The US and other democracies had better wake up and pay attention. All across the world fascist authoritarian governments sponsored by US billionaires along with countries like Russia and those they support like Steve Bannon are spreading anti-democratic fascist bull all around the world. There are well monied groups that want white supremacy and Christian religious dominance all across the globe. When you look into it the facts become really scary.
The Associated Press reports:
French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen warned today against sending any more weapons to Ukraine, and called for a rapprochement between NATO and Russia once Moscow’s war in Ukraine winds down.
Le Pen, an outspoken nationalist who has long ties to Russia, also confirmed that if she unseats President Emmanuel Macron in France’s April 24 presidential runoff, she will pull France out of NATO’s military command and dial back French support for the whole European Union.
Macron, a pro-EU centrist, is facing a harder-than-expected fight to stay in power, in part because the economic impact of the war is hitting poor households the hardest.
Read the full article.
Scottie's Playtime 
Hi Scottie;
I find some sociological phenomenon fascinating. One conversation I had in the past with a Vietnam Era Vet and sociological prof. was about the different manner in which American households adjusted differently to the Vietnam War as they did to WW2 and to a lesser extent Korea. A great deal of that, he said, was the changing facet of the draft from pulling EVERYONE to just those not wealthy enough to find their way out of going – to now, as we have a volunteer military. So, long intro, I know. But, the difference was in how those NOT in the military viewed the worthiness of the fight, the fighters, the government that chose the manner of the conflict – and he listed a few others that were above my education. I’ll sum this up below, but it really shows me a lot in regard to how our current society thinks now.
So, in summation: The reduction in commitment of the common household and the subsequent allowance of criticizing the worthiness of the conflict has created the expectation that current comfort or status quo over-rides the expectation of the common household necessity for sacrifice when your country goes to war. The governments now run by politicians of popularity rather than qualified leaders feed this new expectation by sending the war debt directly to the proverbial credit card and making war a near consequence free issue.
I blinked a lot in that conversation, and I don’t know that I even am representing his arguments, that he dumbed down a bit for me, very well here, but that was the gist of it. What do you think?
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Hello Randy. First let me apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I did leave you a note on Skype. I have over done with Ron being up in NC and James working, and so last night my back was so bad I couldn’t sleep, and my spine so twisted it was causing my feet to have spasms. Even sitting in my desk chair is causing rolling spasms in my back that make me catch my breath. So I have been resting most of today. This too shall pass. Extra pain medication and muscle relaxers let’s hear it for morphine.
There has been a lot written of the military of the poor volunteers and how that has changed the general public’s view of military conflicts. This came out during the time of the Iraq war when many of the families seeing dead kids from the never-ending conflicts were poor families mostly from the Midwest of the country. It used to be a mark of honor for wealthy kids to go into the service as an officer and then get out and use their service to run for office. But as tRump said the wealthy figured there was nothing in it for them, why should they work for something they felt entitled to be given, so they let the poor people do the dangerous hard work. George W. Bush was the last President to have served in the military and his was a fake bought by his wealthy connected father for pretend time in uniform. And he probably thought he was in the trenches like the real service members as that was how entitled that type of person is.
But Randy what that creates is a system where the wealthy or ruling class has no pressure to stop a war or the deaths of the military, where the ruling class has no problem using the military for political reasons simply because it won’t affect them personally and will only affect those lessor people. And the ruling class really doesn’t care about them, right I mean look at the state of the country today, all for large corporations but none for the people. One of the things the military suffers from is low unemployment numbers, it takes so much more to recruit young people. During times when people are hungry then the military is fat and full. That is another reason the right wing wants to keep higher education very expensive, the wealthy can afford it but the poor cannot use it to get ahead and change their station in life. But basically you are telling poor young adults they must sell their body to the government and go through government indoctrination for the security of their basic needs being met. They are selling their body to the US government for food and shelter. So you are very correct brother.
To try to relax I am watching parts of my fav movies on HBO max. Just watching the end of the Zack Snyder’s Justice League. I love that movie.
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