Will Makes Excuses for his old Boss

Our KGB handler asked us if we wanted to write some collusive (that's a word? Fuck me). Russian misinformation. We'd love to write some collusive Russian information. We enjoy the gig. But we said nyet. Not while there's a war on. Maybe not ever again. And we told our KGB handler not to worry about paying us for our last three articles. We sigh in the most Russian way possible. We've broken up with publications before. Take Decision Games, who put someone else's name on our work and stiffed us for $400 lousy bucks. Four hundred. Hope it was worth it.

My friend William Katz asks an interesting question: 'Why are we one of the few democracies on Earth that has no mechanism for replacing a clearly failed leadership in times of crisis?...No, I am talking about a Constitutional amendment, precisely and calmly written, that would permit several different entities – Congress, state legislatures, a petition drive, to order a snap election within 30 days, an election that could replace an entire administration, the way any presidential election would. For goodness sake, the Brits can change administrations overnight.' Now that is not a bad idea. 

For the last generation or so, since 9/11 maybe, something's been off about our system of government. This blog has argued that the primary process is broken and limiting the president to two terms was a mistake. Katz' snap election provision should be proposed in and voted on by the House of Representatives. Let's say...60% of congresspersons are needed to call the election. The system needs a valve. As it is Joe is going to be impeached next year. 

It looks to this blog like Putin is slowly intensifying Soviet bombardment of Kiev, Mariupol, etc etc. According to the narrative, Russia is advancing slowly because of harassment by brave and virtuous Uke resisters and logistical woes. Possible. But what if the Ruskis are slowly establishing themselves around Kiev and allowing an exit rout for Ukrainian refugees? Exit question: why wouldn't the Russians allow as many Ukes as possible to flee Kiev? 

The international community is outrage at Russia's missile bombardment of Kiev, but so what? Putin smashed Grozny (good) and no one cared. He certainly recalls NATO's Yugoslavian shame. For younger reader(s), the bastard Serb besieged Sarajevo while NATO, the UN, and the international community did nothing but point to their resolutions, 'See!' they pleaded. The Serb did whatever he wanted. A state can bombard cities all it wants so long as that state is not a Jewish State. 

The UN actually imposed an arms embargo on both the Serbs and the Bosnians. We were a Senate intern in the summer of 1995 (William V. Roth, R DE) when the Serbs kicked UN peacekeepers out of the Srebrenica safe haven and massacred thousands. We watched Bob Dole take to the floor and tell senators to clear their schedules. Dole was pissed. Later that month the Senate debated lifting the embargo. 'A nation has the right to defend itself,' thundered a strangely eloquent Joe Biden. The resolution passed by veto-proof majority. Senator Jessie Helms proposed $50 million for weapons but the Senate said no. Helms was an ardent supporter of Israel, speaking of narrative busting...and on Purim too.

Every Which Way but Will

The View's Ana Navarro wiped the donut powder from her bloated, fat face, belched, and said the Department of Justice should 'look into people who are Russian propogandists and shilling for Putin. If you are a foreign asset to a dictator, you should be investigated.' Lard butt went on to single out Tulsi Gabbard and Tucker Carlson. Unfunny Jewish appropriator and fellow lard butt Whoopi Goldberg said, 'They used to arrest people for doing stuff like this,' then she devoured a 50 pack of Craft cheese slices and flew back to the coven. 

Yeah, I called you fat. Look at me, I'm in shape. 

With the ban on Russia media and the Fed's sanctioning of Russians, including our own Inforos editor, we've been wondering if the Feds or media would look into us.* We've written exactly 100 articles for Inforos/Infobrics and have been quoted in Sputnik. Surely someone with the AP or Yahoo News or something would ask, 'Who is this articulate, intelligent, handsome fellow who writes so prolifically for Russia?' For anyone in the media reading, your request for comment of any kind is denied. Below, visual representation of what would happen if a news van pulled up:

Which brings us to what Will's Watching (again), Every Which way but Loose:  A movie about working class folks, an LA movie, a silly movie with a dark undertone and conclusion. We're just old enough to remember when this film seemed utterly contemporary. Now it's a wonderful time-capsule. Made in 1978, EWWBL feels like the 70s and is charming as such. The men have zero self consciousness about their floppy haircuts and bushy mustaches. This is how people looked. Critics don't like this movie, but we love it. We love everything about EWWBL. Clint Eastwood's comedy turn, Clyde (right turn, Clyde), Geoffrey Lewis as the brother, Ruth Gordon as Ma, the incompetent but lovable bikers getting their asses kicked by Philo, Ma, truckers...4/4 

A European friend sends along this piece in defense of NATO. We urge readers to click on through and read, as the article makes good points and is food for thought. 

Moving on to other crisis...we read various reports that the US is close to some kind of deal with Iran. We laugh. We laugh some more. Meanwhile, The Times of Israel tells us, 'A UAV attack in the middle of February reportedly caused major damage to Iran’s drone fleet, prompting Iran to fire missiles this week at a site in Iraq that it claims was an Israeli intelligence base. Hundreds of drones are assessed to have been destroyed in the attack on an airbase near Kermanshah, in Western Iran, Haaretz reported Tuesday, without citing sources for the extent of the damage.' What part of 'Iran will never have a nuclear weapon do these people not understand?' Sometimes we think the Iranian nuclear program is a bluff, sometimes we think there will be an existential war in the Middle East. 

We've spoken to some of you about The Great Nuclear War of 1975 (best sales day so far, yesterday). Readers report being at once horrified and unable to put 75 down. Which is exactly what we were going for. We've done just about everything we can to The Weser's Part II, for now. Time to get Part III squared away. We're thinking it might useful to postpone submitting the MS to the editor till 15 April.

*We assume our comms are being monitored by an alphabet agency. They spied on Tucker. 

Analyses, both Writing and Ukraine

We are seeing excellent results at the gym with 15 minute sessions on the treadmill, rowing machine, stair machine, rope pulley, bike. Honestly it's probably a little much. While we do hobble around afterwards our heart rate remains steady, about 150 bpm. Four years ago our heart rate pushed 200 bpm. [Yikes-Ed] Weight loss remains elusive, but on mornings like this we can actually feel the muscle building. 

Sales of The Great Nuclear War of 1975 remain steady and solid and increase each day. Rankings remain kinda meh. Readers have posted four ratings at Goodreads for an average of 4.25/5 stars. We are comfortable saying things are going well. We think we're out of the danger zone. What we mean is, 75 probably won't flop.

We are hard at work on World War 1990: The Weser. The effort is slow and steady and producing results. We needed to add a few Apache scenes and we have added a few Apache scenes. We're pleased. By the time we are finished at the end of the month, The Weser will be 70,000 words. We are on schedule for an April submission to the editor. Exit Question: can one have two scenes with flag waving 'Come on 54!' histrionics? Might be a little much, no? 

Another Georgia Poll shows Governor Brian Kemp beating Trump endorsed David Purdue in the state GOP primary. Good. Kemp won his last election. He will come into this election tested and sharp. In contrast Stacey Abrams has had her expansive posterior kissed for the last four years and thinks she's the rightful governor of Georgia. Abrams will be unprepared, out of shape, doughy, flabby...We love Kemp's chances.

Rob Lee has some excellent footage and commentary on the war in Ukraine. This blog once more insists that the war isn't going as well for the Ukes as the media thinks, nor is it going as bad for the Ruskis as the media thinks. Whomever one sides with, one should not trust the media narrative. [Whom do you side with?-Ed] We side with truth and reality based analysis of the facts on the ground. [And what is your analysis?]. Analysis follows:

-Russian shock and awe failed

-Russian intel failed 

-Russian tactics are horrible 

-The Ukrainians surpassed our expectations

-The Ukrainians have made good use of NATO provided weapons

-Russian Logistics failed 

The Ukes and the Ruskis are talking right now. We ask again, if Zelensky agrees to a neutral Ukraine, then what was the point of all this?

It has been said that the Ruskis had no Plan B after their attempted knockout blow on Kiev failed. Stroock's Books now believes they did have a plan B, a campaign of slow strangulation. We believe that plan is working, albeit, in a very Russian way. Reminder, Ruskis don't think like you and me. 

If it's Wednesday, It's What Will's Watching and Other Observations

Okay...KU reads of The Great Nuclear War of 1975 increase with day two doubling over day one and day three doubling over day two as of this morning. Rankings are still meh and may remain so. It's a crowded market. We've gotten a little feedback from a few of you and so far, so good. Things are looking great, gotta wear shades.*

What Will's Watching, Red Rocket: Mikey is a down on his luck 'actor' who returns home to his estranged wife in Texas City. A handsome, likable fast talker, one is never quite sure if one should root for or against Mikey. Red Rocket is an artsy film about mood and place. Director Sean Baker captures both with expertise. This is a good-looking film about uncomfortable subjects; the poor, porn, grooming. Brittany Rodriguez is a non-professional actor, cast off the street by Baker, and plays brilliantly a tough, bourgeoning pot dealer who is strangely likable. 4/4

Numerous sources report that President Zelinsky is willing to negotiate with Putin. He would allegedly concede Crimea and agree not to join NATO.  Crimea is Russian whether Ukraine and the West like it or not. This observer is on record and has written for the Ruskis that Ukraine should not join NATO. Duh. This could be a ruse. Or like this blog, Zelinsky thinks his time and resources are limited. 

Right now the media portrays the Ukes as plucky anti-fascist rebels poking the bear. Readers of this blog should be smart enough to approach the media narrative with great skepticism and caution. Most reports on Soviet casualties come from the Ukrainians. We know nothing about Ukrainian casualties. And please, no more articles about the end of armored warfare. People have written that tanks are finished since the Yom Kippur war. You have man portable antitank rockets, I have the Trophy Anti-Rocket system.

That being said it's undeniable that the Ukrainians have had tremendous success with small anti-tank rocket teams. This blog doubts these are volunteer militia fighters. Those are the guys that die early in a war because they think they're in Red Dawn, or something. Rather, these are professional soldiers who have been training with NLAWs and TOWs for years. 

Help from the West is...unsteady. On the one hand, the US Senate just gave Ukraine $14.1 billion. On the other hand American support is highly symbolic. Artists are flying paper airplanes to advocate for a no-fly- zone.**  On the gripping hand, look at that PR fiasco with Poland offering to send its MiG-29s to Ramstein and the US saying, 'What? Huh? Uhhhh, no.'

Gas here in New Jersey is well above four bucks. Thanks Joe.

*That's an 80's reference most of you won't get. But if you're in the know, you know. Heh.

**We love how a no-fly-zone is the cause celeb for idiot influencer types. Given the effectiveness of Uke fighters and bombers, a no-fly-zone would hurt them more than the Ruskis, no? How do these hashtag activist types even sit the right way on a toilet seat, and who wipes their asses for them? Fuckheads - Huh, spellcheck accepts 'fuckheads' as one word. 

Your Combined Russia/Ukraine War and Will's Lipid Panel Update for 3/1/22

Well fuck me. My bloodwork came back with very unexpected results: 

Triglycerides was 634 now 461.

Cholesterol was 240 now 158.

Glucose was 139 now 118.

This calls for a celebratory 80's training montage:

 

Of course Ivan Drago is in that clip. Moving on to other things Russian...

Zuckerberg is kicking Russia off META. Google is banning Russian media advertisements. FIFA has banned Russia from competition. Celebrities are pouring their Russian vodka down the drain and several governors are urging liquor stores to pull Russian vodka from their shelves. If we can all remove Tchaikovsky* and Prokofiev from our playlists, we'll really sock it to Putin. 

Some fools are calling on the West to establish a no-fly-zone over Ukraine. As if the UN Security Council will pass a resolution and *poof* no more Russian aircraft over Kiev. How do these people think Putin will respond to a no-fly-zone? How do these people intend to enforce it? Idiots.

One unexpected Ukrainian tactic: civil disobedience. Civilians have blocked Russian tanks, harassed Russian soldiers and refused to give them food and fuel. So far, the Russians haven't gunned them down. The old Russian army would have. We'll see how long that lasts. Sooner or later the Russian will embrace his inner Cossack. 

[So pessimistic-Ed]

True. Why are we so pessimistic? The Chechens really smacked around the Ruskis in '95. But the Ruskis won in the end. The Russians defeated Georgia in 2008. See also the Hong Kong protests. Again, we just think Russian numbers will win the day. But protests in Russia, you say? Unprecedented? Not so fast. Protests are actually pretty common. This ain't Stalin's Russia. Until we see some evidence to the contrary, and that's not CNN reporting on anonymous sources, we assume Putin has a firm grasp on Russia. 

We are working diligently on World War 1990: The Weser and have completed reading the Intro (20 pages) and Part-I, The Americans (50 pages). We're quite pleased with the 8th Infantry Division's battle. We could have done some more work on Part-I, but feel like that've been over doing it. Work smarter, not harder. Opportunities will present themselves if we put Part-I down for a week. In this case working smarter and not harder means moving on to Part II: The British. Here too we are pleased with the fight between UK 4 Armoured Division and East German 7 Tank Division. Hello Jerry.

*We were listening to Tchaikovsky at the gym yesterday. Is this collusion?

Will's Good Idea for the Week of 2/27/22

Why haven't the Soviets Russians achieved their goals in Ukraine? This blog believes the Ukrainians have put up much tougher resistance than anticipated. The Ukes are also well equipped and those NLAW anti-tank weapons are deadly. 

Are Russian training and tactics holding them back? We'll reserve judgement because we don't know the Russian plan. Maybe they've achieved everything they wanted in the first 96 hours. Remember, the liberation of Iraq in 2003 stalled because of logistics problems and a sandstorm. But in the end the Marines still arrested Baghdad Bob, 'I'm sorry sir, you'll have to come with us.' Wait for facts. 

This blog believes Russian numbers will win out.

Putin Watch: We've been reading up on Putin and Russia. It turns out Putin is relatively popular in Russia. 

Were we to hit publish right now, The Great Nuclear War of 1975 would be available by dinner tonight.

Yesterday we finished reading Part I of World War 1990: The Weser. Then we started reading it again. We anticipate finishing the second read through of Part I today. When one doesn't collude with the Ruskis, one has more time for writing and editing. We spent a lot of time clarifying, 'Whose advancing on the Farm?' and omitting needless words. Here's an interesting problem. We wrote two American tanks (one M-1, one National Guard M-60), a Soviet tank, and a West German tank. That's sixteen (16!) characters right there.

We are pleased. 

Getting onto Will's Good Idea for the week of 2/27/22... We've discussed World War 1990: Battle of the GIUK Gap before, but it's worth going over again. 

Let's workshop this.

We think the novel will have an opening blockbuster. That might be the Soviet amphib/airborne attack on Iceland. Now that we think about it, maybe the opening blockbuster should be a Soviet amphib/airborne attack on one of the big Norwegian bases. 

We'll write lots of submarine scenes, Norwegian, Soviet, and probably British. We should bring back Tenacious, right? We should bring back Ula, right? Speaking of bringing back, we'll have our Backfire bomber characters from Battle of the Three Seas. They should wreck a NATO convoy. Maybe we should reach waaaay back and write about USS Stirling. Remember her? GIUK Gap offers us the opportunity to explore the P3 Orion and Nimrod anti-sub planes. Maybe we'll do a NATO hunter-killer surface group. Post ideas in comments. 

Russia: The Stroock Plan

It is with great sadness that we told our KGB handler in the Kremlin that our relationship is over. We loved colluding with Russia. We did love it so. So much so that by our count we've published 100 articles with Inforos/Infobrics. Click here to see them all. In fact, click here to see our very first piece at Inforos:

With the USSR long gone pushing NATO even further east is a pointless provocation. Those advocating for expanding to Russia’s border forget NATO’s mission, stated clearly in the alliance’s name, North Atlantic Treaty Organization; North Atlantic. NATO links western Europe to North America with Great Britain as the physical and cultural bridge between the two. From Nord Kapp, to the North Sea and down to the Greenland, Iceland United Kingdom Gap NATO protects the Atlantic crossings. The Baltics, Ukraine and Georgia have nothing to do with the Atlantic and should have nothing to do with NATO. Today most American troops are gone from Europe and NATO’s once fine, professional militaries have shriveled. Why poke the Bear?

We knew what we were doing, da. We wrote something we believed. We wrote something that we thought we could get in print with those recidivist commies. Ninety-nine articles later we stand by what we wrote in 2019. Why poke the bear? Look closely at the first vowel in NATO. A is for Atlantic. To be clear, America has no national interest in Ukraine. None whatsoever. We won't die for Donbass.

What should the West have done? The West should have realized that Russia has interests too. Russia has red lines. Russia has pride. The West should have told Putin, 'Fine. You promise not to invade Ukraine, we'll promise not to expand NATO further.' Da? Da.

And the West should have been tougher and clearer. That is, the West should have said to Putin, 'Here are every one of the sanctions we will impose if you invade Ukraine. Here's every one of the weapons we'll send to Ukraine if you do invade. Here's a rundown of the massive NATO fleet exercise we'll hold in the Barents Sea just to piss you off.'* 

What should the West do now? Sanction the Russians all you want. Cutoff Moscow's ability to finance its debt. Kick the Ruskis out of SWIFT. Throw them out of the Olympics and any other international sports org you can think of. Move to expel them from the UN**. Invite Sweden and Finland to join NATO. But remember one thing. Russians don't think like us in the West. As an Indian neighbor who lived in Moscow for several years once told us, 'Russians look like Europeans but think like Asians.' They don't care. 

*NATO used to do that in the 80's.

**Putin chairs the Security Council right now, which is a sick joke.

The Red Army Rolls

Everyone reading this knows by now that Russia has invaded Ukraine. Putin's war message was extremely bellicose, and Russia's efforts aren't limited to the Donbass region. This blog gets the impression that Putin seeks regime change. That strikes us as overreach. We're not qualified to analyze the war. Those interested can follow events at Elint News. 

Reports indicate the Soviets, sorry, Ruskis, have deployed amphibious and airborne forces. Putin is obviously showcasing  Russian military capabilities and this blog is very interested to see how the Russians perform during this war. One observation, Russian missiles seem to be hitting stuff.

Joe Biden has lost two countries inside of a year. Remember  Joe's tough guy act? Remember how Joe bragged that Putin didn't want him to be president? Yeah, no. War rages across Ukraine. Energy prices will skyrocket. The Dow will tumble. We fear Joe and the rest of the incompetent Obama retreads in the regime will fuck things up even more. This blog can't help but notice that Putin didn't pull this crap when Trump was in office. 

Once again European 'soft-power' failed to keep the peace. Forget global power projection, The Europeans can't stop war in Europe. The Europeans couldn't stop the Jugolsav War. The Europeans couldn't stop the Kosovo War. The Europeans couldn't stop Russia from invading Georgia and they couldn't stop Russia from taking Crimea. Brussels couldn't prevent Russia from invading Ukraine. No more lectures, Okay European diplomats? There's not one Metternich or Castlereagh among you.  

And please, no comparisons to President Carter and/or Prime Minister Chamberlain. After the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, Jimmy Carter cancelled SALT II, withdrew from the Olympics and increased defense spending. Carter changed. Is anyone in the Biden Regime capable of change? Neville Chamberlain was a patriot who did everything he could do to maintain the peace in the aftermath of the most destructive war in European history. The Prime Minister's actions were wrong, but entirely understandable. 

Exit question: are we better or worse off with Joe non-compos-mentis?

Putin ain't no Cornpop

Yesterday, after reading the update on The Great Salvation of 1976,  a member of this blog's Confederate readership pointed out that Chatanooga's Look Out Mountain has extensive caverns. Just perfect. This detail has been added in a couple of places. Thank you, sir.

We read over 76's military themed chapter yesterday. Cheney and Rumsfeld discuss the state of the US military at the Western DoD in Gillette, WY. The remnants of the Pacific fleet are at Subic Bay. In Belgium, troops embark for home. An SR-71 overflies North Korea. We need another military scene. Doesn't have to be American. Post ideas in comments.

Yesterday we spent a lot of time looking over and unraveling The Final Storm. Our understanding of the MS is much clearer for doing so. This week we are writing The Final Storm's A-6 strike chapters. Squadrons from Task Force 60 off Nord Kapp will fly south, refuel over southern Finland and hit the Kastroma nuclear base northeast of Moscow. 

Putin Watch: We watched Putin's Ukraine speech yesterday afternoon. Putin rambled and went no place. It was a long lecture on the history of Russia, the USSR and Ukraine. We can't vouch for anything we heard. Our man in the Kremlin agrees with our assessment. Putin should have said, 'After consultation with my military and foreign policy team, I have recognized the independences of Donbass and Luhanks...'

So there it is. Putin has recognized the independence of Donbass and Lugansk, two years to the day after Joe tweeted this:

Vladimir Putin doesn’t want me to be President. He doesn’t want me to be our nominee. If you’re wondering why — it’s because I’m the only person in this field who’s ever gone toe-to-toe with him.

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 21, 2020

Was Putin's timing on purpose, a signal that he's eschewing the delicate kabuki of diplomacy for a deliberate slap in the face? Were this China, we would assume so, no?

That tweet is classic Joe. All tough guy and braggadocio. As Billy Joel once sang, 'You had to be a big shot did yuh?' Real tough guys don't say much because they don't feel they need to. 

Biden's advisors (Samantha Power, John Kerry, Jen Psaki) are the people that couldn't stop Putin from seizing Crimea in 2014 or intervening in Syria in 2015. Their response was to get mad and stomp their feet at the UN and lecture Soviet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about how he and Putin will go down in history. We'd hate to break it to the professional foreign policy failures in the Biden Regime, but Putin doesn't care what they think of him. 

In any event Soviet Russian troops, including amphibious and airborne forces, are on the move. Biden has failed to stop war in Ukraine. That's two nations you lost, Junior.

If it's Monday, Its Metal et al

Lots of posts yesterday. It happens.

The Olympics are over, thank God. What a travesty. Stupid masks, power plant cooling tower backgrounds, an unprecedented figure skating catastrophe, some genocide.

The Queen has Covid, but only 'mild' symptoms so far. Thoughts and prayers. This blog wants to avoid a King Charles rein at all costs. 

Our latest bit of collusion is up this morning: 'Just a few weeks ago, this observer predicted the Kansas City Chiefs would defeat the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl LVI. Instead, Tens of thousands of Los Angelenos watched their hometown Rams defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20. Almost everyone in Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium was maskless, including Mayor Eric Garcetti and California Governor Gavin Newsom, both of whom have maintained some of the strictest lockdown rules in the nation. Last summer Newsom was caught dining sans mask at the swanky French Laundry restaurant in California’s wine country...' You know the drill.

This week we'll be reading a printout of The Great Salvation of 1976. This process will be slow as we're line and content editing. That is, we're looking for places to make the story better. We already found one with a Tennessee/Chattanooga chapter. This is the largest surviving city east of the Mississippi and the Rockefeller Administration is establishing the Federal Reserve there. This gives us a chance to describe the overall situation in that region. 

We feel the ju-ju for getting back to and finishing up World War 1990: The Weser. 

Putin Watch: Someone found a video of Putin walking through the Kremlin (which we're finding extremally useful, btw) and overdubbed Staying Alive. Click on through. [You're man-crushing -Ed] He's an interesting guy. Reminder, when Soviet Russian tanks cross the border, we stop writing for Russia.

Reading Russia Today, Sputnik, Elint News, invasion looks imminent. 

For Monday Metal, we continue our 30-year nostalgia trip with Queen's Headlong. We still love this song (it's great treadmill fodder) and when we hear it, for just a second, we're back in our '86 Toyota Celica. At 3:10-3:20 we'd floor the accelerator. That car had a lot of kick. 

Will's Good Idea for the Week of 2/20/22

This is post 4835. That's 165 posts till we get to the big five oh oh oh. 

[What happens then?-Ed]

Not sure.

We haven't posted anything on Gab in a week and don't really miss doing so. We've been on Gab since 2016, have 446 followers and more than 6.2K posts. We're not sure our efforts there, or on any other social media, have amounted to much. We use a twitter account for reading things and occasional snarky tweets for our own NJ07 Congressional district. Meh.

After submitting The Great Nuclear War of 1975 we feel the book is unfocused and disjointed. Feeling so is quite normal actually. We asked our beta-reader about it, and she said the flow worked. So did our editor. Maybe it's just us. We'll know in due time. We are a 4 star author on Amazon whose books crack the top-20 in their category. Trust in Allah. We shall all eat lamb in paradise. Inshallah.

[What is this, the Thursday Downer on Sunday?-Ed]

I dunno. 

We've brought our phone screen time down about 25% in the last couple of weeks to around three hours. We'd like to get that down to 2 and half, but some days...Damn you, Stephen L Miller.

Putin watch: The man speaks English. Who knew? He learned it later in life. 

Will's good idea for the week of 2/20/22. This will be the last week we look at The Final Storm before switching to The Weser in February. In recent months we've been prepping and writing aerial attack scenes. We've done the Brits, Italians, the Aussies/Japanese and the SAS. What's the next scene? Probably Strike Group Savage. Remember those guys? Remember Maychuk, the Canadian F-18 driver in Nederland? He's based in North America now and scrambles on nuclear alert. Actually, we still have to do the Israeli scene but were putting it off till we found Raid on the Sun. We found Raid on the Sun.

Will's Good Idea for the Week of 2/13/22

A light snow this morning.

We got back to the gym yesterday. Just 15 minutes on the treadmill plus some light weightlifting and the rope-pulley. We feel good.

The Great Nuclear War of 1975 proof arrived yesterday. We began reading right away and found only a few typos in the first chapter. The first chapter, the prologue really, read well. We had trouble putting it down. We're enthused. We're just gonna bear down and read the proof till it's done. Which should take a couple of days. It's time for Will to publish. That's our good idea for the week of 2/13/22.

In case The Great Nuclear War of 1975 bombs, we'll have World War 1990: The Weser ready to go for 1 July. Or The Final Storm if it's done. Alert reader(s) will note The Final Storm is the novel that never wants to get done. The Great Salvation of 1976 comes out even if 75 bombs. That's our other good idea.

We probably dismayed a few reader(s) yesterday with idle speculation about splitting World War 1990: The Final Storm in two. It's a thought. The only basis for doing so would be The Battle of the Roki Tunnel. From there we could write about revolts in various other parts of Georgia and the USSR. We had originally planned a lot of Kazakhstan stuff. But we're not feeling any spark, so it's probably not a good idea.

Today is Super Bowl...we're not sure. Is it really a Super Bowl if Tom Brady isn't in it (0-2 against our own Eli Manning and the Giants?) We can't remember a time when we were less enthused about the Super Bowl. Meh. Don't know why.  We'll watch like everyone else, though. We think the Bengals of Cincinatti will win. Again, meh. 

Idle speculation: Putin has privately warned Western governments that they need to get their people out of Ukraine. The Times of Israel report that even Jerusalem is telling its citizens to leave. Note, Putin grew up with a couple of Jewish families and learned piano from an old Jewish woman. He never tolerated antisemitism in the KGB, is more or less friendly towards Israel (while disagreeing on much) and enjoyed cordial relations with Netanyahu. There is something like a million Russian Jews in Israel. Don't underestimate the importance of that connection 

This thing is going down, isn't it? How much of a prick does Putin want to be? If he wants to cause some real mischief he should launch the invasion during the Super Bowl. Heh.

Saturday Updates

This is post 4816. 

With the Wuhan Virus from Wuhan China infection rates down to pre-OMICRON levels, we've been cleared to go back to the gym. [You mean your wife let you-Ed] She never told us we couldn't, she just asked that we not. [You tell yourself that-Ed]. However, we feel little motivation to go. Walking's been working just fine, and we didn't gain any weight in the last month. We've enjoyed listening to Stephen L. Miller's podcast on walks. [You can't listen to him while working out?-Ed] No, we need high octane hard rock and heavy metal.

On to the things. 

A week interrupted by funeral arrangements and travel. But a productive week nonetheless. We've added a few scenes to the SAS attack, one intro to the plan, the other a plan finalization. Writing tip: one must needs establish a thing before one writes about that thing. We've really cleaned up the assault. We are semi-confident that we can wrap this up by the end of next week. Exit question, what is this operation's name? And the codename can't be cool. It can't be Operation Rapier or Operation Doom-Stalker. 

We have a tonne of Kremlin stuff to sort out. Our Russian/Soviet history books are buried deep within the book pile in my utility room (longtime reader(s) will recall Hurricane Ida wrecked our basement, the bitch). We have to dig those books out as they're filled with info we need. Where's the Walnut Room? What do the premier's office windows look out upon? Etc. 

Which brings us to a bit of good news. All this writing about USSR and Kremlin (see what I did there?) has re-sparked our interest in Russian history. We picked up a couple of books about Putin yesterday. Speaking of:

The boss was on the telly last night.* We're working on an Inforos article for him right now...Roll Canada. Heh, we told our editor, let's call him Vlad, about our SAS attack on the Kremlin and he said, 'Cool! SAS is awesome!'

Moving on...

We have the formatted edition of The Great Nuclear War of 1975 and a cover proof. We will make some obvious tweaks but this is it, this is the cover:

This idea will work nice for The Great Salvation of 1976 as well. We plan to submit 76 for formatting on 1 March. [Plan all you want!-Ed]

We have a couple of ideas swirling. Discussion fodder for Will's Good Idea for the week of 2/6/22, tomorrow. 
 

*Nightingale Russia, this is a joke. You see, the notion that a Jewish guy from New Jersey who writes novels about the US beating up the USSR, breaking their glasses and taking their lunch money, is somehow a KGB operative is so silly as to be farcical. Understand, comrades? Now excuse me while I head to the train station for a midnight dead drop of my payment in rubles. 

Will's Good Idea for the Week of 1/23/22

Three days after yet another expose claiming Inforos is part of a nefarious Kremlin plot to bring about the downfall of the West, the website is still down. Whenever we think, 'Will, you're working for Putin' we remind ourselves that Russian misinformation websites run from a massive bunker beneath the Kremlin...don't get hacked. 

Let's look at the Ukraine situation. As noted before the Western Alliance is split. The French want to negotiate all their own, and Biden is persona-non-grota at the Wolf's Lair. Both the US and UK are shipping weapons and ammo to Ukraine. Puitn is making outlandish demands about Eastern Europe. The Eastern Europeans are freaking out, understandably. 

Here in the US, neoliberals and neocon holdovers are arguing that the US needs to help Ukraine. To a point, fine. But if things go hot in Ukraine, expect the cry of we won't die for Donbass to rise up from the public. We will go to war with Russia because the Dems need to prove a point about their Ukraine impeachment farce. 

Richard Fernandez (Belmont Club) says Putin is having fun 'shredding' Euro-soft power. One is tempted to say Putin has played this situation perfectly. Maybe. But only a fool thinks he can control events. This blog suspects Putin didn't think he'd split the west so badly or succeed this much. Success creates its own problems. 

Exit question: What does Putin do if he gets everything he wants in Ukraine?

We have now arrived at Will's good idea for the week of 1/23/22. This Ukraine mess means our old Putin's War idea is overtaken by events, no? We could come up with a work-around. But we're reluctant to get into modern warfare. We like writing about tanks and airstrikes and amphibious landings and the like. We don't know much about drone and cyber warfare. [Can't you teach yourself about these things?-Ed] sure. But right now, we're feeling pretty damn lazy. We shall continue banging away at 75, 76 and The Weser.

Will goes the full Declinist

So Joe proposed that Donbas be made an 'autonomous' region within Ukraine. Is it appeasement? First off, let's get something strait about Neville Chamberlain. He was a well-meaning PM doing everything within his power to avoid war. Of course he was wrong. But we have hindsight and he didn't. Chamberlain did have horrific memories of the last war, and he wanted to avoid another.  

We have yet to answer our question. Maybe Joe's Donbas plan is appeasement. But who wants to send their sons and daughters to die to keep Donbas within Ukraine? A quick visit to Russia Today and Sputnik this morning shows only one story about the Ukraine issue, an op ed praising Joe's plan. Maybe things are settling down?

Later, this blog will cynically slam Joe for caving to Putin. What does the Kremlin have on him? Just how large are Joe's Burisma holdings? There were steps Joe could have taken before this crisis (aid to the Ukes, Nordstream).

Because this blog's enemies are sub-literate, we will declare once again we don't support Russian meddling in Ukraine and think Putin has little-man syndrome. What a mess. Vlad didn't do this when Trump was president. 

Moving on to other areas in which Joe is appeasing the bad guys, the Times of Israel reports that Trump got mad at Bibi: 'Former US president Donald Trump has lashed out at former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Israeli leader’s congratulations to US President Joe Biden after he won the presidency last year in statements published on Friday.' Where's the very stable genius? While Trump would be the first president since FDR to win three elections in a row should he run and win in 2024, sometimes we wonder. 

In Washington, Cocaine Mitch has concocted some kind of deal where the Dems get to raise the debt ceiling. Some fools think Mitch could have used his leverage for spending cuts. Whatevs. We've seen these spending fights for 30 years and they always end the same way. Nobody wants to cut Washington spending. This blog doesn't care. The United States will get spending under control when the currency crashes and we default on the debt. 

Speaking of, NRO's Kevin Williamson has some prescient thoughts on imperial decline:  'The United States must figure out how to craft for itself a new kind of diplomacy, one that reflects not the country it was in the post-war era but the country it actually is: rich, aging, eager for comfort and luxury, disinclined to fight. Americans, being prideful, naturally bristle at anything that sounds like a tribute payment or protection money, but if you have a great deal of money and no willingness to fight, you had better be honest with yourself about what that means. If we are still a superpower at all, our superpower is money.' The United States is in decline. In 1990, we had no doubt we'd kick the crap out of Iraq. What would happen were China to attack Taiwan? We've no idea. 

Below, your Friday flag (get it?):

The Coming War with Syria?

Here's a recent map showing military dispositions in Syria:

As readers can see, while the Syrian regime controls most of the country, there are, shall we say, very complicated pockets.

As noted yesterday the Israelis say they have a plan to expel Iran from Syria.

We assume this entails operations east of the Golan, around Syrian airstrips, and the Beirut-Damascus Highway.

What to do about those two Russian flags north of Lebanon?

Well, this is interesting as hell:

“Israel and Russia have a shared interest to expel the Iranians from Syria,” said Gallant, who was speaking at an event in the Jerusalem suburb of Mevaseret Zion....

Gallant, a former top general, said as Syria and its allies have expanded the areas under regime control and inflicted defeats on rebel groups, Russia is no longer reliant on Iran and the two countries are at odds over “who will rebuild Syria.”

His comments mirrored those made Friday by the Russian deputy foreign minister, who denied Russia is allied with Iran and touted his country’s commitment to Israel’s security.

Netanyahu and Putin are in close contact and Bibi visits Moscow regularly for consultations. What could they have been talking about? What has changed that Moscow is denying its' relationship with Iran? 

Moscow cutting ties with Iran (at least in Syria) is a potentially huge development.

Move on, Russia

Ok, we get it. The press is lambasting Trump. Trump's message is muddled. Trump is even down in the all important Rassy Poll.

That said, Trump refuses to apologize or backtrack, which is wise. Never, ever apologize. Aside from making one look weak, it's like putting chum in shark infested waters. Besides, we agree with Trump. There is no reason to trust the assessment of the National Security State. Wanna talk about some of their screw ups the last few decades?

The problem for the democrats are twofold.

First, nobody cares about Russia. Nobody, and the Dems are obsessed with it. Ask the GOP caucus of '98 how being obsessed with an issue nobody else cares about worked for them. Go on, ask them.

Second, the Democrat Party is still led by a lot of geriatric coastal elites. At the same time Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. Venezuela, has captured the imagination of the party. Good lord, last night human marshmallow Paul Ryan got the Dems to publicly vote against ICE.

Russia! Russia! Russia! As the left used to say in the 90's: Move On. Actually, don't.

No, Putin Trumped

Over at the Stroock endorsed Powerline they have a wide variety of opinion from 'Trump is a useful idiot' to Steven Hayes' sage analysis. Remember, the professional diplo-media types hated Reagan too.

The esteemed Don Surber* partially echoes Will Stroock, 'Democrats and their lackeys in the Fourth Estate demanded President Trump confront Putin about Crimea, about human rights, and election meddling. That is how they negotiate?'

No one's really talking about what Trump and Putin talked about, which is far more important than Trump's press conference.

Ex Commie CIA Boss John Brennan says he wants Trump impeached. We maintain that Trump does things like this just to drive the opposition mad. In this case mission accomplished. Why, it's almost as if he planned it.

*Always trust ex reporters, note not journalists, reporters, like Don Surber.

Putined?

That was weird.

We watched Trump's presser with Putin and came away deeply confused.

Hotair is hysterical, calling the conference 'a low point'.

The President certainly gave ammo to his critics who think Putin 'has something' on him. Maybe Trump wants them to think that. Nobody cares about 'Russia' and the more Dems talk about it the stupider they look. Maybe Trump is trolling. Or maybe he was just off his game.

I liked the soccer ball.

As Churchill said Russia is a mystery wrapped in an enigma braised in honey and baked at 350 degrees for two hours or until the juices have simmered, or some such.

Reagan showed us the only thing Russians understand is brute force. 

Interestingly my friend and confirmed pessimist William Katz at Urgent Agenda seems pretty positive about the whole thing.

All this historian can say is wait and see.

Missiya Vyponena!

This week Russia opened the Kerch Strait Bridge, connecting Crimea with Russia. The Washington Times tells us:

This week, Vladimir Putin officially opened the recently-constructed Kerch Strait Bridge that the Russian president commissioned to connect the newly-annexed Crimean Peninsula to the Russian mainland. To commemorate the occasion, Mr. Putin led a convoy of new trucks across the $3 billion, 12-mile bridge, the longest span in Europe.

Putin driving lead truck in ceremonial first convoy is impressive feat of propaganda, nyet?

We must admit we're impressed. The man can flatten Chechnya and get a huge bridge built. If you ever needed a reason for the cult of Putin, there it is.

The annexation of Crimea is a done deal.

We don't love the new reality, but frankly, we just don't care.