Hate, One Year Later

Yes. He hates Putin.

One year ago, Russia began its Special Military Operation, SMO, in the Ukraine. There were two main reasons for it, one local and one geopolitical.

The local one was the relentless shelling of civilians in the Donbas, following eight years of more shelling and persecution of ethnic Russians all over the Ukraine. If you visit Moon of Alabama, you will find there day-by-day chronicles of the days leading to the SMO, reposted in the last days. It is obvious to me that the West was asking Ukraine to force an invasion. They thought, idiots as they are, that they would put Russia to its knees in a matter of weeks with their wonderful sanctions. “Rouble to rubble”, remember? Of course, they cared zippo for the 14,000 Donbas dead, thousands of whom women and children, or for the additional dead of their little 2022 adventure.

The geopolitical one was the NATO offensive posture towards Russia. If Mexico, or Canada, were to enter a China-led (or Russia-led) military alliance, you can bet your last shirt that the US would never allow it to happen. However, the US think that basic rules of national security apply to them, but not to anyone else, not even to nuclear powers. Therefore, they have transformed NATO in an offensive alliance, not only bombing the likes of Libya and Serbia, but also embarking in the encirclement of Russia via Eastern Europe, Baltic Republics, Ukraine and Georgia. The Georgian gambit failed in 2008, the Ukrainian one in 2014 and in 2022. God help Finland and Sweden if they ever land the other side of the Russian artillery.

About 2014: when the US sponsor coup d’etat abroad, they give them poetic names and a relentless media barrage. When Putin, understandably angered by a coup d’etat in his courtyard, reacts, then he is the baddy. The Western media, which hate Putin because he defends Christian values, play with their governments every step of the way. The Western sheep, now abundantly house-trained by COVID, applaud.

Understand this: Donbas is Russia as Texas is US. There is no chance on earth that the Russians will just give it away, because Biden says so. It’s more likely that the US give Alaska to Russia.

The war-mongering Neocons on both sides of the Uniparty have difficulties understanding this. They think that Russia can be weakened with a long war. They are dangerous idiots. It is the West that is being weakened, and NATO that is losing face, military power, and purpose.

These same neo-cons have needed almost a year to realise that Russia can give them – all of them, including the US, together – a new ass just for the asking, and they would envy Elton John when Putin is finished with them. Too big is Russia’s superiority in military-industrial complex, technology and, most of all, ability to suffer and die for their Country. The Neocons’ ignorance of basic notions of warfare is the most dangerous aspect of the current political situation. Still: they would be stupid even if they were right, because even in that – absurd – case, they would have to know that Russia would nuke them before being defeated by them. As they well should: go at the throat of an atomic bear, enjoy the mushroom that follows.

It is very, very good that the sanctions could not and did not work. Had the contrary being the case, who knows where we would all be by now.

Thankfully, Russia holds all the cards. They can decide if, when, and in which ways they bitch-slap the US. Biden and his band of merry idiots don’t know it – which is dangerous – but many at the Pentagon do, as impressively showed by the constant info being fed to Colonel McGregor, and the cautious messaged broadcasted everywhere outside of the White House propaganda channels. Even General Milley, Biden’s Trombone-in-chief, had to acknowledge the reality on the ground.

This war will end with Putin’s victory. Which victory? The one he wants. We don’t know – because they don’t say – how deep they want to go. But one thing we know: the longer this goes on, the smaller what remains of the Ukraine will be. In fact, at some point Putin could decide that he will take a great part of it. A big hit for the Biden Family’s business interests, but hey….

If you ask me, this would be a great development. I see the Countries of the Kievan Rus linked by a millennial cultural and religious bond. They belong together. Both Belarus and Ukraine’s place is inside a strong Russia, uniting the “three Russias” together as it was for many Centuries before.

Unwittingly, NATO and the US are helping Putin to achieve just that, making of him a sort of New Volodimir The Great. As to them, they will get out of this deeply weakened as an Alliance, and with many NATO Countries wondering whether being used as pawn for US geopolitical plays is a smart policy in the long term.

Russia will win.

Thank God for that!

Sacrifices

Today is the first Friday of Lent, a day of fasting. I wonder how many Catholics will be fasting today. Heck, I wonder how many Catholics even know – or remember from their church going days, if any – that, today, they are supposed to fast.

It’s not a big sacrifice and, in fact, even the Baltimore Catechism rendition of “fast” isn’t anything to write home about. I am pretty sure that, in past times, many people went above and beyond what was required. Still, the rules required, and requires, a small sacrifice.

People don’t do this stuff anymore. I see around me a society bent on instant gratification in everything. Grandma probably still said that eating between meals makes you fat. Mother grew up aware of it, but she never really conveyed the message to her daughter. Daughter is now heavily overweight, will snack every time she feels like it without even thinking, and don’t you dare to tell her one word, you oppressive Fascist White Male!

People grew unable to make small sacrifices. As a result, they cannot make the big ones. Divorces are more and more frequent, and the offspring of the pre-divorce couple grows in a culture where divorce is, if not expected, very common and totally normalised. Being sons of divorce, they will grew more likely to divorce themselves. What the Church thinks of this will then become either an irrelevance or an occasion for rebellion as it will be seen as unrealistically harsh.

The West needs to train its children to make sacrifices again. The habit of small sacrifices will create a fertile ground for bigger ones. When one is willing to make sacrifices, the Church call becomes a call to sanctification instead of an occasion of rebellion.

Fast diligently today. Tell your children why you do it. Train them now to the sacrifices (big and small) they will have to make in life. Explain to them that the ability to make sacrifices is very important in the development of that most important trait of a Catholic: the obedience to uncomfortable rules. Explain to them, finally, that the ability to better obey the rules will make them, in the long run, both happier in this life and much better equipped to become supernaturally happy in the next one.