By Nick Dial
On September 17th, 1939, Russia forcefully invaded Poland storming the borders along with Hitler’s Germany during the start of the Second World War. Russia had inflicted unspeakable acts against Poland’s military personnel after being defeated and apprehended. In 1940, The Soviets had executed approximately 25,700 Polish officers. This event came to be known as the Katyn Massacre. The Russians put the blame on the Nazis, but after the fall of the Soviet Union and an admitted testimony by Gorbachev, the truth was finally settled on who was really behind this horrific act. To say the least, the Polish people have not forgotten the oppressive nature of the Russian government and their lust for power in that geographical region of the world. For others around the world not bearing the scars of the Soviet Union, to remind them of the Kremlin’s long history of deviant actions, just take a look at the Georgian- Russian conflict that transpired this last year in 2008. Russia had indiscriminately fired on non military targets in cities, killing civilians. Russian troops were caught on camera pillaging towns of goods and private property. Video of Russian military vehicles were seen towing away private boats and cars. Surveillance footage even revealed Russian troops robbing banks at the height of the conflict. This behavior only goes to show the old ways of the Red Block are still in full force and provide testament to the brutality and lack of honor the Russian government and military still possesses to this day.
The reason the aforementioned history is important, is because one should understand the history in that region to comprehend ,if anything, why this issue should be handled with the up most care. Unfortunately, it would appear that the Obama Administration does not care for such formalities and are so eager to distance them self from Bush implemented programs, that they continue to wreak havoc in their haste and throw histories hard learned lessons to the wayside. September 17th was the 60th anniversary of the invasion of Poland by the Kremlin. What does the administration do? They give the Russians a gift by telling our allies we will no longer go forward with the scheduled missile shield that was promised by the Bush Administration. Russia has been beating their chest ever since the plan was announced and even threatened a nuclear strike against Poland for having such a facility. Their excuse was that they would not tolerate an offensive missile system in Poland. Problem was, however, the missile shield was not offensive in any way; it was defensive and designed to protect the U.S. and her allies from any rogue nations that would fire a missile. Nations such as North Korea, Iran, and even Russia if it were to happen. That was the key issue though; Russia did not like the fact that a system threatened their power and influence in the region. Plainly put, Russia does not want their power challenged in any way and like a typical bully, they began to intimidate any nation that would cooperate with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), seek NATO membership, or cooperate with the U.S. in hosting any missile defense.
The Obama Administration has stated their reasoning for such a move is because reports have come out that Iran cannot yet reach far enough into Europe. While this is debatable, there are several other questions that must be addressed. Just because they can’t now, doesn’t mean they won’t be able to five years from now. What about North Korea’s hostile behavior? China is a rising military power that is often on shaky ground. What about the fact that Russia may one day become a hostile factor again? They at the very least should have sat down with our allies and discussed any issues. Instead, they disrespectfully betray them in a move to appeal to “Russia’s better nature” as this administration put it. The last time a nation attempted to “appeal to Russia” in good faith was in 1945. At the close of WWII, Russia was struggling to create a jet fighter with a reliable and powerful engine. In good faith, Britain provided the Russians with a Rolls-Royce jet engine. The Russians took the engine, copied it and never looked back. What did they do with the gift they had received? American pilots quickly found out in Korea when Russian Mig-15 fighters began attacking them over Korean airspace. A hard lesson had been learned about trusting this “ally”- and it was trouble ever since.
Obama claims that cost is a factor for scrapping missile defense. They say that it is not economical to fire a $70 million dollar missile to destroy a $15 million dollar missile. With this logic, they are actually saying American lives along with the lives of our allies are simply not worth the money. After all, what is the alternative? Without this system in place ,in the event of a missile fired, things will go boom and people will die as a result. The other problem with this stated position is the fact that this administration is so willing to spend ridiculous amounts of money on pet projects, but continues to act as if national defense is a luxury that is a waste of both time and money. Let’s break this down. The following list was taken from the Stimulus Bill - all things that congress and this administration considered so important, that it had to be passed right away or face terrible consequences, remember?
• $2 billion earmark to re-start Future Gen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.
• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).
• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees…
• $150 million for Smithsonian Museum facilities.
• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.
• $75 million for “smoking cessation activities.”
This is just a small sample of the pet projects that was rolled into a “stimulus bill”; a bill aimed at creating jobs. As you can see, almost none of these do anything to create jobs and yet a system that is designed to defend the nation and protect human life is not economical? It’s a good thing their spending 600 million on hybrid vehicles for federal employees. This will stop a missile threat. In fact, the 600 million spent on hybrids would pay for 8.5 of those missiles designed to shoot down ballistic missiles in case of a launch.
Part of this administrations largest problem is in two key areas. One, they don’t study their history. Two, they lack any sort of significant foresight on matters of national defense. Recently Obama stated he was scrapping the F-22 Raptor, the most advanced fighter in the world. He states it costs too much and there is no need for us to have such advanced weaponry. Once again, lack of foresight. China and Russia are both trying very hard to catch up to us in regarding military technologies and are working hard to build a fighter to match it. Air dominance is the key to winning today’s wars and the point to remember is that we build weapons to fight tomorrow’s wars, not today’s.
Once again. we must look into the pages of history. In the 1930’s Germany was leading the world in military technologies. A major example of the Obama Administration’s attitude with defense can be taken right from history. The Germans had the wisdom and fortitude to realize that tanks were the future in ground combat. The United States was still caught up in the old ways of infantry and continued to have horse mounted cavalry rather than investing in tanks. When Germany launched their Blitzkrieg campaign in 1939, the world watched in horror as these perfected steel monsters rolled across Europe unchallenged. The Germans had provided a perfect example of military technology taking the lead. The United States was forced to scramble in an effort to catch up for the time they had lost, and the result was an inferior tank that was vulnerable to the German counterpart. Many men died as a result. The German tanks were so superior to the Allies, the Germans called the American Sherman tanks “Tommy Cookers”, due to the way they lit up after taking a hit. The German tanks were so advanced they actually achieved a 10 to 1 kill ratio in combat.
Because of the hard learned lessons of WWII, the United States made great efforts to never again be caught at such a disadvantage. The evidence of how important this factor was came to light during the Gulf War. Iraq had the 4th largest army in the world at the start of the war. Our stealth bombers were able to penetrate heavily defended air space and disable Iraqi forces, something that would have proved very difficult with conventional aircraft. Our M1-Abrams were so advanced to the Iraqi Russian built tanks that they were able to engage the Iraqi tanks a full mile before the Iraqi tanks were in range to fire back. The result was the defeat of the 4th largest military in just 6 short months.
Today Russia is jockeying around for power. They are aiding the Iranians in developing nuclear capabilities, oppose to any sanctions on Iran, and continue to undermine the United States in regards to national security. The Kremlin has made inflammatory statements against NATO Western Allies. They are becoming very friendly with Cuba and Venezuela, both ant- United States, and to top it off, they have recently sold Iran one of the most sophisticated anti-air missile systems in the world, the S-300. Given Russia’s continued behavior that constantly undermines the interest of the United States, why would we want to cozy up to such a government, all while insulting our allies in the process? My question is this; with all the billions being spent on frivolous pet and ear marked projects, an amount that could have paid for missile defense many times over, what will be this administration’s excuse if a missile is fired? I can hear it now, “don’t worry about the carbon from the mushroom cloud, we bought our federal employees hybrids to offset the carbon footprint!”
By Nick Dial
As each month dwindles by, so does another month with no progress made towards countering Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The situation is becoming grave and the sands of time are beginning to run low. Iran has made no attempt at hiding its intentions towards those who oppose its quest for nuclear nirvana. Repeated threats of wiping nations of the map appear to be common place with Iran’s regime. Ever since the 1979 takeover of Iran, Its people have been strongly oppressed by the Mullahs. While it’s safe to say that a great deal of the Iranian people do not support Iran’s current nuclear venture, they continue to be held hostage by a rogue group of dictators and thugs that constantly thumb their nose at the world in defiance. So far, what has the world shown in return? Apathy. Clear and simple apathy with no will to hold a nation at face value for its words or actions.
In 1945 The United Nations was created to deter such issues from taking place. The world had just been through a horrible world war and the thoughts of smooth talking demagogues that commanded powerful armies with advanced weapons were fresh in the world’s minds. Hitler had left a scar on the world and had proven how apathy from Europe and failure to react to the red flags clearly being presented, cost the world in blood. Humanity had been pushed to its very limits and if you try just a little, you can still see, feel, and listen to the aftermath of that horrible event. Today, it would seem that scar has faded away. Instead of the U.N. proudly displaying this scar to remind the world of its existence and why never again such an action should take place, they choose to cover it up with a little make up and put on a smile. Sure the U.N. is large and it can have quite a bark, but all too often there is never any bite. Instead we get an organization that is so corrupt it could rival ACORN, pitching nations against one another for veto power and serving their own self interest. What once started with good intentions has now turned into nothing more than a world class dog and pony show. Look no further then the Rwanda atrocities to find an example of their incompetence. Let’s not forget the Oil for Food scandal, where Russia, China, and Germany had illegal deals with Saddam. It’s no wonder they didn’t want us to go into Iraq, They were afraid we would find out the truth and they would have egg on their face. Turns out, they were corrupt and hid behind the disguise that they opposed the War on Terror because it was “unjust” when in reality they had their reputations on the line and were afraid of getting exposed. The reason the United Nations doesn’t work is because you have multiple countries with vast differences and agendas, especially Russia and the NATO west. They never agree and do nothing but out vote one another and jockey for position. When you can constantly veto your advisory, why vote in favor of helping them when it may make them stronger in the long run? The countries of the U.N. all have their own interest in mind, talking rather than acting and innocent people pay the price in blood and oppression for such incompetence.
In June of 2009, Iran faced a massive demonstration of the human spirit. When an evident case of election fraud re-elected Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, The Iranian people took to the streets and faced brutal resistance from the Mullah Regime. People were shot, beaten, and even had acid poured down on top of them from helicopters. Despite all of this , they continued to persevere. The one true image being seen that the mainstream media could not, was right in front of them. Iranians were holding signs of protest written in English. What many Westerners may not realize is the fact that most of these people do not speak English and had to go out of their way to accomplish this. This was a clear message to the western world, “We are here, and we want democracy too”. It was a cry for help, even if only to get moral support for the cause of freedom.
During the protest, what did we see from the Obama administration? Finally after much hesitation he “condemned” the brutal tactics of the Mullahs, but did nothing to really give moral support to the people fighting for a noble cause. The world sat back and watched as a people were brutalized. Many times before this event took place, Obama and his administration had made repeated attempts to have “talks” with Iran, only to be slapped away and publicly belittled for trying. Once again, an attempt has been made to negotiate with Iran and once again they simply said, “no.” What has Obama decided to do? The administration has stated they will be holding talks in October of 2009, talks of which Iran has made clear they want no part of in regards to their nuclear program. This is like scheduling a phone call with someone who says they won’t pick up. How many times does this administration need to be publicly humiliated before they realize they are having a one way conversation?
This administration is quick to reprimand the likes of Honduras, a nation that ousted a true tyrant, Manuel Zelaya, in the name of freedom to preserve their constitution, yet fumbles on supporting the people of Iran. Instead, they side with leaders like Chavez and Castro. Obama has been openly critical toward Israel and has done little to show them good faith in protecting their borders with an ever growing threat, Iran. One thing Israel should have done was pick up the ball that Obama dropped. For over a year, Iran and its nuclear venture has been front and center. Obama should have supported the Iranian people and put added pressure to topple the Iranian regime. We could not have asked for a better situation. Here was a golden opportunity to help the implosion of a rogue nation without the use of a massive military operation. That window is now most likely closed. Israel could and should have reached out to the people of Iran and built a bridge of moral support to fight against the Mullahs. Unfortunately this option may no longer be achievable and time is not on Israel’s side. A choice will have to be made. As months continue to go by, so does the deadline for Israel in making a decision. Strike them first, or wait for the worst. The United Nations played a key role in the creation of the Zionist state in 1948 and yet now, the U.N. seems so willing to offer this nation up on the altar of sacrifice as they sit back and do nothing. No doubt if Israel is forced to take action, the world will look upon them with damning eyes, very reminiscent of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War, regardless of the fact that Israel was fired on repeatedly before taking action. In the World’s eyes, Lebanon was portrayed widely as the victim. The fact they elected Hamas, a known terrorist group into government rule, seemed to have no contributing responsibility. In reality, Lebanon themself had brought this aggression on through acts of violent aggression of their own. Even to this day, Israel is still fired on with random rockets hitting their inner cities. Will Israel ever be given the respect to defend herself that so many other nations on the world stage are privileged to do? Or, will they continue to be treated as some bastard stepchild who must always look down at the ground and only speak when spoken to?
