Nixon Greeting Hungarian Refugees at Andau, Austria, December, 1956
Posted on 05/28/2007 1:37:58 PM PDT by WesternCulture
“- All true, although I think Russia could well develop into a close ally of the US. There are a lot of good things to be said of the Russians.”
I have a lot of good things to say about the younger Russian generation whom got a small but important taste of freedom and now understandably want more. But I do not like nor admire Putin whom has done an about face with us on the WOT and provides nuclear know-how to Iran. I don’t like the bullying of former Soviet sattelite states that are independant and pushing for Democracy. Russia is not our friend although it would be nice if they were, that is simply wishful thinking.
“The US has done more in order to advance freedom and liberty than most other countries.
The boldness of Reagan and the men and women who dared to support him paved way for Europe of today, a continent where ALL people feel free to speak their minds without fear of being arrested by Stasi, Securitate and the KGB.
A European who does not realize this is, to say the least, an embarassment to Europe.”
Well glad to see we still have allies out there. Reagan was a great President. I believe we would have a great President in Bush if he simply stuck to his plans and not been ill-advised by foolish cabinet members who feel we can negotiate with evereone. Not all people on this earth feel or think the way the West does. Look at Iran and the EU’s position to negotiate. The mullah’s there don’t give a whit about being sociably responsible member of this globe. They want and intend to rule it by building nukes and blackmailing the West, annihalating Israel etc. The only way to deal with them now is violence.
“I apologize if I sounded torqued at the Swedes.”
- There is nothing to apologize for.
Furthermore, I deliberately chosed the words ‘While America slept’ just in order to get the thread going.
“I was just giving some counter-evidence to the idea that the USA was asleep after WWII in terms of the Communist threat.”
- Such evidence sure exist and they ought to be remembered. In my eyes, bringing them to topic proves you’re a good American.
“The USA was tired, counting the blessings of having been separated
from the chaos of WWII by a couple of oceans...
and catching their breath before a new threat loomed in term of
the USSR and Communist China.”
- True.
All the same, it is all apt to ask why such a powerful nation, THE most powerful nation on earth, would refrain from fully committing itself to developing superior weaponry during the late 1940’s/early 1950’s.
The ‘tiny’ nation of Sweden, by the way, possessed nuclear power in 1954.
Agreed & well said.
Weren’t they supposedly ‘neutral’ during the war? The Russians were extremely cruel to the German people as well. Tit for Tat maybe? But I don’t trust them for a minute. They are NOT our friends, just as China is NOT our friend. We can count our friends on our middle fingers. (joke)
There’s no doubt that the Russians are good people, but their government stinks.
The Russians had the A-bomb in 1949. You can thank the Rosenbergs for that. They got a deliverable H-bomb BEFORE the US...although we exploded a fusion “device” before they did, it was not then a deliverable weapon.
“Well glad to see we still have allies out there”
- More Europeans support the US than the MSM allow you to find out.
Ordinary people of the Middle East desire the same things in life we Westerners do; happiness, prosperity and freedom.
Today, terrorists, devotees of a new Dark Age and haters of humanity stand in our way.
“The only way to deal with them now is violence.”
- Often there are alternatives to violence.
In this case, there is not.
We could easily become friends with the russians, and help ourselves to boot.....they need hard currency, we need land..........what would the land on the other side of the bering straight cost????? a bridge could be built with no problem....we give them hard currency, they give us frozen tundra.....that is loaded with oil and natural gas deposits.........everyone wins!!!!!
“Historians have long known that the Swedish DC3 shot down by a Soviet fighter plane in 1952 was being used to spy on military facilities on the other side of the Baltic Sea.”
Somehow I don’t think America was sleeping in 1952. Seems to me that there was a war of some sort going on.
A bridge is a great idea, but I hope you’re not all serious about US acquisition of Russian territory.
Russia is Russia.
Would you favor the idea of selling off parts of the US to foreign countries?
“And let us all remember the millions killed or displaced by the same Russians.”
- Yes let’s do that and please promise me you’ll never let anyone tell you Western Democracy is NOT the most humane and civilized concept of social order ever developed by man.
This is the true face of Socialism:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Gulag_camps
The Russians should be treated more like your paranoid schizophrenic cousin - you don't trust them with sharp implements. The Russians are busy arming our enemies, and threatening our new East European friends with economic warfare. Keep them close, yes - but in the spirit of the old adage "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
They may be part of Western Civilization, but Western Civilization has often torn itself apart with internal wars.
The ethics of their current leadership seems to draw more from their Hun, Tartar and Mongol experience than from Western Civ.
Remember that before Hitler stupidly attacked the Soviet Union, the U.S.S.R. was an ally of Nazi Germany. Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union gleefully divided up Poland between themselves. Of course, a lot can be blamed on the short-sightedness and criminality of Stalin.
Would they use it if attacked by a foreign power?
Yeah, I’m pretty sick of hearing that they were “innocent.” My Royal Irish @$$. The Rosenbergs got less than they deserved.
Fuelled equipped and supplied by the Western allies. Without the West, Russia would have been on foot and sooner or later signed a separate peace just as they did in WWI.
To say that Russia (as opposed to "Russians" I suppose) are "close allies and partners" is a serious break with reality. Oh and BTW, America was not "sleeping," we were busy forging and standing up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Perhaps you've heard of it, NATO, even though Sweden couldn't be bothered to join.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.