Open Letter to the World

Hello World,

This was going to be an open letter to Ukraine, but as I thought about it, it applies to everybody, but it is particularly apparent in Ukraine.

Why is Putin doing what he's doing? Because of oil and gas. Oil and gas is what lines his pockets, and the pockets of his powerful friends.

We saw what a 100 million dollars of private funds were able to do in the hands of Osama bin Laden. Now, imagine what a few hundred billion will do in the hands of Putin and his cadre.

That is right, I equated the two. But I'm also going to throw Exxon in there as well, and BP and whatever other oil company you want to name.

It is not about guns, it is not about violence. Go ahead, have a gun. They will have a bigger one, or a faster one, or both.

It is about control, about control and greed.

It should be clear, they don't care who or what they kill, or who or what dies. Be it polar bears in the arctic, moose and elk in the marshes, rural dwellers on the plains, city dwellers in downtown Odessa.

We have put the world's money in the hands of the oily elite, and they will do what ever they please in order to expand their empire.

If they kill a couple of dozen Texans of Norwegians, utterly negligible.

If they kill a million Ukrainians, there are still many millions left, and many more millions to sell oil to in Europe.

If they kill 50 million Americans and/or 50 million Russians, there are still billions left in the world to sell oil to in the world.

Really, the notion of anti-trust, anti-monopoly is a free market notion, an American notion. It is a real pain for would be monopolists, and if it all just went away, so much the better. Really, the population of a totalitarian country is a pain in the butt. If they could be effectively culled, so much the better.

So, if they lose a third of their customer base to a giant war, not a problem. The price goes up. It has been proven on a dozen different levels that they really just don't care.

Understand that the aftermath of Chernobyl has been used as a lab experiment. Yes, it was an accident, yes there was a nuclear wasteland declared, but studies have been ongoing there, studies that do endanger the scientists working on the studies who themselves are likely studied. Why? To determine what happens when something like this happens. What they found: in general the natural habitat survived, and even thrived.

This demonstrates that the majority of the cities in a country-- America's cities, or Russia's, or China's, or Argentina's, or whoever's-- could be destroyed by remote control and the land, the majority of it, the primary asset, would recover after a few decades.

Because they are not Americans. They are not Russians. They are whatever they think they are, because we've given them that power, and they don't think they are us.

They have a dream, and here it is. Go ahead, take a look\

In the meantime, there will be a world full of people starving, begging for oil and gas.

So what should we do about this, what can we do about this?

Well, you can put on a mask and fight in the streets against other masked people who are being paid by the oily elite, or fight against soldiers paid by your tax dollars, but protecting the interests of the oily elite.

It doesn't not matter if your country is having a "spring", summer, fall or winter.

"But we have new technology, all the time! There will be new energy sources, cheap, or even free! And clean!"

Well, those who "care not who makes the laws" control the money, and therefore the technological effort. So I'm not convinced.

"But they are making fuel from sea water!" No they are not, they are making fuel from electricity and sea water. How are they making the electricity? Please stop being so dumb.

And you're like "Oh, come on lad. Buck up! Play the game! You've only got a few decades! Sit back, relax. Have a beer."

But I am just not in the mood.

What do we do? I don't know. I guess we pray, and we die.

"Well, as long as it's you, and not me!"

And that, I believe, sums up the situation.

Love,
MICHAEL

Twelve Steps to European Sanity

First, understand the following:

0) Grand cultural and civilized ideals based on universal truths are beautiful and worthwhile, and the heavens sing that you have turned your minds and efforts to these in the concept of the EU, but you need to ensure they are nurtured in a secure environment. You need to be vigilant, and you are up to the task. For crying out loud, you're fucking Europe. Also, stop calling Russia "Russia". It's Muscovia.

1) Putin's regime is militaro-totalitarian imperial, the sheep's clothing is off. What the Putin regime needs most: customers for gas and oil. Without this, the notion of a Eurasian Union fails. The only existing economic assets that the Central Asian countries in this theoretical union would have is oil and gas. Russia has succeeded in isolating these poor folk, and more and more wants to completely control them, in the manner of Belarus.

2) Belarus is important, because it is regarded as a legitimate separate country by the world at large. When two countries agree that a neighbor is a security threat, that lends legitimacy to one of them using force to neutralize the threat.

3) Everything Russia says about history is skewed, and largely incorrect, but it is woven to support a narrative. Europe has not done this with its own history and that's a shame. So, the narrative is this: what has Europe done is to squash imperial totalitarianism in favor of a multi-lateral strong association. The biggest threat to Europe's peace and prosperity, PROVEN in the "crucible of history" is when this militaro-imperial concept takes hold. When Ukraine joins Europe, Russia and Belarus are now the last militaro-imperial totalitarian states with any territory in Europe. Europe cares naught about that, because in history 9 times out of 10 Europe beats Russia. REVIEW your history, that is a fact. 

4) Europe made a decision to force Ukraine to choose, Russia or Europe. The current state of affairs in Ukraine are the consequences of that decision.

5) SO, you need to resurrect, "virtually", a modified version of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania/Commonwealth of Poland that stretches from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Understand this state was extant from the 12th century to 1795. Hugely successful, as European super states are concerned. This "virtual version" would contain Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, Poland and the new Ukraine at it's core. But it's virtual, a series of agreements for those places who are "the recovering Soviet abused".

6) The territory of the "new Ukraine" will consist of all of Ukraine as it currently exists, minus the parts of Donbass that have been taken over by "land raiders".  The land raiders hope to set themselves up as mini-moguls within Putin's militaro-totalitarian Muscovia and as such they have sealed their fate.

7) Putin won't last forever. The regime controls the records that, if they even still exist, would show the shady deals whereby all these "oligarchs" were conjured out of thin air through the undervalued transference of privatized state assets. Everyone knows how this was accomplished, it has made the true Russian people, the people of Russia, very angry.

8) The USA is there to ensure that WWIII works out to Europe's benefit. Europe should embrace the concept of being prepared for WWIII *with existing military strength* and *without Russian gas and oil* because if so prepared it will never happen. This is very important. Russia can afford an arms race with Europe funded with European oil and gas revenues. So, no rush to beef up assets should occur, because that will spark an arms race. First, a retreat from Russian oil and gas is needed. Russia will attempt to undermine unity by cutting deals. Do not be lured into this. (Note: This author does not say this as an American because "it keeps the US boss". We truly don't give a fuck about "being boss", we want to live life, buy stuff at decent prices and be left alone. Being boss is a pain in the ass and it makes people hate us. But we seem to be the only ones who have the objectivity and don't want to make total utter slaves out of everyone else. The author observes this is so, because when we find out it this has happened even to benefit us (e.g.: Foxconn) we are truly saddened. The author believes that once all nations are truly free then the Lord is finally boss as that should be. But that is an aside.) 

9) Ukrainian elections are held, along with any referndums in those places where petitions indicate they are required. There probably won't be any.  This territory loss, Crimea, Donbass are a hard price to pay for Ukrainians hoping for a better tomorrow. Hopefully the ones that are in those regions who want out are able to do that. It is a very very bad thing that has happened, and the territory will end up like Transnistria, perpetually "disputed" until more reasonable leadership comes to the fore in Moscow.

10) Ukraine is on a path to sane, representative government. It's got a support system comprised of other people who understand what it is to be a Soviet satellite, and who don't ever want that to happen again.

11) Go to church every once in a while. It won't kill you.

12) Be happy and free.