Annexing Ukraine?

Why the Russians won't negotiate

Annexation and a new strategic reality

You've probably been following the Legacy Media. We all do.  

It’s like McDonald’s—full of bad fats, additives, and stuff that causes cancer—but you eat it anyway-- because it’s convenient and you’re in a hurry.   

Joe: hamburger brain; hamburger politics

Just like you need to fill your empty stomach, you need something to fill your empty mind, which hungers for information of any kind.

Well, maybe not YOU—or ME – WE are on Substack!  We're not like all those other unfortunates, sometimes called the “general public”.

I do not eat Fast Food – just eat fast

But even McDonald’s changes with the times. 

You will see that CNN and the New York Times and their legions of superannuated high school students posing as journalists are no longer listing Zelensky on any menu anywhere, except maybe the snack machine in the White House basement.  

No Double Zelly Burger anymore.

No more cheesy photos of him and his wife either.  No more sloppy fawning from deep-fried, slightly rancid Hollywood stars like Sean Pen(is).     

Now… Zaluzhny Burger is the thing now.   

With a side of fries please

There are others on the Ukraine menu, of course, including a boxer who’s been hit a few too many times in the nose, but is significantly more intelligent than either Zelensky or Zaluzhny.

That’s the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko.

But the media will tell you it’s Zaluzhny got da’ beef!  100%.

Not much protein mind you— 90% fat.

Not just in the cheeks, but between the ears.

Zelensky was a moron. Zaluzhny is a moron too. The US loves morons. Take a look at its presidents.

Who actually calls the shots?

Zelensky was elected promising to negotiate with the Russians. 

Following the long tradition of Western democracy, he of course reneged on his promises.  Not that it really mattered. Ukraine, like the US and the UK is not run by its politicians—but by people we never see, invisible powerbrokers, with equally hidden agendas.

Politicians are just our hamburger.  And, after a while, they get moldy and you have to dump them. In any case they have no substance.

A "liberal" might simply say that Zelensky has no market value anymore. 

The American public’s taste for Zelensky— and all things Ukrainian—is diminishing by the day. Uncle Sam doesn't like losers.  

The American political establishment has even less liking for Zelensky with an election coming and Trump looking like a winner-- although almost anyone could win against Joseph Biden.

Make America Fat Again. MAFA.

But how to tie up loose ends?

The US needs a new leader in the Ukraine, who will offer a new approach—which is actually neither new nor genuine—but allows wiggle room—for the US at least —and can be seen as different. “Difference” being synonymous with “progress” in the American mind—as long as nothing really changes.

So, at this point, it appears that the US wants Ukraine to try to negotiate with the Russians-- a kind of Minsk 3.0. The media ululate,

The Case for Negotiating with Russia. The New Yorker

U.S. privately asks Ukraine to show it’s open to negotiate with Russia. Washington Post

Germany and US ‘will pressure Zelensky to negotiate with Russia’. The Telegraph

US officials urge Ukraine to signal it is still open to diplomatic discussions with Russia.CNN

“Try” is the key word here.  Trying is not the same as doing.

It must be obvious that the Russians have no need to negotiate anything since they are winning and especially because the Ukraine and the West have proven over and over again they cannot keep their word.

If their word is their bond—that bond is made of toilet paper.   Wipe and flush.

In any case— Ukraine is going down the toilet, paper are not.  Shit or not.

The neocons want to keep the money flowing and defense contractors happy.   They need excuses to spend billions on new and even more impractical defense systems-- rather than on, say, healthcare or education or infrastructure. Great! Everybody makes money – except 99% of the people-- who end up with – you guessed it – McDonald's.

The US government needs to persuade the Europeans that the Russians are a huge threat, stop worrying about silly things like climate change and gut their social programs and environmental programs to buy F35s as they sink into recession.

F35's don't use a lot of fuel because they mostly can't fly.

Would Zaluzhny change anything?  

That's the point. He wouldn't.

Let me reiterate basic points for your 2024 GRE.

Different=Same

Progress=Regress

Diversity=Uniformity

Zelensky plays the piano with his penis, providing an anthem for his military delusions—which are shared by Zaluzhnyi who sings along.

The Z Boys were equally responsible for the failure of the counteroffensive-- not that the counteroffensive had any chance of success under any commander—even one marginally competent.

Zaluzhny's expertise is in antiaircraft missiles. He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976) and the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986). He is not, by any stretch of the imagination, trained to handle large-scale offensive or even defensive military operations involving armor and troops—although he did study at the Russian Defense Academy in 1998.

His pronouncements are often as not nonsense.

If you look at NATO’s textbooks and at the maths which we did, four months should have been enough time for us to have reached Crimea, to have fought in Crimea, to return from Crimea and to have gone back in and out again… The Hill

This “Z” creates strategy from textbooks rather than looking at the reality of the battlefield and what he has to fight with and what the enemy has.

He pretends to be upfront and honest.

That was my mistake. Russia has lost at least 150,000 dead. In any other country, such casualties would have stopped the war.

No. Russia had not lost 150,000 KIA-- at the most, about 40,000! Most likely much less than that.

Casualties for Russia were in the order of 150,000—but that number includes both KIA and wounded. For Russia, the ratio of wounded to KIA is 10 to 1, with 70 to 90% of wounded returning to active duty—therefore, the number of Russians killed in action is very low. In Ukraine, however, up to 50% of wounded die.

Leaked Ukrainian sources indicate between 400,000 and 500,000 Ukrainians have lost their lives.

In any other country, such casualties would have stopped the war.

So, following Zaluzhny’s logic, Ukraine should have given up long ago.

As Commander, Zaluzhny’s responsibility was to work on the basis of facts— not propaganda. So, his interviews with the Western media are just opportunities to make excuses for incompetence.

“Just like in the First World War, we have reached the level of technology that puts us into a stalemate”.

More of the same. There is no “stalemate” in the Donbass. It is nothing like World War I at all. As for technology—the Russians have it—the Ukrainians don't. So. forget that part of the argument.

The Russians continue wiping out Ukrainians at an alarming rate, while losing very few of their own. At the same time, they are making steady progress, especially in Adeevaka, Liman, the Bakhmut area, Marinka, Kupyansk….

The few villages the Ukrainians managed to take in the counteroffensive are mostly lost now.

The Russians have the technological ability to cross Ukrainian minefields – although Ukrainians don't have the ability to cross Russian minefields.

The Russians just wait. The Ukrainians keep on coming-- and keep on dying—it's attritional warfare.

The Russians want a long slow war which demilitarizes and debilitates not just Ukraine but NATO as well-- while Russia grows stronger.

Of course, Zaluzhny is hoping to get F-16s—despite the fact that even upgraded F-16s wouldn't last very long in combat and would have to be flown by NATO pilots—a no-go.

Zelensky may be a moron but at least he can play the piano with his penis.

Is Zaluzhny any better? All he can do is wank.

It’s a bit like replacing Biden with Trump – or even RFK – and thinking that will change things in the US.

Just flush.

American desperation

But the Americans are getting very very desperate.

And if you look at Putin’s speeches and writings, you will see that he has always believed that the Ukraine, including Western Ukraine, is an integral part of Russia – as is Belarus.

On the other hand, he is a practical person and was willing to negotiate and compromise in the beginning – back in 2014 – and again in 2022—offering to maintain something like Ukraine's independent post-Soviet status.

Today, the West simply cannot make it worth his while—the US would have to prove it could be trusted by honoring the promises made when the Soviet Union fell and afterwards-- and it would have to pay compensation. That's obviously not going to happen.

So, now the Kremlin is talking annexation-- ultimately the simplest and best solution.

Russia will not—and cannot—accept even a Western Ukrainian rump state, which would be inevitably run by the same shadowy forces that started the war in the first place. Nor would they accept a Korean style solution-- which of course was never a solution.

Rather, Russia must create a truly democratic Ukrainian Republic that can join with Belarus in the Russian Union. That Republic would require referendums, not possible at this point. But…

China’s economy grew 6.4 times (“x6.4”) over those 25 years, Russia’s grew 5.9 times over those 25 years, India’s grew 2.96 times over those 25 years, U.S.’s grew 1.36 times over those 25 years, EU’s grew 1.40 times during those 25 years, Japan’s grew 1.17 times over those 25 years, and South Korea’s grew 2.37 times over those 25 years.

Here is the performance of the entire world over those 25 years:

25-yr=22/7=x3.14

So: x3.14 is the global average performance over the most-recent 25-year period.

In other words: whereas India performed slightly worse than the global average, the U.S., EU, Japan, and South Korea, performed considerably worse than the global average during those 25 years.

Russia has a lot to offer – a lot more than the West can—given the mismanagement and corruption of the neo-Nazi government and the complicity of Europe, now failing economically.

The population of Ukraine is down from 43 million to 19 million—which makes the initial necessary Russian occupation of Western Ukraine much more manageable.

War crimes trials will go a long way to reeducating the Ukrainian public in making sure the referenda pass. But ultimately it will come down to economics.

How will Russia pay for reconstruction? Ukraine has huge resources. It was once the economic and industrial powerhouse of the USSR. It could be that to Russia.

Europe is already in recession. The dollar is collapsing. And the US will eventually follow. Back in 2014—many Ukrainians thought that the West offered a better future than Russia. Now the situation is reversed. Just flush.

The Ukraine's future is with Russia, which—thanks to enforced autarky—and BRICS——will be largely insulated from the coming global economic crisis triggered by American economic collapse.

The US was once the world's pivotal nation. It is no longer—as Eric Zuesse says—that's Russia.

Oh, and the Putin Burger is a lot healthier! (Click for video)

A message for the season

Wrinkles

Many people have asked me about my photo and why I look so much younger than my actual age— which is 77. The photo is not retouched— just an ordinary selfie—under ordinary lights—which admittedly don't show wrinkles as much as harsh daylight. Still, when I meet people—no one thinks I'm in my 70s.

Even my doctor thought I was younger until he looked at my chart and saw my birthdate.

But: we all age. Me too. Selfies are fine but I hate mirrors in the morning.

Ageing Young

Some years ago, I noticed that people age at different rates—as much as 50% different—depending on lifestyle and culture-- hence, the recent attention to so-called "blue zones". But how many of you, want to move to an island off Okinawa? Old habits are hard to get rid of. Culture is all about habits.

A couple of years back I wrote a book called Ageing Young: You Never Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll-- about aging from the point of view of evolutionary psychology and biology—and a few other things.

Paleo people had a lot we don't in modern civilizations. Making it out of childhood alive was a challenge of course. But if they did, they were pretty happy. They laughed a lot, sang and played a lot, and had a lot of sex. If they survived past 25, they went on to long satisfying lives – without doctors or hospitals or drugs.

They didn't get heart disease, diabetes, or cancer at the same rates we do.

They worked an average 12 hours a week spent the rest of the time playing. Their societies were small. open and egalitarian. Everyone was a chief.

More than 30% of Paleo peoples were neurodiverse. Polymathy and creativity allowed them to supplant Neanderthals and others.

Caring and sharing

That was the way things were for 40,000 years until the climate changed. We adapted and created tribes and civilizations, in physical and social suboptimal environments.

Lifespans and general health plummeted.

Once we had lived in bands, usually less than 50 people. Everyone cared for everyone else. Equally. These sharing societies. We looked after each other. “Civilizations”, including tribal societies, were just too large and we lost the all-important sense of true community we once had had.

Larger, hierarchical societies are inherently alienative. But now the climate is changing again. We must adapt again.

There are all sorts of things that can kill you.

But it is love that keeps you alive. And maybe a sense of humor.

As the year comes to a close, let us all care for one another. And maybe we can give to one another. Maybe also we can find something to laugh about.

However long we live, let it be a better life. Share and care– and smile.

Buymeacoffee

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