frederic von Steuben, a Prussian Lieutenant General, joined Washington and immediately set about training Washington’s troops at Valley Forge.

That winter, on Christmas Day, while the Hessian troops feasted, Washington rallied his troops to attack Trenton and in doing so gained his first major win of the Revolution. From there they continue their march up the middle of New Jersey winning battle after battle. But von Steuben’s effect was immediately obvious. The attack was far from perfect but even so, American officers were able to lead their men and accomplish their mission. And for the first time, America turned from a defensive military posture to an offensive one, a posture they never relinquished until the British government finally acquiesced after the Battle of Yorktown in 1783.
That eight-year period, from 1775 to 1783, was never easy for American patriots. By declaring war on Britain, they have lost their most important trading partner and certain types of goods were always in short supply. Fear of retribution among the general populace soon subsided after the siege of Boston succeeded and the first of the British departed. But until the tide of the war turned, no one could feel both safe and a patriot. But Americans asserted their grit and determination to be respected as a sovereign nation and this required 13 colonies to become united which they did.