Will Putin Seize Ukraine, And If So When?

  By Timothy D. Naegele[1]

Russia’s killer Vladimir Putin is expected to attend Xi Jinping’s Winter Olympics in Beijing[2], and then all bets are off.  As I wrote in 2015:

The world must never forget that Putin left the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing to launch his aggression against Georgia.  Then, he left the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and launched his aggression against Crimea and the rest of Ukraine.  Also, the world must never forget that in addition to downing Malaysia Airlines Flight 17—and killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board—Putin killed Alexander Litvinenko and countless others.[3]

Exploiting America’s humiliating defeat in Afghanistan, both Putin and Xi are “chess masters” who may move simultaneously to inflict heavy losses—both psychologically and militarily—against the United States and the American people.  In short, the “axis of evil” may strike on multiple fronts before our elections occur later this year.

Larry Kudlow—the Director of the National Economic Council during the Trump Administration from 2018 to 2021[4]—has written an article entitled “A Perfect Storm Engulfs Biden Over Economy, Europe, and Asia,” which is worth reading:

Almost immediately following President Biden’s blundering news conference on Wednesday, a near-perfect storm has descended.  Stock markets are selling off with their worst performance in many years.  Interest rates and oil prices are rising.  High inflation is embedded in the economy, and the Federal Reserve is about to launch a monetary tightening cycle.

Russia shows absolutely no signs of de-escalating in the Ukraine. If anything, it has gotten more aggressive by moving troops into Belarus and ships into the Black Sea, effectively surrounding Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Mr. Biden’s domestic agenda has collapsed, and the very essence of his presidency is hanging by a thread.  He has never recovered from the catastrophic Afghanistan withdrawal.

Nor has he recovered from his launch of a radical left big-government socialist domestic policy.

Polls unanimously show the public is simply not buying the product Mr. Biden is selling.  He doubled down on his failed woke product last Wednesday, another huge mistake.

Now, in a futile attempt to recoup his failed diplomacy with Russia, Mr. Biden’s Administration is suddenly saber-rattling an increase of American GIs into Eastern Europe under the NATO flag.  This after telling the country he would not deploy American troops.

Right now, I am completely unconvinced and uncomfortable with putting another 8,500 Yanks into Eastern Europe.

For one thing, Putin couldn’t care less. He’s got about a couple hundred [thousand] troops around the area—8,500 is an ankle bite.

For another thing, President Biden and his team have been so far behind the curve on this Ukraine story that it looks as if they can never catch up.  Our own diplomats, intel people and even Defense Department sources, expect Russia to invade Ukraine.

Look, I’m no isolationist and I’m always America First in international relations, but the way to deal with Mr. Putin is by closing down his Nord Stream pipeline and shutting Russia out of the dollar-based international banking system.

These kinds of brute economic sanctions are something that would surely get Mr. Putin’s attention and do great damage to his economy.  Close down the Russian central bank and their larger commercial banks from using the SWIFT electronic funds transfer system.

The dollar is the world’s reserve currency. About 90% of foreign exchange transactions are denominated in dollars. Take Russia out of that system and their economy is literally sunk. S-u-n-k. They can fiddle around with some Chinese banks, but China and its capital controls are a small sideshow digression in world finance.

Say to Mr. Putin: No oil, no natural gas, no dollars, no banking. Then pour a larger and larger weapons arsenal into Ukraine. That’s a tough policy. That’s what Mr. Biden should have done the minute he learned of the Russian troop buildup.

Many weeks have been wasted.  America has been reacting to Mr. Putin, not defending its own agenda.  And now, the Bidens are digging a deeper hole by putting in more American soldiers, which will prove to be extremely unpopular and ineffectual.

By the way, I hate to say it, but the current Pentagon and national security group in this Administration has not earned any spurs after the Afghanistan fiasco.  At the moment, I don’t think we want them to expand their military horizon.

I don’t know if we are appeasing Mr. Putin. That’s such a toxic word. I do know that we have been enabling Mr. Putin.  The former KGB officer now turned presidential autocrat understands this full well.  We are playing his game, on his turf, with his narrative.

Instead of talking about NATO flags, backed by the unreliable Germany, I wish we were talking about American flags and American interests in freedom, democracy, and free-enterprise capitalism.

One final thought.  This is just in, and it blows my mind.  Apparently, the Biden Administration has arranged for the payment of Iran’s dues at the United Nations.

Can you believe this?  The Bidens have arranged to release $18 million of blocked Iranian funds, to be released to the Iranians so they can pay their dues, and—get this—have a vote in the United Nations, so that John Kerry and the State Department could once again bypass Congress and make a new deal with Iran.  Like I said, a perfect storm.[5]

Kudlow’s advocacy for the use of stringent economic sanctions is consistent with my earlier articles.[6]

© 2022, Timothy D. Naegele

_____

[1]  Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate’s Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass).  See, e.g., Timothy D. Naegele Resume-21-8-6  and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/accomplishments/  He has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University.  He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal (see, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commendation_Medal#Joint_Service). Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/articles/ and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/articles/), and studied photography with Ansel Adams.  He can be contacted directly at tdnaegele.associates@gmail.com

[2]  See, e.g., https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59663827 (“Beijing 2022: Putin tells Xi he will attend Winter Olympics”)

[3]  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/the-death-of-putin-and-russia-the-final-chapter-of-the-cold-war/ (“The Death Of Putin And Russia: The Final Chapter Of The Cold War”)

[4]  See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Kudlow (“Larry Kudlow”)

[5]  See https://www.nysun.com/national/a-perfect-storm-engulfs-biden-over-economy-europe/91975/ (“A Perfect Storm Engulfs Biden Over Economy, Europe, and Asia”); see also https://www.gingrich360.com/2022/01/25/ukraine-taiwan-and-a-weak-commander-in-chief/ (“Ukraine, Taiwan, and a Weak Commander in Chief”) and https://theloudobbsshow.libsyn.com/president-trump-on-bidens-blunders-rinos-winning (“The Great America Show with Lou Dobbs: PRESIDENT TRUMP ON BIDEN’S BLUNDERS, RINOS & WINNING”)

[6]  See, e.g., supra n.3.

Unspoken in all of these discussions, but hanging like a dark cloud over all of the world today, is China’s Coronavirus pandemic.  Perhaps its impact is described best in an article by Meghan McCain, the former Senator and presidential contender’s daughter, which is worth reading.

See https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10443695/MEGHAN-MCCAIN-got-Covid-doubt-America-recover-not-Biden.html (“MEGHAN MCCAIN: I finally got Covid and it was so horrible it made me doubt if America will ever recover from this pandemic. It WILL but not with moronic Biden in charge”)

I was not a fan of her father, but I voted for him.  I know little or nothing about her, except she was anti-Trump.  The latest Coronavirus mutation, Omicron, is overriding the vaccines and boosters.

Will Americans Have A Country When Biden And His Democrats Are Finished With It?

  By Timothy D. Naegele[1]

If Donald Trump had served a second consecutive four-year term as our President, it is possible that China would have been forced to pay enormous reparations and/or restitution.  Amounting to trillions of dollars—and paid to Americans and others for having unleashed the devastating Coronavirus pandemic that has killed so many, and hurt so many others—China has sowed chaos in the United States and globally.  This is consistent with Xi Jinping’s goal of achieving global domination.[2]

Americans are split between those who has been vaccinated fully, and anticipate periodic “boosters” in the future like our yearly flu shots; and “anti-vaxxers,” many of whom are intelligent, well-educated and believe “devoutly” that we will not know for years (if not decades) what the long-term effects of the vaccines really are.  After all, more than 100 years have passed since the Spanish flu ended; and an estimated 50-100 million died from it, with the exact number still being undetermined.[3]

Meanwhile, Xi and his lapdog—Russia’s killer Vladimir Putin—continue to oppress their own people; threaten war against Taiwan and Ukraine, respectively; and sow the seeds of global chaos.  They have willing accomplices or handmaidens in America’s Left, who see this as an opportunity to further their own radical beliefs and agendas, and subjugate the masses.

A few examples will suffice.  They are changing the voting rules; opening our borders wide to illegal aliens (including human traffickers and other criminals), and rewarding them with financial and other benefits; making us dependent on oil from the volatile Middle East again; weakening our global alliances after our humiliating defeat in Afghanistan, where Americans were killed while others are still left behind; and blessing crimes that were prosecuted until recently.[4]

Lots of us began as Democrats but abandoned that political party years ago, when it veered so far to the Left that it became unrecognizable.  Today, it’s as if the bowels of Hell have opened wide and unleashed a host of devils on our great nation, which are determined to destroy or “cancel” everything that we have held dear and sacred.  To say that they are Godless is to be kind and forgiving, with respect to what they really are.  They are the Devil incarnate; that much is crystal clear.

For example, anyone who doubts this—or is offended by such an assertion—needs to read Barack Obama’s “Dreams from My Father.”[5] It is all there, in his own words: unbridled racism, and a hatred of America.  For those who scoff at this, one needs to realize that he grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia, and never lived on the American mainland until he attended Occidental College in Los Angeles.

His mother lived in Indonesia, and essentially raised her “second family” without him; and he only spent one month of his lifetime with his father, who visited Hawaii from Kenya.  His unbridled anger toward America has sowed racial divisions between blacks and whites; the lawlessness that is almost nonstop and an epidemic; and hatreds that have been festering, like a wound that never heals.[6]  All of this inures to the benefit of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and our other enemies, who are bent on America’s destruction.

Conspiracy theorists aside, Barack Obama, Brain Dead Joe Biden[7], Willie Brown’s ho Kamala Harris[8], Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, and their fellow travelers of America’s Left are fulfilling the goals of Xi Jinping and China’s other rulers.  They are tearing apart the very fabric of our great nation.  Unless they are stopped in their tracks—for example, in our congressional elections later this year—the United States’ future may be imperiled.[9] 

© 2022, Timothy D. Naegele

_____

[1]  Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate’s Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass).  See, e.g., Timothy D. Naegele Resume-21-8-6  and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/accomplishments/  He has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University.  He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal (see, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commendation_Medal#Joint_Service). Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/articles/ and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/articles/), and studied photography with Ansel Adams.  He can be contacted directly at tdnaegele.associates@gmail.com

[2]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/timothy-d.-naegele.pdf (Timothy D. Naegele, “The Coronavirus and Similar Global Issues: How to Address Them”)

[3]  See supra n.2.

[4]  See, e.g., https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10391037/Nearly-100-people-charged-murder-free-walk-streets-Chicago-thanks-woke-bail-reform.html (“Nearly 100 people charged with murder are free on bail in Chicago”)

[5]  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/is-barack-obama-a-racist/ (“Is Barack Obama A Racist?”)

[6]  See supra n.5.

[7]  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2020/08/08/biden-is-brain-dead/ (“Biden Is Brain Dead”)

[8]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2020/08/11/brain-dead-joe-biden-has-picked-willie-browns-ho-as-our-next-president/ (“Brain Dead Joe Biden Has Picked Willie Brown’s Ho As Our Next President”)

[9]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2022/01/07/january-6-2021-in-perspective/ (“January 6, 2021, In Perspective”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2021/12/30/2021-annus-horribilis/ (“2021 Annus Horribilis”)

January 6, 2021, In Perspective

  By Timothy D. Naegele[1]

The violence that occurred on January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.—where I spent so many years—never should have happened, period.  Before working there, I served as an Army officer in The Pentagon, where I was assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency when it was headquartered there.[2]

While memories fade with the passage of time, many of us were glued to our TVs on the morning of September 11, 2001—or the infamous “9/11″—when our great nation was attacked by thugs from abroad.  They had hijacked our own airliners, which slammed into the Twin Towers in New York City, The Pentagon, and another that was brought down by courageous passengers in a Shanksville, Pennsylvania field.  The latter flight might have targeted our White House or Capitol.[3]

I was in California that day, and had gotten up early to watch Laura Bush testify at a hearing on Capitol Hill, when I saw the horrors unfold. Before 9/11, I had eaten dinner at the “Windows on the World” restaurant, atop one of the World Trade Center’s towers that were destroyed by the terrorists.[4]

Because of my work, I knew the security at The Pentagon and at our Capitol well, and had to pass security checks when I entered either building.  What happened at the Capitol on January 6th of last year is mind-boggling for me, especially in light of the fact that the FBI and other government agencies were apparently tipped off ahead of time about possible violence at the Capitol, yet they failed to respond.

Having tried to destroy Donald Trump from the moment his quest for the presidency began—in bogus impeachment attempts, and other concerted efforts masterminded by Barack Obama and his Democrats[5]—it is not surprising that they would try to pin the Capitol attacks on him too.  It is a convenient ruse to divert attention from the colossal failures of the Biden-Harris administration, which may result in the Democrats’ loss of the House in our elections later this year.[6]

I began as a Democrat in a devoutly-Republican family, but became an Independent when I left the Senate.  I had seen too much “dirt” on Capitol Hill[7], and I have been an Independent ever since.  Indeed, I concluded that the Democrats were “evil” but smart, while the Republicans were “Neanderthals” and dumb.  I have never changed that conclusion.[8]

Today, the Democrats and their Leftist cohorts in the media are trying to blame last year’s Capitol attacks on Trump and the Republicans, in a pathetic effort to salvage their likely-failing election prospects.  Some Republican “RINOs” are playing along with this ruse.  One is the “architect” of the George W. Bush presidency, Karl Rove, who was there when Bush invaded Afghanistan, and then embarked on the tragic Iraq War—in which 5,000 Americans died and many more were maimed, and trillions of dollars were wasted, for nothing.[9]

Our great nation is divided because of the Coronavirus pandemic and other factors[10]; and we need to heal, not engage in more divisiveness . . . and yes, lawlessness.  To incarcerate those who were there a year ago, without trials or other constitutionally-guaranteed rights, is repugnant unto itself.  This is especially true when the thugs, slugs, hoods and mongrels of “Black Lives Matter,” Antifa and other far-Left groups—who burned our cities, killed or hurt innocent Americans including our police, and destroyed black and other businesses—have never been brought to justice.[11]

© 2022, Timothy D. Naegele

_____

[1]  Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate’s Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass).  See, e.g., Timothy D. Naegele Resume-21-8-6  and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/accomplishments/  He has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University.  He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal (see, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commendation_Medal#Joint_Service). Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/articles/ and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/articles/), and studied photography with Ansel Adams.  He can be contacted directly at tdnaegele.associates@gmail.com

[2]  See, e.g., Timothy D. Naegele Resume-21-8-6 and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/accomplishments/

[3]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2021/09/13/9-11-every-american-should-read-this/ (“9/11—Every American Should Read This”)

[4]  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_on_the_World (“Windows on the World”)

[5]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2019/09/30/impeachment-may-become-the-singular-obsession-in-washington-and-dominate-news-coverage/ (“Impeachment May Become The Singular Obsession In Washington, And Dominate News Coverage”)

[6]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2021/12/30/2021-annus-horribilis/ (“2021 Annus Horribilis”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2021/12/20/have-woke-anti-americanism-and-china-risen-to-take-the-place-of-the-soviet-union-which-replaced-the-nazis-third-reich/ (“Have Woke Anti-Americanism And China Risen To Take The Place Of The Soviet Union, Which Replaced The Nazis’ Third Reich?”)

[7]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/washington-is-sick-and-the-american-people-know-it/ (“Washington Is Sick And The American People Know It”)

[8]  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2019/04/29/the-democrats-are-evil-but-smart-while-the-republicans-are-neanderthals-and-dumb/ (“The Democrats Are Evil But Smart, While The Republicans Are Neanderthals And Dumb”)

[9]  See https://www.wsj.com/articles/republicans-jan-6-responsibility-anniversary-riot-storm-capitol-trump-protesters-investigation-11641417707 (“Republicans’ Jan. 6 Responsibility”)

[10]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/timothy-d.-naegele.pdf (Timothy D. Naegele, “The Coronavirus and Similar Global Issues: How to Address Them”)

[11]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/02/history-repeats-itself-thugs-riot-in-america/ (“History Repeats Itself: Thugs Riot In America”)

Why Do So Many Americans Support Socialism?

  By Timothy D. Naegele[1]

The title of this article opens up vistas that few Americans have ever thought about, much less explored fully.  Many if not most are idealistic, and want to survive and want for the very best of their loved ones; and they want the best for those whom they know, and for their fellow Americans.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was no poverty or homelessness, or unattended and unremedied illnesses, and that every American lived a life that was healthy and fulfilling, inspirational and constructive.  On February 26, 2010, I published an article here that was entitled, “America: A Rich Tapestry Of Life.”  In it, I quoted an interview that I had given:

I believe in this country, and I believe in Americans of all colors, faiths and backgrounds. The United States is the only true melting pot in the world, with its populace representing a United Nations of the world’s peoples. Yes, we fight and we even discriminate, but when times are tough—like after 9/11—we come together as one nation, which makes this country so great and special. Also, all of us or our ancestors came here from somewhere else. Even the American Indians are descended from those who crossed the Bering Strait—or the “Bering land bridge”—according to anthropologists.[2]

I believe those words today, as fervently as ever.  To the best of my beliefs, I am not jealous of anyone; and I want Americans of all shapes, sizes and colors to succeed and be happy and fulfilled.  In a new article—”Socialism guarantees failure and suffering – So why do so many Americans support it?”—Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow in military history at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, has written:

Multiple forms of socialism, from hard Stalinism to European redistribution, continue to fail.

Russia and China are still struggling with the legacy of genocidal communism. Eastern Europe still suffers after decades of Soviet-imposed socialist chaos.

Cuba, Nicaragua, North Korea and Venezuela are unfree, poor and failed states. Baathism — a synonym for pan-Arabic socialism — ruined the postwar Middle East.

The soft-socialist European Union countries are stagnant and mostly dependent on the U.S. military for their protection.

In contrast, current American deregulation, tax cuts and incentives, and record energy production have given the United States the strongest economy in the world.

So why, then, are two of the top three Democratic presidential contenders — Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., — either overtly or implicitly running on socialist agendas? Why are the heartthrobs of American progressives — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) — calling for socialist redistributionist schemes?

Why do polls show that a majority of American millennials have a favorable view of socialism?

There are lots of catalysts for the new socialism.

Massive immigration is changing the demography of the United States. The number of foreign-born U.S. residents and their children has been estimated at almost 60 million, or about 1 in 5 U.S. residents. Some 27 percent of California residents were born outside of America.

Many of these immigrants flee from poor areas of Latin America, Mexico, Africa and Asia that were wrecked by statism and socialism. Often, they arrive in the U.S. unaware of economic and political alternatives to state socialism.

When they reach the U.S. — often without marketable skills and unable to speak English — many assume that America will simply offer a far better version of the statism from which they fled. Consequently, many take for granted that government will provide them an array of social services, and they become supportive of progressive socialism.

Another culprit for the new socialist craze is the strange leftward drift of the very wealthy in Silicon Valley, in corporate America and on Wall Street.

Some of the new progressive rich feel guilty about their unprecedented wealth. So they champion redistribution as the sort of medieval penance that alleviates guilt.

Yet the influential and monied classes usually are so well off that higher taxes hardly affect them. Instead, redistributionist taxation hurts the struggling middle classes.

In California, it became hip for wealthy leftists to promote socialism from their Malibu, Menlo Park or Mill Valley enclaves — while still living as privileged capitalists. Meanwhile, it proved nearly impossible for the middle classes of Stockton and Bakersfield to cope with the reality of crushing taxes and terrible social services.

From 2008 to 2017, the now-multimillionaire Barack Obama, first as candidate and then as president, used all sorts of cool socialist slogans, from “spread the wealth around” and “now is not the time to profit” to “you didn’t build that” and “at a certain point you’ve made enough money.”

Universities bear much of the blame. Their manipulation of the federal government to guarantee student loans empowered them to jack up college costs without any accountability. Liberal college administrators and faculty did not care much when graduates left campus poorly educated and unable to market their expensive degrees.

More than 45 million borrowers now struggle with nearly $1.6 trillion in collective student debt, with climbing interest. That indebtedness has delayed — or ended — the traditional forces that encourage conservatism and traditionalism, such as getting married, having children and buying a home.

Instead, a generation of single, childless and mostly urban youth feels cheated that their high-priced degrees did not earn them competitive salaries. Millions of embittered college graduates will never be able to pay off what they owe — and want some entity to pay off their debts.

In paradoxical fashion, teenagers were considered savvy adults who were mature enough to take on gargantuan loans. But they were also treated like fragile preteens who were warned that the world outside their campus sanctuaries was downright mean, sexist, racist, homophobic and unfair.

Finally, doctrinaire Republicans for decades mouthed orthodoxies of free rather than fair trade. They embraced the idea of creative destruction of industries, but without worrying about the real-life consequences for the unemployed in the hollowed out red-state interior.

Add up a lost generation of woke and broke college graduates, waves of impoverished immigrants without much knowledge of American economic traditions, wealthy advocates of boutique socialism and asleep-at-the-wheel Republicans, and it becomes clear why historically destructive socialism is suddenly seen as cool.

Regrettably, sometimes the naive and disaffected must relearn that their pie-in-the sky socialist medicine is far worse than the perceived malady of inequality.

And unfortunately, when socialists gain power, they don’t destroy just themselves. They usually take everyone else down with them as well.[3] 

Of course Hanson is correct, about everything that he wrote above.  I have written about all or most of these subjects, and other related issues that Hanson did not address.[4]

I have been a multi-millionaire, and I have been homeless.  I have known billionaires and lots of famous people[5], and plenty of millionaires; and I have known the homeless who sleep out at night, in all kinds of weather.  Each is a human being and a child of God—even the most committed Atheists and Agnostics, or so I believe.[6]  I have helped millions of Americans as a result of legislation that I wrote and shepherded through the Congress when I worked there[7]; and I try to help the least among us.  I am no saint, but I try.

Hanson is correct: “Russia and China are still struggling with the legacy of genocidal communism.”  I have written about these events, which produced so much suffering for millions.[8]  And I have written about senseless wars[9]; human trafficking and other forms of slavery[10]; weapons systems that might kill us in the blink of an eye[11]; the inhumanity of many to their fellow beings[12]; natural disasters and tragedies over which we have no control[13]; discrimination[14]; and related subjects[15][16].

Hanson’s last paragraph is of utmost importance.  It mirrors what George Orwell wrote in his prescient Animal Farm, where all of the animals were equal until the “Pigs” accreted power and control, and reigned supreme, and were masters over—and subjugated—the other animals.[17]  This is the net effect of Socialism, in actuality.  It is not some utopian dream that is manifested for the benefit of Mankind.  That is an ignorant myth, which history has debunked.  Would all of us wish that we had never gone through hard times, or suffered in any respect?  Of course so, but that is not reality, or Life.

 

 

© 2019, Timothy D. Naegele

---

[1]  Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate’s Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass). He and his firm, Timothy D. Naegele & Associates, specialize in Banking and Financial Institutions Law, Internet Law, Litigation and other matters (see www.naegele.com and https://naegeleblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/timothy-d.-naegele-resume-19-9-27.pdf). He has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal (see, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commendation_Medal#Joint_Service). Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., www.naegele.com/whats_new.html#articles), and can be contacted directly at tdnaegele.associates@gmail.com

[2]  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/02/26/america-a-rich-tapestry-of-life/ (“America: A Rich Tapestry Of Life”) (citing http://www.philstockworld.com/2009/10/11/greenspan’s-legacy-more-suffering-to-come/ and http://seekingalpha.com/instablog/2951-ilene/31177-interview-with-timothy-d-naegele)

[3]  See https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/victor-davis-hanson-history-socialism

[4]  See, e.g., infra n.7-15

[5]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/31/jerry-perenchio-kind-and-caring/ (“Jerry Perenchio: Kind And Caring”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2015/01/03/edward-w-brooke-is-dead/ (“Edward W. Brooke Is Dead”)

[6]  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/05/12/what-and-where-is-god/ (“What And Where Is God?”)

[7]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/timothy-d.-naegele-resume-19-9-27.pdf and Timothy D. Naegele, “The Brooke Amendment And Section 8 Housing: Revisited,” 136 BANKING L. J. 245 (May 2019) (Naegele May 2019) (https://naegeleblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/timothy-d.-naegele.pdf) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/07/the-brooke-amendment-and-section-8-housing-revisited/ (“The Brooke Amendment And Section 8 Housing: Revisited”)

[8]  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/02/06/the-silent-voices-of-stalin%E2%80%99s-soviet-holocaust-and-mao%E2%80%99s-chinese-holocaust/ (“The Silent Voices Of Stalin’s Soviet Holocaust And Mao’s Chinese Holocaust”)

[9]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/02/20/israels-senseless-killings-and-war-with-iran/ (“Israel’s Senseless Killings And War With Iran”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/12/22/the-next-major-war-korea-again/ (“The Next Major War: Korea Again?”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/china-is-americas-enemy-make-no-mistake-about-that/ (“China Is America’s Enemy: Make No Mistake About That”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/the-death-of-putin-and-russia-the-final-chapter-of-the-cold-war/ (“The Death Of Putin And Russia: The Final Chapter Of The Cold War”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/13/china-is-americas-enemy-and-the-enemy-of-free-people-everywhere/ (“China Is America’s Enemy, And The Enemy Of Free People Everywhere”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2019/09/19/the-middle-east-is-not-americas-fight/ (“The Middle East Is Not America’s Fight”)

[10]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2009/12/28/human-trafficking/ (“Human Trafficking”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2018/10/25/remembering-the-comfort-women-victims-of-human-trafficking-and-slavery/ (“Remembering The Comfort Women, Victims Of Human Trafficking And Slavery”)

[11]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/emp-attack-only-30-million-americans-survive/ (“EMP Attack: Only 30 Million Americans Survive”)

[12]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/problems-with-foreign-adoptions/ (“Problems With Foreign Adoptions”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/abortions-and-autos-kill-more-in-america-than-guns/ (“Abortions And Autos Kill More In America Than Guns”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/15/who-is-next-the-murder-of-a-young-american-and-the-harvesting-of-his-body-parts-in-mexico/ (“Who Is Next? The Murder Of A Young American And The Harvesting Of His Body Parts In Mexico”)

[13]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/earthquakes-the-big-one-is-coming-to-at-least-los-angeles/ (“Earthquakes: The Big One Is Coming To At Least Los Angeles”)

[14]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/is-barack-obama-a-racist/ (“Is Barack Obama A Racist?”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2015/12/06/islamophobia-is-un-american/ (“Islamophobia Is Un-American”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/ariel-sharon-is-missed/#comment-7039 (“Is Night Falling Again For European Jews?”)

[15]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/07/30/illegal-immigration-the-solution-is-simple/ (“Illegal Immigration: The Solution Is Simple”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/the-american-legal-system-is-broken-can-it-be-fixed/ (“The American Legal System Is Broken: Can It Be Fixed?”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/divorces/ (“Divorces”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/are-colleges-dinosaurs/ (“Are Colleges Dinosaurs?”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/poverty-in-america/ (“Poverty In America”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/the-united-states-department-of-injustice/ (“The United States Department of Injustice”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/15/justice-and-the-law-do-not-mix/ (“Justice And The Law Do Not Mix”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/the-state-bar-of-california-is-lawless-and-a-travesty-and-should-be-abolished/ (“The State Bar Of California Is Lawless And A Travesty, And Should Be Abolished”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/global-chaos-and-helter-skelter/ (“Global Chaos And Helter Skelter”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/18/the-u-s-supreme-court-is-a-tragic-pathetic-joke/ (“The U.S. Supreme Court Is A Tragic, Pathetic Joke”) and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/will-the-eus-collapse-push-the-world-deeper-into-the-great-depression-ii/#comment-20728 (“The EU Is Insufferable”)

[16]  Beneath these articles are extensive comments, which might be read as well.

[17]  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm (“Animal Farm“)

Islamophobia Is Un-American

 By Timothy D. Naegele[1]

Christianity has 2.2 billion followers. Islam has 1.8 billion followers. At most, Judaism has 14 million followers.  There are radical members of each religious group; and Americans cannot allow fear to generate unbridled hatred and anger.[2]  The United States and the American people are not at war with Islam or its followers. Anyone who suggests otherwise is Islamophobic.

Islamophobia does not have any place in the U.S.  Yet, this is exactly what many are preaching today, which is wrong.  Islamophobia is un-American, and inconsistent with Jesus’ teachings as set forth in the New Testament—just as racism, anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination are evil.  Fear spawns hatred, anger and retribution. Too much of it is present in America and other countries.

According to the rhetoric espoused by some people, one might think that they want to kill all followers of Islam, or attack or discriminate against them, which is absurd and evil unto itself.  A large number of Americans are afraid. But their fear is nothing when compared with the fears that were present in the U.S. after 9/11.

We live in difficult and challenging times.[3]  But the terrorist acts of a few cannot be allowed to permeate and change our great nation or the American people.  This is a lesson we learned from World War II.  An estimated 110,000 Japanese-Americans were “interned” at Manzanar in California and at other camps, because of similar fears.[4]

Terrorist attacks have occurred in the U.S. and abroad.  Tragically,  it seems that “terrorism”—in its many forms—will be present for a long time to come.  Kate Steinle was killed brutally in the “sanctuary city” of San Francisco by a known criminal and illegal immigrant.[5]  Oklahoma City was bombed by Timothy McVeigh[6].  More than 900 perished in the religious cult of Jim Jones.[7]  Mass killings occurred recently in Paris[8] and San Bernardino, California[9].  And the list goes on and on.

Large numbers of Americans tune out Barack Obama because of their frustrations, anger and disgust.  Indeed, there is enormous venom with respect to the followers of Islam and him—as well as outright racism—which appears on Web sites in the U.S. and abroad.  Often, violent statements and actions are directed at both.[10]

This is not the American way.

© 2015, Timothy D. Naegele

_______________________________________________

[1] Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate’s Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass). He and his firm, Timothy D. Naegele & Associates, specialize in Banking and Financial Institutions Law, Internet Law, Litigation and other matters (see www.naegele.com and http://www.naegele.com/documents/TimothyD.NaegeleResume.pdf). He has an undergraduate degree in economics from UCLA, as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal. Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., www.naegele.com/whats_new.html#articles), and can be contacted directly at tdnaegele.associates@gmail.com; see also Google search: Timothy D. Naegele

[2]  It has been said: “Muslims are like guns and gun owners. There is only trouble with a small percentage.”

See also https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/abortions-and-autos-kill-more-in-america-than-guns/ (“Abortions And Autos Kill More In America Than Guns”)

[3]  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/global-chaos-and-helter-skelter/ (“Global Chaos And Helter Skelter”); see also https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/the-death-of-putin-and-russia-the-final-chapter-of-the-cold-war/ (“The Death Of Putin And Russia: The Final Chapter Of The Cold War”)

[4]  A Japanese submarine attacked the oil fields at Ellwood, north of Santa Barbara, California:

Though damage was minimal, the event was key in triggering the West Coast invasion scare and influenced the decision to intern Japanese-Americans.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardment_of_Ellwood (“Bombardment of Ellwood”); see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manzanar (“Manzanar”)

[5]  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Kathryn_Steinle (“Shooting of Kathryn Steinle”)

[6]  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_McVeigh (“Timothy McVeigh”)

[7]  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jones (“Jim Jones”)

[8]  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2015/11/20/we-are-all-parisians/ (“We Are All Parisians”)

[9]  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino,_California#21st_century

[10]  The President’s religious “origins” in Islam contribute to this.  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/is-barack-obama-a-racist/ (“Is Barack Obama A Racist?”)

We Are All Parisians

 By Timothy D. Naegele[1][2]

On Friday the 13th day of November, 2015, the city of Paris was hit by multiple, deadly terrorist attacks. Like September 11, 2001 in New York City—or “9/11″[3]—the attacks and those who died will live on in the world’s consciousness.  They were tragic, horrific events similar those that have occurred in other cities and countries during recent years.

Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, in what is now the State of Hawaii, was struck on the morning of December 7, 1941, which led to the United States’ entry into World War II—”a date which will live in infamy,” in the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt.[4]

For non-New Yorkers, the city was cold and overwhelming for most Americans before 9/11.  Even for those who could afford it, and traveled there for business, it was still uninviting.  After 9/11, most Americans embraced it and the heroic rescuers who went to the twin towers of the World Trade Center, trying to save lives.  Many of them perished.

“Windows on the World” restaurant, at the top of the North Tower, had spectacular views of the city; and one’s ears popped riding the elevator to its 107th floor.[5]  It is gone now, but New York City remains the financial capital of the world.  Similarly, the lovely city of Paris will survive and flourish even more after the attacks, for it has taken its place in the hearts of people around the world.

There are thousands of stories to be told by the survivors and other witnesses, and by those who came to their aid.  Perhaps they are best exemplified in the interview conducted by CNN’s Anderson Cooper with Isobel Bowdery and Amaury Baudoin, which is short and should be watched in its entirety:

In a wonderful and loving sense, all of us became Parisians, just like all of us became New Yorkers.

Also, it must never be forgotten that Islam has approximately 1.8 billion followers, only a pittance of whom are terrorists.  It would be wrong to discriminate against the majority, or ostracize them.  They have suffered too, for the acts of the radicals.

Please remember the words of Love, and the emotions expressed by both Isobel Bowdery and Amaury Baudoin . . .

© 2015, Timothy D. Naegele

 

 

_______________________________________________

[1] Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate’s Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass). He and his firm, Timothy D. Naegele & Associates, specialize in Banking and Financial Institutions Law, Internet Law, Litigation and other matters (see www.naegele.com and http://www.naegele.com/documents/TimothyD.NaegeleResume.pdf). He has an undergraduate degree in economics from UCLA, as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal. Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., www.naegele.com/whats_new.html#articles), and can be contacted directly at tdnaegele.associates@gmail.com; see also Google search: Timothy D. Naegele

[2] Note: This article is an expansion of earlier comments at this blog.  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/global-chaos-and-helter-skelter/#comment-7819 (“A Friday The 13th Paris Survivor’s Tale”)

[3]  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks (“September 11 attacks”)

[4]  See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor (“Attack on Pearl Harbor”)

[5]  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_on_the_World (“Windows on the World”)